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Parshat Pinchas: Hand to Head

2008-07-18T09:37:00.001+03:00

The bulk of this week’s parshah focuses, either directly or indirectly, on one theme: the end of Moshe’s leadership. In the concluding verses to this theme, Moshe requests of God to “appoint a man over the assembly” (Numbers: 27: 16) who will take his place as the new leader of the Jewish people. The Torah depicts God’s response as follows:

“Hashem (God) said to Moshe, ‘Take to yourself Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lean your hand upon him’ ” [Numbers: 27: 18]

As in other instances in the Torah, the “leaning of the hand” refers to leaning ones hand on the other party’s head. What is the meaning of this act? Is it merely a ritual that lacks any real importance, or does the “leaning ones hand over the head” contain deeper significance? And what intrinsic connection does it have to the theme of transmitting leadership?

The idea is quite simple. The “hands” represent the mode of action, while the “head” represents the mode of thought. On one level, the act of placing the hands over the head hints to the idea that “action” and “thought” are meant to be intertwined with one another. As humans, it is incumbent upon us to realize that our thoughts and beliefs parallel our actions in this world. As we all know, believing one thing but acting another is known as hypocrisy. We must live the belief! This is a very difficult feat, but with commitment and patience, it will surely come. Upon being inaugurated as the new leader of the Jewish people, it was crucial for Joshua to understand this concept and keep it on his mind (no pun intended) always. A leader’s deeds must follow his beliefs and values in order to truly have a lasting impact on his people.

Perhaps on a deeper level, the act of placing the hands over the head signifies the idea that action is superior to thought. Yes, we are meant to contemplate and meditate upon the greatness of God. Yes, we were given the Torah in order to expound it and break our heads over it. But if all our efforts only go as far as our own thoughts, we have missed the point. As Jews, we are meant to spread the light of Godliness and Torah throughout the world, and this can only be done by means of our outward actions. Moshe was commanded to convey the message to Joshua that becoming a leader is not about being the wisest guy on the block! A leader can only sincerely affect his people through his actions alone. (*see footnote*)

This idea runs throughout the Torah: Upon receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, we cried out “We shall do, and we shall understand”; the Jewish people understood that to truly accept the yoke of Torah, the “doing” takes precedence over the “understanding”. This can also explain why, when putting on Tefillin, we were commanded to put on the Tefillin for the arm first, and only then to put on the Tefillin for the head. This basic principle of Judaism is meant not only to run through the words of the Torah, but through our veins!

The term of “leaning ones hands” is also used nowadays for when somebody obtains a rabbinic degree (“Smicha” means “the act of leaning”). A Rabbi is supposed to view himself as one of the many leaders of the Jewish nation, and is especially supposed to develop a deep relationship between his thoughts and actions in order to influence his students. Whenever someone receives a blessing, it is very common for the other party to place their hands upon his head (one example is the widespread custom for fathers to bless their children on Shabbos night before Kiddush). Before reciting or receiving any blessing, it is critical to recognize that one of the greatest blessings is the ability to fuse ones thoughts and actions together and to truly understand how much greater our actions are than our thoughts. May we merit to receive this blessing and practice it forever.

Good Shabbos,

NZL

*It is very interesting to note that verse 23, which describes how Moshe carried out God’s command, says that Moshe “leaned his hands upon him…”. When God commanded Moshe, he to told him to lean his “hand” in the singular! Why the change? There are many answers to this question. One possible answer, which relates to our idea, is that action can be divided up into two categories: (1) Action, as we know it, and (2) Speech, which can be viewed as action as well. The Talmud discusses the possibility of speech being considered an action, and the idea is also brought down in Tanya as well. It is fairly obvious that the power of ones words can also seriously impact others, if not more. Moshe therefore leaned both his hands upon Joshua.

I only spoke about the precedence of action over thought in regards to man’s relationships to his fellow human beings. But the idea of course applies to man’s relationship with God. It is a common teaching of the sages that although we may not have the proper intention and concentration while performing the commandments, we must perform them nonetheless. The idea also applies to man’s relationship with himself; very often, one’s own actions are what accord him with feelings of accomplishment and self-worth.

The All-Spiritual Afterlife, the Torah, and Me. Conclusion

2008-07-17T22:34:00.001+03:00

We have been weaned on the idea that the Torah and Its Mitzvot are the means to uplifting the individual Jew who performs them, and that he ultimately receives reward for his decisions and merits the all-spiritual afterlife.

While this is true, the deeper truth is that the Torah and Its Mitzvot are the guidelines to revealing God in the physical world by Am Yisrael. While it is certainly true that any individual who follows in the way of God will ultimately merit the all-spiritual afterlife, the greater truth is that by following the way of God we can realize and reveal God in all aspects of this world – the entire world can be “a fraction of an example of the World to Come” (see, for example, Midrash Tanchuma Tetzaveh 13).

This is indeed the most exulted thing of all.

The Sons Have Come Home (A Poem)

2008-07-17T11:01:00.001+03:00

Silent boxes, grimly borne.
Underground torrents of tears suddenly burst up outwards
Heart-wrenching sobs tear through the air:
The sons have come home.

Clustering support, rallying comfort,
rays of light in an overwhelming darkness;
the pain of the excruciating unknown
has changed to embody their worst fear, and their secret silent hope:
The sons have come home.

Betrayed by murderers who cheer in excitement
as we give them back their men of evil to return to their wickedness;
in jubilation and celebrated hatred,
their monsters have gone home.
In two deathly silent coffins,
our sons have come home.

Their cruelly silenced soon deaths meant
no pain, no suffering, for these two gruelling long years;
but the moment-by-moment hair-whitening torture
that their close ones suffered
is only ended today,
when the sons have come home.

Ease your hearts, o Israel,
for the sons have come home;
cry, o Israel,
for how the sons have come home.

Seats are empty, places silent,
but spaces in hearts cannot be re-filled.
G-d, spare the mourners more suffering;
comfort them in their silent finality,
now that their sons have come home.

How can we love every Jew?

2008-07-16T23:36:00.000+03:00

A thought provoking post by Chana got me to think about the question she asks. I will let our readers try and give their answer in the comments section. Eventually, maybe I will write a post about this:

How can one love every Jew?

Catch Torah Reading on the Bus - Only in Israel...

2008-07-16T19:19:00.004+03:00

Torah Scroll Dedication on Board Tel Aviv Train

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz (IsraelNN.com)

A specially commissioned Torah scroll was dedicated on Sunday for use aboard a commuter train by a traveling prayer quorum (minyan) on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv line.
Between 20 and 40 people pray in the train's Mesilat Yesharim Minyan each morning.

A group of commuters living in Beit Shemesh commissioned the small Torah scroll and custom-made carrying case for their daily prayers. The Torah dedication was arranged together with BeLev Echad, an organization which teaches secular and unaffiliated Jews in the communities around Beit Shemesh about Torah Judaism.

Between 20 and 40 people pray in the train's Mesilat Yesharim Minyan [prayer group] each morning after it leaves the Beit Shemesh station. The last carriage on the early morning train is unofficially reserved as the temporary "synagogue," drawing both men and women, as well as Israel Railways crew members. The regular participants are a mixture of native Israelis and immigrants from North America and Europe who work in Tel Aviv in banking, law, computers, medicine, education and business, but who choose to live in the religious communities in Jerusalem or Beit Shemesh.

