Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Monday, February 27, 2023
Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: Different Types of Good Anger
Gemara: [Two students of Bar Kapara were sitting before him when foods were brought before them. It was a complicated halachic question as to upon which food one should make the beracha and eat first. One “jumped up” first to make the beracha on meat.] His friend laughed scornfully at him. Rav Kapara became angry and said: “It is not at the one who made the beracha I am angry but at the one who laughed. If your friend appears as one who has never tasted meat before, why do you laugh at him?” Subsequently he said: “It is not at the one who laughed I am angry but at the one who made the beracha. If wisdom is not here, is there not advanced age here?” [Rashi- Am I (Bar Kapara) not old? You should have asked me on which one to make the beracha first.]
Ein Ayah: Anger can exist in two different ways. Anger can be found even in the heart of one who has perfect personal attributes. This is because some things that are immoral in different ways should make one naturally angry. There is also “anger of the face,” about which it is said: “an angry countenance will do good for the heart” (Kohelet 7:3). In the latter case, one decides to be angry, because that is what is appropriate in order to fix a certain behavior, even though naturally he does not feel any anger.
If the anger is one which is so appropriate that no bad attributes can be developed by reacting negatively to the bad act, then it is proper that the anger be in the heart as well as in the face. Such anger is a matter of completeness, as he is unable to stand by calmly as immorality is perpetrated. There are other times, though, when despite the positive purpose for being angry, one who reacts with emotional anger could have it spill over beyond the point it should for one of ideal personality. Then it is proper to show anger only out of choice but not feel it internally.
When one sees an affront being perpetrated against someone else, whether it is to a friend or a student, it is appropriate to allow the natural anger to be felt. However, if a scholar has to assert his authority and uphold his honor that has been slighted, it is a different story. Seeking honor for oneself and feeling slighted when he is not treated respectfully are not essentially good traits. Although at times it may be necessary for a scholar to stand up for his own honor to teach others how they are supposed to behave, it is still not good for the anger in that case to be natural but to be deliberate and external. In that way it does not contradict the mandate to be “very, very humble” (Avot 4:4).
Thus, the different manifestations of Bar Kapara’s anger were raised separately. First he said that he was not angry at the one who made the beracha, referring to a natural anger, which Bar Kapara reserved for the one who laughed. Then he said that on the level of deliberate anger, he was angry specifically at the one who made the beracha, as logically there was what to be angry about, for he should have consulted with his rav on the matter of the proper berachaprocedure. He said, “if there is not wisdom” to indicate that if he [Bar Kapara] had enough wisdom, it could have caused natural anger, as the pasuk says that “with great wisdom comes great anger” (Kohelet 1:18) and “a Torah scholar who gets angry, it is his Torah that is burning in him” (Ta’anit 4a). Rather Bar Kapara said that he was old so that he had calmed to the point that his anger was one of choice, because it was appropriate at the time.
Moshe and Aharon - The Menorah and the Aron
Nasi HaYeshiva, Kerem B'Yavneh
"You shall command Bnei Yisrael that they shall take for you pure, pressed olive oil." (Shemot 27:20) The placement of this topic here is strange; it should have been written earlier in Parshat Teruma, adjacent to the instruction of the Menorah!
Furthermore, what is the connection to Moshe of this specific mitzvah: "You shall command," "they shall take for you"?
The Netziv explains this based on the Midrash Rabbah on the Parsha:
"Bring near to yourself." (28:1) This is what it says, "Had your Torah not been my preoccupation, then I would have perished in my affliction." (Tehillim 119:92) When G-d said to Moshe, "Bring near to yourself Aharon, your brother," he was upset. [G-d] said to him, "I gave you the Torah. Without it I would not have created my world."
In many places in his commentary to the Torah, the Netziv addresses two styles of learning towards the correct Halacha. One is the method of comparing one case to another, and the other is called "pilpul" of Torah," which means clarifying the Halacha based on the methodologies through which the Torah is expounded. The Netziv generally writes against the method of learning through pilpul, and he degrades it, because the commonplace manner of differentiations and pilpul not for the sake of Torah do not bring to clarifying the truth. However, here we are dealing with "the laws that are the rules of the Torah," and this is leads to the climax of learning which is called "Torah lishma." [He calls this "pilpul of Torah," to exclude the disrespect of the maskilim who objected to involvement in theoretical issues.]
These two styles of learning have legitimate place in Am Yisrael, and they have paradigms, Moshe and Aharon.
In Nedarim (38a) it says: "The Torah was given only to Moshe and his descendents." The conclusion of the Gemara is that this refers to "pilpul." According to the Netziv, this was Moshe's strength, to reach a conclusion based on the rules through which the Torah is expounded. In contrast, it says about Aharon, "to instruct Bnei Yisrael," i.e., Aharon's strength was through comparing cases through logic. In one instance, he outreasoned Moshe on the issue of the goat sin-offering. There it says, "Moshe heard, and he approved." (Vayikra 10:20)
With this, he explains a fascinating point in the matter of the mekoshesh at the end of Parshat Shelach. After he desecrated the Shabbat, and "it had not been clarified what should be done to him," they "brought him to Moshe and Aharon, and to the entire assembly." (Bamidbar 15:33-34) However, Moshe and Aharon were relatives, so how could the two sit together on a case? Rather, the two of them were heads of different Sanhedrim, each one in his own way. When they were uncertain of the law of the mekoshesh, they brought the case before Moshe, perhaps he would rule through investigating the methods by which the Torah is expounded, and also to Aharon, perhaps he would clarify it through logic.
This is what it says, "If a matter of judgment is hidden from you ... you shall come to the Kohanim, the Leviim, and to the judge who will be in those days." (Devarim 17:8-9) The kohen rules though the method of logic, whereas the judge through the method of "pilpul."
There are two vessels that indicate this in the Mikdash, the Aron and the Menorah. The Aron contains the two Luchot, which are the written Torah and represent comparing one to another. However, the Menorah is the "pilpul" of Torah. This is indicated by the seven candles, which correspond to the seven wisdoms, which are the kaphtorim and flowers of the Menorah. Therefore, when a talmid chacham would say something nice his colleagues would say "kaphtor vaferach." Therefore, in the times of the second Beit HaMikdash, when there were many Yeshivot and many students, they merited the miracle of the Menorah. One who sees olive oil in his dream, should expect the light of Torah.
Thus, we understand the placement of the portion here, and not in Parshat Teruma. Immediately after the commandment to Moshe, it says, "Bring near to yourself Aharon your brother," and the Midrash says that Moshe was upset. Therefore, G-d prefaced by saying to Moshe that his share in Torah in chiddush and pilpul is greater than Aharon's share. Thus, the making of oil applies especially to Moshe, and the Torah says, "You shall command," "they shall take for you" - for yourself. Therefore, the Midrash says, "Had your Torah not been my preoccupation" - by delving in deeply and analyzing it, and this is the joy of learning in a manner of pilpul!
Rav Kook on Parashat Tetzaveh: The Kedusha of Har HaBayit
Or did Har Habayit lose its special status after the Beit HaMikdash's destruction?
This issue was the subject of a major dispute some 900 years ago. Rambam noted that the status of Har HaBayit is not connected to the question about whether the Land of Israel in general retained its kedusha after the first exile to Bavel. The sanctity of the place of the Beit HaMikdash is based on a unique source — the Divine Presence in that location – and that, Rambam argued, has not changed. “The Shekhinah can never be nullified.”1
Rambam buttressed his position by quoting the Mishnah in Megillah 3:4: “Even when [your sanctuaries] are in ruins, their holiness remains."
However, Rambam’s famous adversary, Rav Abraham ben David (Ra’avad), disagreed vehemently. This ruling, Ra’avad wrote, is Rambam's’ own opinion; it is not based on the rulings of the Gemara. After the Beit HaMikdash's destruction, Har HaBayit no longer retains its special kedusha. A ritually-impure individual who enters the place of the Beit HaMikdash azarah in our days does not incur the penalty of karet.
Rav Kook noted that even Ra’avad agrees that it is forbidden nowadays to enter the Beit HaMikdash area while impure. It is not, however, the serious offence that it was when the Beit HaMikdash stood.2
What is the source of this disagreement?
Illustration image: James Tissot, ‘Reconstruction of the Temple of Herod Southeast Corner’ (between 1886 and 1894)
Like a Tallit or Like Tefillin?
In Halakhah there are two paradigms for physical objects that contain holiness. The lower level is called tashmish mitzva. These are objects like a garment used for a Tallit, a ram’s horn used for a Shofar, or a palm branch used for a Lulav. All of these objects must be treated respectfully when they are used for a mitzva. But afterwards, they may be freely disposed of (covered and then thrown in the garbage). Their holiness is only in force when they are a vehicle for a mitzva. The holiness of a tashmish mitzva is out of respect for the mitzva that was performed with it.3
But there is a second, higher level, called tashmish kedusha. These are objects which have an intrinsic holiness, as they are vessels for holy writings. This category includes Tefillin, Sifrei Torah, and Mezuzot. It also includes articles that protect them, such as covers for Sifrei Torah and Tefillin boxes. Unlike tashmishei mitzva, these objects may not be simply disposed of when no longer used. They must be set aside (geniza) and subsequently buried.
For the Ra’avad, the land under the Beit HaMikdash falls under the category of tashmish mitzva. It facilitated the many mitzvot that were performed in the Beit HaMikdash. Without the Beit HaMikdash, however, the area no longer retained its special kedusha. It became like an old Tallit, no longer used to bear tzitzit.
Rambam, on the other hand, categorized Har HaBayit as a tashmish kedusha. This area was the location of the unique holiness of the Shekhinah, an eternal holiness. Like a leather box that once contained Tefillin scrolls, even without the Beit HaMikdash this area retains its special level of kedusha.
“Sanctified by My Honor”
All this, Rav Kook suggested, boils down to how to interpret the words “וְנִקְדַּשׁ בִּכְבֹדִי” — “sanctified by My Honor” (Shemot 29:43). The Torah describes the holiness of the Mishkan — and later the Beit HaMikdash:
“There I will meet with the Israelites, and [that place] will be sanctified by My Honor (Kevodi).”
What does the word Kevodi mean?
We could interpret Kevodi as referring to the honor (kavod) and reverence that we give this special place. The Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash were deserving of special respect (like the mitzvah of mora Mikdash). But without the Beit HaMikdash functioning, it no longer retains its former kedusha — like the opinion of the Ra’avad.
