Kahane Codes - Bereshit Shmot

PARSHOT VAYAKHEL – PIKUDEI A TIME TO BUILD Parshiyot Vayakhel and Pekudei are basically repetitions of the material which was previously covered in parshiyot Terumah and Tezaveh. This naturally gives rise to an often asked question: How can our Torah, which we know is never redundant, go ahead and \"waste\" so much space on all of these extra verses? Why not simply state, \"and the bnei Yisrael did as Moses commanded them\", as is frequently done in the Torah? It is also important to note that even in the description itself of the Tabernacle and its vessels, the Torah is uncharacteristically verbose. Furthermore, these portions are only an introduction to the book of Vayikra, which deals primarily with topics related to the tabernacle and offerings. And yet, despite it all, most of us feel completely detached from these portions of the Torah. We can't seem to relate to them, despite the fact that over one third of the mitzvot are connected to the subject of the Temple and sacrifices. Lost Proportions In light of these facts, it must be concluded that our sense of proportion regarding what Judaism considers truly important has been badly distorted. While this Torah sheet often expounds upon basic ideas and concepts which in this lost generation have become so foreign to us, what we see now is that even the mitzvot themselves have become foreign to us, and the Torah has been reduced to it's bear minimum. The reason that the Torah allocates such a hefty portion to the Temple and the sacrifices, is because these subjects are so central to the living of a true Jewish life. It is curious that when the Torah devotes a lot of space pertaining to the details of other mitzvot, no one sees this as strange. On the contrary, many feel that indeed, more space should be allotted to the explanations of various mitzvot. Why? Because people understand that without the mitzvot, there is no Torah. But this is precisely the problem. While everyone understands that there is no Judaism without mitzvot, many do not grasp the fact that the Temple and sacrifices are also essential to Judaism, and without them, there really is no Judaism. The Holy Temple In Our Days Only now can we begin to address the issue of our obligation to rebuild the Temple and renew the sacrifices. In general, this idea is met with immediate opposition. There are no shortage of excuses, each camp offering it's own explanation why we can't build the Temple today. Some say: \"The Temple will fall from the sky, and it is none of our business\". Others claim: \"The Temple is a project for the Messiah\". And then there is this gem: \"We are on too low a level to deal with such a lofty topic\". And there are more. A Mitzva is a Mitzva For all these excuses, there are clear and powerful answers. However, in this limited space, we cannot bring them down. But there really is no need to. Why? Because the rebuilding of the Temple is one of the 613 commandments. Case closed. Have you ever heard anyone say that eating matzoh on Passover is a job for the Messiah? Has anyone ever said: Family purity? Mikveh? What for?! Family purity will descend from the heavens! Or how about: Study Torah!? A lowly sinner like me should study the holy

Torah!? Of course these excuses are absurd. We do not seek ways to avoid performing mitzvot, all the moreso the mitzvah which literally causes the Divine Presence (Shechina) to dwell amongst us. (Dear friends, did G-d allow us to conquer the Temple Mount thirty years ago just so that the Arabs can continue to desecrate His Name on our holiest site, this time under Jewish sovereignty? Shouldn't we feel that this is the very last mitzvah we should choose to ignore?) Grass eaters Many say that since in the exile there were mitzvot which served as substitutes for the \"Shechina\", it is not so terrible if we suffice with these substitutes temporarily in Israel, too. But in the exile we had no choice, and Hashem will forgive us for neglecting the mitzvot pertaining to the Temple. But now, when we control our own fate, how can we possibly suffice with substitutes? This is similar to a man who eats grass instead of food. People ask him: What are you doing? He answers: Look, I was once stuck in the wilderness without food. I found some grass and I ate it to survive. They tell him: Fool! Then, you had no choice, so you were forced to eat grass. But now? You have real food, so why are you still eating grass? And we. When will we stop eating grass?... The Pitfall of Power: Arrogance (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Two years after the Jews left the suffering, slavery and humiliations of Egypt, they constructed the Tabernacle - the place where G-d's Presence prevails in the world and the pipeline for all the prayers of the Jewish People to their Father in Heaven. Precisely at such a momentous occasion, one would expect the leaders of the Jewish People to step up and set an example in the building of the Tabernacle, and to play a key role in the contributions and sacrifices that are involved in the erecting of G-d's house. But quite to the contrary, we find the following verse: \"And the princes brought the onyx stones\" (35-27) and Rashi comments: \"Rabbi Nathan said: Why did the princes contribute at the dedication of the altar at the beginning, while at the construction of the Tabernacle they did not contribute at the beginning? Instead, thus did the princes say: 'Let the community contribute what it will contribute, and we will complete whatever will be lacking. And since they were slothful at first, \"yud\" is missing from their name (the Hebrew letter \"yud\" is missing from the word prince, in Hebrew - Niseim). Rabeinu Bchai adds: \"For it is the way of the princes to look down on the rest of the nation ... and thus princes brought the stones that rested on Aharon's heart, in order to atone for the arrogance of their heart. These same princes who not long ago were lowly slaves and now were princes of Israel - immediately upon receiving their high appointment, they started to look down at their brothers, and on this the Talmud in Trachtate Pesachim says: \"Four things are intolerable ... the public appointee who looks down at the rest of the community for no reason.\" Ego Rises With Power The Torah's concern for one's high position affecting his ego is seen clearly in the laws dealing with the King. The following is written in Parshat Shoftim: \"He shall not multiply horses to himself...Neither shall he multiply to himself wives that his heart turns not away; and silver and gold will he not greatly multiply to himself...and he will write a copy of this Torah. And it shall be with him and he shall read

therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God...that his heart is not lifted up above his brethren.\" And the Rambam in Hilchot Tefilah adds: \"One who prays must bow five times each and every tefilah...and the King since he prostrates himself from the very beginning of his prayer, does not raise his head until he finishes the entire prayer.\" Our Mission: To Bring Down the Haughty In Our Days We can see the arrogance, corruption and egoism of the Israeli politician most overtly during an election year. Each party stomps on the fresh blood of Jewish victims to further its political advantage, though none of them possess an iota of a solution to the problem. We have observed our \"leaders\" basking in the glory of Nobel Peace Prizes and in the shadow of gentile leaders and Arab murderers, so engrossed with themselves, their speeches of \"peace\" and their place in the history books that no amount of Jewish blood can budge them from their \"vision\". May it be G-d's Will that these leaders be replaced by true Jewish leaders guided by Torah, and who know that, \"It is not high appointment I give you, but rather bondage I give you.\" May we merit leaders who go in the way of Moshe Rabeinu, who not only was not interested about his reputation in the history books, but was even willing to have his name erased from God's Holy Book itself (\"Blot me, I pray thee, out of Thy book which You have written\", Exodus, 32-32) in order to save the Jewish people from annihilation. We must have leaders who possess self-sacrifice to serve the community, and not exploit it. Turn to Me and I Will Turn to You (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg This is the time of year when the weekly Torah readings deal with thesubjects of the Temple, sacrifices, and ritual purity. But alas, for thevast majority of us these parshas seem irrelevant. But what are we to do?They appear in the Torah, and therefore we must read them. They do notinspire us at all. In fact, we feel detached and are bored by them. The Red Heifer And yet, even the subject of the red heifer cannot be kept inconsequential forever. Here we are, about to read \"Parshat Para\" which deals with the laws of the red heifer, another seemingly irrelevant topic . Or is it? Surely you have heard of the red heifer which was born in Kfar Chassidim, which caused great excitement. Recently, though, it was disqualified when it grew two black hairs on its tail at the age of six months. Apparently, only a very few people were truly devastated by this. Everyone else, obviously,dismissed it with the thought: Nu, we've lived 2,000 years without this sacred cow, certainly we can wait a little more... And thus they returned to their truly important affairs.... We have not the slightest doubt that this red heifer, like so many other events taking place in our days, is a sign from heaven. Everything is ready( but we prefer to busy ourselves in the smallness of our day- to-day lives. Even the disqualifying black hairs are a sign from above: G-d may open thedoor, but it is still up to us to enter. And if not, then that door closes. In our generation, G-d has opened up many doors for us; we have had opportunity after opportunity. And us? King Solomon described this situation laconically in the Song of Songs: \"my Beloved is knocking, saying, Open tome, my sister, my bride, my undefiled..\". And us? \"I have put off my coat;how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I soil them?\" And in the meantime - \"But my Beloved has turned away\"....

\"The Divine Presence\" - What Is It? The real question is: Do the b'nei Torah of our time see this as irrelevant -or worse, contemptible? Do they understand that the red heifer is notmerely one more personal mitzvah, but rather the pre-condition for thehundreds of mitzvot which are dependent upon the Temple and in fact – the pre-condition for the Divine Presence in Israel! To our great sorrow, even the phrase the pre-condition for the Divine Presence in Israel does not arouse any great emotions. It is simply words. The truth is (and this is so hard to say) that the Torah world has grown accustomed to living without this. In fact, why not? As long as one occupies himself with Torah from morning till evening, is concerned with all the myriad details of halacha - what can be missing? The Temple? The Temple?! Forget that! Go learn another page of Gemorrah, and chill out. But those who think this way are cut off from authentic Judaism. Through2,000 years of exile a barrier was erected between the Torah and the HolyTemple. And this, in point of fact, is a barrier between the Torah and Hewho gave the Torah! An Intolerable Situation Indeed it is so. There is no Torah without the Giver of the Torah, and the connection to Him is through the Divine presence in the Temple. The essence of the temple is the ark in the holy of holies, where the tablets are kept. That is where the Divine Presence is found. And The Sages explained in Shemot Raba on Parshat Terumah (33:1): \"G-d said to Israel: I have given you the Torah - I cannot separate myself from it; and I cannot tell you not to take it; so wherever you may be found, build a house for me to dwell in – as it is written \"Build for me a temple\". We must understand what is written here. G-d \"could not\" separate himself from the Torah - and He therefore asked us to build for Him a house. And now, since the destruction of the Temple, the reality is that G-d has been exiled from His house, and therefore it is as if He has been separated from His Torah. Is this only His concern? Of course not! We are in a situation where although we have the Torah - G-d is nevertheless far from us. This is an intolerable situation. It is a deficiency which damages the essence of our connection to the Torah! When we were in exile, it was out of our hands. After all, what could we do? But what can we say now when as we have the ability to build the Temple, are commanded to do so (see Rambam Hilchot Beit Habichira 1:1), yet despite this we say: There is time, there are other more pressing needs,the important thing is to sit and learn? It is as if we are saying to the Almighty: See how nicely we are managing without You, with the Torah that You have given us. And You can stay where You are! This shows a lack of basic understanding in the nature of Torah and the nature of the Temple. The Temple connects us to the Giver of the Torah. In such a situation, the learning of Torah and its fulfillment are brought to an entirely different level. For this reason it is precisely the bnei Torah who are constantly immersed in Torah, who must take the lead the process of building the Temple. And this must happen, as the Yerushalmi says in Tractate Maaser Sheini,before the coming the Messiah. If not, it raises doubts as to whether to some extent we are only clinging to the surface of the Torah, and not to its essence.