Kahane Codes - Part Two Vayikra,Bamidbar,Dvarim

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Kahane Codes 3

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'If your Torah hasn't been banned it’s not worth reading' (The Kalisher Rav - Tapuach) 5

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Index 7

Index Sefer Vayikra Kahane in Parsha Binyamin Kahane Commentary Pg. 11 Pg. 441 Vayikra Pg. 19 Pg. 443 Tzav Pg. 29 (see Holidays) Pesach Pg. 38 (none) State of Judea Pg. 43, 49 (see Holidays) Yom Haatzmaut Pg. 51 (see Holidays) Yom Hazikaron Pg. 53 Pg. 445 Shmini Pg. 61 Pg. 447 Tazria Pg. 61 Pg. 447 Metzora Pg. 67 (none) Acharei Pg. 73 Pg. 451 Kedoshim Pg. 79 Pg. 452 Emor Pg. 91 Behar Pg. 97 (none) Bechukosai Pg. 120 (see Holidays) Lag B'Omer Sefer Bamidbar Bamidbar Pg. 139 Pg. 457 Naso Pg. 147 (none) Behaaloscha Pg. 173 Pg. 460 Shelach Pg. 193 Pg. 462 Korach Pg. 203 Pg. 465 Chukas Pg. 227 Pg. 471 Balak Pg. 247 Pg. 473 Pinchas Pg. 261 Pg. 473 Mattos Pg. 281 Pg. 478 8

Masaei (none) Index Pg. 479 Sefer Devarim Kahane in Parsha Binyamin Kahane Commentary Pg. 299 Pg. 484 Devarim Pg. 327 Pg. 486 Vaeschanan Pg. 345 (none) Eikev Pg. 361 Pg. 489 Re'eh Pg. 369 Pg. 494 Shoftim Pg. 379 Pg. 494 Ki Tezeh Pg. 383 Pg. 497 Ki Savo Pg. 391 (none) Nitzavim Pg. 371 (none) Vayelech Pg. 421 (none) Haazinu Pg. 435 Holidays Notes Pg. 502 Rosh Hoshanna Pg. 506 Yom Kippur Pg. 508 Succot Pg. 511 Chanuka Pg. 517 Purim Pg. 522 Pesach Pg. 534 Lag B'Omer Pg. 535 Shavuot Pg. 542 YomYerushalayim Pg. 546 Yom Haatzmaut Pg. 547 Tisha B'Av 9

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Kahane in the Parsha Book of Vayikra 11

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Kahane in the Parsha Vayikra 13

Ain Kemach Ain Torah The well known passage from Perkei Avot -Ain Kemach – Ain Torah (No flour – no Torah) means that without basic physical needs we cannot fulfill our mission to bring a spiritual world into being. The physical world itself comes before its spiritual purpose. This weeks Parsha sheds some light on this idea. In most years we read Vayikra as well as Parshat Hachodesh. The details of bringing sacrifices and the new month may have something in common. The commandment of announcing the new month was the first commandment given to the Jewish people as a Nation before they left Egypt. This was one of the three commandments that were outlawed by the Syrian/Greeks before the great Chanuka miracle; the other two were observing Shabbat and circumcision. Unlike the nations of the world who build civilizations with great structures like the pyramids or the Colosseum, the Nation of Israel builds their structures in time. As Abraham Heschel writes: “The Sabbaths are our great cathedrals; and our Holy of Holies is a shrine that neither the Romans nor the Germans were able to burn; a shrine that even apostasy cannot easily obliterate: the Day of Atonement.” (from the book Sabbath by Avraham Heschel). The first Rashi explains that the Torah should really begin with this first commandment but begins in Bereshit so that we understand the origin of creation and our claim to Eretz Israel. If the Nation of Israel is to be given mastery over 'time' it must be rooted in a physical 'place'. “Commentators explain that, by virtue of this commandment, God gave the Jewish people mastery over time. From that moment onward, the calender with its cycle of festivals could exist only when the Sages of Israel declared the new month. This signifies more than control over the reckoning of time, the dating of legal documents, and all the banalities to which man is subject in his everyday life. The Jewish people s symbolized by the moon because, although the moon wanes, it waxes as well. It stands for hope, for the confidence that there is a future as well as a past. This vibrancy assures that any conquest of the Jewish people can never be more than temporary. Israel may seem to disappear from the panorama of history – but so does the moon. The moon returns – and Israel, by means of the power vested in it by the Torah, sanctifies the new month. So too, the the nation constantly demonstrates its ability to make itself the vehicle for the prophesies of redemption and a greater spiritual world. (Artscroll Siddur Pg 1219) Two things were created before the world; the Torah and Teshuva (repentance). In order for the Torah to be realized Hashem needed a world and then a people in this world that would choose to accept and keep this Torah. There is a famous Talmudic discourse as to when the world began. Was it in Nissan which is called the 1st of the months or Tishrai when we observe Rosh Hoshanna. The answer is both. Just as the Torah was created before time and space and earth, so Nisan one could say was in mind before the creation of the physical earth. The Torah begins with the creation of the world but its purpose is not fully realized until the birth of the Nation of Israel. What comes later in history was designed earlier, like a seed that after time sprouts forth as a tree with flowers. There are many stories of Tzadikim that didn't take much from the physical world yet were able to give 14

a tremendous spiritual light and physical blessing to others. David Hamelech pretended to eat like a king at banquets but secretly he ate like a pauper. Israel, the Tzadik among nations does not have great physical requirements, but the basic physical requirements are needed in order to give its tremendous blessings to the world. We don't need the riches of North America or Europe or the many oil nations of our cousin Ishmael. We simply need a very tiny land so that we can survive and then manifest the purpose of creation. The 'time' that we sanctify throughout the moments of the years are leading us back to the 'place' which exists within the heart and soul of the Nation of Israel – the Temple. On the surface it appears much more interesting to read stories of adventures and dramas of the Nation of Israel rather than details of how various animals were slaughtered (which makes up most of the book of Vayikra). Try for a moment to imagine a world without Yom Kippur. Imagine there was no day where we reflected on our year and made resolutions to improve our deeds and increase our connection to our purpose in life. Of course this is something we should do on a regular basis but if we get busy at least there is Yom Kippur where we stop for a day and reflect and fast and start fresh. On that day we read of many types of sins that we may have forgotten or overlooked. If we didn't have at least this one day of reflection we would most likely slip into many types of infidelities that would grow and become various golden calves. Without a judge and prosecution we would slide into anarchy. Our Torah that we have carried throughput history is not only our claim on the Land of Israel but our claim that the world has purpose and direction and is not just chaotic. Those who oppose Israel, oppose the G-d of Israel and the concept of an 'absolute truth'. Today there is no longer a 'right' or 'wrong' ; the definition of who is a 'victim' and who is the 'murderer' are subjective terms. Israel stands on one side with purpose, continuity and holiness while on the other side the world is degenerating into anarchy. The process of change and sacrifice is ongoing. On a personal level as well as a national level we are constantly being challenged and tested and maturing. The job of a real Jewish leader is not to follow the masses but to correct them. There is a Moshe in each generation whose task is to wake us up and steer us on the right path. Rabbi Kahane did more in his short years to advance the mission of Israel than many others. He succeeded in breaking the crack of idolatry, like Avraham and showed us where our beliefs were false. He pulled off the cloak of deception to many who had fallen asleep or were victims of fraudulent leadership. 'The good fortune of many reform rabbis is that their congregants know less about Judaism than they do.' (Essay by Rabbi Kahane -What makes Bernie Run). He exposed the flaws of North American Jewish leadership and then went on to re-shape and re-ignite Israeli souls who were apathetic and had lost the vision and dream of Zionism. “The puzzled shepherds of the American Jewish communities can close down their study groups and their commissions and their committees: they can put an end to the learned and expensive surveys. They can stop spending Jewish communal funds. What makes Bernie run away from Judaism? Who created that Bernie who turns from Judaism in disgust or in indifference? Who created the Bernie who pants after a shiksa or who marches for Jesus or Trotsky or Arafat or for nothing Jewish? Who created a Bernie who finds Judaism as unimportant as the color of his hair? Why, the answer is obvious: The very same Establishment groups who are busily creating the committees, commissions, study groups and surveys to find out the answer to these questions. Who made Bernie run away from Judaism? The American Jewish Committee, the American 15

Jewish Congress, the B’nai Brith, the federations on every level and in every locality, the temple rabbis and Bernie’s most intimate Establishment figures- his parents. All of these are the criminals. All of these had a hand in murdering Bernie as a Jew. All of these robbed him of his heritage, of the beauties of his inheritance. All of these make Bernie run. The Jewish Establishment groups – The AJCommittee, the Congress, the B’nai Brith, the federations, ALL the spokesmen for the American Jewish community – the ruling clique, uniformly marched down the American road with a melting pot under their arms, beating it over and over again and shouting forth the Eleventh Commandment to the American Jew: Thou shalt melt!” (What makes Bernie Run). ‫ נו הק כמץ‬,‫ נב יני כא נה הרן כה הכ נה ינים‬-‫ אהל‬,‫ ב הו בה יבי האה‬2 And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the -‫ עכל הכל‬,‫ ימ השם נמל הא מק נמצו ימ הס נל התה ו ימ כש נמ הנה‬Kohanim; one of whom shall scoop his three fingersful from it, from its fine flour and from its ‫הכ ןהן תא‬,‫ כא נז הכ הר התה‬-‫ת‬‫כה‬ ‫נו יה נק יטיר‬ ;‫נלבה הנתהה‬ oil, as well as its frankincense; and the Kohen ‫ כליה הוה‬,‫ יא ישה ירי כח יני הח כח‬--‫ כה ימ נז יב החה‬. shall cause its memorial-portion to go up in smoke upon the altar, an offering made by fire, of a satisfying aroma to Hashem. (Vayikra 2:2) The kometz and frankincense are called the offerings memorial portion because the owner finds favor before God through them, when they are burned upon the Alter. (Rashi) Certainly Rabbi Kahane found favor in Hashems eyes for his continued struggle and sacrifice for the Jewish people. More importantly, his sacrifice enabled us all to see the truth behind perfidy and corruption. He created authentic Jewish leadership and molded new Jewish leaders that lead not for popularity, power and prestige, but for Torah values and the self-sacrifice that is involved. After many complaints and demands for 'meat' in the desert the old leadership was burned in a heavenly fire (see Behalotecha). A new leadership was chosen, made up of former Egyptian taskmasters that refused to beat other Jews, and instead were beaten themselves by their Egyptian taskmasters. This was the prerequisite of the new Jewish leader, to have demonstrated love and compassion for his people to this degree made them worthy to lead. Vayikra means 'to call'. When we rise to our 'calling' the animal soul is subdued and the spirit grows. Today the slaughterhouse and the supermarket are two distinctly different places. In the future our Barbecue festivities will be accompanied by our desire to bring ourselves closer to the divine and will be accompanied by the sacrifices of many other nations that join us in the celebration of the place that existed before time and place and gives meaning to our temporal lives. Rav Kahane and Nissan My friend Yacov Ben Chaim noticed that Vayikra was a few numbers short of Meir Kahane in gematria then he looked at the Atbash and found a connection to Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Meir Kahane = 982 (AtBash) Rosh Chodesh Nissan = 982 Nissan is the month of Geula and our birth as a Nation. The Rav like Moshe worked and sacrificed tirelessly to bring us out of Mitzrayim. As the saying goes 'it's easier to bring the Jew out of the exile than to bring the exile out of the Jew'. He showed us the way. 16

