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The Modern State of Israel in light of Prophecy

In order to understand the present-day spiritual situation in Israel, in light of prophecy, it is necessary to present a historical description of the religious trends that marked the Jewish people since the late 18th century until modern times. Together with this, I want to present some insights of one of the greatest Rabbinical giants of modern times – Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hacohen Kook (1865-1935) – the first chief rabbi of Palestine. (He lived before the formation of the modern state of Israel then called Palestine) In an essay that he writes in 1906, called the “Generation”, he talks about unique changes in the psyche of the Jewish people of his time. These changes Rabbi Kook sees as a spiritual awakening on the “soul level” of Israel- testifying to the beginning of a new stage in the process of the final redemption.

Rabbi Kook’s essay was written at the beginning of a historical period know as the “Second Aliyah” (1903-1914). The “First Aliyah” (1881-1903) was mainly a religious return to Israel by members of the Hovevei Zion Movement from imperial Russia catalyzed by a severe wave of pogroms that struck Odessa, Kiev, and Warsaw.  On the other hand, the second Aliyah was primarily comprised of young socialists who were totally non-religious. It too was a result of antisemitic pogroms that took place in Kishinev, the present-day capital of Moldova, in 1903 and later in 1905. Rabbi Kook, who moved to Israel in 1914, was part of this wave of immigration.

Despite the fact that the members of the second Aliyah were secular socialists and anti-religious, Rabbi Kook views favorably their ethical, scientific, and idealistic aspirations. He saw tremendous potential within this new generation of Israelis.  They were very different then the Jews of the first Temple period that were led estray from Torah observance to worship false gods as a result of severe corruption and hedonism. On the contrary, their rebellion against the Torah, explains Rabbi Kook, stemmed from an inner spiritual yearning to achieve a high-level moral standard that they did not see coming from Torah observance.

 In order to gain insight into what led to this generation of secular Jews, one must go back to the roots of Jewish secularism. Until the mid to late 18th century the Jews around the globe, as a whole, were Torah observant following a Torah way of life inherited from father to son from generation to generation. This pattern that seemed unbreakable was undermined when the enlightenment movement rose in Europe.  Ideas like science, philosophy, liberty, tolerance, progress, and brotherhood that weakened the authority of the church and monarchy and eventually led to the French revolution of 1789, did not skip over the Jews of Europe. A small group of Jewish Torah observant intellectuals, mainly from Berlin, like Moses Mendelssohn, Isaac Satanow, and Naftali Hertz Wiesel, wanting to keep up with the times, began to make changes in defining Jewish values by stressing rationalism, ethics, and the importance of secular education. This, in time, led to the creation of two new streams of Jewish society. One that eventually assimilated, abandoning in its entirety Torah observance and Jewish education. They chose a secular lifestyle and received their education from German universities. The other group sought of ways to maintain a basic Jewish way of life but at the same time mingle into European society and culture. This led to the formation of the conservative and reform movements of Judaism. This Jewish enlightenment movement, which was first considered an outcast minority amongst the religious Jewish majority, eventually rooted itself deep into eastern Europe as well.  It led to a more radical direction with the establishment of totally secular schools calling for the doctrines of atheism.

It is important to note that for religious reasons Jews weren’t allowed to live in Russia prior to proper to 1772. Only after the Russian empire annexed Poland between the years 1772-1795 did, de facto, hundreds of thousands of Jews become part of the Russian Empire. A common antisemitic attitude prevailed within the leadership of Russia with dire discrimination against Jews as they were labeled “Jesus killers” and were held responsible for his crucifixion. The empress, Elizabeth Petrovna who reigned over Russia after a coup from 1741-1762 is famous for her antisemitic statement – “I don’t want to receive any benefit from enemies of Jesus”. Catherine the Great (1762-1796) didn’t allow Jews to become part of the middle class and made them pay a double tax. Jews were considered foreigners and not granted citizenship.

One positive result of the mistreatment of the Jews was that it kept them united and prevented assimilation. This all came to an end during the reign of Alexander the second (1855-1881). Alexander exhibited a liberal approach toward the Jews. The Jews that he defined as “beneficial” like wealthy merchants, artisans, academic scholars, and medical practitioners, were allowed to settle in Russia proper enabling them to leave the Pale of settlement. Jews that were graduates of Russian high schools were granted special privileges. They began to take part in many areas of Russian society like culture, art, finance, literature, media, law and more. Although this group numbered only about 60 thousand, it had a huge impact on the 2 million Jews that were living within the Pale. They sought to copy the success of their brothers and many saw the only way out of their difficult financial state was to join the Russian school system. For the above reasons, a huge change took place in the mindset of the young generation.  Until this point of time, it was enough for Jewish parents and educators to speak on behalf of Godliness and loyalty to the family and congregation – the focus was on – “what to do”, not “why do it”. This new generation did not accept the “do it and don’t ask why attitude”; they demanded answers, especially in the climate of extreme suffering at the hands of the gentiles. Their teachers and Rabbis whose faith was unbreakable and came natural to them didn’t see a need to spend their time on deciphering the “Why” questions.  Their concern was how to become true servants of G-d. Therefore, they lacked readiness when confronted with the questions of faith like – why should I keep the commandments – is this really what G-d wants?  Prove to me the existence of G-d. Why is there so much suffering in the world? Etc. Questions regarding faith are easy to ask but hard to answer. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to master a true understanding of faith. It is a lifetime’s work and never ends! Without having an organized system of teaching faith, coupled with the lack of patience on part of the young students, it was very hard for educators to prevent some these soul searches from going astray. This led to even more assimilation and the eventual abandoning of Jewish religious practice on a much larger scale.

Many Jews thought that by forsaking Torah practice and assimilating amongst the nations would make them equal citizens in the countries they lived in; much like we see in trends in the USA as well as other countries in the world outside of Israel.  This was proven wrong as waves of antisemitism jealousy and hatred targeted the secular Jews as a result of their financial success. As mentioned above, it took the pogroms of Kishinev to make them realize the necessity of a Jewish homeland!

In the wake of this antisemitic atmosphere prevalent in Europe, Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish captain in the French army, was unjustly accused of treason in 1894. Binyamin Ze’ev (Theodore) Herzl (1860-1904), known as the father of modern political Zionism, was a journalist in Paris at the time and covered the trial. He was granted permission to enter the large square where the degrading ceremony of stripping Alfred Dreyfus of his military rank took place. Herzl was not only witness to the unjustly treatment of Dreyfus but, in addition, he observed the antisemitic crowd chanting death to the Jews. Later Herzl writes in his diary that it was the Dreyfus trial that made him a Zionist. The political Zionist movement strengthened and led to the first Zionist congress in Basel Switzerland in 1897 which eventually led to the formation of the modern state of Israel in 1948. In the wake of democracies and liberty sprouting in the world, nations sought independence – so did the Jews.

Some of the famous figures that shaped the secular Zionist movement were cultural Zionists like Asher Tzvi Hersch Ginsberg (1856-1927) known as Achad Ha’Am and Martin Buber (1878-1965), socialist Zionists like the like Chaim Weitzman (1874-1952) and Leo Motzkin (1867-1933) who were founders of the Democratic Fraction. The first prime minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion (1886-1973), was a socialist Zionist part of the labor party leadership. There were also conservative right-wing secular Zionists like Joseph Trumpeldor (1880-1920), Ze’ev Jabotinsky (1880-1940).

It was secular Zionists that founded the modern state of Israel. To this very day most key leadership roles in the IDF, police, the Judicial system, politics, media, are controlled by secular Jews who were schooled in secular systems of education.

Because of the above facts the ultra-orthodox world did not accept the modern formation of the state of Israel as part of the redemption process. “How can a secular Jewish state devoid of Torah practice and values be considered the beginning of the redemption?” They asked and many still ask this even today.  

On the other hand, the orthodox religious Zionistic camp, followers of Rabbi Kook, view this entire process as Divine! Rabbi Kook’s deep insights that he outlined a hundred fourteen years ago in his essay “The Generation” and in his other writings give us the ability to understand how this indeed is no doubt part the final process of redemption.  

At first glance, one may say that the secular Jews of Israel are the furthest away from Torah observance as they have ever been. Secular Israel has adopted western doctrines of postmodernism that base itself on an ideology that there is not ideology. They call for extreme liberalism and pluralism and dare to challenge the basic morals and ethics that have been the backbone of a healthy society from time immemorial. They seem to be concerned only with personal achievement and self-satisfaction. Is there any positive side to this secular world? How does this situation coincide with the words of our prophets that talk about the final return of the exiles of Israel and the building of the Third Temple?

Rabbi Kook, who rests all his teachings on the deep kabalistic understandings of the Torah and the prophets, explains that the Torah in messianic times will reach a level never seen before. What sufficed for Israel during the exile is no longer enough. The entire world is progressing in all areas imaginable like science, technology, medicine, etc. in the same way the level of Torah and spirituality must rise to greater heights. The adopting of postmodern culture are just external symptoms of a deep yearning for self-development which is in reality a yearning to connect to G-d.

Until now, we were discussing mainly the non-religious side of Israel. It is important to mention that by far the majority of Israelis today are either traditional or religious. Even among those who are not at all traditional, the majority of them believe in G-d and maintain some religious practices. In Israel you hear a siren when Shabbat approaches. These statistics are very encouraging considering that in most western countries there is a steady decline in religious practice and atheism is on the rise. When speaking in non-Jewish circles around the world I can’t help to notice that the majority of the audiences that I addressed were over fifty years old. In Israel it is amazing to see how the young generation is drawn in the masses to Torah study and religious events! In addition, there is a tremendous movement of non-religious Jews returning to religious practice than ever before. The huge orthodox camp in Israel has a great mission to reach out to their fellow brothers and sisters who seek to return to Torah. At the same time those who study Torah must rise to much greater spiritual heights in order to be an example to others that have not yet merited in the sweetness of Torah. This is all setting the stage for prophecy that will no doubt return to the land.

I would like to conclude this essay by taking a glance at some prophecies that clearly support the process that we spoke about above.  

“Then said He unto me: ‘Prophesy unto the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great host. Then He said unto me: ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off. Therefore prophesy, and say unto them:” (Ezekiel 37:9-11)

Here it seems quite obvious that the prophet is referring to the holocaust. He mentions the slain, the bones, the graves and the lost hope – all powerful descriptions of what the Jewish people experienced in Nazi Germany.

Then just when it seems that there is no hope for Israel anymore –   Could we be lost forever?  “Thus, saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel.”(Ezekiel 37:12)

The prophet reveals to us that after the terrible holocaust Israel will be consoled with the formation of an Independent state again. How fortunate we are to live in a time when we are witnesses to the fulfillment of prophecy! Is there any greater proof that Hashem keeps His promises? After 2000 years of praying: “let our eyes behold the return of Zion”, we were the generation that was blessed to live and see this happening.

