Parsha with Rabbi David Bibi

For those who can join us today, we will discuss Yom Kippur on Shabbat , the neshama yetera or expansion of our soul on Shabbat and on “the Sabbath of Sabbaths” Yom Kippur. Our upper and lower souls before and after death and how they connect, and how this year with Shabbat and Kippur joining forces we have a tremendous ability to connect below to above bringing blessings and light to our souls for the year.

Notes available in PDF form 

In my class this week posted online, we spoke about joy and Rosh Hashana. A friend of mine found this class we gave 11 years ago at the beach where we present some great ideas on bringing joy into the holiday. I hope you will find it interesting 

 We Learnfrom the Fruit of the Earth to Reinvent Ourselves in the Month of Elul so thatWe Will Be New Creatures at Rosh HaShanah  Based onShvilei Pinchas – Rav Pinchas Friedman      I canstart with the story   Can aperson be reborn?  Lastnight Chantelle took me along to an Emunah Dinner. I say Chantelle took mebecause if she didn’t make me come out, I wouldn’t. She lights the fire.   Herfriends Liz Gindea and Fran Hirmes have been very involved with and generouslysupportive of the organization for years. Emunah funds a number of children’shomes in Israel, along with schools, an arts college, daycare services andthese days many mental health programs. My son in law, Daniel’s brother Michaelthrough his organization Kol HaNearim also works with these children’shomes.   Chantelleand all of my kids have volunteered and worked in some of these homes over theyears especially with Yehuda Kohen of Bet Elazraki.   At thedinner, a young lady spoke and shared her very moving story.   She grewup in the north of Israel in no mans land. Her mother did nothing and herfather raised goats. She was one of ten siblings. They had no rules, nodiscipline, no money, sometimes no food and ran amok. The kids sometimes foughtand often got in trouble.   When shewas ten, social services showed up. After investigating, they took some of heryounger siblings to be raised outside the house. She convinced them that sheshould stay. But her situation went from bad to worse and a few months laterthey came back and took her as well.  She wasplaced into one of Emunah’s homes and was angry with her situation and everyonearound her. She was angry that she had been taken from home. She was angry thather parents had not provided a real home. She was angry to be told when to wakeup and when to go to sleep. She was angry to be sent to school. She was angryto be pressed to do homework. She was angry that she was subject to structureand in her mind lost her freedom. She was depressed and alone in the world. Ateleven years old, she had reached rock bottom.  Butwithin a few weeks, things started to change. The people at the Emunah homemade her feel loved and wanted. She made friends in the home and at school. Thesocial workers and teachers encouraged her and in a short time she began tosoar as a phoenix rising from the ashes.   She wasencouraged to pursue drama studies and loved it. In 2013 she joined the armyand became a combat paramedic assisting injured soldiers and people in thefield, sometimes under fire. When she completed her army duty, she continuedher studies focusing on drama. She eventually went to work for channel 12 newsin Israel. She currently heads their social media team and pursues feel goodstories to help lift people.   Emunahbecame her family. Her goal is to raise her own family and break the cycle.   Her storywas very moving. Chantelle noted that she wished she could have her share herstory with our own community children in school. She would surely touch someand encourage others. Some might be lifted and others might consider assistingin the homes one summer. Perhaps we can get a video from Emunah and share that.  There isa beautiful story told of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, a renowned Hasidicmaster, who was known for his compassion and ability to find sparks of holinessin every soul. One day, a poor, troubled Jew came to him, feeling hopeless andconsumed by darkness.  The rabbilistened attentively, then began to tell a story: 'In the summer, when thesun shines brightly, the grasshopper sings a beautiful song. But in the winter,when snow covers the earth, the grasshopper's song is silenced. Does this meanthe grasshopper has lost its ability to sing?'  The manshook his head.  'Ofcourse not!' the rabbi exclaimed. 'The grasshopper's song is stillwithin, waiting to emerge when the seasons change.'  The rabbilooked deeply into the man's eyes: 'Similarly, within you, there is aspark of divine light, a song waiting to be sung. Though darkness may surroundyou now, it's temporary, like winter's snow. Your task is to find that innerlight, nurture it, and let it shine forth.'  The man'sface lit up with newfound hope.  In thisseason of Elul, we hope to be born again.  We canimagine ourselves as caterpillars, hoping to shed our cocoons and emerge asbutterflies.   Sometimesthough we think that success is based on achieving perfection.  But isthat really what Hashem demands or even wants from us.   There isa story, I heard from Rabbi Joey Haber, of a man seeking perfection in his ownlife.   His rabbiasks his profession  He is anartist,   Hisfavorite painting is of sunset.   Histeacher suggests taking a picture of a sunset and that will be a perfectreproduction.   theartist explains the painting has imperfections and thats what makes it special.  Theteacher explains, same w

