A Blessing for the Fruit of the Trees – Succoth 5769 The secret of the Four Species The great Cabalist and student of the famous Ramchal, Harav Moshe David Wali, was an author of an amazing work on the Tanach which included 2800 pages! I want to relate to you a message that he writes on his commentary on the book of Leviticus, chapter 26, where the Torah teaches us about the holiday of Succoth. The Torah tells us ” Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to G-D seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.” Rabbi Wali says that it is known that the produce of the land that is gathered up on Succoth time is fruit and not grains which are harvested up on Passover and Shavuot. From these grains the “Omer” and the “Two bread” offerings were brought. Therefore, in order to complete the blessing on the produce of the land, G-d gave us a Divine service on Succoth that pertains to the fruit of the trees. By blessing over the four species all the different types of trees are incorporated into the blessing. There are trees that their fruit have taste and smell they are represented by the Etrog (Citron). Other trees have taste and no smell, to signify them we were commanded to take the Lulav (date palm). The myrtle (Hadas) corresponds to the trees that have a smell but no taste. Finally, the Aravah (willow) stands for the trees without smell and taste. This is the simple explanation on the Mitzvah of the four species. On a cabbalistic level each of the species represents a letter of the Divine name – the Tetragrammaton. By taking the four species we are unifying the name of G-d and thus bring down a special blessing to the fruit of the trees. This stresses the importance this Divine service of blessing over the “Arbaat Haminim” each and every day of the Succoth holiday. If the Jewish nation would not perform this Mitzvah, G-d forbid, the fruit of the world would dry up! A proof of this is what our rabbis bring down that when the Holy Temple was destroyed the taste was taken away from the fruit of the trees. It is a known fact that the major portion of the Divine abundance was channeled through our Holy Bet Hamikdash in Jerusalem. Therefore, when the four species were blessed on in the Temple a tremendous blessing of abundance was brought down into the fruit of the trees and the result was that the taste of these fruit was the most delicious possible! Unfortunately, when the Temple was destroyed this Divine service was only preformed outside of the Temple. The repercussions were an immediate loss of Divine abundance given to the fruit which led to the fruit losing there special taste. The little abundance that we succeed in bringing down outside the temple on Succoth sustains the fruit of the trees throughout the world. If we weren’t performing this Mitzvah the world would be without fruit! Interestingly, if we taste the fruit of Israel today it is quite delicious. One can imagine how great the taste of the fruit was during the time when our temple stood in Jerusalem in all its glory. Let us pray that we will speedily rebuild our Temple! If the world only knew how much of a blessing our temple will bring to the entire world they would be demanding us to start rebuilding our Bet Hamikdash today. Chag Sameach – Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith, Itamar, Israel
Category: All Torah Teachings
Yom Kippur message Oct. 8th 2008 Tet Tishtay 5769
Seemingly, this week’s Parasha has a strange beginning as it opens with “And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:1) without telling us where he went. Our Rabbis explain that Moshe went to the Israeli encampment to personally say good bye to the Jewish people before his death. He wanted to ensure the nation that although he is going to leave them to join the ranks of the upper worlds everything will be ok. Am Yisrael, who was about to enter the land of Israel knew that it had to face the challenge of capturing and dividing the land. Moshe ensured them that they had nothing to fear since Hashem will destroy the nations that interfere with them just as he had done to Sichon and Og. Nevertheless, the question still remains why the Torah doesn’t mention out right where Moshe goes. Of course, this is not the first time the Torah leaves out important details that are brought down in oral traditions. Even so, when this does happen we must ask – why.
