The following comment was posted on the previous post:
Please, Ari, please don't fall into the trap of predicting a scary downfall of America. Just three months ago, I asked R. Chaim Kanievsky if I should move my family to E"Y. I was all excited about it.
He replied that I cannot come without parnassah. I asked him if I should just "cash out" and come. He said, "Then you spend it and go back. What's the point?"
Parnassah is in the hands of HaShem. Thus, for us, so is moving to E'Y. In the meantime, we must have faith that HaShem is going to orchestrate the kibbutz galius we just read about in the Pesach haftorah.
Please don't be insensitive to those who b'emes long to come to E"Y, but don't have the financial capabilities (yet!) to do so.
I would just like to clarify my general approach with this blog. I really try not to make any predictions, and it was not my intent to predict the fall of the US. I was merely sharing a story with you that I thought would be interesting. I personally firmly believe that every single person must ask a shailah in regards to how they should proceed with life, and rest assured that if they follow da'as Torah, Hashem will not steer them wrong. I encourage everyone to do so, and it is interesting to me that when you asked R' Chaim he responded that way, as someone else recently told me in a conversation that they asked an American Gadol (who is very serious about the idea of living in Eretz Yisrael) the same question and received the same exact answer - one can not come here without a realistic plan for parnassah.
One thought I would like to mention that hits me as I am writing this, is that even if a particular Gadol, say, R' Kanievsky, told one person that this is the proper approach, he may not tell the next person the same thing. Our Gedolim are gifted with Ruach Hakodesh and receive constant guidance as they help out the Klal as well as the many individuals who seek their guidance. I almost laugh as I think about the obviousness of it, but I think we've learned that what a Gadol says for one person will not necessarily apply to another. Just because you read in this blog that R' Chaim told 'anonymous' not to come here doesn't mean you shouldn't ask your rav if it might be the right thing for you.
Our lives must center around serving Hashem, and while צפית לישועה is of course an important thing, it mustn't take over our lives. I realized how compulsively I was checking the news, and I realized that it began when I got very into the whole Moshiach kick. I was never into politics, not here in Israel, and not in the US. It is all a waste of time, and all it does is steer us away from our avodas Hashem. I have really been conscious of not looking at the news, and I am proud to say that I was surprised that I didn't know that 'Durban II' was happening until someone told me about it.
I think it is important to talk and be excited and hopeful about Moshiach's advent, and I do believe he will be here soon. I am happy to say that I don't know how soon, but I do wait for him every day, so I think I'm headed in a good direction. Do I think that the US will fall? I don't know, and I don't wish it upon anyone, certainly not our wonderful brothers and sisters who live there (and might even want to be here in Israel much more than being there). One thing I am sure of is that no matter where we are, Hashem will be taking care of us, and if we have indeed reached the final stages of Geulah, or are nearing them, there will be a tremendous amount of rachamim for us, not destruction ח"ו.
The final redemption will defy logic, and if one takes a look around, the entire world, and the entire state of affairs for the Jewish people as a whole defies all logic. When everything defies logic, it is Hashem's fingerprints, his voice whispering, "I'm here with you." When the winter goes by and it is one of the driest winters in years, and the weather experts are exclaiming that the chances of such a winter are zero - when the chances are zero, this is Hashem speaking. It's no coincidence that this horrible winter in Israel was the worst time for the entire world since the Great Depression. Israel is the conduit for Hashem's goodness. Whatever happens here is a sign of what is happening everywhere else.
Bottom line is that we need to love Hashem, commit to coming close to Him, chuck all the distractions, and focus in on what really counts. We don't need to know what will happen in the future. The more we try to figure it out, the more futile it will be. We can want Moshiach without needing to know when he will be here, and without trying to figure out precisely what will happen and how it will unfold.
In any event, my bet is that it will be interesting, as there's no better 'storyteller' than Hashem. We can sit back and enjoy the show without trying to figure out the ending. We can also get 'into' the story and watch as it progresses without getting carried away and losing sight of what's really important in our lives. We can be excited when we hear that the gematria of ברק אובאמה is the same as the נחש which is also the same as משיח because they are all forces that come into play in the final story. And we can also say that maybe that's not significant and maybe the story will end in a different way. If a great author can give you a surprising and shocking ending, do we think that we can figure out the ending to this story written by Hashem? No matter what it will be interesting, and no matter what it will be the Ultimate Good. Let's try to do this with balance.
Showing posts with label explanation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label explanation. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Bring my children from afar
I recently read an article on Israel National News about the aliyah of a number of Yemenite Jews due to the terrorism there. It brought to mind the passuk in Yeshaya (43:6), "אומר לצפון תני ולתימן אל תכלאי הביאי בני מרחוק ובנותי מקצה הארץ" - "Say to the North wind, give, and to the Southerly wind, do not hold back. Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the Earth."