On the other hand, the word Kevodi could be understood as referring to Kevod Hashem — the Shekhinah, God’s Divine Presence in the Beit HaMikdash (see Rashi ad loc.). As the verse begins, “There I will meet with the Israelites.” This would indicate an intrinsic holiness which is never lost — like the opinion of Rambam.
In his Halakhic work Mishpat Kohen, Rav Kook explained our relationship to the place where the Beit HaMikdash once stood:
"The Beit HaMikdash is the place of revelation of the Shekhinah, the place of our encounter with God. We do not mention God’s holy Name outside the Beit HaMikdash due to the profound holiness of His Name; so, too, we do not ascend the Har nor approach the Kadosh until we will be qualified to do so. And just as we draw closer to God by recognizing the magnitude of our inability to grasp Him, so too, we draw closer to the Har precisely by distancing ourselves from it, in our awareness of its great holiness.” (p. 204)
(Adapted from Igrot HaRe’iyah vol. III, letter 926 by Rav Chanan Morrison)
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1. Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, 6:16
2. What would Ra’avad do with the Mishnah in Megillah that Maimonides quoted? He could explain that this homiletic interpretation is only an asmakhta, and reflects a prohibition of the Sages. Or the Mishnah could be referring to other laws, such as the mitzvah of mora Mikdash — the obligation to show respect and reverence to the Temple area by not entering the Temple Mount with one’s staff, shoes, or money belt; by not sitting in the Temple courtyard; and so on. (See Berakhot 54a; Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, chapter 7).
We might have expected a reversal of positions — that Ra’avad would argue for its eternal sanctity, given that Ra’avad was a Kabbalist, unlike Maimonides the rationalist. Especially considering that Ra’avad explicitly notes that his position is informed by inspired wisdom — “God confides in those who fear Him” (Tehilim 25:14).
In fact, it could well be that Ra’avad’s opinion is based on his understanding of the distinct spiritual status of each Beit HaMikdash. Shlomo foresaw the higher spiritual state of the Third Beit HaMikdash, so he intentionally limited the sanctity of the First Beit HaMikdash. He conditioned its sanctity to expire with the Beit HaMikdash's destruction, in order to enable the future Beit HaMikdash to be established on a higher state of kedushah.
3. This is the explanation of Ramban, quoted by the Ran in Megillah, chapter 3.
In Halakhah there are two paradigms for physical objects that contain holiness. The lower level is called tashmish mitzva. These are objects like a garment used for a Tallit, a ram’s horn used for a Shofar, or a palm branch used for a Lulav. All of these objects must be treated respectfully when they are used for a mitzva. But afterwards, they may be freely disposed of (covered and then thrown in the garbage). Their holiness is only in force when they are a vehicle for a mitzva. The holiness of a tashmish mitzva is out of respect for the mitzva that was performed with it.3
But there is a second, higher level, called tashmish kedusha. These are objects which have an intrinsic holiness, as they are vessels for holy writings. This category includes Tefillin, Sifrei Torah, and Mezuzot. It also includes articles that protect them, such as covers for Sifrei Torah and Tefillin boxes. Unlike tashmishei mitzva, these objects may not be simply disposed of when no longer used. They must be set aside (geniza) and subsequently buried.
For the Ra’avad, the land under the Beit HaMikdash falls under the category of tashmish mitzva. It facilitated the many mitzvot that were performed in the Beit HaMikdash. Without the Beit HaMikdash, however, the area no longer retained its special kedusha. It became like an old Tallit, no longer used to bear tzitzit.
Rambam, on the other hand, categorized Har HaBayit as a tashmish kedusha. This area was the location of the unique holiness of the Shekhinah, an eternal holiness. Like a leather box that once contained Tefillin scrolls, even without the Beit HaMikdash this area retains its special level of kedusha.
“Sanctified by My Honor”
All this, Rav Kook suggested, boils down to how to interpret the words “וְנִקְדַּשׁ בִּכְבֹדִי” — “sanctified by My Honor” (Shemot 29:43). The Torah describes the holiness of the Mishkan — and later the Beit HaMikdash:
“There I will meet with the Israelites, and [that place] will be sanctified by My Honor (Kevodi).”
What does the word Kevodi mean?
We could interpret Kevodi as referring to the honor (kavod) and reverence that we give this special place. The Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash were deserving of special respect (like the mitzvah of mora Mikdash). But without the Beit HaMikdash functioning, it no longer retains its former kedusha — like the opinion of the Ra’avad.
On the other hand, the word Kevodi could be understood as referring to Kevod Hashem — the Shekhinah, God’s Divine Presence in the Beit HaMikdash (see Rashi ad loc.). As the verse begins, “There I will meet with the Israelites.” This would indicate an intrinsic holiness which is never lost — like the opinion of Rambam.
In his Halakhic work Mishpat Kohen, Rav Kook explained our relationship to the place where the Beit HaMikdash once stood:
"The Beit HaMikdash is the place of revelation of the Shekhinah, the place of our encounter with God. We do not mention God’s holy Name outside the Beit HaMikdash due to the profound holiness of His Name; so, too, we do not ascend the Har nor approach the Kadosh until we will be qualified to do so. And just as we draw closer to God by recognizing the magnitude of our inability to grasp Him, so too, we draw closer to the Har precisely by distancing ourselves from it, in our awareness of its great holiness.” (p. 204)
(Adapted from Igrot HaRe’iyah vol. III, letter 926 by Rav Chanan Morrison)
____________________________________________________________________________________
1. Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, 6:16
2. What would Ra’avad do with the Mishnah in Megillah that Maimonides quoted? He could explain that this homiletic interpretation is only an asmakhta, and reflects a prohibition of the Sages. Or the Mishnah could be referring to other laws, such as the mitzvah of mora Mikdash — the obligation to show respect and reverence to the Temple area by not entering the Temple Mount with one’s staff, shoes, or money belt; by not sitting in the Temple courtyard; and so on. (See Berakhot 54a; Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit HaBechirah, chapter 7).
We might have expected a reversal of positions — that Ra’avad would argue for its eternal sanctity, given that Ra’avad was a Kabbalist, unlike Maimonides the rationalist. Especially considering that Ra’avad explicitly notes that his position is informed by inspired wisdom — “God confides in those who fear Him” (Tehilim 25:14).
In fact, it could well be that Ra’avad’s opinion is based on his understanding of the distinct spiritual status of each Beit HaMikdash. Shlomo foresaw the higher spiritual state of the Third Beit HaMikdash, so he intentionally limited the sanctity of the First Beit HaMikdash. He conditioned its sanctity to expire with the Beit HaMikdash's destruction, in order to enable the future Beit HaMikdash to be established on a higher state of kedushah.
3. This is the explanation of Ramban, quoted by the Ran in Megillah, chapter 3.
Preperations
In the Torah reading of this week, a great deal of emphasis is placed on the preparation of the oil that will be the fuel for the flames of the great Menorah that existed in the Mishkan and, later, in the Beit HaMikdash in Yerushalayim. The Torah emphasizes that the oil to be used must be of the purest kind, refined to produce only illumination. Through this verse, the commentators attempt to explain why such a special emphasis is to be placed on the oil.
Perhaps it would be sufficient for the Torah to simply command that the flames that emanated from the Menorah should be of the highest quality and have the greatest power of illumination. We would then understand that to produce flames of such a nature and quality, only the finest oil possible would have to be produced for the Menorah to possess that proper fuel and extraordinarily fine flames. Thus, we see that the Torah emphasizes the preparation of the oil in more detail and with greater urgency than it does the description of the flame of the Menorah that results.
In a strange way, it is as though the oil itself, which after all is only the fuel in the cup of the lamp of the Menorah, somehow receives more prominence and detailed instruction than the flame itself. Not only that, but the great Menorah has miraculous powers, and one of its lamps burned continuously, according to many commentaries, without having any added oil to the cup of that lamp. As such, if we are relying on that miracle, then why should the production of the oil for the Menorah be deemed important at all?
Judaism places great weight not only on the fulfillment and actualization of commandments, but also regarding the preparation that precedes the actual fulfillment of the wishes of Heaven. Holiness and holy acts require preparation and forethought. They are not random acts that rarely occur because of the spontaneity of the moment.
All the holy days of the Jewish calendar require periods of planning – thirty days before the holiday itself, as well as physical, mental, and emotional preparation. One must enter the performance of commandments prepared. They are not to be performed haphazardly and without proper forethought and cognitive intent.
This is also true for the Shabbat day that occurs every week as well as all the daily commandments that we are privileged to perform on a regular basis. The Gemara teaches us that preparation is an important aspect of life – many times as important as actualizing the commandment.
Without proper preparation, performance of the commandments is likened to a body to which no soul is attached. Therefore, if we understand and appreciate this attitude towards life and commandments, we can readily appreciate why the Torah is so emphatic regarding the necessary methods of production of the oil to be used to light the lamps of the holy Mishkan and Beit HaMikdash.
Friday, February 24, 2023
Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: A Wrenching Appeal
Date and Place: 9 Sivan 5668 (1908), Yafo
Recipient: The Council of Rechovot
Body: I am writing this letter for the totality of the New Yishuv. I am compelled to touch on a matter I cannot ignore.
I have already candidly told you and other moshavim who are concerned with the Yishuv’s sustainability and honor about the powerful cry of the nation, especially the Diaspora’s religious Jewish communities, about the lack of tithing of the fruit sent there – almonds, oranges, etc.
They come to me with the following complaint. Rabbis of the Holy Land, why do you allow us to stumble by eating forbidden fruit? Why aren’t you zealous that the laws of our holy Torah will be kept in the Holy Land, whose beginning of its repopulation we have merited to see? This is particularly upsetting to the majority of Jews in the Diaspora, who are careful about every detail of the Torah. Also, the religious community in the cities of Eretz Yisrael, including Yafo and Jerusalem, are screaming about this great stumbling block in our observance of our holy religion, for which we have always been willing to sacrifice our lives. It is more painful that the religious difficulties come from our brothers/our flesh, the farmers of the New Yishuv, the beginnings of our aspirations.
