Vayeshev December 18, 2008 What can we say about Yosef other than his being simply “successful” in all realms. He is talented, beautiful, and distinguished looking. He finds favor in everyone’s eyes, is a man of understanding who knows just about everything. He is a dream interpreter and mind reader, a genius on economics and a fair ruler. His personality demonstrates balance and he is above all a paragon in standing up to temptation. This is obviously why he is called the “Tzaddik”. He is not sitting with angels in the upper worlds but fixes this world, better known today as “tikkun olam”. In the sphere of his brothers, his hierarchy was so apparent, it caused problems. He became the giver, they- the receivers. All of his dreams come to fruition. It is not by chance that we read in this parsha about Yehudah taking a wife under strange circumstances. Mashiach ben Yosef is a prerequisite to Mashiach ben David, the great great grandson of Yehudah and Tamar. Yosef comes up from Chevron to seek his brothers; David receives kingship there. In Kabbalah, the last 2 spheres – Yesod (Yosef) and Malchut ( David ) sit directly one on top of another. They are inseparable. Bounty and Blessing come down to the world through this “pipeline” to a final and permanent location. When all the physical foundations have been perfected by the power of the tzaddik, the King (Mashiach) will then proceed to reveal G-dliness in a permanent location. King David was the brainchild of a permanent House of G-d. (for more information see Samuel 2 24:24 and Rashi). Yechezkel 37 best describes the inseparable match between Yesod and Malchut.- “Thus says the Lord G-d, Behold I will take the stick of Yosef which is in the hand of Ephraim and will put it together with the stick of Yehudah to form one stick and they shall be one in my hand.” Dear Readers, For all the people discouraged by whatever current events that get you down and out- I always found the rest of the passuk very encouraging! – “and I will take the children of Yisarel from among the nations into which they have gone and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own Land and I will make them one nation upon the mountains of Israel (where do you think the mountains of the prophet are exactly?- maybe you should send a letter to Clinton, Carter, Bush, Baker and even the candlestick maker) and one King shall be over them all! Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Category: Written Teachings
Vayishlach December 12, 2008 Our forefathers didn’t have it easy, to say the least. Ya’akov Avinu never experienced leisure or rest. He was born into hard times, and even before so, had difficulties in the womb, struggling with his brother. He had the ill fortune of spending his early years in his unfavorable company. He knew trouble at every corner. This mischief eventually snowballed into Ya’akov having to flee for his life. He disembarks unto the threshold of the House of Lavan, a notorious swindler and master of the dark arts. Do you think Ya’akov’s life was any easier now? That answer we all know. We also know what a pure and spiritual man Ya’akov was and that he had the savvy from life’s experiences to deal with Lavan. Ya’akov was deceived and victimized for 20 years in the house of Lavan. It was “uphill work” all the way. This house was blessed because of Ya’kov, the source of blessing and prosperity. Finally, he was homeward bound. The booty that he took with him- his wives, children, livestock and everything he had was merited to his attachment to G-d and goodness. Through truth he was able to turn material wealth into something pure. Ya’akov the humble man, metamorphoses into Yisrael, the advanced and progressed man. On the way to freedom though, a feeling of fear and apprehension foreshadows the meeting with Esav. He prepares himself in all the necessary ways, sending even angels to greet him. The struggle continues and Ya’akov wrestles with Esav’s angel all night. At dawn he prevails. The challenges Am Yisrael have had to face through history are represented in the struggles we read about. There was no rest for our patriarchs. There is no rest for the wandering Jew. The husks that reside in Esav try to lead us away from serving Hashem with all our hearts (negative desires). The husks that reside in Lavan try to rule over our domain of thought (intellectual secularism). However, from the start, the Torah prepared and protected us through time in dealing with the “dark side”. G-dliness is the solvent to unG-dliness. Redemption is about to dawn on the world, and Yisrael will prevail! Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Vayetzeh December 5, 2008 How the house of Israel originated, sprouted forth and gave form to the kingdom of the Jewish people, was a process of refinement. As each Tzaddik was extracted from his generation, he layed the foundations for the embodiment of righteousness and faith that would be the emblem of Beit Ya’akov (the house of Jacob). The first was Avraham, the son of an idol worshiper who was the first to believe in G-d. For his mercy and loving kindness Hashem promised him:”I will give you and your descendants the Land you dwell in- all the Land of Canaan for an eternal heritage.” (Genesis 17:7) Yitzchak, the son of Avraham, who was willing to be offered as a sacrifice, an olah temimah, maintained the faith of his father unlike his brother, Yishmael who had fallen from grace and cast out of the house. Hashem promised him :”And I will fulfill the oath that I promised your father, Avraham.” (genesis 26:3) In this parsha, Hashem promises the Land of Israel to Ya’akov Avinu, the third father on the triad of the Patriarchs. :”I Hashem, the G-d of Abraham and Yitzchak will give you the Land you lie upon I will give to you and your offspring” (Genesis 28). In kabbalah, Ya’akov is on the sphere of Tiferet- beauty and truth (Emet). The Land of Israel could not be conquered and settled until the complete level of Emet was attained. He was detained for 22 years in which most of his house (11 of the 12 tribes) were born and bred. Only when reaching the open doorway of the Land of Israel is his name changed to Israel. The name of the Land then becomes the Land of Israel. Ya’akov’s adventures in Lavan’s house come to a climax when Yosef is born and immediately when this happens he asks to return home to his Land. There, in the Land, he and his now complete house bring to fruition the objective of the fulfillment of prophecy. We continue into the next parsha to elaborate with them in their progress. They have made a noise in the world!!! The question is, do you hear it still ringing? Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Vayera- Chayei Sarah November 11, 2008–11–16 “The nerve of her!.” when someone says that about you it usually is not a compliment. In fact being nervy and chutzpahdik is a bad trait. It is the antithesis of the personality of the true Jew- merciful, shy and doing loving-kindness. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov in his discourse on this parsha spends much effort in explaining the need a person has for HOLY chutzpah. In order to merit in Torah and holiness one must have it. What is holy chutzpah? Almost everything a person wants to accomplish in life is most probably accompanied with obstacles and frustration. Often we are even brought down to our knees. Without holy chutzpah we wouldn’t be able to jump over or break through the barriers. If a person has a “nebuch” attitude and have fear and doubt every time he had to climb to the next level in his life, he wouldn’t be able to succeed. By no means should he say, “I can’t do it.” This goes within the realm of worship too. You should have faith in yourself that you (yeah, little you!!) are precious in Hashem’s eyes and that everything you do in life is important to Heaven. When you know that what you do is only for heavens sake then the very idea of false pride, nervy chutzpah (bearing no resemblance to holy chutzpah) is not even muttered in his thoughts or feelings. You stand like a pillar rooted into the ground, nothing can topple you. When King David came to fight the giant Goliath, he probably looked like a grasshopper. His own brothers had no belief in his ability to win this battle. How did it look? Probably ridiculous- “Hey kid! Off the stage!” everyone called to him. He didn’t need their approval because he wasn’t there to prove to his macho self a personal win. He was there fighting Hashem’s battle. Many times we see this unfortunately in many realms of our lives, teachers who don’t believe in the special qualities of our kids, parents who don’t believe in their kids, governments that don’t see the power and potential of certain groups that can influence for goodness and propriety. Having ayin tova, a good eye on people is a G-dly attribute. This applies not only to people but to circumstances. In Genesis 18, “And Sarah laughed (inwardly)”… upon hearing that at the age of 99 she would conceive. For Sarah, a person so humble and small, it was hard to believe that she would indeed bear a child. Certainly there is nothing Hashem can’t do. Here our Rabbis have