The Taste of Matzah

July 15th, 2015

And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought out of Egypt, for it did not [have time to] leaven; for they were driven out of Egypt and could not tarry…

Exodus 12:39

For seven days you shall eat … matzah, the bread of poverty; for you left Egypt in haste. Thus you shall remember the day of your exodus from Egypt, all the days of your life.

Deuteronomy 16:3

Matzah, the unleavened bread, is the most prominent item at the Passover seder. It is the “bread of poverty” that symbolizes our hardship under Egyptian slavery. It is also the “hasty bread” that did not have time to rise, reminiscent of the nature of our redemption–the sudden, drastic, overwhelming change that the Almighty wrought in our lives. At the stroke of midnight on Passover eve, G-d instantaneously transformed a materially and morally impoverished clan of slaves into a free people–into the nation chosen to be His “light unto the nations”[1] and to play the central role in His purpose of creation.[2]

Virtually the entire seder centers on the three matzos on the seder plate, from the recitation of the Haggadah over the smaller half of the middle matzah, to the eating of the “after matzah” (afikoman) at the meal’s end. Indeed, the biblical name for Passover is “The Festival of Matzos,” for it is the matzah that embodies the essence of Exodus.

So why aren’t there four matzos?

The number four is a recurring theme at the seder: We drink four cups of wine, ask the Four Questions, speak of the Four Sons–to name a few of the “fours” associated with the festival of freedom. Our sages explain the “foursomeness” of Passover as deriving from the “four expressions of redemption” in G-d’s promise to Moses:

I will bring you out from under the hardship of Egypt, and I will save you from their bondage; I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgment. I will take you to Myself as a nation, and I will be to you a G-d .[3] 

As the commentaries[4] explain, the “four expressions of redemption” relate to the four aspects of our liberation: 1) “I will bring out”–our physical removal from the geographical boundaries of Egypt; 2) “I will save”–our delivery from Egyptian hegemony[5]; 3) “I will redeem”–the elimination of any future possibility of enslavement, by the “great judgment” inflicted upon the Egyptians[6]; and 4) “I will take you to Myself as a nation, and I will be to you a G-d”–our election as G-d’s chosen people at Mount Sinai, the purpose and end-goal of the Exodus.[7]

But why aren’t the “four expressions of redemption” represented in the most basic symbol of the Exodus, the matzah? Why are there only three matzos arranged on the seder plate?

Flash of Faith

The matzah, as we said, expresses both our poverty at the time of the Exodus and the haste in which the redemption came about. The two are interrelated: it was because we were impoverished–spiritually as well as materially–that our redemption had to be such a hasty affair. Our sages explain that we had become so entrenched in the paganism and depravity of Egypt, that the Exodus came at the very last possible moment. Had we remained slaves in Egypt a moment longer, there would have been no “people of Israel” to redeem.[8]

Thus, we could not afford the luxury of an orderly, methodical redemption. We simply did not have the time to gradually divest ourselves of our slave mentality and pagan ways, to comprehend the significance of the role for which we were being chosen, or to develop the proper emotional response to the greatest event in human history. All we had was our faith in G-d–a faith that had persevered throughout our long and harrowing exile.[9] On Passover eve, G-d ignited this faith with a tremendous revelation of His might and truth, blasting our souls free of the chains that had imprisoned them in an internal slavery more nefarious than any physical bondage. It was this faith, and this faith alone, that took us out of Egypt and set us on the road to Sinai. The prophet Jeremiah describes the moment when he says: “So says G-d: ‘I remember your youthful love, your bridal devotion, following Me out to the desert, to an arid land….’”[10]

But faith alone was not enough. Faith can move mountains, but it cannot remake the essence of man. For faith is a transcendent force, and therein lies both its power and its limitations: it can lift a person to unprecedented heights, but these remain “other worldly” experiences, extraneous to his inner self. Faith got us out of Egypt, but it could not get the Egypt out of us: in order to be truly and inherently free, we had to change from within, through a gradual process of intellectual growth and character development.

So G-d did not suffice with the instant exodus of Passover. Following our departure from Egypt, He embarked us on a systematic regimen of self-refinement and transformation. Only at the end of a forty-nine-step[11] climb (which we reexperience each year with the 49-day sefirah count) did He enter into His covenant with us at Mount Sinai.

Thus, while the “I will bring out,” “I will save,” and “I will redeem” elements of the Exodus were realized on Passover itself, the fourth element came to fruition seven weeks later, with the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai (marked each year with the festival of Shavuot). At Sinai, G-d’s promise that “I will take you to Myself as a nation” was realized, after we had internalized the faith of the Exodus, attaining an understanding and appreciation of our mission as G-d’s “treasured people among the nations … a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”[12]

Flat Cake and Sensual Drink

These two stages in our redemption are personified by two staples of the seder–matzah and wine.

Matzah, the “bread of poverty,” the “bread of haste” and the “bread of faith,”[13] represents the state of the Jewish people at the moment of the Exodus. The matzah dough must be kneaded hastily and immediately placed in the oven–allowing it to rise and assume the richness and texture of full-bodied bread renders it chametz, forbidden for consumption (or even possession) on Passover. Also, in order to be valid for use at the seder, the matzah must consist of flour and water only: any innovative attempt at a gourmet matzah (e.g., mixing in eggs or fruit juice) disqualifies it for the mitzvah of eating matzah on Passover eve.[14] Thus, the matzah reflects the intellectual and emotional poverty of one who, roused by a flash of divine truth, follows G-d into the desert with nothing but his faith and commitment; of one who understands nothing, feels nothing, “tastes” nothing save his awe before the majesty of his Creator and his firm resolve to serve Him.[15]

Wine, in contrast, is the epitome of sense and experience. Wine, the palatable beverage that “rejoices G-d and man,”[16] represents the spiritual richness of the people who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai: a people who had undergone the process of internalizing the divine truth so that it invigorated every nook and cranny of their minds and hearts.

Thus, we have three matzos and four cups of wine. With the three matzos, we reexperience the event of the Exodus itself: the flash of faith that “brought out,” “saved” and “redeemed” us from Egypt, but which fell short of enabling us to “taste” the substance of our freedom. With the four cups of wine, we also savor the fourth dimension of the Exodus: the flavor and fragrance of the spiritual maturity attained at Sinai.

The Sensitive Servant

And yet, matzah is not the “tasteless” food that many an undiscerning palate would judge it. Indeed, the taste of matzah is mandated by law.

Actually, we find two seemingly conflicting rulings in halachah (Torah law) regarding the taste of matzah. On the one hand, there is a law that states that even if one does not taste the matzah he is eating, he has nevertheless fulfilled the mitzvah of eating matzah on Passover eve. For example, if a person grinds the matzah to a powder and swallows it whole, he has observed the mitzvah.[17] Another law, however, stipulates that the matzah must retain its distinctive taste; if, for whatever reason, the taste of matzah is suppressed or altered (e.g., it is cooked, or mixed with other foods, etc.)[18] it is not valid for the mitzvah. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi explains: “Although one need not taste the matzah in his mouth, the matzah itself must possess the taste of matzah.”[19] Matzah need not be tasted, but it must be tasteable.

For matzah does have a taste: the taste of faith, the taste of commitment, the taste of self-abnegation. Matzah is not wine–here is not the keen tang of intellectual inquiry, nor the intoxicating high of passion. But the sensitive servant of G-d will savor its simple yet subtle flavor, its austere yet deeply satisfying consistency.

One who does not taste the matzah he is eating–one who does not appreciate the flavor of faith and the delectability of commitment–nevertheless fulfills the mitzvah of eating matzah on the seder night. For also our forefathers, beholding the truth of truths for the first time that night, were not in a position to “taste” their faith and experience its sublime delights. The overwhelming revelation of G-dliness that they experienced was just that: overwhelming and unreal to their yet unperfected selves.

But the matzah must have its distinct flavor, even if the one ingesting it is incapable, as of yet, to relish it. Faith, true faith, always carries the potential for a deep and satisfying relationship with G-d–no less satisfying than the most luscious vintage of the mind and heart.

Matzah, Wine, and Matzah

Indeed, it is matzah, not wine, that is the symbol of the Exodus. The sensual austerity of matzah is not merely an initial phase to be overcome and surpassed on the road to Sinai; if this were the case, the robust cup of wine, rather than the flat matzah cake, would be upheld as the matrix of freedom. But it is the matzah that embodies the ultimate goal of the redemption, the matzah that we are to refer to “all days of your life,”[20] for the ultimate significance of our freedom and nationhood.

Certainly, we should strive to stimulate our senses with an appreciation of our purpose in life and our relationship with our Creator. But the purpose of it all is a return to the genesis of our journey, a return to the unequivocal commitment that transcends reason and experience.

