Kahane Codes - Part Two

to Israel. Later they learned that everyone in the village was killed. They were the only survivors. Why did the Rebbe say that she questioned? Rav Kahana responded that its a difficult question that he too does not have a good answer for, but maybe the previous speakers story answers your question. You were chosen to receive an aliya. Why individuals suffer or escape are the secrets of Hashem. It is our job however to read the signs and understand what is revealed and what Hashem decrees publicly for us to follow. This lesson of Nitzavim came crashing through on September 11 when this Parsha was being read. Rav Nachum writes (With All Your Might Pg. 883): If one would have asked an American before 9/11 “what is the most erect, exalted, lofty, tall object in the USA?” most would reply, “The Twin Towers in New York City.” But very few people knew that the towers were financed by the Reichman brothers, that the engineer who built them was an Israeli and that the towers were owned by a Jew – they were “Jewish” buildings in a goyishe land. The week that the towers went down was the week we read in the Torah this weeks Parsha of Nitzavim. Nitazavim means erect, exalted, lofty, tall; and just in that week, the erect, exalted, lofty, tall towers came crashing down. There is a message here for us. The Parsha begins with the words of Moshe Rabbeinu to all the congregation of Israel, atem nitzavim – you the Jewish nation are erect exalted, lofty, tall because you now stand before God to renew the covenant and enter Eretz Israel after 40 years of preparation in the wilderness. You will continue to be erect, exalted lofty, tall as long as you are faithful to the covenant. For those who say that it is not for us to judge the generation of the Shoa and its not for us to ask or question G-ds decrees, then why does Hashem give us clear warnings like in last weeks Parsha Ki Savo or Parsha Bechukosai in Vayikra? These Parshas that vividly describe terrible events long before they happened (including the Shoa – see Becokotai Book 1) were there to warn us to choose the path of blessing. In this weeks Parsha we are told that one must understand that he is part of a collective and as an individual he will benefit and be blessed with his participation. But if he goes in his own sinful path and disregards the collective signs he runs the risk of having the full extent of these curses leveled upon him. I for one, saw the warning bell on September 11, 2001. Everything I had heard the Rabbi say more than ten years earlier suddenly became verified and uncomfortably real. Somehow I found a way to make aliya 12 months after. I was motivated by fear but when I arrived I quickly fell in love. Now with Iran aiming nuclear weapons in my direction I still feel much safer here than anywhere else in North America. I escaped and now I am in the land that G-d Himself protects and watches over. It is clear that Hashem has been ending the exile in stages and bringing His people home. The last to arrive will be the refugees from America but only those who can read the signs. Chazal writes that the final exile will be similar to the Exodus from Egypt when after many plagues the perceptive Jews will see the hand of G-d and make the move. Rabbi Kahane was greater than a prophet that prophesies in a dream state, he was a Torah scholar who deduced events by his clear thinking, perception and understanding of our history and destiny. For years the Rabbi ran a Holocaust Museum in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was not connected to Yad Vashem that memorialized the Shoa. His museum was called the Museum of the 'Potential' Holocaust and it exhibited and documented the rise of various anti-Semitic groups in North America among them 301

Holocaust Revisionists, skinheads, Klan, neo-Nazi and other hate groups. The moral decay in America, inflated economy, hate groups and radical Muslims operating freely were warning signs that the Rabbi spoke about. On September 11 I am sure that I was not the only one who saw the truth of his predictions. Today with the fall of Arab regimes and anarchy in the Middle East it is not far fetched to imagine a terrorist getting a hold of chemical or nuclear weapons. America is having financial difficulties while the economy in Israel is growing. America's foreign policy is weak and lends support to radical Muslim governments while Israel is becoming the sole defender of humanity. The signs are clear and I see them also written in the Torah. ,‫ כליה הוה‬--‫ כח כה ינ נס הת הרת‬28 The secret things belong unto the LORD ˙‫ באל יהינו;והנגלות ל˙נ˙ו‬our God; but the things that are revealed ‫ו˙ל˙ב˙נ˙י˙נ˙ו˙ ע˙ד עולםלעשות‬ belong unto us and to our children for ‫את כל דברי התורה כה הזאת‬ ever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Devarim 29:28) In this mysterious passage there are 11 dots on top of the words 'us and our children'. It is from these dots that Rashi explains the concept of Arvut that only begins when we enter the Land. The transition of the Israelites from a tribal family to a nation took place gradually, only beginning with their redemption from Egypt, and only culminating upon their entry into Israel. Collective responsibility begins when we assume total responsibility for obtaining food, fighting wars, and settling land, from which we were exempt during the wanderings in the desert and throughout our current exile. In our time the 11 dots that we saw above these words on September 11 brings this concept from the Torah page crashing through our comfortable living rooms. We cannot be divorced from the community and 'add the watered to the thirsty' (see below) meaning furthering our lustful desires. If we continue in this way, ignoring the signs that shake the world, then we are responsible for the curses that will befall us. If however we join the community of Israel and return home we will be truly exalted, lofty and tall. ,‫ יד נב ירי ההא הלה כה הזאת‬-‫ יח נו הה היה נב הש נמע הו האת‬18 and it come to pass, when he heareth the words ‫ יכי‬--‫ ילי‬-‫ נו יה נת הב ירך יב נל הבב הו ילא המר השל הום יי נה היה‬of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying: 'I shall have peace, though I walk in the -‫ האת‬,‫נל כמ כען נספ הות הה הר הוה‬ :‫ יא ילך‬,‫יב נש יררות יל יבי‬ stubbornness of my heart—thereby adding the ‫כה נצ ימאה‬ watered to the thirsty (Devarim 29:28) The 11 dots below not only spell out the collective responsibility that is active today. These dots also verify the truth of what Rabbi Kahane spoke about many years before. He spelled it out for us. He warned of a potential Holocaust and he pleaded for Jews to come home in his Zionist Emergency Rescue Operation (ZERO) tour and in his last speech in NYC he himself was murdered a few miles away from ground ZERO. 302

His name is hidden within that which is revealed, see below: ‫ע הו הלם‬-‫ כעד‬,‫ = נו כה ינ נגלת הלנו ו נל הב ינינו‬but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever = 954+22 letters +1 (kollel) = 977 ‫ =מאיר הדויד בן ני הח נז יקאל נש כר הגא‬Meir David Ben Yechezkel Shraga = 977 The ZEERO project was not the first time the Rabbi had urged emergency aliya. He spoke about it for many years. Here is an excerpt from one such occasion. In April, 1983, a grandiose event called the “Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors” in Washington D.C. was organized by the establishment Jewish groups. It was a huge affair in a giant hotel, a sort of reunion of Holocaust survivors, with booths spread out everywhere. Shifra Hoffman, a long time aid of the Rabbi, attended the event with her mobile “Museum of the Potential Holocaust Display”. The event organizer, a dour man named Spielman attempted to boot her out, but Shifra was persistent and manage to stand with her display in the doorway. That evening, the Rabbi called her: “Shifra, I'm coming to Washington to speak at the Holocaust Gathering”. “They're going to let you speak?” Shifra asked in great surprise. “I didn't say that; I just said that I'm going to speak”, the Rabbi answered. “But you have to get me into the hall,” He requested. Shifra herself had one foot out how could she get the Rabbi in? That night, she managed to convince a young girl to donate her name tag (she had a name that could also be interpreted as a man's name) to a very worthy cause. The next day the rabbi entered the Gathering. Spielman saw him and almost had a coronary. “Kahana what are you doing here?” “I came to speak”, the Rabbi answered. “Your not speaking here you weren't invited”. “Didn't you get my telegram?” - the Rabbi replied. The first scheduled discussion on the agenda was “Is Zionism Racism?” with a panel of leftists to discuss the issue. Rabbi Kahane strolled on to the stage and tapped the speaker on the shoulder. The speaker turned around. “Kahane what are you doing here!” “I'm going to speak”, the Rabbi answered and then pandemonium broke loose. Half said “let him speak” and half said “don't let him speak”. Finally it was decided to give him 3 minutes to speak. The Rabbi began: “Do you know why I'm here? Because,unfortunately you didn't learn the lesson from the first Holocaust, and therefore you don't understand the second one that's on its way...” In 3 minutes, the Rabbi said what most people need 3 hours to express. The moderator, with a thick European accent said “Rabbi your three minutes are up”. The Rabbi turned around and replied: “It's Jewish time”, and continued saying what he had to say as Shifra stood behind him exhibiting her mobile display. When he finished, the applause was overwhelming except for one woman who was still fuming that the Rabbi spoke uninvited. Noticing the number on her arm, Shifra said: “My dear woman what would you have done for a Rabbi Kahane during the time of the Holocaust?” (From the Wit and Wisdom of Rabbi Meir Kahane by Lenny Goldberg - p.213) 303

It wasn't easy for the Rabbi or his family to bear the great burden he undertook. During a particularly difficult time in an Israeli prison while sitting in solitary confinement for his activities on behalf of the Jewish people the rabbi almost broke. “Let someone else do this... I quit”, he thought to himself. At that moment, he pulled out his Tanach and inadvertently opened up to Jeremiah chapter 22 to the verse which says 'Then I said I will not make a mention of Him or speak anymore in His name but His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones and I'm weary with containing myself and I cannot'. The Rabbi trembled is he read these words in which Jeremiah described his own crisis in faith and overcoming it. The rabbi saw this is a sign from Heaven and it strengthened him. From that point on his faith in his mission never again wavered. (From the Wit and Wisdom of Rabbi Meir Kahane by Lenny Goldberg - p.140) We see this perseverance and self-sacrifice reflected in our Haftorah this week. ‫ ו נל כמ כען נירו הש יכלם לא‬,‫ א נל כמ כען יצי הון לא הא בח השה‬1 For Zion's sake will I not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her ‫א שכ הנ ה יצ כד הק‬,‫ה‬‫כג‬ ‫ יי יצ‬-‫כעד‬ ,‫הא נשק הוט‬ triumph go forth as brightness, and her salvation ‫ יוישו הע התה נכ כל יפיד יי נב הער‬as a torch that burneth. (Yishaiyahu 62:1) Hidden within this passage that speaks about the eternal passion for Israel and Jewish people we see the name of Rabbi Kahane and his epithet that can be seen pasted on walls all around the country. Read: Kahane Tzadek = Kahane was right The Four Flight Numbers The four flight numbers of the airlines that were hijacked and crashed into the Twin Towers, Pentagon and the one that crashed before reaching the White House have a most unusual pattern to them: American Airlines Flight 11 United Airlines Flight 93 = 9+3 = 12 United Airlines Flight 175 = 1+7+5 = 13 American Airlines Flight 77 = 7+7 = 14 Its quite unusual that the sixth aliyah in this weeks Parsha has only four lines. There are not many Parshas in the whole Torah that have only four lines. They are also in this sequence 11-14. 304

‫ נא השר א הנ יכי נמ כצ נוך‬,‫ יא יכי כה ימ נצ הוה כה הזאת‬11 For this commandment which I command you ‫ נולא נר הח הקה‬,‫ ינ נפ ילאת יהוא ימ נמך‬-‫לא‬--‫ כהי הום‬today, it is not hidden from you, and it is not ‫ יהוא‬distant. ‫ הלנו‬-‫ ימי כי נע הלה‬,‫ ילא המר‬:‫ יהוא‬,‫ יב לא כב הש כמ יים‬12 It is not in heaven, for you to say: 'Who can ‫ נו כנ נע הש הנה‬,‫ נו כי נש ימ יענו הא התה‬,‫ כה הש כמ ני המה נו יי הק הח הה הלנו‬ascend to heaven for us, and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it?' ‫ הלנו‬-‫ ימי כי נע הבר‬,‫ ילא המר‬:‫ יהוא‬,‫ ימ יע הבר כל הים‬-‫ יג נולא‬13 Nor is it across the sea, for you to say: 'Who ,‫ נו כי נש ימ יענו הא התה‬,‫ יע הבר כה הים נו יי הק הח הה הלנו‬-‫ האל‬can cross to the other side of the sea for us, and take it for us, so that we can listen to is and ‫נו כנ נע הש הנה‬ perform it?' ‫ נב יפיך‬:‫ נמ האד‬,‫ הקר הוב יא הליך כה הד הבר‬-‫ יד יכי‬14 Rather, the matter is very near to you – in your ‫ כל נעשהת הו‬,‫ ו יב נל הב נבך‬mouth and in your heart – to perform it. (Devarim 30:11-14) The Rabbi demanded of us a faith that we believe impossible, yet it is very close at hand to do. Come home, clear the way. Throw out our enemies, rebuild our Temple. Let our enemies scream and yell, but in the end when we do that which Hashem commands of us to do, the opposite will occur. The Nations will run to follow us. We all want Moshiach now, but these are the concrete actions that we must do to demonstrate our faith. When we do them, the sea will part and we will arrive on the other side with new found wealth. If we don't heed the calls, the Plague of darkness will fall and not all of us will make it out. It is close at hand, do it now, and come home. If you are already home, then let us strengthen our purpose here and spread the idea. The Revealed Torah (2012) The hidden things of our individual destinies are secrets only Hashem knows, but the revealed things we are tested with. As a desire for a Jewish Nation was re-kindled among the people great rabbinical authorities discouraged aliya. They discouraged this because they opposed the non-observant secular Zionists who were the leaders of this Nationalist revolution. Hashem however openly revealed His pleasure at the return of His children. Deserts began to bloom and the flowering of Israel has only increased over time. Certainly we all have our shortcomings and can make improvements, but as a Nation it is clear that Hashem wants us home. The tremendous outpouring of Torah, and technology and science and art that shines like a beacon to humanity from the Land of Israel is without question an affirmation from above that He desires and blesses us in His Land. This is also indicated in the Haftorah of our Parsha. ‫ ו נכ כג הנה יזרו העי הה‬,‫ יא יכי הכא הרץ ת הו יציא יצ נמ החה‬11 For as the earth bringeth forth her growth, and ‫ כי נצ ימי כח נצ הד הקה‬,‫ יכן נא הד הני ניה יוה‬--‫ כת נצ ימי כח‬as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause ‫ כהג הו יים‬-‫ הכל‬,‫ הנ הגד‬,‫ו נת יה הלה‬ victory and glory to spring forth before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:11) 305

