Kahane Codes - Part Two

Our Parsha of the week states, \"You shall be holy\", commanding us: Be separated from their abominations, from the evil and from the falsehood of the Gentile. Every Saturday night, Jews around the world conclude the Sabath with the ritual Havdalah prayer and recite: He who separate light and darkness and between the seventh day and the rest of the week also separates between the Jewish people and the rest of the world and between good and evil. What will be next? Perhaps they should arrest Jews for observing the Sabath, performing a brith, reciting Havdalah or any of the countless Mitzvot which manifest the concept of Havdalah. The sages comment in Leviticus, on the end of our Parsha (see Rashi): \"If you set yourself apart from them, then you are mine; but if not, then you will belong to Nebuchadnezzar and his friends.\" We must decide where we are holding! Here or there. There is no coexistence between good and evil. We are either with Hashem or with Nebuchadnezzar. We are either with Rabbi Kahane and Rabbi Elba or with Yossi Sarid and Achmad Tibi. Many \"moderdox\" Jews and Rabbis continue to live a big lie. They lack the courage and the honesty to chose. They speak of being Universalist and particularist at the same time. We are living through a momentous era of confusion. Now is the time for every Jew to take a stand and to be honest with himself and his constituents. Where is the outcry of the Rabbis on behalf of Rabbi Elbah? Do they not understand that the next decree may be against them and their confused universalist Judaism? Where are all of the universalists who fight for \"free speech\"? We must decide where we stand and act upon our convictions with integrity. A Time to Love and a Time to Hate (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Like every characteristic which G-d placed in man, the characteristic called \"love\" also has boundaries and limits which is defined by the Torah. These boundaries cannot be crossed according to man's personal liking. Therefore we find that in the mitzvah, \"And you shall love your fellow man as yourself\", specific limits are set. As King Solomon says in Kohelet, there is a \"time to love and a time to hate\". And behold, due to the widely held and mistaken approach which preaches boundless love without halachic limits or behavioral distinctions, there is a need to analyze and define the concepts of \"love\" and \"hate\". Through this understanding, we will more easily comprehend the intention of the halachic commandments to love and to hate, the reasoning behind these commandments, and when to apply them. The True Meaning of Love - Closeness The meaning of \"love\" is closeness or cleaving. The foundation of the commandment to love all Jews is derived from the fact that all Jews are bound together as one nation, holy and virtuous. There is no significance to the existence of the individual Jew without his connection to the collective. The commandment to love Jews is intended to express this connection. This unique partnership where each Jew is a guarantor for one another determines that a good deed done by one Jew positively effects the entire nation, while a sin by one Jew hurts the collective. The True Meaning of Hate - Distance On the other hand, hate connotes distance and difference. With this in mind it is easy to understand why, as a rule, it is forbidden to hate a fellow Jew. The reason is that we are essentially connected and 351

not distanced or cut off from one another. Having said that, the Torah sets forth that this connection only exists when he is \"a brother in Torah and mitzvot\". That is,we love the Jew who shares our commitment to Torah and mitzvot. However,when he sins, he severs himself from the connection. And then, in specific instances determined by the halacha, the obligation arises to hate him and distance yourself from him. Not only because he distanced himself, but also because he hurt us with his evil deeds. Additionally, we distance ourselves from him for the practical purpose of not learning from his ways. Let us sharpen the point. The Hebrew words for \"hate\" (Sone) and \"difference\" (Shoni) are derived from the same root. The commandment to hate is essentially a commandment to feel different from the sinners. In fact, upon further inspection, we will observe that distance and hate surface amongst those who are different from us (just as closeness and love develop amongst those who appear similar to us). So writes the Iben Ezra (Breishit,11:6): \"Through the differences of beliefs, arises hatred and jealousy, and also with the change of languages. This is why the King of Persia commanded his people to speak in the language of his nation (so that everyone will speak the same language)\" This said and done, pertaining to superficial differences that exist between Jews, the Jew is commanded to ignore these,and focus on the similarities in order to awaken the love and connection. However, when referring to one who has transgressed the Torah, this signifies an internal difference, and in such a case the Torah commands that we do not ignore the difference, rather we awaken the hatred and differentiation. Different Categories of \"Hate\" At this point we must understand an additional fundamental matter. There exist different levels of \"hatred\". For example, there is a great difference between the hate and distance one must feel towards a Jew that transgresses mitzvot, but still believes in the foundations of faith, and the disgust that one must feel towards a \"heretic\". Concerning a Jew who\"only\" transgresses the mitzvot, the basic love which we must feel towards him remains. In contrast, concerning a Jew who has removed himself from the nation, such as heretics and informers who cause damage to the Jewish People, the hatred is stronger, as manifested in the halacha, where it is set forth that \"one must cast down, and not lift up\" (Rambam, HilchotRotzeach, 4:10) Verily, even concerning them, the love has not been totally extinguished - for there is yet hope that they will repent. However in practical application, this love finds very little expression. All the more so with those Jews who cause the masses to sin. Concerning them, there is no hope for them even to repent, and so the hate, distance and differentiation are even greater. The Ladder In other words, there is a ladder with many rungs. On one side is \"love\" and on the other side is \"hate\". Someone who is not worthy of total love, is not necessarily pushed down the bottom of the ladder, but rather a level exists appropriate for each situation. In our history, only a few individuals were totally removed from \"Clal Yisrael\", left without hope. Furthermore, on this ladder exists a special place for \"tinokot shenisbu\"(kidnapped children, that is, Jews who have been forcibly removed from their heritage). Here, there is an exception. Despite the fact that their connection to the Jewish People is not outwardly expressed, none the less,since they are not at fault for their situation, one should not mix hatred in his love for them. But this is the exception to the rule which we will expand upon at another time. And so we have learned that feelings like \"hate\" and \"love\" are not blind emotions, but rather come to express halachic concepts of closeness and distance. They are behavioral characteristics which are first and foremost subjugated to the intellect. 352

PARSHAT EMOR What Is a Jewish Leader? (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Democracy has twisted the concept of leaders from people who are supposed to lead the people into people who chase after the herd and who are lead by the people and their consensus. Democratic leaders seek to be loved by their constituents by doing popular things so that they can get reelected. However, all of their efforts usually bring about the opposite reaction. Most democratic leaders are jeered by the masses and humiliated. Professional politicians like Rabin and Bibi will soon \"go down to the people\", as they say in Hebrew. They have set their sights on the upcoming elections. They can already be seen kissing the babies and giving them balloons with their party names on them. Anything that makes a good shot for the media; anything to buy another vote. There is nothing like an election season to display the degradation of the status of the leader in the democratic system. According to authentic Judaism, the status of a leader is different. The Jewish leader who is righteous and G-d fearing must be honored and treated in the highest regard, for in Judaism there is a concept of \"kavod\" - honor. Thus we find the very special status of the \"Cohen\"-high priest, in our Parsha. The Cohen is distinguished in many ways from the rest of the people. We are commanded to treat him with a higher degree of sanctity \"for he will be holy unto you\". From this verse our sages teach us the obligation to place the Cohen ahead of us in all matters pertaining to \"kedusha\"- holiness, and to make sure his honor is always upheld properly. On the other hand, if their is a wicked leader who is arrogant and is more concerned with himself than the welfare of his people, and places his own honor above the honor of G-d and the needs of the nation, there is no longer any obligation to respect him. The verse \"thou shalt not curse a ruler from amongst your people\" (Exodus 22) applies only when that leader \"does acts that are acts of the people\" (that is, goes according to Torah) (Baba Bathra 4, Baba Kama 94, Sanhedrin 85) If not, he does not have the \"democratic right\" to continue to reign, for his entire authority stems from his adherence to the Torah and its Mitzvot. If the Minister, Cohen or King strays or deviates from this path, his verdict is clear: He gets sent home, stripped of his post and impeached. The government of Yitzhak Rabin has long lost its legitimate right to rule from a halachic and Torah standpoint, and history begs that they be put out to pasture. This government abandons its brothers and sisters and seeks to destroy the Jewish character of the state. In their obsession with Universalism they rush to uproot anything which reminds them that Israel is exclusively a Jewish state and that the Jewish people are a chosen people. That is why they are so eager to surrender G-d given Jewish land, even Jerusalem, G-d forbid. That is why the time has come to send these corrupt politicians home. May G-d grant the people of Israel the wisdom to save themselves before the wicked \"leaders\" of Israel succeed in implementing their deadly plot. 353

***weekly parsha by binyamin zev kahane*** For They Are Servants of the Lord (1998), translated by Lenny Goldberg I write these words on the fiftieth anniversary of the State of Israel's Independence, from behind prison walls, only a few days after being tossed behind bars after my sentencing of nine months in jail. In parshat Behar Iwill seize the opportunity to show a surprisingly similar connection between my situation and a teaching found in Midrash Raba on parshat Behar: \"And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom throughout the land for all it's inhabitants\" (a passage referring to slaves). What is so terrible about being a servant? One of the central themes of parshat Behar is the shame that exists for the Jew who is a slave. \"To Me are the children of Israel servants, for they are servants of the Lord, who took them out of the land of Egypt.\" We see that the Torah finds great fault with the idea of a Jew becoming a slave. Therefore, the Torah places boundaries on servitude, (both regarding a person who sells himself out of poverty, or because of thievery) and limits the time of servitude to a maximum of six years. A slave who wants to extend his time of servitude must have his master bore a hole in his ear as is described in parshat Mishpatim,and then he remains a slave only until the 50th Jubilee year. What is the reason? The answer lies in our sages words (Kidushim 22): \"Whyis the ear different from any other part of the body? G-d said, the ear that heard My voice on Mount Sinai, when I said, to Me are Israel servants, and not servants to other servants\" (i.e. other Jews). What is so awful about being a slave? After all, we are referring to a person who is more than likely serving an acquaintance of his, which is certainly not a sin in and of itself, nor does it cause him to sin in any way. If so, what prevents a slave from being a most righteous and G-d fearing man? What is so bad about being a slave? The answer is that a slave is not merely a servant. Rather, he is a person who relinquishes his individuality in drastic fashion to another human being, flesh and blood. The desires of the slave himself become the desires of his master instead. He is completely nullified as an independent entity. He hands over his identity and individuality to the whims and desires of flesh and blood, and as a result, forfeits responsibility over his own life. And so the slave does not have the opportunity to work on his spirituality, or enrich it, and thusly he cannot advance towards the true purpose of being a Jew - sanctifying G-d's Name and coming closer to G-d's attributes. A Jew must be his own individual, a free man, submitting himself only to G-d's will, and responsible for his own actions and his direction in life. A slave is neutralized from the very outset, and cannot achieve his goal as a Jew,since he his wholly subservient to his master. The Jubilee year sets forth the notion that every Jew is truly free. True freedom, and not the decadent concept of \"freedom\" which is so prevalent in alien western culture. Rather it is a freedom of spirit in which the Jew removes from upon himself the yoke of foreign concepts and replaces it with the only yoke that he is allowed (and obligated) to accept - the Yoke of Heaven. As stated by Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi: \"Slaves of the times (i.e.- the latest American craze) are slaves of slaves: Slaves of G-d are truly free\". Though there is much disgrace in slavery, we see that the Torah, for a limited amount of time, prescribes this form of punishment. The Torah does not prescribe prison, despite the fact that today prison is considered the most humane, effective and \"progressive\" form of punishment. But anyone who understands prison life knows that it brings about a situation even worse than that of slavery. For 354

while a slave may be nullified, he is at least in the shade of his master - something which gives him content and identity. In contrast, the situation of a prisoner is one in which a person loses all semblance of a human being. He is pushed into a small cell (and in so doing the authorities think they have solved their problems), and treated like an animal. All concept of time is lost, as the prisoner lies on his bed all day, serving no purpose, bored to death and void of any content in his life. All that concerns him is the taking care of his most base physical needs. Most prisoners lose all hope in themselves and in their future. They abandon all sense of responsibility due to the lack of a daily regiment. This inactivity increases the prisoners feeling of emptiness, and so it is no wonder that there is such a high percentage of ex-prisoners returning to crime, a destructive and vicious cycle. But for those few who possess a sense of self-worth and purpose, being behind prison walls does not hamper their individuality from shining forth. It is as if the prison walls and the prison guards do not exist. For them,it does not matter where they are. On the contrary, the experience of being behind bars serves as a catalyst, invigorating their spirit and confirming their inner sense of independence and conviction. 355

PARSHAT BAMIDBAR CONFUSION INSTEAD OF FLAGS (1999) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg \"In the footsteps of the Messiah, impudence will increase... Youths will shame their elders, the elderly will rise for youths. Sons will denigrate their fathers, daughters will attack their mothers and mothers- in-law. A man's household will be his enemies. The face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, and a son will have no shame before his father...\" This mishna at the end of Tractate Sotah depicts the sad state of affairs which will characterize the beginning of the redemption process - the period of \"Atchalta De'Geula\". What is happening here? On the surface we see that there will be an increase of \"chutzpah\" and lack of respect by the young for the old. But these are only symptoms. What caused them? The common denominator of the above phenomena is that they are all deviations from the natural order. G-d created this world with a very specific order. According to this natural order, youngsters are supposed to honor their elders and sons are supposed to respect their fathers. But the sages tell us that during the period which marks the beginning of the redemption, this basic societal order will break down. (We must stress that all of the curses mentioned in the mishna only come about if the redemption is forced to come Bi-Eta, \"in its time\".) The sages describe a society in which any fool or child sees himself as a \"big shot\", whose opinion is at least as important as that of his elders. The natural order which G-d set down in this world is distorted. And the result is chaos. Everyone - young and old, wise and foolish, moral and immoral, have an equal voice (\"one person one vote\"). We, in these times, have grown accustomed to such a situation. But we must realize that all this results from a particular ideology. This ideology has several names: \"freedom of expression\", \"equality\", and of course - \"democracy\". In the West and unfortunately in Israel as well, democracy is heralded as the supreme value. Some even give it the status of a \"religion\". It is interesting that we still hear political scientists teach that \"democracy is the least evil of all forms of government\", and Winston Churchill said, \"Democracy is the worst form of government ever devised... except for all the others\". How can they say this, yet at the same time worship democracy to the point where anyone who questions it is tossed out of their camp like a leper? We see from this that the goyim are capable of taking a concept which they themselves acknowledge as only the \"lesser of evils\", and raising it to the status of the supreme good which guides their entire lives. How? Because in their lower spiritual state, they do not even attempt to strive to live according to an absolute truth. They only seek to minimize the damages. But can Jews possibly accept this? We were given a very clear and lofty destiny. We were given Torah truth, which is the absolute good. We are not in need of something which is the \"lesser of all evils\", nor are we permitted to suffice with such a thing. For in our possession is Torah, the ultimate good. This concept finds full expression vis a' vis the flags in Parshat BaMidbar. The flags represent a perfect social order for Am Yisrael, where each and every Jew is designated a specific place which befits him. \"Every man to his camp, every man to his flag\" our parasha begins, with Moshe and Aharon leading the 356

way. Each of the children of Israel, 600,000 strong, stand in their designated stations. There is no ambitious \"social climbing\". (And when someone like Korach tried it, we know what became of him). Every man, every family, every tribe knows his appropriate place and role in this impeccable social order. In recent generations, democracy has achieved growing global popularity. After suffering from wicked monarchies and tyrannies, the world, as expected, bought into it in a big way. There is nothing wrong with that. But for us, it isn't the proper way. We see the following in parshat Dvarim (1:22): \"And you came near unto me all of you...\" and Rashi says: \"in confusion. And further on it states (Dvarim 5:20), 'and you come near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes and your elders..' That drawing near was proper; the young honored the elders and sent them before them, and the elders honored the heads by letting them go before them. But here: 'and you came near unto me all of you' - in confusion, the young pushing the elders and the elders pushing the heads.\" Is not this description similar to that at the end of Tractate Sota? Does it not remind us a little of today? We must at least be made aware of the fact that democracy is not holy or \"kadosh\", and in a situation where anyone can become a king, or \"vote\", so to speak, it becomes impossible to establish the ideal Torah society we should be striving for; a society based on absolute truth. Thus, we must rend our garments in mourning when we hear religious leaders sanctifying democracy as an ideal system. Only an utter fool would say that the Torah was given on Sinai as G-d's truth, and then subsequently say that one may vote on whether one must follow that truth. Democracy was given to societies and countries LACKING truth. For them, all factions of falsehood are equal; certainly, no one falsehood is preferable over another. For us, however, Moses is truth and his Torah is truth and we certainly should not transform the Kingdom of G-d into the anarchy of man. 357