The psukim there are speaking about the redemption, and the special nature of Hashem's relationship with the Jewish people. It uses the word Teman for the word Southerly wind, and I could not help but think of a possible alternate explanation of the verse. The word Teman is also the Hebrew name of the country Yemen, so the passuk could also be saying that Hashem says to Yemen not to hold back its Jews, rather to bring them all back to Eretz Yisrael.
Thus, this article struck me as a sign that we are nearing a critical stage of Kibbutz Galiyos (ingathering of the exiles).
The following Gemara becomes all the more meaningful.
The Gemara in Menachos on Daf 110 explains the verse "Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the Earth," by saying that there are two groups of people referenced in the verse. As Rashi explains there, there is the group of 'sons', who live in Babylonia, who have special treatment from the government, and therefore feel quite settled and unthreatened there. They are referred to as 'sons' because in general men are more settled. Then there is the group of 'daughters' who are less settled and do not feel as comfortable in the lands that they live in.
In our day, the 'sons' would be those living in countries that are not hostile to the Jew, for example the United States, and the 'daughters' would be those living in countries that are indeed Anti-Semitic.
Putting together this Gemara with what we said previously, we can offer the following interpretation. When Yemen no longer holds back her people, all of the Jews will return to Israel, whether they feel comfortable where they are or not. כן יהי רצון מלפניו יתברך אמן
The psukim there are speaking about the redemption, and the special nature of Hashem's relationship with the Jewish people. It uses the word Teman for the word Southerly wind, and I could not help but think of a possible alternate explanation of the verse. The word Teman is also the Hebrew name of the country Yemen, so the passuk could also be saying that Hashem says to Yemen not to hold back its Jews, rather to bring them all back to Eretz Yisrael.
Thus, this article struck me as a sign that we are nearing a critical stage of Kibbutz Galiyos (ingathering of the exiles).
The following Gemara becomes all the more meaningful.
The Gemara in Menachos on Daf 110 explains the verse "Bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the Earth," by saying that there are two groups of people referenced in the verse. As Rashi explains there, there is the group of 'sons', who live in Babylonia, who have special treatment from the government, and therefore feel quite settled and unthreatened there. They are referred to as 'sons' because in general men are more settled. Then there is the group of 'daughters' who are less settled and do not feel as comfortable in the lands that they live in.
In our day, the 'sons' would be those living in countries that are not hostile to the Jew, for example the United States, and the 'daughters' would be those living in countries that are indeed Anti-Semitic.
Putting together this Gemara with what we said previously, we can offer the following interpretation. When Yemen no longer holds back her people, all of the Jews will return to Israel, whether they feel comfortable where they are or not. כן יהי רצון מלפניו יתברך אמן
Friday, January 9, 2009
Yosef and the wealth of redemption
My wife recently read the book "Let My Nation Descend" by Yosef Deutsch, which details the account of the sale of Yosef, culminating with the young nation of Israel journeying to Egypt. She shared a remarkable part of the story with me that I thought was both interesting and thought provoking.
On page 214, he brings down that during the years of famine, Yosef amassed an unbelievable amount of wealth from all of the different nations that came to him for food. According to Rav Aryeh Kaplan's assessment in his translation of the Yalkut Me'am Loez, in present day value, it would surpass the value of billions of dollars.
What did Yosef do with the money?
R' Deutsch brings down that half of the money was stored in the secure royal treasury. The second half was subdivided into three parts which were stored in different secret places. Hashem's promise to Avraham would be fulfilled with this wealth - the Jews would leave Egypt with fabulous riches.
Interestingly, he says that the three caches of money came from three different sources - Egyptian idol worshippers, criminals, and those who observed the Noachide commandments (lehavdil). When the Jews would leave Egypt many years later, Korach found one of the three sets of treasure, and that wealth was lost when Korach was swallowed by the ground after his rebellion. The second treasure would later be found by Antoninus of Rome, and the third treasure is reserved for the tzadikim in the times of Moshiach.
What is most remarkable to me in this whole description is that Yosef himself was the one who collected all of the money that the Jews left Egypt with at Yetzias Mitrayim, as well as the money that would be given to the righteous after the final Geulah. There is clearly something more to this than a cute side note to history.
It seems to me be'H, that here is another example of the role of Moshiach ben Yosef, and most interestingly, it is being performed by Yosef himself. One of the roles of Moshiach ben Yosef is that he is in charge of the physical welfare of the Jewish people, and he is also involved in the final rectification of wealth (see again Rebbe Nachman's story "The Master of Prayer").
What does this mean? I believe it is as follows.
To understand, we need to ask another question. Why is it important for the Jewish people to leave Egypt with tremendous wealth? Also, why is it important for the righteous to have this great wealth in the times of Moshiach?
I think the answer starts with the Rambam at the end of hilchos Melachim. There he says that the prophets and sages did not desire the days of Moshiach so that we would rule over the world and no longer be beholden to the other nations. Rather, it was so we could spend our time completely involved in the study of Torah, with no other worries or distractions.
What is the number one distraction from learning Torah (besides for the internet)? It is when a person lacks for his livelihood. When all a person's physical needs are taken care of, then he can completely focus on his service of Hashem and his Torah learning.
