Kahane Codes - Bereshit Shmot

Vayera 401

PARSHAT VAYERA A Forbidden Pact: The Precedent (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The following is a \"drasha\" by Rabbi Kahane on Parshat 'Vayera' - \"the words (of the righteous) ARE their memory\" - for the 7th Yohrzeit. There is a particular Rashbam in \"Parshat Vayira\" which Rabbi Kahane brought down constantly. The Rashbam asks: Why is the story of the pact between Avraham and Avimelech adjacent to the story of \"Akeidat Yitzchak\" which follows immediately thereafter, and opens with the words, \"And it came to pass after these things...\" - words that the sages tell us come to express a real connection between these two events? The Rashbam gives the following answer: \"After the pact that Avraham made with Avimelech, (a pact) with Avraham's grandchildren and great grandchildren, he gave him seven lambs. And the Almighty became enraged by this, for behold, the land of the Philistines had been given to Avraham ... and the Almighty commanded them, 'thou shalt not allow a soul to live'. Therefore, 'Hashem tested Avraham' - to teach him a lesson... That is, you were proud of the son I gave you, and made a pact between your sons and their sons (of the Philistines)? - go now and offer him as a sacrifice, and find out how useful your pacts are!\" In other words, the Rashbam explains that this pact, including the very impressive ceremony of the seven lambs, was a sin. And why? Because the content of the pact was, \"now therefore swear to me here by G-d that youwill not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son\". In other words, this was a \"not to attack\" pact between the offspring of Avraham and the offspring of Avimelech. And what does an agreement \"not to attack\" mean here? It means that the offspring of Avraham will not be able to attack and conquer the land of the Philistines, which is a part of the land of Israel. By making such a commitment, Avraham is relinquishing a part of Eretz Yisrael! (according to Trachtate Sota, (9-10), only after the Philistines broke the original treaty, Israel was able to fight them and take their land from them.) Let us understand what the Rashbam is saying here. After all, the Jewish People had not yet even come into the world, and so obviously, the Land of Israel was not in their hands. And what did Avraham do? In order to avoid conflict with the notoriously unpredictable Avimelech, Avraham made an agreement with him. What is the big deal! Yet, Avraham is chastised nonetheless: You should have taken into account that such an agreement would tie the hands of your children, preventing them from conquering the land the G-d promised to your seed in the future! If so, what can one say when the issue under discussion is not an agreement which forbids us to conquer the land of some goy which is presently under his control, (like the agreement with 'Jordan'), but rather what is under discussion is an agreement to turn over parts of the land of Israel which G-d gave us and is already under our control?! Can there be a Hillul Hashem greater than this? Let us go another step further. After all, the principle we have discussed here is, thank G-d, close to the hearts of many Jews who understand the absurdity and the sin in the giving up of parts of Israel to our enemy. But what other sorts of pacts or agreements with a gentile, that does not include concessions? 402

We have become used to thinking that this is a wonderful thing! What huge efforts our foreign ministry makes in order to establish ties with the most obscure of countries. What great pleasure is derived when another \"Zimbabwe\" or \"Honolulu\" is ready to establish diplomatic relations with Israel... Is it so simple that such a thing is permitted? Here is what the sages think about it in \"Eliyahu Raba\", chapter seven: \"Man must remember in his heart that he must not make partnerships with a goy, and not to make a pact with him, as we found with Avraham Avenu, who made a partnership (with Avimelech) ... and from here they said: there is not a nation in the world which does not enslave and torture Israel more than a few hundred years, and it is all because Avraham made a pact with a goy. From here it was said: whoever makes a partnership with a goy...\" See in it's entirety. The above Rashbam also brings down Midrash Tehilim, which mentions several tragedies which struck us, because of the seven lambs that Avraham gave to Avimelech: Israel lost seven wars, seven righteous Jews were killed, seven tabernacles were destroyed, and other tragic events. Let us accept upon ourselves this national isolation, not as some evil decree, but rather as Rabbi Kahane put it at the end of his book, \"On the Emunah, and on the Giula\": \"A nation that shall dwell alone - is it a curse? On the contrary! Inherent in our isolation is the salvation of the Jew and the sanctification of his G-d.\" Who Sees and Who is A Donkey? (1999) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg (the following was broadcasted on Artuz 7 for the ninth Yahrzeit of Rabbi Meir Kahane) The midrash \"Pirke Divre Eliezar\" deals in length with the \"Akeidat Yitzchak\", and relates the following: \"On the third day they arrived at Zofim (Avraham, Yitzhak, and the two boys) When they arrived at Zofim, (Avraham) saw the \"Schina\" (Divine Presence) on the top of the mountain, as it is written, 'on the third day Avraham raised his eyes and saw the place from afar'. What did he see? He saw a pillar of fire leading up from the ground to the heavens. He said to Yitzchak his son: My son, do you see anything on those hills? He said, yes. He said to him: what do you see. He said: I see a pillar of fire leading up from the ground to the heavens.And Avraham understood that the boy was desired by Hashem to be an offering. He said to Yishamel and Eliezar: Do you see anything up in those mountains? They said: no. He considered them donkeys and said to them, 'sit here with the donkey'. He said to them: Just like a donkey doesn't see anything, you don't see anything either.\" A tremendous lesson is learned here. After all, why is Yitzchak so special for seeing the pillar of fire? Why is this in itself enough to make him worthy of being a pure offering to God? By the same token, why are Eliezar and Yishamel at fault for not seeing the pillar of fire? Perhaps they have poor eyesight? Is it not a bit harsh to call them donkeys for this? Obviously, we are not talking about ordinary seeing.Avraham is determining who has the power of sight, who has the eternal spark - and who is the donkey, static and transient, here today and gone tomorrow. And Avraham discovers that indeed, Yitzhak is the one who sees, the man of vision. He sees things which the pragmatic, myopic, \"now\" people do not. Yitzhak is not frightened by the pillar of fire which 403

seems so distant, apparently unattached to the realities of the day. This is why Avraham tells Eliezar and Yishamel to sit in their places. He considers them donkeys, the sages tell us. The donkey sees the food two feet in front of his face, and no further. Anything beyond that does not exist for him. It is only he who has elevated himself above donkey status who sees the TRUE reality. My father and teacher, Rabbi Meir Kahane, z\"tl, H\"yd, -- saw. He did not see things which others could not see, but rather what they did not WANT to see, because it simply scared them. For it is always more pleasant to look at the here and now, the practical, the immediate benefits. The tragedy is that there was no Avraham who was able to appreciate and recognize the fact that, yes, here is a man who sees. And so, all those immersed in their donkeyism shouted at the extremist who saw so many strange things. They so opposed him that they simply decided to take the pillar of fire which he saw, and make it illegal. Today we live in a time when pragmatism dominates our thinking. He who is not practical, who doesn't face \"realities\", who isn't willing to compromise on his ideals and forego Kiddush Hashem here and there - HE is told to sit on the side, because he doesn't understand \"politics\". A severe sin indeed. If you don't understand \"politics\", you are guilty of the crime of seeing the pillar of fire. You are guilty of not allowing people to live in their illusions and with their compromises. The \"seers\" are supposed to put their pillars of fire and their visions on the side. Let us learn this lesson today, on the Yahrzeit of my father, H\"yd, the man who was ready to pay the price for seeing the pillar of fire - the price of the walk to the Akeida. Let us finally see the pillar of fire, and not succumb to the plague of pragmatism which threatens to turn us all into donkeys who only see the straw in front of their noses. Let us remember that we are not the descendants of the donkey Yishmael and Eliezar, but rather the descendants of the seers - Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov. 404

Chaye Sarah 405

PARSHAT CHAYE SARA There is no Placing Trust the Gentile (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The negotiations between Avraham Avenu and Efron the Hitite in this week's parsha provide great insight regarding how a Jew must approach any negotiation or bargaining situation with the Arabs. There is an old saying: \"You cannot trust the gentile even forty years in the grave.\" Though such a saying might sound somewhat crude, it expresses a healthy and natural understanding that has been acquired through several thousand years of experience. Through the parsha concerning Efron, the sages teach us about the hypocrisy of the gentile and convey to us the vital lesson that \"the wicked they promise a lot and even a little do not do.\" For here is Efron promising the world: \"Listen to me. I have already given you the field. I have also given you the cave that is there. Here, in the presence of my countrymen, I have given it to you. Bury your dead.\" (Breishit, 23:11) But in the very next verse, Efron takes 400 shekels, a hefty sum, without blinking an eyelash. So much for his generosity. Big Talk, No Action As the parsha illustrates, Efron starts out incredibly big-hearted, expressing an unlimited willingness to give. He behaves in such a manner that no one could possibly doubt his sincerity. Or so it appears. But Avraham is not naive, and he well understands the true nature of Efron and others of his ilk. He knows that the greedy Efron has no intention of giving up something without making a profit, and all his smooth talk and flattery is void of content. Thus, Avraham makes it immediately clear (in the very next verse) that he is not looking for handouts, and wants to pay full price. The ball is now in Efron's court, and he certainly does not react as one would expect after such initial \"righteousness\" and generosity. He takes the money. Indeed, much, much more than the actual value of the cave, and all this without even the slightest guilt or effort to justify his original piousness. Efron's own words at the conclusion of the bargaining process best express his very special brand of hypocrisy and decadence: \"My lord, listen to me. What's 400 silver shekels worth of land between you and me? Bury your dead.\" On the verse, Rashi comments: \"Between lovers like you and me, what is it important...\" Avraham accepts the verdict without a flinch. He never expected any favors or any \"chesed\" from the gentile in the first place. His sole intention was to acquire the cave, without developing any \"special relationship\" with his neighbor. With this singluar goal in mind, he gets what he wants, and ignores all the rhetoric and hollow words of Efron the Hittite. The Moral of the Story What is the lesson for us? The Jew cannot trust and must never expect to build any relationship between himself and the Gentile. Between Jews and Gentiles there is an unbridgeable gap. No agreements, no \"faith-building\", and no \"normalization\". All the more so when dealing with the Arabs, who are especially endowed with the characteristics exemplified in Efron. Any attempt to be \"nice\" and to make \"peace\" with him will just create illusions that will eventually explode in the Jew's face. The only healthy approach is to distance ourselves as much as possible from dialogue and deals. Only thus will we prosper. Only thus will we avoid dangerous and unnecessary illusions. 406

The Temple Mount, The Cave of the Patriarchs, Joseph's Tomb (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg \"Rabbi Yehuda Bar Simon said: It is one of the three places where the nations of the world would not be able to deceive Israel by claiming: You are thieves (since it was acquired with money). And they are: The Cave of the Patriarchs, the Temple Mount, and Joseph's Tomb. The Cave of the Patriarchs, as it is written: 'And Avraham weighed to Ephron the silver...'; The Temple Mount, as it is written, 'So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold coins by weight'; Joseph's Tomb, as it is written, 'and he (Yaakov) bought the parcel of ground....at the hand of the children of Hamor, the father of Shchem' \". (Breishit Raba, 89) \"Would Not be Able\"? Three questions arise from the above midrash: And on the rest of the Land of Israel the gentiles CAN say that we are robbers? What does it mean, \"they will not be able\"? We see that they are quite able in undermining our claim to those three places. Indeed, precisely those three places are where they concentrate their struggle! On the verse in Psalms (111), \"The power of His works He has declared to His people in giving them the heritage of the nation\", Rashi writes: \"so that the nations will not be able to say you are robbers when you conquer the seven nations\". And so, we see that Rashi says that on ALL OF ISRAEL \"they cannot say\" that we are thieves! The key to the answer of all the above questions is the following: The truth is that it is not really important what the gentiles say - the problem is what the Jews will say! We will now see how this is the exact message that the Torah and our sages gleaned to us through their words. The Message is Meant for the Jews The Torah knew that when the gentile would rise up against the Jewish\"thieves\" and \"occupiers\" and \"conquerors\", there was liable to be some guilt feelings that the Jew might have about the justice of his cause. Perhaps the gentile is right that we stole his land? Perhaps he has anethical argument? And so the sages come to tell us: Look, there are three places that even according to simple logic the gentile cannot open his mouth about, for they were purchased with money. And in any case, this justified claim makes no impression on them. On the contrary, it is precisely in these three places where they center their struggle against us! What does this teach us? That it isn't justice or ethics which motivates them, nor is it a dispute over property that can be resolved. Rather it is a national - religious struggle! Now the sages come and explain: Just as you know that in these three places their claims are not justified, by the same token you should not get excited about the rest of their claims on other parts of the land of Israel, since \"the entire world belongs to the Holy One, Blessed Be He, He created it and gave it to whomever it was right in his eyes, Of His own will He gave it to them and of His own will He took it from them and gave it to us!\" (The first Rashi in the Torah) This now explains Rashi in the aforementioned Psalm, that \"the nations of the world WON'T BE ABLE to say you are robbers\". Not that \"they won't be able to say\" it. On the contrary, they'll say it all the time. But the \"won't be able to\" is not directed to the gentile, but rather to the ears of the Jews! That they must know that G-d gave us the Land, with an obligation to conquer and expel. And so it is said: \"The power of His works He has declared to His people in giving them the heritage of the nations\" - the answer is intended for \"His people\". The gentiles are not being addressed here, either because they will not listen anyway, or perhaps it simply is not important what they think. Our Eyes Are Upon Those Three Places 407

