Rav Kahane Kahane Codes - Bereshit Shmot

Toledot 351

PARSHAT TOLEDOT WORLD WAR ONE AND FOREVER (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Yitzhak Newman, ZT\"LThe war in Rivka's womb is pretty intense. In one corner is Yaakov, who at this early stage is alreadywaging the battle for Divine truth. And in the other corner is Esau, who is already denying God; whobasically sees the purpose of the world as a place to fulfill his needs and passions.Good versus EvilThis turbulence in Rivka's stomach is how it all started. It is the beginning of the most essential war, aneternal one that has run the course of history. We are talking about the war of good versus evil. This isthe real war which dwarfs all others. Whether one wants to accept it or deny it, this is the perpetualconflict that is taking place behind the scenes of history.In a war so basic, of such substance, there is no lull. These two fetuses, who embody the good and theevil, are not able to stand one another even in their mother's womb. The bitter dispute is alreadyunderway, \"and the children clashed inside her\".No Co-ExistenceThis war is the beginning of what later on will be known as the war of Yaakov and Esau. It has alreadybeen written: \"The halacha is known: Esau hates Yaakov\". It is an inherent, natural hatred, one thatcannot be extinguished. Our sages add something else, to make things even clearer. They tell us that ifsomeone comes to you and says: Jerusalem and Edom (which is the kingdom of Esau) are both thriving- do not believe him; both are destroyed - do not believe him; one is thriving and one is destroyed -believe him. The sages are conveying us an awesome message here --There is no Peace With EvilThere are those who feel the time has arrived for \"world peace\", for co-existence between nations,religions and races of all kinds. The Torah comes and says: No way. No way can there be peace withEsau. These are two opposites. One is good and one is evil. And there is no co-existence between goodand evil!A revolutionary idea? Hardly. Certainly not for someone who learns Torah properly. For the JewishPeople, there is no aspiration to make peace with Esau. On the contrary. According to Jewish tradition,God is not complete and His throne is not complete until Amalek has been wiped out from the world.And who is Amalek? Amalek (Esau's grandchild) is an extreme manifestation of Esau in this world.Peace at the proper time, and war at the proper time. Yes, we all want peace, but peace only with good,and with good, decent people. With evil, not only aren't we interested in peace, but the Torah evencommands us to wage an all out war against it, \"and you shall burn out the evil from thy midst!\"Nothing less than that. For the war against evil is not a personal war, but rather a mission that God gaveus the moment we breathed the air of this world, and even beforehand... 352

Living for the Moment Vs. Eternal Values (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Yitzhak Newman, ZT\"LIn parshat Toledot we find two opposing world views expressed respectively by Jacob and Esau. Oneworld view sees physical pleasure as the ultimate goal. It stresses the present. It downplays theconsequences of one's actions. It's motto: \"Live for Today!\" The other world view stresses spiritualityand places the service of G-d at the center of man's existence. Man must take account of his actions, forthe future depends on it.Esau's brusque demand (Genesis 25-30): \"Let me swallow, I pray thee, some of this red, red (pottage)\",expresses the first world view. Esau uses his intellect to search and figure out ways to satisfy hisdesires. His intellect is subject to his body. This point is emphasized again (Ibid:35): \"And he ate anddrank and rose and went on his way.\" It is precisely this \"Living for Today\" which makes Esau weakand susceptible to Yaakov's offer to buy his birthright. After all, what is a birthright - a vague honor, anambiguous title which only has real implications for the distant future - compared to a steamy pot oflentils after a hard day of hunting? And so, this bestial quality is exploited by Yaakov - \"And Esau said:Behold, I am going to die; and what profit shall the birthright be to me?\" (25-32)Yaakov is exactly the opposite. He plants seeds today and he will reap the harvest tomorrow. He doesnot give in to passing desires. He has the ability to see the future and plan for it. His intellect is masterover his body, and his G-dly image is plain for all to see. He patiently waits until he receives theblessing fifteen years later. This behavior stands in sharp contrast to Esau, who at this point is finallyexposed before his father Yitzchak and hysterically bursts in to tears: \"he cried with an exceeding greatand bitter cry\" (27-34) and said: \"for he has tricked me these two times: he took away my birthright;and behold, now, he has now taken away my blessing.\" (27-36) Here we see the infantile irrationalitythe moment his illusions explode. For Esau realizes, albeit, too late, the consequences of \"living fortoday\". For a fleeting pleasure he sacrificed something truly valuable. The illusion of materialism isshattered. His brother receives eternal blessing and he - a lousy pot of lentils.All this is quite pertinent in helping to understand the present state of Israel and the peace (re: suicide)process. It is the same Esavian plague which causes the \"peacenicks\" to be so eager to throw away it'sbirthright, and it's homeland for a figurative pot of lentils; empty and vague promises of \"peace\" whenall of history and common sense point in the opposite direction. Just as Esau was already fully formedfrom birth(the Hebrew word for Esau means \"made\" or \"formed\", as Rashi says: for at birth he wasformed and completed with his hair as one of many years), so do the peacenicks come with ready-madeplans for a peace \"now\". But similar to Esau, this approach is void of any real content, for they forsakethe future and eternal aspect of the Jewish Nation.We, the children of Yaakov, approach life according to the covenant that was promised to us. Peace?Only \"if in my statutes you walk\". Any other way will lead to tragedy, and all other answers will blowup in the faces of the \"now\" people, who will burst into an exceeding and bitter cry as did their originalpredecessor, Esau. 353

THE CLOWNS IN EVERY GENERATION (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergThe rabbis tell us that when Yitzchak was born, \"the clowns of the generation\" claimed that Avimelechwas Yitzchak's real father. They even had a convincing argument: for so many years, Sarah had notbecome pregnant from Avraham. And behold, while Avraham is an old man, she suddenly becomesimpregnated shortly after being taken by Avimelech. Logical conclusion: there is no miracle here, butrather Sarah has been impregnated by the evil Avimelech. The rabbis tell us that in order to refute thisargument, G-d formed Yitzchak's face identical to that of Avraham's, to make it clear that: \"Avrahambegot Yitzchak.\"THE QUESTIONSThree questions on this midrash: 1. why do the rabbis refer to these slanderers and scorners as \"clownsof the generation\"? It seems that their claim, as evil as it may be, is not based on frivilousness orbuffoonery, but rather on rationality and logic. 2. If they are just \"clowns\", why do we pay so muchattention to them; to such an extent that the sages immortalize them, and G-d Himself intervenes torefute them? 3. From the midrash, it appears that their claim was not some joke. On the contrary, itseemed to be a serious matter of concern for them to prove that Avraham was not Yitzchak's father.What do they care? Of what interest is it to them?Our sages speak of \"clowns of the generations\" in several other places. For example, in the midrashEicha Raba it says: \"The clowns of the generation would utter with their mouths and hint with theireyes saying, 'the prophesy which he (Ezekhiel) prophesizes is only for the distant future'\". The clownsof the generation in this case were the leaders who feared that the prophet's warning of the impendingdestruction would enter the hearts of the masses. Instead of debating the issue at hand, they latchedonto a \"weak spot\" in his prophesy, and used it in order to destroy the credibility of the prophet:Behold, so much time has passed since you've been warning us, and nothing has happened -- there isstill more time to party! And so again, if their claim is rational and viable, why are they termed\"clowns\"?CLOWNING AROUND IS SERIOUS BUSINESSTo understand this, we must first realize that a clown is not some prankster with a funny hat and floppyshoes. The \"clowns of the generation\" which our sages describe are people who have a purpose. Inorder to nullify the truth which they cannot accept, they grasp onto certain points and make a joke outof them. But as time passes, all the ideology and seriousness that once cloaked them becomes undone,since their goal all along was to undermine the truth in order to continue in their ways of sin andfalsehood.AVRAHAM'S WAR AGAINST THE WORLDAvraham is the symbol of the \"Ivry\" (Hebrew). \"Ivry\" comes from the root \"the other side\", meaningthat the entire world stood on one side (miever), and he stood on the other. When the sages tell us thathe destroyed the idols, it is not just a story: It means that while spreading the idea on the One and TrueG-d, Avraham waged war against the false beliefs and leaders that existed in his time, shattering them.Yitzchak's birth expressed the continuation of this legacy, and the miraculous way in which his birthcame about was a proof of G-d's strength and the righteousness of Avraham's cause. For many years thepeople of Avraham's generation would mock him by saying: You have no one to carry on your legacy! 354

Your teachings will be forgotten! You have no future; you are \"washed up and sterile\". Then suddenly,G-d's ancient promise is actualized and Sarah bears him a son to continue. At this point, his enemies arein danger: Avraham is revived, and his teachings will continue as his G-d promised. In order for theirideology to survive, the opponents of Avraham must launch an offensive. They find something;something logical that can be \"clowned\" with.There is no doubt that the clowns of Avraham's generation were men of stature. Their involvement inthe \"Who is Yitzchak's real father\" scandal was of a serious nature. However, all this was only a coverfor their real motive: the war against Avraham's ideas; the idea of the true G-d.PROFESSIONAL CLOWNSThis tactic is alive and well today in Israel. The hellenists most powerful weapon against Judaism andEretz Yisrael is -- clowning and mockery. In the media sit people who have perfected it to an art. In theguise of \"journalism\", they mock and scorn, cloaking their vicious slander in the garb of \"rationalism\",\"pragmatism\", \"enlightenment\", etc. These are the \"clowns of the generation\", whose goal is to destroyall values by setting down the axiom that there really are no \"values\", other than the one value whosevery essence is anti-value. And what is that? Democracy. In essence, democracy says that anythinggoes, and that there are no absolute values or objective truths. Anything running counter to this \"value\"is made into a laughing stock. Mitzvot? G-d? That's for the primitive (as a first stage), and for the racist(as a second stage). 355

356

Vayetze 357

PARSHAT VAYETZE Time to Go Home (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Yizchak Neeman, ZT\"LIt is a well-know Torah principle that, \"the actions of the fathers are precedents for the sons.\" TheRambam in his introduction to the Book of Exodus explains: \"All the events (that the founding fathersof the Israelite Nation experience) are like pictures of things that hint and inform us of all that willoccur to them (the Israelite Nation) in the future) in the future.\" This rule not only applies to positiveactions, but to negative actions as well. Indeed, Rabbi Kahane often pointed out how the conflictbetween Jacob and Laban that is recounted in parshat Vayetze provides us with a prototype of Jewish-Gentile relations that remain valid as long as the Jews abide in the lands of their dispersion.First, Jacob is forced to flee his home due to the fact that Esau plots to murder him as vengeance for analleged wrong, \"Behold, Esau your brother comforts himself (by planning) to kill you. And now myson, listen to me and arise, flee to Laban, my brother in Haran.\" (Genesis 27:42)Jacob makes the wearying journey, full of travails and diversions, and finally arrives, penniless, in hisnew place of residence. He immediately seeks and finds work (as a shepherd) and begins to rebuild hislife. He works hard and is scrupulously honest: \"These past 20 years that I was with you, your sheepdid not miscarriage and the rams of your flock I did not eat. I did not bring you a carcass (of a deadsheep attacked by wild animals) without reimbursing you, and took responsibility (for stolen sheep)whether stolen in the day or night\" (ibid 40). For his trouble he is repeatedly cheated and ripped off byhis employer Laban, \"You have switched my wages (i.e. contract) ten times\" (ibid 41). And yet, despitethis, his diligence and faith in G-d pay off: \"And the man increased (his wealth) very much (ibid30:43).Yes, Jacob became a financial mogul with influential connections and an impressive mass of wealthand possessions to boot. He had \"made it\". He had reached the highest echelons of society. What couldpossibly go wrong? \"And he heard the sons of Laban saying, Jacob has taken all that belongs to ourfather and it is from our father's possessions that he has glorified himself. And Jacob saw Laban'sexpression (when looking at Jacob) and it was different from that way it has always been\" (ibid 31:12).The atmosphere grows thick with jealousy. The hatred that accompanies it spawns false accusations andoutright lies: \"The Jews control the economy! The Jews are feeding off of us! It's the Jews fault!\"Jacob, an honest and law-abiding citizen of Padan Aram finds himself, once again, in physical dangerregardless of his innocent intentions and contributions to society. He is momentarily shocked. What hashe done to deserve this? The \"old friend\" of yesterday is the new enemy of today. He realizes he hasoverstayed his welcome, but hangs on a little longer. Eventually he hits the road only to beginsomewhere else where the same nightmare can be replayed again.This, then, is the immutable cycle of the Jewish exile. But where does it end? Shall his weary feet neverfind rest? Is he doomed to a life of perpetual wandering? Or is there a place where he will be able togrow and prosper, a place where his children's future will be guaranteed; a place by which he has arightful claim? The Almighty gives the answer, and it is an answer that we would do well to takeseriously: \"Return to the land of your fathers, your homeland, and (there) I will be with you!\" (ibid31:3) 358

