Pesach Podcast

Why is Pesach called the "holiday of the spring?" Why do we have the seder at night if the actual redemption happened during the day? Why does Pesach seem to be a climax of redemption, yet we see it also seems to be the beginning stage of counting toward Shavuos?

Find out in a special edition of the Parsha Podcast on Pesach - from last year's Parsha Podcast. (A new one will be up later this week be'H.)

Tzav - Oil of transcendence

What is the concept of the oil of anointing? Why was it poured on the head? Why did it consist of specifically twelve measures? Why was it poured on the head? What is the significance of the parallel to Yakov pouring the oil on the rock after his dream with the angels?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Jerusalem: Not For Sale

What is it about Yerushalayim that makes it so central on the world stage? Why does the United States government care if we build in our capital? Why does the Arab world get up in arms if we build a synagogue in our capital city? What is it about the current situation that is so exciting, and at the same time stirs up such indignation inside of ourselves?

I have discussed the concept of Jerusalem at length in two previous posts (here and here), but there is always more depth to find about Yerushalayim and its centrality to the Divine plan.

It is important to realize that we have reached a crucial historic point in history. It would seem as if the United States has suddenly decided that the Jewish people do not have a right to Jerusalem, and that we can not build in our very own capital. This, however, is not a new phenomenon. Anyone who is a US citizen and has had a child born in Jerusalem (as I have) knows that although the American birth certificate states the place of birth as Jerusalem, the country of birth is left off. There was recently a court case which declared that one does not have the legal right to have Israel stated as the country of birth written on a passport if the child was born in Jerusalem. If you look carefully at that case, you will see that the issue there was that the United States can not take sides in deciding to whom the jurisdiction of Jerusalem will ultimately be given. The current dispute, however, seems to be the first time that the United States has gotten explicitly vocal about its displeasure with Israel claiming Jerusalem as its capital at all, as opposed to just passively staying out. This change in attitude has been getting more and more apparent with the entrance of the newest American administration. The question is, What is its significance, and is there a Torah source that can shed light on these events?

In thinking about this, I realized that it could be summed up that the West has a hatred for the Jewish people that is usually covert, but every now and then, it boils up above the surface and becomes overt. The West represents the current manifestation of Esav, and thus, we need search no further than Esav himself to find examples of hidden and revealed anger. These examples will give us an important clue as to where we are headed. As the Ramban writes, in reference to the meeting between Yakov and Esav when Yakov returned from Lavan's house, that meeting was a template for the interactions between the Jewish people and the West throughout history. Thus, there is much to be learned from carefully examining the Torah in that light.

The place where we see this pattern is in Esav's angry desire to kill Yakov after the blessings were stolen. Yakov was completely unaware that this was his evil intent, until Rivka makes it known to him. She herself only knew of his plans because of a Divine revelation that she received. As we have discussed, the blessings that Yakov stole were the very essence of the purpose of the Jewish people as the leaders of the world, in the capacity of Moshiach ben Yosef. Esav's hatred and jealousy were not simply because Yakov stole the blessings, but more importantly, because Esav had now been rejected from his role as a part of the Divine plan. Like Kayin before him, and Shaul after him, this rejection created a profound anger and desire to destroy his counterpart (Moshiach ben Dovid), and this fueled his angry plan to kill Yakov.

Sending Yakov away from the land of Israel was an important act on the part of Rivka, because as long as Yakov was in Israel, his function as Moshiach ben Yosef was resonating with the land, so to speak, creating a greater reason for Esav to want to kill him. As we saw, whoever has the function of Moshiach ben Yosef receives the land of Israel, which functions as the physical manifestation of Moshiach ben Yosef for the whole physical world. Thus, it was a calculated move to not only send Yakov away, but to send him out of Eretz Yisroel entirely. This helps us understand why Esav suddenly comes at Yakov with four hundred men - twenty two years later - when Yakov is on his way back to Israel. As he gets closer, the 'noise' of Yakov's resonance with Eretz Yisrael gets louder and again pushes Esav to try to kill him. Despite this, however, Yakov must only truly do battle with the spiritual power of Esav, which is the angel he fights with at the Yabok river. Once Yakov vanquishes that spiritual force, Esav is left powerless, and all he can do is have a harmless interaction with Yakov, without causing him any damage.

