Vayeshev 2005חמדכ תה תנ א קל 20 Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and כהו קב, קו קש יל ת,תגהו, קר ו וקנמ קו מע נתה כ cast him into one of the pits, and we will say: An מח ניה נר נעה נא לנ קת ו;אכ ה, קוא ממ קרנו, מה םבר םותevil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see יי קהיו נחל םמ נתיושנ הא- ממה, קו קר הwhat will become of his dreams.'(Bereshit 37:20)םאל אכ נלהה 25 And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted עי י, ומיי קשאו ת, ללחלם-ל לל,תי קשבו, כה ומ up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan עא ילים נבאה,םא קר מחת יי קש קמ ת תנה, קו יה,מו יי קראו of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their נקכלאת ו קצ ירי,י ההם לנשקאש ים, ימ יג קלענד; ו קג ממ תלcamels bearing spicery and balm and ladanum, קלה םו יריד ימ קצ נר קי נמה,ה םו קל יכים-- נולטgoing to carry it down to Egypt.ישכ ,בל מצע-ממה : לא נחיו-לאל ,קיהו נדה מו םיא למר כו 26 And Judah said unto his brethren: 'What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? תנ נה הא.דנמ םו- אלת, קו יכ יסינו,א יחינו-םרג תשה שכ א נ-תדנו אל, קו ני קלכו 27 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, ,תעא ילים, מל יי קש קמ קו ינ קמ קכ לרנו כז and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our, הוא; מו יי קש קמעו,תרנו, יחי ו קב נש- י,ב םו-תק יbrother, our flesh.' And his brethren hearkened . לא נחיוunto him. מויימקשקכו,כח מו מי מע קברו נא ננ ישים ימ קד ני ינים םס נח ירים 28 And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen;ף,יום תס- מו יי קמ קכרו לאת, מהב םור-תף מין,י םוס-מו מי נעלו לאת and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty ;אכ הסף הע רש שריםמו ני יביאו קב,עא ילים,מל יי קש קמ ת shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. . ימ קצ נר קי נמה,ף,י םוסת-אלת(Bereshit 37:25-28) = הע רש שרים אכ הסףtwenty shekels – gematria = 78076 (Kahane) x 10 = 760 plus 20 shekels = 780 = הע רש שרים אכ הסףברtwo (2) Alludes to two Kahane’s sold for 20 shekels. 151
Vayeshev (2006)JealousyThe Highest Place in heaven and the Lowest place in HellThe perfidious story of how the children of Israel came to destroy their brother and aggrieve theirfather can be understood much clearer when we view the events surrounding Rav Kahane. This Parshaas we have already seen has the name Kahane all over it. Of course if Rav Kahane is Moshiach benYoseph then certainly this Parsha would be one filled with references and allusions to him. We haveseen how the letters of the name Kahane appeared at least seven times within the passage dealing withthe abduction of Yoseph and in the passage below the name Kahane is revealed even more directly.מו ני יביאו אנא- תה הכ-לאל,מה מפ יסים קכ םת לנת-מו קי מש קלחו לאתלב32 and theysent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said: 'This have, ר: םזאת נמ נצאנו, ומיםא קמרו, נא יבי להםwe found. Identify please whether it is thy son's .לא-אים-- מה קכ םת לנת יב קנך יהואcoat or not.'(Bereshit 37:32)This is one of the most perfidious episodes of the Torah. The brothers have so much hatred of Yosephthat even now after they have done away with him, they still cannot even mention his name. By askingYacov to identify his sons coat it was also adding insult to injury.By this action they were alluding to Yacov that other sons never received a special coat from theirfather so only he could recognize it. They were also hinting that maybe this was a punishment to Yacovfor his behaviour towards Yoseph. The same kind of false morality cloaked the speeches of RavKahanes enemies. 'He who lives by the sword dies by the sword',etc, and other such perversedescriptions, when it was really they who abandoned him, disqualified him, and most likely arrangedhis death. Just as the brothers could not bring themselves to mention Yoseph’s name; so too is it illegalto mention the name Kahane or wear a Kahane T-shirt. The attempt to defame him and erase hismemory, is the act of desperate men and ‘jealous’ men.There are two types of Jealousy; one good and one evil. The jealousy Cain had of Hevel is an evil kindthat made him lose the greatest good he had and gain nothing but punishment. Korach is a similar story(there is a Midrash that says Korach was in fact a giglul of Cain and received his just punishment fromMoshe). The former wandered the earth for generations and was shot dead with an arrow, the other wassent to linger in a kind of purgatory forever claiming that Moshe is true and his torah is true.How can jealousy be a holy thing? When it defines ones love for the Creator, this jealous love is a veryholy thing. The love that Pinchas had for Hashem; to kill Zimri, because he felt the shame andhumiliation Hashem felt, regardless of the danger was similar to Yoseph who despite his knowledge ofhis brothers hatred, had to stand up and say the truth, despite whatever consequences there may havebeen. This type of love which attaches itself to the Creator even when it is not politically correct to doso is the true love that Hashem seeks. 152
ר-לאלמו ני יביאו ,מה מפ יסים קכ םת לנת-מו קי מש קלחו לאת לב 32 and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said: 'This have, ננא- מהכ: םזאת נמ נצאנו, ומיםא קמרו, נא יבי להםwe found. Know now whether it is thy son's coat .לא- יאם-- מה קכ םת לנת יב קנך יהואor not.'(Bereshit 37:32)Inside we see the letters Kahane as well as the letter ‘Reish’. Maybe this ‘Reish’ also alludes to the oneplace in the Torah where the ‘reish’ is spelled large. יכי קיה נוהר: ת,תאל אח, קל ,ית קש מת נח לוה לא יכי יד 14 For thou shalt bow down to no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous .תאל מק ננא הוא, , מק ננא קשמ םוGod;(Shmot 34:14)What is the ‘Acher’ mean? Chazal says this refers to idolatry. The ‘reish’ itself appears to be bowingdown. Our Parsha deals with a kind of idolatry, the idolatry of jealousy. The jealousy we are referringto in our Parsha is a jealousy of those who see that Hashem has a special love for someone, and insteadof becoming closer to the ‘loved one’ assume that he is using manipulation to gain this love and isthreatening their positions. As we have mentioned, we saw a similar psychological circumstance withCain and with Korach. The relationship between the 70 Nations and the Nation of Israel is also similarand reflects this paradigm. Ironically the passage continues to say that Hashem too is a jealous G-d.What does this mean?קיה נוה יכי :חתר, אל א, קל ת,יד יכי לא ית קש מת נח לוה 14 For thou shalt bow down to no other god; for .תאל תקנאא הוא, ,תק אנא קשמ םו the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God;(Shmot 34:14)The traditional interpretation is that just like a father is jealous when his son is drawn away from himby something degrading, he is jealous of that lure that took his son away. In the reverse, one who feelsthe pain of Hashem and is jealous for his honor and tries to correct the wrong despite endangeringhimself, this is the definition of one who is jealous (or zealous) for Hashem. This is why the wordjealous defines the highest level of love. If Hashem uses this term to define Himself, then one who isjealous for Hashem’s honor and has no thought of what he might lose by expressing this love, we candeduce, that this is one who is loved by Hashem, even more than others. 153
Kahane the Antidote to IdolotryThe Tzaddik who is jealous for the honor of Hashem and hates that which embarrasses Him rectifiesthe root cause of Hashems anger. Hashem on the other hand is also jealous at this thing that has takenHis children away, but of course He can’t really do anything about it, it must come from his children,He can’t force them to love Him. The one who is jealous for Hashem leads the way in bringing aboutthat return from the children.If we look again at this passage we see that hidden in these words of jealousy that emanate fromselection of one over another we can see, like the story of Yoseph, one who is selected above others.This one is Kahane; the one who alleviates Hashems pain, and makes Him proud of His children. If welook at this passage we see that Hashem, the Jealous G-d, associates His name with Kahane, forKahane too is Jealous for Him. As if to say to all the defamers who claim that his Torah is false andmanipulated to serve his ambitions, that they are wrong about him just as they were wrong aboutYoseph.Their Torah in fact was self-serving and his ambitions were not coming from ego, but rather fromhumility. The Rabbi explained the meaning of humility by relating a story of a famous Rebbe whoanswered a student that questioned why Hashem gave the Torah on Mount Sinai. ‘If Hashem wanted toteach us humility by not giving us the Torah on a big mountain but rather a small one, why didn’t hegive it to us in a valley? Wouldn’t that be more appropriate?’ The Rabbi answered that it is to teach twothings. #1 Be humble #2 Don’t be too humble.’ In other words don’t be walked over.Rav Kahane fought battles for Hashem because He had the right gifts and qualities and there was noone else, so he had to be Meir Kahane. People often would say ‘if only he had compromised a little, hewould have gotten a lot further, and he wouldn’t have been assassinated’. The Rabbi used to answerthis criticism by saying that this is precisely what makes him Kahane and not another politician. Theyknow I cannot be bought. This is why I am a threat to them. That pure unadulterated love, self-sacrificeand humility (in the proper sense), is what earned him the special status of having his name associatedwith Hashem.י קיה נוהשכ :תחר, א תאל, קל ,ית קש מת נח לוה לא יכי יד 14 For thou shalt bow down to no other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous אנא.תאל מק ננא הוא, , מק קשמ םוGod;(Shmot 34:14)To further illustrate the connection between Hashem associating his name with Kahane and our Parshathat deals with the Torah of Jealousy, let us look at one more passage. The same letters that make up thewords ‘son of his old age’ can be re-written as ‘they were jealous’ ,אל,קו יי קש נר ת 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all hisם ה- לבן-כיי-- נב נניו-ימכנל children, because he was the son of his old age; סף,י םו ת-אהמב אלת ג. קכ םת לנת מפ יסים, לום; קו נעשנה ל םו, קז כק יני ואand he made him a coat of many colors.(Bereshit 37:3)Hem = They 154
הק שני וא- לבן-כיי-- נבנניו-מיכנל ג 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his סף,יום ת-א מהב לאת ,תל,קויישק נרא children, because he was the son of his old age;. קכ םת לנת מפ יסים, ל םו; קוענ נשה לום, זק ם הand he made him a coat of many colors.(Bereshit 37:3)Hem Yikanehu = They envied. This is alluded to a few verses later on.רי תק רנאו- נש ממר אלת, לא נחיו; וקא יביו,בום- יא מו11 And his brethren envied him; but his father מה נד נברkept the saying in mind.(Bereshit 37:11)And who was this person that was hated because Hashem had chosen him, just like Israel choseYoseph?שכ- לבן-י-- נב נניו-ימכנל תסף, י םו-א מהב לאת ,תאל, קו יי קש נר ג 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age;שנ ה א. קכ םת לנת מפ יסים, ל םו; וקענשנה לום, קז כק ים וand he made him a coat of many colors.(Bereshit 37:3)In conclusion, the story of Moshiach ben Yoseph will be similar to the story of the original Yoseph. Tounderstand the concept of Moshiach ben Yoseph we need look no further than Rav Kahane. The samejealousy the brothers had of Yoseph is the jealousy of Moshiach ben Yoseph, who will rectify the sinsof the past. The rectification will take place in a similar fashion after 22 years of reflection that endwith ‘od yoseph chai’ or Kahane Chai, and Yoseph was right or ‘Kahane Tzadek’.The rectification will be centered around a revelation or clarification of Torah that deals with Jealousy,and Zealotry as well as love and extremism. It will be understood what Hashem holds dear and close,and what is the derech that He expects of us and hopes for in us. It will be clear that the ones who werepreviously called extreme and fanatic were truly humble and jealous for their G-d while those whopersecuted them, were persecuting Hashem and delaying the Moshiach.It will be a clarification and vindication of who the true Tzadik was and who were the rogues cloakedin false morality. The children of the Tzaddik who like him demonstrate their love of their G-d byprotesting scandalous leadership, clinging to their Land and settling it despite the beatings from outsideand from within. The children like those of Gush Kaif that also become Moshiach ben Yoseph willgrow like Binyamin naming each child after their brother.Israel loved Yoseph because he was a son of the Torah, the authentic Torah that Hashem desires. This iswhy Hashems name is associated with his Torah and desires it more than others. In the same way thatgentiles will no longer hate the Jews but will come and learn from them, so will those who despise thevery word Kahane come to recognize the true meaning of Kahane which is a man whose love of G-dand his people is unmatched.How can one love those who persecute and destroy him? How can one love those who have brought somuch pain and terror? How can one love such fools that have allowed wild beasts to run free and 155
sentenced their own people to death and destruction? How can one love those whose leaders think onlyof their own selfish desires and have sold their sheep for a shoelace while they sit and dine withouthearing their cries. How can one have such a love?Only a father can love in this way, with the understanding that his child is growing and will cause himpain until the day he comes of age. The child who comes of age and feels the hopes and desires of hisfather and the shame his children cause Him, this is a child of His old age. This is the child that He hasbeen waiting for and that will rectify all of the suffering of the past by reawakening within us our newheart and we will understand the path that leads towards blessing and understand the curse that weourselves created.The Two DreamsIn the beginning of our sidra the brothers hated Yoseph but they were not jealous of him until after thesecond dream. It was the second dream that their father Israel heard and he kept this dream in mind. Itwas now that the brothers conspired to do away with him. These two dreams allude to our present timeof Moshiach ben Yoseph. Rav Kahane became a member of parliament and the country was shockedthat he managed to get a seat. He was not taken seriously though, and his dreams of leadership wereconsidered far fetched. The second time he ran, however, the polls were showing that his seats wereincreasing and could threaten the government. It was at this point that the jealous brothers had himbanned, and later quite possibly arranged for a wild beast to kill him.The Difference between Hatred and JealousyBelow we can see the hatred in the beginning, and see how it transforms to envy and jealousy after the2nd dream. ,לא נחיו 4 And when his brethren saw that their fatherתו שי רש רנאו- םאת םו א מהב נא יבי להם ימכנל-יכי ד מו יי קראו --לא נחיו loved him more than all his brethren, they hated מד קבר םו, אםת םו; וקלא ינכקלו, him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. .קלשנלם;תגד קל לא נחיו, מו מי,סף נחל םום,ה מו מי נחלם י םו ת 5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to . רשנלא םאת םו,תויול שספו עולד his brethren; and they hated him yet the more.(Bereshit 37:4-5),תלינו, נה נמלך ית קמלך נע, לא נחיו, ח מו םיא קמרו ל םו8 And his brethren said to him: 'Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominionנבנו; תויול שספו עולד רש לנא ית קמ םשל נמש םול-יאם over us?' And they hated him yet the more for his . קד נב נריו- נחל םמ נתיו קו מעל- עמל, םאת םוdreams, and for his words.ב םו-מו יי קג מער , לא נחיו-וקאלל ,א יביו-לאל תפר, מו קי מס י 10 And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him: 156
מה נחל םום מה לזה נא לשר מו םיא למר ל םו נמה,א יביו 'What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall,נא יני קו יא קמך קוא לחיך , נהב םוא ננב םוא:נח נל קמ נת I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down to thee to the earth?' . ארק נצה, קל יה קש מת נחום םות קלךתו רי תק רנאו בול- נש ממר אלת, לא נחיו; קוא יביו, - יא 11 And his brethren envied him; but his father .מה נד נבר kept the saying in mind.(Bereshit 37:8-10,11)Vayeshev (2011-12-17)The KnessetWhen the Rabbi was first elected to the Knesset the ruling powers where shocked but did not take theKach party seriously. He was a mere annoyance. When he would speak they would exit the Knesset andmidda keneged midda, when the Israeli ambassador in the United Nations would speak many Nationswould also walk out. In 1990, understanding that the Rabbi was increasing in popularity the jealousy ofthe ruling clique turned to the courts to help them destroy this heavenly voice. They decided to ban himfrom running by calling his party ‘racist’. Stripped of his ability to run for office he continued to speakand fight for Israel with new strategies but he was weakened by this cruel act that denied thousands ofIsraeli’s their right to vote and decide the nature of their state. It was in this weakened state without thestandard body guards issued to every Knesset member in public speaking forums, that he was gunneddown by an Arab. This act that preceded the final curtain can be seen here hidden in the letters of thisweeks Parsha.; לא נחיו-תף אלל,י םוס נבא-מכ נא לשר ,מו קי יהי כג 23 And it came to pass, when Joseph was comeמו מי קפ ישיטורכ לת הנ ס unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his ת הפ י ם- אלת, ככ נת קנת םו-סתף אלת, יום- אלתcoat, the coat of many colors that was on him; נא לשר נע נליו.The bold letters spell Knesset – Read: Lets strip him of his glory and ban him. The letters in the spacesspell out ‘Met’ the Mouth of God. Death to the mouth of God.RecognitionProbably the most discerning and poignant words of this Parsha are found in two simple words – HaKer Na. When Yehuda offers the blood stained cloak to his father and asks innocently, ‘do yourecognize this coat?’ The irony is that the same guilty man who innocently asks Israel to identify thebody of his hated half brother whom he killed, later gives birth to the same brother as his own son. Theshock of the birth of his own Yoseph is announced with the same words that fly back in Yehuda’s face. 157
