Kahane Codes
'If your Torah hasn't been banned it’s not worth reading' (The Kalisher Rav - Tapuach)
The Revolution A Chabbad friend of mine saw me reading a Kahane book and joked. ‘Be careful what you are reading, I may have to bring you matza in prison’. I joked back ‘You have a dozen holidays of when your rabbi’s were thrown into prison or released from prison, but that was hundreds of years ago. Our rabbis are thrown in jail today and so often we don’t remember the dates. Do you know the reason that your rabbi’s are not thrown into prison anymore? It’s because when you say ‘We want Moshiach Now’ no one takes it seriously, it doesn’t threaten anyone, it’s like ‘We want Santa Clause now! Who doesn’t want G-d to appear and change the world and make it a perfect happy place? When we say ‘We want Moshiach now, the government does everything it can to stop us, because they know that their own political positions are threatened. They also know that when we succeed without a doubt we will build the Bet Hamigdash and throw out our enemies. Therefore our government assaults, imprisons and assassinates our rabbi’s. At one time Chabbad threatened the Jewish world with revolutionary thoughts but after the battle Chassidut was released into the world and accepted. Today ‘we’ are bringing the revolution; the authentic Torah of King David, of the Macabees, of Joshua who conquered the Land. It too will be accepted and studied and nourish souls thirsting for truth. But until it is accepted, you can bring me matza if it makes you feel better.
Prelude There are many spiritual movements within the Nation that pledge allegiance to their Rebbe's and their spiritual leaders who sacrificed themselves for the betterment of the Jewish people. Chabbad, as I mentioned in the above story, celebrates many holidays when their various leaders were imprisoned and then redeemed. The persecution of their leadership was a symbol of the persecution of their vision and interpretation of Torah that they adhered to. The release of their leadership was a sign that their Torah was also released into the world. These ideas are very noble and poetic and hold great significance to the children of these movements. Personally, I have a tremendous love of Jews and see Hashem’s reflection in many streams of Judaism, the Rav’s teachings hold the most relevance to me, because it is still forbidden. Chabbad may celebrate a prison release from 200 years ago but today they are free to practice without persecution their 'revolutionary ideas' of the past. Today their ideas do not threaten Judaism nor any major force in the world. The baton is passed on in each generation, just as evil has a new face, so does the antidote. The antidote is always met with anger and persecution just as the new face of evil is embraced by a helpless world that knows no other response. The Torah response that is needed to cure the cancers and swine flues of the present is always banned, and by this violent opposition one should get an idea of the strength of its truth, validity and importance. Torah not Politics Many people know Rav Kahane as a political leader, an MK, a radical rabbi, one who led protests and demonstrations. He was the ‘bad boy’ Jew, the Jewish Malcom X (l’havdil), but not many know him as a Torah scholar, and especially not a Gadol Ha’Dor (spiritual leader of the generation). He is not studied in the mainstream Yeshivas for his interpretation of the Tanach, though many yeshiva students secretly admired him. When I bring up Rav Kahane in the course of Torah study, invariably one hears ‘let’s not talk about politics, let’s learn Torah’. But when one opens up the Tanach and reads the stories of Yermiyahu, and David and Shaul it certainly is full of political struggles, imprisonments and assassinations. As the Rav wrote “…From the days that our father Abraham went to battle against the four kings in order to save his nephew Lot, to the moment that Moses smote an Egyptian rather than create a committee to study the root causes of Egyptian anti-Semitism; from the Maccabees…to the students of Rabbi Akiva who were sent from their studies to fight in Bar Kochba’s army…Jewish leadership has taken an active and violent part in the struggle for freedom”. 1 An editor responding to one of his article agreed and added, ‘ ..there would be no Jews alive today had we not broken the laws of Pharoah, the Philistines, Antiochus..” 2 It seems to me this dichotomy between Torah and politics is false. Israel has been reborn and Torah
pages are being written every day in the Land of Israel. There are simply Jews that feel the pain of others and protest and those who don’t, leaving everything to Hashem. In answer to critics of the Rav who would say, “ 'But what can we do? How can our protests and cries help the Jews of Russia?' To this we can only say: If a finger hurts, it may be of little benefit to cry out in pain. However, if one does NOT cry out, one thing is certain: It does not hurt.” 3 As a Torah scholar, the Rav not only illuminated Torah passages with his explanations, but through his example he brought many passages to life. Although most of his books were wake up calls to the Jewish people, he also found time during some of his many imprisonments to write a commentary on the Tanach. His commentary ‘Perush Hamaccabbi’ was cut short by his untimely death. His brother Nachum writes in the book “With All Your Might” “A gadol be‘Torah is not one who can turn a simple passage in the Talmud into an erudite pilpul; but rather one who can read the writing on the wall, and then instruct his people on the steps to be taken.” 4 Footnotes and Explanations This book is called The Kahane Codes, because I see the Rav and his ideas in the Parsha every week. My love for Rav Kahane is much more than the admiration of a courageous Jewish leader who fought for truth and justice and tore off the cloaks of deception and falsehood. My love for him is my love for Hashem and His Torah. Let me clarify what I mean, and what I do ‘not’ mean. I do not think of him as an intermediary between Hashem; as one I can write letters to and he will mystically answer me. I do not think of him as the son of G-d who died for our sins, although there are some similarities which will be explored in this book under the topic of Moshiach Ben Yoseph. How can I say that my love for him is my love of Hashem and His Torah? He himself said that ‘no one is indispensable’ and his son Binyamin refused a bullet proof car that his concerned aides wanted him to use. He responded by questioning whether he was more important than any other Jew traveling the roads of Yehuda and Shomron. He certainly didn’t think so. Sadly, it was on these roads that he and his wife were assassinated. Despite the modesty of the Rav and his son I see their names everywhere I look in the Torah. My obsession is not only due to my special love of his Torah, but I believe that Hashem associates His name with Kahane in many places, because of His special love for him as well. This concept is not without precedent. ; מה ימ קֹד ני ינים,תאת, ת, מ, שנ רק תמת רב לני שי רש אר לאל,קםם, ֹ ב קנ2 'Avenge the children of Israel of the יך-עממל-ל-תסף לא, תאנ, ת, מאחמר. Midianites; afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people. ה נח ֹקלצו, ת,מר,תלא ם, נה נעם-לאל- לשה- מ,תבר ם, ג מו קֹי מד3 And Moses spoke unto the people, saying: 'Arm ,מידֹקינן- מעל,לכם נא ננ ישים מל נצ נבא; ֹקו יי ֹקהיו- מ יא קֹת, תye men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the LORD'S ֹקב ימ קֹד נין ,ירהואה-נשקר תמת תתת, נל. vengeance on Midian. (Numbers: Chapter 31:2, 3)
Chazal explains that Hashem is concerned to avenge ‘our’ honor, while we are concerned to avenge ‘His’ honor.5 If this concept exists between Hashem and Israel, then even more so does it exist between Hashem and His Tzaddikim. Another expression of this love is seen in the book of Exodus. The famous Chassidic Rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev pointed out that G-d refers to the holiday in a way that praises the Jewish people who followed Him into a desert trusting that He would provide for them (Chag Hamatzot). All they had were a couple of crackers made from dough that did not have time to rise: matzot. And yet they went. By contrast, the Jewish people refer to the holiday in a way that praises G-d for sparing them during the plague of the firstborn ( Chag HaPesach – He 'passed over'). Although the Rav is no longer in our physical world, I still learn Torah from him each week. How can this be? His refutation of the most thorny and essential issues of our day, illuminate the whole Torah and bring a wholeness to it that can only be understood by our generation that has witnessed the Shoa and the rebirth of Israel. Many of the great rabbis and prophets we study were killed when they could have chosen a more comfortable path. Because they choose the courageous path and stood up for the challenge of their day they succeeded in not only making their name great but on their back brought a new torah light into the world. The Torah understanding that one gains from Rav Kahane is not only from his words, but from his actions and his suffering. His embodiment, his vision and execution of the commandments serves as an example and as a guide to what is expected of us and to what we are capable of. A Personal Note This book of writing is very personal. Some of the ideas that I write about here seem Kabalistic and far from the kind of Torah that the Rav wrote about. This is because I bring in also ideas that I have seen in Meam Loez, the Shla and other commentators. I am by no means a Torah scholar, but a simple Jew who sees in his Rabbi the essence and meaning of creation. Just as the Hebrew who followed Moshe into the dessert did not need to know the deepest secrets of the Torah, yet instinctively they knew that they were attaching themselves to the essence of creation. Many other Hebrews at that time saw an anarchist that was forced to flee for his life, a thug who killed an Egyptian and was making things bad for the assimilated Hebrews. Most of these Hebrews died in the days of darkness. Thankfully my ancestors came from those who could read between the lines and see the writing on the wall. Many of the concepts that I discuss are my own ideas that I believe are based on the writings of our Holy Torah. If it appears that I am a student that simply sees his Rav everywhere and stretches things to fit, this could be. I have tried to find the sources to all the quotes so that the reader can verify from the source if the concepts I am discussing are accurate. If I have made mistakes, forgive me. In addition it is time after twenty two years to record my thoughts, through the years, from the time the Rabbi was murdered until today. Yacov mourned for twenty two years for Yoseph and then witnessed a new reality. I hope that in our day we too will see the fruit of the seeds that he planted. A footnote: From Moshe Feiglin I stood with a few friends on the ruins of the home of Livnat Ozeri. Her husband Nati had been murdered by terrorists just a month before. Now, soldiers and policemen had snuck up on her home on a hilltop outside Kiryat Arba in the middle of the freezing Hebron night. They dragged
her five sleeping orphans - in their pajamas and with no coats or shoes - from their beds, and destroyed their home and everything in it. They dumped the widow and orphans onto a Jerusalem street - in the middle of the night. There was no great public outcry. Not even from Yesha. Nati Ozeri was a Kachnik - not \"one of ours.\" Not long after that, we got Gush Katif. 6 A footnote: From Binyamin Kahane And not by an emissary. Continuing this theme: the Rav, in Perush ha-Maccabee (Deut. P447), derives a lesson from God’s refusal to allow Moses to enter the Land of Israel; Israel’s salvation does not depend upon any physical being, not even upon the greatest leader ever, upon whom the Jews relied absolutely. Therefore, precisely when they stood before the most critical and frightening stage of all – the entry into the Land of Israel, which demanded greater faith in God than ever – precisely then, God took Moses. Then, the nation which could not imagine life without Moses, would understand that salvation comes from God. This also explains Moses’ total absence from the Haggada, precisely on this night of all nights of the year; we should never make the mistake of thinking that the Redemption is impossible without a great leader. 7 Note: In these two volumes you may see some articles with an asterisk (*) next to the date. This indicates that these were thoughts I had wanted to say and thought to say but were never asked and so I wrote them here. Probably one third of the articles that begin 'Feivel tell us about..' never actually happened but were rehearsed in my head over Shabbat expecting to have an opening to say a few words. Often the Rabbis were too immersed in their Rebbe discussions and stories to be interested in what Feivel the Kahanist had to say.
