Kahane Codes - Bereshit Shmot

Moshes Supporters The Midrash tells us that as Moshe went to the palace of Pharoah to demand the release of Israel, the elders of Israel and his supporters went along with him. As they got closer to the palace each one found a different excuse to leave until only Moshe and Aaron were left. In our times it is much the same. Rav Kahane understood those who opposed him, but those who supported him were harder to understand. The Rav would remark how he had many supporters who would say to him they agree with him and they were right behind him. When he needed their support he saw that indeed they were right behind him, very far behind him. He said you are lazy, lazy! (Shemot 5:17) Nirpim,Nirpim Gematria = 380+380 = 760 Kahane large gematria. The two Kahane’s together were trouble for the establishment because they threatened to defrock and expose the tyranny and persecution of the Israeli establishment and their American mistress in the White House. The cry destroy Kahane whatever it takes, forget democracy, forget the rule of law, just get him! This cry was similar to the frantic and arrogant cry of Pharaoh, destroy these visionaries that threaten to bring redemption, for then we would lose our positions. 251

Shmot 2006 --‫תלינו‬, ‫ נע‬,‫ט‬,‫פת‬,‫למר ימי נש קֹמך קֹל יאיש משר ֹקו םש‬- ‫םא‬, ‫ יד מוי‬14 And he said: 'Who made thee a ruler and a -‫לאת‬- ‫שר נה מר קֹג נת‬-‫ מכ נא ל‬,‫תמר‬, ‫םא‬, ‫ג יני מא נתה‬,‫ מה ֹקל נה קֹר ת‬judge over us? thinkest thou to kill me, as thou didst kill the Egyptian?' And Moses feared, and ‫ו מדעכן נ‬ ‫א‬,‫א ממר‬,‫מוי ם‬ ‫לשה‬- ‫םמ‬, ‫מו ייי נרא‬ ;‫מה ימ ֹקצ ירי‬ said: 'Surely the thing is known.' .‫הת נד נבר‬ Just as Moshe saw, so did the Rav when he said he was not afraid of the Arabs, but he was worried about the Jews. In the end, this is what killed him. First by the banning in the Knesset and quite possibly the 'wild beast' that destroyed both father and son was discreetly encouraged and set-up. The problem of Moshe today was the same as Moshe then – informers. The remaining letters spell -Kahane noda dvar – he knew this thing. There is an eery interview that the Rav made on 60 minutes with Mike Wallace. Wallace: 'people speculate that Meir Kahane could wind up dead. You know that.' Kahane: 'I know that' Wallace: 'and you suggested that it would not be at the hands of an Arab but at the hands of a Jew' Kahane:'yes' Wallace: 'why would they want to murder Meir Kahane' Kahane: 'because they are frustrated, they know of no other way to stop him. Their nightmare is will Kahane become Prime Minister? Wallace: 'you don't really believe you'll be Prime Minister, Rabbi Kahane' Kahane: 'I hope I will be Prime Minister to save the Jews from the Arabs and from themselves' 252

Shmot 2009 ‫ קֹב יני‬,‫כה נא ממר ֹקיה נוה‬,‫ ם‬:‫ה‬,‫ מפ ֹרקעם‬-‫לל‬-‫ א‬, ‫ כבוקֹ נא ממ קֹר נת‬22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh: Thus saith .‫אל‬,‫םכ ירי יי קֹש נר ת‬, ‫ ֹקב‬the LORD: Israel is My son, My first-born. ,‫ד יני‬,‫ קֹב יני ֹקו מי מע ֹקב ת‬-‫את‬-‫ מש מלח ל‬,‫לליך‬- ‫א‬,‫םא ממר ת‬, ‫ כג נו‬23 And I have said unto thee: Let My son go, that ‫בי קֹנך‬-‫לאת‬- ,‫תרג‬, ‫םה‬, ‫םנ יכי‬, ‫נה נא‬,‫ יה ת‬--‫ קֹל מש קֹלחו‬,‫תן‬,‫ מותֹקמנא‬he may serve Me; and thou hast refused to let him .‫רך‬-‫כ ל‬,‫ קֹב ם‬go. Behold, I will slay thy son, thy first-born.'-- ,‫קֹיה נוה‬ ‫תשהו‬, ‫מו יי ֹקפ ֹקג‬ ;‫תב אמלון‬ ,‫רך‬-‫ד ל‬-‫כד מו קֹי יהי מב ל‬ 24 And it came to pass on the way at the ‫תקש נה ימיתו‬, ‫מו קֹי מב‬ the LORD met lodging-place, that him, and sought to kill him. ‫ענ קרֹ מלת‬-‫לאת‬- ‫םרת‬, ‫ מו ית קֹכ‬,‫ כה מו ית מקח יצפלראה לצר‬25 Then Zipporah took a flint, ‫ נד ימים‬-‫ יכי נח מתן‬,‫לר‬-‫םאמ‬,‫ קֹל מרגקֹלניו; ומת‬,‫ ומ מתגמע‬,‫ בקֹ ננה‬and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at .‫ אמתנה ליי‬his feet; and she said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.' ,‫ נח מתן נד ימים‬,‫ נא קמֹרנה‬,‫מנו; נאז‬-‫ ימ ל‬,‫רף‬-‫ כו מו יי ל‬26 So He let him alone. Then she said: 'A .‫ לממולת‬bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision.' {P} ‫שה‬-‫םמ ל‬, ‫תלך יל קֹק מראת‬, ,‫םרן‬, ‫אמהנ‬-‫אל‬-‫מר קֹיה נוה ל‬-‫א ל‬,‫ כז מוי ם‬27 And the LORD said to Aaron: 'Go into the --‫שהו קֹב מהר נה לאל יהים‬,‫ מו יי ֹקפ ֹקג ת‬,‫ללך‬- ‫י‬,‫ הממי ֹקד נברנה; מו ת‬wilderness to meet Moses.' And he went, and met .‫לו‬-‫ ומ יישמק‬him in the mountain of God, and kissed him. (Shmot 4:22-27) The passage above is very mysterious indeed. What is the connection between telling Pharoah that Israel is my first born, and Tziporra saving Moshe’s life by circumcising their 2nd born son? Often one can find connections by looking at the passages that border a topic. On one side is Hashem’s command to Pharoah and on the other side is Aaron approaching. In the middle is this strange story. The Midrash tells us that Moshe was justified in not circumcising his son because of the three-day journey, but faults him for not doing it the moment they arrived at the Inn. Instead of making preparations for their stay he should have done the brit right away. For this reason Hashem wanted to kill him and it was only by the calculations of his wife that he survived. What is this telling us? It seems to me that this story alludes to a premonition of Moshe’s future and Hashem’s first born cause. If we recall earlier in the Parsha Hashem was angry at Moshe and His wrath burned. Why? His wrath 253

burned because Moshe did not want to take on the mantle of leadership. Chazal tells us that at this point Hashem decided to include Aaron as a partner for Moshe. It was not His initial plan and this is why His wrath burned. And so He altered His plan. The events of Moshe’s personal life also reflected the events of the Nation. Originally it was Hashem’s intention to take a three day journey to the Land of Israel (Derech Shalosh Yamim). We have spoken about this elsewhere as the hurried redemption that Rav Kahane often spoke about and tried to bring about. In the end however, the Nation wandered for forty years. Moshe did not succeed in fulfilling the redemption in his time. His death here alludes to his future death for a similar future sin. Within the word for lodging place is the word Mol (circumcise). One could read the passage as: ‫ וןבתמאל‬,‫לרך‬- ‫ד‬-‫ מב ל‬- the journey toward circumcision One might read the passage below like this: And it came to pass along the intended three day journey, the journey of circumcision, became instead a resting place an Inn. Because of this failure Moshe did not succeed in circumcising the Nations heart and he was buried there. Not until the converts of the Nation and the receivers, the feminine aspect are able to discern the mitzvah and act upon it will the redemption be complete. Just as Yoseph’s brothers were forced into the situation of redemption because of the threat of death by famine, Tzipora was also forced into making her own calculations without the aid of the Tzadik. She had to take everything she had learned and put it into practice to save the future mission of Israel. ‫ענרקֹ מלת‬-‫לאת‬- ‫רת‬,‫ מו ית קֹכ ם‬,‫ר‬,‫םרנה צם‬,‫ כהה מו ית מקח יצ פ‬25 Then Zipporah took a flint, ‫דנמיים‬-‫ יכי נח מתן‬,‫למר‬- ‫םתא‬, ‫ לקֹ מר ֹגק נליו; מו‬,‫ מו מת מגע‬,‫ ֹבקננה‬and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at .‫ מאתנה ליי‬his feet; and she said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.' Her action is the action of all future generations who were the sacrificial lambs (Parah Tzar – Parah Aduma of suffering) whose suffering educated the Nation. The Macabees were born out of terrible suffering and oppression, just as the modern Nation of Israel was born out of the Shoa. It may be a negative statement to say that our relationship to Hashem is a bloody one. On one hand the statement of Tziporra may sound like those who complain that the lot of the Jew is to be chosen for suffering. On the other hand her statement may allude to the baal teshuva’s who circumcise their hearts and are prepared to give their life’s blood to Hashem’s cause. In such times we are put in the position that we must act; we who are not leaders but are forced to become saviors and heroes. Hashem’s first born message and Aaron’s encounter that bookend these passages remind us of the original intention, the second intention (as it transpired), the failure of the religious leadership that lost an opportunity to bring the Nation home (see Parsha Shlach, Chukat), and the eventual redemption that will come when the Nation itself will be forced into circumcising their own hearts. 254

Shmot 2010 Binyamin’s Yortzeit Snake + Staff = Bayit (Gematria of Nachash and Mateh is the same as Bayit). What is the connection? ‫ = ‘ מ הטה‬Staff 54 + ‫ = הנ החש‬Snake 358 = 412 ‫ =ב הי מת‬House 412 ;‫ נה לאל יהים‬-‫לאת‬- ‫םדת‬, ‫ ני קֹראו מה ֹקמ מי קֹל‬-‫ יכי‬,‫ כא מו קֹי יהי‬21 And it came to pass, because the midwives ‫ באתשים‬,‫הם‬-‫ מו מי מעש נל ל‬feared God, that He made them houses. Before we explain the connection please read the following: In one of Binyamins essays he writes of a midnight visit from the Shabak who ruffle through his belongings, confiscate his computer and arrest him. As they are ruffling through his belongings he asks them if they are looking for the bombs or ammunition. They suddenly stop and he leads them to the secret hiding place. As he reaches up they put their hands on their guns. He tells them to calm down as he slowly reaches up to produce for them the dangerous terrorist weapons. ‘Here’ he says as he hands them a Tanach –‘Here are our weapons. It’s all in here!’ Those who sit in study halls do not threaten the State of Israel. The State resents them for not serving in the army and calls them leeches, but they are no threat whatsoever to the power of the State. There is only one branch of Torah that is harassed by the State, imprisoned, bullied, persecuted and assassinated. This is the authentic branch of Torah brought down by Rav Kahane for Kahane’s Torah confronts the entire world as well as the State of Jews and brings about miraculous change. His Torah is like a snake that makes people run from it in fear and call it hated and dangerous and bad for the Jews. However one can pick up this dangerous Torah in ones hand and see that it is the staff that we have always leaned on. The Torah of the Rav is not a perversion; rather it is the ‘authentic’ Torah, while others have perverted it. It is the Torah of action and self-sacrifice commanded to the readers of its dusty texts. Those who lean on it as a passive rod must be thrown down so that the letters awaken to scare evil doers away. It is a Torah that ‘awakens the complacent and arouses the contempt of the arrogant’ (Psalm 123). Why does the ‘snake and ‘staff’ spell out bayit (house)? They spell Bayit because the apple does not fall far from the tree. Greatness is born from greatness. Just as Yocheved sacrificed for Israel and was miraculously saved from the cruel Pharaoh, so she gave birth to the miraculous and the leader of the redemption. *It is interesting to note that Rav Kahane by his very presence sheds light on this Tehillim. “Our soul is fully sated with the mockery of the complacent ones, with the contempt of the arrogant.” (Psalm 123) If one places Rav Kahane as the subject we understand that those who would mock him are typically those who are generally complacent. Those who despise him with contempt are often reformists who lack humility and are arrogant towards Hashem and His Torah. 255

Shmot 2010 ‫למר לו‬- ‫א‬,‫ מוי ם‬,‫םח ֹקתנו‬, ‫תר‬-‫י ל‬-‫ ל‬-‫לאל‬- ‫שה מו ני נשב‬-‫מ ל‬,‫לך ם‬-‫י ל‬,‫ יח מו ת‬18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his ,‫בקֹ ימצֹקרמיים‬-‫שר‬-‫ מא מחי נא ל‬-‫אל‬-‫תא קֹל נכה ננא וקֹ נאשו נבה ל‬, father-in-law, and said unto him: 'Let me go, I ,‫לשה‬- ‫םמ‬, ‫ֹקל‬ ‫יי קֹתרו‬ ‫מר‬-‫םא ל‬, ‫מוי‬ ;‫תח שיים‬ ‫ תהעו אדם‬,‫ה‬-‫אל ֹקר לא‬- ֹ‫וק‬ pray thee, and return unto my brethren that are in .‫תלך ֹקל נשלום‬, Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.' And Jethro said to Moses: 'Go in peace.' There appears to be a rebuke here similar to the rebuke of Yoseph to Yehuda ‘'I am Joseph; is my father still alive?'(Bereshit 45:3) What possible rebuke would there be? Rav Nachum Kahane suggests in his commentary ‘ With All Your Might’ that when Moshe discovered who his adopted father really was it was like in our times discovering ones father is the head of the Gestapo. He could not bear the emotional conflict between the father he loved and honored and his people who were suffering under his hand. His solution was to run away to where Uncle Yitro had run to when he was a child. He now understood the conflict that Yitro had had with his father when he was a child. Yitro had been in a position to save Am Israel and protested Pharoah’s actions, but his opposition was not enough and he could see the tides changing. He resigned and left Egypt not wanting to be part of its corruption. According to the Talmud (Nedarim 65a), Yitro insisted that Moses swear to him that he would never leave without his permission (Artscroll Siddur). Yitro had heard how Yacov made Lavan wealthy and then ran off. He did not want the same thing to happen so he made Moshe swear. Yitro benefited a great deal from Moshe’s arrival. He was blessed just as Lavan was blessed by offering shelter to the Tzaddik Moshe. One can imagine the emotional dialogue between the two of them after Moshe returned from his conversation with Hashem. Yitro was the lonely voice of dissent from the Gentile world against the anti-semetic plague. Maybe he could have done more, or maybe he was not in the position to. Moshe however was in the unique position of being the son Pharaoh loved. Only he could enter the palace at will and challenge his father. For Yitro to force Moshe to stay for his own personal benefit would betray his own sense of morality. It was that morality that brought him to Midian years ago. Maybe in this passage we see Moshe reminding Yitro of the consequences of his failed attempt to persuade Pharaoh. It’s up to Moshe now to carry the torch. 'Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren that are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.' Could Yitro insist on benefiting from Moshe in the exile without seeing the bigger picture of why he was sent there in the 1st place? I suggest that not only did he allow Moshe to return, I would venture to say that he inspired and encouraged him to go. The commandment of circumcision, that separates the Israleite Nation from the rest of the world is associated with a gentile named Mamre (see Vayera). The Torah that separates Israel from the rest of the Nations is associated with a convert named Yitro (the chapter of giving the Torah is called Yitro). I suspect that one of the reasons that this chapter is named after Yitro is because he pushed Moshe to return, despite his loss. Many critics of Rav Kahane often said that the way he acted wasn’t Jewish and was in fact bad for the 256