The Rabbi pleaded with the Jewish people to come home and to save themselves both physically and spiritually. He joked once that Israels first victory was against the giant called Cheshbon. In Hebrew Chesbon also means 'the account'. The Rabbi said one must tear up the account and come to Israel. Take the loss, take the plunge, just come. Remove the stumbling block and come home. I see his spirit in the Haftorah below. ‫הד הרך הה העם; הסלוכבר כבר‬ ‫י עי‬ 10 Go through, go through the gates, clear the ‫הסלו‬ peoples way; beat down, beat down the highway, -‫הה ירימו ינס כעל‬ clear it of stones; raise a banner over the peoples. ‫ כפנו‬,‫ו יע ו כב נש הע ירים‬ ,‫כה נמ יס הלה כס נקלו ימ הא הבן‬ ‫הה כע ימים‬ (Isaiah 62:10) ‫הסלועי ו יע ו‬ 10 Go through, go through the gates, clear the peoples way; beat down, beat down the highway, -‫כעל‬ clear it of stones; raise a banner over the peoples. ;‫ כפנו הד הרך הה העם‬,‫כב נש הע ירים‬ ‫י נבר בנר‬ ‫ הה ירימו ינס‬,‫כס נקלו ימ הא הבן‬ ‫הסלו כה נמ יס הלה‬ ‫הה כע ימים‬ (Isaiah 62:10) ‫עו= רב‬Ivru, Ivru can be read Rav Kahane (76) We also read in our Haftorah: ;‫ הב ינים לא ני כש יקרו‬,‫ כע ימי יה המה‬-‫ ח כו היא המר כאך‬8 For He said: 'Surely, they are My people, children that will not deal falsely'; so He was their ‫ישיעככלמוה‬ ,‫כו ני יהי הל ההם‬ Saviour. ‫כאך הפ הניוו שמ כל‬ ,‫ הצ הר התם לא )ל הו( הצר‬-‫ט נב הכל‬ 9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the ,‫ נבא נה הבת הו ו נב הח נמ הלת הו‬--‫ה הו ישי העם‬ angel of His presence saved them; in His love and ;‫הוא נגא הלם‬ in His pity He redeemed them; and He bore them, ‫ ני ימי ע הו הלם‬-‫ הכל‬,‫ שו כי שנ כט ןלם שו כי שנ כש ןאם‬and carried them all the days of old. (Isaiah 63:8,9) Hashem sends the remedy before the sickness. Before tragedy strikes He sends messengers to warn the people. Rabbi Kahane had both qualities of messenger and redeemer because he had the one qualification that makes one a messenger or redeemer and that is 'in their affliction he is afflicted'. He felt the pain of Jewish suffering whether it was anti-Semitic attacks in America, persecution of Soviet Jews in Russia, or terrorism against Israeli Jews. He had the ability to rouse the Jews from their slumber and lead them to glory. He was often at the shiva's of bereaved families and shocked his audiences with the painful details that were not reported of the terror being committed. He tried to awaken comfortable Jews to uncomfortable realities that they needed to protest and do something about. There is a hint of his name in both of these words in the first three letters of each word which is the gematria of Kahane (76). He bore and carried the weight of Israel upon his shoulders and demanded of us to participate in our own redemption if even for our own sakes. Unlike other Jewish organizations that try to make Judaism comfortable and enjoyable and easy like putting on tefillin (which is not a bad thing), the Rabbi however demanded commitment and asked Jews for their involvement, not only spiritually but 306

physically and politically. His son continued to carry the torch and published Darka Shel Torah based of the Rabbi's teachings which was distributed every week to Bet Knessets in Israel. These Torah shiurs were banned and confiscated but are reprinted here. ‫ = שו כי שנ כט ןלם שו כי שנ כש ןאם‬and He bore them, and carried them = 552 + 12 letters+1(kollel) = 565 ‫ = מאיר כהנא‬Meir Kahane = 327 ‫ = בינימן כהנא‬Binyamin Kahane = 238 565 Roots of the Hidden and Revealed ,‫ כליה הוה‬--‫ כח כה ינ נס הת הרת‬28 The secret things belong unto the LORD our ˙‫ באל יהינו;והנגלות ל˙נ˙ו‬God; but the things that are revealed belong unto ‫ו˙ל˙ב˙נ˙י˙נ˙ו˙ ע˙ד עולם‬ us and to our children for ever, that we may do ‫לעשות את כל דברי התורה‬ all the words of this law. ‫כה הזאת‬ (Devarim 29:28) There is a discussion in the Talmud regarding the eleven dots in this passage that allude to secret and public sins. Rabbi Nehemiah taught that God did not punish the Israelite community for secret transgressions at any time, and God did not punish the Israelite community as a whole for open transgressions until they had crossed the Jordan. (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 43b). The example that they bring is a man named Achan who secretly had taken booty in one of Israels conquests. The Nation was united under the new leadership of Yehoshua and because of this unity had succeeded in great conquests. His selfish desires and self-interest at this particular time of Israels united glory had the spiritual effect of losing Hashems protection that resulted for the first time in casualties in battle. The garments he had coveted were burned and he was stoned. The punishment that was carried out involved fire and being crushed by stone. On September 11 the same ordeal of fire and stone sent shock-waves around the world. Is there a connection? It seems there is a refinement that goes on throughout history from the one fifth who left Egypt to our own century that claimed millions of souls. Some will say that these souls are reborn in new Jewish worlds, but these are the 'secret' things of Hashem. What is revealed is for us to understand the times. It is a time of glory for Israel. The dream of two thousand years is no longer a dream. The glory of Israel had been reborn. We have conquered the Land of Israel once again, and there is yet more to conquer within and without, both physically and spiritually. New olim arrive here infused with commitment and purpose and enthusiasm to be part of this great epoch. Personally I am here now nine years and I still feel this enthusiasm and feel incredibly lucky to be here. One does not need to be religiously observant to share this feeling. A good friend and world traveler who recently made aliya and spent the night clubbing in Tel Aviv told me that by far the most beautiful woman in the world are right here. He went on to say that he would fight for Israel with his 'teeth'. 307

Our Nation has a spiritual destiny guided directly by the Creator of the Universe yet we do not lack any physical pleasures. To be part of this great destiny does however involve some sacrifice which has a tremendously unifying effect. Relationships are closer. There are sacrifices made as a Nation yet each individual soul is cherished and flourishes. To go against this stream when it is so close and within reach and with warning signs all around is almost unnatural and one must be deeply immersed in the exile for it to be too hard to break away. It is a process that certainly took me many years but to those that do not even feel a spark, the lesson of Sept 11 should make them think twice even if their reasons for visiting Israel are coming from fear and dread. There is a growing movement of those in the exile that are so immersed in its clutches that they support anti-Israel policies because Israel is increasingly at odds with their adopted governments and like the Jews of Europe before the Shoa have perfect faith that their governments will protect them and go out of the way to prove their loyalty. This self-hatred and self-interest at a time when the glory of Israel is rising is a very dangerous addiction that can lead to tragedy. That which is revealed, is for us to learn and observe and take action before its too late and before there will come a time when the exit gates will be locked. Exodus and Sept 11 (2012) I remember hearing from Rabbi Matisyahu Glazerson that according to Chazal the future redemption will be very reminiscent of the original Exodus from Egypt. One can see this idea alluded to in the Haftorah of Succoth and Chol Hamoed. We read about the future war of Gog and Magog, which precedes the final redemption and see there are many allusions to first redemption from Egypt. There is a similarity both in the plagues as well as the wealth we received upon our departure from Egypt and will again receive upon the downfall of Gog and Magog. ‫ ננ מאם נא הד הני‬,‫ הה כרי הח הרב‬-‫ כא נו הק הרא יתי הע הליו נל הכל‬21 And I will call for a sword against him ‫ נבא יחיו ית נה היה‬,‫ הח הרב יאיש‬:‫ ניה יוה‬throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD; every man's sword shall be against his brother. ‫ נב הד הבר ו נב הדם; נו הג השם ש הו יטף‬,‫ כב נו ינ נש כפ נט יתי יאת הו‬22 And I will plead against him with pestilence ‫ א נמ יטיר הע הליו‬,‫ נוא נב יני הא נל הג יביש יאש נו הג נפ ירית‬and with blood; and I will cause to rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many ‫ נא השר יאת הו‬,‫ כע ימים כר יבים‬-‫ נו כעל‬,‫ נא כג הפיו‬-‫נו כעל‬ peoples that are with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. ‫ נל יעי יני‬,‫ נונ הו כד נע יתי‬,‫ נו יה נת כק יד נש יתי‬,‫ כג נו יה נת כג יד נל יתי‬23 Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify ‫ נא יני ניה הוה‬-‫ יכי‬,‫ ג הו יים כר יבים; נו הי נדעו‬Myself, and I will make Myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Yechezkel 38:21-23) ‫ הז ההב הו הכ הסף‬,‫ כהג הו יים הס יביב‬-‫ נו מא כסף יחיל הכל‬and the wealth of all the nations round about shall ‫ הל הרב נמ האד‬--‫ ו נב הג ידים‬be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance (Zecharia 14:14) 308

When reading the Passover story about a river turning to blood and frogs jumping into ovens it doesn't sound quite real and most probably is filled with many metaphors. To understand the story better imagine this. The Nile river was the center of Egyptian life. It was both their god and their source of sustenance. When the first plague occurred, in one moment their god and their source of sustenance was destroyed. For the Jews the water was still clear but for the Egyptians the water turned to blood. On September 11, 2001 that which was thought to be untouchable and impenetrable was destroyed. The heart of global commerce and sustenance came crashing down. The godlike power of America was shattered by a handful of terrorists. Within this plague was an illusion to the other plagues. The 9th plague in Egypt was a darkness that was described as a thick darkness that one could not move through. This is how the darkness of rubble was described by those at ground zero who could barely walk or breath within the sandy debris that was falling down. The death of the first born of Egypt touched every Egyptian. The thousands of victims of the September 11th tragedy were CEO's of large firms, state officials, VIP's that had their head offices at the World Trade Center and many government and military people that worked at the Pentagon. Throughout the ordeal people were requested to donate blood. Even Arafat, the terrorist himself was donating blood to the victims. The blood was of little use for most were buried under the rubble. The word for blood in Hebrew is dam ‫ דמ‬whose gematria is 44, a derivative of 11. The Midrash tells us that originally it was one big frog that jumped out of the Nile. When it was struck it turned into two, and when they were struck four and so on until they were rampant. Sounds a little like terrorists. Even after killing one big frog called Osama, that doesn't stop the other ones from multiplying. In addition the frogs .. “shall ascend and come into your palace” (Shemot 7:28). Shortly after Sept 11 there was an anthrax scare and poison letters entered into the White House. Pictures in the newspaper showed agents entering the area wearing 'frog masks'. The plague of 'wild animals' is also reminiscent of terrorists that leave the country fearful of their savage attacks, changing the face of the USA and its border crossings. There were other plagues that came from both animals and insects (Swine Flu and Sars). The great flood that completely destroyed the city of New Orleans, coincidentally occurred as Gush Katif was being uprooted and burned down. There was an interesting difference however unlike the National Guard troops that were criticized for their delay and being unable to enforce laws directly, Israeli soldiers zealously took part in uprooting their own brothers. The Exodus Today ‫ כבאף ו כב ןח המה‬,‫ כז כו יי נת ישם ניה הוה ימ כעל א נד המ התם‬27 and the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, ‫יל‬,‫ הא הרץ א הח הרת‬-‫יכם האל‬‫כו כי נש‬ ;‫הגדוהל‬ ‫ו כב תק תצף‬ and cast them into another land, as it is this ‫ ככי הום כה הזה‬day'.-- (Devarim 29:27) The words that are used to describe our expulsion from Israel sound very similar to the words used in the Hagada to describe the punishments Hashem inflicted upon Pharaoh as we were liberated. In the Shma we read: 309

‫ נא השר ה הו יצא יתי הא נת הכם‬,‫ מא נא יני ניה הוה באל יהי הכם‬41 I am the LORD your God, who brought you ,‫ נא יני‬:‫ ןלאל יהים‬,‫ יל כהיוהת הל תכם‬,‫ ימ הא הרץ ימ נצ כר יים‬out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am ‫ ניה הוה באל יהי הכם‬. the LORD your God.' (Bamidbar 15:41) The point is that we were taken out on the condition that instead of serving Pharaoh we would serve Hashem. When we stop serving Hashem then we are returned as servants to Pharaoh. The same metaphors that describe our victory, describe our defeat. ‫ל‬In the passage “(He)..cast them into another land” there is a large 'Lamed' in the middle of the word. Lamed is the name of a letter and is also a name that means 'to learn' (Lamed). Through the Exodus and our Expulsion we must 'learn' from our collective experience and understand how and why tragedies and liberation’s occur. We must learn from the exile not only what brought us here, but what will bring us back. The Rabbi taught us to learn the lessons of the past so as not to repeat them and taught us the lessons of 'returning' from the exile. We must read the signs, understand how a Shoa could have been prevented and understand that September 11 is a wake up call to come home now. All in all the plagues committed by wild men and by nature are quite unusual in scope and I am afraid there are more to come. One of the most eery feelings that occurred on September 11 was the fact within an hour all airports and exit points of the USA were closed. Even if you had gold bars, you were not permitted to leave. To those who see the open signs and gamble on their money to get them through let it be a lesson. The Rabbi's voice is echoed in the Haftorah. Go through the rubble. Lift up the stones and go through, come home. As the plagues continue and America is plagued by terrorists who are ready to jump into the fire and commit suicide because of their medieval religion of death and destruction, while Israel continues to flourish and is welcoming home those who can see through the smoke and rubble and make their way to the distant shores of our homeland. For us the water is clear if we follow Moshe and return home. Vayelech (2012) There is a command in this Parsha to write your own sefer torah. If one cannot then he should fill in a letter or contribute to the purchase of a sefer torah. Another alternative is to write a Torah commentary. I have contributed to a Sefer Torah as well as filled in a letter and now I have written a commentary on the Chumash. Part of the reason for me jotting down the ideas I have heard or came up with is because of this commandment. In addition the banned Torah of Binyamin Kahane which is included in this book was originally available to the public on the internet. The site was taken down and so I included it here so others can read the ideas of Rabbi Kahane in his own words and spread his Torah. 310