an axe to grind with her. She needed to have holy chutzpah and believe that Hashem can do anything. Even when salvation seems very far away. Sarah is answered, “Hepaaleh mehashem davar?” “Can anything be too miraculous for Hashem?” The Haftara also stresses the same lesson as the Shunamite (Kings 2:4) totally believes that Elisha will revive her son and stands in holy chutzpah against all the odds. Therefore, we witness the child coming back to life in the merit of his mother’s holy chutzpah. (the Zohar states that he later becomes the prophet Chabakuk). A person is never allowed to give up hope. That is pure faith. There is another element of holy chutzpah that many of us are faced with and that is of his Torah identity in a secular world. It has become a custom for only the last 200 years (out of 2,000) to whitewash any traces of kedusha or distinct holiness that we hold in the secular world. Our leaders here in Israel feel it is better to “blend in”. To look and act like the rest of the world, they believe, will bring lasting peace (as the bombs are dropping on shopping centers in Ashkelon today). Why do they so have an aversion to settlers? Because we have holy chutzpah. These are the lands that, yeah, are being spoken about in the parasha. These are our garments and we wear them proudly. They are Jewish garments and no, we don’t want to blend in. When yang, the flame that ignites the soul, is cooled down with too much yin in order to “walk with mankind”, the dark side of humbleness is revealed. A Jew should be proud of his real and eternal roots, his Torah, his look, his being. He should look into the face of the world with the truth of holy chutzpah and illuminate. Our matriarch Sarah (as well as Rivka and Leah and the avot) are buried in the heart of Chevron. Who would turn their backs on their grandmothers in order to “blend” and create a “new middle east” (Shimon Perez) Who, against the odds (because the world aint wantin’ us there) says that Shechem, Chevron and Yerushalayim are my eternal roots in Holy Chutzpah? Dear Readers, (and they shouldn’t say the nerve of her!) I have put together 2 parshas this week because we will be going all the way to the Golan to our son’s completion of training in the military. He is a happy and proud Jewish soldier serving his country. I must put in some holy chutzpah requests from our dear readers this week. Itamar as you know is growing in leaps and bounds. It is the only community that boasts 8 hilltops. Because of the tremendous resources that we need for upkeep and further continuing in these vital projects, we turn to you for immediate help. We are in a deficit that is demanding your assistance. We thank you already for being there for us and know that without your holy chutzpah in our joint mission here in the holy land, it just wouldn’t succeed. All tax deductable checks to “Friends of Itamar” and addressed to: Lester Goldsmith 1483 East 34th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234 USA. Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Lech Lecha November 6, 2008 People like to be in control of their lives. They have their date books all planned out, their weeks scheduled and like to know what will be… But there are so many factors involved pertaining to the outside world (ranging from hurricanes, to a stopped sink, to a cancellation, to a surprise party, a new neighbor moves in, etc…) that at best we can choose to feel in control in response to whatever happens with a heaping spoonful of faith in our coffee every morning because in reality we really don’t know what will be. Every so often there are political changes on a wider sphere, economic changes on a global domain; here in Israel you never know if rockets will be falling on the south, if the Hizballah are planning to attack the north, if your car will be rocked on the way home from the dentist, or if your government is for you-or against you (and what they could do to you!!!) Belief in Hashem and knowing that He brings about the actualization of everything can indeed bring a sudden feeling of completeness in our lives even if we really don’t know what will be. We give credit to our first patriarch, Avraham Avinu for being the pioneer in faith, by being excited and emotionally charged by belief, being the first person to know G-d .Hashem says to Avraham, “Go to a Land that I will show you…” (Lech Lecha) The language being used here is in a future tense. Avraham doesn’t know what land, where it is, what it looks like, who lives there, or when he will arrive. He just follows the path there in pure