1 Tevet 5785
Rosh Chodesh Bet
7th Candle of Hanukkah
"Just like the exile began in Tevet, so it will end in Tevet."
C'mo ha'yamim ha'hem ba'zeman ha'zeh.
31 December 2024
30 December 2024
The Failed Kookist Philosophy
29 Kislev 5785
5th Candle of Hanukkah
When I say "Kookist" philosophy, I may be doing a serious disservice to Rabbi Kook. All I really know about it has come from inferior sources - those translated into English and censored by his students. However, I also know that the gedolei hador of his generation had complaints against him and judging by the fruit of his teachings produced by subsequent generations, something failed somewhere.
As I understand it, this was the source of the idea that sinat chinam can only be rectified by ahavat chinam. The Religious Zionists made this a primary pillar of their nationalist hashkafah and fulfilled it by uniting as much as possible with anti-Torah elements of society, excusing their rebellion against God by labeling them tinokot shenishbu - like children kidnapped at birth and raised with no knowledge of being Jewish.
Unfortunately, it did nothing to solve the inherent problem of sinat chinam as, in my experience, the baseless hatred was simply transferred from the secular Jews to the Hareidi Jews, who really were the blameless ones, in my view. The hatred towards Hareidim really was "baseless" while hatred of rebels against God's Torah is a mitzvah.
Misplaced ahavah is just as dangerous as misplaced sinah!
Nowhere is this more evident than in the electoral process that passes for democratic rule in the State of Israel. How many so-called National "Religious" Jews vote with anti-Torah parties for what they likely judge to be pragmatic reasons, thereby enabling the continued strangle-hold the Erev Rav have over us?
March 13, 2020. . . In the third round of Knesset elections, the party representing religious Zionism once again failed at the ballot box. Its opening position was promising: “Yamina” recruited a young, attractive and dynamic team of men and women, devoid of outside interests and with clear leadership potential, drawn from the various shades of religious Zionism.They enjoyed a one-time opportunity, albeit brief, to exert significant influence on the national scene by gaining control of a number of key ministries – defense, education, transport and (until recently) justice. But somehow the public was unimpressed, and gave them the cold shoulder at the polls.We must admit that there is a vast gulf between the very meager support the party received at the polls and the pretensions, rhetoric and sense of self-importance of the sector’s politicians. The outright support of leading rabbis and educators who, alas, made an irresponsible decision to get their hands dirty in the political quagmire, proved to be of no avail. Even the hope of attracting nonreligious nationalist voters was dashed. The cruel fact is that organized religious Zionism won only six mandates, or 5% of Knesset seats.
Two days ago, it was reported in the JPost that according to the latest Ma'ariv poll . . .
After survey respondents were asked for whom they would vote if new Knesset elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud emerged with 23 mandates (24 in the previous poll), National Unity, 20 (20), Yesh Atid, 16 (15), Yisrael Beiteinu, 15 (15), The Democrats, 11 (12), Shas, 10 (9), Otzma Yehudit, 8 (9), United Torah Judaism, 7 (7), Hadash-Ta’al, 6 (6), and Ra’am – 4 (4).The Religious Zionist Party, New Hope-United Right, and Balad remained below the electoral threshold.
Our greatest enemy - the internal one, the Erev Rav - work to unite Jews with non-Jews while dividing the Jews among themselves. Do you see what I do? The three religious parties, if they could get past their differences and unite would have 25 seats (and that is without any representation from the national religious side). They would become the largest single party and would have the mandate to select the next Prime Minister. If the Religious Zionist party threw their lot in as well, it could easily push the total to 30 seats.
Would that be a solution? No, but it would be a step in the right direction and with as little merit as that, HKB"H could send us Mashiach Tzidkeinu!
Under the current system of governance, no single party has enough support to rule without forming a coalition with others. There is no real unity in it as each partner pulls in the direction of his own party's interests. That's why we never see real and positive change.
You may wonder what all this talk of politics has to do with anything when we are not even in an election season.
The call of Hanukkah - "Mi l'Hashem elai!!" - is the call of the hour. It's the call of Torah leadership - Moshe Rabbeinu, echoed by Mattityahu, Cohen Gadol - to separate from the sinners, the sonei Torah, the Erev Rav, the Hellenists, the Judeo-Xians - and unite as brothers in love of HKB"H, His Torah and mitzvot.
This is the call to return to Har Sinai (figuratively) where our hearts and minds were united together as one person. That kind of unity is only possible among people who are 100% committed to Torah and mitzvot. There is no love or brotherhood outside of that.
It's past time, if Torah Jews are going to participate in the system anyway, to at least turn the chillul Hashem into a kiddush Hashem by uniting together under the banner of Torah and showing the world who is the real majority in Eretz Yisrael! And show HKB"H we are ready to receive Mashiach Tzidkeinu!!
29 December 2024
Down With Greek Democracy!!
28 Kislev 5785
4th Candle of Hanukkah
Reinstate the Davidic monarchy!! I hope and pray with all my heart and soul that we will soon see the end of democratic elections with its anti-Torah parties and the end of the fake "Jewish" State where God's name is desecrated every minute of every day!!
How quickly Pollard has abandoned Esther's good advice regarding politics.
...Pollard confirmed his intention to establish a political platform, stating: “My goal is to unite those in the ideological right who love Israel and want to contribute to the state. National service, whether in the IDF or another framework, is a critical issue for me. Everyone, without exception, must serve the state in some way.”He emphasized his stance that those who do not serve should not have the right to vote, adding: “You can pray and study Torah, but you cannot refuse to contribute to the state.”
He's not alone . . .