The Rabbi taught us to be persistent and to never give up. When you feel the pain of your brother and and protest and cry out not only does it affect change but Hashem strengthens you and helps you to succeed. His Torah can be summed up as ‫ נח שזק תו מא המץ‬,‫' שרק‬strengthen yourself and persevere'. ‫ נח כזק הו בא המץ‬,‫יח כרק‬. 18 only be strong and of good courage.' (Joshua 1:18) From the beginning of Elul we read this phrase in the Psalm L'David. We read it in this weeks Parsha and it is repeated many times as we close the Torah scroll for the year and begin it anew. It is the last three words we read at the end of Simchat Torah when we close the Torah for that year and begin it anew. ‫ נח שזק תו מא המץ‬,‫ = שרק‬only strengthen yourself and persevere = 555 plus nine letters and kollel = 565 ‫ = מאיר כהנא‬Meir Kahane = 327 ‫ = בנימין כהנא‬Binyamin Kahane = 238 Meir Kahane and Binyamin Kahane = 565 The Rabbi mentions this perseverance in his last speech minutes before he was gunned down. From The Wit and Wisdom of Rabbi Meir Kahane: In this last lecture the Rabbi (rather eerily) practically eulogized himself uncharacteristically summing up his accomplishments unwittingly hinting to his being shot. Here are some excerpts from his last speech : “...And indeed my whole life has been ideas which were eventually adopted by other people and succeeded for example today Jewish Defense is an accepted thing. The concept of a patrol in neighborhoods is accepting today but if you were around 1968 when I came out with the revolutionary concept of “Jewish Defense” - the attacks against me and the venom... Eventually, it was accepted it was adopted.” “And of course Soviet Jews today - it's a pleasure to see how everyone takes credit for it. I saw that big add of the U JA [United Jewish Appeal], “We did it”. Today everybody talks about the Soviet Jewish issue and how they were helped; and that's fine. But it was only because we came up with the idea at a time when no one wanted it and they attacked us and we never backed off from it. We never backed away. The ATD handed names of J D L members to the FBI. It didn't stop me”. “And if today's in Israel the concept of transferring Arabs is accepted today, it's only because from 1971when I first said it and I kept saying it, and there was wall to wall hatred from Left to Right... You keep saying it, you keep saying it, you keep saying it and eventually more and more people start to “get” it... We have really won the war. The idea has one. Now it's our hope 311

to implement it, and in a sense, that's probably easier then having to convince them to accept the idea.” ...Now [ed: back to the subject of emergency aliya] it has to be spoken about and people will be upset and angry and fight and so on because they don't want to hear it. I remember once speaking in Roslyn Long Island and I said that “it” could happen here too, and suddenly someone jumped up and shouted “It's not true, you're a liar.” He had a thick Jewish accent and I saw he was a survivor, and then I understood what he was really saying: “I went through that; don't tell me it could happen here I don't want to hear it”. That's what he was telling me. That's the tragedy. So you shoot the messenger... If you love Jews enough, you say the painful things which will save them. No concern what they would do to you, that's not relevant...” Lift Up The Stones (2015) At my local Chabad farbrengen, I normally sit at the table with leaders of the Chabbad community (Rav Butman, Rav Halperin, Rav Boaz Segal). Usually I ask questions but this Shabbat I said L'chaim and said these words. ‫ כפנו הד הרך הה העם; הסלו‬,‫ י יע נברו יע נברו כב נש הע ירים‬10 Go through, go through the gates, clear the -‫ הה ירימו ינס כעל‬,‫ הסלו כה נמ יס הלה כס נקלו ימ הא הבן‬peoples way; beat down, beat down the highway, clear it of stones; raise a banner over the peoples. ‫הה כע ימים‬ (Isaiah 62:10) I saw something in the news this week that seems very much connected to the Parsha (see above). This week I read an article of how a new settler arrived in the night in Ir David (Silwan in the news) and after moving into his new apartment put an Israeli flag on the roof. The Arab neighbors are furious. How is this related to lifting the stones from the road? Today, there are highways that lead to 770 in Brooklyn. It is easy to travel there and its a very spiritual experience for Chabbadnikim. Rabbi Butman however remembers as a child in Russia to be a Chassid or noticeably Jewish was very dangerous. Even before his time the leaders of the movement were imprisoned and betrayed by fellow Jews. It was a road fraught with dangers and trials that today is a comfortable highway. My friend Yacov BenHeim (a Gematria Gaon) pointed out to me today that the first letters in the opening four words in the Parsha spell Kahane. Boaz's son-in-law Naphtali remarked that the letters are ‫ יל נפ יני ניה הוהאש ני הש אכ‬,‫ט התם הצ יבים י הום נל הכם‬ 9 You are standing today , all of you, before Hashem, your God; the heads of your tribes, your ‫ יז נק יני הכם‬,‫ הרא ישי הכם יש נב יטי הכם‬:‫באל יהי הכם‬ elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel.. ‫ יאיש יי נש הר יאל‬,‫ הכל‬,‫נו הש נט ירי הכם‬ (Devarim 29:9) spelled backwards. Precisely I answered. The word 'Netzavim' means to stand strong and this is what Rav Kahane had to be. He stood not only against the whole world but also against Am Israel and pleaded with them to do the real Teshuva that is needed before Rosh Hoshanna. It is all well and good to keep Shabbat and do Tefillin and all the personal mitzvot and good deeds but the sins that are revealed are what we collectively are punished for, not the secret things. This is the whole point of the 312

Torah. It is not in Heaven or beyond our reach. It is in our hands to do it. I hope that this year the trail to Ir David, and Hevron, and Bet El that are fraught with danger and stones and Molotov Cocktails will become comfortable highways that we may travel free of Jew haters and be spiritually uplifted. L'chaim. Roots and Fruits (2015) I had two questions that I was thinking about this year. Between Rosh Hoshanna and Yom Kippur there are ten days that are also connected to ten sfirot. Why don't we make special prayers regarding these sfirot as we do from Pesach to Shavuot? During the time leading up to Shavuot we meditate on every detail of the seven sfirot, while at this time we have ten sfirot and do not even mention them. My second question was why do we mix Pesach in with Succot? The succah reminds us that we dwelled in booths when we left Egypt. Would it not be a better idea to sit in Sukkot during Pesach? The Torah answers that precisely because it is not the usual custom to sit outside in the fall while it is customary to do so in the Spring. This unusual custom that seems to defy the natural inclination will stand out and because of this cause us to question. Many Jewish customs seem to go against nature, from the Succah to the Brit Milah which is probably the most unnatural (supposedly) of our customs. Rather than understanding the Brit Mila as a completion and partnership of creation we are accused of going against nature. Here is how I understand these two questions. For a month before Rosh Hoshanna every Jew in his own way, begins to make his trek against the stream like the Salmon returning home to spawn. We go back to our source as a people with a King, as well as individuals reflecting on our deeds. That source is somewhere in Heaven. How do we define that source? There are ten proclamations at the end of Yom Kippur. Three of them are normally said in a whisper throughout the year “Baruch shem kvado malchoto lolam vaed'. These are the words of angels that Moshe heard and brought down to us. Throughout the year we say them as a whisper after the Shma, however for this one moment at the end of Yom Kippur we shout it out. For this moment we are back in Heaven as angels from the source from where we came. I believe that these three declarations are connected to the three additional sfirot that we are fixing during the ten days between Rosh Hoshanna and Yom Kippur. The other seven declarations (Hashem hu Elokim) we begin to reveal on Succot with the seven shepherds that are guests each night in the Sukkah. Each guest is connected to one of the sfirot. It seems to me that we do not mention these ten sefirot because we are in a place a little bit beyond definition. This is a time that we are preparing the seed of this new year and planting it firmly in the ground. The first small sprouts begin during sukkot and the flowers and fruits are revealed at Pesach. Pesach is a time of revelation in the physical world, as we have written about before. This is the time of not only remembrance of the suffering and liberation from Mitzrayim, but also the Yom Hashoah's, Yom HaZikarons, and Yom Haatzmauuts of today. In the same way that a tree is revealed in all of its splendor with its many branches and fruits, so is the Nation of Israel paraded with all of its many colored army units. We study the details of each sefira during this time and appreciate each branch of this tree that is evolving and growing over time. The roots of the tree are hidden. In the earth they are planted in are the ten sefirot of Heaven. This is the time even before the roots; the formulating of the seed that is being planted. 313

Pesach and the Succah Hashem sees the end from the beginning. In the end, the whole world will come to Israel and be blessed and we will accept the sacrifices of the other nations. Preceding this acceptance there will be the final war that ends all wars as the nations come to destroy Israel and are defeated. The story of Pesach and the story of Succot are part of one thing; the roots of the tree and the fruits of the tree. In Pesach we eat together in family groups. We are restricted from eating publically due to various dietary customs. It is a time when we return to our individual tribes and appreciate each branch of the tree. During the night we count the sefirat haomer in the Pesach season while during the morning on succot we are shaking the revealed leaves of the tree in the day. What may seem unnatural to non-Jews, the separation of Israel from the other nations is preciously the order of nature as dictated from the beginning of time. Israel is separated and planted in order to sustain the whole of Creation and inversely the whole of Creation was made to serve and sustain Israel. Pesach was created in Succot before Mitzrayim and Aushwitz came into existence, it was part of the plan and roots of the the entire Creation. As Pesach and Israel evolves in the darkness of the world and bears branches and fruit that is revealed, the seeds and roots are also growing deeper beneath the surface. What is separated during Pesach as a Nation that dwells alone, is unified in Sukkot as the world begins to understand its place. We can see this idea related in the number of sacrifices that are brought each day and the diminishing numbers I believe tells us a lot. The number of sacrifices that are brought each day by non-Jewish nations are slowly reduced until it is only Hashem and His people remaining after the public Holiday. It seems to me that the sacrifices directly relate to the suffering of Israel through the darkness of history. As the sacrifices diminish so does our suffering as the tree of Israel grows in strength and grandeur. The tree of Israel is also related to the tree in Gan Eden. As the nations violate this tree we continue to suffer and feel the pain of exile. As the tree grows and is strengthened the violators are weakened until finally no one will touch the tree of Israel. On that day we will have been returned to the garden. As it says in our Haftorah on Succot, it will be a time of neither day nor night. Some say this refers to Bein Hamashmot (between moonlight and sunrise when both lights are equal). The moon that represents Israel and waxes and wains throughout the darkness of night will have grown like the tree of life itself and the sun and moon will be equal as it was in the beginning of time according to the Midrash. The world will have returned to its proper order as a garden with a tree in its center and the whole world will enjoy this garden as long as they do not touch this tree but may benefit from its shade. The tree of Israel will stand erect and Mankind will be represented by Israel who is Adam. All of Creation will be blessed if they stand before Adam/Israel as Adam/Israel stands before Hashem. Adam /Israel will give names to all of Creation and define its purpose. On that day God will be crowned King of the whole of Creation and His name will be One with the people of Israel and we will feast on the skin of the Leviathan. The teshuva that results from the transformation of evil into good will be the main course. 314

To be Overtaken (2016) (From a Chabad farbrengen) 'So Feivel you have any questions'? 'Well', I answered, 'let me explain a question I was thinking about in the language you understand – Chassidut. You speak about the brit between the head and the body and the connection between the physical and spiritual that can never be annulled. You explain that our connection with Hashem cannot be annulled just like our connection between the mind and the body is not separate but work together and influence each other. Now sometimes the body has a toothache and is afraid to see the dentist and get a needle. The mind knows that this will make things better but even the mind is afraid of the needle or maybe the mind makes it even more frightful than it really is. It has the intelligence to know however that this discomfort will bring an end to the bigger pain and once the pain is gone there will be joy to both the mind and the body. My question has to do with the nature of this pain. I was thinking about a question last week that is still relevant this week. We learn in our Parsha that the secret things are for Hashem but the revealed things are for us to learn and understand. ‫ באל יהינו; נו כה ינ נגלת הלנו‬,‫ כליה הוה‬--‫ כח כה ינ נס הת הרת‬28 The secret things belong unto the LORD our ‫ יד נב ירי‬-‫ הכל‬-‫ האת‬,‫ כל נעש הות‬--‫ע הו הלם‬-‫ כעד‬,‫ ו נל הב ינינו‬God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all ‫כהת הו הרה כה הזאת‬ the words of this law. (Dvarim 29:28) Why personal things happen to us; why young die before their time and wicked live long lives; why some escaped a Shoa and others did not; many personal questions only Hashem knows His answer to. However the revealed things we do know. If we do something publicly there are consequences good or bad. If there is public desecration there are collective consequences. For example in the the whole book of dvarim almost every Parsha has a similar theme. Hashem will bring us to the good land that He promised and we will be blessed, however we must remember to throw out the evil people there or He will punish us as He intended to punish them. We hear this theme over and over again in the book of Dvarim. Therefore if we see today that we suffer again from the hands of the enemies that live within, this is not the secret things that belong to Hashem. This is not mystical. If we say we suffer violence from evil people because of lack Sabbath observance or lashon hora we are making simple things complicated and confusing people when there is a simple command that we are not fulfilling. It is this idea that brings me to my question. Last week I was studying a very interesting word hasigoocha - to overpower ( ‫) כו יה ישיגוך‬. 'All these curses shall come upon you, and 'overtake' you (Dvarim 28:15). We heard about all the curses and how even if we try and run they will overpower us. This is clear to understood; one runs from curses and yet can still be overtaken by them. But what seems strange is that the same word is used in the blessings. 315

