Then the Satan said

In light of the various "peace plans" circulating around the blogosphere. I wanted to bring a poem by Natan Alterman. I will not argue the Torah sources at this point since I feel there is very little chance of convincing anyone on this issue at this time. I just hope that this poem strikes a chord with people.

_ _ אז אמר השטן:הנצור הזה
איך אוכל לו.
איתו האומץ וכשרון המעשה
וכלי מלחמה ותושיה עצה לו.

ואמר:לא אטול את כוחו
ולא מורך אביא בתוכו
ולא ידיו ארפה כמיקדם,
רק זאת אעשה: אכהה מוחו
ושכח שאיתו הצדק.
_ _ _

כך דיבר השטן וכמו
חורו שמים מאימה
בראותם אותו בקומו
לבצע המזימה.

Then Satan said: "How will I overcome
this one who is under siege?
He possesses bravery, ingenuity,
weapons of war and resourcefulness."

And he said: "I'll not sap his strength,
Nor fill his heart with cowardice,
nor overwhelm him with discouragement
As in days gone by.
I will only do this:
I will cast a shadow of dullness over his mind
until he forgets that justice is with him."

----

This is what the Satan said and it was as if
the heavens trembled in fear
as they saw him rise
to execute his plan.

Kosher business

BSheva has a very interesting article on a relatively new investment company called Hillat Shoham. This is a unique enterprise in that all investments are done according to halacha. Issues of Ribit (interest), supporting shabbat violations, and other problems are all guaranteed to be halachicly valid. Apparently, difficult questions are brought to Rav Elyashiv Shlit"a for halachic consideration.

I don't know the specifics, but I think we should bless this application of Torah to yet another area of the modern world.

Shimon and Levi

In the process of saving their sister Dina from and taking vengeance against Shchem, Shimon and Levi kill the entire population of the city. Since the halahca forbids the murder of gentiles, various commentators try to understand under what halacha were Shimon and Levi permitted to harm the rest of the city which was apparently not guilty of kidnapping. Here is an overview of some of the answers.

The Rambam writes (הלכות מלכים ומלחמות ט:יד):

ומפני זה נתחייבו בל בעלי שכם הריגה שהרי שכם גזל והם ראו וידעו ולא דנוהו

And this is why the citizens of Shchem deserved to be killed. Since Shchem was guilty of kidnapping and they saw and knew [that he kidnapped] and did not judge him.

Rambam claims that the whole city was guilty of abrogating the Noachide law of dinim or setting up courts of justice. Since according to most opinions, the punishment for the abrogation of any of the Noachide laws is death, the whole city was deserving of death for this infraction.

The Ramban disagrees, he quotes the opinion of the Rambam and challenges the Rambam understanding of the nature of the Noachide law of Dinim. He then goes on to challenge the Rambam's approach to the story of Schem (בראשית לד וישלח):

ומה יבקש בהן הרב חיוב, וכי אנשי שכם וכל שבעה עממין לא עובדי עבודה זרה ומגלה עריות ועושים כל תועבות השם היו

Why does the Rav [Rambam] look for [a specific sin] to obligate them [for death]. Were not the people of Shchem and all the seven nations Idol worshipers and [guilty of] sexual indiscretions and committed all that is an abomination to Hashem.

The Ramban basically disagrees that one can be put to death for not imposing justice (especially when the people were probably powerless to execute judgment against their king). He instead proposes that this city was an evil society and every individual was guilty of one form or another of evil behavior.

The Ohr HaChaim gives two explanations of his own (וישלח לד כה). The first is that Shimon and Levi really only intended to kill Shchem but they expected the rest of the city to come and defend their king. Therefore, the rest of the city had the status of Rodfim or people who are pursuing you in order to kill. Because of their status as Rodfim, Shimon and Levi were permitted to kill them. The Ohr HaChaim's second explanation is that the rest of the city were accomplices to the kidnapping. By enabling Shchem to perpetuate his crime, they were also guilty and deserved punishment.