The prophet Ezekiel continues and speaks of additional stages in the redemption process. “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown; and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it; and the cities shall be inhabited, and the waste places shall be built;” ( Ezekiel 36:8-10)  Here Ezekiel tells us that upon the return to the land there will be first a renewal of agriculture and the building of communities and cities.

The prophet Zechariah consoles us:  “Thus saith the LORD of hosts: There shall yet old men and old women sit in the streets of Jerusalem, every man with his staff in his hand for very age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the broad places thereof.” (Zechariah 8:4-5) Today we are all witness to this every time we walk the streets of Jerusalem!

Ezekiel goes on to describe how Israel will become an economic super power greater than ever before. Just recently Israel began producing natural gas that it is exporting to Egypt, Jordan and soon it will be reaching Europe as well.

“and I will multiply upon you man and beast, and they shall increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited after your former estate, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 36:11)

Interestingly, until now Ezekiel relates only to the physical and materialistic success upon returning to the land, he does not yet mention the spiritual side – the return to G-d, until the last part of the verse. “and ye shall know that I am the LORD”(ibid)

“For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.” (Ezekiel 36:24-25)

Here the prophet carefully outlines the order of things. First Israel returns to the land and only then does the purification process begin! This supports the fact Israel first will become a secular state not knowing G-d and slowly it will purify itself until it returns to Hashem. This is what is known as the two stages of Messiah. The messiah of Joseph – a physical restoration, and the messiah of David – a spiritual return.   

The material success that the prophet describes above in verse 11 as being a catalyst of knowing G-d, can be understood in two ways in both a positive and negative light.  The orthodox world will draw closer to Hashem and want to thank Him for the amazing blessing of bounty for turning Israel into an economic super power. On the other hand, the secular world will be drawn to Hashem by not finding satisfaction despite all the materialistic success. This is supported by the words of Amos the prophet:

Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east; they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst. (Amos 8: 11-13)

Here Amos describes how the young generation will despise the postmodern culture. The materialistic world will not satisfy their needs. The only way of consoling this generation of redemption will be through the renewal of prophecy!

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep Mine ordinances, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God.”

Here the prophet reveals to us the blessings of the final redemption when all of Israel will unite together in serving the Creator of the universe. An once Israel has truly returned to Hashem it will then be able to fulfill its goal as a light unto the nations uniting the entire world in faith and service to Hashem. Amen!

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9)  

I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations; (Isaiah 42:6)

For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one consent. (Zephaniah 3:9)

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith

Itamar Israel

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Parashat Chayay Sarah – Putting out the fire

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Essay on Parasahat Vayikrah – A Look Into Animal Sacrifice

One of the hardest commandments of the Torah to understand is animal sacrifice. How can Hashem who is “good to all and merciful to all his creations” (Psalms 145:9) command Israel to bring animal offerings.  The Torah devotes most of the book of Leviticus and many other parts of the Torah describing in great detail the laws of animal sacrifice. In fact, there is not one book of the Torah that skips over animal sacrifice. Why is this necessary?

Two great giants of the Middle Ages the Rambam (Maimonides 1135-1204) and the Ramban (Nahmanides 1194-1270) present two approaches in understanding animal sacrifice.

The Rambam in his philosophical work “The Guide to the Perplexed” part three chapter 32 explains that the Torah takes into consideration human nature. Hashem did not demand the nation of Israel to immediately wean itself from the rituals of animal sacrifice that were prevalent at that time. Before the giving of the Torah, the entire world was accustomed to bring animal offerings as part of their idol worship practices. Therefore, it would not be fair to demand the almost impossible – the task of having to move from one extreme to the next overnight. Instead, Hashem allowed the continuation of animal sacrifice but at the same time changed the focus of this type of ritual to Himself, the One and Only G-D of the universe, and limited this kind of service to the boundaries of the Tabernacle. In this way, all traces of idol worship were uprooted from the nation of Israel. Through this process, the unity of G-D was established without causing confusion among the nation. The Rambam brings down another example in the Torah of taking customs of Israel’s surroundings into consideration and the weakness of human nature. In Exodus 13:17 When Pharaoh let the people go, G-d did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For G-d said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” Here we see how Hashem designed the route of Israel’s exodus from Egypt by taking into account the limitations of Israel’s ability to overcome the fear of war.

The Rambam explains that this is why the prophets spoke out against animal sacrifices many times. Samuel said, “Does G-D delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the G-D? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. (Samuel 1 15:22)

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?” Says Hashem. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle; And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats” (Isaiah 1:11)

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Add your burnt offerings to your peace offerings, and eat the flesh. “For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.” (Jeremiah 7:21-22)

Listen Israel I will testify to you I am G-D, Your G-D. “I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. I will not take a bull out of your house or he goats out of your pens. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains. Everything that moves in the fields is mine. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is mine along with everything in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats? Bring [your] confession to God as a sacrifice, and keep your vows to the Most High. Call on Me in the day of distress; I will deliver you, and you will glorify Me.” (Psalms 50:7-14)

Here we see that the focus is not on sacrifice but on building a true relationship with the Creator of the universe. The Rambam’s teaching can be supported by the words of the Midrash that say in the end of days all animal sacrifice will be eliminated and only meal offerings will remain. Humanity is being lead through a process that will eventually lead to a higher level of human conduct. Nevertheless, the Rambam in his Halachic work the Mishneh Torah, does not mention this Midrash. On the contrary, he brings down the laws of building the temple and animal sacrifice. In other words, according to the Rambam, after the building of the third temple animal sacrifice will continue as usual.

The Ramban (Nahmanides) harshly disagrees with the Rambam. The Torah tells us of Abel offering a sacrifice that was accepted before Hashem. When Noach left the ark, he offered sacrifices and at that time, there were no Idol worshiping Chaldeans or Egyptians since it was the beginning of human history.

“Abel also brought a gift–the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift” (Genesis 4:4)

 

“Then Noah built an altar to Hashem, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And G-D smelled the pleasing aroma…” (Genesis 8:21-22)

The Ramban explains that offering a sacrifice is a gift of kindness that the Creator has bestowed upon his children. Instead of them being killed in their sins, they are cleansed through the process of bringing a sacrifice. People’s actions are dependent on three aspects – thought, speech and action. All three of these actions are rectified through sacrifice. When a person places his hands on the animal it rectifies his action, when he confesses over it he rectifies his speech, and when he offers the inner organs that are the vessels of desire and thought, he rectifies his thoughts.  One can still ask why should a poor animal suffer for the evil actions of a person. A simple explanation can be that if people are willing to slaughter animals to satisfy their human cravings for meat then even more so it is understandable that one may offer an animal to rectify his animalistic desires behind the cravings.

The Ramban then goes on to give an esoteric explanation of sacrifice. The word sacrifice in Hebrew comes from the word “Karev” meaning to bring closer. Through the process of sacrifice, one can unify himself with the creator of the universe. According to the Ramban, we must say that the fact that the prophets spoke out against sacrifice did not mean that they disagreed with it. They were disturbed by the fact that if became too superficial of and act and there was no real internalization of what was behind the sacred laws involving animal sacrifice.

The great Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-1572) explains how the entire cosmos meets within the boundaries of the temple. There the four parts of creation are unified together with Hashem. The inanimate world, the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom and man. The common denominator of all creations is that we are all created from the same stardust of the universe. Through animal sacrifice, we are uplifting the sparks that have fallen after the sin of the first man.

In summary, we must admit that we are very limited in our ability to grasp everything in the Torah and we should humble ourselves with the fact that we are only human beings and there is still a lot to learn. We must approach the Torah and obey its laws with total devotion and reliance on the Creator of the universe. He knows what is good for us!!!! Let us just simply follow His guiding light – Amen.

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith

 

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Essay on Parashat Vayakhel Shekalim 2016

This week we will not only read our regular portion of the week, Parasaht Vayakhel, but we will also read Parashat Shekalim, the first of four special parshiot that are read during the Purim season. These portions include Shekalim, Zachor, Parah, and Hachodesh. This essay will focus on Parashat Shekalim, the evil eye, and how it all connects to the building of the tabernacle.

The special reading for Parashat Shekalim is in the beginning of Parashat Ki Tisah. Exodus 30:11-16

“And G-D spoke to Moshe, saying When you shall count the children of Israel for their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul to G-D, when you number them; that there be no plague among them, when you number them.” Each one who is numbered in the census shall give a half a shekel according to the shekel of the sanctuary (meaning the standard value of the shekel used in the sanctuary) where a shekel is twenty gerahs, half a shekel as an offering to Hashem. Every one that passes among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering to G-D. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, it is an offering to G-D to atone for your lives.” And you will take this atonement money from the children of Israel and use it for the building of the tent of meeting and it will be a remembrance for the people of Israel before G-D to atone for your lives.”

Here the Torah describes the important mitzvah of counting the people of Israel using a half shekel. We learn from the verses above that only by counting the people of Israel in an indirect fashion is allowed. On the other hand, if they are counted directly this can bring a plague upon the nation. An example of a plague taking place as a result of counting Israel the wrong way is found in the book of Samuel. There, King David orders Yoav to count Israel and as a result, a terrible plague strikes Israel where seventy thousand people lost their lives. “And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. For the king said to Yoav, the captain of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel from Dan unto Beersheba and number the people that I may know the number of the people… And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech you, O LORD, take away the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.” (Samuel 2, 24:1,2,10)

Why can counting the people of Israel the wrong way cause so much damage? In order to understand this we must first understand another concept called and “evil eye“.

It is brought down in the Ethics of our fathers – “Behold what is an evil path which one must distance himself from – Rabbi Eliezer says an evil eye…” (2:9)

“Rabbi Joshuah says that an evil eye, evil inclination, and hatred of others take a person out of the world.” (Ibid: 11)

“Eat you not the bread of him that has an evil eye, or desire his delicacies:” (Proverbs 23:6)

A person who has an evil eye is someone who does not bare to see the blessings of others. His heart is full of jealousy and covets what belongs to others. He says to himself – “why are others deserving of such wealth and bounty and not me?” He is a person that does not give with a full heart. He does not rejoice in the success and happiness of others and the contrary it makes him ill. He is always looking to find fault in people instead of looking at their good qualities.

There are those that are afraid of an evil eye and carry special charms and say special prayers in order to protect themselves from its damage. When a person looks at someone with an evil eye, he is evoking judgement upon the person. This happens because he challenges the individual’s right to the blessings he bears. Since all he sees and focuses on is their character blemishes, he does not accept the fact that this person is deserving of the blessing he has. This causes that person to be judged and can damage him. This is demonstrated so powerfully in the opening of the book of Job. The Satan, which is the evil eye, is challenging the blessing that was bestowed upon Job.

The Talmud in Taanit 8B says “Rabbi Isaac says a blessing is not found only on something hidden from the eye” For it says: “G-D shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto; and he shall bless you in the land which Hashem your God gives you.” (Deuteronomy 28:8) The Hebrew word used for storehouses in “Asam” it is similar to the word “samui” meaning hidden. Rabbi Isaac is teaching us that a person’s wealth and bounty should be stored away from the eyes of others in order to prevent the damage of an evil eye.

