Rav Kook's Igrot Hare’aya: The State of Education in Eretz Yisrael - #98 – part III

Date and Place: 13 Marcheshvan 5768, Yafo

Recipient: The rabbis of the Secretariat of “Mizrachi of the Western Countries.” They had many questions for Rav Kook about the state of education in Eretz Yisrael. The ones he answered, we present in numbered form, as he did.

Body: Section III (What Needs Improvement)

1. The greatest thing that is lacking is presently in the newer, more modern communities, like our holy city of Yafo and the agricultural settlements. We need to establish schools that have supervisors, and principals, teachers of secular studies, and teachers of religious instruction who believe in Hashem and truly fear Him. They also must wholeheartedly agree that addressing the practical needs of life in Eretz Yisrael in the curriculum is a necessity and a mitzva. Only in this way can the Jewish People be properly reestablished in Eretz Yisrael, with strength and true sanctity. This spirit can also enable the foundation of great yeshivot, while adjoining to them workshops, run by those who conduct themselves in the good spirit that Hashem will provide for His nation on their holy mountain.

2-3. Improving the situation in Eretz Yisrael and thereby the entire Jewish People would be best facilitated by forward thinking. Namely, not only must we improve children’s education, but we should also concentrate on the education of young adults. The lack of order in young adults’ childish education is still a fault that can be fixed, and this group in a short time will develop young families, which will leave a serious mark on society in Eretz Yisrael.

Let me explain in brief. We suffer from two opposite sides. The old approach to education has a nucleus of good, i.e., the sanctity of belief and the development of fear of Hashem. However, it also has many shortcomings. One is the lack of external order displayed by educators and students. One of its main causes is poverty. However, even if we remove this problem, there is still an issue that the traditionalist camp possesses a tendency to negate any attempt to beautify externals, whether it is the edifice, its cleanliness, teachers’ attire, code of behavior, students’ attire, etc.

Another general, internal problem encompasses everything. While it exists all over, it is especially felt in Eretz Yisrael, where it can especially be fixed well. The process of education is disturbed by an emotion that many people believe is related to fear of and belief in G-d, and when people are raised with it, they become good Jews as Hashem wants. The misconception comes from the fact that people lack a clear understanding of Hashem. They do not study broadly matters that bring true fear of G-d on a consistent basis at any age. Therefore, these important elements of religious life are being taught in a manner that is not aligned with the proper way of acquiring them.

In countries in which society dictates that people live orderly lives from an external perspective, the following is not a noticeable problem. However, in Eretz Yisrael, where poverty, living on hand outs, and a neglectful government all have their impact on people’s lifestyle, less appropriate manners of living people’s spiritual lives damage social life noticeably. Therefore, we need religious schools for different ages and of different types to teach the fear of G-d, in a manner that the Torah’s spiritual side is taught in an orderly fashion so that knowledge in this realm will be straight.

In this way, the clear majority of people will, over time, be respectable. Their approach to the Torah will not be destructive to [the rest of the elements of living]. Rather, true Torah and clear intellectuality using the light of Hashem [will reign supreme]. This will encourage people to embrace everything that is good, i.e., good for the Jewish People and Eretz Yisrael. They will interface with all of those who seek that which is good for Jews and Judaism, in Eretz Yisrael and throughout the world, and raise the nation’s stature.

We continue with other elements of Rav Kook’s report next time

The Yishai Fleisher Israel Podcast: Fire and Redemption - Memorial and Independence Days in Israel

Season 2022 Episode 18: Walk with Yishai Fleisher as he experiences Memorial Day in a Judean cemetery with Josh Hasten. Then Ben Bresky reports on a lost Zionist. Finally, celebrating Israel's rebirth with Caroline Glick, Jeremy Gimpel and Ari Abramowitz.

What does it mean to be holy?

by Rav Binny Freedman

The year, 2003. The sound of the train pulling in to the Kfar Saba station filled the air on another beautiful afternoon, as passengers made ready to embark on their journey…home?

Hundreds of people getting on and off a second train across the platform, beneath the beautiful new glass and stone ceiling of the modern, new station just opened only two weeks before.

An innocent scene, full of hellos and goodbyes, and the promise and potential of beginnings.

At the entrance to the crowded station any number of people coming in and going out, young and old, passing through the automatic doors, beneath the alert eyes of the security guard who, like thousands of other security guards across Israel, holds the line in the war against terror.

One teenager, a boy who looks like any other boy, with spiked, blond punk-style hair, perhaps on his way to a night out with friends, walks in the middle of the crowd towards the arriving train.

Was it his eyes? There is always something in the eyes… Or perhaps the raincoat, worn closed over a t-shirt on an unseasonably warm afternoon?

Eyewitnesses later could not be sure, but something makes the security guard take notice, and he approaches this teenager, who, as it turns out, is only eighteen years old. A brief exchange of words, and the guard reaches out to grab the boy’s arm, an instant before this peaceful, sunny afternoon turns into a maelstrom of fire and death as an explosion rips apart the station killing him and leaving countless others wounded and fighting for their lives.

Police experts would later state that the alert actions of this brave guard, Alexander Kostyuk, a Russian immigrant living in Bat Yam, prevented what would most certainly have been the massacre of over 250 people milling about between the enclosed space of the two trains not forty yards away, who would have had no escape.

One week later, this scene practically repeats itself outside of a Tel Aviv pub (Mike’s Place), as again, an alert security guard gives up his life while preventing a terrorist bomber from entering the crowded bar, saving dozens of people.

In our recent history, our heroes have come in the most unlikely shapes and sizes.

Whether a hitch-hiker at the Givat Tzarfatit junction who happens to notice a fellow listening to a cell phone which is upside down, or a father who stuck his head out of his window and spotted a terrorist reloading his gun in Elon Moreh, there is no profile for the unsung heroes who seem to be patrolling the front lines in Israel’s war on terror.

Much like the innocent passengers who happened to be on an ill-fated flight on September 11th, they find themselves in the wrong (or right?) place at the wrong time, and somehow rise to the moment they were destined to meet.

Is there some lesson to be gleaned from these tragic events?

This week’s portion,Kedoshim, begins with a powerful challenge:

“…Kedoshim Te’hiyu’, Ki Kadosh Ani Hashem Elokeichem.”
“…You shall be holy (Kadosh) because I, G-d, your G-d, am Holy.”(VaYikra 19:2)

What does it mean to be holy? And why is this mitzvah seemingly tied to the fact that G-d is holy? If we are meant to be Kadosh, it should be enough that Hashem tells us this; why does it seem here that G-d has to give us a reason? Why does Hashem have to justify, so it seems, His commandment that we be holy by adding that Hashem is holy?

Indeed, if this mitzvah is somehow connected to our mission to emulate or imitate G-d (Imitatio’ Deos’), how does one accomplish this, and is this really possible?

It is interesting to note that the above-mentioned verse actually begins with words of introduction not often found in the Torah:

“And G-d spoke to Moshe saying: Speak to the entire congregation of Israel, (“Kol Adat B’nei Yisrael”) and say unto them you shall be holy (Kadosh) because I, G-d, your G-d, am Holy.” (19:1-2)

One wonders why this particular mitzvah is stressed as meant for the entire congregation of Israel; isn’t every mitzvah for the entire congregation of Israel? Why is this mitzvah different from any other?

Rashi here points out (based on the Midrash) that this mitzvah was given to the Jewish people in a congregated gathering (Hak’hel), because “most of the body of the Torah is dependent on it.” (Rashi 19:2)

But this doesn’t seem to help us much. Why is this mitzvah so crucial, and how does the fact that it is given to the Jewish people while they are assembled together, help us regarding its understanding or its fulfillment?

It is interesting to note that this very statement, referring to the sanctity of the entire congregation is precisely the claim of Korach, who, when inciting the nation to rebel against the leadership of Moshe suggests that:

“… Kol Ha’Edah Kulam Kedoshim, U’ve’tocham Hashem.”
“For the entire congregation is all holy, and G-d is in their midst.” (Bamidbar 16:3)

And if, suggests Korach, we are all holy, then why should Moshe be the leader? After all, if everyone is holy, and everyone is special, so we are all leaders!

There seems to be a basic underlying question here which necessarily requires our attention: Is this a promise, or a command?

Are we commanded to be holy, and is this therefore an obligation, or is it simply a promise? Perhaps G-d is promising us that we will, ultimately, be a holy nation? And if indeed this is so, is there then any obligation of action regarding this idea?

If this concept of a holy nation is a promise from G-d, it will result merely from our belief in that same G-d, and our willingness to align ourselves as members of His holy nation. Indeed, holiness then becomes a function of what we believe; it is a reward for a lifetime of faith.

Judaism, however, does not see holiness this way. In fact, this is the essence of Christianity, namely that holiness is the result of faith alone.