‘Identify please, it is from this man whom I am with child.’ר-לאלמו ני יביאו,מה מפ יסים קכ םת לנת-מו קי מש קלחו לאת לב 32 and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said: “We found, אנא- תה הכ: םזאת נמ נצאנו, מו םיאמקרו, נא יבי להםthis; identify, if you please: Is it your son’s .לא- יאם-- מה קכ םת לנת יב קנך יהואtunic or not?They say that evil people, even if they are living , it is like they are dead. Tzadikim on the other handmay die, but continue to live on. There is something that glares out from these letters. The voice of Godthat our leaders tried to destroy only increased and is born from inside the Nation. Without having tolook for hidden gematrias Ha Kar Na spells very clearly Rav Kahane. ‘Identify please’ whose deadbody is this followed by ‘identify please’ whose rebellion is this that is becoming the State of Judea.,לא םמר, נח ימי נה ת- קו יהיא נש קל נחה לאל,תאת,כה היוא מוצ 25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: 'By the man, whose these , א םנ יכי הנ נרה; ומ םתאמלר,א ללה ל םו, ת-קל יאיש נא לשר are, am I with child'; and she said: 'Discern, Iר, קל ימי מה םח לת למת קו מה קפ יתי ילים קו מה ממ לטה--נאא- הת הכpray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the .תא ללה, נהwrap, and the staff.'Those who hated Moshiach ben Yoseph and arranged for him to be killed by a wild animal wanted tokeep the power in their hands and so they did. They got Err, and then they got Onen. While Yoseph hasbeen imprisoned let us look at the government who has ruled the Nation over these years and the Err’sand Onen’s they have given birth to.Many articles have been written regarding the fate of the leadership that implemented the disgracefuldestruction of Gush Katif. Here is a list of the dignitaries and their positions at the time.Moshe Katzav – President of the State of Israel – now in prison for rape.Ariel Sharon – Prime MinisterAriel Sharon was Prime Minister at the time of the destruction of Gush Katif. Many years earlier, whenMoshe Arens resigned from the position of Minister of Defense because he refused to destroy the townYamit, Ariel Sharon took over from him – and razed Yamit to the ground. As Prime Minister manyyears later, the destruction of Gush Katif was his idea and his responsibility entirely. He suffered twostrokes soon after the destruction and subsequent Gaza withdrawal and has been in a coma for anumber of years. Neither the ground nor the Devil will receive him. This seems apt for a man who hasenormous credits to his name in the building of the State of Israel.But the destruction of Gush Katif ways heavily over all these achievements – and Sharon lies in thebalance: neither dead nor alive.Ehud Olmert – Deputy PM - forced to resign due to allegations of bribery and corruptionHaim Ramon – Deputy PM - Haim Ramon was Deputy Prime Minister at the time of the destructionof Gush Katif. He later became Minister of Justice, and was subsequently forced to resign in disgracefollowing one accusation of sexual harassment. He was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to a fewmonths labour at a horse stable. 158
Dan Halutz – IDF Chief of Staff - forced to resign his position as Chief of Staf due to failure in the 2ndLebanon war.Mosha Karadi – Chief of Police - Moshe Karadi, Chief of Police at the time of the destruction of GushKatif, resigned after dubious involvement in criminal activity. A committee appointed to examine thematter reached a majority decision that Karadi should not be asked to resign, but that he should not beoffered the customary 4th year extension of his appointment. He resigned after the decision wasannounced.Uri Bar Lev - Police Chief of Southern Command - forced to resign appointment as Chief of Policedue to a number of allegations of sexual misconductIn the final scene of this series of pleasure seeking politicians that brought an early political death uponthemselves comes a new announcement. All of a sudden Yehuda is ready to burn his daughter in law forher immorality. Yehuda whose fine moral sons have not met with such good luck is suddenlyexpressing the religious wrath and zeal of a Kohen Gadol. He runs to do the mitzvah of burning her atthe stake.In the news this week the government is up in arms against the Hilltop youth. They are altering lawsand changing the rules of engagement against these loyal sons of Israel. They are being called criminalsand terrorists for protesting the continued expulsion and destructions of their homes in Yehuda andShomron. On the front page of the Israeli paper 21 years after the death of Rav Kahane is a picture ofone of the young protestors wearing a t-shirt with a large picture of Rabbi Kahane on it. How can it bethat they are still arresting and persecuting Kahane 21 years after he was supposed to be dead?And as the flames are heated up and Yehuda is ready to burn Tamar who he thought was a nobody;another prostitute that he could buy with a goat and an official document he realizes that his ‘Israelspring’ is coming (l'havdil). He can kill one Kahane or two Kahane’s but can he destroy his owndaughter in law whom he has made promises to? Are all the previous settlements that were approvedand ratified by the government now null and void? Is he willing to make war against his own Nation?Just as the laws were altered to ban Kahane before his murder, like the media machine that defined themurder of the martyrs of the Alta Lena as the Holy Canon’s; so now true to the un-democratic traditionof Israel’s leadership the stakes are being prepared.The surprise will fly back to Yehuda in his own words. The sins of his past will be revealed in order torectify the Nation and put it back on its spiritual course. It is a pleasure to see the picture of the Rav onthe front page again. This time he has multiplied into hundreds and thousands of youngsters in Yehudaand Shomron, as well as young people in cities and towns, as well as Moshe Feiglin inside the Likud,the governing body of the Nation.Indeed, ‘Do you recognize where this rebellion comes from?’ You who thought you could destroy thedreamers with cruelty and violence to keep your personal fiefdoms and deny the people of Israel theirvoice will have to face the truth of your sins at some point. It is the time of Chanuka and the smallagainst the many once again have had enough of being raped and pillaged. The pure is fighting backagainst the impure that wish to impose on them. The scholars are fighting back against the cruel judgesthat have persecuted them too long. Yehuda is giving birth to Yoseph through Tamar and he will becalled the State of Judea. Sounds familiar? Do you recognize it? It was created 21 years earlier byRabbi Meir Kahane. 159
Vayeshev 2007The Eternal CandleThe Jewish people are a candle in the exile. We shed light in this long darkness of exile preservingHashem’s original intention and thought, and through our hard-pressed light G-d is revealed. Thedestiny of Israel is the evolution of Hashem’s presence in the world. This is not a new idea. The Torahof Rav Kahane reveals a deeper idea, namely; the candle inside of the candle. Within the IsraeliteNation there is also an inner light and an inner exile. The interplay between this inner darkness andinner light is the true catalyst that effects and governs outside forces.One way to understand this idea is to look at our Parsha. The decent into Egypt may appear on thesurface as being brought about by outside forces of famine, etc. The deeper root of these eventshowever is clearly the interplay between the forces of hatred, jealousy and light within our own family.The more one understands this hidden, internal light, the more one understands world events.Oppression directed against Israel from outside forces is always reflexive of oppression directed withinbetween our own brothers. In other words, there is a Joseph in every generation, and in each generationwe suffer because of our continued sins. If we look inside we see the inner working of this Ner (candle)()נר. In Parsha KiSissa these two Hebrew letters are written in a large font.Nun of NerThe neighboring words shed light on the power of these two letters that combined spell Ner (candle).The first letter (nun) is the center piece of Emet Notzer Chesed. (Shmot 34:7). Hashem’s originalintention was for the world to stand on Truth. This was not possible because man was fallible.Alternatively if the world was governed simply by Chesed, then we would be like babies and wouldlack the true good of earning reward which is higher than Chesed. Notzer, represents the Tzadik, theHoly man who is able to live up to Hashem’s original standard. It is on his merit, that the world exists,and it is also on his merit that Chesed is given to others who are not able to live up to this standard. Wesee this idea played out a few lines earlier in the very same Parsha where Moshe requests to be blottedout for the sake of Israel.Resh of AcherרThe Resh represents rasha, the evil of those who serve ‘other’ gods (acher) ת,אח. The jealousy andanger that Hashem feels towards those who worship foreign gods, is parallel to the jealousy that thebrothers had towards Yoseph. They were moved to an act of violence because they felt their veryessence and power was threatened. Hashem is moved to acts of violence when His essence isthreatened. The special love that Israel had towards Yoseph is the same love that Hashem has towardsHis Tzadikim. Hashem may be lenient when we violate laws toward Him, however when His speciallove is violated, this brings out jealousy and retribution. As we saw with Yacov, as long as Yoseph wassuffering in exile the divine presence left him. His light was extinguished for twenty two years as hemourned his favorite son.The Ner in each GenerationIn every generation there is a Yoseph. In every generation there is a Nun that represents ‘Notzer’. Inevery generation there are forces that seek to uproot this ‘Notzer’ because his essence represents the 160
true divine command and ideal. His ‘Notzer’ can destroy their ‘Acher’ and so they must destroy himfirst. It is this interplay that orchestrates destiny. Yoseph understood this interplay and was able toorchestrate destiny himself as he manipulated his brothers in the chapters that follow. The Tzadik isable to orchestrate destiny because he is Hashem’s favored pupil. Just as Yoseph was Israel’s favoritepupil, the Tzadik is able to fulfill the truest intention of Hashem. Through the suffering of the Tzadikthe original light of creation continues and is renewed. Whether the Tzadik survives, whether he isimprisioned, or whether he is assassinated, his purpose is to cling to the truest light and through himthis light continues.The Ner in our ParshaThe struggle of Acher and Notzer is seen in our Parsha and alludes to the Moshiach Ben Yoseph of ourday and our future. In the same way that the Israelite Nation is elected as a signpost to the world,Tzadikim are also selected as examples. There was a famous anecdote regarding Napoleon, the non-believer, who asked one of his learned advisers: “Can you give me any proof that God exists?” “TheJews, Sir” was the answer. Simply naming our Nation was enough to recognize the true light ofHashem. Now one might say there are many kinds of Jews and they all have many opinions. Whoamong them demonstrates the truest light of Hashem? Hashem answers us in His Torah.The Ner in our HaftorahWe spoke in the beginning regarding the jealousy of Hashem. Hashem is willing to take personal abuseand still show kindness. He is willing to give, though we don’t deserve goodness. There is little He willnot withhold. There is a point however, which angers Him and brings divine retribution. When weoppress the one who demonstrates the true image that He wishes to convey it undermines His essenceand the Notzer is no longer present. Not only do we lack the Notzer, who is willing to be the examplefor us all, the Notzer is like Hashem’s first born. Punishment comes for the sake of vengeance of theTzadik. In the kinot we mourn the destruction of the Temple and all of the forefathers are mentioned asthey pray for Hashem’s leniency. None succeed except for the tears of Rachel. Hashem asks us how Hecan appease the blood of the prophet that we murdered on the steps of the Temple? He responds thatonly the tears of Rachel can appease Him. It is as if to say, if Rachel the mother of Yoseph will beappeased, then so be it, I too will be appeased. This idea is expressed in our HaftorahFor three I forgive but for a fourth? Haarba spells none other than Rav Kahane - Rav (76),אל,עי יי קש נר ת, קשל נשה יפ קש ת- מעל, א ממר קיה נוה, ו םכה6 Thus saith the LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not reverse it: ימ קכ נרם מב לכ לסףרר אב- מעל:נעה לא נא ישי לבנו א-קו מעל because they sell the righteous for silver, and the קו לא קבי םון מב נעבור מנ נע נל יים, מצ ידיקneedy for a pair of shoes;,אל,עי יי קש נר ת, קשל נשה יפ קש ת- מעל, א ממר קיה נוה, ו םכה6 Thus saith the LORD: For three transgressions of Israel, yea, for four, I will not reverse it: ימ קכ נרם מב לכ לסףא עאה- מעל:לא נא ישי לבנוקר נב -וקעמל because they sell the righteous for silver, and the קו לא קבי םון מב נעבור מנ נע נל יים, מצ ידיקneedy for a pair of shoes;(Amos 2:6) = ארקבנ עאהfor four = 76 gematria = Kahane = א רר אב נעהfor four = Rav 161
Vayeshev (2008)מה לכ ננא,אנבייהלם-מו ני יביאו לאל, קכ םת לנת מה מפ יסים-מו קי מש קלחו לאתלב32 and theysent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father; and said: 'This have מה קכ םת לנת יב קנך, - ר: םזאת נמ נצאנו, מו םיא קמרוwe found. Know now whether it is thy son's .לא- יאם-- יהואcoat or not.'These words are mirrored in the below passage of Yehuda and Tamar. Much has been written about theconnection the most popular being the rebuke and exacting retribution that Yehuda felt when the samewords he destroyed his father with were now being used by another that he was about to destroy. It wasthese word that brought about his Teshuva as well. Just as his father suffered the loss of his child, soYehuda suffered the loss of his two children. It was these words that echoed these tragic events. In lightof events today and the recurring Moshiach ben Yoseph that we have written about, I see the abovepassage alluding to Cain and Hevel. The same Cain who said ‘am I my brothers keeper’, knowing fullwell that he was his executioner is echoed here but with a slightly different meaning. Read the passageas follows:If Rav Kahane is your chosen son, and he carries Hashems mission, then look now at his legacy, at hisTorah that shined like Yoseph’s coat of glory. Why would Hashem allow him to be killed if he was sucha Tzadik? Look now at Rav Kahane, is his Torah really true? Yes or no? Tamar responds by answeringit wasn't Hashem that took him it was you. Just as Cain was responsible for Abel so was Yehudaresponsible for Yoseph. Who does the signet, wrap, and staff belong to? It is you who transgress notHim. Recognition (2013)One of the main themes in this Parsha can be summed up in one word ‘Recognition’. ‘Ha Kerna’ ‘Doyou recognize?’ This phrase is used in two places. The brothers do not recognize that Yoseph is aTzadik, and in their jealousy conspire to assassinate him, and opt instead to sell him. They bring hisblood stained coat to their father and Yehuda says ‘Do you recognize this?’ This phrase later comesback to Yehuda when in his righteous wrath he is about to burn yet another Tzadikes Tamar whoresponds ‘Do you recognize these items?’ Yehuda then realizes his terrible mistakes.How do we understand this today?There is a battle that has been evolving over the last hundred years between Zionists and those opposedto a secular State. Both have their merits and both have sins to atone for.The Torah WorldThe Torah world separated themselves from secular Zionists and shunned them like Yoseph. Before theShoa many Torah leaders could have encouraged their congregants to make aliya to Israel not onlybecause of the historic times, but also to save their lives. Instead many discouraged their congregants toimmigrate to ‘Zionist’ Israel and risk losing their Judaism. Many perished because of this. Today ismuch the same. It is easier to be a Torah observant Jew in the exile, and there is no greatencouragement to make Aliya, neither for the historic times we live in, nor for the dangers that are 162