Vayikra, Purim and Gog and Magog (2022) In a year with two Adar's the Parsha of Vayikra coincides with Purim and has some interesting connections, especially as the war of Gog and Magog approaches. In the Megillah, Chapter 6, the king couldn’t sleep and asked that the book of chronicles be read to him. He ends up hearing the story of how Mordechai saved his life from an assassination attempt, and that Mordechai was never rewarded for this. Just then Haman comes to see the king, to request that Mordechai be hung, but before he has a chance to say a word, the king asks him advice on how the king ought to honor someone special. Haman, thought this was about him, so he told the king that this man ought to be dressed in royal garments and ride the king’s own horse, and be led and paraded through the streets… and then the king burst his bubble and told Haman to go do this very thing to honor Mordechai! This is a turning point of the Megillah. It’s the beginning of Haman’s downfall. Haman had no choice but to obey the king’s wishes, so very reluctantly he went to get Mordechai. Haman found Mordechai leading the Rabbis in a Torah study class. Haman later asked, “What were you discussing?” Mordechai explained, We were learning the laws of “Kemitzah”. What is Kemitzah? When a person brought a flour (mincha) offering to the Temple, the Kohain would take a fistful of flour, shake off the pinky and thumb, and the flour remaining inside the three clenched fingers was brought as an offering. Haman listened to all this, and then he said bitterly: It appears that your measly and minuscule 3- fingers of flour overcame my 10,000 talents of silver (which he offered the king for the Jews destruction). We read about the “Kemitzah” in this weeks Parsha: --‫ כת נק יריב הק נר כבן ימ ננ החה כליה הוה‬-‫ יכי‬,‫ א נו הנ הפש‬1 When a person offers a meal offering to Hashem, ‫ נו הנ כתן‬,‫הש המן‬ ‫הע הלי הה‬ ‫נו הי כצק‬ ;‫ יי נה היה הק נר הבנו‬,‫הס הלת‬ his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour ‫הע הלי הה נל הב הנה‬ oil upon it, and put frankincense upon it. ‫ נו הק כמץ‬,‫ נב יני כא נה הרן כה הכ נה ינים‬-‫ האל‬,‫ ב הו בה יבי האה‬2 He shall bring it to the sons of Aaron, the -‫ כעל הכל‬,‫ ימ השם נמל הא מק נמצו ימ הס נל התה ו ימ כש נמ הנה‬Kohanim, one of whom shall scoop his threefingersful from it, from its fine flour and ,‫ כא נז הכ הר התה‬-‫נל הב הנ התה; נו יה נק יטיר כה הכ יהן האת‬ from its oil, as well as all its frankincense; and the ‫ כליה הוה‬,‫ יא ישה ירי כח יני הח כח‬--‫כה ימ נז יב החה‬ Kohen shall cause its memorial portion to go up in smoke upon the altar – a fire offering, a satisfying aroma to Hashem. (Vayikra 2:1-2) It is interesting to note that not only do we see how Hashem can undo the evil intentions of our enemies with only 3-fingers of flour but this very mitzvah also explains the barrier and clog in the pipeline that prevents the light of Hashem from protecting the Nation of Israel and ignored, leads to increasing wrath and eventually punishment. Where do we see this? Chazal tell us that in this particular Mincha sacrifice instead of the text saying 'when a man brings..' the word 'nephesh' is substituted for man. They explain that for a poor man that can only offer flour, it is as if he offers his soul (nephesh) when bringing his sacrifice. Rav Kahane brings down in Perush HaMakabee that the mincha is also connected to our descent to Egypt. For when Jacob heard that his brother Esau was coming to kill him, he sent him a present – a 17

minchah (Genesis 32:13). In other words, instead of relying on G-d and placing his faith in Him, Jacob placed his faith in the goodwill of Esau. He took the mincha – which symbolizes faith in G-d – and sent it to Esau. The Torah alludes to this sin when it refers to the descent of Jacob and his progeny to Egypt as the descent of 70 “souls” (Exodus 1:5). “Soul” ordinarily symbolizes someone who has complete faith, someone who brings a mincha sacrifice. Since Jacob did not exhibit complete faith, he and his family were sent into exile in Egypt, and the Torah reminds us of his sin by using the word “souls” in this context. (Kahane on the Parsha Pg. 137) It seems to me that just as Mitzrayim is a 'sifting' of souls, as only one fifth chose to follow Moshe into a barren desert and four fifths clung to the darkness of Egypt, this Mitzvah of “Kemitzah” also alludes to this sifting process. In addition, we learn that not only is a minuscule amount of flour from Hashems Torah worth more than Hamans wealth and Hashem's power to save is greater than the desire of any of our enemies to annihilate us, it also explains that the poverty of our mitzvot cause the evil decree. Another point is that the tikkun though it may seem impossible, is as affordable as 3-fingers of flour. It is a particular teshuva however, and a particular mitzvah that we sweep under the rug, that holds our salvation. It is this particular mitzvah that we read on Parsha Zachor. We will come to it soon. Let is hear from Rav Kahane in the Talmud: R. Abba b. Kahana introduced his discourse on this section with the following text: For to the man that is good in his sight he gives wisdom, and knowledge and joy. This, he said, refers to the righteous Mordecai. But to the sinner He gives the task, to gather and to heap up; this refers to Haman. That he may leave it to him, that is good in the sight of God; this refers to Mordecai and Esther,as it is written, And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. (Megilah 10b) All of the wealth of Haman is given over to Mordechai who becomes second in command to the King who rules over a vast empire of 127 provinces. The book of Esther repeatedly calls attention to the vast empire of \"127 provinces\" and the Jews who live in these provinces who were almost slaughtered. In the end they avenge themselves against Haman's supporters and 'a fear of the Jews' falls over these provinces. This story also alludes to a future war of Gog and Magog which result in the world becoming tributaries of Israel. ‫ השם‬-‫ יא נו הה היה כביום כההוא הא יתן נלגוג נמקום‬11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will ,‫ יגי הה הע נב ירים יק נד כמת כה הים‬,‫ הק הבר נב יי נש הר יאל‬give unto Gog a place fit for burial in Israel, the ‫ מהמו הנה מהמון‬--‫האת‬,‫השם‬‫נו הק נברו‬ ,‫יהיא‬ ‫נו הח הס המת‬ valley of them that pass through on the east of the ;‫ הה הע נב ירים‬-‫האת‬ sea; and it shall stop them that pass through; and ‫ יגיא‬,‫ נו הק נראו‬, ‫ הכל‬-‫ גוג נו האת‬there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude; ‫ גוג‬and they shall call it the valley of Hamon-gog (Yechezkel 39:11) It is not coincidental that the words for the multitudes that come to destroy Israel and the burial place they find instead, is related to the name Haman. The 127 provinces are also related to Sarah who lived to the age of 127. According to the Midrash the 'yud' of Sarai, instead of being the last letter of a woman's name became the first letter of a man's name. That man was 'Yehoshua' who conquered Israel. What is the connection? Sarah understood that the Brit Milah was not only the completion of 'man' but the completion of 'mankind.' Ishmael had to be thrown out of Avrahams house to further the mission of Hashem. Hashem also agreed with her and told Avraham to listen to her. After this was done 18

the world came and praised Avraham and his God. “Abimelech and Phicol, general of his legion, said to Avraham, 'God is with you in all that you do.' (Bereshit 21:22) Sarah's life is described as three periods. She was as sinless at one hundred as she was at twenty, and she was a beautiful at twenty as she was at seven. This purity counterpoints Achashverosh who not only had 127 provinces, but the Talmud tells us had seven provinces and then twenty and then another hundred. The wealth of the wicked is gathered and given to the one who is good in the sight of Hashem. What exactly is this purity and goodness in the sight of Hashem? What is this missing mitzvah that opens the channel between Hashem and His people? Hashem tells us directly as we read the Haftorah Zachor, that he commands us to erase the memory of Amalek. We read the story of King Shaul from the tribe of Binyamin who fails to destroy Amalek and seeks to justify his actions. His tikkun comes from Mordechai who is also from the tribe of Binyamin and who seeks no excuses but rather instigates the evil Haman by purposely standing tall infuriating Haman, while everyone bows to him. The most tragic part of the story of Shaul is that instead of destroying evil he ends up doing the opposite. He does exactly as Hashem had commanded, but to the holy Kohanim of Nov instead of the evil Amelekites. If we are not waging war against Amalek we are waging war against our holy brothers. When we are kind to the cruel we inevitably become cruel to the kind. We see this today as the government persecutes the Jewish builders while turning a blind eye to terrorists and invaders who steal our Land. Every place we vacate Haman enters. We bow to Haman and pursue Mordechai like Amalek. Rav Binyamin writes that the real miracle of Purim is that the Jews did Teshuva. They realized that it was their assimilation that caused Hashem's anger in the first place. Their willingness to sit at a banquet and eat from pillaged plates of the Bet Hamigdash without any shame is what caused their dilemma, not Mordechai. Their willingness to sell their father in Heaven for fear of Gentiles, offering mincha's of faith and loyalty and believing in this way they will be appeased was their misguided action that left them bewildered. They were shocked when they were abandoned but rather than pointing a finger at Mordechai, they cried out to Heaven to save them and repair the breach. They understood they had sinned, and just as Mordechai led the way for their redemption by standing tall in the face of tyrants, when the tables turned, the people willingly avenged themselves against their enemies. As the war of Gog and Magog approaches today, and the gangster empires from the woke west to the far east seek to gather the wealth of the world, there is one thing they agree upon as they seek to kill each other. Hashem has absolutely no place in their ideologies. Each empire seeks to rewrite history and perfect the universe using science and trans-humanism to make themselves gods. They do not realize however that their amassing of wealth is for one reason only - to build Hashems Kingdom and his people Israel. This hinges, however, on that one simple mitzvah that turned Shaul into a cold blooded murdered of holy Jews rather than an avenger of our enemies. When we are merciful to the cruel we will become cruel to the merciful. We must stand our ground against our cruel enemies and reclaim every neighborhood of Jerusalem and our Holy Temple. Appeasement and abandoning our identity will give rise to Haman, while reclaiming and building our land will redeem us. Throwing out our enemies is not difficult to do when we have the will and the simple faith of a poor man. When we have that simple faith we will not only become enriched inside but the wealth amassed 19

by all the evil tyrants, that in the end, seek our destruction, will also fall at our feet. “Kamitzah” also has within it the words Miketz – the final days (see what I wrote there in 2020). There is a sifting process going on and we must decide if we wish to cling to the darkness of appeasement or slip through the sifter by standing with good and completing the Brit Milah of mankind. In the Time-to-Come, The Holy One, Blessed is He, will bring the yetzer hara and slaughter him before the righteous and the evil. To the righteous it will appear like a high mountain, and to the evil it will appear like a thread of hair. Both will cry; the righteous will cry and say, “How were we able to overcome this high mountain?” The evil will cry and say, “How were we not be able to overcome this thread of hair?” (Succah 52a) May we merit the teshuva that the Jewish people did in Shushan and all its provinces so we can stand with Mordechai and blow the dust off our shoulders. Flour Power (2023) This weeks Parsha has a passage that one could say describes all of Jewish history, from the exile to the redemption and explains why only twenty percent succeed in leaving the exile. There is one offering that says instead of ‘when a 'man' brings an offering’, when a ‘soul’ brings an offering. This is the Mincha offering and it is explained that because it is a poor man’s offering, it is as if he brought his soul. The little flour he has to sustain himself he offers to Hashem. Rabbi Kahane brings down that when seventy ‘souls’ went down to Egypt there is an allusion to the Mincha offering. What does the Mincha offering have to do with our ‘tikkun’ in Egypt? The Mincha offering which is the very symbol of our simple faith in Hashem, Yacov had sent to appease Esav. For this we had to go down to Egypt. We see this being played out even today. Among the leftist demonstrations in Israel, one sees signs ‘save us Biden’ or ‘save us Macron’. We still seek to bow down and to appease Esav while we turn our back on Hashem with animosity towards those who have this simple faith. The Talmud tells us that the only difference between today and the time of Moshiach is our reliance on foreign powers who oppress us. (Sanhedrin 99a). The days of Moshiach are as simple as changing the narrative and changing our mindset; simply a psychological shift in perception aided by the acquisition of that simple faith. When Haman came to Mordechai’s yeshiva to place him on the king’s horse, he asked one of the students what they were learning. They told him they were learning this same passage about the Kamitza (fingerful) of flour the Cohen scoops out for the Mincha offering. Haman answered them that this fingerful of flour was more powerful than all of the money he had given the king to destroy Israel. When we understand this principle and the flour power of this simple faith we will pass through the sieve while those who are too puffed up with the pride of building their own Gan Eden and throwing God out, will not make it through. The rabbis tell us that these days of searching out the chametz have the ability to annul harsh decrees. The more we search out our personal and National chametz and burn it out, the freer we will become. We have the ability to annul harsh decrees, to easily pass through the sieve and bring Moshiach like lifting a fingerful of flour. That fingerful of flour can become chametz or matza depending on our faith and humility or our pride to trample Hashem's kingdom to appease our oppressors. When we act correctly, the chametz we seek out and burn will make us a free Nation and that which we burned out before Pesach will become Shalach Manot on Purim. It is all in our hands to do it and understand the power of flour. 20

