Kahane Codes - Part Two Vayikra,Bamidbar,Dvarim

["Should A Jew Be An Ostrich? (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg (In this article written in 1993, Binyamin Zev Kahane warns us of impending tragedy, and offers the remedy of how to avoid it) We all recognize that familiar picture before the reading of the parsha of the \\\"Tochacha\\\". The \\\"Ba'al Kore\\\" shifts into high gear, lowers the volume of his voice, until he reaches the conclusion of his speed reading rendition of this \\\"not so nice\\\" part of the parsha. This custom was originally practiced so that the curses won't G-d forbid fall upon the listeners. Today, though, there may be something else behind this custom - something quite dangerous and unfortunately very characteristic of Jews. And what is that? Jews simply don't want to think about unpleasant things! There is a tendency to think that if one looks away, the problem will go away. This allows people to continue to live in their illusions. This is why the most popular expression in Israel is \\\"Yiyeh Tov\\\" - everything will be O.K. But those who say with such ease, \\\"everything will be O.K.\\\", simply do not grasp a most basic tenet of Judaism: The world is not \\\"hefker\\\". Judaism actually believes in such concepts as reward and punishment. The refusal to come to grips with this concept has caused many Jews to even doubt the existence of G-d throughout the years. When reflecting upon shocking tragedies in history, they wonder: How could G-d have been so cruel? This crisis in \\\"emunah\\\" reached its peak after the Holocaust, where so many Holocaust survivors stopped being observant Jews, saying that if something like this can happen, then G-d forbid, there is no G-d. But if one takes a closer and objective look into the matter, without letting his emotions get the best of him, he should arrive at exactly the opposite conclusion! There is no greater proof of the existence of G-d than the fact that every one of His curses, warnings and chastisements in relation to the Jewish People which are conveyed in the Torah have been fully realized. It serves as proof to G-d's awesome and precise supervision. It is evidence of His ability to fulfill His promises and threats. Indeed, the sages tell us, \\\"Anyone who says that G-d forgets, let his life be forgotten.\\\" (Baba Kama 50). How does this jibe with the fact that Hashem is merciful and slow to anger? There is no contradiction. Of course Hashem is slow to anger - but he does not forget! He waits, sometimes for long periods of time, and takes into account all kinds of circumstances that may be. But eventually, if G-d forbid we do not do \\\"tsheuva\\\", the curses of the \\\"tochacha\\\" will befall us. Have we not already witnessed the destruction of our Temples and the holocausts that accompanied it before the most recent Holocaust in Europe? In these times this message is a vital one, for Rabbi Meir Kahane (may G-d avenge his blood) warned and urged world Jewry of the need to do \\\"tsheuva\\\" - to trust in Hashem, not to fear the gentile, and to sanctify G-d's Name. When Rabbi Kahane said, \\\"there is no time\\\", and if we do not do what G-d wants, then we will suffer greatly from the labor pains of \\\"Giula Bi-eta\\\" (The slow, painful redemption), there were always those who mocked him as a \\\"prophet of doom\\\". They claimed that there IS time, and one should not be so pessimistic. This need to delude oneself is nothing new,as our prophets heard much of the same: \\\"You say, because I am innocent, surely His anger has turned from me. Behold, I will punish you because you say, 'I have not sinned'.\\\" (Jeremiah, 2:35) And, \\\"Behold the House of Israel say: the vision that you prophesied of is for much later days...(Ezekiel 12:27) These same prophets, unlike the 501","Jewish leaders of today, warned and reproofed the nation, and were willing to sit in jail for it. This, after all, was their mission in life. Did Jeremiah back down after King Tzedkiyahu jailed him and almost killed him for his prophecies? Of course not. In our parsha the Torah spills forth the awesome fury and the curses that Hashem has in store for us, without holding back a single detail. Not only does the Torah mention the possibility of tragedy, but it goes out of its way to expand upon it much more than it expands upon the blessings. What graphic and brutal scenarios are given: Sickness, breaking down of the social and economic fiber, exile, etc. For when it comes to choice between good and evil, or between truth and falsehood, the Torah pulls no punches, making it perfectly clear: If we will be good, numerous blessings will be bestowed upon us, and if we will do evil, there will be great tragedy. In these days before redemption, we must not evade this subject simply because it is uncomfortable to deal with. For years, we have unfortunately been walking in blindness and lack of faith, headed for tragedy, towards the actualization of the bitter prophecies, G-d forbid. We must say the truth clearly without trying to smooth things over. Only in such a way will the people be moved and shocked into action. During this month of \\\"tsheuva\\\", we must not forget about this national \\\"tsheuva\\\" which Hashem demands of us. 502","Holidays 503","ROSH HASHANA What Kind of \\\"Tsh'uva\\\" Do We Need? (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Every schoolboy knows that Rosh Hashana is the time for us to do \\\"Tshuva\\\". Yeshiva halls are bursting with such talk, and in the month of \\\"Elul\\\", all religious newspapers have the concept of \\\"Tshuva\\\" plastered all over their pages. Every rabbi knows that \\\"Elul\\\" is the time to tell his congregation to do serious soul searching and find their way to G-d. Generally speaking, the concept of \\\"Tshuva\\\" is one of the few things that everyone agrees upon. And so, \\\"Baal Tshuva\\\" Yeshivas are in abundance, and the concept of \\\"bringing someone to Tshuva\\\" is accepted by all. The question that arises is the following: If the Jewish nation is so involved in \\\"Tshuva\\\", why is the Jewish State in the worst situation it has ever been in spiritually, socially and from the point of view of security? The answer is the following: Obviously the \\\"Tshuva\\\" we see today is a positive thing that must be encouraged, but it is far from adequate. We must strive for a different KIND of \\\"tshuva\\\" - one that is much more comprehensive and far-reaching. The time has arrived for us to be outraged at the cheapening of Jewish blood in the Jewish State. The time has come for us to open our eyes to the national disaster that hovers over the Jewish State and World Jewry as well, and to escape from the apathy of our tiny lives and the mud we are mired in. Anyone who has read the words of Rabbi Kahane, HY\\\"D, concerning the period we live in today, cannot possibly remain indifferent. He stressed, especially before his death, the vicious hate and the awesome tragedies which will be unleashed against the Jewish People before the final redemption in the form of what the sages call \\\"Bi-Eta\\\" - the redemption that comes slowly at its fixed time. This entire nightmare will befall us if we don't wake up and \\\"DO TSHUVA\\\"!! We're not talking here just about a \\\"tshuva\\\" of \\\"Shabbos\\\" and \\\"tefilin\\\", but rather one of deeds that express genuine \\\"Bitachon\\\" in Hashem - acts of Kiddush Hashem that will change the slow, painful redemption to a speedy and glorious one. We must have enough faith in G-d to do those \\\"painful\\\" and \\\"difficult\\\" tasks that Jews of old considered \\\"normal\\\". It is time for us to realize how terrible it is when Jews are murdered, and how much worse it is when the ones lucky enough to still be alive are too apathetic or fearful of the gentile or leftist reaction to do something about it. We must realize what \\\"Tshuva\\\" is in a broader sense. It is expressed in the belief that the Jewish G-d is stronger and more powerful than anything imaginable (even Bill Clinton!). It means not abandoning Jonathan Pollard and the rest of the Jewish political prisoners even though that is what the \\\"boss\\\" in the White House wants. Yes, a sweeping and global \\\"tshuva\\\" that transcends the personal \\\"Mitzvot\\\", and expresses genuine belief in G-d's Omnipotence. G-d gives us a length of time to avoid catastrophe but this period has also come to an end. The time for \\\"Tshuva\\\" has arrived. May we merit to understand the type of \\\"Tshuva\\\" that is required of us, and to bring the redemption swiftly and gloriously without needless suffering. 504","Shana Tova (Good New Year) (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg In order for there to be a Shana Tova (a good new year), we first have to understand what is \\\"good\\\" and what is \\\"evil\\\". After all, it is difficult to conceive how someone who thinks that good is evil and vice versa can really have a \\\"good\\\" year. As the prophet Isaiah admonished his generation: \\\"Woe to those who call evil, good and good, evil; darkness light and light darkness.\\\" Indeed, the basic problem during these times is the obscuring and confusing of the concepts of \\\"good\\\" and \\\"evil\\\". Is \\\"good\\\" the mimicking of Western culture? Or perhaps \\\"good\\\" is the separation from foreign and non-Jewish ways. Is \\\"good\\\" the subduing of the haters of Israel, or is it giving in to them? Is \\\"good\\\" the protecting of the honor and modesty of women, or is it promiscuousness and immodesty in the name of \\\"equality\\\" and \\\"women's liberation\\\"? G-d desires with all His Might to bestow upon us true good. Therefore, the Sefer HaChinuch explains, \\\"He paved for us the way of good and commanded us to follow it.\\\" In this way, we would merit receiving an abundance of true good. Indeed, the blessing of a \\\"Good Year\\\" is not some empty greeting to be uttered each year, but rather it is a task incumbent upon us, and well within our grasp. Shana Tova! New Years Resolution #1: Overhaul In The Education System Last week's strike by the Israeli education department was quite difficult for the parents. But any parent will admit that what made things difficult was the fact that the \\\"baby-sitters\\\" were on strike. After all, not too many parents out there expect that the Israeli educational system will really educate their child. Indeed, it isn't quite clear in which situation the children come out less damaged - with a strike or without one. This educational system, which never instilled Jewish values, has not succeeded in instilling basic human and social values either. Only the most degenerate and materialistic values have been instilled into the students of the Israeli education system, and as a result the schools are plagued by drugs and violence. The system is indeed in need of an overhaul. New Year's Resolution #2: Overhaul In The Justice System The Supreme Court of Israel is in the process of accepting the decision to extradite a Jew who has been accused of murder. One of the great merits of Menachem Begin was the bill he drew up which forbid the handing over of an Israeli citizen to the goyim. Begin understood that the basic obligation of the Jewish state must be the caring for even the lowest of Jews, and that he be tried and judged in Israel, and not handed over to the goyim, G-d forbid. And now the judiciary system in Israel is determined to pervert the intention of this law, and to eradicate it. The court system continues its all-out-war against the Jewish character of the Jewish state. This de-Judaization process is now under the supervision of skullcap wearing Elyakim Rubenstein, who must prove he is holier than the pope. 505","\\\"The Righteous Will Be Saved\\\" (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Our sages teach that there are two distinct ways in which the final redemption can occur: Either it will be a \\\"hurried\\\" (Achishena) redemption which comes with majestic glory and free of pain and tragedy, or it will be \\\"in its time\\\" (Bi-Eta). \\\"In its time\\\" means that the redemption will come despite our unworthiness, accompanied by terrible destruction and holocaust as the deserved punishment that precedes the final glory and salvation. G-d stretches the process out, one painful step after another. This suffering is known as the \\\"birth pangs of Moshiach.\\\" End of Final Grace Period These painful steps are actually periods of grace which G-d, in His abundant mercy grants us, in the hope that we will heed His warnings and do \\\"Tshuva\\\". They are warnings intended to awaken us to repentance, so that we may prevent the final stage of \\\"redemption in its time\\\", in which we will experience unprecedented suffering and holocausts. However, there is a limit to these grace periods. Our teacher, Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY\\\"D, constantly warned in his speeches, classes and books, that we are extremely close to the final hour, after which there will be no more grace periods. In such a scenario, G-d will pour forth His wrath, and only afterwords will He bring the redemption. Only a few will remain to see it, and according to our rabbinical sources, the remnant will include only the righteous. Who Will Be Written in the Book? This is what the prophet Isaiah says (6:13): \\\"And if one tenth remain in it, then that shall again be consumed... the holy seed will be the vitality of the land\\\". Rashi explains this passage: \\\"And that remnant G-d shall cleanse one step after another, and it shall be barren until there will remain only the totally righteous, who will return to G-d with all their hearts.\\\" (also see Ketuvot 112). More words of the prophet (4:3-4): \\\"And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, shall be called holy (Rashi - they will all be righteous), every one in Jerusalem that is written to life (Radak: it will be decreed upon them to live because of their uprightness and good deeds): when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Yerushalayim from its midst by the spirit of judgment (Rashi - through suffering) and the spirit of burning (Rashi - to burn them out from this world). On the verse 26:20 in Isaiah, Radak comments: \\\"This is talking about the war of Gog and Magog, in which troubles will befall Israel for a short time...the righteous will cloak themselves with good deeds and complete repentance, because for a moment there will be fury and then it will pass -and the righteous will be saved, as it says - all that are there will be written in a book.\\\" And in Daniel's awesome vision (12:1): \\\"And at that time shall Mikhail standup, the great chief angel, who stands for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was seen since there was a nation till that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,every one who shall be found written in this book.\\\" The Ibn Ezra comments: \\\"They will only be salvaged because of the great heavenly prince Mikhail. Therefore, only those written in the book will be saved - and they are the righteous.\\\" Rav Sadia Gaon explains it the same way. 506","Total \\\"Tshuva\\\" Only those who sincerely believe in G-d will be saved. Only those who understand the obligation to stand up to the test of faith and trust in G-d during difficult times when external and internal enemies are poised against us will be salvaged. While Shabbat, Kosher food, and the laws of family purity are great mitzvot in which one can attain eternal life, they are simply not enough. Without genuine trust in G-d, then all these mitzvot have no real meaning. When G-d's Name is being desecrated daily and we persist in perpetuating national Hillul Hashem by our refusal to fulfill mitzvot which may anger the nations, fulfillment of private mitzvot will not suffice. By not performing \\\"difficult\\\" mitzvot which express real faith in G-d, we remain mere practitioners of sterile ritual. Who really believes in G-d? Who really says, \\\"Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will make mention of the Name of the Lord our G-d\\\",and means it? Does he really believe that the Syrian tanks, the Iraqi missiles, and most importantly, America's money are not the least bit relevant in light of our obligation to fulfill G-d's \\\"national\\\" commandments? This is the true \\\"tshuva\\\"; this is \\\"the return will all their hearts\\\" which Rashi spoke of. Let us not smooth things over, but rather take these words very seriously. We are speaking about facts which our prophets and sages warned about if we do not do complete \\\"tshuva\\\". Just as all their previous words have come true to this day, there is no reason to believe that the rest of their words are mere \\\"doomsday fairy tales.\\\" A Plea to Individuals No one amongst us really knows the precise accountings of G-d and how much of an extension He will grant us before the final stage of the redemption. But one thing is clear: We know the tragedy the nation is facing, as they follow their wicked leaders whose motto is \\\"eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.\\\" And so it is our obligation to at least turn to individuals who want to save themselves. Perhaps by pleading to individuals, who by nature want to save themselves and their loved ones, we can find hearts open to our words. Perhaps this reawakening, with G-d's help, will effect the general populace. Our sages made an additional comment on the passage, \\\"And if one tenth remain in it, then that shall again be consumed\\\": \\\"G-d said to Isaiah... I have created for them ten days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur so that they would repent completely during these days.\\\" Incredible! Instead of punishing us blow after blow until \\\"she is consumed\\\", G-d gives us a ten day grace period to repent and salvage ourselves from these horrors. It is our last chance to bring in the redemption with splendor and majesty. Today, if we will listen to His voice. 507","YOM KIPPUR Mission of the Prophet - in These Times as Well (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg On Yom Kippur it is the custom to read the Book of Jonah during the Mincha service, since the repentance done by the people of Ninve is supposed to awaken us on the current Day of Atonement. Many people forget, however, that before Jonah even arrived at Ninve to prophesize, he underwent an experience that carries for us an important example for today and for Yom Kippur as well. The sages tell us that there are several types of prophets who are obligated to receive the death penalty. One of these is the prophet who \\\"suppresses his prophecy\\\". That is, he has received a prophetic vision and is commanded to reveal it, but refuses to do so. Jonah came dangerously close to falling into such a category - fleeing the Land of Israel so that the \\\"Divine Presence\\\" will no longer rest upon him, and thus no longer be able to carry G-d's message. The sages tell us that all this stemmed from Jonah's love for the Jewish People. Jonah knew that the gentiles of Ninve would heed his call to repentance. Consequently, this might awaken the wrath of G-d against the Jewish People, since they, in contrast to the gentiles of Ninve, did not heed the words of the prophets and repent. He therefore chose to flee from his obligation to warn the people of Ninve, lest they \\\"show up\\\" the Jews. Despite this love, and despite all his good intentions, Jonah was wrong. The role of the prophet is to speak the word of G-d, whether the message finds favor in his eyes or not, or if saying it endangers his life. It is irrelevant whether or not he has the most seemingly logical justifications for NOT saying the message. Speaking the truth can be very difficult, as Rabbi Kahane, HY\\\"D, in his last article in the \\\"Jewish Press\\\" wrote, \\\"You think it is pleasant to speak painful truths that cause pain to those who refuse to listen and who then react with pain and hate against the one who speaks? You think it is easy to be the messenger that brings forth the reaction, 'Kill the messenger?'