Kahane Codes - Part Two

concluding it was time to come home, they chose to remain in the purity of exile and believed that their study was making the Land green, and Hashem would miraculously save them and the Temple would fall down complete from heaven as Rashi explains. These ideas are echoed by the Bnei Torah today. Simply study and ignore the rising tides of antisemitism in the exile. Hashem will bring Moshiach and the Temple will fall down from the sky complete. There seems to be a contradiction as Rambam says the Temple will be built by man while Rashi says it will fall down from heaven complete. I believe there is no contradiction at all. They are both telling two sides of the same story. Less than a hundred years ago Israel was practically a barren desert. The high Tech Nation with its Nobel prize winners and its modern and advanced army seems to have fallen from Heaven. It began with people draining swamps but Hashem made things move ten times faster from His side. The same process that occurred in the Temple in ancient days, occurs today. In the times when the Temple stood we would light the fire below and the Heavenly fire came down and consumed it. The same political will that brought about the secular state will bring about the Temple. But only when we make this correction. Then it will seem like it fell from Heaven complete. ,‫ נע הון נא הב התם‬-‫ נעוה הנם נו האת‬-‫ מ נו יה נת כודו האת‬40 And they shall confess their iniquity, and the ‫ הה נלכו יע ימי‬-‫ נא השר‬,‫ נואף‬,‫ יבי‬-‫ נב כמ נע הלם נא השר המ נעלו‬iniquity of their fathers, in their treachery which they committed against Me, and also that they ‫נב הק ירי‬ have walked contrary unto Me. ‫ נו יה יבא יתי‬,‫ יא ילך יע המם נב הק ירי‬,‫ נא יני‬-‫ מא אף‬41 I also will walk contrary unto them, and bring ‫ נל הב הבם‬,‫אז יי הכ כנע‬-‫ נב הא הרץ הא ני יבי ההם; א הו‬,‫ הא התם‬them into the land of their enemies; if then perchance their uncircumcised heart be humbled, ‫ נעוה הנם‬-‫ יי נרצו האת‬,‫ נואז‬,‫הה הע ירל‬ and they then be paid the punishment of their iniquity; (Vayikra 26:40,41) The 'point of correction' here in Vaetchanan is similar to the passage above from Parsha Bechuchosai. After all of the punishments in Bechuchosai the people then confess but Hashem does not forgive them, He continues to punish them. Why? Because they have yet to fully address the sin that caused their suffering. There is no forgiveness without correction. Korach saw the prophetic images of a great spiritual future from his progeny. He was absolutely correct but the path was wrong. Moshe saw the Land being conquered and saw it as a sign of Hashems forgiveness, but Hashem had a different path in mind. In the future there will be both a conquest of Land and a conquest of spirit that will result in a great revelation. However as Moshe still blames the people the correction will not take place nor the redemption. Korachs spiritual future and Moshes physical one are both correct and will come to pass but only when this impediment is corrected. The Final Push 'Rav Lach' in Vaetchanan and 'Haker Na' in Vayeshev are talking about the same concept. This is the beginning point of correction. It is no coincidence that this Parsha always comes after Tisha B'Av, after the destruction, after the Shoa, after Moshe knows no more prayers will help. This is when one must learn and discover what is missing and what went wrong. And the conclusion I believe is that Hashem 251

is willing to forgive and wants to forgive, but he needs us to make corrections and draw the proper conclusions. With the sentence that comes back to him from Tamar, Judah begins the process of correction that will eventually lead to his brother Yoseph. The correction of hitting the rock must also begin here after the Shoa and after Hashem will no longer accept prayers, because in my opinion I suggest He is waiting for us to make this final correction. The Temple will not be built by reading books about it or by learning the laws of Loshon Hora. The Temple will be built by doing what Moshe Feiglin is doing. Moshe Feiglin goes on mass with a handful of faithful believers to pray on Har Habayit. He is met with jeers and protest but he knows that without the heart there is no body. If the Temple Mount is not truly in our hands then neither is Gaza or Tel Aviv. He is trying to change the political reality which in turn will give us the desire to bring our Korban Pesach and build our Temple. We need to make a demand and we need to show interest. Just like secular Jews showed interest in their ancient homeland enough to drain swamps and turn deserts into gardens the Bnei Torah need to show the same interest. The Zionists pushed and the State of Israel fell from Heaven. If the Bnei Torah push, then the Temple too will fall from Heaven, but not without the push. Binyamin absolves our Differences It is as if we are now in Parsha Vayeshev. Yehuda is beginning to review his past and question his motives and the tragedy that maybe he had something to do with. Every Jewish soul that is martyred is a Guarantor, but as Guides could we not have prevented unnecessary deaths? We have not yet met Yoseph and Moshiach is not quite here but very close. The Bnei Torah can no longer stand on the side lines and simply complain about Zionists and curse them and hit the rock especially when Hashem Himslef is not angry. The Zionists must begin to see that as we become increasingly isolated we need G-d on our side and maybe his directives regarding Canaan offer a political solution that is worth a try. All of our man made options have only painted us into the corner and Hashems solution seems the only way out. 'Rav Lach' Hashem reminds Moshe. You have a great reward in Heaven. If you want the reward of Guiding Israel to its proper destination, then you don't need more prayers, simply make the correct changes. Similarly Korach with all his Techelet was missing that one strand of Zionism without which makes the rest of his Torah meaningless. Hashem rebukes the spiritual leadership and says don't expect the Bet Hamigsash to fall from heaven. This is not what I want. Make the necessary corrections. Only when we rally for Binyamin (whose territory is in Yesha) and the Bnei Torah will be in the forefront of that battle making the tikun that is needed from them; will we arrive all together. It is already happening. The spiritual leadership is slowly becoming more physical and involved with the battles of Israel. In addition the physical leadership is realizing that the solution outlined in the Torah is maybe worth a try. Soon we will examine our past as Judah did. We will hear the cries of Gush Katif and Oslo, and we will examine our hatred of our Zionist brother and our decision not to participate in the greatest spiritual event that ever happened; the ending of the exile. Instead we chose to ignore it and continue to choose this casualness in the face of the miraculous. 252

How many years did I attend Torah classes and when I mentioned Meir Kahane I was told don’t talk politics, lets learn Torah; as if politics was secular and Torah was holy. When Moshe Feiglin goes every month to the Temple Mount he is doing an action that will eventually change the physical reality. The Torah is not a blueprint to simply study, Hashem wants us to build a reality from the blueprint. When others who love Hashem's Torah and truly want the Temple will join and come with their Pesach offering then things will change. Only then will the temple will fall down from heaven just as the secular state of Israel fell from heaven in sixty six years. If we think however that simply prayers and guarding ourselves from Lashon Hora is going to alter our physical world then Hashem answers Rav Lach. He doesn’t want our prayers he wants our actions. 'Rav Lach' and 'Do you recognize these things?' are intertwined. They are the same message. We must look at our sins. Hashem is not punishing us 'because of the Zionists'. Learn from the Zionists to love the Land of Israel enough to build it and fight for it and to love the Temple enough to want to build it and fight for it as well. And from the other side look at the blood stained clothes of Meir Kahane and Gush Katif and the settlers that have been persecuted and realize that their love of Israel and their path was correct then and even more so now. The battle is waiting in Yehuda and Shomron the future Kingdom of Israel and the tikkun of 'Rav Lach' and 'Ha Karna'. We are in Vayeshev and we are somewhere between Egypt and Israel. As we are increasingly isolated we become increasingly unified. We are overcoming our differences and learning from each other and our ultimate point of unification will come from the territory of Binyamin and the State of Judea. This is the point of correction. Finally as we approach Yoseph when we realize the mistakes of our past Yoseph will tell us Nachamu, Nachamu, it was all part of Hashems plan. May this correction come quickly. Two Streams of Chassids This week in the news a man was arrested for stabbing gays at the gay parade held in Jerusalem. This man had just finished serving a ten year sentence for stabbing gays in a gay parade ten years ago in Jerusalem. After three weeks of freedom he went again to do the same thing. I was at Chabbad (Mamal Mamash) Friday night and the Rabbi spoke and said this type of action only brings bad results. The gays will only get stronger now. Its like adding oil on fire. Our spiritual battles need to be with love. I suggest that although some gays may become even more adamant the majority will think twice before they march in Jerusalem. They may say its enough we have Tel Aviv we don't need to push our lifestyle in Jerusalem with the risk of crazy stabbers. The essence of these two viewpoints I think we can see in this weeks Parsha. As I pointed out earlier ‫ הא כי תביך‬-‫ הכל‬-‫ = של נה הדף תאת‬to thrust away all your enemies = 613. Can the essence of the Torah, the 613 commandments be simply to throw out our enemies? By fulfilling this commandment is it as if we are fulfilling all of the commandments? We also wrote that the greatest comfort Nachamu, Nachamu is related to Pinchas (both have the Gematria 208). Can the minority of zealots change the political reality of the majority and will that majority accept this? It seems to have happened in Chanuka. The fire of a minority of zealots spread like candles to light the rest of the Nation whose light increased symbolized by the menorah. In a way Moshe was also a Kahane type Chassid. He wanted Moshiach now, literally. Against all odds 253

he was ready to throw out our enemies and build Hashems Kingdom now. Hashem answers him that He is right in the same way that Korach was right, however the vision of the future, that both he and Korach saw, is not the reality of today. It seems to me that both streams though diametrically opposite need each other so that one does not fall asleep and so that the other has time to grow more inside the nation as Yacov said to Shimon and Levi 'I will disperse them in Israel.' Moshiach and Tisha B'Av This year Tisha B'Av occurred on Shabbat. At the Chabbad farbrengen I normally attend Rav Lewin made the kiddish. The Rabbis began talking about Siporey Tzaddikim (stories of Tzadikim). They spoke about the Rebbe and recalled where they were standing when he spoke. They did not speak about actions that the Rebbe did but whether the Rebbe looked to the left or to the right or pointed this way or that way; many details that seemed superficial to me. I understood their admiration for years ago when I learned that Rav Lewin was friendly with Rav Kahane and worked with him in the Knesset, I was like a sponge asking him for any stories he could relate. I was not concerned about how he looked or who he pointed at, but I wanted to know about things he did. I raised my L'chaim glass and said 'since we are talking about Tzadikim, we have one sitting right here Rav Lewin. Here is a story none of you know. Please tell us the story of how you made Rabbi Kahane a Knesset member.' Everyone was silent. He went on to tell the story of how he was an aide to the Knesset member Geula Cohen at the time when Rav Kahane was also a Knesset member. Before the new Knesset members were sworn in, Rav Lewin happened to go into the empty Knesset hall and he saw that the temporary paper labels of the seating arrangements had the Rav sitting isolated away from all the other members. Even though he was a Chassid of the Rebbe and not a Kahane follower he thought it was disgusting the way the Rav was persecuted. He moved his seating label over two desks next to a religious Knesset member that didn't have an ax to grind. In the opening ceremony the members had to swear in. Rav Kahane repeated the oath but prefacing it with Bisrat Hashem. They forced him to repeat it without adding anything, and so he mumbled Bisrat Hashem. The Knesset speaker asked the man sitting next to the Rav if he heard anything additional. He didn't really care about this game and said no he did not. So in a way thanks the Rav Lewin's placement of Rav Kahanes seat, he was sworn in as a member. Rav Lewin went on to tell other stories like when he took a tramp in Rav Kahanes car to the Knesset. There was a leftist protest outside the Knesset and the Rav stopped his car and said wait a minute. Rav Lewin got nervous. The last thing he needed was press as he was a Knesset aide and not connected to Rabbi Kahane, but there was no stopping him. Rav Lewin stood up and pretended to walk as Rav Kahane did. As the Rav approached the protesters were frightened and said 'Ok Rav Kahane were leaving' and they packed up and left. They say Moshiach is born on Tisha B'Av and this Tisha B'Av I saw a good sign. Instead of making jokes about Misnagids and people who are not followers of the Rebbe, the Rabbis listened in awe to stories of a Misnagid giant who was a true Chassid for the word Chassid means devout. The animosity 254

between Yoseph and the ten tribes is slowly shifting to a concern for Binyamin, Yosephs brother. Two weeks later Meir Ettinger the Rav's grandson was put away without trial simply for his writings and for allegedly being the leader of the hilltop youth. The struggle for the State of Yehuda is beginning. Next year (13 months from now) is the Jewish year ending in 76 (Kahane). May it bring the Moshiach that is beginning to be born today on Tisha B'av in a Chabbad Bet Knesset. And may the people of Binyamin bring unity to our Nation. The Gabai's Mistake (2017) I believe that when a Gabai calls someone up for an aliyah he becomes a conduit. Whenever I have received an Aliyah the Gabai did not call me up, rather Hashem called me through the voice of the Gabai. This Shabbat we read the Ten Commandments for the second time. The honor for this aliyah is always reserved for the learned Rav of the Bet Knesset who understands more than the rest of the congregation the secrets and depths of the Torah and this profound aliyah. The Gabai called up a new comer to the Bet Knesset who had recently begun practicing Judaism. The Gabai realized he made a mistake and was very embarrassed. The Rav saw the situation and answered not to worry, he will take the Shma Israel Aliyah which is also a good one. Between the two aliyah's I was called up and I whispered to the Gabai that at Kiddish I will explain what just happened and its significance. He smiled. At Kiddish I explained the following. When I made Aliyah people back home wrote me and asked me what it was like living in Israel. I answered that, back home we studied this wonderful book called the Torah. The difference is that now I am living inside of this book. Everything that we looked at from the outside I am seeing from the inside. Stories of idol worshipers that didn't seem believable I can see with my own eyes and understand the situations and the arguments. I can look up and see new pages of Torah being written every day in the Land of Israel. In the Talmud (Baba Metzia 85a) Rav Zera fasted 100 days before he came to Israel from Babylon. He wanted to forget the Babylonian yeshiva methods of study so that he would have a new head for the Torah of Israel. I can understand this because living in Israel the Torah becomes completely different. It becomes more than study it becomes a reality that we are building physically. Why am I saying this? The Ten Commandments are repeated twice in the Torah. Today we are repeating them for the second time to the generation that is about to enter the Land. To them it is a new Torah; not a Torah that they only studied but one they will use as a blueprint to build the Nation in its homeland. What happened today in the Bet Knesset is a reflection of what happened in the Parsha. Moshe wanted to enter the Land of Israel but Hashem denied him saying Rav Lach. It's interesting to note that these are the same words used by Moshe to Korach. What could the connection be? In another unusual passage we hear a complaint from Moshe when he states lemanchem (because of you ) I cannot enter the Land. Hashem said however in Parshat Chukat that Moshe was being punished not because of the people but for hitting the rock. Maybe if he had spoken differently the attitude of the people may have changed. At 255