WHO IS COUNTED - AND WHO IS NOT? (2000) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The supreme importance that G-d places on the censuses of the population of the Children of Israel is clear: \"He counts them constantly out of His love for them\" (Rashi). From the words of the rabbis, we learn a very stark lesson in the difference between Israel and the nations. We will bring one example of many in the Midrash: \"This is comparable to a king who had many granaries, all of which were filthy and full of chaff, and he never bothered counting how many there were. He also had one particular granary which was kept clean and tidy. He told his son: Keep a careful reckoning of how much grain there is in this granary, how many sacks, how many scales for weighing the grain.\" The lesson is clear: most of the kings granaries were dilapidated, full of rubbish and filth - therefore, he saw no importance in them. A king does not waste his time with trivia. But in the midst of all his neglected granaries, he found - at last! - one that was clean and well-cared for. Precisely there, he commanded a careful and precise count to be made of the stock. And what is the moral? \"G-d told Moshe, The nations are the trivia, as it is said, \"and the nations shall be as the burnings of lime; thorns cut down that are set on fire\" (Isaiah 33:12) - therefore, don't bother counting them. But the Jews are righteous, as it is said, \"And Your Nation shall all be righteous\"; and similarly it is said, \" 'You are beautiful my beloved, you have no flaws' - therefore, a counting of Israel is scrupulously taken\" 6 BILLION? - NOT IMPORTANT The prophets and the rabbis teach us that in God's eyes, the nations are like thorns which have been uprooted; they have no great significance. This sort of thing does not have to be counted. Four billion, five billion, maybe six billion by now - so what?! How many Jews are there? - that is of paramount importance - important enough for God to want to know precisely. In this same spirit, the Ramhal (Moshe Chaiim Luzzatto) writes in Derech Hashem (The Way of God) that God watches over every single Jew individually, while he watches over the other nations collectively. The prophet Amos (3:2) alludes to this in his statement: \"You (Israel) alone I have singled out of all the families of the earth\". THE LOGIC IN THE CHOICE OF AM YISRAEL Many may say, \"But this is unfair...\" We quote here the explanation given by the author of Sefer HaChinuch in the introduction to his book. He explains that the very fact of there being one leading, important nation in the world, to which the other nations are subordinate, should come as no surprise. Indeed, the entire world is build thus. In every sphere imaginable, there is more refuse than substance. For instance, only a small minority of the world's land is arable, the majority being wasteland. If we look around at our surroundings with a discerning eye, we would understand this well, and it would come as no surprise that in the creation of the human species as well, God created a minority portion of greater consequence, surrounded by an overwhelming majority portion of refuse. Thus the author of the Sefer HaChinuch explains: \"Not for your large numbers did God want you and choose you, but rather because you were the few among the nations\". That is, the fact that we are small proves that we are chosen, for it is the way of world that the choice parts comprise a small portion of the whole. DEMOCRACY FOR THE GOYIM 358

At this point we must ask: If this is so natural and obvious, why is it so difficult for people to grasp this idea? The answer is tied to the era in which we live in today. The idea of democracy began to govern the world about two hundred years ago. Its basic axiom is that \"everyone is equal\". True, this contradicts the natural way of the world, but most of mankind preferred adopting this system as a way to correct the cruelty and degradation that existed towards the lower economic and social classes. In this respect, democracy is fine. Though it may not jibe with the natural order of the world, it may be, post facto, a \"tikun\" for the nations of the world. THE CHOSEN PEOPLE MUST REJECT THE GOYISH IDEAS But none of this is appropriate for the Nation of God. Democracy is simply the best of the worst systems which have been devised. For the gentiles, whose importance is trivial, it may be proper. But for Am Yisrael?! After all, the concept of absolute equality which democracy is built upon contradicts the very essence of \"choseness\" and the differing levels in the creation. Though democracy was established as a \"first aid\" to cure the world of its ills, all this is irrelevant to us. The real sickness is that this foreign concept has been embedded firmly into our psyches, causing us to worship at its altar. Let us free ourselves of these goyish concepts, and embrace the Godly idea of Israel as the Divine selection - \"the few among the nations\". 359

PARSHAT BEHAALOTECHA Profiling the Jewish leader Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg In Parashat BeHaalotcha, we are witness to a unique event: the choosing of leaders. The Torah even \"lets us in\" on which factors played part in how these Jewish leaders were chosen. In our parasha (ch. 11), Moshe reaches his breaking point - \"I can't carry the burden of this people alone, for it is too heavy for me\", and asks G-d to find people who can share the burden of leadership with him. How does G-d pick these leaders? After all, there was no shortage of righteous and talented Jews around. G-d immediately singles out a specific group from which the next Jewish leadership will be chosen: \"Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them\". Rashi explains: \"Those whom you recognize, who were appointed over them as officers in Egypt during the rigorous labor, and they (the officers) had pity on them (the Israelites) and were beaten because of them.\" Though this may appear a rather surprising choice, a deeper probe into the matter will reveal to us a tremendous lesson, so pertinent for today. The Criteria: \"Ahavat Yisrael\" Who in the world were these Jewish police officers? Let us back track to the book of \"Shmot\" (Chapter 5). Pharo lays down a rather heavy if not impossible edict on his Jewish slaves. They must produce a specific quota of bricks without even being given straw. The Jewish officers were ordered by the Egyptian taskmasters to oversee that this quota was met. If not, the officers would be blamed for it and beaten. Thus, they were in a dilemma. Either they turn over their brothers and by doing so save their own skin, or they can refuse orders, and be severely punished for it. In short, these \"officers\" were supposed to be Jewish \"kappos\". But these policeman, unlike others who have been placed in similar situations in our sad history, refused to bear down on their already suffering brethren, and did not hand over the names of Jews who could not meet the quota. The result? The Egyptian taskmasters thrashed the refusenik policeman instead of the Jewish slaves: \"And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharo's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten..\" (5:14) If we take this seriously, and not relate to it like some fairy tale we heard in kindergarten, we would get goose bumps all over just contemplating such heroism. What can be a more inspiring description of \"Ahavat Yisrael\" and caring for a fellow Jew by someone in authority. Not only did they not exploit their power, but these officers understood that sometimes they must bear the suffering of their brothers. This is what God saw. And He did not forget. The minute there was a need for leadership, He knew whom to turn to. God did not seek out people with charisma, nor did he pick talented organizers or even the greatest Torah scholars. One thing: \"Ahavat Yisrael\". The centrality of this attribute cannot be disputed. The two greatest leaders in Jewish history, Moshe Rabbeinu and David, were former shepherds. The sages teach us that God tested them through their ability to care for their flock and show mercy on those they are responsible over. Today, everyone speaks of \"Ahavat Yisrael\". But too often it is merely a slogan. When selecting the leaders, God did not choose those who make nice speeches about \"Ahavat Yisrael\". God wanted people with a \"previous record\": a record of suffering for one's brothers; a record of placing one's personal welfare secondary to that of one's people. A record of m'sirut nefesh - going out on the line for a fellow Jew. 360

Jews Refusing Orders (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg As the current leaders of Israel are in the process of a suicidal \"peace\" process, the time has come to ask the following question: What are the characteristics of a true Jewish leader in the perspective of the Torah. We can find the answer in our parsha where the first Sanhedrin of seventy elders is chosen. G-d tells Moshe that he needs to find seventy elders to help him lead the people of Israel, but who will they be? How does one go about picking seventy leaders? After all, there was no shortage of righteous and talented Jews around - Torah scholars, Baaleh Hesed - kind people, charismatic speakers, etc. Out of all of these great people, who does Moshe choose to lead the \"Dor Hamidbar\"- generation of the wilderness, which was also known as the \"Dor Hadea\" - the generation of the enlightened? G-d immediately singles out a specific group from which the next leadership will be chosen - the Jewish police officers who were in Egypt. Though this may appear a rather surprising choice at first glance, a deeper probe into the matter will reveal to us a tremendous lesson, so pertinent for today. Who in the world were these Jewish policemen? In parshat Shmot, Pharoh lays down a rather heavy if not impossible edict on his Jewish slaves. They must produce a specific quota of bricks without even being given the necessary straw. The Jewish policemen were ordered by the Egyptian taskmasters to see to it that the quota was met. If this quota wasn't met, the Jewish policemen would be blamed for it and beaten. Thus, the policemen were in a dilemma: Either they beat their brothers and by doing so they could save their own skin, or they can refuse orders, and suffer the consequences. How would one expect them to behave? We are all too familiar with the claims of many soldiers and policemen in Israel today: \"What can I do? I'm just a small screw in a big machine. I'm just following orders.\" We might expect our Jewish police in Egypt to justify their actions in a similar fashion: \"Yes, we are with you. The edict is cruel. But what can we do? We are just carrying out orders.\" BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT THE JEWISH POLICEMEN DID TO THEIR BROTHERS IN EGYPT. The policemen saw the immorality of the cruel Egyptian decree, and refused to obey the order! They also got pummeled for it \"And the Jewish policemen were beaten in place of the people, and did not turn them over to the taskmasters, and would say: IT IS BETTER THAT WE BE HIT, SO THAT THE REST OF THE PEOPLE WON'T BE!\", writes the Midrash Tanchumah on our parsha. These were the people who were chosen by G-d to lead the Jewish people. They weren't necessarily the most scholarly or charismatic individuals. However, their hearts burned with \"Ahavat Yisrael\" - love of Jews. They did not merely play lip service to the concept of Ahavat Yisrael, as it is thrown around like an empty slogan today. They had a genuine readiness to suffer for their brothers. These are the leaders! These words are especially relevant today. They stand in contrast to the self-indulgent politicians of today, who care more about their own careers and personal political gain than for the future survival of the people of Israel. It is clear who represents the alternative Jewish leadership - those who for years have suffered on behalf of saving their brothers, with great sacrifice and dedication. I have just been sentenced to a four and one half month prison sentence in the land of Israel, for speaking out against this treasonous Rabin government. I call upon all of our supporters to continue the struggle on behalf of the Jewish people. Every Jew can merit the role of \"leader\" by giving of themselves on behalf of their fellow Jews. There is a time when silence is an immoral crime. Today, we are living through such a period. The people of Israel need leaders. Show the Rabin government that \"we are all Kahane!\" Show Rabin how a true Jewish leader is supposed to behave. 361

PARSHAT SHLACH Beware of Corrupt and Treacherous Leaders (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg We never cease to be amazed with each reading of Parshat Shlach as we expose the true colors of the leaders of the nation. This same leadership that was to lead the Jewish People to the Promised Land suddenly rejects the entire Jewish destiny and dream. They brazenly turn their backs on the Holy Land promised to us by G-d, and to our amazement, are even prepared to find a substitute for it. How could these Jewish leaders do such a 360 degree turn around? How could they reject the most basic of goals, so central to the Jewish destiny, for which every Jew up to that point had been striving for - the entering into the Land of Israel. To compound the question, the sages tell us from the verse, \"and they went and came\" (13-26), that \"just as their returning was with evil counsel, so was their going with evil counsel\". This is, the spies sudden \"change of mind\" had nothing to do with the negative report they brought back with them after spying out the land, for their minds were already made up to give an evil report even before setting foot in the land. So what happened to these Jewish leaders who so abruptly betrayed the Jewish destiny? From here we learn that we must always examine the deeds of even the most righteous of men. We must not be robots, blindly trusting in the \"gedolim\" or \"leaders\" under the assumption that \"they will take care of it\", and thus we can rest easy. Even the most reliable leaders can, at one point or another, betray himself and his ideology as a result of normal human weakness, as did Yochanan Cohen HaGadol, who became a heretic at the age of eighty. The Torah itself bears witness to the fact that the spies were \"tzadeekim\", and their tragic mistake was brought on by all kinds of personal and flawed motives that festered inside them. In similar fashion, we can now understand how once nationalistic parties on the Israeli political spectrum eventually became so ideologically bankrupt. The Knesset seat overwhelms any sense of sanity, and the \"kavod\" overcomes ideology. Sure they may have justifications and excuses for their treachery, but the bottom line is that greed and lust erases the glorious past they may have had. Parshat Shlach teaches a vital lesson to the people and to their leaders. The people must beware of leaders who lead them around by the nose, from one corner to another. We must break off the shackles of such leadership, and not hesitate to defy them. In this orphaned generation where a \"gadol\" isn't so gadol, and a leader isn't so much of a leader, it is that much more our obligation to go to all those \"gedolim\" and ask them the difficult questions that need to be asked - and if they have no answers, then let us recognize this fact and start searching for the hard truth, the hard way. The leaders also must realize that as leaders, they bear a greater responsibility and must set the example and be a positive influence. The spies were punished so severely because they were in a position of power, and with it comes greater responsibility. Lack of Faith In addition to all sorts of alterior motives the spies had, the sagesattribute their sin to several other factors, all stemming from one basic deficiency - lack of faith. Afterall, how can grasshoppers stand up to giants? Yes, the same G-d of history who created heavens and earth promised something, and they didn't believe He was capable of delivering the goods. Without question, the leaders of that generation 362