I am like a mute who cannot open his mouth from the great embarrassment and distress I have been feeling for some time. I lift my eyes to the Heaven, that He should place in our brothers’ hearts to understand our holy religion’s special value and the great honor we should give it. Judaism is such a tree of life for those who cling to it, both the individual and the community. It is only proper that people should start to honor our holy Torah’s laws and not treat them lightly, especially concerning stumbling blocks for the masses.
The days have passed, and, painfully, I do not see a good sign, while the great bitterness of the religious community keeps increasing. The heart of Israel is torn due to the love of the Holy Land; it causes the hope for the Yishuv and our national life to be lowered. All of the great rabbis have turned to me (see letter #142) – the great Rav Shmuel Salant, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Eliyahu Panigel, Rav Chaim Berlin, and the rabbinical courts of the Perushim, Chassidim, and Sephardim. They are unified in saying it is my responsibility, the noose is around my neck. They say I am able to fix and save matters and return the honor to the Yishuv and the peace of mind to our dear, Torah-observant brothers, as well as saving the masses from the new prohibition of eating untithed produce (i.e., has begun to be an issue because of the new Jewish inhabitation of the Holy Land). They make suggestions how to bring this matter to fruition.
My beloved, I present my heart’s anguish to you. You know my burning love for the New Yishuv, into which I put all of my soul. Save me, and together we will establish something that will give us a good name and distinction, making us the pride of G-d and men.
These rabbis have made the following correct request, which I find necessary to fulfill. The council shall issue an order that no one may send out untithed produce under the moshava’s trusted kashrut certification, not to Jerusalem, Yaffo, or the Diaspora. Certainly this is appropriate according to how you value Torah observance and the Yishuv’s development and honor. If people, after you warned them, will not conform, you should inform me that you are removing responsibility for them because they will not follow your rules. That individual will need to individually arrange for rabbinical supervision, who will decide how to handle him. This will remove the disgrace from the Land of our Fathers, so that our brothers in the Diaspora will not accuse the New Yishuv of being a sword coming to destroy our religion’s foundation and the fulfillment of mitzvot in Israel.
In truth, the Torah is the drug of life for the whole nation, present and future. Dear brothers, place my words on your hearts and quickly respond to me. Try to carry out my request with your strong spirits and your hands’ salvation. May these increase with Hashem’s help regarding the Desired Land, as all of our generations have hoped for.
Why does G-d need a building?
Sometimes inspiration comes in the simplest of moments, like a good cup of coffee.
In the fall of 2000, my unit was called up on special emergency orders (known as a ‘Tzav Shmoneh’). I still recall the middle of the night phone call from my battalion commander telling me to get my gear together and report to our assembly point. In response to my query of when I needed to be there his response was ‘I’ll see you in an hour’, and when I asked how long I could expect to be in for his answer was: “Ein li musag” “I have no idea”; which was a shock coming from a battalion commander.
The challenge of having your entire life turned upside down in an instant, with no time to prepare for it, is hard to describe. And this reserve duty was even more difficult as a result of how close we were to home.
Usually, the long trip to whatever hot zone we were in also gave us a chance to adjust and put home in the back pocket.
But this time, we were defending and patrolling a line that was ten minutes from home. And while it resulted in a very high motivation level, as we were protecting our homes and families, it was incredibly depressing to be dodging bullets or even stuck on patrol, with your wife and kids just ten minutes away and yet so out of reach.
I recall, about a week into it, stopping my patrol by one of our guard posts overlooking the Arab village of Chirbet Aliah (near Bethlehem) to check up on a few of my men, and listening to yet another soldier trying to understand what was going on. We both just stood rather miserably, staring out at the Arab city of Beit Lechem, contemplating the sobering thought that we were once again in uniform, without any idea of how long we were ‘stuck’, and considering the very real possibility of a massive armed attack against our homes and families.
Just then, the lights of a civilian car pulled up to the top of the hill. As it was nearly three in the morning, we approached the vehicle with caution, until we smelled the incredible aroma of freshly brewed coffee coming from the open car.
Josh, a good friend who had made Aliyah late enough to have missed being called up to the army, could not stand the thought of his friends up alone on patrol and decided to single-handedly bring coffee and cake to all the guard positions, a feat he repeated nearly every night for almost two months!
It is hard to describe what an impact it makes on your morale to know someone cares that much, and I can honestly say his was a tremendous contribution to the war effort….
What is the nature of giving? We normally view contributions relative to their size or based on the unique character of the particular service being offered. But sometimes, giving is not about the ‘what’ or the ‘where’, it’s really about the ‘who’.
This week’s portion, Terumah, begins with the notion of giving, and contributing:
G-d says to Moshe:
“Speak to the people of Israel and let them take for me an offering (Terumah), from every man whose heart motivates him, take my offering (Terumati). And this is the offering (Terumah) you shall take from them: gold, silver, and copper….” (Shemot) 25:2-3)
What is the nature of this Terumah, this offering G-d is asking us for? How do you give anything, let alone a specific offering to G-d?
This week’s portion is the first in a series of five portions that deal almost exclusively with the process involved in building the Mishkan, the tent of meeting (the Tabernacle) which will serve as the focal point of the Jewish people and eventually will give way to the Beit HaMikdash, the holy temple in Jerusalem.
Why were the Jewish people asked to do all of this giving for a building for G-d? Why does G-d need a building?
Rashi (quoting the Jerusalem Talmud in Shekalim1:1) points out that there were actually three different collections of offerings here, as denoted by the fact that the word Terumah (offering) is used three times in the verse above:
“Ve’yikchu’ Li Terumah” (take for me an offering) refers to the collection of a shekel per person which was specifically designated for the sockets or Adanim, (that held the boards that made up the wall of the courtyard of the Mishkan, as mentioned in Shemot 38:26).
“Tikchu’ et Terumati’” (take my offering) refers to the shekel per person collected for the public sacrifices (as mentioned in Shemot 30:15).
“Ha’Terumah” (the offering) which is what our portion here is referring to, was a general collection of various materials such as gold, silver, copper and a list of thirteen items mentioned at the beginning of this week’s portion, appropriately named Terumah.
But why is there a necessity for three separate collections? Why couldn’t Moshe have collected all of them at one time?
And why mention three different offerings and yet only delineate what one of them was in the verse?
Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson (the late Lubavitcher Rebbe of blessed memory) suggests the idea that building the Mishkan is really an allegory for how we are meant to build the world, and as such, these three different offerings represent the three different areas in which we interact with and contribute to the world.
The first offering represents Torah, which is the basis for everything. It would be hard to imagine that G-d created us for no reason, so G-d has to, at some point, clarify what that reason, or purpose, really is. This revelation, where G-d reveals the purpose of everything, in Judaism is called Torah. The Torah is essentially the blueprint for life and living. Which is why it is an offering specifically designated for the Adanim, or sockets, on which the entire wall’s foundation rests.
This offering then, represents all those aspects of life that we are meant purely to receive, but not necessarily to change.
And then there is the second offering, which represents service to Hashem, or prayer. Essentially, where the Torah is about what G-d wants us to do, prayer is about what we want to do, in an attempt to give back to G-d. This does not mean to say that G-d needs what we have to give, but rather, we need to be in the process of giving to G-d.
Often, people presume that prayer is about asking G-d for the things I want, but in truth, Jewish prayer is much more about understanding the things I could want, and if what we want is a function of who we are, then this process becomes all about discovering what I have to give back to G-d.
Hence, the particular Terumah (offering) referred to here is the offering for the sacrifices, upon which our prayers are based (see Talmud Berachot 26a). Ultimately the sacrifice represents what I have to offer (or give back) in this world. Indeed, it is precisely the ability to recognize even the animal side of myself and how it too can be harnessed to bring peace and ethics into the world that is the root of both the sacrifices, as well as Tefillah itself.
And the last Terumah, (offering) which represents loving-kindness or Chesed, are the things that become the vehicles for having such an impact in this world: the gold, and silver and tangible items with which we impact the world around us. This is the offering of all the physical actions and mitzvoth with which we impact the world.
The first two offerings, representing Torah and Avodah (Torah study and prayer or service to G-d), are basically opportunities for us to develop ourselves and our relationship with G-d. It is only with the third offering that we actually impact the physical world both in terms of objects (represented by the gold and silver) as well as the people around us.
Which brings us full circle to this week’s portion: If indeed, these three separate Terumot represent the essence of Judaism and three pillars of how we achieve our purpose in the world, then why are the first two (Torah and service, or prayer) alluded to, while it is only the third, representing action and mitzvoth that is delineated?
Torah is the recipe given us by G-d to figure out what we are doing here.
And prayer challenges me to become a different, and even a better person.
The study of Torah can teach me the objective value of peace and give me the objective definition of when it is a time for peace, and when it is a time for war; the Torah can even teach us what type of peace inevitably leads to war, and what type of war creates the space for peace, and how I could achieve it. But it is the experience of prayer that measures whether I really want it.
Just because I have discovered what ethical behavior is, does not necessarily mean I yearn for it. And the first stage of changing the world is developing the desire to change the world.
But this is not enough. A person can live a life immersed in the study of Torah and the experience of prayer. Such a person can develop a deep and powerful relationship with G-d and amass incredible volumes of knowledge and understanding into the way G-d runs the world. But until these achievements impact the world beyond one’s own self, they fall far short of what Judaism is all about.
At the end of the day, the Torah here alludes to all three of these offerings, to make clear that without any one of these, there is something missing in who we are and how we could make a difference in the world. At the same time, it is only the third offering, representing the actions that I actually do, which impact the world around me, that is spelled out here, perhaps because we need to remember that this is actually the goal.
The goal in building a tabernacle (Mishkan) is not to leave the world, for a monastic life up high, but to make it better from the ground up.
The purpose of building a Temple was never about leaving the world behind; it was always about a partnership with G-d to create a better world. And while it is only through a synthesis of these three areas that we can truly achieve this, this week’s portion comes to remind us of the importance of recognizing the difference between the process and the goal itself.
Shabbat Shalom,
Thursday, February 23, 2023
The Yishai Fleisher Israel Podcast: The Civilizational Clash of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem
SEASON 2023 EPISODE 8: Yishai and Malkah Fleisher discuss the broad tensions between the Tel Aviv secular elites and the Jerusalem Torah followers - with a plan for how to solve it! Ben Bresky shares the story of a powerful earthquake that hit the northern city of Tzfat. Then, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky on the battle for democracy in Israel's judiciary and Josh Reinstein on tensions in the Knesset.
