Kahane Codes - Part Two Vayikra,Bamidbar,Dvarim

["Yom Haatzmaut 2011-04-30 As I have written previously I believe that Pesach, the Omer and Yom Haatzmauut are all related. I want to share something that the Rav\u2019s brother wrote in his book \u2018With All Your Might\u2019. The prophet Yechezkel (16:6) says: ;\u202b \u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05ea\u05d1\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e1 \u05d4\u05e1\u05ea \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05d4\u05de \u05d9\u05d9\u05da\u202c,\u202b \u05d5 \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d1\u05e2 \u05d4\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e2 \u05db\u05dc \u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05da\u202c6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee \u202b \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05dc\u05da \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05db\u05de \u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05e0\u05d7 \u05d9\u05d9\u05d9\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05dc\u05da \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05db\u05de \u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05e0\u05d7 \u05d9\u05d9\u05d9\u202cwallowing in thy blood, I said unto thee: In thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee: In thy blood, live; Midrash Rabbah (Shemot 17) explains the repetition of the phrase \u201cAnd you shall live by your blood, and you shall live by your blood,\u201d as indicating that the Jewish Nation will survive and thrive in the merit of two \u201cbloods\u201d - the blood of brit mila and the blood of the Pesach sacrifice. We can understand the merit of the brit mila which is performed to this day, but the last Pesach sacrifice was made 2000 years ago; how can its merit influence our lives? The Rav\u2019s brother goes on to examine a passage in Hallel where the nations of the world give praise to Israel. He suggests that this passage can be better understood today. Through the triumphs of Israel against its Arab enemies that used Soviet made weapons the Soviets came to realize that their military was at an unbridgeable disadvantage with the US and could no longer compete in the arms race. He suggests that due to these repeated failures in the 1990\u2019s the Soviets eventually dissipated. He writes, \u2018When this occurred the entire world breathed a sigh of relief. Of course the Gentiles are unable to bring themselves to express their thanks to the Jewish nation for removing the serpent from around their necks, because they can \u201cforgive\u201d the Jews for everything\u2026but there is one thing which they cannot forgive us \u2013 and that is, for our young sons to fly F16\u2019s better than anyone in the world.\u2019 He goes on to suggest that in the future it will be Israel once again that will free the world from todays threat of over one billion radicalized Muslims in everyone\u2019s backyard. This, he concludes is the answer to the Pesach sacrifice of Egypt and its relevance today. Just as in the past we destroyed the seemingly indestructible idols that prevented humanity from being free and knowing God, so will we in our own time free the world and bring redemption. There is something to Rav Nachum\u2019s commentary I wish to add. I am not certain whether he noticed this, or maybe he did but chose not to write about it. Let\u2019s look again at the passage. ;\u202b \u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05ea\u05d1\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e1 \u05d4\u05e1\u05ea \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05d4\u05de \u05d9\u05d9\u05da\u202c,\u202b \u05d5 \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d1\u05e2 \u05d4\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e2 \u05db\u05dc \u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05da\u202c6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee \u202b \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05dc\u05da \u05db\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05e9\u05de \u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05e0\u05d7 \u05d9\u05d9\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05dc\u05da \u05db\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05e9\u05de \u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05e0\u05d7 \u05d9\u05d9\u05d9\u202cwallowing in thy blood, I said unto thee: In thy blood, live; yea, I said unto thee: In thy blood, live; (Yecheskel 16:6) 51","The gematria of bedamaich (in your blood) is 76 = Kahane. It is as if Hashem is telling us of both the death of Rav Kahane and of his son. \u2018Kahane Chai, Kahane Chai.\u2019 \u202b = \u05db\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05e9\u05de \u05d9\u05d9\u05da \u05e0\u05d7 \u05d9\u05d9\u202cGematria Kahane (76) Chai To continue with the theme of Rav Nachum Kahane let me suggest that Rav Meir is connected to the brit and Rav Binyamin to the Pesach. Rav Meir opened our heart and gave us a new Torah, which is the original Torah. He brought back a heart of \u2018flesh\u2019, the heart of David Hamelech, that guided us out of the \u2018exile\u2019 mentality and into G-ds Kingdom on Earth. Binyamin followed in his fathers footsteps and expounded on his Torah and published the Darka Shel Torah each week. They were united in purpose as Yacov and Yoseph were united. The Rav was the fire and Binyamin spread this fire and would not let it die out. Their work together was a seed that was firmly planted within the soul of Am Israel and has sprouted forth. From the individual soul who studies the Rav\u2019s Torah and finds a new heart, to the National soul that brings a new reality into being. I spoke with a school teacher from Yesha and he said something that warmed my heart. Twenty years ago, he said, in every student\u2019s school books was a picture of Rav Kook. Today, in their books you will find a picture of Rav Kahane. The Orange people who stopped traffic and protested in the times leading up to the Gush Katif were a young generation inspired by the sacrifice of the Rav and his son. The Rav taught us how to protest and to change reality. We have learned the lesson and we are changing this reality. Moshe Feiglin who is very close to taking over the Likud party and leading the Nation is a child who was inspired by the Rav and his right hand man Shmuel Sakett dedicated himself to helping Binyamin. The day that our individual hearts become circumcised and our National glory is achieved is very close at hand. Soon the Nation will be ready to leave Mitzrayim and destroy the false gods that frighten and terrify the world. The blood of the Shoa brought us the Nation of Israel or the \u2018new heart\u2019 to fight for the Nation of Israel. The blood of Rav Meir and Rav Binyamin has brought us again \u2018a new heart\u2019 and \u2018a new courage\u2019 that comes from faith and understanding the authentic demands of the Torah. The Sun and the Moon The Jewish people are compared to the moon. There is a new moon each month and a new sun every twenty four years. Our rabbi\u2019s tell us that one of the reasons for this monthly renewal is for the Jewish soul to always be doing teshuva, to continually change and grow. I suggest that the sum total of the teshuva from the many individual souls is seen as a new world reality every twenty four years. I have been writing about the twenty two years after the death of the Rav and comparing it to the twenty two years that Yacov mourned for Yoseph and was then suddenly proven correct, that Yoseph was still alive. This year will come out to 2012 in our time. I suggest that in 2014 because of the events that transpire from this revelation there will be a new reality in the world. In addition there will be a new light in the world and it will be a very bright and holy one. 52","Yom HaZikaron (2011) I wrote previously about the four sons and the four redemption\u2019s. It is unfortunate to see the deep divisions that still exist within our Nation. Yom Hazikaron and Tisha B\u2019Av are two observances that occur at different times but have many similarities. In the Charedi world Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatzmaut are ignored and have no relevance. In the non-observant world Tisha B\u2019Av also holds little relevance. Among Zionists however the vast majority are Traditional and are aware of Tisha B\u2019Av and it\u2019s relevance. According to the Charedi outlook all of Jewish suffering is encompassed within Tisha B\u2019Av and there is no Halachic legitimacy for Yom HaShoa or Yom Zikaron. While one segment of our society is feeling the very personal pain of the \u2018rebirth\u2019 of our Nation, another segment sees no birth at all and sees only exile. One segment feels the pain and loss of the many sacrifices on this year\u2019s Yom Hazikaron. Another segment feels mostly the pain in their stomach until they break the fast on Tisha B\u2019Av. One mourns the sacrifice that entitles us to live free in our own land, while another dreams of a Utopian world that will be returned to us from above. If the Bet Hamigdash has not yet been rebuilt then to the Charedim it is as if we are still in the exile. The fact that we live now in a Hebrew speaking Nation with a Jewish army, legislated holidays of Pesach, Rosh Hoshanna, Purim parades and as the prophet foretold \u2018Jewish children (once again) playing in the street\u2019 means nothing. One segment has eyes but refuses to see, while the other see perfectly fine, but with corrective lenses would see even better. To understand this division better let us look at the story of Yoseph. How is it that Yoseph\u2019s brothers came to Egypt and did not recognize their own flesh and blood? How could this be? The only way to understand this is that they refused to see. And on Yoseph\u2019s side, imagine the pain of being rejected by his brothers and at the same time providing for them. In addition to being the leader of the most powerful nation, Yoseph was also a religious man and a Tzadik. It was the thoughts of his father and Hashem that sustained him and gave him courage to retain his holiness inside of Egypt. The brothers on the other hand had such contempt that to them Yoseph was dead, even standing in front of him, he could not possibly exist. To add insult to injury, it was the very Yoseph who they opposed who sustained them physically. This blindness that the brothers had, can be seen today on Tisha B\u2019Av when the Charedi world beats their chest and writes volumes of literature on the destructiveness of Lashon Hora and does every tikun possible except the right one and the obvious one. The greatest sin of the Charedi world is Lashon Hora against the Land and those who fought for it. It was the contempt of their brothers who created a Jewish Nation that was \u2018not kosher\u2019 enough, that condemned so many of their followers to remain in Europe and perish in the Holocaust. What is the origin of the holiday Tisha B\u2019Av? Was it the destruction of the Temple? Was there not another event that preceded the Temples destruction thousands of years earlier? Any Torah student will tell you that the day the spies came back with an evil report about the Land of Israel was no other than Tisha B\u2019Av. This was the day it was decreed that they were to die in the desert. Over a period of forty years, each Tisha B\u2019Av, they would dig their own graves a very ominous Midrash explains and wait to die. It is no coincidence that the haters of Yom Hazikaron are also related to those who prefer to live under the Shechina than to enter the Land with the mundane work that it would entail as well as the self-sacrifice. 53","I spoke once to a prominent Charedi Rav from New York who has lived in Israel for over twenty years. I remarked to him how good it feels to be living in Eretz Israel. He told me he only came here because of his wife. I couldn\u2019t believe it. He went on to tell me that it is much easier to be a Torah observant Jew in New York than in Israel. From this I understood that the Charedi outlook sees only the rituals of Judaism and Torah observance as integral, while living in Israel means nothing. There is still a blind refusal to recognize the reality and joy of having our own Nation, probably because they missed the boat and still hold a grudge. I believe that this attitude maybe comes from the conclusion that was made from the failed National attempt by Rabbi Akiva many years ago when the Charedim were indeed warriors. From that defeat and death of 24,000 a vow was made \u2018never again\u2019 to fight for nationalism but wait for Moshiach to bring the Geula. To a large degree this theology led many more than 24,000 to their deaths In the Holocaust. A new \u2018never again\u2019 was born in the Warsaw ghetto. Never again will we sit idly by the blood of our brothers. Although we have returned to our land and without a doubt this is part of Hashem\u2019s plan, there is still much work to do. As we count the Omer each night in preparation to receive the divine we say \u2018May the Temple be Rebuilt Speedily in Our Time\u2019. For the first thirty three days we mourn the students of Rabbi Akiva, but on Lag B\u2019Omer, the mourning stops. Rabbi Bar Yochai is a symbol of the scholar warrior that will continue where Rabbi Akiva left off. We are approaching the days when we are beginning to see Charedim join the army and of course there are many soldiers in Yeshiva. The outside pressure from the world will once again raise us to the level of unity that will bring the final redemption. The brothers are beginning to recognize Yoseph and the blurry vision of Zionism is becoming clearer. There will be a Jewish answer to the Palestine State and this will be the State of Judea. Israel will not shrink, but rather it will grow even more. If the Charedim are upset that they missed the 1st boat with Herzel, now they can lead in the State of Judea and fight not just for another Jewish State, but a Jewish State that will rebuild the Holy Temple. Good Omens This year Yom Kippur came out on Shabbat and a prominent religious leader was very optimistic. He said this was a good sign. Many of the regularly non-observant were now keeping Shabbat, at least for Yom Kippur. He wished that G-d would look down from above and judge us favorably for this. I witnessed another good omen. I was praying the Mincha prayer in a Charedi synagogue as the siren for Yom Hazikaron went on. As it turned out merely by accident the congregation was in the middle of the silent prayer. It was as if the Charedi minyan were standing still and observing the two minutes of silence that they normally disregard. I saw this as another good sign. May G-d look down from above and judge us favorably for this too. Let Him consider that the non- observant were keeping Shabbat and the Charedim were standing in respect for Yom Hazikaron. Even if it\u2019s not true, it looks very good when we go through the motions. 54","Kahane in the Parsha Shmini 55","Perspective (2018) On the seventh night of Pesach there was a Seudat Moshiach at the Bet Kknesset. One of the head Rabbis had more than four cups of wine and so did his son who had already passed his bar mitzvah. Being the last of his sons and the son of his old age there was a special bond between father and son. This was the first year that the son drank like an adult and you could see that it had already gone to his head. In the ecstasy of the dancing and Pesach revelry the son jumped up on the table and announced Hakafot as they do on Simchat Torah. One of his uncles reprimanded him and told him to get down as he did not have the 'zchut to do shtuot' (the merit to be foolish). The son was trying to imitate his father now that he was an adult however it was coming from the wrong place. Only his father could do something like this and get away with it because the father was a big tzadik. The sons imitation of his father was coming from a place of ego by pretending to be someone he wasn't. There is a chassidk story where someone said to a famous Rabbi's son 'you are just like your father'. He answered. 