piously read the \"thirteen principles of faith\", and gave \"shiurim\" in Yeshiva on \"emunah\". But when it came down to \"tachlis\" - when they had to actualize what they had been preaching every day; when their faith was put to the test: Who is stronger, G-d or Sichon and Og, they opted for Sichon and Og. For sure, a \"psak halacha\" of the \"Badatz\" was even given on this issue by the ten rabbis. As the Israeli government hands over to the Arabs the Land of Israel piece by piece, it becomes all the more important to learn Parshat Shlach, for the sin of the spies, \"and they despised the holy land\", is repeating itself in a big way. Once more, the basic sin is lack of faith. But it is likely that the sin today of despising the land is a lot more severe than it was then. After all, we are already sitting here in the land. We have already conquered it through great wonders and miracles. We should not need such enormous faith to understand what our eyes have already seen in past wars. In essence, the faith for us should not be such an abstract commodity. Yet, in spite of this we insist on groveling to the Asads and Arafats, continuing to perceive ourselves as grasshoppers instead of giants. May G-d give us the faith and \"msirut nefesh\" (self sacrifice) to save ourselves from awesome punishment. Shlach - The Unrealistic Men of Truth (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg We tend to lump together all ten of the spies who spoke against the land as one cohesive group - an \"evil congregation\" which acted as one in rejecting the land of Israel. But this was not the case. There were actually several internal differences in the motives amongst the ten spies, who before their sin were considered by the sages as the most righteous of men. The Different Factions The most active group which set the pace and was most extreme in their stance of rejecting the land was ready to do anything to prevent entry into the land. Their agenda was to remain in the wilderness and eventually return to Egypt to the watermelons and garlic, or to the \"land of milk and honey\" (as Egypt was later coined by their pious disciples, Datan and Aviram in parshat Korah). In contrast, there were more moderate factions for whom it was not so easy to suddenly reject what Jews had dreamed of for so long. But what? They too held doubts about making Aliyah. There was the fear of losing their prestigious positions, as well as the more simple fear of getting pummeled by the giants of the land. These spies were able to ease their consciences by \"facing the reality\". After all, it's impossible to defeat giants, and one is forbidden to endanger the entire Jewish People. Who knows? Maybe they came up with a \"psak halacha\" that \"pekuach nefesh\" takes precedence over the land of Israel. And the spies who were left probably \"had no other choice\" other than to go with the tide. They hadn't the courage to go against the flow, and thus were dragged along, accepting the \"party line\"... While there is a huge difference between those who streamrolled the process and those who were simply dragged along or were just being \"realistic\", the Torah does not differentiate among the spies when meting out the punishment. All factions were put in the same boat, suffering a harsh death and non-entry into the Promised Land. The major inciters and those who may have LOVED Eretz Yisrael are ALL labeled as \"and they despised the good land\". All pleas for lighter punishment due to special circumstances would have to wait for the Heavenly Court. The True \"Gedolim\" 363

To accentuate this point, we have the two \"gedolim\", Joshua and Kalev. In contrast to the pragmatists, men of small belief, and outright rejecters of G-d's will, we see two men who proved that one needn't buckle under to the pressure. We see two men who proved that precisely it is faith in G-d which is the REAL reality! Behold, Joshua and Kalev found themselves in a new situation. Suddenly, they were a minority that stubbornly clung to an idea which was deemed as \"unrealistic\". Surely it was difficult for them not to succumb to the pressure of following the party line. But the harder test was when they returned to the Jewish camp - to the people who had been incited and brainwashed, and had to decide whether they would hop on the bandwagon and repeat the party line, or whether they would fight. Here, too, they stood their ground, clinging to the simple truth which overnight had somehow turned into something insane and unrealistic: \"The land which we passed through is an exceedingly good land!\" Being a \"Hebrew\" - the Most Difficult Test of All Joshua and Kalev stood the test. True, they endangered themselves: \"But all the congregation said to stone them with stones\". But this is what is required of a Jewish leader - not to make \"cheshbonot\" with God's commandment and not to accept the false reality. To be willing to be hated and to suffer helpless isolation versus overflowing falsehood. For this is the root of the word \"Hebrew\" - \"Ivry\", which means other side, where Abraham stood on one side, and the entire world stood on the other side. When the dust finally clears, the masses who were mired in the temporary falsehood will try to understand where they went wrong. At that same moment, the men of truth who stubbornly clung to the simple truth will merit G-d's portion and receive the yoke of leadership. 364

PARSHAT KORACH The Origin Of Authority In Judaism Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg A common denominator exists in Parshat Shlach and Parshat Korach. In both instances, Moshe Rabbeinu finds himself in the minority versus a majority of wicked men who have incited the Jewish People against him. Such is the case in the episode of the ten spies who returned from touring the land to report of giants and a land that ate up its inhabitants and cried: \"We are not able to go up against the people for they are stronger than we\". They despised the good land, the Land of desire, the Land which G-d chose for them, the land which He had commanded them to inherit and live in. They continued to incite the people, until the people broke down saying, \"Let us make a leader, and let us return to Egypt\". The story of Korach is similar. The power-hungry Korach also incited against Moshe (interestingly enough, there are sources which say that the motives of the spies, as well, was fear of losing their high position when entering the land!) Korach succeeded in inciting 250 leaders of the nation against Moshe, claiming that the latter took for himself all the top positions. Together, they convince almost the entire nation that Moshe cheats them by playing favorites with those closest to him. Here, too, we find Datan and Aviram, leaders of the revolt, making statements against the exodus of Egypt and the Land of Israel which are even more extreme than those of the spies: \"Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, (they are referring here to Egypt!) to kill us in the wilderness... In other words, they took the expression reserved for Eretz Yisrael, and applied it to Egypt, the land of impurity and bondage! On one hand, one cannot doubt that under discussion here are two very great sins which are eternally inscribed in our Torah. On the other hand, we must ask a difficult question: notwithstanding, there was a clear majority against Moshe. Would it not be proper that the majority rule, despite the fact that it would lead to tragedy? After all, if the majority does not decide, than what does? In short, what is the origin of authority in Judaism. Shevna Defeats Hezekiah in the \"Elections\" The question of majority rule is discussed in Masechet Sanhedrin 26. When Sennacherib and the Assyrians invaded the Land of Israel and surrounded Jerusalem during the time of the First Temple, a fierce debate erupted over whether to surrender or not. King Hezekiah, under the prodding of the Prophet Isaiah, refused to surrender despite the overwhelming strength of the mightiest empire of its day, one that swept over every nation it had faced. Shevna, a scribe, and one of the powers of the government, on the other hand, urged surrender. Each group took its cause to the people and this is the background for the following words of the Talmud: \"What does the concept kesher r'shayim, a band of wicked people, mean? \"Shevna gathered together and spoke to 130,000 people (who supported him) while Hezekiah gathered (only) 110,000 people. When Sennacherib laid siege to the city, Shevna wrote the following message and sent it by arrow to the enemy camp: 'Shevna and his party have capitulated; Hezekiah and his party have not.' \"Hezekiah 365

was fearful and thought: 'Is it possible, heaven forbid, that G-d's will tends toward the majority and since the majority wishes to surrender, we must too?' Then there came to him a prophet and quoted the verse: 'Do not recognize as a band, all that which the people call a band; neither fear ye their fear nor be afraid.' (Isaiah 8:12) Meaning, this is a band of wicked people, and a band of wicked people is not counted.\" When is a Majority Not a Majority? We see here a basic principle: The rule, \"one must follow the majority\" is correct when that majority does not deviate from the Torah and the \"halacha\". If it does, then the Talmudic rule \"a band of wicked people is not counted\" is applied. Rashi explains: \"Do not think in your mind, Hezekiah, that Shevna's group is counted, and that it is considered a majority.\" It is not considered a majority! When people band together against the Torah and claim that they hold a majority of supporters, not only is it insignificant, but it is not even considered a majority. Who Has the Right to Vote This is the reason why the ten spies were insignificant when pit against a tiny minority of two. This is why there was no reason to be overly impressed when an overwhelming majority stood against Moshe. This is why no one counted the number of supporters in the \"Korach camp\" in order to \"gauge\" if Moshe had the backing of the nation. The ultimate authority of the Jewish People is Torah Law. Only one who takes upon himself this law and acts by it is worthy of being chosen as a leader of the nation. And only such person can have his voice counted when there is a need for a majority vote. 366

Korach in Modern Garb (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Korach was a \"democrat\". And not just an ordinary democrat, he was also a socialist as we will soon discover from analyzing the verses in this week's parsha. Korach incites the entire nation against Moshe and Aaron, and it is somewhat perplexing how he is able to do this. Granted, he was a talented and charismatic leader. However, how does he succeed in gaining the support of two hundred and fifty leaders of the Sanhedrin and princes of the tribes to turn against Moshe Rabeinu, who just recently delivered them out of bondage in Egypt, and the beloved Aaron, lover and pursuer of peace. The Demagoguery of Equality Korach, a master instigator and demagogue, knew how to play on the people's insecurities. He came to them and said: Fellow Jews, Moshe is taking over. He anointed himself as king, made his brother the Kohen Gadol-High Priest, appointed his nephews as assistants to the Kohen - and the rest of you he throws to the dogs. In this manner, Korach stirs up the people, rallying a mass movement against Moshe and Aaron, to whom Korach delivers a speech based on the theme of \"equality\". \"All the people in the congregation are holy and G-d is with them\", he proclaims. Obviously, Korach doesn't openly challenge G-d as part of his rabble-rousing. On the contrary! Everyone is holy. The emphasis here is on \"everyone\". And so, if each and every one of us is holy, why does Moshe make himself superior to the rest of the congregation of G-d?? Why should he be the main man, deciding who receives all the respectable positions? In short, Korach is preaching democracy! The sages tell us another well known story. Korach gathers the people together and tells them a shocking tale: A poor widow whose only possession is a single lamb, slaughters it for food. And behold, come the Kohanim and the Levites from all directions to get a piece of the action. This one takes part of the wool, that one grabs the thigh and breast,and others take tithes, until the poor lady is left practically emptyhanded. Alas, the \"socialist\" soul of the people is now awakened. A Lesson For Today How applicable is the story of Korach today? Korach is able to incite the entire nation with a giant propaganda campaign that he is \"for the people\", \"for equality\", and for a socialism in which even the poor and the elderly benefit. But the truth is that all of his pontifications were brought on by nothing more than a simple jealousy of Moshe Rabeinu, and lust for power. Thus, we must remember - though it may be true that every third word that comes out of the mouths of Israel's politicians today is \"democracy\" (and its amusing how they feel the need to constantly justify themselves to us on this point), we must always remember - the more power the politician has, the more he uses this demagogic slogan. Even if they seem concerned about some poor widow and expose her ordeal on the television news, it is only headlines they seek. Beware of them. May G-d save the people of Israel from selfish leaders who seek not the welfare of the Jewish people but rather their own honor and glory like Korach. 367

\"Ruach HaKodesh\" and Personal Interest (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg When dealing with Parshat Korach, many get an impression that Korach was a reckless individual who was obsessed with \"kavod\". But the sages portrayed Korach quite differently, and through their image of Korach we will try to learn a valuable lesson from our parsha. What Happened to Such Brilliance and \"Ruach HaKodesh\"? Rashi comes and repeats the question asked by the sages: \"Now Korach who was prudent, why did he commit this folly?\" In other words, it is obvious that Korach was not some nut, but rather a \"gadol\" in Torah, as we will soon see. He also appreciated the greatness of Moshe Rebbeinu, as the parsha itself testifies to, and knew that Moshe was not after the \"kavod\". And so he should have known that there would be some serious Divine backlash to the steps he was taking. This being the case: \"Why did he commit this folly??\" And Rashi answers: \"His eyes deceived him; he saw a great chain (i.e., a chain of great men) issuing from him, (viz.) Shmuel, who is weighed against Moshe and Aaron. (Korach) said: Because of him I shall be saved. And twenty-four 'watches' will arise from his son's sons, all of them prophesying through 'Ruach HaKodesh' ... (Korach) said: Is it possible that all this greatness is destined to arise from me and I shall remain silent? Therefore he associated himself to come to that prerogative: for he heard from the mouth of Moshe that all of them would perish and one would be saved...\" And here we must ask a great question: We are talking about a tremendous Torah giant with \"Ruach HaKodesh\" who was capable of seeing generations and generations into the future! How then, could a man with such great vision and prophecy walk like a blind man in an alley, unable to understand something which any thinking, logical person could understand who does not possess any special \"Ruach HaKodesh\"? The Refusal to See the Truth From here we learn a shocking lesson: Even a \"gadol\" in Torah like Korach, who had the ability to see way into the future and reveal secrets of hidden Torah, is liable not to see simple things when he is not objective regarding the matter. How does this happen? He simply refuses to see what is not comfortable for him to see! In such a situation, even if he has a perfect Divine picture before his very eyes, he will force himself to close them so that \"he won't get confused by the facts\". And this is what we have here. Korach's uncontrollable desire to be the Cohen HaGadol blinds him, and causes him to make calculations of folly which even a small child would not make. In fact, not only did \"Ruach HaKodesh \" not help him, but he actually used this very \"Ruach HaKodesh\" to convince himself more and kindle his self-deception - \"His eyes deceived him!\" To what is this analogous? To the fellow who shot arrows, and someone comes along and is amazed to see how all the arrows have landed exactly in the center of the target. He asks: How is your shooting so accurate? He says: First of all, I shoot. Only afterwards do I go and make a circle around the arrow. Korach, too, has his target of being the Cohen HaGadol. He uses his brilliance to plan how to create an argument in which he already decided the outcome. He uses any possible claim that might work to strengthen his support among different groups. He is the consummate politician. And indeed, he succeeds in carrying the people with him, until he is swallowed into the ground... How a Leader is Chosen 368

