Chukas - Water's Song

Why do the Jewish people sing a song at the end of their 40 years for the miraculous well that accompanied them throughout that time? What were the awesome miracles that occurred at this time that paralleled the miracles at the Yam Suf (sea of reeds)? Why were the waters of the well used to inform the Jewish people about the miracle that had been done for them? Why did the mountain on the side of Israel extend out toward the mountain outside of Israel?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 21:06

Vayishlach - Rising Above Angels

How can we understand the contrast between when Jacob returns to Israel and battles with the angel, as opposed to when he left Israel and just passively observed them climbing and descending the ladder? What is the depth of the idea of the name of Esav's angel, which denotes 'blinding?' Why does Jacob have all these traumatic experiences on his return to Israel? Why is the battle with the angel in the center of the description of his encounter with Esav - before he even meets him? Why did Jacob 'remain behind by himself?' Why did this bring about the struggle with the angel? What is the meaning of the midrash's statement that 'all the Hashem will do in the future, the righteous do in this world?'

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 24:44

Pinchas - Spiritual Intuition

Why do we need so many different voices pointing out which piece of the land of Israel is given to which tribe? What does it mean that the lottery ticket itself spoke? What is the message of the midrash in saying that the women of Israel were able to close the spiritual gap created by the men? When the daughters of Tzelafchad asked for their inheritance, why did each judge defer to a higher judge until Moshe deferred to Hashem Himself? How is the mantle of leadership passed from Moshe to Yehoshua and what does this teach us about spiritual inheritance?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 27:46

Balak - Final Refinement

Why does Hashem lead the Jewish people to a place where they will sin? What is the significance of the waters of Shittim that the Jews drank of, which was also the spring that the people of Sodom drank from? Why does the midrash seem to make a clear connection to Abraham, sodom and the story of Lot and his daughters? Why does the midrash stress the fact that the Jewish people were at the threshold of Israel, like a princess about to marry?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 28:48

Behar - Sharing the Wealth

What is the Torah's approach to charity and 'spreading the wealth?' Why does the midrash place the idea of spiritual wealth beside the concept of material wealth? What are the mechanics of the spiritual principle behind the fact that when I share what I have - both in wisdom and in material matters - I get more myself? How does one deal with the automatic feelings of constriction when approached by a poor person? What does it mean that 'the words of the poor of the land of Israel are spiritual teachings?'

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 25:00

Re'eh - Israel - Mind of the World

Why does the Torah constantly connect the keeping of the commandments with the land of Israel? Why do we spend the ten weeks leading up to Rosh Hashana reading Moshe's speech at the threshold of Israel? Why do we focus on the destruction and future rebuilding of Israel during this time? Why does the Torah refer to God's divine providence in Israel as 'the eyes of God?' Why is Rosh Hashana called the 'head of the year' as opposed to the 'beginning of the year?'

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 24:49

Masei - Warring for Israel

Why do the thirty one kings desire to fight in the war on Sisera's side against the people of Israel? Why are they willing to do it for free? What does it mean that they 'thirst to drink of the waters of Israel?' Why did Jacob, Moses and King David run away from their enemies? When is it time to run, and when is it time to fight? What is the secret power of the Jewish people when they reach the amount of 600,000?

Find out in this week's parsha podcast.

Running time: 22:14

Toldos - Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov

How do we see a reference to all three patriarchs in the first verse of the parsha? What does the midrash mean when it says that Avraham was saved from the fire in the merit of his grandson Jacob? What does the midrash mean when it says that all of the patriarchs were referred to as Israel? What are the unique character traits of each of the patriarchs, and how do they relate to their experience in the land of Israel?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 22:09

Vaeschanan - Resonating with Truth

Why does Moshe preface his request to enter Israel by appointing Yehoshua to lead the Jewish people into Israel? Why does Moshe form his prayer as a "תחינה" - a supplication asking for a free gift? What is the difference between the experience of spirituality outside of Israel as opposed to the experience inside of Israel? How does one bring himself into a place of deeper truth?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Running time: 21:48

Moshiach 5771 - part 2

So, of course, you can't keep a good man down. Despite my last post, which was pretty forthright about predictions, I will share with you some thoughts that I have had recently about Moshiach and this year that may end up sounding a bit contradictory to what I wrote... Just remember that what I am writing is my hergesh - my feeling - and not fact. It is also not a prediction, and it is not meant to be concrete in any way.

