Friday, March 15, 2024

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Parashat Pikudei

Hoping to Create a Kosher Ship to Palestine – #197

Date and Place: 15 Iyar 5669, Yafo

Recipient: Yekutiel Menkowitz, a wealthy Jew from Vilna, who had great love for the Yishuv in Eretz Yisrael and was in touch with many of its leaders.

Body: I received long ago your dear letter about the idea of making one of the [European] ships kosher. I “knocked on several doors” on the matter looking for supporters and helpers. Unfortunately, “the gates” have not yet opened for me, as each one exaggerates and says it is impossible. I personally have not given up hope and am prepared to act on this matter as best I can.

I have just given letters to a rabbinic emissary to take to the council in Odessa and the Russian [shipping] agency there. We will see what Hashem will have come of it. I share your conviction that this would increase the number of wealthy Jews and Jewish leaders to come to the Holy Land. On the heels of such people, who are blessed in Hashem’s eyes, there will be a blessing to the Holy Land and a great strengthening of the emerging liberation of Israel, with Hashem’s help.

No to Attempt to Broaden the Heter Mechira – #198

Recipient: Moshe Leib Lilienblum, a writer and member of the Haskala Movement.

Body: You know that the Yishuv is my soul’s life. I knew, before I publicized the rules of the Heter Mechira, how the matter needs to work, both regarding the needs of the farmers and of the workers. I was well aware that some believe in extreme leniency in these matters, but this is not my inclination. After all, just as we need a Land, so we need a religion. We also need to entrench the idea that the nation must not forget the institution of Shemitta, just as its memory and our affection for it is alive in our souls.

Every Jew must know that Eretz Yisrael is not only superior to other lands regarding his body, but also concerning his eternal soul. This is the only way to elevate the flame of the love of Zion in practice and continue it for generations.

The matter you raise does not greatly impact agricultural workers. There are four Torah-level elements of work (Rav Kook required that these be done by non-Jews) – sowing, harvesting fruit, harvesting grains, and pruning. As it is, almost all sowing is done by non-Jewish workers, and no tragedy will befall the Yishuv if the “Shabbat of the Land” will be recognizable by means of some change in a minority of places. Regarding harvesting and pruning, I have already made provisions for leniency, just that farmers should not apply them themselves but must get a ruling from a rabbinic authority. The same thing is true of plowing. Regarding planting saplings, I only forbade it when this is done for patches that are for beautification and expansion and for crops that are not important economically.

I never thought that the Council wanted to get involved in such questions. Therefore, I request that you suggest to the Council to sign the sales authorization without delay. Realize that I received from Paris a form signed personally by the Baron.

Please know that the farmers are very happy with the arrangements with the Heter, and they know the situation better than those who are concerned for them from a distance. I also do not understand what the question of how lenient to be regarding work has to do with not signing the authorization, which, either way, must be done.

That which you wrote that Rav Shlomo Mohilever o.b.m. did not require a sale to permit Rabbinically forbidden work, I do not agree with this approach at all, and Yiftach in his generation has the authority of Shmuel in his generation (Rosh Hashana 25b).

Human Effort from Below - Heavenly Assistance from Above

by HaRav Dov Begon
Rosh HaYeshiva, Machon Meir


“In the first month of the second year of Yitziat Mitzrayim, on the first of the month, the Mishkan was erected. Moshe erected the Mishkan” (Shemot 40:17-18). Rashi comments: “No man could have erected the Mishkan due to the weight of the beams. No one was strong enough to raise them up, but Moshe succeeded. Moshe asked G-d, ‘How can the Mishkan be erected by a human being?’ G-d answered, ‘Do it with your own hands.’ Thus, it looked as though Moshe was rasing it up, while the Mishkan actually rose up by itself. That is why it says, ‘The Mishkan was erected.’ It was erected by itself.”

Rashi’s comments hint at a major principle - a man’s strength is limited, and sometimes the solutions to his problems are are as difficult to get off the ground as the Mishkan beams. Nonetheless, when we set out to deal with such challenges, we have to take into account the principle of Seyatah D'shmaya, that the Omnipotent G-d grants us strength greater than our own limited resources. When we make a human effort here on earth, G-d helps us from above.

In these times, we must take special care to learn from Moshe raising up the Mishkan beams with Seyatah D'shmaya. In the life of a nation, there are sometimes difficult enterprises that at first glance would seem impossible for us to get off the ground. Yet, when we strive here on earth, G-d helps us above and beyond our own powers. It was this way when we were establishing a state, as we fought - the few against the many - and succeeded. It is true today, as we are fighting a war for our existence and identity, and for our control over the Land. So too, it is true concerning the nation’s returning to its Jewish roots, as well as the challenges we face to create unity among us all and to increase the light of love and faith. Let us strive with devotion and determination here on earth, and may He who has lovingly chosen His people Israel assist us from above.

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

Yeshivat Machon Meir: The Completion -The Mishkan and Creation (video)

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Yishai Fleisher Israel Podcast: BRINGING HEART TO HARTMAN

SEASON 2024 EPISODE 11: Yishai and Malkah Fleisher discuss the state of antisemitism around the world and the pro-Hamas rallies that blocked an Israel real-estate expo. Then, Yishai speaks at the Shalom Hartman Institute to young Jewish students who need to hear TRUTH. Finally, Ben Bresky on the story of the little girl who was sent down into the bowels of the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron.

The Clalim and the Pratim

by Rav Binny Freedman

Sometimes, it’s that one extra word that makes all the difference. It was only a fraction of a moment of my time in the army, but it was a lesson I never forgot, though to this day I am undecided as to whether I agree with it.

I was desperate to get a day off; we were still in basic training, and I had barely been in the army three months, but my folks were landing at the airport the next afternoon, and I was hoping my commanders would give me a break as I had not seen head or hair of any family in the two months since I had joined up.

My folks had done me the enormous favor of landing on a Thursday afternoon, which was the best possible day of the week for a tank crewman to get extra leave. Thursday was “Tipul She’vui” day, which meant the weekly servicing and cleaning of every last inch of every tank, top to bottom. In the Israeli army, there are no special maintenance crews that tag along to service the tanks with regular maintenance; unlike the American army, Israeli soldiers have to do it all on their own, and that means getting down and dirty with all the grease and grime, not to mention the endless inspections. Tank crews, often after a week of long maneuvers and little sleep, can usually be found working on their tanks into the wee hours of the morning, to prepare for the infamous Friday morning inspections.

Add to that the fact that my unit was meant to get out for Shabbat (Friday morning after inspection), and special leave on Thursday would mean a pass all the way till Sunday, and I was desperate to get the day off.

Which was why I was standing at attention in the glaring sun, waiting for my sergeant to return with the answer to my properly formatted request (by way of the sergeant, to the platoon officer. for a special day’s leave.

I was afraid to dream in case I would be disappointed, yet I couldn’t help myself; visions of a hot bath, a night out on the town, and a real bed with clean sheets swam before my eyes.

The sergeant came out of the command tent a few minutes later, and I was shocked to see he actually had a smile on his face, I had never seen the muscles in his jaw work that way before, and then the one word I had been waiting for:

“Be’seder”, “O.K.”

“Be in your dress uniform at 08:00 hours, and your extra day’s leave is granted.’

I couldn’t help myself; a huge grin spread across my face, and I felt like dancing, and then that one terrible word escaped, the one I still remember:

“Todah.” “Thank you, sir.”

I could tell I was in trouble as soon as the words left my lips, his eyes changed first, then his entire face, and then the glare we all feared, the one that meant you were about to get a serious work-out.

“Mah Zeh?” “What’s that?”

Although I did end up getting out, albeit a good few hours later than I had hoped, I never worked so hard for a pass in my life. You see, in the army, you don’t say thank you.

After running around the base seven times singing “Lo’ Omrim Todah”, “Todah Al Kol Mah’ She’Barata’, and every other song with the word Todah (Thank you) in it that I could think of, they finally let me go, but the message would stay with me forever.

The army, I learned, is about orders and commands. There is no ‘thank you’ and no ‘you’re welcome’; you do what is expected of you because that’s your job.

Thank you implies the possibility you didn’t have to do what it was you were doing, and that you deserve to be thanked for going ahead and doing it anyway. In the army, however, you are always fulfilling orders, and no one would ever expect any less than total compliance, and complete obedience.

You don’t thank your kids for brushing their teeth in the morning, and your children don’t thank you for coming home at the end of the day; it’s just what you do, and who you are, and they would expect no less.

And yet, something has always bothered me about this approach, which never worked for me as a commander.


This week’s portion, Pekudei, is a case in point:

“And all the work of the Mishkan, the Tent of Meeting, was completed, and the children of Israel did all that Hashem had commanded them, so they did (“Ken Asu'”).” (Shemot 39:32)

Why does the Torah have to tell me that the Jewish people did everything that Hashem commanded them to do? Of course, they did! If G-d commanded you to do something, wouldn’t you do it? And note that the verse repeats itself, stressing the fact that they did all that was demanded of them; why is this worthy of mention? Should we have expected anything less?