The lesson is clear. Certainly this is relevant when relating to the empty politicians of today. But unfortunately, it also applies to people who really are great in Torah - such as the \"gedolim\" like Korach and 250 heads of the Sanhedrin that bit the dust with him. (Rashi, verse 1), or the spies (tzadeekim!) who had the support of the Sanhedrin (Rashi, 14:1). All the more so does all this apply to the orphaned generation we live in today, where smallness of faith is what characterizes our leaders. Therefore, we must remember that even the \"gedolim\" and the possessors of \"Ruach HaKodesh\" can fall into the trap of subjectivity and personal interest, thus causing them to err on various issues. We learn from here that the test of the true Jewish leader (or if one is searching for a mentor to show him the way, he must seek out): He who has \"Ahavat Yisrael\" burning in his bones, and distances himself from all personal considerations. This is a true Jewish leader! They Simply Don't Want to Hear the Truth (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Fear of Hearing the Truth is Nothing New, but the Phenomenon Has CertainlyReached New Heights in This Generation In the introduction to the book \"Em Habanim Smaicha\", which was written during the time of the Holocaust by one of the great rabbis of Hungary dealing with the obligation to live in the land of Israel, the followingis written (page 37): \"And so my words in this book are intended onlyfor those who want to know the truth the way it really is, and for those who are willing to stop and listen to the words written here. I am not demanding: 'accept my views'... and whoever would like to refute what Isay, let them refute only with direct proofs from the words of our sagesas I have brought, and only then will I debate them, with the help ofG-d.\" Rabbi Issacher Teichtel, the author of this book, was caught in a strange situation. His efforts to persuade (religious Jews!!) of the correctness of his argument fell upon deaf ears. His lack of success was not for lack of proofs or convincing logic, but rather due to the fact that people simply did not want to seriously confront the proofs, sources and sheer logic that he brought down to support his words. This is why he prefaced his book by saying that his words were intended for the \"person who wants to know the truth\". After all, one would assume that everyone wants to know the truth, and the argument only exists as towhat that truth really is. However, this is not so. There are some people,and many times it is the majority, who do not want to be convinced Korach Was Not Interested in Hearing This was precisely the situation with Korach. Our sages reveal in an astonishing midrash the following idea: \"Now Korach who was prudent – what was the reason for his folly?!\" The famous answer is that, \"His eyes deceived him\" (see Rashi), and we have dealt with this at a previous time. However the midrash brings down another answer, which may be even a more basic one: \"all these arguments Moshe presented to Korach (i.e. tried to convince him) - and you do not find Korach having a rebuttal at all. This is because he was clever in his wickedness. He said: If I answer Moshe, I already know that he is a wise man and will defeat me in a debate, and Iwill be forced to appease him. It is better that I do not talk to him. When Moshe saw that there was no point, he separated himself from him.\" The above midrash is both amazing and shocking. Korach knew that if he entered into a dialogue with 369

Moshe, he would be convinced of the folly of his ways. Therefore, he avoided speaking to him. His need for \"kavod\" (honor) so burned inside him that his greatest fear was to be convinced that he was wrong, thus forcing him to a bandon his dream of taking power. This is the deeper answer to the question Rashi poses: \"Now Korach who was prudent - what was the reason for his folly?\" He did not see! He covered his eyes from seeing! One may think that such behavior is an aberration reserved for the extremely wicked. However, a closer look will reveal that this is a very familiar trait. Very often a man sins and is well aware that this is a bad thing. Yet, he represses this idea in his mind so that it won't interfere with his everyday life. He knows that if he listens to someone, even to his own inner voice, he is liable to be convinced. Therefore, he closes all his senses and continues on his merry way. Why Is \"The Truth Absent\" This is the sickness our sages referred to when they said that \"the truth will be absent\". It is important to realize that this doesn't mean that the truth itself will be absent. G-d forbid! The truth exists and can befound. But the sages mean that we will cause a situation in which the truth will be absent, by our ignoring it, concealing it, mocking it, and banning it from being heard by the masses... Never before was there a period of time where the truth was so logical and necessary, yet at the same time, so absent. This is because the leaders of today are so terrified by it. It is obvious to them that if the truth were heard, it would conquer the hearts of the masses. Therefore, those in power exercise all measures necessary to silence the truth: Disqualification, mockery, defamation, harassment, and prison. By so doing, they avoid the painful truths, so as not to get \"confused by the facts\". Our People Want to Listen! \"When Moshe saw that there was no point, he separated himself from him.\"The moment Moshe saw that the problem was not that Korach is wrong, but rather he wants to be wrong - he let him alone and let the ground swallow him up. But this is not always the case. Sometimes, as a result of education and surroundings, a person is immersed in falsehood, yet is willing to speak and willing to listen. He has no special interest to remain immersed in falsehood. For such a person, there is hope. 370

PARSHAT CHUKAT The Legitimiate Rights of the Ammonites (1992) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The modern concept of \"Jewish occupied territories\" rears its ugly head in Parshat Chukat and in our haftarah, Shoftim(Chapter 11). We read in our parasha how Og ,the king of Bashan, and Sichon, the king of Ammon, try to prevent the Jewish people from passing through their borders to get to the Land of Israel. Both kings decide to wage war against The Chosen Nation and both kings lost. The children of Israel conquer their enemies and inhabit their land. Interestingly enough, no one at the time suggested that the Jewish people return the land that they just conquered to the nations that tried to annihilate them. No, such a proposal was never even considered. But, what if such a proposal was raised? How would a Jewish leader have reacted? Land For Peace - To answer these questions we move the clock ahead 300 years until we arrive at the haftarah of our parasha. In the time of the Judges, the king of Ammon brazenly demands that Israel return to him the territories that were conquered, and if Israel refuses, there will be war. The king recounts some well-known history: \"Because Israel took away my land when they came out of Egypt, from Arnon as far as the Yabok, and the Jordan.\" (Judges 11:13) Compared to the demands of today's Arabs, this demand is quite \"moderate\". The king of Ammon, unlike the P.L.O., does not call for the total destruction of the Jewish State. He only wants that which was taken from his people. In words that echo in the U.N. and in Washington, the king concludes his demand in the following manner: \"Now, therefore, restore those lands peacefully.\" Peace - that magic word. What normal Jewish leader can refuse such an offer? After all, Ammon's claim is not an unreasonable one; the lands were taken from them. Ammon, unlike the P.L.O., once had a sovereign empire with a capital and an army on that land. And most importantly, here was a genuine opportunity for peace - no more war, no more bloodshed. Not One Inch - The answer Yiftach returned to to the king of Ammon is far different than what Rabin and Peres told Arafat. Yiftach recounts all the past history, and then concludes: \"So now the Lord of Israel has driven out the Amorites from before his people, Israel, and you should possess the land?! Will you not possess what your god, Kemosh, gives you to possess? And all whom the Lord, our G-d, shall drive from before us that we shall possess.\" (Judges 11:23-24) This is the reaction of a true Jewish leader. A reaction based on emunah - faith in the word of G-d. The land is ours not because of any historical claim or because we defeated the former inhabitants in battle. Rather, the land is ours because G-d gave it to us and we have no right to give it up... How To Subdue the Enemy - Ma'ase abot siman labanim - the deeds of our fathers are signs to the children. One needs only to study our Torah to learn how to deal with our enemies who initiate wars and then cry \"Jewish land for peace\". The Arabs have attempted to destroy the Jewish State through four wars and much terrorism and when that failed the P.L.O. and the other Arabs went to the negotiating table and demanded Jewish land or else there will be no peace. Unfortunately, there are Jews who have little or no faith in the G-d of Israel who are (mis)leading the country today. These politicians are unfamiliar with the story of Yiftach and do not understand that our true right to the land of Israel is only because G-d gave it to his people as an eternal inheritance. May we, and our leaders, be worthy of having faith in the Al-mighty so that our enemies may be subdued as they were in the days of Yiftach. 371

PARSHAT BALAK Learning the Hypocrisy of the Nations (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg If someone would read Parshat Balak objectively without any previous knowledge, he can easily get the impression that Bilam is, at the very least, a righteous man. During the entire parsha, Bilam proclaims that he will only do what Hashem tells him to do. What piety! And let us not forget the wonderful blessings he bestows upon us. The fact is, we do not see any serious references in the text to feed Bilam's image of a vicious anti-Semite. In sharp contrast, someone who reads Rashi's commentary from the outset of the parsha will notice an interesting pattern. In each case where Bilam comes off sounding righteous, Rashi is there to correct our misconception, placing Bilam's words and actions in a totally different light, attributing to him all kinds of strange motives. How can Rashi deviate so sharply from the simple understanding (\"pshat\") of the text? The fact is that Rashi is indeed giving us the \"pshat\". For Rashi notices from the very beginning something strange about Bilam's behavior. In his capacity as a prophet, he is requested to curse Israel. What is his answer? Does he reject the idea from scratch as one would expect from a decent person? No. Instead, he issues all kinds of statements - \"Wait until morning\", \"Let us hear what Hashem says\", etc. - as if our \"tzadik\" somehow thinks he can pull it off! Most importantly, Rashi gains insight into what Bilam is all about by having an overview of the entire parsha. He knows that after Balak's scheme fails at the end of the parsha, it is Bilam who decides completely on his own initiative to advise Balak on how to destroy the Jews. In Parshat Matot, when the Jews take vengeance against Midyan, the Torah emphasizes: \"And Bilam Ben Beor they killed by the sword\" (31-8), for he was one of the major culprits involved in the sin with the Midyanite women. It is clear now. The Torah takes the trouble to expose the true face of Bilam the Jew-hater, who did not curse the Jews due to circumstances beyond his control, but his venom found a different outlet in his scheme to entice the Jews to prostitution. From this we see that all the apparent righteousness of Bilam is but an illusion. Bilam is a fraud. In today's world one can find many \"Bilams\". A superficial look at the Clinton's of the world might detect a lot of good intentions and even a certain \"love of Jews\". It may appear that the saying of the sages, \"TheHalacha is known, Esau hates Yaakov\", does not apply. However one who reads the parsha of the gentile, Parshat Balak, accompanied by Rashi will see the situation for what it really is. The gentile's friendly demeanor and even the praises he may heap upon us is a cover for the \"final act\" he has in store for us. Like Rashi, we must have the foresight to see what they are really planning for us at the end of the \"parsha\" - total retreat to the 1967 borders, dismantling of nuclear capabilities, and total submission. Only then will it be clear that all their sweet talk is a smoke screen for their demonic devises. Like Rashi, we must use foresight to interpret their deeds from the very outset of the parsha in the proper light. 372

If a Donkey Can Talk, Then Bilaam Can Be a Prophet (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg One of the most puzzling events in Parshat Balak is when the donkey of Bilaam opens his mouth and speaks. \"L'Havdeel\", this sounds like something right out of a children's fairy tale, and it is a bit surprising to find such a thing in our Holy Torah. However, a deeper probe into our parsha will reveal something no less astonishing and certainly no less serious. We are referring to the very fact that Bilaam was a prophet. The Gentile: No Potential for Prophecy Behold, it is a basic tenet in Judaism that the gentile is not capable of reaching a level of prophesy. In his masterpiece \"The Kuzari\", Rabbi Yehuda Halevi explains that there are five levels of creation (in animate, plant life, animals, Gentile, Israel), and what differentiates between the fourth level of creation (the being that speaks) and the fifth level, Israel, is the potential for each and every Jew to reach the level of prophesy. In other words, the difference between Gentiles and Jews is a spiritually qualitative difference, which is evidenced by the Jew's ability to reach the highest level of holiness and closeness to G-d - prophesy. If so, we are left with a huge question: How is Bilaam a prophet? How can he merit prophesy if he is supposed to be incapable of it?! Perhaps one will argue that Bilaam really worked on himself spiritually and somehow reached a high level of holiness and purity. Perhaps he prepared himself through the learning of G-d's wisdom, and corrected his attributes,doing all the things the Rambam stipulates must be done for one to reach the level of prophesy. This argument is absolutely refuted, as our sages teach us that Bilaam was totally wicked. Not only was he wicked, but it is said that he even mated with his donkey! You can't get much lower than that! Crossing Over Natural Boundaries Upon examination, we find that these two extraordinary occurrences come together in one explanation. Even though Bilaam was a gentile and even though he was evil, G-d decided to give him prophesy, as unfit as he may have been to receive it. The reasons for this are brought down in various commentaries and midrashim, which we won't delve into. Having said this, it is clear that G-d did things which are outside the normal order of the world He created. That is why the prophesies of Bilaam were something external and almost mechanical to him, and not derived from any kind of inner spiritual elevation. Thusly on a verse describing one of Bilaam's \"prophesies\". \"And G-d uncovered Bilaam's eyes\" (Numbers, 22:31), the Ramban comments: \"From what the scripture states we learn that if Bilaam really was a true prophet -why did G-d have to uncover his eyes at the sight of the angel as the scripture describes is the case for a person who has not achieved prophesy?..\" But Bilaam didn't grasp this, and became arrogant because of his prophesy,as it says in Pirke Avot 5:19, \"the followers of Bilaam were haughty of spirit.\" And is not arrogance one of the major characteristics which is supposed to hinder prophesy?! Meaning of the Talking Donkey And so, when the wicked Bilaam insisted on exploiting this lofty acquisition in order to curse the 373

Jewish People, G-d sent him a hint to \"bring him down to earth\". G-d caused the donkey to open his mouth and speak, since the only thing separating man from beast is the power of speech. By doing so, G-d was showing Bilaam that he should not boast of his ability to prophesy, since itis nothing more than a temporary, external ability which G-d threw his way for a very specific purpose. For in the very same way, G-d can, if he so chooses, grant the donkey who is the beast of all beasts, with the lofty power of speech. Furthermore, the donkey's speech was not like a human being's speech. It was simply a mechanical action, without an inner under standing. The Ramban explains (23:16): \"She (Bilaam's donkey) did not know why this was done to her at that moment but rather she was forced (to speak)...\" The power of speech was thrown her way against her will, for it is what G-d wanted at that particular moment. Similarly, Bilaam had to understand that his prophesy, as well, was nothing more than an external,temporary phenomenon. He was unworthy of prophesy by way of his spiritual makeup, for he was a Gentile, and he was unworthy by way of his deeds, for he was wicked. Bilaam and the Donkey: Conceptually the Same Thusly, the power of prophesy which was given to Bilaam was for a specific purpose. In this matter, Bilaam did not have free choice, as Rashi point sout (23:16): \"G-d placed upon him a bridle and a bit in his mouth, as a man puts in the mouth of a beast (a bit), to make it go in whatever direction he desires. He (the Almighty) said to him: against your will you shall return to King Balak (of Moav). What a wondrous thing! It turns out that the arrogant Bilaam, who though the had ascended above and beyond the average man, was really comparable to a beast who is led along the way with bait before his mouth. This is how the Kli Hayakar sums it up: \"It seems that this (the donkey's speech) was also a momentary need, to show him that he resembles this donkey, which does not speak by nature, and for the honor of Israel alone did G-d open her mouth. Similarly is Bilaam, who G-d opened his mouth momentarily in prophesy for the honor of Israel.\" 374