'That\u2019s correct. Just as my father never imitated anyone neither do I.' There is a fine line between ecstasy and ego and ecstasy and servitude. Nachson is an example of the latter. In full faith and ecstasy of the moment he entered the sea like a soldier and it split. He had no ego. There is a fine line between carrying the yoke of Heaven and throwing off the \u2018Yoke of Heaven\u2019 to do ones own will in the ecstasy of the moment. Rabbi Kahane writes in Persush Hamaccabee about the 'intentions' in the Chet HaEgel.. God, who examines innermost thoughts and feelings (Jeremiah 11:20), knows that these seemingly positive actions are the result of evil or selfish motives. Indeed, most \u201cprogress\u201d in both politics and economics in the past century has been achieved because the oppressed classes have wanted to advance their own selfish interests, not because they were genuinely concerned for justice and honesty. So God, Who knows the secrets of the heart, punishes those who appeared to have fought for \u201cprogress\u201d. (Pg 746) Parshat Shmini deals with 'perspective'. The middle of the whole Torah is also found in this sidra in the words Derosh, Derosh (Vayikra 10:16) translated as 'inquired insistently.' This seems to allude to the Torah itself which commands us always to annalyze our intention and perspective within the mitzvot that we do. There are many questions of intention in this chapter from Nadav and Avihu, to Uzzah and David Hamelech and Michal. One may also bring Pinchas into the discussion as he also did something he was not commanded to do. The fine line of intention and perspective is something we must always search out like chametz to make sure our intentions and actions are pure. 56","Measure for Measure (2021) There is no blessing of the moon on Rosh Hoshanna. Hashem Himself blesses the year so that we can then bless the months that follow. In a similar fashion, Hashem wanted to light the first fire of the Mishkan so that we could continue to light from below. He forgave us for the Egel and wanted to light that first fire where we could come close and find atonement. However that great reunification and rectification was blemished by a strange fire that was not requested on that very inauguration day. Chazal tells us this was due to a lack of honor and respect Nadav and Avihu had for their teachers. By deducing what Hashem wants without inquiry the roots of that first fire was tainted. How does that affect us today? We know that Shaul altered Hashem's command with his own deductions that resulted in Amalek remaining alive to persecute us to this day. We know that the peoples deduction about Moshe not returning ultimately caused the original tablets to be destroyed (because of the Egel) and as a result we live today in a world of the second tablets. What however changed with the mixing of the Heavenly fire and this strange fire? We know that Aaron's son's were Tzaddikim that wanted to be close to Hashem. However, if there is a willingness to be close to Hashem to the point of sacrificing your soul, would that dedication not be better served through the fight for life below? For example Nachson who said 'onward' and jumped into the sea, or Chur or Calev who opposed the angry mob. Wouldn't those be preferred sacrifices? Willingness to leave your body because you wish to be close to Hashem is not what He desires and in fact is called a 'strange fire'. A proper fire might be the willingness to live for Hashem to the point of being prepared to die so that others will live. The Egel which involved idolatry and prohibited sexual activity was atoned for in the inauguration of the Mishkan, however maybe with an opposite extreme of wanting to leave the body and cling to the spiritual world which is another type of idolatry. Do we not see this today when there are a handful like Chur who fight and settle the land and unfortunately make the ultimate sacrifice too often, while many religious leaders do not demand settlement and a Temple but practice rituals and ceremonies that make them feel closer to Hashem when sometimes (without the National desire) these rituals alone are rather like a strange fire. I believe the real fire Hashem desires is the sacrifice to build His Nation and His Temple. I wonder if because that original fire from above was tainted, it affected our desire to light it from below? Measure for Measure There is a certain measure for measure that one can see demonstrated in our Parsha. Chur stood up against an angry mob for the sake of Hashem and was killed. Aaron saw what happened and compromised for fear of his life. Hashem was angry at Aaron and although He forgave him and spared Aaron his children were sacrificed instead. Furthermore unlike Aaron who compromised for fear of death, Nadav and Avihu were not afraid to die and they died specifically for going against the Torah (even though they deduced it was desired by Hashem *). In addition the angry mob were now contrite and fully prepared to accept Hashem's will and it was only Aaron's sons that went against that will (albeit to a purpose they deduced was good). The exact excuse that Aaron made was proven false by his sons who willingly compromised without coercion and without fear of death. It seems that one who compromises for fear of death will give birth to a generation that is not afraid to die for their compromises. 57","Chazal tells us that the souls of Nadav and Avihu were reincarnated in Pinchas. Maybe this is their tikkun. If one had an extreme love of Hashem and mistakenly deduced that leaving one's body to commune with Hashem was desired then here is the remedy. To be jealous for Hashem in the manner of the living and to fight for justice below and against the angry mob which puts your body in danger would rectify the previous error. The sacrifice to make life free of perversion below so that we truly can be united above and below and live in peace and harmony without consideration of oneself but rather the greater good of the community seems to be the proper rectification. It is the offspring of Chur that builds the Temple and understand the deep secrets that only Moshe knew. The children of Aaron pay the price for compromise of the mob which leads to compromising Hashem's law. Even Menachem Begin when he first arrived in Israel, could not understand how the religious leaders would prohibit the blowing of Shofar on Rosh Hoshanna when the British made it illegal at the time. The rabbis reasoned that it would cause danger to the Jewish community and so they compromised the rituals in their religion. Menachem Begin was not an orthodox Jew yet his men put out posters announcing that this year the Shofar will be blown and any British soldier that tries to stop it will be killed. That was the first year that the Shofar was blown under the British Mandate. This is the sacrifice for religion that I believe Hashem demands of us. Separating the soul from the body is not desired, but sacrifice for the body to live is a satisfying aroma from above to below Din and Chesed We wrote in the Akeida how willingness to accept Din results in Chessed (Adoshem Ireah 'God of Judgment' will see - is transformed to Hashem Yireh God of Mercy will see) . We see this here as well. Moshe was prepared to give his life to save Israel and found Grace in Hashems eyes to the point of replacing the angel of Hashem (din) that was originally supposed to lead us, to Hashem Himself (chessed) leading us along the way. ** Chur was not afraid to stand against the angry mob and though he died his grandson received a great gift that his grandfather paid for. Aaron on the other hand was afraid of the angry mob so his Chessed to the mob resulted in Din from above to his sons. He is pointed out as an example of one who overcomes his emotion to do Hashems will when his sons die before him. Their sin of being too free with their emotions which resulted in their deaths is countered by the father who must overcome his emotions at this time to do Hashem's will. What if he had overcome his emotions to do Hashems will in the incident with Chur? Would he now be recorded in the history books as 'being silent' in the face of this Din on his sons? It seems that accepting Din to do Hashems will results in Chessed. Chessed to sinners however may result in a worse fate that one might not have thought of. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Toras Kohanim pictures the order of events differently from the Gemara (Eruvin 63a) quoted in our text:When Nadav and Avihu saw that the Heavenly fire did not descend, they exclaimed, \\\"Who can cook without first kindling fire on the stove?'' They therefore entered to set fire under the sacrifices. Thereafter, the fire of the shechina descended, consuming not only the sacrifices but the souls of Nadav and Avihu as well. ** (Shmot 32:32\/33:15) 58","The Two Geula's (2022) According to a discussion in the Talmud, when we have two Adar's, Purim is celebrated in the second Adar because of its proximity to Nissan and Pesach. 'More weight is to be attached to bringing one period of redemption close to another' (Megillah 6b). What does this mean exactly? Is it simply that they go together like one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah or is there actually something about Purim that leads to Pesach? Maybe the end of the calendar year is similar to the end and the beginning of the yearly Torah reading? The Torah ends with the letter 'lamed' and begins with 'bet' which spells 'lev' (heart) and the heart can never stop beating, therefore we learn that we must start the Torah over right away without interruption. Maybe we can say that our calendar year ends and begins with redemption and this is the underlying current throughout the year on a national scale similar to the heart beat of the individual. Is there, however something significant about the Purim redemption that leads us into the Pesach redemption? I suggest that there is and it can be described in the passage 'sur mi ra ve oseh tov' (depart from evil and do good). (Tehillim 34:15) If we do good without departing from evil we do not move forward, we go in circles and the situation worsens. If one is in prison because he was a thief and suddenly decides to do teshuva and keep Shabbat, that may be a good thing to do, however without understanding that it was the sin of 'theft' that put him in prison he will not do the proper teshuva that will truly make him free. We sometimes see this on a personal level if we are doing work that is damaging to our soul and justify this by saying that one day we will try and find a different type of work but it is impossible at this time, we sink deeper into the mud. When we depart and it is very difficult and we may suffer poverty for a period of time, in the end our hands become clean and our life truly changes. The curse of Purim was transformed into blessing only because the people accepted that the rectification of their sin of assimilation was not to bow to Haman and accept the consequences. There is something similar in the opening of the Pesach story when Moshe confronts Pharoah. There were Israelite's who were against Moshe for indeed he had made the situation much worse. The congregation of Israel however accepted Moshe and understood that although it became even more bitter this was the process towards redemption. Only after we engage with Haman's and Pharoah's can we find true redemption. We see the 'oseh tov' without the 'sur mi rah' in many things including the settlement activity. If we build and we do not remove the obstacles that persecute us we go in circles and all the good we do is undone. Look what happened tragically in Gush Katif? Today the map of Israel is rapidly being altered by permits to Ishmael and tractor plows to uproot the builders of Zion as the 5th column inside our own government pushes its agenda. This will not abate until we stand up and change the narrative. It may be difficult to stand against the tyrants of the world and our own government that appeases them however this is the message of Purim and Pesach that the congregation understood. This is the message that turned catastrophe to redemption. It is the will of the people to stand against all odds with Gods laws and not the assimilated in-laws. Now there are those who will argue that we should not engage with tyrants but let Hashem do the work for us. Rav Halperin once asked a question 'what is better to hate falsehood or to love truth?' He answered that one who hates falsehood will see falsehood in everything, while one who loves truth, will find the truth even within falsehood. I agree with these wise chassidik thoughts, however one must also see the big picture. If one sees good in everything and does not confront the evil that approaches it 59","is like the man who jumped from an 80 story building. At the 40th floor someone opened the window and said 'Hi Shlomie, how are you?' He responded 'up to now everything is wonderful I can't complain.' Even in the Talmud there were rabbis who argued that the Megillah should not be included in the Talmud because it may 'incite the ill will of the nations against us.' (Megilah 7a) It was decided to be included and I suggest that it is this very point that connects it to the Pesach story. Standing up to Haman lead to a redemption in the exile and standing up to the Pharoahs of today will lead to a complete redemption and liberation and exodus of the Jewish people from the exile to Israel. It may be worse in the beginning but this is the way to remove sickness and cause healing. I have noted over these last two years how we have been constantly between Purim and Pesach with masks that change our face and the Pesach cleaning of our our hands. With the drastic changes in the world we should reinvent ourselves like a new Purim outfit and move forward. First we must transform and depart from evil, then we can become purer and have some merit for Hashem to redeem us. I have some friends who have changed their lives for the better over these last few years, myself included. Let us hope that as we enter Pesach as a nation we can stand with Mordechai and Moshe and demand change and depart from evil to do a much better good. Regarding Parsha Para and Shmini What happens when we stand up like Mordechai but the people do not do teshuva? This is what happened with Chur and instead of Teshuva there was devastation. In Shmini we learn of another tragedy that occurs when we stand but this time in a place where we were supposed to bow. One must know the times when to stand and when to bow. If we stand in a place where we must bow and alter the Torah with strange fire, we may come to a point where those who stand and protest our golden calf's are persecuted by the mob which result reflexively in national tragedy. Rabbi Glazerson once told me that according to kabbalah the Para Aduma symbolizes all of Israel that is burned; from the dung to the head. How is it that from these ashes we are cleansed from the contamination of death? Does the death of one bring life to another? By mixing these ashes with the living waters of the Torah can we come to an understanding of how future deaths can be prevented? Israel came into being through the ashes of the Shoa so we see how through death there is life however could it have come into being much earlier without a Shoa? For those who see nothing good in the Zionist State and see it as against Gods will, I will let Hashem answer you. Even to the religiously anti- Torah stance among many of its founders and builders Hashem answers us in the Haftorah. \u202b \u05d4\u05db\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05de\u05e8 \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05d4\u05e0\u05d9\u202c,\u202b \u05d9\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05dc\u202c-\u202b \u05db\u05d1 \u05d4\u05dc \u05d9\u05db\u05df \u05d1\u05d0 \u05d4\u05de\u05e8 \u05e0\u05dc \u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea\u202c22 Therefore say to the house of Israel: Thus says :\u202b \u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \u05d9\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05dc\u202c,\u202b \u05dc \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05dc \u05db\u05de \u05db\u05e2 \u05e0\u05e0 \u05d4\u05db\u05dd \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e2 \u05d4\u05e9\u05d4\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d5\u05d4\u202cmy Lord Hashem\/Elochim: not for your sake do I act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, that \u202b\u05db\u05d1\u05d2\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d9\u05dd\u202c ,\u202b\u05d9\u05d7 \u05db\u05dc \u05e0\u05dc \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd\u202c \u202b\u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8\u202c \u202b \u05d4\u05e7 \u05e0\u05d3 \u05d9\u05e9\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05dc \u05d9\u05e9\u05dd\u202c-\u202b\u05d9\u05db\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d0\u05dd\u202c you have desecrated among the nations, to which \u202b \u05d4\u05d1\u05d0 \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd \u05d4\u05e9\u05dd\u202c-\u202b\u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8\u202c you came. (Yecheskel 36:22) This new reality came into being not because Ben Gurion was a Tzaddik but because Hashem had enough Chillul Hashem and for His namesake He brought Israel back so that the oppressive nations will not scoff as they did in the Shoa and say 'where is your God, let him come to save you.' Whether we do teshuva or not Hashem will not let His name be degraded. We may prevent national tragedy by standing up and following Hashems commands or we may obstruct His commands and 60","nevertheless bring a new reality after the resulting devastation the choice is ours to make. Each new reality born from the ashes or the exodus of previous realities brings the manifestation of Hashem into the world in a higher level. I live in the Hebrew speaking State that my grandfathers only dreamed of. Is there a higher state? Of course there is. If one is not in this Hebrew speaking State however, he is surrounded by even more death and strange fire. In the Haftorah we read: \u202b \u05d4\u05d8 \u05d9\u05de\u05d0\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05d6 \u05e9\u05e8\u05e7 \u05d4\u05e2 \u05d4\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5\u202c-\u202b \u05d9\u05db\u05d9 \u05de\u05df\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d9\u05d3\u05d4\u05d4 \u05dc\u05d4\u05d0\u202c.. \u202b \u05d9\u05d2\u202c13 ..because the water of sprinkling has not \u202b \u05de\u05d8 \u05e0\u05de \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d1\u05d5\u202c,\u202b\u05e2\u05d5\u05d3\u202c--\u202b\u05d9\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4\u202c been thrown upon him, he shall remain contaminated; his contamination is still upon him. (Bamidbar 19:13) The State = \u202b( \u05df\u05de\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e0 \u05d4\u05d3\u05d4 = \u05df\u05de \u05d4\u05d3\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d4\u202cwater of sprinkling) I interpret this passage in the following way. If the State has not been thrown upon you, and spat upon you, then you are not pure. Only after this process will you become pure. This is only the beginning however. When I say this to Israelis who have come here and struggled and fought and refuse to leave because their love is greater than any adverse situations they understand what I mean and smile. To a new people, with a new heart, and a new State, let us stand against Haman and Pharoah and bow to allow Hashems fire to pass over us - sur mi ra ve oseh tov. Pesach and Moshiach ben Yoseph (2023) Rav Shalom Hertzel mentioned an interesting idea that at the moment just before we left Mitzrayim we had to repair the original rift that brought us there in the first place. That rift was with Yoseph whose blood stained coat was offered to his father and connected now to the Egyptian lamb god\u2019s blood placed on our doorposts. Families were forbidden to leave and forced to settle their differences at the seder table. The original four sons sat together after the fifth son had already been consumed in the previous days of darkness. Of all the symbols on the seder plate the only question left unanswered is the first question. Why do we dip the karpas into salt water? The Rav explained that this unanswered question symbolized the young Yoseph and the tears of his father. The last symbol of the seder is the Hillel sandwich which reminds us of the brick and mortar of Egypt that resulted and this tikkun that took hundreds of years to fix. But was it? I quite enjoyed hearing this idea and it raised another question for me. If Shabbat Hagadol ties into Yoseph then what does the desecration of these Gentile gods have to do with healing a rift within our family? The answer was quite apparent. Who is the Rabbi that desecrated the Gentile gods before their eyes in order to liberate and elevate the Jewish people from their servitude and reliance on those who attack us and terrorize us? Rabbi Kahane of course. Instead of following his example however, we roasted him whole for all the Gentiles to see, proving once again that we have no intentions of leaving Mitzrayim. The unanswered question remains unanswered and the punishments we incur from the sale of Yoseph 61","continue to be paid through Moshiach ben Yoseph. How quickly and gloriously Geula could come if we had a little more faith and a little less animosity towards those who carry the message of Moshiach ben Yoseph. Rabbi Akiva also paid the price of Yoseph from the bunker in Bnei Brak to the short-lived glory of Lag B'Omer which we will meditate upon in the coming weeks. Binyamin Kahane writes an amazing thing in his Hagadah. In every generation there are Jews who think their generation is an exception. Certainly there was persecution in the past but our generation is more 'progressive' and 'enlightened'. Our enemies as well never learn the lessons of their past defeats and ridicule their predecessors' mistakes seeking now to improve their tactics and finally rid the world of the people of Israel and their God. These are our days of freedom, but only when we first recognize our self imposed impediment and understand that it has always been in our hands to do and to liberate ourselves. May Hashem lift us out of Mitzrayim and give us eyes to see and a new heart to understand along with courage that is the crown of simple faith. 