What Moshe knew and didn't know

by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

Friday Night
The parsha begins with the mitzvah for the kohanim to light the Menorah in the Mishkan. But after discussing it, the Torah adds:

This was the form of the Menorah: hammered work of gold, from its base to its flower it was hammered work, according to the form that God had shown Moshe, etc.” (Bamidbar 8:3)

Rashi mentions some interesting points based upon the wording of the verse, one of which is that the Menorah was made by itself, that is that God caused it to be made miraculously. But just before this, Rashi said: “According to the design He had shown him on the mount, as it says, “Now see and make according to their pattern [which you are shown on the mountain]” (Shemos 25:40). (Rashi)

Regarding this verse, Rashi said back in Shemos:

Now see and make: See here on the mountain the pattern that I am showing you. [This] tells us that Moshe had difficulty with the construction of the Menorah, until The Holy One, Blessed is He, showed him a menorah of fire. Which you are shown: It is as the Targum interprets, “which you are shown.” (Rashi, Shemos 25:40)

On the surface of it, being shown something means that you see it, which is usually the case in everyday life. But here there is a significant difference, something which requires a verse at the end of the parsha to become clearer.

After Miriam and Aharon complain about their brother’s prophecy ethic, being too busy to spend time with his wife Tzipporah, God came down to set them straight. He told them:

If there will be a prophet among you, [I] God will make Myself known to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream. It is not so regarding My servant Moshe, who is faithful throughout My house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, in a vision and not in riddles, and he beholds the image of God. (Bamidbar 6:9)

What God was essentially telling Miriam and Aharon was that their brother was no ordinary prophet. Therefore the expectations of him were very different than that of other prophets, including themselves. They were mistaken to compare Moshe’s level of prophecy to the level of others, and they were censured for it by God Himself.

What the verse however is telling us, is that Moshe Rabbeinu’s difficulty in grasping the Menorah, something that doesn’t makes sense to us since it seems so easy to make one, had more to do with how high his prophecy was, not a lack of it. As the Leshem, based upon the Zohar will soon explain, it was not only what Moshe didn’t know that stumped him, but what he did know.

Shabbos Day
NOT ONLY DID Moshe Rabbeinu have trouble with the Menorah, but originally, he was supposed to build everything and he declined. What is interesting is that, in the end, Betzalel, Oholiav, and all the rest of the craftspeople involved in making all the elements of the Mishkan and its vessels seemed to have had no problem. What did they know that Moshe Rabbeinu did not?

More precisely, what did Moshe Rabbeinu know that they did not?

“All of it was done through Betzalel and Oholiav, because they intended for the plan that was shown on the mountain. But for Moshe Rabbeinu, a”h, it was difficult to intend for this because of his great grasp and unity through the Aspekelaria HaMeirah, which is void of any description or plan. It was hard for him to intend for the example and plan above because with his grasp [of the higher level on which] there is no plan and example above at all. Therefore, he withdrew from making them, as previously mentioned.” (Sefer HaKlallim, Klal 18, Anaf 10, Siman 2, Os 5, Ma’areches HaA”V, Se’if 2)

A fundamental of Kabbalah is that nothing can exist down here if it doesn’t exist up there. Everything physical has a spiritual root, and the level of that spiritual root will determine how spiritual, or holy, something will be down here. You can assume that everything made for the Mishkan, and especially the Mishkan itself, was rooted on very high levels in the spiritual realm.

Furthermore, the higher up a root is, the more abstract it becomes. Most of the roots are beyond human grasp, with the exception of Moshe Rabbeinu. His level of prophecy was with the Aspekelaria HaMeirah, literally the window that illuminates. This refers to his being able to view extremely spiritual concepts in his mind’s eye as if looking through a clear window.

This is why he was “shown” but he did not “see.” On Moshe’s level of prophecy there is no form or pattern for anything, just the spiritual reality to be known but not seen. Therefore, for Moshe Rabbeinu the roots were so sublime that he could not imagine how they could translate into actual physical objects without distorting their essence.

Betzalel and Oholiav, on the other hand, only knew what they were shown and saw, the patterns and forms God showed them. Betzalel knew how to arrange the letters of the Aleph Bais to produce what God had specified, and he did everything he could to do it accurately. But that was as far as his knowledge took him, because:

“The erecting of the Mishkan and the ordering of its vessels were specifically through him (Moshe), because he could accurately intend for their hidden unity at the root of their plans, to unify all of them with their sources above. Through this he completed and rectified all of the intentions of Betzalel and Oholiav as well, because the main rectification of intention is to unify everything with their source whose unity is hidden, as written in Hakdamas Tikunim. As known, the erection and the organization of all its vessels were by Moshe Rabbeinu, a”h, and the Shechinah did not dwell on the work of their hands until the erection [of the Mishkan] by Moshe specifically… (Sefer HaKlallim, Klal 18, Anaf 10, Siman 2, Os 5, Ma’areches HaA”V, Se’if 2)

Shalosh Seudot
WHAT THIS MEANS is that had Moshe not assembled and ordered the Mishkan, the Shechinah would never have descended and dwelled within it. In a very distant sense, it was like building a radio and never plugging it in. The radio could represent the ultimate technology, but disconnected from its source of energy it just can’t come to life. Without spiritually connecting everything in the Mishkan to its source above, which only Moshe could do because of his level of prophecy, the Mishkan could not have functioned as the Mishkan.

This is not just true of the Mishkan and its elements, but of everything in the physical world. It’s long been thought that what happens down here in the physical world is just the actualization of abstract concepts in an abstract realm. That is true, but it is more than this. There is a spiritual source for everything, and disconnected from its source means death for that thing. It may continue to exist somewhat, but that is only because just enough life still flows to it for minimal existence.

And the amazing thing is how it can look like something, or someone, is accomplishing so much in this world when in reality they are accomplishing nothing as far as God and history are concerned. They can seem so important and powerful to people, and yet be a shell of their true self in actual reality.

The same thing is true of things like tefillah. We use words to pray from down here, but the goal is, through intention, to reconnect them with their spiritual origins above. That is what gives soul to a prayer, and power to its words to alter a person’s reality with additional blessing. Without the proper intention, prayers just remain ineffective words.

The Mishkan was a very precise reality, and it took very specific intentions to make it become what it had to in order to be a house of God. Only Moshe Rabbeinu, on his very high level of prophecy could do that. We don’t have any prophecy, so how can we be expected to have the proper intention when doing anything?

Some of those intentions have been passed down to us through major kabbalists like the Arizal, and later, the Rashash. But even those can be too difficult for many to put into practice, so where does that leave them and their mitzvos and prayers?

Ain Od Milvado, Part 52
THERE ARE CHASSIDISHE stories of people who had tremendous yearning to pray to God, but not the ability to read to do so, or the siddurim to follow. So they did the only thing they knew how to do. They said the Aleph-Bais over and over again and told God, “Take my letters and arrange them into the proper words for prayer!”

Fortunately, that is far less a problem today than it was in the past, but the idea is still applicable. We have the siddurim and we know how to read. What we don’t know so well is the specific intentions we’re supposed to have when reading from our siddurim to pray to God. In a similar sense, we’re basically telling God, “Here’s my prayer! You infuse it with the correct intention!”

Does that work? Yes, if you’re intention for it to happen is very sincere. If you do the best you can to put yourself into your mitzvos and prayers, God will take care of the rest. As the Gemora says, “If someone sanctifies themself a little, they (Heaven) will sanctify them a lot” (Yoma 38b).

The main thing we should think about when performing a mitzvah or offering up a prayer or brochah? Ain od Milvado. We should be real with the fact that everything we need and want in this world comes from one Source, and one Source only: God. He’s the only One that we need to believe in and impress. He’s the true Source of every last blessing in life. That much we can intend for, and when He see’s that intention, then He takes care of the rest for us.

Beauty and the Beast

BS”D
Parashat Naso and Be’ha’alotcha 5783
by HaRav Nachman Kahana

One who testifies falsely before a court of law reveals more about himself than whatever contribution he could make in the case; for now we know that he is untrustworthy and a liar without a conscience. So too, more than protesters howling their opposition to an issue reveals the nature of the issue, it reveals the nature of the protesters themselves.

The Gemara (Pesachim 49b) quotes the illustrious Rabbi Akiva:

אמר רבי עקיבא: כשהייתי עם הארץ אמרתי: מי יתן לי תלמיד חכם ואנשכנו כחמור.

When I was still ignorant of the Torah, I wished that one should bring me a talmid chacham (Torah Scholar) so I could bite him with the force of a donkey (stronger than the bite of a dog).

The point that the great Rabbi was making was that Jews who are far removed from Torah develop an animosity bordering on hate towards those who are spiritually superior.