Index
Index Bereshit Kahane in Parsha Binyamin Kahane Commentary Noach Pg. 13 Pg. 340 Lech Lecha Pg. 29 Pg. 344 Vayera Pg. 37 Pg. 350 Chaye Sarah Pg. 49 Pg. 354 Tolodot Pg. 63 Pg. 358 Vayetzei Pg. 83 Pg. 364 Vayishlach Pg. 103 Pg. 370 Vayeshev Pg. 127 Pg. 376 Miketz Pg. 147 Pg. 382 Vayigash Pg. 171 (none) Vayechi Pg. 193 Pg. 384 Pg. 209 Pg. 392 Sefer Shmot Pg. 392 Pg. 404 Shemot Pg. 221 Pg. 407 Vaera Pg. 237 Pg. 409 Bo Pg. 255 Pg. 416 Beshalach Pg. 265 Pg. 420 Yitro Pg. 283 Pg. 424 Mishpatim Pg. 287 (none) Terumah Pg. 293 Pg. 432 Tetzaveh Pg. 297 Pg. 438 Ki Sisa Pg. 309 Vayekel/Pekudei Pg. 321 Notes Pg. 339
Kahane in the Parsha Bereshit
Bereshit (2009) From Heaven to Earth ו ו,לרץ- ת מה נש ממ יים ֹקו נה נאלֹקדללה ת- א,ד ת4 These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in the day that קֹב נב ֹקר נאם-- נעשות קֹיה נוה לאל יהים, ֹקביום: יהthe LORD God made earth and heaven. רץ ֹקו נש נמ יים-א ל-ל (Bereshit 2:4) The two ‘Vav’s in ‘ele toledot’ tell us a story. Hashem sees the end from the beginning. 1 The purpose of creation is to build G-ds kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. We can see this concept hidden within the letters of Hashems name. היה הוה The היהrepresents the Heavens the וt the channel and the final הis Hashem’s kingdom manifested on earth below. We can also see this concept within the היה. The היlooks like a seed that is placed inside of the הat the bottom. It is this creation above and transformation from the יהto a הthat must be reflected below with the participation of mankind; more accurately Israel, who represents mankind. By accepting the Torah Israel became responsible for the preservation of the world as well as its correction. This was a job formally given to Adam HaRishon and now passed on to the Nation of Israel. As we learn in Parsha Noach, the world is created to serve man and man created to serve G-d. If man ceases to serve G-d, the world is no longer needed. 2 ֹקב יה נב קֹר נאם The beginning of the lower הis alluded to by the small הthat is written in the word א םt ב הרt הבהּב. Chazal tells us that this small ‘Hey’ alludes to Avraham. 3 Indeed if you rearrange these letters we see the name Avraham. This was this ‘Hey’ that was given to Avram when he was 99 years old. With his new name Avraham he could now give birth of Itzchak and began the miraculous birth of Hashem’s Nation. וThe ’s (in ‘these are the generations’) represent the channel through which the lower הis manifested in the world. There is an interesting sequence in the way the vav’s are written. Bereshit 2:4
א ה רץו וt הt ש ימ ּבים הוt ת יה הלד ת ד ּלאלה ה 4 These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth (The two vav’s in Heaven) Noach (Bereshit 6:9) ת לה ַדחת נַח יחו, ט לאּ הל ה9 These are the generations of Noah. (One vav in Heaven and the 2nd not yet established on earth) Itzchak (Bereshit 25:19) ו.: הםt tאיבה ר- בהן ת הו ּלא הלה יט 19 And these are the generations of Isaac, , קtבּי הצח הל חַדת Abraham's son: (One vav in Heaven and the 2nd not yet established on earth) Yoseph (Bereshit 37:2) הע הש ּלרהו- הש יבע- יו לּסף ה בן,ת יי קע ַחקבלּא ה לה חַת הלד ב 2 These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, נהt שt (The vav in Heaven is established on earth) The ‘Vav’ is channeled from its Heavenly abode to its earthly destination through the generation of the forefathers; from the right to the left hand side. The vav’s final resting place from above to below is in Yoseph. Once Yoseph is in the world there is an antidote to Esav and the Holiness of Israel is intact enough to be planted in the lowest place on earth - Egypt. From here it will blossom forth to receive the Torah, conquer the Land of Israel and eventually bring the Moshiach. (See more on the ‘vav’s in Chapter Mar Cheshvan )
Small ‘‘ הHey’ and Large ‘‘ הHey’ Contrasting the small ‘Hey’ in אםt ב הרt הב בּהis a larger ‘Hey’ in Haazinu. אהמ, ֹקול ם, מעם ננ נבל--םאת, ז- ית קֹג ֹקמלו,ֹקל קֹיה נוה ו 6. Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not He thy father that hath gotten .לנך- כ קֹנ,הוא נע ֹקשך מו קֹי ם,נך-הוא נא יביך נק ל- נהלוא: חנ נכםthee? Hath He not made thee, and established thee? A Nation of prophets and scholars continues to blame the Almighty for their suffering while failing to see the consequence of their actions or lack of action. “If only My people would heed Me, if Israel would walk in My ways. In an instant I would subdue their foes, and against their tormentors turn My hand.” (Tehillim 81) The Artscroll Chumash writes: There are 146 verses in the Sidrah, numerically corresponding to the mnemonics (Yechizkiyahu) and (Amatziah). Their names are nearly synonymous as their respective roots (Emetz) and (Chazak) both indicate power and strength. Each succeeded his father to the throne at age twenty-five; each is described with the phrase He did what was proper in the eyes of Hashem. 4 Parsha Miketz also has 146 verses implying that the two portions have common themes. In Sidrah Mikeitz, we find Pharaoh considering himself a god and Egypt worshiping the Nile as its deity. Through the devices of abundance and famine, God displayed beyond doubt that only His is the power. Pharoah and his people were forced to acknowledge that they were subservient to Joseph whose distinction was that whatever his position – slave or viceroy – he remained but a servant of God. (R’David Feinstein). Only in the Sidrah is a mnemonic provided for the number of words, in this case 2025. This alludes to Chanuka, which usually falls in the week of Sidrah Mikeitz. On Chanuka we light a new(Ner)(lamp), for each of the eight nights. The numerical value of (Ner) is 250; accordingly; the eight lights of Chanuka give a total of 2000. Chanuka begins on the twenty fifth of Kislev. Thus 2025 is an allusion to the lights and the date of Chanuka (Torah Temimah).5 We see then from the origin that the purpose of Creation is for the world to recognize Israel and for Israel to recognize Hashem. Both of these concepts happen simultaneously however it is the Tzaddik that initiates and precedes these events. Once Yoseph entered Egypt the world began to learn about Hashem. Once the brothers arrived the Nation of Israel began to understand themselves, their mistakes and their correction. The small ‘Hey’ that is planted as a seed is mirrored in a large ‘Hey’ that is a husk. In the end of days, this great husk that is the hardness of the world that seeks to destroy Israel; and the hardness of Israel that seeks to destroy the latter day Yosephs; will be broken. In it’s place will be the fruition of all Creation. Then Israel will be elevated in the world and showered with wealth, while the Nation itself will search its soul and will discover a new heart as the shell of exile erodes under the National blossoming of Israel. A Chanuka spirit will increase as we begin to understand our suffering that we inflicted upon
ourselves by our hardness and persecution of the Yoseph Tzadikim that only sought our good, while we conspired every means to destroy . (See more on the ‘vav’s in Chapter Mar Cheshvan) The building of this internal 'Ner' is the heart of the Torah which is read on each of the Shalosh Regalim (Festivals). The excerpt that is read is taken from Parsgha Ki Sissa. In this Parsha is found a large 'Nun' and large 'Resh' which spell 'Ner' (candle) - (see Chapter Ki Sissa) Bereshit (2004) The Great Lights Rav Kahane was 58 when he was taken from us. His son was 34 when his life was taken. If we add these two ages together we get 92 which is the gematria of (‘ )הגדל'םHagedolim’. In this week's Parsha we read that Hashem placed in the sky two great lights – (‘ )הגדל'םHagedolim’ (the sun and the moon). ( )המאור הגדלHa-Meor Ha-Gadol and ( )המאור הקטןHa-Meor Ha-Katan (read instead of Meor- Meir Gadol and Meir Katan). The name Meir means to light up. The two great lights of our generation Meir Gadol and his son Meir Katan are primal lights because in their life and in their death they continued to carry this essential light of creation as if they carried the sun and the moon. Moshe and Yehoshua are also compared to the sun and the moon; the originator of the light and the reflection of this light. Every generation has a Moshe which is a potential Moshiach and a Yehoshua that reflects this light. Moshiach and Moshiach ben Yoseph Moshiach is a combination of forces which include Moshiach Ben David as well as Moshiach ben Yoseph. Moshe (the fugitive leader of the Nation of Israel) carried the bones of Yoseph (another prisoner/Prime Minister of the Hebrew Nation). The planting of the universal seeds of Moshiach begin by the planting of the bones of Yoseph by Yehoshua, his descendant. When his bones were returned and thereby rectified from the place where they were stolen from – the Pit of Schem, then the process of Moshiach can begin. (See Parsha Tolodot) The birth of Moshiach begins by the planting of these dry bones which reflect an earlier planting, that of the acquisition of the burial plot of Sarah (see Chaiya Sarah). When the Land is acquired below, beginning with the field of Machpela and ending with the future submission of the entire Land then eventually we can crown the King – Moshiach. This is the purpose and climax of Creation which can all be extrapolated from within the ‘Gedolim’ – The two great lights which are the nucleus and proton of Moshiach. Yehoshua continues without the great light of Moshe just as Binyamin continued without the great light of his father Meir to demonstrate that the Torah of the Rav lives on beyond the great personality. We all are commanded to be Moshe katan or Meir katan. The moon is also a symbol of Israel. Although others see darkness we see the reflection of a great light and by seeing and doing we reflect that light here on earth.