This is not a return to the “tasteless” faith of childhood, to a faith whose simplicity stems from the limitations of the unmatured mind; it is not a return to a sense-poor Exodus that was dictated by the circumstances of the Egyptian galut. Rather, it is a reaffirmation of faith and commitment that comes after we have comprehended all that is in our power to comprehend and we have experienced all that we are capable of experiencing. It is the acknowledgment that no matter how high our sensory self might reach, there is always something higher, a truth to which we can relate only with the simple acceptance of faith. Having supplemented our matzah with wine, we must now graduate to a higher order of matzah, to a matzah that is not bereft of thought and feeling but which surmounts them and supersedes them.

Matzah hurriedly chewed on an empty stomach is virtually tasteless; but at the meal’s end, especially after a glass or two of wine, it is a feast for the senses.

From an address by the Rebbe, eighth day of Passover, 5742 (1982)[21]

Adapted from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Yanki Tauber

Tags: Egypt, passover, wine, Yanki Tauber, Matan Torah, Exodus from Egypt
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Publicity

July 15th, 2015

Whenever he heard of yet another eager disciple of the Advertising Age’s doctrine of self-promotion, the chassid Rabbi Moshe Rubin would smile and tell his steamboat story:

A new steamboat was being launched. The crowd waiting at the pier was much impressed by the sonorous blasts being emitted by its steam horn. Again and again it blew, each blast a resounding testimony to the tremendous power of its engine.

But when the time came for it to begin moving through the water, the boat could only drift listlessly. All its steam had been spent sounding its horn.[13]

Adapted from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Yanki Tauber.

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[13]. The Albany Haggadah, p. 10.

Tags: strength, arrogance, publicity, Yanki Tauber, story
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The Rebbe on the ’60s

July 15th, 2015

The following is a freely-translated excerpt from a letter the Rebbe wrote in the summer of 1963 to a leading American Rabbi:

…Every generation has its particular quality, unique to its time.

In our generation, particularly in the last few years, we are witnessing a spiritual awakening, which is being called—though those who have called it so are unaware of the true significance of the term they have coined—“a return to roots.” Regardless of how it is being currently understood, the quest to “return to roots” is, in essence, the soul’s quest for teshuvah, for reunion with its source in G-d.

We are seeing this awakening primarily among the youth, who experience everything with a greater depth and a greater intensity. Young people also have no fear of changing their lifestyle, as long as they are convinced that they are being given the truth, without compromise and equivocation.

This is particularly the case with the youth of our country. In other countries, there is a double hurdle to be overcome: first one must uproot the false ideologies that have become ingrained in certain circles also among the younger generation, and only afterward is it possible to implant the proper ideas in their minds. This is not the case in this country, where the youth is virgin soil, if only they are given the truth in its purity. We have witnessed in actuality that those who are not intimidated and present the truth without equivocation, have been met with a true response among the youth.

I don’t want to be critical, but I am forced to note that, to our great misfortune, this awakening has not been utilized, thus far, by those who purport to be the leaders and spiritual guides of their communities, certainly not to the extent that it could have been utilized.

Our sages have taught that “The deed is the primary thing.”[10] It therefore goes without saying that the purpose of my writing all this is not for the sake of discussion, but in the hope that you and your colleagues will launch a broad and spirited effort to encourage this awakening and—most importantly—to have it translate into concrete changes in the day-to-day life of all those to whom this call can reach.

This is a matter of spiritual life and death. So one is obliged to do all that is in one’s power, even if one sees but a small chance at success.

May the Almighty grant that our efforts should reveal and awaken the inner core of the soul within each of our brethren, which is ever faithful to G-d and is always desirous to fulfill His will.[11] When we will each do all that is dependent upon us, with the confidence that we are acting as emissaries of the Almighty—and sound our call with words coming from the heart, which are guaranteed to enter the heart and have their desired effect—we are certain to succeed…[12]

Adapted from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Yanki Tauber.

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Tags: essence, truth, Yanki Tauber, teshuva, children, Rebbe, movement
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The Fifth Dimension

July 15th, 2015

And Moses said to the people: Remember this day on which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery… and no leaven shall be eaten…

For seven days, no leaven shall be found in your homes… No leaven shall be seen in all your property…

But on the first day,[1] you shall exterminate all leaven from your homes

Exodus 13:3, 7; 12:15

More than a people’s redemption “from slavery to freedom,” the Exodus was also a transition “from darkness to a great light.” [2] The children of Israel were wrested from the “forty-nine gates of impurity”[3] of pagan Egypt and elevated to be G-d’s chosen “kingdom of priests” and “holy nation.”[4]

Thus, a primary feature of the festival of Passover is the purging of all leavened foods from our diet and possession. Leaven is dough that has fermented, causing it to rise and swell. In man, “leaven” is his propensity for pride and self-aggrandizement, which is the primal sin of Egypt[5] and the ultimate source of all evil.[6] On Passover, we relive the experience of the Exodus by cleansing our soul of its “leaven”; the physical and spiritual being two faces of the same reality, this is complemented by the removal and destruction of all physical leaven in our possession.

This explains the uniqueness of the prohibition of leaven among the other prohibitions of the Torah. The Torah forbids the consumption of various foods, but nowhere is the prohibition as extreme and all-embracing as the prohibition of leaven on Passover. In most cases, only the actual eating of a substance is forbidden. For example, the Torah forbids eating the flesh of a non-kosher animal, but permits deriving benefit from it in other ways—selling it to a non-Jew, feeding it to one’s animals, using it in the preparation of non-dietary products, etc. In certain instances (such as meat cooked in milk), the Torah also forbids all benefit from the substance. But in regard to leaven, it carries the prohibition even further: not only is it forbidden to eat leaven on Passover or to derive benefit from it in any way, it is also forbidden to possess leaven or to keep it in one’s domain for the duration of the festival. Furthermore, in addition to the “negative commandments” that forbid the consumption, use and possession of leaven, there is a “positive commandment” to destroy all leaven that is found in one’s possession before the onset of the festival.[7] (Legal differentiations aside, one need only observe the activity in a Jewish home in the weeks preceding Passover to appreciate the exactitude and vehemence with which the Jew “exterminates all leaven from his home.”)

When the Torah forbids the consumption of something but permits its other uses, it is saying that the thing itself is not negative—only a certain form thereof (its function as a food). A prohibition of benefit implies a deeper negativity—one that extends to all forms of beneficial use. However, the very fact that the Torah does not forbid an object’s possession implies that the object per se is not evil (though the Jew is unable to utilize it in any gainful way). The negativity of leaven, on the other hand, is not confined to one or all forms of use, but relates to the object itself: the Jew is forbidden to allow its very existence in his domain.

Evil, as a rule, is a “superficial” phenomenon. Only rarely is there any depth of commitment behind an evil deed or any profundity of thought and feeling behind an evil desire. Evil presents a sinister face, but the face is usually only skin deep, relating only to the most external surface of the “evil” person or object and having but a shallow and temporal effect on its surroundings. But the evil of Egypt, the most potent and malignant of evils, penetrates deeper than all other evils, extending beyond the external form to permeate the very substance of its object. Hence the extreme severity of the prohibition of leaven, which embodies the evil of Egypt; a prohibition that relates not to a particular form or forms of the forbidden object, but to the object itself.

Essence and Form

The above statement, however, requires further clarification. What is “the object itself” as opposed to its form? A physical object, by definition, is of a certain form—there are no formless objects. Yet the very fact that a thing can change form (to the extent that the second form is completely different from, or even antithetical to, the first) leads us to distinguish between the essence of a thing and the forms it assumes, and to speak of “essence” and “form” as two distinct components of a thing’s existence.

Thus, a physical object can be viewed on three different levels. The first, most “external” level is the object’s definition in terms of its function: a piano is a musical instrument, a loaf of bread is a food. This might be broadened to include a more generalized definition—the loaf of bread might be regarded as “an asset of value to the sustenance of human life,” a description that would include its utility as animal feed, fuel, saleable merchandise, etc.[8]

On a second, more basic level, a thing is defined in terms of its physical form, rather than its particular use (or uses). A piano is an object of a certain size and shape, and a loaf of bread is an object of a certain size and shape. We are regarding them as objects in time and space, rather than as instruments of a certain utility.

The third, most elementary, level is the thing’s “essence”—that unquantifiable “it” that lies behind the manifold forms it might assume. A loaf of bread is not an “object” but an intrinsically formless essence, whose particular form—and the fact that it possesses a form at all—is completely incidental to its being.

In most of the substances forbidden by the Torah, the prohibition relates only to the first, most external, level of existence. When a substance is forbidden only as a food, this means that only a certain function of the substance has been deemed negative by the Torah. Even when the Torah forbids deriving any benefit from the substance, the prohibition relates only to a more broadly defined function of the thing, not to its form or “objectness,” and certainly not to its essence.

The prohibition of leaven, however, extends beyond function and utility: its very existence in our possession is forbidden, and its destruction constitutes a mitzvah, the fulfillment of a divine commandment. But how far does the prohibition extend? Does it relate to leaven as an “object”—a physical substance of a certain form—or does it penetrate even deeper, to its very essence?

