Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: The Perception of Hashem and His Tefillin

(based on Ein Ayah, Berachot 1:76)

Gemara: “I will remove My hand, and you will see My back” (Shemot 33:23). This teaches us that Hashem showed Moshe a knot of tefillin.

Ein Ayah: Regarding abstract intellectual attainments, especially relating to the Divine, there are two elements of truth to investigate: 

1) the true innate essence of the matter, as we do for all sense-based investigation; 
2) the truth as it relates to the value of the matter in the conception of the one who perceives it.

In truth, the entire Torah is presented according to the ability of its recipients to perceive it. This is because all of the ethical good flows only from perceiving this relative truth. The abstract absolute truth goes beyond the intellectual capabilities of the one who investigates the matter and is thus unperceivable. This is what Hashem meant when he told Moshe: “For man cannot see Me and live” (ibid.:20).

This is why Chazal used the metaphor of Hashem’s tefillin. They contain matters of wisdom, the words of the Living G-d. However, they do not relate to man by themselves. Rather, it is the knot of the tefillin that enables the tefillin to impact on man. Thus, the abstract concept is referred to as tefillin or totafot. The conception that is attainable to human intellect is represented by the knot. One should go deeper into the matter and realize that the abstract conceptions certainly have a known value for their truth from their own perspective along with their truth in relation to the perceiver. The special level of Moshe Rabbeinu of blessed memory was that Hashem informed him even regarding the relation and connection that these levels of conceptions have to each other, and how they are arranged one next to the other. However, the actual abstract conception of objective Divine truth was not able to be grasped even by Moshe, as the pasuk said: “My face shall not be seen” (ibid.:23).

"He Sent him from the Depth of Chevron"

by HaRav Mordechai Greenberg
Nasi HaYeshiva, Kerem B'Yavneh


Rashi, based on the Midrash, comments (Bereisheet 37:14):

He sent him from the depth of Chevron. But Chevron is on a hill! ... Rather, from the deep plan of that tzaddik (Avraham Avinu) who is buried in Chevron, to fulfill what was said to Avraham in the covenant between the pieces (brit bein habetarim), "Your offspring shall be aliens in a land not their own."

Clearly, Chazal do not mean that Yaakov knew where this errand would lead. Yaakov very much feared the descent to Egypt, and when he set out to meet with Yosef, G-d had to encourage him, "Have no fear of descending to Egypt." (Bereisheet 46:3) Rather, Chazal hint here to an important principle in Jewish philosophy. The Divine master plan is preordained, just that its implementation is generally carried out by man, through his own free will. Divine Providence often makes use of human actions to advance its plans, and sometimes it even leads man, in a hidden way, so that he will advance its goals.

The exile in Egypt was the result of the hatred and jealousy between brothers. Chazal warn us: "A person should never favor one child amongst the children. Because of two selaim's worth of fine material (for the striped cloak) that Yaakov gave Yosef more than the rest of his sons, his brothers became jealous of him, one thing led to another, and our forefathers descended to Egypt." (Shabbat 10b) Everyone knows, though, that this process does not begin in Parshat Vayeishev, but rather in Parshat Lech-Lecha, in the decree of bein habetarim. We wait to see how the Divine plan will materialize. Indeed, Chazal say that Yaakov deserved to go down in iron chains (i.e., by Divine decree), but G-d had compassion on his honor and brought his son down as King of Egypt, so that Yaakov would descend in honor. They give the metaphor of a cow that does not want to go to slaughter, so a calf is led before her, and she is drawn after it.

Indeed, the tribes complained about the fact that they were involved against their will in the execution of the Divine plan. On the pasuk, "Why Hashem do you let us stray from Your paths, letting our hearts become hardened from fearing You: Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage" (Yeshaya 63:17), Chazal comment: When You wanted to -- you placed love in their hearts; and when you wanted to -- you placed hatred in their hearts. (Bereisheet Rabbah 84:17) The Netziv explains: To love -- in the episode of Dina; and to hate -- in the episode of Yosef. In these two episodes they sinned and were punished, despite the fact that they were not worthy of such action, were it not that Divine Providence desired that it should be so. Therefore, He aroused in their hearts at that time a great hatred and a great love.

Chazal express this idea vividly on our parsha (Midrash Tanchuma Vayeishev #4):

"Yosef was brought down to Egypt." (Bereisheet 39:1) That is what Scripture states, "Go and see the works of Hashem, He is awesome in deed (`alilah) toward mankind." (Tehillim 46:9) R. Yehoshua b. Karcha says: "Even the awesome deeds that you bring upon us you bring with a pretext (`alilah)...

What is this comparable to? To a man who wanted to divorce his wife. When he planned to go to his house, he wrote a Get and entered his house with the Get in his hand. He sought a pretext to give her the Get. He said to her, "Pour me a cup to drink!" She poured for him. When he took the cup from her, he said to her, "Here is your Get!" She said to him, "What did I do wrong?" He said to her, "Leave my house, because you poured me a lukewarm cup." She said to him, "Did you know beforehand that I would pour you a lukewarm cup that you wrote a Get and brought it with you?!"

Similarly, it says about Yosef, "His brothers saw that it was he whom their father loved most," etc. G-d sought to fulfill the decree of "Know with certainty," and brought as pretext all these things, so that Yaakov should love Yosef, his brothers would hate him, they would sell him to the Yishmaelites, who would take him down to Egypt, and Yaakov would hear that Yosef is alive in Egypt, and he would go down with the tribes -- and they would be subjugated there.

This indicates that the brothers' hatred was not the cause for Israel's descent to Egypt, but the opposite is true. The need to descend to Egypt caused that the brothers should hate Yosef. "He sent him from the depths of Chevron -- from the deep plan of that tzaddik who is buried in Hebron.

This principle brings us to the difficult issue of the contradiction between Divine knowledge and free choice. Yet, the Netziv writes about this (Ha'amek Davar 3, 14):

This wonder is the famous question regarding knowledge and free choice. The well-known resolution is G-d's statement: "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways." (Yeshaya 55:8) Thus, not everything that we find incomprehensible is incomprehensible to Him. It is clear that this is so.

Rav Kook on Parashat Vayeishev: Tamar's Sacrifice

Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the story of Yehuda and his daughter-in-law Tamar took place after Yehuda was informed that the young widow had behaved loosely and was pregnant. Yehuda meted out a harsh punishment for her promiscuity: “Take her out and have her burned” (Ber. 38:24).

Confronted with such a severe sentence, Tamar could have easily pointed an accusing finger at Yehudah. After all, it was Yehuda who had made her pregnant, not knowing the true identity of the “prostitute” he had met on the road to Timna. Incredibly, Tamar chose to be silent. Only as she was led out to be executed did Tamar remark enigmatically, “I am pregnant by the man who is the owner of these articles” (Ber. 38:25). When Yehuda heard that cryptic message, he immediately realized that her pregnancy was not the result of promiscuity, but a form of yibum, which Tamar had only been able to consummate through deception.

Why didn’t Tamar save her life by openly identifying her father-in-law — and judge — as the person responsible?

The Gemara derives an amazing lesson from Tamar’s selfless act:

“It is better to throw oneself into a fiery furnace than to shame another person in public.” (Berachot 43b)

This remarkable statement raises two questions. First of all, is honor really such an important thing? Did Chazal not teach (Avot 4:21) that the pursuit of honor and fame is an undesirable trait that can “drive one from the world”?

Secondly, there are only three crimes — murder, idolatry, and illicit relations — so grievous that it is preferable to die rather than transgress them. Why was Tamar willing to die rather than embarrass her father-in-law?


Illustration image: Judah and Tamar (Rembrandt’s school, 1620-1700)

Superficial Honor versus Inner Worth
To answer the first question, we must distinguish between two types of honor. The first is an illusory honor based on external acquisitions — wealth, position, fame, and so on. Pursuing this type of honor is certainly a negative trait, a mindset which can cause one to lose his way and squander his time on inconsequential matters.

There is, however, a nobler form of honor. This honor is based on our awareness of our true inner worth as human beings created in God’s image. Recognition of our innate dignity, and an aversion to ignominy, has the opposite effect to the pursuit of superficial honor. This awareness is the very foundation of morality. It enables one to value the nobility of a life rooted in ethical and spiritual ideals.