Similar to the times of Moshiach when our sole occupation will be learning Torah, when the Jews left Mitzrayim, they were headed toward forty years of Torah learning - nonstop! This would only be possible if they would have no worries in regards to their livelihood. Of course they would experience the miracle of the Mon falling, but that was something that they didn't 'have in the bag.' The fact that their 'safety deposit box' was full was what perhaps could give them the reassurance that there was nothing to worry about. All their needs were guaranteed by the wealth they Providentially left Mitzrayim with. This allowed them the peace of mind to focus all their efforts on their learning for the ensuing forty years.
It is no coincidence that this wealth was collected by Yosef, and set aside by him as well, for the Jewish people's redemption from Egypt, as well as the Jewish people's ultimate redemption. His job was to provide for the physical welfare of his people, so they could focus their undivided efforts on spiritual pursuits.
On page 214, he brings down that during the years of famine, Yosef amassed an unbelievable amount of wealth from all of the different nations that came to him for food. According to Rav Aryeh Kaplan's assessment in his translation of the Yalkut Me'am Loez, in present day value, it would surpass the value of billions of dollars.
What did Yosef do with the money?
R' Deutsch brings down that half of the money was stored in the secure royal treasury. The second half was subdivided into three parts which were stored in different secret places. Hashem's promise to Avraham would be fulfilled with this wealth - the Jews would leave Egypt with fabulous riches.
Interestingly, he says that the three caches of money came from three different sources - Egyptian idol worshippers, criminals, and those who observed the Noachide commandments (lehavdil). When the Jews would leave Egypt many years later, Korach found one of the three sets of treasure, and that wealth was lost when Korach was swallowed by the ground after his rebellion. The second treasure would later be found by Antoninus of Rome, and the third treasure is reserved for the tzadikim in the times of Moshiach.
What is most remarkable to me in this whole description is that Yosef himself was the one who collected all of the money that the Jews left Egypt with at Yetzias Mitrayim, as well as the money that would be given to the righteous after the final Geulah. There is clearly something more to this than a cute side note to history.
It seems to me be'H, that here is another example of the role of Moshiach ben Yosef, and most interestingly, it is being performed by Yosef himself. One of the roles of Moshiach ben Yosef is that he is in charge of the physical welfare of the Jewish people, and he is also involved in the final rectification of wealth (see again Rebbe Nachman's story "The Master of Prayer").
What does this mean? I believe it is as follows.
To understand, we need to ask another question. Why is it important for the Jewish people to leave Egypt with tremendous wealth? Also, why is it important for the righteous to have this great wealth in the times of Moshiach?
I think the answer starts with the Rambam at the end of hilchos Melachim. There he says that the prophets and sages did not desire the days of Moshiach so that we would rule over the world and no longer be beholden to the other nations. Rather, it was so we could spend our time completely involved in the study of Torah, with no other worries or distractions.
What is the number one distraction from learning Torah (besides for the internet)? It is when a person lacks for his livelihood. When all a person's physical needs are taken care of, then he can completely focus on his service of Hashem and his Torah learning.
Similar to the times of Moshiach when our sole occupation will be learning Torah, when the Jews left Mitzrayim, they were headed toward forty years of Torah learning - nonstop! This would only be possible if they would have no worries in regards to their livelihood. Of course they would experience the miracle of the Mon falling, but that was something that they didn't 'have in the bag.' The fact that their 'safety deposit box' was full was what perhaps could give them the reassurance that there was nothing to worry about. All their needs were guaranteed by the wealth they Providentially left Mitzrayim with. This allowed them the peace of mind to focus all their efforts on their learning for the ensuing forty years.
It is no coincidence that this wealth was collected by Yosef, and set aside by him as well, for the Jewish people's redemption from Egypt, as well as the Jewish people's ultimate redemption. His job was to provide for the physical welfare of his people, so they could focus their undivided efforts on spiritual pursuits.
Monday, January 5, 2009
10 Teves and the Gaza war
Guest post by Daniel
I heard the following over Shabbos:
This Tuesday we will be fasting the Fast of the Tenth of Teves, known as Asarah B'teves. Although this is considered a "minor" fast, it has a unique quality that we all must know about as our young men brave their way into the hornet's nest of Gaza and as rockets continue to fall on the homes of klal Yisroel.
Unlike any other non-de'oraisa fast, the fast of Asarah B'teves is done even if it falls out on Shabbos. There is only one other non-de'oraisa fast that we permit to be done on Shabbos, and that is a ta'anis chalom (fast over a traumatic dream).
The Chasam Sofer explains why Asarah B'teves and a ta'anis chalom are in the same category.
When we fast on other days of the year, such as on the 9th of Av, we are fasting over a tragedy that occurred. On the 9th of Av, we fast because the Temple was destroyed. Something tragic happened in the past, and we mourn that tragedy.
