Thursday, May 27, 2010

Beha'aloscha - Revealing Hidden Light

Why was the mitzvah of Pesach Sheni revealed through the question of the impure individuals? How can one 'make up' the korban Pesach (Passover offering) in a different month? What is the spiritual power of Iyar? Why is Pesach Sheni only one day? Why can the Pesach sheni be eaten when one has Chametz in his home? Why were the Jews specifically counted on the first day of Iyar? Why did the Mon begin to fall on the fifteenth of Iyar? Why could the Mon only fall after the Jews requested it?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

P.S. This podcast is very connected to the whole Geulah concept, and although I did not directly speak about the recent events that have occurred in Iyar, you will gain a very deep understanding of them here. I am also making the document that I typed up available here, and it contains a piece that I left out of the audio due to time constraints. There is a lot more to talk about based on the principle here, which I hope to write about in a future post.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Thoughts on 5770 and Geulah

Before I begin this post, I want to preface it with a thought on the Gemara in Sanhedrin (97b) which was recently learned in the Daf Yomi. The Gemara quotes the statement of R' Shmuel Bar Nachmeni in the name of R' Yonasan, "Let the bones of those who calculate the end blow up." This is based on the passuk in Chavakuk which says, "כי עוד חזון למועד ויפח לקץ ולא יכזב אם יתמהמה חכה לו כי בא יבא לא יאחר" - "There is another vision of an appointed time, the final redemption, which will not be found false; If it takes a long time in coming, wait for it, it will come, it will not be late." Here the drasha is on the words "ויפח לקץ" which literally mean "the end that is spoken of of." The word "ויפח" can also be translated as blow up (as in blowing up a balloon). This would seem to discourage us from trying to figure out the end. Nevertheless, the second half of the drasha explains that the reason why the 'bones of those who calculate will blow up,' is because by doing so, when the time that they have calculated passes, people will give up hope from continuing to wait. Thus, the passuk is telling us that we can't make a calculation such that people will give up on Moshiach's arrival. Rather, if a calculation is made, it must not discourage people from continuing to wait, and they must still know that, no matter what, he will arrive at the very moment that is intended by Hashem.

With that said, the following ideas are my own observations and they may or may not have deep significance. Furthermore, as I believe I have mentioned in the past, I once heard from a certain Rav in my neighborhood that the Ramban says that every year has a hint in the Torah that Moshiach will come, because every year has the potential for Moshiach's arrival. Thus, we must be assured that even if the following turns out to be insignificant, we must not give up hope from waiting. In any event, I believe that the year we are currently in may be a significant turning point in the Geulah process, as I will try to demonstrate.

The basis of the thoughts that follow is the year we are currently in, תש"ע - 5770. If one looks at the places where this number (תש"ע - 770) appears in the Torah, there are some extremely interesting findings. I first took notice of this in last week's parsha, Parshas Nasso, where the number 770 (תש"ע) appears fourteen times. Thirteen of these times is in the word קערת, which is repeated in the offerings of the nesi'im which were brought in the dedication of the mishkan. This would not seem to have too much significance until one looks carefully at the midrash. There it goes through the special intent that was completely different for each of the seemingly identical offerings brought by the nesi'im. The midrash deals with the significance of every facet of the offerings, as well as the measures of each offering and what the numbers represent. The focus of the offering of the nasi of the tribe of Reuven completely centered around the fact that Reuven attempted to save Yosef from the anger of his brothers. Thus, the midrash reads the word קערת as עקרת, a reference to Reuven being the main (עיקר) one who saved Yosef. This is the first hint that the number 770 has to do with Yosef. This hint can also be found in a Rashi in Tehillim on the verse (113:9) "מושיבי עקרת הבית אם הבנים שמחה" - "He places the barren of the household to be the joyous mother of children." Rashi there says that this 'barren woman' is reference to ציון, another name for Yerushalayim, which is desolate and empty of her children. The word ציון and יוסף share the gematria of 156 (as is noted in Kol Hator), and thus we find that the midrash states that whatever happened to Yosef happened to Tzion, and vice versa. Thus, we again see that Yosef is connected to the number 770. What is even more interesting is that the midrash, in explaining the word כסף, which is next to קערת, brings an interesting verse to explain it. The verse is from Mishlei (10:20), "כסף נבחר לשון צדיק" - "Choicest silver is the tongue of the righteous." Thus, all of the thirteen times that the Torah mentions the word קערת, the value of which is 770, in this context, it is directly followed by the concept of silver which is associated with the צדיק. Yosef is the one who is always referred to as the צדיק יסוד עולם, the righteous one who is the foundation of the world, and thus we see an important connection between the year we are currently in (קערת = תש"ע) and Yosef hatzadik (hinted to in the word כסף). It is also significant that this theme is constantly repeated in the very psukim that are talking about the initial dedication of the mishkan, and the Shechina that accompanied it. Another interesting point is that the midrash says that the combined gematriahs of the two words קערת כסף is 930, which corresponds to the length of the life of Adam Harishon. Yosef is also intimately connected to Adam Harishon's lifespan, because the very fact that Adam's life was limited to this amount of time was a result of the sin, which also created the necessity for there to be a Moshiach ben Yosef who would rectify that sin. Based on this, it is interesting to note that the word תשע, nine, which also has the numerical value of 770, first appears in the enumeration of the lifespan of Adam in Beraishis (5:5).

Now, let's move on to the other place in Parshas Nasso where the number 770 appears. It is found in chapter 5, verse 7. There the Torah is speaking about the concept of someone who was acting as a guardian over an item that belonged to his friend. He claimed that the item had been lost or stolen, and then swore to that fact. Afterwards, it became clear that he had actually misappropriated it for himself. In such a case, the Torah states that the thief must now return the value of the stolen object and also add on a fifth of its value as well. The numerical value of the word "וחמישתו" - "a fifth" is also 770. This would not seem to be so significant until we actually read the pasuk inside. There we see that word that follows "וחמישתו" is the word "יסף" which, in context, means to add on. Again, Yosef is next to the word that hints to the year we are currently in. Another interesting thought is that the passuk could be read "וחמישתו" - in the fifth millenium - "יסף עליו" - add on the value [of the word וחמישתו, which is 770, and brings us to 5770]. It is also significant that the Ba'al Haturim mentions that in the previous passuk, the Torah refers to this sin as "חטאת האדם" - the sin of Adam (see there). Again, as we saw in the previous disussion of the nesi'im, Moshiach ben Yosef is a rectification of that sin of Adam.

Now we will turn to earlier places in the Torah where this number appears, and we will see some extremely interesting connections and hints to Yosef. The first place the number 770 appears is in the word תמשל, "you shall rule," which appears in Beraishis 4:7. This is the passuk that is Hashem's exhortation to Kayin to be careful not to fall into the trap that awaits him with his relationship with Hevel. In speaking of the sin that potentially awaits him, Hashem says, "ואתה תמשל בו" - You will rule over it. This sin, as we have noted in a previous post, was the classic sin of a fallen Moshiach ben Yosef, and the imperative of the verse seems to be stating that in the end, the final Moshiach ben Yosef will overcome and dominate the destructive force that was unleashed in the world through Adam's sin, which resulted in Kayin's sin.

Even more significant, however, is the second place where the word תמשל (whose numerical value is 770) occurs. This is in Beraishis (37:8). This verse is right in the middle of the story of Yosef, where he has just told his brothers about the dreams that he had. As is noted in Sefer Kol Hator, this was the very moment that Yosef stepped into the role of Moshiach ben Yosef. The response of his brothers is recorded in that verse, "המלך תמלך עלינו אם משול תמשל בנו" - "Will you be king over us, or will you rule over us?" The very word "תמשל" - "rule over us" has the gematria of 770, seeming to imply that this year has a deep connection to Yosef's rule over the Jewish people.

Another significant place that we see a word with the gematria of 770 is found in Beraishis 38:29. This is found in the following chapter which took place right after Yosef was sold, when the Torah records the story of the birth of Yehuda's two sons Zerach and Peretz. There, in speaking of the birth of Peretz, the Torah tells us the words that were said when Peretz 'burst forth,' being born first, though it initially seemed his twin would be first. The passuk says, "ותאמר מה פרצת עליך פרץ" - "And she said, how have you burst forth!" The word פרצת, 'burst forth,' refers to the nature of Moshiach which bursts forth, and has the numerical value of 770. Although this passuk is clearly speaking of the concept of Moshiach ben Dovid, nevertheless, we find that Moshiach ben Yosef always contains an aspect of Moshiach ben Dovid within him, and ultimately, the process of Geulah involves a joining of Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid.

This is particularly significant because we find that every period of time that involves Moshiach ben Yosef actually splits into two halves (and this occurs on multiple levels), the first being of a more external or superficial revelation of Moshiach ben Yosef, the second being a Moshiach ben Dovid type of revelation, that is, a more internal and miraculous type of revelation. Thus, the sixth millennium (from the year 5000-6000) is the millennium of Yosef, who corresponds to the sixth Sefirah of the lower seven, which is Yesod (as we see in the passuk צדיק יסוד עולם). This millennium is broken down into two halves, the first of which is the 'night' of the sixth day (from 5000/1240 until 5500/1740 which corresponds to 6 PM Thursday night - 6 AM Friday morning). This is the concealed aspect of the sixth day. The second half of the millennial day, from 5500/1740 until 6000/2240, corresponds to the revealed aspect of the sixth millennium, or the Moshiach ben Dovid aspect within Moshiach ben Yosef. This second half of the millennium further breaks down into two parts as well, one of which is more hidden, and one of which is more revealed. Thus, the period of time between the years 5500/1740 and 5750/1990 constitutes a more concealed aspect (the aspect of Yosef), whereas the years from 5750/1990 until 6000/2240 constitute the revealed part (or Dovid aspect of Yosef) of this half millennium.

[It might be illustrative to think of this in terms of Yosef himself, in his external or superficial aspect, as the leader of Egypt. This is what is revealed to the masses, and what the world sees. On a deeper level, there is a hidden aspect of Yosef, a פנימיות which could be referred to as צפנת פענח, the revealer of secrets. This is the deeper aspect of Yosef, or what we could call the Moshiach ben Dovid aspect of Moshiach ben Yosef. This distinction is referred to in Kol Hator as the aspects of Yosef ben Rochel and Yosef ben Yakov.]