The Letters ‘Hey’ ()ה These two great lights are also connected to the two letters ‘Hey’, which we find in Parsha Bereshit and at the end of the Torah, in the Parsha Haazinu. Just like the small light and the big light, the ( ‘ )הHey’ in Bereshit stands out as smaller than normal, while the other ()הHey in Haazinu, stand out because it is ‘larger’ than normal. The small (‘ )הHey’ is found within the following word. ‘Eleh Toldot Hashamayim Vehaaretz Behabarum..’ These are the products of the heaven and the earth when they were created (( ) בהבראםBehabarum) on the day Hashem G-d made heaven and earth’ (Bereshit 2:4) When we rearrange the letters of ‘Behabarum’ they spell ‘BeAvraham’ - ‘through Avraham’. We learn from this passage that the whole world was created for the sake of Avraham. We also learn that the small letter ‘Hey’, within this word was created at the beginning of time in order to be given at a later date to Avram, so that his name would become Avraham. The same letter was given to Sarai whose name became Sarah. What happened to the ‘Yud’ of Sarai? It was given to Yehoshua. (See Chapter Chaiya Sarah). It was through the merit of this small letter ‘Hey’ that the command of circumcision could now be given, and Yitzchak could be conceived. The world was created for the sake of Avraham, who rectifies the sin of Adam and Chava, as the forefather of our Nation. This process begins with Yitzchak, who represents the ‘ideal’ for which the world was created. Born from a holy conception and circumcised on the 8th day, he represented 'accountability' and 'judgment', the basis upon which the world stands, though not many can stand in this place. The last letter of a woman’s name became the first letter of a man's name – Yehoshua (See Midrash on Bamidbar 13:16). The large 'Hey' in the end will be defeated by the small 'Hey' in the beginning. The small 'Yud' will become the 'Yud' that conquers the land. It seems to be the intention of Creation for the small to rise beyond themselves to a higher calling. Moshe the great light himself rose to the occasion despite his speech impediment. It is interesting to note that Rav Kahane also had a stutter. 'Despite [Meir's] reluctance on account of his speech impediment, I insisted that he speak.' Recalled Jacob Birnbaum, head of SSSJ (Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry) in 1964. (From His Life and Thought by Libby Kahane Pg. 76,41) A World Built Upon Emet Just as Israel is the nucleus of the world, and gives the world purpose and justification for its continued existence, Yitzchak is the nucleus within the Nation of Israel that is able to stand against the prosecuting attorney and maintain the contract of creation. Hashem created the world with an order and system of free choice, reward, and punishment. ‘Bereshit Bara Elokim.. .’( )בראשית ברא אלהים- ‘In the beginning אלהיםG-d created.. .’ This name of G-d אלהיםdenotes (the G-d of strict justice). Afterwords it was determined that the world could not be sustained without mercy, for mankind is fallible. Therefore at the summary of creation we read:
: ֹקבהי נברֹקאנם,רץ-ללה תו קֹלדות מה נש ממ יים ֹקו נה נא ל- תא, ד4 These are the generations of the heaven and of רץריה אוה לאל שהים-לא ל- -- the earth when they were created, in the day that נעשות,ֹקביום the LORD God made earth and heaven. קֹו נש נמ יים (Bereshit 2:4) The attribute of Justice was tempered with the attribute of Mercy (‘ ריה אוהHashem’ plus אלל שהיםG-d’). Yitzchak however represented the ‘ideal’ in that he was able to live up to Hashem’s original intention. Rav Kahane in our generation represented this quality and thereby sustained the world in our time. The Workings of the Embryo Let us return to the discussion of the two great luminaries. These luminaries also represent Israel and the Nations. Although the world was intended to serve Israel; who is the conduit through which the world is maintained and continues to receive blessing and sustenance, we often see the opposite. Israel waxes and wanes like the moon throughout history, from the light that conquers the darkness to a light that is almost extinguished. And yet, through this waxing and waning Israel remains the embryo through which the intended light of creation is evolving. The secret of the success of Israel’s mission is hidden within the small Hey and the large Hey at the end of the Torah which reads: Is it to Hashem that you do this, O vile and unwise people? (Devarim 32:6) ‘כם הt חt הולַחא,בלt נt יעם-- חַזאת- ּבת הג המלו, והt להיהה (Ha – lElokim tigmelu zot?) Why is the Large Hey found in this passage of admonishment? First let us understand the meaning of the passage. Moshe is recalling our history to the assembled Nation before his departure. He admonished the Nation, as if to say: ‘Is it really to Hashem that you do this to? The one who exalts you above all Nations, and blesses you and ensures your success? It is to Him that you sin and revolt and show your lack of gratitude? How can you be so vile and unwise? The small Hey that gives birth to the Holy Nation at the same time gives a resting place for Hashem here on earth. That resting place will not be complete until the four legs of His throne are solid. (See the war of Yehoshua and Amalek: Shmot 17:16). The light of the moon will shine like the sun, when the Nation of Israel finally understands, that it is they who prevent it, and thereby cause their own suffering, and it is they who must bring that light from below, which is the fourth leg of the king’s throne. Growth Pangs of the Letter ‘Hey’ Rav Kahane tried to hasten that redemption by breaking the idols of appeasement towards our
adversaries and answering the unanswerable questions of our generation namely ‘where was G-d in the Holocaust, by answering where were we ‘then’ and where are ‘we’ now? His Torah is a Torah of rectification that helps us to understand why we suffer, and how we can put an end to our suffering. As mentioned previously the small and large letter ‘Hey’ is not only connected to the final letter of Hashem’s name: Yud, Hey, Vav, Hey but also to the brit mila. This final letter was left for us to complete, similar to the circumcision. Hashem wanted us to make man below, to complete the process of Creation with our own hands. The small ‘Hey’ that was impregnated like a seed, within Avraham must mature within the Nation that represents this ‘Hey’ so that they will activate its power from below. Hashem’s Representative Why are the deaths of Meir Gadol and Meir Katan connected to the ‘Gedolim’? They lived up to the standard that Hashem expects from all of the Nation of Israel. They single-handedly where the ‘Hey’ that upheld the throne of Hashem’s name in this world and inspired others to live up to the purpose they were created for. Not everyone can be Yitzchak who was prepared to sacrifice himself, but they demonstrated to Heaven above that there are men below who can rise to the occasion of our National calling. It was upon their shoulders that the world stood, for it was only they who upheld the essential Torah, despite their persecution from both the anti-Torah world as well as the Yeshiva world. It is they, who with their death gave life to multitudes, who now grow and mature and absorb the light that they left behind. As we have said, the light concealed within the ‘Gedolim’ (Meir Gadol and Meir Katan), is reflected within the small and large ‘Hey’. But these kabalistic ideas need not be explained to a simple Jew with simple faith, who inspired by these Gedolim, were prepared to stand up against a sea of hatred, and drive out our enemies and conquer our Land knowing that Hashem and His military legions below, would prevail. This is the secret of the perfect faith that attracted Jews both non-observant as well as Chassidim, to attach themselves to these great lights, knowing subconsciously that they were attaching themselves to the original light of creation. It was this same charisma that led one fifth of our nation out of the darkness of Egypt and into a stormy sea. *see more about the letter Hey in Parsha Miketz On Rosh Chodesh Elul (Aug 13,1980), the military trial of Rabbi Kahane ended in Ramallah. He was charged with inciting the Arabs to hatred of Israel. He Writes: Pain and incredulity that I am being charged here for demonstrating against Jew-haters and for replying to their efforts to destroy Israel by replying: “There is no Palerstine; those who refuse Jewish rule over Eretz Yisrael must leave.” This is my “crime.” I am pained. Israel debases itself....I came to Ramallah and Shchem to cry out the Jewish truth – There is no Palestine! - so that three should hear it. One: the All Mighty, so that He should know that there are still Jews prepared to sanctify His name, and perhaps for this he will have pity on us. Two: Jews, so that they should remember the truth to whom this land belongs. Three: the Arabs, so they should not be misled into thinking that all Jews are fools. So that they should know that if they do not accept Jewish rule, they must leave. If this is incitement – then imprison Zionism! (Beyond Words – Vol 3 pg 455-462)
Hagedolim 2011 Hameor is also the gematria of Meir plus the kollel. Hameor is also the same gematria of ‘remez’ (hint) which is one of the higher levels of Torah understanding. The Rav was not a kabbalist, nor was he an advocate of mystical rabbis, yet his Torah as simple and clear as it was brought Jews to the highest level of understanding which is received through action. The people at Yam Suf (the Red Sea) saw greater things than all the latter prophets; this is because they were part of Holy action. Hameor is also the same gemaria of power (Hamora), which is written about in the very last passage of the Torah when it speak about the greatness of Moshe. שר- נא ל,ה-םשל, קכֹמ,תאל, נקם ננ יביא עוד קֹב יי ֹקש נר-א, י ֹקול ם10 And there hath not arisen a prophet since in ֹקי נדעו. . Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew נפ ינים-לאל- נפ ינים ,ֹקיה נוה face to face; שר קֹש נלחו- נא ל,תת קֹו מהמו ֹקפ יתים,םא ם, נה- יא ֹקל נכל11 in all the signs and the wonders, which the -םעה ו ֹקל נכל, ֹקל מפ ֹקר--רץ ימ קֹצ נר יים-לא ל- ֹקב, למ נעשות, קֹיה נוהLORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his מא קרֹצו-ולקֹכנל ,נע נב נדיו land; ל, ו קלֹכם,םכל מה ניד מה נח נז נקה, יב ו קֹל12 and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great power, which Moses wrought in the sight of all -ני נכל,תעי ת, ֹקל,שה-מ ל,לשר נע נשה ם- נא, תהמו ארא מה נגדולIsrael. אל,יי ֹקש נר ת Rav Kahane showed us the power that is in our own hands. He stood against super powers of his day, the Jewish community in America and the government of Israel, and he succeeded. This is the power that Moshe also showed the Israelites. We have it in our power to throw out our enemies and to stand against the world. By doing so, the world, contrary to our fears, will end up supporting us and it will bring Kidush Hashem. It is we who create Palestine and can un-create it. It is our ‘exile’ mentality that has turned the great victory of 1967 into retreat after retreat and compromise upon compromise so that now the whole world stands against us despite our suicidal gestures. It is only with a mentality of Rav Kahane which is the same mentality of Moshe who changed the political reality that true geula will arrive. He taught us how to ‘create’ news and change policies, and alter realities. If we had more ‘Kahane’ within the body of our Nation, our enemies would flee and those who stand against us would be put in their place. One of the best interviews of the Rav was on ‘point-counterpoint’ where he was asked by the interviewer what he would do when America refuses to give aid to Israel if he were elected. He answered that he didn’t want American aid. Furthermore America needs us more than we need America. Every Gentile is asked in the next world, what they did for Israel. If they helped Israel, then it is good for them, if they did bad things against Israel then it is bad for them. It is their choice whether to be blessed or to be cursed. If America doesn’t want to do business with the Jews we will make somebody else rich.