PARSHAT PINCHAS Violence or Genuine Zealotry? (1991) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Today it is not a compliment to be branded as a \"zealot\". In today's world where Torah concepts have been distorted, the zealot is synonymous with the \"hothead\" who can't control himself, or the rowdy thug looking for some \"action\". One thing is for sure: the zealot does not convey an impression of someone cool headed and composed, tolerant and amiable. And behold, \"Pinchas Ben Elazar Ben Aaron the Cohen\". The verse intentionally traces Pinchas's lineage back to the beloved Aaron the Cohen, lover and pursuer of peace. Indeed, we find this very quality in Pinchas as well in the Book of Joshua, chapter 23. There it is told how the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Menashe build an altar on the eastern side of the Jordan. Since only one public altar is permitted and already exists in Shilo, the rest of the tribes suspect that this altar, built on the other side of the Jordan, constitutes a rebellion against G-d. Instinctively, the tribes prepare to wage war against them. A real crisis is developing - a potential civil war. Who do they send to settle the problem and maintain law and order? None other than Pinchas Ben Elazar Ben Aaron the Cohen! He's a zealot. He'll show 'em! Pinchas arrives in Eretz Gilad, and after checking out the situation from up close, he finds out that the altar is only a symbolic one, and is not halachically prohibited. The tribes, who were preparing to go to war against them in order \"to reproof them and to burn out the evil from their midst, for thus is the way of Torah\" (see Ralbag, there), decide not to, because Pinchas tells them that everything is O.K. He sends everyone home and they all live happily ever after... Pinchas exemplifies the true zealot. The same Pinchas who knew when to rise up and with his own hands kill a leader of a tribe of Israel, also knew when to prevent bloodshed and bring peace to the Jewish People. Pinchas was a true zealot and a man of \"halacha\", and acted accordingly in both instances. He was not someone just looking to let off steam. Such a fellow is a hothead, not a zealot. A real zealot is zealous for Hashem - whether it be for peace or for war, depending on what the Jewish law calls for. This was the root of the problem regarding the deed of Shimon and Levy in Shchem. Without question, their deed sanctified G-d's Name, and thus on the flag of Shimon appeared a picture of the city of Shchem. The only problem was the motive that lied behind their action. How do we know? For the same Shimon and Levy who wiped out Shchem were also ready to kill their brother Joseph. This meant that their motive in Shchem was tarnished, since there was obvioulsy a flaw in their character traits if they were willing to do away with Joseph in the same way as they would the hostile residents of Shchem. They exhibited rowdy tendencies, and for this Yaakov rebuked them by saying, \"cursed is their ANGER,\" since he wanted them to act soley for G-d's sake, and not because of hot- temperdeness or any other flawed character traits. It is interesting to point out that Zimri Ben Salu, the Jewish leader who prostituted himself, was from the tribe of Shimon. Pinchas, who was zealous against such lewdness, and afterwards for peace, came from the tribe of Levy. A zealot and son of a zealot - BUT THIS TIME WITH PURE MOTIVES. The tribe of Levy succeeded in sublimating it's trait of anger, thereby purifying it's motives as Yaakov requested, as we also witness in their slaying of the mixed multitude which incited the Jewish People to idol worship at the Golden Calf incident. Shimon apparently could not straighten out his character traits, falling victim to the very same sin he was once zealous for. 375

This is what lies behind the argument in the Gemorah (Zevachim, 101), \"Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Chanina said: Pinchas was not given the Priesthood until after killing Zimri. Rav Ashi said: After he made peace among the tribes\". For only after proving that he is capable of making \"Shalom Bayit\" in the House of Israel with \"Darke Noam\", then and only then was it clear that his character attributes were virtuous, and his motive in killing Zimri was also pure and for G-d's sake only. Let's Learn About \"Peace\" From Pinchas (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The concept of \"peace\" has been so badly distorted in this generation, that the very mention of the word has come to represent a specific political point of view. What is even worse is that when an opposing point of view adopts this concept, they are compelled to adopt the same axioms of the \"new\" and twisted interpretation of the concept of peace. The Torah Policy of Peace Though it is not an easy task, we suggest examining the original concept of \"peace\" as it was meant to be understood in our sources. In such a way we will be able to map out our \"basic policy guidelines\" for Torah peace that, with G-d's help, will eventually guide the Jewish government in the land of Israel. The original source for learning the proper interpretation for the concept of \"peace\" is from Pinchas, who embodies the ultimate man of peace. Why him? Because he is the man who G-d Himself chose to give the covenant of peace. Such a covenant was not even given to his grandfather Aaron the Cohen, who was coined \"lover and pursuer of peace\"! Pinchas' attribute of \"peace\" was on a higher level than Aaron's. In this article we will try to understand why. Peace with the Wicked is not Peace The question that begs asking in Parshat Pinchas is: \"Why was Pinchas given of all things, the covenant of peace? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate to give him the covenant of zealousness, or the covenant of saving Israel, or the covenant of saving the honor of Israel, etc. Does not Pinchas' act of killing represent the absolute opposite of today's concept of \"peace\"?? It is this very question which portrays the confusion and perversion of concepts relating to the idea of \"peace\". After all, what has peace come to mean today? It means shaking hands with evil (and the more evil he is, the grander the peace is, for \"peace you make with enemies\"), saying \"Peace, Shalom, Saalam,\" and being photographed on the White House lawn - hoping that now they will stop killing you. In other words, the new and distorted concept of \"peace\" means that one comes to terms, or makes peace with the evil. Obviously, for any logically thinking person, this definition does not go down \"smooth\". After all, normal instincts say that no good can come about by giving in to evil and making peace with it. Nonetheless, many people get dragged along behind the distorted interpretation, due to lack of an alternate interpretation. And so, against their will, they take the lofty and holy concept of \"peace\" - and start defining it in ways that they themselves have doubts about. First Step - Uprooting of Evil 376

What we must do then, is to rescue the concept of peace, and define it properly so that we can restore the holiness of the concept. By doing so, not only will we know the Jewish definition of the concept, but we will have the added benefit of not having to associate the holy concept of peace with the abominable ideas of murderous Western leaders! Pinchas' act of killing Zimri and afterwards meriting the peace covenant teaches us that the Torah's way of bringing peace is by making the world a better place. The first step towards this goal is the uprooting of evil and evil-doers from the world. \"Sur Me Rah\" - turn from evil, or remove evil - this is the first step in making the world a better place. On the other hand, making peace with evil, or even worse, giving in to it, is the very opposite step that one can take if he wants to arrive at peace. Peace is not the mixing of good and evil and the attempt to create a coexistence between them, as we have been trained to think! The very opposite. There is no coexistence between good and evil, nor is there partnership between good people and evil people! The Master of the Universe expects from the righteous that they will burn out the evil from the world - \"and you shall burn out the evil from thy midst\", the Torah commands us in so many places - and only in such a way will peace reign in the world. Pincahs Didn't Cry This concept is so powerful, that the sages compare the offering of sacrifices on the altar which is a symbol of peace -- to the killing of the wicked. \"To teach you, that when the blood of the wicked is spilled, it is as if a sacrifice was offered\". (Tanchuma, Pinchas, 1) For these are the two sides to the peace - remove yourself from evil - do good. There is not one without the other. That is why Pinchas was worthy of receiving the peace covenant. For when all the leaders, including Moshe and Aaron cried (\"and they cried\") from the wicked's threat, hiding themselves in their tents or in their yeshivas, the younger Pinchas arose, and eradicated the evil. True, his grandfather Aaron was a symbol of the love and pursual of peace, but evidently he was weaker in the area of uprooting evil. And since there is no peace without the purging of evil, Aaron had to leave the peace covenant for his grandson Pinchas, who was able to intergrate both sides of the peace. \"As long as the wicked rule in the world, so to speak, the Holy One Blessed Be He does not sit on his throne.\" (Yilkot Shmoney, Tehilim 47) 377

PARSHAT MATOT There Are No Innocent Midyanites (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg \"You can't take the law into your own hands!\" and \"It's forbidden to take revenge!\" are the typical reactions we hear whenever good proud Jews rise up and avenge the spilled blood of Jews who have been murdered by Arabs. Typically enough, many of those who condemn these acts of vengeance do so in the name of Torah. Revenge is strictly G-d's domain they claim, once again dismissing man from doing the \"dirty work\". Does Judaism really see G-d as the only exacter of vengeance, and our duty in the meantime is to continue to be murdered (deader, but better) and restrained? When all the future prophecies are fulfilled in which we finally even the score for all the Jewish blood that has been spilled by the gentile, are we relegated to being mere spectators? Such myths are exploded in Parshat Matot, which is one of the primary sources used by the codifiers for teaching us the entire concept of vengenace. \"And the Lord spoke to Moses saying, 'Execute vengeance of the Children of Israel on the Midyanites\". G-d explicitly commands us to take revenge. YOU do it, He says. Moses immediately relays G-d's message to the Jewish People, but with a significant change: \"And Moses spoke unto the people saying: Arm from among ye men for war, that they may go against Midyan, TO EXECUTE THE VENGEANCE OF THE LORD ON MIDYAN\". What Hashem termed the \"vengeance of the Children of Israel\", Moses called the \"vengeance of the Lord\", for vengeance exacted by the Jewish People against the enemy IS G-d's vengeance. We as His earthly servants wield His sword. Purity of Arms and Collective Punishment Another favorite hobby of the \"humanists\" is to condemn random attacks on \"innocent\" Arabs. After all, these Arabs were just passing by. They personally did not commit any acts of terror, and simply suffer for the\"ultra-nationalism\" of their brethren. The answer to such arguments may come as a shock to those who were weened on western culture, and view\"collective punishment\" as an abhorrent concept. But Judaism certainly views collective punishment as something quite legitimate. Though it may not be appropriate in every situation, when dealing with \"the vengeance of the Lord\", against the enemies of Israel, collective punishment is mandatory. \"To execute vengeance of the Children of Israel against the MIDYANITES\", the verse says. It does not say \"Mr. X\" or \"Mr. Y\" because they personally committed acts of terror. It is not relevant to us whether they committed acts of terror or not. What matters is that they are part and parcel to an entire nation which poses as an enemy, and thus the revenge is against the entire nation. (see \"Maharal\", Gur Aryeh, parshat Vayishlach on Shimeon and Levy) There are no innocent bystanders. According to Torah law, there is an obligation in war to kill all the males, and for this particular war against the Midyanites, all the females as well. Hilchot Revenge There are no innocent Arabs. The Arabs are a hostile enemy nation, and against an enemy, one must fight. Would any sane soldier during the heat of a battle against Syrians, for example, think twice about pulling the trigger while he is contemplating if that particular Syrian soldier is really interested in participating in the war or not? After all, maybe the poor fellow is being forced into battle against his 378

will? Obviously such a soldier would find himself dead in a matter of minutes. In time of war, one does not hesitate, and he who does so will come out the loser, as witnessed by the Israeli reaction to the Arab \"antifada\". In short, the Arabs are an enemy nation and the laws of vengeance apply to them. Yes, the laws of vengeance. \"Nikama\" (revenge) is not some vague concept, but rather a subject well-grounded in the \"halacha\" (see Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Dayah, 158:1 and Choshen Mishpat 425:5). The sages tell us: \"To teach you, that Moses longed to see revenge against Midyan before he died, and he requested this of G-d. Of Moses it is said: 'The righteous shall rejoice when he sees vengeance' \". And further it is written, \"to proclaim the praise of the righteous since they do not leave this world until they have carried out the revenge of Israel which is the vengeance of the Creator\". The War Against Midyan: Classic War Of Vengeance (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg We find in Parshat Mattot, that when Pinchas and the Israeli army return from battling Midyan (after the Midyanite women caused Israel to sin), Moshe angrily questions Pinchas: \"Have you saved all the women alive?!\" Concerning this, the Ramban quotes the \"Sifri\": \"Pinchas answered Moshe: As you commanded us, so we did!\" The Ramban then asks the following: Nowhere in the Torah do we find that Moshe commands whom to kill and whom to leave alive. If so, what did Pinchas mean, \"as you commanded us, so we did\"? If Pinchas was given explicit instructions by Moshe whom to kill, surely he would have carried out the orders. What then happened here? That is, what is Moshe's complaint, and what is Pinchas's response? Ramban's answer to this question is that a misunderstanding occurred. Pinchas assumed that this war was the same as any other obligatory war(\"Milchemet Mitzvah\") or permissible war (\"Milchemet Rishut\"), whose laws are outlined in Deuteronomy 20:10. In most of these wars, only males are to be killed (with the exception of obligatory wars against Amalek or against the nations who dwelled in the land previously, where all are to be killed including women and children). We can now understand what Pinchas meant when he said, \"as you commanded, so we did.\" He meant, as you commanded us in the Torah. Circumstances Determine the Reaction And so when Moshe saw that Israel left the females alive, he explains,\"Behold, these (specifically the females) caused the children of Israel,through the counsel of Bilaam, to revolt against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.\" Moshe is teaching us a vital lesson here: There is another category of war - a war of vengeance. As opposed to the regular wars (both permissible and obligatory),where the laws are pre-set regarding who is to killed or spared (see Rambam,Laws of Kings, Chapter 6), the wars of vengeance are a direct response to what was done to Israel. It takes into consideration specific actions of the enemy in the past. Therefore, the way in which the enemy is treated varies from one war to another, depending on the specific circumstances. In the case of the war against Midyan, which was fought to avenge what the women of Midyan did, it would have been proper for the Jewish army to make the women of Midyan the very first victims. And so, we have learned a principle regarding a \"war of vengeance\" - that the type of vengeance which is exacted depends on what or who is being avenged. 379

\"As They Did to Me, So I Do to Them\" This same concept appears in the form of Shimshon HaGibor (the mighty Samson) who avenged the honor of Israel. In the book of Judges, we learn that when the men of Judah come to arrest Shimshon and hand him over to the Philistines, they inquired to know why he terrorizes the Philistines so. Shimshon answered: As they did to me, so I do to them. (Judges 15:11) In other words: Measure for measure. This is similar to what the prophet Shmuel says to Agag, the Amalekian King, as he takes him out to be executed: \"Justas your sword made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women\". (Shmuel 1, 15:33) It is incumbent upon the haters of Israel to know: Punishment will be exacted from them precisely according to the measure they oppress Israel!! Such is the case with King David, warrior and conqueror. Our sages tell us that David's war against the nation of Moav was retribution for the killingof David's parents and brothers by the King of Moav after David had sent his family there when he fled Saul. His subsequent treatment of the Moavites was quite unconventional: \"David measured his captives with a rope, laying them down on the ground and measuring two rope lengths to be put to death, and one rope length to be kept alive...\" The commentator Radak explains: \"It was an act of revenge and humiliation.\" Once again, we see that treatment ofthe enemy during a war is tailored according to the circumstances at hand. Israel's Revenge = G-d's Revenge It is imperative to understand the concept of revenge in depth, especially in this generation when alien westernized culture has seeped into the yeshiva halls, turning the awesome concept of revenge into a dirty word. As opposed to personal revenge between one Jew against another, which is wrong and falls under the heading, \"thou shall not take revenge\", here we are dealing with revenge by Israel against her enemies. This is not a personal matter! It is a matter of sanctifying G-d's Name! You may ask: What does vengeance have to do with sanctifying G-d's Name? This is what our sages ask, too. We find in our parsha, that when G-d appears to Moshe, He tells him, \"take vengeance for the children of Israel against Midyan.\" However,when Moshe relays the orders to Israel, he says, \"arm men to inflict G-d's vengeance against Midyan.\" Nu, so which is it? G-d's revenge, or Israel's revenge? Rashi answers the riddle: \"Those who fight against Israel, it is as if they fight against G-d Himself.\" It's that simple. Since the nation of Israel is G-d's Chosen Nation and His representative in the world, when someone hurts or degrades them, the name of G-d is desecrated. Revenge is not a primitive or Fascist matter, it is a lofty matter of Kiddush Hashem! Moshe's Craving... Now we can understand why Moshe was so furious when the Midyanite women were kept alive. When the desecration of G-d's Holy Name is at stake, there is no time to waste! Our sages teach: \"Moshe craved to see vengeance taken against Midyan before his death.\" When he saw that the vengeance he craved was not completed, he became furious. The sages continue: \"If Moshe wanted to live a few more years, the power was in his hands. G-d had said to him, take vengeance, and then you will gathered amongst your people. The Torah stipulates Moshe's death on his taking revenge against Midyan. This is to teach you Moshe's greatness. He said, so that I shall live shall I delay the vengeance of Israel?!\" (BaMidbar Raba 22:2) 380

