Is There Any "Kinship" Between Light and Darkness?

22 Marcheshvan 5779

Or HaRa'ayon, Chapter 25, Havdalah continued...

...Certainly, G-d's goal is world unity, but not based on falsehood and evil, and not through acceptance of the abominable concepts of coexistence and tolerance which pave the way for equating holiness and abomination, good and evil. Unity is desirable but only after goodness reigns in the world and all accept G-d's sovereignty.

I'll interrupt to point out here that until that day arrives, this true unity can only be found among the community of Torah-faithful Jews. 

When G-d's truth and mastery reign on earth, there will be real unity. It will come precisely through separation. 

Havdalah is a supreme, Divine value which entered the world right at Creation in order to separate between entities whose combining together is bad for them and bad for the world. It distinguishes between good and evil entities, labeling each, and then divides and isolates them. Boundaries are delineated and fences erected proclaiming the separate place of each, so as to keep them apart and keep the substantive difference between them from being blurred. G-d set this process in motion right at Creation so as to separate between light and darkness, good and evil....

...because a person is obligated to choose good and reject evil absolutely, and this requires total separation, it therefore says, "G-d divided between the light and the darkness" (Gen. 1:4). G-d made separate spheres for them so that they would not serve together and so that they would be distinguishable. Our sages said (Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot 8:6), "G-d told the light, 'The day will be your sphere,' and He told the darkness, 'The night will be your sphere.'" Rashi comments (Gen., Ibid.), 'He saw that it was good and that it did not befit the light and darkness to serve in a mixture. He, therefore, made the sphere of one the day and sphere of the other the night."

Thus, G-d established the concepts of good and evil and separated between them, and he thereby fashioned a fundamental  principle for the universe and for Israel - separation, without which the universe cannot endure. Separation is what makes good and evil clearly distinguishable, thereby preventing the blurring and mixing from which are born fraud. Our sages also said (Bamidbar Rabbah, 18:7):

     Moses said to [Korach]: "G-d set boundaries in His universe. Can you mix day and night? The beginning of the Torah states, 'It was evening and it was morning'; 'G-d separated between the light and the darkness' (Gen. 1:5,4). G-d did this for the world's use, so did He separate Israel from the nations: 'I have separated you out from among the nations to be Mine' (Lev. 20:26)." [See also Tanchuma, Korach, 5]

...separating between good and evil, the holy and the profane, lesser and greater holiness, or the holy and the holy of holies surely fulfills a Divine imperative. Such separation is good, and a great mitzvah, because to separate is first of all to define, to establish the inequality between one thing and another.

This concept is so obvious on a fundamental level that even the common culture has captured it in the idea that "the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys wear black hats" with white and black being synonymous with light and darkness. But, to view this as anything but a "racist" idea requires accepting a different perspective on what actually defines "good and evil."

Light is "good" because it reveals. Darkness is "bad" or "evil" because it conceals. Evil is "evil" because it conceals, obscures or obliterates "good." When Israel reveals G-d in the world, it is a light to the nations who sit mired in the darkness of materialism (closer to the earth than to heaven).


Our sages taught us that Adam and Chavah were beings of light - their souls shone through their bodies before their "fall." They existed on an higher level - closer to the Creator where all is revealed.

After they sinned, that translucence was obscured by the greater physicality of existence on the lower level - more 'distant' from the Creator where His involvement with His creation is more concealed. 

Gentiles remain on this lower, darker level while Jews, by virtue of what Abraham accomplished by raising himself back to a higher level, are able to reveal more light. Receiving the Torah at Har Sinai elevated them even more. Jews, when they are true to their covenant with God, reveal "goodness," i.e. HKB"H in the world. However, it stands to reason that Jews who rebel against HKB"H and break the covenant are capable of a much greater evil than the nations can accomplish. Those who are higher can fall further.

This comes to teach us that not only must we separate from the nations, but we must also separate from the evildoers among us. Those who cling to darkness have no kinship with the light.

That said, there is a path to elevation for the gentile (conversion) and to return by the rebellious Jew (teshuvah) should they desire it. Turn from darkness and seek the light.

To be continued, iy"H...

Assimilate Out or Assimilate In - The Final Result Is The Same

21 Marcheshvan 5779

Or HaRa'ayon, Chapter 25, Havdalah continued...

...Regarding the sin of Baal Peor at Shittim, when Israel sinned sexually with the daughters of Moab, our sages provide the following description (Tanchuma, Balak, 18):

     [A Moabite girl lures a Jew into her store]... Following that the girl says [to the Jew], "You are like one of the family. Sit! Choose what you like!" and a jug of Ammonite wine is sitting by her. The wine of the nations had not yet been prohibited [later on, our sages forbade their wine to prevent intermarriage, wine being a factor in generating intimacy]. The girl comes out in jewelry and perfume, and entices him, saying, "Why do we love you but you hate us? Take this vessel for free! Surely we are all descendants of one man, Terach, father of Abraham."

The argument of the nations here is that we must achieve unity and break down the walls of separation. Is this not fair and logical according to the false thinking of the worshipers of foreign culture? Is not the unity of all nations and the disappearance of the differences between Israel and the nations the goal of the Hellenists, who in any event have already put an end to every logical and intellectual difference between themselves and the nations? Before us we have a recommendation for one world and one people, and why should Israel remain alone, a nation that dwells apart? 

Likewise, regarding the verse, "Return, return,  O Shulammite. Return, return, that we may look upon you. What will you see in the Shulammite? As it were a dance of two companies" (Song of Songs 7:1), our sages offered the following description (Shir HaShirim Rabbah, 7:[1]2):

     The nations of the world say to Israel, "How long shall you die for your G-d and pay Him... How long shall you be killed for His sake... How long shall you show G-d kindness when He shows you misfortune? Come to us and we shall appoint you governors, prefects and commanders. 'Let us look [נחזה - nechezeh] upon you' - You will be the admiration [מחזית - machazit] of the whole world" as it says, "You shall be seen [תחזה - techezeh] of all the people" (Ex. 18:21).

The admiration of the whole world, a "light unto the nations"... Here is their basic enticement, adopted also by the Hellenists and falsifiers of Israel. They have distorted the concept of Israel being a "covenant of the people, a light unto the nations" (Isaiah 42:6). In their hands, this has turned into a demand that we depart the Land of our isolation and cling to the nations in the exile, living there with them in order to serve as their beacon. To achieve this, we are supposed to abandon unpleasant, "unacceptable" concepts and laws, lest these make the nations hate us, and all this in the name of unity. That is, we are supposed to assimilate for the sake of unity,....

However, had Rav Kahane lived, he might have been shocked to see how this has now been expanded upon. Today, having succeeded in assimilating the Jews of the Diaspora, the drive is now for the Jews of Eretz Yisrael to assimilate the nations among themselves - as "lost tribes/Ephraimites," "ger toshav," "returning anusim," "refugees," and whatever else they can dream up. In Israel, they no longer ask us to give up our concepts and laws, but rather demand that we "share" them, so Israel hands over its Torah, hands over its Shabbat, hands over its mitzvot, and hands over its sole ownership of the Land. Nothing is to be withheld from the nations as they make themselves to be our equals (or still our superiors) with all pertaining rights and privileges, but with none of the obligation or responsibility. 

To be continued, iy"H...