National Unity head, MK Benny Gantz, addressed the comments in a post on X/Twitter, "Refusal to serve and calls for draft evasion are unacceptable, dangerous, and illegitimate—whether they come from a former state attorney or a sitting chief rabbi. Everyone must serve the state."
My answer to this is: "No, no, no and HELL NO!!!" And that's exactly where this Erev-Rav-regime-led State is headed - straight to hell and good riddance.
Jews do not serve a "State" - we serve HaKadosh Baruch Hu only!! Part of that service is indeed to protect Klal Yisrael, but that's not what the "State" is doing, is it? The IDF is indeed an instrument meant to protect the ruling regime and often it is at the expense of Klal Yisrael. Maybe we should be talking more about serving the People of God and not some State of all its citizens, a majority of whom are goyim! Also, I'm incensed by the implication that fulltime Torah learning is not contributing anything to the nation.
Right now, our only hope lies in prayer and repentance. If we merit it, HaKadosh Baruch Hu will deliver us from foreign influence and domination and raise up a leader for us like David Hamelech.
Let's get beyond the miracle of Hanukkah and go the next step up...
Let the Kingdom of Mashiach Arise!!!!!!!
27 December 2024
Yosef Rises From the Depths to the Heights of Egypt
26 Kislev 5785
2nd Candle of Hanukkah
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Miketz - Mevorchim
(Illustrated by AI) Hidabroot - Torah & Judaism
Can't say I ever imagined the forefathers wearing kippot, but maybe. I do think turbans were more in style at that time. I also imagine that when it says they shaved Yosef, that they made him clean-shaven like the Egyptians. Finally, I don't think they had managed zippers yet at that time, but otherwise I liked the AI depiction. What did you think?
Shabbat Shalom & Hanukkah Sameah
25 December 2024
Edom Means 'Red' - The Color Associated With Eisav
24 Kislev 5785
In ancient Greece and the Minoan civilization of ancient Crete, red was widely used in murals and in the polychrome decoration of temples and palaces. The Greeks began using red lead as a pigment.
Romans wore togas with red stripes on holidays, and the bride at a wedding wore a red shawl, called a flammeum. Red was used to color statues and the skin of gladiators. Red was also the color associated with army; Roman soldiers wore red tunics, and officers wore a cloak called a paludamentum which, depending upon the quality of the dye, could be crimson, scarlet or purple. In Roman mythology red is associated with the god of war, Mars. The vexilloid of the Roman Empire had a red background with the letters SPQR in gold. A Roman general receiving a triumph had his entire body painted red in honor of his achievement.The Romans liked bright colors, and many Roman villas were decorated with vivid red murals. The pigment used for many of the murals was called vermilion, and it came from the mineral cinnabar, a common ore of mercury. It was one of the finest reds of ancient times Рthe paintings have retained their brightness for more than twenty centuries. The source of cinnabar for the Romans was a group of mines near Almad̩n, southwest of Madrid, in Spain. Working in the mines was extremely dangerous, since mercury is highly toxic; the miners were slaves or prisoners, and being sent to the cinnabar mines was a virtual death sentence.. . . After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, red was adopted as a color of majesty and authority by the Byzantine Empire, the princes of Europe, and the Roman Catholic Church. It also played an important part in the rituals of the Catholic Church, symbolizing the blood of Christ and the Christian martyrs.
Red was the color of the banner of the Byzantine emperors. In Western Europe, Emperor Charlemagne painted his palace red as a very visible symbol of his authority, and wore red shoes at his coronation. Kings, princes and, beginning in 1295, Roman Catholic cardinals began to wear red colored habitus.When Abbe Suger rebuilt Saint Denis Basilica outside Paris in the early 12th century, he added stained glass windows colored blue cobalt glass and red glass tinted with copper. Together they flooded the basilica with a mystical light. Soon stained glass windows were being added to cathedrals all across France, England and Germany. In medieval painting red was used to attract attention to the most important figures; both Christ and the Virgin Mary were commonly painted wearing red mantles.. . . In Renaissance painting, red was used to draw the attention of the viewer; it was often used as the color of the cloak or costume of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or another central figure.. . . During the French Revolution, the Jacobins and other more radical parties adopted the red flag; it was taken from red flags hoisted by the French government to declare a state of siege or emergency. Many of them wore a red Phrygian cap, or liberty cap, modeled after the caps worn by freed slaves in Ancient Rome. During the height of the Reign of Terror, Women wearing red caps gathered around the guillotine to celebrate each execution. They were called the "Furies of the guillotine". The guillotines used during the Reign of Terror in 1792 and 1793 were painted red, or made of red wood. During the Reign of Terror a statue of a woman titled liberty, painted red, was placed in the square in front of the guillotine.
. . . In the mid-19th century, red became the color of a new political and social movement, socialism. It became the most common banner of the worker's movement, of the French Revolution of 1848, of the Paris Commune in 1870, and of socialist parties across Europe.. . . In the 20th century, red was the color of Revolution; it was the color of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and of the Chinese Communist Revolution, and later of the Cultural Revolution. Red was the color of communist parties from Eastern Europe to Cuba to Vietnam. (The History of Red)
In case you thought Haifa was only known as "Red Haifa" because of its politics, it's also the most Eisavian city . . .
. . . the city’s greatest Jewish virtue [?] is its secular pluralistic spirit. Haifa is a city that will not succumb to any religious coercion, least of all Jewish. Decades ago, when public transportation on the Sabbath and holidays was banned throughout the country, our fiercely socialist mayor insisted on maintaining it, not only to respect the rights of the city’s non-Jews, but also to enable residents without private cars to go to the beach or visit relatives on Sabbath. Haifa’s secular transportation policy remains a symbol of its socialist, egalitarian values—the city has long been nicknamed “Red Haifa”—which endure in the face of Israel’s strong rightward tendencies, both religious and political. (Source)
~ ~ ~
May the Spirit of the Maccabees be rekindled along with the Hanukkah lights!!