Conquest Seven generations fell from Adam HaRishon to the flood where the world was destroyed and then rebuilt through the seven generations that followed. When we arrived at Mt Sinai in the time of Moshe (the 7th generation from the flood), for a moment we were once again at the level of Adam HaRishon. At that point the Jewish people took on the role of Adam HaRishon and to this day are called 'man' in the Torah as opposed to G-ds 'creation'. It is the role of Israel to rebuild the Garden of Eden through the Torah and Israel and fulfill the intention of creation which is: הם-מר נל ל-םא ל, מוי, לאל יהים,םא נתם, לרך- כח מו קֹי נב28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the ו קֹרבו קֹפרו earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the שכ רב הש אה,לרץ- נה נא-לאת-ו ימ ֹקלאו לאל יהים , ו ֹקבעוף מה נש ממ יים,; ו ֹקרדו יב קֹד מגת מה נים קֹוfish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the לרץ- נה נא-שת מעל-למ ל- םר, נה, מח ניה-ו קֹב נכל earth.' (Bereshit 1:28) When Columbus discovered America it was a barren and primitive place that didn't hold much interest for the cultivated societies of Europe. No one knew then that this 'wild west' would eventually be a world super power. In a similar way the pioneers that transformed tiny Israel into a blossoming garden did not hold much interest in the world. As history evolves the light of Israel is being transmitted and being developed in the dark until such time that the world will be ready to receive this light that had been prepared from the beginning. When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon he said the famous line: 'This is one small step for man but a giant leap for mankind'. Meir Kahane was the 'giant leap' that changed our way of thinking. After thousands of years of exile we physically are in the process of returning home but mentally still feeling that we are 'guests' and only allowed to be here by the grace of America and other allies that support us. The truth is that our existence in Israel has a greater foundation to it than any other Nation in the world, even America. We have the guarantee of the Almighty that he wants us to return and He will protect us under His wings. Those who scream and cry that Israel will be wiped off the map may be pronouncing their own demise for by their hatred of Israel and thereby the G-d of Israel they are on very shaky ground. In the famous letter 'Dear World' the Rabbi thanks the world for hosting us as guest these last few thousand years, with all of its massacres and pogroms and Shoa's. He understands how 'upset' the world is at us from the ancient Romans who changed the name Israel to 'Palestine' to the haters today who can't stand the fact that we continue to 'exist' and are 'victorious' over our savage enemies that they say we 'oppress'. He ends the letter by apologizing to the world that we have 'bothered' you so much, but think about all the times that you have 'bothered' us! 'At any rate, dear world, here is one Jew in Israel who couldn't care less!' Every Jew who reads this letter knows that he speaks the truth and it touches them. He stood up to the world with no fear and no guilt and explained clearly who we are and what our mission is here and that we are not beggars that need social assistance we are the Chosen People and we are here to stay and we are building G-ds Kingdom here on earth. It's your choice dear world if you want to 'bless us' and be 'blessed' or 'curse us' and be 'cursed'. This doesn't mean that we are declaring war on the world. On the contrary the world most likely will
declare war on us, and will lose (see Pg.34). We are however, no longer 'running away', nor 'giving away' that which belongs to us. It is a time to now to set the record straight not only to the world, but more importantly to ourselves. When we understand who we are, then the world will follow. It is interesting that this passage is 28 which spells Kach ( )כחthe name of his political party which means 'thus' with strength. The mitzva of subjugating the earth that was given to Adam seems to be passed down in our times. The same gematria of 'subjugate' is Meir Kahane. = שכ רב הש אהsubjugate = 327 = מאיר כהנאMeir Kahane = 327
The Mother Bird and The Land of Israel There is a very mysterious mitzva that is written in the Torah “You shall surely send away the mother and take the young for yourself, so that it will be good for you and you will prolong your days.” (Dvarim 22:7) The Torah Dvarim (22:7) promises long life to one who performs this mitzvah (see Kiddushin 39b). Additionally, the Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, 925) states that one who performs this mitzvah will find their shidduch. Furthermore, the Midrash (Devarim Rabbah, 6:6) relates that they will merit sons. Even further, the Midrash (Devarim Rabbah, 6:6) tells us that they’ll be given the ability to acquire a new house. Lastly, the Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni, 930) relates that one who fulfills this mitzvah hastens the coming of Mashiach. Moshe Feiglin writes an article about Bereshit that sheds light on the first Rashi. It seems to me that this article also can be related to the mitzva of the mother bird. Let's look at Moshe Feiglins article: Approximately one thousand years after the destruction of the second temple and Israel's exile from its homeland, deep in the depths of the harsh exile and one thousand years before the beginning of the return to Zion - the great Torah commentator Rashi opens his monumental commentary on the Torah with the question of the ownership of the Land of Israel. What with all the hardships and troubles facing European Jewry at the time, with the Land of Israel but a vague and distant memory, the most pressing problem demanding Rashi's attention is what we will answer the non-Jewish world when it will claim that we are robbers in our own land, usurping its ownership from the local Canaanites. The Torah should have begun with the first commandment G-d gave to Moses, Rashi quotes his father. Why, then, does the Torah open with the story of creation? His answer may not have seemed relevant then, but it is certainly pertinent today and reads like a current events account. Rashi explains that the Torah opens with the story of creation to establish the fact that G-d created the world. \"If the nations of the world say to Israel, 'You are robbers - you have conquered the lands of other nations,' Israel can answer as follows: The entire world belongs to the Holy One, Blessed Be He. He created it and gave it to whom He pleased.\" During the Sunday Manhigut Yehudit Sukkot event in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yitzchak Brand gave me a paper with some of his Torah thoughts. \"With all due respect to Rashi,\" Rabbi Brand, head of a large faction of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Manhigut Yehudit begins his presentation, \"wouldn't it have been better if we had received the Land of Israel empty of previous residents? Why did the Creator of the world choose to bring us to a land that was already occupied? Why didn't He give us the Land of Israel first - just like he gave France to the French and England to the English? Why do we first have to conquer and then look for excuses?\" Rabbi Brand answers that if we would not have been forced to conquer the Land of Israel, nobody could have accused us of robbery. But then we would not have been able to answer with the irrefutable facts that Rashi points out in his commentary on this week's Torah portion, Genesis. And, after all, the reason for our presence in the Land of Israel is specifically so that we may give this answer. In other words, when the Nation of Israel - the nation that is a living testimony to the existence of the Creator of the world - drives out it enemies and settles the Land of Israel, it essentially declares that there is a higher authority in this world. He created the world and He determines the path that it will take. The only reason that we merit to live in Israel is so that we may proclaim that G-d is King of the World. This is the only way that we can justify our presence here in the eyes of the world.
When I read what Rabbi Brand had written, I remembered a short article that Manhigut member Meyer Goldmintz had sent me. The State of Israel expelled Meyer from his home in Yad Yair, destroyed it and turned the place into an Arab garbage dump. Today, Meyer lives with his family in the settlement of Haresha. In his article he asks a simple question: How is it that we, the settlers, who have taken the utmost care not to settle lands privately owned by Arabs, who searched for strictly state-owned lands to settle and were sure to distance ourselves from even the slightest hint of robbery of Arab-owned land - are nevertheless constantly accused of robbing Arab lands, while the kibbutzim of the leftist Shomer Hatzair, almost all of which were built on lands that had belonged to Arab villages that were conquered and destroyed in 1948 - are considered bastions of \"peace\"? Meyer answers that it is specifically the fact that the settlers are careful not to build on Arab land that has brought about their dismal reputation. Very simply, they (we) have betrayed our mission and cannot give the answer that Rashi gives at the beginning of the Torah. The leftist kibbutz member, who had ostensibly disassociated himself from the Torah, did not deny the fact that he was a Jew. As a Jew, he drove out the non-Jew living in his land and settled in his place. By doing so, even though he likely did not intend to - our leftist fulfilled the essence of the reason for the return of the Jews to their Land. He showed the world that there is a Creator and that He decides when non-Jews will live in His land and when His children will live in their place. Thus, the borders of Israel in the places from which the Arabs were forcibly expelled are not questioned today. But we, the settlers, who strive to fulfill G-d's commandments - have not yet fulfilled the basic reason for settlement of the Land. On the contrary, we have avoided it. We were careful not to drive the Arabs out - the complete opposite of the sanctification of G-d's Name accomplished by the leftist kibbutzim. True, it is the State of Israel that decides when and whom to expel - not private people. But we never protested and enthusiastically adopted this approach. Today, we are suffering the consequences of our actions. Shabbat Shalom, Moshe Feiglin Moshe Feiglin's explanation of Rashi may also connect to the mitzva of the Mother Bird. To fulfill the mitzvah of conquest properly we must be called robbers; a commandment that seems to be harsh and cruel, yet so many rewards attached to it. The question is: Why does one receive such great rewards for this mitzvah? The Zohar explains that the mitzva has a profound impact:Driven from its nest the mother bird flies restlessly over the hills and valleys. It cries bitterly and despairingly over the separation from its children. The angel appointed over this species of bird appears before the heavenly throne and reproaches Hashem ‘ Why are You who are compassionate in all Your ways, ordered this in Your Torah? The angel appointed over other species of birds take up the call, in turn complaining why the mother bird of their species should suffer the selfsame bitter fate. Then Hashem turns to all the Heavenly hosts and reprimands them; You witness how the angels in charge of birds speak up for their charges. Why then do none of you voice concern about My sons and the shechina, both of whom are in exile? Another Midrash adds: The angels ask why have you who are compassionate in all your ways ordered this in your torah? You who teach us to respect parents and children. Hashem answers 'The shechina is separated from its nest, the bet hamigdash in yerushalayinm, and my sons (the
fledgelings) dwell among gentiles. Is there none among you to arouse my compassion and defend them? The Almighty then cries out ‘For my own sake, for my own sake will I do it, for why should my name be profaned? (Yeshiyahu 48:11). 6 Cruelty Towards Heaven Rav Kahane writes: The lands that today constitute the Land of Israel, Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan are parts of the Land of Israel, the sole land of the Jews….There is no Palestine or Palestinian people. There are Arabs who trespass on Jewish land. 7 What is the greater cruelty? To be concerned about the mother of a bird or the Father of Creation who’s children have been stolen and He Himself has been driven away. The Arabs that take Jewish land, it is as if they shew Hashem the mother away and eat His children. When we conquer and are called robbers and then must defend ourselves by making Hashem’s claim known in the world we begin to resolve justice and clarify the definition of cruelty. Which cruelty is really kindness and which kindness is really cruelty? When Avraham throws out Ishmael, one might compare this to the mother bird as well, but more so. Avraham threw out the mother and the son, and even more difficult ones own son. Avraham was kindhearted to all even more so his own flesh and blood. How difficult this test must have been for him to be cruel. In the end of days it seems that true kindness must come through what appears to be cruelty. Bereshit (2009) There is an idea that I have often wondered about. The root of the original sin is the addition of a Torah fence that was not explained properly. Hashem did not make this command. Adam added do not touch the tree. It was a mistake in leadership between the 1st man and woman. Through this mistake she was fooled and death entered the world. A similar same sin was made by the rock and today in the Shoa (see Chukat, Vayigash). Hashem was not angry but Moshe was. This mistake brought death to a generation and a delay in the manifestation of Hashems kingdom. The mistake was repeated in our time before the Shoa and the re-creation of Israel. It is this sin that in the end, when rectified will bring Israel back as one. When Israel returns the world will once again be in harmony. The anti-Zionists displayed anger while Hashem Himself was making deserts blossom in the Land of Israel. In Gan Eden the Midrash tells us the snake pushed Eve against the tree and said 'You see? You didn't die!' This additional strictness that Adam invented as a precaution, ended up bringing death into the world.
