5 Kislev 5774
'STORM OF THE CENTURY'
"This is probably one of the top twelve...of all storms ever seen on this planet. ...For some people on these islands this is an unsurvivable storm."
(CNN) -- Thousands of people in vulnerable areas of the Philippines are being relocated as one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever observed spins toward the country.
With sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph), Super Typhoon Haiyan was churning across the Western Pacific toward the central Philippines.
Its wind strength makes it equivalent to an exceptionally strong Category 5 hurricane.
The storm, known as Yolanda in the Philippines, is expected to still be a super typhoon, with winds in excess of 240 kph (149 mph), when it makes landfall Friday morning in the region of Eastern Visayas.
The storm is so large in diameter that clouds from it are affecting two-thirds of the country.
...As it moves across heavily populated areas of the central Philippines, Haiyan's high winds and torrential rain are expected to affect millions of people. The storm system had a diameter of about 800 kilometers (500 miles)....
...Last month, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the island, which lies close to the typhoon's predicted path. The quake killed at least 222 people, injured nearly 1,000 and displaced around 350,000, according to authorities.
08 November 2013
07 November 2013
Discussion with Moishe'la: "Who to Life and Who to Death"
5 Kislev 5774
BS"D
Discussion with Moishela (with his family)
A Handicapped child
Kislev 3rd '5774 (Nov 5 '13)
Who to Life and Who to Death
I am really very disturbed with what is happening in Eretz Yisroel. I can see clearly how the Chiloni government is trying to destroy Yiddishkeit. I can see clearly how they want to turn this country into the original dream of the Zionist non-Frum Jews, and that is to turn Israel into a country like all the countries of the world, to make Israel, the State of Israel a complete member nation in the New World Order, to make the state of Israel non-Jewish. It is happening, and the Jews are sleeping. Many of the Jews don’t care, but the Frum, where are the Frum? Why are you letting this happen? Why are you so quiet? I will tell you why, because you're too busy fighting with each other. What do you care if the Kever of Dovid Hamelech is given away to the Catholic Church? What do you care? It is important to be able get money for the schools, even at the cost of a true Jewish education. More important, to fight with each other over who's going to be a representative in the municipalities or in the Knesset.
Well, my dear Jews we are in big trouble. We are in very big trouble because you're selling your souls and Hashem won't forget that. And anyway I'm sure that many of those who are selling their souls to the devil which is the church, or selling their souls to money which is the Egel HaZahav, or just selling their souls for Kavod, you're all going to pay a terrible price, because probably you belong to those Egyptians that left with Am Yisroel from Mitzrayim. You probably belong to the Erev Rav who have caused Am Yisroel such trouble throughout all generations. Hashem loves Am Yisroel. Hashem loves us, but we Jews don’t know exactly who is a real Jew and who is an Erev Rav. One thing for sure, the Erev Rav has no heart for other Jews, has no caring for the pain of other Jews. What has happened with these elections, and what has happened with the problems with the building on the graves in Beit Shemesh, and what has happened with the Liba program put into the schools, and what is happening with the laws against getting married before the age of 18, even though abortions for young girls are considered fine, no problem. That’s moral. There's no punishment for that, and even though we're seeing more clearly who is part of what group, still this is a giant, giant selection --- who to life and who to death.
I just want to tell you true Jews, to watch everything that’s happening and take care of yourselves. Guard yourselves. Go deep into your recesses, into your homes and don’t let the outside world disturb you. Keep Shabbos according to Halacha exactly, Taharas Hamishpacha, all the Dinim in the Torah, and don't give up. Hold tightly to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, no matter what happens in this world, no matter how terrible it gets, how evil the so-called Jews, Zionist Jews, so-called Chiloni Jews get towards us. With every blow they try to give us, we have to go closer and closer to the truth, closer and closer to Hashem.
I know how confusing things are, but try not to be confused. Look carefully who's doing what. You don’t have to speak any Loshon Horah. Just keep it in your own hearts. Just look and see who's doing what, and know where the truth lies, and stay with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Don’t listen to the nonsense of the Chilonim. Don’t listen to the nonsense of the Erev Rav Chareidim. Don’t listen to the nonsense of many of the Dati Leumi. Listen only to the truth. Listen only to Hashem's Torah, and come back to Hashem.
The Chilonim are mixing the Frum up. They're buying them with money. Times are hard. It's hard to put food on the table for our children. It's hard to pay our bills. But one thing I can tell you, if you stay close to Hashem you will always see miracles and you don’t need them, the Goyim, the Chiloni Jews to give you your sustenance. Hakodosh Boruch Hu will give you your sustenance, and will wipe them off the face of the earth.
To the Jews in Chutz Laaretz, don’t use what I'm saying for an excuse to say, "Well it's so terrible in Israel, might as well stay here in France, in England, in America, wherever." It's not an argument because two thirds of the world will be destroyed, and that does not include Eretz Yisroel, and those Jews that are true Jews will be saved. And I know you will say, "so we don’t have to leave". The Satmar Rebbe zt"l said not to leave America before Moshiach comes. However the Satmar Rebbe zt"l if he would be alive today, I'm sure he would feel differently. However even if you decide to stay in America because the Satmar Rebbe said, if you're doing it really Leshem Shomayim, Hashem will save you, but if you're only using it as an excuse because you like the Egel HaZahav so much, then it will not save you. And I'm just telling you that when you are in a place of danger and you realize it, and you pick yourself up and go to Eretz Yisroel you get Zechusim and that can help you survive in a much easier way. However if you only stay in your countries to continue your parties then you won't be given an easy time if you are a real Jew.
I want to say again, this is the way it works. All true Jews will be saved Be'ezras Hashem. However those that are far will suffer much more than those that are near, far meaning far away from Hashem, close meaning close to Hashem. You can be in Kalamazoo and still be taken out and brought to the Bais Hamikdosh. However you can also be in Yerushalayim next to Har Habayis, and be an Erev Rav, and never make it.
I am just telling you that it will be easier here, and if you have the ability, I beg you to get up and leave.