62","Kahane in the Parsha Tazria \/ Metzora 63","Time of Healing (2013) I remember the Rabbi of the Markham shul in Toronto Sholom Langer who said one Shabbat that these Parshas allude to exile and in-gathering. Similar to the leper on our Parsha, the 'exile' is a place of isolation. In the various exiles we have wandered we have been ostracized and persecuted and isolated because of our different ways. As the doors of Israel opened once again and we are returning home, we are also being healed from the many spiritual impediments that we have been afflicted with in the exile. I for one, have seen many people who may have been outcasts or physically or emotionally ill return to Israel and be cured. There is a healing that one cannot disregard when one returns (with whatever mixed feelings) to his natural people. Rabbi Halperin at Chabbad also spoke of Tazria and Metzora as alluding to Geula in the fact that the word used for the afflicted is 'Adam' which is the highest form describing 'man'. In this highest form the lack of perfection or illness is only something on the surface, on the skin. We see in the Haftorah that it was actually four lepers who brought the Geula and saved the day when Israel was starving of famine. Those who stood in their high places and scoffed were actually trampled by the mob of free people. Salvation may come even from those considered impure. In the month of Iyar they say the sun has a special healing quality. This is probably connected to the Omer. It is the only month of the year that has a mitzvah each day of counting the Omer and correcting our character traits one at a time. It seems to me that once we have left Mitzrayim, we are now in a position to see more objectively that we have been ill. Day by day we make these corrections as we count the Omer. The greatest correction can be felt mostly here in Israel when one has returned from isolation and ill effects of the exile. The topics of leprosy and blood and semen and scabs etc do not seem to be spiritual concepts that one would think belongs in the Torah, but the Torah is a book of healing. Spirituality does not only belong in the realm of lofty concepts but also in understanding our afflictions and its connection to Holiness or lack of it. The place where a woman gives birth is a holy and ecstatic place during conception. That same place menstruates and causes illness each month. The Holiest places in Israel (Jerusalem, Hevron, Schem) are surrounded by many enemies that afflict us. There is an expression 'the more honey, the more bees'. As the leper become the Metzora and is brought back to the collective and is healed the Nation grows and prepares itself for its ultimate goal. They say that 'when a woman conceives and gives birth to a boy' alludes to Moshiach. It seems to me that it is not coincidental that the woman is impure for thirty three days. The thirty third day of the Omer (Lag B'Omer) is a time where the mourning ends and the rifts become bridgeable. In the series of of Pesach, Yom Hashoa, Yom Hazikaron, Yom Haatzmaut, Lag B'omer arrives bringing unity which prepares us for the final countdown to Shavuot. From a National to a personal level we have been exiled and afflicted and healed. Some of our great leaders like Rabbi Kahane were not afraid to be ostracized like lepers for they knew that they were bringing a collective healing to our national soul. How many homes have been demolished in Yesha just like in our Parsha that eventually bring a National healing to our afflicted soul that has been tarnished from the exile. Through understanding the infections and the impurities we also begin to appreciate the Holy and the permissible and the joy of our collective healing. We cannot help but correct ourselves as the gold underneath our skin has a much greater magnetism than the surface sores that restrict us from being completely united. 64","The 1st and 2nd Amendment (2022) Written in a leap year where Tzav and Parshat HaChodesh align Rashi tells us that the first mitzvah of the Torah really should start with Birkat Hachodesh. The Torah however starts with Bereshit, giving us the context to arrive at this 1st first commandment given to the Jewish people as a 'Nation.' The Talmud discusses the question of whether the world was created at the time of Rosh Hoshanna or in Nissan when the Nation of Israel emerged from the furnace of Egypt. Among the conclusions is the idea that though the world may have been formed on Rosh Hoshanna its purpose and meaning was born with the Nation of Israel in the month of Nissan. It is a lovely idea that the first mitzvah of the Hebrew Nation is to measure and construct time in order that the rest of the year can follow with all of its holidays. In addition this 1st command marks our national salvation and freedom from slavery, and reflexively it represents the salvation of the entire world from oppression. Our Nation is represented by the moon that waxes and wanes however is indestructible and eternal and will never be extinguished. The moon is also a light that shines through darkness and gives hope. Throughout the dark periods of history as well as the challenges of our personal lives the light of Israel preserves us. Now what about the second commandment that is joined to this commandment to prepare the Pesach lamb. The god of the Egyptians is roasted whole on a fire for all the angry Egyptians to see and to helplessly do nothing about it but to recognize that the Hebrew God has destroyed all their sadistic plans. Does our national constitution begin with being a light unto the nations followed by being a zealot? Are these two commandments at odds with each other or do they support one another? Maybe our 2nd commandment preserves our first commandment? In the USA the 1st amendment is 'freedom of speech' followed by the 2nd amendment 'to bear arms'. The 2nd amendment was established to preserve the first amendment by force if necessary. In our Torah chapter one thing for certain is that to arrive at this 1st national command one needs context to understand how we arrived, and therefore the 2nd command also needs context. Those who tried to destroy our salvation and murdered our infants in a sea of blood now see their demon gods destroyed in front of their eyes, while a people that represent life and justice and truth emerge from the ashes of death and power intoxicated worshipers of self, along with all of its bestial perversities. Throughout history the zealousness of our people preserved us and defended our freedom. To the degree that we succumb to Egypt this is the degree to which we remain enslaved and to the degree that we destroy these false gods internally and publicly is the degree to which we are truly faithful to our God and a light unto the nations. Before the USA was silently overthrown two years ago by a 5th column that has infiltrated its core and is daily eroding and undermining its 1st and 2nd amendments, that 2nd amendment was relied upon to preserve its rights. Its not certain today whether this 2nd amendment will be able to defend this corrupted empire from the demolition plans of its invaders. We hope so. Our 2nd commandment may also be eroded and cause us to wane rather than wax and suffer rather than celebrate. We may hear the painful birth cry of Ishmaelite rioters and their supporters who seek to crush us like Egyptian slaves rather than hear the cry of swift victory and the smell of roasted lamb while non-gods come crashing down like a great Goliath. The Torah begins with Bereshit only to explain to us the context of a world that was created for the Creator to rule and choose a people to ensure that that house is built and that those rules will be 65","enforced. Our 2nd commandment must burn within our hearts to preserve our own light which is also a light unto the nations. As the world is rapidly falling apart the devil that is hidden in plain sight must be countered by a force of goodness and justice that is also in plain sight; a force that defends the innocent and the frail and destroys and unmasks cruelty that is now spreading like an unruly classroom without the teacher. In a world void of law and order we must become the enforcers with a double edge sword to protect and to serve. Lawlessness, fascism, and famine, are on the menu in this current state of affairs however there is hope and salvation and a bright future in the Land of Israel and in every hill of Judea. To those still in the exile pack the 2nd commandment in your heart and your hand as you leave the falling empire behind and follow the moon that shines brightly over the desert. Take a leap of faith. There is lots of water in the rocks and you will find manna just when you need it Geula Birth and Leprocy Along with the process of Geula which is a national birth and refinement there is also pain and contamination. There are different types of contamination that affect us during the birth and Geula process. Some are on the surface and some are deeper, some shorter and some longer, some masculine and some feminine (see what I wrote in Preconditions of the Geula Parsha Vayera 2011). How does one navigate the book of life through the valley of death? It's not an easy task. One thing we learn from Rashi and this first commandment, is that it is the Geula that we were created for and to realize this Geula and manifest it, we need to understand the context and history that lead us to this point. With the correct measurements we can make the proper life altering decisions. We are told in Perkei Avot to make yourself a Rav, but sometimes it seems that we need a Rav in order to find a Rav or maybe sometimes street smarts. I have mentioned this story previously that I heard from Rav Nachum Kahane of a woman who escaped the Shoa. Her father did everything the Rebbe of the village told him. When he asked the Rebbe for a bracha as he wanted to immigrate to Israel the Rebbe forbade him to go to 'Zionist' Israel. It was the only time her father ever disobeyed the Rebbe. Her family survived but the Rebbe and the whole village was murdered. My guest this Shabbat told me that Rav Kanievsky who recently passed away supported the government vaccine mandate to the point of calling one who did not take this vaccine a rodef (a potential murderer). How do we understand these stories? How do we understand this zealotry? What happens when Rabbi's rely on authorities that have been mislead or science that becomes politicized? How do we make ourselves a Rav and determine if his zealotry will save our life or destroy us? Although I mentioned that the 2nd commandment of zealotry helps to preserve and illuminate the light of the 1st, we must also be very careful in how we manage and assess our personal and national Geula. We need to be a bit like those who study leprosy and determine whether it is on the surface or within. The voice of Yacov and the hairy hands of Esav are not always easily understood or measured accurately. We can start by looking at the context and learning from our history. Geula is the goal, but which direction leads there? I personally feel lucky to have discovered Rav Kahane who resonates with my soul and whose simple faith and understanding gives courage to one who builds a shack on a hilltop knowing that it is more indestructible than any empire that seeks to crush the people of Hashem. I feel confident to stand with one who was cursed by a world but whose Torah preserves the world. I feel more secure being a 66","student of one who understood the context of our time and therefore understood the commandments that we must fulfill, and like Moshe was persecuted by those who could not imagine a world without a taskmaster but blessed by Hashem. How does one sift through and find Moshe from misinformation? Most people prefer to be among popular people and associated with the honored members of society. Rav Kahane was looked upon as a leper precisely because his faith was pure it and it challenged us. It is our Nation however that is infected with various degrees of lack of faith (myself included) that prevent the Geula and birth from being an easy one or a difficult one. May we increase our zealotry against obstacles that prevent our Geula and uproot our internal and external enemies. May it be an easy swift and glorious birth. May this 1st commandment of historical purpose be realized in our time. May we all escape the darkness of Egypt this year and physically be safe and spiritually be the light that we must become just as the moon must forever shine and light the way for our journey. May we have the wisdom to determine the right path and navigate these times correctly. Tazria and Metzora and the Knesset (2023) Tazria and Metzora has been compared to the Exile and the ingathering of the exiles. As Jews from around the world are gathered together there is national healing that results. One of the great benefits of living in Israel is being part of the National family; to participate in the joy and the pain of our people together, in remembrance ceremonies or festivals, and even in protests. The protests today however seem like another plague. Chazal tell us that the final redemption will be similar to the original redemption from Egypt and we certainly see that the challenges of recent times, as we approach Geula, could be looked at as plagues. We have passed through Corona and now there is civil unrest within our Nation. Are they two different plagues or are they like a leprosy that is still being determined? Part of the determination of Tzaras is whether the root of the discolored hair has been affected or if it is just on the surface. I have always maintained that the root cause of Corona was not in China but the Knesset. \u2018Where the Jews decided upon their laws, there Nebuchadnezzar issued his decrees\u2019 (Sanhedrin 103a) The struggle between a \u2018Jewish\u2019 State and a \u2018Globalist\u2019 Hebrew speaking State was festering under the surface a year before Corona. It certainly seemed to me that Hashem was angry at Israel and allowed Corona to be let loose around the world, because of us. Now one might say that Corona was part of a nefarious globalist deep state plan to inoculate the world and lead us into the new world order where everyone has a barcode and a social credit system that in the future can literally determine whether you live or disappear. This may be true but how do we measure the plan of evil tyrants next to Hashem\u2019s punishments? Are they one and the same? I would give the same answer I gave a friend of mine who did not believe in God because of the Shoa. We need to understand that the only thing unique about the Shoa to the \u2018Gentiles\u2019 is that this is one time Hashem did not thwart their daily plans to annihilate us. Why did Hashem not thwart their plans? This is the question then as well as today. What happened to our protection? It takes a great deal of provocation for Hashem to abandon us. Rabbi Kahane discusses many questions regarding the Shoa and factors that led up to it. Similar to our own time there was massive assimilation as well as disinterest among the faithful to make Aliyah. We must seriously consider the consequences of our current provocations. It seems to me that along with each plague we are experiencing today, comes a test which takes us one step out of Egypt or one step lower into the darkness where eighty percent of the Jewish people gradually sank. I hope that is not our fate today and we all find our way out of the darkness. 67","\u201cHashem will strike you with madness and with blindness and with confounding of the heart\u201d (Devarim 28:28) One of the curses Hashem sends our way when we have distanced ourselves from Him is madness. Personally, I have witnessed a close friend become temporarily insane during the Corona years obsessed with vaccines and ridiculing those who are 'not' in a panic, as a danger to society because they opted out of the experimental vaccine. That same friend is obsessed again with a new temporary insanity to protest the democratic decision of our Nation that chose to retain our Jewish identity. Certainly, the deep state and well-funded enemies are seeking to undermine our Nation from within with propaganda and social media as weapons. Certainly this has succeeded in influencing many minds; however, it is the soul that will win the battle. What determines whether we rise from this challenge or sink lower is the same factors of the previous plague. Do we want Hashem\u2019s protection or do we provoke Him further and drive Him away? In a panic we altered our God given immune system which protected us, with a harmful man-made experiment. Now in a further panic we want America to help save us from the primitive religious people who were supposed to have died out with the birth of secular Israel. What was under the surface before Corona is now on the surface with scabs. Instead of welcoming the greater participation of Hashem in our National protection we are in a panic to be free of Him like Corona. These provocations have consequences. Rabbi Kahane discusses that the miracle within the miracle of Chanukah, as well as the establishment of the State of Israel, had a common denominator which was a heroic quality prepared to do battle against great odds. He also explains that the modern State of Israel is a great chesed from Hashem. Not because we merited it, but for the sake of His Holy name that had been desecrated in the Shoa. We must remember that along with our heroism, Israel is still a gift that Hashem can just as easily take away from us. We forget how much Hashem protects us each moment of each day as we protest His presence and involvement in Israel. The Or HaChaim (Devarim, 8:18) writes, \\\"The yetzer hara's first plot is to cause a person to forget Hashem's kindness, and that is how he destroys people.