Judaism views this as a misunderstanding of what holiness is all about. Holiness is not about what we believe; it is about how we behave. Rav Abraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook (in Orot pg. 32) suggests that Holiness (Kedushah) is not about sanctifying our will and desires; it is rather about elevating and sanctifying our actions.

And if holiness is in fact a mitzvah, then that means we are, all of us, capable of achieving it, and it demands of us many concrete and empirical forms of behavior. Which is why this entire portion proceeds to outline the modes of actual behavior that are expected of each and every one of us.

There are many who believe holiness to be the right or privilege of a select few, those elevated souls who are ‘the holy ones’. Not so, says Judaism; every human being has the potential and the ability, and indeed the obligation to become holy, simply by virtue of our actions in this world. Kedushah, holiness, is an obligation.

And yet, suggests Rav Kook, it is also a promise, because while the sanctity of the individual is the result of his personal toil and achievements, the holiness of the Jewish people is in fact a promise. Each and every Jew contributes to the holiness of the entire Jewish people, as we were promised long ago, actually at the foot of Sinai that we would be a “Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.” (Shemot 19:6)

Which brings us back to what this Kedushah is all about. What does this mean, that we as a people are meant to be, indeed were promised we would be a holy nation? This seems to smack of a certain elitism, perhaps even of ethnocentricity. Are we somehow better than everyone else? Do we deserve what others don’t? Indeed, this question was somehow at the root of Korach’s rebellion against Moses, with his contention that if the entire people are all holy, then why should Moses or anyone be above anybody else?

Perhaps in order to understand this idea we need to understand the difference between being holy and being chosen. In addition to calling ourselves a holy nation, we also describe ourselves as the chosen people. Indeed, every morning when we make the blessings over the Torah, we utter the same phrase:

“Asher Bachar Banu’ Mi’Kol Ha’Amim…”
“Who has chosen us from amongst all the nations…”

Are we really the chosen people? Are we better than everyone else? Could this seemingly elite attitude be at the root or at least partially responsible for some of the terrible anti-Semitism we have experienced and continue to experience as a people?

Doesn’t this concept of chosen-ness smack of the very Nazi Aryanism that caused so much pain in this century for own people?

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

To be chosen does not mean to be better; it simply means to be different.

In fact, Jews come in all shapes and sizes, with no reference anywhere in Jewish law and tradition to any difference whatsoever regarding a Jew’s status be he or she black or white, or of African, Mexican, Chinese, European or any other racial origin. So obviously this idea of being chosen cannot be a racist concept.

Indeed, Jewish tradition even has a place in the world to come for the righteous amongst the nations, (see Tosefta Sanhedrin 13). It is actually a lot easier for a non-Jew to get into ‘heaven’ and certainly to keep his or her place there, than it is for a Jew!

And of course, anyone, regardless of race or nationality, who wishes to become Jewish and is willing to accept the Jewish way of life can do so, through a process known as Giyur (conversion). Obviously, then, we are not ‘better’ in the normal sense of that word.

To be chosen means to have a particular purpose, or mission in this world. In fact, everyone and indeed everything is chosen. The question is what they are chosen for.

What we thank Hashem for every day is what we have been given; our purpose for which we have been chosen.

You see, four thousand years ago, for some reason that remains a mystery to historians of all disciplines, monotheism burst onto the world scene, amidst a world wallowing in the morass of pagan idolatry. And, by definition, if a people, for whatever the reason, accept upon themselves not one, nor seven, but actually six hundred and thirteen different vehicles for relating to G-d (known as mitzvoth), then the result will be a very different relationship with that same G-d.

Hashem, G-d, created all the nations of the world, so it would be challenging at best to imagine that any one nation is somehow better than any other. But at the same time, given that all peoples have taken different paths and have different approaches in their relationships with G-d and the world around them, it stands to reason that each nation has a different relationship with G-d.

We are all, in a sense, chosen, each of us born as individuals with our own special gifts. The real question is not whether I am chosen. The real question is what am I chosen for? What do I choose to do with the gifts I have been given?

The concept of being ‘chosen’ as a people does not mean we are better than anyone else. What it means is that we, (like any other nation) have our own special gifts and therefore our own special purpose. And this different (and not better) relationship with G-d is a result of the choices we have made. All of which now present us with the challenge of living up to the responsibilities those gifts and that different relationship entail.

But this is what chosen-ness (Bechirah) is about, which is very different from the concept of Kedusha(holiness), which people often confuse as being one concept.

Hence every Friday night when we make Kiddush over a cup of wine we say: “Ki Vanu’ Vacharta, Ve’Otanu Kidashta’” “Because you chose us and sanctified us….”

To be chosen represents the gifts we are given; to be holy is a statement about what we choose to do with those gifts.

Because who I am, ultimately, is a result of the choices I make, which means the actions I undertake.

It is precisely because we are a Kingdom of Kohanim (Priests), that we are challenged to live up to that potential in how we behave every day, and indeed every minute.

This is why this portion follows some of the laws of the Kohanim as seen over the last few portions and leads to all of the mitzvoth contained in this week’s portion.

This now brings us back to our original question: why is this particular mitzvah given to the Jewish people as a whole congregation (in a state of assembly, or Hakhel, as Rashi points out) and why is this related to the fact that G-d is Kadosh?

If Kedushah is about how we behave in order to live up to our mission as a people, the Torah is telling us here that we can’t get there until we recognize that each and every one of us has that same potential.

Every Jew can be Kadosh, if he or she so wills it, and the underlying theme of all that we do, and indeed all of the mitzvoth in this week’s parsha is to be able to recognize that very same fact.

The basis for understanding that every one of us is Kadosh, is the realization that we are all created in the image of G-d, and that we are all a part of G-d, and that there is a piece of G-d inside each and every one of us. And if we cannot connect to that simple idea, we will never achieve in ourselves, the level of Kedushah that this important mitzvah challenges us to achieve.

Take, for example, another critical mitzvah that is listed as one of the mitzvoth in this week’s portion:

“Ve’Ahavta’ Le’Re’achah’ Ka’mochah”
“Love thy neighbor (really: friend) as yourself” (19:18)

Indeed, Rabbi Akiva suggests (Jerusalem Talmud Nedarim 9:4) that this mitzvah is a Clal Gadol, a major principle in the Torah, such that, again, all other mitzvoth stem from this principle.

One of our greatest challenges as a people is how we interpret this particular statement in the Torah. Many understand this to mean that we are only commanded here to love those who are our “Re’ah”which some take to mean a fellow Jew who is following the path of goodness and righteousness. Thus, if I somehow perceive someone to be erring in his or her ways, or even pursuing a wicked path, I am not obligated to treat them as myself and love them in this manner.

In fact, Maimonides suggests that this mitzvah (to love your friend as yourself) means that: “All the things you would want others to do for you, you should do for them in Torah and Mitzvoth.” (Hilchot Avelut 14:1) implying that this mitzvah applies only to those who fulfill Torah and mitzvoth.

And yet, Rav Aviner, in his Tal Chermon points out that the Talmud in Sanhedrin (52b) seems to contradict Maimonides here, when it suggests that even in the case of a wicked person condemned to death by a Jewish court (i.e. a murderer), we must be careful not to cause him undue suffering based on the mitzvah of loving your neighbor as yourself!

So obviously, this mitzvah applies to anyone, no matter how wicked their deeds (perceived or real). In fact, the Rambam seems to contradict his own words elsewhere when he says that the mitzvah of loving your neighbor as yourself means, “to love every person… as he is.” (Hilchot De’ot 6:3).

Rather, suggests Rav Bar Shaul in his Mitzvah Ve’Lev, when Maimonides refers to this mitzvah as relating to “your brother in Torah and Mitzvoth” he does not mean that this mitzvah applies only to someone who actually fulfills Torah and Mitzvoth, but rather someone who shares the same mission (and thus the same obligation.)

The very fact that someone shares the same purpose and is chosen for the same mission obligates me to love that person as myself. This makes a lot of sense, because if love is all about giving, and we are promised by G-d that we will be a holy people, then giving to anyone who shares that same mission is simply a part of making sure we get there.

There are some who will ask why there is a mitzvah to love someone even though he may be following a wicked path? Why should I be commanded to love my fellow Jew even though he is a murderer? In fact, the Talmud (Pesachim 113a) tells us there is actually a mitzvah to hate (“Lisnoh”)the wicked! So how we can we be commanded to love them at the same time?

And there is a mitzvah to unburden the ox of “Sone’chah” (one you hate, or the one who hates you). Maimonides himself (Hilchot Rotzeach 13:14) asks:

“How could a Jew hate another Jew? Especially since the verse commands us: “Lo’ Tisnah Et Achichah’ Bi’Levavechah”, (“Don’t hate your brother in your heart”)? The sages explain that this refers to when you actually see a person transgressing and warn him of the consequences and he nonetheless continues to violate the Torah, there is a mitzvah to hate him (“Li’snoh’ Oto”) until he repents and returns from his evil ways.”