This question is the issue behind a Talmudic debate regarding the obligation to destroy all leaven in one’s possession on the morning of the day before Passover:

Rabbi Judah says: Leaven can be exterminated only by burning. The [other] sages say: One can also crumble it and cast it to the wind, or throw it into the sea.[9]

According to the second opinion (that of “the sages”), destroying the form of the leaven constitutes the fulfillment of the commandment to “exterminate leaven from your homes.” The loaf of bread, as defined as an object of a certain form, no longer exists; since the prohibition against leaven extends only to this stratum of its existence, the mitzvah of exterminating leaven has been fulfilled.

Rabbi Judah, however, maintains that the prohibition against leaven relates not only to its form, but also to its very essence. So it is not sufficient to destroy the form of the leaven. One must eliminate its very being, something that can be achieved (to the extent that it is humanly possible) only by burning.

The Four Elements of Form

The elimination of leaven from our domain is the physical analogue of the imperative to eradicate the evil of Egypt from our souls. So the question of the extent of the prohibition of leaven on Passover derives from a more basic question: how far does the evil of Egypt penetrate its subject?

This, too, is the underlying issue in a debate between our sages:

Rabbi Eliezer says: “… Every plague that G-d brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was comprised of four plagues…” Rabbi Akiva says: “… Every plague that G-d brought upon the Egyptians in Egypt was comprised of five plagues…”[10]

The commentaries[11] explain this dispute as based on the fact that every existence consists of “four elements”—fire, water, air and earth. The “four elements,” however, are not the components of a thing’s essence, but the qualifying factors of its form—its heat (“fire”), moisture (“water”), etc.[12] Hence, the number of aspects to each plague expresses the degree to which the plagues affected the people and resources of Egypt. A four-fold plague means that the plague involved every aspect of its subject’s form, infiltrating each of its four elements. (The plague of blood, for example, not only affected the “water” element of the Nile’s waters, but also its “fire,” “air” and “earth” qualities.) A five-dimensional plague means that the devastation of Egypt extended not only to the four elements of form but also to the essence behind them.

Rabbi Eliezer is of the opinion that the evil of Egypt extended to its “four elements”; hence the four-fold plagues that came to crush the pagan “form” of Egypt and liberate Israel from its grasp. This opinion is reflected in the ruling of the sages who maintain that the destruction of the form of leaven (by “crumbling it and casting it to the wind, or throwing it into the sea”) eliminates the negative qualities it embodies.

Rabbi Akiva, on the other hand, is of the opinion that the evil of Egypt permeated its very essence, necessitating plagues with a fifth dimension—plagues that vanquished also the formless essence of Egypt. The same must be done each Passover, when the Jew achieves a personal Exodus by overcoming the “Egypt” within himself. Rabbi Akiva’s understanding of the evil of Egypt is thus reflected in Rabbi Judah’s ruling that “Leaven can be exterminated only by burning,” for also its “essence” must be annihilated.

The Personal Exodus

The soul of man also possesses “four elements” that give form to its transcendent essence. The four elements are: 1) his behavior (his actual deeds, words and conscious thoughts); 2) his emotional self or “character”; 3) his intellectual self; 4) his supra-rational self, which includes qualities such as will, faith and self-sacrifice. These, however, are only the elements that comprise the “form” of the soul, not the soul itself. Then there are those things that relate to a person’s essence—things that cannot be categorized or quantified by any of the above states of the soul.

“In every generation, a person must regard himself as one who has himself come out of Egypt.”[13] On the most basic level, “coming out of Egypt” entails liberating oneself from negative deeds and habits; this is self-liberation on the behavioral level, the first and most basic of the soul’s “four elements.” A deeper liberation is the transcendence of one’s emotional limitations—feelings that hamper and hinder the soul’s quest for the Divine. Yet a higher achievement is the personal Exodus from the limitations of the intellect—to free oneself from the various preconceptions and mindsets that confine the soul. Finally, the truly liberated person eradicates the “leaven” that might taint even his supra-rational self—the hint of self-consideration that might be found even in the purest faith and the most altruistic sacrifice.

According to Rabbi Eliezer (and the sages who disagree with Rabbi Judah), this is the extent to which a person can and should strive to “come out of Egypt.” This is the extent to which “leaven” can infiltrate the soul of man; these are the elements of self that can be liberated and transformed. As for the essence of the soul, there is no leaven to be eradicated, no “Exodus” to be achieved. The essence of the soul is beyond being affected by the ferment of ego, and consequently, beyond being liberated or elevated.

Rabbi Akiva disagrees. As lofty as the soul is, its potential for perfection is infinite; it can surmount even itself, liberating itself from the parameters of its very essence. Rabbi Akiva was a living example of this: the descendent of converts to Judaism, his was a soul that knew the meaning of utter transformation, of transcending one’s very identity. In his own life, Rabbi Akiva overcame forty years of ignorance of and hostility to everything holy to become one of the greatest sages in Jewish history. Self-liberation, according to Rabbi Akiva, involves not only the “form” of a life, but can be achieved also on the deepest, most quintessential level of one’s being.

Based on the Rebbe’s talks on Passover of 5714 (1954) and 5718 (1958)[14].

Adapted from the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe by Yanki Tauber

Tags: passover, Yanki Tauber, bread, internalize, essence
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The Labor of Life

July 15th, 2015

“Man was born to toil,”[13] says the verse—a fact of human nature readily affirmable by asking yourself a simple question: How many happy retirees do you know?

That nothing worthwhile comes easy in life—that, indeed, anything that does come easy is ultimately spurned as worthless—is G-d’s greatest gift to man. For it is this twist of human nature that enables us to experience achievement and fulfillment in our endeavors.

Chassidim would illustrate this point with the following story:

A wealthy nobleman was once touring his estate and came upon a peasant pitching hay. The nobleman was fascinated by the flowing motions of the peasant’s arms and shoulders and the graceful sweep of the pitchfork through the air. He so greatly enjoyed the spectacle that he struck a deal with the peasant: for ten rubles a day, the peasant agreed to come to the mansion and display his hay-pitching technique in the nobleman’s drawing room.

The next day, the peasant arrived at the mansion, hardly concealing his glee at his new line of “work.” After swinging his empty pitchfork for an hour, he collected his ten rubles—many times his usual take for a week of backbreaking labor. But by the following day, his enthusiasm had somewhat waned. Before the week was out, he announced that he was quitting his commission.

“I don’t understand,” puzzled the nobleman. “Why would you rather swing heavy loads outdoors in the winter cold and the summer heat, when you can perform an effortless task in the comfort of my home and earn many times your usual wages?”

“But master,” said the peasant, “I don’t see the work.”

Adapted from the teachings of the Libavitcher Rebbe by Yanki Tauber.

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[13]. Job 5:7.

Tags: story, value system, work, purpose of life, wealth
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Shoftim: Elul Whispers

July 13th, 2015

As we enter the new lunar month of Elul – the month of love and compassion – it can be a bit difficult to feel beauty and hope.

No doubt, there is much beauty in the world. Humans continue to demonstrate noble acts of gallantry. In many little corners of the globe unsung heroes shine and illuminate their environments.

But collectively we are living in very troubled times. A deep cloud of fear and uncertainty hangs over the globe – not only for millions of people in the Middle East, but for populations in virtually every hemisphere. The toxic air can ignite a new attack at any moment, in any place. No one knows when and where the next crisis will strike. Politically, financially, technologically, spiritually – there is so much uncertainty.

The compassionate power of Elul seems very distant.

But what else is new? Elul was never an easy process. The source of this month’s history and power goes back over 3,000 years ago, and tells the entire story:

Moses climbs Mount Sinai to receive the Torah. After 40 days Moses returns, only to find that the Jewish people defied G-d by building the Golden Calf. Moses breaks the tablets and returns to Sinai to pray that G-d pardon the people for their grave betrayal. He spends another 40 days on Sinai and his efforts are unsuccessful. But Moses does not give up. Determined, he climbs the mountain for a third time and pleads another 40 days. This time Moses is successful. He elicits not merely Divine forgiveness, but a newfound depth, a more intense dimension in the relationship between G-d and the people.

To Moses’ entreaty, G-d responds with an unprecedented gift: He reveals His Thirteen Attributes of Compassion—thirteen secrets of G-d’s “personality” that carry the mysteries of life and the power to repair whatever is broken.

This third period of 40 days began on the first day of the month of Elul and concluded on Yom Kippur. Elul is therefore a potent month filled with the power of hope, love and reconciliation. The mystics tell us that the Thirteen Divine Attributes of Compassion radiate during the month of Elul, when we relive Moses’ experience.

