Fear is gripping us.

Fear for the brave soldiers who are risking their lives for our people.

Fear for the families whose loved ones have perished or are injured.

Fear for our brothers and sisters throughout our holy land who are exposed to constant assault and danger.

Fear for the fate of our thriving nation that has now been paralyzed by war.

Fear for the welfare of our fellow Jews throughout the world who now face calls for a vile international jihad to eradicate us as a people.

How can we deal with this fear and prevent ourselves from becoming incapacitated by it?

The Tikunei Zohar reveals that the same letters that comprise the very first word in our holy Torah — בראשית, spell out the sentiment ירא בשת — literally, to fear shame.

Clearly this is not directing a person to fear ever showing vulnerability by being ashamed of the mistakes one may have made. Rather this notion is in the spirit of the words of the Chovos HaLevavos who records an episode of a pious individual who discovers a G-d fearing man sleeping in the wild desert inhabited by wild animals. He incredulously asks him how it was possible that he could have fallen asleep amidst the frightening reality of danger. He responded by saying the now famous words:  ×× ×™ בוש מאלוקים שיראני ירא מזולתו — I am embarrassed from G-d if he should see how I feared anyone other than Him!

The first human emotion denoted in Torah is after G-d created Adam and Chava, they are both unclothed yet the Torah records how ולא יתבוששו — and they were not ashamed.

The Holy Imrei Emes explains how, prior to their subsequent sin, they possessed such an acute consciousness of G-d’s presence that it could not permit their instincts to view their private parts as anything other than instruments to promote the bringing forth generations, absent of any shameful instinctive drive for self-pleasure that might otherwise provoke a sense of embarrassment.

The only shame one may purely sense and fear is the disgrace of not maintaining a constant awareness of G-d’s presence at any given moment, and falling short of our duty to remain loyal to a G-d whose benevolence is so great that it compels us to never feel we could ever reciprocate in kind.

It is a feeling that stems from love and appreciation. Only one who absolutely adores the King will feel ashamed upon failing to perform adequately in His service when not living up equally to His devotion and constant attention to our welfare and success. (עמק יהושע אחרון, דרשה לשבת שובה)

An unnamed seasoned educator recounted how when she was a young mother, she lived on a different continent than her mother, and years went sadly by without them seeing each other.

On an occasion when she had the opportunity to finally arrange a visit to her mother in Britian where she resided, she excitedly envisioned her warm reunion with her mother. As she was bringing her children, some who had never seen their grandmother, her thrill grew anticipating the warmth and joy it would bring the entire family.

As she neared her mother’s home with her children in tow, while crossing the street her young daughter was hit by a car. Lying there unconscious the distraught mother grabbed the lifeless child. Instead of a loving bear hug, the grandmother — her mother — enveloped her in the crook of a supportive arm around her shoulders and whispered to her while the sirens blared in the background.

“Chana, tayere, hub bitachon… Hub bitachon… Tumer nisht, vest du zich shemen fun der Ribbono shel Olam! — Chana dear, have faith… If not, you will be embarrassed from the Master of the World!”

The child survived, and the young mother absorbed a vital lesson that accompanied her through many subsequent frightening challenges she endured in life.

We are each presented during our journey on earth, situations that are specifically designed for us. They aren’t presented to defeat us, but rather to make us great.

Will we rise to the occasion, maintaining our equilibrium, embracing the challenge with the knowledge G-d is with us? Or will we recede in despair, immobilized by doubt? Will we make G-d proud of us or will we be ashamed we lost faith?

Listening to the numerous interviews with soldiers fearlessly committing to the mission, accepting the dangers and possibilities that await them, merely worried whether they are living up fully to G-d’s expectation of them, fearing only the shame of not giving it their all — we stand in awed silence to these heroes.

The Zohar states that the ‘sons of Yitzchok’ will overcome the exile of Yishmael, at the ‘end of days’.

Yitzchok Avinu, epitomizes פחד — fear, the attribute of Gevurah, a strength fueled by the sole fear of G-d, that he never come up embarrassingly short in his loving duty to his Father in Heaven.

The Maharal teaches that the three characteristics that define us as the children of the Forefathers: רחמנים — compassionate, ביישנים — bashful, and גומלי חסדים — benefactors of kindness, are each a trait associated with one of our Avos.

Bashfulness is the flipside of fear, as the verse states that the revelation at Mount Sinai was intended to imprint ‘awe of Him on their faces’, which the Talmud states refers to this quality of בושה — shamefacedness.   

Shame plays a role in prodding us to give it our all, lest we will ‘zich shemen fun der Ribbono shel Olam’ — be ashamed from the Almighty.

Yitzchak’s antagonist is Yishmael, who taunted his little brother by callously shooting arrows at him seeking to traumatizing him with fear.

But Yitzchok had only one fear, the fear of G-d — the fear of sensing shame if he was deficient in his allegiance to G-d — that quelled all other terror, never fearing anyone other than G-d.

We are being tested in the spirit of Yitzchak at the Akeida, who when realizing he was to be the sacrifice, was not possessed by the fear of death, but only of the fear of ‘zich shemen fun der Ribbono shel Olam’ — being ashamed from the Almighty.

May we not falter in shame.

We must ask ourselves, what does G-d want from me at this time?

No doubt G-d wants us to bring a consciousness of his presence in all that we do.

To pray with more intensity and focus; to devote our free time to activities of purpose — not mindless distractions; to restrain our instinctive responses when we are prodded by others or stress, become kinder and understanding.

If we do, we will have nothing to be ashamed of, and merit in those sacrifices G-d’s compassion and His finally bringing us all home!

באהבה,

צבי יהודה טייכמאן