One important rule is that in such an instance the Torah is clearly leaving room for different explanations. Since the Torah is Divine light, it is infinite! The more we look deeper into the words of the Torah the more we will discover. Yet, in my opinion, in this instance mentioning the word “Vayelech” (“went”), without saying where, has a unique meaning in the Torah. There is only one other place in the Torah that mentions the word “went” in a similar context. “Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1) The Torah doesn’t tell us where he went to marry the daughter of Levi. It just says that he went! This union refers to Amram and Yocheved, the parents of Moshe Rabeynu. As we know Amram separated from Yochaved after the Egyptians decreed that all male children born must be cast into the Nile River. Amram who was the head of the generation (Gadol Hador) reasoned that it didn’t make sense to bring children into the world if they were to be killed in the end. The Jews of the time followed the advice of their leader and separated from their wives. Amram’s daughter Miriam, who was only a child at the time, reproved her father for issuing such a Psak(ruling). She said your Psak is worse than Pharaoh, he decreed on the males your decree affects the females as well. Amram, as a true Gadol Hador (great leader of the generation) response was “Vayelech” he was able to leave his first conception of the situation and reconsider his decision. Most people in such a situation would not be able to recognize their mistake especially when being reproved by a young child. Amram’s greatness is seen here by his ability to rise to the moment and repent by taking back his wife. If it wasn’t for this repentance his son Moshe, the savior of the Jewish nation, would not have been born.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this essay the only other time Vayelech has the same usage is in this weeks portion Vayelech Moshe, which is an account of Moshe’s last day in this world. Our rabbis explain that physically Moshe Rabeynu was healthy as ever. He had no problem in entering the land of Israel and fighting the wars against Israel’s enemies. Nevertheless, Hashem had different plans for him; it was time for his soul to return to his creator and reach much greater spiritual heights. It was Joshua’s turn to take the leadership of the nation. There is an unbelievable Midrash that describes the tremendous tension and turmoil that was weighing on Moshe. Moshe didn’t want to leave this world. The Yalkut Shimoni on Devarim 35 brings down the following account – “G-D let Joshua have my leadership and I will continue to live on and accept his rule. G-D said to Moshe OK treat him as he treated you. Immediately, Moshe gets up in the morning and goes to Joshua’s house. Joshua was afraid of hosting his rabbi at his home so they went for a walk. Moshe stood to the left of Joshua. They both entered the Tabernacle and the cloud of glory descended and separated between the two of them. When the cloud disappeared Moshe asked Joshua what Hashem had told him. Joshua responded “when the word of G-d came to you did I know what Hashem spoke with you! At that moment Moshe shouted out one hundred deaths and not one bit of jealousy!”
The greatness of Moshe as a leader is shown here how he is able to cope with the greatest test ever and accept the situation. This is alluded to in the word VAyelech. Most leaders in a similar situation would do everything in their power to hold on to the throne. Moshe Rabeynu displayed his greatness by being able to step down. In a few hours the fast of Yom Kippur will enter. Yom kippur is a time of reflection more than any other time. Let us rise to the moment and throw away previous conceptions that need to be rectified!
Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith, Itamar, Israel
In a world that we balance our lives between the practical accomplishments of our goals and spiritually yearning for the unreachable, Elul is a time that connects these 2 aspects of our lives, ending the year in equilibrium as we shop, prepare, run around getting ready for the yamim tovim while we simultaneously bang our hearts in selichot and directly talk to G-d. We discover a wide gate opening up for us as we enter the New Year. On either side of the great scales, having in each hand Chesed (right hand- loving-kindness) and Gevurah (left hand- judgment). The ever merciful Ein Sof provides us with never ending bounty. In gevurah it is contained. For example, a container that holds strawberry jam that you just made: without the jar, we couldn’t hold onto the jam. It would drain away. So, gevurah is actually the vessel that includes the chesed into it. It is essential in the chesed process. It puts up important boundaries, walls that preserve.
These are called the days of judgment. That is why it is exactly the time to stop and think a little about our lives and focus on Hashem’s great chesed that He does with us all the time. How can we be likened to that? Did we spend enough time, effort and patience with others? Did we define it with clear boundaries taking it thus far so that it doesn’t take away time from our family, spouse, and other important realms of our lives so that in essence it was easy to do? We love our kids but we’re not just showering them with bounty but trying to teach them the value of things by also limiting them. Chesed and gevurah aren’t like holding a daisy and picking one petal at a time, “He loves me, He loves me not.” It’s not an either- or, but a recipe for balance in life bringing us to remember the passuk from Shir Hashirim ” His right hand under my head and His left hugging me.”
The closeness of Parshat Nitzavim to Rosh Hashana reminds us as we read about standing all together before Hashem, about unity. When we stand together as one, judgment and kitrug (denouncing and defaming) cannot affect us. It’s when there is separation and fragmentation that Din comes down unto individuals. Therefore, these are exactly the days that a person should do his utmost to “fix” things, keep away from arguments and not fall into the trap of fighting back with someone looking for mischief. Life is full of these tests all the time. You have to have a lot of chesed and gevurah to deal with this.