A Flow of Thoughts Stemming From the Carnage in Pittsburgh

20 Marcheshvan 5779

11 Dead, Several Others Shot At Pittsburgh Synagogue

Our sages say that the month of Cheshvan is called Marcheshvan [bitter] because it has no holidays. But, I think it is more than that. This month has seen its share of bitter experiences. 

Rachel Imeinu's yahrtzeit is 11 Marcheshvan. The Great Flood of Noah's time began on 17 Marcheshvan. Rabbi Meir Kahane was murdered also on 18 Marcheshvan just like these Jews in Pittsburgh. The 18th - chai - life! And the name of the synagogue - "Tree of Life." Death in a time and place linked with life. What does it mean? The Diaspora can no longer sustain Jewish life. Through massive assimilation, it has become another Jewish mass grave. 

In all our minds, the number eleven will forever be linked with the tragedy of the 9/11 terror attack on America. I believe it was Rabbi Winston who first pointed out that the World Trade Center Towers, also known simply as the Twins, themselves made an "11." 

[See HERE for more on the significance of the number 11.]

The most famous "twins" in Judaism are Eisav and Ya'aqov. HKB"H gave Ya'aqov a new name - Yisrael - when he successfully overcame the struggle with Eisav's ministering angel, the Satan himself. When our forefather acts like Eisav's twin, he is called Ya'aqov, when he rises up to the level of Yisrael, he is no longer Eisav's "twin."

The Twin Towers are but dust now and in their place a single proud and powerful tower stands - the Freedom Tower. No longer two, but ONE. 

"One New Man" who in the name of "Freedom" has cast off the Yoke of Heaven. 

Just like Ya'aqov did not earn the name Yisrael until he crossed back over into Eretz Yisrael, so the Jews of the Diaspora, particularly the West, will remain Ya'aqov, the twin of Eisav, until they return within the borders of the Holy Land where Yisrael resides.

And like the Freedom Tower that has replaced the Twins, so the Jews of the Diaspora will become so assimilated as to be indistinguishable as a separate entity. 

Events like what just happened in Pittsburgh come for one reason only - to remind the Jew that he must rise above the level of Ya'aqov, separate himself from Eisav, and become worthy of the name Yisrael by returning to the Land of Yisrael.

Baruch Dayan Emet!

"The Alliance Between Eisav and Yishmael at the End of Days"

19 Marcheshvan 5779

Yisrael stands alone. True Yisrael stands alone with HKB"H. True Yisrael does not take sides - Christians over Arabs, America over Russia, Republicans over Democrats, Eisav over Yishmael. They are ALL bad for Yisrael. There are only righteous individuals. There are no "righteous" nations save Yisrael.

"During the End of Days, Ishmael and Esav 

will join forces to seek the destruction of the Jewish people."

...over 70 years after the first meeting between a US president and a Saudi king.

Since then the two countries have largely discussed oil prices and the push for a long standing peace in the Middle East.

Here we look back at the meetings between the leaders of the two nations since that first historic event on Feb. 14, 1945.[Rosh Chodesh Adar 5705]

Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first US president to meet a Saudi king. He had just attended the Yalta Conference in 1945 which saw world leaders meet to discuss the future of postwar Europe. (Source)

***

...Washington has very deep ties to Saudi Arabia -- including one that will mark 70 years next month [Feb 2015].

Saudi Arabia has been a strategic partner of the United States, thanks to oil and regional politics, and since the end of World War II, U.S. presidents and Saudi kings have met on several occasions. (Source)

Following are excerpts from the book The Ishmaelite Exile by Rabbi Yechiel Weitzman, Part 5, Chapter 2: "Ishmael and Esav's Alliance at the End of Days" - Chapter 3: "The Source of Ishmael and Esav's Alliance."

Throughout the generations, the nation of Israel has had two struggles. One has been with Ishmael and the other has been with Esav. Both Ishmael and Esav claim that the Divine covenant was forged with them. Ishmael claims that the covenant was forged between G-d and himself, because it was he and not Yitzchak who was the subject of the Akeida episode that appears in Tanach. This is stated explicitly in the Koran.

Esav, too, argues that while it is true that G-d had forged an everlasting covenant with Israel, when the Jews rejected their messiah, a new covenant, so to speak, was forged between Esav and G-d, and from that time on He abandoned the Jewish nation.

This issue is at the heart of the struggle. As long as Israel contends with one or the other separately, the chances of its survival are good. So it was with our forefathers. It was Ishmael who was thrown out of Avraham's house, and Yitzchak who became heir and successor.

And so it was with Esav. After a relentless struggle, Yaakov took both the birthright of the firstborn and Yitzchak's blessing. 

When Esav and Ishmael became joined through marriage, Yaakov immediately left the Land of Israel for Haran (Bereishis 28:10). 

What frightened Yaakov?

Esav had managed to amass a great deal of merit. To his credit, he fulfilled the mitzva to live in the Land of Israel and the mitzva to honor one's parents. In both, he excelled. Ishmael was also not without merits. He had faith, circumcision, and hospitality to his credit, merits that to this day are difficult to counter and overcome.

When Esav and Yishmael were separate, Yaakov was not worried about them, for each had accumulated much evil to his detriment. However, when the forces of evil joined, when Esav and Ishmael became a single power, Yaakov was compelled to flee to Haran. From this point on, their malevolent combination formed a unified powerful force of evil that worried Yaakov. The merits of each one of them, not so ominous when taken individually, combines into a single force that is formidable and threatening. Yaakov left for Haran, where he hoped to form an alliance of virtue, in the form of his sons, the twelve tribes, to counter the alliance of wickedness. from their unified purity would come the future nation of Israel.

The joining of Ishmael and Esav, and Yaakov's response, provides us with a fundamental lesson in history: Whenever Ishmael and Esav unite, the nation of Israel must take cover. It cannot be secure when facing both of them at once.

...It should be noted that our sages see in Esav and Ishmael the roots of all nations. The combination of these two forces contains the synthesis of the forces of evil in the world, a synthesis that is liable to lead to global catastrophe.

 ...This alliance between Esav and Ishmael at the End of Days was foreseen in the prophecy of Bil'am before he returned home. "Great vessels from the shores of Kittim will harass Assyria and harass Ever. He, too, shall perish eternally" (Bamidbar 24:24).

This is the last of Bil'am's prophecies. It speaks of the ultimate destiny of Israel. The prophecy describes how the sinful nations will perish at the hands of Moshiach. Yonasan ben Uzziel, in his ancient exegetical translation of Scripture, elaborates on the verse as follows:

     "Great ships full of weapons will depart as a large fleet from Roman Italy and will join up with a legion that will depart from Constantine [this is Ishmael]. They will harm the inhabitants of other lands, and subjugate the descendants of Ever [a reference to Israel]. But, in the end, they, too, will fall into the hand of Moshiach, and will perish forevermore."

Bil'am revealed in his final prophecy that the last stage in the process of Israel's perfection will be characterized by the alliance between Ishmael and Esav, an alliance aimed at tormenting the entire world and the Jewish people in particular. This will be followed by the downfall of Ishmael and Esav, a downfall that will usher in the redemption. 

...The [Vilna] Gaon writes (Even Shleima, ch. 11): "...The seventy words of Psalm 20 parallel the seventy years of the birthpangs of Mashiach from which [the Jewish people] will be redeemed.

