Kahane Codes - Bereshit Shmot

Division The immediate result of the division between Avram and Lot is seen in the following passage. ‘And the Perizite was then in the land’. When Avram first arrived it said only the Canaanite was then in the land, and now as soon as the split occurs, another potential enemy has arrived. The void that is filled when our nation is divided is filled by our enemies. The principle of division increases our enemies is seen all the time. We threw out thousands of our people from the Gush and immediately the empty space was filled by thousands of enemies. It is these renegade Hebrews like Lot that in the end bring war upon us by leaving the collective to pursue their personal desires. Lot’s paradise in Sodom soon came crashing down and Avram was forced into war to save him. At the time of the division Hashem describes the future nation as uncountable as the sand. The allegory of sand however is also something lowly that is walked upon. This description certainly describes much of our history. Alternatively when the Nation is united, in this case from the war against the four kings and redeeming Lot there is a different description. In the passages following the war Hashem describes our future as uncountable as the stars in the sky. Our division brings calamity and our unity brings glory, better to be united. Shlach Lecha and Lech Lecha If you need more proof, after the tremendous miracles that you have already witnessed, then question and you will be answered, but its nothing to do with your question. You will be delayed and may bring needless suffering on yourself because you are willfully blind. Your questions are really refusals to give and so you doubt and question. Send for yourself messengers to test the waters but you will not be helping yourself rather hindering yourself with your excuses. Lech Lecha however, means just go, because I am telling you. You already know who I am and how I have saved you before. Just do as I say and you will not only be doing Me a favor but yourself. Go, 'for yourself' because by doing My will I will make you 'great'. As was said by one of the veterans of Rabbi Kahane's army. He saw with his own eyes how he with a handful of 10-15 teenagers stood against mobs of thousands of vicious Jew haters and somehow when these young kids roared the Jew haters ran away. He saw with his own eyes how their 'actions' and 'civil disobedience' made front page headlines and changed history while thousands who did not make waves had no effect. He went on to say the Rabbi told them to remember only three things, 'The Jewish People, The Jewish People, and The Jewish people. He didn't care if they were religious, or not religious, they were all the same. When Jewish people are in trouble we are there to shake the world until they are free. When this is the motivating factor, a good heart that feels the pain of his brother, the rest will come. Answer the call and Lech Lecha! 51

Gematrias of Canaan (2015) When the world began to disintegrate Noah built an ark. In Avrahams time the order also began to change. Canaan began to invade and inhabit the land of Noah's son Shem, Avrahams relative. Avraham left his life behind at seventy five years of age to travel to the area of Shem which was now called the land of Canaan. Avraham began to restore the world order that would eventually lead the world back to the Garden of Eden. All those who would become Israelites or support the Israelite mission would be welcomed in a future type of ark that would save mankind. The building of Avrahams Ark would coincide with the conquest of Canaan. Here are some gematrias that support the ideas we have spoken about regarding Canaan. ‫ מעד‬,‫כם‬-‫ מעד קֹמקום קֹש ל‬,‫לרץ‬- ‫ נב נא‬,‫בר מא קֹב נרם‬,‫ ו מו מי נע ם‬6 And Abram passed through the land unto the ‫לץרוהתכר תנעִננשי‬-‫ נאז נב נאר‬, place of Shechem, unto the terebinth of Moreh. ;‫רה‬-‫אלון מו ל‬,‫ת‬ And the Canaanite was then in the land. (Bereshit 12:6) ‫ – ֹקכ ננ מען‬Cannan = 190 ;‫תאל‬, ‫ קֹפנו‬-‫את‬-‫לשר נע מבר ל‬- ‫ מכ נא‬,‫למש‬- ‫לש‬- ‫לו מה‬-‫ לב מו יי קֹז מרח‬32 And the sun rose upon him as he passed over ‫תרכולצ לל תע‬, ‫ ֹיק‬-‫ מעל‬, ‫ קֹוהוא‬Peniel, and he limped upon his thigh. (Bereshit 32:32) ‫עמ‬,‫צ תל‬,‫ ם‬- limped = 190 -‫בן‬-‫ ל‬-‫ יכי‬--‫ נב נניו‬-‫סף ימ נכל‬,‫יו ת‬-‫את‬-‫ נא מהב ל‬,‫אל‬,‫ ג קֹו יי ֹקש נר ת‬3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; ‫נת תפ שסים‬-‫םת ל‬, ‫ קֹכ‬,‫ לו; ֹקו נע נשה לו‬,‫קֹז כק ינים הוא‬ and he made him a fine woolen tunic. (Bereshit 37:3) ‫ – מפ יסים‬a fine tunic = 190 ‫ יכי‬:‫תעת נתמוט מר קֹג נלם‬, ‫ ֹקל‬,‫תלם‬, ‫ לה ילי אנ אקם קֹו יש‬35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, against ‫דת נלמו‬,‫ ֹקו נחש נע ית ם‬,‫אי נדם‬,‫נקרוב יום ת‬ the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that are to come upon them shall make haste (Dvarim 32:35) ‫ – ננ נקם‬Vengeance = 190 Acquiring our Land is both our weakness and our strength. We suffer and limp through the struggle of acquisition however when we succeed we are glorified and so is our God. The vengeance related to above is both towards Israel that sins and is expelled as well as the nations that have attacked her who will meet their just reward. Hashem did not create the world and leave it spinning. He keeps creating it each day and moving it along in stages. Let us hope that the stages of the building of the Bet Hamigdash will arrive soon and the peace and comfort it will bring for Israel and the world will become a new reality. 52

The Blueprint of Creation (2017) After seventy years of self-sacrifice and dedication to the ways of Hashem, Avraham Avinu encountered the Allmighty and together they made a pact. After twenty generations of failure Avraham had earned the reward of those previous generations by continuing and fulfilling the purpose of Creation That purpose which is for all created beings to recognize their Creator would be accomplished through Avraham and his descendents. Hashem declared that He would build a great Nation from Avraham. This Nation would be His representatives here on earth and ultimately build His kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. What was the method in which this would come about? How could one man alone accomplish this lofty mission? The first step was to leave his home and come to a distinct place that would represent this mission and was in fact created for this purpose. The model of creation was built upon a concept of conquering (or re-conquering) a particular tribal area and transforming it into Israel. By the act of transforming Canaan into Israel, the domino effect would eventually cause all the other nations in the world to be re-defined through their relationship with Israel. The climax of history is revealed in that first holy encounter. Those who bless Avraham will be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed. External Blueprint The evolution of this transformation has both an internal and external dynamic. The external reality we can see unfolding each day. The world has not only witnessed but evolved as the Nation of Israel has gone through its many manifestations from ancient to modern times. The evolution of Israel has produced an evolving external reality in the world. This external evolution is alluded to in our Parsha. The original World War I was won by Avraham who conqured the greatest super powers of his time and relinquished all claims on his victory on condition that those he had saved recognize the Creator. The end result of history proclaimed in Avraham's first encounter with Hashem was already demonstrated in this First World War. Those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed. Internal Blueprint What is the 'internal' blueprint? What are the internal actions of the Nation of Israel that result in this external reality? If we look at the internal reasons for this original World War we see something interesting. The conquest of the world was the result of a Tzadik going to war for the sake of one Jew and his family. He did not care whether this Jew was a Chassid or a Misnagid, observant or non- observant, wealthy or poor. Simply by going to war to save one Jewish family he ended up conquering the whole world and saving them from tyranny. The free world was saved and owed its allegiance to Israel. But there is more. The internal blueprint is not only the result of Israel conquering the world for the sake of one wayward Jew. Because of this action, when the Tzadik himself is in trouble one day in the distant future. This far off relative whom he had saved will remember him. This far off relative in the end of days will remember this Tzaddik and come to his rescue. His name is Moshiach. The evolving external reality, fueled by the evolving internal concern of Israel for its people will pave the way for the crowning glory of Hashem which will come about by far off forces being attracted like a magnet from the most distant places in the world to this predetermined land that will reshape and redefine the entire Creation. 53

Chai Cheshvon (2020) Farbrengen: Feivel tell us about Chai Chesvan... To say a L'Chaim for the memory of Rabbi Meir Kahane does not sit right with me. I would have to say to the memory of Rabbi Meir David ben Yecheskel Shraga HaCohen Ha Moshiach ben Yoseph. It would remind me too much of the brothers who after throwing Yoseph into the pit to die sat together and ate and drank. L'Chaim is not the right word 'Al Chet' is more appropriate today. Let me tell you about Chai Cheshvon. Chai Cheshvan is a great chassidik day full of deep Torah secrets. So secret no Chasids know about it..yet. It's a great light that appears dark. It's a great light that is hidden within the bitter month of Mar Cheshvon. It is a light surrounded by bitterness; a bitterness we have chosen,because we were unable to receive this light. It's a great good that can enter the world and alter it like the giving of the Torah or the good can come as a flood that transforms our previous world because we did not have the proper vessel to receive this light.* The light of transformation will come either as a light of goodness or as a flood that wipes away the generation that rejects this light, and saves it for the next generation. Some see this light as darkness and so they choose to remain in darkness and die there. Some see this light and understand that they are in a lonely ark preserving a light that is hidden all around them. Let me explain more practically. As the polls began to show that Rav Kahane was expected to be a powerful new party that would take many votes away from the traditional right wing parties suddenly there was a great unity among left and right to dispose of this controversial Rabbi who was now threatening their positions. They came up with a bill to ban any party that the courts considered racist. What was the alleged racist remark? One of the Rabbi's campaign promises was that there would be no intermarriage in Israel. For a Jew to be forbidden to marry a non-Jew in the State of Israel was considered racist and a court date was set. Great efforts were made by supporters to gather signatures of prestigious rabbis throughout Israel, in the hope that this may sway the Supreme Court decision. They were not asked whether they support Rabbi Kahane simply to state that intermarriage between Jew and gentile negates the Jewish Halacha. All of the great religious leader had the same answer. Each one was afraid to be the first to sign, and stipulated that his signature was dependent upon other signatures preceding his. Since none of them agreed to be the first to sign no signatures could be gathered. Following this series of events Rabbi Kahane's party was promptly banned by the Supreme Court for its “racist” views, his political career utterly destroyed The banning of Rabbi Kahane's Kach party was the hot news story in Israel that day. For the first time in Israels proud democratic history, a party had been disqualified from running for Parliament. During the course of the day, the media interviewed the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the same one who did not sign the letter (and who also happened to be Rabbi Kahane's personal rabbi). The Chief Rabbi proclaimed on Israel radio for all to hear: “Rabbi Kahane is a great Torah scholar and everything he says is according to Jewish law.” Upon hearing this in his car radio, Rabbi Kahane said with quiet disappointment but without bitterness: “I needed a signature not a eulogy”. So you see it's not only the anti religious crowd that hated this light, the Torah world also rejected it. 54

The greatest leaders of the generation rejected this light. His simple faith made them look like non- believers and furthermore any association might affect their yeshivas adversely. We all have blood on our hands, even me who did not do enough. Chai Cheshvon is a time like Yoseph in the darkest dungeon understanding that the whole world could be changed in a moment but understanding that the hour has not yet come. Someone passed me on the street the other day and said 'Yechi Hamelech,' (long live the king), I answered 'Hashem Yakum Damo' (Hashem should avenge his spilled blood). He looked puzzled. What do I mean by that? I told him I am not waiting for a fairy tale Moshiach who is going to come and save the world and a Bet Hamigdash that will miraculously fall from Heaven. It's a very comfortable illusion, but an illusion nevertheless. I saw the Moshiach. I saw him with my own eyes. I said hooray and I expected everyone else to say hooray, but what did they do? They beat him and they tortured him and they tried 1000 ways to break him and in the end they killed him. Moshiach was here and we killed him. You can say we want Moshach now till you are blue in the face he will not come. Not until we realize that we have blood on our hands, not until we admit that we killed Moshiach ben Yoseph. Only then will the door open for Moshiach ben David, only then. Otherwise Hashem does not need this generation. The light that he sent will turn into a flood as it already has since he left and plague after plague has smitten us from Sept 11 to Gush Katif to wars and now Corona. We are the generation of the desert. We are the 3 day travelers that are now dying out in the 40 year journey. We are the ones that could have changed the world but destroyed it instead and ourselves along with it. Those who look at Kahane and see a crazy man and see darkness are part of a dying generation. There is a new generation being raised in Yehuda and Shomron filled with this light. How can we define this light? How was the Rav different from all others? What is this light that appeared as darkness and darkness that is light? How is it that like Avraham he was on one side and the whole world was on another side? He said Hashem did not appear at Sinai to give us a religion but to create a Holy Nation. We are not meant to be a Hebrew speaking Scandinavia nor are we a religion without a state. He spoke about the difference between real faith and the ritual of mitzvot. How many times is it written in the Torah that when we return we must throw out our enemies and build Hashems house? But to actually do this takes real faith. What other religious practitioners would call impractical the Rav called a practical real faith that Hashem demands of us. It can be done and it would have been done gloriously, if we were not indifferent and if we had protested when Moshiach was attacked and banned and then killed and the decree against us signed and delivered. The only hope to see the Moshiach you dance and pray to (fully revealed in the world) is to recognize the blood stain on our hands. As it was in the Torah of the past it will be in the Torah of the present. What preceded the Moshiach in the Torah and the unity of the the brothers of Israel was the collective admonition that they had sinned against Yoseph. No matter how many years go by the sin will not be forgotten. The generation will be forgotten but not the sin and not the rectification. When we begin to see this light, we will then begin to understand the meaning of Mar Chechvan and the bitterness that surrounds this light, and then from that vantage point within the ark that contains this light, a new world will appear. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Chazal tell us that Matan Torah could have happened in Cheshvan but because that wicked generation did not have the proper vessel to receive this light it turned into a flood. 55

The Real Moshiach (2022) The Gemara (Avodah Zarah 9.) teaches that the world will exist for six thousand years. The first two thousand years are called ‫ תהו‬,void because there was no Torah in the world. The following two thousand years are called the years of Torah. The final two thousand years is the era of Moshiach because Moshiach will come then. The two thousand millennia of Torah began when Avraham Avinu was 52 years old. Why don’t the two thousand years start from the time Avraham recognized Hashem (which is at the age of 3)? The Satmar Rebbe zt'l answered that when Avraham was 52, Nimrod threw him into the fiery furnace at Ur Kasdim because he refused to worship idols. The value of Torah is when it’s kept with mesirus nefesh (self- sacrifice). Avraham believed in Hashem earlier, but when he was 52 years old, he kept the Torah with mesirus nefesh. That’s the beginning of the two thousand years of Torah. Although Avraham went through many tests and was promised a great Nation and knew that the Torah would be given one day, the physical Torah and physical conquest of Eretz Israel was revealed and became a reality many years later. Even the Torah that was given to us, and the Land of Israel that we conquered in the past and reconquered today today is yet destined to expand and to be revealed in a new way with a new reality we have yet to experience. God says,] “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the heart of stone out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh.” (Yechezkel 36:26) And the Lord, your God, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring'.(Devarim 30:6) What is the process of the unfolding of this Torah and the conquest of our Land? The roots of the Torah and the Messianic times of the future begin right here in Ur Kasdim. The origin of Moshiach comes from Avrahams brother Haran whose incomplete faith caused him to perish in Nimrods fire. He thought that if Avraham would go into the fire and perish then he would bow to the idol. If, however, Avraham emerged from the fire then he too would go into the kiln and not bow. His lack of faith and indifference for Kiddush Hashem (the sanctification of G-d's name), caused him to perish. The rectification of that incomplete faith will come many years later with Haran's descendant David Hamelech who was so complete that he was born without the need for the blood of circumcision as he was born circumcised. Although Avraham went to war to rescue Lot (Haran's son who chose to live in Sodom), many centuries later Lot's descendant David Hamelech will rescue Avraham's Nation and raise their level of faith. Davids simple faith could not abide by the Chillul Hashem of Goliath and fearlessly he went to battle to restore the sanctity of Hashem and His Nation. Whatever flaw there was in Haran's faith was eventually rectified and became a crown on King Davids head. It is interesting to note that according to Ra'v Bartenura (Avos 5:3) Ur Kasdim was Avraham's first test, but according to the Rambam, Avraham's first test was ‫לך לך‬, to go to Eretz Canaan. According to the Rambam, the test of Ur Kasdim isn't counted among Avraham's ten tests, and we wonder why not? Isn't choosing the furnace over idol worship a greater test and accomplishment than ‫ ? לך לך‬We also wonder why the test of Ur Kasdim isn't written explicitly in the Torah? Chazal answers that it is because it is often easier for people to do great deeds than mediocre ones. Perhaps it was easier for Avraham to choose the furnace over worshiping idols than ‫ לך לך‬, to leave his father's home. Changing ones daily reality is considered to be a greater test. It seems to me that based on the Rambams logic, the Akeida could not be the last of Avraham's tests but rather the purchase of Sarah's burial site and the Kever Hamchpela. The test of the Akeida would be 56

similar to the dramatic test of Ur Kasdim, but the altering of the political reality that came about through Kever Hamachpelah was profound, for it altered the physical world. A spiritual idea now took on a physical form and a new reality. The kingdom of Israel was established, even if it was in this small physical space, this area was now the sovereign territory of Avraham and his future Nation. Earlier Avraham had reprimanded Lot for grazing his flock on 'promised land' that did not belong to him 'yet' but through the death of Sarah now this Land was beginning to be acquired. How do we see the unfolding of these tests today? Unfortunately we have witnessed too many Akeida's and too many sacrifices that we have come to accept as part of our condition as the Chosen people that will always be unfairly persecuted. We accept that paying the ultimate price of Jewish blood is simply part of our reality. This week however through the mundane actions of the ballot box the Jewish people chose a new reality they chose Jewish identity and this is profound. Will it last? Will it be challenged? Of course it will, and it is only the beginning, however what needs to be understood is that Moshiach is not someone who comes to save us but rather it is 'we' who must become Moshiach and demand a new reality. It is we who must grow in faith and answer those who pressure us to forfeit our land and our identity that we will not be sold and sacrificed any longer. The Torah is not a 'religion' and a 'promise' of some future time. 'We' are the embodiment of the Torah and we are beginning to demand a new reality. It may be a mundane action below but this is the beginning of the test of Lech Lecha. It is not a dramatic moment but rather a choice that we have made in the direction that we desire. May Hashem answer our prayers and our tears and lead us into a new world so that we can depart from those who desire Sodom and call themselves progressive. Let us instead be leaders that restore justice, kindness, liberty, and mercy to the world. We have passed through enough fires it is now time to make a new reality and Lech Lecha. 57