The ticket inspector periodically announces the start of prayers over the train intercom, in case new passengers are unaware of the unusual minyan. Mesilat Yesharim is actually the second "train minyan" which uses a Torah scroll on the Beit Shemesh-Tel Aviv route, and there are also afternoon and evening services on the trains home from Tel Aviv.

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In Memory of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev

2008-07-16T16:10:00.008+03:00

Whatever one's political opinion on the prisoner swap, it is definitely a sad day today as we heard the confirmation of the deaths of two of our nation's soldiers. Baruch Dayan Ha-Emet. Their fight for freedom had become, for the past two years, a fight for all of Klal Israel. Everyone now identifies with their lives and stories.

A few quotes caught my eyes in the news, showing me little sparks of light in this tremendous darkness:

"In the last two years we discovered what a wonderful people [the Jewish nation] is," Shlomo Goldwasser said after two coffins - one of which contained the remains of his son Ehud - were transferred to Israel.

"We would like to thank the entire Jewish nation. This nation is our answer to [Hizbullah leader Hassan] Nasrallah, who is trying to toy with our emotions," Goldwasser said, finding a glimmer of hope on an otherwise mournful day.

Zvi Regev, the father of fallen IDF reservist Eldad Regev, echoed Goldwasser: "I thank the Jewish nation, the media and all who have intervened on our behalf. We hoped Udi and Eldad would return alive; now we will have to adjust to a new reality."

Shmulik Elgarbeli, a spokesman for the families of the soldiers, said Israel should be "proud of its moral integrity and the value of camaraderie."

May these soldiers be the last who need to sacrifice their lives for Klal Israel and Eretz Israel. May Gilad Shalit's return be a much more joyous occasion, one in which we will be able to dance with him upon his return. May we keep being inspired by the short lives of these two soldiers, as they have already inspired thousands.

A Year in Galut

2008-07-16T03:23:00.004+03:00

It’s been a year.

This time last year, I was in a Midrasha on a Kibbutz in Emek Bet She’an. This time last year, I was learning Torah in Eretz Yisrael. This time last year, I was home.

Right now, I am completely stuck in Galut, and my surroundings do not care to stop reminding me of that. I feel so alone, as if I am the only one not in Israel, I almost feel abandoned. Two of my friends left less than an hour ago on the El-Al flight that is taking them to their summer program, where they will learn Torah LiShmah in Israel for six weeks. For one of them, this is the first time in Israel in a very long time, and I am anxious to hear how the land will strike him, if she will reveal her ultimate beauty to him, as we are taught by Rav Kook zt”l, among other Rabbis, that she does so to those she chooses to. The other friend, he lives for Israel. He breathes the love and the longing for the land every day in everything he does, and this trip will be his first time there in four years. I am so jealous of him. I think of the last time I was in Israel, last summer, how I watched the screen on the airplane show the painfully slow approach to the dot marked “Tel Aviv,” the way the illustration of the plane seemed to be only inching along the screen. I remember looking out my window and finally, suddenly, out of the cover of the surrounding fog, seeing the jutting of tall buildings from shorelines beneath. Finally, home. I know this is how this friend of mine will be feeling, this overwhelming ache of the temporary end to suffering, an ultimate joy, as tears threaten the eyes and the soul feels the true emotion of the words “Vishavu Banim Ligvulum.” This is what my friend will be feeling in a matter of hours, as I sleep unaware in my bed. I know this, and for the past two days, a weight has been added to my heart, knowing that these friends of mine will be experiencing this purest of joys as I remain in America, trapped by my reality.

The magnitude of this sorrow has gotten so great that I feel I cannot keep it in; I must talk with someone. I pick up my cell phone to call the friend who would come over, take me out, try to distract me, and then I realize that my call will go unanswered. She, too, is in Israel, on a ten day tour with the Israel advocacy program she’s a member of, “Write-on for Israel.” I remember this with pain, like a slap in the face, as I remember the itinerary of her trip, which she showed me. Border checkpoints, archeological sites, government offices, Sderot…places immersed in our national history, and the history our nation is making now. We both despaired looking at her itinerary, she for fear that she will prove to be the least intelligent in her group, which will not be the case, and I for longing to be in her shoes.

I left on a walk to escape the chaos of my house, and saw the house of my neighbors, a family of seven children, thank G-d, who will be making Aliyah this summer. I sit in the park, and can see the house of one of my campers. Her family, as well, will be making Aliyah this summer, G-d willing. I rejoice for these families, for their devotion to Am Yisrael, despite the difficulties involved in the process. I rejoice most for the children: they are still so young, their childhood memories will be in Israel. Their culture, their thoughts will be in Hebrew. They will naturally speak the language of our land, our Torah, the same way I speak English. This is amazing. This also causes me to feel depressed. What all these children are gaining, it was almost mine. My parents packed us up and moved us to Israel in my infancy. This, however, was before the days of Nefesh B’Nefesh, and, to my perpetual sorrow, we had to move back to the States. The experience of growing up in Israel, of speaking the language with perfect fluency, was almost mine, but I lost it. I grew up dreaming of Israel. She is part of my essence: my heart and my mind are forever focused on her. Libi bamizrach vi’anochi basof ma’arav. Centuries later, the Riha”l’s statement rings true with me. The only consolations I can give myself are that my upbringing in Galut must be a part of G-d’s ultimate, divine plan. Gam zu litovah. This is how it is meant to be.

I have to remember that in a year’s time, G-d willing, I’ll have graduated from High School and have a lifetime of great potential for closeness to G-d in His eternal home for us, in Israel. This is the dream. This is worth the pain, the impatience that is not my fault, that is out of my control. After all, this suffering will add to the ultimate joy of reaching Israel permanently. And that thought fuels my desire for Israel, for the truth that she holds, for the layers of Torah that she can reveal, every day of my life.

Gam zu litovah.

The History of Eretz Israel - Eretz Israel and Avraham Avinu

2008-07-16T01:42:00.002+03:00

In Midrash Tanhuma, we learn from a passouk:

ואתן לך ארץ חמדה (ירמ' ג יט), ארץ שנתחמדו לה כל גדולי עולם

"And I will give you a pleasant (wanted) land" – A land which all the great people wanted.

The midrash goes on to explain how each of our forefathers had a special connection to this land, thus showing that the "great people" refer to Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaacov.

Everyone knows that the first mitzvah commanded to Avraham Avinu was to leave his family behind and to go to the land of Israel.

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-אַבְרָם, לֶךְ-לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ. וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ, לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ, וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ; וֶהְיֵה, בְּרָכָה.

Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing. (Bereishit 12:1-2)

From these pssoukim, we can see two things: First of all, we see the first relation between one of our forefathers, Avraham, and the land of Israel. Secondly, we can clearly see that the greatness of our Nation is fully developed only on our land – The land of Israel. Many centuries later, the Kuzari explained this concept by comparing Klal Israel to a plant and explained that different plants need different soils in order to grow properly. For Klal Israel to grow properly and for our potential to come out fully as a Blessing for the whole world, we need to be based in the Land of Israel.