\\\" There is a great accusation standing against Israel and also a great hope. It is yet to be determined like Tzarat. Chazal tells us that the reason we suffer in every generation is because in each generation there is a potential Mashiach ben Yoseph and in each generation he is persecuted. One of the most profound books of Rav Kahane is a book of his speeches from the Knesset. When he rose to speak all of the Knesset members left the room in protest. The words however are still recorded, right in the place where they count the most. The accusation and the hope of Israel stood alone in that empty chamber and his words echo from the moment he spoke them until today. There is no doubt in my mind that Rav Kahane was Moshiach ben Yoseph and we stand accused for the way he was ridiculed and silenced and ignored just like the authentic Torah of Hashem that he represented. He stood there in the very place where justice should ring forth and he proclaimed the truth. By doing so in this crooked place may it not be regarded as an accusation of how low we have sunk and continue sinking. May it not represent our arrogance and bitterness as we close the door behind Hashems words, desecrating His laws and calling them racist as we fawn after killers who try not to laugh at our self-deprecating stupidity. May our tantrums not be taken seriously so our Father does not abandon us, for even a short time would be devastating. May it be rather a sign that even this crooked place can be straightened. May it be that even in this crooked place a man can stand and the law of Hashem can sprout. To those who think the deep state cannot be penetrated I say we are deeper than the deep state. May it be that like Itzchak the price he paid will stop Hashem from returning the world to chaos for if there is one man that stands and represents, then there will be two and three and four and God willing there will be a million-man march in Jerusalem this Thursday to tell the Nation and Hashem that our Tzarat has ended and we are now a Metzora. It is interesting to note that in the Omer this year, all the gvurot fall out on Shabbat. If there are any harsh decrees may each Shabbat soften them and may the healing sun of Iyar heal us as we journey from Pesach to receive the Torah on Shavuot. 68","Kahane in the Parsha Acharei Mot 69","Who By Fire Hashem wanted to give us a marvelous gift called the Torah but He warned us not to get close to the mountain or we will die. He wanted to give us plentiful blessings in the Bet Hamigdash but He warned us not to go inside the Kadosh Hakososhim or we will die. Why is all this blessing and joy mixed with threats of death? At Mount Sinai Hashem warned us twice. Moshe even said to Hashem that he heard it the first time, nevertheless He warned a second time. With all this warning no one rushed to die at the foot of the mountain. In fact it was the opposite the people asked Moshe to speak because it was too awesome to hear even the 'words' of Hashem directly let alone getting close to the mountain. When the sons of Aaron were burned by Heavenly fire there was no warning beforehand, but many warnings afterward, like in our Parsha. The Parsha deals with the service of Yom Kippur followed by laws that forbid digesting the blood of animals and many beastly types of activities. Is there a connection to all of these things? Let me make a suggestion. The threat of death was not so much a punishment but a result. If one wants to get that close to the Creator, he cannot enter that doorway with a body; he must leave his body behind. Hashem does not desire this, He gave us life because He has a mission for us here in the physical world. If one wants to get that close to the Creator he may do so, but it is a strange thing and not required or asked of anyone. Nadav and Avihu were not called sinners for offering their strange fire, but this was not requested or desired. What is the difference between the warnings at Har Sinai and the Mishkan? Har Sinai was an experience. We were in the midst of a national revolution. We had seen the political upheaval of our enemies and our own national liberation. It was a physical experience that was filled with so many to miracles that it had to be something more than a physical liberation of a people, and it was. This was when we came face to face so to speak with the Creator, just as Moshe discovered Hashem at the burning bush, we as a people arrived at the same place. This spiritual reality that was envisioned by the people was the result of a physical political event in history. Just as Moshe was told to stand back at the burning bush, we as a people were told to stand back as we witnessed something spiritual from the physical place where we stood. The Mishkan in a way is an attempt to reenact this original meeting with Hashem. When the people feared that Moshe had died on the mountain they wanted to recreate that conduit between heaven and earth that they had experienced. It was a grave mistake because by doing what was not commanded they created a mockery of the unique experience they had forty days prior. There is a fine line between Avodat Hashem and Avoda Zara (Godly service and Idol worship). As we mentioned before Parsha Acharei Mot deals with laws forbidding drinking of animal blood and many other beastly activities. It seems to me that the beginning and the end of the Parsha are like bookends. Hashem does not want us to behave like animals or tarnish our souls with animal blood, but on the other hand He does not want us to be angels that leave our bodies like Nadav and Avihu. He wants us to remain in the physical world. And for these rituals to bring us close together in a meaningful way that is both spiritual and physical. The Nation that encountered God in the midst of their National liberation understood this for a moment, but then things changed. Many years ago there was a plague in a community in Europe and the Rav of the community blamed it on talking in the bet knesset. The idea was that taking prayers lightly and casually was making Hashem angry. They stopped talking in the bet knesset and people stopped dying. Some people point 70","to this story when explaining the Shoa as well. Of course the punishment hardly seems to fit the crime. The connection if any may be the following. If one takes the religion as comfortable rituals that he is accustomed to, and disregards the political and historic aspect of our Nation, he runs the risk of losing his body because of his closeness to Hashem and his disinterest in national struggles. As the old adage goes God helps those that help themselves, or if you see smoke there is probably fire. As it says in our Haftorah today ,\u202b \u05d4\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05de \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u202c:\u202b \u05d4\u05db\u05dc \u05db\u05d7 \u05d4\u05d8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05d9 \u05db\u05e2 \u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u202c,\u202b \u05d9 \u05db\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d7 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d9\u05de\u05d5\u05ea\u05d5\u202c10 By the sword will all the sinners of My people \u202b \u05d4\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e2\u05d4\u202c--\u202b \u05db\u05ea \u05d9\u05d2\u05d9\u05e9 \u05e0\u05d5 \u05db\u05ea \u05e0\u05e7 \u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05dd \u05db\u05d1 \u05e0\u05e2 \u05d9\u05d3\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u202c-\u202b \u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u202cdie, those that say: 'The evil shall not approach and overtake us.' (Amos 9:10) The faith that is required is the faith to build our Nation despite all obstacles. The religion, or ritual are reminders to us of how to build this nation but when the religion becomes divorced from this National aspiration it may become a strange fire. Today as in the past Aliyah is not encouraged among a great number of Torah observant Jews as well as secular Jews. They strangely have very much in common. The well being of the handfuls of our people in Yehuda and Shomron who are persecuted and continue to build Gods Kingdom on the ground are not things that are of great concern. The political concerns of Nadav and Avihu were about who was going to be the heir to the priesthood? Who was holier, or purer than Nadav and Avihu? Although purity and holiness and attachment to God is commendable when the rituals become the ends to the means rather than the means to an end, the rituals will be taken away along with the body of the practitioners. When animalism and corruption lead the way, the party will also be broken up before long. I don't believe Hashem is looking for angels that do not question nor wild animals that do not think. He wants us rather to read the signs and do what is commanded even though politically this is may be incorrect. This is faith. This type of faith exists within the body of our Nation but needs to be stirred. Today like in the 1920's long before the Shoa the religious leaders should encourage our settlement of Judea and Shomron and rebuilding of our Temple; all those politically incorrect things. When we arrive on the day that we celebrate the birth of the state of Judea we will all stand back and realize that this is the hand of god. In order for that day to arrive we must be warned not to burn strange fires that are not requested, but rather show our faith by coming home and building Gods kingdom here on earth. 71","Compromise and Correction (2021) My friend Yehuda mentioned to me that in the Chassidik book he was reading it mentions that Aaron has the same letters as Nireh (to see) and Chur has the same letters as Ruach (spirit). He suggested that maybe what Aaron did at the Egel by appeasing the angry crowd was more tangible while Chur was too spiritual for ordinary people to understand. I disagreed and said the opposite. I imagined Aaron saying to Hashem 'I have the same convictions as Chur. I would willingly give my life as well and oppose the mob, however what good will that do for the people of Israel? Better for their sake that I should compromise to stall until Moshe returns.' I imagine Hashem answering that 'yes, indeed you see (Nireh) what happened to Chur but don't tell me you have the same spirit. It is because you lack the spirit and conviction of Chur that you will compromise and because of this your sons will produce a Strange Fire that I did not request. I do not want leaders that in response to licentiousness become completely spiritual nebuchs (nothings) divorced from the physical and political world. This is a Strange Fire. To stand against the mob because you believe in me, this is a normal fire and a spirit that I and the people understand. Achrei Mot Kodeshim is not what I desire (i.e. after death one becomes holy). I want you to live and to do everything physically possible so that spiritual life can exist.' This Strange Fire which some say was the result of 'over familiarity' with the spiritual service and 'lack of awe' maybe related to the casualness that we will soon read about in Bekuchotai (BeKeri) which interestingly enough has the same Gematria as 'Shoa.' Not seeing Hashem motivating you through political events and relegating Him to some ritual can lead to terrible tragedy. Rav Kahane used to say one doesn't 'read' the newspaper one must 'study' it. Sometimes being divorced from the world may mistakenly be considered a deep desire for the spirit when it actually is an indifference to the spirit that demands sacrifice in the physical world. The gilgul (that Chazal tells us) of Nadav and Avihu in Pinchas makes perfect sense. I would call it a tikkun or correction because Pinchas went against his nature and his fears. He was so jealous and zealous for Hashem that he overcame his naturally peace loving nature to stand up for Hashem's Name even if Hashem did not command him to. This action corrected the faults that began with Aarons compromise. The Common Denominator (2021) I asked Rav Halperin at kiddush a question. During this thirty three day period we are discussing the tragedy of Aarons sons as well as the tragedy of the students of Rabbi Akiva. In addition we are discussing the Inauguration of the Temple and the failed attempt to restore the Bet Hamigdash. The inauguration of the Mishkan followed by the Yom Kippur service demonstrated Hashem's forgiveness to the Nation for the Egel which forty days earlier had almost destroyed the whole Nation. At this very time of rectification and repentance of the people the tragedy of Aarons sons occur. In addition the unity and success of the Nation in vanquishing the Romans and rebuilding the Temple was undermined by a plague among the scholarly warriors which were leading the revolution. Is there some connection in the mistakes of the spiritual leadership? Regarding Aaron's sons there is a logical sequence. The compromise of Aaron (because of his fear 72","regarding the fate of Chur) led to the Strange Fire of Nadav and Avihu but eventually their tikkun in Pinchas who acted in a similar decisive way of Chur. The story of Rabbi Akiva however is more reminiscent of the actions of Chur who acts with simple faith and self sacrifice. Yet after many successes Bar Kochba is misled and accused the Tannah Rabbi Elazar of being a traitor and murders him. Following this there is a Plague among the scholar warriors and we are told the plague was a result of disrespect for one another. Is there a common denominator? Is the lack of respect from the liberating revolution similar to the lack of respect or 'over familiarity' of Aarons sons? Rav Halperin answered that there is a common denominator and we see it in the story of Yohanan. Do not be sure of yourself until the day you die, as Yo\u1e25anan the High Priest served in the High Priesthood for eighty years and ultimately became a Sadducee. Even one who is outstanding in his righteousness can become a heretic. (Berachot 29:A) Yohanan the High Priest became a Saducee at eighty years old. In Hebrew Saducee is called Tzadokim which has the root of the word Tzodek 'correct'. When one considers that he is 'right' and 'righteous' this is the moment he begins to fall. Rav Nachum Kahane brings an interesting point: The Gemara (Sanhedrin 52:a) relates that it was common knowledge that Nadav and Avihu were the heirs to the posts of Moshe and Aharon, to such an extent that the two sons were waiting impatiently for the demise of the two elders so that they could assume the reins of leadership. However, everyone who thought that they would automatically be the next leaders were proven wrong when Nadav and Avihu died while bringing fire to the altar. At the other extreme, the chances that David, son of Yishai, the shepherd boy from Beit Lechem, would be king of Israel were never even entertained in the caucus rooms of the nation's movers and shakers. And yet, David was plucked out by HaShem, from behind the water holes where his sheep would drink, to become the greatest king the nation has ever had. Nadav and Avihu, the irrefutable future leaders of Israel, were never granted the opportunity to assume power; whereas the shepherd David began the eternal lineage of the Davidic kings up to the future appearance of the Mashiach. (With All Your Might, pg 473) My friend Yehuda mentioned that the day David was anointed by Shmuel his pride was not affected whatsoever. He came home afterwards and slept in the stable with the animals as usual. I wonder to what extent the leadership represent the people and to what extent they bring tragedy to the people. In both of these cases it seems the Nation was quite unified but the fire from above in the Mishkan and the fire from below with Akiva's revolution were both tainted by the self assured leadership. L'Havdil I wonder what will play out in our own time when the conservative will of the people has clearly been subverted by leadership both in America and Israel. Moshe Feiglin made an interesting point regarding 1967. The commanders were waiting for orders to advance however Rabin was having a nervous breakdown and unavailable. With the leadership absent they chose to advance and they took over the Har Habayit. If the leadership had been present maybe we would not be were we are today. However, one great leader like Chur and Akiva of the past or Rav Kahane of the present always leaves behind a blueprint for us to follow to rebuild the Temple. 73","74","Kahane in the Parsha Kedoshim 75","Standing Idly \u202b \u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u202c:\u202b \u05db\u05d3\u05dd \u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e2\u05da\u202c-\u202b\u05d8\u05d6 \u05dc \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05ea \u05e0\u05e2 \u05d4\u05de\u05d3 \u05db\u05e2\u05dc\u202c. You shall not stand idly while your fellow's blood is shed \u2013 I am Hashem. (Vayikra 19:16) \u202b \u05db\u05d3\u05dd \u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05e2\u05da\u202c-\u202b = \u05dc \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05ea \u05e0\u05e2 \u05d4\u05de\u05d3 \u05db\u05e2\u05dc\u202cNine Seventy Nine =979 \u202b =\u05de\u05d0\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d3\u05d5\u05d9\u05d3 \u05d1\u05df \u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d7 \u05e0\u05d6 \u05d9\u05e7\u05d0\u05dc \u05e0\u05e9 \u05db\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d2\u05d0\u202cMeir David Ben Yechezkel Shraga = 977 Although these Gematrias do not match up exactly, their close proximity remind me of the Torah of the Rav. It was this that motivated him and others to take action and not stand idly by the blood of our brothers. People would be offended by the way he would shock us by his descriptions of the brutality that had been visited upon victims of Arab terror. It was these shocking descriptions however that motivated and angered people enough to leave their complacent lives for a few hours and go and protest. He was often the first visitor at the shiva for victims that he did not even know. He felt the pain of other Jews and also the joy of what it means to be Jewish. He desperately tried to shake us out of our exile mentality of putting our heads in the sand and looking the other way, and accepting murder and brutality with a shrug of the shoulders secretly only hoping that 'we' will be safe. 