 חַת אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־עָבַ֙דְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְט֣וּב לֵבָ֑ב מֵרֹ֖ב כֹּֽל׃  Because you would not serve your God יהוה in joy and gladness over the abundance of everything, https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.28.47    עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה בֹּ֥אוּ לְ֝פָנָ֗יו בִּרְנָנָֽה׃  worshipthe LORD in gladness;come into His presence with shouts of joy.  https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.100.2    RabbeynuBachya: The Torah accuses people who do serve G’d not to have done so joyfully.A person is obligated not merely to carry out G’d’s instructions but to do sogladly, in a happy frame of mind. Joy when performing any of G’d’s commandmentsis considered as fulfillment of a commandment by itself, meriting additionalreward.     Thisis why one may be punished for failing to perform the commandments with ajoyful heart. This is why the Torah requires that its commandments be performedwith full intent and joyfully.     Oursages in Midrash Ruth Rabbah 5,6 comment concerning this that if Reuven hadbeen aware that G’d would write in the Torah concerning his attempts to saveJoseph’s life from the hands of his other brothers (Genesis 37,21) that hewould receive a reward not only for his deed but for the good intentionsaccompanying same, he would have carried Joseph on his shoulders and broughthim back to his (their) father.     TheTorah also makes a point of underlining the joy in Aaron’s heart when he sawhis brother Moses again after so many years. Had he known that his feelingswould be commented upon favorably (Exodus 4,14), he would have gone out to meethis brother accompanied by an orchestra of many different musicalinstruments.     HadBoaz known that his offering Ruth food and drink in abundance would be recordedfor eternity as a good deed of his, he would have fed her the choicest parts ofa fatted calf, instead of merely bread and vinegar (Ruth 2,14).  https://www.sefaria.org/Rabbeinu_Bahya,_Devarim_28.47.1    ….writesfurther     Naturally,the joy which accompanies the performance of a commandment by an individual Jewis in a class by itself. Seeing that performance of the commandments iscalled עבודת ה',“serving the Lord,” we can understand what is written in Deut. 28,16 תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' אלוקיך בשמחה,“on account of the fact that you did not perform the commandments of the Lordyour G’d with joy, etc.”     WhenDavid writes in Psalms 100,2 עבדו את ה' בשמחה,“serve the Lord with joy,” he does not refer to the offering of sacrificialanimals but to the performance of each and every commandment which it is ourduty to perform.     Joyis the ingredient which makes service of the Lord something perfect. Thisconcept helps us understand the unusual phrase in Numbers 4,46 לעבוד עבודת עבודה.Concerning this expression our sages in Erchin 11 ask what kind of service thisis that the Torah speaks of there. The answer given in the Talmud is that theTorah speaks of offering songs and hymns.     TheLevites are commanded to offer songs and encourage expressions of joy toaccompany the sacrificial offerings. All of this was to ensure that joy is theprevailing sentiment accompanying service of the Lord.     Arizal: joyincreases one’s desire and love of adhering to HaShem-יהו״ה,blessed is He, ….. For, a person who serves HaShem-יהו״ה,blessed is He, with melancholy, is likened to a servant who serves his masterwith a sullen and annoyed face.  https://www.sefaria.org/Sha'arei_Kedusha,_Part_2_4.30    Mesillas Yesharim -….And our sages said: 'the Divine presence rests on a person only through his rejoicing in a mitzva' (Shabbat 30b).    RabbiSamson Raphael Hirsch points out that theHebrew word same'ach (=happy), is closely related to the word tzome'ach (=growing). This is because human happiness is contingent on spiritual growth. Ifwe fail to feel the joy of mitzvos, it is because we are unaware that mitzvosmake us grow.    RabbiManis Friedman (chassidish answer) is that the charge 'serve Hashemb'simcha' is not a charge to be happy when serving Hashem. It's a result.If you truly serve Hashem, meaning you are serving Him, you finally get toescape yourself for a while!     Servingourselves, making our lives about us (even if it means 'my spiritualgrowth'!) is what makes us depressed. If we realise that we are fulfillingHashem's essential Ratzon, it's about Him not us, and at the same time doingthe vitally important work of bringing His plan to completion, fulfilling yourvery purpose, then automatically you will be b'simcha.  Soread it 'if you serve Hashem, you'll be b'simcha'      TheTorah is not telling us that we didn’t serve Hashem. It is telling us that wedidn’t serve Him with joy. Is this by itself such a severe transgression thatis should bring about all those terrible punishments described in the Torah?  &nbs

הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ (ונשוב) [וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה] חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃ Take us back, O LORD, to Yourself,And let us come back;Renew our days as of old! https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.5.21 לְמִימֵ֨י אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶ֜ם סַרְתֶּ֤ם מֵֽחֻקַּי֙ וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַרְתֶּ֔ם שׁ֤וּבוּ אֵלַי֙ וְאָשׁ֣וּבָה אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם אָמַ֖ר יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם בַּמֶּ֥ה נָשֽׁוּב׃ From the very days of your ancestors you have turned away from My laws and have not observed them. Turn back to Me, and I will turn back to you—said GOD of Hosts. But you ask, “How shall we turn back?” https://www.sefaria.org/Malachi.3.7 וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֗ם כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת שׁ֣וּבוּ אֵלַ֔י נְאֻ֖ם יְהֹוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת וְאָשׁ֣וּב אֲלֵיכֶ֔ם אָמַ֖ר יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ Say to them further:Thus said GOD of Hosts: Turn back to me—says GOD of Hosts—and I will turn back to you—said GOD of Hosts. https://www.sefaria.org/Zechariah.1.3 Midrash Eicha Raba  “Return us to You, Lord, and we will return; renew our days as of old” (Lamentations 5:21).“Return us to You, Lord, and we will return.” The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, it is incumbent upon You to return us.’ He said to them: ‘It is incumbent upon you, as it is stated: “Return to Me and I will return to you, said the Lord” (Malachi 3:7).’ Eikhah_Rabbah.5.21 . וְכַאֲשֶׁר יָשׁוּב הַמְקַצֵּר בָּהֶם בְּלִבּוֹ וּבִלְשׁוֹנוֹ וְיִשְׁתַּדֵּל לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָם וְלֹא יִשְׁנֶה קִצּוּרוֹ בָּהֶם יִמְחֹל לוֹ הַבּוֹרֵא וְיִשְׁתַּוֶּה עִם הַצַּדִּיק אֲשֶׁר לֹא קִצֵּר בָּהֶם, וּבִכְמוֹ זֶה נֶאֱמַר הַשָּׁב מִן הַחֵטְא כְּמִי שֶׁלֹּא חָטָא וְאָמְרוּ רז״ל עָבַר עַל מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁאֵין בָּהּ כָּרֵת וְעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה אֵינוֹ זָז מִמְּקוֹמוֹ עַד שֶׁמּוֹחֲלִין לוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג) שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי וְאָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם. The explanation of the first case: That the lacking was in a positive commandment which does not carry the punishment of Karet (spiritual excision), such as tzitzit, lulav, sukka, or the like.  When the person repents on them in his heart and in speech, and exerts himself to fulfill them, and does not repeat his neglect to do them, the Creator will forgive him, and he will be equal to the tzadik who never sinned in them. On such a penitent, it is said: 'one who repents from a sin is as if he never sinned', and our sages said of them: (Yoma 86a) 'one who transgressed a positive commandment which does not incur Karet (spiritual excision) and repented - he is forgiven right away, as written: 'return to Me and I will return to you' (Malachi 3:7)'. https://www.sefaria.org/Duties_of_the_Heart,_Seventh_Treatise_on_Repentance_8.2 Four motives in matter of repentance  הָרִאשׁוֹן – הַשָּׁב מֵחֹזֶק הַכָּרָתוֹ אֶת אֱלֹהָיו. וְהוּא כְּמוֹ עֶבֶד הַבּוֹרֵחַ מֵאֲדֹנָיו, וּכְשֶׁחוֹשֵׁב בַּטּוֹב אֲשֶׁר גְּמָלוֹ, שֶׁמֵּרְצוֹנוֹ מְבַקֵּשׁ מְחִילָה מִמֶּנּוּ. וּבְכָמוֹהוּ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב (ירמיהו ד א): ״אִם תָּשׁוּב יִשְׂרָאֵל נְאֻם יְיָ אֵלַי תָּשׁוּב״ – קֹדֶם בּוֹא הָעֹנֶשׁ. וְאוֹמֵר (מלאכי ג ז): ״שׁוּבוּ אֵלַי וְאָשׁוּבָה אֲלֵיכֶם״. The first is when a man repents because he has come to recognize his God. And he is like a servant who flees from his master, but when he thinks of the good which his master has done to him, he returns to him of his own free will to seek forgiveness from him, and of such as him the Scripture says, 'If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, yea return unto Me' (Jer. 4:1). And further, 'Return unto Me, and I will return unto you' (Malachi 3:7). https://www.sefaria.org/Orchot_Tzadikim.26.62 Natan Nachman  Moshe Katz  הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ (ונשוב) [וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה] חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃ Take us back, O LORD, to Yourself,And let us come back;Renew our days as of old! https://www.sefaria.org/Lamentations.5.21 Tisha B'Av at night: The scroll of Lamentations. It is the emotions of the prophet Jeremiah's soul and his dirge that he took up about the destruction of the holy city of Jerusalem and the Temple. And it is especially about the sin that Jerusalem and his people sinned, which is what caused that awful destruction to happen. And while glancing with eyes full of tears, he instructs and shows the path that leads to repentance and towards the revival of Israel, to renew our days as of old (alluding to Lamentations 5:21). https://www.sefaria.org/Horeb.666.33 Kedushat Levi  “Take us back, Lord, to You, and let us return, renew our days of old” (Eicha 5:21). To be specific, what does “[days] of old” mean? And one could explain this by way of the midrash: “And now, O Israel, what does the ETERNAL your God demand of you? (Deut 10:12) and it says in the Midrash: “Now is nothing other than Teshuvah” (Bereshit Rabbah 21:6) and it is explained thus, because each person from Israel is obligated to believe with full faith that at every moment we receive life from the Creator, Blessed Be, as it is explained, “Every [thing that] breathes praises — every single breath phrases Yah, ” (Beresh