any rate at this point Hashem makes it clear to Moshe that even though he envisions great things in the future the situation today requires him to remain with his generation in the desert. Just as Korach was told to accept his prominent position as a Levi rather than demand more than was coming to him also Moshe had to accept his position as leader of his generation and not the one who would lead the next generation into Erez Israel. To understand this better we can look at our own recent history. There was the generation before the Shoa and the generation after the Shoa. When the Torah leadership saw the young generation of Zionists turning the desert into a garden they were incensed. ‘This Aliyah belongs to us’ they felt. We have studied all of the laws and have the proper reverence for Erez Israel and these Zionists are coming to pollute the Holy Land and disregard its sanctity. They forbid their followers to go there. And so history was played out as it happened. But there was no mistake. This was what Hashem decreed. Maybe the anger at the rock did not accurately represent Hashems disposition. Maybe tragedy could have been prevented. However there comes a time when Hashem says Rav Lach. The gematria of nachamu = nachilu (to possess). The greatest comfort from the terrible horrors and countless deaths of the Shoa is the rebirth of Israel. The double phrase nachamu nachamu = 208 the gematria of Itzchak as well as Pinchas. It seems to me that the death and rebirth of Am Israel involves two types of korbanot. The korbanot of the Shoa were perfect sacrifices like Itzchak while the sacrifices we continue to suffer today are in the manner of Pinchas the avenger. Today the strong arm of Israel brings vengeance to our enemies while both sacrifices build Am Israel from blood and through blood, from fire with fire. So a new comer took the Aliyah that should have been the Rav’s Aliyah and what was his name? Amichai. Or read Am Israel Chai. The great tikkun that happened however and sign from above that Moshiach is close at hand was pronounced by the Rav. Rather than demanding his rightful Aliyah he said Shma Israel is also good. The Lord our God; the Lord is One. There was no mistake with Moshe or the Shoa nor today. Hashem decrees the times and sometimes they don't seem to fit but if we look a little deeper the Gabai never makes mistakes. 256

Kahane in the Parsha Ekev 257

Ekev 2012 In this weeks Parsha Moshe admonished us to circumcise the foreskin of our heart. To understand what this means let us look at a few related passages. ‫;הע כר שלת כל שב כב תכם‬ 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your ‫ יאת‬,‫טז ו כמ נל התם‬ heart, and be no more stiffnecked. ‫ ע הוד‬,‫לא כת נקשו‬--‫נו הע נר נפ הכם‬ (Devarim 10:16) --‫ א הו הה יע נב יר היה‬,‫ יי המ יכר נלך א יחיך הה יע נב ירי‬-‫ יב יכי‬12 If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew ,‫ כה נש יבי יעת‬,‫ ישש הש ינים; ו כב הש הנה‬,‫ כו נע הב נדך‬woman, be sold unto thee, he shall serve thee six years; and in the seventh year thou shalt let him ‫ ימ יע המךכת שש כל תחנו‬,‫הח נפ ישי‬ go free from thee. (Devarim 15:12) Hashem is long suffering and endures personal insult however when His children are cruel to each punishment often ensues. Exile and the accompanied tragedy comes from the mistreatment of our brothers; from the sale of Yoseph to the refusal to free Hebrew servants hundreds of years later. One way to remove this hard exterior is to be concerned about our brothers, from those settling our Land to those that lack food and sustenance. ‫נחצוה כצ הרת‬,‫ ימ נק השה‬--‫הכ הסף‬‫נלך‬‫ נש יתי‬,‫ב נע ישה נלך‬ 2 'Make thee two trumpets of silver; of beaten ‫כת נע השה הא התם; נו ההיו‬ work shalt thou make them; and they shall be unto ,‫נל ימ נק הרא הה יע הדה‬ thee for the calling of the congregation, and for ‫ כה כמ נחנ הות‬-‫ ו נל כמ כסע האת‬causing the camps to set forward. (Bamidbar 10:2) The trumpets of war and the shofar of Rosh Hoshanna serve to stir our hearts and awaken us from our apathy and turn us from destructive paths. ‫ נפ ירי יעץ הה הדר‬,‫ מ ו נל כק נח התם הל הכם כבי הום הה יראש הון‬40 And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit ;‫ הנ כחל‬-‫ נו כע נר יבי‬,‫ הע הבת‬-‫ כו נע כנף יעץ‬,‫ ככ הפת נת המ ירים‬of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, ‫ יש נב כעתו כש שמ כח תתם‬--‫ יל נפ יני ניה הוה באל יהי הכם‬, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God ‫ הי ימים‬seven days. (Vayikra 23:40) When we make the proper correction and remove this cruel and cold exterior to reveal the Holy Sparks within, then there is great rejoicing. Waving the four species is a symbol of unity within the diversity of our Nation. Hashem is our shield when we have care and concern for each other. ‫ = הע כר שלת כל שב כב תכם‬the foreskin of your heart = 794 ‫ = כת שש כל תחנו‬let him go = 794 ‫ = נחצוה כצ הרת‬trumpets = 794 ‫ = ו כש שמ כח תתם‬and ye shall rejoice = 794 258

Ekev (2005) Subduing the Giant ‫ נא השר כא התה‬:‫ נב יני נע הנ יקים‬,‫ הגד הול הו הרם‬-‫ ב כעם‬2 a people great and tall, children of giants, that ‫ יל נפ יני נב יני‬,‫ ימי יי נת כי יצב‬--‫ נו כא התה הש כמ נע הת‬,‫ הי כד נע הת‬you knew of, and of whom you have heard say: ‫' נע הנק‬Who can stand before the children of the giant?' ‫ הה הע יבר‬-‫ יכי ניה הוה באל ההיך הוא‬,‫ ג נו הי כד נע הת כהי הום‬3 Know therefore this day, that the Hashem your God is He who crosses before you a consuming ‫הוא כי נש ימי ידם נו ונת הא ככ ה ה א‬-- ‫לה‬ fire; He will destroy them, and He will subjugate ‫יך יאש‬ ‫נל הפ‬ ‫ככ ינ‬,‫ נל הפ הניך; נוה הו כר נש התם נו כה נא כב נד התם כמ יהר‬,‫ יכ י יעם‬them before you; you will drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as Hashem spoke to ‫ככ נא השר יד הבר ניה הוה הלך‬ you. (Devarim 9:2,3) ‫ כר יבים כהג הו יים‬,‫יב נל הב נבך‬ ‫יז יכי התא כמר‬ 17 If thou shalt say in thy heart: 'These nations are .‫ נלה הו ירי השם‬,‫או ככל‬ more than I; how can I dispossess them?' ‫הה יא הלהןא הכה‬ ‫ימ המ יני; י‬ (Devarim 7:17) The Torah of Rav Kahane is the consuming fire that will subjugate the enemies of Hashem. He said things that people felt but were afraid to say. He stood up to the children of the giant and was cursed by his own people for stirring this giant. Yet he proved that there was one thing that scared this mighty giant and that was Kahane. If he had not been persecuted by his own people the giant that we fear would have been banished. 'I want the Arabs out!' he would say. And people questioned 'But how will you transfer them?' He would answer 'with Egged buses'. He said 'We will give the Arabs back to any one of their 22 countries and we will compensate them less 10% that will go into a fund for Sephardic Jews who were robbed of all their fortunes when they escaped from Arab countries with nothing.' He brought the term 'transfer' and population exchange out in public and issues that he was stoned and jailed and beaten for are now being discussed by knesset members. When the Arabs began speaking about compensation for displacement in 1948 the issue of displacement of Sephardic Jews was raised and how they should be compensated. Today the issue of Arabs doing national service has been raised and Moshe Feiglin writes about encouraging Arab immigration to other countries that need skilled labor. It is interesting to note that in the passages above it begins with Hashem driving out our enemies and then it changes from 'He' to 'You'. When we act a little like Rav Kahane Hashem puts fear into our enemies and the giant is subdued. 259

Worn Out Shoes (2012) My good friend Ruben mentioned to me ten years ago that his name 'Ruben' has the same gematria of vraglayim (feet) as seen in this weeks Parsha. It made me wonder about this passage that is seen once here and with some variations in KiSavo, four Parshiot later. When I asked the Rav of the Bograshov Bet Knesset he looked up in an obscure Rashi something about these two passages. Apparently Rashi explains that the 2nd passage refers to when they first left Egypt and the 1st passage refers to forty years later as they no longer had shoes. What does this mean? Is it indicating that our generation is more physical and naked? If we look at the passages that sandwich these lines maybe we can understand it a little more. The 'shoes' that did not wear out come after the 'new heart' we were given. If this corresponds to the generation of the Shoa then it fits that when Israel came into being a new reality set in that we had not known before. The swollen feet of our generation is sandwiched with chastisements so that we understand the miraculous prosperity of the re-birth of our Nation comes with conditions. -‫ כה המן נא השר לא‬-‫ כו כי נא יכ נלך האת‬,‫ כו כי נר יע הבך‬,‫ ג כו ני כע ננך‬3 And He afflicted you, and let you hunger, and ‫ יכי‬,‫ נל כמ כען ה הו ידי נעך‬:‫ נולא הי נדעון נא הב התיך‬,‫ הי כד נע הת‬fed you with manna, which you did not know, neither did your fathers know; that He might make -‫ הכל‬-‫כעל‬ ‫ יכי‬--‫ כה הל החם נל כבד הו יי נח היה ההא הדם‬-‫לא כעל‬ you know that man does not live by bread alone, ‫ יי נח היה ההא הדם‬,‫ ניה הוה‬-‫מ הו הצא יפי‬ but by every thing that emanates from the mouth of G-d does man live. ‫ לא‬,‫ נו כר נג נלך‬,‫ ימ הע הליך‬,‫ ד יש נמ הל נתך לא הב נל התה‬4 Your garment did not wear out upon you and ‫ א נר הב יעים הש הנה‬,‫ הזה‬--‫ הב יצ הקה‬your feet did not swell, these forty years. ‫ ככ נא השר ני כי יסר יאיש‬,‫ יכי‬:‫ נל הב הבך‬-‫ יעם‬,‫ ה נו הי כד נע הת‬5 And you should know in your heart, that, just as ‫ נמ כי נס הר הך‬,‫ ניה הוה באל ההיך‬,‫ נבנ הו‬-‫ האת‬a father will chastise his son, so your God chastises you. (Devarim 8:3,4,5) ‫ נו יעי כנ יים‬,‫ הנ כתן ניה הוה הל הכם ילב הל כד כעת‬-‫ ג נולא‬3 but the LORD hath not given you a heart to ‫ כהי הום כה הזה‬,‫ כעד‬,‫ יל נרא הות נוא נז כנ יים יל נש המ כע‬know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. -‫ כב ימ נד הבר; לא‬,‫ ד הוא הו ילך הא נת הכם א נר הב יעים הש הנה‬4 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; ‫ הב נל התה‬-‫ נו כנ כע נלך לא‬,‫ הבלו כש נל המ יתי הכם ימ נע ילי הכם‬your garment did not wear out from on you, and ‫ ימ כעל כר נג הלך‬your shoe did not wear out from on your foot. --‫ נו כי יין נו יש הכר לא נש יתי התם‬,‫ ה הל החם לא נא ככ נל התם‬5 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk ‫ באל יהי הכם‬,‫ יכי נא יני ניה הוה‬,‫ ית נדעו‬,‫ נל כמ כען‬wine or strong drink; that ye might know that I am the LORD your God. (Devarim 29:3,4,5) 260