\\\" What this means is quite simple. A Jew who elevates himself to the level of a prophet has established a very special connection to G-d. But it is not enough. For a prophet to be a prophet, he must go out to the people and speak the word of G-d. Rabbi Kahane would convey this principle by quoting Eliyahu in Kings 1, chapter 10: \\\"I am left all alone as Hashem's prophet\\\". The Rav asked: Was it really so? Was Eliyahu the only prophet not killed by Achav and Izevel? What about the 100 prophets mentioned only a few verses before that were hidden in a cave? The Rav would explain by saying that Eliyahu was teaching a tremendous lesson for all to learn: A prophet hiding in a closet is not a prophet! The whole point of a prophet is to go out to the people and speak the truth without fear. Eliyahu WAS the only prophet around because he was out there fearlessly chastising the Jewish People at the time. Thus, Jonah, regardless of the reason he had, betrayed his special mission. This is a vital lesson of Yom Kippur, for all the \\\"Bnei Torah\\\" and \\\"BneiYeshiva\\\" and rabbis who are also in a certain sense leaders or prophets of the generation. So many choose to sit quietly, afraid to attack theHellenistic left and thus save the Jewish State from them. All theseyears they have refused out of fear to state the simple \\\"Halacha\\\" and real solution to the basic and burning Yishmaelite problem - whose status is so obvious according to Torah law that no honest rabbi could differ with it. The problem is that in public, everyone is suddenly silent. All these leaders are in a sense \\\"prophets who withhold their prophecy\\\" - for they know the Divine truth yet refrain from saying it. How we are now suffering from this silence! 508","May it be G-d's will that on Yom Kippur the first to repent will be those who are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the nation. May they warn and chastise the Jewish People and no longer become a partner to the sins of the generation by way of their silence, and as a consequence, the Jewish People will repent and bring the Redemption. 509","SUCCOT Sitting in the Succah and Feeling Secure (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg It is crucial during these days of \\\"peace and security\\\" to stress the central message of Succot. And what is the message? Security or \\\"bitachon\\\" in Hashem, even in situations where such trust seems totally illogical to the naked eye. But there is something about the succah itself that arouses curiosity. Here we are thanking G-d for sheltering us in a succah in the middle of the desert, and King David, too, praises G-d by proclaiming, \\\"He will hide me in His succah\\\" . And the question that begs asking is: Why is the succah, which is by its very nature a flimsy and unstable structure, the symbol of G-d's protection over us? Would it not be more appropriate to sit in a \\\"fortress\\\" in order to portray G-d's ability to safeguard His people? Indeed, precisely in this succah there is a tremendous lesson to be learned, a lesson which we must internalize during these days of \\\"peace\\\" that have come upon Israel. After all, what really motivates them to turn over territories and succumb to the enemy's demands? One thing only: Fear. And at first glance, they are right! Here we are, sitting in this tiny country, a lamb amongst seventy ravenous wolves who do not hide their teeth, their tanks, their airplanes, and the millions of soldiers they have at their disposal to march on Jerusalem. And then there is us. With all the talk about our \\\"strong army\\\", what are we really? How many tanks do we have when compared to their huge arsenals? How big is our \\\"qualitative advantage\\\" versus their gigantic quantitative advantage? How many more wars can we expect to hold out against them? They can lose a hundred wars, but all they need is one victory to fulfill their dream of liquidating us and thus finally rid themselves of the Jewish problem in the Middle East. The arguments of the secular nationalists fall like a house of cards when matched against the above contentions. How feeble and ineffective are the \\\"bitachonist\\\" (security-related) arguments of Bibi, Sharon and Raful when relating to the Arab problem. The left is 100% correct when they say that the right wing is out of their minds for insisting to live by the sword, thinking Israel can hold on forever against hundreds of millions of Arabs. Nu, have we become leftists in our old age? Have no fear of that. We will continue to fight in the front lines for our land as our forefathers did, and as the generation before us did. It's just that our reasons for \\\"the greater Israel\\\" are entirely different than the reasons given by Bibi and co. The Holy One Blessed Is He sends us out to sit in a flimsy succah which is vulnerable even to a strong wind. He does this in order to tell us: Jew - to protect you, there is no need for fortresses or even a regular house. A succah is enough. This is what the Holiday of Succot is all about. One can say to a certain extent, that G-d in this generation sent us to sit in a succah! G-d took a battered and humiliated people, gathered us from the four corners of the earth, and placed us in the middle of a volcano - surrounded by millions of Arabs who dream and lust to wipe us out. And then, G-d comes and demands of us: \\\"Bitachon!\\\". With all their power and intimidation; with all their weaponry and massive armies, they are not capable of moving you. And the test is: Will we, in our \\\"succah\\\", feel secure enough not to be intimidated by those who attempt to frighten us from outside our succah and from inside as well? 510","Not Everyone is Included in the \\\"Four Species\\\" (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Major functionaries at home joining the side of our enemy require us to take another look at the known midrash about how the \\\"four species\\\" symbolize different levels in Am Yisrael. It is impossible to ignore anymore the growing and obscene phenomenon, where functionaries from home mobilize time and time again to further the cause of our bitter enemies. Whenever possible, they rise from within us, under the orchestration of the media, to demoralize the nation during its fight for existence, while furthering the interests of the enemy. The question is: How should we relate to these people? Are they one of us, or are they \\\"beyond the pale\\\"? One of the famous midrashim in connection to Succot, compares the four species to the unity of Israel: \\\"Just as the Etrog has both taste and smell, so too do the Jewish People have within it people who have Torah and good deeds: Lulav...has taste and no smell, and so too there are those who have Torah and no good deeds...Just as the Hadas has smell and no taste...(there are those) with good deeds and no Torah...Just as the \\\"Arava\\\" has no smell and no taste, so (there are those) who have no Torah and no good deeds. And what does the Almighty do to them? To destroy them would be impossible! But rather the Almighty said that he will tie them all up in one unit and they will atone for one another\\\". (Vayikra Raba, 30:12) Considering our opening statements, there is a need for some clarification in light of this amazing midrash which mentions how the Aravot are held tightly together with the rest of Am Yisrael. The worst kind of Jew spoken of here is the Arava, who is not destroyed, because the righteous atone for him. They are Jews \\\"who have no Torah and no good deeds\\\". True, we are not talking about the cream of the crop - but we are talking about Jews who are ready to be part of the union of Am Yisrael, connected to them so that the righteous can atone for them. We are not talking about Jews, who G-d forbid, sever themselves from the collective and detest their own Jewishness. We are not discussing Jews who the sages spoke of when they said that in the days of Messiah, there will be Jews who will identify with and join forces with the enemy. About such Jews, the above midrash does not speak. On the contrary. The idea of the midrash is two-fold. On one hand, G-d does not desire to see the wicked of Israel destroyed. On the other hand, we are talking about only those who are willing to join part of Klal Yisrael. Only he merits this special atonement, reserved for one who feels belonging to the collective of the Jewish Nation. It must be known: Relatively speaking, there really are only a few. But through all the generations, and especially in this final era before the complete redemption, there were always Jews who took themselves out of the collective, and deep inside of them, identified more with the goyim than with the Jews. And so, it is a great mistake to identify such people as the \\\"Arava\\\" described in the midrash. For while the Arava is still an only an Arava, it still has a belonging to the Jewish collective. While it has no taste or smell, at least it does not give off a putrid or damaging smell. The Arava sees himself as part of the four species and does not nullify his Jewishness, nor does he want to be like a gentile. By this very fact, he is able to absorb within him the smell and taste of the others. We must also remember that there are certain things that disqualify the four species from being Kosher. And so, though we are never happy about disqualifying a Jew, there are those who are rejected, and not tied together with the rest of the four species. 511","The nation is willing to absorb the individual sinners, and to cover and atone for them so that they will not perish with their sins (even though this causes us great suffering as a people). It is ready to hold on tightly to them with all its might in order to unite them, for we Jews are all guarantors for one another. But the nation is not ready to carry under its wing he who in his very essence is an aberrant traitor. Such people remove themselves from the Succah of Israel, and as much as it hurts to say, they are beyond the pale for us. 512","CHANUKAH The Power of the Few Who Are Willing to Sacrifice (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The times we live in today and those of the Macabees are strikingly parallel in both the problem and solution. What was the reality of the situation in those days? The Greeks ruled, and as in every part of their empire, they wanted to establish their culture as the dominant force, something which in the case of Israel meant abolishing Judaism. As a result, the number of Jews (Hellenists) leaving their faith to embrace the \\\"beautiful\\\" and \\\"enlgihtened\\\" Greek culture increased until the culture of the materialism and of the body became the majority culture in Israel. The scholars and the \\\"Gedolim\\\" in Israel sit at home. How many are there? Who knows. Perhaps they are a majority, perhaps only a small minority. In any case, their presence is not felt, as the harsh edicts of the Greek Empire petrify them. Any logical person understands that certainly concerning this period it was written, \\\"the prudent shall keep silent in that time\\\". \\\"Hashem will help\\\", they say, as they observe the mitzvot in secret. And all the while Hellenism is spreading throughout the Jewish People, infesting even the best of families. But \\\"what can we do\\\"? (\\\"ma la'asot\\\") The empire is powerful, and the collaboration of the Hellenists makes it all that much stronger. Likewise in Israel today, Western culture has become the obsession of the masses, with Israelis drooling for anything that says, \\\"Made in USA.\\\" Western democracy emasculates the thinking Jew, while the Israeli government succeeds in allying itself to religious groups by political bribery. Even the best of us despair, as we utter the slogan, \\\"Nu, what can you do?\\\" After all, the government rules with a strong hand, and the media continues to brainwash the masses and incite them to detest anything remotely resembling Jewish values. Most of the religious circles prefer to stay closed amongst themselves. A religious struggle? \\\"It will only make things worse\\\". \\\"Let's at least not jeapordize what we have', are some of the more common utterances. Even the most dynamic figures tell us that the only thing we can do is read Tehilim. In the days of the Macabees, when things had reached a new low, event ssuddenly took a most unexpected turn. In a distant village where the Greek authorities sent a garrison to persuade the Jewish residents to sacrifice a pig on the altar to the Greek deity, the elderly Matityahu the Cohen suddenly arose, took the knife from the complying Jew and slaughtered him on the altar along with the enemy soldiers, fleeing from the site. Suddenly, the revolution had begun!! A few against the many, the Macabees stood up against the mighty Greek army for many years. What a miracle! How did it even enter the minds of such a scanty few, faithful to Hashem and His Torah to enter battle under such impossible circumstances? Wasn't this a suicide mission? Only Jews motivated by deep faith and trust in G-d would undertake such a mission. Many commentators ask why it is that we celebrate eight days of Chanukahinstead of seven. After all, there was enough oil for one day. The miracle then lasted only seven days, and not eight. My father, Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY\\\"D, offered a novel answer to this question. Themiracle of the oil symbolizes the much greater miracle of the war in which the few overcame the many. However, in that miracle there is yet another miracle. The very fact that the Jews took the initiative to go to war constitutes a miracle in itself! Indeed, the miracle of the first day is that the Jews were willing to go out and fight in 513","the first place! Can one imagine a few scholar-warriors today going out to war to fight the Hellensits - going forth against the Israeli establishment that has given the land away to murderers, and has force- fed Israeli children non-Jewish and anti-Jewish education and in its place has given them drugs, AIDS and other niceties of western culture? In our times as well, it is in our hands to bring down this oppressiveregime that bans and jails its opponents. And when the uprising begins, the true power and glory of Am Yisrael will be revealed, and following the few will be multitiudes. Torah Vs. Democracy (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg With the struggle between the Jews and Hellenists in full-swing, no holiday could be more relevant than the holiday of Chanukah. But there is a difference this time around. During the time of the Macabees, it was the Greeks who set down evil decrees against Torah, while the Hellenists served as mere collaborators. Today it is an entirely different story. First of all, it is Jewish Supreme Court that has arisen and begun to enact legislation against Torah in a frantic effort to forcefully transform the Jewish People to Hebrew-speaking gentiles. They attempt to accomplish this by laying down the following ground rules: The choseness of the Jewish People and all other Halacha that discriminates between Jew and gentile is \\\"racism\\\", for it opposes the basic democratic principle of equality for all men, regardless of race, creed, color, or religion. (Even the abolition of the Law of Return is in their sights.) In addition, any religious legislation can be rejected because it negates the basic democratic principle of the \\\"individual's right to freedom\\\". But most importantly, the Hellenists of today are demanding that democracy take precedence over everything, including the Halacha. By use of these seemingly harmless axioms, the State of Israel is eradicating from itself all Jewish content. In these \\\"progressive\\\" times, there are not even\\\"Jews\\\", only \\\"Israelis\\\". The implications are quite serious. No longer can we say: \\\"Well, they are\\\"tinokot shenishbu\\\" (like children who are totally unaware or ignorant of their Jewish heritage). In the meantime, we'll sit and learn Torah and gather in strength and numbers until the day comes when we can change the situation and make Torah the law of the land.\\\" Those days are over, because the Hellenists are not waiting. They are very actively exerting all their influence to establish democracy as the law of the land and ultimate value of society, banning anyone who does not succumb to them 100%. Already they forcibly prohibit us from learning \\\"forbidden\\\" sections of Torah. Fact: a rabbi sits in jail today on the charge of racism for a Halachic essay he wrote. Rabbis are being investigated daily and soon will be jailed under suspicion that they had the \\\"audacity\\\" to tell their students not to follow orders which negate Torah law (and let us not even mention what will be the fate of those who actually carry out the rabbis words). Yes, we are at the climax of a cultural war. It is \\\"us\\\" or \\\"them\\\". This is the first time in history that the Jews themselves have laid down decrees against Halacha! And it is not relevant if it is against the entire Torah, ten Halachot, or even one Halacha! What are the rabbis doing? The buzz word these days is \\\"unity\\\". Fortunately for us, the Hellenists aren't interested. They fully understand that before there is any reconciliation, there must be a framework of common ground from which to work. And if that basis is not the unequivocal committment to 514","democracy - (i.e. that it supercedes the Halacha) then there will be no reconciliation. And so they continue to lead the rabbis into tiny investigation rooms, hoping to squeeze out of them some quote from the Talmud by Rav Ashi, in order to strong-arm them: Unity? Solidarity? No problem! As long as we dictate the rules. Take the pig and say it: Democracy over Halacha! Obviously, no rabbi will accept this. We must realize that the game is over. We can no longer evade the contadiction of Jewishness and Democracy that the State of Israel was schizophrenically based upon. There is an unbridgable gap, for it is a conflict whereby the entire premise of each philosophy totally contradict one another. The rabbis have a mighty mission ahead. It is incumbent upon each and every one of them to get up and declare: In the same way that Jews rebuffed the harsh edicts of the Greeks and Romans, and Rabbi Akiva was even skinned alive for this principle, so too must we stand in defiance when Israeli democracy decides that certain parts of Torah cannot be learned. These are days of religious persecution (\\\"shaat shmad\\\"), and we must cling to the path of Rabbi Akiva - to openly learn and teach all the forbidden laws and to proclaim unequicoally that we will disobey any law that forces us to transgress the Torah. Because Torah supersedes Democracy. \\\"And Yehuda Will Also Fight Against Jerusalem\\\" (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The war between the Hashmonim and the Greeks was characterized by the active cooperation between many Jews with the Greeks. It was not that these Jews were dragged along against their wills out of fear of the harsh decrees. Nor was it the people falling prey to the Greek propaganda and acting out of a desire to emulate Greek culture. Indeed, all this was true. But when we speak of the phenomenon of the \\\"Hellenists\\\", we speak of something more serious -- and that is active cooperation of Jewish Hellenists against Jews of faith. The Book of \\\"The Macabees\\\", which documents the events of the Hashmonian wars, relates how the \\\"Jewish criminals and wicked\\\", as the book puts it, were a major factor, and even provoked the Greeks in their war against the Jews. For the first time since