When I wrote the whole post about Mincha Gedolah and Rosh Chodesh Av of 5770, there was more than one comment about the fact that the counting that we do of the years is based on the first year of creation being the year 1. If we would count from the year 0, as we normally do when thinking of the age of a person, we would actually be in the year 5770 right now, not 5771. According to this counting, we will actually reach Mincha Gedolah in the current year, in Tammuz, as it is also a leap year. Now, what is truly interesting is that there is always a concept of אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים, which means that there are always multiple perspectives and ways to look at each matter. As I understand it in this context, there are two layers of 5770, one which occurred last year, which, we could say, is a more hidden layer, and the one that occurs this year, which may be the more revealed aspect of it. For me personally, Rosh Chodesh Av was a significant point in my life, perhaps even the beginning of a new stage in my life. I do see myself very strongly in the role of the general tafkid of Moshiach ben Yosef. (I am not Moshiach! Just have strong aspects of his mission as part of my psyche, as per Kol Hator's second bechina of MBY - many multiple individuals who take part in MBY's mission.) In any event, my hergesh tells me that there is something that is going on right now in the mission of Moshiach ben Yosef which is getting concretized, started Rosh Chodesh Av of 5770, and will continue until Tammuz of 5771. I want to stress something which I mentioned in that post, which is that the nature of Moshiach ben Yosef is to remain hidden behind the scenes. This is true even when he starts to show his face - it is still in a hidden fashion. Just food for thought.

I was recently thinking about something which I have mentioned to a number of audiences over the past few days. I sang for a seminary on Friday night here in Ramat Bet Shemesh which has a strong Tzioni bent, and I also sang last night for a yeshiva. In both contexts I mentioned the fact that one has to be blind to what is going on in Eretz Yisrael right now. The Jewish population is nearing six million. When that is taken in contrast with the approximately 600,000 that were here in 1948, it is actually quite mind boggling. Compare the number to the miniscule amount of Jews that were here in the early 1800s, the miracle of the Jewish people's return to Israel in the current age is no less great than the hidden miracle of Purim. Just like one has to read the Megilla from start to finish and put the pieces together, one must take a purview of history and put the pieces together. When one does so with an open heart and an open mind, it is hard to ignore. What hit me so hard when I was thinking about this was the fact that the Jewish people are asking for Moshiach every day, three times a day. We bentch and we mention the rebuilding of Jerusalem. We end off each speech, no matter the topic, with mention of the advent of Moshiach. And the thing is - he's already here! We are guessing when he's going to come, and we are saying this year will be the year - and the truth is that it's all true! This is the year. And so was 5768, and so was 5769, and so was 5770. It's really no different than the Purim story, where each and every step - from Esther becoming the queen to Mordechai catching the plot to kill the king, etc. - all were geulah points and steps in the process. Purim is such a wonderful mashal for what is going on because Mordechai and Esther were aspects of Moshiach ben Yosef, and they were involved in a hidden geulah, similar to our current geulah process. In any event, the power of this is that 'He's finally here' is really true. Moshiach is here. His name is Moshiach ben Yosef, and by definition he hides himself - but he's there!

I was really moved by the following thought that Hashem gave me. When the brothers first came down to Egypt to get food for their families, the ten of them came in through different entrances in order to look for Yosef, to find where he had been sold, and to perhaps redeem him. This was what gave the 'viceroy' an excuse to accuse them of being spies. Now, the intense irony was that they were looking for Yosef - and they found him! They just did not recognize him. It is such a wonderful mashal for where we are today. The Jewish people is pining for a salvation from all of our problems. We are inundated with relationship issues, no different than in the times of Yosef himself - family issues and rebellious youth, lacks in communication. We are waiting for Moshiach, really, looking for Yosef, trying to find him from any direction - coming into Egypt from ten different entrances. And we are staring at Yosef in the face - and we don't recognize him! He's here! Moshiach is finally here! Rabosai, it is time to wake up! Why are we still in America? Why are we still in Europe? Why are we everywhere but here? He's moving the process along slowly behind the scenes, and it is not yet the right moment to reveal himself, because the Jewish people have not yet completed their tikkun, just as the brothers of Yosef had not yet done so. But we are oh so close. It is the time, my friends.

I was also hit the other day with another powerful thought, another gift from Hashem. I have had the opportunity to deal with a certain issue that is facing the Jewish people. This is the issue of the internet, which I can deeply thank Hashem for the fact that the internet is not a source of nisayon for myself. But for most of the Jewish people, it is an intense test. It is so intense that for many, it is not even a test, because there is almost no choice but to fall in. It is a test that is unprecedented in all of Jewish history. Every single home has a tool with which one can fall into the darkest, most destructive forms of psychological damage known to man, through the many evocative images and pornographic content available with the touch of a button. The intensity of the problem is one that astounds and confounds Jewish educators everywhere - and the educators themselves face the same test as the ones they seek to help! I personally believe that there is salvation in powerful tools like group therapy (as are starting now in the Jerusalem and Ramat Bet Shemesh area), as well as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with a qualified practitioner. Unfortunately, the magnitude of the problem is not something that will be solved in a simple and sweeping manner. What struck me so deeply was that this is the greatest sign that we are mamish holding at the end. R' Mendel and R' Shimon Kessin both speak of the Yetzer Hara - the Satan - at the end of time. It is like a star that is at the end of its cycle, about to burn out and end its life. At that point, briefly, before it dies, it becomes a supernova and releases the light of ten stars. The yetzer hara is slaughtered with the advent of Moshiach - his role is completely transformed as he moves out of the inside of man and becomes an external force. He knows this, and will not take this without a fight. Thus, as he is about to be bested, he puts up his greatest fight. He throws off the light of ten stars in intense battle. This is the nisayon of the internet - it is the yetzer hara's last stand. He wants so badly to destroy us and pull us down - and he is succeeding! But it is just a show. He's about to fall and die. He is about to be extinguished. My friends, we are witnessing the final battles being played out in front of us, in our very homes, in the privacy of our own most secret thoughts. It is do or die.