looming in America. The religious sector is represented in the Knesset in Israel, but the main agenda inthe political world is money and benefits for yeshivas. In order to secure their budget the Torah worldhas often voted for bills that were destructive to the nation like the expulsion of Gush Katif. In a similarway Yehuda was concerned only with his own personal interest when he had relations with Tamar. Inthe end he was shocked to discover that what he thought was a Kedaisha (prostitute) was Kedosh(holy). Although Zionist Israel may have appeared to be something unholy, in the end it was Hashemsdesign that it should be this way. From the hatred of Yoseph to the realization of the holiness of Tamarwho says ‘do you recognize’? In the end the Torah world will atone for the sins of whom theycondemned by their hatred of their Zionist brother and the influence of aliyah they could haveencouraged. Their tikkun will come from their encouragement to participate in the birth of a newNation in the territory of Yehuda; the State of Judea.The Zionist WorldThe Zionists have also persecuted the faithful Jews who have settled in Yehuda and Shomron. Theanimosity many feel towards those who settle the ‘occupied’ Lands is as venomous as the hatred thebrothers felt against Yoseph. Within this hatred there is also jealousy of the faith and courage that thesesettlers have. However the fear of repercussions due to settlement and the anger at having to serve armyduty in those areas overshadows their admiration. As the Nation slowly becomes more faithful due tothe failure of the Gush Katif experiment and consequent wars there is less animosity and fear becausewe feel we are all in the same boat but Yoseph is still blamed and sold and expelled. The State believesit can uproot communities at will for a perceived political benefit. The hilltop youth who defy and resistare punished with the full extent of the law. Yehuda in our Parsha also believes that he can fulfill hisdesires as he wishes. In the end he becomes enraged at what he perceives is unlawful but is silencedupon his recognition that it is he himself who gave birth to this Nation. The State of Judea will embraceIsrael and the brothers will be unified once again.The letters Hakarna (do you recognize) also spell Rabbi Kahane. It is not without coincidence. He washated and scorned and vilified from the Torah world to the secular world, yet from both camps he hadfaithful followers. His Torah bridged the rift between these two worlds but the hatred and jealousy ofhis rising popularity was intense. He was also assassinated by a wild beast, like Yoseph. The Torah heleft behind has inspired Knesset members, religious leaders, and the hilltop youth of Yesha. He is alsothe spiritual founder of the State of Judea. The Farbrengen (2015)I go to a Chabbad Bet Knesset and at the farbrengen surrounded by chassids of the Rebbe I was askedto say a L'chaim and so I spoke these words.The whole essence and suspense of this weeks Parsha can be found within one word. That word isHakerna. It was the word that Yehuda said that broke his fathers heart and the word that Tamar said thatbroke Yehuda's heart. It was the word that made Yehuda think twice. Maybe he was wrong aboutYoseph. Maybe Yoseph was not a Rasha, maybe he was a Tzaddik. Then what did that make Yehuda?Were his hands stained? The reflections that began in Yehudas mind and his brothers minds are aprecondition to the revelation of the Moshiach.What are some of the Gematrias of Hakerna (276)? 163
תו שי רצ תעק,תרי א יביו, יד קב- לאת,ע נשו, לד יכ קש םמ מע ת34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and,קלא יביו מו םיא למר ; קמ םאד-מעד קג םד נלה ו נמ נרה,קצ נע נקה א יני א יבי-תכ יני מגם, נב קר said to his father: 'Bless me, even me also, O my father.'(Bereshit 27:34) אנא- = תה הכרdo you recognize = 276 = ותישצר תעקhe cried = 276,בי נהא לרץ, םי קש ת-לא ת םו ירישו לאת- נה קו יאם55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of קל יש יכים,תמ להם, קו נה ניה נא לשר ת םו יתירו--ני לכם, ימ קפ תthe land from before you, then shall those that you let remain of them be as thorns in your eyes, andתדי לכם; קו נצ קררורו של רצ שני שנם, קב יצ ני לכם,תעי ת, קב they shall harass as pricks in your sides, and נא לשר מא לתם םי קש יבים נבה, נהא לרץ- מעל-- לא קת לכםyou in the land wherein you dwell.(Bamidbar 33:55) אנא- = תה הכרdo you recognize = 276 = רולש רצ שני שנםas pricks = 276 מה ממ קח נתה- מקח לאת,א נה םרן- יא מו םיא למר םמ לשה לאל11 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take the fire-pan,,תב מח קו ישים קק םט לרת, מ מעל מה ימ קז,אש ת, נע ללי נה ת- קו לתןand put on it fire from upon the altar, and place incense, and carry it quickly to the assembly, and:לי להם,תפר נע ת, קו מכ,תע נדה, נה-תה נרה לאל, לך קמ,קוה םו תהתקה הצף-יכי make atonement for them; for the fury has goneתחל מה ננ לגף, תה, ,תני קיה נוה, ימ יל קפ ניצנא out from the presence of Hashem; the plague has begun.'(Bamidbar 17:11) אנא- = תה הכרdo you recognize = 276 = תה הק הצףthe fury = 276; שד רב לרי הכם- מעל, יבי- כא מויה נוה יה קת מא מנף21 Now the LORD was angered with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over םבא- ו קל יב קל יתי,דן, מה מי קר ת- קל יב קל יתי נע קב ירי לאת,מו יי נש מבע תן, נא לשר קיה נוה לאל להיך םנ ת, נהא לרץ מהט םו נבה-לאל the Jordan, and that I should not go in to that good קלך מנ נח נלה land, which the LORD thy God gives you for an inheritance;(Dvarim 4:21) אנא- = תה הכרdo you recognize = 276 = שד רב לרי הכםfor your sakes= 276 164
What is the connection between these Gematrias? We may think our problems come from the cries ofEsav or from the thorns and pricks of Ishmael in the Land or the fury of Hashem but this is not theorigin of our problems these are the results. The origin of our problems come from within our family;from the labeling and persecution of Tzadikim. It is precisely these Tzadikim that have the medicine toheal us that we attack and silence and this is the reason we suffer. It cannot be said any clearer than ourHaftorah. So said Hashem: For three rebellious sins of Israel - but should I not exact retribution for the fourth – for their having sold a righteous man for silver, and a destitute one for the sake of a pair of shoes?...For my Lord Hashem/Elokim will do nothing without having revealed his secret to His servants the prophets. (Amos 2:6/3:7)I have always said that if your Torah has not been banned, its not worth reading (The Kalisher Rebbe), andthe chassidim sitting here should understand this even more so. The Torah you study was outlawed atone time. Hundreds of years ago there were Jews that hated your Rebbes and caused them to be throwninto jail. Why was their Torah put in jail? For what reason? Because it was extremely important. It wasthe very remedy needed at that time.The real reason we suffer is because in every generation there is a Yoseph that is being sold and beatenand persecuted. This same Yoseph holds the key and remedy that we need; a remedy that HashemHimself sends to us, yet we destroy the messenger because the message is too difficult for us.Today there is a new Torah that is sitting in prison. It holds the remedy needed in our own generationand precisely because of this it sits in prison. The chassidim that sit in prison are not Chabadnikim infact they may study the Torah of the Gaon of Vilna who opposed chassidut. You however as chassidimthat willingly paid the price to bring chasidut into the world should contemplate for a moment the holysouls that are sitting in administrative detention today for no reason other than the Torah that theypractice that makes them black sheep.The reason that this Torah is in prison is because it is extremely important. It holds the remedy that isneeded today. If you want to know the name of the Torah of Moshiach that they practice it is writtenwith exactly the same letters as Hakerna in our Parsha. The word that holds the very essence of theParsha of Yoseph holds the very essence of our redemption today if we look at it closely as Yehuda didand begin to think twice. The word Hakerna my dear friends also spells Rav Kahane; if you can discernit. 165
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Kahane in the Parsha Miketz 167
MiketzPharoah said to his servants ,‘Could we find another like him?– a man in whom is the spirit of G-d?’ (Bereshit 41:38)(Hanimtza Haze Ish?)There was no one who spoke as Rabbi Kahane did and dared to say the words that he spoke. His wordsand ideas cost him his life but he continues to live long after his tragic murder. His whole life was asanctification of G-D’s name and was an example to us all. Where can we find another like him?מק נצהננש א : נע נב נדיו-לאל ,מפ קר םעה מו םיא למר לח 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants: 'Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit נא לשר רו מח לאל יהים ב םוכא, יאיש-- לזהof God is?'מרצא--א נכ לזהנה ינ : נע נב נדיו- לאל,לח מו םיא למר מפ קר םעה 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants: 'Can we נא לשר רו מח לאל יהים ב םו,יאיש find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?'Hidden in the letters is also (Mem) for Meir and (Tzaddik) for Tzaddik.Read: Meir Kahane ze ish Tzadik asher roach elokim bo. Meir Kahane is the righteous man in whom the spirit of God is.‘he pleaded with us and we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has come upon us.’ (Bereshit 42:21) (al ken ba’ah)Again we see the letters of Kahane, which explain both the suffering of the past and present.תש ימים, נא נבל נא,א יחיו- כא מו םיא קמרו יאיש לאל21 And they said one to another: Indeed we are נא לשר נר יאינו נצ מרת מנ קפש םו,א יחינו- נא מנ קחנו מעלguilty concerning our brother inasmuch as we saw his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us andנבלכן אה -מעל ;קולא נש נמ קענו ,תלינו, א,ת קב יה קת מח קננ םו we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has . מה נצ נרה מה םזאת,תלינו, תא, come upon us.And as for me, as I have been bereaved, so I am bereved”. (Bereshit 43:14) (shekalti, shekalti),ני נה יאיש,תתן נל לכם מר נח ימים יל קפ ת, יי,אל מש מדי, יד קו ת14 and God Almighty give you mercy before the; יב קנ ני ימין- קו לאת,תחר, נא יחי לכם א- קו יש מלח נל לכם לאתman, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I beאש לכ רל שתי אש אכ רל שתי. מכ נא לשר,מו נא יני bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.' 168
Shechalti = 760 or 10 x 76 (Kahane) – We see this written twice alluding to two great losses Rav Meirand Rav Binyamin.When the people of Yehuda (Yehuda V’Shomron) embrace Kahane’s ideology and defend it, as Yehudadefended Yoseph’s brother, and instead of being jealous, embrace Kahane as the true pathway toredemption, then Israel will reluctantly pave the way for the arrival of Moshiach. It was Israel whoprevented Yoseph/Kahane from being established, by ‘banning’ him. In the future, the ban will belifted, which will precede the coming of Moshiach.There are many people who quote Kahane without giving credit to their source. This is for a number ofreasons, among them, the fear of being branded, labeled, and persecuted by their own brothers. After 22years, when the process of teshuva takes hold, their must be a confession and an admission, of thesource of the Torah that has led us back to Zion.Israel here in our Parsha also echoes the day he sent Yoseph to find his brothers. Just as Hashem sendsthe Navi or messenger in each generation in the hope that he will lead the nation back, so too did Israelsend Yoseph, and now he sends Binyamin. Israel’s sigh, ‘if I lose him, I lose him’, is Hashem’s sighwhen He sent the Neveim of the past and Kahane of the present. Shekalti, Shekalti, is said twice, forthe two Kahane’s, the father and the son, like Yoseph and Binyamin, the continuation of the essence ofYacov, which is the essence of Israel. The gematria of each word is 760. This indicates Kahane in it’sfullest expression (76 x 10=760).The sigh of Israel is the sigh of Hashem. 'How many times have I sent Neviim (prophets) and howmany times were they murdered?' He also wants the Geula to come early but its our 'choice'. It mustcome from 'us'.Miketz 2005לכ להן,תנ מח, נצ קפ מנת מפ קע ,ף,יוםסת-שם,מפ קר םעה ת מו יי קק נרא מה 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath- paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath theפ םו יטי לפ מרע-א קס מנת מבת-ל םו אלת- מו יי לתןdaughter of Poti-phera priest of On. And Josephא. לא לרץ ימ קצ נר יים- מעל,סף,תצא י םו ת, תי, קל יא נשה; מו, אןwent out over the land of Egypt.-- קב לט לרם נתב םוא קש מנת,תני נב ינים, סף יכ מלד קש,נ ו קלי םו ת 50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before theפ םו יטי לפ מרע- מבת,ל םו א קס מנת- נא לשר ני קל נדה,נה נר נעב year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. .כל להן אוםןIt is unusual for the priest of On to be repeated. Once would be enough. Some say it is to draw outattention to the miracle that this butcher who controlled the main prison of Egypt, was somehow unableto be cruel towards Yoseph, even under the most incriminating circumstances. Not only this, but in theend this butcher gives his daughter to Yoseph. What is the connection to the two priests? The priest ofOn, and the Cohen that we call Rav Kahane?The explanation as I see it is quite mystical. Not only did death have no dominion over Yospeh, thebutcher of death became emasculated, through the power of Yoseph, and like the devil himself, was 169
forced to serve him.The daughter of Yakov that had been imprisoned in this golden castle is now released by the same forceand reunited with Yoseph. The rift that began between the children of Leah and the children of Rachelis rectified through a marriage between a daughter of Leah, and a son of Rachel. The greatest schismwithin the Nation of Israel is brought together and rectified through Yoseph and this union thatproduces Ephrayim and Menashe. Yoseph was the perfection of Yacov, as Ephraim and Menashe werethe perfection of tribes (see Twin Towers and Yoseph Book 2 Pg. 178 ).When the harsh judge is subdued then that which had been defiled is released from its domain andrestored to her rightful throne. The shechina went down with Yoseph and was imprisoned in his cell, aswell as in the golden palace of Potiphera. Rav Kahane’s name is associated with the ‘priest of On’,because part of the function of Moshiach ben Yoseph in the future is to rectify the schism in the Nation,and through the power of Torah defeat the accuser and release the holy sparks under his influence.Kahane in a sense twisted the arm of the accuser and defeated him. Many non-Jews became convertsbecause of the Rav’s Torah, even Arabs. Although he had many enemies and butchers who tried todestroy his reputation, in the end, even death cannot stop his Torah from living and increasing in theLand.The priest of light subdues the priest of darkness, through the power and ‘chen’ of Yoseph, and turnshim into both a servant and a key to the rectification of the Nation.Haftorah Shabbat Chanukaחן,קל ימישםר;ת ,קז כר נב לבל תני, מה נגד םול יל קפ-מהר אמתנה-מיי ז 7 Who art thou, O great mountain before Zerubbabel? thou shalt become a plain; and he,תקשכאוםת-- נה לא לבן נה םרא נשה- לאת, קוה םו יציאshall bring forth the top stone with shoutings of חן נלה,ת. Grace, grace, unto it.'(Zecharia 4:7)Zecharia was the prophet that was murdered in the Beit Hamigdash. It was because of his spilled bloodthat we suffered destruction. His murder was the last straw, and Hashem could no longer be merciful,when we had been so cruel. The prophet writes this Haftorah on Shabbat Chanuka. The force ofMoshiach ben Yoseph that is represented by the two murdered Kahane’s, we see alluded to in Chen,Chen. The La to me is a remez (hint) of the large Lamed from Nitzavim, and the large Hey fromHaazinnu. Kahane is the one that can explain to us, why we suffered the Lamed of exile and reprimandus regarding the Hey of Haazinu. The rectification of the Nation comes about through the martyrs whowere killed by the very Nation they loved. There is a Yoseph in every generation. שכ הש רנ א- נב-ניי 14 'Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for, lo, I י- יצי םון- מבת,יד נר יני קו יש קמ יחי come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith קיה נוה- קנ כאם,כך, קו נש מכ קנ יתי קבת םו ת. the LORD.(Zecharia 2:14)Who loved the Nation more than Rav Kahane who tried to lift us up to higher standard and was repaidby hatred, jealousy and violence? Like the prophet Zecharia murdered for his love of Israel so too wasa prophet in our own time. Read: Kahane Navi (prophet) 170
