According to the National Eye Institute’s September 2016 study 75 percent of all Americans use some form of corrective lens. That’s a total of 225 million people!

One has to wonder why a perfect Creator would create so many people with imperfect vision. The other senses — hearing smell taste touch — need correction in only a small minority of cases. Why would the Ribbono shel Olam design the eye in such a way that it so often needs a corrective aid?

As we know everything in the physical world has a parallel in the ruchniyus world.

Rabbi Boruch Leff suggests that perhaps by creating so many people with imperfect vision Hashem is sending us a message: Don’t assume that your view of the world is accurate. Just as your vision can be blurred so too your perspective may be distorted (Yated Magazine July 15 2016).

We regularly examine our vision and are eager to correct any problems discovered. In the same way we should regularly examine our outlook on the world — our hashkafos and viewpoints — and be open to correcting them. How though do we go about examining our perspectives to determine that they are indeed accurate? And how can we correct them if they aren’t?

Spiritual Eye Chart

The Ribbono shel Olam created us with deficiencies in our spiritual eyesight and in His great kindness He also provided us with remedies for those deficiencies. The gedolim can correct the deficiencies in our spiritual vision. Torah leaders are called “einei ha’eidah — the eyes of the people.” Through their immersion in Torah study day and night and the special siyata d’Shmaya that engenders our gedolim develop the vision and insight to see and understand the world in a way we cannot. If we want to examine our spiritual eyesight the eye chart we must use is the viewpoint of our gedolim. The closer we come to conforming to their perspectives the closer we will come to 20/20 vision.

Most people with corrective lenses are either nearsighted or farsighted. Nearsighted individuals can see things that are close by but have difficulty seeing things that are far away. Farsighted individuals can see things that are far away but have difficulty seeing things up close.

A person may be nearsighted or farsighted in his outlook on life as well.

Sometimes we have nearsighted vision. We’re able to understand what’s happening in the here and now but lack the vision and foresight to recognize far-reaching ramifications. Our gedolim however can see not only what’s in close range but also possible consequences in the distant future.

Rav Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman ztz”l would relate that the first change the Reform Movement made was omitting one of the Yekum Purkan tefillos from the siddur. Many people didn’t see the need to react to such a seemingly harmless change. The Chasam Sofer however declared emphatically “Chadash assur min haTorah.” Using a play on words regarding the prohibition of eating chadash the new grain the Chasam Sofer proclaimed that instituting something new is absolutely forbidden and must be strongly opposed. As the “eyes” of Klal Yisrael the Chasam Sofer was able to foresee the far-reaching consequences of the nascent Reform Movement’s seemingly innocuous action.

When a new phase of feminism appeared on the scene in the 1960s the primary focus was “equal pay for equal work.” What could be wrong with that? Surely it was only fair that women be paid the same as men for doing the same job. While many Torah Jews didn’t agree with everything that feminism espoused they thought: What could be wrong with lobbying for equal pay for women? Rav Yaakov Weinberg ztz”l however stated that the most dangerous “ism” of all the current “isms” was feminism. As the “eyes” of Klal Yisrael Rav Weinberg was able to foresee what others were not able to. Sadly history has borne out the truth of his words.

Rising Above Personal Bias

Sometimes we have farsighted vision. We can see with clarity that which is far from us that which doesn’t affect us personally. However when something does affect us personally our negiyus bias prevents us from seeing accurately. When we have a personal negiyus we approach a situation or a relationship with the desire — conscious or subconscious — for a particular outcome that will benefit us. As a result we see things not as they really are but as we want them to be. How often have we been blinded to faults in ourselves or in our children? How often have we made decisions based on what we wanted the outcome to be rather than on reality?

The Torah cautions us: “Lo sasuru acharei levavchem ve’acharei eineichem — Do not stray after your hearts and after your eyes.” Why is the heart mentioned first? Don’t we first see something and only afterward desire it? The mefarshim explain that in fact the opposite is true. First the heart desires something and then the eye sees it the way the heart wants to see it. There’s a way out however. We can turn to our chachamim for guidance asking them to serve as our “eyes” in those areas in which we may be blinded by our personal biases.

As the following story illustrates many gedolim have worked on themselves to such a degree that they are able to rise above their own personal biases.

After Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz’s daughter became engaged to one of his outstanding talmidim the chassan left the yeshivah to learn in another city during the engagement period. A few months later a package arrived with the engagement gifts Rav Boruch Ber’s family had given the chassan along with a letter informing the family that the chassan was breaking the engagement. The family was devastated. Incredibly the bochur also requested that Rav Boruch Ber write a letter recommending him for a position as rav in a small town.

Rav Boruch Ber managed to rise above his personal anguish and hurt and penned a beautiful letter eloquently praising the young man. Not only did he write the letter but he also called in three talmidim and asked them to read it before he sent it to ensure that there was no trace of any personal ill will toward the former chassan.

Rav Elya Svei ztz”l made a profound observation. The greatness of Rav Boruch Ber ztz”l he said is evident not only in that he was able to overcome his personal negiyus and write the letter but in that the chassan knew Rav Boruch Ber would do so. The chassan’s confidence that Rav Boruch Ber would write a letter praising him despite his having hurt the Rosh Yeshivah so deeply is an even more eloquent testimony to the greatness of Rav Boruch Ber than the actual writing of the letter. It’s an indication of the lofty stature of a gadol b’Yisrael who spent a lifetime working on himself not to be affected by personal negiyus.

Beyond Limitations

Rav Shlomo Heiman posed the following question: At times the Rosh (Rabbeinu Asher) offers a psak and defends his opinion citing a proof. At other times he states his psak without explanation saying “Nir’ah li — It appears to me.” Which statement is the stronger statement?

While we might think that citing a proof would make for a stronger argument Rav Heiman explains that the reality is the opposite. A proof can be challenged and an opinion can be disputed. When the Rosh writes “Nir’ah li” however that opinion is distilled from the sum total of his Torah knowledge his Torah outlook his Torah experiences his very being. That is the statement that carries more weight.

How fortunate we are to have gedolim who serve as the eyes of Klal Yisrael who see without the limitations of nearsightedness and farsightedness. How privileged we are to have gedolei Yisrael with 20/20 vision.

Rebbetzin Suri Gibber has been involved in chinuch banos for decades first as general studies principal in Bais Yaakov High School of Miami and for the past 15 years as principal of Bais Yaakov High School of the Twin Cities. She gives adult education classes as well.