The Talmud in Bavah Batrah 2B says – Rabbi Aba in the name of Rabbi Hunah in the name of Rav teach us that one is not allowed to stand in the field of his fellow man while the field is baring its grain”

This teaching is meant to protect one’s field from the evil eye. When one stares at a beautiful filed in full bounty, it can evoke and evil eye.

The major cause of a person who bears and evil eye comes from the fact that he is self-centered and egoistic. Since he is only interested in his own success and personal gain there is no room for anyone else. This is a terrible character trait and the source of all evil.

With this introduction in mind, we can now get back to our original question. Why aren’t we allowed to count Israel directly? Counting something is the opposite of hiding it. It is announcing to all that it exists. It shows how it is separate and unique from other things. It makes it stand out and draws attention to it. This creates jealousy and can awaken the evil eye.

This connects to the words of the Chalban – Rabbi Chaim Hacohen Shalita on this week’s portion. He brings down the Talmudic passage in Yomah 22:B  –

Rabbi Shmuel the son of Nachman and Rabbi Yonatan showed a contradiction between two parts of a verse. “Yet the number of the sons of Israel Will be like the sand of the sea, Which cannot be measured or numbered;” (Hosea 2:1) The two parts contradict one another. This is because the sand of the sea, although is a huge number, nevertheless, it has a limit, it is finite.  On the other hand, the second part of the verse that says, which cannot be measured or numbered, is infinite. The Rabbi go on to explain that, in reality, there is no contraction -“one part is talking about a situation where Israel does the Will of Heaven and the other when they do not do the Will of Heaven.” When Israel does the will of Heaven they cannot be measured or numbered. If they do not do the will of heaven, they will be limited to being like the sand of the sea.

Rabbi Chaim Hacohen explains that when Israel does the will of Heaven they connect with the infinite light of Hashem and bring it down to all the lower worlds. By doing so, they are revealing the light of G-D in a world of boundaries and limitations. In this way, they are uniting the word with the infinite Creator and connecting themselves and the world with Hashem who is infinite. Therefore, they cannot be measured or numbered.

On the other hand, when Israel, G-D forbid, does not do the will of Hashem by revealing the infinite light of G-D in this world, they separate themselves and the world from the Divine. This causes the Divine light to be hidden and the Divine Presence retracts itself to the Heavens and Israel is left under the influences of boundaries and nature. In this instance, they are likened to the sand of the sea that is a finite number and has a defined boundary separating itself from the sea.

In addition, counting Israel is a way of causing separation and disunity. Israel in its true essence is one nation united under one soul. In reality, only their bodies are separate. When people behave externally, they focus on themselves and disconnect themselves from their surroundings. This is when the dangers of the evil eye can cast their spell. When people are interested only in their personal success and benefit, they evoke judgment and cause disunity among Israel.  On the other hand, when people behave internally they reveal the truth that all of Israel is one essence. They connect to the Infinite Creator and they completely unite and bond with Him.

The necessity of having to count Israel using the half Shekel is clarified through the deep concepts that were brought down above. Looking at ourselves as just a half a shekel brings us to the true realization of who we are. It helps us rectify our ego. We must always remember that we are but a half and not complete. In order to be a complete we must unite. Unity is achieved by eliminating the evil eye. True righteous people have a constant good eye. They are happy with the success of others and pray for their prosperity. This why it is mentioned in the Talmud Brachot 55:B that the evil eye does not affect the seed of Joseph. Joseph who was abused by his brothers had the prime opportunity as the second in command to the King of Egypt to punish them harshly for selling him. Instead of boasting of his personal achievements and power, all that concerned him was the welfare of his brothers. He was the perfect example of what it is to have a good eye! His faith in G-D had no boundaries and knew that everything was for the best. This is why that Joseph is known as the foundation the Yesod. It is interesting that the half shekels that were collected were used for the “Adanim” of the tabernacle which served as the foundation. This hints to the fact that a person must make himself like a foundation where, although, he is constantly trodden upon in reality he is supporting everyone.

The Building of the Tabernacle served as a way of unifying all of Israel. It was for this reason that everyone had to give a half shekel. Through uniting, the Divine presence came to rest in the boundaries of the temple making the finite unite with the infinite.

It is interesting that in Samuel 2 24:8-9 it says “After they had traveled throughout the entire land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days.” And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.” The word used for traveled in Hebrew is “Viyashuto” It is interesting that it is the same word that is used in the book of Job 1:7 “And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.”

It is amazing how in verse 21 in Samuel 26 it says: “And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.”

Here King David purchases the temple mount to establish the place of the everlasting temple. We see here clearly that the rectification of building the temple depends on the elimination of the evil eye. From here, we must conclude that only when each one of us looks upon his fellow man with a good eye we will merit in our final redemption.

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith

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Essay on Parshat Mishpatim/ Trumah Holiness

In last week’s portion, Parashat Mishpatim, there are many different laws that are brought down dealing with a variety of monetary, social, criminal, agricultural and other topics. I want to begin by focusing on a verse that is the only dietary law mentioned in the portion. “Be unto me a people of holiness. You must not eat the meat of a wounded animal that is found in the field; throw it to the dogs.” (Exodus 22:30)

When looking at the Targum Onkelos, Yonatan Ben Uziel, and Yerushalmi one will discover that they all translate this verse – “be unto me a holy people”. Most English translations follow the Targumim and translate it the same way. Nevertheless, the literal translation is the way I translated it above – “Be unto me a people of holiness.” You are probably asking yourself- “what is the difference between “be unto me a holy people” to “be unto me a people of holiness”?

In order to demonstrate the fact that there is a difference, let us look at another verse dealing with a different but somewhat similar dietary law mentioned in Deuteronomy “You shall not eat any animal which either dies naturally or is slaughtered improperly. You may give it to the sojourner who is in your town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a gentile, for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk. (Deuteronomy 14:21)

Here the literal translation is “for you are a holy people“. In order to understand what I am getting to, we must compare the verses in the original Hebrew. In (Exodus 22) it says “Anshey Kodesh Tihiyun Li” whereas in Deuteronomy is says “Ki Am Kadosh Ata”. Looking at the transliteration, we can easily see the difference between the words Kodesh to Kadosh. In Hebrew the word – “Kodesh”, is a noun meaning holiness whereas the word Kadosh is an adjective describing someone or something that is holy. Before we explain the implications of the word usage variation in each of the above verses, let us first understand what each of these laws are all about.

In Parashat Mishpatim, Exodus 22:30, the Torah prohibits eating an animal of a kosher type called a “Terefah”. A Terefah is an animal that because of a serious blemish or injury will not be able to live more than a year. The oral law outlines 70 different types of blemishes that render animals “Terefot“. After slaughtering an animal according to Torah law and then discovering that it had a serious blemish or injury, it is unfit for kosher eating. However, one can benefit from it in other ways. This we learn from the Torah saying that it shall be given to the dogs. This does not mean that one has to give it to the dogs; it is an option. One can sell it or give it to a non-Jew as well.  Except for eating, any other type of benefit is allowed.

In the verse in Deuteronomy 14:21 the Torah talks about what is called in Hebrew – a Nevaylah. A Nevaylah is an animal of a kosher type that died naturally, was killed by another animal, or was slaughtered improperly. Unlike a Terefah, if one touches the carcass of a Nevaylah or carries it, he is rendered unclean. In order to purify himself he must immerse in a kosher mikvah (ritual bath). Here also the Torah allows one to benefit from the animal by giving it to a sojourner or selling it to a gentile. It is interesting that in this instance the Torah does not suggest giving it to dogs.

One possible reason is that a Terefah has a blemish or serious injury and therefore is not fit for human consumption a Nevaylah on the other hand, was a healthy animal that wasn’t slaughtered properly. Although, this is not true in every circumstance, since a Terefah will become a Nevaylah if it died before being slaughtered. Nevertheless, the Torah in Deuteronomy 14:21 is speaking about the majority of instances. It is important to note, that in order to maintain the status of a Terefah it must be slaughtered according to Halacha. It is this act that brands the animal as a Terefah preventing it from becoming a Nevaylah, which we mentioned before is more severe than a Terefah in that it is a type of uncleanliness.

Now that we understand the difference between the two above laws, we can get back to our original discussion. Why does the Torah in Parashat Mishpatim choose the noun expression “people of holiness” and in Deuteronomy use the adjective “a holy people”?

This question is brought down In the Zohar Hakadosh – Parashat Mishpatim. The Zohar explains that the love that Hashem has for the people of Israel is described in four stages of spiritual development reflected to in the written law. Each level gives rise to another higher level unraveling the uniqueness of Israel.  The love Hashem has for Israel unfolds like a flower bud that blossoms to maturity. Until a flower completely blooms, one cannot enjoy the beauty of it in its entirety. In essence, Hashem is revealing to the people of Israel who they really are and what their purpose is.  The first verse quoted by the Zohar is found in Exodus 19:6 – “you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. This verse refers to the first two functions of Israel in ascending order. First G-D tells us that we are a nation of priests, then He says that we are also a holy nation. A kingdom of priests is a nation that will serve the creator and function as a light unto the nations calling them to unite in Divine worship. As Isaiah says – “You will be called the priests of Hashem. You will be called the servants of our God” (Isaiah 61:6)

The next level being a holy nation means that just as holiness is eternal so are the people of Israel. This is supported in a verse from Isaiah as well “And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy…,” (Isaiah 4:3) For example when one sanctifies his time by doing good deeds he is making it eternal.  On the other hand, time that is wasted on mundane matters of materialism is wasted and lost forever. When people leave this world, they will be remembered only on how they eternalized their time and not how they wasted it.

It is important to point out that the word in Hebrew for nation used in the above verse Exodus 19:6 is “Goy” –  “Mamlechet Kohanim vi’goy Kadosh” “Goy” has the same root as the Hebrew word “gviya” meaning body. It refers to the general body of a nation, the aura that radiates from the nation without looking inside at the people that make up the nation.

The more common word in Hebrew that is used to describe nation is “Am”. “Am” comes from the Hebrew word “Im” meaning to be with to join together. When people join together they create a nation. The word “Am” is used in the verse in Deuteronomy 14:21 mentioned above that talks about a Nevaylah – “Ki am Kadosh Atah L’Hashem Elokecha” for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. According to the Zohar this verse reveals the third level of holiness of Israel.

Before we explain this, it is important to point out the fact that the word holy regarding the people of Israel is always connected to eating or sexual prohibitions.