Miketz 2006From Bereshit to MiketzThe Art Scroll Siddur writes: “There are 146 verses in the Sidrah numerically corresponding to the mnemonics Yechizkiyahu and Amatzia. The Sidrah also contains 2025 words. The names Yechizkiyahu and Amatzia are the same as the mnemonics used for Sidrah Bereshit, implying that the two portions have common themes. Bereshit, the portion of Creation, proclaims Gods all powerful majesty; as creator of the Universe, only He sustains it and determines its course, whatever pretensions man may have to the contrary. In Sidrah Miketz we find Pharaoh considering himself a god and Egypt worshiping the Nile as its deity. Through the devices of abundance and famine, God displayed beyond doubt that only His is the power. Pharaoh and his people were forced to acknowledge that they were subservient to Joseph whose distinction was that whatever his position – slave or viceroy – he remained but a servant to God: He shall be my slave (R’ David Feinstein). Only in this Sidrah is the mnemonic provided for the number of words, in this case 2025. This alludes to Chanuka which usually falls in the week of Sidrah Miketz. On Chanuka we light a new ‘ner' ‘lamp’, for each of the eight nights. The numerical value of ner is 250; accordingly the eight lights of Chanuka gives a total 2000. Chanuka begins on the 25th of Kislev. Thus 2025 is an allusion to the lights and the date of Chanuka (Torah Temima).”Chanuka is appropriate not only because of the timing but also the connection to Bereshit for thepurpose of Creation is for God to have His place on earth. It is we who create that place through theopenings of our hearts. The Chanuka candles represent this as they inspire each other like the rebellionof the Maccabees and grow against all odds, with additional lights until the light is full and complete onthe eight day. The 44 candles of Chanuka almost mirror the 49 days of the Omer that result in anothertime of unity through fire – Lag B'Omer. They may be different processes but the end result is for thefire to be kindled below in our hearts so that Hashem may join us with His fire and complete thecircuits that have been evolving through time.There are two things that evolve over many years but at the same happen in an instant. These arerevelation and redemption. We can understand, from the story of the brothers, how revelation tookplace over time but happened in an instant when Yoseph revealed himself. We also see in the story ofYoseph’s years of suffering that after a certain amount of time he was redeemed in an instant and wastransformed from a prisoner to a chief of state on the same day. Redemption and revelation; twoconcepts that are prepared over time and then occur in an instant. Chazal tells us that there is aconnection between Miketz and Parsha Bereshit. They both have 146 passages.We can see some similarities. The world was created ultimately for the age of Moshiach when ‘Hashemwill be one and His name will be one’ (from the daily prayers). As we wrote in Bereshit the passage‘Ele toldot…b’Avraham’ alludes to the idea that the whole of Creation was for the sake of Avraham.Why is this so? Because Avraham rectified the sin of Adam, and through him (and the Israelite Nationwho would receive the Torah), mankind would be restored once again to their proper place. That properplace is a place of service, which would restore harmony and blessing to the world. Those elected to 171
lead this service are the Israelite Nation.We see in this weeks Parsha an allusion to this future world, when the greatest empire in the worldwillingly gives its ruler-ship over to an Israelite who’s customs were loathsome to the Egyptian people.Nevertheless they willingly comply with his laws and are in awe of this Israelite. Even his formerenemy realizes his mistake and gives his daughter to him as a wife.Yoseph brings blessing and wealth to the Nation of Egypt, just as the future Israelites will bring to theworld. The Nations will want to take part in this blessing and will willingly comply with therequirements Hashem makes of them. In our Parsha this redemption occurs before the revelationbetween the brothers. In the future times, as Israel is corrected, the world will fall into place. Also, inthe same way that Pharaoh, who thought of himself as a god, would humble himself to Yoseph, theNation of Israel, who persecuted the Tzaddik, will come to realize their mistake and serve the Tzadik.The tikkun (correction) of the world will happen reflexively by the correction of the Israelite Nation.Every generation has a potential Moshiach ben Yoseph and Moshiach ben David whose turbulent liveswill reflect their predecessors. Yoseph was perceived as a scoundrel and David was thought to be abastard until he was 28 years old. The real scoundrels and illegitimate ones will be found out in thefuture as they were in the past, but the process of truth takes time to evolve.The 146 passages that make up both Bereshit and Miketz also have the numerical value of the wordsYechizkiyahu and Amatzia, which alludes to chazak vimatzh (be strong and courageous). Whatconnection does this have to these two Parsha’s? Chazak V’imatzh was also the words given toYehoshua by Moshe when he was to take over and conquer the Land of Israel. The rabbis explain thatthis means that one who leads and stands against adversity, as Moshe did, must strengthen himself andHashem will strengthen him too. The world redemption cannot succeed until the tribal conflicts withinIsrael are resolved. The ones who hold the positions of power in the Nation of Israel today are notMacabees, nor are they believers, but the positions of power are shifting little by little. The clashbetween them is growing, as the unfaithful remove the faithful from their land, the tension grows.(Footnote 2016). Beneath the surface we are evolving and growing. Today there are more Jew's that nolonger apologize to the world. We reject Obama's evil UN decrees this Chanukah. However we stilllack the courage to annex Yehuda and Shomron and throw out our enemies. We still prosecute oursoldiers while at the same time the extreme liberal judiciary is beginning to be challenged. What isevolving over time will suddenly be clear in an instant. It will happen in a moment on the day we comeof age. 172
Chanuka is the Holiday of TruthThere is an irony in that most of the Jewish population is machmir (stringent) on this holiday. Onecandle is really enough, but they are machmir to light eight. Not only this, but the originalChashmonaim were not required by law to make new oil. Matisyahu and the Chashmonaim wentbeyond what was called for in order to preserve Am Yisroel and their devotion to Torah. And whenHashem caused them to win the war, they could have lit the menorah with oil that was defiled, for thedin is that tumah hutrah betzibbur. It would have been halachically permissible to light with oil that wasfound in the Bais Hamikdosh, even if it did not have a tahor stamp on it. Nevertheless, after suchmesirus nefesh, they weren’t prepared to settle for the minimum.They decided to wait and make new oil. They were stringent with this, because the whole essence ofthe holiday was the pure against the impure. How could they use a loophole now, after this whole battlefor the purity of the nation? They wanted the hiddur hamitzva, and nothing less.It is this pure vile of Chanuka that is the basis of the miracle of Chanuka; the purity of the Hashmonaimthat they preferred death to defilement. Their revolution caught on like a fire that lit the souls of theentire nation. The stringency to beautify this mitzvah remains, even though the majority do not realizewho the Chashmonayim really were. As the Rav wrote in one of his essays, if people really understoodwhat Chanuka was all about they would ban Chanuka (see Vayetze). But this is part of this slowprocess of unfolding truth.Why is this parsha connected to Bereshit? When the truth arrives it wont be a complete shock. It will bea gradual awakening. We are already familiar and accustomed to the stringent practice of Chanuka. Allwe need now is to understand why we are so stringent. This understanding will shock us in disbelief,just as the brothers were shocked at Yoseph. There was a process however, that began with their regret,and by the signs that he himself orchestrated, they became more and more prepared to receive thisshock, for the bitterness had been removed.Hashems Revenge נהל םוא אממ קר יתי,תלא םמר, בן םא נתם,כב מו מי מען קראו ת 22 And Reuben answered them, saying: 'Spoke I קולא-- לת לח קטאו מב לי ללד-תלא םמר אל, תלי לכם, נא not unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore also, behold, his.נה שנ רד ארש, יה ת, נדמום- שקממ קע לתם; קו מגםblood is required.'What is Hashem’s revenge? It is that people understand why it is that they suffer, and that they rectifythe harm they inflicted upon themselves and on Hashems glory. The persecution of the Israelite Nationis always reflexive of its own actions. The reason for this is because the name of Hashem is associatedwith Israel, therefore when we bring shame and injury to that name we suffer the consequences. Thoseconsequences will be so devastating that they will lead to a deep desire to repair this name in a way thatthe honor and glory will be even greater than before.The process from Creation to Moshiach is a process of refining and expanding that Name through thevarious sagas and stages of history. The choice of how we bring about this revelation, through sufferingor through joy, is ours to make, however either way the purpose of Creation cannot be undone. Ourchoice is simply to hurry it or delay it. We can see a clear example of how the consequence of our 173
collective suffering in Europe brought about the glory of Israel when as a response to the Holocaust the‘State’ of Israel was born from these ashes. (see Rav Kahanes booklet on the reasons for theHolocaust). In the future, as we continue to go through trials, the ‘State’ of Israel will be transformedeven higher to the ‘Nation’ of Israel. That greater glory or National reawakening may take placethrough more suffering, or by a process of teshuva. This depends on us.As we have mentioned many times, the Nation of Israel is associated with Hashems name, just like thechildren of Israel in our Parsha. What happens to Israel happens to the world. And within Israel there isthe Israel inside of Israel. What happens to Yoseph happens to the family. Therefore the world is reallybuilt upon the Tzaddik, for it is the Tzaddik that is revealing the truest sense of Hashems name andholiness, and he suffers to bear this great name on his shoulders.When the family of Israel begins to feel remorse from the people below to the leadership above, thenthe process of Geula is beginning. When they begin to feel the pain that the Tzadik went through, andthe irrational hatred, then they will begin to see a true picture of themselves and in doing so begin theprocess of enlightenment.These ideas are embodied in the word ( שנ רד ארשavenged)When the Tzaddik suffers and is in exile, Hashem suffers and is exiled. Just as He was with Yoseph inthe past He was with Moshiach ben Yoseph of our generation. When the memory of Rav Kahane isavenged and streets are named after him and his Torah studied widely, then Moshiach will have alreadyarrived. = נשדרראשAvenged (554 +1 = 555)Meir and Binyamin Kahane (555) = מאיר כהנאMeir Kahane = …....327 = בנימן כהנאןBinyamin Khane = ..228 = 555 174
Dec 2008, ChanukaYehuda and Reuvain - Two stages before redemptionThrough the story of Yoseph one can get a glimpse of the architects plan for redemption. The beginningof redemption is remorse, then truth begins to be clarified more and more and finally revenge or somephysical action that removes the impediment and corrects it. In the final scenes of Moshe’s life revengewas the last action. This correction and removal of the accuser (sur mi ra ve oseh tov), precedes theconquering of Israel and the final redemption as well. In our story we see this evolution.With the dialogue of Yoseph to the brothers we see that the brothers have already begun to feelremorse. When Reuvain says to his brothers that Yoseph’s blood is being avenged, this also alludes tothe blood of Moshiach ben Yoseph in the future.1 Avenging the blood of Moshiach ben Yoseph is theprecursor to the establishment of the Davidic Dynasty. What Reuvain senses however is not fullymanifested until Yehuda steps forth. Although Reuvain articulates the correct explanation of eventswith his brothers, his actions still lack the Messianic vision.He speaks to his father as Yacov and he invokes a curse upon himself to bring Binyamin back. How dowe understand his willingness to sacrifice his children in order to ensure Binyamin’s safety? His actionmaybe similar to those today that are willing to sacrifice themselves and their children to protect theirhomeland. We can say even more than that. The Reuvain level of redemption is willingness to protecttheir spiritual homeland as well (signified by Binyamin). The courage and self-sacrifice expressedhowever, is still addressed to Yacov not Israel. It is still the voice of exile. How many soldiers have wesacrificed in house to house combat lest we harm our enemies.Though sensing that we are the cause of our suffering the voice of Reuvain is prepared to acceptcontinued suffering as being the lot of the Jew. It is not until Yehuda takes on the mantle of Pinchas andis prepared to avenge the wrong that the final stage is set for redemption. There are those who sayKahane was right but still do not view him as a viable option. When the Kahane derech becomes apolitical direction and the Nation restores his ideas and his Torah to a level of acceptance much greaterthan before then the long awaited marriage of the Spiritual and the National will result. The kingdom ofEphraim and Yehuda will be restored as one. These ideas are alluded to in the passages below. נהל םוא א ממ קר יתי,תלא םמר, בן םא נתם,כב מו מי מען קראו ת 22 And Reuben answered them, saying: 'Spoke I קולא-- לת לח קטאו מב לי ללד-לא םמר אל,לי לכם ת,נא ת not unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore also, behold,.תנה שנ רד ארש, יה, נדמום- שקממעקתלם; קו מגםhis blood is required.'(Bereshit 42:22)The beginning of redemption is the recognition that Moshiach ben Yoseph is being avenged. The morewe see that ‘Kahane was Right’, and the more that his Torah grows despite those who have tried toerase his memory, the closer we come to the days of revelation. 175
- האת,תלא םמר, א יביו-לאל ,בן,ומיםאמלר קראו ת לז 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him notתא לליך;רש לני אב תני את שמית, לא נא יבי לאנו- יאם, to thee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring.תא לליך, מו נא יני נא ישי לבנו, ני ידי- קת ננה םאת םו מעלhim back to thee.'(Bereshit 42:37)Although Reuvain was the first to recognize the impediment, he continues on the road of exile withoutthe tools needed to correct the situation and bring victory.On the surface his request seems very foolish. ‘Didn’t Reuvain know that killing his sons where killingalso Yacov’s son’s? The point of the passage is not to laugh at Reuvain’s faulty reasoning but rather tolearn about our Nation today. If it is written in the Torah then it is to tell us about something foolish inthe Nation of Israel.Reuvain’s position is similar to the politicians of today. They see that the polls are pointing moretowards the right wing and so in order to get re-elected they must show strength (I am writing this asour forces invade Gaza 2009, shortly after Moshe Faiglin won 20th seat in the Likud). They are forcedinto a position of strength but still lack the tools of faith. Security comes, but at the dear cost of ourchildren who die protecting our enemies.- האת,לתא םמר, א יביו-לאל ,ן,מו םיא למר קראובת לז 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him notא לליך;רש לני אב תני את שמית,לא נא יבי לאנו ת- יאם, to thee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring.א לליך, מו נא יני נא ישי לבנו ת, ני ידי- קת ננה םאת םו מעלhim back to thee.'Read: Lishmor oyavim – (safeguarding our enemies), bayit l’bayit (house to house) tamit lanu banim(we kill our children). נילל מלר ש- לאת, א א יביו- לאל,תן,לז ומיםאמלר קראוב 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: לא נא יבי לאנו- יאם,נב מני נת ימית 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not to א לליך; קת ננה םאת םו,ת thee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring .א לליך, מו נא יני נא ישי לבנו ת, נידיי- מעלhim back to thee.'Safeguard - ללש למר,לתשביו א למ- אלת,ר א-לאל ,ן,מו םיאמלר רקאו תב לז 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not toתא לליך; קת ננהי, לא נא יבי לאנו- יאם,נ בנ מני תנמיית, שק תthee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring.תא לליך, מו נא יני נא ישי לבנו, ני ידי- םאת םו מעלhim back to thee.'Our Enemies - אויבים 176