Chanukah, we again see this active and eager cooperation between the Jews and the enemies of Israel against the Jewish People. It is the first time ever where we see such a cooperation manifest itself as an organized movement, where everything has been initiated by the Jews themselves. The Hellenists have simply reached the conclusion that barriers between Israel and the nations is something outdated and primitive, and it only creates problems. In short, they want to wipe out the existence of the Jewish People. The prophet Zacharia (Chapter 14) prophesizes on the era before the final redemption, and speaks of the final war where all the nations will come against Jerusalem. We then see a terrifying verse: \\\"And Yehuda, also will fight against Jerusalem\\\". In other words, parts of the Jewish People will be on the side of the gentiles during this war! While Rashi softens the blow by interpreting that \\\"against their wills they will fight Israel\\\", the Radak explains the verse according to its simple understanding: \\\"Yehuda that came with the gentiles and fought with them against Jerusalem\\\". Similarly, in the midrash \\\"Psikta Rabti\\\" (Ch. 15), it says: Rabbi Shmuel Bar Yitzchak said: Even those from my congregation (Jews) will cling to your congregation (Gog and Magog), and they too will fall on the day of your defeat\\\"! And so, the curse which we first saw under the Greek rule where Jewsswitched their loyalties to that of 515","the enemy has not gone away with thevictory of the Macabees over the Greeks and Hellenists. Despite the great victory of the wiping out of the Greeks and Hellenists and the return to Jewish sovereignty over Israel and the purification of the Temple - even still the Hellenists continue to rear their heads in this generation. And so we see in this generation, which is the beginning of the redemption process, that two camps are slowly being formed: The camp of the loyal Jews and the camp of the Hellenists. The Hellenist camp is having more and more conflict as to where their loyalties lie. This camp less and less understands why one should stand separate as Jews, rather than simply as \\\"human beings\\\". And so, in a very natural way, a growing partnership and common interest is created between these Hellenists and the haters of the Jewish nation, while the Hellenists and Jews have less and less in common. Thus, the following saying becomes quite true: \\\"This area is divided up differently now: It is not Israelis and the rest, but rather the 'peace camp' (Jews and Arabs) versus all the rest\\\" (The words of a Peace-Now leader) In such a situation, the struggle between the two camps intensifies, and more and more people are forced to decide where they stand. And so, every Jew must, even against his will, decide once and for all where he stands - on the side of the Jews or on the side of the Hellenists. By doing so, he is deciding once and for all the question he has avoided all these years: Who Is He? Examples of \\\"Yehuda Fighting Against Jerusalem\\\" Unfortunately, we have begun to understand the above verse all too well. Through recent events we have seen overt cooperation between decadent portions of the nation and the enemies of Israel. Here are some of them: 1. The most blatant: The leftists, led by the Labor Party, joining the propaganda attacks of the Arabs and the world against Israel at a time when battles were taking place in the territories following the opening of the Kotel tunnel. This set a new height, because we cannot recall open cooperation with an enemy in time of war. 2. Two weeks after the government was put together, a writer for \\\"HaAretz\\\" wrote: \\\"155 American rabbis (at least they were reform and conservative) wrote a letter to Clinton calling for American aid to Israel to be contingent upon the freezing of the settlements.\\\" 3. For the first time since its inception, the organization \\\"BeTzelem\\\" (in the Image) has called to organizations throughout the WORLD to take action in order to put on trial ex-Shabak head Ehud Yatom for fulfilling the mitzvah of smashing the head of two Amalikites who kidnapped the bus no. 300 ten years ago, and was pardoned for \\\"something which doesn't occur in the most primitive republics\\\". Again, what we have here is the informing or handing over to the gentile in a matter directly relating to war between us and our enemies. The group \\\"BeTzelem\\\" even gives the gentiles advice: \\\"... You can arrest him abroad for the charge of executing someone without a trial, which is against international law.\\\" It is pointed out in the article that this was the first time that the groups turned to gentiles in an effort to arrest someone from the Israeli Security forces. 4. The filth who calls himself Jonathan Gefen, who left Israel for New York (as the Torah states that the land vomits out its garbage) writes in the newspaper \\\"Maariv\\\" that he is looking forward to the Clinton victory and he fantasizes how Clinton, after the elections, \\\"sits Netanyahu down\\\" like a master to a slave, and says to him: \\\"Mr. Netanyahu, you have been playing foolish games and leading us on for too long ... etc.\\\" It is no wonder that the lowlife who fathered Aviv Gefen, is a lot worse, as it is written, \\\"For out of the serpents root shall come 516","forth a basilisk\\\" - that is, evil can only produce evil (Isiah, 14:29) He informs us that he is not Jew, but an Israeli. He says that the land is not his, and calls for the youth to leave the country. With his putrid mouth he compares Yigal Amir to Hitler. What is a Hellenist? (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Recently, it was publicized that \\\"30% of high school students definethemselves as racists\\\". The fact is, that no one defined themselves in such a way. Then what? A survey which was conducted amongst the youth proved that they are still of healthy spirit! 72% were for preventing Arabs from being Knesset members, for fear that it will harm the Jewish character or the security of the state; 50% do not agree that Arabs should have equal rights; and more. For most Jews, this is sanity, but for the Israeli newspaper \\\"Yideot Achronot\\\", this is \\\"racism\\\". In the aftermath of the above survey, this same newspaper then brought down a \\\"questionnaire\\\" for all it's readers, in which one can check himself to see if he is a \\\"racist\\\". The multiple choice questions were in the form of a scale which rose in its degree of \\\"racist\\\" tendencies. Among the yardsticks to measure \\\"racism\\\", you were asked what your reaction would be if your daughter brought home a Thailand worker or an Arab doctor from the Triangle, and introduced him as her future husband. If you would protest against such a marriage, you are a \\\"racist\\\" of the highest degree (on the scale, it is written, \\\"you are dangerous!\\\"); In contrast, the \\\"anti-racist\\\" sits next to the \\\"suitor\\\", puts his hand on his shoulder and has a heart to heart chat with him... What does all this have to do with Chanukah? It must be remembered that the circumstances for the Macabees war 2500 years ago were less severe than they are today. 2500 years ago, there arose from the Jewish people Hellenists. Hellenists are not people who for one reason or another find it difficult to fulfill mitzvot. Hellenists are those who want to be like the goyim. There is a difference. It is not just a matter of casting off the yoke of Heaven out of weakness or lust. Hellenism is an \\\"ideal\\\" in itself - to bring down the needless barriers between Jews and gentiles, which is the cause, so to speak, of all problems. Hellenism is first and foremost, the claim that there is nothing special or chosen about the Jewish People, and all people are equal. This being the case, we find that today we are in a much more \\\"progressive\\\" stage than we were then. The \\\"value\\\" which overrides everything else in the state of Israel today is \\\"democracy\\\" and \\\"equality\\\", and any opposition to this concept is considered the most severe of crimes. This is the true significance of the \\\"war against racism\\\" which has been taking place over the past decade. We are speaking about a war against the uniqueness of the Jewish Nation. In truth, the hellenists of today are not a large group. But their power and influence is immense, concentrated mainly in the judiciary and mass media. The government has not yet dared to stand against them. Any attempt to do so was immediately put to rest through media incitement, and when necessary, judiciary action. In this past year, these two functionaries have worked in unprecedented fashion to squelch any initiatives by the government that wasn't to their liking. They do not act out of personal interests, so to speak, but rather in the name of the ultimate value: Democracy. Therefore, there is no politician who dares to seriously oppose this \\\"hallowed\\\" value. It is critical to emphasize: Not all secular Jews are hellenists. Theopposite is true: Now that we have defined what a \\\"hellenist\\\" is, it isclear that only a very small group (even if they hold influence) enter this category. Most secular Jews, despite the fact that they do not fulfill mitzvot (for historical and 517","objective reasons), identify with their Jewishness, and are not ready to tear down the barriers between them and the gentile. They are still \\\"gut Jews\\\". Without a doubt, most secular Jews in Israel would receive high marks as \\\"racists\\\" in the aforementioned test. But it is a great mark as Jew! Despite the severe spiritual problem plaguing the Jewish nation, at least they cling to their identity: We are Jews! We are special! All that is missing is the war against the hellenists. Unfortunately, many use the concept of \\\"Love of Jews\\\" (Ahavat Yisrael) in a perverted way, often out of a need to placate the hellenists, in order to prevent a confrontation with them. But the message of Chanukah is this: As much as it may hurt, in order to save the Jewish People, out of a love of Jews, it is an obligation to fight that small band of hellenists who grip the Jewish nation by the throat, and do not permit them to fulfill their internal and true aspiration - to be Jews and not hellenists! 518","PURIM Jewish Isolation: Recipe for National Security (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg There always existed Jews who delude themselves into thinking that if only we could bring down the walls between us and the Gentiles, we could live together in peace, and anti-Semitism would disappear. What these self-hating, guilt-ridden Jews do, in essence, is blame the anti-Semitism on the Jews themselves, who distinguish themselves from the Gentile and are not willing to assimilate. But the fact is that the very opposite is true. History has proven that precisely when the Jew tried to get close to the Gentile, a wave of vicious and \\\"unexpected\\\" anti-Semitism would explode, bringing with it pogroms and holocausts. In Germany, Jews had stopped referring to themselves as Jews and called themselves Germans of the Mosaic persuasion. More Jews died defending the Father Land in WW1 than in all the wars of Israel. German Jews were the epitome of assimilated Jews prior to the Holocaust. The Torah and our sages teach us about this strange law of nature, and we see a perfect example in the Megilat Esther, and the story of Purim. The story in the book of Esther centers around two major events; the sin of the Jewish participation at Achashverosh's party, and the intentional provoking of Haman by Mordechai who would deliberately wait at the gates which Haman had to pass, and then would refuse to bow down to him. Is there a connection between these two events? What could the participation in Shushan's banquet and Mordechai's provocation have in common? Many have difficulty understanding Mordechai's deliberate instigation of Haman. Why did he have to hang out at that very spot, looking for trouble? How could have Mordechai behaved in such an \\\"irresponsible\\\" manner towards this known Jew-hater? For them, it is obvious that it was Mordechai who caused the evil edict which called for the extermination of the Jews! The sages teach us otherwise, explaining that the Megilah opens with the story of Achashverosh's banquet to indicate that the real cause of the evil decree against the Jews was divine punishment for the pathetic participation of the Jewish community at Achashverosh's party. Why did they take part in the feast in the first place? They thought that banning such an event which was to be attended by all the nations of the Empire, would make the Jews stand out and would incur the wrath of the nations. They thought that Jewish participation in the feast would help bring down the barriers, relieve tension and help put a halt to anti-Semitism. Mordechai and those faithful to Torah knew that assimilation and liaison to the Gentile not only does not ease anti-Semitism, but strangely enough intensifies it. They knew that there is a clear Torah prohibition against partaking in such a meal. This commandment is intended to prevent assimilation and the muddling of Jewish identity and uniqueness. We can now understand Mordechai's \\\"extremism\\\". Mordechai understood that the direction the Jews of his generation were going in would surely lead to Divine Punishment. Thus, he took the zealous route. He purposely provoked Haman with the knowledge that this would infuriate him and provoke a reaction which would shock all of assimilated Persian Jewry. Mordechai knew his actions could not bring harm to the Jews, in the long run. He knew his act of faith could only lead to the awakening of Jews to their grave mistake of assimilating (which is indeed what happened when the whole nation of Israel joined Mordechai's call for three days of fast and prayer). This was the only way to cancel the evil decree. 519","The More Things Change, the More They Stay The Same Today's peace process is nothing more than a modern banquet of Achashverosh, except this time it has been initiated by the Jews. The goal is to create a \\\"New Middle East\\\" which means the erasing of the Jewish character of the state in an attempt to merge, and turn Israel into a nation like all others. This plot to wipe out anything distinctly Jewish will not succeed in buying the love of the Gentiles, nor will it bring us peace. The Interfaith programs of the ADL and AJC, and the New Middle East of Shimon Peres will only exacerbate the very hatred and tensions they seek to diffuse. The Jewish way is the way of \\\"Mordechai HaYehudi\\\" - separation, and not assimilation. Today, after the fatal bombing in Jerusalem we are once again reminded what the outcome of our \\\"peace\\\" with our neighbors will produce. The only answer is a real separation between Jews and the hostile Arabs who live in our midst. Peres speaks of building a fence around the Green Line, yet ignores the Arab threat within the Green Line. The Likud and the other \\\"right wing\\\" parties still speak of coexistence between Jews and Arabs. The Jewish way is our way and the way of \\\"Mordechai HaYehudi\\\" - separation now! Skull-Cap Donning Hellenists Legend has it that the late Professor Yeshiyahu Leibowitz was not particularly fond of the holiday of Purim. In order to evade this barbaric festival, it was his custom to travel to Jerusalem on the 14th of Adar, and on the 15th he would return to Ramat Gan. In an interview last year, his son denied this famous folklore, but admitted that it found its source in the fact that his father abhorred one of the verses in the Megilat Esther, and would skip over it during the reading. (We will bring the verse shortly) Anyone who knows us, knows full well that when a hellenist (with or without a yamulke) rises up and goes against something in Torah, we will immediately become quite fond of that particular something. For Torah is complete perfection, and if it is not complete, it is not Torah. One who denies even one verse or word of Torah is denying all of the Torah. The Torah is not a supermarket where one picks and chooses. The professor would have preferred that the Megilat Esther deal only in the \\\"positive aspects\\\". The idea of Jews killing their enemies was repulsive to him. But did anyone ever pay attention to the fact that almost all Jewish holidays involve to a large extent confrontations with Gentiles, our separation from them and our exacting of vengeance upon them? Take a look: Hanukah - Greeks; Purim - Persians; Passover - Egyptians. Even regarding the Holiday of Shavuot, the rabbis tell us that from Mount Sinai, the hatred of the gentile originated (and thus the Hebrew word for hate and \\\"Sinai\\\" are of the same root). Food for thought, no? Last but not least, here is the \\\"banned\\\" verse. (Despite the fact that this verse constitutes a violation of the following laws: revolution, incitement, racism, assisting terror, use of free speech for prohibited goals, we will take the risk and present it for all the Shin Bet to see): \\\"And the king said to Esther the queen, the Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the capital, and also the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the kings provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what more dost thou request? and it shall be done. Then Esther said, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do tomorrow also according to this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.\\\" The result of Esther's request was 75,000 dead gentiles. I ask you, is that nice? 520","The Hidden Hope Which Lies in the Hidden Messsage of Purim (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Two points in Megilat Esther are not clear. Firstly, what brought on the decree to destroy all the Jews, and secondly, what suddenly happened that caused the decree to be canceled? To understand this, we will look at the story of Purim. Like a bolt of lightning, the decree \\\"to destroy to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day\\\" fell upon Persian Jewry. The reaction of the Jews to this edict was quite puzzling. The Megilah says that the \\\"City of Shushan was in consternation\\\". Consternation? Certainly, a more normal reaction would be to shout or cry. But \\\"consternation\\\"? But if we take a glimpse at the of situation Persian Jewry at the time, we would see that consternation is the reaction we might expect after all. For it never entered their minds that such a thing could ever happen. They were the biggest patriots! They were the most loyal to Achasverosh! That is why when Achashverosh (nine months earlier) sent out invitations for the 180-day feast, the Jews were the first ones to confirm their attendance. All this despite the protests from the \\\"extremists\\\" such as Mordechai, who warned against their participation in such a feast, since it's intention was to make the Jews assimilate. But the Jews wanted to prove that they are not different than the rest. Thus the reaction of consternation upon hearing the shocking decree. But then the Megilah continues: \\\"And Mordechai knew all that was done...