24 December 2024
Is It A Betrayal? It Feels Like It!
23 Kislev 5785
Those who give credence to the idea of "Judeo-Chr*stian values;" advocate for mixing with the nations; and who express admiration for select leaders of Western Civilization are just as assimilated in our time as the Hellenists were in the time of the Maccabees, though no doubt they'd be the first to deny it.
Instead of burning the "bridges" and reinforcing the fences and walls, they are finding common cause in favor of cooperation.
The first step in overcoming this enemy is in recognizing that it exists - as an enemy.
While attending Trump’s Inaugural Ball on Jan. 20, 2017, Gorka was pictured wearing a medal associated with Vitezi Rend, a Hungarian national group the State Department designated as having worked under the direction of Germany’s Nazi government. The group was founded as the Vitez Order in 1920 as a Hungarian nationalist group that contested the country’s communist rule, and is now recognized as a far-right group with antisemitic views. Vitezi Rend spokesperson Andras Horvaz told NBC News the group was “really proud” Gorka wore the medal, while some members told the outlet Gorka was a well-known associate of the group. One of the organization’s leaders told CNN that Gorka was not a pledged member, however, and denied claims the group was linked with the Nazis. Gorka has denied wearing the medal as a nod to Vitezi Rend and said he instead wore it to honor his father, who Gorka said was honored for fighting the communist regime in Hungary. Gorka told the Telegraph that he had “inherited the title of Vitez through the merits of my father,” though he never “swore allegiance formally” to the group. The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, a civil rights group, called for Gorka to resign “or be fired” over his association with the group. Meanwhile, a group of Democratic senators requested the Justice Department and Homeland Security to investigate whether Gorka misled immigration officials about his ties to Vitezi Rend before becoming a U.S. citizen. (Source)
Who is Steve Bannon?
. . . when [Andrew] Breitbart died suddenly in March 2012 on the eve of a relaunch of the website, Bannon assumed the role of executive chairman, taking an active hand in directing Breitbart News’s editorial vision. With Breitbart, Bannon, who self-identified as a populist, provided a platform for the “alt-right” (alternative right) movement, a loose association of relatively young white nationalists (who largely disavowed racism but celebrated “white” identity and lamented the alleged erosion of white political and economic power and the decline of white culture in the face of nonwhite immigration and multiculturalism), white supremacists, extreme libertarians, and neo-Nazis. Breitbart’s critics characterized it as racist, misogynist, and xenophobic. (Source). . . BuzzFeed News’ Joseph Bernstein published the results of a massive investigation into the strategic and ideological inner workings of Breitbart News, and particularly the actions and opinions of former Trump adviser and Breitbart executive Steve Bannon and former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos.Based on internal emails and documents from the company, the expose reveals how Bannon, Yiannopoulos, and a large cast of other Breitbart players and employees worked to develop and advance an agenda that embraced tactics, values, and assistance from neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups, among others. (Source)
Both Gorka and Bannon received an intensive Catholic education in their formative years . . .
Gorka: St Benedict's School, usually referred to as St Benedict's, is a British co-educational, independent Catholic day school for pupils aged 3-18 situated in Ealing, West London. A Benedictine school, it accepts and educates pupils of all faiths.Bannon: Benedictine College Preparatory is a private Catholic military high school in Goochland, Virginia. It is owned and operated by the Benedictine Society of Virginia, part of the American-Cassinese Congregation.Benedictine educational philosophy: Saint Benedict (AD 480-547) is a patron saint of students, as well as one of the patron saints of Europe. He has had an immense influence on our educational practice, and he had much to do with the shape of Western culture....Benedict’s greatest contribution to the Church and to western civilization was a short book that he wrote, his Rule, the most influential document of its kind in history. Benedict’s monastic rule of life performed the remarkable feat of maintaining the zealous focus of early monasticism within a spirit of moderation and human balance. His ideal became so significant to the emerging culture that Benedict has often been called “the father of western civilization.” For a thousand years, the houses founded upon his vision of the Christian life were the spiritual and cultural heart of Europe, and many continue to follow his rule today.
And lest we slight Trump and his "Jewish" relatives, admired by Jews throughout the world . . .
Hashem yerachem aleinu for the Judeo-Chr*stians in our midst and send us the spirit of the Maccabees via our righteous Mashiach in our days - NOW!! - please.
22 December 2024
19 December 2024
18 December 2024
More Hellenism For Hanukkah
17 Kislev 5785
The 'Hellenists' of our day are not trying to sell us on Greek culture. They are the Judeo-Chr*stians trying to sell us on Western culture. It's really all the same though. It's all a mixing of Jews with gentiles and Judaism with idolatry. And the most lethal mixture of all - the Erev Rav - are always the link between the two.
17 December 2024
The End of "Galus"
16 Kislev 5785
I heard this sordid story about this Diaspora Jew who felt like the gentiles weren't as nice to him as they had been. He began to sense some antisemitism creeping into those relationships. Then he began to feel like God was telling him to go home to Eretz Yisrael. After some discussion, the family was convinced and they packed up everything and got out.
No sooner than they had arrived even bigger troubles surfaced. The daughter was kidnapped right off the streets of the neighborhood. They got her back, but she was never the same. After that, a couple of the sons got into serious trouble in a gang fight to the point the family had to relocate some distance for fear of reprisals. And then it wasn't long before another one of the sons disappeared, never to be heard from again. They had some financial set-backs to the point the family didn't know where their next meals were going to come from.
You'd think our Jew would get the message that making aliyah was the biggest mistake of his life, except for the fact that I'm talking about Ya'aqov Avinu and HKB"H really did tell him, "Return to the land of your forefathers and to your birthplace, and I will be with you."