Jews. The opposite was true. Many gentiles were inspired by his frankness and unapologetic manner and eventually became converts. Moshe inspired Yitro and Yitro inspired Moshe. When Jews rise to the occasion and act as they are commanded by Hashem, the Gentiles also rise up (see Parsha Yitro). I heard an amazing midrash that relates that even though the Israelites saw many miracles including Har Sinai, they didn't truly believe in Hashem until Yitro came and recognized Him. The approval of the gentile is a huge factor that according to this Midrash seems to bring us to accept our higher calling. Shmot 2010 Tziporra and Ruth ,‫ נע קֹר מלת קֹב ננה‬-‫את‬-‫רת ל‬,‫ מו ית קֹכ ם‬,‫םצר‬, ‫םפ נרה‬, ‫ כה מו ית מקח יצ‬24 And it came to pass on the way at the lodging- ‫ נד ימים מא נתהתר תו לת‬-‫ יכי נח מתן‬,‫מר‬-‫א ל‬ place, that the LORD met him, and sought to kill ;‫קֹג נליו‬ ‫ֹקל‬ ,‫ומתמ מגע‬ him. ‫ ילי‬. ‫אר‬,‫ נח מתן נד ימים‬,‫ה‬‫נא ֹקמ‬ ,‫נאז‬ ;‫מנו‬-‫ימ ל‬ ,‫לרף‬- ‫מו יי‬ ‫כו‬ 25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she ‫ מלמ לו ת‬. said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.' Consider why the name Ruth is hidden in these passages. Is there any connection? Let me propose an idea. On the eve of Geula, the Geula hung in balance; it might not have happened. What made it happen? Geula came from a convert who corrected a mistake from torah leadership. What she did saved Moshe, who then saved the nation. Moshe himself was like a stranger to the Jewish world, almost like a convert. He grew up as an Egyptian and finds out later he is Jewish and has the qualities to lead that the other Jewish leaders didn’t have. In addition as Pharaoh’s son he was in a position that no other leader was in. Strange how Geula came not from the typical Jewish source. What happened at the inn is maybe a hint that our ultimate kingship also comes from this clarification of Halacha brought about by unusual circumstances that are far from the mainstream. Tziporra who was a convert corrected a mistake by the greatest scholar of all time. Ruth brought about a torah revision and clarification that brought Moshiach. In our day Zionism an outcast to the religious world, will yet bring about a revision and clarification of torah. From the outcasts comes the rectification. 257

Shmot 2012 ‫ יכי‬,‫ קֹלך נהאות‬-‫לזה‬- ‫ קֹו‬,‫ליה יע נמך‬- ‫לא קֹה‬- -‫ יכי‬,‫מלר‬- ‫יםא‬, ‫ יב ומ‬12 And He said: “For I shall be with you; and this ,‫הנענם‬-‫לאת‬- ‫ ֹקבהו יצי נאך‬:‫נ יכי ֹקש מל ֹקח יתיך‬,‫ נא ם‬is your sign that I have sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on ‫נה נהר‬ ‫מעל‬ ,‫ נה לאל יהים‬-‫את‬-‫ל‬ ‫מת מע קֹבדון‬ ,‫יממיצֹק מריים‬ this mountain. ‫זה‬-‫ מה ל‬. Shmot 3:12 This passage is very unusual. Normally when one is sent on a mission he is given signs to convince the people of his authenticity. In this passage it appears that Hashem is telling Moshe that ‘after the fact’ there will be a convincing sign. In other words, the sign itself has nothing to do with bringing the Nation of Israel out of Mitzraim, but rather, after the fact that they have left Mitzrayim, they will be convinced that they had done the correct thing, and they will experience something unique by the mountain that convinces them. Rashi reveals an amazing concept here. ‘This teaches that people can be judged and even rewarded on the basis of their potential. The very fact that the nation has within it the capacity for growth that will enable them to to listen to God’s word and accept His Torah is sufficient to justify the Exodus.’ Rambam adds ‘True faith is never based merely on miracles, because there is always a lingering doubt that miracles can be fabricated or brought about by means other than Divine intervention. This was the basis of Moses’ fear that the Jews would not believe him – even miracles could not induce perfect belief. To dispel this fear, God assured him that the nation would experience revelation on this mountain when they received the ten commandments. Israel’s faith in Moses and his prophecy was based on its own experience at Sinai, where it became indisputably clear to them that God was speaking to them. (Hil. Yesodei HaTorah 8:2) (Artscroll Siddur Pg 304). ‫אהאות‬, ‫לקֹך‬-‫זה‬-‫ קֹו ל‬,‫ליה יע נמך‬- ‫לא ֹקה‬- -‫ יכי‬,‫למר‬- ‫יא‬,‫ יב מו ם‬12 And He said: “For I shall be with you; and ‫שכי אא לנ שכי‬,‫ נה נעם‬-‫את‬-‫ קֹבהו יצי נאך ל‬:‫ֹקש מל ֹקח יתיך‬ this is your sign that I have sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve ‫ מעל נה נהר‬,‫ נה לאל יהים‬-‫לאת‬- ‫ מת מע קֹבדון‬,‫ ימ ימצֹקרמ יים‬God on this mountain. ‫לזה‬- ‫מה‬ =For Kahane is my sign ‫שכי שכ אהנ אא אותי‬ These letters can be rearranged to spell ‘For Kahane is my sign’. What is the connection? As Rambam explains to us, real faith does not come from ‘miracles’. How many Israeli’s will tell you that the six day war was no miracle at all, simply Israeli intelligence and courage. How many Charedim will tell you that Israel itself is no miracle, and even some who will say that Israel is ‘occupied’ by an anti-Torah Zionist regime. Real faith comes from experience and understanding. One can practice religious rituals and lack much faith. One may not adhere much to religious rituals but have a 258

tremendous attachment to the Creator as he bravely accepts many self-sacrificing missions to protect his people. Rabbi Kahane understood our greatness and our weakness. He pinpointed our ‘Achilles heel’ and forced us to face up to ourselves by asking difficult questions. His Torah was a Torah of fire that destroyed the arguments of both the Torah scholars who did not participate in the greatest miracle before their eyes and the Zionists whose courage and vision lacked faith in God. He spoon fed the generation and explained to them simple ideas that they could not grasp. This is exactly what Moshe did. His sign was simply that he spoke the truth. He was like Avraham who smashed the idols before his father. Everyone understood that he spoke the truth but their answer was ‘But who are we?’ or ‘Yes, but this is not possible’, etc. He demonstrated that everything is possible and that even he alone with a handful of supporters could bring down the mighty Pharaohs of Russia and America and force the release of a million Russian Jews. He left us to finish the job and create a truly Jewish state and liberate Yehuda and Shomron. All of the arguments today are the same ones of twenty two years ago and he had the only true answer that cut to the heart of each and every Jew regardless of their positions. Just like our forefathers of the past, he set the path and demonstrated the courage that is required of us and the sensitivity to feel the pain of our brothers, whether they are oppressed by Gentile Nations or our own Nation. He planted the seeds within our Nation to encourage us to stand alone and grasp our destiny; to throw out our enemies and to unify our nation. Moshe feared that the Israelites were too spiritually impoverished to merit redemption. Hashem told him that he was wrong. If he speaks the truth to these people they will hear it, and they will follow, but he must lead and be an example. Today we see the seeds that he planted sprouting and bearing fruit. The hill top youth with their Kahane T-shirts defy the Nation and the whole world and will overturn its order to bring about Judea. Even inside the government itself Moshe Feiglin and other Kahane sympathizers like Mr Leiberman have positions of increasing power. Our Haftorah essentially addresses the point that is raised in our above passage. The sign that God sent Moshe comes ‘after the fact’. This was also true of David Hamelech. In his lifetime, even though he had great success and miraculous victories he was still called a ‘mamzer’. He wasn’t ‘Jewish’ and ‘pure’ enough according to many. These accusers were silenced however, ‘after the fact’. When Shlomo built the temple the doors would not open. He prayed in the name of Avraham, and Itzchak, and Yacov and nothing happened. He prayed in the name of his father David, and the doors opened. Once and for all it was understood who King David was. Our Haftorah tells us that the root of Yacov will bear fruit. Who is the root of Yacov today? Who shows us the example of ‘real faith’ that our forefathers had? Who is the one that can take the gems of Torah that have fallen in the mud of exile and make them shine again? Who is the one who spoon feeds the generation of heroes and gives them purpose to their missions? ‫ ני יציץ ו נפ מרח‬,‫ ו מה נב יאים מי רש לרש תי נִע לקב‬6 In days to come shall Jacob take root, Israel ‫ֹקתנו נבה‬ ,‫תבל‬, ‫תת‬, -‫ני‬,‫קֹפ ת‬ ‫ו נמ ֹקלאו‬ ;‫אל‬,‫ יי קֹש נר ת‬. shall blossom and bud; and the face of the world shall be filled with fruitage. Yeshiyahu 27:6 259

The gematria Shoresh Yacov = Meir David Ben Yecheskel Shraga ‫ = מאיר אד שוד בן רי הח רז לקאל רש תר אגא‬Meir David Ben Yecheskel Shraga 504 + 156 + 52 +14 + 251 = 977 (plus 5 for each word ) = Shoresh Yacov (982) ‫שרש יעקב‬ ,‫לטן קֹי מד ֹקע יתיך‬- ‫לב‬- ‫ נצ ֹרקך( מב‬-‫לרם אצורך )אל‬- ‫לט‬- ‫ ה קֹב‬5 Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, ‫ אנ שביא‬:‫שה רק תד רש שתיך‬ and before you left the womb I sanctified you; ‫חם‬-‫לר ל‬- ‫מ‬,‫צא ת‬,‫תת ת‬, ‫לרם‬- ‫ט‬-‫ו קֹב ל‬ I have appointed you a prophet unto the nations. ‫ קנֹתמ יתיך‬,‫ תלגו שים‬. Yermiyahu 1:5 If you add the ‘yud’ for the future tense; ‘In days to come’ Yacov will take root the gematria is 992. The passage above from the same Haftorah is equivalent. YiShoresh Yacov = In days to come Yacov will take root = 992 I have sanctified you and set you as a prophet unto the nations = 991 (plus kollel) = 992. Yermiyahu, like Moshe and like Rav Kahane was skeptical of his mission. He was imprisoned by the Jewish government because he was a messenger that tried to warn them of the doom that was approaching. They preferred to blame the messenger and listen to false prophets. Although his mission failed he laid the foundations for the future redemption. A prophet does not always succeed, in fact in most cases they fail. Their purpose is to lead the way, and to demonstrate what is possible. We mostly hear too little, too late, nevertheless the ground that the prophet has cleared for us shows us the path that we too can follow as a people and walk through the ocean to the other side. It is once we are on the other side that we can look back and understand who we have become and how it was made possible. The prophet or the Torah scholar or the prince of Egypt, or whomever finds himself with unique qualities and in unique positions and rises to the occasion will be helped from above. The ten famous martyrs that were killed by the Romans, led the way for us to keep the Torah despite all odds. The ten revolutionaries who were martyred by the British because they refused to accept British sovereignty led the way for us to build the glory of our new born Nation despite all odds. The Rav connected our heart and soul together and demonstrated how to unify our courage and our faith in the direction of Har Sinai. As the Nation follows in these footsteps and arrives on the other shore. We will all be surprised like the brothers were surprised at Yoseph the king who was considered dead, and themselves who are now unified under one purpose. The sign will be ‘after the fact’, just as ‘Kahane is My sign’ is hidden in the letters. Our destiny is also hidden until such time as we have matured after having been spoon fed as we read in the Haftorah. 260

--‫ ימי ני יבין קֹשמו נעה‬-‫את‬-‫ ֹקו ל‬,‫תד נעה‬, ‫רה‬-‫ ימי יו ל‬-‫ת‬-‫ ט אל‬9 Whom shall one teach knowledge? And whom ‫ ימ נש נד יים‬,‫קי‬,‫ מע יתי ת‬,‫מחנ נלב‬,‫ ת‬,‫י‬,‫ גֹקמו תל‬shall one make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk, them that are drawn from the breasts? ' ‫תעיר‬, ‫ קֹז‬--‫ מקו נל נקו מקו נל נקו‬,‫ י יכי מצו נל נצו מצו נל נצו‬10 For it is precept by precept, precept by precept, ‫תעיר נשם‬, ‫ ֹקז‬,‫ נשם‬. line by line, line by line; here a little, there a little. ,‫תבר‬, ‫ קֹי מד‬,‫לת‬-‫לחר‬- ‫ ובֹק נלשון מא‬,‫גי נש נפה‬,‫ יא יכי קֹב מל נע ת‬11 For with stammering lips and with a strange ‫זה‬-‫ נה נעם מה ל‬-‫לל‬-‫א‬. tongue shall it be spoken to this people; Yeshiyahu 28:9-11 There was only one leader who stood out from among all of our Rabbi’s and all of our political leaders and was banned and blamed and imprisoned and assassinated. However, everyone knew, his enemies included, that he spoke the truth. He laid out the map for us to follow. Our following and maturing as a Nation is the sign that Hashem sent us a Moshe in our own time. He spoon fed us ‘precept by precept’ so that we would become a ‘new Jew’, which is the ‘old Jew’. This is the sign for us ‘after the fact’, as we slowly become a religion that must leave the ghetto and become a Nation and a Nation that must leave the United Nations and be a Unique Spiritual Nation called Israel. The Revolution (2015) I was interviewed once for a Canadian TV show. They asked me what it was like moving to Israel from Canada and how I managed with all of the wars and intifada here in Israel. How did this affect me? I answered that the Jewish day begins at night. When its dark outside we already see the next day. I recalled this answer to Jews sitting at a Shabbat table and added among our people there are also those who live here in Israel and believe we are in the galut. There are others who already live in the time of Moshiach and are fighting the wars of Moshiach along with David Hamelech. ‫לשר‬- ‫ נא‬:‫םפט‬, ‫כם ֹקו יי קֹש‬-‫תלי ל‬, ‫לרא ֹקיה נוה נע‬- ‫תי‬, ,‫להם‬- ‫תל‬, ‫א ֹקמרו נא‬,‫ כא מוי ם‬21 and they said to them: 'May Hashem look upon ,‫ני נע נב נדיו‬,‫עי ת‬,‫עה ו קֹב ת‬,‫ני מפ ֹקר ם‬,‫עי ת‬,‫ ֹקב ת‬,‫תחנו‬, ‫תרי‬, -‫את‬-‫לתם ל‬- ‫ יה ֹקב מא קֹש‬you, and judge; because ye have made our very ‫גנו‬,‫ ֹקל נה ֹקר ת‬,‫רב ֹקב ני נדם‬-‫ח ל‬-‫ ל‬-‫לתת‬- ‫ נל‬. scent abhorrent in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to place a sword in their hand to murder us.' (Shmot 5:21) The foremen who had worked very hard to secure small favors for the Jewish people were violently opposed to Moshe and Aaron who came without experience and undermined all that they had achieved. In addition they were receiving now beatings from the Egyptians because of Moshe and Aaron. They had a valid complaint and Moshe was also distressed by this. His derech however was proven correct. It is interesting to note that the foremen who hated Moshe later became judges under Moshe. Rav Kahane writes on this Parsha that the revolutionary thinking of Moshe 'was not simply a change in the status quo but an establishment of an ideal world. We were not born to be slaves with improved working conditions..we were born to be redeemed.' The galut has ended. We no longer need to live with terror from our enemies. David's men are in the hilltops and on the news today. Where are we? 261

The Future is in Our Hands (2018) The Rav writes in Perush Hamacabee about the word 'tikach' (took) that is written four times in sefer Shmot. Yocheved ‘took’ the baby Moshe to the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter reached out and ‘took’ the baby. Miriam ‘took’ her tambourine and Tziporra ‘took’ a stone. In the first three examples it seems a bit easier to make a connection between them all. The last passage, however seems a bit more difficult to connect. Imagine a mother who can no longer hide her child from the cruel edicts of Pharaoh and must ‘take’ her child to the river where only a miracle will save him. Her prayers are answered when Pharoahs daughter reaches out and ‘takes’ the baby Moshe.The theme of faith is also connected to Miriam who in the face of doom ‘took’ her tambourine in her hand to celebrate victory. How are these explanations and consequences of faith related to Tzippora? I suggest that the story of Yum Suf may shed some light on our question. According to the Midrash in the beginning of Creation it was ordained that Yum Sum would split when the Israelites arrived there. So why did it not split when they arrived? Chazal explain that the sea did not recognize the Children of Israel. They appeared no different than the Egyptian idolaters who were chasing them. It was not until Nachshon jumped in that it was clear that these were the Israelites. As we have suggested in an earlier commentary the story of Tzipora is a hint of what is to come in the future. The gematria of Tziporra is the same as Yehoshua. Be Milon (at the Inn) can be read as Mul Hageula (standing before the redemption). The 'nun' (Gematria 50) of Milon equals Hageula (Gematria 50). Moshe arrived with the command of Din (judgement) against Pharaoh. Hashem commands Moshe to tell Pharaoh to release His first born Israel or he will kill Pharaoh's first born. The angel of judgement may have reacted as Yum Suf. Moshe agreed to give Yitro his firstborn for idolatry. What then is the difference between Pharaoh's firstborn and Moshes firstborn? Just as the splitting of the Red Sea had to come from the ‘people’ (as Nachson demonstrated) and not only from the leader; so too only Tzipora could save the Rebbe as it was because of her that he was being judged equal to Pharaoh. Only Tzipora the convert could save the Tzadik. In our orphaned generation that has left us without the great leaders that forged the path to Geula; we alone can redeem they who paid the ultimate price for our very existence. We who are like converts must circumcise our hearts and teach the next generation so that we may yet bring the Geula. One might say that Rav Kahane died because of our sins. Our animosity and apathy put the nail in his coffin. It is only we who can bring him back to life by continuing the mission. The stone that we lift from our heart will one day be used to accomplish the mission the great ones forged for us. As they 'took' in faith, so we must 'take'. They who sacrificed their lives to redeem the Jewish people are waiting silently for the Jewish people to redeem them. The future is in our hands. 262