Every year, Parshat Chaye Sarah is \"Shabbat Hebron\". But this year, events have caused a situation where we are forced to concentrate on all three places: Hebron, Shchem, and the Temple Mount which have become symbols of the Arab-Israeli struggle in the Land of Israel. And there is a good reason for it. Today, when everything is slipping away, we must hold tight to all the sides, for we have learned that they are all connected to one another. How is that? Behold, the struggle for the Hashmonean tunnel which the Arabs claimed hurt THE TEMPLE MOUNT (\"theirs\"), brought about the battle in Judea and Samaria, concentrating mainly in JOSEPH'S TOMB. All this pressured the government to step up the HEBRON evacuation, and to give in to the Arab construction of another mosque on the TEMPLE MOUNT! Indeed, the battle for the Land of Israel has reached its climax, and those three locations which the \"gentile won't be able\" to contest are, in fact, the most hotly contested! Everything You Wanted to Know About Ishmael… (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Daniel Pinner For some peculiar reason, many regard the Ishmaelites somewhat sympathetically, even fondly. After all, what Jew does not have nostalgic memories of the cafes of Jericho, of the hot coffee of the Arab market, the spices and colors of the “Arab” sections of the Old City (Jerusalem, Jaffa…)? This is not the place to psychoanalyze precisely why now, in the midst of a war against the Ishmaelites for our very survival, Jews still think of the enemy as “our cousins”. Unfortunately, this is not the first example of this in our history. It gets worse when all kinds of self-proclaimed Jewish “religious authorities” paint the pastoral picture that “we are all sons of Abraham”. In the case of the Machpelah Cave, for example, we hear many good-natured people (from our side, of course, for no Arab is willing to compromise) who are quite comfortable with the Machpelah being shared among all of “Abraham’s children”. They are broad- minded enough to recognize that there is sufficient room there for all of us. So let us see what our sources really say, and thus understand how distorted this attitude is. The Ishmaelites: Sons of Abraham? To start at the beginning: the Ishmaelites’ hatred for Israel begins with their progenitor, the Ishmael of Genesis, and his hatred for his half-brother Isaac, and his jealousy of his being chosen to be God’s nation even while Ishmael was disqualified and excluded from “the seed of Abraham”. In Sanhedrin 59b, regarding circumcision, it is written: “It is Abraham whom the Torah originally admonishes: ‘You must keep my covenant -- you and your offspring throughout their generations’ (Gen. 17:9)… What about obligating the Ishmaelites [in circumcision, since they are Abraham’s seed]? It says, ‘It is through Isaac that your seed will be called’ “ (Gen. 21:12). The Torah states explicitly that only Isaac, and not Ishmael, will be called Avraham’s seed. The Midrash Tanchuma (Va-yelech 2) says: “The vineyard” (Isaiah 5:1) is Israel;… “He weeded it” this is Abraham, who threw out the refuse such as Ishmael… And the Mishnah says explicitly: “A Jew who takes on oath… not to enjoy any benefits from anyone who is descended from Abraham -- the prohibition applies to Israel, but not to other nations” (Nedarim 3:11) The Talmud asks: And what about 408

Ishmael? - and the answer: The prohibition does not apply to Ishmael, because “it is through Isaac that your seed will be called” (Genesis 21:12). That is to say, the Ishmaelites are not called the “seed (i.e. descendants) of Abraham”. And when the Ishmaelites stated their claim to the land of Israel, Gevia ben Pesisah gave a similar reply (see Sandhedrin 91). We see from these sources that Ishamel was at best, the rejected son of Abraham. The Cruelest of Them All But more than this: The Ishmaelites’ horrendous treatment of Jews in their lands, throughout the millenia of exile in Arabia, is the diametric opposite of the supposed “tolerance” that so many of us have been brainwashed into believing was the case. In fact, the Ishmaelites were more vicious than almost any other nation. Already a millenium ago, the Rambam in Iggeret Teiman wrote to the Jews of Yemen: You dear brethren, know that God has unfortunately cast us down among this people Ishmael, who plot great evil against us and hate us…; You know that no nation has threatened us, and no nation has done more to subjugate and to humiliate us… Even King David, when he saw through ruach hakodesh all the troubles slated for Israel, began to wail and lament the wicked Ishamaelite nation: “Woe is me, that I sojourn with Meshech, that I dwell besides the tents of Kedar!” (Ps. 120:5)… The Ohr ha-Chayyim ha-Kadosh (Leviticus 6:2) similarly said: Worse than the Egyptian exile…is the exile among the Ishmaelites; fortunate is he who has not seen it! They enslave the Jews and embitter their lives…The Jew is robbed of what he has and ordered to pay what he does not have, and he must drink this cup until death. And later on (Deuteronomy 13:18) he continues: As we have been told in Ma’amar ha-Melech, the Ishmaelites, this gang of murderers, have tremendous lust for killing people, they have totally lost any semblance of compassion, and they have become cruel. We conclude with two sources that foresaw Ishmael’s evil scheming in the Land of Israel immediately before the Redemption: The time will come when God will heed the scream of the nation, caused by what the sons of Ishmael will do in the Land of Israel in the last days; this is why he is called Ishmael [God will hear]… (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 32). And the Zohar says: In the future, the sons of Ishmael will rule in the Holy Land when it is empty, for a long time… And they will prevent Israel from returning home…and the time will come when the sons of Ishmael will arouse fierce wars throughout the world (Zohar, Genesis 119). But in fact, this entire article has been unnecessary, since you already knew it anyway just from the day-to-day reality of life. Did we really need all these Torah-based sources to prove the hatred and cruelty of the accursed Ishmaelites, and their vicious fight against Israel’s Redemption for more than a hundred years past?! The determination to ignore reality, to “explain” their hatred, is truly incredible. We have offered all the above to counter the years of propaganda, which is more insidious now than ever before. Listen, O you who are deliberately blind: We have not quoted “fanatics” from the “extreme right”; we have not even opened the books of “Kahane” to reach these conclusions. Rather, this is what our sages spoke of, centuries and millenia ago. But tragically, one who refuses to see will not be convinced even by a thousand quotes…or even by a thousand murdered Jews. And this is the reason that the Ismaelites do not have to resort to cunning to camouflage their diabolical plot: what they plan to do, they state openly and we refuse to listen. O deaf ones, listen; O blind ones, look that you may see: who is blind as My servant [Israel], and deaf as My messenger (Isaiah 42:18). 409

410

Toledot 411

PARSHAT TOLEDOT WORLD WAR ONE AND FOREVER (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Yitzhak Newman, ZT\"L The war in Rivka's womb is pretty intense. In one corner is Yaakov, who at this early stage is already waging the battle for Divine truth. And in the other corner is Esau, who is already denying God; who basically sees the purpose of the world as a place to fulfill his needs and passions. Good versus Evil This turbulence in Rivka's stomach is how it all started. It is the beginning of the most essential war, an eternal one that has run the course of history. We are talking about the war of good versus evil. This is the real war which dwarfs all others. Whether one wants to accept it or deny it, this is the perpetual conflict that is taking place behind the scenes of history. In a war so basic, of such substance, there is no lull. These two fetuses, who embody the good and the evil, are not able to stand one another even in their mother's womb. The bitter dispute is already underway, \"and the children clashed inside her\". No Co-Existence This war is the beginning of what later on will be known as the war of Yaakov and Esau. It has already been written: \"The halacha is known: Esau hates Yaakov\". It is an inherent, natural hatred, one that cannot be extinguished. Our sages add something else, to make things even clearer. They tell us that if someone comes to you and says: Jerusalem and Edom (which is the kingdom of Esau) are both thriving - do not believe him; both are destroyed - do not believe him; one is thriving and one is destroyed - believe him. The sages are conveying us an awesome message here -- There is no Peace With Evil There are those who feel the time has arrived for \"world peace\", for co-existence between nations, religions and races of all kinds. The Torah comes and says: No way. No way can there be peace with Esau. These are two opposites. One is good and one is evil. And there is no co-existence between good and evil! A revolutionary idea? Hardly. Certainly not for someone who learns Torah properly. For the Jewish People, there is no aspiration to make peace with Esau. On the contrary. According to Jewish tradition, God is not complete and His throne is not complete until Amalek has been wiped out from the world. And who is Amalek? Amalek (Esau's grandchild) is an extreme manifestation of Esau in this world. Peace at the proper time, and war at the proper time. Yes, we all want peace, but peace only with good, and with good, decent people. With evil, not only aren't we interested in peace, but the Torah even commands us to wage an all out war against it, \"and you shall burn out the evil from thy midst!\" Nothing less than that. For the war against evil is not a personal war, but rather a mission that God gave us the moment we breathed the air of this world, and even beforehand... 412

Living for the Moment Vs. Eternal Values (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Yitzhak Newman, ZT\"L In parshat Toledot we find two opposing world views expressed respectively by Jacob and Esau. One world view sees physical pleasure as the ultimate goal. It stresses the present. It downplays the consequences of one's actions. It's motto: \"Live for Today!\" The other world view stresses spirituality and places the service of G-d at the center of man's existence. Man must take account of his actions, for the future depends on it. Esau's brusque demand (Genesis 25-30): \"Let me swallow, I pray thee, some of this red, red (pottage)\", expresses the first world view. Esau uses his intellect to search and figure out ways to satisfy his desires. His intellect is subject to his body. This point is emphasized again (Ibid:35): \"And he ate and drank and rose and went on his way.\" It is precisely this \"Living for Today\" which makes Esau weak and susceptible to Yaakov's offer to buy his birthright. After all, what is a birthright - a vague honor, an ambiguous title which only has real implications for the distant future - compared to a steamy pot of lentils after a hard day of hunting? And so, this bestial quality is exploited by Yaakov - \"And Esau said: Behold, I am going to die; and what profit shall the birthright be to me?\" (25-32) Yaakov is exactly the opposite. He plants seeds today and he will reap the harvest tomorrow. He does not give in to passing desires. He has the ability to see the future and plan for it. His intellect is master over his body, and his G-dly image is plain for all to see. He patiently waits until he receives the blessing fifteen years later. This behavior stands in sharp contrast to Esau, who at this point is finally exposed before his father Yitzchak and hysterically bursts in to tears: \"he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry\" (27-34) and said: \"for he has tricked me these two times: he took away my birthright; and behold, now, he has now taken away my blessing.\" (27-36) Here we see the infantile irrationality the moment his illusions explode. For Esau realizes, albeit, too late, the consequences of \"living for today\". For a fleeting pleasure he sacrificed something truly valuable. The illusion of materialism is shattered. His brother receives eternal blessing and he - a lousy pot of lentils. All this is quite pertinent in helping to understand the present state of Israel and the peace (re: suicide) process. It is the same Esavian plague which causes the \"peacenicks\" to be so eager to throw away it's birthright, and it's homeland for a figurative pot of lentils; empty and vague promises of \"peace\" when all of history and common sense point in the opposite direction. Just as Esau was already fully formed from birth(the Hebrew word for Esau means \"made\" or \"formed\", as Rashi says: for at birth he was formed and completed with his hair as one of many years), so do the peacenicks come with ready-made plans for a peace \"now\". But similar to Esau, this approach is void of any real content, for they forsake the future and eternal aspect of the Jewish Nation. We, the children of Yaakov, approach life according to the covenant that was promised to us. Peace? Only \"if in my statutes you walk\". Any other way will lead to tragedy, and all other answers will blow up in the faces of the \"now\" people, who will burst into an exceeding and bitter cry as did their original predecessor, Esau. 413