This last point explains the significance of something else that we discussed, which is the advent of Mincha Gedolah on Rosh Chodesh Av of this year. We saw that Mincha Gedolah is the time that corresponds to the counterforce against the Erev Rav. The question is, Why? We saw that the Erev Rav gains power at noon, so why do Chazal wait, as it were, to unleash the power of our tefillah until twelve thirty? It could be possible to explain that since the second half of the hour always denotes the more inner dimension - the Dovid aspect - of the spiritual potential of that time, it is only through that inner dimension that one can overcome the forces of evil. This would also explain why the publication of the book Kol Hator could not occur until 1968. Although there was an incredible revelation that occurred at the beginning of the sixth hour, which corresponds to the year 1948, it was only able to be seen on the external level of Yosef 'the ruler of Egypt'. The Dovid aspect within Yosef 'צפנת פענח', or the inner dimension of the revelation that occurred in 1948, was not to be revealed until 1968, with the publication of Kol Hator. Similarly, 5750/1990 was the beginning of the seventh hour in which we now stand, but all of the revelations that have been occurring have been in the external aspect of Yosef, the incredible scientific and technological breakthroughs that are the external aspect of the deeper dimension of the new Shefa that is pouring down from heaven. This is a result of the fact that we have entered the second half of the second half of the millenium. We are now about to pass the mid-hour point, which means that we are entering into the deeper dimension of this hour, when the Dovid aspect of Yosef (צפנת פענח) will be revealed. This is when the power of Yosef rises, on the wings of its inner dimension, and can finally begin to do battle with the external forces of the Erev Rav and Esav, who he is destined to vanquish.

With this in mind, we can see a possible explanation as to why the word פרצת, "bursting forth" has the gematria of our year. It refers to the Dovid aspect of Yosef which comes into play in תש"ע - 5770, on Rosh Chodesh Av.

We can further see this dual relationship, where the first half is an external/superficial (Yosef) aspect hiding the inner dimension, and the second half is the internal (Dovid) aspect, in the following observation. We have previously seen that the millennium can be divided into twenty four hours. These hours each consist of forty one and two-thirds years. The division of the millennium can also be done into twelve hours, where each hour will be eighty three and a third years. This is because every two hours are really components of a greater hour. Thus, each of the 41-year hours is also half of an 83-year hour. We can thus see that the fifth hour (1907-1948) and sixth hour (1948-1990) are two parts of a larger hour. The first period is thus the exterior aspect of the inner dimension that is revealed in the second period. During the first period, the world experienced the most wrenching transformation that it has ever known. It was characterized by two world wars, and millions upon millions of deaths. It also saw the incomprehensibly brutal murder of over six million Jews, and the events that would lead up to the creation of an official homeland for the Jewish people. I will leave it to your own minds to develop this deep idea to its fullest, but suffice it to say that the fifth hour was the hour of a certain redemptive process developing in an external and hidden way, while the sixth hour was the hour of the revelation of the inner dimension of that process. This repeats itself with the sixth and seventh hours, as well, where that which was revealed in the sixth hour (1948-1990) is, relatively speaking, the external aspect of that which is to be revealed as the inner dimension in the seventh hour (1990-2031).

With this idea, we can also understand something else that was mentioned in a previous post, which is the statement of the Gemara in Sanhedrin (38b) that the seventh hour of the original sixth day of creation was when Hashem married Adam to Chava. It was during that hour that Adam was made to sleep so Hashem could separate Chava from him, and thereby bring them back together, marrying them as man and wife. This was the external aspect of what was to occur in the following hour, where they would actually have relations and thereby bring children into the world. This aspect also corresponds to what the Zohar says is the purpose of the current seventh hour (1990-2031), which is the rebuilding of the Beis Hamidash, which is the rejoining of the Jewish people with the Shechina (the Divine presence), as well as the aspect of הקדוש ברוך הוא with שכינה. This is the outer dimension of Yosef, which will be followed in the eighth hour by the inner dimension of Dovid, whose job is Techiyas Hameisim, revival of the dead, which the Zohar says occurs in 5790/2030.

The final place that we will discuss where we find a word with the value 770 is at the end of the story of Yosef and his brothers, when they have completed the tikkun and Yosef has revealed himself. As described in Beraishis 45:22, Yosef gave each of them חלפות שמלת, new clothing. The numerical value of שמלת, clothing, is 770, as we discussed at length in a previous post. It is extremely interesting that before the story reached this climax, when the brothers took out their sacks to prove that they did not contain Yosef's goblet, they tore their clothing when the goblet was found in Binyomin's sack. There (Beraishis 44:13), the Torah uses the same word for clothing and says, "ויקרעו שמלתם" - "They tore their garments." Paradoxically, this tearing of their garments in grief was the beginning of the final revelation of Yosef. Yosef would replace those garments in the passuk mentioned above. [By the way, it is interesting that the word referring to Biyomin's sack is "באמתחת" has a gematria of 851, the same as the value of the words בעתה אחישנה, in its time I will hasten it.]

Again, as I wrote at the beginning of this post, although these ideas are extremely powerful and exciting, it is important to remember that the Geulah process is just that - a process. It is likely that Rosh Chodesh Av will come and go with no discernible difference before and after. However, I firmly believe that we will look back at the date and see that a cosmic shift occurred that moved us ever closer to our final redemption, במהרה בימינו אמן.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Nasso - Responsibly Leading

What was the mistake of the Nesi'im (princes)? How did they rectify this mistake with the wagons and offerings they brought? Why does the Torah start and end the parsha talking about the mishkan but interrupt with the concept of the Sotah, Nazir and blessings of the Kohanim?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Shavuos and redemption

What is the deeper significance of the custom to stay up all night learning Torah? Why did the Jewish people wake up late on the morning of receiving the Torah? What is the parallel to Yakov who also had a contrasting night of sleep and being awake? What is the connection to the future redemption?

Find out in this special edition of the Parsha Podcast.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Why Dairy?

One of the minhagim that many in Klal Yisrael perform on Shavuos is that they are careful to eat a Yom Tov meal that is dairy. At first glance, this would seem to be an unusual custom. What is its deeper significance, and why is it a custom that is specifically in tune with the concept of Shavuos?

Before we can understand this, we need to ask another important question about Shavuos. What is the significance of the fact that Shavuos is specifically referred to as the time of the giving of the Torah? This seems to speak only from the perspective of Hashem, the Giver, and not from our perspective as receivers of the Torah. What is the deeper meaning of this description?

The fact that we specifically refer to the giving of the Torah would seem to indicate that the focus of the relationship that is being forged when the Torah is given is specifically from the side of the giver. This hints to the fact that in a relationship between a giver and a receiver, the most energy is invested by the one who is giving, as opposed to the one who is receiving. Not only that, but the giver is the one who experiences a greater sense of satisfaction in the relationship. This is something we can sense intuitively if we think about our relationships with our children, as opposed to our relationships with our parents. The relationship is always viewed in a more intense way by the one who is giving in the relationship.

This idea is reflected in a statement of our chazal. "More than the calf wants to suckle, the mother cow wants to give milk." This is an analogy for the fact that the greatest satisfaction comes to one who is focused outwards, focused on giving, as opposed to being focused on receiving. This very analogy is used to speak of the one who is teaching Torah. The teacher who is overflowing with wisdom has a greater drive to give than his very students who thirst for the words of their teacher. The teacher also experiences a greater sense of satisfaction and feels a deeper bond with his students than they will feel.

With this in mind, we can understand why Shavuos is referred to as the day when the Torah was given. When it comes to our relationship with Hashem and our relationship with the Torah, we must always be aware that if we approach that relationship exclusively as a receiver, we will never experience the true satisfaction that is inherent in the relationship. The only approach that will gain us a true relationship with Hashem and His Torah is one where our approach is one of giving of the Torah as well.

This idea is complemented by an insight I heard from Rabbi Yechiel Perr, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway. In the tefillah of Ahava Rabba, which we say before Shema each morning, we describe the great love of Hashem for His people that culminated in the giving of the Torah. We ask Hashem to help us to understand his Torah, to learn, to teach and to fulfill all of its laws. It is interesting that even before we ask to be able to fulfill the laws, which would be a natural outgrowth of learning, we first ask to be able to teach what we have learned. Intrinsic to being able to receive the Torah is the necessity to be ready to give the Torah to others.

Now we can understand the custom to eat milk products as part of our celebration of Shavuos. Milk is something that represents the loving relationship between a mother and her child. It serves to remind us of the statement of chazal that the greater satisfaction in the relationship is experienced by the mother, who is giving the milk. It therefore also has the potential to remind us of the proper focus we must try to engender in our approach to Torah - to focus not only on what we will receive from the Torah, but how we can give the Torah to others as well, so it can truly be called a חג מתן תורתינו, a holiday which celebrates our giving of the Torah.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

More on the Erev Ze'eir

I received the following email:

Ari,

I have listened to nearly every one of your parsha podcasts that you have put out and would like to thank you for all that you have taught me. I am only recently taking my Judaism seriously and your podcast was a wonderful teaching tool.

Recently I stumbled on this website, http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/ and after reading several articles, quotes from famous rabbis, and such, I was very impressed. You are a staunch supporter of Israel and an observent Jew, how do you respond to the statements by these rabbis?

I look forward to hearing your response. Thank you

Reuven Gold


To which I responded:

Reuven, thank you for your email. It's important to understand that I, like most orthodox Jews, am in strong support of Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, and believe that the Jewish people's destiny is here, and that this is where Jews should make their home. I do not per se support the current government of Israel, which unfortunately does not espouse Torah law, and in fact works many times to contravene the Torah. The government here in Israel represents the concept that the Gra speaks about at length, which is the Erev Rav. You can read about it on my blog geulahperspectives.blogspot.com, in some recent posts that I have put up. In a nutshell, they are the leaders of the Jewish people in our current exile, but they do all in their power to work against the Torah and the connection of the Jewish people to Hashem. Despite this, as the Gra explains, they are used as an instrument for Hashem to bring the Geulah. Part of the idea is that if they would not actually be involved, they would try to prevent the Jewish people's return to Eretz Yisrael. Nevertheless, from their own perspective, they are involved solely to accomplish their own nefarious goals. Hashem uses their evil for the ultimate Good, which is the Ramchal's concept of hanhagas hayichud.

There is another group, who I believe that website represents, which is called the Erev Ze'eir (as opposed to the Erev Rav - the 'mixed multitude'). This group corresponds to the ten spies who were sent to Israel while the Jews were in the wilderness and returned with a negative report about the land. They subconsciously did not want to enter the land because they knew they would lose their prominent positions once that occurred. Thus, they sabotaged the Jewish entrance into Israel, and the fulfillment of the redemption that should have been completed at that time. Today, they are those who want to deny that we are actually in the middle of the redemption process, because they mistakenly believe that Hashem would not (or could not!) bring about a redemption in a natural way. Nothing could be farther from the truth. But the real truth is that it is likely that these groups have their own subconscious motive, like the original Erev Ze'eir, to hold back the redemption process, and encourage Jews not to return to Israel, so they can maintain the positions they occupy while the Jewish people remain in exile.