The Loss We Must Gain (2021) Of the four books of *Perush Hamacabee there is only one which is a commentary of the weekly Parsha and that is Parsha Shmot. The nearly 800 pages of commentary cover only a third of the Parsha. The Rav was murdered and never finished it. Imagine for a moment if he wrote 800 pages for only a third of Parsha Shmot, what mammoth amount of Torah would his full commentary have been? Imagine what we have lost. Within this fragment he raised questions which he planned to answer further into the Parsha however we do not have the merit to know these chidushim for the Rav was cut down. We are like Tziporra who must deduce for our Rav has been swallowed. Imagine at the time, the future of the Torah and the destiny of Israel was in the hands of Tziporra the convert. What a grave obligation she had. We are lucky that the Rav in his short years left us a wealth of Torah, still how much more have we lost? One might say that even the Torah scroll we have today is only a remnant of the original Torah which was broken into fragments at Sinai, as we did not merit it. We have been left, what Hashem in His infinite wisdom has deemed necessary, with the knowledge that there was a greater understanding that we were denied. On Shabbat I pondered one of the Rav's unanswered questions. The Rav writes in Perush Hamacabee (The Torah is ambiguous; it is unclear whether the angel wanted to kill Moses or Gershom, his son. This is a well-known dispute among the Commentators, and see my comments below on Exodus 4:24) Persuah Hamacabee Pg. 465 The Rav was murdered before he wrote those comments. Although we will never know the Rav's Chidush, let me share some of my own ideas that come to mind from studying his words. It seems to me that the angel swallowed both Moshe and Gershom depending on your perspective. He brings down that based on the words Va-Yo-El Moshe (Shmot 2:21) we learn that Moshe made an oath to Yitro to give his first born to idolatry. ‫שה‬-‫םמ ל‬, ‫לאל‬- ‫ מויו‬- Moshe desired – According to the Talmud (Nedarim 65a) Yitro insisted that Moshe swear to him that he would never leave without his permission. The word Va-Yo-el is related to Alah, an oath which carries a curse for violating it. The Rav also brings down a Midrash that Yitro made Moshe swear an oath that he would give his first born over to idolatry and the subsequent ones to Hashem. (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishma'el, Amalek 3) He continues that this is difficult to understand for we know there are three cardinal sins that one must publicly deny regardless of the consequences, and idolatry is one of them. The Rav explains that in this instance however there was no public display but rather a secret agreement between Moshe and Yitro out of fear that the whole family could be in danger if it were known that Moshe and his son were not idolaters. For the sake of marriage, refuge and safety he agreed to this temporary leniency thinking the situation would change later. I would add there are a number of instances where situations are judged differently depending on circumstance or surrounding. One reason given to Rachels death upon entering Israel was due to the standard in the land of Israel which would not permit a marriage between two sisters. A leniency outside of Israel would not be permitted within Israel. Similarly once outside of the jurisdiction of Yitro the oath that Moshe gave took on a much graver consequence. 263

Another reason given for the death of Rachel is that the words of a tzadik will always ring true. Yacov unknowingly passed a death sentence on his most beloved wife in the story of the trafim when he said whoever stole them should die (Bereshit 31:32). The Rav brings down that Moshe too passed this sentence down to his grandson Yonaton (inadvertently) by agreeing to the oath of giving a son to idolatry. He quotes the Ba'al ha-Turim who points out the same word is used ‫אל‬-‫( מויו ל‬agreed/desired/oath) when it describes Yonaton agreeing to dwell with Michah (Judges 17:11). Moshe was punished measure-for-measure for having sworn that his son would worship idolatry. There is another concept of the individual and the Nation. We learn in Parsha Nitzavim that the secret things belong to Hashem however what is revealed and public we bear the consequences of. Once we became a Nation and crossed into Israel we bore collective responsibility for one another. If we publicly disobey Hashems laws there is a collective punishment. The Rav further draws a comparison between this word ‫אל‬-‫( מויו ל‬agreed/desired/oath) and its connection to conquering the Land. The Tanakh uses the same expression whenever the Israel collectively violated the commandment you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the Land from before you (Numbers 33:52). In the days of Joshua for example, in the first few years of Jewish settlement of the Land, the Tanach records that the Manasseh were unable to drive out [the inhabitants of] those cities, and the Canaanites ‫לאל‬- ‫ מויו‬, va-yo'el (\"were determined\") to dwell in that Land (Joshua 17:12). Similarly, And Manasseh did not drive [the inhabitants] out of Beth Shean... and the Canaanites ‫לאל‬- ‫'( מויו‬were determined\") to dwell on Mount Heres (ibid. verse 35). In each of these cases, the Children of Israel had transgressed the central prohibition allowing these non- Jews to reside in the Land of Israel, since had refused to make peace with the Jews and had refused to upon themselves the status of ger toshav (“resident aliens). (Perush Hamacabee pg. 468) The same word va-yo-el (oath/desire) that Moshe accepted as a temporary leniency here is translated as a punishment to the Tribes for their collective leniency to Hashems command. Their leniency causes greater determination (Va-Yo-El) by the Canaanites. By overlooking our transgression (by publicly disobeying Hashems command), the inhabitants became more determined. Much like today. As Moshe leaves the jurisdiction of Yitro to bring judgment against Pharoah this leniency turns into an accusation. Moshe is commanded to tell Pharaoh to release Hashems first born or else his first born will die. How can Moshe represent Hashem and bring this judgment if his own first born has been given over to idolatry? One who comes to judge others will be judged first. The Gemara (Baba Kama 93a) states: “Rav Chanan said: When one transfers another’s judgment into the hands of Heaven, he is punished first, as the verse states, ‘Sarai told Avram, ‘My judgment is upon you,’ and the Torah later states, ‘And Avraham came to eulogize Sarah and to cry over her.’” This means that it is almost as if Sarah caused herself to pass away before Avraham because she transferred his judgment into the hands of Heaven. Moshe is no longer an individual fugitive seeking rescue, he is now representing the collective Nation and so he is now held to a different standard. There is another question that I could not find an answer to. In all of the commentaries I have seen it describes Moshe being swallowed by an angel however it is written in the Torah that Hashem (Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey) encountered him on the way. I have not found an answer to this however let me suggest that Hashem was somehow merciful in His judgment, while Moshe was suffering the consequences of a newly appointed leader of the collective. 264

When tzipora says “A bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision,” it seems to me to be reminiscent of “In your blood you shall live, and I said to you – In your blood you shall live.” (Ezekiel 16, 6) , which is said at every circumcision, as well as “and like the bridegroom's rejoicing over his bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5), relating to the final redemption. What is the connection? When we have lost great leaders who fought for us each day we must internalize their fight and correct whatever wrongs were done that caused us to lose those leaders. As I said in the opening we are like Tziporra who must deduce from what has been left to us. Though we may not have the tools and though we may feel like converts foreign to our own laws, “Line by line” as it says in our Haftorah we will learn and return. What seems foreign will more and more become our essence so that what once was our reality will seem foreign. The abandoned Temple will become the desired Temple. I suggest that the 3rd temple will be similar to Chanuka with a zealousness in our re-dedication. When we will remove the reproach that was on us we will no longer desire leniencies based on our foreign situations we will desire to be holier. The Rav brings down the tikkun of ‫אל‬-‫ מויו ל‬in the positive use of this word. ‫תמ מעל ֹקל ממ נדיו ותילאהל‬, ‫ מח ֹקרבו‬-‫לאת‬- ‫גר נד יוד‬,‫לט מו מי קֹח ם‬ 39 And David girded his sword upon his apparel, ‫םא‬, ‫ נשאול ל‬-‫לאל‬- ‫למר נד יוד‬- ‫םא‬, ‫ מוי‬,‫ ינ נסה‬-‫םא‬, ‫ יכי ל‬,‫לכת‬- ‫לל‬- ‫נל‬ but he was unwilling to go forth[, that way]; for ‫רם‬,‫םא ינ יסי יתי; מו ֹקי יס ת‬, ‫ יכי ל‬,‫לה‬-‫א ל‬,‫כת נב ת‬-‫לל ל‬- ‫או מכל נל‬ ‫מ נע נליו‬,‫ ת‬,‫נד יוד‬ he was not accustomed to it. So David said to Saul: 'I cannot go with these; for I am not accustomed to them.' And David removed them from on himself. (Samuel 1 - 17:39) David tells Saul when he tended sheep he saved them from both a lion and a bear. He grabbed them by the beard and slayed them. The armor that Saul placed on him felt too cumbersome. In future times our necessary idol worship out of fear of survival in foreign lands will diminish. We see the loss of those idols today as America falls and the security of our own defenses and weapons cannot save us from the divine forces of a plague. As in our Haftorah,'line by line' our faith and inner strength will grow, as our reliance on outside forces to save us will be diminished. The Maccabees that inaugurate our 3rd temple will not know about leninecies due to our dependence and fear of foreign cultures. The very thought of these leniencies will in fact seem foreign to them. Our loss due to our sins will eventually be our gain due to our correction of those sins and growing accustomed to our true selves. Like David we will stand with Justice and Truth as weapons. Necessary betrayals and defilement's will be something abhorrent and foreign to us and like Tziporra we will deduce and remove the reproach becoming a bridegroom again to our father in Heaven and rectify and vindicate the Tzadikim He had sent to lead us. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Perush Hamacabee: Rav Kahane's commentary on the Chumas which was never finished. Mordechai Eliyahu was Kahane's personal mentor, and one of Kahane's staunchest supporters. Eliyahu wrote an approbation to Kahane's Tanakh commentary, \"Perush Hamacabee\", where he refers to Kahane as \"HaRav HaGaon\" (\"the rabbinic genius\"), a praiseworthy title attributed to the very saintly. Eliyahu wrote, \"Only the Torah way interested Kahane, which he constantly toiled over and which served as his strength... When one considers the depth and clarity of [Kahane's] works, one is astonished at how he had the time to compile such. The answer is that... all his time and thoughts were invested in Torah while other matters were secondary. Fortunate is the family that publishes his works for others to learn from.\" At Kahane's funeral, Eliyahu stated that Kahane was a reincarnation of the fearless biblical character Pinchas. 265

The Savior of the Savior (2021) How is it that the Rebbe of the generation, the Gadol HaDor before coming to bring salvation to the People of Israel must first be saved himself, and by whom? By a convert. Not only that but Tzipora the convert annuls harsh decrees that even Avraham and Yacov could not annul. When Sarah says to Avraham 'let Hashem judge between us' she is judged first and we later read of Sarah's funeral (Bava Kamma 93a). Here when Moshe comes to demand that Pharoah free Hashem's first-born son or else his own first-born son will die, Moshe is judged first because his own first-born son is not circumcised. Unlike Sarah, Tziporah saves Moshe from this judgment. When Yacov returned to Israel Rachel died because the sanctity of the Land of Israel will not allow the marriage of two sisters (Ramban, Vayikra 18:25). Not only could Yacov not prevent this he also brought about the death of Rachel through his swearing that whoever has the 'trafim' should die. Yitro made Moshe swear that his first born would be given over to idolatry. Even though it is forbidden to accept Idolatry publicly even if one's life is threatened, here it was allowed because it was a private agreement. If it was known that Moshe's children were not like the others in Midian, the life of the whole family could be at risk of death and therefore this agreement was based on Pekuach Nephesh. Now Moshe had left Midian and therefore there was no longer any danger from the Midianites. His vows to Yitro and his physical location outside of the jurisdiction of Midian brought sudden decrees against Moshe that again Tziporra annulled. Unlike Yacov and Rachel, Tziporra saves Moshes life from both his words and his physical location. Tziporra the convert annuls three harsh decrees, one on top of the other, that even Avraham and Yacov could not undo. One might add that just as the mothers opposed their husbands will for the benefit of their children as in the case of Sarah and Rivka, Tziporra's action not only saved the spiritual destiny of Itchak and Yacov, but of the whole Nation of Israel. How could Moshe plead the case for Israel if his own son was not circumcised? The Israelite rescue operation would be dead even before it began. It is quite astounding how Tziporra single-handedly annulled these extremely harsh decrees that almost killed Moshe Rabennu. If anyone has any doubts about the legitimacy and abilities of a convert we should meditate on this. So what do we learn from this and what does it mean to us today? Today we stand with the same number of Jews as there were in Mitzrayim -Fifteen million worldwide. Three million Israelites were saved in the Israelite Rescue Operation. Only twenty percent of the fifteen million that resided in Egypt before the Geula. The rest disappeared in darkness. It seems that we who are concerned that this rescue operation will succeed today must annul a number of harsh decrees. Maybe we need to inaugurate the Tzippora rectification program. I don't have the answers but I will suggest the following. The hatred of Israel increases from the external jealousy of Jews who are accused of controlling the world, or the media, or congress in the USA, to a deeper hatred of the Land of Israel, to the deepest hatred of the handful of the builders of Zion who have the full force of the world and the government of Israel on their shoulders. It is those settlers in the Pnimiut of the Torah and the Pnimiut of the Land that our rescue operation should be focused on and the Har Habayit that is within this physical domain. The fifteen million should swim like Salmon against the stream to save themselves and the entire world and join the struggle and the building. As Tziporra went alone into the eye of the tornado so must we to support all those who will bring the Geula but are under extremely harsh decrees. We must be saviors to the savior and redeem the redeemers. Otherwise the mission will end even before it begins. 266

Kahane in the Parsha Vayera 267

Vayera 2006 Throughout the Parsha it is written ‘Now they will know who is Hashem Eleokenu’ Shla points out that Pharoah knew Yosephs G-d, and relegated him to another idol in a sense. But Moshe’s Hashem Elokim he would not acknowledge. There is a Midrash regarding Esav that says, Esav does not mind if we pray, or give Tzedaka, or observe holidays. What angers him is when we study Torah. We see something similar here. It is Moshiach Ben Yoseph who has the power to destroy the spiritual and physical dominance of Esav on Israel.* Rav Kahane also had this power, for he touched the Achilles heel of both the external and internal Esav of our own time that affected both our image among non-Jews as well as the direction of Jewish leadership. He rocked the boat and demonstrated a Judaism to the world that destroyed the ghetto image of the timid Jew. ‫ישכ ִנא שנ‬ ‫י‬ ,‫תת מדע‬, ‫םאת‬, ‫קֹבז‬ ,‫ֹקיה נוה‬ ‫נא ממר‬ ,‫כה‬,‫ם‬ 17 thus saith the LORD: In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD--behold, I will smite with the ‫ה ה אא לנכש‬,‫בקֹ ני ידי‬-‫לשר‬- ‫לטה נא‬- ‫כה מב ממ‬-‫י ממ ל‬ ‫תנ‬, ‫ יה‬:‫ קֹי נוה‬rod that is in my hand upon the waters which are .‫לה ֹקפכו קֹל נדם‬- ‫נ‬-‫ ֹקו ל‬--‫אר‬,‫שר מב ֹקי ם‬-‫ מה ממ יים נא ל‬-‫ עמל‬in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. (Shmot 7:17) There is a strong connection between Sept 11 and Rav Kahane (see summary page #49 Tolodot). In Parsha Nitzavim the connection between the plagues of Egypt and the plagues of America are discussed; a topic for another book called “The 10 Plagues and September 11th”. The twin towers may allude to our twin brother Esav being both built, designed and profited by Jews yet the illusion of our brotherhood crumbled into dust as a warning to be taken seriously. Just as we see the name Kahane hidden in the original plagues he underscores our current ones. To summarize what is written in Parsha Nitzavim the Midrash tells us that within the 1st plague all the other plagues were contained. The destruction of the Twin Towers was similar to the destruction of the Nile which served as both the financial center that the Egyptians served as a God. In the middle of the destruction people saw a thick darkness that they could hardly move in, similar to the 9 th plague. Not only were the twin towers related to the Nile by their financial importance and the shock of penetrating and destroying that which was thought to be indestructible, but there was another very eery connection. At the time everyone was donating blood, even Mr. Arafat was donating blood to help those who had mostly perished. In the end their blood was of little use. Blood (‫ )דמ‬has a gematria of 44 or 11 x 4. We can read it as September 11 which took the blood of four. All those in the twin towers (September 11 x 2) and the blood of the two Kahane's who might have prevented this bloodshed if instead of being assassinated as criminals their recommendations by governments would have been followed. H ere in the torah where the original plague of blood begins, we see the two Kahanes, as if to say, the redemption process that began with the blood of Egypt already had the names of Kahane, for those names would signal the final redemption-in our times. (for more on this topic see: Parsha Nitzavim, Volume II). 268