Only a crazy person would immigrate to Israel for a better material life. The old Israeli joke every immigrant hears at some point is not without a basis: "The way to make a small fortune in Israel is to arrive with a large one." But there is no question that it cannot be topped for spirituality and closeness to HKB"H. And as for "safety and security," one need only be reminded that this is the only Land under constant personal supervision by the Master of the Universe.
Eretz Yisrael is "like the Ark of Noah" for His children. We won't be without troubles and challenges and tests, but we will survive. Most importantly, we will be fulfilling ratzon Hashem which gives our Father in Heaven so much nachat! As in any love relationship, we should focus on what we can give to HIM rather than on what He is going to provide to US!!
Rabbi Shapiro wrote that Jews must remain in the Diaspora "until the era of galus has truly ended." However, I never saw any mention of what signs would indicate that the time had come. How will we recognize it?
Going back to our quintessential Diaspora Jew - Ya'aqov Avinu - what was it again that tipped him off?
. . . And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken all that belonged to our father, and from what belonged to our father, he has amassed this entire fortune."
The gentile family members began to see him as the outsider who benefitted either unfairly or undeservedly (or both) from what they felt rightfully should have been coming to them. Jealousy!
. . . And Jacob saw Laban's countenance, that he was not disposed toward him as [he had been] yesterday and the day before.
A definite change in attitude became evident - the face of antisemitism became dominant and impossible to excuse or ignore any longer.
And the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your forefathers and to your birthplace, and I will be with you."Rashi: And there I will be with you, but as long as you are still attached to the unclean one, it is impossible to cause My presence to rest upon you. — [from Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer , ch. 36]
I heard that summons, as have multiple millions of other Jews throughout the millenia. Maybe it's not for every Jew. Maybe Eretz Yisrael is not the destiny of every Jew. I can't judge that, but if you hear that voice - the words in your head - don't doubt it and don't ignore it. It's a summons to His Majesty's Palace, an invitation to serve the King in his own home.
Is the "galus" ending now? Just consider this . . .
- By some accounts, the majority of Jews in the world already live in Eretz Yisrael, and
- They came with the approval, the permission, and even the assistance of the majority of the gentile nations of the world.
- Despite no desire to conquer Eretz Yisrael by the existing Erev Rav regime, HKB"H brought about wars which have over time restored more and more of our holy land to Jewish control than ever before.
- Torah learning is thriving across the Land and the trend is going more and more that way as the religiously observant Jewish population continues to grow.
- Are there problems and threats from within and without? Absolutely, but could any of this have succeeded to the degree to which it has if HKB"H had not willed it?
- The State has taken this project as far as it is able to go but it won't push us over the finish line. That's the job of Mashiach. Until he is revealed, The State now poses an existential threat in its own right. (It has become a 'Hellenizing' influence.)
The geulah is not an instantaneous event. It is a process which unfolds over a long period of time. And the prophesied ingathering of Jews to Eretz Yisrael which signals the end of the forced exile is, obviously, also a long process. Reason and logic dictate that this process has to be well underway before Mashiach arrives.
I don't think anybody will disagree that the rise of antisemitism is the agreed upon sign that it's time for us Jews to move on, wherever we are. The difference today is that antisemitism is so rampant, and becoming ever more militant, that there is no place left to go where we can find welcome except Israel.
". . . And it shall come to pass on that day, that the Lord shall gather from the flood of the river to the stream of Egypt, and you shall be gathered one by one, O children of Israel." (Yeshayahu 27.12)". . . and I shall gather them to their land, and I shall no longer leave any of them there." (Yechezkel 39.28)
". . . For I know the thoughts that I think about you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. And you shall call Me and go and pray to Me, and I will hearken to you. And you will seek Me and find [Me] for you will seek Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will return your captivity and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will return you to the place whence I exiled you." (Yirmiyahu 29.10 - 14)
. . . Eretz Yisrael.
Not all at once, but "one by one"; leaving no one behind!!
~ ~ ~
16 December 2024
What Is Stopping Us?
15 Kislev 5785
Of course, I had heard the concept of gathering or redeeming sparks, but "planting" sparks was a new one for me. This is how Rabbi Shapiro explains the value of maintaining the Jewish Diaspora in his book The Empty Wagon . . .
. . . our job currently is to wander throughout the world and plant sparks of holiness all over, until we accomplish locally what we could have accomplished long-distance from Eretz Yisroel had we not chosen sinas chinam over Eretz Yisroel.
. . . Because the galus is not just a punishment but also a necessary ingredient for our very existence (in terms of both our physical survival and our spiritual mission), it is vital that we not break out of its confines until the era of galus has truly ended.
Rather than baggage to be discarded, the galus is actually a life-support system and a healing mechanism for the sickness that we instilled within ourselves by our sinas chinam, a sickness that so weakened us that we are no longer able to lead a normal, natural life; a sickness that caused us to be unable to utilize Eretz Yisroel the way a healthy Klal Yisroel can.
But Hashem in His mercy gave us this life-support system called galus. Life support is unnatural, something you pray should go away, and something that prevents you from living a normal life, but if you need it, it is much better being on it than not being on it and dying.
Of course we all pray that this unnatural lifestyle outside of Eretz Yisroel should end.
. . . When we do teshuvah, Hashem, the Doctor, will come and take us off life support. Until then, yes, it is unnatural, agonizing, and painful. But it is our only hope. Just like when we pray for a patient to get off life support we mean that he should no longer need it. But as long as we do need it, we would not consider a return to Eretz Yisroel as an answer to our prayers. We would consider it a catastrophe.
