BY RABBI NACHMAN KAHANA:BS"D
Parashat Ki Tisa
5770
The roots of this message are imbedded in the Megila and Tractate Megila, and, would seemingly have been more appropriate to send it before Purim. But since its massive trunk, intertwined boughs and thick foliage stretch far into the future, spanning 2500 years to our days, its relevance goes far and beyond the miracles of Purim.
I believe that the Purim episode holds within it the secrets of the final chapters in human history, and even their time frame.
The Gemara (Megila 7a) tells of Esther’s request that the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people and the events leading up to it be included in the TaNaCh (Bible) as its 24th book, to be an everlasting remembrance of our miraculous victory over the forces of Amalek.
The rabbis rejected her request, basing their rejection on a verse in Mishlay (Proverbs 24:20)
הלא כתבתי לך שלישים
For I Have written it (in the TaNaCh) three times
The rabbis explained to Esther that this verse is the basis of our tradition that victory over Amelek may be written in the TaNaCh only three times: - once in parashat Beshalach, the second also in the Torah in parashat Ki Taytzay, and the third in the Book of Samuel, where King Shaul vanquishes Amalek. Therefore we are prohibited from adding a fourth entry.
Eventually, Esther convinced the rabbis that the two victories mentioned in the Torah should be counted as one entry, the episode of King Shaul as the second entry, and the victory over Haman as the third.
The rabbis agreed; so today we have Megilat Esther as the 24th book of the TaNaCH.
The Gemara does not discuss the tradition that only three victories over Amalek may be written in the TaNaCh, because herein lies the hermetically sealed secret of how the final redemption will come about and when.
I would like to share with you my thoughts on what is behind this tradition, with the hope that these thoughts will be verified in the very near future.
That the three victories over Amalek is recorded in the TaNaCh - but no more - is intended to inform us that when Amalek will be defeated three times in the time frame of a 70 year life span, the final redemption of Am Yisrael will have arrived.
It has never yet happened in the history of nations that three evil empires fell in the short span of 70 years; since it takes hundreds of years for an empire to develop, to peak, become corrupt and then die.
But it is occurring right now in our generation of 70 years!
The 70 year count began in 1945 and will conclude in 2015.
In 1945 the Nazi leaders of Germany , unmistakably Amalek personalities, were defeated. Ten of them - the number of Haman’s sons - were sentenced to be hung; 9 were put to death by hanging with the tenth, Hermann Goering, escaping the gallows by committing suicide in his prison cell.
Forty six years later, in 1991, the leaders of the evil Soviet Union , also sons of Amalek, together with their anti-Semitic ideology, were discarded into the trash bin of history.
This leaves five years from now until the year 2015. In this period we shall see the destruction of another Amalek power.
Who will it be?
Perhaps It will be the Haman of the Koran spinning his hatred from Persia-Iran; or perhaps world Christianity or Islam; possibly all of them.
What makes this projection ever more interesting is the fact that the year 2015 corresponds to our calendar year of 5775, which in Hebrew is:
תשע"ה
which means salvation.
I submit this in full knowledge that, at the end of the day, all human calculations could be proven false in the face of what HaShem has in store for us.
The roots of this message are imbedded in the Megila and Tractate Megila, and, would seemingly have been more appropriate to send it before Purim. But since its massive trunk, intertwined boughs and thick foliage stretch far into the future, spanning 2500 years to our days, its relevance goes far and beyond the miracles of Purim.
I believe that the Purim episode holds within it the secrets of the final chapters in human history, and even their time frame.
The Gemara (Megila 7a) tells of Esther’s request that the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people and the events leading up to it be included in the TaNaCh (Bible) as its 24th book, to be an everlasting remembrance of our miraculous victory over the forces of Amalek.