‫םנגה אא לנ שכ‬, ,‫י‬ ‫תנ‬, ‫ יה‬:‫תל מח‬, ‫ ֹקל מש‬,‫ן אמתנה‬,‫מנאת‬-‫קֹו יאם‬ 27 And if thou refuse to let them go, behold, I will .‫ מב ֹקצפמ ֹקרדֹקעיים‬--‫ קֹגבו קֹלך‬-‫כנל‬-‫אלת‬- smite all thy borders with frogs. (Shmot 7:27) Rav Kahane is seen here as well, for he like Moshe had the nerve to threaten kings and giants with Hashem’s truth. The Midrash tells us that there was originally one large frog. As this frog was struck it multiplied, and each frog that was struck continued to multiply. I suggest this sounds similar to terrorists. After September 11 the war on terror went full force attacking terrorists with pinpoint hits. The alkeidas and the terrorists in Israels backyard are not destroyed by pinpoint hits but continue to increase, just like the frogs. Meir like Moshe warned of these plagues and like Moshe the solution is only to be found through Hashem. Hashem tells us clearly how to deal with terrorists and terror states. Commenting on how many Arabs have been killed in the conflagration between the Arabs and the Jews, Kahane wrote, 'I wonder how many mourned and protested the killing of German civilians during the World War II bombings of Berlin, Hamburg, and Dresden?' Kahane's article dealt with guilt. 'Guilt is a powerful weapon,' he wrote, 'Jews have a difficult time coping with it. A people that has been most debased as losers for 2,000 years finds it difficult to cope with victory. It begins to believe its enemies slanders. It loses its self-respect and longs for the love of a hating world. It is important that those who have retained their self-esteem and sense of Jewish survival speak out against the disease of guilt and moral insecurity.' Again we see the name Kahane. It is only with the authentic Torah directives and attitudes that bring Pharaohs of the past and present to capitulate. 'Let my people go' and 'Never Again' are both messages that transform servants of Pharaoh to servants of God. ‫כלםה אא לנ שכ‬- ‫ל קֹת‬-‫ י נאשמלמח א‬, ,‫מלר פמ קֹרעם‬- ‫יםא‬, ‫כד מו‬ 24 And Pharaoh said: 'I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the ‫תחק‬, ‫ מרק מה קֹר‬--‫לכם מב ימ ֹקד נבר‬- ‫הי‬,‫לתם מליה נוה לאל ת‬- ‫ו ֹקז מב קֹח‬ wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away; .‫ במ נעדיי‬,‫כת; מה קֹע יתירו‬-‫ ל‬-‫ נל לל‬,‫ מת קֹר יחיקו‬-‫םא‬,‫ל‬ entreat for me.' ‫ יע נמךה אא לנ שכ‬,‫תצא תמ‬, ‫י יו‬ ‫נ‬,‫ יה ת‬,‫לשה‬- ‫מ‬,‫מר ם‬-‫א ל‬,‫כה מוי ם‬ 25 And Moses said: 'Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of ‫עה‬,‫םרב ימ מפ ֹקר ם‬, ‫ה נע‬-‫ ֹקו נסר ל‬,‫ קֹיה נוה‬-‫אל‬-‫קֹו מה קֹע מת קֹר יתי ל‬ flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, ‫עה‬,‫סף מפ ֹקר ם‬,‫י ת‬,‫ ם‬-‫ מאל‬,‫ מרק‬:‫ מנחנר‬,‫מ מעמו‬,‫ענבנדניו ו ת‬,‫מת‬ and from his people, tomorrow; only let not .‫ב מח מליה נוה‬,‫ יל ֹקז ם‬,‫ נה נעם‬-‫לאת‬- ‫ ֹקל יב קֹל יתי מש מלח‬,‫ל‬,‫ נה תת‬Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.' 269

(‫) תח שחים‬,‫לייך‬- ‫יב ֹקל נח‬ ‫ד קֹו ננ מת יתי חחיים‬ 4 And I will put hooks in thy jaws, and I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick unto thy scales; ;‫תיך‬-‫ש ל‬,‫ריך ֹקב מק ֹקש קֹק ם‬-‫א ל‬,‫ קֹי ם‬-‫ֹקו יה קֹד מב ֹקק יתי קֹד מגת‬ and I will bring thee up out of the midst of thy rivers, and all the fish of thy rivers shall stick unto ‫ קֹד מגת‬-‫תאת נכל‬, ‫ קֹו‬,‫ריך‬-‫א ל‬,‫ ימתוך קֹי ם‬,‫ֹקו מה נע ילי יתיך‬ .‫תיך ית קֹד נבק‬-‫םש ל‬, ‫ קֹב מק ֹקש קֹק‬,‫לריך‬- ‫א‬,‫ ֹקי ם‬thy scales. (Yechezkel 29:4) ‫ = כהנא‬Kahane = 76 (‫ = ) תח שחים‬76 Read: The Torah of Kahane is the only answer to the Esavs without and within who persecute the Jewish people. His Torah will close the jaws of those who accuse and pull them and their followers out into the open where they can no longer survive. All those who are attached to the scales of this big fish will be joined together and the source of their power extinguished. It is this 'Achilles Heel' that the Torah of Rabbi Kahane clarifies and forces us to examine both externally and internally; many ideas of which he discusses in his book 'Uncomfortable Questions for Comfortable Jews'. It took only 33 terrorists to destroy what was thought to be impenetrable. It takes only 2; the Rav and his son; to destroy the illusion of the towers and rebuild them in the hearts of each Jew and physically replace them with the twin towers that stood in front of the Bet Hamigdash (The Temple). Once one overcomes their feelings of guilt and understands their purpose as a Nation representing the Divine, which also encompasses the 'Beauty' of Esav then all of our enemies will be easily extracted from the world as one fish along with all the other fish that are attached to it. The roots of evil can only be extracted by the roots of good; this is where foundations crumble and new ones are built. 270

Vayera 2007 Kill the Messenger Banning Kahane and Moshes speech impediment -‫ני‬,‫הן קֹב ת‬,‫ ת‬:‫מר‬,‫לא ם‬,‫תני ֹקיה נוה ת‬, ‫ יל ֹקפ‬,‫לשה‬- ‫םמ‬, ‫תבר‬, ‫ יב מו קֹי מד‬12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: ,‫עה‬,‫ע יני מפ ֹקר ם‬,‫איך יי ֹקש נמ ת‬,‫ ֹקו ת‬,‫תא מלי‬, ‫ נש ֹקמעו‬-‫לא‬,‫ ם‬,‫תאל‬, ‫' יי קֹש נר‬Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened .‫רש אפ את שים‬ ‫נִע תרל‬ ‫ות נאִ שני‬ unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?' ‫חרם כנסת נגד מאיר כהנא וכח = ות ִנאנשי ִנע תרל רש אפ את שים‬ 1197 1196 +1 (kollel) Read: Me whose lips are sealed - because of the Knesset ban of Meir Kahane and Kach. 271

Vayera – Vayechi and Chaia Sarah ( 2010) -‫תני‬, ‫הן ֹקב‬,‫ ת‬:‫םמר‬, ‫לא‬,‫ני ֹקיה נוה ת‬,‫ יל ֹקפ ת‬,‫שה‬-‫םמ ל‬, ‫תבר‬, ‫ יב מו קֹי מד‬12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: ,‫עה‬,‫ע יני מפ קֹר ם‬,‫תאיך יי ֹקש נמ ת‬, ‫ קֹו‬,‫א מלי‬,‫ נש ֹקמעו ת‬-‫לםא‬, ,‫אל‬,‫' יי קֹש נר ת‬Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who .‫רש אפ את שים‬ ‫ִנע תרל‬ ‫ותאנִנשי‬ am of uncircumcised lips?' (Shmot 6:12) 'These are the heads of their fathers' houses'... Shmot 14-26. Between these two repeated passages (Shmot 6:12 and 6:30) are a listing of the genealogy that brought forth Moshe and Aaron. ‫נִע תרל‬ ,‫הן נִא שני‬,‫ ת‬:‫תני קֹיה נוה‬, ‫ יל קֹפ‬,‫לשה‬- ‫מ‬,‫למר ם‬- ‫םא‬, ‫ל מוי‬ 30 And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I ‫םעה‬, ‫תא מלי מפ קֹר‬, ‫ יי קֹש ממע‬,‫איך‬,‫ ֹקו ת‬,‫רש אפ תת שים‬ am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?' (Shmot 6:30) Veyechi often falls out during the Haskara of Binyamin –this year 2010 there was a nice turn out, bigger than the past, held in Yerushalayim. The famous explanation of Vayechi is 17+17 = 34 the years when Yacov was with Yoseph as a boy and the years with Yoseph in Egypt – 34 is also the years of Binyamins life. No coincidence. The young Yoseph parallels Rav Kahane’s life and dreams and persecution, the royal Yoseph parallels the future and the rectification, on a mystical level above life and death, its as if the father is re-united with the son and has the joy of knowing that all is one, and that all his effort was not in vain, it was a success, even when it all seemed like failure – he had the faith and knowledge of G-d to see success and see the future, even though physically it was denied him in his lifetime, as Yacov says to pharaoh, my life has been very bitter, but the greatest joy of a tzaddik is to see that all he lived for will continue in his offspring. Binyamin named his children after the suffering of Yoseph and the Binyamin of our time has a child called Meir David, like his grandfather – incidentally this year I finally met him and got a Cohen bracha from him. He is not the reincarnation of his grandfather, but rather very shy and soft spoken, more like Binyamin. Like the original Binyamin who carried the torch of his brother, Binyamin carried the torch for his father’s Torah and continued Kahane Chai spending much of his energy extrapolating upon his fathers Torah. He wrote scholarly works on the Parsha each week, bringing out the Kahane view which is the essential Torah for our times. The most amazing thing that one sees when one goes to these Kahane events, is to see how these little people continue to walk in the footsteps of giants. How sad that our leaders have been cut down, because their Torah was a fire that consumed falsehood and fascism, but how great to see so many servants and shepherds, so many simple people who know what is true and cling to it, and come like fireflies to sit by the glow of these flames, to be encouraged, to say never again and to make sure that the fire continues, for an evil person is soon forgotten but a tzaddik grows more popular many years after his life on earth. This is the greatest feeling when one takes part in these memorial services, to know that these are not 272

memorial services, but rather affirmations of life, of our future, and our present. Without leaders, we have become leaders. From one Kahane came 5 leaders, Baruch Marzel, who leads protests against Arab enemies, the Rav of the Kahane Yeshiva, Lenny who leads Tanach studies, Yekutiel who keeps the shabbatons and voice of Judea, Manhigut Yehudi, and Ben Ami in the Knesset, even Leiberman who was once a student. Hundreds of grass roots people who do what they can in their way to continue along the just path and the authentic path of Judaism. Within this crowd one feels the warmth of Hashem like no other place, the hidden light that keeps the whole world spinning. The light in this room of 1000 people at Rav Kahane memorial or 300 people at Binyamins memorial is the light of the few who fear nothing but G-d and are the leaders of the future without wanting to be leaders, good souls that fear G-d and have a true love of Israel and are not motivated by power and money and prestige, rather by love, togetherness, Jewish pride, anger at those who persecute us and understanding that they are simply brothers like Yosephs brothers, who can commit evil acts because they are misguided. When one goes to these events he begins to understand why the Torah spends so much time with Eliezer in Parsha Chaia Sarah. Chazal tells us that Hashem loves the servant, He devotes so much of His Torah to the words of servants. A simple man who wants to continue the work of the Tzadik that he loved. This is what Hashem loves most of all. When Shmuel Sackett (co-founder of Moshe Feiglin's Manhigut Yehudi Party) spoke at Binyamins tekes (ceremony) he said, Obama doesn’t need to feel guilty, the left wing doesn’t need to feel guilty, he went through a whole list of anti-Semites that don’t need to feel guilty for what they do, there is only one group that needs to feel guilty, and that is us, we who come to these memorials, we who know the truth and do not do enough. It is we who should be doing more. I understand what he says. I go to a meshichist Chabbad on Shabbat. I am not one of them, but I understand them. I understand their love for their tzaddik and how they continue his work. We are guilty of not doing enough. Maybe because our torah is a torah that is banned. Our torah comes with more risks. But we are the children of fearless men, the students of those who stood against adversity and name calling to reveal the truth. If they were small, we are smaller, if they didn’t change the world, what can we do? We can do a lot. Whenever I copy the Torah of the Rav, even if I have only enough to copy one sheet for three synagogues. It is like a fire that spreads, because it is the water that thirsty people are searching for. In this weeks Parsha Vayera, I asked myself why is this passage repeated twice? The torah does not repeat things unless there is an important reason. And why is the repetition a bracket between the list of the family members of the nation of Israel? I couldn’t find an answer and so I thought about it myself. It seems to me that what I wrote above is the answer. There is a connection between the great leaders and their students. There is a character trait that they share. Moshe was not one who wanted leadership, he was not interested in power and prestige. However, he was the only one in the right position to do something, he was the only one with the gifts, and the understanding, and the Torah that could turn the staff into a snake. The banned torah!! The whole Nation was on one side, full of great leaders and spokespeople, like today, and then there was this one crazy, lone voice that was equal to his whole nation. A lone voice that was despised by the datan and avirams, a lone voice that was not even considered among the leaders, a lone voice that was not accepted by the Hebrew Nation, and if so certainly not accepted by the Pharaoh's of his time. 273

Yet, this was the voice Hashem chose. Despite his being a lone voice against unbelievable odds, he was the only chance, and Hashem told him so. You are not you, you are My messenger. I suggest the reason this is repeated twice is to emphasize Moshe's humility and Hashem's love for him. Regardless of his inability to speak or the Nation to 'listen' or Pharoah's negative response the future of all these generations listed here that gave birth to Moshe the Tzaddik were dependent on him for their very survival. He carried the whole Nation on his shoulders and was equivalent to them as Hashem was prepared to make a new Nation from Moshe We also see in Perkey Avot how one leader can be equivalent to all the others (see Perkey Avot 2:12) Rav Kahane in our time was the only one who had the real faith and love of Hashem to speak the authentic Torah and so by default he was equal to the whole generation – the quality of the leader is passed on to their students – they share the same humility – the humility of Moshe was that he was not motivated at all by power and prestige, only by love of his people and he had no choice Hashem overtook him. And like his students, we have no choice but to continue in our own way, whether via spreading the Torah, participating in protests, making music and films, spreading the light of Israel to the world and freeing our people from mental slavery. In this Parsha G-d reveals Himself as Hashem (‫ )יהוה‬when the Patriarchs formerly knew Him as Kel Shadai. Chazal explain that one of the differences of this name is that Moshe saw things that others only dreamed. The rabbis tell us that Moshes experience of Hashem is different from the patriarchs because what they only believed in, he would actually see take place. We who follow the teachings of the Rabbi like Moshe can see this type of revelation today. One man alone with a handful of people won a war against the Russian super power and brought a million Jews to Israel. One man alone without the help of the Jewish establishment and despite their harassment succeeded in inspiring the whole Nation. The same small group will yet succeed in driving out our enemies from the land of Israel, our vision of Hashem is not one of Moshiach that will come in another time and another place, ours is not we want Moshiach now but don’t do anything political about it; ours is we will bring Moshiach in every way now, with protests, with disobedience, with JDL with a Torah that wakes people up and shakes them out of their apathy before its too late. As I rode home one day from a memorial one year ago, I sat next to Baruch Kahane - Meirs son. I told him the story of what I heard regarding a Mekubal who said the reason Sharon is still in his coma is because the ground doesn't want him. This is the punishment for desecrating the graves of Jewish heroes and destroying communities in Israel. Measure for measure the ground itself expels him from resting in a grave. Baruch answered that his father was against this type of mysticism – ' its not for us to know Hashems chesbon, this is the torah of lazy people his father would say, our is to do, to protest injustice, do what we are commanded, improve the world and not to sit idle and make some mystic explanation of why things are the way they are' he went on and told me in the Shma it says you do what u are supposed to and it will rain in it's proper time, etc..this is what we are supposed to do. Hashems cheshbon is His – the Torah of Rav Kahane is one of prayer, study and action – protest and do not sit idly by the blood of your brother - this is his Torah; same as Moshe Rabbeinu who long before the JDL saved a Jewish slave by killing the taskmaster who was beating him to death. 274