‫ו הבאו‬ ‫ב‬ 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you, ‫כו יה ישי אגך‬,‫הה יא הלה‬‫הע הליך‬ will listen to the voice ‫ כה נב הרכ הות‬-‫הכל‬ and overtake you, if you ‫ נבק הול ניה הוה באל ההיך‬,‫ יכי ית נש כמע‬: of the LORD your God. (Dvarim 28:2) By the way this is not 'my' question but the question of Rabbi Kahane's father. He answers that the reason is because sometimes we see blessings as curses. We run from them, and so they must overtake us. Rav Kahane explains what is an example of a blessing that we see as a curse? ‫ ו כבג הו יים לא יי נת כח השב‬,‫ העם נל הב הדד יי נש הכן‬-‫ ט ההן‬9 lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations. (Bamidbar 23:9) Here is the crucial point. We are afraid to do Hashems will and to throw out our enemies because we are afraid of what will happen. The world will be against us and America will be against us and the Arab nations will be against us and we will be alone. And this is frightening. The truth is America is really our god.. America is really what guarantees our safety and security. Certainly we have our traditions. We believe in God but we must be practical. God has his place. He doesn’t really control the world in a political sense. We cant live without America this would be suicide and God doesn’t want this. And so we run after this curse thinking it is a big blessing. And because we want this blessing so much it causes us to do terrible things. We literally destroy what the builders of Zion built and we persecute our own people so that we will have the blessing of these friends which is really a curse. And the curse multiplies by our own hands. However if we truly understood how great the blessing is to be alone with out father; whether in the field or in the palace, and not care about the hateful judgments of the world; not only would our fears vanish but precisely the opposite would happen.. The non Jewish nations would say 'this is the Jewish people we have been waiting for. We want to follow you and your God. Tell us what we should do.' When we really have faith in God, the result will be that the world will also see God through us. This is the tikkun olam that will bring world peace. It's very simple. ‫ נא השר א הנ יכי נמ כצ נוך‬,‫ יא יכי כה ימ נצ הוה כה הזאת‬11 For this commandment which I command you ‫ נולא נר הח הקה‬,‫ ינ נפ ילאת יהוא ימ נמך‬-‫לא‬--‫ כהי הום‬today, it is not hidden from you, and it is not ‫ יהוא‬distant. ‫ הלנו‬-‫ ימי כי נע הלה‬,‫ ילא המר‬:‫ יהוא‬,‫ יב לא כב הש כמ יים‬12 It is not in heaven, for you to say: 'Who can ‫ נו כנ נע הש הנה‬,‫ נו כי נש ימ יענו הא התה‬,‫ כה הש כמ ני המה נו יי הק הח הה הלנו‬ascend to heaven for us, and take it for us, so that we can listen to it and perform it?' ‫ הלנו‬-‫ ימי כי נע הבר‬,‫ ילא המר‬:‫ יהוא‬,‫ ימ יע הבר כל הים‬-‫ יג נולא‬13 Nor is it across the sea, for you to say: 'Who ,‫ נו כי נש ימ יענו הא התה‬,‫ יע הבר כה הים נו יי הק הח הה הלנו‬-‫ האל‬can cross to the other side of the sea for us, and take it for us, so that we can listen to is and ‫נו כנ נע הש הנה‬ perform it?' 316

‫ נב יפיך‬:‫ נמ האד‬,‫ הקר הוב יא הליך כה הד הבר‬-‫ יד יכי‬14 Rather, the matter is very near to you – in your ‫ כל נעשהת הו‬,‫ ו יב נל הב נבך‬mouth and in your heart – to perform it. (Devarim 30:11-14) It is not in the clouds or across the sea that you cannot reach it. It is in our hands to do it. I bless us that these blessings should overtake us this year. For they will surely happen against our will. But it would be a higher level if they did not have to overtake us against our will but that we desired this as well; to be alone with our father in the field and in the palace, L'Chaim. Seeing Inside Let me add one thing to those who believe this is contrary to Hashems will - let me show you the proofs inside of our Parsha. As we know according to chassidut these opening lines of our Parsha allude to Rosh Hoshanna. ‫ יל נפ יני ניה הוהשא ני שה אכ‬,‫י הום נל הכם‬ 9 You are standing today , all of you, before Hashem, your God; the heads of your tribes, your ‫ יז נק יני הכם‬,‫יש נב יטי הכם‬ elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, ‫ט התם הצ יבים‬ ‫ הרא ישי הכם‬:‫באל יהי הכם‬ ‫ יאיש יי נש הר יאל‬,‫ הכל‬,‫נו הש נט ירי הכם‬ (Devarim 29:9) Hashem renews His covenant with His people from every level of society we are all one and interconnected with one and other. Right in these very lines, we see the name Kahane. Now last year a chassid said to me, 'yes but its backwards to show that he was against Hashems will and look what happened he was cursed.' 'Incorrect', I answered him. If he was cursed than so was Moshe because of our sins he was not allowed to enter the Land. It is 'we' who were cursed and are still being cursed. The fact that I and others continue to teach his Torah is the 'blessing'. His name written backwards is precisely the lesson that we must learn. He stood against the world, against the government, and against the Rosh Yeshivas to teach the word of God. In order to renew the covenant with Hashem we too must stand against a world of falsehood and do what Hashem commands us. This is the greatest blessing there is. To run after what we think is a blessing that causes us to persecute our own people and anger our real god with these foreign lovers is a crime and the book of Torah is thrown at us. But when we stand against the world as requested by our God, true good will come. Take a look today at the funeral of Shimon Peres. So many heads of state were there to pay respects. But they come with their agendas and their pressures of what they want from us. When we say regarding Oslo [as Rav Spero in Toronto used to say Az - lo (then – no)] when we do what our God commands and which will temporarily anger the world the result will be that even more heads of states will come and not to tell us what they want but to ask us what does our God want of them? What is commanded of them?. Let the new generation stand tall with a new heart. 317

We see the proof of this torah also in the Haftorah, just as we explained. ‫ ו נכ כג הנה יזרו העי הה‬,‫ יא יכי הכא הרץ ת הו יציא יצ נמ החה‬11. For as the earth brings forth her growth, and ‫ כי נצ ימי כח נצ הד הקה‬,‫ יכן נא הד הני ניה יוה‬--‫ כת נצ ימי כח‬as a garden causes its sowing to grow; so shall my Lord Hashem Elokim cause righteousness and ‫ כהג הו ייםנת תגד‬-‫ הכל‬, ,‫ו נת יה הלה‬ praise to grow 'in the face' of all the nations. (Ishayahu 61:11) It continues to describe that because we do Hashems will 'against' the nations what is the result? ;‫ נמ הל יכים נכב הו ידך‬-‫ נו הכל‬,‫ ב נו הראו ג הו יים יצ נד יקך‬11. And nations shall perceive your righteousness ‫ נא השר יפי ניה הוה יי רק הבנו‬,‫ נו הק הרא הלך ישם הח הדש‬and all kings your honor; and you shall be called a new name, which the mouth of Hashem shall articulate. (Ishayahu 62:2) 318

The Chassidut of the Pshat (2017) ‫ יל נפ יני ניה הוהשא ני שה אכ‬,‫י הום נל הכם‬ 9 You are standing today , all of you, before Hashem, your God; the heads of your tribes, your ‫ יז נק יני הכם‬,‫יש נב יטי הכם‬ elders, and your officers, all the men of Israel, ‫ט התם הצ יבים‬ ‫ הרא ישי הכם‬:‫באל יהי הכם‬ ‫ יאיש יי נש הר יאל‬,‫ הכל‬,‫נו הש נט ירי הכם‬ (Devarim 29:9) (Kahane read from left to right) Chazal tells us the Hayom (today) is referring to Rosh Hoshanna, the day of judgement. Within this Parsha one might say there is the embodiment of two types of Chassidut, the Pnimiut and the Pshat. There are some who water those thirsty for Torah with the deeper meanings of the Torah (the pnimiut) where even darkness can be a light that is hard for us to understand. There are some who water those thirsty for Torah with the simple knowledge of good and evil and the faith to battle evil. If we go with the direction of the Pnimiut where everything Hashem does is good, then even within terrible things that happen there must be some good that is beyond our reach. The Chassidut of the Pshat however says this may be so, however the secret things are for Hashem and the revealed things are for his children to do what is commanded. One of the extreme embodiment's of the Pnimiut of the Torah is the image of Chassidim dancing before their Nazi murderers who looked at them in disbelief as they were slaughtered in open graves, or the joy of Rabbi Akiva as he said the Shma while being tortured to death. The extreme embodiment's of the Pshat are a handful of Macabees starting an impossible rebellion against the Syrian/Greek army, or the Irgun battling Great Britain or David slaying Golidath with a mere stone. Both examples are examples of faith and indeed both types of faith are needed. Hashem however tells us in this Parsha to first do the Pshat, as Rabbi Akiva did when he refused the Roman ban on Torah study. Why Rabbi Akiva's reward was different from the Macabee's reward, these are the secret things that belong to Hashem. Both however practiced the Chasidut of the Pshat. One might conclude that it was foolish of Rabbi Akiva to proclaim the Pshat. However, if one only practices the Pnimiut of the Torah and disregards difficult practical mitzvot this can lead to an even more dangerous situation. If one is exclusively immersed in the Pnimiut of the Torah he may mistake the curses in the previous Parsha as blessings and when they come to pass can only explain them as Hashems ways which are beyond our understanding. When discussing the Shoa, this causes a great Chillul Hashem as many leave the Torah and conclude that either there is no Hashem, or that Hashem is not with us. Rav Kahane was the only Rav who explained the curse of the Shoa as the result of the Jewish people leaving the religion in droves at the turn of the century as the ghettos opened up while largely being indifferent to the gates of Israel which were simultaneously opening up. As the saying goes, 'when the Jews stop making Havdalah, the nations start making it'. Understanding the collective issues of the generation raise the question of not 'Where was Hashem?' but 'Where were we then? And where are we today?” 319

‫ כו נא יני‬,‫ יכי כב תק תר ב יי נש הר יאל א יני‬,‫ כז יוי כד נע התם‬27 And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Hashem your God, and ,‫כע ימי‬ ‫ יי הבשו‬-‫נולא‬ ;‫ע הוד‬ ‫נו יאין‬ ,‫ניה הוה באל יהי הכם‬ there is no other; and My people shall never be ‫נלע הו הלם‬ put to shame. (Joel 2:27) We see in the Haftorah Vayelech; Shuva Israel (always read before Rosh Hoshanna) in the last few lines an allusion to the Shoa and the question above – Is Hashem in our midst? I have written extensively about B'Keri in the curses of Parsha Bechukosai. B'Keri (indifference/casualness) the sin attributed to all of the curses of Bechukosai is the same gematria as Shoa. There seems to be a connection here between the B'Keri of Bechukosi and Hashem being 'in our midst'. Rabbi Kahane was the only one who corrected the sin of spiritual confusion and denial that results in the perception of an angry God that haphazardly punished a saintly generation that were never misled by their leaders. By giving a truthful accounting of the sins of the leadership then and today in both the secular and religious worlds one is not left wondering 'Where was Hashem'? One concludes rather that Hashem is indeed with us and wants to bless us, if we bless Him by returning to His Land, His people, and His Torah. The faith that is required is a simple one, though it sometimes may seem impossible. 'And my people will never be put to shame' is reminiscent of Rav Kahanes motto 'Never Again'. Never Again does not mean that never again will there be those that rise up against us, but never again will we be indifferent. We will protest and block roads and do whatever is necessary to free our people from outside as well as self-imposed oppression and injustice. We see in the 1st verse of Nitzavim that the name Kahane is read from left to right as if standing against the whole congregation on this Yom Hadin; Day of Judgement. We see this also alluded in the Haftorah as standing not only against the congregation of Israel but the entire world (Kahane missing the Aleph). ‫ ו נכ כג הנה יזרו העי הה‬,‫ יא יכי הכא הרץ ת הו יציא יצ נמ החה‬11 For as the earth brings forth her growth, and as ‫ כי נצ ימי כח נצ הד הקה‬,‫ יכן נא הד הני ניה יוה‬--‫ כת נצ ימי כח‬the garden causes its sowings to grow, so shall my ‫הש ג הו יים‬-‫ כה ל‬,‫ תנ הגד‬, Lord, Hashem/Elohim, cause righteousness and ‫ ו נת יה הלה‬praise to grow in the face of all the nations. (Yishayhu 61:11) The concept of the leader of a generation standing in opposition to the entire generation is not without precedent. Moshe himself willingly gave his life and hope and dreams to save the entire Nation. “And now if You would but forgive their sin! - but if not, erase me now from Your book that You have written.” (Shmot 32:32) A true leader of the generation is one who understands the times and the 'Pshat'; the practical solutions that can change Heavenly judgements. We see in the Talmud other examples: Hezekiah further stated in the name of R. Jeremiah who said it in the name of R. Simeon b. Yohai, I am able to exempt the whole world from judgment from the day that I was born until now. (Sukkah Pg 45b) We read in Perkei Avot: \"He (Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai) used to say, if all the sages of Israel would be on one side of a scale 320