By way of analogy, the Alter Rebbe explains, that in the month of Elul “the King is in the field.” The king had been traveling; he had left his palace and gone to a far off land outside his kingdom. And now he is on his way home. He is about to enter his palace (on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur) and he stands outside in the field greeting his people. When the king is in the field every person has the opportunity, without petitioning for an audience, to greet him and ask for whatever he or she needs. The king is smiling, he is in his informal mode, and he is predisposed to grant all requests.

All year round there are many layers that conceal G-d’s presence, that shroud your own essence from yourself; there is a split between your inner self and your outer self—who you truly are and what you do, your spirit and your activities. In Elul many of these layers are stripped. You can access, if you wish, your true self, since it is part of the higher reality and the essence of all of existence called G-d.

Elul is not a simple month. It is a complex period in time when we have the power to find hope even after loss, to discover love even after betrayal and to rebuild even after we have destroyed. All people make mistakes. The question is whether we repeat them and whether we repair them. A trusting, loving relationship is built not on perfection but on accountability. In Elul we can correct our errors and reclaim our true legacy.

Elul’s message is relevant today more than ever.

As a frightened world, fearful of an ominous future, enters the compassionate month of Elul, is there any more appropriate message? There is much to fear. Many mistakes have been made. The future seems uncertain. But Moses – the one and only Moses – blazed a new path: The road to hope.

The month of Elul, which begins today – and the ensuing 40 days concluding with Yom Kippur – gives us the power to begin anew, to learn from the past, to dig deeper and come up with new reservoirs of clarity and strength.

Ahh, Moses. He paved new paths, tread new roads, opened new doors, pioneered new possibilities. All for whom? For… us.

Elul awakens our inner faith, hope and belief in a better future. We may not have an exact strategy, but if we assume a resigned attitude, we will lose even before we begin. Every challenge, every war must begin with absolute fortitude and belief in victory. Faith that we will prevail. Thus it was over 3,000 years ago, and many times after that, and thus it will be.

The gusts of Elul have the power to counter the winds of war. So open your window, breath the fresh air, smell the flowers and feel the hopeful breeze waft through your life.

Tags: Moses, faith, Alter Rebbe, Israel, love, revelation, G-d's love, war, compassion, Elul
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Months & Holidays, Month of Elul, Beliefs & Concepts, Devarim, Shoftim, Torah, Prayer, Elul | 1 Comment »

Reeh: Israel Oh Israel

July 13th, 2015

Behold, I place before you today a blessing… These are the laws you must carefully keep in the land that G-d, Lord of your fathers, is giving you to settle in it all the days that you live on Earth – Opening of this week’s Torah portion (Deuteronomy 11:26; 12:1)

All your children will be taught about G-d; great will be the peace of your children… They may gather to attack you, but it will not be from Me; whoever comes to fight you shall fall because of you. Behold, it is I who created the smith who blows beneath the forge, and makes a weapon for his work. I have also created the ravager to destroy. No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper – This week’s Haftorah (Isaiah 54:13-17)

If I was a supporter of Hezbollah and Iran I would be elated. The so-called “cease-fire” allows Hezbollah many new opportunities: To declare victory; to announce that it will be rebuilding Lebanon and thus be heralded as hero and savior; to replenish its supply of depleted missiles, arms and resources; a source of newfound respect pride for the Muslim world; to forge an ever-deeper relationship with its sponsors, Iran and Syria; most chilling of all – to get one step closer to its stated goal: the destruction of Israel.

Emboldened with all these victories, Hezbollah – an extension of Iran (and Syria) – is a stronger force than ever. With Iran’s bottomless coffers, fueled by the Western World’s addiction to oil, its equally endless hatred of the Jewish Land and unlimited brazenness – what does the future hold?

Iran – via Hezbollah – has now only tested the mettle of Israel and the world. And Israel and the international community have blinked, badly. Now Iran and its cohorts can plan accordingly and prepare themselves for an all-out attack, at the time and place of their choosing.

Israel, on the other hand, has suffered a great loss. Not only have they not achieved any of their stated goals – Hezbollah remains an armed force, fully capable of attacking with impunity and even the two kidnapped soldiers haven’t been returned. They have also lost credibility, billions of dollars, not to mention hundreds of lives and shattered homes, families and communities. All for what?

Above all, how does the cease-fire address the continuing declaration of war against Israel? What is Israel’s response to this deceleration of war? Either you eliminate the enemy or you have them surrender and rescind their call for your annihilation.

Since Israel did neither, the question on everyone’s lips is: Why? Either Israel does not take their threats seriously (hard to believe), or arrogantly feels that they would never dare in fear of Israel’s military might (stupid), or is just buying time (even stupider), or is choosing to ignore the threat for some other reason. Most ominous of all – perhaps Israel does not have the capability or the will to fight this war (G-d forbid).

Bluntly put, the “cease fire” was a victory for Hezbollah and a capitulation for Israel. Hezbollah now has a time-out to regroup, rebuild and rearm (does anyone believe that they aren’t doing that already?). Israel suffered an ambush no less than the ones they faced in confronting the guerillas in Southern Lebanon, and now enters a future even more uncertain than before this last ill-fated battle.

From Israel’s end the cease-fire was supposed to secure its boundaries, protect Israeli cities from being attacked and disarm Hezbollah. None of these goals were achieved. The Lebanese Army, UN and multi-national force are now supposed to assure this – whom are we kidding?! Neither Lebanon or the UN have even attempted to disarm Hezbollah in the past – and are now announcing that they will not do so in the future – so what did Israel gain from this arrangement?!

And if Israel whose very survival is at stake was unable or unwilling to disarm them, how and why in the world will a multi-national force do so??!!

The entire cease-fire, under the farcical cover of “multi-national forces” replacing the Israeli ones, seems more like a “face-saver” for Israel – if even that – covering up the humiliation of outright defeat. As one top Israeli official stated (I believe it was Shimon Peres) that Israel cannot win this war militarily, and cannot withstand international pressure. How then does Israel exactly propose to win the war against its very existence?!

I’m sorry if all this sounds depressing. But the cure to any disease or problem is not to minimize its impact and significance but to face it head on, acknowledge the mistakes, make sure not to repeat them, and devise a powerful strategy with newfound wisdom and fortitude.

But before we get to the good news, some more sobering confessions are necessary.

Everyone can make a mistake once, twice, three times. But for heaven’s – and earth’s – sake: Why How can Israel keep repeating the same mistake again and again. The mistake is: Concession after concession, with nothing to show in return.

Since the miraculous Israeli victory of the Six-Day War in 1967, the policy of every Israeli government has been one of appeasement. Instead of negotiating from a position of strength, the Israeli leadership time and again showed weakness. This may have been due to overconfidence or arrogance, or a misplaced fear of “what the world will say.” But the tragic results are undeniable. Every Israeli conciliatory gesture was met with more aggression and demands.

Every piece of land returned has been used to build a launch pad and tunnels for future attacks. Though the return of Sinai – and the billions of US aid pledged to Egypt – has brought peaceful relations between Egypt and Israel, no one can guarantee what the future holds for that region. Regimes rise and fall, and the climate of radicalism can easily overtake Egypt as well.

When you return land for an agreement on paper, when your actions are in return for verbal promises, there is a fundamental disproportion that reflects weakness. Your land is gone, and all you are left with is a hollow promise. Action must always be met with equal action, or else any agreement is bound to fail. Take the current cease-fire: Israel has stopped its defensive for a verbal and written UN agreement that is now unraveling at the seams. What does Israel do now once it has agreed to a cease-fire and Hezbollah rearms itself and rebuilds its fortifications in Southern Lebanon?!

No one wants war or bloodshed, but how can you negotiate with a party whose “no-starter” axiom is your destruction?

What do all these concessions show? They reflect fundamental core errors or delusions, or perhaps even worse – unwillingness to acknowledge and face the true enemy.

Concessions make sense when both sides are committed to the same goals. Not when one side calls for the destruction of the other, and makes no effort in hiding the fact.

They are calling for your destruction. What is your response?

They say they will not disarm. What is your response?!

It’s simply not enough to reply that all we want is that you do not kill our civilians. Why are they killing your civilians? Because they firmly believe that Israeli civilians are illegitimately occupying Palestinian territory, which they absolutely feel belongs to them.

What is Israel’s response to that statement?

In time of war the best insights can often be found by the enemy (“my enemies make me wise”).

Much can be learned from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Iran, after all, is the powerful force behind the latest battles. As abhorrent as some of his statements may be, Ahmadinejad comes across as chillingly calm, confident and absolutely convinced in the justness of his cause. When you read his writings – he subscribes to the philosophy of the late Ayatollah Khomeini – he talks about the Divine vision of Islam and its need to bring justice and peace to the world, to bring about a “Second Islamic Revolution.” Britain and America, with their godless Western liberalism, attempted to corrupt and hijack Iran – which has been at the center of civilization for over two millennia – as well as the rest of the world, and they remain the Great Satan that needs to be vanquished.