THE CLOWNS IN EVERY GENERATION (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The rabbis tell us that when Yitzchak was born, \"the clowns of the generation\" claimed that Avimelech was Yitzchak's real father. They even had a convincing argument: for so many years, Sarah had not become pregnant from Avraham. And behold, while Avraham is an old man, she suddenly becomes impregnated shortly after being taken by Avimelech. Logical conclusion: there is no miracle here, but rather Sarah has been impregnated by the evil Avimelech. The rabbis tell us that in order to refute this argument, G-d formed Yitzchak's face identical to that of Avraham's, to make it clear that: \"Avraham begot Yitzchak.\" THE QUESTIONS Three questions on this midrash: 1. why do the rabbis refer to these slanderers and scorners as \"clowns of the generation\"? It seems that their claim, as evil as it may be, is not based on frivilousness or buffoonery, but rather on rationality and logic. 2. If they are just \"clowns\", why do we pay so much attention to them; to such an extent that the sages immortalize them, and G-d Himself intervenes to refute them? 3. From the midrash, it appears that their claim was not some joke. On the contrary, it seemed to be a serious matter of concern for them to prove that Avraham was not Yitzchak's father. What do they care? Of what interest is it to them? Our sages speak of \"clowns of the generations\" in several other places. For example, in the midrash Eicha Raba it says: \"The clowns of the generation would utter with their mouths and hint with their eyes saying, 'the prophesy which he (Ezekhiel) prophesizes is only for the distant future'\". The clowns of the generation in this case were the leaders who feared that the prophet's warning of the impending destruction would enter the hearts of the masses. Instead of debating the issue at hand, they latched onto a \"weak spot\" in his prophesy, and used it in order to destroy the credibility of the prophet: Behold, so much time has passed since you've been warning us, and nothing has happened -- there is still more time to party! And so again, if their claim is rational and viable, why are they termed \"clowns\"? CLOWNING AROUND IS SERIOUS BUSINESS To understand this, we must first realize that a clown is not some prankster with a funny hat and floppy shoes. The \"clowns of the generation\" which our sages describe are people who have a purpose. In order to nullify the truth which they cannot accept, they grasp onto certain points and make a joke out of them. But as time passes, all the ideology and seriousness that once cloaked them becomes undone, since their goal all along was to undermine the truth in order to continue in their ways of sin and falsehood. AVRAHAM'S WAR AGAINST THE WORLD Avraham is the symbol of the \"Ivry\" (Hebrew). \"Ivry\" comes from the root \"the other side\", meaning that the entire world stood on one side (miever), and he stood on the other. When the sages tell us that he destroyed the idols, it is not just a story: It means that while spreading the idea on the One and True G-d, Avraham waged war against the false beliefs and leaders that existed in his time, shattering them. Yitzchak's birth expressed the continuation of this legacy, and the miraculous way in which his birth came about was a proof of G-d's strength and the righteousness of Avraham's cause. For many years the people of Avraham's generation would mock him by saying: You have no one to carry on your legacy! 414

Your teachings will be forgotten! You have no future; you are \"washed up and sterile\". Then suddenly, G-d's ancient promise is actualized and Sarah bears him a son to continue. At this point, his enemies are in danger: Avraham is revived, and his teachings will continue as his G-d promised. In order for their ideology to survive, the opponents of Avraham must launch an offensive. They find something; something logical that can be \"clowned\" with. There is no doubt that the clowns of Avraham's generation were men of stature. Their involvement in the \"Who is Yitzchak's real father\" scandal was of a serious nature. However, all this was only a cover for their real motive: the war against Avraham's ideas; the idea of the true G-d. PROFESSIONAL CLOWNS This tactic is alive and well today in Israel. The hellenists most powerful weapon against Judaism and Eretz Yisrael is -- clowning and mockery. In the media sit people who have perfected it to an art. In the guise of \"journalism\", they mock and scorn, cloaking their vicious slander in the garb of \"rationalism\", \"pragmatism\", \"enlightenment\", etc. These are the \"clowns of the generation\", whose goal is to destroy all values by setting down the axiom that there really are no \"values\", other than the one value whose very essence is anti-value. And what is that? Democracy. In essence, democracy says that anything goes, and that there are no absolute values or objective truths. Anything running counter to this \"value\" is made into a laughing stock. Mitzvot? G-d? That's for the primitive (as a first stage), and for the racist (as a second stage). 415

416

Vayetze 417

PARSHAT VAYETZE Time to Go Home (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Yizchak Neeman, ZT\"L It is a well-know Torah principle that, \"the actions of the fathers are precedents for the sons.\" The Rambam in his introduction to the Book of Exodus explains: \"All the events (that the founding fathers of the Israelite Nation experience) are like pictures of things that hint and inform us of all that will occur to them (the Israelite Nation) in the future) in the future.\" This rule not only applies to positive actions, but to negative actions as well. Indeed, Rabbi Kahane often pointed out how the conflict between Jacob and Laban that is recounted in parshat Vayetze provides us with a prototype of Jewish- Gentile relations that remain valid as long as the Jews abide in the lands of their dispersion. First, Jacob is forced to flee his home due to the fact that Esau plots to murder him as vengeance for an alleged wrong, \"Behold, Esau your brother comforts himself (by planning) to kill you. And now my son, listen to me and arise, flee to Laban, my brother in Haran.\" (Genesis 27:42) Jacob makes the wearying journey, full of travails and diversions, and finally arrives, penniless, in his new place of residence. He immediately seeks and finds work (as a shepherd) and begins to rebuild his life. He works hard and is scrupulously honest: \"These past 20 years that I was with you, your sheep did not miscarriage and the rams of your flock I did not eat. I did not bring you a carcass (of a dead sheep attacked by wild animals) without reimbursing you, and took responsibility (for stolen sheep) whether stolen in the day or night\" (ibid 40). For his trouble he is repeatedly cheated and ripped off by his employer Laban, \"You have switched my wages (i.e. contract) ten times\" (ibid 41). And yet, despite this, his diligence and faith in G-d pay off: \"And the man increased (his wealth) very much (ibid 30:43). Yes, Jacob became a financial mogul with influential connections and an impressive mass of wealth and possessions to boot. He had \"made it\". He had reached the highest echelons of society. What could possibly go wrong? \"And he heard the sons of Laban saying, Jacob has taken all that belongs to our father and it is from our father's possessions that he has glorified himself. And Jacob saw Laban's expression (when looking at Jacob) and it was different from that way it has always been\" (ibid 31:12). The atmosphere grows thick with jealousy. The hatred that accompanies it spawns false accusations and outright lies: \"The Jews control the economy! The Jews are feeding off of us! It's the Jews fault!\" Jacob, an honest and law-abiding citizen of Padan Aram finds himself, once again, in physical danger regardless of his innocent intentions and contributions to society. He is momentarily shocked. What has he done to deserve this? The \"old friend\" of yesterday is the new enemy of today. He realizes he has overstayed his welcome, but hangs on a little longer. Eventually he hits the road only to begin somewhere else where the same nightmare can be replayed again. This, then, is the immutable cycle of the Jewish exile. But where does it end? Shall his weary feet never find rest? Is he doomed to a life of perpetual wandering? Or is there a place where he will be able to grow and prosper, a place where his children's future will be guaranteed; a place by which he has a rightful claim? The Almighty gives the answer, and it is an answer that we would do well to take seriously: \"Return to the land of your fathers, your homeland, and (there) I will be with you!\" (ibid 31:3) 418

This familiar pattern repeats itself over and over again. In each new place the hapless Jew \"finally\" discovered comfort and security. \"It can't happen here\" he reassures himself, and blithely goes about his way, all the while stubbornly ignoring the lessons of history, not to mention a Torah commandment... There is only one way to escape the vicious cycle, and that is the way in which the Torah implores us: \"Return to the land of your fathers, your homeland, and (there) I will be with you!\" When It Comes to the Jewish Idea - No Changes!! (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The last two Torah parshas of the week have portrayed Yaakov as quite a con-man. Every step of the way he is using his cunning to achieve his desired goals - at first in attaining the birthright by putting the pressure on a weary and vulnerable Esau, and afterwards in his outright theft of the blessing from his father. In our parsha this week, we see this guile directed now at Laban, his cheating uncle, as our sages tell us: \"If to deceive he comes, then I, too am his brother in deceit, but if he is an honest man, than I, too am the son of Rivka, his honest sister\". (Rashi 29:12) And indeed, when the dust clears Yaakov comes out of the Laban situation a very wealthy man. The problem is that all this is in sharp contrast to the very first words the Torah uses to describe Yaakov - \"And Yaakov was 'tam' (in Hebrew, the word 'tam' has the connotation of pure, whole, simple or naive). Couldn't the Torah find another word to characterize Yaakov other than 'tam'?? In our simplistic eyes, Yaakov is the very antithesis of 'tam', full of savvy and even an outright liar when need be. The question is magnified tenfold when we remember that Yaakov Avenu represents, of all things, \"Emet\" (truth), as it is written, \"And you will give truth to Yaakov\", (Micha 7). And so again, couldn't the sages come up with a more appropriate characteristic for Yaakov other than \"Emet\"? The fact is that this subject is a very delicate one, and it is one that my father, Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY\"D, had to deal with his entire life. Obviously in this short space it is impossible to delve too deeply into the subject, but it certainly must be touched upon. Everyone used to ask Rabbi Kahane: \"Why don't you change a little?\" Just change a little to outmaneuver your enemies and then get into a position of power when you can then say the truth. Without exaggerating, he was approached by literally thousands of people with advice of this sort. He never listened to these \"advisors\" and insisted on clinging to truth. There are enough liars and cowards out there already, he would say. SOMEONE has to speak the truth. Rabbi Kahane was the only one to get up and shout the truth without changing an iota, and without taking into account the \"ifs\" or \"buts\". From this point of view, he was the epitome of \"And you will give truth to Yaakov\". On the other hand, when it came to less important matters not concerning the essence of the message, the Rav was as sly as the best of them, making a mockery of his opponents, often using \"gimmicks\" to expose their fraud or get himself press. But all this cunning was used for TACTICAL matters, not ideological ones. When it came to the message of the Jewish Idea, there was no place for even the tiniest of compromises. He knew that if he would make the slightest change, even for a short period of time, he would lose everything he had worked for - he would be selling out, and the power of his message would be emasculated. It seems to me that through this actual, live example of my father in our generation, we are given insight into the behavior of Yaakov in his interaction with Esau and Laban. Sure Yaakov knew how to 419

manipulate and fend for himself when need be. But when it came to the message itself he was willing to sacrifice himself even for \"little jars\", for it was a matter of principle to retrieve what he earned. He was ready to go face to face with the angel of Esau for even the slightest reason. This ability to separate what is important and what is not important; what is the message and what is only tactical; when to compromise and when not to - this made my father so special. It is the lesson we learn from Yaakov Avenu. \"YAAKOV WENT OUT\" and \"YAAKOV SAT\" (2000) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg \"And Yaakov went out\" - This seemingly innocent opening of our parasha is really not as simple as it may appear. Think about it: From where is Yaakov going out, and where is he going to? He is departing from Yitzchak and Rivka's warm home, from the cozy tent (as the verse says, \"he dwelled in tents\"), from a pure and wholesome environment (and Yaakov was \"tam\", meaning wholesome or pure). And where is he headed? To a cold, cruel world of murderers and swindlers. Yaakov, a wholesome, pure man, whose only desire is to serve God, finds himself fleeing from his brother who wants to kill him. He is on the way to a place he is not at all familiar with. Sure, it's his uncle. But what kind of uncle is this? Lavan the Aramite, the cheat and scoundrel. Does Yaakov really need all this grief? Remember, Yaakov tried to avoid all of this in the first place. It wasn't his idea to steal the blessings, which was what got him into this mess in the first place. It was his righteous mother who incited him to do it. Yaakov wanted to sit in his tent, to bask in the radiance of his father, to absorb Torah from him, to elevate himself spiritually. And now? He is alone and unsure of his destination, with but a stick in his hand. This is a situation he never dreamed he would find himself in. And again, where is he headed? To his uncle. If he only knew what waits for him there. With brothers and uncles like that, who needs enemies? How are we supposed to understand this? Why does God wish to see Yaakov go through all these difficult circumstances? Esau, Lavan, and let us remember his greatest sorrow of all - the loss of Yosef. Why doesn't God allow this righteous man, whose entire life's goal is to sit in the tent of Torah and serve God - why doesn't God allow him to fulfill his aspirations? Instead, this man of enormous potential must waste his thoughts and his efforts in scheming how to avoid his murderous brother. Is this not a waste of talent. Isn't there a more optimal way this spiritual giant can utilize his time? What is the reason for all these trials and tribulations which befall Yaakov, turning his life into one of brutal hardships, a life he himself later sums up as: - \"few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.\" No Tranquility for The Righteous In order to understand, \"And Yaakov went out\", we must understand \"And Yaakov sat\", which is two parashas ahead of us. On this seemingly mundane phrase, \"And Yaakov sat\", the sages tell us: \"Yaakov desired to sit in peace, but there sprang upon him the troubles of Yosef. When the righteous desire to sit in tranquility, the Almighty says: Is it not sufficient for the righteous that which is prepared for them in the world to come, but they seek to sit in tranquility in this world too!\" (Rashi, at beginning of parasha) What is so wrong about wanting to sit in tranquility? Don't the righteous deserve it? This is basically the same question we have been asking all along. And the answer is a resounding, No! The righteous are not supposed to sit in tranquility. Yaakov was put on this earth to be a \"And Yaakov went out\" man, 420