As if this is not enough, the Torah does not stop there:

“And all that Hashem commanded Moshe, so did the children of Israel do: all of the labor.” (39: 42)

Again, the Torah stresses that the Jewish people did it all, which seems redundant. Why is this so important? And then the Torah goes a stage further:

” And Moshe saw all the labor, and behold they did it just as Hashem had commanded, so did they did it, and Moshe blessed them.” (39: 43)

Why, now, all of a sudden does Moshe bless them?

What is the nature of this blessing? Is Moshe thanking them? Since when does Moshe say thank you to the Jewish people for doing what Hashem has asked of them?

Further, why are the Jewish people commanded to build the Mishkan in the first place? The Mishkan was for man’s benefit, not G-d’s. So why are the Jews blessed for fulfilling what was essentially a project for their own benefit? (Either as an opportunity to atone for, or at least somehow rectify the mistake of the Golden Calf, or as a vehicle to develop a more tangible relationship with G-d and create a more meaningful life.)

It would seem the Jewish people should be thanking G- d, and certainly not the other way around! So why is Moshe saying thank you here? And even if this blessing is of a different nature, what need is there for Moshe to offer any comment at all? The people did what was expected of them, end of story! What message is Moshe imparting to us here?

Additionally, it is interesting to note that verse 32 here seems to be out of order.

“And all the work of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)- the Tent of Meeting, was completed, and the children of Israel did all that Hashem had commanded them, so they did.”

Why does the verse tell me the work was completed and only then tell me the Jewish people did all they were commanded to do? Wouldn’t it make more sense to say that the Jews did all the work they were commanded to do, and thus, the Tabernacle was completed? Why the reverse and more challenging order in this verse?

And if we are discussing the accolades the Jewish people receive for having built the Mishkan exactly according to the specifications, we must also ask: who really built this tabernacle? Did the all of Jewish people lend a hand in the building? The idea that 600,000 men between the ages of twenty and sixty (army age) all got together and participated in this building project makes no sense whatsoever. It is hard enough to get two or three Jews together on a project; can you imagine trying to organize six hundred thousand?

Indeed, the verses are very clear about who actually built the Mishkan: the Chochmei Lev, the artisans under Betzalel and Ohaliav, built it. (See 36:2-4; 8) So why is the entire nation thanked for getting the job done down to the last detail?

It is interesting to note that this entire portion begins with unusual attention to detail; indeed these are the opening words of the portion, from whence it derives its name:

“Eleh’ Pekudei HaMishkan..” Literally: “These are the accountings of the Mishkan..” (38:21)

Now that the Mishkan has been completed, the Torah gives us what is essentially a treasurer’s report of the collections tally; an accounting of all the income and outlay, and a list of all of the items produced in the making of the Mishkan, down to the last detail. Why is there a need to devote an entire portion to such a detailed list? The Torah is meant to be a recipe for living and a guide to life. Why must we be privy to how many sockets and posts were made, and how much gold and silver was used in the construction?

Many of the commentaries speak of the ethical implications here, and of the need for public servants to be accountable, but is there perhaps a deeper principle at the root of this three-thousand-year-old Excel spread sheet?

Lastly, the end of the portion, which usually relates to the theme and the purpose of all the ideas contained in the entire portion, also requires some explanation.

Recall that this week’s portion is also the concluding portion of the entire book of Shemot. As a rule, when studying a particular portion, the beginning and end of that portion allude to the theme of the entire portion; how the Torah chooses to begin and end a section, speaks volumes about the theme and goals of that section.

The end of this week’s parsha (portion) then, is rather critical towards understanding the theme, and indeed the point, of the entire book of Shemot.

Which makes the end of this book rather puzzling. The Torah tells us (40:34-38) that a cloud covered the tent of meeting, and “the glory of G-d filled the tent.” (Verse 34) And once the glory of G-d filled the Tent, Moshe could not enter it (verse 35). And this cloud, which seems somehow to be representative of the glory (honor?) of G-d, was also, the Torah tells me, the indicator for the Jewish people as to whether they should set forth or make camp. The Jewish people, we are told, in making their travel plans, do not depend on the weather, and they do not travel based on provisions. They watch the clouds of glory, and G-d’s self tells them when and for that matter, where to go.

Why is this the conclusion to the entire book of Shemot? And why is it apparently so important that Moshe could no longer enter the tent of meeting? And what does all this have to do with the issues discussed above?

This portion is clearly about the details, not just the significance of every single detail, but the value of seeing every detail as part of a larger picture.

The Netziv (Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin), the Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin in the mid-nineteenth century), points out in his Ha’Emek Davar (39:42) that the tendency of most people in pursuit of great dreams, is to go far beyond the tasks at hand, and people tend to get so ‘carried away’ by the process, that they forget what the purpose was in the first place.

Indeed, the prelude to this challenge is already to be found in last week’s portion Va’Yakhel. The people were so excited at the prospect of building the Mishkan, and perhaps so moved by the opportunity to atone for their mistake in building a golden calf, that they could not donate enough goods for the Mishkan. Every morning the piles of material grew at an astounding rate (36:3) until the artisans responsible for the execution of the project could not keep up with the influx of material.

“And they said to Moshe, saying: the people are bringing too much, there is more material than is necessary for the work Hashem has commanded (us) to do.” (36:4)

Can you imagine? There are too many donations! Every Rabbi’s dream: the dinner was so successful there is too much money, and the people keep bringing more!

But still more incredible is Moshe’s response:

“And Moshe commanded and the word was spread throughout the camp saying: let every man and woman do no more work for the donation to the holy, and the people ceased bringing.” (36:6)

Moshe actually tells the people to stop bringing goods to donate to the tabernacle! Why? Why not just keep collecting the money, and put it away for a rainy day? What could possibly be wrong with the people continuing in the pursuit of what was obviously a very important mitzvah?

Perhaps what was really at the root of this dialogue was not what the people were bringing, but rather how they were bringing it.

Sometimes, we get so involved in the process; we forget what it is really all about.

I recall once having been invited to a bar mitzvah, which turned out to be a very lavish affair. The party took place on a Saturday night, and when I arrived it looked more like a wedding than a bar mitzvah, and it seemed very obvious that the guests of honor were indeed the bride and groom, who in this case were the parents of the Bar Mitzvah boy.

There were over four hundred people at this affair, magnificent tables, a band, lavish food, and the only thing missing was the bar mitzvah boy. Wanting to wish him a mazal tov, I finally found him with his friends in a separate room where he and his friends were having their own separate party, complete with dinner and games, Viennese desserts, video technology, a movie they were watching on a large screen, and of course. a cart full of presents which would eventually be wheeled out and opened as the central piece of their evening. It seemed there was plenty of ‘bar’, but very little ‘mitzvah’.

Sometimes, we lose sight of the purpose of what we are doing and allow ourselves to get caught up in the process of accomplishing it. Perhaps what was troubling Moshe and the artisans about all the giving, was that the people were so caught up in the zeal of giving to G- d, it had lost any connection to actually building the Mishkan; it had become about them, and their giving, rather than about G-d, and how to bring Hashem into the world.

(Which was why the fact that there was already enough to build the Mishkan was almost irrelevant. Kind of like the large Synagogues one unfortunately sometimes encounters which have more plaques than people.)

So Moshe stops the giving, and reminds people not to forget the importance of becoming.

Which brings us back to this week’s portion. While that is a valuable lesson, it is also important, in the process of connecting (or re-connecting) to the ideals and goals of the project, not to forget the power and the importance of all of the details.

And this is a crucial part of life, which stands at the root of all our relationships and all of our dreams. Take, for example, the excitement of love, and that special time when you find that very special someone, and ‘love is in the air’. It almost seems that you can do anything, and that it doesn’t matter where you are or what you do, just as long as you are together.

But healthy marriages don’t last on walks in the park and candle-lit dinners. Because the garbage must be taken out every morning, the laundry has to get done, and the kids have to be taken to school with their lunches made each morning.

And before people get married, they often make time to talk about their shared dreams and goals, and what sort of a home they hope to build together. But they rarely get to think about who picks up the dirty socks, and what happens when the laundry basket is full at the end of a long day.

Most couples work these details out and come up with their own system for who does what when, and they often view this as a necessary part of a relationship, which is hopefully growing. And this is true in all relationships, whether between spouses, or parents and their children, or even roommates. Whenever such relationships last, it is because the parties involved are willing to share the burden of all the chores and details that must be done to allow for the accomplishment of all the wonderful goals that were so ever-present in the beginning.

The tragedy, however, is how much this approach loses along the way; because while this is all very true, it is also very sadly lacking.

Perhaps the point of this week’s parsha is that if the details are just “the burden of all the chores and details which must be done” as described above, then we are missing the most beautiful part of the process. The real challenge is to embrace the detail as part of a larger picture.

You can clean up the kitchen because someone has to do it, and you can even clean up your kitchen because you have been away for a while, and your wife works so hard, and how could you not at least clean up the kitchen? And if this is how you clean up the kitchen, then maybe you find yourself wistfully imagining how much more fun it would be to be walking your wife into a beautiful restaurant for a candle-lit dinner.