It's just my own opinion, but it sounds to me like "galus" is more like a drug dependency than a life-support system. The only way to know if someone can survive off of life support is to disconnect them from it and see if they can keep breathing on their own. What might be the metaphoric equivalent of that in the real world, I wonder?
The Rav continues . . .
. . . The Jewish nation was not designed to live in galus. We were designed to serve Hashem in Eretz Yisroel. But currently, our nation as a whole cannot do that, because we must fulfill our mission in the world.
. . . Our instructions are: Shelo yaalu kachomah* - Remain dispersed. Do not return to take control over Eretz Yisroel. You may live there as individuals - it may even be a mitzvah to do so - but as a nation, it's not yours anymore. You're in galus. Do not try to fight the galus. It will not work. Instead, live in it.
. . . This is the only way for us to accomplish our mission in this world. We brought this upon ourselves. We are behind enemy lines and our job is to lay low and plant sparks of holiness around the world so that when Moshiach comes these sparks will erupt into a conflagration of spiritual energy that will bring the ultimate victory - Y'mos HaMoshiach.
Of course, Eretz Yisroel is still holy. But it no longer serves its purpose as a home for Klal Yisroel.
The main problem I see with this reasoning is that the reality is that, over the course of a hundred (plus) years, enough Jews have already successfully returned so as to constitute the majority of world Jewry now resident in Eretz Yisrael. And a great many of them came unwillingly, being forced out of their homes with no place else to go. . .
[See "Where Can We Go? Who Will Have Us?" and "Where to Go? Holocaust Survivors Return to Life"]
Now, let's go back and address this reference . . .
* "Our instructions are: Shelo yaalu kachomah - Remain dispersed."
This is in reference to "The Three Oaths," one of which forbids Klal Yisrael to go up to Eretz Yisrael "like a wall." I'll let the Rav continue on . . .
. . . The Ramban (Sefer Hamitzvos #4) holds that yeshivas haAretz is a mitzvah d'Oraisa even nowadays, but only with regard to individuals. Klal Yisroel as a whole is not commanded - indeed not permitted - to ascend to Eretz Yisroel en masse as that would constitute a violation of the galus, as per the Shalosh Shevuos in Kesuvos 111a (Tehuvos Rashbash #2).
. . . What was the purpose of the Three Oaths? First, that the Jews should not ascend [to Eretz Yisroel] as if surrounded by a wall; second, Hashem made them swear that they would not rebel against the nations of the world; and third, Hashem made the nations of the world swear that they would not oppress the Jews more than required.
Klal Yisrael was released from the Three Oaths in the 20th century in the following way:
(1) The Balfour Declaration - a public statement issued by the British Government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman region with a small minority Jewish population.
(2) After World War II, in August 1945, President Truman asked for the admission of 100,000 Holocaust survivors into Palestine, . . . In April 1946, the Committee reached a unanimous decision for the immediate admission of 100,000 Jewish refugees from Europe into Palestine [and] rescission of the White Paper restrictions of land sale to Jews, . . .
The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine - On 29 November 1947, the United Nations General Assembly voted 33 to 13, with 10 abstentions and 1 absent, in favor of the [creation of a Jewish State].
(3) The Holocaust - European Jewry had their civil rights systematically stripped from them until six million of them had been murdered between 1938 and 1945.
Some believe that the first two events absolved Klal Yisrael from the first two conditions of the Oaths, as the nations gave their approval and permission to the Jews' return to Eretz Yisrael. The third was null and void when the nations violated their oath not to oppress Klal Yisrael over much.
Some final quotes from the book . . .
. . . There are additional benefits to the galus as well: First, Eretz Yisroel is a holy land. It does not take well to sinners. It gets nauseous from them and eventually vomits them out. And the punishment for sinning in Eretz Yisroel is much more severe than the punishment for sinning in chutz laAretz. . . . So Hashem said, for our own good, until we learn how to behave, until we are worthy once more, we are kicked out of Eretz Yisroel (Bais Halevy, Vayetzei).. . . Second, the galus is granted to us as a much preferable substitute for Gehenom, which, if not for the galus, we would be punished with because of our sins (see Bereishis Rabbah 44:21).. . . Third, the atonement that galus accomplishes not only protects us from the punishment of Gehenom in the next world, but it is also what ensures that Hashem protects us in this world. . . . it is our being in exile among the nations that results in Hashem's protection for us.
What can I say to that?
To be continued, iy"H . . .
15 December 2024
The Other Side of the Coin
14 Kislev 5785
Shavua tov!
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| Seventeenth of Tamuz Ninth of Av |
I first heard about Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro's book The Empty Wagon in a shiur on Torah Anytime given by Rabbi Yossi Michalowicz. I have learned a lot of useful information which helped me understand some of the misgivings I had about certain positions taken on both sides of the "Orthodoxy" coin.
After reading the chapters on Zionism followed by those addressing Religious Zionism, the basis for "State Worship" made more sense, however wrong it is. But, I was also a bit stunned to discover the basis for the rejection of Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael among hareidi Jews in chutz la'aretz.
Keep in mind now that aliyah has always existed. It is not the domain of Zionism as some might think. In fact, the Zionists advocated for selective aliyah and religious Jews didn't pass muster. Today, we've reached a point where Chr*stian Zionists are "making aliyah," r"l!
It suddenly occurred to me this morning that the positions taken by these two camps of "Orthodoxy" are very much rooted in the original two worst national sins we committed just after being redeemed from Egypt. One cost us the first set of luchot and the second cost us the Beit Hamikdash - Torah and Avodat Hashem.
Here we are well on the way to the year 6000 - where all roads end at the Full and Final Redemption - and these two sins - failure to wait for Mashiach (Moshe) and refusal to enter The Holy Land - are still with us today. These are the sins HKB"H is waiting for us to do teshuvah for and the proof of the truth of that statement is that we are still fasting on these days up to our own time!
