Do you remember being a child in cheder and going with your class on a Lag Ba’Omer trip or perhaps a trip celebrating graduation or another occasion? Before the trip, your rebbi, or perhaps even the principal, would address the children, stressing the importance of making a kiddush Hashem. They would explain how we must behave properly—not to be loud or unruly, not to litter—because people judge all frum Jews by our actions.
I’m not sure why, but many of us seem to think that making a kiddush Hashem is something reserved for schoolchildren. Much less emphasis is placed on it when it comes to adults. We’re too busy arguing about lofty hashkafic disagreements to focus on fundamental yesodei hadaas, such as the posuk in this week’s parsha which states, “Venikdashti besoch Bnei Yisroel,” where we are commanded to be mekadeish Sheim Shomayim.
“Driving” Home the Message
Many of us have grown complacent in this golus. After all, Donald Trump is considered a friend, and some frum Jews even have access to him. As a result, we fail to grasp how crucial it still is to act with great care while living in exile.
When Rav Matisyohu Salomon delivered weekly shmuessen in the Lakewood Yeshiva, I tried to attend as often as possible—and gained tremendously. I recall how, on more than one occasion, he devoted an entire shmuess to stress the absolute necessity of remembering that we are in golus and that Jews must maintain a low profile.
What animated him most during those talks was the topic of driving habits. It pained him deeply when people who identify as bnei Torah ignored traffic laws, driving recklessly or aggressively. To him, such conduct was both a breach of the proper golus demeanor and a contradiction to the middos tovos that bnei Torah are supposed to embody. In his view, it was no small matter.
Day-to-Day Kiddush Hashem Is Greater Than Dying Al Kiddush Hashem
The Sefas Emes writes that a person can merit Olam Haba in a single moment by being mekadeish Sheim Shomayim. He adds that while it is beautiful to be mekadeish Hashem in one glorious instant, such as dying al kiddush Hashem, it remains just that: one moment. However, a person who slowly, deliberately, and consistently overcomes spiritual challenges makes an even more profound kiddush Hashem.
This is no small matter, and it shouldn’t be a small matter to us either.
While we often focus on seemingly larger communal issues, such as education or politics, those challenges are often influenced by our public image. For instance, during recent weeks, the issue of secular education was front and center, with proposed legislation concerning compulsory studies and “substantial equivalency.” Our community seeks language that ensures the state doesn’t encroach upon our chinuch obligations. No doubt, if our public conduct consistently reflected the values of kiddush Hashem, we would earn more goodwill from the very officials we rely on.
Never on Vacation from Being Mekadeish Sheim Shomayim
We often fail to realize that because we look so distinctive in our dress, we are constantly under observation by Jews and non-Jews alike. When we drive erratically, cut lines in stores, or act uncouthly in airports or on airplanes, people take note. They do not give us the benefit of the doubt. They don’t assume that it was just a bad day. Rather, they form lifelong impressions based on what they see in that moment, both positive impressions and, chas v’shalom, negative ones.
I once came across a story in the sefer Yagdil Torah that powerfully illustrates this point.
During the summer, the Bais Yisroel would spend time in the Har Hacarmel neighborhood of Haifa. Although he was officially on “vacation,” his rigorous schedule of waking in the early, pre-dawn hours remained unchanged.
One morning, the Bais Yisroel was walking through the mostly deserted streets of Haifa. A traffic light turned red, and he stopped to wait, despite the total absence of vehicles. Some construction workers, laboring at that early hour, noticed the saintly figure and were struck by his appearance, so reminiscent of the righteous characters in the stories of their Moroccan childhoods.
One of the workers addressed him respectfully. “Kevod harav, the rov doesn’t need to wait at this hour. The streets are empty. No cars are coming from either direction.”
The rebbe said nothing but waited for the light to turn green before crossing. As he did so, he overheard one worker remark to his friend, “You see! That is a real rov! Even in the middle of the night, when no one is looking, he follows the law!”
Turning to his devoted meshameish, Rav Ezriel, the Bais Yisroel exclaimed, “Ezriel, did you hear what he said? Even when no one is looking, one must do the right thing. In our time, what is left for us to do? To make a kiddush Hashem and prevent a chillul Hashem.”
“You Must Close the Kollel! It’s Not Doing Its Job!”
Let me share another powerful story that underscores this message.
Rav Neuhaus, a talmid of Rav Matisyohu Salomon, became the rov of a prominent shul that had a vibrant night kollel. The shul was located on a narrow road near a fire station, a street frequently used by fire trucks.
Unfortunately, some of the kollel members would park along the side of the street but failed to pull up close to the curb, making it difficult for fire trucks to pass quickly. This became a serious problem. The fire chief eventually sent a letter to the shul asking that cars be parked properly. He concluded with a warning: If the situation didn’t improve, he would issue an ordinance banning parking on that street altogether.
Rav Neuhaus posted the letter in the shul, but it had little effect. People continued parking carelessly.
Soon after, the mashgiach visited the city, and Rav Neuhaus brought the matter to his attention.
Without a moment’s pause, Rav Matisyohu said, “You must close the kollel!”
“What?” Rav Neuhaus asked in disbelief. “But it’s a thriving kollel. So much Torah is being learned there!”
The mashgiach stood firm. “The Gemara says about someone who learns Torah without the intent to fulfill it that it would be better had he never been born. Torah must lead to action. If this kollel isn’t producing proper dei’os and middos, then it’s missing the point.”
The Greater Test: Living Al Kiddush Hashem
We must always remember: Living al kiddush Hashem, striving each day to sanctify Hashem’s Name, is even more precious, and certainly more beautiful in the eyes of Hashem, than a one-time act of dying al kiddush Hashem.
Think about it.