The Maharal in Gur Aryeh gives yet another explanation. He says that Shchem's act is considered an act of war against the Jewish people. Shimon and Levi were on a mission to extract vengeance for Hashem and all the dinim of their mission were only constrained by the halachas of war. Since in war, it is not individual against individual but rather nation against nation, they had no liability for the civilian casualties of Shchem even if individually, those people they killed were not guilty of any specific crime.

If anyone has any more explanations, I would love to hear them.

5000 Hits!

Yay

Is real debate in today's frum world possible?

[UPDATED]

I had two different debates snuffed out before they began in the previous weak. One was with someone you would characterize as modern and the other would probably categorize themselves as chareidi. Both know a lot of Torah.

The MO person refused to discuss the sources with me. All of his arguments were basically based on what he saw as the modern reality. He felt what I was proposing was simply not practical and that the sources are irrelevant since even if I prove to him that the sources support my position, there are too many other issues at stake to actually make my position a relevant one. He then started explaining to me how I was falling into the chareidi trap of trying to impose an ideal halacha upon an imperfect world and that I have to realize the nuances of modern life.

The chareidi person basically argued to me that a certain godol took a position different than the one I was advocating and therefore what I say is irrelevant. When I pointed out that other gedolim take my position and that I did not just make it up out of thin air, I was accosted with proclamations as to which godol is greater. I tried to veer the conversation away from a futile effort to judge gadlut and asked the person if he thought that when gedolim get together the conversation goes like this:

Gadol A: I say the halacha is A
Gadol B: I disagree, it is B
Gadol A: I am a bigger baki in gemara
Gadol B: Well, I know more rishonim than you
Gadol A: That might be true, but gadol C testified that I am always right
Gadol B: Nobody holds by gadol C

... Ok, this dialog is getting way too painful to write. He then went on to tell me that I was falling into the MO trap of putting more weight on my own learning than that of the gedolim. I was glad to know that I somehow managed to simultaneously fall into both MO and chareidi traps.

In both cases I tried to veer the conversation to a discussion of primary sources and an analysis of how they apply to our world. I both cases, the other side would not let the conversation deal with the actual Torah sources. Why is this so? Before I became religious, I always imagined a Beit Midrash as a place where the Torah is studied and debated. After I became religious, I realized that it is often learned, but positions are rarely debated in any real depth.

Is this a failure of chinuch? Has anyone else had similar experiences? I would love some feedback on this one. I really do not know where these attitudes come from.

[UPDATE - I wanted to avoid writing on specific issues in order to keep the topic on focus. However, due to comments that this post is too vague, I will divulge that the topic discussed was the halachas of Eruvin. The MO person basically took the position that Eruvin were a necessary component of modern religious society so an halachic way must be found. The chareidi position was that since several (Lithuanian) gedolim took a position against a local eruv, it should not be used. Neither was at all concerned with whether the eruv should be valid or not based on rishonim and achronim.]

Yaakov's ladder

A beautiful vort on the parsha is told over by Rav Yosef Carmel:

When Yaakov's dream is over, Yaakov wakes up and reacts (בראשית כח:טז):

וַיִּיקַץ יַעֲקֹב מִשְּׁנָתוֹ וַיֹּאמֶר אָכֵן יֵשׁ ה' בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וְאָנֹכִי לֹא יָדָעְתִּי

And Yaakov awaked out of his sleep, and he said: 'Surely the Hashem is in this place; and I knew it not.'