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Kahane in the Parsha Vayera 59

Vayeira The Akeida of Our Times On the journey to the sacrifice Yitzchak asks his father where is the sacrifice? His father responds ‘Elokim Yireh’ ‫‘ לאל שהים שי רר האה‬The G-d of ‘Judgment’ will seek out for Himself’. After the Akeida Avraham calls the place ‘ Hashem Yireh’ ‫‘ ריה אוה שי רר האה‬G-d of ‘Mercy’ will be seen’. What do we learn from this? When one accepts upon himself ‘Din’ as Avraham did at the outset, to do the will and command of the Almighty despite the difficulties the result is that one can transform ‘Din’ into ‘Rachamim’. Avraham succeeded in transforming the G-d of justice into to the G-d of Mercy, by his willingness to hold himself at the standard that was requested of him. It is the Tzaddik that bears upon his shoulders the highest level of sacrifice that accomplishes this. The result is that he pays the price for the leniency extended to others by Hashem. Not only do these two phrases before and after the Akeida express this concept, but the Akeida of our generation is also alluded to and hidden within the letters of this chapter. Who is willing to perform the Akeida in our generation? Itzchak asks the question himself. Itzchak asks his father ‘Where is the sacrifice?’ ‘Ayeh Ha Seh? ‫ תא ליה תה השה‬. The gematria of Ayeh Haseh is the same as Meir Kahane. 326 +1 = 327 As if to say Meir Kahane as well as Hashem were sacrificed in order to pay the price for the Rachamim extended to Am Yisrael. Through the sacrifice of Itzchak in the past or Meir Kahane in the present, the glory of Hashem is revealed in the world and the purpose of creation is sustained upon his merit. When hearts are broken and the Tzadik is no longer here to fight our battles – we must take up the mantle. I believe this is what Hashem desires of us. When the nation internalizes the Torah of the Tzadik, not only does the Tzadik fight for us above, we begin to fight for ourselves below, and this brings the redemption. Vayera – Notes from Tapuach 2009 The Kalisher Rav asked me a question. What was the purpose of Avraham's protest for Sodom? Even in Sodom they didn't protest. So what if there were 50, or 40 or 30 righteous people in Sodom. Did it help any? In the end they were destroyed anyway. The answer is, that even if you lose, it is recorded above. This is what counts. The protester that is beaten ensures the safety of his beater. Even if one does not see results, there are results that are written down. The Rav once pointed out. 'If a finger hurts, it may be of little benefit to cry out in pain. However, if one does NOT cry out, one thing is certain: It does not hurt.' Lenny Goldberg spoke and asked what preceded the Akeida? The midrash tells us there were jabs back and forth between Itzchak and Ishmael, but what is in the Pshat? According to the Pshat, the simple meaning the verse before describes a deal that was made between Avraham and Avimelech. Why make deals about the Land of Israel when Hashem promised it already? Because of this came the Akeida. Rav Nachum Kahana brings down an interesting point in Chaia Sarah that claiming the Land for Sarah's burial was the 10th trial of Avraham. How could this be a higher level than sacrificing ones own son? It appears that the claim of our sovereignty is even higher than our ability to sacrifice. 60

Dvar Torah – Vayera (2005) In the Parsha Vaerya Avraham is visited by three men, who looked like idol worshipers, but were really angels. They tell him Sarah will give birth a year later (at age 90), and Sarah laughs, even though she sees with her eyes an open miracle. Rashi explains that at the moment they arrived her body became young again like a 20-year old woman. She also began to menstruate. Still after witnessing this open miracle she says to herself how can an old man like Avraham give birth to a son, and who are these men, that I should believe them? Later Sarah is reprimanded by Hashem and by her husband for laughing out of disbelief. Ramban comments that Sarah should have disregarded the looks of these men and said ‘may it be so’. I have heard many rabbis discuss this episode and conclude with the moral lesson that we should never scoff at the bearer of blessings but rather we should say ‘amen’. This may be a nice drasha but what do these events really mean? As I sat on a bus on the way to Yerushalayim, I thought about these mysterious verses and tried to unravel the mystery hidden inside. Then it came to me, as I looked at the countryside unfolding before my eyes. As I gazed upon the skyline, and the cities, and the farms and the orchards that are once again fertile and full of life I was looking at an open miracle; like a 90 year old woman becoming 20 again. Now I understood the reprimand to Sarah. And I saw within it a reprimand to the secular Jews as well as the religious Jews. How could a Jew witness the rebirth of Israel and see with his own eyes the in-gathering of the exiles, the building up of the land, the protection of the clouds of glory, and yet not believe that there is a G-d and prophecy and Moshiach? How could one not see the open miracle as they till the land and it yields so much more than their efforts? How does one not notice as they protect the Land with inadequate arms, that somehow additional protection comes from above? How can one not see the miracles as their building below returns a hundred fold from above? How is it possible to see such open miracles and at the same time see the religion as old, outdated and disconnected from this? On the other hand, how could religious Jews scoff at angels? The Zionists were considered idol worshipers just like our story and Sarah laughed. She scoffed at these idol worshipers and didn’t really believe in her heart what she saw with her own eyes. She believed in the promise that G-d had made to Avraham, but could not see what was happening in front of her. If Hashem decided to bring the return to Zion from secular Zionists who demonstrated a love of the land, the religious world should have said ‘may it be so’ and gave them a blessing instead of scoffing. They could have had much more influence in the forming of the nation and could have saved many lives had they also encouraged Aliyah long before the war. To this day there are those who scoff at the Zionists while living in glatt kosher America waiting for a prophecy that is unfolding without them. It is this lack of faith within the heart of the faithful, and the lack of wonder from those who see open miracles that is laughable. And so the birth of Isaac, whose name means ‘laughter’, is the product of this scoffing. Itzchak who is the ‘sacrifice’ and we who scoff at one side of a two sided story and wonder why we always suffer? 61

More on this Subject - 2010 Maybe one can say she was laughing at Avraham because he was old. The Charedim also see themselves as being weak and needing of the protection of the nations – this weakness is seen by the secular side as well. Other Midrashim say that 'he is old' refers to the angels – they don’t even know if they will live tomorrow and they are making promises that they will return in a year – as if to say that the Zionists are also a temporary thing – why should we follow a philosophy that is weak and can hardly stand like an old man and like the angels who prophesy. These foolish men don't know what they are talking about – yet how can she explain her own body becoming young? Can it be that Hashem sent Geula through these messengers? Instead of scoffing, say 'may it be so'. The secular also laugh – we are like old and weak people – we need protection – how do these religious people think we can overtake the world? Look at what your own hands have done. Do you not see the blessing you initiated when you built this land, do you not see the God that is protecting you and guiding you and making you great? Do you not see the miracle of your young body? Israel – The Arm of Hashem Let us look at a few other midrashim. It is also written that because she denied her laughter the torah tells us that women are not allowed to be witnesses, because if the greatest of women could lie then how could we rely on others? After Avraham confronts her and she denies, the next pasuk says that he went off with the angels towards Sodom. How does this tie in to the previous verse? Admonishment of Charedim When Israel came into being again in our times, retribution once again returned to the world, evil can no longer have its way against the Jews without a response from the Jewish army – the arm of Hashem. Their may be some connection to Sara and future women that have no say in court procedures, to many of the Chredim today who are not active participants and witnesses to the great mitzvah of retribution. In the later days they will say this isn’t so, when they eventually participate, but in the beginning it was so, they were too busy scoffing to participate in the rejuvenation of the strong arm of Hashem, and so they were not relevant in this great undertaking. It is Avraham alone that deals with international matters of Sodom and asks his wife why were you of all people laughing? The relevance that Sarah does take part in is in the internal conflict, just as the Chardim do today – who is a Jew and in the end she is the driving force in driving Ishmael out. The name Itzchak alludes to the fact that he himself is a tikkun of this matter of laughter. When Itzchak is born the matter of laughter becomes real and not scoffing anymore. It leads to the judgment against Ishmael. Through Itzchak there is also a tikkun of Avraham who prayed for the success of Ishmael and opposed Sarah's insistence that the two cannot live together. Avraham's chessed is tempered with judgment when through Itzchak he must make the ultimate sacrifice at the Akeida. 62

Admonishment of the Secular As stated above regarding women and trials – Israel in the National perspective is judged harshly and cannot defend itself. Like a woman it's legitimacy was reliant on the sympathy of the nations and not the justice of cause or faith in Hashem who had promised this Land. Sympathy and charity only go so far in the eyes of the world and as a result of the vacuum of faith, the strong arm of Israel is outlawed and generals of the IDF face the risk of war crimes trials when they travel abroad. The only solution is the combined efforts of Sarah and Avraham that correct the attitudes of scoffing, cleanse our house of enemies from within and recognize the miracles that are in front of our eyes and go forward beyond ritual to true faith. The Rav often said that the problem today is we are one legged Jews as opposed to two legged Jews. Judaism was never meant to be a religion without a State nor was Israel ever meant to be a Nation without a soul; a 'Hebrew speaking Scandinavia' as the Rav put it. The Torah is the constitution of a Nation. We are intended to be a religious Nation. As we evolve and the Jewish haters of Zion participate more in its building, while the Jewish haters of religion participate more in laws that reflect a higher authority, we will find ourselves more balanced and able to withstand the physical and spiritual enemies that are created by our own shortcomings. Good Chesed and Bad Chesed (2015) Parsha Vayera is the ultimate example of chesed as well as the example of the misuse of chesed. The perfect example of chesed is described to us in the opening of the Parsha as Avraham who is in pain after performing the Brit Mila is concerned that because of his pain he will not be in a good condition to welcome guests. He is pleased to find guests and rushes to invite them even though they see he is in pain and do not wish to disturb him. He makes a lavish feast for them and afterward they bless him and inform him of the great prophecy that his wife will give birth at ninety years old. Lot who had grown up in this household also understood chesed and it was second nature to him as well. When the angels came to Sodom he offered them a place to stay. When the sodomites protested however Lot was willing to give them chesed with his daughters. This type of chesed he was less concerned about. This did not appease the Sodomites and they responded 'This fellow (Lot) came to sojourn and would act as a judge?(Bereshit 19:9). There is a midrash that I was told once by Rabbi Wolkenstein (z'tl) of Toronto. When the Jewish people were banished from Israel Hashem told the ministering angels of the 70 nations to watch over His people the Israelite Nation. They answered to Him we will do so only on one condition. Tell them not to tell us how to run our countries. We see this pattern occur from the time of Lot, to Egypt, to Nazi Germany to even America today. The Jewish people intermarry and share their chesed and their morality. They are less concerned about the Brit Mila which separates the Jewish people and much more concerned with fitting in and being the best Egyptians, Germans, and Sodomites. In the end [despite their chesed or because of it], their host countries rise up against the Jews and blame them for destroying the fabric of their countries by importing this foreign morality. We see it festering again today when Jews are accused of controlling Hollywood and the Press and economic conspiracies that are as old as Sodom. Avraham also uses a type of chesed with his wife Sarah by having her pretend to be his sister. As we have explained before we talk about Jerusalem like she is a sister of other equal religions. We are 63

committed to her like we are committed to other religions that share the same space. We are not that serious about her. The isolation that Hashem required of Avraham by the Brit Mila was a very difficult commandment that even today we cannot live by. Either we rebel against it completely as the Lots of the past and present do. Or we pretend that we are not that separate and tolerant of others who also wish to marry our wife and only when her position as sister is threatened does she become our wife. The conflict between Ishmael and Itzchak will bring out our opposite side of self-sacrifice and judgment when we are forced to conquer or be conquered. We will be forced into saying she is not our sister, she is our wife. This will also affect the Lot's of the world who are desperately trying to lead anonymous lives. As a people of chesed its not only terrifying to be alone in a sea of hatred against us, but our very nature desires the love and affection of others. Our isolation however, is actually a blessing that Hashem gave us, though it goes against our very nature. This isolation in the end will bring our salvation as well as the proper harmony between our people and other nations in the world. Twenty Two Years Rabbi Halperin in the Chabbad Bet Knesset I go to mentioned an idea. He said that it was around this time twenty two years ago that the Rebbe appeared for the last time. He hoped that now after twenty two years the Rebbe would return as Yoseph returned to Yacov after twenty two years. In that story Yacov did not believe the news until he saw the Torah of Yoseph come alive. He saw a message that Yoseph sent him that only he would know. The message that Yoseph sent his father had to do with the last Torah discussion they had. When Yacov saw this he understood that Yoseph was truly alive and his Torah was alive. The times had changed and Yoseph had returned. The rabbi hoped that now we would also see the Torah of the Lubavitch Rebbe actualized. I told the Rabbi that I had the same idea. This idea came to me on the night of November 5th, 1990 when Rabbi Kahane was gunned down in New York. When 2012 came and went I realized that I was wrong in my calculations and I thought about maybe another bookmark the Hebrew year 5776 which is this year. Seventy six is the gematria of Kahane and again I was expecting an epic year and this time it seems to be somewhat correct. As soon as Rosh Hoshanna appeared a new wave of terror began. This terror was the exact terror that the Rabbi warned about more than twenty two years ago. He warned that if we did not expel the Arabs from Israel we would face a Northern Ireland of hatchets and knives. These are the words he used and today we see this new wave has begun. It is frightening to see this prophecy [or deduction] becoming a reality however he also gave us the antidote and solution. Missiles one could hide from in shelters and could be shot down, but now everywhere one looks, one never knows who may come charging at him with a knife. With all of our clever ideas (including the new app that sends a signal of an attack to the police) there is no sophisticated weapon that can stop the enemies that live among us. It is interesting to note that this year is both the gematria of Kahane as well as twenty two years since the Rebbe of Lubavitch departed. There is a positive side to the story. The very lies that incited the Arabs to these recent attacks I believe were put into their mouths from Hashem so that these liars will create a new reality; the very truth they had feared. It seems to me that from above Hashem was not happy with the status quo. We have become too satisfied with visiting a remnant of an outer wall of the Bet Hamigdash rather than building 64

the Bet Hamigdash that is required of us. I have a feeling that after meeting with the angels in Heaven on Rosh Hashanna and conferring with the Rebbe and Rav Kahane it was decided that now is the time. Right after Rosh Hoshanna the Arab leaders began inciting their people and saying the status quo has changed on the Temple mount. The Jewish leaders adamantly denied such an accusation. They have no intention of building their Holy Temple (chas v'sholem). The Arabs however are convinced this is a holy war. Again reluctantly we must become conquerors or else be conquered. I hope however that this time the battle will bring the beginning of the building of that very temple and the expelling of our enemies once and for all. Gift or Sacrifice? Parsha Vayera is a very perplexing Parsha on one hand the greatest miracle occurred. A child is born to Avraham at 100 years old and his wife at 90 years old. Such a great miracle. In the same Parsha however Hashem takes this very miracle and offers it as a sacrifice. What kind of God gives such a miracle and then takes it away? How can we understand such a God? Unless there was something that we did along the way for this to happen. What could we have done? In the beginning of the Parsha Avraham sits in the plains of Mamre. Why do we remember the place where he sat? The Midrash tells us that Avraham was concerned when he received the commandment of the Brit Mila that this would hinder his efforts to bring people closer to God as he had been doing all his life. Two friends reacted as he had feared and said it was a mistake and that this strange ritual would drive people away. One friend called Mamre however said to Avraham you must do whatever your God has commanded you to do. This is why Mamre is honored in the Torah by having his name mentioned here. Avraham who was a man of Chesed was concerned for he wanted to share the attribute of Gods chesed to the world and influence people. We see that even when he was in pain following the Brit Mila he ran to bring guests into his home. Imagine Avraham's joy when he was informed about the great miracle about to come to his wife Sarah. The child they had wished for would finally arrive in such a miraculous fashion. Ishmael however was not happy and had animosity towards Itzchak. Although Avraham loved Ishmael when this son proved to be a danger to Itzchak, his wife Sarah convinced him to throw this son out along with his mother. It is interesting to note the passage that is written right after Ishmael is thrown out. Avimelech and his general tell Avraham 'Hashem is with you in everything you do'. For many years the Jewish response to those who suggest transferring the Arab population has been, but what would the world say? Here the Torah gives us a clear indication. Avimelech is remembered here, just like Mamre. There is a catch however. Avimelech wishes to make a political alliance with Avraham and Avraham agrees. The Midrash tells us that because of this political alliance and the seven sheep that were offered, seven shepherds of Israel would also be slaughtered in the future including Shimshon (Samson). When discussing the Akeida which begins with the words 'after all these things' many commentators explain that this passage refers to a Midrash of a discussion that Ishmael had with Itzchak. Ishmael said I am greater than you because I did the Brit Mila when I was 13 and you were only 8 days old. Itzchak said your wrong, you think your greater because you did what you understood to be correct while my very being belongs to Hashem regardless of my understand even if he asked my whole life I would give it. ''After these things', Hashem then asks him to be brought as a sacrifice. 65