In an essay describing our generation’s need to deepen its appreciation of the spiritual side of the universe, through the study of the Torah’s esoteric teachings, Rav Kook noted a decline in humanity’s awareness of inner values:

“As the world advances in its superficial culture, it simultaneously declines in its inner worth. This deterioration is due to the phenomenon that, with the advance of society’s external values, the eye is increasingly captivated by superficialities and learns to belittle inner awareness. Due to this process, humanity’s true worth continually dwindles. The world’s redemption is dependent upon the revival of our inner perceptions.” (Orot HaKodesh vol. I, p. 96)

Human life has value only when it is accompanied by recognition of one’s inner worth and dignity. It is preferable to forfeit life in this world rather than publicly shame another person, permanently disgracing him and ruining his honor. Such a public defaming will bring about the loss of all value in living, a slow and degrading demise.

In practice, however, it seems that one should not take such a drastic step. With time, a life lived fully can heal and restore lost honor. Nonetheless, those with a noble and sensitive soul should feel that their own will to live is weakened if their own survival must come at the expense of another’s public disgrace and humiliation.

For this reason, Chazal did not write, “One is required to throw oneself into a fiery furnace,” but rather, “It is better.” This is how one should feel, even if in practice it does not come to that.

(Sapphire from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 191 by Rav Chanan Morrison)

Yosef and His Brothers / The National Religious and the Left

by HaRav Zalman Baruch Melamed 
Rosh HaYeshiva, Beit El

It seems as if the relationship between the left-wing and the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria (Yesha) is like that between the first ten sons of the Patriarch Yaakov and their young brother Yosef. Yosef is a dreamer, dreaming of royalty, of redemption, of Messianic times. He dreams of grain sheaves, in which those of his brothers bow down to his own. This is reminiscent of the Song of Redemption (Shir HaMaalot B'shuv), which states both "When G-d returned [us] to Zion, we were like dreamers" and "he will come with joy, carrying his grain sheaves." Yosef dreams that he has a senior role and a great mission, and this causes his brothers jealousy and even hatred.

The Yesha settler community, too, dreams of Israel's Redemption - Messianic dreams - and there are those on the left wing of the political and philosophical spectrum who hate them and their dreams. Yosef is critical of his brothers, he has high ethical standards, and for this purpose he speaks to his father about their shortcomings. Yosef's father loves him, and his brothers hate him. The residents of Yesha are also pioneers, they are idealistic, they are willing to sacrifice for the nation and the Land; they are people of values – and this is what brings about jealousy, even among brothers, and hatred. The hatred is so deep that the Torah tells us, "they couldn't speak to him in peace" (B'resheet 37,3). The left feels so strongly against the residents of Yesha that they are unable to open channels of dialogue with them. Yosef's brothers are so resentful that they wish to simply be rid of him. They throw him into a pit teeming with snakes and scorpions. They ultimately take him out and sell him to passing Ishmaelite traders, and say cynically, "Let's see now what his dreams what will be!"

The left, too, acts this way towards us. Many of them are unfortunately willing to endanger the settlers, and "sell" us to the Ishmaelites/Arabs, giving us over to their rule – and then say, "Let's see your dreams now." But just like in the story of Yosef, who said that though his brothers' intentions were originally bad, G-d arranged the entire situation for good. And just like Yosef's dreams came true, our dreams today will also come true, dreams of Redemption and Mashiach.

Before the arrival of the Davidic Mashiach, Mashiach ben David, the Mashiach ben Yosef will prepare the way. The Gaon of Vilna says that Yosef expresses the process of Moshiach ben Yosef in all generations and in the generation of Redemption. It is said of Yosef [when his brothers came to Egypt to buy food], "Yosef knew his brothers, but they did not recognize him" (B'resheet 42,8). This is the story in all generations: Yosef's role is not recognized or understood. This is the work of Satan, who conceals from our sight the function of the Messiah ben Yosef, causing us to scorn him and his mission.

The Gaon of Vilna also cites this verse: "they [Your enemies] disgraced the footprints of Your anointed" (Tehilim 89, 52). He writes that it is known that the enemies of G-d and Israel seek to thwart the activities of Atchalta D'Geula, the beginning of Redemption, which are: building the Holy Land, settling it, and fulfilling the commandments that are dependent on it. It is incumbent upon us, then, to rely on G-d, Whose desire it is that we should do our part in this world – a concept known as it'aruta d'ltata – and stand up against all those who condemn us.

With this exhortation by the Vilna Gaon, let us be strong, and everything will turn out for the best, as it was with Yosef.

The plan of Yaakov

by Rabbi Dov Berel Wein

Modern writers and commentators have found the biblical narratives of the book of Berisheet irresistible in their penchant for psychoanalyzing people described in terms of modern understanding and current correctness. In so doing they do a great disservice to Jewish tradition and present a distorted picture of the message that the Bible is attempting to convey.

The narrative regarding Yosef and his brothers has engaged mankind for millennia. In it is represented all of the personality characteristics of nobility, self-justification, blindness and deception throughout history. The narrative stands by itself and needs no "deeper" exposition or analysis. It is what it is and that is how Jewish tradition has always viewed it.

The tendency to "understand" the characters of the people presented in the Torah narrative leads to all sorts of weird ideas that serve to undermine Jewish values and traditions instead of strengthening them. In all of the narratives that appear in this holy book the unseen hand of Heaven, so to speak, is present and active. And that part of the story is not subject to any psychological or personal analysis or perspective.

Rashi points this out in his opening comment to this week's Torah reading. The plan of Yaakov is to enjoy a leisurely retirement in his later stage of life but Heaven interferes as the story of Yosef and his brothers unfolds. No matter how you will analyze the motivations of the characters in this biblical narrative, we still will not know the entire story. It is always the inscrutable hand of Heaven that governs the story and mocks our pretensions.

One of the great differences between the traditional commentators and the more modern versions of this genre is this God factor. Midrash, Talmud, and the great medieval and later commentators that created the framework for understanding the narrative of the Torah, also delved deeply into the personalities and motives of the people represented in the Torah. They were always careful not only to include but also to emphasize that ultimately it was the will of Heaven that was guiding events towards Divine purposes.

The Bible is not a psychodrama or rebuke of history and psychology. It is a book of fire and holiness and one has to be careful in handling it. But modern commentators – even those who are observant and scholarly – many times insert currently faddish values and interpretations into its eternal words. Keeping this in mind in dealing with the great narrative regarding Joseph and his brothers, one of the key narratives in the entire Torah, we should do so with caution and tradition.

To do otherwise, is a great disservice to the text of the story itself and to the value system that Jewish tradition has assigned to it. The dispute between Yosef and his brothers has heavenly and historic consequences and still hovers over Jewish life today. To treat it as a matter of sibling rivalry is a misunderstanding of the entire purpose of the Torah narrative.

Israel's Biggest Enemy: How Netanyahu Is Thanked for Disabling Iran, Terrorist Groups

by Bassam Tawil 
  • [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] has not earned the title "The Churchill of the Middle East" for nothing.
  • What is lethal for the country is that the judges ruled that Netanyahu must appear in court three times a week for at least six consecutive hours each time. All this when the prime minister is preoccupied with the multi-front war against Israel by Iran, its terror proxies, and now Turkey, which no doubt sees its proxy-invasion of Syria as a pathway to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's long-term dream to "liberate Jerusalem from the Jews."
  • Some might view this judicial escapade, in cases of trumped-up charges, as political payback for Netanyahu's having tried to reform the judicial system after he was last re-elected in 2022. The judicial reforms are desperately needed, but would diminish the absolute power that Supreme Court judges arrogated to themselves starting in the 1990s, and which they appear autocratically determined to keep.
  • Do these seemingly vindictive judges really think that Netanyahu's cigars and champagne are not more important than Israel's war against Iran's "Axis of Resistance"?
  • There is no reason for the prime minister to spend several hours a day in court now, when Israel is at war and he is successfully protecting his people from enemies seeking his country's destruction and the murder of all Jews.
  • Do these judges actually want Israel to lose the war just so they can keep their absolute power?

Some might view the judicial escapade against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in cases of trumped-up charges, as political payback for the prime minister's having tried to reform the judicial system after he was last re-elected in 2022. The judicial reforms are desperately needed. Do these judges actually want Israel to lose the war just so they can keep their absolute power? Pictured: Netanyahu enters the district court in Tel Aviv at the start of his hearing on December 10, 2024. (Photo by Menahem Kahana/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deserves an award for successfully leading the war against Iran's "Axis of Resistance" in the Middle East. He has not earned the title "The Churchill of the Middle East" for nothing.

Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, during which 1,200 Israelis were murdered and thousands injured, Israel has destroyed most of the terror group's military capabilities in the Gaza Strip and eliminated its top political and military leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar.