Ok, so let's move on to the issue of aliyah. What does Rabbi Shapiro reveal about the reasons why Jews should not be making aliyah as written in The Empty Wagon . . .
"...Currently, Hashem cannot (kav'yachol) send Moshiach and transform the world, because the world is not ready for it. Not just the people, but the very world itself. The world is much too unspiritual now to be able to exist in the atmosphere of spiritual energy that Moshiach will bring. In a nutshell, if Moshiach would come now, it would be like getting spiritually "nuked."
Our job, given to us by Hashem, is to condition ourselves and the world, raising us and it to a sufficient level of spirituality to be ready and fit for the spiritual energy of Y'mos HaMoshiach (the post-Messianic era).
We do this by performing mitzvos and learning Torah. The spiritual energy generated by Torah and mitzvos sanctifies us and the world, raising it higher and higher until it reaches the point where it is ready for Moshiach.
...What was supposed to happen was that we were supposed to fulfill the Torah in Eretz Yisroel until the world would be ready for Y'mos HaMoshiach.
Unfortunately, we messed up. We sinned. And the spiritual energy that we generated in Eretz Yisroel was no longer strong enough to sanctify the world. Eretz Yisroel is the arteries, but Klal Yisrael is the heart. If the heart isn't pumping, the arteries are useless. Never mind the fact that they get clogged up due to our mistreatment of them.
We were no longer able to do our job from within Eretz Yisroel. Eretz Yisroel as a home no longer served any purpose for the nation. We became too spiritually weak for the land.
We were no longer accomplishing our job by being there.
So we went into galus, to be spread all over the world to manually sanctify it everywhere, where previously we were supposed to do it remotely. We lost the ability to use Eretz Yisroel to fix the world, but we can do it locally, by learning Torah and performing mitzvos while wandering throughout the world, thereby sanctifying it piece by piece."
Well, that's obviously not working, judging by the current condition of the world, even after 2000 years of "wandering"! This idea is not logical and does not conform with the historical record for exile.
"Whatever happened to the forefathers are signs for the children."
We've already been told that the final redemption will be similar to the redemption from Egypt. And we are told that we had reached the 49th level of tumah when Moshe Rabbeinu, the Mashiach of that time, arrived to lead us out from there. This is like the flip side of Zionism, we have to do Mashiach's job for him, but in this case, we don't take charge, we give up and leave it to others while we take care of the corner where we live - supposedly.
Also, if this were really true, we would never have been returned from Bavel and built the Second Beit Hamikdash. Maybe that was the flawed reasoning then, too, why the majority refused to return, no matter that HKB"H told the people through the prophets that the exile would be limited to 70 years and when those prophets informed the people it was time to return, the majority simply refused.
So what about the final exile? All historical and biblical evidence points to an "End" not a rising above it all. With God's help, that will be the focus of the next blog post.
To be continued, iy"H . . .
13 December 2024
"Towards the Final Conflict"
12 Kislev 5785
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Vayishlach
(Excerpted from Parashat Vayishlach: Towards the Final Conflict by Daniel Pinner)
... The Talmud (Avodah Zarah 25a) makes it clear that though Jacob told his brother Esau that he would meet him in Seir, he never intended to go to there.
So why the apparent subterfuge?
In fact, Jacob was speaking absolute truth when he told Esau that “I will come to my lord, to Seir”. The Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 78:14 and Sechel Tov, Vayishlach 14) quotes Rabbi Abahu: “We can search the entire Tanach, and we will never find that Jacob our father went to Esau in Mount Seir throughout his life …. When, then, will he come to him? – In the future time, which is the meaning of ‘Saviours will ascend Mount Zion, to judge Mount Esau’ (Obadiah 1:21)”.
... Yes, Jacob was telling Esau the truth when he told him that he would one day meet him – indeed, confront him – in Mount Seir. Not in his physical lifetime – but one day, Israel will yet confront Esau in Mount Seir.
Abram, Sarai, and Jacob all earned new names for themselves: Abram became Abraham and Sarai became Sarah – they both merited the extra letter heh, representing Hashem. Jacob became Israel by his courage and determination. Esau, too, earned a new name for himself: Edom, related to adom, red, because of his blood-lust (Genesis 25:30).
Esau – Edom – evolved into the nation of Rome – the nation which would destroy the Second Temple. The subjugation and exile which began with Rome has lasted until today. The Ba’al ha-Turim (Rabbi Ya’akov ben Asher, Germany and Spain, c.1275-1343) notes that the final letters of the phrase avo el adoni se’ira (“I will come to my lord, to Seir “) spell the word eleiha (“to it”), and the gematria of the word avo (“I will come”) is four: “This is a veiled reference that after the four exiles [Egypt, Greece, Babylon/Persia, and Rome], they [Israel] will come to it [Mount Seir], ‘before the coming of the great and awesome Day of Hashem’ (Malachi 3:23), and then ‘Saviours will ascend Mount Zion, to judge Mount Esau’ (Obadiah 1:21)”.
We are today on the threshold of the sixth millennium, the time beyond which Mashiach and Israel’s final redemption cannot be delayed. Israel can delay no longer, and the final conflict between Israel and Esau is not far off. We are both heading swiftly towards our long-awaited final confrontation on Mount Seir, the Mountain of Esau.
