Kahane Codes - Part Two Vayikra,Bamidbar,Dvarim

Bamidbar and Nasso Why is there a continuation of the counting from Bamidbar to Nasso? Shouldn't the counting have been finished in Bamidbar? There are two other Parsha's that have continuations; Balak and Pinchas, Bereshit and Noach. I suggest that the reason is that there is something in common. There is an idea that is connected from one Parsha to the other. Bamidbar begins with the glory of the Nation and the counting of all of its tribes with their flags. It is like a military parade. The glory of the Nation is not complete however until the dedication of Mishkan which occurs at the end of Parsha Nasso. The unity of the tribes is quite spectacular and not to be diminished, like the glory of modern day Israel with all of its achievements. The zenith of this procession however is reached at the end of Parsha Nasso after correcting three personal flaws that result in a new national disposition. These three things are namely: Leprosy, Thievery and Adultery. As individuals make these corrections they become similar to the Nazir or Baal Teshuva as they go through these rectifications. This personal correction becomes a nation reflection. There is a hint of the root cause of these troubles in the very counting. In the beginning of Nasso it is written that Gershon 'as well' must be counted. Chazal explain that even though the Gershonites carried the less sacred objects of the Mishkan, by saying 'as well' the Torah makes the point that both tasks are necessary for the Mishkan and both should be done with equal joy. It seems to me that herein lies one of the root causes of the three sins mentioned later. Right here within the counting there is a potential to undermine this unity if not addressed. The Torah teaches us here that even though the Gershonites carry something less holy they are also just as important as the others. The feeling that you are less than others or by others feeling you are less than them is a root cause to many issues that need correction. We see this issue in all three sins. Leprosy – caused from speaking bad of others – you feel better than them. Thievery – withholding wages – you feel privileged and deny the debt you owe to others Adultery – wanting someone that does not belong to you – feeling you have less and want better. Once these things are corrected then we can receive the Cohen blessing and assemble the Mishkan. Part of this process is on a personal level recognizing the worth in others and the value and worth of oneself and appreciating what belongs to him. By not wanting the things that do not belong to him one receives true blessing. In the end we see the correction that is both recognition of the character of the individual as well as recognition of the intrinsic value of each one – no more and no less. Each tribe is unique with its own special character – yet each one brings the same thing. It is a display of unity as well as uniqueness. There are two other places in the Torah that have continuations in the chapters; Balak/Pinchas and Bereshit/Noach. If we analyze them we may see something similar. Noach – from perfection came destruction – then rebirth with Noach Pinchas – from perfection of unified tents came destruction – then rebirth and reconquest with Pinchas Bamidbar - the perfection of the nation united – the failings that will lead to destruction if not corrected Bamidbar the beginning of the unified Nation reaches the final climax and tikkun in Nasso. Nasso is a glimpse into the future and the book of Bamidbar an explanation for the delay and its remedies. 151

The difference between 49 and 50 (2016) 'Democracy was given to societies lacking truth. But we posses it. Moses is truth and his Torah is truth, and we should not transform the Kingdom of G-d into the anarchy of man.' (Darks Shel Torah, 1999) Rav Kahane writes that although democracy is the lesser of evils as a form of government among the nations it is nevertheless not appropriate for the Jewish people. We are a kingdom with a Sanhedrin a priesthood and a unity of diverse tribes. Our focus is less on ‘rights’ and more on ‘obligations. Each tribe has various obligations and characteristics but united in a singular purpose. The development of our Nation is a process of refinement similar to gold that is beaten into shape to form a seven candled menorah with each stem pointed to the center. From the first exodus as a Nation to our rebirth from the fires of the Shoa we are continually being refined. So many have perished in the darkness and those that survived have continued to journey through the desert with all of its battles and trials. The 70 souls that went down to Egypt went out as a single Nation with a mixed multitude attached. As a people we represent the entire world and continue the partnership between Hashem and Adam. As the saying goes 'what happens to the Jews happens to the world. We are a microcosm of the world.' Rav Binyamin points out that it is only the tribes of Israel that are counted among all the nations. Each one has an intrinsic value as part of the 70 essential souls that went down to Mitzrayim and ascended to Israel. These essential 70 souls together symbolize Adam and the furtherance of Creation as it was intended; to build Hashems Kingdom here on earth where the rivers of Gan Eden will once again flow through. As we approach the end of the Sefira with the parades of Lag B’Omer, Yom Yerushalayim and the countings in Bamidbar and Nasso we can see a transformation taking place. The individual that sat at the Seder as a survivor who remembers his past becomes part of a Nation that expresses itself in all of its glory. The difference between the 49 days and the 50th are entirely different. The 50th day is a culmination of the 49 and blossoms into a new reality. We walk through a new doorway; an entry that requires a 49 day preparation in order to be revealed. Although our destiny was promised to our forefathers we were on the bottom level of 49 degrees of impurity. One more level and we would have forfeited any merit that we had left. Hashem had to come down Himself into Egypt and remove us. Afterward He healed us from these 49 levels so that He could then reveal Himself to us and ratify our position as the Chosen Nation. Each soul is now unconditionally bound by this constitution. As we said earlier we are not a democracy; we are a people that is continually being refined. In fact the whole process of Creation is a process of refinement. The king has chosen us only on the condition that we have chosen him as well. At this point our destiny was ratified and even if we try to leave, we cannot. We may be punished destroyed and beaten but a remnant will always be retained. The essential numbers from the 70 souls that went down to Egypt to the counting of Bamidbar and Nasso are the nucleus of the nation. Therefore this count is so special. Once we have arrived at the 50th gate there is now a new reality. Instead of serving Pharaoh we now serve Hashem. We have been acquired so to speak. 152

This new reality leads to the building of the Bet HaMigdash and each tribe displaying its uniqueness as well as its symmetrical goal to be a unified nation of various distinct tribes, just as the body functions with a multitude of tasks unified towards one whole. The National Body There are three deficiencies mentioned in Nasso that precede the setting up of the Mishkan but are within the realm of correction. Although we have now entered a new reality there is still much to be corrected within this new reality. The essential souls however are now in place and have the ability to be corrected. I believe this is alluded to in the joining of Bamidbar and Nasso. The new National reality of the chosen Nation which is meticulously counted is now prepared to undergo further refinement. If there is leprosy; it is a temporary blemish that needs a temporary isolation and then is healed. In a similar way theft needs to be returned and adultery must be examined and removed. Shavuot is a time of healing and refinement of the essential souls that were pulled out of Egypt and given freedom with conditions. There are two other joined Parshas that have a similar refinement concept. Parsha Bereshit is joined with Noah which may indicate that even this total destruction is part of the refinement of Creation and continues with Noach. In addition Balak is joined to Pinchas which may indicate here too that Pinchas is a refinement of the true peace that will ultimately reign when there is vindication against those who conspire evil. As we approach the inauguration each soul is intrinsically free and represents a part of the Nation of Israel that needs to be repaired and reflexively repairs the entire world. We are continually being refined from the barley stage of Pesach to the wheat stage of Shavuot. Even in Gan Eden there was a possibility of refinement however after the original sin this refinement took a longer course. The Inauguration One of the symbols of this refinement is the inauguration itself. We read about this inauguration here in Parsha Nasso after the 49 day redemption process. We also read these passages each day during the month of Nissan; the month that we were redeemed from slavery and became a Nation. In addition we read these passages during Chanukah the time of our re-dedication of the Temple. The refinement that happened then in the re-dedication continues to happen throughout time. Through temples being destroyed and rebuilt; through Shoas and the State of Israel to the rise of Judea; the people of Israel are being refined. As Israel is refined, so is the world. Nations and individuals can choose freedom simply by their association with Israel or be part of a non-thinking wave of hatred that shapes the rock of Israel and is no more. The 49 steps that lead to the 50th door are counted and refined every year. What we wrote above gives more relevance to our Haftorah; not only because of the Nazarite and our Parsha and its connection to teshuva; but on a much deeper level. Shimshon Binyamin Kahane writes an amazing thing about Shimshon. Was he a Gibur (mighty) because of his physical strength? Was it because be was a mighty Baal Teshuva who overcame his evil inclination? Chazal tells us he was a Gibur not because of his physical strength nor his moral strength nor his purity nor his Torah knowledge. His might is defined in a very unusual way. 153

Shimshon was betrayed by his people and died a martyr's death. Throughout his trials and suffering his one thought was about the terrible Chillul Hashem that was being caused through him. His prayer was that Hashem and His people should be avenged. That he could love a people who betrayed him because he loved Hashem who fashioned them, this was his greatness. This was the reason that Yacov on his deathbed saw him as a possible contender for Moshiach. This is a quality that the leader of the Jewish people must have. The counting of the intrinsic value of each Israelite represents the intrinsic value of Hashem's manifestation in this world. It is through the maturity of this tiny population of priests; the Chosen Nation, that Hashem continues to be revealed in His world. Through the 49 stages of history both personal and National the 50th door is being prepared that we may all enter into a renewed world as it was originally designed. Every Jewish soul is a letter of the Sefer Torah that must be polished and shaped so that the seven branched menorah will cast its light around the world. Shimshon’s might was that not only did he understand this concept, his one desire was to bring Kiddush Hashem to himself, his God and his people; even the very people who betrayed him in their weaknesses. Shavuot The heart of the matter (2016) I spoke earlier regarding the 49 steps that leads to the 50th door and the process of refinement. Every year I have a ritual of recording each day of the sefira and contemplating if there was something unique that day based on the kabbalistic count. On shavuot I then review the 49 days. This year as I reviewed the sefira I thought to myself maybe this is a silly idea as I could not find consistencies through the diary years to decipher if there was something unique that happened always at one specific counting of the tikkun calendar. This reflection of days it seems can only be understood above in the heavens when our days are replayed before us. The process however does give us insight to the importance of each day and its intrinsic value that comes only once and then is gone; as Rav Halperin mentioned a few weeks back at Kiddush. There was a 50th type thought however that occurred as the cycle came to an end on the night of Shavuot. Because of my meditation regarding the process of refinement and the various stages; from the furnace of Egypt, to the fires of the Shoa a thought occurred to me. As we pass through this refinement process throughout history reflexively the God of Israel is more and more revealed. He too becomes a political reality along with His Nation. Through the miracles of Israel the world understands and feels His shaping of the world and and the manifestation of His will. It was with this in mind that I remembered something I heard many years ago from my brother Gavriel. A thought popped into my head as we approached the 50th day. I remembered that his question had to do with the counting of the 230 years of enslavement that did not add up. Also that the enslavement itself had to do with Abraham’s questioning. I asked about this in the Bet Knesset and they told me this was not in Rashi. So where was it from I wondered? 154

After the seuda as I walked the streets in search of all night Torah. I passed the Bograshov shul and found Rabbi Avraham Rosenbaum all alone at 2am in the Bet Knesset. We had not seen each other for years and so I asked him if he heard something related to my question. He replied yes and he believed it was a discussion in the Masechta Nedarim. He found it right in the heart of the Talmud;daf lamed bet (32) [letters that spell heart]. What was this idea I remembered which is found in the heart of the Book of Nedarim? The Gemorah argues that we may not have had to go through the suffering of Egypt but because Avraham said in the Brit Ben Habetaryim, ‘from which sign will I know?’ we had to go down to Egypt. From this wanting a sign (an eyda) we as his children had to go through this 400 year trial to perfect our emunah (faith). What a deep thought that all of this suffering did not have to be. The next day when I went to Rav Butmans house for kiddish. I mentioned this Gemorah and he stopped in the street and he told me he remembered an uncle of his many years ago who often sang an obscure Yiddish song. The song describes how Hashem went to every nation to offer the Torah and each nation had an excuse as to why they did not want it. Then he came to Avraham's children and offered the Torah and they said 'be ma eida?' 'With which sign will we know?' and Hashem said – 'you will not receive it.' When I looked closer I realized that this is essentially a very deep flaw in the very root of the Jewish soul and this is exactly the point of correction the Rav Kahane spent his life fixing – and he succeed. Much of his Torah was based on ‘in its time I will hasten it’ ‫( נב יע התה נא יחי הש הנה‬Yeshayahu 60:22) So much needless suffering could be prevented if only we would do what is in front of us to do. A Shoa did not have to happen if we had come to Israel long before when the doors opened and the desert began to blossom. We were looking for signs of proof then and still today and so Israel came into being after the Shoa just as we became a Nation after the furnace of Egypt. Why? Because we were looking for signs 'aze Aida'? It seems to me that the basis of this argument and proof of this theory was preceded long ago with Avraham. Although the decree was made at Brit Ben Habetarim it was pending for a number of years before it was actualized. The exile began thirty years after it was decreed. Avraham was 70 at the time. After this pronouncement Avraham returned to Charan and made his official aliyah five years later at 75. When Itzchak was born (when Avraham was 100) this is the moment when the decree was initiated and the 400 years is counted from here. Thirty years before the Shoa we also had an opportunity to be reborn as a Nation without the horrors of Auschwitz. The gates of Israel were opened for the Jews to return home, but just like in the days of Babylon only a trickle returned. Like the Brit Ben Habetarim in our time, the Chofetz Chaim made a prophecy 25 years before WW2 that the next world war will make WW1 look like child's play. He continued and said 75 years after WW2 a WW3 will make WW2 look like child's play. If this prophecy is correct that means 4 years from now. Today as we sit in the sovereign State of Israel which spreads its light throughout the world in every art and science we still say aze Aida? We have it in our power to expel our enemies and build Hashems house but we are delayed and denied the hurried Geula because of the erev rav and the internal galut that is very difficult to extract from the Jewish soul. The wholehearted faith that is the possession of the descendants of Avraham if lacking leads to needless suffering that does not have to be. May we learn quickly to fix this flaw in our heart so that the body of Israel will rise to its calling. For this is the heart of the matter. 155

The Number 176 (2017) This is the longest Parsha in the Torah which has 176 verses. The longest Tehillim (Tehillim 119) also has 176 verse as well as the longest Gemorah Bababatra. What does this mean? We can only guess. Within 176 we have 100 +76 (Kahane). What is the meaning of 100? According to Rabbi Glazerson: The letter ‫ (קי‬kof) as mentioned by the Gemara in Tractate Shabbat, stands for the Holy One, Blessed is He. As noted above, it also stands for the level of holiness ( ‫)קי‬, which comes after the level of righteousness ( ‫)צנ‬. This quality of holiness represented by the letter ‫קי‬is also expressed in it numerical value, 100. This number completes and includes all the previous numbers; thus it symbolizes a perfection that unites all the various qualities and forces. The name of the letter ‫ קי‬means \"monkey\" - an animal which epitomizes the power of imitation. In its positive aspect, this alludes to man's imitation of the Holy One, Blessed is He. In its negative aspect, as was mentioned above, it symbolizes the forces of spiritual impurity which imitate holiness, leading astray those people who cannot discern the truth and who fall into the trap of pretended holiness. Thus the Zohar characterizes spiritual impurity as \"a monkey imitating a man.\" Letters of Fire (pg 68) The Rav often spoke about those who simply mimic ritual without understanding the real purpose and faith that is demanded of us. The gematria 100 (kuf) is also written as a small kuf in (bereshit 27:46) and a large kuf in Tehilim 84. The small kuf is part of the word 'ketzdi' (disgusted). The large kuf is part of the word 'ken' (nest). ,‫ שק נצ יתי נב כח כיי‬,‫ יי נצ החק‬-‫ האל‬,‫ מו כות הא המר יר נב הקה‬46 And Rebekah said to Isaac: 'I am disgusted ‫ל יק כח כי נע הקב יא השה‬-‫ ימ נפ יני נבנות יחת; יאם‬with my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as ,‫ילי‬ ‫ הל המה‬--‫הה הא הרץ‬ ‫ימ נבנות‬ ,‫הכ יא הלה‬ ‫ יחת‬-‫ימ נבנות‬ these, of the daughters of the land, what is life to ‫כח ייים‬ me?' (Bereshit 27:46) ‫קן‬-‫ן הלה נא השר‬ ‫ ו נדרור‬,‫ יצפור המ נצ האה כב יית‬-‫ד כגם‬ 4 Yet, the sparrow has found a house, and the ‫ יואל ההי‬,‫כמ נל יכי‬ ‫ הש התה הא נפ הר החי הה‬: swallow a nest for herself, where she laid O, to ‫ ניה הוה נצ הבאות‬,‫ ימ נז נבחו התיך‬-‫האת‬ be at Your altars, Hashem, Master of Legions. (Tehillim 84) The Rav certainly tried his utmost to purify our Nation from misguided spiritual and physical unions. He physically saved many women who had married Arabs and were now living as battered wives in Arab villages with Arab children who were really Jewish children. They had become prisoners living in fear and unable to escape. With incredible self-sacrifice he went into these villages and saved these women and children, reunited them with their Jewish parents who had lost all hope and rehabilitated them. Bentzi Gopstein, a student of the Rav continues this work today with the organization Lehava. 156