Seventy years since the founding of the State of Israel ended on Rosh Hashanah 5779.

"Isaac and Ishmael Can't Coexist"

17 Marcheshvan 5779
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Vayera

In remembrance of Rabbi David Meir HaCohen Kahane on his 28th yahrtzeit [Shabbat]. We need him now more than ever...

Parashat Vayeira - Isaac and Ishmael Can't Coexist - Rabbi Meir Kahane

(Bereshit Rabbah, 53:11): “At the moment that Isaac was born, all were happy. Ishmael said to them: 'Fools! I am the firstborn and I take a double portion.' From Sarah's response to Abraham, 'The son of this slave woman will not share the inheritance with my son', we derive [Ishmael's attitude].”

Clearly, Sarah demanded Ishmael's ouster for the two reasons noted above: first, so that Isaac would not learn from his ways, and second, because it would be impossible for Ishmael not to be filled with jealousy over the land, which he saw as also belonging to him, and he would surely fight Isaac to take it away from him. [The matter greatly distressed Abraham regarding his son. So G-d said to Abraham, “Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the lad or your slave woman: Whatever Sarah tells you, heed her voice, since through Isaac will offspring be considered yours.” (Gen. 21:11-12)]. Tanchuma concludes, “from here we learn that Abraham was inferior to Sarah in prophetic powers.” Likewise, foolish, groundless love spoils the normal order of things. As Bereshit Rabbah teaches regarding Abraham's not wishing to send Ishmael away, “This belongs to 'shutting one's eyes to evil'(Isaiah 33:15)”. That is, Abraham, due to his inappropriate love, turned a blind eye to Ishmael's evil, and only Sarah saw it through her prophecy. Sarah was right in not taking the path of groundless love, and Abraham ultimately banished both Ishmael and the other concubines' sons. “Abraham gave all that he owned to Isaac. To the concubines' sons... he gave gifts. Then, while he was yet alive, he sent them to the country of the East, away from Isaac” (Gen. 25:5-6). Tanchuma stresses, “He removed them far from Isaac.”

Thus, there are two reasons for Abraham's banishing Ishmael and the other sons of the concubines: first, lest Isaac's sons should learn from their evil deeds; second, that these other sons who were born in the Land would forever think the Land was theirs and hate Isaac and his son Israel for taking it all for themselves. Sarah understood both reasons, hence she added, “The son of this slave will not share the inheritance” of the Land with Isaac, and since he would not inherit it, he would always hate Isaac and try to kill him. She, therefore, demanded that he be banished from the Land.

Ishmael's hatred for Israel is from ancient times and stems from Israel being Abraham's seed. Ishmael is jealous of Isaac's seed, who were chosen to be G-d's people, while he, Ishmael, was invalidated. Tanchuma (Vayelech, 2) teaches: “My beloved had a vineyard in a very fruitful hill, [and he dug it and cleared away its stones]” (Isaiah 5:1-2). The “vineyard” refers to Israel. “He dug it” refers to Abraham, for G-d got rid of his refuse, such as Ishmael. “He cleared away its stones” refers to Isaac, from whom emerged Esau. And the Mishna teaches (Nedarim 31a), “If someone vows not to derive any benefit from 'the offspring of Abraham,' he is forbidden to derive benefit from any Jew, but permitted to derive benefit from a non-Jew.” The Talmud then comments: What about Ishmael? It says, “It is through Isaac that you will be credited with offspring” (Gen. 21:12). And what about Esau? It says, “through Isaac” - but not all of Isaac. Thus, Ishmael was removed from the category of Abraham's offspring, and he has no portion in Abraham, his offspring or his land. This they will never forget, and they have harbored this resentment all along.

Already in the days of Alexander of Macedon, there was an incident described in Sanhedrin 91a: “...Another time, the descendants of Ishmael and Ketura came with Israel for litigation before Alexander of Macedonia. They said to Israel, Eretz Israel is yours and ours, as it says, 'these are the chronicles of Ishmael, son of Abraham' (Gen. 25:12), and, 'these are the chronicles of Isaac, son of Abraham' (Ibid., v. 19). ...Gevia ben Pesisa asked them, 'from whence are you bringing proof?' They responded, 'from the Torah'. He then said, 'I, too, will bring proof only from the Torah, for it says, 'Abraham gave all that he owned to Isaac. To the concubines' sons...he gave gifts, [and he sent them off]'(Gen. 25:5-6). If a father gives his sons an inheritance during his lifetime, and he sends them away from one another, can any of them have claims against any other?” Here we see that over a thousand years after Ishmael's death the Ishmaelites were still claiming the land. They ignore all the arguments we put forth, just as they ignore what the Talmud states (Sanhedrin 59b) regarding circumcision: “It is Abraham whom the Torah originally admonishes 'You must keep My covenant – you and your offspring throughout their generations' (Gen. 17:9)... What about obligating the Ishmaelites [in circumcision, since they are Abraham's seed]? It says, 'it is through Isaac that you will gain posterity' (Gen. 21:12). Thus, the Torah states explicitly that only Isaac, and not Ishmael, will be called Abraham's seed. Yet, what do the Ishmaelites or any other nation with a claim to the Land care what we say? Since they are our blood enemies and will never accept the authority of Israel and G-d, they have no place in the Land... Besides all this, we know that in the footsteps of the Messianic era, Ishmael will rise up against Israel and try to annihilate them.

R. Yitzchak said: The Torah need only have begun from Ex. 12:2, “This month shall be unto you the first of the months,” [introducing the first commandment given to Israel]. Why then did it start with the Genesis narrative?... It was so that if the nations of the world ever say to Israel, “You are thieves,” they will respond [that] “the entire world is G-d's property. He created it and gave it to whoever is fitting in His eyes (Jer. 27:5); according to His will He gave it to them and according to His will he took it from them and gave it to us”] (Rashi, Gen. 1:1). Likewise, the Midrash says (Bereshit Rabbah, 1:2), “It was so that the nations would not castigate Israel and call them “a nation of plunderers”. R. Yitzchak did not say there, “because of the seven nations” but rather, “the nations of the world”, to inform us that all of the nations will join those nations who once inhabited the Land, be they the seven nations or Ishmaelites, with the claim that Israel are thieves and plunderers, and on that day, Israel shall stand alone. It follows that those same laws that applied to the seven nations [that is, to remove them from the Land] apply to all the nations that live in Eretz Yisrael in every age. This includes those of our age, who view Eretz Yisrael as their own land and soil, and who view the Jewish People as a nation of conquerors, robbers and thieves.

After all, what difference is there as far as G-d's warning that “those who remain shall be barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, causing you troubles in the land” (Num. 33:55), between the seven nations and between any nations that dwells in the Land, views it as its own, and then Israel come and conquer it from them? Surely it will feel that same hatred and that same fierce will for revenge as did the seven nations. This logic appears already in Or HaChaim (Num. 33:52): “You must drive out”: Although the verse said of the seven nations, “You shall not allow any people to remain alive” (Deut. 20:16), here, the Torah is talking about other nations found there besides the seven. It therefore was careful to say, “all the Land's inhabitants”, meaning, even those not of the seven. They, too, will always harbor resentment against Israel and will never resign themselves to us, but will await the “right” moment to rebel. As for their ostensibly having submitted nowadays, that is only out of fear and the inability to claim victory for the time being.