and not a \"And Yaakov sat\" type of person. This is a novel idea in this generation. For up to now, we have been taught that the complete Jew is one who spends all his time learning in the Beit Midrash. Not true. There is a time for sitting in the Beit Midrash, and a time to go out to the people. People are suffering. There are ideals that must be fought for. There are problems that must be solved. Yaakov as a Symbol For Us Therefore, it is wrong to think that Yaakov \"went to waste\" wandering and investing energies to foil con-men and murderers. All these experiences, which may seem as needless aggravation and wastes of time, bring the Jew to loftier heights. A Jew who must face all this while remaining steadfast in spreading God's word and doing the right things; who takes on the wicked and does it all out of a connection to God and guidance from the Torah he is engrossed in during every moment available to him - such a Jew reaches far greater heights than the one who dismisses himself from such \"politics\", and enters only the Beit Midrash. Yaakov is a symbol for the sons who succeed him, the nation of Israel. Yaakov does not sit in tranquility. The days of Messiah have not yet arrived. Jew! In this world there are problems which are sometimes difficult, and one must deal with them, and if necessary, to fight them. This is part of your destiny. Why do you think there is Esau and Lavan in this world? For you! They did not sprout up by themselves. God created them! They exist in order to harass the wholesome Jew. They exist to test him. And the tests are difficult ones. True, you do not have to go and look for tests. But don't worry, because they will find you. Each one according to what has been designated for him. But take comfort, Jew: In the end, these tests and trials mold you and give you the chance to reach greater heights, and to prove your faith and trust in God. And that is what being a Jew is all about. The \"gedolim\" of all generations, who are our guiding light from the days of Avraham until today - they are people who never fled from struggles. When Yaakov starts to fatigue, and it happens, God throws all kinds of events his way - events which awaken him from the cocoon of tranquility he tries to curl himself into. They awaken him and say: Yaakov, Yaakov, there is no rest in this world. Don't worry, don't take it too hard - if you only knew what awaits you in the next world! And then he is awakened and inspirited, anxious to do battle. We are amazed to see Yaakov, this pure and simple man being forced to deal with the devious Lavan, and overcoming him. Sure, Yaakov is \"tam\", but when he leaves his tent, he knows how to deal with evil... 421

422

Vayishlach 423

PARSHAT VAYISHLACH SHIMEON AND LEVY & COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The act of Shimeon and Levy in Shchem bears light on a subject so relevant today in our dealings with the Arab enemy. And the subject is the one called \"collective punishment\". For here is Shimeon and Levy, in response to a crime which was more sexually motivated than nationally motivated, wiping out an entire city because of the act of one individual. You can't get much more collective than that! At this juncture, we will not respond to the modern falsifiers of Torah who condemn the act. The fact is, a look in Parshat Vayishalch will reveal that Yaakov never condemned the act on a moral basis, but rather on a practical basis (\"you have brought trouble on me..and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves against me..\"). The fact is, not one Torah commentator condemns it. The wiping out of Shchem was the pride of the tribe of Shimeon, inscribed on its flag in the desert! All the commentators see the act as a mitzvah and one of great m'sirut nefesh. The only argument among the commentators is concerning the question of why it was permitted? The Rambam for instance, writes that the gentiles of Shchem were guilty for not observing the seven Noacide Laws - one of these laws being the obligation to set up court systems to try criminals. Since the people of Shchem did not bring Shchem Ben Hamor to trial, they were obligated the death penalty. The Maharal differs. He says that since the people of Shchem feared their prince, they were forcibly prevented from bringing him to trial, and were therefore dismissed from guilt. Then why was Shimeon and Levy permitted to collectively punish an entire city? The Maharal answers: \"Since both the Shchem Canaanites and Yaakov & sons were were already considered 'nations' or 'collectives' (as was mentioned in their agreement to circumcise, 'and we will be as one nation', instead of two nations), it was permitted to fight against them according to the laws of war, when nation goes against nation, as a collective. And though it is written that before such a war, one must make the offer of peace, that is only when they did not harm Israel. But here, where they violated (a Jewish girl), even though only one of them did it, he is part of a collective, and one can take vengeance against all of them. And such is the case for all wars, as it says, 'Take vengeance against the Midyanites', etc, where even though only a few did (evil), it makes no difference because they are from the same nation..and such is the case in all wars... (Gur Aryeh, Parshat Vayishlach) 424

The Killing of the Shchem Residents: A Torah Perspective (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Two zealots are focused upon in our parsha: Shimeon and Levy. And theeternal question is if they were correct in their deed or not. This parsha has certainly been one of the more misinterpreted portions in the Torah in modern times, and as a consequence, so many improper conclusions have been drawn from it. Why is that? Because indeed, there are verses in the Torah, which at first glance view the act of Shimeon and Levy as a mistake. One who reads Parshat Vayichi can easily reach the conclusion that the question is answered by Yaakov, when he says, \"Cursed be their anger for it was fierce...\" These words are directed at the actions of Shimeon and Levy in Shchem, and such words certainly seem to put the deed in a negative light. And so, this is how so many love to interpret the parsha, thereby condemning the brothers Shimeon and Levy as if they sinned in Shchem. The Act of Shchem - The Pride of the Tribe of Shimeon! But in contrast to this simplistic understanding, there are tremendous questions. Firstly, one who reads Parshat Vayishlach will notice that the Torah finishes the story with Shimeon and Levy having the upper hand. For in response to Yaakov's argument that \"you have troubled me, to make me odious among the inhabitants of the land\", Shimeon and Levy promptly answer him: \"As a harlot should one deal with our sister?\" And so the parsha ends, without a peep from Yaakov, with the brothers clearly putting the matter at rest. And indeed, the argument of Yaakov, that \"you have troubled me to make me odious among the inhabitants of the land\" seems to fall flat on its face, as the Almighty puts fear of G-d upon all the inhabitants of the cities from which Yaakov was afraid of. Could this not be a clear sign that the Almighty was giving an O.K. to the deed? More than that, pay attention to the argument of Yaakov. He is not opposing them on a \"moral\" basis. He is not criticizing them for wiping out an entire city unjustly. No! This is not his argument. His is a PRACTICAL one - that all the goyim will come after us now. And if one is not yet convinced, know what it says in the Midrash - that on the flag of Shimeon was nothing more and nothing less than a PICTURE OF THE CITY OF SHCHEM! Now ask yourselves: How could one have on his flag a symbol of something that reminded him of his sin? But certainly the act of Shimeon and Levy was a correct and positive act, to such an extent that it waves proudly on the flag of Shimeon. The fact is that none of the Jewish commentators condemn the act. For example, Rambam explains that Shimeon and Levy were justified because the people of Shchem did not put Shchem Ben Hamor on trial for his crime of raping Dina, thus violating the seven laws of Bnei Noach, and therefore being worthy of death. The Maharal argues with the Rambam, stating that one can't expect a people to put it's prince on trial, because they are afraid of him. He therefore offers an alternative explanation. The Maharal says that the children of Israel behaved as in all wars, where there is a law of collective punishment, and even though one is supposed to call for peace first, this is only when you were not wronged by them. But since in this case, they 'broke the fence\" first with their rape of Dina, one needn't call them to peace. (Gur Aryeh, Vayishlach) And so, all this makes us quite curious to know why Yaakov said in Parshat Vayichi: \"Cursed is their anger for it was fierce\"? The Act - Good. The Motive - Not So Good. The answer to this question touches upon the deep and delicate subject concerning the MOTIVE that stands behind the actions of a person. Yaakov, in his wisdom, evidently understood that while the act of Shimeon and Levy was a Kiddush Hashem, he also came to the conclusion later on that the motive standing behind the deed was not 100% pure. When did Yaakov understand this? When it became clear that the major culprits in the selling of Yosef were the same Shimeon and Levy (as the sages tell us in another place), Yaakov knew that their zealotry was not always channeled in the proper direction. He said to them: \"For in their anger they slew men, and in their self-will they houghed an ox\". Rashi tell us that the \"men\" they slew were Hamor and the men of Shchem, and the \"ox\" they houghed was Yosef, who was termed \"ox\". This was the problem. After being zealous for a good cause, they went out later to hurt their brother. The act of plotting to kill Yosef shed light on their act in Shchem. It meant that their motive 425

there was somehow flawed; and they were not acting solely \"LeShame Shamayim\". It showed that there was a characteristic of anger in them, not always directed properly. And so Yaakov said \"cursed is their anger, for it is fierce.\" Yaakov did not curse them, but rather their anger, to tell us that they are not cursed, but only \"their anger\" is. That is, the use of the attribute of zealousness derived from anger, not \"Leshame Shamayim\". Interestingly enough, we see that the tribe of Levi indeed succeeded incleansing their motives, and acting \"LeShame Shamayim\". It was they who slew their brethren for the sin of the Golden Calf, and it was Pinchas who was also zealous for G-d's sake, slaying Zimri. Zimri Ben Salu, the Jewish leader who prostituted himself, was from the tribe of Shimeon. Pinchas, who was zealous against such lewdness came from the tribe of Levy. A zealot and son of a zealot - but this time with absolutely pure motives. The tribe of Levy succeeded in sublimating it's attribute of anger, thereby purifying it's motives as Yaakov requested. Shimeon apparently could not straighten out his \"middot\", falling victim to the very same sin he was once zealous for. Is \"Esau Hates Yaakov\" a Thing of the Past? (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Without a doubt there will be those who object to our bringing the following quote from a particular \"religious\" Jew who is one of the biggest opponents to the renewal of the sacrifices in our generation. During a special convention dealing with the Temple Mount, one of the participants who dons a yarmulke and carries with the title of \"Rabbi\", made the following comment: \"Must we inhale the smell of charred meat in order to manifest our religiousness?..\" And so, why must we bring the words of enemies of Judaism in our parsha commentary? Why give them a forum? Aren't there things more holy to discuss on this topic? The answer is that in many ways, almost every Jew, including observant ones, possesses thoughts similar to the above, and it is this complete mindset which must be changed. What exactly do we mean? After 2,000 years of living without a Temple and without sacrifices, the mere idea of offering sacrifices (the bringing of an animal, slaughtering it with a knife, and bringing its flesh up to the fire on the altar for G-d), has been virtually forgotten. People have even begun to reject and mock the entire concept of animal sacrifices. After all, who does such things today? For this reason, while it would never cross the lips of a believing Jew to cancel the service of the fire offerings, he also does not exhibit a great yearning to see the \"religion\" of Judaism return to the days when the offering of the sacrifices stood at their very center. He, too, can not help but think of all this as something that belongs to the Dark Ages. I mean, between us, who really needs to see flocks of sheep and cattle being scorched on the Temple Mount? After all, serving G-d in the manner in which we have become accustomed includes davening, fasting and other such ritual. How can we suddenly serve G-d in such a crude and material way? Isn't such practice more appropriate for such countries like India? But the fact is, clearly, that the way to get close to G-d is the way that G-d Himself told us to; not the way it appears through our very mortal and limited eyes. And G-d set down that the way to serve Him (nu, what can you do?), is to take an unblemished animal and offer it on the altar in the place which G-d chose, on the Temple Mount, as we contemplate how it is really WE who deserve to be slaughtered for our sin. This process nullifies our egos, and actualizes in a very concrete way the severity of our sin and the punishment we deserve, thereby enabling us to reach higher levels of spirituality. Prayer? Fasts? Of course! But only as something to supplement the sacrifices. 426

Our words are not directed towards that same clown we quoted earlier. Our words are directed at you, the reader, who perhaps mistakenly underestimated the vital importance of the service of the sacrifices and the critical need to restore it. Know and remember! For 2,000 years, all our prayers have been for the return of our Temple and for the renewal of the sacrifices, as we say in the Amida prayer three times each day, \"Restore the service to the Holy of Holies of your Temple. Speedily accept the fire offerings of Israel...\" Do not dare think that today we have \"progressed\", and already \"passed that stage\". Such thoughts eliminate a very hefty portion of the 613 Mitzvot, and one who would consider canceling even one of them is guilty of heresy. Let us not be counted among those \"moderdox\" Jews who attempt to create G-d in their own image. Let us be true Torah Jews who accept all of G-d's laws regardless of how it may jive with some western concepts which may have diluted our ability to understand and practice authentic Judaism. 427