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Sudden and Extreme Changes

BS”D 
Parashat Vayeishev 5785
by HaRav Nachman Kahana

It has been reported, that following the fall of the Asad regime in Syria, the head of IDF military intelligence and the head of Shabak (internal security) met in Jordan with their counterparts to discuss the real possibility that Iran would attempt to undermine the government of Jordan and send in Iranian troops to the border with Israel.

Let’s discuss this.

The changes in our region are so sudden and extreme that political analysts, commentators, as well as rabbis who have to prepare Shabbat drashot cannot keep up with events. And the only way to be relevant is to begin by appraising events beyond the present and then waiting for reality to set in.

I suggest that just as the Asad regime of Syria was overthrown, so too, by the will of HaShem in His plan for Am Yisrael, there will be a revolt and civil war in Jordan, with King Abdulla begging for refuge in Israel. This will necessitate our army seizing large areas within Jordan, if not all of that country.

Behind and energizing all that is happening in and around Eretz Yisrael are the tectonic changes in HaShem’s relations with Am Yisrael. They could be headlined “End of galut and beginning of the advent of the Mashiach”, meaning:We have troops along the width and length of the Gaza strip, which is part of the two biblical tribes of Yehuda and Shimon.

We have troops in Lebanon, which is situated on the soil of the two tribes of Asher and Naftali.
We have troops in Syria which is in the tribe of Menashe.

In total, there are Israelis today in the areas of ten of the twelve Biblical tribes that constitute Am Yisrael. Excluded are the tribes of Reuven and Gad, which are in the central and southern regions of Jordan.

Ten is nice but it’s not 12; and just like water, history seeks its natural level.

The last time Jews were in control in the areas of all the 12 tribes was in 722 BCE when Hoshea ben Ella, last king of the northern 10 tribes, was exiled by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser. That is 2746 years that Jews have not been present and in control in the areas of all 12 tribes at the same time!

The involvement of Iran in Jordan will necessitate our seizing large parts of Jordan, including the areas of Reuven and Gad, thereby closing the historical circle of 2746 years when Am Yisrael is again in control of all the land areas of all the 12 tribes.

This does necessarily mean that the Mashiach is about to arrive. In fact, it is quite possible that the era of pre-Mashiach struggle could continue with ups – and downs – for many more years; but the direction is the increasing admiration for the Jewish nation among the rational family of nations.

Megillat Ta’anit, or “Scroll of (not) Fasting,” is a compendium of miraculous events which occurred during the 420 years of the second temple period. It lists the days the rabbis prohibited fasting and eulogizing in order to commemorate with joy those days of miracles when HaShem intervened to save the Jewish nation. After the Temple’s destruction by the Romans, the Megillah was rescinded and those days of thanks were no longer relevant as holidays, except for two which retained their special status – Chanuka and Purim to this day. Why these two?

Chanukah
I suggest: Our rabbis knew that Chanuka and Purim would be relevant in future Jewish history, specifically to the events of our time, as follows:

Chanuka, which we will be celebrating during the next two weeks, commemorates the military achievements of the Maccabim who defeated the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV. His capital was Antioch in what is today’s southern Syria, and then we reconsecrated the defiled Temple of Jerusalem.

It took the Maccabees 33 years to achieve victory (167 BC to 134), but today our soldiers are walking freely in southern Syria without having fired even one shot. And if our government desired, we could capture all of the strategic areas of Syria.

It is now Chanuka plus.

Baruch… Shehechiyanu

Purim
Purim and the Megillah teach us important lessons:

1- The Megillah relates that when Haman told his wife Zeresh of the demeaning manner in which he had been treated by having to lead Mordechai on a horse through the city, his wife replied (Megillah 613):


… אם מזרע היהודים מרדכי אשר החלות לנפל לפניו לא תוכל לו כי נפול תפול לפניו

If Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him. You will surely come to ruin!


And the reverse is true regarding the Jewish nation. “If your enemies before whom your greatness has begun to show are of Yishmael origin, you will rise from victory to victory without end.

2) After the astonishing turn of events in the 127 regions in the Persian empire when the citizens were preparing to murder all the Jews in one day on the 13th of Adar, and the Jews defended themselves, killing 75,000 across the land and another 800 in the city of Shushan, the reaction of the Persians was:


וּבְכָל מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה וּבְכָל עִיר וָעִיר מְקוֹם אֲשֶר דְבַר הַמֶלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ מַגִיעַ שִמְחָה וְשָשׂוֹן לַיְהוּדִים מִשְתֶה וְיוֹם טוֹב וְרַבִים מֵעַמֵי הָאָרֶץ מִתְיַהֲדִים כִי נָפַל פַחַד הַיְהוּדִים עֲלֵיהֶם.

In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized them.

If the chain of miraculous current events continues, we could be seeing great numbers of gentiles the world over leaving their religious beliefs in order to become Jews, as stated by Yirmiyahu the prophet (16,19):

אליך גוים יבאו מאפסי ארץ ויאמרו אך שקר נחלו אבותינו הבל ואין בם מועיל:

…the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, our ancestors bequeathed us false gods, worthless idols that bring no benefit.



Conclusion
Something big is happening now in our world; changes which are on a Biblical scale.

As it appears, the destiny of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael is to achieve inter-national and religious recognition of which we have been deprived of for 2000 years.

All mankind will be affected. Some by wars, others by natural calamities, while others will undergo spiritual transitions. Our destiny is to return home and restore that which was lost to us by our not fulfilling the functions of HaShem’s chosen people.

We might soon prove to be the greatest generation in Jewish history!!!!

Shabbat Shalom,
Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5785/2024 Nachman Kahana

White House Islamophobia Strategy Says Muslims Were the Real Victims of Oct 7th

by Daniel Greenfield

On October 7, Islamic terrorists invaded Israel and murdered over 1,000 people. They raped, looted, and burned families alive in their home. Those whom they did not kill, they took hostage.

According to the Biden administration’s newly announced Islamophobia strategy, however, Muslims in America were the real victims of Oct 7 just like they were the real victims of 9/11.

“Threats and acts of violence against Muslim and Arab communities have increased since the October 7 terrorist attacks,” the official White House ‘Islamophobia’ strategy claims. Muslims are also concerned “about the recent spike in incidents of hate and discrimination in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, concerns they say mirror their community’s experiences following the 9/11 attacks.”

Forget the hostages, the real issue stemming from the brutal Hamas massacres, according to the administration’s ‘strategy’ is that “members of Muslim and Arab communities have often faced obstacles in renting and using public and private gathering spaces. This issue has become more prevalent following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.”

The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate operates out of this parallel universe in which Muslim mobs have not been attacking synagogues and assaulting Jews, or blockading Jewish students from college campuses, but have been the victims.

The Biden administration has yet to condemn the sustained harassment, boycotts and assaults on Jewish students at UCLA, CUNY and Columbia, instead it claims that “since October 7, 2023”, “Muslim and Arab students, faculty, and staff, have been subject to violence, discrimination, hate, harassment, bullying, and online targeting.”

The Islamophobia strategy provides no citation for its claim of nationwide harassment of Muslims on college campuses. Under its Department of Education Office’s for Civil Rights section its few named incidents include a University of Michigan student who claimed that “someone yelled at her that she had terrorist friends because she participated in a pro-Palestinian protest” and that “CUNY Law School cancelled an event hosted by a Muslim student group without adequate justification for doing so”.




The event in question was by the Muslim Law Students Association falsely accusing Israel of genocide for fighting against Hamas that was reportedly to feature CUNY students who had expressed support for terrorism including Fatima Mohammed who had tweeted, “i pray upon the death of the USA on a public platform “ and had urged, “grant victory to the Mujahideen” or the Jihadis, and Nerdeen Kiswani who had quipped, “I hope that pop-pop is the last noise that some Zionists hear in their lifetime!”

According to the White House Islamophobia strategy, CUNY’s failure to platform murderous hatred for America and Israel was ‘discrimination’ and ‘hate’ against Muslim students.

Meanwhile at CUNY, anti-Israel students had demanded the expulsion of most Jewish students and called to “globalize the intifada”. A CUNY professor described how “a Kingsborough/CUNY student beat a Jewish man in a kippah with a bat while yelling, ‘Kill all Jews, free Palestine.’”

But according to the Biden administration, Muslim students at CUNY are the real victims because a Muslim group’s ugly hate event was canceled “without adequate justification”

Students for Justice in Palestine, the top campus anti-Israel group, had openly celebrated and praised the atrocities of Oct 7, and campus protests featured Hamas and Hezbollah flags, but the Islamophobia strategy falsely claims that “student protestors, despite having condemned Hamas and terrorism and engaging in only peaceful protests, have been accused of supporting terrorism merely due to their advocacy for the human rights of Palestinian civilians”.