This familiar pattern repeats itself over and over again. In each new place the hapless Jew \"finally\"discovered comfort and security. \"It can't happen here\" he reassures himself, and blithely goes about hisway, all the while stubbornly ignoring the lessons of history, not to mention a Torah commandment...There is only one way to escape the vicious cycle, and that is the way in which the Torah implores us:\"Return to the land of your fathers, your homeland, and (there) I will be with you!\" When It Comes to the Jewish Idea - No Changes!! (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergThe last two Torah parshas of the week have portrayed Yaakov as quite a con-man. Every step of theway he is using his cunning to achieve his desired goals - at first in attaining the birthright by puttingthe pressure on a weary and vulnerable Esau, and afterwards in his outright theft of the blessing fromhis father. In our parsha this week, we see this guile directed now at Laban, his cheating uncle, as oursages tell us: \"If to deceive he comes, then I, too am his brother in deceit, but if he is an honest man,than I, too am the son of Rivka, his honest sister\". (Rashi 29:12) And indeed, when the dust clearsYaakov comes out of the Laban situation a very wealthy man.The problem is that all this is in sharp contrast to the very first words the Torah uses to describe Yaakov- \"And Yaakov was 'tam' (in Hebrew, the word 'tam' has the connotation of pure, whole, simple ornaive). Couldn't the Torah find another word to characterize Yaakov other than 'tam'?? In our simplisticeyes, Yaakov is the very antithesis of 'tam', full of savvy and even an outright liar when need be.The question is magnified tenfold when we remember that Yaakov Avenu represents, of all things,\"Emet\" (truth), as it is written, \"And you will give truth to Yaakov\", (Micha 7). And so again, couldn'tthe sages come up with a more appropriate characteristic for Yaakov other than \"Emet\"?The fact is that this subject is a very delicate one, and it is one that my father, Rabbi Meir Kahane,HY\"D, had to deal with his entire life. Obviously in this short space it is impossible to delve too deeplyinto the subject, but it certainly must be touched upon. Everyone used to ask Rabbi Kahane: \"Why don'tyou change a little?\" Just change a little to outmaneuver your enemies and then get into a position ofpower when you can then say the truth. Without exaggerating, he was approached by literallythousands of people with advice of this sort. He never listened to these \"advisors\" and insisted onclinging to truth. There are enough liars and cowards out there already, he would say. SOMEONE hasto speak the truth.Rabbi Kahane was the only one to get up and shout the truth without changing an iota, and withouttaking into account the \"ifs\" or \"buts\". From this point of view, he was the epitome of \"And you willgive truth to Yaakov\". On the other hand, when it came to less important matters not concerning theessence of the message, the Rav was as sly as the best of them, making a mockery of his opponents,often using \"gimmicks\" to expose their fraud or get himself press. But all this cunning was used forTACTICAL matters, not ideological ones. When it came to the message of the Jewish Idea, there wasno place for even the tiniest of compromises. He knew that if he would make the slightest change, evenfor a short period of time, he would lose everything he had worked for - he would be selling out, andthe power of his message would be emasculated.It seems to me that through this actual, live example of my father in our generation, we are giveninsight into the behavior of Yaakov in his interaction with Esau and Laban. Sure Yaakov knew how to 359

manipulate and fend for himself when need be. But when it came to the message itself he was willingto sacrifice himself even for \"little jars\", for it was a matter of principle to retrieve what he earned. Hewas ready to go face to face with the angel of Esau for even the slightest reason.This ability to separate what is important and what is not important; what is the message and what isonly tactical; when to compromise and when not to - this made my father so special. It is the lesson welearn from Yaakov Avenu. \"YAAKOV WENT OUT\" and \"YAAKOV SAT\" (2000) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg\"And Yaakov went out\" - This seemingly innocent opening of our parasha is really not as simple as itmay appear. Think about it: From where is Yaakov going out, and where is he going to? He is departingfrom Yitzchak and Rivka's warm home, from the cozy tent (as the verse says, \"he dwelled in tents\"),from a pure and wholesome environment (and Yaakov was \"tam\", meaning wholesome or pure). Andwhere is he headed? To a cold, cruel world of murderers and swindlers. Yaakov, a wholesome, pureman, whose only desire is to serve God, finds himself fleeing from his brother who wants to kill him.He is on the way to a place he is not at all familiar with. Sure, it's his uncle. But what kind of uncle isthis? Lavan the Aramite, the cheat and scoundrel. Does Yaakov really need all this grief?Remember, Yaakov tried to avoid all of this in the first place. It wasn't his idea to steal the blessings,which was what got him into this mess in the first place. It was his righteous mother who incited him todo it. Yaakov wanted to sit in his tent, to bask in the radiance of his father, to absorb Torah from him, toelevate himself spiritually. And now? He is alone and unsure of his destination, with but a stick in hishand. This is a situation he never dreamed he would find himself in. And again, where is he headed? Tohis uncle. If he only knew what waits for him there. With brothers and uncles like that, who needsenemies? How are we supposed to understand this? Why does God wish to see Yaakov go through allthese difficult circumstances? Esau, Lavan, and let us remember his greatest sorrow of all - the loss ofYosef. Why doesn't God allow this righteous man, whose entire life's goal is to sit in the tent of Torahand serve God - why doesn't God allow him to fulfill his aspirations? Instead, this man of enormouspotential must waste his thoughts and his efforts in scheming how to avoid his murderous brother. Isthis not a waste of talent. Isn't there a more optimal way this spiritual giant can utilize his time? What isthe reason for all these trials and tribulations which befall Yaakov, turning his life into one of brutalhardships, a life he himself later sums up as: - \"few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.\"No Tranquility for The RighteousIn order to understand, \"And Yaakov went out\", we must understand \"And Yaakov sat\", which is twoparashas ahead of us. On this seemingly mundane phrase, \"And Yaakov sat\", the sages tell us: \"Yaakovdesired to sit in peace, but there sprang upon him the troubles of Yosef. When the righteous desire to sitin tranquility, the Almighty says: Is it not sufficient for the righteous that which is prepared for them inthe world to come, but they seek to sit in tranquility in this world too!\" (Rashi, at beginning of parasha)What is so wrong about wanting to sit in tranquility? Don't the righteous deserve it? This is basicallythe same question we have been asking all along. And the answer is a resounding, No! The righteousare not supposed to sit in tranquility. Yaakov was put on this earth to be a \"And Yaakov went out\" man, 360

and not a \"And Yaakov sat\" type of person. This is a novel idea in this generation. For up to now, wehave been taught that the complete Jew is one who spends all his time learning in the Beit Midrash. Nottrue. There is a time for sitting in the Beit Midrash, and a time to go out to the people. People aresuffering. There are ideals that must be fought for. There are problems that must be solved.Yaakov as a Symbol For UsTherefore, it is wrong to think that Yaakov \"went to waste\" wandering and investing energies to foilcon-men and murderers. All these experiences, which may seem as needless aggravation and wastes oftime, bring the Jew to loftier heights. A Jew who must face all this while remaining steadfast inspreading God's word and doing the right things; who takes on the wicked and does it all out of aconnection to God and guidance from the Torah he is engrossed in during every moment available tohim - such a Jew reaches far greater heights than the one who dismisses himself from such \"politics\",and enters only the Beit Midrash.Yaakov is a symbol for the sons who succeed him, the nation of Israel. Yaakov does not sit intranquility. The days of Messiah have not yet arrived. Jew! In this world there are problems which aresometimes difficult, and one must deal with them, and if necessary, to fight them. This is part of yourdestiny. Why do you think there is Esau and Lavan in this world? For you! They did not sprout up bythemselves. God created them! They exist in order to harass the wholesome Jew. They exist to test him.And the tests are difficult ones. True, you do not have to go and look for tests. But don't worry, becausethey will find you. Each one according to what has been designated for him. But take comfort, Jew: Inthe end, these tests and trials mold you and give you the chance to reach greater heights, and to proveyour faith and trust in God. And that is what being a Jew is all about.The \"gedolim\" of all generations, who are our guiding light from the days of Avraham until today - theyare people who never fled from struggles. When Yaakov starts to fatigue, and it happens, God throwsall kinds of events his way - events which awaken him from the cocoon of tranquility he tries to curlhimself into. They awaken him and say: Yaakov, Yaakov, there is no rest in this world. Don't worry,don't take it too hard - if you only knew what awaits you in the next world! And then he is awakenedand inspirited, anxious to do battle. We are amazed to see Yaakov, this pure and simple man beingforced to deal with the devious Lavan, and overcoming him. Sure, Yaakov is \"tam\", but when he leaveshis tent, he knows how to deal with evil... 361

362

Vayishlach 363

PARSHAT VAYISHLACH SHIMEON AND LEVY & COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergThe act of Shimeon and Levy in Shchem bears light on a subject so relevant today in our dealings withthe Arab enemy. And the subject is the one called \"collective punishment\". For here is Shimeon andLevy, in response to a crime which was more sexually motivated than nationally motivated, wiping outan entire city because of the act of one individual. You can't get much more collective than that!At this juncture, we will not respond to the modern falsifiers of Torah who condemn the act. The fact is,a look in Parshat Vayishalch will reveal that Yaakov never condemned the act on a moral basis, butrather on a practical basis (\"you have brought trouble on me..and I being few in number, they shallgather themselves against me..\"). The fact is, not one Torah commentator condemns it. The wiping outof Shchem was the pride of the tribe of Shimeon, inscribed on its flag in the desert! All thecommentators see the act as a mitzvah and one of great m'sirut nefesh. The only argument among thecommentators is concerning the question of why it was permitted?The Rambam for instance, writes that the gentiles of Shchem were guilty for not observing the sevenNoacide Laws - one of these laws being the obligation to set up court systems to try criminals. Sincethe people of Shchem did not bring Shchem Ben Hamor to trial, they were obligated the death penalty.The Maharal differs. He says that since the people of Shchem feared their prince, they were forciblyprevented from bringing him to trial, and were therefore dismissed from guilt.Then why was Shimeon and Levy permitted to collectively punish an entire city? The Maharalanswers: \"Since both the Shchem Canaanites and Yaakov & sons were were already considered'nations' or 'collectives' (as was mentioned in their agreement to circumcise, 'and we will be as onenation', instead of two nations), it was permitted to fight against them according to the laws of war,when nation goes against nation, as a collective. And though it is written that before such a war, onemust make the offer of peace, that is only when they did not harm Israel. But here, where they violated(a Jewish girl), even though only one of them did it, he is part of a collective, and one can takevengeance against all of them. And such is the case for all wars, as it says, 'Take vengeance against theMidyanites', etc, where even though only a few did (evil), it makes no difference because they are fromthe same nation..and such is the case in all wars... (Gur Aryeh, Parshat Vayishlach) 364

The Killing of the Shchem Residents: A Torah Perspective (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergTwo zealots are focused upon in our parsha: Shimeon and Levy. And theeternal question is if they were correctin their deed or not. This parsha has certainly been one of the more misinterpreted portions in the Torah inmodern times, and as a consequence, so many improper conclusions have been drawn from it.Why is that? Because indeed, there are verses in the Torah, which at first glance view the act of Shimeon andLevy as a mistake. One who reads Parshat Vayichi can easily reach the conclusion that the question isanswered by Yaakov, when he says, \"Cursed be their anger for it was fierce...\" These words are directed at theactions of Shimeon and Levy in Shchem, and such words certainly seem to put the deed in a negative light. Andso, this is how so many love to interpret the parsha, thereby condemning the brothers Shimeon and Levy as ifthey sinned in Shchem.The Act of Shchem - The Pride of the Tribe of Shimeon!But in contrast to this simplistic understanding, there are tremendous questions. Firstly, one who reads ParshatVayishlach will notice that the Torah finishes the story with Shimeon and Levy having the upper hand. For inresponse to Yaakov's argument that \"you have troubled me, to make me odious among the inhabitants of theland\", Shimeon and Levy promptly answer him: \"As a harlot should one deal with our sister?\" And so the parshaends, without a peep from Yaakov, with the brothers clearly putting the matter at rest. And indeed, the argumentof Yaakov, that \"you have troubled me to make me odious among the inhabitants of the land\" seems to fall flat onits face, as the Almighty puts fear of G-d upon all the inhabitants of the cities from which Yaakov was afraid of.Could this not be a clear sign that the Almighty was giving an O.K. to the deed?More than that, pay attention to the argument of Yaakov. He is not opposing them on a \"moral\" basis. He is notcriticizing them for wiping out an entire city unjustly. No! This is not his argument. His is a PRACTICAL one - thatall the goyim will come after us now. And if one is not yet convinced, know what it says in the Midrash - that onthe flag of Shimeon was nothing more and nothing less than a PICTURE OF THE CITY OF SHCHEM! Now askyourselves: How could one have on his flag a symbol of something that reminded him of his sin? But certainlythe act of Shimeon and Levy was a correct and positive act, to such an extent that it waves proudly on the flag ofShimeon.The fact is that none of the Jewish commentators condemn the act. For example, Rambam explains thatShimeon and Levy were justified because the people of Shchem did not put Shchem Ben Hamor on trial for hiscrime of raping Dina, thus violating the seven laws of Bnei Noach, and therefore being worthy of death. TheMaharal argues with the Rambam, stating that one can't expect a people to put it's prince on trial, because theyare afraid of him. He therefore offers an alternative explanation. The Maharal says that the children of Israelbehaved as in all wars, where there is a law of collective punishment, and even though one is supposed to callfor peace first, this is only when you were not wronged by them. But since in this case, they 'broke the fence\"first with their rape of Dina, one needn't call them to peace. (Gur Aryeh, Vayishlach)And so, all this makes us quite curious to know why Yaakov said in Parshat Vayichi: \"Cursed is their anger for itwas fierce\"?The Act - Good. The Motive - Not So Good.The answer to this question touches upon the deep and delicate subject concerning the MOTIVE that standsbehind the actions of a person. Yaakov, in his wisdom, evidently understood that while the act of Shimeon andLevy was a Kiddush Hashem, he also came to the conclusion later on that the motive standing behind the deedwas not 100% pure. When did Yaakov understand this? When it became clear that the major culprits in theselling of Yosef were the same Shimeon and Levy (as the sages tell us in another place), Yaakov knew that theirzealotry was not always channeled in the proper direction. He said to them: \"For in their anger they slew men,and in their self-will they houghed an ox\".Rashi tell us that the \"men\" they slew were Hamor and the men of Shchem, and the \"ox\" they houghed wasYosef, who was termed \"ox\". This was the problem. After being zealous for a good cause, they went out later tohurt their brother. The act of plotting to kill Yosef shed light on their act in Shchem. It meant that their motive 365