The “narrator” of the Gemara adds:

גדולה שנאה ששונאין עמי הארץ לתלמיד חכם, יותר משנאה ששונאין אומות העולם את ישראל, ונשותיהן יותר מהן

Those who are ignorant (of Torah Knowledge) despise Torah scholars even more than the gentiles hate Jews; and the hate of their ignorant wives toward Torah scholars is even harsher.

Then the Gemara quotes a B’reita (a Ta’niac work)

שנה ופירש – יותר מכולן.

(Experience proves) that the degree of hate felt by a Torah student who has left the fold towards his former colleagues surpasses them all.

Behaving beastly vs. seeking beauty
The negative feelings harbored by Jews who are ignorant of the Torah towards Torah scholars and Torah observers in general, are less of a religious issue and more of a psychiatric one.

Does their animosity stem from profound feelings of inadequacy on being unable to inculcate the breadth and depth of Jewish studies?

– Or is it a character weakness, that causes them to refuse to give the time and “suffer the deprivation” that it takes to become a Torah scholar, when the allure of the secular world’s immediate gratification beckons to them?

– Or perhaps their inability to believe that there are manifold worlds and universes in dimensions different than the limited ones we experience?

– Or the super moralist who cannot believe in a just and moral creator who permits evil and nature’s destructive forces to exist uncontrolled?

– Or perhaps a reaction to overbearing religious parents and teachers.

– Or uncontrolled sensuous compulsions.

– Or any one of the above or any combination of them!

Our rabbis described the emotions shared by the entire nation when standing under Mount Sinai to receive the Torah – we were united “as one man and one heart”. But today those who oppose the Torah and demonstrate their feelings in front of religious individuals and communities come as “many men and women each with a different heart”, with different personal interests and emotions whose unity very quickly dissipates.

It is essential to emphasize that those who protest against Chareidim also protest against religious-Zionists who serve in the most dangerous units of the army; because they reject the authenticity of the 3000-year-old covenant between the Creator and the Jewish nation and rue the day they were born Jews and Israelis.

When I see the faces, the dress, and the unbridled conduct in the demonstrators in Bnei Brak and elsewhere, the words of the Shacharit prayer immediately come to my mind…

“All the nations are as nothing before You”, as it is written…

But we are Your nation, the people of Your Covenant:

The children of Avraham Your beloved, to whom You swore on

Mount Moriah;

The descendants of Yitzchak, his only son who was

bound upon the altar;

The community of Ya’akov, Your firstborn, whose name You called
Yisrael and Yeshurun because of Your love for him (Ya’akov) and
Your delight in him.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to thank, praise, and glorify You,
to bless, to sanctify, and to offer praise and thanksgiving to Your Name.

Fortunate are we! How good is our portion, how pleasant our lot,

and how beautiful our heritage! Fortunate are we who, early in the

morning and in the evening, twice each day, declare:

שמע ישראל ה’ א’ השם אחד

Hear, O Yisrael, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”

How fortunate are we who are totally dedicated to the God of Yisrael and are the torchbearers of His Torah from that earth-shaking, momentous day at Mount Sinai for the Jewish nation and for all humanity, to the present, and forever into the future. We pray that the protesters find their way back to Jewish normalcy and rededicate their lives to protesting the wayward paths that some of our Jewish brethren have adopted.

In 1964, the Pope came to the holy land of Yisrael, but refused to come and pay his respects to Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim Z”L, insisting that the Chief Rabbi come to him. The Chief Rabbi refused and quoted the prophet Micha 4,5:

כִּי כָּל הָעַמִּים יֵלְכוּ אִישׁ בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהָיו וַאֲנַחְנוּ נֵלֵךְ בְּשֵׁם ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:

Let all the nations walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God (HaShem) forever and ever.

As hurtful as it is, we have no control over Jews who stray from the Torah, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God (HaShem) forever and ever.

Shabbat Shalom,
Nachman Kahana.
Copyright © 5783/2023 Nachman Kahana

Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: Multi-Faceted Harmony

(based on Ein Ayah, Berachot I, 163)

Gemara: On Shabbat [in the Beit Hamikdash], they would add another beracha for the mishmar (the group of kohanim finishing a week of service): “He who had His Name dwell in this house should have love, brotherhood, peace, and friendship dwell among you.”

Ein Ayah: The Beit Hamikdash, from which light and knowledge of Hashem spreads to the world, will finally bring ultimate global peace and human perfection in knowledge and morality. This is promised by the pasuk, “Many nations will walk and say: Let us go up to the house of Hashem… and they will beat their swords into plowshares” (Yeshaya 2: 3-4). This will come by means of raising the banner of Israel, whose set place is the Beit Hamikdash, the eternal place of Hashem’s light on earth. Therefore, it is fitting that He who had His Name dwell in this house to bring global peace will cause love, brotherhood, peace, and friendship to dwell among the kohanim. That will enable them to guide toward the goal of global peace.

There are four elements of man’s existence, from all of which peace can come when used properly: emotion, nature, intellect, and chance. The emotions of the heart bring on love; nature causes that those born from one race, one nation, or, certainly, one tribe feel kinship toward each other; intellect teaches one to appreciate peace because it is objectively good. Chance, which brings people together in a place or an occupation, increases friendship.

All these positive outcomes are actualized when people go in the straight path. However, when the path curves, these connections can become points of friction. That is why there is a blessing that in all four of these areas, love, brotherhood, peace, and friendship will dwell through emotion, nature, intellect, and chance.

Unity Within Multiplicity

by HaRav Mordechai Greenberg
Nasi HaYeshiva, Kerem B'Yavneh

"When you kindle the lamps, toward the face of the Menorah shall the seven lamps cast light." (Bamidbar 8:2) The mitzvah of kindling the menorah was previously mentioned in Parshat Tetzaveh and Parshat Emor. According to the explanation of the Sforno, however, our parsha is not merely a repetition of this mitzvah. Rather, it gives new meaning to the branches of the menorah, and comes to elucidate the essence of the mitzvah.

There are seven branches to the menorah: three to the right, three to the left, and a center lamp. These branches represent the inner division within the Nation of Israel and the relationship between them. The three branches on the right symbolize those who pursue spiritual endeavors, namely "one whose spirit motivates him and whose intellect directs him to distinguish himself to stand before G-d to serve Him, who walks straight as G-d created him, and he removes from his neck the yoke of the many calculations which people seek." (Rambam: Hilchot Shemita Veyovel 13:13)

In contrast to them, the three lamps on the left represent those who are active in this transitory world, who plow at the time of plowing and reap during the season of reaping. Yet, all six are able to coexist because they face the center lamp, as the Sforno writes (Bamidbar 8:2):

The intention [of them all] ... is to fulfill of the will of G-d, the Blessed One, in such a manner that through all of them His intent will be realized, and together they shall exalt His Name, as they accepted upon themselves [at Sinai] ... "The entire people responded TOGETHER and said, `All that Hashem has spoken we shall do!'" (Shemot 19:8), meaning that together we will fulfill His intent.

This is how the nation of Israel is constructed, as a single body containing many different limbs, all dedicated to one purpose. Through this, the men of the land help the men of spirit, and no one group negates or dominates the other, as Chazal state, "The grapes must always pray for the leaves, for if there are no leaves there are no grapes." The Gemara compares the talmidei chachamim [Torah scholars] to clusters of grapes, and the laymen to the leaves. Talmidei chachamim must value the actions of the average Jew, for without him, the scholars would not exist, either.

At the end of the parsha, Hashem commands Moshe, "Gather to Me seventy men from the elders of Israel." (Bamidbar 11:16) On this pasuk, the Midrash comments:

This is what is said, "Who built his strata in the heavens, and founded his group upon the earth." (Amos 9:6) To what is this comparable? To a palace that was built on top of boats. As long as the boats are attached, the palace above will stand. Thus, "Who built his strata in the heavens," as it were, His chair is based on high, at the time when Israel forms a single group.

This Midrash deals with the importance of shalom [peace] within Israel. Yet, there is room to seek deeper meaning in these words of Chazal. Why did they mention this strange metaphor of a palace on top of boats, and what is its connection to the seventy elders?

Rav Kook, zt"l, explains that the number seventy represents the maximum number of all possible opinions. Just as the nations of the world are divided into seventy languages, so too the Sanhedrin (Supreme Court consisting of seventy elders) contains all seventy possible positions. Talmidei chachamim increase peace in the world. (Berachot 64a) They all direct themselves to one purpose, enriching each other and clarifying every possible opinion, thereby creating together the great peace.

"The path of a ship in the heart of the sea." (Mishlei 20:19). Every boat goes on its own path, yet the palace that is above them unites them to work for one purpose. This is what chazal meant when they said that "at the time when they are all connected, the palace above them stands." The intention is not to negate the individual ways of the boats, but to unify the separate directions toward one goal.