Abraham, out of his mercy and kindness, did not wish to see the evil done by Ishmael, especially with him being his son. G-d therefore had to command him, “Let it not be grievous in your sight because of the lad” (Gen. 21:12). Mercy towards the cruel is not a good trait. Quite the opposite, one is duty-bound to separate oneself from the evildoer even if this is a difficult step, and even if it appears cruel. There can be no coexistence between evil and upright people – only separation. [Likewise,] the death of the wicked is infinitely preferable to the death of the righteous, and eradicating evil is infinitely superior to eradicating good.

Compiled by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from "The Jewish Idea" of Rav Meir Kahane, HY"D

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

"Danger Ahead! Beware the Grace of the Nations"

16 Marcheshvan 5779

The "State" of Israel - A "False Light" to the Nations

15 Marcheshvan 5779

Or HaRa'ayon, Chapter 25, Havdalah continued...

...Israel's being separated from the nations is so important, because if Israel, chosen to be G-d's holy, special people, are not set apart from them but influenced by their culture, why then, were Israel created? What special purpose is there for the existence of Israel and the world? If they are like Nebuchadnezzar in behavior and thought, in their impurity, arrogance and profanations, why should G-d defend them and ensure their survival? Whoever wishes to be like Nebuchadnezzar will be thrown into Nebuchadnezzar's arms.

G-d established that there be no unity between Israel and the nations. They must not mix or mingle together. The walls separating them must never come down. Rather, there must be separation, borders, a division. This separation, indeed, serves the purpose of unity, but genuine unity of a world under Divine sovereignty, for a united world of falsehood is not G-d's will. Regarding the verse, "This is my beloved. This is my friend" (Song of Songs 5:16), our sages said (Bamidbar Rabbah, 10:1): 

     For they increase the number of My friends [Israel, who are called G-d's dod, or beloved, the greatest expression of love, increase the number of G-d's friends when they cause the nations to accept G-d's sovereignty]. How does this work? It says, "I have separated you out from among the nations" (Lev. 2:26). A person sorting out good from bad sorts and sorts again, but a person sorting bad from good does not sort and sort again. So, too, G-d hopes for the nations to repent so that He can bring them under His wing.

This is Israel's role. Yet, it is not to be carried out through assimilation and intimacy with the nations in order to be a false light unto them, as the ignoramuses and distorters say. Rather, it will occur through isolation and separation from them, through creation of a holy nation that will provide a real and different example. Then, they will come forth, and they, too, will wish to be a holy people.

To be continued, iy"H...

"The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways"

14 Marcheshvan 5779

Interesting how Israel must contend with thousands of Arabs trying to infiltrate from Gaza and the US gets hit with thousands of Central Americans on their way to try to force their way across the southern US border.

Just as interesting is how HKB"H keeps throwing a monkey wrench into their "peace" plans.

Trump: Close to reaching conclusion that Netanyahu not interested in peace
In meeting on sidelines of UN General Assembly, US President tells French counterpart that he can be tough on Israel just like he’s been tough on the Palestinians

Kushner: Reasonable Palestinian leaders will come to table upon seeing our plan
Trump’s son-in-law says status quo between Israel and Palestinians ‘not acceptable’ and that leaders must take bold steps for compromise

Khashoggi’s killing threatens Trump dreams for Israeli-Palestinian peace
AP — In recent months, the Trump administration has repeatedly put off the release of its long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Now, the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents may put the plan into a deep freeze.

Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was meant to be the linchpin of the plan, providing key diplomatic cover to both Israelis and Palestinians. But with the Saudi prince’s credibility facing serious questions following Khashoggi’s death, US President Donald Trump may soon have to rethink his Mideast strategy.

“It definitely complicates their plans to release their proposal, if indeed they have one,” said Dan Shapiro, who served as former US president Barack Obama’s ambassador to Israel.

This is the absolute worst-case scenario for us - the union of 
Yishmael, Eisav and the Erev Rav.

It's Either One or the Other, But Not Both

12 Marcheshvan 5779

Or HaRa'ayon, Chapter 25, Havdalah continued...

...Rashbam wrote (Ex. 25:10) that "for the sake of the ark, which was the main purpose of 'They shall make Me a sanctuary' (Ex. 25:8), it was necessary to make a tabernacle." On the ark was the kaporet, the ark cover, from which emerged the two cherubs, as it says, "I will commune with you there, speaking to you from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubs" (Ex. 25:22). Here, then, was the center of holiness in the world, the holiest place in the Holy of Holies. G-d made the cherubs to symbolize G-d's clinging to Israel, as we have learned (Yoma 54a):

     When Israel would make festival pilgrimages, the curtain would be rolled aside for them, and they would be shown the cherubs which clung to one another, and they would be told, "Observe how much you are beloved by G-d. It is like the love between a man and a woman."

The cherubs symbolized the love of G-d and Israel as if it were a male-female love, as is described in Song of Songs. The cherubs clung to one another miraculously. 

...Yet...Solomon who built the Temple symbolizing Israel's clinging to G-d and their separating themselves from unseemliness, defilement, and from the nations, turned away from holiness and went and clung to non-Jewish women, who it was a mitzvah to loath and separate oneself from, as it says, "Solomon clung to them with love" (I Kings 11:2). I have previously quoted Bamidbar Rabbah, 10:4:

     It says, "The words of King Lemuel" (Prov. 31:1). Why was Solomon called Lemuel? Yishmael said, "The very night Solomon completed work on the Temple, he wed Pharaoh's daughter Bitya, and there was rejoicing over the Temple amidst rejoicing over Pharaoh's daughter, and the latter rejoicing exceeded the former."

King Solomon was called Lemuel because he cast off the yoke of Heaven. That is, "Lemuel" connotes "lama lo E-l," "Why does he need G-d?" We see that the Temple, holiness and G-d to which he should have clung, he instead separated himself from, whereas the non-Jewish woman whom he should have separated himself from, he clung to. For this reason, evil clung to Israel, as our sages said, "When Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter, Gabriel descended and stuck a reed into the sea and raised up an island, upon which was built a Roman metropolis" (Sanhedrin 21b).

Once more we see the poetic justice of G-d's punishment to Israel: Solomon, who separated himself from the Temple's holiness, who wedded Pharaoh's daughter to ensure Pharaoh's alliance against his enemies, and who did not trust in G-d, was punished by G-d: The very day of the wedding there began to arise the enemy who ultimately destroyed the Temple and the Land. Indeed, "Only you, the ones who remained attached to the L-rd your G-d, are all alive today" (Deut. 4:4). By contrast, when we turn away from clinging to G-d, we see fulfilled, "For our soul is bowed down to the dust, our belly clings [davka] to the earth" (Ps. 44:26).

The opposite of devekut, clinging, is havdalah, separation, refusal to cling to something. ...King David said, "I will set no base thing before my eyes. I hate the doing of crooked things. It shall not cling to me" (Ps. 101:3). Thus, the refusal to cling to any object connotes a wish to be separated from it, as G-d said to Moses and Aaron, "Separate yourselves from this community" (Num. 16:21). This is the basic principle of havdalah.