Good Will -- The Key to Amicable Relations on the Individual and the National Level
Rosh HaYeshiva, Machon Meir
Regarding the words, “Take My offering from everyone whose heart impels him [yidvenu] to give” (Shemot 25:2), Rashi explains: “‘Yidvenu’ is from the same root as ‘nedavah.’ It is a term denoting ‘goodwill.’”
The Mishkan was erected through donations given by the Jewish People out of their own goodwill. This goodwill was the foundation behind the erection and continued existence of the Tabernacle and the Temple.
In one’s own home as well, if goodwill reigns, i.e., love and brotherhood and peace and friendship, that home is compared to the Tabernacle or the Temple, in which G-d’s light is revealed, illuminating those inside and those outside.
Our national home, as well, the State of Israel, was established with G-d’s help, through the goodwill displayed by large segments of the people. They united together at an auspicious moment and established the Jewish State despite the Arabs attacking us and the enormous difficulties.
Today, despite all of the complications, the vast majority of the nation likewise shows goodwill. That goodwill is displayed amongst the marvelous soldiers of the Israeli army who defend our state. It is displayed amongst the millions of Jews who live in Israel, facing enormous difficulties. It is displayed amongst the myriad of settlers who endanger their lives daily for the sake of our holding on to the Land that is our life’s blood. It is displayed amongst those learning Torah, with great self-sacrifice, all over the country. It is displayed amongst all of the tens of thousands of Jews who do kind deeds and volunteer to help out their fellow man in matters great and small.
Fortunate is he who has good will and good deeds to his name. With these he will be able to walk in G-d’s path: “G-d is good to all and His mercy is over all His works” (Tehilim 145:9).
Looking forward to complete salvation,
With the Love of Israel,
Shabbat Shalom.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
The Foundation Stone
Parashat Truma – Chodesh Adar 5783
by HaRav Nachman Kahana
This week’s divrei Torah refers to the foundation stone of our existence – HaShem’s relationship with Am Yisrael.
Tractate Ta’anit 29a:
אמר רב יהודה בריה דרב שמואל בר שילת משמיה דרב: כשם שמשנכנס אב ממעטין בשמחה כך משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמח
Just as the advent of the (Hebrew) month of Av ushers in a period of diminishing joy, so too the advent of the month of Adar ushers in a period of increasing joy.
It is apparent from the words “diminishing and increasing” that basic ‘joy” is a constant, with the difference between Av, Adar, and the other 10 months of the year only to its degree.
However, constant Jewish joy is a problematic idea. For even a superficial perusal of history is sufficient to demonstrate the difficulties, both from internal and external sources, which plagued our nation beginning with the first Jew, Avraham Aveinu, who reintroduced HaShem into society after being replaced with idolatry by Nimrod (son of Cush, son of Cham, son of Noach – Bereishiet chapter 10).
HaShem offered Avraham a “package deal” known as the “Covenant of the Severed Pieces” (brit bayn ha’betarim; parashat Lech Le’cha). HaShem would grant Avraham and all his descendants, born only from our mother Sarah, guaranteed life and privileged spiritual status in this world as well as eternal life in the next, if he would agree to be Hashem’s “Chosen Nation” and live according to the Torah. Avraham was aware that HaShem’s nation implied being radically different from all other nations. The gentile peoples adopted values and formed cultures resulting from generations of trial and error. Whereas the values and culture of Am Yisrael would be decided on by the Creator of heaven and earth, and dictated to the Jewish nation in the few seconds that it would take for them to hear HaShem say the first of the Ten Commandments (Shemot 20, 2):
`ָנֹכִי ה’ אֱ-לֹהֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
According to the covenant, Jews would be monotheists, worshipping only one God in an ancient polytheistic world where all societies worshiped multiple gods. This would immediately set us apart as an outcast nation. Even today, when we have succeeded in influencing billions of people to accept monotheism, we are diverted to the periphery of nations.
Interestingly, every member of the UN can in theory be elected to the Security Council except for one – Israel. The condition for membership in that body is that the nation must belong to a regional group, i.e., European Union, Council of African Nations, Arab League, etc., and since Israel doesn’t belong to any regional group, it does not qualify. We do not belong to east nor to west, as in the words of Bilam, we are:
עם לבדד ישכון
a nation that dwells alone.
Most of the 1.2 billion Christians believe in a trinity where they grasp their “one” god as consisting of three segments; while HaShem is an inconceivable, absolute, indivisible ONE. The over 1 billion Moslems grasp their Alla to be a bloodthirsty, vengeful entity that demands that every kofer (non-moslem) be murdered, preferably by beheading; while HaShem is רחום וחנון – compassionate and caring for all His creations.
Avraham was aware of this situation and of the never-ending anti-Semitism that would arise from our loyalty to the Torah and our ascent to the status of chosen nation.
Our father, Avraham, made the right decision in the name of all his Jewish descendants; that no matter the price, we would willingly consent to be HaShem’s chosen people with no possibility of abrogating the Covenant.
This is the overflowing source of our greatest joy, that of all of mankind’s descendants, it is only we whom HaShem chose —- to be his cherished son (Shemot 4,22):
וְאָמַרְתָּ אֶל פַּרְעֹה כֹּה אָמַר ה’ בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל
Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says HaShem: Yisrael my firstborn son”
Love Your Fellow Jew
From here we can understand the very challenging demand of the Torah (Vayikra 19,18):
וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ אֲנִי ה’
and love your fellow Jew as you love yourself; I am HaShem
Why and how can I love another person just because he or she is Jewish?
Moreover, as a kohen, I ascend the bima every day to bless the congregation. It is a large congregation, and I don’t know even half the people; nevertheless, I am commanded to commence with the bracha:
ברוך אתה ה’ א’ מלך העולם אשר קדשנו בקדושתו של אהרן וציונו לברך את עמו ישראל באהבה
Blessed are You, HaShem our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us (kohanim) with the sanctity of Aharon (Kohen Gadol) and commanded us to bless His (Hashem’s) nation Yisrael with love.
How can the Torah demand of me to love a person that I don’t even know?
I submit that the answer lies in the last words of the verse – “I am Hashem.” This is the rationale and justification for this seemingly irrational demand. HaShem is saying, “I am the ultimate Creator and you are My chosen people. If your fellow Jew is good enough for me to love, he is good enough for you to love!
So, today, as we usher in the month of Adar, when in ancient Persia in this month our fate swung like a pendulum from death decree of all Jewish men, women and children in the 127 districts of Achashverosh in a single day, to the miraculous intervention of HaShem creating for us the joyous holiday of Purim, to modern day Persia-Iran where they repeat their plans to murder all the Jews in Israel – men women and children in one day with nuclear weapons, we can optimistically and assuredly wait in expectation for another bigger and better Purim.
In conclusion, dear brothers and sisters, let us raise our glasses and drink “le’chayim” to the next joyous Purim which will usher in the final act in HaShem’s restoration of our former glory, centered in the capital of the world, the sacred city of Yerushalayim.
Shabbat Shalom,
Chodesh Tov,
Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5783/2023 Nachman Kahana
Why is giving tzedakah so hard to do?
In loving memory of my mother, Tzippa Leiba bat Binyamin v’Esther Malka, z”l. May her soul have aliyah after aliyah. Rivkah Lambert Adler
Friday Night
WHEN ADAR COMES in, increase your joy, or at least that is what the Gemora tells us we should do. But as we all know, you can’t command an emotion. You can’t tell someone to love something they don’t, or hate something they don’t hate. The most you can do is tell a person to do something that will lead to the desired emotion, such as love, or hate as in the case with Amalek.
It’s Adar, so do happy things. For example, give terumah. Everyone knows that when you give tzedakah it makes you happy, and fortunately for people who want to be happy, there are literally thousands of worthy causes to which you can give your terumah. Don’t you feel happier already just knowing that?
So then why is giving tzedakah so hard to do? Is it in the giving itself? Is it the people who come collecting? This is how Rebi Alexandri used to put it upon completing his prayer:
Master of the Universe, it is known full well to You that our desire is to perform Your will. What prevents us? The yeast in the dough and the oppression of nations. (Brochos 17a)
Perhaps Rebi Alexandri was a tzaddik who naively thought that what was true for him was true for everyone else. More likely is that he was very astute and knew that what applied to him did apply to everyone else, including those people who had no problem identifying with their yetzer haras and therefore, thought the opposite.
There are basically three types of givers. There are those who give freely and generously, those who give because they know it is the right thing to do, and those who do not give and feel justified in not doing so. They might even be able to cite some halachah to back up their stinginess, but the bottom line is that they have a difficult time being generous with their money and possessions.
What makes a person stingy against their own good? Only one thing, and that is selfishness. They have a difficult time sharing what they value with others because they feel they will lose out. They might be happy to give you a cup of water since it flows quite freely from the tap. But when it comes to things they value but have to work for, they might find it difficult to give those things up because they believe their quality of life will go down.
It is not a coincidence that Purim is about giving. We give to people in need and we give to people who do not need. It is a holiday of giving more than any other. A terumah is an elevated offering, and Purim teaches us that through giving generously we actually elevate ourselves, and in doing so we elevate our level of joy and offer that to God, and it says, “Serve God with joy” (Tehillim 100:2).
Shabbos Day
THIS IS WHAT Rebi Alexandri understood and taught us. We are not stingy by nature. Our yetzer hara is. We are not selfish for our own good. Our yetzer hara is, for its good. The yetzer hara is only concerned about self-preservation, and only agrees to give up something if it will help with this, like assisting someone else because it will obligate them to assist us.
What is amazing is how easy and pleasurable it is to share with others when the yetzer hara has been neutralized. For example, if someone has a great day, they tend to be more generous. If someone is spared from a dangerous situation, they usually have a more generous spirit. And if we see someone else suffering and feel grateful that it is not us, we will happily help them out. If a person doesn’t, then they are really under the control of their yetzer hara.
On Purim, we use wine to make this point. We drink to neutralize our yetzer haras, and give the steering wheel to our souls. Not an actual steering wheel mind you, since you should not be driving while under the influence. But if you do it right, turning the drinking into a holy experience not a social one, then you can reach spiritual heights like no other time of the year.