The strategy’s citation for the claim that anti-Israel students faced “violent attacks, threats, discrimination” was the UCLA encampment where a federal judge ruled that “Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith.” Prior to what the CNN story linked in the strategy describes as Jewish violence against the terrorist encampment, multiple Jewish students and community members had been assaulted, including on camera, and a Jewish female student had been knocked unconscious.

The Biden administration’s idea of “peaceful protests” was kicking a Jewish girl in the head and it claims that students calling for Hamas to destroy Tel Aviv were “accused of supporting terrorism merely due to their advocacy for the human rights of Palestinian civilians”.

The UCLA encampment had been set up by Students for Justice in Palestine UCLA which had co-signed a statement declaring “our unwavering support of the resistance in Gaza” and taking pride in “Towfan Al-Aqsa” (the Hamas name for the October 7 massacres) “as a revolutionary moment in contemporary Palestinian resistance.”

The White House Islamophobia strategy has as little basis for the “peaceful” nature of the terrorist mobs as it does for the contention that Muslims faced a surge of violence after Oct 7.

The U.S. National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Hate quickly discredits itself by citing hoax after hoax. It repeatedly plays up the Burlington hoax referencing “the shooting of three young men in Vermont” and the contention that “a gunman shot three college students of Palestinian descent in Burlington, Vermont,”

While a mentally ill man did shoot three Muslim men, he was a Hamas supporter.

Rather than being anti-Muslim, the gunman had tweeted, “the notion that Hamas is ‘evil’ for defending their state from occupation is absurd” and “what if someone occupied your country? Wouldn’t you fight them?” The Burlington Islamophobia hoax was so thoroughly discredited that even CAIR had given up on listing it in its litany of ‘Islamophobic’ events, but the Biden administration somehow manages to have even lower standards for the truth than CAIR.

The Islamophobia strategy also lists an incident where “an individual believed to have been involved in prior violent incidents at a Minneapolis mosque struck a man with a minivan in the mosque’s parking lot.” The individual, James Evan Suttles, was a black man who had a long list of prior violent incidents, suffered from paranoid delusions and had been committed four times to mental institutions. No hate crimes charges were brought against him over the attack.

The Biden Islamophobia strategy has to lean on such cases to manufacture the myth of Muslim victimhood because it lacks any actual substance. And it props that up with calls for censorship.

The strategy urges social media platforms to specifically cover Islamophobia and to rig their algorithms “de-rank and stop recommending” content that Muslim groups consider hateful.

Beyond censorship, what does the Biden administration propose we do to fight ‘Islamophobia’?

The strategy calls on Congress to formally recognize the UN’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia. The Islamophobia resolution was introduced by former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. Khan had described Osama bin Laden, whom Pakistan had harbored, as a “martyr”, supported the Taliban and was later charged by his own country under its terrorism act.

Once again, Islamophobia turns out to be how Islamic terrorists silence criticism of their crimes.

The Biden administration’s National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia is an insult to American Jews and Christians. It uses lies and hoaxes to turn the Muslim terrorist supporters who have shut down Christmas tree lightings and attacked synagogues, and who rally for the murder of Americans and Jews as the victims, while portraying Christians and Jews as ‘Islamophobes’.

The Islamophobia strategy is the final insult of many from an administration that has stood with the Islamic terrorists and never with their Jewish and Christian victims.

Monday, December 16, 2024

President Trump – Beware of HTS and the Moslem Brotherhood

by Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

*The success of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) terrorists to topple the Assad regime is traumatizing all pro-US Arab regimes, which, for decades, have had the machetes of Iran’s Ayatollahs and the Moslem Brotherhood at their throats.

*Contrary to some Western policy makers, journalists and academics, the pro-US Arab leaders do not take HTS’ moderate statements at face value. They are aware of the fanatic, religious vision, which has guided the HTS, and are familiar with the Middle Eastern gap between the talk and the walk, and with the Islamic tactic of Taqiyya (dissimulation). Taqiyya was also employed by Bashar Assad upon assuming power in 2000, when his moderate talk led US legislators (e.g., Senator John Kerry), Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and NYT’s Tom Friedman to view him as a potentially peaceful leader. It was used by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1978/79, ahead of assuming power in Iran, convincing President Carter and the State Department that he would be “an Iranian edition of Ghandi.... preoccupied with tractors, not tanks.” The Houthis issued moderate pronouncements that led to their delisting from the list of terror organizations in 2021 by President Biden. Also, Arafat issued peaceful statements upon concluding the Oslo Accord, which won him the Nobel Prize for Peace, and led Tom Friedman to wonder: “Who’s Arafat? Is he Nelson Mandela or Willie Nelson?”). Etc.

*The vision of the HTS is not limited to Syria. It aims to topple all national Islamic regimes, and establish a universal Islamic entity, as prescribed by the precepts of the Moslem Brotherhood, which has pursued its goals through politics, education, social welfare and affiliates, splinters and offshoots that engage in terrorism.

*The initial strategy of HTS, as suggested by their name (al-Sham = the Levant) is to “liberate” the Levant, which was “Greater Syria” (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey’s Hatay province), then the entire Middle East, the “Abode of Islam,” and finally the “Abode of the Infidel,” preferably via peaceful means, or militarily, if resisted by the “infidel.”

*The Moslem Brotherhood is inspired by the HTS’ success in Syria, to be replicated in additional Moslem countries. Therefore, the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and other Moslem countries have congratulated HTS for achieving the first goal of the Sunni Islamic revolution, expecting a robust tailwind to bringing down additional national Moslem regimes.

*HTS considers the toppling of Jordan’s pro-US Hashemite regime as a top priority, as does a chief enemy of HTS, Iran’s Ayatollahs. Both have intensified subversion, terrorism and drug trafficking in Jordan, leveraging the presence – in Jordan – of 2 million refugees from Syria and Iraq, a solid operational foundation of the Moslem Brotherhood, the presence of Palestinian terror organizations, and the intra-Bedouin animosity.

*The HTS’ success in Syria is inspiring the Moslem Brotherhood in its attempts to topple the pro-US General Sisi regime in Egypt, which is the 1928 birth site of the Moslem Brotherhood. In 1949, the Moslem Brotherhood assassinated Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmoud Nuqrashi; in 1954, the Moslem Brotherhood failed in its attempt to murder Egyptian President Nasser; in 1981, the Moslem Brotherhood’s offshoot, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, murdered Egyptian President Sadat. The Islamic Jihad merged with Al Qaeda.

*Prof. Albert Hourani, a leading Middle East historian, Oxford University’s St. Anthony’s College, noted the following tenets of the Muslim Brotherhood (A History of the Arab Peoples, pp. 445-446): “A total rejection of all forms of society except the wholly Islamic one…. The true Islamic society…regarded the Quran as the source of all guidance for human life…. All other societies were societies of Jahiliyya (ignorance of religious truth), whether they were communist, capitalist, nationalist, [followers of] false religions, or claimed to be Muslim but did not obey the Sharia…. The leadership of Western man in the human world is coming to an end… The turn of Islam has come….Those who accepted [the Muslim Brotherhood] program would form a vanguard of dedicated fighters, using every means, including Jihad… The struggle should aim at creating a universal Muslim society.... The Western age is finished…. Only Islam offered hope to the world…. [The Muslim Brotherhood] were prepared for violence and martyrdom.”

*The Muslim Brotherhood, just like the HTS, have been very skillful in obfuscating the West through Taqiyya and a two-pronged operation: the religious, educational, social and political screensavers, as well as the operational (subversive and terroristic) modes. In fact, the Muslim Brotherhood poses the following proposition: Submission to Allah and the Koran, or else...!

*Before embracing the Muslim Brotherhood’s and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s moderate talk, Western policy-makers are advised to study the following observations by Sir John Jenkins, a top specialist on the Moslem Brotherhood and the Middle East, and former Executive Director of the British International Institute for Strategic Studies – Middle East branch:

“[The West] should resist the temptation to seek to understand the Muslim Brotherhood through our own cultural or epistemological [knowledge] categories…. [The Muslim Brotherhood] continues to threaten the constitutive basis of most contemporary Muslim majority states…. Some may still be tempted to hope that when a malign or otherwise unsatisfactory regime is overthrown the subsequent trajectory must be progressive. [Middle East] experience suggests the reverse.... Authoritarianism is not weakened in such circumstances: it recurs….