BS"D
Discussion with Moishela (with his family)
A Handicapped child
Kislev 3rd '5774 (Nov 5 '13)
Who to Life and Who to Death
I am really very disturbed with what is happening in Eretz Yisroel. I can see clearly how the Chiloni government is trying to destroy Yiddishkeit. I can see clearly how they want to turn this country into the original dream of the Zionist non-Frum Jews, and that is to turn Israel into a country like all the countries of the world, to make Israel, the State of Israel a complete member nation in the New World Order, to make the state of Israel non-Jewish. It is happening, and the Jews are sleeping. Many of the Jews don’t care, but the Frum, where are the Frum? Why are you letting this happen? Why are you so quiet? I will tell you why, because you're too busy fighting with each other. What do you care if the Kever of Dovid Hamelech is given away to the Catholic Church? What do you care? It is important to be able get money for the schools, even at the cost of a true Jewish education. More important, to fight with each other over who's going to be a representative in the municipalities or in the Knesset.
Well, my dear Jews we are in big trouble. We are in very big trouble because you're selling your souls and Hashem won't forget that. And anyway I'm sure that many of those who are selling their souls to the devil which is the church, or selling their souls to money which is the Egel HaZahav, or just selling their souls for Kavod, you're all going to pay a terrible price, because probably you belong to those Egyptians that left with Am Yisroel from Mitzrayim. You probably belong to the Erev Rav who have caused Am Yisroel such trouble throughout all generations. Hashem loves Am Yisroel. Hashem loves us, but we Jews don’t know exactly who is a real Jew and who is an Erev Rav. One thing for sure, the Erev Rav has no heart for other Jews, has no caring for the pain of other Jews. What has happened with these elections, and what has happened with the problems with the building on the graves in Beit Shemesh, and what has happened with the Liba program put into the schools, and what is happening with the laws against getting married before the age of 18, even though abortions for young girls are considered fine, no problem. That’s moral. There's no punishment for that, and even though we're seeing more clearly who is part of what group, still this is a giant, giant selection --- who to life and who to death.
I just want to tell you true Jews, to watch everything that’s happening and take care of yourselves. Guard yourselves. Go deep into your recesses, into your homes and don’t let the outside world disturb you. Keep Shabbos according to Halacha exactly, Taharas Hamishpacha, all the Dinim in the Torah, and don't give up. Hold tightly to Hakodosh Boruch Hu, no matter what happens in this world, no matter how terrible it gets, how evil the so-called Jews, Zionist Jews, so-called Chiloni Jews get towards us. With every blow they try to give us, we have to go closer and closer to the truth, closer and closer to Hashem.
I know how confusing things are, but try not to be confused. Look carefully who's doing what. You don’t have to speak any Loshon Horah. Just keep it in your own hearts. Just look and see who's doing what, and know where the truth lies, and stay with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Don’t listen to the nonsense of the Chilonim. Don’t listen to the nonsense of the Erev Rav Chareidim. Don’t listen to the nonsense of many of the Dati Leumi. Listen only to the truth. Listen only to Hashem's Torah, and come back to Hashem.
The Chilonim are mixing the Frum up. They're buying them with money. Times are hard. It's hard to put food on the table for our children. It's hard to pay our bills. But one thing I can tell you, if you stay close to Hashem you will always see miracles and you don’t need them, the Goyim, the Chiloni Jews to give you your sustenance. Hakodosh Boruch Hu will give you your sustenance, and will wipe them off the face of the earth.
To the Jews in Chutz Laaretz, don’t use what I'm saying for an excuse to say, "Well it's so terrible in Israel, might as well stay here in France, in England, in America, wherever." It's not an argument because two thirds of the world will be destroyed, and that does not include Eretz Yisroel, and those Jews that are true Jews will be saved. And I know you will say, "so we don’t have to leave". The Satmar Rebbe zt"l said not to leave America before Moshiach comes. However the Satmar Rebbe zt"l if he would be alive today, I'm sure he would feel differently. However even if you decide to stay in America because the Satmar Rebbe said, if you're doing it really Leshem Shomayim, Hashem will save you, but if you're only using it as an excuse because you like the Egel HaZahav so much, then it will not save you. And I'm just telling you that when you are in a place of danger and you realize it, and you pick yourself up and go to Eretz Yisroel you get Zechusim and that can help you survive in a much easier way. However if you only stay in your countries to continue your parties then you won't be given an easy time if you are a real Jew.
I want to say again, this is the way it works. All true Jews will be saved Be'ezras Hashem. However those that are far will suffer much more than those that are near, far meaning far away from Hashem, close meaning close to Hashem. You can be in Kalamazoo and still be taken out and brought to the Bais Hamikdosh. However you can also be in Yerushalayim next to Har Habayis, and be an Erev Rav, and never make it.
I am just telling you that it will be easier here, and if you have the ability, I beg you to get up and leave.
06 November 2013
Looking at the Wall
4 Kislev 5774
Ancient walls are a common feature of the Land of Israel and this one is perhaps the most famous of all. But, this is not the wall I am concerned with today. It's the wall I see every day as I cross the
Otherwise known as the "security wall" or" separation barrier"- the one they said would NOT become a "political border." Well, today, it did...
"Israeli negotiators have told their Palestinian counterparts that the ''separation barrier'' that cuts through the occupied West Bank should serve as the border of a future Palestinian state."
Pretty depressing, huh? Well, maybe not so much for those who, unlike me, do not live on the wrong side of it.
But, there is another, happier way of looking at the wall.
In an 18 July 2013 article in Hamodia entitled "The Boy Who Dreamed of Building the Beit Hamikdash," Rav Meir Koznitz gives us his perspective:
Seeing the Geulah in the Security Fence
Reb Meir Lays out the security map of Jerusalem and asks us what we see. We look closely, but don't see anything special.
"Look at the city's borders, at the security fence, and notice the road that has been paved next to it," he says. "Many didn't understand the point of paving a road along the fence. This is not a northern or southern border between two countries that requires constant patrols, so why was the road paved?"
Reb Meir, who has only one thing on his mind - the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash - has his own unique explanation:
"The security fence is the wall surrounding Jerusalem, and when Moshiach comes, this wall will have to be halachically dedicated as the wall of the holy city. The Sanhedrin will have to come and check the wall, but while in the past the city was much smaller, the present-day wall stretched for dozens of kilometers.
"There is no way they can do this by foot, and they will therefore have to travel in a vehicle along the whole route of the wall.
"If the road hadn't been paved, it would have been impossible for the Sanhedrin to drive along the entire length of the wall, with its bumps and potholes."
Reb Meir looks up, and with a victorious smile continues: "How can you not see the Geulah on this security map? The motive for the road is so obvious!"