Rabbi Kahane on the other hand says the Pshat, the simple meaning of the text, refers to the preceding chapter. What preceded the Akeida? The story of Avimelech. It was after 'these' things. Hashem had promised Avraham that he would make a great Nation from Avraham and give him the Land of Cannan. He also told him that his wife Sarah would give birth to a son and here Avraham saw this with his own eyes, the revelation of this prophecy. The world also saw this miracle and Avraham and Sarah were famous because of it. If Hashem has promised to give Avraham the Land of Canaan and he proves his future prophecy by the miraculous birth of Itzchak, why then does Avraham make political alliances? This was the problem then and the problem today. This is why in the same Parsha we have such a great miracle and such a great catastrophe. For Israel to dwell alone is a blessing for Israel and for the world. Mamre supported Avraham as well as Avimelech before any agreement was made. In our own day the six day war was seen as a miracle from God and many people applauded Israel and became closer to Israel and the God of Israel because of it. What did we do in response? We based our security and future on man made agreements and compromises that completely defy Gods commandments and so Itzchak and his children are sacrificed each day. The miraculous and catastrophe occur not because our God is unstable but rather we are. Who is blind but my servant Israel (Isaiah 42:18)? Open miracles occur to the body of Israel yet we lack faith to continue in the direction we are commanded. The root of the problem is the attribute of chesed that the Nation of Israel has and its lack of faith. The lovely attribute of chesed must be tempered with Itzchak's attribute of Strength and Judgement. Due to lack of faith the miracles we receive turn into catastrophes that we could have prevented. Lot and Noach Because Noah survived the flood we have the world as we know it today. Because Lot survived Sodom we have the kingdom of David Hamelech as we know it today. Both Noach and Lot almost didn't make it out. They had to be pushed into the ark and pulled out of Sodom Like survivors today they were lucky to be alive. Noach and Lot were both survivors. They were spared on their merits as well as the prayers of future generations; generations that will build better societies then they were able to build. Survivors of the past like survivors today carry the scars of the past. Things happened to both Noach and Lot because they were both drunk and apparently unaware. The children of survivors are also affected by what transpired. Cham did something to Noach for fear of the next generations and the daughters of Lot did something to him also for fear of the next generations Both Cham and Lot's daughters did not receive a blessing for what they did and the nations they created were also not blessed. From the children of Cham however would come Mitzrayim from where the Nation of Israel would be born. From Lots daughters would come the seed of David from which our Monarchy would be born You might ask: How is Hashems glory built upon worlds that were corrupted,destroyed and cursed? You may ask why is a seed placed into the darkness of the earth and from this place it disintegrates into nothingness and yet from here a shoot also springs forth. From the shoot becomes a great tree; A tree that bears fruit. A fruit that has also seeds to bear more fruit. The secret things belong to Hashem, we all however have a choice. To be attached to the fruit or to live in the underground. 66

The Severity of Kindness Gevurah sh B'chesed (a farbrengen Shabbat Vayera 2016) I want to say a l'chaim to Rav Meir David ben Yecheskel Shraga Hacohen (HYD). It's been twenty six years today since Hashem took him. I want to explain to you the Chasidut of Rav Kahane and also how it connects with the Chasidut of Chabad. Chabad does unbelievable kindness (chesed) all around the world. They are famous for going out on the street and putting tefillin on Jews to help them connect to their Jewish soul. Everywhere they go there are farbrengens and l'chaims and they make Jews dance on Simchat Torah. They show Jews the beauty of Judaism and help them connect to their Jewish soul. They open the doorway to Judaism and make the mitzvot positive and fun and feed your bodies as well. But not every heart beats to the same drummer. To some, no matter what you try and sell them they are not interested. They have no interest in organized religion. There are some chasids of Rav Kahane who came to Judaism not because they were offered anything at all, in fact the opposite. The Rav would say 'we need you', 'Am Israel needs you'. It doesn't matter if you did tefilin or you did not do tefilin, 'we need you'. And the Jew would stop and say 'someone needs me? My people need me? I can help save the Jewish people? And if I don't who will?' His chasidut appealed to Jews in a completely different way. There is the story I have already mentioned before of how scores of Jews were incarcerated during a protest in the USA to free Russian Jews and how the Rabbi saw a hippie in a corner crying. He went over to comfort him and tell him not to worry, they will be released in a few hours, its no big deal. He answered that he was not crying because he was scared he didn't care that they were in prison. 'Then why are you crying' asked the Rav, and he answered ' because this is the first time I ever did anything for my people.' When the Rabbi heard these words, then he wanted to cry. We can see the two types of chasidut played out in our Parsha. How is it that Avraham who is the foundation of kindness, in the end of the Parsha does the most severe act of gevurah (strength, severity), by sacrificing his own son? Some will say that it was precisely the ultimate test for Avraham because he had to go against his compassionate nature to do this severe commandment of Hashem. It seems to me that although this may be true it tells us something even deeper. It's possible that there are various levels to each trait that are connected to each other. For example the ultimate kindness is actually gevurah; the ultimate gevurah is actually emet, and so on through all of the middot. How do we see this? If we look at the Parsha we see there is a level of kindness before the brit mila and after. Lot for example parted from Avraham before the brit mila was given. He did a tremendous amount of chesed and self-sacrifice that he had learned in the house of Avraham. For him to offer hospitality to the angels in Sodom was a heroic act in a place where people were punished for their generosity. Yet his level of unlimited kindness also led him to offer his daughters to the people of Sodom, and in the end he had children with them. There were some negative consequences to his kindness. Avraham however had now arrived at a higher level of kindness precisely because of the limitations of the Brit Mila. The Lubavitcher Rebbe writes volumes on the subject of the Brit Mila. He explains that Avraham waited to receive this command so that now he could join the highest place in Heaven to the lowest place on earth, similar to the receiving of the Torah. The whole purpose of the Torah is to connect the Heavenly with the physical world below. He explains about the direct connection that each Jew has because of this covenant. The intimate connection that the Hebrew people had now with Hashem was 67

something new in the world and bound them to Hashem in a completely different way than the rest of humanity. This 'kindness' of Hashem Avraham had waited for but it also troubled him. Now the man of kindness had a barrier between others. He was different now not only in thought but in body. We see in the beginning of the Parsha how he ran to offer hospitality even though he was in pain from the Brit Mila. Greater than his physical pain was this pain of separation and isolation. Rav Kahane writes about a different subject in the Parsha (and not the aliya I was given regarding the expulsion of Ishmael). Although this (Ishmael's expulsion) may be one of the results the underlying principles of his chasidut is much deeper than this. And this is what people must understand and study well. The Rav writes about the Akeida. What does it mean 'After all these things?' Many are familiar with the Midrash regarding the dispute between Ishmael and Itzchak and after Itzchak declares his self- sacrifice to be greater than Ishmael's Hashem then commands the Akeida. The Rav talks about the simple meaning of the verses, the plain meaning. 'After all these things' is normally used when something not good had previously happened. What bad thing had previously happened? Avraham had made a pact with Avimelech to have peace between their families for generations. How is this bad? The Rav explains that after all of Hashems promises, and after all of Avrahams uncertainties, 'How will I know?' I am old who will inherit this covenant? And after all of this Hashem makes his wife young and creates open miracles and at a hundred years old he has a child. Not only does Avraham see this with his own eyes, but his wife and all the greatest people in the generation come to celebrate with him. And now at this point he decides to make a pact with Avimelech which will prohibit him from conquering the Land that had previously been promised him for generations? At this point after seeing this open miracle and proclaiming it to the world Avraham decides to go in reverse? Hashem answers, if so, then I too will go in reverse. Take your son as a sacrifice. We see the same thing occurring in every generation especially today. Look how we cannot conquer our Lands because of agreements we create between America or the UN or whomever. Look at the chesed that Hashem gives us and creates open miracles for us in 1967 and gives us the Land of Israel and then we go in reverse and turn that chesed into the gevurah and punishment and the countless akeidas that didn't have to be, simply because we lacked that small gevurah of faith we needed to accept this chesed. This is the very fine point of chasidut that Rav Kahane taught us. This is the small key that can open enormous gateways of blessing. If we only understood this tiny flaw which can create a perfect world or reverse the parting of the Red Sea. What was Avraham supposed to say to Avimelech? My dear friend Avimelech. As you know I am a man of Chesed and it may seem that now after this Covenant with Hashem I am no longer the same man. And your right I am not. Before I performed this command which would result in a certain separation from humanity, I asked advise of my good friend Mamre and he gave me an excellent answer. He told me if this is what your God demands of you , you must do it. Now My God has also commanded me to build His home here on earth in these Lands. I cannot be prevented from subduing this area for the service of the Creator of the entire world by having any pact that may compromise the mission of my people. This may appear to you to be harsh and not fitting for the man of kindness you once knew. You should know however that the kindness I do now by not making this pact is a much greater kindness not only for me and my people, but also for you. 68

Now if Avraham would have said these words, the nations would have accepted. If we had let the Arabs flee in 1967 and proclaimed that Hashem in His kindness made miracles for us and now we have annexed these lands for His service the nations would have accepted this. If we stand even today and proclaim the truth the Nations will accept us and respect us. This is the fine point of the Rav's chasidut. If we added this small measure of gevurah into the mix of our unlimited kindness then we would have the ultimate kindness. If not, the very kindness that is given to us turns into severity, oppression and tragedy The chasidut of Chabbad one might say is very personal. Every Jew must understand how his very essence is connected to Hashem and Hashem wants to elevate the physical world below. The chasidut of Rav Kahane says the same thing, but even more so. His chasidut changes the political world outside so we are free to develop our internal connection. Once someone asked the Rav why he bothers to protest for Russian Jews in America. Does he really think that Russia could care less? Can it really do anything? To this the Rabbi replied if one hurts his finger why should he cry out? What does the cry do to the pain he feels in his finger? But if he doesn't cry, one thing is for certain. He feels no pain. We need to say l'chaim and we also need to cry out. If we cry out all the time and never say l'chaim, something is missing in our understanding. If we say l'chaim all the time and never cry out, something is missing in our heart. Those who think that the chasidut of Rav Kahane is the opposite of chesed are wrong. Its a higher chesed that appears to be gevurah because the more that one loves good the more one hates that which seeks to destroy good. It is a very refined Torah that is revolutionary in its simplicity. A pinch of gevurah within our kindness will make a world of difference. Behold a different Ram -‫ מו מי קֹרא רו שה לנה‬,‫תעי נניו‬, -‫את‬-‫ יג מו יי נשא מא ֹקב נר נהם ל‬13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw - ‫לך‬-‫תי ל‬, ‫לנ לא מחז מב קֹס מבך ֹקב מק ֹקר נניו; מו‬- ,‫ תא תחר‬,‫ תא שיל‬behold a ram, afterwords, caught in the ‫מו יי מקח‬ thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took ‫מת מחת‬ ‫ע נלה‬,‫קֹל ם‬ ‫להו‬,‫מו מי נע ת‬ ,‫ נה מא ייל‬-‫את‬-‫ל‬ ‫מא קֹב נר נהם‬ the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering ‫ ֹקבנו‬. instead of his son. (Bereshit 22:13) ‫ תא תחר‬,‫אתישל‬-‫ = רו שהנלה‬behold [a different] ram! = 316+letters and kollel = 327 (afterward can also be read Acher, different) My friend Yacov pointed out to me that in addition to the gematria Aye Hasah, behold another ram is also the same gematria (327). What is the connection? I take this as a positive sign of the Rabbi's sacrifice tilting the balance scales towards mercy for Am Israel. In addition there is a new chapter in the world of pre and post Rabbi Kahane. There are many young people who never met the Rabbi or Binyamin and are continuing to forge the path and distribute the Torah of Rav Kahane. Not only did the sacrifice that he paid for cause a different wind to blow for us (acher), but he has also brought down into the world a new heart for the Jewish people which is also (acher). This continues the theme I spoke about earlier regarding transforming Din into Mercy. It is interesting to note that the Talmud also discusses a future time based on this passage. a ram after – what is the intent of “after”? R. Yuda b. Simon said [The Holy One Blessed be 69

He said to Avraham]: “After all the generations , your children are destines to be caught up in transgression and enmeshed in affliction, and in the end, they will be redeemed through the horns of this ram, as it is written (Zechariah 9:14): 'And the L-rd G-d shall blow the shofar' ” (Yerushalmi, Ta'anith 2:4). The Rav pushed us to our calling and although we failed the test, he continues to carry us over the mountain top on his own shoulders. May his Torah continue to grow and influence a brighter future for Am Israel. Inside and Outside The planting of the infinite within a finite world It seems to me that each of the seven middot evolve and are perfected by the one that follows. We have already spoken about chesed and gevura and how a pinch of gevurah makes the ultimate chesed. Now let's look at the other middot. At the end of Itzchaks journey of gevurah he is suddenly confronted by the emet (truth) that Yacov reveals to him regarding his lifelong vision of Esau. That vision of Esau was suddenly altered to arrive at the epiphany of the journey that his Gevurah had now led him to. Emet had now entered his Gevurah and perfected it. Yacov the third of the patriarchs that represents the midda of truth gave birth to the multiple sided truth of the tribes of Israel. Each son was a Rosh Yeshiva and all were united like stones under the head of Yacov yet were divided in regards to Yoseph. The burden of the fragmentation of this truth is resolved in Netzach (victory,eternity) when the full story is played out. Yacov sees the reunification of this fragmented in the end. The truth of the various sides of dispute leads to a type of victory. Moshe is also related to netzach. He freed the Nation of Israel from Egypt yet he was not able to give himself the same freedom and was denied entry into the Land. His victory is transformed into a type of defeat that leads to a greater glory. One of the reasons for his being denied entry into Eretz Israel is so that future Jewish souls will be redeemed for his sake by being buried outside Israel. The story is told of how a begger dropped a sack of pennies in the sand and no-one came to help until the person cried I dropped my gold watch in the sand then people came to help and picked up many pennies as well in their search for the gold watch. The self sacrifice of Moshe was for the glory of the Jewish people. Glory goes beyond victory. Aaron who represents glory brought peace between brothers and harmony between Heaven and Earth with the Temple service. He too was denied entry into the Land of Israel for a greater glory of a third temple. His death similar to Moshe is the beginning of an even greater glory that is not yet revealed. This leads us to the hidden world of Yoseph and all of the permanent fruits of the world that are buried in the underground roots of the Earth. The long period of exile that contains within it the relative harmony of the tribes reunited is not yet fully actualized. The secrets of all that went before must be born again within the tribes from deep roots buried within beginning by the transformation of Egypt that coincides with the transformation of Israel. 70