Vayera 2011 ,‫אל‬,‫בית יי קֹש נר ת‬,‫לרן ֹקל ת‬- ‫ק‬-‫ מא ֹקצ ימי מח ל‬,‫ כא מביום מההוא‬21 On that day will I cause the strength of the ‫ִאננש ה שפ רתחון הפה שכ‬-‫ י‬,‫ בקֹתוכנם; קֹו ני ֹקדעו‬, - house of Israel to flower, and to you I will grant a ‫תתן‬, ‫א‬-‫ל‬ ‫ו ֹקלך‬ vindication in their midst; and they shall know ‫ י ֹקי נוה‬that I am Hashem.' (Yechezkel 29:21) As I have mentioned before. The name Kahane is associated with Hashem’s name not because he is a god, precisely the opposite, because he clearly represents and explains what God desires. In the same way that Moshe went to Pharaoh and Pharaoh said I do not know this God, Moshe explained it to him through ten plagues. The Rav explained Gods Torah through protest, disruption, activism, courage and revolt. Moshe disrupted the entire Egyptian empire in order to free the Israelites. This is what Rav Meir did in our time to free the Russian Jews and free Israel from the spiritual and physical enemies within. Those who say that his was not the Torah way will be shown in the end that they were wrong. The root cause of the unwillingness to accept the Torah is the same root cause of the unwillingness to accept the State of Israel and that is – responsibility! By accepting what one knows to be true, then one is also bound by demands and responsibilities. If one accepts the God of Israel then he knows he will be bound by the laws of His Torah. If one admits to himself that the in-gathering of the exiles and the birth of the modern state is a great miracle from God then he is obligated to participate and defend this Nation. It is easier to sit in kollel and say the State of Israel is not the hand of God in order to preserve ones lifestyle without National responsibilities. It is also easier to say there is no God to avoid accountability and preserve ones unrestricted lifestyle even though he knows he is lying to himself. The Rav who stood up to empires alone, just like Moshe proved to both the religious practitioner as well as the non believer what is demanded of him. Chazal explains that the main point of our Haftorah is that huge empires went to war only for the vindication of Gods words, which is the vindication of the prophet. The prophets taught us through their actions what God truly demands of us. A Torah scholar is even on a higher level than a prophet for he arrives at his conclusions through study and proper conclusions and not through dreams that are not in his control. Many prophets were not vindicated in their time but only long after their time. I have asked myself why do we need these long records in the Tanach of battles between other Nations like Egypt and Babylon. These battles seem to have little to do with Israel and many centuries after the original story of the Hebrews in ancient Egypt. It seems to me that the stories are ongoing and the concepts continue just as they occurred in the original story of Exodus. To truly understand the original Exodus we need a Rabbi Kahane to exist in our time to act like Moshe acted. Even though he is physically not here, he gave us the remedy and put the responsibility on our shoulders. The vindication of the Rav will come when not only the Pharaohs know who is Hashem, but also His very children who have become estranged from Him. The Rav’s most famous actions were outward to the world, but reflexively they caused the Jewish people to be re-acquainted with our true God and understand the authentic Torah. This is precisely what Moshe did in his time; first the vindication of 275

Pharaoh and then the vindication of the Jews. One would think quite the opposite but this is not true. Jews are 'stiff necked' but more than that 'Authentic Torah' is to understand world events that we and G- d bring about; not only through religious practice but 'political' will. The same scenario occurred with the prophets who were examples to the Nation and whose vindication later on built our faith and understanding of what Hashem really wants from us. The Preconditions of Geula There is a heavenly undercurrent that touches each Jewish soul and gives shape to a National expression. This undercurrent is the precondition to Geula. We see it outlined in the passage below: ,‫ נא יני ֹקיה נוה‬,‫אל‬,‫ יי ֹקש נר ת‬-‫תני‬, ‫מר יל קֹב‬,‫תכן לא ם‬, ‫ ו נל‬6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am ,‫כם ימ מת מחת יס ֹקבלת ימ ֹקצ מר יים‬-‫לא קֹת ל‬- ‫תצא יתי‬, ‫ ֹקוהו‬the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver ‫לכם‬- ‫לא קֹת‬- ‫םב נד נתם; קֹו נג מא קֹל יתי‬, ‫תמ נע‬, ‫כם‬-‫לא קֹת ל‬- ‫קֹו יה מצ קֹל יתי‬ you from their bondage, and I will redeem you ‫ ו שב רש אפ שטים רג לד שלים‬,‫שב רזרו תע רנטו איה‬ with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments; (Shmot 6:6) Binyamin Kahane writes in his Pesach Haggada (Pg 38-39): Through the episode of the plagues and the Exodus, the concept of the yad chazakah (“mighty hand”) recurs consistently. The phrase Yad Chazakah, mighty hand, occurs four times in this context (Ex 3:19, 6:1, 13:9). In recounting the Exodus to the Israelites forty years later, Moses uses the term no fewer than six times (Deut. 4:34, 5:14, 6:21, 7:8, 26:8). The Vilna Ga'on explains that the phrase with a mighty hand means: against the Egyptians will, via the plagues with which they were smitten. And with an outstretched arm – this means in public, for all to see, as the Torah says: “On that very day Hashem brought out the children of Israel” (Ex. 12:51) These are two conditions for Kiddush Hashem: (a) against their will - so that the Egyptians could not claim to have released the Israelites of their [the Egyptians]own free will, for had they done so, God's mastery over them would not have been proven. And (b) in public – for there can be no Kiddush Hashem in secret. In the words of the Midrash: God said to [Pharaoh]: You want to take out My children at night?! You will not take My children out at night! They will go out openly at midday. (Exodus Rabbah 18:10) Not only does He repay our enemies in the same currency as they persecuted us with; physical force but the concept equally applies to us . Four-fifths of our Nation were killed in Egypt because they did not want to leave. Those who did leave mostly left against their will. Noahs Ark and the tragic flood happen simultaneously. I personally felt the outstretched arm that took me to Israel eighteen months after the September 11th tragedy. I felt the clock was ticking and I escaped just at the last moment which was for me chol hamoed Pesach. A similar feeling I had when finishing this book before the end of 2012. I am certain many in Europe felt dark clouds rising in the 1930's and made aliya when Israel's doors were beginning to open. Of course making aliya to Israel is not always an escape from a perceived physical or spiritual 276

danger but a joyful graduation to a higher calling. The outstretch hand to me is the feeling of the end of a chapter both personally and globally that takes you against your will hurriedly to where you must be. This personal mission I kept secret until it was official and then publicly announced it to my friends. The undercurrent that had taken hold of me was now the embodiment of a new person. Most olim that set out for these distant shores have gone through similar hurdles and transformations to make this their new homeland. In the same way that the world went against its will to declare their support for the creation of Israel it will one day declare their support of Judea or the right of Jews to live and settle in all of their Land and will assist it in doing so. This public affirmation set 'against the will' of the world will be activated 'measure for measure' by our own sensitivity to the outstretched arm from above that twists our arm below into being what we were born to become. An Insight Into the Parsha By Rabbi Tuvia Bolton I want to include a story that Rabbi Tuvia Bolton sent me. It appears like a simple tale however the concepts in it are quite deep. In this week’s portion we see two unusual things. Firstly, in the beginning (6:12) Moses tries to quit his job as leader of the Jews (although, at the burning bush, G-d spent seven days trying to convince him to do it (Rashi 4:6). And secondly, G-d repeatedly hardens Pharaoh’s heart causing him to refuse to release the Jews (despite seven plagues that G-d sends to convince him otherwise). Why did Moses want to refuse G-d’s wishes and why did G-d ‘force’ Pharaoh to refuse them? To understand this here is a story. Fival was almost weeping as he entered the Tzemach Tzedek’s (the third Rebbe of Chabad some 150 years ago in Russia) office to beg for help. He was unexplainably being evicted from the inn he’d been running for over twenty years. He couldn’t understand it; he always paid his rent to the Poritz (landowner) on time, and never made trouble. But suddenly a week ago the Poritz gave him one month’s notice to leave. All his pleas and reasoning didn’t help, and now with nine mouths to feed and such short notice he had no other recourse than to travel to the Rebbe for help. The Tzemach Tzedek was more than just a great leader. There was no branch of knowledge mundane or spiritual that he was not acquainted with, and his miraculous powers could only be described as divine. Many considered him to be the embodiment of what the Zohar (Jewish Mystical book) explains that every generation there must be a Moses whose sole purpose is to help each and every Jew. Fival entered the Rebbe’s study in trepidation as one would enter the Holy of Holies. He closed the door behind him, and poured out his heart. When he was finished the Rebbe took out a piece of paper and a pen, wrote a short letter, put it in an envelope, addressed it told him to deliver it as swiftly as possible, and gave him a blessing for success. 277

He thanked the Rebbe profusely, backed out of the room and as soon as he closed the door took a quick glance at the name on the envelope and his heart sank; the Rebbe had made a mistake! There was clearly written ‘Shmuel HaKatan’ (Samuel the Small) an old retired woodcutter that lived with his wife in his run-down cottage in the woods!! One word was wrong; instead of Katan he should have written ‘Godol’ (The Great). The Rebbe was known to be infallible but here it was obvious…he should have written Shmuel HaGodol who was a rich, influential Jew that had close connections with all the landlords and perhaps even the Czar himself! If anyone could help it would be him! But Fival was stuck. To enter the Rebbe’s office again was out of the question. Suddenly he had an idea; the Rebbe had seven sons, he went to one of them and asked for advice. But the Rebbe’s son only assured him that as strange as it might seem, just as a Jewish prophet never errs, so also the Rebbe never makes mistakes. So with a heavy heart, Fival made his way to Shmuel HaKatan’s hut deep in the forest and knocked on the door. The old man answered, and when he heard the reason for the visit and read the Rebbe’s letter he invited Fival to be his guest for a few days and see what would happen. But a week passed and still nothing. Fival began to become depressed. What would become of him? In another two weeks he would have to vacate his home and his job. Winter was beginning; the weather outside was already cold and miserable which added to his melancholy. Where would he go? What would he do? What would be with his children and wife? Night fell, the wind and rain were pounding on the roof and the walls. He went to his room, sat on the bed, put his head in his hands and wept. Suddenly the front door rattled and thundered; someone was pounding and shouting outside. “Help! Help! Let me in!!” Shmuel ran to the door and opened it as Fival looked on through his slightly open door. It was the Poritz, the one that was evicting him, drenched to the bone, shivering blue with cold. He had been on his way home when the storm caught him unexpectedly and night fell. Now he had been wandering in the cold for almost an hour and was on the verge of death. Shmuel brought him a change of clothes some warm blankets, a glass of vodka and a bowl of hot soup, moved him near the stove and in no time the Poritz was showering him with praises and promises. “You saved my life!! I owe you my life!” He exclaimed still shivering, sipping his soup. “You are sent from G-d! Tell me how to repay you! “Listen” Shmuel answered. “If you really want to reward me then you can do me a big favor.” “Anything! I swear! I almost died!! You are my savior! Just ask!” “Well,” Shmuel gave a glance at Fival peeking from behind his door, “I have a good friend. His name is Fival, he’s the one that runs the inn on your property. I’m sure you know him. Well a few days ago you gave him a month’s notice for eviction. You told him to vacate with his wife and family. Well, I want you to let him stay.” “So it shall be!! Your friend can stay! He can stay forever if he wants! You saved my life!!” Shouted the Poritz. “It just so happens that he is here in the other room” Continued Shmuel. 278

“Will you put it in writing?” Fival came out of his room and the Poritz immediately shook his hand warmly, asked for pen and paper and wrote a deed giving him and his offspring sole rental rights on the inn for all generations, and for good measure gave him the next three years rent free. “But just one thing is bothering me,” Fival said as he thanked G-d, thanked the Poritz and took the deed lovingly in hand, “Why did you evict me in the first place? After all, I always paid rent and never gave you any trouble. What made you do it?” “Yes,” answered the Poritz as he sat and took another sip of his vodka,“You were the perfect tenant and I would never have even thought of it. But a very influential person came to me and demanded that I rent the inn to his son-in-law. He promised to pay more rent and even threatened to make trouble if I refused. He said he had connections with high officials and even the Czar! It was that Shmuel HaGodol! “I don’t know what got into him and made him so hard-hearted. I even asked him how he could do it to a fellow Jew and he answered he didn’t mix business with friendship. But I’ll take care of him myself. I’ll tell him that you are my personal friend. Just one thing that I would like to ask though,” he continued, “How did you happen to be here exactly on this night?” When Fival told him about how the Rebbe sent him the Poritz asked a few questions, thought for a while and finally exclaimed, “Now I know that G-d is still with the Jewish people!!”This answers our questions: why did Moses refuse to lead the Jews and why did G-d force Pharaoh to refuse. According to the Saadia Gaon, Moses feared his mission was doomed because his prophesy was incomplete; a prophet has to say what he himself heard from G-d and here, because Moses had a speech impediment and Aaron was the spokesman, no one was saying what he heard from G- d. Moses couldn’t speak and Aaron was saying what he heard from Moses, not G-d. But G-d calmed this fear by announcing, “Moses, I have made you G-d to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet” (7:1) In other words, Aaron WILL be saying what G-d tells him to say because you, Moses, are G-d! (Just as Moses spoke the entire book of Deuteronomy ‘on his own’.) G-d gave Pharaoh self-confidence and courage to overcome all doubts and totally expend all his powers of evil and selfishness to the end. His stubbornness brought another and another plague each highlighting Moses’ G-dly nature until, after the splitting of the sea, the Jews actually believed in Moses and G-d equally! (Ex. 14:31). Similarly with Pharaoh: G-ds name becomes known in the world from the likes of Pharoah to His intimate friends like Moshe. What is interesting is the catalyst in this story that brought about this revelation was Shimon HaGadol. Throughout this book I am writing about the instigators within our family that despite their bad intentions; through them the righteous are glorified and made greater than before. It is this sector most of all, that needs to be shaped and led back to Sinai. 279

The Month of Shvat (2015) The readings during the exodus normally coincide with the month of Shvat. Shvat is the 11th month, which is also related to the 11th son of Yacov, Yoseph. The liberation and redemption of Israel is also related to Moshiach ben Yoseph who begins the conquest of the Land of Israel and changes our political reality. It is not a coincidence that also Septemebr 11th occurred on the 11th day of the month. We have written much about this in Parsha Nitzavim. For me it was a day of my personal Exodus. I realized in that moment that the world as we had known it had changed and a new chapter had begun. Within 18 months I had made Aliya. The first plague of blood occurred in the most coveted and central symbol of Egypt’s wealth and power. The Nile was both a deity and center of commerce. I could not help thinking about this first plague as hundreds of people were offering to give blood in the days that followed the tragedy; even Yasser Arafat. The Unanswerable Question ( 2015) Rav Halperin mentioned that Shmot ends with a question from Moshe. He intended to redeem Israel but in fact he made it worse. He questions Hashem about this and he does not get an answer, rather a statement that now he will see what Hashem will do. Rav Halperin concludes that some questions regarding the manner in which Hashem brings about the redemption are left as perpetual questions. There is a passage that I contemplate each year that may shed a little light on this subject. I wondered what is the significance of the repetition of the passage below that is interrupted by a list of genealogy? -‫ני‬,‫תהן ֹקב ת‬, :‫מר‬,‫לא ם‬,‫תני קֹיה נוה ת‬, ‫ יל ֹקפ‬,‫לשה‬- ‫מ‬,‫תבר ם‬, ‫ יב מו ֹקי מד‬12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: ,‫עה‬,‫ע יני מפ קֹר ם‬,‫איך יי ֹקש נמ ת‬,‫ קֹו ת‬,‫א מלי‬,‫ נש קֹמעו ת‬-‫לםא‬, ,‫אל‬,‫' יי קֹש נר ת‬Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened .‫ מו נא יני נע מרל קֹש נפ נת יים‬unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?' (Shmot 6:12) 'These are the heads of their fathers' houses'... Shmot 14-26. Between these two repeated passages (Shmot 6:12 and 6:30) are a listing of the genealogy that brought forth Moshe and Aaron. ;‫ נא יני ֹקיה נוה‬,‫םמר‬, ‫תלא‬, ‫שה‬-‫םמ ל‬, -‫אל‬-‫בר ֹקיה נוה ל‬,‫ כט מו קֹי מד ת‬29 that the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 'I am ‫שר‬-‫ נא ל‬-‫תאת נכל‬, ,‫ללך ימ קֹצ מר יים‬- ‫מ‬-‫עה ל‬,‫ מפ ֹקר ם‬-‫לאל‬- ,‫תבר‬, ‫ מד‬the LORD; speak thou unto Pharaoh king of ‫לליך‬- ‫תא‬, ‫בר‬,‫םד ת‬, ,‫ נא יני‬Egypt all that I speak unto thee.' ‫ נע מרל‬,‫הן נא יני‬,‫ ת‬:‫ני ֹקיה נוה‬,‫ יל קֹפ ת‬,‫שה‬-‫מ ל‬,‫מר ם‬-‫םא ל‬, ‫ ל מוי‬30 And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I ‫םעה‬, ‫א מלי מפ ֹקר‬,‫ יי ֹקש ממע ת‬,‫תאיך‬, ‫ ֹקו‬,‫ ֹקש נפ מתיים‬am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?' (Shmot 6:30) If we look closer we see in the first passage there are three problems; Israel, Pharaoh, and Moshes speech impediment. If we look at the second passage there are two problems and the order is reversed; speech impediment and Pharaoh. What was last on the list in the first passage is first on the list in this 280