HALEVAI! It should only be so!
05 November 2013
Discussion with Moishe'la: "Pack Your Bags"
3 Kislev 5774
Pack Your Bags
Cheshvan 21st '5774 (Oct 24 '13)
My dear American Jews, pack your bags and get out of there. Don't be stupid. Don't close your eyes. Don't pretend you don't know. Get out of there while you can! The only place in the world to go is to Eretz Yisroel, because every other place is ruled by these maniacs, and even the State of Israel is ruled by the same Reshaim but at least here in Eretz Yisroel, we have Kedushas Eretz Yisroel. We have a promise from Hakodosh Boruch Hu that the land of Israel will not be destroyed, and that it is the safest place for a true Jew to be now.
Of course you can't come to Eretz Yisroel and do Aveiras on purpose, and decide that you are going to be safe. You have to come with the desire to greet Moshiach, which will demand from you much Teshuva, which will demand from you to take yourselves apart piece by piece. Look inside of your hearts. Look inside of your souls, and see where you have been wrong, where you have gone against HaKodosh Boruch Hu, where you lack belief and Bitachon, where you lack Emunah and Bitachon, where you lack your Yiddisha heart, where your heart has become hard with the Gashmius that you have absorbed in the United States of America. But Boruch Hashem soon there will be no United States of America. There will be a land either dominated by evil, or that Hashem will totally destroy, or both.
I beg you, open your eyes. Open your eyes and see what's happening. I know in Williamsburg, in Boro Park, in all of the cities where the Frum Jews live, Lakewood, Monsey, everywhere… even Union City, even Los Angeles, wherever Frum people live, they are still getting up in the morning and the sun is shining. Oh Yeah, twelve years ago the twin towers were knocked down, but since then nothing major has happened. Although there were killings in America and there have been unusual things happening, and you have lost your freedom almost totally and your economy is shaking to its core and about to dissolve, and all kinds of strange things are happening, including foreign soldiers on your soil, Chinese, Russians, all kinds ready to help control you if you become too difficult.
Don't you understand Jews of America, Frum Yiddisha Neshomas, don't you understand that it is time to leave? Don’t you understand that there are camps (FEMA camps) all over the United States? These camps are barbed wired so that people can't get out- not so they can't get in- they can't get out. Don't you understand? Don't you want to understand?
You get up in the morning. It's Sunday. Your wife has a Tzeddakah party (tea party, luncheon, parlor meeting) and you go to Daven, maybe go play golf, (gym, work out, running/jogging) maybe go have a Daf Yomi Shiur. Then everybody meets, goes out for supper in the strictly Kosher Sushi restaurant and you've done something in life. You feel life is good. Your feel you have what to do. It's not boring, but your Yiddishkeit is in danger, and because your Yiddishkeit is in danger Hashem is bringing disaster to the world.
We could greet Moshiach in a different way, but we have chosen to greet him in a more difficult way, because we want the Gashmius. We love the Egel HaZahav. We love all of our fun. We love to go to Disney Land on Succos with our portable Succahs. We love to go to see all of the sights in the United States. We love to travel to Switzerland for Pesach, or take a cruise. We love it. We give so much Tzeddakah. We do so much Chessed. We love our fellow Jews, but that doesn't stop us also from destroying our fellow Jews, or speaking badly or negatively about them. It does not disturb us to tell stories and destroy people's reputations.
We give Tzeddakah, but it doesn't stop us from cheating or stealing and conniving in our work, and we Daven but it does not stop us from telling jokes in the middle of Davening in Shul, or the middle of Krias HaTorah, and it does not stop us from having wives that are so beautifully dressed with such long fancy Sheitels and tight clothing. It does not stop us to be proud of them, that other men look at them, and it makes us feel good. This does not bother us at all. We don't see that we are doing anything wrong. After all we Daven. We keep Shabbos. We keep Yom Tov. We are all so good. And then there are also the Tzaddikim the ones that are the learners, the ones who sit in Kollel all day, and even many in this elite group enjoy playing around with the Gashmius, and they also enjoy going out to eat, and they also enjoy once in a while seeing a video, and they have no problem about not having Shmiras Einayim, because if you try to have Shmiras Einayim, well you could not really exist. How could you drive your car? How could you walk down the street?
No my dear American Jews, you have fallen down very far, and if you want to survive you better pull yourselves up. Even the communities that seem so very Frum, the Goyisha desires have entered there also. Boruch Hashem there are still a few families that don't suffer from this malignancy, but I beg you, I beg you all, it's time to get out. It's time to leave. There will be a time when you won't be able to leave. All they have to do is push one button, and all the planes in America will be grounded and no one will be able to leave. So you will jump into your car and think you'll be able to get out that way. All the borders will be closed. You won't be able to do what you want. That's your big mistake, and if you think your big fancy houses are going to fly here to Israel because you've got a Bais Midrash in it, or because you have some kind of a Hachnosas Orchim apartment in it, and because of this you have Zechusim, forget it. That's not going to save you, because your lives are full of lies, full of contradictions, and you don't see it. You don't want to see it.
So now I am telling you clearly, the United Stated of America is a dangerous place for you. It's also dangerous for others, not only you, but it's definitely dangerous for the Yidden!!! The more Frum, the more dangerous, because they don’t want anyone who believes in Hashem, and they certainly don't need Jews.
I am warning you. Please take me seriously. Please check it yourself. It's time to leave, time to get out with your money. Your dollars are soon going to be worth nothing, absolutely nothing. Please listen to me.
Not only the Jews in America, the Jews everywhere, you are going to be targets. You better start packing your bags. Already Jews from France are leaving in large amounts. Very many are leaving, and because they are all leaving more or less at the same time, they can't sell their houses in many instances, because the locals realize that they are in a bind. They want to leave and they are not getting the prices they want. So if you think you are going to get out with gold, silver, and jewels like from Mitzrayim, you are not!!!
For the rich, know that the banks own your money. You think you own your money? The banks own your money and you better figure it out fast. You better make sure you have a foothold in Eretz Yisroel. But in Eretz Yisroel also your money won't help you. It won't stop what's going to happen, so you better do Teshuva and that’s the only way, and Teshuva is the hardest thing you must do.