So, it seems that if a person refuses to relent from wickedness, there is actually a mitzvah to hate him! And yet as we have seen there is also a mitzvah to love him?! How can this be?

This, perhaps, is precisely what the Baal Ha’Tanya means when he says (chap. 32) that:

“Those whom there is a mitzvah to hate, there is also a mitzvah to love; you have to hate the evil part of them, and love the spark of goodness that is always there, however much it is hidden. Because that spark of goodness is actually the spark of G-d which sustains the G-dliness in each and every human being.”

In other words, we have to hate evil, and thus we have to hate all evil actions, but we are not meant to hate the person. We are rather, meant to find the hidden spark of goodness inside a person and love that at the same time. The Tanya adds that:

“The fact that the holy spark of G-d is somehow in exile in a person, and lost amidst all the evil a person can stoop to, should actually cause us pain, and encourage us to feel mercy, which will ultimately drown out any hatred we might feel amidst a natural arousal of love, even for such a person.”

We must sometimes detest a person’s actions, while at the same time continuing to love their soul. And in the end, since the soul is primary, our love will overcome our hatred and we will and should come to feel only love.

And this indeed, is the essence of the blessing the Kohanim make before they bless the people: “Blessed are you Hashem… who has commanded us to bless His people Israel with Love.” And the Zohar says (Naso 147) that a Kohen who does not feel love for the entire Jewish people is forbidden to bless. And of course, the Kohen blesses all of the Jewish people, the righteous and the wicked all together.

The Midrash Halachah (Sifra VaYikra 19: 43, and see also the Talmud in Arachin 16b) quotes Rabbi Tarfon as saying:

“I swear if there be even one person in our generation who is able (worthy enough) to give Tochachah” (tell a person off for their transgressions),

and Rabbi Akiva who says:
“There is not even one person in his generation who even knows how to give Tochachah’!”

And that was in the generation of Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Akiva!

Which is why no less than the Chafetz Chaim (at the end of his Ahavat Chesed) rules that in our generation, it is forbidden to hate anyone; we are all obligated only to love each other. (And the Chazon Ish (Yoreh De’ah 13:16 and on the Rambam Deot 6:7) and Rav Kook ( Igrot Ha’Re’aiyah’ 266) rule this way as well.)

All of which brings us back to our beginning. The reason we are given this mitzvah, to love even the wicked, is because the love we demonstrate (even while we do not learn to love wickedness itself) becomes the vehicle for uncovering the holy sparks hidden inside each and every one of us. Evil is after all an external part of a person, which merely covers up the good hidden inside. But when we spend so much time on the external evil, it becomes almost like baking it in; making it even more difficult for that beautiful hidden inner light to burst forth.

Rav Kook says (Orot 148) :

“Loving… is not just an emotional experience, but rather a part of the mastery of Torah, and a very deep and wide wisdom which we all need to develop…”

This then, is the sanctity we all seek to achieve. This was not a mitzvah that was given us as an entire people assembled together. Rather, this mitzvah is the challenge of seeing the entire Jewish people as assembled together, always.

Whether it is the esteemed Rabbi getting off the train, or the Russian security guard standing outside the station, we are all one people: soldiers and doctors, plumbers and Knesset members, Talmud scholars and janitors.

Last week we commemorated Yom Hashoah, the Remembrance Day for those who perished in the Holocaust. We are reminded that if we don’t learn to live together, we will certainly learn to die together.

Only when we learn to really see each other as a people in this way, will we be ready to become the light that will allow us to see the entire world in the same fashion.

May Hashem bless all of us to discover the beauty of the gifts we have been given, and the ability and desire to live up to the challenge of all the responsibility that entails.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Ari Kahn on Parashat Kedoshim: Divinely Interpersonal

Biden Warns Israel Against 'Freedom of Worship'

His administration tells Jews to stop praying.

by Daniel Greenfield



Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic terrorism.

The Biden administration has announced that its titular head will be visiting Israel within a few months. Biden’s last high profile visit to the Jewish State in 2010 ended with him staging a diplomatic incident and refusing to leave his hotel room for an hour to attend an event with Netanyahu. The Israelis have little reason to be optimistic about this Biden expedition.

After Muslim rioters disrupted Passover by engaging in violence at the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, the administration urged "all sides to excercise restraint, avoid provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historic status quo on the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount." The “provocation action” in this case is Jewish prayer.

It’s 2022 and the White House is warning Jews that their prayers are “provocative”.

The “historic status quo” Biden demands that Jews comply with exists only because Muslim conquest deprived non-Muslim minorities, especially Jews, of the right to pray at their holy sites. That’s like telling black people riding buses in Alabama to accept the “historic status quo” or urging Ukraine to accept a “historic status quo” in which it was ruled by Moscow.

Or suggesting that Washington D.C. should take orders from Queen Elizabeth.

Behind the scenes, the Biden administration and its officials have been warning the Israeli government to stop talking about "freedom of worship" and defer to Islamic supremacism.

As one reporter described, "cognizant of how talk of 'freedom of worship' can be interpreted, US officials have sought to push Israel to avoid using the phrase and instead focus solely on affirming their commitment to the status quo at Jerusalem's holy sites."

Freedom of worship doesn’t require any interpretation. But here it means that the Israelis allow Muslims to control the Temple Mount despite the fact that they illegally seized the site during the brutal invasion and ethnic cleansing of Israel, and that occasionally Jews are also allowed to enter the holiest site in Judaism and visit it, not to pray publicly, but merely to set foot on it.

Imagine if Islamic invaders had seized the Vatican, turned St. Peter's Basilica into a mosque, and after the reconquest, the Italian government let the Muslims keep the Basilica, but occasionally allowed a handful of Catholics to visit it without praying only to be met with riots. And with international condemnation of the “provocative” action of allowing non-Muslim visitors.

That’s the situation in Jerusalem and what Biden is saying is that it doesn’t go far enough.

In Istanbul, the end of Islamist rule meant the transformation of the Hagia Sophia into the neutral status of a museum, until Erdogan's brutal Islamist regime decided to begin reverting it back to a mosque. Neutrality on the Temple Mount is not even on the table. Israel is not demanding the return of the Temple Mount. All it’s saying is that everyone should be able to go there. Not just the descendants of the invaders and colonizers who now rule over it.

Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount are not allowed to pray there. That privilege is reserved for the Islamic colonists who control it. No Jewish prayer books may be brought up to the site and no one may pray out loud. In a recent expansion of “religious freedom”, a judge ruled that a Jewish man had the religious freedom to pray quietly if there were no outward sign of it.

A whispered prayer has outraged the Muslim world, terror groups, and the Biden administration.

In response to the ruling, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry declared that, “This decision is considered a violation to Islamic sanctities as well as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a purely Muslim place of worship.”

Jordan denounced Jewish prayer as a "clear provocation" for Muslims. Hamas warned that the "resistance is ready and prepared to repel aggression". The aggression of silent prayer.

"Such illegal decisions constitute an unprecedented attack on the inalienable religious rights of the Islamic nation and its heritage, a provocation to the feelings of Muslims all over the world, and a violation of freedom of worship and the sanctity of holy places,” the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation raved.

By "freedom of worship", the Islamist official meant that only Muslims should be able to worship, while no one else should be permitted to pray because no one else has religious freedom.

He added that Jews silently praying was a "grave violation of international law, international humanitarian law and relevant U.N. resolutions."

Knowing the U.N., there probably is a resolution condemning silent Jewish prayers.

Rather than agree that everyone should have the right to pray, the Biden administration blamed Israel and backed the calls for a “status quo” which is a euphemism for banning Jewish prayer.

During the Passover riots this year, Hamas and PLO flags were flown from the roof of the mosque occupying the Temple Mount (named the Al-Aqsa Mosque by the Islamic colonists), and rioters threw stones and called for Jihad. All of this was going on while Jewish prayers were taking place at the Western Wall or the Kotel. Several Jewish worshipers were also assaulted.

These were not random acts of violence. The Palestinian Authority and its leaders, including President Abbas, had urged Muslim rioters to go to the holy site and "defend it" from the Jews.

Instead of condemning Abbas, the Biden administration is coming after Israel.

Biden’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr, who once claimed, "I was inspired by the Palestinian intifada", was dispatched to Israel.

Israeli officials who have met with Amr have described him yelling and berating them.

In New York City, angry Muslim mobs rallied to support “Palestinian resistance” (a euphemism for terrorism) "by any means necesary".

And the Biden administration stands with the angry Jihadist mobs in Israel and America.