G-d decreed upon holy Israel that they must be separated from impurity and from impure nations. The idolatry and foreign culture of the nations cannot coexist with G-d's Torah or with G-d Himself. It, therefore, says, "You shall be holy to Me, for I, the L-rd, am holy, and I have separated you out from among the nations to be Mine" (Lev. 20;26). Our sages comment, "'I have separated you out from among the nations to be Mine': If you are separated from the nations, then you are Mine, otherwise, you belong to Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylonia and his associates" (Torat Kohanim, Kedoshim, 9).

To be continued, iy"H...

Lech Lecha - "Go for Yourself"

10 Marcheshvan 5779
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Lech Lecha

"And Hashem said to Avram: 'Lech-lecha from your land, from your birthplace and from your father's house towards the land that I will show you.'" (Bereishit 12:1)

Notice that the command to leave occurs in three stages, each one more difficult than the one before: 1) your country; 2) your city and state; 3) the house on the street where you grew up. Each step tugs a little harder on your heart as you anticipate the leave-taking, also knowing that it is good-bye forever - only looking forward into the future, never looking back to the past. 

This is how it was for me and no doubt this is how it is was for Avraham Avinu and Sara Imeinu. But, there is a comforting promise hidden in the first two words - lech lecha. It can be read as go for yourself. It can be understood as go for your own good, for your ultimate good. There is no place more nourishing (Land of milk...) or sweeter for the soul (and honey); no place better suited for you to accomplish your mission in life than Eretz Yisrael. Lech lecha - do it, says Hashem. But don't do it for Me. Do it for yourself.  Even if it might not always feel like it, it's the best thing - the most important thing - you could ever do.

Ever think what might have happened with Avram and Sarai had they remained behind in Ur Kasdim?

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

"The Real Shocking Story..."

9 Marcheshvan 5779

PART 1


PART 2

Assimilated Jews Call This "Racism" - Like it or Not, It's Torah

8 Marcheshvan 5779

Separation Between Jews and Non-Jews

"KIddush Hashem"? Or Chillul Hashem?

7 Marcheshvan 5779

We need to keep being reminded that HKB"H doesn't think the way we do...

Lazer Beams - "Shulem Lemmer: God Bless America"

Watch our dear friend Chassidic singer Shulem Lemmer sing "God Bless America" at Fenway Park on Sept. 16, 2018 in front of 35,000 people, during the 7th-inning stretch of the Mets - Red Sox game. This is a phenomenal sanctification of Hashem's Name - we can all be proud of Shulem.

"And they entered the nations where they came, and they profaned My Holy Name, inasmuch as it was said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and they have come out of His land. (Yechezkel 36.20)

And there is only one way to fix that...

And I will sanctify My great Name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord - is the declaration of the Lord God - when I will be sanctified through you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the countries, and I will bring you to your land. (Yechezkel 36.23-24)

…the last war will be the beginning of the redemption, and a Torah-true Jew who is completely separated from the non-Jews will not be subjugated, as we find that in Egypt when two people drank from the same cup, one (an Egyptian) drank blood and the other (an Israelite) drank water. This shows that in fact there is no rule whatsoever over a Jew who is separated entirely from the non-Jews” (Rabbi Aharon Kotler, in the name of the Chafetz Chaim, Leket Reshimot Channukah by Rabbi Noson Wachtofogel, p. 40).

I have a tradition passed down from one to another in the name of Maran HaGaon Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin, z”l, that in the final war before the arrival of Mashiach all of the righteous Jews will be saved. Who are ‘righteous Jews’? Those who are separated from the non-Jews! It does not mean that they must be one of the 36 righteous individuals, rather they must be separated from the ways of the non-Jews and have no contact with their culture! Not with their newspapers, their music and books; to be entirely separated from them. Then Hashem will say: You are Mine and you are under a different authority so no one else will rule over you” (Ibid., p.41)

I'll just keep saying it for as many times as it takes to get the word out.

Being Jewish in Israel

6 Marcheshvan 5779

It's no coincidence that terror keeps striking points of "co-existence" in Israel or that the biggest controversy in Israel over the past week was the intermarriage of two Israeli media stars - secular Israeli-Jew Tzachi Halevy and Muslim Israeli-Arab Lucy Aharish. These are both ways of assimilating the Jewish people out of existence.

The Torah forbids both and teaches that our continued existence both as a nation and as a servant of HKB"H hinges on it. Those who promote either, or even silently consent, are guilty of treason, both against our nation and against HKB"H. 

How Dare They?!

6 Marcheshvan 5779

How dare China look out for its own country's interests and defend the waters in its own backyard?! How dare it challenge America's claim to reign supreme everywhere?!

While the world watched the Kavanaugh confirmation drama in Washington DC last week, there was something even more important happening at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. In a speech at the Hudson Institute, the Vice President of the United States of America clearly spelled out why his country’s disputes with the People’s Republic of China go far beyond the realm of trade. If you think US relations with China can return to where they were eighteen months ago, then it is time to think again. The US has China in its sights and even a compromise on trade will not be a sufficient compromise for this administration.

While a bit of sabre rattling ahead of midterm elections is to be expected, this speech, in the opinion of your analyst, changes the world. It changes not just the world of finance and money but, very probably, the world of geopolitics.

Only by watching this speech can you get a true sense of the belligerence and conviction with which it was delivered. (Source)

THE POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK



It's long but the first 18 mins is enough. Or whatever time you can spare. But, if nothing else, please see 22:42 - 25:20.

The Democrats claim Russian interference in the American democratic process. The Republicans claim Chinese interference and that they are worse than the Russians!


Unbelievable chutzpah. 

"Separation Is the Key to Redemption"

6 Marcheshvan 5779

Or HaRa'ayon, Chapter 25, Havdalah...

Our holy Torah says, "Only you, the ones who remained attached to the L-rd your G-d, are all alive today" (Deut. 4:4), as well as:

     I therefore said to you, "Take over their land. I will give it to you so that you can inherit it - a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the L-rd your G-d Who has separated you out from among all the nations.... You shall be holy to Me, for I, the L-rd, am holy, and I have separated you out from among the nations to be Mine." (Lev. 20:24, 26)

G-d established two great and fundamental principles for Israel, namely, 1) separation and isolationism from the nations, and 2) clinging to G-d. Israel must separate themselves from evil and from the nations to the precise degree that they are commanded to cling to G-d.

Regarding the mitzvah of clinging to G-d it says, "Remain in awe of the L-rd, serve Him and cling to Him" (Deut. 10:20); and, "Love the L-rd, walk in His ways and cling to Him" (Deut. 11:22). Sforno comments, "'And cling to Him': All your deeds should be directed towards doing His will, as it says, 'Acknowledge Him in all your ways' (Prov. 3:6)." It further says, "Obey Him and attach yourself to Him" (Deut. 30:20), and King David said, "My soul clings to You" (Ps. 63:9). It is clear that clinging to G-d goes hand in hand with clinging to G-d's attributes and mitzvot, as it says, "I cling to Your testimonies. O L-rd, put me not to shame" (Ps. 119:31). Israel's reward for clinging to G-d is eternal life, as in the verse quoted above, "Only you, the ones who remained attached to the L-rd your G-d, are all alive today" (Deut. 4:4).

To be continued, iy"H. 

The Original New World Order Conspiracy

3 Marcheshvan 5779
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Noach

And its outcome...

