Vaeschanan - Expanding and Defining Borders

Why is Moshe not allowed to enter into Eretz Yisrael despite his 515 entreaties? What is the concept of him looking into the land? Why do we switch out of mourning on the 9th of Av and straight into joy and relationship? What is the parallel between the month of Tammuz that seems to extend until the 9th and 10th of Av, and Elul, which extends until the 10th of Tishrei - Yom Kippur? What are the concepts of four, five and six?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running Time: 15:01

17th of Tammuz and Yosef

The 17th of Tammuz is known as the day of the breaking of the luchos (tablets), which occurred in the year 2448. It was a day that should have been the greatest celebration - the completion of the pact between Hashem and the Jewish people! Instead, it became a day of sadness throughout history, that represented the loss of our relationship with Hashem. And yet, it does represent the loss in a direct way - for we could still have come back into that relationship - through the building of the Mishkan (tabernacle), through the teshuva and prayers of the entire Jewish people.

But a year and three months later, in 2449, we lost that as well, on the day of Tisha B'av. The ninth of Av, as well, should have been a day of great celebration. We were to receive news about the beautiful land of Israel that we were about to begin to conquer. Instead of it being a day of elation, it became a day of sadness through the ill report of the spies.

It is remarkable that Tammuz is the month of Yosef's birth. Furthermore, Av is a month that Yosef is active in (as per the Maharsha in Sanhedrin 12A). How are we to understand this in light of the negative events that occurred in this month?

The essence of Yosef (and Moshiach ben Yosef, by extension) is his hidden nature. This manifests in a number of ways. The first way is that he experiences tremendous difficulties and challenges. These mask the underlying theme of his life which is growth through the challenges. That which on the surface seems like death and destruction, is shown to actually be the source of his life. His great leadership is born as a result of his great difficulties.

Tammuz and Av are the months when the sun holds its greatest sway. The days are long, and the heat is at its peak of the year. Esav and the powers of evil are represented by the sun, and thus, we can see that the very nature of reality shows that Esav has power in these months. As Rashi says on the verses that describe the birth of Yosef, Yosef is the force which balances out the evil of Esav, which was why Yakov felt he could return to where Esav was once Yosef was born. Thus, the counter-force for Esav comes into the world at the very time when Esav's power is ascendent.

Returning for a moment to the 17th of Tammuz, it was the day that the luchos were broken, but the event that was the antecedent of that was the creation of the Golden Calf. It is remarkable that Yosef is very much connected to the concept of the calf. We find that Yosef is referred to as an ox (בכור שורו הדר לו) - he is the firstborn ox. This is related to one of the four faces of the ofanim, which was the ox, after which the Jewish people modeled the Golden Calf. The question is, What is the meaning of this connection between Yosef and the Golden Calf?

There is also a strong connection between the Golden Calf and the Red Heifer. Both red and gold represent the concept of gevurah, as does the concept of the calf, or the heifer (cow). The Red Heifer is meant to atone in some way for the sin of the Golden Calf (as per Rashi). It is the antidote for the spiritual malaise that is brought about through coming into contact with the dead. Before the sin of the Golden Calf, the Jewish people had returned to the state of Adam Harishon before the sin, and thus they would have lived forever. Through the sin of the Golden Calf, death returned to the world, and thus the Red Heifer would be necessary to purify from the contamination of the dead.

Esav is an aspect of the Golden Calf - the forces of evil that bring death into the world. On a certain level, this is literal, as we find that Esav was the one who had transgressed the three cardinal sins, one of which is murder. Yosef can thus be described as an aspect of the Red Heifer - who comes as a counter-force for the death that is brought into the world through his spiritual opposite, Esav.

Most interestingly, Yosef functions in the spiritual facet of gevurah, which, as we said, is represented by the color red and the concept of the cow. This means that Yosef must use the very power of gevurah (literally - strength) - which is the tool of the side of evil - against the forces of evil. Whereas Esav and his spiritual counterparts make use of strength to destroy and bring about death, Yosef uses his strength to control his desires, and to eradicate those very forces of destruction.

On a deeper level, the concept of gevurah is about holding oneself back. This trait is what Yosef needed to use when he wanted to reveal himself to his brothers, but the time was not yet right. He also used this trait in order to forgive his brothers - by recognizing and focusing on the fact that Hashem was the One who had guided his life throughout the dark times, he was able to hold back his negative feelings for his brothers, and thereby forgive them.