Thus, the throne of G-d is founded upon the unity of Israel, when each tribe and each individual fulfills his personal task, and together they are all directed to the single goal of founding Hashem's throne above.

Rav Kook on Parashat BeHa'alotecha: The Triumph of the Aron

Moshe's prayer when the Israelites traveled — a request that the Aron would protect them from enemies — is very familiar to us, due to its central place in the synagogue ritual of opening the Torah Aron:

וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה: קוּמָה ה’ וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ, וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ.

“When the Aron traveled, Moshe said, ‘Arise, O God, and scatter your enemies! Let your foes flee before You!'” (Bamidbar 10:35)

Why the repetition in the verse? Is there a difference between enemies and foes? And how would the Aron scatter these adversaries?

Rav Kook explained that we are besieged by two kinds of opponents. Some are overt enemies, like Amalek. Others are hidden foes, dangers that we may not even be aware of. The Talmud tells the story of the second type of foe: enemy soldiers who attempted to attack Israel in stealth.

The Miracle at the Arnon Pass
As the Jewish people prepared to enter the Land of Israel, the Emorites (one of the Canaanite nations) laid a trap for them. They chipped away hiding places along a narrow pass in the Arnon canyon, across the Jordan River. Emorite soldiers hid in these crevices, waiting for the Israelites to pass through, when they could attack them with great advantage.

What the Emorites didn’t know was that the Ark would smooth the way for the Israelites in their travels through the wilderness. When the Ark arrived at the Arnon Pass, the mountains on each side crushed together, killing the concealed enemy soldiers.

The Jewish people traveled through the pass, blissfully unaware of their deliverance.

At the end of the Jewish camp, there were two lepers, named Et and Vahav. The last to cross through, they noticed that the riverbed washed red with blood from the sides of the canyon. The lepers realized that a great miracle had occurred, and they told the people. The entire nation, grateful for their deliverance, sang Shirat HaBe'er, the song of thanks recorded in Bamidbar. 21:17-18. 

Illustration image: ‘Joshua passing the River Jordan with the Ark of the Covenant’ (Benjamin West, 1800)

The Battles of Et and Vahav
The Gemara clearly relates to this story as a historical event, even prescribing a blessing to be recited when seeing the Arnon Pass. Rav Kook, however, offered an allegorical interpretation of the story.

Sometimes it is precisely those who are on the fringes who are most aware of the ideological battles that the Torah wages. The two lepers at the end of the camp of Israel represent two types of conflict that the Torah must confront. The Aron, containing the stone tablets from Sinai and Moses’ original sefer Torah, symbolizes the Torah itself.

The names of the two lepers are quite unusual — Et and Vahav. What do these peculiar names mean?

The word Et (את) in Hebrew is an auxiliary word, with no meaning of its own. However, it contains the first and last letters of the word emet (אמת) — truth. Thus Et is a symbol for the conflicts that originate from new ideas in science and knowledge. It is subordinate and related to absolute truth, but it lacks the middle letter, which is the substance of truth.

The word Vahav (והב) comes from ahava (אהבה), meaning love. (The two words share the same numerical value.) The mixing up of the letters indicates that this is an uncontrolled form of love. Vahav represents the struggle between free, unbridled living and the Torah’s principles; the contest between instant gratification and eternal values.

When these two adversaries — new scientific perceptions (Et) and the culture of living for immediate pleasures (Vahav) — join together, we find ourselves ensnared with no escape, like the Israelites who were trapped in the Arnon Pass. Only the light of the Torah - as represented by the Aron — can illuminate the way, crushing the mountains and defeating hidden foes. These enemies may be unnoticed by those immersed in the inner sanctum of Torah. But those at the edge, whose connection to Torah is tenuous, are acutely aware of these struggles and more likely to witness the victory of the Torah.

The Aron's defeat of hidden adversaries, as the Jewish people began their conquest of the Land of Israel, is a sign for the Torah’s future triumph over its ideological adversaries in the current era of our return to the Land.

(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 246 on Berachot 44 by Rav Chanan Morrison) 

Divine Light

by HaRav Zalman Baruch Melamed

Why the Light?
This week's Torah portion introduces us to the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah in the Mishkan. An obvious question can be asked regarding the Menorah: God, the Creator of the Universe, is the Source of Light. Why would He need the light of the Menorah? The answer: God commands us to do actions, in order to draw the Heavenly Light down from the heavens to the earth. God created the world in such a way that everything has to be done by us in the form of this-worldly actions. This - in order to draw down the Divine Light from above.

The Menorah thus symbolizes not only physical light, but also the revelation of lofty, spiritual divine light. Its seven branches symbolize the completeness and perfection of all aspects of the light. This spiritual quality of the Menorah is true of all mitzvoth, as well. Every mitzvah has a Divine source; the Jew's performance of a mitzvah constitutes the drawing earthwards of the divine light to the mundane earthly reality.

Ongoing Responsibility
According to halacha a person who lights a fire that then spreads and burns trees, fields, wheat, etc, is liable for all damages he has caused. This is so, despite the fact that he did not personally go and ignite each sheaf of wheat in his neighbor’s field, but rather just lit the initial flame. Everything that results from his actions is his responsibility. The halacha goes even further than this: Even when a person has passed away, if the flame that he lit continues to wreak havoc, his heirs are obligated to pay for damages out of his estate.

The Talmudic view that one who lights a flame that causes damage is culpable is based on the idea that one’s fire is his "arrow" prompts the Talmudic scholar the Nimukei Yosef to ask: Why is it permissible to light a flame on Friday afternoon that burns into Shabbat? Is such a situation not, after all, similar to that of a person who lights a fire on Shabbat itself? He answers: the continued burning of the fire is considered to be a continuation of the action that was done prior to the Sabbath; it is not considered, therefore, as if it was lit on Shabbat.

The parameters of the mitzvah of the Menorah mirror the law of the destructive fire in the laws of damages. As the evening begins, the Cohen (Priest) lights the candles; they then continue to burn all night long. Despite the fact that he has completed the actual act of lighting, from another perspective, we view him as "continuing to light" those candles all night long. Every flame that continues burning now - is attributed to his original act of lighting.

Every mitzvah is like a candle. Torah is compared to light. One who performs a mitzvah, raising himself to a new level that lasts days, is, so to speak, continuing to perform that mitzvah, since his ongoing spiritual progress at present can be attributed to his initial mitzvah act.

Negative Influence
According to the view of some our sages, the " Afsafsuf " mentioned in this week’s Torah portion is in fact the " Erev Rav " - or "mixed multitude" we have come to know from previous Torah portions. They are non-Jews who attached themselves to the Children of Israel during the Exodus from Egypt. In the course of the journeys in the desert, the Erev Rav inspired numerous crises, the most prominent of which was the building of the infamous Golden Calf. This Erev Rav was made up of non-Jews who didn’t seriously convert to Judaism, but who saw that the Children of Israel had been blessed with good fortune - and therefore decided to join them during the Exodus.

Now, this same Erev Rav sees that the Jews have been provided a special food - the manna - a spiritual food.

Just imagine that instead of breakfast each day, a technique is invented that would allow you to swallow a clear pill, lacking any taste or smell, a pill that would ensure that you’re never hungry and would never again need food. You need not chew, or sit around a dinner table. This was manna. From one perspective, it provided all of one’s needs, but its also suppressed any appetite or even desire to eat. If so, how did the Afsafsuf , in the Torah’s words, "experience a great yearning?" They were being provided with pills that satisfied all of their needs, and they’re complaining?

Afsafsuf Irritated by Divine Food
"The Afsafsuf that was [in the Jews'] midst yearned a great yearning," says the Torah. They didn’t desire meat, but they yearned to experience more yearnings . They wanted to experience physical lust. They sensed that their bodies were being purified by the consumption of the manna that descended from Heaven. The manna was Divine; it did not just satisfy the body’s physical needs, but also raised the person who consumed it to a high spiritual level. When a person eats miracle food each day, he becomes purified, and begins to cleave to the Creator of the Universe.

Our sages say: "The Torah was only given to those that consumed manna." We can explain this from an economic perspective - ie that those that consumed manna were"Kollel" fellows - they received food for free. "Your garment did not slip off of you," adds the Torah: There was food, there were clothes, they did not need to get to work; it was, possible for the Children of Israel to learn Torah.