428

Vayeshev 429

PARSHAT VAYESHEV For the Righteous, There Is No Tranquility (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Parshat Vayeshev begins with the words, \"And Jacob sat (or dwelled)\". From this seemingly mundane phrase the sages teach (Breishis Raba 84): \"When the righteous desire to live in tranquility, the Accuser comes (before G-d) and declares: Is it not enough (for the righteous) that they will receive their rewards in the World to Come; must they also request to dwell in this world in tranquility, he was punished with the troubles of Joseph.\" Amazing! All Jacob wanted was to settle down and raise a family in the way of Torah. What more could God ask of him? Here was a man beset with troubles from the very outset of his life (including in his mother's womb)- the feud with Esau, the despicable treatment he received at Laban's house, the rape of his daughter and the subsequent fear of attacks by the local gentiles after the daring liquidation of Shchem by his two sons. Didn't he deserve at least at this stage to relax a little, learn Torah, and enjoy life? However, it is exactly this outlook on life that the sages come to negate. And it is a concept we must drill into our hearts. The attainment of comfort, even if it is combined with a life of Torah and mitzvot, must not be the goal of the Jew. The real tranquility will be received in the World to Come. This world, by its very nature, is one of struggle and strife, and thus it is not the place designated for the achievement of comfort: \"The days of the years in this life are 70 years, or, given strength, 80 years; but the best of them are trouble and sorrow. They pass by speedily, and we are in darkness\" (Psalms 90:10) The essence of a Jew is selfless devotion and self-sacrifice for G-d, His Torah, and His People. My father, Rabbi Meir Kahane (may G-d avenge his blood) would frequently bless newlyweds with this blessing. Already under the \"chupah\", he would tell the couple that he does not wish for them to live in tranquility and comfort but rather they should always fulfill their tasks as Jews with \"msirus nefesh\" (self-sacrifice). This strange blessing often startled many of the guests. However, it was the message that the Rav continually stressed - a Jew must give of himself to sanctify God's Name. This includes his time, his money, and sometimes, even his life. This lesson is quite relevant to the holiday of Hanukkah that draws near. One who ponders the sequence of events of the Hanukkah story may be confounded by an enigma: What were the Jews doing before Matitiyahu and his sons began the rebellion? During the period that the Greek entourage traveled from village to village to force the Jews to sacrifice pigs to their idols, why did no one else rebel until then? Were there no other righteous Jews in Israel? This is exactly the point. What differentiated Matitiyahu and his sons from the other righteous Jews was their willingness for \"mesirut nefesh\". Surely there were many Jews who observed the commandments, but they placed their personal comfort and safety above their Jewish mission and destiny. The implications for today are obvious, and if there were only a few Maccabees back then, there are even less \"Maccabees\" today. The slogan \"never again\" was never intended to mean that another Holocaust could never again occur. It meant that Jews would never again sit quietly, in tranquility, while other Jews are suffering. It meant that Jews would do everything in their power, even at great personal cost, to help their brethren. Let us pray that the observant Jew, who observes with great vigor each and every halachic stringency, will grasp this simple and valuable lesson of \"and Jacob sat\". 430

Vayigash 431

Vayigash The Exile Self-Destructs For the \"Comfortable\" Jew (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The Egyptian exile which is defined by our sages as the first exile, begins in Parshat Vayigash. Yaakov and sons make \"yireda\" to Egypt, and from this point onward, the arduous and torturous road from \"galut\" (exile) to \"giula\" (redemption) begins. Since the sages tell us that the first redemption from Egypt is a symbol of the final redemption, we will tackle one point concerning the Egyptian exile and derive a crucial lesson for our generation. It is interesting that in every exile a definite pattern develops. Each exile that the Jews encountered began as a result of terrible affliction suffered by the Jews in the Land of Israel. First, it was the suffering of Yaakov and his lost son and the heavy famine prevailing in the Land of Canaan that brought on a departure to the first exile called Egypt. Afterwards, it was the second exile of the dispersion of the ten tribesuntil the destruction of the first Temple and the massive spilling of blood in Jerusalem. Finally, the last exile which began with the brutal war against the Romans on Jerusalem and culminated in the destruction of the second Temple and the killing of millions of Jews in Jerusalem. What is astonishing is that in all of the above exiles, after a very short period of adaptation, Jews discovered that life in the galut wasn't so bad. All the troubles they experienced in Eretz Yisrael suddenly ended, and they started to thrive and prosper...at least in the beginning. This is exactly what happened in Egypt, and on this point, the great commentator, the \"Kli Hayakar\" elaborates. On the final verse in our parsha, \"And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and THEY GRIPPED ONTO IT, and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly\", the \"Kli Hayakar\", brings down the following on the phrase \"they gripped onto it\": \"The children of Israel are entirely to blame for this verse. Because the Lord decreed on them that a 'stranger your seed will be' (that is, temporary), and they wanted to be inhabitants (that is, permanent) in a place where it was decreed upon them to be transient ... this verse comes to place blame on this settling in, since they gripped onto a land that wasn't theirs.\" What happened here? The children of Yaakov were forced to go down to Egypt, and none of them were thrilled about the idea despite the hardships in Canaan, because they knew that Egypt is, after all, the exile. However, in a short time they had a change of heart. Joseph placed at their disposal the land of Goshen, which was the most fertile area of Egypt, and the brothers suddenly began to feel that \"it's not as bad as we thought\". One can even settle down in peace and tranquility and learn Torah here. What is so bad about it? So they \"gripped\" and clung to Egypt, and by this very doing so, were automatically rejecting the Holy Land of Israel. This \"seizing\" or \"gripping\" of the exile, the settling in and feeling good there, the acquiring of the mentality that \"there is life for the Jews in the Diaspora\" (a mealy- mouthed word for \"galut\" or exile), expresses in itself a rejection or \"despising of the good land\" (a verse in Psalms depicting the ten spies who spoke evil report about the land of Israel and prevented \"Aliyah\"). In their hearts, and all the more so in the hearts of their offspring, crept in the feeling that it is a good life here in exile and one can build Jerusalem here, and the dream of returning to Zion can wait for the next generation (if at all), but in the meantime, it remains strictly a \"dream\"... This is the crime of all exiles. Our sages told us long ago about this phenomenon in a midrash on a 432

verse in the \"tochacha\" of Parshat Ki-Tavowhere it is written, \"you will find no resting place for the soul of your foot\". The sages comment, \"if they would find a resting place, they would not come back.\" In other words, if the Jews could stay in galut, they would do so without any intention of returning to Eretz Yisrael, all the while building for themselves all kinds of theories why it is \"kosher\" to do so. But the gentile never allowed the Jew to remain in the galut. On the contrary, the more that the exile initially seemed to be full of promise, and the more the Jew was able to attain \"equal rights\" to the gentile, so, too, in direct proportion, was the tragedy of the exile that much more severe. Every exile turned into a bigger graveyard than the one before it. This is exactly what happened to our forefathers in Egypt. The aforementioned \"Kli Hayaker\" continues: \"And they immersed themselves tosuch an extent that they did not want to leave Egypt, until G-d had to take them out of there with a strong hand. And those who did not want to leave, died in the three days of darkness\". The \"Kli Hayakar\" touches here upon what is mentioned in Parshat \"Beshallach\", where four-fifths of the children of Israel were wiped out before the departure from Egypt, because they refused to leave. It is a divine decree that the exile, each and every one of them, has no future. This is an iron-clad law in Judaism. For this reason we find that in the poverty stricken lands which the Jews did not or could not \"grip onto\" as much, their exile was terminated in a more merciful and lenient fashion. This, of course, in contrast to the \"lands of the fleshpots\", whose ends were woefully tragic. This article was not written to give a history lesson. We are simply coming to say that this particular exile has come to an end. The doors of many exiles have been opened, including those whose doors became symbols like Russia and Syria. Every Jew has now been given the chance to get out. We have reached the final stage in the elimination of the exile. He who refuses to seize the moment and leave quickly will find his fate as those who refused to leave Egypt. Many may think that all this is not relevant for us who live here in Israel. After all, don't we have our own problems here? This is un-Jewish thinking, for we are guarantors for our brothers in the exile. And despite the fact that we here, too, stand before terrible tragedy, we have a responsibility to our brothers abroad who face, G-d forbid, much greater catastrophe than what will occur in Israel. Ultimately, our destiny is wrapped up in theirs, and we must wake up to this fast, for we are now in the \"End of Days\" - days in which our prophets warned us can come the way of \"Bi-Eta\" (in its time), which is the way of awesome suffering and labor pains of redemption, worse than anything we have experienced in exile. And if this is true, how can one sit by quietly? Mashiach Ben Yosef - Some Basic Concepts (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg For most people, the concept of \"Mashiach\" relates to \"Mashiach Ben David\". In contrast, while most people may have heard of \"Mashiach Ben Yosef\", they know little about his role and importance. There is probably no more appropriate time than during the Torah portions dealing with Yosef to delve into the concept of Mashiach Ben Yosef. Indeed, it is interesting to note that Yosef is the central figure in four Torah portions (VaYeshev through VaYichi), which is more than any of the three forefathers, and certainly more than his \"counterpart\" Yehuda, the father of David's kingdom. There is a reason for this. 433

In this short article, we will touch upon the concept of \"Mashiach BenYosef\" basing ourselves upon the Gaon from Vilna (GR\"A) in his book \"Kol HaTor\", and on the writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY\"D, in his book \"OhrHaRaayon\". First of all, it must be known that in each generation, there is a person who has the potential to be Mashiach Ben Yosef. This creates free choice for every generation to bring Mashiach, and when the Almighty decides to, He actualizes this potential and unleashes the role of Mashiach (on one or both of them) in a particular generation. Mashiach Ben Yosef is the one who starts the redemption. He is the central figure in the process preceding the final and complete redemption in which a king from David's house is eventually anointed - and this is \"Mashiach Ben David\". Mashiach Ben Yosef fights the wars of Hashem against the gentile enemies of Israel, and since it is he who STARTS the redemption, he is also called \"Mashiach HaAtchalta\" - the Mashiach who begins the redemption. He is responsible for the physical, material redemption which precedes the spiritual one. The physical redemption is the ingathering of the exiles, the conquering of the Land of Israel and wars against the gentile (and for this reason he is also coined by many midrashim as the \"Mashuach Milchama\" - the anointed for war). In contrast, Mashiach Ben David is responsible for the spiritual side of the redemption which comes afterwards. It is well-known that Mashiach Ben Yosef is killed. But actually, this does not have to happen. For if the redemption comes the way of \"Achishena\" (swiftly and with glory) - that is, the Jewish People do \"tsheuva\" - then Mashiach Ben Yosef triumphs in battle. On the other hand, if the redemption comes \"BiEta\" (slowly, at it's fixed time) - then one of the results of such a scenario is that he falls in the midst of a difficult and bitter battle, where great suffering and needless tragedy take place. One of the things that is emphasized about Mashiach Ben Yosef is something that is said about Yosef himself: \"And Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him\". While the potential Mashiach Ben Yosef of every generation brings the people the truth and presents before them the conditions for the redemption, the people deny and disrespect him. But because of his \"Ahavat Yisroel\", he is willing to suffer. It is the people's refusal to recognize the truth which brings upon them the needless wars and tragedies. For if the Jewish People had only accepted and understood Mashiach Ben Yosef's message, he would bring the redemption swiftly, in the way of \"Achishena\", with glory and without needless suffering. But in the scenario of \"BiEta\", only a handful understand, identify, and go with Mashiach Ben Yosef. And while the people continue to deny him, he continues his mission in any case, provoking the goyim and sanctifying the Name of G-d, and eventually falling, as stated above. It must be pointed out here that the major obstacle for Mashiach Ben Yosef is not the gentiles, but rather the destroyers from within. They are called the \"Erev Rav\" (mixed multitude). According to the Gaon from Vilna, the major battle of Mashiach Ben Yosef is against the \"Erev Rav\", who prevents the Holy People from recognizing the truth which would bring the redemption swiftly, \"HaGiulat Achishena\". In conclusion, it must be remembered that what is written here is a general overview of the redemption process. But how things will actually turn out - depends only on us, just as it depends on us concerning whether or not Mashiach Ben Yosef will be killed. This is a heavy responsibility - to recognize the truth and to understand the conditions for redemption, despite the fact that the \"Erev Rav\" is trying to destroy and ban it. May G-d give us the strength to hold our own and fulfill the mitzvot of Kiddush Hashem, so that we may bring the redemption swiftly. Amen. 434