The Torah add immediately after (שם יז)

וַיִּירָא וַיֹּאמַר מַה נּוֹרָא הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה אֵין זֶה כִּי אִם בֵּית אלוקים וְזֶה שַׁעַר הַשָּׁמָיִם

And he was afraid, and said: 'How full of awe is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'

What is the meaning of this fear? Is it connected to the realization in the previous pasuk? What makes it even more difficult to understand this fear is Hashem's promise to Yaakov in the dream (שם טו):

וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵךְ וַהֲשִׁבֹתִיךָ אֶל הָאֲדָמָה הַזֹּאת כִּי לֹא אֶעֱזָבְךָ עַד אֲשֶׁר אִם עָשִׂיתִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתִּי לָך

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.'

What room is there for Yaakov to fear after such a clear promise. The Radak explains the fear as awe in the face of that which is lofty. To the Radak, the fear is a result of the amazing vision that he saw and his perception of the holiness of the location in which he was.

Chazal, however, see this fear as a result of a result of a particular interpretation of the dream. The dream, according to the midrash, is not just one that relates to Yaakov as an individual but rather on that relates to the entire history of the Jewish people. The angels are not just guardians for Yaakov the Tzaddik but rather representatives of the various nations and empires the Jewish people will encounter throughout their history.

Lets look at the text of the midrash (ויקרא רבה כט:ב):

אמר רבי ברכיה ור' חלבו ור' שמעון בן יוחאי בשם ר' מאיר מלמד שהראה הקב"ה ליעקב שרה של בבל עולה ויורד של מדי עולה ויורד ושל יון עולה ויורד ושל אדום עולה ויורד. אמר הקב"ה ליעקב אף אתה עולה, באותה שעה נתיירא יעקב אבינו ואמר שמא ח"ו כשם שלאלו ירידה אף לי כן, אמר לו הקב"ה ואתה אל תירא אם אתה עולה אין לך ירידה עולמית לא האמין ולא עלה

Rabbi Barchia and Rabbi Chelbo and Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai all said in the name of Rabbi Meir: This teaches that Hashem showed Yaakov the representative angel of Bavel go up and go down, the [angel of] Madai go up and go down, the [angel of] Yavan go up and go down, and [the angel] of Edom go up and go down. Hashem said to Yaakov: 'you shall also go up,' at that moment Yaakov [became] afraid and said: 'perhaps, just as these [angels] also descended, the same will happen to me.' Hashem answered him: 'You, don't fear. If you ascend, you shall never descend.' Yaakov did not believe and he did not ascend.

In order to live as a free nation in their own land, the nation had to struggle with various empires: Babylon, Persian, Helenism/Greek, and Roman. The struggle was harsh and at times the darkness of exile and the suffering seemed to have no end. Nations that received world domination seemed to have received the right to rule for all times. In the dream of Yaakov is a great message that after every ascension of an empire, it will eventually descend. All these Empires crumbled and are no more. Yaakov's invitation to ascend implies that in the end of the road, in the end of days, the nation that comes from him and which will bring the world to its perfection
might also share the same fate as these empires.

Whoever ascended to the top of the ladder in the end came crumbling down. This is what Yaakov feared and this fear affected all subsequent generations! Jewish history could have been very different if Yaakov would have found courage and ascended. This idea is made even more explicit in the end of the midrash:

א"ר ברכיה ור' חלבו בשם רשב"י ר' מאיר היה דורש...אמר לו הקב"ה אלו האמנת ועלית עוד, לא ירדת ועכשיו שלא האמנת ולא עלית עתידין בניך שיהו משתעבדין בד' מלכיות בעולם הזה במסים ובארנוניות ובזימיות ובגלגליות (כנראה מכשירי עינויים). באותה שעה נתיירא יעקב אמר לפני הקב"ה רבש"ע יכול לעולם אמר לו (ירמיה ל) ואל תחת ישראל כי הנני מושיעך מרחוק

Rabbi Barchia and Rabbi Chelbo said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai: Rabbi Meir would expound ... Hashem said to him [Yaakov]: 'If you would have believed and ascended more, you would not have descended. Now that you did not believe and did not ascend, your children are destines to be enslaved to the 4 empires (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome) through various taxes and forms of torture.' At that moment Yaakov [became] afraid. He said to Hashem: 'Master of the Universe, could this [enslavement] be forever?' Hashem answered him: 'Don't fear Israel! For I shall save you from afar.'