Deserving or Undeserving In much of this Parsha Moshe scolds us and reminds us that we are not deserving at all to be given the Torah and the Land of Israel. 'Remember, do not forget, that you provoked Hashem, your God, in the wilderness; from the day you left the land of Egypt.' (Devarim 9:7). In the same Parsha we tells us 'He will deliver their kings into your hand' (Devarim7:24) and 'a Land where you will eat bread without poverty (Devarim 8:9). It reminds me of an old joke. A man is in an accident and temporarily dies and goes to Heaven. He sees how beautiful it feels and when he is returns he knows that he is not afraid to die because he has seen Heaven and he knows how lovely it is. Although it wasn't his time to go; after another fifty years he passed away and returned once again to Heaven. This time it seemed hard and difficult; a place of fire and brimstone. He asked an angel what happened. He remembers that he was there fifty years earlier and it was so beautiful. The angle answered him that fifty years earlier you came as a visitor. Now you are an oleh chadash. What is the connection? From the outside Israel is Hashem's promise to our forefathers and it is His words and prophecies unfolding throughout history. The world and the Jewish people understand this and see the beauty of Israel as it transforms and is revealed. However from the inside looking out, this transformation is difficult and painful. There is much to heal in the heart of Israel and much rebellion and corruption among those charged with its mission. Israel is a work in progress. The Roots of Redemption The Rav writes in this weeks Parsha about a great secret of the Torah. ‫ כה ימ נצ הוה‬-‫ הכל‬-‫ הש המר ית נש נמרון האת‬-‫ כב יכי יאם‬22 For if you will observe the entire :‫ כל נעשה התה‬--‫ נא השר א הנ יכי נמ כצ הוה הא נת הכם‬,‫ כה הזאת‬commandment that I command you, to perform it, to love Hashem your God, to walk in all His ways, -‫נב הכל‬ ‫הל הל הכת‬ ,‫ ניה הוה באל יהי הכם‬-‫נלא נה הבה האת‬ and to cleave to Him, ‫בוה‬-‫ו כל הד כב הקה‬--‫דנרה הכיו‬ (Dvarim 11:22) The Torah commands us “to love Hashem your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him” (Dvarim 11:22). Concerning the final words, “and to cleave to Him,” the great Biblical commentator, the Ibn Exra, writes: “And this is a great secret.” And the Ibn Ezra concludes right there, leaving us with what is , by now, a great secret, indeed. For what did he mean by declaring these words “a great secret”? The commentary on the Ibn Ezra, the Avi Ezer (Rabbi Shlomo Hakohen of Lissa), takes pains to explain in words that should be engraved on the heart of every Jew: “The secret of the L-rd is given over to those who fear Him and cleave to His attributes...And in the cleaving itself there is a tremendous secret, not to exchange the essence of one for the other and to hold onto pity at a time when there is a need for anger...or to hold on to humility when one should clothe oneself with pride or with vengeance, as in the case of Pinchas. And few are the men of stature who can seize the attributes faithfully and not stumble over them. Lo, they are the great ones in the land.” (Rav Kahane on Parshat Ekev – Kahane on the Parsha Pg 266) 261

The Rav goes on to explain the great secret of understanding the times and Hashems attributes. One must know when it is time to be like Pinchas and when it is time to be like Aaron. The problem he continues to explain is that because of the exile the Torah has become distorted. ...the words of the Rambam echo throughout the ages. Concerning the verse (Dvarim 7:16), “And you shall consume all the people which the L-rd thy G-d shall deliver thee, thine eye shall not have no pity on them,” the Rambam declares; “For through the mercy of fools, all justice is lost.” (Rav Kahane on Parshat Ekev – Kahane on the Parsha Pg 269) When false prophets arise and proclaim evil good and good evil the essence of their crime which is punishable by death is counterfeiting the Torah. Concerning the law of the false prophet who must be killed, the sainted Ohr HaChaim (Dvarim 13:5) quotes the Sifri explaining the basis of the crime to be the fact that he counterfeited the Torah, and he declares: “And for this counterfeiting does he die.” Should those who daily pervert and counterfeit Torah not tremble to their very roots at these words? (Rav Kahane on Parshat Ekev – Kahane on the Parsha Pg 268) This is the big sin. If one was to say that we don't want the Torah and what it demands this would be a lesser evil, but to distort the Torah because of our weakness and say this is in fact what Hashem demands, this is the great sin. The great chidush of the Rav is that he clarified this distortion that has infected us from this long exile, and showed us by example the authentic Torah and what is required of us. The irony is that his enemies say that he distorts the Torah for his own ends. The very opposite is true. By his example and his own clinging to Hashem he has demonstrated to us this great secret. If we look at some Gematrias related to the word 'cleaving' ‫ב הו‬-‫( ו נל הד נב הקה‬to cleave to – 155) we can see some of the root causes of the problem and the solution. :‫ הל כבז יי נה היה‬,‫ נא השר נא כמ נר התם‬--‫ לא כו שט כפ תכם‬31 But your young children of whom you said they will be taken captive, I shall bring them: ‫נא השר‬ ,‫ ההא הרץ‬-‫האת‬ ‫ נו הי נדעו‬--‫הא התם‬ ‫נו יה יביא יתי‬ they shall know the Land that you have despised. ‫הבה‬ ‫נמא נס התם‬ (Bamidbar 14:31) One of the distortions of the Torah comes about because of our 'cleaving' to our children. Was there ever a father more concerned about his only son than Avraham and yet he was willing to follow Hashems command and trust in His compassion. The sacrifice he made with Itzchak became a blessing in disguise. The generation who failed to enter the Land and distorted the Torah because of their natural love of their children ended up dying a terrible death in the desert while the children they were concerned about entered the Land and were blessed. ,‫ הע השה ניה הוה‬-‫ יאת נא השר‬,‫ הה הרא הות‬,‫ ג יעי יני הכם‬3 Your eyes have seen what Hashem did with ‫ נא השר הה כלך א נח ירי‬,‫ הה יאיש‬-‫ יכי הכל‬:‫ בנ כבעכל נפע הור‬Baal-peor; for every man that followed Baal Peor, Hashem your God destroyed him from your ‫ ימ יק נר הבך‬,‫ יה נש ימיד הו ניה הוה באל ההיך‬--‫ נפע הור‬-‫כב כעל‬ midst. --‫ באל יהי הכם‬,‫ כביה הוה‬,‫ שה כד ןב יקים‬,‫ ד נו כא התם‬4 But you who cling to Hashem your God – ‫ כהי הום‬,‫ כח ייים מכ נל הכם‬you are all alive today. (Dvarim 4:4) 262

Another great distortion comes because of our 'clinging' to Midian and all of the physical and sexual incitements that caused a holy generation to prostrate themselves to foreign gods they did not really believe in simply for the sake of the physical reward they would receive in doing so. Are we still not plagued with this today? Below we see the antidote in the words of Calev. ,‫ המ השה; כו היא המר‬-‫ האל‬,‫ הה העם‬-‫ ל כו כי כהס הכ ילב האת‬30 And Caleb silenced the people toward Moses, ascend, ‫ הלהשנ נעלתה‬,‫ היכ הול נו ככל‬-‫ יכי‬--‫נו הי כר נשנו הא התה‬ ‫העלה‬ and said: 'We shall surely and conquer it; for we can surely do it.' (Bamidbar 13:31) ‫ כוטש כפ תכם‬- but your young children - 155 ‫ – שנ נע תלה‬ascend – 155 ‫בוה‬-‫ ו כל הד כב הקה‬- to cleave to – 155 The simple faith that is required will bring us both blessing to our children and all of the physical gratification that we desire when we enter the Land flowing with milk and honey and conquer the internal galut. Essentially the impediment is an internal one that effects all of us because of the exile. The cure is to cling to the truth and overcome our fears as the Rav demonstrated. When the love of Israel and the Jewish people and the Torah of Hashem is paramount not only will their be security for our loved ones and all of the physical gratifications we desire but our clinging to Hashem will cause the world to cling to us measure for measure. ,‫ כב הי ימים הה יה המה‬,‫ ניה הוה נצ הבא הות‬,‫א כמר‬-‫ כג הכה‬23 Thus said Hashem, Master of Legions: In those ‫ נא השר כי נח יזיקו נע הש הרה נא הנ ישים ימ הכל נל השנ הות‬days it will happen that ten men of all the [different] languages of the nations, will take ,‫כהג הו יים; נו הה בח יזיקו יב נכ כנף יאיש ניהו ידי ילא המר‬ hold, they will take hold of the corner of the ‫ באל יהים יע המ הכם‬,‫ יכי הש כמ נענו‬--‫ינ נל הכה יע המ הכם‬ garment of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.' (Zecharia 8:23) 263

The Kabbalah of Rav Kahane In the 'Roots of Redemption' we expanded on the great secret that the Rav writes about. It appears to me that the Torah responds that the great secret is actually Rav Kahane himself. My friend Rav Yacov who is a master of Gematria pointed out to me that Eikev Tishmeru is the Gematria of the 'Secret of Rav Kahane' spelled out in his full name. ‫ יאת כה ימ נש הפ יטים‬,‫ יב נו הה היה ןע תקב ית כש כמעון‬12 This shall be the reward when you hearken to these ordinances, and you observe ‫ נו הש כמר‬--‫ הא התם‬,‫ ו נש כמ נר התם כו נע ישי התם‬,‫הה יא הלה‬ ,‫ כה הח הסד‬-‫ כה נב ירית נו האת‬-‫ האת‬,‫ניה הוה באל ההיך נלך‬ and perform them; Hashem your God, will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness ‫ כל נא הב התיך‬,‫נא השר ינ נש כבע‬ that He swore to your forefathers. (Dvarim 7:12) The secret of Rav Kahane ‫ =מאיר הד יוד בן כי תח כז ןקאל כש שר הגא‬Meir David Ben Yechezkel Shraga = 977 ‫ תקב ית כש כמעון‬- ‫ ןע‬- (secret/sod 60) ‫( = תקב ית כש כמעון‬including letters +1 =977) In addition the gemtria of Rav Kahane spelled out fully is the same as Shoresh Hamatzil and Shorech Ekev. (add quotes) ‫ = שרש המאציל‬the root of the redeemer – (976 +1) – 977 ‫ = שרש העקב‬the root of the heel – (977) One may ask what could be the connection between Shoresh Hamatzil in the Kabalah and Shoresh HaEkev and Rav Kahane? The explanation I believe will shed light on a Rashi that it seems to me is not understood correctly. First let us understand the connection between Shoresh HaMatzil and Shoresh HaEkev. How could the world of Atzilut which is the source of all Creation and the source of the one who redeems us with a great and awesome hand be connected to Shoresh HaEkev which is related to the small mitzvot that we are less concerned about and that we trample under our feet? 264

‫ נא השר הע השה‬-‫ יאת הכל‬,‫ נל הח נתנ הו‬,‫ ח כו ני כס יפר המ השה‬8 And Moses told his father-in-law all that the :‫ כעל א הו הדת יי נש הר יאל‬,‫ ניה הוה נל כפ נר העה ו נל ימ נצ כר יים‬LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the travail that had ,‫כב הד הרך‬ ‫נמ הצא כתם‬ ‫נא השר‬ ‫ כה נת הלאה‬-‫הכל‬ ‫יאת‬ come upon them by the way, and how the LORD ‫ וש שי יצ ןלם ניה הוה‬delivered them. (Shmot 18:8) -‫ כב ימ נד הבר; לא‬,‫ ד הוא הו ילך הא נת הכם א נר הב יעים הש הנה‬4 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your garment did not wear out from on you, and ‫בהלנתההכו שנ שע כלך‬-‫לא‬ ,‫ימ נע ילי הכם‬ ‫הבלו כש נל המ יתי הכם‬ your foot. ‫ימ כעל כר נג הלך‬ your shoe did not wear out from on (Dvarim 9:4) ‫ = שו שי יצ ןלם‬delivered them = 176 ‫ = כו שנ שע כלך‬your shoe = 176 ‫ = המאציל‬the redeemer = 176 ‫ = העקב‬the heel = 177 On one hand the great and awesome Boreh Olam (Creator of the Universe) is causing revolutions, splitting the ocean, redeeming nations; yet on another hand He is concerned also with the small details of each individual to the extent that even our sandals did not wear out in the desert. He clings to us too, like a father watching over his toddlers. He wants to give us all of the blessings that we read about in Ekev Tishmeru. Yet the same Gematria describes something very dreadful. ‫ ימ נצוהת‬-‫לא ית נש נמעו האל‬-‫ יאם‬,‫ כח כו שה כק הל הלה‬28 and the curse, if you do not hearken to the commandments of Hashem your God, and you ‫ נא השר‬,‫ כה הד הרך‬-‫ נו כס נר התם ימן‬,‫ניה הוה באל יהי הכם‬ stray from the path that I command you today, to ‫ א נח ירי‬,‫ הל הל הכת‬:‫א הנ יכי נמ כצ הוה הא נת הכם כהי הום‬ go after other gods, which you have not known. ‫ ני כד נע התם‬-‫ נא השר לא‬--‫באל יהים נא יח ירים‬ (Dvarim 11:28) ‫ = כו שה כק הל הלה‬and the curse = 176 How does the great redeemer who wants the good of each individual Jew become the one who meets out such terrible judgments? Chazal tells us: Midrashically, the word ‫ עקב‬which also means heel, alludes to the sort of commandments that people may regard as relatively unimportant, so they tend figuratively to “tread on them with 265

their heels.” Thus, the Torah assures Israel that if they are careful to observe even these neglected commandments, they can be certain the God will reward them with His covenant and kindness (Rashi) What exactly are these small mitzvot that we trample on? What are these little details that we discard? I submit that these small details are the very mitzvot that the Rav championed. The very mitzvot that we consider unimportant cause tremendous suffering to us each and every day. 'Throwing out our enemies? Building the Bet Hamigdash? These are jobs for the Moshiach when he arrives' say many of our observant brothers. 'Our job is to simply keep our traditions and Hashem will fight our battles for us.' Rav Kahane however proved in his lifetime that we can bring Moshiach now and it is only ourselves that prevent it. As Calev stood alone against an angry mob and silenced them, so the Rav stood against many angry mobs and spoon fed them Torah that was completely foreign to them yet was understood in their hearts. ‫ יאת א נר הב יעים כהי הום‬,‫ כה הו הא נת כנ כפל יל נפ יני ניה הוה‬25 I threw myself down before Hashem for the forty days and forty nights that I threw myself :‫ נא השר יה כת שנ הפ כל יתי‬--‫א נר הב יעים כה כל ני הלה‬-‫נו האת‬ down; for Hashem had intended to destroy you. ‫ נל כה נש ימיד הא נת הכם‬,‫א כמר ניה הוה‬-‫יכי‬ (Dvarim 9:25) ‫ = יה כת שנ הפ כל יתי‬threw myself down = (976+1= 977) ‫ =מאיר הד יוד בן כי תח כז ןקאל כש שר הגא‬Meir David Ben Yechezkel Shraga = 977 The Rav took a bullet for us literally. He prevented the anger of Hashem by clarifying the Torah for us so that we can see the path and demonstrate to us that Hashems commandments are possible and are required by us and will bring us much more blessing and joy than we think we have when we trample these mitzot which result in a curse rather than a blessing. This Torah is yet growing inside the people. The Atzilut of Hashem must flow to the very bottom of our sandals so that we alone can pick up the pebbles and destroy all of the Goliaths that prevent our own joy as well as the redemption of the entire world. It is in our power to do it. I heard a story on Shabbat from Rav Yoav at a Sefardi Bet Knesset I sometimes frequent. As the story goes, two friends went on a vacation to Sfat and shared a room in an Inn. They turned the light out and went to sleep. Then one got up and opened the window as he said it was hot and hard to breath. The other then got up and closed it saying its much too cold. Afterward the other one again opened it. Following this the other one closed it. And so it went all night as they argued, one was freezing and the other could not breath. Finally one of them took a chair and he broke the window and went to bed. How good he felt now that he could breath and there was fresh air. The other one cursed him. How can you be so cruel as I am sitting here freezing without a proper blanket. I will be sick in the morning and catch a cold. In the morning they woke and discovered that it was not the window that he had broken, but the mirror. What is the message? Although the window was shut, one could finally breath fresh air. Although the window was shut one was cursing the other and freezing. The message is, that its all in our minds. If we will it we can bring our own redemption but the room is dark and we can't see the window. 266