But you can also clean up the kitchen because you know it will bring a smile to your wife’s face, and the thought of her smiling when she walks out into the kitchen in the morning makes every dish you clean into another rose in the vase. You can so infuse every detail of cleaning the kitchen with the ideal of what you want your relationship to be about, that you actually transform your kitchen cleaning into a candle- lit dinner. (Though no one should assume this dispenses the need and the value of the occasional candle-lit dinner; it simply allows for candle-lit dinners on one level or another every day.)

And this is a part of what is going on here in this week’s portion of Pekudei. Because when Moshe blesses the people for the execution of all the details, what he is really valuing, is the way in which all the details were done. Because if every shirt that gets folded is actually an act of love, then even if your wife is asleep while you are doing laundry, she is there with you all the time.

And when the Jewish people succeed in seeing G-d in all the details, then they have mastered the art of bringing G-d into the world, which is the entire point.

And this is what this portion is all about, here at the end of the book of Exodus. This book has three basic stages which are its theme.

First, the family of Israel, a family of brothers who sold their brother into slavery, becomes a nation made sensitive to human suffering by two hundred years of slavery. The beginning of the book of Shemot is all about the making of a great nation.

But that leaves the question: what is this great nation meant to do? They are given freedom, but what is that freedom for? So, the second part of the book is the recipe for how, with our newly acquired freedom, we can make a difference in the world: the middle of the book of Shemot is about the giving of the Torah. We acquire the mitzvoth, which are a blueprint for making the world a better place.

This leads us to the third piece: the goal of this recipe is not for us to find G-d beyond this world; the goal is to bring G-d into the world. The Jewish people have always been about making the world a better place by making room for G-d. And that is what building the Mishkan was all about. And if this week we conclude this process of creating space for G-d in our lives, then discovering the balance and the harmony between the power of the ideal, and the beauty of the detail is the crucial piece for making it all work.

And just as inculcating this idea into our lives on a personal level allows each of us to become a Mikdash Me’at, a living sanctuary for Hashem in this world, this is true also on a national level.

Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, in his article Zaronim, points out seventy years ago, that this idea is at the root of the transformation we are undergoing as a people coming home, and his observations are every bit as relevant today as they were when he wrote them.

Rav Kook was answering a challenging question: if indeed the return of the Jewish people to their homeland was the beginning of the fulfillment of the two-thousand-year-old dream of redemption as foretold by the prophets, why was this dream coming about through the likes of Theodore Herzl, David Ben Gurion, and Golda Meir, who while certainly visionaries and incredible individuals, were certainly not the rabbis of their day?

Indeed, some of the early Zionist leaders described themselves (whether we agree with their assessment or not) as being anti-religious! So why was G-d choosing them to be instruments of the fulfillment of His prophecies, if indeed this was the fulfillment of those dreams?

Rav Kook’s response is that there are two components to Judaism, which he calls the Clalim, or general principles, and the Pratim, or details of those principles.

If the Clal (general idea) is to “Remember the Sabbath day” which means to take the time to be in the moment and learn to let go of the process of trying to get there, the Prat (detail) is not stirring the soup on the fire, as it is a form of cooking. The ideal, that when I choose not to cook on Shabbat, I am letting go of my role as a partner in creating the world and getting back in touch with G-d who put me here as His junior partner in the first place, is the Clal. Trying to determine what actually constitutes cooking, and whether the item is fully or partially cooked, and how many degrees Fahrenheit will actually cause the action I am involved with to be an act of cooking, is the Prat (the detail).

The Clalim are all the beautiful ideals, dreams, and goals of Judaism: to love your neighbor as yourself, to pursue justice, and to honor one’s parents. And the Pratim are all the details, such as whether one is obligated to stand up when a parent walks in the room, and how much effort we actually have to make to return the scarf someone left on the bus.

For two thousand years, says Rav Kook, we took for granted that people knew and would not forget the Clalim. What the Rabbis were afraid of was that people would forget the Pratim. There was a need to ensure the survival of the complex system of details that make up the beauty that is Judaism. Because make no mistake about it, as beautiful as all the goals and ideal of Judaism are, unless they are infused into our lives every day, in every moment and in everything that we do, they will remain simply as ideals, and will have very little impact on how the world behaves, much less on how the world could be. And that is not what Judaism is about. Judaism believes that while the idea of Tzedakah (giving charity because it is the right thing to do) is powerful, unless we are confronted with it every time we draw a paycheck and every time we harvest our field, it will remain forever simply a nice idea.

However, in the process of ensuring that the details would not be forgotten, suggests Rav Kook, we lost touch with the Clalim. We got so wrapped up in the details, we lost sight of the goals and the dreams, the beauty and the inspiration. And so the Jewish people finally rebelled, and in a desire to get back to the beauty of the ideals, they let go of the power of the details. Which is why the early builders of the State of Israel for the most part wanted nothing to do with the details of Judaism and halachah (Jewish law). Yet they embraced all the ideals of Judaism; they just gave them a new name: socialism, or communism. How sad, that in saving the baby, they not only got rid of all the bathwater, they threw out the bath as well.

We are living in a time when there is a genuine thirst for discovering the beauty and the power of the Pratim, the details that fuel the Clalim, the goals and dreams of Judaism.

And it is interesting that there are two very distinct groups in Judaism today that are struggling to re- discover the beauty and inspiration of Judaism in their lives.

There are those who have had very little to do with the Pratim and have little knowledge of all of the details of a Jewish way of life, yet they are infused with the Clalim, and have embraced the ideals of Judaism. The are learning in seminars and life training sessions around the world, to be in touch with the moment, that loving is all about giving, and that we are all really one. But they are thirsty to discover how holding a kiddush cup on Friday night can be a living embodiment of all of those ideals, and have little knowledge of how one makes kiddush, what one says, and what the words mean.

And then there are those who have been making kiddush all their lives, who know the words, and what they mean, by heart, and who are often well versed on the debate as to whether one stands or sits, or a little of both, during the Kiddush, as well as whether one can use grape juice or wine, how big the cup should be, and what the correct way to hold that cup is. They are immersed in the details, the Pratim, but those details have lost their shine; and while the details are crucial, the inspiration and the beauty, the power and the joy, has been lost. They are thirsty, sometimes without even realizing it, for the Clalim, the inspiration of meaning and joy, hidden in every detail of every ritual.

This then, is the challenge of this week’s portion: can we create again the Jewish people as it was meant to be, which sees the beauty and the value in both of these crucial components of Judaism.

And there is one more important piece to this puzzle. Because when we speak of the beauty of the detail, and the value of seeing the whole in each of the details and connecting with G-d through every last detail, this is true not only for the process of our building of the Mishkan; it is true for our identity as a people as well.

It is clear from a contextual perspective that it was the artisans and the wise men who actually physically built the Mishkan. But the Ohr HaChaim (Rav Chaim Ibn Atar) points out that in giving to the Mishkan, the Jewish people became partners in the building of the Mishkan. And most importantly, they were all blessed, and all viewed as equally crucial and important in the fulfillment of this mission.

The building of the Mishkan was accomplished every bit as much by the fellow who donated his gold tooth for the Mishkan, as by the artisan who actually fashioned the Menorah wherein that gold tooth found its final home.

And more important than seeing the value of every detail of the Mishkan was the challenge of seeing the beauty and the value of every ‘detail’, every last individual Jew, as part of the entire Nation of Israel.

Whoever we are, and whatever silly labels we seem to affix each other with, we are all, in the end, one Mishkan. There was no reform, conservative, orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, or even Conservadox section in the Temple; we all just hung out in the courtyard together. And this too, is the message of this week’s portion.

Moshe chooses to bless all of the people together, because a Mishkan is only a Mishkan if we are all one in viewing and building that Mishkan.

This is why, perhaps, Moshe could no longer enter the Tent of Meeting at the end of the portion, because the Mishkan was never meant to be about one man; it was about all of us. In fact, the glory of Hashem that descends on this world is the common soul of the entire people when we are capable of seeing Hashem in every person, regardless of their views and beliefs.

Hence only the Kohen, the High priest, Aaron, could enter the Sanctuary’s Holy of Holies: because he represented peace- shalom, which comes from the root Shalem, whole. Aaron was the living embodiment, as was the Jewish institution of priesthood, of an entire people, completely whole with each other. Indeed, G-d communicates to Aaron through the letters of the names of the tribes on the breastplate. Because it is only through recognizing the value of all of the tribes of Israel that we succeed in bringing G-d into this world.)

And incidentally, this is why verse 32 appears in its strange format: “And all the work of the Mishkan (Tabernacle)- the Tent of Meeting, was completed, and the children of Israel did all that Hashem had commanded them, so they did.”

The Mishkan was not completed because the work was done; it was completed because the Jewish people were able to do it together, and because they succeeded in keeping the passion of the dream, while embracing the power of each and every detail necessary to complete their work.

We have a lot of building to do these days. Most people think we need to build fences and bomb shelters; but in truth we need to build bridges; the kind of bridges that let us meet each other up close. Maybe this will be the year where we finally get it. But it can only start when each of us, building our own personal sanctuaries, taps into the beauty of our dreams, while embracing the value of every one of us; every last detail.

Shabbat Shalom.