May the New Year bring with it many blessings to you and all of Am Yisrael. May we hear only good things and try to do more good things. This goes without saying that our destinies are in His hands.
Shana Tova!!! G’mar Chatima Tova Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Parshat Ki Tavo Elul 5768-2008 Hashem created this world through the method of dichotomy, thus we can distinguish good from evil. We are all familiar with the concept of opposites- black and white, physical and spiritual, the giver and receiver, the strong and weak, wealthy and poor, in haste and slowness, etc… It is said that often opposites are attracted to each other. When Avraham Avinu (Abraham) went east he brought with him many presents; he divulged secrets of the hidden Torah. These eventually became incorporated into ancient Chinese traditions, who in fact divide the world into 2 forces, yin and yang. What we know about yin and yang is that they are positive and negative forces that act together in order to create energy. These two forces are in constant movement and are at battle to gain dominance .The aim is to achieve a balance that creates a supportive, nurturing environment. Har Gerizim and Har Eval are the two mountains that reside side by side in the center of the Land of Israel representing the two forces of the blessings and the curses. Here, Am Yisrael were given again the Torah, this time in the Land itself while they themselves participated in the actual blessings and curses. This Torah was and indeed is a living contract about worshiping G-d through actions, in creating an environment in which positive G-dly energy flows to achieve the kingdom of G-d in the world. When Am Yisrael do all that they are commanded, they are blessed with an easy and secure passage through life. However, if they “tip the scale” and ignore Hashem’s commandments, evil will dominate, and they will be cursed with only tragedy. It doesn’t mean that Har Eval is an evil place or that Har Gerizim is a good place. They are both very good holy places in the Land of Israel, their holiness no less apparent today than days old. They are monuments that testify history, then now and forever. It goes without saying that what comes to mind is the blessing given to this place, “Shechem echad al achecha”- one shechem. Yes, two forces exist but our goal for torah loving people is to choose good, unite and become one unit. Dear readers, To actually read the parsha and look at it from our window here in Itamar, wow! We contemplate the energies sizzling up out of these mountains every day, every season, during every simcha and every heart break (our rav- Harav Binyamin Herling- was killed on Har Eval 7 years ago). It has been incredible and I wish more of you can experience it. To try and fathom why anyone in the world would call it another place belonging to another people is baffling to me. When Hashem betrothed Himself to the Jewish people he did so LE’OLAM- forever. There are several replacement theologies that have gone on since we were thrown out of our Land because of our sins 2,000 years ago. Some say that we are no longer the chosen people. Some say this land does not belong to us anymore. WE SAY however, Hashem is engaged to us LE’OLAM- forever. The Torah is a formula for how to live. It is not just believing but it is a lot of doing. Where is it done? Well, just read the parsha. Every Shabbat we read these portions that are talking about REAL places. We have returned to your desolate cities and we too (the Jewish people that live here) are a testimony to our covenant with Hashem. This is not Narnia and I am not about to crawl out of a closet, it’s only a dream come true. Shabbat Shalom- Leah Goldsmith
Parshat Shoftim Elul 5768-2008 “When you shall besiege a city for a long time in making war against it to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by forcing an axe against them, for you may eat of them. You shall not cut them down, for the tree of the field is like a man…” The Torah compares the soul of man to the life force of the fruit bearing tree. This is done on the backdrop of the battlefield of our parsha(weekly portion). Our sages bring down that the armed conflict of war is won when the arm and head become partners against the adversary. This is best demonstrated in the mitzvah of tefillin that are worn on the arm and head – the symbols of true righteousness and judgment in serving Hashem. When man wears the tefillin he can remove false pride and concentrate his intentions on not what he has achieved, but that that the Almighty brings him his achievement. He knows (in his head as he ties his arm) that Hashem is totally there for him, his appeal to arms is in the name of G-d. This is the connection between the arm and head at the hands of faith. Every morning when this is done it is likened to pouring water into the soul, revitalizing it and bringing it to life. A perfect example of this is King David who managed all of his operations and maneuvers (including in his personal life) in complete faith. He lived a life of complete self sacrifice, and was