Understanding the difference between Shofet and Dayan based on the Zohar HaKadosh 

לֹא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם׃ You shall not judge unfairly: you shall show no partiality; you shall not take bribes, for bribes blind the eyes of the discerning and upset the plea of the just.  Compare to shemot - There the warming continues not to oppress the stranger because you were strangers. But not here.  צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ {ס} Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may thrive and occupy the land that your God יהוה is giving you. Message for Elul - Rabbi Abittan - If you will pursue justice than midat hadin sits back but if not midat hadin will take care. If there is Din Below then there is no need for Din Above. If there is no Din below then there will be Din from above.  And furthermore if you will exhibit midat hachesed verachamim, than that attribute will shine on you and judge you.  Stories of Chesed from Rabbi Eitan Feiner  How are we to understand the absence of the stranger, the orphan and the widow from the description of the king’s and the judge’s realms of responsibility and from the descriptions of the Kohanim and the Levites? 

The Torah clearly allows the consumption of meat, albeit with a few caveats. The Torah states  כִּֽי־יַרְחִיב֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֥יךָ אֶֽת־גְּבֻלְךָ֮ כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר־לָךְ֒ וְאָמַרְתָּ֙ אֹכְלָ֣ה בָשָׂ֔ר כִּֽי־תְאַוֶּ֥ה נַפְשְׁךָ֖ לֶאֱכֹ֣ל בָּשָׂ֑ר בְּכׇל־אַוַּ֥ת נַפְשְׁךָ֖ תֹּאכַ֥ל בָּשָֽׂר׃ When יהוה enlarges your territory, as promised, and you say, “I shall eat some meat,” for you have the urge to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you wish. https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.12.20 In contrast to a fear that this would repeat the sin of the desert  כִּֽי־יִרְחַ֨ק מִמְּךָ֜ הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִבְחַ֜ר יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֘יךָ֮ לָשׂ֣וּם שְׁמ֣וֹ שָׁם֒ וְזָבַחְתָּ֞ מִבְּקָרְךָ֣ וּמִצֹּֽאנְךָ֗ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֤ן יְהֹוָה֙ לְךָ֔ כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוִּיתִ֑ךָ וְאָֽכַלְתָּ֙ בִּשְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ בְּכֹ֖ל אַוַּ֥ת נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ If the place where יהוה has chosen to establish the divine name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that יהוה gives you, as I have instructed you; and you may eat to your heart’s content in your settlements. https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.12.21 There is only the place  Do not think each tribe can say why not me and make their own.  If it far … in contrast to desert where only animals brought as korban could be eaten.  אַ֗ךְ כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יֵאָכֵ֤ל אֶֽת־הַצְּבִי֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣אַיָּ֔ל כֵּ֖ן תֹּאכְלֶ֑נּוּ הַטָּמֵא֙ וְהַטָּה֔וֹר יַחְדָּ֖ו יֹאכְלֶֽנּוּ׃ Eat it, however, as the gazelle and the deer are eaten: the impure may eat it together with the pure. https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.12.22 רַ֣ק חֲזַ֗ק לְבִלְתִּי֙ אֲכֹ֣ל הַדָּ֔ם כִּ֥י הַדָּ֖ם ה֣וּא הַנָּ֑פֶשׁ וְלֹא־תֹאכַ֥ל הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ עִם־הַבָּשָֽׂר׃ But make sure that you do not partake of the blood; for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh. https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.12.23 Rabbeynu Bachya Seeing that in the past the Israelites had been consuming lots of blood as parts of the pagan cults they had worshipped while in Egypt, the Torah had to make a special appeal to them to resist the temptation to eat blood. The Torah had to especially legislate in Leviticus 19,26: “do not eat in the presence of blood,” i.e. not to eat meat before all the blood had been removed. Similarly, sacrificial meat must not be eaten until after the animal’s blood has been sprinkled on the altar. In our verse the Torah again exhorts us to resist the temptation based on a long tradition to eat blood. Consuming blood is one of the ways through which the Israelites might suffer a relapse to the ways of paganism. The prohibition to eat blood occurs no fewer than seven times in the Torah. (Leviticus 3,17; 7,26; 17,12; 17,14; 19,26; Deut. 12,16; 12,23). It is quite customary to repeat again and again injunctions against practices considered as especially objectionable in the eyes of the Lord. For instance, the work-prohibition on the Sabbath appears on 12 separate occasions. This is because the Sabbath legislation is considered as equaling in importance all other laws of the Torah combined (Maimonides end of Hilchot Shabbat). The subject of the Exodus from Egypt appears no fewer than 50 times in the Torah, showing how fundamental to Judaism this event is considered by the Torah. Another possible reason why he Torah here uses the unusual phrasing of “only be strong,” is that seeing that it is a widespread perception that consuming the blood of an animal strengthens the body of the person eating it, it is natural for people to think that the whole purpose of eating meat is in order to make the blood part of one’s own body. The Torah therefore has to tell the Israelite that his body will become stronger if he does not eat the blood of the animal. What does science say?  Does drinking of animal blood makes you live longer and powerful? Some people drink blood for various reasons, including for energy or because of subcultures like vampires. It’ll more likely make you sick. Human digestive systems do not cope well with raw blood. Blood can contain harmful bacteria, pathogens, and diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. Consuming blood can also lead to iron toxicity, which can damage the liver, lungs, and nerves. If it’s cooked, as in black pudding (a UK food made with pig’s blood) then it’ll digest okay. It won’t make you strong or make you live longer though, it’s just food like anything else. It has no magical properties. Raw blood will likely make a person vomit. A small amount might not but you risk, as with any raw meat product, taking in diseases that would have been killed by cooking. So no, drinking blood will not make you live longer, it’ll more likely make your life shorter. And it will not make you powerful other than increasing the power of your vomit muscles. Short answer - don’t do it. So as usual the Torah is protecting us.  Tur HaAroch quotes  Ramban writes that although the reason given by the Torah here and elsewhere for not eating blood, i.e. that it is equivalent to ea