From the Heel to the Crown (2018) The month of Elul is coming very soon and coincidentally this week I sat with an old friend of mine in Jerusalem in his permanent backyard sukha. We discussed some beautiful Torah ideas. He is a very staunch Chabad Chassid and he knows that I am a Kahane Chassid. I explained to him what I thought was the main difference or essence between the two forms of Chassidut. Chabad excel's in a Ahavat Israel. They will go to the far corners of the world to find one Jew and bring him back to yiddishkeit. Kahane Chassidut also demonstrates a great deal of Ahavat Israel but in addition Ahavat ‘Eretz’ Israel. Those who bear the torch of Rabbi Kahane we read about in the newspaper as the Hilltop Youth. These youngsters zealously settle barren hilltops despite being dragged out by police, being beaten and having their settlements destroyed. They keep returning fearlessly to rebuild what was destroyed. These are the Chassidim of Rav Kahane. How is this related to our Parsha? My friend Yacov who is an expert with gematrias once told me that the gematria of Ekev Tishmerun is the same as that of Rav Kahane. Also Shoresh Ekev is the same gematria. What could be the connection? Ekev which also means ‘heel’ the Rabbi's tell us is connected to the seemingly unimportant mitzvot that we trample under foot. Ekev is also related to Yaakov who's name is connected to the word ‘heel’. Yaakov has two quite opposing dispositions related to his two names Yaakov and Israel. Yaakov (the heel) finds himself always running from Esav. Israel the opposite character wrestles with the angel of Esav and will not let him leave until he is blessed. Now what do these supposed insignificant mitzvot and the heel of Yaakov have to do with Rabbi Kahane? In addition what is this great reward that Moshe declares in this Parsha that comes from fulfilling these seemingly insignificant mitzvot? There is a long list of blessings including conquering an enemy that seems so overwhelming. What is the connection of our feeling outnumbered by this gigantic enemy, conquering this enemy and receiving untold blessings? How is all of the above connected to seemingly insignificant mitzvot that we trample under our feet? The answer I believe is quite obvious. To the grandchildren of Rabbi Kahane who settle barren hilltops there are no enemies, and if there are they are like dandruff that is simply brushed off. However to the Army and to the people of Yaakov ‘the heel’ this tiny group of vagabonds is opening a can of worms that is threatening the whole nation and the whole region by these reckless actions. To these people the enemy is huge and we are tiny like the heel of Yakov The insignificant mitzvot that we trample on, disregard and do not fulfill because we are waiting for some future time are actually very significant and hold within them tremendous blessing. These mitzvot can in fact transform our time. To the grandchildren of Rabbi Kahane settling the land and chasing away our enemies are part and parcel of The Commandments that we have been commanded. The fact that these mitzvot seem difficult insignificant and dangerous is the root cause that Yaakov remains Yaakov and not Israel. In Chabad we always hear people say ‘We want Moshiach now!’ but I believe that first you need to ‘be’ Moshiach before you receive Moshiach. In our daily siddur the blessing of receiving the Torah comes after the blessing of studying the Torah. 267

This seems illogical. Should it not be written the other way around? First we thank Hashem for receiving the Torah, only then can we study it. However this is actually the point. By studying the Torah we may have the merit to ‘receive’ the Torah. Our receiving will open our eyes to what we previously studied and will transform our learning into a completely different reality. When we become Israel that wrestles with angels and will not let them go until we have been blessed, then we will merit to have a king that corresponds to his subjects. The King cannot be a leader of ‘heels’. When we start to do the opposite of our nature we will transform our heel personality to our royal personality and we will crown ourselves Kings. When we find the crown within us then that which seemed overwhelming will seem easy and insignificant and by fulfilling these easy and insignificant mitzvot we will automatically receive this bounty of blessing. We must want Moshiach so bad that we become Moshiach from our heel to our crown then all the rest will follow and Israel will be like Gan Eden. 268

Kahane in the Parsha Re'eah 269

Re'eh – To See There is no greater inspiration than when one 'sees' an example. From the very beginning of our history Nimrod sought to destroy Avraham because he set a dangerous precedent. Here was a man who was a living example of the 'standard' of righteousness. If he could live up to this standard then it compelled others as well to live up to this standard. This 'standard' is what threatened Nimrod and his false morality. If we kill the 'standard bearer' then we put fear into others who dare carry this standard and can get away with 'murder'. Nimrod was not successful, nor Pharaoh and every other tyrant that tried to erase the 'standard' of Israel. The Rabbi in our time continued to carry that authentic torch of Torah which fearlessly defied the false moralists that tried to destroy him. They succeeded in destroying his body but his Torah lives on and the greatness of this Torah is that we 'see' it. We have witnessed what one man can do and what he can inspire. His example leads the way for us. 'Thus' (Kach), this is the way. If the world comes to conquer Israel the answer is not to run away or give away Yehuda and Shomron. The answer is to stand strong and redeem our Land. Avraham and his servant (two men) conquered the whole world in their time. They returned the world back to these kings on the condition that they recognize what is the true 'standard' of righteousness that must be maintained in the world. If we look a little closer at Reeah Anochi we can see the example we spoke about above. If one man can stand tall as this than we too have the ability to stand tall and we are obligated to do so. :‫ כהי הום‬--‫יל נפ יני הכם‬ ‫הנ יתן‬ ‫ א הנ יכי‬,‫כו כר ןאה‬ 26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: ‫ ו נק הל הלה‬,‫נב הר הכה‬ (Dvarim 11:26) ‫ א הנ יכ‬,‫ה‬:‫ כהי הום‬--‫יל נפ יני הכם‬ ‫כו נר יא‬ 26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and ‫הנ יתן‬ ‫י‬ ,‫נב הר הכה‬ a curse: ‫ו נק הל הלה‬ (Dvarim 11:26) ‫רכ ןא י‬,‫ נב הר הכה‬:‫ כהי הום‬--‫הנ יתן יל נפ יני הכם‬ 26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and ‫א הנכי‬ ,‫כו ה‬ a curse: ‫ו נק הל הלה‬ (Dvarim 11:26) ‫ = הר יאי יכה שנא‬vision of (look and see) Kahane Look and see with your own eyes Rav Kahane and what he did and you will understand what you also can do and what is expected of you to do. If we do not go in this way, or we do nothing but close our eyes and hope that bad will go away we will experience the curses that we are afflicted with daily. If we go in this way however we will bring great blessing not only upon ourselves but the entire world. 270

There Won't Be Quiet (2014) Binymin Kahane wrote on this weeks Parsha that we have two choices, either being blessed or being cursed. There is no third choice of mediocrity. We see this concept very clearly today as the heart of Hamas is hardened like Pharaoh of the past. No matter how much we want to make peace and have a ceasefire, Hamas cares less. No matter how much we have destroyed of their infrastructure and tunnels and people, they could care less. All we want is quiet. All they want is to die and kill as many infidels that they can take along the way. We try to explain our situation to the world and they also could care less. As I have written before we are 'reluctant conquerors'. Hashem knows this and this is why He creates these situations so that we have no choice but to rise to our greatness and fullest potential which in turn brings miracles from above and demonstrates to the world that there is a G-d of Israel that neither slumbers nor sleeps. We see in our Parsha that this dynamic has existed from the beginning. ‫ נא השר‬,‫ כהג הו יים‬-‫ כי נכ ירית ניה הוה באל ההיך האת‬-‫ כט יכי‬29 When Hashem your God shall cut down the ;‫ ימ הפ הניך‬--‫ הש המה הל הר השת א הו התם‬-‫ כא התה הבא‬nations to which you come to take possession from them, before you, and you will take ‫ נו הי כש נב הת נבא נר הצם‬,‫נו הי כר נש הת הא התם‬ possession from them and settle in their land, (Devarim 12:29) Hashem causes our enemies hearts to be hardened so that we have no choice but to conquer them. The next stage is to take possession of their land and to settle it. We cannot settle without taking possession. Without repossessing our land they will continue to attack us and be a thorn in our side. Disengaging from parts of our Land does not bring a solution, but only makes the problem worse. Instead of blessing we continue to be cursed. The world may react with support for our enemies however Hashem reminds us and we in turn remind the world of whom we are dealing with. -‫ יכי הכל‬:‫ כליה הוה באל ההיך‬,‫ כת נע השה יכן‬-‫ לא לא‬31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God; ‫ יכי‬--‫ העשו ילאל יהי ההם‬,‫ ת הו נע כבת ניה הוה נא השר הש ינא‬for everything that is an abomination to Hashem, that He hates, have they done to their ‫הב יאש‬ ‫יי נש נרפו‬ ,‫ נב הנ יתי ההם‬-‫נו האת‬ ‫ נב יני ההם‬-‫כגם האת‬ gods; for even their sons and their daughters ‫ילאל יהי ההם‬ have they burned in the fire to their gods. (Devarim 12:31) We are dealing with people who want to kill their own civilians and children in order to win the propaganda war against Israel. It is a battle of light against darkness, the book of life against the cult of death. Our survival and our destruction of our enemies means the survival and rehabilitation of the whole world. The cancer of radical Islam is spreading around the world and we are in the forefront of this battle. Those who are merciful to the cruel, will in the end be cruel to the merciful. We are warned in the same passages not to add or subtract from these commandments nor to follow false prophets. 271

--‫ נא השר א הנ יכי נמ כצ הוה הא נת הכם‬,‫ כה הד הבר‬-‫ א יאת הכל‬1 All this word which I command you, that shall ‫ נולא‬,‫ הת יסף הע הליו‬-‫ לא‬:‫ כל נעש הות‬,‫ האת הו ית נש נמרו‬ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor ‫ ית נגרכע מימהנו‬diminish from it (Devarim 13:1) ;‫ א הו הח ילם נחל הום‬,‫ היקום נב יק נר נבך הנ יביא‬-‫ ב יכי‬2 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a ‫ א הו מ הו יפת‬,‫ נו הנ כתן יא הליך א הות‬dreamer of dreams--and he give thee a sign or a wonder, ((Devarim 13:2) This warning comes for future generations. ,‫ א נח ירי‬,‫ ית הנ יקש א נח ירי ההם‬-‫ הפן‬,‫ ל יה הש המר נלך‬30 take heed to yourself lest you be attracted after ‫ ית נד הרש ילאל יהי ההם‬-‫ יה הש נמ הדם ימ הפ הניך; ו הפן‬them to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before you; and lest you seek out -‫האת‬ ‫ יאי הכה כי כע נבדו כהג הו יים הה יא הלה‬,‫ילא המר‬ their gods, saying: 'How did these nations worship ‫א יני‬-‫ כגם‬,‫ יכן‬-‫ נו הא בע השה‬,‫באל יהי ההם‬ their gods? even I will do likewise.' ((Devarim 12:30) 'Clearly the generations closest to the defeat of the Canaanites would not be tempted to imitate them, but with the passage of time people unfamiliar with the past might be tempted to resurrect the ancient practices of the natives.' (Alshich) The phenomena of 'Peace Now' and Jews marching for Arabs and betraying and accusing Israel in an attempt to cause world condemnation is a mentality born from confusion and ignorance of the past. The false prophets and even religious leaders that add and diminish the laws so that we either do not confront reality or invent an illusion far from reality increase in the generations after the original conquest. Hashem hardens the hearts of our enemies so that these illusions are destroyed and we must come to terms with reality and the cruelty of our enemies. From the animosity of our cousins comes our refinement. And from the animosity within our family comes our complete redemption. One leads to the other. Hashem hardens the heart of Pharoah and forces us to destroy him so that we will be blessed. After a generation or two, when some begin to romanticize the people of the past and feel guilty of our success, Hashem reminds us that these people throw their own children into fire. They represent everything that is cruel and unjust and He despises these people. He reminds us not to add or subtract to the commandments he gave us. The heritage of the servants of Hashem is that we judge and condemn and destroy evil so that good will flourish. As it goes for Israel so it goes for the world. As I sat in Bet Knesset today someone told me that the war will make people do teshuva and keep shabbat,etc. I told him what Binyamin wrote in this weeks Parsha. Of course teshuva is good, but Shabbat and Tefillin is not the only teshuva that is needed. The teshuva that is really needed is 'do not add or subtract'. Do not forget that when you arrive in the Land of Israel you must throw out your enemies or they will be a thorn in your side. This is the real teshuva. This is why it says drive away and settle. There is no settlement without driving away. The false prophets in our own time have an influence on the people that has a much more detrimental 272