The Biden administration agrees with the bigots that Jews should not be able to visit their own holy site and silently pray there. Biden officials understand that openly condemning “freedom of worship” would be awkward, and so they use the euphemism of “historic status quo”.

While presidential visits to other countries may be cheerful affairs, high-level visits to Israel are usually the opening round of a pressure campaign to force concessions to Islamic terrorists.

Biden’s 2010 visit marked the beginning of an intensified hate campaign against the Jewish State by the Obama administration. Biden’s 2022 visit is likely to be more of the same.

That’s why no one in Israel is cheering.

The Temple Mount situation is a perfect encapsulation of the entire conflict in which the White House and its European allies treat Islamic demands, no matter how obscenely violent, bigoted and irrational, as the only path to peace while blaming Israeli actions, no matter how innocent or humble, even silent prayer, for provoking Islamic violence and violating the status quo.

The status quo is the one that has ruled the Middle East since the conquests of Mohammed destroyed every religious civilization, turning a heartland of world religions into Islamist tyranny.

Biden doesn’t believe Jews have the right to pray, does he believe they have the right to exist?

Rav Kook on Parashat Kedoshim: A Letter for the Neturei Karta

“Do not take revenge nor bear a grudge against the members of your people.” (Vayikra 19:18)

During the British Mandate, there was no more unity among the Jews living in Israel than there is today. Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and his followers maintained friendly relations with the secular Zionists. On the other hand, a group of very pious Jews in Jerusalem called Neturei Karta (“Guardians of the City”) bitterly opposed and denounced the Zionists, and were therefore hostile toward Rav Kook.

The daughter of a Neturei Karta leader once became stricken with a difficult and dangerous illness. The doctors who examined her concluded that she needed to be sent abroad and treated by a certain professor, the world-renowned specialist in his field.

The father made inquires, and learned that this professor was an extremely busy man. A great number of patients made demands on his time. If his daughter came to this renowned physician as just another patient, it was unlikely that he would give her case much attention. Moreover, the fee required was far beyond the family’s means to pay.

But the girl’s father was told that the professor was a great admirer of Rav Kook. If he would receive a personal request from Rav Kook to treat the sick girl, he would put his other cases on hold and devote himself to curing her.

The girl’s father was now in a quandary. If he approached Rav Kook directly and ask him for a letter to the professor, he would die of embarrassment and shame. As a leader of the Neturei Karta, he had subjected Rav Kook to public disgrace more than once.

Then the man had an idea. He knew that there was a strong bond of friendship between Rav Kook and Rav Aryeh Levine, the well-known tzaddik of Jerusalem. So he approached Reb Aryeh and asked him to kindly serve as a ‘go-between’ and speak to Rav Kook for him. Needless to say, Reb Aryeh readily agreed, and went post-haste to the renowned rabbi’s house.

A Second Letter
Once Rav Kook understood the problem, he immediately agreed. “Of course I am prepared to write a letter to the professor for him. What does this have to do with the difference of opinion between us?”

Rav Kook took paper and pen and wrote the letter, taking pains to depict the sick girl’s father in favorable terms — precisely because he had reason to resent the man. This way, he explained to Reb Aryeh, “I will let no personal bias influence me as I write this.”

Precious letter in hand, Reb Aryeh left the room, in high spirits that he had successfully served as a go-between for such a great mitzvah. Leaving Rav Kook’s house, he met two distinguished rabbis who, he knew, could never forgive the extremist pious Jews of Jerusalem for their hostility toward Rav Kook. He greeted them pleasantly and went on his way.

As he walked along, Reb Aryeh suddenly heard his name being called from Rav Kook’s house. He was being summoned to return. In momentary confusion, he feared that the two rabbis whom he had met at the entrance might have persuaded Rav Kook to take back the letter.

For a moment, Reb Aryeh stood there hesitating, irresolute. Then he decided, “I cannot demur. If the rabbi calls me, I must go.” With a trembling heart, he returned to the house.

“I had another thought,” Rav Kook told him. “The trip abroad is very expensive. I remembered that there is a shipping line which honors my requests, and gives a substantial discount in fare to those in need. Let me provide a letter to that company as well...”

(Adapted from “A Tzaddik in Our Time” by R. Simcha Raz, pp. 115-116)

Rav Kook on Yom Ha'Atzma'ut and Zionism

During controversy over the Hetter Mechirah in 1910, Rabbi Yaakov David Wilovsky (the “Ridvaz”) of Safed leveled a serious accusation. He accused Rav Kook of abandoning his religious beliefs and becoming a Zionist in his old age. (In fact, from a very early age Rav Kook was imbued with a great love for Eretz Yisrael.)

For an Orthodox rabbi to support a secular movement that publicly proclaimed that it “has nothing to do with theology” was close to heresy. Why should a religious scholar with a deep love for all peoples be supportive of a secular nationalist movement? Indeed, Rav Kook’s outlook on Zionism is a complex topic, the subject of numerous books and academic articles, and certainly beyond the scope of a brief essay. Nonetheless, the following excerpts from his writings and letters shed light on his views on this nonreligious (and sometimes anti-religious) movement.

Historical Precedents
Rav Kook noted that our generation is not the first to experience a return to the land of Israel comprised primarily of Jews lax in religious observance. When Ezra led the return to Eretz Yisrael in the beginning of the Second Temple Period, many of the Jewish pioneers who joined him were Sabbath-desecrators and worse; and yet this period witnessed the rebuilding of the Temple and tremendous advances in Torah scholarship.

Centuries later, during the corrupt reign of Herod, the nation suffered from a cruel king, far removed from the ideal Jewish leader. The irony of the holy Temple built by Herod, a brutal and paranoid despot, is even greater than the current phenomenon of the Holy Land being resettled by secular pioneers. The actual construction, Rav Kook wrote, “may be carried by those who fail to penetrate the profound secrets of the righteous. And not just the stonemasons; they may even be the ones orchestrating the construction.” Yet this does not sully the innate purity of the lofty objective.



The Positive Influence of Eretz Yisrael
Rav Kook suggested that we need not be overly concerned about the religious level of the pioneers, since the Land on its own will determine who is deserving of living in it.

“There is no need to check the level of kashrut of those who come, for the Land will vomit out the true chaff; and “all those remaining shall be called holy” (Isaiah 4:3). This is similar to how we do not separate food from its waste elements before we eat it, but leave this [separation] process to life’s natural functions.”

Furthermore, the merit of Eretz Yisrael helps even the unworthy:

“The merit of the Land even protects the wicked. Even a gentile maidservant in the land of Israel is promised a portion in the World to Come (Ketubot 111a). Clearly the Talmud is not speaking of a righteous maidservant, who would anyway merit the World to Come... Rather it is referring to an ordinary maidservant, with sordid deeds and coarse traits. Nonetheless, the merit of living in the land of Israel enables her to gain a portion in the World to Come....

“All the more so [regarding the secular Zionists, since] one may find in every Jew, even the most unworthy, precious gems of good deeds and positive traits. Certainly the land of Israel helps elevate and sanctify them. And if this is not evident in them, it will become so in their descendants.”

Sacred Roots
Despite the current secular nature of Zionism, the return to Eretz Yisrael in recent times was first promoted by great tzaddikim — starting with the disciples of the Gaon of Vilna and the Baal Shem Tov — and Zionism derives its spiritual nourishment from these holy roots.

“[It was] the lofty righteous of previous generations who ignited a holy inner fire, a burning love for the holiness of Eretz Yisrael in the hearts of God’s people. Due to their efforts, individuals gathered in the desolate land, until significant areas became a garden of Eden, and a large and important community of the entire people of Israel has settled in our holy land....

“Recently, however, the pious and great scholars have gradually abandoned the enterprise of settling the Holy Land.... This holy work has been appropriated by those lacking in [Torah] knowledge and good deeds.... Nonetheless, we see that the [secularists'] dedication in deed and action is nourished from the initial efforts of true tzaddikim, who kindled the holy desire to rebuild the Holy Land and return our exiles there.”

Breaking of the Vessels
For Rav Kook, the fall of Zionism into the hands of the secularists was a form of shevirat keilim, reminiscent of the Kabbalistic “breaking of vessels” that occurred when the universe was created. The original light and holiness was simply too great to be contained within the limitations of the physical vessels; and it is our task to return these fallen sparks to their elevated source.

But why did the return to the land of Israel need to be appropriated by a secular nationalist movement? Rav Kook attempted to solve this riddle by noting certain qualities lacking in religious circles:

“The fundamental moral force hidden in [the Zionist movement] ... is its motto, “the entire nation.” This nationalism proclaims... that it seeks to redeem the entire Jewish people. It does not concern itself with individuals or parties or sectors.... And with this perspective, it reaches out to the land of Israel and the love of Zion with a remarkable bravery and courage.