passage and Israel no longer seems to be the issue. In between these passages is a list of the heads of the tribes including Moshe and Aaron as the leaders of the tribe of Levi. It also mentions that Aarons son married into Moshes in-laws the Yitro family. I submit that this second passage is a partial answer to Moshe of the unanswerable question. What do I mean? Moshe if we recall was a fugitive who had to run for his life and lived many years in Midian. Aaron was part of the Jewish establishment and lived in Goshen free from slavery as was the case for the tribe of Levi. In last weeks Parsha the fugitive Moshe returns to Egypt and disrupts the status quo causing the taskmasters to be furious. One can imagine them saying ' look at these adventurous people from Levi who do not have any idea of the suffering they have now caused for the people of Israel and ourselves personally'. In the list of the tribal leaders however it lists Moshe and Aaron as the leaders of Levi. When did this inexperienced revolutionary become the leader of the tribe of Levi? It seems to me that although there was a short lived time of additional suffering I suggest that the people on the whole accepted Moshe and Aaron. Of all the other leaders in Egypt no one else had the courage and faith to stand up to Pharoah and command him as Moshe did. Moshe earlier implied that it is not logical for Pharaoh to listen to him when Israel itself does not accept him. I suggest that Hashem replied some time after these events when he reminded Moshe of his position with Levi which answers an earlier question he had. Just as you thought Israel would not accept you because you made it worse for them, and yet they did accept you, now go to Pharaoh and tell him exactly what I say to you. I have made you his master. Moshe no longer mentions Israel but rather his concern of how he will represent Hashem with his speech impediment (a topic for another discussion). In addition Aaron who is one of the tribal leaders allows his son to marry into the family of Yitro which further signifies the acceptance of Moshe and his revolution within the Jewish establishment. Following Hashems commandments are not always logical from our perspective. There were many impediments along the way for Rav Kahane however he never measured his success by what was accomplished or not; by what was logical or not; but rather if he had done what was expected to be done. How Hashems plan unfolds is another matter. The Whole Torah( 2015) I heard a Chabbad Rabbi speaking at a Shabbaton. He spoke at length about the Rebbe. One person at the table asked if he had a Dvar Torah on the Parsha. 'Yes', he answered. 'And the people believed in Hashem and His servant Moshe' (Shmot 14:31). This, the Rabbi continued, is the whole Torah. Four fifths of the Torah deals with Moshe and the last book was written entirely by Moshe. One cannot understand Hashem without His servant. This is what Hashem wants. He wants us to believe in His servant. We pray to Hashem but Moshe who is human can understand our problems and tells us what Hashem desires from us. If you don't believe in the servant you cannot understand the Torah. Later I met this Rav and I told him I agree with everything he said. He smiled. I continued 'I could even add something to what you said. Someone who despises Moshe, Hashems faithful servant it is as 281

if he despises Hashem'. 'Correct' he agreed. 'There is only one small difference in the way I understand what you have said' I continued. 'And the people believed in Hashem and His servant Moshe'. 'When I read the word servant (eved) I see the gematria of eved which is 76. This is the same gematria of Kahane. There is a Moshe today (his grandson) that is also sitting in prison simply because of his beliefs. So one could read the same passage 'and the people despised Hashem and His servant Moshe'. 'I feel very lucky that I too understand this Torah. I feel very grateful to Hashem. He gave me a ticket to come to Israel. I saw something that thousands of others do not see, and I still see it. He opened the sea for me and I walked through. In addition he arranged for me to discover this Bet Knesset and sit here each Shabbat next to you and other Rav's who know much more Torah than I do. I am lucky that He gave me the insight to see what is Holy and to attach myself to it. In addition Hashem arranged for me to spend a Shabbat with all of the Giborim who are chassidim of Rav Kahane. I prayed in a minyan with the people of David Hamelech. The hilltop people who's friends were framed and are sitting in prison. The newlyweds from the so called Wedding of Hate in the news. This was the daughter of my Rav who's words of Torah are like honey and his family and their community are filled with people who are like gold. The hilltop people who desire a king and a temple really look like kings and queens. I was lucky to be in their minyan and get a Cohen bracha from them. How lucky am I to be friends with the men of David Hamelech long before they have been recognized; to see light inside of darkness. Imagine being Yitro's neighbor and meeting Moshe in Midian when he was public enemy #1. Imagine knowing exactly how great he was while the whole world was completely unaware and even hostile. Yes I agree with every word you said. And the people believed in Moshe and His servant. This is the whole Torah. If only people really understood that!' The Unlikely Catalyst Jan 2017 A few pages earlier we shared Rav Bolton’s Chassidic story about Shimon Katan and Shimon Gadol. Rav Bolton demonstrated through this story how the actions of the Jewish people cause the non-Jewish world to proclaim God’s existence. He related this story to our Parsha where Pharaoh is forced to accept the commandments of Hashem. Binyamin also brings down Rashi who explains the meaning of Hashem’s Yad Chazaka (strong hand), which is mentioned in our Pasha and in many other places throughout the Torah. He describes the Yad Chazaka concept as Hashem’s will being forced upon the Nation's. This is not a historic concept but one very much present today. I would like to add that the unlikely catalyst in Rav Bolton's story is Shimon Hagadol who had his own self interest in mind and was cruel and merciless to his fellow Jew. It was through his oppression of a fellow Jew that this whole story unraveled; caused the non-Jew to proclaim how great is the God of the Jew's; and finally affect the perpetrator in the very end. Throughout this book we see this similar theme from the persecution of Yoseph comes divine revelation to the world (in Egypt) and ultimately to the Jewish people (among the tribes). Today this historic catalyst is very much alive as the Jewish people in Yehuda and Shomron are persecuted by their own brothers causing a chain reaction that rallies support towards Israel from the non-Jewish world. 282

One might say that this unlikely catalyst began with Cain who killed Hevel. Shet was from the next generation that was able to reflect and repair the sins of the past. As we have mentioned earlier 'Nel Ka Na' can also be read Kahane derech Shet (Shmot 3:18). This is the quick three day journey that can be taken when the selfish sin of Cain is rectified. In our Parsha we see Kahane also related to the hooks that pull out evil from its root. His Torah speaks to this unlikely catalyst and brings about the ultimate redemption from within. By addressing the weakest points, asking uncomfortable questions and forcing us to look clearly and truthfully at ourselves his Torah will bring about a wholehearted redemption from the most unlikely catalyst. Let My People Build (2021) Most of my questions on the Parsha are usually based on the same question 'What does this mean today?' This week the book we find ourselves in the Torah and outside in the world are on the same page. There is a new Pharaoh who did not know Yoseph. Dark days are beginning in the USA when criminals have usurped the will of the people through rigged computers and political corruption. The radical left has taken over the greatest symbol of democracy worshiped throughout the world canceling and deleting whatever obstacles get in their way. Of course the greatest obstacle of tyranny terror and deceit has always been Israel. This great machine will now seek to further its agenda and the cry of 'Who is this God Hashem?' will begin to resound from the pages of the Torah to the pages of the newspaper. There is no Moshe today who is saying 'let my people go' and there is no Pharaoh who is saying 'you may go but only a few of you and not the whole Nation'. What there is however is a voice that says 'you may not build.' There are voices that say 'against our will you have built here or there and it must be destroyed.' There are the voices of Moshe who respond 'we will build here and there and everywhere in the Land we fought for and won, for this is our Land. Let my People Build!' The year is 1939 and Jews in America may soon no longer be able to escape. Come home now. It will be good and slavery will end. You will flourish and be blessed. Don't be deleted in the darkness. After this period a new State will arise in the area of Binyamin that will unify Israel and the world. The Torah will be its constitution and Har HabAyit is where the Sanhedrin will sit. It will be a world of goodness and true freedom and the home of the new United Nations. My Multi Colored Coat (2021) Someone stole my multi colored coat today as I was receiving an Aliyah at the Bet Knesset. It was a special coat to me made of soft cotton and had that hippie settler feel to it. I bought it when I first arrived to Israel, seventeen years ago and it was very significant to me. It made me think that now is the time for the second aliyah to Yehuda V'shomron. It is the month of Shvat which is connected to Yoseph and there is a new Pharaoh that does not remember him. Yosephs royal robes were stripped of him unjustly by force only to be returned as the robes of a viceroy in a new reality a number of years later. Maybe its a signal from Hashem that its time to move. There is a new violence on the horizon as the radical left has now seized power in the USA and most likely will begin to re-write history in their 283

narrative. There will probably be more clashes in Yehuda and Shomron from American pressure. As the Rav wrote: “Israel is no longer a sovereign state. It is a humiliated protectorate, a state-colony that jumps to its master's tune.” (Beyond Words Vol.. 6 pg 186) The Rav's brother, Nacham Kahane, (a former graduate of the Mir Yeshiva) when discussing Moshe's disappointment at Am Israel who hardly batted an eye when he announced the redemption, connects this to many in the Bnai Torah world today who see absolutely no Hand of Hashem in the establishment of Medinat Yisrael, in fact some see it as the hand of the Satan. He describes the litmus test to those who are unfaithful to the God of Israel and to Am Israel by their attitude to the young Jewish soldiers who sacrifice their lives to protect the people of Israel. He writes: Go to the leading yeshivot in the galut, even the non-Chassidic ones. Set up a table before the entrance door and begin distributing [prayer cards for the soldiers of Israel], free of charge. In the best case you will be cursed and spat at; eventually your table will be overturned, and if by then you will not have caught on, prepare a pair of crutches to help you get to the ambulance. The supporters of Ahmadinejad are only the tip of the ideological iceberg which has spread far and wide. There exists a hatred toward Medinat Israel in parts of the Yeshiva world. But don't be surprised, because its predicted in the Torah. The prophet Zecharia writes (14:14): “And Yehuda too will make war on Yerushalyim” The commentators Ibn Ezra and Radak understand the verse in its literal sense; there will be Jews who will aid and abet the enemies of Yerushalyim. It has come to pass in our time! (With All Your Might, Vol I, Pg 283) The Artscroll Siddur translates this line as “And Yehuda will be forced to make war on Yerushalyim” It seems to me that there is pressure both from Rosh Yeshivas in the religious world and radical leftists in the secular world. Some are hitting the rock as they did before the Shoa and saying 'do not enter' while others are hysterically trying to remove their delusional obstacle to peace. Hopefully from both sides there will be those who will open their eyes and take up the fight in Binymain for a Torah true State. Redemption is right here if we want it, but I am afraid many may be lost in the darkness. Personally, I will buy a new coat and think about my next Aliyah. 284

Don't Lose Your Ticket (2022) My friends mother said to me when I had made aliyah 'Hashem has chosen to pull you out and has given you a seat here, be careful that you don't lose it.' Those words stayed with me whenever I thought to visit or leave temporarily. In our Parsha it is written: ‫כםקֹו נל מק ֹקח יתי‬-‫ קֹו נה ייי יתי נל ל‬,‫כם ילי קֹל נעם‬-‫לא קֹת ל‬- ‫ז‬ 7 and I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I ,‫לכם‬- ‫תהי‬, ‫ יכי נא יני ֹקיה נוה לאל‬,‫לתם‬- ‫תלאל יהים; יוי מד ֹקע‬, am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ‫ ימ מת מחת יס ֹקבלות ימ קֹצ נר יים‬,‫כם‬-‫א קֹת ל‬-‫מהמו יציא ל‬ ‫בא יתי‬,‫תה ת‬, ‫שר ננ נשא יתיקֹו‬-‫ נא ל‬,‫רץ‬-‫ נה נא ל‬-‫לאל‬- ,‫לכם‬- ‫לא ֹקת‬- ‫ח‬ 8 And I will bring you in into the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to ;‫םקב‬, ‫םא נתה קֹל מא ֹקב נר נהם ֹקל יי קֹצ נחק ו ֹקל מי נע‬, ‫תת‬,‫ נל ת‬,‫ ני ידי‬-‫לאת‬- Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it ‫ נא יני קֹיה נוה‬,‫כם מו נר נשה‬-‫א נתה נל ל‬,‫ֹקו ננ מת יתי ם‬ you for a heritage: I am the LORD.' (Shmot 6:7-8) Of the 15 million Jews in Egypt only 600,000 were taken out. Of those 600,000 only Yehoshua and Calev actually entered Israel. All of the plagues and miracles that happened in Egypt and the desert happened only for two people. This also occurred in Bereshit,when the whole world was created and destroyed for one person Noah. What do we learn from this? There is a sifting done throughout history. In this weeks Parsha a new reality is about to be revealed where the Heavenly and Earthly world will be joined together and Hashems true 'Jewish' name will be revealed to Israel and to the world. Pharaoh 'who knows not the God of the Hebrews' along with his subjects will learn who is the true God and His unique relationship to the Children of Israel. From the Gentile world there will be a mixed multitude that join Israel and from the Jewish people itself there will be many who deny their destiny and prefer the darkness of Egypt. As the God of the Hebrews is revealed and forever alters reality with the knowledge that He is the true God and His people are forever a symbol and litmus test of His presence and acceptance in the world, their will be a sifting process along with this knowledge. My gentile friend said to me 'Don't we all believe in the same god? Why is there such hate?' I answered because that statement is not true. We do not believe in the same god. The bestial Arab who kills a Jew and thinks he is serving god is serving only his blood lust. The gentile who agrees with the Arab is serving their cold-hearted jealousy of the Jew. The Jewish government that allows it is serving their fear of a Gentile world they falsely believe they can appease. All are prisoners of their lusts, their jealousies or fears of man but the true God has consistently handed His knowledge down from Adam to the Nation of Israel and carved it in stone in the Torah and the souls of the Jewish people. The clarification of the true God that is accompanied by disaster and salvation at the same moment is a clarification of His connection to the Jewish people. This clarification happened in Egypt and it also happened in Europe with the Shoa and the birth of Israel. The world understood that there is a unique destiny between the Creator and His people that even against their hate, cannot be destroyed but only made greater. Evil is allowed to flourish because of 285

lack of protest by good people and the erosion of morality, however after it is been destroyed along with the compliant fish attached to its hooks, it serves only to give birth to a new and more beautiful reality for which the world was created. The Children of Israel as a people, although they are persecuted, can only be made greater and from each dark period a newer light and reality takes shape in the world. To understand Parsha Vayera of yesterday we need only to look out of our window today. The physical world is being altered and disrupted below. Choices we could have made earlier we did not make and so as we rush into the avalanche of evil that we invited Hashem is also preparing a salvation and whether we like it or not, we must find a way to pass through the current sifting process. As the world complies with more and more restrictive mandates and those who do not pray to a sheep god but to a lion God are targeted and punished for their disobedience, a sifting process is being initiated both from above and from the free choice of individuals below. As the cancer ridden Israeli government allows unlimited Arab construction in Yehuda and Shomron while coming down with the full force of the law on it own people who are building the future and freedom for the entire world, again their is a choice being made. There is a choice being made from above and below between those who support the builders of Zion and liberty and those who have allowed their voices to be silenced and taken over by the machine God Moloch who cancels bad citizens and their privileges when they choose wrongly. Protest has been taken away and as my good friend aptly stated one of the symptoms of Corona is lack of smell. One can no longer even smell when something fishy is going on. The Torah is not a history book, it is being written before our eyes. Technological prisons are being set up and those who are still free will be informed upon by the enslaved. Along with the enslaved the great machine will roll out its armies against a few shacks in the hills of Judea. This is the litmus test for the mixed multitudes of the world and for the Jews themselves. Are you with the Children of Israel who are painted as mean spirited anarchists who foolishly think they can build their own civilization in the hills of Yehuda and Shomron and disrespect the sheep god? Are you even allowed to have an opinion on the matter or would you be crushed inside the brick of a pyramid for your insolence? The Pharaohs and their Jewish collaborators are coming soon with full force against this tiny flea that has zero technology. How is it possible that they will succeed? Indeed how is it possible? Someone from the mixed multitudes is packing his bag. One of the Children of Israel has fallen asleep with the TV on. The plague of darkness rolls over Egypt and it looks like every other night. No storm on the horizon. 286