The Rav felt the disgust of Rivka and did his utmost to reinstate the kuf and even enlarged it. He also inspired many assimilated Jews who had strayed to feel the inner yearning for their home like a bird who never forgets her nest. There are many stories of those who made aliyah inspired by the spark the Rabbi ignited in them. Let us hope that the infusion of the holiness of Rav Kahane will help us join together Bamidbar to Nasso. He marveled at the greatness of our Nation being born out of the ashes of the Shoa however he pushed us forward towards our purpose. The purpose of the tribal parade of Bamidbar is to arrive at the Temple and make its dedication. Each tribe arrives in its unique way and each one is intrinsically important to the other as a healthy body that unifies many different functions into one whole. This unified body reflects the image of Hashem in the physical world; the light of Israel in its multitude of colors. 157

Shavuot and Corona (2020) I wrote in my book on Shavuot 2016 about the prediction of the Chofetz Chaim (that would come out around 2020) and wondered if something so drastic indeed could happen in four years. The Chofetz Chaim said in 1914 that this was the beginning of the wars of Gog and Magog and in around 25 years there will be another war that will make this one seem insignificant. He went on to say that 75 years after that war there will be a 3rd war that will make the earlier one seem insignificant. This would come out to the year 2020. Rabbi Levenstein, a contemporary of the Chofetz Chaim explained the insignificance to mean that lack of faith would increase. ‘There will be a great darkness of faith in belief in the world. Everything that came before will be like child’s play.’ Whether spiritual or physical, it seems to me that the recent plagues that we are experiencing are preparing us for the birth of a new world, and hopefully a better one than before. A new reality of the State of Israel came into being after the Shoa however it could have been born earlier preventing a Shoa. On the night of Shavuot I was studying the Talmud that discusses the reasons we had to go through the melting pot of Egypt and this whole process of destruction and the rebuilding that is the theme of these 49 days from Pesach to Shavuot. The Talmud in Nedarim 32 discusses that one of the reasons for this terrible decree is three words that Avraham said in the Brit ben Ha betarim - Be-ma-eyda 'with what sign will I know' ? As I studied these words I wondered if the Chofetz Chaim also based his prediction on this discussion. Interestingly I noticed that the Gematria of these words corresponds. ‫ נא השר הו יצא יתיך‬,‫ נא יני ניה הוה‬:‫ יא הליו‬,‫ ז כוי הא המר‬7 And He said to him: 'I am Hashem who brought ,‫ הה הא הרץ כהז האת‬-‫ הל התת נלך האת‬--‫ ימאור ככ נש ידים‬you out of Ur kasdim, to give you this land to ‫ לנ יר נש התה‬inherit it.' ‫יכישב המה ןא שדע‬ ,‫ניה יוה‬ ‫נא הד הני‬ :‫ח כוי הא כמר‬ 8 And he said: 'My Lord, Hashem/Elohim, ‫יאי הר הש הנה‬ whereby shall I know that I am to inherit it?' (Bereshit 15:7,-8) 45= ‫המה‬ 75= ‫ןא שדע‬ Is it possible that there is an allusion to the year 1945 when the 2nd World War ended and the 75 years later that come out to 2020? Is it possible that the Chofetz Chaim based his numbers on this ancient discussion? Although I enjoy Gematrias and they serve sometimes as hints that can lead us in the right direction I am by no means one who relies on mystic interpretations in fact the Pshat, the simple meaning I find to be even deeper. 158

‫ באל יהינו; נו כה ינ נגלת הלנו‬,‫ כליה הוה‬--‫ כח כה ינ נס הת הרת‬28 The hidden [sins] are for Hashem,our God, but ‫ יד נב ירי‬-‫ הכל‬-‫ האת‬,‫ כל נעשות‬--‫עו הלם‬-‫ כעד‬,‫ ו נל הב ינינו‬the revealed [sins] are for us and our children ‫ כהתו הרה כהז האת‬forever, to carry out all the words of this Torah (Dvarim 29:28) Hashem does not wish our suffering and what He reveals is meant for us to seriously study as doctors who can prevent disease. The God of Judgment is the same God of Love that desires we choose wisely to bring blessing and prevent negative consequences of our actions. Therefore if we assume that terrible tragedies are not mysterious unexplainable actions of a God who sometimes hides for no reason but actually do have logic to them then what was so terrible about Avrahams question that it brought about such a decree that we seem to continually suffer from in each generation? As I studied this Gemora I looked at the background as nothing happens in vacuum. I asked myself, what preceded this scene in the Brit ben Habetarim? Avraham had just won a miraculous war against five kings with just him and his servant Eliezer. The high priest Malchi Tzedek congratulates Avraham and says ‘blessed is Avraham and blessed is his God. '(Bereshit 14:19) The Talmud mentions that Avraham corrected him and said it’s not proper to bless the servant before the king. He should bless God first for Avraham is merely a servant. Because of this the priesthood was taken from Malki Tzedek and given to Avraham. (Nedarim 32b). And now as Avraham stands before his God and wonders about his future at 70 years old, God reassures him that he will yet have a son and will inherit the land of Canaan. Now in Parsha Bechukotai which we just read a few weeks back Hashem proclaims that if we walk in His ways we will be blessed and if you don’t walk in the way of blessing the consequence will be many curses, so choose blessing. In the passage we are discussing now there was no choice offered and if there was some offence taken no chance given to fix the offence simply a decree of 400 years of slavery because of a simple question. Is it so terrible to ask ‘by what sign will I know’? May I suggest that after winning a miraculous war against five kings with a handful of people and then even declaring this is not a human victory but a miracle from God, how is it now that the same Avraham asks for a sign? What did he as well as the world just see, if not a sign from the God of Avraham? It seems that this decree of slavery is more of a declaration similar to the curse of Cham which was also more of a declaration than a curse (according to Rabbi Hirsh). The consequence of this question will lead to persecution. The consequence of believing, experiencing, and yet not believing and looking for a sign, is a pattern that will lead eventually to slavery. Rav Kahane explains a similar Pshat when Hashem commands Avraham to sacrifice his son Itzchak. Most commentators explain this as a great test of faith, but why would Hashem ask such a thing? Could there have been any sin that preceded this? What possible sin could there be? Rabbi Kahane points out 159

that preceding this command there was the story of Avimelech who made a covenant between Avraham and his descendants. Rav Kahane asks the question how could Avraham make a political covenant with Avimelech and his descendants? The whole world had just witnessed the birth of Itzchak from a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman. This great miracle established and verified the covenant between Avraham and his God and the inheritance that was promised. In addition Avimelech tells Avraham God is with him in everything he does. (Bereshit 21:22) And yet, Avimelech now asks Avraham for a peace treaty which would contradict and delay the inheritance that God had promised Avraham. Avraham agrees to this covenant and so as Rav Kahane points out when it says after ‘these things’ (Bereshit 22:1) , what things does the Torah allude to? It alludes to the covenant between Avimelech. How could Avraham betray Gods covenant for a political covenant? Now it becomes much clearer that when Hashem says sacrifice your son there is a reprimand in these words. It is as if Hashem is saying, ‘After the great miracles I have shown you and the world, you exchange my covenant for one of flesh and blood? Well then if this miracle of Isaac means nothing then I will take him back. I want you to sacrifice him. If ‘my’ covenant does not exist then ‘he’ should not exist.’ What an astounding interpretation of Rav Kahane and this is the simple meaning from the text. The politics of Today is hinted at in the past. We lose faith (as Rabbi Kahane used to say) at every turn of the gentile screw. What we see above we can also see connected with Gematria. ‫יכישב המה ןא שדע‬ ,‫ניה יוה‬ ‫נא הד הני‬ :‫ח כוי הא כמר‬ 8 And he said: 'My Lord, Hashem/Elohim, ‫יאי הר הש הנה‬ whereby shall I know that I am to inherit it?' (Bereshit 15:8) With What Sign? ‫ – שב המה ןא שדע‬Gematria = 122 -‫ ני יחי נדך נא השר‬-‫ יב ננך האת‬-‫ הנא האת‬-‫ ב כוי הא המר כקח‬2 And He said: 'Please take your son, your only ‫ הא הרץ‬-‫ האל‬,‫ נלך‬-‫ נו הלך‬,‫ יי נצ החק‬-‫ האת‬,‫ הא כה נב הת‬one, whom you love – Isaac -and go to the land of ‫כא כחדכו שה מע ןלהו‬ Moriah; bring him up there as an offering upon ‫כעל‬ ,‫ נל הע הלה‬,‫השם‬ ;‫כה המ יר היה‬ ‫יא הליך‬ ,‫הה הה ירים‬ one of the mountains which I shall tell you. ‫הא כמר‬ ‫נא השר‬ (Bereshit 22:2) Bring him up (as an offering) - ‫ וכ שהעמלןהו‬- Gematria – 122 The political covenants that betray our spiritual covenant result in the sacrifice of our beloved children. Here is another interesting correlation. The Ma Edah (what sign - 120) that Avraham questions Hashem may lead to another question of Pharoah (Maduah – 120) towards the Hebrews. 160

‫ השמו‬-‫ נא השר‬,‫ הש נט ירי נב יני יי נש הר יאל‬,‫ יד כוימכו‬14 And the foremen of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had appointed over ‫ל האשמדועש‬ :‫ הנ נג ישי כפ נר העה ילא המר‬,‫נע יל ההם‬ them, were beaten, saying: 'Why did you not -‫ כגם‬--‫יש נל השם‬ ‫ יכ נתמול‬,‫יכ ילי התם הח נק הכם יל נל הבן‬ ‫ כהיום‬-‫ כגם‬,‫נתמול‬ complete your requirement to make bricks as yesterday and before yesterday, even yesterday and today? (Shmot 5:14 120= ‫המה ןא שדע‬ 120= ‫שמדו שע‬ As we continue to question and compromise we lead ourselves down a path of assimilation that ends with persecution. ;‫ שמדו שע הבא התם יא הלי‬,‫ כז כוי הא המר נא יל ההם יי נצ החק‬27 And Isaac said to them: 'Why have you come ‫ כו נת כש נלחו יני ימ יא נת הכם‬,‫נו כא התם נש ינא התם הא יתי‬ to me? You hate me and drove me away from you!' ,‫ הה היה ניה הוה יע המך‬-‫ הראו הר יאינו יכי‬,‫ כח כוי הא נמרו‬28 And they said: 'We have indeed seen that ;‫ יבי ינינו ו יבי הנך‬,‫ כונ הא המר נת יהי הנא הא הלה יבינו יתינו‬Hashem has been with you, so we said, 'Let the ‫ יע המך‬,‫נו ינ נכ נר התה נב ירית‬ oath between ourselves now be between us and you, and let us make a covenant with you. (Bereshit 26:27-28 ‫המה ןא שדע שמדו שע‬Why (have you come to me?) = (Value120) - What Sign? = (Value120) Again the same political agreement in contradiction to the covenant promised by Hashem. Avimelech wanted to ratify the peace plan he made with Itchaks father Avraham. Itzchak knows there is hatred by Avimelech and wonders why he is doing good and even increasing this good more than his predecessor. The commentators tell us that now Avimelech adds that anyone who goes against this treaty should be cursed. Does Avimelech really have our best interests in heart? Could this be a Trojan horse? If we look at what preceded the rise of Haman in the Purim story there is an interesting chain of events. The Rabbis tell us the curse of Haman was a result of our enjoyment and celebration at the king’s feast, where he served all the Jewish leaders glatt kosher catering. What was so wrong about this? They were so honored they overlooked that the dishes they were eating off of where holy dishes pillaged from the Bet Hamigdash, but they looked the other way. Deals of the Past and Deals of Today What preceded the Corona plague? The deal of the century! So many celebrating that a foreign power 161

will allow us to annex part of the Land promised us by God while selling out the Temple Mount to the Arabs and creating a Palestine for them. In the midst of our honor and glory the King of Kings came down and threw us out of our synagogues and into the street with Corona. It was as if He was saying, ‘I don’t want your prayers and your minyans. They mean nothing to me. Where is your protest for My throne, My honor and My kingship and My Crown alluded to in Corona (crown) or Covid which means honor in Hebrew. In fact if we look again at the passage above we see some more startling connections. As I was writing this article I recalled that my brother asked me what is the Gematria of 19 in Covid-19. I answered achi – ‘my brother’ and also ‘goy’ – a non-Jewish nation. At the time I suggested it may have something to do with the year-long attempt at elections that preceded us and the internal plague that infected our nation long before Corona between the forces that want a Jewish state and those that want to be like all other non-Jewish states. Today I thought to look at the Gematria of Covid itself and interestingly enough discovered it is exactly the same as the passage that we have been discussing. 122= ‫ שב המה ןא שדע‬- with what sign? 122 =‫ קוביד‬- Covid We even see Corona hinted at in the letters. ‫ייכ‬ ‫יא כדע‬ ‫בכ המה‬ ,‫ניה יוה‬ ‫נא הד הני‬ :‫כוי הא כמר‬ ‫ח‬ 8 And he said: 'My Lord, Hashem/Elohim, whereby shall I know that I am to inherit it?' ‫איי השהר הנה‬ (Bereshit 15:8) There is a quote I like of Prime Minister Netanyahu in which he says ‘Israel did not come into being because of the Shoa. If there had been an Israel there would not have been a Shoa.’ The gates of Israel were open in the 1920's before the Shoa but noboday came. As the gates of the Jewish ghetto opened up the majority scrambled out into the gentile world and assimilation. Who doesn't have a picture of a great grandfather with a long beard? Who was looking for Be Ma Eda (by what sign)? Most were looking for greener pastures in a wide open non-Jewish world. At the same time while deserts were turning green in Israel many in the religious camp saw Zionism and Nationalism as an enemy of Judaism and forbade their flock to go there. Yes, if there was an Israel there would not have been a Shoa. It is easier to say this today however have we learned the lessons of the past? Are we running to Israel or away from Israel? And in Israel are we running towards a Jewish state or a Hebrew speaking gentile one? As we enter a period of darkness and uncertainty the question remains will the Temple be rebuilt with an easy birth or a painful one? The State of Israel was born after a period of Judgement. Will the Temple now be reborn along with Judea and the monarchy of King David? The same Netanyahu just gave the keys away as Avraham and Isaac did to Avimelech. Will we learn the lessons of the past? Have we yet? 162