The trouble is that so many get it wrong. They drink to get drunk, not drunk to get spiritually higher. Because of this, many reject drinking on Purim to such a degree, and a lot of rabbis support this, pointing out that taking a nap suffices to fulfill the mitzvah. Drink a little to make you sleepy, head for the sofa, and get some shuteye, during which you will certainly not know the difference between blessed Haman and cursed…ah…I mean blessed Mordechai and cursed Haman.
Personally, that is not nearly enough. A “successful” Purim for me is if, after all my drinking, I feel an overwhelming gratefulness to God for everything. If I don’t reach a point during which I feel “hugged” by God, my Purim has disappointingly fallen short. This is why I have turned my “drinking feasts” into extremely contemplative moments. I use my Shabbos Kiddush Kos, and make a brochah over the wine like no other time of the year, trying to fill each word with every last ounce of intention, love for God, and joy I can muster.
The Gemora says, “when wine goes in secrets come out.” So true. However, some secrets should come out while others should stay buried. People who don’t do very much spiritual with their lives tend to have the latter kind of secrets, and should be careful how and where they drink. Entire reputations and relationships have been severely damaged by just a few extra glasses of alcohol. If you spend your year hiding dark secrets, drinking too much can “enlighten” others about them.
But if your life goal is to become a spiritually fulfilled individual through Torah and mitzvos, then your inner, hidden soul is a “secret” to be shared, if not with others, then at least with you. Because, even Yom Kippur doesn’t really show us what we’re spiritually made of as well as Purim does. On Yom Kippur, God gives the Sitra Achra the day off, and we become like angels. On Purim, we have the opportunity to make ourselves like angels, and give the Sitra Achra the day off.
Shalosh Seudot
THERE IS A key. The Kli Yakar makes a major point on this week’s parsha about how every aspect of the Mishkan, and all that was built to be used in it, expresses the importance of humility. The Gemora calls it the most important trait to master because all other positive personality traits stem from it.
Nothing neutralizes the yetzer hara more than humility. This is why Moshe Rabbeinu, reportedly the humblest person to have ever lived, was half-angel. Absolute truth stops evil in its tracks. But add a little suffek—doubt, a little Amalek (equals suffek in gematria), and the yetzer hara has a field day. Being the greatest prophet to have ever lived, Moshe Rabbeinu knew truth like no other, and that left him the humblest person ever.
It’s what you’re after when you start to drink on Purim, that inner humility. Perhaps you are someone who works on their humility daily. Perhaps you are someone who has reached a good measure of it already through life itself. Nevertheless, being humble, you probably also know how hard it is to hold onto, especially around people who are just the opposite. The drinking on Purim can help with that, and boost you in that direction.
In fact, if drinking on Purim is not a completely humbling experience, then the rabbis are right, it is not for you. If in your physically “drunken” state your soul is not completely sober, go for the nap instead. Better to fulfill the mitzvah somewhat than to turn it into a sin as, unfortunately, many do. The goal is to become a Mishkan in which the Shechinah can dwell, not a dirty back-alley way that the Shechinah avoids.
This is why the four mitzvos of the day correspond to the four letters of God’s holiest Name, which correspond to the four areas of the Mishkan. God told us to bring gifts to build a Mishkan to bring out our most inner humility so that He could dwell within us, not outside of us. Shir HaShirim is the celebration of this holy and elevated relationship between our souls and God.
Ain Od Milvado, Part 40
The Gemara says this about wine:
Anyone who becomes settled through wine has the da’as of their Creator…the da’as of the Seventy Elders. Wine was given with seventy letters, and the sod—mystery [of Torah] was given with seventy letters. When wine goes in, secrets go out. (Eiruvin 65a)
Obscure is an understatement. As Rashi points out, the whole thing has to do with the number 70, which is the gematria of yai’in—wine, and sod—secret. Of course, the redemption of Purim was dependent upon the number 70, because that was prophesied as the end of the first exile. It was the starting point that was mysterious until the end, which is what threw off all the Persian kings and probably a lot of Jews.
Furthermore, rabbis point out that the number Amalek, spelled Ayin-Mem-Lamed-Kuf, can be read Ayin-malak—severance of the eye. Isn’t that what doubt does, intellectually blind a person to truth…to the existence of God and to His benevolent providence? That’s certainly what Amalek came to do, back in Moshe Rabbeinu’s time, in Haman’s time, and most recently, in our time with the Holocaust and all those who use science and technology to weaken people’s belief in God.
Why 70? For a couple of reason, but most notably (and kabbalistically) because that is the number of lights that have to come down from above to below to allow us to see truth. The Arizal explains all of this regarding Bris Milah, which makes possible the descending of these lights from the upper realm to our benefit in the world below.
These lights are essential for many things, but in particular, redemption. This is why Avraham received the call for aliyah to Eretz Yisroel in his 70th year. This is also the reason for this:
Rabbi Yochanan said: All the prophets only prophesied regarding the days of the Moshiach. However, regarding the World-to-Come, “No eye has seen it, God, aside from You” (Yeshayahu 64:3)…What is, “No eye has seen it”? Rebi Yehoshua ben Levi said: That is the wine that has been preserved in its grapes since the six days of creation and which no eye has ever seen. (Brochos 34b)
That’s it? Wine? How much better will the wine be in the World to Come than here, especially since the Gemora says elsewhere that we won’t eat or drink there? Rather, wine represents the ultimate revelation of Divine light that is more pleasurable than anything we could ever enjoy in this world, waiting for the worthy ever since Creation. Every time a person reaches the intellectual and emotional appreciation of ain od Milvado, like Purim tries to give us, they become that much more worthy.
US-sponsored anti-Israel UN Security Council statement - acumen
*The US' co-sponsorship of an anti-Israel UN Security Council Statement reflects the return of the State Department's worldview to the center stage of US foreign policy-making. This was the first time, in six years, that the US enabled the UN Security Council to act against Israel.
*This is not merely a worldview, which is highly critical of Israel, as has been the case since 1948, when Foggy Bottom led the charge against the re-establishment of the Jewish State.
*This worldview has systematically undermined US interests, by subordinating the unilateral, independent US national security policy (on Iran's Ayatollahs, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Palestinian issue, etc.) to a multilateral common denominator with the anti-US and anti-Israel UN and international organizations, as well as the vacillating and terrorists-appeasing Europe.
*It has sacrificed Middle East reality on the altar of wishful-thinking, assuming that the establishment of a Palestinian state would fulfill Palestinian aspirations, advance the cause of peace, reduce terrorism and regional instability; thus, enhancing US interests.
*However, the reality of the Middle East and Jordan and the rogue Palestinian track record lend credence to the assumption that a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River would doom the pro-US Hashemite regime east of the River, yielding traumatic ripple effects, regionally and globally:
^Replace the relatively-moderate Hashemite regime with either a rogue Palestinian regime, a Muslim Brotherhood regime, or other rogue regimes;
^Transform Jordan into a chaotic state, similar to Libya, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, which would be leveraged by Iran's Ayatollahs to intensify their encirclement of the pro-US Saudi regime;
^Convert Jordan into a major arena of regional and global Islamic terrorism;
^Trigger a domino scenario into the Arabian Peninsula, which could topple all pro-US, oil-producing Arab regimes;
^Imperil the supply of Persian Gulf oil, which would be held hostage by anti-US entities, catapulting the price at the pump;
^Jeopardize major naval routes of global trade between Asia and Europe through the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal;
^Intensify epicenters of regional and global terrorism and drug trafficking;
^Generate a robust tailwind to US' adversaries (Russia and China) and enemies (Iran's Ayatollahs, the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS) and a powerful headwind to US economic and national security interests.
*The State Department assumes that Palestinian terrorism – just like Islamic terrorism – is driven by despair, ignoring the fact that Palestinian terrorism has been driven (for the last 100 years) by the vision to erase the "infidel" Jewish entity from "the abode of Islam," as stated by the charters of Fatah (1959) and the PLO (1964), 8 and 3 years before the Jewish State reunited Jerusalem and reasserted itself in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
*Aspiring for a Palestinian state, and viewing Israel's control of Judea and Samaria as an obstacle to peace, ignores the Arab view of the Palestinians as a role model of intra-Arab subversion, terrorism, corruption and treachery. Moreover, the State Department has held the view that the Palestinian issue is the crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict and a central to Arab interests, which has been refuted by the Abraham Accords. The latter ignored the State Department, sidestepped the Palestinian issue and therefore came to fruition.
*The State Department overlooks the centrality of the Palestinian Authority's hate education, which has become the most effective production-line of terrorists, and the most authentic reflection of the Palestinian Authority's worldview and vision.
*The State Department has also taken lightly the Palestinian Authority's mosque incitement, public glorification of terrorists and monthly allowances to families of terrorists, which have documented its rogue and terroristic nature (walk), notwithstanding its peaceful diplomatic rhetoric (talk).
*The State Department's eagerness to welcome the Palestinian issue in a "red carpet" manner - contrary to the "shabby doormat" extended to Palestinians by Arabs - and its determination to promote the establishment of a Palestinian state, along with its embrace of Iran's Ayatollahs and the Muslim Brotherhood, have been interpreted by rogue regimes and organizations as weakness.
Experience suggests that weakness invites the wolves, including wolves which aim to bring "The Great Satan" to submission throughout the world as well as the US mainland.
Biden Administration Funds Anti-Netanyahu Protest Group
A coup in Israel is backed by Washington, D.C.
by Daniel Greenfield
What none of the news reports, editorials, public letters by prominent figures or statements by officials have revealed is that the Biden administration is funding the group behind the protests.
"No one is asking the organizers who finances their activities. Someone is paying tens of millions of shekels to rent buses to transport scores of thousands of people to rallies, buy them flags, print banners and signs, rent stages and sound systems and finance ad campaigns in every newspaper and on billboards across the country." — Israeli journalist Caroline Glick, JNS, February 17, 2023.
The Biden administration, like the Obama administration, is trying to undermine Israeli democracy while preserving the power of its leftist allies to impose their coup.
The Biden administration, like the Obama administration, is trying to undermine Israeli democracy while preserving the power of its leftist allies to impose their coup. Pictured: Leftist protesters march against the Israeli government's judicial reform plans on February 20, 2023 in Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Even while Israeli children were being murdered by terrorists, the only thing the media wanted to talk about were the leftist protests against the new Israeli government's democratic judicial reforms. And the Biden administration has joined this campaign.