'Never Again' means never again will we react this way, but rather we will shake the world and do everything possible that every Jew should be safe, especially in the home of the Jewish people. To Be Holy Israel: Revolution or Referendum by Rabbi Meir Kahane - The Jewish Press, 1978 \u201cThou shall be holy, for I the L-rd, your G-d, am holy!\u201d (Leviticus 19:2). What is this holiness? What is it and how does one achieve it? Holiness \u2013 the purpose of man \u2013 is aimed at taking the ego and self-centeredness that is at the root of all ugliness and evil, and then harnessing it and submitting it to the discipline of G-d. All that is evil in the world occurs because of the selfishness of man and his refusal to sublimate his own desires and interests to goodness and morality. One steals because he places his own desire for money over the moral imperative; one murders for the same reason. The \u201cI\u201d that is within man, grown wild and unharnessed, can destroy a world. 76","We live in a world that revels in \u201cfreedom,\u201d in the right to do what we wish. Rights and freedom have become the watchwords of our times, and they grow like some cancerous disease into license and moral anarchy. For the Jew there can be no such thing, for the Jew there can only be the yoke of the heavenly kingdom. The yoke of the heavenly kingdom! The heavy and beautiful yoke, the difficult but magnificent burden that makes the Jew strong through obedience and free through submission. \u201cThere is no freedom except through the engraved tablets of the Law,\\\" say the Rabbis (Pirkei Avot 6:2). The Jew who thinks he has freedom because he can do whatever he wishes, with license and no bounds to his desires, is not free but rather a slave to his passions and desires. He cannot stop, he cannot overcome his ego and wants, he cannot bring his will to bear. He is a slave of materialism and desire. Such a person, though he begins by declaring his right to do all things only if he harms no one else, must in the end reach the point where he has become an addict to his own needs and desires, weak and incapable of struggling against them. Then, when it comes to a choice between his own needs and the moral rights of others, he will turn on the others with savagery and determination, all the while rationalizing away his actions. Judaism demands limitation, discipline, and subordination of the ego, self-centeredness, and freedom of man because it declares clearly that \u201cunto the L-rd is the earth and all that it contains\\\" (Psalms 24:1). There is no such thing as man's ownership of anything on this earth. He is a tenant, allowed to use the property of the Almighty on definite conditions, all of which underline the concept of admitting that G- d is the creator and owner of all that exists. The Jew may eat bread \u2013 but the precondition is the blessing. He may earn money - but he must give a tithe, 10 percent, to the poor. His property is limited and hobbled because it is not his property. And the concept extends to his wealth and his body. A person cannot do with his wealth as he sees fit, nor use or abuse his body as he chooses. An abortion is murder; the body does not belong to the woman. Suicide is a sin because man has a role to play that he cannot escape and his life is not his own to do with as he sees fit. The purpose of the obligation to feel the pain of the oppressed and the hunger of the needy and to give of one's property and one's time to soothe and ease their wants is not so much to have the needy take. More important, it is for the Jew to learn to give. The Jew who gives, admits that his wealth is not his; he cries out his faith that the L-rd will fill and replenish his own wants, and he smashes his selfish nature that cries out: It is mine! ******* Nothing less than making man good will make the world good; nothing less than a holy human race will make a world holy. It is an illusion to believe that one can make a people better by changing the form of government. No change in the system of society will make that society better, for there is no such thing as \u201cgovernment or \\\"society.\u201d There are only the individuals who comprise the government or the society, and the whole is nothing more than the sum of its parts. If the parts are rotten and corrupt, the whole must emerge the same. If the people are selfish and egotistical, society will emerge the same, regardless of the form of government that it uses. An ugly world will never be made beautiful by attacking the symptoms. It is man himself who must be changed and made better. Then and only then can the world which he makes up become better, too. The holiness of the human being guarantees the holiness and beauty of his world. Even if this is a long and difficult process, it is the only way. 77","Death, Holiness and Revolution (2023) \u202b\ufb1d \u05e0\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d9\u05d4\u202c--\u202b \u05d9\u05d0\u05d9 \u05db\u05e4\u05ea \u05d4\u05e6 \u05d4\u05d3\u05e7 \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05df \u05d4\u05e6 \u05d4\u05d3\u05e7\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05e6 \u05d4\u05d3\u05e7\u202c-\u202b \u05dc\u05d5 \u05de \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05d6 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e6 \u05d4\u05d3\u05e7 \ufb2e \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u202c36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a \u202b\u05d4\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05dd \u05d9\u05de \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e8\u05e5\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d0\u05dc \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c:\u202b\u05d4\u05dc \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c \u202b\u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05e6 \u05d4\u05e8\ufb1d\u05dd\u202c just hin, shall you have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt (Vayikra 19:36) \u202b \u05d9\u05d1 \u05e0\u05e6 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d4\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e4\u05d8 \u05d9\u05ea \u05d4\u05e4 \u05d4\u05d3\u05d4; \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e9 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d4\u202c,\u202b \u05db\u05d6 \u05d9\u05e6\u05d9\u05d5\u05df\u202c27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and they that return to her with righteousness. (Yishayhu 1:27) Rashi points out the connection between deliverance from Egypt and having just measurements. If we think we can be dishonest and go undetected, think back to Egypt. There when I killed the first born of Egypt, I recognized the difference between the first born Egyptians and others. So, too,I will know if you have false weights, and I will punish those who use them. The chants of justice are heard throughout Israel today, as we go through this period of the Omer that is both a period of our salvation as well as our healing. There are two passionate rebellions rising up within the body of Israel. Both rebellions cry for justice and both wave the Israeli flag but which is true and which is false? In Achrei Mot Kedoshim the death of Aaron's sons are mentioned to strengthen the warning not to enter the Kodesh Kodashim except on Yom Kippur. On another hand we are told that Aaron's sons were Tzadikim and the death of the righteous atones. I will add that today as some fear the death of Israel and are protesting in their fear, some are proclaiming the rebirth of Israel and insisting on the holiness of Israel . While the elitist judiciary is crumbling the holiness of the Nation is emerging. It is interesting to note the midda kneged midda between the sin of Aaron and the sins of his sons. Aaron was afraid to meet the same fate as Chur and so he stalled for time and the Egel was created. He wanted to do Hashems will but feared for his life. Look at the difference between the generations. He who wished to do Hashem's will but was afraid for his life gave birth to children who are willing to give up their life in order 'not 'to do Hashem's will. My friend Michael made an interesting observation that during the Corona period many people who do not believe in God suddenly found a religion. He would joke that some were machmir and would only take the heksher of the mask and complete isolation while others would allow themselves some more leniency. For those who had no God suddenly they had a community and a cause to fight for and a feeling of the greater good of the community and the world. As I have said before what was underneath the surface a year before Corona and the many failed elections, burst forth with an anger from Heaven. This was followed by a period of reflection among all of us as we sat in isolation. For some this had a positive life changing effect and for others their detachment and apathy became reignited into a new godless religion of science and self preservation fed by propagandists who fueled their apathy with animosity towards faith based people who questioned their science. This new religion was created and manipulated by the State in order to preserve their illegal take over of governments using plannedemics to enslave people already enslaved by their egos, appetites and perversions. And so today, incubated after Corona these two rebellions have surfaced. And while both wave the flag and speak of justice, one speaks of Hashem and His laws while the other is ready to sacrifice for their strange fires. We read in our Haftorah: 78",",\u202b \u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u05ea \ufb1d \u05e0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05dc\u202c-\u202b \u05db\u05d4\u05d2\u05d5\ufb1d\u05dd \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u202c-\u202b \u05db\u05d5 \u05e0\u05d4 \u05d9\u05e0\u05e2\u05d5 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05db\u05dc\u202c,\u202b \u05d9\u05d4 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d4 \ufb2f \u05d4\u05e0 \u05d9\u05db\u05d9 \u05e0\u05de \u05db\u05e6 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4\u202c-\u202b \u05d9\u05db\u05d9\u202cFor behold I command! I shall shake the House of \u202b\ufb1d\u05e4\u05d5\u05dc \u05e0\u05e6\u05e8\u05d5\u05e8 \ufb2f \u05d4\u05e8\u05e5\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d5\u05dc \u05d4\u05d0\u202c,\u202b \u05db\u05db \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8 \ufb1d\u05e0\u05d5 \u05db\u05e2 \u05db\u05d1 \u05e0\u05db \u05d4\u05d1 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d4\u202cIsrael among the nations as one shakes [grain] in a sieve,and no pebble shall fall to the ground. (Amos 9:9) We are being sifted through the sifter. Some are being transformed and falling through like a more refined flour while others are becoming harder like rocks. I was at the million man march in Jerusalem before Shabbat and it was such a wonderful feeling to be part of this holy Nation that is demanding justice and Jewish identity. Our Nation and flag does not represent the emancipation of Sodom and the frantic need to prove loyalty to taskmasters and abusers. Our flag represents a continuity with the history of our Nation and the blossoming of the times of Moshiach. Our flag represents the soul of a Nation that cannot be reprogrammed re-educated and reformed out of existence. 'Progressive' to the body of Israel that is currently in power (but oddly refuses to implement their power) means reforming the justice system to reflect its people. The beautiful thing about our Nation is that although our rebellions are real and passionate, at my Shabbat table the rebellion took a break and I sat with close friends of mine from both camps. We agreed not to speak politics and we spoke Torah. I spoke of Aarons sons and their self sacrifice that overshadowed their father. The Torah also calls them Tzaddikim because they thought this was the correct spiritual path. But in their progressiveness and arrogance they failed to consult with their elders who would have warned them that their action precisely at this holiest moment in this holiest place would be devastating. My leftist friend said in a dramatic voice that there has never been such a great divide in the nation. I told him that's because he is swayed by the leftist media that plays on his fears. I was in another demonstration in Jerusalem and have never felt such a great bonding of our people and love of our Nation with all of its various tribes. May true justice prevail, may the sifting go well and may the demise and emancipation from 'injustice' lead to holiness and a glorious future. Achrei Mot Kedoshim. 79","80","Kahane in the Parsha Emor 81","Proper and Improper Assembly There is proper assembly, improper assembly and improper assembly that is actually proper assembly. ,\u202b \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05de \u05e0\u05e8\u05ea\u05d4 \u05e0\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d4\u05dd\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05dc\u202c-\u202b \u05d1 \u05db\u05d3 \u05d9\u05d1\u05e8 \u05d4\u05d0\u05dc\u202c2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto \u202b \u05d9\u05ea \u05e0\u05e7 \u05e0\u05e8\u05d0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd \u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05e7 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d0\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8\u202c,\u202b \u05de\u05d5\u05e2\u05e0 \u05d9\u05d3 \u05d9 \u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4\u202cthem: The appointed seasons of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even \u202b \u05de\u05d5 \u05e0\u05e2 \u05d4\u05d3\u05d9\u202c,\u202b \u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05dc\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d4\u05dd\u202c--\u202b \u05d4\u05e7 \u05d4\u05d3\u05e9\u202c. these are My appointed seasons. (Vayikra 23:2) The Rav brought back the Jewish heart to many whose souls had been tarnished in America and in Israel and around the world. Jewish assembly is not only to sit at the seder table on Pesach or visit the Kotel on Sukkot. Jewish assembly is also protest and action and sit-ins that disturb the peace. This is also Jewish assembly. There is a story the Rav related when he was in prison under a mass arrest after a large protest. In the cell with him was a hippie who was in the corner and was crying. The Rav went over to comfort him and said 'Don't worry, its nothing. We will be out within 24 hours. He answered, 'Im not crying because I am in jail. I am crying because this is the first time I did something for my people!' The Rav added, 'Then I felt like crying'. From Barley to Wheat \u2013 Forty Nine Days of Revelation The Omer is mentioned in this Parsha. What is the essence of the Omer? I have mentioned this before as Tisha' B'Av marks the destruction of the Temple, the period from Pesach to Shavuot is the time of rebuilding the Temple. From the very first blossoms of Spring, what was hidden and planted on Rosh Hoshanna is in the process of being revealed. It is a time of the refining of the blossoms; the refining of the already revealed. During this time of remembrances of Shoa and Yom HaZikaron, comes the celebrations of our return once again as a Nation. The early revelations of Barley (on Pesach) will become the more refined revelations of Wheat. (on Shavuos). Ban the Cohen When people tell me they have issues with the 'choseness' of our people I often use the example of the Cohanim. It seems racist in a way for one family to be segregated as a privileged class simply because of their ancestry. On the other hand the Cohanim have greater demands on them and they also serve to bless us a a nation. When I see a Cohen I ask him for a bracha. He has an ability to give a Cohen bracha that is special and I honor him for this unique ability and for the greater demands that are placed upon him. Israel is the Cohen to the world. When people hate Israel they inadvertently hate G-d who created a world in this fashion. The more one curses Israel he is cursed and the more on blesses Israel he is blessed. The proper attitude is to bring an offering and ask for a bracha. The degree to which one loves or hates Israel is the degree to which Hashem is desired or undesired in the world. Rav Kahane was like the Cohen within the Cohen. The degree to which one loved or attacked him was the degree to which Moshiach was revealed in our time. Better to bring blessing than a curse. Kahane and Akiva Throughout the Parsha that describes the avoda of the Cohen we see the name Kahane. As we wrote above Israel is the Cohen of the world. Rav Kahane represents the Israel that could be, and should be 82","and will be. When we live up to our calling, as the Rav tried to inspire us, the world will come to be blessed by Israel. A hint of this is seen when the Egyptians gave gifts to the Israelites as they departed for the Holy Land (see: Shmot 12:34). The Rav raised us to be Holy and so is he remembered. \u202b \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d9 \u05db\u05e1\u05e3\u202c--\u202b\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05e7 \u05d4\u05d3\u05e9 \u05d9\u05d1 \u05e0\u05e9 \u05d4\u05d2 \u05d4\u05d2\u05d4\u202c-\u202b \u05d9\u05db\u05d9\u202c,\u202b \u05d9\u05d3 \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d0\u05d9\u05e9\u202c14 And if a man eat of the holy thing through \u202b\u05d4\u05db \u05df\u05d4\u05df \u05ea\u05d0 \u05e9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e7 \u05ea\u05d3\u05e9\u202c-\u202b\u05ea\u202c error, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto \u202b \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e0 \u05db\u05ea\u05df \u05db\u05dc\u202c,\u202b\u05e0\u05d7 \u05d9\u05de \u05d9\u05e9\u05d9\u05ea\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e2 \u05d4\u05dc\u05d9\u05d5\u202c it, and shall give unto the priest the holy thing. (Vayikra 22:14) We see his name also within the section of the sefira as the Ish Tam, which is connected to Rabbi Akiva. (\u202b \u05e4\u05e9\u05d5\u05d8\u202c\/ \u202b \u05e8\u05d1\u05d9 \u05e2\u05e7\u05d9\u05d1\u05d0\u202cRabbi Akiva \/ Simple = 395) The period of celebration as we approach the giving of the Torah became a period of mourning as the men of simple faith came so close to rebuilding the Temple and bringing Moshiach yet because of our collective sins did not reach what was in their grasp. \u202b\u05db\u05e2\u05dc \u05d4\u05dc \u05d4\u05d7\u05dd \u05db\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d1 \u05de\u05db \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05dd\u05d4\u05db \u05df\u05d4\u05df \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd\u202c \u202b\u05db\u05d4\u202c \u202b\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d4 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u05e3\u202c \u202b\u05db\u202c 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before the \u202b \u05e0\u05db \u05d4\u05d1 \u05d9\u05e9\u05d9\u05dd; \u05d4\u05e7 \u05d4\u05d3\u05e9\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05e9 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05db\u05e2\u05dc\u202c,\u202b \u05d9\u05dc \u05e0\u05e4 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05ea\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e4\u05d4\u202cLORD, with the two lambs; they shall be holy to \u202b \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05db \u05d9\u05d4\u05df\u202c,\u202b\u05d9\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5 \u05db\u05dc\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4\u202c the LORD for the priest. (Vayikra 23:20) They who almost succeeded in transforming the physical earth into the Heavenly domain that Hashem desires left this world in agony but gave birth to pupils that would continue through a different direction by bringing the Heavenly and mystical into the physical world. Akiva gave birth to Shimon Bar Yochai; Chur gave birth to Betzalel. The section above describes the Omer and the avoda of the Cohen at that time. The work of the Omer is a period of rebuilding and correcting our individual and collective imperfections. The light that Rabbi Akiva and Rav Kahane brought into the world continue to shine and transform the physical world with simple, practical and spiritual means to prepare the Heavenly kingdom. Kahane and The Omer They say that a child knows all of the Torah inside the womb and when a child is born the Torah is forgotten. There is another concept in the Torah that requests of man to make an opening the size of a needle for Hashem and then Hashem promises to open gateways for him. What is the connection? When one makes an effort below to connect to the upper spiritual worlds the aid that he receives from above is similar to the act of remembering what had been forgotten. The Omer is similar to this idea for during this period we try to refine our character below so that we can be prepared to meet Hashem on Har Sinai. What we experienced in Egypt when Hashem intervened and rescued us despite our distance we try to experience again but this time through our efforts. It is the leaders of the generation that help us to do the proper corrections so that we can refine our character and understand the times we live in and the mitzvot that need to be accentuated. In this sense Rabbi Kahane gave us the tools and the 83","understanding to reach these higher levels by understanding what is lacking in this generation. As he writes: \u201cV'nikdashti b'toch b'nei Yisrael,\u201d thunders the Torah, \u201cAnd I shall be sanctified in the midst of the Children of Israel\u201d (Vayikra 22:32). Kiddush Hashem, the sanctification of G-d's Name! Is there any greater concept in all of Judaism? The hallowing of the Name! And how does one achieve this mitzvah of sanctification of the Name? One observes the Sabbath by observing it; one observes the commandment of prayer by praying, one fulfills the commandment of giving charity by reaching into one's pocket and giving. But how does one reach the summit of the mitzvah of sanctification? The Torah commentator, Rashi, quietly and expressly explains \u2013 in four short and simple Hebrew words: \u201cM'sor atzmecha v'kadesh sh'mi. Give of yourself and sanctify My name.\u201d As simple as that, as complex as that. As obvious as that, as concealed as that \u2013 and without it there is no Judaism and there is no Jew and there is no meaning or content to Torah or existence. (Kahane in Parsha Pg. 173) Regarding the saying of Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut Rav Kahane points out that what we are praising Hashem for is not whether the Zionists or Ben Gurion or any particular movement brought about the modern State of Israel but that Hashem decided to sanctify His name by bringing His children home. As it is written in the Haftorah of Parshat Chukat, it is not for our sake but for the sanctification of Hashem's name that Hashem returned us to Zion. We have left Egypt and there is no turning back. There is only to continue along the spiral staircase of the Sephirot and make the personal corrections needed so that as a Nation we continue to sanctify Hashems name by giving a little more than we think is possible. 84","Death by Negligence (2021) There is a concept that the righteous are like lenders that sign on our behalf and then pay the price when we default. I believe Rav Avigdor Miller used this analogy in one of his books I read, to describe the holy souls who were lost in the Shoa. Although I see the mixed blessing of the rebirth of the State of Israel there were those even in the Shoa that preferred a physical death rather than what they saw as a spiritual death by the Zionists. Before Rav Elchonon Wasserman was taken and murdered by Lithuanian collaborators on the 12th of Tammuz, 1941 he gave this statement: \\\"In Heaven it appears that they deem us to be righteous because our bodies have been chosen to atone for the Jewish people. Therefore, we must repent now, immediately. There is not much time. We must keep in mind that we will be better offerings if we repent. In this way we will save the lives of our brethren overseas. Let no thought enter our minds, God forbid, which is abominable and which renders an offering unfit. We are now fulfilling the greatest mitzvah. With fire she [Jerusalem] was destroyed and with fire she will be rebuilt. The very fire which consumes our bodies will one day rebuild the Jewish people\\\". Why some are chosen to suffer and others live a privileged life are secrets that only Hashem knows. 'The secret things belong to Hashem our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.' (Devarim 29:28) Rav Kahane used to say that a Jew does not 'read' the newspaper, he 'learns' it. We must look at events and draw conclusions and make decisions based on what we perceive and not be negligent regarding storm clouds that we see on the horizon. When there are unusual occurrences we should stop and wonder and try and discern events and prepare for them. When tragic things occur that could have been prevented and we say these are 'secret things' this is not a sign of spirituality but rather negligence and culpability. I often would tell friends that in Israel you can see the Hand of Hashem every day especially by construction workers. Everyday you see accidents waiting to happen because there are no proper precautions and as I walk on the other side of the street I can see Hashems hand making sure the blow torch doesn't hit someone passing by. On Lag B'Omer this year when forty five people were crushed to death by a collapsed staircase in Meron that Hand was missing and I wondered why. Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Yossi Daitsh said in the news that it was a miracle that no other such tragedies occurred as he had almost been crushed in a number of other areas of the event due to improper management and organization. In the months preceding Corona there was another horrible and needless tragedy of a couple trapped in an elevator that drowned to death through negligence and indifference. After 73 years of an independent Jewish State we have yet to build proper drainage systems in our cities for rain. The common thread is needless deaths and tragedies that could have been prevented. Next week we will be reading Parsha Bechukotai about the many curses brought about from the word B'Keri (casualness). These curses increase in number as we continue to be casual and not take notice of them. B'Keri also has the same gematria as Shoa. My brother mentioned once that one author he read described the time before the Shoa as a time when the pessimists left while the optimists stayed. It seems to me that when we see troubling times and do nothing, that mystic acceptance can also be construed as negligence and calling our inaction 'faith' may even anger Hashem more. 85","In our Parsha today we read about the Cohen Gadol and Jewish leadership that is based on purity, dedication and guidance and we are instructed regarding honor that must be given to the Cohen for what he represents. Binyamin Kahane writes on this weeks Parsha about how different are democratic leaders who do not lead and direct the people like the Cohanim but rather follow them. They try to appeal to the masses and promote and sell themselves so that they can achieve power. Our Sages tell us in Perkei Avot that if someone runs away from honor, honor will chase after him. This is the proper Jewish way. Towards the end of our Parsha when the foundation of this true and divinely guided leadership is denounced by one who seeks to undermine its foundations and blasphemes Hashem there is no negligence and casualness about this. He is promptly judged, executed and weeded out of the congregation of Israel. The question remains, how could Lag B'Omer; a time of joy and redemption turn into such a time of mourning? How could tragedy strike here precisely in the place people are coming for blessing and holy activities? Why was the Hand of Hashem absent to protect us from our negligence as it has been so many other times? Is there any significance to the number forty five? If I attempt to learn the news out as Rav Kahane suggested I would say the following. Forty five is the Gematria of Adam HaRishon. Who is Adam? After the giving of the Torah Adam is represented by the Jewish people; and who are the Jewish people? We are a people that were chosen to be responsible partners and practitioners of laws that maintain the foundations of Creation. The concept of merit and responsibility are foundation stones of our traditions. We are living in times where the world is progressively losing its moral order, institutionalizing perversity even lower than the animal kingdom and calling this progressive, which in turn attacks us physically with the inability to defend ourselves even from an animal virus. Here in the Land of Israel where the foundation of this moral order emanates throughout the world the status quo which has not been very restrictive but more or less traditional is on the precipice of further degradation as the fight between democracy and Jewish identity further undermine our foundations and our ability to maintain the last vestige of moral order in a world that is quickly sinking into radical progressive-regressive behavior. As a result the Hand that previously protected us from our negligence and casualness seems to be removing itself. There is a pattern in history where moral decadence from within weakens the immune system and leads to totalitarian take overs as in Iran or Germany or America today. Israel which is the barometer of morality in the world is struggling to maintain its own foundation from collapsing. As I have said before spiritually Corona began a year before with the virus of failed elections from a negligent people thinking only of their private concerns and losing their collective identity. If we fail now then the whole world will collapse and the whole world desperately needs Israel now more than ever to hold the standard of responsibility and morality. We are the standard bearer that is supposed to defend the innocent and weed out evil rather than defund and weaken law enforcement that only feeds the mob and undermines our resolve. We are a people that rewards and strengthens goodness and represent 'man' as defined by the Creator. Mankind is free only when he defends his spiritual calling and not an appeaser to those enslaved by their ego and animal desires. In the Bet Knesset today Rav Boaz said what comes to mind in this tragedy is what Moshe said to Aaron after the death of his sons. 'Of this did Hashem speak, saying:\u201dI will be sanctified through those who are nearest Me, thus I will be honored before the entire people\u201d (Vayikra 10:3). Yes I answered however there we learned something about the behavior of Aaron's sons and how to prevent that from 86","happening again. Here we have forty five pure souls who lost their lives not because of a strange fire but because of a collective negligence. I will not say as some do, that visiting the tzaddik's grave is like idol worship and this resulted in a punishment as there really is nothing wrong in visiting the grave of a tzaddik and spiritual rejoicing. However I will say that maybe there is some remnant of the strange fire of Aarons sons. When we rely too heavily on mystical solutions without ensuring that basic foundations are secure, society falls apart. When we don't read the signs and are casual in troubling times more trouble arrives. It was in fact a collapse of a staircase where all the mystical lovers were crushed to death. The only way to prevent death by negligence is to ensure life with responsibility. On a physical level we are certainly responsible for these deaths due to our negligence. Should we also not wonder if we rely too much on miracles when we observe the increasing dangers to our society? . One cannot rely on the miracles of Heaven or mystic Tzaddikim for protection while failing to build a secure bridge or quell riots from enemies that eat away at our foundations like termites. I pray that there will be no more needless and unnecessary deaths and that we build and strengthen our foundations. Instead of negligence may we have merits and responsibilities and may we live up to them. May we also ensure the safety of our people from those who seek to attack us from within both physically democratically and spiritually. When we strengthen our responsibility and identity and the moral order of our Nation and not allow it to be subverted by forces that seek to undermine our Nation from within we will have a strong foundation that will not crumble. When we are no longer negligent of each other from event planning to National concerns Hashem will carry us under His wings and we will celebrate again and receive the mystic secrets of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. 87","I read this article by Rav Nacham Kahane and want to add it to this book as it is relevant not only today but always relevant. This is an article that should distributed in all the yeshivas. Why does tragedy strike us? (by Rav Nachum Kahane) That most people suffer in this world is axiomatic, but so too is the reality that Hashem\u2019s chosen people suffer most. Why? The Tragic Events in Meron on Lag B\u2019Omer 5781 - and what happened next The tragic events in Meron on Lag B\u2019Omer seem so long ago because in Hashem\u2019s \u201cdivine little acre\u201d challenge pursues challenge and headache pursues heartache. That most people suffer in this world is axiomatic, but so too is the reality that Hashem\u2019s chosen people suffer most. Why? There is a fundamental difference between why humanity as a whole must suffer anguish, and the suffering of Am Yisrael. Gentiles are punished because of their evil ways. The purpose of Jewish suffering is not to punish, but to serve as a warning and a signal from Hashem for us to redirect our failing ways. I have felt for years that Meron would be the place for a tragedy - one that would grip the nation and hopefully shock us to return to Jewish sanity. Every year before Rosh HaShana, tens of thousands of Israelis leave the Holy Land in order to re- charge their spiritual batteries in preparation of drawing closer to Hashem in the town of Uman - in that immense Jewish cemetery called Ukraine. And every year, hundreds of thousands of Israelis throng in pilgrimage to the town of Meron in the upper Galil to unite in religious fervor through the kindling of the fire in their souls via the glorious fires of hassidic rebbes. Both the trekkers to Uman and the olei regel of Meron share a common flaw - Yerushalayim and the Temple Mount are excluded from their religious equation! Where is Har HaBayit when these pilgrims are being enthralled and enraptured in their religious commitments? The \u201cMountain of Hashem\u201d is bleak and silent, except for the Islamic heirs of Hitler defiling the holiest precinct of Am Yisrael with their presence. Then the hatchet fell. On Friday, Lag B'Omer the 18th of Iyar, in the week that we read from the Torah parashat EMOR, 45 Jews were trampled to death in Meron. The Tragic Earthquake of 5597 In 1837, a tragic earthquake occurred in the north of the country. The towns of Tiveria, Shechem and 30 other villages were affected, with the death of thousands and the destruction of homes and lives. The worst affected was the town of Tzfat. The illustrious Chatam Sofer (1662-1739) spoke in his bet midrash after the event and recorded his drasha in his commentary on the Torah (Torah Moshe). The following is an excerpt from his drasha. \\\"The earthquake was the expression of Hashem\u2019s zealousness for the honor of Yerushalayim, for Hashem is righteous in all His ways. Yerushalayim is the \u201cGateway to Heaven,\u201d the city united with the spiritual world. Therein is the site of Mount Moriah where Avraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Yitzchak. There Ya\u2019akov saw in a dream the ladder connecting the worlds. There is the place of the Bet HaMikdash towards which all Jews face in prayer; the place where 88","the Shechina never abandoned the Western Wall. \\\"Now it has come to pass that for the past one hundred years, people have been making their way to the area of Tzfat where Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is interred at Meron and Ha'Ari is buried in Tzfat. All the olim turn only to Tzfat and Tiveria - while Yerushalayim is forgotten. Yerushalayim where Hashem\u2019s name is rooted in the word Yerushalayim. And even in our time there is a mitzva to make a pilgrimage to Yerushalayim.