On a positive note everything has its equal opposite. The same letters that spell plague (Noga) spell (Oneg) - celebration. When we fix our weakness it becomes our crown. When we are confused about ‘what sign’ and doubt the God who has brought miracle after miracle when we put our trust in Him not only with Jewish ritual but politically, He will part seas for us. The Gematria 122 is also Yad Chazaka and Redemption. -‫ ו ימ הש נמרו האת‬,‫ ח יכי ימ כא נה כבת ניה הוה הא נת הכם‬8 Rather because of Hashems love for you and ‫ הו יציא ניה הוה‬,‫ כה נש מב העה נא השר ינ נש כבע כל נא הב יתי הכם‬because He observes the oath that He swore to ‫ נב היד מח הז הקה; שו יי כפ כדך מיביית‬,‫הא נת הכם‬ your forefathers did He take you out with a ‫ ימ נצ הר יים‬-‫ ימ כיד כפ נר העה המ הלך‬,‫נע הב ידים‬ strong hand, and redeem you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. :‫ ניה הוה באל ההיך הוא הה באל יהים‬-‫ יכי‬,‫ ט נו הי כד נע הת‬9 You must know that Hashem your God - He is ‫ הש ימר כה נב ירית נו כה הח הסד נל הא נה הביו‬--‫ כה הנ בא המן‬,‫ הה יאל‬the God; the faithful God, who safeguards the covenant and the kindness for those who love Him ‫ נל הא הלף דור‬,‫ו נל הש נמ ירי ימ נצ הו התו‬ and for those who observe His commandments for a thousand generations. (Dvarim 7:8-9) Again we see the covenant of the past that Hashem continually keeps while we continually betray and in the end if we fall to a spiritual low as we were in Egypt Hashem will not allow us to undo His world. He will intervene and pull us out. 120= ‫ מח הז הקה‬- strong (hand) 120 =‫ שו ייפכדכך‬- redeem 120= ‫ המה ןא שדע‬- what sign? Redemption here is spelled in the feminine form or weaker form of redemption (as opposed to Chozek Yad) where Hashem physically pulls us out from fear and not from our conviction. Through this process however eventually God willing we should grow with a greater desire for our Land. For the solution as I have said many times before is to fully liberate our Land and the Temple Mount. If we fear isolation, we know now that we can survive isolation. The minimum requirement would be to allow Jewish people to pray on the Har Habayit and bring their Pesach sacrifice which is Halachically permissible. I am certain that this alone will stop the spread of Corona. If we continue to question ‘by what sign’ it will lead to Pharoah’s question ‘where is your quota of bricks?’ If we overcome our reluctance to accept the blessing that Hashem wishes to confer on us and conquer our Land then we (and the world) will no longer question our legitimacy. We will desire to cling to our inheritance and be a blessing to ourselves and the world. 163

-‫ ימ כמ הטה האל‬,‫ ית הסב כנ נח הלה יל נב יני יי נש הר יאל‬-‫ ז נול הא‬7 An inheritance of the Children of Israel shall not ,‫ נב כנ נח כלת כמ יטה נא הב התיו‬,‫ יכי יאיש‬:‫ מכטהה‬make rounds from tribe to tribe; rather the Children of Israel shall cleave every man to the ‫ נב יני יי נש הר יאליי כד כבקו‬, inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. (Bamidbar 36:7) 122= ‫ שב המה ןא שדע‬- with what sign? 122 =‫ קוביד‬- Covid (the sin and negative consequence) 122= ‫ יי כד כבקו‬- cleave (to our inheritance) – (the solution and remedy) Let us hope that we have an easy birth and that the predictions of the past and the discusssions from our ancient books bear fruit. In the original exodus slavery ended when the plagues began and shortly after families escaped into an unknown future under the wings of the Allmighty and became a great Nation. Although we see dark clouds on the horizen, let us hope that soon a new day will be dawning in Israel with truly a free people in its own Land. There is only one covenant that we must cleave to and one peace treaty that has been ratified above and below. If we are faithful to our constitution of the Torah we have nothing to fear. 164

Shavuot and 9-11 (2021) The Shabbat after Shavuot this year came out to a Jewish 9-11 if you count Tishrei as the 1st month, this Shabbat was the eleventh day of the ninth month. Is there a connection? Maybe there is. I certainly heard the original 9-11 and realized that the comfortable world we once lived in was radically changing and airports could suddenly be closed preventing any escape. I got the message back then and so like a salmon swimming upstream I knew I had to get back home whether I was ready or not. How does one relate however to 9-11 when one lives in that land that he came to as a refuge? To flee a falling empire is logical and brings with it a new life and new blessing however to flee within our own Nation (though relatively speaking there are a number of places with less friction) standing our ground and not fleeing is typically the solution here for security and prosperity. The original 9-11 brought with it a new chapter in history. Nothing would be quite the same after 9-11 and this week in Israel, after the current war also a new chapter has begun. From the exile to the homeland the veil of self-deception has been lifted and our optimistic delusions of co-existence has suddenly been shattered. The typical pandering and explaining we do seems to fall short and those forced friendships we thought were real have shown their true colors. I'm sure in Germany as well it was shocking to to see friends suddenly turn on you and your very existence became politically incorrect. And in Israel, a month before the Hebron massacre in 1929 Jews and Arabs seemed to be living in a relatively peaceful co-existence. So what changed? Was there a force protecting us and allowing us to delude ourselves that suddenly vanished? Or did the Almighty suddenly change the hearts of peoples as He did with Avimelech or Lavan or Pharoah? Maybe there is a clue in our Parsha this week. ,‫ יא נשתו‬-‫ יק ננ האה נו יק ינא האת‬-‫ יד נו הע כבר הע הליו רו כח‬14 and a spirit of jealousy had passed over him, ‫ יק ננ האה‬-‫ הע כבר הע הליו רו כח‬-‫ נו יהוא ינ נט המ האה; או‬and he had warned his wife, and she had become ‫ נו יהיא ל הא ינ נט המ האה‬,‫ יא נשתו‬-‫נו יק ינא האת‬ defiled; or a spirit of jealousy had passed over him, and he had warned his wife, and she had not become defiled. ,‫ כה הכ יהן‬-‫ האל‬,‫ יא נשתו‬-‫ טו נו יה יביא הה יאיש האת‬15 the man shall bring his wife to the Kohen, and ‫ נע ישי ירת הה יאי הפה‬,‫ הק נר הב הנה הע הלי הה‬-‫ נו יה יביא האת‬shall bring her offering for her, a tenth ephah of barley flour; he shall pour no oil over it, and shall ‫ יי יתן‬-‫נול הא‬ ,‫ יי הצק הע הליו הש המן‬-‫הק כמח נש הע ירים; ל הא‬ not put frankincense upon it; for it is a meal- ‫ימ ננ כחת‬ ,‫ ימ ננ כחת נק הנ האת הוא‬-‫ יכי‬--‫הע הליו נל הב הנה‬ offering of jealousies, a meal-offering of remembrance, a reminder of iniquity. ‫יז הכרון כמ נז הכ הרת הע הון‬ (Bamidbar 5:14-15) The Sotah I must confess I feel like an accused Sotah. As I have previously explained before the multiple failed elections there was a chance of a stable government if Netanyhu accepted Ben Gvir and his condition that Jews could pray on the Temple Mount. Netanyahu said no, because he did not want to start World 165

War Three. The result was the series of failed elections. Then came President Trump's Peace Plan that everyone loved because it solidified the settlements however it abandoned the Temple Mount to the Arabs. Everyone celebrated this plan like the Jews of Shushan at the feast of Achashverosh, while they overlooked the serving dishes which had been pillaged from our Temple. This was the last straw. Then came Corona and it seemed as if Hashem was angry and threw us out of the Bet Knesset as if to say 'I do not want your offerings, and I do not need your minyans. I want my temple.' As Coronna subsided and we were free to run back to the Kotel that had been abandoned more tragedy struck on Lag B'Omer. Rav Nachum Kahane connects the tragedy with a letter written by the Chatam Sofer on the same Parsha more than a hundred years ago after the earthquake in Sfat in which thousands perished. The Chatam Sofer wrote: 'The earthquake was the expression of Hashem’s zealousness for the honor of Yerushalayim...All the olim turn only to Tzfat and Tiveria - while Yerushalayim is forgotten.' We saw further on Yom Yerushalyim so few arrived because of Arab unrest and on the very day of our celebration the war broke out and the leaders of these terrorists cry out their mantra. 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem!' We have abandoned Jerusalem and evil has have filled the vacuum we left. No longer are we thrown out of the Bet Knesset as we were in the Corona plague but now congregations have physically been crushed on Lag B'Omer and Shavuot. It seems to me the 'spirit of jealousy' in previous years was easily appeased each day through our service and our mitzvot. Maybe there is a point, however where our husband can no longer look away. Pesach begins with the harvest of barley, a grain symbolizing the lower animal level and ends with the wheat harvest in Shavuot indicating a transformation. Only a few days after Shavuot and again we read about barley but this time brought by the Sotah. The war has now ended. A new chapter has begun after these eventful 49 days. What have we learned? Has our consciousness change at all? Where does the 'spirit of jealousy' sit? What have we understood and what do we feel in our hearts? Has the barley transformed to wheat or will we be bringing barley to the Temple again? As I mentioned earlier I feel like I am the accused Sotah and there is only one solution, which is to come to the Temple and taste the bitter waters. There are two possible outcomes. The Negative To those in the exile, to flee the exile and come home will certainly bring blessing and safety. However to flee Jerusalem and continue to be secluded and trusting and pandering to foreign lovers and enemies who are becoming increasingly hostile will result in a more painful birth as newer chapters are written. If plagues and tragedies and wars do not open our ears and our hearts what will be? Rav Kahane wrote an amazing concept in Peirush HaMaccabee regarding our Parsha: The Truth Passed Him By When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak to [G-d], he heard the voice speaking to him 166

from atop the cover that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim” (Numbers 7:89) On this verse, the Rabbis comment, “Moses heard but the Jewish people did not hear” (Yoma 4b). The Radak points out that we find the same phenomenon - that G-d's voice is heard by the person to whom it is directed, but not by others - regarding Samuel and Eli. As Rashi writes on I Samuel 3:4 “G-d's voice emerged from the sanctuary, from the Holy of Holies. Eli was a priest standing guard inside [the sanctuary] while Samuel was a Levite lying outside. The voice skipped over Eli and directed itself to Samuel.\" From this episode we should learn that one need not fear when the majority opinion runs counter to one's own. For sometimes the minority hears what the majority doesn't. At times, truth lies with the minority. And this is even the case when great men are on the side of the majority. After all, Eli was the greatest scholar in his generation - the judge of all of Israel - while Samuel was a mere lad at the time. And yet, the truth passed Eli by. He didn't hear. Samuel did. Peirush HaMaccabee Will we hear the voice and return from outside to inside and from inside to strengthen and celebrate the Holy City? The Positive On the positive side this 'spirit of jealousy' causes the accused Sotah to come to the Temple and be tested and here is where the remedy lies. If we are proven to be loyal then a potential curse will turn into blessing and we will give birth as in our Parsha. We will rededicate the Temple like in the days of Chanuka and like the Nazir we will change our ways and be more like Manoah's wife. Unlike the Sotah she ran to her husband and was not secluded with strangers and was blessed to give birth to Shimshon. May it be that all who feel like the accused Sotah return to our Land and to our Temple and each one give birth to a Shimshon. What a beautiful world that would herald. The Torah Tamima connects a verse in our Parsha with the Talmud. The L-rd lift His countenance unto you - The men of Alexandria asked, R. Yehoshua b. Chanania: One verse states (Deuteronomy 10:17): \"who does not lift the countenance and who does not take a bribe,\" and another: \"The L-rd lift His countenance unto you\"! How is this to be reconciled? He answered: The latter [obtains] before the decree has been issued; the former, after it has been issued (Niddah 70b). I pray that we heed the call and there is yet time before any decrees are set, for Hashem to lift His countenance towards us so that this next chapter becomes a glorious one with our Temple rededicated. Let us return like an innocent Sotah and remove the 'spirit of jealousy' against us to a 'spirit of jealousy' for us. 167

Collective Punishment and Reward (2022) On Shabbat before Shavuot at the Shabbat table a good friend of mine mentioned that he had a problem with collective punishment. Maybe on the Shabbat before Shvuot, this would be a good time to discuss collective punishment as well as collective reward. As we approach Mount Sinai we can look back and see the furnace of Egypt from which we escaped that has somehow painfully refined us as a Nation. At this time we read the counting of Bamidbar which continues into Parsha Nasso transforming the National counting of the previous chapter to the inner sanctum counting of those involved with the work of the Bet Hamigadash. This ends with the tribal offerings in the Bet Hamigdash which we also read on Chanuka. It seems to me that this may signify that the third Bet Hamigdash will be similar to the Chanuka story, which began as a rebellion against Hellenism and transformed into a spiritual rekindling that grew within the very soul of the Nation. As our reality unfolds today according to the blueprint of the Torah we see how the multiple tribes of Israel have returned waving our flags in glory along with collective rejoicing and collective mourning. The State we live in was acquired with a very heavy price. As we progress into future chapters where we must resolve the battles between those who want a Hebrew speaking Scandinavia and those who want a Jewish Nation with a Torah constitution, unfortunately, as in the past, there will probably continue to be more sacrifices along the way. However, when the third Temple replaces the fast degenerating United Nations as the arbiter of justice in the world, the heavy price of collective human sacrifice will be transformed into collective rejoicing not only for Israel but for a more unified world. But how will we arrive there and what price must we pay? Why must we go through these painful births? Do we have a choice in the matter? I believe we do. ‘War is over, if we want it’, as John Lennon used to say, but only if our desire is aligned with Hashem’s desire. I heard a Rabbi say once that if the world understood that all the good in the world and all the bad in the world happens because of the Jews, they would send two policemen for every Jew to make sure he keeps the Torah. Having said that, I am not holding my breath for all of the Jewish people to become Torah observant. It’s clear that there will always be some more observant and some less among our people and among all of humanity. As the Israelite Nation, however, we simply need a critical mass that stabilizes the world and puts it back in place, similar to the Macabbes who were a handful that inspired the rest of the Nation and restored the light in each one's home. Collective Judgments If we examine the process of the collective judgments of the past, maybe it will help us to escape new traps being set or even overturn present day verdicts. The first time we encounter collective punishment as a Nation happens in the plague of darkness where 4/5ths of the Hebrew Nation perish. Chazal tells us that they perished because they did not want to leave Egypt. Killing out 12 million Jews and leaving only 3 million, simply because they did not want to leave? That is twice as many as the Shoa, to which 168

the Rabbis tell us today no one has an answer for. Yet a Shoa that took twice as many Jews because it was so long ago, can we simply say it was because they did not want to leave? Additionally, what can we say about those who escaped and then died in the desert as a punishment because they did not want to enter Israel? In fact the Talmud discusses that there were actually only two men of the entire Nation that saw the miracles in Egypt and also entered Israel, namely Yehoshua and Calev. (Sanhedrin 111a). The rest of the Nation perished in the desert because they did not desire the Land of Israel. All of the miracles in Egypt and all of the miracles in the desert for only two men? A similar question may be asked about Noah. How could Hashem destroy an entire world and save only one man and his family? Rav Binyamin Kahane writes: There is no doubt that the terrible flood which wiped out the world so early in the history of mankind should send a message home to all those who believe in G-d and His Supervision over the world. And the message is the following: There is a purpose to the world, and without this purpose, there is no reason for man's existence. The world was created for a reason - the crowning of G-d as King by all mankind and observance of His commandments. When mankind strays from this intended path, they in effect forfeit their very existence. At such a point, physical annihilation is not very far off. For after the people stray from their intended path, what possible reason is there for the continuation of their physical existence. If life is about purpose and that purpose becomes corrupted then should we be expecting physical dangers to begin to approach? What about the righteous that lived in Sodom? Hashem promised Avraham that for few righteous people an entire community would be saved. Why is it that in some cases this holds true and in other cases it does not? How do we understand the time and place we are in today and what we can do to avert any harsh judgments that are currently being deliberated? When we examine the generation in Egypt we see that there were Jewish informers to the gentile authorities when the redeemer began to save the Jewish people. Moshe became a fugitive because of these Jewish informers and it was not till forty years later that he returned to redeem the Hebrew Nation. Shemot Rabba explains that \"There were sinners among the Jews who had Egyptian patrons, and they had wealth and honor there, [so] they didn't want to leave.\" It seems that those who died in the darkness did not have the desire to trade their flesh-pots for freedom. Is the lack of desire for freedom so terrible that so many are destroyed? It is interesting to note that even Datan and Aviram who were rebellious against Moshe and even informed on him forty years earlier, must have done the Korban Pesach and left with the Exodus. Although they started trouble in Moshes youth and after leaving Mitzrayim, at the time of the Exodus they participated along with the faithful. Were those who died in Egypt beyond the pale? Was it deemed that there would be no future coming from them? Were they already assimilated beyond reach? I suggest the following: When the birth of the Jewish people is so eminent that even the Datan and Avihams are joining, to be opposed to this movement may be such a blindness that the danger of staying is much greater than the potential danger of leaving. 169