And this is the battle of Yosef - the battle with forbidden sexual pleasures. This is the battle that has many, or even most individuals falling into and failing with. But at the same time, there are those who are fighting and winning. There are those who realize that even the one time out of ten that they overcome - that is a success. The gemara in Succah says that when Moshiach comes, Hashem slaughters the yetzer hara, and everyone cries. The Tzadikim (righteous) cry, because the yetzer hara seems to have been a mountain, and they overcame him. The reshaim (evil ones) cry, because they envision him as a hair, and they were unable to overcome it. My thought on this chazal was that the difference in power between a sin today as opposed to the victory of overcoming that sin - is between a hair and a mountain. The spiritual power of that victory is so intense that it is like a mountain in comparison with the deleterious effect of the sin, which is a hair. This is not to minimize the effect of the sin. It is just to give us a true perspective of the power of doing what's right. The yetzer hara is on his way out, and he is going down kicking. There is a once in history opportunity for each on of us to act in the bechina of Moshiach ben Yosef, to latch onto a picture of Yakov Avinu, of spiritual purity - to literally aid the Moshiach ben Yosef process and bring about the final tikkun for the sin of Adam harishon. This sin created the concept of shame and nakedness, of the misuse of the sexual capacity of man for disconnection instead of connection. It is now the final moment when we are battling to take back the proper use of our means of connection. It is a difficult battle, of the order of Yosef's test with potifar's wife - a daily battle with no obvious victory. But if we are strong and face it with courage, perhaps we will indeed see Moshiach in the year 5771.

Pinchas - The Pinchas-Eliyahu connection

Why does Eliyahu/Pinchas appear and disappear throughout history? Why is Eliyahu involved in giving over the secrets of the Torah through all generations? What is the deeper message of the genealogy of the daughters of Tzelafchad that is recorded all the way back to Yosef? What is the deeper connection of this idea to the story of Eliyahu/Pinchas?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

More on the Erev Ze'eir

I received the following email:

Ari,

I have listened to nearly every one of your parsha podcasts that you have put out and would like to thank you for all that you have taught me. I am only recently taking my Judaism seriously and your podcast was a wonderful teaching tool.

Recently I stumbled on this website, http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/ and after reading several articles, quotes from famous rabbis, and such, I was very impressed. You are a staunch supporter of Israel and an observent Jew, how do you respond to the statements by these rabbis?

I look forward to hearing your response. Thank you

Reuven Gold

To which I responded:

Reuven, thank you for your email. It's important to understand that I, like most orthodox Jews, am in strong support of Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, and believe that the Jewish people's destiny is here, and that this is where Jews should make their home. I do not per se support the current government of Israel, which unfortunately does not espouse Torah law, and in fact works many times to contravene the Torah. The government here in Israel represents the concept that the Gra speaks about at length, which is the Erev Rav. You can read about it on my blog geulahperspectives.blogspot.com, in some recent posts that I have put up. In a nutshell, they are the leaders of the Jewish people in our current exile, but they do all in their power to work against the Torah and the connection of the Jewish people to Hashem. Despite this, as the Gra explains, they are used as an instrument for Hashem to bring the Geulah. Part of the idea is that if they would not actually be involved, they would try to prevent the Jewish people's return to Eretz Yisrael. Nevertheless, from their own perspective, they are involved solely to accomplish their own nefarious goals. Hashem uses their evil for the ultimate Good, which is the Ramchal's concept of hanhagas hayichud.

There is another group, who I believe that website represents, which is called the Erev Ze'eir (as opposed to the Erev Rav - the 'mixed multitude'). This group corresponds to the ten spies who were sent to Israel while the Jews were in the wilderness and returned with a negative report about the land. They subconsciously did not want to enter the land because they knew they would lose their prominent positions once that occurred. Thus, they sabotaged the Jewish entrance into Israel, and the fulfillment of the redemption that should have been completed at that time. Today, they are those who want to deny that we are actually in the middle of the redemption process, because they mistakenly believe that Hashem would not (or could not!) bring about a redemption in a natural way. Nothing could be farther from the truth. But the real truth is that it is likely that these groups have their own subconscious motive, like the original Erev Ze'eir, to hold back the redemption process, and encourage Jews not to return to Israel, so they can maintain the positions they occupy while the Jewish people remain in exile.