However, what happened on the Tenth of Teves? On that day, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Thirty months later, he conquered Jerusalem on the 9th of Av. Thus, Asarah B'teves is the beginning of the churban (destruction) process, but not the churban itself.
Since every generation in which the Beis HaMikdash is not rebuilt is considered as if it were destroyed in that very generation, the fast of Asarah B'teves is also the beginning of the churban process in our generation.
So why can we fast on Shabbos if Asarah B'teves falls on Shabbos?
A ta'anis chalom is permitted to be done on Shabbos because the dreamer was graciously informed, via dream, that terrible heavenly decrees are currently being weighed upon him and/or his family. Thus, there is no time to spare, even for Shabbos, since his judgment is being weighed in the beis din shel ma'ala at this very moment. He therefore is docheh (lays aside) both his mitzvah of oneg Shabbos and his isur of fasting on Shabbos, in an attempt to remove the evil decree pressing upon him from on High.
This Tuesday begins the churban process in our generation, once again. Our fate as a nation is being weighed. The war is being played out in Gaza, but it is being directed from on High. The thoughts, speech, and deeds of every single one of klal Yisrael is being taken into account. There is no time to spare!
Please take this into your fast. Please do what must be done in your life, and in your community, especially as regards judging fellow Jews with mercy. Your family members are "fellow Jews" too!
May we be judged to be tzadikim, and not resha'im, and thus see a complete and speedy redemption of our people.
I heard the following over Shabbos:
This Tuesday we will be fasting the Fast of the Tenth of Teves, known as Asarah B'teves. Although this is considered a "minor" fast, it has a unique quality that we all must know about as our young men brave their way into the hornet's nest of Gaza and as rockets continue to fall on the homes of klal Yisroel.
Unlike any other non-de'oraisa fast, the fast of Asarah B'teves is done even if it falls out on Shabbos. There is only one other non-de'oraisa fast that we permit to be done on Shabbos, and that is a ta'anis chalom (fast over a traumatic dream).
The Chasam Sofer explains why Asarah B'teves and a ta'anis chalom are in the same category.
When we fast on other days of the year, such as on the 9th of Av, we are fasting over a tragedy that occurred. On the 9th of Av, we fast because the Temple was destroyed. Something tragic happened in the past, and we mourn that tragedy.
However, what happened on the Tenth of Teves? On that day, Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem. Thirty months later, he conquered Jerusalem on the 9th of Av. Thus, Asarah B'teves is the beginning of the churban (destruction) process, but not the churban itself.
Since every generation in which the Beis HaMikdash is not rebuilt is considered as if it were destroyed in that very generation, the fast of Asarah B'teves is also the beginning of the churban process in our generation.
So why can we fast on Shabbos if Asarah B'teves falls on Shabbos?
A ta'anis chalom is permitted to be done on Shabbos because the dreamer was graciously informed, via dream, that terrible heavenly decrees are currently being weighed upon him and/or his family. Thus, there is no time to spare, even for Shabbos, since his judgment is being weighed in the beis din shel ma'ala at this very moment. He therefore is docheh (lays aside) both his mitzvah of oneg Shabbos and his isur of fasting on Shabbos, in an attempt to remove the evil decree pressing upon him from on High.
This Tuesday begins the churban process in our generation, once again. Our fate as a nation is being weighed. The war is being played out in Gaza, but it is being directed from on High. The thoughts, speech, and deeds of every single one of klal Yisrael is being taken into account. There is no time to spare!
Please take this into your fast. Please do what must be done in your life, and in your community, especially as regards judging fellow Jews with mercy. Your family members are "fellow Jews" too!
May we be judged to be tzadikim, and not resha'im, and thus see a complete and speedy redemption of our people.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Who is Moshiach ben Yosef?
I would like to give a little idea of who exactly is Moshiach ben Yosef, and I would also like to weave in some strands of the dvar Torah that I said in my Parsha Podcast on Vayeshev.
Firstly, let us understand why we need two different Moshiachs.
The Moshiach we've all heard of is Moshiach ben Dovid, who we mention in our tefilos.
The lesser known is Moshiach ben Yosef. His job is the physical aspects of Klal Yisrael. He brings the Jewish people back to Eretz Yisrael (kibutz galuyos). He takes part in rebuilding the land of Israel. He builds the physical structure of the Beis Hamikdash. He is also privy to the secrets of the Torah (חכמת הנסתר). His job is to destroy Esav (see Rashi on Genesis 30:25). His power is the rectification of יסוד - the אות ברית קודש. He has full dominion over his physical desires - he rises above them and merits miracles. His power is also the power of Emunah/Bitachon - absolute trust in Hashem which also corresponds to יסוד. This also merits miracles, as per my earlier post "Bringing Miracles of Redemption."
The role of Moshiach ben Dovid on the other hand, is to bring the Shechina into the physical structures that Moshiach ben Yosef builds. Moshiach ben Dovid brings the Shechina into the Beis Hamikdash, into the Land of Israel, into the Jewish people. He is the מלך - which means that he reveals מלכות which is equal to שכינה.