,לתא םמר, א יביו-לאל ,בן,מויםאמלר רקאו ת לז 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying:ניאב י את ת ל שבי, קש ת-אלת 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not to לליך; קת ננה, א נא לאנו תא- יאם, מנ ימיthee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring.א לליך, מו נא יני נא ישי לבנו ת,ינדיי- םאת םו מעלhim back to thee.'House to House - בית לבית,לתא םמר, א יביו-אלל ,ן,ומ םיאמלר קראו תב לז 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying:ניאת שמית ל נו, קש ת-אלת 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not toאת לליך; קת ננה, א נא יבי לא- יאם, נב מניthee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring.תא לליך, מו נא יני נא ישי לבנו, נידיי- םאת םו מעלhim back to thee.'לנו תמיתWe Kill Our (We will be dying) -,א םמר,אבייו לת-אלל ,בן,מו םיאמלר רקאו ת לז 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying:תנים שבי נ, קש-אלת 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not toאת לליך; קת ננה, לא נא לא ו- יא, נב מני נת ימיתthee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring.תא לליך, מו נא יני נא ישי לבנו, ני ידי- םאת םו מעלhim back to thee.'Boys - בנים יש קל נחה,אל א יביו, יי קש נר ת-ח מו םיא למר קיהו נדה לאל 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father: 'Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that weל נכה; קו ינ קח ליה קולא,נ ת, קו ננקו נמה קו ת--מה מנ מער יא יתי may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also.פנו, מט ת- מא נתה מגם- נא מנ קחנו מגם- גמם, ננמותour little ones.Read as follows: Lishmor oyavim – (safeguarding our enemies), bayit l’bayit (house to house) tamitlanu banim (we kill our young men).The Reuvain level of redemption though willing to protect his physical and spiritual homeland withcourage and self-sacrifice is still addressed to Yacov not Israel. It is still the voice of exile. How manysoldiers have we sacrificed in house to house combat lest we harm our enemies. It is this type ofnecessary sacrifice that we feel we must accept; as we feel there is no other solution; that is Reuvain'sdysfunctional redemption. Not until Yehuda is prepared to put himself on the line for Binyamin will atrue redemption have arrived. 177
Altering the mentality from Yacov to Israelקולאתה תנ תער ששלר אחה 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father: 'Send ,אל א יביו, יי קש נר ת-מו םיא למר קיהו נדה לאל ח the lad with me, and we will arise and go, thatל נכה; קו ינ קח ליה,תנ ת, קו ננקו נמה קו--יא יתי we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and.תפנו, מט- מא נתה מגם- נא מנ קחנו מגם- מגם, ננמותalso our little ones.(Bereshit 43:8)When Yehuda invokes the name 'Israel' and takes up the cause of the 'youth' he begins to restore the‘Hey’ of the Yud,Hey,Vav,Hey, and avenges G-d’s anger by restoring His beloved. Only then can wearise and live and not die. The same letters that are used for ‘zealously avenging my vengeance’, inParsha Pinchas are used here. Compare the passage above and the passage from Pinchas below.תהשייבתק רנאול האת,,הן,מה םכ תא נה םרן-אל קל נעזנר לבן-לבןיפי קנ נחסיא11 'Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away when he- בק,אל, יי קש נר ת-ני,תמ מעל קב ת, נח נמ יתי- אלתzealously avenged My vengeance amongשק רנא שתי-תני, קב-לאת יכ ילי יתי-קולא ; קבת םו נכם, them,so that I consumed not the children of Israel .קב יק קנא יתי in My jealousy. ,תאל, יי קש נר(Bamidbar 25:11) יש קל נחהאש אנקו,אל א יביו, יי קש נר ת-לאל 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father: 'Send theל נכה; קו ינ קח ליה קולא,תנ ת, נמה קו lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we ח מו םיא למר קיהו נדה may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also קו--מה מנ מער יתי.פנו, מט ת- מא נתה מגם- נא מנ קחנו מגם- גמם, ננמותour little ones.(Bereshit 43:8) יש קל נחהאש שתי נאק,אל א יביו, יי קש נר ת-לאלקיהו נדהח מו םיא למר 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father: 'Send the קו-- מה מנ מערתל נכה; קו ינ קח ליה קולא, נ,ו נמה קו ת lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also.פנו, מט ת- מא נתה מגם- נא מנ קחנו מגם- גמם, ננמותour little ones.(Bereshit 43:8)In 2012 the Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu spoke at the UN warning of a 'red line' that we mustdraw towards Iran and chastising the nations for succumbing to the Medieval threats of 'radical Islam'and invoking the 'Davidic Kingdom' and the 'light' that we represent in the world. A viral joke was sentwith Kahane Tzadek (Kahane was Right) superimposed on the 'Red Line' chart. He was almostspeaking like Rabbi Kahane, and this is the evolution of the spirit of Moshiach.The light of Chanuka is restored to the hearts of the people who become once again like Macabees.But not until we avenge or admit the wrong done to Moshiach ben Yoseph, will we be fully prepared torestore Hashem’s kingdom and remove the impediment between us. 178
More on Avenging the NameThe avenging of Rav Kahane and Binyamin is also seen in the letters at the end of the Haftorah.קלמיי םשר;לחן ,קז כר נב לבל תני, מה נגד םול יל קפ-מהר אמתנה-ימי ז 7 Who art thou, O great mountain before Zerubbabel? thou shalt become a plain; and he,תק כשא םות-- נה לא לבן נה םרא נשה- אלת, קוה םו יציאshall bring forth the top stone with shoutings of . לחן אלהGrace, grace, unto it.' = לחן לחןalludes to the two Kahane’s who had the Chen (Beauty/Truth/Grace) of Yoseph = לחן אלהalludes to the age at which they were taken (58) and (34)+1 (for Hashem), becauseHashem also was removed from the world with them, and His name will be restored when their name isavenged.Hallel and KahaneWe recite in Hallel‘The rock the builders despised will become the cornerstone’Rock = האבהןRead as: Av and Ben – the father and son that were despised will become the cornerstone.Something my friend Yehuda wrote on Moshiach ben YosephB\"HPARSHAT MIKEITZ(by Yehuda HaKohen)\"Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.\" (BEREISHIT 42:8)On this verse, the Gaon Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna teaches:\"This is one of Yosef's attributes. Not just in his generation but in every generation, Mashiach benYosef recognizes his brothers and they do not recognize him. It is an act of Satan which concealsMashiach ben Yosef's attributes, such that the Jews unfortunately do not recognize his footsteps and infact scoff at them… If not for this, our troubles would already be over. If Israel \"recognized Yosef\",Mashiach ben Yosef's footsteps comprising the ingathering of the exiles, etc., we would already becompletely redeemed.\" (Kol HaTor 2:39)The Gaon of Vilna explains that there is an awareness deliberately withheld from Israel and that the 179
continued suffering of the Jewish Nation is attributed to our not recognizing Mashiach ben Yosef. Inorder to fully comprehend the Gaon's words, it is necessary to understand this concept in depth. KolHaTor, the Gaon's teachings on Mashiach ben Yosef and the age of Redemption, has been compiled byhis student, Rabbi Hillel of Shklov. In it are found great Torah secrets pertaining to some of the burningquestions of our generation.While the idea of Mashiach ben Yosef is rarely discussed in today's Torah world, it is crucial inrecognizing what Israel is currently experiencing. But in order to identify with this greater awareness,one must understand the Gaon's definition of Mashiach ben Yosef. \"According to the Gaon, all thework involved in gathering the exiles, building Jerusalem and broadening the settlement of the Land ofIsrael so that the Shechina will return to it, all the principles of the work and all the major and minordetails are connected to the mission and role of the first Messiah, Mashiach ben Yosef.Mashiach ben Yosef is the miraculous power who will assist every act done when the awakening beginsfrom below, in a natural manner, because he comes from the earth. Mashiach ben David, however, willcome from heaven as revealed by the different aspects of Rachel and Leah, and as known regarding thefootsteps of the Mashiach and the revealed end. Mashiach ben Yosef himself is a composite of twoaspects: on the one hand, he is Yosef the son of Rachel of the land; on the other hand, he is Yosef son ofYaakov from heaven. It is therefore incumbent upon us to learn and to understand all the one hundredand fifty six characteristics,appellations and all aspects and special attributes of Mashiach ben Yosef.These will be a light for our feet and direct us what to do and how, in connection with what lies ahead,with the help of the Redeemer of Israel, may it be speedily in our day.\" (Kol HaTor 1:2)All facets of nationhood and life must be revealed to mankind as sanctified from above. This can onlybe achieved by Am Yisrael living and uplifting every sphere of existence as a Kingdom of priests andholy Nation in the physical world in which we currently exist. This is the significance of Mashiach benYosef. The physical building of the Jewish Nation within our borders – even if devoid of Torah andmitzvoth – is the first stage of Redemption and the revelation of HaShem's Divine Oneness in theworld. Torah leaders must not allow themselves to be confused by the seemingly secular character ofthe State of Israel. Rather than fight against our national rebirth, scholars should work to facilitate andguide the state on the proper path in order to lead it towards its destiny of full Redemption.The Vilna Gaon warns that the source of Israel's troubles in the end of days is our not recognizingMashiach ben Yosef. We must understand and be confident that once the body is securely built, the soulwill certainly come to infuse it with purpose. Mashiach ben David will come to uplift and properlydirect the physical vehicle of Medinat Yisrael to its true function and purpose as HaShem's throne inthis world that will expose His glorious Kingship over all of Creation.With Love of Israel, - Yehuda HaKohenAm Segula 180
Miketz 2009More on Yoseph and ChanukaThe Rav asks a question regarding Chanuka. Why don't we celebrate seven days rather than eight? TheMaccabees discovered one vile of pure oil, so the miracle was that this one vile lasted another sevendays. One holy vile was already there. He says the miracle was davka the pure vile that remained andthe light that spread from it. What is connection?Yacov is called a fire and Yoseph the flame. He was the inspiration, the flame that got the rest of Yacovre-lit. He was the flame that started the State of Israel and made it a reality, he was the flame thatfought in Gush Katif and will ignite the State of Judea. Why is it called Judea and not Yoseph? Becausehe was the flame that kindled the fire, he was the true source and catalyst, but the end result is not forhis own ends, but rather for the betterment of the kingdom.Yoseph raises Yehuda to the place he belongs. In a similar vein Binyamin’s purity for not bowing toEsav gave him the position of having the Beit Hamigdash built on his land. However it is the Leviteswho rule this area and from there bring forth blessing to the whole nation. Their purity and holiness,like the Rav, was a catalyst to make us all a little holier and purer, for us all to have a little more faithand strength so that the candle of Chanuka can spread brother to brother filling the whole land andrepairing whatever damage had been done.The Halacha seems to support this idea. According to Halacha we need the shamash to light the othercandles. Yoseph is the flame that lights the fire that exists within us all. The Macabees did the sameand re-lit the fire that must burn in the temple on Binyamin’s territory.Miketz 2010Berechit and Miketz have the same psukim 147 which alludes to something amazing. The originalconcept of creation is connected to this Parsha. The end was seen from the beginning and this Parshadeals with the end Miketz. How do we describe this end? What are the factors that determine the endand the resolution to the history of the entire world? In addition this chapter always comes at the timeof Chanuka. Who are the main players? They are Yoseph, the Cohanim (Chanuka) and Yehuda(Haftorah). We are always waiting for Moshiach and he seems to always be delayed. Here is adescription of the delay and the things that need to be in place before the domino effect takes shape.1 – Yoseph needs to be refined – after these 2 years. The Tzadik, who keeps creation going must berefined. The one who is central to the play, must have a little more faith.2 – Once Yoseph comes to power then Shimon must be punished and separated from Levi. The zealotryof Shimon and Levi must be refined as well. Then Levi also does teshuva along with the brothers. (seeBinyamin parsha commentary on Pinchas Book 2 Pg. 232)3 – Now that these factors exist, then Yehuda can come into power and be re-directed in the right path.All of these factors are based around the Rav. We saw in last parsha (Ha-Karna) = rav kahane or alsokahane and the resh. We saw in those parshiot shicholti shicholti – if I die I die said by Israel which is760 and 760. We see in this weeks haftorah – the foundation stone will be revealed and chen chen – 181
even yihe rosh pina – from hallel – av and ben – Kahane embraced all of these concepts. He was aCohen like Maccabees, he was the purification of Shimon and Levi, and he inspired Yehdua to becomethe state of Judea. Hashem (as Israel) is saddened that this is the way it had to be, but through him willcome this rectification that began in the beginning of time. To those who say he can’t be Moshiach benYoseph because he was a Cohen, it seems to me that Moshicah ben Yoseph , is both Cohen, Yoseph,and Yehuda. He is the catalyst for them all.Miketz 2011 (Part one)Last week we mentioned two times where the name Rav Kahane is spelled out very clearly in theletters (Haker-na – Do You Recognize?). The first Hakerna was ‘Do you recognize this blood stainedcloak? The second Hakerna was ‘Do you recognize that you are the father? The Kahane they thoughtthey had killed becomes their very own son. In this weeks Parsha we see again Rav Kahane as Yosephwho recognizes his brothers but his brothers do not recognize him.תכרתו תי שכ לרם, ; מו יי קת מנ , לא נחיו-לאת סף,י םו ת מוימרקא ז 7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spokeל להם, מו םיא למר נא ת,תבר יא נתם נקש םות, תלי להם מו קי מד, נאroughly with them; and he said unto them: 'Whence come ye?' And they said: 'From the land-יל קש נבר תמ לא לרץ קכ מנ מען, ,מו םיא קמרו ,נבא לתם מא יין,ת of Canaan to buy food.' םאכלל.Va – Yakrem = Rav Kahane =ויכ ם לרRav _ = seventy six 76The Rav recognized the problems that existed within the Nation of Israel and demonstrated for us allthe solution. He gave his life in order for us to follow and bring redemption. The process involves, as inthe story of Yoseph, recognition of our sins and returning to the same place and this time doing theright thing. This is the classic explanation of teshuva.Those who persecuted the Rav will be placed in the same situation themselves in order to draw theappropriate conclusions. The scenarios that unravel will affect both government and religious leaders aswe are already witnessing today. For example; the Rav was banned from many places. In Canada hewas forbidden to enter at the risk of being jailed. Today there are ministers in the government who areafraid to travel to England and other destinations for fear of being detained and tried as war criminals.Another example; the Rav and his son would write weekly Dvar Torah and were often arrested fortheir Torah explanations. Rashi and Rambam were banned by the government of Israel as they placedRav Meir and also Rav Binyamin in prison and interrogations because of their accurate explanations ofthe Torah. Today we see other Rabbis being charged and interrogated as well by the authorities. Thosewho were silent in the past and looked down at the Rabbi’s ‘political’ Torah are now suddenlyprotesting in the street in support of these religious leaders.All of these scenarios will continue to unravel in the same way that Yoseph tested his brothers to bring 182