Essentially Ahmadinejad’s vision is a religious one, and he is certain that Iran and all its satellites will prevail, because G-d is on their side. In a speech last Tuesday in Teheran, Ahmadinejad declared that Hizbollah had emerged the winner in Lebanon. “God’s promises have come true,” Ahmadinejad told a huge crowd waving Hezbollah banners and Iranian flags.

“On one side, it’s corrupt powers of the criminal US and Britain and the Zionist…with modern bombs and planes. And on the other side is a group of pious youth relying on God.”

To further understand this thinking, listen to the speech Ahmadinejad delivered last September before the General Assembly of the UN (click here for the full text):

“With the passing of the era of agnostic philosophies, today humanity is once again joined in celebrating monotheism and belief in the Creator as the originator of existence. This is the common thread which binds us all. Faith will prove to be the solution to many of today’s problems. The Truth will shine the light of faith and ethics on the life of human beings and prevent them from aggression, coercion and injustice and will guide them towards care and compassion for fellow beings.

“Another hope is the common global appreciation of the sources of knowledge. Although reason, experience and science are among valuable sources of knowledge, the darkness of the Middle Ages deprived major portions of the Western world of appreciating [true knowledge]. This reactionary tendency deprived many of access to various scientific findings and knowledge and led to the exclusion of other sources of knowledge namely God and knowledge based on revelation from the life of human beings in the West; Divine knowledge that was carried and disseminated by such prophets as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad (peace be upon them).

“Today, agnostic thinking is on the decline and presently humanity is equally enamored with religion knowledge and spirituality. This is an auspicious beginning. Divine prophets teach us about proper regard for the exalted state of human beings on earth. The human being is blessed with dignity, most importantly manifested in being the viceroy of the Almighty on earth. The Almighty placed humans on earth to develop it, institutionalize justice, overcome their egoistic tendencies and praise no lord but the Almighty.

“Faith and good deeds can bring deliverance and the good life even in this world. Attaining this depends on human will, that is the will of each and every one of us. We must heed the call of our common primordial nature and achieve the realization of this good life…

“How can we influence the future of the world? When and how will peace, tranquility and well-being for all come about?… We believe that a sustainable order, nurturing and flourishing peace and tranquility, can only be realized on the two pillars of justice and spirituality. The more human society departs from justice and spirituality, the greater insecurity it will face, so much so that a relatively small crisis, such as a natural disaster, leads to various abnormalities and inhuman behavior.”

And in conclusion Ahmadinejad stunned the audience with his Messianic vision: “From the beginning of time, humanity has longed for the day when justice, peace, equality and compassion envelop the world. All of us can contribute to the establishment of such a world. When that day comes, the ultimate promise of all Divine religions will be fulfilled with the emergence of a perfect human being who is heir to all prophets and pious men. He will lead the world to justice and absolute peace.

“O mighty Lord, I pray to you to hasten the emergence of your last repository, the promised one, that perfect and pure human being, the one that will fill this world with justice and peace.”

Later Ahmadinejad reflected on his speech: “On the last day when I was speaking before the assembly, one of our group told me that when I started to say ‘In the name of God the almighty and merciful,’ he saw a light around me, and I was placed inside this aura. I felt it myself. I felt the atmosphere suddenly change, and for those 27 or 28 minutes, the leaders of the world did not blink. When I say they didn’t bat an eyelid, I’m not exaggerating because I was looking at them. And they were rapt. It seemed as if a hand was holding them there and had opened their eyes to receive the message from the Islamic republic.”

This is the enemy speaking.

Now, what is our response?

The secular, Western world – which has deeply affected many Israelis, including those in power – is loath to accept the religious nature of this war, as so clearly stated in Ahmadinejad’s own words.

Many reasons can be posited to explain this resistance, but two are most noteworthy: The effects of the war of Enlightenment against religion, or more broadly, the centuries of persecution in the name of religion, continue to haunt the West, and they remain convinced that religion is backward and unworthy of legitimate recognition. This profound condescension does not allow the West – and Israel – to acknowledge the true magnitude of the Muslim animosity to secular values and its impetus to Jihad.

The second factor is simpler but equally crucial: Western prosperity has created a deep complacency and wishful hope that these problems are just passing clouds, which will soon drift away and then we can return to our movies and sports. A sense of entitlement has spoiled the Western world to the point that it refuses to accept that there is a new world war being waged, and a spiritual one at that.

Thus, negotiations and concessions, diplomacy and UN resolutions are the options of choice. And when that fails – military options are employed. But no matter how well intended Western diplomacy may be, we cannot forget that a large majority of Muslims see their cause in absolute terms, as a Divine battle for the “two pillars of justice and spirituality.”

True, the Muslim world is angry, humiliated and full of hatred to Israel and the West. Many are plain Jew haters. But it would be a grave mistake to dismiss the Muslims with these negative, primitive representations (even if they may be true), and forget that they are also educated with deep religious conviction. And even if some (or much) of their religious indoctrination is radical in its worship of martyrdom and turns young children into murderers, we must remember that the spiritual vision behind it all (no matter how reprehensible) is compelling and seductive, especially in comparison to the lame alternatives of the West.

Military might, diplomatic channels, dillying and dallying political rhetoric – all the newfound tools and toys of the West – are simply no match for a powerful spiritual message (no matter how distorted).

Our only true response – and our most powerful, unwavering weapon – will be a majestic spiritual vision that will speak to all peoples of the world.

Historically this has always been the role of Israel and the Jewish people – the people of the book, who brought us the great prophets beginning with Abraham and Moses – and who delivered the Divine message of universal justice, spirituality and peace at Sinai.

This same book also declares the Divine covenant of the Promised Land, in which G-d promises the Land of Israel to the Jewish people.

This is the question I would have liked Mike Wallace to have asked President Ahmadinejad in his 60 Minutes interview: What do you think about G-d’s promise in the Bible to give the Land of Israel to the Jewish people? In light of that, how can you call for the destruction of Israel?

Ahmadinejad may have his Islamic viewpoint as he articulated before the UN, but the original Divine vision for mankind was delivered to Abraham and Moses. Sinai brought civilization to this world and offered us a blueprint how to transform the material world into a spiritual environment.

The time has come that a leader in Israel should rise and passionately declare Israel’s spiritual vision for the world; A global view that charts a course for the future; A powerful appeal that will resonate from one end of the world to the next.

Sadly, until that day comes, military force will be the only remaining power we have to keep the Islamic radicals at bay, and buy us some more time…

Tags: war, survival, politics, divine providence, Israel, justice, personal growth
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Israel, Re'eh, Social, Devarim, Current Events | No Comments »

Eikev: Game Plan

July 13th, 2015

Now that the world has yet again – almost five years to the day from 9/11/2001 – been rocked to its core by the latest terror plot, while Israel is entangled in its war against Hezbollah terror – it’s high time to revisit the issues at hand and come up with a game plan.

However it’s not that simple.

No one likes to be rudely awakened in middle of a peaceful slumber. But like every war, the longer we wait the greater the danger. The quicker we wake up, recognize and take on the enemy the less we will have to suffer, and the faster we will vanquish those that want to hurt us.

But the key to any battle is to define its parameters, dissect the anatomy of the enemy and spell out our goals: Who is the enemy? What is the cause of the hostilities? And then what possible solutions are available?

Though Islamic terrorists have declared war on Israel, the United States, Europe and the Western world – and have acted on their declaration on 9/11 and the subsequent attacks in London and other cities, not to mention all the thwarted plots – it is quite clear that the countries of the world have not come to grips with this war. President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have perhaps the moral clarity necessary to fight this war, but they have not convinced the world at large that this is a just war and one that is not going away just because we don’t like it.

Our inability to acknowledge this challenge is most obviously due to the unusual and unprecedented nature of this war.

Who exactly is our enemy today? In a conventional war, the enemy is clear and defined. Your enemy has a country, a capital, and armed forces in distinct uniforms. In the current terrorist war the enemy has no face, no place, no land – nothing to lose, and nothing to fear. We don’t have a target to attack, no cities to bomb which will serve as a deterrent.

In a conventional war the enemy also has tangible objectives: Conquest of land, resources, power, and money. What is the objective of the Muslim fascists when they attack Western targets? What do they want? In every war, each side states its terms, and what they want their enemy to surrender. What would satisfy these extremists? What would it take for them to stop their attacks?

All these questions testify to the mysterious nature of our current war, and the resulting prevailing confusion and debates on how to deal with this adversary.

Indeed, this is the first time in history when people are wondering whether this is even a war or not! And if yes, what type of war is it?

How in the world can one fight with any direction, fortitude or confidence if we don’t even know or acknowledge that we are fighting a war?!…

So, once and of all we have to decide one way or another: Are we are fighting a war or are we not fighting a war?