“It is clear that we cannot confront this adversary if we lack the same noble sense of responsibility that speaks in the name of the entire nation, all of Israel. We may not distinguish and divide. We may not say, “This one is one of ours so we will take care of him, but not that one.” ... [We must] care in our hearts and souls for the good of the entire nation and its redemption, in the most inclusive way possible.”

Additionally, Rav Kook explained that the pre-Messianic era requires a more practical, down-to-earth orientation, so that the Jewish people may return to their land as a healthy, balanced nation, after centuries of detached statelessness in exile.

“We have a tradition [see Sotah 49b] that there will be a spiritual revolt of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael during the initial period of national revival.... The aspirations for lofty and holy ideals will cease and the nation’s spirit will sink....

“The necessity for this revolt will be the tendency for materialism, which must be powerfully generated in the entire nation after the passage of so many years in which the need and availability of material pursuits were completely absent. When born, this proclivity will trample angrily and stir up storms; these are the birth pangs of the Messianic era.” (Orot HaTechiyah sec. 44, p. 84)

However, secular Zionism can only bring about the material rebuilding of the Jewish people in their homeland. The nation’s complete renewal will only come about when Zionism is restored to its original holiness.

“Secular nationalism may be defiled with much defilement, concealing many evil spirits. But we will not succeed by trying to expel this movement from the nation’s soul. Rather we must energetically return it to its elevated source and combine it with the original holiness from which it emanates.” (Orot HaTechiyahsec. 22, p. 75)

True Zionism
And what about the Ridvaz’s accusations that Rav Kook had descended to heresy, becoming a secular Zionist? Rav Kook responded that Zionism, when based on its true ideals, is nothing to be ashamed of:

“My dear friend! If all Zionists would love the land of Israel and seek the settlement of the Holy Land for the same reason and holy goal that I have in mind — because it is God’s land, special and beloved out of the entire world, containing unique holy qualities that foster prophesy and Divine inspiration... then it would be certainly a great honor for every important rabbi and Torah scholar and tzaddik to be such a Zionist. Even your honor should find nothing objectionable in this form of Zionism.”

To summarize the salient points in Rav Kook’s views on Zionism:

• There are historical precedents for significant Jewish movements in which irreligious Jews played a major role.
• The special merits of Eretz Yisrael will elevate those who participate in its settlement and rebuilding.
• The original roots of Zionism are holy, going back to the disciples of the Gaon of Vilna and the Baal Shem Tov. Zionism must be returned to these authentic holy roots.
• The success of secular Zionism is due to its non-sectarian concern for the entire Jewish people, and it serves as a necessary correction for the imbalances caused by centuries of statelessness.

(Silver from the Land of Israel, pp. 175-180. Based on letters from Igrot HaRe’iyah vol. I, pp. 56, 88, 207–208 (1907); vol. I, p. 448 (1910); vol. II, pp. 171–172, 194–195 (1913); vol. III, pp. 157–158 (1918) by Rav Chanan Morrison.)

Why are forbidden sexual relationships the central reason for lessening kedushah?

by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

Friday Night
THERE IS A mitzvah, in this week’s parsha, of not placing a stumbling block before the blind. It is not talking about an actual stumbling block before a person who is actually blind. We have other mitzvos that address such acts of cruelty.

Rather, this mitzvah is as explained by Rashi:

Before a person who is “blind” regarding a matter, you shall not give advice that is improper for them. Do not say to someone, “Sell your field and buy a donkey,” while you plan to cheat him since you yourself will take it from him. (Rashi, Vayikra 19:14)

What Rashi means is that the person only told their friend to sell the field to buy the donkey because they knew the owner would have to borrow money from them at some time. Since the field had a lien on it from a previous creditor, it could not be used as collateral for the loan. The donkey however purchased with the proceeds of the sale of the field could be. Hence, the “friendly” advice.

Basically, this is a mitzvah not to mislead people. The question is, why do we need it if we already have a mitzvah not to lie? Because this is different. In fact, it is the difference between false advertising, which is illegal, and misleading advertising, which is legally rampant. False advertising misrepresents a product. Misleading advertising takes advantage of people’s naiveté and exploits their weaknesses. Hence the saying, “Let the buyer beware,” which is good advice no matter what you are “buying.”

This is really quite a remarkable mitzvah. It’s like the mitzvah to not speak loshon hara, which is the basis of much of the news published daily. Everyone agrees that it is wrong to lie about someone, especially in a defamatory way. But the world-at-large seems to have no problem with defaming someone if everything reported is true. People get paid good money to dig up such true but incriminating information.

It is the Torah that says that just because something is true does not mean revealing it in public is the true thing. A truth can be a single statement. But speaking the truth incorporates a lot more than just what is being said. It also has to take into account the impact of it, and if that impact is contrary to a Torah goal, then it becomes “falsehood” to share it…even if it sells millions of newspapers and magazines.

Similarly, the Torah does not like it when a person takes advantage of another’s shortcoming. It is pure selfishness to try and get ahead at the expense of another, but even more so at their unwitting expense. Yes, the buyer should be aware as much as possible to protect themself. But the seller should also beware…that God is keeping track of how they represent the truth, and He will not buy into causing others to stumble.

Shabbos Day
AND WHEN WE say unwitting expense, we don’t mean that they do not know what they are getting into. For example, a shaylah was asked about whether or not it is permissible to make a shidduch between two people who will not observe the laws of family purity, or even get married according to halachah with kiddushin and chupah.

The answer is no, because by making the shidduch it would be placing a stumbling block before the blind. This is true even if they said that they know the halachos and choose to ignore them anyhow. Not having learned Torah, they simply don’t appreciate the importance of getting married k’da’as Moshe v’Yisroel, and this makes them halachically blind.

It’s quite the level of sensitivity. It doesn’t say let the buyer beware. It says let the seller beware on behalf of the buyer, to be concerned about the greater good for other people. This is especially so when they cannot be concerned about it for themselves. After all, that is what God does for us, and we were created in His image, so-to-speak, so it is how we are supposed to behave as well.

I was trying to explain this to one of my grandchildren on Shabbos. They asked me for some chocolate which I gladly gave them. But they enjoyed it so much that they wanted the whole bar. So I said that it would not be fair to others who would enjoy it as well. They did not buy it and still wanted the rest of it which, to their dismay, they did not get.

I’ve watched adults do the same thing. I have a hard time finishing off something I know others would enjoy, because my parents put that consciousness into me when I was young. But I’ve watched people help themselves to something and then take more than might be considered fair by others who enjoy the same thing. I’ve seen some think about it and hold back from taking too much, some think about it and take the “extra” anyhow, and some not think about it at all and just take what they want regardless of others.

Then someone might disappointingly say, “Okay, who finished off the …?!” at which time the guilty party realizes what they did and apologizes for taking so much. They might even offer to share right off their plate from the “untouched part,” but who ever says yes to that?

This of course is just another way of saying that every Jew must be a guarantor for their fellow Jew, and in many respects, for their fellow man in general. It is specifically for a fellow Jew because it means also sharing in their sins, and that is just too much to ask given the growing population of the world and different national goals.

Such a level of social responsibility is about more than just making the world a friendlier place. This mitzvah and others like it are in this week’s parsha about kedushah—holiness because they help with achieving it. When you think of a holy person, you do not usually think of a selfish one. But do you think of a holy person if you think of a selfless one? Are they really that intricately connected?

The Torah says they are, and Rashi alludes to the reason why:

You shall be holy: Separate yourselves from sexual immorality and from sin, for wherever one finds a barrier against sexual immorality, one finds holiness… (Rashi, Vayikra 19:2)

The previous parsha ended off with a long list of forbidden sexual relationships. Rashi is telling us that it was the introduction to this week’s parsha about being holy. We understand why abstaining from such relationships is crucial for being holy. But why are they the central reason for lessening kedushah?

Shalosh Seudot
ONE OF THE differences between a good parent and a bad parent is that when a good parent tells their child they can’t have or do something, it is for the child’s own good. When a bad parent says it, it is for the parent’s own good.

God, of course, is the best parent there can be. Everything He tells us to do or not to do is for our own good, either directly or indirectly. He doesn’t need us to do good for His benefit, and if He did, He could just make us do it.

That’s not what the snake told Chava back in Gan Aiden, and that’s not what the yetzer hara tells us each day. It may not always try to convince us that our loss is God’s gain, like the original, external yetzer hara. But it does make us feel that the illicit thing we pine for is really something we ought to have. It’s only after we have sinned that we realize, if we’re mature enough to own up to our mistake, that we were wrong.

So even though it takes two to have a forbidden relationship, each one is doing it for their own benefit, the ultimate selfish act. They’re using each other to get their own pleasures, unconcerned about the spiritual implications for each other. If they truly loved the other person, they would not subjugate them to such a self-destructive act, no matter how much the other person seemed to consent.