PARSHAT MASAY The Problem of Going Half-Way (1994) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg While it is true that the national religious movement in Israel has put forth great efforts in the fulfilling of the mitzvah \"Yishuv Ha'Aretz\" (the settling of the land), it is important to point out that they are familiar with only half of the mitzvah. For the mitzvah of \"Yishuv Ha'Aretz\" has two sides to it. Well known to us all is the first side - the establishing of settlements. That's the \"nice\" part of the mitzvah. But it is the other side that has been totally ignored by those who proudly wave the banner of \"Yishuv Ha'Aretz\". Obviously, we are speaking of the mitvah of expelling the gentile from the land. The word used in the Torah and numerous times in our parsha is \"horashtem\", which literally means \"you shall disinherit\". Rashi defines that \"ugly\" word \"horashtem\" as \"gerashtem\", meaning,\" you shall expel\". In any case, it is an inseparable part of the mitzvah of \"Yishuv Ha'Aretz\". Settling the land and expelling the gentiles in it are not only two sides of the same mitzvah, but each side is actually dependent upon the other. The Torah constantly warns us about the impossibility of fulfilling just half of the mitzvah: \"If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, those who remain shall be barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, causing you troubles in the land you settle.\" (Numbers 33:55) The Sforno adds: \"If you don't BURN THEM OUT (the gentile inhabitants), even though you have conquered the land, you won't merit to inherit the land for your children\". And here are the prophetic but painful words of the Ohr HaChayim: \"Not only will they hold unto the part of the land that you weren't able to conquer, but even the parts that you succeeded in conquering, they will say to you, 'get out of here!'\" In short, one is dependent on the other - there is no inheriting without disinheriting. Let us now jump to the dramatic moment when Israel crossed the Jordan River. Here we witness an incredible event. While still in the middle of the Jordan, Joshua tells them: \"Know why you are crossing the Jordan - so that you expel the inhabitants of the land from before you as the verse says, 'and you shall disinherit the inhabitants of the land from before you...' If you do, fine. And if not, these waters will come down and sweep away you and me...\" (Sota 34) One may ask: While the thrashing waters of the Jordan were standing 12 miles high about to swamp the Jewish People, was this a time for Joshua to deliver a speech? The answer is that Joshua knew that a lack of understanding of the importance of the mitzvah of expelling the gentile would pose a constant threat to the Jews, placing their entire mission in jeopardy. Thus he warned them. Know, that if you do not intend on throwing out the gentile from the land, there is no reason to continue. It is better that the waters drown us now. Indeed, a rather effective way to convey a difficult message. In spite of all this, the Jewish People failed in their task, and allowed many gentiles to continue to reside in the land. As a result, they were severely chastised for their sin by the angel of G-d: \"Moreover, I said I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as snares to you and their gods shall be as a trap to you.\" (Judges 2) At this stage begins the description of the spiritual deterioration that characterized the times of the Book of Judges. Indeed, as G-d warned, the root of the evil was the lack of expulsion of all the gentiles from the land, their mere presence causing the Jews to learn from their evil ways. And now history repeats itself before our very eyes. The leaders of the settler movements made a tragic 381

mistake in thinking all these years that they can build one yishuv after another and in the meantime ignore the existence of two million Arabs who surround these settlements and dream of the day when they can throw them into the sea. No less tragic is their absurd reaction to Arab terror - that they will build another yishuv. Nonsense! The very opposite is true. ANOTHER SETTLEMENT IS NOT THE ANSWER TO THE ARAB TERROR, BUT RATHER THE ARAB TERROR IS A RESULT OF US BEING CONTENT WITH MAKING SETTLEMENTS AND NOT COMPLETING THE ENTIRE MITZVAH - WHICH IS THE EXPULSION OF THE ARABS. The solution to the terror is the fulfillment of the ENTIRE mitzvah of \"Yishuv Ha'Aretz\" Here is the choice: Either all those faithful to Torah and Eretz Yisrael overcome their fear of \"what will the left say\" and adopt for themselves a new agenda which includes fulfilling part two of the mitzvah \"Yishuv Ha'Aretz\" or they pathetically refuse to fulfill this Torah commandment and thereby bring about the dismantlement of all that they have built for the past twenty years. How ironic. All those who refused to listen to Parshat Masay are forced now to listen to the left's argument, \"You can't occupy a foreign people\". The left is basically correct, only their conclusion is warped. But the logical Jewish approach is clear: Either us or them. The time has come that we decide once and for all. 382

Sefer Devarim 383

PARSHAT DVARIM This is Judaism, and Stop Apologizing (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg By Western standards, the book of \"Dvarim\" would have to be defined as an ultranationalist doctrine. Its concepts are the very opposite of liberal Western concepts. Its laws are illegal by Western standards. The book is based on conquest. Stressed over and over again is the uncompromising commandment to conquer the land of \"Canaan\" from the gentile nations who have lived there for thousands of years, and to change the name to \"Eretz Yisrael\". If this isn't enough, we are even commanded to disinherit (to expel), and if necessary to annihilate the inhabitants of the land. This is an inseparable component of the positive commandment of \"settling the land\". The Book of \"Dvarim\" also centers around the chosen-ness of the Jewish Nation. The concept appears most prominently in parshat \"Vaetchanan\" (7:6-8), in parshat \"Aikev\" (10:15), parshat \"Ree\" (14:1-2) and in almost all other parshiot of the book. This \"ultranationalism\" continues right on through to the book of Joshua and beyond. We want to now delve into the \"morality\" of all this. We do not do so in order to make the Torah more palatable for all the non-believers and Hellenists around who simply reject the book of \"Dvarim\" as they do the rest of the Torah, considering it primitive and racist. Rather we direct our words to G-d- fearing Jews who understand that the Jewish Nation is dependent on the Torah, want to fulfill it, and ask all the same: These are the enlightened traditional Jewish ethics and values that everyone speaks about? This is the Jewish morality we so often hear about? Conquering, expelling, chosen people? The answer is yes. What can one do when the \"traditional Jewish values\" that so many Jews speak of SIMPLY DO NOT EXIST! Don't exist? Are there no such things as traditional Jewish ethics and values? Of course there are! But they are something entirely different. At the core of Jewish ethics and morality, setting it apart from the ethics of mortal man is the concept of the acceptance of the yoke of heaven. That is, we do not pick and choose the \"merchandise\". First and foremost, we accept upon ourselves the values of Hashem without asking questions. Only then do we \"check the goods\". While it is true that in the world of business one does not buy until he examines the product, the mitzvot and concepts of Hashem are not a business negotiation. They must be accepted unconditionally. Thus it is written, \"It is better than all other goods\" - for it is a good that one does not \"check\" before \"buying\". The Book of \"Dvarim\" is the national policy guideline for the Jewish Nation. It is the morality that G-d conveys to us on subjects connected to Israeli nationalism. If someone wants to call it \"ultranationalism\", so be it, for it is true Jewish ethics. It is not a system of values that is subject to change according to the whims of one generation or another as another passing fad, but rather it is an eternal morality that we, our fathers and our forefathers have clung to for thousands of years. This value system withstood all the passing tides of the past thousands of years, while modern Western culture which evolved during the last one hundred years will melt away as did its \"enlightened\" predecessors: Greek, Rome, Assyria, Babylon, east and west, of one generation or another... Precisely today when the sabotaging of all Jewish concepts are intensifying; at a time when the so- called \"national\" camp, even after an election victory, refuses to give clear direction (we don't recall the 384

Left hesitating to lead us down the path of goyishkeit during their four year tenure), it is an obligation to read the parshiot in the Book of \"Dvarim\", and in particular \"Akev\", to strengthen our \"emunah\" in these authentic Jewish concepts. We must do so in order that we, the the spiritual right side of the spectrum, can speak our piece clearly, unequivocally, and without guilt: The Almighty is stronger than all the nations, and if we believe in Him and fulfill His difficult \"immoral\" mitzvot, so to speak, we shall overcome our enemies (both political and cultural), and re-establish the Torah Republic that we have dreamed of for 2,000 years. 385

PARSHAT VAETCHANAN The Calm Before the Storm (1997) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Throughout their lives, the Prophets never had much \"naches\" from their people. Jeremiah, speaking in the name of G-d, chastises the Jewish masses: \"From the day that your fathers came forth out of the Land of Egypt till this day, I have sent to you all My servants the Prophets, sending them from morning till night. Yet they did not hearken to Me, nor incline their ear, but stiffened their neck\" (Jeremiah 7:25). What causes us thus to close our ears to the words of the Prophet, without considering that maybe, after all, his warning is worth heeding? One who is not willing to listen to rebuke has no shortage of excuses. In this article, we will concentrate on one excuse which is hinted at in Parshat VaEtchanan. The Prophet Ezekiel describes how the people mocked his prophecies of doom: \"The days are prolonged, and every vision fails!\" (Ezekiel 2:22) -that is, you've been screaming out your warnings for years, but we're still sitting pretty. The Metzudat David explains: \"Since the Prophets spoke about the distant future, people would make fun of them saying: Look, it's going to be such a long time before any of this happens, we'll all have forgotten by then what you said anyway.\" That is to say, you have already been prophesying the Destruction for many years, and nothing has yet happened, so apparently, nothing that you say will come about... The Prophet Isaiah quotes the nation verbatim as saying: \"Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!\" (Isaiah 5:19). Here, the mockery reaches new heights: Nu, let's see it happen already... This mockery haunted the Prophets, and all those who saw the truth throughout the generations; and the Torah foresaw this problem in the verse in VaEtchanan, which we also read on the Ninth on Av: \"When you shall beget children, and children's children, and shall have remained long in the Land, and shall deal corruptly...\" (Deut. 4:25). And the question is asked: What connection is there between \"remaining long in the Land\" and \"dealing corruptly\"? Did they not \"deal corruptly\" even when they had not yet been \"long in the Land\"? The Kli Yakar gives this awesome explanation: \"Since the foretold disaster does not come about quickly, therefore man's heart becomes aroused to do evil.And he does not understand that the Almighty is slow to anger, and will punish him at the end of days. This is the meaning of the verse, 'When you shall beget children...' - in other words, in those very days when you shall deal corruptly, you shall beget children, and children's children, which is the natural way of the world - and you will remain long in the Land; and thus you will mistakenly say: Had G-d wanted to smite us, He would not have waited for so long! Behold, our lives are continuing as normal, we're having children, and dwelling securely in the Land for years on end. And this being the case, surely we are guiltless.\" The reason that G-d delays punishment for so long is that He, in His infinite mercy, wants to give us yet another chance and yet another period of grace in which to repent. However, instead of exploiting this extra time to do teshuvah, we use it for the opposite purpose: Look, we heard him say the same things twenty years ago - and what happened? - Almost nothing! The conclusion: We don't have to take him 386

all that seriously. And most importantly: I don't have to change my ways... And the truth? \"Therefore say to them...The days are at hand, and the word [i.e. actualization] of every vision\" (Ezekiel 12:23). That is to say, if you will mock in that way, then there is no purpose in any further periods of grace, and punishment will follow immediately. And how will this punishment come? Answering this, the Kli Yakar continues: \"But if the Almighty delays His anger for a long time - then, at the end of days, He brings disaster after disaster in rapid succession\". That is to say, when disaster eventually does strike, it will strike suddenly, hard and mercilessly, without even allowing time to understand what is happening. Not for nothing did our teacher Rabbi Meir Kahane bring down this quote from the Kli Yakar in the introduction to the second edition of his book \"Forty Years\". For the book \"Forty Years\" is a book of warning. And he, too, received similar reactions to his warnings to those described above. Since then, his warnings have - tragically - been verified by the harsh reality. And yet, even this has not moved us a bit. We have immersed ourselves more than ever in our own affairs, in order to avoid having to face what is happening - and what is about to happen! In the Rabbi's eyes, the words of the Kli Yakar were a last-ditch effort to arouse the people. All that he warned of is already happening. It is still in our power to change this reality; but this change starts by not closing our eyes to the truth - even if that truth is painful. Eretz Yisrael: Part Of Our Identity (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg In Parshat Vaetchanan, we are witness to a dramatic exchange of words between G-d and Moshe. Moshe opens by requesting of G-d that He allow him to enter the Land of Israel. G-d refuses Moshe's supplication unequivocally, stating: \"It is too much for you! For you shall not cross this River Jordan.\"(3:26-27) Not only was Moshe banned from entering the Land of Israel in his lifetime due to his sin at the waters of \"Meriva\" (where he smote the rock), but he was also prevented from being buried there after his death. The reason for this is brought down in the Midrash (Devarim Rabba, 8:2): \"G-d said to Moshe, whoever acknowledges his homeland is buried in his homeland. Yosef acknowledged his homeland, as it is written (Breishit 40:15), \"for indeed I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews...\" You did not acknowledge your homeland...How? The daughters of Yitro said, \"An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds\" (Shmot 2:19). You heard them and remained silent. Therefore you will not be buried in your homeland.\" What Does It Mean: \"To Acknowledge Your Homeland\"? Two questions can be raised regarding this Midrash: 1.How can Moshe be blamed for covering up his identity when the entire reason he fled to Midyan in the first place was because of his unending and burning love for his people?! Back in the book of Exodus, we saw that it was only a strong identification with his people which caused him to smite the Egyptian taskmaster who was striking a Jewish slave, causing his exile to Midyan. This being the case, why should Moshe, this genuine lover of Israel,be turned into one who does \"not acknowledge his 387