“[Hassan Al Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood] urged his followers to scorn life; claimed that ultimate martyrdom could only be attained through death in the service of the divine; articulated a doctrine of armed physical force.... The writings of Sayyid Qutb – its most significant and protean ideologue [who was executed in Egypt in 1966] – remain central to Brotherhood thinking everywhere and continue to be used to justify multiple forms of Islamist violence....”

“The Brotherhood… gives little space to tolerance, choice and individual freedoms.... no commitment to democratic choice.... It is constitutively antisemitic and homophobic….”

Friday, December 13, 2024

Iran Threatens Jordan, Smuggles Arms to Palestinian Terrorists in Israel

by Lawrence A. Franklin
  • Iran appears determined to destabilize Jordan, and is thus trying to drag the kingdom into its regional maelstrom by manipulating Jordanian national and terrorist substate entities to do its bidding.
  • The Islamist threat to the stability of the Kingdom has greatly increased with the fall of its neighbor Syria into the hands of the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, a Sunni Islamist group committed to radicalizing the Levant, which includes Jordan.

Iran appears determined to destabilize Jordan, and is thus trying to drag the kingdom into its regional maelstrom by manipulating Jordanian national and terrorist substate entities to do its bidding. Pictured: A shipment of weapons smuggled into Israel from Jordan by a Bedouin Arab in December 2023, which was seized by the Israel Police. (Image source: Israel Police Spokesperson)


The Israeli Air Force (IAF), in a recent airstrike, destroyed three cross-border smuggling routes from Syria to Lebanon, which were being used by Iran to bring ship weapons to still-functioning Hezbollah terrorist cells. The Israeli strike took place just hours before a ceasefire took effect on November 26 between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iran's special forces units, however, will no doubt continue their past efforts to smuggle arms through Jordan to Palestinian terrorist cells in Judea and Samaria ("the West Bank"). These smuggling operations will still enable terrorists there to kill Israelis and further entrench an atmosphere of fear among the hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who live in Judea and Samaria.

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Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Possibilities of Creating Religious Moshavot – part II

#284 – part II 

Date and Place: 1 Adar II, 5670 (1910), Yafo

Recipient and Background: Rabbi Dr. Meir Lerner, Rabbi of Altuna (Germany), who for years had interest in the settlement of Eretz Yisrael.

Body: [We continue with more answers to Rabbi Lerner’s inquiries.]

2. The price of land varies greatly, based on location and based on the quality of the land – choice, average, and low quality – as well as many other details. Around the area of the moshavot, the land goes for approximately 30-50 francs per dunam. In contrast, in new places, like Rafah, one can purchase for cheaper, approximately 5-8 francs per dunam. On the other hand, conditions of settlement are much more onerous in places that are far from where others live, to the extent that the expense is almost the same thing. Experts say that it is more worthwhile to pay the greater sum near the [existing] moshavot than to buy cheap land in distant places. If, though, hundreds of families join up to buy together, then one can also buy in distant places and establish a new locality, and the more people there are, the easier and safer it is.

Regarding crops, not all the places are the same. When the matter will hopefully come to fruition, it will be possible to clarify exactly. However, according to today’s market situation for wine, it is impossible to base a new settlement on it. For an orange grove, there is a need for a big investment in securing a well and installing special machines. When the settlement is blessed with riches, this is a good business, and one can obtain land that is fitting for this. But what is more correct is to work hard on simple agriculture, so that orchards are minor compared to growing wheat, barley, and vegetables. [It is best] when the farmers are not business owners but are people who eat the produce (i.e., subsistence farming) and live in peace on the holy soil with good will and happiness with Hashem and service of Him. For simple agriculture, the Galilee is more fit than Judea, the latter of which is better for fruit trees.

3. Regarding farmers, there are trained people for farming who are fully religious, and it is better to put them on the land than to bring in new people.

4. The full price of settling an average-sized family with all the resources it needs is assumed to be 17,000-20,000 francs.

5. You can use the number above to figure out how much it would cost to start a whole moshava. Granted, some expenses are smaller when shared by many people, but you must consider also public expenses and especially things having to do with religion, e.g., kashrut and public mitzva obligations.

To start a moshava of five or ten people, you can certainly only do so close to an existing moshava. This can be done in Kastina (near today’s Kiryat Mirachi). Also, the people of Kastina are simple people who keep Torah and mitzvot, and it would be proper to join up with them and increase the settlement together.

I find it necessary to encourage you to continue the great work with the Moriah organization and concentrate on strengthening our holy religion in the New Yishuv in the Holy Land. One can approach such a task without incredible resources. The fundamental achievement of “planting the tree of life in its place” (i.e., religious success in Eretz Yisrael) could expand to all of the scattering of Israel. This is because the very involvement in the strengthening of serving Hashem uplifts those who toil in it, and this will also strengthen religion throughout the Diaspora. If one tries to directly strengthen religion in the whole world, it will be too vast a challenge, and if the effort is unsuccessful, it will cause disappointment and weakening of resolve for those who involve themselves in it.

Paradoxically, we should learn from the actions of those who destroy religion, who focus all of their energy on the Holy Land. This is the strategy that those who are faithful to Judaism should take. Let us put all of our energy into improving the building of the Holy Land according to the path of the Torah, and as a result it will make the stature of fear of Hashem greater everywhere that Jews live.

“Let Us Be Strong and of Good Courage!”

by HaRav Dov Begon,
Rosh HaYeshiva, Machon Meir

Ya'akov attempts to flee from Esav and succeeds in smuggling out his family across the Yabok River. Yet, he himself remains behind and is confronted by Esav’s angelic prince: “A stranger appeared and wrestled with him... When the stranger saw that he could not defeat him, he touched the upper joint of Ya'akov’s thigh. Ya'akov’s hip joint became dislocated as he wrestled with the stranger... He was limping because of his thigh.” (Beresheet 32:25-26,32).

Rashbam explains that Ya'akov was punished and smitten, and acquired a limp because he fled rather than trusting G-d’s promise to protect him and make him defeat Esav. We find the same with all those who diverge from G-d’s path, and with those who refuse to accept the missions G-d assigns them. All are punished (Rashbam, Beresheet 32:29).

Today, we must learn a lesson from Ya'akov’s flight and from his subsequent limp. Wherever the Jewish People retreat and flee, G-d forbid, everyone can see them limping. Precisely today, when we are facing a difficult test, when our enemies are attacking us in order to destroy us and banish us from our land, G-d forbid, we must become stronger in spirit. We must know and believe that we are fighting a just war over the land of our ancestors. Only through the Jewish People’s having control over their land will G-d’s name be sanctified for all to see. Then we will be able to spread benevolence and illuminate the whole world, all mankind, with the timeless and divine values of peace, justice, love, and truth.

Our enemies’ whole goal is to take control over Eretz Yisrael, and thereby, to bring ethical and spiritual darkness to the world. May it never be! In King David’s time, when Aram was attacking Israel from both front and back (Shmuel Bet 10:9), Yo'av, the head of King David’s army, encouraged the soldiers of Israel with the words, “Let us be strong and of good courage for our people, and for the cities of our G-d, and the L-rd will do that which seems good in His eyes” (v. 12). Let us too be strong and of good courage, and then we will defeat our enemies and cease our limping.

Besorot Tovot and Shabbat Shalom.
Looking forward to complete salvation,
With the Love of Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael.

Yeshivat Machon Meir: Sichot with Rosh HaYeshivah Parshat Vayishlach (video)

Terrorists Liberate Terrorists From Other Terrorists

by Daniel Greenfield

In a stunning win for freedom, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Sunni terrorist organization defeated the Assad regime and its Shiite terrorist groups to take over Syria. HTS is led by Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, a Saudi former associate of the caliph of ISIS who has a $10 million reward on his head from the U.S. while Assad was supported by Hezbollah whose leaders had multi-million dollar rewards on their heads until Israel killed them (but didn’t collect the money.)

Assad was backed by the Shiite terror state of Iran while HTS is backed by the Sunni terror state of Turkey. Geopolitical experts say that Sunni Islamists defeating Shiite Islamists to rule the pile of rubble that’s left of Syria is the biggest win for human freedom since the Muslim Brotherhood took over Egypt and parts of North Africa (before being ousted from Egypt and some other parts of the region) in the freedom phenomenon known as the Arab Spring.

The media broadcast scenes of Jihadists praising Allah for helping them defeat the other Jihadists who also praise Allah (but not in the right way) and liberating political prisoners to shortly replace them with other political prisoners (assuming that they even bother taking political prisoners or any kind of prisoners.) Talks are underway between the terrorists of the former regime with the terrorists of the current regime to see if they can work it out.