them to do teshuva. The climax of all of these tests of course is Binyamin. Who is Binyamin today?There is a black stain on our modern Jewish history that occurred with the sinking of the Alta Lena.The first Jew that killed other Jews was Itzchak Rabin who sank the ship Alta Lena and opened fire,killing many Jews who tried to swim ashore. They were bringing much needed guns and ammunitionfor the Irgun to fight against the British. What was their crime? The leadership feared that if the Irgunwas successful then they may take the reins of power and so it was better that they were killed as weedsbefore they flowered into a powerful voice of the people.The situation is very similar today. Again there is talk about killing settlers while they are still a weed.There is preparation now for Altalena number two. It is the same concern. Rav Binyamin gave a simplepolitical solution to the problems of holding on to Yesha or what is known as the ‘occupied territories’.He stated that if the government has a guilt complex regarding these lands and does not want to sendsoldiers to protect communities there the solution is simple. They can simply leave and let the people ofYesha take over. Give them guns and ammunition and leave. This of course seems very practical butthe reason they do not leave is because they wish to rule and call the shots. In addition the people ofYesha would most likely succeed and drive out the hostile Arabs creating a second state called Judea.This is Binyamin today.I believe there will arise a situation similar to Altalena number two, and this time instead of a civil waragainst the holiest of our people, the State of Judea will arise with the help of the people, includingthose who were once hostile to Rav Kahane. It will take place in the territory of Binyamin.Miketz and Chanuka 2011 (Part Two)There are two Haftorahs during this time. One Haftorah that tells us of King Solomon, who requestedwisdom in his dream and received it, plus wealth and honor. It goes on to demonstrate the glory that headded to the Torah from his wisdom and insight. It describes the story of the two women who arguedover a baby and the how in his wisdom he determined who the true mother was. The true mother waswilling to give up her baby as long as it would live, while the other woman was spiteful and said cut itin half and then we both won’t have it. The argument of these woman is also similar to Yoseph and RavKahane who is prepared to sacrifice himself so that Am Israel will live.Those who persecute the Yosephs and Rav Kahane’s are negligent, and want something that does notbelong to them. They are willing to let Am Israel die if they cannot be the leader. This Haftorahhighlights the Tzadik who’s intention is wisdom and Hashem who chooses him, like the mother who isprepared to sacrifice herself so that the child will live. The authentic Torah of Rav Kahen is similar tothe special coat that Yacov gave Yoseph, the cloak of Torah that adds a crown and jewel to the properunderstanding of Torah and how it is meant to be manifested in the world.The other Haftorah we read when Miketz falls on Chanuka tells the story of the cohen whos garment issoiled and nevertheless rededicates the temple. This Haftorah relates to the people who will do teshuva.The story of the brothers against Yoseph and their tikkun is also the story of Chanuka and the Nation ofIsrael oppressed not only by the Greeks but by the Hellenists who work for them and oppress their ownbrothers.Yoseph is called a flame and Yacov is called a fire. Yoseph, the one who suffers for the sake of Israel isthe root of the Macabi consciousness. He is a light in the dark like a Chanuka candle. As Rav Meir onceexplained, the miracle of the vile of oil was that there was one pure vile left, like the purity of the 183
Macabi’s. This light grew and spread among the Nation. Those whose garments were soiled and sinnedin the past against Yoseph also took up the banner. The reconciliation of the brothers in the story ofYoseph will be replayed as the reconciliation of the Nation of Israel and their bond to the pioneers inYehuda and Shomron. The light of Yoseph that burns in every Jewish home, will become the fire ofYacov as the authentic Torah is spread and Israel is once again united. What is the Real Teshuva? 2012There is a question I have each year on these Parshiot. It seems to me that the brothers never did acomplete teshuva. They never say that throwing Yoseph in the pit was wrong and that the root cause oftheir actions was 'jealousy'. They only feel remorse that when he cried out they were cold to him.ש ימים, נא נבל נא ת,א יחיו- כא מו םיא קמרו יאיש לאל21 And they said one to another: 'Indeed we are נא לשר נר יאינו נצ מרת מנ קפש םו,א יחינו- נא מנ קחנו מעלguilty concerning our brother, in that we saw his heartfelt anguish when he pleaded with us and weנבאה כן, ת-מעל ; קולא נש נמ קענו,תלינו, א,קב יה קת מח קננ םו ת paid no heed; that is why this anguish has come מה נצ נרה מה םזאת,תלינו, תא, . upon us.'(Bereshit 42:21)Is that really the reason this anguish has come upon us? Does that mean we were justified in everythingwe did to him but were too insensitive in administering the punishment? Of course later they tellYoseph they had sinned but this was because they were afraid after Yacov passed away that Yosephmay wish revenge (Bereshit 50:17). The passage above however describes how they truly felt.This year my brother Gavri pointed out that the Ramban asks the same question. While mostcommentators say the brothers indeed felt some justification in their previous rulings against Yosephthe Ramban says that clearly they felt remorse for everything they had done to Yoseph and the reasonthat only the mention of his anguish is recorded is because this stands out the most. In other wordsthey felt bad, but felt even worse when they realized how cold they were to the cries of their ownbrother. It is as if they were saying to each other: Even this non-Jewish Pharoah that is accusing us, issending us back with food for our father and using our brotherly love for Shimon as security for ourreturn. If he knew what we are capable of he would never have let us go.It seems that although the true remorse should be on the jealousy which led to this act, the reason thatthe coldness is the only thing mentioned maybe tells us that this in fact is the root cause. Two thingscome to mind.Gush KatifHow much anger and hate was there before Gush Katif. How much pleading there was from thevictims. Then when it actually occurred and the Nation was shocked at their own cruelty. Soldiersbroke down and cried. The Nation that was only following orders could not sleep well that night. Whydidn't the screams of mothers and children and synagogues and holy communities being burned to theground in our own land by our own hands make us stop and realize the evil we were committing? Alaswe are a stiff necked people and we must follow through with our decisions, like Yoseph, despite theanguish.The ShoaRabbi Kahane began Jewish protest for Russian Jews in the 60's because there was none for the Jews of 184
Europe in the 40's. If Jews had protested in the 40's like they did in the 60's the trains to Aushwitzwould have been bombed by the allies and millions would have been saved. This was the anguished crywe 'didn't' hear.In the Song of Glory (read on Shabbat morning) we read: עם דורשך דרוש- Am dorshecha derush –'the people that seeks You expounds each generation's fate.' This is related to Reuvains נדרושnidrosh.Like the words in the Song of Glory, Rabbi Kahane sought out Hashem and expounded upon us whatour greatest failings were. He writes: In Birmingham, Alabama, when it was a question - not of gas chambers but of the right to sit in the front of a bus – blacks heroically took to the streets and marched in dramatic protests. They chained themselves in defiant desperation and braved arrests and police dogs to demand the rights they deserved and eventually won. To our Jewish shame, we never felt the need to do the same for Jews who faced the crematoria. No Rabbis chained themselves to the gates of the White House, no Jewish group called their members into the streets to sit down and stop all business until the railway lines were destroyed. The anger and willingness to sacrifice that WOULD have saved our brothers were missing. We participated, through our silence, in the death of European Jewry, and we can never honestly say: Our hands had no part in the shedding of that blood. (Rabbi Kahane , Selected Writings, Vol 1, Pg.173)What is required from us is to understand the root cause of our indifference and coldness. WhenReuvain says that our brothers blood is being 'avenged', literally 'demanded or sought after' he isspeaking to all the future Yosephs who are abandoned or persecuted not because their sin was worthy ofhaving them thrown into a pit but because we didn't wake up in time. Whether it was to stop the evilwe were doing or to fight an evil that was being perpetrated we were fearful or apathetic. In Israelpeople scream and yell a lot and have very passionate differences but they most often do not come toblows. When a crime against our people is legislated (like in the case of Gush Katif) it is the deafnessto anguish which is the worst part of the sin. That deafness was heard in the 40's in America and its adeafness we must be aware of today as we begin to do Teshuva for the sins of the past and the present. Rav Kahane and Chanukah (written by the light of the last night of Chanuka 2015)More than any other holiday this holiday seems very much related to Rav Kahane. It is not bycoincidence that his parush on the Torah is called Parush Hamacabi based on the initials of his nameMeir Kahane Ben Ishai (Macabi). One of the main Halachot of Chanuka is to persom the mitzva (toadvertise the miracle). For example it is best to light by a window facing the street, right after nightfallto make sure people will see the light of your menora. It is essentially a holiday about KiddushHashem, where every Jew becomes a Cohen Gadol and performs the service of the Temple so that allmay see it. It is a holiday where the light within illuminates the darkness.Many people have said if only the Rav spoke a little differently he would have gone much further. Onthe contrary he was advertising Kidush Hashem wherever he went hoping the light of his menorahwould inspire others to live up to what is expected of them. Unfortunately much of the light he inspiredis still growing in the darkness. The Parshiot that we read during this time deal with vision and 185
blindness and the process of recognition. The central theme of Joseph and Mashiach ben Yosef as wementioned last week was recognition.תכרתו תי ררא ותיתכשרלם, ; מו יי קת מנ 7 Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he acted like a stranger toward them and תל להם, מו םיא למר נא spoke with them harshly. He asked them, “From , לא נחיו-לאת תסף, י םו ז ,יא נתם נקש םות בר,מו קי מד ת תלי להם, נא-מ לא לרץ קכ מנ מען יל קש נבר, ת, מו םיא קמרו,מא יין נבא לתם, תwhere do you come?” And they said,”From the אם לכלland of Canaan to buy food.”(Bereshit 42:7)רר תוית שכ ם, = תHe recognized. Gematria 76 + for RavThe word Vayera seems to allude to another Parsha.קוהואתו לי ארא 1 Hashem appeared to him in the plains of;תרא, תני ממ קמ, תאל, קב,תא נליו קיה נוה, א Mamre, while he was sitting at the entrance the קכ םחם מהי םום, נה םא להל-לפ מתח שב,םי ת tent in the heat of the day;(Bereshit 18:1)What is the connection between the Vayera of Yoseph and the Vayera of Avraham? Chazal tells us thatthe word Mamre is significant. Avraham was concerned that the brit mila would separate him frompeople and other Gentiles he was close to agreed. Mamre however replied that he must do whateverAvraham's God commanded him to do. Because of this Mamre's name is recorded. Imagine howAvraham sat now in pain and yet he was concerned about distancing himself from others. Even thoughhe was in pain he runs to greet his guests.I think Yoseph must have felt a similar pain. The pain that his brothers had caused was excruciatinghowever still the desire to be close to them was even more important. Their hearts were not yetcircumcised but they were beginning to do teshuva. He held himself backI suggest that the famine in this story can be related to the famine of false ideas today that do not giveus the solution we need to save our lives. The solution will only come when we have concern for thepeople of Binyamin who hold our future. As I write these words however, the Maccabees of today, thegrandson of the Rav and other hilltop youth, are sitting in prison and the silence is deafening. Thehatred against Joseph and his radical thoughts are still the same. Not until we're at the verge ofannihilation will we take up the Torah of Yoseph to save us. Hashem, through His tzadikim below isorchestrating things to see if now we will come to the aid of our brothers in Yesha.Joseph is still being persecuted and it's painful for him because he wants to be united with the brothersand see the Am Israel that 'could be' if only we lived up to our expectations. The man of vision sees areality that others refuse to see. Only when we can grasp the clarity of his vision will we be releasedfrom our own prisons while the young Macabi's are released from theirs. 186
We Want Moshiach (Ben Yoseph) Now (Farbrengen 2017)Rav Halperin spoke at the farbrengen and postulated that the long saga of Parshas featuring Yosephwere needed to convince the brothers that there is a Rebbe. I made a l'chayim and said I would like toadd something.When people say 'We want Moshiach Now', what do they mean? The simple meaning is Moshiach benDavid. Moshiach ben Yoseph, although he paves the way for Moshiach ben David and one might sayhe is part of a unified process, he still has his own unique role in this process which is different fromMoshiach ben David. The joy of having a child is preceded with pregnancy and the pain ofbirth.Without the first part there is no second part. I believe that the long saga of Parshas featuringYoseph were not needed to convince the brothers that there is a Rebbe but there was a Moshiach benYoseph which leads to a Moshiach ben David.How is Moshiach ben Yoseph described? He recognizes his brothers but they do not recognize him.This is Moshiach ben Yoseph. He can be right in front of you but you do not recognize him. If you did,you may seek to kill him like Shimon, or you may be more like Reuvain and say 'Who lo Shelanu' (heis not one of us), but we don't need to kill him. You may tolerate him but still feel that he is a blacksheep of the family.There is something very unique about Parsha Miketz in that it shares the same amount of pesukim asParsha Bereshit. There are 146 verses in Bereshit and 146 verses in Miketz. It is as if to say the wholeworld was created for the sake of Parsha Miketz. How can this be? What is so special about thisParsha?We learn that the world was created for Hashem's first born His (B') 'Reshit'. These are the products ofthe heaven and the earth when they were created ( ) בהבראםon the day Hashem G-d made heavenand earth’(Bereshit 2:4) (Behabarum – alluding to 'for the sake of Avraham)Hashem proclaims that from Avraham will be a great Nation and those who bless Israel will be blessedand those who curse Israel will be cursed. We see in Parsha Miketz that this proclamation is fulfilled asPharoah blesses Yoseph and Egypt in turn is blessed. We see in Miketz a glimpse of that future worldwhere Israel guides the world and the world is blessed by accepting the yoke of Israel.On the other hand within the family of Israel has there ever been any more confusion? As the Parshacomes to its suspenseful end the family is on the verge of destruction even as they are standing inchesaway from the Moshiach. Is this what Hashem created the world for; for Israel to be standing betweenthe verge of destruction or the verge of redemption? The final question that closes the Parsha andleaves us waiting till the next week is the following.The brothers are free to return in peace. They simply need to hand over Binyamin. They need not feelguilty or responsible. After all Binyamin caused the situation himself. If he was framed well thenmaybe it was still coming to him from above. Maybe Rachels side of the family was not meant to bepart of the tribes of Israel.Was all of Creation really made for Avraham and was the refinement of Abraham's family all leading tothis final question? Did Hashem create the whole Universe just to put the Jewish people in thispredicament? Was the final redemption built into the origins of Creation and set to be triggered by thisvery question? It appears so.There is a Yoseph in every generation that suffers to bring the essential Torah into the world and is 187
persecuted for it. In the end he is recognized and accepted. Rambam was persecuted for his Torah aswere Chabbad chassidim denounced by Jews and imprisoned for spreading the Tanya. Who is Yosephtoday and who is Binyamin?Binyamin I submit is the territory of Binyamin; Yehuda and Shomron where the Har Habayit also lies.We may try and divorce ourselves from the 'settlers' and say we are different we are not part of thatenterprise. We are the sons of a different mother. We can deny our destiny in the face of our accuser andour redeemer as the brothers stood before Yoseph, or we can say we are one with them.We can say if there is no Yehuda and Shomron there is no Israel. If there is no Jerusalem and EastJerusalem and Temple there is no west Jerusalem. It is only when we embrace Binyamin and arewilling to sacrifice for him; only then will Moshiach come.I visit Shifra Hoffman regulary and she sighs sometimes when she recalls how the Rabbi suffered. Ithurt her to see such a dedicated and refined scholar being beaten and imprisoned constantly. 'I was bornto suffer' he would reply to her.When there are roads in Israel called Meir Kahane Boulevard and we admit who Moshiach ben Yosephwas and what we did to him there will be Moshiach ben David, but not before.Without the Mishkan in Shiloh brought by Yehoshua from the tribe of Yoseph there would not be a BetHamidgash built by David. Without the brothers being unified to fight for Binyamin and recognizingthe martyr who fought Binyamins battles alone against a sea of hatred there will be no Moshiach benDavid. I also want 'Moshiach Now' that's why I want us to recognize Moshiach ben Yoseph now.Without this Moshiach won't be coming today. 188
Kahane in the Parsha Vayigash 189