Afterwards, Abraham was commanded a second thing with relation to the Holy Land:

קוּם הִתְהַלֵּךְ בָּאָרֶץ, לְאָרְכָּהּ וּלְרָחְבָּהּ: כִּי לְךָ, אֶתְּנֶנָּה.

Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.' (Bereshit 13:17)

For a nice explanation on this passage, I suggest reading what I wrote here from my Rav, Rav Mordechai Elon Shli"ta. Chaz"al in Baba Batra explain that the reason he walked through is that by walking through the land, Avraham made it easier for his sons to take over. In other words, Avraham's walking was not simply meaningful to his time but rather was something which had eternal consequences on the ownership of the Jewish People on this land.

At the end of his life, Avraham finally got to Jerusalem, although it was during a very tough challenge – Akeidat Itzhak. In Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, we are taught that even as they were getting close to the mountain of Mount Moriah (Jerusalem), they already recognized the holiness of that place. When they got there, we are told that God himself told them that this is the place in which Avraham gave sacrifices, where Kain and Ebel brought sacrifices and where Noah and his sons also brought sacrifices. It is not a temporary place but rather a place which is inscribed in eternity.

In Hebron, Avraham, for the first time, bought a piece of land from the Land of Israel. In the Torah, the negotiations between Avraham and Efron are detailed very meticulously. The Ibn Ezra explains that the reason for that is that God wanted to show us how important the land of Israel is to show how much space the Torah dedicates to the buying of a piece of land there.

From all these events we see that at the source of the Jewish Nation, our oldest forefather Avraham Avinu, we already have many mentioned of a special connection between Klal Israel and Eretz Israel.

Ma’amar “HaDor” Understanding Secular Zionism in the Eyes of Rav Kook- In His Generation and Today - Part 1

2008-07-15T18:10:00.001+03:00

This article has been written by Rav Ari Shvat (Chwat), Rosh Midreshet Tal Orot in Michlelet Orot, Elkana. He has graciously offered to share his wisdom with the readers of Tzipiyah.com, and given me a few, very powerful and all very relevant, articles to share with you. This is the first part of the first article. Enjoy!

In order to know how to approach the secular Jews in Israel, we must first understand where they‘re coming from. What was it that drove their grandparents away from Torah, and subsequently, what will bring them back?

One of the most puzzeling aspects of the secularization, is the fact that regarding the other aspects of redemption, such as the ingathering of the exiles, revival of the Land of Israel, the hebrew language, etc. there is obvious advancement over the last 100 years. Davka regarding religion, where we expect the most important improvement during the ge’ula process, the last century has seen a drastic decline! Why?

This question is sharpened even more by the fact that already 1,800 years ago (!), we are taught that preceding the ge’ula, there is going to be a universal and national rebellion against religion.

“In the advent of Mashiach, chutzpa will heighten, expenses will skyrocket, there will be fruit but wine will be expensive. Governments will turn heretical, and noone will rebuke. The House of Sudy will be exchanged for prostitution, … those border-dwellers will wander from city to city and will not be pitied! The wisdom of the rabbis will be scorned, and the religious will be hated, truth will be sorely lacking. Youth will embarrass their elders, the elders will stand for the young, the son will scorn his father, the daughter will rebel against her mother, the bride against her mother-in-law, a man’s enemies will be from his own family. The generation will have the face of a dog (impudence), the son will not be ashamed even before his father.” Sotah 49b

If today’s rebellion was foreseen in such an ancient tradition, even at a time when everyone in the world was religious, that infers that this must be part of some G-dly plan. The question is, what kind of benefit could possibly result from such a spiritual tragedy that would make it part of the G-dly plan? Why must such a rebellion against religion and tradition preempt the magnificent ge’ula?

If we compare the modern non-religious with their historical counterpart from Biblical and midieval times, we find that their flights from Judaism were a result of not only different, but opposite reasons.

Being raised in a monotheistic society, we see religion and moralty as being intrinsically connected, but in paganist society, the more religious one was, the more immoral he became! Polytheism is not just a question of mathematics, but one of morality, as well. In Biblical times, we find that in a generation where prophets castigated Israel for paganism, they also had to rebuke them not only for child sacrifice, but also fo exploiting the widow , orphan and convert, theft, drinking, and promiscuity. Problems בין אדם לחברו, regarding mitzvot between man and his fellow, and weakness b/w man and his G-d, inevitably were inseperable. One can summarize by saying that the son who rebelled against his Father in heaven, the בן סורר ומורה, in biblical times, was motivated by hedonistic pleasure, to be a זולל ושובע, a satiated glutton.

Even during the long exile, the average Jew who abandoned his religion did not do so out of idealism or theology, but as a result of his desire for life or standard of life! In exiles where Jews were in danger, or were not allowed to buy land, attend university, work in certain (or most!) trades, or reside in most neighborhoods, understandably, many abandoned Judaism for ulterior motives (to live “normally”)!

Put simply, in previous generations to be a religious Jew demanded not only sacrificing those pleasures prohibited by G-d, but also foregoing all those basic pleasures which gentiles forbade the Jews. For those who left, Judaism was just too difficult.

On the other hand, about one hundred years ago, when teenagers began to be attracted to the Zionist youth movements in Europe, the appeal was in the ideology. Upon being asked by their fathers: “What did you discuss today at snif?”, the son would answer: “We spoke about the ideals of national revival, zionism and aliya (T. Herzl), Jewish labor (A.D. Gordon), reviving the Hebrew language (Eliezer Ben-Yehuda), socialism (Berl Katznelson), Jewish pride and self-defense (Jabotinsky), and the need for Jewish culture and literature (Ahad HaAm).”
The reaction of the “fathers” and many rabbis in Europe, to this long list of ideals of the “sons” was one big “NO”.

*They opposed nationalism, seeing Judaism as a religion and the Jewish State and aliya, as a messianic dream, some even actively opposing it, seeing zionism as a rebellion against G-d’s degree of exile.
*They were against their sons becoming farmers and menial laborers, seeing the ideal as learning Torah, and if one must work, he should opt for a clean profession befitting a “nice Jewish boy”, not a “goyishe” trade.
* The elders saw Hebrew as Lashon haKodesh, meant to be used for prayer and study, and not for secular conversation.
* Standing up to fight was seen as the non-Jewish way. The galuti Jew even rationalized his weakness by turning it into an ideology of pacifism: “We don’t stoop down to their level.” “The goyim fight with weapons, the Jews, with prayer and passports.”
* Socialism was associated with atheism, and Karl Marx’s “Religion is the opiate of the masses”.
* Seeing Judaism as a religion and not a nationality, Torah, mitzvot and gefilte fish were seen as the Jewish culture. The elders didn’t see a need for Jewish theater, university, or literature which dealt with secular topics. On the contrary! Most saw modern culture as competition and a threat to Judaism.

Upon being informed that Judaism and zionism were diametrically opposed, the sons opted for the modern, idealistic nationalistic ideology, and rebelled against what they saw as a stagnant, old-fashion and shallow religion.

Rav Kook points out that as opposed to the rebel in biblical and midieval times, the chalutzim ran from Torah not because it was too difficult or “high” for them but the opposite, because it was too “low” for them. They wanted ideals and were answered with negatives.