In this parsha is also the mitzvah to love your neighbor as yourself, or as the great Hillel put it, don’t do unto others what you would not want done to you (Shabbos 30a). This, Rebi Akiva said, is a great principle of Torah, meaning that the entire Torah is based upon it. As Hillel said, “the rest is just commentary.”

Similarly, there were only two words on the tzitz worn by the Kohen Gadol: Kodesh L’Hashem—Holy to God. Kabbalah explains that this was to remind him, and us, that the goal of life is to elevate everything, especially ourselves, to be holy. Being kadosh is not just a nice thing to become, but the thing to become.

If A equals B and B equals C, then A must equal C as well. If caring for others as much as yourself is the basis of Torah, and Torah is about becoming a kadosh, then caring for others as much as ourselves must be the same as becoming a kadosh.

This would explain why it was so important for the Jewish people to reach the level of k’ish echad b’levi echad, like a single person with a single heart, before receiving Torah. Selfishness interferes with kedushah. Selflessness opens the door for it. It makes a person more objective and therefore more capable of hearing truth. As the Gemora says, the seal of God is truth (Yoma 69b), so accepting truth is accepting God, and God starts off this week’s parsha by saying, “You shall be holy, for I God your God am holy.” Accept truth, accept God. Accept God, accept holiness.

Today, it seems, many fight for rights and equality, but at a cost to others. They’re not thinking about what is best for society as a whole, and about how their acquisitions might be at a selfish cost. They’re mostly interested in personal empowerment and taking it away from others if need be. It’s making for a very unholy world.

That’s what the world was like before the great flood in Noach’s time. That’s what the world has been like countless times since and before some disasters like World War I and World War II. And surprise! It’s that way once again as the possibility of a third world war, God forbid, looms.

The world may be too far gone to correct it on its own. But as the Gemora says, every person is a world of their own. If we fix only that one, it will be a great accomplishment and will have a greater effect on the world around us than we can imagine.

Melave Malkah
This is an excerpt from the Introduction to a new book called, What The Doctor Ordered: A Torah Perspective On Healthy Eating, due to be published, b”H, within two weeks. It will be available in Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and PDF formats. The paperback will retail for $14.95, but you can advance order it here for $10.95 plus $4.50 US shipping.

I NEVER REALLY argue with my doctor, who happens to also be a close personal friend. I have great respect for him as a person and as a medical practitioner. I trust him implicitly. But this was the second time we argued about this one topic.

Actually, I had gone to him because of back problems. But before we got to the real reason for my visit, he checked my record on his computer and casually asked me if I had kept my weight off. After years of trying without much success, I had finally lost about twenty kilos over about six months of serious dieting and exercise.

“Most of it,” I answered a little sheepishly. I was still exercising, but though I was watching what I ate, it was usually on its way into my mouth.

“What do you think the greatest obstacle is to successful dieting?” my doctor asked me.

I thought about it for a moment, and recalling what worked for me finally, I said, “Not controlling what you eat enough, and not exercising enough.”

“Nope,” he said. “It’s what they have been saying for the longest time now, but I just didn’t really appreciate it until now. Patience.”

I immediately agreed because I remembered telling my wife the same thing once I saw how, if you stick with it long enough, you begin to see progress, and that is encouraging. We all want to lose weight quickly, but it doesn’t usually happen short of a stomach operation and a strict diet after it.

People are desperate enough to want a silver bullet when it comes to losing weight that they have made a lot of diet pill pushing billionaires…even after the law suits. They just don’t have the patience to do it the sure-fire over time process of little-by-little.

“Cutting out food is just too difficult for most people, so it can’t last for very long,” the doc said. “You have to be able to eat what you want. You just have to exercise portion control…”

“But that is so very hard to do,” I jumped in. “Torah gives us so many occasions to eat, starting with Shabbos and Yom Tov. There are the kiddishum and smachos, like a wedding or a bris where all kinds of delicious and fattening food are served!”

Once upon a time, we didn’t have much money, everything was home-baked, and almost always in limited supply. Today there is an abundance, b”H, and even people who can’t afford it still tend to put out quite a spread. Even people who did not suffer lack in Europe serve and eat as if that might happen again.

How many times have I heard guests on Shabbos say, “I am SO stuffed!” and then eat more. The Rambam would not approve. Doctors do not approve. Our bodies do not approve, evident by all the health issues now plaguing the Torah world as well.

I am at the age now when I am seeing children whom I knew since they were in Cheder getting married. And I am seeing young men who barely gained a pound for over ten years all of a sudden become overweight with their first two years of marriage!

What’s going on? Did their mothers not serve them much food when they were growing up. Did they starve at yeshivah and never go out for pizza or a burger?

I know what changed for me. We started having guests for Shabbos. Afraid to not have enough food for guests to eat to their hearts’ content, we cooked more than we needed. Once we cooked “just enough” on my insistence, and while I felt great about it, my wife was anxious the whole meal and told me after, “Never again!”

Enter the leftovers. It would be years until we had kids old enough to eat them, so I did. I grew up in a home that always had enough, thank God, emphasized not over-eating, and would not throw out leftovers until they could go on their own.

It did not help that I love my wife’s cooking, or that I was used to eating what I wanted without gaining weight years earlier. Now I ate what I wanted and more, and by age 30, it was becoming embarrassingly evident. By 50, it was overwhelmingly evident, and I began trying to lose it by dieting and exercise. I never lost enough to make me feel successful at it.

In fact, I was scheduled to have an operation to reduce the size of my stomach, as it was becoming the thing to do. A few people had quietly done it, disappeared for a couple of weeks, only to show up significantly thinner and happier.

I had gone through all the preparatory procedures, the last one being dieting to get used to a smaller appetite. I cut back on my intake and increased my exercise and lost some weight. Surprised and encouraged, I canceled the operation and decided to do it the old-fashioned (and safer) way: willpower…

2022 Inflated Palestinian Demography

by Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

Official Palestinian demographic numbers are highly-inflated, as documented by a study, which has been conducted since 2004:

*500,000 overseas residents, who have been away for over a year, are included in the Palestinian census, contrary to international regulations. 325,000 were included in the 1997 census, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and 400,000 in 2005, according to the Palestinian Election Commission. The number grows steadily due to births.

*350,000 East Jerusalem Arabs are doubly-counted – by Israel and by the Palestinian Authority. The number grows daily due to births.

*Over 150,000 Arabs, who married Israeli Arabs are similarly doubly-counted. The number expands daily due to births.

*370,000 Arab emigrants from Judea & Samaria are excluded from the population census of the Palestinian Authority, notwithstanding the annual net-emigration since 1950. For example, 17,958 in 2021, 26,357 in 2019, 15,173 in 2017, 16,393 in 2015 and 24,244 in 2014, as documented (exists and entries) in all the land, air and sea international passages.

*A 32% artificial inflation of Palestinian births was documented by the World Bank (page 8, item 6) in a 2006 audit.

*The Judea & Samaria Arab fertility rate has been westernized: from 9 births per woman in the 1960s to 2.96 births in 2022, as documented by the CIA World Factbook. It reflects the sweeping urbanization, growing enrollment of women in higher education, rising marriage age and the use of contraceptives.

*The number of Arab deaths in Judea & Samaria has been systematically under-reported for political and financial reasons.

*The aforementioned data documents 1.5 million Arabs in Judea and Samaria, when deducting the aforementioned documented-data from the official Palestinian number (3 million).

In 2022: a 68% Jewish majority in the combined area of Judea, Samaria and pre-1967 Israel. In 1947 and 1897: a 39% and 9% Jewish minority. In 2022, the 68% Jewish majority benefits from fertility tailwind and net-immigration, while Arab fertility is Westernized, in addition to net-emigration from Judea and Samaria. No Arab demographic time bomb; but, a Jewish demographic momentum. More data in this article and this short video.

Yoram will be available for speaking engagements in the US during August 25 - September 20, 2022: Impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Israel's national security; US benefits outweigh foreign aid to Israel; Iran - negotiation or confrontation? President Biden's Middle East policy; US pressure - testing US realism and Israeli leadership; 400-year-old roots of US-Israel kinship; Myth of Arab demographic time bomb; Arab talk vs. Arab walk on Palestinians; Is the Palestinian issue the crux of the Arab-Israeli conflict and a core cause of regional turbulence? Islamic terrorists bite the hands that feed them; Middle East reality vs. Western conventional wisdom, etc.