\\\" He had no illusions, and understood fully what caused the decree. He knew that the assimilation - precisely what the Jew thought would ease anti-Semitic tensions, was the very cause of the decree! For the rule was learned since our days in Egypt: Whenever the Jew tries to water down his Judaism and be accepted by the gentile, the latent hatred (which is always there) of the gentile towards the Jew outwardly manifests itself. If so, why was the decree annulled? Because immediately upon receiving word of the decree, Mordechai, as we mentioned, knew the reason for it, and did not give up. He also did not go on a boot- licking campaign to plead the case of the Jews to the king or his cabinet, despite the fact that he was no stranger to the palace and had connections there. What he did was to undergo a last-ditch effort to awaken the Jews to understand the real cause of the problem - that precisely their effort to shed their uniqueness as Jews and to blur over their Jewish identity and be like goyim is what brings upon them bad times. Indeed, it is not easy to convey such a message to a Jew, when he is so caught up in having the goy love him. Because such a message seems to contradict all logic. But in Shushan, a great miracle occurred, and it is the real hidden miracle of Purim - the Jews did \\\"Tsheuva\\\"! And not just \\\"Tsh'uva\\\" of talking without backing it up, but rather one of deeds. Instead of continuing to grovel to the Persians and bring down barriers as most Jews naturally react, they made themselves subservient to the truth of Mordechai only, admitting to their original mistake of participating in the forbidden banquet. This was the significance of the mass fast which was declared. It signified a genuine \\\"Tsheuva\\\" to G-d. By the way, now we can see why the Name of G-d does not appear in Megilat Esther, despite the fact that the theme of the story is \\\"Tsh'uva to G-d\\\". It is to tell us that when there is distress, one should not just rely on G-d to solve our problems in some miraculous fashion. Rather, we must prove by our actions that we understand the reason for the distress, and then do the right thing, even if it appears to 521","be \\\"illogical\\\". This should give us encouragement for today. For the problem of today is the same: Our need to copy the gentiles, to blur over our uniqueness as a people, and our absolute dependency on the world. At times it seems there is no hope. Can our people ever understand that America won't save us? And behold, we have a precedent in our history where from great distress, the Jewish People were able to wake up and to cling to the truth of Hashem. May we see the same awesome \\\"Naha-Fochu\\\" (a turning of the tables) quickly. Drinking for Clarity (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 695:2) brings down as law the words of our sages' in Megillah (7b): \\\"A man is required to mellow himself (with wine) on Purim until he cannot tell the difference between 'cursed be Haman' and' blessed be Mordechai'.\\\" Many fine Jews have pondered this somewhat bizarre utterance, and have given different explanations. Is the phrase teaching us that we should get absolutely \\\"plastered\\\" on Purim, to the point where our minds cannot distinguish properly? It seems odd that the sages would encourage such a thing. After all, Purim, like any other holiday, is intended to convey to the Jew certain ideas. Since one of the central ideas of Purim is the struggle between good and evil; between Mordechai and Haman - why would the sages want to muddle and obscure these concepts? Furthermore, the expression, \\\"to mellow oneself\\\" does not connote that one should be \\\"rip-roaring drunk\\\", and certainly it is not likely the sages would endorse such a state of mind. Our teacher, Rabbi Kahane, HY\\\"D, offers a powerful explanation to this question. The point is not that one should drink until he becomes confused and says, \\\"Cursed be Mordechai\\\", G-d forbid. Rather, he should understand that there is no difference between blessing Mordechai and cursing Haman,between blessing the righteous man and cursing the evil one. Both are mitzvot. It is a mitzvah to fight and curse the evil-doer precisely the way it is a mitzvah to bless the righteous man. The two are equal, complementing one another. Jewish Complex: The Mercy of Fools Let us develop this idea. It would not be a shocking revelation if we said that Jews in our generation, as well as in past generations, have a serious problem with the concept of cursing and hating evil. Despite the fact that this subject is a central part of Judaism, permeating the Tanach, Mishnah,Talmud, and halacha, for all kinds of reasons it is difficult for Jews to internalize the need for the burning out of evil, and the hating of the evil-doer. It is a hang-up we are familiar with from the days of King Saul(who in his misguided mercy spared Agag the Amalekite, which eventually brought upon us the episode of Haman!) - until this very day, where mercy on enemies and murderers has brought us to the brink of tragedy. For the record, Queen Esther did not fail in this area. After the first day of Jewish vengeance against their enemies, Achashverosh asked her if she had another request. She answered: \\\"If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do tomorrow also according to this day's decrees, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows\\\". In other words, Esther did not have the galut complex of taking pity on a fallen enemy, but rather requested that the Jew-haters be killed one more day. 522","Drinking Straightens our Thinking When the sages tell us that we should not distinguish \\\"between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai\\\", they are coming to tell us: You are required to mellow yourselves with wine, so that you will not hesitate to come to the full understanding that the concept of \\\"Blessed is Mordechai\\\" is equal to the concept, \\\"Cursed is Haman\\\". That is, hatred of evil is no less important or fundamental than love of good, and there is no one without the other. Purim is the time to elevate ourselves in our thinking. Precisely by getting a little tipsy on wine, we can remove the usual inhibitions and hesitations, which commonly prevent us from cursing and hating evil! The Rav has taught us something tremendous. Purim is not a holiday of drunken confusion and chaos, or for casting off our heavenly yoke. On the contrary. Purim is the day to cast off the hypocrisy of our everyday lives,and to sever ourselves from the phony self-righteousness which causes us to not to want to condemn the wicked. Getting mellow or tipsy on wine straightens us out. If foreign, un-Jewish concepts permeate our thoughts allyear round, on Purim we reveal our authentic, uninhibited selves. Without apologies, without \\\"the mercy of fools\\\" (as termed by the Ramban); without being \\\"more righteous than our Creator\\\" (as the midrash depicts Saul when he refuses to kill Agag). In Conclusion, a Word About Dr. Goldstein At this juncture, let us mention that this Purim is the fourth annual Yohrzeit for the holy Dr. Baruch Goldstein, HY\\\"D. In all his deeds, were member Dr. Goldstein as a man, who in his life and his death, was a symbol of \\\"not knowing the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai\\\". On one hand, he was the epitome of good. His dedication as a doctor to heal his patients was incredible. \\\"Ahavat Yisrael\\\" conquered his heart. From this aspect, he was \\\"blessed is Mordechai\\\". On the other hand,this love was not \\\"out of control\\\". He knew that just as it is an obligation to love the good, it is also a \\\"mitzvah\\\" to hate the wicked. This is the\\\"cursed is Haman\\\" aspect. May we merit to be whole in our attributes, and to internalize our understanding that the war against evil is part and parcel to the goal of bringing good to the world. 523","PASSOVER How Does One Properly Tell the Passover Story (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg It is clear that the major goal of the Seder night is to recite the Hagaddah and to fulfill the mitzvah, \\\"and you shall tell your children.\\\" That is, by recounting to our children and to ourselves as well, the Exodus from Egypt, we actualize in our minds these events of history, and as a result strengthen our \\\"emunah\\\". But no matter how convincing one tells the story about the PAST redemption, he misses the point if he ignores the discussing the subject of the FUTURE redemption . Rabbi Menachem Kasher, ZT\\\"L, in his book \\\"HaTkufa HaGidola\\\" (The Great Era) brings down an important \\\"chidush\\\". He says that during the night of the Seder, one is obligated to include thanks to G- d for the miracles that we have witnessed in our generation. As proof he brings the words of the Rashba, who says that the mitzvah of remembering our Exodus from Egypt is to glorify G-d's Name and to teach trust ('Bitachon') in G-d. This being the case, these same lessons can be learned by the miracles we have recently witnessed in our times - miracles of the Final Redemption. The Hagaddah recites a story that sharpens the point: \\\"It happened that Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar Ben Azariah, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarphon were reclining (at a Seder) in Benei Berak. They were discussing the Exodus all that night, until their students came and told them: \\\"Rabbis! It is time for the morning prayer \\\"Shma!\\\" The obvious questions which have already been asked are: How could the rabbis not have paid attention by themselves that the time for the reading of the \\\"Shma\\\" had arrived? In addition, what were these rabbis doing sitting together on Seder night, when each had a family and a Yeshiva of his own in different parts of the country? Why were they sitting in Bnei Berak, the place of (the student) Rabbi Akiva? Before giving the answer, some historical background is necessary: Only a few years had passed since the Destruction of the Second Temple, and the Land of Israel was controlled by the Romans. But secretly, the planning of the revolution had begun - a revolution which saw Rabbi Akiva play a central role as the \\\"armsbearer\\\" of Bar-Cochba (see Rambam, Hilchot Milachim). The rest of the Rabbis were also quite active in the rebellion, as the Rambam writes: \\\"and he (Rabbi Akiva)and ALL THE RABBIS OF HIS GENERATION thought that he (Bar-Cochba) was the Messiah\\\". And so the rabbis with Rabbi Akiva were sitting together on the SEDER NIGHT to learn and discuss the FUNDAMENTALS OF THE REDEMPTION AND TO MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR THE REBELLION. They were learning in secret, covertly, perhaps in the famous Caves of Bar-Cochba. If so, it would be clear why their students would need to inform them that morning had broke. (It is worth pointing out a nice explanation for \\\"the time for 'Shma' has arrived : \\\"Shma Yisrael\\\" is a symbol for \\\"Kiddush Hashem\\\", and the students were saying to their rabbis: OUR RABBIS! THE TIME FOR KIDDUSH HASHEM HAS ARRIVED! - REBEL AGAINST THE ROMANS AND BRING THE REDEMPTION!) Here is the crucial lesson: The rabbis understood that the purpose of the Seder night was not just to 524","retell a story that once was. The Exodus from Egypt is the source and inspiration for the Future Redemption as well, and that is why our sages tell us that the first redemption is a sign for the Final Redemption. Since the rabbis believed that there was a real possibility then to bring the Final Redemption (and that Bar-Cochba was a feasible candidate for Messiah), they sat on the Seder night to plan the tactics and natural stages of the redemption, which they hoped would come through this planned rebellion. This generation has merited to see what our ancestors did not merit since the Destruction : A rebuilt Land of Israel, the ingathering of the exiles, and miraculous victories over our enemies. Surely we are not more worthy than our ancestors and somehow deserve it, but rather it was done for G-d's Holy Name which had been so desecrated during a 2,000 year exile. Unfortunately we witness a redemption that is not one of \\\"Achishena\\\" (swiftly and with glory) but rather one of \\\"Bi-Eta\\\" (slowly, in its time), which is a redemption accompanied by great suffering and pain. It is the type of redemption that G-d brings upon us against our will, since we refuse to participate in it. Moreover, Israeli leadership has only worked to toss a monkey wrench in the works... This Passover night, let us not only discuss the past, but the following two items as well: 1. We must contemplate the miracles which we have witnessed in our generation, with an understanding that it is G-d's Hand and the expression of His Will to bring us the Final Redemption. 2. If the great sages sat on the Seder Night and occupied themselves with the revolution which had not yet begun, certainly we are obligated to sit and engross ourselves with the redemption process that has already begun. We must sit and think how in a PRACTICAL WAY we can remove the monkey wrench that the wicked have tossed in the wheels, and must contemplate how we can quicken and advance the process with acts of \\\"Kiddush Hashem\\\", \\\"Emunah\\\", and \\\"Msirut Nefesh\\\", which are the keys to redemption. May we merit to properly fulfill the mitzvah of telling the Passover story, and to act upon the practical conclusions derived from learning about the First Redemption. Have a happy and kosher Passover. Seventh Day of Passover - the Holiday of the Decimation (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The \\\"Holiday of the Decimation\\\"? Seventh Day of Passover (by Binyamin Zev Kahane, H\\\"yd, 1996) The name of the holiday in the title of this article sounds a bit strange. Yet, it appears in the Passover Haggadah of the \\\"Rasag\\\", Rabeinu Saudia HaGaon, one of the great Gaonim after the period in which the Talmud was written. He used the name \\\"Chag HaHashmada\\\" - The Holiday of Destruction in reference to the Seventh Day of Passover. And indeed, after a little thought, the reason for such a name is quite simple: The seventh day of Passover commemorates the day when the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea. For this, a Yom Tov was set down. Thus, the name: The Holiday of Destruction. As simple as this might seem, in these days it is not simple at all. For the distorters, perverters, and 525","ignoramuses work overtime to change the message of Passover to be precisely the opposite! In recent years, so many are overjoyed to bring a source called \\\"Midrash Harneinu\\\", which does not exist today but is brought down by a few \\\"Achronim\\\", where it says that we say only half a \\\"Hallel\\\" on Passover because when the Almighty drowned the Egyptians, he said, \\\"the works of My hands are drowning in the sea, and you sing a song?\\\" And since the liberals FINALLY found a source (at first glance) that supports their point of view, they pounce upon it like coveted booty, quoting it non-stop. But alas, they are mistaken. The name which Rabeinu Saudia HaGaon gives for this day sheds a great deal of light on the essence of what the seventh day of Passover is all about. In other words, not only did the drowning of the Egyptians not take away from the \\\"simcha\\\" of the holiday, but quite the contrary - THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE SEVENTH DAY OF PASSOVER IS THE JOY AND GRATITUDE FOR THE DROWNING OF THE EGYPTIANS. Let us pay attention: Why was the seventh day of Passover set down as a \\\"Yom Tov\\\", and not another \\\"Chol HaMoed\\\", just as the seventh day of Succot is a \\\"Chol HaMoed\\\"? The answer is, that on the seventh day of Passover, we celebrate a very special \\\"Yom Tov\\\", because it is the day in which the Egyptians were drowned in the sea! If so, then obviously for one to say that it is forbidden to rejoice over the drowning of the Egyptians is a contradiction of terms! On the contrary, the day was set down as a Yom Tov ONLY because of the drowning of the Egyptians! In the TALMUD, which is a pretty decent source, we find the explanation why only half a \\\"Hallel\\\" is said. It is explained in Trachtate Arachin (10) that: \\\"The sacrifices are not divided up\\\". In other words, in contrast to \\\"Succot\\\" where each day a DIFFERENT number of sacrifices are brought which demonstrates the uniqueness of each and every day (and so on each day we say \\\"Hallel\\\"), on Passover, the same number of sacrifices are offered each day, and so there is no need to say the complete \\\"Hallel\\\", which corresponds to the sacrifices, other than the first day! We are still left with the question concerning the saying: \\\"the works of My hands are drowning in the sea, and you want to sing a song?\\\", which indeed is brought down in the Talmud (though not in any connection to \\\"Hallel\\\") in Tractate Sanhedrin (39). If one reads the entire passage, he will see that G-d did not want the ANGELS to sing for the drowning of the Egyptians! Two more points on this subject: 1. It must be payed attention to that the continuation (the next sentence!) of the same Talmud says: \\\"He (G-d) is not happy, but he commands others (Israel) to be happy\\\". In other words, only G-d is not happy, since he cannot be joyful that he is forced to destroy the works of His hands - BUT HE DEMANDS OF US THAT WE REJOICE over the destruction of the haters of Israel, which is a Kiddush Hashem. The fact is, Israel certainly DID sing the great song which we all know - the song of the sea, WHICH WE SAY EVERY MORNING. 2. Other parallel midrashim teach us that G-d's words on the people drowning in the sea were referring to the JEWS, who at that moment were crossing the sea and had not yet been saved! This becomes clear after seeing midrashim which say: 'Yisrael was in trouble in the sea\\\" (Tanchuma), or \\\"My hosts are in trouble\\\" (Shmot Raba, 23) In any case, the point is clear that the entire Yom Tov of the seventh day of Passover is for the drowning of the evil enemy, which is a Kiddush Hashem, as it says in the Mechilta: \\\"When the Almighty punishes the wicked, his name is made Great and Holy.\\\" Happy Holiday. 526","Excerpts from the Haggadah of the Jewish Idea (1997) Translated by Lenny Goldberg Introduction to the Haggadah of the Jewish Idea The purpose of the Haggadah of the Jewish Idea is not to add yet another Haggadah to the collection of Haggadot already available to the public. It's purpose is rather to present the concepts of the authentic Jewish Idea in general, and in particular the concept of faith in G-d, on this holy night of the year: the Seder night, which was ordained as the night which would define the faith of the Jew. There is no task more important today than that of rectifying those most fundamental Jewish concepts, including - indeed, in particular - among b'nei Torah, Torah scholars. For indeed, on one hand the long exile has caused us to forget the very soul of Judaism and the Jewish idea; and on the other hand, foreign cultures have penetrated deep, including into the halls of Torah, and have emasculated our ideology. So widespread have these phenomena become, that few today are capable of differentiating between hametz and matza, between Jewish ideas and foreign ideas. Similarly, at the core of the necessity for this Haggadah stands the fact that many Jews sit at the Seder table in order to fulfill the mitzvah of the night, to recount the Exodus from Egypt, but find themselves entirely dependent upon \\\"vortim\\\" which have only the slightest of connections with the message of Pesach, or indeed the teachings of Judaism in general. I hope that this Haggadah will serve to aid all who are interested in expounding on the Exodus on the Seder night. \\\"And all those who labor in it greatly are praiseworthy.