and simple faith. Hashem commanded, he followed. All along his journey he is sure that Hashem will continue to direct him to his destiny. He feels connected in an uncomplicated way. When a person feels this connection to Hashem, as Avraham Avinu did without any tangles and snarls and intrigues along the way of his life, he feels fulfillment. This is called pure faith, or emunah temimah. “to a Land that I will show you…” , a person lacking the knowledge of what will be can use uncertainty as a vessel that he fills with the knowledge that Hashem has paved the road to his destiny and is always there guiding him, like the way Hashem guided Avraham Avinu. We live in a world of asiyah, the lower world where people are active participants in a world of deeds. We have to use our efforts to achieve our goals, as we see with the stories of the patriarchs and matriarchs. When a person reaches the level of emunah temimah, when he feels Hashem standing there right behind him- then he can move heaven and earth. How many times in the Torah are we witness to this? Hashem promises the Land, yet we have to conquer it. (Joshua) Hashem promises the Land, yet we have to purchase it (Abraham in Chevron, Jacob in Shechem, King David on the Temple Mount). Hashem promises the Land, yet we have to fight in wars (all of our husbands and sons here today in Israel). We do, Hashem does for us. And when we feel something lacking- then it’s time to pray and ask for G-d’s help. Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Hashem looked into the Torah and created the world. From this concept we understand that the Torah comes before everything in all circumstances. The book of Genesis is broken down into didactic stepping stones, each one focusing and teaching about a particular stage of the life cycle:
Bereishit and Noach: The birth of the baby (man and woman) Lech Lecha: He begins to walk Vayera: Man becomes a mashpia, progressing in his personality Chayeh Sarah: He matures, marries Toldot: The building up of the family nucleus Vayetzeh: Finding shiduchim for the offspring in order for the family to multiply Vayishlach: The children indeed marry- grandchildren Miketz: The aging process Vayigash: Coming closer to Hakadosh Baruch hu Vayechi: Eit Pekudah (being called to the upper worlds)
The Torah never just tell stories, indeed the full feeling and mood behind them are the platform for Divine rule. They are learning instruments. The passages dealing with blessing and bounty (like Jacob and his many flocks) teach us that wealth comes from G-d alone and not the work of our hands like most of us think. A lacking in a person’s life (like Abraham waiting for a son) is also directly from G-d in order to rectify him. A person is constantly interacting in his life, giving (hopefully), taking, making a living, being tried. Sometimes the wheel of fortune is ringing in his favor, sometimes he’s been told Wall Street is down- BUT IT”S ALL FROM HEAVEN. If a person can see the world as a place of constant renewal- not standing still, and the ball of the world constantly changing and turning over, including himself in this scheme of things, he wins. Even a child’s toys are constantly being upgraded.
When a person can internalize the awareness of change and progress, he becomes like Noach when Hashem said to him, “Tzey meyhateyva.” (leave the ark now). There are times when the world becomes caotic that you should go into the teyva ( to strengthen yourself in purification, like going to the mikveh)- but the ikkar is LEAVING the teyva, breaking old habits, upgrading to a less comfortable place in order to make something new.(like birth). This theme is constant in the entire book of Bereishit. – “Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother’s home and cleave to his wife and they will be one flesh.”
The famous story of Yosef Hatzadik who was cut off from his father’s home and sent to Egypt where he was extremely successful despite his heartbreaking circumstances. Why was he able to explain dreams, set up an economic plan that fed the entire world, as well as forgive and nurture his brothers? Because he saw the balance of what was taken from him and what was given to him.
It is not easy to cut off a routine. We are about to enter a new time. Some of us want the safety of the ark, while others choose to walk between the raindrops. Some of us indeed are asking for change, but all of us should have chizuk in knowing it’s all in HIS hands!!! Shabbat Shalom, Leah Goldsmith
(Much of the torah’s here are from the lessons given by Reb Chaim Hakohen Shlita).
Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
A Blessing for the Fruit of the Trees – Succoth 5769 The secret of the Four Species The great Cabalist and student of the famous Ramchal, Harav Moshe David Wali, was an author of an amazing work on the Tanach which included 2800 pages! I want to relate to you a message that he writes on his commentary on the book of Leviticus, chapter 26, where the Torah teaches us about the holiday of Succoth. The Torah tells us ” Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a feast to G-D seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath.” Rabbi Wali says that it is known that the produce of the land that is gathered up on Succoth time is fruit and not grains which are harvested up on Passover and Shavuot. From these grains the “Omer” and the “Two bread” offerings were brought. Therefore, in order to complete the blessing on the produce of the land, G-d gave us a Divine service on Succoth that pertains to the fruit of the trees. By blessing over the four species all the different types of trees are incorporated into the blessing. There are trees that their fruit have taste and smell they are represented by the Etrog (Citron). Other trees have taste and no smell, to signify them we were commanded to take the Lulav (date palm). The myrtle (Hadas) corresponds to the trees that have a smell but no taste. Finally, the Aravah (willow) stands for the trees without smell and taste. This is the simple explanation on the Mitzvah of the four species. On a cabbalistic level each of the species represents a letter of the Divine name – the Tetragrammaton. By taking the four species we are unifying the name of G-d and thus bring down a special blessing to the fruit of the trees. This stresses the importance this Divine service of blessing over the “Arbaat Haminim” each and every day of the Succoth holiday. If the Jewish nation would not perform this Mitzvah, G-d forbid, the fruit of the world would dry up! A proof of this is what our rabbis bring down that when the Holy Temple was destroyed the taste was taken away from the fruit of the trees. It is a known fact that the major portion of the Divine abundance was channeled through our Holy Bet Hamikdash in Jerusalem. Therefore, when the four species were blessed on in the Temple a tremendous blessing of abundance was brought down into the fruit of the trees and the result was that the taste of these fruit was the most delicious possible! Unfortunately, when the Temple was destroyed this Divine service was only preformed outside of the Temple. The repercussions were an immediate loss of Divine abundance given to the fruit which led to the fruit losing there special taste. The little abundance that we succeed in bringing down outside the temple on Succoth sustains the fruit of the trees throughout the world. If we weren’t performing this Mitzvah the world would be without fruit! Interestingly, if we taste the fruit of Israel today it is quite delicious. One can imagine how great the taste of the fruit was during the time when our temple stood in Jerusalem in all its glory. Let us pray that we will speedily rebuild our Temple! If the world only knew how much of a blessing our temple will bring to the entire world they would be demanding us to start rebuilding our Bet Hamikdash today. Chag Sameach – Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith, Itamar, Israel
Yom Kippur message Oct. 8th 2008 Tet Tishtay 5769
Seemingly, this week’s Parasha has a strange beginning as it opens with “And Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:1) without telling us where he went. Our Rabbis explain that Moshe went to the Israeli encampment to personally say good bye to the Jewish people before his death. He wanted to ensure the nation that although he is going to leave them to join the ranks of the upper worlds everything will be ok. Am Yisrael, who was about to enter the land of Israel knew that it had to face the challenge of capturing and dividing the land. Moshe ensured them that they had nothing to fear since Hashem will destroy the nations that interfere with them just as he had done to Sichon and Og. Nevertheless, the question still remains why the Torah doesn’t mention out right where Moshe goes. Of course, this is not the first time the Torah leaves out important details that are brought down in oral traditions. Even so, when this does happen we must ask – why.