preserved because of his direct grasp of the concept of Hashem leading his victory. (We remember when he comes against Goliath he says that he doesn’t come by himself but in the name of Hashem who will fight the battle). David perceived that all of reality relies totally on Him- Hashem, examples of trials being family issues (in which there were many), usual kingly duties and intrigues, standard offense warfare, preventive warfare, to other realms of psychological warfare like contending with the yeitzer hara(evil urge). He wrote his book of Psalms as a direct response to these threats, demonstrating completely receiving the yoke of heaven. This perception of the Divine brought him to an embodiment of complete victory in ALL of his wars. When a person is faced with torment, whether it be on his job, within his family, close environment, or on a wider range like government, national, international, he can win when he cancels his self will (ratzon atzmi). This rectifies him and brings him to a higher place. When he stands stubbornly stuck in the predicament, sure of his being shortchanged, right, unforgiving, feeling no justice- he cannot win. How does the tree fit in here? The Ba’al Shem Tov brings down from the holy Zohar that food is full of spiritual sparks. Therefore without knowing why a person becomes hungry he has an inner need to receive these sparks, more than just physical hunger. Plants, fruits and vegetation are on a higher level than meat. They are witnesses to the shorshut elokit- of Hashem rooting himself in the lower world. Hashem built this lower world on the crust of earth in order for us to feel Him. If He would disguise Himself in heaven, it would only be for angels to enjoy Him. Here we feel Him. A tree has arms that reach down and drink the life force found in the lower levels of the earth. If there is no water, there is no fruit. A person serves Hashem through yeitzer tov but the real test is can we serve him when there us a war within us, when we have a yeitzer ra, when we are on a lower step? Our job is to win the war by climbing humbly back up the steps. This is a strong form of worship because serving G-d does not only happen when we are clear headed, level headed. Winning the war occurs when we feel so low, we actually reach to the roots, the lowest place in the low world even covered by the crust. Then we triumph. We are standing in preparation for the Days of Judgment and a new year. We are in the month of Elul. This is a good time to fix and forgive. Let bygones be bygones. A person is likened to a tree. In order to grow he needs water. It doesn’t matter if it’s tap water, mineral water, Perrier, Holy water or even dirty water. It all works because in all cases the tree, as long as it is watered gives sweet fruit. “I will make thee and the environs of My hill a blessing. I will send rain in its season, rains that bring blessing. The trees of the field shall yield their fruit and the Land shall yield its produce and My people shall be secure on its own soil”- Ezekiel 34:26-28 Let us imitate this imagery. If dirty water is dumped on you, you can react as if it were any other water. You can cancel torment, swallow your pride and win the war. This is the water of life. The head of the tree gives fruit but the arms bring it life sustenance from the low places of the earth. (Does this remind you of the double blessing given to the portion of Josef?) Shabbat Shalom- Leah Goldsmith
Parshat Pinchas July 18, 2008 In the late 1800’s an officer in the British army and an avid researcher of biblical sites, by the name of Charles Wilson published an important book called ” The Illustrated Land of Israel” including pictures of the famous “Wilson Arch” discovered by Wilson adjacent to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. In this book in section2 page 4 there is documentation, including a series of pictures drawn by Wilson of the village of Awarta, just southeast of the city of Shechem- or what the Jewish people have called from time immemorial Givat (the hill) Pinchas. In the book, he writes about the mossy stoney gravesites of the High Priests Elazar and Itamar (the sons of Aharon),and the shade of the huge trees that covered the structure of the gravesite of Pinchas, the star of this week’s parsha. This is the last remaining picture we have of Kever Pinchas for in 1955 the local arab mosque was transformed into something larger, and its construction eradicated the sacred landmark of Pinchas. The last passuk of the book of Joshua brings us to this site:”And Elazar the son of Aharon died and they buried him in the hill of Pinchas his son, which was given him in Mount Ephraim” (Joshua 24/33) Wilson was not the first to investigate Givat Pinchas. Many dark age religious figures, Christian and Jewish visited the site. Josephus writes about Givat Pinchas calling it GABATHA (for Giva-hill). In 1213 the Muslim geographer Shiaab Adin Yakut describes Awarta (the arab name for the site) as the resting place of Itamar, Elazar, Pinchas and the 70 elders.. Nachmanidis, the great torah scholar moved to Eretz