there was somehow flawed; and they were not acting solely \"LeShame Shamayim\". It showed that there was acharacteristic of anger in them, not always directed properly. And so Yaakov said \"cursed is their anger, for it isfierce.\" Yaakov did not curse them, but rather their anger, to tell us that they are not cursed, but only \"their anger\"is. That is, the use of the attribute of zealousness derived from anger, not \"Leshame Shamayim\".Interestingly enough, we see that the tribe of Levi indeed succeeded incleansing their motives, and acting\"LeShame Shamayim\". It was they who slew their brethren for the sin of the Golden Calf, and it was Pinchaswho was also zealous for G-d's sake, slaying Zimri. Zimri Ben Salu, the Jewish leader who prostituted himself,was from the tribe of Shimeon. Pinchas, who was zealous against such lewdness came from the tribe of Levy. Azealot and son of a zealot - but this time with absolutely pure motives. The tribe of Levy succeeded insublimating it's attribute of anger, thereby purifying it's motives as Yaakov requested. Shimeon apparently couldnot straighten out his \"middot\", falling victim to the very same sin he was once zealous for. Is \"Esau Hates Yaakov\" a Thing of the Past? (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergWithout a doubt there will be those who object to our bringing the following quote from aparticular \"religious\" Jew who is one of the biggest opponents to the renewal of the sacrifices inour generation.During a special convention dealing with the Temple Mount, one of the participants who dons ayarmulke and carries with the title of \"Rabbi\", made the following comment: \"Must we inhale thesmell of charred meat in order to manifest our religiousness?..\"And so, why must we bring the words of enemies of Judaism in our parsha commentary? Why givethem a forum? Aren't there things more holy to discuss on this topic?The answer is that in many ways, almost every Jew, including observant ones, possesses thoughtssimilar to the above, and it is this complete mindset which must be changed. What exactly do wemean? After 2,000 years of living without a Temple and without sacrifices, the mere idea ofoffering sacrifices (the bringing of an animal, slaughtering it with a knife, and bringing its flesh upto the fire on the altar for G-d), has been virtually forgotten. People have even begun to rejectand mock the entire concept of animal sacrifices. After all, who does such things today?For this reason, while it would never cross the lips of a believing Jew to cancel the service of thefire offerings, he also does not exhibit a great yearning to see the \"religion\" of Judaism return tothe days when the offering of the sacrifices stood at their very center. He, too, can not help butthink of all this as something that belongs to the Dark Ages.I mean, between us, who really needs to see flocks of sheep and cattle being scorched on theTemple Mount? After all, serving G-d in the manner in which we have become accustomedincludes davening, fasting and other such ritual. How can we suddenly serve G-d in such a crudeand material way? Isn't such practice more appropriate for such countries like India?But the fact is, clearly, that the way to get close to G-d is the way that G-d Himself told us to; notthe way it appears through our very mortal and limited eyes. And G-d set down that the way toserve Him (nu, what can you do?), is to take an unblemished animal and offer it on the altar inthe place which G-d chose, on the Temple Mount, as we contemplate how it is really WE whodeserve to be slaughtered for our sin. This process nullifies our egos, and actualizes in a veryconcrete way the severity of our sin and the punishment we deserve, thereby enabling us to reachhigher levels of spirituality. Prayer? Fasts? Of course! But only as something to supplement thesacrifices. 366

Our words are not directed towards that same clown we quoted earlier. Our words are directed atyou, the reader, who perhaps mistakenly underestimated the vital importance of the service of thesacrifices and the critical need to restore it.Know and remember! For 2,000 years, all our prayers have been for the return of our Temple andfor the renewal of the sacrifices, as we say in the Amida prayer three times each day, \"Restore theservice to the Holy of Holies of your Temple. Speedily accept the fire offerings of Israel...\"Do not dare think that today we have \"progressed\", and already \"passed that stage\". Suchthoughts eliminate a very hefty portion of the 613 Mitzvot, and one who would consider cancelingeven one of them is guilty of heresy.Let us not be counted among those \"moderdox\" Jews who attempt to create G-d in their ownimage. Let us be true Torah Jews who accept all of G-d's laws regardless of how it may jive withsome western concepts which may have diluted our ability to understand and practice authenticJudaism. 367

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Vayeshev 369

PARSHAT VAYESHEV For the Righteous, There Is No Tranquility (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergParshat Vayeshev begins with the words, \"And Jacob sat (or dwelled)\". From this seeminglymundane phrase the sages teach (Breishis Raba 84): \"When the righteous desire to live intranquility, the Accuser comes (before G-d) and declares: Is it not enough (for the righteous) thatthey will receive their rewards in the World to Come; must they also request to dwell in this worldin tranquility, he was punished with the troubles of Joseph.\"Amazing! All Jacob wanted was to settle down and raise a family in the way of Torah. What morecould God ask of him? Here was a man beset with troubles from the very outset of his life(including in his mother's womb)- the feud with Esau, the despicable treatment he received atLaban's house, the rape of his daughter and the subsequent fear of attacks by the local gentilesafter the daring liquidation of Shchem by his two sons. Didn't he deserve at least at this stage torelax a little, learn Torah, and enjoy life?However, it is exactly this outlook on life that the sages come to negate. And it is a concept wemust drill into our hearts. The attainment of comfort, even if it is combined with a life of Torah andmitzvot, must not be the goal of the Jew. The real tranquility will be received in the World toCome. This world, by its very nature, is one of struggle and strife, and thus it is not the placedesignated for the achievement of comfort: \"The days of the years in this life are 70 years, or,given strength, 80 years; but the best of them are trouble and sorrow. They pass by speedily, andwe are in darkness\" (Psalms 90:10) The essence of a Jew is selfless devotion and self-sacrifice forG-d, His Torah, and His People.My father, Rabbi Meir Kahane (may G-d avenge his blood) would frequently bless newlyweds withthis blessing. Already under the \"chupah\", he would tell the couple that he does not wish for themto live in tranquility and comfort but rather they should always fulfill their tasks as Jews with\"msirus nefesh\" (self-sacrifice). This strange blessing often startled many of the guests. However,it was the message that the Rav continually stressed - a Jew must give of himself to sanctifyGod's Name. This includes his time, his money, and sometimes, even his life.This lesson is quite relevant to the holiday of Hanukkah that draws near. One who ponders thesequence of events of the Hanukkah story may be confounded by an enigma: What were the Jewsdoing before Matitiyahu and his sons began the rebellion? During the period that the Greekentourage traveled from village to village to force the Jews to sacrifice pigs to their idols, why didno one else rebel until then? Were there no other righteous Jews in Israel? This is exactly thepoint. What differentiated Matitiyahu and his sons from the other righteous Jews was theirwillingness for \"mesirut nefesh\". Surely there were many Jews who observed the commandments,but they placed their personal comfort and safety above their Jewish mission and destiny.The implications for today are obvious, and if there were only a few Maccabees back then, thereare even less \"Maccabees\" today. The slogan \"never again\" was never intended to mean thatanother Holocaust could never again occur. It meant that Jews would never again sit quietly, intranquility, while other Jews are suffering. It meant that Jews would do everything in their power,even at great personal cost, to help their brethren. Let us pray that the observant Jew, whoobserves with great vigor each and every halachic stringency, will grasp this simple and valuablelesson of \"and Jacob sat\". 370

Vayigash 371

Vayigash The Exile Self-Destructs For the \"Comfortable\" Jew (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergThe Egyptian exile which is defined by our sages as the first exile, begins in Parshat Vayigash. Yaakovand sons make \"yireda\" to Egypt, and from this point onward, the arduous and torturous road from\"galut\" (exile) to \"giula\" (redemption) begins. Since the sages tell us that the first redemption fromEgypt is a symbol of the final redemption, we will tackle one point concerning the Egyptian exile andderive a crucial lesson for our generation.It is interesting that in every exile a definite pattern develops. Each exile that the Jews encounteredbegan as a result of terrible affliction suffered by the Jews in the Land of Israel. First, it was thesuffering of Yaakov and his lost son and the heavy famine prevailing in the Land of Canaan thatbrought on a departure to the first exile called Egypt. Afterwards, it was the second exile of thedispersion of the ten tribesuntil the destruction of the first Temple and the massive spilling of blood inJerusalem. Finally, the last exile which began with the brutal war against the Romans on Jerusalem andculminated in the destruction of the second Temple and the killing of millions of Jews in Jerusalem.What is astonishing is that in all of the above exiles, after a very short period of adaptation, Jewsdiscovered that life in the galut wasn't so bad. All the troubles they experienced in Eretz Yisraelsuddenly ended, and they started to thrive and prosper...at least in the beginning.This is exactly what happened in Egypt, and on this point, the great commentator, the \"Kli Hayakar\"elaborates. On the final verse in our parsha, \"And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land ofGoshen, and THEY GRIPPED ONTO IT, and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly\", the \"KliHayakar\", brings down the following on the phrase \"they gripped onto it\": \"The children of Israel areentirely to blame for this verse. Because the Lord decreed on them that a 'stranger your seed will be'(that is, temporary), and they wanted to be inhabitants (that is, permanent) in a place where it wasdecreed upon them to be transient ... this verse comes to place blame on this settling in, since theygripped onto a land that wasn't theirs.\"What happened here? The children of Yaakov were forced to go down to Egypt, and none of them werethrilled about the idea despite the hardships in Canaan, because they knew that Egypt is, after all, theexile. However, in a short time they had a change of heart. Joseph placed at their disposal the land ofGoshen, which was the most fertile area of Egypt, and the brothers suddenly began to feel that \"it's notas bad as we thought\". One can even settle down in peace and tranquility and learn Torah here. What isso bad about it? So they \"gripped\" and clung to Egypt, and by this very doing so, were automaticallyrejecting the Holy Land of Israel. This \"seizing\" or \"gripping\" of the exile, the settling in and feelinggood there, the acquiring of the mentality that \"there is life for the Jews in the Diaspora\" (a mealy-mouthed word for \"galut\" or exile), expresses in itself a rejection or \"despising of the good land\" (averse in Psalms depicting the ten spies who spoke evil report about the land of Israel and prevented\"Aliyah\"). In their hearts, and all the more so in the hearts of their offspring, crept in the feeling that itis a good life here in exile and one can build Jerusalem here, and the dream of returning to Zion canwait for the next generation (if at all), but in the meantime, it remains strictly a \"dream\"...This is the crime of all exiles. Our sages told us long ago about this phenomenon in a midrash on a 372