Yesod is already the beginning of malchut. Yoseph embodies the hidden truth (the secret essence of the world itself) that becomes the revealed truth. Although that revealed truth is connected to the times of Moshiach the unity and revelation that occurs is still partly in exile. David unifies this outwardly to continue the transformation of the world as it is perfected in the transformation of Israel. The international Brit mila that Yoseph begins in Egypt is completed by Israel under the direction of David Hamelech This last midda of malchut is itself part of something beyond malchut. We see this in the holiday of Sukkot as all of the nation's will be united under Israel and bring their sacrifices to Israel each year. All of the seven middot will then be perfected. Yet although all of the seven middot are perfected through Israel there is even another world beyond these middot that we have a glimpse of in shmini atzeret. There is one day outside of the seven where we stand alone with our Creator. The eighth day of shmini atzeret brings us back full circle to Avraham Avinu and the Brit Mila. We who perfect the seven can only do so because our source us beyond the seven. The command that Avraham was waiting for would separate him from the world and unify it at the same time. The painful cry of a Jewish baby from his eighth day in this world is the cry of the Almighty Himself hidden inside the working of His creation. Through his chosen people who represent the holiest sparks of the physical world, the world is transformed and channeled to the Heavenly. The Final Gate has Closed (2021) (Understanding the Parsha today) There was a time before the last World War when a Jew who could see a bit into the future could manage to get out of Europe and flee to Israel where there was also war but there was a better chance of survival. If he missed that opportunity then he had to try and survive in the middle of monstrous times where escape was only through the miraculous. Some survived and many did not. With a very heavy heart I must admit that that time is today. The gates are now closed. A person who has not been vaccinated can no longer make aliyah from the USA or from Canada. The borders are now closed. What frightened me on September 11, 2001, when I realized how suddenly all airports could be closed (and I hurriedly made aliyah) is now a reality. Today is also Chai Cheshvan and an important date to know. We have all heard people say 'We want Moschiach now.' I also have heard this however I actually saw Moshiach as did the whole Jewish world. Instead of welcoming him and saying 'how can we help', we spat on him, beat him, imprisoned him and then we killed him. On Chai Cheshvan Rabbi Kahane was murdered and his blood is on our hands including mine who might have done more. He shook the world and not only tried to save the Jews of Russia but also of America and Israel and everywhere that the exile mentality took hold of us. He had sounded the alarm for thirty years and thirty years after his death the alarm was still sounded and today the gates are now closed. We are now entering the dark period before the rebirth of the State of Judea. How is this connected to our Parsha? Where do we see in our Parsha the promise of redemption, the warning of exile, the period of darkness and that final redemption? Let me explain. 71

Two questions that bothered me for many years was why would Hashem promise us an occupied land and create this whole political problem right from the very beginning? In addition why are we destined to suffer? Why did we need to go down to Egypt in the very beginning and why are we continually being refined through various furnaces throughout history? These questions are answered in last weeks Parsha and this week as well, in addition there is an idea that in every generation there is a Yoseph that we persecute. What we did to him ends up being done to us. There is one who always has the remedy and who can save us for he sees where our actions will lead. He sees the approaching storm and could prevent catastrophe but in our blindness we kill the messenger and choose the storm. The final war between Gog and Magog is alluded to in our Torah as the first World War which we read about last week and was fought by the first reluctant conqueror who was the progenitor of a Nation of reluctant conquerors. The war was fought for the sake of one Jew who was taken captive and it did not matter if he was religious or not. The first World War that reluctantly forced Avraham to conquer the entire civilized world and liberate it from tyrants will happen again in our own times very soon. It seems that the reason that Hashem intentionally promised an occupied and developed land to be given over to Avraham is a similar reason that Hashem decided to bring Avraham into a type of partnership in completing his own physical being with the Brit Milah. What Sarah revealed to Avraham and was confirmed and validated by Hashem was that the Brit Mila was not just the physical completion of man but the beginning of the spiritual completion of mankind. That struggle began by removing Ishmael. What the Hebrew completes on his body is a symbol of what he must complete in the world politically. Its not enough that his body is pure and holy, he must ensure that his surroundings are pure and safe from violent forces. The symbol of the Brit Milah on the body reminds us of our mission to remove the political foreskin of Israel and in doing so this will effect the entire world. The origin of our suffering however did not come from removing this foreskin from the body and the heart but the opposite; by a type of blindness that began in last weeks Parsha and worsened to a point that it turned into a decree. After Avraham had liberated the entire world Malchitzedek praised Avraham and Avrahams God at which point Avraham corrected him and said it is not proper to praise the servant before the king. The decree of our suffering happened right after this war when Hashem promised Avraham that he will yet have a child and Avraham asked but how will I know? By what sign? At this point Hashem tells Avraham that he will have many descendants but there is a decree that they will be enslaved for 400 years. Was this a punishment? What did Avraham do? Was it so terrible for Avraham to ask for a sign? If we put this in perspective that after Avraham and Elizer alone conquered four kings and their armies and liberated the civilized world, in addition to this when Malchitedek praises Avraham he corrects him and says the praise is all due to Hashem not me. Now after these open miracles witnessed by the world Avraham asks for a sign? What had just happened? Was that not a big enough sign? The 400 year decree however did not actually take effect until the birth of Itzchak. How is the birth of Itzchak connected to this decree? After the whole world again witnessed something truly miraculous, the birth of Itchak by a 90 year old woman who became young again, there was a great Kiddush Hashem in the world. Everyone was talking about the God of Avraham. After witnessing the promise that was kept by the God of Avraham, Avimelech sought to make a political pact with Avraham. 72

Now when Mamre had advised Avraham to do whatever his God asks him, his name is remembered and honored in the Torah. The pact with Avimelech however brought only disaster for many generations and caused the death of many of our prophets. Avraham could have told Avimelech that they can be friends however he cannot make such a pact as Hashem had promised the Land to him. As Rav Kahane pointed out the line right after Avimelech, Hashem says to Avraham to take your son and sacrifice him. Does this come out of nowhere? Is it really just a test of Avrahams faith or is there something else going on? If we put this in perspective to the sign Avraham requested after conquering the world singlehandedly and now after even more people have come closer to the God of Avraham, Avraham trusts in a human king for his security and disregards the promise of Hashem? While the world came closer to the God of Avraham what happened to Avraham himself? Was the whole miracle of Itzchaks birth wasted on Avraham? Did he not see what the world saw? How could he trust in man over Hashem? It is because of this that Hashem said take your son and sacrifice him. It seems like Hashem is saying to Avraham if you now trust in man and disregard my promises it is as if the miracle of Itzchak never happened because you learned nothing, so return him to me. This my friends is the time we are living in today. The time of the Akeida. Hashem is patient and bears our sins for a long long time but then there is a limit. In our times as in others by avoiding truth, grasping onto delusions and killing the messenger who offers practical solutions to the oncoming storm by our very own actions or indifference the era of warning descends further to the era of decree. The death of Sarah is related to the Akeida in the same way that the death of Rav Kahane is related to the decree of the Akeida of our times. We could have been reading a different story. Of course even in the darkest of times there is always hope. After this dark period of the Akeida Avraham finally internalizes the political and international vision of the Brit Milah that Sarah understood and he redeems the very earth below and pays whatever price it may be so that there is now a sovereign country below and Avraham the servant of God is the king of this physical nation below. After the dark times we are entering when China will soon scoop the west up like the jello that it has become, Israel alone will save the entire world, but not the Israel crippled by Arab enemies inside its Knesset. There will arise very shortly a new State called The State of Judea and the leader of its army will be the first king of modern day Israel. A handful of zealots from the hills of Judea will re-ignite our souls like the candles of of Chanuka and liberate not only Israel but the entire world. The first congress of the State of Judea and the first passports and flag were all initiated by Rav Kahane in the last years of his life. Although we are entering the time of the tragic death of Sarah and the Akeida where what we received miraculously is reluctantly taken away remember that next weeks Parsha is not just called Sarah but Chayei Sarah, like Rav Kahane became Kahane Chai and then Kahane Tzadek. Let it be an easy birth and may we all live to see the victory of Moshiachs battle which is now our own battle. (For those who can no longer leave, stock up with groceries while you still can and try and find people that have farms where you can survive without money. As my good friend Shifra Hoffman z'tl used to say, better to have and not need than to need and not have). 73

A Heart to Understand (2022) Although we know that no obstacle can thwart Hashem’s design, even the assassination of His beloved ones, and we know that even darkness itself gives birth to a greater light, how do we come to terms with this burning bush which is actually a tree of life? Those who tried to destroy the light of Hashem by killing his messenger, who had only 'one mandate', look in horror as thirty-two years later his followers have 'fourteen mandates' in the government. How could this be they wonder? One cannot destroy Hashem; one can only destroy himself. The blood on one’s hands may be the hot blood of hate or the cold blood of indifference, however as the instigators and silent acquiescers come to terms with themselves there is a more important question. What purpose might Hashem have for the Chassid’s who were left without their leader to grope in the dark, as they continued to grow despite each obstacle? After thirty-two years (Gematria Lev = heart), does the Nation have a heart to understand? In addition, regarding the fourteen mandates (Gematria Yad = hand), do we see the Yad Chazakah (hand of redemption)? 'Chozek Yad' is the masculine form of 'Yad Chazakah' and I personally experienced both redemption's as I escaped in secret to Israel during the 'Sars' epidemic and then returned, and two months later officially made Aliyah, not with fear but with love and boldly with Chozek Yad. Similarly, Rashi points out the term B’Etzem Hayom (that very day) in three places in the Torah where Hashems will was done ‘unchallenged’ by others, however in our Parsha he does not include this as an example even though Avraham chose to do the brit milah B’Etzem Hayom so that all could see. Some say that the difference here is that the locations that Rashi cites are actions by Hashem to prevent anyone from attempting to interfere. In the case of Avraham, it was Avraham who did not care if anyone objected, nothing would stop him. It is precisely after this tremendous declaration and transformation of Avraham and eventual miraculous birth of Itzchak that raises a perplexing question. Rav Kahane brings down Rashbam who explains that after the great pride and glory that the birth of Itzchak brought to Avraham and his G-d how could he make a ‘practical’ pact with Avimelech which would undermine everything? In his anger [it's as if] Hashem said sacrifice your son and let’s see how practical your pact is now. The correction Avraham makes with his final trial of transforming not only himself but the Land of Israel through acquisition of Hamachpela may reflect the transition of the new heart being formed today. Will the 'yad chazakah' in the Knesset become weakened or will it be strengthened? Have we reached the age where we are beginning to circumcise our heart? Is it possible that the reason Hashem created an army of leaderless Chassid’s in the both the Litvish world of Kahane and the Chassidic world of Chabad, to prepare us for the last wars of Gog and Magog? Today unlike any other time in history there is no longer any place to escape as the whole world is becoming connected to a looming planetary tyranny where all governments and peoples must comply. Of course, the salvation of Israel is the salvation of the world and as wars become increasingly personal from missiles to Tel Aviv to potentially insidious social credit scores designed to enslave each individual maybe it is the leaderless few who continue to overcome each obstacle that can train and inspire others to resist with a heart that understands and a strong hand that will not back down. Those who refuse to die and grow even through fire will overcome any man-made machine of war and inspire each of their neighbors to choose faith over practicality and compliance. Avimelechs pacts no longer apply, they were broken on the day they were signed. If Hashem has seen our desire and begun to redeem us, then we must comply only with Him and boldly redeem ourselves. He so loves it when we pass tests. 74

Kahane in the Parsha Chaia Sarah 75

Chai Sarah ‫נש ננהתו שיהריו‬ And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven ‫לע קֹש ירים‬- ‫קֹו‬ ‫מ נאה נש ננה‬,‫ת‬ ,‫יי נש נרה‬,‫מח ת‬ and twenty years; these were the years of the life .‫תיי נש נרה‬, ‫מח‬ ,‫תי‬,‫שקֹנ‬--‫נש ינים‬ of Sarah. (Bereshit 23:1) ‫לש מבע‬- ‫קֹו‬ (Bereshit 23:1) The Rav was murdered in this Parsha and there is much to say about the connections to Chai Sarah. Sarah teaches us Meisirut Nephesh. She did not live for herself, but for the success of the Israelite mission. Her real ‘life’ was the last 37 years of her life, from the birth of Itzchak to the Akeida, and this is the reason according to the Zohar, that the Torah includes this passage, in order to tell us this. Viye-hu is the gematria thirty seven alluding to the true ‘life’ of Sarah. There are a few Midrashim that say she died in shock as a result of the Akeida. Some are of the view that she died in shock that her precious son was killed, and some say it was the shock that he wasn’t killed, and didn’t become the perfect sacrifice that she had trained him to be. Whatever the view, all agree her death was connected to the Akeida. Rav Kahane was the perfect example of self-sacrifice in our generation. Of all the other Rabbi’s and Jewish leaders, he alone stood up to speak out the Torah truth of our times, and by doing so made himself a target for evil. We all died of shock when we heard the news, because our precious leader was killed and taken from us. Of course everyone knew that he was always in danger of assassination because of the politically incorrect ‘truth’ that he spoke. We also died because in a way, we allowed this to happen. We sentenced him to death by isolating him and persecuting him instead of learning from his example. If we had learned from him the lesson of self-sacrifice, and come to his support and overturned a government that banned him for fear of his rising popularity, if we had been more like him he would still be here and the days of the Moshiach would have come. Like the shock of Sarah, the light of the Shechina was blown out, because it was both perfect and imperfect. It was perfect in and of itself, and (it would seem) shockingly imperfect in that it didn’t accomplish what it could have. Moshiach would not be coming today, rather death, and from death the growth of life, which we shall further discuss. ‫תמ נאה נש ננהליי רו הע רש שרים‬, ,‫שנ נרה‬‫מח‬ ‫מו יי קֹהיו‬ And the life of Sarah was a hundred and seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life ‫שא אנה‬.‫יי נש נרה‬,‫ מח ת‬,‫ני‬,‫ קֹש ת‬--‫לש מבע שנניים‬- ‫קֹו‬ of Sarah. (Bereshit 23:1) (Bereshit 23:1) According to the Shla, the Zohar explains that the various years mentioned above relate to different levels of light. The seven years alludes to the original light of creation before the sin, the twenty years alludes to the Torah and the hundred years relates to the Temple. The light of the Torah contains within it the original light of creation, and could have returned that light to the world had it not been for the golden calf. The Temple provided some degree of rehabilitation for the opportunity lost through the golden calf. 76