Bereishit 11.1-9:

...The whole earth was of one language and of common purpose. And it came to pass, when they migrated from the east they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them in fire." And the brick served them as stone, and the bitumen served them as mortar. And they said, "Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed across the whole earth."

Hashem descended to look at the city and tower which the sons of man built, and Hashem said, "Behold, they are one people with one language for all, and this they begin to do! And now, should it not be withheld from them all they propose to do? Come, let us descend and there confuse their language, that they should not understand one another's language."

And Hashem dispersed them from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel, because it was there that Hashem confused the language of the whole earth, and from there Hashem scattered them over the face of the whole earth.


COMMENTARY:

The Tower of Babel and the Dispersion: Rambam in Moreh Nevuchim states that a fundamental principle of the Torah is that the universe was created ex nihilo, and Adam was the forerunner of the human race. Since the human race was later dispersed over all the earth, and divided into different families speaking very dissimilar languages, people might come to doubt that they could all have originated from one person. Therefore the Torah records the genealogy of the nations, why they were dispersed, and the cause of the formation of different languages.

The year of the narrative is 1996 from Creation, 340 years after the Flood. Noah and his children were still alive at the time, and Abraham, 48 years old, had already recognized his Creator (Seder Olam). All the national families were concentrated in present-day Iraq (Bavel] and and they all spoke one language, the Holy Tongue (Rashi), the language with which the world was created (Mizrachi).

All the ingredients for greatness were there; the nations were united, they were in a central location, they spoke the Holy Tongue, and - if they desired guidance in achieving holiness - they had Noah, Shem, and Abraham among them. Instead, as happens so often in human history, they chose to ignore their spiritual advantages and turn to their opportunities for self-aggrandizement and power. It seems ludicrous that people who had first-hand evidence of the Flood could have found grounds to rationalize a way of by-passing God's control of events, but such is man's capacity for self-deception that he can negate reality and build substance around a vacuum.

According to the Sages, Nimrod was the primary force behind this rebellion. He planned to build a tower ascending to Heaven and, from it, wage war against God. But though the Midrashim perceive sinister and idolatrous motives in this plan, the verses do not reveal the evil motives of the conspirators. As for the memory of the Flood - which should have frightened them from confronting God - the builders of the tower rationalized that such an upheaval occurs every 1656 years, so that they had nothing to fear from Divine intervention for another 1316 years, by which time they would have waged their "war" against God and won.

...It may be that the actual construction of the city and tower were not sins, but that they would have led to sins that the Torah does not spell out. That is why [it] speaks of what they propose to do (HaK'sav V'HaKabbalah). Indeed, Malbim contends that the actual sins that may have been committed were secondary. The primary importance of the incident was that it resulted in the dispersion of the families and the formation of a multitude of languages. As explained by Rambam...this is why the Torah recorded the event.

And yet, in our day, when another Nimrod and his co-conspirators have arisen once again, this record serves another very important purpose.

It reassures those of us suffering under their rule against our will, that the Creator is aware and engaged and will certainly never let them win! It is my guess that he is not preventing them from seeing their plan through to the end, because His goal now is not to delay them for a few more millenia, but to destroy them for all eternity.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

"Ten, 10, 2018"

3 Marcheshvan 5779

It started yesterday with an 832-point drop in the Dow...

Turbulence on Wall Street continues

New York (CNN Business) --- The stock market sell-off isn't letting up.

The Dow swung wildly between gains and losses on Thursday, struggling to rebound from Wednesday's scary sell-off that wiped 832 points off the index. In recent trading, the Dow was down 300 points.

Stock-market carnage has slashed almost 1,600 points from the Dow in a week

Why the US stock slump is hitting global markets hard

Hong Kong (CNN Business) --- A sharp drop in US stocks is causing tremors thousands of miles away in Asia and Europe.

Major share indexes in the United Kingdom, Germany and France fell more than 1% in early trading, following Wednesday's bloodbath in American markets, where the Dow plunged 3.2%.

The steepest losses in global stocks were in Asia, where some regional markets were already struggling. Stocks in Shanghai and Hong Kong entered bear market territory earlier this year.

Shanghai and Tokyo closed down 5.2% and almost 4%, respectively, on Thursday. Hong Kong's market dropped over 3.5%.

Beware The 10th Of October! One Of Two Possible Remaining Dates For The Global Reset

A New Twist on the "Two-State" Solution

2 Marcheshvan 5779

Implementation begins before the plan is even revealed...

Trump’s peace plan for two Palestinian states kicked off by fuel trucks for Gaza

[Yesterday]...the first step,...towards implementing the administration’s Israel-Palestinian peace plan, partnered with Israel and Egypt, to eventually separate the Gaza Strip from Judea and Samaria (West Bank) to form two separate Palestinian entities. ...Washington, Jerusalem, Cairo and Doha are beginning to shape this widely different ” two-state” formula.

"At that time," Michael, the Guardian Angel of Bnei Yisrael will stand "and there will be a time of trouble such as there had never been since there was a nation until that time." (Daniel 12.1)

"God Bless BDS"

2 Marcheshvan 5779

Thank G-d for the BDS, Rav Richter, Rosh Chodesh Heshvan 5779, Tapuach

Was Eisav the "Fourth Avot"?

1 Marcheshvan 5779
Rosh Chodesh Bet

The Sar of Eisav is none other than Sam-Kel himself (Uncle 'Sam'). Therefore, here at the very end of his rule and his power, when he is the most dangerous, is no time to be under any illusions about his character.

On the matter of Eisav, the blog author follows these Torah sources as elucidated by the commentary on Parashat Toledot, The Stone Edition Chumash, ...

Each of the [three] Patriarchs maintained a yeshivah in which he taught about the existence of God and His will. Abraham's academy had hundreds if not thousands of students - Isaac had an academy of one. His lone student was Jacob, whom he trained and appointed to teach others (Rambam, Hil. Avodah Zarah 1:2-3). This provides a clue to the way in which Isaac's role diverged from that of Abraham. Abraham could accept everyone into his orbit; Isaac could not.

The Torah devotes much less space to Isaac's life than to the lives of Abraham and Jacob. On the one hand, Isaac seems to be but a bridge between his father and his son; on the other hand, he had the task of drawing the line between good and evil - as represented by Jacob and Esau - because the emerging nation of Israel could not be a mixture of good and evil. In contrast to Abraham whose primary characteristic was chessed, or kindness, Isaac's was gevurah, or strength. One requires strength to differentiate between good and evil - and then to purge the bad and nurture the good. Isaac and Rebecca produced two sons; one became the personification of righteousness and the other the personification of wickedness, and it was the lot of the parents to make the distinction so that the nation of Israel would be pure.

Lest one think that Isaac discarded Abraham's way in favor of his own, the Torah stresses at the very beginning of the Sidrah that Isaac was the son of Abraham - Abraham begot Isaac. In the Jewish scheme of life, kindness and strength must go together; either one without the other can be dangerous. Kindness not tempered by strength can lead to self-indulgence and hedonism; strength without kindness can lead to selfishness and cruelty.