One important rule is that in such an instance the Torah is clearly leaving room for different explanations. Since the Torah is Divine light, it is infinite! The more we look deeper into the words of the Torah the more we will discover. Yet, in my opinion, in this instance mentioning the word “Vayelech” (“went”), without saying where, has a unique meaning in the Torah. There is only one other place in the Torah that mentions the word “went” in a similar context. “Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi” (Exodus 2:1) The Torah doesn’t tell us where he went to marry the daughter of Levi. It just says that he went! This union refers to Amram and Yocheved, the parents of Moshe Rabeynu. As we know Amram separated from Yochaved after the Egyptians decreed that all male children born must be cast into the Nile River. Amram who was the head of the generation (Gadol Hador) reasoned that it didn’t make sense to bring children into the world if they were to be killed in the end. The Jews of the time followed the advice of their leader and separated from their wives. Amram’s daughter Miriam, who was only a child at the time, reproved her father for issuing such a Psak(ruling). She said your Psak is worse than Pharaoh, he decreed on the males your decree affects the females as well. Amram, as a true Gadol Hador (great leader of the generation) response was “Vayelech” he was able to leave his first conception of the situation and reconsider his decision. Most people in such a situation would not be able to recognize their mistake especially when being reproved by a young child. Amram’s greatness is seen here by his ability to rise to the moment and repent by taking back his wife. If it wasn’t for this repentance his son Moshe, the savior of the Jewish nation, would not have been born.
As I mentioned in the beginning of this essay the only other time Vayelech has the same usage is in this weeks portion Vayelech Moshe, which is an account of Moshe’s last day in this world. Our rabbis explain that physically Moshe Rabeynu was healthy as ever. He had no problem in entering the land of Israel and fighting the wars against Israel’s enemies. Nevertheless, Hashem had different plans for him; it was time for his soul to return to his creator and reach much greater spiritual heights. It was Joshua’s turn to take the leadership of the nation. There is an unbelievable Midrash that describes the tremendous tension and turmoil that was weighing on Moshe. Moshe didn’t want to leave this world. The Yalkut Shimoni on Devarim 35 brings down the following account – “G-D let Joshua have my leadership and I will continue to live on and accept his rule. G-D said to Moshe OK treat him as he treated you. Immediately, Moshe gets up in the morning and goes to Joshua’s house. Joshua was afraid of hosting his rabbi at his home so they went for a walk. Moshe stood to the left of Joshua. They both entered the Tabernacle and the cloud of glory descended and separated between the two of them. When the cloud disappeared Moshe asked Joshua what Hashem had told him. Joshua responded “when the word of G-d came to you did I know what Hashem spoke with you! At that moment Moshe shouted out one hundred deaths and not one bit of jealousy!”
The greatness of Moshe as a leader is shown here how he is able to cope with the greatest test ever and accept the situation. This is alluded to in the word VAyelech. Most leaders in a similar situation would do everything in their power to hold on to the throne. Moshe Rabeynu displayed his greatness by being able to step down. In a few hours the fast of Yom Kippur will enter. Yom kippur is a time of reflection more than any other time. Let us rise to the moment and throw away previous conceptions that need to be rectified!
Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith, Itamar, Israel
In a world that we balance our lives between the practical accomplishments of our goals and spiritually yearning for the unreachable, Elul is a time that connects these 2 aspects of our lives, ending the year in equilibrium as we shop, prepare, run around getting ready for the yamim tovim while we simultaneously bang our hearts in selichot and directly talk to G-d. We discover a wide gate opening up for us as we enter the New Year. On either side of the great scales, having in each hand Chesed (right hand- loving-kindness) and Gevurah (left hand- judgment). The ever merciful Ein Sof provides us with never ending bounty. In gevurah it is contained. For example, a container that holds strawberry jam that you just made: without the jar, we couldn’t hold onto the jam. It would drain away. So, gevurah is actually the vessel that includes the chesed into it. It is essential in the chesed process. It puts up important boundaries, walls that preserve.
These are called the days of judgment. That is why it is exactly the time to stop and think a little about our lives and focus on Hashem’s great chesed that He does with us all the time. How can we be likened to that? Did we spend enough time, effort and patience with others? Did we define it with clear boundaries taking it thus far so that it doesn’t take away time from our family, spouse, and other important realms of our lives so that in essence it was easy to do? We love our kids but we’re not just showering them with bounty but trying to teach them the value of things by also limiting them. Chesed and gevurah aren’t like holding a daisy and picking one petal at a time, “He loves me, He loves me not.” It’s not an either- or, but a recipe for balance in life bringing us to remember the passuk from Shir Hashirim ” His right hand under my head and His left hugging me.”