Overcoming Mazal with Merit

by HaRav Shaul Yisraeli, zt"l
Rosh HaYeshiva, Mercaz HaRav
Rosh Kollel, Eretz Hemdat
Chaver, Beit Din HaGadol Yerushalayim

The mandate of "You shall be holy" is explained by Chazal as: "Be like those who separate themselves [from temptations]" (Sifra, Kedoshim 1). Sanctity requires separation, as sanctity does not come to a person naturally. This is the essence of Judaism, whose goal is to, on the one hand, reach great heights, but on the other, does not deny the true situation. Rather, we strive to "uproot the weeds" before we come to plant worthwhile plants.

The Jewish People declared at Sinai "We will do and hear," and they also had the mountain held over their head. There is no contradiction between the two. There are two forces in man – the good part of his nature and the destructive part of his nature. Along with the positive action ("We will do and hear"), they had to accept upon themselves the concept of "Remove oneself from evil" (the weeding of the garden). They must not deny or cover up the problems but accept the holding of the mountain over their heads. Only then will the positive be something that one can really be happy with.

Therefore, in every generation it is necessary to really accept the Torah anew. Actually, in every year, we must accept it anew, and every day it should appear to us as new.

It is the way of man to work on refining his nature. The corrections can bring on the repair of all of the natural world, as all of existence depends on mankind. It goes up and goes down along with him. "If not for My covenant day and night, the rules of the Heavens and the earth I would not have placed" (Yirmiyahu 33:25). If they would not have accepted the Torah, the morally destructive elements would grow stronger until, "… this will be your place of burial"

The mishna (Kiddushin 4:14) says that neither poverty nor wealth are a product of one’s profession, but everything depends on his merit. Tosafot (Kiddushin 82a) asks from the statement of Chazal that livelihood, life, and children depend on mazal (ostensibly, rather than merit). On the other hand, Bnei Yisrael are not governed by mazal (Shabbat 156a).

The explanation is that mazal is not a combination of natural factors. There is a possibility of things that are beyond nature, and this depends on a realization that wealth is not a function of one’s profession. While livelihood, life, and children depend on mazal, merit impacts the mazal. When nature is repaired, so too, mazal, which is a foundation of blind nature in the world, also changes.

Blind Advice

by Rabbi Dov Berel Wein

One of the very well-known commandments that appears in this week's reading of the Torah is the injunction not to place a stumbling block in front of someone who cannot see. Interestingly enough, Rashi in commenting upon and in explaining this commandment, does not treat it literally.

The Torah does not deal with people who are so evil as to purposely and knowingly place a stumbling block before someone who is unable to see. Rather, the Rabbis interpreted the words to apply to situations where one's own bias, prejudice, financial interest or social status misleads someone who has approached him or her for advice on an issue.

If I am interested in buying a piece of real estate and I am in the real estate business, and someone approaches me for advice as to whether to purchase that exact piece of real estate, one is forbidden to advise him incorrectly to gain the financial advantage for himself. This is a rather blatant example of how the self-interest of one person can cause an unsuspecting other person who is unaware of the self -interests of the person from whom he is seeking advice. One seeking the advice is blind to the prejudice and self-interest of the person granting the advice and invokes the proverbial stumbling block placed before the person seeking direction. In the canons of ethics that exist in legal and related professions, such behavior is grounds for the accusation of malfeasance and intentional malpractice.

In our complicated and stressful society there have arisen numerous professions devoted to giving advice to others and receiving a fee for so doing. Such professions as financial planners, estate managers and programmers, therapists for both mental and physical wounds, marriage and divorce counselors and other areas in which current society is populated, if not even dominated by these advice givers. No one can expect perfection from another human being and many times the advice or planning that is suggested and adopted may turn out to be destructive. While the Torah does not expect perfection from those from whom we seek advice, it does expect honesty and transparency. There always is a tinge of self-interest on the part of the counselor or therapist involved. After all, this is the manner in which that person makes a living. Yet, as far as humanly possible, the Torah does demand objectivity, fairness, and intelligence when giving such advice, whether it be from a professional in the field or even from a friend or neighbor.

We are repeatedly warned not to volunteer advice to others in areas where we are not requested to, or if we are not expert in those fields. People tend to invest spiritual leaders with knowledge that they may not really possess. It is dangerous and an enormous responsibility to give advice to others. In biblical times, prophecy was available but in our world it no longer exists. Both the person seeking advice and the one granting such advice should be very careful not to create the stumbling block that will cause the ‘blind man’ to fall.

The Source of Holiness

by HaRav Mordechai Greenberg
Nasi HaYeshiva, Kerem B'Yavneh

"You shall be holy, for holy am I, Hashem your G-d." (Vayikra 19:2) Why does the fact that G-d is holy require us, too, to be holy? The concept of holiness is something so abstract and lofty, so how is it possible to command this? Furthermore, in Torat Kohanim it says, "You shall be holy -- be separate (or abstinent); be holy." What is the meaning of this redundancy?

In addition, the Zohar writes:

G-d says: Of all the nations -- I saw fit to cling only to Israel, as it says, "But you who cling to Hashem, your G-d." (Devarim 4:4) You and not the other nations. Because of this it says, "You shall be holy" -- specifically [you]!

Here, too, the question can be asked, if the idea of holiness is separation, can't the other nations also abstain from illicit relationships and the like?

A superficial view would say that the difference between Israel and the other nations of the world is that the other nations have only seven mitzvot, whereas Israel was commanded with 613. This outlook, though, is completely wrong. The idea expressed in the pesukim, "You shall be to Me the most beloved treasure of all peoples" (Shemot 19:5), and, "I have separated you from the peoples to be Mine" (Vayikra 20:26), is a separation that begins with the soul itself, not with free choice.

R. Yehuda Halevi writes in the Kuzari about the prayer, "Ahava raba ahavtanu" ("You have loved us greatly"): "We are required to believe that the beginning [of Bnei Yisrael's selection] is from Him, and not from us." The Divine choice of Israel should not be seen as the arbitrary selection of Israel from among the other nations, but rather as something predestined from creation. "This people which I created for Myself that they might declare My praise." (Yeshaya 43:21)

Tosfot, as well, writes this in Masechet Avoda Zara (5a). The Gemara there suggests that had Israel not sinned with the golden calf, they would not have returned after the Revelation of Har Sinai to their wives. The Gemara then asks, "But the [Messiah] son of David will not come until all the souls are depleted from the "guf"?! (Rashi explains that there is a kind of storehouse which is called "guf," and at the time of creation, all the souls that were destined to be born were formed and placed there.) Tosfot asks on this, that the non-Jews could deplete the collection of souls, since they would still procreate? R. Elchanan answers that the souls of Jews and the souls of non-Jews are not in the same "guf." They are two treasures, because they are two kinds of souls.

All of the ensuing distinctions in action and behavior are results of this distinction of the souls. Even Sefer Hachinuch, who repeats many times the principle that the mind is drawn after actions, does not mean to say that the actions form the mind, but rather that actions reveal what is already inherent in the soul. As proof, he himself explains in the mitzvah of milah that G-d wanted to instill in our bodies a sign, so that we will be separated from the nations in body just as we are separated from them in soul, because their source is not the same. The circumcision of the body just expresses the predetermined circumcision of the soul.

Holiness is something inherent in Israel. "I am holy," and since "You cling to G-d," we already have this trait in common. A person's obligation is only in action, to reveal the holiness.

This is what is says in Torat Kohanim, "Be separate (abstinent); be holy." If you will be abstinent, you will automatically be holy. Similarly the Zohar points out that it does not say, "Be holy!" (as a command), but rather, "You shall be holy." This is a promise that you will certainly be holy. This is the meaning of the earlier Zohar, that only you cling to G-d, and thus, only you have this quality in potential, and therefore actions have impact. This is not the case regarding a non-Jew who abstains from illicit relations -- he will not reach the level of holiness, since he is lacking in potential. The Ramchal writes in Mesilat Yesharim, "Holiness begins with effort and ends with a gift."

This is what it says in the end of the parsha, "You shall be holy for Me, for I Hashem am holy; and I have separated you from the people to be Mine." (Vayikra 20:26) Through the separation you became Mine, and through this you will be holy.

There is only one stipulation in this, that the actions be through a connection to the entire nation, since the Shechina does not exist in Israel detached from the klal. Thus, the Meshech Chochma writes, "G-d does not designate His Name on the individual, because the individual, without connection to the klal, is not at all the ultimate purpose." (Vayikra 18:4)

Learning Torah and fulfilling mitzvot, which is done in a private manner, detached from the klal, does not bring one to holiness. The Rambam writes that one who separates himself from the klal has no share in the world to come, "even though he does not transgress, just that he separates from the community of Israel and does not do mitzvot with them, does not share in their troubles, and does not take part in their fasts, but goes along his way like one of the nations of the land, as if he is not one of them." (Hil. Teshuva 3:11)

Therefore, Parshat Kedoshim was read at Hakhel, before all of Israel. So, too, an individual does not say "Kedusha." Similarly, Parshat Kedoshim is identified by the many social mitzvot in it, first and foremost, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," which R. Akiva considered the greatest general rule of the Torah.