Kahane in the Parsha Tzav 21

Tzav – The Inauguration The word for the sacrifice that is made to Inaugurate new Kohanim is called in Hebrew Miluim. This is the same word used for 'army service' in Israel. Until the age of forty each year a soldier must report for a few weeks of Muluim duty or 'reserve' duty. It is no coincidence that the same word is used to Inaugurate the Cohanim. Our soldiers sacrifice for us and the Cohanim sacrifice for us. It may be a different type of sacrifice but it is related. ‫ כו כי נק יטר‬,‫ כח כו יי כקח המ השה הא התם ימ כעל ככ יפי ההם‬28 And Moses took them from off their hands, and ‫יהם נל ירי כחימ אל יאים‬ made them smoke on the altar upon the burnt- ;‫ הה הע הלה‬-‫כעל‬ ‫כה ימ נז יב החה‬ offering; they were a consecration-offering for a ‫ יא השה הוא כליה הוה‬,‫ יני הח כח‬. sweet savor; it was an offering made by fire unto the LORD. ‫ כה הדם‬-‫ ו ימן‬,‫ ל כו יי כקח המ השה ימ הש המן כה ימ נש החה‬30 And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of ,‫ נב הג הדיו‬-‫ כא נה הרן כעל‬-‫ כו כיז כעל‬,‫ כה ימ נז יב כח‬-‫ נא השר כעל‬the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his -‫ יב נג ידי הב הניו יאתו; כו ני כק ידש האת‬-‫ הב הניו נו כעל‬-‫נו כעל‬ garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' ‫ יב נג ידי הב הניו‬-‫ הב הניו נו האת‬-‫ נו האת‬,‫ נב הג הדיו‬-‫כא נה הרן האת‬ garments with him, and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments ‫ יאתו‬. with him. ‫ יש נב כעת‬,‫ לג ו ימ הפ כתח הא ההל מו יעד ל הא ית נצאו‬33 And ye shall not go out from the door of the ‫ יכי‬:‫ ני ימי ימ מל יאי הכם‬,‫ כעד יום נמל האת‬--‫ הי ימים‬tent of meeting seven days, until the days of your consecration be fulfilled; for He shall ‫ הי נד הכם‬-‫ ני כמ ילא האת‬,‫ יש נב כעת הי ימים‬. consecrate you seven days. Rabbi Nacham Kahane explains it better than me in his book 'With All Your Might': The first time I put on a uniform of the Jewish nation's defense forces (the army which,in time, will be the “clenched fist” of the Mashiach) is a moment that will never pass from my memory; a moment deserving of the blessing shechiyanu. It was for me the closing of an historic circle, beginning with the soldiers of Yehoshua who conquered the land three thousand years go; the warriors of King David who extended the land to its Biblical borders and beyond; my fore- bearers, the Maccabeen Kohanim, who led the war against the Greeks; the soldiers of Rabbi Akiva and Bar Kochba – all the Jewish history wrapped up in a single shirt of olive green with the initials ‫צהל‬ At that moment I recalled the verse from Tezaveh “And you shall make holy garments for Aharon your brother, for splendor and for beauty” My uniform could not have been, by any means, described in terms of “splendor” or “beauty”, but thousands of young Jewish men gave their lives wearing this uniform in defense of the people in Eretz Yisrael. So the uniform was and is, in my eyes, “holy garments.” Note: If we change one letter of ‫( אייל המ אמיל אאיים‬inauguration ram) (Vayikra 8:22) we get Chayal Miluim; a reserve soldier. 22

Haftorah ‫ יי נת כה ילל הח הכם‬-‫ כאל‬,‫ כב הכה הא כמר ניה הוה‬22 So says Hashem: Let a wise man not glory in -‫ יב נגבו הרתו; כאל‬,‫ יי נת כה ילל כה יגבור‬-‫ נו כאל‬,‫ נב הח נכ המתו‬his wisdom, nor let the mighty man glory in his ‫ נב הע נשרו‬,‫ יי נת כה ילל הע ישיר‬. might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; ‫ שה כש ןכל‬,‫ נבז האת יי נת כה ילל כה ימ נת כה ילל‬-‫כג יכי יאם‬ 23 Only in this may one who glories glorify ‫ עהשהה הח הסד‬,‫כו הי הד שע או יתי יכי מא יני כיה הוה‬ himself: in discerning and knowing Me, for I am Hashem, Who performs kindness, justice, and ,‫ נב יא הלה הח כפ נצ יתי‬-‫ יכי‬:‫ ימ נש הפט ו נצ הד הקה הב הא הרץ‬righteousness, in the world; for these are what I ‫ ניה הוה‬-‫ ננ מאם‬. desire – the word of Hashem. (Yermiyahu 9:22-23) ‫שה כש ןכל כו הי הד שע או יתי יכי מא יני כיה הוה‬ Hasechel - 355 Veyadua Oti - 507 Ki Ani Hashem – 117 979 ‫מאיר הד יוד בן כי תח כז ןקאל כש שר הגא‬ Meir – 251 David – 14 Ben – 52 Yecheskel – 156 Shraga – 503 976+3 = 979 In a speech on campus in Minnesota (available on Youtube) a riot breaks out and Rabbi Kahane stands his ground against Arab protesters. He spoke to the hearts of the Jewish students demanding of them to be involved and not to worry about the violent demonstrators who applauded when he spoke of Jews murdered in Israel and cursed when he spoke about the glory of Israel and how each time the Arabs went to war against Israel they lost and made Israel greater. Between the shouts from Arabs and his quick response that put them in their place, he turns to the audience and says: 'Isn't it great and about time to hear a Jewish speaker speak who isn't a wimp?' Although some might call this arrogance, to me it is what our passage speaks about. In this you can glory. In knowing G-d and breaking the many idols and false gods that people adhere to. In his speech he methodically tears apart the Jewish condemnation from Hillel who refused to attend and explains to the audience what real 'Jewish values' are and what is lacking in their leaders. He went on to explain that the villain of the Holocaust was not the Christians who did nothing or Roosevelt or any other non- 23

Jews. The biggest villain was American Jewish leadership that did nothing for fear of antisemitism. If they had done sit-ins like he did for Russian Jews they would have pressured America to bomb railway lines and bridges leading to Auschwitz that would have saved millions of lives. This ghetto mentality that still exists in not only American Jewish leadership but even Israeli leadership is what he fought against. He was banned by many Jewish establishments not because what he said was not true but because as he put it 'those who cannot debate me, defame me'. It was fear, condemnation and jealousy that forced Moshe into being a fugitive. It was the Jewish leadership in Egypt that tried to do away with him for fear of more antisemitism. In our generation we also have a Moshe who has disappeared temporarily but whose Torah is returning and growing within the people. There are three ideas expressed in this passage. 'Only in this may one who glories glorify himself: in discerning and knowing Me, for I am Hashem' Yadua – Knowing; having the knowledge based upon study and understanding of the Torah and Talmud. Sechel - Discerning – This is a higher level of understanding. On one hand it can be defined as 'common sense' but also a deeper level of understanding the times and understanding the laws that we are obligated to at such times. The Rav often spoke about the difference between a Torah scholar and a 'Navon', which is one who is able to read between the lines, using his knowledge and power of discernment to understand the 'spirit' of the Torah and what is being inferred based upon his knowledge and the current times. Moshe uses this power when convincing G-d that it is in His interest not to destroy this Nation, and not for it to be led by an angel, but only Him alone. (see Ki Sissa) Ki Ani Hashem – This is the key. One may be very knowledgeable and know what the law demands but because of lack of faith, fear of our enemies, losing ones prestige or power, or many other uncomfortable questions, the ability to reason becomes compromised. Judaism is demanding. We must perform kindness, justice and righteousness which means not ignoring the cries of our brothers or allowing them to be the sacrificial lamb while we sit in comfort. Rabbi Meir David Ben Yecheskel and these three ideas – knowledge, discernment, and fear of G-d are equal to the passage above. In this one can glory, that he knows and understand and applies G-ds Torah to our times. If this means that one will become a target and will be constantly thrown into a lions den to defend the 'true' word of G-d the consolation will be that in 'this' one may glory; that his Torah is the authentic one that G-d intended for us to understand and act upon. If it was not so 'authentic' then his Torah would not shake the foundations of the world and our own Jewish leadership to the point of being 'banned'. If Rabbi Kahane's Torah is banned, then Rashi and Rambam are also banned, this is the point. Today we hear a call once again to ban 'The Kings Torah' which brings down the Halacha on the subject of warfare. The authors are being threatened with prosecution for explaining what the Torah commands us regarding our conduct in times of war. By putting Rabbi Kahane on trial then and books like The Kings Torah today, what is really on trial is G-d. In this may one glory, to know the 'authentic' teachings of Hashem even if by teaching them or learning them one may be persecuted. Just as Rabbi Akiva chose to continue to study and teach authentic Torah when it had been banned, so too do the students of Rabbi Kahane continue despite threats by those motivated not by 'fear of G-d' but 'fear of Gentiles.' 24

Shabbat Hagadol ‫ יאת יא יל היהה הא הנ יכ‬,‫י הש יל כח הל הכם‬ 23 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of ‫ נו כהנו הרא‬,‫ כה הגדול‬,‫בוא יום ניה הוה‬ the LORD. ‫כג יה ינ‬ ,‫ יל נפ יני‬--‫כה הנ יביא‬ This Shabbat is described as Gadol because something happened that was greater than all the ten plagues that had been brought from above by Moshe. The Nation of Israel put all the pieces together and acted with true faith. After witnessing what Hashem had been doing for them they were now more prepared to act in such a way that would prove their worthiness of being called the Children of Israel. They were now commanded to destroy the idols of Egypt before their eyes and bring them as sacrifices to the Jewish G-d. This action could only have been achieved if the people had risen to this level by words and actions that Moshe had set forth before them. Rabbi Kahane guided us in a similar way. By his example he demonstrated not only what a Jewish leader is made of but what is expected of every Jew. If we obey our G-d we may not be liked by those who secretly dislike us anyway. By doing what He commands however, many converts and friends will join us and assist us. When we respect ourselves and our G-d, the Nations will also respect us and will not be able to harm us, as the Egyptians were not able to. Eliyahu is the gilgul of Pinchas the zealot. The zealotry of Rabbi Kahane like Pinchas, ignited a spark in our own souls and showed us the path to freedom. He often said 'I would rather have a Jewish State that is hated by the entire world than an Auschwitz that is loved by it.' When we come to the aide of our brothers and throw out our enemies the world will despise us, but many will join us and our G-d in Heaven will protect us and deliver us as He did in Egypt of the past. Our Shabbat Hagadol is coming. Shabbat of Embarrassment Another reason that this Shabbat is called Shabbat Hagadol is because it is the day when the rabbis traditionally deliver extensive lectures about the laws of Passover, and pontificate about the lessons to be learned from the holiday. The primary event commemorated on this Shabbat is a great miracle which occurred on this day, several days before the Exodus. The Jewish people were commanded by Moses to take a lamb and tie it to their bedposts on Shabbat, the 10th day of Nissan, five days before they were to leave Egypt. When the Egyptians inquired by the Jews why they were buying lambs en masse, they were told that these lambs were intended for the Paschal Offering, which would be sacrificed in preparation of the Plague of the Firstborn. For some reason, this information rattled the Egyptian firstborn, who immediately insisted that Pharaoh grant the Jews the liberty they demanded. When Pharaoh refused their request, the Egyptian firstborn waged war with Pharaoh's army, and many Egyptians who were guilty of atrocities against the Jews were killed on that day. Why do I call it the Shabbat of Embarrassment? When I hear rabbis so proudly inspiring the congregants of how great was our faith and how courageous we were as we stood before the angry masses of Egyptians and told them to their face we are about to destroy their gods it makes me feel 25

embarrassed. Why are you reminding us of this? If this is truly meant to inspire us and for us to learn the lesson from this great act of faith and courage so that today in our own time we should also act with great faith and courage then why aren't we? If we were to reproduce this type of faith and courage which leads to redemption, then we would go to the Har Habayit (Temple Mount) and in front of the Arabs and the world proclaim that in five days this dome is going down and we are building our synagogue the Bet Hamigdash. Let them gnash their teeth like the Egyptians did. Our God commands us to build our Temple so if this is like destroying your god we are sorry but that is His command. Is there anyone who would stand up and say this? Is there anyone who would even think or dream of this? Then why do I have to hear these proud lectures of how great was our faith and courage? Better it should be a quiet Shabbat Hagadol than Shabbat of Embarrassment. Nissan and Betzalel - 2011 I believe it was the Chatam Sofer who asks why was Bezalel chosen to build the Mishkan? There were many aged wise sages, what does a 13 year old have that they didn’t have? He answers that they were all tainted by the chet haegel, even those who disagreed, did nothing. Chur was the only one in his generation that stood up, and his purity was passed onto his grandson. Another question is asked. Why is the dedication that took place from the 1st to the 12th of Nissan so important that we don’t do tachanun till this day? The Midrash also says that Bezalel knew the secrets of the Creation of the world which he needed to build the mishkan. Why does it say in Bereshit Yom Echad (One day, a Second Day, etc) why not the 1st day? The Chatam Sofer answers the above questions. When the priests brought their offerings and dedicated the mishkan, this was called the 1st day, 2nd day, etc. We learn from this, that the building of the Mishkan was the true completion of the work of Creation. This work was completing the original work of Creation and Bezalel understood this. The Rav’s Torah, like Bezalel and Chur was pure and untainted. He was equal to the generation because he was the sole voice that stood up and said what what was needed in this hour and did that which was called for. If the Nation had followed him instead of isolate and martyr him we would have brought the redemption, instead we still suffer from the sins of the egal and the sins of Yoseph, for we are still committing them. Imagine one youth of 13 was the only one untainted from the whole Nation of scholars and prophets. It is understandable because in our time as well, there are very few who follow in these giant footsteps and yet it is only these few that understand the meaning of Creation. Many talk about Moshiach, and pray for Moshiach but it all sounds empty and meaningless next to the Rav who was bringing Moshiach each day with protest and action and results. It was the self-sacrifice he demonstrated every day of his life (until the final sacrifice) that was needed then and is needed now. Moshiach is not some abstract concept that will mystically fall from heaven in some far off future. It is difficult self-sacrifice that is required today and by his example is possible. Simply throw out our enemies, stop our dependence on America, build the Temple, do what is commanded and trust in G-d. This is the secret of Creation. G-d has brought us back to our Land, but we fought for it in a physical manner. We initiate and He strengthens us and helps us to succeed. Just as Chur’s light was passed on to his grandson, the generation of Meir Kahane’s grandson (who are in their 20’s) have emerged and their purity is growing and spreading like Chanuka candles. (More on this idea see: Vayetze Book I ) 26