--‫ח ֹקברון‬-‫ קֹב יק קֹר מית מא קֹר מבע יהוא ל‬,‫ ב מו נת נמת נש נרה‬2 And Sarah died in Kiriatharba--the same is ,‫פד ֹקל נש נרה‬,‫ יל ֹקס ם‬,‫ מא ֹקב נר נהם‬,‫םא‬, ‫רץ קֹכ ננ מען; מו ניב‬-‫א ל‬-‫ ֹקב ל‬Hebron--in the land of Canaan; and Abraham ‫כוֹקלי ֹבק נתה‬,‫ ם‬came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. (Bereshit 23:2) Chazal tells us that the chaf (‫ ) לכ‬is written small here to indicate that the full extent of weeping was concealed. As we mentioned earlier, the true years of Sarah, were the years devoted to the perfect sacrifice Itzchak. The ‫ חתילי‬of Sarah is the Crown of the Torah that is diminished. The ‫ כ‬that is ‫רולשבר אתה‬diminished in the ‫כ‬,‫ ם‬is both the gematria of twenty, and also (according to the Shla) alludes to Keter ‫( כתר‬the 'crown' of the Torah). Her life was devoted to the continuation of the original light that will be manifested in seven, twenty, and one hundred. Her association of these three manifestations is most noticeable by the Torah, which is now buried and hidden from view. 1 When Moshe passed away, the Midrash tells us, the crying was also diminished. There was not the same emotion that was felt when Aaron passed away. Aaron is associated with ‘love’, while Moshe is associated with ‘truth’. According to another Midrash, ‘truth’ protested when the world was created, because man would be ‘false’. He lost the court case to ‘mercy’ and was sentenced to be buried so that project earth could continue. The idea of this Midrash seems to be that ‘truth’ is hidden and not understood. For the world to continue, it must lie buried underneath and cannot be truly appreciated in it’s time. ‘Love’ is more tangible and can be felt even if not understood, while truth must be understood in order to be felt. It is a higher light that is connected to the ‘crown’ of the king. There is another Midrash that tells us that during the 30 days of mourning for Moshe many details of the Torah were lost. The Talmud with all of its leaves and branches is built upon the premise of retrieving these lost details. Much of the Torah is retrieving what is lost, from the original light of the seven days of Creation to the acquisition of the Land of Israel which was made possible through Sarah. Sarah gives her life in order for the ‘purity’ of the Torah and the original light of creation to continue, this is the essence of her life. She is the Sechina, and the channel of original light emanating from the Crown of the Torah. The Torah mentions that just as Itzchak looked identical to his father, so was Rebecca identical to Sarah. The two yud’s that make up her life force are identical, just as the purity of the light that is transferred through her remains pure. We can see the purity of this transmission in our own time with the father and son, Rav Meir and Rav Binyamin, who continued to bear the Crown of the Torah without compromise despite its torturous path and the sacrifice that it entailed. Where there any other Rabbi’s put into prison for their perush on the Torah besides these two? Where there any other rabbis killed because of the light that they did not compromise? The Crown of the Torah that is not understood nor appreciated shares company with Kahane (also beginning with a ‫ )כ‬who bore this crown and was not appreciated nor understood in his lifetime, yet gave his life in order that the purity of the Torah would be transmitted. Maybe the ‫ כ‬also alludes to Chanuka the holiday of the Macabees. The perush of Rav Kahane is called the Perush Maccabi, which stands for Meir Kahane Ben Yecheskel. Chanuka is the holiday where the multitudes are defeated by the few. The diminished letters of Truth will sprout forth the light of creation that needed to be buried and acquired through struggle and death. 77

Chaia Sarah 2009 The small chaf we spoke about earlier maybe juxtaposed with the large one in Tehillim 80 :‫ננא‬-‫ שוב‬,‫ טו לאל יהים קֹצ נבאות‬15 O God of hosts, return, we beseech Thee; .‫את‬,‫פן םז‬-‫לג ל‬- ,‫קד‬,‫תאה; ו ֹקפ ם‬, ‫בט ימ נש ממ יים ו ֹקר‬,‫ מה ת‬look from heaven, and behold, and be mindful of this vine, ‫כת‬,‫ן‬,‫בת‬-‫וקֹ מעל‬ 16 And the foundation that your right hand has ;‫נך‬-‫ ננ קֹט נעה קֹי ימי ל‬-‫לר‬-‫ אנש‬,‫טזוקֹ ננה‬ planted and the son whom You strengthened for .‫יא ממ קֹצ נתה נלך‬ Yourself. (Tehillim 80) ‫ ִנא‬,‫כ אנה‬Re-arranged these same letters spell Kahane ‫לשר‬- ‫ו‬ The Psalm speaks of Joseph and the mocking of the Gentiles at our weakness, pleading for Hashem to rectify this situation. ;‫סף‬,‫םאן יו ת‬, ‫תהג מכצ‬, ‫םנ‬, --‫ מה נא יזי ננה‬,‫תאל‬, ‫עה יי ֹקש נר‬,‫םר ת‬, ‫ ב‬2 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that art enthroned upon the cherubim, .‫הו יפי נעה‬ ‫שב מה ֹקכרו יבים‬,‫םי ת‬, shine forth. ;‫תך‬-‫ קֹגבו נר ל‬-‫לאת‬- ‫ עו קֹר נרה‬--‫שה‬-‫ ו יב קֹנ ני ימן ו קֹמ מנ ל‬,‫לא קֹפ מר יים‬- ‫תני‬, ‫ ג יל ֹקפ‬3 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Thy .‫ ו ֹקל נכה ילי כש נע נתה נלנו‬might, and come to save us. .‫תש נעה‬, ‫ ֹקו ינ נו‬,‫ניך‬-‫תאר נפ ל‬, ‫תבנו; קֹו נה‬, ‫ ד לאל יהים נה ישי‬4 O God, restore us; and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. .‫מך‬-‫ יב ֹקת יפ מלת מע ל‬,‫ נמ מתי נע מש קֹנ נת‬-‫ עמד‬--‫ ה קֹיה נוה לאל יהים קֹצ נבאות‬5 O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt Thou be angry against the prayer of Thy people? .‫ יב קֹד נמעות נש יליש‬,‫תקמו‬, ‫לחם יד ֹקמ נעה; מו מת קֹש‬- ‫לל‬- ,‫ה לא מכ קֹל נתם‬-‫ ו ל‬6 Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in large measure. .‫ נלמו‬-‫ יי ֹקל נעגו‬,‫תבינו‬, ‫םא קֹי‬, ‫תנינו; ֹקו‬, ‫כ‬,‫ יל קֹש ת‬,‫מנו נמדון‬,‫ ז קֹת ישי ת‬7 Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours; and our enemies mock as they please. .‫ש נעה‬,‫ קֹו ינ נו ת‬,‫ניך‬-‫תאר נפ ל‬, ‫בנו; קֹו נה‬,‫ ח לאל יהים קֹצ נבאות נה ישי ת‬8 O God of hosts, restore us; and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. (Tehillim 80) The verse may imply that Hashem created Kahane for Himself, ‘and the branch that Thou madest 78

strong for Thyself’ to rectify the small Chaf and the beginning of the acquisition of the Land. With this acquisition was also the acquisition of the ‘vav’ from bnei Chet. This is the vav from eleh toldot, that will later be given over to eleh toldot Yacov – Yoseph. The small chaf that is not mourned sufficiently will later be understood as the Chaf that restored us to our Land and to our authentic Torah path. Like Yoseph who was persecuted by the majority, the Chaf is diminished as it is surrounded by the Bnei Chet (literally sons of sin). The small Chaf is like a seed that is planted, as was the derech of the Rav. He planted thousands and thousands of seeds that will later grow and become the new face of the Hebrew Nation. The same Rav who explained so many times the passage of ‘in its time I will hurry it’ will give birth to a generation that understands how to hasten the redemption. .‫ ו ֹקב יש ֹקמך ינ קֹק נרא‬,‫ינו‬,‫מ נך; קֹת מח ת‬-‫ ננסוג ימ ל‬-‫א‬,‫ יט ֹוק םל‬19 So shall we not turn back from Thee; quicken Thou us, and we will call upon Thy name. ,‫נליך‬- ‫אר פנ‬,‫בנו; נה ת‬,‫ כ קֹיה נוה לאל יהים קֹצ נבאות נה ישי ת‬20 O LORD God of hosts, restore us; cause Thy .‫תש נעה‬, ‫ ֹקו ינ נו‬face to shine, and we shall be saved. (Tehillim 80) The Rav’s Torah of ‘activism’ will be well understood. We will understand our responsibility in the plagues and the Shoa’s that we could have prevented and the redemption we could have hastened if we had protested and not remained silent. Those who lead by example and fearlessly become targets demonstrate the possible to what was previously considered impossible. The chaf that will become planted within our hearts will lead us to expend the effort to proclaim and to purchase the ‘vav’ from the Bnei Chet and from the ‘sins’ that prefer to see us as settlers instead of the permanent residents of a sovereign state. Chaia Sara -2010 The Small chaf in the eulogy to Sarah corresponds to large chaf in Psalms 80:16 “And the foundation that your right hand has planted and the son whom You strengthened for Yourself.” No matter that now the eulogies are small they will grow. As the Rav was being laid to rest, so was Sarah in the Parsha. She caused the greatest of Avraham's trials. Sacrificing his son, was not the greatest of Avraham's tests, but claiming the Land that had been promised, this was an even greater test. We have been sacrificing our sons for a long time but when we stand before bnei chet (literally 'children of sin'), read: 'stand before our sins' and do teshuva and claim this as our land and thereby fix the sin; then the small eulogy will grow and become the large chaf. People one day will understand that the Rav was like the son of G-d, not in the Christian sense but in the Jewish sense of the sons and daughters of G-d that we all must become. He was the example of what is expected from us and what is possible. Chazal tells us that the reason Nimrod wanted to kill Avraham is because with Avraham in the world the standard was raised. The Rav knew no fear. He was ready and prepared to fulfill his mission, which is the mission of every Jew. He was quoted once when someone asked him if he was disappointed by those that oppose him. He said \"I am not disappointed with the people who disagree 79

with me. I am disappointed with the people who agree with me, but are too mired in their apathy and inability to escape their tiny lives.\" Eliezers Repetition Why is Eliezer repeated so many times? Because a servant to a king is like a king. The Lubavitch Rebbe pointed out that the letters of Shaliach and Moshiach are very closely related. A Shaliach has very little ego and simply tries his best to continue his teachers work. A good shaliach is like Moshiach because he is part of something bigger than himself. He is a small pipe attached to other pipes that channel the light from above. All those who attended the 21st anniversary of the Rav's haskara are part of Moshiach. The room of 500 that for the first time had to be expanded to 1000 was a room filled with the sparks of the future; the Chanuka candles that were now a flame. There was now a critical mass from which major changes will begin to take shape. It was an amazing sight to see; like seeing the Moshiach. These children; this new generation are the extension of the vision of the Rav and his struggle. These are the people that are following on his way with real mesirat nephesh. There is something of the Rav's power in each and every one; like Eliezer. Why? Because maybe they are not such great orators but cannot be silent. Maybe they cannot continue like the Rav but try. The Rav encompassed so many things. They are simple and quiet people that continue the work. Each one continuing one part of his vision and together there is a totality of his increasing vision which is Hashems authentic vision. When the branches of the tree try to be like this giant in their own small way which is a huge way; these small ones become giants. They are giants because they stand against adversity and cling to the truth. This is one of the reasons that Sarah is buried among giants because all who continue in this way are giants. Eliezer keeps speaking in the name of his master; not in the name of Eliezer. We learn from the book of Esther that to speak in someones name (as Esther did regarding Mordecahi), one brings redemption. This is one of the things that Eliezer accomplished. He caused the Hebrew Nation to be unified, even though he was not considered pure and holy enough himself. It was he who kept its continuity. All these 'bad boy'Jews who serve their Rav are like giants that serve Hashem on an even higher level than the most pure. David himself was called 'impure'; but it was he who Hashem loved most of all; because he did what was required. And this is the lesson. The Rav lived and died as an example of how we are required to act; to demonstrate ones love of the people of Israel by protesting injustice and fighting against evil. The small 'chaf', like the small eulogies and small numbers that the oppressors thought would die like the fliker of a candle continues to grow and spread. Hashem demonstrates His love for these small lights as He did with Eliezer. At the root of it all we see in Psalm 80 the meaning of the burial of Sarah and the continuation that Eliezer succeeded in bringing …“And the foundation that your right hand has planted and the son whom You strengthened for Yourself.” (See also Rachel and dudaim – pg. 64) 80

Seeds of Sacrifice (2011) There is a deep connection to Itzchak and Sarah. Also between Sarah and Rivka who continues Sarah’s role as protector of the Israelite household. According to the Midrash Sara hears from satan that Itzchak is sacrificed. She is upset, and then he tells here hes ok and she dies of shock. There is a peculiar passage that says Avraham eulogized and wept for Sarah. Usually one weeps first and then eulogizes. Avraham later says to Ephron that I come as a stranger and resident. Rashi tells us that this means if Ephron sells him the field he will act as a stranger and be grateful. If however Ephron refuses, then he will assert his god given rights and act as a resident. The spiritual promise of the Holy Land begins to materialize here in this purchase. Sarah was instrumental in bringing Avraham to this level which as the 10th trial is actually higher than the level of sacrificing his own son. How can a real estate deal be a higher level than this? We mentioned before that Ayeh Hasah (where is the offering), is the gematria of Meir Kahane. He, like Itzchak was a sacrifice. Just as Sarah mourned thinking that her beloved Itzchak had died, she later understood that he was still alive. My guess is that Sarah was comforted in the knowledge that Itzchak lived and now she could pass on with this knowledge. Just as Itzchak lives after this sacrifice so does Kahane Chai. Sarah was a great influence on her son Itzchak, who like her is the symbol of Din (Judgment). It was she who ordered Ishmael out of the house, while Avraham prayed for his son Ishmael. It was Sarah who allowed a slave woman to enter her house with the knowledge that through her suffering she might tip the scales of justice towards her. Her plan worked and Itzchak was born. Avraham the man of chesed overcomes his chesed to do Hashem’s will towards Itzchak but Chazal tells us that he was so high on this level he had just achieved that he had to eulogize his wife in order to bring himself to cry. This is why it is written that he eulogized first and then wept. The ways of the forefathers foreshadow events today we are told. Here is the way I read these events. I see that Avraham and Sarah represent various ideas in the world of Israel. Behind every great man is a great woman, and Sarah influenced Avraham, to do the right thing and force Ishmael out of the house. Later Rivka continued along Sarah’s path and made sure the direction of Israel was protected through Yacov and not Esav. The way I understand Avraham’s actions in these Midrashim is the way I understand those today who are cold towards Rav Kahane and his Torah. Only after years of eulogizing will we as a nation come to understand who he really was and the seeds that he sowed. Only then will we weep. Avraham is able to sacrifice his own son, yet still has a problem with driving Ishmael out and becoming a resident as opposed to a stranger. It is a war of ideas. Itzchak and Sara’s sacrifice become seeds that will mature within the nation that is prepared to sacrifice themselves but afraid to still assert their divine claim to the Land. The eulogy of Sarah was read during the week that Rav Kahane was murderd in 1990 and the Shabbat after his murder who could not think about the Rav and the lack of weeping. It was Sarah who in fact brought about Avraham’s final trial through her death. He had to assert the Divine claim to the Promised Land. When the transaction is complete, the ‘vav’ in Ephron’s name disappears. This ‘vav’ I suggest is part of the yud, hey, vav, hey (the divine name) that we must bring down into this world. This ‘vav’ is also traded between Yacov and Eliyau throughout the Torah. Sarah is instrumental in redeeming this ‘vav’ and placing it into the hands of Israel. The seeds that were sown at the akeida and Sarah’s burial will live on and take root. Another thing I see through my Kahane glasses is the 100, 20, and 7 years of Sarah. Rav Kahane 81

explained Jewish history especially the last generations before and after the great wars and concluded that a ‘new Jew’ must be born that will protest and ‘Never Again’ sit quietly while our brothers suffer. He led the example to protest without fear against the enemies of the Jewish people. The twenty year he protested and was jailed and persecuted climaxed in the last seven years of his life in Israel as member of Knesset where he fought to implement his ideas within the body of Israel. His ideas and his Torah live on, including the State of Judea which may soon come about many years after his death. One can look at the same 100, 20, and 7 as the 100 year influence that was planted through his seeds beginning with the 20 and 7 mentioned above. We are still living in times where the success of our own future is coming about through ideas that the Rav initiated and died for. Many legislators today were influenced by the Rav and have put forth bills to save Israel’s destiny as a Jewish State and eventually if there should be another Gush Katif, I believe the State of Judea will come into existence to fight not the Greek Hellenists, but our own Jewish ones (G-d forbid). The Torah of Rav Kahane was and still is the medicine that we need in these confused times to understand our destiny and to bring Moshiach with our own hands, through protest and sacrifice. The only thing that delays our building of the Temple is our fear of the Gentiles and this is what we must learn to overcome. The promise that our G-d made to us from the very beginning was an impossible feat, yet we have accomplished much of it today and tomorrow with G-ds help the seeds that giants sowed in Kiryat Arba and on Har Hamenuchot will flower and we will conquer the Promised Land and claim it not as strangers but as residents and heirs. Kahane and Chabbad Although Rav Kahane and Chabbad come from opposing camps, the Litvish world and the Chassidic world, there is an interesting connection between them which is best seen in this week’s Parsha. Chazal has written volumes about the unusual repetition of the story of Eliezer who is simply called HaEved, the 'servant'. They exclaim: The ordinary conversation of the Patriarchs servants is more pleasing before God than even the teachings of their children. This servant’s mission and conversation that is repeated at length is the Gematria of none other than Kahane (76) = Eved (76). It is also at this time that all the Kahane activists meet to recall his memory as this was the time his life was cut short. At the same time all the Chabbad emissaries around the world return to the nest of their spiritual leader. For Chabbad it is a time to rejuvenate the spirit and go out once again as shaliachs (messengers) who sacrifice their own personal interests to follow the commands of their Rebbe. There are many differences between the mystic Rebbe world and the ‘activist’ world of Rav Kahane but there is one place where they both connect and this is as servants who do not seek names for themselves, but for their spiritual leaders. The common denominator is love of your fellow Jew and self-sacrifice. Both camps have many stories of how they felt a hand from above assisting them as they jumped into unknown seas on their spiritual and physical missions. A servant to a king is like a king, and there are many intimate stories one hears in the palace. One camp may be more concerned with ‘religious’ interests while another more concerned with ‘national’ interests. But they are really one and the same. 82