It is worth seeing the following post from my blog, where I translated a story of the Chofetz Chaim's reaction to the Balfour Declaration in 1917. It is clear that he also saw the events developing as movement toward redemption.

http://geulahperspectives.blogspot.com/2010/01/chofetz-chaim-on-living-in-israel.html
http://geulahperspectives.blogspot.com/2010/01/chofetz-chaim-on-living-in-israel-part.html

I wish you all the best,
Ari Goldwag

Afterwards, I received another email from him:

I don't mean to bother you, but I hope you would not mind responding to this page? http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/zionism/3strongoaths.cfm

"Do not let your false prophets among you and your sorcerers seduce you, do not head your dreamers which you cause them to dream. For they speak falsely to you in My name. I did not send them."

we have been foresworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which we live, and not by our sins, to prolong the coming of moshiach; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a .

“Even if the nations wanted to kill the Jews with terrible torture, the Jews are forbidden to change the applicability of the Oaths. This is relevant to every one of these oaths and must be understood.” Therefore, not only is it forbidden to leave the Exile even with the permission of the nations, but even if they force the Jewish People to do so under pain of death, it is forbidden to violate these Oaths in the same way it is required to give up one’s life rather than accept another religion.


To which I responded:

I think the operative words there are "as a group." I think it is pretty safe to say that most of the Jews who live here today (and Israel has the largest population of Jews in any country in the world, over five million!) did not come consciously as a group.

I will quote for you from a certain book that speaks about these ideas at length, and it is actually from a piece written by a student of the Gra, who had a direct mesorah from the Gra himself. It is also significant that the Gra sent a group of his students to make aliyah in the early 1800s.

What will they say, those with their lame excuses, to the words of the sages, "When Jerusalem will be rebuilt then the Son of David will come?" Likewise, on the verse, "A redeemer will come to Zion" (Isaiah 59:20), the Midrash and Rashi both explain that, "As long as Zion is not built the Redeemer will not come." Rather, they are like the lichen growing out of the walls coming to do battle with the cedars of lebanon. Their excuses are none other than those of the Spies whom Moshe sent to scout the Land of Israel. They spread evil reports that discourage the Jewish People from emigrating to the Land. This is what the sages referred to when they said, "In the Ikveta D'Meshicha truth will become diminished and Chutzpah-Arrogance will increase." This arrogance is an attack against the holy words of our prophets and seers. It is an attack against the past Leaders of Israel and it is an attack against the conviction and holy commandment of the Saint of Israel, our master the GRA. It is our prayer that all of those within whom the spirit of Amalek dwells should quickly return from their evil ways. "[God] is merciful and He forgives iniquity." (Kol Hator Ch. 5)


I think that pretty much speaks for itself.

All the best,
Ari

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Parsha Podcast videos



Bimidbar - intensifying relationships

What is the significance of the fact that the Torah introduces the counting of the people of Israel by informing us that Hashem spoke to Moshe in the desert of Sinai and the mishkan? Why were the Levites needed to act as a buffer between the rest of the Jewish people and the sanctuary? Why was the tribe of Levi counted separately from the rest of the nation? Why did the family of Kehas, which carried the holiest vessels of the Mishkan have to wait until the High Priest and his sons put them away? What is the status of a non-Jew who learns Torah? What is the correct approach to our more intense and intimate relationships?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Gr"a on Redemption notes VII

Here is the final installation of the eleventh chapter of Even Shelema with notes.

10. All the concepts of the month of Tishrei are hints to the future. For the judgment will be on Rosh Hashana, and afterwards, the forgiveness for sin will be on Yom Kippur. Followed by Succos, the eighth day and their joy. So too in the future, the great day of judgment will occur (*), followed by the statement that "I will sprinkle upon you pure waters and purify you, etc" (Yechezkel 36), and "I will forgive whatever is left" (Yirmiyah 50). Afterwards, on Succos, will be the seven Chuppos, as is known, as the verse says (Yishaya 4), "And a Succah will be for shade from the day, etc." 'The time of our rejoicing, etc," and strangers will stand and shepherd your sheep (ibid 61) (**). Afterwards, the Eighth day, which will be the end of those who deny the True God, and the people of Israel will rejoice alone. "It will be a day of completion (atzeres) for you," and they will eat the three Shabbos meals. This is reference to the meals of the animals on the mountains of a thousand, the meal of the Leviathan, and the wine that was kept, etc. (Sifra Ditzniusa 54:4 55:1, Tikkunei Zohar 49:2)

(*) In the days of Moshiach, a fear of Hashem will seize all of mankind, and in the time of the revival of the dead, this feeling will intensify. In the future world this fear will intensify even further (Yeshaya 2:10). (It would seem that this is why it was established to say the prayer on the high holy days of 'And so, place Your fear,' (***) because these days are a hint of what the future holds.)

(**) In the current state of the world, the moon is below all of the constellations. In the future, however, the moon will be above them, and so will the people of Israel (****). Melachim 1:25 Tikkunei Zohar 166:1 under the heading 'ונימין' (It could be that this is what it means [in the blessing of the new moon] that they [the people of Israel] are to be renewed in the future like it [the moon]).


(***) Much of the focus of that section of the high holiday prayer is on the future time. We say, "And so, place Your fear on all of Your creatures, and Your awe on all You have created... And they will come together in a single unit to serve You with a full heart." There are many hints to the fact that those days are both a throwback to the time of Adam Harishon before the sin, as well as a portent of future times when we return to his state before the sin.

(****) This is not referring to the physical aspect of the moon and stars, rather, it is referring to the spiritual aspect of them, where they act as vehicles for the Divine influx being brought into the world. This would therefore seem to mean that in the current state of the world, the moon is the final vessel to receive the Divine influx that Hashem sends through the celestial bodies. This influx makes its way through the higher spiritual levels, finally getting to the stars and then the moon. In the future, the order of receipt of influx will be reversed, and the moon will rise above them. Similarly, the people of Israel will be raised above, and it will be clear that they are the crown of creation.

11. The meal of the Leviathan is reference to the knowledge that will expand in the world, which is the great joy to which nothing can compare (*). Moshe Rabbenu is also called the Leviathan (Sifra Ditzniusa 18:3), and about this the verse says, "You created to play with it," and it is the plaything of Hakadosh Baruch Hu with the righteous, with which He renews the Torah, etc, as the verse says, "And they saw Elokim, and they ate and drank." Seeing means understanding. This is the light that was hidden for the Righteous (Tikkunei Zohar 42:3 44:1 Sifra Ditzniusa 19:2). The inner secrets of the Torah will be revealed, as the simple understanding of the Torah is now. Therefore there will be freedom from any accusers, like the verse says (Yeshaya 11), "They will do no evil, nor cause destruction... For the land is full of the knowledge of Hashem..." (Tikkunei Zohar 43:2) (**). The 'wine that was kept' is also reference to the secrets of the Torah which will be revealed by Moshe (Tikkunei Zohar 74:2), and about that time it says, "Hashem's honor will be forever, Hashem will rejoice in His creations." May it be speedily in our days, so may it be His will.

(*) The concept of the Leviathan is one of intense connection to Hashem, as we see in the verse (Proverbs 1), "לוית חן" - accompanied by grace. This is reference to the continuous ascension in attaining an understanding of His Divinity through the depths of the secrets of His Torah. The desire of the soul to attach to Him will intensify, and the soul will gain more and more with each passing moment. This is what it says [in regards to the Leviathan], "You fashioned it to rejoice (לשחק) with it." The language of 'to rejoice' (לשחק) always describes a sudden joy. (Iyov 3:21, see ליקוטי מג"א with the heading 'see this.' See the Gra's explanation of Berachos ch. 1, heading 'look at the day of death...')

(**) As we saw earlier in siman 27 of ch. 8 - The evil inclination has no effect on those who are involved in the study of the secrets of the Torah. Therefore, the negative forces [that cause the destruction, immediately] cease. This is because the evil inclination only wields power when there is a lack of true knowledge, as the sages say, "A person only transgresses a sin if a spirit of foolishness has entered him." It says in the gemara (Baba Basra 75), "In the future, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will make a Succah for the righteous out of the skin of the Leviathan..." This is reference to the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, which will serve to completely surround holiness in the future (***). (Sifra Ditzniusa 20:1 see there.)


(***) The concept of Good and Evil being the forbidden fruit is only true as long as we live in a dimension where they are separate and Evil has its own existence as a negative force. In the future world, since we will have transcended to a higher dimension, we will exist in a place where Good and Evil are both aspects of a Higher Good. Thus, the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil will be permissible to be eaten. This is hinted to in the statement of the sages that in the future, just as we now make the blessing of הטוב והמטיב (Who is Good and does good) on good news, we will likewise make that blessing on the receipt of bad news. This is because we will exist in a dimension where both good and evil are clearly part of a greater Good.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Rabbi Perr on Shavuos

The following shiur is a very moving piece on Torah and Shavuos that was given by my Rosh Yeshiva in 5767. The running time is about 45 minutes, and there is much to be gained from listening to it.

Click here to hear the shiur.

Gr"a on Redemption notes VI

7. Since the generations get weaker and weaker, and the Erev Rav increases in strength, it was necessary for the wise men of each generation to make decrees and new fences in order to compensate for the destruction being wrought by the Erev Rav (Tikkunei Zohar 34:1). See the Gemara in Eruvin 6, "A great valley was found..." (And see earlier in note 8 on chapter 1...)

8. There are five types of Erev Rav in the people of Israel. 1) Those who are constantly involved in disputes and speaking negative speech. 2) Those consumed by desire. 3) The fakers who put on a show of righteousness, but are rotten inside. 4) Those who chase after honor, to make a name for themselves. 5) Those who run after wealth. The worst of them all are those involved in disputes, and they are called 'Amalekites.' [Moshiach] ben Dovid can not come until they are erased from the earth (Devarim 1:1). All disputes that are not for the sake of heaven are from the Erev Rav who quickly pass judgment and attempt to take the crown, as the verse says, "And we will make for ourselves a name, etc." (Tikkunei Zohar 46:2).