Our sages also had a deeper idea in mind, however: "The Torah was only given to those that consumed manna" because they rise to higher levels each day. The falling of manna was not normal so, even if it falls today, who knows if it will fall tomorrow? Israel, in the middle of the desert, was dependent on its God. Each day they had to, for their food, turn their eyes Heavenwards. The Gemara in Yoma asks why it was that the manna did not fall once a year. One of the answers utilizes a metaphor: A King gave his food to his son. If he gave it to him only once a year, the would appear before his father the King only once a year. But if he would give him food each day, the two would see each other every day. So, too, Israel turned its eyes to its Father in Heaven each day to get the manna. Each day, Israel felt its direct dependence on the Creator of the World. This was faith education .

The manna was miraculous food, as the Talmud says, the manna was absorbed in all 248 limbs of the person that consumed it. The Creator of the World performed a great kindness for the Jews, who, after consuming manna, did not need to use the bathroom. Anyone who had to relieve himself had to travel 12 miles out of the camp. Yet, why was this necessary, asks the Talmud? The answer: True, the manna was absorbed into the body, and did not produce any waste products. What Israel purchased from the non-Jewish merchants along the way, however, was not absorbed directly into the system. Scoffers amongst Israel said: "A little more [food] and we’re going to explode! Is there any mortal who can eat and not have to relieve himself?" The Afsafsuf could not tolerate this situation. They were troubled by the fact that the manna pushed the Jew towards spiritual purity, to a spiritual world, a world of Torah...

Light the Candles

by Rabbi Dov Berel Wein

One of the tasks of the Priests in the Tabernacle and in the Temple was the rekindling of the great Candelabra on a daily basis. We are taught in this week's Torah reading that the Priest had to keep the flame, with which he was lighting the wicks of the lamps, next to those wicks until the lamp wick caught hold and was able to burn by itself. Over the ages, this has become the metaphor for Jewish parenting - for Jewish education itself. The parent or the teacher is responsible for the child or the student, just as the Priest was responsible for the wicks until they were lit.

The task of the parent/teacher is that the child/student will sustain himself or herself spiritually, socially, financially, and psychologically, after having been given the necessary life tools. I was a child at a time when children were considered adults by the time they reached puberty and their teenage years. However, in our more modern era childhood extends far beyond even the teenage years. Many children and students do not achieve any sort of true dependence until they are well into their twenties, and sometimes even later than that.

The question then arises: is the responsibility of the parent/teacher open ended, i.e., does it remain, no matter how long it takes for the child or the student to truly become independent? Is the parent/teacher still on the hook, so to speak, to provide aid, sustenance, financial support and means for survival? Since it is not clear to us when the flame of independence and self-sufficiency is truly able to burn on its own, there arises a situation where the obligations of the parent, the educational system and even of society generally appears to remain unlimited. This type of dependency eventually becomes self-destructive, and certainly cannot be what the Torah had in mind for the Jewish family and the Jewish society.

The goal of parenting and of education is to produce people who are well-balanced, to provide their child/student – the next generation, with the necessary tools for self-reliance and independence of thought and action. There is a window of time for such an opportunity. In my opinion, that window closes quickly as time progresses. The options remaining in life for someone in their 30s or 40s are far fewer than the options that existed when they were in their 20’s.

Keeping the outside flame on the wick of the lamp of the candelabra for too long does not enhance the flame nor will it light the candelabra. Rather, it creates a situation of danger, containing too much fire, and is counterproductive in its purpose of lighting the lamps of the candelabra itself. So, too, a wise parent and/or a devoted teacher will eventually see the productivity of removing that outside fire and letting the wick burn on its own, to radiate its own life. Every human being is unique and holy. Every human being is entitled to its own lamp and light.

Israel’s high-tech: a unique technology-multiplier for the US

by Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

*Challenged by a unique environment – top heavy on terrorism and war, but low on natural resources and rainfall - Israel has bolstered its do-or-die state of mind, with defiance of odds, risk-taking, frontier, pioneering, optimism, patriotism, can-do and out-of-the-box mentality. This has yielded a robust flow of game-changing commercial, defense and dual-use technologies.

*These game-changing technologies include the world’s smallest (0.99mm) pill-size video medical camera, MobilEye AI car safety, Waze navigation, the Pressure Bandage, the “Iron Dome” and “David Sling” missile defense systems. Also, the cherry tomato, drip irrigation system, SupPlant autonomous irrigation system, solar water heaters, Intel’s microprocessors, Microsoft’s anti-virus and Windows XP and NT, the USB flash drive Disk-on-Key, Firewall against malware and the ICQ instant messenger. In addition, there are the Israeli developed Watergen water from thin air, GrainPro Cocoons for African grain farmers, biological pest control, Laser keyboard, Voice-over Internet protocol, Face ID, Babylon computer translation, WeCU airport security, Rewalk for paraplegics, OrCam for the visually-impaired, etc.

*These Israeli developed technologies have been shared with the US, in particular, and the world, in general, enhancing global standard of living, communications, medicine, health, agriculture, irrigation, software technologies, cyber security, national security and homeland security.

*Israel is one of the leading global high-tech hubs along with the Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Raleigh, Durham, Bangalore, Stockholm, Helsinki and London.

*Some 400 foreign corporations – mostly from the US - have established research and development centers in Israel, leveraging its brain power and challenging experiences. For example, John Deere and Monsanto agricultural tech; General Electric, Johnson & Johnson and Philips medical tech; Pfizer, Bayer and Merck pharmaceuticals; Texas Instruments, Intel, Applied materials, AMD, Marvell, Nvidia and Qualcomm semiconductors; General Motors, Ford Motor, Honda, Mercedes Benz and Skoda automotive; Microsoft, Oracle, McAfee, Autodesk and PTC software; Sony, Siemens, Samsung and LG electronics; AT&T telecommunications, Vonage and Fujitsu communications; IBM, HP and Dell computer tech; eBay, Google, Facebook, Yahoo and PayPal internet; Intuit, Citigroup, Mastercard, Visa and Barclays financial services; Motorola and Nokia telecom; Xerox and Hewlett Packard information tech;, PepsiCo food processing, Mitsubishi international trade, CA Technologies business-to-business, Sears retail, ASML photolithography, etc.

*According to PitchBook Financial Data, In 2022, Israel ($506 per capita) was second to Singapore ($695) in attracting venture capital investment per capita (including Warren Buffett’s Berkshire-Hathaway), compared to the US ($357), Switzerland ($273), Finland ($232), the UK ($190), the UAE ($168), Sweden ($157), Canada ($117) and France ($104).

*And, according to Deloitte, “Israel is the world leader for the number of start-ups per capita.”

*Israel leads the world in its research and development manpower per capita: 140 Israelis (per 10,000) and 85 Americans (per 10,000) are ahead of the rest of the world.

*Israel is second to the US in terms of scientific publications per capita.

*Israel’s high-tech sector has played a key role in the transformation of Israel into a unique force and dollar-multiplier for the US. It has provided to the US game-changing commercial and defense technologies, which have enhanced the US economy and defense, bolstering its global technological edge.

Israel’s high-tech competitive edge

*Israel’s high-tech workforce benefits from an annual flow of Jewish immigrants (Aliyah), who are trained in Israel, the US, Russia, Europe, Latin America and Australia, who join the Israeli graduates from institutions of higher learning.

*Israel’s high-tech workforce absorbs veterans of the elite high-tech units of the Israel Defense Force, many of them scouted by the military among 10th and 11th graders, who are at the top of their class.

*Israel’s military service trains high school graduates to make life and death decisions, be quick on their feet, innovate and improvise.

*Israel’s commercial and military high-tech benefits from the intense, speedy and informal interaction and integrated synergy among the research, academic, military, commercial and defense sectors.

*Israel’s robust demography – which leads the Free World with three births per Jewish woman and an unprecedented momentum of secular fertility – provides a tailwind for Israel’s economy.

*According to the World Bank, 5.4% of Israel’s GDP is dedicated to research and development, the highest in the world, ahead of South Korea (4.81%), Sweden (3.53%), Belgium (3.48%), the US (3.45%), Japan (3.26%), Austria (3.20%), Switzerland (3.15%), Germany (3.14%), Denmark (2.96%), the OECD (2.96%), Finland (2.94%), Iceland (2.47%), France (2.35%), the Netherlands (2.9%), Norway (2.28%), Slovenia (2.15%), the Czeck Republic (1.9%), Singapore 1.89%), Australia (1.83%), the UK (1.71%) and Canada (1.7%).

*Israel’s economy has surged dramatically in 1988-2022:

<From 4.4 million to 9.5 million people;
<From life expectancy of 75 to 82;
<From $37 billion to $490 billion GDP;
<From $8,000 to $52,000 GDP per capita;
<From $6 billion to $200 billion foreign exchange reserves;
<From 155% to 61% government debt to GDP ratio;
<From $10 billion to $160 billion exports;
<From 70,000 to 350,000 students in Israel’s colleges and universities.