If we think about this in light of what is currently transpiring, we can see through to a deeper level than what is occurring on the surface alone. It is clear that both Yishmael (the Arab world) and Esav (the West) would wish to claim the job of Moshiach ben Yosef, that is, the ones who will lead and guide the world. This ability, however, is completely tied up in the control of Jerusalem. Whoever has control of Jerusalem has control of the world. The spiritual forces of each of these nations thus wishes to assert its domination over the city of Jerusalem, and can not admit that the true dominion belongs to the Jewish people. On the surface, it just seems that the Arabs want to claim Jerusalem because of the mosque, and that the West just wants there to be 'peace.' But underlying it all is a spiritual need to be in control of Jerusalem. Even the West that seems to want to give Jerusalem to the Arabs on a silver platter really only desires to be the one in control over Jerusalem. Whoever controls the city rules the world.

It is important to understand that when Yakov returns to Israel, after he has had eleven of his twelve sons, he is ready to begin the building of the Jewish people, and that can only occur in Israel. Thus, whereas Esav had only covertly wished to kill Yakov twenty two years before, at this point, as Yakov is resonating his mission of Moshiach ben Yosef to an even greater extent, Esav comes out with four hundred men to kill Yakov - his anger has boiled over to the surface.

Paralleling this, the closer we get to the revelation of Moshiach ben Yosef, the more the Jewish people resonate with our corresponding mission. As more and more of our people return to Israel, and the scales tip to the point where there are more Jews in Israel than outside of Israel, we are reaching the point in time that corresponds to Yakov Avinu returning with his family to Israel. We are thus reliving that time, when Esav left behind his hidden hatred and began to clearly show his true intentions. This is reflected in the current behavior of the United States government.

Although current events might seem disconcerting, the truth is that there is a tremendous נחמה contained in this parallel. It may seem that the world is crashing down on us here in Eretz Yisrael, and it is not beyond imagination that we will soon see a scenario similar to the war of Gog Umagog described in Yechezkel. Nevertheless, just as Esav's aggressiveness was nothing more than an indicator that a spiritual battle was about to take place, which Yakov succeeded in, so too, the current events that we are witnessing are but an indicator that we are entering into a similar spiritual battle, which ultimately will be won by the offspring of Yisrael.

Vayikra - Expansion in Limitation

What is the deeper meaning of the concept of the korbanos? How does the sacrifice of animals enhance our relationship with Hashem? Why was Noach able to bring all the Kosher animals as sacrifices, whereas the Jewish people were limited to domesticated animals like cows and sheep? What is the deeper meaning of Hashem's call to Moshe, and why does it preface the concept of Korbanos? What is the significance of the fact that Moshe could originally communicate with Hashem in all places, but once the Mishkan was built, he was limited to communicating with Hashem there?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Vayakhel-Pekudei - Hashem's Unconditional Love

Why is the parsha of the sin of the golden calf found right in the middle of the account of the building of the mishkan? Has anything changed in the relationship between the Jewish people and Hashem before and after the sin? What is the secret of the thirteen attributes of divine mercy? What is the deeper meaning of the cloud that rested on the Mishkan and led the Jews in the desert?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Gog Umagog and Moshiach ben Dovid

I am happy to share another episode in my Moshiach podcast series, episode number six.

Here is the itunes description:

We explore the concepts of the war of Gog Umagog (armageddon), as well as the job and purpose of Moshiach ben Dovid. We also look deeply into a gemara in Sotah that hints to what will happen in the war of Gog Umagog, which is a spiritual battle fought between the people of Israel and all the nations of the world. We also discuss the concept of Dovid and Malchus - complete reflection of the spiritual, and absolute joy.