The Final Revolution (Adar II, 2022) Why is it that the last month of the year ends in the galut of Persia? Instead of being the most spiritual time (like the reconquest of the Bet Hamigdash at Chanuka) it is a very physical holiday with a seuda mitzvah and shaloch manot. At the same time however we read that there was a 'fear of the Jews' in the Megillah and a 'fear of Mordechai'. We don't see this in many places in the Torah. In addition to our ending the year in Galut there is another galut question we might ask. Why does the great tikkun of Yehuda and Yoseph also happen in the galut and not in Israel? Are all of these questions connected and what do they tell us about the times we are living in today? It seems to me that the fear or awe of the Jews is a result of a tikkun that is shaped by the exile. The first time we see the 'fear of Israel' is when Yacov returns from the exile accompanied by his family the progenitors of the Nation. After the attack and rape of Dinah and the vengeance taken by the brothers there was a fear of the family of Yacov. When the Hebrew Nation returned from the furnace of Egypt to Canaan there was also a fear of Israel which we read about in the conquest of Yericho. Although our year ends in the Galut of Persia this fear of Israel returns but this time spread out among 127 provinces. What is the tikkun of Moshiach ben Yoseph and Moschiach ben David and why exactly does the resolution happen in the exile? How is it connected to the Purim story and Mordechai? It is interesting that as this resolution that takes place in Egypt, the Egyptian people and their tributaries have a growing 'awe' of Israel which may also be connected. As the internal arguments within the family of Israel are resolved reflexively the awe of Israel increases, for Israel has become the savior in these troubled times. There may also be a hint within the famine of Egypt to a spiritual famine in the future that Mordechai will safeguard against. ‫ נל הש כבע נש יני‬,‫ הל הא הרץ‬,‫ לו נו הה היה הה הא הכל נל יפ הקדון‬36. The food will be a reserve for the land against ‫ ית הכ ירת‬-‫ נא השר ית נה הייןה נב הא הרץ ימ נצ הר יים; נול הא‬,‫ הה הר העב‬the seven years of famine which will befall the land of Egypt; so that the land will not perish ‫ הב הר העב‬,‫הה הא הרץ‬ through the famine. (Bereshit 41:36) b'rav = 274 Mordechai = 274 The 'famine' and 'Mordechai' share the same Gematria. Is there a spiritual famine that Mordechai will save us from in the future? In the time of Egypt there was a pending drought and in our time a pending WW3. If we look a bit deeper into the conflicts between the brothers and the concepts of Moshiach ben Yoseph and Moshiach ben David we see that they work together however have different missions. Moshiach ben Yoseph fights the physical battles of Israel which prepare the way for Moshiach ben David. The conflict and resolution between Yoseph and David are a conflict between the body and the soul and how they rectify each other and work together. 27

There are Chassidim I know that hate the State of Israel and its aim to destroy the religion and soul of the people and rightfully so. There is the State of Israel that has created an infrastructure and army and although it is at the leading edge of hi tech and modernity cannot escape this ancient identity no matter how hard it tries to dilute and reform and disconnect from it. Nevertheless within this internal battle in 1967 after the Six Day War, there was a sudden fear and awe of Israel. That fear and awe has been eroded ever since. The answers and blames are not simple however. What might have happened if Yehuda had shown a much greater desire for the Har Habayit that fell from Heaven? The battle between the soul and body of Israel or the exile mentality and fearless Jewish soul is what triggers reflexively the fear and awe of the Nations. This battle takes place both internally and physically. The rebuilding of the Bet Hamigdash takes place not only in our hearts and minds but physically. In our Parsha the Cohen is commanded to light the fire below. The Heavenly fire that consumes the offering from above must be lit below. When we build our Land and demand to build Hashems House and expel those who seek the destruction of Israel this fire will attract a Heavenly fire that will result in a National tikkun that will have a global affect. Tragically the fight against God shared by all the current evil empires vying for power is assisted by our own erev rav. Dr.Noach Harari who is Darth Shwab's right hand man in the World Economic Forum proclaims: \"Science is replacing evolution by natural selection with evolution by intelligent design. Not the intelligent design of some god above the clouds but our intelligent design..and the intelligent design of our clouds, the IBM cloud, the Microsoft cloud. These are the new driving forces of evolution....Today we have the technology to hack human beings on a massive scale...people could look back in a 100 years and identify the corona virus epidemic as the moment when a new regime of surveillance took over, especially surveillance under the skin.” As WW3 approaches and tyrant after tyrant takes advantage of the fear and willingness of people to be enslaved there is a growing resistance that may seem completely primitive and ineffective against the super technologies of the present day. Although these dangerous powers are now in the hands of bad actors seeking to create new worlds in their image, there are resilient souls that stand against these empty souls with a power greater than technology and science. It is the Mordechai power, that does not bow down and it is strengthened by the unification of Yoseph and Yehuda whose resolution comes from the tribal land of Binyamin (Mordechai's tribe) that must be embraced and defended as Yehuda says: '..so we will live and not die..I will personally guarantee him'..(Bereshit 43:8). Inside the word Mordechai (‫ ) המ נר כד ככי‬is Mered (revolution) along with Caf for Koach and Yud for Hashem. In other words read: 'the revolution of the power of Hashem'. While nation after nation has bowed into subservience by a plandemic led by secular extremists, and now is being prepared for the next hoop of subservience, in order to obtain rations while foundations continue to crumble, the people of Mordechai lead the resistance by not bowing down. It is this fire that will sustain the world physically and spiritually. The fire they ignite for Hashem will spread from Yerushalayim to Binyamin and Yehuda and Shomron Just as the fear of the Jews spread in 127 provinces so will it spread today from Israel outward to the world. The fear of Israel is the fear of Mordechai which is the revolution of the power of Hashem, that will overtake these godless giants. As the exile refined Yacov and the Nation of Israel and brought us back to our spiritual mission the physical world continues to be altered along with it. Instead of the fear of tyrants who have manipulated our minds and bodies there will be a fear of the God of Israel and the Children of Israel 28

who do not bow to violent tyrants that worship themselves and will even sacrifice and poison children to further their mad schemes. When this final war of Gog and Magog has ended there will be renovated embassies of Israel around the world overseen by the people of Mordechai and embassies of Chabbad will continue to prosper overseen by Yehuda. It is the Mordechai principle that will unite them. The world will come to honor and bring sacrifices to this holy people who lead the world out of Egypt with the power and simple conviction of Mordechai whose voice of freedom will not bend even though he is targeted for destruction. The people of Haman will be hung on the gallows prepared for Mordechai and the fear of Mordechai will be greater than the fear of tyrants Ironically the anthem of this great nation that defeats empires by standing tall and not bowing will be Aleinu: Va'anachnu korim, u'mishtachavim, u'modim, lifnei melech, malchei ham'lachim, hakadosh baruch Hu. And we bend our knees, and bow down, and give thanks, before the Ruler, the Ruler of Rulers, the Holy One, Blessed is God. Shabbat Hagadol in the Newspaper (2023) I have an annual question regarding Shabbat Hagadol that has never been answered. This year maybe I have a partial answer. The rabbis discuss on Shabbat Hagadol how all the previous nine plagues came from above, however on the tenth plague we had to do something from below to merit leaving Mitzrayim. Our great merit was that we slaughtered the gods of Egypt before their eyes as we sat down to our seder. This mitzva demonstrated our simple faith to do Hashem's command even if it appears dangerous. Fulfilling this command expressed our faith that nothing the gentiles can do can overpower the will of Hashem. Mocking the gods of Egypt before their eyes was a prerequisite for us to merit the redemption. Now if you told me that Avraham almost sacrificed his own son, this I can believe. Knowing my people however, it seems very difficult to believe that they all ridiculed the Egyptian gods before the face of their previous masters. If it wasn’t as dangerous as we are told, then I can believe it. Or if it was as dangerous as we are told, but it was only a handful of Kahanist’s who did this and it was accounted as if our whole Nation did this, then I also would believe it. But all of our Nation suddenly becoming zealots? I find that very difficult to believe. Something happened this week that may have given me a partial explanation. I have a regular Shabbat guest who is a young Kahanist. He made aliyah a year ago and goes to yeshiva a few times a week to learn the authentic Judaism that he was never exposed to from his reform family upbringing. When it comes to Rabbi Kahane he proudly wears T-shirts with the JDL emblem and he even wears a Baruch Goldstein T-shirt. He is a man on a mission to represent Rav Kahane and he does it fearlessly. Over the last few weeks, he has been going every Motze Shabbat to the massive leftist demonstrations that seek to overthrow the elected government. He walks 20 blocks from his house to the center of the demonstrations with a huge Kahane flag. Imagine this one-man army walking into a sea of 100,000 people who are not fans of Rabbi Kahane. People stop and stare in astonishment. He has no fear. He 29

tells me how people have tried to rip his flag from him and assaulted him and how when he asks the police for protection they try and arrest him instead. I also am astonished at his simple faith and conviction that some would call madness. But how does this tie into Shabbat Hagadol? Before Shabbat he sent me an article from Haaretz, Israel’s leading news publication. There was a big picture with him and his flag and below the headline was written ‘Judicial overhaul protesters share how they found themselves fleeing from right-wing activists who attacked them while the police stood aside’. I laughed in disbelief. The truth was twisted 180 degrees but look how simple faith works! One lonely man with no fear in his heart goes repeatedly with his flag and is beaten and arrested and then thousands if not millions read how leftists are fleeing from right-wing attackers! We all know the story of how the Red Sea did not part until Nachson jumped in. It makes me wonder. Was there a Nachson who brazenly told the Egyptians we will be roasting your god in four days which caused an unexpected tidal wave of fear among the Egyptians and led to a growing courage among the Israelites? It’s something to think about. I certainly saw a glimmer of Shabbat Hagadol sitting across from me at my Shabbat table. 30