9. In every generation, another attribute is ascendant (of the attributes of Hakadosh Baruch hu, who guides His world through them), through which nature changes, as well as all the actions of the generation, including its customs, and its leaders - everything is according to this attribute, and depends on their choices for Good or Evil (see earlier in chapter 1). And corresponding to this is the way Hashem deals with them. All of this is included in the Torah (This is what we find that Hashem showed Adam, as well as Avraham, all the generations. This means that he understood it all from the Torah. Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 49:1,2,3 Sifra Ditzniusa 14:4). Similarly, in every generation there are 'times of ending' according to the concept of Teshuva and merits that are specifically for that generation. The 'final end,' however, is not dependent on teshuva, but rather on chessed (kindness), as the verse says (Yeshaya 48), "For My sake, for My sake will I do." And it is also dependent on the merit of the forefathers. This is what it says, "And He remembers the kindnesses of the forefathers, and brings a redeemer to the sons of their sons for His name's sake." This was the only End that was revealed to the forefathers. This is what it says, "To My heart I revealed." This is reference to the forefathers and Moshe, who were referred to as 'My heart.' (*)

(*) Tikkunei Zohar 74:2 Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 3:4. That which we find in the Gemara (Berachos 34) that all the prophets only prophesied about the days of Moshiach... and this is in contradistinction to the statement of Shmuel, who says that the only difference between the current dimension and the future dimension is our subjugation to the nations of the world. Both of these statements are the words of the Living God (the Gra's explanation of aggados, Berachos, ibid). For there are two periods of Moshiach. The first is the days of Moshiach ben Yosef, which is dependent on merit, as the Gemara says (Sanhedrin 98), "If they merit, I will hasten it." If we would have merited, it could have started at the beginning of the fifth millenium, in the year 4000 (240 CE), as the Gemara says (Avodah Zara 7A), "Two thousand years of Moshiach [which follow two thousand of chaos and two thousand of Torah." If this occurs [that we merit the period of Moshiach ben Yosef], then we will experience a period of time where the only difference between our current state and that state is the subjugation of the nations [lit. the current world]. (In this scenario, however, Esav will not fall at his hands. Later, in the sixth millennium, when the final time arrives, Esav would come with Gog and Magog to fight Hashem and his Moshiach, and they will all fall by the hand of Moshiach ben Dovid. Gra's explanation of Sava D'bei Asuna in the Ma'amar of מישרא דסכיני.) When Moshiach ben Dovid comes, the verse will be fulfilled that says, "Death will be swallowed up forever..." and all of the other prophecies of the prophets. This is referred to as 'the future time.' (The length of the days of Moshiach ben Dovid is like the measure of עטרת ביסוד.) Sifra D'tzniusa 16:3. The wise one will be able to deduce an understanding of the the wondrous end from this (see there 54:3).

With this we can understand the gemara (Berachos 12) that says as follows. Ben Zoma said to the sages, 'Do we mention the exodus from Egypt in the times of Moshiach?' To this they responded, 'It is not that the exodus will be uprooted from its significance, but rather, the [miracles of the] release of the Jewish people from their subservience to the nations will be the main [praise of God], and the [miracles of the] exodus will become secondary.' We find this in the verse, 'Don't recall the original ones, and don't think about those of earlier times.' 'Don't recall the original ones' refers to our subservience in exile. 'Don't think about those of earlier times' refers to the exodus. 'I am doing something new now, which will currently sprout' - Rav Yosef learned that this is referring to the miracles of the war of Gog and Magog [which will overshadow the previous two]. It is analogous to a man who was walking along the road and encountered a wolf, and was subsequently saved from it. As he continued on his journey, he was praising his good fortune at being saved from the wolf when he suddenly encountered a lion. He was then saved from the lion, and started to speak about how great it was that he had been saved from it. Then he encountered a snake and was saved from it as well. He forgot about the first two [animals he was saved from] and began to speak about his encounter with the snake. So too the people of Israel, the later difficulties cause the earlier ones to be forgotten. There are a number of things we can see here if we look at the matter closely. One is that we see that a proof is being brought to the fact that we will no longer mention the exodus from Egypt (and also that the release from subjugation will also not be mentioned). Additionally, when he was saved in the encounter with the lion, he did not forget the story with the wolf. When he encountered the snake, however, he forgot both of the first two encounters. Clearly the explanation is as we said earlier. The redemption will be in two stages, the first is the release from the subservience of the current world; and afterwards will be the war of Gog and Magog. This is why it says, 'He forgot his first two encounters,' and it explains why a proof is brought, since the original miracles will not be mentioned at all after Gog and Magog. From this we can deduce that there will be a period that they will indeed both be mentioned (**) (The Gra's explanation of the Agados, Berachos ibid).

(**) There are a number of extremely interesting implications from this piece. First is that the Gemara implies that there must be a period of time when we will be mentioning the miracles of the exodus, as well as the miracles of the fact that we have our own sovereignty. This period of time is the time of Moshiach ben Yosef. One could speculate that either we are currently in that time, or that we are experiencing a shadow of that time which will solidify in the (hopefully near) future. In any event, the miracles of the final redemption of Moshiach ben Dovid will be so great that all of the previous miracles will be forgotten from our collective consciousness. It is also interesting that the final encounter is referred to as an encounter with the snake. This clearly hints to the job of Moshiach ben Dovid, which was originally the job of Adam Harishon, to battle the forces of Evil in their external form, which is represented by the snake. This is the final battle of Gog and Magog, which the Gra seems to clearly be saying here is fought by Moshiach ben Dovid.

The Gemara says (Rosh Hashana 11), "R' Eliezer says that the future redemption will occur in Tishrei, [R' Yehoshua says the redemption will occur in Nissan." Similarly, it says (Sanhedrin 111), "Reish Lakish said that all that will remain [at the end of days] will be one from a city, two from a family. R' Yochanan said that one individual in the city will be the merit for the entire city to be saved, two people in a family will be the merit for the entire family." Both of these opinions are the words of the Living God. At the beginning, the remembrance (פקידה) [i.e. the first stage of the redemption] will occur in Tishrei. If they will merit a redemption of 'hastening,' then the redemption will be completed and they will go out with wealth. If, Heaven forbid, they do not merit, and the redemption occurs 'in its time,' if the redemption would occur in Tishrei than all that would remain, Heaven forbid, would be an individual from a city and two from a family. This is because of the destructive force of judgment that is ascendent in Tishrei. For this reason, Moshiach ben Yosef would have to die, and in this scenario, there would only be a completion of the first stage of the redemption (the פקידה), as we had in the days of Koresh (Cyrus) in the times of the second Temple. In this scenario, Moshiach would be revealed and subsequently hidden until Nissan. At that time they will experience traumatic birth pangs. This is similar to the sequence of events of the exodus, when Moshe was hidden from the Jewish people for six months [after he had already arrived and announced the arrival of the time of redemption] (as we find in the Medrash Rabba on Shemos ch. 5). This is what we find in the verse that says, "Let the load be intensified on the people..." The verse speaks of this when it says (Yechezkel 26), "[I swear] that with a mighty hand... and an outpouring of anger I will rule over you." Afterwards they will be redeemed in Nissan with abundant mercy (Tikkunei Zohar 75:1, 87:2, Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 27:2, 36:3-4 37:2, Raya Mehemna 21:2 22). Then the Moshiachs will accept all of the trials upon themselves and serve to protect them [the people of Israel], because the attribute of mercy is ascendent in Nissan. Moshe will protect the city of Jerusalem, and the two Moshiachs will protect the people of Israel who are family. This is what it means that 'one from a family will serve as a merit for the whole city...' When they leave in Nissan, which is the attribute of kindness, they leave in poverty, because a pauper requires kindness to be done with him, and all his livelihood is from the kindness of others (Tikkunei Zohar 61:2, if the right and left are together...).

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Gr"a on Redemption notes V

In the previous post, we left off in the middle of the notes of R' Maltzin on chapter 11, number 6. Here we continue.

Just as the the sun's rays pour out upon the moon and stars, so too, in every generation, there is a spark of Moshe Rabbenu that shines through someone in the generation, pouring out its light on all the Torah scholars of the generation. All new Torah ideas that come into the world are through the influx of the light of Moshe Rabbenu (Tikkunei Zohar 42:3). His (Moshe's) light suffers with the Torah scholars who are disgraced in the final exile, and who are pursued by the Erev Rav. This is referred to in the Gemara (Sotah 49) that says, "The wisdom of the learned will be made repulsive, those who fear sin will be disgusting, those who steer away from evil will be seen as if they were mad." This is what we find in the verse (Yeshaya 53), "He is made profane for our sins..." The entire passage there is speaking about the Torah scholars in the current exile (*) (Tikkunei Zohar 41:2 117:4 118:1 74:3 Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 35:4 8:1 Raya Mehemna 38:2 17:2). This [suffering of the light of Moshe] is a punishment that corresponds precisely to the mistake that he made in allowing the Erev Rav to become part of the Jewish people. The result was that they made the golden calf, resulting in the destruction of the tablets, which causes the Torah to be forgotten in exile (Tikkunei Zohar 105:2). This is what the verse means when Hashem says to Moshe (Shemos 32), "Go down." This hints to the lowering and descent [we have just spoken of]. If one removes the letters of the word ר"ע, [which are רי"ש and עי"ן, from the word Erev Rav (ערב רב),] one is left with [the letters ר-ב-ב, whose numerical value is the same as the word] רד, go down (Tikkunei Zohar 41:1 97:4). Any generation that does not have the shine of the light of Moshe Rabbenu is not included in the calculation of fifty generations. This is the reason for the length of the exile, as [the light] does not find a place to reveal itself. Therefore the redemption from exile is dependent on the study of Kabbalah which is the teaching of Moshe Rabbenu (Raya Mehemna 77:1 82:2). (It seems to me that it must incarnate three times in order for him to attain the fiftieth level that he lost when he broke the tablets, which represented the dimension of freedom. See Raya Mehemna 15:1, Tikkunei Zohar 43:1 129:3 163:1.)

Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai and those who stood with him were able to merit to commune with that spark of Moshe itself at the time they were redacting the Tikkunim and the Raya Mehemna, because these two books are connected to each other. Also, the concept of a maggid [angel] that comes to speak to a person is his soul itself (**), however its way is to speak with him mouth to mouth [i.e. directly]. It is enclothed in the commandments that he fulfilled (Raya Mehemna 75:2)
.


(*) It is interesting that the Christians take this verse to refer to their mistaken Messiah, Yeshu Hanotzri. The verse is actually referring to the suffering of the Jewish people, and specifically, as we see here, the great sages of the Jewish people, who suffer horrible indignation as a result of the sins of the world and the people of Israel. Ironically, the verses, when seen in context, are actually speaking of the recognition of the nations of the world when Moshiach comes, that it was the Jewish people who had suffered all along in order to bring about the full rectification of the world.

(**) This seems to mean Moshe's soul. Here, instead of being an indirect light which shines from the soul of Moshe via the great sage and into the the scholar saying a new idea, there is a direct communication with the soul of Moshe which reveals the idea in question. This is interesting, because I have seen other sources that say that a maggid is actually an angelic embodiment of the Torah that one has learned. Just as each mitzvah a person fulfills creates an angel, so too, an angel is created from the Torah one learns. The maggid is this very angel who reveals himself to the one who created him and explains to him the depth of the Torah. These two ideas could be reconciled by the fact that the Torah itself is referred to as the Torah of Moshe, and thus, it is, to a certain extent, the embodiment of the soul of Moshe that is being resuscitated, as it were, by the scholar who studies the Torah. This in turn communes with the scholar, revealing the depths of the idea he is learning. This is a very novel idea that may or may not be correct, and requires deeper thought.