verse in the \"tochacha\" of Parshat Ki-Tavowhere it is written, \"you will find no resting place for thesoul of your foot\". The sages comment, \"if they would find a resting place, they would not come back.\"In other words, if the Jews could stay in galut, they would do so without any intention of returning toEretz Yisrael, all the while building for themselves all kinds of theories why it is \"kosher\" to do so.But the gentile never allowed the Jew to remain in the galut. On the contrary, the more that the exileinitially seemed to be full of promise, and the more the Jew was able to attain \"equal rights\" to thegentile, so, too, in direct proportion, was the tragedy of the exile that much more severe. Every exileturned into a bigger graveyard than the one before it.This is exactly what happened to our forefathers in Egypt. The aforementioned \"Kli Hayaker\"continues: \"And they immersed themselves tosuch an extent that they did not want to leave Egypt, untilG-d had to take them out of there with a strong hand. And those who did not want to leave, died in thethree days of darkness\". The \"Kli Hayakar\" touches here upon what is mentioned in Parshat\"Beshallach\", where four-fifths of the children of Israel were wiped out before the departure fromEgypt, because they refused to leave.It is a divine decree that the exile, each and every one of them, has no future. This is an iron-clad law inJudaism. For this reason we find that in the poverty stricken lands which the Jews did not or could not\"grip onto\" as much, their exile was terminated in a more merciful and lenient fashion. This, of course,in contrast to the \"lands of the fleshpots\", whose ends were woefully tragic. This article was not writtento give a history lesson. We are simply coming to say that this particular exile has come to an end. Thedoors of many exiles have been opened, including those whose doors became symbols like Russia andSyria. Every Jew has now been given the chance to get out. We have reached the final stage in theelimination of the exile. He who refuses to seize the moment and leave quickly will find his fate asthose who refused to leave Egypt.Many may think that all this is not relevant for us who live here in Israel. After all, don't we have ourown problems here? This is un-Jewish thinking, for we are guarantors for our brothers in the exile. Anddespite the fact that we here, too, stand before terrible tragedy, we have a responsibility to our brothersabroad who face, G-d forbid, much greater catastrophe than what will occur in Israel. Ultimately, ourdestiny is wrapped up in theirs, and we must wake up to this fast, for we are now in the \"End of Days\" -days in which our prophets warned us can come the way of \"Bi-Eta\" (in its time), which is the way ofawesome suffering and labor pains of redemption, worse than anything we have experienced in exile.And if this is true, how can one sit by quietly? Mashiach Ben Yosef - Some Basic Concepts (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergFor most people, the concept of \"Mashiach\" relates to \"Mashiach Ben David\". In contrast, while mostpeople may have heard of \"Mashiach Ben Yosef\", they know little about his role and importance. Thereis probably no more appropriate time than during the Torah portions dealing with Yosef to delve intothe concept of Mashiach Ben Yosef. Indeed, it is interesting to note that Yosef is the central figure infour Torah portions (VaYeshev through VaYichi), which is more than any of the three forefathers, andcertainly more than his \"counterpart\" Yehuda, the father of David's kingdom. There is a reason for this. 373

In this short article, we will touch upon the concept of \"Mashiach BenYosef\" basing ourselves upon theGaon from Vilna (GR\"A) in his book \"Kol HaTor\", and on the writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY\"D,in his book \"OhrHaRaayon\". First of all, it must be known that in each generation, there is a personwho has the potential to be Mashiach Ben Yosef. This creates free choice for every generation to bringMashiach, and when the Almighty decides to, He actualizes this potential and unleashes the role ofMashiach (on one or both of them) in a particular generation.Mashiach Ben Yosef is the one who starts the redemption. He is the central figure in the processpreceding the final and complete redemption in which a king from David's house is eventually anointed- and this is \"Mashiach Ben David\". Mashiach Ben Yosef fights the wars of Hashem against the gentileenemies of Israel, and since it is he who STARTS the redemption, he is also called \"MashiachHaAtchalta\" - the Mashiach who begins the redemption. He is responsible for the physical, materialredemption which precedes the spiritual one. The physical redemption is the ingathering of the exiles,the conquering of the Land of Israel and wars against the gentile (and for this reason he is also coinedby many midrashim as the \"Mashuach Milchama\" - the anointed for war). In contrast, Mashiach BenDavid is responsible for the spiritual side of the redemption which comes afterwards.It is well-known that Mashiach Ben Yosef is killed. But actually, this does not have to happen. For ifthe redemption comes the way of \"Achishena\" (swiftly and with glory) - that is, the Jewish People do\"tsheuva\" - then Mashiach Ben Yosef triumphs in battle. On the other hand, if the redemption comes\"BiEta\" (slowly, at it's fixed time) - then one of the results of such a scenario is that he falls in the midstof a difficult and bitter battle, where great suffering and needless tragedy take place.One of the things that is emphasized about Mashiach Ben Yosef is something that is said about Yosefhimself: \"And Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him\". While the potentialMashiach Ben Yosef of every generation brings the people the truth and presents before them theconditions for the redemption, the people deny and disrespect him. But because of his \"AhavatYisroel\", he is willing to suffer. It is the people's refusal to recognize the truth which brings upon themthe needless wars and tragedies. For if the Jewish People had only accepted and understood MashiachBen Yosef's message, he would bring the redemption swiftly, in the way of \"Achishena\", with glory andwithout needless suffering.But in the scenario of \"BiEta\", only a handful understand, identify, and go with Mashiach Ben Yosef.And while the people continue to deny him, he continues his mission in any case, provoking the goyimand sanctifying the Name of G-d, and eventually falling, as stated above. It must be pointed out herethat the major obstacle for Mashiach Ben Yosef is not the gentiles, but rather the destroyers fromwithin. They are called the \"Erev Rav\" (mixed multitude). According to the Gaon from Vilna, the majorbattle of Mashiach Ben Yosef is against the \"Erev Rav\", who prevents the Holy People fromrecognizing the truth which would bring the redemption swiftly, \"HaGiulat Achishena\".In conclusion, it must be remembered that what is written here is a general overview of the redemptionprocess. But how things will actually turn out - depends only on us, just as it depends on us concerningwhether or not Mashiach Ben Yosef will be killed. This is a heavy responsibility - to recognize the truthand to understand the conditions for redemption, despite the fact that the \"Erev Rav\" is trying todestroy and ban it. May G-d give us the strength to hold our own and fulfill the mitzvot of KiddushHashem, so that we may bring the redemption swiftly. Amen. 374

PARASHAT VAYIGASH \"WHO RECOGNIZES YOSEF? (Binyamin Kahane's last parasha)In Parashat Vayigash the drama and tension between Yosef and his brothers reaches its climax. Andthen Yosef blows everything wide open, revealing himself to his startled brothers: \"I am Yosef\".Afterwards, the brothers rush off to their father to break the news: \"Ode Yosef Chai\", Yosef is stillalive.In order to gain a deeper understanding of the parasha's dealing with Yosef, we must pay attention tothe fact that what lies at the center of this three parasha drama between Yosef and his brothers is thefact that on one side stands Yosef who knows that his brothers stand before him, while on the other sideare the brothers who do not know that they stand before Yosef. This is summed up in the verse inParashat Mikez: \"And Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.\"What is Meant by \"Recognize\"According to the simple understanding, the commentators explain that the brothers did not recognizeYosef because at the time they sold him, he was young and without a beard, and now he had a beard.On the other hand, Yosef recognized his brothers because at the time he was sold, they already hadbeards.Rashi digs deeper, explaining that the difference between the two sides was not merely recognition ofexternal appearances. When Yosef encountered his brothers on the fateful day in Shchem, they did not\"recognize\" him; that is, they did not act brotherly towards him and sold him to the Ishmaelites. Butwhen the brothers were at Yosef's mercy, he \"recognized\" them; he acted brotherly towards them anddid not take revenge for all the pain that they caused him.In these days, after Yosef's tomb has been sold to the Ishmaelites, we must focus on this point, and toshed light on the present situation where Yosef once again is not recognized.Mashiach Ben Yosef and His RoleIn the Torah, when speaking of the redemption, Mashiach ben Yosef and the concept of \"Od YosefChai,\" play a central role. According to tradition, before Mashiach ben David's arrival, Mashiach benYosef will fight God's wars in the age of redemption preceding Mashiach ben David. The AtchaltaDeGeula, the stage before the conclusion of redemption when all surviving nations accept Heaven'syoke, is the period of Mashiach ben Yosef. The Gra (the Gaon R. Eliayahu of Vilna), in his work KolHaTor, calls Mashiach ben Yosef the \"Mashiach De'Atchalta\", the \"Inaugural Messiah\". The Graexplains that Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef live and endure in every single generation,functioning in their role...\" Mashiach ben Yosef is involved in the whole physical side of theredemption, the actual return to Zion, and the fighting of God's wars, while the role of Mashiach benDavid is to complete the spiritual redemption. If the Jews do not merit the redemption in a particulargeneration, the roles of the Messiahs are passed down to someone else in the next generation.Estranged From and Conspired AgainstWe will now return to the central verse we mentioned, bringing the words of the Gra in Kol Ha Tor. \"'Yosef recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him'. This is one of Yosef's attributes. Not justin his generation, but in every generation, Mashiach ben Yosef recognizes his brothers and they do notrecognize him. It is an act of Satan which conceals Mashiach ben Yosef's attributes, such that the Jewsunfortunately do not recognize his footsteps, and in fact scoff at them...If not for this, our troubleswould already be over. If Israel 'recognized Yosef', Mashiach ben Yosef's footsteps comprising theingathering of the exiles, etc., we would already be completely redeemed\". (Ch.2, Part 1:39) 375

Is it even necessary to expound upon our alienation from \"Yosef\" today? And now the Gra comes andteaches us that it is this very estrangement, ridicule and opposition to Mashiach ben Yosef and his role -the role of reviving the land, ingathering of the exiles, the conquest of the land and the war against the\"erev rav\" - this is the reason why the complete redemption is being delayed!Not only is there estrangement from Yosef, but a conspiring against him, as it is written on Yosef: \"Andthey conspired against him to slay him\". Yosef's brothers see Yosef and his dreams as a threat to them.\"What?! You are going to lead the process of redemption? You, the youngest amongst us?\" They decidethat he constitutes a danger and must be killed. Ode Yosef Chai! Who more than we can testify to theestrangement and mistreatment of those who attempt to bring the complete redemption. Yet, just asRashi explains that Yosef \"recognized\" his brothers, behaving brotherly towards them; so, too, doesMashiach ben Yosef and his followers, those who carry on the task of bringing the redemption to theJewish People - so, too, are they willing to endure personal suffering for Israel's salvation, all out of aburning Ahavat Yisrael. The Gra teaches us that only against a few, the erev rav, must we fight a war tothe bitter end. (\"The erev rav is our greatest enemy...Hence, the war against the erev rav is the hardestand most bitter, and we must gird ourselves with our last strength towards this end. Whoever does notactively take part in the war against the erev rav automatically becomes a partner to its impurity, andwhoever he is, he is better off not having been born.. (Ch.2, part 2:2)But the masses that still do not recognize Yosef, attaching little or no importance to his activities (partlydue to the erev rav and its propaganda) - we must \"recognize\" them. In the words of the Ohr HaChaiim,(who, by the way, was alluded to by the Gra as a spark of Mashiach ben Yosef), on our verse: \"Helooked at them as one looks at brothers, and he behaved brotherly towards them\"!These days are critical ones. The war that broke out this past Rosh Hashana centered on Shchem andKever Yosef during the first few days. Afterwards, Yosef's tomb was abandoned and sold to theIshamaelites like discarded baggage. Our answer must be the opposite: We must cling on to all thosetasks of Mashiach ben Yosef - the conquering of the land and the war against the goyim and the erevrav. We needn't worry about being popular or palatable in the eyes of those who are not willing torecognize Yosef. By so doing, those who are willing to recognize Yosef will see and understand that\"Ode Yosef Chai\". 376