It's easy to go take your money and buy a house in Eretz Yisroel, and design it, and make it fancy, but it won't help you. Someone else is going to live there if you don't do true Teshuva, if you don't pull down the Mechitzah of the Egel HaZahav so that you can come close to Hashem.
I am begging you. Please, I am so worried. I am so worried about my fellow Jews, really worried. Please come back to Hashem. Throw away your toys and come back to Hashem before it's too late.
Pack Your Bags
Cheshvan 21st '5774 (Oct 24 '13)
My dear American Jews, pack your bags and get out of there. Don't be stupid. Don't close your eyes. Don't pretend you don't know. Get out of there while you can! The only place in the world to go is to Eretz Yisroel, because every other place is ruled by these maniacs, and even the State of Israel is ruled by the same Reshaim but at least here in Eretz Yisroel, we have Kedushas Eretz Yisroel. We have a promise from Hakodosh Boruch Hu that the land of Israel will not be destroyed, and that it is the safest place for a true Jew to be now.
Of course you can't come to Eretz Yisroel and do Aveiras on purpose, and decide that you are going to be safe. You have to come with the desire to greet Moshiach, which will demand from you much Teshuva, which will demand from you to take yourselves apart piece by piece. Look inside of your hearts. Look inside of your souls, and see where you have been wrong, where you have gone against HaKodosh Boruch Hu, where you lack belief and Bitachon, where you lack Emunah and Bitachon, where you lack your Yiddisha heart, where your heart has become hard with the Gashmius that you have absorbed in the United States of America. But Boruch Hashem soon there will be no United States of America. There will be a land either dominated by evil, or that Hashem will totally destroy, or both.
I beg you, open your eyes. Open your eyes and see what's happening. I know in Williamsburg, in Boro Park, in all of the cities where the Frum Jews live, Lakewood, Monsey, everywhere… even Union City, even Los Angeles, wherever Frum people live, they are still getting up in the morning and the sun is shining. Oh Yeah, twelve years ago the twin towers were knocked down, but since then nothing major has happened. Although there were killings in America and there have been unusual things happening, and you have lost your freedom almost totally and your economy is shaking to its core and about to dissolve, and all kinds of strange things are happening, including foreign soldiers on your soil, Chinese, Russians, all kinds ready to help control you if you become too difficult.
Don't you understand Jews of America, Frum Yiddisha Neshomas, don't you understand that it is time to leave? Don’t you understand that there are camps (FEMA camps) all over the United States? These camps are barbed wired so that people can't get out- not so they can't get in- they can't get out. Don't you understand? Don't you want to understand?
You get up in the morning. It's Sunday. Your wife has a Tzeddakah party (tea party, luncheon, parlor meeting) and you go to Daven, maybe go play golf, (gym, work out, running/jogging) maybe go have a Daf Yomi Shiur. Then everybody meets, goes out for supper in the strictly Kosher Sushi restaurant and you've done something in life. You feel life is good. Your feel you have what to do. It's not boring, but your Yiddishkeit is in danger, and because your Yiddishkeit is in danger Hashem is bringing disaster to the world.
We could greet Moshiach in a different way, but we have chosen to greet him in a more difficult way, because we want the Gashmius. We love the Egel HaZahav. We love all of our fun. We love to go to Disney Land on Succos with our portable Succahs. We love to go to see all of the sights in the United States. We love to travel to Switzerland for Pesach, or take a cruise. We love it. We give so much Tzeddakah. We do so much Chessed. We love our fellow Jews, but that doesn't stop us also from destroying our fellow Jews, or speaking badly or negatively about them. It does not disturb us to tell stories and destroy people's reputations.
We give Tzeddakah, but it doesn't stop us from cheating or stealing and conniving in our work, and we Daven but it does not stop us from telling jokes in the middle of Davening in Shul, or the middle of Krias HaTorah, and it does not stop us from having wives that are so beautifully dressed with such long fancy Sheitels and tight clothing. It does not stop us to be proud of them, that other men look at them, and it makes us feel good. This does not bother us at all. We don't see that we are doing anything wrong. After all we Daven. We keep Shabbos. We keep Yom Tov. We are all so good. And then there are also the Tzaddikim the ones that are the learners, the ones who sit in Kollel all day, and even many in this elite group enjoy playing around with the Gashmius, and they also enjoy going out to eat, and they also enjoy once in a while seeing a video, and they have no problem about not having Shmiras Einayim, because if you try to have Shmiras Einayim, well you could not really exist. How could you drive your car? How could you walk down the street?
No my dear American Jews, you have fallen down very far, and if you want to survive you better pull yourselves up. Even the communities that seem so very Frum, the Goyisha desires have entered there also. Boruch Hashem there are still a few families that don't suffer from this malignancy, but I beg you, I beg you all, it's time to get out. It's time to leave. There will be a time when you won't be able to leave. All they have to do is push one button, and all the planes in America will be grounded and no one will be able to leave. So you will jump into your car and think you'll be able to get out that way. All the borders will be closed. You won't be able to do what you want. That's your big mistake, and if you think your big fancy houses are going to fly here to Israel because you've got a Bais Midrash in it, or because you have some kind of a Hachnosas Orchim apartment in it, and because of this you have Zechusim, forget it. That's not going to save you, because your lives are full of lies, full of contradictions, and you don't see it. You don't want to see it.
So now I am telling you clearly, the United Stated of America is a dangerous place for you. It's also dangerous for others, not only you, but it's definitely dangerous for the Yidden!!! The more Frum, the more dangerous, because they don’t want anyone who believes in Hashem, and they certainly don't need Jews.
I am warning you. Please take me seriously. Please check it yourself. It's time to leave, time to get out with your money. Your dollars are soon going to be worth nothing, absolutely nothing. Please listen to me.
Not only the Jews in America, the Jews everywhere, you are going to be targets. You better start packing your bags. Already Jews from France are leaving in large amounts. Very many are leaving, and because they are all leaving more or less at the same time, they can't sell their houses in many instances, because the locals realize that they are in a bind. They want to leave and they are not getting the prices they want. So if you think you are going to get out with gold, silver, and jewels like from Mitzrayim, you are not!!!
For the rich, know that the banks own your money. You think you own your money? The banks own your money and you better figure it out fast. You better make sure you have a foothold in Eretz Yisroel. But in Eretz Yisroel also your money won't help you. It won't stop what's going to happen, so you better do Teshuva and that’s the only way, and Teshuva is the hardest thing you must do.