~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~
12 December 2024
The Mizrachim
11 Kislev 5785
Rabbi Yossi Michalowicz @ TorahAnytime.com
... an outstanding educator and leader, paving the way for Orthodoxy in modernity, as a trailblazing leader in Jewish education and Religious Zionism.Rabbi Yitzchak Yaakov Reines studied in the yeshivot of Volozhin and Eishishok, where he excelled as a Talmudic scholar. He married the daughter of Rabbi Yosef Reizin, the rabbi of Telz and later Slonim, and in 1867 was appointed the Rabbi of Saukenai (Shukian) in Lithuania and soon afterward the Rabbi of Svencionys (Shvintzian). There he began to write and publicize a highly original approach to the study of traditional Jewish texts. This curriculum included general-knowledge topics extrapolated from Talmudic material and other rabbinic sources. But although many of his colleagues welcomed this original approach, some opposed it because it crossed the self-imposed red lines of traditional Orthodoxy.Undeterred, in 1884, Rabbi Reines opened a yeshivah based on his innovative system. He called the yeshivah Torah VeDaat (“Torah and Knowledge”), and introduced a groundbreaking integrated curriculum which included Tanach, Talmud, halacha and general studies – all aimed at training rabbis who would be firmly rooted in tradition while also able to operate in the rapidly assimilating Russian-Jewish community. But vigorous opposition forced the yeshivah’s closure after four years, and it wasn’t until 1905 that Rabbi Reines was able to reopen his yeshivah, this time in Lida.In Lida, Rabbi Reines first promoted the idea of embracing political Zionism, a movement led by secular Jewish nationalists actively working towards creating a sovereign Jewish state for the first time in almost 2,000 years. Rabbi Reines had previously been involved with the Chovevei Tzion movement, which promoted Jewish settlement in Palestine. But with the advent of Zionism in the mid-1890s, many rabbis who had eagerly supported Chovevei Tzion became horrified by the prospect of an irreligious Jewish state and openly criticized Zionism and its secular leadership.Initially, Rabbi Reines remained neutral, and he did not attend the first two Zionist Congresses of 1897 and 1898. But in 1899, Rabbi Reines decided that the issue of Jewish hegemony over Eretz Yisrael was too important to be set aside for any other considerations. He attended the Third Zionist Congress in Basel. Overwhelmed by the experience, he became a devoted and determined proponent of the Zionist cause.He later wrote that after returning home, a group of his anti-Zionist colleagues came to see him to persuade him to leave the Zionist movement. But Rabbi Reines firmly believed that Zionism was the only way forward for Torah-observant Jews. He was determined to lead an Orthodox group within the Zionist movement that would become a beacon of Religious Zionism. Even the Chofetz Chaim – one of his closest friends – was unable to change his mind, and in 1902 Rabbi Reines formally launched the Mizrachi movement. With Rabbi Reines at the helm, Mizrachi immediately became the exclusive organizational home for Religious Zionists and one of the strongest membership groups within the Zionist movement.Rabbi Reines passed away in 1915 at the age of 76, but his legacy is broad and deep. Orthodox Judaism was only able to participate in the Zionist project due to his deep commitment to political Zionism. His visionary leadership ensured that at every stage leading up to and then after the creation of the State of Israel, as a direct result of the Mizrachi movement he created, Israel would be a “Jewish” state rather than just a state for Jews.
[This is the end of my discussion on this topic. Thanks for reading and I hope you have learned something from it, as I have.]
11 December 2024
Wake Up! The Dream Has Turned to Nightmare!
11 Kislev 5785
Proverb: "hindsight is 20/20"Meaning: "In hindsight things are obvious that were not obvious from the outset; one is able to evaluate past choices more clearly than at the time of the choice."
With our hindsight in 2024, a repetition of what happened in the 1930s and '40s in Europe should never be able to happen again. Yet, it is happening again.
By the same token, with our hindsight of what Zionism has accomplished over the past 120 years, its crowning achievement having been reached on 7 October 2023!, we should be able to understand now that so-called Religious Zionism has done nothing more than feed the monster.
One might argue that the settlement movement is a great success brought about primarily by the Religious Zionists. But any "success" has been built from the religious aspect - Torah and mitzvot - and all of that is under constant threat by the Zionist aspect:
- A planned program of trading "land for peace";
- Joint economic endeavors which bring murderous Arabs into contact with vulnerable Jews;
- The establishment of the Palestinian Authority in Yehudah, Shomron and Aza;
- The expulsion of Jews and destruction of settlements;
- The handover of the holiest places - Hevron, Har Habayit, Kever Yosef - to Muslim control;
- The introduction of Chr*stian idolatry inside the camp via Chr*stian Zionism.
This is the rotten fruit of Zionism!!!
And it's not the first time the nation of Israel has made this mistake. Eliyahu HaNavi, in his own time, called the nation to repentance with these words found in Melachim Aleph 18.21 ...
"Until when are you hopping between two ideas? If the Lord is God, go after Him, and if the Ba'al, go after him." And the people did not answer him a word.
Prior to that Moshe Rabbeinu confronted the Children of Israel who, having experienced the miracles in Egypt as well as at Har Sinai, had to be called to separate themselves from the Golden Calf (see Shemot 32.26) ...
So Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said: "Whoever is for the Lord, [let him come] to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
Those words echoed for a thousand years until they were heard once again from the mouth of Mattityahu HaChashmonai, Cohen Gadol, in the village of Modi'in ...
"Mi l'Hashem elai!"
In other words, choose between the democratic, Eisavian Greeks whose goal was to erase every vestige of Judaism, in some cases right down to the reversal of the brit milah, r"l! and the faith of your fathers as expressed in their Torah and mitzvot!!
The same way that Hellenism added nothing of value to our Torah and mesorah, Zionism has nothing to add to it either. On the contrary, its influence is just as deadly, and it's meant to be!
This goes all the way back to Gan Eden when tov v'ra became mixed. A lie is always more easily swallowed when it is mixed with some truth. Someone said, "it's not black and white," but you see it should be!