Ki Sisa - Reflecting the light

Why is the story of the the sin of the Golden Calf prefaced with the giving of the luchos to Moshe? Why did that specifically occur on the last of the forty days? Why were the Jews in such a rush to replace Moshe with the calf (as per the Ramban)? Why was it necessary to destroy the luchos? Why were the second set of luchos written by Moshe? What is the significance of the light that radiated from Moshe?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Tetzaveh & Purim - Hidden connection

Why is Moshe's name absent from this parsha? Why did he want to be erased? What is the deeper understanding of the obligation to erase the memory of Amalek? Why is Hashem's name left out of the megillah?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Yosef, Yishmael, and Esav

Recently, in the daf (Sanhedrin 12) we were offered a look into the concept of Moshiach ben Yosef, which is discussed in the Maharsha. The gemara itself speaks of a 'news brief' that was given to Rava. Due to the sensitive nature of the briefing, it was said to him in a code that could only be deciphered by a serious talmid chacham. Literally, the code looked like this:

A pair came from Rekes, and was grabbed by an eagle. They had things in their hands made in Luz. In the merit of Mercy and their own merit, they left in peace. Furthermore, the loaded thighs of Nachshon wanted to set an appointee, but the known Edomi would not permit. But those who gather gathered and set this appointee in the month of the death of Aharon Hacohen.

Hard to crack?

Rashi cracks it like this:

A pair of Torah scholars came from Rekes, and was grabbed by an eagle, that is, Persian soldiers. They had things in their hands made in Luz - Techeles [which it seems was forbidden to be producing]. In the merit of Mercy and their own merit, they left in peace, and were able to escape. In another event, the loaded thighs of Nachshon - this refers to the Nasi, who was like a descendant of Nachshon, the first Nasi - wanted to "set an appointee" - this refers to the fact that he wanted to add a second Adar to the year, but the Roman government would not permit this to be done. The sages were able to gather together privately, at a very early time, in the month of Av, when Aharon died, to determine that they would indeed add a month.

When we get to the Maharsha, things start to get very interesting.

First, he asks some questions.

Why was it necessary to send this information in code form? What is the idea that they had Techeles which was made in Luz? What is the language of "in the merit of Mercy?" What is the concept that the Romans did not let them add the month? What is the significance of the fact that they gathered in the month of Av?

He begins by explaining that the Yishmaelite princes numbered twelve, as the Torah states at the end of Chayei Sarah. Nevertheless, the princes of the Jewish people are on a higher level than them. This is because the Yishmaelite princes do not have proper lineage on the side of Avraham, rather, a lineage that derives from their mother's side, and she was a maidservant. This is why it says "שנים עשר נשיאים לאמותם" - this refers to the side of their mother. The Jewish princes, however, have proper lineage from their father's side, as the verse says "למשפחותם לבית אבותם" - each to their family, to their fathers' house. Therefore, the firstborn rights come through the lineage of the father. This entitles them to thirteen princes. This is a result of the firstborn rights of Yosef, who was split into two tribes with two princes. This is the secret of the עיבור (the added month in a leap year), where the Jewish people enumerate twelve months, corresponding to the twelve tribes, and another leap month, which corresponds to the tribe of Yosef which was split into two tribes. This corresponds to the two months of Adar, whose Zodiac sign is the fish, like the bracha of Yosef "ידגו לרב" - and proliferate like fish.

This is why we find that our sages said that the offspring of Esav is solely given over to the offspring of Yosef, as the verse says [in Ovadiah], "[And the house of Yakov will be fire, and the house of Yosef will be a flame.] The house of Esav will be [like straw, and will be lit and consumed]." By Esav selling the first born rights to Yakov, and by Yakov taking the brachos, he was given the right to rule over his brother Esav. Yakov gave this ability to Yosef, as the passuk says, "And I have given you one more portion [over your brothers]." This is explicitly stated in chapter יש נוחלין. Therefore, even Yishmael, who has twelve princes לאמותם, and in their wars conquer Esav, they will nevetheless not completely finish Esav off. In the future, the offspring of Yosef and his Moshiach will become great, and Esav will be vanquished through him. This is because the people of Israel will be on a more exalted level than Yishmael, as they will have thirteen princes as a result of Yosef who was split into two tribes. This is the secret of the עיבור (the added month in a leap year), as we mentioned earlier, such that there are thirteen months on the calendar of the people of Israel, which is greater than the solar calendar of Esav, which only consists of twelve months. [It's interesting to note that Yishmael also has a lunar calendar, but without the leap month. -ag]

