A Good Omen for Our Nation by R' Nachman Kahana

16 Heshvan 5777

BS”D Parashat Vayaira 5777
Rabbi Nachman Kahana

 

Marc Chagall: Le sacrifice d'Isaac - Wikiart

Part One: Yitzchak’s Sacrifice

The Gemara (Shabbat 89b) records that at some unspecified time in history HaShem related or will relate to Avraham Avienu “banecha chatu’li” – your sons have sinned against me. And Avraham replied (or will reply) that they should be severely punished. HaShem is not satisfied by this reply and repeats to Ya’akov that his sons have sinned. Ya’akov, like his grandfather Avraham, replied that they should be severely punished for their sins.
HaShem is now displeased with Ya’akov.

He then informed Yitzchak of the low spiritual state of his children, to which Yitzchak defends the Jewish nation, with the major thrust of his defense being the claim that the episode of the Akeida (the binding and near sacrifice of Yitzchak) is sufficient reason for HaShem to forgive the transgressions of Am Yisrael.

What makes the episode of Akeidat Yitzchak, recorded in our parasha, so essential in our requests for forgiveness.

I submit:
The call to sacrifice Yitzchak was made by HaShem to Avraham – not to Yitzchak. So, in fact, Yitzchak had the prerogative to refuse. And had he done so, Avraham would have been exempted from his obligation due to causes beyond his control, and Yitzchak could not have been held liable, because as stated he was not commanded.

Yet Yitzchak agreed to be the sacrifice demanded by HaShem of his father Avraham, for one reason. Despite the fact that HaShem did not command Yitzchak to give up his life, Yitzchak knew that it was HaShem’s will that he be sacrificed on the altar on what was to become the Temple Mount, in Yerushalayim.

By Yitzchak bringing up the episode of the Akeida, to counter HaShem’s implicit warnings that He has taken notice of our dire sins, Yitzchak is saying to HaShem: “You did not command me to relinquish my life at 37 years old under my father’s knife. Yet I agreed for one reason – I knew that that was your wish. We, the Jewish people, also have a wish – it is to be loyal sons to You, our Father-in- Heaven. But we are human beings, make of flesh and blood, distracted and bombarded by the yetzer hara (our corporeal instincts) which seeks to drive us away from the holy Torah. So just as I yielded to what I knew was your desire, so too listen to the wishes of Your People Am Yisrael and forgive them for their sins.

A true Jew is one who not only fulfills the implicit mitzvot of the Written and Oral Torah, but carries out even the implied, tacit and silent wishes of Hashem.

The principle of doing HaShem’s silent wishes is upon us every moment. A Jew who lives only according to the letter of the Halacha while ignoring the spirit of Halacha, is an halachic robot who does not come even close to what a Jew must be. The taking of that “one more step” which we call “lifnim mei’shurat hadin” (beyond the requirements of the law) is what defines a Jew as being God fearing. The Torah says we must give tzedakah (charity). So, one can give money to a needy person like you throw a bone to a dog, or he can speak to the person and give him hope that things in life have a way of turning around.

The Zohar states that there are two kinds of Gehennom – one of fire and the other of ice.
I believe that the fire is for those who have committed a sin in heated passion and the Gehennom of ice awaits those who have fulfilled a mitzva with lack of passion.

Stairway to Heaven
I am fully aware of the pilpulistic contortions and meandering taken by some Halachic “authorities” in the galut to prove that there is no mitzva today to live in Eretz Yisrael.
Open a Chumash to any parsha – you will not be able to escape Eretz Yisrael. Most learned Jews know that it is a Torah mitzva in every generation for every Jew to live in Eretz Yisrael when the gates to the Holy land are open.

But even if you believe that the official mitzva is only when the Mashiach comes, stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself, “Is it HaShem’s desire that a Jew live in Pittsburgh or in His Holy Land of Eretz Yisrael? HaShem indeed wants every Jew to be in the Land that He chose over all others to house His holy Temple and declared the Temple Mount to be the “Stairway to Heaven”.

It is HaShem’s desire that His children be in Eretz Yisrael. Even if your learned rabbi told you that it is not an official mitzva today, it was Yitzchak’s decision to give his life because he knew that it was HaShem’s wish.