It is worth seeing the following post from my blog, where I translated a story of the Chofetz Chaim's reaction to the Balfour Declaration in 1917. It is clear that he also saw the events developing as movement toward redemption.

http://geulahperspectives.blogspot.com/2010/01/chofetz-chaim-on-living-in-israel.html
http://geulahperspectives.blogspot.com/2010/01/chofetz-chaim-on-living-in-israel-part.html

I wish you all the best,
Ari Goldwag

Afterwards, I received another email from him:

I don't mean to bother you, but I hope you would not mind responding to this page? http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/zionism/3strongoaths.cfm

"Do not let your false prophets among you and your sorcerers seduce you, do not head your dreamers which you cause them to dream. For they speak falsely to you in My name. I did not send them."

we have been foresworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which we live, and not by our sins, to prolong the coming of moshiach; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a .

“Even if the nations wanted to kill the Jews with terrible torture, the Jews are forbidden to change the applicability of the Oaths. This is relevant to every one of these oaths and must be understood.” Therefore, not only is it forbidden to leave the Exile even with the permission of the nations, but even if they force the Jewish People to do so under pain of death, it is forbidden to violate these Oaths in the same way it is required to give up one’s life rather than accept another religion.

To which I responded:

I think the operative words there are "as a group." I think it is pretty safe to say that most of the Jews who live here today (and Israel has the largest population of Jews in any country in the world, over five million!) did not come consciously as a group.

I will quote for you from a certain book that speaks about these ideas at length, and it is actually from a piece written by a student of the Gra, who had a direct mesorah from the Gra himself. It is also significant that the Gra sent a group of his students to make aliyah in the early 1800s.

What will they say, those with their lame excuses, to the words of the sages, "When Jerusalem will be rebuilt then the Son of David will come?" Likewise, on the verse, "A redeemer will come to Zion" (Isaiah 59:20), the Midrash and Rashi both explain that, "As long as Zion is not built the Redeemer will not come." Rather, they are like the lichen growing out of the walls coming to do battle with the cedars of lebanon. Their excuses are none other than those of the Spies whom Moshe sent to scout the Land of Israel. They spread evil reports that discourage the Jewish People from emigrating to the Land. This is what the sages referred to when they said, "In the Ikveta D'Meshicha truth will become diminished and Chutzpah-Arrogance will increase." This arrogance is an attack against the holy words of our prophets and seers. It is an attack against the past Leaders of Israel and it is an attack against the conviction and holy commandment of the Saint of Israel, our master the GRA. It is our prayer that all of those within whom the spirit of Amalek dwells should quickly return from their evil ways. "[God] is merciful and He forgives iniquity." (Kol Hator Ch. 5)

I think that pretty much speaks for itself.

All the best,
Ari

Gr"a on Redemption notes V

In the previous post, we left off in the middle of the notes of R' Maltzin on chapter 11, number 6. Here we continue.

Just as the the sun's rays pour out upon the moon and stars, so too, in every generation, there is a spark of Moshe Rabbenu that shines through someone in the generation, pouring out its light on all the Torah scholars of the generation. All new Torah ideas that come into the world are through the influx of the light of Moshe Rabbenu (Tikkunei Zohar 42:3). His (Moshe's) light suffers with the Torah scholars who are disgraced in the final exile, and who are pursued by the Erev Rav. This is referred to in the Gemara (Sotah 49) that says, "The wisdom of the learned will be made repulsive, those who fear sin will be disgusting, those who steer away from evil will be seen as if they were mad." This is what we find in the verse (Yeshaya 53), "He is made profane for our sins..." The entire passage there is speaking about the Torah scholars in the current exile (*) (Tikkunei Zohar 41:2 117:4 118:1 74:3 Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 35:4 8:1 Raya Mehemna 38:2 17:2). This [suffering of the light of Moshe] is a punishment that corresponds precisely to the mistake that he made in allowing the Erev Rav to become part of the Jewish people. The result was that they made the golden calf, resulting in the destruction of the tablets, which causes the Torah to be forgotten in exile (Tikkunei Zohar 105:2). This is what the verse means when Hashem says to Moshe (Shemos 32), "Go down." This hints to the lowering and descent [we have just spoken of]. If one removes the letters of the word ר"ע, [which are רי"ש and עי"ן, from the word Erev Rav (ערב רב),] one is left with [the letters ר-ב-ב, whose numerical value is the same as the word] רד, go down (Tikkunei Zohar 41:1 97:4). Any generation that does not have the shine of the light of Moshe Rabbenu is not included in the calculation of fifty generations. This is the reason for the length of the exile, as [the light] does not find a place to reveal itself. Therefore the redemption from exile is dependent on the study of Kabbalah which is the teaching of Moshe Rabbenu (Raya Mehemna 77:1 82:2). (It seems to me that it must incarnate three times in order for him to attain the fiftieth level that he lost when he broke the tablets, which represented the dimension of freedom. See Raya Mehemna 15:1, Tikkunei Zohar 43:1 129:3 163:1.)

Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and those who stood with him were able to merit to commune with that spark of Moshe itself at the time they were redacting the Tikkunim and the Raya Mehemna, because these two books are connected to each other. Also, the concept of a maggid [angel] that comes to speak to a person is his soul itself (**), however its way is to speak with him mouth to mouth [i.e. directly]. It is enclothed in the commandments that he fulfilled (Raya Mehemna 75:2).