Rashi in the News (2016) In the very first Rashi he explains that the Torah does not begin with the first law but rather the history of Creation so that in the future, if we are accused of being thieves and stealing the Land of Israel from the Canaanites we can respond that Hashem created the world and He can decide to take the Land from one and give it to another. Rav Kahane explains that this Rashi is not really directed to the Gentiles but to us. If we do not understand this and act accordingly we then cause the nations to accuse us. We see this Rashi clearly played out in the newspapers today. Suddenly in the last few weeks the United Nations declares that Israel has no claim whatsoever to the Temple Mount, denies our historic claims outright, and calls the Temple Mount by its Arabic name. What caused this declaration? As Rav Kahane once wrote, the nations act 'reflexively' of our actions. In this case the nations simply need to look at our behavior towards the Temple Mount. Jews are not allowed to pray there, Arabs run the compound, Jewish historic artifacts have been destroyed for years under the Arab custodianship and we do nothing. It is clear to them that we act as if the Temple Mount does not truly belong to us. If this is the case they have every right to challenge us and to declare it their historic right. The very first Rashi is in all the newspapers today and we must respond primarily to the internal question of why we act like thieves and don't really desire what belongs to us. When we do desire it and claim it despite our fears, then we will have nothing to fear. Instead of the global war we expect precisely the opposite will happen. The world will recognize the one true God and come with their offerings to our Temple. Two Kinds of Sins (2017) I asked at kiddish what was the connection between the original sin and the sin at the rock? Rabbi Halperin related a story about Rav Zusia. A Rabbi asked Rav Zusia that if all of the generations were inside of Adam Harishon which would include you Rav Zusia, how could you have allowed him to sin? He answered that he would be the first one to take a bite of the apple to prove that sin is lethal. It seems to me that the lesson here is A: Sin Causes death. B:There is something worse than the death of the sinner. A leader that doesn't teach correctly or does not represent Hashem's Torah accurately can not only cause his own death but also the death of the entire generation. Adam did not explain that 'Do not touch' was a fence he added. Moshe confused the generation by thinking Hashem was angry when He wasn't. The mistakes of leadership can result in a much heavier toll than the individual sinner.
Kahane in the Parsha Noach
Noach and Chen ‘ נחַח-חן-ן One of the connections between Noach and it’s letters spelled backwards ‘Chen’ is that they both answer two sides of the same question. On one hand Noach was similar to a Holocaust survivor. The Midrash explains that after the flood Noach was upset with all of the destruction that Hashem had wrought. He didn’t understand how Hashem allowed such utter destruction to take place. In response to his questioning ‘where was G-d?’, Hashem answers him, ‘Where were you, Noach?’ ‘Maybe you could have done more to save people, as Avraham did later with Sodom, or Moshe did at Sinai when he said ‘blot me out, but save the Jewish people’. ןעי הניו- ןחן הב- סף- ‘ו מי המ הצא יו ן ‘And Yoseph found ‘favor’ in his eyes’ (Bereshit 39:4) Yoseph, on the other hand, who represents ‘Chen’ was the one who suffered the devastation and the question is reversed. ‘Where was Am Israel?’ How could the majority have allowed the persecution of the small minority (the Noach/Yoseph that saved them). Maybe we can say that the 'Chen' of Yoseph was on a higher level. He didn't see destruction coming and try to save himself, he went ahead like a dreamer into the pit of destruction knowing full well how much hatred his brothers had of him (Bereshit 37:13-14). He became a target for destruction because others didn’t share his dream and ostracized him. Moreover, he did not bear a grudge for this but understood that he took the flood upon himself to save the Nation of Israel. Noach 2009 Mar Chesvan - ח קֹש נון-ממ ֹקר ל Why is the month of Cheshvan called Mar (bitter) Chesvan? Cheshvan is the only month which has no holidays or special mitzvot. We are taught that it is \"reserved\" for the time of Mashiach, who will inaugurate the third Temple in Cheshvan. It is also bitter because of the flood that wiped out all of civilization. To me the Mar also stands for Rav Meir (mem,resh) who we lost in this month. The 'Chen' (outside letters of Chesvan) was submerged but will return and float above the troubled waters like the ark which represents the Torah. The word Chesvon is encased in the letters Chen/Noach like a boat. The gematria of Chen is 58 the years of Rav Kahanes life.
18 Chesvan (2015) Another connection between the Rav is the date of the flood. The waters of the flood are counted from the 17th of Cheshvan, the day before the Rav was taken from us. That dark day of the 18 th which his enemies thought would destroy him once and for all served only to destroy them and the Rav lived on in his Torah. You cannot kill the Torah. The darkness fell on the 18th and was like a mikva to cleanse the world. Close to the same time the waters of the deep were released and the Torah of the Rav that would evolve after him. Avraham knew Noach and was 58 when Noach passed away; the same age as Rav Kahane when he was martyred. Just as the Torah could not be destroyed on the 18th of chesvan, and was expanded, Avraham must have been influenced by Noach in his 58th year which is the gematria of Noach. Avraham continued Noah's legacy and expanded on it. The letters of Noach also spell Chen, which is connected to Yoseph. It seems the darkness is necessary for the Torah to incubate and expand and for the world to become a proper vessel (after the mikva), in order to receive it. Noach prepared the way for Avraham and Yoseph prepared the way for Israel; darkness precedes the dawn. Footnote (2016) There is a remez in the Torah to what we wrote above. Meam Loez writes: “although the rains began on 17 Cheshvan, it is not counted among the 40 days, since the rain did not begin until midday. One might wonder why God did not wait until the eve of the 18th of Cheshvan before beginning the flood. There was a good reason for this. The wicked people of that time said that they were not afraid of any flood. Even if a flood occurred, they would kill Noah before he boarded the ark...The flood therefore began “on that very day” – in full daylight – so that Noah could board the ark publicly. Everyone would then witness the great miracle: although there were very many people there, no one tried to hinder Noah. The Torah therefore says, “In that very day Noah boarded the ark,” [In Hebrew, the term for that “very day,” is Etzem Hayom which denotes “broad daylight.”] If Noah had boarded by night, the people could have contended that they would have killed him, had they been able to see him. Therefore the Torah writes the seventeenth rather than the eighteenth so that we should know that the Torah of the prophet cannot be destroyed. If Hashem decides to remove His prophet its not because the prophet failed. It is we who failed. Mar Cheshvan and Noach 2010 Noah and Chen seem to allude to two very different concepts. We are told that the month of Cheshvan is reserved for the inauguration of the 3rd temple. It is also the time of the greatest destruction – the flood of Noah. Yoseph who is synonymous with Chen brings unity and Moshiach to the Nation of Israel. The end of the world and the redemption of the world happen at the same time. Disaster for
Egypt was redemption for Israel. The darkness that came about on the 18th of Cheshvan when we lost the Rav is evolving into an ark. The forces of darkness are filling their measure while another 18th of Cheshvan in being prepared. Eighteen is also Chai (life). Chai Cheshvan is coming very soon when the flood will once again descend and the family and friends of Israel will escape to begin a new and better world. Od Yoseph Chai will be said again on the 18th of Cheshvan and all broken things will be fixed. Noah and Bavel Noah was a survivor. Like a survivor of the Shoa today he may have asked how God could have destroyed a whole world. He may have wondered whether he could have done more. And like the survivors of today who see a new flood approaching, he may have wondered how people could make the same mistakes all over again. The UN of his day The Tower of Babel tried to solve these issues and like today ended up in a confusion of languages. A Date Yet to be Observed (2017) There is a Chassidik date that is very deep and profound. So profound that even the Chasidim don't know about it. It is a day that within this day is forty days. Within this forty days is one hundred years. What is this day? It is a day that is written about in our Parsha. When 'the fountains of the great deep burst forth; and the windows of heavens were opened' (Bereshit 7:11) the Torah tells us this was the seventeenth day of Cheshvan. The rain is counted however from the eighteenth of Cheshvan. If the rain is counted from the eighteenth then why is it written the seventeenth? The Midrash tells us so that people would not have said 'we could have killed Noah but it was dark and we didn't see him.' Because of this Hashem brought the rain at midday before the eighteenth 'on this day' (Yom Ha-ze). Ha-ze (Gematria 17) alludes also to Etzem Hayom Ha-ze, the day we left Egypt (Shmot 12:41, 12:51). Just as Hashem sits on His throne Rum ve Nissa (high and exalted), so His people (His representatives) did not leave Egypt like thieves in the night but upright 'in their legions', in the 'daytime'. Those who despised Hashems servants gnashed their teeth but could not do anything to stop this. In the same way Noah’s generation stood paralyzed as he entered the Ark not in the nightime but in broad daylight. It is not by chance that the punishment that was received was in the form of a forty day flood. The Rabbis tell us that this flood was like a Mikva that cleansed the world and purified it. The Zohar states that this verse, which speaks of a deluge emanating from above and below, alludes to the potential of a great flood of spiritual growth that was destined for that year. It would have been the year that the Written and Oral Torahs were given however because the generation was at such a degraded level that potential was transformed into a destructive power. The lesson is clear. No matter how many chariots and armies are sent to extinguish the light of Hashem it cannot be extinguished. It can either be revealed or transformed into destruction which is in itself a preparation for a new generation to receive this light. Zohar adds that the same opportunity would come to the world during the sixth century of the sixth
millennium: the years 5500-5600 (1739-40 to 1839-40). Indeed that century saw an unusual flowering of Torah accomplishment, and also a secular explosion of thought and achievement, such as the American and French Revolutions, the Industrial Revolution and an explosion of political and economic thought. Some may think that Mar Cheshvan is a bitter (Mar) month because we read about the Mabul and there are no holidays in this month, and to the students of Rav Kahane it is a bitter time when evil forces murdered the Rabbi and destroyed the hopes of thousands of his followers. Mar Cheshvan, however has within it the power to reverse the letters that spell Mar to become Rum (exalted). The letters that spell Rum (Resh Mem) also allude to Rav Meir. He is the Tzaddik through which we can come to understand this holy day the eighteenth of Cheshvan, and its sister the seventeenth day. This day is the mother of Chassidut as it is a day of light that is so strong it appears to be darkness. The rain penetrates this darkness to bring an explosion of light from those being purified in the Mikva of our own making. Rav Kahane was very close to leading the Nation. We almost had a leader that would have built the Bet Hamikdash and thrown out our enemies. It was within our hands to do it. Instead this potential was banned and denied. The generation failed as it did in the flood and this potential was transformed into more punishments that are preperations for a new world. How many armies tried to destroy Rav Kahane and they could not. How many teenagers continue to build hilltops and are arrested and beaten and they return like the morning sun to build and to shine this eternal light once again. The message of the eighteenth of Chesvan is that the Torah that Rav Kahane protected without compromise against a sea of hatred on the seventeenth of Cheshvan was not silenced on the eighteenth. The eighteenth marks the beginning of a new world where that sea of hatred reached its limit and can no longer exist. It will completely die out. The world is being re-created to better receive this light. As the revolutions of Chassidut, as well as the American, French and Industrial revolutions rapidly altered the landscape of the world, so is the world being altered today. On the eighteenth of Cheshvan my pen began to write along with thousands of others. Nine months after Binyamin was murdered a new world was born on September 11. The Torah world and the secular world are changing rapidly to receive a new light. The bitterness of Cheshvan will become the exalted Cheshvan. The lesson of Noah is that the whole world is insignificant if the Torah is not being upheld and even if there is only one man who upholds it, the whole world will be recreated for that one man. The eighteenth of Cheshvan and its sister the seventeenth are days of Chassidut yet to be observed.