The closeness of Parshat Nitzavim to Rosh Hashana reminds us as we read about standing all together before Hashem, about unity. When we stand together as one, judgment and kitrug (denouncing and defaming) cannot affect us. It’s when there is separation and fragmentation that Din comes down unto individuals. Therefore, these are exactly the days that a person should do his utmost to “fix” things, keep away from arguments and not fall into the trap of fighting back with someone looking for mischief. Life is full of these tests all the time. You have to have a lot of chesed and gevurah to deal with this.
May the New Year bring with it many blessings to you and all of Am Yisrael. May we hear only good things and try to do more good things. This goes without saying that our destinies are in His hands.
Shana Tova!!! G’mar Chatima Tova Shabbat Shalom Leah Goldsmith
Parshat Ki Tavo Elul 5768-2008 Hashem created this world through the method of dichotomy, thus we can distinguish good from evil. We are all familiar with the concept of opposites- black and white, physical and spiritual, the giver and receiver, the strong and weak, wealthy and poor, in haste and slowness, etc… It is said that often opposites are attracted to each other. When Avraham Avinu (Abraham) went east he brought with him many presents; he divulged secrets of the hidden Torah. These eventually became incorporated into ancient Chinese traditions, who in fact divide the world into 2 forces, yin and yang. What we know about yin and yang is that they are positive and negative forces that act together in order to create energy. These two forces are in constant movement and are at battle to gain dominance .The aim is to achieve a balance that creates a supportive, nurturing environment. Har Gerizim and Har Eval are the two mountains that reside side by side in the center of the Land of Israel representing the two forces of the blessings and the curses. Here, Am Yisrael were given again the Torah, this time in the Land itself while they themselves participated in the actual blessings and curses. This Torah was and indeed is a living contract about worshiping G-d through actions, in creating an environment in which positive G-dly energy flows to achieve the kingdom of G-d in the world. When Am Yisrael do all that they are commanded, they are blessed with an easy and secure passage through life. However, if they “tip the scale” and ignore Hashem’s commandments, evil will dominate, and they will be cursed with only tragedy. It doesn’t mean that Har Eval is an evil place or that Har Gerizim is a good place. They are both very good holy places in the Land of Israel, their holiness no less apparent today than days old. They are monuments that testify history, then now and forever. It goes without saying that what comes to mind is the blessing given to this place, “Shechem echad al achecha”- one shechem. Yes, two forces exist but our goal for torah loving people is to choose good, unite and become one unit. Dear readers, To actually read the parsha and look at it from our window here in Itamar, wow! We contemplate the energies sizzling up out of these mountains every day, every season, during every simcha and every heart break (our rav- Harav Binyamin Herling- was killed on Har Eval 7 years ago). It has been incredible and I wish more of you can experience it. To try and fathom why anyone in the world would call it another place belonging to another people is baffling to me. When Hashem betrothed Himself to the Jewish people he did so LE’OLAM- forever. There are several replacement theologies that have gone on since we were thrown out of our Land because of our sins 2,000 years ago. Some say that we are no longer the chosen people. Some say this land does not belong to us anymore. WE SAY however, Hashem is engaged to us LE’OLAM- forever. The Torah is a formula for how to live. It is not just believing but it is a lot of doing. Where is it done? Well, just read the parsha. Every Shabbat we read these portions that are talking about REAL places. We have returned to your desolate cities and we too (the Jewish people that live here) are a testimony to our covenant with Hashem. This is not Narnia and I am not about to crawl out of a closet, it’s only a dream come true. Shabbat Shalom- Leah Goldsmith