Israel's new conservative government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally initiated the long overdue process of restoring democratic checks and balances by limiting the unlimited power of Israel's Supreme Court. And the left has threatened everything up to civil war to protect its illegitimate power, while its angry protests have been spun as grassroots opposition.
What none of the news reports, editorials, public letters by prominent figures or statements by officials have revealed is that the Biden administration is funding the group behind the protests.
As David Isaac at JNS reported, the first major rally against democratic judicial reform attended by leftist opposition politicians was organized by a group known as the Movement for Quality Government. MQG receives annual funding from the U.S. State Department to purportedly conduct "classes" on democracy in Israeli schools. The State Department is well aware that MQG has a long history of waging "lawfare" against the Israeli government, because its work has been cited in its "human rights" reports. While State Department funding was not programmed for protests, money is fungible, and the Biden administration knows it's funding an anti-Netanyahu group.
"The speakers at the rallies stand under the MQG banner when they call for insurgency, civil war and violence," wrote prominent Israeli journalist Caroline Glick.
"No one is asking the organizers who finances their activities. Someone is paying tens of millions of shekels to rent buses to transport scores of thousands of people to rallies, buy them flags, print banners and signs, rent stages and sound systems and finance ad campaigns in every newspaper and on billboards across the country."
MQG's obsession with stopping the return of a Zionist government is so extreme that it generated a FARA registration by hiring a Washington, D.C., law firm for the "initiation of investigation by one or more U.S. government agencies" of ridiculous leftist smears that Netanyahu was having his laundry washed for free by the Trump administration.
(This may seem surreal, but the Israeli left's Netanyahu Derangement Syndrome is so extreme that one of its fake government investigations focused on his wife's bottle recycling. The fake scandals invented by the left were even referenced in a hilarious Netanyahu campaign ad.)
The Biden administration's funding of MQG (a practice which technically began in 2020 under Trump, the year when the FARA registration happened) continued even as the group amped up its lawfare. The Obama administration had helped back the 2011 social justice protests in Israel, in which MQG was involved, that were widely seen as a rehearsal for Occupy Wall Street.
But MQG is a lot more than just an opposition group, and its presence pulls back the curtain on the struggle to restore democracy and the motives of those opposed to it in Tel Aviv and D.C.
A leading criticism of the abusive power of the Israeli Supreme Court is that it hears cases based on lawsuits from groups like MQG without any standing. This has allowed the court, which recognizes no limitations on its powers, to intervene in anything. Once MQG generates a case, the Supreme Court can then step in. MQG is not just an opposition group, it's a key piece of the illegitimate infrastructure that has replaced democracy with a totalitarian judiciary.
An example of the authoritarian intertwining of MQG and the Supreme Court came when the leftist group filed a petition demanding the removal of the head of the Israeli Bar Association because of "his criticisms of the court." If MQG opposes even any criticisms of the source of its power, it certainly is not about to accept democratic efforts to return that power to the people.
"From the Knesset I don't expect anything," Eliad Shraga, MQG's boss, said dismissively of the democratically elected legislature at a protest against judicial reform. "The only help will come from the heroes in the Supreme Court."
The Israeli Supreme Court gets its ability to intervene in any matter from groups like MQG. And MQG gets funding from the Biden administration. It's not hard to see why the Biden administration is opposed to democratic reforms that would impose checks on the power of MQG and the court. Much as American leftists have opposed forcing NGOs like it to disclose sources of foreign funding. And it's a good thing, because otherwise we might not know who pulls their strings.
Israelis have long been concerned about the ability of foreign organizations, like those funded by Soros and foreign governments, to set the agenda no matter what the voters decide.
Democratic judicial reform is crucial to ending those abuses — and that's why Biden is so opposed.
While the Biden administration has often criticized Israel over its fight against Islamic terrorists, it took the unusual step of intervening in its domestic politics by attacking judicial reform.
Biden warned that Israeli democracy requires "checks and balances" from "an independent judiciary" and urged "building consensus for fundamental changes."
During his recent visit to Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Isaac Herzog, a former leftist candidate currently serving as president, to bond over their mutual hate for democracy.
Blinken replied to Herzog's urging to intervene by praising "the clarity of your voice when it comes to finding a good way forward that builds consensus on the question of judicial reform."
The rhetoric was part of a leftist push to kill judicial reform by taking it away from the parties chosen by the voters and handing it to Herzog: another unelected official. The Biden administration, the media and assorted officials claim that turning over judicial reform to Herzog will be a compromise that will provide a unifying consensus and end the protests.
"They want to destroy the system because the system wasn't nice to them," Shraga ranted to the Washington Post while attacking judicial reform. "This is a hostile takeover by a bunch of crooks."
A hostile takeover of Israel by a bunch of crooks is what judicial reform opponents are after.
Blinken and Herzog would have some potential common ground, dating back to the Clinton administration. Before Herzog was the Labor Party's candidate to run Israel, he was serving as Marc Rich's lawyer. The international fugitive lobbied for a pardon from Bill Clinton through Herzog, who met with at least one State Department figure. It's not hard to imagine Herzog and Blinken conferring over a deal for the criminal who violated the embargo to buy oil from Iran.
Now that's some real dirty laundry.
Herzog also worked for another international fugitive, Octav Botnar. Herzog served as the trustee for Botnar's estate while millions were funneled through it to fund anti-Netanyahu ads by an associate of top Democrat campaign pros like James Carville. Good thing there was that investigation of Netanyahu's ice-cream budget.
Why does the Biden administration want Marc Rich's errand boy to oversee judicial reform?
There's a long trail of corrupt connections between the American and Israeli left, rooted in the Clinton era. This "hostile takeover by a bunch of crooks" has wrecked both countries. And now the crooks are afraid, they're sweating and screaming in the streets, they're paying formerly respectable people to pen editorials attacking judicial reform, and some people are falling for it.
Everything that they're saying is the opposite of the truth.
Judicial reform is not a threat to democracy: it's the sole hope for restoring democracy. It will not usher in tyranny, but eliminate it. And the protest movement against it is every bit as authentic as the last astroturfed protests that were also meant to force out Netanyahu.
The Biden administration, like the Obama administration, is trying to undermine Israeli democracy while preserving the power of its leftist allies to impose their coup.
by Daniel Greenfield
What none of the news reports, editorials, public letters by prominent figures or statements by officials have revealed is that the Biden administration is funding the group behind the protests.
"No one is asking the organizers who finances their activities. Someone is paying tens of millions of shekels to rent buses to transport scores of thousands of people to rallies, buy them flags, print banners and signs, rent stages and sound systems and finance ad campaigns in every newspaper and on billboards across the country." — Israeli journalist Caroline Glick, JNS, February 17, 2023.
The Biden administration, like the Obama administration, is trying to undermine Israeli democracy while preserving the power of its leftist allies to impose their coup.
The Biden administration, like the Obama administration, is trying to undermine Israeli democracy while preserving the power of its leftist allies to impose their coup. Pictured: Leftist protesters march against the Israeli government's judicial reform plans on February 20, 2023 in Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)Even while Israeli children were being murdered by terrorists, the only thing the media wanted to talk about were the leftist protests against the new Israeli government's democratic judicial reforms. And the Biden administration has joined this campaign.
Israel's new conservative government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has finally initiated the long overdue process of restoring democratic checks and balances by limiting the unlimited power of Israel's Supreme Court. And the left has threatened everything up to civil war to protect its illegitimate power, while its angry protests have been spun as grassroots opposition.
What none of the news reports, editorials, public letters by prominent figures or statements by officials have revealed is that the Biden administration is funding the group behind the protests.
As David Isaac at JNS reported, the first major rally against democratic judicial reform attended by leftist opposition politicians was organized by a group known as the Movement for Quality Government. MQG receives annual funding from the U.S. State Department to purportedly conduct "classes" on democracy in Israeli schools. The State Department is well aware that MQG has a long history of waging "lawfare" against the Israeli government, because its work has been cited in its "human rights" reports. While State Department funding was not programmed for protests, money is fungible, and the Biden administration knows it's funding an anti-Netanyahu group.
"The speakers at the rallies stand under the MQG banner when they call for insurgency, civil war and violence," wrote prominent Israeli journalist Caroline Glick.
"No one is asking the organizers who finances their activities. Someone is paying tens of millions of shekels to rent buses to transport scores of thousands of people to rallies, buy them flags, print banners and signs, rent stages and sound systems and finance ad campaigns in every newspaper and on billboards across the country."
MQG's obsession with stopping the return of a Zionist government is so extreme that it generated a FARA registration by hiring a Washington, D.C., law firm for the "initiation of investigation by one or more U.S. government agencies" of ridiculous leftist smears that Netanyahu was having his laundry washed for free by the Trump administration.
(This may seem surreal, but the Israeli left's Netanyahu Derangement Syndrome is so extreme that one of its fake government investigations focused on his wife's bottle recycling. The fake scandals invented by the left were even referenced in a hilarious Netanyahu campaign ad.)
The Biden administration's funding of MQG (a practice which technically began in 2020 under Trump, the year when the FARA registration happened) continued even as the group amped up its lawfare. The Obama administration had helped back the 2011 social justice protests in Israel, in which MQG was involved, that were widely seen as a rehearsal for Occupy Wall Street.
But MQG is a lot more than just an opposition group, and its presence pulls back the curtain on the struggle to restore democracy and the motives of those opposed to it in Tel Aviv and D.C.
A leading criticism of the abusive power of the Israeli Supreme Court is that it hears cases based on lawsuits from groups like MQG without any standing. This has allowed the court, which recognizes no limitations on its powers, to intervene in anything. Once MQG generates a case, the Supreme Court can then step in. MQG is not just an opposition group, it's a key piece of the illegitimate infrastructure that has replaced democracy with a totalitarian judiciary.
An example of the authoritarian intertwining of MQG and the Supreme Court came when the leftist group filed a petition demanding the removal of the head of the Israeli Bar Association because of "his criticisms of the court." If MQG opposes even any criticisms of the source of its power, it certainly is not about to accept democratic efforts to return that power to the people.
"From the Knesset I don't expect anything," Eliad Shraga, MQG's boss, said dismissively of the democratically elected legislature at a protest against judicial reform. "The only help will come from the heroes in the Supreme Court."