This is why we say first ולירושלים עירך ברחמים תשוב - To Jerusalem your city return with mercy, before we even mention Moshiach ben Dovid. We say ובנה אותה בקרוב בימינו בנין עולם - rebuild it soon in our days an eternal building - this is reference to Moshiach ben Dovid. Then we say וכסא דוד עבדך מהרה לתוכה תכין - and the seat of David your servant quickly prepare in its midst. Here we see that it is a two step process, starting with the job of Moshiach ben Yosef and culminating with the job of Moshiach ben Dovid.
According to the Gemara in Succah, Moshiach ben Yosef is destined to die. The Gr'a holds that this is לאו דוקא, and says that in fact, the length of the gallus has already atoned for whatever would have necessitated his death. His שיטה is עוד יוסף חי - Moshiach ben Yosef will yet live.
Another interesting point which I have seen in more than one place is that besides for there being a single human being named Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid, there is a force within the Jewish people that corresponds to their role. This is actually similar to how you may have specialized cells in your body that perform a certain specific function, say the cells in your eyes. Nevertheless, every single cell in your body contains the same DNA, with that very information that makes those eye cells specialized. The only difference is that the other cells, say in your hand, do not express and bring out that specialized nature to its full expression. Nevertheless, that power exists everywhere within a person.
Thus, every Jew can donate to Moshiach ben Yosef's role, for there is a small piece of Moshiach ben Yosef in every Jew. In fact, people who work for Nefesh B'nefesh, as an example, are actually fulfilling one of the roles of Moshiach ben Yosef - kibbutz galuyos. When we bring spirituality into our lives or the lives of others, we are activating the Moshiach ben Dovid in each of us. This brings us a step closer to Geulah and effectively lightens the load of each of the Moshiachs.
Returning to Yosef, we see that his job was to take care of the physical welfare of the Jewish people. This was expressed in his dream with the stalks of produce, and later in his role of providing for Egypt and more specifically the seventy souls that descended to Egypt with Yakov. His role as the knower of the secrets of the Torah is also mentioned in numerous sources, and is hinted to by his name צפנת פענח - the revealer of secrets. It is also hinted to in the reference בן זקנים - the gematria of the bold is 207 which is the same as the word רז - secret (בעל הטורים).
Yosef was the master of תיקון הברית as he displayed in his difficult encounter with the wife of Potifar. He was also the quintessential בעל אמונה. He had the ultimate faith in Hashem and throughout the story of his trials stood steadfast in his faith in Hashem, never questioning, only constantly moving forward and staying strong. He himself constantly reassures his brothers that he bears them no ill will, but rather from the onset it was the will of Hashem that Yosef be sent to Mitzrayim.
Yehoshua bin Nun was from the tribe of Efraim (son of Yosef) and he fulfilled the role of Moshiach ben Yosef in his time - conquering the land of Israel and dividing it amongst the Jewish people.
Very interestingly, according to the site http://keitzmeguleh.blogspot.com, the current year (5769) corresponds to the first year of Yehoshua's conquest. Exactly what this means and how this will play itself out remains to be seen. (For more on that, please see his post Geulat Mitzraim to Yemot HaMoshiach)
Last point I would like to make is the pshat I said in my parsha podcast about Yosef's second dream. It is clear from the psukim that the second dream was a different dream (חלום אחר) as opposed to Paroh's dream which the Torah says ויחלום שנית - he dreamed a second time. Whereas Paroh had a repetition implying the dream would soon materialize, Yosef's second dream was a totally different dream with a totally different message.
The key to the message of the second dream is that the sun, moon and stars were bowing down to Yosef. The almost silly sounding question is, what do stars look like when they bow down?
The answer is that the prophets tell us that before Moshiach comes, the sun, the moon and the stars go out (יואל ד:ט"ו). They are extinguished, and then we are told that we no longer will be provided with light from the sun, but rather Hashem Himself will be our light. The message underlying this concept is that whereas until Moshiach Hashem directed the world through the מזלות - the constellations and the heavenly bodies, when Moshiach comes, Hashem Himself will be the One Who directly is involved in the world, with no more intermediaries. This is why the sun, moon and stars go out, to signify that they are no longer the conduits, but rather Hashem will now be leading us directly.
The concept of bowing - השתחוויה - is that one shows that he totally nullifies himself in the face of the one he is bowing to. This is what was happening in Yosef's dream. He saw of vision of the ultimate future when the sun, moon and stars would 'bow,' as it were, to Yosef's emunah. This emunah would bring about the days of Moshiach where Hashem himself would deal directly with the world. This emunah - which by definition taps into the concept that Hashem is directly involved in our lives - was what Yosef represented, and to this they bowed - showed their lack of existence - and were extinguished. The eleven stars represent the fact that all of the Jewish people will bow to Moshiach ben Yosef - that is, we will learn from him the power of Emunah and absolute trust in Hashem that will bring about Hashem's full display of His direct involvement in our lives.
May we merit that day soon.