The Talmud's Taanit 29a says that Tisha B'Av is a day of mourning because God metaphorically said, 'Since you cried for no reason, I'll give you something to cry about!' . Tisha B'Av commemorates five calamities that the Jewish nation has experienced:  • The sin of the spies Before the Israelites entered the land of Israel, 12 spies explored the land and brought a bad report to Moses, causing the Jews in the desert to refuse to enter. • Destruction of the First Temple In 586 BCE, the Babylonians, led by Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the First Temple built by King Solomon. The Talmud says the destruction began on the Ninth of Av and continued throughout the Tenth of Av. • Destruction of the Second Temple In 70 CE, the Romans destroyed the Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah. • Destruction of Beitar In 135 CE, the Romans suppressed the Bar Kokhba revolt and destroyed the city of Beitar, killing over 500,000 Jews. • Plowing of the Temple Mount Roman general Turnus Rufus plowed the Temple area in Jerusalem, rebuilding the city as a pagan city. לָכֵן֙ בִּגְלַלְכֶ֔ם צִיּ֖וֹן שָׂדֶ֣ה תֵֽחָרֵ֑שׁ וִירוּשָׁלַ֙͏ִם֙ עִיִּ֣ין תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְהַ֥ר הַבַּ֖יִת לְבָמ֥וֹת יָֽעַר׃ {פ} Assuredly, because of youZion shall be plowed as a field,Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruinsAnd the Temple Mount a shrine in the woods. Rabbi Yosef Bitton writes: . The least known of these tragedies is also one of the most relevant, as in some way, the relevance of this act is still present.  I refer to the 'plowing of the city' of Jerusalem (חרישת העיר) in the year 130 CE. To understand why the city was plowed—and what this meant at the time—we must review what happened after the Romans destroyed the Second Temple (year 68 CE).

 Is There Ever Enough Gold?     We begin the Fifth book of the Torah this week, thebook of Devarim. We have mentioned many times that the Rabbis teach us thatthis book made up primarily of Moshe Rabeynu’s final speech and testament wasan optional book to be included at Moses discretion. The first three portionsfeature Moses narrating a brief history of the past four decades to those aboutto enter the land (see our short class on Deravim, memory and Tisha BeAb).  The opening verse is as follows:      אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨רדִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֡רבָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ מ֨וֹל ס֜וּף בֵּֽין־פָּארָ֧ן וּבֵֽין־תֹּ֛פֶל וְלָבָ֥ן וַחֲצֵרֹ֖תוְדִ֥י זָהָֽב׃     These are the words that Moses addressed to allIsrael on the other side of the Jordan.—Through the wilderness, in the Arabahnear Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab,  The Rabbis teach us that these words refer to placesand hint at where the Jews sinned in the desert. But then Moses adds one moreplace, “Di Zahav.”  Rashi explains: “In the vicinity of Di Zahav”, healluded to the affair of the golden calf, that due to Am Yisrael’s excessivewealth they sinned and fashioned a calf out of gold.  I would like to share a story and a lesson based onthe teachings of Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef ZSL as posted by Halacha Yomit whichshould motivate each of us lilmod ulelamed. Not only to learn but to realizethe best path to learn is to give over what I learn, lishma, for the sake ofHeaven.   There was once a gaon, philosopher and kabbalist,Rebbi Yehudah Aryeh of Modena z”l (1571-1648) who has a book called “Ari Nohem”and responsa. This gaon was graced by Hashem with a great talent for learning,his was literally a fulfilment of the passuk, “the words of his palate aresweet and he is all delight” [Shir HaShirim 5:16]. He lived in Venice andduring his time there was a huge bet knesset in the city which could seat athousand men.     One day the gabbaim of the bet knesset came to therav and asked him that since they don’t have a rav who can give derashot thathe come on Shabbat to the bet knesset and give them a derashah before Musaph.The rav replied that since the bet knesset was far from his home and he wasgetting old he was unable to come and give them a derashah. The gabbaim greatlypressured him to head to their request to come just for one Shabbat. Until therav was unable to withstand their pressures and he ceded to their request tocome and give them a derashah.     On Shabbat Kodesh before Musaph the rav was honoredto stand before the whole kehillah and he gave a derashah for a full hour aboutthe Parashah of the week. The rav darshened and his mouth spoke pearls andgems! The congregation made their ears receptive to hear his sweet words andthey very much enjoyed it. They were literally unaware that a whole hour hadpassed!     On Sunday the gabbaim came to the rav’s home. Theysaid to him, “Kavod harav we have brought you something, not chas veshalom as apayment, for it is impossible to paid his honor for the words more preciousthan gold and fine gold, just a token due to ‘appreciation’, we brought hishonor a gold watch!” The rav saw and accepted the watch. The gabbaim said tohim, “Kavod harav, his honor saw how much the congregation benefitted from hiswords on Shabbat, do us a favor for Hashem’s sake and darshen before us alsothis coming Shabbat, this is a matter of meriting the many!” The rav responded,“I cannot! It is difficult for me to make the journey to you on Shabbat!” Thegabbaim said to him, “How hard is it? Since this Shabbat his honor already cameto us, if so, just like on one Shabbat his honor was able to walk, so shall hedo also on this coming Shabbat!” The rav answered them, “Fine, I will come alsothis Shabbat! One Shabbat and that will be enough!”  The rav was further honored to darshan and the betknesset was packed from wall to wall and all the congregation were listeningmost intently to every word that came out of his mouth, “words that come out ofthe heart enter the heart!” [The source of this adage is Rav Moshe ibn Ezra z”l1055-1140 in his Shirat Yisrael.] A whole hour did the rav speak and then hereturned home.     On the next day, Sunday, again the gabbaim arrivedat the rav’s home, they said to him, “Kavod harav the payment which his honoris entitled to has no bounds, but we have just brought a token gift, theyproduced an expensive chandelier and presented it to the rav.” Immediatelyafterwards they again pressured the rav that he come again on the next Shabbatto the bet knesset to darshan for a third time since “a three-ply cord Is noteasily severed” [see Kohelet 4:12] and the rav’s words in a further derashah willcertainly make a tremendous impression!     The rav agreed and again arrived in the bet knesset, but this Shabbat the rav’s deras