*Against the backdrop of the aforementioned information, Israel constitutes a unique case, which benefits from the law of increasing returns. Israel’s ongoing wars against terrorism and conventional military forces have been bumps on the road to unprecedented growth.

*According to George Gilder, the author of The Israel Test and a high-tech guru: "Israel is the global master of microchip design, network algorithms and medical instruments…water recycling and desalinization…missile defense, robotic warfare, and UAVs…. US defense and prosperity increasingly depend on the ever-growing economic and technological power of Israel. If we stand together, we can deter or defeat any foe…. We need Israel as much as it needs us.”

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Not Copying Western Seminaries – part IV

#149 – part IV

Date and Place: 4 Menachem Av 5668 (1908), Rechovot

Recipient: Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Halevi. As mentioned, we have featured many letters between the two. Most of this letter deals with the ideological negotiations between the two, around the question of Rav Halevi’s help with Rav Kook’s proposed yeshiva, specifically with regard to avoiding negative impact of new styles. This final piece deals with the positive of the broadness of the studies.

Body: I am not saying that all the yeshiva’s students should be very learned in all fields, which is an impossible aspiration. There are rare individuals who are born with such talents that they can absorb all matters, but for the most part, each will branch off to his own field, and one is able to learn only from the “place” that his heart desires (Avoda Zara 19a).

Collectively, though, the yeshiva must provide the nation everything that it is missing. Since among the things that attract the heart in our times and are influential in people’s lives, are literature and poetry, we must see to it that in this field as well, we will have our people involved in it. It should no longer be allowed that everyone with a literary talent and every famous poet must by necessity be an atheist and a sinner in the nation. We must destroy this “tower of deception” and show the whole world the grandeur and pleasantness of poetry and literature, which will flourish when they are connected to the natural and reliable source of the life of the nation, the well of pure water that Hashem is.

Regarding filling rabbinical positions for the agricultural settlements, although we cannot keep them waiting until our future young students will be fit for such positions in the New Yishuv, we can remedy the situation by taking some of the choice students of the yeshivot of Yerushalayim, Tzfat, and Teveria. There are individuals there who are fit for such positions, and after tutelage for a year or two, they can become used to leadership as is needed to be a rabbi in an agricultural settlement and to the style of life that is acceptable there. If we will find enough resources, we can meet the target of placing appropriate rabbis, who will find favor and bring grandeur to the settlements, in a short time. Their words and their manners will be well-received, and they will be able to do a lot to raise the stature of Judaism. They will also pave the way for those who were trained from the outset by our proposed yeshiva, who will be “armed with a wide variety of weapons” that are needed for a generation that comes to take control of Eretz Yisrael. They should be able to do so in a more complete and adorned manner.

I would say generally that I do not find a major division between our outlooks. I am certainly willing to listen to the advice of someone of your stature. I would like to tell you that I am very far from following my first thought in a hasty manner. Whatever I decide, especially in matters that affect a broad group of people on crucial matters, is done after great consideration from all possible perspectives and with a clear focus on acting according to the sake of Heaven without any personal interests, Heaven forbid. Even after that, I am prepared to lower my head before the leaders of the Nation of Hashem who are also involved with the heart and soul of questions of strengthening the Torah of Hashem and His covenant with Israel, to build the foundations for the redemption of Hashem for His nation in His Coveted Land.

From Lot, via Ruth, to Dovid HaMelech

by HaRav Dov Begon
Rosh HaYeshiva, Machon Meir

Dovid HaMelech was a descendant of Ruth HaMoaviah. As is known, “Moab” [literally, “from my father”] received that name due to the shameful deed of Lot’s daughter, who cohabited with her father while he was drunk, and thus bore Moab. She not only did that but she immortalized this terrible deed by calling her son “Moab.”

All the same, from Moab emerged Ruth, who converted and entered under the wings of the Shechina. From her emerged Dovid HaMelech, from whom will appear and be revealed Moshiach in the future.

From here, we learn that one must not mock or disdain any human being, even the most lowly. An example of such a person is Lot, a drunkard who became the symbol of a man who loses his Divine Image during his drunkenness. We thus use the expression “Drunk as Lot” to describe those drunkards who have lost their divine image.

Right now, we must learn from the stories of Ruth HaMoaviah, and from the chain of events leading from Lot to Moshiach, that we must not mock or dismiss any human being, even when he falls down low. We ask, “Who is like the L-rd our G-d, enthroned on high?” (Tehilim 113:5). At the same time, however, we believe that the same G-d who is “enthroned on high,” also “looks far down to behold the things that are in heaven” (Ibid., v. 6). He also “raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy out of the ash-heap, that He may set them with nobles, with the nobles of His people” (v. 7).

With the Love of Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael,
Wishing you a Chag Shavuot Sameach and Shabbat Shalom.

Yeshivat Machon Meir Parashat Naso: Birchat Kohanim (video)

How blessings and curses work

by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

Friday Night
Do blessings really work today? Not the kind you make over food or a mitzvah, because those are rabbinical enactments for other reasons. But what about Birchas Kohanim mentioned in this week’s parsha, or when a parent blesses their children on Shabbos night? Do they have the effect they once did, or are we just keeping tradition?

What about curses? Balak told Bilaam that he knew that whomever Bilaam cursed was cursed. Is that true today, that someone can curse another person and actually have it come true? There is a story about someone who refused to acknowledge the existence of God, so the person arguing with him told him, “If you truly do not believe in God, then tell Him to kill your mother!”

The sworn atheist couldn’t get himself to do it (he liked his mother) just in case (what if she “coincidentally” died for another reason), which downgraded him to being only an agnostic. But would it have made a difference anyhow had he been brazen enough to utter such a curse? Do words have that kind of power today? If they did, a lot of people would probably be either sick or dead now, given today’s political climate and all the cursing going on…

The answer is yes and, no. It’s not just a matter of uttering a blessing or saying a curse, though sometimes they can come to fruition more a matter of Hashgochah Pratis than the power of the blessing or curse. If we learn anything from the story of Bilaam, it is that a person can only bless or curse someone God wants to bless or curse, and He will arrange for that to happen through the appropriate blesser or curser.

It has to do with how blessings and curses work. Blessings are the result of an influx of Divine light and curses are the withdrawal of that light. Everything in Creation exists as a function of God’s light, the extent to which is determined by how much Divine light flows to the thing or person. A blessing therefore increases the light, and the positive impact is the result. That’s why it is called a “brochah,” from the word “breichah,” which is a spring of water or, in this case, a “stream” of light.

But unlike everyday light, which is physical, Divine light is exceptionally holy. The amount that we automatically receive to stay alive and function is a gift, and one that needs to be respected. A major part of a sin is the abuse of this light by doing something of which God does not approve. Every sin is a profanation of Divine light.

But if you want extra light, because you need a better parnassah, or you have shalom bayis issues, or you want children, or to marry off a child, etc., then you had better consider your spiritual appropriateness. In general, holy things only go to holy people. This is why Bilaam was blind in one eye, Chazal say. At least there was a space in him that wasn’t impure like the rest of his body. It was through that “space” that God spoke with him for the sake of the Jewish people.

Shabbos Day
ON THE OTHER hand, the Gemora says that one should not take the blessing or curse of a “simple” person lightly (Megillah 15a). It brings examples of such blessings and curses coming to fruition. Avimelech told Sarah, “I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother; behold it is to you a covering of the eyes for all who are with you, and with all you shall contend” (Bereishis 19:16). The Gemora says that this had to do with Yitzchak later becoming blind (even though Avimelech seemed to mean it in a good way!).

But that could have more to do with what we said before, that the curse or blessing was destined to happen anyhow, and for some reason God wanted it to be announced by someone down here. As the Gemora says, merit comes through the merit worthy, and bad comes through the culpable (Bava Basra 119b). It is true with respect to blessings and curses as well.

Isn’t this true of all blessings and curses? As Bilaam told an angry and frustrated Balak, “If Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of God to do either good or evil on my own. Only what God speaks can I speak” (Bamidbar 24:13).

This is what Chanina ben Dosa told the witch who tried to curse him:

“If you succeed, go and do it. I am not concerned about it, as it is written: ‘There is none else besides Him’ (Devarim 4:35).” He meant, “You, witch, have no power to do good or bad to me. If your curse seems to take effect, it is only because God has decided to impact me in this way. I am only concerned about the judgment that might have led to this, not about you.”

So what then does this mean?

And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing. (Bereishis 12:2)

The blessings are entrusted into your hand. Until now, they were in My hand; I blessed Adam and Noach. From now on, you may bless whomever you wish. (Rashi)

This would seem to imply that Avraham had the power to bless whomever he saw fit. It doesn’t sound as if he was being given the ability to bless only those people whom God wanted blessed. And it sounds as if this was not only unique to him, but all of his descendants as well…throughout all of history.