In a similar way, there is a withholding of relationship that occurs on the 17th of Tammuz, and subsequently on the 9th of Av. This seeming loss of relationship is analogous to Yosef's interaction with his brothers before he reveals himself. He deals with them in a tough manner, and they perceive him as a despotic Egyptian ruler whose behavior is incomprehensible. Paralleling this, we experience our relationship with Hashem at this time as one of distance, loss and destruction. Hashem hides His face of kindness and love from us, and we are to blame! We built this idol ourselves! We brought death back into the world and we chose impatience over patience, death over life. It seems that surely Hashem is angry with us and will never forgive us!

And just as Yosef hid himself in order to accomplish a deeper resolution of the brothers' previous sin, Hashem also, lehavdil, hides Himself in order to give us an opportunity to accomplish a deeper resolution of our sin. For we have a chance to prove our fidelity to God even here in the darkest depths of distance from Him.

And just as Yosef must prove himself in the darkest depths of distance, so we are to do the same, and learn from the example that Yosef set.

And Yosef is is born into this time of darkness, which paradoxically seems like light. For the sun shines the strongest, and it beats the hottest during these summer months. Is this darkness? And the answer is, Yes! The sun represents the forces of evil, which eclipse the light of the soul, the light of Hashem. This time is a time in which Hashem's light is blocked, and the forces of physicality are strongest. And here Yosef is born, and Yosef works behind the scenes, facing the darkness head on. Teaching us how we can do the same.

It is here at this time that we are aware of Yosef working behind the scenes, ever so subtly, ever so discreetly. And we can discern this work as it develops through the process of the sod ha'ibbur, as it gives birth nine months later to the twin months of Adar - the double portion of Yosef as the firstborn ox. This is the secret process that brings about forward movement in the advent of the age of Moshiach, may it come speedily in our days.

Moshiach podcast number 7

So this is the long awaited Moshiach podcast. I had a lot to say, and I didn't even say it all, but the running time is a little over forty five minutes. I don't think you will be bored. We explore what's going on now in light of the Maharsha in Sanhedrin 12A, and we explore the ramifications on the state of current events. There is a lot of food for thought, and I stress (as I did in the podcast), that everything here is conjecture. I do not like guesswork and I do not like making predictions because you look really stupid when the world doesn't end on the day you said it would :)

But, as I said in the podcast, I believe that Hashem is openly showing what is going on right now, and He gave me a strong dose of good intuition, so it is my hope that it will serve you in understanding the broader picture of what is going on right now in the world, and how Hashem is moving the chess pieces into checkmate position.

Here is the seventh edition of the Moshiach podcast.

If there is anyone who would be willing to type it out, it would be a big chesed, as I am sure more people would get the message if it was typed. If you can do it, please contact me at my email address arigoldwag@gmail.com.

Running time: 45:17

Some more thoughts

Over Shabbos, and continuing until today, I have had a few thoughts that I found inspiring and wanted to share with you. On Friday night, when I came home from davening, I opened up the Mishpacha magazine, and I read something that was so exciting, it literally made me sing with joy. It was an article about the PA's bid for international recognition, which is slowly but surely gaining momentum. The article said that Netanyahu was presented with the scenario of the 'Palestinians' (who henceforth will be appropriately called 'Arabs') unilaterally declaring statehood. Norway has already called for an Arab state in Judaea and Samaria (commonly called the 'West Bank') in 2011, and similar types of recognition are coming out of the EU, as well as others. The article stressed that the Obama administration would likely take the side of the Arabs on border issues, and considers such places as Beitar, Ramat Eshkol (my sister lives there), Neveh Yakov (my brother-in-law lives there), and the Har Habayis (our hearts live there) to be 'settlements' that should ultimately end up in the hands of the Arabs. The Arab prime-minister, stated the article, is respected in the world at large for his expertise in finance, and thus, when the Arabs have a government that seems to be functioning, the time would be ripe for them to declare a state. The ramifications of this type of declaration on the half a million Jews living within the Judaea and Samaria areas would be tumultous, and certainly so for those who are more in the heart of that area, as opposed to the 'green line' itself. To me, this was extremely exciting, as it seems Hashem is forcing the Moshiach process forward with ever-increasing speed. It does not take a lot of imagination to picture what will happen when Yishmael stakes its claim to the heart of our Holy Eretz Yisrael. This clearly is a definitive representation of Yishmael's claim that they are the true heirs of Avraham, which will be met with a cosmic response from the people of Yisrael, whose claim is the true claim. And, of course, the scene will center around Jerusalem.