PARASHAT VAYIGASH \"WHO RECOGNIZES YOSEF? (Binyamin Kahane's last parasha) In Parashat Vayigash the drama and tension between Yosef and his brothers reaches its climax. And then Yosef blows everything wide open, revealing himself to his startled brothers: \"I am Yosef\". Afterwards, the brothers rush off to their father to break the news: \"Ode Yosef Chai\", Yosef is still alive. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the parasha's dealing with Yosef, we must pay attention to the fact that what lies at the center of this three parasha drama between Yosef and his brothers is the fact that on one side stands Yosef who knows that his brothers stand before him, while on the other side are the brothers who do not know that they stand before Yosef. This is summed up in the verse in Parashat Mikez: \"And Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.\" What is Meant by \"Recognize\" According to the simple understanding, the commentators explain that the brothers did not recognize Yosef because at the time they sold him, he was young and without a beard, and now he had a beard. On the other hand, Yosef recognized his brothers because at the time he was sold, they already had beards. Rashi digs deeper, explaining that the difference between the two sides was not merely recognition of external appearances. When Yosef encountered his brothers on the fateful day in Shchem, they did not \"recognize\" him; that is, they did not act brotherly towards him and sold him to the Ishmaelites. But when the brothers were at Yosef's mercy, he \"recognized\" them; he acted brotherly towards them and did not take revenge for all the pain that they caused him. In these days, after Yosef's tomb has been sold to the Ishmaelites, we must focus on this point, and to shed light on the present situation where Yosef once again is not recognized. Mashiach Ben Yosef and His Role In the Torah, when speaking of the redemption, Mashiach ben Yosef and the concept of \"Od Yosef Chai,\" play a central role. According to tradition, before Mashiach ben David's arrival, Mashiach ben Yosef will fight God's wars in the age of redemption preceding Mashiach ben David. The Atchalta DeGeula, the stage before the conclusion of redemption when all surviving nations accept Heaven's yoke, is the period of Mashiach ben Yosef. The Gra (the Gaon R. Eliayahu of Vilna), in his work Kol HaTor, calls Mashiach ben Yosef the \"Mashiach De'Atchalta\", the \"Inaugural Messiah\". The Gra explains that Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef live and endure in every single generation, functioning in their role...\" Mashiach ben Yosef is involved in the whole physical side of the redemption, the actual return to Zion, and the fighting of God's wars, while the role of Mashiach ben David is to complete the spiritual redemption. If the Jews do not merit the redemption in a particular generation, the roles of the Messiahs are passed down to someone else in the next generation. Estranged From and Conspired Against We will now return to the central verse we mentioned, bringing the words of the Gra in Kol Ha Tor. \" 'Yosef recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him'. This is one of Yosef's attributes. Not just in his generation, but in every generation, Mashiach ben Yosef recognizes his brothers and they do not recognize him. It is an act of Satan which conceals Mashiach ben Yosef's attributes, such that the Jews unfortunately do not recognize his footsteps, and in fact scoff at them...If not for this, our troubles would already be over. If Israel 'recognized Yosef', Mashiach ben Yosef's footsteps comprising the ingathering of the exiles, etc., we would already be completely redeemed\". (Ch.2, Part 1:39) 435

Is it even necessary to expound upon our alienation from \"Yosef\" today? And now the Gra comes and teaches us that it is this very estrangement, ridicule and opposition to Mashiach ben Yosef and his role - the role of reviving the land, ingathering of the exiles, the conquest of the land and the war against the \"erev rav\" - this is the reason why the complete redemption is being delayed! Not only is there estrangement from Yosef, but a conspiring against him, as it is written on Yosef: \"And they conspired against him to slay him\". Yosef's brothers see Yosef and his dreams as a threat to them. \"What?! You are going to lead the process of redemption? You, the youngest amongst us?\" They decide that he constitutes a danger and must be killed. Ode Yosef Chai! Who more than we can testify to the estrangement and mistreatment of those who attempt to bring the complete redemption. Yet, just as Rashi explains that Yosef \"recognized\" his brothers, behaving brotherly towards them; so, too, does Mashiach ben Yosef and his followers, those who carry on the task of bringing the redemption to the Jewish People - so, too, are they willing to endure personal suffering for Israel's salvation, all out of a burning Ahavat Yisrael. The Gra teaches us that only against a few, the erev rav, must we fight a war to the bitter end. (\"The erev rav is our greatest enemy...Hence, the war against the erev rav is the hardest and most bitter, and we must gird ourselves with our last strength towards this end. Whoever does not actively take part in the war against the erev rav automatically becomes a partner to its impurity, and whoever he is, he is better off not having been born.. (Ch.2, part 2:2) But the masses that still do not recognize Yosef, attaching little or no importance to his activities (partly due to the erev rav and its propaganda) - we must \"recognize\" them. In the words of the Ohr HaChaiim, (who, by the way, was alluded to by the Gra as a spark of Mashiach ben Yosef), on our verse: \"He looked at them as one looks at brothers, and he behaved brotherly towards them\"! These days are critical ones. The war that broke out this past Rosh Hashana centered on Shchem and Kever Yosef during the first few days. Afterwards, Yosef's tomb was abandoned and sold to the Ishamaelites like discarded baggage. Our answer must be the opposite: We must cling on to all those tasks of Mashiach ben Yosef - the conquering of the land and the war against the goyim and the erev rav. We needn't worry about being popular or palatable in the eyes of those who are not willing to recognize Yosef. By so doing, those who are willing to recognize Yosef will see and understand that \"Ode Yosef Chai\". 436

CHANUKAH THE POWER OF THE PRECIOUS FEW What was miraculous about the victory of Chanukah? Any child in kindergarten knows that the miracle was the shorthanded, weaker Jews defeating the numerous and powerful Greeks. Indeed, it is an historical fact that cannot be denied. But our teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Meir Kahane, z\"tl, sought to delve a notch deeper into the miraculous victory of the few against the many, and by doing so, resolve a famous question regarding Chanukah. The \"Miracle Within The Miracle\" Rabbi Kahane would say: Remember, before the victory of the Macabees over the Greeks and hellenists took place, there was the actual war itself. When the Macabees went out to battle, they had no feasible chance of winning. Not only were the Jews fewer and weaker than the well-oiled Syrian Greek war machine, but amongst the Jews themselves, only a sparse few went out to battle under the command of Yehuda Macabee and his brothers. And so, to enable such an inconceivable victory to occur, there had to be, first of all, a few \"crazies\" who dared to rise up in arms against this invincible empire! Here, Rabbi Kahane would say that the essential miracle of Chanukah was not the war victory, but rather the very fact that a few Jews realized that \"things just cannot go on this way\", arose, and with immense faith in the Almighty, declared war on the superpower of their day. For given the fact that they were able to miraculously overcome their awesome enemies, prior to that miracle they surely did not know that the Almighty would perform the miracle for them. Nevertheless, they went out. That in itself, the Rav would say, was an act of immense courage, \"the miracle within the miracle.\" God Controls the Laws of Nature But where does the \"miracle of the oil\" come into play? Let us ask the question differently: There is some confusion concerning the reason we celebrate Chanukah. Do we celebrate Chanukah to commemorate the oil that was sufficient for only one day, and continued to burn through eight days, or are we celebrating the war victory? It is clear that the essential miracle of Chanukah, its real central theme, is not the miracle of the oil. Indeed, the special Chanukah prayer, \"Al Hanisim\", coined by the rabbis, does not even mention the miracle of the oil. The theme and heart of Chanukah is the concept mentioned in \"Al Hanisim\", of \"rabim b'yad m'atim\", \"the many (\"Syrian Greeks) who fell into the hands of the few (Jews).\" And the very miracle of the oil represents that concept, i.e., the little oil able to \"overcome\" the many days and continue to burn. The miracle of the oil symbolizes how God controls the laws of nature: Just as oil sufficient for one day can burn for eight, if He wills it; so, too, are numbers irrelevant when Am Yisrael goes out to war. By the same token, just as we said that the miracle of the war victory was the very fact that Jews went out to battle in the first place, so, too, the oil symbolizes \"the miracle within the miracle\". After all, in order for the meager quantity of oil to last for eight days, there had to be Jews who lit it in the first place - Jews who were not discouraged from the outset; Jews who did not say: why bother lighting the candles of the Temple if they are going to go out anyway…? No. You do your part, with the means available to you, and Hashem will do His part. \"Open for me an opening like the point of a needle, and I will open for you gates like the gates of the sancturary.\" The Question of the \"Bet Yosef\" Now we can ask the question posed by the Bet Yosef (Yosef Karo): There is a source which says that the length of the holiday of Chanukah is eight days because oil that was sufficient for only one day, lasted eight. The Bet Yosef asks: Why eight days? Since the oil was naturally sufficient in itself to burn 437

for one day, the miracle was actually only in the additional seven days that it continued to burn. In reality, therefore, in order to commemorate the \"miracle\", the rabbis should have established a holiday of seven days. Various and varied reasons are given. Rav Kahane says: Indeed, we celebrate eight days because the first day was a miracle as well. It commemorates the very fact that they dared to go out to battle! The very fact that they dared to \"light the candle\". That's also a miracle, \"the miracle within the miracle\". The Holiday of Our Times Chanukah is not a childrens holiday of \"dreidels\" and donuts. It is a holiday that is meant to rekindle our trust in the Almighty, to reinforce the understanding that when Jews go out to battle in an obligatory war with faith in God, they come out victorious, even if they are the underdog. Chanukah is the holiday for these days. Days when masses of Arabs arise against us, and Hashem stands at our side. But what happens when the official Jewish leadership from left to right is overcome with fear, crippled by lack of faith and thereby incapable of action? Then the torch is passed on to the few. It is passed unto those who are ready to cling onto Eretz Yisrael at any price. And then the day comes in which they are told by the non-believers: \"If you are not ready to pull out, that's your choice. But deal with the enemy by yourselves. Because we are afraid, we have no faith. You claim that you have faith?! Fine - let's see what you can do.\" And those precious few, inspired by a pristine faith in the Almighty, will arise to repel the enemy. Those with Jewish vision foresee the Macabean war in our generation. In this war, at least at the outset, only a few will take part. Those Jews of rock-solid faith in the God of Israel, who sincerely believe that God is a loyal defender of His people Israel - they will be an example to the multitudes who will eventually follow. \"In those days, at this time\". 438

Vayechi 439

PARSHAT VAYECHI What Makes Samson Such a Hero? (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg When Yaakov Avenu blesses Dan, the sages tell us that through \"Ruach HaKodesh\", Yaakov saw Samson wreaking havoc upon the Philistines, and thought that he was the Messiah. Only after seeing Samson die did a disappointed Yaakov realize that Samson was not the Messiah, and thus heuttered the words in our parsha, \"I waited for your salvation, Oh Lord\". Even for those not so well-versed in the Bible, Samson has become a household name. He is the stereotype of the 'mighty hero\". Is this characterization a correct one, or a misconception of the masses? What gives Samson his superstar status, making him easily the most popular and widely know Judge? If it is for his brute physical strength, the sages surprise us by telling us that Samson was lame! Why would they say such a thing if not to remove from our minds the image of a macho-muscle-man. Perhaps one might want to say that Samson fulfilled the definition of \"hero\" (gibor, in Hebrew) according to \"Pirke Avot\": \"Who is a 'gibor'? He who conquers his evil inclination\". Without delving too deep into Samson's deeds and motives with women, one can safely say that he was not exactly a symbol of the \"Tzadeek\" who overcame his \"Yaizer\" (evil inclination). The sages tell us clearly: \"Samson went after his eyes, and thus his eyes were gouged out by the Philistines.\" Must we then conclude that the popularity surrounding the figure of Samson today is due to the fact that somehow, his persona \"caught on\" more than other heroic figures in the Bible? Is Samson's popularity amongst the masses simply a product of media-hype? After all, Devora, Yiftach, Gideon and every other Judge certainly killed a lot more of the enemy than Samson did. Killing a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass is quite an accomplishment, but it hardly rates with the electrifying and decisive victories of the other Judges that ruled before him. In fact, when the Bible tells us that the \"dead that he slew in his death were more than he slew in his life\" - it is not meant as a compliment, but rather as a commentary that Samson did not put up the \"big numbers\" like the other Judges did. And so again, is Samson, the darling of the masses, somehow overrated? Let us not jump to hasty conclusions! After all, we opened this article by saying that Yaakov Avenu himself saw Samson's potential to be the Messiah. In addition, in comparison to all the other Judges mentioned in the Book of Judges, Samson has by far the most space allotted to him. This brings us to another difficult question. During his lifetime, Samson was scorned by his own people to such an extent that we find no parallel to it with any other Judge. At one point, fellow Jews even turn him over to the Philistines. Since his support among the people is virtually non-existent, he is reduced to carrying out partisan-style attacks against the enemy instead of leading an army against them. Why should the Bible dedicate so many chapters and stories to a Judge who had absolutely no supporting cast? Why is HE a candidate for Messiah? Despite all the above questions and doubts, it is clear that Samson is indeed someone very special. Even before his birth, an angel of G-d came to his parents and spoke of the birth of this extraordinary son, \"for a Nazarite to G-d shall the boy be...and he will begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.\" The answer to the riddle of Samson's greatness lies in the supposed weakness of his not enjoying the 440