The Torah is referred to as a woman who has completed the first stage of marriage (ארוסה), as we find in the gemara (Pesachim 49), "Whoever learns Torah in front of an ignoramus [who will certainly misunderstand the intent of the Torah], it is as if he had marital relations with his ארוסה in front of him." It is referred to as an ארוסה because the first stage of connection was completed at Sinai, as we find in the verse, "Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance (מורשה)." Instead of reading it 'an inheritance' (מורשה), it can also be read 'betrothed' (מאורסה). It is not considered that one has completed the marriage until one has learned the Torah, like the verse says, "Only if the Torah of Hashem is his desire, and he studies his Torah night and day." At first, it is the Torah of Hashem, and then it becomes the scholar's Torah. The inner aspect of the Torah, however, was not even merited by Moshe Rabbenu to access completely (see Zohar Beha'aloscha 152:1, and Nefesh Hachaim Sha'ar 2, ch. 17), and therefore he did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael. This occurred as a result of breaking the tablets and striking the stone. Because of this, he did not merit to enter Eretz Yisrael and to complete the marriage with his betrothed, the inner aspect of the Torah (*). It is all in Yisrael that did not merit to learn Torah from the tree of life, [and will not do so] until the future, when they will be alone like Yakov(**). See Nefesh D'Yakov. The people of Israel will return to Hashem in repentance, the Erev Rav will be destroyed, and the original tablets will return. [This will be their first encounter with the original tablets,] as they were never revealed to the Jewish people at all, because they were destroyed the moment they were brought down. (This is what it means there, that the people of Israel are His betrothed, because the completion of the marriage was dependent on the tablets being given over to them; once they were in the hands of Moshe, the betrothal had taken place, but they had not completed the second stage of the marriage. Tikkunei Zohar 42:4, 43:3 104:3-4 Raya Mehemna 67:2 68.)

(*) As we have discussed in the past, Eretz Yisrael is the place of ultimate connection between the physical world and the spiritual world. It is the 'bris' of the world, the point of connection between the male and female aspects of reality. Thus, as long as Moshe did not enter Eretz Yisrael, he did not merit the completed connection with the deeper aspects of the Torah, which embodies the true intimate relationship between man and Hashem. This is also the secret that underlies the special aspect of learning Torah in Israel. It is a spiritual fact that there is no Torah learning like that which is done here in Israel, and it is because the Torah, which represents the connection to Hashem, can only be properly learned to its fullest in the place where one experiences the greatest connection to Hashem that is possible.

(**) The Torah says that Yakov was alone when he went back to retrieve the small vessels. At that point, he fought with the angel of Esav, which represents the cosmic battle between the Jewish people and the forces of evil that culminates at the end of days. Just as Yakov was completely alone, so too the Jewish people will be alone in this final battle, with none to come to their aid. This scenario is clearly developing in the world today, and should not be cause for alarm, but rather, a clear sign of the redemption that awaits us in the near future. The end result of Yakov being alone was that he succeeded in vanquishing the forces of evil that were embodied in the angel of Esav, and he received the lofty name Yisrael. This name represents the ability of the Jewish people to rise up and become Hashem's partner in bringing His awareness into the world. This is rooted in the inner aspects of the Torah that are revealed to the Jewish people in the final stage, when they are truly alone in the world. This point will be the completion of the marriage that began at Sinai, and will also be the moment of the world's recognition that the Jewish people are the nation that Hashem has chosen to be His bride.

There is a similarity we find to the exodus from Egypt, where Moshe had difficulty with his speech and Aharon was sent to speak on his behalf. This means that Moshe would say a concept in an unclear manner, and Aharon would explain it. This is similar to how it will also be in the future. At the current time in our state of exile, the law is not clear in certain places, and there are many difficulties with no explanation to be found amongst the scholars. This is because the light of Moshe is not shining in them, as we said earlier. This corresponds to the concept that Moshe had 'difficulty in his speech.' In the future, Moshe will say the concept in a hidden way, the way we currently perceive it. The reason he will not say it clearly is so that people do not think that it is a new Torah, heaven forbid, or that it is not the Torah we have now. Eliyahu, who is really Pinchos, who is a descendant of Aharon, will be the one who will 'speak on his behalf'. This means that he will make it explicit, explaining all the difficulties, and it will be new to us (The Gra's explanation of Raya Mehemna 28:1, 78:1, Devarim 1:5). It seems that this idea is as we discussed above in Siman 21 in chapter 8, that as long as one does not understand the level of sod, even the simple understanding is unclear. In the future, since the secrets of the Torah will be revealed, as we saw above in Siman 11, the simple understanding will also be clarified along the way. See Heichalos Pekudei 48:2.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Gr"a on Redemption notes IV

6. Just as the wheat has three different types of byproducts, the chaff, the straw and the husk of the kernel, so too the Jewish people are analogous to wheat, as the verse says [in reference to the Jewish people] (Yirmiyah 1), "The first of His wheat." Thus, there are three types of chaff, which are Yishmael, Esav, and the Erev Rav. Corresponding to Avraham and Yitzchak, from whom came Yishmael and Esav, two Moshiach's will come, Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid (Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 36:1, and they correspond to the positive and negative commandments). These [two Moshiachs] will purify the Jewish people from the chaff and straw, and they [Yishmael] will be like the chaff, which is blown away by the wind; and the house of Esav will be like straw. But the purification will not be complete until the Erev Rav is removed, which corresponds to the husk of the kernel, which is extremely attached to the wheat itself [i.e. the Jewish people]. This is the byproduct that corresponds to Yakov (and they correspond to recalcitrance in Torah learning and removing the yoke of Heaven) (Tikkunei Zohar 53:1). They are extremely attached to the people of Israel, and the people of Israel learn from their ways. They are the extremely wealthy individuals, exulting in pride (about whom the Gemara says (Sanhedrin 98) that [Moshiach] ben Dovid will not come until the prideful ones of Israel have been finished, etc.). Just like the husk can not be removed from the flour until the wheat is ground finely, so too, it is only possible to remove the Erev Rav through the difficulties of the exile (*).

(*) (This is what it says (Amos 9), "I will shake the house of Israel like the shaking of a sieve... the sinners of my nation will die by the sword... On that day I will raise up the sukkah of Dovid...) About this it says (Hoshea 2), "Behold I will seduce her and bring her to the wilderness..." And there the evil ones will be sifted out during the three days of darkness. (And there they will undergo tremendous difficulties, eating salty foods and enduring other suffering. Tikkunei Zohar 27:3. And see what is written about this at length in the sefer Emunah and Hashgacha pp. 19-21.) And they cause recalcitrance in Torah study and the lengthening of the exile. About this the verse says (Koheles 12), "And the grinding [a reference to Torah learning] was stopped by them." This is what we find (Pesachim 111), when there are those who make themselves splendorous in the house [i.e. they have excessive pride], it causes poverty. This poverty is reference to a lack of Torah knowledge, for if there is no flour, there is no Torah (The Gra's explanation of Sava D'bei Asuna in the piece אית לן בירא בדברא, as well as Tikkunei Zohar 41:2), and about them it says that converts are as destructive to the Jewish people as a deep wound. [This is reference to the Erev Rav, whose souls became enmeshed in the Jewish people, not to actual converts, who actually have fully Jewish souls.] They are referred to as a נג"ע ר"ע - a horrible affliction. (The words נג"ע ר"ע are an abbreviation of the five types of Erev Rav - (נ) Nefilim, (ג) Giborim, (ע) Amalekim, (ר) Refaim, (ע) Anakim.) Nefilim are the ones who run after their physical desires, as the verse says, "The Nefilim were then in the land... to the daughters of man..." Giborim are the famous people who build Synagogues and donate decorations for the Sefer Torah solely in order to become well-known. Amalekim are the leaders of the Jewish people in exile, [who use their power like] weapons to steal from the poor of Israel. In reference to them, the verse says, "Their oppressors became leaders" (Tikkunei Zohar 37:2). Refaim are those who weaken themselves (מתרפים) from doing kindness and charity with those who learn Torah. Anakim are those who dishonor Torah scholars (Tikkunei Zohar 97:2,3; and see earlier in the notes with the heading "Just as the sparks") And all the brazen ones and evil ones of the generation are reincarnations of the souls of the Erev Rav and the children of Kayin (Cain). All of the exile and the oppression and the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash was a result of the fact that Moshe accepted the Erev Rav. He did this because he believed that they were righteous converts from the side of Good, about whom it is stated that (Pesachim 87) "the reason the Jewish people were sent into exile was to gather converts to their ranks." However, the Erev Rav is actually from the side of evil, and the very words ערב רע are abbreviated in the word ר"ע, evil. This is also referred to in the verse, "Woe unto us for the day has ebbed, when the evening (ערב) shade is lengthening." This is the same Erev Rav that made the golden calf at the evening (ערב) hour , as the verse says, "For Moshe had been late (בושש) in coming." The word בושש is a contraction of the phrase בא שש - that the sixth hour had finished (**).

There is also an Erev Ze'eira [small Erev, as opposed to the Erev Rav, the large Erev], and this is referred to in the verse when it says בין הערביים - between the settings, or the two Erevs. The two Erevs are the Erev Rav and Ze'eir. Corresponding to this, the sages established Mincha Gedolah [from 12:30 on an equinox day] and Mincha Ketana [from 3:30 on an equinox day], to weaken the evil power of the two Erevs (Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 34:1). They are referred to as the Erev Rav because they are the leaders of the nation in exile, and are therefore called 'rav' [which means leader]. They are also referred to as the רב החובל, the leader who destroys (Tikkunei Zohar 61:1), like we find in the verse (Zechariah 11), "I referred to one as pleasant, and I referred to the other as destroyers." This is hinted to in the verse, "And he placed the maidservants and their children first." This is reference to the Erev Rav who are the leaders of the nation. "And Leah and her children behind them" is reference to the general good Jewish populace who are beholden to the Erev Rav. "And Rochel and Yosef were last" is reference to the Torah scholars who are considered lowest of all. They are referred to as Rochel, who was the most beloved in her home. Similarly, the people of Israel are referred to by the name "Yosef" (Tikkunei Zohar 27:3). (It would seem to me that those who do not have rulership (***) are referred to as the Erev Ze'eir.)

In Tikkunei Zohar (50:7 2), it is written that Yishma'el and Esav are the bran (סובין) and coarse bran (מורסן) (See Tikunei Zohar 53:1, 41:2 Raya Mehemna 48:1), and the Erev Rav are the leavening in the bread. For this reason, the bread must be destroyed on Erev Pesach by the sixth hour, because they made the golden calf at the sixth. Their negative spiritual effects are worse than those of the nations of the world because the people of Israel are drawn after them, based on the fact that they see that things seem to be going their way. This is the reason for the great length of the exile.