Yisrael in 1267. One of his students came to Israel to visit him and wrote a journal in 1280 which has been preserved in the library of Leningrad. He speaks about his visit to the Shomron, his meeting with the Samaritans, the tomb of Joseph, and traveling southeast to the resting places of Itamar, Elazar and Pinchas. He also gives a detailed account of the catacomb graves of the 70 elders. Rabbi Yitzchak ben Alpra from Malaga Spain came in 1441 and wrote a detailed account of Givat Pinchas. “…and from there we went to Awarta, and there Elazar the High Priest- a huge monument built on his site. One day we discovered a huge museleum built bigger than 100 ama- the resting place of Pinchas and Avishua his son.This edifice leans unto the mosque. Not far from there, Itamar. The place is close to the city of Shechem. Skipping over to 1621, the holy Shlah Hakadosh in his book “the 2 tablets” writes about the week of parshat Toldot in which he visits Yosef Hatzaddik in Shechem, Yehoshua Bin Nun in Kfil Charess (Timnat Serach) and Givat Pinchas- all in the Land of Ephraim. The list is endless including Rabbi Smuel Grunim Katz that came to live in Pekiin in 1778. He writes excitedly about visiting Givat Pinchas.In 1839 Moshe Montifiore and his wife Yehudit made many excursions to the Land of Israel. Yehudit writes in her memoirs:”…We left the city of Shechem and reached the environs of Awarta and began to visit the gravesites of the tzaddikim. The first, Pinchas. There were many insciptions in the Kuti language there, as well as Arabic and hebrew. Our guide translated all of these to us. There are ancient huge trees there and many caves…” At the conclusion of the 6 day war, the chief Rabbinate of the Israeli army, who were responsible for holy sites liberated in the war, arrived at Givat Pinchas (Awarta).They cleaned up refuse dumped there and rehabilitated the holy sites. Extensive archeological research was done on the site, much of which information taken in this article is from their archives. Since 1967, over 60,000 people visited Givat Pinchas until the Oslo accords ended the visits and relinquished it to the hostile local Arabs who desecrate the graves and pour garbage there. The ministry of religious affairs occasionally enter Awarta to clean up and paint the tombs, usually prior to the once a year permit to enter on the first day of Av, the yartzeit of Aharon the High Priest. From my perspective, many jewish people have returned to live in the Land of Ephraim. The community of Itamar faces (hill paralleling hill) the old large stones that serve as monuments to the true owners of the Land. The descendents of Itamar, Elazar and Pinchas’s lineage have returned and are here to stay. · much information for this article was taken from the archives (hebrew) · Agudat Shechem Echad- 2003 –Yigal Amitai Shabbat Shalom- Leah Goldsmith
King Balak forms a union with the neighboring nations in order to attack Am Yisrael. Much publicity has been given to the great and mighty nation that brought about the fall of the Egyptian empire. The pact made between Midyan and Moav in fact was not coming out of a goodwill aspiration for complete world harmony. Actually, they came together to challenge Am Yisrael and challenge the will of Hashem’s kingship in the world (much like building the tower of Babel). Little do they realize though that they are subservient to Israel’s destiny.
Balak seeks to use Bilam, the soothsayer, in cursing Am Yisrael and bringing about it’s demise. ALL of these plans however boomeranged and Bilam became the agent of assistance to Am Yisrael. His curses became blessings. When we first meet Bilam we see that his heart is sealed, even though he knew Hashem. When his she-ass spoke to him he persisted in his obstinate attitude that maybe he would prevail over Hashem! What Bilam didn’t know was that Hashem’s love for Am Yisrael is not dependent on any circumstance. (Luckily for Am Yisrael because even before the end of this parsha they are already involved in the Ba’al Peor drama!)
Parshat Balak, more than any other parsha in the entire Torah intimates the meaning of redemption, the suggestion of what will happen in the days of Mashiach when the nations of the world will try to come together against Israel, will try to curse it- but to no avail. We wait for the cue and almost see its prompt coming. If we can properly internalize what Bilam said even earlier, this reinforces our need for the Land of Yosef.- “Balak has brought me me’harerey Kedem”. Rabbi Hillel Lieberman brings down on this passuk – “Harerey Kedem – umiMeged Givot Olam “- Dueteronomy 33-15- In the heart of the Land of Yosef, the source of the blessings and curses, HarGerrizim and Har Eval, the mountains of the blessings and curses…. Even in his subconscious Bilam knew the curses would turn into blessings – “These shall stand upon Mount Gerizzim to bless the people…”- Dueteronomy 27-12
Dear Readers, Complete world harmony can only happen when we ourselves know and understand these places spoken about. They are the source of blessing to all of Am Yisrael wherever they may be.