\\\" The Chatam Sofer bemoans the rejection of Yerushalayim in favor of Tzfat and Meron as the cause of the devastating earthquake and records the day he said this drasha: It was SUNDAY, THE SECOND OF IYAR 5597 (1837), THE WEEK WE READ FROM THE TORAH PARASHAT EMOR. The Chatam Sofer made his public declaration on the week of Shabbat Emor, and the tragedy of Lag B\u2019Omer occurred on the week of parashat EMOR. The Talmud Yerushalmi (Brachot chapter 9 halakha 2) records a discussion between the Prophet Eliyahu and Rabbi Nehorei regarding the causes of earthquakes. Rabbi Nehorei said the cause is the Jews\u2019 transgressions in the matter of separating the various tithes. Eliyahu corrected the Rabbi and said that the reason is that Hashem sees the theaters and arenas in the world built beautifully, while His Holy Temple lays desolate on the Temple Mount. This is one more of many other sources that place the blame for unnatural events on the Jewish people who continue to reject our responsibility to restore our former glory on the Temple Mount. Yom Yerushalayim I suggest that we place our religious loyalties on Yerushalayim and specifically on the Temple Mount. Continue to go to Uman if that\u2019s what your neshama craves and to Meron if that is what brings you to a spiritual high. However, the focal point of our yirat shamayim is the Temple Mount. A day must be set aside for hundreds of thousands of our people - more than are counted in Meron and Uman - to celebrate the unprecedented miracle of Am Yisrael being again sovereign over the site where the Bet HaMikdash will stand again. There is no better day than the 28th of Iyar, Yom Yerushalayim, and the yahrzeit (anniversary of the passing away) of the prophet Shmuel. The Gemara (Zevachim 54b) states that Shmuel, together with David, were the authorities who pinpointed the exact site to serve as the Temple Mount. There is a simple reason why, on this day and on every day, there must be a large presence of Jews on the Mount - If you believe Hashem gave it to you, then take it! If you don't take it, someone else will, because in this world every vacuum becomes filled. There is so much more to say about the Temple Mount and the future Bet HaMikdash, but it might be sufficient just to quote the ceasefire order of General Motta Gur to the troops in 1967 when he said: \\\"The Temple Mount is in our hands.\\\" But I must add an extension: The Temple Mount is in our hearts. 89","The Prime Ministers Prediction (2022) On Yom Hazikaron the Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke about unity among our people and mentioned an interesting point regarding the eighth decade of our state. \u201c[This] is the third time that there has been a sovereign Jewish state here in the land of Israel. The previous two times, we did not succeed at reaching the eighth decade in peace. This is the most important lesson in our history, and I do not tire of repeating it. In the first instance, our first state, in the days of David and Solomon, survived 80 years as a united and sovereign kingdom. In its 81st year, because of internal conflicts, the country split in two, and we lost forever most of our people, the 10 tribes. In the second instance, during the Second Temple period, the Hasmonean kingdom existed for about 77 years as a united and sovereign state. Towards the end of that period, there was again a severe internal conflict within us and it was the Jews themselves who invited the Romans inside Israel. We lost our independence and became a humiliated protectorate of the Romans. And we also lost this protectorate, at the end of the Second Temple. In the heat of purism and hostility, Jews burned each other\u2019s food reserves, inflicting defeat on themselves. What a terrible price we paid: 2,000 years in exile, because we succumbed to hatred between brothers. We have won a third chance; there will not be another [one]. We are now in the eighth decade of the state [that] we have not yet succeeded in as a united nation. We have been given an opportunity to correct the sin of our ancestral brotherly hatred and to get rid of the tendency toward sectarianism that destroyed our people.\u201d I have a theory regarding this eighth decade. I don\u2019t believe we have lost forever the 10 tribes of Israel. I believe we have witnessed the re-birth of those ten tribes in the modern state of Israel. Now that Israel has returned, Judea will also return along with its kingdom and Melech Moshiach. In this eighth decade there may yet be another split, however this division unlike the past would unite our Nation once again. What happened in the past may happen again but in reverse. I suggest that the State of Judea may come into being as a natural response to the forced pressure of the declining world to create a state for a non-people with a non-god. A people whose purpose is only to destroy Israel is not a people nor a purpose, simply the embodiment of jealousy. Complicit with this goal are other global forces that seek to erase the last vestige of biblical morality. The war against God and religion may indeed reach its climax in this decade and its inevitable defeat. As the woke suicide cult marches to ban desperately needed fossil fuel and alongside it destroys agriculture and its supply chain, experts are predicting a great famine. Israel with God\u2019s help will survive and may even become a provider to some of its neighbors with its natural gas supplies. This may be the reason that anti-Israel Turkey is now making friendly overtures to Israel. Geula may come with tragedy and great suffering or gloriously with joy. This depends on the degree to which we follow Hashem\u2019s decrees or seek to undermine them. If we do not give Cavod (Honor) to Hashem He will give Covid to us and worse. Everything Hashem does however, even punishment, is in order to cure us and for us to see the connections and make the appropriate resolutions and changes. Ingathering of the Exiles This period of time from Pesach to Shavuot is one of my favorite periods as the holiness of the Nation blossoms. The holiness I feel is based on our wholeness. We are whole again as a people. The missing 90","piece that we have lacked for the last 2000 years is our national character and responsibility for one another. We are no longer strangers scattered among the nations. We are whole once again and united even within this dysfunctional reality. When a nation mourns together, they are strengthened and feel the bond that is the secret to our success. From the Shoa that gave us the desperation and determination to be a free people in our own land to Yom Hazikaron where we reflect on each of the beautiful souls that we lost from war and terror, the price for our freedom is unbearable yet we are bound together in sorrow and in joy. The bittersweet joy of Yom Haatzmaut to me is a religious experience because we are now much more than a religion, we are a great Nation. That Nation is yet struggling for its soul and as we fall and rise and suffer for our sins, we will yet find that soul. As great empires are declining all around us and destroying each other there is a tremendous new wave of Aliyah and new blood is arriving each day to contribute in the shaping of the body and soul of our Nation. There is much work to be done and there are fundamental battles that need to be fought that will determine our future. Will we have the Geula \u2018in its time\u2019 with needless suffering, or will we have the \u2018hurried Geula\u2019 with joy and celebration? Rabbi Kahane writes: Ponder my words well. Perhaps they will influence your emotions and understanding, dear reader, to hurry and cry out to our people, to tell them how to save themselves from awful, avoidable suffering. G-d said, \u201cOh that My people would hearken to Me and Israel walk in My ways \u2014 I would soon subdue their enemies\u201d (Ps 81:14-15). I have already explained that if Israel would only listen to G-d, He would bring redemption literally in a moment, for He is ready to take revenge on Gog and the nations instantaneously. G-d also said \u201cOh that you had hearkened to My mitzvot! Your peace would then be like a river\u201d (Isaiah 48:18)\u2026 G-d entreats Israel, so to speak, to repent and to acts of self-sacrifice, for only this will prove their faith and trust in G-d- and through such acts G-d will hasten redemption... Our sages said (Torat Kohanim, Bechukotai, Parsheta 1): \\\"If only you would follow My statutes\\\": This teaches that G-d yearns for Israel to toil in Torah. It likewise says, \u201cOh that My people would hearken to Me\u201d; \u201cOh that you had hearkened to My mitzvot!\\\"; and, \u201cIf only their hearts would remain this way, in awe of Me... for all time, so that it would go well with them and their children forever\u201d (Deut. 5:26). (The Jewish Idea Vol II pg 861) In the Parshiot of the last two weeks we read about the holiness of our Nation and the holiness of the Cohen. Juxtaposed with this is the story of the blasphemer who seeks to undermine this all. The greatness and beauty of the Israelite Nation is incomparable to any other, yet if allowed to decay, it will collapse. As much as I am filled with pride as I gaze at the countless Israeli flags that dot the landscape from Pesach to Shavuot, I shudder to think about what is coming next, the annual month of perversity. The Star of David will be replaced by the rainbow of Gay pride. Gay pride is nothing to be proud of, especially in the Holy Nation of Israel. If our great Nation continues down the path of universalism and diluting Zionism and allows itself to be influenced by pagan suicide cultists and institutionalized perversion our foundations will collapse. The vacuum will be filled however by the faithful in Judea and among Israel which will reemerge and reunite us and return our soul. 91","Our sages said (Megillah 17b): Why did our sages ordain redemption to be mentioned in the seventh blessing? Rava said, \u201cBecause Israel will be redeemed in the seventh year of the coming of the Messiah, redemption was placed in the seventh blessing.\\\" But did we not say, \u201cIn the sixth year will be thunderings, in the seventh wars, at the end of the seventh the son of David will come\u201d? War is also Atchalta De\u2019Geula. We are approaching the end of a Shmitah year that happens every seven years, and wars are waging and increasing. In our Parsha we read about the holiday of Sukkot which comes in the seventh month. What is the lesson of Sukkot? We dwell in Sukkot to remember the structure of faith. Though it may look like a shack, it is an impenetrable fortress with the Clouds of Glory protecting us. After Corona and quarantines and understanding that, if need be, we can survive alone and isolated maybe the punishment will help to cure us. After observing our great protector, the USA being rapidly subverted from within maybe we will learn to rely a little more on our Father in Heaven and rely on His edicts and treaties rather than self-destructive political treaties. I took note of the Prime Ministers warning and wonder if in these unstable times Israel will become the stable Nation that all other nations will rely upon. Will troubled times bring blessing to Israel? Is Hashem orchestrating the demise of the world that we once knew to bring a new world order that will defeat the other new world order? The unified globalists who are rapidly trying to reprogram our world, are in a panic now that the Chinese monster they created no longer needs them. As the great powers destroy each other and then (as prophesied) unite against tiny Israel will Israel be prepared? When the godless come to attack the Creator who created them will Israel continue on the road of weakness and appeasement, or will we stand strong and faithful? If our own moral foundation continues to decay then it will crumble and the Kingdom of Yehuda will rise again. Hopefully the faith of our people and turbulence of the times will convince us that we are all Yehuda and we all face terrorism and need to respond to this constant threat. Hopefully we will not allow ourselves to be invaded, infiltrated nor undermined. We are at a turning point of our modern state and to move forward is to return to what has always supported us in the past. If we follow the commandments of our God and throw out our enemies and rebuild our Temple, we will enjoy a speedy redemption. If we continue to persecute good Jews and appease our enemies our 80-year grace period will collapse and from the rubble our ancient kingdom of Judea will rise again. Though we may be separated and divided temporarily, through this Kingdom we will be eternally united. When we have come of age and are not only whole again as a people and a Nation, but put our faith in the Almighty and restore Justice as defined in our Holy Torah then we will be a proper vessel for Hashem to work the miracles He longs to demonstrate. Let it be that we can be bystanders to awesome retribution upon the nations who persecuted us and not be lost in the darkness of those who could not see outside the walls of Egypt. It is the month of the Omer. It is a time for healing. We are liberated but not yet free. We are free but not yet refined. We are refined but lack faith. We are on the leading edge but not yet on the edge. As empires come crashing down may we quietly blossom and support those who support our people and our God. May it be an easy birth. 92","Kahane in the Parsha Behar 93","The Fruits of the Mountain (2016) ,\u202b\u05d4\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d0\u05dc \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c,\u202b \u05dc\u05d7 \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u202c38 I am Hashem your God, who brought you ,\u202b \u05ea\u05d0 \u05ea\u05e8\u05e5 \u05db\u05db \u05e9\u05e0 \u05e9\u05e2\u05df\u202c-\u202b \u05d4\u05dc \u05df\u05ea\u05ea \u05d4\u05dc \u05ea\u05db\u05dd \u05ea\u05d0\u05ea\u202c--\u202b \u05d9\u05de \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05e6 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d9\u05dd\u202cforth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the \u202b \u05d9\u05dc \u05e0\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05dc \u05d4\u05db\u05dd \u05d9\u05dc\u05d0\u05dc \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd\u202cland of Canaan, to be your God. (Vayikra 25:38) We read in the shma every day 'I am Hashem your God, who took you out of the land of Egypt to be a God unto you' (Bamidbar 15:41). The explanation of this passage Chazal tells us is that we were brought out of Egypt conditionally. We were freed from slavery to Pharaoh in order to serve Hashem. In fact if we pay attention we see this law of political nature built into creation. As the Jewish people throw off the yoke of Torah reflexively persecution increases. Not only do we see this among the Gentile nations where we reside but even within Israel itself. In this week's parsha we read, 'I am Hashem your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.' What does the addition of Canaan come to teach us? I submit that this is a refinement of the previous passage. The basis of our redemption is conditional on our receiving the Torah. However even if we have received the Torah our mission and acceptance is not complete without the Land. Conversely if we have conquered the Land but forsaken the Torah this conquest is incomplete and we will be both partially free from Egypt and partially enslaved. I believe it's not without coincidence that this Parsha occurs close to the time of Pesach Sheni. If one was impure during the time of Pesach and unable to partake of the Korban Pesach he is given a second opportunity one month later with Pesach Sheni. We learn that even if one was just outside the walls of the temple but unable to offer the Korban Pesach he would still not qualify. He would have to wait another month because he was impure at that time. This is the only place in the Torah where we are given an additional chance to make up for a missed opportunity for a mitzva which may have befallen us by circumstances beyond our control. It seems to me that one of the lesson here is that even though one is just outside the temple walls still he is not fully able to fully experience this commandment as it is intended. The Torah without Canaan is similar to this incomplete Pesach. We could be standing just outside Shar Schem but the Temple and the complete redemption that is promised is yet to be in our hands. There is another allusion to this idea in next weeks Parsha Bechukotai. \u202b \u05e0\u05d1 \u05db\u05de \u05e0\u05e2 \u05d4\u05dc\u05dd\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05e2\u05d5\u05df \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05d1 \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05e2\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e0\u05dd \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u202c-\u202b \u05de \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d4 \u05e0\u05ea \u05db\u05d5\u05d3\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u202c40 And they shall confess their sin and the sin of \u202b \u05d4\u05d4 \u05e0\u05dc\u05db\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e2 \u05d9\u05de\u05d9 \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05e7 \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d5 \u05db\u05d0\u05e3\u202c,\u202b \u05d9\u05d1\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de \u05e0\u05e2\u05dc\u05d5\u202ctheir forefathers, in their treachery which they committed against Me, and also for having behaved toward Me with casualness. ,\u202b \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d1\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd\u202c,\u202b \u05d9\u05d0 \u05d9\u05dc\u05da \u05d9\u05e2 \u05d4\u05de\u05dd \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05e7 \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05de\u05d0 \u05db\u05d0\u05e3\u202c41 I too will behave towards them with ,\u202b \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0\u05d6\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05dc \u05d4\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d1\u05dd \u05d4\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e2 \u05d9\u05e8\u05dc\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05d0\u05d6 \u05d9\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db \u05db\u05e0\u05e2\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d1\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d4\u05dd; \u05d0\u05d5\u202ccasualness, and bring them into the land of their \u202b \u05e0\u05e2\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e0\u05dd\u202c-\u202b \u05d9\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e8\u05e6\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u202cenemies; perhaps then their unfeeling heart will be humbled, and they will gain appeasement for their sin. (Vayikra 26:40-41) 94","This passage seems very difficult to explain and Chazal tells us that the reason this confession is not met with appeasement is because the confession will not be sincere. I submit that the sin above refers to a confession is more than insincere; it is inaccurate. It is this inaccuracy that angers Hashem. Binyamin describes this concept with a moshul. Imagine a thief is in prison and feels remorse for hissins so he commits to keeping Shabbat. It may be very nice to keep Shabbat but this does not absolve the actual sin for which one is being imprisoned. In fact the whole point is missed and one remains in prison. Rambam explains that there is no repentance without confession of the sin. This may be common sense however many of us still stand outside the Temple wall and come up with a multitude of complex temporary solutions rather than removing our enemies and rebuilding the Temple. Yukutiel wrote about this idea and brought down a story from the rabbis of Chelm. As the story goes there was a dilapidated bridge and many who crossed over it fell and were injured. So what did the wise men of Chelm do? Rather than fix the bridge they built a hospital underneath. Today we have been redeemed but this redemption is still not complete. We stand just outside our Holy temple and think of our redemption as a remembrance on Pesach night, while the real redemption becomes like an obscure Pesach Sheni that few know about. Right before our eyes however is the complete redemption very similar to the original one; close at hand yet far away. Pesach Sheni will come to teach us about the real Peasach and we will understand how close and yet how far we were from it. In Parsha Netzavim we read: For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not beyond the sea but before your eyes to do it. (Devarim 30:11) Chazal tells us this passage speaks about teshuva. What is this teshuva however, that seems beyond the sea that all other teshuva\u2019s no matter how concentrated and beautifully performed will not fix or absolve? 