Vayigash“I am Joseph, Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him because they wereleft disconcerted before him. (Bereshit 45:3)Again we see the name Kahane comes back to haunt those who tried unsuccessfully to murder hisTorah by killing him and his son. It will be his Torah that saves them in the end, despite their previoushatred and ban. ,תסף, י םו ג 3 And Joseph said unto his brethren: 'I am Joseph;א יבינ אל שכ הנמהע םוד נא יני לא נחיו-תסף לאל, י םו מו םיא למר doth my father yet live?' And his brethren could י ינבק לו, ני קכלו לא נחיו מל נע םות ת םו- נחי; קולאnot answer him; for they were left disconcerted ימ נפ נניוat his presence.(Bereshit 45:3)They could not answer, because they saw their mistake, just as they will see the Torah of Rabbi Kahanereturn much greater than before, and not be able to answer.;אחי ,קב יני ף,י םו תס-ע םוד מרב ,תאל, יי קש נר ,מו םיא למר כח 28 And Israel said: 'It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.' אכה האנ. קב לט לרם אמות,תלק קו לא קר ו,א(Bereshit 45:28)Kahane Chai – hidden with 'Od Yoseph Chai' of the past is 'Kahane Chai' of the present. You canoutlaw truth, you can ban it and throw it into a pit and sell it for 20 shekels but in the end it can neverbe destroyed, only made greater. קיהו נדה נש מלח-קו לאת כח 28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to גלשרנאה,תסף, י םו-לאל,קל נפ נניו show the way before him unto Goshen; and they. א קר נצה םג לשן,; ומינ םבאו , קלה םו םרת קל נפ נניוcame into the land of Goshen.(Bereshit 46:28)Nes gadol haya sham = goshna. This alludes to Chanuka. Just as Yoseph united the Jewish peopletogether so will Chanuka bring a new light from the revolution in the hills into the light of our homes.The success of the battle that the Rav waged against so many enemies will be the light that we kindle inour homes inspired by his example.לכ להן לא-ני קל נדהנא לשר,ימ קצ מר ייםקב לא לרץ,תסף, קלי םו תלד, מו יי נו כ 20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the-אלת-- םאן פ םו יטי לפ מרע- מבת, ל םו א קס מנתdaughter of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. .אל קפ נריים- קו לאת,קמ מנ לשהYoseph became two tribes; Ephraim and Mensahe and they they resolved the stigma between the tribescoming from both Leah and Rachel. Yoseph lived to 110 years of age. The Twin Towers were 110 190
stories high. Maybe there is an allusion to the twins of Esav and Yacov, as well as the two products ofYopseph; Menashe and Ephraim. September 11 signaled the end of the galut and time for for us tounite, resolve our differences and return home.The Haftorahנהלכה אנ נא, יה ת,אממר םד י קיה יוה- ,תל להם, נא תבר, מד יט 19 say into them: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in,אל קפ מר יים-תסף נא לשר קב מיד, תעץ י םו, -ק מח לאת, נא יני ל תthe hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his companions; and I will put them unto himנע נליו א םו נתם תב נרו; קו ננ מת יתי, נח תאל, יי קש נר טי,קו יש קב ת together with the stick of Judah, and make themקו נהיו ,אל נחד תעץ, מו נע ישי יתם קל ,קיהו נדה תעץ, -לאת one stick, and they shall be one in My hand. . קבינדיי,לא נחד(Yechezkel 37:19)Kahane the hidden Yoseph of today. No one managed to bring the Jewish people together from themany segments of our society as did Rav Kahane. He had followers from Charedi to Nationalist toSecular Jews all united to further the cause of Jewish survival both physical and spiritual. In additionthe State of Judea which he envisioned may be the catalyst that rectifies and unifies the divisionsbetween the various tribes of Israel.דששכ נא שנ ה, קמ מק ת,י יק נוהי ,מהג םו יים ,קו ני קדעו כח 28 And the nations shall know that I am the LORD that sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary , יב קהי םות ימ קק נד ישי קבת םו נכם--אל, יי קש נר ת- לאתshall be in the midst of them for ever.' .קלע םו נלם(Yechezkel 37:28)The Nations will know, because just as they knew when Kahane was alive and he sanctified Hashem,they will know when he returns. His Torah was the authentic one, and the Nations will accept it and sowill Israel and then there will be Moshicah and justice and peace.Vayigash 2006The Midrash tells us that when Israel saw Yoseph they embraced and Israel said the Shma 'Shma IsraelHashem Elokenu Hashem Ehad'. Who more than Yisrael saw the unity of Hashem when he saw thedead come back to life?My friend Yehuda writes in his online Parsha ...Only by arriving at the awareness of \"One\" – the intrinsic unity and collective destiny of Am Yisrael – will Jews be able to break free from their psychological prisons of egoism and recognize G-D's unity in history and Creation. And once the Hebrew Nation is free, we can focus on living up to our national destiny as a Kingdom of Priests and holy Nation that will 191
shine the light of Torah to mankind. The Gaon of Vilna was agitated by the possibility of Jews suffering greatly during the time of Redemption due to our remaining in the exile of our own free will. In the first chapter of Kol HaTor, his teachings on Mashiach ben Yosef and the Redemption process, there is mention of refugees. \"Refugees in Zion. The fifth principle is that `for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape… and among the remnant, those whom the L-rd will call.' (YOEL 3:5) Since according to Midrash Tanchuma, Zion is in the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, whatever befell Yosef, befell Zion. The Gaon said that this is hinted at also in the word `among the remnant' which in numerical values equals `Mashiach ben Yosef'' (566), means of whom, according to the Gaon, the ingathering of the exiles will be accomplished. As the number of ingathered increases, so the Sitra Achra (evil forces) will increase its strength. Then another prosecutor will be added, against those who do not strengthen the ingathering of exiles after the beginning of the Redemption has started with the ingathering, for then in `Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who escape… and among the remnant...' A word to the wise is sufficient. This distressed the Gaon a great deal.\"Mashiach ben Yosef (566)Meir and Binyamin Kahane (566) = מאיר כהנאMeir Kahane = …....327 = בנימין כהנאBinyamin Khane = 238 565 + 1 (kollel) = 566Was there any leader more than Rabbi Kahane that urged Jews to return home? Eleven years beforeSeptember 11 he was gunned down in New York during his last speech. He called his speaking tourProject ZEERO (Zionist Emergency Rescue Operation). While the majority of Jews in the exile feltquite comfortable (and still do) the Rabbi felt the urgency for immediate aliya. He warned of disastersapproaching long before they began to strike. Ironically he was the first victim of Al Keida.If the law enforcement agencies at the time had done a proper job and investigated his assassin theywould have discovered the links to Al Keida and would have prevented the September 11 tragedy. Inthe year 2012 twenty two years later the words 'Od Yoseph Chai' may yet be heard again. It was twentytwo years that Yacov waited for Yoseph and mourned his disappearance. This seems to be alluded to in'Od Yoseph Chai'.Od Yoseph Chai and Kahane Chai;אחי ,קב יני ף,י םו תס-ע םוד מרב ,אל,יי קש נר ת ,מו םיא למר כח 28 And Israel said: 'It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.' כאה האנ. קב לט לרם אמות,לק קו לא קר ו,תא(Bereshit 45:28) 192
Vayigash 2009The External and Internal YosephI often wondered why the ultimate Moshiach story and example for all future generations takes place inthe exile. An idea came to me this week that seems to make sense. The story of Yoseph is the story ofthe tikkun or correction of Am Israel. When this tikkun takes place it will affect the whole world andbring about the ultimate times of Moshiach and harmony in the world. The times leading up to it, likeour Parsha are very dramatic and the whole world seems to be falling apart until the very last moment.As it was written so I believe will it be played out in the present. The times are very close and the seedsare sprouting and about to give birth.The tikkun is two fold for there are two Yosephs; this tikkun has two faces. There is the externalYoseph and the internal Yoseph. The tikkun of the external Yoseph is the tikkun of the orthodox worldand the Nation of Israel. In this tikkun Yehuda represents the orthodox world and Yoseph the State ofIsrael.Yoseph asks ' Are you truly concerned about Israel our father? You who threw me into the pit andcaused him so much suffering. Why did you ban me? Because of your ban millions died when Israelwas forbidden to them.The internal Yoseph is the tikkun within the State of Israel where Yoseph is represented by theinspiration for the settlement movement and ultimately the State of Judea. Yoseph admonishes again.'You claim to love your father Israel? Why then did you cause Him to mourn when you expelled hischildren in Gush Katif and dug up the graves of the heroes who defended our Land. How did youpersecute Rabbi Kahane and his son and you claim now that you are being persecuted unfairly?'Both segments will be shocked and unable to answer. Am I really the one who held you back? Its yourown ideas that brought suffering to our father. Both of these corrections are taking place at the sametime and as they evolve from outside and from inside a new world is developing that will pave the wayfor the Kingdom of Israel. The center of the drama in our Parsha focuses on Binyamin and the center ofthe focus of our modern day drama takes place in much of the territory of Binyamin – Yesha; Yehudaand Shomron. Now let me explain in more detail.The External Yoseph: Today, the Messianic times have begun and many still call it the exile. Israelexists but for many it does not exist. To them not only is it not part of the Moshiach process but in factit is detrimental. To some in the Charedi world Israel is like the hated brother Yoseph who resembledcousin Esav and for that reason was banned from the holy family. He was accused of being dangerousfor the future of Am Israel and for this reason he was banned and it was forbidden to be associated withhim. Before the Shoa many rebbes forbid their congregants to go to Zionist Israel for fear of losingtheir Jewish soul. How many souls were condemned to death when they could have been encouraged tobe part of the process of redemption and add to the soul of this new Nation. Was it really adherence toHashem’s Torah that forbid them or was there also jealousy as they watched the land becoming greenand the sacrifice of these Jews who like Bar Kochba found their long lost courage and brought back theIsralite might of the past.In the not so distant future as their religious brothers in Yehuda and Shomron are increasingly 193
becoming persecuted the Charedi world must ask themselves are we now prepared to sacrifice forIsrael? These Jews are Torah observant Jews who live in the Land of Israel. The only differencebetween them is the size of their kippa and the fur on their hat, but they both study Torah and keep theHalacha. If the Charedim are against the State of Israel can they also be against the State of Judea? Thetruth will come out as the State of Judea is formed. The blood on the hands of those who forbid escapeand then say there is no answer to the Holocaust will be put to the test. Will they encourage theirfollowers to come to the aid of their Torah observant brothers in Judea? Will Yehuda stake his eternalreward for the protection Binyamin? In our day will he come to the support of his observant brothers inthe territory of Binyamin? This is the external tension between Yehuda and Yoseph that began at theturn of the century and will be resolved soon as the new days begins to dawn. This time HashemHimself will place the gold chalice in Binyamins bag and create signs and wonders that will help us seeour mistakes.The Internal Yoseph – The internal Yoseph is Meir Kahane who’s actions took on historic significancein his lifetime and even greater significance as time goes on. As I have written elsewhere there weremany examples of this. As the Rav stood up to speak in the Knesset many walked out in protest. At thesame time in the UN when Israel spoke (measure for measure) many walked out in protest. The Ravwas the father of Jewish activism and inspired settlements and pro-settlement protest. Long before theGush Katif expulsion the Rav was carried out in the same fashion from Yamit.Today the Rav’s words are echoed by new army cadets who proclaim they love their country but willnot obey orders that go against Halacha. They will not dismantle settlements. Just as the Rav wasbeaten and jailed so is the new generation that follows in his footsteps. They protest against authoritythat beats them because they follow a higher authority. They will not go quietly to their graves nor sellout their brothers. The Rav used many vehicles to get the message across, from militancy toDemocracy. When he became too popular the government that masquerades as a Democracy bannedhim. It was at this point that he held the 1st conference of the State of Judea and had passports made up.The actions of this great shepherd of the Jewish people foreshadow future events. When the tensionrises between the popularity of the settlers and the crumbling feudal system called Democracy therewill be more banning and from this tension will arise the alternative State of Judea.The Internal Yoseph is a battle between two opposing forces within the State that have been at oddsfrom the inception; the militant Irgun and the appeasement forces of the Haganah. The Haganah wonthe battle by killing their fellow Jews at Altalena. Even at a time when Israel desperately needed to beunited as it faced so many enemies, still there was a struggle for who would lead. This struggle led tothe murder of forces bringing much needed ammunition to help the Isralei war effort. Today theseopposing forces of conquering Israel and disengaging from it continue to escalate. In the end is a battleof power and who will lead.Like our Parsha the end of days will be a confrontation of two great leaders;Yoseph and Yehuda. Whowill go 1st? The original split of our Nation came from Jeroboam the son of Nebat who left Jerusalemand took the 10 tribes with him. They say that Jeroboam was also a big Tzaddik and did teshuva in theend. There is a Midrash that says Hashem said that Jeroboam would accompany David Hamelech inGan Eden and Jeroboam asked who will go 1st ? Hashem answered David, and Jeroboam answered'No I don’t want it.'When Israel is not fulfilling its task other Nations take up the mantle and act as the chosen ones. Whenwe do not conquer we are conquered by a non-people and a non-god. When we do not learn the lessonsof the Shoa, then people begin to say it didn’t happen. The forming of the State of Judea will be the 194
backdrop where the sins of the past will become rectified and the world along with it. The haftorahexplains what I wrote above in a few sentences. ו קכ םתב,ץ אלחנד, קלך עת- מקח,א נדם- טז קו מא נתה לבן16 'And thou, son of man, take one wooden tablet,תעץ, ,ב נרו; ו קל מקח,תאל נח ת, תני יי קש נר, קו יל קב, נע נליו יליהו נדהand write upon it: For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then take another-קו נכל ,לא קפ מר יים תעץ, תסף, ו קכת םוב נע נליו קלי םו,לא נחד wooden tablet, and write upon it: For Joseph, the .תב נרו, תאל נח, בית יי קש נר,ת stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel his companions;עתץ, לק-- לקך, לאחנד- יז קו נק מרב םא נתם לא נחד לאל17 and join them for thee one to another into one . קב ני לדך, לא נחד; קו נהיו מל נא נח ידיםstick, that they may become one in thy hand.Religious = Children without a houseNationalists = Those who have a house – The State of IsraelNotice that it says Yehuda and Israel and then Yoseph and Israel. Both sides have the spark of Israel andthe flame of Yoseph. As I wrote above there is an external and internal Yoseph. In a way you could saythe Yehuda inside of Israel and the Israel inside of Yehuda; the Israel emerging from the religiousYehuda and banned for being un-Jewish and the State of Israel emerging inside of Israel that seeks theTorah.Why a wooden tablet? A tablet signifies the laws written in stone, while wood is something alive. Thisis the heart of the matter. To the Charedi world the Torah is written in stone. They do not see that it isalive and in front of them to rush and reclaim. They are blind to the greatest miracle and act of love thatwe have awaited for centuries – the return to our homeland. They see stone but soon it will becomealive like wood and it will be a living Torah. In Israel they see the religion itself as stone. They are thenew Israel and religion is not taken that seriously. When the spiritual revolution begins to threaten theirpower and they see that it is this spirit that they lack and need in order to survive, then the stone willbecome wood to them as well. Soon the Torah will become alive again and we will write its pageshopefully in tears of joy.The Second GeulaIn the morning Yoseph was in prison in the lowest place on earth completely destitute, isolated andalone. In the afternoon he became the King of all Egypt. The Geula of Yoseph was rushed into placetwo years from the day he interpreted the bakers dream. Can a redemption be any quicker than that ofYosephs twenty four hour transition? The answer is yes. The revelation of Yoseph to his brothers tookonly five minutes. The second Geula of the State of Judea will happen much quicker than theestablishment of Modern day Israel that was formed overnight. I believe that even if it comes intobeing as a second Jewish State it will only be a temporary measure that will unite our people.Afterward it will be like the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul in the USA. We see now that as ourcousins insist on East Jerusalem being the capitol of their imaginary Palestine, what they are reallybuilding unbeknownst to themselves is the twin city of two Nations that are really one Nation. They arepreparing the home of our future Kings in the land of Judea. On that day we will have a new heart aswe embrace our abandoned brother and our family is once again united. 195