Kahane in the Parsha Bo 287

Bo 2009 ‫כם‬-‫תלי ל‬, ‫ יי ֹקש ממע נא‬-‫םלא‬, ,‫שה‬-‫מ ל‬,‫ ם‬-‫אל‬-‫למר ֹקיה נוה ל‬- ‫א‬,‫ ט מוי ם‬9 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pharaoh will ‫קֹר מ קבֹ ם‬. ‫לרץ ימ ֹקצ נר יי‬- ‫לא‬- not hearken unto you; that My wonders may be ,‫ו ֹקפ מתי‬ ‫בות‬ ‫לֹקממעמן‬--‫םעה‬, ‫פמ ֹקר‬ multiplied in the land of Egypt.' (Shmot 11:9) Above is a famous passage that conceals the name of Rambam (Maimonides) inside it. Rambam came from Egypt and extrapolated the Torah in a practical way that inspired generations of Torah scholars with his Torah revelations. A famous contradiction between Rambam and Rashi is the following. Rashi states that the 3rd temple will fall from Heaven intact, while Rambam believed it would be built from below by the people. In fact (I suggest) that it is not a contradiction at all. The fire of the offerings was lit below and then a fire from Heaven came down and consumed it. We see with our own eyes how the pioneers in modern day Israel began work below and miraculously transformed the Land swiftly with Heavenly aid. We see this process in everything we do today as well. Israel begins the action and Hashem completes it. ‫לא נחד נא יביא‬- ‫לנ מגע‬- ‫ עוד‬,‫לשה‬- ‫םמ‬, -‫לאל‬- ‫מר קֹיה נוה‬-‫א ל‬,‫ א מוי ם‬1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Yet one plague ‫ ֹקי מש מלח‬,‫תן‬,‫כ‬-‫תרי‬, ‫אמ נח‬--‫ ימ ֹקצ מר יים‬-‫םעה ֹקו מעל‬, ‫ מפ קֹר‬-‫ מעל‬more will I bring upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; ‫רשאכלאה‬,‫רש קֹי נג ת‬,‫ נג ת‬, afterwards he shall send you forth from here. --‫קֹכ מש ֹקלחו‬ :‫לזה‬- ‫ימ‬ ‫כם‬-‫א ֹקת ל‬-‫ל‬ When He sends forth it shall be complete – he .‫לזה‬- ‫כם ימ‬-‫א קֹת ל‬-‫ ל‬shall drive you out of here. ‫א נחד נא יביא‬-‫לנ מגע ל‬- ‫ עוד‬,‫לשה‬- ‫מ‬,‫ ם‬-‫לאל‬- ‫למר ֹקיה נוה‬- ‫םא‬, ‫ א מוי‬2 Please speak in the ears of the people, and let ‫ קֹי מש מלח‬,‫ן‬,‫ תכ‬-‫רי‬,‫ מא נח ת‬--‫ ימ ֹקצ מר יים‬-‫עה קֹו מעל‬,‫ מפ קֹר ם‬-‫ עמל‬them ask every man of his neighbour, and every ‫ם‬ ‫ל‬-‫לא ֹקתכ‬- ‫תרש‬, ‫קֹי נג‬ ‫תרש‬, ‫נג‬ ,‫ נכ נלה‬--‫ֹקכ מש ֹקלחו‬ :‫זה‬-‫ימ ל‬ ‫לכם‬- ‫א ֹקת‬-‫ל‬ woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and .‫ ה‬-‫ימ לז‬ jewels of gold.' ‫תני ימ ֹקצ נר יים; מגם‬, ‫עי‬,‫ ֹקב ת‬,‫תחן נה נעם‬, -‫לאת‬- ‫תן קֹיה נוה‬,‫ ג מו יי ת‬3 And the LORD gave the people favour in the ‫ רב לעי לני‬,‫ אגדול רמ לאד רב הא הרץ שמ רצ תר שים‬,‫לשה‬- ‫מ‬,‫ נה יאיש ם‬sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight .‫אה אעם‬ ‫ו רב לעי לני‬ ,‫ תפ רר לעה‬-‫תע רב לדי‬ of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. (Shmot 11:1-3) Like Rambam who interpreted the Torah in a practical way so that the miraculous is contingent upon the physical so does Rav Kahane's Torah today. He sought to put us in the position to be driven to glory despite our shortcomings. By showing the desire and mesirat nephesh (sacrifice) to build Hashems kingdom below, Hashem must respond according to His own rulebook with an outpouring of mercy and protection for His children and drive us to redemption. The Stone Chumash writes: 288

‘It shall be complete’ – the translation follows Rashi. Sforno, however, has an entirely different rendering of the verse, which has a universally relevant moral dimension. He renders ‘He shall send you’ [i.e. the Jews] as He had sent you [i.e. Moses and Aaron when he ejected you from the palace]; he shall surely thrust out all of you [calah ‫]כלה‬. (from Stone Chumash pg 346) Just like Moshe and Aaron the Rav and his son placed themselves as targets in front of the oppressors of the Nation and through their own sacrifice caused the forces of Pharaoh to crumble and the Nation to rise to it’s potential. The 1st paragraph is linked to the 2nd paragraph for on one hand he forced the oppressors to fall by destroying their grip on the Nation but with the other hand the Rav spoke to the ears of the people. Contrary to what his detractors would say, Rav Kahane did not bring the wrath of the Nations upon Israel, but rather brought respect and glory to Israel. In the previous plague of darkness the Midrash tells us that four fifths of the Nation perished because they did not want to leave. It was only one fifth of the Nation that was redeemed. This one fifth had to demonstrate some sort of sacrifice that would make them worthy of redemption and this demonstration was the Pesach sacrifice (see Pesach sacrifice – Volume II Pg 288). Rambam’s name is associated with multiplying Hashems wonders yet his Torah is not known for its mysticism but rather for its practicality. Rav Kahane’s Torah is also associated with practical steps that bring about wonders; forcing the redemption; leaving the exile; breaking the back of the oppressor while lifting the spirit of the people. The result was the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians 289

Bo 2011 There is a question that I have had for years that I never found a satisfying answer to. Finally I asked Lenny Goldberg who teaches Tanach at the Rav’s Yeshiva and who is a dedicated Torah scholar who in the past traveled with Binyamin on speaking tours and translated all of Binyamin’s weekly Torah Parshiot. His answer satisfied me the most. Here is the question. From the beginning of Shmot to this Parsha there is a recurring theme that I find difficult to understand. Hashem tells Moshe to tell Pharaoh that He requests that the Jewish people be relieved of their duties to go for a three day journey into the wilderness to celebrate a festival for Hashem. There are a number of difficulties in these passages. 1. This is the backdrop where the God of Israel will demonstrate for all time His mighty power and revel to the whole world that He is the Creator of the Universe. In addition He is the same God that will bring the Torah into the world and teach Israel and all of mankind His commandments that are built upon Truth and Justice. He is mightier than even Pharoah and any other mortal king. Wouldn’t this be the proper place to speak the truth? If this God is so mighty then why does it appear that He is telling a lie? 2. In addition to the Chillul Hashem that is taking place in the very moment that Kidush Hashem is being demonstrated, how does one expect Pharoah to believe this lie? If one was so all powerful he would not have to play ‘political games’, he could simply say we are leaving now for good. 3. Hashem tells Moshe that he will harden Pharaohs heart in order to demonstrate His might and bring Pharaoh to his knees. In the end Pharaoh pleads with Moshe to leave as soon as possible. For the same price of all these plagues, Hashem could have just told the truth. Why didn’t He say from the beginning we are going and not coming back? ‫אל‬,‫ני יי קֹש נר ת‬,‫ך; ו נבא נת מא נתה קֹו יז ֹקק ת‬-‫לל‬,‫ לקֹ םק‬,‫ יח ֹקו נשמֹקעו‬18 And they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou ‫הי‬,‫א נליו ֹקיה נוה לאל ת‬,‫תם ת‬-‫ מו נא ממ קֹר ל‬,‫ך מי קֹצרמיים‬-‫מל לל‬- -‫ל‬-‫ לא‬shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the ‫רך‬-‫לד ל‬- ‫ ננא‬-‫תנ ֹקל נכה‬, ‫ קֹו מע נתה‬,‫לינו‬,‫נה יע ֹקב יר ייים ינ קֹק נרה נע ת‬ king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him: The ‫הינו‬,‫ קֹו ינ קֹז קֹב נחה מליה נוה לאל ת‬,‫שת ני ימים מב ימ קֹד נבר‬-‫ֹקשל ל‬ LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. And now please let us go on a three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. (Shmot 3:18) ;‫תלך‬, ‫נ‬,‫נינו ת‬,‫תק ת‬, ‫רינו ו יב קֹז‬,‫ יב ֹקנ נע ת‬,‫לשה‬- ‫םמ‬, ‫מר‬-‫םא ל‬, ‫ ט מוי‬9 And Moses said: 'We will go with our young and ‫ יכי‬--‫תלך‬, ‫תנ‬, ,‫רנו‬,‫תננו ו יב קֹב נק ת‬, ‫א‬,‫תתנו קֹבצ ם‬, ‫תנינו ו יב קֹבנו‬, ‫ ֹקב נב‬with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we ‫נלנו‬ ,‫ קֹיה נוה‬-‫חמג‬. will go; because it is a festival of Hashem for us. (Shmot 10: 9) 290

Now some of the answers that I have heard are the following. 1. Hashem works through natural means. He gave Pharaoh an opportunity to allow the Hebrews to take leave through a regular political process. We don’t demand miracles but opportunities within the normal framework of the political process. 2. The fact that three days was denied shows how evil Pharaoh was. It was an opportunity for him to do teshuva but he denied the request. If only three days was denied than certainly complete redemption of the Israelites was not likely to happen. None of these answers satisfied me. When I asked this question to Lenny Goldberg he told me the following: ‘if we asked Pharaoh for full liberation, it would be as if Pharaoh played a part in our exodus, in our redemption. By asking for only three days, then when it says \"Vayishlach Pharaoh\", it was only a sending of three days. In such a way, Pharaoh, though he is the one who technically must liberate us, is not part of the redemption, but rather it is HaKakosh Baruch Hu. For the fact was, after those three days, he tried to enslave us again. If we asked for Pharaoh for full liberation, we would have to thank him at the seder night on Passover that he freed us. But he didn't. He just gave us three days. ‘…When you look at our times, at the establishment of the State of Israel, then it becomes clearer. When you think of the establishment of Israel, many think that it is the U.N. which created the state of Israel. Yes, there was a U.N. vote for establishing the state. But in the end, there was a war anyway, and 10% of the Jews died fighting that war, and that's how we really got the state. In a technical sense, because things work \"derech haTeva\" (through natural means), there may have had to be a body like the U.N., or Pharaoh, to give the green light. But in the end, they are irrelevant, and it was really the Jews and G-d who gave us the redemption. If it wasn't for the war, it would be as if \"in the merit of the U.N., there is a state of Israel today\". (Some people still actually think this) Just as if Pharaoh liberated us fully, then it's as if we needed him, or in his merit, we have a state. But since it was only three days, it's like the U.N. vote - an irrelevancy to our redemption, but maybe a technical necessity.’ This answer speaks to me more than the others. In addition it makes the other explanations clearer. The gematria of United Nations is also hidden within the letters of these passages. Today we are living in the times of the ‘three days’ journey. We still believe that the United Nations gave birth to Israel. Yom Haatzmaut is a modern day Pesach but it is still ‘a festival of Hashem’ for us. Even though we have paid the price and we have witnessed many miracles, still we believe that our continued existence is dependent upon the good will of the Nations. The yardstick upon which our political leaders measure our actions is still based upon ‘what will the world say’, or ‘what will America say’. With the agreement of the nations and against the will of the nations we have embarked on our three day journey to liberation. In the end however, we will no longer have the support we had after the Shoa. We will stand alone in the war of Gog and Magog. This is when Hashem will truly bring about our freedom and it will be plain for all to see exactly who had freed us and brought about our liberation. It will be the same King that sits on the throne that we had built for Him. 291

;‫תלך‬, ‫נ‬,‫תנינו ת‬, ‫ק‬,‫תרינו ו יב ֹקז ת‬, ‫ יב ֹקנ נע‬,‫לשה‬- ‫םמ‬, ‫למר‬- ‫םא‬, ‫ ט מוי‬9 And Moses said: 'We will go with our young and ‫ יכי‬--‫תלך‬, ‫נ‬,‫ת‬ with our old, with our sons and with our ,‫תרנו‬, ‫ו יב קֹב נק‬ ‫ננו‬,‫א ת‬,‫קֹבצ ם‬ ‫תנו‬,‫ו יב קֹבנו ת‬ ‫תנינו‬, ‫קֹב נב‬ daughters, with our flocks and with our herds we ‫ נלנותחג ריה אוה‬, - . will go; because it is a festival of Hashem for us. ' Shmot 10: 9 ‫יהוה‬-‫ או\"ם = י חג‬United Nations = 47 ‫תאל‬, ‫ני יי קֹש נר‬,‫לך; ו נבא נת מא נתה ֹקו יז קֹק ת‬-‫קםל‬, ֹ‫ קל‬,‫ יח קֹו נש קֹמעו‬18 And they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou ‫תהי‬, ‫תא נליו קֹיה נוה לאל‬, ‫תם‬-‫ מו נא ממ ֹקר ל‬,‫ך מי קֹצ מריים‬-‫לל‬-‫מל‬-‫אלל‬- shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him: The ‫לרךאנא‬- ‫ד‬-‫ל‬ -‫נ ֹקל נכה‬,‫ת‬ ‫קֹו מע נתה‬ ,‫תלינו‬, ‫נע‬ ‫ינ קֹק נרה‬ ‫נה יע קֹב יר ייים‬ LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. ‫ קֹו ינ ֹקז ֹקב נחה מליה נוה‬,‫שת ני ימים מב ימ ֹקד נבר‬-‫ קֹשל ל‬And now please let us go on a three days' ‫הינו‬,‫ לאל ת‬. journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. (Shmot 3:18 ) ‫ = נא‬fifty one 51 +1 (kollel) = 52 = ‫( האו\"ם‬The United Nations) = 52 ‫ = נא‬Please In the future it will not be because of the 'please' or the 'benevolence' of the nations but rather direct from Hashem. The wicked will be punished for seeking the destruction of G-ds servant, His chosen son – Israel. 292

Beshalach/ Bo 2011 A few questions. 1. If 4/5th of the Jewish people died in the 3 days of darkness how can you say they died because they refused to leave Egypt? Where they given a chance to demonstrate their free choice? Why were the Erev Rav (gentiles) given a choice and the Jewish people were not given a choice? 2. We discussed earlier that the ‘three day journey’ was connected to the Rav as the ‘short’ route to Israel and redemption. We also discussed that it was the non-religious, man-made route, (the UN resolution) doomed to fail at the sea. How does one reconcile both ideas? Let me suggest the following. There are signs that occur that separate the Jewish people from the rest of the world. Before tragedy there are many warning signs. Before the Shoa there were many signs that the exile was ending and Israel was being populated once again and Jews were returning in numbers that they hadn’t seen for two thousand years. The country was turning from a desert into a garden. In addition antisemitism was rising sharply all across Europe. Today as well we have signs like September 11 and increasing antisemitism masked as anti-Israel sentiment warning us to come home before its too late. Just like in Egypt there is a period of signs and wonders designed to awaken us and join the club. Pharaoh was not the only one to lose his ‘free choice’. The Jewish people also are given a time limit in order to make decisions based on their sensibilities. After the deadline the choice is taken away. Millions who refused to go to Israel in the 30’s would do anything to leave in the 40’s but it was too late. Of course it was precisely this darkness that propelled those who escaped to fight for the new Nation of Israel. The self-sacrifice needed to build a Nation came from the ashes of the Shoa. It continues to be the driving force behind the patriotism of many Israeli’s. The Rav pleaded with us in every speech to hurry the redemption. He would remind us that the Talmud in Sanhedrin (98a) poses a contradiction between two phrases in Yeshaya (60:22). There, the prophet states: \"Ani Hashem b'ita achishena,\" \"I am Hashem, I will hurry it [the Redemption] in its time.\" Whereas \"in its time\" implies a predetermined, set time for redemption, \"I will hurry it\" implies an earlier salvation. The Gemara resolves this contradiction by noting that there are two possibilities for geula. If we merit, it will arrive early; if not, it will be in its time. Consequently, we can suggest that the tradition of the Ge'ula occurring in Nissan refers to the Redemption in its prescheduled time. The hurried salvation can arrive at any time, without notice. He would articulate the point that if it comes ‘in its time’ it will be preceded with tragedy, (just as it did in Egypt, and in the Shoa – my note) but it doesn’t have to. It can come gloriously if we choose it. The three day journey can split the sea and bring us to Israel or it can bring terrible destruction in the three days of darkness. Another alternative, is that the three days can turn into forty years. The three day journey from 1948 to today is upon us. To one side the United Nations are coming after us with their arrows, the other side wild Arab mobs are waiting for us. Once again we must choose to follow the light and move forward or cling to the darkness along with all those who have lost their 'free choice' along the way. Another part of the answer to these questions can be seen in the chapter on Pesach (Book of Vayikra) where leaving Egypt is connected to the Shoa and founding of Modern Israel. The Midrash tells us they died in the darkness so we could bury them with respect. It was an embarrassment that they were not leaving with us. The Midrash tells us they chose to remain. Maybe we could have done more to prevent that from happening? 293