Now, I have spoken of Jerusalem on a few different occasions, but a deep thought came to me that has to do with some information I have shared more recently. We mentioned the concept that the Ramchal teaches, which is that Binyamin is the one who serves to unite Moshiach ben Yosef (represented by Yosef) and Moshiach ben Dovid (represented by Yehuda). Yehuda had guaranteed to return Binyamin safely to his father Yakov, and that guarantee was challenged when Yosef threatened to take Binyamin as his slave. Yosef had orchestrated this scenario in order to create a full tikkun for Yehuda's role in selling him years before. By standing up for Binyamin, as Yosef knew he would have to, Yehuda rectified the sin of selling Yosef and creating a tear in the fabric of the Jewish people. That seam was sewn together through his defiance of Yosef, his protection of Binyamin, and allowed Yosef to reveal himself and complete the reunification with his brothers. This unification of the Jewish people was what allowed the Divine Presence to return to them, as occurred when Yakov learned that Yosef was still alive. The unity of the Jewish people is a prerequisite for the Shechina to dwell upon them, and in turn, upon the world. The physical location of this revelation in the world is Jerusalem, and more specifically, the Temple mount. It is not a coincidence that this very location is situated on the border between the portions of Yehuda and Binyamin. The guarantee of Yehuda to protect Binyamin was what created the reunification of the Jewish people in the past, and that bond would always represent their unity, and the resulting Presence of Hashem that would be placed upon us.

With this understanding, we start to see how important Jerusalem is in the Moshiach ben Yosef process. Just as Yosef could not reveal himself until Yehuda stood up for Binyamin and created that bond, Moshiach ben Yosef will not reveal himself until their is an opportunity for the Jewish people to acknowledge their bond with Jerusalem, the place that represents Jewish unity and the Divine Presence. As I mentioned in a previous post, it would seem that Hashem is orchestrating events in such a way that Jerusalem's rightful Jewish ownership will be challenged. This itself will serve to cause the Jewish people - everywhere - of all stripes and types - to stand up for her, to acknowledge her and to stand by her side, as Yehuda did with Binyamin. This, itself, will be the tikkun for the sin that caused the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, which was Sinas Chinam - baseless hatred - a lack of unity. Hashem needs us to identify with the Jewish people, to identify with Jerusalem, to identify with the pain of the Shechina.

I mentioned my excitement about the Mishpacha article to a neighbor, and I was handed a book called "Fascinating Torah Prophecies" by Rabbi Nisan Aryeh Novick, which was published in 1997. I was intrigued by this little book that did not mention Moshiach ben Yosef and had no reference to Kol Hator, but still made all of the same observations that we have been making. The most remarkable thing was a midrash he quoted at the very beginning of his book, which was basically a conversation between Yakov and his sons after they had decimated the people of the city of Shechem. He berated them for having done this deed, as it could potentially arouse the surrounding people of Canaan to battle with the children of Israel. Yakov stressed that it was not the right time to have such a battle, as the Jewish people had not yet reached the number of 600,000 which is essential for them to be unbeatable. R' Novick marveled at the fact that the Jewish population of Israel in 1948, just prior to the war of independence was just above 600,000. He also remarked how the national census in Israel just prior to the 1967 war placed the number of males over the age 20 (of army age) at just a bit more than 600,000.

The greater significance of this to me was that I had recently mentioned to my wife that the Jewish population in Israel is nearing the six million mark. As the Ramchal mentions (I believe it in his sefer Kinas Hashem Tzeva'kos), the number 600,000 is significant because it is really the number six (divided or multiplied by 10x10x10x10x10, because the sefiros are each made of up ten sefiros, which are in turn made up of 10, ad infinitum), which corresponds to the male concept, which in turn corresponds to Yosef. 600,000 thus represents the power of Moshiach ben Yosef, which came into force in 1948, and again in 1967. This power is about to be ready to be unleashed once more in the near future, as we hit 6,000,0000, which is ten times the 600,000 of 1948. It is remarkable that at each moment where a significant 600,000 was reached, within a short time there was some necessity to use that power in the Moshiach ben Yosef process. This observation, combined with the PA's movement toward recognition, is hard to ignore.