and Eliezer ben Hurkenos on the second side, he would outweigh them all. Abba Shaul said in his name, if all the Sages of Israel would be on one side of a scale with even Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkenos among them, and Rabbi Elazar ben Arach on the second side, he would outweigh them all.\" (Perkei Avot Ch 2:12) The greatness of a true leader is not that he is necessarily loved by all of the people, but that he leads them, even against their will to do the proper thing that is demanded of them from Hashem. He may be a lone voice against a raging violent sea yet it is because of this one representative of the Divine will and a handful of followers that judgement may be overturned or delayed for the sake of the congregation. On Yom Kippur the prophet Yeshiyahu chastises us and stands against the congregation of Israel for its improper teshuva that is not the 'essential' teshuva that is required. ,‫ נו כד כעת נד הר ככי‬,‫ י הום י הום יי נד הרשון‬,‫ ב נוא הו יתי‬2 They [pretend] to seek Me every day, and they ‫ ו ימ נש כפט‬,‫ נצ הד הקה הע השה‬-‫[ הי נח הפצון; נכג הוי נא השר‬pretend] to desire knowledge of My ways; like a nation that acts righteously and has not forsaken ,‫ הצ הדק‬-‫ימ נש נפ יטי‬ ‫ יי נשאלו יני‬,‫באל ההיו לא הע הזב‬ the justice of its God, they inquire of Me about ‫יק נר כבת באל יהים הי נח הפצון‬ righteous laws [as if], they desire the nearness of God. ‫ יע ינינו כנ נפ ישנו נולא‬,‫ ג הל המה כצ נמנו נולא הר יאי הת‬3 [They ask] “Why did You not see when we -‫ נו הכל‬,‫ יח הפץ‬-‫ ית הדע; יהן נבי הום הצ נמ הכם ית נמ נצאו‬fasted? We afflicted ourselves but You ignored ‫ כע נצ יבי הכם ית ננ הגשו‬it?” ‫ ו נל כהכ הות נב הא נג הרף‬,‫ ד יהן נל יריב ו כמ הצה התצומו‬4 [And God answers] “Because on your fast day ‫ נל כה נש ימי כע כב המר הום‬,‫ התצומו ככי הום‬-‫ הר כשע; לא‬you sought out personal desires and you oppressed all whom you aggrieved! Because you fast with ‫ק הו נל הכם‬ grievance and strife, and strike with a wicked fist; you do not fast as befits this day, to make your voice to be heard above. ‫י הום כענ הות‬--‫ יי נה היה צ הום הא נב הח ירהו‬,‫ ה נה הכ הזה‬5 Can such be the fast I chose, a day when man ‫ נו כשק הו יא הפר‬,‫ כנ נפש הו; נה הל הכף נכא נג המן הראש הו‬,‫ א הדם‬merely afflicts himself? Can it be bowing his head like a bulrush, and making a mattress of ‫ נוי הום הרצ הון כליה הוה‬,‫צ הום‬-‫ נה הל הזה ית נק הרא‬--‫כי יצי כע‬ sackcloth and ashes? Do you call this a fast and a day of favor to Hashem? ‫ כפ ית כח כח נר מצב הות‬--‫ צ הום הא נב הח ירהו‬,‫ ו נהל הוא הזה‬6 Surely this is the fast that I chose: open the ‫ כה יתר נא מגד הות מ הו הטה; נו כש כלח נרצו יצים‬,‫ הר כשע‬bonds of wickedness, dissolve the groups that [pervert] justice, let the oppressed go free, and ‫מ הו הטה נת כנ יתקו‬-‫ נו הכל‬,‫הח נפ ישים‬ annul all perverted justice. (Yishayhu 58:2-6) Rav Binyamin brings down an important point in reading the story of Yonah on Yom Kippur. A prophet who knows the truth and runs from this truth is liable to the death penalty, which almost occurred to Yonah, even though his intentions were good. He writes: For a prophet to be a prophet, he must go out to the people and speak the word of G-d. Rabbi Kahane would convey this principle by quoting Eliyahu in Kings 1, chapter 10: \"I am left all 321

alone as Hashem's prophet\". The Rav asked: Was it really so? Was Eliyahu the only prophet not killed by Achav and Izevel? What about the 100 prophets mentioned only a few verses before that were hidden in a cave? The Rav would explain by saying that Eliyahu was teaching a tremendous lesson for all to learn: A prophet hiding in a closet is not a prophet! The whole point of a prophet is to go out to the people and speak the truth without fear. Eliyahu WAS the only prophet around because he was out there fearlessly chastising the Jewish People at the time. Thus, Jonah, regardless of the reason he had, betrayed his special mission. This is a vital lesson of Yom Kippur, for all the \"Bnei Torah\" and \"BneiYeshiva\" and rabbis who are also in a certain sense leaders or prophets of the generation. So many choose to sit quietly, afraid to attack the Hellenistic left and thus save the Jewish State from them. All these years they have refused out of fear to state the simple \"Halacha\" and real solution to the basic and burning Yishmaelite problem - whose status is so obvious according to Torah law that no honest rabbi could differ with it. The problem is that in public, everyone is suddenly silent. All these leaders are in a sense \"prophets who withhold their prophecy\" - for they know the Divine truth yet refrain from saying it. How we are now suffering from this silence! May it be G-d's will that on Yom Kippur the first to repent will be those who are supposed to be the spiritual leaders of the nation. May they warn and chastise the Jewish People and no longer become a partner to the sins of the generation by way of their silence, and as a consequence, the Jewish People will repent and bring the Redemption. (Binyamin Kahane on Yom Kippur) By Rav Meir Kahane standing against the congregation of Israel and against all of the Nations, this was for one selfless reason only; for the Jewish people to stand upright before Hashem and be blessed. By the Jewish Nation making the proper corrections with the simple faith of the Chassidut of the Pshat, the hand of Heavenly judgement most certainly would be turned in our favor and the Nations would come to recognize Hashem and His people. May we be blessed with the Chassidut of the Pnimiut of the Torah which we will receive while fulfilling the Chassidut of the Pshat. 322

Kahane in the Parsha Haazinu 323

The Complete Redemption (2016) ‫ כההוא כו נע כז נב יתים‬-‫ יז נו הח הרה כא יפי ב הו כבי הום‬17 Then My anger shall be kindled against them ‫ ו נמ הצ מאהו‬,‫ נו הה היה הל בא הכל‬,‫ נו יה נס כת נר יתי הפ כני ימ ההם‬in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, ,‫ כבי הום כההוא‬,‫ נו הצר הות; נוא כמר‬,‫הרע הות כרב הות‬ and many evils and troubles shall come upon ‫ נמ הצאו יני‬,‫ יאין באל כהי נב יק נר יבי‬-‫נהלא כעל יכי‬ them; so that they will say in that day: Are not ‫הה הרע הות הה יא הלה‬ these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? ‫ כעל‬,‫ כה נס יתר א נס יתיר הפ כני כבי הום כההוא‬,‫ יח נוא הנ יכי‬18 And I will surely hide My face in that day for ‫ באל יהים‬-‫ האל‬,‫ יכי הפ הנה‬:‫ נא השר הע השה‬,‫ הה הר העה‬-‫ הכל‬all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that ‫ נא יח ירים‬they are turned unto other gods. (Dvarim 31:17,18) Chazal ask a question here. Why does Hashem turn His face if the people have already begun to do teshuva? As they begin to realize that the evil that befalls them is because they have turned away from Hashems commandments should this not cause Hashem to return? We see a similar idea in the book of Vayikra. ,‫ נע הון נא הב התם‬-‫ נע הו 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 ‫בנ הקריי‬ 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, ‫ נע הו הנם‬-‫ יי נרצו האת‬,‫ נואז‬,‫הה הע ירל‬ and they then be paid the punishment of their iniquity; (Vayikra 26:40,41) Again there is confession and yet Hashem continues to punish? How can this be? The Or HaChaim explains regarding the above passage that both verses are part of the confession and list the truths that Israel must acknowledge before their repentance can be considered genuine. He comments that since God is often patient for generations before bringing punishment upon the Jewish people, it is natural for unthinking people to conclude that their sinful forebears must have acted properly, otherwise they would not have enjoyed success and prosperity. This is in itself a factor in influencing later generations to continue the established 'tradition' of unacceptable behavior, and to be convinced that all misfortunes must be coincidence, surely not a Divine punishment! Therefore, God demands that a confession must include acknowledgment that the sins of predecessors were indeed wrong, and that the harshness and exiles imposed by God were not haphazard. Only then can the repentance be considered complete. 324

It is indeed true that as we approach Yom Kippur and we attempt to correct the sins of the past and start anew there is forgiveness from above and even sins can be transformed into mitzvot if they lead to a transformation of the individual. It seems to me however that what is indicated above is there is another level of Teshuva that is seldom spoken about. If we do good and if we change our ways it pleases Hashem and He assists us as a father is always willing to assist his son. When the son, however forgives his 'father' and recognizes that he brought punishment on 'himself' and 'it had to be so' this gives his father much greater nachas, as now his son and him understand each other on a much deeper level. So much cruelty that has been visited upon our nation in the past and in the present is not because Hashem is cruel but that He has removed His constant protection from us. The tragedy that can happen from a baby carriage left on a highway is not the cruelty of Hashem but the incredible negligence of the mother. As we read in Haazinu. ,‫ ד הור יע יקש‬:‫ הב הניו מו המם‬,‫ ה יש יחת ל הו לא‬5 Is corruption His? No; His children's is the ‫ ו נפ כת נל התל‬blemish; a generation crooked and perverse. (Dvarim 32:5) The complete redemption will occur when we not only change our ways and collectively fulfill the mitzvot of conquering our Land, driving out our enemies and settling the Land but also by correcting the past and setting the records straight. If we do the right thing without acknowledging the sins of the past we have not fully understood the extent of our sins and the goodness of Hashem. For example, if we look at His servant as a man of hate then we also see Hashem in this way and cannot understand why bad happens to good people. If however we see His messenger Rav Kahane as a man who had a love greater than all and stood against a mountain of adversity each and every day because of this love, then we begin to understand what real love and goodness is; and how ours is so lacking One of my favorite mitzvot is found in the book of Esther. It is a very simple mitzva. We are told that of one repeats a Torah concept that they heard, one must make sure to credit it to the person they heard it from. If you do so you may bring complete Geula. Such a huge reward for such an easy mitzva! I try to remember this mitzva and it is not always so easy. When I give over an idea I heard from Rabbi Kahane I must first explain the idea because if I mentioned the 'name' the ears would automatically get shut. After I mention the idea which usually opens peoples ears and hearts, then I mention that this is not my idea but Rabbi Kahane. One can then see the process of Geula short circuiting the darkness. ‫ כו כי יגד נל הא נס יתר‬,‫ כב כו יי הו כדע כה הד הבר נל המ נר רד ככי‬22 And the thing became known to Mordecai, who ‫ נב ישם המ נר רד הכי‬,‫ כה כמ נל הכה; כו התא המר הא נס יתר כל המ הלך‬told it unto Esther the queen; and Esther told the king thereof in Mordecai's name. (Megilat Esther 2:21) Because Esther was careful to say what she learned from whom she had learned it from, the entire Jewish people were saved. What a tremendous mitzva. On the day that our nation as a whole does teshuva and does the correct things there will be more peace. There is however an even greater teshuva. When there are many boulevards and roads and convention centers named after Meir Kahane then in addition to the greater peace there will also be a king sitting in the Knesset and his name will be Moshiach. 325

Haazinu (2016) Rashi writes that Moshe wanted witnesses that would outlive his and later generations: otherwise, who could reproach the Jews of the future if they were to deny that they had ever accepted the covenant? Therefore Moshe appointed heaven and earth, which are eternal. We of course can see throughout the generations, that as the saying goes: 'when the Jews stop making Havdalah the Goyim start to make it'. In other words Heaven and Earth comes crashing down on us through a political world that rises against us because of an underlying spiritual reason. Rabbi Dessler in Shabbat Shiurim explains that as the spiritual level of later generations decreased the witnesses also were diminished. Moshe was close to the Heavens so he said Hearken shmayim, whereas Yishayu [Yishayhu 1:3] writes the opposite; Hearken Earth and listen Heavens, as his generation was closer to the Earth. However, even as the generations descend the same axiom applies and we cannot escape our destiny. He brings down a Midrash that describes the descent of the generations and its witnesses. God said: Hearken to the Word, so that you may not have to hearken to another word. Hearken to the word of Torah, so that you may not have to hearken to the words of of prophecy. Hearken to the words of prophecy so that you may not have to hearken to rebukes. Hearken to the words of rebuke, so that you may not have to hearken to accusations. Hearken to the words of accusations so that you may not have to hearken to the screech of the Shofar, calling for war. Hearken in the Holy Land, so that you may not have to hearken in Exile. Hearken while you are alive, so that you may not have to hearken when you are dead. Let you ears hearken so that your bodies may not have to hearken. Let your bodies hearken so that your corpses may not have to hearken. (Yalkut Shimoni, II Section 264) A thought occurred to me that the generation we are living in today is at the exact opposite of this chain of events. If we look at this Midrash from the bottom to the top we can see how close we are to the Geula. Read backwards: Because of the mountain of corpses in the Shoa we gave birth to a body. Because we have a body, we now have an ear to hear. Because of such a massive amount of death and destruction we came to life. Because of the degradation and evil wrought upon us in the Exile we longed to return to the Holy Land. Because of our familiarity with the many wars that we have witnessed now that we have returned; as soon as we hear accusations we are already prepared for the next war. In addition we do everything possible to appease these accusations. After doing everything possible to appease these accusations and fighting wars we did not want to fight, we begin to ask ourselves if we are being rebuked in Heaven. As we search for answers to these apparent Heavenly rebukes that result in intifada's and political accusations we discover the words of the prophets. The prophets of our time like Rav Kahane explain to us the connection between our actions and the tragedies that befall us. They guide us on the road that will correct our path and save us from needless suffering and constant attacks and wars. From understanding the prophets of our times we then begin to understand what the Torah us really telling us. Once we begin to understand the Authentic Torah we then know what Hashem desires of us and we begin to understand the word of God. Once we understand the word of God then with a little faith we can transform our suffering into a tremendous unlimited blessing. L'chaim. 326

Sasson and Simcha (2016) There is a very interesting section in the Talmud Succah 48b regarding the difference between Joy (Sasson) and Simcha (Gladness of Heart). As the verses goes: There were two heretics, one was named Sasson and one was named Simcha. Sasson said to Simcha \"I am better than you, for it is written: they shall attain rejoicing and gladness (sasson v'simcha) etc [Isaiah 35:10] Thus we see that Sasson is listed before Simcha. Simcha replied to Sasson, \"No, I am better than you, for it is written: the Jews had gladness and rejoicing (simcha v'sasson) [Esther 8:17]. Sasson said back to Simcha, “One day the Heavens will strip you of your status and instead make you a scout, as it is written: For with Simchah [in the vanguard] they will go out.” [Isaiah 55:12] Simcha retorted to Sasson “One day the Heavens will strip you of your status and have you draw water as it is written: And you will draw water with Sasson.” [Isaiah 12:13] As I contemplated the above passages and the verses from where they were drawn it seems to me to allude to the unfolding of the Divine throughout our history as seen through the fulfillment of these two types of joy (as I will explain shortly). In addition I asked a very knowledgeable Rav why these two types of joy are described as heretics? He looked at the page and shook his head. It was a mystery. Let me explain how I understand the passage above and how I believe it may also relate to heretics. Before my explanation let me quote the Malbim from the Talmud who explains that: Simcha denotes inner joy, a gladness of the heart that may be unnoticed to observers. Sasson on the other hand is the external expression of joy, a rejoicing that may manifest itself in song or festive dress, etc, but may otherwise be devoid of real feeling. When scripture uses both terms but mentions simcha before sasson, this means that the inner joy of the persons involved has moved them to express their happiness outwardly. When sasson is mentioned first, this means that their outer jubilance has engendered an inner feeling of joy. (Talmud Succah 48b) To understand what I am about to explain we first must understand the context from where each passage is drawn. The 1st passage ,‫ ו הבאו יצי הון נב יר הנה‬,‫ י ו נפדו ייי ניה הוה ני משבון‬10 And the redeemed of Hashem shall return, and come to Zion with glad song, with everlasting joy ‫ הרא השם; השש הון‬-‫כעל‬ ,‫ע הו הלם‬ ‫נו יש נמ כחת‬ on their heads; they will attain gladness and ‫ נו הנסו היג הון כו נא הנ החהכו יש כמ החה‬,‫כי ישיגו‬ joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee. (Isaiah 35:10) If we look at the first passage we see it relates to the return to Zion. One can imagine the bittersweet joy that was felt on the very first Independence Day after the unprecedented suffering and humiliation of the Shoa that gave birth to the modern and proud State of Israel. The freedom and independence of a Jewish State after such a tragic history is an amazing affirmation of the Divine promise we have waited for more than 2000 years. In Israel we continue to experience this outward joy throughout the year by all of the Jewish and National holidays that are celebrated here 'publicly'. 327