Memory means connecting  The disconnect between generations is tragic  The attempt of the rabbis is to remove the disconnect  הִנֵּ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ שֹׁלֵ֣חַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם יְהֹוָ֔ה הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא׃ Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of GOD. https://www.sefaria.org/Malachi.3.23 וְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִ֖ים עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם פֶּן־אָב֕וֹא וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ חֵֽרֶם׃ He shall reconcile parents with children and children with their parents, so that, when I come, I do not strike the whole land with utter destruction.Lo, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of GOD. https://www.sefaria.org/Malachi.3.24 והשיב, והוא ישיב את כל העולם בתשובה, עד שהבנים שהודחו מתורת אבותיהם ישיב לב הבנים אל אבותיהם לחזור אל הדת ותורת אבותם, ועי'כ ישיב לב אבות על בנים, ומבאר הטעם שיקדים לשלוח את אליהו בעת ההיא לישר את העם מפני כי פן אבוא פתאום והכיתי את כל הארץ חרם, ולכן יקדים לשלוח מלאך הברית להשיבם בתשובה ולהיות מוכנים לפני ה' בבואו לשפוט את הארץ והיתה לה' המלוכה: https://www.sefaria.org/Malbim_on_Malachi.3.24.1 מִיכָּן הָיָה רִבִּי פִינְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר אוֹמֵר. זְרִיזוּת מְבִיאָה לִידֵי נְקִיּוּת. נְקִיּוּת מְבִיאָה לִידֵי טַהֳרָה. טַהֳרָה מְבִיאָה לִידֵי קְדוּשָּׁה. קְדוּשָּׁה לִידֵי עֲנָוָה. עֲנָוָה לִידֵי יִרְאַת חֵטְ. יִרְאַת חֵטְ לִידֵי רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ. רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ לִידֵי חֲסִידוּת. חֲסִידוּת לִידֵי תְחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים. תְּחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים לִידֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ זָכוּר לַטּוֹב. זְרִיזוּת לִידֵי נְקִיּוּת. וְכִלָּה וְכִיפֵּר. נְקִיּוּת לִידֵי טַהֳרָה. וְכִפֶּ֥ר עָלֶי֛הָ הַכֹּהֵן֭ וְטָהֵֽרָה. טַהֳרָה לִידֵי קְדוּשָּׁה. וְטִֽיהֲרוֹ וְקִידְּשׁוֹ. קְדוּשָּׁה לִידֵי עֲנָוָה. כִּי֩ כֹ֨ה אָמַ֜ר רָ֣ם וְנִישָּׂא שׁוֹכֵן עַד֙ וְקָד֣וֹשׁ שְׁמ֔וֹ מָר֥וֹם וְקָד֖וֹשׁ אֶשְׁכּ֑וֹן וְאֶת־דַּכָּא֙ וּשְׁפַל־ר֔וּחַ. עֲנָוָה לִידֵי יִרְאַת חֵטְ. דִּכְתִיב עֵ֣קֶב עֲ֭נָוָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְי. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר אֶלְעָזָר. מַה שֶׁעָשָׂת חָכְמָה עֲטָרָה לְרֹאשָׁהּ עָשָׂת עֲנָוָה עֵקֶב לְסוּלְייָסָהּ. דִּכְתִיב רֵ֘אשִׁ֤ית חָכְמָ֨ה ׀ יִרְאַ֬ת יְי. וּכְתִיב עֵ֣קֶב עֲ֭נָוָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְי. יִרְאַת חֵטְ לִידֵי רוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ. דִּכְתִיב אָ֗ז תָּ֭בִין יִרְאַ֣ת ה' וְדַ֖עַת אֱלֹקִים תִּמְצָֽא׃ רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ לִידֵי חֲסִידוּת. דִּכְתִיב אָ֤ז דִּבַּ֪רְתָּֽ־בְחָ֡זוֹן לַֽחֲסִידֶ֗יךָ. חֲסִידוּת לִידֵי תְחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים. דִּכְתִיב וְנָֽתַתִּ֨י רוּחִ֤י בָכֶם֙ וִֽחְיִיתֶ֔ם. תְּחִייַת הַמֵּתִים לִידֵי אֵלִיָּהוּ זָכוּר לַטּוֹב. דִּכְתִיב הִנֵּ֤ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ שׁוֹלֵחַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵת֭ אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם יְי הַגָּד֭וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא וְהֵשִׁ֤יב לֵֽב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִי֭ם עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם. תַּנֵּי בְשֵׁם רִבִּי מֵאִיר. כָּל־מִי שֶׁהוּא קָבוּעַ בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹכֵל חוּלָיו בְּטַהֳרָה וּמְדַבֵּר בְּלָשׁוֹן הַקּוֹדֶשׁ וְקוֹרֵא אֶת שְׁמַע בַּבּוֹקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב מוּבְטַח לוֹ שֶׁהוּא מֵחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. “From here did Rebbi Phineas ben Yair say, promptitude brings to cleanliness, cleanliness brings to purity, purity brings to holiness, holiness to meekness, meekness to fear of sin, fear of sin to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit to piety, piety to the Resurrection of the Dead, the Resurrection of the Dead through Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing.”“Promptitude to cleanliness,” he finishes, and he atones.“Cleanliness to purity,” the Cohen shall atone for her, then she will be pure.“Purity to holiness,” he shall purify it and sanctify it.“Holiness to meekness,” for so says the High and Elevated One, Who thrones eternally, His name is Holy, in sublimity and holiness I dwell, and the suppressed and of meek spirit.“Meekness to fear of sin,” the consequence of meekness is fear of the Eternal. Rebbi Isaac bar Eleazar said, what wisdom proclaimed as a crown to its head, meekness made a heel for its sandal, for it is written, the head of wisdom is the fear of the Eternal, but it is written, the heel of meekness is fear of the Eternal.“Fear of sin to the Holy Spirit,” as it is written, then you will understand and knowledge of God you will find.“The Holy Spirit to piety,” as it is written, then You spoke in a vision to Your pious.“Piety to the Resurrection of the Dead,” as it is written, I shall give My Spirit into you and you will live.“The Resurrection of the Dead through Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing,” as it is written, behold I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Eternal, that he turn the fathers’ hearts to the sons and the sons’ hearts to their fathers.It was stated in the name of Rebbi Meïr: Anybody permanently in the Land of Israel who eats his profane food in purity, speaks in the holy language, and recites the Shemaˋ mornings and evenings is assured to participate in the life of the World to Come. https://www.sefaria.org/Jerusalem_Talmud_Shabbat.1.3.11