It is very hard to uproot oneself however there are times that uprooting with all of its unknowns is a better choice than staying in a place of increasing danger. My brother told me that he read an author that described the atmosphere before WW2 in Germany. He wrote that the pessimists left and the optimists stayed. Is it not increasingly similar in America today? Another collective punishment happens the night of Pesach with the death of the first born. Any Hebrew who dared leave his house was not safe. The Angel of death was indiscriminate and only within the homes of those observing the Passover did Hashem pass over. Every first born Egyptian including prisoners who were not responsible for persecuting the Jews, perished. Why were first born prisoners punished? The Torah tells us that they also were punished simply because they had rejoiced in the suffering of the Jews. This would seem to imply that all the Arabs who hand out candies today when Jews are killed will one day be punished even if they personally have not persecuted a Jew. On the other hand Chazal tells us that all who mourn the destruction of Zion will share in her rejoicing. It certainly is a great vindication for Am Israel who was almost completely annihilated a generation ago to see Jewish children playing in the streets in the reborn State of Israel. There is another concept of collective punishment that the Talmud discusses regarding Mamzerim (bastards). Rebi Chanina said: Once every 60 or 70 years The Holy One, Blessed is He, brings something to the world to destroy the mamzerim and takes the kosher people with them so as to not publicize their sins . . . This teaches you that even when The Holy One, Blessed is He, brings evil to the world, He does it with wisdom. (Yerushalmi, Yevamos 49b) Rav Pinchas Winston questions why every 60 or 70 years specifically? He answers: ‘if you think about it, less than this would be too much for Creation to bear, and more than this, few people would be around to emotionally remember what has happened previously in order to be able to warn others about what might be coming up. It is the Holocaust survivors today who are concerned about the direction of events, because they have seen what results from that, while those of who were born after the war live with the illusion that as bad as things are, it will always get better before it gets worse. It appears that a Holy Nation has the free choice to depart from that Holiness however there comes a time where that leniency can no longer be extended and a purification process results. This purification may affect the entire world and take along with it the holy and the unholy, the guarantor and the one who defaults on the loan. The Para Aduma whose ashes purify those who were in contact with a corpse is burned along with its dung. As Rabbi Matisyahu Glazerson told me once, the Para Aduma represents the Jewish people from the highest to the lowest levels. From these collective ashes comes an elixir that purifies individuals. Rav Pinchas Winston writes: 170

Clearly, when the Talmud speaks about mamzerim, it means the real thing. However, perhaps, in the process of ridding the world of actual mamzerim, other less-than-desirable elements are removed from the gene pool at the same time, even if they were born in a kosher manner, which can include more people than we might care to consider. Essentially, that is what the War of Gog and Magog is supposed to be about. In fact, we find an example of it in history, when Assyria attacked the Jewish people, and laid siege to Jerusalem. The leader of the army was Sancheriv, and he commanded 185,000 officers, who controlled countless others taken from different countries around the world of that time. As they joyfully lay in wait for their sacking of Jerusalem during daylight hours the next day, a plague broke out the night before and decimated their ranks (Sanhedrin 94a). This forced Sancheriv to flee for his life, which he lost anyhow when his own sons assassinated him. Without lifting a finger, Chizkiah HaMelech defeated a massive army by simply trusting in God and going to bed that night. We know about the miraculous defeat from Tanach. What we do not know about is how God went about selecting each soldier, and all of the personnel necessary to support such a massive war effort, who were destined to die by the plague. We can't see how God put the idea to attack the Jewish people into Sancheriv's head, which caused him to recruit his army, one that included soldiers from other nations as well, so that they would all come to Jerusalem as a single, massive unit. Labor Pains It seems that our collective reward is tied together with the collective punishment of our enemies. The threat of our destruction causes us to cry out to Hashem who is waiting for us to call and then He answers. The question is where are we at that time? Is it too little too late? Are we expecting the government to save us? Is that benevolent government we are relying upon Mitzrayim, Germany, America, Communist China? Are we at the Passover table preparing to leave or are we wandering outside with the Angel of Death? May it be that our future redemption will come as easily as it did to Chizkiah HaMelech. In Parsha Bechukotai the Torah describes a time when ‘five of you will pursue a hundred, and a hundred of you will pursue ten thousand. This number increases exponentially just as the curses that follow increase exponentially. Again, the support or the persecution of that critical mass is what will define the extent of our collective consequences. Hashem tells us in Netzavim that the secret things belong to Him, however the revealed things are for us to understand and act upon. If we inform on, or persecute, or are indifferent to that critical mass then we are only contributing to our own collective punishment. In every generation we are persecuted for selling the Yoseph of our own generation. The hatred against Rabbi Kahane who fought for a Jewish state and the expulsion of our enemies, and the hatred against 171

our own people that settle the land with great love and self sacrifice reflexively transforms into gentile hatred of Israel. What happens to the Tzadikim we abandoned and hated because of our faithless hysterical fears end up happening to us. It makes sense that if we are abandoning our own mission and prepared to sell our own birthright and do not value what we possess, then Gentile nations will conclude that we are thieves that must have stolen the land from others. It is interesting that we read in the Haftorah this Shabbat about Shimshon. Not only is Shimshon juxtaposed to the Sotah (the wayward wife) as a contrast or tikkun of such behavior, but his heroism teaches us a great deal at this time. If Israel is compared to the Sotah whose loyalty is now in question and a time of revelation is now approaching which will result in her being doomed or being blessed, Shimshon is the anti-hero that demonstrates true loyalty. Binyamin Kahane brings down that what defines the ‘Might’ of Shimshon, is not his physical strength nor his spiritual strength to conquer his Yetzer Hora. The great mightiness of Shimshon was that he loved the Jewish people despite the fact that they abandoned him. He wanted vengeance against the enemies of the Jewish people, despite the fact that these same Jewish people handed him over to their enemies. The precarious chance we have of escaping collective punishment when days of darkness approach is to gather towards and support the Shimshon’s and the Yoseph’s whose loyalty has been proven time and again. When we strengthen the critical mass that holds the foundations of our world we will support the roots when the wind shakes the tree. Those who are not deceived by the new normal's will seem like Nazir's, but it is we who have strayed and we owe them our gratitude. When the Torah was given after the Shoa of Mitzrayim the concept of collective punishment was held over our heads. According to the Midrash Hashem told us if we accept the Torah it will be well, however if not Hashem would bury us under the mountain. I heard Rav Goldstein (the Rosh Yeshiva of Bet Hatfutsot) ask a good question. If the covenant was made under duress how can we legally be held accountable? He answered that it was similar to someone accepting a real estate deal. When the Jewish people said Naaseh V’Nishma (we will accept the Torah unconditionally), this pleased Hashem to hear. If, however, the owner knew that the buyer was about to hear news that the house he gladly agreed upon was actually worth much less than the price he agreed upon, the owner quickly drew up a contract and said sign now or no deal. This means that deep down we all want the Torah and the Land of Israel. The only reason that we fight against our destiny is out of fear. Ironically it is the actions based on this fear that actualize more and more physical danger to us collectively. Collective punishment and collective reward is in our hands simply by supporting those who are moving forward and splitting the sea. It is made up of individuals who can separate themselves from conflicting physical desires and escape dangerous surroundings that are morally unhinged and choose a challenging path within Israel where Noahs Ark will set sail above a drowning world that comes to wage war against the God of Avram, Itzchak and Yacov. Along with the collective punishment of the haters of Israel and its God will be a great reward for that refined collective of souls that chose to be chosen. May it be an easy birth. May we choose to be the tail of a lion rather than the head of a fox. 172

The Doves Return (2023) (Nasso and Shavuot) There is an argument in Bava Batra (34b) regarding claims of ownership - one who has worked a field, and we therefore assume has some type of ownership, is confronted with one who comes and says I’m sorry but this field belongs to me. Both have insufficient witnesses and documentation and taking an oath is also problematic because a person who is not trusted completely is not allowed to submit an oath in the Jewish court. In our Shabbat Parsha we read about the Sotah and the claims of infidelity and the Sotah test that is given to prove her innocence. As civilization began to decay before the destruction of the Bet Hamigdash, that test was no longer administered because there was so much immorality in the generation that the test would no longer work (Sotah 48) Imagine a generation where tests of morality are non-existent and even an oath in court is disqualified due to the assumed level of dishonesty within society yet both have valid claims of ownership and have demonstrated the claims of their just cause. Take a look at the fervent demonstrations in the land of Israel today between two sides who have valid claims and have both sacrificed and build within the land but yet it was never clear which had the deed and the witnesses are incomplete. In which way does this battle play out in the Heavenly court, and who has the stronger case? Maybe in our Parsha there is an indication of where we are holding today. Nasso is a continuation and refinement of Bamidbar. Bamidbar is already a new reality we have arrived at through the previous refinement of the Pesach redemption. We have passed through the seven-week tikun of the Omer and arrived at the goal which is to receive the Torah and become instead of servants to Pharoah, servants to Hashem with all of the rewards and benefits and blessings that being a holy and chosen Nation brings. Today we have arrived at this confused place of our democratic Jewish state that is neither democratic nor Jewish and each claim that we have worked this field and own it, and sacrificed for it and it is Jewish, while others protest it is democratic and free of any moral codes to restrict its grab. The proud display of our flags in Parsha Bamidbar continues and is joined to this further refinement of the internal flags within the soul of the Nation represented by the Levi’im. It begins with Gershon. The name Gershon is derived from the verb \"to banish\" (le-garesh), signifying the necessity to banish evil. One could define the steps leading to the climax of our Parsha as (sur mi ra oseh tov) ‘departing from evil to do good’. The steps leading to the Cohen blessing and the ultimate tribal procession as each tribe inaugurates the temple with their offerings, is a refinement through the process of removal of leprosy and immorality. This seems to reflect the Omer process many go through each year. My friend Binyamin describes the Omer in the following way. By removing the chametz on Pesach and making sure the dough does not rise we allow Kedusha to rise instead and grow over the Omer period climaxing in a new reality. I was in Yerushalyim on Shavuot and encountered a number of converts, as well as Jews who had left 173

the fold and were on their way back, and some Gentiles drawn to the light of Israel. This seemed to have resonated along with the story of Ruth and Yitro whose history is recalled at this time. One convert told me a fascinating story about homing pigeons that her non-Jewish father used to raise. Apparently, scientists and government war machines have tried for years unsuccessfully to crack the code of the homing device inside a pigeon’s brain. This seems to be a great secret of Hashem known only to Him and His doves. R. Abbahu said: A man should always strive to be rather of the persecuted than of the persecutors as there is none among the birds more pursued than doves and pigeons, and yet Scripture made them [alone] eligible for the altar. (Babba Kamma 93a) The Jewish people are the most pursued; negatively by our many enemies and positively by Hashem and those who seek the many blessings of His people. As the controversy continues between the meaning of the blue and white flag both camps wave, between the procession that leads to the Torah and all of our glory or the procession that leads to the abomination parades of Sodom, both camps are claiming to be the legitimate heirs. The solution I suppose will be like the story from Chelm of the woman who wanted to name her son Chaim after her father. Her husband protested and wanted to name the son Chaim after his father. ‘My father was a Talmud Chacham’ she proclaimed ‘while your father was a horse thief. I want to name him Chaim after my father.’ They went to the local Rabbi to solve the dispute. The rabbi suggested that they name the child Chaim. If he grows up to be a horse thief, we will know he has named after the husband’s father and if he grows up to be a Talmud Chacham we will know he was named after the mothers father. May the zchut of our ancestors and the homing device of every broken winged dove to return to our source be activated now as a new chapter begins. May we find a deeper meaning in the blue and white flag we are waving and become our own witnesses to the legitimacy of our inheritance. 174

Kahane in the Parsha Behalotecha 175

Parashat Beha'alotcha - 2009 As I have written earlier, the Rav's Torah is Derech Shaloshet Yamim (see Shmot). In Behalochtecha we see the nucleus of this Derech ‫ קו המה‬:‫ כוי הא המר המ השה‬,‫ לה כו ני יהי יב ננ הס כע הה הא הרן‬35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, .‫ ימ הפ הניך‬,‫ נו הינמסו נמ כש ננ האיך‬,‫ נו הי מפצו הא ני הביך‬,‫ ניה הוה‬that Moses said: 'Rise up, O LORD, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.' ‫ יר נבבות כא נל יפי‬,‫ שו הבה ניה הוה‬:‫ י הא כמר‬,‫ לו ו נבנמ החה‬36 And when it rested, he said: 'Return, O LORD, .‫ יי נש הר יאל‬unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel.' (Bamidbar 10:35,36) In the Torah this passage is separated by two inverted 'nun's. Our Rabbis tell us (Shabbos 116a) that these two passages are considered a separate book. The ideas expressed here are the essence of the Torah and express our unity and divine calling. When we are united our enemies (the enemies of G-d) flee before us and wherever we rest there is a Divine protection and radiance. All who encounter Israel encounter this radiance and experience their own divine calling as well. The gematria of 'Nun' is fifty. If we count fifty passages ahead we get to the beginning of Parsha Shlach. It is as if to say, that Shlach, the curses that follow and the forty years of wanderings did not have to happen. What was it supposed to be? Fifty passages earlier 'Vayehi Binsoa Aaron..' If this is the way we were, united and free then Moshiach would have already been here. These fifty passages that precede Shlach indicate the root cause that led to Shlach. It began with complaints from the people and ended with complaints from the highest level; from Miriam. The leadership that were condemned in Parsha Yitro for eating and drinking in front of the Divine, where punished here and destroyed. A new leadership took over. This new leadership however did not prevent the sin of the spies. Moshe complains that he cannot carry the people any longer. These passages should be studied to understand what preceded Shlach and the forty year curse. We were so close and then became so far. Today also there are moments that we could have become kings and queens like an 1967, but we transformed victory into a long and drawn out defeat. 176