The Israeli Supreme Court gets its ability to intervene in any matter from groups like MQG. And MQG gets funding from the Biden administration. It's not hard to see why the Biden administration is opposed to democratic reforms that would impose checks on the power of MQG and the court. Much as American leftists have opposed forcing NGOs like it to disclose sources of foreign funding. And it's a good thing, because otherwise we might not know who pulls their strings.
Israelis have long been concerned about the ability of foreign organizations, like those funded by Soros and foreign governments, to set the agenda no matter what the voters decide.
Democratic judicial reform is crucial to ending those abuses — and that's why Biden is so opposed.
While the Biden administration has often criticized Israel over its fight against Islamic terrorists, it took the unusual step of intervening in its domestic politics by attacking judicial reform.
Biden warned that Israeli democracy requires "checks and balances" from "an independent judiciary" and urged "building consensus for fundamental changes."
During his recent visit to Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Isaac Herzog, a former leftist candidate currently serving as president, to bond over their mutual hate for democracy.
Blinken replied to Herzog's urging to intervene by praising "the clarity of your voice when it comes to finding a good way forward that builds consensus on the question of judicial reform."
The rhetoric was part of a leftist push to kill judicial reform by taking it away from the parties chosen by the voters and handing it to Herzog: another unelected official. The Biden administration, the media and assorted officials claim that turning over judicial reform to Herzog will be a compromise that will provide a unifying consensus and end the protests.
"They want to destroy the system because the system wasn't nice to them," Shraga ranted to the Washington Post while attacking judicial reform. "This is a hostile takeover by a bunch of crooks."
A hostile takeover of Israel by a bunch of crooks is what judicial reform opponents are after.
Blinken and Herzog would have some potential common ground, dating back to the Clinton administration. Before Herzog was the Labor Party's candidate to run Israel, he was serving as Marc Rich's lawyer. The international fugitive lobbied for a pardon from Bill Clinton through Herzog, who met with at least one State Department figure. It's not hard to imagine Herzog and Blinken conferring over a deal for the criminal who violated the embargo to buy oil from Iran.
Now that's some real dirty laundry.
Herzog also worked for another international fugitive, Octav Botnar. Herzog served as the trustee for Botnar's estate while millions were funneled through it to fund anti-Netanyahu ads by an associate of top Democrat campaign pros like James Carville. Good thing there was that investigation of Netanyahu's ice-cream budget.
Why does the Biden administration want Marc Rich's errand boy to oversee judicial reform?
There's a long trail of corrupt connections between the American and Israeli left, rooted in the Clinton era. This "hostile takeover by a bunch of crooks" has wrecked both countries. And now the crooks are afraid, they're sweating and screaming in the streets, they're paying formerly respectable people to pen editorials attacking judicial reform, and some people are falling for it.
Everything that they're saying is the opposite of the truth.
Judicial reform is not a threat to democracy: it's the sole hope for restoring democracy. It will not usher in tyranny, but eliminate it. And the protest movement against it is every bit as authentic as the last astroturfed protests that were also meant to force out Netanyahu.
The Biden administration, like the Obama administration, is trying to undermine Israeli democracy while preserving the power of its leftist allies to impose their coup.
Killing Jews Brings Light into The Hearts of Palestinians
by Bassam Tawil
In what has come to be known as "Pay for Slay," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been adamant about continuing to pay large benefits to terrorists and their families. Pictured: Abbas speaks at a ceremony honoring Palestinian terrorists on July 23, 2018. He said: "We will neither reduce nor withhold the allowances of the families of martyrs, prisoners, and released prisoners... if we had one single penny left, we would spend it on the families of the martyrs and the prisoners." (Image source: MEMRI)
After the recent wave of terror attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, Palestinians again took to the streets to celebrate the murder of Jews. As part of the celebrations, the Palestinians danced, chanted slogans in support of the terrorists and handed out sweets to passersby.
Whether intentionally or not, the world media continues to bypass a lot of the celebrations, including the unrestrained Palestinian rejoicing after 9/11, when some media outlets revealed footage of Palestinians dancing, handing out sweets, and celebrating the murder of thousands of Americans.
Americans and others around the world who were reeling from the horror of 9/11 were outraged when the footage of the Palestinian celebrations came to light. For Israelis, this revelry in response to terror has been a nightmare that they have contended with for decades.
Continue Reading Article
- Just last week, the head of [Fatah], Mahmoud Abbas, received a phone call from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who reportedly promised to put pressure on Israel to halt its "unilateral measures." Needless to say, Blinken did not complain to Abbas about Fatah's incitement or the celebration of terror attacks by many Palestinians.
- What makes a human being say intentionally crushing an infant beneath the wheels of a car makes the perpetrator a "hero"? What makes them call the car-ramming murder of 8- and 6-year-old brothers a "heroic commando operation"?
- This is the result of decades of anti-Israel incitement and brainwashing by Palestinian leaders, which their funders have never told them to stop. As far as most Palestinians are concerned: 1) All Jews are "settlers," and 2) Israel is one big settlement that must be eliminated.
- Furthermore, finding humor in a cartoon of a terror attack victim's head on a platter about to be eaten as part of a traditional Palestinian feast is hard to comprehend. Why do we keep hearing Palestinians claim that terror and glorification of the murder of innocent civilians is a "natural response"?
- There is nothing "natural" about murdering Jewish children waiting at a bus stop. There is nothing "natural" about murdering unarmed civilians outside a synagogue. There is nothing "natural" about dancing and handing out candy to celebrate terrorism and the murder of Jews, or of anyone.
- The EU, the US, and other international funders of the Palestinians continue to finance a government that refuses not only to condemn terror, but that actually grows it like a lucrative slave-farm for terrorists. For some Palestinians, such as the leaders of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that even includes sending women and children to blow themselves up and using babies as human shields. The leaders do not, of course, send out members of their own families for this "achievement."
- Sadly, these funders do not even ask the Palestinian leaders, as a condition of their funding, to stop calling for violence and to stop rewarding murder. One has to ask: Why not? If you go to a bank and request a mortgage, the bank will stipulate conditions. That is "natural."
- Considering the undisguised vitriol of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority in support of terrorism -- with both words and money -- how could Israel seriously be expected to engage in any fruitful peace talks with the Palestinians?
In what has come to be known as "Pay for Slay," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has been adamant about continuing to pay large benefits to terrorists and their families. Pictured: Abbas speaks at a ceremony honoring Palestinian terrorists on July 23, 2018. He said: "We will neither reduce nor withhold the allowances of the families of martyrs, prisoners, and released prisoners... if we had one single penny left, we would spend it on the families of the martyrs and the prisoners." (Image source: MEMRI)
After the recent wave of terror attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank, Palestinians again took to the streets to celebrate the murder of Jews. As part of the celebrations, the Palestinians danced, chanted slogans in support of the terrorists and handed out sweets to passersby.
Whether intentionally or not, the world media continues to bypass a lot of the celebrations, including the unrestrained Palestinian rejoicing after 9/11, when some media outlets revealed footage of Palestinians dancing, handing out sweets, and celebrating the murder of thousands of Americans.
Americans and others around the world who were reeling from the horror of 9/11 were outraged when the footage of the Palestinian celebrations came to light. For Israelis, this revelry in response to terror has been a nightmare that they have contended with for decades.
Continue Reading Article
Monday, February 20, 2023
Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: The Attraction to a Country and Bigger Miracles Are Not Better
(based on Berachot 1:116)
Gemara: “They emptied out Egypt” (Shemot 12:36). Rav Ami said: this teaches that they made it like a trap without grain. Reish Lakish said: they made it like a net without fish.
Ein Ayah: From the Torah’s warning not to return to Egypt, we see that there was a need for vigilance that the nation would not be drawn there over time. There they might return to the lowly spirit and the slavery, accompanied by the Egypt’s abominations. Therefore, He Who shapes history prepared an idea well in advance to undo Egypt’s pull on Israel.
One draw to a country is if it has bountiful food and is a good place to acquire wealth. Every great nation desires such things, and nations can be drawn even to lands that are distant, geographically and spiritually. Beyond this, a nation that is accustomed to a certain land from which it was distanced may be drawn by love of the land’s society. This can be prevented only when the society’s order is broken; no one wants to live in a desolate land.
Rav Ami spoke of a trap without grain, for when its wealth [represented by food] is lost, people are no longer drawn there to make riches. This broke the Israelites attraction toward Egypt. Reish Lakish felt that this was insufficient because of Israel’s leaning toward and familiarity with Egypt. Therefore, Hashem arranged well into the future that Egypt would be so lowered by its affliction that it was unable to lead a normal society, making it like a net without fish. When a net has fish, other fish stream there for the love of companionship regardless of practical advantage.
Bigger Miracles Are Not Better
(based on Berachot 1:118)
Gemara: Why did Eliyahu say “answer me” twice? Once that the fire should descend from the heaven and once that Hashem should occupy their minds so that they won’t attribute it to sorcery.
Ein Ayah: The goal of true belief is to attain shleimut (completeness) in actions and attributes. Intellect’s insight is very great, as the Chovot Halevavot says. It can be achieved without miracles, by means of pure recognition of the fear of G-d and the desire of good attributes; this is the goal of the heights of the spirits. Therefore Divine Providence always saw to it that miracles should occur in a manner that prepares the spirit to go on the straight path based on intellectual insight.
Therefore, it is better, if possible, that a miracle not be a major wonder but something that resembles nature. Thereby, one who wants to deny the miracle can say it was sleight of hand or sorcery, so that cognitive recognition will take part in deciding on the good path of Hashem, ways of full pleasantness and paths of peace. Only when necessary were obvious miracles performed.
Eliyahu used the miracle of the fire although one could claim it was witchcraft so that Israel would use intellectual insight to leave idol worship’s darkness and return to the service of Hashem from an internal recognition that is everlasting, true shleimut. It would have been different if they had repented due to an undeniable miracle. In that case, the heart would have no part in the purity, as the intellect would have to accept it, and the impact would not last. Therefore, Eliyahu asked Hashem to help prepare their hearts to love Him and grasp His truth. The miracle of fire from the heaven separated them from the bad habit of idol worship; if they chose good internal recognition, they would not consider bad thoughts to claim sorcery. Indeed whatever accompanies goodness and internal justice and straightness is accepted by the heart of one who is wise and seeks Hashem.