And maybe just focus on killing Christians, Jews and other infidels.



Some might suspect that a former ISIS associate tied to Al Qaeda (who admittedly turned on his former group to lead another Jihadist organization) taking over a country would be bad news. But they’re clearly bad people who don’t realize that Al-Jawlani is a changed man, an austere religious scholar who underwent a makeover courtesy of Queer Eye for the Syrian Guy and now, in the words of the BBC, wears a “more western style wardrobe”. At least if you count rocking Zelensky’s military fatigue hand-me-downs as looking like a regular western warlord.

The Biden administration has already made contact with the terrorist organization led by a man on whose head is a $10 million reward to offer to rebuild Syria just in time for the next civil war. Publicly, the administration has already taken credit for helping defeat Assad by insisting that the Israelis must stop attacking Hezbollah at once. Had the Israelis listened, Assad would still be in power. But the Biden administration was surely using reverse psychology and by threatening Israel with an arms embargo was really getting the Israelis to fight even harder.

Or at least that’s the story that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is going with.

While the world (or at least the parts of it that completely forgot about the Arab Spring) rejoices, the Israeli government which (for all its failings) has more sense than the State Department or a headless chicken, has begun bombing what’s left of Syria’s rocket factories and chemical warfare plants that Secretary of State John Kerry (despite promising Obama) somehow never got around to making sure that Vladimir Putin would dismantle and put away in cold storage.

The Israelis are also expanding their presence in Mt. Hermon and building their own security zone because they trust Syria’s new terrorist masters as much as they trusted the old.

What Jerusalem knows and Foggy Bottom has yet to learn is that the Middle East is a bunch of tribal factions, warlords and gangs pretending to be countries, but despite the flags, anthems, UN memberships, World Bank positions and invites to climate change summits, are all some version of Al-Jawlani bouncing between ISIS, Al Qaeda and a new governing coalition.

Over a thousand years of Islam comes down to some guy with a beard uniting a few key families with whose backing he then seizes a bunch of cities that used to belong to long lost great civilizations and then his men settle down to some murdering, looting and raping while thanking Allah for the privilege of a mission to kill, loot and rape the world. Or die trying.

The stationary bandit theory isn’t some abstraction in the Middle East: it’s everyday reality.

As we all should have learned in the last generation, every Arab Muslim country is one inflationary spiral away from some guy with a ‘nom de guerre’ or ‘kunya’ riding into town on a pickup truck with 300 fellow bandits and becoming the new government in Allah’s name.

Georgetown idiots with PhDs then cheer as statues of the old dictator are toppled as if Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad, Tripoli or Tunis were Prague, Berlin or any city where democracy means more than ‘my tribe has more guns than your tribe’. The old Pharaohs (not to mention Caesars) would tear down each other’s monuments too. That didn’t make old Tutankhamen a liberator or a democrat. At least not the kind who is acceptable outside Chicago.

Assad heading off to shop at Moscow’s GUM for more luxury handbags is no great loss and his replacement by other terrorists is no great gain. At least not for us. Or likely for Syria’s Christians. Or Israel. Or really anyone else except members of the new regime.

There’s no right side of history in the middle east and if the arc bends anywhere, it’s the arc of a sword over a prone prisoner’s neck. Islam is the driving force in the region and the driving force of Islam is conquering and subjugating all Muslims and non-Muslims under one caliphate. In the Ummah, all of history is one great game of thrones to determine who will rule over all the rubble.

The complicated chess game between rival Jihadist groups and nation-states is likely to end badly for everyone especially since Syria was really a showdown between Iran, which is developing nuclear weapons, and Turkey, which is a NATO member with a huge arsenal, and there can only be one ultimate Islamic ruler in the apocalyptic endgame scenario.

Terrorists replacing terrorists with more terrorists is only good news for the new terrorists and for the media which gets to breathlessly cover another foreign conflict between two groups of butchers who would behead everyone at CNN at their first sight of a DEI LGBTQ+ poster.

It’s also good news for humanitarian groups which have spent over a year lying about a famine in Gaza and after exhausting donor interest with AI generated photos of sad Muslim kids in Hamasville can now move on to relabeling those same photos as hungry kids in Syria.

Media baron William Randolph Hearst reportedly once bragged, “You furnish the pictures. I’ll furnish the war.” In the Muslim world, the Taliban, Houthis, Hamas and their comrades supply the war, the media supplies the pictures and taxpayers supply more money than they can count.

After sending $2 billion to Afghanistan after the Taliban took over, the Biden administration will be rushing money to Syria until the very moment the checkbooks are pried out of their hands.

It would be tempting to think that Syria is over, but in tribal cultures nothing is ever really over. Each conflict is based on past vendettas and generates new ones. The conflicts follow demographics and a complex mix of clan loyalties and factions whose shifts change the war. A new war is just a matter of the old coalition coming apart and forming new ones. If you doubt that, consider the speed with which the Jihadists took Kabul and Damascus. The Taliban and HTS are just groups of gangs whose allegiances can be bought and sold for the right price.

But the same proved to be true of the Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian armies. And many others.

Syria did not fall. Like Afghanistan and Iraq, it never really existed. We spend a lot of time and money propping up fictions because we want the rest of the world to be just like us. It’s not.

And it may never be.

Instead of hoping to civilize savages, we would be better off standing with civilized allies. The more we go on searching for progress in the Muslim world, the more we find that it’s terrorists all the way down.

Anger; one of life’s greatest challenges

by Rav Binny Freedman

Rabbi Abraham Twerski shares a powerful story about one his ancestors, the great Rebbe Nachum of Chernobyl (in his book Generation to Generation).

It seems that Rebbe Nachum owned a magnificent pair of Tefillin, which had actually been written by Reb Ephraim, the great scribe of the Baal Shem Tov, in the early eighteenth century. A wealthy member of the community had offered Rebbe Nachum a staggering fifty rubles for the tefillin. Yet, despite the fact that he lived in abject poverty, Rebbe Nachum had consistently refused to part with the tefillin. His wife on occasion had pleaded with him to sell the tefillin to support their family (one could buy a new, perfectly good pair of tefillin for two rubles) to no avail. Even when they had no wood for the fire or the children were starving, he refused to sell the tefillin, always somehow finding other ways to put some meager amount of food or money on the table.

One year, as Rosh Hashanah approached, it became evident that there would be a dearth of etrogim that year. The mitzvah of holding an etrog occurs only once a year, and Rebbe Nachum was inconsolable over the fact he might not be able to fulfill the mitzvah that year.

On the way home from shul the morning before Sukkot was to begin, Rebbe Nachum saw a man carrying a lulav and etrog. He could not believe his eyes and excitedly ran over to the man and asked how much it would cost to purchase the Lulav and Etrog.

“Rebbe it is not within your means”, explained the fellow.

“This is the only available Etrog in the entire region, and it is for the wealthiest member of the community who is paying fifty rubles for it! “

Rebbe Nachum stood there in despair and then remembered he had been offered fifty rubles for his tefillin. Reasoning that he had already fulfilled the mitzvah of tefillin that day and would not need the tefillin for another nine days but would thus be able to fulfill the mitzvah of the etrog, he beseeched the man to wait for him, and came back a short while later with fifty rubles, having sold his beloved tefillin.

When his wife returned a short while later from having tried to gather some scraps together for the holiday, she found her husband beaming with joy. Assuming he had managed to gather a few Kopecks for the holiday, she enquired as to the source of his obvious joy, but he ignored her questions and continued to behave as though he had won the lottery. But she continued to press him and eventually he explained that he had managed to acquire a lulav and etrog for the festival.

“But that is impossible!” She declared, “even if there were an etrog available its price would be astronomical! How would you be able to afford such an etrog?”

Reluctantly, the Rebbe confessed that she had sold his tefillin in order to buy the etrog.

As he said this, his wife would later explain, all the years of deprivation suddenly passed before her eyes. She saw the cold winters, and all the nights she had had to put the children to sleep hungry; and the thought that he had finally sold the tefillin for a fruit that would be basically worthless ten days later was too much for her.

“Where is the etrog?” she demanded. Silently her husband pointed to the cupboard. In a fit of rage she ran to the cupboard, grabbed the etrog and with great force threw it on the ground smashing it to bits.

Her husband stood silently; motionless; two streams of tears trickled down his face.

After a moment he spoke: “I have lost my precious tefillin, and now I have lost the chance to fulfill the mitzvah of lulav and etrog, but Nachum will not lose his temper.” And with a sigh, he sat down and opened his books to study….