Kahane in the Parsha Pesach 31

Pesach The Hagada ;‫ ימ נתבו הס הסת נב הד המ ייך‬,‫ ו הו הא בע הבר הע כל ייך הו הא נר יאך‬And I said to you, through your blood shall you ‫ הו הא כמר הלך נב הד כמ ייך נח ייי‬,‫ הו הא כמר הלך נב הד כמ ייך נח ייי‬. live; and I said to you, through your blood shall you live. (Ezekiel 16:7,6) The central theme of Pesach is that we were liberated from Egyptian bondage and the G-d took us out Himself. We are told that we had little merit and the mitzvot we were commanded before we departed gave us the merit we were lacking; namely the Pesach Sacrifice and the Brit Mila. This love story of a God that takes us out Himself and a people that seeks to be worthy by their acts is reflected in the Torah reading. The reading of the Torah on Pesach describes our preparation of the Pesach Sacrifice. The Brit Mila was performed three days beforehand which means that the Jewish people, on the very day they were preparing to leave were in a weakened state. For G-d it was a night of anticipation 'then' and in the future. (Shmot 12:42) Before I comment on the Hagaddah passage above (Ezekiel 16:7,6) I want to bring a few pages of Binyamin Kahane's Haggaddah that explains this verse. And I said to you, through your blood shall you live; and I said to you, through your blood shall you live. Even though “you were barely clad and naked” (Ezek 16:7), and Israel was unworthy of redemption from Egypt, and as the angels said, “the Jews and the Egyptians are equally idol worshipers” 71 - in spite of all this - The time had come for God to fulfill the oath that He swore to Avraham, that He would redeem his children. But they did not have any mitzvot to perform , in whose merit they could be redeemed, as the prophet said, “your breasts were developed and your hair sprouted, but you were barely clad and naked” - naked of all mitzvot. God gave them two mitzvot – (1) the blood of the Pesach sacrifice and (2) the blood of circumcision – to perform, and thereby merit redemption. Mechilta, Pis'cha 5, beginning. The Jews left Egypt in the merit of faith, which is expressed by these two mitzvot. For God's most basic demand of the Jew is genuine faith, tested and proven through willingness to undergo danger and self-sacrifice when need be. (1) The blood of the Pesach – of the Pesach sacrifice. The Jews took the lamb which was the Egyptian deity, tied it to their bedpost, and left it there for four days – not a very nice way to treat a god. In the words of Chazal: 'The Egyptians would enter [the houses] and see them and would go out of their minds” (Pesikta D'Rav Kahane, Parashat ha- Chodesh). Afterwords, they took the lamb and slaughtered it. The Egyptians saw this too, but they dares say nothing: “When they slaughtered the Pesach Sacrifices, the 32

Egyptians gnashed their teeth, but they could say nothing, for the fear of the Jews was upon them” (Lekach Tov). And the Da'at Zekeinim of Ba'alei Tosafot (Ex. 12) adds that the Jews were commanded to roast the meat, rather than boil it, so that the “god” could not be concealed in the pot. Similarly they were commanded to roast it with “ its head and its legs with its innards” (Ex 12:9) – that is, whole, to emphasize the outrageous insult of slaves roasting their masters' god. And the Zohar records: “Rabbi Eliezer said: The god of the Egyptians was the lamb, and God commanded to render judgment by burning it with fire, as it is written, 'the image of their gods shall you burn with fire,” (Deut 7:25) in order that its scent should spread. Clearly, all the commandments connected with the Pesach Sacrifice were terrifying for the Jewish slaves. The very fact that they obeyed Moses' instructions precisely, and placed the blood of the lamb on the doors of the houses, proved their faith. (2) The blood of circumcision – embodies self-sacrifice for the Covenant with God. The willingness to undergo the physical pain of the act itself, with the subsequent suffering, and the knowledge that this would weaken them precisely when they needed their strength for the Exodus – all this proved that the faith which the prophet would later extol: “I remember in your favor the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, when you followed Me into the desert, into an unsown land” (Jeremiah 2:2) The Mechilta (Pis'cha 7) interprets the phrase, “I will see the blood and pass over you “ (Ex. 12:13) as referring to the blood of the Akeidat Yitzchak (Binding of Isaac) (Gen. 22). But what connection can their possibly be? What does the Akeidat Yitzchak have to do with the Exodus? - Clearly, the blood of the Akeidat Yitzchak is the greatest expression of faith, self-sacrifice and unwavering acceptance of the yoke of Heaven – and this is precisely what the blood which the Jews put on the doorposts symbolized. In the final redemption, too, it is said that we will be redeemed through the merit of the blood of the brit mila (circumcision). The prophet says, “You, too – through the brit mila, I have released your prisoners from a waterless pit” (Zecharia 9:11). The Metzudat David interprets: For the sake of the brit mila – this is the mitzvah of circumcision, with which you strengthened yourself while in the exile. In this merit, I will release your prisoners from a waterless pit – meaning that I will bring you out from the depths of exile. Self-sacrifice has always been the central condition for hastening the redemption; and so it is in our days. The primary repentance that God demands for hastening the Redemption and preventing the terrible sufferings of the birth-pangs of the Mashiach is a return to genuine trust in God, tried and proven by our willingness to endanger ourselves for the sake of those mitzvot which appear “dangerous”. These mitzvot include annexation, and open and unabashed settlement of all parts of the Land of Israel; driving the Gentiles out of the and without fear of what the nations (including America) will say; removing the foreigners from the Temple Mount and implementing our sovereignty their. If we take this path of trust in God, then even if the Jews, out of all kinds of weaknesses, do not keep all of the mitzvot – this will, nonetheless, suffice to prevent the worst sufferings of the birth-pangs of the Mashiach. And in this context, the Rav used to quote the words of the S'fat Emet on the verse, All who hope for You will never be ashamed, and they shall never be disgraced all who take refuge in You: this includes not only 33

the righteous, but also individuals who have only faith in Hashem, whose deeds alone would not be enough to acquit them (S'fat Emet, Psalms 31:25; see also the Rav's book, “On Faith and Redemption”) 72 Through your blood shall you live. We are circumscribed when eight days old – can we nullify the circumcision?! I washed my feet with water from the basin 73 – how can I defile them with idols?! Yalkut Shimoni, Song of Songs 988 We see from here, that just as it is impossible to nullify the circumcision, because it is sealed in our flesh, so too, sanctity is indelibly imprinted into the Jewish nation, and can never be nullified. Thus when we become defiled with sins, that defilement does not become an intrinsic part of the Jew, rather it is removable. But one who does not repent will have his sins removed through suffering. So the good news is that God guaranteed that He would cleanse us, and we can be confident that He will never destroy us, regardless of how grievously we may sin. But be warned that this cleansing could come, god forbid, through a Holocaust. (based upon Perush ha-Maccabee to Isaiah 1:16, p42) Numerous as the plants of the field. All this is a parable of the history of the Jews in Egypt. And it is a portent for us, for it is frequently said that the Egyptian subjugation foreshadowed the final subjugation. And we similarly see omens for our days, which are the beginning of the Redemption. The day of birth was the day of “wallowing in your blood” (Ezek 16:6) – i.e. the terrible Holocaust, which was the period of wallowing in blood – and yet the State of Israel, which is the beginning of the Redemption, sprouted form the Holocaust. The prophet continues, “And through your blood shall you live” - precisely through the blood of this Holocaust shall you live (and the phrase is repeated because it is hard to believe that anything sweet could come out of something so bitter). And the intention of “and you were barely clad and naked” (v.7) is that after your birth, you grew up but were still wallowing in blood, lacking mitzvot and merits. Thus the State of Israel arose, but it was wallowing in the blood of war, for it did not arise in the Jews' merit. Despite this, God decreed that “your time was a time for love” (v.8) and therefore, even though you did not merit it, “I spread my wings over you” (ibid) Perush ha-Maccabee to Ezekiel 16:4, p. 304 34

The above pages are from Binyamin Kahane's Passover Haggadah. After reading his and his fathers explanations to these passages I want to add something that spoke to me this year as I read the Haggadah. ;‫ ימ נתבו הס הסת נב הד המ ייך‬,‫ ו הו הא בע הבר הע כל ייך הו הא נר יאך‬And I said to you, through your blood shall you ‫ הו הא כמר הלך כב הד שמ ייך נח ייי‬,‫ הו הא כמר הלך כב הד שמ ייך נח ייי‬. live; and I said to you, through your blood shall you live. (Yecheskel 16:6) ‫ = כב הד שמ ייך‬Seventy Six 76 ‫ = כהנא‬Seventy Six 76 Read the passage as: Kahane Chai Kahane Chai Strangely Binyamin and his father were explaining the meaning of their deaths. Let me suggest the following. This passage alludes to three scenarios (1) growth, (2) punishment (3) conquest/redemption Growth: Meir Kahane and Binyamin Kahane have been taken from us tragically, but the G-d of Meir and Binyamin still exists and their Torah continues to grow and eventually will redeem us. This passage describes an abandoned woman (Israel) or in this case both of these holy Rabbis, who Hashem Himself will uplift and adorn as a bride. Hashem Himself distinguishes the Torah of Rabbi Kahane as the antidote and elixir of redemption. It is the Rabbi who took us out of the 'depths' of the exile by addressing all of the 'wrongs' that have perverted our vision and demonstrated what the Shabbat Hagadol and the Brit Mila is 'today'. He alone, like Moshe stood apart from all other Jewish leaders and commanded us what to do that no other leader had the faith to say or do. His students have matured and our now in a potentially greater position of power than before. What was thought of as 'crazy' and 'defamed' and 'persecuted' are now serious alternatives to our continued retreat in the face of our enemies. Punishment: It was because of our 'sins' that these rabbi's died but it didn't have to be this way. In the same way Israel could have come into being long before the Holocaust and could have saved the Jewish people in Europe. Our negligence and apathy towards Zionism and our disproportionate passion against those like Jabotinsky who saw the times and were persecuted for warning us, allowed a Holocaust to happen. We suffer from the same illness today and react the same way to those who come to warn us. 35

Binyamin wrote above about the brit mila of the future redemption which is based upon Zecharia “You, too – through the brit mila, I have released your prisoners from a waterless pit” (Zecharia 9:11). It may not be coincidence that this passage is 9:11. When 9/11 occurred we were reading Parsha Nitzavim which says: -‫ הה הא הרץ נא השר‬-‫ האל‬,‫ ה הו בה יבי נאך ניה הוה באל ההיך‬5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the ,‫ יוי יר נש התה; נו יהי יט נבך נו יה נר נבך‬--‫ הי נרשו נא הב התיך‬land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply ‫מיאנ הב התיך‬. thee above thy fathers. ‫ נל כבבומהל‬-‫ נו האת‬,‫ נל הב נבך‬-‫ו ניה הוה באל ההיך האת‬ 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD ‫ נל הב נבך‬-‫ נב הכל‬,‫ ניה הוה באל ההיך‬-‫ נל כא נה הבה האת‬:‫כז נר העך‬ thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, ‫ נל כמ כען כח הייך‬--‫ כנ נפ נשך‬-‫ו נב הכל‬. that thou mayest live. ‫ = ומל‬Seventy Six 76 ‫ = כהנא‬Seventy Six 76 (see Parsha Nitzavim – September 11 and Rav Kahane) The same passage in Zecharia that describes the future redemption also a few lines before has a very famous description of the Moshiach. ,‫ הה ירי יעי כבת נירו הש כל ים‬,‫ יציון‬-‫ ט יגי ילי נמ האד כבת‬9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout for ‫ו ; הע יה א ני‬ joy, O daughter of Jerusalem! For behold, your ‫נונו השע‬ ‫כצ ידיק‬ ,‫הלך‬ ‫היבוא‬ ‫כמ נל יכך‬ ‫יה ינה‬ king will come to you, righteous and victorious is ‫ נא התנותןכ‬-‫ כע ייר הבן‬-‫ נו כעל‬,‫ נחמור‬-‫ נו הר ב כעל‬. he, a humble man riding upon a donkey, even upon a colt the foal of an ass. ,‫ הה ירי יעי כבת נירו הש כל ים‬,‫ יציון‬-‫ ט יגי ילי נמ האד כבת‬9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, shout for ‫ כצ ידיק נונו השע הוא; העני י‬,‫ יה ינה כמ נל יכך היבוא הלך‬joy, O daughter of Jerusalem! For behold, your king will come to you, righteous and victorious is ‫ נא התנותהר ב‬-‫ כע ייר הבן‬-‫ נו כעל‬,‫ נחמור‬-‫כעל‬ ‫כי‬ ‫ נו‬. he, a humble man riding upon a donkey, even upon a colt the foal of an ass. Hidden in this passage is Rav Kahane ( ‫) רב כהנא‬. What should have been rejoicing turned to tragedy. The Rav was on his way to leading the Nation when he was cut down, because he was a threat to those who ruled. Unlike leaders in America who are chosen 'because of their money or their ability to raise money'73 or in Israel leaders who are mostly not God fearing but rather base their platforms on 'polls', Rabbi Kahane was a humble man who struggled constantly for funding. He could have compromised his views and been a pulpit rabbi or successful politician, but he chose to carry his message of Torah on his shoulders and sacrificed his life for G-ds truth. 36