...The children agitated. The Rabbis explain that [the word translated as agitated] is derived from the root...to run: When Rebecca passed the Torah academy of Shem and Eber, Jacob "ran" and struggled to come forth; and when she passed a temple of idol worship, Esau "ran" and struggled to come forth (Midrash). Gur Aryeh explains that this embryonic Jacob-Esau struggle was not influenced by their personal Good and Evil inclinations for they were not present before birth. Rather, Jacob and Esau represented cosmic forces in Creation, forces that transcended the normal course of personality development, and that existed even before birth.

She went to inquire. She went to the academy of shem (Rashi), a prophet, who could inquire of God on her behalf. She kept her predicament from Isaac and Abraham for fear that they might deem her suffering to be a sign of sinfulness on her part (Gur Aryeh).

As indicated by the next verse, Hashem conveyed the significance of her frightening symptoms only to her and not to Isaac. Since God did not reveal this prophecy to Isaac, Rebecca felt that she did not have the right to do so, even years later when she conspired to win Isaac's blessings for Jacob over Esau. Chizkuni explains that this is why Isaac could not imagine Esau to be a sinner.

...Hashem said to her. Through Shem, God conveyed to her that the unborn infants represented two nations and two conflicting ideologies - Israel and Edom - and that their struggle in the womb symbolized the future rivalries between them, which would end with the younger prevailing over the older (R' Hoffmann). Thus, the turmoil within her was due to the irreconcilable conflict between the two nations that was already taking shape (Mizrachi).  

The Sages teach that the two of them will never be mighty simultaneously; when one falls, the other will rise (Megillah 6a). History has demonstrated this prophecy in practice. Two regimes, one espousing morality and justice and the other standing for license and barbarity, cannot long coexist. They must always be in conflict until one comes to dominate the other, whether through victory on the battlefield or in the contest for men's minds.

The birth of Jacob and Esau. From the moment they emerged from the womb, their eternal rivalry already showed itself, in their appearances and developing behavior.

...The first one emerged red. His complexion was ruddy and he was as hairy as a woolen garment. The redness of his complexion portended his murderous nature (Rashi), since there was no other reason for the Torah to have mentioned it (Mizrachi).

The young King David, too, was ruddy, and Samuel feared that this might indicate a tendency toward bloodshed on his part. But, God reassured him, saying that David had beautiful eyes (I Samuel 16:12), meaning that he would kill only upon the ruling of the Sanhedrin, which acts as the eyes of the nation, whereas Esau would kill whenever the mood moved him (Midrash).

All character traits, even the basest, can be used for good. Man must harness his nature and not let his nature harness him. David and Esau had similar personalities, but David utilized it for good and became one of the greatest people who ever lived. Esau let his nature run rampant, and became the eternal symbol of evil and cruelty.

...After that, his brother emerged. The verse goes on to say that Jacob grasped Esau's heel, indicating that he was trying to prevent Esau from being born first. Rashi cites the Midrash that Jacob was justified in trying to be the firstborn because he had been conceived before Esau, so that Jacob should legitimately be born first.

Pachad Yitzchak expounds this seemingly strange comment. Briefly, he explains that the contention between Jacob and Esau was over who would assume the spiritual mission of Abraham and Isaac. Thus, the critical factor in their birth was the seed of the Patriarch that had been implanted in the mother's egg, for it contained the essence of the father. Consequently, since Jacob was conceived first, he was the spiritual firstborn and therefore entitled to the blessings. In the strictly legal sense, however - relating to shares in an inheritance and other legal privileges of the firstborn - the determining factor is birth, not conception. Thus, the later efforts of Jacob and Rebecca to secure the birthright for Jacob must be understood in the light of Jacob's spiritual superiority.

By grasping Esau's heel, the infant Jacob portended that Esau's period of dominion will barely be complete before Jacob wrests it from him (Rashi), so that Jacob's ascendancy will come on the heels of Esau's.

...The personalities emerge. Until they grew up - i.e., reached bar-mitzvah age - they were relatively similar to one another, and Esau's pranks were attributed to childishness (Sifsei Chachamim). From the age of thirteen, the essential differences became apparent, with Esau turning to idols and Jacob going to the study hall. Esau became a hunter, but not only in the literal sense. He became adept at trapping his father by asking questions that would make him appear to be unusually pious. He would ask, for example, how tithes should be taken from salt and straw [although he knew full well that they were not subject to tithes]. And he gained his father's love by serving him conscientiously; for example, by hunting game to put in his mouth, so that Isaac could eat fresh and tasty meat. Jacob, however, was morally wholesome, saying what he thought and never being duplicitous, and spending all his time in the study tents of Shem and Eber (Rashi).

Sale of the birthright. God's blessing to Abraham specified that only one of Isaac's children would be heir to the mission of Israel (see Rambam, Hil. Melachim 10:7), meaning that the Torah would go to Jacob or Esau, but not to both. This explains Jacob's intense desire to "purchase" the birthright. The episode seems more understandable in view of the circumstances in which Jacob was cooking the lentil stew. The Sages teach that Abraham died that day and Jacob was preparing the stew as the traditional mourner's meal for his father (Bava Basra 16b) - and on that very day, Esau's sinfulness became public knowledge. This made the birthright even more precious to Jacob, because the spiritual mission of Abraham's family was brought to mind and because Esau's unsuitability for it became so blatantly obvious.

The Midrash teaches that since the sacrificial service was performed by the firstborn in those days, Jacob said, "Shall this wicked man stand and bring the offerings!" Therefore, he strove mightily to obtain the birthright.

...Esau came in from the field. The great of all the nations stood in the mourner's row and lamented, "Woe to the world that has lost its leader; woe to the ship that has lost its pilot!" (Bava Basra 91b), but Esau went about his evil business as usual, uninvolved with his family's bereavement.

...Edom. The word Edom means red. Esau was ruddy and sold his birthright for the sake of red food. Thus, the name Edom is a term of contempt (Rashbam).

According to Sforno, onlookers gave Esau this name in a derogatory manner, as if to say, "You are so divorced from normal human values, so consumed with your hunting and plunder, that you look at food and refer to it only by its color - 'pour the red stuff down my throat!' A person like you should be red, like the stew you wish to swallow!"

...I am going to die. Esau thought he would very likely die as a result of performing the sacrificial service improperly, since some such breaches are punishable by death (Rashi); or, as a hunter, he was subject to constant danger and could not look forward to a long life (Ramban).

...And lentil stew. The food Jacob was cooking is not identified until after the sale, to emphasize Esau's grossness: For what did he give up his precious birthright? - for a pot of beans! (R' Bachya).

...Thus, Esau spurned the birthright. This sums up the transaction. Esau was neither duped nor defrauded. He sold the birthright because he held it in contempt. It had no value to him when he was famished and it remained meaningless after he was gorged.

As noted above, by Rashi...Esau feared the birthright because he knew that shortcomings in the performance of the service could be punishable by death. If so, he had good reason to spurn the birthright. This, however, was no justification. A sincere person must be ready to serve God even though it may require inconvenience, hardship, or even danger. He must be ready to subject himself to humiliation and attack if necessary. That Esau rejected the birthright because it involved difficulty, therefore, is held against him (R' Moshe Feinstein).

...Esau marries. Rashi cites the Midrash: Esau is compared to a swine that, when it lies down, stretches out its cloven hoof as if to say, "See, I am a kosher animal!" Similarly, the princes of Esau rob and extort while they pretend to be honorable....So it was with Esau. Until he was forty, he had been living immorally, enticing married women from their husbands, but when he became forty, he said hypocritically that he would follow the example of his father who married at that age.