\\\" This Haggadah was written according to the principles which I learned from my father and teacher of blessed memory, may G-d avenge his blood. Having said that, I have cited as primary sources his various books (in particular The Jewish Idea and the series of commentaries on the Bible, Perush Hamacabee) only when I quoted from them directly, or when I set forth an idea according to a specific source in his writings; however, I have not cited my father's works when I concatenated several different sources, nor when I expounded upon a general trend of thought which appears in his writings... Having said that, it is important to emphasize that almost the entire commentary is based upon his words, and of course upon the principles of his teachings. And I hope that my work will cause no one to stumble. During the months of work writing this commentary, I was \\\"honored\\\" to be harassed by the authorities, especially when they chose precisely this time to carry out an intensive interrogation against me; I was accused of the \\\"crime\\\" of writing various commentaries on the Torah - \\\"incitement\\\" by their definition. Indeed, even this very work was saved from falling into their clutches by the grace of G-d; I was but a step away from being forcibly prevented from publishing this commentary in time for Pesach of this year 5757 (1997). However, it was precisely this fact which ultimately gave me the added strength and impetus necessary to complete this work, to publish this Haggadah, and to spread the authentic Jewish Idea among the Jewish People - in spite of those who desire to delegitimize and to ban the truth, and to prevent us from speaking that truth. In closing, I hereby thank all those who helped me in this work: David Cohen, one of the outstanding Torah scholars in the Yeshiva of the Jewish Idea in Kfar Tapuach, who toiled unstintingly in preparing the practical and halachic sources for the Seder night so that every detail be written accurately; he neither slumbered nor slept until he prepared a complete addendum (which is at the end of this Haggadah), which gives in a concentrated form the sources for all of the halachot throughout the Haggadah, as well as additional halachot and glosses. I also thank two other members of our Yeshiva - 527","Uri Amit for donating his time to check the entire commentary and to provide his enlightening comments; also of course to the artist Avinadav Vitkin who was good enough to place his unique talent at our disposal. I also thank the anonymous benefactor who placed at my disposal his personal computer for the specific purpose of compiling this work, after the Israeli police saw it fit to confiscate my own computer from my house during the preparation of this Haggadah. I conclude with the prayer that all those who study and learn this work will be enriched, and will be brought closer to the clear and straightforward concepts of Judaism in general and of Pesach in particular. I also pray that it will encourage them to study and to relate to the authentic concepts of Judaism throughout the year. Binyamin Zev Kahane Adar II, 5757 (March '97) *** \\\"Why Is This Night Different?..\\\" If he has a son, the son asks. In contrast to Hanukah and Purim where we are commanded to \\\"publicize the miracle\\\" (and include everyone), on Pesach, the publicizing of the miracle starts first of all with the children. And this is for the reason we mentioned (in the introduction) - that here the goal of the publicizing of the miracle is that the father, at the first available moment, will pass down the principles of faith in the G-d of Israel and the exodus of Egypt to the small son, so as to continue the unbreakable chain. And how tremendous is the fact that the Emunah of Yisrael, despite it's depth, is simple enough in its basis, that it can be conveyed from father to small boy, by means of a simple story appropriate for a child. This is the significance of the questions which appear here. And it is incumbent upon us to arouse each child, according to his ability, to ask more and more questions. Because the idea is better internalized if he asks and gets an answer, than if he just gets the answer (without asking). And from here one can learn that even if there are no children, the adult should provoke questions for himself and others, in order to sharpen the understanding. On this night we add another link to the chain of our tradition, conveying the concrete basis of the faith through all the generations, because in such a way can the new generation ITSELF see things properly, despite the fact that \\\"officially\\\", thousands of years have passed since the event took place. And, behold, he did not see it with his own eyes. But the passing down of the message from generation to generation in such a concrete and precise fashion makes it EXACTLY AS IF HE SAW IT. Just as no one doubts historical events which took place two hundred years ago, since everything is known and passed onward by humanity, so, too can the events of over 3,000 years not be doubted, because the people passed it down in the same way, each one to his children. And this is the difference between Hanukah, Purim, and Passover. For only on Passover was each one commanded to see himself as if he left Egypt, since this fact is the basis of our faith, and without it, our faith would not have survived in such a precise manner after so many thousands of years, hundreds of generations, and countless tragedies and exiles. In such a way, the child is not only connected to his father, but also to the father of his fathers who lived hundreds of years ago and thousands of years ago, each one being a special pipeline for this message which is intended PERSONALLY FOR HIM! On this night, the Jewish child will also receive upon himself his responsibility for the next generations, to continue the chain and the pipeline, and he will understand that if he does not connect himself to the Jewish People, there is no reason for his existence. 528","*** The Four Questions: The Torah speaks to the Jew in the language and style he understands and can relate to. It even adjusts itself to different types of people. As the midrash in Yilkot Shimoni says, (Dvraim, 776 ): \\\"That you should go with the strict types according to their understanding, and with the moderate types according to their understanding.\\\" But there are two limitations: 1. You cannot change the Torah around as you see fit to do so. Adjustments for different people and different situations are already found in the \\\"halacha\\\", and if it is not in the \\\"halacha\\\", no man has the authority to change and adjust matters, even if he feels that he is \\\"saving\\\" the Torah. 2. Even if it is possible conveying the message in different ways to different people, if in the end it doesn't work and that particular Jew still doesn't want to listen, he is not dismissed from the Torah, and we are not dismissed from telling him words of Torah. The famous saying, \\\"In the same way that it is a mitzvah to say something that will be listened to, it is a mitzvah not to say something that will not be listened to\\\", has nothing to do with the essence of the message, and one cannot dismiss someone from mitzvot from the Torah for such a reason. On the contrary, \\\"And whether they listen or refuse to - let them know that a prophet was amongst them\\\". (Ezekhiel, 3) You just tell them Torah, even if there is a need to \\\"blunt his teeth\\\", as the Haggadah eventually tells us we should do to the evil son. And even if he blunts OUR TEETH, we will not shut up, as G-d told Yishiyahu, \\\"my children are rebellious. If you accept it upon yourself to be humiliated and beaten by my children, then you may go as my messenger; and if not - you will not go as my messenger...\\\" (Shmot Raba, 7:3) *** \\\"Tonight We Recline\\\" This is one of the things we do to show that we are \\\"Bnei Horin\\\" (free men). In other words, there is a need for the Jewish People, who are a Holy Nation and a Priestly Kingdom, to partake in symbolic actions which give them the feeling of who they are and what they're all about! We are not slaves! We have a destiny which is loftier than all destinies! Thus, we should respect ourselves as free men, and behave accordingly - not out of personal pride or ego, G-d forbid, but rather out of a national pride, that we belong to a nation which is the Nation of Hashem, and Hashem's honor is our responsibility! This symbolism is expressed in our sitting in a reclining position - and how important it is to take the concept out of the framework of mere symbolism. It is incumbent upon us to LIVE like free men in a practical sense. We must shake off the shackles of bondage, and stop educating our children as if they still live in some ghetto, always worried about what the goy will say and think. If we do not do this, then these actions fall to the level of empty, sterile acts of ritual, no more meaningful than the rote manners of a trained monkey. ***************************************************************************** \\\"Because He passed over\\\" - The salvation in Egypt began with separation; that is to say, with the Jews' willingness to demonstrate the practical difference between themselves and the gentiles by daubing the blood of the slaughtered 'god' of Egypt on their doors, without fearing the Egyptians' reactions, as we explained in the Midrashic interpretation of the phrase in your blood you will live (above). And this willingness to set themselves apart (havdala) in spite of the apparent danger is the proof of faith. And 529","just as in the first Redemption, so too in our days: the Redemption depends upon our willingness to adopt those same concepts of separation, concepts which stem from acceptance of the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, without fearing being labeled \\\"racist\\\", a tag both Gentiles and Jews will attempt to apply. It is no coincidence that the biggest internal struggle within Jewry today, the struggle between Judaism and Hellenism, centers around the concept of separation. It is no coincidence that the argument as to whether or not to vomit the Arabs out of the Land of Israel no longer centers around the question of whether it is practicable or advantageous, and not even whether it is morally justified or not; rather, the entire argument today is one of \\\"racism\\\" even though race should be utterly irrelevant in a confrontation against an enemy, when that confrontation is not defined in racialist terms. The fact is that the redemption depends upon our separating from the nations, and principally upon the Jews' readiness to adopt this concept [of havdala], with all the halachic and practical implications that it carries. *** The Sons ... and in answering the wise son, we tell him all the halachot, (for this too he requested to know) right up until the last one, which is the Afikoman. And there is a stress here that it doesn't suffice explaining to him the general idea of Judaism, but rather the halacha, up to the last detail is also needed. This is to teach all those who stress \\\"nationalism\\\" and other aspects of the Jewish idea, but abandon the fulfillment of the halacha and all it's details. Here we tell the wise son that as much as he gains wisdom in understanding the essence of Judaism, remember that all this is worth nothing if he forsakes the fulfillment of the practical mitzvot and it's details. In any case, without a doubt the basis of the answer is the story of the exodus from Egypt (\\\"We were slaves...\\\") which is the base of our faith, and if we believe in this, then we will come to understand that the Torah is truth and it is an obligation to fulfill it, because slaves we were to Pharo in Egypt, and now we are slaves to G-d... The evil son - \\\"What does this service mean to you?\\\" The Tanchuma (Shmot 5) says that the evil son says, \\\"Let us be as Egyptians\\\". And this is the key to understanding this son. He wants to dismiss himself from the yoke of belonging to Am Yisrael and all this \\\"service\\\". Thus we can understand why he says \\\"to you\\\". After all, at first glance there should be no connection between throwing away service to G-d (mitzvot), and alienation from the Jewish People which is expressed by his saying, \\\"to you\\\". But the author of the Hagadah sees the essential connection. Only for a very short time can there be a reality where one can feel a connection to his people without a connection to Torah and mitzvot. And so we see in these times how those who raised the banner of fighting against religion, lost their connection to Zionism, where as those who remained truly faithful to nationalism were those who strengthened their connection to religion. \\\"Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed\\\" Why? Because he would have died during the plague of darkness in which all the \\\"Jewish criminals\\\" died. Who \\\"merited\\\" such a nickname? Those WHO DID NOT WANT TO LEAVE EGYPT. And this fortifies what we said earlier: The connection between the evil son who throws away the service to G-d and his alienation from Am Yisrael. And what could symbolize the alienation from Am Yisrael more than his lack of willingness to make Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, which is the base of the nation; the place which unites the nation and gives life to it and it's Torah. 530","\\\"... consequently you must blunt his teeth and reply to him...\\\" There is no behaving towards him with \\\"Darke Noam\\\", and we don't say, \\\"you are our brother\\\". For the good of the rest of the Jewish People, we must act harshly towards him. He who willfully takes himself out of \\\"Clal Yisrael\\\" and rejects the people and land of Israel must be dealt with harshly. Without a doubt, this harsh treatment will convince others who are borderline (like the son who does not know how to ask) that it is not worthwhile to go in such a way, and thus encourage them to go in the way of the wise son, thereby saving themselves. The simple son: The Yirushalmi and Rambam call this son, \\\"foolish\\\". What does the simple son understand? \\\"With a strong hand did Hashem take us out of Egypt\\\". Anyone is capable of grasping this message of Emunah. True, not everyone can reach high levels of understanding the way of G-d, but anyone can, even the most foolish of people, even he who is totally cut off from anything spiritual, even a gentile - is capable of grasping G-d's existence through G-d's strong Hand and Omnipotence. The truth is, that the Torah answers the wise son in the same basic way at the beginning, but with him, the answer is expanded upon greatly with all the details....(Dvarim 6) The simple son won't understand this, so we mention to him G-d's strong Hand, and this is sufficient for leaving an impression upon him that will bring him to real emunah. And an important thing here: The real Emunah, despite it's awesome scope, does not demand deep wisdom in order for one to accept it (despite the fact that the wisdom certainly deepens the understanding). Any Jew can reach a real and simple level of truth which will obligate him. After all, if this were not so, the Almighty would not be able to expect anything from the foolish! *** NEW!!! \\\"FOR NOT ONLY HAS ONE RISEN AGAINST US TO DESTROY US, BUT IN ALL GENERATIONS THEY RISE UP AGAINST US TO DESTROY US.\\\" Here there is a double stress on \\\"to destroy us\\\" - The goal of the goyim is not just to distress us, but rather our very existence is what bothers them. And so it is in this generation, where a piece of territory or another is not what interests them, but rather the annihilation of Am Yisrael, and this illogical hatred of the nations was bred at Mount Sinai. \\\"BUT IN EVERY GENERATION THEY RISE UP AGAINST US TO DESTROY US\\\" What a flat statement to make! And the question may be asked: Was there not a generation where they did NOT rise up against us to destroy us? But there are different methods to wipe us out. There are those who try to wipe us out physically, like Haman and Hitler; and there are those try to wipe us out physically through trickery, so we that we won't prevent the attempt to do so. Then there are those who try to destroy us spiritually by assimilation, like Greece. In any case, the rule that Esau hates Yaakov holds in every generation, as we see in this statement. POUR FORTH YOUR WRATH UPON THE NATIONS... These verses have been inserted towards the end of the Seder night to encourage us: Do not despair! The redemption will surely come! And it is significant that the rabbis chose specifically these verses for this encouragement, and not verses of comfort which speak of the redemption itself. Apparently, from living themselves under cruel Roman occupation, they understood that the greatest encouragement of all is the defeat of the persecutor. Unfortunately, when we speak of those who persecute Jews, many of us today ignore this central concept of vengeance. There are those who are filled with desire for revenge on a personal level, even though this is expressly forbidden (\\\"do not take revenge against the 531","sons of your people\\\" - Leviticus 19:18), while at the same time self-righteously objecting to revenge on a NATIONAL level - which is a mitzvah. CHAD GADYA (One single kid) \u2013 The Vilna Ga'on explains chad gadya as being a parable of Jewish history throughout the generations up until the final Redemption; the author of the Ma'asei Nissim similarly interprets it. The end of this song brings us to the End of Days: Then came the ox these are the nations (principally Edom [Rome], who is symbolized by the ox); then came the slaughterer and slaughtered the ox this is Mashiach ben Yosef, who will wreak vengeance upon those nations who did evil to the Jews; then came the Angel of Death and slaughtered the slaughterer for Mashiach ben Yosef will be killed in his war; finally, then came the Holy One, blessed be he, and slaughtered the Angel of death for the final stage of the redemption will be that God Himself will come with Mashiach ben David and redeem us and death itself will be forever canceled. It is appropriate at this point to expand on the subject of Mashiach ben Yosef, for there are certain commentators who see the four cups of wine of the Seder night as paralleling the four Mashiachs, or the four Redeemers, one of whom is Mashiach ben Yosef who is pertinent to our present era of the beginning of the Redemption, referred to by the Vilna Ga'on (in Kol ha-Tor) as meshicha de'at-chalta (the Mashiach of the beginning). There are several sources that speak of the four Redeemers. The Midrash ha-Gadol (Exodus 6:7), for example, says: \\\"For the four future Redemptions, God will raise up four Redeemers: Eliyahu, Mashiach ben David, Mashiach ben Yosef, and the High Priest.