CHANUKAHTHE POWER OF THE PRECIOUS FEWWhat was miraculous about the victory of Chanukah? Any child in kindergarten knows that the miraclewas the shorthanded, weaker Jews defeating the numerous and powerful Greeks. Indeed, it is anhistorical fact that cannot be denied. But our teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Meir Kahane, z\"tl, sought todelve a notch deeper into the miraculous victory of the few against the many, and by doing so, resolve afamous question regarding Chanukah.The \"Miracle Within The Miracle\"Rabbi Kahane would say: Remember, before the victory of the Macabees over the Greeks andhellenists took place, there was the actual war itself. When the Macabees went out to battle, they had nofeasible chance of winning. Not only were the Jews fewer and weaker than the well-oiled Syrian Greekwar machine, but amongst the Jews themselves, only a sparse few went out to battle under thecommand of Yehuda Macabee and his brothers. And so, to enable such an inconceivable victory tooccur, there had to be, first of all, a few \"crazies\" who dared to rise up in arms against this invincibleempire! Here, Rabbi Kahane would say that the essential miracle of Chanukah was not the war victory,but rather the very fact that a few Jews realized that \"things just cannot go on this way\", arose, and withimmense faith in the Almighty, declared war on the superpower of their day. For given the fact that theywere able to miraculously overcome their awesome enemies, prior to that miracle they surely did notknow that the Almighty would perform the miracle for them. Nevertheless, they went out. That in itself,the Rav would say, was an act of immense courage, \"the miracle within the miracle.\"God Controls the Laws of NatureBut where does the \"miracle of the oil\" come into play? Let us ask the question differently: There issome confusion concerning the reason we celebrate Chanukah. Do we celebrate Chanukah tocommemorate the oil that was sufficient for only one day, and continued to burn through eight days, orare we celebrating the war victory? It is clear that the essential miracle of Chanukah, its real centraltheme, is not the miracle of the oil. Indeed, the special Chanukah prayer, \"Al Hanisim\", coined by therabbis, does not even mention the miracle of the oil. The theme and heart of Chanukah is the conceptmentioned in \"Al Hanisim\", of \"rabim b'yad m'atim\", \"the many (\"Syrian Greeks) who fell into thehands of the few (Jews).\" And the very miracle of the oil represents that concept, i.e., the little oil ableto \"overcome\" the many days and continue to burn. The miracle of the oil symbolizes how Godcontrols the laws of nature: Just as oil sufficient for one day can burn for eight, if He wills it; so, too,are numbers irrelevant when Am Yisrael goes out to war. By the same token, just as we said that themiracle of the war victory was the very fact that Jews went out to battle in the first place, so, too, the oilsymbolizes \"the miracle within the miracle\". After all, in order for the meager quantity of oil to last foreight days, there had to be Jews who lit it in the first place - Jews who were not discouraged from theoutset; Jews who did not say: why bother lighting the candles of the Temple if they are going to go outanyway…? No. You do your part, with the means available to you, and Hashem will do His part. \"Openfor me an opening like the point of a needle, and I will open for you gates like the gates of thesancturary.\"The Question of the \"Bet Yosef\"Now we can ask the question posed by the Bet Yosef (Yosef Karo): There is a source which says thatthe length of the holiday of Chanukah is eight days because oil that was sufficient for only one day,lasted eight. The Bet Yosef asks: Why eight days? Since the oil was naturally sufficient in itself to burn 377

for one day, the miracle was actually only in the additional seven days that it continued to burn. Inreality, therefore, in order to commemorate the \"miracle\", the rabbis should have established a holidayof seven days. Various and varied reasons are given. Rav Kahane says: Indeed, we celebrate eight daysbecause the first day was a miracle as well. It commemorates the very fact that they dared to go out tobattle! The very fact that they dared to \"light the candle\". That's also a miracle, \"the miracle within themiracle\".The Holiday of Our TimesChanukah is not a childrens holiday of \"dreidels\" and donuts. It is a holiday that is meant to rekindleour trust in the Almighty, to reinforce the understanding that when Jews go out to battle in anobligatory war with faith in God, they come out victorious, even if they are the underdog.Chanukah is the holiday for these days. Days when masses of Arabs arise against us, and Hashemstands at our side. But what happens when the official Jewish leadership from left to right is overcomewith fear, crippled by lack of faith and thereby incapable of action? Then the torch is passed on to thefew. It is passed unto those who are ready to cling onto Eretz Yisrael at any price. And then the daycomes in which they are told by the non-believers: \"If you are not ready to pull out, that's your choice.But deal with the enemy by yourselves. Because we are afraid, we have no faith. You claim that youhave faith?! Fine - let's see what you can do.\" And those precious few, inspired by a pristine faith in theAlmighty, will arise to repel the enemy.Those with Jewish vision foresee the Macabean war in our generation. In this war, at least at the outset,only a few will take part. Those Jews of rock-solid faith in the God of Israel, who sincerely believe thatGod is a loyal defender of His people Israel - they will be an example to the multitudes who willeventually follow. \"In those days, at this time\". 378

Vayechi 379

PARSHAT VAYECHI What Makes Samson Such a Hero? (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergWhen Yaakov Avenu blesses Dan, the sages tell us that through \"Ruach HaKodesh\", Yaakov sawSamson wreaking havoc upon the Philistines, and thought that he was the Messiah. Only after seeingSamson die did a disappointed Yaakov realize that Samson was not the Messiah, and thus heuttered thewords in our parsha, \"I waited for your salvation, Oh Lord\".Even for those not so well-versed in the Bible, Samson has become a household name. He is thestereotype of the 'mighty hero\". Is this characterization a correct one, or a misconception of the masses?What gives Samson his superstar status, making him easily the most popular and widely know Judge?If it is for his brute physical strength, the sages surprise us by telling us that Samson was lame! Whywould they say such a thing if not to remove from our minds the image of a macho-muscle-man.Perhaps one might want to say that Samson fulfilled the definition of \"hero\" (gibor, in Hebrew)according to \"Pirke Avot\": \"Who is a 'gibor'? He who conquers his evil inclination\". Without delvingtoo deep into Samson's deeds and motives with women, one can safely say that he was not exactly asymbol of the \"Tzadeek\" who overcame his \"Yaizer\" (evil inclination). The sages tell us clearly:\"Samson went after his eyes, and thus his eyes were gouged out by the Philistines.\"Must we then conclude that the popularity surrounding the figure of Samson today is due to the factthat somehow, his persona \"caught on\" more than other heroic figures in the Bible? Is Samson'spopularity amongst the masses simply a product of media-hype? After all, Devora, Yiftach, Gideon andevery other Judge certainly killed a lot more of the enemy than Samson did. Killing a thousandPhilistines with the jawbone of an ass is quite an accomplishment, but it hardly rates with theelectrifying and decisive victories of the other Judges that ruled before him. In fact, when the Bibletells us that the \"dead that he slew in his death were more than he slew in his life\" - it is not meant as acompliment, but rather as a commentary that Samson did not put up the \"big numbers\" like the otherJudges did.And so again, is Samson, the darling of the masses, somehow overrated? Let us not jump to hastyconclusions! After all, we opened this article by saying that Yaakov Avenu himself saw Samson'spotential to be the Messiah. In addition, in comparison to all the other Judges mentioned in the Book ofJudges, Samson has by far the most space allotted to him. This brings us to another difficult question.During his lifetime, Samson was scorned by his own people to such an extent that we find no parallel toit with any other Judge. At one point, fellow Jews even turn him over to the Philistines. Since hissupport among the people is virtually non-existent, he is reduced to carrying out partisan-style attacksagainst the enemy instead of leading an army against them. Why should the Bible dedicate so manychapters and stories to a Judge who had absolutely no supporting cast? Why is HE a candidate forMessiah?Despite all the above questions and doubts, it is clear that Samson is indeed someone very special.Even before his birth, an angel of G-d came to his parents and spoke of the birth of this extraordinaryson, \"for a Nazarite to G-d shall the boy be...and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of thePhilistines.\"The answer to the riddle of Samson's greatness lies in the supposed weakness of his not enjoying the 380

support of his people. Even though he was betrayed by his own people, he continued to love them andfight on their behalf. His internal strength and his willingness to stand alone and fight \"ChillulHashem\" (the desecration of G-d's Name) are why he is described as \"beginning to save Israel\". In thesame way that Moses never turned his back on the Jewish People, despite their endless accusationsagainst him, Samson remained firm in his faith and \"Ahavat Yisrael\". At the same time, the peopledisparaged him as irresponsible and violent, a hot-blooded lunatic who \"makes things worse\" byfermenting hatred against the Jews on the part of the Philistines. Samson paid no heed to them. For thishe would eventually be recognized as the great leader he was.And while it is true that he sinned, Samson physically sacrificed himself for the Jewish People. Even inhis last moments where he stood weakened, blinded, and bound - what grieved him was not hispersonal suffering, but rather the tremendous desecration of G-d's Name that this was causing. WhenYaakov saw all this; placing G-d's Honor over his own, putting his people's pain before his own - heunderstood that such a man is worthy of being the Messiah. Sometimes, It's Good to Be Deaf... (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergEven after Yaakov died, Esau continued to seek revenge against him for the taking of the birthright,attempting even to sabotage his burial in the Cave of the Patriarchs. The Gemora (Sota, 13) recountshow the children of Yaakov arrived at the cave to bring their father to burial, and behold they foundEsau waiting for them there, with some interesting \"news\": The remaining burial plot in the cavebelongs to me. The stunned sons tried to remind Esau that he sold the spot to Yaakov. After anexchange of words (brought down in the Gemora), it was agreed that Naftali would run to Egypt andbring the document confirming that the burial plot was indeed sold to Yaakov. In the meantime, theywaited...One of those waiting was Hushim, the son of Dan. Hushim was deaf, and therefore did not hear thediscussion that had taken place between the brothers and Esau. At a certain point, he asked them whatis happening. The brothers told him that Esau is delaying the burial, and everyone is waiting forNaftali. Hushim was shocked: \"And all the while that Naftali is in Egypt, my grandfather will lie herein dishonor!?\" He immediately took a stick in his hand, struck Esau in the head, and killed him. Thestory concludes with Esau's eyes falling out of their sockets by the legs of Yaakov, and on this it iswritten, \"Happy is the righteous who saw vengeance, he will wash his palms (of his legs) in the bloodof the wicked.\"A question must be asked here: Why of all people, was it the grandson Hushim ben Dan who reactedthis way? Why was HE shocked at was happening, and arose to wipe out the reproach? Did not the restof the sons care about Yaakov's honor? Where was Yehuda, or the zealots Shimeon and Levy, forexample?From here we learn an awesome lesson which is especially related to matters of national honor and\"Kiddush Hashem\". The difference between Hushim ben Dan and the rest of the sons of Yaakov wasthat Hushim was the only one who was not involved in the negotiations with Esau. Psychologically, themoment you hear out the other party and weigh his point of view, even the most outrageous claimbegins to be \"understood\". The very discussing of it desensitizes you, and gets you used to the idea. 381

Without a doubt, if someone were to tell the sons of Yaakov beforehand that Esau is waiting for them inthe Cave of the Patriarchs to thwart the burial of their father, they would boil over with holy rage, andguarantee that they know how to deal with the situation.But what happened was that the moment they arrived, Esau stated his case: \"It's mine\". Sure the sons ofYaakov were shocked and angry, but it is human nature not to want to leave an argument or claimunanswered, without an appropriate rebuttal. And so they reminded him that he sold it. Esauimmediately countered: I only sold the birthright, not the grave, etc. At this point, too, the brothersknow that Esau is wrong, but in any case, he makes an argument which demands some kind of answer.And most important of all: At this stage, the sons of Yaakov find themselves in the heat of a negotiationprocess. An onlooker from the side can easily get the impression that both sides make reasonableclaims. They would certainly have great difficulty realizing that what we have here is a scoundrelwhose entire goal is to degrade Yaakov.In contrast, the deaf Hushim ben Dan cannot hear all the claims. He knows only one thing:\"Grandfather is lying here in disrespect!\". Sure, Yaakov's sons knew exactly what kind of derelict,cheater and murderer Esau was. But because they entered into negotiations with him, they began tothink that perhaps he is sincere this time, and said to themselves: all we need to do is to convince himthat we are right, and everything will be O.K. But Hushim did not have the opportunity to become\"convinced\" of the justice of Esau's wicked and bogus claims, and he did not understand how hisbrothers allowed this low-life to delay, even for a moment, the burial of Yaakov, the father of ournation. And so he arose and took action!Sometimes, it is forbidden to negotiate. What's so bad about it? After all, you are only talking! But no!For even if you know that your \"partner\" is a liar with evil intentions, you begin to \"understand\" himand think there might be \"something\" to what he is saying after all.Unfortunately, for years we have been exposed to the lies and falsehood of our enemies. Recently, eventhose faithful to Eretz Yisrael are beginning to \"adjust to the realities\". We have grown used to thingsthat would never have entered our minds only a few years ago. G-d forbid! Let us be zealous for truth,and not have inferiority complexes when facing false claims from the lowest of peoples. We are right!It is our land, and no foreign nation shall dwell in it! 382