Rabbi Ari Kahn on Parashat Pekudei: Building Trust (video)

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The King’s Scepter

BS”D
Parashat Pekudai 5784
by HaRav Nachman Kahana


PART ONE
Book of Esther 4,10-11:

ותאמר אסתר להתך ותצוהו אל מרדכי
כל עבדי המלך ועם מדינות המלך יודעים אשר כל איש ואשה אשר יבוא אל המלך אל החצר הפנימית אשר לא יקרא אחת דתו להמית לבד מאשר יושיט לו המלך את שרביט הזהב וחיה ואני לא נקראתי לבוא אל המלך זה שלושים יום


10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai: 11All the King’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the King in the inner court without being summoned, the King has but one law: that they be put to death, unless the King extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives.


And conversely, the King decides when an audience is over and only then may the guest leave.

There are commentators of the Megillah that claim that in many places that have the word melech (king), the literal reference is to Achashverosh and the implied reference is to the King of the Universe – HaShem).

What does it mean in the context of this verse? We shall see later.

B: Once I delivered a shiur (lecture) on the parallel between the three rabbinic enactments of Chanuka, Purim and Tish’a B’Av, and the three Torah festivals of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. It was an interesting shiur with practical conclusions for our own times.

But for me, the most meaningful part of the evening occurred at the end, when I opened the floor for questions and comments.

The first to speak was an elderly very alert woman. She asked me with tears in her eyes:

“Ich bin ah poilishe,” (I am from Poland) from a little shtetel (town). Before the German invasion, my father went to our Rav and asked for his blessings because my parents had decided to leave for Eretz Yisrael. But instead of his blessings, the rabbi tried to convince my father not to go to Eretz Yisrael. The following day we left Poland. We are the only survivors of our shtetel. Rav Kahana, explain to me, why did the rabbi tell my father not to go to Eretz Yisrael?”

The tears in her eyes suggested the many relatives and friends who could have come to Eretz Yisrael but stayed in the shtetl, only to be murdered by the Germans.

I answered that, unfortunately, I cannot take away her pain, because I myself do not understand it.

The next speaker was a gentleman whose face was familiar, but I was not able to recall when we last met.

He said that years ago he was in a quandary regarding himself, and I was able to help him resolve the problem. He related: “I was very far from anything that related to Eretz Yisrael or Judaism. I was an American and had no wish to even visit Israel.

One year my wife nagged me to death (his words) that we should spend Pesach in Eretz Yisrael. I agreed on the condition that after the trip, Israel would be a no-subject in our home. We arrived, and after alighting from the plane and walking several steps a feeling came over me that I never wanted to leave Eretz Yisrael; and very soon after we came on aliya.

I asked several rabbis: what happened to me at that moment? But none were able to give a satisfactory answer until I asked Rav Kahana (me) and he made it very clear. He said that the Hebrew word for coming to Eretz Yisrael is aliya (to ascend), and that word is also used when called to the Torah – to get an aliya.

What is the parallel?

When one is called to the Torah it is not a “free for all”, but rather, the gabbai calls you up by your personal name. Likewise, no one comes on aliya until his or her name is called out by HaShem in the Shamayim. Rav Kahana explained to me that HaShem invites people to His palace (the Holy Land) by name, according to the neshama of the person. HaShem knew that my neshama would awaken the moment I walked on the soil of Eretz Yisrael.

I thanked him for reminding me of the incident. I then turned to the woman “from Poland” who had so tearfully asked about her rabbi and said, “Here is the answer to your question. It is clear that HaShem wanted your family here in Eretz Yisrael and called out their names; the others were not invited.”

The principle is that HaShem, as the King of the universe, invites by name those who He wishes to be in His presence, as we saw in the Megillah above. Conversely, one who is invited to a royal audience in Eretz Yisrael does not leave at will but is dismissed or expelled by the King.

C: Harav Hagaon Yitzchak Yosef, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi, said in his Motzei Shabbat lecture this week that if the Knesset passes a law that even serious yeshiva students could be arrested and sentenced to jail for refusing to serve in the military, the students should leave Eretz Yisrael.

My understanding is that the Chief Rabbi did not intend to issue a Halachic decision binding on his adherents, but rather a recommended option until the government changed its policy.

Who am I to get into a debate with the Chief Rabbi and his decisions? But I do have a message for the young men who would exercise the option of leaving the holy land when faced with a draft notice.

In the spirit of what we learned above from the accepted manner that Kings act, take into consideration that no one enters the holy land nor leaves even temporarily on a voluntary basis. One is invited to ascend to it or to be expelled from it by name, which is called out in the Shamayim.

One can relocate to Lakewood etc. and learn Torah in relative tranquility; but your conscience will resonate in a never-ending cadence (rhythm) “you were expelled”.

PART TWO
The Chief Rabbi’s recommendation for serious learners to leave the country if threatened with a military draft, left an uncomfortable feeling within many people.

But one suggestion was a third alternative – that members of the Knesset’s Chareidi parties meet with Arab members to approach Abu Mazzan, head of the PA in Judea and Samaria with a great public relations plan, good for Jews and Arabs alike, and could even pave the way for an Arab state alongside Israel.

That the Arab PA invite young Chareidi kollel couples to cross over to the areas under the PA authority.

The PA would construct a town designed for their needs: large apartments, no city arnona taxes, shuls, mikva’ot, yeshivot and most important, no military draft. There will be kindergartens, elementary schools (chaiderim), and fully paid kollels as long as one wants to learn full time. This way they will be in Eretz Yisrael, not in galut, and enjoy the best of both worlds, including the most modern maternity hospitals.

My reply to this suggestion was:

Let’s think how this would play out in reality.

A “kosher” town named “Avraham” after the father of Yitzchak and Yishmael, in the heartland of Eretz Yisrael, 10 kilometers north of Ramallah; a 10-15 minute drive to Yerushalayim.

Five hundred Bnei Torah families with thousands of happy frum children. The PA would be delighted to exhibit that Torah people – not Zionists – can live together in harmony with Moslems, with each free to serve the demands of his faith; proving that the Arabs deserve an independent state between the ocean and the river.

And it came to pass in the fifth year of the town of Avraham, at the close of the Succot festival, that the men, women and children were gathered at night in the various Chassidic and Lithuanian shuls and yeshivot. They came to celebrate the close of the Succot holiday and usher in the holiday of Shemini Atzeret.

Torah Scrolls were removed from the holy arks and distributed in seven waves of dancing and singing.

At 9:00 PM, the assembled dispersed to partake in the festive meals and rest in preparation for the next morning’s song and joy-filled prayers, including another round of seven waves of dancing.

At 6:30 AM, men were on their way to the mikveh, when several noticed large groups of Arabs gathered to the east and west of the town. They were joined with more Arabs on motorcycles, and small trucks. Some were seen arriving on airborne gliders and all were carrying weapons. The hired guards of the town summoned the army; but before it could arrive thousands of Arabs had already invaded the town.

They began decapitating and burning and raping.

By the time Tzahal appeared there was a deathly silence in all that had been the holy town of Avraham, with the stench of death pervading every meter.

The few survivors told interrogators that before coming to Avraham they were informed by army intelligence that it would be safe, because what occurred in Azza could not happen in Avraham because the Arabs are panicked and intimidated by the strength of Tzahal.

At this time, the situation in the major cities of Europe and the US was unprecedented. Wherever there were substantial numbers of Moslems, shuls and yeshivot were desecrated with many burned to the ground.

So, if Israel does decide to draft able bodied yeshiva and kollel people, the alternatives would fall by the wayside. And the best of all choices would be to thank HaShem for returning us to Eretz Yisrael, a holy home that we can love and defend in all circumstances.

Shabbat Shalom
Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5784/2024 Nachman Kahana

Biden’s Zionism

by Rabbi Steven Pruzansky

President Joe Biden laid down the gauntlet and I accept. In his State of the Union address (what Sen. Marco Rubio indelicately called a “proof of life speech”), he declared: “I say this as a lifelong supporter of Israel, my entire career. No one has a stronger record with Israel than I do. I challenge any of you here. I’m the only American president to visit Israel in wartime.”

I accept the challenge. Indeed, Biden was the first president to visit Israel in wartime, a brief visit in which he expressed support, said some positive things, and promised to aid Israel’s war effort. The flow of weapons has been critical to the success of the war. It is also true that Biden’s repeated references to being “the only American president to visit Israel in wartime” bears some similarity to his visit to the United States’ porous southern border: he visited the southern border so that he could say he visited the southern border, and he visited Israel in wartime so that he could say he visited Israel in wartime.

It is also true that his interactions with Israel since the first week of the war have been schizophrenic. He helps with his right hand and harms with his left. He praises and castigates. He smiles and he scowls. He provides weapons to Israel and demands that we feed and fuel our enemy, something that is unprecedented in wartime. He may have helped to thwart a Hezbollah attack from the north back in October – but they attack every day now. He supports our war effort – as long as we don’t win. He has financially penalized Israeli citizens without charge or trial. He backed our war against Hamas – but then has attempted to place so many restrictions on our conduct of the war that he has prolonged it and impaired our effort to liberate our hostages. (It is odd that he noted the presence of hostage families at the address but then did not mention their names or introduce them to the audience, the traditional custom in that venue.)

