The Holes in the Head

The Chofetz Chaim was asked how renowned talmidei chachomim and rabbonim could have fallen under the spell of Zionism, and how they could fail to see that its aim was a state of heresy. He answered that Chazal say the nations have intelligence, so how could they have worshiped idols of wood and stone? Rashi on Devorim 4:19 explains that Hashem did not prevent them from being misled and allowed them to slip into foolishness, in order to deny them Olom Haboh. He gave a parable. To clamp two planks together, both must be smooth. If one has a bump, one may saw it down or cut a hole in the other plank to receive it. Once joined, the two look smooth and whole from the outside, yet neither is in its natural state, since both had to be worked on to fit. So Hashem smooths the idolaters with words, as though they have a hole in the brain into which the aberration fits so well that it seems normal. Rav Pincus elaborated that there are all kinds of holes in the head. Some make a person flawed without touching his essence, but sometimes the hole is in a place that makes him unfit in his very essence. There are people who appear healthy, who pray and learn, yet walk around with holes or gaps in their heads, meaning problematic notions or character traits. This opens a new door to the personal accounting demanded of us: a person can be fine in many areas and a nothing in others because of his holes.