Which is why it so aggravating to see that despite the unprovoked attacks on Israel by Hezbollah, Israel seems to be unsure about this war: On one hand Israel correctly exercised its fundamental obligation to protect its citizens by responding with an all-out assault on Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel bombed away at Hezbollah strongholds. Seeing that air power alone did not destroy the threat, the Israeli army sent in ground forces. That too did not deter the enemy, so they announced that they are launching a new ground offensive. Then they decide not to deploy the troops, waiting for diplomacy to kick in. Back and forth, back and forth.

On one hand, Israel correctly argues that you can’t negotiate with terrorists that don’t play by any rules, hide behind civilians and wantonly attack innocent people. On the other hand, they keep putting things off awaiting a diplomatic solution. And even if a cease-fire is imposed, what happens next? Next month? Next year? Has the problem been solved, the enemy vanquished? Ha Hezbollah disappeared? And what about Iran?

What is going on? If this is a war – fight all the way. And if not don’t fight at all. The worse thing to do is to fight with one hand tied behind your back…

Which explains why after four weeks of fighting people question what has been achieved? Clearly, Israeli leadership is lacking – to put it mildly – or perhaps they simply are inept…

Amidst all this confusion, suddenly the chilling news breaks of a greater Islamic terrorist plot to blow airplanes filled with innocent people out of the skies.

Is this a coincidence? Or is it perhaps a rude reminder that we are indeed engaged in a very real and persistent war that must be fought to the very end, or else we will continue to be haunted.

Imagine: In middle of World War II the Allies enter into diplomatic negotiations with Hitler and Nazi Germany. One shudders to think what would have happened if the UN and… CNN would be intervening in that conflict.

The single most critical component in war is clarity – a very clear definition of the targeted enemy, an unwavering commitment to fight the enemy, and above all an absolute crystal-clear conclusion to the war, in which there is a clear winner and loser.

The Allies demanded unconditional surrender from the Axis powers – Germany and Japan without any face-saving, diplomatic measures. Why? Because when you are fighting a sworn enemy, who has demonstrated its objective to destroy you, there is no room for loopholes, ambiguity and fluctuating attitudes. Allow the enemy any small opening, and they will never go away.

No one wants or likes war. No one wants innocent people to die and be displaced due to war. But when there is a sworn enemy, who challenges the very right of innocent people to live in peace – and assaults the basic foundations of civilization (no matter what grievance and excuse the enemy may have) – then war against this enemy is an act of peace, and act of preserving life.

How many people have to die or be threatened with death before we realize that the world is at war with a new enemy: terrorism?

Just look at how the populations of Great Britain and the United States – and millions of others around the globe – were paralyzed today due to the latest terrorist plot to kill thousands of people flying over the Atlantic.

We can put off the inevitable confrontation, but there is no doubt that we are dealing with a sworn enemy, who wants to destroy the Western way of life, Israel, Europe and the United States.

OTHER PERSPECTIVES

Some students of history may argue that its naïve and even arrogant to draw such stark lines and state that the Western World is in the all right and the Islamic fundamentalists is all wrong. They may point out to the many flaws in European and American society, and who gave the West the right to take the moral high ground and insist that they have a monopoly on truth and demonize the Muslims.

All wars, the argument goes, is not about absolute right and wrong. With this approach some could go as so far and say that even the Nazis were not absolutely evil.

Without beginning a theological discussion on the definition of good and evil, the universal law that governs us all is that no one – absolutely no individual, nation, religion or culture – has a right to compromise the rights or kill other people. What you believe in your heart is your business, but when you attack others you will be held accountable.

Others recognize that the war against Islamic terrorism is war, but not our war. It is Israel’s problem not ours.

Inevitably there will be those that will scapegoat Israel and the Jews for all “our problems” – was Mel Gibson’s recent drunken outburst also a coincidence? – the claim made by anti-Semites throughout history. Richard Cohen recently wrote in his Washington Post column,

“Israel itself is a mistake . . . an honest mistake, a well-intentioned mistake, a mistake for which no one is culpable [but which] has produced a century of warfare and terrorism of the sort we are seeing now.”

Citing these words, Kurt Andersen wrote in New York Magazine, that

“Sixty years on, there can be no revising or reversing that mistake—and when the choice is Israel versus unaccommodating Islamist fanatics, we must be for Israel. Is there any more inconvenient truth?,” “Israel is a good and miraculous nation that deserves the support of civilized people, but the great unfortunate fact about its creation—being carved by the U.N. out of Arab land in 1947—cannot be ignored or wished away. We have no choice but to support Israel.”

Then there are those that recognize that this is a war against us all. And they do not forget the lesson of the miners’ canary: Throughout history Israel and Jews always stood at the front line; fascists and killers of all sorts attacked the Jews first and then terrorize the rest of the world.

Is it a coincidence that the Middle East quagmire keeps spilling over to the rest of the world?

An attack on one innocent person is an attack against all innocent people. Once the line is crossed in compromising the basic dignity of life in one corner of Earth it is only a matter of time when it will come to haunt the entire globe. An unstemmed attack against innocent people in Israel foretells what will inevitably – and sadly – happen around the world.

Unfortunately this isn’t just a theory, but the call of Islamic jihad against the “infidels of the West,” agents of the Zionist/Crusader/American plot. They specifically state time and again that their war is not with Israel alone but with the entire secular West. Tragically these aren’t mere words. The attacks of September 11 in the USA, and again in Spain, London and other cities around the world – and the most recent foiled plot – only demonstrate what the world is up against.

So, how do we proceed? What is the true nature of this war, and what is the solution?

Some, perhaps most, choose denial. Ignore the situation and go on with our lives. Especially when the situation becomes complex, most people simply do not want to look at the issues head on. “Let us rest in peace,” is the popular cry of denial.

Others argue that we need to join forces with other countries and not behave unilaterally, and work at solutions together. But what do you do when countries have their own interests in mind – for instance, economic interests as in oil and the Middle East – that taint their positions regarding Middle Eastern regimes?

And, finally, others feel that we have no choice but need to go to declare war against terrorism, against all extremists who have declared jihad against Israel and the Western World. Following 9/11, America, under President Bush, has embraced this approach.

The problem with this strategy is, as Thomas Friedman points out, even if the President has moral clarity, he does not have moral authority in the world’s eyes. Mr. Friedman argues that other nations world always admired the United States (albeit with envy) for its naiveté and eternal optimism. America offered the world a buoyant message of hope and confidence in a better future. Today the nations feel that America is promoting a dark message of despair, defensiveness and fear.

Whether Friedman is correct or not, the current war on terrorism definitely behooves America to not just advocate the vices of the enemy, but the virtues of freedom.

And this brings us back to the nature of today’s war, unlike any war ever fought. Today’s war is fundamentally an ideological one. Perhaps for the first time in history this war is driven by purely religious and faith based forces. Millions of Muslim children are indoctrinated from young age with a radical vision of a secular, Western world of infidels that must be destroyed and replaced with Islam. Martyrdom is deified. Children are brainwashed that the greatest thing they can do is give their lives for Islam against the infidels.

All you have to do is listen to some ex-terrorists, who describe in frightening detail how they were programmed from early age to kill Jews and Westerners, and thereby be rewarded with heaven. When asked what they suggest should be done with Muslim terrorists, they unequivocally reply: Do not negotiate. Go all the way and destroy them all. They will never understand words, logic and dialogue.

As the most powerful country in the world the United States must lead this war with a powerful moral vision. It is not just a defensive war against terrorist attacks; it is an offensive battle for the ambitious vision of a world that will live in peace, while respecting the diversity of nations, cultures and faiths. We are fighting a war for a vision – first delivered at Sinai – which guided the Founding Father: That all people are created equal, with inalienable rights granted by virtue that we are all G-d’s children, created in the Divine Image. Everyone has the right to practice and believe in their unique way. The enemy is anyone who breaches the universal and absolute law of hurting or killing another person; of denying and robbing any person of their fundamental, G-d given rights.

Beyond resources, strategy and tactics every triumphant battle requires, above all, cause and confidence. Nothing is more vital for success. You can have the strongest army, the most advanced technology, state of the art weaponry, but if you don’t believe that you are fighting for a just cause you will not have the fortitude to fight and see it through. Viet Nam is a case in point. The American army lost (or never had) its morale, never understood the purpose of the war and therefore never fought with resolve.

In sum: To effectively protect the future of our and our children’s lives and create a better world several things are necessary:

• Not go into denial and gravitate to our comfort zones.
• Define the enemy.
• Believe in the justness of our cause.
• Not negotiate with sworn enemies.
• Use all available tools – dialogue, pressure, economic influence and if necessary, war – to vanquish the enemy.
• If you must fight, do so with resolve and determination.
• Demand strong leadership with moral vision and authority.
• Focus on a positive vision for the future of the world.

With the new type of war upon us – with no defined boundaries and targets – the time has come to adjust our sensors: Not only our airport metal detectors to detect insidious, innocuous liquids, but also our consciousness to detect the devious enemy lurking within our society.

Once you know that you are fighting a sworn enemy, and at the same time you carry a deep sense of a positive vision of life, you have the necessary strength to do what it takes to protect the innocent and build a better world.