Shabbat Shalom- Leah Goldsmith
“Send people to the Land of Canaan”
The Land of Israel is the inheritance of our forefathers and was planned by Hashem for the Jewish people from the very beginning of time. It is the Land that Hashem oversees from the first day of the year to the last, a place of Divine destiny- the intended homeland for Israel. The question arises then, how can it be called Eretz Canaan? Canaan is the name of a foreign pagan tribe. There must be a purpose in using this name, hiding in fact the real substance of what this land really is. It is said about G-d, “Al tastir panecha”- “Do not hide your face”. This phenomenon may be compared to the virtues of Eretz Yisrael. Seeing is believing but what do we see? What do we look for? The genuine revelation of the Holy Land comes into view when it is called “Aretz”. Ergo, the torah in this passuk calls it “Eretz Canaan” as if it belonged to a foreign people. Now is the time to investigate, check and clarify. We are not spying here, but we are asking what is this “double identity”? The entire world, even today if not more so, stops a minute and thinks. The wicked blunder and deceive, confusing the facts. They say the Land belongs to someone else, that we have come and conquered it, when in truth it was designated for Am Yisrael the same day that Hashem looked into the torah and created the world. So, why Canaan?
This was the test of the spies.
The root of the sin of the spies was that they believed their mission was to conquer the Land from its inhabitants, the 7 nations. (Canaani, Perizzi, Chivi, Yevusi, Chitti, Amaleki…) The spies felt that the Land was strange to them. What did they see? Giants, huge fruit, many funerals and a base and lowly pagan people. There the people “sat”( superficially speaking) upon the Land. However, they had no internal contingency. “Veyashavtem Ba”- “And you will live IN the Land”-! The spies held by the saying “What you see is what you get”- instead of, “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. How many of us do this all the time! Even those of us who live here and sacrifice a zillion things for it!
In the name of Harav Hillel Lieberman, HYD[see link] on parshat Shlach- Where does the word “spies” originate? Does it bring us to a dיjא vu of another story in our Torah? When Yosef Hatzaddik finally met with his brothers he said, “Meraglim Atem!”- “You are spies!” This was said because their attitude was one of strangeness to him. What, a brother doesn’t know a brother?” Come on! Instead of coming to him and belonging to him, they were strange. The spies (aside from Calev and Yehoshua) acted like outsiders instead of connecting in unity with the legacy. Calev and Yehoshua perceived the Land for what it was and called it The Land of Milk and Honey. The spies saw giants and Calev and Yehoshua saw a very very good Land. They saw that the Land itself raised a great and awesome people, all the more so if the intended people, Am Yisrael, would inherit it as Hashem planned, they would grow to be a great and mighty nation
May this be “mussar heskel” for all of us in all realms- This is the bottom line…
Shabbat Shalom- Leah Goldsmith
The book of Bamidbar opens with Hashem commanding Moshe Rabeynu to count the nation. And G-D spoke to Moses in the desert of Sinai in the tabernacle of the covenant, the first day of the second month, the second year of their going out of Egypt, saying: Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, every male, one by one.” Interestingly, only a half a year went by since the last census took place. The previous population survey occurred after the sin of the Golden Calf in order to determine how many people survived the punishment. If one compares the results of this poll to the prior one mentioned in Parashat Pikuday, he will find that the sum is identical to the one mentioned here. These facts, the proximity of the polls and their identical numbers make us question the necessity of this survey? Rashi in his commentary on the verse solves the problem when he explains that this census was conducted as a display of Hashem’s love for his people. “He counts us out of his fondness towards us.” In other words there was no other reason for the poll other then a pure display of Hashem’s love towards His people. This is supported by the fact that there was no other logical reason to conduct a poll at this time. Nevertheless, a question still remains to be answered. Why is counting the nation considered an act of affection? In the laws of Hilchot Taarovot (mixtures of non-kosher food with Kosher food) there is a law that teaches us that anything that is numbered in not nullified even if there is a thousand times the amount of kosher food as compared with the non-kosher. In other instances we know that everything is nullified when there is 60 times the non-kosher element. We learn from this that number reveals the importance of the things they represent. By counting something you are revealing its importance, its inner essence.