Based on this, the message was that 'a pair came...' This is because the people of Israel are compared to a pair of doves that only need their respective mate. This was said because of the two ruling powers, Edom and Yishmael. Yishmael is compared to an eagle because of the great power of its rulership, and because just as an eagle is an impure, carnivorous bird, so too, Yishmael has an aspect of impurity from his mother's side. We also find that the gemara in החובל refers to Yishmael as an impure bird.

It then states that the pair came 'from Rekes.' This is reference to the city of Teveria (Tiberias), and it was referred to as Rekes because of the people there who were empty there [rek = empty]. That was where the secret of the leap month was [as it would seem that the great court which decided on it was there at the time].

Then it says that they were caught by an eagle. This is referring to the fact that most of the Jewish people in exile are under the domain of Yishmael. It then says 'they had things made in Luz.' Luz is the city where the angel of death has no power, as it states in the gemara in Sotah. This represents the concept of the עיבור that is an eternal and unending power that will be used in the future to destroy the progeny of Esav and the power of the ס"מ (Satan). This is what the gemara means when it points out that Techeles was made in Luz, because the blue of the Techeles is reminiscent of the sea, which is reminiscent of the sky, which is reminiscent of the Throne of Hashem's Glory. The throne will be complete at that time. This is what is meant when it says 'in the merit of Mercy,' that the name of Hashem's mercy will then be complete, as we find that our sages say that Hashem's name and throne will not be complete until that time. In this merit, the Jewish people will leave the hands of Yishmael in peace [as is hinted in the code].

"The loaded thighs of Nachshon" also refers to the secret of the עיבור, as it refers to the princes and kings, as well as Moshiach the king, who are descended from him. "They wanted to set an appointee" refers to the extra month of the עיבור, which hints to the offspring of Yosef which was split into two tribes like the two Adars whose Zodiac sign is represented by fish - plural [meaning, more than one fish]. And being that Esav and his power [which stems from the forces of evil] will fall at his hand, the 'known Edomi did not allow.' This is reference to the Roman rulership and the powers of the ס"מ (Satan).

"Those who would gather gathered," however, in the areas under the rulership of Yishmael to set the 'appointee' [i.e. the leap month], and this was necessary to be done in a hidden and secretive manner so that Esav and the powers of the ס"מ would not realize. Therefore they did this in the month that Aharon Hacohen passed away [i.e. Av], to prevent Esav from realizing that they were gathering to add a month to the year. This subterfuge would be accomplished because it was the month that Esav and the forces of evil had succeeded in destroying the Temple.

Based on this, the gemara had said earlier, in regards to the secret of the leap month (עיבור), that a month was added when the young birds were still small, the sheep were still thin, and the spring had not yet arrived. The young birds are reference to כנסת ישראל [lit. the gathered of Israel, but actually refers to a deep kabbalistic concept], who are compared to a dove. The fact that they were young refers to the concept that they have no strength. [Perhaps this refers to the fact that the Jewish people are compared to the moon, with no light of its own. -ag] The sheep also refer to the people of Israel who are compared to a שה פזורה (spread out sheep). These sheep are thin, like the Jewish people who are in a weakened state in exile. The time of spring refers to the beginning of the sprouting and development of the redemption, which has still not arrived. For this reason it was necessary to add on a month of thirty days - this refers to the secret of the leap month, which corresponds to the offspring of Yosef who will destroy the offspring of Esav. Then the Throne of Hashem's Glory, and His name [of Mercy] will be complete, may it be speedily in our days, amen.

End quote of the Maharsha.