There is a fourth type [after Yishmael, Esav, and the Erev Rav,] which includes those individuals from the people of Israel who have become attached to the Erev Rav, and have become like them, as the verse says, "And they mixed with the nations and learned their ways." Corresponding to these, there are four types of leprous afflictions. Se'es (שאת) and Baheres (בהרת), which correspond to Yishma'el and Esav, Sapachas (ספחת), which corresponds to the Erev Rav who are attached to the people of Israel, as it says, "Converts are difficult for Israel like a Sapachas." The fourth type [the Jew who has attached himself to the Erev Rav] corresponds to that which it says in the verse, "And the affliction of leprosy will be on the skin of his flesh." This also corresponds to the four animals of Daniel, where the fourth is worse than them all... So too, there are four types of animals that are impure. Three of them chew their cud [but do not have split hooves. The fourth has split hooves but does not chew its cud]. Similarly, there are four exiles. The sins that caused three of the exiles were known [whereas the fourth was not revealed]. (see the sefer Emunah and Hashgacha p. 15) This also corresponds to the four great sins - Idolatry, adultery, murder, and baseless hatred, which corresponds to them all. So too, there are four husks on the wheat kernel. Chaff and straw, the third is the Erev rav which is attached to it, which is the bran (סובין), and the coarse bran (מורסן)... The fourth is the leavening and bread, which were not originally there, but rather, came into this state afterwards. Similarly, there are four inclinations, lustful, angry, desirous, and mockery. The last is worse than them all (from the Gra's explanation of Berachos on the piece that speaks of the four things that require thanks. See there at length).

{And like roses that grow amongst the thorns and are thus protected, so are the exiled people of Israel found amongst the Erev Rav in order to hasten their redemption through the pressure that they apply to the people of Israel (Tikkunei Zohar 27:4 28:1)}


(**) The end of the sixth hour is midday, when the sun begins to set from its peak in the sky. At midday itself, the sun is directly overhead, but as the sun starts its descent, the shadows begin to lengthen, as the verse mentions. This point in time is referred to as ערב, which is usually translated as evening, but actually refers to the the setting of the sun. The sun sets at two times; the first time is when it begins its descent at noon; the second time is when it descends below the horizon. Thus the afternoon is referred to as בין הערביים, between the settings. As we will soon see, there is a great setting, which is the first time the sun begins to descend, as well as a small setting. There is reference in the verse to the 'evening shade,' or the shade that results when the sun descends. This begins to become noticeable at the time referred to as Mincha Gedolah. This is a half hour after midday, or twelve thirty. It could be that the significance of the 'shade' is that the sun is being blocked, creating a darkness behind the object that stands in its way. This hints to the efforts of the Erev Rav, who try to block the light of spirituality from having an effect, claiming that the world is all darkness. Their force must come into play at the moment when the sun is highest in the sky, at midday. At that time, the shade in the world is the most limited because the sun is not on an angle, but rather directly overhead. The Erev Rav takes the first opportunity to try to create some darkness at that moment, for instance, claiming that Moshe is dead and will not return. Subsequently, they demand the creation of the Golden Calf. This would seem to correspond to the events that have been occurring in our times, starting from the year 5750 (1990), which was midday on cosmic Friday. The Zohar speaks of this time (250 years before the year 6000) as being the moment when the third Beis Hamikdash is to be rebuilt. This would correspond to the descent of Moshe, which would have cemented the relationship between Hashem and the Jewish people, just as the Beis Hamikdash is the point of connection between Hashem and the Jewish people. Just as the Erev Rav began their efforts to prevent Moshe's return at midday, so too, the Erev Rav of our time began their efforts at midday, resulting in the Golden Calf of today, the Oslo "peace" process. This process serves to sell out the Jewish people, to destroy the viability of Israel, and to deny the claim of the Jewish people's Divine right to the land. This, in essence, is precisely akin to their efforts in that time to disavow the Jewish people's connection to Hashem, to replace it with an idol, and in our times, with another ideology. This effort begins at midday, but just as the sun only noticeably has begun to descend at twelve thirty, so too their efforts take on greater intensity at that time. As we always find, however, there is a force and a counter force, and thus, the sages established that from twelve thirty and onward, one can begin to say the afternoon prayer. This was also the time that the תמיד של בין הערביים, the afternoon sacrifice was brought. Both the sacrifice and the prayer denote our connection to Hashem, and specifically through the Beis Hamikdash itself, and thus, while the Erev Rav redoubles its strength at noon and at twelve thirty, the Jewish people, the wheat kernel itself, is strengthened in a measure that corresponds to that, so the powers remain balanced.

Another significance of the hour that follows midday is that it was the hour that Chava was created and she and Adam were wed (Sanhedrin 38). This corresponds to the cosmic hour we are currently in (5750/1990-5791/2031), which, as we said, is the hour the Zohar says will see the rebuilding of the Beis Hamikdash. This is the hour of preparation for the union that takes place in the eighth hour, where the Gemara says that Adam and Chava 'rose onto the bed two, and came down four.' This was only possible once they had been wed in the previous hour.

(***) The concept of the Erev Ze'eir is extremely enigmatic. From the explanation here of Rav Maltzin, this group of people seems to have the same characteristics as the Erev Rav, but whereas the 'rav' aspect of the Erev Rav is one of leadership, the Erev Ze'eir does not have leadership. Thus, they try to undermine the connection of the Jewish people to Hashem despite the fact that they are not in a position to affect very much. I have seen one mention that the groups that will shake hands with terrorists as the Erev Ze'eir. This group does not have power, but nevertheless tries to cause destruction. Others have said that they are the minions of the Erev Rav, who carry out their intentions, but it does not really sound like this from what is being said here. In any event, it would seem that they are not as easily removed from the picture, and although the power of the Erev Rav is weakened at twelve thirty, which is Mincha Gedola, through the power of the tikkun of chazal at that time, the weakening of the Erev Ze'eir waits until a later time. It would seem likely that the Erev Rav is destroyed by Moshiach ben Yosef, and the Erev Ze'eir is left for Moshiach ben Dovid to vanquish.

Behar-Bechukosai - Connection through disconnection

Why is Shmitah only in Israel, whereas Shabbos is all over the world? Not keeping Shmitah causes the Jewish people to be sent into exile. What is the connection? Why is the concept of Shmitah followed by the parsha of Bechukosai - to toil in Torah? What is עמלות? What is the significance of the fact that it is set apart from the words that follow, which speak about the positive and negative commandments? What is the significance of the fact that we find that שמיטה is a special time for עמלות בתורה?

Find out in this week's Parsha Podcast.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Gr"a on Redemption notes III

3. This Redemption will only occur through the learning of Torah. The main Redemption is dependent on the learning of Kabbalah (*) (**).

(*) Raya Mehemna (2:2), Tikkunei Zohar (4:4), Tikkunei Zohar Chadash (36:3). For this reason, the blessing of Ahava Rabba, which is the blessing of the Torah (Berachos 11), was ordered as we have it - First we ask to learn and teach, and afterwards we ask Hashem to enlighten our eyes, which refers to the hidden aspects of the Torah; we then ask that Hashem bring us, in peace, from the four corners of the Earth (See the Gemara in Baba Basra 8).


(**) It is interesting to note that this Gr'a is oft-quoted, but most commonly, only the first half of his statement is actually mentioned. It is a lesser known fact that the Gr'a holds that the main learning that is necessary to bring the Geulah is the study of Kabbalah. For some reason, the learning of Kabbalah is shunned by certain segments of the Jewish world, in line with the concept that Moshiach ben Yosef, who is to reveal this wisdom, himself is shunned. Interestingly, we see here a manifestation of the idea that Moshiach ben Yosef first reveals himself to the less religious parts of the Jewish people, and only afterwards reveals himself to the ones who are most faithful to the Torah. This strange twist can be seen in the current thirst in the non-religious Jewish world for Kabbalistic knowledge, although it unfortunately is given over by many who are unworthy. This parallels the fact that Yosef first was known to the Egyptians, then was later revealed to his brothers, and finally was revealed to his father, Yakov. This corresponds to the progressive way Moshiach ben Yosef reveals himself. If one thinks about it, it is truly remarkable that Hashem is using all parts of Klal Yisrael to bring about the redemption, even the non-religious world, who one could think is excluded from the process. Here we see that the truth is exactly the opposite of what it seems on the surface (as is always the case with Yosef), that each part of the Jewish people is involved in bringing the Geulah in a different way, and each part has its role to play in the cosmic drama.

4. In the merit of distancing from those who are involved in the teachings of spiritual philosophy, in study and nature, in the future they [who have distanced themselves] will merit to bask in the light of Hashem (Yeshaya 2:6) (*) (**).

(*) See Yoreh De'ah Siman 179:13, where he writes about false philosophy in a negative light, and see Aliyos Eliyahu (17:2). This is clearly not like the other opinion who says that the statement in Yoreh De'ah is not really from the Gr'a. I heard from an extremely trustworthy source that those words were in the original manuscript, written in the holy handwriting of the Gr'a himself, as is clear over here. See also Yoreh De'ah 246:18.


(**) This is also extremely interesting, because the opinion of the Gr'a was that one must be well-versed in the seven wisdoms in order to properly understand Kabbalah, as they are two sides of the same coin (see Sha'ar Be'er Sheva in Kol Hator, only in certain editions). The Gr'a states that according to how much information one lacks in his understanding of Kabbalah, he will lack an understanding in the seven wisdoms, and vice versa. The teachings of philosophy, however, are a completely different area, and they are forbidden because they attempt to divorce reality from a Godly source. The Gr'a there in the first reference in Yoreh De'ah says openly that the Rambam made certain mistakes because he relied on philosophy to understand reality, due to the information he was missing from the deeper sources.

5. The redemption is referred to as the morning, as the verse says, "The morning has come, and also night." It is also referred to as a birth (**), as the verse says, "For Tzion has... also given birth..." Just like the greatest darkness is immediately before the day, and the pregnant woman has the greatest pain just before the birth, so too, before the redemption, the exile will be heavier [at the point of redemption, more] than the entire length of the exile (*).

(*) (Just as in Egypt, where the greatest difficulty of the Jews' subjugation directly preceded the redemption, as the verse says, "Make the work heavier on the people...") These are the birth-pangs of Moshiach. There are seventy words in the psalm "יענך ה' ביום צרה" - "Hashem will afflict you on the day of oppression," which correspond to the seventy years of birth-pangs of Moshiach, through which they will be redeemed. (This is what it says there, "Now I know that Hashem has saved his Moshiach..." And it could be that this is why we say this immediately before "ובא לציון גואל" - A redeemer will come to Tzion.) This is found in his explanation of Raya Mehemna 21:2 32:1, Tikkunei Zohar 86:2, Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 27:2, and see there 7:2.