homeland\", just because hedid not correct the words of the daughters of Yitro? Did Moshe's loyalty to his people need further proof after his awesome act, one which was motivated precisely by an identification with his people? 2. Why does the Midrash specifically use the term \"homeland\", when apparently what is being referred to is acknowledgment of \"people\" or \"national identity\"?! One can see from this that the criticism against Moshe is not for a lack of identification with the people of Israel. Moshe undoubtedly proved himself in this regard. And so, it is clear that the use of the terminology \"did not acknowledge his homeland\" is used by the Midrash to teach us that Moshe was being punished for something else. This matter of \"not acknowledging his homeland\" means that when fleeing to Midyan, Moshe felt that Egypt was his homeland. This is expressed in just a few verses following the story of the daughters of Yitro. There it is told that Moshe named his firstborn son Gershon, \"because I was a stranger (ger) in a strange land\". That is, Moshe felt like a stranger, cut off from his natural habitat, Egypt. When the Midrash says Moshe did not acknowledge his homeland, it is faulting him for his feeling, even on a subconscious level, that Egypt is his homeland. After all, he was born and raised there. And so when the daughters of Yitro reported to their father, \"an Egyptian man saved us\", Moshe's lack of protest was not due to a fear of identifying himself with his nation and possibly endangering himself (especially when considering the reason he was fleeing Pharaoh). Rather, he did not protest because being identified as an \"Egyptian\" indicated one who resides in a certain geographical area. Moshe didn't view this as a problem. His response should have been: \"Me? A descendant of Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov? An Egyptian? My place is Egypt? Heaven Forbid! Though I have never lived there, my homeland is Eretz Yisrael!\" However, as we explained, this feeling did not sufficiently burn within him. It is absolutely impossible to sever the connection between the Jewish People and the Jewish land. A Jew cannot say: I am a complete Jew, I love my people, and I cling to the Torah - but I do it in Brooklyn, London, or Miami Beach. There is no such thing. Part and parcel to the Jewish identity is his belonging to his land. A Jew who is cut off from his land is blemished, no matter how \"frum\" he may be. This is the reason the sages tell us that mitzvot which are fulfilled in the exile are not fulfilled properly, and are merely observed for practice so that we do not forget them when we come back to the land of Israel. Ibn Ezra writes in our parsha (4:10): \"G-d knew they would be unable to do mitzvot properly when they are in lands under foreign control.\" The Sforno adds (6:21): \"We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and since in our servitude we were unable to acquire the perfection directed to us from G-d, He miraculously took us out and brought us to a land where we would be able to acquire it completely.\" Therefore, even though Moshe never saw his land, it was incumbent upon him to feel he was a man of Eretz Yisrael, and not of Egypt, which like all exiles, is an inevitable graveyard for the Jew. Moshe's punishment was measure for measure. You did not acknowledge your homeland and felt that it was possible to be both a good Jew and at the same to be an \"Egyptian\" (a man of the land of Egypt). Therefore, you will not be buried in your land. We, on the other hand, were born and raised in our homeland, or at least we live here now. We don't have the problem of longing for some distant homeland which we have never seen. In any case, because of our long and bitter exile which saw us cut off from our homeland, we are currently in an abnormal situation where we feel a lack of connection and belonging to our one and only homeland, and are even willing to give it away. Eretz Yisrael is not just some \"piece of real estate\" - it is the land of G-d - the Land of Israel, the Holy Land. 388

PARSHAT RE'E The Jew Is Never \"Beinoni\" (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg It is common knowledge that to be a Jew is a great responsibility, yet along with the great privileges that come with it, there are also deep obligations. This double-edged sword hovers over the Jew and obligates him from the moment he is born to the moment of his death. The question that arises is whether or not a Jew can get up one day and say: \"I didn't choose this destiny. I didn't ask for it, and I don't want any part of it.\" Perhaps a Jew doesn't want to be \"chosen\", and doesn't feel anything good about being \"special\". He simply wants to be part of \"humanity\", free to do as he pleases, without being restricted by the 613 mitzvot of the Torah and the countless ordinances of the rabbis. The fulfillment of his Jewish destiny is not for him - it is too \"heavy\" for him to handle. Is such a claim legitimate? Can a Jew ignore his lofty mission, his awesome future - and thus be \"exempt\", that is, off the hook from fulfilling this great but difficult destiny? Is it possible for a Jew to cast away the observance of Torah, which includes being a light unto the nations (in the true meaning of the concept), and clinging to G-d. Obviously, there is no need to answer this question. Without a doubt, a Jew can not escape his destiny. He was born a Jew and he will stay a Jew, with all rights and obligations included. \"LaHavdeel\", one can compare it to one who was born a prince. Despite the great \"kavod\" and greatness that is intrinsically in him the minute he is born, he is also subject to all kinds of edicts and restrictions. There have been many instances when one born into a royal family despised his destiny, feeling miserable and unfortunate, but he had no choice - he was bound forever. This example isn't really a totally accurate one, since the Jew isn't \"miserable and unfortunate\", as we will soon explain. On the other hand, it is a perfect example since the Jew is indeed a prince, the son of a King! He can never escape his royalty. Even if he becomes a slave, a Jew is still a prince, as Ze'ev Jebotinsky wrote in his famous song: \"The Jew - even in poverty is a prince ... if slave or wanderer, you were created the son of a King, adorned with David's crown!\" This entire concept is brought down in the very first verse of our parsha, \"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; a blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your G-d ... and a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your G-d.\" What is the meaning of such a choice? Does it mean that the Jew is given the right to choose his own way in life, to determine his own destiny? Not quite. The commentary of the \"Sforno\" on this verse is the following: \"Look (Re'e) and behold, so your eyes WILL NOT BE UPON THE WAY OF THE \"BEINONI\" (MEDIOCRE) as is the way of most people. For indeed I give before you today the blessing and the curse, and they are two extremes; for the blessing is success way beyond the average good, and the curse is calamity way beyond the average bad, and both these poles lay before you in order to attain - all according to what you choose.\" In other words, G-d gives us two options. The first option is to be blessed, the second option is to be cursed. THERE IS NO THIRD OPTION. There is not an option of mediocrity; of being neither blessed nor cursed, but \"just one of the guys\". Either he fulfills his destiny, and then he is blessed, or he does evil 389

by not fulfilling his destiny, and he is cursed and consequently punished. Someone who thinks that he is unfortunate because he was born a Jew and wants to escape it can only be pitied. He really is an unfortunate \"nebish\" - not because he was born a Jew, but because he does not understand the special greatness that he was intended for. He is similar to the crazy man who finds gold and throws it away in disgust. We are Jews that recognize the greatness of our special destiny. We have absolutely no complexes about it - \"We are fortunate - how good is our portion, how pleasant our lot, and how beautiful our heritage!!\" \"Both Evil and Good Do Not Emanate from the Almighty\" (1998) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Three weeks ago, on Tisha B'Av, we read a verse in the book of \"Eicha\" which one might think contradicts a basic tenet of our faith: \"Both Evil and good do not emanate from the Almighty\". How can this be? Do we not believe that everything comes from Heaven?! The explanation is given by our sages in the midrash (Dvarim Raba, 4:3): \"Rabbi Elazar said: when G-d uttered the verse,'behold I place before you this day a blessing and a curse', at the same time, the following verse was also said: 'Both evil and good do not emanate from the Almighty', rather the evil comes from the one who does evil and the good from the one who does good.\" We will expound upon this later. We often hear people who are suffering through difficult times say: \"What can I do? Everything comes from G-d. This must be for the best.\" At first glance, this is a praiseworthy attitude which expresses a very high level of faith in G-d. Such a person has accepted G-d's decrees upon mankind. Here realizes that there are no mere coincidences or \"pot luck\" in this world,and that everything emanates from the Almighty. However, upon closer inspection, we find that this is in essence a distorted type of faith. For this person does not contemplate his deeds and say: I have sinned, and because of this has misfortune come my way. Rather, like a parrot, he comforts himself by uttering cliches, without examining the inner recesses of his heart. And so what such a person is actually saying is:\"This misfortune comes from G-d, and I have no control over it.\" With this,he terminates his \"spiritual accounting\" without examining the real causes of his suffering. In the scheme of things, such a person takes little responsibility for his situation. By making G-d out to be the \"heavy\", man becomes nothing more than a helpless pawn, and there is no real justice. \"Forcing G-d's Hand\" And so we have the passage in Eicha, \"Both evil and good do not emanate from the Almighty\". This verse tell us that we must not throw the blame onto G-d for our misfortunes. For the moment that G-d said at Mount Sinai: \"Behold, I am placing before you this day a blessing and a curse\", he placed before us the freedom of choice between good and evil, between whether we will be blessed or cursed. From that moment on, the blessing and curse come automatically, via the actions of man. We can see an almost extreme example of how this concept works. The person who brings his first fruit 390

offering proclaims the following: \"We have done what You,G-d, have decreed upon us. Now do what is incumbent upon you to do.\" (Rashi, Dvarim, 26:15) The question that begs to be asked is: How can we, mere mortals, demand from the Creator of the Universe to do what is incumbent upon Him? Is this not \"chutzpah\"? However, this is precisely the idea behind, \"both evil and good do not emanate from the Almighty.\" If we fulfill what is requested of us, we can actually demand that G-d fulfill His part of the bargain, and bestow upon us the goodness He promised. Not only can we demand it, but we can even decree upon Him right back to do what He promised, for He has no choice, so to speak. The Sin Which Causes Jews to Be Killed Just as this holds true for the individual Jew, so it is the case in the national sphere as well. We must understand that when the Jewish People suffer, it is forbidden for us self-righteously to proclaim: \"It is punishment from the Heavens\", or \"So is the will of G-d.\" Certainly,everything is from G-d, but it is necessary to realize that the punishment was brought upon ourselves because of our own deeds. This is the true meaning of the term, \"measure for measure\" - that the punishment is the direct result of man's sin. The implications for today are as follows: If the Ishmaelites are killing us, we cannot simply say, \"everything is from G-d\"; nor can we say, \"we must strengthen ourselves in Torah and mitzvot.\" This is not enough! We must look for the sin which is directly causing this punishment, and then act to correct it. Indeed, there is a sin of not expelling the evil gentiles out of the Land of Israel. If Jews are being murdered, it is a direct result of our failure to oust the murderers, which is simple halacha. There is the sin of handing over territories to murderers, and thereby standing idly by our brother's blood. This is the sin which directly causes Jewish blood to be spilled. It is indeed a grave sin, one which is caused by lack of trust in G-d. It is only fear of the nations which causes us to make these terrible national decisions, bringing us closer to destruction. Jews are murdered for it, and we must remember that it is not a random form of punishment, but rather the direct result of a particular sin. By ignoring this and pointing to other general sins is not much better than saying: \"It's all from G-d\",without drawing practical conclusions to stop it. Selective Soul Searching To what can this situation be compared? To a thief who has been caught and placed in prison. He decides that since he has ended up in prison, he must be doing something wrong. And so he decides to examine his deeds, to do a\"cheshbon nefesh\". After tiresome soul-searching, he reaches the conclusion that this punishment must have come about because he was not scrupulous enough in observing Shabbat, or keeping Kosher. It does not occur to him to place the blame for his misfortune on the direct action which caused the punishment to be meted out in the first place. Hence, he continues to steal. By examining other deeds before correcting the sins that are directly causing the punishment, the entire concept of \"tsheuva\" becomes a big joke. Only when we correct that which is required of us to be corrected, will we receive the blessings and goodness mentioned in the Torah. 391

PARSHAT SHOFTIM Fulfilling the Mitzvot with Love - through \"Religious Coercion\" (1995) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg When the Jewish People stood at Mount Sinai, they proclaimed without hesitation, \"We will do and we will listen\" before even receiving the Torah. But if the Jewish People were so willing to receive Torah by their own free choice, the question that begs asking is: Why was it given to them through coercion? After all, Tractate Shabbat (88 ) brings down the following: \"To teach that the Holy One Blessed Be He overturned the mountain (Sinai) upon them like an (inverted) cask and said to them: If you accept the Torah, it is well; if not, there (underneath the mountain) shall be your burial!\". But if they already accepted the Torah willingly, what was the need for all this? The Maharal from Prague (in the book \"Tiferet Yisrael\") answers upon this very basic question in the following way: Being that the Torah is the very essence of the Jewish People who without it have no reason for existence, there is no way that the Torah can obligate us simply because we chose it to be that way. It must go deeper. It must be made clear that there is no connection between the personal decision of Am Yisrael to receive Torah (\"We will do and we will listen\") and the fact that the Torah was given to us. It must be made clear that even if G-d forbid \"we will not do\", the Torah was given to us against our wills! Therefore, G-d turned over the mountain upon us in order to convey to us that we must not think for a moment that we fulfill the Torah because we decide to, but rather we must realize that it is a Divine obligation - the yoke of heaven! This concept is certainly pertinent today, since the basic western concept dominating society of \"Live and Let Live\" has become quite popular among a high percentage of religious Jews. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to hear skullcap donning Jews throwing around the slogan \"live and let live\" as if it is one of the ten commandments. The fact is, many use this concept to dismiss themselves, so to speak, from taking responsibility for \"Klal Yisrael\". By so doing, they on one hand give legitimacy to every Jew to choose the \"faith\" he wishes, while on the other hand they give themselves legitimization to dismiss themselves from the unpleasant obligation of \"Tochacha\" (chastising). Indeed, one who has been exposed to a western culture for so many years will have great difficulty accepting the idea that the Torah was given under coercion, for it is an idea that stands in direct contrast to the basic democratic concept of \"live and let live\". For the concept of \"religious coercion\" has become a dirty word today, even amongst an increasing number of religious Jews who really do not pay attention to the words they say. We will now cause them to pay attention. Torah Without Coercion? Did there ever exist a system of laws in this world that did NOT require coercion? Of course not. After all, such a system would lead to absolute chaos! Now - if we believe that the Torah is the exclusive system of laws for the Jewish People, how can we possibly say that there is no coercion necessary?! And if this is so, why all the guilt and inferiority complexes on the subject?! Is the system of laws 392

brought down in our Torah somehow unworthy that less be demanded of them than from any other set of laws?! Ours sages tell us: \"If there are no police officers - there are no judges.\" In other words, without a coercive body to enforce the law, there is no justice! And so the Torah is filled with punishments which the court system (and let us not even speak of the Heavenly Court) must impose to punish transgressors. If that isn't \"religious coercion\", than what is? There is a popular self-righteous argument which says: \"We must educate the people to love Torah, so that they may fulfill it with love and not under coercion\". Of course this is true! But it is true in the same way concerning bank robbers. It is important to educate muggers not to rob banks, but in the meantime, until everyone is educated, we have policemen and judges who punish the muggers, thank G-d. But isn't that coercion? Nu, what can on do? Sometimes one must take undemocratic measures such as preventing man's basic right to rob banks.... The \"Sefer HaChinuch\" (Mitzvah 491, Shoftim) brings this down in a revolutionary manner. It explains that the way to educate man to fulfill mitzvot is through love, via coercion. Here are the words of the \"Chinuch\": \"..to appoint judges and police officers who will force the people to do the mitzvot of the Torah, and will return the strays from the true path against their wills.. and out of habit in going down the straight path out of fear, the people will learn in a natural way to be righteous out of love and through a recognition that it is the true way..\"(see more). Yes. Ironically enough, the way to fulfill mitzvot out of love is through: \"religious coercion\"! 393