Firstly, let us understand why we need two different Moshiachs.
The Moshiach we've all heard of is Moshiach ben Dovid, who we mention in our tefilos.
The lesser known is Moshiach ben Yosef. His job is the physical aspects of Klal Yisrael. He brings the Jewish people back to Eretz Yisrael (kibutz galuyos). He takes part in rebuilding the land of Israel. He builds the physical structure of the Beis Hamikdash. He is also privy to the secrets of the Torah (חכמת הנסתר). His job is to destroy Esav (see Rashi on Genesis 30:25). His power is the rectification of יסוד - the אות ברית קודש. He has full dominion over his physical desires - he rises above them and merits miracles. His power is also the power of Emunah/Bitachon - absolute trust in Hashem which also corresponds to יסוד. This also merits miracles, as per my earlier post "Bringing Miracles of Redemption."
The role of Moshiach ben Dovid on the other hand, is to bring the Shechina into the physical structures that Moshiach ben Yosef builds. Moshiach ben Dovid brings the Shechina into the Beis Hamikdash, into the Land of Israel, into the Jewish people. He is the מלך - which means that he reveals מלכות which is equal to שכינה.
This is why we say first ולירושלים עירך ברחמים תשוב - To Jerusalem your city return with mercy, before we even mention Moshiach ben Dovid. We say ובנה אותה בקרוב בימינו בנין עולם - rebuild it soon in our days an eternal building - this is reference to Moshiach ben Dovid. Then we say וכסא דוד עבדך מהרה לתוכה תכין - and the seat of David your servant quickly prepare in its midst. Here we see that it is a two step process, starting with the job of Moshiach ben Yosef and culminating with the job of Moshiach ben Dovid.
According to the Gemara in Succah, Moshiach ben Yosef is destined to die. The Gr'a holds that this is לאו דוקא, and says that in fact, the length of the gallus has already atoned for whatever would have necessitated his death. His שיטה is עוד יוסף חי - Moshiach ben Yosef will yet live.
Another interesting point which I have seen in more than one place is that besides for there being a single human being named Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid, there is a force within the Jewish people that corresponds to their role. This is actually similar to how you may have specialized cells in your body that perform a certain specific function, say the cells in your eyes. Nevertheless, every single cell in your body contains the same DNA, with that very information that makes those eye cells specialized. The only difference is that the other cells, say in your hand, do not express and bring out that specialized nature to its full expression. Nevertheless, that power exists everywhere within a person.
Thus, every Jew can donate to Moshiach ben Yosef's role, for there is a small piece of Moshiach ben Yosef in every Jew. In fact, people who work for Nefesh B'nefesh, as an example, are actually fulfilling one of the roles of Moshiach ben Yosef - kibbutz galuyos. When we bring spirituality into our lives or the lives of others, we are activating the Moshiach ben Dovid in each of us. This brings us a step closer to Geulah and effectively lightens the load of each of the Moshiachs.
Returning to Yosef, we see that his job was to take care of the physical welfare of the Jewish people. This was expressed in his dream with the stalks of produce, and later in his role of providing for Egypt and more specifically the seventy souls that descended to Egypt with Yakov. His role as the knower of the secrets of the Torah is also mentioned in numerous sources, and is hinted to by his name צפנת פענח - the revealer of secrets. It is also hinted to in the reference בן זקנים - the gematria of the bold is 207 which is the same as the word רז - secret (בעל הטורים).
Yosef was the master of תיקון הברית as he displayed in his difficult encounter with the wife of Potifar. He was also the quintessential בעל אמונה. He had the ultimate faith in Hashem and throughout the story of his trials stood steadfast in his faith in Hashem, never questioning, only constantly moving forward and staying strong. He himself constantly reassures his brothers that he bears them no ill will, but rather from the onset it was the will of Hashem that Yosef be sent to Mitzrayim.
Yehoshua bin Nun was from the tribe of Efraim (son of Yosef) and he fulfilled the role of Moshiach ben Yosef in his time - conquering the land of Israel and dividing it amongst the Jewish people.
Very interestingly, according to the site http://keitzmeguleh.blogspot.com, the current year (5769) corresponds to the first year of Yehoshua's conquest. Exactly what this means and how this will play itself out remains to be seen. (For more on that, please see his post Geulat Mitzraim to Yemot HaMoshiach)
Last point I would like to make is the pshat I said in my parsha podcast about Yosef's second dream. It is clear from the psukim that the second dream was a different dream (חלום אחר) as opposed to Paroh's dream which the Torah says ויחלום שנית - he dreamed a second time. Whereas Paroh had a repetition implying the dream would soon materialize, Yosef's second dream was a totally different dream with a totally different message.
The key to the message of the second dream is that the sun, moon and stars were bowing down to Yosef. The almost silly sounding question is, what do stars look like when they bow down?