Unlike his father, however, Esau married Hittite women; his passions were unbridled and he chose to marry into a nation that matched his evil nature. With these marriages, Esau set the seal on his complete unfitness to carry on the mission of Abraham. In a home ruled by two Hittite women, the Abrahamitic ideal lies buried (R' Hirsch).

This chapter [27] is one of the most crucial and mystifying in the Torah - crucial because the decision about which son was to receive the Patriarchal blessings would determine which would be God's Chosen People, so that the eternal destinies of Jacob and Esau and their offspring were in the balance. And mystifying because it is hard to fathom how the righteous Isaac could be so adamant in choosing Esau and why Rebecca would resort to such a blatant deception to secure the blessings for Jacob. The commentators offer many interpretations; our commentary will draw upon several of those themes.

Isaac's decision to bless Esau. As the firstborn, Esau had the presumptive right to the blessings, and Isaac would not have had the right to deny them to him unless there was compelling cause. Clearly, despite Esau's marriage to Hittite women, Isaac was unaware of the degree of Esau's sinfulness, and Rebecca had not been authorized to tell him about the prophecy given here at the beginning of the Sidrah. Also, Isaac felt that it was Esau who needed blessings to arm him in his struggle against an inborn nature that tended toward bloodshed and other cardinal sins, whereas Jacob had the inner strength to grow and be holy without the assistance of the blessings.

It seems also...that Isaac planned to bestow two sets of blessings, one for Esau and one for Jacob, each set suited to the needs and nature of its intended recipient. He also felt, according to some, that the two brothers should both be parts of God's nation: Jacob with the higher calling of Torah scholarship and spiritual ascendancy, and Esau with material success that he would use to support and assist Jacob. Had Esau been worthy, this could have happened, just as the tribe of Zevulun undertook to engage in commerce to support the Torah scholarship of Issachar, and in the time of the Mishnah, the wealthy Azariah supported his scholarly brother Shimon. Rebecca, however, guided by Divine inspiration, knew that Esau was not entitled even to this.

...The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are Esau's hands. Isaac could not have meant the sound of the voice, since the sages comment that Jacob and Esau sounded so alike that Isaac could not tell them apart. Rather, his statement that the voice is Jacob's voice refers to Jacob's manner of speaking, inasmuch as Jacob spoke gently and invoked the name of Heaven (Rashi).

Alternatively, Jacob's power is in the voice that prays; as the Sages teach (Gittin 57b), whenever a prayer is effective, a descendant of Jacob must have been among those who prayed. Esau's power is in his murderous hands - the hands of the Roman Empire, Esau's descendants, which destroyed the Second Temple and exiled us from our land. Whenever an army is victorious, Esau's descendants must have had a hand in it. (ibid.).

...Then Isaac trembled. Isaac perceived the Gehinnom open beneath Esau (Rashi), which was in sharp contrast to the fragrance of Eden that had accompanied Jacob into Isaac's chamber.

The presence of Gehinnom with Esau made Isaac realize that he had been deceived all along - Esau was truly evil. This made Isaac fear that the vision of Gehinnom proved that he, Isaac, would be punished for having allowed himself to be so grievously misled (Pesikta d'Rav Kahana).

...Esau's hatred of Jacob. The eternal rivalry between the brothers became intensified with Esau's determination to kill Jacob when the opportune time came. It was a resolve that his descendants would attempt to carry out time after time to this very day, but, as the Pesach Haggadah declares, the Holy One, Blessed is He, rescues us from their hands.

Esau marries the daughter of Ishmael. When Esau saw that in his second blessing to Jacob, Isaac conferred upon him the Abrahamitic gift of Eretz Yisrael, he assumed that he had been stripped of this blessing because he had wed Hittite women. Therefore, he now took a daughter of Ishmael in the hope that he would ingratiate himself with Isaac and regain the blessing of the Land (Rashbam).

...This passage justifies the portrait of Esau as a selfish person, oblivious to all but his own desires. For twenty-three years he had permitted the behavior of his Hittite wives to cause anguish to his parents, yet it seems to have dawned on him only now. Instead of divorcing them, however, he merely took another unsuitable wife in addition to them. Thus, he proved that he had no feeling for the House of Abraham, and Rebecca's assessment of his complete unfitness for the future leadership of the nation was fully justified (R' Hirsch).

The Torah sources on Eisav as elucidated by the commentary on Parashat Vayishlach, The Stone Edition Chumash, ...

Esau advances to attack Jacob. After he had received the Patriarchal blessings form Isaac, Jacob had been sent away from home to protect him against Esau's threatened vengeance. Now, thirty-four years later - including fourteen years of study in the academy of Shem and Eber and twenty years with Laban - Esau's hatred remained implacable and, as Jacob advanced toward Eretz Yisrael with his family and entourage, Esau advanced toward him with an imposing, frightening army, determined to carry out his old, but still-fresh threat.

...The struggle with the angel. The confrontation between Jacob and a "man" was one of the cosmic events in Jewish history. The Rabbis explained that this man was the guardian angel of Esau (Rashi) in the guise of a man. The Sages teach that every nation has a heavenly power, an angel that guides its destiny on earth, and acts as an "intermediary," between the nation and God. Two nations, however, are unique: Israel and Esau. Israel needs no go-between; it is God's own people. And Jacob, because his image is engraved upon God's Throne of Glory, symbolizes man's highest potential. Esau's guardian angel is different from all the others, for just as Esau epitomizes evil, so his angel is the prime spiritual force of evil - Satan himself.

At Seir. Jacob had no intention of going as far as Seir - indeed he did not go there... The Sages explain that Jacob was alluding to the End of Days, when, as Obadiah (Obadiah 1:21) prophesied, Jacob's descendants will come to Mount Seir to render judgment against Esau's descendants (Rashi). 

Apparently there was a coolness between Jacob and Esau at the parting. It was not accompanied by kissing, as was Jacob's departure from Laban (Haamek Davar). 

The chronicles of Esau. It is fundamental to a proper understanding of the Scripture narratives that the Torah is not a history book and that whatever it records must have a halachic or moral purpose. Many important principles of halachah are derived from a seemingly superfluous word or even letter, or from allusions suggested by syntax or construction. Consequently, it is obvious that the Torah would not have devoted an entire chapter to Esau's genealogy unless it contained vital teachings. Indeed, a section of the Zohar, Idra Rabbah, is devoted to the mystical exposition of this chapter.

In. the literal sense of the verses and from the parallel genealogies in Chronicles, it becomes clear that many of Esau's descendants were products of incest and illegitimacy. According to Mizrachi, this is reason enough for the chapter. There are other lessons, as well, some of them halachic, which are discussed by the commentators. Furthermore, the Torah teaches us the honor that came to Esau because he was the offspring of Abraham. 

He is Edom. The name -  and the fact that it was used throughout his life - gives an insight into Esau's base character. The name was given him as a reference to his gluttony when he sold the birthright for nothing more than red beans. That greed and depraved set of values characterized him all through his life (Sforno). ...In this genealogy lay the roots of Edom, which evolved into Rome, the perpetual enemy of Israel (Lekach Tov).

...He is Esau, father of Edom. This is Esau, who remained in his wickedness from beginning to end, for he never repented (Megillah 11a).