“Chodesh Av,” the Month of Av, is referred to in the TORAH as the “Fifth Month,” counting from Nisan, the “First Month.” There is a Biblical reference in BaMidbar (33:38), where we find “And Aharon the Priest went up to Hor Hahar at the command of G-d, and he died there in the fortieth year after the Jewish People had left Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first of the month.” (BaMidbar 33:38). This is the only Yahrzeit mentioned in the Torah specifically with a date. The kavana and permutation of Hashem's name which we have in mind during the blessing of the month on Rosh Hodesh in the Amidah of Musaf is  ה ו י ה It comes from the pasuk in Devarim  ט) וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים הַלְוִיִּ֔ם אֶ֥ל כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הַסְכֵּ֤ת ׀ וּשְׁמַע֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ נִהְיֵ֣יתָֽ לְעָ֔ם לַיהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃  (9) Moses spoke, and the levitical priests, to all Israel, saying: Hasket! Hear, O Israel! This very day you have become the people of your God יה - - וה: Rav Yisrael Simcha Schorr quotes an Agra d’Kallah (from the Bnei Yissaschar) that cites a Zohar at the end of Parshas Pinchas which states that Yaakov and Esav divided the months between themselves. Yaakov symbolizes the middas harachamim, compassion, while Esav symbolizes the middas hadin, justice. Certain months are connected more to din and others are connected to rachamim. Esav wanted to take all the summer months, Tammuz, Av, and Elul. As we know, Tammuz and Av are difficult months for us, times of din. However, Yaakov would not allow Esav to take the month of Elul, as it would be too hard on Klal Yisrael to come into the din of Rosh Hashanah without the rachamim of Elul. We need Hashem’s compassion for a full month in order to face the great Day of Judgment. Esav complained that Yaakov has tricked him twice, that he had taken away from him those two months. Every year during the month of Elul, this struggle between Yaakov and Esav is renewed. Esav wishes to retrieve the month for himself.  Yaakov in seeking ways to sweeten jusgment with lovingkindness, Ya’akov managed to liberate the second portion of Av from Esav. (This took place when he defeated the Sar of Esav in the 'wrestling' match. The result is that now the second half of Av is joined with the entire month of Elul, the month of Teshuvah, the best time for getting back into alignment with the Divine will. Indeed, the Holy Qedushat Levi, Rebbe Levi Yitzhak of Berditchev, noted that Av is an acronym for Arur (cursed) and Barukh (blessed). The blessing part of Av begins with this parashah and reaches its height on the 15th of Av.

 What was Pe’or really all about?    Pe’or is based on a Pe’or culture which is the antithesis of the Torah Moses gave us. Pe’or is based on deifying that which comes naturally. If my body wants to defecate, that’s beautiful. If my body feels the need to sleep with that woman although she is someone else’s wife, then I must heed my body. If my body desires someone forbiidden or even an animal, then it must be acceptable. If I hunger for anything, then I must feed that hunger. If today I feel like a man, I am a man and if tomorrow I feel like a woman, I am a woman. The key to Pe’or is shedding any and every aspect ofself-control. It is freedom from responsibility. It is the pursuit of every type of sensual self-indulgence and sensual pleasure as an end in itself. Its apex is in the serving of ones basest inclinations.   Rabbi Abittan would teach that the purpose of the Torah is to take us from slavery to freedom and the highest level of freedom is when one can exercise complete self-control while living in the real world. One is free when one is no longer a slave and there is no master as powerful as our inclination. Moses, the messenger through whom Hashem gave the Torah, taught us that G dliness can and must permeate through all of reality; it must even dictate our approach to physical pleasures.   The danger of Pe’or is real. We live in a Pe’or society. We live in a world of excuses and justifications. We live in a world where we are told to be who we want to be. We live in a world where almost anything goes. We live in a world where we are told not to bridle our passions. We live in a world where we are told to applaud those who are free. But that’s not freedom. That’s slavery. And it’s so dangerous that Moses himself is buried opposite Pe’or, perhaps to always remind us that we as Moses’ people must remain opposite of what Pe’or stands for. Only through control, can we be truly free.     

City of Refuge Kohen Gadol His Mother  Rabbi Aryeh Levine 

אַל־תְּהִ֤י צַדִּיק֙ הַרְבֵּ֔ה׃ So don’t overdo goodness https://www.sefaria.org/Ecclesiastes.7.16 אַל תְּהִי צַדִּיק הַרְבֵּה. כְּשָׁאוּל, שֶׁדִּמָּה לִהְיוֹת צַדִּיק וְרִחֵם עַל הָרְשָׁעִים: Be not exceedingly righteous. Like Shaul, who tried to display his righteousness and [misdirected] his mercy on the wicked. https://www.sefaria.org/Rashi_on_Ecclesiastes.7.16.1 אל תהי צדיק הרבה. בשאול איירי קרא, שבשעה שאמר לו הקב'ה לך והכיתה את עמלק התחיל מדיין הוא, אם אנשים חטאו, הנשים והטף והצאן והבקר מה חטאו, יצתה בת קול ואמרה אל תצדק הרבה יותר מבוראך .(שם) https://www.sefaria.org/Torah_Temimah_on_Ecclesiastes.7.16.1

From the 17th of Tammuz until 9 Ab  Reversed energy  Is it dangerous or Sad 

Goal is to Live the Life of the Righteous BALAK  וַיָּ֣שׇׁב אֵלָ֔יו וְהִנֵּ֥ה נִצָּ֖ב עַל־עֹלָת֑וֹ ה֖וּא וְכׇל־שָׂרֵ֥י מוֹאָֽב׃ So he returned to him and found him standing beside his offerings, and all the Moabite dignitaries with him.  וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר מִן־אֲ֠רָ֠ם יַנְחֵ֨נִי בָלָ֤ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מוֹאָב֙ מֵֽהַרְרֵי־קֶ֔דֶם לְכָה֙ אָֽרָה־לִּ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּלְכָ֖ה זֹעֲמָ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ He took up his theme, and said:From Aram has Balak brought me,Moab’s king from the hills of the East:Come, curse me Jacob,Come, tell Israel’s doom!  מָ֣ה אֶקֹּ֔ב לֹ֥א קַבֹּ֖ה אֵ֑ל וּמָ֣ה אֶזְעֹ֔ם לֹ֥א זָעַ֖ם יְהֹוָֽה׃ How can I damn whom God has not damned,How doom when יהוה has not doomed?  כִּֽי־מֵרֹ֤אשׁ צֻרִים֙ אֶרְאֶ֔נּוּ וּמִגְּבָע֖וֹת אֲשׁוּרֶ֑נּוּ הֶן־עָם֙ לְבָדָ֣ד יִשְׁכֹּ֔ן וּבַגּוֹיִ֖ם לֹ֥א יִתְחַשָּֽׁב׃ As I see them from the mountain tops,Gaze on them from the heights,There is a people that dwells apart,Not reckoned among the nations,  מִ֤י מָנָה֙ עֲפַ֣ר יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּמִסְפָּ֖ר אֶת־רֹ֣בַע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל תָּמֹ֤ת נַפְשִׁי֙ מ֣וֹת יְשָׁרִ֔ים וּתְהִ֥י אַחֲרִיתִ֖י כָּמֹֽהוּ׃ Who can count the dust of Jacob,Number the dust-cloud of Israel?May I die the death of the upright, May my fate be like theirs! 

n the 1930s, a dark joke was told about a rabbi in Germany who was reading the Nazi paper called Der Stürmer. A congregant came up to him, astonished, and said, “Rabbi, how can you be reading that Nazi rag, filled with libels of the worst kind. Are you some kind of masochist, or, God forbid, a self-hating Jew?” “On the contrary,” the rabbi responded, “When I used to read the Jewish papers, all I learned about were pogroms, riots in Palestine, and assimilation in America. But now that I read Der Stürmer, I see that the Jews control all the banks, we pull all the strings in the art world and cinema, and that we’re on the verge of taking over the entire world. You know – it makes me feel a whole lot better!”