The answer is that the prophets tell us that before Moshiach comes, the sun, the moon and the stars go out (יואל ד:ט"ו). They are extinguished, and then we are told that we no longer will be provided with light from the sun, but rather Hashem Himself will be our light. The message underlying this concept is that whereas until Moshiach Hashem directed the world through the מזלות - the constellations and the heavenly bodies, when Moshiach comes, Hashem Himself will be the One Who directly is involved in the world, with no more intermediaries. This is why the sun, moon and stars go out, to signify that they are no longer the conduits, but rather Hashem will now be leading us directly.
The concept of bowing - השתחוויה - is that one shows that he totally nullifies himself in the face of the one he is bowing to. This is what was happening in Yosef's dream. He saw of vision of the ultimate future when the sun, moon and stars would 'bow,' as it were, to Yosef's emunah. This emunah would bring about the days of Moshiach where Hashem himself would deal directly with the world. This emunah - which by definition taps into the concept that Hashem is directly involved in our lives - was what Yosef represented, and to this they bowed - showed their lack of existence - and were extinguished. The eleven stars represent the fact that all of the Jewish people will bow to Moshiach ben Yosef - that is, we will learn from him the power of Emunah and absolute trust in Hashem that will bring about Hashem's full display of His direct involvement in our lives.
May we merit that day soon.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Vayeshev - Moshiach ben Yosef
Why did Yosef have two dreams?
Why does the Torah call the second dream a חלום אחר - a different dream, whereas by Paroh it says he dreamt the dream a second time?
What do stars look like when they bow down? Why should we care?
Why is the story of Yehudah and Tamar sliced into the story of Yosef?
Why is Yosef called to task for asking the Sar Hamashkim to remember him?
What is the character of Moshiach ben Yosef?
How is it reflected in Yosef himself?
Why is Yosef the one who will ultimately destroy Esav before Moshiach?
DON'T MISS this weeks Parsha Pocast!
Why does the Torah call the second dream a חלום אחר - a different dream, whereas by Paroh it says he dreamt the dream a second time?
What do stars look like when they bow down? Why should we care?
Why is the story of Yehudah and Tamar sliced into the story of Yosef?
Why is Yosef called to task for asking the Sar Hamashkim to remember him?
What is the character of Moshiach ben Yosef?
How is it reflected in Yosef himself?
Why is Yosef the one who will ultimately destroy Esav before Moshiach?
DON'T MISS this weeks Parsha Pocast!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Dream of the rings explained
This was my explanation on Nava's husband's dream which you can find here.
This post is important, as I will reference it in a later post be'H.
Gold, silver and copper each represent the three sefirot of חג"ת - חסד גבורה תפארת. Chesed is represented by silver, Gevurah (din) is represented by gold, and Tiferet (the balance between the two) is represented by copper. The egg shaped stones represents different aspects of Moshiach, because he is the one who is bringing about the birth of the era of Moshiach. The egg represents all the potential for the new reality he is bringing in. The ring is a circle, and we find that the circle always represents the concept that we are focusing on the center of what the circle stands for. An example of this is on Succos when we circle the bimah where the sefer Torah is held thus representing the centrality of Torah, or the circling of the mizbeach that was done in the Beis Hamikdash on Succos representing the centrality of service to Hashem.
Another important point is that in our world, the way we express Hashem's middah of Chesed is by doing kindness. The way we express Gevurah and din, is by doing Tzedakah - charity, and by displaying moral strength and dedication. The way Tiferet is expressed is by being fierce adherents to Torah and Truth - emes. (תתן אמת ליעקב - Yakov represents Tiferet, Truth and Torah study.)
There is also a concept that when we do acts of kindness and charity, we are bringing down Hashem's kindness into the world and bringing the world toward its ultimate completion. This also mirrors the idea that we can give power to Moshiach by helping him fulfill his role, which is to bring Hashem's ultimate Kindness, Righteousness, and Truth to the world. We do this when we act with kindness, righteousness, Truth and Torah study.
One last important point to make before we come back to the dream is something I read recently in the introduction of R' Chaim Vital to the sefer Sha'arei Kedusha. There he brings a story where he asked the Arizal an important question. R' Chaim asks the Arizal, "How can you tell me that I am greater than those of the previous generations, even greater than the Righteous ones of the times of the Gemara and Mishna?" The Arizal's response was that in that time, it was much easier to be great, because the powers of evil were much weaker. As the generations passed and the powers of the Other Side have strengthened, it is much more difficult to be righteous. Thus, if one is righteous despite that, he would have certainly been many more times as great in the times of the Gemara and Mishna, even greater than those that lived then, for the powers of evil had less of a hold then.
Taking that idea to its end, the times we live in now are the ultimate 'darkness before the dawn.' When we act with goodness and righteousness despite the immense power of evil that is evident throughout the world - we have done what seems to be a small act, but in truth it is unbelievably large. These acts that WE are doing are the engine that powers Moshiach's arrival!