 “For thou art a holy people unto the Hashem your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be His own treasure out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.” You shall not eat any abominable thing” “These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat” (Deuteronomy 14:2-4)

Regarding priests the Torah teaches us – “They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God.” You shall sanctify him therefore; for he offers the bread of your God: he shall be holy to you: for I the LORD, which sanctify you, am holy.” (Leviticus 21:7-8)

For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you; so your encampments must be holy. He must not see anything improper among you or He will turn away from you.” (Deuteronomy 23:15)

For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. (Leviticus 11:44)

Since all the laws in the Torah makes us holy why then were only the laws of kosher eating habits and sexual behavior brought down in reference to holiness? The answer is that the two most powerful desires of humans are related to sexual intercourse and food. The Torah is hinting to us that when it comes to food and sexual intercourse one has to sanctify himself more than any other realm. The Torah therefore outlines a strict dietary system together with sexual boundaries.

Now we can get back to the third level of holiness. As we mentioned above this verse uses the description “Am” for nation. Am, as we mentioned before, refers to the people that make up the nation. The Torah teaches us that every individual of Israel has the ability of reaching holiness. It is not just a general holiness that is reflected to in the second level, but permeates into each and every member of Israel.

The fourth level that the Zohar teaches us is hinted in the verse in Exodus 22:30 “Vi’Anshey Kodesh Tihiyun lee” “Be unto me a people of holiness. Here instead of the word “Goy” or “Am” for nation the Torah uses and unusual expression “Anshey“. This word literally means people. It comes from the word “Anashim” in Hebrew referring to individuals. This is obviously a unique expression to use here since the laws of a “Terefah” apply to every member of the house of Israel without exception. Why then does the Torah use this as an expression for nation? In addition, what makes this level higher than the third level both are talking about an eating prohibition?

The answer for both of these questions lies in the word for holiness used here. As we brought down earlier in our essay, the word used here for holiness is “Kodesh” which is a noun. This is higher than “Kadosh” holy which is an adjective. Here the Torah is revealing the fourth level where Israel has the potential to reach the epitome of holiness.  This level is attained when their being unites totally with the concept of holiness and they become one essence forming the ultimate expression of sanctification. It is similar to the verse in Psalms 109:4 King David says “Vani Tifilah – “I am prayer”. In other words, King David reach such a high level that his entire being became prayer.

 

The same way the Zohar is teaching us that as Israel reveals it true essence they will completely unite themselves in pure sacredness. The word “Anshay” that is used for nation contains within it man and women. In Hebew “Ish” is man and “Ishah” is woman. Women is “Nashim” – the plural form. This hints to the fact that holiness is connected to the relationship between man and woman. It is through the intimacy between man and woman that has the ability to create the nation. The proper relationship built on Torah principles will bring holiness and the improper one will bring uncleanliness. The Torah is telling us that man and woman together can reach the epitome of holiness. As they unite with one another building a family that follows Torah they will become one pure essence of holiness.

 

In addition, the word “Lee” is used at the end of the first phrase of the verse in the original Hebrew “Vi’Anshey Kodesh Tihiyun lee“ Be unto me a people of holiness – “be unto me” This word “Lee” is the possessive representing an intimate relationship between two sides. It is the chemistry that unites two entities. When a man marries a woman according to Jewish law, he must say “Harey at mikudeshet lee”. You are holy to me.

 

In Isaiah 43:21 “Am Zu Yazartee Lee Tihilatee Yisapeyru” “this nation I formed for me to declare my praise” G-D is using the possessive stating that Israel is His nation that He created to declare His praise. This versed describes the intimate relationship that Hashem maintains with His people.

 

In Hosea 2:21 “And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD”. Here G-D is relating to Israel through a husband and wife relationship. The highest possible relationship between two parts.

 

In summary, this is why the expression “Anshay Kodesh Tihiyun Lee” is used for nation to describe this fourth level.

 

It is interesting that the first time the word “Lee” is mentioned in the Torah is in Genesis 3:12 where Adam is telling G-D that his wife gave him the fruit of the tree and he ate it. “she gave me of the tree and I ate it” The joining of man and woman can create the highest level of holiness or ,G-D forbid, sin as it was in this instance.

One question that must still be answered is why does the Torah hint to this highest level of holiness in the verse in Exodus regarding a Terefah and not in the verse of a Nevaylah? The answer is that a sign of true holiness is not disconnecting ourselves from the physical world like monks in a monastery. The opposite is true the higher a person rises in holiness the more he is concerned with others. Here, at the epitome of holiness, one must be concerned even for the welfare of poor animals like helpless dogs. Together with the holiness comes modesty. A person of true holiness treats every one of G-D’s creations with the utmost respect even the most inferior of beings like animals. This is why the Torah hints to the highest level of holiness in the verse of feeding the Terefah to the dogs.  Most people in such a holy state may assume it beneath their dignity to worry about such a low animal. Here the Torah teaches us the precisely a man of true holiness never forgets to show love and kindness to every one of Hashem’s creations even the lowest of them!

It is interesting that in the verse regarding the Nevaylah, describing the third level of holiness, the Torah suggests giving the animal to a sojourner or a non-Jew. There we see that the option of giving it to a dog is not mentioned. It is easier for a person to develop sensitivity towards another fellow human being.  Although, it is a high level of sensitivity, it is not on the same level as helping helpless creatures like a dogs.

Another possible explanation is that a Terefah as we mentioned does not render a person unclean for touching or carrying it. A Terefah  is unique in that if it is slaughtered properly, according to Jewish law, although it can’t be eaten, it  rectifies the animal and does not let it become unclean. This hints to the fact that when someone reaches this level of making his being one with holiness he has the power of eliminating uncleanliness caused by sin and evil. The Nevaylah, on the other hand, representing the third level does not have the power yet to rectify something that is unclean.

Taking these four levels of holiness into our lives leads us to this week’s portion “Parashat Trumah“.  In Exodus 25:8 it says: “and make me a temple and I will dwell within you”. The word for temple in Hebrew is Mikdash, which comes from the word holy – Kodesh! Being holy is the key in meriting in building the temple. The verse says – I will dwell within you! These means that if you utilize your potential in becoming holy by bringing Me into your life, then the blessing of restoring the temple will take place.

Let us work hard and together we will make the flower blossom!

 

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith

 

 

 

 

 

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Teachings on Shemot (Exodus) Torah Portions Torah Thoughts on the weekly portion Written Teachings

Essay On Parshat Bishalach – Who is “Serach”

“Moshe said to the people, “Remember this day, when you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for with a mighty hand, Hashem took you out of here, and no leaven shall be eaten.” (Exodus 13:3)

The Jewish people have an interesting custom every day after praying to remember a list of six important events that took place in our past. The first on the list is remembering the exodus from Egypt.

The source of this custom is based on the Mishnah in the tractate of Brachot 1:5. There the Mishnah brings down a Halachic discussion regarding the obligation of remembering our departure from Egypt. According to all opinions, one is obligated to remember the exodus every day throughout one’s entire life. The question under debate is the necessity of doing so at night as well. The Rambam, in the laws of Shemah 1:3, rules that one is required to remember the exodus both day and night. The two opinions are based on the following verse:

“You shall not eat leaven with it; for seven days you shall eat with it matzoth, the bread of affliction, for in haste you went out of the land of Egypt, so that you shall remember the day when you went out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life“ (Deuteronomy 16:3)

The word “all” in the expression “all the days of your life” is superfluous. The verse could have sufficed with the days of your life. Therefore, we learn from the word “all” to include the nights as well. The other opinion states that the word “all” teaches us that even in the messianic period we will still be required to remember the exodus from Egypt. The many exoduses that will take place from the ingathering of the exiles in messianic times can overshadow the remembering our departure from Egypt. In our time, the messianic age, we have merited in seeing the ingathering of Jews from all over the world. One can easily see how this amazing redemption process can cloud over the departure from Egypt.

One obvious question is why is it important as Jews to remember our exodus from Egypt every day? If the holiday of Passover is not an enough of a reminder, we have every Friday night when reciting the Kiddush to remind us! Part of the Kiddush is mentioning “Zecher Liyiziat Mitzraim”. The holiday of Succoth and the mitzvah of Tefillin, and Tzizit are all reminders as well. In fact, on every holiday we recite in Kiddush the same line “in memory of our exodus from Egypt”!

The Maharal from Prague explains in his book, Givurot Hashem, chapter three – that this shows how important the principle of leaving Egypt is to our faith. He calls it the foundation and root of our entire faith!

There is no doubt that there are countless lessons we can learn from our exodus from Egypt. One can devote and entire life study just to the story of Exodus.

In the opening of this week’s portion, Parashat   Bishalach, the Torah explains the reason for the roundabout path of travel when leaving Egypt. “It came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines for it was near, because God said, Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt”

The Torah continues to describe to us how the people of Israel were “Chamushim” when leaving Egypt. The word, “Chamushim”, can be interpreted in a few different ways: The different explanations are based on the root of the word in Hebrew – “Chamesh“, meaning five.  One explanation is that they were armed with five different types of weapons. A bow, club, shield, spear, and sword. It follows the meaning in Joshuah 4:12 “And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses had spoken to them.”

 Others learn from the verse in Genesis 41:34 “Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land to hastily prepare the land of Egypt during the seven years of plenty.”  In Hebrew, the word in this verse used for the phrase “to hastily prepare” is “Chimeysh“which is similar to the word in our portion – “Chamushim“.

The Targum Onkelus explains that this means the Jews left Egypt well prepared with everything they needed. Which included not only weapons but also wealth and bounty.

This, the Eben Ezrah argues, contradicts the verse in exodus 12:39 “They baked the dough that they had taken out of Egypt as unleavened cakes, for it had not leavened, for they were driven out of Egypt, and they could not tarry, and also, they had not made provisions for themselves.”  The difficulty raised by the Eben Ezrah is that if they did not make provisions to take with them, it means that they were lacking the proper preparations necessary. This does not seem to agree with the Targum Onkelus, who states that they had everything they need! The Eben Ezrah therefore explains that the meaning of “Chamushim” means to be armed.

There are other opinions that learn from the word “Chamushim” as referring to fractions of multiples of five. Some say that only a fifth of the Israeli population left Egypt, others say only a fiftieth, and others even more extreme say that only one in five hundred left. The rest died in the three days of darkness.

Others explain that Chamushim refers to five different groups of people that left Egypt. For example, converts, slaves…

One may ask which one of these explanations are correct? The answer is that they all are. They each are focusing on a certain aspect of the Exodus. Their deep insights and conclusions all comply with the law of remembering our exodus from Egypt.

The Torah continues in the next verse revealing to us what Moshe our teacher was busy with at the time of the exodus. “Moses took Joseph’s bones with him, for he had made the sons of Israel take an oath, saying, God will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you” Exodus 13:19

The Midrash Michiltah of Rashbi gives a detailed account of how Moshe rescued Joseph’s bones.