When the great Rebbe Boruch of Medzibozh heard this story he remarked:

“I can understand why Rebbe Nachum, no matter how much he loved his wife and children, refused to part from his tefillin all those years. And I can even understand why he did sell them to purchase the etrog. But how a human being can have so much self-mastery not to say even a single angry word in such a moment? That only a rebbe Nachum could accomplish.”

Anger; one of life’s greatest challenges. Who can resist and overcome its formidable temptations?

There is a fascinating moment in this week’s portion of Vayishlach that demonstrates this point:

After the death of Yaakov’s beloved wife Rachel (Bereisheet 35:19) the Torah tells us (ibid v. 22):

“And Reuven went and ‘bedded’ (vayishkav et) Bilhah, the Handmaiden of his father, and Yisrael (i.e. Yaakov) heard; and the sons of Yaakov were twelve.”

Although the verse seems to imply that Yaakov’s eldest son Reuven actually slept with his father’s concubine, the Talmud (tractate Shabbat 55b) suggests otherwise:

“R. Samuel b. Nachman said in R. Jonathan’s name: “Whoever maintains that Reuven sinned is merely making an error, for it is said, ‘Now the sons of Yaakov were twelve,’ teaching that they were all equal.” Then how do I interpret, and he lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine? This teaches that he transposed his father’s couch, and the verse blames him as though he had lain with her…”

Whatever happened in that moment, it is quite clear that Reuven crossed a line and did something terrible. In fact, many years later, on his deathbed, Yaakov seems to recall this moment and takes Reuven to task for it:

“Reuven, you are my first-born… Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer. For when you mounted your father’s bed, you brought …” (ibid. 49:3-4)

Yet, incredibly, in the actual moment we see no such response from Yaakov. In fact, a closer look at the verse in question suggests there is something not quite right. The actual verse in Hebrew has a fascinating and yet rare occurrence:

וַיְהִ֗י בִּשְׁכֹּ֤ן יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ בָּאָ֣רֶץ הַהִ֔וא וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ רְאוּבֵ֔ן וַיִּשְׁכַּ֕ב֙ אֶת־בִּלְהָ֖ה֙ פִּילֶ֣גֶשׁ אָבִ֑֔יו וַיִּשְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵֽ֑ל פ וַיִּֽהְי֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָֽׂר׃

There is a very particular scribal phenomenon in the verse known as a “piska be’emtsa passuk” (a break in the middle of a verse). Grammatically the verse makes no sense, telling us that Yisrael (Yaakov’s second name) heard and then seemingly changing the subject to exclaim that the sons of Yaakov were twelve, a fact we already know, which seems to have no connection to the first part of the verse.

I once heard from Rav Riskin in the name of Rav Soleveitchik that Yaakov understood here he had to remain silent; even if what Reuven did was ‘only’ to switch the bed of his father and move it into the tent of his mother Leah out of a love for and sensitivity to the distress and pain of his mother, it was still a highly inappropriate thing to do.

Yaakov, suggests Rav Soleveitchik, understood he was at a critical juncture in his relationship with Reuven. And that is why the verse continues by saying that the sons of Yaakov were twelve; because an angry word might have been all it would have taken to alienate Reuven forever. And because Yaakov in his righteous anger, succeeded in remaining silent, Reuven remained in the fold and Yaakov had all his twelve sons with him the next day….

It is interesting to note, in support of this idea that there is an interplay between the two names of the patriarch: Yaakov and Yisrael. Yisrael (ibid. 32:29) is the second name given to Yaakov when he succeeds in his great midnight battle. This name represents the victory of a struggle. The name Yaakov however, a name given because Yaakov was born holding the heel (the akev) of Esav (ibid 25:26) represents a life of great struggle. And although the verse begins using the name Yisrael (as Yaakov is finally living in peace in the land) it concludes with the name Yaakov: the sons of Yaakov were twelve, indicating a great struggle.

After all, in the face of such a painful distressing and inappropriate moment, perpetrated by his eldest son no less, how did Yaakov control his anger? Simply put, he remained silent.

It is a great life lesson to understand that words spoken in anger never come out right. No matter how right a person may be, if they react in anger, they will always realize later on they could have done a better job communicating.

Indeed, the Rambam, the great advocate of the balanced approach to life (see Hilchot Deot, chapter 1), has an interesting take on anger.

Despite pointing out in chapter one that the ideal in Judaism is to lead a balanced life mid-way between the extremes of any character trait, when it comes to anger (2:3) the Rambam suggests it is an extremely negative character trait which a person should always avoid. Indeed, even in those rare occurrences where anger might be worthwhile as a tool to prevent an event from recurring (1:4; 2:3), Maimonides suggests a person should feign anger while internally maintaining his balanced composure. Because one cannot be balanced and angry at the same time; anger is by definition an imbalanced state of mind.

So, what should one do when feeling anger? Quite simply, one should simply be quiet. A person will almost always regret what he or she says in anger. When thinking about it later, one usually will realize they could have done a better job; so, the smartest thing to do, when angry is simply to keep quiet. And that is precisely what Yaakov does; he remains silent; with no words causing irreparable damage left to fix. And thus, Reuven remains in the family.

And what does one do in that state of silence? What thoughts would be worthwhile to have when in a state of anger?

Well, anger is really all about expectations; we get angry because we expect a better outcome; which most often, even if subconsciously, means we think we deserve better. But if we really knew that Hashem (G-d) runs the world, we would spend less time in a state of anger over what happened, and more time in a state of soul-searching as to why it happened, and what Hashem is trying to teach us, which of course would leave much less room for anger. And this, as the Torah intimates here, would result in our being much more together, and ‘the children of Israel would be twelve’, with all of us together at the table….

Wishing all a Shabbat Shalom from Yerushalayim.

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Is it really easier to fight with an angel of God than with human beings?

by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

WHICH WAS THE real fight, the one with the “stranger” the night before, or with Eisav the next day? Clearly the one with the stranger since the confrontation with Eisav lasted very little time, was only a short conversation, and Ya’akov was on his way in peace in no time. He struggled with the stranger the entire night, and walked away limping.

Why were there two fights in the first place? Who was this stranger, why was he so violent, and what right did he have to change Ya’akov’s name, or least prophesy that it would later be changed? But we already know the answer to those questions, don’t we, after Rashi explained it all. The stranger was none other than Eisav’s ministering angel who had come to admit the blessings belonged to Ya’akov and not to Eisav, and that his name would be changed because he “fought with an angel and with men, and prevailed.”

That makes the name Yisroel a warrior name, doesn’t it? Yes, but not in the classical sense of the term, evident by how the angel put himself first before Eisav, Lavan, and Shechem. The way the angel phrased it, he said, “You not only fought with an angel and won, but you also fought with bad guys too, and yet you still prevailed! That makes you Yisroel!”

But is it really easier to fight with an angel of God than with human beings? Perhaps not physically, but spiritually? For sure, if victory is defined in terms of spiritual success, not physical achievement. It’s not hard to remember that an angel works for God and has no power of its own. It is easy to forget that human beings also work for God, since they have free will and tend to get away with things we would have thought God would have stopped.

For example, we have little problem calling the Sitra Achra, despite all the evil he has caused, an agent of God. It is not so easy however to also call Hitler, et al, ysv”z, agents of God. We tend to look at the evil they do as their own, things that God Himself does not support, and for which they will later be punished but good…even though in the back of our mind a little voice might be saying, “a person doesn’t even hurt their finger if it is not first decreed in Heaven” (Chullin 7b).

How much more so when what happens it is so much worse.

I recently saw in a sefer based upon the teachings of the Mussar giant, Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe, zt”l, that when the Torah says, that God placed before us blessing and curse for us to choose one of them, it really means that a Jew can never except mediocrity. Either choose blessing, which means excelling spiritually, or curse, which means failing miserably. We may try to find some kind of balance between the two, but it doesn’t really work because it is not meant to work, at least for a Jew.