I would like to share one last thought on Moshiach ben Yosef which occurred to me this morning, with Hashem's help. I was learning the sefer "Inner Space" by R' Aryeh Kaplan. On pages 90-91, he mentions the fact that after Kayin killed Hevel, he repented from his sin, and received a lighter sentence than had originally been handed down by Hashem. When Adam saw this, he inquired as to why he had not received the full brunt of his punishment. Hashem explained that Kayin had done Teshuva. At that point, it was 130 years after the sin of Adam, and he realized that he could do Teshuva, and both he and Chava did so. They had been apart for those 130 years, and they came back together and conceived Shes (Seth). They accomplished a tikkun for the sin of the eitz HaDa'as - the tree of knowledge. This brought them back into a state of Da'as with each other - the Da'as union of their marriage that would create Shes.

It was remarkable to me that this tikkun for the sin of Adam, which corresponds to the job of Moshiach ben Yosef, and the events that we are currently witnessing, was prompted by the death of Hevel and the subsequent teshuva of Kayin. As mentioned in a previous post, Hevel was an aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef, and thus, it would seem to parallel the death of Moshiach ben Yosef himself in the future, which the Gemara says will serve to cause the Jewish people to repent completely, bringing about the era of Moshiach. Although the Gra's understanding is that "Od Yosef Chai" - Moshiach ben Yosef will not die - we still have an aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef's death that is seen throughout the reality of the Jewish people today. The very fact that the Jewish people does not recognize the importance of living in Israel is itself a certain type of death of Moshiach ben Yosef. The fact that the deeper wisdom of the Torah is, in a certain sense, rejected by the Orthodox world, is also a certain aspect of death of Moshiach ben Yosef. The sorry state of the relationships of the Jewish people, whether it is the shidduch crisis, the at-risk youth issues, or the internet difficulties that so many face - all of these are aspects of the fallen state of Da'as, the death of Moshiach ben Yosef. Somehow, in Hashem's greater plan, all of these aspects of the death of Moshiach ben Yosef will serve to awaken the Jewish people to repent and complete a full Teshuva - to act as the Yehuda standing up for Binyamin, to finally bring back our relationships from their state of destruction back into a state of perfection. Then we will finally see the Divine Presence dwelling in our lives and the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash on the Har Habayis, where It will be apparent for all to see.

P.S. Just thought it important to remark that the day in Tammuz that corresponds to Rosh Chodesh Av of last year is 22/23 Tammuz, which is July 24/25. It is toward the end of the month, because the way you get to that date is by calculating two thirds of the year. Since this year consists of 13 months, the moment of 12:30 is a week or so before Rosh Chodesh Av.

Tamuz, Av and Yosef

Once a week, the Yated Ne'eman is in my mailbox, as it is distributed for free to everyone. Sometimes it goes straight into the trash, other times, like today, I will peruse through it a bit. It was striking to me that the front page news all had to do with the secular courts of Israel trying to subjugate the Charedi world to its whims, whether in areas of chinuch or others. The inside of the paper was filled with the world trying to subjugate Israel to their whims, whether in the areas of the Gaza blockade (EU demands that Israel lift the blockade), or another set of flotilla ships, or the Israeli government giving up its better judgment and creating a committee to evaluate the previous flotilla incident. The first thought that went through my mind was that it is interesting that all the headlines in this charedi paper have to do with charedi issues, which is rather unusual. My second thought was that it is such a remarkable parallel between the way the Erev Rav of Israel (read: government/media/secular courts) is treating the religious world and the way the world at large is treating Israel. The cogs in my mind started turning and I thought about the fact that it is not a coincidence that these two things are occurring simultaneously, and that they are reaching a crescendo right now, as we begin the month of Tamuz and head into Av.

As I mentioned in the previous post, Yosef was born on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. As I thought about this more, I realized that what this really means is that the concept of Yosef is conceived on Rosh Hashana and incubates for nine months and is delivered on Rosh Chodesh Tamuz. What does this mean as far as the connection between Tishrei and Tamuz? Tishrei is the beginning of the winter, when the world goes into hibernation, and the rain begins to fall, sending all of the world's growth underground. It is all about the potential that is dormant in creation, that will be revealed in Nissan with the coming of the spring. When we get to Tamuz, there is another revelation of that same capacity. The world is sent back into a state of dormancy, although this time, it is within the revealed half of the year. This means that although the fruit is being harvested and the world is in full bloom, we enter into a place of concealed revelation.