He “demands” an end to civilian casualties in Gaza and massive provision of aid to the enemy population – and then kills five of them by clunking them in the head with airdropped American aid. And then he says we “must” find a different way to defeat our enemy who invaded, murdered, raped, marauded, and seized our citizens as hostages. But he does not suggest another way – so he evidently prefers stalemate and the survival of Hamas.

Is Biden the reason for the delayed invasion of Rafiach? Note that because of Biden, Israel telegraphs every move to the enemy. They knew exactly when we would enter Gaza City and Khan Yunis. They knew when we would search Al Shifa Hospital and when we would uncover the Hamas headquarters underneath. It should be no surprise then that wherever our soldiers go they do not find hostages and the Hamas leadership. What are the odds that there are still hostages or Sinwar in Rafiach? Slim, and that is no way to win a war. For that we can blame Biden – and blame our leaders for going along with it.

Biden is at least consistent. He distinguishes between Hamas and the people of Gaza, even though those same people voted for Hamas and cheered – and some even joined – the massacre on October 7. Similarly, Biden now distinguishes between the Netanyahu government and the people of Israel – the same people that elected the Netanyahu government to power and overwhelmingly support the war objectives of the government. Perhaps he doesn’t understand how democracy works or accept its results unless they accord with his own preferences. But elections have consequences, as do invasions.

Biden’s failure to realize that, as well as his gross and unacceptable interference in Israel’s domestic affairs, undermines whatever good will he gained by his visit. He may not like the electoral choices of the Israeli people but it is the essence of hypocrisy even for a politician to try to manipulate Israel’s elections and then complain (falsely, as it turned out) that Vladimir Putin interfered in America’s elections. Is sauce for the goose not also sauce for the gander? Alas, we break no new ground here by using “hypocrisy” and “politician” in the same sentence.

Are his contentions accurate? Has he been a “lifelong supporter” of Israel? Is there no one in the Senate or in the US government, past or present, who does not have a “stronger record”? Can Biden’s challenge be met? Of course.

Biden’s support for Israel paralleled that of traditional Democrats when he began serving in the Senate in 1973. Back when support for Israel was overwhelmingly bipartisan (unlike today), Biden showed his support mainly by voting for the annual foreign aid budget for Israel and a host of other countries. That was normal, nothing exceptional. Back then, Democrats always voted to give money away – some to Israel and other countries but mostly to their own favored projects (it is true today, as well). It is the simplest thing to do; it is not their money, it is the people’s money, and yet the politicians including Biden reap the reward of directing other people’s money to the favored causes.

Is it true that “no one has a stronger record with Israel” than Biden? Hardly. I lived in New York for more than two decades while Biden first served in the Senate. My Senators were Jacob Javits, Daniel Patrick Moynahan, and Al D’Amato. All three were far more supportive of Israel than was Joe Biden. They never tried to dictate policy to Israel and they never threatened Israel as did Joe Biden.

In one well known Biden outburst in 1982, he hectored then Prime Minister Menachem Begin about Jewish settlements in, of all places, Judea, and threatened to halt all aid to Israel unless Begin froze construction. Begin famously responded: “Don’t threaten us with cutting off your aid. It will not work. I am not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them. And, when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid.” And when Biden lost his temper and banged on the table, Begin added: “This desk is designed for writing, not for fists. Don’t threaten us with slashing aid. Do you think that because the US lends us money it is entitled to impose on us what we must do? We are grateful for the assistance we have received, but we are not to be threatened. I am a proud Jew. Three thousand years of culture are behind me, and you will not frighten me with threats.”

We could use a few more such “proud Jews” in our government today. Biden is currently trying to destabilize the Netanyahu government and force new elections. He wants now to come to Israel and address the Knesset to try to browbeat Israel into accepting the two-state illusion and the delusional diplomatic gambit that partitioning the land of Israel again and giving it to our enemies will save us, not destroy us. Proud Jews should inform him that, no, thank you, such a visit is unnecessary now and will not be necessary in the future until proper respect is shown to our elected government and all of its ministers.

Biden in his State of the Union speech then proclaimed: “I challenge any of you here” to show a “stronger record” on Israel. That would have been a good time for some heckling because every present Republican member of the Senate (except maybe for Rand Paul) is far more supportive of Israel than Joe Biden ever was – Ted Cruz, Lindsay Graham, Jim Risch, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, even the underdressed Democratic Senator John Fetterman, and a host of others. This was just another empty Biden boast that is deflated on faint reflection.

What is it then? How can the same person harbor such inconsistencies – friendship and hostility, generous and menacing words? How can Biden proclaim – as he does repeatedly to Jewish audiences in his stock speeches – that he is a Zionist?

The answer is that Biden is a certain type of Zionist. He is the type who believes that Jewish history began in 1948, maybe 1933, but not before 1897. To Biden, Israel’s sole purpose is as “refuge from a Holocaust.” Such a refuge need not be strong, should not be aggressive, should always be accommodating to its enemies, and should certainly not settle the entirety of the land of Israel.

Biden is not a “Zionist” who has any knowledge of or interest in Jewish destiny, in the grand return to Israel after millennia of exile as foretold in the Bible, or in the great mission of the Jewish people. That is why he is so solicitous of our enemies, stipulating that we feed and fuel them, release their murderers from our jails, and consistently construes our land as their land.

What exacerbates his myopia and makes it especially grating is an ignorance of American history. He touts his Scranton roots, oblivious to the fact that Scranton was built on the land of the Lenape Indians who were killed or driven off. He then moved to Delaware, which was also Lenape territory. Biden grew up on occupied lands and still lives there, proudly, unabashedly – and yet lectures us about Judea and Samaria, the biblical heartland of Israel.

He also doesn’t seem to realize that Americans marching west to fulfill their “manifest destiny” was entirely based on the concept that “might makes right,” and nothing more elegant than that. But Israel is the only nation on earth that has a real “manifest destiny,” recorded again and again in the Bible that Joe Biden purports to covet, that connects us to this land – G-d’s land – like no other nation is connected to any other land on earth (see Keepgodsland.com). Moreover, again to quote Menachem Begin, our residence in the land of Israel is based on “right makes might.” The “right” came first and with the blessings of Divine Providence our generation was rewarded with the might to conquer the land and retain all those areas that we have not foolishly surrendered to our enemies.

Joe Biden is a “refuge” Zionist – not a “destiny” Zionist or a Biblical Zionist. That is why he can endorse whatever little Israel needs to do to retain the “refuge” but nothing more than that. But the age of those Zionists is long gone and can only hinder our destiny going forward. Thus, he sees no inconsistency in demanding a cease fire, in halting our march to victory, or in courting the radical Arab vote in America. It should be alarming to American Jews that Biden’s recent turn against Israel is motivated, many say, by a desire not to lose the “Arab vote” in the fall election. Apparently, he does not fear losing the Jewish vote! Will American Jews see the writing on the wall? It is there, in neon lights.

We should realize that for all his support – and it has been needed and welcome – Biden is ultimately contemptuous towards Israel’s government and, by extension, the people that voted for that government. He is a “lifelong supporter” of a certain type of Israel – docile, concessionary, secular, and deferential to American interests, however flawed, misguided, or fanciful those interests are.

In the Rabbinic axiom, “kabdehu v’chashdehu,” we should respect him and suspect him. He has done some good things and some terrible things – but his geo-strategic vision is so limited that it endangers our future. In his own mind, he has a strong record of support for Israel, and he will not be convinced otherwise. We should keep him at arm’s length.

The Mishkan, the Mishkan

by Rabbi Pinchas Winston

Friday Night
SOME OF YOU might have wondered at some point if it is the parsha that inspires me to write what I do about the current world situation or, the opposite. The answer is that it depends upon the week, and sometimes it is both at the same time.

For example, I have something to say about the direction of history, and my parsha sheet is one of my main venues to do that. But built into this week’s parsha is something that needs to be addressed, and it has much to say about the current world situation. Hence, my answer.

Rashi says:

“‘These are the numbers of the Mishkan, the Mishkan of the Testimony…’ (Shemos 38:21): [The word Mishkan is written] twice. This alludes to the Temple, which was taken as security (mashkon) by the two destructions because of the sins of the Jewish people.”

The real root of the word Mishkan is lishchon, which means to dwell, because that is what the Mishkan was, a dwelling place for the Shechinah. The word mashkon, which is a surety, has nothing to do with the word Mishkan. The Midrash that Rashi quotes is just making a play on words, a very gloomy play on words.

It reminds me of the following comment at the very happy moment when Yosef and Binyomin were finally reunited after he revealed himself to his brothers. Rashi says there:

“‘And he fell on his brother Binyomin’s neck and wept, and Binyomin wept on his neck’ (Bereishis 45:14): And he fell on his brother Binyomin’s neck and wept: for the two temples which were destined to be in Binyomin’s territory and would ultimately be destroyed. And Binyomin wept on his neck: for the Mishkan of Shiloh, which was destined to be in Yosef’s territory and would also ultimately be destroyed.