“Come and see how dear the Mitzvoth are to Moshe our teacher! While all of Israel were busy with the spoils of Egypt and Moshe was busy with a mitzvah – as it says in proverbs 10:8 “The wise-hearted takes commandments…”How did Moshe know where Joseph was buried? It was told that “Serach” the daughter of Asher was the surviving remnant of the previous generation. Moshe turned to her and asked her where the bones of Joseph were buried. “Serach” told Moshe that they were buried in an iron casket and placed in the Nile River in order to bring a blessing to the Egyptian river. Moshe stands on the bank of the Nile and calls out Joseph Joseph, the hour has come that Hashem has sworn to redeem the people of Israel! The time of your oath has come before Israel as well. Israel and the Divine presence are waiting for you! If you reveal yourself good, if not we are clean of our oath. Immediately the casket of Joseph began to float up from beneath the river.

There is a lot to analyze in this Midrash, but I want to focus on the role of “Serach” the daughter of Asher. First, I want to talk about this amazing Biblical personality. The name “Serach” in Hebrew is spelled with the letter  ש  (sheen)  -pronounced here “sin  .”It is interchangeable with the letter Samech ס. The same root is mentioned in respect to the building of the Tabernacle. “And the remnant that remains of the curtains of the tent, the half curtain that remains, shall hang over the back of the tabernacle” (Exodus 26:12) “Serach” is the Hebrew word for remnant. “Serach” also means to rot in Hebrew. When something is leftover in can rot.  In a moment, we will see how this meaning of her name connects to her personality and purpose.

“Serach’s” first appearance in the Torah is when  her family comes down to Egypt. “And the sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Briah, and Serach, their sister; and the sons of Briah were Heber and Malkiel.”  (Genesis 46:17) According to our Rabbis, she completes the number of 70 people that came to Egypt. This is unusual since she is the only woman. Interestingly, she is the only granddaughter of Jacob mentioned in the Torah. We also find her still alive over 210 years later after the Jews have left Egypt (see the consensus in Numbers 26:1, 2, 3, 4, and 46). Besides her mentioning her, the Torah does not describe directly any outward activity that she engaged in.  She is known simply as the daughter of Asher. On the other hand, the fact that she is mentioned twice in the Five books and once in Chronicles makes her a very important lady. She speaks to us through her silence. In Hebrew, the letters of her name are שרח if we reverse them they spell חרש meaning deaf – connected to silence. It is the Midrash that reveals her greatness. The Midrash says that there are 13 people that never died – meaning that they went straight up to the Garden of Eden alive and she was one of them!

After this introduction, we can now get back to the role of “Serach” in the Midrash I brought down above. The Midrash reveals a special connection that she has with Joseph. Moshe’s seeking her knowledge about the whereabouts of Joseph’s burial site, was not only because of her position as a remnant of the previous generation. It was much more than that.  Moshe realized that she had a deep understanding of the special role Joseph played in Israel’s redemption. Joseph is known as the foundation – Yisod. He has the important function of channeling blessing and bounty. Without the Yisod blessing and bounty would remain locked in and would not reach the receiving vessels. This means that without Joseph the redemption would not be able to take place. When a seed is not planted it dries up and decays. That is what takes place when there is no rectification of the Yisod. On other hand, when the seed is planted it seems to decay at first but then it sprouts into beautiful blessing and bounty. That is the secret behind Joseph being the Yisod. His brothers did not appreciate who he was. They judged him on his outward appearance. In the end, he proved to be the greatest of Jacob’s sons. Serach on the contrary knew all along who Jospeh was!

Serach’s deep understanding of Joseph’s role in redemption is supported by other Midrashim as well. It was “Serach” that was the first to reveal to Jacob – “Od Yoseph Chay” – Joseph is still alive! Serach was able to see the greatness of Joseph and knew all along that he was a vital link in the lifeline of Israel. She knew that Joseph would prevail. Jacob revealed to Joseph the secret of redemption hidden within the two words “Pakod Pakadity” –I will surely remember. When someone will come along claiming to be the redeemer using the code words “Pakod pakadity” it will be a sign that he is a true redeemer. Joseph in turn revealed the sign to his brothers. This is what he says in Genesis 50:24 “And Joseph said unto his brethren: ‘I die; but God will surely remember you, and bring you up out of this land unto the land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” Asher then revealed this secret code sign to his daughter Serach. Later in the book of Exodus it is Moshe, the true redeemer, that says the magic words. “Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them: Hashem, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying: I have surely remembered you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt” (Exodus 3:16).

This woman of valor, who carried the secret code of redemption, knew that Moshe was the true redeemer. She knew the important role that Joseph played and therefore helped Moshe get the bones of Joseph.

This great woman is in my opinion, hinted to in the blessing Moshe gives the tribe of Asher. “Of Asher he said, “More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in oil.” (Deuteronomy 33:24)

What was Moshe hinting to when he said Asher is more blessed then sons? He was referring to this amazing righteous woman “Serach” who is major link in the redemption of Israel.

Jacob’s Blessings to Asher is “Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall yield royal delicacies.” (Genesis 49:20). Jacob is hinting to Asher’s connection with kings. This refers to “Malchut” in our esoteric teachings. It is the vessel that receives all bounty. “Serach” from the tribe of Asher was the link that allowed Joseph, the foundation, to thrive and flourish bringing the bounty of redemption. How suitable it was for the tribe of Asher to be given a very fertile inheritance along the coast from the Mount Carmel in the south until Sidon in Lebanon along the Litani River. In Her merit the tribe of Asher was blessed with being able to provide royal delicacies to the house of Israel.

 

It is fascinating, that everything about leaving Egypt is a lesson in remembering! The key words of redemption are “I have surely remembered you”. Hashem wants us to remember how He took us out of slavery and gave us everything we have. We must be grateful for receiving such a blessing. That is what the song “Dayenu” that we sing on Passover is all about. Appreciation! When one remembers, one appreciates. G-D wants us to remember our ancestors that were the backbone of our success. That is what bringing the bones out of Egypt was all about. It wasn’t only Joseph’s bones but all the bones of all the tribal fathers were taken as well. Moshe’s taking out Joseph’s bones was a demonstration of his appreciation of all that Joseph had done for Israel. We can’t go ahead without looking back at those that helped is get where we are.  When we remember and appreciate others Hashem will remember us. That is the secret of redemption. That is why we must remember leaving Egypt every day. Even when new events take place we still cannot forget about the previous generations – in their merit we exist today! Not showing gratitude and appreciation letting our memories decay is the source egoism and evil – that delay the redemption process.

Joseph’s bones traveled with the people of Israel 40 years in the desert together with the Two Tablets. The Torah is obviously the source and root of life. Why then were the bones of Jospeh, dried up and decayed matter, carried together with the Torah Tablets? The answer is obvious they were in reality were the seeds of our redemption!

Joshua, continuing the mission of Moshe, brings the bones of Joseph to their final resting place the city of Shechem near Itamar. And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. (Joshua 24:32)

It is Joshua that merits in inheriting the city of “Timnat Serach” in the land of Ephraim. “In accordance with the command of the LORD they gave him the city for which he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. So he built the city and settled in it. (Joshua 19:50)

Does the name of this city sound familiar to you? Yes, the same name as Serah the daughter of Asher. Timnat in Hebrew sounds like the Hebrew verb Taman, although spelled with a Tet, means to bury. (the Tet and tav are interchangeable)

If I were allowed to fill in the blanks – I would say that when Joseph’s bones finally were planted in the land of Israel. “Serach” – completing her important mission on earth and return to her Maker. Joshua showing his deep appreciation and gratitude builds a city and names it after her – Timnat Serach.

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith Itamar Israel

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Essay on Parashat BO – Did Pharaoh have free will?

 

German 1900th century philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche in his book Twilight of the Idols writes ” Today we no longer have any pity for the concept of “free will”: we know only too well what it really is — the foulest of all theologians’ artifices, aimed at making mankind “responsible” in their sense, that is, dependent upon them. Here I simply supply the psychology of all “making responsible.” He also states: “We have learned differently. We have become more modest in every way. We no longer derive man from “the spirit” or “the deity,” we have placed him back among the animals”

Albert Einstein said: “If the moon, in the act of completing its eternal way around the Earth, were gifted with self-consciousness, it would feel thoroughly convinced that it was traveling its way of its own accord…. So would a Being, endowed with higher insight and more perfect intelligence, watching man and his doings, smile about man’s illusion that he was acting according to his own free will.”

Many neuroscientists and psychologists claim that man has no free will as well. They explain that the decision-making process is a result of biochemical reactions of the brain coupled with the influence of one’s surroundings. In their eyes, self-determination is an illusion.

These mistaken viewpoints stem from the fact that they are all based on a belief system that accepts only the physical world. In their minds, humans are sophisticated robots wired with moist matter that stimulates bio-chemical reactions. This is obviously in total clash with Torah that reveals to us that the will of a human being is the highest part of the soul called the crown – Keter that goes way beyond the realm of our physical world.

One of the cardinal principles of Jewish faith is the belief in free will. Every human being is responsible for his actions. This means that a person always has a choice to choose between good and evil. “Behold I give you today blessing and curse.” (Deuteronomy 11:26)  The Vilna Gaon -Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman (1720-1797), in his commentary on the Torah, Adaret Eliyahu, learns from the words “give you today” in the above verse that free will is a gift that Hashem bestows upon us every day. This teaches us that a person who lived a great portion of his life practicing immoral behavior can always make the right choice and return to Hashem, even on the last day of his life. “This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live;” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

This concept is brought down many times in different styles in our Rabbinic literature. Here are a few of them: In the ethics of our fathers, chapter 3:15, Rabbi Akivah teaches – “that everything is known ahead of time by G-D and free will is given.” In other words, the fact that G-D knows the outcome of one’s choice does not contradict one’s freedom of choice. In the Tractate of Brachot our Rabbis teach us that everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven.

The Rambam, in the laws of Repentance 5:3 teaches: “This principle is a fundamental concept and a pillar of the Torah and the commandments as the verse in Deuteronomy 30:15 states: “Behold, I have set before you today life and goodness, death and evil.” Similarly, in Deuteronomy 11:26 it says, “Behold, I have set before you today the blessing and the curse,” implying that the choice is in your hands. Any one of the deeds of men, which a person desires to do, he may, whether good or evil. Therefore, in Deuteronomy 5:26 it states: “Would that their hearts be like this, to fear Me and to keep all My commandments all the days, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!“ From this, we can infer that the Creator does not compel or decree that people should do either good or bad. Rather, everything is left for them to decide.”

This principle of faith brings with it great responsibility. One must bear the consequences of his actions. “Rejoice, O youth, in your childhood, and let your heart bring you cheer in the days of your youth, and go in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these God will bring you to judgment.” (Ecclesiastes 11:9) The pillar of self-determination is the basis of reward and punishment. Without free will, it would be unethical for an individual to be responsible for his predetermined evil actions. In the same light, it would not make sense for an individual to receive a reward for his encoded righteous behavior.

With this in mind, a great question arises in the opening verse of this week’s portion:

 The Lord said to Moses: “Come to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, in order that I may place these signs of Mine in his midst,

Why does Hashem harden Pharaoh’s heart? Why is Hashem interfering with the free will of man?