This is analogous to another idea that we discussed in regards to Nissan and Iyar. Nissan is the open revelation of Geulah, whereas Iyar is a concealed version of that very same revelation, albeit in a form that must be revealed by human effort. In a similar way, the three month chain of Nissan-Iyar-Sivan constitutes an open revelation of Geulah, and a development of that open revelation, whereas the following three months of Tamuz-Av-Elul constitute the concealed version of that same revelation that needs to be unlocked through our concerted efforts.

If we take this to its logical conclusion, this means that Nissan parallels Tamuz. Nissan is the open revelation, and Tamuz is the concealed-open revelation. This, as we saw, is the month of the harvesting of the grapes, and the time that the spies were walking through Israel, potentially preparing for the Jewish people to enter Israel. Iyar, then, parallels Av. This means that just as Iyar is the concealed revelation within the revealed, Av is the concealed revelation within the concealed. Av is the month that has gone the deepest into concealment.

It is important to understand that the greater the concealment, however, the greater the potential light. This is because the light that one experiences is always a study in contrast. Our generation, which is the lowest generation that has ever existed, in spritual terms, is specifically the generation that will experience the light of Moshiach, because the revelation is meant to be as powerful as possible, and here we will have the greatest contrast. This is the secret of Av, and why world events always seem to peak during this time of year. This is the time of the greatest concealment, and ultimately will be the time of greatest revelation. This precisely parallels the phenomenon we see occurring now, where the nations of the world are at Israel's throat, and the Erev Rav is at the throat of the Charedi world. This is the greatest darkness and lack of relationship, which really reflects the deeper truth that the Jewish people are meant to be in a truly wonderful relationship with the nations of the world, as are the Charedim meant to be in a relationship with the secular part of the Jewish people, where we radiate light out to them. Since we are still in the fallen state of concealment, however, everything looks like the opposite, and specifically takes on this characteristic in these months of Tamuz and Av.

Now, what is interesting is that the month of Sivan parallels the month of Elul. Sivan is the month of completion of the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, when we received the Torah after our invested efforts through the month of Iyar. Elul, it would seem, will be the month of the celebration of the relationship between the Jewish people and the nations of the world, in the future.

This gives us a great depth in understanding why Yosef was born in Tamuz. Tamuz is the time of potential for a cementing of the relationships that seem to be broken, in their current state. Yosef is all about relationship, as he is the one who is the master over his sexual passion, and he also is the one who consistently understood that the hatred of his brothers - the lack of relationship - was truly for the ultimate good, and was the plan of Hashem, in order to bring about a tremendous salvation. The Maharsha in Sanhedrin (12a) brings down that Moshiach ben Yosef works in the month of Av to accomplish his goals. Yosef is all about concealment - the brothers do not recognize him, but he recognizes them. Yosef does not have open revelations like Avraham, Yitzchak and Yakov. His revelations come to him in a dream, which is a much more concealed method of communing with the spiritual worlds. Nevertheless, through all the dreams, Yosef is able to discern that the Hand of Hashem is constantly guiding him. He is always able to see the Divine Providence, even within the evil itself!

When we look around and try to disperse the darkness of all that goes on, we can take chizzuk from the fact that Hashem reveals His plan and His actions to us in this way, even from within the darkness of exile. We must look at the hatred of the world for the Jew, and the hatred of the secular for the religious, and understand that somehow, just as Hashem used the hatred of the brothers to bring about a salvation through Yosef, so too, Hashem is creating a scenario, through the very hatred that so insidiously surrounds us, all in order to bring about the ultimate salvation of the Jewish people.

Shelach - Transcendent Jewish Unity

Why does the Torah seem to imply that Hashem initiated the sending of the spies, if in fact, as Rashi says, it was initiated by the Jewish people themselves? What were the spies expected to accomplish, and what was their fundamental failure? How did the spies know they would lose their positions of significance when the Jewish people entered Israel? What is the significance of the fact that their mission spanned months of Sivan, Tamuz and Av? Why does Moshe finish off his instruction by telling the spies to 'be strong and take from the fruit of land?' Why does the Torah stress that this occurred during the time of the harvest of grapes? Why does the Torah stress that their forty days of spying culminated with their taking of the אשכול, the cluster of grapes?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Again, as I mentioned in regards to last week's podcast, there are deep ideas here that touch on the core of some Geulah concepts, including the significance of Tamuz and Av, which are now upon us. I invite you to download the .doc file which contains more than I could say in twenty or so minutes on the podcast.