Interestingly, the Nazis who wanted to eradicate the Jewish nation didn’t want to relate to the Jews as a people and instead they tattooed a number on their arms. This was and act of the dark side. Those who follow Hashem and His Torah don’t accept the concept of just another number. The number testifies that something very special stands behind it that it being represented by this digit. It is for this reason that our Rabbis place great emphasis on counting letters and relating the spiritual meanings and connections to their numerical value. (Gematriah) We are taught that the 600,000 letters in the Torah are the 600,000 souls of our people. Just as if a letter is missing in a sefer Torah it is not fitted for use in the same way one soul that is not shining its special light affects the entire world. The oldest know Kabblalistic work called the book of creation, Sefer Yizirah, calls these letters building stones and that with each additional letter the number of permutations grows. With only one letter this is only one possible permutation, with 2 letters there are 2, with 3 there are 6, with 4 there are 24, with 5 there are 120, with 6 there are 720, and with 7 there are 5040 possibilities and so on. Each and every additional letter adds another spiritual dimension that is vital to the world’s success and prosperity. This same idea is reflected in the special Mitzvah of preparing ourselves for Matan Torah. By counting the 49 days from Pesach to Shivuot we are revealing the importance of each and every day. Each day blessed with a unique spiritual energy allows us to make the proper spiritual preparations for receiving the Torah. If, G-D forbid, we leave out one day in could have a detrimental result on our preparation for Matan Torah. May be we all merit in a complete and joyous counting and to again ascend to our Holy Temple in the City Jerusalem with the first fruits(Bikurim) Amen.
Shabbat Shalom- Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
Lag Baomer has always been a great day in itself; before the days of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochay, and even before the counting of the Omer. It is the day that judgment is changed into mercy. On this day, after finally leaving the exile with his wives, children, much cattle and sheep, Ya’akov built a monument that he positioned between his camp and Lavan’s. It is called the Gal Ed. (Gal is numerically equivalent to 33) The relationship between Ya’akov and Lavan was much like Am Yisrael in Mitzrayim (that left their servitude in great wealth). On the 33rd day of their Exodus, in the interval between the physical birth from Egypt and the spiritual birth of receiving the Torah, they experienced complete liberty in its entirety from Mitzrayim on a level unique only to that day the 18th of Iyar). This day symbolizes the relinquishment of any foreign nation’s official occupation of Am Yisrael. This falls out on Lag Baomer- the day Lavan and Mitzrayim are subdued.
The Arizal brings down that Bilam Harasha was the gilgul(reincarnation) of Lavan. Bilam lived lag (33) years. His entire goal as the head of the mixed multitudes was to reverse the process of redemption of Am Yisrael and return them to Egypt. He wanted to cause the Jewish people to be in eternal galut, as all of our enemies have tried through time to do. But what Bilam didn’t know was that Am Yisrael return only to Hashem.
A person can attain spirituality through 3 channels. 1) his/her spirit (what he hears, what he learns and how this affects him 2) the holiness of time, the virtues of the holidays 3) the holiness of a certain place and the influence it has on a person’s da’at. That special feeling of Shabbat- we cannot take with us into Sunday. The healing power it gives we can’t feel on a Wednesday. We don’t mix holidays and their specific significance. A lulav and etrog can’t be used on Chanukah and on Shavuot we don’t make a seder. – When we go to a holy place like Israel and kivrey tzadikim(the tombs of the righteous) we experience real and unique impressions on our psyche. But later, maybe not the next day but later, the original magic of what we felt when we were there ebbs…. You can’t take that place with you! (unless you decide to live there).
Lag Baomer is all encompassing in these 3 components. It is unique in this and makes it an extremely special day indeed. On a kabbalistic level it is the HodshebaHod (splender of splender), the time to know what to know and the time not to know what you don’t need to know. The inner nefesh (soul) as a whole receives its vitality on this day. True happiness is connecting to the roots so that the branches can spread out. This is done through the da’at, the root of roots.
Esav is called straw. The house of Ya’akov- fire and the house of Yosef, a great flame. The fire and flames of our forefathers will totally eliminate Amalek (and our doubts) in the merit of this day!
(taken from the teachings of the great tzaddik Harav Chaim Hacohen).
Shabbat Shalom- Leah Goldsmith