Vayigash 2011The Rav wrote a fabulous essay years ago called ‘Ban Chanuka’. He pointed out the irony of all theassimilated households gathering together to light the candles of a holiday that commemorates religiousextremism. If they knew what they were celebrating they would ban Chanuka immediately.Typically each week, one sees the Parsha and the Jewish holiday calendar reflected in world events. Inthis Chanuka ‘time of extremism’ we see extremist elements breaking out from all sides. On one sidethe young macabee ‘hilltop youth’ who defy the authorites and sabatoge the vehicles planned to be usedto destroy more settlements. The extreme reaction on the left hand side that live ammunition should beused against Jewish protesters.At the same time a few zealous Charedi people hurled insults at religious Zionist girls on their way toschool in Bet Shemesh because their modest attire did not meet the Charedi standard. All the media isnow over reacting and talking about ‘womans’ rights’ and their hatred for Charedi segregationism. Oneof the Charedi leaders came back and said it is forbidden for Charedi people to integrate into the workforce and be involved in the army, even with government programs that encourage this. According tothis leader these programs will contaminate the pure vile of oil that the Charedi camp represents.What is the common denominator in these extreme elements going head to head? What was formerlydivided and entrenched is now going through changes, mostly positive I think. The extreme left knowsthat their days are numbered, because more and more religious Zionists are taking positions ofleadership in government as well as in media outlets and within the judiciary. They scream and yell intheir last attempt to touch our Achilles heel by claiming women are oppressed, or the Charedi aretaking over the country, or are leeches telling us how to behave, or we must destroy the hilltop youthanarchists who refuse to obey the rule of law which legally determines that they must be raped andpillaged.In addition the overreaction to some religious soldiers who dismissed themselves from ceremonies withwomen singing has become ridiculous. Demands for religious coercion and banning of religioussoldiers rights are heard along with protest for womens rights. On the Charedi side, one of leaders cameout condemning the attempt to integrate religious people into the Israeli society and army saying that itwould tarnish them.There is an amazing Midrash that explains one of the incidents that sparked the Macabee revolution.Each Jewish virgin by law had to have relations with the Greek overseer before she was given to herhusband. The sister of Yehuda Hamacabbi at her wedding ceremony took off her clothes. All the peoplescreamed in rage and threatened to kill her. She replied ‘ Now suddenly you are zealous! The enemiesof Israel rape us each day and you do nothing but now you want to show your manhood by killing adefenseless and naked Jewish woman. You should be ashamed. Why don’t you be men and attack thereal enemy!’ And this is how the revolution began.Why in this time of Chanuka are extremists battling other extremists especially in this year which isalmost the beginning of 2012? The truth is that the extremists are screaming because the country isbecoming more unified. The majority of this Zionist Nation has always been and is increasinglybecoming ‘religious’ Zionist. Torah law and tradition is becoming more and more the fabric not only ofsociety but government. Charedi men are joining the army and regular army soldiers are not adverse toa Torah lecture when a Rabbi visits. Women are completely integrated in society and the army andthere are many very successful CEO’s that are woman. 196
It is only those with a particular agenda who refuse to take a public bus and prefer to create a scene ona private Charedi line so that they will get headlines. The leftist elite that has always controlled theMedia and the judiciary is being slowly outnumbered by patriotic voices that challenge their minorityrule. The various Charedi camps that were extremely anti-Zionist and lived behind walls in theirvarious shtetels finds more of its members taking an active role in the re-birth of Israel. The divisionsthat saw their extremities between Yoseph and Shimon and Levi are now being unified through acommon denominator called Binyamin.It is here in the land of Binyamin where the greatest tikkun is taking place. The people of Yesha are byfar the most patriotic and loyal citizens who per capita have the most people in elite units in the army.Their contribution and dedication to building and defending Israel is recognized and respected by theother tribes. The Torah of Rav Kahane is not banned in Yesha. Many people who live there wereinspired by him and Rav Kook. Binyamin and what he represents is the candles of Chanuka that areincreasing each day and unifying the menorah from both extremes as one light with eight channels.Vayigash 2011The death of Rav Meir and Rav Binyamin it seems were an unfortunate pre-condition towards theMoshiach. It didn’t have to be this way. In a similar vein the Israelites could also have entered Israel inseven days rather than forty years. It was a choice we made. In the Sephardi siddur there is a dailyprayer for the salvation of Moshiach ben Yoseph; a hope that he should not meet this fate. The Ravhimself very often spoke about geula coming quickly with glory or ‘in its time’ with suffering. Tounderstand more on this topic I have quoted a few passages from the Shla in his commentary onVayigash. ‘Just as the kingdom of Joseph had to precede the kingdom of Yehuda, so the Tabernacle in Shiloh, in Joseph’s territory, had to precede the Temple in Jerusalem. Even though the Tabernacle in Shiloh was destroyed, it’s very existence paved the way for the permanent Temple. It had been the ‘pipeline’ that led to the permanent Temple. Once the sanctitiy of the Tabernacle at Shiloh had been transferred to the Temple in Jerusalem, it remained there permanently. Joseph in his capacity of the Tzadik who is the pillar of the world, had still been the pipeline that had made possible the Presence of the sanctity on earth as manifest in the holy Temple.’1 ‘The re-instatement of the dynasty of David will be preceded by the Kingdom of Joseph, since the Moshiach ben Yoseph will precede the arrival of Moshiach ben David. After the arrival of Moshicah ben David the damage caused by the house of Joseph ever since the splitting of the Kingdom of David (Rechavam) under Yerovam will be repaired. The Moshiach ben Yoseph, when he comes, does not come in order to establish his own dynasty, rather he comes to help re- establish the Davidic dynasty. He will even sacrifice his life in order to accomplish this. His blood will atone for the sins of the Jewish people. This atonement will take the form of the Davidic dynasty being restored to the Jewish people as an everlasting kingdom.’2 ‘Joseph said three separate times “God has sent me before you.” The first time he referred to the literal meaning of “God sent me ahead to provide sustenance (45,5).” When Joseph mentioned 197
a second time that God had sent him ahead in 45,7, he phrased it thus: “To provide refuge for you in the land, and to keep you alive for a great rescue”. At first glance these words seem totally superfluous; ‘refuge’ refers to something insignificant, wheras ‘great rescue’ alludes to something major. Actually Joseph alluded to two separate missions that had been entrusted with in order to establish the kingdom of Yehuda. In this world i.e. the Exodus from Egypt, whereas the more important mission was that he would prepare the ground for the Messianic kingdom of David, i.e. play the role of the Moshiach ben Yoseph. He explained that the Moshiach ben Yoseph would be slain as a martyr on behalf of the people of Israel, and that following his death the enduring kingdom of David-messiah would arise. When that would occur, Joseph’s blood would be avenged. Reuben had already hinted at this development when he told his brothers (42,22) that Joseph’s blood was being demanded from them.'3Rabbi Kahane broke through barriers and set precedents that were not set before. He was a livingexample for us of what is demanded from each and every one of us, and to what extent we couldsucceed. If one man could bring down Empires and governments then certainly if we all had a littleKahane flowing through our veins Moshiach would already be here. Today the Rav’s ideas, his verylife, as well as Binyamin and his elucidations of his fathers Torah, continue to inspire and motivate. TheNation is slowly tranforming from these deep roots to the finest fruits of the tree. The process will notbe complete however, until as a Nation we stand behind the people of Binyamin who are the people ofYesha as well as the Temple which stands on Binyamin and Yehuda’s shared territory. The blood thatwas spilled must be avenged and the best tikkun is for that blood to flow through our veins as well. Itdid not have to be, but now that it has we must understand that this destruction was for the sake ofbuilding. The building will not be complete until we recognize who was the architect. קל םראשהא הבן, נה קי נתה-- נמ נאסו מהב םו ינים, כב 22 The stone the builders despised has become the יפ ננה. corner-stone.The Stone ‘Even’ read: Av ve Ben (father and son). Hallel 198
Hey Tevet and Binyamin KahaneChabbad Chassidim celebrate Hey Tevet because there was a legal case that was solved on this day. Afamily member of the Lubavitch Rebbe took possession of the Rebbe’s library, as he believed he wasentitled to it as an inheritance. He refused to go to a Jewish court and so the matter went before a non-Jewish court. Normally according to the law the one who had legal inheritance would be able to takepossession of the library. The Rebbe spoke to the judge and there was a surprise verdict. A precedentwas broken. It was determined in this particular case that the library belonged to a ‘movement’ and wasnot the property of an individual. It was a victory for Chassidut.On Hey Tevet we also lost Binyamin Kahane. Is there a connection? Binyamin was not a follower ofthe Rebbe, nor was his father, however if the Torah of Rav Kahane connects to all of the Jewish people,then it must also connect to Chabad. Binyamin continued his fathers work and he toiled throughharassment and imprisonment to continue writing and distributing the Darke Torah (insights into theParsha of the Week). He expanded and related his fathers explanations and insights into the Torah eachweek. As we will explain in the book of Shmot, the staff of Moshe alludes to the Torah of Moshe. HisTorah was different from all others for on one hand it looked like all others; a staff that one leans on,but on the other hand it could turn into a snake that frightened everyone. It was alive.The brothers of Yoseph did not recognize him because in their eyes he was dead. He was no longerrelevant. He was a private story of a private family that caused problems many years ago and were nolonger relevant. All of a sudden before their eyes they realized that it was his very Torah that was inpower and they were at his mercy. This is indeed what will happen in the very near future. Just as theancient library of Chabbad was ratified by the non-Jewish government to remain in the hands of thoseto whom they belonged, so will the ancient books of the Torah be ratified by the world, followed by thesages to be the authentic Torah as written by Rav Kahane. This does not mean that the many otherfacets of Torah are not integral rather they were not relevant ‘politically’. Just as many great scholarsbanned the Rav and his Torah from their holy abodes because it was ‘politics’ and not ‘Torah’. In theend we will see that this ‘politics’ will have changed the systems of power and will have been therelevant factor in bringing about the ‘Religious Nation’ that we were intended to be. It will not be anation where everone wears the same black coat, but it will be a Nation that has meaning, purpose, andfaith. The Rav attracted Jewish people from all different streams, just as Moshe Feiglin’s party doestoday which is strongly connected to Rav Kahane.It still may seem a stretch to connect Chabbad with Rav Kahane, but as I mentioned on the very firstpage of this book. If your Torah has not been banned, it’s not worth reading. At one time, Chabbad wasalso banned and persecuted. This is an indication that they too had a special light to bring into theworld. The Kingdom of Yoseph will meet the Kingdom of Yehuda. Yoseph will change the rules of thegame and Yehuda will accept this new reality and build upon it. 199
On Isolation and VictoryI had two unrelated questions on the Parsha this week. After contemplating them it appeared to me thatthey are actually related and shed light on each other. One question is the following: If Vayigashsymbolizes the concept of Moshiach and the instant rectification that takes place when our eyes aresuddenly opened, then why didn't the story take place in Israel? Why does this rectification come aboutin the exile? The other question I had was, why did the brothers say previously that Yoseph wasmissing, and in todays Parsha they say Yoseph is dead? After some thought it seemed to me that thereis a deep relation between these two questions.As we have discussed the animosity today, between the Charedi and the secular world, although verybitter in the earlier part of of the century, has become less so as we have integrated in Israel over theyears. There is a growing middle ground that finds Charedi soldiers in the army, and secular soldiers inyeshiva. At one point Yoseph was 'aneinu', he was lost or missing; not one of 'us'. When does Yosephswitch from being 'missing' to being considered 'dead'? Today as Israel becomes increasingly isolatedand the whole world unified by forces of darkness to eliminate Israel, there is only one solution;Binyamin. As Israel says, as he is left completely alone without his sons, 'if I lose him, I lose him'; butthis is the only chance; this is the only hope.As pressure in the world builds for us to tear Binyamin from his fathers heart today and build aPalestine in its place it will create a catalyst that will unite the tribes of Israel to reconquer the Land;but this time it will be conquered for a 'unified' purpose. The reconquering of Binyamin will not be tobuild a nation like all other nations, as Israel was, but quite the opposite. It will be a declaration thatwe are not like other Nations, and that we are fulfilling the will of our Father in Heaven by settling thisLand and (by opposing the will of nations to obey the will of God) we will make His Name great as wedid in Chanuka. The ruse of Yoseph alludes to the ruse of the State of Israel today. Everyone suspects that although wepay lip service to a two state solution its not really what is in our hearts. We don't really want to tearBinyamin from his fathers heart. In the end we will stand alone and declare our bond and our allegianceto our brother and family and God. The whole world will be represented in this final battle overBinyamin and little Israel will be victorious. As the rules of war go, the winner owns the spoils, andtherefore the world will be at the mercy of Israel as they were when Avraham alone battled the mightykings of the world and saved Sodom.As Yoseph acquired Egypt, Israel will acquire the world that will will bless us and pledge theirallegiance to us for saving them from death and famine that they were unable to foresee or defeat. Theevil that comes against Israel will cause us to unite and despite our differences Binyamin and Yeshawill be called brothers and we will fight for them. It is this that will cause our success and result in theconquest not only of Binyamin but the world.It is fitting then when faced with the death of Israel, when Yoseph who was not 'one of us' becomesYoseph my brother who is threatened with destruction, that we see the only impediment of bringingabout Moshiash was our internal divisions. When we are united in the struggle for Binyamin, it will beclear that our Moshiach, is not only the king of Israel but the king of the world. Nations will come andpay tribute to Israel for the blessing and salvation that Israel brought. Pharaoh acquired Egypt for thefifth, but by the hand of Yoseph. It is Yoseph who acquired Pharoah, and thereby the world. 'For[God ]has made me father to Pharoah. ' (Beereshit 45:8) Moshiach will be declared in the exile in asimilar way that Esav announced the name Israel, but this time willingly. 200
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