It's easy to go take your money and buy a house in Eretz Yisroel, and design it, and make it fancy, but it won't help you. Someone else is going to live there if you don't do true Teshuva, if you don't pull down the Mechitzah of the Egel HaZahav so that you can come close to Hashem.
I am begging you. Please, I am so worried. I am so worried about my fellow Jews, really worried. Please come back to Hashem. Throw away your toys and come back to Hashem before it's too late.
On Jewish Identity
3 Kislev 5774
Two very telling and interesting articles dealing with Jewish identity - outside and inside of Israel:
Candidly Speaking: An end to Jewish life in the Diaspora?
...The survey highlights that cultural identification is replacing religious identification among many American Jews. In stark contrast to 10 years ago, when 93% of American Jews identified themselves as Jews by religion, increasing numbers of Jews now define themselves as “Jews of no religion.” Two-thirds do not belong to any synagogue; 42% maintain that having “a good sense of humor” is more essential to their Jewish identities than observing Jewish law; most describe liberalism and a commitment to tikkun olam as the defining characteristics of their Jewishness.
Many Jews are delighted with this “universalist Judaism” and characterize its adherents as “proud Jews” who are contributing enormously to American culture.
One commentator satirically remarked that for every Jew who keeps a Christmas tree, there are 100 non-Jews who like bagels. Oy! Another highly disturbing survey finding is the extent to which Judaism and Christianity have become blurred in the minds of many American Jews.
The criteria for qualifying as being Jewish have been broadened to the point of absurdity. For example, 34% of the respondents stated that a belief in Jesus as the Messiah was compatible with being Jewish, and 30% of the “Jewish” families surveyed have Christmas trees. As Hebrew Union College Prof. Sara Benor observed, “more people than in the past believe that you can be both Christian and Jewish.”
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, predicts that a new religious category will soon emerge for those who consider themselves Jewish but accept Christian doctrines regarding Jesus. This confused state of affairs is both a reflection and a consequence of an appalling meltdown of Jewish values in America....
Conversion
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill Sunday that, if ratified by the Knesset, is supposed to make it easier to convert to Judaism for over 300,000 non-Jewish immigrants from the Former Soviet Union.
...While Stern’s bill has the best of intentions, it is highly unlikely that the legislation will succeed in attaining its goals.
...Unfortunately, and perhaps understandably, the vast majority of non-Jewish immigrants from the FSU show little interest in converting.
...The simple fact is that most non-Jewish immigrants see no reason to convert to Judaism. Coming from an agnostic background, these immigrants integrate very easily into secular Israeli society. They learn Hebrew, celebrate the Jewish holidays like their secular Israeli neighbors and serve in the army – that ultimate Israeli act of patriotism.
And when it comes time to marry, these non-Jewish immigrants and their Jewish Israeli spouses simply take a short trip to Cypress or some other destination abroad, to legalize their love.
Admittedly, the debate over conversions arouses strong emotions touching as it does on questions of identity – not just for individuals but on a national level. Israel defines itself as the homeland of the Jewish people. Maintaining a Jewish majority is central to ensuring Israel’s Jewishness.
But who precisely should be included in that “Jewish” majority is a matter of dispute....
Two very telling and interesting articles dealing with Jewish identity - outside and inside of Israel:
Candidly Speaking: An end to Jewish life in the Diaspora?
...The survey highlights that cultural identification is replacing religious identification among many American Jews. In stark contrast to 10 years ago, when 93% of American Jews identified themselves as Jews by religion, increasing numbers of Jews now define themselves as “Jews of no religion.” Two-thirds do not belong to any synagogue; 42% maintain that having “a good sense of humor” is more essential to their Jewish identities than observing Jewish law; most describe liberalism and a commitment to tikkun olam as the defining characteristics of their Jewishness.
Many Jews are delighted with this “universalist Judaism” and characterize its adherents as “proud Jews” who are contributing enormously to American culture.
One commentator satirically remarked that for every Jew who keeps a Christmas tree, there are 100 non-Jews who like bagels. Oy! Another highly disturbing survey finding is the extent to which Judaism and Christianity have become blurred in the minds of many American Jews.
The criteria for qualifying as being Jewish have been broadened to the point of absurdity. For example, 34% of the respondents stated that a belief in Jesus as the Messiah was compatible with being Jewish, and 30% of the “Jewish” families surveyed have Christmas trees. As Hebrew Union College Prof. Sara Benor observed, “more people than in the past believe that you can be both Christian and Jewish.”
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, predicts that a new religious category will soon emerge for those who consider themselves Jewish but accept Christian doctrines regarding Jesus. This confused state of affairs is both a reflection and a consequence of an appalling meltdown of Jewish values in America....
Conversion
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved a bill Sunday that, if ratified by the Knesset, is supposed to make it easier to convert to Judaism for over 300,000 non-Jewish immigrants from the Former Soviet Union.
...While Stern’s bill has the best of intentions, it is highly unlikely that the legislation will succeed in attaining its goals.
...Unfortunately, and perhaps understandably, the vast majority of non-Jewish immigrants from the FSU show little interest in converting.
...The simple fact is that most non-Jewish immigrants see no reason to convert to Judaism. Coming from an agnostic background, these immigrants integrate very easily into secular Israeli society. They learn Hebrew, celebrate the Jewish holidays like their secular Israeli neighbors and serve in the army – that ultimate Israeli act of patriotism.
And when it comes time to marry, these non-Jewish immigrants and their Jewish Israeli spouses simply take a short trip to Cypress or some other destination abroad, to legalize their love.
Admittedly, the debate over conversions arouses strong emotions touching as it does on questions of identity – not just for individuals but on a national level. Israel defines itself as the homeland of the Jewish people. Maintaining a Jewish majority is central to ensuring Israel’s Jewishness.
But who precisely should be included in that “Jewish” majority is a matter of dispute....
04 November 2013
"Unconstitutional"
2 Kislev 5774
Do you know why there's nothing in the picture? Because Israel does not have a constitution. However, that does not stop those who are enamored of everything "western" to imagine that one exists (the one in their mind) and to accuse those who adhere to Torah law as acting extra-constitutionally - outside of the bounds of this non-existent "constitution." Because, of course, this "constitution" mimics "western" values, not Jewish ones.