SEFER SHMOT 383

PARSHAT SHMOT Abortions in Israel (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergThis column is dedicated to one of the most shocking, yet relatively undiscussed subjects - abortions inthe State of Israel. There is an organization called \"Efrat\" whose primary goal is to increase the numberof births of Jewish children in Israel. This group, which works with wonderful \"msirus nefesh\" infighting the astronomical number of abortions in Israel, asked us to write about this subject for ParshatShmot. Considering the critical nature of the matter, we are more than happy to fulfill this request. Thefact is that he who remains quiet concerning the issue of elective abortions becomes a partner to thisatrocious mass murder.As society increasingly depicts abortions as representing \"progress\" and \"womens rights\", the statisticsregarding it have become more and more staggering. According to \"Efrat\", more than 1,000,000children have been killed since the beginning of the State. Yes, a genuine holocaust - and no one cares.According to a recent study, 60% of women who gave birth at Hadassah Hospital in Har HaZoftimadmitted than they underwent an abortion \"out of convenience\" in the past. When the former Ministerof Health Dr. Sadan took it upohn himself to fight against this phenomenon, playing a short film for themembers of the Israeli Knesset depicting the abomination of abortions in Israel, and comparing thislegal mass murder to the Holocaust in Europe, the Knesset members jumped out of their skin. Whatenraged them so? The murder of the fetuses? Of course not! What shocked these bleeding hearts wasthe fact that Mr. Sadan made the comparison of abortion to the Holocaust. He was forced to step downand relinquish his duties.What is particularly fascinating, though, is the entire leftist, liberal approach to the subject. From theirpoint of view, the more one supports abortions, the more \"enlightened\" that person is. You may ask:How does mass murder sit so well with humanitarian enlightened types? It's quite simple! You see, thekilling of a fetus is an expression of \"freedom over one's body\", feminism, and progressive advancedsociety! And what about the fetuses right to live? That is not relevant to the modern and progressive.While every decent person would agree that child abuse is abhorrent, suddenly it becomes legitimateand even fashionable to kill a child in his mother's womb. Technically speaking, harming a child onesecond after he leaves his mother's womb is demented, but killing it a second before leaving hismother's womb is \"freedom over her body\". This gross perversion of morality is the result of moralsthat are dictated by man and not G-d. Not long ago, it was even reported that in certain gynecologicalclinics that perform abortions, dogs eat the remains of the baby after it has been grated from hismother's womb.Pay attention, dear readers. When Baruch Goldstein (may G-d avenge his blood), a doctor byprofession, killed thirty of the Arab enemy in the Cave of the Patriarchs in order to prevent more non-stop spilling of Jewish blood, the liberal left was enflamed, condemning the act as the worst atrocitycommitted in the last few hundred years. On the other hand, when there is an agreement among doctorsto kill 1,000,000 fetuses - 60,000 murders per year - that, my friends, is \"progress\". There cannot be amore concrete example to display the unbridgable gap between Judaism and western culture: Thatwhich is seen in Judaism as heinous murder is considered by them to be progress, and that which isconsidered in Judaism as right and just is seen by them as heinous murder. Two completely oppositeworlds with completely opposing concepts. 384

The following are passages that portray the magnitude of this atrocity, claiming more victims per yearthan all the traffic accidents and wars in Israel put together:The Tiniest Human BeingStory of a Doctor: \"Many years ago, after anesthetizing the woman for the sake of halting thepregnancy from outside the womb (second month), I held in my hand the tiniest human being everseen. The fetus was impeccable - complete and transparent. It was a male full of energy swimming inthe sac of water, adjoined by the umbilical cord to the wall of the sac. The miniature human being wascompletely developed - long and narrow fingers, feet and toes. Its skin was practically transparent. Itsarteries and veins stood out until the tips of his fingers. The body was completely alive and was in noway similar to the pictures of fetuses that I had seen in the past. When the sac was opened, his life wasterminated instantaneoulsy, and he looked just like one would expect a fetus to look like at this stage -lifeless.\" (Dr. Paul N. Rockwell)80 Cents ShortStory of a Chief of Staff: \"I was born in Tel Adashim. The date was under dispute, until my father andthe head of the village determined: January 11, 1929. I left my mother's womb to breathe the world's airbecause my parents were... too poor. Totally impovershed. Four children came before me, and myfather could not provide for them. That is why my parents decided to spare me from such poverty andput and end to me - in my mother's womb. But we were so poor that that my father couldn't come upwith the two liros necessary to perform the abortion. Through great effort my father was able to collectone liro and 20. He urged the doctors to do the abortion and he would pay the 80 grushim at a later date- but the doctors refused. No credit allowed, and a son was born. Now there were five children in theneedy family. There were days when my parents would say jokingly: \"This kid is worth two liros?\"(Story of former Chief of Staff, Raful Eitan)News and CommentaryThe recent news regarding the youth in Israel is not encouraging. The statistics show heavy crime,violence in schools, and mass drug abuse that is shocking. And the politicians? They established a \"Waron Drugs\" week, and expressed their \"shock\". Not for nothing do we put these words in quotes. Afterall, what do they intend to do? Fight drugs? Stand up against violence that has risen 43% amongstIsraeli youth this past year? Why, they are the cause of it! It is the Israeli leaders and educators whodestroyed the values of Israeli society by trading in Jewish values for goyish ones. And indeed, theJews have outdone the gentile. Who leads the famed drug parties in India? The Israeli youth! A reallight unto the nations!These leaders, who are the founding fathers of the violence and decadence in Israeli society choose todirect their energies not towards fighting the real problem, but rather choose to fight Judaism. Theysuddenly discover, in Judaism of all places, the \"violence\", the \"lack of morality\", and \"chaos\". This isall a cynical attempt to divert attention from the real problem: The Chosen People are submersed in adecaying society infected with drugs as well as vicious and needless violence, and all this was broughton by the Israeli leadership who ripped away from them real values.How easy it would be to end here and say, \"at least we are not like them\". But we have no right to saysuch things because we are bound by the obligation of being guarantors for our Jewish brothers. This iswhy we have stepped up our distribution of material and increased the out-reach work of the MeirYouth Group among schools and circles with which we once had seldom contact. And that is becausewe are aware of the fact that we have the capability of offering a real and attractive alternative to those 385

particular youth who are looking to find themselves, and go looking as far as India to discover evenmore emptiness. It is we who can supply the youth what what they are searching for. The very fact thatthe establishment so opposes us is what enables us to offer an alternative in their eyes...(Translated from Meir Youth Magazine, Chodesh Tevet) Datan And Aviram Never Die – They Simply Interchange (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergParshat Shmot teaches us what a Jewish leader is all about. First of all, Moshe Rabbeinu embodies thepositive leader, who is willing to sacrifice himself and his freedom for the Jewish People. But in thisarticle, we will concentrate on the actions and motives of two negative leaders in Egypt. Two leaderswho always looked to advance themselves, and attempted every step of the way to prevent theredemption. They did not do this openly. On the contrary, they always portrayed themselves as peoplewho were concerned about the interests of the Jewish People at large.These two people are Datan and Aviram. They appear several times throughout the Torah, not always inname – sometimes it is the sages who reveal to us that they are Datan and Aviram. It is quite possiblethat Datan and Aviram are not specific people, but rather they are a concept – a symbol of a certain typeof leader.The first time we meet Datan and Aviram, they are in the heat of a quarrel. What were these twofighting about while their brothers were in bondage? It can be assumed that they found time to bickerabout some portfolio or office. And behold, Moshe Rabbeinu appears on the scene, sees his twobrothers fighting, and tries to patch things up. But Datan and Aviram, who yesterday saw MosheRabbeinu exhibiting leadership qualities in killing the Egyptian, both smelled competition to theirpositions. And so, putting their own quarrel aside for the moment, they proceed to inform on Moshe toPharo. And all this, obviously, is done out of a \"national responsibility\", for who knows what theramifications of such a murderous act such as that of Moshe's could be for Israel...The second time we run into our friends (according to the sages) is at the end of Parshat Shmot, yearslater. Moshe by this time has \"taken over the leadership\". Moshe and Aharon hold their first historicmeeting with Pharo where they demand to \"Let my People Go!\" On their way out, they are met by afurious Datan and Aviram. They are devoured by jealousy. They, too, had once visited Pharo's palace,though never Pharo himself. They probably had only met with the Minister of Jewish Affairs where, inclassic exile tradition, they would occasionally do some groveling in order to squeeze something out ofhim. And so immediately they attack (with \"national responsibility\") Moshe and Aharon: \"The Lordlook upon you, and judge: because you made us abhorrent in the eyes of Pharo and in the eyes of hisservants to put a sword in their hand to slay us\". At first glance, these are words of logic and genuineconcern. Stop making things worse for us! Because of your insanedemand to \"let my people go\" and allthe rest of your wild fantasies, Pharo has increased the burden on Israel! (Even Moshe himself at thispoint temporarily despairs, and says to G-d: \"For since I came to Pharo to speak in Your Name, he hasdealt ill with Your people.\")Let us continue following \"Datan and Aviram\". In the book of Numbers, they are already working as anactive \"opposition\", as Midrash Shmot Raba explains: \"They were the ones who left over the \"Mann\",they were the ones who said (in the spy portion) 'let us return to Egypt', they were the ones whorebelled at the Red Sea.\" And of course, they were active players in the Korach incident. In otherwords, whenever there was an opportunity to undermine Moshe and Aharon's authority, they were 386

there, in the thick of it. The highlight of their career is during the sin of the spies, where they say: \"Letus appoint a chief and let us return to Egypt.\" Oh, how they yearned for the good old days, when theirbrothers were enslaved and they were strolling in the gates of Pharo's palace...And so, during the Korach dispute, their stance against Moshe is much more extreme and belligerentthan the stance Korach adopted. They insolently attack Moshe: \"Is it a small thing that you havebrought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, and you have madeyourself a prince over us?\" Again, pangs of yearning for Egypt and for their positions!Throughout all the generations until today, one can see that \"Datan andAviram\" did not die; and animportant lesson can be learned from this:Sometimes a leader may have certain accomplishments underhis belt, but because he places his own personal welfare as the priority, he can bring the nation totragedy. For he is ready to see his people hurt and beaten, as long as his position remains intact.***weekly parsha by binyamin zev kahane***For They Are Servants of the Lord (1998), translated by Lenny GoldbergI write these words on the fiftieth anniversary of the State of Israel's Independence, from behind prisonwalls, only a few days after being tossed behind bars after my sentencing of nine months in jail. Inparshat Behar I will seize the opportunity to show a surprisingly similar connection between mysituation and a teaching found in Midrash Raba on parshat Behar: \"And you shall sanctify the fiftiethyear and proclaim freedom throughout the landfor all it's inhabitants\" (a passage referring to slaves).What is so terrible about being a servant? One of the central themes of parshat Behar is the shame thatexists for the Jew who is a slave. \"To Me are the children of Israel servants, for they are servants of theLord, who took them out of the land of Egypt.\" We see that the Torah finds great fault with the idea of aJew becoming a slave. Therefore, the Torah places boundaries on servitude, (both regarding a personwho sells himself out of poverty, or because of thievery) and limits the time of servitude to a maximumof six years. A slave who wants to extend his time of servitude must have his master bore a hole in hisear as is described in parshat Mishpatim,and then he remains a slave only until the 50th Jubilee year.What is the reason? The answer lies in our sages words (Kidushim 22): \"Why is the ear different fromany other part of the body? G-d said, the ear that heard My voice on Mount Sinai, when I said, to Meare Israel servants, and not servants to other servants\" (i.e. other Jews). What is so awful about being aslave? After all, we are referring to a person who is more than likely serving an acquaintance of his,which is certainly not a sin in and of itself, nor does it cause him to sin in any way. If so, what preventsa slave from being a most righteous and G-d fearing man? What is so bad about being a slave?The answer is that a slave is not merely a servant. Rather, he is a person who relinquishes hisindividuality in drastic fashion to another human being, flesh and blood. The desires of the slavehimself become the desires of his master instead. He is completely nullified as an independent entity.He hands over his identity and individuality to the whims and desires of flesh and blood, and as aresult, forfeits responsibility over his own life. And so the slave does not have the opportunity to workon his spirituality,or enrich it, and thusly he cannot advance towards the true purpose of being a Jew -sanctifying G-d's Name and coming closer to G-d's attributes. A Jew must be his own individual, a freeman, submitting himself only to G-d'swill, and responsible for his own actions and his direction in life.A slave is neutralized from the very outset, and cannot achieve his goal as a Jew,since he his whollysubservient to his master.The Jubilee year sets forth the notion that every Jew is truly free. True freedom, and not the decadent 387