Monday, December 09, 2024

President Trump, Beware of the Syrian Volcano

by Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

*The unpredictable eruption of the Syrian volcano – which could emit molten lava well beyond Syria and the Middle East – sheds light on the following 1,400-year-old features of the radical/fundamentalist segment of the complicated, brutal and frustrating inter Arab/Moslem reality, which are currently menacing every pro-US Arab regime:

<Violent unpredictability;
<Ruthless despotism;
<Tenuous/shifty regimes, and therefore tenuous policies and accords;
<Violent clannish, ethnic, religious and ideological fragmentation, yielding a volatile balance of power;
<Superiority of local - over national - loyalty;
<Fanatical ideologies - which mandates destruction of enemies/rivals - transcend financial benefits and diplomatic agreements;
<Fanatical ideologies defy peaceful coexistence;
<Fanatical ideologies are enshrined in mosque sermons and school textbooks;
<Ideology – not despair – driven terrorism against “apostates” and “infidels.”
<Aiming to bring the “infidel” West to Islam or to submission.
<Western gestures perceived as weakness, whetting terrorists’ appetite;
<Dissimulation employed to mislead and overcome the “infidel” West;
<Deal-making as a means to advance fanatical ideology, not peaceful coexistence.

*Against the backdrop of these Middle East features, and Israel’s pre-1967 9-15 mile waistline, Israel’s defensible borders must not be based on a state-of-peace, but rather be capable of withstanding unpredictable eruptions of lava (e.g., an abrupt military violation of a state-of-peace, or a recurrence of the October 7 horrific terrorism on three fronts). Israel’s defensible borders should be able to withstand the worst-case - not the best-case – scenarios in the most violent region in the world.

*The eruption of the Syrian volcano, and the victory of Islamic terrorists, will impact regional stability, emboldening epicenters of global Islamic terrorism, and undermining the stability of all pro-US Arab regimes and homeland security in Europe and the USA. The impact of the fall of the Assad regime may resemble the impact of the fall of the central regimes in Iraq (2003), Libya (2011) and Yemen (2010 and before), which transformed these countries into a chaotic arena of civil wars and global Sunni (e.g., Al Qaeda, ISIS, the Moslem Brotherhood) and Shiite (e.g., Iran’s Ayatollahs) terrorism.

*The toppling of the pro-US Hashemite regime in Jordan – which is perceived by Syria to be its southern province - is high on the agenda of the Islamic terrorists, who toppled the Assad regime, and are committed to liberate (at least) the Levant, which includes Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Hatay in Turkey and Cyprus. The Islamic terrorists’ success in Syria is bolstering the on-going effort to oust the Hashemites, which is led by Iran’s Ayatollahs, as well as by ISIS and Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic terrorists, the Moslem Brotherhood and Palestinian terror organizations. The downfall of the pro-US Hashemites would transform Jordan into another platform of Islamic terrorism, posing a clear and present threat to the Pro-US Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman, as well as Israel, energizing global terrorism, jeopardizing Europe-Asia trade and – potentially – awarding control over 48% of global oil reserves to anti-Western Shiite and Sunni terrorists.

*Some Western policy makers have been impressed by the Dr. Jekyll-like talk, expressed by Mr. Hyde-like Islamic terrorists, who effectively leverage the Islamic art of “Taqqiya” (dissimulation). These terrorists follow in the footsteps of Bashar Assad, whose soft rhetoric induced then Senator John Kerry to suggest that Bashar Assad was a partner in stabilizing the region. They also imitate Yemen’s Houthi terrorists, who overwhelmed US diplomats with moderate statements in the aftermath of the 2020 Presidential election, which led to their delisting from the US list of terror organizations in February 2021 by Tony Blinken, the incoming Secretary of State. The Syria-based Islamic terrorists have also adopted the tactics of Ayatollah Khomeini, who flooded President Carter with moderate messages from his exile in Paris, in order to induce the US President to pressure the Iranian military (which was loyal to the Shah) to refrain from undermining the toppling of the pro-US Shah by the anti-US Khomeini. President Carter took the bait, facilitating the rise of the Ayatollahs to power. However, contrary to his commitments, Khomeini executed a significant number of pro-US military leaders, and proceeded to take over the US Embassy, holding 50 Americans hostage for 444 days, and transforming Iran from “The US Policeman of the Gulf” to the leading epicenter of anti-US terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and the proliferation of advanced military systems.

*This was one of several milestones, which have demonstrated that terrorists bite the hand that feeds them.

*A prerequisite for ending/minimizing terror and war - which is President Trump’s arch goal - is the elimination of the head of the poisonous octopus in Tehran. Negotiation with Iran’s Ayatollahs accords legitimacy to a ruthless, oppressive, terroristic regime. Any agreement concluded with – and any sanctions levied on - the Ayatollahs are reversible, as was demonstrated by Presidents Trump in 2018 (withdrawing from the JCPOA) and Biden in 2021 (suspending severe sanctions), and will not induce the Ayatollahs to abandon their anti-US rogue vision.

*Prof. P.J. Vatikiotis (Arab and Regional Politics in the Middle East), who was – along with Professors Elie Kedourie and Bernard Lewis – a game-changing historian of the Middle East sheds light on Middle East reality, warning Western policy makers against addiction to a self-destructive alternate reality:

“The present political map of the Arab Middle East may not be a permanent one (p. 94)…. Inter-Arab relations cannot be placed on a spectrum of linear development, moving from hell to paradise or vice versa. Rather, their course is partly cyclical, partly jerkily spiral, and always resting occasionally at some ‘grey’ area. American choices must be made on the assumption that what the Arabs want or desire is not always – if ever – what Americans desire. In fact, the two desires may be diametrically opposed and radically different (p. 115)…. Even without the Arab-Israel conflict, the Arab Middle East would have been a conflict-ridden and conflict-generating area (p. 77)…. Islam remained a source of legitimacy for all power. Other man-made institutions were secondary (p. 136).... In practice, there has been no single or uniform Islamic understanding or explanation of phenomena (p. 137)…. No government or regime in power believes in, or allows for, the idea of an alternative government. It holds power until it is overthrown by a successful conspiracy, by subversion (p. 141)….”

*In order to avoid the systematic failure of the State Department’s Middle East policy, President Trump is advised to benefit from the experience of the late Prof. Vatikiotis, and refrain from subordinating Middle East reality – as frustrating as it is – to a more convenient alternate reality.

Sunday, December 08, 2024

Rabbi Ari Kahn on Parashat Vayishlach: the Three Confrontations (video)

Rabbi Doniel Glatstein on Parashat Vayishlach: Eisav's Men Slip Away & Yaakov Mints Coins? (video)

Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: The Power of Prayer and The Proper Way to Rebuke

The Power of Prayer

(from Ein Ayah, Berachot 68)

Gemara: Rav Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Chanina: the blessing of a simple person should never be light in your eyes, for two great leaders, David and Daniel, were blessed by simple people and their blessings were fulfilled.

Ein Ayah: The Divine manner of leading the world places all existing matters, both in the physical and spiritual realms, within a system of wonderful wisdom, in a way that their goals will be met. The main goal is that spiritual potential, which is the desired fruit of all existence, should be strengthened. Indeed, Hashem established within the existence of the world a rule that tefilla(prayer) should be effective in obtaining results. Hashem arranged matters in this way in order to attain the ethical gains that can emanate from tefilla, to elevate the soul and to stay away from that which is evil. [See Ein Ayah, Berachot 1:56, which we discussed in Hemdat Yamim of Toldot. There Rav Kook writes that when tefilla is effective, people recognize Hashem’s impact on the world, fear Him, and follow His commandments.] Hashem also established a situation in the world whereby a blessing is an effective device to bring good to another. The purpose of this matter is that it encourages people to live in peace and love one with another, so that they will be worthy of their counterpart’s blessing.

That is why the blessing of a simple person should never be light in one’s eyes. After all, the blessing’s effectiveness does not depend only on the individual value of the one who offers the blessing. Rather, it is a general rule of nature from the perspective of the completeness of the world as a whole, in regard to its moral standing. However, it is understandable that once necessity brought this rule of nature into existence, there still is an advantage to the blessing of one person in relation to another, and thus one cannot compare the blessing of a simple person to that of a great and righteous person. [Rav Kook apparently means that one will feel more connected to Hashem if the blessing of a holy person is more effective than the blessing of a simple one.]

The Proper Way to Rebuke

(from Ein Ayah, Berachot 70)

Gemara: Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yossi: one “lashing in the heart” of a person is more effective than several physical lashings, as the pasuk says: “She will run after her lovers… and she will say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now’” (Hoshea 2:9).

Ein Ayah: Here Chazal taught us the pleasantness of the approach of education, for not through beatings is a person educated but rather in the manner of pleasantness. The true fear that one is supposed to have [for Hashem] is the awe of His greatness that comes along with reliable love.

Until the most recent times, the scholars of the field of education did not arrive at this realization, and their education employed the “stick of those who damage” (see Zecharia 11:7). Only in these times, did great amounts of experience prove to them that they should understand that which our Rabbis taught us in their holy spirit.