Punishment does not come in a vacuum. Before the disease there is a cure. We choose. Before the destruction of the Temple Zecharia warned the Nation of Israel to change their ways. Instead he was murdered right inside the Temple. The same man who prophesied about the future Moshiach and explained the meaning of the future brit mila which clarifies the passage “In your blood you will live” was himself sacrificed upon the alter. Because he was sacrificed, the Nation too met the same terrible fate. Thousands of men,women and children were murdered because they failed to hear his warning. Here is how the story is explained. “R' Yehoshua b. Korha said that an old Jerusalemite told him that Nevuzaradan, the Babylonian general, killed 940,000 persons, so that their blood streamed and merged with that of Zecharia. [The details of the murder of Zecharia the prophet are not in the Tanach; it's asserted in midrash, e.g., Sanh. 96b (one of the sources for the text here), Eicha R. petihta 5, and it may be based on Ezek. 24:7-8.] Nevuzaradan found Zecharia's blood still bubbling, and asked what it was. The priests, apparently trying to conceal the murder, claimed that it was blood from a sacrifice. Nevuzaradan was dubious, called for another sacrifice, compared its blood with the suspicious blood, and concluded that the latter was human blood. He forced the priests to confess by threatening them with torture and they admitted that it was a prophet who had rebuked the city, and that they had murdered him several years before, but that his blood kept bubbling. Nevuzaradan pledged to avenge the murder; he killed the great Sanhedrin and a small (23-judge) Sanhedrin, then young priests, and then young men and women, and finally young schoolchildren, but nothing stopped the bubbling of the blood. Finally, Nevuzaradan rebuked Zecharia -- \"I have killed the best of them, do you want me to kill them all?\" -- and the bubbling stopped. At which point, Nevuzaradan thought, \"If this occurs when they killed only one person, I've killed all of these people, which is all the more serious,\" and he fled and converted to Judaism.) The multiple ambivalence’s of this midrash are intriguing: The particularly heinous crime of murdering a prophet is denounced not by any Israelite, but by the enemy general. Vengeance is sought not by identifying and killing the particular individuals who committed the murder, but against the entire people, through its choicest persons -- the sages (the great and small Sanhedriot), who are the intellectual elite; the priests, who are the elite caste; the youngest adult generation, and the children, who are the innocent, and/or the future. The scale of the vengeance so outweighs the original crime that even Nevuzaradan perceives the disparity. He has killed many, and threatens to kill all the rest. He turns the responsibility onto Zecharia himself -- how much damage will Zecharia demand to be appeased? Finally, the enemy general and killer of hundreds of thousands winds up converting. These ambivalence’s parallel ambivalence’s in other stories of the destruction. The people commit much evil and deserve destruction, but God holds off. God decides on destruction but the Patriarchs, Moshe, and Rahel intervene. The enemy enter the Temple and try to destroy it, but God's angels destroy it preemptively. The enemy brags about the destruction, but God says that the city was already condemned, so the enemy destroys a city that was, in a sense, already destroyed.” 75 37

The cruelty of Nevuzaradan reminds one of the cruelty of the Nazis. Does his conversion allude to the descendants of our oppressors doing teshuva in the future for the cruelty of their ancestors? Why does the scale of vengeance so outweigh the original crime? It seems to me that the generation had already been condemned the Tzadik is sent by G-d to plead to the people to avert the tragedy that awaits them. He is their last chance to change these ominous storm clouds into glorious redemption but the people fail the test. The cruelty that he is met with seals their fate and the lessons can only be learned now through blood. The 94,000 that are murdered are 94 x 1000, the gematria of 'Damim' (blood). We see this word in the passages that precede the Exodus where four fifths of the Jewish people will die and one fifth will be redeemed. ‫ הע נר כלת‬-‫ כו ית נכ הרת האת‬,‫ כה כו ית כקח יצ הפ הרה הצר‬25 Then Zipporah took a flint, and cut off the -‫ יכי נח כתן‬,‫ נל כר נג הליו; כות הא המר‬,‫ כו כת כגע‬,‫ נב הנה‬foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she ‫ הד ימים כא התה ילי‬. said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.' ,‫ נח כתן הד ימים‬,‫ הא נמ הרה‬,‫ ימ המנו; האז‬,‫ כו כו יי הרף‬26 So He let him alone. Then she said: 'A ‫ כלמולת‬. bridegroom of blood in regard of the circumcision.' (Exodus 4:25,26) Moshe the leader of Israel is a bridegroom of blood. Israel too is a bride to Hashem expressed in the Hagaddah 'through your blood we shall live' as Binyamin explained can also be understood through the Shoa, Israel is born. I suggest that Tzipora is alluding to the Nation we will become when we begin to understand that the Tzadik dies because of our sins and we will perform the brit mila once again and save the Tzadik. In other words we will begin to understand why we suffer and that we can prevent our suffering. Tzipora was a convert and we too will be like converts beginning to deduce why bad things are happening and act upon them in the appropriate way. The death of Zecharia is mentioned briefly in Ketuvim. ‫ ניהו הי הדע‬-‫ נז ככ נר היה הבן‬-‫ הל נב השה האת‬,‫ כ נורו כח באל יהים‬20 And the spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son ‫ ימ כעל הל העם; כוי הא המר הל ההם הכה‬,‫ כו כי נע המד‬,‫ כה הכ יהן‬of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the ‫ ימ נצות‬-‫ הל המה כא התם הע נב ירים האת‬,‫הא כמר הה באל יהים‬ people, and said unto them: 'Thus saith God: Why ,‫ ניה הוה‬-‫ נע כז נב התם האת‬-‫ יכי‬--‫ניה הוה נול הא כת נצ יליחו‬ transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, ‫ כו כי נע הזב הא נת הכם‬. that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, He hath also forsaken you.' ‫ כו יי נר נג ממהו הא הבן נב ימ נצ כות‬,‫ כא כו יי נק נשרו הע הליו‬21 And they conspired against him, and stoned ‫ יבית ניה הוה‬,‫ כב נח כצר‬,‫ כה המ הלך‬. him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the LORD. ‫ כה הח הסד נא השר הע השה‬,‫ הז ככר יו האש כה המ הלך‬-‫ כב נול הא‬22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the ‫ נבנו; ו נכמותו‬-‫ האת‬,‫ כו כי נה הרג‬,‫ ניהו הי הדע הא יביו יעמו‬kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to ‫ ןי תרא כיה הוה כו יי כד הרש‬,‫אהמכר‬. him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said: 'May God see this and demand redress!' There is something very ominous in this gematria. 38

‫ = ןי תרא כיה הוה כו יי כד הרש‬Kahane x 10 = 760 ‫ = כהנא‬Kahane = 76 As the Rav often wrote redemption can come quickly and gloriously as Zecharia announces (Zecharia 9:9). We however chose to kill the messenger. We may be forced to pay another terrible price for this last phase of redemption. We may have passed the point where we could have chosen glory and now we have chosen 'Through your blood shall you live'. Let it be that this strong allusion to Kahane in this passage will indicate that we have finally learned and the State of Judea will come into being without another blood letting of the Jewish people. Conquest/ Redemption: There is still hope. Let me suggest that the exodus from Egypt where one fifth of our population perished parallels the Shoa and the founding of the Nation of Israel. The desert generation that wandered between Egypt and Israel is our generation today. We are in a no-man's land that is neither exile nor the Israel that is promised us. My friend Eric Grosser also adds an interesting point that Yom Haatzmaut comes after Pesach but before Shavuot. The time line fits in with my theory. In our Torah reading on Pesach we read the Haftorah of Joshua and are reminded of the second brit mila; upon entering the Land. The Rav gave us the Torah which is required that can only be applied in this generation. He gave us the Torah that will refine us from the first redemption to the final redemption. We took the Jews out of the galut, and now we must take the galut out of the Jews. The Pesach Sacrifice and the brit mila of today, the conquest of all Israel, reclaiming our heritage and chasing out our enemies is within our reach. If we have finally internalized the lessons and have acquired a little Kahane in each of us there is still hope. If we do as we are commanded, like the Jews in Egypt, even though we will feel weakened and threatened by our actions, our enemies will gnash their teeth but will be powerless because the fear of Israel, which is the fear of G-d will be upon them. 39

Pesach 2011 State of Judea and the Four Sons Original Four Sons I came up with a new idea this Pesach regarding the four sons. My usual comment at the Seder table was to quote a parable I had heard from Rabbi Milevsky (zt’l) from Ohr Somayach many years ago. He said the four sons were related to four generations. The Wise Son: If we go back to the father of my grandfather, at the turn of the 19th century, we see a generation of learned people who lived in a Jewish ghetto, but a yeshiva world, where even the common man was well versed in Torah. The Wicked Son: The generation of my grandfather was the ‘wicked generation’ that shaved off their beards and moved to America, or in Europe fled the ghettos, became communists or nationalists or capitalists. They of course still remembered the yeshiva type world they were raised in but rejected it for many new worlds that were opening up at the time. The Simple Son: The generation of my father (zt’l) who was traditional, spoke Yiddish, however Judaism was more cultural and defined ones close circle of friends, their sense of humor, a simplified Judaism with not too many laws, and certainly not to be taken too seriously. As the Rav writes in ‘What made Bernie Run? The temple, that was created to give G-d a Place on earth on condition that He know exactly what His place is. The temple, where man thinks up G-d rather than admit that He made him. The temple, where the Jew can create any kind of religion that he cares to and call it Judaism. The temple, where things too difficult are junked and where from the Board of Directors shall come forth Torah and the voice of the L-rd from the approving Sisterhood membership. The temple, run by men whose ignorance of Judaism is exceeded only by their arrogant insistence on saluting it. The temple, where Bernie visits “G-d” and meets “Judaism” and flees from it in horror. The One who does not know enough to ask: This is my generation; the children of simplified Judaism. If a child with discerning eyes will look at this simplified Judaism that is both fraudulent and empty why would he have any need for it? He will run away from it. As the Rav further writes: The hypocrisy is nauseating and amusing at the same time, but Bernie listens and finds nothing humorous in it. “Why do I want to marry Brigitte? Why not? She is good looking, polite and doesn’t nag. Why do I want to marry Brigitte? Why not? What is a nice Jewish girl like my mother? One who desecrates the Sabbath like my mother? So does Brigitte. One who eats non kosher food like dear Mom? So does Brigitte. One who comes to synagogue three times a year to parade about it in our version of Eastern parade? Brigitte has the real thing.” What Rav Milevsky points out after the comparison of the four sons as four generations is something positive and something negative. The negative point is that there is no 5th son. After this generation, there is intermarriage and no more Jews. It all ends. On the positive side, we start over again. In the same generation that we see those leaving Judaism forever we also see those retuning with great fervor. In the same generation that we see the greatest assimilation, we also see a tremendous Baal Teshuva movement. This idea of the four sons I have been sharing at the Seder table for over ten years. This year I came up with a new idea, which seems to be the opposite or maybe another angle of the same concept. 40

The Four Sons 2011 – From Bottom to Top This year a new thought entered my mind. The same time that we celebrate Pesach, we observe Yom Haatzmauut, as well as the Omer, leading up to Lag B’Omer. In a period of forty nine days we observe three occasions that express nationhood. I believe that these three National expressions are related to the four sons. If we look at the four sons as four Geula’s it seems to me it fits, if we work backwards. The One who does not know enough to ask: The son who does not know how to ask, is related to Pesach. We began then as a Nation, like children, we needed to be led by Moshe. We were like infants. The Simple Son: The simple son is related to Rabbi Akiva who joined the Bar Kochba revolt with ‘simple’ faith. Indeed the gematria of Rabbi Akiva is the same as ‘Pashut’ or ‘simple’: (‫ פשוט‬/ ‫ רבי עקיבא‬Rabbi Akiva / Simple = 395) For thirty three days from Pesach on, we mourn the loss of 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva. The Gemora tells us that they died from a plague but other opinions that say they died in the battle of Bar Kochba which failed. The scholar warrior, with a Torah scroll in one hand and a sword in the other did not succeed. And it seems as a result, there is a strong view among the Charedi population that only Hashem will bring our future redemption and our job is simply to study Torah, and not to make political changes or bring redemption by force. But the spirit of the Jewish warrior was reborn in the Warsaw ghetto. The Wicked Son: The Wicked son corresponds to Yom Haazmaut and our generation, which can be encapsulated in the four previous sons that I wrote about. This is the generation of the wicked, who brought geula, but not a complete one. What is the definition of the wickedness of this modern generation? From the secular side, they shaved off their beards and assimilated, they became Nationalist Jews who believe that Israel came into being through the power of their own hands. The six day war was not a miracle but simply well planned Israeli tactics. The Jewish warrior was reborn but not yet the scholar warrior. The other side of this wicked generation is the Charedi population who chose to be blind and continue to choose blindness, and see the in-gathering of the exiles as the hand of Zionism and not the hand of Hashem. They, like their heretic opposites do not see Hashem in the equation. How many millions died in Europe because their religious leaders forbid them to go to Israel because it was not ‘kosher’ enough? Both sides continue in their ways standing on one foot. Rav Kahane expressed it best when he describes one-legged as opposed to two legged Jews. Judaism, he would say, is not a ‘religion’ we are part of a ‘religious-nation’. It was never meant to be a religion without a Land nor a Land without its Torah constitution. The Wise Son: The Wise Son is one who will work backwards from the first parable and begin to ask the right questions. He will then arrive at the simple faith that is required of us. In order to reach the ‘Wise Son’, however he must pass through the ‘Wicked Generation’ and answer the questions that have not been asked nor even thought about. Emerging on the other side, with the solutions will be the last Geula and the State of Judea. The State of Judea will also be a state of mind that results in the admonitions of our sins, and the corrections that we make through positive actions. More on these questions and solutions in the next chapter. 41