(*) It is interesting that the Christians take this verse to refer to their mistaken Messiah, Yeshu Hanotzri. The verse is actually referring to the suffering of the Jewish people, and specifically, as we see here, the great sages of the Jewish people, who suffer horrible indignation as a result of the sins of the world and the people of Israel. Ironically, the verses, when seen in context, are actually speaking of the recognition of the nations of the world when Moshiach comes, that it was the Jewish people who had suffered all along in order to bring about the full rectification of the world.

(**) This seems to mean Moshe's soul. Here, instead of being an indirect light which shines from the soul of Moshe via the great sage and into the the scholar saying a new idea, there is a direct communication with the soul of Moshe which reveals the idea in question. This is interesting, because I have seen other sources that say that a maggid is actually an angelic embodiment of the Torah that one has learned. Just as each mitzvah a person fulfills creates an angel, so too, an angel is created from the Torah one learns. The maggid is this very angel who reveals himself to the one who created him and explains to him the depth of the Torah. These two ideas could be reconciled by the fact that the Torah itself is referred to as the Torah of Moshe, and thus, it is, to a certain extent, the embodiment of the soul of Moshe that is being resuscitated, as it were, by the scholar who studies the Torah. This in turn communes with the scholar, revealing the depths of the idea he is learning. This is a very novel idea that may or may not be correct, and requires deeper thought.

The Torah is referred to as a woman who has completed the first stage of marriage (ארוסה), as we find in the gemara (Pesachim 49), "Whoever learns Torah in front of an ignoramus [who will certainly misunderstand the intent of the Torah], it is as if he had marital relations with his ארוסה in front of him." It is referred to as an ארוסה because the first stage of connection was completed at Sinai, as we find in the verse, "Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance (מורשה)." Instead of reading it 'an inheritance' (מורשה), it can also be read 'betrothed' (מאורסה). It is not considered that one has completed the marriage until one has learned the Torah, like the verse says, "Only if the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and he studies his Torah night and day." At first, it is the Torah of Hashem, and then it becomes the scholar's Torah. The inner aspect of the Torah, however, was not even merited by Moshe Rabbenu to access completely (see Zohar Beha'aloscha 152:1, and Nefesh Hachaim Sha'ar 2, ch. 17), and therefore he did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael. This occurred as a result of breaking the tablets and striking the stone. Because of this, he did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael and to complete the marriage with his betrothed, the inner aspect of the Torah (*). It is all in Yisrael that did not merit to learn Torah from the tree of life, [and will not do so] until the future, when they will be alone like Yakov(**). See Nefesh D'Yakov. The people of Israel will return to Hashem in repentance, the Erev Rav will be destroyed, and the original tablets will return. [This will be their first encounter with the original tablets,] as they were never revealed to the Jewish people at all, because they were destroyed the moment they were brought down. (This is what it means there, that the people of Israel are His betrothed, because the completion of the marriage was dependent on the tablets being given over to them; once they were in the hands of Moshe, the betrothal had taken place, but they had not completed the second stage of the marriage. Tikkunei Zohar 42:4, 43:3 104:3-4 Raya Mehemna 67:2 68.)

(*) As we have discussed in the past, Eretz Yisrael is the place of ultimate connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. It is the 'bris' of the world, the point of connection between the male and female aspects of reality. Thus, as long as Moshe did not enter Eretz Yisrael, he did not merit the completed connection with the deeper aspects of the Torah, which embodies the true intimate relationship between man and Hashem. This is also the secret that underlies the special aspect of learning Torah in Israel. It is a spiritual fact that there is no Torah learning like that which is done here in Israel, and it is because the Torah, which represents the connection to Hashem, can only be properly learned to its fullest in the place where one experiences the greatest connection to Hashem that is possible.

(**) The Torah says that Yakov was alone when he went back to retrieve the small vessels. At that point, he fought with the angel of Esav, which represents the cosmic battle between the Jewish people and the forces of evil that culminates at the end of days. Just as Yakov was completely alone, so too the Jewish people will be alone in this final battle, with none to come to their aid. This scenario is clearly developing in the world today, and should not be cause for alarm, but rather, a clear sign of the redemption that awaits us in the near future. The end result of Yakov being alone was that he succeeded in vanquishing the forces of evil that were embodied in the angel of Esav, and he received the lofty name Yisrael. This name represents the ability of the Jewish people to rise up and become Hashem's partner in bringing His awareness into the world. This is rooted in the inner aspects of the Torah that are revealed to the Jewish people in the final stage, when they are truly alone in the world. This point will be the completion of the marriage that began at Sinai, and will also be the moment of the world's recognition that the Jewish people are the nation that Hashem has chosen to be His bride.