effect than our cousins in Gaza and elsewhere that have an ax to grind. They sooth us with words of 'quiet' but there will be no 'quiet'. The pressure from outside will force us inside to silence the false prophets and do what we must do to survive because we no longer have an option. We must destroy our enemies or be destroyed. It is as simple as that. Either we conquer and are blessed or we are cursed. There is no middle road. There is no settlement without possession. There will not be quiet until we conquer our enemies and then we will flourish and be blessed. We see in the past from the struggle with the angel of Esav came the name Israel. In our times as well, the struggles of Europe (Esavs domain) gave birth to the physical State of Israel. The struggle with Ishmael will give birth to Judea and our spiritual perfection. As it says in our Haftorah: ‫ הנ יפ כח נב יאש‬--‫ הב הרא יתי הח הרש‬,‫ טז הן ) יה ינה( א הנ יכי‬16 Behold, I have created the smith who blows on ‫ ומ הו יציא נכ ילי נל כמ נע ישהו; כוא הנ יכי הב הרא יתי‬,‫ הפ החם‬a charcoal flame and withdraws a tool for his ‫ כל שח ןבל‬,‫ שמ כש יחית‬labor; and I have created the destroyer for ruin. ‫ הלשוהן‬-‫ כו הכל‬,‫ לא יי נצ הלח‬,‫ נכ ילי יו כצר הע כל ייך‬-‫ יז הכל‬17 No weapon that is formed against you shall ‫ כת נר ישי יעי; הזאת כנ נח כלת‬,‫ יא התך של ימ כש הפט‬-‫ התקום‬prosper; and every tongue that will rise against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is ‫ ניה הוה‬-‫ ננ מאם‬--‫ ימ יא יתי‬,‫ כע נב ידי ניה הוה נו יצ נד הק התם‬. the heritage of the servant of Hashem, and their righteousness is from Me, the words of Hashem. (Yishayahu 54:16,17) [Haftorah Re'eh] The Missing Link As we said above the mitzva of settling is not complete without possessing. If we settle without throwing our enemies out, in the end they will throw us out and 'posses' as they do today in Gush Tatif. ‫ נא השר‬,‫ כהג הו יים‬-‫ כי נכ ירית ניה הוה באל ההיך האת‬-‫ כט יכי‬29 When Hashem your God shall cut down the ;‫ ימ הפ הניך‬--‫ הש המה הל הר השת א הו התם‬-‫ כא התה הבא‬nations to which you come to take possession from them, before you, and you will take ‫נבא נר הצםכויה שרשכתה כויה שש כב הת‬ possession from them and settle in their land, ,‫הא התם‬ (Devarim 12:29) This week I looked at the difference between the two words ‫( נו הי כש נב הת‬settle-718) and ‫( נו הי כר נש הת‬posses- 916). The difference is 198. ‫ = צכ החק‬laughter – 198 And Sarah said: 'God has made laughter for me (Bereshit 21:6) ‫ = כב ןעי ןנינו‬in our own sight – 198 and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers (Bamidbar 13:33) When we 'settle' without 'possessing' our enemies laugh at us. In addition there are many needless sacrifices like Itzchak (root ‫) נצ החק‬. All of these needless sacrifices are because of our lack of vision (Re'eh). We are small in our eyes, surrounded by giants. Let it be this year when we see the king walking through the field and He blesses us for a healthy and prosperous year that we bless Him in return by saying, 'It's not appropriate for a King to be walking through the field. This year let us throw out your enemies and build you a palace'. 273

All your children will be students of Hashem ( Haftorah - Yishayahu 54:13) I was waiting in line at the grocery and a secular Tel Aviv man was complaining about the lower brands of Tuna that may contain Dolphin meat. I pointed out that most Tuna has a Hechsher (kosher stamp). He shouldn't worry because Dolphins are not kosher so there is no way there would be dolphin meat in Tuna. The man refuted my argument by adding 'what about batel b'shishim?' (Battle Bshishim – There is a principle in the Talmud of batel b'shishim (nullified in sixty; that is, permissible so long as forbidden ingredients constitute no more than 1/60 of the whole) . Here I am in a grocery store with a secular man who refutes my theory based on the Talmud. Only in Israel. To See is to Know (2019) That which we see with our own eyes we are certain about. Yet often we fail to understand even that which we have actually seen with our own eyes. Many years ago in the time of Avraham there was an evil king named Nimrod. Nimrod saw with his eyes that this man Avraham was raising the moral standing in the world. If this righteous man existed then he would be an example to others of a higher expectation and accountability of humanity. They would fear the God of Avraham and not Nimrod. And so Nimrod tried to assassinate the first Hebrew. Luckily he did not succeed. In the end Nimrod came to a bad end and Avraham was fruitful and multiplied. Many years later Pharaoh saw with his own eyes the Nation of Israel developing inside of Egypt and though bringing much blessing to his nation their moral influence was not wanted and he feared they would undermine his rule. His persecution of the Hebrew tribes gave birth to the Nation of Israel. The consequent downfall of Pharaoh and Egypt became a symbol to the world of freedom and emancipation for the persecuted and downtrodden throughout history. In every generation there is one who represents this higher standard for us to see. The rabbis tell us within Israel there is a Yoseph in every generation who is despised and persecuted because he represents this higher standard of accountability. His adversaries often have a similar solution. If you kill the messenger you kill the message. The moral standard of Israel however can never be destroyed for it is built into Creation. If we bring a curse upon ourselves through our lack of faith understanding and vision, we will surely suffer but eventually be redeemed and reborn again into an even greater level of influence in the world. From the near annihilation of the Hebrew tribes came the birth of the Israelite Nation. From the near annihilation of all world Jewry came the rebirth of the modern State of Israel. The standard bearer that is despised comes to save us in every generation from needless suffering and to free us without the need for a rebirth that comes after persecution. What we see with our own eyes however, and how we interpret it, may be the difference between life and death. The standard bearer that came in our recent time like Avraham and Moshe in their times was Rav Meir Kahane. In order to diminish his message and the standard he wished to raise us to, he was jeered at and defamed by those who could not debate the truth he represented. In every generation Hashem sends us an example that we can see with our own eyes. He demonstrates the standard to which Hashem knows we can attain and are expected to attain and will save us from our 274

enemies and from needless suffering. The standard bearer comes to teach us that the enemies that we believe are giants can be easily conquered and fear that we have in our hearts can be transformed into faith that will strengthen us. He shows us with our own eyes what is expected and he demonstrates what can be achieved. Even if the Nimrods come to assassinate we know now what is possible if only there were two or three or four more Meir Kahanes. The standard bearer represents for us what is expected and blazes the trail that leads to the mountain top where what was thought impossible is now possible. So this month of Elul as we prepare to meet the King and return to our source let us be inspired by the standard bearer we saw with our own eyes. Let us see that there really is a possibility to fulfill the commandments that we read in every chapter in the book of Devarim. Let us fulfill the spiritual and physical commandment to disinherit our enemies so that we can truly settle our God given Land. When we rise to be what we were born to become, then Hashem will also see with His eyes and say ‘this is the son I was waiting to see.’ 275

276

Kahane in the Parsha Shoftim 277

Shoftim ‫נלךהנ יביא ימ יק כר כבך‬ 15 A prophet from your midst, from your ‫הי יקים‬ ,‫ימא החיך הכ המ יני‬ ‫ו‬ brethren, like me, shall Hashem, your God, ‫ ית נש המעון‬,‫יא הליו‬ ‫ניה הוה‬ establish for you – to him shall you hearken. :‫באל ההיך‬ (Devarim 18:15) ‫נלךהכ המ ינ‬ 15 A prophet from your midst, from your brethren, ‫הי יקים‬ ,‫ו הנ יביא ימ יק נר נבך ימא החיך י‬ like me, shall Hashem, your God, establish for ‫ ית נש המעון‬,‫ יא הליו‬:‫ניה הוה באל ההיך‬ you – to him shall you hearken. (Devarim 18:15) Like Me – Moshe A prophet like Moshe will arrive in every generation; one who is known to the people like Moshe and who through a particular set of circumstances finds himself in a position to lead the people against his own will, because the prerequisite of this job comes with a tremendous risk, ridicule,and is a thankless job that most aspiring leaders will run from. The JDL didn't begin with Meir Kahane, it began with Moshe who killed a Jew hating taskmaster that was beating a Jewish slave to death. He was informed on by Jewish leaders who wished to show loyalty to Pharaoh and were also jealous of Moshe's courage, integrity, and faith. Moshe became a fugitive for many years, and his whole life was fraught with trials and rebellion. There are many similarities with Meir Kahane whose life was embittered (often by Jewish leaders) because he spoke the essential Torah truth that many people knew and felt but did not have the courage to stand up and fight for. Like Moshe he was also denied the benefit of the fruits of all his labors. There is a Midrash that says when Israel matures in the future Moshe will rise again and we will all enter the Land together. -‫ שעל‬,‫ יבי‬-‫כא שויה הוה יה כת שא שנף‬ 21 Hashem became angry with me because of -‫ נל יב נל יתי הע נב ירי האת‬,‫יד כב ןרי תכם; כו יי הש כבע‬ your deeds, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that ‫ נא השר‬,‫ ההא הרץ כהט הו הבה‬-‫ הבא האל‬-‫ ו נל יב נל יתי‬,‫ כה כי נר ידן‬good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee ‫ ניה הוה באל ההיך הנ יתן נלך כנ נח הלה‬for an inheritance; (Devarim 4:21) Rabbi Meir David Ben Yecheskel Shraga = 977 ‫ יד כב ןרי תכם‬-‫ שעל‬,‫ יבי‬-‫ = שויה הוה יה כת שא שנף‬Hashem became angry with me because of your deeds = 956 956 + 20 for each letter = 976+1 (kollel) = 977 278

‫נלךימ יק כר כבך‬ 15 A prophet from your midst, from your ‫הי יקים‬ ,‫ימא החיך הכ המ יני‬ ‫ו הנ יביא‬ brethren, like me, shall Hashem, your God, ‫ ית נש המעון‬,‫יא הליו‬ :‫ניה הוה באל ההיך‬ establish for you – to him shall you hearken. (Devarim 18:15) ‫ = ימ יק כר כבך‬In your midst = 362 ‫ = מדם רב כהנא‬from the blood of Rabbi Kahane = 362 ‫נלךהכ המ יני‬ 15 A prophet from your midst, from your brethren, ‫הי יקים‬ , ‫ו הנ יביא ימ יק נר נבך ימא החיך‬ like me, shall Hashem, your God, establish for ‫ ית נש המעון‬,‫ יא הליו‬:‫ניה הוה באל ההיך‬ you – to him shall you hearken. (Devarim 18:15) ‫ = הכמהניי‬like me = 120 ‫ = דם כהנא‬blood of Kahane = 120 ‫נלךהי יקים‬ ,‫ו הנ יביא ימ יק נר נבך ימא החיך הכ המ יני‬ 15 A prophet from your midst, from your brethren, ‫ ית נש המעון‬,‫ יא הליו‬:‫ניה הוה באל ההיך‬ like me, shall Hashem, your God, establish for you – to him shall you hearken. (Devarim 18:15) ‫ = יהקיים‬will be established = 120 ‫ = דם כהנא‬blood of Kahane = 120 Moshe left his Torah behind for us to study and internalize so that one day we will enter the Land together. Every generation has their Moshe who serves as an example to the people like the original Moshe, and demonstrates what we are capable of and what is demanded of us. I have always felt that if Moshe appeared today he would most resemble Rabbi Kahane. Moshe's spiritual revolution in Egypt was also a political revolution that turned the Hebrew tribes into a Nation. Rav Kahane shook the world and caused political change that freed millions of Russian Jews. He went on to sow the seeds of our spiritual liberation from the mentality of the exile bothy outside and inside Israel. Our Modern Nation needs the same spiritual revolution that our ancestors demonstrated through political change inspired by a rejuvenated faith. Rabbi Kahane's greatest dream was to lead the people and be in a position to make the changes needed for Israel to become not a state of Jews but a Jewish State. He could have prepared the way to build the third temple. However, like Moshe, because of our sins, he was not allowed to. He was left isolated and demonized. They say a wicked person is dead even though he is alive, while a Tzddik continues to grow long after his life ends. We see today that the 279