Call me obtuse, but you'll never convince me that those who hold to the Torah law that was given to the Jewish people over three and half millenia ago are by definition in violation of a constitution that does not exist. You gotta be a former Israeli Supreme Court President or Israeli Justice Minister to understand such a 'deep' and illogical concept as that.
Former Supreme Court President Barak: Marriage Laws Violate Basic Human Rights
...Hiddush- Freedom of Religion for Israel has published selected highlights from Professor Aaron Barak’s forthcoming book, “Human Dignity: The Constitutional Right and its Derivatives” on its Freedom of Marriage World Map website. In these excerpts, Barak addresses Israel’s marriage policies, which are governed by religious law and deny Israelis the right to marry. He stresses that the laws infringe on the constitutional derived rights to human dignity, religious freedom, and equality.
In the book’s analysis of the right to family life and marriage in Israel, Barak writes, “Anyone who is unable to marry according to religious law, and anyone who does not want to marry according to religious law for their own reasons, cannot marry in Israel. Civil marriage is not recognized in Israel. This state of affairs violates the constitutional right to marry…The present law does not only violate the constitutional derived right to marriage, but it also often violates the derived right to freedom of conscience and freedom from religion.” Barak also explicitly relates to same-gender marriages, saying: “A law that prevents two members of the same gender from entering a relationship of couplehood is a violation of the human dignity of each partner.”
...Israel is the only western democracy in the world that denies its citizens freedom of marriage and unfortunately is in the unenvious company of many of the world’s Islamic fundamentalist countries. The majority of the Israeli public and world Jewry are completely opposed to these policies, which deny hundreds of thousands the right to marry and refuse millions more the ability to marry in a ceremony congruent with their beliefs. Professor Barak clearly demonstrates the constitutional illegitimacy of religious monopoly on all marriages in Israel and its clear violation of human dignity and basic human rights.
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Did you ever think you'd live to see the day that Rabbi Meir Kahane, Hy"d would have something in common with Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid? Well, Rabbi Kahane said it first, but he called it schizophrenic:
Lapid: Israel's definition as Jewish and democratic is an unsolvable contradiction
Israel’s definition as a Jewish and democratic state is a contradiction that cannot be solved, Finance Minister Yair Lapid said Tuesday in a speech that cut deep into the fundamental problems facing the country’s minorities.
“The unsolvable problem is that Israel is defined... both by law and by a decisive majority of its residents, as a Jewish democratic state,” he said at the Prime Minister’s Conference on Arabs in the economy at Tel Aviv University.
“Judaism is a whole line of values that have existed for thousands of years, but the democratic idea is a new idea, and significant parts of it stand in contradiction to Judaism,” he said.
Which is precisely why I think the last act of the "only democracy in the Middle East" should be to vote to restore the Davidic Monarchy. Hey! Some of us actually mean the words of those prayers we say three times a day!!
03 November 2013
THE TWINS
30 Marcheshvan 5774
Rosh Chodesh `א
Yesterday, in Parshat Toledot, we were introduced to Yitzchak Avinu's and Rivka Imeinu's twin sons - Eisav and Ya'aqov. A rivalry began that day which has existed and shaped humanity until this very day. Beginning today and through the days leading up to Hanukah, I'd like to delve deeper into this subject.
Today, I'd like to look back again at the parshah and share with you what the Stone Edition Artscoll Chumash says in its commentary:
Each of the 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 peronsification 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.
...On vs.2 - the children agitated. The rabbis explain that וירצצו is derived from the root רוץ, 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 are 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.
...Through Shem, God conveyed to [Rebecca] 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.
Today's headlines are full of news describing this ongoing conflict, but they are also heralding the collapse of Edom and the quickly rising fortune of Israel - the final world power.
Rosh Chodesh `א
Yesterday, in Parshat Toledot, we were introduced to Yitzchak Avinu's and Rivka Imeinu's twin sons - Eisav and Ya'aqov. A rivalry began that day which has existed and shaped humanity until this very day. Beginning today and through the days leading up to Hanukah, I'd like to delve deeper into this subject.
Today, I'd like to look back again at the parshah and share with you what the Stone Edition Artscoll Chumash says in its commentary:
Each of the 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 peronsification 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.
...On vs.2 - the children agitated. The rabbis explain that וירצצו is derived from the root רוץ, 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 are 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.
...Through Shem, God conveyed to [Rebecca] 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.
Today's headlines are full of news describing this ongoing conflict, but they are also heralding the collapse of Edom and the quickly rising fortune of Israel - the final world power.
01 November 2013
Parshat Toledot 5774
28 Marcheshvan 5774
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Toldot – Behavior and Character Traits – Rabbi Meir Kahane
"The lads grew up and Esau became one who knows hunting, a man of the field; but Jacob was a wholesome man, abiding in tents. Isaac loved Esau for game was in his mouth; but Rebecca loved Jacob." (Gen. 25:27-28)
G-d chose Abraham because of his behavior and his merits; He rejected his son Ishmael and chose Isaac, too, because of his merits; again, He rejected Esau and chose Jacob due to his behavior. So after three successive generations of tzaddikim, all the subsequent offspring of the Patriarchs could be considered spiritually fit. G-d could forge them all into a chosen, treasured, and exalted nation, who would be His emissary to the human race and a light unto all the nations, to teach them the correct ways which they should follow. This process of choice and rejection is realized to a good degree by the intervention of the Matriarchs, Sarah and Rebecca, who interpreted the behavior of Ishmael and Esau more correctly than Abraham and Isaac. The mother instinctively recognizes the son because she raises him, she educates him, the child is in her trust, and when it comes to the child, the mother is the expert. And therefore, when talking about Rebecca, the Torah emphasizes that she was the mother of Jacob and Esau – that she understood both of them thoroughly. The holy language of the Torah expands the concept expressed by the word "em" (“mother”) to the extent that the word "emunah" (“faith”) comes from the root "em". For who is more faithful and loyal to a child, who is more willing to sacrifice their very life for the child’s sake, than a mother? And this is an additional reason that Rebecca is referred to there by the term “mother”: she faithfully clung to the truth, understood that Jacob had to be the spiritual heir – and for this, she was willing even to go against Isaac, to the extent of deceiving him, and telling her son Jacob, “Let your curse be upon me, my son”(Genesis 27:13).