concept of \"freedom\" which is so prevalent in alien western culture. Rather it is a freedom of spirit inwhich the Jew removes from upon himself the yoke of foreign concepts and replaces it with the onlyyoke that he is allowed (and obligated) to accept - the Yoke of Heaven. As stated by Rabbi YehudaHaLevi: \"Slaves of the times (i.e.- the latest American craze) are slaves of slaves: Slaves of G-d aretruly free\".Though there is much disgrace in slavery, we see that the Torah, for a limited amount of time,prescribes this form of punishment. The Torah does not prescribe prison, despite the fact that todayprison is considered the most humane, effective and \"progressive\" form of punishment. But anyonewho understands prison life knows that it brings about a situation even worse than that of slavery. Forwhile a slave may be nullified, he is at least in the shade of his master - something which gives himcontent and identity. In contrast, the situation of a prisoner is one in which a person loses all semblanceof a human being. He is pushed into a small cell (and in so doing the authorities think they have solvedtheir problems), and treated like an animal. All concept of time is lost, as the prisoner lies on his bed allday, serving no purpose, bored to death and void of any content in his life. All that concerns him is thetaking care of his most base physical needs. Most prisoners lose all hope in themselves and in theirfuture. They abandon all sense of responsibility due to the lack of a daily regiment. This inactivityincreases the prisoners feeling of emptiness, and so it is no wonder that there is such a high percentageof ex-prisoners returning to crime, a destructive and vicious cycle.But for those few who possess a sense of self-worth and purpose, being behind prison walls does nothamper their individuality from shining forth. It is as if the prison walls and the prison guards do notexist. For them,it does not matter where they are. On the contrary, the experience of being behind barsserves as a catalyst, invigorating their spirit and confirming their inner sense of independence andconviction. BackWE WERE BORN TO ESTABLISH A WORLD AS IT WAS IN ITS PERFECT STATE AT THEBEGINNING(translated by Reuven Falk)At the end of \"Parshat Shemot\" we find a confrontation between Moses and Aaron on the one handand the officers of the children of Israel on the other. On the one side stood Moses and Aaron who hadbeen assigned by Hashem to carry out a seemingly suicidal mission: to enter uninvited into the house ofthe king, of the imperial, menacing kingdom of Egypt, and to request that he let the Jewish slaves gofree. In spite of the odds, Moses and Aaron, with faith in Hashem, went and fulfilled their missioncompletely. (According to our sages, all the elders that accompanied them dropped out along the waybecause of tremendous fear, until Moses and Aaron alone remained to face Pharaoh). And certainlyPharaoh rejected their request out of hand. The problem was, not only did he reject their request, butalso in order to quell the \"undesirable\" excitement and expectation amidst the Jews, he informed themthat their work conditions would become more severe. Not only would they have to keep up thestringent quota of bricks they were now required to produce, but also they themselves would have togather the straw needed to make the bricks!The Character of the (Jewish) OfficersNow there enters into the picture the \"Officers of the Children of Israel.\" From the verses (in Shemot)and from the commentary of our sages, we know that these were not essentially bad men; in the lastanalysis they only wanted to lighten the burden of the Jews. Even more than this, they were prepared tocarry the load for the sake of their brethren, the point being not to hand over those who were unable tofulfill their quotas, into the hands of the taskmasters. And for this reason, \"The officers were beaten\"!! 388

(Shemot 5:14) In fact, the officers were themselves sort of communal leaders who apparentlyrepresented the Jews before the Egyptian ruler. As practical men who recognized the nature of theplaying field, they played the game, they did not believe either in \"making noise\" or in revolutions.They were a kind of \"workers committee\" that wanted to lighten, a bit, the harsh conditions, hoping forsome improvement. In their eyes, any noise, any demonstration, any meeting with Pharaoh that was notcarried out according to the rules of protocol, would be destructive and damaging to the delicate workof many years.Like a Bull in a China ShopFor this reason, the moment they heard about Moses and Aaron and their results, they became veryangry. They opposed them with fervor: You are novices!! You are adventurers!! \" May Hashem lookupon you and judge, for you have brought us into foul odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes ofhis servants, to place a sword into their hands to kill us!!\" (Shemot, 5:21)Among other things, there is here a confrontation here between the old guard leadership of the 'statusquo' who wish to protect their achievements - which although modest, were achieved through hardlabor - and New Men, who through their 'exaggerated' requests not only accomplish nothing, but alsoeven cause the destruction of earlier achievements. In the eyes of the officers, Moses behaves like abull in a china shop.And truthfully, reality proves that the officers were correct. Seemingly, just after Moses and Aaronleave Pharaoh's presence a harsh decree is put upon the nation. And who suffers for this? Moses andAaron? No, of course not! The officers are the ones who suffer. They are the ones who receive thebeatings for the sake of the people who cannot fulfill the impossible quotas. And all because of theirresponsibility of Moses and Aaron.The position of the officers seemed so correct, that even Moses himself thought that perhaps they werecorrect. He had so little confidence in his own opinion that he sinned by showing a lack of faith inHashem, by crying to Him, \"Why is evil happening to this people, why did You send me?!\"There is no smooth rebellionAnd with all this...the officers were not right! The reason (and also the lesson from this) is that there isalmost never a revolution or change where the first stages do not involve a loss of accomplishment!Sometimes this is essential, for the 'accomplishments' of the past are parenthetical; the arrangements ofsmall-minded people, while they are perhaps intended to put out fires, yet they establish a dismalsituation, in themselves preventing any change. And sometimes, even in the case of trueaccomplishments, we must know that in order to bring change, there is no choice but lose realaccomplishments, at least temporarily. Because there will always be one Pharaoh or another who willthreaten that if we don't sit quietly he will nullify our achievements, \"and you will lose out because ofthis.\" But if we give in to his threats, we will remain captives in the hand of Pharaoh, we, our childrenand our children's children...until the end of the generations.Redemption - or slavery under improved conditionsIn conclusion, whoever wants to progress - and this is true in every area - must take into account, thathe will almost certainly find himself, at least temporarily, losing some ground. Whoever is not preparedfor this will find himself, all his life, remaining in the straits of Egypt. Whoever wants change needs towarmly thank the 'existing officers' for their accomplishments, but say to them: now we are goingfurther, we are going to progress. It is possible that a part of your accomplishments, or some of youraccomplishments will be lost, either temporarily or permanently. But this is the price to pay for 389

reaching the greater and ultimate goal. We were not born in order to be slaves with improvedconditions in Egypt; we were born to be redeemed. We were not born to live in villas in settlementssurrounded by fences, like ghettos, with conditions of \"Development Area A\": we were born to conquerand rule all of the land of Israel, free of the goyim and of our enemies. And if the price, more or lesstemporarily, is the loss of status of \"Development Area A,\" due to lack of participation on the part ofthe existing regime, or the necessity of gathering our own straw to make bricks for a while, the price isworth it. For we were not born to live with the status quo, after the fact. We were born to establish anideal world, as it was at the beginning. 390

Vayera 391

PARSHAT VA'EYRA Once We Were Slaves, and We Still Are! (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergIn this week's parsha, Moses comes to the Israelite Nation with a message of redemption from theAlmighty. Moses informed the people that after years of enslavement and oppression, G-d hadpromised to free them and return them to the land of their fathers.One would expect the people to be overjoyed. This is what they had been waiting for! Yet the responseof the people was disappointing: \"And they didn't listen to Moses because of lack of spirit and hardwork\" (Shmot 6:9). Why were they so non-plussed at Moses' prophecy?The answer lies in Pharo's command, \"Burden the people with work...that they shouldn't pay heed tofalse words\" (Shmot 5:). Here is the strategy of all dictators and oppressive regimes. When a person issubjected to oppression, in the beginning he generally attempts to fight it. When this fails he usuallysinks into depression and afterwards comes acceptance and apathy.In order for him to be able to dream of freedom and plan a rebellion, he must be able to think, he musthave time. The solution of Pharo and his imitators is to burden him with work. Keep him busy. Onewho toils from sunrise to sunset simply does not have the strength for deep thought when he gets home.Constant work that wearies the body and soul prevents one from contemplating the past or planning forthe future. He is condemned to writhe in the mire of the present, living from one day to the next. It istherefore not surprising that when Moses reveals God's promise of the coming redemption, the peoplehardly bat an eyelid. They cannot even begin to comprehend the vision. Redemption? Freedom? Theseconcepts could not have been further from their minds. Keep your nutty prophecies to yourself! Wehave to complete the daily quota of bricks! The only thing you're accomplishing is to stir up Pharoagainst us!This tried and tested method of preventing people from thinking is alive and well today whether it be indemocracies or pseudo-democracies such as Israel. But today, with the help of modern technology, thetechniques are simply more sophisticated. The task-master has been replaced by the Satan-box knownas television. The television thinks for him. Modern man plops himself in front of it and is drowned ina flood of lies, half-truths, and distortions without him realizing anything. He sits staring at the set in atrance as he is engulfed by its artificial, blue light. He is force-fed a recipe of fast moving pictures,arousing photographs, and advertisements amidst blaring music. He is left a confused, debiliatednebish. He is a sponge which absorbs all this.And when not watching television, he has computer games, electronic and video games, movies anddisco. He time is filled with worthless activities intended to prevent him from pondering, \"Who Am I\",\"What is my purpose in life?\", \"Am I satisfied with the present situation or is there something I can doto change it?\"The first step towards redemption is realizing that we have not been redeemed yet. The present regimein Israel is oppressive, corrupt, and anti-God. The sinister cabal that rules Israel drugs the nation byway of the media, crushing its spirit with an iron heel as they forge ahead with their demonic schemes.We can overthrow them, but first we must take the time to think. 392

Bo 393

PARSHAT BO Pasqual Lamb and Kiddush Hashem (1991) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergIn Parshat Bo we are introduced to the mitzvah of the Paschal Lamb. Unfortunately, like most mitzvotin the Torah, many Jews do not grasp the concept that stands behind this mitzvah. We must alwaysremember that generally speaking, the mitzvah is a manifestation of a particular idea that G-d wants usto internalize. So let us examine this very special mitzvah so that next Passover when we partake in theeating of the \"Afikoman\" which commemorates the Paschal Lamb, we will hopefully be doing morethan just practicing sterile ritual.First of all, we must comprehend that the entire purpose of the plagues was to bring the nonbelievingPharo, who upon Moses' arrival arrogantly proclaimed, \"I do not know Hashem\", to the recognition thatHashem, is indeed, the Almighty. When the gentile states that the Jewish God does not exist and that hedoes not know Him, and thus he can enslave and torture the people of this seemingly non-existent G-d,this creates the greatest \"Hillul Hashem\" (desecration of God's Name) that can possibly be. Thedevastation of Egypt via the plagues was to show the awesome power of Hashem - to prove that theGod of Israel indeed exists. The plagues were, in effect, the process by which the desecration of God'sName, which was reflected through the weakness of His People, was turned into a sanctification of G-d's Name. After the heavy pounding the Egyptians suffered, it was impossible to deny the omnipotenceof the Hebrew God. This is Kiddush Hashem.But for the sanctification to be complete, something else must be done - the offering of the PaschalLamb. This was the nail in the coffin. In Parshat Bo, chapter 12, we see that each Jewish house wascommanded to take a lamb, bring it home for four days, and then slaughter it. The lamb, which was thedeity of the Egyptians is taken, prepared and slaughtered before the horrified eyes of the Egyptians,who were helplessly forced to watch all this. As if this wasn't enough, the lamb had to be roasted whole- \"eat not of it raw, nor broiled in water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with its entrails\".The humiliation was now complete. The Hebrews, slaves for 210 years, had degraded their Egyptianmasters, making a mockery out of their \"religion\". For the sanctification of God's Name to be complete,there is no room for \"tolerance\" of other deities. If Hashem is One, there can be no other! This is theJewish idea of the Paschal Lamb.The pity of the Jew today (including the religious practitioner of ritual) is his inability to perceive theMiddle East crisis as a religious war -- a battle between Judaism versus Islam. While the Arab hasalways understood this and thus is ready to go to great lengths in the name of his religion (and for thisreason they have the upper hand today), the Jew perceives events only through secular and pragmaticconsiderations. He does not realize that a stone thrown at a Jew is a stone thrown at the Jewish God,and a concession of any part of the Land of Israel is a declaration to the Muslims that our God is weak,God forbid. He cannot grasp that the lack of Jewish sovereignty on the Temple Mount and the presenceof Arab mosques is a \"Hillul Hashem\" of outrageous proportions. It is only when the Jewish Peoplecomprehend that the \"humiliation of Israel is a desecration of His Name\" (Ezekiel 39:7 - Rashi) andthat we are in a religious struggle with the Arabs, will we begin to get real help from Hashem, sinceonly then will He have a reason to take action to defend his Holy Name. 394

News and CommentaryWe watch in horror as the government of Israel puts into effect the plans which only the cruelest ofenemies could ever contemplate. The heart of Israel is already cut into ribbons, and time bombs in theform of sovereign Arab rule are already ticking. The best of activists stand bewildered, without analternative or clear direction. Therefore, we must understand: There is no way that the State of Israelcan on one hand decide to abandon the territories, yet at the same time continue to rule over the Jewswho live there, issuing them restriction orders, trying them for retaliating against Arabs, arresting Jewson administrative detention, etc. If they want to pull out, let them - but they should at least get off ourbacks!There are so many Jews who are still naive enough to think that the government has good intentionssince it continues to worry, so to speak, about the security of the stopped judging evil people sofavorably, which incidentally, is against the \"halacha\". We must begin to understand that it is onlypolitical considerations which prevent them from completely pulling out of Judea, Samaria, and Azza.If they at all felt that the political climate was ripe enough, they would abandon the settlers tomorrow.Therefore it is imperative upon the settlers to immediately declare: We are not interested in yoursolutions!! Let the settlers worry about their future and their long term needs. Let them take theirdestiny in their own hands, and in God's hands.Obviously we would prefer united Jewish sovereignty over all parts of the Land of Israel, but if that isnot possible at the moment, then let there rise another sovereign Jewish body in the territories - onecomposed of Jews who have faith in God and the Jewish destiny, and deal with problems, including theArab one, in a responsible way and in a Jewish way. Only then, will something sweet come out of allthe bitterness. He'll Pay for That Grin (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergWhenever an act such as last week's shooting in the Hebron market takes place, we see the question ofcollective punishment return to the national agenda, and of course it is promptly denounced by secularand religious Jews alike. In Parshat Bo, the subject of collective punishment also tops the agenda, as wesee all the Egyptians, without distinction, being smitten by the plagues.As a comment on one of the verses in our parsha, our Sages shed light on the reason why the entirepopulation, and not just the \"bad guys\" were smitten in Egypt. On the verse: \"And the Lord smote allthe firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the first born of Paro that sat on the throne to the firstborn of theprisoner that was in the dungeon\", the Sages immediately ask: \"The prisoner, what was his sin?\" Afterall, they themselves were captive in Egypt. And the Sages answer: \"Because they were happy with allthe decrees which Paro decreed on Israel.\"(Tanchuma, Bo)The sages are teaching us here the Jewish idea concerning a nation which as a whole enslaves or harmsthe Jewish People: Not only are the specific individuals who actively take part in the terrorizing ofJews punished, but the entire nation, from big to little are also punished, for they are happy about whattheir countrymen are doing. 395