Part Two: The Savior of Yisrael

The third chapter of Birkat Hamazon (grace after meals) was authored by Kings David and Shlomo, and deals with Yerushalayim and the Bet Hamikdash (the holy temple). The Gemara (Brachot 49a) discusses the wording of its closing blessing with the conclusion that one may say “Blessed are You… the re-builder of Yerushalayim”, or “Blessed are You… the savior of Yisrael”.

Rashi explains that the phrase “the savior of Yisrael” is equivalent to saying “the re-builder of Yerushalayim” because the salvation of Am Yisrael is dependent on the re-building of Yerushalayim.

My Friend the Yerushalayim Dust-man
Where I live in the Old City of Yerushalayim, there is a dust-man (sanitation worker) who cares for our streets and plazas.

Aharon and I are friends and speak almost every day. He once told me that his wealthy grandfather came from Iran to Eretz Yisrael and established a chain of carpet stores. He gave a store to each of his sons except to Aharon’s father who preferred to be a construction worker to build up Yerushalayim with his own hands.

Aharon followed in his father’s way until he was hurt on a site and could no longer work in construction and became the dust-man of the Jewish Quarter.

A while back, Aharon and I had a heated argument. Aharon claimed that he was a simple Jew in Yerushalayim working hard to support his family. I argued that he, like his father, is a tzadik (righteous one) whose real value in heaven one cannot fathom. In order to emphasis my case, I said to Aharon: “You are, in the eyes of HaShem, more important than the most illustrious spiritual leader in the galut, for you are advancing the advent of the Mashiach, whereas the spiritual leaders in the galut with every shiur, drasha, new shul, yeshiva and mikveh repulse the Mashiach as they strengthen Jewish communities in the gentile galut.

The Perigee
Our rabbis have likened the Jewish people to the moon, because we both wane and nearly vanish but always re-appear.

The moon’s orbit has an elliptical shape, sometimes it is closer to Earth than other times. Astronomers call the closest-to-the-Earth moment the perigee. This week on November 14 the moon became full within about two hours of perigee making it an extra-supermoon, and the Earth was bathed in 30% more moonlight (learn more about this rarity of such a supermoon at NASA and EarthSky.org).

This is a good omen for our nation. What is interesting is the fact that the last time such a super-supermoon occurred was in the year 1948 – when Medinat Yisrael was established.

In conclusion: It is HaShem’s desire that His children be in Eretz Yisrael, even if your learned rabbi tells you that it is not a mitzva today. Remember, it was Yitzchak’s decision to give his life because he knew that it was HaShem’s wish. It is HaShem’s wish that the Jews leave the galut and return to the Holy Land.

Shabbat Shalom,
Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5777/2016 Nachman Kahana
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Also, you are invited to read the following featuring Yitzhak Avinu:

Concerning "Beating Yishma'el at His Own Game" by Rav Yissocher Frand part 1 | part 2 | part 3

and concerning the super-SuperMoon:

Wired.com | National Geographic | Shirat Devorah: And Now a Red Super Moon in Australia and Super Moon Photos |

Yitzhak’s Legacy – What Now?

Hoshanah Rabbah 5776
21 Tishrei

It may well be that Yitzhak's merit in spending his entire life here on orders from haShem is what justifies our return to Zion and gives place to the geulah process happening at this very moment. Why? Because his traits, as discussed in my previous post and more, are the ones that have kept us going through the millennia and are the ones we need the most right now.  He also obeyed HaShem never to leave Eretz Yisrael, even through some very tough times.

Fortunately for us, he completed his task on earth quite thoroughly. No, he was not perfect. Everyone knows the story: He was fooled by his son Esav’s blandishments enough to want to give him the blessing of the first born. However, he was wise enough to realize that Ya’aqov possessed the ability to apply gevurah (take the blessing, upon Rivkah's urging) when necessary along with hesed (lovingkindness, compassion) as appropriate to a given situation. In Kabbala this combination of characteristics is called Tiferet, Beauty, which is Ya’aqov Avinu’s trademark. But, here’s the catch: For the children of Ya’aqov to restore and retain this balance requires that we go through Yitzhak. Avraham's hesed alone is insufficient, and we need a whole lot of gevurah now.

