Don't be on the side of the angels
Instead, be on G-d's side. Aren't they the same? No.
The angels include the accuser and the ones who stand for strict standards. G-d stands for extending rachamim to all His creatures and being open to teshuva.
It struck me this morning as I was saying Selichos that the world likely has brought a tremendous kitrug upon itself. There are so many people who truly believe they are on the side of the angels demanding that those who disagree with their take of what's best for humanity should be stripped of their human status. They seriously say that doctors should not treat patients who have not taken the COVID19 vaccine. They give all kinds of justification for this from a utilitarian point of view of scarce resources, etc.
This is not what G-d wants of us. He does not want us to be on the side of the angels -- to say we are upholding what is right by calling for the destruction of those regard on the other side. He does not want us to say it's us vs. them in a game of survival. He does not want us to refuse to help those whom we consider less smart, considerate, even less moral than ourselves?
Am I speaking for G-d? No, but I do speak to Him in the special prayers we say this time of year. There is no greater hypocrisy than begging for your life and blessings even when you know you fall far short of perfection by appealing to Divine mercy when denying mercy to others.
The meaning of ze Keli veanvehu refers not just to the pshat of I will adorn Hashem, or even the extended meaning of with hiddurim and beautiful structures for houses of worship, etc. It connotes ani vehu I and Him, meaning, we strive to emulate G-d. What does that mean? Chazal tell us: it means doing acts of chesed, giving food, clothing, and healing, as well to those who need it -- not those MERIT it but who NEED it. That's G-d's standard, and that's what is supposed to be ours.
G-d has also demonstrated that he does not exact the angels' standards in Tanach. We see that early on when He was determined to save Yishamel b'asher hu sham despite the angels' argument that his descendants' actions should count against him. Some generations later, we have the epitome of an evil king, Menashe, being granted a reprieve in sefer Melachim. The Midrash explains that the angels clamored against it, so Hashem had to, in effect, accept those prayers through a backdoor.
Perhaps that's the type of tunnel we are supposed to think of in the allegory presented in Sharey Teshuva. Why punish the prisoner who did not escape? Isn't he doing what is right and just and legal? It's because he is being an egotistical fool to think he can stand on his own merit. We all need the extra clemency allowed under-the-table, so to speak. But if we deny it to others, how dare we request it for ourselves!
We are not angels but humans. We are supposed to understand human frailty and to show the same tolerance for it that G-d does to us. This is not the same as saying to make excuses for people who fall into direct evil acts, but the whole transitive line of reasoning that people are applying in denouncing certain groups of people is far more severe than what the angels argued about Yishmael's right to life. And like G-d, we have to say: I will be merciful and give him what he needs to survive without making those cheshbonos.
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