L'N Chana Bat Jacquline by Michael Dahan  And Moshe ben Esther 

 Seeking Heaven on Earth or Turning Earth into Heaven    Having spent a week studying the portionof the Meraglim, end delving into the additional support given to Joshua and Caleb, and learning that the neshamot of the original Shevatim joined each of the ten other meraglim to boost (although unsuccessfully) their spiritual awareness, I am trying to understand the mindset of the ten. I endeavor to put myself in their shoes and figure out why they did what they did.  We read the various explanations discussing their intent, but something was still missing for me. If we look at Rashi, we see that at first, he praises the Meraglim quoting the Torah’s description of them as anashim - men and telling how important each and everyone of them in fact was. The rabbis tell us that the Torah lists their names inorder of importance, and we don’t find Joshua or Caleb until the middle of thelist. We have to ask, if these guys were so special, how did they mess up?     But then Rashi tells us that they wentin as they came out and with that, he explains that just as they came out withan evil intention, they went in with an evil intention.      So, when did they go from important,honorable, righteous people to people who went in with this evil intent?  I think we can also get a feel for wherethey went wrong or what the thought process which led to their miscalculationwas by looking at the responses to them by Joshua and Caleb.     I don’t think that anyone goes in withthe intent to derail a mission unless they think that they are totallyjustified and righteous in what they are doing. These ten must have thoughtthat they were doing the most beneficial thing for Benai Yisrael.     Many of our rabbi suggest that themeraglim thought it best to stay in the desert under the leadership of Moseswhere they could eat the maan, drink from the well of Miriam, dwell in theprotection of the divine clouds and study the Torah firsthand within a life ofperfection rather than leaving that Heaven on Earth and connecting themselvesto a land, to a battle and to farming to work, where the torah might beforgotten.     Caleb tells them that we can surely goup and inherit the land because Hashem gives us the ability. We explained inthe class based on the Talmud in Sotah that he saying that even if you gave usladders, we could climb into heaven provided we have Hashem‘s assistance. Whenthey are afraid and the strength of those in the land. Joshua tells them:'Have no fear of the people of the country, for they are our prey: theirprotection has departed from them, but the Lord is with us' (14:9).       Ibelieve we have a reasonable clue as to what was on the minds of the 10 spies.     If we say that they were righteous andsuddenly everything changed when they were ready to go into the land, thensomething happens at the time of their appointment. Perhaps until then theydidn’t feel a responsibility for the nation as a whole, but at this point, asleaders, they became responsible and with that responsibility, tremendous feartakes hold.  At this point in the story, we are abouta year and a few months after the exodus. In that time, we left Egypt, we cameto Mount Sinai, we heard and were present at the revelation. 40 days later,Moses returns with the first tablets to find us worshiping a golden calf. 80days after that, Moses returns with the second set of tablets on Yom Kippur. Afew days later, we begin the construction of the mishkan - tabernacle which iscompleted in the winter, but is not dedicated until the first of Nissan. We gothrough a second Pesach and the Pesach Sheni. The next step is to go andconquer the land.     In our class on Shabbat, we quoted abeautiful thought of the Shvilei Pinchas who suggests that the first luchot -tablets were associated with the Etz HaChaim – The tree of life in the gardenof Eden. Those tablets were pure and the Torah within them was pure. Thosetables relate to Adam HaRishon before the sin. The Torah relating to the Etz HaChaim is described as the Shivim Panim –the 70 faces of the Torah.     Just as Adam fell, we fell through theegel hazah, the golden calf, and the second tablets relate to the tree ofknowledge of good and evil which Adam ate from. Within the second set of luchotare good and evil. There is a mixture and with that the confusion it brings.      About these tablets, we describe a Torahwhere each law is taught by Hashem to Moses in 49 ways to prove something ispure and 49 ways to prove something is impure. And when Moses asks what thedecision is, Hashem tells him that the decision is up to man below.  After man’s fall through the calf, thismixture of good and evil requires man to delve through and struggle in theTorah to bring out the truth relative to us.   These spies now have this job of delvingin and b

Moshe and Joshua Caleb and the Avot 

Shlach Lecha,  Rashi : שלח לך אנשים. לָמָּה נִסְמְכָה פָרָשַׁת מְרַגְּלִים לְפָרָשַׁת מִרְיָם? לְפִי שֶׁלָּקְתָה עַל עִסְקֵי דִבָּה, שֶׁדִּבְּרָה בְאָחִיהָ, וּרְשָׁעִים הַלָּלוּ רָאוּ וְלֹא לָקְחוּ מוּסָר (תנחומא): שלח לך אנשים SEND THOU MEN — Why is the section dealing with the spies put in juxtaposition with the section dealing with Miriam’s punishment? To show the grievousness of the spies’ sin: because she (Miriam) was punished on account of the slander which she uttered against her brother, and these sinners witnessed it and yet they did not take a lesson from her (Midrash Tanchuma, Sh'lach 5). Of these 12 princes, one was Moshe's greatest student, Hoshea. Anticipating the possibility of trouble, Moshe added the letter 'yud' to Hoshea's name giving the now, Yehoshua, an 'injection' of holiness to help protect him from that trouble.  Ohr HaChaim: We already mentioned that our sages said that Moses prayed concerning Joshua. Why did he have to change his name in addition? Perhaps Moses wanted to give Joshua additional power to resist wicked advice seeing that the first three letters of his name now represented the three letters making up the tetragram. The letter י which Moses added to Hoshea's name has a numerical value of 10 and symbolised that he could resist the advice of ten of his colleagues. It would also eventually enable him to inherit the share of ארץ ישראל that the ten wicked spies would forfeit due to their conduct. This is based on a comment in Chagigah 15  R’ Bachya: Our sages in Sotah 34 comment that Moses added the latter י to Hoshea’s name so that the letters י-ה at the beginning of his name represented a prayer that he should be saved from making common cause with the majority of the spies.  Daat Zakenim . When Sarah’s name שרי had been changed to שרה, she had lost a letter, i.e. the letter י. Joshua now received this letter.  Discuss humility. Last week  Sarah  Stand up 