Tags: war, politics, Israel, terrorism
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Israel, Eikev, Social, Devarim, Torah, Current Events | No Comments »

Crying For Israel

July 13th, 2015

The first Tisha B’Av was a warm, muggy night in the Sinai Wilderness. The entire nation was anxiously awaiting the return of the scouts that Moses sent to check out the Promised Land. After 40 long days the scouts finally return.

Their report was disastrous.

Sounds like CNN or The New York Times today.

*  *  *

3328 years ago today (Tisha B’Av) many tears were shed over Israel. That night the scouts that Moses sent returned with a slanderous report about the Land of Israel:

“We cannot go forward against those people [living in Israel]. They are too strong for us.”

As a result “the entire community rose in uproar and begin to cry; the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1). In one of the most defiant acts in history, the entire Jewish nation rejected the land promised to them and their ancestors by G-d.

3328 years later we are still crying over Israel. This time it’s for the many innocent lives lost, families shattered and cities destroyed by enemies who want to eliminate the Jewish land.

Is there a connection between these three millennia of tears?

The Talmud tells us that because of the tears they shed that fateful night 3328 years ago we cry every Tisha B’Av. “You wept (that night) for no reason; I will designate (that night as) a weeping for generations…” (Taanit 29a). As a result of the scouts slander and the Jewish tears Tisha B’av was born: G-d decreed that the entire nation would not enter the Promised Land, and from then on, to this very day, Tisha B’Av would become a night of tears and grief: On that day both Temples are destroyed, Beitar is vanquished and Jerusalem is plowed. And for thousands of years, each year on that day we grieve for our losses.

Isn’t this punishment unjust? Why should generations suffer for the tears shed in vain 3328 years ago by a nation not wanting to enter the Promised Land?

The Promised Land is not merely a nice place to live, a retirement village or a cool vacation spot. It is the spiritual heartbeat of the universe; the portal between heaven and earth. Israel is therefore called the Holy Land because it is the physical manifestation of the fusion between the spiritual and the material – between the human and the Divine. Holiness means something that simply has less egocentric layers that block out the inner Divine energy.

The centrality of Israel is actually a psycho/spiritual centrality; the purpose of the Holy Land is to serve as the bridge to holiness that will ultimately transform the rest of the world. The Holy Land represents a state of sanctity within each of our souls, and its ability to integrate with our physical lives. Its role as Promised Land – the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the land that consumes the journey of the Jewish people throughout the wilderness – is the destination to which we all aspire.

No wonder nations and religions throughout history have all longed to conquer this small piece of geography. Everyone gravitates to this land. Unconsciously, ever nation, religion and individual senses that the Holy land is the spiritual vortex of existence, the place where the doors open up to reach the Divine. (See at length Israel: The Inside Story).

If Israel is the spiritual center of all life, why did the scouts and the entire nation slander the Promised Land and refuse to enter it?! Why were they intimidated by the “strong” people living there?

The answer in one word is: Galut – spiritual displacement. In this dark world things are not in their correct place. The wicked prosper as the good suffer. The material universe is not aligned with its spiritual purpose. Our personal lives are not seamless reflections of our soul’s cravings.

In this state of spiritual dissonance who suffers most? Israel and its connection to the Jewish people. Were the world aligned with its higher purpose, the scouts and the Jewish nation would have wholeheartedly embraced their destiny and marched forward to the Promised Land. If existence was in sync with its calling, the Holy Land would be cherished and protected by all, and Jews would live there in total peace and harmony. But the universe has not yet reached that place, and as a result the Jewish people and their land suffer a tenuous relationship.

Just look at history – our best teacher. Israel was promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be their children’s homeland, but it does not come easily – not thousands of years ago and not today. Jacob is living at peace in Israel, at home studying and growing, and then he is forced to escape his brother’s wrath and build a family outside of Israel. After Jacob returns and is ready to settle down, his beloved Joseph is torn away from him. And then Jacob and family are forced to leave Israel and travel to Egypt due to the famine.

After hundreds of years in bitter Egyptian bondage, the Jewish people finally leave Egypt on their way to the Promised Land. What happens? The scouts come back with their tragic report and the Jews are forced to wander 40 years in the wilderness. And that entire generation (except for two people, Joshua and Caleb) never enters the land.

Even the great Moses, the man of G-d who sacrificed his entire life to enter the Promised Land, is not allowed in. In this week’s Torah chapter (appropriately always read after Tisha B’av) we read how Moses beseeches G-d with 515 prayers to allow him to enter the Promised Land.

“O G-d, What force is there in heaven or earth who can perform deeds and mighty acts as You do?” “Please,” Moses pleads, “please let me cross and allow me to see the good land beyond the Jordan, the goodly mountain and Lebanon.

“But G-d was angry with me because of you and would not listen to me, and G-d said to me: Enough. Say no more about this matter.”

The weeping caused by the scouts slander on that sad Tisha B’Av night affected even Moses…

But it doesn’t end there. Joshua finally leads the Jews into Israel, they conquer the land and build their homes, settling into the land. Close to five hundred years later King Solomon builds the first Temple, only for it to be destroyed 410 years later by the Babylonians. Then Ezra and Nechemia build the second Temple, and it too is destroyed 420 years later by the Romans, which begins our long exile.

It seems that the Jews and the Holy Land cannot remain at peace for any extended period.

Ok, another two tragic millennia pass. The Jewish people suffer terribly in countless, immeasurable ways. Though there was always a Jewish presence in Israel, until the last century the land remained desolate. Finally, in the 20^th century, after the decimation of a third of the Jewish population by the German Nazis and the silent world, the Jews return to Israel en-masse and begin to rebuild the land, Immigration to the Holy Land grows by leaps and bounds, until this year (2006) Israel surpasses the United States to be home to the single largest segment of Jewish population. Now you would think, after all we have endured, things should be calm. But no, war plagues Israel – again, again and again.

The big question is: Why? Why must it be so difficult? Haven’t the Jewish people suffered enough? After millennia of pain the Jews have been allowed to return to their homeland. Why must they still fight for it? Why must they send their young and brave men to the battlefield to protect the lives of Israel’s citizens?

The answer lies in Moses’ words: After G-d rejects Moses’ cries to enter the land, Moses does not shrink away in defeat. Moses, the true leader that he was, instructs the people how they can earn the right

“to occupy the land that G-d is giving you.”

Follow the Divine laws and rules, “Do not add…and do not subtract from the commandments.” By doing so you will merit to live peacefully in the Holy Land.

What about the other nations of the world? Will they allow us to live in peace in the Holy Land? Without missing a beat, Moses continues:

“Protect and keep these laws, for this is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations. They will hear all these rules and say: ‘This great nation is certainly a wise and understanding people. What nation is so great that they have G-d close to it as G-d is when we call Him? What nation is so great that they have such righteous rules and laws?”

“Only take heed and watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not forget the things that your eyes saw. Do not let [this memory] leave your hearts all the days of your lives. Teach your children and children’s children abut the day you stood before G-d at Horeb [Sinai]”.

The only way to live in true peace in Israel, Moses says, is to embrace your Divine calling and all nations will respect you. And this calling is so just that all nations will recognize that these are the most “righteous rules and laws.”

The Jewish people and the Jewish land are not for Jews alone. Life’s purpose is not to merely take care of yourself and escape into your own paradise. The Torah, the Jews and the land are here to be a “light unto nations” – to proclaim to the world that G-d exists and that we all must live up to our calling. To illuminate the universe with the Divine message that we must all transform our lives and the corner of our world into a spiritual home.

As long as the world is not there, Israel and the Jews cannot be at peace. This, in a nutshell, is the story of all history.

Peace in Israel, in the spiritual hub of the universe, will bring peace to the entire world. The Jewish search for the Promised Land is not some partisan, nationalistic effort. It is not just a “Jewish” thing, but a universal one. It is one with the global search of all mankind to find peace between heaven and earth, between spirit and matter. When Israel becomes our spiritual center, and Jews recognize their spiritual connection to Israel, what results is a more sensitive world, a more peaceful universe – a universe that recognizes the inherent sanctity in all human beings, Jew or non-Jew, Christian or Muslim, Israeli or Arab. (see Israel and the Non-Jews).

The tears shed 3328 years ago on Tisha B’Av were an expression of the tension between the Jewish people and the land, reflecting the tension of the entire world and its purpose.

We are still suffering for the cries on that fateful Tisha B’Av 3328 years ago.

Today’s crisis in the Middle East is a wake-up call for all citizens of Israel, and indeed for all citizens of the world.

Citizens of the world: Rise and take up arms. Help protect the Holy Land from desecration and devastation. This is not merely a war of some terrorists against the Jews in Israel. It is a war against us all; against all free people; against the principles of our entire civilization. Jews living peacefully in Israel is a sign of the entire world living at peace with each other. And Jews under attack means that the entire world is under attack.