This question is brought down in the Midrash Rabbah, Shmot 13:3 “Because I hardened his heart…” Rabbi Yochanan says: this seems to be giving approval to those who deny the belief in free will. By G-D hardening the heart of Pharaoh, he did not allow him to repent! Rabbi Shimon Ben Lakish answered: We can shut the mouths of the infidels with the verse in Proverbs: “If to the scoffers, he will ridicule; but to the humble, he evokes grace. [This verse can be explained in different ways. The Midrash here understands that if a person follows those, who ridicule others, like in this instance, where Pharaoh ridiculed the warnings of Hashem, then G-D will pay him back measure for measure by not allowing him to repent.] G-D warns a man three times and if he does not heed His warnings then he closes the door of repentance in order to punish him for his sins. After sending five warnings to pharaoh with no response, Hashem decided to punish him by closing his heart to repentance.”

The Rambam in laws of Repentance 6:3 elaborates on this Midrashic teaching.

“A person may commit a great sin or many sins causing Hashem to hold back the possibility of repentance from the transgressor. He will not be allowed the chance to repent from his wickedness so that he will die and be wiped out because of the sin he committed. This is what Hashem revealed to Isaiah [6:10]: “Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy. Smear over their eyes, lest they see with their eyes… understand with their hearts, repent and be healed.” Similarly, we find in Chronicles 36:16: “ They mocked the messengers of God, scorned His words, scoffed at His prophets until the anger of God mounted up against His people until there was no remedy.” We learn from these verses that after people willingly sinned numerous times the remedy of repentance was denied from them. For this reason, it says in Exodus 14:4: “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart.” Since, he began to sin on his own initiative and caused hardships to the Israelites who dwelled in his land as it says in  Exodus 1:10: “Come, let us deal wisely with them,” Hashem decided to prevent him from repenting so that he would suffer retribution. Therefore, The Holy One, blessed be He, hardened his heart. Why did God send Moses to Pharaoh, telling him: “Send forth the people, repent”? The Holy One, blessed be He, had already told that he would not release the people, as Exodus 9:30 states: “I realize that you and your subjects still do not fear God.” The reason is brought down in Exodus 9:16 “For this alone, I have preserved you… so that My name will be spoken about throughout the earth,” … to make known to all the inhabitants of the world” that when the Holy One, blessed be He, withholds repentance from a sinner, he cannot repent, but he will die in the wickedness that he initially committed willfully. Similarly, Sichon was held liable for repentance to be withheld from him, because of the sins he committed, as Deuteronomy 2:30 states: “God, your Lord, hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart.” Also, the Canaanites held back from repenting, because of their abominable acts, so that they would wage war against Israel as in Yehoshuah11:20: “This was inspired by God, to harden their hearts so that they should come against Israel in battle in order to utterly destroy them.” Similarly, the Israelites during the era of Elijah committed many sins. Repentance was held back from those who committed these offenses, as Kings I 18:37 says: “You have turned their heart backwards,” – held repentance back from them. In summary, the Almighty did not decree that Pharaoh should harm the Israelites that Sichon should sin in his land, that the Canaanites should perform detestable acts, or that the Israelites should worship idols. They all sinned on their own initiative and they were punished by having repentance held back from them.

Rabbi Yosef Albo (1380-1444) in his classic work the book of principles “sefer Ha’ikarim in essay four chapter 25 writes … G-D hardens the heart of the evil and stiffens the neck of the wicked preventing them from the path of repentance. When a wicked person suffers a serious blow, he acts as though he is righteous and repents from fear of the punishment placed upon him. As Pharaoh says in Exodus 9:27: “So Pharaoh sent and summoned Moses and Aaron and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is the righteous One, and I and my people are the guilty ones.” What pharaoh says here is likened to someone who is coerced and not free to choose, G-D, therefore, hardened his heart allowing him to choose other possible explanations for the causes of the plague that are not based on Divine providence. He did this in order to remove the fear of Divine punishment from his heart. This in turn balanced things out leaving pharaoh with the ability of free decision-making. Only in this manner can repentance stem from true sincerity. This is the meaning of closing the door of repentance before the wicked, not that Hashem will prevent a person from making the right choice. Do I desire the death of the wicked? says the Lord God. Rather in the repenting of his ways that he may live? Ezekiel 18:23 Hashem leaves him with the option of free will without outer influences.

Italian scholar, Rabbi Ovadyah Sforono, (1468-1550) on his commentary on Exodus 7:3 says in a similar vein: There is no doubt that if it wasn’t for the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart he would have let the people of Israel free. Not because of repentance remorse, and submission to G-D for rebelling … only because he could no longer tolerate the catastrophe of the plagues. As pharaoh servants said to him, “How long will this one be a stumbling block to us? Let the people go and they will worship their God. Don’t you yet know that Egypt is lost?” Exodus 10:7 Therefore G-D said I will harden pharaoh’s heart so that he will be able to tolerate the plagues and will not feel compelled to let Israel go from fear of catastrophe. Instead, let him pay attention to the signs I have placed within him and maybe he will choose to recognize my greatness and goodness and will truly repent.”

Unlike the Rambam both Rabbi Yosef Albo and Rabbi Ovadyah Sforno hold that G-D never takes away free will even from the most wicked perpetrators of evil. Divine intervention maintains the balance necessary for one to make a sincere decision.

History has proven that evil never prevails. Great nations founded on the principle of evil have disappeared from the world arena. Those who have come against Israel have never succeeded to persevere. Israel again is faced with enemies that seem to have lost their free will. Since the formation of the state of Israel the Arab world has tried numerous times to destroy our homeland. Despite their constant failures in conquering our land, they keep trying repeatedly to defeat us. Has G-D taken away their free will in order to punish them more severely or will they truly repent out of remorse and submission to G-D? Time will tell!

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith

 

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Parashat Vayishlach – A Display of Unity

Last night, on the eve of the fifteen day of Kislev 5776, a very special wedding took place in Jerusalem in Binyaney Haumah. Sarah Tichyeh Litman, the precious bride, who lost her father, Rabbi Yaakov Litman, and her brother Nitanel, just two weeks ago in a brutal terror attack, was married to Ariel Beigel. The wedding had to be postponed by ten days because of the horrific circumstances. Not only the date was changed but the wedding was no longer an ordinary one of family and close friend invites. Sarah and Ariel decided to change everything by going ahead and inviting the entire nation of Israel to participate in their simcha. Not only did the chief Rabbis of Israel, Rabbis of cities, government ministers, the wife of Israel’s prime-minister attend, but even Jews from the Diaspora flew in especially to celebrate together with the young couple. For some of them, it was their first trip to Israel in their lives. The renowned singer, Avraham Fried, surprised the couple when he showed up to perform in their honor.

This amazing demonstration of love and unity is what Israel is all about in its inner essence.  A deep look into this week’s portion reveals this fact.

After Yaakov struggles with the angle the Torah describes his injury. “When he saw that he could not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of Jacob’s hip became dislocated as he wrestled with him.” (Genesis 32:26)

The Torah goes on to tell us “Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip on the sinew of the thigh” (Genesis 32:33)

A question that comes to mind is – why does a personal injury of Yaakov result in the entire nation of Israel not being allowed to eat this part of an animal forever. Before we answer this question, let us learn a little bit about the prohibition of the forbidden sinew.

In the tractate of Chullin chapter 7 Mishnah 6, a debate is brought down between Rabbi Yehuda and the sages. The argument is over the application of the law of “Gid Hanesheh” – the prohibition of eating the sinew (it is identified with the sciatica nerve). Does this prohibition apply only to kosher animals or to non-kosher animals as well? In other words, if someone were to eat the Gid Hanasheh sinew of pig would he be transgressing Torah law or not? Obviously, there is a prohibition of eating pig; so one would have sinned anyway by eating a part of a non-kosher animal.

According to Rabbi Yehuda, one who eats the Gid Hanesheh of a non-kosher animal transgresses two offenses – one for eating a non-kosher animal and one for eating the forbidden sinew.  His reasoning he bases on the fact that Yaakov and his family lived before the giving of the Torah and were allowed to eat non-kosher. Therefore, since the Torah brings down in relation to Yaakov’s time this prohibition, it means that it applies to all animals whether kosher or not. Nevertheless, If Yaakov’s sons were to eat Gid Haneshah they would be transgressing only one offense since they are allowed to eat non-kosher animals. After the giving of the Torah one would be obligated for two offenses -eating non-kosher and for eating the forbidden sinew. (It is important to note that although, Yaakov and his children were allowed to eat non-kosher since the Torah was not yet given on Sinai, nevertheless, our sages teach us that they did not do so since they kept the entire Torah before it was given, therefore the above debate is theoretical)

The sages in this Mishnah disagree with Rabbi Yehuda and hold that the law of Gid Hanesheh applies only to kosher animals. They explain that the law forbidding the sciatica nerve was given at Sinai and was written in the Torah by Moshe in relation with Yaakov to give the reason of the Torah’s prohibition. The Rambam in his commentary on the Mishnah brings down a cardinal rule regarding Torah law based on the above opinion of our sages.  All Torah law obligates the nation of Israel only because Moshe Rabeybu was commanded by Hashem after the giving of the Torah on Sinai. Earlier prophecies to other prophets do not obligate the people of Israel to fulfill the commandments of the Torah. In other words, we do circumcision not because Abraham did, but because G-D told Moshe on Sinai that we are obligated to do so. In the same light, we are prohibited to eat the Gid Hanasheh not because of Yaakov’s prohibition, but because Hashem commanded this injunction to Moshe Rabeybu on Sinai.

With this introduction, we can now get back to my original question – why does the personal injury of Yaakov lead to the prohibition of eating the Gid Hanasheh? Different reasons are brought down by our classic commentators. I will mention here a few of them.

The famous Sefer Hachunuch in the 13th century writes that the reason for the prohibition is to strengthen the children of Israel in their struggle with the Edomite nation and its decedents until the awaited redemption. Just as Yaakov was able to overcome the angel, the same way Israel will be able to persevere despite all its great challenges that it will face in the course of history.

The Chizkuni, also in the 13th century, explains that this prohibition was a punishment to the children of Israel for leaving Yaakov alone as the verse says – “And Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.” (Genesis 32:25) Yaakov should not have been left alone by his children.

The famous Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Miluntshitz 17th century in his famous commentary, the Kli Yaakar, explains that the Gid Hanesheh represents the investigation of hidden things. Things that are beyond the scope of man’s intellect. Only few selected individuals, like Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochay, the famous author of the Zohar, can enter into such realms. The laymen, however, must stay away from such investigation it could G-D forbid lead him to the path of destruction. Therefore, by not eating the Gid Hanasheh which is a hard tough sinew, we are taught to stay away from hard touch issues that are beyond the scope of our understanding.