While we’re at it, let us discuss not just blessings, but miracles themselves. Miracles were rare and such a big deal in Tanach. Avraham being saved from the fire in Ur Kasdim. Ya’akov being saved from Eisav and Lavan. But in the Gemora, such miracles happened all the time, and in some of the seemingly most trivial of circumstances. Did something change historically, and if yes, what?

Shalosh Seudot
THE PHYSICAL WORLD is the way it is because of the spiritual world. Even though they are both very different worlds, as the world of a son compared to that of his father (hence, the generation gap). Since the former came from the latter however, they can’t help but be similar, both the son and the father and the physical world and the spiritual one.

Take electricity, for example. It is very physical and therefore its effects are quite visible. When the light goes on, you know that it is because you flicked the switch, allowing electricity to flow through the wires to the bulb. Thus, just as only certain materials are good conductors for electricity, only certain types of people are good “conductors” for Divine light. Just as electricity can be dangerous if improperly used, likewise Divine light kills when improperly used, such as in the case of Nadav and Avihu.

The miracle workers in the Gemora, the Tannaim, were good conductors of Divine light. They achieved this by aligning their perspectives with God’s, so they looked at the world and history as He did, so God looked at both as they did. They may have done miracles at will, but it was a will they shared with God. Even when they initiated the brochah or miracle, God agreed to it so he fulfilled it as they willed it. As they say, “Righteous people decree and God fulfills.”

When then must we be careful with the blessing or curse of a simple person? Firstly, we can’t always tell who is righteous in God’s eyes. A person may look “simple” to us, but from God’s perspective they may be spiritually powerful people. We don’t know what they have had to overcome to be who they are, and that might have made them relatively righteous as far as God is concerned.

Secondly, we may only see a simple person giving the blessing or hurling a curse, but everything is a function of Hashgochah Pratis—Divine Providence. God has many messengers and means to deliver His message or warning to a person. You can discount the messenger but the message might be crucial information from God about your direction in life.

As the mishnah says, a wise person is one who learns from every person (Pirkei Avos 4:1). It doesn’t qualify what kind of people are excluded from this. Rebi Meir even went so far as to continue to learn Torah from Elisha ben Abuya, even after he became Acher, the quintessential heretic (Chagigah 15b).

The Gemora questioned the wisdom of Rebi Meir’s choice of teacher, but concluded that he had the ability to keep the good and reject the bad. The rest of us don’t, so we should only learn from reputable teachers who have the proper Torah credentials. But it has been said that God talks to the Jewish people through their enemies, so even though they do not make good teachers, their messages often unwittingly contain information God wants us to know.

Shavuos
THREE THINGS ARE necessary for a person to have free will. They have to believe in God, they have to believe that God communicated His truth to man, and they have to at least be aware of their yetzer hara and its efforts to spiritually undermine them. All of this happened for the Jewish people when God gave them Torah.

Until Mt. Sinai, the Jewish people had not personally heard God speak. Until that time, God had communicated with them through Moshe Rabbeinu, which always left some room for doubt about God or the message. But once God addressed the nation Himself at Har Sinai, everyone had a first-hand experience with the reality of God unparalleled throughout history.

Though we had started receiving mitzvos at Marah, and really back in Egypt, it wasn’t until Har Sinai that we received the entire Torah in the most awesome way possible. Absolute truth had been shared with mankind, and there was no question about its veracity.

As for the yetzer hara, we got a clear picture of how quickly it can be aroused through the episode of the golden calf. We always knew we had it, but we lost it temporarily after saying Na’aseh v’Nishma. This is why most Jews did not participate in the sin of the calf, only the stragglers who were more like the Erev Rav than the rest of the Jewish nation.

When we returned to being mortal once again and regained our yetzer hara, the war began against it because we now had mitzvos to keep, and the yetzer hara was not keen about that at all. As God said, “I created the yetzer hara, and I created Torah as its spice” (Kiddushin 30b).

Therefore, the greatest gift we received at Kabbalas HaTorah was the gift of bechirah, free will. Without it, we are not much better than the animals around us, and we certainly can’t earn a portion in the World to Come. We can’t live up to being made in the image of God, which is the basis of true and lasting happiness.

So even though Moshe Rabbeinu broke the first set of tablets, he did not break our gift of free will. On the contrary, if anything, it increased after regaining the yetzer hara. Bechirah is what we have over the animals, and even over the angels, who can only do what they’re told by God.

It’s something to think about and appreciate, perhaps when deciding if you really need that second piece of cheesecake.

Chag Samayach and great Kabbalas HaTorah.

Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: Accepting a Person’s Past Background

(condensed from Ein Ayah, Bikurim 9:35)

Mishna: [Those who greeted the bringers of the bikurim would say:] “Our brothers, the residents of the place called Ploni, bo’achem l’shalom (your arrival shall be in peace).”

Ein Ayah: Factionalism and unity, when they are intertwined in a proper way, are pillars of happiness and social success. This is true both in the realm of international relations and within a nation, between the different subgroupings within.

Every nation has special qualities, both in the spiritual and in the material realms. There may be a nation that is large and powerful and other nations will be drawn to it. The large nation will do well if it realizes that with all its power, it should not swallow up justice and correct behavior. They should realize that while it is good to unify many powers into one central entity and join under one flag when the flag bearer is spiritually worthy, still all the individual components should preserve their national heritages when their traits are not destructive.

The same phenomenon is true in regard to a metropolitan city, its state’s capital and intellectual center, in relation to the surrounding suburbs and agricultural towns, which visit and impact upon the city. It is important for the members of the central city to recognize the residents of the satellite areas with brotherhood and a spirit of partnership. Thereby it is worthwhile for everyone to turn to the central place as a beacon of light and not try to set up competitive centers, which will cause divisions. The respect the city-dwellers give to the visitors does not have to take away from the residents’ rights in their own cities, whether in material or spiritual matters. With the right attitude, they will even make allowances for the differing customs and viewpoints of the visitors (see Yerushalmi, Pesachim 4:1). They can see what is special in the spiritual and material characteristics of each town while appreciating the importance of drawing all together in unity.

That is what the people of Yerushalayim did in respect to the bringers of bikurim. They referred to them as “our brothers,” as those who come with brotherhood to take part in a unifying experience in the central city which also houses the Mountain of Hashem. Despite the element of unity, they referred to them as residents of the place called Ploni, expressing that they have no interest in erasing the significance of their place of origin and recognizing that it is only natural that the visitors take pride in and have affection for their place.

This also serves as practice and a lesson regarding times of world peace, which Israel will yet experience through the Torah whose ways are ways of pleasantness and peace to all nations. The Torah refers to “a foreigner (this pasuk is not referring to a convert), and a resident, and one who lives with you” (Vayikra 25:35). Regarding foreigners living in our Land, we are only careful that they remove any destructive behavior and accept the Noahide Laws. We will not be bothered by longings and affection for his nation and the land of his fathers, which is why he is called a “foreigner.” Yet he will be considered a resident in Eretz Yisrael as far as feeling closeness to him and awarding him full civil rights. He should not be told that if he wants to be a resident, he must remove the elements of a foreigner, as the pasuk says that while he is known as a foreigner and a resident, he will live with you. This idea regarding nations is also true regarding cities. The “out-of-towners” are brothers who are closely connected to us even as they remain distinct and connected to their hometown. This is the true and straight peace: “Our brothers, the residents of the place called Ploni, your arrival shall be in peace.”

Nazir - Holy or Sinner?

by HaRav Mordechai Greenberg
Nasi HaYeshiva, Kerem B'Yavneh

R. Moshe Chayyim Luzzatto (Ramchal), in his classic mussar work Mesillat Yesharim (ch. 13), points to apparent contradictions in Chazal's evaluation of "prishut" [self-denial]. Some statements praise self-denial, while others criticize abstinence. On the one hand, they prohibit fasting unnecessarily, saying, "Is that which the Torah prohibits not enough for you that you seek to prohibit other things?" (J. Nedarim 9:1) Similarly, they say that a person will have to give a reckoning before G-d for all permitted food that he saw and avoided eating. (J. Kiddushin 4:12) On the other hand, they say, "Anyone who fasts is considered holy, all-the-more-so for a nazir!" (Taanit 11a) The Ramchal cites many other sources supporting each of these seemingly contradictory sides of the issue.

The Ramchal's conclusion is that a person has to carefully weigh and measure whether each of the worldly things that he wants is really necessary for him or if it is just a luxury. He summarizes the issue as follows: "This is the rule. Anything that is not necessary for worldly needs - a person should refrain from. However, something which is necessary, for any purpose - if a person refrains from it, he is a sinner. This rule is clear, although the particular application of this rule is subject to one's judgment ... Each instance has to be evaluated on its own."