There is a similarity we find to the exodus from Egypt, where Moshe had difficulty with his speech and Aharon was sent to speak on his behalf. This means that Moshe would say a concept in an unclear manner, and Aharon would explain it. This is similar to how it will also be in the future. At the current time in our state of exile, the law is not clear in certain places, and there are many difficulties with no explanation to be found amongst the scholars. This is because the light of Moshe is not shining in them, as we said earlier. This corresponds to the concept that Moshe had 'difficulty in his speech.' In the future, Moshe will say the concept in a hidden way, the way we currently perceive it. The reason he will not say it clearly is so that people do not think that it is a new Torah, heaven forbid, or that it is not the Torah we have now. Eliyahu, who is really Pinchos, who is a descendant of Aharon, will be the one who will 'speak on his behalf'. This means that he will make it explicit, explaining all the difficulties, and it will be new to us (The Gra's explanation of Raya Mehemna 28:1, 78:1, Devarim 1:5). It seems that this idea is as we discussed above in Siman 21 in chapter 8, that as long as one does not understand the level of sod, even the simple understanding is unclear. In the future, since the secrets of the Torah will be revealed, as we saw above in Siman 11, the simple understanding will also be clarified along the way. See Heichalos Pekudei 48:2.

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.

The Call

My good friend Yehuda (Judah) David, of Rockiah fame, shared the following song, the lyrics of which were written by his wife, and melody and music by Yehuda.

Click here to hear the song: The Call

Scattered throughout the world our temple was destroyed
Our land lay barren and fallow in our hearts we felt the void
But we held on to the promise to the message of the Lord
One day we would return our dignity restored

Chorus:
Do you hear the whisper of a faint and gentle call?
G-d is beckoning his children to come home once and for all
For the land of our past is where our future lies as well
Joined together as one people in the land of Yisrael

Thousands of years we've waited in our prayers we've always yearned
To be brought close once again for our souls to be returned
Only once her sons came back to her did the land begin to bloom
A dead language came back to life again now the bride awaits her groom.

Chorus repeats

The Chofetz Chaim on living in Israel part 2

Before we continue with some thoughts and stories from the Chofetz Chaim about Eretz Yisrael , it is important that we understand that there are two things going on in these stories, that at first may seem to be a contradiction. The first is that the Chofetz Chaim had a tremendous love for Eretz Yisrael and a desire to live there. On the other hand, he clearly despised the spiritual destitution that was to be the legacy of those who wanted to create a 'new Judaism' on the foundation of the country of Israel and the language of Hebrew. Thus, he loved Eretz Yisrael, but strongly opposed the separation of the land from the Torah. As we saw previously, he said that the land of Eretz Yisrael is like the body of the Jewish people, and the Torah is like the soul. This recognition of Eretz Yisrael's greatness also means that there is a great responsibility, as well, for those who live in its holy borders. We must bear all these thoughts in mind as we read the following.

One time, they read him an article from a newspaper, in which one of the 'maskilim' expressed his hope that in the end Eretz Yisrael would be an independant country like Bulgaria, which was established on the ruins of Turkey. The Chofetz Chaim burst out crying and said, "Does this matter make sense? We are suffering for one thousand eight hundred years, our blood flows like water, we increase our prayers and supplications for a respite from the difficulties of the exile, and here they satisfy themselves with only a small amount? They have completely forgotten about the roles our prophets set out for us, and the promises of our holy Torah."

On the Chofetz Chaim's love for Eretz Yisrael:

The following story reveals how great was the Chofetz Chaim's longing to go up to live in Eretz Yisrael. In the year 5640 (1880), in the tna'im (prenuptial agreement) with his son-in-law Harav Hagaon R' Aharon Cohen Zt'l, the Chofetz Chaim accepted responsibility to support him for a number of years, as was the custom then. He explicitly stipulated that his son-in-law would not have the right to prevent him from going up to live in Eretz Yisrael during that time period. Furthermore, in the year 5864 (1894), when he married his second wife, the daughter of Harav hagaon R' Hillel z'l from the city of Lapi, he stipulated that if he decides to go up to live in Eretz Yisrael, his wife must do so as well. In his final years, in the year 5687 (1927), he had already prepared himself to move to Eretz Yisrael, and he had packed all of his belongings and sent them to Warsaw, when his wife suddenly became ill, and he was forced to push off his passage until she became well. It was ordained from heaven that he was held back, and in the end he was buried in Radin, the city in which he had spread Torah all of his life, and from which his Torah and halachic direction had gone out to all of the Jewish people through his great books - Chofetz Chaim, Mishna Brura on Orach Chaim, Lekutei Halachos on Seder Kodshim, Ahavas Chesed, and more.

One time he told those close to him, while speaking of the greatness of Eretz Yisrael, that if someone would be sitting in a remote place and would say something negative about the king, albeit not in his presence, if the king would find out about it, he would be severely punished. But when someone enters the courtyard of the king and has such audacity right in front of him, this is a sin that can not be atoned for...