(**) These two analogies are so apt, because both in the case of the fetus in the womb, as well as the darkness of night, one can not see, but can only hear. When the child is born, and when the day breaks, one is able to see all that he had only been able to hear only moments before. In our current state of spiritual darkness, we can only sense spirituality using our capacity to 'hear,' that is, by putting the pieces of information together, noticing many different occurrences that, when brought together, clearly show us that Hashem is running the show (as is wonderfully brought out in the story of Esther). In the times of Moshiach, however, we will no longer have deduce Hashem's presence, but rather the light of day will finally shine on us, and His presence will be absolutely apparent - we will 'see it' and believe it. The transition between these two states of existence is one of a transcendental nature, moving out of our current state of darkness into a world of spiritual light. This involves a difficult transition, which, like all transitions, is bound to be painful. This is the reference that the Gr'a makes to the verse, "The morning has come, and also night." The morning comes, but it brings with it an inevitable experience of the darkest part of the night. As my brother-in-law recently explained to me, everything in creation must show its greatest strength as it is coming to the end of its existence. This is analogous to a star that lets off the greatest amount of light just as it is coming to the end of its life. So too, as the darkness is ending, we experience the greatest intensity of darkness. This is why the world we live in is more atheistic than it ever was in history, and why it is so extremely difficult for us to connect to our spiritual sensitivities. This could also be said to parallel the darkness that Egypt experienced in the ninth plague. It is the final plague before the plague of the first-born that finally causes the Egyptians to usher the Jewish people out of Egypt. This darkness was so intense that the Torah says the darkness was actually tangible. This parallels the spiritual darkness we are experiencing today. What is interesting in this parallel is that although the Egyptians experienced an intense darkness, the Jewish people's experience was one of intense light, at the very same time. This contrast could parallel the contrast between the world at large, which is currently engulfed by an intense spiritual darkness, as opposed to those who are faithful to the Torah, who can experience an intense spiritual light, despite the darkness that surrounds us. Another parallel is that during the plague of darkness, a large portion of the Jewish people lost their lives, due to the fact that they were not ready to give up the culture they had grown accustomed to in Egypt. Corresponding to this, many Jewish lives have been lost in the spiritual holocaust that is evident in the Western world today. The darkness has succeeded in once again engulfing these lost souls, causing us to lose many in the uphill battle to maintain our spiritual connection. There is nevertheless comfort in knowing that those who survive this battle, and indeed experience the light of spirituality, can be assured that the final redemption is not far off, as we are traversing the final moments of darkness, about to enter a world of intense spiritual light.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Gr"a on Redemption notes II

2. In the beginning, the ten tribes will be redeemed, and afterwards, the tribe of Yehuda [will follow](**). Afterwards will be the generation of the wilderness (Shir Hashirim 6:4)(*).

(*) The twelve middle blessings of the prayer are ordered as four times three. The first three are Torah, Teshuva, which is service, and forgiveness. These are three - Torah, positive commandments and negative commandments (***); hence, all is included. Afterwards are the blessings of redemption, healing, and blessing. Redemption is through Torah... Healing corresponds to the mitzvah of circumcision (Megillah, beginning of Ch. 2), which includes all the positive commandments. The blessing of material wealth (bircas hashanim) corresponds to the 365 negative commandments (Makkos 23 - they correspond to the 365 days of the year) (****). The next three speak of the future redemption through the two Moshiachs, Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid, and Shilo, which is reference to Moshe (as is stated by רע"מ in tractate Avodah Zara 77B, Tikkunei Zohar 36:3, 43:1 and later siman 6). This is all for the purposes of Above, for the redemption and the rebuilding of Jerusalem can not be until all the levels are complete (Gra's explanation of Megillah, beginning of the second chapter, see there where he speaks at length). The main redemption will be through Moshe (*****), that he will be revealed and redeem as in Egypt, like it says (Koheles 1), "מה שהיה הוא שיהיה - That which was, is what shall be..." The beginning letter of each word spells Moshe (משה) (Tikkunei Zohar 57:3, Raya Mehemna 23:1).


(**) This is very interesting because we find that there are two stages in the Geulah process. The first is the stage of the initial ingathering, which is later followed by a second ingathering. The first is referred to as קימה, the rising, and corresponds to Yosef. In Yosef's dream, this was represented by the fact that his sheaf rose (קמה אלומתי). This is also connected to the idea of שבע יפול צדיק וקם. Yosef (and the Jewish people, as well) is the צדיק, and although he is faced with many challenges, eventually he rises up. This corresponds to the return of the ten tribes, who were led by the tribe of Efraim, one of the two tribes of Yosef. This stage is also referred to as the פקידה, the initial stage of Hashem remembering His people and starting the process of redemption (See the sefer Acharis Ke'reshis p. 55 where he quotes from the Ramchal). This stage is referred to by Yosef himself when he commands his brothers to bring his bones to Eretz Yisrael. It seems that this stage (in the current Geulah process) came into full effect in the first half of the twentieth century, culminating in the official recognition of Israel as the Jewish homeland. The year 5708 (1948) was the end of the fifth hour, and the beginning of the sixth hour on the cosmic clock. According to the Gemara in Sanhedrin (38), the fifth hour was the hour that Adam Harishon 'stood up.' The collective soul of the Jewish people is the soul of Adam Harishon, and thus, we experienced that rise again in the fifth hour (1907-1948), culminating at its very end. In that year, over 600,000 Jews returned to Eretz Yisrael, and a similar mass immigration occurred again in 1967. It would seem likely, based on what the Gr'a is saying here, that those who have returned in the first stage of the Geulah process, that continues until now, are reincarnations of the original ten tribes. The second stage, which is referred to as the זכירה, will see the return of the entire Jewish people from all over the world. This is the second wave of the ingathering, that the Gr'a refers to as the return of the tribe of Yehuda. It would seem likely that this will be completed by the Moshiach from Yehuda, namely Moshiach ben Dovid.

It is interesting that the study of Kabbalah and the secrets of the Torah is something which is more openly accepted in Eretz Yisrael. This is specifically noticeable (as I recently saw mentioned in a Torah publication) on the holiday of Lag B'omer. This day celebrates the revelations of R' Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the Zohar. This day is celebrated throughout the country by all stripes of Jews. This is especially remarkable because Yosef is referred to as צפנת פענח, The revealer of secrets (see Kol Hator 5:7). It would make a lot of sense that the current residents of Israel, who have been gathered through the Moshiach ben Yosef process, would be more openly connected to the hidden aspects of the Torah. This also connects to the concept of כי מציון תצא תורה - from Tzion will come forth Torah. ציון has the same Gematria as יוסף (as per Kol Hator).

(***) As the Gr'a says, the positive commandments correspond to the concept of Moshiach ben Yosef, who is involved in active tikkun, whereas the negative commandments correspond to the concept of Moshiach ben Dovid, who is involved in the original tikkun which Adam was supposed to do before the sin. This tikkun is passive, like the mitzvah of Adam which was not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This is also clear as R' Maltzin continues and states that healing corresponds to circumcision. This is a clear reference to Moshiach ben Yosef, the one who had mastery over his sexual passion. This is the main tikkun of our current age, the tikkun habris. This is one of the reasons why, as we get closer and closer to the final tikkun of Yosef, the challenge in this area gets greater and greater. This is one of the main tikkunim of the internet, which, like Yosef, is meant to act as a connector for the entire world, but has the potential to present very difficult challenges in the area of sexual passion. This is a challenge we must face up to right now, and overcome! This is the challenge that separates the men from the boys (based on a concept I heard from my Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Perr).

(****) Material prosperity is the concept that corresponds to Malchus and the concept of Moshiach ben Dovid. It is the vessel through which we can accomplish spiritually, because אם אין קמח, אין תורה - if there is no flour, there is no Torah. When one does not have to worry about his finances, he can devote his entire being to spirituality. This is why one of the major challenges in chutz la'aretz, which corresponds to the tribe of Yehuda and Moshiach ben Dovid, is the disproportional desire for wealth. Wealth can be a means for one to be able to accomplish his spiritual needs, but only if it does not become an end unto itself.

(*****) R' Shimon Kessin discusses why Moshe returns, if he seems to have been just another failed Moshiach ben Yosef. He explains that Moshe did not fail. He succeeded in bringing the bride (Klal Yisrael) to the wedding canopy. Thus, Moshe aided the completion of the marriage, as it were, of Hashem and the Jewish people. The Jewish people were then like a bride who committed adultery at the wedding, but nevertheless, they had a relationship with Hashem that could never be broken. Thus, Moshe succeeded in helping the consummation of the marriage, as it were, and he returns to complete the job he began so many years ago.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Gr"a on Redemption notes I

What follows is a detailed review of the eleventh chapter of the Gra's sefer, Even Shlema. The Gra himself is in bold, the notes on the sefer itself, by Rabbi Shmuel Maltzin are in bold italics. My own thoughts follow in regular print.

Chapter 11 - In the concepts of the Erev Rav and the birthpangs of Moshiach, and the concepts of the future redemption, may it be speedily in our days.

1. The four concepts of the redemption will be in the four points (**) on the calendar that the world is judged (Rosh Hashana 16). This is reference to Pesach, when there will be a redemption from the subjugation [of the nations of the world]; The final judgment of the enemies of Hashem will be on Rosh Hashana; On Shavuos (Atzeres), Moshe Rabbenu A"H (*) will accomplish the ingathering of the exiles; On Succos, the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt.

(*) It seems that he means the sons of Moshe (***), like we find in Raya Mehemna, section two (120:1), what did the sons of Moshe place... And in his explanation of Raya Mehemna 23:1, 4, 5 and ד' ענפין, as well as Shir Hashirim 6:5, where he says that they are referred to in the verse, "And saviors will come up on Mount Tzion..." And here in the Raya Mehemna the indication is that the redemption in Nissan will be through Moshiach ben Dovid, who corresponds to the attribute of chessed (kindness). The destruction of Esav will be through Moshiach ben Yosef, who corresponds to the attribute of din (strict justice), as we saw, that this is how the cleansing occurs... to burn the straw with the left side. To this is brought a proof from the verse, "The house of Yosef will be a flame and the house of Esav will be straw." This needs further insight, because in his explanation of the 'Savei d'bei Asuna,' in the piece about the מישרא דסכיני, he writes that although Moshiach ben Yosef will rule over the entire world and destroy all the evil ones, as the verse says, "With his horns he shall strike the nations..." However, Esav will not fall to him, but rather to Moshiach ben Dovid. It could be that that which he writes in Raya Mehemna, that the straw is burnt by the left side, is not referring to Moshiach ben Yosef himself. Rather, his intent is that Moshiach ben Dovid will make use of the attribute of Gevurah (restraint) of Moshiach ben Yosef, and through this, the evil will be destroyed. This is like it says, "And afterwards all is taken from Gevurah," and like it says in the verse, "The house of Yakov(****) will be like fire, and the house of Yosef will be like a flame..." See Raya Mehemna Pinchas 252:1; There the calf will pasture; one will remove the great Roman, the other will remove the lesser Roman. See there in his explanation 53:1, under the heading "מרא דעגלא."