After that introduction, I think we can make some sense of the rings. The golden ring represents the power we can give to Moshiach - the power of charity and righteousness. These deeds are necessary in order to help the 'egg' of redemption hatch. The more we involve ourselves in charity and righteousness, despite the powers of evil, the greater is our ability to give this power to Moshiach to be revealed. The silver ring represents chessed. The more we are involved in kindess the more we awaken Hashem's Infinite Kindness, thereby causing the 'egg' of Moshiach to hatch with kindness. The copper ring represents Tiferet - Emes. The more we are slaves to the truth, the closer we bring the world to the revelation of Ultimate Truth.
These three powers that are within our reach to donate toward the Redemption process are what the Yetzer Hara is trying with all his greatest efforts to prevent. He knows that if we are dedicated to Goodness and Truth it will be his ultimate downfall. He will try to steal the purse with the three rings at any opportunity. And if we can rid ourselves of him for a moment, he will come back within no time to try again to take away our dedication.
We must realize that the individual efforts of every single Jew in this area are crucial. There are only a select few who are even aware of what is going on in the world at all. If we have been chosen to be part of this, then we must acknowledge our responsibility in these areas and try our best to strengthen our dedication to them.
Chessed - Kindness, Gevurah - Tzedakah and moral strength, Tiferet - Truth and Torah study.
May we all merit to see Moshiach with mercy, speedily in our days.
This post is important, as I will reference it in a later post be'H.
Gold, silver and copper each represent the three sefirot of חג"ת - חסד גבורה תפארת. Chesed is represented by silver, Gevurah (din) is represented by gold, and Tiferet (the balance between the two) is represented by copper. The egg shaped stones represents different aspects of Moshiach, because he is the one who is bringing about the birth of the era of Moshiach. The egg represents all the potential for the new reality he is bringing in. The ring is a circle, and we find that the circle always represents the concept that we are focusing on the center of what the circle stands for. An example of this is on Succos when we circle the bimah where the sefer Torah is held thus representing the centrality of Torah, or the circling of the mizbeach that was done in the Beis Hamikdash on Succos representing the centrality of service to Hashem.
Another important point is that in our world, the way we express Hashem's middah of Chesed is by doing kindness. The way we express Gevurah and din, is by doing Tzedakah - charity, and by displaying moral strength and dedication. The way Tiferet is expressed is by being fierce adherents to Torah and Truth - emes. (תתן אמת ליעקב - Yakov represents Tiferet, Truth and Torah study.)
There is also a concept that when we do acts of kindness and charity, we are bringing down Hashem's kindness into the world and bringing the world toward its ultimate completion. This also mirrors the idea that we can give power to Moshiach by helping him fulfill his role, which is to bring Hashem's ultimate Kindness, Righteousness, and Truth to the world. We do this when we act with kindness, righteousness, Truth and Torah study.
One last important point to make before we come back to the dream is something I read recently in the introduction of R' Chaim Vital to the sefer Sha'arei Kedusha. There he brings a story where he asked the Arizal an important question. R' Chaim asks the Arizal, "How can you tell me that I am greater than those of the previous generations, even greater than the Righteous ones of the times of the Gemara and Mishna?" The Arizal's response was that in that time, it was much easier to be great, because the powers of evil were much weaker. As the generations passed and the powers of the Other Side have strengthened, it is much more difficult to be righteous. Thus, if one is righteous despite that, he would have certainly been many more times as great in the times of the Gemara and Mishna, even greater than those that lived then, for the powers of evil had less of a hold then.
Taking that idea to its end, the times we live in now are the ultimate 'darkness before the dawn.' When we act with goodness and righteousness despite the immense power of evil that is evident throughout the world - we have done what seems to be a small act, but in truth it is unbelievably large. These acts that WE are doing are the engine that powers Moshiach's arrival!
After that introduction, I think we can make some sense of the rings. The golden ring represents the power we can give to Moshiach - the power of charity and righteousness. These deeds are necessary in order to help the 'egg' of redemption hatch. The more we involve ourselves in charity and righteousness, despite the powers of evil, the greater is our ability to give this power to Moshiach to be revealed. The silver ring represents chessed. The more we are involved in kindess the more we awaken Hashem's Infinite Kindness, thereby causing the 'egg' of Moshiach to hatch with kindness. The copper ring represents Tiferet - Emes. The more we are slaves to the truth, the closer we bring the world to the revelation of Ultimate Truth.
These three powers that are within our reach to donate toward the Redemption process are what the Yetzer Hara is trying with all his greatest efforts to prevent. He knows that if we are dedicated to Goodness and Truth it will be his ultimate downfall. He will try to steal the purse with the three rings at any opportunity. And if we can rid ourselves of him for a moment, he will come back within no time to try again to take away our dedication.
We must realize that the individual efforts of every single Jew in this area are crucial. There are only a select few who are even aware of what is going on in the world at all. If we have been chosen to be part of this, then we must acknowledge our responsibility in these areas and try our best to strengthen our dedication to them.
Chessed - Kindness, Gevurah - Tzedakah and moral strength, Tiferet - Truth and Torah study.
May we all merit to see Moshiach with mercy, speedily in our days.
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