Chaia Sara -2012 ‫ למ אאה אש אנה רו הע רש שרים אש אנה‬,‫ א תו שי רהיו תח ליי אש ארה‬1 And the life of Sarah was a hundred and .‫תיי נש נרה‬, ‫ מח‬,‫תני‬, ‫ קֹש‬--‫ רו הש תבע אש שנים‬seven and twenty years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. --‫ רב שק רר תית תא רר תבע שהוא הח רברון‬,‫ ב תו את אמת אש ארה‬2 And Sarah died in Kiriatharba--the same is ,‫פד ֹקל נש נרה‬,‫ יל ֹקס ם‬,‫ מא קֹב נר נהם‬,‫א‬,‫רץ ֹקכ ננ מען; מו ניב ם‬-‫לא ל‬- ‫ קֹב‬Hebron--in the land of Canaan; and Abraham ‫םכ נתה‬, ‫ קֹו יל ֹקב‬came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. (Bereshit 23:1-:2) ,‫ נש נרה יא קֹשתו‬-‫לאת‬- ‫תכן נק מבר מא קֹב נר נהם‬, -‫תרי‬, ‫ יט קֹו מא נח‬19 And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife --‫ רפ לני תמ רמ לרא‬-‫תפ נלה תעל‬, ‫תדה מה ממ ֹקכ‬, ‫ ֹקמ נע מרת ֹקש‬-‫לאל‬- in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre--the same is Hebron--in the land of ‫ ֹקכננעמן‬,‫רלץ‬- -‫ ֹקבאל‬:‫שהוא הח רברון‬ Canaan. ,‫בו‬-‫לשר‬- ‫דה קֹו מה ֹקמ נע נרה נא‬-‫ כ תו אי אקם מה נש ל‬20 And the field, and the cave that is therein, were ‫תחת‬, -‫תני‬, ‫ קֹב‬,‫תאת‬, ‫תמ‬, :‫בר‬-‫ נק ל‬-‫ מל נא כח מזת‬--‫ קֹל מא קֹב נר נהם‬made sure unto Abraham for a possession of a burying-place by the children of Heth. (Bereshit 23:19-20) It seems to me that the three times of Sarah's life are describing different eras. The plains of Mamre where Avraham once openly circumcised his whole household has now become Kiryat Arbe, the place only giants can stand. Both are in the area of Hevron, but the times have changed. The Final Test There is a view that the last of Avraham's tests was not the Akeida but rather the negotiation for Sarah's burial. How does one compare the sacrificing of one's son to a real estate deal? Well, think about Israel today. We are prepared to sacrifice our sons and daughters in the IDF to protect the Land of Israel. Are we however prepared to stand up to the world and say 'we are now annexing and repatriating Yehuda and Shomron, our Biblical heartland from the time of Avraham when he purchased Hevron to David Hamelech who conquered Jerusalem!' There are different times in Sarahs life. The 100 years that symbolize all the dedication that led up to the birth of Itzchak, the twenty years raising him to be a Tzaddik, and the last seven which brought about the final sacrifice which was then planted like a seed in Hevron with Sarah to eventually give birth to a Nation. One can see this idea mirrored in the life of Rabbi Kahane from the many years in America that established his name, to the move to Israel which further raised and weaned our Nation, to the last seven years which prepared us for the final sacrifice which he preceded in his death. This final sacrifice is the test of our ability to stand behind his words and pronounce this real estate deal loud and clear. This is our Land and there is no two state solution. 83

Why would Hevron be described in two different ways if it was not to teach us something? Meir Kahane was a giant of a man who expected greatness from the rest of us. Those who dwell today in Kiryat Araba are also giants with tremendous faith and dedication to live and build this sacred earth surrounded by such hostility. When Sarah died the 'plains' of Mamre (where there was support for Israel's separate identity), had become Kiryat Arba a place surrounded by adversity. Remember these were the same giants that brought fear into the hearts of the spies and caused the death of a whole generation. Avraham overcomes this fear and proclaims sovereignty. This was his greatest test and this will also be our greatest test when we follow in his footsteps. When we do, the Land itself will rise up and we will be seen as Kings and masters of our destiny. The four hundred silver shekels is a familiar number. David Hamelech had four hundred men which counters Esav and his four hundred men. Of course Israel has billions of enemies, but with four hundred truly faithful and focused or four hundred silver shekels in the right place, we will put the money on the table, stand up for the G-d of Israel and G-d willing bring Moshiach who is the simple servant in each one of us (like Eliezer) that can forgo his own interests to further the Divine mission of Israel. The Body and the Soul (2015) There is a sicha from the Lubavitch Rebbe written in 1950 regarding Chaya Sara. In it he mentions mentions that Sarah was buried in Hevron which has the root Chibur (connection). The Zohar tells us that the Cave of the Machpela in Hevron is the entrance to Gan Eden and this is the place where Heaven meets Earth. Through Sarah this connection of Heaven and Earth was created. The Rebbe asks a question. According to the Zohar Avraham represents the soul while Sarah represents the body. If the soul must guide and influence the body, then why does Hashem tell Avraham 'whatever Sarah tells you heed her voice' (Bereshit 21:11). He explains that the Torah of Sarah refers to a future time, the time of Moshiach, when the body will influence the soul. How do we understand this? There is often a war between the soul and the body. The soul is happy in Heaven and angry at the body that does vile things, while the body is happy with physical pleasures and runs from the soul that seeks to discipline it. Both of them must overcome their animosity and meet. The purpose of the soul is to be spiritual within a body and the purpose of the body is to realize that there is even greater physical pleasure with a soul directing it. The soul cannot do tefillin for example without the body, so the body actually raises the soul to a higher level. The frabrengen (spiritual banquet) is one way in which the body also is elevated to receiving spiritual concepts while its being physically satisfied through food and drink. Today the soul directs the body as a husband influences and directs the wife. In the times of the Moshiach the wife that is full of Torah and Mitzvot will influence the husband. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband. Mishlei (Proverbs)12:4. It will be a time when the Torah is revealed more in the world physically. I thought about this sicha and wondered to myself. We all can understand how the soul directs the body, however where do we see this future time when the body directs the soul? It seems that in some ways the creation of modern day Israel is the beginning of the physical revelation of the Torah in a physical sense, but where is this Torah of the body that is even higher than the Torah of the soul? I thought about the funeral of Sarah and twenty six years ago the funeral of Rav Kahane that always occur together. It seems to me that this future Torah was passed down from Sarah to Rav Kahane who like Moshe turned a tradition of thought into a political reality. 84

The Torah of Rav Kahane is very simple and can be reduced to two simple principles; throwing out Ishmael and building the Bet Hamigdash. Its the most physical Torah in the world coming from the body of Israel. Yet if we are able to physically be on this level we will create a spiritual reality much greater than any beautiful Torah thought. This is the Torah of the times of Moshiach and it must come from the body that will then influence the soul. This is the influence that Sarah brought to Avraham and was eternally infused and rooted in Hevron from where it will grow and transform the body and soul of Israel. When this Torah causes the body of Israel to rise up (Vayakam Sadeh – Bereshit 23:17), then Heaven and Earth will truly be connected as one. The Torah is not a religion. It is a blueprint of our world that the Creator commanded and chose us to create together. It's time to heed Sarah and bring about the Torah that will heal Israel and the world; a Torah initiated from the body that will raise the soul to a much higher level. The Highest Spirituality is Physical (2013) The Jewish people begin each new day after sunset. Darkness to us is already light. Spiritual thought leads to physical realization and new realities. However physical reality also leads to spiritual thought. There was no major conflict when Avraham purchased a burial ground, but that purchase led to a major spiritual conflict between Esav and Yacov. There was no major conflict when Yacov purchased Schem, yet in Schem was the pit that Yoseph was thrown in and the resulting spiritual conflict within our Nation. There was no major conflict when David purchased the area of Har Habayit, yet from here came the split between Israel and Yehuda, and the wall that separates us today from the future of tomorrow. Sometimes politics is higher than spirituality. Sara pushed Abraham to becoming a sovereign state. The man who would muzzle his camels and consulted with Mamre about the brit mila was now looking back at Mamre and ratifying his position officially. “And Ephrons field, which was in Machpelah, facing Mamre… “ (Bereshit 23:17) The purpose of creation and mission of the Jewish people is to make God known in the world. While some are struggling over the interpretation of the instruction manual, others have already assembled the furniture and are sitting in it. There is an idea in the Talmud that Abrahams acquisition was another test. I suggest it was higher even than the akeida as it was his ‘last’ test. To sacrifice ones son is a most extreme and difficult thing and unfortunately we are tested by this everyday in Israel. However, to claim our sovereignty; this is an even more difficult test. Just look at Hevron today and you will see. The faith it takes to stand in front of the benei chets of the world (Read: the sinners in the world) and proclaim we are not visitors who will dig up our graves like in Gaza; but rather proclaim this is our home and even our capital is greater than the akeida sacrifice we accept today. To claim Hevron, the city of our forefathers as we claim Yerushalayim is a political statement that will bring a political reality of the highest form of ‘faith’. Politics, Nationhood, and physical reality are the highest form of faith. The sinners of the world gnash their teeth every time a new house is built in Israel. This is the ‘faith’ that Hashem expects of us. To bring a new reality into the world; His world. The conquest of the Land is compared to the Brit Mila. Hashem created the world incomplete. He gave 85

Avraham and his disciples the mission of perfecting the world beginning from the most physical place on the body. This ritual is considered unnatural and repulsive by many anti-Semites; many of whom also cringe at another housing project in Yesha. Our ancestors acquired physical properties knowing the ramification of the future spiritual conflicts they would create. Avraham mourning the death of his beloved wife, who had directed him regarding Ishmael, looked back at the spiritual beginning with his non-Jewish friend Mamre and made the claim to Hevron, his final and ultimate test. No longer was he an unusual tribe wandering from place to place. Just as this tribe had perfected their bodies through Hashems command, they now began to perfect the world by the physical conquest and perfection of this tiny Land on the body of the world. Sarah and Korach In the book of Bamidbar we discuss the sin of Korach. The tikkun of korach written in the Haftorah of Korach I believe is also alluded to here. In the Haftorah the people demand a king and Shmuel Hanavi , a descendant of Korach questions their motive. We raised a question in Parshat Korach. Where do we see the punishment of Korah meted out today? What do we learn today about a sin that swallows up men women and children and covers the ground as if they never had been there. The Torah tells us this type of punishment comes from machloket (disputes) within Jewish leadership. I suggest that the Korach principle that we see in the Torah we unfortunately have also seen today when we look back at the Shoa. Where else do we see a situation where whole communities disappear as if they never had been there? Where else do the souls cry out from the ground today as a remembrance of the mistakes of the past? We mention there that although Korach was dressed in all blue techelet there was one strand of techelet that it was missing. I suggest there that the blue strand of Zionism is that one strand that causes all the other techelet to be meaningless. One of the arguments of the anti-Zionists that predated the Shoa and continue today was regarding the vows originally taken by Abraham in the previous Parsha. Rabbi Kahane refuted these vows and explained that once the non-Jews broke these vows the vows were null and void. There is much written on this topic in addition to Rabbi Teichtals book Em Habonim Smeicha which he wrote during the Shoa. We can see these illusions in the letters. ‫ = אש הדה‬Field = 309 ‫ = קלרתח‬Korach = 308+1 =309 ‫ = שנ רד לרי ההם‬their vows = 309 It appears to me that if the Korach tradition missed the Zionist boat when the desert was beginning to turn into a garden today when the desert is now a field the Torah of Sarah will fix the flaws of the past. Today through tremendous sacrifice the field has been sown and is no longer a desert. It is a fertile field awaiting to simply rise up from the ground from where the Korach family and the Zionist family have grown together. The Torah of Sarah in which the body of the people rise up to throw out its adversaries and cause the reluctant children of Avraham to claim their inheritance is taking effect. The internal Ishmael is the catalyst that will bring out the internal Sarah from the Nation of Israel. As the field is redeemed the refutation in the eyes of the world can no longer sound like the security needs of other Nations. We will no longer rely on the kindness and mercy of others. We will claim our inheritance as owners and subjects of a King who rules in Heaven as well as here below. 86

The Power of the Small is Great The Torah begins with the stories of Tzadikim; the stories of our forefathers and mothers that were larger than life. We try and emulate the great ones that went before us but who are we really? What is our merit? I think of Rav Kahane in my own time and the orphaned generation that continues to walk on the pathways that he forged without a leader to inspire and carry us on his shoulders. How can we finish what giants could not finish? This weeks Parsha gives us a little hope. Today's Pasha is unique among all the Parshas because of the tremendous repetition that is so unusual. Chazal tells us that Hashem has a special joy in hearing the conversations of his servants. This dialogue of the servant is actually the essence of the Torah for Hashem is not expecting us to be giants but He is expecting us to walk in the footsteps of giants. As I have mentioned previously it is not by coincidence that the annual convention of Kahane activists coincides with the annual Chabbad convention. Chabbad relate to the shaliach message of Eliezer while the word eved that is repeated so many times in this parsha is the gematria of Kahane. One might say that while Chabbad focuses on the internal transformation of a Jewish soul the Ravs chassidut transforms the political world which is the ultimate goal of that internal transformation. Both students of Rabbi Kahane and those of the Rebbe are similar in that they are simply messengers or servants of a greater Tzadik and have been charged with continuing the mission that the Jewish people and the whole world depends upon. This is the essence of the Torah that each one continues with whatever faculties and talents he may possess or may not posses. The great virtue of the eved is knowing to whom he is attached to. The desire to further the will of one much greater than him because he recognizes the truth and does what he can to further it. It is this attachment to quality that makes one small in his eyes yet part of something much bigger. A servant to a king is like a king. There is a famous debate that the Rabbi had with Alan Dershowktz in which Alan Dershowiitz assured the audience that Rav Kahane does not represent the Jewish people but only represents a very tiny tiny group. The Rabbi responded by clarifying that truth has never been measured by numbers. He replied with Dershowitzs own words and explained that there are billions of Muslim's and Christians in the world yet the Jewish people carry the truth of the Torah even though compared to the world we are a very tiny tiny group. One of the interpretations of Bereshit is B’Rechit (for the sake of my first born). In other words the whole world was created for the sake of my first born Israel. The evolution of the world is an evolution of quality and refinement that the world reflexively experiences through the refinement of the Jewish people. Yoseph's suffering brings about the refinement of the tribes of Israel. The suffering of the Nation of Israel in Egypt brings about the refinement of the entire world. When one is attached to the pure and the holy he is attached to the source. He has the strength to walk through the darkest places on earth because he sees only light or the potential light. One can see this reflexive action from the fires of terrorism that burned through the Land of Israel this Shabbat. Ynet writes before Shabbat: The Samaria Regional Council Rabbi Elyakim Levanon posited that the dry weather and the fires that have broken out across the country as a partial result are divine punishment for the intended evacuation of West Bank settlements, such as Amona. In his own publication, he 87

wrote, \"Anybody with eyes and brain in his head can see how the country thirsts for water. We're at the end of the month of November according to the Gregorian calendar, and there's still no sign of rain… strong winds… everything is dry, flammable, burning!\" He explained, \"The hand of God is doing this\" because \"the Israeli government is delaying the passage of the Regulation Bill.\" Levanon explained how the curse of conflagrations could be averted: \"Until the shame of the threat of destroying the settlements in the Land of Israel, in Amona, in Ofra and in many other places is not removed, there will be a drought! The day that the decision is taken that can't be gotten around with legal wrangling—that very day the rains of blessing will begin to fall.\" We see that for a tiny group that is persecuted for fulfilling the essential divine command, that is in our National power to fulfill, thousands more lose their homes as collective divine punishment. This similar scenario occurred when war broke out soon after Gush Katif and many thousands were evacuated from Haifa. I remember a Haifa resident who wrote an article in the paper at the time. He said that he believed it was divine retribution. He had supported the destruction of Gush Katif and now shortly after he felt what it was like to be disengaged and forced into exile. At the same time as Gush Katif America who had supported and pressured Israel into this situation was hit with a flood that decimated New Orleans. What is the lesson? The power of the small is great. What happens to Israel happens to the world. What happens to the purest and holiest within Israel even more so. Shifra Hoffman invited me for dinner one night. On her kitchen table where Rabbi Kahane sat many times was a bottle of Chivas Regal that Jonathan Pollard had given her as a present more than twenty years ago. It sat on her table and she refused to open it until the day he was released. On the day he was released she had a few friends over and they made a l'chaim with this bottle. Leaning on the Chivas box was a small illustrated Bristol board with and an epigram that said. “ I don't know what the future holds...But I know who holds the future.” Rabbi Kahane was Shifras Rabbi and she spoke about him everywhere. Just like Avraham was Eliezer's Rav, Shifra was a shaliach to Rabbi Kahane. She is one of the gedolim like Eliezer who alone with Avraham fought against five kings and won. She told me once the Rabbi's car broke down in the middle of the night and he called her. He apologized but he said he didn't know who else to call. She woke her husband up at 5am and told him they had to go and rescue the Rabbi. When they got in the car he asked where are we going? She told him Munroe New York (which was almost a 2 hours drive away). He said Munroe? She answered, 'Look the Rabbi has gone much further for us. And they went to get him. The masses are shaped and history is created in the lonely image of a handful of people that shape our political reality. The world exists for this small pure vial of oil that keeps the true authentic light burning. The power of the small is great. 88