\\\" In other midrashim, Mashiach ben Yosef is referred to as mashu'ach milchama (anointed for war). The reason for this is that his task is to fight against the nations and to conquer the Land of Israel, and thus he begins the process of Redemption. Only subsequent to this can Mashiach ben David come and complete the Redemption, the principal purpose of which is spiritual redemption. Even though, as already mentioned, Mashiach ben Yosef is destined to be killed, this is not, nonetheless, inevitable. For if the Redemption is \\\"hastened\\\", if the Jews repent of their sins and bring about the Redemption by being worthy of it, and recognize Mashiach ben Yosef and his task for what they are, then all these processes will be far quicker and more miraculous, and Mashich ben Yosef will not have to be killed. However, a Redemption that happens \\\"in its time\\\" comes about slowly, stage by stage, as the Jews refuse to carry out those actions crucial to bringing about the complete Redemption immediately. Mashiach ben Yosef thus faces tremendous difficulties, most of them internal Jewish problems, since the Jews will not recognize him. This is alluded to when the progenitor of Mashiach ben Yosef, the biblical Yosef (Joseph) himself, was approached by his brothers in Egypt: \\\"and Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did recognize him\\\" (Genesis 42:8). That is to say, Yosef's love of Israel commits him to his people, even when they \\\"do not know him\\\". Those who \\\"do not know him\\\" are led by the erev rav, the 'mixed multitude' of non-Jews who left Egypt with the Jews (Ex. 12:38). It is against them, according to the Vilna Ga'on, that Mashiach ben Yosef's main battle will be, since it is they who prevent the Holy Nation from believing in God and recognizing the conditions which will hasten the redemption; thus they both weaken the nation from within, and strengthen the nation's enemies from without. Who is Mashiach ben Yosef? In every generation there is a 'candidate for the post' of Mashiach ben Yosef, as well as one who could be Mashiach ben David. It is the actions of the generation, and the subsequent judgement of God, that 532","decide upon their being revealed. In any event, he who has the soul of Mashiach ben Yosef strives in every generation to bring the physical Redemption nearer; but it is only in our era that the generation has merited to see its implementation. We can but pray that all we have learned about the Redemption will be actualized soon, swiftly and painlessly, that we may merit a 'hastened' Redemption, that our merits may bring Mashiach ben David, who will complete the process of redemption. Amen. The Ten Plagues: Couldn't G-d have taken us out of Egypt without all this violence? After all, G-d is Omnipotent, and certainly he could have taken us out Egypt with \\\"Darke Noam\\\" or even by way of a \\\"peace process\\\". After all, it would seem that what is most important is that the Jews got out of Egypt - for what all this cruelty and vengeance? The answer is that the goal of the exodus of Egypt was not just that the people of Israel go free, but the major goal was that G-d-hating gentiles and desecrators of His Name who \\\"did not know G-d\\\" (as Pharo said upon seeing Moses the first time), -- would know G-d. But the gentile does not grasp the existence of G-d, and certainly won't accept the concept that He chose the Jews as His people, by way of \\\"awe and spiritual elevation\\\" or through pure intellectual understanding. Only by the way of him seeing and feeling Hashem's Might and Power can the most obtuse of gentiles understand G-d's existence and choice of Am Yisrael. And when the gentile insists on not believing in Him, and defames and fights against Israel thereby desecrating the Name of G-d, and empties the Name of G-d from the world, so to speak, then G-d unleashes His arsenal against him, so that \\\"he will know that I am G-d\\\". *** \\\"Because He Passed Over The Houses...\\\" The salvation from the Egyptians started with the \\\"havdala\\\" (the separation) - that is the willingness of the Jewish People to show their differences between them and the gentiles in a practical way. It was exemplified by the placing of the blood from the slaughtered Egyptian deity on their doorposts without fearing the Egyptian reaction. This readiness for havdala displays proof to one's emunah. And just as in the first redemption, so it is in our days, where the redemption is dependent on Am Yisrael's willingness to adopt upon themselves concepts connected to \\\"havdala\\\", through the acceptance of the yoke of Heaven., and without fearing that we will be labeled as \\\"racists\\\". And it is not for nothing that the internal struggle today between the Jewish People and the Hellenists centers around this concept of \\\"havdala\\\". Nor is it a coincidence that the entire question of whether to vomit out the Arabs or not, ends up being centered around - not whether it will work, and not even ethics, bur rather around \\\"racism\\\", which at first glance has nothing to with anything. But the truth is that the redemption is dependent upon our separating ourselves from the nations, and most essentially our readiness to adopt for ourselves all the practical halachot which derive from the concept. *** \\\"Terach The Father Of Avraham...\\\" Why is Terach mentioned here as the father of Avraham? After all, Avraham is in a certain aspect a convert, and \\\"a convert is like a new-born baby\\\", and so according to halacha, one should not relate the convert to his father. But perhaps it is to teach us a lesson that family lineage is not something important. For we see that the \\\"gedolim\\\" of our nation did not come from the purest of lineages. David came from Ruth the Moavite, and in the gemara, we see how the rabbis discussed whether or not a Moavite can ever convert to Judaism at all. And David himself came from Peretz, who was born from the problematic relation between Yehuda and Tamar. And with all this, King David is the father of the dynasty of the Messiah of the Kingdom of Israel. And if the Father of the Nation, Avraham, came out of a family of idol-worshipers, then certainly we shouldn't be more stringent than the halacha demands 533","when checking the lineage of other people. Rather, we must check who is the person HIMSELF. To such an extent that, \\\"A bastard who is a scholar precedes a Cohen Hagadol who is an ignoramous.\\\" (Mishnah, Horayot 3:8) Passover - 50 Strides Towards Holiness (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The fifty days between Pesach and Shavuot teach us the meaning of true in dependence; after fifty years of statehood, we should evolve from a \\\"Nation\\\"to a \\\"Holy Nation.\\\" As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the independence of the state of Israel, it is important to examine what the concept of independence is. This can be accomplished by studying the holiday of Pesach, since Pesach, in a sense, is our first Independence Day. Indeed, Pesach is termed, \\\"ChagHaCherut\\\" - the Holiday of Freedom. For on this day we were liberated for the first time, from the yoke of foreign rule and bondage. Subsequently we were able to proceed towards the actualization of our national destiny. However, this was only a beginning. Another fifty strides were necessary -the fifty days it took to reach Mount Sinai. Only then was our independence complete. There are two conditions which must be met in order for the Jewish People to achieve true independence, and the fulfillment of only one will not suffice. These conditions are: 1) Liberation from the rule of the gentile \u2013 whether it is liberation from his land, or from actual slavery. 2) The acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, the G-d of Israel. What is Bondage? The first condition can be better understood when analyzing the essential part of the story of our exodus from Egypt which we read in the Haggadah.\\\"We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt...Had not the Holy One Blessed is He,taken our fathers out from Egypt, then we, our children and our children's children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.\\\" Is this statement not a bit far-fetched? How can we be sure that in a later generation, a merciful king would not have arisen and \\\"emancipated\\\" us? The answer is, that it is indeed likely such a thing might have occurred, but this would not have been considered liberation from bondage. For the essence of bondage is living as a minority under the rule of gentiles in their land. Certainly there are various degrees of exile and bondage. Sometimes, the Jew is humiliated. At other times, he is an actual slave. Still, other times, he is sent to the gas chambers. But it is all just a matter of degree, since in each case he is in exile, lacking independence and at the mercy of the gentile. In other words, even if there is a certain period where Jews live in an illusion of comfort in the exile, this is still \\\"bondage\\\", since they are prevented from fulfilling their destiny as the Nation of G-d! No Pesach Without Shavuot The second condition is expressed in the fact that although Pesach is the\\\"Time of Our Freedom\\\", this only made us into a nation like any other. Another fifty days were needed until we became a \\\"Holy Nation\\\", and this occurred on Shavuot, when we received the Torah. In order to teach us that our purpose is to be a holy nation and not merely a free nation, G-d connected our national liberation to the giving of the Torah. This connection was made by the counting of the Omer. By counting the days between Pesach and Shavuot, we are made aware of the connection between these two holidays. 534","A Jew needs two legs to walk. If he only has one leg, he is a cripple. That is, if he meets only one of the aforementioned conditions, he hobbles on one leg. Unfortunately, this situation is quite prevalent. On the one hand,there are those Jews who believe that Jewish independence is entirely realized through sitting and learning Torah. For them, it does not matter if this learning is done in Germany, Morocco, Israel, or a ghetto in Poland. It does not dawn on them that there can be no freedom - physical or spiritual -while under the rule of gentiles. On the other hand, there is the other kind of cripple: those who seek onlyphysical freedom. For them, the \\\"Holiday of Freedom\\\" suffices. They are notinterested in holiness. But when you remove the \\\"Holy\\\" from the \\\"HolyNation\\\", what is left? A \\\"nation\\\", no different than any other. And thesituation gets worse. Today, we see that those who rejected holiness inorder to be a free nation, are losing their physical freedom as well.Because of their lack of faith in G-d, they have become completely dependenton the gentiles! We hear from them how they must accept the dictates of theUnited States, as one of them recently said, \\\"Our entire existence dependson America.\\\" How tragic to hear this after 50 years as a state! Moment of Truth Fifty years! This reminds us of the fifty days which connect Pesach toShavuot. Just as the freedom and independence of Pesach is meaninglesswithout it's connection to the holiness of Shavuot - so too the independenceof Israel is meaningless without the faith that only G-d can bring us salvation. This season should serve as a warning for us. We can no longer sustain afreedom which is detached from holiness and faith in G-d. We are nearing theend of the period of \\\"Giula BiEta\\\" (the slow, painful redemption), and weare approaching the moment of truth. Our very souls are at stake. Will wechoose: \\\"Repentance\\\" and \\\"Holy Nation\\\", which will bring a gloriousredemption; or will we remain in our sorry state of lack of faith in G-d andtrust in the gentiles, which will lead to untold suffering until theredemption finally arrives? 535","LAG B'OMER Rabbi Shimeon Bar Yochai: the Scholar Warrior (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg As Log B'Omer rolls around, one is reminded of the holy Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi). The multitudes of Jews from all sects of Israeli life who flock to his grave site in Meron is testimony to the deep admiration that that the Jewish People have for this very special Jewish figure. The question may be asked: What makes Rashbi so special? Rashbi was the prized student of Rabbi Akiva who was one of the Ten Martyrs of the Jewish Kingdom. Not for nothing did the Romans punish Rabbi Akiva with the death penalty and torture, for he played a central role in the organization of BarKochba's rebellion. The Rambam, at the end of Hilchot Milachim even says that Rabbi Akiva was Bar Kochba's \\\"armsbearer\\\". The 24,000 students who went in Rabbi Akiva's footsteps and fell in the war against the Romans, died during the \\\"Sfirat HaOmer\\\" period, and the traditional restrictions we practice today are an expression of the struggle of the Jewish nation for spiritual independence. Rabbi Akiva himself sat in prison for several years for denying the Roman decrees by holding public Torah rallys. For this he was eventually tortured and executed. These were the two sides of the leadership of Rabbi Akiva: The willingness to go out and sacrifice for national sovereignty as well as the ultimate self-sacrifice for Torah. The fierce combination of nationalism and Torah that burned in his bones was passed on to his students, and the greatest of them all was the scholar-warrior Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who was ordained by his Rav after the rest of the students were killed in the revolution. Rashbi established the basic Torah foundations of the Oral Law as we know them today. His Yeshiva put out the likes of Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi who arranged the Mishnah. But just like his \\\"Rav\\\", Rabbi Akiva, Rashbi went beyond the learning and teaching of Torah. He never stopped trying to bring back Jewish sovereignty to Eretz Yisrael, and abhorred with all his soul the Roman occupation. His belligerent attitude towards the Romans he made no secret of, even when it meant putting himself in danger for just expressing such opinions. We are told in Trachtate Shabbot, 33: \\\"Once Rabbi Yehuda said, 'How fine are the works of this nation (Rome). They have made streets, they have built bridges, they have erected baths'. Rabbi Yossi remained silent (from fear). Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai answered and said, 'All that they have made they have made for themselves; they built market places to put harlots in them; baths to rejuvenate themselves; bridges to levy toils for themselves'.\\\" When these words got to the Roman authorities, a price was put on his head and he was forced to go underground for 13 years. During this time, he and his son Elazar were miraculously kept alive, and to them were revealed the wonders of the hidden Torah (which was collected in the \\\"Zohar\\\"). These difficult times did not break him, but only reinforced his hatred for this evil empire and he continued his struggle against the Romans to liberate the Jewish People. Though Log B'Omer falls during the \\\"sfira\\\" where we mourn the death of Rabbi Akiva's students, it is a day of rejoicing. For when all the other students of Rabbi Akiva were killed in war, Rashbi managed to survive. He symbolizes the vitality of those who fought the Romans. He represents the continuation of the scholar-warrior. He is the eternal flame that cannot be extinguished, and will remain en-kindled until the final victory of complete redemption, may it come speedily in our days. 536","SHAVUOT Shavuot Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg A most pertinent question regarding the holiday of Shavuot is: Do we view this holiday as the commemoration of an isolated event which occurred 3,000 years ago, or is it perhaps something more? On Passover, we say that, \\\"that in each and every generation, one must see himself as if he left Egypt\\\" In other words, though the original event itself took place thousands of years ago, every Jew is obligated to feel that he himself left Egypt. If such is the case regarding Passover, all the more so regarding the Torah itself, for which our sages say that \\\"each and every day, it shall be in your eyes as something new\\\". The Torah is not some antiquated burden we \\\"shlep\\\" on our backs, that must \\\"somehow\\\" be adjusted to jibe with the present-day realities. No. Torah was given today and for today. Yes, it was actually given today, for this very moment! This being the case, it must be understood that one who sincerely wishes to receive Torah today, in its entirety, will find himself in the heat of a tenacious cultural war. For in this generation, more than any other, JEWS ARE TRYING TO PREVENT US FROM RECEIVING THE TORAH! What do we mean? We are speaking of the declaration by the Supreme Court of jesters that any political party which calls for the changing of the existing gentile laws of the state to Jewish law is disqualified from running for the Knesset. Any party whose platform includes the changing of Israel from a state of Jews to a Jewish State by making Jewish halacha the law of the land instead of the present mixed multitude of British, Turkish, French and Swedish laws - such a party will find itself banned. All this is so, even if one attempts to make these changes by attaining a majority in the Knesset! Why, you may ask? Because according to the Supreme Court, Jewish law \\\"contradicts the fundamental concepts of democracy and equality\\\", since it discriminates between men and women, Jew and non-Jew, thereby being \\\"racist\\\". This process of banning Torah began in 1988 when Rabbi Meir Kahane, H\\\"yd was banned, on the grounds that his platform contained \\\"racist\\\" and \\\"anti-democratic\\\" laws from the Torah. At the time, we declared that the matter will not end with Rabbi Kahane and his students. And it did not. In systematic fashion, via the \\\"judicial activism\\\" of Aharon Barak, the Supreme Court has succeeded in delegitimizing any motion that would aspire to change the direction of Israel to that of a Jewish state, and has the power to ban religious laws (even if a \\\"kosher\\\" Knesset majority is attained), on the grounds that such law contradicts \\\"democracy\\\". The Torah world which kept silent when Rabbi Kahane was banned is the guilty party. Guilty are those who were silent when Rav Elba was jailed for a halachic essay he wrote outlining differences in Jewish law between Jew and gentile. Let there be no mistake: A war is being waged against the Torah world, and no one else will fight our battles for us. He who sits by quietly cannot complain when his number comes up. And it will come up. Unfortunately, the religious parties have more important things on their mind - government funding for their institutions. Only the Torah which they supposedly represent remains discarded and irrelevant. And day by day, the Torah is being cut up - a halacha today, another tomorrow, until eventually they will officially stamp \\\"censured\\\" on the entire Torah! Shavuot is the holiday that celebrates the giving of all of the Torah, without forfeiting on the halachot that sent Rav Ido Elba to prison, or banned Rabbi 537","Kahane and his students, or turned traditional Jewish law in this country into a controversial issue. Receiving Torah (\\\"Matan Torah\\\") can sometimes be a struggle. \\\"Right\\\" versus \\\"left\\\" is not where the battle lies. The real war standing before us is not between right or left, but rather between the Hellenists and the Jews. Shavuot and the Cultural War (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The key question regarding the Holiday of Shavuot today is: Do we simply look at this holiday as the commemoration of an event that occurred 3,000 years ago, or is it perhaps something more? On Passover, we say \\\"that in each and every generation, one must see himself as if he left Egypt!