Late Comers Final Redemption through State of Judea ,‫ נב כה נעל נתך‬:‫ יא הליו‬,‫ נו הא כמ נר הת‬,‫ כא נה הרן‬-‫ האל‬,‫ ב כד יבר‬2 'Speak unto Aharon, and tell him that when he ‫ הי יאירו‬,‫מול נפ יני כה נמנו הרה‬-‫ האל‬,‫ כה ינ הרת‬-‫ האת‬raises up the candles, the seven wicks should point ‫ יש נב כעת כה ינרות‬. to the face of the menorah.' (Bamidbar 8:1) The word raising up that is used to light the candles alludes to the idea that the job of the spiritual leaders is to raise up the neshamas of the young ones and teach them Torah in a way that brings out the light of Torah and inspires them to rise up in the Torah world by bringing their light to it. As Rav Nacham Kahane says that 'when the child matures, he will have within him the ability and desire to 'rise up' in the world of Torah.' (With All Your Might pg. 632) To me this Parsha is about the vindication of the Charedi world in that future time when they will be called upon to 'put their money where their mouth is' or more aptly put their body where their soul is and this time be the first to act rather than the last. The role of the spiritual leaders of our Nation is to teach the Nation its purpose and identity and to understand that we have a Divine partnership in the creation and maturity of our Nation. Although I may be critical of the Charedi world that failed in the past and present to see G-d in National events, to their credit they have kept the mitzvot of Torah alive as they have been for thousands of years. The opportunity to keep 'new' mitzvot dealing with the Land and tithes and the many mitzvot that deal with national situations were given them by their arch-enemy, their black sheep brother who conquered the Land. After having spent a generation as 'Israeli's' and coming to terms with the fact that their irreligious brothers had the faith and courage to conquer the Land they pray for each day a new day will come. In this final scenario the 'lack of faith' of the 'irreligious' brother will be brought out in their willingness to divorce themselves from Yehuda and Shomron to appease the world. Here is where the charedi 'reserve units' will be born along with the State of Judea. The final tikun will be for the irreligious ones to fight now for a religious battle and the religious ones to sacrifice for their country and take away their shame from their brothers eyes. This is hardly something new, for it exists today. All Israeli's know that it is the national religious soldiers that are the most devoted and patriotic. Their ranks will grow with a new influx of charedi units as well as non-religious believers, similar to the unobservant that cheered for Rav Kahane and supported and sacrificed along with him, even though they were not observant (which is a relative term). These ideas can be seen alluded to in the Parsha. The commentators discuss why this passage regarding the Menorah is placed immediately after the long recitation of the offerings of the tribal leaders. Citing Midrash Tanchuma, Rashi comments that Aaron was chagrined that every tribe, represented by its leader, had a role in dedicating the new Tabernacle, while he and his tribe of Levi, were excluded. Consequently God comforted him by saying that his service was greater than theirs because he would prepare and kindle the Menorah. Rambam explains why the Menorah was singled out for this consolation instead of other more auspicious rituals, such as the Yom Kippur service, which must be performed exclusively by the Kohen Gadol. He explains, based in part on Tanchuma, that the kindling in this passage alludes 177

to a later Menorah, that of the miracle of Chanuka. God was alluding to Aaron that his role was greater than that of the leaders , because there would be a time when the Temple service would be discontinued by the Syrian-Greeks and the Torah would be on the verge of being forgotten. Only the faith and heroism of the Hasmonians, a family of Aarons priestly descendants, would succeed in driving out the enemy, purifying the Temple, and once more kindling the Menorah, after a tragic hiatus of many years. Thus God comforted Aron by telling him that his family would one day save the Nation. The offering of the tribal leaders were great and impressive, but they were temporary. Aaron's contribution would be eternal. (Artscroll Siddur Pg.774) ,‫ נב כה נעל נתך‬:‫ יא הליו‬,‫ נו הא כמ נר הת‬,‫ כא נה הרן‬-‫ האל‬,‫ ב כד יבר‬2 'Speak unto Aharon, and tell him that when he ‫ הי יאירו‬,‫מול נפ יני כה נמנו הרה‬-‫ האל‬,‫ כה ינ הרת‬-‫ האת‬raises up the candles, the seven wicks should point ‫ יש נב כעת כה ינרות‬. to the face of the menorah.' (Bamidbar 8:1) What does it mean that all of the other princes had much to offer and Aaron felt bad that he didn't have much to offer? In addition Chazal tells us that he was embarrassed and felt that maybe he was being punished for his involvement in building the golden calf. The Golden Calf is reminiscent of the 'Golden Medina' which was the 'paradise' in America that the downtrodden Jews of Russia and Europe escaped to. The religious establishments helped to guide the Nation that was quickly assimilating and trying to steer it in the right direction, but one who remains in the galut cannot help but be affected by it. Aarons intentions were good however he assisted in bringing this temporary situation to an established foreign worship. There is no call from the Charedi world today to come home to Zion, just as there was none before the Shoa. There is much assimilation even among the Charedi world, it cannot be helped. In Israel however, those who leave the Charedi world and join the secular world may depart from Jewish ritual but they simply trade those mitzvot for other mitzvot no less important that involve service to their country – the Nation of Israel. If they meet a non-religious girl, most likely she will be Jewish and they will bring more Jewish children into the world. The embarrassment that Aaron felt is that he didn't have anything to offer, and he also was slightly tainted. Similarly today, even though there is animosity in the Charedi world against 'secular Zionism', part of the animosity is a feeling of embarrassment that all of the tribes except them brought an offering. The multitudes sacrificed for the creation of our physical Nation once again while the spiritual leadership remained aloof. Hashem promised Aaron that his offering will be even on a higher level. His offering is one that will kindle the spark in each Jewish soul. This menorah that Aaron lights also alludes to the Macabees and the Jewish revolution, long before the Warsaw ghetto. I suggest that maybe the revolution of Bar Kochba and Rabbi Akiva is connected to the Warsaw ghetto uprising and the birth of our Nation today (see Lag B'Omer), while the Macabee revolution is connected to a future revolution that will take place in our time, in Yehuda and Shomron. ‫ כעל כא נד כמת‬,‫ ניהו הדה הח נלקו‬-‫ טז נו הנ כחל ניה הוה האת‬16 Hashem shall take Judah as a heritage to ‫ יבירו הש הל ים‬,‫ כה הק הדש; ו הב כחר עוד‬Himself for His portion upon the Holy Land, and shall choose Jerusalem again. (Zecharia 2:16) 178

I suggest that the passage above in this weeks Haftorah is connected to Aaron's feelings in the beginning of the Parsha and Hashem's answer to him. Here is the future Chanuka story replayed with the Charedi world being the first ones, this time to jump in the sea and bringing the final unity of the Nation, by defending Yehuda and Shomron. Seven Books of Torah ;‫ הד הרך נשל השת הי ימים‬,‫ לג כו יי נסעו ימ כהר ניה הוה‬33 And they set forward from the mount of the ‫ הד הרך נשל השת‬,‫ ניה הוה הנ יס כע יל נפ יני ההם‬-‫ כו נארון נב ירית‬LORD three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of the LORD went before them three ‫ נמנו החה‬,‫ הלתור הל ההם‬,‫ הי ימים‬. days' journey, to seek out a resting-place for them. ‫ ימן‬,‫ נב הנ נס העם‬,‫ יו המם‬,‫לד כו נע כנן ניה הוה נע ילי ההם‬- 34 And the cloud of the LORD was over them by ] ('nun' upside down) ‫ כה כמ נח הנה‬day, when they set forward from the camp. ‫ קו המה‬:‫ כוי הא המר המ השה‬,‫ לה כו ני יהי יב ננ הס כע הה הא הרן‬35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, ‫ ימ הפ הניך‬,‫ נו הינמסו נמ כש ננ האיך‬,‫ נו הי מפצו הא ני הביך‬,‫ ניה הוה‬. that Moses said: 'Rise up, O LORD, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.' ‫ יר נבבות כא נל יפי‬,‫שו הבה ניה הוה‬:‫ י הא כמר‬,‫ לו ו נבנמ החה‬36 And when it rested, he said: 'Return, O LORD, ] ( nun upside down)‫ יי נש הר יאל‬unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel.' (Bamidbar 10:34,35,36) In the Torah this passage is separated by two inverted 'nun's. Our Rabbis tell us (Shabbos 116a) that these two passages are considered a separate book. The ideas expressed here are the essence of the Torah and express our unity and divine calling. When we are united our enemies (the enemies of G-d) flee before us and wherever we rest there is a Divine protection and radiance. All who encounter Israel encounter this radiance and experience their own divine calling as well. If we look at this as a separate book then there are actually seven books of Torah. The fourth book begins with Bamidbar, then the book within our Parsha (number five) followed by the complaints and continue for the next few Parshas until Devarim (book six). Finally the book of Devarim would be book number seven. I heard a question once from Rabbi Ashrai Fox . He asked of the Shalosh Regalim which is the most important, Sukkot, Pesach, or Shavuot? He answered that according to a midrash he had read Shavuot is the most important. Why? He answered that when you eat a sandwich, it is usually what is in between the two pieces of bread that is the most important part of the sandwich. Shavuot comes in the middle, like the sandwich theory. Taking this idea into account we could say that Bamidbar that comes after the forty-nine day sephira, followed by Veyhi Binsoa Aaaron, are the central core of the Torah. The rest is the sandwich. According to the sephirot, the fourth and fifth represent Netzach and Hod (Victory and Glory). They are also related to Moshe and Aaron and the right and left leg. If the center of this sandwich deals with our unity and Nationhood, the parade of the military, followed by the priestly class, as well as the central focus of the Mishkan then what follows, the Yesod and Malchut are the conduits that process 179

this Nationhood into a final reality that is rooted both above and below. The complaints that include, our Parsha followed by Shlach, Korach, Billam, Pinchas are all connected to the Yesod. Yesod is connected to Yoseph and also Moshiach ben Yoseph, which is the beginning of manifesting our kingdom below. Malchut which comes along with the rebuilding of the 3rd Temple is not manifested until our Land has been conquered and our enemies vanquished. It is a retelling of our history which will make greater sense looking back at our successes and failures. An example of this idea is the calculation of the four hundred years of suffering that was passed on to the generations who lived in Egypt. In the midst of the suffering there was talk of when Moshiach would arrive, and undoubtedly many disputed that the time was now. It was not until after they had left Egypt that the calculation could be made. Let us look now at the sixth book – the book that represent Yesod and see where the channels are clogged and where they flow freely; the sins that keep us in the desert and the actions that bring us closer to Malchut. As we mentioned the 'fifth' book is enclosed between two 'nun's. Complaints and Torah Distortions The gematria of 'Nun' is fifty. If we count fifty passages ahead we get to the beginning of Parsha Shlach. It is as if to say, that Shlach, the curses that follow and the forty years of wanderings did not have to happen. What was it supposed to be? Fifty passages earlier 'Vayehi Binsoa Aaron..' If this is the way we were, united and free then Moshiach would have already been here. These fifty passages that precede Shlach indicate the root cause that led to Shlach. It began with complaints from the people and ended with complaints from the highest level; from Miriam. The leadership that were condemned in Parsha Yitro for eating and drinking in front of the Divine, where punished here and destroyed. A new leadership took over. This new leadership however did not prevent the sin of the spies. Moshe complains that he cannot carry the people any longer. These passages should be studied to understand what preceded Shlach and the forty year curse. We were so close and then became so far. Today also there are moments that we could have become kings and queens like an 1967, but we transformed victory into a long and drawn our defeat. According to Meam Loez the two 'nun's that represent 'Naaseh and Nishma' are turned upside down. Let us examine these complaints. ‫ כרע נב הא נז יניככ ימ כת הא כנ ינים‬, ‫א כו ני יהי הה העם‬ 1 And the people took to speaking complaints, it was evil in the ears of Hashem; and Hashem heard ‫ הבם‬-‫ כו ית נב כער‬,‫ כו יי כחר כאפו‬,‫ניה הוה; כו יי נש כמע ניה הוה‬ and His wrath flared, and a fire of Hashem burned against them, and it consumed at the edge ‫ כות הא ככל יב נק יצה כה כמ נח הנה‬,‫ יאש ניה הוה‬. of the camp. -‫ המ השה; כו יי נת כפ ילל המ השה האל‬-‫ האל‬,‫ ב כו יי נצ כעק הה העם‬2 And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses ‫ כו ית נש כקע הה יאש‬,‫ ניה הוה‬. prayed unto the LORD, and the fire abated. ‫שת כב ןע הרה‬-‫ יכי‬: ,‫כההוא‬ ‫ כה המקום‬-‫ג כו יי נק הרא ישם‬ 3 And the name of that place was called Taberah, ‫ יאש ניה הוה‬,‫הב נע הרה הבם‬ for the fire of Hashem burnt against them. (Bamidbar 11:1,2,3) ‫ = ככ ימ כת הא כנ ינים‬Complaints = 611 ‫ = שת כב ןע הרה‬Taberah = 677 180

Let us examine the complaints in more detail and how they destroyed the leadership that would now be replaced as they entered the Land. ‫ = ככ ימ כת הא כנ ינים‬Complaints = 611 ‫ = תורה‬Torah = 611 It seems to me that the dispute of the leadership was a dispute of the Torah. However both the dispute and the antidote are found within that same Torah. Lets have a deeper look at the nature of the arguments. The name of the place where the fire raged was called Taberah (677). ‫ נל הה יאיר‬,‫ טו נו ההיו יל כמאו הרת יב נר יקי כע כה הש כמ יים‬15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of ‫ יכן‬-‫ הה הא הרץ; כו ני יהי‬-‫כעל‬ the heaven to give light upon the earth.' And it was so. (Bereshit 1:15) ‫ = יל כמאו הרת‬Lights = 677 Rabbi Teichtal* was a renowned Torah scholar and Rabbinic Leader in Europe. In addition to his Halachic writings he also wrote the definitive book on the Shoa. In his work Eim Habanim Semeichah he admits that the Torah world had made a grave mistake by their lack of longing for Israel which manifested itself by their animosity towards Modern Zionism. Of course it is hard to imagine that six million men women and children would pay the price for these mistakes. Certainly there are other factors beyond our scope of understanding. “The secret things belong to Hashem our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.” (Devarim 29:28) It is for us to grapple with the National tragedy and to try and understand factors that are revealed. How is it that ten spies caused a whole people to die an untimely death in the desert? Was the whole generation guilty of a sin? Where they not the same generation that received the Torah? Was the generation that was martyred in the Shoa not filled with the greatest minds and most pious of Tzadikim? Is not every soul a Holy Jewish Neshama? We have spoken about this many times before and although sin or mistakes from leadership are partly responsible, one should also understand that this generation consisted of the greatest luminaries of that age. One fifth of our Nation was sacrificed in ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Eim Habanim Semeichah, written in 1943, is Rabbi Teichtal’s comprehensive treatise on Settlement in Eretz Yisrael, Messianic Redemption, and Jewish Unity. Rabbi Teichtal’s personal history lends significance to this work. Born in 1885 to a respected Rabbinic family, Rabbi Teichtal studied under the tutelage of some of the noted scholars of his day and was recognized at an early age as a talmid chacham. He served as the Rabbi of Pishtian, Czechoslovakia where he established the Moriah Yeshiva. His opinion on halachic matters was sought by many throughout Europe, and his responsa were published in a three volume work entitled Mishneh Sachir. During his 20 years in Pishtian, Rabbi Teichtal became a recognized Rabbinic leader of the so-called “Ultra Orthodox” world and shared the prevalent anti-Zionist sentiments of that community. After Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia, Rabbi Teichtal became active in relief activities in an effort to ease the plight of his community. When deportations began in 1942, he and his family went into hiding. At this point, Rabbi Teichtal came to the realization 181