support of his people. Even though he was betrayed by his own people, he continued to love them and fight on their behalf. His internal strength and his willingness to stand alone and fight \"Chillul Hashem\" (the desecration of G-d's Name) are why he is described as \"beginning to save Israel\". In the same way that Moses never turned his back on the Jewish People, despite their endless accusations against him, Samson remained firm in his faith and \"Ahavat Yisrael\". At the same time, the people disparaged him as irresponsible and violent, a hot-blooded lunatic who \"makes things worse\" by fermenting hatred against the Jews on the part of the Philistines. Samson paid no heed to them. For this he would eventually be recognized as the great leader he was. And while it is true that he sinned, Samson physically sacrificed himself for the Jewish People. Even in his last moments where he stood weakened, blinded, and bound - what grieved him was not his personal suffering, but rather the tremendous desecration of G-d's Name that this was causing. When Yaakov saw all this; placing G-d's Honor over his own, putting his people's pain before his own - he understood that such a man is worthy of being the Messiah. Sometimes, It's Good to Be Deaf... (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Even after Yaakov died, Esau continued to seek revenge against him for the taking of the birthright, attempting even to sabotage his burial in the Cave of the Patriarchs. The Gemora (Sota, 13) recounts how the children of Yaakov arrived at the cave to bring their father to burial, and behold they found Esau waiting for them there, with some interesting \"news\": The remaining burial plot in the cave belongs to me. The stunned sons tried to remind Esau that he sold the spot to Yaakov. After an exchange of words (brought down in the Gemora), it was agreed that Naftali would run to Egypt and bring the document confirming that the burial plot was indeed sold to Yaakov. In the meantime, they waited... One of those waiting was Hushim, the son of Dan. Hushim was deaf, and therefore did not hear the discussion that had taken place between the brothers and Esau. At a certain point, he asked them what is happening. The brothers told him that Esau is delaying the burial, and everyone is waiting for Naftali. Hushim was shocked: \"And all the while that Naftali is in Egypt, my grandfather will lie here in dishonor!?\" He immediately took a stick in his hand, struck Esau in the head, and killed him. The story concludes with Esau's eyes falling out of their sockets by the legs of Yaakov, and on this it is written, \"Happy is the righteous who saw vengeance, he will wash his palms (of his legs) in the blood of the wicked.\" A question must be asked here: Why of all people, was it the grandson Hushim ben Dan who reacted this way? Why was HE shocked at was happening, and arose to wipe out the reproach? Did not the rest of the sons care about Yaakov's honor? Where was Yehuda, or the zealots Shimeon and Levy, for example? From here we learn an awesome lesson which is especially related to matters of national honor and \"Kiddush Hashem\". The difference between Hushim ben Dan and the rest of the sons of Yaakov was that Hushim was the only one who was not involved in the negotiations with Esau. Psychologically, the moment you hear out the other party and weigh his point of view, even the most outrageous claim begins to be \"understood\". The very discussing of it desensitizes you, and gets you used to the idea. 441

Without a doubt, if someone were to tell the sons of Yaakov beforehand that Esau is waiting for them in the Cave of the Patriarchs to thwart the burial of their father, they would boil over with holy rage, and guarantee that they know how to deal with the situation. But what happened was that the moment they arrived, Esau stated his case: \"It's mine\". Sure the sons of Yaakov were shocked and angry, but it is human nature not to want to leave an argument or claim unanswered, without an appropriate rebuttal. And so they reminded him that he sold it. Esau immediately countered: I only sold the birthright, not the grave, etc. At this point, too, the brothers know that Esau is wrong, but in any case, he makes an argument which demands some kind of answer. And most important of all: At this stage, the sons of Yaakov find themselves in the heat of a negotiation process. An onlooker from the side can easily get the impression that both sides make reasonable claims. They would certainly have great difficulty realizing that what we have here is a scoundrel whose entire goal is to degrade Yaakov. In contrast, the deaf Hushim ben Dan cannot hear all the claims. He knows only one thing: \"Grandfather is lying here in disrespect!\". Sure, Yaakov's sons knew exactly what kind of derelict, cheater and murderer Esau was. But because they entered into negotiations with him, they began to think that perhaps he is sincere this time, and said to themselves: all we need to do is to convince him that we are right, and everything will be O.K. But Hushim did not have the opportunity to become \"convinced\" of the justice of Esau's wicked and bogus claims, and he did not understand how his brothers allowed this low-life to delay, even for a moment, the burial of Yaakov, the father of our nation. And so he arose and took action! Sometimes, it is forbidden to negotiate. What's so bad about it? After all, you are only talking! But no! For even if you know that your \"partner\" is a liar with evil intentions, you begin to \"understand\" him and think there might be \"something\" to what he is saying after all. Unfortunately, for years we have been exposed to the lies and falsehood of our enemies. Recently, even those faithful to Eretz Yisrael are beginning to \"adjust to the realities\". We have grown used to things that would never have entered our minds only a few years ago. G-d forbid! Let us be zealous for truth, and not have inferiority complexes when facing false claims from the lowest of peoples. We are right! It is our land, and no foreign nation shall dwell in it! 442

SEFER SHMOT 443

PARSHAT SHMOT Abortions in Israel (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg This column is dedicated to one of the most shocking, yet relatively undiscussed subjects - abortions in the State of Israel. There is an organization called \"Efrat\" whose primary goal is to increase the number of births of Jewish children in Israel. This group, which works with wonderful \"msirus nefesh\" in fighting the astronomical number of abortions in Israel, asked us to write about this subject for Parshat Shmot. Considering the critical nature of the matter, we are more than happy to fulfill this request. The fact is that he who remains quiet concerning the issue of elective abortions becomes a partner to this atrocious mass murder. As society increasingly depicts abortions as representing \"progress\" and \"womens rights\", the statistics regarding it have become more and more staggering. According to \"Efrat\", more than 1,000,000 children have been killed since the beginning of the State. Yes, a genuine holocaust - and no one cares. According to a recent study, 60% of women who gave birth at Hadassah Hospital in Har HaZoftim admitted than they underwent an abortion \"out of convenience\" in the past. When the former Minister of Health Dr. Sadan took it upohn himself to fight against this phenomenon, playing a short film for the members of the Israeli Knesset depicting the abomination of abortions in Israel, and comparing this legal mass murder to the Holocaust in Europe, the Knesset members jumped out of their skin. What enraged them so? The murder of the fetuses? Of course not! What shocked these bleeding hearts was the fact that Mr. Sadan made the comparison of abortion to the Holocaust. He was forced to step down and relinquish his duties. What is particularly fascinating, though, is the entire leftist, liberal approach to the subject. From their point of view, the more one supports abortions, the more \"enlightened\" that person is. You may ask: How does mass murder sit so well with humanitarian enlightened types? It's quite simple! You see, the killing of a fetus is an expression of \"freedom over one's body\", feminism, and progressive advanced society! And what about the fetuses right to live? That is not relevant to the modern and progressive. While every decent person would agree that child abuse is abhorrent, suddenly it becomes legitimate and even fashionable to kill a child in his mother's womb. Technically speaking, harming a child one second after he leaves his mother's womb is demented, but killing it a second before leaving his mother's womb is \"freedom over her body\". This gross perversion of morality is the result of morals that are dictated by man and not G-d. Not long ago, it was even reported that in certain gynecological clinics that perform abortions, dogs eat the remains of the baby after it has been grated from his mother's womb. Pay attention, dear readers. When Baruch Goldstein (may G-d avenge his blood), a doctor by profession, killed thirty of the Arab enemy in the Cave of the Patriarchs in order to prevent more non- stop spilling of Jewish blood, the liberal left was enflamed, condemning the act as the worst atrocity committed in the last few hundred years. On the other hand, when there is an agreement among doctors to kill 1,000,000 fetuses - 60,000 murders per year - that, my friends, is \"progress\". There cannot be a more concrete example to display the unbridgable gap between Judaism and western culture: That which is seen in Judaism as heinous murder is considered by them to be progress, and that which is considered in Judaism as right and just is seen by them as heinous murder. Two completely opposite worlds with completely opposing concepts. 444

The following are passages that portray the magnitude of this atrocity, claiming more victims per year than all the traffic accidents and wars in Israel put together: The Tiniest Human Being Story of a Doctor: \"Many years ago, after anesthetizing the woman for the sake of halting the pregnancy from outside the womb (second month), I held in my hand the tiniest human being ever seen. The fetus was impeccable - complete and transparent. It was a male full of energy swimming in the sac of water, adjoined by the umbilical cord to the wall of the sac. The miniature human being was completely developed - long and narrow fingers, feet and toes. Its skin was practically transparent. Its arteries and veins stood out until the tips of his fingers. The body was completely alive and was in no way similar to the pictures of fetuses that I had seen in the past. When the sac was opened, his life was terminated instantaneoulsy, and he looked just like one would expect a fetus to look like at this stage - lifeless.\" (Dr. Paul N. Rockwell) 80 Cents Short Story of a Chief of Staff: \"I was born in Tel Adashim. The date was under dispute, until my father and the head of the village determined: January 11, 1929. I left my mother's womb to breathe the world's air because my parents were... too poor. Totally impovershed. Four children came before me, and my father could not provide for them. That is why my parents decided to spare me from such poverty and put and end to me - in my mother's womb. But we were so poor that that my father couldn't come up with the two liros necessary to perform the abortion. Through great effort my father was able to collect one liro and 20. He urged the doctors to do the abortion and he would pay the 80 grushim at a later date - but the doctors refused. No credit allowed, and a son was born. Now there were five children in the needy family. There were days when my parents would say jokingly: \"This kid is worth two liros?\" (Story of former Chief of Staff, Raful Eitan) News and Commentary The recent news regarding the youth in Israel is not encouraging. The statistics show heavy crime, violence in schools, and mass drug abuse that is shocking. And the politicians? They established a \"War on Drugs\" week, and expressed their \"shock\". Not for nothing do we put these words in quotes. After all, what do they intend to do? Fight drugs? Stand up against violence that has risen 43% amongst Israeli youth this past year? Why, they are the cause of it! It is the Israeli leaders and educators who destroyed the values of Israeli society by trading in Jewish values for goyish ones. And indeed, the Jews have outdone the gentile. Who leads the famed drug parties in India? The Israeli youth! A real light unto the nations! These leaders, who are the founding fathers of the violence and decadence in Israeli society choose to direct their energies not towards fighting the real problem, but rather choose to fight Judaism. They suddenly discover, in Judaism of all places, the \"violence\", the \"lack of morality\", and \"chaos\". This is all a cynical attempt to divert attention from the real problem: The Chosen People are submersed in a decaying society infected with drugs as well as vicious and needless violence, and all this was brought on by the Israeli leadership who ripped away from them real values. How easy it would be to end here and say, \"at least we are not like them\". But we have no right to say such things because we are bound by the obligation of being guarantors for our Jewish brothers. This is why we have stepped up our distribution of material and increased the out-reach work of the Meir Youth Group among schools and circles with which we once had seldom contact. And that is because we are aware of the fact that we have the capability of offering a real and attractive alternative to those 445