G-d chose Abraham because of his behavior and his merits: It says [regarding Abraham] (Gen. 18:19), “I have given him special attention that he might command his children and his household after him, and they will keep the ways of the L-rd, doing charity and justice.” Thus G-d commanded Abraham to perform acts of charity and kindness, as well as to further justice by causing G-d's role to be acknowledged. By doing what G-d had commanded, Abraham's kindness and mercy became rooted in him. These traits passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob and his seed. R. Natan bar Abba said in the name of Rav: The wealthy of Babylonia go to hell. When Shabtai bar Marinos came to Babylonia, he sought work, but they would not provide it nor would they feed him. He said, “These [wealthy Babylonians] are of the mixed multitude, for it says, 'G-d will make you merciful and have mercy on you' (Deut. 13:18). When anyone acts mercifully, we know he is of Abraham's seed; if he acts unmercifully, we know that he is not.” (Betza 32b) Kindness, like all traits found in the Torah, is nothing but a Divine attribute we were commanded to emulate and accept upon ourselves with the goal of being G-d-like. Thus we learn (Shabbat 133b): “This is my G-d and I will glorify Him” (Ex. 15:2)... Abba Shaul said, “To 'glorify' Him means making ourselves similar to Him. Just as He is kind and merciful, so must we be kind and merciful.” There is a double message here. Not only must we be kind and merciful, but we must “make ourselves similar to G-d,” i.e., we must be kind and merciful the way G-d explains these terms rather than the way we perceive them.
The real meaning of kindness and truth is that these principles are only part, albeit an exceedingly marked and conspicuous part, of the Torah's main purpose and goal – self-abnegation and suppression of our evil impulse and arrogance. All the mitzvot were given for this purpose, but kindness and mercy are the most direct path to this goal. By contrast, the Jews who distort the Torah are so influenced by the alien [Western] culture that they turn kindness and mercy into goals in and of themselves. By such means they elevate them above all the mitzvot, necessarily diminishing the value of all other mitzvot. They also push the concepts of kindness and mercy to foolish and dangerous extremes, while they themselves include wicked enemies of the Jewish People.
The Torah's goal is to create a person who diminishes himself, who bridles his arrogance, breaking down and negating his ego, who suppresses his evil impulse and liberates himself from covetousness and haughtiness, which are the root of evil and impurity. The most direct, clear and immediate way to achieve this is by loving one's fellow man and by being kind to him. Such acts express the Torah's essence, breaking down one's ego. Hillel therefore called this “the whole Torah”, since indeed breaking down the ego is G-d's whole aim, and this is expressed in the clearest, most acute fashion by loving one's fellow man. “All the rest”, however, the other mitzvot, are the commentary on this. That is they show us how to suppress our evil impulse.
Whoever behaves ethically and with love, agreeing with these attributes [only] because they are esthetic and pleasant, will never reach the true goal of breaking down his ego. Yet by fulfilling all the mitzvot, even those lacking any rationale, and all the more so those difficult mitzvot that contradict, so to speak, love and morality, one makes clear that loving one's fellow man is not a goal in and of itself, but a large part of man's true goal – breaking down his ego and accepting G-d's yoke. Similarly, whoever understands the true role of kindness and mercy in the Torah framework, will also understand their limitations, and where it is forbidden to show kindness and be merciful. Kindness and mercy – in the right time and place – is the obligation of every Jew. It is a means of suppressing one's passions and becoming less selfish, thereby exalting oneself almost to the level of the ministering angels, and perhaps higher. Hence, from the general theme of kindness and mercy emerge countless mitzvot and ideas which have always guided the Jew in his daily life.
It is clear that a prerequisite for acquiring any good trait is destroying its opposite. First, one must “turn away from evil” (Ps. 34:15) – and only then - “do good” (Ibid.) Thus, to become loving, we must cease to be hateful. To learn respect, we must cease to scorn our fellow man. I must warn once again that all the principles I quote from the Torah and our sages are rulings that have come down as precise law, and they apply only in the time and place that our holy Torah says they apply. Hence, whoever sets out to eradicate hatred should have in mind only that hatred which opposes our Torah, false hatred, defined by our sages as sinat chinam, “groundless hatred”. Nothing originating from G-d can be “groundless”. If there is no Divine reason for hatred, it is absolutely forbidden and despised by G-d. Yet when G-d commands us to hate the evildoer, that is “truthful hatred”, a sacred duty from which no one is exempt.
The same applies as far as love. There is not, never was, and never will be a Torah concept of “groundless love”. G-d does not concede regarding hatred of those who hate Him and or the evildoers who destroy what is sacred to the Jewish People. I shall never tire of bringing our sages' words (Bava Kamma 50a), “Whoever says G-d indulgently forgoes sin, shall forgo his life” (“because he is teaching his fellow man to sin” - Rashi). Love and hate, like all Divine traits, came into the world with well-defined parameters, virtually possessing a set of laws of their own. Whoever preaches that hatred is never valid, or presents a false picture of love, shall have to account for it in the future.
All the same, where indeed inappropriate, hating one's fellow Jew is a heinous sin. Our sages said (Arachin 16b): “Do not hate your brother in your heart” (Lev. 19:17): I might think [it would suffice] not to hit him, slap him or curse him. It therefore says, “in your heart.” The verse refers even to hatred in one's heart.It is forbidden to hate a Jew even in one's heart. Rather, one must make known one's objections and rebuke him.
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Compiled by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from "The Jewish Idea" and "Peirush haMaccabee (Shemot)" of Rav Meir Kahane, HY"D
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Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Toldot – Behavior and Character Traits – Rabbi Meir Kahane
"The lads grew up and Esau became one who knows hunting, a man of the field; but Jacob was a wholesome man, abiding in tents. Isaac loved Esau for game was in his mouth; but Rebecca loved Jacob." (Gen. 25:27-28)
G-d chose Abraham because of his behavior and his merits; He rejected his son Ishmael and chose Isaac, too, because of his merits; again, He rejected Esau and chose Jacob due to his behavior. So after three successive generations of tzaddikim, all the subsequent offspring of the Patriarchs could be considered spiritually fit. G-d could forge them all into a chosen, treasured, and exalted nation, who would be His emissary to the human race and a light unto all the nations, to teach them the correct ways which they should follow. This process of choice and rejection is realized to a good degree by the intervention of the Matriarchs, Sarah and Rebecca, who interpreted the behavior of Ishmael and Esau more correctly than Abraham and Isaac. The mother instinctively recognizes the son because she raises him, she educates him, the child is in her trust, and when it comes to the child, the mother is the expert. And therefore, when talking about Rebecca, the Torah emphasizes that she was the mother of Jacob and Esau – that she understood both of them thoroughly. The holy language of the Torah expands the concept expressed by the word "em" (“mother”) to the extent that the word "emunah" (“faith”) comes from the root "em". For who is more faithful and loyal to a child, who is more willing to sacrifice their very life for the child’s sake, than a mother? And this is an additional reason that Rebecca is referred to there by the term “mother”: she faithfully clung to the truth, understood that Jacob had to be the spiritual heir – and for this, she was willing even to go against Isaac, to the extent of deceiving him, and telling her son Jacob, “Let your curse be upon me, my son”(Genesis 27:13).
