Understanding the Years of Each Generation

In his letter of approbation to Toldos Am Olam by Rav Shlomo Rottenberg, Rav Hutner wrote on the verse “Understand the years of each generation” (Devorim 32:7). He taught that every upheaval in Jewish history is part of Hashem’s way of leading His treasured people. Every added effort to understand Jewish history through the Torah is therefore a way of appreciating Hashem’s ways, and there is no greater closeness to our Father in Heaven than this depth. He said that one who limits love and fear of Hashem to speaking about Gan Eden and Gehinnom has no place in our beis medrash. In a lecture to teachers, he also advised using the word churban, destruction, rather than shoah for the events of the last generation, so that they are seen within the long history of our suffering in galus.