See the Ramban (Beraishis 19:5) in regards to the story with Sodom, and these are his words, "And know that the judgment on Sodom was because of the greatness of Eretz Yisrael, since it is included in the inheritance of Hashem, and it can not stand abominations. When it spits out an entire nation [i.e. the seven nations of Canaan] because of their abominations, as a prelude, it spit out this nation [of Sodom] who were evil in their relationship with heaven and with man. This led to a destruction of heaven and earth, to the point where the earth would never be relieved of its desolation there. They had become prideful as a result of the great good they had received [as Sodom was an extremely fertile area, comparable to the Nile area in Egypt], and Hashem saw fit that it should be a sign for the rebellious ones of the Jewish people that would inherit it in the end. This was contained in the warning to them - [if they would veer from the proper path, the land would be destroyed with] sulfur and salt that would consume the land, like the destruction of Sodom and Amorah etc. This is important to understand, for there were other nations who did great evil at that time, and they did not receive such punishment [as the inhabitants of Sodom], because it was the greatness of this land that led to this, for it is the palace of Hashem."

Who is wise and will understand this, how much it is necessary to be careful in one's actions of Mitzvos in the Holy Land, the palace of the king. This is what it says in Tehillim (105), "And he gave them of the land of nations [i.e. Eretz Yisrael]... in order that they keep his laws and protect his commands." The great Torah personages in the Holy land, who protect those who learn Torah and keep the mitzvos with all of their strength, they are the mighty ones who sustain the Yishuv.

One time we heard how the Chofetz Chaim expressed his anguish about the leftists in Eretz Yisrael, "Could it be that something good will come out of the left, that the Divine Presence will rest on their actions?"

The Chofetz Chaim was once shown a newspaper article that had been written by a certain writer. It contained the idea that one could be a good Jew even without the Torah. The Chofetz Chaim then distributed an important piece in which he proved that the continuation of the Jewish people is only dependent upon the Torah and Jewish commitment to it, and not on connection to a country or language. If we do not keep the Torah, the country and language will not save us. Our forefathers lived in the land, and they were exiled because of their sins, as the prophet says (Yechezkel 39), "And the nations knew that the Jewish exile was the result of their sins, for they rebelled against Me, and I hid my face from them and gave them into the hands of their enemies."

It is a grave mistake that these people make, to think that the Torah and mitzvos are secondary matters and are unconnected to the building of the land. Remember the words of the Torah (Vayikra 18:21), "That the land not vomit you out when you contaminate it, as it vomited out the nations before you." Eretz Yisrael is the palace of the king, one who sins there sins a great sin, and the danger [that results from sin] is much greater there!

The son of the Chofetz Chaim, Harav R' Leib zt'l, would tell over that when the British announced the Balfour declaration in regards to Eretz Yisrael, the Chofetz Chaim saw in this a type of אתערותא דלעילא (awakening from above) in regards to the redemption, and he spoke then of the Ohr Hachaim on the verse "וקם שבט בישראל" - "and a rod shall rise in Israel." [There the Ohr Hachaim speaks about the two possibilities in regards to the redemption. It can come miraculously, if the Jewish people merit it, or it can come in a natural way, if they do not. This part of the passuk refers to the redemption coming in a natural way in the merit of the tzaddikim of the Jewish people, who are referred to as Yisrael.] He said, however, that he was worried that the 'frei' would destroy it [as a result of their bad deeds], heaven forbid. He would also say that were many times in the past that had been opportunities lost for the redemption as a result of the destructive deeds of the generation.

The Chofetz Chaim on living in Israel

I came across a very interesting piece in the sefer חפץ חיים על התורה, which is a collection of the teachings of the Chofetz Chaim on the parsha. It was put together by Rabbi Shmuel Greineman, who clearly knew the Chofetz Chaim personally. At the beginning of the book, he printed the following letter from the Chofetz Chaim:

To my esteemed friend, the great rav Shmuel Greineman,
I am quite surprised that I was not informed any further as regards our previous correspondance, which I recall fondly, whether the project we discussed had been distributed far and wide. Certainly there would be at least some benefit for all. I am of a similar mind to you, as we both worked on this mitzvah, and it is like a person who who planted a vineyard, which Baruch Hashem was successful and produced fruit, and yet he is lazy in regards to collecting it. Therefore, my friend, find the addresses and send it out to all. In this merit, we will both be mentioned as part of the assembly of Israel on the holy festival for good and blessings. If there are any costs, I will pay.
Your friend who blesses you with all the best,
Yisrael Meir Hacohen (The Chofetz Chaim)

The following is a piece the Chofetz Chaim wrote on next week's parsha, Parshas Bo, concerning the proper Torah Hashkafa on the concept of living in Eretz Yisrael

ארץ זבת חלב ודבש שמות" י״ג:ה׳" "A land of milk and honey"

The Torah and Eretz Yisrael are two things Hashem acquired in His world. Their connection to each other is like the soul to the body. The soul is the Torah, while the body is Eretz Yisrael.

The soul can not exist on its own - it needs a body. The body itself is just a clump of dirt, dust of the earth, and is in need of a soul.