PARSHAT KI-TETZE To See the Evil Growing - And to Uproot It (1996) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg The sages in the Talmud (one opinion) tell us that there never really was a perverse and rebellious son. If this is so, the Talmud asks, why were we given a mitzvah which is impossible to fulfill. The answer: This mitzvah was given \"to learn about and receive reward\". All this arouses the curiosity. After all, the Torah was given in order that we may fulfill it. If so, what is this strange mitzvah which was given to us, even though we will never be able to carry it out. Would the Torah bring something down which is solely theoretical and for the purpose of making nice \"vorts\", but inapplicable in the real world? Would this not contradict the very purpose for what the Torah was given for? The matter becomes much clearer when we realize that the Torah was given for a much deeper reason than for the sterile and rote carrying out of mitzvot. The Torah was not given so that we arise each morning and with our eyes half-closed put two black leather boxes called \"Tefilin\" on our arm and head, and then mumble half-heartedly incomprehensible words called \"prayer\". The Torah was given with an idea. Behind every personal mitzvah stands an idea, and behind all of the mitzvot together, there stands a general idea. And a person who fulfills the mitzvah with the proper understanding is fulfilling a living mitzvah, with purpose and soul, and is not simply performing some sterile ritual like a monkey. This is the purpose of the mitzvah of killing the perverse and rebellious son. In truth, it is virtually impossible that all the conditions will exist for us to actualize this mitzvah. In any case, G-d gave us this mitzvah to teach us that even though it might never happen, it is critical for us to understand the idea that stands behind the mitzvah - and it is an idea which is indeed a very practical one! The idea here is the burning out of evil from the world, and to teach us that doing so is not only good for the world, but it is also for the personal good of the son himself. For the sages say that the perverse and rebellious son is punished for what he will eventually become, and not for what he is now. The Torah, knowing that the day will come when this impetuous lad will steal, rob, and pillage, has taught us in a very effective and powerful way an awesome lesson. Though this perverse and rebellious son has barely turned 13 years old and hardly knows his right from his left, we must kill him nonetheless before his evil starts manifesting itself. And so, despite the fact that the actual carrying out of this mitzvah is limited to almost impossible circumstances, we learn the idea that in our eternal and uncompromising struggle versus evil, there is such a concept of rooting it out before it actually reveals itself. All this clearly contradicts western culture where even the most blatant evil is not given a death blow, and all for reasons of \"ethics\". Judaism is truly merciful, to such an extent that it distances any potential evil that even threatens to do harm, in order to teach us the basic concept of hating evil, and the obligation of the Jew to burn it out. 394

Spiritual Death - Worse Than Physical Death (1999) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg There is an interesting halacha concerning which nations are permitted to marry into the Jewish People after individuals from these nations convert. The offspring of converts from the nations Edom and Egypt are permitted to marry into the Jewish nation after three generations. On the other hand, the offspring of Moabite or Ammonite (male) converts may never marry into the Jewish People. That's right. The Egyptians who tried to drown all of the children of Israel and who caused us terrible suffering, and the Edomites who blocked our way in Horeb when we only asked to pass through their land are allowed to marry into the nation of Israel. However the Ammonites and Moabites whose sin was a passive one - that they did not offer us bread and water, are never allowed to marry into the nation of Israel. A topsy turvy world! Something deeper must be going on here to cause this severe ostracization. Indeed, the midrash (Sifri, Bamidbar Raba, and brought down by Rashi) clarifies the issue: \"The Ammonites and Moabites, since they looked for ways to cause Israel to sin were banished by the Torah forever. This teaches us that causing someone to sin is worse than killing him - since killing someone does not remove him from both this world and the next world, while causing someone to sin removes him both from this world and the next world.\" The commentator Kli Hayakar also explains that \"not offering you bread and water\" was part of the overall plan which Bilam had suggested to Ammon and Moab in order to corrupt Israel. Due to their hunger, Israel went out and ate from the alters of the idols of Moab, and the daughters of Moab gave them wine and seduced them on the condition that they worship their idols first. Bilam understood that if they can cause Israel to sin, this would be the true blow, since sin is more fatal than physical death. By the way, this blow was actualized in this world as well, with the falling of 24,000 Jews. A striking example of this concept is presented in our parasha in the unprecedented case of the \"rebellious son\" - the young man who has stolen relatively little from his father, and must be stoned. The rabbis explain there that is a message to be learned here: \"The rebellious son is punished for what he is going to become - the Torah knows where he is heading - he will eventually wipe out his father's property...stand on the roads and rob people. The Torah states: Let him die innocent and not guilty\". Obviously \"being killed for what you are going to become\" is not the general rule in our Torah, since normally a person is punished for his deeds as they stand at present. Yet the Torah give us here a commandant which according to one opinion in the Talmud, \"never was and never will be\", in order to teach us an idea. \"Then why is it written? To learn it and receive reward.\" The meaning here is that even if the conditions for the rebellious son episode can never be met, one can still learn the essential lesson from it. And what is that idea? That death is better than a life with no direction and laden with sin. In Judaism, life is a means and not an end in and of itself. Without a rason detre, or a real purpose, there is no reason for life. So what do we see? For the modern day hellenists who believe in foreign western culture, the idea of \"causing one to sin is worse than killing him\" is a denial of the essence of their beliefs. For them, \"the sanctity of life\", this hypocritical Christian idea, is above all else. For this reason we find amongst them those who are against the death penalty for even the most heinous of criminals (such as the \"humanists who protested against the hanging of Eichman). The deeper reason for this is that they do not accept the notion of \"sin\" as something objective. What is for you a \"sin\" may be for me a \"mitzvah\". What today 395

is considered criminal may be considered tomorrow the norm. If there is no G-d, and good and evil is determined by the ever changing values of man, than not only is life meaningless and \"hefker\", but it must be \"sanctified\" by the hypocrites over all other values. But we have a G-d who determined what is good and evil thousands of years ago. This has not changed one iota to this day. Therefore, we are commanded to remember and never forget the two nations who caused our fathers to sin gravely more than 3,500 years ago, and we hold them in contempt still today. We cannot conclude a discussion of this topic without mentioning the most striking example of, \"it is worth to cause one to sin than to kill him\" in our generation. It is an example we must \"remember and don't forget\" (an expression used for Amalek). We are speaking of the intentional and methodical spiritual destruction which took place 50 years ago against the Sephardic Jews by Ben-Gurion and \"Mapai\", in order to prevent the young nation from becoming a majority of religious Jews. There is nothing which can undo this sin which according to the sages is worse than a physical holocaust. We are still eating from the spoiled fruits of this systematic de-Judaiazation of the Sephardic Jew. These Jews were ripped away from the Shabbat, family purity, and all the Jewish ritual which had kept them spiritually pure during 2,000 years of exile. In it's place, they were fed the values of Dizengorf Street. Remember, and never forget! 396

PARSHAT KI-TAVO Why So Many Curses? Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg Parashat Ki-Tavo (and Parashat BeChukotay, for that matter) bring us a list of blessings if we go in God’s way and a list of curses, if we do not. But the list of curses is totally disproportionate in number to the list of blessing ! In Parasha Ki-Tavo, 14 verses of blessings are brought down, followed by a list of no less than 54 verses of curses! And so we want to address the question: Why so many curses? Where is the balance? After all, there are entire “hashkafot” (outlooks) which are built around the need to be optimistic, to dwell on the positive, etc. Many criticized Rabbi Meir Kahane, z”tl, for his “prophecies of doom”. What a downer he was - warning of tragedy and holocausts if we do not do the right thing. In his book, “They Must Go”, for example, he brings down in full gory detail, the 1929 slaughter of the Jews in Hebron by Arabs. Indeed, he was a “pessimist”. In urging American Jews to make aliyah, instead of stressing the “positive aspects” of the mitzvah for a Jew to live in Eretz Yisrael, the rabbi chose to take the “negative approach” to stress the physical danger facing the American Jew. He wrote an entire book called “Time to Go Home” which warned of the potential holocaust which hovers over American Jewry. Why? Why didn’t the rav stress the wonderful attributes of Israel and the obligation of the Jew to live there in his efforts to convince Jews to emigrate to Israel? Because apparently, the rabbi knew, as does our parsha, that the way to motivate Jews into action is to shock them, to shake them up out of their indifference. And so our parsha brings down curses in rapid-fire fashion, so that the Jew will internalize what will happen if he does not go in God’s way. To frighten the Jew into action, into “tshuva”. Who Says that “Yiyeh Tov”? The famous Israeli slogan, that “everything will be OK” (Yiyeh Tov) is therefore a misleading one. Our parsha is telling us quite clearly: If we do good (obey Hashem’s commandments), then it will be good. And if we do bad (do not obey Hashem’s commandments), then it will be bad. In this context, Binyamin Zev Kahane, z”tl, added that the known custom where the ba’al kore shifts into high gear and lowers his voice when reading the curses (“tochacha”) is a dangerous thing. Why? Because although the original intention of this custom was so that the curses don’t fall upon us, today, there is something else that stands behind our speed reading rendition of the tochacha. And what is the reason: We simply don’t want to hear the bad. We want to maintain our illusions that “Yiyeh Tov”. We are ostriches who look away, hoping that the problems will go away. Easy to Imagine Good, Difficult to Imagine Bad Rav Binyamin Kahane used to give another reason for the disproportionate number of curses in relation to blessings. When the Torah begins to speak of material blessing and abundance, the Jew has no problem picturing the material good in his mind. He can already picture for himself the nice house, garden and posh living room, and there is no need for the Torah to elaborate further. But when it comes to the bad, the very opposite is true. The Jew doesn’t grasp that evil will befall him, and when it does, he thinks that it will not get continue or get worse. In our parsha, the Torah comes and tells the Jew: You think it was bad up until now? Well, you haven’t 397

seen anything yet, because it is going to get worse. Until we get to the verse, “the tender and delicate woman among you…her eye shall be evil towards her afterbirth that comes out from her…” We see this same phenomenon today. After horrible terror attacks, there follows a brief period of quiet. During that period, the Jew begins to convince himself that the worst is over. It just can’t get any worse. But apparently, it can… “Hashem’s Salvation is in the Blink of An Eye” The intention here is not to depress anyone. On the contrary: if we go in God’s statutes and fulfill His mitzvot, it will be good! The Torah promised, and the Torah is not some politician who doesn’t make good on his promises. Walking in God’s statutes means more than keeping the Sabbath and eating kosher food. It includes the statute to expel the enemy of the land, and to stand firm in one’s faith that God will protect us if we indeed walk in his statutes. May God give us the courage to do the right thing, sothat He may bestow upon us all the blessings written in His Torah. 398

Should A Jew Be An Ostrich? (1993) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg (In this article written in 1993, Binyamin Zev Kahane warns us of impending tragedy, and offers the remedy of how to avoid it) We all recognize that familiar picture before the reading of the parsha of the \"Tochacha\". The \"Ba'al Kore\" shifts into high gear, lowers the volume of his voice, until he reaches the conclusion of his speed reading rendition of this \"not so nice\" part of the parsha. This custom was originally practiced so that the curses won't G-d forbid fall upon the listeners. Today, though, there may be something else behind this custom - something quite dangerous and unfortunately very characteristic of Jews. And what is that? Jews simply don't want to think about unpleasant things! There is a tendency to think that if one looks away, the problem will go away. This allows people to continue to live in their illusions. This is why the most popular expression in Israel is \"Yiyeh Tov\" - everything will be O.K. But those who say with such ease, \"everything will be O.K.\", simply do not grasp a most basic tenet of Judaism: The world is not \"hefker\". Judaism actually believes in such concepts as reward and punishment. The refusal to come to grips with this concept has caused many Jews to even doubt the existence of G-d throughout the years. When reflecting upon shocking tragedies in history, they wonder: How could G-d have been so cruel? This crisis in \"emunah\" reached its peak after the Holocaust, where so many Holocaust survivors stopped being observant Jews, saying that if something like this can happen, then G-d forbid, there is no G-d. But if one takes a closer and objective look into the matter, without letting his emotions get the best of him, he should arrive at exactly the opposite conclusion! There is no greater proof of the existence of G-d than the fact that every one of His curses, warnings and chastisements in relation to the Jewish People which are conveyed in the Torah have been fully realized. It serves as proof to G-d's awesome and precise supervision. It is evidence of His ability to fulfill His promises and threats. Indeed, the sages tell us, \"Anyone who says that G-d forgets, let his life be forgotten.\" (Baba Kama 50). How does this jibe with the fact that Hashem is merciful and slow to anger? There is no contradiction. Of course Hashem is slow to anger - but he does not forget! He waits, sometimes for long periods of time, and takes into account all kinds of circumstances that may be. But eventually, if G-d forbid we do not do \"tsheuva\", the curses of the \"tochacha\" will befall us. Have we not already witnessed the destruction of our Temples and the holocausts that accompanied it before the most recent Holocaust in Europe? In these times this message is a vital one, for Rabbi Meir Kahane (may G-d avenge his blood) warned and urged world Jewry of the need to do \"tsheuva\" - to trust in Hashem, not to fear the gentile, and to sanctify G-d's Name. When Rabbi Kahane said, \"there is no time\", and if we do not do what G-d wants, then we will suffer greatly from the labor pains of \"Giula Bi-eta\" (The slow, painful redemption), there were always those who mocked him as a \"prophet of doom\". They claimed that there IS time, and one should not be so pessimistic. This need to delude oneself is nothing new,as our prophets heard much of the same: \"You say, because I am innocent, surely His anger has turned from me. Behold, I will punish you because you say, 'I have not sinned'.\" (Jeremiah, 2:35) And, \"Behold the House of Israel say: the vision that you prophesied of is for much later days...(Ezekiel 12:27) These same prophets, unlike the 399

Jewish leaders of today, warned and reproofed the nation, and were willing to sit in jail for it. This, after all, was their mission in life. Did Jeremiah back down after King Tzedkiyahu jailed him and almost killed him for his prophecies? Of course not. In our parsha the Torah spills forth the awesome fury and the curses that Hashem has in store for us, without holding back a single detail. Not only does the Torah mention the possibility of tragedy, but it goes out of its way to expand upon it much more than it expands upon the blessings. What graphic and brutal scenarios are given: Sickness, breaking down of the social and economic fiber, exile, etc. For when it comes to choice between good and evil, or between truth and falsehood, the Torah pulls no punches, making it perfectly clear: If we will be good, numerous blessings will be bestowed upon us, and if we will do evil, there will be great tragedy. In these days before redemption, we must not evade this subject simply because it is uncomfortable to deal with. For years, we have unfortunately been walking in blindness and lack of faith, headed for tragedy, towards the actualization of the bitter prophecies, G-d forbid. We must say the truth clearly without trying to smooth things over. Only in such a way will the people be moved and shocked into action. During this month of \"tsheuva\", we must not forget about this national \"tsheuva\" which Hashem demands of us. 400