Today is Yom Yerushalayim where we celebrate the unification of Jerusalem and the miracles of the Six Day War. Following the War of Independence in 1948 when the Arab countries surrounding Israel rejected the partition plan and sought to annihilate the 600,000 Jewish residents of the new State, the Jewish people won a resounding victory, but Jordan took possession of the Old City of Jerusalem. Those who had been living in the Old City, lost their homes. Synagogues and Yeshivot were destroyed and the area around the Wall was stripped of Jews who had been living there for decades and centuries. We could no longer worship at the Kotel.  19 years later the voice of Motta Gur, commander of the paratrooper’s brigade, rings in our ears and we can all hear his historical announcement: “Har Ha-bayit be-yadeinu!” “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” ... It is this we celebrate with Hallel and praise for Hashem’s miracles.  We read each day in the Amida:  תִּשְׁכּוֹן בְּתוֹךְ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיִם עִֽירְךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּֽרְתָּ, וְכִסֵּא דָוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה בְּתוֹכָהּ תָּכִין, וּבְנֵה אוֹתָהּ בִּנְיַן עוֹלָם בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵֽינוּ Dwell within Jerusalem Your city, as You spoke about, & the throne of David, Your servant, speedily prepare it within it, & build it an eternal structure speedily in our days. We mention the throne of David. Some compare the throne below with the throne above and just as we long for the throne below to be re-established, we realize that in some ways, the throne above is not whole.  We read each Friday morning, Friday afternoon, evening and Shabbat:  נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃ Your throne stands firm from of old; from eternity You have existed. Again the throne!  When Amalek attacks Benai Yisrael after leaving Egypt, Moshe sends Joshua to fight them. It is there we are commanded never to forget what Amalek does and Moses builds an alter and says  וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כִּֽי־יָד֙ עַל־כֵּ֣ס כַּהּ מִלְחָמָ֥ה לַהֹ’ בַּֽעֲמָלֵ֑ק מִדֹּ֖ר דֹּֽר׃ He said, “It means, ‘Hand upon the throne of Hashem, Hashem will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.” Rashi asks: And what is the force of כס — why does it not say as usual (throne or chair) כסא? And the Divine Name, also, is divided into half (Kah is only the half of the Tetragrammaton)! The Holy One, blessed be He, swears that His Name will not be perfect nor His throne perfect until the name of Amalek be entirely blotted out.  And I would venture to put forward based on this that Amalek and the establishment and rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple are diametrically opposed.  Although Jerusalem is mentioned in Tanach in some way between 700 and 800 times, it is not mentioned at all in the Torah itself.  We do have a verse in Devarim which states:  כִּ֠י אִֽם־אֶל־הַמָּק֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֨ר הֹ but look only to the site that Hashem will choose amidst all your tribes as Hashem’s habitation, to establish the divine name there.  There you are to go, Rabbeynu Bachya writes: The place in question is Mount Moriah; it is well known among the Goyim. They know of its spiritual advantages through tradition. There is no need to mention this location by name. The people all had a tradition that this was where their ancestor Yitzchak had lain bound on the altar. Maimonides writes in his Moreh Nevuchim (3,45) that there were three reasons why the location of the future Temple was not spelled out at this point.  1) If the nations of the world had known that in that location prayers are answered positively by G’d and sacrifices are welcome to Him, every nation would have made a supreme effort to take possession of that site. This would have resulted in untold slaughter among the nations and ongoing strife among them.  2) If the Canaanites who dwelled in the land at the time Moses spoke these words had heard of them and they had realized that the Israelites would dispossess them and take over that site they would have utterly destroyed it before the Jewish people had a chance to conquer it.  3) Even the tribes of the Israelites would have argued among themselves in whose territory this site, would be located at the time the land was distributed among the tribes. Such a division among the people would have been even worse than the rebellion of Korach when the people were not prepared to recognize the preferred hereditary status of the Priests.  For all these reasons Moses preferred not to spell out the exact location of where the Temple would be built in the future. If even the Jews did not know the location, it is clear that the Gentiles did not know it either. Although everyone knew of the significance of Mount Moriah in the past, they had no idea of what this meant in terms of its future religious significance, in terms of the place G’d would choose. We know that even King David did not know that Har HoMoriah was the mount to build the Temple on. He originally selected the

Mishkan Leviim  Flags 

    אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖יתֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃  If youfollow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments,  וְנָתַתִּ֥י גִשְׁמֵיכֶ֖םבְּעִתָּ֑ם וְנָתְנָ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יְבוּלָ֔הּ וְעֵ֥ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֖ה יִתֵּ֥ן פִּרְיֽוֹ׃  I will grantyour rains in their season, so that the earth shall yield its produce and thetrees of the field their fruit.  וְהִשִּׂ֨יג לָכֶ֥םדַּ֙יִשׁ֙ אֶת־בָּצִ֔יר וּבָצִ֖יר יַשִּׂ֣יג אֶת־זָ֑רַע וַאֲכַלְתֶּ֤ם לַחְמְכֶם֙ לָשֹׂ֔בַעוִֽישַׁבְתֶּ֥ם לָבֶ֖טַח בְּאַרְצְכֶֽם׃  Yourthreshing shall overtake the vintage, and your vintage shall overtake thesowing; you shall eat your fill of bread and dwell securely in your land.  וְנָתַתִּ֤י שָׁלוֹם֙בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּשְׁכַבְתֶּ֖ם וְאֵ֣ין מַחֲרִ֑יד׃  I will grantpeace in the land, and you shall lie down untroubled by anyone;     

One of the most uniquely celebrated days on the Jewish calendar is ל'ג בעמר /Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day of the Omer-Count), when tens of thousands of Jews descend upon Meiron in the Galil to celebrate the yartzeit (anniversary of death) of the holy Tanna Rabi Shimon bar Yochai (known by the acronym Rashbi), the primary author of the teachings found in the Sefer HaZohar. And ultimately all of Eretz Yisrael is ablaze on Lag BaOmer with bonfires lit in honor of the day. Though, as celebrated as this day is, if one delves into the matter, it’s actually not so straightforward what exactly is being celebrated. That is, most people understand that Lag BaOmer is a double-rejoicing over the fact that the students of Rabi Akiva ceased to die after many weeks of them passing away in a plague, together with a celebration in honor of the yartzeit of Rashbi. But the truth of the matter is that neither of these explanations for the Lag BaOmer festivities is clear cut. In order to understand why not, let’s first get the necessary background. Based on Insights of HaGaon HaGadol Rav Yaakov Hillel shlit”a In the פתיחה and first essay of his sefer on Lag BaOmer – Eid HaGal HaZeh * Prepared by Chaim Rosenblatt Also based on the notes of Rav Pinchas Friedman