The soul of the Jewish people is the Torah, and its body is the land of Israel. The soul certainly can not survive without a body, and all the commandments that are dependant on The Land can not be fulfilled without Eretz Yisrael. Our nation can not last in exile, and it is forbidden for us to remain here, nor to go elsewhere to be involved in business. Here they attempt to catch us and accuse us, nevertheless we live and survive, if but in difficulty.

But Eretz Yisrael without Torah is nothing but a clump of earth, a body without a soul. Only the two of them together are good, like the statement of the prophet Yeshaya (42), "He spreads out the land and its offspring, and gives a soul to the nation upon it."

Rav Shmuel Greineman, in the footnotes on this vort, brings down a number of stories of the Chofetz Chaim, in regards to his thoughts on Eretz Yisrael. These stories are very interesting, and I hope to post more over the next few days. For now, here is the first one.

The Chofetz Chaim never let his mind wander from the mitzvah of settling Eretz Yisrael.

I remember, in the winter of 5678 (1918), when the Chofetz Chaim was told about the tremendous joy that spread throughout Jewish homes in reponse to the Balfour declaration. The Chofetz Chaim burst out crying, and said, "What does joy accomplish? Hashem promised us that we would 'burst forth westward, eastward, northward, and southward.' This is a guaranteed document that Hashem will pay up in its appointed time.
"Now people have come and only admit to a small part of Hashem's document, and everyone is getting excited as if the redemption has almost arrived!
"People are ready to be satisfied with a small amount... They don't expect more... Woe unto us!" And he continued to cry.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sensing Kedusha

A few days ago, I played at a simcha, and had the chance to rent a car. On my way home, I was driving through Ramat Bet Shemesh Bet, and I picked up a chossid to give him a lift. He noticed I was American, and asked about my feelings toward Eretz Yisrael. He explained that to someone who lives here and has never known anything else, it is hard to sense the extra kedusha.

He proceeded to tell me a story about the Rizhiner rebbe, who evidently lived outside of Israel. One time, one of his chassidim made a pilgrimage to Eretz Yisrael. On his return, he came to the rebbe and told him that although he had been to the Holy land, he had not really sensed anything especially holy about it.

The rebbe responded with the following mashal. He said that a blanket is meant to provide warmth and comfort. The degree of warmth that it can provide, however, is dependant completely on the heat of the person being covered. Thus, if a dead person is covered with a blanket, it will not warm him.

The same thing is true about Eretz Yisrael. If one comes to Eretz Yisrael and does not sense the kedusha, it suggests the fact that there is a spiritual coldness that pervades his life. One who comes here and feels the warmth can be assured that the fire burns within him, and is rekindled in the right surroundings.

Come to Israel, now?

It's been over a week since my last real post, and I had many thoughts that bounced around my head since then. On one hand, the post was nice for anyone in the US, because it made one feel rather comfortable kind of ignoring the urgency of some other blogs. It also kind of left the impression that parnassah is the end all answer to whether one should come here. I'd like to share some of my subsequent thoughts.

The Chofetz Chaim, in his seforim Shem Olam and Ahavas Chessed, uses a certain theme to help us in our thinking about our service of Hashem. Many times we have a certain attitude when it comes to our performance of mitzvos which might be somewhat lackluster. The objective comparison will always shed light on the more correct approach.

The Chofetz Chaim tells us that we need but look at a storeowner to understand the proper approach to Avodas Hashem. Someone who loves money will do anything to make money. He will get up early to work and go to bed late. He will travel to distant lands to buy the right merchandise. He will dedicate himself completely to the task of making a buck.

From the way such a person behaves, we can learn how we must approach our service of Hashem. There is a level of dedication that is necessary for success in any area, and certainly in the most important area of connecting to spirituality. If we must get up early to achieve it, if we must go to sleep late, it must be done. If we must travel to a far off land in pursuit of this most important goal, and if it might involve a great sacrifice, it must be done.

If someone would invest years of difficulty in order to one day be the millionaire of his dreams, would it not be worth a similar investment to earn the greatest closeness to Hashem possible by living in Eretz Yisrael? Is there no greater goal that one could imagine? Is there anyplace one can serve Hashem as Yisrael? Is there another place one feels the constant hand of Hashem guiding him? Is there another place that people are really as focused on their life's goal of serving Hashem? Is there another place that loving Hashem is really an aspiration? Is there anywhere in the world?

Is there another place where the entire country of six million Jews is eating matza on Pesach? Is there another country where six million of its inhabitants are fasting on Yom Kippur? Is there another country where the standard greeting on Friday is 'Shabat Shalom?' Is there another place where every single person on the street makes sure your kid is warm as you pass by on a cold day? Is there anywhere else where everyone calls you their brother? Is there any other place where 'baruch Hashem' rolls off the non-religious taxi driver's tongue? Is there a place where people feel each other's pain and each other's joys the way they do here? Is there another city like Jerusalem that as soon as you enter the holiness is palpable?

This is our land. It's the land Hashem promised to our people for all time. Let's come home with love.