There is a lot to think about here, and I'd like to give you some food for thought. It is clear that this secret code is not just something that occurred in the times of Rava, rather, it is actually a blueprint for the future advent of Moshiach ben Yosef. Read over the Maharsha, and see what the ramifications of that might be.

It is also extremely interesting that the secret adding of the month is occurring in the month of Av. As the Maharsha said, this is done to fool Esav and the forces of evil. It could be that since the future redemption is rooted in that month, it therefore makes a lot of sense that Av will be a month of great celebration after Moshiach has come. I would like to again point out that the month of Av this year is an extremely significant point in time, as it represents 12:30 on Friday afternoon in cosmic time, as we discussed in an earlier post. It is clear from the Maharsha that Av is an essential month in Moshiach ben Yosef process.

One final thought that just occurred to me, is that the meaning of the name of Yosef is 'to add on.' Interestingly, it can also mean 'to take away.' This is what Rochel herself said when she named him - "Hashem has taken away my embarrassment." Then she said "Hashem should add on another son." This dual connotation, which is clearly paradoxical, is also contained in the concept of the עיבור, the added month. This month sometimes appears, and is sometimes taken away, but in truth, it is the concept of the בכורה, which is the higher dimension of spirituality, being brought down into this world. Just like the Aron Hakodesh, which both existed in this world, and at the same time took up no space, Yosef and the עיבור month have this characteristic as well. In fact, the extra month itself is what allows the lunar and solar calendars to stay in sync. This corresponds to the concept of Yosef, who connects the spiritual and physical worlds, which are also represented by the lunar and solar calendars, respectively.

Yosef, reveal your light

I must preface my new song with the following introduction. It is a very delicate decision for me to place the song here, especially since I plan on using it in the very near future on a professional musical album. I ask that if you choose to encourage others to hear it, you link to this site, and not put it on any other sites. I hope I am not being unwise by placing it in a public place, but rather that my request will be respected. I hope to be able to do similar types of posts in the future, if all goes well.

The story behind the song is that I recently played at the Bar-Mitzvah of R' Daniel Krentzman's brother-in-law, and after the simcha was over, we were talking, as usual, about exciting Torah topics. In the course of the conversation, he made a request of me to write a song about Moshiach ben Yosef. I initially balked at the idea. The concept is virtually unknown in the Jewish world. How could I write a song about the idea, without it being a total turn off? I told him that if it would be done, it would need to be done very subtly, perhaps interwoven into the story of Yosef.

The result of that conversation was the song that follows. The theme of the song is the story of Yosef, and the underlying theme of Moshiach ben Yosef could easily be overlooked by those not familiar with the concept. I hope to include it in an album I am producing in the near future, and to also give a brief explanation in the cover about the concept of Moshiach ben Yosef, giving people a little taste of that 'hidden light.'

Please click here to hear the song.

A heavenly light shone upon his mind
Revealing the path that he was to find.
The dreams that he dreamt, reflected this glow
He knew of his mission, his God-given role.

A guide he would be, for his nation's first growth
They'd bow to his wisdom, embracing his hope
In all that would be, he'd show them the hand
Of Hashem's guiding love, the bright future He planned.

Yosef, one day the world will know
Your dreams will be fulfilled and your heart will overflow
Yosef, you'll teach all of mankind
Reveal that secret light, let it shine for all time

So young at that time, the vision he'd share
Arousing such hatred, his brothers would dare
To send him away, left only to fate
But he'd never allow his heart to wallow in hate

Wherever he'd go, Hashem's name was on his tongue
Success somehow followed every deed that was done
Each challenge he'd face with an unswerving faith
'Til the day he was freed, to prominence raised

When their paths crossed again, the brothers seemed blind
To him it was clear that it now was the time
To cleverly guide and help them reclaim
The greatness inside, have it fanned to a flame

They stood, as a wall, 'round their father's last son
They'd accomplished the goal, now they'd all join as one
Their betrayal and shame, he dismissed out of hand
It was all but a part of Hashem's masterplan.