seeds that Rabbi Kahane sowed have been integrated into the masses and his message is now clear and understood even to former enemies. As we become increasingly isolated as he was, his words of hope and courage ring true. He may no longer be with us, but his dream lives on and grows. Being Wholehearted ;‫ הכמ הוך‬,‫ יח הנ יביא א יקים הל ההם ימ הק הרב נא יחי ההם‬18 I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words ‫ כו יד תבר‬,‫ כב יפיו‬,‫ יאתכד הב שרי‬,‫נא ילי ההם‬ ‫נו הנ כת יתי‬ in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all ‫ נא השר נא כצ הונו‬-‫ הכל‬that I shall command him. (Devarim 18:18) ‫ כו יד תבר‬,‫ כב יפיו‬,‫ = כד הב שרי‬My words in his mouth, and he shall speak = 327 ‫ = ר מאיר כהנא‬R. Meir Kahane = 326+1 = 327 ‫ יעם ניה הוה באל ההיך‬,‫ יג הת ימים ית נה היה‬13 Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the LORD thy God. (Devarim 18:13) --‫ נא השר א הנ יכי נמ כצ הוה הא נת הכם‬,‫ כה הד הבר‬-‫ א יאת הכל‬1 All this word which I command you, that shall ‫ נולא‬,‫ הת יסף הע הליו‬-‫ לא‬:‫ כל נעש הות‬,‫ האת הו ית נש נמרו‬ye observe to do; thou shalt not add thereto, nor ‫תי נגרכע יממהנו‬. diminish from it. (Devarim 13:1) The Rabbi wrote that it is a sin to lie to someone but a crime to lie to yourself. We often put our heads in the sand and hope for the best. He forced us to look at our Achilles heel, the point where all of our half backed theories crumble. Avraham did a similar thing when he broke all the idols in his fathers store. When his father returned he explained that the idols had a fight and that’s how they got destroyed. His father said 'idols cannot talk!' Avraham answered, 'let your ears hear what your mouth just said'. The Torah of Rav Kahane is 'whole-hearted'. The political world and the spiritual world were not mutually exclusive. His Torah spoke about the issues that prevented us from bringing redemption. Here is an example from Lenny Goldberg's book. To explain the legitimacy of his position to expel the Arabs from Israel, Rabbi Kahane used impeccable logic. If Israel is a democracy, then that means that the majority rules, no matter who that majority is, be it Jewish , Arab or Chinese. This is the basic axiom of democracy. On the other hand, if Israel is a Zionist state, then that means that Jews must rule their own country. That is, the minimal definition of Zionism is that Jews are the masters of their ship, and are entitled to run their own state after 2,000 years of not having one. The question he posed was simple: what would happen if the Arab minority became the majority? According to Democracy, they have every right to take over the country, but according to Zionism, they do not. And so, there is an inherent contradiction between democracy and Zionism. The Jewish leaders in the west and Israel had no answer to this basic contradiction. The Rabbi said that these leaders were ideologically schizophrenic, an admixture 280

of two contradictory world-views. Using the simple argument, the Rabbi approached Jewish leaders to ask the following painful question: “Theoretically, do the Arabs have a right to democratically and peacefully vote 61 members to the Israeli Knesset, and become a majority, and turn Israel into Palestine? Answer Yes or No” Since all Jewish establishment leaders pride themselves on being both Zionist and for democracy, they evaded the question as much as possible. As Rabbi Kahane put it: “If they answer 'yes' to the question, that means they are not Zionists (since they are allowing the Arabs to rule the country). And if they answer 'no'. Then they are “Kahane” , but backwards.. ( from The Wit and Wisdom of Meir Kahane Pg. 101-103) The Rabbis 'wholehearted' position was not personal but was based on the laws of the Torah. The people living in the Land of Israel when the Jews arrive are given three choices; expulsion/relocation (with compensation), accepting Jewish sovereignty and living with personal rights but no national aspirations, or making war. This is the Torah's way of solving the peace process. It is this issue that destroys the idol that democratic Zionists conveniently believe without having the integrity to choose one or the other. In addition this issue exposes the lack of faith of those who purport to be God fearing and fully observant. [The Rabbi] often quoted the verse in Numbers, 33: “And you shall drive out the inhabitants of the land...and those that remain will be thorns in your eyes and thorns in your sides...” Many people agreed with his position, but felt it wasn't “realistic”. What did they mean “realistic”? The Rabbi said that what they were really saying is: How do you dare do it. What will the world say? That is, it wasn't a technical problem of “how” can we throw them out, but something much deeper. It was a matter of faith. Do we believe God is more omnipotent than the President who is occupying the White House? Do we dare fulfill the mitzvot that will save our lives, but might enrage the world? ( from The Wit and Wisdom of Meir Kahane Pg. 153) In an article he wrote in 1977 called 'Of Peace and Shrimps and Thorns' (Beyond Words/Vol2) he writes: “We are a people that daily separates Halacha from huge areas of life. Torah law becomes something for the kitchen and bedroom but not for politics. Rabbis are privy to the secrets of chickens and ritual bloodstains but politics is for generals and the Prime Minister. This is the erosion and perversion of Torah. This is the tragedy. ….we echo the words of the nationally known Orthodox Jewish leader who said to me: “Of course faith is important, but let us be practical..” There, right there, lie the tragedy and the cancer. A faith that is a luxury, to be patted and embraced and endorsed when times are good and the living is easy and it is never needed. But the moment that truth is called into play; when crisis strikes; when danger looms; when faith becomes a meaningful thing – that is precisely the time when we recoil from the danger, when we drop the pretense, when we betray faith in the All Mighty for 'practical' fear of flesh and blood.” The faith that the Rabbi demanded of us, hopefully has become a little more internalized from the examples that he set and the legacy he left behind for us to continue. In our own times as we become 281

increasingly isolated, we will be forced to stand alone against tremendous odds. We are forever the 'reluctant conquerors' but the Rabbi spoke to us like Moshe who said: ,‫ כה כי נר ידן‬-‫ כא התה הע יבר כהי הום האת‬,‫ א נש כמע יי נש הר יאל‬1 Hear, O Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan --‫ נג הד ילים כו נע מצ ימים ימ המ הך‬,‫ הל הבא הל הר השת ג הו יים‬this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up ‫ כב הש המ יים‬,‫הע ירים נג הדלת ו נב מצ הרת‬ to heaven, ‫ נא השר כא התה‬:‫ נב יני נע הנ יקים‬,‫ הגד הול הו הרם‬-‫ ב כעם‬2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, ‫ יל נפ יני נב יני‬,‫ ימי יי נת כי יצב‬--‫ נו כא התה הש כמ נע הת‬,‫ הי כד נע הת‬whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard ‫ נע הנק‬say: 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' ‫ הה הע יבר‬-‫ יכי ניה הוה באל ההיך הוא‬,‫ ג נו הי כד נע הת כהי הום‬3 Know therefore this day, that the LORD thy God ‫הוא כי נש ימי ידם נוהוא‬--‫ נל הפ הניך יאש הא נכ הלה‬is He who goeth over before thee as a devouring fire; He will destroy them, and He will bring them ,‫כמ יהר‬ ‫נו כה נא כב נד התם‬ ‫ נל הפ הניך; נוה הו כר נש התם‬,‫כי נכ יני יעם‬ down before thee; so shalt thou drive them out, ‫ככ נא השר יד הבר ניה הוה הלך‬ and make them to perish quickly, as the LORD hath spoken unto thee. ‫ כב נה הדף ניה הוה באל ההיך‬,‫ התא כמר יב נל הב נבך‬-‫ ד אל‬4 Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD ,‫ נב יצ נד הק יתי בה יביא יני ניה הוה‬,‫ הא התם ימ נל הפ הניך ילא המר‬thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying: 'For my righteousness the LORD hath ‫כהג הו יים‬ ‫ ו נב יר נש כעת‬:‫ ההא הרץ כה הזאת‬-‫הל הר השת האת‬ brought me in to possess this land'; whereas for ‫ ניה הוה מ הו ירי השם ימ הפ הניך‬,‫הה יא הלה‬ the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. ,‫ כא התה הבא‬,‫ ו נב הי השר נל הב נבך‬,‫ ה לא נב יצ נד הק נתך‬5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness ,‫ יכי נב יר נש כעת כהג הו יים הה יא הלה‬:‫א נר הצם‬-‫ הל הר השת האת‬of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD ‫ ו נל כמ כען הה יקים‬,‫ניה הוה באל ההיך מ הו ירי השם ימ הפ הניך‬ thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and ,‫ כה הד הבר נא השר ינ נש כבע ניה הוה כל נא הב התיך‬-‫האת‬ that He may establish the word which the LORD ‫נלא נב הר ההם נל יי נצ החק ו נל כי נע הקב‬ swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. (Devarim 9:1-5) The promise of Israel's success is more secure than even America on whom we lean. We don't need charity. The world needs Israel and those who wish to do business with us will be enriched. Those who come to malign, boycott, delegitimize and weaken us will not succeed. 282

The Egla Arufa ‫ הב נא הד המה נא השר ניה הוה באל ההיך‬,‫ יי המ יצא הח הלל‬-‫ א יכי‬1 If one be found slain in the land which the ‫ ימי‬,‫ לא נ הו כדע‬:‫ כב הש הדה‬,‫ הנ יפל‬,‫ הנ יתן נלך נל יר נש התה‬LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten ‫יה הכהו‬ him; -‫ האל‬,‫ נו הש נפ הטיך; ו המ נדדו‬,‫ ב נו הי נצאו נז יק הניך‬2 then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, ‫ נס יבי הבת הה הח הלל‬,‫ נא השר‬,‫ הה הע ירים‬and they shall measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. ‫ נו הל נקחו‬--‫ הה הח הלל‬-‫ כה נק הר הבה האל‬,‫ ג נו הה היה הה יעיר‬3 And it shall be, that the city which is nearest ‫ מע כבד‬-‫ נא השר לא‬,‫ יז נק יני הה יעיר כה יהוא הע נג כלת הב הקר‬unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been ‫ נב העל‬,‫ המ נש הכה‬-‫ נא השר לא‬,‫הבה‬ wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the yoke. -‫ האל‬,‫ הה הע נג הלה‬-‫ ד נוה הו ירדו יז נק יני הה יעיר כה יהוא האת‬4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the ;‫ נולא יי הז יר כע‬,‫ יי הע יבד ב הו‬-‫ נא השר לא‬,‫ כנ כחל יאי התן‬heifer unto a rough valley, which may neither be plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck ‫ כב הנ כחל‬,‫ הה הע נג הלה‬-‫ השם האת‬-‫נו הע נרפו‬ there in the valley. ‫ יכי הבם הב כחר ניה הוה‬--‫ נב יני יל יוי‬,‫ ה נו ינ נגשו כה הכ נה ינים‬5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come -‫ ו נל הב ירך נב ישם ניה הוה; נו כעל‬,‫ באל ההיך נל הש נרת הו‬near--for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto Him, and to bless in the name of the ‫ הנ כגע‬-‫ יריב נו הכל‬-‫ הכל‬,‫יפי ההם יי נה היה‬ LORD; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be. -‫ האל‬,‫ כה נק הר יבים‬,‫ יז נק יני הה יעיר כה יהוא‬,‫ ו נו הכל‬6 And all the elders of that city, who are nearest ,‫ הה הע נג הלה‬-‫ כעל‬,‫ ני ידי ההם‬-‫ האת‬,‫ יי נר נחצו‬--‫ הה הח הלל‬unto the slain man, shall wash their hands over the ‫ הה נערו הפה כב הנ כחל‬heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. ‫ שה הדם‬-‫ לא שפכה תאת‬,‫ הי ןדינו‬:‫ נוא נמרו‬,‫ ז נו הענו‬7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have ‫ לא הראו‬,‫ נו יעי ינינו‬,‫ כה הזה‬not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. (Devarim 21:1-7) Collective Responsibility In many speeches the rabbi spoke about the Egla Arufa. He explained the concept as written above and then asked a question. Why would the Rabbis declare that their hands did not spill this blood? Did anyone even suspect the Rabbis of spilling this innocent blood? Of course no one suspected this. The point of this declaration is to say that we as leaders of the community did everything possible to ensure the safety of travelers and residents in our community. Then the Rabbi would turn to the audience with a rebuke and say 'Can we say this today?' Are our leaders doing everything possible to make sure Jews are not being murdered in the Land of Israel? Our indifference is like having blood on our hands. 283

The Stain on Our Hands ‫ כה הדםנ א כה‬-‫האת‬‫שפ‬ 7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have ‫ ל‬,‫ הי ידי ו‬:‫ נוא נמרו‬,‫ז נו הענו‬ not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. ‫ לא הראו‬,‫ נו יעי ינינו‬,‫כה הזה‬ ‫ כה הדםו פ‬-‫כה האת‬ 7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have ‫ש‬ ‫ לא‬, ‫ הי ידינ‬:‫ נוא נמרו‬,‫ז נו הענו‬ not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. ‫ לא הראו‬,‫ נו יעי ינינו‬,‫כה הזה‬ ‫ כה הדםהי ןדי ל ש‬-‫פכה האת‬‫א‬ 7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have ,‫נו‬ :‫ נוא נמרו‬,‫ז נו הענו‬ not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. ‫הראו‬ ‫ לא‬,‫ נו יעי ינינו‬,‫כה הזה‬ Devarim 21:1-7) ‫ = כהנא‬Hidden in 'Our hands did not shed this blood' is Kahane ‫ = הי ןד שלי ופ‬The inside letters allude to 'My Hand' and 'Mouth' ‫ = השפלה‬from the root of ‫ = שפל‬degradation, humiliation Not only was the Rabbi correct regarding our indifference which resulted in having 'blood on our hands.' His own death was the result of our indifference. Lenny Goldberg writes: Before Rabbi Kahane's Kach party was banned for the 1988 elections by the Israeli Supreme Court, great efforts were made by supporters to gather signatures of prestigious rabbi throughout Israel, in the hope that this may sway the Supreme Court decision. If enough signatures were garnished, perhaps the Supreme Court would think twice about disqualifying Rabbi Kahane's party. These rabbis were not asked to sign a letter of support for Rabbi Kahane's platform but rather to simply state that intermarriage between Jews and Gentiles negates the Jewish halacha. Since Rabbi Kahane's party was being deemed as racist and anti- Democratic for its stance on intermarriage between a Jew and gentile, signatures from these world-renowned Orthodox rabbis stating that the Torah is against intermarriage, may have influenced the court. Unfortunately, not one Rabbi signed. 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 new story in Israel that day. For the first time in Israel's 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 284