The lesson we can get from this for all generations is that our level of Emuna is what decides the level of our achievements. When a person merits to hear the voice of Hashem commanding him 'Ascend!' and he believes and ascends, this is what allows him to be successful.

May we merit so see the ascent after which there will be no more falls.

On the efficacy of bans and changing reality

onthemainline has a very insightful post on the effectiveness of bans in our day in age.

Click here.

The Honor of the Torah

Rael Levinsohn emailed me a letter written by the Chafetz Chaim's son-in-law to Rav Kook during Rav Kook's lifetime. We are posing it on both our blogs. See Rael's post here. I was thinking of writing a series of posts on Kavod HaTorah and thought this would be a good start (From אגרות לראי"ה, p. 566):

Rav Aharon HaKohen
Author of the book ‘Avodat HaKorbanot’
Son in law of the Gaon Israel Meir HaKohen Shlit”a author of the book Chafetz Chaim and Mishna Brura
Tel Aviv, Eretz Yisrael

With Hashem’s help, 5688 (1928)

Even though my heart was always greatly pained when people who claim to be observant of Torah and mitzvoth dare to disparage the brilliant and righteous, pious and modest, leader of the land of Israel, our teacher Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook Shlit”a – I refrained from public protest regarding the honor of the Torah. [This is because] I know that my master and teacher, the Chafetz Chaim Shlit”a – who honors and is very fond of the honorable Gaon Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Shlit”a and whose heart was greatly sickened when he heard of the persecutions against [the Rav] – did not come out with public rebuke regarding this, saying that silence regarding such matters and the reduction of their publicity is [the proper way] to repair them – [that is] to lessen and reduce their value. (nevertheless, no one dares utter words of disparagement against our teacher Rav Avaraham Yitzchak HaKohen Shlit”a in front of our master[, the Chafetz Chaim,] and he would turn his eyes with contempt from any posters [disparaging Rav Kook -ed]).

However, when I recently saw that a periodical that has appeared – which arrogantly dares to call itself “meeting place of the sages” – wrote horrible, cursed, and blasphemous words against our teacher Rav Avaraham Yitzchak HaKohen Shlit”a – [words which] are forbidden to even put in print – I find it a holy obligation in my soul not to be silent (as is explicit in the Rambam הלכות ת"ת פ"ו הל' יא-יב). [This is because] someone who disparages a Torah scholar has no portion in the world to come, and is in the category of one who “despises the Word of Hashem” (כי דבר ה' בזה), and we are obligated to banish him. [And this is especially true regarding] this brilliant and pious [rav] – that it is forbidden to remain silent [on this matter] and we must go out and rebuke this humiliation of the Torah, and join ourselves to the protest and great anger of the rabbis and sages of the Holy Land and the exile regarding these words of villainy. [Thus] we should not see [that which is] Holy destroyed, G-d Forbid.

And may Hashem, may His Name be Blessed, remove the disgrace from the children of Israel and raise the honor of our Holy Torah. These are the words [of one] who writes with a wounded and agitated heart regarding the honor of our holy Torah which is [being] given over to disgrace.

Aharon HaKohen
Son in law of the brilliant Rav, the righteous Chafetz Chaim, Shlit”a

Leisure time in Podova

onthemainline reports about a new psak against computer games and computer movies.

While I am sure that there are many games and movies that can be very damaging. The language of the psak seems to imply that all liesurly activity is assur.

I find this interesting since I have been going through the letters, poems, and plays of the ramchal lately. Apparently in Podova, whenever a Jew would be granted a doctorate from the local university, they would throw him a big party and write poems in his honor. Within each poem there lay a riddle which the party's participants would try to solve with the correct solution earning the person a prize.