Bo and Amona 2017 On the night before leaving Mitrayim the Israelites sat in comfort and enjoyed the first Pesach Seder. The next night their homes were only a memory as they slept under the stars in the open desert on their way to the Promised Land. Here in Israel today there were hundreds of people from the settlement of Amona who slept a few nights ago in the comfort of the homes they had lived in for over twenty years. Tonight their homes and community are also a memory and they sleep homeless under the cold starry night. What is the connection between the two groups? Both groups are made up of 'free' people. Those whose community was destroyed overnight and left homeless and those who left Egypt; both are free people. Those who destroyed their lives and their homes and their community and beat them were not from Pharaohs elite units. The destroyers in this modern day crime are Jews; brothers from a different tribe. They sleep in comfort tonight in their homes but unlike those they raped and pillaged, they are not free; they are enslaved. What is the mental prison that they live in and all those who support them? What is the life of any slave? It is a life of fear of the wrath of his master. And so the slave is forced to attack his brother and destroys his brothers life because he wishes to please his master. The slave is afraid to be beaten and so he beats others to gain the respect and the admiration of his master. The result however is very strange and bewildering. The more that he beats his brother the more his master begins to despise him. How can this be? Did he not do what his master requested? Did he not in his zeal do even more than his master requested by showing his master how loyal he is by removing any obstacle that his master might not have even dreamed of was an obstacle? Twenty four hours after Amona the new Moshiach President Trump came out with a bewildering statement. The new master to those enslaved who was proclaimed to be a benevolent master and one unlike his predecessor who would support Israel unconditionally said some very disconcerting remarks. The very next day in the news we read: The Trump administration has broken with longstanding US policy by saying Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory are not “an impediment to peace” but cautioned that a further expansion “may not be helpful” to ending the conflict. How is it that the more the enslaved beat their God fearing brothers and and every Kahane sympathizer and all the rebellious Jews who refuse to be enslaved the more they are undone? The bulldozing is a swift success yet the situation becomes worse? The answer my friends is that every Jew is born free and he cannot escape his fate. No matter how much he loves his master. No matter how zealous he is to kick his brother out of his home and burn it to the ground, Hashem will not allow him to be a slave. His condition will worsen until he is forced to become free despite his longing for the leeks and fish of Egypt. Binyamin writes that the important lesson from Yetziat Mitzrayim is the 'strong arm' of Hashem that forces even Pharaoh to admit there is a unique God of Israel who is the Creator of the world and cannot be defied. I believe there is another lesson even more difficult and more deeply rooted that must be corrected. The non-Jewish world are aware of the Jewish people and their God. The problem is the son 294

of the King who doesn't know who he is, or knows, but despises himself and his fathers Kingdom. The whole story of Yetziat Mitzrayim begins with the story of one Jew beating another Jew. The redeemer Moshe arrives but is forced to flee because of these wicked informers who are part of his own family. And so the Jews continue beating each other and arguing about their positions and measure for measure their masters become cruel and crueler until there are no positions to argue about anymore as they are taken out on trains to build the pyramids. The final solution for our happiness and joy is not only to realize that every Jew is born free and cannot escape this freedom. The solution has to do with something even deeper; our desire. Man was created in the image of Hashem and Israel is this image. If we turn our back on Hashem and grovel before whichever modern day Pharoah we look up to for salvation we will continue to be beaten while beating our brothers. By overruling the fate of our brothers we too will be overruled. Last week Moshe asks Hashem how he can stand before Pharaoh when he has uncircumcised (sealed) lips? Hashem gives a strange answer. He does not say that He will heal his lips. He tells Moshe that Pharaoh is now your servant. This is essentially the key to the mental slavery that enslaves us. Those of no faith say we must grovel before our masters, and those of little faith say we are uncircumcised and not yet at the 'level' to bring Moshiach. Hashem however, seems to say 'change your mindset'. 'You' are the master and 'Pharaoh' is your servant. If this was indeed how we felt and how we acted then last week we would have told the people of Amona to continue to build their community and prosper. Do you know what would be in the paper the next day from Washington? Absolutely nothing. We create the Pharaohs that enslave us. This is the lesson of Yetziat Mitzrayim of the past and of the present. As one congregant said to me today. The Pharoah today is the yetzer hora of the Jewish people. If we do Hashems will the nations will not oppose us. It is our fearful desire to serve foreign masters that causes them to oppress us until they are defeated. As they praise our God in their defeat, we too will reluctantly recognize who we had our back to all this time, and be ashamed. It is interesting to note that a few gematrias that demonstrate how Rav Kahane was the embodiment of this true faith that is expected of us; a faith that is not in the Heavens that we cannot reach it but within our power to do and to follow like the path that he carved. He demonstrated to us that it is possible and indeed works. We only need to overcome our nature. Then we can walk calmly through a raging see. ‫ נע מרל‬,‫הן נא יני‬,‫ ת‬:‫ני ֹקיה נוה‬,‫ יל קֹפ ת‬,‫לשה‬- ‫מ‬,‫למר ם‬- ‫םא‬, ‫ ל מוי‬30 And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I ‫עה‬,‫א מלי מפ ֹקר ם‬,‫ יי ֹקש ממע ת‬,‫תאיך‬, ‫ ֹקו‬,‫ קֹש נפ מת יים‬am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me? ‫תאה נר תת שתיך‬, ‫ קֹר‬,‫שה‬-‫םמ ל‬, -‫אל‬-‫למר ֹקיה נוה ל‬- ‫םא‬, ‫ א מוי‬1 Hashem said to Moshe: 'See, I have made ‫יה‬-‫ יי קֹה ל‬,‫רן נא יחיך‬,‫עה; קֹו מא נה ם‬,‫ אללהשים ֹקל מפ קֹר ם‬you a master over Pharaoh; and Aaron your ‫אך‬-‫ קֹנ יבי ל‬brother shall be your spokesman. (Shmot 6:30, 7:1) ‫ = רנ תת שתיך לאל שהים‬made you a master = 966 (plus letters) = 976 ‫ = קריעת ים סוף‬Splitting of the Red Sea = 976 ‫ = מאיר אד שוד בן רי הח רז לקאל רש תר אגא‬Meir david ben yecheskel shraga= 976 295

A Question Becoming a Bit Clearer (2021) (Yud Shvat and the new President) Studying the Torah helps one to understand the world. Sometimes events in the world help us to understand the Torah. This was one of those weeks. The Yad Chazakah that we read about in the Torah this week, I personally felt when Hashem pulled me out of the Galut shortly after September 11, 2001. I felt the hurried redemption as a distant desire became a practical call to action and I had to find a way to leave immediately, as I felt soon the borders will be closed. I felt many of the plagues of Egypt rolled into one as the center of business turned into blood and the first born of America died and were enveloped in a thick darkness. For twenty years however I have had a question that if this comparison is so, why America? Should these plagues not have hit Amalek in Gaza or Bilaam in Iran? Why America which is more or less a friend to Israel and has high standards of morality and a constitution symbolizing the essence of Democracy and the free world and modeled in some ways after our own Torah? This week however there was a second attack that some may not have even noticed. Unlike the first public and external attack by an outside enemy, this time America has been attacked and actually conquered from within and the will of the people has been taken over by criminals with foreign intervention. There are many in America that don't realize that America has been taken over yet, many who will cling to the darkness of denial (as in Egypt), and a relevant few who are now coming to terms with this new reality. Patriots will be called insurrectionists while the real insurrectionists have begun their campaign to defame,denounce and delete opposition. I have the good fortune of growing up in Canada where one feels Jewish first and Canadian second. I have always felt that my American friends who feel American first and Jewish second are very much like the Jews in Germany who could not fathom that the greatest culture in the world could become so evil. It can, and as they cursed the Jabotinski's of the past in Europe, so Americans and world Jewry cursed and defamed modern messengers like Meir Kahane who came to warn them of potential disasters and encourage them to come home. It's time now to be a Jew first. Now you may think that if there is a connection between Yud Shvat and the new Pharoah that was sworn in that there is nothing to worry about because the Rebbe like Moshe is stronger than any Pharoah. The question remains however, how much could Moshe help those who physically remained in the darkness and refused to leave despite all of the signs and wonders? As these events unfold in our political world it brings a much greater understanding of what we have been reading in the Torah. Last week the Israelite's remained in Goshen and passively watched these events unfolding. This week they are commanded to make a mockery of the gods of Egypt and roast their lamb god for all to see. This seems a bit negative. I remember a Chassidic story of a Rabbi who passed two children playing. One pushed another down from the curb and said 'see now I am taller than you'. The rabbi said 'don't push him down to make you taller,' go stand on a rock and make yourself taller.' Why was the condition to leave Egypt based on this high handed manner of leaving and publicly humiliating the gods of Egypt? Previously I might have thought that the Israelite's were primitive or foolish to be influenced by the man made Egyptian gods but now I understand the story differently. These gods encompassed many high ideals just like America. By observing the events of the present I am able to see a bit clearer the idol worship of the Israelite's, even those who managed to make the exodus. The ideals of freedom and liberty and 1st and 2nd amendments and strong constitutions that were hallowed and respected and 296

preserved, we thought were similar to our own Torah; unmovable and eternal. The truth is however, they are man made and even the best of man made endeavors can be usurped and destroyed. Only Hashems will cannot be usurped and overturned. This observation that I am making is not for the many who cling to darkness and delusion but for those relevant few who truly believed in this great idol and understandably so, however have now realized that even this greatest man made symbol of freedom like all man made things is fallible. The idol must be destroyed in your heart as great as it was and a new heart must be prepared. Its true that 'in God we trust' was on the dollar however that will soon be removed. In order to make the Exodus it not enough to watch and see the hand of Hashem. To escape one must realize there is a danger and destroy the illusion that it can't happen here. It's already happened. Bo, come. Hashem is here in Israel waiting for you. If there is a will there is a way. Now that many have learned to work from home maybe you can keep your job, but physically start preparing the matza for a beautiful new journey. Bo, come home. Germs are not the Enemy (2021) Amid the hysteria and the panic to get vaccinated there is one Rabbi in Israel, Rav Asherov who does not recommend it. He believes that putting genetic changing vaccines into ones body is extreme and unwarranted for a bad flu virus. In fact he is of the opinion that germs are not the enemy. In one of his lectures he discusses Louis Pastreur's discovery of germs from an experiment of analyzing the process of how a squeezed grape transforms into wine. He discovered that germs break down substances and cause the breakdown of organic tissue. He concluded that germs harm living tissues and illness is essentially the harming of living tissues, whether they be damaged liver cells, or kidney cells, or any cells in living beings. The leading professor who opposed Pasteur, Professor Bechamp disagreed with this conclusion. Rav Asherov also believes Pasteurs conclusion was incorrect and that germs in fact serve the useful purpose of decomposing damaged tissues. The germs were only able to decompose the grape once it had been damaged by squeezing it. A grape left alone will dry up and become a raisin. In other words a healthy body deals with millions of germs every day and it is only when cells become damaged by unhealthy behavior are germs attracted to it and feed off of this damage. A slice of an apple will quickly rot and disintegrate however the whole apple is not affected by these germs. If this theory is true then this explains the spiritual source of our current plague which is a type of spiritual damage that has invited these germs. The journalist Shifra Hoffman claims that this disease is connected to Aids. In fact there may be some relationship. According to one study both Covid-19 and HIV hinder the immune systems response to produce antibodies which recognize and kill infected cells, and allowing them to proliferate. If one translates this medical information into a spiritual form one might say that health depends on the wholeness and well being of a person. The moral damage we do to ourselves invites germs. The germs further complicate our function by our inability to defend ourselves and the malfunction of our immune system. 'A mitzva leads to another mitzva and a sin leads to another sin' (Perkei Avot). The battle against germs in a way is a battle against Hashems enforcers without questioning what caused them to be released and to attack. When the Aids epidemic began we knew what social issues caused this disease. Rather than take stock of this and address these social issues we ignored this and fought against germs. We continued not only to 'not' reflect on these social issues but to forge ahead 297

and institutionalize what the Torah refers to as 'abominations.' As the world progressively digresses into institutionalized animal behavior the line between human and animal is less distinct. Infections that never could cross from an animal species to a human species have appeared. Chazal tells us that the coming of Moshiach will be preceded by a war against the God of Israel. The Gemara (Avoda Zara 3b) teaches that the war of Gog and Magog against Israel is essentially, \"against Hashem and against His Messiah.\" (Tehillim 2:2) As the moral order of the world is under attack and institutionalizing perversion is accepted and those who protest are marginalized, denounced and persecuted its no wonder that the damaged human spirit results in a physical manifestation of this spiritual disease. Immune systems no longer can fight disease and our moral code is being vaccinated with a new genetic code in an attempt to destroy the germ enforcers. Germs, however are not the enemy, it is our damaged souls that need to be reinforced and a moral order as defined in our Torah to be corrected. Moral restrictions will liberate us while wanton liberation will continue to cause more affliction. Pharaoh and the 5g Network (2022) The following article may sound like a conspiracy theory however as Dr. Vladimir Zelenko stated . 'Noah was also considered a conspiracy theorist, until it started to rain'. In two weeks without any big fanfare a dramatic change is going to take place in the world - the 5g network will be activated. What is this? Is it simply faster internet? Actually it is a new surveillance system like they have in China, complete with facial recognition, so you no longer will need your mobile. The world will become like a mobile and you will be able to interact with it like an Alexa speaker, however you will also be tracked everywhere you go and unable to turn it off. If you have graphite oxide in your bloodstream, due to the vaccination, this will also assist Pharaoh in locating you if you ever did decide to leave the 'great reset.' We will read about the number five next week when Bnei Israel depart from Egypt \"The Children of Israel went up from Egypt chamushim.\" The plain meaning is 'armed' however this also alludes that only one in five (chamesh) escaped. We are the descendants of only twenty percent of the people that escaped. In our modern day Mitzrayim is an escape even possible? In order to answer that question we must review how we arrived at this situation and by analyzing this maybe we can find our way back and hopefully a way out. Hashem has given us a natural immune system and a moral one which we received at Har Sinai. As the moral immune system has progressively decayed, been compromised, degenerated and been radically altered, immorality redefined as 'progressive', has affected not only our spiritual well-being but has degraded even further to our physical well-being. Israel which is the moral standard bearer for the world has been infected and invaded no less than America and other nations that previously had a moral constitution based at one time on a God consciousness and now completely undermined and purged of any trace of godliness. The plandemics that have broken out and more importantly our reactions to them, could only have succeeded because of our moral confusion which has led to our physical submission to fear and blind trust in mankind, while Hashem has been relegated to only religious customs and rituals. Our degraded moral immune system has allowed us to religiously line up to have our physical immune system altered 298

by mankind, without even thinking twice. Who would even consider that the object of germ warfare would be the vaccine? The magicians of Pharaoh were able to manipulate peoples minds, however Moshe was able to outdo their magic with Holiness. In the Parsha we are told that no one ever escaped Egypt except the Israelite's, but remember they too were almost lost, and Hashem had to pull them out of their degraded level so that He could keep the promise He had made to our ancestors. The way out of this new mental and physical prison about to be activated, is first and foremost to return to ones spiritual immune system and know right from wrong, moral from immoral, and truth from fabrication and deception. My friend Michael wisely stated, 'it is easier to trick someone, than to convince them that they have been tricked'. One must rebel against tyranny and at the same time make preparations to leave the exile in whichever way you can. If you cannot physically leave the exile due to your vaccination status then seek out rural self sufficient communities where life could be sustained if suddenly your credit card was denied access. After the war of Gog and Magog you can be repatriated with your brothers and sisters in a new and better world. If you are able to come home to Israel I would recommend to settle in Yehuda and Shomron where the future Jewish royalty will emerge, when Democracy dismantles itself, and the Jewish soul will cry out for its identity, as it did in Chanuka. Come and be part of history and have a front row seat of Geula. The Torah is not a history book - burn the gods of Egypt and dare to be a lion and not a sheep and do not worry. Hashem did not say 'go' to Pharaoh he said 'Bo' – Come. In other words, Hashem was standing behind Pharaoh and summoning Moshe not to be afraid – Pharaoh means nothing at all. Jump through the dark wave and come out on the other side. Every plague occurred on a Jewish holiday; the locusts occurred on Tu Bishvat, and the Darkness fell on Purim (to contrast Ohr v'Simcha), in other words our light is Pharaohs darkness. As it was then, it is today. Dark times may be ahead but for the Jews of Goshen there was light. There is a time limit for Goshen however. Just as Pharaoh lost his free choice so did many Israelite's who remained and disappeared in the darkness. Choose wisely and start preparing your matza. Though we have cause to be alarmed do not be depressed. Internal bombs can be diffused by a healthy immune system and each challenge will refine us until we meet at Sinai. 299

300