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 is in his car radio, Rabbi Kahane said with quiet disappointment but without bitterness: “I needed a signature not a eulogy” . (from The Wit and Wisdom of Rabbi Meir Kahane Pg. 127) The lack of protest from the people, from religious leaders, even from advocates of Democracy and free speech resulted in 'bringing down' the hope of Israel. Left abandoned and without the protection that Knesset speakers are normally afforded he was an easy mark for a terrorist. His many enemies in the Knesset may have even suggested this target to get rid of this 'thorn' in their sides. Politically he had already been destroyed but to him it was only another set back on the road to victory. That victory is in our hands today as the ruling party becomes more representative of the vision Rabbi Kahane lived and died for. We killed Rabbi Kahane with the indifference of our own hands and we can bring him back to life by fighting for the State of Judea that will unify our Nation, bring G-ds glory to the world and make our enemies flee once and for all. On Willfulness The days when 'Dinah' went out and the 'willfulness' of our detractors from within must come to a end. ,‫ נא השר הי נל הדה נל כי נע הקב‬,‫ ילאה‬-‫ א כותי יצא ידי הנה כבת‬1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had ‫ יב נבנ הות ההא הרץ‬,‫ יל נרא הות‬borne unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. (Bereshit 34:1) ‫ נל יב נל יתי נש המ כע‬,‫ כי נע השה כב הזדוהן‬-‫ יב נו הה יאיש נא השר‬12 And the man that will act with willfulness, not ‫ ניה הוה‬-‫ כה הכ יהן הה הע ימד נל הש הרת השם האת‬-‫ האל‬listening to the Kohen who stands there to serve Hashem, you God, or to judge, that man shall die, ,‫כההוא‬ ‫הה יאיש‬ ‫ו ימת‬--‫ כה הש יפט‬-‫ האל‬,‫ א הו‬,‫באל ההיך‬ and you shall destroy the evil from among Israel. ‫ו יב כע נר הת הה הרע ימ יי נש הר יאל‬ (Devarim 17:12) ‫ ימ ימך‬,‫ הב הנ ייך; נמ הה נר כס ייך ו כמ נח ירי כב ייך‬,‫ יז ימ נהרו‬17 Your children will hasten to repent, but your ‫ יי יצאו‬spoilers and your destroyers must depart from you. (Yishayahu 49:17) [Haftorah Ekev] ‫ = ידי הנה‬Dinah = 69 ‫ = כב הזדוהן‬willfulness (presumptuousness) = 69 The willful spirit that causes us to be attracted to foreign cultures and feel aversion to our own heritage ends with abuse and scorn. There has been a large teshuva movement recently as those who are willfully blind can no longer hide their head in the sand as missiles are falling around them. The cloaks of deception are being torn off of to reveal the cruel face of our enemies. Of all the political solutions we seek, the only true solution is the Biblical one. 285

286

Kahane in the Parsha Ki Tezeh 287

KiTezeh and Kitavo In the morning we read KiTezeh and in the afternoon we read Kitavo. One means when you 'go out' and the other means 'when you arrive'. KiTezeh talk about going out to war, and Kitavo talks about ideas connected to arriving in the Land and blessing the fruit of our labor. In the Haftorah of Kitavo there is a famous phrase: 'In its' time I will hurry it.' (Yishayu 60:22) Rav Kahane often spoke about this passage. He would question if it is 'in its time', then how can it be hurried? He would reply that the Rabbis answer if we merit it, redemption is hurried, otherwise it comes in 'its time' accompanied with many troubles and suffering. If we rise to the occasion five will chase twenty, and one hundred will chase ten thousand, or like in the Haftorah Kitavo “The smallest shall increase a thousandfold, and the least into a mighty nation.” (Yishayu 60:22) He was constantly trying to raise us to the level of the 'hurried' redemption by inspiring us to protest and take action, that would force the redemption to come quickly. This concept can also be understood in KiTezeh and Kitavo. If we are prepared to go out to war and are fighting Hashems war, then Hashem is in the forefront and we will succeed and arrive in Peace and Plenty in all our undertaking. If however we only want quiet and run from confrontation, then the war will come to us and there will be no quiet. Blessing will come in it's time after suffering that we indirectly caused by indifference, fear, lack of faith, lack of action or it can come gloriously because we are decisive and fulfill our mission. The first passage of KiTezeh reads when go out to war 'against' our enemy. The rabbis tell us that we learn from this that we do not go out 'with' or 'over' our enemy but 'against'. Our certainty is our advantage. If we are uncertain of our moral right or fear the tides of hatred against Israel then we only make our situation worse. When we are doing Hashems will there is no force on earth that can stop the will of the Creator and the promise to His people. If we go to war, we are already at rest. If we want to rest and ignore evil, then the war will come to us. KiTezeh in the morning and Kitavo in the afternoon. The King in the Field There is a parable told in the month of Elul (the weeks preceding Rosh Hoshana) of the King walking through the field. This Midrash explains that before the King enters the royal chamber on Rosh Hoshanna He walks through the field as a commoner to see His people at work and meet those who wish to make a personal request. I have always found this parable difficult to understand. Do we not talk directly to the King on a daily basis? Do we not pray directly to Hashem and not through any intermediary? One of the explanations I have been told is that He is in a better disposition during this time, and it would be a good time to make a request. Although I admit that I do not understand this parable very well, the best way that I understand it is in reverse. It is a time of accounting. When many Jews collectively are making an accounting and reviewing the preceding year, that in itself causes Hashem to descend, for as we think of Him, He thinks of us. In the same way that a minyan of ten enhances your 288

own personal prayer, a collective thought process among many Jewish people may affect your own personal one. The field also reminds us of our source. Our original meeting with Hashem was in Sinai. Our National relationship began in a desert. Our leaders also met Hashem in fields, next to a burning bush, alone with their herds of sheep. Today the hilltop youth, and the young Jewish shepherds that dwell in Yehuda and Shomron continue with that vocation, while in large cities we also feel sometimes like a desert; abandoned by the world and protected only by the One above. None of us know our destiny this year, however we each can be inspired by L'David (the extra tehillim we begin reading in Elul). We can pray that we dwell all our days in His house, and that by strengthening ourselves and our commitment He will strengthen us as well. It is a good time to make an accounting, to plant a new resolution firmly in the ground, and to reap its benefit with the fruits of Pesach. L'David begins in Elul and is concluded in the time of Sukkoth. The conclusion that begins in this time reminds us that our physical world is but a sukkah made for our spirit; as our spirit returns to its source. In Pesach we are reminded that our mission is in fact the Sukkah. The physical world is not only a place that shapes our soul, but our soul must shape the physical world. The revolution of Egypt is another New Year when the people of Israel swim against the stream like salmon to meet their National calling. The Hole in the Needle (2017) Rabbi Butman is having his second Bar Mitzvah this week. He is eighty three. He spoke at kiddush about Rosh Hoshanna. He said we must open more room for Hashem to enter. All we need to do is make an opening the size of a needle and He will open a large gateway. We have all heard this drasha before however he added a most important thing. If you take the needle and slowly press it into your hand there is a point where it begins to hurt. This is the opneing you must make. An opening in a place that hurts you a little. Each one of us has a different point, however this is the point that must be enlarged. Then the rest should follow. The King in the Theatre (2017) The moshal of the King in the Field has never been that clear to me. The way I see things the King is more like a writer sitting in an empty theater. It is a month before Creation and He is thinking again what to do. Everyone will be in the play whether they know it or not. I may find the writer alone who is also my father and ask Him. What is my role here? I have some thoughts however you know better than me. I understand that the purpose of the script is for the performance that happens at Pesach. I know that with this performance you wish to change the world and for you to dwell in it. I understand that this is your target and that if successful we will perform before the King of Kings on Shavuot. But who am I and why did I come here, and what is my role? Today is the time that I look at the world that was created for my transatory spirit, while in Pesach I 289

look at the body of the world that has been transformed. Now is the time for preperation and understanding our individual role. Once rehearsals begin after the ceremony of Rosh Hoshanna, then the real work begins. There may be some small alterations until Chanuka however even now one can start rehearsing their part. Some things may be discontinued and some renewed; some remembered and some forgotten. The writer is in the empty theatre. He is approachable. We reflect on all that we have created and what we wish to continue to create. It is a time of the thought and actions that will be planted as a seed hoping to bear fruit in the spring and enjoyed throughout the summer. 290

Kahane in the Parsha Ki Savo 291

Ki Savo – 2006/12 -‫א הו הצר הו כהט הוב האת‬-‫ יב יי נפ כתח ניה הוה נלך האת‬12 The LORD will open unto thee His good ‫ יאת‬,‫ ו נל הב ירך‬,‫א נר נצך נב יעת הו‬-‫ הל יתת נמ כטר‬,‫ כה הש כמ יים‬treasure the heaven to give the rain of thy land in its season, and to bless all the work of thy hand; ‫יה כל יוי הת גוה יים שר יבים‬, ‫נו‬ ;‫הי הדך‬ ‫ כמ נע ישה‬-‫הכל‬ and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou ‫ נו כא התה לא ית נל הוה‬shalt not borrow (Devarim 28:12) Lending to other nations may not only mean physically but philosophically. Israel leads the battle against radical Islam for as it is with Israel, so it is with the world. The torah of Rabbi Kahane continues to clarify much moral confusion in our fight against evil. We are not borrowing from the worlds moral dilemma, we are leading them and teaching them and justifying the response against savagery. We have a long way to go however the Torah of Rav Kahane clarifies much of what the Torah response should be in warfare and dealing with the enemies of Israel. As Israel is transformed and becomes less of an appeaser and more of an avenger, this will reflexively affect the world for the good. The Arabs don’t want a Palestine, they just want to destroy Israel, along with London, Paris, Madrid and New York. The world will borrow from Israel more and more and the Torah of Rav Kahane will hasten this blessing. As Israel learns and adapts the authentic Torah of Rav Kahane it will influence the world. The common sense of the authentic Torah will not only save Israel but the whole world. Recently Netanyahu spoke at the UN and showed a diagram of the 'red line' that Iran must not cross in its production of an atomic bomb. A friend sent me a copy of the popular picture of Netanyahu holding up this diagram but had superimposed Kahane Tzadek on the diagram. The joke was that Netanyahu was sounding more and more like Rabbi Kahane defending the world against Islamic barbarism. I read the accented lines above this way; with Kahane's Torah you will influence many nations. You will no longer need to beg and borrow. ‫נק הריכ ה ינ א‬,‫ההא הרץ‬ ‫נו הראו‬ 10 And all the peoples of the earth shall see that ‫י ישם ניה הו‬ ‫ כע ימי‬-‫הכל‬ ‫י‬ the name of the LORD is called upon thee; and ‫ מה הךהי כרא ימ‬,‫ הע הליך; ונ ו‬they shall be afraid of thee. (Devarim 28:10) The name Meir Kahane is hidden in this passage. Through Rav Kahane people of the earth saw the name of the Lord and were afraid. Rabbi Kahane demonstrated the path that we should follow. When we strive to be the sensitive yet fearless Nation which we were born to become then the nations will see that God is called by our name and will be afraid not only to harm us, but of the retribution of the harm they inflicted on us in the past. An acquaintance of mine Rabbi Lewin used to get a ride to Knesset with Rabbi Kahane. One day as they approached there was some leftist demonstration going on in front of the Knesset. The Rabbi disturbed by this stopped the car and said 'wait a minute ill be right back'. As he approached the crowd 292

the leader spotted him and and cried in fear 'OK Rabbi Kahane were leaving'. The demonstrators left and the Rabbi returned to his car. Simply his presence and image put fear into the detractors of Israel. So it will be when Israel stands up like David and strikes down the Goliaths that taunt us. In its Time The Rabbi spoke almost on every occasion about this concept. Something is either 'in its time' or 'hurried' it cannot be both. The Rabbis explain that if we merit it, it will be 'hurried', and if we do not it will still come but in its natural time accompanied with suffering and persecution. The Rabbi encouraged us to hurry the redemption as he himself was doing. If only others were a little like him, the Temple would already have been rebuilt. It was up to us, and we chose 'in its time'' and allowed the Rabbi to be killed in such a way by our lack of protest. We failed the test, both the people and our rabbinical leaders who lacked the courage to stand with this man in his time of need when only a signature was required of them. Its interesting to see the passage that resides next to this passage. There is often some insight into reading the passages that border each other. ;‫ נו כה הצ יעיר נלג הוי העצום‬,‫ כב כה הק הטן יי נה היה הל הא הלף‬22 The smallest shall increase a thousandfold, ‫ נב יע התה נא יחי הש הנה‬,‫ נא יני ניה הוה‬. and the least into a mighty nation; I the LORD will hasten it in its time. (Yishayahu 60:22) One night at Vasloi a man quoted Rabbi Nachman to me. He asked me 'what is the opposite of faith?' I answered 'disbelief?' he said to me 'incorrect'. According to Rabbi Nachman the opposite of 'faith' is 'fear'. What a tremendous insight! Our government is desperately trying to appease the world by releasing terrorist and paving the way to give away Yehuda and Shomron. Why? Because the government has no faith. Where there is no faith there is fear, and all of these appeasements are the response of fearful men that believe they have no other choice. In the parsha there is also an allusion to the future war of Gog and Magog where America representing the eagle will swoop down on us. I believe that both the 'hurried' and 'in its time' occur simultaneously. Our history seems to repeat itself and even in the final days it will be no different. When we arrived home, it was the small spark of the 'Etzel' that frightened the British into leaving (despite their persecution by their brothers and the 'appeasement force' of the Palmach). Without the persecution of the Palmach, Etzel may have led Israel on to much greater victories, but that ended with the Altalena. At that point the 'hurried' redemption became 'in its time' as the Etzel joined their brothers to fight the War of Independence according to the rules of Ben Gurion. In our own time it is the small spark of the Kahane Jews who will not give up Yehuda and Shomron and will drive out the oppressors and give birth to Judea. When the whole world comes against us in the war of Gog and Magog we will be forced to unite as one Nation ( the activists and the appeasers) and take back our ancestral home. Circumstances will force us into having the faith needed to become fearless. We will have no one to lean on but our God and then 'in it's time' and the 'hurried' redemption will take place, as we all become a little more like the Rav and learn what true faith is. Then 'the small shall increase a thousandfold and the least into a mighty nation.' 293