\\\" That is, though the original event itself took place thousands of years ago, every Jew is obligated to feel that he himself left Egypt. If such is the case regarding Passover, all the more so regarding the Torah itself, for which the sages say that \\\"each and every day, it shall be in your eyes as something new\\\". The Torah is not some antiquated burden we must carry on our backs, adjusting it \\\"somehow\\\" to today's reality. No. Torah was given today and for today. Yes, it was actually given today, for this very moment! One who sincerely wishes to receive Torah today and in its entirety, will find himself in the midst of a brutal cultural war. For in this generation more than any other, Jews are trying to prevent us from receiving Torah! What do we mean? Lost in the muddle of all the campaign hoopla was a very significant event that dwarfs all others in importance. We are speaking of the declaration by the head of the Supreme Court of jesters, Aharon Barak, that any party which calls for changing the existing gentile laws of the state to Jewish law, is liable to be disqualified from running in the elections for the Knesset. (This declaration was made during a court decision concerning \\\"Israel's Right\\\" party following a proposal by an Arab that the party be banned.) In other words, any party whose platform includes the changing of Israel from a state of Jews to a Jewish State by making the Jewish halacha the law of the land instead of the present mixed multitude of British, Turkish, French and Swedish laws - any such party is liable to find itself tabooed! And all this despite the fact that one attempts to make such changes by attaining a majority in the Knesset! Even this is forbidden. Why? Because Jewish law \\\"contradicts the fundamental concepts of democracy and equality\\\" since it discriminates between men and women, Jew and non-Jew, and is therefore \\\"racist\\\". There is nothing new under the sun. This process began in 1988 when Rabbi Kahane was banned, since his platform included \\\"racist\\\" and \\\"anti-democratic\\\" halachot from the Torah. In 1992, the list was banned again for presenting the Tanach as its platform. In the appeal to the Supreme Court, endless sources from the Talmud and from the rabbis were brought down. The court determined that the sources brought down only strengthen the reason for disqualification! When this occurred, we declared that the Torah was banned, and this matter will not end here with Rabbi Kahane and his students. And it did not. In systematic fashion, the Supreme Court has succeeded in delegitimizing any motion that would aspire to change the direction of Israel to that of a Jewish state. Due to Aharon Barak's revolutionary legislation, the Supreme Court today can even ban religious laws (as long as a kosher majority is attained). There is no doubt that a change in the \\\"undemocratic\\\" marital and divorce laws is only around the corner. Afterwards, the \\\"discriminatory\\\" Law of Return will come 538","under fire. The \\\"Racist Bill\\\" whose entire reason for being is to negate the Torah is an established fact, and it is what sent Rabbi Ido Elba to prison for two years for a halachic essay that he wrote. Rabbis sitting in jail is a fact we have already gotten used to - Rabbi Levinger and Rabbi Ginzberg are just two of the more prominent examples. Who Is Guilty? The Torah world which kept silent when Rabbi Kahane was banned is the guilty party. Guilty are those who were silent when Rabbi Elba was arrested, and are quiet today when one of the great men of self- sacrifice in this generation, Rabbi Levinger, sits in jail. Let there be no mistake: This is a war waged against the Torah world, and no one else will fight our battles. He who sits by quietly can not complain when his turn comes up. And it will come up. Aharon Barak knows exactly what his goals are. The religious parties return some fire in the battle, but they have much more important things on their minds. They are preparing themselves for a return to their rightful places near the jackpot - awaiting the funds that will flow to them if they play their cards right. Only the Torah which they supposedly represent will remain discarded and nonfunctional. For day by day the Torah is being cut up. A halacha today, another tomorrow, until eventually they will officially stamp \\\"censured\\\" on the entire Torah! Shavuot is the holiday that celebrates the giving of all of the Torah, without \\\"forfeiting\\\" on the halachot that sent Rabbi Elba to prison, or banned Rabbi Kahane and his students, or turned Jewish law in this country into something in dispute. Receiving Torah can sometimes be a struggle. \\\"Right\\\", \\\"left\\\" and all the rest is not where the battle lies. Even if the Likud wins the elections, they have made it quite clear that what was, will continue to be. Thus, the conclusion is that the real war standing before us is not between \\\"right\\\" and \\\"left\\\", but rather between the Hellenists and the Jews. \\\"CHOOSE LIFE\\\" Question: For quite a while you have been preaching that there is no significant difference between Labor and Likud, as proven by their past records while in power, as well as their campaign messages this time around. But what you fail to tell us is - who SHOULD one vote for? Answer: Our major goal is to bring forth the genuine Jewish Truth, the Jewish Idea - to the people. Not just a portion of the message, and not just a \\\"realistic\\\" part of the message, so to speak. Nor do we just convey ideas that the people will always grasp immediately upon hearing them. We are not politicians who have to try to show a pretty face before the public. And so we repeat that the election for Prime Minister is a race between Siamese twins. It is crucial to us that the people understand the painful truth that the Jewish truth was banned from participating in these elections, deeming these elections obscene from the very start. And part of the painful truth is that those who engineered the banning of Rabbi Kahane was not the left, but rather that \\\"great hope\\\" - the Likud! As requested by many, we will bring the words of Rabbi Kahane, (May God Avenge His Blood), exactly as he said them immediately after he was banned in 1988. The Rav said that he is not a \\\"guru\\\", and he doesn't give orders to \\\"Chassidim\\\" (followers) how to vote. In any case, he RECOMMENDED putting an empty white slip into the ballot box, and for those who want to vote for someone, he suggested: Anything but Likud! And let us add something else for those who want to vote for the Knesset. There is a party, a bit 539","obscure, called \\\"Israel's Right\\\", which is a religious party with some good Jews in it. The very fact that the \\\"Meretz\\\" party tried to ban it for being \\\"racist\\\" is reason enough to identify with it. Its chances for success are not what interests us. In any case, we must not despair. The salvation will not sprout from the Knesset ANYWAY, and we must start internalizing this fact. The alternative will come from outside that den of clowns, and it will overwhelm it. The salvation will come from those who do not nonchalantly accept the fact that the truth was banned, and life just goes on. There is an alternative. And it won't come from the Knesset, or anywhere near it... The Time to Get Things Straight (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg On the Holiday of Shavuot, we all celebrate the receiving of Torah which was given to us in order to bring to fruition the purpose for the existence of the Universe. Since we are speaking about so lofty a purpose, we have been commanded that: \\\"This Torah will not subside from your mouth\\\"; we are commanded to study it continuously in order to set straight in our minds what are the intentions of He who gave the Torah, without viewing it through the prism of our biased personal thoughts. And this is what we must understand on Shavuot: It is far more difficult to cleave to the authentic ideas of the Torah than it is to fulfill its rituals. Therefore, both Greece and Rome passed decrees forbidding the teaching of Torah, since they understood that the internal thoughts, and not the external trappings, are what set the Jew apart from the gentile. This is the greatest protection from assimilation amongst the gentiles - authentic Jewish thoughts and concepts. Having said this, in all the exiles, Jews, on the one hand did not want to abandon the commandments, but on the other hand were unable to reject the gentile cultures by which they were perforce influenced. Their solution was to present the Torah as though it were compatible with the spirit of the times in which they lived. Obviously, this is absurd. After all, if the Torah was compatible with Liberalism in 18th Century France, how could it also be compatible with Rationalism in 19th Century Germany and Communism in 20th Century Russia? But this was a convenient escape for the Jew who did not dare make the choice between the Torah and that particular culture by which he was influenced. Apparently even in the days of the Greeks, there were those who managed to convince themselves that there was no contradiction between paganistic Greek culture and the Torah... Unfortunately, this trend which was once marginal has today become the norm. In practice, the majority of religious Jews believe, on a superficial level, that our Torah is more or less compatible with the ideas of democracy and western culture. We purposely said \\\"on a superficial level\\\", because the majority of religious Jews have never delved deeply into the matter. They have been conditioned to think that the Torah, by and large, is compatible with \\\"enlightened\\\", democratic Western culture. But there is no doubt that when push comes to shove, and they are faced with a specific, definite issue, most religious Jews will choose Judaism over Western democratic culture. For sure, as opposed to other dark days in our history, it is not forbidden today to learn or teach Torah, as witnessed by the number of Yeshivas in Israel. But it is not so simple. An examination of the general 540","trend of High Court decisions over the past 8-10 years reveals that there are significant parts of Torah whose practical applications are forbidden to be taught. For instance, any halacha that distinguishes between Jew and gentile is liable to be considered a crime under the anti-racism law. And so we see parties banned from running for the Knesset, rabbis imprisoned for halachic essays, and the writers for \\\"Darka Shel Torah\\\" harassed. Even if the \\\"Darka Shel Torah\\\" parsha sheet states the case much more bluntly than others, the harassment's are a message being broadcast to the entire religious community. We hope that the link between this article and Shavuot is properly understood G-d gives us the Torah - but we have to understand precisely what the Torah, which we receive, IS; and more than that, to accept it as it is. There is no room for a \\\"shatnez\\\" of ideas; no room for truth mixed with democracy, which by its very essence rejects the concept of absolute truth. We call upon all members of the religious community to search their souls - to decide which Torah they celebrate. And through this soul-searching, cleanse their thoughts from the infiltration of foreign ideas. Restoring the Authentic Glory (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Though the sages tell us that the Torah will never be completely forgotten, they did, nevertheless, foresee a scenario of serious deterioration in Torah learning. Indeed, the long years of exile (galut) severed the Jew from any nationalistic development, and crippled his ability to observe the Torah properly. The original concepts of Torah could not be properly absorbed, as distortions infiltrated Torah learning, perverting the authentic Jewish idea beyond recognition. Foreign ideas were mixed together with holy Torah concepts, and when the smoke cleared, we were left clinging to no more than empty Jewish ritual. But the idea, which is in essence the soul of the Torah, - was unfortunately thrown by the wayside. We often discuss in this parsha sheet how the authentic Jewish idea is in exile. In essence, this is the \\\"tikun\\\" we have taken upon ourselves - to restore the pure and authentic Torah idea! And what time can be more appropriate than Shavuot, the time of \\\"Matan Torah\\\", to raise this issue? Tanach - the Key This exile of the authentic Torah idea is expressed most distressingly in what has become an almost universal phenomenon: the abandonment of Tanach learning. The exile of our people has caused the Tanach, which is supposed to be the basis of our faith, to deteriorate into something less and less relevant to our everyday life. The experiences our nation underwent in the Land of Israel in the days of the Tanach so drastically differed from our experiences in the exile, that it reached the point where we actually exiled the Tanach from the Torah halls! But it is only the Tanach which provides us with a complete picture of what Judaism is all about. Only in Tanach do we grasp what it is like for the Jewish People to live in the Jewish land, and how a normal Jew is supposed to behave. Only in Tanach do we see how the entire nation is punished or rewarded as a single entity. All the concepts which top today's national agenda are found in Tanach, which gives clear and unambiguous guidance. All we need to do is study it. He who is cut off from Tanach cannot possibly grasp what is the Jewish People, what is the Jewish state, and just might prefer living in Brooklyn, far away from the troubles of the Jewish nation, and further still from the redemption 541","process. In the Tanach, we are presented with the portrayal of the ideal Jewish leader. Behold Avraham Avinu, the father of our nation, who unassisted found his way to G-d: the paradigm of the man of loving- kindness, the paradigm of the man who made war for the sanctification of the Name of G-d, who subdued four kings. Behold King David, the Sweet Singer of Israel, warrior and poet, who, while writing the Book of Psalms also slew the blaspheming Philistines and continued to fight, throughout his life, to enlarge the borders of Israel. We meet such heroic figures as Benayahu ben Yehoyada and Yoav, brilliant military leaders whom the Sages reveal as having been no less than heads of the Sanhedrin - the nation's top religious leaders! This is but a taste of the awesome richness and depth of authentic Jewish thought that is to be found in the Tanach. Nonetheless, while the Tanach is the world's single most famous and influential Book, it has been banished from Yeshivot. Tanach at the Age of Five The teaching of our sages from Pirkay Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), 5:21, is well known: \\\"At the age of five, the study of Tanach (should commence), ten for the study of Mishnah...fifteen for the study of Talmud..\\\" To most, this is a nice saying, but without any practical implications. Whoever takes the the words of our sages seriously knows that they meant every word they said. The Torah is a structured edifice, with the study of Tanach being its foundation. If one begins at the age of nine to study what is really appropriate for a fifteen year old, he will bypass the study of Tanach and be left like a building without a foundation. The Tanach is the basis for all Torah study, and without it, the whole structure is left flimsy and begins to crumble later on. It is told that when Rabbi Akiva began the study of Torah at the age of forty, he went and sat amongst small children, who were just beginning to learn. There is no doubt that his mind was developed enough to dive straight into the study of Talmud, however, he waited. The reason being that without a thorough knowledge of Tanach and Mishnah, his jump into the study of Talmud would not have produced one of the greatest Torah minds of all time, who fought with an intense love of his nation in the war to sanctify G-d's Name against the Romans. All this, from his understanding of the authentic Jewish ideas found in the Tanach. Torah Study - In Need of an Overhaul When the study of Torah concentrates almost entirely around a few choice sections of Gemora (as is the case in most yeshivas), then not only is there a deficiency in the knowledge of Tanach, there is inadequacy in the knowledge of the Mishnah and Talmud itself. Such a situation is most unfortunate. One can split hairs over particular sections of Gemorah, and remain an ignoramous when it comes to the most fundamental and simple concepts of Judaism. Certainly there is no doubt that a Torah scholar must possess a deep and thorough understanding of Talmud. However, without the knowledge of Tanach, is not his learning left lifeless and without feeling? Is it not comparable to a three story building without a foundation? It is not us who began this cry for change. On the contrary, Rabenu Bechayay, the Maharal of Prague and many other great Torah leaders throughout the generations have called for an overhaul in Torah learning. Also today, many yeshiva leaders are pained by this sad state, however, most think that their calls for change will be in vain. But the truth that there is a thirst and an 542","awakening amongst the masses, especially the young, to straighten out the path of learning to the authentic way in which our sages laid out for us and received from Sinai. With the help of G-d, the authentic glory of Torah study will be restored. Shavuot Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg A most pertinent question regarding the holiday of Shavuot is: Do we view this holiday as the commemoration of an isolated event which occurred 3,000 years ago, or is it perhaps something more? On Passover, we say that, \\\"that in each and every generation, one must see himself as if he left Egypt\\\" In other words, though the original event itself took place thousands of years ago, every Jew is obligated to feel that he himself left Egypt. If such is the case regarding Passover, all the more so regarding the Torah itself, for which our sages say that \\\"each and every day, it shall be in your eyes as something new\\\". The Torah is not some antiquated burden we \\\"shlep\\\" on our backs, that must \\\"somehow\\\" be adjusted to jibe with the present-day realities. No. Torah was given today and for today. Yes, it was actually given today, for this very moment! This being the case, it must be understood that one who sincerely wishes to receive Torah today, in its entirety, will find himself in the heat of a tenacious cultural war. For in this generation, more than any other, JEWS ARE TRYING TO PREVENT US FROM RECEIVING THE TORAH! What do we mean? We are speaking of the declaration by the Supreme Court of jesters that any political party which calls for the changing of the existing gentile laws of the state to Jewish law is disqualified from running for the Knesset. Any party whose platform includes the changing of Israel from a state of Jews to a Jewish State by making Jewish halacha the law of the land instead of the present mixed multitude of British, Turkish, French and Swedish laws - such a party will find itself banned. All this is so, even if one attempts to make these changes by attaining a majority in the Knesset! Why, you may ask? Because according to the Supreme Court, Jewish law \\\"contradicts the fundamental concepts of democracy and equality\\\", since it discriminates between men and women, Jew and non-Jew, thereby being \\\"racist\\\". This process of banning Torah began in 1988 when Rabbi Meir Kahane, H\\\"yd was banned, on the grounds that his platform contained \\\"racist\\\" and \\\"anti-democratic\\\" laws from the Torah. At the time, we declared that the matter will not end with Rabbi Kahane and his students. And it did not. In systematic fashion, via the \\\"judicial activism\\\" of Aharon Barak, the Supreme Court has succeeded in delegitimizing any motion that would aspire to change the direction of Israel to that of a Jewish state, and has the power to ban religious laws (even if a \\\"kosher\\\" Knesset majority is attained), on the grounds that such law contradicts \\\"democracy\\\". The Torah world which kept silent when Rabbi Kahane was banned is the guilty party. Guilty are those who were silent when Rav Elba was jailed for a halachic essay he wrote outlining differences in Jewish law between Jew and gentile. Let there be no mistake: A war is being waged against the Torah world, and no one else will fight our battles for us. He who sits by quietly cannot complain when his number comes up. And it will come up. Unfortunately, the religious parties have more important things on their mind - government funding for their institutions. Only the Torah which they supposedly represent remains discarded and irrelevant. And day by day, the Torah is being cut up - a halacha today, another tomorrow, until eventually they 543","will officially stamp \\\"censured\\\" on the entire Torah! Shavuot is the holiday that celebrates the giving of all of the Torah, without forfeiting on the halachot that sent Rav Ido Elba to prison, or banned Rabbi Kahane and his students, or turned traditional Jewish law in this country into a controversial issue. Receiving Torah (\\\"Matan Torah\\\") can sometimes be a struggle. \\\"Right\\\" versus \\\"left\\\" is not where the battle lies. The real war standing before us is not between right or left, but rather between the Hellenists and the Jews. YOM YERUSHALAYIM Should One Say