Chai Cheshvan and Sarah (2017) Chai Cheshvan is a chassidic day that is so big, so huge, so chassidic, that even all of the chasidim don't even know about it. It is not only the time that Mar Cheshvan is transformed into Chai Cheshvan; it's not only that Chai Cheshvan always comes around the same time as Chayai Sarah; but it's also the day that Rav Kahane left this world and who's Torah entered this world on a much deeper level. His Torah, one could say, is essentially very much connected to the Torah of Sarah. There are people who say they've heard of Rav Kahane and they have heard him described as a person who hated the Arabs and wanted to throw the Arabs out of Israel. People who say that don't really know Rav Kahane nor understand who Rav Kahane was. It's like saying Sarah was someone who hated Ishmael and had a personal argument with Hagar and was jealous of her. Therefore she threw Ishmael out for personal reasons. If you say this, then you have no idea who Sarah Imaynu was. You have no idea of the Kabbalistic meaning of the schach on Sukkot or the yud of Sarai becoming the first letter yud of Yehoshua. You have no idea who the mother of Itzchak was - and most importantly that her nevuah (prophecy) was greater than Avraham's. I would venture to say it's even more than that. What Sarah had was 'sechel' (the power of deduction) which is on a higher level than nevuah. For example if two and two is four most likely four and four will be eight. What was this sechel that she had that Avraham couldn't grasp at the time? Abraham had waited many many years for the commandant of the Brit Mila. What an awesome Commandment this is. Hashem created the entire world and man and left a small bit undone waiting for Avraham to come along so that he could finish all of creation. It was as if he was responsible for all of creation because not only did he complete himself but by doing so he completed all of creation. Avraham was now able to stand in front of Hashem complete. The Brit mila is performed on the the most physical place of a man's body turning it into the most spiritual place. It's a mitzva that connects the upper world's to the lower worlds; Heaven and Earth. What an amazing mitzva that gives one a hand in completing creation I imagine Sarah discussing the concept of Brit Mila with Avraham and what it implied. Imagine her telling Avraham that the implication of the mitzva was even greater than mitzva itself. What could be greater than mitzvot? Faith in God. Now obviously you need faith in God if you're going to be doing mitzvot. I imagine Sarah postulating 'yes but it's possible sometimes that a person could have faith in mitzvot but not have faith in God'. This is what Rabbi Kahane spoke about many many times. It's possible to have faith in Mitzvahs but not have faith in God how do we see this? When the Rabbi Kahane would mention that he wanted to throw out our enemies and build the Bet Hamigdash people would say 'you're crazy it's not practical' or 'what would the world say?' 'What would America say?' 'Hashem will bring Moshiach in some future time', they would say apologetically. 'It's not for us to do. The whole world would go to war against Israel.' 'Yes but we have Hashem' the Rabbi would answer. 'Yes but America is strong' they would reply in anger. 'Hashem is also strong' The Rabbi would challenge. 'Yes but America is 'really' strong with a massive army! What is the point of Faith, the Rabbi would question if we don't use it when we really 89

need it? When there comes a time when you really need it and that's precisely the time that you don't use it and you say let's be practical, then what is it? Now let's take a look at what Sarah did and examine the consequence of her actions. She threw out Ishmael and the very next day Avi Melech and General Pichol come and say to her 'now we believe in your God. God is with you in everything that you do. ' After the six day war many Christians also said similar things. What Sarah did was a huge Kiddish Hashem and it wasn't so complicated and difficult. It was as easy as a Brit Mila. What was the deduction that Sarah made? The Mitzvah of Brit Mila is an awesome mitzvah. Hashem gave us the ability to complete creation but why in such a fashion? Why in this way? And why did he send us on this mission in such a place? Could He not have sent us to a place where we could be free to study Torah and grow spiritually? Why did He put us in a place with enemies and surrounded by evil and violent people? Why would he send us to a place populated with people before us that we would have to eject? It doesn't make sense unless the Brit Mila is symbolic. What we do to ourselves as an individual Hashem wants us to do to the body of the world. The place of the Brit Mila on the body of the world is here in the land of Canaan. If this is the meaning of the Brit Mila from the personal level to the international level then not only do we perfect our own bodies but we would perfect the entire world in as simple as it takes to do the Brit Mila. I imagine Hashem looking down and saying 'Yes you got it. Avraham listen to your wife she understands. Listen to what she says and what she does. That's my Torah. Not only did Sarah influence Avraham during her life but even when she left this world the first thing he had to do was go to the Bnei Chet and say I'm no longer a stranger here. I'm no longer a visitor. I am now a sovereign nation. I have paid the full price. I am the son of the King and by His command I have purchased this area as a nation state. In addition as soon as he came home he took his children from his concubines and he sent them with gifts eastward because he understood not only is the body a holy place but the surroundings must be holy. The area of the Yeshiva of Avraham and Itzchak must have the proper surroundings. Chai Cheshvan transforms the bitterness of death from the flood to renewed life. It is not only the symbol of remaking the world from destruction to life but also for the world to reach its ultimate purpose. When we bring Holiness not only to ourselves and to our bodies but to the place that we live in this elevates the whole world. There is an expression when we get married we say we build another 'house' in Israel. We don't say add another family or raise children. We say build a 'house'. Avraham performed the personal Brit Mila and Sarah demonstrated the international Brit Mila. Depart from evil and do good. Expel evil and bad influences and build a holy place in a holy land. This was the legacy of Sarah and of Rav Kahane. 90

Secrets of Chai Cheshvan (2019) I went on my usual pilgrimage to Rav Kahane on his Haskara (Memorial Day). This year I arrived late at the Yeshiva and missed the speeches as well as the chartered bus to the gravesite. While part of me was reprimanding myself for being late most of me was saying its OK we are still in Jerusalem and maybe Hashem wanted me to miss the bus for some reason. I went with the flow. As the day progressed it became quite clear that there are no mistakes, only journeys we had not planned on. I asked a Carlin chassid which bus went to Har Hamenucha. He said follow me and as we sat together on the bus he asked me about Rav Kahane of whom he had heard but did not know that much about. So my journey began as a chassid teaching the Torah of the Rav to a young man that was all ears. I explained to my new friend Moshe what it means to be the Moshe of the generation and how the Torah comes to life when one follows the footsteps of great individuals. I explained how the world is really built and sustained for a few quality people that give the world the purpose it was created for. We spoke of Noah the sole survivor of a broken world and Avraham who single handedly defeated five kings. I explained how knowing the Rav I saw with my own eyes how this type of defeat was done when he set himself between the two empires of America and Russia and forced Russia to release all their Jews so they could continue their reconciliation with the USA. My friend was all ears and he thanked me as I went on to catch my second bus and I met two nice ladies who were on their way to Shlomo Carlebach as his Haskara was ending at sundown. We exchanged stories about the two great men and one lady called Emunah showed me her new book and I showed them my Kahane Codes. Two servants in love with their Rav's so much so that each of them wrote their own books about them. We mused how interesting that their times are so close together. This inspired me later in the day to write a poem about Love and Truth that cannot stand alone but need to be built together. Shlomo once said Rav Meir says 'Never Again' and I say ' Never the Same.' In other words a person should always be doing teshuva and creating himself anew. There are always traffic jams as three big Tzadiks are remembered at this time Rav Meir, Shlomo Carlebach and Israel Beledesser from the Nachman people. I got off the bus and walked as it would be quicker and the sun was soon setting. I walked past the music and dancing of the Nachman people and followed the road to the end. I finally arrived at the place where Rav Kahane lies as the sun was setting over the majestic Jerusalem hills. The crowds had already left and I sat alone and murmured my prayers. As I was leaving another lone devotee arrived on his bicycle. I recognized him. It was Menachem Gottlieb a Torach scholar whose lectures I have attended. The last time I saw him he told me a story about driving in a car with the Rabbi. He noticed that the Rabbi was murmuring ‘G-d is good’ to himself. He asked him why he was saying that. The Rabbi said that after the protest he had been summoned to the Police station and knew that it meant he would be incarcerated and the beds in prison are full of lice. Menachem told the driver to make a detour and they picked up bedding and sheets from his house for the Rabbi. When I saw Menachem this time I asked him if he had another story for me. He told me that when he first moved to Israel he studied at Ohr Somayach and there was a homeless man that he passed each day that was friendly but a bit off and he felt sorry for him. He asked the Rabbi at Ohr Somayach to what extent is one obligated to help a fellow Jew now that he lives in the Jewish State? The Rabbi told 91

him that this homeless man is not your problem, there is a social system that takes care of these things. You have your own mitzvas to do and are exempt. When he asked Rabbi Kahane about the situation and what he should do the Rabbi answered right away ‘Help him.’ In a world where everyone finds exemptions the Rabbi took cause and conviction and carried the yoke of the Torah on his back. Where there was injustice he fought to correct it and where there was misery he did what he could to alleviate it. As I returned along the dark roads of Har Hamenuchot there where still others on the way to Rav Kahane and I confirmed to them that they were walking in the right direction. The Torah of such a Tzadik cannot be destroyed even by murder. It remains and grows like a magnet drawing new faces and souls searching for truth. My journey to a gravesite was a journey reaffirming life and the eternity of the Jewish people, the Holy Torah and the Land of Israel. The Road to Jerusalem (2019) As I was waiting in a traffic jam a few kilometers from the entrance to Jerusalem I reflected on the road of history. In every generation there is a revolution between a multitude of darkness and a handful of those who preserve the light. It is actually that pure vile of faithful that shape the masses of history upon their backs that are beaten and oppressed. Many years ago the founders of Chassidut went to prison and were oppressed for the divine light they transmitted. Today the trail they forged is a four lane highway. One follower of Chassidut said to me did you pray for Moshiach today? I said to him that Moshiach is not Santa Clause. I pray that we lift the rocks that block the trail. When we do this reflexively there will also be one who represents our efforts and his name will be Moshiach. Moshiach is not some super hero that comes out of nowhere to fight evil, he is the face of the generation. He is not a leader of shlameils but a leader of brave and faithful people. He is part of the generation and leads the generation and is the best of the generation. He does not come out of nowhere, he is born from our own efforts and from the generation that lifts the rocks from the trail so that the highway can be built and traversed from one end to the other end. As I stood in the traffic pile almost at the entrance of Jerusalem I imagined those on the side fervently praying for Moshiach to fall from Heaven while doing nothing to clear the road and others in Yehuda and Shomron who build and settle the Land and through their faith, perseverance and suffering the injustice of the cruel build the last kilometer of this four lane highway. Among them is a shepherd lifting one of the larger stones from the path. His name is Moshiach. The Ultimate Servant (2019) As we have already suggested, Sarah influenced Avraham to conclude that the commandment of Brit Mila is a reminder of the ultimate ‘political’ Brit Mila mission. A holy body needs a holy place and now that the spiritual has been brought into the physical with the commandment of Brit Mila on the body, the acquisition of the Land can also begin and the driving out of enemies that oppose the mission of Avraham. 92

More difficult than the sacrifice of the thousands of Itzchak’s that we have lost and had to accept is the faith to conquer expel our enemies and proclaim our sovereignty. Sarah in her life and in her death influenced Avraham to change more than the ‘physical’ reality of the Brit Mila but the ‘political’ reality by driving out Ishmael and acquiring the Land and performing the Brit Mila on the world body. The product of this new understanding is the Shaliach/Moshiach/Eved. Not only is the Shaliach/Moshiach/Eved an individual that has no name but his mission, but even more than this. Eliezer, Avrahams’s servant is from Canaan and is not only following his Rebbe Avraham but by his doing so he is relinquishing his own homeland and people to the conqueror of his own people knowing full well that he cannot even marry into this people. In our times there was an Arab who spoke in support of Rabbi Kahane and who was a great and courageous individual to do so. He helped to promote the financial advantages and incentives of transfer among his people. Our Rabbis tell us that the ultimate example of love is the love of Yonaton who gave up his throne to David. He went against his father and his family and himself to do what he believed was the right thing. Those who rebel against the will of G-d and seek to undermine Him cannot remain inside the Holy Nation. That rare individual however that can relinquish his natural born right and identity to one he recognizes as more worthy and who has been blessed by G-d is an individual that Hashem gives a great amount of attention to. As the saying goes ‘A servant to a king is like a king.’ Eliezer, being from Canaan was even ‘more so’. My Badge of Honor (2020) At Kiddish I spoke about the ideas I have written about here; the connection between Shlichut and Eved and how Hashem loves these words most of all. I explained the difference between the Chassidut of Chabbad (Daddy's boys who don't question) and Chassidut of Kahane (moma's boys who do question); being in a way the difference between Ahavat Israel and Ahavat 'Eretz' Israel. I explained Sarah's deduction of the Brit Mila from the personal to the National and how it relates to the Rebbe's Sicha of how in the future the body will guide the soul and that this is now that future time. Afterwards there was silence and Boaz asked if I would wheel Rav Butman home. As I wheeled Rav Butman home I thought to myself that I was glad to be able to say a few words even though it probably fell on deaf ears. The respected elders of the Chabbad dynasty were being gracious and indulgent to allow me to say a few words but probably thought of me as another one of the oddballs that make up the minyan and off the Rebbe path. Suddenly the eighty four year old Rav Butman said 'Feivel, every time you speak another drop sinks in'. I thanked him and thought to myself 'what a wonderful thing to say'. He explained how he often asks himself as he speaks all the time to the younger generations, how much they actually hear. He told me the story of a King who was forced to grind the precious jewel on his crown as an essential ingredient for a medicine that might save his dying daughter. Although they said it's probably too late, he said do it anyway, maybe even a little drop will enter and heal her. To hear these words from a great Sage felt like a badge of honor and vindication to a lowly servant that follows in the footsteps of a giant. Shifra Hoffman once told me, when she was discouraged, Rabbi Kahane once asked her how the ocean became so full? 'Drop by drop', he said. 93