The 5th Son: There is a 5th cup of wine according to the tradition of the Rambam, alluding to a 5th expression of redemption (more on this later). According to the Rambam this 5th cup is connected to our arrival in the Land of Israel. Chabbad also discusses the 5th son, as the son who is not at the seder table, and they seek to find him and bring him back. On the opposite side, however, from the bottom up, once we have answered the questions of the wicked generation we arrive at the Wise Son who alludes to the generation of Moshiach Ben Yoseph and then is followed by Moshiach ben David and the final building of the Temple. This final generation will have been corrected and reach the perfection envisioned from the beginning. State of Judea: As I am writing this, the world is expecting very soon a declaration of a Palestine State in the heart of Israel. As always, everything we have gained in this world we have not chosen, but it has been forced upon us beginning with Sinai. This new treacherous chapter will force us to respond to the outside and inside pressure with a Jewish answer. As war approaches I believe that the world will indeed open their newspapers one day and see a new state in the Land of Israel, but it will not be Palestine, rather it will be the State of Judea. The war will be won by the shepherds in Yehuda and Shomron, abandoned by their brothers and despised by the haters of Zion. Their shepherd leader will not be a Prime Minister, but rather will be called King Moshiach. In the Haftorah of Pesach Yehoshua performs the Brit Mila to those entering the Land. It seems the only time in our history that the Brit Mila was done on adults was the original Brit of Avraham and this generation, who because of the Desert conditions were not able to perform this mitzvah. What does this mean that the conditions were too dangerous? The desert is the exile full of scorpions and snakes that Hashem protects us from. It is a place that we have a connection to the shechina but no connection to the Land of Israel. In order to enter and conquer the Land of Israel, we need a new heart and we need to renew our covenant once again. We must redefine ourselves as Jews. The people of Israel have a new heart, especially those in Yehuda and Shomron. We will fight together, those in the cities and those from the yeshuvim against those who seek to destroy the heartland of Israel. The Shoa gave birth to Israel and from this new adversity Judea will rise up. Pesach trains us each year, reminding us of what the ingredients of redemption are, understanding the generations that brought us here, and preparing us as conquerors. From the lost ones to the wise, from the exiled to the settled one, from the apathetic to the inspired and fearless soldier with a Torah scroll in one hand and a sword in the other. The Heart of Yoseph and Yehuda – The 5th Cup It is no coincidence that before the famous confrontation with Yehuda and Yoseph many glasses of wine were drunk, maybe even 5 glasses? The four glasses of wine at the Seder table are connected with four types of redemption. ,‫ נא יני ניה הוה‬,‫ יי נש הר יאל‬-‫ ו הל יכן בא המר יל נב יני‬6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am ,‫ נו הו ןצא יתי הא נת הכם ימ כת כחת יס נבלת ימ נצ כר יים‬the LORD, and I will bring you out from under ‫ כו יה שצ כל יתי הא נת הכם ימ נע הב הד התם; כו הג שא כל יתי הא נת הכם‬the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver ‫ ו יב נש הפ יטים נג הד ילים‬,‫ יב נזרו כע ננטו היה‬. you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments; 42

‫ נו הה ייי יתי הל הכם‬,‫ כו הל שק כח יתי הא נת הכם ילי נל העם‬7 and I will take you to Me for a people, and I ,‫ יכי נא יני ניה הוה באל יהי הכם‬,‫ ילאל יהים; ויידכ נעתהם‬will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am ‫מי נצ הריים‬ ‫יס נבלות‬ ‫מי כת כחת‬ ,‫הא נת הכם‬ ‫ כהמו יציא‬. the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ‫ נא השר הנ השא יתי‬,‫ הה הא הרץ‬-‫ אהל‬,‫ ח כו ןה ןבא יתי הא נת הכם‬8 And I will bring you in unto the land, ‫ הל יתת הא התה נל כא נב הר ההם נל יי נצ החק‬,‫יהדיי‬-‫ אהת‬concerning which I lifted up My hand to give it to ‫נא יני‬ ,‫מו הר השה‬ ‫הל הכם‬ ‫הא התה‬ ‫נו הנ כת יתי‬ ;‫ו נל כי נע הקב‬ Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it ‫ ניה הוה‬. you for a heritage: I am the LORD.' (Shmot 6:6-8) The 5th cup that Rambam incorporates in the Seder is connected to arrival in the Land. It is in this arriving to the Land where the four previous generations, and four expressions of redemption begin to make sense and reach their conclusion. We mentioned before in Vayishlach that the weak sons were placed before Esav and Yoseph was at the end protecting his mother. Esav understood that Yoseph was his nemesis because Yoseph was the only one that was in the position to answer him and to silence him. Esav could contend that Yacov stole his birthright and cheated him. Esav had every right to kill Yacov for his deception. Yoseph was the only one who could answer Esav and destroy his lies. He could respond to Esav by telling him that he had not only one brother but ten brothers that did more than steal from him, they tried to kill him. These brothers left him to die in a pit of snakes and then sold him. They broke his father’s heart and embittered his life for twenty two years. Would he also have the right to kill them? Did he kill them? No, he embraced them and they all understood that even though the brothers had sinned greatly, it had been Hashems plan. Yoseph forgave them. Today as we arrived to meet Esav on our return to our homeland we sent the weak ones in front and again Yoseph is in the rear. The weak answer to Esav is the answer of the Shoa. Because of the Shoa and the blood on your hands, you, brother Esav should feel guilty and protect us and allow us to build undisturbed. This weak answer however cannot hold eternally for a new generation has arrived that did not know the Shoa and there are new blood libels and new Esav’s and Ishmaels that seek our destruction. It is for this generation that Yoseph has been waiting and standing to protect his mother. Yosephs answer I must admit was declared by Netanyahu, who proclaimed to the world “Israel did not come into being because of the Holocaust. If Israel had existed at the time there would not have ‘been’ a Holocaust!” If the Jewish people returned on mass when the doors to Israel were opened at the turn of the century our birth would have been completely different. We chose this path and continue to choose difficult painful paths instead of a glorious one. The State of Israel, currently led by Netanyahu are definitely part of the elements of Moshiach Ben Yoseph, which like Yehoshua are responsible for conquering the Land of Israel and settling our tribes together. On the other hand it is the State led by Netanyahu that in response to outside pressure is putting inside pressure on its own citizens by continuing on the self-destructive path of Gush Katif. 43

As we have written before there is a pure Yoseph inside of the contaminated Yoseph. The Nation of Israel is continually refining itself (I would like to think). This purity will eventually rise like oil rises in water. We are now living in the times where we are approaching the 5th glass of wine, where Yehuda meets Yoseph and become one. What is the process exactly? It is the pure Yoseph that can answer Esav and can also answer Yehuda and silence them both. Kalev, who was from the tribe of Yehuda was called Kalev Ben Yefuna. My friend Ruben Ben Shimon explained to me that the translation of this name means ‘The broken heart that will be exiled’. Yafuna come from Pinui, the name used for the exile of Gush Katif. The people who created the State of Israel had broken hearts and were exiled from the Shoa. The people of Gush Katif, and those who feel the pain of the settlers whose lives are destroyed and attacked and demonized, are the broken hearts that will bring about the State of Judea. Yehuda must feel like Yoseph before the final redemption can take place. After the 5th cup we will begin to see clearer that it was we who have brought on our own suffering. It was we who were cold to our brothers and because of this brought war and exile upon ourselves. It is also when we care for our brothers and are willing to be servants so that they will be freed as Yehuda was prepared to do, only then will we receive a new heart and bring about the final redemption. 44

Pesach and Yom Haatzmaut (2012) Three Days of Darkness I keep noticing more and more the direct connection between Pesach and Yom Haatzmaut. Nowhere else do we hear the midrash that 4/5ths of the Jewish people perished. This is what happened. Only one fifth of the Jewish people survived Egypt. For them it was the days of darkness and for those who were saved it was days of light. They could see what others could not see in the darkness. They saw light and they followed Moshe. Why was it ‘three days’ darkness? Maybe their darkness mirrors the ‘three days’ journey that that one fifth decided to join. Today our leaders tell us there is no ‘explanation’ to the Shoa and so G-d seems cruel and we must accept that every once in awhile he allows terrible destruction to befall us. The Rabbis in the Torah however tell us that those who died in Egypt could not be saved; they were too assimilated. As I am writing this it is Yom Hashoa in Israel and many stories are recalled about those times. Jabotinsky saw the blood coming and cried to the Jews to ‘liquidate the exile before the exile liquidates you’. He was labeled a fascist and banned from speaking in many places. Apparently in Hungary where almost all of the Jewish population was destroyed, only six percent of the Jews were Zionists. The other two halves were either Charedi (waiting for Moshiach to free them) or Nationalists. Both of these main groups despised the Zionists. The Charedi camp was waiting for Moshiach to free them and bitterly opposed nationalism and the Zionists who to them were secularists that did not keep all of the mitzvot. The Nationalists also bitterly opposed them because the Zionists were talking about ‘dual’ citizenship and they were very proud and loyal ‘Hungarians’. Of course it is easy to look back and ask ‘How could they not have seen?’ The point is, to look at the present and see the same attitude by American Jews whose loyalty is first to ‘America’. Just like the past many base their anti-Israel reactions on their loyalty to ‘America’ never thinking for a moment that ‘America’ could turn against them. In addition the Charedi community remains in the exile today because it is comfortable and Israel may be a bad influence on their children. It is harder to be a ‘kosher’ Jew in Israel than in their closed communities. There is a time limit on the ‘three day’ journey of Moshe which ends in the ‘three day’ period of darkness. I am one of those who heard the warning bells. For me it was on September 11th and a year later I uprooted myself to a foreign country called Israel. I discovered that the ‘love’ of Israel is far greater than the ‘fear’ that originally motivated me but this ‘fear’ exists for a good reason – to motivate. ‫ יכי‬:‫ יעמו‬,‫ כע נצמות יו יסף‬-‫ יט כו יי כקח המ השה האת‬19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, ,‫ילא המר‬ ,‫יי נש הר יאל‬ ‫ נב יני‬-‫האת‬ ‫יה נש יבי כע‬ ‫כה נש יב כע‬ saying: 'God will surely remember you; and ye ‫ נו כה נע ילי התם‬,‫ הפ הקד יי כפ הקד באל יהים הא נת הכם‬shall carry up my bones away hence with you.' ‫ כע נצ המ כתי ימ הזה יא נת הכם‬-‫ האת‬. Shmot 18:19 ‫ נב כאף‬,‫ כז כו יי נת ישם ניה הוה ימ כעל כא נד המ התם‬27 and Hashem rooted them from upon their soil, ‫כב ןח המה ו כב תק תצף הגדול‬-‫; כו כי נש יל יכם האל‬ with anger, with wrath, and with great fury, and ‫ו‬ He cast them into another land, as it is this day'.-- ‫ ככיום כה הזה‬,‫הא הרץ כא הח הרת‬ 45