Hallel on Yom Yerushalyim? (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The Shulchan Aruch in chapter 697 brings down the halacha that if a miracle occurs, even for a specific individual only, he must make a celebration every year on the date that the miracle occurred, saying \\\"Hallel\\\" and praising G-d. From here stems the practice of saying the \\\"Hallel\\\" prayer on the anniversary of the Six-Day War victory, when all the Arab nations ganged up as one against Israel with the intention to obliterate the Jewish State. During those times there was no doubt in any rationally thinking person's mind that it was only a matter of days before Israel went under. By any normal standards of logic, there was no way that the Arab nations wouldn't be rolling into Tel-Aviv in a very short period of time to carry out their plans of slaughtering all the Jews. But it did not happen. Within six days, we pushed back those very same armies (and if we only wanted to, we could have conquered their capitals), recapturing after 2,000 years the cities of Schem, Hebron, Jericho, and Gaza, as well as the Sinai (remember?), the Golan Heights, and most important of all - Jerusalem! During those days, only the blind could not sense G-d's Divine Presence and the Messiah knocking on the door, crying, pleading, and perhaps even threatening, \\\"Return to me, and bring the Complete Redemption\\\". After such an introduction, it would appear incomprehensible why so many Jews from various circles do not say \\\"Hallel\\\" on this day, and others are in great doubt regarding this matter. And our answer to these people is: Just one \\\"Hallel\\\" should be said?! A thousand Hallels need to be said!! Hallel on the saving of Tel-Aviv, Hallel for Haifa, Hallel for the South and Hallel for the North; Hallel for the redeeming of Shchem, Hallel for the conquering of Jericho, and another Hallel for the stupidity of that dwarf king across the Jordan for entering the war despite the desperate pleas by the Israeli Government that he stay out - thereby granting us the opportunity for conquering Jerusalem and the rest of the territories. But what do we do when despite these victories, we find ourselves floundering in this miserable reality of an Israeli government who do everything in their power to do away with the glorious miracles of 1967? How can we celebrate when they are ready to turn over to our enemies all the territories we gained? It is our obligation to honestly ask ourselves: Why say \\\"Hallel\\\" when the territory we conquered in 1967 are dissolving away, and we are about to return to a situation a lot worse than it was before the 1967 War? Our answer to this question is the following: For the miracles that G-d granted us, we must thank Him no matter what, in the same way that we thank him for the miracles He performed for us in the days of the Macabees against the Greeks 2,500 years ago, despite the fact that the Temple was eventually 544","destroyed. And we still thank Him for taking us out of Egypt despite the fact that we messed up pretty bad since then. But, But, But; if we want to be honest with ourselves, it is our obligation to combine our \\\"Hallel\\\" prayer with an all out war against all those who aspire to cast away the miracle we are saying \\\"Hallel\\\" for. We must act with great self - sacrifice against all those who are quite comfortable without G-d and without His miracles, and whose entire purpose in life is to rub elbows with the enemy and decide with them how to sell out the Jewish State. On the other hand, all those who are not ready to gird their loins in the war against those who want to do away with the miracles and the country - for what are they thanking G-d? For the miracles that are about to be thrown away, which they do nothing to prevent? Like anything else, the sincerity of our prayers can only be measured by how much we are willing to do to back our prayers up. Let us pay attention to these words. 545","INDEPENDENCE DAY (YOM HA'ATZMAUT) Potential for Independence (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The 48th Independence day has passed. Forty-eight years ago we were granted the POSSIBILITY FOR INDEPENDENCE. But one year after another passes by, and we still refused, or are too frightened to be independent! What is independence of the Jewish Nation? It is that we OURSELVES, ALONE, do not rely on any other nation. This is the deeper meaning of the concept, \\\"a nation that dwells alone\\\". And how do we arrive at a situation where we become a nation that dwells alone? Only when we put our trust in God, and not in the gentile. Certainly it is scary when one is surrounded by hundreds of millions of Arabs who want to wipe us out, and on each and every action we make, the entire world condemns! But it is only scary for one who is lacking faith; it is only frightening for those who deep in their souls are still slaves and not capable of being independent! And so, how embarassing it is to hear from our \\\"leaders\\\" year after year on Holocaust Day, the same tired, empty phrases. Like a dog returning to his own vomit, they repeat, \\\"that if the State of Israel and the I.D.F. had been around ten years earlier, it could have prevented a Holocaust\\\". Really? Then why doesn't the same State and army of Israel dare return fire in a war against an enemy who sits within her, and who slaughters its citizens daily? They would have dared act against the Nazis? Why, that might harm \\\"diplomatic relations\\\"... Without a doubt, Israel was supposed to be a State who defends Jews wherever they are! That is the rason detre of a Jewish State. And if she was really independent, she would be able to successfully do so. But the fact is that even her own agent, Jonathan Pollard, was thrown to the dogs out of fear! After all, the slaves need confirmation from Clinton on every bomb dropped in Lebanon, and on every action taken against the Hamas. There is no Jewish independence without total trust in God. The Master of the Universe gave us the POTENTIAL for independence - but we still refuse to actualize it. Let us finally do what must be done so that we can cry out real independence, \\\"Lo it is a people that dwells alone, and among the nations shall not reckon itself\\\". 546","\\\"Miracles of Galut\\\" and \\\"Miracles of Giula\\\" (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg At first glance the following article criticizes what is termed as the \\\"Haredi\\\" camp. But such an observation is a superficial one. Ideological distinctions between \\\"religious\\\", \\\"haredi\\\", etc. have been blurred long ago, for good and for bad. More than a few Jews who see themselves as \\\"Zionists\\\" will find themselves included in this criticism, while on the other hand, deep changes are taking place in sections of the \\\"haredi\\\" camp. In this context, we point to what Rabbi Meir Porush from the City Hall in Jerusalem said in an interview with \\\"Kol Yisrael\\\", when questioned about Agudat Yisrael's opposition to the evacuation from Hebron. The interviewer asked: \\\"So you, too, are for the concept of a \\\"greater Israel?\\\" And he answered without any of the usual evasions: \\\"Is there a Jew who is against a \\\"greater Israel?\\\" Does this not point to a change? *** A few months ago, a flyer was distributed in the synagogues which commemorated five full years since the \\\"miracles of the Gulf War\\\", describing how this day is worthy for the saying of \\\"Hallel\\\" and praise to G-d. This reminds us of how at the end of the same Gulf War, severalcommunities said \\\"Hallel\\\". All this comes to mind as \\\"Independence Day\\\" approaches. For in so many of the circles who emphasized the miracles of the Gulf War, it was the first time in this generation that they praised G-d for saving us in a war situation. Is this not strange? Miracles indeed occurred in that war, but why is it easier for them to see the miracles of the Gulf War as something worthy of \\\"Hallel\\\" and gratitude to G- d, and not the miracles of the wars in 1948 or 1967, when the danger was so much more eminent, and all the experts predicted total annihilation. Even military predictions that had us winning were forecasting casualties of 50,000 in the Six-Day War, and all \\\"realistic\\\" forecasts for the war in 1948 predicted a total wipe-out. And in the end we scored awesome victories, conquering huge parts of Eretz Yisrael in both wars. Yearning for the \\\"Familiar\\\" Kind of Miracles The answer lies in the difficulty of so many to comprehend the new type of miracles which G-d has granted us in this era. They are \\\"miracles ofredemption\\\". The miracles of the Gulf War were of the classic \\\"galut\\\" style, and thus easy to comprehend. They were the miracles of the \\\"familiar sort\\\", where the gentile tyrant decrees evil against the Jews, and the Jews sit passively praying to G-d, who cancels the decree, and the story finishes less bad than expected. This approach is probably what created the opposition to a preemptive strike against Iraq, for such a deed would \\\"mess up\\\" the usual script of the \\\"galut miracle\\\", where the Jew cries and waits for the miracle, in this case scurrying into a sealed room like a roach with a gas mask. The great miracles that took place during the first half of the State ofIsrael's existence, belong to a new and different category of miracles; a category which we had not yet known since the days of the Hashmonim. They are \\\"miracles of redemption\\\", or they can also be termed \\\"miracles of Kiddush Hashem\\\". Not only does the bad decree get canceled, but as a result of the goy trying to wipe Israel off the map, the Jewish Nation performs G-d's will, returning fire to the enemy, the enemy of Hashem - and we forge ahead! We attain sovereignty over our land, conquering huge parts of the Land of Israel, and sanctify the Name of G-d before the astonished eyes of the gentiles. If we look at the Jewish holidays which have been set down as days forgiving praise and thanks to G- 547","d , we will notice that all these holidays can be classified as \\\"miracles of redemption\\\". True, according to \\\"halacha\\\", one must give praise for any salvation from death. In any case, not every salvation was set down as a day of praise and gratitude like Chanukah, Purim, and even Pesach were. Purim, at first glance, belongs to the \\\"miracles of galut\\\" category, and even took place in the galut. But no. If the story of Purim had ended with the canceling of Haman's decree, the story would have been defined as one of \\\"miracles of the galut\\\", and probably would not have been celebrated for all generations. But actually on Purim, the decree was never canceled! Achashverosh simply allowed the Jews to strike back. And the salvation arose due to the acts of the Jews who took revenge against those who wanted to wipe them out, until \\\"fear of the Jews fell upon them\\\"! It was not just some passive salvation, but rather a very active vengeance against the enemy. For this we celebrate the holiday. The proof is that on the 15th of Adar, Shushan Purim, the holiday is celebrated only because of the second day in which Esther requested to continue takingvengeance against the enemy (after the salvation had already been achieved!) And so, we see on Purim a rare situation in which \\\"miracles of redemption\\\" occur in the exile, while in contrast to this, we saw during the Gulf War how \\\"miracles of galut\\\" can occur in the Land of Israel. And so we celebrate Independence Day and Yom Yerushalayim, saying \\\"Hallel\\\". Not only for the quantitative aspect of the miracles of 1948 and 1967 which were greater than the miracles that occurred in the time of the Hashmonim, but we also thank G-d for the qualitative aspect of the miracles, which were a sanctification of G-d's Name, a redemption of the People and it's land - that is, a forging ahead. Whose heart cannot grow warm from the memory of the Israeli soldiers marching forward in the Sinai Desert, the Golan Heights, Yehuda, Shomron; when the names Shchem, Hebron, Jericho, the Temple Mount became real again! The Messiah was knocking on the door, and a spirit of purity passed through the entire nation... Enough Spitting on the Miracles! Yes, we know that those last three dots we wrote above are not something to be happy about, for everything started going downhill from there. Since then, the grand spirit that had been injected into the people has been forcibly smothered out by the evil Jewish governments. In a short period of time, we saw the obscene spitting on the miracle, and an abandonment of the lands we captured. But G-d is not at fault for this, and so we can not quit giving Him praise for the miracles He granted. On the contrary, we must recall these great miracles, gather strength, and vomit out of power those betrayers of G-d's miracles, thereby taking the reigns and going in the direction of those gates which Hashem opened for us, in order that we may bring the complete redemption! 548","TISHA B'AV Something Has Happened Since Napolean... (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg It is told of Napolean, that upon passing a synagogue during the Ninth of Av, looked inside and saw Jews sitting on the floor and weeping. When he inquired further he was told the Jews were mourning over the destruction of their Holy Temple. \\\"How long ago did this occur?\\\", he asked. \\\"About 1,500 years ago\\\". \\\"In that case\\\", said Napolean, \\\"there is no doubt that their Temple will be rebuilt. A people capable of crying for so long over its destroyed Temple and Land will eventually find its way home.\\\" While the Jewish People remained in the Exile, this was a nice story. Without a doubt, its optimistic message encouraged our people during times of severe hardships. Napolean was keen enough to realize that a people who relives its past will succeed in conquering its future. Indeed, our sages have already stated that, \\\"He who mourns for Jerusalem will merit to share in her joy\\\". (Trachtate Taanit, 30) However there exists one little problem. All this mourning was appropriate when we were forced into the Exile, being held at the mercy of the gentile nations and thus unable to forge our national destiny. In such a case, it was fitting to mourn \\\"whole-heartedly\\\" over our destroyed Temple and land. And today? One need not to have a Ph.D. in history to see how things have changed since the times of Napolean. Then - the land of Israel lay desolate; today it is rebuilt. Then - Jews dreamt about coming to Israel; today Jews not only live in Israel, but they rule over it. Then - all we could do was cry... but today??? Is mourning the only imperative for today? Is it not a bit absurd to lament in the synagogue of the Exile, beseeching G-d for a speedy redemption, when all one need do is pack one's bags and board an eastbound El Al. Is it enough to stand down by the \\\"Wall\\\" of the Temple Mount wailing over the destruction when it is in our hands to erect the fallen city; in our hands to purify the site from the foxes who degrade it, and yes, even in our hands to rebuild the Holy Temple! The historic opportunity to rebuild and renew burns in our hands, and instead we find 101 excuses to disregard it. Fellow Jews! Let us open our eyes and appreciate the wondrous miracles that Hashem has granted us - miracles we have not witnessed since the days of our exodus from Egypt! He who cried, and only cried in the days of Napolean did right; his tears were sincere. But today, he who only cries and does not combine his tears with real action - his lamentations leave much to be desired. His entreaties go unheeded, for G-d urges us on as he did to the Jews before their crossing of the Red Sea: \\\"Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel - that they go forward!\\\" What are you crying for? Go forward and determine your destiny! Arise and act to sanctify G-d's Name! Yes, something has happened since the day Napolean walked into that shteeble on the Ninth of Av. Let us join those who are ready not only to cry, but also to do! 549","The Holocaust That Is Overshadowed by the Destruction of the Temple (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The revolution against the Romans and siege on Jerusalem which resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple, produced one of the worst holocausts in Jewish history. According to the testimony of Yosef Ben Matitiyahu (Yosefus Plabius), about one million Jews were killed in Jerusalem, and 100,000 prisoners were taken captive to Rome. Despite this chilling fact, it is only a footnote in the history of this era. While every child knows that on Tish A B'Av the Temple was destroyed and we were exiled from our land, many Jews are less aware of the physical holocaust which accompanied it. And how puzzling are the words of our sages, who tell us that that G-d had mercy upon the Jewish People, pouring out his fury on wood and stones (the Temple) instead of on the Jews themselves who had sinned. If this is so, the question is two-fold : 1. One million Jews killed shows us that \\\"G-d poured his fury on wood and stones\\\"? 2. Why has the death of so many Jews become marginal in our Tisha B'Av mourning? Is human life less important than the wood and stones of the Temple? To answer these questions, we must free ourselves from our western mindset. For according to the Jewish idea, physical existence is NOT the ultimate value, but rather there is a purpose to the life of a Jew, and without this purpose, the reason for his existence becomes less significant. This is the reason that the massive slaughter of Jews that took place during the siege is dwarfed in importance when compared to the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish People from their land. Because when the People of Israel are not in the land of the living, Eretz Yisrael, and when their Temple is destroyed, the Jew can no longer properly fulfill his destiny in the world. His life, so to speak, loses its meaning. This explains the startling stories of many Jews who lost their faculties upon seeing the Temple burning in flames, and simply cast themselves into the fire, burning themselves alive! They could not grasp a reality of \\\"Am Yisrael\\\" without the Holy Temple. After 2,000 years of exile, this idea seems a bit extreme. Is it really the end of the world when the Temple is burned down? Don't we at least fulfill mitzvot in the exile? Can't we fulfill our destiny as Jews without a Temple? The answer to this is clear: No. The entire reality of observing mitzvot in the exile is \\\"B'diavad\\\" - that is, it is undesired, but must be done because of lack of choice. For the Torah was given to the Holy People to be performed in the Holy Land, and in the exile we became a mere religion comprised of individuals. For this the sages tell us that the purpose of fulfilling mitzvot in the exile is only so that we won't forget them when we return to the Land of Israel, where the fulfillment of mitzvot take on their full significance. Now we can answer the two questions we posed: When Israel sinned,desecrating the Holy Temple and turning it into a \\\"discotheque\\\", G-d was really supposed to destroy us all, G-d forbid. But since G-d loves us and ties His Name (His existence, so to speak) to the name of the Jewish People, He determined that we will never be totally wiped out. Therefore, he destroyed the wood and stones of the Temple instead of destroying those who desecrated it. But this does not negate the possibility that the Jewish People will be severely punished with the likes of holocausts and exiles (which is the harshest punishment of them all). Indeed, total annihilation will never be, and in the end there will be redemption, with the Jewish People returning to fulfill it's destiny in a complete way in its land and 550"]