G-d chose Abraham because of his behavior and his merits: It says [regarding Abraham] (Gen. 18:19), “I have given him special attention that he might command his children and his household after him, and they will keep the ways of the L-rd, doing charity and justice.” Thus G-d commanded Abraham to perform acts of charity and kindness, as well as to further justice by causing G-d's role to be acknowledged. By doing what G-d had commanded, Abraham's kindness and mercy became rooted in him. These traits passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob and his seed. R. Natan bar Abba said in the name of Rav: The wealthy of Babylonia go to hell. When Shabtai bar Marinos came to Babylonia, he sought work, but they would not provide it nor would they feed him. He said, “These [wealthy Babylonians] are of the mixed multitude, for it says, 'G-d will make you merciful and have mercy on you' (Deut. 13:18). When anyone acts mercifully, we know he is of Abraham's seed; if he acts unmercifully, we know that he is not.” (Betza 32b) Kindness, like all traits found in the Torah, is nothing but a Divine attribute we were commanded to emulate and accept upon ourselves with the goal of being G-d-like. Thus we learn (Shabbat 133b): “This is my G-d and I will glorify Him” (Ex. 15:2)... Abba Shaul said, “To 'glorify' Him means making ourselves similar to Him. Just as He is kind and merciful, so must we be kind and merciful.” There is a double message here. Not only must we be kind and merciful, but we must “make ourselves similar to G-d,” i.e., we must be kind and merciful the way G-d explains these terms rather than the way we perceive them.
The real meaning of kindness and truth is that these principles are only part, albeit an exceedingly marked and conspicuous part, of the Torah's main purpose and goal – self-abnegation and suppression of our evil impulse and arrogance. All the mitzvot were given for this purpose, but kindness and mercy are the most direct path to this goal. By contrast, the Jews who distort the Torah are so influenced by the alien [Western] culture that they turn kindness and mercy into goals in and of themselves. By such means they elevate them above all the mitzvot, necessarily diminishing the value of all other mitzvot. They also push the concepts of kindness and mercy to foolish and dangerous extremes, while they themselves include wicked enemies of the Jewish People.
The Torah's goal is to create a person who diminishes himself, who bridles his arrogance, breaking down and negating his ego, who suppresses his evil impulse and liberates himself from covetousness and haughtiness, which are the root of evil and impurity. The most direct, clear and immediate way to achieve this is by loving one's fellow man and by being kind to him. Such acts express the Torah's essence, breaking down one's ego. Hillel therefore called this “the whole Torah”, since indeed breaking down the ego is G-d's whole aim, and this is expressed in the clearest, most acute fashion by loving one's fellow man. “All the rest”, however, the other mitzvot, are the commentary on this. That is they show us how to suppress our evil impulse.
Whoever behaves ethically and with love, agreeing with these attributes [only] because they are esthetic and pleasant, will never reach the true goal of breaking down his ego. Yet by fulfilling all the mitzvot, even those lacking any rationale, and all the more so those difficult mitzvot that contradict, so to speak, love and morality, one makes clear that loving one's fellow man is not a goal in and of itself, but a large part of man's true goal – breaking down his ego and accepting G-d's yoke. Similarly, whoever understands the true role of kindness and mercy in the Torah framework, will also understand their limitations, and where it is forbidden to show kindness and be merciful. Kindness and mercy – in the right time and place – is the obligation of every Jew. It is a means of suppressing one's passions and becoming less selfish, thereby exalting oneself almost to the level of the ministering angels, and perhaps higher. Hence, from the general theme of kindness and mercy emerge countless mitzvot and ideas which have always guided the Jew in his daily life.
It is clear that a prerequisite for acquiring any good trait is destroying its opposite. First, one must “turn away from evil” (Ps. 34:15) – and only then - “do good” (Ibid.) Thus, to become loving, we must cease to be hateful. To learn respect, we must cease to scorn our fellow man. I must warn once again that all the principles I quote from the Torah and our sages are rulings that have come down as precise law, and they apply only in the time and place that our holy Torah says they apply. Hence, whoever sets out to eradicate hatred should have in mind only that hatred which opposes our Torah, false hatred, defined by our sages as sinat chinam, “groundless hatred”. Nothing originating from G-d can be “groundless”. If there is no Divine reason for hatred, it is absolutely forbidden and despised by G-d. Yet when G-d commands us to hate the evildoer, that is “truthful hatred”, a sacred duty from which no one is exempt.
The same applies as far as love. There is not, never was, and never will be a Torah concept of “groundless love”. G-d does not concede regarding hatred of those who hate Him and or the evildoers who destroy what is sacred to the Jewish People. I shall never tire of bringing our sages' words (Bava Kamma 50a), “Whoever says G-d indulgently forgoes sin, shall forgo his life” (“because he is teaching his fellow man to sin” - Rashi). Love and hate, like all Divine traits, came into the world with well-defined parameters, virtually possessing a set of laws of their own. Whoever preaches that hatred is never valid, or presents a false picture of love, shall have to account for it in the future.
All the same, where indeed inappropriate, hating one's fellow Jew is a heinous sin. Our sages said (Arachin 16b): “Do not hate your brother in your heart” (Lev. 19:17): I might think [it would suffice] not to hit him, slap him or curse him. It therefore says, “in your heart.” The verse refers even to hatred in one's heart.It is forbidden to hate a Jew even in one's heart. Rather, one must make known one's objections and rebuke him.
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Compiled by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from "The Jewish Idea" and "Peirush haMaccabee (Shemot)" of Rav Meir Kahane, HY"D
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