Shaliach of Moshiach (2021) My brother asked me how does Avraham the man of Chesed question the justice of Sdom but does not question sacrificing his own son? Why does he not even tell Sarah who dies (according to some Midrashim) from the shock? Let me add another question. If (as I have written earlier) according to Rav Kahane the Akeida was a punishment resulting from the pact with Avimelech which overrode the Covenant and ignored the open miracle of Itzchak's birth then what about the decision to throw out Ishmael by Sarah's request? Why was that not taken into consideration? Why would Hashem make such a demand after the Kidush Hashem that occurred after Ishmael was expelled? Didn't that count for anything? Additionally, why would Avraham and Itzchak comply unquestioningly? I will answer with other questions. Why are we so concerned about our enemies? Why do we consider ourselves such a moral and just army that risks its own soldiers and success lest an innocent among our enemies gets hurt? Why do we accept that we must sacrifice our soldiers in house to house combat to prevent innocent casualties from the enemies side? How is it that we succeeded in the past with a war of Independence and reluctantly displaced our enemies and caused them to flee? Why did we not continue? Why did we invite them back? Why did we give the keys to our holiest places to our enemies in a gesture of friendship? Why are we still fighting the war of Independence and why are the friendly enemies that live among us starting to riot and burn and pillage? If Sarah had inspired the original understanding that reluctantly we must expel our enemies and win a war of survival against their aggression, why is she not even consulted now as we saddle up for the Akeida? Why does Hashem seem to punish us all the time. Do we really deserve this? Why do we reluctantly conquer only after we have allowed a great deal of suffering to descend upon our people until we are almost lost? Why do we accept that we must be holy sacrifices and even give up land that our young men have have died for as if nothing can be done, while doing nothing about changing the political situation? Why don't we expel our enemies for good and proclaim a Jewish state rather than a democracy of enemies that destroys us from within? Why do we cry for Sodom yet accept our sacrifice without question considering ourselves more moral than our enemies? Why have we not yet internalized the Torah of Sarah who understood that our enemies must be expelled not because of security concerns but because our mission is no longer to be sojourners in an alien land but to clearly state that we are redeeming our Nation as our God demands so that along with our bodies we will circumcise the Holy Land upon which God wishes to dwell? My brother also pointed out that Ishmael died at 137 which was the age Avraham sacrificed Itzchak. At that time he waited by the donkey as Avraham ascended to the Akeida and as one of the congregants in my brothers bet knesset said even at 137 he was still standing by the donkey with no perception of the events. The 137 years of Ishmael's history with Israel is 137 years of a continual Akeida brought about by our reluctance, lack of faith, and lack of understanding. Its interesting to note that Eliezer also waited by the donkey yet Eliezer, once he was given a unique mission rose to the occasion and is fondly recalled by Hashem: Rav Acha said, “The utterances of the servants of the Patriarchs are more precious than the Torah of the sons. For the story of Eliezer is told and repeated over the course of two or three pages, while a most basic Torah law – that the blood of a reptile has the same laws of impurity as does its flesh – must be derived from the presence of one extra letter.” (B’reshit Rabbah 60,8) On the other hand our persecution by Ishmael is something Hashem regrets. There are four that the Holy One, Blessed is He, regrets having created. And these are they: The exile, 94

the Chaldeans, the Ishmaelites, and the evil inclination. Sukkah 52b The wild nature of Ishmael whose hand is against every man causes us to reluctantly conquer the Nation of Israel from his constant instigated attacks. Our independence unfortunately arrives through suffering and pain that could gave been born in a much easier way had we understood the Torah of Sarah before her shocking death. Rav Kahanes funeral was the same week as Sarah. Why wasn't he consulted too? Hashems promise to our forefathers cannot be absolved but it may be held back and only occur after we have been forsaken and all that we were blessed with taken away from us like the Akeida. We see that Avraham who speaks to Hashem directly seems to have been demoted in his last encounter to communication via an angel. Who was this angel? Chazal tells us this is none other than Michael who first announced to Avraham that Sarah would give birth. It seems that in this time of Din where Hashem has been distanced because of our actions, He cannot be the one to save us. Only the angel who has an uncompleted mission to accomplish can prevent complete devastation (like Gavriel who saves Lot from annihilation). In addition to the Heavenly messenger who cannot allow his mission to be aborted by Avraham, and comes down to earth for it be fulfilled, there is another messenger. Eliezer, who previously stood alongside Ishmael and the donkey now sacrifices all that is dear to him (the marriage if his own daughter), to carry out the mission of his master and rise above himself; in order to fulfill the promise of the Creator through Avraham's commands. From Heaven to earth and from the bottom of Har Moriah to a Heavenly guided mission the story of two Shaliachs one angelic and one human are responsible for redeeming the destiny of Israel. The era of Akeida that is now upon us will cause us to rise up and pay for this Land with a 2nd and final day of Independence that will not be based on compromises and security needs but by the justice of our cause and the clarification of Hashem's name. Binyamin Kahane explains that the 400 shekels paid to Bnei Chet is not written so that world will know and have proof of our ownership of Hevron or other proofs in the Torah of the purchase of Schem and Yerushalayim, for in fact these three places are the most contested. They are written in our Torah not for our justification to gentiles but only for us to know ourselves, the justice of our cause. The fact that they are so contested proves that justice is not the motivating factor among the nations. Their animosity has nothing to do with justice but animosity against the Creator and hatred and jealousy of His people. It is a religious war. But the barrier they create is only made possible by the reluctance of the Chosen people to accept their mission. In the vacuum enemies rise up and proclaim circumcision unnatural and our claim to the Holy Land unjust. They seek to undermine the merit based system of Creation and replace it with the law of the jungle. As they seek to undermine the laws of Creation and the promise of Hashem we must stand firm. The 137 years of Ishmael will only serve to shape the rock of Israel and polish it against the waves of adversity. We will continue past that 137 years of the Akeida to acquire and pay for our Land in full, even though the body of Israel has brought about another Akeida. The messengers above that must complete their mission will meet with the messengers below who build brick by brick the vision that Sarah died for and in the end transformed Avraham. The conflict of 137 years of Ishmael is temporary. After the Akeida his purpose ends and ours continues. And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty and seven years; and he expired and died; and was gathered unto his people...over all his brother did he dwell (nafal=fall). And these are the offspring of Ittzchak...(Bereshit 25:18-19) 95

The word Nafal can also be read as fall. After the fall of Ishmael, Itzchak will rise up. The gravity of the times has fallen upon us. We must rise to the occasion and know that within the coming storm there is a messenger from above and messengers below. If we attach ourselves to truth, may we be carried by angelic hands that will proclaim that the miraculous will not be erased. Let the miraculous continue with even greater miracles when we expel our enemies and create a new political reality of the knowledge of Hashem which will counteract all those who seek to cancel the soul, accountability, and transcendence. The destiny of Israel is now on the shoulders of its servants and messengers. It does not matter where we came from but where we are going. The staircase joining Heaven from the kever of Machpelah is being built brick by brick from below to above and from above to below. The Two Gatherings (2022) Of all the Parshiot in the Torah this Parsha is unique. There is a great gathering that occurs annually for all the shlichim of Chabbad in Brooklyn and there is another great gathering of settlers that camp out by the Marat Hamachpela in Hevron. What is the connection between these two groups? Rabbi Kahane used to say that a Jew must not only learn the Talmud but also learn the newspaper. This week what is in the news is exactly what is going on in the Parsha. Today there is immense pressure from the American 'Bnei Chet' and the internal Erev Rav to undermine the will of the people that elected a government that will promote and legitimize Jewish settlement and untie the hands of the IDF so that they can protect our people from the savage Ishmaelites. Avraham took to heart the greater prophecy of Sarah and after her death he arose (Yakum) to bury her. After the purchase 'the Land' also arose (Yakum) inspired by Sarah's true understanding of the Torah that pushed Avraham to this final test. Just as Sarah understood that Ishmael must be sent off, Avraham continued Sarah's legacy by sending away the children of the concubines. These children along with Ishmael would always consider the Land as their inheritance but the promise remained to only the children of Isaac, the son of Sarah. Those today who say lets not talk politics when they study Torah are using the same speech as the Bnei Chet. This is exactly their language. 'We know there is a promise in some distant future but religion is religion and politics is politics.' Avraham says 'No, I do not want your gift. I will pay the full price. The future is now and this will belong to me and my descendants forever.' I am not holding my breath but I pray that Netanyahu will not undermine the will of Am Israel that wishes to claim and build and raise up our Land and pay the full political price. Avraham was very proud of the Akeida and wished to tell Sarah about it. But after the funeral he realized what would have make her prouder than all of these Akeida's is turning a dream and a promise into a political reality. The Midrash says that Sarah cried three cries to parallel the three sounds of the shofar known as tekiot, then wailed three wails to parallel the three wails of the shofar, then promptly died. As the shofar is blown we pray to Hashem to have mercy on us as both 'servants' and as 'children'. Rashi tells us that the entire story of Eliezer is repeated because G-d loves the conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs even more than the Torah of their children. The word servant 'eved' (Gematria 76 = Kahane) is repeated fourteen times in our Parsha (14 mandates). As the Chabad shlichim of our father Avraham are strengthened for their mission and the servants of Sarah are strengthened to actualize the promise in a political reality may both be blessed. Six people were called by their names before they were created, and one was the Moshiach. Whence do we know concerning King Messiah? Because it is said, \"His name shall endure for ever. Before the sun his name shall be continued (Yinnon)\" (Ps. 72:17). Why was his name called Yinnon? For he will awaken those who sleep at Hebron out of the dust of the earth, therefore is his name called Yinnon, as it is said, \"Before the sun his name is Yinnon.\"(Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 32). I hope that over this Shabbat, these two great gatherings will bear fruit and that in Hashem's Heavenly court we will not only 'want' Moshiach now, but please G-d, it will become a political reality. 96

Kahane in the Parsha Tolodot 97

Tolodot My Wife My Sister There is a subterfuge that both Itzchak and his father Avraham engage in, that is most unusual. When they travel they both introduce their wives as their sisters. After their wives are forcibly taken by the kings of Egypt (in Avrahams time) or Avimelech (in Itzchak’s time), they are reprimanded by these kings for misleading them, and the excuse that is given, is that they were afraid of the lawlessness of these lands. If people knew that these women where their wives, they might have killed the husbands and taken the wives. If however they were only sisters, then they would barter with the supposed brothers in order to wed the sisters and they could stall for time. What is really going on here? One way to understand this story is to view the exile of our forefathers as alluding to our own exile. Imagine the mothers for a moment as Yerushalayim, the place that keeps the Jewish soul. In a hostile world our political leaders pretend to be open to the idea of everyone sharing Yerushalayim and all the three major faiths barter for her. In the same way that our forefathers played a political game in order to safeguard themselves, they also ran the risk of losing that which they cherished most and having it violated. We all witnessed when the Prime Minister Barak almost sold Yerushalayim to Arafat, how the whole Nation came together and said ‘No’. When Yerushalayim was at risk of being betrothed to another and violated, all of a sudden she became our ‘wife’. Why didn’t we say so before? This is the ghetto mentality that we are still growing out of. Rambam actually says that this lack of faith regarding the wives was a shortcoming. Our forefathers also demonstrate to us the tikkun for this pattern that repeats itself throughout our history. When Avraham was forced into going to war in order to save Lot, he was practically all alone, yet with Hashem’s assistance he managed to drive out armies many times his size. Interestingly enough, ‘Og the giant’ brought Avraham the news of Lot, and when Avraham marched off to battle, it was a perfect opportunity for Og to take advantage of the woman he had desired all along. Why didn’t he? Because when Avraham was living up to the highest standard that is expected of the Jewish people to be the small against the many, to arm ourselves with Torah and weapons, our enemies are afraid of us. Even without Avraham guarding Sarah, this lustful giant was helpless and frightened for he saw the glory of Hashem with Avraham as he battled five kings and their armies with only two men. Rav Kahane was not a politician, he didn’t play games. This is what separated him from all others. He told the simple truth to CNN and to the National Press Club and to the Knesset. We are the Jewish people and this is our home and it belongs to no one else but us. And we have a G-d that is stronger than Egypt of the past or Washington of the present. We need not pretend that what belongs to us may be negotiable, for one does not negotiate with his wife. If this is a dangerous position to take in a lawless world, then so be it, but we have a G-d mightier than all of the worlds armies and if they were foolish enough to wage a war against us in order to deflower the purity of Israel that purity will remain intact while great armies will be vanquished by the few. The danger of defilement comes not from these armies but from the leaders of Israel who, lacking faith institute a policy of stalling and deception which surrenders the Land to defilement. 98

The Truth behind ‘Slyness’ ‫לזה‬- ‫ב יני‬,‫ מו מי קֹע קֹק ת‬,‫קב‬,‫מר נה יכי נק נרא קֹשמו מי נע ם‬-‫םא ל‬, ‫ מוי‬And he said: 'Is not he rightly named Jacob? for ‫נל מקחאק השנלה‬ he hath supplanted me these two times: he took ‫מע נתה‬ ‫ קֹו‬,‫םכ נר יתי נל ח‬, ‫ קֹב‬-‫את‬-‫ ל‬--‫מפענ ממיים‬ away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath .‫ֹקב נר נכה‬ ‫ילי‬ ‫ נא מצ ֹקל נת‬-‫םא‬, ‫ נהל‬,‫םאממר‬,‫יב קֹר נכ יתי; ומי‬ taken away my blessing.' And he said: 'Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?' (Bereshit 26:36) The Shla writes ‘This original serpant has been described in the Torah as ‫ערום‬, sly (Bereshit 3:1). This being so, Yacov had to resort to ‫ ערמה‬, slyness in order to defeat the serpent or its representative at its own game.’ The quick witted Rav overturned the arguments of the Sitra Achra on countless occasions. On National news programs, and debates, and interviews, he consistently destroyed the ‘sophisticated’ and ‘intellectual’ arguments of the detractors of Israel. He made sport with them and destroyed the ‘sly’ and 'supposed' moral foundation upon which they stood. One example that comes to mind is when the ‘Affirmative Action’ program which began as an aid to the ‘underdog’ in America became a detriment to the deserving. Jewish students who excelled in their studies were not allowed scholarships to Universities, because there had to be a certain quota of black students enrolled, whether deserving or not. It was reverse discrimination. At the time the Rav wrote an article that called for ‘Affirmative Action’ in the ‘Harlem Globetrotters’ basketball team. He said it wasn’t fair that these basketball teams are made up of exclusively black members. There must be a quota of Jewish players on these black basketball teams. If Jewish scholars were denied an education because of these liberal views, then the same yardstick must be applied on the other side. He poked fun at every inconsistency and falsehood on many different issues that were most often politically incorrect and damaging to Jews or Israel. He along with a handful of followers overturned the entire Russian Empire by their intelligent tactics that embarrassed the Russian government that at the time, was attempting to make peaceful overtures to another Empire - the USA. He is responsible almost single-handedly for opening the doors for millions of Russian Jews who immigrated to Israel. He left us the ‘essential’ Torah as well that will awaken our hearts and minds so that we can overturn our oppressors and bring the redemption. 99

Tolodot 2006 The Painful birth of Truth -‫למר יאם‬- ‫א‬,‫ מות ם‬,‫ ֹקב יק ֹקר נבה‬,‫ר קֹצצו מה נב ינים‬,‫ כב מו יי ֹקת ם‬22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said: 'If it be so, wherefore do I live?' ‫זהה‬.‫ קֹיה נוה‬-‫את‬-‫םרש ל‬, ‫ יל ֹקד‬,‫לך‬-‫ ל‬,‫םנכיי; ומ תת‬, ‫אנ‬ ‫נל נמה‬ ,‫כן‬,‫ת‬ And she went to inquire of the LORD. (Bereshit 25:22) One of the midrashim explains that the ‘ze’ (‫ )זהה‬is the gematria of 12, for the twelve tribes. She knew that 12 tribes would come from her, but if it was so painful, how could she do this twelve more times? Hashem heard her pain and changed her destiny, so that the twelve tribes would come in the next generation through Yacov. Another Midrash exaplains that Rivka was perplexed. She knew that Itzchak was conceived in holiness from a circumcised Avraham, and that after the Akeida only the holiest of women could have been chosen. Eliezer had chosen her, and yet there was this terrible battle inside of her. If so (im ken), if Itzchak and I are holy vessels, then lama ze? The midrash says the misspelled goyim (nations) to gayiim (great ones) refers to the friendship of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and the Roman leader Antonius. Antonius would serve the rabbi, even though the rabbi said it was unbecoming for a Caesar to bend down and for the Rabbi to step on his back to reach his bed. But he replied that even if he had the merit to be his slave in the next world, he would be forever grateful. ‫יגלישים‬,‫ ושֹק תנ‬,‫נך‬,‫קֹב יב ֹקט ת‬ ‫ני‬,‫ קֹש ת‬,‫מר קֹיה נוה נלה‬-‫א ל‬,‫כג מוי ם‬ 23 And the LORD said unto her: Two nations are in thy womb, and two peoples shall be separated ,‫לי לא נמץ‬- ‫םאם‬, ‫ימ ֹקל‬ ‫םאם‬, ‫רדו; ו קֹל‬,‫מ מע ייך יי נפ ת‬,‫ ימ ת‬,‫קֹלאכמיים‬ from thy bowels; and the one people shall be .‫םבד נצ יעיר‬, ‫קֹו מרב מי נע‬ stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (Bereshit 25:23) The answer she was given by Hashem (through Shem according to Midrash), was that there were two celestial forces coming into the world. Even though Esav would become wicked, his spiritual source some say was even higher than Yacov’s. The difference between them was that Esav was controlled by his impulses, while Yacov mastered himself. Even though Esav failed, the potential within him could have been great. This potential would be brought out over time, through great converts who came from Esav, from prophets Ovadia to Rabbi Akiva. 100