The rabbis rejected her request, basing their rejection on a verse in Mishlay (Proverbs 24:20)
הלא כתבתי לך שלישים
For I Have written it (in the TaNaCh) three times
The rabbis explained to Esther that this verse is the basis of our tradition that victory over Amelek may be written in the TaNaCh only three times: - once in parashat Beshalach, the second also in the Torah in parashat Ki Taytzay, and the third in the Book of Samuel, where King Shaul vanquishes Amalek. Therefore we are prohibited from adding a fourth entry.
Eventually, Esther convinced the rabbis that the two victories mentioned in the Torah should be counted as one entry, the episode of King Shaul as the second entry, and the victory over Haman as the third.
The rabbis agreed; so today we have Megilat Esther as the 24th book of the TaNaCH.
The Gemara does not discuss the tradition that only three victories over Amalek may be written in the TaNaCh, because herein lies the hermetically sealed secret of how the final redemption will come about and when.
I would like to share with you my thoughts on what is behind this tradition, with the hope that these thoughts will be verified in the very near future.
That the three victories over Amalek is recorded in the TaNaCh - but no more - is intended to inform us that when Amalek will be defeated three times in the time frame of a 70 year life span, the final redemption of Am Yisrael will have arrived.
It has never yet happened in the history of nations that three evil empires fell in the short span of 70 years; since it takes hundreds of years for an empire to develop, to peak, become corrupt and then die.
But it is occurring right now in our generation of 70 years!
The 70 year count began in 1945 and will conclude in 2015.
In 1945 the Nazi leaders of Germany , unmistakably Amalek personalities, were defeated. Ten of them - the number of Haman’s sons - were sentenced to be hung; 9 were put to death by hanging with the tenth, Hermann Goering, escaping the gallows by committing suicide in his prison cell.
Forty six years later, in 1991, the leaders of the evil Soviet Union , also sons of Amalek, together with their anti-Semitic ideology, were discarded into the trash bin of history.
This leaves five years from now until the year 2015. In this period we shall see the destruction of another Amalek power.
Who will it be?
Perhaps It will be the Haman of the Koran spinning his hatred from Persia-Iran; or perhaps world Christianity or Islam; possibly all of them.
What makes this projection ever more interesting is the fact that the year 2015 corresponds to our calendar year of 5775, which in Hebrew is:
תשע"ה
which means salvation.
I submit this in full knowledge that, at the end of the day, all human calculations could be proven false in the face of what HaShem has in store for us.
Does Rav Kahane explain why the 70-year period?
ReplyDeleteIs it related to Pesukim about Galut Bavel? If so, what's the connection to Amalek?
Is it just a measure of ימי שנותינו? Again, why use this measure?
I was wondering that after I posted it. B'li neder, I'll try to ask him tomorrow and let you know what he says. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy reading his weekly parsha shiur. Does he give the shiur in English? I'd love to come hear it in person.
ReplyDeleteIf you are walking distance to the Old City, he gives the English version of his Shabbat drasha a half hour prior to Shacharit. Starts about 6:45 am. It's the Young Israel shul (Chazon Yekhezkel)in the so-called "Muslim" quarter. And fresh Yerushalmi kugel for kiddush!
ReplyDeleteThe end of the soviet era was also called the end of communism.
ReplyDeleteJust as a reminder communism or socialism was invented by Jews. It was a dead end utopia from the beginning, and in addition amalek was in no way defeated. The communist utopia was. There was no war .
but we are looking into two major was
coming up and Moshiach Ben Joseph perishing during the second.
the bottom line is we have Two more wars to go before final Geulah.
Sorry Rav Kahane.
Max
I called the Rav and he said the idea of seventy years in a lifespan comes from Tehillim 90:10. He was in a rush so I didn't want to ask him why he thought it was supposed to happen within one lifespan. Maybe it is related to the seventy years of exile to Bavel since, after all, the party Achashverosh hosted was supposed to celebrate the fact that the prophecy of seventy years did not happen, since by his figuring the seventy years had passed and the Jews were still in exile. 'Course, he was wrong.
ReplyDelete