'I am Hashem who brought you out of Egypt to give you Canaan and be a God to you.' Without Canaan you are not fully redeemed, nor is our relationship complete or fulfilled. The refinement of our teshuva was pronounced at Har Sinai - they said now we believe in Moshe but Moshe spoke to them about a time in the future where he would no longer carry them for he would not lead them into the Land . When they find themselves in the Land however they must know that 'I am Hashem who brought you out of Egypt to give you Canaan and be a God to you.' without Canaan the Torah is not complete and without the Torah the Land will not be redeemed. These words spoken on a desert mountain are seeds that will eventually bear fruit. 95","For Better and for Worse (2022) ,\u202b\u05d4\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e6\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e9\u05e8\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d9\u05d4 \u05d4\u05d5\u05d4 \u05d1\u05d0\u05dc \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c,\u202b \u05dc\u05d7 \u05e0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u202c38 I am Hashem your God, who brought you ,\u202b \u05ea\u05d0 \u05ea\u05e8\u05e5 \u05db\u05db \u05e9\u05e0 \u05e9\u05e2\u05df\u202c-\u202b \u05d4\u05dc \u05df\u05ea\u05ea \u05d4\u05dc \u05ea\u05db\u05dd \u05ea\u05d0\u05ea\u202c--\u202b \u05d9\u05de \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d4\u05e8\u05e5 \u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05e6 \u05d4\u05e8 \u05d9\u05d9\u05dd\u202cforth out of the land of Egypt, to give you the \u202b \u05d9\u05dc \u05e0\u05d4\u05d9\u05d5\u05ea \u05d4\u05dc \u05d4\u05db\u05dd \u05d9\u05dc\u05d0\u05dc \u05d9\u05d4\u05d9\u05dd\u202cland of Canaan, to be your God. (Vayikra 25:38) What is it about Eretz Canaan that reveals Hashem in the world? Is it the Shmita and the open miracles that we see even today by farmers who observe the Shmitah and always have a blessed yield in the 6th year that will allow them to leave the land fallow in the 7th year and still have enough to carry them until the 8th year? Even from the most secular, the first Prime Minister of Israel, David ben Gurion said \u201cIn Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.\u201d Why is it not written, however, I am Hashem who brings you to the Land of Israel? Why Canaan and not Eretz Israel? We are called the people Israel but why is the land called by the name Canaan? What does this teach us? What is the meaning of Eretz Canaan? The origin of the name comes from the son of Cham, Canaan,who was cursed to forever be a slave of his passions. His curse (to be a slave of slaves), is also his rectification; to be a servant of Hashems people who are themselves servants. The Rebbe of Gur writes that the seven nations that we must conquer are related to seven very bad character traits that a man must fix within himself in order to inherit this Land.* Everything Hashem decrees is ultimately for the good. We see even from the people of Canaan who carry this eternal curse a tremendous rectification in Eliezer the servant of Avraham who is quoted repeatedly in Parsha Chayei Sarah. Our sages say, 'Even the casual conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs are better than the Torah of their children.'(Rashi) The Ishmaelites who also at one time proudly claimed ownership of Canaan in order to undermine the Israelites were defeated by their own claims as we read in the Gemorah: The Ishmaelites and the Ketureans came for a lawsuit against the Jews before Alexander of Macedon. They pleaded thus: \u2018Canaan belongs jointly to all of us, for it is written, Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son; and it is [further] written, And these are the generations of Isaac,\u2019 Abraham's son.\u2019 Thereupon Gebiha b. Pesisa .. went and pleaded against them. \u2018Whence do ye adduce your proof?\u2019 asked he. \u2018From the Torah,\u2019 they replied. \u2018Then I too,\u2019 said he,\u2018will bring you proof only from the Torah, for it is written, And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts: if a father made a bequest to his children in his lifetime and sent them away from each other, has one any claim upon the other? [Obviously not.]\u2019 Sanhedrin 91a Even today there are Arabs who make these claims. What they fail to grasp is that their very blessing of a tremendously populous people with 22 nations stems from their mother Hagar who relinquished her inheritance to be the queen of Egypt preferring rather to be a servant in Avrahams house. This was the ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk writes in Tsetl Kotn: When a bad trait begins to stir within you, heaven forbid \u2013 one of the bad traits (midot) that you are accustomed to, such as stubbornness or prideful shame or laziness and time-wasting which lead to mental dull-ness, and the like \u2013 say, immediately, in these words, with all your strength: The Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizite, the Hivite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite \u2013 and you will be rescued. This is a remedy for bad midot, qualities or character traits, before they lead you astray. The Seer of Lublin (1745-1815), wrote that there was a tradition in the name of the Baal Shem Tov that the seven Canaanite nations, in the same order as in Rebbe Elimelech\u2019s teaching, corresponded to the seven lower sefirot of the Kabbalah. 96","source of her blessing. From the above passage in Parsha Behar the Talmud brings down an interesting concept that only in Israel does one have a God. Our Rabbis taught: One should always live in the Land of Israel, even in a town most of whose inhabitants are idolaters, but let no one live outside the Land, even in a town most of whose inhabitants are Israelites; for whoever lives in the Land of Israel may be considered to have a God, but whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who has no God. For it is said in Scripture, To give you the Land of Canaan, to be your God. Has he, then, who does not live in the Land, no God? But [this is what the text intended] to tell you, that whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who worships idols. Ketubot 110b What strong words. Outside Israel its as if you have no God. Within Israel even one person alone living in a city of idol worshipers has a God and is in a much more preferred position than living in a Torah observant community outside Israel. We see this concept everyday in the news. The concern of a Jew building a house in Yehuda and Shomron causes the United Nations to make emergency meetings and put crucial global concerns aside for this more important issue. The rectification done in the Land of Israel transforms the entire world. \u202b\u05d5 \u05e9\u05de \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05ea\u05d4\u202c--\u202b \u05d4\u05db \u05d4\u05e1\u05e3\u202c-\u202b \u05d9\u05de \u05e0\u05e7 \u05db\u05e0\u05ea\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05e2 \u05d4\u05d1\u05d3 \u05d9\u05d0\u05d9\u05e9\u202c-\u202b \u05de\u05d3 \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05db\u05dc\u202c44 but every man's servant that is bought for \u202b \u05d4\u05d0\u05d6 \u05d9 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05db\u05db\u05dc \u05d1\u05d5\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05d0\u05ea\u05d5\u202cmoney, that you have circumcised, then he may eat from it (Shmot 12:44) \u202b = \u05d5\u05de\u05e9 \u05db\u05dc \u05d4\u05ea\u05d4\u202cthat you have circumcised \u2013 481 \u202b = \u05ea\u05d0 \u05ea\u05e8\u05e5 \u05db\u05db \u05e9\u05e0 \u05e9\u05e2\u05df\u202cEretz Canaan - 481 This place called Eretz Canaan that must be subdued and circumcised is also called the land of milk and honey; two products that on the surface seem to be non-kosher. Eating from a live animal is forbidden but here there is an exemption. A bee is not kosher but here again there is an exception for the honey it makes. The whole process of Canaan from the lowest of people to the holiest of the holy is a process of transformation, clarification and extraction of good from bad, light from darkness. Even from among the sages of the past and present there is a transformation and struggle of extracting truth from falsehood and clarity from mistaken conclusions. Not only is there a controversy among the religious worlds today whether the State of Israel is the beginning of God's hand in bringing the redemption or the opposite, a rebellion against God, this controversy and refusal to extract light from dark and dismiss an impure reality as not being the hand of Hashem existed even from the brothers of Yoseph to the enemies of King David. Rav Nachum Kahane writes: While David was walking out to face Goliat, a halachic discussion broke out in the Israeli camp, as recorded in Tractate 76:b. Do'eg Ha\u2019Edomi, one of King Shaul's senior officers, claimed that David was of disqualified halachic genealogy, as he was descended from the prohibited marriage of his great grandfather Boaz to Ruth, the Moabite princess who converted to Judaism. 97","Amasa, another senior officer, stated unequivocally that it was established in the yeshiva of Samuel, the Prophet, that Boaz's marriage to Ruth was halachically acceptable, so all his future lineage is halachically pure. But the matter was not put to rest at the battlefield; it followed David as a \u201chunchback\\\" his entire life and even after. The nation was torn between those who recognized the legitimacy of the Davidic dynasty and those who rejected it; this was not a discussion limited to the market place but one that took place between the highest echelons of rabbinic personalities. (With All Your Might II p.560) I sat at the kiddish table today and an American Jew (who made aliyah 3 years ago) rambled on to me how he was shocked and so disappointed at what he saw in Israel and how so many times he had been tricked and seen things so impure and unholy that he would never have seen or been involved with from where he came from. He was manipulated into a job that paid him well but made him lie to people and he told me how he saw people using the Hebrew language to empower idolatrous things and dance naked and pierce themselves like slaves. In disgust he quit his job and now works as a parking lot attendant just so he could be free and read his Torah books all day. I interrupted his rambling and said to him so what are you going to do? Are you going to run back to America? Or did you marry your wife for better or for worse? He stopped and he told me that if he would have run away he would have done that three years ago. He was here to stay. I told him the secret of the Para Aduma and that only when the State (Medina\/Mei Niddah) is thrown on you and spits on you, are you then clean and alive. Outside Israel you are impure and in contact with corpses \u2013 here you are alive and the struggle to be holy and to build yourself, your community and your Nation are very real things that affect the entire world. He thanked me and he told me I finally made him smile. We are married to this Land for better and for worse. The worse we will make better. We will build it and transform it; from Eretz Canaan to the Holy Land of Israel and Hashem will be a God to us. 98","Kahane in the Parsha Bechukotai 99","Bechukotai and Lag B\u2019Omer This year Parsha Bechukotai falls out the day before Lag B\u2019Omer. Each year there is a troubling gematria that I notice and when I inquire about it, my Charedi friends say they never heard anything about it, then they shrug their shoulders and don\u2019t take it seriously. This year I will examine this gematria in more detail, which when understood explains the sins of our generation and the corrections that need to be made. \u202b = \u05db\u05d1 \u05ea\u05e7 \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u202cCasualness = 312 \u202b = \u05e9\u05d5\u05d4\u05d0\u202cShoa = 312 The Root of Destruction Vayikra 26:27 \u202b \u05d9\u05dc\u05d9; \u05db\u05d5 \u05e0\u05d4 \u05db\u05dc \u05e0\u05db \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05dc\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea \u05e0\u05e9 \u05e0\u05de\u05e2\u05d5\u202c--\u202b \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d4\u05d6\u05d0\u05ea\u202c-\u202b \u05db\u05d6 \u05d5\u05e0\u05d0\u05d9\u05dd\u202c27 And if despite this you will not heed Me, and \u202b \u05db\u05d1 \u05ea\u05e7 \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u202c,\u202b\u05e2\u05d9 \u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u202c. you behave toward Me with casualness; \u202b \u05d4\u05e7 \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9; \u05e0\u05d5\u05d9\u05d9 \u05db\u05e1 \u05e0\u05e8\u05ea\u05d9\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05db\u05d1 \u05e0\u05d7 \u05db\u05de\u05ea\u202c,\u202b \u05db\u05d7 \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05d4 \u05db\u05dc \u05e0\u05db \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d9\u05e2 \u05d4\u05de \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c28 I will behave toward you in a fury of \u202b \u05db\u05d7\u05d8 \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c-\u202b \u05d4\u05e9 \u05db\u05d1\u05e2 \u05db\u05e2\u05dc\u202c,\u202b \u05d4\u05d0 \u05d9\u05e0\u05d9\u202c-\u202b \u05d4\u05d0 \u05e0\u05ea \u05d4\u05db\u05dd \u05db\u05d0\u05e3\u202ccasualness; and I also will chastise you seven times for your sins. Throughout this chapter of admonishments the word \u2018Beceri\u2019 is used over and over again. \u2018Casualness\u2019 seems to be the root cause of punishments that increase in severity through five levels of anger climaxing in a response of a \u2018fury of casualness\u2019 in return. Lets examine this word more closely. Beceri means causal, and comes from the root \u2018Micre\u2019 or coincidence. When we decide not to see the meaning in events and simply disregard them as coincidence this willful blindness angers Hashem for He comes first in whispers to point us in the right direction. If we lack the sensitivity to hear the whispers then He speaks louder and judgments and violence increase to wake us up from our lethargy. If we continue in our coldness and stubbornness then He too becomes casual when we scream for mercy. When one looks at the punishments described in this Parsha one cannot help but see illusions of the Shoa. Vayikra 26:25 ,\u202b \u05e0\u05d1 \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9\u05ea\u202c-\u202b \u05e0\u05d4 \u05d4\u05e7\u05de\u05d4\u05ea \u05e0\u05e0\u05e7\u05db\u05dd\u202c,\u202b \u05db\u05d4 \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d4 \u05d9\u05d1\u05d0 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e2 \u05d9\u05dc\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db\u05dd \u05d4\u05d7 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d1\u202c25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall \u202b \u05d4\u05e2 \u05d9\u05e8\u05d9 \u05d4\u05db\u05dd; \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e9 \u05db\u05dc \u05e0\u05d7 \u05d9\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d3 \u05d4\u05d1\u05e8\u202c-\u202b \u05d4\u05d0\u05dc\u202c,\u202b \u05e0\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e0 \u05d1\u05d0 \u05db\u05e1 \u05e0\u05e4 \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd\u202cexecute the vengeance of the covenant; and ye shall be gathered together within your cities; and I \u202b\u05d0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05d9\u05d1\u202c-\u202b\u05e0\u05d1 \u05db\u05d9\u05d3\u202c \u202b\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d9\u05e0 \u05db\u05ea \u05d4\u05ea\u05dd\u202c ,\u202b \u05e0\u05d1\u05ea\u05d5 \u05e0\u05db \u05d4\u05db\u05dd\u202c. will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy. Vayikra 26:30 100"]