March 4, 2024

 

The Gemara in Kiddushin 25A relates an incident that goes a long way toward explaining why our generation failed the Covid test and continues to be easy prey for the propaganda du jour:

סבי דנזוניא לא אתו לפירקיה דרב חסדא אמר ליה לרב המנונא זיל צנעינהו אזל אמר להו מאי טעמא לא אתו רבנן לפירקא אמרו ליה אמאי ניתי דבעינן מיניה מילתא ולא פשט לן אמר להו מי בעיתו מינאי מידי ולא פשיטנא לכו בעו מיניה עבד שסרסו רבו בבצים מהו כמום שבגלוי דמי או לא לא הוה בידיה אמרו לו מה שמך אמר להו המנונא אמרו ליה לאו המנונא אלא קרנונא אתא לקמיה דרב חסדא, אמר ליה מתניתא בעו מינך

The elders of Nezunia didn't come to Rav Chisda's lecture. He said to Rav Hamnuna, “Go sanction them.”

He went and said to them, “For what reason did the rabbis not come to the lecture?”

They said to him, “Why should we go? We ask him things and he does not answer us.”

He said to them, “Did you ever ask me something and I didn't answer you?”

They asked him, “If a servant was castrated by his master in the testicles, what is the status? Is it like a blemish in a revealed part of the body or not?”

He didn't have the answer in his hands. They said to him, “What is your name?”

He said to them, “Hamnuna.”

They said to him, “It isn't Hamnuna, but Karnuna [a cold fish].”

He came before Rav Chisda, who said to him “It's a Baraysa they asked of you...”

Although the elders of Nezunia behaved very disrespectfully toward Rav Chisda and his emissary – himself a great sage – it seems they had a legitimate complaint. Instead of being enraged by how they treated Rav Hamnuna, as a tyrant would have reacted regardless of the circumstances, Rav Chisda was ultimately upset with Rav Hamnuna for failing to know a Baraysa. The elders of Nezunia were not receiving proper answers to their questions, which is not only a right, but a fundamental need. Their scorn for the religious leaders who failed them was perhaps over the top, but understandable, and not deserving of sanction.

Nowadays we are admonished that asking critical questions and holding authority figures to scrutiny is a violation of some unwritten religious code (“emunas chachamim”, “da'as Torah”) or, when it comes to the charlatans and gangsters who rule our land, a threat to our “national security”. This message is hammered home in “educational” institutions, broadcast in the media, and dutifully parroted by “influencers” across the spectrum.

It is no wonder that those who question the official narrative are mocked, chastised, and distanced by their own family, friends, and neighbors, which generally suffices to stifle them. This is how a respectable Communist society works. Higher level intervention can thus be saved for more troublesome cases of dissent, such as soldiers hesitating before senseless or unethical commands.

We are allowed to ask for instructions from trusted authority figures and their approved experts, but we are not allowed to subject the instructions to scrutiny. We are certainly not allowed to predicate our compliance on these instructions holding up to scrutiny.

Almost immediately after the mini-Holocaust on October 7, the people who control the narrative and brainwash the masses reacted with one voice: “Now is not the time to ask questions.”

How convenient that the same people who presided over such a colossal “intelligence failure”, to the extent that they somehow failed to respond to dozens of communities burning to the sky and desperate calls for help for endless hours, would make it verboten to ask questions.

Sure, they would like nothing more than to answer questions, lots and lots of questions, with complete transparency, but now is simply not the time. It's for our own sake. It would “demoralize” the soldiers.

You know, the same soldiers who were nowhere to be found on October 7.

God forbid we demoralize the soldiers by questioning the people who give them orders – very questionable orders – and are responsible for their remarkable absence on October 7.

Our leaders are most sensitive to the feelings of our soldiers.

They are in fine hands.

Those who ask questions that might “demoralize” the soldiers endanger them and all of us. No doubt such threats to our national security (the people who ask questions, not those responsible for everything that happened) should be silenced by whatever means necessary.

Rule of thumb: If someone forbids you from asking questions about something you have every right to know, it is not because he cares about you. It is because he has something very damaging to hide – regardless of his excuse.

If someone forbids you from asking questions, he is probably your enemy.

One would expect that at least some people in high positions would be demanding answers – and rolling heads – from all those responsible for the “intelligence failure” (or something else) on October 7. They would expect answers and consequences before our precious people are sent into death traps under the pretense of “bringing home the hostages”.

This would be the most sensible way to proceed – yet this is precisely the one reaction that our “leaders” discourage in the strongest of terms. With one voice.

“Netanyahu has said that now is not the time for him to face questions of responsibility, that that has to come only after the war.” (Source)

“This is not time for difficult questions,” Gantz said. “This is the time for overwhelming answers on the battlefield.” (Source)

“Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the chief military spokesman, acknowledged the army owes the public an explanation. But he said now is not the time. “First, we fight, then we investigate,” he said.” (Source)

“Thirty-six hours after Hamas’s attacks began, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir finally appeared on the political scene calling for the complete destruction of Hamas while trying to deflect attention away from the quite apparent governmental failures. “The State of Israel is experiencing one of the most difficult events in its history. This is not the time for questions, tests and investigations,” he said.” (Source)

This is an amazing display of unity from the gamut of our “leaders” not seen since Covid tyranny and the accursed shots. They may pretend to be “right wing” and “left wing” to keep us at each other's throats and believing our votes in the next election will finally make a difference, but one thing they all agree on is now is not the time for questions!

Of course, the media they control (which included a media blackout while the mini-Holocaust was happening, for our own good, of course) dutifully published “opinion” pieces by influencers and useful idiots parroting the call of the hour. “Not the time for questions”, was the title of one such hack job on Arutz Sheva on October 10.

Rush headlong into Gaza death traps now, commanded by the same people who “failed” on October 7, and ask questions some indeterminate time in the future, when the people in charge permit it. If you're lucky enough to still be around, with all your limbs intact.

Heaven forbid you should be demoralized by questions before taking orders. I can't imagine anything more demoralizing than questions – not even the events of October 7.

Of course, the actual Torah perspective could not be more different. We are not only allowed to ask questions, we are obligated to ask questions, whenever WE feel the need to ask them – and people in authority are obligated to give us appropriate answers. Otherwise, we owe them no deference, and we would be insane to take orders from them.

The elders of Nezunia had no rope for even a Gadol Hador who failed to answer their questions. They would scoff at what so many of us have been reduced to today, allowing ourselves to be silenced, silencing each other, and following senseless instructions from snakes.

And, of course, they would be right.

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