The chalutzim were not lazy people! For the ideals that they believed in, they were willing to move to a far and deserted Land, to struggle and often die fighting malaria and Arab marauders. They simply did not find Judaism as an ideology but as empty ritual.

Rav Kook's Fourfold Song

2008-07-14T22:05:00.000+03:00

There is a person who sings the song of his soul. He finds everything, his complete spiritual satisfaction, within his soul.

There is a person who sings the song of the nation. He steps forward from his private soul, which he finds narrow and uncivilized. He yearns for the heights. He clings with a sensitive love to the entirety of the Jewish nation and sings its song. He shares in its pains, is joyful in its hopes, speaks with exalted and pure thoughts regarding its past and its future, investigates its inner spiritual nature with love and a wise heart.

(....)

There is a person whose soul is so broad that it expands beyond the border of Israel. It sings the song of humanity. This soul constantly grows broader with the exalted totality of humanity and its glorious image. He yearns for humanity's general enlightenment. He looks forward to its supernal perfection. From this source of life, he draws all of his thoughts and insights, his ideals and visions.

And there is a person who rises even higher until he unites with all existence, with all creatures, and with all worlds. And with all of them, he sings. This is the person who, engaged in the Chapter of Song every day, is assured that he is a child of the World-to-Come.

And there is a person who rises with all these songs together in one ensemble so that they all give forth their voices, they all sing their songs sweetly, each supplies its fellow with fullness and life: the voice of happiness and joy, the voice of rejoicing and tunefulness, the voice of merriment and the voice of holiness.

The song of the soul, the song of the nation, the song of humanity, the song of the world--they all mix together with this person at every moment and at all times.

And this simplicity in its fullness rises to become a song of holiness, the song of God, the song that is simple, doubled, tripled, quadrupled, the song of songs of Solomon--of the king who is characterized by completeness and peace.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 444

Taken from http://ravkook.net/universalism.html with permission

The All-Spiritual Afterlife, the Torah, and Me. Part Six

2008-07-14T07:25:00.002+03:00

By Ari Faust, Jerusalem, Israel.

Why is it that the Torah focuses so much attention on the collective, National reward, while placing secondary significance to the individual and only hinting to the ultimate individual reward? Why is necessary that the National reward be physical and not spiritual – beyond the technical explanation of the “Sefer HaIkarim”? With thorough analysis of this idea, we can understand a central foundation of Jewish faith.

Ever since the destruction of the First Temple and the cancellation of prophecy (see above at length), Judaism has become reduced to “four cubits of Halacha” (Brachot 8a). It has become a religion of individuals, with a Torah which teaches individuals – who live on all four corners of the Earth – how to live their lives. While this is certainly an eternal truth, and the Torah is certainly meant to guide the individual through all aspects of life, what is more true is that before the Torah teaches a way of life for the individual, It teaches a way of life for a Nation. The purpose of the Torah – and every one of Its six-hundred and thirteen Mitzvot – is to guide a Nation and to give it the tools to be a “Holy Nation”.

When the Torah was given to the newly born Nation, Am Yisrael, at the foot of Mount Sinai, it was given to six-hundred thousand individuals (men over the age of twenty). However the Torah was given to these myriad individuals not due to their individual merit, but due to the simple fact that they were part of a Nation (see, for example, Midrash VaYikra Rabbah 9:9). When the Divine Presence rested in the encampment of Am Israel upon the inauguration of the Tabernacle, HaShem counted the people out of love of them (Rashi, BaMidbar 1:1). In this counting, each individual was counted as a member of the general community, as a part of the Nation (BaMidbar 1:45 and Ramban there).

The individual Jew acquires his significance by virtue that he is part of the Nation. The individual Jew comes to encounter the Torah first and foremost as a guide for his Nation, and thus learns how to behave as an individual within this Nation. The significance of his actions – his Mitzvot – lies in the fact that they advance the Nation and bring the Nation to Its exulted plateau of “Kingdom of Priests and Holy Nation” (See Sifri, Parashat Eikev 7). Why does the Torah focus its attention on the reward of the Nation? It is because the Torah speaks not to the individual, but rather to the Nation (and thus to the individual).

The Torah speaks to Am Yisrael. The individual Jew encounters the Torah, encounters God and encounters the significance of his actions (and Mitzvot) by virtue of him being part of Am Yisrael. This principal is clear from the entire Torah, the words of the Prophets and the teachings of our sages. Why is it so? What is the meaning of this concept?

The Holy One, Blessed be He, desires to be revealed in the physical world (Midrash Tanchuma, Naso 16). The vessel by which He achieves this is Am Yisrael. We are told of God’s intention in conceiving Am Yisrael by the prophet:
“This Nation I have fashioned for Myself that they may tell My praise.” (Yeshayahu 43:21)

The purpose of the existence of Am Yisrael is to reveal God in this world (see Brachot 6a). It is well known according to the Torah, Prophets, and our sages that the ultimate revelation of HaShem can only be achieved by Am Yisrael as a whole unit (as a Nation) (see section 3 above at length). Why is this? Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook explains this concept:
“… In order to accomplish this ideal, it is required that [there will be a community, and] this community will be the possessor of a State – political and social – and sovereign national status, at the peak of human culture, ‘A smart and clever nation and a great nation’, and the absolute Divine Ideal rules there, and brings the Nation and the Land to life in the glorious light of life.”
The purpose of this sovereign National model specifically is:
“That it may be made known that not only outstanding brilliant individuals, pious men, Nazarites and holy men live by the light of the Divine Ideal, rather entire nations – perfected in all aspects of society. Entire nations which include in them all the different levels of humanity – from the peak of artistic brilliance, academia and saintliness to the more general circles, social, political and economical to the most lowly thing.” (Orot, page 104)

In order for God to be revealed through all aspects of life, He must be revealed not only through the pursuits of the saintly individual, but through all aspects of life. God must be revealed not only in prayer and “spirituality” but in the simple daily chores and systems of life as well such as economy, culture, defense, etcetera. This is accomplishable only by a sovereign Nation. This Nation is Am Yisrael who has the potential to “tell My praise”. The Torah is the tool by which Am Yisrael reveals this potential, thus revealing God in all aspects of life. Am Yisrael is HaShem’s mirror image (as it were) in the physical world.

Every day, the Jew blesses upon learning Torah. What is the blessing which he recites? “…He who chose us from all other nations and gave us the Torah.” Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah Kook would stress the meaning of this blessing: “…He who chose us from all other nations” – this is the foundation, afterwards He – “… gave us the Torah”. First there is the Nation, then the Torah serves as the tool to reveal the message of the Nation – “that they may tell My praise”.

The Torah speaks first to Am Yisrael collectively, and thus speaks to the individual within this Nation. It guides Am Yisrael to be a “Holy Nation”, thus obligates the individual to follow Its Mitzvot. The reward to the Nation which strives to fulfill God’s Will is [not the all-spiritual afterlife, but rather] the ultimate realization and fulfillment of Its purpose, the revelation of its potential and the revelation of HaShem in all aspects of life.

History of Eretz Israel - From Creation until the Flood

2008-07-13T10:03:00.003+03:00

Today, we will simply briefly take a look at the references Chazal (Our Rabbis) give us on the Land of Israel from the creation of the world until Avraham Avinu.