What amazes me about these letters and poems is how natual social life seemed to be integrated with deep religious meaning for the Ramchal. In much of religious society today, there seems to be an unnatural break between leisurely life and religious life. There is the kiddush and the shiur and the 2 often don't mix. I think that the model of social life that is reflected in these writings of the Ramchal should be investigated further to see what we can learn from this giant of Jewish thought.

Talmudic manuscripts

I found a link to a great project that I knew nothing about.

If you want to view the existing handwritten manuscripts for any daf of the Gemara, it is now available online.

Two nations are in your womb

When Rivka's pregnancy becomes difficult she asks Hashem why she is suffering. The answer that is given is a little odd (בראשית כה:כג):

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה לָהּ, שְׁנֵי גֹיִים בְּבִטְנֵךְ, וּשְׁנֵי לְאֻמִּים, מִמֵּעַיִךְ יִפָּרֵדוּ

And Hashem said to her: 'Two nations are in your womb; and two regimes from your insides shall be separated ...'

What was Rivka's concern and how does this answer alleviate that concern? A famous midrash informs us that the baby would get agitated whenever she passed by a beit midrash and also whenever she passed by a house of idol worship. She was worried about the nature of her child. The difficulty with this explanation is the answer that she is given. How does the fact that instead of one child there are two bring her any peace? All that she finds out is that she had one bad apple in her womb.

What obfuscates things further is another midrash that does not seem to fit at all. Rashi brings the gemara (ע"ז יא ע"ב):

גיים כתיב, אלו אנטונינוס ורבי שלא פסקו מעל שולחנם לא צנון ולא חזרת לא בימות החמה ולא בימות הגשמים

It is spelled גֵיִים, 'proud ones.' These are Antoninus and Rabbi - for neither radish nor horseradish ceased [to be found] on their tables neither during the sunny season nor during the rainy season.

What in the world does that have to do with Rivka's concern? The Maharal has a brilliant explanation in Gur Aryeh. He explains that Rivka's natural concern after hearing that she was having twins was that history was repeating itself. She remembered the behavior of Ishmael all too well and was deeply concerned that she was bringing another "Pereh Adam", a wild beast of a man, into the world. The midrash explains that she was informed that she was having two גֵיִים, proud men. Edom might be a rasha but he will be a human rasha and not a barbarian. An appreciation for that which separates man from animal (eating at designated place, appreciating delicacies such as radish) is a level of moral sensitivity in and of itself and thus curtails some of the baser behavior men can exhibit even in a person with low moral character. Thus there will be a common bond of humanity between Edom and Israel that is not shared with Ishmael.

Veering to the left and to the right

Rav Moshe Tzuriel Shlit”A has a beautiful piece on the Inyan of עשה לך רב or appointing a Rabbi for yourself. It is a wonderful article and should really be studied in its entirety (you can view it here). I just want to bring a portion of what he writes about a midrash that is often misinterpreted:

The Torah says (דברים יז, יא):

לא תסור מן הדבר אשר יגידו לך ימין ושמאל

You shall not deviate from that which they tell you to the left or to the right

Rashi bring the Sifri on this pasuk: (ספרי קנד)

אפילו אומר לך על ימין שהוא שמאל, ועל שמאל שהוא ימין, וכל שכן כשאומר לך על ימין ימין, ועל שמאל שמאל

Even if they say to you about right that it is left, and about left that it is right. How much more so when they say to you about right [that it is] right and about left [that it is] left.

This Rashi has led many people to make the mistake that we must follow a posek in halacha even if his position can be challenged from sources in the Gemara or in the early rishonim. This attitude is often called “Emunat Chachamim” or “Ase Lecha Rav.”