this great darkness, however that one fifth also gave birth to the reality we live in today. They were the seeds that in their death impregnated and inspired Israel to re-establish G-ds kingdom here on earth. Chazal tells us that the Sages that died in the heavenly fire had earned their fate by irreverently eating and drinking while perceiving the Revelation at Sinai (Shmot 24:11). Let us continue to examine the roots of the arguments of Taberah. ,‫ כא נר הצך; נו הא כס נפ הת‬-‫ ית כז שרע האת‬,‫ י נו ישש הש ינים‬10 And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and ‫ נתבו הא התה‬-‫ האת‬gather in the increase thereof; ‫ נו הא נכלו‬,‫ יא נו כה נש יבי יעת ית נש נמ הט הנה ו ננ כט נש התה‬11 but the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie -‫ ת הא ככל כח כית כה הש הדה; יכן‬,‫ נו יי נת הרם‬,‫ הא נב הי יני כע המך‬fallow, that the poor of thy people may eat; and ‫ נל יזי התך‬,‫כת נע השה נל ככ נר נמך‬ what they leave the beast of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard. (Shmot 23:10-11) ‫ = ית כז שרע‬sow = 677 The greatest expression of faith is demonstrated when the Israelite Nation lives in its Land. Whether it is its miraculous survival surrounded by so many enemies, or simply it's reliance on Hashem to provide rain and crops. The Shmitta is a wonderful example of the faith that is required of each Israelite. We are promised that if we leave the field fallow on the seventh year Hashem will cause the sixth year to be bountiful enough to last for three years. The healing factor of the Torah (611) that we mentioned to counteract the complaints (611) is also demonstrated in the Land. Simply by living in Israel one develops faith and grows in the most natural way possible. Hashem created a unique Land for a unique People with unique laws designed to maximize their potential. ‫ית כז שרע‬,‫ ית נק כדש‬-‫ הפן‬:‫ יכ נל הא יים‬,‫ככ נר נמך‬ -‫ ט הלא‬9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed; lest the fulness of the seed which thou ‫ כה הכ הרם‬,‫ ו נתבו כאת‬,‫ כה נמ יל האה כה הז כרע נא השר ית נז הרע‬. hast sown be forfeited together with the increase of the vineyard. (Dvarim 22:9) Here lies the root of the complaints at Taberah which consumed the desert leadership of the past and the spiritual leadership in our own time. The prohibition given for not joining the Zionist movement that began at the turn of the century is similar to the mitzvah of not planting two different seeds together. There was a fear that Torah students would be contaminated by the Zionist influence, while remaining in a kosher galut guaranteed the survival of the purity of the Torah. With this in mind we can understand the disagreement between Rashi on one side and Rambam and Onkelos on the other.* ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------t that the neglect of Eretz Yisrael had been a serious mistake. There, in the attic in which he was hiding, with virtually no books at his disposal, Rabbi Teichtal began the writing of Eim Habanim Semeichah, which he completed in one year. Unfortunately, Rabbi Teichtal did not survive the holocaust, dying Al Kiddush Hashem on a train on the way to the Mathausen concentration camp in January, 1945. His book, however, was deposited with a gentile family and retrieved by his daughter after the war. Thus his legacy and his teachings survived. Eim Habanim Semeichah presents classical sources in support of the settlement of Eretz Yisrael and the unity of the Jewish people as necessary preconditions for the Messianic redemption. *According to Rashi, citing Tanchuma, the onlookers – with the exception of Moses, of course – sinned grievously in that they gazed at the sacred vision while irreverently indulging in food and drink. For that, they deserved to die immediately, 182

To see the reality of the Land of Israel being reborn and welcoming its children home and being indifferent to this reality was like munching on a sandwich in the presence of the King. On the other hand the the Gemorah in Bava Basra (10b) tells us that people who die Al Kiddush Hashem, for the sake of G-d, are rewarded with levels in Olam Haba that are above all else. It is hard for us to understand the vision that Rabbi Akiva saw as he died a martyrs death or Rabbi Elchonen Wasserman as he prepared his students in the Shoa by advising them to have pure thoughts as they were about to be offerings on the alter. Maybe in a way this might be connected to the opposing views of Rashi and Onkelos / Rambam regarding Taberah. ‫ל הא ית הז שרע‬--‫ כא נר הצה‬-‫ נש יר הפה הכל‬,‫כב הג נפ ירית הו המ כלח‬ 22 and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, ‫ נכ כמ נה יפ ככת‬:‫ יע השב‬-‫ כי נע הלה הבה הכל‬-‫ נול הא‬,‫נול הא כת נצ ימ כח‬ and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor ,‫ נא השר הה כפך ניה הוה‬,‫ כא נד המה ו נצ הב ייים‬,‫נס הדם כו נע המ הרה‬ beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the ‫נב כאפו ו כב נח המתו‬ overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath; (Dvarim 29:22) Because of the cruelty, injustice and divisiveness of our people we were exiled. Hashem vent His anger on the stones of the Temple and the Land became salt and brimstone. The same injustice and division still exists among our people but the land itself has become like the woman described in Kiddushin; \"a woman prefers to be married, even to a marginal husband, than to not be married\" (Kiddushin 41a). The Land wanted Israel back; 'though I am black with sin I am comely with virtue' (Song of Songs 1:5) The seeds of animosity that are reflected by Taberah perpetuate the anger and continuation of the curse that we inflict upon ourselves. The Land however has turned green upon our return which cannot be ignored. There are Zionists that don't see the Hand of G-d in this great modern day miracle and there are Anti-Zionists who see only curse and sulphur. Cravings It is interesting to note that Moshe who sees the good in the people and tries to defend them when Hashem is angry, is now at a loss of what to do here. He cannot understand their craving for meat. Maybe because he himself is more divorced from the physical by not having relations with his wife that he does not relate to their cravings. ‫ = שת כב ןע הרה‬Taberah = 677 This is the name of the place where the former leadership was destroyed. It is related to the Shoa of the past and the blindness of the present. Willful blindness is a result of the seduction of the exile that taints ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- but God did not stretch out His hand to harm them, in order not to mar the joy of the giving of the Torah. Onkelos interprets the eating and drinking favorably: Their joy upon seeing the vision was as great as if they had been enjoying the utmost physical pleasure...Rambam too has a favorable interpretation...According to Onkelos and Rambam..they did not sin, the verse speaks in their praise, saying that they suffered no harm even though they had a profoundly holy prophetic vision that would ordinarily have been far beyond a human being's capacity to endure. (Artscroll Chumash Pg 443) 183

even Aaron the Cohen and the spiritual leadership of the Nation. When the sea is parting this is not a time for prayer it is a time to escape and move forward into Nationhood. Ritual offerings at a time when human sacrifice was needed to bring about G-ds promise I suggest is similar to unfit offerings. Those who sacrificed to conquer the Land of Israel regardless of their level of observance brought complete offerings to Hashem. ‫ אושע תו תרת‬,‫ כי הב הלת‬-‫ החרוץ או‬-‫או השבור או‬ ‫כב‬ 22 Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scabbed, or scurvy, ye shall not offer these unto ;‫ כליה הוה‬,‫ כת נק יריבו יא הלה‬-‫ל הא‬--‫הג הרב או כי הל הפת‬ the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. ‫ כליה הוה‬--‫ כה ימ נז יב כח‬-‫ ית נתנו ימ ההם כעל‬-‫ ל הא‬,‫ נו יא השה‬. (Vayikra 22:22) ‫ = שע תו תרת‬Blind = 676 +1 (kollel) = 677 ‫ כת נר יבי כע‬-‫ נב הה נמ נתך ל הא‬--‫ ית נש המרו‬,‫ מח הק כתי‬-‫ יט האת‬19 Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind; thou shalt not ‫ו הב הגדית כז שרע‬ -‫הש נדך ל הא‬ sow thy field with two kinds of seed; neither shall ;‫יכ נל הא יים‬ ‫ ל הא‬,‫כש כע נט ינז‬ ,‫יכ נל כא יים‬ there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of ‫כי נע הלה הע הליך‬ ‫יכ נל כא יים‬ stuff mingled together. (Vayikra 19:19) ‫ = ית כז שרע‬sow = 677 The confusion with the Torah is when it is mixed with galut. The Naaseh and Nishma get turned upside down. Even the people closest to Hashem, who accepted His Torah completely turn the Torah upside down when it comes to the two mitzvah's of settling and conquering the Land. ‫הא יביו;תערכושת‬ ,‫יאת‬ ,‫נכ כנ כען‬ ‫ החם נא יבי‬,‫כב כו כי נרא‬ 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the ‫כבחוץ‬ ,‫ הא החיו‬-‫ כו כי יגד יל נש יני‬. nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. (Bereshit 9:22) ‫ = תערכ שות‬Nakedness = 676 +1 (kollel) = 677 Noahs failed attempt to cultivate the world again after the Shoa of his time is mocked at by his son Cham. Instead of covering up his mistakes and over indulgences he mocks them. This response is seems similar to many in the Charedi world who only mock the Zionists instead of trying to improve their character and faith. The best way to influence would have been to join in the struggle for our Land. If they focus only on seeing the nakedness rather than covering it up they create a self inflicting curse where they become servants of the State when they could have been its rulers. Having said that, one also must add that Tzadikim are judged harsher than those who are not aware of Torah and Mitzvoth. If the spiritual leadership who preserved the Torah were lax in the mitzvah of conquering the Land or felt that we were not deserving, or that the Zionist were a bad influence that does not mean that they were not great luminaries. Our Torah records the shortcomings of even the greatest of our leaders. 184

‫נל הה יאירילמכאו הרת‬ 15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of ,‫כה הש כמ יים‬ ‫יב נר יקי כע‬ ‫טו נו ההיו‬ the heaven to give light upon the earth.' And it was ;‫ הה הא הרץ‬-‫כעל‬ so. ‫ יכן‬-‫כו ני יהי‬ (Bereshit 1:15) ‫ = יל כמאו הרת‬for lights = 677 Chazal tells us that the people who complained and were burned in the fire of Taberah, where the elders, the leadership. They were now receiving a punishment that was delayed in its time because of the joyous occasion when the Torah was being given ,‫ כו נא יביהוא‬,‫ הנ הדב‬--‫ נו כא נה הרן‬,‫ ט כו כי כעל המ השה‬9 Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and ‫ ימ יז נק יני יי נש הר יאל‬,‫ נו יש נב יעים‬. Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; ,‫ יאת באל יהי יי נש הר יאל; נו כת כחת כר נג הליו‬,‫ י כו יי נראו‬10 and they saw the God of Israel; and there was ,‫ ו נכ הע הצם כה הש כמ יים‬,‫ נכ כמ נע ישה יל נב כנת כה כס יפיר‬under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the very heaven for ‫הלטה כהר‬ clearness. ‫ ל הא הש כלח‬,‫ נא יצי ילי נב יני יי נש הר יאל‬-‫יא נו האל‬ 11 And upon the nobles of the children of Israel ,‫ הה באל יהים‬-‫ האת‬,‫הידו; כו הי בחזו‬ He laid not His hand; and they beheld God, and did eat and drink. ‫ כו יי נשתו‬,‫כוי הא נכלו‬ (Shmot 24: 9,10,11) Rambam and Onkelos interpret this passage favorably. Their joy upon seeing the vision was as great as if they had been enjoying the utmost physical pleasure. Rashi on the other hand says that the elders sinned grievously in that they gazed at the sacred vision while irreverently indulging in food and drink. If we take Rashi's view I suggest that large segments of our leadership both secular and religious are blind to the great miracle that we have been experiencing in our times – the rebirth of our Nation, both before the Shoa and regrettably from its ashes. It is as if they are looking at the Divine and are casual about it. 'He laid not His hand' means that this punishment would be deferred to another time. It was this time of the 'complaints' that it actually occurred. Therefore Moshe was discouraged for now the elders were gone and therefore Hashem told him to make the former slave captains the new leaders. Those who formally took beatings to prevent others from being persecuted became the new leaders. Similarly in our time leaders like Begin became the Prime Minister when formally he was considered an outlaw by the British and by Jewish appeasers who persecuted and informed on their revolutionary brothers. 185

What Remains Hidden (2017) We spoke about the three books that are concealed within this Parsha. The first two are related to Netzach and Hod, the summit of our achievements, and a time that will return in the future with the third Temple. The third book relates to Yesod and although it looks like a great fall the backward steps themselves are already a preparation for the leap forward into Malchut. As always the cure is given before the plague and we see the cure in the lights which Aaron raises up. Every soul of Israel eventually will raise themselves up and by doing so cause other souls to be lit without themselves being diminished. We see variations on this theme as Moshe infuses the seventy elders with his spirit without being diminished in any way. The last book which continues from the upturned 'nun's' until the book of Dvarim I believe is actually contained within the first fifty passages that follow the upturned nun (gematria fifty) which takes us to the end of our Parsha. Herein lie the seeds of what will follow through the trials and tribulations of Moshiach ben Yoseph (Yesod) which lead us to Moshiach ben David (Malchut / Dvarim). I heard an amazing Midrash from my friend Yehuda at the Bet Knesset today. According to this Midrash, the discussion between Miriam and Aaron was brought about by the sudden prophecies received by Eldad and Medad. It became known that Moshe would not be taking Am Israel into the Land. Miriam and Aaron postulated the following. They did not speak about Moshes wife but about another Cushite woman. Timna wanted to be a concubine of Yacov and he refused. Yacov was embalmed in Egypt. Yoseph refused Potiphora although he desired her. He too died in Egypt but his body was carried by Am Israel and buried in Israel. Moshe on the other hand was married to a Cushite queen when he had spent many years in Africa before returning to his mission to free Israel. He was a Cushite king. Miriam and Aaron postulated that maybe this was why there was this severe decree. According to Rashbam they did not know that he did not have relations with this queen. Hashem intervened and punished them for their speculations and made it clear that Moshe had a special relationship with Hashem that they could not understand. This reminds me a little of those who postulate on Rav Kahane's shortcomings. In the end of the Haftorah the words Chen Chen La allude to a future time when after the long exile of wandering and suffering we will be rewarded with twice as much joy than in the past. When I see these words I see the gematria of Chen = 58 and La = 34+1. The Rav was taken from us at 58, his son at 34 and the 1 representing Hashem who is also hidden along with them like Moshe in the desert with the people until we all find our way back. When I see Moshe pleading with Hashem in a very different way than he pleaded in Ki Sissa it seems to me that Moshe, like Rav Kahane in our time towards the end had a premonition that he would not succeed as he had expected. Hashem had other plans. The new leaders that were chosen were leaders that had taken beatings for the sake of their brothers – true leaders. It seems to me reminiscent of those who carry the torch of Rav Kahane today. Those who were in the front lines in the past continue to forge ahead along with their children the hilltop youth and within each and every Jew whose neshama is lit by Rav Kahane's words of truth. That truth like the candles continue to be the cure for a kingdom that is so close at hand yet so far away. The seeds of rectification have been planted and the stone (‫ אתבתן‬Even = Av ve Ben) the builders despised will become the cornerstone. 186