From Holocaust to Procreation

by HaRav Eliezer Melamed
Rosh HaYeshiva, Har Bracha

The memory of the Holocaust should inspire us to stand up to all our enemies, and out of the affront of the murdered, continue striving for the building of the State of Israel * Demographically, the people of Israel have not yet recovered from the death blow inflicted upon them by the Nazi tyrant in the Holocaust * Consequently, it is appropriate to strengthen the values of the family and the mitzvah of puru u’revuru by way of information in the public sphere, and the education of children towards this goal

On the day when we remember the six million kedoshim (holy souls), the elderly men and women, fathers and sons, boys and girls, we fulfill the great mitzvah of “ve’ahavta la-reicha ke’mocha” (love your neighbor as yourself), the first component of which is to identify with each of our Jewish brethren. How much more so is this true when each and every one of those murdered in the Holocaust was murdered because he was a Jew; had we been there ourselves, we would have been murdered along with them. Consequently, a sacred duty is incumbent upon us to remember the Holocaust martyrs, and give as glorious expression to their memory and heritage as possible.

Their Heritage in the Building of the Nation and the Land
Out of the memory of the Holocaust martyrs, we should be inspired to contribute our part to the strengthening of the State of Israel, reishit tzimichat geulateinu (the beginning of the flowering of our redemption), which arose from the ashes of the Holocaust crematoria. Just as the commandment to remember Amalek is meant to inspire Israel to stand guard against its enemies, so too, and even more so, the memory of the Holocaust should inspire us to stand guard against all our enemies and haters, while defending our nation and our country. Out of the utter abuse they incurred, we will continue caring for the building of the State of Israel, which will flourish and prosper for the renown, joy, praise and honor, so that all Jews and all the world may know that all the wonderful prophecies that God has spoken about his People, will be fulfilled.

The Dry Bones
This takes place primarily in the strengthening of the State of Israel, flowering the deserts, the ingathering of the exiles, and increasing the honor of Israel in the eyes of the peoples of the world. During the Holocaust, when the German Nazis with their aides and supporters from the peoples of Europe and the Arab peoples murdered six million of our brothers and sisters, the wicked of the world, who also are always our greatest haters, rejoiced in our destruction. Our lovers eulogized us, and along with us, eulogized faith in truth and good. The great movements that promised tikun (repair) and redemption, were burned along with us in the kilns. The entire world seemed like an awesome valley full of bones.

Then, suddenly, the voice of Ezekiel’s ancient prophecy was heard:

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”

“So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.”

“Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”

“Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 37).

The spirit of this prophecy was captured in the hearts of the pioneers, who even before the Holocaust began to build the country. At times, the pioneers were seen as the least successful of children, but with devotion, God’s word was revealed by them. As the word of the Lord to Joel (Chapter three):

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy … For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. ”

They understood that the call of God’s name was to return to the land that God had promised our ancestors, as it is said (ibid. 3:5):

“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall flee, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord has said, and in the remnant which the Lord calls.”
Holocaust Remembrance Day Today as an Encouragement for the Expansion of the Jewish People

Inspired by the days of Nisan, in which we were redeemed from Egypt, it would be appropriate to leverage Holocaust Remembrance Day in a direction of restoration and momentum, emphasizing the life that the holy souls commanded us, thus raising the banner of the commandment of “puru u’revuru” (to be fruitful and multiply), in the sense of “When I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you: “Live in spite of your blood. Yea, I said to you: “Live in spite of your blood” (Ezekiel 16: 6).

This was probably the wish of the six million holy souls – that every Jew who remained would continue on the path, do everything possible to get married, have children, and continue the legacy. To fulfill the verse: “But the more [the Egyptians] oppressed them, the more [the Israelites] proliferated and spread” (Exodus 1:12).

This is what we hear from the survivors living among us, that in every grandson and granddaughter born to them, they defeat the accursed Nazis.

The Distressing Numbers
We have not yet recovered. Before the Holocaust, the Jewish people numbered approximately eighteen million, six million were murdered in the Holocaust, and today, about eighty years after the Holocaust, the number of people recognized as Jews is only about fifteen million. During these years, the worlds’ population has tripled, but we, the Jewish people, remain injured in our bodies and minds. Due to the low birth rate and difficult assimilation, the number of Jews in all Jewish communities abroad is declining.

Only here in the Land of Israel, are we multiplying. In relation to Western countries, our growth is miraculous. In all economically and scientifically developed countries in the last generation, the number of children is declining and the number of people is decreasing. Only we, thanks to the deep connection to Israel’s heritage and family values ​​in the Jewish tradition, merit demographic growth. However, that still does not make up for the terrible loss in the Holocaust.

In order to intensify the blessed process that already exists in Eretz Yisrael, we must engage more vigorously in the values ​​of family and the mitzvah of “puru u’revuru“.
The Clash between Secular Culture and Family Values

According to the prevailing view in secular culture, freedom, designed to allow the individual to express his or her unique personality, is the most important value. Family, on the other hand, is a binding, limiting and stifling framework. While there is a natural aspiration to start a family, in practice, it is in conflict with the concept of secular culture. The values ​​of personal freedom also conflict with national values, since identification with the people, in their heritage and challenges, is restrictive and oppressive for those whose personal freedom is at the center of their world.

As a result, the education system, which is influenced by the secular values ​​of freedom promoted by academia, in the majority deals with individual rights, tolerance and democracy. These are important values, but as they are presented in the secular perspective, they conflict with the values ​​of family and the nation. Thus, it turns out that almost no attention is given, in an orderly and systematic way, with the values ​​of the family.

Therefore, it is important to study and strengthen the values ​​of the family, which gives expression to the value of love and giving, to the center of a person’s life. In contrast to the secular perspective, which believes less in true love that involves endless commitment, one should educate and explain that the whole person is one who breaks his private boundaries, loves and gives, is committed to his family and nation, and hence, to the tikun of the entire world. Freedom and comfort are not the purpose of life. They are important because they give a person the opportunity to choose the special path that suits him, but the choice should be in good values, which are reflected in starting a family with love and loyalty, and adding life and blessing to the world.

Educational Institutions
The vast majority of educational institutions do not deal with the values ​​of family, love, loyalty and the mitzvah of puru u’revuru properly. The challenge of starting a family with children is ignored, as is the ways of overcoming the difficulties along the path.

The secular cultural environment creates an atmosphere where many people do not like to talk about it, and consequently, teachers do not educate their students enough towards the huge challenge of starting a family.

In addition to the very sacred value of starting a family, reality also proves that usually, the mental and physical condition of married people is better off; they suffer less from depression, and illness. It would be appropriate to include this information in the study material in high schools yeshivas and ulpanot. Young people should be told that almost all adults who have not had the privilege of starting a large family, in moments of sincerity, regret that they did not make an effort to have another child or two. Because when one looks at life in an all-inclusive, intelligent and comprehensive way, one realizes that family is usually the most important purpose in life.

Inspired by Holocaust Remembrance Day, it would be appropriate to invite to the various educational institutions, grandmothers and grandfathers who were privileged to establish large families for the ilui neshamot (uplifting of the souls) of the kedoshim murdered in the Holocaust, who, on the one hand, can tell about the difficulties of raising families, and on the other, about the immense satisfaction in doing so.
Definition of the Mitzvah “Puru u’Revuru“

Our Sages have determined that the mitzvah to marry is until the age of twenty, and at the very latest, until the age of twenty-four, and this is the instruction, le-chatchila (ideally), today (Peninei Halakha: Simchat Ha-Bayit U’Birchato 5: 7-12).

There are three steps in fulfilling the mitzvah:

1. it is a Torah obligation to give birth to a son and a daughter, and even when the conditions are difficult, great efforts must be made to fulfill the mitzvah, including the use of conventional medical means such as in vitro fertilization.
2. There is an obligatory mitzvah from our Sages to strive to give birth to four children.
3. There is a hidur mitzvah (enhancement of the mitzvah) to continue to give birth to additional children, according to the ability of the parents. In other words, parents who know they can raise more children and educate them in Torah and mitzvot and derech eretz (common decency), it is a mitzvah for them have more children to the best of their ability. However, if they know that with additional children, the burden on them will be too heavy, and anger and nervousness will accompany their lives, it is better for them not to enhance the mitzvah, because even though with every additional child they fulfill a mitzvah, on the other hand, because of their poor mental state, they will be angry, irritated, and sin. Not only this, but also those who wish to direct their energies to other valuable avenues, in a way that will not leave them power to raise more children, are permitted to do so (Peninei Halakha: Simchat Ha-Bayit U’Birchato 5: 4-6).