When Jews live in their Promised Land in peace, all the citizens of the world will live in their promised lands in peace. That’s how it was thousands of years ago, and that’s how it is today.

Both Jews in Israel and outside of Israel, both Jews and non-Jews, must ask ourselves the question: After all these years, are we still slandering the Promised Land of Israel? After all these years, what are we doing to protect and cherish the Promised Land?

*  *  *

Question of the week: Do you believe there is a connection between our spiritual/virtuous behavior and the current events in Israel? Do our actions, for good or bad, effect the war in the Middle East? Or should the two be kept apart?

Tags: galut, war, Egyptian slavery, politics, The 12 Spies, Tisha B'Av, suffering, Jewish nation, Israel
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Tisha B'Av, Israel, Months & Holidays, Ve'etchanan, Social, Devarim, Av, Current Events | No Comments »

Devorim: Pot Boiling

July 13th, 2015

— Samach-Vav Part 17 —

Difficult times are upon us. Yet another war in Israel in the seemingly endless cycle of violence that continues to plague that region.

Beyond the innocent blood spilled, tragic loss of life and shattered families – perhaps our greatest collective challenge is: Fear and resignation. What will be? Can we overcome this latest attack? And even when we do, what will happen next in this volatile environment?

However, we must always remember that we have been here before. Many times. And we have not only survived but thrived.

As sad as this period may be – we are now in the nine most distressing days of the year, mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temples – these days also carry within its folds the secret to the greatest success story in history: The mysterious eternity of the Jewish people. Despite all odds – millennia of relentless persecutions, genocides, expulsions, which have elicited many dire predictions of the ultimate demise of the Jew – we are still here!

What lessons can we learn from this time period about strength, faith and dedication to a cause even when all seems dark?

THE BOILING POT IN THE NORTH

— Samach-Vav Part 18 —

What do you see? I replied: ‘I see a boiling pot facing from the north.’ Then G-d said to me: ‘Evil will come from the north upon all the inhabitants from the land… Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. For, behold I have made you today a fortified city, and iron pillar and bronze walls…They will fight against you, but they will not prevail, for I am with you to deliver you.’

Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem: Thus says G-d: ‘I remember the devotedness of your youth…how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel is holy to G-d, the first fruits of His yield. All that devour him will be held guilty; evil will come upon them,’ said G-d.

 (Jeremiah 1:13-2:3 – from the first haftorah of the Three Weeks)

The secret of life – as experienced in these sad Nine Days – is contained in a cryptic verse in the book Ezekiel:

And I looked, and behold, a hand was put forth toward me; and behold, a roll of a book therein. And he spread it out before me; and it was written within and without (on the front and on the back); in it were written lamentations, mourning and woe (Ezekiel 2:9-10).

Samach-Vav – the classic series of mystical Chassidic discourses delivered a centennial ago – offers an in-depth explanation in Ezekiel’s “front/back” vision.

Ezekiel was shown the scroll of life – a scroll that consists of a front and back, which chronicles the story of every life.

Every life – individual and collective – experiences two stages, which in truth are just two sides of one document: The front and the back; a stage within and a stage without.

We have times of closeness, love and intimacy (the “front”). But then we also have our moments of distance, detachment and dissonance (the “back”). We dance and celebrate our joys. But then we also mourn and grieve our losses. We feel in touch with our inside – we live within. But then there are times too often when we live “without” – and feel out of touch with our inner selves.

Samach-Vav’s eloquent and elaborate discussion about the “front” and the “back” of life begins in the discourse of the Shabbat before Shavuot and spans over 10 discourses all the way to the Three Weeks.

What happened during this period in history? Moses ascends Sinai on Shavuot to receive the Torah – the highest point of Divine revelation (the ultimate “frontal” experience). He returns 40 days later – on the 17^th of Tammuz – only to witness the Golden Calf built by the Jewish people. Moses subsequently shatters the tablets, and that day marks the beginning of the descent into the “back” of the scroll, the low point.

Mirroring this chronology, Samach-Vav first discusses the “face” – the revelatory experiences of life, when we feel in touch and connected with the Divine. In mystical terms this refers to the souls of Atzilut, the level of the child, who has intimate access to the “innermost chambers and secrets of his fathers’ home.” Like a “child” who is a biological extension of his father, the souls of Atzilut are a reflection and revelation of higher spiritual levels (as opposed to the servant, who refers to the souls of Biy”a, detached from the Divine).

As we approach the darker days of the Three Weeks, Samach-Vav moves from the “front-end” to the “back-end” addressing the second dimension of life, when things seem bleak.

But even in the distance, when the Divine is hidden – and it seems as G-d has forsaken and forgotten us – we have the power to connect, and access hope and love. Invoking the verse (from the first haftorah of the Three Weeks) “I remember the devotedness of your youth…how you followed Me in the wilderness” Samach-Vav explains that the dark journey through the wilderness of life is like a father who hides from his child in order to evoke the child’s ingenuity to find the hidden father.

The foolish child misunderstands the concealment and gets consumed with self-pity, fear and tears, which then turns into resignation and denial, finally wandering off into a life thinking that the father has disappeared forever (or never existed in the first place). The wise child, however, is not disturbed or deceived by the concealment, but recognizes that it is a challenge – the ultimate test of life. Thus, the child exerts himself to find the father within the concealed layers of material life. This extra, often super-human, devotion (“how you followed Me in the wilderness”) in turn elicits an infinitely deeper expression of love and kisses between father and child, precisely because it comes after utter concealment and the hard work of discovering your hidden father. Samach-Vav explains that this is the profound love and energy generated by our struggle in exile, when the Divine is utterly concealed – a love that will be revealed in the final Redemption when the “back” will be transformed to an even more powerful “front.”

As opposed to the child who sees and feels his father’s presence (“face”), when the father is concealed our works consists of being like a servant, who does not experience revelation and nevertheless overcomes the distance of the “wilderness” through complete devotion and dedication forging ahead in serving his purpose.

And now, as we stand at the lowest point of Divine revelation, in the Nine Days, the week of Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the calendar – the day when the scouts returned with their terrifying report about Israel and their perceived inability to conquer the land, the day when both Temples were destroyed – Samach-Vav consoles us that in its own strange way, our efforts and dedication in difficult times, when we have no feelings and no inspiration, touches the deepest place of all – the Ultimate Essence.

The path of the simple servant is the most profound path of all.

Therein lies the ultimate secret behind Jewish survival: G-d remembering their devotion – their complete and absolute faith in G-d, following Him even “in the wilderness” of desolation and darkness.

So now, when “evil will come from the north upon all the inhabitants from the land” (from the abovementioned haftorah of the first of the Three Weeks, corresponding to the beginning of the current war to the north of Israel) – through a rain of terror and missiles – G-d declares:

“Do not be dismayed by them… They will fight against you, but they will not prevail, for I am with you to deliver you.”

Hard to ignore the similarity to the Midrash:

The King of Persia (Iran) will bring destruction to the entire world, and all the nations will be outraged and confused… and Jews will be outraged and confused, and they will say: where shall we come and go, where shall we come and go? G-d will answer them: My children, do not be afraid. Everything I have done, I have done for you. Why are you afraid? Do not fear, the time of your Redemption has arrived… (Yalkut Shemoni, Isaiah remez 499)

The most critical element in any battle – beyond resources, strategy and tactics – is feeling a profound sense of mission and confidence. Nothing is more crucial for success. You can have the strongest army, the most advanced technology, state of the art weaponry, but if you don’t believe that you are fighting for a just cause you will not have the fortitude to fight and see it through.

Viet Nam is a case in point. The mighty American war machine – the most powerful in all of history – did not have the stomach to continue fighting against the inferior Viet Cong who fought with passion. The US army lost (or never had) its morale, never understood the purpose of the war and therefore never believed that it can win.

The ultimate power of the Israeli Defense Forces is its just cause: Defending the right of the Jewish people to live in the land promised to them by G-d.

Our power is derived from the unwavering belief in justice and truth – despite the mouthing-offs of pundits, diplomats and politicians spending our endless time and money.

And even when things seem dark and empty, and it’s hard to find anyone speaking any sense – we forge ahead in the “wilderness” with deep devotion and the absolute faith, even when we can’t see it, that G-d is watching and… remembering.

We have been doing it for 1938 years. It’s about time for a change.

Much to think about, and even more to act upon, as we reflect on the young soldiers fighting at the front in the North.

* * *

Question of the week: Is Hizballah’s war of terrorism only against Israel or against the entire free world? If the latter is true, why are the nations of the free world not joining this war?

Tags: redemption, Three Weeks, mysticism, destruction, Israel, transcendence, Moshiach, Samech Vov, politics, Shavuot, Tisha B'Av, jewish survival
Posted in Weekly Parsha, Tisha B'Av, Devarim, Months & Holidays, Israel, Social, Devarim, Av, Current Events | No Comments »