Dvarim 30:27 Poked Yifkod = 378 Bechama vbeketzef gadol = 376+2 for the words chama and ketzef = 378 There seems to be a connection here in the gematrias. The time that Hashem is remembering us is a time for glory. If we fail to see this and act upon it the time of glory becomes a time of catastrophe. Walking Through the Sea They say that at Yum Suf even a shifcha (a maid) saw more than the greatest prophet saw. How could this be? There are stories in the Talmud of very mystic Rabbi’s who were able to make rushing rivers part with a few words of kabala and walk across. If this is so then what is so special about Yum Suf parting? The uniqueness of Yum Suf is that not only Tzadikim witnessed this miracles but also many wicked people who would later worship the Golden Calf and cause other rebellions in our nation. Everyone saw this great miracle no matter what level of holiness one was at. One could say that this uniqueness was experienced again two thousand years later by the generation that escaped Europe and were part of the re-birth of the modern State of Israel. Not everyone was a Tzadik yet we have seen how those who tried to destroy us were themselves destroyed. Although they succeeded in wiping out such a large percentage of our people, they in fact were the catalyst that brought us back to life after two thousand years. There was no place to go but forward into the sea. We were alone with no support from any country and knew we faced a terrible war by claiming Nationhood. They told Ben Gurion he had a fifty percent chance of surviving. He said ‘that’s better than we have ever had’. They walked into the sea and it parted. One may ask why was Nachson the first to step in the sea? Should it not have been Moshe the leader? Should not the leader lead the way? A rabbi at Chabbad answered me that the move had to come from the people. I understand this answer. Hertzel and Jabotinsky may have inspired the people towards nationhood but it was not until those ideas became part of a critical mass that they were implemented. Rabbi Kahane in our times gave us the way, but ideas need to become internalized within the Nation before they become reality and we act upon them as Nachson did in the past, or Ben Gurion in 1948 and in our own time when we re-conquer Yehuda and Shomron from a world driving us once again into the sea. The other side of Yum Suf The Aliya of the crossing of the Red Sea ends with complaints on the other side. Why didn’t they end the aliyah on an up note? Why end the greatest miracle the world ever saw with something negative, especially at this festive occasion? What exactly was the complaint? The people wanted water and the water was bitter. Moshe through a tree into the water and instead of the water becoming even bitterer it became sweet. In addition the people were given the laws of the Red Heifer at this time and basic laws of Mishpatim; laws to govern the Nation. I suggest that the aliya ends with these events because it is describing real events that were still connected to Yum Suf. If we look at Yum Suf as our first exodus in modern times (building Israel from the ashes of the Shoa), then the pieces seem to fit. Israel established basic civil laws that incorporated Jewish laws as well and the Jewish holidays. There was a framework then and today of Torah concepts 46

that get us used to the ideas of our yearly cycle. Even if we have not yet accepted the yoke of Heaven and the complete Torah we certainly have a framework here in Israel. Every non-religious Jew in Israel knows about each Jewish holiday because they are National holidays. Assimilated Jews in America know much less. Torah is much more foreign to them. In addition to the civil laws which incorporate the Jewish holidays (by law government workers, banks, transportation are closed on most holidays), the laws of the Para Aduma were learned. This also seems to fit with our own times. The biggest impediment towards G-d in our times is the Shoa. This must have also been a question for those who left Egypt. The Red Heifer kabalistically is a metaphor for the People of Israel who represent various parts from the tail to the head to the dung. All of the cow and its dung are burned and from this comes an elixir that removes death and brings life. The lucky few who crossed the Red Sea were chosen from every level of society from the dung to the rosh, they all witnessed the miracle and re-birth and new life. In addition they all lost relatives from every level in the darkness of Egypt and the darkness of the Shoa. It is fitting that this mystic unanswerable decree of the Red Heifer is contemplated along with the very practical civil laws and framework of the new Jewish Nation. Every dignitary that visits modern day Israel is taken to Yad Vashem, our modern day Parah Aduma. It is a chok that we do not understand and is yet a great part of our identity. Seen in this light one can understand the complaints in a different way. The Charedi Perspective Most of those who complained that Israel was not kosher enough and forbid their followers to go to this Zionist country that was labeled as anti-religious died in the Shoa. Their students continued to complain and banned themselves from participating in this new Jewish Nation. To those who did come a very interesting thing happened. Torah is compared to ‘water’ and it is also compared to a ‘tree’. At first there was the bitterness of lack of Torah. However those who uprooted themselves and planted the tree of Torah in these bitter waters created water that has never been so sweet. The Torah that flows from Israel today is greater than ever and far outshines the Torah of the exile. The passage after the complaints leads to seventy date palms with brooks running by each one. I suggest that these date palms refer to the seventy facets of Torah that are each represented here in Israel; each one with brooks of streaming fresh water. The Secular Perspective At the time that most people were coming to Israel the majority of Jews were trying to get to America and greener pastures. Those who came here found it very difficult as the Nation was in its infancy. We still here the same motto ‘Ze Mashe Yesh’ (this is what we have), learn to live with it. Today of course it is much easier however it is always relative to the nature of a person. In spite of the difficulties Israel has grown into a leader among the world in almost every field. In this environment where necessity meets ingenuity the Jewish minds have created the most sought after products from medicine, military, hi-tech, agriculture to name a few. Chazal tells us the seventy date palms alluded to the leadership of the Nation; the seventy leaders. From what seemed to be barren and bitter came life giving resources that continue to increase and spread throughout the world. 47

Marah the Bitter Test ‫ כו כי נש ילך‬,‫ כויו ירהו ניה הוה יעץ‬,‫ ניה הוה‬-‫ כה כו יי נצ כעק האל‬25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD ‫ כו יי נמ נתקו כה המ יים; השם השם לו החק‬,‫ כה כמ יים‬-‫ האל‬showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There He made ‫ נו השם ינ הסהו‬,‫ו ימ נש הפט‬. for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them; He tested them to see whether they would accept and fulfill the commandments He gave them in marah; if so they would be worthy to receive the entire Torah. This was a test they passed (Sforno; Or Hachaim). (Artscroll Siddur Pg. 382) This test of bitterness has lead to sweet developments and is preparing us to fully accept the Torah when we arrive soon at Mount Sinai. ‫ יאת‬,‫ הח יתן המ השה‬,‫ א כו יי נש כמע יי נתרו הכ יהן ימ נד הין‬1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father- ‫ ו נל יי נש הר יאל‬,‫ נא השר הע השה באל יהים נל המ השה‬-‫ הכל‬in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel His people, how that the LORD had ,‫ יי נש הר יאל‬-‫האת‬ ‫ניה הוה‬ ‫הו יציא‬-‫ יכי‬:‫כעמו‬ brought Israel out of Egypt. ‫ ימ ימ נצ הר יים‬. (Shmot 18:1) Yitro...heard. He heard about the miracles at the Sea and the war against Amalek. The juxtaposition of Yitro and Amalek shows the contrast between good and evil people. Both of them had heard about the Exodus, but Yitro reacted by casting his lot with the nation of God, while Amalek became a symbol of treachery and evil by defying God and launching an unprovoked sneak attack on a weak and weary people [see Dvarim 25:17-18]. Miracles alone do not transform the beliefs of the Ameleks of the world; those who refuse to recognize the hand of God will always interpret events to suit their purposes. Yitro's coming was precipitated by his hearing of both events; one would not have been enough. The miracles of the Exodus alone could have been interpreted as punishment for Pharaoh’s obstinate refusal to obey God, but they not prove conclusively that God would also be so benevolent merely for the sake of Israel. The defeat of Amalek however, proved that He would intervene for the Jews, as well (Or Hachaim). (Artscroll Siddur Pg. 395) After Israel's great victory in the Six Day War, many Christians saw the miracle that Hashem had performed for us and it inspired them to take up the cause for Israel. Many Evangelical Christians have become very strong supporters of Israel and rally to our defense politically as well as raise large amounts of capitol to help build Yesha. There is an amazing Midrash that says the Jewish people did not fully come to believe in G-d by witnessing the miracles in Egypt or the greater miracles at the sea, even at Har Sinai when they heard his voice. So when did they fully come to believe? Only when Yitro came and said 'Now I know that G-d is greater than all the other gods.' --‫ הע הלה ו נז הב יחים‬,‫ יב כו יי כקח יי נתרו הח יתן המ השה‬11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all ,‫ ילאל יהים; כו היב הא כא נה הרן נו הכל יז נק יני יי נש הר יאל‬gods; yea, for that they dealt proudly against ‫ יל נפ יני הה באל יהים‬--‫ הח יתן המ השה‬-‫ הל החם יעם‬-‫ הל בא הכל‬. them.' (Shmot 18:11) I understand this Midrash on a very personal level. Currently I work at the Jerusalem Post newspaper 48

and we speak daily to Jews as well as many Christians that are strong supporters of Israel. Between conversations we often discuss various ideas about Israel and religion. The people that work there come from various backgrounds from religious, traditional to extreme left. One of my colleagues who is a university educated scholar mocks some of us who have simple faith and patriotism. He will say things like its all 'opium for the masses' and its all about money, or power, etc. When he speaks to a Christian client however, it is fascinating to see how he is affected. The client will bless him for being part of the Jewish Nation and tell him all about the miracles that G-d does for the Jewish people and swears that he will stand by our side even against his own country if it comes down to that. All of a sudden he stops criticizing Israel and our religion and thanks the client for their support. The root cause of his criticism which is a root cause of many others is based on fear of what the world will say and because he does not want to be disliked he finds reasons to agree with our enemies or undermine our differences so that he will be accepted and not persecuted. When all of a sudden a Gentile is telling him how wonderful he and his people are he has less reason to find fault. This is the meaning of this midrash. If we take away the impediment of 'fear' then inside of every Jew is a soul that wants to express his unique Jewish soul. Pesach and Yom Haatzmaut or so connected. They are part of the original process that is happening again in our own times. At the hardware store I asked the kippa wearing clerk if he enjoyed the chag. He said its not a 'religious' chag. I said 'certainly it is' I said Hallel according to the siddur (Rinat Zion) which I believe was compiled by Rav Cook. I explained to him what I wrote above that there were a number of Tzadikim in our Talmud that were able to make rivers part so they could walk through. Why then is the miracle at Yum Suf given so much attention? The answer is that at Yum Suf not only Taddikim were granted this power and revelation but simple people, even bad people and those who would later rebel in the desert. Even those who were against G-d saw this miracle and walked through the sea. How can you say today is not a miracle? Of course we must continue and get to Har Sinai to accept the Torah but we have left Egypt. He who does not see the miracles that occurred and continue to occur is blind. Of course it is a chag. We are a free nation again and are being healed slowly and have been reborn a Nation of heroes full of courage and self- sacrifice. How can one not see the miracle we are living in? He had to agree with me. 49

7th day Pesach (2011) It was only when one person Nachshon jumped in that the sea actually split, then the whole people could enter. This principle exists today. The Rabbi by his example showed us the way, not only by clarifying the torah command but to fulfill it and by doing so prove to others that the sea can and must split. Look how he almost singlehandedly caused a rift between two huge superpowers – Russia and USA. With a handful of people he caused the crumbling of the walls of Russia and millions were freed. He showed us the way to split the sea, and the last things he showed us was the State of Judea. Binyanmin too wrote in one of his last essays, that if the government wants to divest, then let them divest. Leave us arms and go, we will take over Yehuda and Shomron and the Arabs will run away. But the government doesn’t want to loose control. It wants a two state solution but not a 2 nd Jewish state solution that will bring peace, only an Arab state that will bring war. While we look to Hashem and say how great are your deeds, He looks down to our tzaddikim with admiration. If only we all could be a little like them. In the Haftorah David says Hashem is my light that continually saves me from such adversity. This Haftorah further adds to this explanation of the splitting of the sea. David’s salvation and the Rav’s against all odds. Maybe the small candle that inspires David is the Ner that we wrote about from above (see Ki Sissa Book I ). Hashem looks down and sees the ner that sustains His world. Nun for Notzer and Resh for those who are jealous for Him. David explains what true vengeance is – he writes in the Haftorah for Hashem to exact His vengeance so that ‘violent’ people are uprooted. Half Hallel (2013) I came up with a chidush recently. It is commonly explained that the reason we recite a half-Hallel on chol hamoed Pesach is because we regret that the evil Egyptians were drowned in the sea. It was the day of our liberation but along with our salvation thousands of Egyptians were drowned in the sea. The lesson is that the Jewish people do not rejoice over our enemies suffering. Long ago Rabbi Kahane refuted this explanation and clarified that we certainly did rejoice; this was why Miriam went out with song and drums. It was the angels in Heaven that did not rejoice, but here on earth we did! He went on to add that when Haman helped Mordechai on to his horse Mordecahi kicked him. Haman replied that Mordechai was sinning for the Torah states not to kick ones enemy when he is down. Mordechai replied that this refers to a Jew not a non-Jew such as Haman. When I read the half-Hallel it occurred to me that it is not because the evil Egyptians drowned that we recite half-Hallel, but rather the opposite. Because we feel remorse for the evil Egyptians our salvation is not yet full! Today we could throw out our enemies and rebuild the Temple. We are a free people. But because of our fears and misplaced mercy our Geula is not yet full. It is we, in our misplaced concern for our enemies that limit our emancipation. As it was then it is still today. We have left Egypt but we are still not free. When our concern becomes first and foremost to our brothers and sisters and our G-d then our redemption will be complete and we will recite a full Hallel. Until then there are those who will regret our being chosen; feel embarrassed about our destiny and guilty for our survival. We will continue to be reluctant conquerors reciting a half-Hallel. 50