After the amazing wedding last night – here in Israel, I had an insight that answers the above question as well. The prohibition of Gid Hanesheh must awaken within the hearts of every person empathy and compassion for his fellow brother and sister. If Yaakov was hurt and limping then his children must demonstrate their sympathy and understanding to his plight. This is why they were forbidden to eat the Gid Hahesheh. This commandment was given on Sinai to Moshe Rabeynu to implant within the hearts of the people of Israel this important lesson of identifying with the pain and distress of a fellow human being. This is what the name of Israel means. The name Israel literally means –  straight with G-D. The dislocating of the hip of Yaakov had to be reset straight through the display of empathy by his children.  This commandment, therefore, is mentioned precisely in connection to the changing of Yaakov’s name to Israel. In other words, the struggle with the angel symbolized the unification and building of the house of Israel. There is no greater testimony of unification than identifying with the pain and suffering of a fellow brother and sister. The name Hanesheh in Hebrew comes from the word meaning to give up on getting something back. In other words, G-D is commanding us to refrain from giving up. We must never give up on our ability to unite the entire house of Israel through love and compassion. Disunity is an evil we must fight against. It is the cause of exile. By working hard and strong in developing our love and compassion for one another we will bring about the long awaited redemption!

Last night’s wedding showed how Am Yisrael felt the pain and suffering of this precious family and no doubt internalized the message of Gid Hanesheh! They therefore came in large numbers to dance and cry together – what an amazing display of love and compassion! Yaakov’s limping was literally turned into a dance of unity.

During these difficulty times this message must be adopted by all righteous individuals of the nations, as well,  that seek true peace and love for humanity and want to be partners in rectifying a world that needs so much fixing.

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith Itamar Israel

 

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Parashat Toldot – Essay – “The Kosher Pig”

The Talmud in the tractate of Pesachim relates a story of Rabbi Joseph the son of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Levi that was ill and his soul left him temporarily and entered the upper worlds. When he returned to this world his father asked him “what did you see there?” He answered, an upside down world. Those who were on the top in this world were on the bottom in the upper world. His father answered him “you saw a world of clarity” In other words, this world is an allusion. People spend their whole lives running after the wrong things. Idolizing rock stars, Hollywood, fame, fortune, and materialism instead of what really counts. What is esteemed and sought after by the masses in reality is worthless. The truth is hidden and is uncovered only by those who seek it with all their heart and soul. It says in Psalms 85:12 “Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.” Truth is something like a seed that is hidden in the earth and eventually will spring forth. But the ground baring the seed must be plowed, weeded, fertilized and watered in order to make the seed grow properly. The Talmud tells us of different signs that will be prevalent during the generation of messiah. One these signs are the absence of truth. This is based on the verse in Isaiah 59:15 – And truth is lacking, And he that departed from evil make himself a prey. And the LORD saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice;

Reading this week’s portion on a superficial level may leave an impression that Jacob is the villain and Esau is the prey. “Poor” Esau comes home from the field and is tired and hungry. He sees that Jacob is preparing a meal of lentils. He asks his brother to give him some. Instead of heeding his request, Jacob begins by offering a business deal to his brother. “Only if you agree to sell me your firstborn rights will I allow you to partake in this meal”, says Jacob. “Poor” Esau answers: “what good is it to have firstborn rights behold I am going to die of starvation.” Esau agrees to sell his birthright position to Jacob and is forced to take an oath. Only then does Jacob agree to offer a meal to his brother that is about to collapse of exhaustion. Later on, Isaac asks Esau to hunt and prepare him a meal just the way he likes it. He wants to bless his son before he dies and, therefore, asks Esau to honor him by making him dinner. Rebekah overhears the conversation between Isaac and Esau and instructs Jacob to bring her a kid goat and dresses Jacob up as Esau. Jacob pretends to be Esau and succeeds in stealing the blessing meant for Esau.

Why does the Torah paint a false impression regarding Jacob? This could add fuel to the anti-Semitic stereotyping machines that coin Jews as greedy money hungry shylocks. We mustn’t forget that a first born son gets a double portion.

Obviously, a look deeper into the portion reveals that Jacob was the righteous one and Esau the devil. “And Jacob gave Esau bread and a pottage of lentils, and he ate and drank and arose and left, and Esau despised the birthright.” (Genesis 25:34) The Torah states right out that Esau despised the birthright, meaning that the blessing intended for Esau, as a first born, was rightfully given to Jacob; since he had purchased all the first born rights fair and square.

As far as Esau being tired and hungry, the Talmud tells us the reason behind his exhaustion. In the Tractate of Baba Batrah 16B, it is taught, in the name of R. Jochanan, that on the very day that Esau requested to be fed by Jacob, he had committed five sins: He raped a betrothed maiden, he committed murder, he rejected G-D, he denied the belief in the resurrection of the dead, and disgraced his birthright. Two of these sins are written explicitly in the verses of our portion and the other three are taught by the Talmud using exegesis through a Gezerah Shavah. (See my essay on Parshat Chayay Sarah for the meaning of a Gezerah Shavah)

We learn that he raped a betrothed maiden from the following verses: “Now Jacob cooked a pottage, and Esau came from the field, and he was faint. (Genesis 25:29) “Because he found her in the field. The betrothed girl had cried out, but there was no one to save her. (Deuteronomy 22:27) The Talmud bases the Gezerah Shavah on the word field which appears in both verses (I underlined them) to teach us that just as the verse in Deuteronomy 22:27 is talking about the rape of a betrothed girl so is our verse here in Genesis 25:29. We therefore conclude that Esau raped a betrothed maiden that day.

We know that Esau committed murder from the verse “and he was faint” 25:29 and the verse in Jeremiah 4:31 “Woe is to me, for my soul is faint before the murderers.” Again the Talmud uses the exegesis of a Gezerah Shavah to show that just like the verse in Jeremiah, which talks about murder and contains the word faint can be united with the verse here in Genesis regarding Esau and “he was faint” teaching us that he committed murder that day.

We learn that Esau denied the belief in G-D from Genesis 25:32 – “Esau replied, “Behold, I am going to die; so why do I need this birthright?” The Talmud teaches us again using a Gezerah Shavah based on the common word this from the verse in Exodus 15:2 “this is my God, and I will glorify Him:” that instead of saying this is my G-D, Esau denied him by saying – why do I need this? In other words, he is declaring – why do I need G-D?”

We learn the fact that Esau denied the resurrection from the verse in Genesis 25:32 “Behold, I am on the way to die”, in other words Esau saw this world as the only one without a continuation. Since he viewed the world in this fashion, he wanted to achieve as many worldly pleasures as he could before dying.

As far as despising the birthright it says directly in the verse Genesis 25:34 that Esau despised the birthright.

In addition, Talmud explains to us that the reason Jacob was preparing lentils was because this very day Abraham passed away and Jacob wanted to console his father Isaac by making him a meal. The lentils represent mourning in that they are rounded without an opening. This reflects on a mourner who has no words only pain. Even more, it hints to the fact that the world is a cycle and everyone must experience mourning at some time in their lives. Instead of Esau, the first born, thinking about the pain Isaac is going through over the loss of his father, he was busy in the field profaning G-D’s name.

In summary, we see that Esau wasn’t the misfortunate soul that he might be mistaken for. After learning the truth about who Esau was, why does the Torah allow one to get the wrong impression?

The answer is that Esau represents the kingdom of Edom, the last major kingdom that will reign until the coming of Messiah. Edom operates by trying to give an outward appearance of righteousness while having evil motives on the inside. The Midrash tells us that Esau the king of Edom is likened to a hog that hides its mouth and displays it hooves. He tries to show that he is kosher by showing off his split hooves, but buries his face in the ground to hide the fact that he does not chew his cud. (Kosher animals require two signs – split hooves and the chewing of the cud.) One Kosher sign doesn’t make the animal Kosher. In Genesis 34:4, it says, regarding the reunion of Esau and Jacob, “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.” In the original Hebrew Torah text there are dots over the word Kissed. Our sages learn from this that in reality Esau meant to bite Jacob. This was not a sincere kiss. The Midrash goes on to tell us how Esau would deceit his father by asking him if one is obligated to tithe water, straw and salt. According to Jewish, law they do not require tithing. Isaac would say to himself, “it is amazing how Esau is so stringent in keeping Torah law.” We see how devious Esau was trying to give a false impression of righteousness. A real con-artist!  This is reflected in the verse: “And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.” Esau dwelling in the field represents the superficial external personality that he represented. Jacob, on the other hand, was a man that dwelt inside the tents of Torah. He is known as the man of Truth. As is written in the book of Micah 7:20 “You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham, Which You swore to our forefathers from the days of old”.

This message that can be applied in different realms of our lives. On a personal level, by avoiding external distractions and focusing on our inner essence, we can eliminate the husk of Esau and bring spirituality and purity in our lives. Of course, there is nothing greater than Torah study to achieve this goal. Socially, we should surround ourselves with people that care about ethical and moral ideals like doing good to others, and seeking the truth. On a worldwide level, the nations of the world must truly strive for the betterment of mankind. They must fight evil and promote justice and thus eliminate the dangers of Esauism in the world.

Unfortunately, today the word is suffering greatly at the hands of Islamic extremism. Instead of focusing all efforts on eliminating this danger to democracy, the husks of Esau choose to signal out the only true democratic country in the Middle East as an obstacle to peace, Israel. No other country, has forfeited such assets and paid the price that Israel has in trying to make peace. Despite Israel’s relentless effort nothing has been given in return except terrorism and hatred. The absurdity of it all is the winner of the Nobel Peace prize in 1994– he was one of the most prominent symbols of terrorism and murderer in the world – Yasser Arafat. Nevertheless, Esau has succeeded in portraying Israel as the villain and the so called Palestinians as the victim. How conceited is the suggestion of a Palestinian state in the eternal borders of Israel. The only nation in the world that G-D Himself has drawn the map of its homeland.  Just yesterday, the European Union announced their new law requiring the marking of Israeli products made in East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and Judea and Samaria. When the EU ambassador to Israel, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, was asked to explain, his answer was that it was a technical decision. One has to be very naïve to accept such an explanation.

It is very interesting that Rebekah not only put on goat skins on Jacob to make him hairy like his brother, but she dressed him with the garments of Esau. These were not his regular garments but the most precious of his garments.  And Rebekah took the choicest garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son. (Genesis 27:15) Why did Rebekah have to do this? Isaac was blind. She obviously wanted to do a good job in disguising Jacob so that Isaac would not recognize the ruse. Nevertheless, she could have chosen regular clothes why did she chose the best clothes he had? The Midrash explains that these were the garments of the first man. The first man was a firstborn and his garments were the garments of a high priest.  Esau coveted the garments of the first man that were taken by the evil Nimrod. They were known for having special powers. Esau murders Nimrod and takes the garments for himself. The word used here in the verse for choicest garments is Chamudot   (חמודות)in Hebrew. Interestingly, in the Ten Commandments the same root of the word is used regarding the prohibition of coveting.  You shall not covet תחמוד)) your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his manservant, his maidservant, his ox, his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbor.” Esau evilness stemmed from the fact that he was coveting the external aspects of man. Instead of looking for the spiritual side of man, he was drawn towards the physical side. It is not the garment that is most important, it is what lies behind it that counts. The only coveting that the Torah allows is coveting the spiritual characteristics of man. Let us covet those who do good and love G-D. Unfortunately, Esau was not interested in these aspects. The word for man in Hebrew is Adam (אדם) which is very close to Edom אדום. Removing the letter Vav ו) ) from Edom(אדום)  becomes man(אדם) . The letter vav in Hebrew is used as the word “and”. When a person wants this and this and this… – he has become Edom. When he eliminates his external desires he becomes man.