In our day official Israel loves to (at least appear to) emulate Avraham Avinu by giving kindness and compassion to the minorities here, even though the latter compete with each other as to who will damage the Jewish people the most. I say ‘appearance’ because officials have proven quite capable of using gevurah on their fellow Jews, particularly approving draconian measures to those only accused of crimes even though they haven't been convicted.
 

The government is beginning to react now. I do not expect our government to read this blog, let alone take any real action to proactively deal with problems like Arab-generated terrorism.  I am told that the police, as well as the army, want to take more action than they are allowed, and they know that law enforcement personnel in other parts of the world are not as constrained as they; furthermore, the military and police functions are better separated. But the results are clear tonight, as Arabs attack Jews with more and more impunity since they succeeded in murdering a mother and father in front of their young children just a couple of days ago. See how the Israeli media reacted to this murder, negatively covering only Jewish reaction to it.

NYC Assemblyman Dov Hikind speaks up about the Henkin murders.

I suggest that those who wonder at the intractability of our problems would benefit from a study of Moshe Rabbeinu and the Mixed Multitude, with Jewish commentary where available. Yitzhak Avinu didn’t have to deal with the Erev Rav, the Jewish enemy within. Especially, go over Sanhedrin 97, where it is hinted that they would rule the nation before Mashiach comes. The government should not wonder why more and more Israelis are hoping and praying for another system to replace it; there is vast room for improvement, which we need, like yesterday!

And by the way, if you pray the Shmoneh Esreh daily, you certainly are praying for change in the Israeli government as well as your own, one way or the other, whether here in Israel or outside her.

My rough translation of the relevant paragraphs, the HaShiva Shoftenu and the LaMinim v'laMalshinim (could have different formulations, depending on nusah; this one is the Eidoth Mizrah as composed by R' Mordekhai Eliyahu, zz"l):

Restore our judges as they were at first, and our counselors as at the beginning, and take away from us grief and groaning, and take kingship over us quickly, You, G-d, alone, with compassion and mercy, with righteousness and law. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, Who loves justice and [true] law.

Let the heretics and the informers not have hope, and all the evil ones be lost in a moment, and all who hate You be cut off. And let the malicious kingdom quickly be rendered useless, broken, shamed and embarrassed, and overpowered speedily in our days. Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, Who shatters enemies and subjugates heretics.

And that’s just the daily prayers. You should see the ones on Yom Kippur,  that we just prayed but a few days ago!

Additionally, only the Creator of the Universe has the right to decide who is a heretic and an enemy, and deal with the likes of these as He pleases; and He has graciously revealed this to His people Israel. Our government members still have a little time left to decide whether to be on His side or against Him, to defend this nation to the death or leave it to die — or be redeemed without them.

Dear reader, do you wonder why I agree with Rav Frand that we need to follow the footsteps of Yitzhak Avinu, why more gevurah is needed, and even beyond that — why Shim'on and Levi's attack on an entire people seems nothing less than appropriate right now? Yitzhak walked away only to press on and finally win. He made no pretense of striving to realize the national aspirations of the Philistines at his family’s (and eventually nation’s) expense, and neither did Shim'on and Levi, when their sister was raped and the whole village said not a word!

Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA! Hosha' NA!
Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW! Save Us NOW!

More reading:

Emergency, Reactions to Terror 'Havel Havalim' | Guardian Confuses Victim with Terrorist | BBC's Changing Headline | Yahoo News and Distorted Anti-Israel Headlines | High Holy Days Terror War Goes to New Level  No One Bothered to Tell Us My Brother Was Murdered | Politically Correct: US Condemns 'Tragic Stabbings in Jerusalem'

P.S. The real beginning of this escalation was when Mahmoud Abbas raised the Palestinian flag at the UN on September 30th, the day of the Hakhel, a septennial event.

Did I say, Hosha' NA! Save Us NOW!-???

Concerning “Beating Yishma’el at His Own Game”: Yitzhak's Legacy

Erev Succoth

This post is dedicated l’iluy nishmath Akiva ben Avraham Avinu v’Sarah Imeinu. May his widow and son know no more sorrow, and merit greeting Mashiach with all Am Yisrael.