The Rav Who Wrote His Eulogy (Chai Cheshvon 2018) Rabbi Kahane writes in Perush Hamaccabee (2:2) After finding a God-fearing woman, dedicated to God, He chose her to be the woman from whom the good – Moses – would be born, and thus He found the good...But the Egyptians did not remember this, preferring deliberately to forget the good that Joseph had wrought. So this good Moses came to exact retribution. The gematria of the word tov (“good’) is seventeen. This, too, contains an allusion to Egypts ingratitude for the good that Joseph and Israel had rendered them: Joseph was seventeen years old when he was taken down to Egypt, and he saved Egypt as they themselves acknowledged: And they said: You have brought us to life!(Genesis 47:25). This is also the number of years that Jacob lived in Egypt: And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years (ibid 28), and throughout that time the Egyptians economy and land flourished. But in spite of that, the Egyptians rose up and enslaved the Children of Israel, denying the good of those seventeen years. And so Moses, who was good, was born to take revenge against Egypt – measure-for- measure. It also seems to me that this was the reason that God chose to bring the Flood on the world on the seventeenth day of the month: In the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the deep were split open (ibid 7:11), because the eradication of evil is good for the world. We wrote in Parsha Noach that the 17th is actually connected to the 18th. Although the flood waters came down on the 17th the flood is counted from the 18th and not the 17th. The reason it is mentioned the 17th in the Torah is because Hashem brought it before its destined time. He did this to demonstrate that even in the broad daylight of the afternoon of the 17th, no one was able to stop Noach from entering the Ark. The Israelites also left Egypt in broad daylight and not like thieves in the night to demonstrate a similar principle. When you add what Rav Kahane wrote about 17 and 'good', it seems to me that the deep inner message of Chai Cheshvon [meaning the 'heart' or 'essence' of Cheshvon] is the following. It is a time of Chasidut that is connected to the goodness that comes from the removal of evil from the world. When we add these thoughts together along with Chaye Sarah that occurs normally at the time of the Rav's Haskara [18 Cheshvan](in which Sarah removes evil from the house of Avraham) we see that it is no coincidence. It is a removal that is clear as day. How many sit in the sidelines and say if only he was more politically correct, he would have gone much further. This is precisely the point. It was because of his clarity and faith to speak the truth that touched the heart and soul of Jew and Gentile. This is what Moshe did when Pharaoh finally gave in and told him to leave. Moshe said we are not thieves that leave in the night. We will leave in the day, in front of all of Egypt and no one will stop us. This is the Chassidut of Chai Chesvan that the Rav implanted in the heart of all those thirsty for the truth. When one demonstrates his faith absolutely, it becomes a political reality that changes the world forever. This is the essence of the Torah that he brought down to us. There is a 'goodness' that is connected to the removal of evil and the retribution against it. Some people who have said to me they
do not like Rav Kahane because he is considered an 'extremist'. I answer that extremism is not as bad as what it sounds like. Bear in mind that one can also be 'extremely ' good! The Second Tablets (2019) Rav Butmans son in law spoke at kiddish and explained that the water of blessing in Shmini Atzeret can become water of destruction in Parsha Noah. How can this be? He answers a question with a question. Why does the Torah starts with the letter Bet and not an Alef? He explains that Alef is the king we dance with on Simchat Torah. We want to be with Him like a son wants to be with his father. If we feel this way then there is the Bet of understanding. If we don't feel this way it causes problems that eventually bring destruction. Intellectual understanding can only follow emotional attachment. If Chava saw Adam as part of herself, as the Aleph then she could never be tricked. If Adam did not add things or had explained why he added a fence, she would not have made the intellectual mistake. This sin is greater than Cain because Cain repents. In this scenario however each one blames the other and there is no change. The generations will continue to break down from above to below and below to above; the Rebbe Adam HaRishon to the student (Chava) and the student to the Rebbe. This continued until Noah's time when the world was destroyed and remade again. It is as if we live now in the world of the 2nd tablets, the broken ones. From this point we journeyed through Avraham and his children until Sinai where once again we were Adam in Gan Eden and then once again the tablets were broken. Now again we are living in a second tablet world. Moshe like Adam was angry at the rock when Hashem was not and because he misrepresented the above to below the whole generation had to be remade. The world is continually being broken and remade from the top down and the bottom up. Just as the waters of the deep and the doors of Heaven opened and could have brought about the birth of the Torah, instead it brought destruction. Throughout history there are destructions and rebuilding’s from the Temple in its time to the Shoa in our own time. Mar Cheshvan is a symbol of this. The month is bitter because it was a time of potential when the Temple could have been rebuilt. It was a time when Rav Kahane could have led us to glory but we were not ready. We did not want it and we despised the healer. And so our world is broken again. Yet there is Chai Cheshvan and a hope that it will be rebuilt again like the new world of Noach.
Kahane in the Parsha Lech Lecha
Lech Lecha 2009 There is a theme that repeats itself in the next few Parshas. The beautiful wives of the Patriarchs are called sisters to protect their husbands from the possibility of being murdered by evil men for the sake of their wives. This strange scenario repeats itself in a number of episodes and ends with the rulers of the land reprimanding the forefathers for their deceit while at the same time admitting that there fear of lawlessness was not unfounded. How do we understand these passages? Let us begin by defining the wives as the innermost Torah, that which is loved and cared for and the essence of our continued existence. One may compare Sarah and Rivka to Jerusalem, the holiest place in Israel. Using Jerusalem as a metaphor we can begin to understand the bartering that went on when we are considered brothers and not husbands. Jerusalem is the seat of other powerful religions and we relate to these other forces as brothers. We allow Jerusalem to be bartered for as if we are brothers and not husbands. In this way we are protected from the jealousy of those who would destroy us. However when push comes to shove and there is talk of giving Jerusalem up, then all of a sudden we come to our senses and declare her our inseparable wife. Although we are enriched from this bartering we are rewarded even more and praised by kings when we declare her for who she is. Many gentiles would call in to radio talk shows with Rav Kahane and say 'Why are there not more Jews like you who tell it like it is? This is what we are waiting for!' The Kidush Hashem the Rav brought to the world from his honesty brought many Jews back to Judaism and many converts as well. Lech Lecha 2010 Defeating the Whole World Singlehandedly The 1st World War was won by one person – Avraham. The Torah tells us that he went against 4 kings with just 318 men; his students. There is another opinion that criticizes Avraham for taking his students to war. Lets see if we can shed some light on both of these ideas. Some say these 318 are actually one person Eliezer (Avraham’s servant) whose name in Gematria is equivalent to 318. A servant belongs to his master and so it is as if Avraham singlehandedly defeated the whole world. This is difficult to understand of course. In addition as we mentioned there is an opinion in the Torah that it was wrong for Avraham to take his students from their yeshiva learning to fight a war. Let me suggest the students of Rav Kahane are like eveds; they have no names. They simply carry on his Torah and continue to protest and fight for the Jewish people and the sanctification of God. The gematria 318 is also the same as the Omer (Lag B’Omer). The period from Pesach to Lag B’Omer is a period of spiritual correction that climaxes with the remembrance of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who symbolizes the continuation of the scholar-warrior who the Romans thought they destroyed with Rabbi Akiva (Rabbi Shimon’s teacher). There is much to be written on this topic but I will paraphrase it. The conflict today in the Charedi world that opposes Zionism and a Jewish army is not a new opposition. This opposition began long ago, when Avraham took his yeshiva students to war. It continued when Rabbi Akiva did the same thing and almost brought Moshiach, but apparently failed. The Nation of Israel was not ready or not unified enough.
What was thought to be destroyed forever by the cruel Romans continued with Rabbi Shimon and these various streams of consciousness also continued. The defeat and destruction continued again in the Shoa and the military success also continued with the rebirth of Israel. There are a great number of scholars who are not warriors. There are a great number of warriors who are not scholars. There is also a large and growing group of scholar-warriors; the inheritors of Rabbi Shimon’s legacy. These are the cream of the crop. They are eveds with no great name or position, yet the world rests on their shoulders. Now let me explain how one man can defeat a whole world. When one embodies the proper balance of a Torah scroll in one hand and a sword in the other he can stand before all the cruel Esav’s and Goliath’s and defeat them. This is what Rav Kahane did, and we all witnessed it. Two huge superpowers that represented the combined might of the world wanted to make peace with each other and there was a tiny little mouse that got in their way. Each time diplomatic events were scheduled they were interrupted by the Rabbi and a handful of followers. At the Russian Ballet, cartons of mice were released sending the patrons running. There were sit ins and protests and Soviet planes raided. ‘This is not the way for Jews to behave’, our leaders apologized and ‘this is not the Jewish way’. But it 'was' the Jewish way. It was the Jewish way of Moshe that defeated the Pharoah who finally gave in and said ‘Take these people and go’. And they did go. Millions went home to Israel from Russia thanks to one man and those who served the cause. Now we can better understand these strange passages, the complaints of Chazal, and the victory that was and will be again. In the end all those who believe that they have overcome Israel will fall into the very pit they dug. All the wild men who hold the world captive and make Presidents and Diplomats nervous, in the end they will be like nothing. Those who thought they had finally buried the Torah of Rabbi Kahane will be awoken from their slumber. King David who understood what it was like being considered a fugitive and criminal among his own people. He wrote: נש מב ֹקענו בוז, מרב- יכי:ננו,ננו ֹקיה נוה נח ת, ג נח ת3 Favor us, Hashem, favor us; for we are fully sated with contempt. תשנו, נלה מנ קֹפ- נש ֹקב נעה,ד מר מבת: 4 Our soul is fully sated with the mockery of אי, לגאיונים ) יל ֹקג ת, מה מל מעג מה מש נא מנ ינים; מהבוזthose that are complacent, and with the contempt )יו יניםof the arrogant. (Tehillim 123) In other words; those who 'mock' are usually the 'complacent' ones. Those who have 'contempt' are often 'arrogant'. It is the humility of a servant that fights and sacrifices for his G-d they find 'contemptible' for it exposes their indifference and may affect their own comfortable positions. The Torah of Rav Kahane will only grow because it is Hashem’s authentic Torah. Just as Avraham relied solely on Hashem to build him up and to be his shield, when concerned people asked the Rav to wear a bullet proof vest, he pointed to his Tzizit and said ‘This is my bullet proof vest’. One who follows Hashem gallantly into the furnace and makes a single handed war against huge Nations for the sake of G-d’s glory will be remembered long after his years and Hashem will see to it that ‘he’ in turn is glorified. We learn this lesson from Avraham and we can see this lesson exemplified before our eyes, in our own generation, when we simply study the actions of Rav Kahane. From his example will come the generation that will bring Moshiach.