particular youth who are looking to find themselves, and go looking as far as India to discover even more emptiness. It is we who can supply the youth what what they are searching for. The very fact that the establishment so opposes us is what enables us to offer an alternative in their eyes... (Translated from Meir Youth Magazine, Chodesh Tevet) Datan And Aviram Never Die – They Simply Interchange (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Parshat Shmot teaches us what a Jewish leader is all about. First of all, Moshe Rabbeinu embodies the positive leader, who is willing to sacrifice himself and his freedom for the Jewish People. But in this article, we will concentrate on the actions and motives of two negative leaders in Egypt. Two leaders who always looked to advance themselves, and attempted every step of the way to prevent the redemption. They did not do this openly. On the contrary, they always portrayed themselves as people who were concerned about the interests of the Jewish People at large. These two people are Datan and Aviram. They appear several times throughout the Torah, not always in name – sometimes it is the sages who reveal to us that they are Datan and Aviram. It is quite possible that Datan and Aviram are not specific people, but rather they are a concept – a symbol of a certain type of leader. The first time we meet Datan and Aviram, they are in the heat of a quarrel. What were these two fighting about while their brothers were in bondage? It can be assumed that they found time to bicker about some portfolio or office. And behold, Moshe Rabbeinu appears on the scene, sees his two brothers fighting, and tries to patch things up. But Datan and Aviram, who yesterday saw Moshe Rabbeinu exhibiting leadership qualities in killing the Egyptian, both smelled competition to their positions. And so, putting their own quarrel aside for the moment, they proceed to inform on Moshe to Pharo. And all this, obviously, is done out of a \"national responsibility\", for who knows what the ramifications of such a murderous act such as that of Moshe's could be for Israel... The second time we run into our friends (according to the sages) is at the end of Parshat Shmot, years later. Moshe by this time has \"taken over the leadership\". Moshe and Aharon hold their first historic meeting with Pharo where they demand to \"Let my People Go!\" On their way out, they are met by a furious Datan and Aviram. They are devoured by jealousy. They, too, had once visited Pharo's palace, though never Pharo himself. They probably had only met with the Minister of Jewish Affairs where, in classic exile tradition, they would occasionally do some groveling in order to squeeze something out of him. And so immediately they attack (with \"national responsibility\") Moshe and Aharon: \"The Lord look upon you, and judge: because you made us abhorrent in the eyes of Pharo and in the eyes of his servants to put a sword in their hand to slay us\". At first glance, these are words of logic and genuine concern. Stop making things worse for us! Because of your insanedemand to \"let my people go\" and all the rest of your wild fantasies, Pharo has increased the burden on Israel! (Even Moshe himself at this point temporarily despairs, and says to G-d: \"For since I came to Pharo to speak in Your Name, he has dealt ill with Your people.\") Let us continue following \"Datan and Aviram\". In the book of Numbers, they are already working as an active \"opposition\", as Midrash Shmot Raba explains: \"They were the ones who left over the \"Mann\", they were the ones who said (in the spy portion) 'let us return to Egypt', they were the ones who rebelled at the Red Sea.\" And of course, they were active players in the Korach incident. In other words, whenever there was an opportunity to undermine Moshe and Aharon's authority, they were 446

there, in the thick of it. The highlight of their career is during the sin of the spies, where they say: \"Let us appoint a chief and let us return to Egypt.\" Oh, how they yearned for the good old days, when their brothers were enslaved and they were strolling in the gates of Pharo's palace... And so, during the Korach dispute, their stance against Moshe is much more extreme and belligerent than the stance Korach adopted. They insolently attack Moshe: \"Is it a small thing that you have brought us out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the wilderness, and you have made yourself a prince over us?\" Again, pangs of yearning for Egypt and for their positions! Throughout all the generations until today, one can see that \"Datan andAviram\" did not die; and an important lesson can be learned from this:Sometimes a leader may have certain accomplishments under his belt, but because he places his own personal welfare as the priority, he can bring the nation to tragedy. For he is ready to see his people hurt and beaten, as long as his position remains intact. ***weekly parsha by binyamin zev kahane*** For They Are Servants of the Lord (1998), translated by Lenny Goldberg I write these words on the fiftieth anniversary of the State of Israel's Independence, from behind prison walls, only a few days after being tossed behind bars after my sentencing of nine months in jail. In parshat Behar I will seize the opportunity to show a surprisingly similar connection between my situation and a teaching found in Midrash Raba on parshat Behar: \"And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom throughout the landfor all it's inhabitants\" (a passage referring to slaves). What is so terrible about being a servant? One of the central themes of parshat Behar is the shame that exists for the Jew who is a slave. \"To Me are the children of Israel servants, for they are servants of the Lord, who took them out of the land of Egypt.\" We see that the Torah finds great fault with the idea of a Jew becoming a slave. Therefore, the Torah places boundaries on servitude, (both regarding a person who sells himself out of poverty, or because of thievery) and limits the time of servitude to a maximum of six years. A slave who wants to extend his time of servitude must have his master bore a hole in his ear as is described in parshat Mishpatim,and then he remains a slave only until the 50th Jubilee year. What is the reason? The answer lies in our sages words (Kidushim 22): \"Why is the ear different from any other part of the body? G-d said, the ear that heard My voice on Mount Sinai, when I said, to Me are Israel servants, and not servants to other servants\" (i.e. other Jews). What is so awful about being a slave? After all, we are referring to a person who is more than likely serving an acquaintance of his, which is certainly not a sin in and of itself, nor does it cause him to sin in any way. If so, what prevents a slave from being a most righteous and G-d fearing man? What is so bad about being a slave? The answer is that a slave is not merely a servant. Rather, he is a person who relinquishes his individuality in drastic fashion to another human being, flesh and blood. The desires of the slave himself become the desires of his master instead. He is completely nullified as an independent entity. He hands over his identity and individuality to the whims and desires of flesh and blood, and as a result, forfeits responsibility over his own life. And so the slave does not have the opportunity to work on his spirituality,or enrich it, and thusly he cannot advance towards the true purpose of being a Jew - sanctifying G-d's Name and coming closer to G-d's attributes. A Jew must be his own individual, a free man, submitting himself only to G-d'swill, and responsible for his own actions and his direction in life. A slave is neutralized from the very outset, and cannot achieve his goal as a Jew,since he his wholly subservient to his master. The Jubilee year sets forth the notion that every Jew is truly free. True freedom, and not the decadent 447

concept of \"freedom\" which is so prevalent in alien western culture. Rather it is a freedom of spirit in which the Jew removes from upon himself the yoke of foreign concepts and replaces it with the only yoke that he is allowed (and obligated) to accept - the Yoke of Heaven. As stated by Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi: \"Slaves of the times (i.e.- the latest American craze) are slaves of slaves: Slaves of G-d are truly free\". Though there is much disgrace in slavery, we see that the Torah, for a limited amount of time, prescribes this form of punishment. The Torah does not prescribe prison, despite the fact that today prison is considered the most humane, effective and \"progressive\" form of punishment. But anyone who understands prison life knows that it brings about a situation even worse than that of slavery. For while a slave may be nullified, he is at least in the shade of his master - something which gives him content and identity. In contrast, the situation of a prisoner is one in which a person loses all semblance of a human being. He is pushed into a small cell (and in so doing the authorities think they have solved their problems), and treated like an animal. All concept of time is lost, as the prisoner lies on his bed all day, serving no purpose, bored to death and void of any content in his life. All that concerns him is the taking care of his most base physical needs. Most prisoners lose all hope in themselves and in their future. They abandon all sense of responsibility due to the lack of a daily regiment. This inactivity increases the prisoners feeling of emptiness, and so it is no wonder that there is such a high percentage of ex-prisoners returning to crime, a destructive and vicious cycle. But for those few who possess a sense of self-worth and purpose, being behind prison walls does not hamper their individuality from shining forth. It is as if the prison walls and the prison guards do not exist. For them,it does not matter where they are. On the contrary, the experience of being behind bars serves as a catalyst, invigorating their spirit and confirming their inner sense of independence and conviction. Back WE WERE BORN TO ESTABLISH A WORLD AS IT WAS IN ITS PERFECT STATE AT THE BEGINNING (translated by Reuven Falk) At the end of \"Parshat Shemot\" we find a confrontation between Moses and Aaron on the one hand and the officers of the children of Israel on the other. On the one side stood Moses and Aaron who had been assigned by Hashem to carry out a seemingly suicidal mission: to enter uninvited into the house of the king, of the imperial, menacing kingdom of Egypt, and to request that he let the Jewish slaves go free. In spite of the odds, Moses and Aaron, with faith in Hashem, went and fulfilled their mission completely. (According to our sages, all the elders that accompanied them dropped out along the way because of tremendous fear, until Moses and Aaron alone remained to face Pharaoh). And certainly Pharaoh rejected their request out of hand. The problem was, not only did he reject their request, but also in order to quell the \"undesirable\" excitement and expectation amidst the Jews, he informed them that their work conditions would become more severe. Not only would they have to keep up the stringent quota of bricks they were now required to produce, but also they themselves would have to gather the straw needed to make the bricks! The Character of the (Jewish) Officers Now there enters into the picture the \"Officers of the Children of Israel.\" From the verses (in Shemot) and from the commentary of our sages, we know that these were not essentially bad men; in the last analysis they only wanted to lighten the burden of the Jews. Even more than this, they were prepared to carry the load for the sake of their brethren, the point being not to hand over those who were unable to fulfill their quotas, into the hands of the taskmasters. And for this reason, \"The officers were beaten\"!! 448

(Shemot 5:14) In fact, the officers were themselves sort of communal leaders who apparently represented the Jews before the Egyptian ruler. As practical men who recognized the nature of the playing field, they played the game, they did not believe either in \"making noise\" or in revolutions. They were a kind of \"workers committee\" that wanted to lighten, a bit, the harsh conditions, hoping for some improvement. In their eyes, any noise, any demonstration, any meeting with Pharaoh that was not carried out according to the rules of protocol, would be destructive and damaging to the delicate work of many years. Like a Bull in a China Shop For this reason, the moment they heard about Moses and Aaron and their results, they became very angry. They opposed them with fervor: You are novices!! You are adventurers!! \" May Hashem look upon you and judge, for you have brought us into foul odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to place a sword into their hands to kill us!!\" (Shemot, 5:21) Among other things, there is here a confrontation here between the old guard leadership of the 'status quo' who wish to protect their achievements - which although modest, were achieved through hard labor - and New Men, who through their 'exaggerated' requests not only accomplish nothing, but also even cause the destruction of earlier achievements. In the eyes of the officers, Moses behaves like a bull in a china shop. And truthfully, reality proves that the officers were correct. Seemingly, just after Moses and Aaron leave Pharaoh's presence a harsh decree is put upon the nation. And who suffers for this? Moses and Aaron? No, of course not! The officers are the ones who suffer. They are the ones who receive the beatings for the sake of the people who cannot fulfill the impossible quotas. And all because of the irresponsibility of Moses and Aaron. The position of the officers seemed so correct, that even Moses himself thought that perhaps they were correct. He had so little confidence in his own opinion that he sinned by showing a lack of faith in Hashem, by crying to Him, \"Why is evil happening to this people, why did You send me?!\" There is no smooth rebellion And with all this...the officers were not right! The reason (and also the lesson from this) is that there is almost never a revolution or change where the first stages do not involve a loss of accomplishment! Sometimes this is essential, for the 'accomplishments' of the past are parenthetical; the arrangements of small-minded people, while they are perhaps intended to put out fires, yet they establish a dismal situation, in themselves preventing any change. And sometimes, even in the case of true accomplishments, we must know that in order to bring change, there is no choice but lose real accomplishments, at least temporarily. Because there will always be one Pharaoh or another who will threaten that if we don't sit quietly he will nullify our achievements, \"and you will lose out because of this.\" But if we give in to his threats, we will remain captives in the hand of Pharaoh, we, our children and our children's children...until the end of the generations. Redemption - or slavery under improved conditions In conclusion, whoever wants to progress - and this is true in every area - must take into account, that he will almost certainly find himself, at least temporarily, losing some ground. Whoever is not prepared for this will find himself, all his life, remaining in the straits of Egypt. Whoever wants change needs to warmly thank the 'existing officers' for their accomplishments, but say to them: now we are going further, we are going to progress. It is possible that a part of your accomplishments, or some of your accomplishments will be lost, either temporarily or permanently. But this is the price to pay for 449

reaching the greater and ultimate goal. We were not born in order to be slaves with improved conditions in Egypt; we were born to be redeemed. We were not born to live in villas in settlements surrounded by fences, like ghettos, with conditions of \"Development Area A\": we were born to conquer and rule all of the land of Israel, free of the goyim and of our enemies. And if the price, more or less temporarily, is the loss of status of \"Development Area A,\" due to lack of participation on the part of the existing regime, or the necessity of gathering our own straw to make bricks for a while, the price is worth it. For we were not born to live with the status quo, after the fact. We were born to establish an ideal world, as it was at the beginning. 450