In Massechet Taanit (10a), we are told that the Land of Israel was the first piece of land created during the creation of the World. Only after the land of Israel was created did the whole world get created as well.

We are told (In Sanhedrin 39b) also that Adam Harishon was created from the land. Chazal explain that in order to create Adam Harishon, God used land from all around the world. However, in order to create his head, he only used land from the most cherished land of Israel.

The story of Kane and Abel also has a reference to Israel. Rabbi Yehudah Halevy in the Kuzari teaches us that the real fight between Kane and Abel was a fight to see whose decedents would inherit the land of Israel. Once God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not Kane’s, Kane thought Abel received the inheritance and got jealous – thus killing his brother.

Finally, during the big Flood in the time of Noah, the Sages teach (in Zvachim) that God flooded the whole world except for the land of Israel.

These are a few sources detailing the history of the land of Israel before Avraham Avinu. My goal today was simply to share these sources with you to prepare our journey through history detailing the connection between our nation (starting with our forefathers) and it’s land.

And the winner is....

2008-07-11T19:44:00.002+03:00

The winner of this week's Question of the Week is Bat Israel!

We had asked:
How did Bilaam attain the level of prophecy? First of all, we see he was not Jewish, and prophecy (according to the Kuzari) is attainable only by Jews! Second of all, we clearly see he was not righteous since he wanted to curse Klal Israel!
So how can some like him get to prophecy?

Bat Israel's answer was drawn out of a "Hat" from all the answers by a computer program named "The Hat". She will now receive, by email, a 20$ gift certificate for FREE Jewish Books!

Right now, it seems this will be the last question of the week. We had great participants, but in order to keep sponsors we needed much greater numbers. Maybe soon enough we will be able to try this experience again!

This week's Sponsor was:

This week’s question is sponsored by Nehora Books and Judaica Gifts, the largest Jewish Bookstore online for the biggest selection of rare and new Jewish Books, Sifrei Kodesh on Torah, Talmud and Kabbalah.

What will the Mashiach really be like?

2008-07-10T18:37:00.003+03:00

Here's a thoughtful and well researched piece explaining how Mashiach will be first and foremost a political figure rather than a religious figure. I do admit that the author used a very controversial comparison to bring home his message but his message his brought home very effectively. I think this misinterpretation of Mashiach as a spiritual figure rather than a political one is one of the main obstacles of current Jewish Thought to the recognition of the great miracles God has granted our generation.

Here is the post.

I would add that the Rambam's prototype for Mashiach is Bar Kochba. Bar Kochba did not teach a single Mishna. He was not a rabbi. Rather, the rabbi in his camp was Rabbi Akiva. He was a political figure, a political leader leading the fight for the restoration of Jewish Sovereignty on our land. Does Mashiach need to be religious? Yes (as is mentioned in the post). Is he Mashiach because of his religiosity? No. He's Mashiach because of his great political leadership. His religiousness is something which comes along.

The All-Spiritual Afterlife, the Torah, and Me. Part Five

2008-07-10T07:22:00.000+03:00

By Ari Faust, Jerusalem, Israel.

We have long been exiled from our natural state-of-being and from our Homeland. The principals and motivations of the Torah and our belief system have been altered from their authentic, original state as well. Our conception of Judaism and the Torah is an individualistic one; it is a system of Halachot and personal belief. The Torah is seen as the median that teaches a person how to live their life. Every aspect of a person’s life is instructed by the Halacha – down to the most specific detail, such as taking a shower and tying ones’ shoes. The Torah also teaches a person a very deep and complex moral and ethical doctrine and a sophisticated belief system.

While all this is certainly true, and is truthfully found in the Torah, it is not the original and most authentic encounter that we are meant to have with the Torah. The Torah is, first and foremost, a set of guidelines for a Nation.

Rabbi Yosef Elbo, in his exposition on the principals of Jewish Faith, “Sefer HaIKarim” (“The Book of The Principals”), suggests another solution to the problem of the all-spiritual afterlife and it curiously being omitted from the Torah:
“Upon analyzing the physical rewards mentioned in the Torah one by one, it is found that there cannot be spiritual rewards mentioned in their stead. This is because the rewards mentioned in the Torah are collective, and [are said] to the entire Nation as a whole…” (Sefer HaIkarim, 4:40)
An all-spiritual reward is irrelevant to a Nation. Thus when the Torah sets-out the rewards for the performance of Mitzvot, it is appropriate and necessary that they be physical.

“… It is irrational that the collective rewards set-out for the entire Nation would be spiritual. For even if the Nation in general would be righteous and deserving the World to Come, it is unspeakable that the evildoer [of the Nation] would merit the World to Come due to the ‘fifty righteous people’ amongst her. This would be an unjust sentence … Therefore it is clear that the collective rewards set-out for the entire Nation must be physical …”

The Torah speaks first-and-foremost to the Jewish Nation collectively. It serves first as a guideline to life of a Nation, and henceforth to every individual within the Nation. Any spiritual reward is for the individual, and the ultimate reward for the Nation cannot be the all-spiritual afterlife. Since the primary focus of the Torah is on the Nation and Its guidance, the majority of rewards mentioned in the Torah are collective ones, and are the reward of the entire Nation.
“… The specific reward for each and every individual, however, is mentioned in the Torah but few times, such as in [the Mitzvah of] sending away the mother bird (Shiluach HaKen), ‘That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your life’, and our sages have already said: ‘That it may be well with you – in a world that is entirely good; and that you may prolong your life – in a world that is endless’.” (Ibid.)

The rewards for fulfilling the Mitzvot mentioned in the Torah can be split into two groups: The collective ones promised to the Nation, and the specific ones promised to the individual. Most of the rewards discussed in the Torah fall into the first category. According to the “Sefer HaIkarim”, the collective reward of the Nation cannot be a spiritual one, and therefore most of the reward promised in the Torah is physical. In the few places where the individual reward for the performance of Mitzvot is mentioned, the guarantee of the all-spiritual afterlife is found – either overtly or indirectly.

Who are you?

2008-07-09T17:29:00.004+03:00

Thank God, Tzipiyah.com has over 100 unique users which come on the site daily. However, only a fraction of you leave comments and therefore, we don't really know who you are and what we can do to better Tzipiyah for you enjoyment.

So, today, I am taking a big risk!
I am going to ask each of our users to introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about themselves. Tell us as much or as little as you want. Of course, you can stay anonymous even while answering this call!

It's a big risk because I know there is a chance that this call goes unanswered. However, please, don't make me look stupid ;-) lol. Let us know who you are!

I feel this exercise can be extremely productive in order to build the Tzipiyah community and help us, the bloggers, better assess what community we are blogging to.

Here are a few questions which can be used as guidelines for your comments:
Who are you? Where are you from? How old are you? Maybe give us a little background on yourself!
How did you find Tzipiyah.com?
What do you gain from visiting Tzipiyah.com?
Do you have any suggestions for Tzipiyah.com?

Thanks a lot for taking the time to participate in this! Having spoken to many of the Tzipiyah bloggers, I think we all agree it really is important for all of us!

Intellectual Property Law in Halacha - Part 5

2008-07-09T08:09:00.000+03:00

This is a long essay I wrote that might be of interest to you. It analyzes the place of Intellectual Property (and Copyright Law) in Halacha and ends with a discussion of relevant questions such as Downloading Music and Burning CDs. I will be posting it part by part. It's quite long but will be rewarding to those who follow it. This was Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3, part 4. Now, this is part 5.