Can’t we enjoy a happy moment in Jewish history without alluding to destructive ones? I know people like that. They’re called Pessimists. No matter how good a situation looks they downplay it, or worry about the worst. It’s as if they are forbidden by some unwritten law to enjoy a moment and revel in the good that God has given them.

With examples like the ones just mentioned, can anyone really blame the pessimists? If the Torah can’t cope with happy moments without finding allusions to future bad ones, why should we? After all, for all the Purim and Chanukah happy endings we have known and celebrate, have there not been so many more tragic endings to anti-Semitism? After 3,296 years of Jewish history since entering the Land, how much joy have we known as a people, especially over the last 2,000 years?

Shabbos Day
MAYBE THAT IS why we Jews tend to wish one another, “Much nachas!” whenever we can. We know how easy it is not to have nachas in life, or how quickly it can vanish. In fact, “negative” Hashgochah Pratis (Divine Providence) has made more than just a few Jews jump ship over the ages.

It was extreme poverty in places like Russia that helped to fuel the Haskalah Movement there at the beginning of the 20th century. Many secular Jews since then seem to have done quite well for themselves, especially in recent times. And even though some Charedim (Orthodox Jews) have also done well financially, the Torah world remains poor and struggling to this very day. Not very enticing when it comes to trying to do outreach and reconnect unaffiliated Jews with their Torah roots.

This has given rise to statements such as, “It’s hard to be a Jew.” Aside from the many mitzvos we have to perform on a daily basis, circumstances often make it difficult to do so. Just ask a Jewish businessman who, watching the sun sink toward the horizon out a boardroom window, has to start thinking about finding a minyan in time so he can say Kaddish. In the meantime, his secular and gentile colleagues go about their business as usual with far less pressure.

Personally, I am always ecstatic when my flight somewhere does not necessitate dovening on an airplane. It is uncomfortable for so many reasons, including not being able to pray at breakneck speed. At least we no longer have to doven at the back of the plane, next to the bathrooms and with all the smokers.

Then there is the matter of all the outward manifestations of Torah life that make a person stand out. Not only does it call unwanted attention, but it also increases the need to be at your best behavior, even when you feel too tired and worn out to be so. A Chillul Hashem is a really, really serious sin, and to be avoided at all cost.

Obviously, Judaism is not without its happy moments. On the contrary, we have it quite good today, thank God. We have so much more than our ancestors ever did over the last couple of millennia. Not everyone, but a lot of people. But one has to wonder…again…as the situation around Israel and the world worsens, for how much longer?

In fact, unlike about 20 years ago, so many people today talk about the War of Gog and Magog. They feel it coming. They feel a very uncomfortable level of pressure being heaped upon the Jewish people while watching the nations around them prepare for a larger conflict. Allies who were once loyal are becoming less so. “For how much longer” seems to be answering itself, raising another question that has often been asked, “Why must history always turn against the Jewish people at some point?”

Shalsoh Seudot
THE 27TH DAY of Adar Sheni will be the 98th yahrzeit of the Leshem, Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv, zt”l, who I have quote often in my parsha sheets. Over the last few years, I have also published a couple of volumes of translations of some of his writings so others can benefit from his amazing insights into life and history. Regarding the latter, he says:

“This is why so much time must transpire from Creation until the time of the tikun: all the forces of Gevuros are rooted in the six sefiros—Chesed, Gevurah, Tifferes, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod—which are the six days of Creation, and the 6,000 years of history. Within them are the roots of all that will happen from the six days of Creation until the final tikun…We find that all that transpires is the result of the sparks from the time of tohu…” (Drushei Olam HaTohu, Chelek 2, Drush 4, Anaf 18, Siman 6)

This is a translation that needs a “translation.” A full explanation would take a couple of Perceptions. The gist of the idea is that, even though we have been taught that history does not have to play out until the end, it seems likely to. History is not some river of events randomly meandering through time. It is a program from start to finish with immutable goals, goals that most people, seemingly, have little or no idea about.

If people knew about the goals, they could work together to accomplish them faster. Not knowing about them, Heaven has to work it out through history over time, and that has translated into far less desirable approaches to tikun than we would choose for ourselves, like the Holocaust, for example.

Why? What kind of goals necessitate that kind of tikun? The rectification of the forces of Gevuros. They’re responsible for the constriction of God’s light so that man can use his free will to reveal God. Making choices like that rectifies the Gevuros and brings Creation closer to completion.

The problem is when too many Gevuros remain unrectified given the timeline of history. Then history has to play catch-up to keep up with the Divine schedule for Creation. That’s when Jewish history tends to go south…like it seems to be doing again now.
Melave Malkah

THE WHOLE POINT of exile is to rectify the Gevuros, which basically can be done in one of two ways. We can harness them, which we do by disciplining ourselves to live spiritually meaningful lives, learning Torah and performing mitzvos. Or, we can fall victim to them through evil, in particular all the anti-Semitism they can potentially “inspire.”

You know those “golden eras” we’ve enjoyed in different exiles? Those weren’t God saying, “I’m going on a break, so have a blast.” They were God saying, “Now’s your chance to rectify the Gevuros in a pleasant way. Do a good job and you’ll keep Creation on schedule. Keep Creation on schedule, and exile can end smoothly, what the Gemora calls “Achishenah,” hastened.

It’s never happened, at least not for the entire nation at one time. We can bring redemption earlier, we are told, and we have to anticipate that Moshiach can come at any moment. And he can. We weren’t lied to. He just hasn’t, so far. Something about elevating every last spark out of the Klipos, just and fixing up the vessels that “broke” before Creation.

But that doesn’t mean that Moshiach isn’t here right now in the world. Perhaps he is quietly learning Torah in some out-of-the-way Bais Midrash, just waiting for God to tell him, “Shalom. You’re Moshiach. Now go save the Jewish people and the world! This program called human history has reached its intended conclusion.”

More than likely, the War of Gog and Magog will be just to use up the remaining Gevuros to end history. That’s why every Jewish exile ends the way it does. We won’t know how it will impact the masses until after it is over. But individuals will recognize the opportunity, read the writing on the wall, and act on it while there is still time. They certainly won’t sink back into the world of those who remain oblivious to the bigger picture of Jewish history. That’s what Mishkan-Mishkan tells us to avoid. Chazak!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Palestinian Authority Forms United Front With Hamas to Fight Israel

by Daniel Greenfield

A state by the terrorists and for the terrorists.

While the Biden administration and the European Union were working on creating a ‘Palestinian’ state, the real details were being fleshed out in Moscow where the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and other terrorist groups were meeting.

The summit convened at the Institute of Oriental Studies, once a vehicle for Soviet influence operations in the Third World, brought together Azzam al-Ahmada, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, and Mousa Abu Marzouk, a top Hamas leader, as well as a representative for Islamic Jihad, the PFLP, DFLP and other terror groups.

The goal of all these terrorists coming together was to create a “technocratic government”.

What is a ‘technocratic government’? It’s a front for the terrorists and composed of nonprofit executives, academics, economists and others who have experience dealing with the international community and extracting foreign aid from them.

Hamas will not officially be part of the puppet regime, but will control the puppets.

“I hear a lot internationally, did Hamas agree? It’s none of your business,” Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to the United Kingdom told The Financial Times. “About Hamas — there are ongoing discussions . . . but this government is a technocratic government, it’s not made of any political factions, because this is not the time for political factions.”



That’s what the Biden administration and the EU want to hear, but while Qatar is helping assemble a new ‘technocratic’ front for the terrorists, the Moscow summit made it clear that the real agenda of the new government would be terror against Israel and the U.S..

The PLO-Hamas-Islamic Jihad summit in Moscow concluded with a commitment to “national unity that embraces all Palestinian forces and factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization” and laid out the main goals, beginning with “confronting Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem, which is carried out with the support, assistance and participation of the United States.”

The only actual point of unity for the Islamic terrorist groups that met in Moscow was fighting Israel. And that will be the only mission of any regime they put into place.

According to a report from the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen, “the statement expressed support for the resilient Palestinian people and their Resistance, particularly in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, and al-Quds… and providing assistance to the families of martyrs.” Translated into ordinary English, that means supporting the Hamas attacks on Israel and providing funding for the Islamic terrorists and their families.

Hamas won’t be out front, but the new “technocratic government” will work for it.

“The time now is not for a government where Hamas will be part of it, because, in this case, then it will be boycotted by a number of countries, as happened before,” Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told the UN correspondents’ association. “We don’t want to be in a situation like that. We want to be accepted and engaging fully with the international community.”

It isn’t time yet for Hamas to be part of the government until the puppet regime has managed to pump the international community for money and diplomatic recognition. And the Biden administration and the EU are only too eager to provide both.

The only question is whether Hamas will be willing to go along this time. Every previous unity proposal had blown over this same issue, but this time Israel has Hamas on the ropes and this may be the terror group’s only survival strategy. In Moscow, Hamas signed on the bottom line of a unity statement endorsing the PLO as the representatives of the ‘Palestinian’ people.