On Succoth for example almost anywhere in the country you will find a kosher restaurant with a Succah. On Purim and Yom Haatzmaut there are big parades and fireworks. There is an outward joy that is felt and expressed 'publicly' and instituted by the laws of the land The 2nd passage ,‫ יעיר הו יעיר‬-‫ נמ ידי הנה ו נמ ידי הנה ו נב הכל‬-‫ יז ו נב הכל‬17 And in every province, and in every city, every place where the king's word and his decree ‫נו הדת הו‬ ‫ כה המ הלך‬-‫נד כבר‬ ‫נא השר‬ ‫נמק הום‬ a feast ‫יש כמ החה כו הששוהן‬,‫כמ יגי כע‬ reached, the Jews had gladness and joy, ‫ ימ נש התה נוי הום‬,‫כל ניהו ידים‬ and a holiday. Moreover, many from among the -‫ יכי‬--‫ ימ נת כי נה ידים‬,‫ ט הוב; נו כר יבים ימ כע ימי ההא הרץ‬people of the professed themselves Jews, for the ‫ נע ילי ההם‬,‫ כה ניהו ידים‬-‫ הנ כפל כפ כחד‬fear of the Jews had fallen upon them. (Esther 8:17) The second passage where Simcha is written first (simcha v'sasson) is taken from the book of Esther. At that time there was an inner feeling of joy as after the fall of Haman the Nation realized that Hashem is still with them and making hidden miracles on their behalf. The way I understand these passages is as if Simcha replies to Sasson and says your outward joy is empty. You do not see the inner working of Hashem that is hidden even in political events. Much of the outcome of the Purim story for example was due to the result of fasting and prayer. You must study the pnimiut (internal meaning) of the Torah and then you will have true Simcha. Your Sasson is worthless without my Simcha. The 3rd passage ,‫ כה הש כמ יים‬-‫ י יכי ככ נא השר יי ירד כה הג השם נו כה הש הלג ימן‬10 For just as the rain and snow descend from ,‫ ההא הרץ‬-‫ יה נר הוה האת‬-‫ יכי יאם‬--‫ נו הש המה לא הישוב‬heaven, and will not return there, rather it waters the earth, and causes it to produce and sprout, and ‫נו הל החם‬ ,‫כל הז יר כע‬ ‫הז כרע‬ ‫נו הנ כתן‬ ;‫נו יה נצ ימי החה‬ ‫נוה הו ילי הדה‬ gives seed to the sower and food to the eater; ‫לה האכיל‬ ‫ הישוב‬-‫ לא‬,‫ יא יכן יי נה היה נד הב ירי נא השר יי יצא ימ יפי‬11 So shall My word that emanates from My ,‫ נא השר הח כפ נצ יתי‬-‫ הע השה האת‬-‫ יכי יאם‬:‫ אילכי יריקהם‬mouth: it will not return to Me unfulfilled, unless it will have accomplished that which I desire, and ‫נו יה נצ ילי כח נא השר נש כל נח יתיו‬ brought success to where I sent it. ;‫ ו נב השל הום תו הבלון‬,‫ כב יש כמ החה ןת ןצאו‬-‫ יב כיי‬12 For in gladness shall you go out, and in peace shall you arrive, the mountains and hills -‫נו הכל‬ ,‫יר הנה‬ ‫יל נפ יני הכם‬ ‫ יי נפ נצחו‬,‫הה הה ירים נו כה נג הבע הות‬ will break out in glad song before you, and all the ‫ הכף‬-‫ יי נמ נחאו‬,‫נע יצי כה הש הדה‬ trees of the field shall clap their hands. (‫ תחת ) נו כת כחת‬,‫ יג כת כחת כה כנ נעצוץ כי נע הלה נבר הוש‬13 In place of the thornbush, a cypress, will rise, ,‫ כה יס נר כפד כי נע הלה נה כדס; נו הה היה כליה הוה נל ישם‬and in place of the nettle, a myrtle will rise. This will be a monument to Hashem, an eternal sign ‫נלא הות ע הו הלם לא יי הכ ירת‬ never to be cut down. (Isaiah 55:10-13) Sasson replies to Simcha and says 'yes - you were important then but this was a ‘Galut’ Simcha that was allowed to you by a foreign king. You are not free to celebrate joy in the Galut as we are here in the re-born Israel. Heaven has stripped you of your status. We have a much higher level of simcha as we grow to be a proud leader among nations. Although Heaven has stripped you of your status 328

however, we will still give you a position to be a 'scout' (that goes out) to guide us with religious matters but the majority is already openly celebrating as we are a free people in our own land. Your simcha may be expressed for example as Chabbad emissaries that go out to strengthen Jews and bring them them Simcha or Kahane Jews that settle the Land. Your simcha however is a fringe element compared to we who rule with our Sasson. The 4th passage ‫ יכי‬,‫ א הו נדך ניה הוה‬,‫ כבי הום כההוא‬,‫ א נוא כמ נר הת‬1 You will say on that day: 'I thank you, Hashem, ‫ ו נת כנ נח ימ יני‬,‫ א כנ נפ הת יבי; הי השב כא נפך‬for you were with me, and now your wrath has subsided and you have comforted me. ‫ הע יזי‬-‫ יכי‬:‫ נולא הא נפ החד‬,‫ ב יה ינה יאל נישו הע יתי הא נב כטח‬2 Behold, God is my salvation; I shall trust, and ‫ ילי ילישו העה‬-‫ כו ני יהי‬,‫ נו יז נמ הרת היה ניה הוה‬will not fear; for GOD is my might and my praise – Hashem! - and He is a salvation for me.' ,‫ ימ שמ שע כי ןני‬,‫ כב הששוהן‬,‫ כמ יים‬-‫ ג ו נשא נב התם‬3 Therefore with joy shall you draw water ‫ שה כישו העה‬out of the wells of salvation. ‫ ה הודו כליה הוה יק נראו‬,‫ ד כו נא כמ נר התם כבי הום כההוא‬4 And you will say on that day, 'Give thanks to ‫ יכי‬,‫ נע יליל התיו; כה נז יכירו‬,‫ ה הו ידיעו הב כע ימים‬,‫ יב נשמ הו‬Hashem, declare His Name, make His acts known among the peoples ; declare that His name is ‫ינ נש הגב נשמ הו‬ exalted. (Isaiah 12:1-4) Simcha says this is not true. Your celebration is marred by the enemies that still live among you and continue to invade you. Because we have been demoted by Heaven (for reasons which are subject for another discussion) you are partly free and partly enslaved. We will go out like scouts and messengers but in the end it will be from the sacrifice that we do that the war will be won and you will be demoted to less than a scout. When we have conquered your enemies your very bodies will be used to carry the water of our happiness. The great body you built will be nothing unless it is filled with the inner faith that brings true Simcha – in fact the purpose of the great body you built will be to carry the water of Simcha. We see above that this passage alludes to a future salvation. On Succoth we read about the war of Gog and Magog which will be the final war and herald in a new age of peace and unity. It seems to me that what is described here is the process in which our outward and inward enemies will be defeated which in turn will bring our true joy for without this our joy is incomplete. One can understand these passages on a personal and psychological level but also on a National and collective level . On a personal level the outward joy that is expressed in the return of Zion that is still developing will ultimately affect our inner being as well so that we can overturn the stone in our hearts. Alternatively our inner faith will inspire and fill this great body with more purpose. Through the many wars and political conflicts we will come to see the spiritual connection that is the underlying factor connecting the political and historic events. We will begin to see that much suffering could have been prevented if we were not at war with Heaven and paid more consideration to the scout that was demoted. 329

All of the curses in the book of KiTavo came upon us because of this: ,‫ ניה הוה באל ההיך‬-‫ הע כב נד הת האת‬-‫ נא השר לא‬,‫ מז כת כחת‬47 Because you did not serve Hashem,your God ‫ הכל‬,‫ ימ הרב‬--‫ ו נבטוב יל הבב‬,‫ נב יש נמ החה‬amid gladness and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant. (Dvarim 28:46) Hashem also promises us that He will rectify this situation in the future. ‫ נל כבב‬-‫ נו האת‬,‫ נל הב נבך‬-‫ ו ו המל ניה הוה באל ההיך האת‬6 Hashem,your God will circumcise your heart, ‫ נל הב נבך‬-‫ נב הכל‬,‫ ניה הוה באל ההיך‬-‫ נלא נה הבה האת‬:‫ כז נר העך‬and the heart of your offspring, to love Hashem, your God with all your heart, and with all your ‫ נל כמ כען כח הייך‬--‫ כנ נפ נשך‬-‫ו נב הכל‬ soul, that you may live. (Dvarim 28:46) The work must begin below and then from above the rest will follow. The personal rectification between Sasson and Simcha will cause National ramifications. On a National level the defeat of our enemies will only come once we have overcome our fears that come from lack of faith and lead to a real joy; a joy that can only come once we see that we are truly free. Alternatively simply ridding ourselves of our 'physical' enemies will automatically give us the freedom to feel true inner joy. On Pesach and Succoth we read from the same passages in Ki Sissa regarding not only the announcement of the Holy days that Hashem commands us to observe but other important concepts. Moshes pleads that Hashem not only forgive us but be among us. We read about the 13 attributes of Hashems patience and we also read about Hashem being a jealous God and Hashem tells us that the key to appease Him and for our own happiness is to drive out our enemies. Both on the Holiday that is called our Time of Freedom (Pesach) and the Holiday that is called our Time of Happiness (Succoth) we see that true Freedom and true Happiness cannot exist when we have enemies that are perusing us. There are chassidik approaches to remove the impediment within the heart internally and there is the chasidut of Rav Kahane that says drive out your enemies externally and through the accomplishment of this you will attain faith and true joy that will follow. Sasson and Simcha work together and shape each other. Now we can understand why Sasson and Simcha were called heretics. Not only will the non-Jewish heretics and enemies that despise Israel be defeated and reflexively cause our ultimate joy, but the underlying factor that prevented our enemies departure will be discovered. Our salvation will come when our incomplete joy caused by our lack of faith and perception will be rectified. Sasson without Simcha is partly free and partly enslaved. Simcha without Sasson is also a type of heretical blindness to the rebirth of our Nation. When the heretic within us moves his legs to dance it will effect the heart and when the heart understands itself better it will cause its feet to dance. When we drive our enemies out externally and internally the empty space will be filled with joy and happiness. 330

The King Who Remembers (2017) I asked Rav Hertzel a question. Hashem refers to Pesach as Chag HaMatzot and we refer to it as Pesach. We remember that He saved us and He remembers how we followed Him into the desert with unleavened bread. Is there a Heavenly and earthly view regarding Rosh Hoshanna? Rav Hertzel said he did not know of one. Let me submit that there is one. The maftir of Rosh Hoshanna describes a day of Shofar blowing while most of the prayers talk about Zikaron (remembrances). Sarah was remembered, and Hannah was remembered and this seems to be the major theme of the prayers. I suggest that Hashem remembers us because we blow the shofar and proclaim Him King. We recount the many times that He remembered our forefathers and he continues to remember us and watch over us as long as we continue to proclaim ourselves His subjects. We read about Avraham who was ready to accept Hashems command and judgement and sacrifice everything that was important to him (Elokim Yireh) and because of this (Elokim Yireh) is transformed into (Hashem Yireh). Our willingness to accept judgement results in a more loving and merciful world. The Politics of Nature Most Jewish Holidays are spiritual events that are also connected to a political event that took place. Rosh Hoshanna however is the proclamation of a New Year and the beginning of all beginnings. Yom Kippur on the other hand could be lossely connected to a political event. Shortly after the physical and spiritual revolution of Egypt we fell from such great heights and were punished for our sin of the Golden Calf. The first Yom Kippur was a day of atonement where we corrected our mistaken views and pledged allegiance to the true King which we had mistaken. It must have been difficult to forgive each other that first Yom Kippur after the rebellion and the Levites meeting out the death penalty within our own tribes. In addition we were almost wiped out as a people by Hashem but He forgave us due to Moshe's pleading. The National correction, renewal and forgiveness that we experienced shortly after Pesach seems to be built into the planet and the seasons where seeds are planted in the Fall and blossom in the Spring. Rosh Hoshanna and Pesach are both New Years; one being the beginning of the world and one of the beginning of the Jewish Nation. Hidden in the world that is lit by the bright sun is a moon (alluding to the Jewish people) that is blessed by Hashem Himself on Rosh Hoshanna. The waxing and waning of the moon, like the changing of the seasons is the lifeblood of correction and renewal that is reviewed and accounted for each year. The beginning and the end, the glory and the failures, the shadow and light, the progression of things that lead to the proclamation of the King growing stronger and clearer as the remembrance of His people fills the light of the moon. Within the new light of each particular New Year are twelve new monthly transformations and renewals that can already be felt. He is our Father, our King, our inheritance and we are His as well. The Torah begins with the Creation of the world, with all of its many failures and generations that are buried under the sea. The Torah also lists the remembrance of each success that is leading us to a new Promised Land and a newly renovated Garden of Eden where every failure adds another brick of success. 331