From the Idea to the HalachaThis concept is codified into Jewish halacha (see Rambam, HilchotRozeach U-Shmirat Nefesh 4:11,and Kesef Mishnah, there; Shulchan Aruch,Yore Deah, 158:1. and Shach, there, and more), whichdetermines that in time of war, one kills anyone who is part of the enemy nation. The aforementionedmidrash explains the reasoning behind the halacha: When a nation fights us, there are no \"innocent\".There are some who fight in the front, and some in the back, and they are all partners. In what way?The very fact that their hearts rejoice when Jews are killed or maimed (and let us not even discuss thosewho give cover) is enough for them to be halachically considered as soldiers fighting in the front lines.What are the Arabs Happy About?At first glance, it may appear harsh to punish someone just for being happy when Jews are bombed.But someone who understands the realities of today can appreciate the depth and justice of our Sageswords. Here are two examples to illustrate our point: 1. The dancing and celebrations of the Arabs on the roofs of their houses while the Scud missiles of Sadaam Hussein were landing, as they prayed for the \"destruction of Tel Aviv\". 2. After every suicide bombing, spontaneous and mass rejoicing erupted amongst the Arab population, and the mass mourning that took place amongst the \"Palestinian\" people when the \"engineer\", Yiche Iyash, (may his memory be blotted out) was exterminated. Certainly this tells us where the hearts and hopes of the Arabs lie. Even the Palestinian Authority could not overcome themsevles, as they shot 21 bullets while their great hero was being eulogized.And so, do not the words of our Sages ring a bell, especially if we alter the style just a bit: \"Becausethey were happy with all the bombs that Arabs planted against Israel?..\"Jewish Ethics: Truth and NormalacyAnd so, when a terrorist attack against Jews is viewed as a patriotic act of the first order, there is noroom for pity – not even on the so-called innocent ones. Such mercy will certainly lead to crueltyagainst the merciful, as the Sages warned us. It becomes quite evident that Jewish concepts are not onlyG-d's absolute truth and thus should never be questioned, but they are also so brilliantly suited to man'snature. And so it is no wonder then that these values were set down by the Creator of man Himself –and how it differs from the hypocritical man-made values of those dictated by Christian or westernculture. 396

Beshallach 397

PARSHAT BESHALLACH \"Don't Cry to Me - Go Forward\" (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergIt was exactly five years ago when the Gulf War broke out, and scud missiles started landing in Israel.Then, too, it was Parshat BeShallach, and it became quite popular to quote the verse in our parsha:\"The Lord will fight for you, and you will remain keep silent\" (14:14). Indeed, so many religious Jewsfound this verse both appropriate and symbolic of the Gulf War. After all, here were Israeli citiesgetting bombarded by Iraqi missiles, and the official government policy was one of \"self-restraint\", oras the Hebrew term goes, \"havlaga\". Jews equipped with gas masks and cages for their small childrensat crouched in their sealed rooms, as missiles rocked the country. \"Everything will be O.K.\", theyproclaimed. \"Hashem will fight for us\". That is, America and its president George Bush will take outthose scud launchers and all will be fine.A closer look at what the Torah and sages tell us regarding this verse reveal that those who interpretedthis verse in the aforementioned manner took the words entirely out of their true context, and by doingso completely distort the awesome lesson that is to be learned regarding the splitting of the Red Sea.\"A Time To Do - Not to Pray\"Firstly, let us see what the Torah says. Immediately following the verse, \"The Lord will fight for youand you will remain silent\", is the verse, \"And the Lord said unto Moses, Why do you cry unto me?Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward\"! Already, without even delving into any of thecommentaries, we see that the picture has changed entirely. The verse is not telling us that God willfight for you and so in the meantime you can \"kick back\" and let Him \"worry about it\". What is saidhere is that the Lord will fight for you if you prove to Him that you truly believe in His Omnipotence,and so instead of crying to Hashem, simply obey his commandment and \"go forward\" into the stormysea.The commentator the \"Eben Ezra\" writes the following: \"You shalt keep silent\" - to counteract the(verse) \"And the children of Israel cried (to Hashem)!\" For those whom this is not clear, thecommentary on the Eben Ezra explains: \"Do not cry anymore (to Hashem) because He will fight foryou. And the meaning is not that you should refrain (keep silent) from fighting\". Yes. The exactopposite of the distorted interpretation that is constantly given, where the verse \"and you shall keepsilent\" means self-restraint and inaction. The Eben Ezra comes to tell us that \"and you shall keep silent\"means to stop crying to Hashem. What should you do instead? Act! -- with \"Bitachon\" in Hashem. Thisis in essence the idea that Rashi brings down: \"This teaches us that Moses was standing and praying.The Holy One Blessed Be He said: Now is not the time to prolong in prayer, when Israel is placed indistress.\" This is also the meaning of the Gemorah in Sota, page 37: \"Moses was engaged for a while inprayer, so the Holy One Blessed Be He said, \"My beloved ones are drowning in the sea, and thouprolongst in prayer before me? He (Moses) spoke before Him, \"Lord of the Universe, what is there inmy power to do?\" He replied to him, \"Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward. And liftthou up thy rod and stretch out thy hand, etc.\"Nachshon - Faith In ActionThe sages tell us that the children of Israel stood trembling by the shores of the Red Sea until Godcommanded them that they \"go forward\". They remained paralyzed with fear and did not move. Only 398

Nachshon did not hesitate to carry out Hashem's commandment. He sprang forward into the ragingwaters, but nothing happened. Nachshon was not taken aback. He descended deeper into the water - upto his ankles, knees, stomach - and still nothing happened. Nachshon continued until the water reachedhis neck, and then he cried to Hashem, \"Oh God, save me because the water has come into my soul. Isink deep in mire where there is no standing...\" Only then did the miracle of the splitting of the seaoccur. (Ibid.)The lesson is crystal clear. Together with prayer, Hashem demands maximal effort, for it is onlythrough actual deeds where one's faith is tested. Was Nachshon's faith put to the test when he recitedpsalms on the seashore? No. Even jumping into the stormy waters was not sufficient, for he still had anopportunity to back out. Only by going all the way in fulfilling G-d's will did he prove he is a truebeliever. Nachshon understood that saying, \"I believe\" and then waiting for the salvation is notauthentic faith. G-d demands of us that we prove our faith by way of our actions, and not just with ourmouths. Only by being willing to fulfill difficult, and what may appear to be \"dangerous\" mitzvot, dowe prove our faith is genuine.This is the mistake of those religious Jews who sanctified the self-restraint policy during the GulfCrisis. He who saw the Chosen People scurrying like roaches into their sealed-off closets while themodern day Goliath blasphemed Hashem and His people for 40 days (and 40-1 missiles), and viewed itas a positive thing, self-righteously proclaiming that \"G-d will help\" , does not begin to grasp theJewish concept of what faith is all about.Not only did we lose our deterrent factor and our dignity during the Gulf War, but we also proved ourlack of faith. It is this same lack of faith that has prevented us from expelling the Arabs, and annexingthe territories. And it is only a lack of faith that has brought us to the pathetic and desperate situationwe now find ourselves in today. These national mitzvot were never \"politics\", but rather the trueyardsticks for faith and redemption in this generation.News And CommentaryAs the trial of Yigal Amir grinds on, one can observe the obsessive hate and hysteria of the Israelimedia. Unable to even feign the slightest bit of responsible objective journalism, the Israeli newspaperreporters cannot hold themselves back from viciously cursing and abusing Amir. Words like \"scum\"and \"vermin\" are some of the more commonly used terms used to describe him.Such lanugage is usually not used when dealing with political assassins. In a normal society, words like\"scum\" are generally reserved for rapists or child beaters, and not for political criminals. If thisuncontrolled hate was caused by an overwhelming love and sense of loss for Yitzchak Rabin, thenperhaps their attacks on Amir would be understandable. But we must understand that there is somethingmuch deeper going on here.Yigal Amir in their eyes is a symbol of all religious Jews. He is educated, and idealistic, and representsto them the Judaism that they so despise. Since it would be difficult still to defame all the religiousJews and rabbis without compunction, they find Yigal Amir an easy target for them to unleash theirvenom in their filthy tabloids.Unfortunately, many religous Jews don't grasp this. Instead, they try to find favor in the eyes of the leftby coming up with even \"jucier\" adjectives to describe Amir. In their pathetic hope not to be viewed as\"extremists\" and to create \"unity\", they attempt to outdo the left in their condemnations. Alas, it is apity that none of this will help. Because the hellenist left in Israel looks upon these Jews as \"scum\" aswell. For them, anyone who feels that the \"halacha\" is the ultimate authority, and places it over their 399

hallowed democracy is a criminal.Therefore, let us not try and gloss over the fact that we are in the heat of a cultural war with theHellenists, and the gap between them and us is unbridgeable. Nachson and Hashem \"Partners\" in Miracle (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny GoldbergThe midrash relates how Nachson jumps into the stormy sea, and as the water reaches up to his neck,the sea splits. We learn here the general lesson that one must follow the path of \"hishtadlut\", humaneffort. That is, even though G-d explicitly says to Moshe, \"Hashem will fight for you and you shallremain silent\", G-d wants our \"participation\".This is the order of the world which G-d set down: despite the fact He is Omnipotent, He demands the\"acts of man\". And while man cannot achieve anything without heavenly assistance, G-d demands fromman that he strive as much as possible by non-miraculous means. By doing so, man fulfills his role inthis world.Despite this fundamental principle, something is not clear regarding Nachson's act. We can understandthe concept of \"hishtadlut\" when applied to one's \"parnasa\" (livelihood), for example; that whileHashem \"provides nourishment to all flesh\", man must still get up in the morning to go to work, forwithout this natural effort, there will be no \"parnasa\". The same applies to the wars of Israel. ThoughHashem fights for us, we must do everything that can be done by natural and non-miraculous means tofight. In contrast, what did Nachson's action contribute to the sea splitting? His act was not your typicaltype of hishtadlut! He basically plunged into ranging waters, an act which according to the laws ofnature, does absolutely nothing to cause the sea to split! This is not natural human effort; it is more likeillogical suicide! And nonetheless, this is what Hashem wanted, as He says: \"Speak to the children ofIsrael, that they should go forward (into the sea)!\"The explanation is that Nachson's jumping into the sea symbolized what Hashem demanded from us atthat moment: not only an act of \"hishtadlut\", but also an act to express bitachon (trust) in G-d. This iscertainly something we can understand today, in light of the events taking place and the tests whichstand before us. More than once in this generation, we have stood before tests seemingly impossible toovercome. The Almighty has placed us in situations in which holding our ground and not surrenderingappeared totally illogical, and even suicidal. Since our return to Zion, our great merit has been that wehave withstood the tests, without saying: \"Let us return to Egypt\"; and without saying we must stopbuilding Eretz Yisrael. And behold, in these very days, we have reached the critical stage, the momentof truth, where the argument countering the approach of faith and trust is: \"We have no choice. If wedon't give up the territories which G-d gave us through the miracles of the 1967 war, we will becommitting national suicide\", or \"fulfilling the Torah commandment to hold onto the territories andexpel the Arabs is dangerous\".In essence, the Almighty has placed us in exactly the same situation which the Jews were in at the Seaof Suf. It is a situation of being between fire and fire. On one side, the Egyptian en-slavers; on the otherside, the sea. On one side, giving up land and leaving the Arabs here to stay means the liquidation ofIsrael; on the other side, holding onto the land and expelling the Arabs endangers us by bringing theworld against us.Here we need the lesson of Nachson Ben Aminadav. G-d isn't going to split the sea unless someonejumps in first. While He doesn't need Nachson in order to make the sea split, He does require that we 400