The Simple Meaning is Sometimes the Deeper One Said at Farbrengin (2017) ‫ נב יע התה נא יחי הש הנה‬- In its time I will hasten it. (Yeshiayu 60:22) The famous phrase above (read in our Haftorah) was repeated almost every time the Rabbi spoke. If it is 'in its time' then how can you hasten it? Chazal explains that if we merit it, our redemption will be hastened and if not it will come 'in its time' but accompanied with terrible suffering. The Rabbi wanted us to hasten it. In a language that Chabad would understand, it was his way of saying 'We want Moshiach now'. He wanted redemption to come today with glory rather than with terrible suffering that could be prevented. Their are two roads that lead to this hurried redemption. I will call them the Pshat (the simple meaning) and the Pnimiut (the inner meaning). Rav Halperin spoke about the Pnimiut of the Torah which is Chassidut. From the Chabad perspective the spreading of Chassidut in the world will hasten the redemption. From the viewpoint of Chassidut all that Hashem does is good and even all of the curses in our Parsha are actually blessings in disguise. This may be so on a deeper level however it may be confusing on a simple level. How does one prevent calamity? If all the curses are really blessings then one might conclude that even the curse of the Shoa brought about the blessing of Israel. It may be so that ultimately everything is moving towards good. However couldn't the blessing of Israel have been brought about without this tragedy? Rav Kahanes son Binyamin wrote about his father and said that people often complained that he was so negative and depressing all the time. He was always talking about terrible things that were happening or warning of catastrophes that would take place. He was a doomsayer. His message however was much like our Parsha this week. Many have asked why the list of curses is totally disproportionate to the number of blessings in this Parsha. In Parsha Ki Tavo 14 verses of blessings are brought down, followed by a list of no less than 54 verses of curses. Why so many curses? He goes on to explain that blessings are easy to visualize. Who doesn't dream of a nice home, abundance, freedom, peace and plenty? Terrible things however are hard to imagine. When they happen we tend to look the other way and hope for the best. We say 'it will be good’ and continue putting our head in the sand. Then things get worse, and we get accustomed to this as well. We keep saying it could be worse, and then it does get worse. The disproportionate curses serve to wake us up so that we can receive the blessing, as the Rabbi tried to do so often in order to hurry the redemption. When September 11 occurred I saw right away the clock ticking and knew I had to leave as soon as possible. I left the exile like the Jews left Mitzrayim, unprepared but understanding the times. Sixteen years later as anti-Semitism continues to grow rapidly my secular Israeli friend Shmuel said to me on Shabbat 'why don't the Jews get it and come home'? He 'got it' twenty years before me. This by the way proves that you don't necessarily need a Rabbi or a Rebbe to have the common sense to save yourself from the curse of the exile. When I arrived and settled in Israel I realized that my 'love' of Israel is much greater than my 'fear' of the curses of the exile. However, the lower level of fear is still quite a deep motivating factor that can 'overtake ' one and lead them to those higher levels. The fear motivated me to push myself which led 294

me to discover this love. ‫ כה נב הרכ הות‬-‫הכל‬ ‫הע הליך‬ ‫ו הבאו‬ ‫ב‬ 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you, ‫כו יה ישי אגך‬,‫הה יא הלה‬ will listen to the voice ‫ נבק הול ניה הוה באל ההיך‬,‫ יכי ית נש כמע‬: and overtake you, if you of the LORD your God. (Dvarim 28:2) The Rabbi writes about a question his father used to ask. Why does it say the blessings will 'overtake' you? One can understand a curse overtaking you, but why would a blessing need to 'overtake' you. Isn't a blessing something everyone wants? He answers that the problem is sometimes we see blessings as a curse and we flee from them. The Rabbi writes about our national fear of throwing out our enemies because it will lead to animosity from other nations and isolation. Isolation is one of our worst nightmares, however this is actually a great blessing to be 'A Nation that will dwell alone' (Bamidbar 23:9). In my case experiencing the curse of the exile drove me to blessing. Rather than accept curses and see them on a higher level as blessings, I would rather follow the Pshat and do away with evil in order to do good (sur mi ra ve oseh tov – Turn from evil and do good - Psalm 34). If this results in the curse of isolation then I will be happy to study the deeper meaning; that this curse is really a blessing and enjoy the peace and tranquility it will bring. I much prefer the Chasidut of doing mitzvot that appear to be curses, rather than the higher level of experiencing curses and seeing them as blessings. To me the Pshat is much deeper and less painful. 295

296

Kahane in the Parsha Netzavim/Vayelech 297

The New Heart ‫ נל כבבו המל‬-‫ נו האת‬,‫ נל הב נבך‬-‫ו ניה הוה באל ההיך האת‬ 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD ‫ נל הב נבך‬-‫ נב הכל‬,‫ ניה הוה באל ההיך‬-‫ נלא נה הבה האת‬:‫כז נר העך‬ thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, ‫ נל כמ כען כח הייך‬--‫ כנ נפ נשך‬-‫ ו נב הכל‬that thou mayest live. ‫ = ו המל‬will circumcise = 76 = Kahane In the future we will receive a 'new heart'. It is the Torah of Rabbi Kahane that has awakened the new Jew with a 'new heart' which is the old Jew; like King David; the scholar-warrior. The 'new' Jew does not feel 'guilty' or 'apologetic' for his existence and need not appease enemies, or 'friends of our enemies'. The 'new' Jew stands alone against a sea of hatred and speaks in the name of his Father in Heaven and a multitude of Gentiles respond 'we have been waiting for you, show us the way!' The 'new' Jew is heroic and humble, courageous and kind; a proud citizen of Israel with a constitution based upon the Laws of the Torah. The Rabbi's famous slogan 'Never Again' does not mean that 'never again' will there be Jewish persecution, but 'never again' will we be silent. When Jews are being persecuted we must protest and take action to ensure their safety. The seeds he sprouted in the early 70's have blossomed into a generation of new leadership that gives hope and direction to the Jewish people. It is interesting to read some of his earliest speeches when he began the fight for Soviet Jewry and completely changed the approach which inevitably succeeded in opening the doors to mass immigration. ..Picketing is a good thing but hardly enough. How many headlines does a peaceful picket line make? We must make headlines and they are made only by audacious and dramatic activities....these activities cannot be confined to sweet respectability and legality...A sit in inside the Soviet Mission; the disrupting of a United Nations session at which the Soviet delegate rises to speak -these are some of the ways that the entire nation will hear the plight of Soviet Jews....It is not a pleasant task, but this is not a job for people who fear getting their hands soiled. Soviet Jewry will not wait upon respectability and gentility. Uncannily Meir foresaw the results of such audacity: It will mean condemnation from the “respectable” elements within Jewry who fear more for their own image than for Soviet Jewry. The struggle for Palestine was made infinitely more difficult because there were Jews who refused to act like “gangsters” and use force. In the end of the minority that was unafraid to fight [the Irgun] was proven correct and it was their way that won the day. (from His Life and Thought Volume One Libby Kahane Pg. 77-78 ) 298

Nitzavim and Sept 11 (2012) This Parsha is the Parsha of our generation for it explains the concept of individual and collective punishment. No one explained the true meaning and relevance of these concepts in our time as Rav Kahane did. Nitzavim introduces the concept of Arvut. The Artscroll Siddur explains: On the last day of his life Moses gathered together every member of the Jewish people, from the most exalted to the lowliest, old and young, men and women, and initiated them for the last time into the covenant of God. What was new about this covenant was the concept of arvut responsibility (‫ )ארבות‬for one another, under which every Jew is obligated to help other observe the Torah and to restrain them from violating it. This is why Moses began by enumerating all the different strata of people that stood before him, and why he said (v 28) that God would not hold them responsible for sins that had been done secretly, but that they would be liable for transgression committed openly (Ohr Hachaim). This is essential to the world view of the Jew, for it explains why one may not be apathetic to the shortcomings of others and why public desecrations of the Torah are the concern of every Jew of good conscience. Midrashically when the people heard the frightening litany of ninety-eight curses in the Admonition (ch 28), they turned colors in fright at what seemed to be a hopeless future. Thereupon Moses comforted them, saying that despite all the sins of the past, they were still standing...before Hashem. Just as he had not discarded them before, so he would maintain them in the future. Fear of the Admonition would prevent them from sinning, and if they did sin, the punishments would bring them atonement, not destruction (Rashi). Artscoll pg 29 Chazal explain that the concept of Arvut was not initiated until we entered the Land of Israel. Only as a Nation are we able to fulfill our destiny and function as a complete body. In this sense the 'body' of Israel is both rewarded and punished. It seems there is a collective experience on both the exit and entry into Israel. When we live in the land and corrupt it we are collectively punished and expelled and when the gates are reopened and we ignore them we are also collectively punished as we enter. This happened in Egypt and it happened in our time. We are the descendants of the courageous 5th that left Egypt and went into an unknown desert. Most of the Jews (4/5th) didn't make it and died an assimilated and tragic death in Egypt. In this century again only a small remnant went to Israel when the doors opened – and our generation today is the last call. Rabbi Kahane was the only Rabbi who was able to explain the relevance of the Shoa and extract the proper lessons from this collective experience. The hidden things are for Hashem, as we read in this weeks Parsha, but what is revealed is an obligation for us to understand, for our very life depends upon it. In the booklet 'Confronting the Holocaust' Rav Binyamin and Rav Meir explain many questions that other Rabbis say are not answerable. If every bruise is decreed from Heaven and yet this great catastrophe cannot be answered then it becomes a Chillul Hashem, (a desecration of G-ds name). It makes G-d out to be an angry G-d that every once in awhile blows up and destroys millions of innocent and pious people for no apparent reason. Why would he punish those who were much more religious than today? Why would one want to pray to such a God? Rav Meir goes on to explain what preceded the Shoa and how the Jewish world at one time was mostly 299

Torah observant when they lived in the ghetto, but what else could they be? As soon as they were given an option and the ghetto doors opened the Jews went rushing out to assimilate. This unprecedented assimilation had never occurred before. They became better Germans than the German, more French than the French, more aristocratic than the English. Just as they shaved off their beards and arrived en mass in America so did they assimilate into European culture. Those who remained faithful to the Torah saw the gates of Israel opening but refused to enter because it was being led by people who were not observant and the environment was not 'kosher' enough. And so it was only a small remnant – just like in Egypt that saw the doors opening and went through. If the Jews had left en mass in the 1920's when the doors of Palestine were opened, there would not have been a Shoa and there would most likely be a King called Moshiach. This however did not happen. Today not much has changed. Jabotinsky tried to awaken the people. He cried 'liquidate the exile before the exile liquidates you'. He was banned and called a fascist. The Jews were proud citizens of their adopted countries and went out of their way to prove that they did not have 'duel allegiance' much like the feeling that Americans have today when there is a conflict between 'American' and 'Israeli' interests. One might say that what Rabbi Kahane wrote about the Shoa is easy to say in retrospect but if one was living then things were not so clear. There were leaders like Jabotinsky however that could see the tragedy about to befall the Jewish people and tried unsuccessfully to wake the people. They blamed the messenger instead of heeding their call. When Rabbi Kahane confronted the Holocaust he also spoke about reading the signs today and warned of a terrible tragedy looming in our time. His last speaking tour in the USA was called project ZERO (Zionist Emergency Rescue Operation). He pleaded with Americans to come home now to Israel before its too late. He warned that the 'falsely inflated' economy would fall and Jews would once again be the scapegoat. He was murdered on that tour, and became the 1st victim of AlKeida. Eleven years later that same group brought the twin towers down a few miles away from where the Rabbi was gunned down. Project ZERO and Ground Zero have much in common with each other. Rabbi Nachum Kahana shares a letter written by a supporter in which he writes: If someone would have told one of our alte zaydehs a few hundred years ago that you could get into this flying machine and in less than 12 hours you would be in Eretz Yisrael under Jewish sovereignty with a house and a job, what do you think they would have done? Would they have stayed in Minsk or Warsaw? However, I believe our life in America is the Ribbono Shel Olam's way of leveling the playing field and maintaining the bechirah chofshis for us. Otherwise, we would all have been there in a heartbeat, like our alte zaydehs. (Pg 878) We bear the consequences of our actions 'collectively' as well as 'individually'. It is not always easy to determine. Rabbi Nachum Kahana writes about a lecture he gave. In the question period a man told a story of how had no intention of coming to Israel. He only came so that his wife would stop nagging him about it. The moment he arrived and stepped off the plane something happened to him that he could not explain. He fell in love with Israel and never went back. The Rabbi said that when someone is called up for an aliya, he is called by name. His name was called and he made an aliya. Another woman stood up and asked a difficult question. When she was a little girl in Europe her father asked the local Rebbe for a blessing because he wanted to make aliya with his family. The Rebbe would not give him a blessing and tried to convince him to stay because Israel was not a kosher environment. It was the one the only time her father ever disregarded the Rebbes advise and they came 300