Be A Taker
It is interesting to note the choice of verbs used by the Torah, regarding the collection of materials that will be necessary in the building of the Mishkan in the desert of Sinai. The Torah places emphasis on the collectors and takers of the donations and does not emphasize the intent on the part of the givers. It is true that the Torah instructs Moshe that he should take from those who have a heart that is willing to voluntarily give.
The emphasis in the verse is that everything should be taken on behalf of God and the holy noble project which is being undertaken – the building of a physical Tabernacle that will have within it the ability to somehow capture the spiritual and moral greatness of the Torah and of the people of Israel.
I have been in Jewish public life for well over 65 years. In those years, I have been engaged in building schools, synagogues, Torah learning platforms, book publishing and film production. I can testify that without raising funds and collecting money from others to sponsor and facilitate these projects, it would be impossible to see any to fruition. So, one must learn and train oneself to become a taker.
For many years, I foolishly dreamt that, somehow, I would win the lottery or otherwise become wealthy enough to sponsor the projects that I had in mind to accomplish with my own funds. I would never have to ask anyone for money to fulfill my ambitions and complete my projects. As you can well understand, Heaven has mocked my dreams of personal wealth, as all projects have required intensive and continuous fundraising on my part. Since, by nature, I never have liked to ask people for favors or donations, all of this has been a trying experience.
However, the great Rabbi Yosef Kaheneman taught me a valuable lesson during the years that I was able to accompany him in Miami Beach on his fundraising visits and forays. He taught me that the taker who was asking for the money was really the one that was doing the ultimate favor for the giver who was writing the check. He used to tell me every morning before we journeyed to visit people, that we were going to do a great favor today for these Jews, by requesting their help in building Torah in the land of Israel. And he said this to me in sincerity. Even when we were rebuffed, and for various reasons left empty-handed, he would remark to me that some people just did not know how to grasp an opportunity and appreciate the favor that is being done for them.
Heaven instructs Moshe to help others participate in projects of eternity and holiness. And I imagine that this is the proper attitude that all who raise funds for noble causes should possess.
I Will Dwell Among Them
Nasi HaYeshiva, Kerem B'Yavneh
G-d sums up the command to build the Mishkan (Tabernacle) with the following words:
They shall make a Sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them. Like everything that I show you, the form of the Mishkan and the form of all its vessels; and so shall you do. (Shemot 25:8-9) What did Hashem show Moshe on Har Sinai? Rashi explains that He showed Moshe "the form of the Mishkan," and that the command, "so shall you do," refers to the details of the vessels, that if any of them would be lost in the future, they should be remade in the same fashion. According to this interpretation, the verses should be rearranged to read as follows, "They shall make a Sanctuary for Me -- like everything that I show you -- so that I may dwell among them."
From the Beit Midrash of Volozhin, however, comes a different interpretation. What Hashem showed Moshe on Har Sinai was not the architecture of the Mishkan and physical details of its vessels, but the way in which the Shechina rests on the Mikdash. The Sifrei Machshava explain the statement of Chazal, "The Beit Hamikdash of our world corresponds to the Beit Hamikdash of above," to mean that the Mishkan encapsulates the structure and order of all the worlds. Similarly, the Midrash Tanchuma in the beginning of Parshat Pekudei states that the Beit Hamikdash corresponds to the entire creation, and notes a long list of similarities between the two. At the conclusion of the building of the Mishkan, the Torah writes: "All the work of the Mishkan was completed ("vateichel")" (39:32), "Moshe blessed ("vayevarech") them" (39:43), and "He anointed it and sanctified ("vayekadesh") it" (Bamidbar 7:1). This parallels what the Torah writes regarding the creation of the world: "The heavens and earth were completed ("vayechulu")" (Bereisheet 2:1), and, "G-d blessed ("vayevarech") the seventh day and sanctified ("vayekadesh") it." (2:3)
Therefore, the Torah says about Bezalel, who built the Mishkan, "[G-d] filled him ... with wisdom, insight, and knowledge, and with every craft." (Shemot 35:31) The Midrash explains that Bezalel knew how to join the letters that G-d used to create heaven and earth, which were also created with wisdom, insight, and knowledge. This teaches that the creation of the world and the building of the Mishkan are one and the same.
When Hashem told Moshe, "so that I may dwell among them. Like everything that I show you," He showed Moshe the orders of the higher and lower worlds, their interrelationship, and what brings about the presence of Shechina. The Netziv explains, "so shall you do," to mean that those who build the Mishkan shall make it according to the "form" of the corresponding worlds. (Ha'amek Davar) Similarly, Chiram, who built the first Beit Hamikdash, was given wisdom and knowledge, in order to incorporate spiritual intent in building the Beit Hamikdash so that the Shechina would rest upon it. In the second Beit Hamikdash, in which the builders did not know how to incorporate this intent, the Shechina did not rest upon it, even though they knew all the physical details of the Beit Hamikdash.
In Nefesh Hachaim, Rav Chaim Volozhiner adds another dimension, that man is also arranged in this fashion. The Malbim on Parshat Teruma similarly comments that just as the world is called, "a large man," man is called, "a small world," because their powers and parts correspond to each other. Therefore, the presence of the Shechina is founded on man himself, and G-d's presence in the Mikdash is only a result of His presence in Yisrael, as Yirmiyahu says, "They are a Sanctuary of G-d." This is the deeper meaning of Chazal's comment that it does not say, "that I may dwell in it," but rather, "that I may dwell among them," within each and every Jew. Only after the Shechina rest on Yisrael does the presence of the Shechina rest on the Mikdash, and when Yisrael sin and the Shechina withdraws from them, the physical existence of the Mikdash does not help, for it is devoid of spiritual content. The command, "They shall make a Sanctuary for Me ... and so shall you do," means, "and so shall you do" to make yourselves; that you shall make yourselves like the form of the Mishkan, so that the Shechina will be able to rest upon you.
When we pray and ask several times daily, "May it be Your will ... that the Beit Hamikdash be rebuilt speedily, in our days," we should not only intend for the beautiful edifice to be built in Yerushalayim, but rather we should prepare ourselves to be worthy so that the Shechina will rest upon us, and, thereby, the Beit Hamikdash will be built speedily in our days!
Rav Kook on Parashat Terumah: The Tachash and the Erev Rav
“The Tachash that lived in the time of Moshe was a unique species. The Sages could not determine whether it was domesticated or wild. It only appeared at that time for Moshe, who used it for the Tabernacle. Then it vanished.” (Shabbat 28b)
What is the significance of this unique animal? What was its special connection to Moshe, that it made its appearance only during his lifetime? And why did Moses incorporate the colorful Tachash in the Mishkan, albeit only for its outermost covering?
Mixed Blessings from Mixed Multitudes
In Aramaic, the Tachash is called Sasgona, for it was proud (sas) of its many vivid colors (gona). According to Rav Kook, the multihued Tachash is a metaphor, representing Moshe’s desire to include as many talents and gifts as possible when building the Jewish people — even talents that, on their own, might have a negative influence upon the people. The metaphor of the Tachash specifically relates to Moshe’s decision to allow the Erev Rav — “mixed multitudes” from other nations — join the Israelites as they left Egypt.
The Erev Rav were the source of much grief. They instigated the Sin of the Golden Calf and other rebellions against God in the wilderness. And their descendants throughout the generations continued to bring troubles upon Israel. Nevertheless, at the End of Days, all the troubles these difficult and diverse forces caused will be revealed as having been for the best, as the absorption of the Erev Rav served to enrich the Jewish people.
One disturbing aspect of the Erev Rav is the phenomenon of many dynamic forces abandoning the Jewish nation during its long exile among the nations. Yet this is not a true loss, since only that which was foreign to the inner spirit of Israel is cast off. These lost elements of the Erev Rav were ultimately incompatible with Knesset Yisrael, the national soul of Israel; thus they were unable to withstand the pressures and hardships of exile. It saddens us to lose that which we thought was part of Israel, but in fact, they were never truly assimilated within the nation’s soul.
This outcome benefits the world at large. As these ‘fallen leaves’ join the other nations, they bring with them much of what they absorbed from the holiness of Israel. As a result, other peoples have become more receptive to Israel’s spiritual message.
Could the Tachash be Domesticated?
The Sages were in doubt as to the ultimate fate of the multi-talented Erev Rav. Would they be truly absorbed within Israel, enriching the people and remaining forever a part of it? Or would they only serve as a positive influence on the world, outside the camp of Israel?
The Sages expressed this uncertainty by questioning whether the Tachash was a domestic creature. A wild animal cannot be trained and will not permanently join man’s home. It can only be guided indirectly. A domesticated animal, on the other hand, is completely subservient to man and is an integral part of his household. Would the Erev Rav ultimately be rejected, like wild animals which can never be truly at home with humanity? Or would they be domesticated and incorporated into the house of Israel?
Moshe and the Tachash
Just as the Tachash only made its appearance in Moshe’s time, so too, this absorption of foreign talents was only possible in Moshe’s generation. No other generation could have taken it upon itself to accept alien forces into the nation. Once the contribution of the Erev Rav to Israel is complete, the nation’s spiritual restoration requires that they will be purged from the Jewish people. “I will purge your dross... and then you will be called the city of righteousness, faithful city” (Yishayahu 1: 25-26).
We usually avoid destructive forces which may delay and hinder the ultimate good. However, a far-reaching vision can detect the underlying purpose of all human activity, as all actions ultimately fulfill the Divine Will. The great hour of Yetziat Mitzrayim resonated with the highest vision; the first redemption of Israel initiated the historical process that will culminate with the final redemption. Moshe, the master prophet, “the most faithful of all My house,” saw fit to include those varied forces that ordinarily would be rejected. And yet, like the skins of the Tachash, they were only suitable for the most external covering.
“The new heavens and the new earth which I will make are standing before Me.” (Yishayahu 66:22)
All of the wonderful forces of the future — “the new heavens and the new earth” — are not really new. They already exist. Even now, they are “standing before Me.” By accepting the Erev Rav, Moshe planted these diverse gifts within the Jewish people. Like seeds, they decay in the ground; but ultimately they will sprout and bring forth new life. The brilliant future light, with all of its spectacular colors and breadth, is not new; it was secreted away long ago. This resplendent light is hidden, like the multi-hued Tachash, until the time will come for it to be revealed once more.
(Sapphire from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. III, pp. 105-107 by Rav Chanan Morrison)
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