It was only appropriate since the “Palestinians” had been invented not in the Middle East, but in Moscow, under the old Soviet apparatchiks who are still running things now. They include Putin’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who had convened the summit. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas had composed his Holocaust denial thesis while studying at Moscow’s Patrice Lumumba University, which had trained a generation of third world terrorists, and Abbas had allegedly worked under Bogdanov as a KGB asset using the code name “mole”.

At the Moscow summit, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had told the representatives of the PLO, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and half a dozen other terror groups that Abbas had “changed the government, dismissed the previous one, and began the process of selecting new technocratic ministers” which the Putin official hoped “will contribute to the intensification of the inter-Palestinian dialogue.”

What the Moscow summit revealed was that the only “inter-Palestinian dialogue” would be between different terrorist groups. Whatever puppets might be out front in the “technocratic government”, the actual government would be the terrorists.

The Biden administration and the rest of the international community are eager to solve the problem posed by Oct 7, Israel’s campaign against Hamas, and the domestic Muslim outrage in the West, by doubling down on the ‘Two-State Solution’ and creating a ‘Palestinian’ terrorist state. While the State Department, the Foreign Ministry, UN officials, Qatari emissaries and other diplomats discuss what a state would look like with the Palestinian Authority, the PA is coordinating with its fellow terrorists so as not to spoil its party by revealing what’s going on.

The Palestinian Authority is trying to make it work by providing two sets of mutually contradictory assurances. Western diplomats are being told that the PA can unify the ‘Palestinian’ people around a state and an end to the conflict. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other fellow terror groups are being assured that the PA remains absolutely committed to waging a war to destroy Israel.

The Moscow summit was the other half of the split screen to the negotiations being conducted by Washington D.C. and various European capitals. While in D.C. there are promises of peace, in Moscow there are only promises of war.

And history tells us that it is the promises of war that should be trusted.

The summit was about dividing up the proceeds, ahead of time, of whatever benefits the technocratic government would extract from Israel, America and the rest of the world whether it would be a ‘Palestinian state’, billions in foreign aid, or contracts for the reconstruction of Gaza, along with weapons and training.

The ‘technocratic government’ will provide the Biden administration and other governments with the plausible deniability needed to go on funding terrorists.

As the campaign to recognize a technocratic puppet regime mounts, it will be vitally important to remember the Moscow summit and its unity position.

The Moscow summit revealed that a technocratic government will not end terrorism, it will disguise it, and it will not end the conflict, it will escalate it.

A ‘Palestinian’ state, the terrorist groups have already announced, will be a terror state.

Palestinians: 'Revitalized' Means Unity with Hamas Terrorists

by Bassam Tawil 

  • For [Palestinian] leaders, revamping the Palestinian Authority means forging an alliance with Hamas by inviting the terror group to be part of a new governing body that would rule the Gaza Strip in the post-war era.
  • From Biden's perspective, it is as though Netanyahu and the Israelis are responsible for the devastation in the Middle East since Hamas's October 7 carnage, and not Iran, and Hamas's main sponsor, Qatar, whose "protection money" evidently came "without protection." As such, it would be no surprise if the Biden administration were to welcome a "Palestinian unity" agreement between Abbas's Fatah faction and Hamas – a deal that would be no doubt presented to the world as the US-made revitalization plan; in reality, just a tee-up for the next war.
  • Would the Biden administration like to stop the war this week?
  • All the US would have to do is to inform Qatar that it was cancelling the agreement the Biden administration signed in January — in return for nothing -– to extend for another ten years America's use of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the forward headquarters of CENTCOM, and move it to a Middle Eastern country that does not, as Qatar does, have record of supporting Islamic State (ISIS/Da'esh), Hezbollah, al Shabab, the Taliban in Afghanistan and al Qaeda as well as Hamas.
  • In addition, the United States could simply tell Qatar that, regrettably, the US has no choice but officially to change Qatar's designation from "major non-NATO ally," which it is not, to State Sponsor of Terrorism, which it is. The US could have the war over and all the hostages -- not just the Americans -- released in a minute.
  • The Biden administration -- or simply concerned citizens -- could also demonstrate with placards advertising Qatar's support for terrorism, a public relations campaign it might not relish.
  • By stationing its forces at Al Udeid Air Base, the US is doing Qatar a monumental favor, not the other way around. Without the US airbase, Qatar is just a rich, extremely vulnerable sandbar, as its rulers are undoubtedly aware.

For Palestinian leaders, revamping the Palestinian Authority means forging an alliance with Hamas by inviting the terror group to be part of a new governing body that would rule the Gaza Strip in the post-war era. Pictured: Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal (R) and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (L) are hosted by Qatar's then Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani at a ceremony in Doha, Qatar on February 6, 2012. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

The US administration believes that the Palestinian Authority (PA) should be "revitalized" before it is handed control over the Gaza Strip after the Iran-backed Hamas terror group is removed from power. The US administration, however, has not clarified what it means when it talks about the "revitalization" of the PA. It can be assumed that it implies implementing -- and enforcing -- comprehensive reforms and ending the rampant financial and administrative corruption in Palestinian governing institutions.

PA leaders, meanwhile, seem to have a different interpretation of the "revitalization" proposal. For these leaders, revamping the PA means forging an alliance with Hamas by inviting the terror group to be part of a new governing body that would rule the Gaza Strip in the post-war era.

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Rav Kook's Ein Ayah: The Human Frailties that Emanated from the Tree of Knowledge

(condensed from Ein Ayah, Berachot 6:34)

Gemara: If one recited “Borei pri ha’etz” on something that requires “Borei pri ha’adama,” he does not fulfill his obligation. Isn’t that obvious? Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: It is needed according to Rebbi Yehuda who said that wheat is a type of tree, as the baraitasays: The tree that Adam ate from was what? Rabbi Meir said that it was a grape vine, as nothing gives reason for a person to be upset like wine, as occurred to Noach (Bereishit 9:21). Rebbi Nechemia says that it was a fig tree, for they used the object which caused their troubles to rectify their situation, as it says: “They tied fig leaves together” (Bereisheet 3:7). Rebbi Yehuda says that it was wheat, as a small child does not call “Mother, father” before he has tasted wheat [Rashi- that is why it is called the Tree of Knowledge.]

Ein Ayah: There are three basic factors in a person’s personality that are likely to cause him to turn away from the straight path.

One is when his spiritual enjoyment goes in the direction of physicality. This occurs when one becomes attached to overindulging in wine. This is based on the idea that “wine makes the heart happy” (Tehillim 104:15). In fact, happiness is a spiritual enjoyment and desiring it is good when it is in good measure. However, when it goes beyond its proper boundaries, it can be destructive and specifically enslave the spiritual powers to be used for bad things, including for haughtiness, which is related to drunkenness (see Eruvin 65a).

Another problem is the desire of enjoyment in a manner that is not an important need of the body but is just a matter of indulgence. This encourages man to be interested only in fleeting pleasure, especially things that appeal to his senses such as taste. 

A third issue is the desire to overeat. When a person is taken by such a desire, he will not care if the food is tasty or attractively prepared. Such behavior will open up a person to everything lowly.

Rebbi Meir, who says that the Tree of Knowledge was a grape vine, sees wine, representing using the spiritual side for material desires, as the main root of mankind’s problems that cause tragedies. Rebbi Nechemia felt that it was the fig, which is a sweet fruit that does not have much other value. The word itself (te’eina) is related to the word for looking for an excuse, i.e., having the good taste without any real gain. Rebbi Yehuda posited that this alone would not lower man that much. Rather, it is the desire to eat normal foods beyond satiation that lowers a person. It is wheat that gives man wisdom, with which he does not need the instinct that animals have to stop eating when he does not need more. We say that an increase in knowledge causes an increase in pain because man who possesses wisdom loses instincts and may not have developed the mind enough to go only in the direction of good. Man combines goodness with evil, and while partaking in the food that he needs to survive, he also brings on physical and spiritual illnesses by overeating, to the point that it could cause him far-reaching disgusting characteristics.

Rebbi Yehuda is of the opinion that before the land was cursed to not produce food easily, a person would receive his food with great ease, and therefore wheat was a tree, as it will be in the time of Mashiach (Ketubot 11b). It would have been better that our sustenance would be achieved through natural instincts and that our wisdom would be reserved for the realm of the intellectual. According to Rebbi Meir, therefore, before the sin there was not a situation of spiritual enjoyment being used for physicality, which is what happened with wine only after the sin. According to Rebbi Nechemia, at that time one would not have been carried away by interest in the sweet and desirable. According to Rebbi Yehuda, the natural inclinations would not have been mixed in with wisdom. Rather he would harvest easily his main food, wheat, by plucking the fruits of the tree. Some even say that eventually the Tree of Knowledge would have become permitted, as once man would have learned how to balance between the needs of the body and those of the spirit, knowledge would have been used for good in an effortless manner, with effort to be reserved for more lofty purposes.

The Completion of the Mishkan and of Creation

by HaRav Mordechai Greenberg
Nasi HaYeshiva, Kerem B'Yavneh


Chazal comment in Masechet Shabbat (87b):

"It was in the first month of the second year, on the first of the month, that the Mishkan was erected." (Shemot 40:17) It is taught, that day took ten crowns: first for Creation, first for the princes, first for priesthood, first for [the Mishkan] service, first for the descent of the fire...