This rule, that refraining from worldly pleasures has to be evaluated based on each person's needs, is implied in the laws of the nazir. If a nazir is defiled by the sudden death of a person, he has to bring a sin offering, to atone for having sinned "al hanefesh." (Bamidbar 6:11) Our Sages ask: Regarding which "nefesh" did he sin [since the defilement was sudden and unavoidable]? R. Elazar Hakapar says, "Because he abstained from wine [and thus sinned against his own soul]." (Nedarim 10a) This explanation is difficult, since it now seems that every nazir should have to bring a sin offering! Why is it only required of a nazir who became defiled?

The Netziv (Ha`amek Davar) explains that becoming a nazir and abstaining from physical pleasures is worthwhile in order to achieve the spiritual pleasure of "dvaykut" [clinging] to G-d. However, when a misfortune occurs to a person, requiring him to halt his nezirut, it is a sign from heaven that he is not fit to be a nazir. It turns out, then, that this particular person abstained from the pleasure of wine for naught, since such abstinence was not appropriate for one on his level. He therefore requires atonement. We see, then, that one person who becomes a nazir is considered holy, while another person who does exactly the same thing is considered a sinner.

Similarly, the Kuzari writes (3:1) that when the Divine presence was felt in Israel, there were people who would abstain from worldly matters in order to achieve spiritual heights. However, now that there is no prophecy and true wisdom is difficult to attain, one who becomes a nazir only brings upon himself suffering and sickness, both spiritual and physical, since he cannot cling to the "Divine light" in this manner.

Rav Kook, zt"l, also writes (letter #73) about those who have not achieved a high spiritual level, yet undertake a lofty manner of service through fasting and self-denial. He says that as long as their hearts remain empty, they will not accomplish anything, neither for themselves, nor for their generation.

Regarding this kind of issue our Sages taught us: Whether one does a lot, or a little - so long as his intentions are directed towards G-d. (Berachot 5b) All your actions should be for the sake of G-d! (Avot 2:12)

Rav Kook on Shavuot: Coercion at Har Sinai

The Torah describes the remarkable events that preceded the Torah’s revelation at Har Sinai:

“Moshe led the people out of the camp toward God and they stood at the bottom of the mountain.” (Shemot 19:17)

The Midrash interprets the phrase “bottom of the mountain” quite literally: the people were standing, not at the foot of the mountain, but underneath it.

“The Holy One held the mountain over them like a bucket and warned them: If you accept the Torah — good. And if not — here you will be buried.” (Shabbat 88a)

Would it not have been preferable for the Jewish people to accept the Torah willingly? Why does the Midrash teach that they were forced to accept it?

Limits to Free Will
It is essential that we have the ability to choose between right and wrong. It is through our free will that we develop spiritually and refine our ethical faculties. There are, however, limitations to our free will.

Not everything is subject to freedom of choice. Free will itself is an integral part of life and is beyond our control. We are not free to decide whether to choose or not. We must make an ethical choice. We decide what to choose, where to go, which path to take. But the necessity to choose, like life itself, is forced upon us.

If the Torah was simply a manual how to make good ethical decisions, it would be appropriate for Israel to be free to accept or reject the Torah. The Torah would belong to the realm of free will, and the fundamental decision whether to accept and follow the Torah would need to be made freely, without coercion.

But the Torah is much more than a moral guidebook. The Torah expresses our inner essence. When we violate the Torah’s teachings, we become estranged from our own true selves. For this reason, the Torah needed to be given to Israel in a compulsory act, just as free will is an inherent aspect of our spiritual makeup and was imposed upon us without our consent. 

Supporting the World
The corollary to this truth is that the Torah is not the private possession of the Jewish people. Within the inner realm of creation, all is interconnected and interrelated. The universe mandates the existence of the Torah and its acceptance by Am Yisrael.

Why did the Midrash use the image of an immense mountain dangling overhead as a metaphor for the inevitability of Matan Torah?

Har Sinai merited a unique role on that decisive day. The mountain represented all of creation; it became the universe’s center of gravity. Har Sinai absorbed the quality of universality and was permeated with the force of inevitable destiny. It represented the impossibility of life, or any aspect of existence, without Israel accepting the Torah.

The Jewish people made their stand under the mountain. They supported the entire universe — a universe that was concentrated within the mountain held over their heads. “If you accept the Torah, good” — for then you will have been faithful to your true essence, the truth of your very existence. “And if not, here you will be buried.” The entire universe will rise up against you, just as you have rebelled against your true selves.

(Silver from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. IV on Shabbat 88a (9:67) y Rav Chanan Morrison.)

Kodesh and Chol

by HaRav Zalman Baruch Melamed
Rosh HaYeshiva, Beit El

THE CALF-SOTAH CONNECTION
Our sages of Blessed Memory compared the Sin of the Golden Calf with the plight of the unfaithful wife, the "Sotah", that appears in this week’s Torah portion. Immediately following the Giving of the Torah - Matan Torah - after the wedding of the Community of Israel with the Holy One Blessed be He, we, the nation of Israel, "went astray." Just as the Torah mandates that the Sotah be made to drink a special liquid as part of the process of determining her guilt, Moshe Rabeinu obligated the Jews - in the wake of the sin of the Golden Calf - to drink a special liquid mixture. Whomever had participated in the sin of the Calf was smitten as a result.

What was unique about the "Sotah" water? How did it determine whether or not a particular woman - suspected of infidelity - was truly unfaithful to her husband?

To understand the dynamic at work here, we should note that the liquid was composed of water, "Mayim Chayim", dust from the Mishkan, and crushed parchment from a scroll on which several verses and the name of God were written. All of the ingredients were mixed together into a holy drink; if an unfaithful wife partook of it, she would be smitten. A process, described graphically by the Torah, begins - ultimately leading to her tragic death.

The procedure of the Sotah teaches us that holiness and moral turpitude, spiritual impurity, simply cannot live under the same roof. Thus, when they confront one another, there is a clash - a sort of "explosion" - that leads to the death of the sinner. If the woman turns out not to have sinned in the first place, if she has continued to live a holy, moral life, she becomes a beneficiary of additional holiness: Thus, the Torah promises, if she had earlier been barren, she now, after drinking this unique mixture, will be able to conceive and give birth to a child.

A PRACTICAL APPLICATION
We, as Jews devoted to serving God, should be committed yet cautious not to attempt to rise too quickly on the path towards holiness; excessive tension between a newly-found holy lifestyle and the Jew who wishes to absorb this holiness, may well bring about an "explosion." This is what occurred to most of the four rabbis who entered the mystical "orchard" (see Shir Hashirim Rabba 1:1): Three of them were harmed in one way or another as a result of that experience, since they were not sufficiently prepared for their encounter with holiness. Only Rebbi Akiva, who made sure to prepare himself for that event, "entered and exited in peace" - and was, like the "faithful wife", deserving of an extra level of holiness over and above that which he possessed before the mystical encounter.

NAZIR: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
The Nazirite, or "Nazir", is a holy man. With the laws of the Nazir, the Torah provides an avenue for a Jew to rise to higher levels of kedusha (holiness) should he so choose. A Nazir is nevertheless warned not to permit anything to impinge upon his newly-acquired status. He may not, therefore, allow himself to be defiled through contact with a corpse; he must let his hair grow long, and must not drink wine.

The Jewish approach to wine is two-fold. On the one hand, we are told by Dovid HaMelech in the book of Tehilim that "wine gladdens a man’s heart." Simcha, or joy, is an expression of completeness, says the great Maharal of Prague. Wine is used as a libation on the altar and is also the choice drink for saying Kiddush on Shabbat each week. One the other hand, excessive consumption of wine leads to drunkenness, to a dulling of the senses, and to an intensification of man’s animal drives.

Our understanding of the Nazir also reflects this dichotomy: >From one angle, he is considered holy, but from another perspective, he is a sinner. (Talmud, Tractate Ta’anit 11a) There are times when an ascetic approach is appropriate. This was the case during our lengthy exile, when we lived outside of our Land; asceticism, a removal of ourselves from the physical world, was a crucial aspect of service of God. Since we have returned to our Land, however, to the source of our national life, we are bidden to return to an approach that stresses not separation from - but sanctification of - our material reality . In this more holistic view, anchored in our return to Eretz Yisrael, Kedusha is attained chiefly through our elevation of the physical world...

Twelve Offerings

by Rabbi Dov Berel Wein

The Book of Bamidbar contains many puzzling portions. In this week's Parsha, the Torah records the sacrificial offerings by the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel, upon the dedication and consecration of the tabernacle. These twelve offerings were identical in every detail. Yet, the Torah describes each of these offerings individually, as though the offering of each leader was his decision and was unique and different from the offering of his colleague who was the leader of a very different tribe.