Read first: Concerning "Beating Yishma'el at His Own Game"

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Yitzhak is represented by the sefirah of gevurah - the essence of judgment, limitation, awe and fire. "It is the restraining might of gevurah which allows one to overcome his enemies, be they from without or from within (his evil inclination)." Wikipedia

Gevurah, the middah of Yitzchak, is about an inner strength. It demands determination and an unwillingness to quit. It takes great strength to get back up again after falling. Tiferet Center

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All Jews know that Yitzhak is the second, middle forefather of the Jewish people, the son of Avraham and Sarah. In fact, most Bible readers know this too, whether Jewish or not. It is also known that, as children, Yishma’el was highly jealous of Yitzhak and tried to kill him, pretending it was a game.

So, let’s start this a little further along. 

Overview

Of the three avot, Yitzchak is the least well-developed in the Torah. His story spans barely one parshah, in which he shares center stage with and is often eclipsed by the activities of others-- Avraham during the akeidah (binding of Yitzchak); Yaakov, Eisav, and Rivkah in the struggle over the birthright and blessings. Moreover, when we do encounter Yitzchak in the Torah, he emerges as a most enigmatic figure. Occasionally, he exudes majesty and charisma. This is exemplified by his willing participation in the akeidah and by his dramatic first meeting with Rivkah, in which she literally falls off her camel in his presence (Bereishit 24:64). In other contexts, however, Yitzchak appears to be at least partially manipulated by events that swirl around him and his role is almost transitional, the bridge between a father who was the celebrated founder of monotheism and a nation, and a son, Yaakov, whose evident achievements qualified him to bear the name and legacy of "Yisrael". Yet, Yitzchak's status and stature in Biblical literature and religious history is unquestioned, even as his contribution needs to be more fully assessed and understood. Who is Yitzchak really and what is his legacy?  Read more...

  

The Significance of the Rehovoth Well

Many teachers and rabbis perceive Yitzhak as restrained and limited to “mundane affairs” and keeping his father Avraham’s flame alive, doing nothing innovative for himself. But they miss the addition of one well – Rehovoth – to the wells he dug, and the struggle with the other two – Esek and Sitnah – that he went through to get there.

If the wicked king Omri (father of Ahab, who was even more wicked) could be praised and merit kingship for the addition of one city to Israel in First Temple times (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 102b), surely the idealistic and righteous Yitzhak must be lauded for the addition of one well! Cities get built around wells, if there are no rivers, lakes and other surface-level bodies of water (such as in much of Israel) …we have the city of Rehovoth to this day; and so Yitzhak’s legacy of building up the land of Israel is revealed in modern, pre-Mashiach times.

The Part Israel Plays…for Jews Today 

What I find in most commentary on Yitzhak is that it all notes the fact that his life and times take place in Israel, but then appears to shunt it aside, as though it has no meaning at all for the Jewish people today. If, as Rav Frand says, we need to take this progenitor of our nation as our model, then we need to study the aspects of all his actions seriously. Consider whether anything Sarah’s son did would have the same meaning anywhere else in the world, or any meaning at all, for that matter.

What I am about to say relates strongly to R' Frand's advice for beating Yishma'el at his own game. He said,

So, what do we do? How do we defeat this enormously powerful enemy called Yishma’el?...From the time that they were children, Yishmael made it his life’s mission to kill Yitzhak. The Pirkei Eliezer says this...Yishma’el never, ever got over that he was not the chosen son; he never got over that he was not the true heir. He never got over that he was not given any portion, any land. Esav got Har Seir. Klal Yisrael got Eretz Yisrael. Yishma’el was left out in the cold, and he has never gotten over that, and he has never forgiven us, and that is why he wants to wrest Eretz Yisrael from us ad hayom hazeh (until this very day).  This goes back all the way to Yitzhak, and that ancient battle continues till today. This not merely a battle about a piece of land called Israel…this is a spiritual battle, this is a cosmic battle that is going on in Himmel, in Shamayim (heaven)... And for us to vanquish Yishma’el, we must adhere to the legacy of our grandfather Yitzhak Avinu more than the way the Arabs and the Bnei Yishma’el and…the adherents of Islam, adhere to their legacy that they got from Yishma’el. That’s what the battle is about, that’s where it’s going to be won. Who is going to be a better grandson of their grandfather? Who’s going to be more makpid  on the legacy of their grandfather? We or them? The B’nei Yitzhak or the B’nei Yishma’el? And the more successful, and the more passionately, and the more religiously we adhere to that legacy, we will be successful…who is going to be a better adherent to the traditions of their grandfather. (emphasis mine)