Property Law

While all the other approaches deal with the rights of intellectual property through other areas of law, Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg[1] advanced a theory of intellectual property from within the law of property. Through an analysis of the nature of property law in the eyes of Talmudic scholars, Rabbi Goldberg tried to define a way to protect the interests of intellectual property towards an intangible. He bases his theory on the legal concept of “Shiur” (retention). According to Talmudic Law, it is possible for someone to sell an object while retaining some of the rights over the sold objects. The example in the Talmud[2] deals with the sale of an animal in which the seller wishes to retain the shearing and offspring of the animals he sold. While the actual animal becomes the sole property of the new owner, the new owner is limited in his ownership by the fact that the previous owner retained the rights to the shearing and offspring. Rabbi Goldberg posits that the same can be true with the sale of cassette tapes. The seller can decide to retain the right to copy the cassette. Therefore, according to this perspective, the buyer will get all the rights a normal buyer gets but will not have the right to copy the cassette. If he does copy the cassette, he is committing an act of theft since he is contravening with the right of property of the seller.

Rabbi Goldberg himself recognizes two major shortcomings to his approach. Firstly, for this approach to be valid, the retention clause must be clearly stated on the cassette. It must not be ambiguous. Rabbi Goldberg states that the clause must clearly state that the actual sale is being limited and not merely prohibit copying the cassette. Secondly, Rabbi Goldberg concedes that his approach will not work on an already copied version of a cassette. Therefore, after one person broke the law, others can copy from his version since there will be no retention clause on his copy of the cassette. He, however, argues that these problems can be solved through a combination with the other approaches analyzed in this paper.

Rabbi Naftali Bar Ilan[3] disagrees with Rabbi Goldberg and writes that it is not possible to retain an intangible[4]. The law of retention only applies to tangibles. Rather, Rabbi Bar Ilan tries to create a protection of the author’s rights under the concept of a conditional sale (Tnai)[5]. A sale can be made conditional to the agreement of the buyer not to copy the object he is buying.

Even according to Rabbi Bar Ilan, the two limitations to Rabbi Goldberg’s approach still apply. The rights of intellectual property will not be properly preserved. While these two approaches deal with the law of property and the law of sale, they do not address the issue of intellectual property substantively but rather try to protect the interest of the seller through other aspects of property law. This creates the possibility of many cases under which the rights of intellectual property would not be protected.

[1] Supra Note 22.

[2] Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metiziah, 34a.

[3] Rabbi Naftali Bar Ilan, Techumin, Volume 7, (5746), pp. 360-380

[4] Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat, Siman 212 and the Commentary of the SMA

[5] Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin, 49a.

History of Eretz Israel - Introduction

2008-07-08T06:43:00.001+03:00

There are those who say that Religious Zionism started with Herzl, as a way to combine the secular ideology of Zionism with the religious teaching of Torah. Those people are wrong.

There are those who say that Religious Zionism started with Rav Kalisher, Rav Gutmacher and Rav Alkalai, the "mevasserei hatzionut" (callers of Zionism), who preceded Zionism with a religious call to go back to Israel and build a state. Those were some of the greatest talmidei chachamim of their times, students of Rav Akiva Eiger and the Pelei Yoetz. Yet, they were not the start of Religious Zionism.

Some people go even further back. To the GRA, the Vilna Gaon, who called on his students to build a Jewish State in Israel; to the Ramban, who tried to encourage mass aliyah to Israel in his time; to Rav Yehudah Halevy, who famously said "My Heart is in the east".

Modern Religious Zionism started the day where the Jews were exiled from their land, as you can see from all the Tanaim who lived right after that time. Religious Zionism as an ideology came even before! It started with Avraham who left his land to get to Eretz Israel. The importance of the land of Israel came even before! It came even before the creation of this world!

The goal of this new series will be to look at the history of Eretz Israel, look at history in order to understand what is so special about this land and its connection to Klal Israel and the Jewish People. We will go all the way back to the creation of the world and move forward, slowly, post by post, until we get to the modern Zionist movement.

Stay tuned for more!

Great Quote of the Moment

2008-07-08T02:38:00.005+03:00

This quote perfectly expresses the need for our generation's special Torah- the torah appropriate to the redemption we are living:

"There is big difference between asking secular Jews if they want to learn Judaism or if they want to study Torah. The word Judaism is still associated with the negative way in which religion and religious Jews are portrayed in the media. But we see that in practice, the trend is exactly the opposite; there is a great thirst for 'Torah,' in a big way. In our Rosh Yehudi centers, we see that new people keep coming to join us and to study Torah with us - and they generally ask, 'Where have you been hiding until now?' What is needed now is for religious people to present, in a pleasant manner, the Torah as the great and sublime thing that it is, not in the small-minded way it is sometimes portrayed; the time for action has arrived."

Yisrael Ze'ira, head of the Rosh Yehudi (Jewish Mindset) organization

The All-Spiritual Afterlife, the Torah, and Me. (Jewish Olam Haba) Part Four

2008-07-07T22:15:00.000+03:00

By Ari Faust, Jerusalem, Israel.

The objective of the Torah is that the Jewish Nation will be a “Kindom of Priests and a Holy Nation”; that they cleave to the all-spiritual in the physical world and the Divine inspires and uplifts all facets of human life.

The question that arises through this is, if this is indeed true, why then are the teachings of our sages full of discussions of the all-spiritual afterlife? It would seem based on all Rabbinic texts from the time of the Mishnah onwards, that the objective of the Torah and the Mitzvot is to acquire the all-spiritual afterlife (See, for example, Mishnah Avot 4:16, Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1)?

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, the first chief-Rabbi of Israel (then Palestine), deals with this point in his brilliant histo-philosphical essay, “Le’Mahalach Ha’Ideyot B’Yisrael” (The Process of Ideals in Israel).

Rabbi Kook writes his essay outlining the place of Nationalism and Spirituality in the Torah and Judaism. All of humanity, Rabbi Kook explains, is driven by an incessant yearning to God – the “Divine Ideal” – which becomes fully realized when the theoretical-ethical-spiritual realm and the physical-emotional-practical one – the “Religious Ideal” and the “National Ideal” – come together in perfect fusion. The true encounter with God, that all of humanity yearns for, is the product of a clear belief-system which finds its expression through all human emotion and behavior. Rabbi Kook traces the pattern of the relationship of the “Religious Ideal” and the “National Ideal” in pursuit of the “Divine Ideal” throughout History.
As mentioned above, from the period of the sages of the Mishnah, all literary works are full of discussions of the all-spiritual afterlife. This corresponds to the Second-Temple period (516BCE-70CE). Regarding this period, Rabbi Kook writes (Orot, page 110-112):

“…What appeared in the Second Temple was not a collective power, but rather a power of individuals ‘who separated themselves from the iniquity of the nations.’(Ezra 6:21, Nehemiah 10:29) Through these individuals the Lord perpetuated Israel … It was at this time of the Second Temple that the personal, individual influence of divinity became ensconced in nation and land.