"Ra" exists because HKB"H willed it from the very beginning. It serves His purposes. But, our job in this world is to help restore the order the Creator initially made in the world by separating the two. The entire Creation account is about making order through separation. And what does the Satan do? He comes to break down the order into chaos by MIXING everything and everyone together. This is the essence of The "New" World Order - All is ONE!!
As long as Zionism remained separate from the religion, there was no mistaking its true face. But once it was mixed with religion and presented as an authentic Torah entity by virtue of its mixing, sincere and not-so-sincere people have been mislead and lured into an idolatry that robs us of our merit and protection and blocks our advancement toward geulah.
The present war, by all rights, should be the final war for redemption with our return to all of our holy land and holy places. It has advanced so far, in fact, that we are now physically present in Aza (western Israel), in Lebanon (northern Israel) and even in Syria (northeast Israel). Jordan will likely be next. However, like the World Power - Edom - to which it is attached at The End of Days, all the State can do is bring destruction in its wake. It has no power to build holiness, which is also why the State will never build the Temple and it's ludicrous to even consider it. This will only come in Days of Mashiach.
The Zionist State will never exert itself to finish the job. It is not the chosen holy nation. In its nationalist drive to be a nation like all the other nations, it has succeeded in building "a nation of all its citizens," be they Jew or non-Jew, all with the protection of equal "rights" to sin in whatever way it pleases a person and without any regard for Torah and mitzvot. Rebellion against HKB"H is admired and even celebrated while truth is trampled underfoot.
Conquering and settling the land with Jews in accordance with halachah can never be accomplished by Zionism whose entire goal is destruction of the Torah way of life. And obviously, religious Zionism can't do it either, invested as it is in supporting that same Zionist State. Its identification with Zionism makes it impossible for the Religious Zionists to view it in its proper light.
There are indications from the writings of the Maharal of Prague that the Zionist State we see today could be compared to a klippah. Like the peel that protects a ripening fruit, it would provide a place within which the Kingdom of Israel would develop until it became viable and could exist on its own. When the fruit is fully formed, the peels are no longer necessary.
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. (Source)
I believe that the Great Birur of our days is the final stage of pre-messianic times. I am of the opinion that our final destination at The End of Days will be determined by what we remain attached to in our minds and hearts. If it is anything other than HKB"H alone and His Torah and mitzvot, we might well go the same way of whatever that may be - false ideologies, false religions, all false gods. My appeal is to reject anything rooted in falsehoods. It can't possibly add anything to our Torah Temima. Recognize the time and do what's best now while we still can.
10 December 2024
The "Knitted" Kippah
9 Kislev 5785
[All quotes are attributable to the book The Empty Wagon by Rabbi Yaakov Shapiro.]
"Since nationalist ideology is in the category of idol worship, the ideology of religious nationalism is in the category of idol worship combined [with Judaism] (b'shituf)."
- Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman"... Zionism is heresy. It strives to inform us that nationalism, instead of emunah and Torah, is the foundation . . and religious Zionists (Mizrachim) too, who take religious nationalism as a foundation ... by combining two foundations - as in "religious nationalism" - thereby demonstrate that there is an additional foundation to Jewishness, that even without emunah one can be a Jew, although there is an advantage if one is also religious. This is an uprooting of the basis of Judaism. And in certain ways, [the religious Zionists] are worse than the [secular] Zionists, because they (the religious Zionists) change the words of Hashem and are megaleh panim baTorah shelo k'halachah,* as opposed to the [secular] Zionists, who oppose the Torah but do not change it. And even if [religious Zionists] do good things as well, meaning they still do not uproot from themselves the Torah and emunah and they are half people of the Torah and half Zionists, the Zionism in them is still pure heresy." - Rabbi Boruch Ber
"The Chazon Ish strongly opposed Zionism and Mizrachi ... When he saw a sign advertising the opening of a "Religious Zionist" (Dati Leumi) school in Vilna, he immediately ripped down the poster, tore it to shreds, and explained to his students: 'The very name 'Religious nationalist' expresses a need to add to religion and declares that the nationhood of the Jewish people is something other than their religion. Thus it deviates from our emunah!'"
"... Religious Zionists ... have grafted the alien philosophy of nationalism onto their Judaism, in which a nation-state becomes central to a person's identity and validates the existence of the nation. This belief, to varying extents, is the reason for the centrality of the medinah ....
This is the rule: Zionism is a shmad; religious Zionism is the result of the shmad. Zionism wanted to replace Judaism with nationalism. Their strategy was to confuse and conflate Judaic values with nationalist ones. Religious Zionism is the illegitimate spawn of this confused coupling of religion and nationalism."
"Another example of nationalism polluting the Judaism of the religious Zionists is the Zionist idea of the holiness of their soldiers. Religious Zionists are told not merely to appreciate and be grateful to their soldiers, but that they are imbued with holiness, by virtue of the very fact that they are soldiers for Israel. In Judaism, even when the Jews went to war, the fact that someone was 'in the Jewish army' did not, in and of itself, make him holy. Only Torah and mitzvos can make someone holy. On the contrary - nobody was allowed into the army unless they were holy to begin with, because the soldiers needed holiness to protect them and their colleagues in battle. But the reverse - that the very fact that someone is a soldier makes him holy - is alien to the Jewish religion. But not to the Zionists."
Just a couple of days ago, there was an article about a "Black Hebrew" who died in service to the IDF. As a result, his non-Jewish family was awarded the highest honor the Zionist entity can give - citizenship in the "Jewish" State.
The biggest problem today is that few in our present generation of Torah Jews have any idea how thoroughly indoctrinated and assimilated we have become due to the pervasive Zionist influence. Heresy is viewed as normative Judaism.
We have to do something to turn this untenable situation around.
_________________
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