Over the ages, many ideas and interpretations have been offered for this seeming redundancy. The overwhelming number of interpretations concentrate on the idea that even though the offerings may physically have been identical, the spirit and motivation of each differed from individual to individual, and tribe to tribe.

This type of interpretation lends itself to understanding how one Jew can achieve personal prayer while reciting a set number of printed texts which everyone else around him or her are also reciting at the very same moment. Since no two people are alike physically, they certainly are not alike mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.

Prayer is derived not only from the brain and lips of the person praying but, rather, it also comes from the emotions and unique perspective that each human being brings to the relationship with one's creator and to life. So, too, the offerings of the leaders of the tribes of Israel in the desert may have been physically identical, but the emotional perspective and spiritual elevation of each of the offerings was truly unique and distinctive for that tribal prince who brought it and gave it as a service of the public in the Mishkan.

Another lesson that is to be learned from this seeming repetition of the offerings of the leaders of the tribes of Israel, is the triumph of constancy over flashes of brilliance. It is the old parable regarding the race between the tortoise and the hare. And repetition always leads to a feeling of security and hope. Much of Judaism is based upon repetitive behavior. With each recurring action, we absorb and internalize it into our very being, so that doing the right thing in fulfilling the commandments of the Torah becomes second nature to us.

This is especially true in the field of prayer. I once read a memoir of an Israeli soldier who fought in the battle for Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill in 1967 during the Six-Day War. The Jordanian army was entrenched on that hill, and most military experts believed it was suicidal to try and dislodge them. The hill was the central point in the battle for Jerusalem, and by controlling it, the rest of the West Bank was open to mobile contact and conquest. The soldier wrote of the terrible battle that waged that night, and how hundreds of his comrades were killed and wounded, while the Jordanians also suffered great losses. He wrote that at one moment in the battle he was alone and nearly surrounded by Jordanian troops. He said that he felt an overwhelming urge at that moment to pray, but he then realized that since he had never prayed in his life, he did not know what to do. He resolved, therefore, that if he survived – and he did – he would learn how to pray, so that when he had to pray, he would know what he must do.

The Real Threat to Al-Aqsa Mosque is From Muslims, Not Jews

by Bassam Tawil 

• If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters -- not peaceful Jewish visitors -- are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque.
• Israeli authorities have clarified that the route of the "flag parade" absolutely does not include entry into any mosque.
• Assurances by the Israeli authorities, however, have not stopped Palestinians and other Muslims from spreading fake news and libels against Jews.
• Iran's terror proxies Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad have also used the celebrations in Jerusalem to spread the libel that Jews are planning to "desecrate" al-Aqsa Mosque.
• As far as Hamas and other Palestinians are concerned, the very presence of Jews at their holy site and in Israel is supposedly a "provocation."
• Hamas and several terror groups in the Gaza Strip, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad, also repeated the lie that "al-Aqsa Mosque is in danger."
• When the terror groups talk about "resistance," they are referring to the need for terrorism against Israel, including firing rockets from the Gaza Strip, and attacks by stabbing, shooting and car-ramming.
• "The people of Palestine have no historical rights to Palestine. They have no right that dates back 2,000, 3,000, or 4,000 years. The right of the Canaanites to Palestine is equal to the pharaohs' right to Egypt. Is it conceivable that any Muslim in Egypt would say: 'I am Pharaonic and proud of it?' Well, it is the same if a Muslim in Palestine said, 'I am a Canaanite and proud of it.' To hell with your Canaanite identity and to his Pharaonic identity. People, our history is simple and it is not ancient. It must not be said that the Palestinians have Canaanite roots. Our history dates back only 1,440 years.... The only thing you are allowed to say is: Oh Palestinians, you are Muslims." — Issam Amira, Palestinian Islamic scholar, al-Aqsa Mosque, April14, 2023
• The revival of the "al-Aqsa is in danger" libel is part of an ongoing effort by Palestinians and other Muslims to delegitimize and eliminate Israel. Palestinian leaders and Muslim "scholars" spread lies about Israel and Jews to encourage and justify terrorism.
• The real threat to the mosque and other holy sites in Jerusalem is posed those Palestinians and Muslims who use battle cries to incite violence, terrorism and Jew-hate.
• Incomprehensibly, much of the international community, the media, and even prominent self-declared "human rights" organizations persist in defaming Israel and ignoring this fabricated, toxic incitement by Palestinian and Muslim leaders.

If anyone has been desecrating al-Aqsa Mosque, it is Muslims who have been rioting and using rocks and fireworks to attack police officers and Jewish visitors. Muslim rioters -- not peaceful Jewish visitors -- are the real threat to the sanctity of the mosque. Pictured: Israeli firefighters try to put out the flames of a tree that was set ablaze by Palestinian rioters on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, on April 22, 2022 (Photo by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinians are again repeating the lie that al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is in danger because the Jews are planning to "storm" and "desecrate" it.

Some Palestinians and Muslims have gone so far as to accuse the Jews of plotting to destroy the mosque. The latest campaign of lies and misinformation arrived as Jews, on May 18, were preparing to celebrate the reunification of Jerusalem by holding a flag parade in the city.

For days, the hashtag "al-Aqsa Mosque is in Danger" was trending on various social media platforms, evidently as part of a concerted campaign to smear Jews and rally Muslims against them.

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Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Not Copying Western Seminaries – part III

#149 – part III

Date and Place: 4 Menachem Av 5668 (1908), Rechovot

Recipient: Rav Yitzchak Isaac Halevi. As mentioned, we have featured many letters between the two. The ideological negotiations between them, around the question of Rav Halevi’s help with Rav Kook’s proposed yeshiva, focus this time on the importance that new styles of Torah learning not negatively impact Torah tradition.

Body: It would be degrading to us to compare the lofty house (i.e. the planned yeshiva), which is based on a sacred, pure spirit, to Western seminaries. Even the best of these seminaries made their secular studies and Western culture the main element and their Torah and fear of Hashem secondary. Not that all seminaries’ founders were guilty in the matter; some were righteous and great experts in Torah. The problem was that German/Western Jewry was already ruined by the wayward Jews who preceded us by a couple of generations. Due to this, even the well-intentioned did not find the ability to build their most basic studies of Torah and general Judaism on firm foundations. We remember favorably that they saved their communities from total destruction. Even though their work was far from “returning the crown to its old position,” the way the Men of the Great Assembly did when they blessed Hashem’s Great Name (see Yoma 69b), they did what they could.

In our case, if we will take the existing opportunity to diligently do our work in the Holy Land, and use the good human resources, we will act successfully. There are tens of thousands of people, possessing healthy, fresh Judaism, who love Torah and are dedicated with all their hearts to Judaism and to Hashem’s covenant with His nation. We do not need to adorn the Torah scholars who will stand at the forefront of Judaism with all the adornments that existed in the German model (broad secular studies). These generally caused those involved to lose their Torah and fear of Hashem. Rather, we strive to train the highest-level Torah scholars, for whom the main part of their Judaism is greatness in Torah and fear of Heaven. Along with that, we want them to be part of what transpires in the communities, men who are full of life and vigor, capable of speaking fluently, with a basic awareness of culture and manners. We do not want to produce overly formalistic people who try to sanctify meaningless details, but rather those who act with a dignity that befits Torah scholars. This was always a hallmark of the Jewish People, until darkness covered the land, in events like the horrible latest decrees that befell the nation and the tremendous spiritual confusion, such as the periods of the Khmelnytsky uprising and the cursed Shabtai Tzvi, and the afflictions that followed them.

The main thing in the yeshiva should be a complete spirit, full of sanctity and vigor. Some subjects cannot be taught in the yeshivabuilding, because for some people they are inappropriate, and those people may copy those for whom it is appropriate. This is up to the headmaster who understands the hearts of “the flock.” However, as long as the goal is to strengthen Jewish adherence to trustworthy Judaism, creating complete individuals who are full of the light of Torah and life, such carefulness is critically necessary.

The correct study of the Torah’s spiritual side should be instituted even if it had not been studied in previous generations because the spiritual malady was not severe then. In truth, though, such study was done regularly from way back in history. This is the case regarding all of the homiletic passages and midrashim, which contain the Torah’s storehouses of life, including incredible spiritual wisdom that is “hidden in envelopes” for various reasons. These were studied by those who were fit for them, with all their internal grandeur. In recent generations, some of the greatest rabbis learned these spiritual matters regularly, whether it be in the style of Kabbala, investigation, or ethics. They were certainly studied in a manner that gives off fruit, and fruit of fruit. In the past, it was not necessary to broaden the matter fully, just as it was not necessary to remove the pitfalls in the field of history, because matters were not as contentious as they now are, since those who defile our belief system came and polluted matters.