Lech Lecha and the Promise of Canaan What is the meaning of making a blessing over food? The simple meaning is that this apple I am about to eat does not really belong to me. Everything belongs to Hashem and I am being nourished by this apple in order to serve Him. So I thank Him for this delicious fruit that I enjoy and that He created for me. The same goes for the Motze, for bread that I labored over. Although it is my labor, what is the point of my labor if I don’t see Hashem in the process and purpose? Now if one lives in Israel he certainly makes blessings over food, but does he also bless outside of Israel? The answer of course is yes. If recognition of the Creator is required by that which sustains us anywhere in the world then maybe there are other types of recognitions that are required by the world in order to be sustained? Let me explain what I mean by looking at our Parsha. When Abram came to the Land of Canaan, Hashem said I am giving you the Land of Canaan as an inheritance. Why is Canaan called by the name Canaan? The simple answer is that it is a land where the Canaanites dwell. Why would Hashem give a land belonging to another, and called by the name of another to someone else? What is implied in this statement or prediction? Hashem gave us the book Baba Metzia that explains very carefully the laws of possessions and property. Avram himself was very careful about this when he did not allow his sheep to graze in fields belonging to another. The same man had been promised that this field would be his property one day, but this promise was not yet fulfilled. Until this time Avram was careful of property that belonged to others. If on one hand Hashem teaches us the importance of property rights and not to steal etc, how can the same G-d declare that He will take something that belongs to one and give it to another? What is the justification? To make the point clearer imagine that Hashem tells you to walk through New Jersey and Manhattan and Vermont and tells you one day He will give you these lands and call them Israel. What a difficult mitzva this would be when we get along quite well with our neighbors and are happy to be guests. The area of Cannan at that time was the center of civilization. Would it really seem fair and just to arrive as visitors to a land called by another name and be promised to us? It seems to me that what is implied in this statement is not only the land of Canaan where the Canaanite people reside, but the land of France where the French people reside, the land of Germany where the German people reside, etc, meaning the whole world that is populated and defined by the various peoples that live in different lands will eventually belong to Avram who will later be called Avraham father of a multitude of nations. The father of a multitude of nations is not only the father of all the converts of these nations but the nations themselves in the future. This idea may seem outrageous and unfounded because clearly the land of Canaan is written and not the whole world. It seems to me however that this is what is implied. If Hashem wanted to give us a special land that was unpopulated with proper ownership rights He certainly could have. If on the other hand, His design was to redefine lands already populated and defined by its people, then why stop here? Maybe the Canaan principle is the principle by which Hashem will conquer the whole world??
The proof of this theory comes in the verses that follow. Hashem is very practical and designs things to happen in their appropriate time and within their appropriate measurement. If in the Torah it was written that we are to conquer the world and the whole world belongs to the Nation of Israel we would be attacked and destroyed in no time. Instead Hashem let others try and conquer the world via Christianity, and Islam, etc. all for the sake of Israel in the very end. He designed the world in a way that we don’t have to go out and conquer the world; rather the world will conquer itself and be handed to us. Let me explain the process in more detail. If this theory of conquest is correct, why begin with Canaan? Canaan had been cursed and was the lowest of the nations. In a kabalistic sense, that which appears lowest in this world has the highest spiritual source. If you chop a high ladder at the bottom it falls down from the highest place to the lowest. Israel has the geographical distinction to have within it the lowest place on earth; Yum Hamelech. It was in this area where Sodom once thrived and was the backdrop for the greatest battle on earth that Avram reluctantly took part in and single-handedly won. That which began as a rescue attempt for a Hebrew prisoner ended with world dominion. This ancient war that alludes to the future war of Gog and Magog ends with Avram the victor, who legitimately owns the spoils and peoples of all these nations, yet he returns them so that they should bless Hashem. They owe their salvation to Israel the servant of Hashem. Just as the foods we eat owe a declaration from us as to their true owner and purpose. There is a relationship between the conquest of these nations that represent the world powers and the conquest of Canaan. Canaan’s conquest and redefinition is the catalyst that will bring about the world war of Gog and Magog in the future, where the rest of the world will also be redefined. They will remain the distinct nations they are today, but will be owned in a sense by Israel. We see this future model alluded to in Parsha Vayigash were Yoseph saves Egypt but the result is that one fifth of their field now goes to Pharaoh as tribute. Cannan, as the catalyst will have a special status as the servant of the servant Israel whose local dominion brought about world dominion. Another reason why Canaan is the catalyst to this future world dominion is because they are the extreme opposite of the Nation of Israel. Everywhere that Israel wandered in our long exile we brought material, spiritual and cultural blessings to each land. We were quite happy to be guests and were the most loyal citizens of each of our respective countries. We were more French than the French, more German than the German. Contrast this with today's Canaanites; the Ishmaelites and their many cousins and followers of Islam who support them. What a contrast as they spread like a plague throughout Europe and the world draining the welfare states who pay them for their rapid birthrate and instead of gratitude they seek to alter the laws of their host countries and conquer them in the name of Islam. We who are quite happy to be guests in the end must become Kings and conquerors. Those who gained greatness only through their servitude or association with Israel in the end will be brought down by their own jealous and ungrateful rage. The seeds of this future begin ‘internally’ with Hagar who leaves her status as queen of Egypt to be a servant to Avraham. Many others have left their nations and positions of power to be absorbed into the Nation of Israel. The ‘external’ pattern of the hidden conquest of the world is first seen with Sara who is defined as a sister not a wife, in order to buy safe passage for Avram. Through her charm Avram became wealthy for he was neither a threat nor stumbling block to those who tried to attach themselves to the inner beauty of the Hebrew Nation. When Pharoah came too close however, then Avram had to reveal his true colors.
One can see this pattern today if we view Sarah as the beautiful city of Jerusalem. We proclaim her free for all religions and do not attempt to convert the world to our views. In this way we are rewarded and protected and are not a threat. We are a brother, not a husband. If however nations within or without seek to posses Jerusalem, then she becomes our wife and our true colors are shown. On one side there is an allure and attraction that Israel has that nations want to be part of and to benefit from. Israel is passive and does not attempt to conquer the world. Nations however learn from Israel and try to conquer the world claiming they are the ‘new’ Israel. Their efforts serve however to increase the knowledge of Israel in the world while their man-made efforts to usurp Israel eventually fail. The only place where Israel is not passive is the internal conquest of our Land. Here there is an animosity towards Israel and conflict as the people of G-d takes root in the land that is called by the name of another. It appears that the internal conquest of Canaan with all the familial details of Hagar and Ishmael, are connected to the external conquest of the world. Against the will of Israel we are in the process of conquering another nation named Canaan and redefining it as Israel. This will be the catalyst that brings the nations of the world against Israel, who in turn will be conquered and redefined as owing their allegiance to Israel. Just as we recognize what sustains us daily, so will the world realize what sustains them. Those who recognize Israel will be sustained, the price being that recognition. Those who do not recognize Israel will no longer exist. Just as a fruit we eat and the labor of our hands is defined by the purpose we give it, the world order will be defined by their relationship to Israel and their allegiance to the Almighty. Individual and national property rights will still be in effect however G-ds kingdom and His law will be the greatest influence and measurement of justice in that future world that is just around the corner. כס מכת נד יויד-לאת- נא יקים, יא מביום מההוא11 On that day I will erect David's fallen booth; I ס נתיו, מו נה יר ם,הן-צי ל, יפ קֹר ת-את-לת; ֹקו נג מד קֹר יתי ל-לפ ל- נ, מה םwill repair their breaches and erect his ruins, and I מי עו נלם, יכי ת, ו ֹקב יני יתי נה, נא יקים. will rebuild it as in the days of old. - ֹקו נכל,תא ירית לאדום, ֹקש-לאת- יב ֹקל ממ מען ייי ֹקרשו12 So that they will conquer the remnant of - ֹקנ כאם:הם-לי ל, נע ת, ינ ֹקק נרא קֹש ימי-לשר- נא, מהגו ייםEdom, and all the nations, for My name is upon them – the words of Hashem Who brings this םאת, שה ז-ע ל, ם, קֹיה נוה. about. (Amos 9:11,12) Haftorah Acharei Mot
Division The immediate result of the division between Avram and Lot is seen in the following passage. ‘And the Perizite was then in the land’. When Avram first arrived it said only the Canaanite was then in the land, and now as soon as the split occurs, another potential enemy has arrived. The void that is filled when our nation is divided is filled by our enemies. The principle of division increases our enemies is seen all the time. We threw out thousands of our people from the Gush and immediately the empty space was filled by thousands of enemies. It is these renegade Hebrews like Lot that in the end bring war upon us by leaving the collective to pursue their personal desires. Lot’s paradise in Sodom soon came crashing down and Avram was forced into war to save him. At the time of the division Hashem describes the future nation as uncountable as the sand. The allegory of sand however is also something lowly that is walked upon. This description certainly describes much of our history. Alternatively when the Nation is united, in this case from the war against the four kings and redeeming Lot there is a different description. In the passages following the war Hashem describes our future as uncountable as the stars in the sky. Our division brings calamity and our unity brings glory, better to be united. Shlach Lecha and Lech Lecha If you need more proof, after the tremendous miracles that you have already witnessed, then question and you will be answered, but its nothing to do with your question. You will be delayed and may bring needless suffering on yourself because you are willfully blind. Your questions are really refusals to give and so you doubt and question. Send for yourself messengers to test the waters but you will not be helping yourself rather hindering yourself with your excuses. Lech Lecha however, means just go, because I am telling you. You already know who I am and how I have saved you before. Just do as I say and you will not only be doing Me a favor but yourself. Go, 'for yourself' because by doing My will I will make you 'great'. As was said by one of the veterans of Rabbi Kahane's army. He saw with his own eyes how he with a handful of 10-15 teenagers stood against mobs of thousands of vicious Jew haters and somehow when these young kids roared the Jew haters ran away. He saw with his own eyes how their 'actions' and 'civil disobedience' made front page headlines and changed history while thousands who did not make waves had no effect. He went on to say the Rabbi told them to remember only three things, 'The Jewish People, The Jewish People, and The Jewish people. He didn't care if they were religious, or not religious, they were all the same. When Jewish people are in trouble we are there to shake the world until they are free. When this is the motivating factor, a good heart that feels the pain of his brother, the rest will come. Answer the call and Lech Lecha!