All the "firsts" that are mentioned in the Gemara are connected to the beginning of the service of the Mishkan, except for "first for Creation," which seems to stand out from the rest of the list. What is the connection between the "first for Creation" to the dedication of the Mishkan?

In Megillah 10a it says that on the day that the Mishkan was erected, there was happiness before Hashem like the day that heaven and earth were created. Again, we need to ask, what is the connection between the dedication of the Mishkan and the creation of heaven and earth?

Furthermore, Chazal teach (Shabbat 119b) that whoever says "Vayechulu..." becomes a partner with G-d in Creation. How is it possible to become a partner in something that was completed so long ago?

"Hashem desired to have a dwelling in the lower regions [earth]." (Tanchuma Bechukotai) A desire is an ambition that one looks forward to its fulfillment, so what prevents Hashem from dwelling his Shechina in the lower regions if He so much desires it?

The answer to all of these questions lies in the pasuk that is written at the conclusion of Creation: "Thus the heaven and earth were completed ... which G-d created to do." (Bereisheet 2:1-3) The creation was, indeed, finished but the doing - the perfecting, all the finishing touches - depend on us in the lower world. When Tornus Rufus showed wheat and pastry to R. Akiva and asked him whose deeds are greater - Hashem's or men's, R. Akiva answered that although Hashem created the world, it is up to us to perfect it. This is how R. Akiva explained circumcision to him. Hashem creates and we do – we perfect and add the finishing touches. (Tanchuma, Tazria 5) Hashem, indeed, desires a dwelling in the lower regions, but He expects us to build it for him.

This is the reason for the commandment: "They shall make Me a Sanctuary, and I will dwell amongst them." (Shemot 25:8) When Bnei Yisrael built the Mishkan, the purpose of the creation of heaven and earth was fulfilled. This is what the Ramban writes at the conclusion of Shemot, which ends with the Divine Presence in the Mishkan: "The book of redemption is completed in which Hashem, G-d of Israel, appeared to Bnei Yisrael - the nation that is closest to him."

This Mishkan was made by Betzalel, who knew how to join the letters with which the heaven and earth were created. The Midrash points to the parallel between what it says about Betzalel: "I filled him with wisdom, insight, and knowledge" (Shemot 31:3), and what it says about Creation: "Hashem founded the world with wisdom, established the heaven with insight, with his knowledge the depths were split." (Mishlei 3:19) In this way man becomes a partner in Creation, because the creation of heaven and earth is worthless without Presence of the Shechina through Am Yisrael.

This was the great joy of that first day. Indeed, "The first of the creation," belongs with the making of the Mishkan. Even though the making of heaven and earth were already completed, they still had not achieved their purpose until the Mishkan was constructed, thus making Am Yisrael partners in Creation.

There is still something deeper to all this. "Hashem desired" – because of his love for Am Yisrael! As feelings are reciprocal, Hashem also expects us to show our love to Him: "As the deer longs for brooks of water, so my soul longs for You, O G-d." (Tehillim 42:2) "In Your behalf, my heart has said, 'Seek My Presence.' Your Presence, Hashem do I seek." (Tehillim 27:8)

How is it possible to long for G-d who is separate, hidden and distant? It is because in the beginning there was love. "He blew into his nostrils the soul of life." (Bereisheet 2:7) Chazal write (see Ramban there): "He who blows, blows of himself." They also write: "This is comparable to a princess who marries a townsman. Whatever he gives her does not satisfy her because she is a princess. Thus, the soul also is also from the upper regions, and this is what is says, "The soul cannot be satisfied." (Kohellet Rabbah 6) A person's soul is a part of the Divine G-d from above.

The world was also closely connected to G-d: "They heard the sound of Hashem G-d manifesting in the garden" (Bereisheet 3:8), but after the sin the Shechina departed. Yet, in essence the Shechina still is associated with the world. Therefore, both a person and the world can return to the source and reconnect, and the pasuk: "I will place My Sanctuary in your midst ... I will walk amongst you" (Vayikra 26:11-12) will be fulfilled again.

When the longing of the Creation grows to the point that they build a Mishkan, then Hashem's desire will be fulfilled. "Thus the heaven and earth were completed" – "Moshe completed the work" – then, "The glory of Hashem filled the Mishkan."

We say in Adon Olam: "Master of the universe, who reigned before any form was created; at the time when His will brought all into being – then as 'King' was his name proclaimed. When all will end, He, alone, will rule Awesome."

We have here three stages:

1. Master of the universe, who reigned before any form was created.

2. When His will was fulfilled, then He was proclaimed as 'King' by the creation.

3. After everything ends - he will, one again, reign alone.

This process is puzzling. If, at the end, we return to the beginning - what need was there to go through it all in the first place? If the purpose is for Hashem to reign alone after everything, then what need was there for the Creation?

Rav Kook zt"l explains that "V'acharei kichlot hakol" does not mean "When all will end" - that everything will cease. Rather, it means that the souls of all the creation will long greatly for G-d, as it says, "Kalta nafshi – My soul longed for the courtyards of G-d." (Tehillim 84:3) "My flesh and heart long ... for the Eternal G-d." (73:26) This, indeed, is the perfection of heaven and earth. At the beginning Hashem reigned alone, and at the end the souls of all of the creation will long to become closer to G-d. This is the highest level and the purpose of creation, when the lower world will accept the yoke of His Reign willingly. Therefore, through the construction of the Mishkan, the Shechina returned through our actions and our desire for Hashem's nearness, thereby fulfilling the purpose of creation.

Rav Kook on Parashat Pekudei: Always on His Mind

Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (1863-1940), the brilliant Lithuanian scholar and posek, was known to write scholarly Halachic correspondence while simultaneously conversing with a visitor on a totally different subject. When questioned how he accomplished this remarkable feat, Rav Grodzinski humbly replied that his talent was not so unusual.

“What, have you never heard of a businessman who mentally plans out his day while reciting the morning prayers?”

Constant Awareness
One of the eight special garments worn by the kohen gadol was the tzit. This was a gold plate worn across the forehead, engraved with the words kodesh le-Hashem — “Holy to God.”

The Torah instructs the kohen gadol that the tzitz “will be on his forehead – always” (Shemot. 28:38). The Sages understood this requirement not as addressing where the head-plate is worn, but rather how it is worn. It is not enough for the tzitz to be physically on his forehead. It must be always “on his mind.” The kohen gadol must be constantly aware of the tzitz and its succinct message of “Holy to God” while serving in the Beit HaMikdash. His service requires conscious recognition of the purpose of his actions, without irrelevant thoughts and musings. He cannot be like the fellow whose mind was preoccupied with business matters while he mumbled his daily prayers. 



Tefillin and the Tzitz
The golden head-plate brings to mind another holy object worn above the forehead: tefillin. In fact, the Sages compared the two. Like the tzitz, wearing tefillin requires one to be always aware of their presence. The Talmud in Shabbat 12a makes the following a fortiori argument: If the tzitz, upon which God’s name is engraved just once, requires constant awareness, then certainly tefillin, containing scrolls in which God’s name is written many times, have the same requirement.

This logic, however, appears flawed. Did the Sages really mean to say that tefillin, worn by any Jew, are holier objects than the sacred head-plate worn only by the high priest when serving in the Temple?

Furthermore, why is it that God’s name is only recorded once on the tzitz, while appearing many times on the scrolls inside tefillin?

Connecting to Our Goals
We may distinguish between two aspects of life: our ultimate goals, and the means by which we attain these goals. It is easy to lose sight of our true goals when we are preoccupied with the ways of achieving them.

Even those who are careful to “stay on track” may lack clarity as to the true purpose of life. The Sages provided a basic rule: “All of your deeds should be for the sake of Heaven”(Avot 2:12). However, knowledge of what God wants us to do in every situation is by no means obvious. Success in discovering the highest goal, in comprehending our purpose in life, and being able to relate all of life’s activities to this central goal — all depend on our wisdom and insight.

For the kohen gadol, everything should relate to the central theme of “Holy to God.” We expect that the individual suitable for such a high office will have attained the level of enlightenment where all of life’s activities revolve around a single ultimate goal. Therefore the tzitzmentions God’s name just once — a single crowning value. Most people, however, do not live on this level of enlightened holiness. We have numerous spiritual goals, such as performing acts of kindness, charity, Torah study, prayer, and acquiring wisdom. By relating our actions to these values, we elevate ourselves and sanctify our lives. For this reason, the scrolls inside tefillin mention God’s name many times, reflecting the various spiritual goals that guide us.

In order to keep life’s ultimate goals in sight, we need concrete reminders. The tzitz and tefillin, both worn on the forehead above the eyes, are meant to help us attain this state of mindfulness.

Now we may understand the logic of comparing these two holy objects. Even the kohen gadol, despite his broad spiritual insight, needed to be constantly aware of the tzitz on his forehead and its fundamental message of kodesh le-Hashem. All the more so an average person, with a variety of goals, must remain conscious of the spiritual message of his tefillin at all times.

(The Splendor of Tefillin. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. III, p. 26 by Rav Chanan Morrison)