I and Thou (2017) I wrote above about the difference between the Heavenly and the Earthly view. It seems to follow that Sukkoth also has these two viewpoints. In the Torah we read Chag Hasukkoth (holiday of tents) while in our prayer it is called Zman Simchatenu (the time of our Joy). It seems that Hashem loves us because we left Mitzrayim and we dwelled together in communal tents. Is it possible that the action of dwelling in a Sukkah can result in our receiving Joy? Is it possible that by reliving this action today, we again earn the reward of Joy? I submit that the same way that Hashem remembered us reflexively on Rosh Hoshanna [because we proclaimed Him King], we receive Simcha from him on Sukkoth [because we choose to dwell in Sukkoth]. Maybe that Simcha is partly a result of reliving the past in the present. In the past we left the suffering of Egypt for a life of freedom in a barren desert. Today we also leave our homes to dwell in the Sukkah. In the past we left our homes for temporary communal dwelling in tents. Today we also spend time in the communal Sukkah that is open for the public to enjoy. There are no distinctions in the Sukkah between rich and poor or practitioner or non-practitioner of the Torah. All are welcome and all feel at home. It may be that being in a state where we physically alter our reality and leave our homes to sit among our various tribes and bond with each other, is very therapeutic. These are the ingredients or prerequisites that put one in the right framework to be able to channel Joy. We learn that the greatest joy, like the greatest love is not dependent on a particular object of affection. One is commanded to be joyful even if he does not feel it. One of the incredible benefits of living in Israel includes the joy of celebrating with your people on a National level. The mental disorders that come from too much isolation do not have time to fester here. There is more normality. Family life, community and public celebration are part of the fabric of life here. The Jewish holiday spirit helps to lift one out of his slump and into a rejuvenating experience that comes from being squashed together with his noisy people in a tiny Sukkah so that Hashem can bless them all together. The blessing one feels fills one with enough joy for the entire year. For those who feel alone in a strange isolated world, it’s time to come home. By doing so, you will receive true unconditional Joy. 332

Haazinu (2009) ‫ נולאשה‬,‫ כעם הנ הבל‬-‫ הזאת‬-‫ ית נג נמלו‬,‫נל ניה הוה‬ ‫ו‬ 6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy father that hath gotten ‫ הוא הע נשך‬,‫הוא א יביך הק הנך‬-‫ נהל הוא‬:‫ הח הכם‬thee? hath He not made thee, and established ‫ כו ני הכ ננ הנך‬. thee? (Devarim 32:6) In the beginning of the commentary we spoke about unifying the name of Hashem; the 'yud', 'hey' vav' hey'. The final letter of the four letter name of G-d, the 'Hey' looks like a daled with a small 'yud' inside. The symbolism is that Hashem will dwell below, here on earth and His name will be 'One', spread out through the world. The knowledge that we must acquire through the painful process of history is that great tragedies do not befall us because God is 'bad' or 'indifferent' or 'absent', etc. The lesson we must learn is that we bring upon ourselves tragedy because we cannot read the signs and we are insensitive and cruel to those who do and try and save us. Hashem in His kindness sends us messengers to awaken us, so that we will avoid the storm that is on the horizon, and instead of heeding the call we kill the messenger. We are 'foolish' and 'unwise' but in the end we will realize as Yosephs brothers realized that what they thought was doing 'good' brought only suffering. What they thought was concern for the collective, was concern for their own respectability and position. We will realize that we suffer for our persecution of Yoseph which is our persecution of our Father in Heaven. His Torah is true and unadulterated and Hashem is close to the broken-hearted Yosephs in each generation. They are the barometer of the acceptance of G-ds rule below. Like Noahs dove they are sent out with no place to rest their feet until the flood waters subside. The blemish is not Hashem but our own sins. When the bloated 'Hey' enlarged by our ego is humbled and made small like the small 'Hey' we spoke about in Bereshit (Vol I ) then the world will rightfully have been made for the sake of Avraham and his children the light unto nations. A final quote from the Rebbitzin Libby Kahane (Rabbi Meir Kahane His Life and Thought Volume I): Continuous efforts by the Jewish Establishment to prevent him from being heard we're hurting. “Over and over again,” he wrote, “the words are thrown up to us: But why is it that all major Jewish leaders oppose you?” His reply is prophetic: ...The man whose views have been rejected by a majority of his fellows is hardly necessarily false. History is filled with the examples of men and women who stood alone and shouted forth their disagreement with the majority, who rejected the dogmas and sacred cows of their times, and who in the end, were proven correct. ...If we believe that we are right, let us go forward. Greatness and truth are born within men who are not intimidated by their lack of numbers and by the prestige and wealth of their opposition. If you believe you are right, go ahead. March forward and do what you must. In the end you will be proven correct and your people will acknowledge their debt to you. That I may come after you are gone but that is of little consequence. (Pg. 241) 333

His article “On Greatness” was an expression, both to himself and to the world, of his conscious decision to act on his beliefs despite opposition and personal discomfort or danger. “On Greatness” concluded with these words: Greatness is the ability to perceive what is important in what is not, what is eternal and what is temporary. Greatness yearns for mountains, not valleys, and understands how brief the candle of life is and how important it is to use it to light the world. Greatness is the possession of “the few” because it is acquired only through dedication, pain and sacrifice. It is understood by the navon [one who has understanding] and not by those who are merely wise. It is that which lifts man from the merely human to the heights of sublime near-divinity. It is understood by “the few” to whom we owe the very fact of Jewish existence and who have created history in their own lonely image. (Pg. 251) 334

Notes 335

Notes: Pesach 71. Compare Leviticus Rabbah 25:4, Yalkut Shimoni 507 72. Al Emunah V'Al Emunah, p. 42-23 73. The basin in the tabernacle (Ex. 30:17-21). 74. Excerpt of speech at University of Minnesota (can be found on Youtube). 75. Richard Friedman bloggadah.blogspot.com This book completed on the 18th of Chesvhan (2012) 336

The Banned Torah of Binyamin Kahane (H'YD) 337

338

SEFER VAYIKRA 339

340

PARSHAT VAYIKRA Service to G-d Or Primitive Ritual? (1994 Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Without a doubt there will be those who object to our bringing the following quote from a particular \"religious\" Jew who is one of the biggest opponents to the renewal of the sacrifices in our generation. During a special convention dealing with the Temple Mount, one of the participants who dons a yarmulke and carries with the title of \"Rabbi\", made the following comment: \"Must we inhale the smell of charred meat in order to manifest our religiousness?..\" And so, why must we bring the words of enemies of Judaism in our parsha commentary? Why give them a forum? Aren't there things more holy to discuss on this topic? The answer is that in many ways, almost every Jew, including observant ones, possesses thoughts similar to the above, and it is this complete mindset which must be changed. What exactly do we mean? After 2,000 years of living without a Temple and without sacrifices, the mere idea of offering sacrifices (the bringing of an animal, slaughtering it with a knife, and bringing its flesh up to the fire on the altar for G-d), has been virtually forgotten. People have even begun to reject and mock the entire concept of animal sacrifices. After all, who does such things today? For this reason, while it would never cross the lips of a believing Jew to cancel the service of the fire offerings, he also does not exhibit a great yearning to see the \"religion\" of Judaism return to the days when the offering of the sacrifices stood at their very center. He, too, can not help but think of all this as something that belongs to the Dark Ages. I mean, between us, who really needs to see flocks of sheep and cattle being scorched on the Temple Mount? After all, serving G-d in the manner in which we have become accustomed includes davening, fasting and other such ritual. How can we suddenly serve G-d in such a crude and material way? Isn't such practice more appropriate for such countries like India? But the fact is, clearly, that the way to get close to G-d is the way that G-d Himself told us to; not the way it appears through our very mortal and limited eyes. And G-d set down that the way to serve Him (nu, what can you do?), is to take an unblemished animal and offer it on the altar in the place which G- d chose, on the Temple Mount, as we contemplate how it is really WE who deserve to be slaughtered for our sin. This process nullifies our egos, and actualizes in a very concrete way the severity of our sin and the punishment we deserve, thereby enabling us to reach higher levels of spirituality. Prayer? Fasts? Of course! But only as something to supplement the sacrifices. Our words are not directed towards that same clown we quoted earlier. Our words are directed at you, the reader, who perhaps mistakenly underestimated the vital importance of the service of the sacrifices and the critical need to restore it. Know and remember! For 2,000 years, all our prayers have been for the return of our Temple and for the renewal of the sacrifices, as we say in the Amida prayer three times each day, \"Restore the service to the Holy of Holies of your Temple. Speedily accept the fire offerings of Israel...\" 341

Do not dare think that today we have \"progressed\", and already \"passed that stage\". Such thoughts eliminate a very hefty portion of the 613 Mitzvot, and one who would consider canceling even one of them is guilty of heresy. Let us not be counted among those \"moderdox\" Jews who attempt to create G-d in their own image. Let us be true Torah Jews who accept all of G-d's laws regardless of how it may jive with some western concepts which may have diluted our ability to understand and practice authentic Judaism. 342

PARSHAT TZAV G-d Helps Those Who Help Themselves (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg At the beginning of Parshat Tzav, it says (6:6): \"A fire continually shall be kept burning upon the altar, it should not go out\". The Ramban comments, \"it is a mitzvah for the Cohenim to maintain the fire.\" On this simple mitzvah, where the Cohenim are commanded to light the fire themselves on the altar, there is a grand concept to be learned. For on the verse at the beginning of the Book of Vayikra, \"And the sons of Aharon the priest shall put fire upon the altar\", Rashi says: \"Even though the fire descended from Heaven, it is a mitzvah to bring (fire) from an ordinary (source).\" And the question which arises is: If the fire comes down from the Heavens and is on the altar anyway, why are the Cohenim commanded to put the fire there themselves; and if the Cohenim are commanded to bring the fire by themselves, why does G-d have to make a miracle where fire comes down from Heaven? Here we hit upon a basic principle which applies to the Temple, and to all other facets of Judaism as well. Actually, the Temple is the most lofty of concepts. After all, it is the place where the Divine Presence rests. Consequently, it might be expected that the Holy Temple is a matter reserved exclusively for G-d to deal with. On the other hand, if this were so, why would there be a need for a tangible House of G-d on the ground in the first place? Clearly, the entire purpose of this special place is so that man will have a place to connect himself to the Almighty, to serve G-d, and atone for his sins. And so it might seem proper that all matters concerning the Temple should be brought about by the actions of man. How do we resolve these conflicting concepts? The secret is in the above Rashi: \"Even though the fire descended from Heaven, it is a mitzvah to bring (fire) from an ordinary (source).\" The sages are coming to tell us that it is true that the fire comes from the Heavens, as should be expected from G-d's abode. But since G-d intended the House to be for the purpose of man - so that man can connect his deeds to his Creator, He demands that we bring the fire by ourselves, despite the fact that He does not need it. We see this same idea in the construction of the Tabernacle. After the preparation of the boards for the Tabernacle had been completed, G-d gave Moshe the mission of constructing the Tabernacle: \"Moshe said before the Almighty: 'How is it possible to erect it by means of man (because of the huge weight of the boards)?' He (G-d) said to him: 'Put your hand to it'. It appeared as though Moshe erected it, but (actually) it stood up and arose itself.\" (Rashi, Shmot, 39:32) Not only did the physical weight prevent Moshe from lifting the boards, but so did the fact that it did not seem appropriate for mere flesh and blood to erect G-d's House. But since the House was intended for us, G-d wants us to actively take part in it's construction. This is the answer. G-d wants us to make the effort - that is, to pick up the boards - and then, and only then, will He send us Divine assistance. But without the maximal effort from man, there is no way G-d will do the work for us. In this way we can understand the midrash which speaks of the final Temple \"descending from the Heavens\". The intent here is not that the Temple will drop out of the sky and land \"fully furnished\". This cannot be, if not for the reason alone that it is a positive commandment to build the Temple (Rambam, Hilchot Beit HaBichera), and G-d would not \"steal\" such a vital mitzvah from us. But 343

clearly, the intention is that in spite of the fact that the Temple will come about as a result of man's efforts, the Heavenly assistance will be so clearly seen that it will be as if it descended from the Heavens. Others explain this midrash by saying that the pace of the building will be accelerated in a miraculous fashion, something out of the ordinary. Still other \"Achronim\" like the \"Tiferet Yisrael\" and \"Aruch Lenare\" explain the midrash in a more figurative fashion, saying after we build the Temple as commanded, the Divine Presence will rest upon it, and this so to speak is the \"House descending from the Heavens\". In conclusion, the rule of us helping ourselves so that G-d will help us applies to all situations. We must do, and not think that He will do our job for us. On the other hand, it is forbidden to be arrogant, and think that it is within our power to do it all. Rather we must always realize that when we do, it is the \"Siata DeShmaya\" (Heavenly assistance) which enables our actions to succeed. 344