Gematrias of Canaan (2015) When the world began to disintegrate Noah built an ark. In Avrahams time the order also began to change. Canaan began to invade and inhabit the land of Noah's son Shem, Avrahams relative. Avraham left his life behind at seventy five years of age to travel to the area of Shem which was now called the land of Canaan. Avraham began to restore the world order that would eventually lead the world back to the Garden of Eden. All those who would become Israelites or support the Israelite mission would be welcomed in a future type of ark that would save mankind. The building of Avrahams Ark would coincide with the conquest of Canaan. Here are some gematrias that support the ideas we have spoken about regarding Canaan. מעד,לכם- מעד קֹמקום קֹש,לרץ- נב נא,םבר מא ֹקב נרם, ו מו מי נע6 And Abram passed through the land unto the לרץרוהת רכנתעִננשי- נאז נבאנ, place of Shechem, unto the terebinth of Moreh. ;לרה- תאלון מו, And the Canaanite was then in the land. (Bereshit 12:6) – ֹקכ ננ מעןCannan = 190 ;תאל, קֹפנו-לאת- שר נע מבר- מכ נא ל,למש- ש-לו מה ל- לב מו יי קֹז מרח32 And the sun rose upon him as he passed over כולצ לל תע,יֹק תר- עמל, ֹקוהואPeniel, and he limped upon his thigh. (Bereshit 32:32) עמ,לת, םצ- limped = 190 -לבן- - יכי-- נב נניו-סף ימ נכל,יו ת-את- נא מהב ל,תאל, ג קֹו יי ֹקש נר3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; נת תפ שסים-םת ל, קֹכ, לו; קֹו נע נשה לו,קֹז כק ינים הוא and he made him a fine woolen tunic. (Bereshit 37:3) – מפ יסיםa fine tunic = 190 יכי:עת נתמוט מר ֹקג נלם, קֹל ת,לם, לה ילי אנ אקם ֹקו יש ת35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, against םדת נלמו, ֹקו נחש נע ית,אי נדם,נקרוב יום ת the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that are to come upon them shall make haste (Dvarim 32:35) – ננ נקםVengeance = 190 Acquiring our Land is both our weakness and our strength. We suffer and limp through the struggle of acquisition however when we succeed we are glorified and so is our God. The vengeance related to above is both towards Israel that sins and is expelled as well as the nations that have attacked her who will meet their just reward. Hashem did not create the world and leave it spinning. He keeps creating it each day and moving it along in stages. Let us hope that the stages of the building of the Bet Hamigdash will arrive soon and the peace and comfort it will bring for Israel and the world will become a new reality.
The Blueprint of Creation (2017) After seventy years of self-sacrifice and dedication to the ways of Hashem, Avraham Avinu encountered the Allmighty and together they made a pact. After twenty generations of failure Avraham had earned the reward of those previous generations by continuing and fulfilling the purpose of Creation That purpose which is for all created beings to recognize their Creator would be accomplished through Avraham and his descendents. Hashem declared that He would build a great Nation from Avraham. This Nation would be His representatives here on earth and ultimately build His kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. What was the method in which this would come about? How could one man alone accomplish this lofty mission? The first step was to leave his home and come to a distinct place that would represent this mission and was in fact created for this purpose. The model of creation was built upon a concept of conquering (or re-conquering) a particular tribal area and transforming it into Israel. By the act of transforming Canaan into Israel, the domino effect would eventually cause all the other nations in the world to be re-defined through their relationship with Israel. The climax of history is revealed in that first holy encounter. Those who bless Avraham will be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed. External Blueprint The evolution of this transformation has both an internal and external dynamic. The external reality we can see unfolding each day. The world has not only witnessed but evolved as the Nation of Israel has gone through its many manifestations from ancient to modern times. The evolution of Israel has produced an evolving external reality in the world. This external evolution is alluded to in our Parsha. The original World War I was won by Avraham who conqured the greatest super powers of his time and relinquished all claims on his victory on condition that those he had saved recognize the Creator. The end result of history proclaimed in Avraham's first encounter with Hashem was already demonstrated in this First World War. Those who bless you will be blessed and those who curse you will be cursed. Internal Blueprint What is the 'internal' blueprint? What are the internal actions of the Nation of Israel that result in this external reality? If we look at the internal reasons for this original World War we see something interesting. The conquest of the world was the result of a Tzadik going to war for the sake of one Jew and his family. He did not care whether this Jew was a Chassid or a Misnagid, observant or non- observant, wealthy or poor. Simply by going to war to save one Jewish family he ended up conquering the whole world and saving them from tyranny. The free world was saved and owed its allegiance to Israel. But there is more. The internal blueprint is not only the result of Israel conquering the world for the sake of one wayward Jew. Because of this action, when the Tzadik himself is in trouble one day in the distant future. This far off relative whom he had saved will remember him. This far off relative in the end of days will remember this Tzaddik and come to his rescue. His name is Moshiach. The evolving external reality, fueled by the evolving internal concern of Israel for its people will pave the way for the crowning glory of Hashem which will come about by far off forces being attracted like a magnet from the most distant places in the world to this predetermined land that will reshape and redefine the entire Creation.
Chai Cheshvon (2020) Farbrengen: Feivel tell us about Chai Chesvan... To say a L'Chaim for the memory of Rabbi Meir Kahane does not sit right with me. I would have to say to the memory of Rabbi Meir David ben Yecheskel Shraga HaCohen Ha Moshiach ben Yoseph. It would remind me too much of the brothers who after throwing Yoseph into the pit to die sat together and ate and drank. L'Chaim is not the right word 'Al Chet' is more appropriate today. Let me tell you about Chai Cheshvon. Chai Cheshvan is a great chassidik day full of deep Torah secrets. So secret no Chasids know about it..yet. It's a great light that appears dark. It's a great light that is hidden within the bitter month of Mar Cheshvon. It is a light surrounded by bitterness; a bitterness we have chosen,because we were unable to receive this light. It's a great good that can enter the world and alter it like the giving of the Torah or the good can come as a flood that transforms our previous world because we did not have the proper vessel to receive this light.* The light of transformation will come either as a light of goodness or as a flood that wipes away the generation that rejects this light, and saves it for the next generation. Some see this light as darkness and so they choose to remain in darkness and die there. Some see this light and understand that they are in a lonely ark preserving a light that is hidden all around them. Let me explain more practically. As the polls began to show that Rav Kahane was expected to be a powerful new party that would take many votes away from the traditional right wing parties suddenly there was a great unity among left and right to dispose of this controversial Rabbi who was now threatening their positions. They came up with a bill to ban any party that the courts considered racist. What was the alleged racist remark? One of the Rabbi's campaign promises was that there would be no intermarriage in Israel. For a Jew to be forbidden to marry a non-Jew in the State of Israel was considered racist and a court date was set. Great efforts were made by supporters to gather signatures of prestigious rabbis throughout Israel, in the hope that this may sway the Supreme Court decision. They were not asked whether they support Rabbi Kahane simply to state that intermarriage between Jew and gentile negates the Jewish Halacha. All of the great religious leader had the same answer. Each one was afraid to be the first to sign, and stipulated that his signature was dependent upon other signatures preceding his. Since none of them agreed to be the first to sign no signatures could be gathered. Following this series of events Rabbi Kahane's party was promptly banned by the Supreme Court for its “racist” views, his political career utterly destroyed The banning of Rabbi Kahane's Kach party was the hot news story in Israel that day. For the first time in Israels proud democratic history, a party had been disqualified from running for Parliament. During the course of the day, the media interviewed the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the same one who did not sign the letter (and who also happened to be Rabbi Kahane's personal rabbi). The Chief Rabbi proclaimed on Israel radio for all to hear: “Rabbi Kahane is a great Torah scholar and everything he says is according to Jewish law.” Upon hearing this in his car radio, Rabbi Kahane said with quiet disappointment but without bitterness: “I needed a signature not a eulogy”. So you see it's not only the anti religious crowd that hated this light, the Torah world also rejected it.
The greatest leaders of the generation rejected this light. His simple faith made them look like non- believers and furthermore any association might affect their yeshivas adversely. We all have blood on our hands, even me who did not do enough. Chai Cheshvon is a time like Yoseph in the darkest dungeon understanding that the whole world could be changed in a moment but understanding that the hour has not yet come. Someone passed me on the street the other day and said 'Yechi Hamelech,' (long live the king), I answered 'Hashem Yakum Damo' (Hashem should avenge his spilled blood). He looked puzzled. What do I mean by that? I told him I am not waiting for a fairy tale Moshiach who is going to come and save the world and a Bet Hamigdash that will miraculously fall from Heaven. It's a very comfortable illusion, but an illusion nevertheless. I saw the Moshiach. I saw him with my own eyes. I said hooray and I expected everyone else to say hooray, but what did they do? They beat him and they tortured him and they tried 1000 ways to break him and in the end they killed him. Moshiach was here and we killed him. You can say we want Moshach now till you are blue in the face he will not come. Not until we realize that we have blood on our hands, not until we admit that we killed Moshiach ben Yoseph. Only then will the door open for Moshiach ben David, only then. Otherwise Hashem does not need this generation. The light that he sent will turn into a flood as it already has since he left and plague after plague has smitten us from Sept 11 to Gush Katif to wars and now Corona. We are the generation of the desert. We are the 3 day travelers that are now dying out in the 40 year journey. We are the ones that could have changed the world but destroyed it instead and ourselves along with it. Those who look at Kahane and see a crazy man and see darkness are part of a dying generation. There is a new generation being raised in Yehuda and Shomron filled with this light. How can we define this light? How was the Rav different from all others? What is this light that appeared as darkness and darkness that is light? How is it that like Avraham he was on one side and the whole world was on another side? He said Hashem did not appear at Sinai to give us a religion but to create a Holy Nation. We are not meant to be a Hebrew speaking Scandinavia nor are we a religion without a state. He spoke about the difference between real faith and the ritual of mitzvot. How many times is it written in the Torah that when we return we must throw out our enemies and build Hashems house? But to actually do this takes real faith. What other religious practitioners would call impractical the Rav called a practical real faith that Hashem demands of us. It can be done and it would have been done gloriously, if we were not indifferent and if we had protested when Moshiach was attacked and banned and then killed and the decree against us signed and delivered. The only hope to see the Moshiach you dance and pray to (fully revealed in the world) is to recognize the blood stain on our hands. As it was in the Torah of the past it will be in the Torah of the present. What preceded the Moshiach in the Torah and the unity of the the brothers of Israel was the collective admonition that they had sinned against Yoseph. No matter how many years go by the sin will not be forgotten. The generation will be forgotten but not the sin and not the rectification. When we begin to see this light, we will then begin to understand the meaning of Mar Chechvan and the bitterness that surrounds this light, and then from that vantage point within the ark that contains this light, a new world will appear. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Chazal tell us that Matan Torah could have happened in Cheshvan but because that wicked generation did not have the proper vessel to receive this light it turned into a flood.
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