Now during the Second Temple Period, with the receding of the great universal light, the Divine Ideal began to take on features of individuality. Individual observance of Torah and the minutiae of the commandments, opinions regarding a personal afterlife, which previously were subsumed ‘as a candle is outshone by broad daylight’ (Chullin 60a) in the Divine Ideal, in the collective soul of The Nation, are now prominent. Now the mighty Divine Ideal is replaced with its derivative: the Religious Ideal.

The Religious Ideal will never forget its source in the Divine Ideal specific to Israel by virtue of its national soul. Individual morality, concern for personal immortality, and scrutiny of each individual action were well established in this Religious Ideal, which was not but a reduction, an individualization of the Divine manifestation. The position of prominence assigned individual observance endowed the nation with a fortitude she could carry with her even in the day of exile and wandering. It also paved the way for her to reach gradually, through a tortuous, circuitous route, the highest goal, namely that the Divine Ideal might once again appear in her midst in all its might…” (Translation by Bezalel Naor, When God Becomes History, page 77-80)

With the destruction of the First Temple, prophecy ceased to inspire Judaism. No longer were we led by the outright word-of-God, but rather by our sages and their teachings. The sages at this time saw the long exile that was commencing, and began translating the Torah – which was set out in national, collective and global terms – into Its individualistic ones, that the wandering Jew may carry it with him. Additionally, our sages established decrees such that the Jewish People would succeed in preserving the Torah and Mitzvot throughout the exile (See Mishnah Avot 1:1, Baba Kama 82a, Sifri Ekev 7).

“From the day the Temple was destroyed, The Holy One, Blessed be He, has but four cubits of Halacha in this world.” (Berachot 8a, See also Midrash Shir HaShirim Rabbah 8:13)

What was once clear in the collective light of prophecy became ambiguous and uncertain. Our sages enabled accessibility to the collective message of the Torah for the individual Jews of the exile.

“When the lofty Divine soul vivifies the Nation, the latter transcends all the individual differences that divide life; in that lofty state, the thought never occurs to divide this world from the Word to Come. In the depths of every soul is ingrained the knowledge that before the divine light there are no borders or blocks, that the divine life never ceases whether in this world or in the World to Come. The thought never occurs to picture the exact character of that eternal life of which we have but the vaguest notion. By the same token, we have no conception of the divine light other than the fact that we sense its existence and enjoy its splendor to the depths of our soul. Not only that, but the inner certitude and general arousal are so potent and pleasant that the general thought never gets sidetracked to a discussion that must perforce restrict itself to worry the individual. The divine light is so strident that there is no need to think in terms of ‘mine and yours’. That divine might that rests upon the nation as a whole – that expresses itself in the sentiments of her heart and by geopolitical self-assertion – reaches in its own more in the way of inner morality that the egocentric thought of a personal afterlife could ever yield. The eye and other senses, ‘the means of gathering information’ (Sa’adya Gaon, Beliefs and Opinions, Introduction), do not operate there [in life after death]; they are powerless to chart clearly the afterlife. There is no way the thought of an afterlife could provide a light comparable to the divine light felt in the life of a nation, in all the tangible and spiritual assets. Light does not need to be described, it just shines. This general light of the Nation reaches eternity through God. It transcends every border, time, or place, by the power of the life of the worlds, and by the flow of wholeness, and inestimable capability. Through this general light there shine also the specific truths hidden in esoteric wisdom.

It was the darkness of night that turned man’s attention to the heavens, to the expanses of infinite space. And it was the destruction of the First Temple and the departure of the Shechina, the Divine Ideal, which is to say its ceasing to manifest in the actual life of the nation, that turned the nation’s focus to the distance, and to spell out that which hitherto had been submerged in the light of the collective. Investigations concerning the World to Come and the Resurrection of the Dead – so far removed from ordinary senses – that had previously been reserved for the elite, now came into general possession of the nation. These esoteric studies conveyed the divine light in an eternal sense that allows thought to transcend the sensate reality.” (Ibid.)

The great, infinite, spiritual vision that had been innate inside of us when the light of prophecy enlightened our lives, became ambiguous and uncertain upon its loss. When the Nation was inspired by prophecy, by national, collective concerns, the scope of our vision was infinite and inherently included the all-spiritual afterlife in it. What’s more, this was a secondary concern – but a “candle in the daylight” to the pursuits of a Nation seeking to cleave to God and reveal His Will in all facets of life (see above). However with the termination of prophecy and the domination of individualistic pursuits, the attempt to grasp the concepts which existed in the collective light began.

When the Divine presence was amongst us – “I will walk in your midst, and I will be a God to you, and you will be a Nation to Me” (VaYikra 26:12) – the main concern of the Nation was that the Divine presence would be amongst us; it was inherent in this feeling that there would continue to be an infinite-spiritual connection with God even upon physical death (see Rashi, VaYikra 26:12). However, with the termination of prophecy, once the Divine presence was no longer overtly experienced, there arose the need for the individual to seek to determine what was once obvious; with the termination of prophecy and nation pursuits, it became necessary to clarify the concept of the all-spiritual afterlife.

It is clear as crystal that the ultimate objective of the Torah is not the all-spiritual afterlife, it is therefore made no mention of anywhere in the Torah. The objective of the Torah is to be able to cleave to the all-spiritual in the all-physical world – to cleave to God in the World. When we became banished into exile, our objective was changed –the objective of Judaism and the Torah changed. We could no longer strive for the lofty ideals that were laid out for us in the Torah, rather we began to strive to retain a grasp on the Torah and on Judaism, such that someday, after the long exile would end, we would be able to return home to once again strive to the lofty ideals laid out in the Torah – that HaShem would “walk in our midst” and that we would cleave to him in all aspects of human life.

"If you Will it, It is no Dream"" Binyamin Zeev Herzl

2008-07-07T06:08:00.008+03:00

There is a principle in Jewish thought, that when a leader of Klal Israel does something or says something, even if he is not the most righteous person, his actions or words have some sort of meaning. This is especially true when those actions or words become a part of the fabric of Jewish Consciousness.

There is no more famous quote from the Zionist movement, which brought the Jewish Nation back to life, than that of Binyamin Zeev Herzl: "If you will it, it is no dream". On of my rabbis recently made a dvar torah which I think can enlighten us as to the source of this now famous maxim in Jewish texts (tehillim more specifically) and therefore it's place in our Jewish Conciousness.

Tehillim 126 is a famous perek which is read by Ashkenazi Jews before Birkat Hamazon on any special day. My rabbi suggested that we should read this tehillim as a conversation rather than as a single person speaking. He suggested this was really a conversation between a Jew in the land of Israel, after the begining of Atchalta Digueoula, after the start of our redemption in 1948, and a Jew living outside of Israel, still personally unaffected by the fact that the world has just witnessed the greatest miracle of History. This is how the conversation goes:

A Song of Ascents.

The Jews of Chutz Laaretz say: When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were as dreamers. We were still as dreamers at that time, dreaming of our final redemption as it was being realized right in front of our eyes, dreaming of great miracles as they were happening to our very selves.

The Jews of the Land of Israel answered: Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with songs of praise; Oh, we knew we were in a great process of redemption. Yes, we had hardships, but no joy can compare to the joy we feel while reciting the Hallel on Yom Haatzmaut, thanking God for bringing his redemption to us, blessing us with his most amazing miracle.

Then said they among the nations (the Jews of Chutz Laaretz): 'The LORD has done great things with these.' At one point, we did realize! We realized how the proportion of the miracles which were done to the Jews of the land of Israel. We realized how great the things which God did to our generation really were. He did great this with "these" - with them - with the Jews who were awake enough to embrace the process of this redemption and gain tremendous joy and life out of their participation in that process.

The Jews of Israel then answered: The LORD has done great things with us; we are rejoiced. You are right, he did amazing things with us, and yes, we are full of Joy!

The Jews of Chutz Laaretz then say: Return, O Lord, our captivity like rivulets in arid land. Make us also a part of this redemption - we want in!

The Jews of Israel then answered: They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Wait a minute, in like, you need to work to truly enjoy something. You can't just get this joy just by clapping your hands, or it will just be an external, superficial pleasure. If you want "in", you need to work for it, the way we worked for it for all those years!

The psalm then ends describing how the Jew of Chutz Laaretz, in the end, will also work and get to become a part of this process of redemption, even if he will come later and will have "missed out" on the great joy of Atchalta Digueoula!
He will go along weeping, carrying the valuable seeds; he will come back with song, carrying his sheaves.

May we all become active participants in the current process of our final redemption so that, just as we sow in tears, we shall reap in tremendous joy, and that our dream finally becomes a reality through the expression of our true will!

Hitler is decapitated!

2008-07-07T06:01:00.001+03:00

I can't say this didn't make me smile.

Hitler statue decapitated at Madame Tussauds’ in Berlin.

Question of the Week - Parshat Balak

2008-07-06T09:38:00.001+03:00

Part of the Question of the Week!

Today, we are releasing the second Question of the Week! The prize this week will be a 20$ Gift Certificate towards Sefarim (Jewish Books) at Nehora.

How did Bilaam attain the level of prophecy? First of all, we see he was not Jewish, and prophecy (according to the Kuzari) is attainable only by Jews! Second of all, we clearly see he was not righteous since he wanted to curse Klal Israel!
So how can some like him get to prophecy?

In order to enter the raffle for the prize, you must answer the question of the week by commenting on this post. If your comment is very long, you need to divide it in a few comments or else you will get an error message! Your answer can be anything thoughtful. If you think the question is stupid , explain nicely and logically why you think so, and it will count as an answer.
Your answer must be in by 2 pm Israel Time on Friday. You must include your email when commenting or your answer will not be considered (We need to know how to contact you!). For more information, click here.

Parshat Chukat: The Sin of the Serpent

2008-07-04T10:08:00.002+03:00

A very peculiar episode occurs in this week’s parshah. In chapter 21, the Torah tells us that upon journeying through the desert:

“The people spoke against God and Moses: ‘Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul is disgusted with the insubstantial food!’ Hashem (God) sent the fiery serpents against the people and they bit the people. A large multitude of Israel died. The people came to Moses and said ‘we have sinned, for we have spoken against Hashem and you! Pray to Hashem that He remove from us the serpent’, Moses prayed for the people. Hashem said to Moses ‘Make for yourself a fiery serpent and place it on a pole, and it will be that anyone who was bitten will look at it and live.’ ” [Numbers: 21: 5-8]

Firstly, what was so great about the nation’s sin that it warranted such a great plague? Secondly, what is the symbolism behind the nation’s punishment? Why did Hashem specifically send down a serpent to carry out the plague? And thirdly, how do we understand the prescribed remedy for the plague? What is the meaning behind the fake serpent on the pole?

If one were to examine the words describing the people’s protest, we may notice that what was going on was much more than a mere complaint.
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi, 1040-1105, famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentaries on the Torah) explains that when the verse states “The people spoke against God and Moses…” it teaches us that they were equating God to Moses. The people had an erroneous belief that man and God can be equal. But of course, it is impossible for a human being to ever reach a fraction of a fraction of God’s level. Even Moses, who clearly attained the highest spiritual level possible to the point where he spoke with God face to face, could never come near to God’s perfection. (Please see footnote).

Now, where in the Torah do we first come across this false ideology that man can be like God? At the very beginning of creation: When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, God prohibited them from eating from the Tree of Knowledge. But as we know, Eve went against God’s word and ate the fruit from the tree, and eventually Adam ate as well. But what caused Eve to commit the sin? The serpent was the one who persuaded her to eat from the forbidden fruit. In the dialogue between Eve and the serpent, the serpent used the following words to convince her: “…on the day you eat of it (the fruit), your eyes will be opened and you will be like God…” [Genesis: 3: 4]

So we see that this mistaken belief, that man and God can be equal, all began with the serpent. This is precisely why God specifically sent down serpents to carry out this plague. It was because the Jews took behaved according to the incorrect ideology of the serpent, that man can be like God.
But how do we understand the cure that God used, that they needed to look up at a fabricated serpent on a pole in order to be healed? On one level, it was meant for the nation to realize that the serpent and its ideology are fabricated, and not real. The idea that man can ever become like God is completely incorrect, and this is what Hashem was trying to convey to the nation upon healing them. Furthermore, Rashi explains that the reason the fake serpent was raised high up on a pole was so that the Jews would look up to the (serpent in the) sky and be reminded of God’s throne in heaven; this caused the people to subject their hearts to their Father in Heaven. God wanted them to understand that it was He who runs the world and it is He who holds the power to heal, not man.

Nowadays, we live in a world that masks God’s providence to a great extent. There are so many sources of confusion in this day and age that cause us to completely forget that there is something greater above us all. One area that we truly follow this misconception is unfortunately during illness. We get a headache and we simply believe that a pill prescribed by a certain doctor in a lab will make us all better. And God forbid, when terrible sickness strikes, we put all our faith in doctors to heal us and remove the sickness from our midst. It is true, pills contain certain elements proven to ameliorate certain conditions. And it’s true that, today more than ever, there have been tremendous advances in the medical field that have allowed doctors to perform all sorts of operations to repair various forms of disease. But it is also true that sometimes pills don’t work, and that all too often doctors unfortunately can not save all their patients. We have to understand that the pills we swallow and the doctors we consult are merely channels in which God uses to manifest His healing power in this world. It is God, and only God, who chooses who will be healed and who won’t. Man cannot “play God”. May we merit to live healthy and long lives, and attain understanding of Who truly holds the key to our health.

Good Shabbos,

NZL

*Moshe’s imperfection is even highlighted earlier in the parshah where the Torah recounts of Moses’ sin. Briefly, Hashem told him to speak to the rock in order for it to bring forth water for the nation; but instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hit the rock. Because he went against the word of God, he was forbidden to lead the nation into the land of Israel. This event clearly demonstrates that even someone as “perfect” as Moses is in fact not perfect.

And the Winner Is....

2008-07-04T07:41:00.000+03:00

The winner of this week's Question of the Week is Avi!

We had asked:
What is the role of rationality as opposed to "faith" in Judaism? Are we supposed to understand everything we believe? Are we supposed to believe everything blindly? How do these two concepts interact?

Avi's answer was drawn out of a "Hat" from all the answers by a computer program named "The Hat". She will now receive, by email, a 20$ gift certificate for FREE Jewish MP3s!

The next question and prize will be announced on Sunday!

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