(**) If we look at the mishna in Rosh Hashana, we can see the parallels between the judgments that occur each year and the way the day itself will be expressed in the Geulah process. Pesach is the first day mentioned in the mishna, and it is the day we are judged on the produce. As we will see later on in the Gra, the fact that we stop eating chametz in the sixth hour is to balance out the Erev Rav's power in the sixth hour. We also find that the Gemara talks about what prevents the Jewish people from fulfilling their mission, and it refers to the subjugation of the nations of the world as well as the "שאור שבעיסה" - a reference to the Evil Inclination. It would seem that the Erev Rav is also included in the category of things that prevent the Jewish people from forging their bond with Hashem. Thus these concepts are parallel, and it is the holiday of Pesach that is the Jewish people's time to balance out the power of these things which represent the forces of evil. The judgment on the wheat also clearly has to do with the sin of Adam, which caused him to have to produce bread by the sweat of his face. The Jewish people have difficulty completing their rectification as long as these other forces stand in their way. Pesach, which is the main time for the tikkun, will thus be the time that those forces are finally removed.

The second date of judgment mentioned in the mishna is the day of Shavuos. This is the time when we are judged on the fruits of the tree. The parallel here is more difficult to see, but perhaps the following could be said. The fruits of the tree represent the concept of Malchus, as we see in the arba minim, that the concept of malchus is found in the Esrog. This is because the fruit is like a womb, containing the seed. This corresponds to the concept of the ingathering of the exiles, which the Gra will soon say is completed in the second stage with the return of the tribe of Yehuda. This is representative of the stage of Malchus (Moshiach ben Dovid is from Yehuda). It is interesting that the Gra says that the ingathering will be accomplished by Moshe Rabbenu, and requires deeper analysis as to why he is the one who is charged with this task.

The third date in the mishna is the date of Rosh Hashana, when all the people of the world 'pass before Him like b'nei Maron.' This is the day of judgment every year, and is the day of final judgment for the nations in the redemption process, as well.

The fourth day is Succos, when the judgment occurs for the water - i.e. how much rain will fall that year. Rain is the medium through which heaven and earth are joined, and it is the means through which Hashem gives physical sustenance to the world. The Beis Hamikdash represents this very concept, and therefore it is built on Succos. Furthermore, Succos itself is the time of the connection between the male and female concepts, as is represented by the mitzvos of Succos - the Lulav and the Succah. The Succah is representative of the Shechina that the Jews experienced in the wilderness, and this is the very idea of the Beis Hamikdash.

(***) It is interesting that R' Maltzin understands that it is speaking about the sons of Moshe. From what I have heard from numerous sources, Moshe Rabbenu himself actually returns at the advent of Moshiach.

(****) Here it seems that R' Maltzin understands that Yakov is reference to Moshiach ben Dovid. This entire piece is difficult to understand, because we see explicitly in numerous places that Yosef is the counter-force of Esav, and that Esav only falls to the children of Rochel. Generally, Yakov and Yosef line up because Yakov is Tiferes and Yosef is Yesod. Yakov takes the blessings of the first born and gives them to Yosef in place of Esav. We also find a clear reference in Rashi when Yakov returns from Lavan's house. Another possible explanation of the apparent issue with the Gr'a in the Tana D'bei Asuna could be that Moshiach ben Yosef is the one who fights the war of Gog Umagog, fighting against Esav. He will not be able to actually complete the destruction of Esav on his own, but rather, will join forces with Moshiach ben Dovid, who will help him complete the task. This works out better in the passuk in Ovadiah, "And the house of Yakov will be fire, the house of Yosef a flame, and the house of Esav will be straw; they will light them and consume them. There will be nothing remaining of Esav, for Hashem has spoken." Here we see that Esav is destroyed by two parties, the house of Yakov and the house of Yosef, and they both take part in the destruction. If we assume that Yakov is reference to Moshiach ben Dovid and Yosef is reference to Moshiach ben Yosef, it is clear that both play an integral role in the final destruction of Esav.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Gr"a on the Redemption process

What follows is Chapter Eleven of the Gra's sefer Even Shelemah. It was annotated by Rabbi Shmuel Maltzin. I plan, be'H to follow up this post with the notes of R' Maltzin on each piece, which are extremely interesting, as well as some of my own thoughts.

Chapter 11 - In the concepts of the Erev Rav and the birthpangs of Moshiach, and the concepts of the future redemption, may it be speedily in our days.

1. The four concepts of the redemption will be in the four points on the calendar that the world is judged (Rosh Hashana 16). This is reference to Pesach, when there will be a redemption from the subjugation [of the nations of the world]; The final judgment of the enemies of Hashem will be on Rosh Hashana; On Shavuos (Atzeres), Moshe Rabbenu A"H will accomplish the ingathering of the exiles; On Succos, the Beis Hamikdash will be rebuilt.

2. In the beginning, the ten tribes will be redeemed, and afterwards, the tribe of Yehuda [will follow]. Afterwards will be the generation of the wilderness (Shir Hashirim 6:4).

3. This Redemption will only occur through the learning of Torah. The main Redemption is dependent on the learning of Kabbalah.

4. In the merit of distancing from those who are involved in the teachings of spiritual philosophy, in study and nature, in the future they [who have distanced themselves] will merit to bask in the light of Hashem (Yeshaya 2:6).

5. The redemption is referred to as the morning, as the verse says, "The morning has come, and also night." It is also referred to as a birth, as the verse says, "For Tzion has... also given birth..." Just like the greatest darkness is immediately before the day, and the pregnant woman has the greatest pain just before the birth, so too, before the redemption, the exile will be heavier than the entire length of the exile.

6. Just as the wheat has three different types of byproducts, the chaff, the straw and the husk of the kernel, so too the Jewish people are analogous to wheat, as the verse says [in reference to the Jewish people] (Yirmiyah 1), "The first of His wheat." Thus, there are three types of chaff, which are Yishmael, Esav, and the Erev Rav. Corresponding to Avraham and Yitzchak, from whom came Yishmael and Esav, two Moshiach's will come, Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid (Tikkunei Zohar Chadash 36:1, and they correspond to the positive and negative commandments). These [two Moshiachs] will purify the Jewish people from the chaff and straw, and they [Yishmael] will be like the chaff, which is blown away by the wind; and the house of Esav will be like straw. But the purification will not be complete until the Erev Rav is removed, which corresponds to the husk of the kernel, which is extremely attached to the wheat itself [i.e. the Jewish people]. This is the byproduct that corresponds to Yakov (and they correspond to recalcitrance in Torah learning and removing the yoke of Heaven) (Tikkunei Zohar 53:1). They are extremely attached to the people of Israel, and the people of Israel learn from their ways. They are the extremely wealthy individuals, exulting in pride (about whom the Gemara says (Sanhedrin 98) that [Moshiach] ben Dovid will not come until the prideful ones of Israel have been finished, etc.). Just like the husk can not be removed from the flour until the wheat is ground finely, so too, it is only possible to remove the Erev Rav through the difficulties of the exile.

7. Since the generations get weaker and weaker, and the Erev Rav increases in strength, it was necessary for the wise men of each generation to make decrees and new fences in order to compensate for the destruction being wrought by the Erev Rav (Tikkunei Zohar 34:1). See the Gemara in Eruvin 6, "A great valley was found..." (And see earlier in note 8 on chapter 1...)

8. There are five types of Erev Rav in the people of Israel. 1) Those who are constantly involved in disputes and speaking negative speech. 2) Those consumed by desire. 3) The fakers who put on a show of righteousness, but are rotten inside. 4) Those who chase after honor, to make a name for themselves. 5) Those who run after wealth. The worst of them all are those involved in disputes, and they are called 'Amalekites.' [Moshiach] ben Dovid can not come until they are erased from the earth (Devarim 1:1). All disputes that are not for the sake of heaven are from the Erev Rav who quickly pass judgment and attempt to take the crown, as the verse says, "And we will make for ourselves a name, etc." (Tikkunei Zohar 46:2).

9. In every generation, another attribute is ascendant (of the attributes of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, who guides His world through them), through which nature changes, as well as all the actions of the generation, including its customs, and its leaders - everything is according to this attribute, and depends on their choices for Good or Evil (see earlier in chapter 1). And corresponding to this is the way Hashem deals with them. All of this is included in the Torah (This is what we find that Hashem showed Adam, as well as Avraham, all the generations. This means that he understood it all from the Torah (Tikkunei Zohar 49:1,2,3 Sifra Ditzniusa 14:4). Similarly, in every generation there are 'times of ending' according to the concept of Teshuva and merits that are specifically for that generation. The 'final end,' however, is not dependent on teshuva, but rather on chessed (kindness), as the verse says (Yeshaya 48), "For My sake, for My sake will I do." And it is also dependent on the merit of the forefathers. This is what it says, "And He remembers the kindnesses of the forefathers, and brings a redeemer to the sons of their sons for His name's sake." This was the only End that was revealed to the forefathers. This is what it says, "To My heart I revealed." This is reference to the forefathers and Moshe, who were referred to as 'My heart.'

10. All the concepts of the month of Tishrei are hints to the future. For the judgment is on Rosh Hashana, and afterwards, the forgiveness for sin is on Yom Kippur. Followed by Succos, the eighth day and their joy. So too in the future, the great day of judgment will occur, followed by that which it says, "I will sprinkle upon you pure waters and purify you, etc" (Yechezkel 36), and "I will forgive whatever is left" (Yirmiyah 50). Afterwards, on Succos, will be the seven Chuppos, as is known, as the verse says (Yishaya 4), "And a Succah will be for shade from the day, etc." 'The time of our rejoicing, etc," and strangers will stand and shepherd your sheep (ibid 61). Afterwards, the Eighth day, which will be the end of those who deny the True God, and the people of Israel will rejoice alone. "It will be a day of completion (atzeres) for you," and they will eat the three Shabbos meals. This is reference to the meals of the animals on the mountains of a thousand, the meal of the Leviathan, and the wine that was kept, etc. (Sifra Ditzni'usa 54:4 55:1, Tikkunei Zohar 49:2)

11. The meal of the Leviathan is reference to the knowledge that will expand in the world, which is the great joy to which nothing can compare. Moshe Rabbenu is also called the Leviathan (Sifra Ditzni'usa 18:3), and about this the verse says, "That You created to play with it," and it is the plaything of Hakadosh Baruch Hu with the righteous, with which He renews the Torah, etc, as the verse says, "And they saw Elokim, and they ate and drank." Seeing means understanding. This is the light that was hidden for the Righteous (Tikkunei Zohar 42:3 44:1 Sifra Ditzniusa 19:2). The inner secrets of the Torah will be revealed, just as the simple understanding of the Torah is now. Therefore there will be freedom from any accusers, like the verse says (Yeshaya 11), "They will do no evil, nor cause destruction... For the land is full of the knowledge of Hashem..." (Tikkunei Zohar 43:2). The 'wine that was kept' is also reference to the secrets of the Torah which will be revealed by Moshe (Tikkunei Zohar 74:2), and about that time it says, "Hashem's honor will be forever, Hashem will rejoice in His creations." May it be speedily in our days, so may it be His will.