PARSHAT SHEMINI Judaism is Not Hefker (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The intention of Nadav and Avihu was to sanctify themselves, but instead of being rewarded, they were killed. Why? Because holiness without the acceptance of the Yoke of Heaven is strange fire. Without the \"Yoke of Heaven\", all of the mitzvot lose their significance. For example, someone might say: I observe Shabbat because I think it is nice, and not because G-d commanded me to do so. Such a person does not fulfill G-d's commandments, but rather is following his own thoughts and ego. He is performing the act out of intellectual or emotional \"agreement\",and is only reinforcing his own arrogance and conceit, despite the fact that on an exterior level, he is performing the same mitzvah just as you and me. We have dealt with this concept on many occasions, especially as it pertains to the vast numbers of religious Jews who have difficulty relating to\"national\" mitzvot, such as goyim in Eretz Yisrael, war, vengeance, etc. This, as we have stated, is due to foreign influences, and the failure to accept the Yoke of Heaven in it's entirety. Through the sin of Nadav and Avihu, we will now deal with this concept from a different angle. Many explanations are given for the death of Nadav and Avihu. In any case,we need not look beyond the simple understanding of the verses in our parsha to gain the proper insight: \"And they offered strange fire before the Lord which He commanded them not.\" In other words, they deviated from the exact instructions which they had been given by G-d to perform the service. They added something extra, something strange. In order to grasp the severity of their sin, we must understand the background. We are talking about the eighth day of the consecration service (\"milieuim\") of Aharon and sons. These were days of spiritual elevation and preparation so that they can begin their service in the Tabernacle. During these days, Moshe, Aharon, and his sons were set apart from everyone else, occupied in the very special service G-d had commanded them. The details of this service had been meticulously described in parshas \"TiZave\" and \"Tzav\". The eighth day was the absolute climax of the service. On this day the Tabernacle was erected, and the holy work inside it was to commence. Everyone was in a state of holy-exuberance which had never yet been experienced. And behold, Nadav and Avihu's love for G-d reached a new height, bursting forth almost uncontrollably. In their boundless enthusiasm,they felt a need to offer extra incense before G-d, something which they had not been commanded to do. And then tragedy struck. If this had happened today, surely people would ask: That's a sin? On the contrary, all this stemmed from their feelings of holiness! They should be given a prize! But here a great lesson is to be learned: There is no sanctity outside of the framework which G-d has set down, which is the\"halacha\". The Torah has a good reason for twice repeating in great detail the halachot of the \"milieuim\" service, despite the fact that these halachot are no longer applicable for today. It wants to teach us that even the\"gedolim\", during grand moments of spiritual elevation, must remember that there is a very specific procedure which G-d set down for how one must sanctify himself. It is not \"hefker\". Any deviation from the procedure which G-d determined, no matter how small it may be, is liable to bring tragedy. Pay attention to the words of the Torah in defining the sin of Nadav and Avihu: \"And they offered a 345

strange fire before the Lord which He commanded them not\". Their sin was for doing something which was not included in what G-d commanded them to do. This is in itself a sin: G-d gave a clear plan,and then Nadav and Avihu came up with their own \"agenda\". A lesson can be learned here that is applicable to some of the approaches to Judaism which are prevalent today. High spiritual elevation and enthusiasm which exceeds the \"dry\" and \"square\" halacha, is something very dangerous indeed. One who is trying to sanctify himself with holiness, may often feel that the halacha is restricting him. At first glance, such a feeling stems from a healthy aspiration for extra holiness. And then,according to his personal discretion and intellect, he begins to place emphasis on certain things. Without realizing it, he creates a new religion. A \"strange fire\". What is really happening here, is that he has broken off the \"Yoke of Heaven\", due to his ego and lack of readiness to understand that the foundation to holiness is the acceptance of the yoke of his Creator, and the subjugation of his own ego. The way to sanctify oneself and cling to G-d - only G-d Himself can determine. Just as it is clear that one cannot be \"religious\" in his heart,without fulfilling mitzvot, so, too, is it clear that our human intellect and personal emotions can never figure out the proper way to cling to G-d. Such feelings are brief and transient, blowing breezes which leave no real impression. It is likely that the commandment given to Aharon forbidding him to mourn his children, is intended to complete this message. In other words, because the death of his sons was due to the fact that they went after their own inner emotions and ignored the \"halacha\", Aharon must prove that even in the most tragic situation, one must overcome his emotions, if Hashem commands it. And indeed: \"And Aharon was silent\". What greatness! Aharon accepts the sentence, transcending all personal loss and sorrow. The Yoke of Heaven! Before we even \"understand\" the Torah; before we even\"agree\" with the mitzvot - we must fulfill it to the letter. Afterwards, one can try to understand. In the meantime, do the mitzvah even if it seems to go against your \"conscience\". We will do - and we will listen. 346

PARSHOT TAZRIA – MEZORA Faith, Faith, And There Is No Faith (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The entire subject of the various skin disorders that are dealt with in Parshat \"Tazria\" and \"Mazora\" is perceived as one huge mystery by many. What is the possible importance of all this? A story brought down in Midrash Tanchuma, Parshat \"Tazria\" teaches us a tremendous idea that lies behind this entire subject of skin disorders and blemishes dealt with in the parsha. The midrash tells us a bout a certain cohen in the Land of Israel who was greatly impoverished. Due to his economic stress, he decided to do what so many do today for the same reason - to go overseas. Since the occupation of the cohen included diagnosing skin blemishes (only the cohen can examine the disorder and determine if it is pure or not), he felt a responsibility towards his \"clients\", and proceeded to teach his wife the tricks of the trade so she could cover for him while he was out of town. The cohen taught her the basic principle of skin disorders: \"If you see that the water source of one of the person's body hairs dried up, know that he has been stricken. Because for each and every strand of hair on the body, Hashem created for it its own life-source from which it nurtures. If the well dries up, the hair dries up.\" The midrash continues to tell us that when his wife heard this rule, she sharply criticized her husband the cohen and said, \"And G-d created for each and every hair on the body its own individual life-source or well from which to drink from - you being a human being with lots and lots of hair, and your children depend on you for support, isn't it all the more so that G-d will provide for you sustenance?\" And the midrash concludes: \"And thus she did not let him leave Israel!\" Though this cohen might have been dealing with skin disorders his entire life, he only understood the technical side of this mitzvah. What his valiant wife taught him was the idea or lesson that lies behind this matter, that despite all his knowledge of the details, he did not grasp. And what is the idea? That even in something that at first glance might seem trivial and mundane like skin blemishes, there is concealed the concept of G-d's incredibly precise \"Hashgacha\" (Divine Providence) over every thing in this world. What may seem to us as some \"coincidental\" stain with hair, takes on an entirely different meaning when we understand that a \"little\" thing like that exists for a reason, and there is Someone up there running the show even when it comes to individual cuticles - for everything has a purpose. This woman came along and immediately corrected her husband by saying: You want to try to outsmart Hashem? Well, if Hashem decreed that you will suffer poverty, all attempts to evade G-d's Will will be fruitless, and certainly if it includes leaving Israel which is against the \"Halacha\". This cohen is nothing more than an example of most religious Jews today. Without a doubt, he too awoke each morning and went to synagogue. He too said \"I believe\", and set a fixed time each day to learn Torah. But in both instances when it comes to the moment of truth on both a personal and national level, all the \"emunah\" that is proclaimed remains just lip service when it has to be applied in real life situations. Even righteous Jews are not spared from this trap. The sages tell us in Trachtate Sota (48): \"What cause the righteous to receive less of a portion in the Next World? Smallness (small \"emunah\" - Rashi) that was in them!\" He who gets up and says that parts of the Land of Israel which we are commanded to conquer must be handed over to the gentiles because of \"Pekuach Nefesh\"; that it is forbidden to perform certain acts of 347

\"Kiddush Hashem\" because \"what will the world say\"; that the fulfillment of the Divine Commandment, \"And you shall disinherit the inhabitants of the land\" are not practical because America will stop supporting us - such people fall into the same category as the above cohen. For they suddenly \"forgot\" that the same Master of the World who commanded us to live in the Land of Israel and to conquer it, also sends us \"parnassa\" and \"bitachon\". What is missing today is that simple woman of simple faith to get up and shout: If God has Divine Providence over every single hair on the body and determines by Himself whether that hair will live or die, for sure he is watching over his Chosen People! And if G-d indeed watches over His people, could anything possibly go wrong if that people cling to His commandments, even those that seem \"dangerous\"?! If one claims that fulfilling God's Will is \"dangerous\" - it really does not matter if that person wears a yarmulke, a strimel, long coat or none of the above, for he is just like that above cohen -- of little faith and with little to teach us. Unpleasant Torah Issues (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Parshat Tazria-Mezora discusses all kinds of unpleasant subjects. One can even say they are \"not nice\". Leprosy, plagues, scabs, semen and all different forms of uncleanliness are expounded upon in the greatest of detail. Why must the Torah deal with the most undignified of problems that trouble man? Would it not be preferable for our holy Torah to skip such subjects and discuss more spiritually uplifting matters? You know - concepts such as holiness and purity, grandeur and splendor, and similar religious subjects? Do we really need to read in such graphic detail about semen and scabs on a Shabbas morning? Should not this subject matter be dealt with modestly? But the more we learn Torah, the more we reveal that just as Torah deals with spiritually uplifting concepts, so too it deals with matters which we would not categorize as spiritual. For example, at the very beginning of the \"Tur\" and \"Shulchan Aruch\" in section \"Orach Haim\" (the section dealing with day to day matters) are the laws dealing with going to the bathroom, elaborated upon in meticulous detail. Nothing more and nothing less! And so we see a basic principle: The Torah is a \"Torat Haim\", applying to one's life in the fullest of senses. Indeed, it would be more comfortable for many if the Torah would deal with the \"lofty\" subjects, and that their spiritual world would only include the \"nice\", \"pure\" topics that go down smoothly. It would be preferable to many if the trivial, everyday stuff would be placed outside the spiritual realm. But the purpose of the Torah is precisely the opposite: It is to bring holiness and spirituality to even the most remote and lowly of places, in order to sanctify them. It intentionally relates in great measure to the problematic areas of life, so it will not be mistaken for some nice \"folklore\" that requires a consensus and a distancing from controversy. It deals with the evil. And when the time comes where one must perform some painful surgery even at the cost of a certain amount of blood-letting, than even this must be done without undue hesitation. One can not ignore the leprosy. It is an expression of man's problems,and the sages tell us that the very word \"Tzaraat\" (Leprosy) is from the root \"Motzi Shem Ra\" (Slander). And so the world needs to be corrected. Sometimes, it takes serious surgery, and one can not ignore it by getting bogged down in all 348

kinds of \"lofty\" and \"nice\" concepts, which are cut off from reality. That is a Christian outlook. The Torah, by contrast, separates between good and evil, and deals with the problems. It doesn't run away from reality; it deals with it head on. One of the problems with observant Jews is that there is all too often,a subconscious distinction between \"nice mitzvot\" and \"not nice mitzvot\" (this categorization being dependent on the \"spirit\" of that time!). Everyone, for example, loves the mitzvah of Shabbas - it has come to embody a concept pertaining to \"social\" and family values. (Once this was not so, and it was looked upon in a negative light, as we see that Haman tried to incite Achashverosh against the Jews, using the fact that the Jews rest on Shabbat). Everyone also loves the mitzvah of honoring one's parents. Who can oppose such a nice mitzvah? (And this too isn't an absolute, as we know of societies who cast off their elder citizens to die). On the other hand, people tend to distance themselves from the mitzvot of leprosy, as they do from the halachot of war, vengeance and the expulsion of goyim from the land, despite the fact that these subjects are such a central and basic theme in authentic Jewish thought. For these laws, too, belong to the category of \"not nice\" mitzvot in the Torah, since they contradict liberal western culture. True, most observant Jews would not dare to admit they make such a categorization. But in their subconscious they do it all the time, due to the non-stop brainwashing, which like gamma rays, penetrates their mindsets. This is why many find themselves alienated from the Parsha Tazria-Mezora, and this is why they use all kinds of excuses to deny the parshas dealing with war and vengeance. Like a pillar, the parshas Tazria-Mezora appear between the parshiotwhich express the height of holiness and the \"beauty\" of Judaism - Parshat Shmini in which the Tabernacle was consecrated, and Parshat Achrei Mot, which describes the service of the Cohen HaGadol on Yom Kippur. This teaches us a vital lesson: \"Torat Hashem Timeema, Mishivat Nefesh\" - the Torah of Hashem is perfect (whole), restoring the soul.\" (Psalms 19:8). When does it restore the soul? When it is whole and complete, and not divided into different parts which we are more fond of or less fond of. In the final analysis, the greatness of Torah may even stem from the fact that it relates to the \"less nice\" sides of life, offering clear solutions to problems. Our Torah is not \"parve\", but rather determined and unhesitating, carrying on its banner the need to cling to good and burn out evil. Without compromises. 349

PARSHAT KEDOSHIM Hellenism Vs. \"Havdalah\" - Universalism Vs. Particularism (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg This article is dedicated to Rabbi Ido Elba, a true Tzadik and Torah scholar whose personal sacrifice for truth without compromise has landed him a two year jail sentence for \"incitement to racism\". An Indictment of Holy Proportions Rav Elba delved into the depths of the Talmud and the Halachic Codifiers, and composed a scholarly Torah essay about the Halachic perspective on the killing of Gentiles and enemies during a time of war. Just a look at the title had the Shin Bet and the District Attorney drooling. They had been \"looking\" to get their hands on Elba ever since the round up of the alleged \"underground\" from Kiryat Arba, which proved to be a baseless hoax. When they saw the article, they knew they caught a \"big fish\". This was not because they understood the contents of the essay. Even if they bothered to read it, they are a bit weak in the subject of Judaism, though they may boast great proficiency in the field of British and Turkish law. And thus was hatched a rather amazing indictment against Rav Elba. An indictment which quoted directly and in great detail, sources which Rav Elba quoted. Rabbis from all sides of the political spectrum agreed that Elba quoted authentic views that exist within the framework of Talmudic discussion. The Real Struggle This is all very far from being a joke. We are talking here about another serious step taken by the Israeli regime to make Judaism illegal, and to turn the state of Israel into a universalist unJewish state. One of the great scholars of our generation who is a former Chief Rabbi of the state of Israel said, the way the Judicial system refer to Rav Elba reminds him of the way Heretics used to speak about the Talmud. And now for a little history. The law which Rav Elba allegedly violated termed \"The Law Against Racism\", was drawn up and created to help silence my father, Rabbi Meir Kahane (may G-d avenge his blood). However, as my father warned us then, the law was not only against Rabbi Kahane as an individual, but against the entire Torah as well. And indeed, for the first time, a righteous Jew and Torah scholar has been convicted on this very charge for the words of Torah he has written. The worst possible nightmare is being actualized before our very eyes. When Rav Elba was charged with \"racism\", he was being accused of adhering to the concept of \"Havdalah\" - seperation between Jew and Gentile. This concept of particularism and belief that Jews are members of a \"chosen people\", is one of the most basic and fundamental principals of Judaism. There is nothing that bothers modern day Hellinists more than this Jewish concept of \"Havdalah\". The real goal of the Helinist is to assimilate into the Gentile world. They are universalists who want to erase the Jewish character of the state of Israel. They refuse to understand why the Jewish nation must be separate and special, and thus act to eliminate any Jewish uniqueness - and attack anyone who clings to the tenet of \"Havdalah\". This was the crux of the war they waged against Rabbi Kahane, and it stands at the root of their obsession with Rav Elba. We Must Decide Where We Stand 350