Rav Frand goes on to define the essence of Yitzhak, including two components: Av Avodah (Pillar/Father of Prayer) and Moser Nefesh (Sacrifice of Self – putting one’s self in harm’s way to obtain a worthy goal)  – and then points out that Yishma’el is just as good, if not better, than we are at these things. My only question is: As important as proper attire and decorum during prayer are – and of course we should take more care with them than for a job interview! – and as important as standing up to our bosses when it comes to taking off from work when haShem wants us to – where does the legacy of our grandfather regarding Eretz Yisrael fit in? When is each and every Jew, whether we live in Israel or outside – even those who refuse to come home – going to insist on taking back what Yitzhak handed us as an inheritance and a heritage? It might be said that Yishma’el is better than us at this, too. Who controls the Temple Mount, and who moves freely there, doing as they please (certainly not what haShem wants, either from them or from us)? They do. Who allows them to hold that exalted place, while we are not allowed to move our lips, even to drink a glass of water? We do, to our shame.

Yishma’el’s Remorse

Not to mention that Yishma’el, when he matured, repented of his attitude toward Yitzhak: He walked behind his younger brother at their father’s funeral (Bereshith 25:9). As elder brother, he had every right to go first; but because of the written Torah there, we learn that Yishma’el had had a better understanding, and thus a change of heart (Rav Frand teaches us this here, citing Rashi, who bases his commentary on Bava Bathra 16b.). But did his descendants get the message? From our standpoint today, the answer must have been NO; or else, they were as rebellious and lacking proper respect and behavior as Yishma’el had prior to his teshuvah. Therefore, unfortunately for us and for the whole world, in our day we cannot affirm that Yishma’el’s repentance was complete. Therefore, we must not accept his children lording over us, especially in Eretz Yisrael, and most especially, on Har haBayit.

Shame on us if we cannot turn this around because we must take orders from the nations!

WHAT DOES AKEDATH YITZHAK MEAN TO US, IF NOT TO ACTUALIZE HIS PRECIOUS GIFT???

Perhaps haShem’s purpose of deliberately keeping our second Forefather’s story as an adult short and contained in Parashath Toledoth is in some sense prophetic and bears a message for us. We — like Ya’aqov Avinu when he took Esav’s place and the blessing Yitzhak intended for him (the latter having mistaken Esav’s toughness for the strength needed to keep the world going in the correct path, not knowing that his favorite son was a murderer, thief, philanderer, etc…) — need to prove that we have the gevurah, the guts and the emunah to overcome our predicament, to get to the other side of our complete redemption with haShem’s help and oversight.

I propose that we add a new Hebrew phrase to Rav Frand's, to complete the third component of Yitzhak Avinu's legacy discussed here: Our forefather Yitzhak Avinu was Av Bniyath Eretz Yisrael (Pillar of Building Up the Land of Israel) — if for no other reason than because of the Rehovoth well. Let us continue in his path.

Am Yisrael Chai!!!!

May the Jewish nation be blessed during this week of Succoth, and hereafter, forever.

May the Rav’s nephew, Shmuel Aryeh ben Malka Feige, continue to receive a refuah shleimah.

Concerning “Beating Yishma’el at His Own Game”

5 Tishrei 5776
5th Day of Awe

Concerning “Beating Yishma’el at His Own Game” - a Teshuva Drosha by the maggid shiur Rabbi Yissocher Frand

***IMPORTANT UPDATES BELOW!*** 

NOTE: The picture above is yet another example of using the name Palestine to refer to something JEWISH.

I listened to what seems to be the Rav’s Teshuva Drosha for 5776, "How to Beat Yishma’el at His Own Game," several times over the last few days. It is one of the most powerful I have ever heard, and not only because the voice of the Rav projects well. 