Rashi and Rambam (2018) When Hashem gave the Torah He gave a strict warning not to get close to the mountain. Afterwards He invited the seventy elders as well as Nadav and Avihu to that very mountain and they returned intact. As we mentioned earlier while Rambam claims they were at one with the Divine, Rashi claims that something they did on the mountain was so grave that it caused them to receive the death penalty, however it was withheld until sometime in the future. If this sin was so grave why was it not mentioned when their lives were taken? For example when Moshe pleaded to enter Eretz Israel he was reminded that because of a previous sin at the rock he would be denied access. When the souls of Nadav and Avhu were taken it was because of a 'strange fire'. When the souls of the seventy elders were taken is was because of 'complaints'. Is there a connection between these two sins and what transpired on the mountain? Maybe there is a hint in our Parsha with the inauguration of the tribe of Levi. ,‫ כה נל יו יים ננ מת ינים נל כא נה הרן ו נל הב הניו‬-‫ יט הו הא נת הנה האת‬19 And I have given the Levites--they are given to -‫ נע הב כדת נב יני‬-‫ כל נע הבד האת‬,‫ ימתוך נב יני יי נש הר יאל‬Aaron and to his sons from among the children of ‫ נב יני‬-‫כעל‬ ‫ו נל ככ יפר‬ ,‫מו יעד‬ ‫יי נש הר יאל‬ Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in ‫יי נש הר יאל;תנגתף‬ ‫נב הא ההל‬ the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the -‫ נב הג השת נב יני‬, ,‫ נול הא יי נה היה יב נב יני יי נש הר יאל‬children of Israel, that there will not be a ‫ כה הק הדש‬-‫ האל‬,‫ יי נש הר יאל‬plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel approach the sanctuary.' (Bamidbar 8:19) The Mishkan is a type of replica of what transpired at Har Sinai and approaching the Holy of Holies is similar to approaching the mountain. One must be of a certain status and level of Holiness in order to enter this realm. If not, when one enters this area the result is a plague. I suggest that what Rambam was describing was accurate. At that time they were at one with the Divine. Rashi however was looking at something internal that would cause them to err in the future. Was the attitude of one's proximity to the Divine one of 'privilege' or 'fear' as expressed by the father of Shimshon: 'We shall surely die as we have seen a Godly angel!'(Judges 13:22) This internal attitude may be hinted at even with Miriam who says to Moshe 'Was it only to Moshe that Hashem spoke? Did He not speak to us as well?'(Bamidbar 12:2) This same question is taken much further with Korach in the coming chapters. We noted earlier that the gematria of 'complaints' is the same as 'Torah'. One may be a great luminary and one may even approach Divine realms. If one’s proximity to the Divine however results in adding a 'strange fire' that was not requested or 'complaining' regarding a spiritual direction because of an underlying physical preference the result may cause a plague, similar to an unauthorized approach to the Holy of Holies. If one uses ones acclaimed proximity to the Divine in order to manipulate the Torah to suit ones personal ends the consequences for himself and those who follow are catastrophic. The battles between Torah leadership of the past and present have grave consequences. The Moshe of our generation Rav Kahane urged the Jewish people to come home quickly and not to die in the exile with meat between their teeth. 'The meat was still between their teeth, not yet chewed, when the wrath of Hashem flared against the people' (Bamidbar11:32). There is nothing like the proximity to the Divine in the Holy Land. 187

Gratitude in the Attitude (2021) My dear friend Shifrah who passed away last week had qualities similar to the leaders chosen in this weeks Parsha. They were not chosen for their wealth or prestige but for a unique quality they shared. They were former taskmasters in Egypt and when the Egyptians ordered them to increase the load and to beat the Jews under them if they did not meet the quota they had two options. They could have said 'I'm sorry I have to do this but I am just following orders,' like soldiers who bulldozed Gush Katif and other Jewish settlements or they could refuse and take the beatings themselves by their Egyptian taskmasters. They chose to take the beatings themselves and for this reason they were chosen to be leaders of Israel. Shifra could never understand how a great leader like Rav Kahane who took so many beatings for his love of the Jewish people was not welcomed with open arms in Israel. In fact the opposite was true instead of being welcomed he was beaten and jailed eighty times throughout his lifetime for his love of the Jewish people. The Shin Bet who almost beat him to death one night may have even arranged his untimely death through an Arab murderer as well as his son eleven years later. Shifra would say if someone is helping you and taking beatings for this and you do not have the courage or compassion to help your brothers, at least keep quiet and be thankful for others who protect you. Not only was there no gratitude there was animosity and fear and herein lies the secret that we also learn in our Parsha that turns a hurried 3 day journey to Israel to a 40 year punishment. Even though we had sinned with the Egel, Hashem had forgiven us and was taking us on a shortened path. But what happened then? Rav Kahane asks, regarding this passage, does Hashem indeed have enemies? ‫ קו המה‬:‫ כוי הא המר המ השה‬,‫ לה כו ני יהי יב ננ הס כע הה הא הרן‬35 And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, ‫ ימ הפ הניך‬,‫ נו הינמסו נמ כש ננ האיך‬,‫ נו הי מפצו הא ני הביך‬,‫ ניה הוה‬that Moses said: 'Rise up, O LORD, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.' (Bamidbar 10:35) The Sifiri (Behaalotcha 84) asks, \"Can He who created the world be said to have 'enemies'? Rather, the verse informs us that if someone hates the Jewish people, it is as though he hates G- d.\" The Sifri continues, “It says, 'In the greatness of Your excellency You overthrow those who attack You' (Exodus 15:7). Can anyone be said to attack G-d? Rather, the verse is teaching us that if someone attacks Israel, it is as though he attacks G-d.\" We see this concept also in tehillim: ‫ יי הז יכר‬-‫נול הא‬ ;‫ נו כנ נכ יחי ידם ימגוי‬,‫ נלכו‬--‫ ה הא נמרו‬5 They have said: 'Come, and let us cut them off ‫ יי נש הר יאל עוד‬-‫ ישם‬from being a nation; that the name of Israel may (Tehillim 83:5) be no more in remembrance.' Hashem protects us all the time and we don't realize it until our blindness and lack of gratitude cause this protection to recede. Our enemies know better than we do how many evil plans against us that He had thwarted. 188

And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: 'Rise up, O LORD, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.' This passage our Rabbis explain is actually considered a separate book and bracketed by two inverted 'nuns.' The author of the Midrash Ha-Ne'elam spares no words in describing the enormous significance of the inverted nuns. They are we are told the very glory of Hashem and the foundation of the world.* He describes the way Hashem leads us like fish going against the stream (A people that dwells alone, Not reckoned among the nations. (Num. 23: 8-9) ) and therein lies our blessing. However the inverted nun which speeds our arrival comes to a grinding halt 50 passages later in Parsha Shlach as the miraculous is undone and the nuns are no longer inverted. It all begins with the complaints. We witnessed a miraculous redemption from Egypt, the crushing defeat of our enemies and an encounter with the divine however now that we were free we wanted to be like everyone else; just another independent nation. As the three day journey began we ran from Har Sinai like children leaving school and wanting to run and play instead of seeing the blessing that Hashem was giving us by miraculously shortening the journey. We began to complain that the journey was in fact too long. We continue to complain about our sustenance directly from Heaven. We wanted normal food again and as we rebel against the blessings we have been given, it appears that the miraculous nuns return to Heaven from our ingratitude. 11:21 And Moses said: Six hundred thousand foot are the people in whose midst I am, and You say meat shall I give to them that they eat a month of days! Six hundred thousand foot [ragli] - Moses hereby said to Israel: “Because of me\" [ragli] you were all saved from Pharaoh's decree (Sotah 12b). Not only were we ungrateful for the greatness that was being offered to us and ungrateful to Moshe who brought about our liberation and ungrateful to Hashem who made us a Treasured Nation more blessed than any other, we desired the mundane and the normal and we got what we chose. The root of the conflict that began right here as we set out in glory was a type of blindness to what we had witnessed and as a consequence ingratitude where blessing seems like a curse. The source of the complaints are the Torah itself and this is also the remedy. The result of running away from blessing and Torah is the natural fear of our enemies. ‫ = ככ ימ כת הא כנ ינים‬Complaints = 611 ‫ = תורה‬Torah = 611 ‫ = יתי הרא‬Fear = 611 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * It is because of this that Yacov blessed his children with them; for one of Yacov's chief blessings for his grandchildren was ve'yidgu la-rov, let them be plentiful. The word yidgu is derived from the Hebrew dag, for \"fish.\" Another word in Hebrew and Aramaic for fish is nun. Thus the Targum reads, for the blessing we just mentioned, u-khe'nunei yamma yisun - let them be as plentiful as the fish in the sea. Therefore the inverted nuns, the ninim hafuchim, symbolize fish that are willing to swim upstream, against the tide,against the currents and tendencies of their surroundings. 189

‫ יאתיתירהא‬,‫ הז הכר ית נז הכר‬:‫ ימ ההם‬, ‫ יח הלא‬18 Do not be fear them! You should remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh, -‫ו נל הכל‬ ,‫נל כפ נר העה‬ ,‫באל ההיך‬ ‫ניה הוה‬ ‫ הע השה‬-‫נא השר‬ and to all Egypt: ‫ימ נצ הר יים‬ (Devarim 7:18) -‫ יכי הא כמ נר יתי כרק יאין‬,‫ כא נב הר ההם‬,‫ יא כוי הא המר‬11 And Abraham said: 'Because I thought: Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will ‫יי כר שאת‬-‫ כעל‬,‫ כב המקום כה הזה; כו נה הרגו יני‬,‫באל יהים‬ slay me for my wife's sake. ‫נד כבר יא נש יתי‬ (Bereshit 20:11) We know there is no fear of God among our enemies and therefore we fear them. This is because we live in a world where nuns are no longer inverted and fish do not swim upstream. We fear the impossible because we want nothing to do with it, but running away from the Torah in whatever direction only makes matters worse. However, when we arise and return Hashem returns with us and our enemies flee. Rav Kahane writes: As Rashi states on Ezekiel 39:7, “The degradation of Israel is a desecration of G-d's name.” For in the eyes of the gentile, the weakness and defeat of the Jew is “proof” of the impotence or, G- d forbid, non-existence of the G-d of the Jews. He goes on to say that the opposite is also true. Taking revenge on Israel's enemies that come to wage war is like avenging G-d. The Rabbis said (Berachot 33a), \"Shall we say that even revenge is great because it appears between two names of G-d - A G-d of vengeance is the L-rd' (Psalms 94:1)?” R. Elazar responded, “Indeed - where revenge is necessary, it is a great thing.\" ‫; יאל ננ הקמות הו יפי כעןאל כיה הוה‬ 1 O LORD, Thou God to whom vengeance ‫ ננ הקמות‬- ‫א‬ belongs, Thou God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth (Tehillim 94:1) It's interesting to note that the names of Hashem that border this word represent Chesed and Rachamim. How could vengeance be related to kindness and mercy? When the motive of the avenger is to protect the innocent it is an act of kindness and mercy to those who are victimized. As the popular saying goes, based on (Koheles Rabbah 7:36) “He who becomes compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate.” No matter how much we want to be normal it is impossible. Either we are a treasured and glorified nation or we are hated and attacked. There is no middle road to escape Similarly today, when we defend ourselves and hit back the Jew haters who attack us with missiles in our cities the world screams against Hashems people for not having more casualties and for continuing to survive and to be blessed. Running away from our destiny and seeking to be normal will only invite more tragedy however the more we go against the stream and follow Hashem by expelling the enemies within and rebuilding our Temple, the more we will be protected and blessed. The more we jail and 190

beat our own people for settling and pioneering our Nation, and going against the stream which is our chosen direction the more we suffer, and the more we fear. My dear friend Shifra was both fearless and faithful. Towards the end she suffered and was in a lot of pain however she never complained and always said a famous line which she truly lived. “You got to have gratitude in the attitude.” The Queen of Israel (2021) Shifra Hoffman 1934-2021 The flags are not at half mast. The president and the Prime Minister did not speak. There are no big headlines in the newspaper. There weren't even that many people at the funeral, however each person there was a giant as they laid to rest the Queen of Israel. The tiny group that some might call the extreme right had one thing in common, a tremendous love of the Land of Israel and the Jewish people and the self-sacrifice to stand up for good and fight against evil. Each one there was worth five thousand indifferent others as they laid to rest a woman who as Jonathan Pollard summed up in one word was Fearless . The Ahavat Israel she had burned in her bones and that's all she spoke about. She never thought about herself for a moment and although she suffered I never heard her complain once. 'God is always good' and 'Thank God my friends and my neighbors are so good to me', she would say and 'You have to have gratitude in the attitude.' But those were not just words for her, she lived them. Shifra Malca Leah who was given the task and the burden to continue Project Zero (Zionist Emergency Rescue Operation) because of a request by Rabbi Kahane, never let him down. All she thought about was bringing the Jewish people home. While others are concerned about their lifestyles Shifra founded the organization Victims of Arab Terror (VAT) and she felt the pain of each Jew that is harmed by our enemies. Even in her eighties she would go out to protest and fight for good Jews. How lucky I was to be a guest in her house (a ben bayit she called me) and to help her publish her book. How lucky I was to sit and hear the many stories of those tiny sparks of truth that pulled the rug underneath the popular parades of madness and the fraudulent speakers who catered to the willfully blind who are always hysterically grasping for straws from an enemy who laughs behind their back. She was not a fool. She was the definition of courage, fearlessness and faith in the G-d of Israel. When I tried to make a short documentary of her she would always hold the Tanach in her hand when she spoke. That, to her was the symbol of everything she believed in. She was humble and she was real with no facade. When I would film her she would put some makeup on and would say ' a little powder and a little paint makes a girl what she ain't.' Her concern was always for others and never for herself. Shifa how do I continue and what can I add when when you carried the whole world on your shoulders and shook it each week on your radio show. A small group of giants stood there, each one well experienced in bearing the brunt of the masses, the fury of the complacent and the persecution of the mob. Like Calev and Yehosha the only two to succeed and understand God's mission from the entire Nation. Calev and Yehoshua were the only ones that went from Egypt to Israel intact with no excuses, no desire to die in a desert or to run from grasshoppers. The flags in Israel are not at half mast but the Giants understood that an era had ended and a new chapter has begun. How lucky I am simply to be a servant among giant people, simply to know what is true and to cling to it, simply to be in the company the holiest of the holy, which is manifested in kindhearted people who defend others and put themselves at risk to defend goodness, whose ideology 191

has no perks and no plush seats but the greatest honor and the greatest wealth a man can dream of; to have a good name and to be surrounded in the company of others whose names are a special treasure of the Almighty. The Princes of Israel buried a Queen today. It wasn't in the news but the Creator himself was standing in the congregation and shed a tear. (The 15th of Sivan is the traditional date of the birth and death of Yehuda who brought us King David, King Solomon, and the future Moshiach. The moon is full and though the light below is completely dark the moon above now shines brighter than ever before) (Note: Unfortunately Shifra had no family at the funeral. One son had passed away from a sudden illness a number of years ago as well as her husband. Her only surviving son was in the USA and not able to come due to Corona restrictions. The small group of thirty or so people where her neighbors who loved her dearly and true leaders of Israel who understood who Shifra Hoffman was for she has inspired all of them – among these Giants. who also carry Israel on their shoulders, were Jonathan Pollard, Benji Gopstein, Yekutiel Guzofsky, The Kalisher Rav, and Itamar Ben Gvir.) The Shortest and Longest Book (2022) In the center of Parsha Behalotecha after we have completed the Omer and received the Torah once more there is a short passage book-ended by two nuns. This passage is so important that it is considered a separate book of the Torah. How can two lines be considered a book? Is there so much inside these two lines that we can study it as a book? Or can we say that the whole Torah comes to teach us these two lines? I believe it is the latter. How are these two lines an encapsulation of the Torah? Let me suggest that although we read this book once a year we don't really see it very often. This year however we did see it and it defines everything the Torah has been teaching us. Let me explain. In the days leading up to Yom Yerushalyim there were the usual Arab threats that the flag march would start an explosion and ignite a new war against Israel. I mentioned to a Torah observant friend that I am planning to go there and a worried expression came over his face. They may send rockets there, he said, exposing the lack of faith under his kippa. I knew that last year when war broke out on that day it was an embarrassment and shame on Israel when many Rabbis warned their students not to go to the kotel on Shavuot and so where did the apparent danger visit? It visited a yeshiva outside the old city whose bleachers collapsed from overcrowding. I felt that Hashem had been angry at us from the beginning of Corina when He threw us out into the street to pray with dogs and did not care for our minyans if we had sold Him out with the Trump plan and our indifference to His Temple. Now was a time to correct our past sins. I am sure there were others who shared my feelings. I packed a suitcase ready for war and if so I planned to travel for a week. I was hoping however that that would not occur. As soon as I arrived in Jerusalem I was comforted by the throngs of Jewish people pouring into the streets. Damascus gate was surrounded with news reporters waiting for blood and hoping to cover another Jewish massacre. Instead there were thousands of proud Jewish people singing 'David Melech Israel' and praising and thanking Hashem as well as the soldiers who stood guard. The Arab enemy along with their reporters slinked away and were nowhere in sight. The Old City was like sardines packed with youth and many among them with stickers for Lehava and Rav Kahane. ‫ויְ ני י יהי יב ננ ע הס כע ה אה הא ן הרן כו הי הא המר מ ה השה קו ה המה | ניה הוה נו הי צ מפצו א הא ני יהביך נו הי מנעסו נמ כש ננ ה ןאיך ימ הפ ה אניך‬: So it was, whenever the ark set out, Moses would say, Arise, O Lord, may Your enemies be scattered and may those who hate You flee from You. (Bamidbar 10:35) 192