The Hebrew word for garment is Beged  (בגד)which means to rebel in Hebrew. Clothes can lead to a false impression. It is not the fancy suit that counts but it is the voice of Jacob. Let us not be taken in by the outside appearance.

This can explain the Torah allowing for a misconception of who Jacob really was. The lesson that Hashem is teaching us is to search for the truth and look beyond the exterior aspects of the world. The spelling of the word Beged is  (בגד) three consecutive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. That is what clothes are, layer on layer on layer covering over the inner world. If we peel off these layers removing the Dalet and then the Gimmel we reach the first letter of the word Beit. This is the first letter of the Torah. Only through the light of the Torah will we succeed in removing the husk of Edom and merit in the final redemption.

“And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be G-D’s. (Ovadiah 1:21)

Shabbat Shalom Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith, Itamar Israel

 

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Essay On Parashat Chayay Sarah

Looking at world statistics one will find that the not only the average age of marriage has risen to an all-time high but the numbers of never married adults is also breaking all time records. In other words, people are getting married at an older age or not getting married at all. The question is why? Not finding the sought after qualities in a spouse, the lack of financial stability, and not being ready to settle down are reasons given by recent surveys explaining this trend. In addition, in modern society it has come much more acceptable for couples to live together out of wedlock. The traditional family framework has been challenged.

This week’s Torah portion Chayay Sarah is an amazing lesson on the beauty and importance of marriage. A deep look into the portion can shed a tremendous amount of light on the subject and help rectify the situation by restoring faith in the traditional family unit.

In the beginning of the oral law tractate, Kiddushin, the Talmud discusses the laws of betrothing a woman. Before the Torah was given, all that had to be done to marry a women was to take her home and live with her. Once the Torah was handed down, a special marriage ceremony was required by the Torah. This ceremony is divided into two parts the first part is called the Kidushin or the betrothal and the second part is the Neesuin – taking the bride home. Kedushin comes from the word meaning to sanctify and Neesuin from the word to uplift. We can see from the words used to describe marriage that the process of man and woman building a life together is something holy that must be sanctified.

The Talmud asks: What is the Torah source that a women may be betrothed through money? It answers by bringing the different verses in the bible that teach us this law. The Talmud first brings down the verse in Deuteronomy 24:1 “When a man takes a wife…” It then quotes a verse in this week’s portion “And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “But, if only you would listen to me. I am giving the money for the field; take [it] from me, and I will bury my dead there.” (Genesis 23:13)

The Talmud uses a form of exegesis called a “Gizerah Shavah” which is one of the thirteen rules of Rabbi Yishmael that is based on comparing two verses that may outwardly appear as having no connection with one another other than a similar word expression. The Gizerah shavah allows us to compare the verses and unify them under a common law. A law that is taught in one verse will apply to the other one as well, although it is not mentioned there explicitly.  One cannot use this type of exegesis without receiving a tradition from a teacher.

After this introduction, we can return to the two above verses. The oral tradition uses the Gezerah shavah to unify the two verses “When a man takes a wife” with the verse regarding Abraham’s purchase of the field saying “take it from me“. In Hebrew the word used for take is “Yikach” This word is found in both of these verses. (I underlined them) We can therefore rule that the law governing the acquisition of land through monetary means will apply to betrothal as well.  Just as Abraham’s purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs was acquired through money a woman can be engaged in the same manner. An acquisition is not to be taken lightly. It demonstrates a powerful bond that is formed between the owner and the item purchased. Abraham’s purchase of the field symbolized the everlasting bond the people of Israel have with the land of Israel.

In Jewish law, the laws of ownership and acquisition are binding. When one purchases something it becomes his and he is now legally responsible for his new purchase. The buyer or seller can no longer renege on the transaction. After an agreement is reached between the buyer and seller, an act of taking possession must be performed. Once this is done, the new owner has total ownership rights and responsibilities over the item purchased. It is important to pay attention that paying for something or not paying for something does not necessarily institute the transfer of ownership. It is the act of taking possession that counts. Among the different types of things being sold, like land, animals, chattels etc., each require their own act of ownership transfer. These include, lifting, pulling, a written contract, building a fence, raising a handkerchief, money transfer, and many more. With this in mind we can now continue.

The Talmud goes on to show that what Abraham purchased the field through a monetary acquisition. This the Talmud assumes since it says in Genesis verse 23:16 “And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, accepted by the merchant.” Later in Genesis 25:10 “The field that Abraham had bought from the sons of Heth there Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried.” This seems to show us that the legal transaction that took place between Abraham and Ephron was one of a monetary fashion.

Nevertheless, since we leaned before that it is possible to acquire something in other ways as well. For example Abraham could have begun fencing in the area around the cave, or widened the entrance to the cave in the presence and agreement of Ephron and this would be considered a legal taking of possession although he did not yet pay for it yet. Therefore, the Talmud brings down an additional verse to prove that a monetary transaction was performed. The source used is a verse in Jeremiah 32:44.  Men shall buy fields for money and inscribe deeds and sign [them] and appoint witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the environs of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the mountain and in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the southland, for I will restore their captivity, says the Lord. This is the final proof that a monetary acquisition was used by Abraham to purchase the field.

Now using the Gezerah Shavah mentioned above allowing us to unify the law of land purchase with betrothal we can rule that a women can be engaged through a monetary acquisition. The fact that a women can be engaged in this fashion raises an important question. Does the Torah G-D forbid look at a women as a purchased item? The answer is of course not! That is why in Jewish law the act of acquisition is not making the payment for the object. Its function is to institute ownership by creating a bond between the owner and his new acquisition. This is proven by that fact that a women can be engaged by offering her something with the value of only a prutah (penny). This is where we get our custom of giving the bride a ring. A special bond is being formed between the bride and groom.  The Hebrew word for money or silver, “Kesef”, comes from the root meaning to yearn for something. This yearning is what creates the bond. The unification of two souls that were meant for each other.

It is interesting that each of the verses brought down by the Talmud that regarding acquisition by “Kesef” relate to the purchase of land in Eretz Yisrael. The first source is the first historical acquisition ever in of land in Israel, the purchase of the tomb of the Patriarchs. The second one, on the other hand, is the last acquisition performed in the land of Israel, by Jerimiah, only hours before exile.

A question that immediately comes to mind when looking into Jeremiah’s land purchase is -Why would anyone in their right mind buy a field knowing that within hours he will be sent far away and will not be able to reap fruit from his acquisition? The obvious answer is this was a tremendous lesson of faith for the people of Israel. Although we will go into exile for whatever time it may be, the everlasting bond between the land and Israel that begun with Abraham’s purchase will never be severed. We must remember that Hashem will bring us home! G-D will not abandon His people. As the nation of Israel, we must believe in this with all our heart and soul.

Living in our time, witnessing the restoration of the State of Israel after 2000 years of exile is a living testimony of this everlasting bond. The Gizerah Shavah is doing much more that teaching us the laws of acquisition, but in essence it is uniting marriage with the land of Israel. Teaching us that an engagement between a man and women is intrinsically connected to the Eretz Yisrael. A Jewish couple getting married must know that it is not a personal matter but it is on a national scale. Living and building their family in the land of Israel is part of building the Kingdom of Hashem in Eretz Yisrael! That is why we are taught in the Talmud in Brachot 6B that if one makes a bride and groom happy it is as if he has built one of the ruins of Jerusalem. Why is it so important to make a bride and groom happy, they are happy already? The answer is that it is the entire house of Israel’s joy as another brick is placed on the Palace of Hashem.  This idea is clearly supported in Genesis 24:5-6 “And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not wish to go after me to this land. Shall I return your son to the land from which you came?” And Abraham said to him, “Beware, lest you return my son back there.” In other words, Abraham set things straight, if his son’s potential bride will not want to move to Israel then no marriage will take place! In Abraham’s eyes there is no purpose for his son Isaacs’s marriage outside the land of Israel.

On the other hand, one cannot neglect the importance of the personal side of matrimony as well. The opening of this week’s portion with Abraham looking for a burial place for his precious wife, Sarah, testifies to the special relationship that existed between them. Abraham could have easily found another place to bury his wife without having to go through such heavy negotiations and to pay such a huge fortune for the gravesite.  This demonstrated his love, honor, and appreciation that he held for his wife. After living together for so many years the pain of separation between spouses is tremendous. Abraham of course knew that one day he will be reunited with his love of life in the world to come. This parallels Jeramiah’s purchasing the field in the land and having to say goodbye to it. This is the terrible pain Israel suffered throughout exile. Nevertheless, Israel knew that they will eventually return home. G-D’s promise not to abandon them will surely be fulfilled.

The Talmudic message through the Gezerah shavah that united the land of Israel with betrothal wants to implant this lesson of faith in the hearts of every person. One needs to have faith in the Creator that He will bring the bride and groom together. He is the matchmaker.

The story of how Abraham sends out his servant Eliezer to find a wife for his son Isaac demonstrates Abraham’s total faith in G-D as the matchmaker. “The Lord, God of the heavens, Who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and Who spoke about me, and Who swore to me, saying, ‘To your seed will I give this land’ He will send His angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.”(Genesis 24:7)

Eliezer, follows the path of faith outlined by Abraham and says: And he said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving kindness with my master, Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water. And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, ‘Lower your pitcher and I will drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels,’ her have You designated for Your servant, for Isaac, and through her may I know that You have performed loving kindness with my master.”

Eliezer’s prays to Hashem that he will chance upon the bride of Isaac. The Hebrew the word for chance is “מקרה” Mikreh   – the same letters that spell רק מה'” meaning only from G-D. In other words, one must always remember that everything is from Hashem and one must rely on Him. There is no chance happenings in this world. Let G-d make it happen.

It is amazing when we see Eliezer returning to the land of Israel with Isaac’s bride Rebecca she happens to stumble across her groom Isaac.

And Isaac went forth to pray in the field towards evening, and he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, camels were approaching. And Rebecca lifted her eyes, and saw Isaac, and she let herself down from the camel. And she said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field towards us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” And she took the veil and covered herself. (Genesis 24:63-65)

This takes place literally when Isaac finished his prayers. At that very moment his bride fell into his hands!

This important lesson must be taught today in all circles. If people will reach the realization that G-D is behind the scene and will bring them their partner in life. Only through this understanding will sanctity and faith be restored to the family unit.

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith