"...In the Twilight of the Old Elites Rule"

6 Iyyar 5786

21 Days of the Omer  

...We are currently in the twilight of the old elites’ rule. The massive change within the nation, a change that occurred despite and against the will of the old regime, heralds the transformation of Israel from a "State of the Jews" into a truly Jewish State.

The discussions should no longer be held among us, the God-fearing, regarding how to relate to a secular State of Israel. Instead, the discussions should be held among the opponents of the Torah regarding how they should relate to the Torah State that will, sooner or later, be established here. This is the destiny the Creator has designated for us, and the nation is moving toward this destiny at all times.

Let Yair Lapid, Yair Golan, Avigdor Liberman, and Naftali Bennett sit with the rest of the embittered souls who know their time has passed. Let them debate whether they should try to influence the Torah State from within, or if they should leave the country. Perhaps they should sequester themselves in their own private enclaves and try to obtain exemptions for their children so they won't have to serve in the Messianic Army... or perhaps they will think of some other idea to preserve their secularism.

Our Mission: Preparing for the Torah State

Our discourse, the Haredi public’s discourse, needs to be in a completely different place!

How do we best manage the transition from the current regime to the Rule of Torah?

How do we complete the process of the People of God returning to their God?

How do we apply our wondrous Torah to practical life in our time so that all the nation's systems operate according to it?

How do we establish a Jewish army, an economy based on Torah without interest, agriculture with *Shmita* (Sabbatical years) according to the law, the Temple, sacrifices, and purity?

A legal system of truth and justice emanating from the Chamber of Hewn Stone, a rooted Jewish education system, health, industry - everything!

Let us leave it to the historians to deal with the relationship to Herzl and Ben-Gurion. We have far more important tasks ahead of us in this great era, in which God has remembered His people!

The author is Rabbi Yehuda Epstein Chairman of the "Kedushat Zion" Association, the Haredi Association for Seeking Zion in Holiness. To receive short daily articles on current events via email, send a request (comments are also welcome) to: 1@SHEMA-YISRAEL.ORG**    (Source)

(Auto-translation)   The Tanakh and the Gemara teach us that the Land of Israel is the foundation upon which our entire relationship with God is built. And that we will serve Him as a nation in the land He chose. About two hundred and fifty years ago, the light of redemption began to shine, when fearing and wholesome Jews began to grace the soil of our land with the intention of returning His presence to Zion, to return to its worship and preservation, and to reestablish the life of the nation in its purity. For various reasons, to our regret, it was precisely the undoers of the yoke who led the establishment of the Jewish state. The ultra-Orthodox public, which went on the defensive, distanced itself from the institutions of government, but at the same time, the systems of government also failed in their failure to accept the yoke of God's kingdom and to run the state according to His righteous instructions.

Now that the Haredi community, by God's grace, has succeeded in fortifying its walls, growing in the rain and wind, and establishing a world of Torah the likes of which we have probably not seen since the days of Hezekiah, King of Judah, it can now restore its former glory, teach the people that the return to Zion is part of the purpose of creation, and instill the Torah as the constitution of the entire nation, so that the Jewish state in the Land of Israel will advance into a truly Jewish state in all its ways of life - in its laws and judgments.

'Kedushat Zion' is the good news of the future of Haredi Judaism and the Jewish people as a whole! Everyone who identifies with our message is cordially invited to take part in this blessed work and become a true partner in realizing the vision and making it a reality!   (Source)

IT'S TIME...

5 Iyyar 5786

20 Days of the Omer 

(Excerpted from "Who is the Messiah?" by Rabbi Aryeh Carmell)

...the first to predict the rise of a secular Jewish state as prelude to the coming of the Messiah is Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague (1525-1609) known as "Maharal", in his discussion of the rise of "the Kingdom of the Messiah".

Maharal affirms that the coming of the Messiah is not, as often thought a sudden event; it is a process.  The "Holy kingdom of Israel" - Maharal's term for the reign of the Messiah will emerge from an earlier, non-holy kingdom.

The Midrash states: Just as Moshe, who was destined to break the power of Pharaoh, was brought up in Pharaoh's palace, so the Messiah, who is destined to settle accounts with Edom, will live with them in their city.  The ultimate failure of the empire of Edom will give rise to a new and different kingdom - the Kingdom of the Messiah...

This is why Yaacov was born holding on to the heel of Esav (Bereshit 25:26).

Now, "the kingdom of Edom" refers to the last of the four empires of the world foreseen by Daniel (chapters 4-5): Babylonia, Media, Greece, and Rome.  Rome, as world power, is long since dead and gone.  But its heritage, Western Civilization, rules the world. Our Rabbis indicate that the kingdom of the Messiah will grow up in the context of Western civilization.  Indeed, the parable of "the heel of Esav" signifies that the spiritual failure and moral bankruptcy of that civilization will be the catalyst for the coming of the Messiah.

So far Maharal - properly understood - has described how the kingdom of the Messiah emerges from the breakdown of Western civilization.

But this is not all.  Maharal's vision is guided by veiled hints in the Midrash: the "Kingdom of Israel" itself undergoes development.  In its immature stage it forms part of the Fourth Empire, and only when it reaches maturity does it throw off this attachment and emerge as "the holy kingdom of the Messiah".  (Kingdom is, of course synonymous with "state".)

Maharal continues:

So long as the kingdom of the Messiah has not yet reached perfection, the kingdom of the Messiah is attached to Edom (nigar el Edom)  ...The holy kingdom of Israel... must grow out of the non-holy kingdom that preceded it.

Maharal, in a telling parable, describes the relationship between the embryonic "kingdom of Israel" and its "Edomite" environment: Fruit grows within a husk; when the fruit ripens the husks falls off... So it is with Israel. Their kingdom emerges and grows from within the kingdom of the nations i.e., from the existential power of the kingdom of the nations, and from their level, it raises itself to a higher level.  And when the kingdom of Israel reaches complete maturity the kingdom of nations is removed, just as the husk is removed, and falls off when the fruit reaches its perfection.

The Messianic revolution will take place in the hearts and minds of the people. The "falling off of the husk" does not refer to a political or military event, nor does "kingdom of the nations" refer to a political entity.  The husk refers to the value system of the Western world.  The falling off of the husk signifies the victory of spirituality over materialism, faith in G-d over unbounded trust in one's own power, and awareness of Divine Providence over belief in blind chance.

My Fifth-of-Iyyar T-Shirt

I'm Ready!  Are You?

The Light of the Torah Can Never Be Extinguished

5 Iyyar 5786

20 Days of the Omer 

While I'm thankful to HKB"H for bringing me home to Eretz Yisrael, I long to see the realization of the dream that fueled my desire to be here.  All my life, I dreamed of living in a peaceful, harmonious society that abided by God's laws.  In America, they told me that those laws were for Israel and could not be observed in democratic nations.  How bitterly disappointed I was not to find it here when I arrived.  

I had no prior experience with Jews outside of the synagogue.  I knew nothing of "secular" Jews, the "Erev Rav," or any of the modern historical record.  In short, I was shocked to find that this was not, after all, a "Jewish" country and that rule over it was shared among all the enemies of Torah Judaism.

That dream looks further removed from reality with every year that passes.  

For me, the 5th of Iyyar is just another day of servitude to Western interests and another day lived without Jewish freedom, as this story proves beyond any doubt.

Two IDF Soldiers Jailed and Dismissed for Desecrating Jesus Statue in Lebanon

...According to the IDF spokesperson:

One soldier physically damaged the religious icon while a second documented the event for social media.

Six additional soldiers were present at the scene. The investigation found they failed to intervene or report the misconduct to their superiors.

The military concluded that the soldiers' behavior deviated completely from standing orders and core IDF values.

The IDF has taken significant disciplinary action against those involved to underscore the gravity of the incident: The soldier who smashed the statue and the soldier who filmed the act have both been dismissed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in military prison. The remaining soldiers present have been summoned for disciplinary hearings, after which further command actions will be determined.

The footage of the incident went viral, garnering millions of views and triggering a massive surge of anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric across social media platforms. The backlash prompted a condemnation from Prime Minister Netanyahu, who emphasized that such actions endanger Jewish communities worldwide.

"The IDF expresses deep regret over the incident and emphasizes that its activity in Lebanon is directed against the Hezbollah terrorist organization... and not against the citizens of Lebanon," the official statement read.  

In the wake of the incident, Northern Command is reportedly working to assist the community of Debel in replacing the damaged statue. The IDF Chief of Staff slammed the behavior as "unacceptable and a moral failure," ordering that protocols regarding the treatment of religious institutions and symbols be strictly reinforced for all forces operating in the sector.  [i.e., re-education program]

"REPLACEMENT STATUE PROVIDED BY ISRAEL"

The Disappearing Evidence: IDF Accused of Wiping October 7 Footage

A specialized IDF unit, originally established in 2020 for battlefield documentation, was deployed to the Gaza envelope on October 7 to gather visual evidence of the massacre. However, shocking testimonies from soldiers and civilians now suggest that significant portions of this raw footage have vanished or were intentionally deleted under orders from high-ranking officials.

...While troops gathered materials under fire, a dedicated "editing war room" was established on a specially rented floor of an office building in Tel Aviv. There, professional video editors processed the footage.

While some of these materials were compiled into the "Bearing Witness" film shown to international diplomats to prove the scale of the atrocities, soldiers claim a significant portion of the raw footage has "disappeared" within the military system. This data has reportedly never reached the bereaved families or civilian investigative teams.

The IDF has not issued a response to these allegations.

I fear this cover-up will simply join all the other unaddressed evils which have been perpetrated upon Klal Yisrael in the name of securing the "Jewish State" which, in reality, does not exist.  Since I arrived in this country 30 years ago during chol hamo'ed Pesach, I've witnessed even the cosmetic attachments to Judaism slowly disappear, one by one.  

The war against the Torah and Torah Jews is right out in the open now and yet Klal Yisrael seems to be so anesthetized as to not feel it one bit, while I feel like I die a little more with each step away from the dream.

I will never lose hope in HKB"H and in the ultimate geulah shleimah, but I am losing hope that I will live to see it in my lifetime.

The only thing I celebrate today is the sure knowledge that the forces of evil arrayed against Hashem, His Torah, His Land and His people will never succeed to extinguish the light of Torah from this world, no matter how convinced they are of it.

~ WITH TOTAL DEPENDENCE UPON HKB"H ~

The War on Torah by the Judeo-Chr*stians

4 Iyyar 5786
19 Days of the Omer 

Another follow-up to the follow-up...

(Leading promoter of Judeo-Chr*stianity aka Hellenism)

We, the undersigned Jewish leaders, strongly condemn the desecration of a statue of Jesus by an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon.

This act is a chillul Hashem — a desecration of God's name. It is an affront to the ancient Christian communities of the Middle East and to Christians all over the world. It is a vile betrayal of the Jewish values upon which the State of Israel was founded. And it is a wound inflicted upon the fragile Jewish-Christian friendship that is more important than ever.

As Jews, we know what it means to have our sacred spaces violated and our Torah commands us: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18 — וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ). We are a people whose prophets thundered against those who invoked God's name to justify cruelty and cannot be silent when our eternal principles are violated. The Torah teaches that its "ways are ways of pleasantness" (Proverbs 3:17 — דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נֹעַם), and the prophet Jeremiah commands us: "Do what is just and right" (Jeremiah 22:3 — עֲשׂוּ מִשְׁפָּט וּצְדָקָה). These are not only peacetime ideals, they are the standards by which we must conduct ourselves, especially in times of war.

Israel is a nation confronting enemies who seek its destruction, and it is precisely in such moments that moral clarity matters most. The soldier's own commanding officers called his conduct "wholly inconsistent with the values expected of IDF troops." We are heartened that this outrageous act was immediately condemned by Prime Minister Netanyahu and many other Israeli government officials and is an aberration which does not reflect the values of the vast majority of Israelis.

We are particularly mindful of what this moment means for Jewish-Christian relations. Millions of Christians are standing with Israel with remarkable faithfulness because they believe in Israel's biblical significance and moral promise. Tragically, too many Israelis remain unaware of how deeply Christians today love Israel and the Jewish people, and too few are taught to understand modern Christianity with the seriousness it deserves. This must change.

As Jewish leaders, we apologize to the Christian community for this repulsive act and renew our commitment to stand for the sanctity of all holy places and sacred symbols — for that is what our Torah demands, and because that is the only foundation upon which lasting peace in this region precious to all monotheistic faiths can flourish.

Signed by: (in formation)

Gidon Ariel, Root Source

Rabbi Charles Arian, Kehilat Shalom

Rabbi Ehud Bandel, Rabbinical Assembly

Amit Barak, Jerusalemites Initiative

Rabbi Mordechai Baror, Jerusalem of Blessing

Rabbi Aaron Bayer, Midreshet Torah V’Avodah

Rabbi Dr. Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutierrez, Congregation Zohar Yisrael

Prof. Joshua Berman, Bar-Ilan University

Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, Ohr Torah Stone

Rabbi Tuvia Brander, Young Israel of West Hartford

Rabbi Shalom Bronstein, Retired

Rabbi Sandra Cohen, Retired

Rabbi Judah Dardik, Yeshivat Orayta

Rabbi Mark Dratch, IJCIC

Rabbi Pini Dunner, Beverly Hills Synagogue

Rabbi Yehuda Dvorkin, Mamad Arnona School

Chief Program Officer Alex Fisher, Minnesota JCC

Rabbi Omri Flicker, Beit Eliezer

Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Emeritus, Beth Tzedec Congregation

Rabbi Matt Futterman, Retired

Daniel Goldman, Ex-chair World Bnei Akiva

Rabbi David Goodman, Moreshet Avraham - Jerusalem

Rabbi Felipe Goodman, Temple Beth Sholom

Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Elijah Interfaith Institute

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El

Rabbi Ben Herman, Mosaic Law

Rabbi Tyson Herberger

Gil Hoffman

Rabbi Howard Hoffman, NSJC Emeritus

Rabbi Daniel Horwitz, Congregation Beth Yeshurun

Rabbi David Jaffe, Kirva

Rabbi Shaul Judelman, Shorashim-Judur

Rabbi David Kaiman, Congregation Bnai Israel

Rabbi David Katz, Michlelet Mevaseret Yerushalayim

Dr. Jon Kelsen, Drisha

Mr. Shabbos Kestenbaum, PragerU

Rabbi David-Seth Kirshner, Temple Emanu-El

Rabbi Ezra Klein, Torot Emet

Rabbi Frederick Klein, Greater Miami Jewish Federation

Rabbi Michael Klayman, Retired

Rav Shoshana Mitrani Knapp, Self

Rabbi Asher Knight, Temple Beth El

Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn, Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding

Rabbi Doron Kornbluth, N/a

Rabbi David Krishef, Congregation Ahavas Israel

Rabbi Vernon Kurtz, Rabbinical Assembly

Rabbi Dr. Zvi Leshem, Congregation Shirat Shlomo (Emeritus)

Rabbi Daniel Levin, Temple Beth El of Boca Raton

Rabbi Dennis Linson, Temple Judea of Laguna Hills

Rabbi Hillel Mansfield, Hebrew University

Rabbi Randall Mark, Shomrei Torah WCC

Rabbi Richard Marker, IJCIC

Rabbi Andrew Markowitz, Adath Israel of the Main Line

Michael Melchior, Kehillat Talpiyot Hahadasha

Rabbi Elhanan Miller, People of the Book

Rabbi Jonathan Morgenstern, Young Israel of Scarsdale

Rabbi Yakov Nagen, Blickle Institute for Interfaith Dialogue

Ms. Peta Pellach, Elijah Interfaith Institute

Moshe Phillips, Americans For A Safe Israel

Rabbi Emeritus Daniel Pressman, Congregation Beth David

Rabbi Rafi Rank, Midway Jewish Center, Syosset, Long Island

Rabbi Adam Raskin, Congregation Har Shalom

Rabbi Peretz Rodman, Rabbinical Assembly, Israel

Rabbi Amirit Rosen, Kehilat Moreshet Avraham

Rabbi David Rosen, Religions for Peace

Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Dov Rosen, Yakar - Jerusalem

Rabbi Doron Rubin, The Masorti Movement in Israel

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, Roots/Shorashim/Judur

Rabbi David Schwartz, PORAT

Rabbi Professor Don Seeman, New Toco Shul/Emory University

Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller, UCLA Hillel

Rabbi Michael Stanger, Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation

Rabbi Samuel Stern, Temple Beth Sholom

Rabba Dr. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz, Azara

Rabbi Reuven Tradburks, Rabbinical Council of America

Rabbi Joshua Waxman, Temple Beth Rishon

Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman, Kehilat Kol HaNeshama

Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, Zionist Rabbinic Coalition

Rabbi Jay Weinstein, Jewish Agency for Israel

Rabbi Matt Weisbaum, RabbisUNITED/StandWithUs

Rabbi Elie Weinstock, Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach

Rabbi Yosef Weinstock, Young Israel of Hollywood - Fort Lauderdale

Rabbi Tuly Weisz, Israel365

Dr. Sharon Weiss-Greenberg, Lechu Neranena

Rabbi Adam Wohlberg, Temple Sinai

Rabbi Professor Jeffrey Woolf, Bar Ilan University 

Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, Uri L'Tzedek 

(Source)

Readers beware!!!!!!!!!!  

And be aware...  Zionist holidays are not Jewish.  At best they are Israeli, which includes a very great number of non-Jews!  The "State" is a means to an end, not the end itself.

Jews and Christians unite for global Hallel on Israel’s Independence Day

On Wednesday, April 22, Israel365 Action and Hayovel will host an online musical performance of Hallel, celebratory verses from Psalms, to mark Israel Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut) and to praise God for the creation of the state of Israel. 

...Rabbi Pesach Wolicki, the head of Israel365 Action and one of the organizers of the event, noted that reciting Hallel on Yom HaAtzmaut reflects religious values shared by Religious Zionists and Christian Zionists.

That's a hard pass from me.

In Zionist Israel...

3 Iyyar 5786
Day 18 of the Omer 

In Zionist Israel a Kiddush Hashem is condemned while the Chillul Hashem is celebrated.

Yes, I said "Zionist" because it's either Jewish or it's "Zionist."  It can't be both and it's high time Jews face up to this fact.  Zionist "norms and values" are Western-oriented, more properly defined, even by themselves, as Judeo-Chr*stian.  Any so-called Judaism that subverts the Torah to kowtow to Chr*stian sentiments is illegitimate.  Always note where the Israeli politician falls on this subject.  As soon as he claims we, as a nation, are fighting to preserve Western civilization, i.e. "Rome," he is too disconnected from the Torah truth to be a leader in Israel.

Further to The Rush to Condemn ...

Israel condemns soldier's desecration of crucifix in south Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the soldier's actions went against Jewish values of tolerance and that he will be punished.

"I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn the act in the strongest terms," he wrote on the social media site X.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on X that "swift, severe, and public consequences are needed."  [This from the Official US Idolater in Israel.]

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the soldier's actions were disgraceful and shameful. "We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt," Saar said on X.

This follow-on post was inspired by the following publication I came across on X and which is sponsored by Gideon Sa'ar's Foreign Ministry. I guarantee you, no one from the Prime Minister's Office and down will ever issue the Torah world in Israel an apology for "hurt feelings."

Not only are Jewish rights and sensibilities NOT guarded, nor even guaranteed in this Holy Land, but they are trampled underfoot by every enemy of God with impunity.  The Zionist regime is not only illegitimately and erroneously labeled "Jewish," as a power base of Western influence bent on assimilating every last Jew in Israel, it has itself become an existential threat.

The Rush to Condemn

3 Iyyar 5786

Day 18 of the Omer

The world, and most especially the Erev Rav ruling regime, are in a rush to condemn the IDF soldier's actions demonstrated in this picture. 

FM Sa’ar calls soldier’s smashing of Jesus statue in Lebanon ‘shameful’

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says an IDF soldier’s damaging of a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon is a “shameful action” and apologizes for the incident.

An image shared on social media yesterday by a Lebanese journalist and authenticated by the IDF showed the soldier smashing a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer.

“The damaging of a Christian religious symbol by an IDF soldier in southern Lebanon is grave and disgraceful. I commend the IDF for its statement, for condemning the incident, and for conducting an investigation into the matter,” Sa’ar writes on X.

“I’m confident that the necessary strict measures will be taken against whoever carried out this ugly act. This shameful action is completely contrary to our values. Israel is a country that respects the different religions and their sacred symbols, and upholds tolerance and respect among faiths. We apologize for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt,” he adds.

"Contrary to our values": We hear quite a lot about this conflict of "values" in this country, but this situation is much better framed as a conflict of wills - humanity vs. its Creator.  There's no better time than today, just before the Zionist holiday of "Independence", to highlight this internal war.  

In the rush to judge and condemn the actions of this soldier, it is worthwhile for the Torah loyalists to review what HKB"H communicated to us via the prophet Yeshayahu (27.9)...

"Therefore, through this shall Jacob's iniquity be atoned for, and this shall be the fruit of his sin's removal:  When he makes all the altar stones like ground chalk stones, and Asherah-trees and sun-idols arise no more."

[Rashi] Therefore. Now, too, with this, Jacob’s iniquity would be atoned for, to merit to be redeemed as then.

Through the zealous and righteous actions of this soldier, may we merit to be redeemed today.  May they serve to tip the scales of justice in favor of the revelation of our righteous Mashiach now.

The rebels against our Torah "values" will self-righteously insist that "This is not who we are."  But, it is who we are meant to be.
_________________________________

Related:  "The Northern Command will also assist the Christian community in restoring the statue to its place, the military added."  (Source)

"The Roman Exile Is Like the Affliction of Tzara'at"

30 Nissan 5786
Day 15 of the Omer  
Rosh Chodesh I
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Tazria-Metzora 

[Excerpted from "The Four Oppressors of Israel" by Daniel Pinner)

Parashat Tazria starts by setting forth the rules of ritual uncleanness and subsequent purification for a woman after childbirth (Leviticus 12), then the rest of Tazria and half of Metzora give the laws of tzara’at. This is usually translated as “leprosy”, and metzora is usually translated as “leper”, but this is inaccurate. Some of the symptoms are superficially similar to leprosy, but that is where the similarity ends. Tzara’at is a spiritual affliction, not a physical one.

...The Torah begins with the basic signs of tzara’at:...  The Torah uses four expressions here: se’eit, sappachat, baheret, and tzara’at.

...The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 15:9) sees these four symptoms of tzara’at affliction (se’eit, sappachat, baheret, and tzara’at) as allusions to the four mighty empires which oppressed Israel:

“The se’eit represents Babylon, following ‘Raise up [nasata] this parable against the king of Babylon and say: How has the oppressor ceased! How has the arrogant one ceased! (Isaiah14:4)… The sappachat represents Media from which arose the evil Haman who incited [saph] like a snake, following [God’s curse to the snake,] ‘On your belly you will crawl’ (Genesis 3:14). The baheret represents Greece which distinguished itself [me-baheret] by its decrees against Israel, telling them: Write on the horn of the ox that you have no share in the God of Israel. And ‘the affliction of tzara’at’ represents Edom [Esau, Rome] which sprouted from the strength of the old man”.

The Matnat Kehunah (commentary on the Midrash by Rabbi Yissachar Ber Katz, Poland and Israel, 16th century) explains this last enigmatic statement. Edom was the descendant of Esau, who flourished because of the blessing that Isaac, “the old man”, conferred upon him: “By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; but it will be that when you will have a legitimate complaint, you shall overthrow his yoke from off your neck” (Genesis 27:40).

The Targum Onkelos, Targum Yonatan, Targum Yerushalmi, and Rashi all interpret this to mean that Israel legitimately rules over his older twin Esau only as long as Israel obeys the Torah. But as soon as the Jews stop keeping the mitzvot, they lose all legitimate claim to rule over Esau, who is then justified in throwing off the yoke of Israel.

And the S’forno (Rabbi Ovadyah S’forno, Italy, c.1470-1550) adds: “‘…you shall overthrow his yoke from off your neck’, because you will indeed be skilled in warfare and capable of greatness”.

Therefore – concludes the Matnat Kehunah – “he [Edom, Rome] is the hardest of all exiles, like the affliction of tzara’at”.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM & CHODESH TOV ~

The Grande Finale of the Great Debate

28 Nissan 5786
Day 13 of the Omer    

American Jews, Is The Honeymoon Over?

Rabbi Richter