The people came to support the Ark and our enemies were scattered. This is the entire Torah. It may take years of study and discussion but this is the end result. The longest and shortest book guides us into the sea to where the short road to Geula is initiated. When we travel to Hashem and to be with our Father who desires to count each one of us, He scatters our enemies and all obstacles melt away with the thunder of drums and singing and rejoicing. If we could only read this book more regularly Geula would already be here. 193

194

Kahane in the Parsha Shlach 195

Shlach 2012 -‫ ימן‬--‫ כה ננ יפי ילים נב יני נע הנק‬-‫ האת‬,‫ לג נו השם הר יאינו‬33 And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of ‫נו יכן‬ ,‫ככ נח הג יבים‬ ‫כה ננ יפ ילים; כו ננ יהי נב יעי ינינו‬ Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in ‫הה ייינו נב יעי יני ההם‬ our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.' (Bamidbar 13:33) ‫ כו ןכן הה ייינו כב ןעי ןני תה‬,‫ = שו כנ יהי כב ןעי ןנינו שכ מח הג יבים‬and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight = 695 ‫ = ית כר תצה‬will appease = 694 +1 (kollel) = 695 The root cause of our appeasement policy is our lack of faith. Our lack of faith in our mission makes us lose our identity and self-esteem. We see ourselves as small and the enemy as overpowering. The truth is we are tiny and our enemies far outnumber us. Nevertheless God demands of us to have faith that He is behind us. When we have this faith our enemies melt before us, they are like bread. Our lack of self-esteem transforms the fear of our enemies into boldness. That which we fear we give birth to by our very fears. A dog who senses fear begins to bark. Its best to look away and pay no attention. The first enemy that must be conquered is our own fears. This comes by building up our faith. Faith (emuna) comes from the root Uman – Art. Like Art it must be cultivated and worked on to improve. Rabbi Yacov of Hosiyatin in his book Ohel Yacov tells us that the root problem is Raui – Deserving. We feel we are not deserving. Raui is also related to Roim – to See. If we lack faith and see ourselves as weak and undeserving then this becomes our reality as we give in more and more to the demands of our enemies. ‫ = ראוי‬deserving = 217 ‫ = לראות‬to see ‫ = ןירה תאה‬to appear = 217 One of the ways to train ourselves and develop our faith is commanded below. ‫יי הר האה‬,‫ נזכו נרך‬-‫ הכל‬, --‫ כב הש הנה‬,‫כג השלש נפ הע ימים‬ 23 Three times in the year shall all thy males ‫ באל יהי‬,‫ נפ יני הה הא הדן ניה הוה‬-‫האת‬ appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. ‫יי נש הר יאל‬ (Shmot 34:23) When we grow in faith we grow in strength as well. ‫ = גבורה‬strength/mastery = 216 +1 (kollel) = 217 196

Binyamin Kahane (Bereshit Book I Pg. 232) brings down a midrash that proclaims that all of the miracles in Egypt, the Red Sea and the desert happened for only two people – Yehoshua and Calev. Why? Because these were the only two that succeeded in coming from Egypt to Israel; understanding the events that occurred and following through with their mission. This Midrash reminds me of the two Rabbis that stood out in our times that had a different spirit than all the rest and silenced the accusers and those who not only lacked faith but were not satisfied until they provoked others to lose faith. Rabbi Kahane surely had the conviction to drive out our enemies, annex our Land and rebuild our Temple. If the peoples right to vote was not taken from them by our perfidious leadership, Rabbi Kahane would have re-instilled that innate faith inside of us. Rather than provoke fear he would have inspired greatness. Shlach ‫תא תפס‬,‫הה נע הנק‬ ‫כח‬ 28 But the people that dwell in the land are fierce, ;‫ כה הי ישב הב הא הרץ‬,‫ כעז הה העם‬-‫יכי‬ and the cities are fortified, and very great; and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. ‫ ני יל ידי‬-‫ נו כגם‬,‫ נב מצרות נג הדלת נמ האד‬,‫נו הה הע ירים‬ .‫הר יאינו השם‬ (Bamidbar 13:28) ‫שו שי שהס‬,‫ המ השה; וכ היאמהר‬-‫ האל‬,‫ההעהם‬-‫הכ ילב האת‬ ‫ל‬ 30 And Caleb stilled the people toward Moses, ‫העלה‬ and said: 'We should go up at once, and possess it; .‫ הלה‬,‫יהכול נו ככל‬-‫ יכי‬--‫כנ נע הלה נו הי כר נשנו הא התה‬ for we are well able to overcome it.' (Bamidbar 13:30) The commentators say that if the Meraglim had just given a report, that would have been fine. Their sin was in the word ‘Efes’ – ‘But’. No one asked them for their commentary or opinion, only to report the facts as they saw it. Their perception was distorted by their lack of faith and fear of losing the political positions they had in the desert. In truth all of the fears the Meraglim had amounted to ‘Efes’ – ‘nothing’ . Their evil intent was masked by their words. As William Blake writes ‘A truth told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent’. Ya-has on the other hand, silenced these accusers and exposed their flaws. Only one who had been among them and seen the same things as they saw could be believed. If one who was in the same situation saw the complete opposite of these evil reports and encouraged our people to read the signs in the correct way his 'experienced' view is just as valid. The simple Torah of faith, that Yehoshua and Calev espoused could have brought redemption, but the people were persuaded by politicians. Rav Kahane continued this straight forward Torah, and in his day blunted the words of our own Meraglim; the leaders who mislead and the politicians who's main interest is not the welfare of the Nation but keeping their position. He did not see Israel as small grasshoppers and our enemies as giants that we must appease. He said ‘throw out the Arab anti-Semites’, and if we lose American support, so be it. It is America who needs Israel much more than Israel who need America. Our reliance is on Hakodosh Baruch–Hu. 197

In these passages we can see the Rav’s gematria and letters associated with the hero’s in these verses. ‫שי שהס‬,‫מהשהה; כוי הא המר‬-‫ האל‬,‫ הה העם‬-‫הכ ילב האת‬ ‫ל כו‬ 30 And Caleb stilled the people toward Moses, ‫העלה‬ and said: 'We should go up at once, and possess ‫ הלה‬,‫ היכול נו ככל‬-‫כיי‬--‫כנ נע הלה נו הי כר נשנו הא התה‬ it; for we are well able to overcome it.' (Bamidbar 13:30) ‫ = יהס‬stilled = 75 + 1 (kollel) = 76 ‫ = כהנא‬Kahane = 76 Or another way to look at this is: ‫שי שהס‬,‫ המ השה; כוי הא המר‬-‫ אהל‬,‫ הה העם‬-‫הכ ילב האת‬ ‫ל כו‬ 30 And Caleb stilled the people toward Moses, ‫העלה‬ and said: 'We should go up at once, and possess it; ‫ הלה‬,‫ היכול נו ככל‬-‫ יכי‬--‫כנ נע הלה נו הי כר נשנו הא התה‬ for we are well able to overcome it.' (Bamidbar 13:30) The letters of Kahane are also hidden in another passage where Calev reprimands the Nation to not follow this wicked majority, but to follow him and Yehoshua. The odds are two against the minyan of Israel, very similar to today as well as Rav Kahane’s time. The majority of the Nation followed the majority of its political leaders to destruction, while Calev and Yehoshua prepared the younger generation with the Torah of conquest. ‫ יתי נראו‬-‫ נו כא התם כאל‬,‫ ית נמ הרדו‬-‫ כאל‬,‫ ט כאך כביה הוה‬9 Only rebel not against the LORD, neither fear ‫יצ הלםהא כי נ ןה‬ ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us; ‫ י כל נחמי ו ם; הסר‬,‫ כעם הה הרץ‬-‫האת‬ their defense is removed from over them, and the ‫ יתי הר מאם‬-‫ כאל‬,‫ימ נע ילי ההם כויה הוה יא התנו‬ LORD is with us; fear them not.' (Bamidbar 14:9) Unintentional Catastrophes ‫ כה הי ישב הב ההר‬,‫ מה כו יי הרד הה נע המ יל יקי נו כה נכ כנ נע יני‬45 Then the Amalekite and the Canaanite, who ‫ שה הח כר המה‬-‫כעד‬ dwelt in that hill-country, came down, and smote ,‫כו כי נכתום‬ ‫כו כיכום‬ ;‫כההוא‬ them and beat them down, even unto Hormah. (Bamidbar 14:45) 198

‫ כי כען‬,‫ כא נה הרן‬-‫ המ השה נו האל‬-‫ האל‬,‫ יב כוי הא המר ניה הוה‬12 And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron: ‫ נל כה נק ידי יש יני נל יעי יני נב יני‬,‫ הה בא כמ ננ התם יבי‬-‫' ל הא‬Because ye believed not in Me, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye ,‫כה הזה‬ ‫ כה הק ההל‬-‫ ל הא הת יביאו האת‬,‫ הל יכן‬--‫יי נש הר יאל‬ shall not bring this assembly into the land which I ‫ הנ כת יתי הל ההם‬-‫ נא השר‬,‫ הה הא הרץ‬-‫האל‬ have given them.' ‫ יי נש הר יאל‬-‫ הרבו נב יני‬-‫ נא השר‬,‫ יג יה המה ימי כמ ירי הבה‬13 These are the waters of Meribah, where the ‫ הבם‬,‫ ניה הוה; כו יי הק ידש‬-‫האת‬ children of Israel strove with the LORD, and He was sanctified in them. (Bamidbar 20:12-13) ‫ = שה הח כר המה‬Hormah = 258 ‫ = כמ ירי הבה‬Meribah = 257 +1(kollel) = 258 ‫ כה ימ נצות‬-‫ יאת הכל‬,‫ נול הא כת נעשו‬--‫ כב נו יכי ית נשגו‬22 And when ye shall err, and not observe all ‫ המ השה‬-‫ האל‬,‫ יד הבר ניה הוה‬-‫ נא השר‬:‫ הה יא הלה‬these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses, -‫ נב כיד‬,‫ נא השר יצ הוה ניה הוה נא ילי הכם‬-‫ כג יאת הכל‬23 even all that the LORD hath commanded you --‫ הו הה נל האה‬,‫ כהיום נא השר יצ הוה ניה הוה‬-‫ ימן‬:‫ המ השה‬by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment, and onward ‫נל הד הרתייכהם‬ throughout your generations; ,‫ יאם ימ יעי יני הה יע הדה הנ הע נש התה יל נש הג הגה‬,‫ כד נו הה היה‬24 then it shall be, if it be done in error by the ‫ הב הקר הא החד נל הע הלה נל ירי כח‬-‫ הה יע הדה כפר הבן‬-‫ נו העשו הכל‬congregation, it being hid from their eyes, that all ;‫ככ ימ נש הפט‬ ‫ו ימ ננ החתו נו ינ נסכו‬ ,‫יני הח כח כליה הוה‬ the congregation shall offer one young bullock for ‫ נל כח הטת‬,‫הא החד‬ ‫ יע יזים‬-‫ו נש יעיר‬ a burnt-offering, for a sweet savour unto the LORD--with the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof, according to the ordinance--and one he-goat for a sin-offering. (Bamidbar 15:22-24) It seems to me that the passages above that appear in our Parsha are not coincidental. The numerical connection between Hormah and Meribah may allude to a similarity in the the error that can be categorized as unintentional sin. The people were zealous but the time for zealotry had passed and Hashem was not with them. In the case of Moshe, Hashem 'was' with the people but Moshe did not represent His will correctly and was angry when Hashem was not angry. To understand this in our time it may be similar to the Warsaw ghetto uprising which was the required action, but a lost cause; Hashem was no longer with us. The pioneer movement however was a cause that maybe Hashem was not overtly against yet much of Torah leadership brought catastrophe by condemning it rather than speaking to it. Good intentions but unintentional misrepresentation. 199

Tallit and the Land of Israel “Whoever walks four cubits in the Land of Israel is assured of a place in the world to come” (Ketubot 111a) Why is the mitzvah of Tzizit placed in this Parash? I suggest that the the four cubit size of a tallit is connected to the passage above from the Talmud. The tallit is a reminder of the four cubits of Eretz Israel that we carry with us wherever we go. The Land of Israel protects us and is wrapped around us like a Tallit. Instead of rejecting Israel we advertise it like a designer T-shirt advertising a company. Israel is written all over us. The blue techelet reminds us of the quarrel of Korach (see parsha Korach) and when we look to the blue sky we are reminded that the commandments of Heaven above must be fashioned below like a garment. In the same way that we do not expect a garment to fall from Heaven onto our bodies, we should not expect that Hashem will make the Temple fall from the sky. We must build it plain and simple, just as we weave the Tzizit and Tallit. I suggest that as a tikkun for those who despised the Land the Tallit should remind us each day of the four cubits of Eretz Israel that waits for our return. We should feel longing for the Land of Israel in the same way that we wrap the Tallit around our body and say the blessing 'be orecha nireh or' – by Your light we shall see light. We must not forget to redeem these four cubits of cloth for the reality it represents; the beautiful Land of Israel that waits for us. The Minyan (2022) (from a farbrengin) Nineteen years ago today on Parshat Shlach, I made aliyah to Israel. Today I am nineteen years old. Parsha Shlach does not only mark the years of my 'new' life, it is Parsha Shlach that actually saved me from the Galut and brought me here. Let me explain. The Power of the Minyan According to the rabbis (Megillah 23b) the reason we need 'ten' Jewish men for a Minyan is because of the ten spies who gave an evil report. Why is the minimum ten men based precisely on these men? I suggest that those who demonstrate their simple faith in being part of a Minyan is a perpetual tikkun for the ten tribal leaders whose lack of faith denied them entry into the Land of Israel and caused us to wander forty years in the desert. Let me tell you a personal story of how the power of the Minyan brought me out of the Galut and gave me the keys to enter Israel. Many years ago, as I walked through Kensington Market in Toronto I noticed an old shul that I had not really noticed before. This area at one time was considered the Jewish quarter of the city however over the years the vast majority of the Jewish population migrated north and today Kensington Market is a multi cultural marketplace of cheese shops, weed stores, Jamaican record shops and borders on Chinatown. I began to visit this shul and became acquainted with the new rabbi who was trying to revitalize this 200