I understand how hard it is to speak with Jews in chutz la’aretz about making major changes in their lives and attitudes – I’ve been there, and been one of those people. But I’m here in Israel now, in Yerushalayim – not in Ir haAtika; nevertheless, in Ir haKodesh. 

The Rav spoke movingly, lovingly and with great concern for me and my brothers and sisters here in the Land of the Jews. Clearly he has been here and seen what goes on here.

Since he wants to convince people to take Yitzhak Avinu as their role model for mesirath nefesh as well as prayer, I hope I can help, even a little, by suggesting that he include the following well-known merits of our middle Forefather:

1.   He lived his entire life in Eretz haKodesh, Eretz Yisrael. He never stepped one foot outside its borders. Everything he did was in this context.
2. Yishma'el, his elder brother, desired to kill him from childhood on, as the Rav points out; this is still going on today. I might add only that the teshuva he did when their father passed away must not have been sufficient, since his descendants do not seem to have remembered it; and even if they do, they still do not honor it.
3.  He offered his life on Har haMoriah – what we know today as the Temple Mount, Har haBayit. HQB”H had other plans that day, and so we have our forefather Ya’aqov and the Twelve Tribes…and the lineage that continues until today and beyond.
4. He re-dug the wells that Avraham his father had originally dug and had subsequently been filled in by the Philistines, thus reclaiming the land near Gaza that they were located on - and, not being satisfied with this, he dug three more: Esek (which today means business, but is often translated contention), Sitna (accusation, incitement, slander and denunciation) and Rehovoth (wide open spaces). (Note that although the Philistines had never dug the first two of these wells, they claimed them for their own, hence their names. Sound familiar? Have we learned the lesson yet?) Bereshith 26:15-24
5. It's a funny-strange thing: While Jews can pray at the Ma’arat haMachpela, we are not allowed to pray by Yitzhak Avinu, but only by his father Avraham and his son Ya’aqov. It seems that Yitzhak is the key to securing our heritage and inheritance. The Yishmaelite Muslims know that, so they keep us away from him.

Yitzhak Avinu's and Rivka Imenu's graves as they are today. Jews are not allowed to visit them. This picture came from islamiclandmarks.com.

Kol hakavod to the Rav for what he did say (perhaps he felt he got his words in edgewise)! I wish him success in getting his hearers to dress up for davening, pray with more concentration, and give more of themselves. Surely he could go one step further and inspire them to come and live in the land of Yitzhak Avinu, and help us rise up and defend her. Yes, it is very different from what it was then. But we in Israel need Jews with serious mesirath nefesh now. Here is the story of a young, obviously-religious Jew who had to run through a gauntlet of Arabs after having been to Har haBayit. They have a still picture of him fallen to the ground and the women gloating over him as if he were dead. But if you watch the video, he was on the ground only a split second. He escaped to safety, thank G-d – but he got a grilling by security. 

Would decent Jews stand for that? I think not. In fact, here is the response of 150 fellow yeshiva bachurim to this near-lynching. Does this qualify as a good start on self-sacrifice?

I don’t need to argue with a Rav who has his values on straight, who speaks straight from the heart and is respected by those who hear him. But I think I need to pick him up a little and tell him that he needs to finish the job.

Make aliyah. Because it's hard. Because Yitzhak Avinu would have, if he'd had to.

May the Rav’s nephew, Shmuel Aryeh ben Malka Feige, have a refuah shleimah.

May all my readers be inscribed for good (and not for bad) in the Book of Life.

Many thanks to R’ Yeranen Yaakov for posting a link to the shiur on his blog. Click on the file that results when you click this link, to download it or listen to it.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: 4000 Karlin Hassidim prayed Selichoth by Yitzhak Avinu last night in the video below. I found out from a trusted friend that police had to clear the way for them. Many thousands more Jews will visit Hevron in the coming days before Yom Kippur. A7

VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE: We will NOT beat Yishma'el at his own game if he continues to OCCUPY THE TEMPLE MOUNT. Obvious, right? 

Step 1: Sign this petition: 1 Million for a Jewish Temple Mount! Petition | GoPetition

For more steps: Defending the Jewish Temple Mount is a Major Red Line!

You will make Yitzhak Avinu very, very HAPPY!!!

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