In truth, Rashi’s words (and the pasuk) only apply regarding the Sanhedrin and not a single rav in a particular generation. This is what the Ramban says on our pasuk:

שנשמע לבית דין הגדול העומד לפני השם במקום אשר יבחר בכל מה שיאמרו לנו בפירוש התורה

That we should listen to the high court which sits before Hashem in the place that He shall choose in all that they tell us in [their] interpretations of the Torah

This is also the pshat in the pasuk which says (Devarim 17:8) “and you shall rise and go up to the place that Hashem shall choose.” The Gemara on this pasuk says (ע"ז ח ע"ב) “This teaches that the location is key.” It is also important to note that the principle that Rashi brings does not appear in the Babylonian Talmud. What is amazing is that the Jerusalem Talmud actually teaches the exact opposite of the Sifri (הוריות א, סוף א):

יכול אם יאמרו לך על ימין שהוא שמאל ועל שמאל שהוא ימין, תשמע להם? ת"ל 'ללכת ימין ושמאל' (עד) שיאמרו לך על ימין שהוא ימין, ועל שמאל שהוא שמאל"

Could it be that if they tell you that right is left and left is right, that you will listen to them? [Thus the pasuk teaches:] “To go right and left,” [that is,] until they tell you that right is right and left is left.

Rav Yosef Nathanson Zt”l point out on this Yerushalmi (בהערות ציון וירושלים, שם) that this Gemara is against Rashi’s teaching. Also, the Rambam brings this Yerushalmi as halacha regarding whether someone knowledgeable in a topic is allowed to follow the majority of the Sanhedrin when he believes they are wrong (שגגות יג:ה):

הורו בית דין לאכול חלב הקיבה כולו, וידע אחד מן הקהל שטעו ושחלב הקיבה אסור, ואכל מפני הוראתן, שהיה עולה על דעתו שמצוה לשמוע מבית דין אע"פ שהם טועים, הרי זה האוכל חייב חטאת קבועה על אכילתו ואינו מצטרף למנין השוגגים על פיהם".

If the court instructed to eat all of the fat of the intestines, and someone from the congregation knew that they made a mistake and that the fat of the intestines is forbidden [but he still] ate based on their instruction since he thought that there is a mitzvah to listen to the court even when they are mistaken; then the one who ate is obligated to bring a sin-offering because of his eating and he does not join in the count of those who mistakenly sinned due to the instructions of the court.

Thus we have a psak halacha that is explicitly against the words of Rashi. The Rambam’s halacha is based on a Gemara in Sandedrin (90b) and thus both the Babli and Yerushalmi contradict the Sifri that Rashi brought and we are forced to say that Rashi was bringing the sifri as a Peirush, not as a psak. (This is what the Beit Yosef wrote on the matter in the name of the Rashba, או"ח סי' י' ד"ה ולענין הלכה)

There is another proof that can be brought from the Gemara against the method of those who actively follow Rashi. In Bava Batra (130b-131a) Rabba said to two of his students that when his halachic ruling comes before them and they have a disagreement with his words that they should come and ask him about it. But if a question arises after he has passed away, they should not rip his ruling since, maybe, if he were alive he would explain his position. However, they should not learn from that ruling regarding similar matters since “a judge only has what his eyes perceive.” It is explicit in his words that one should not rule like a Rav when there is a strong challenge to his opinion until they come and ask other sages to explain properly the position of the Rav. This is what the author of בני יששכר wrote in his book סור מרע ועשה טוב (ס"ק צ"ז ).

The value of peace

Rav Kook shared with us in his letters his soul's response to machloket. I found it inspiring and I hope you do also:

"Thank G-d, I myself do not enjoy very much when people praise me, nor do I get upset or very angry when they degrade me. Praise to His blessed name, my constant involvement in the study of mussar and the esoteric teachings of our holy Torah has generated this trait within me... My only salvation and desire is to bring joy to people and to fulfill [the following verse] to the best of my ability: 'Those who fear You [G-d] shall see me and rejoice (Tehillim 119:74)" (Iggrot I, p. 42)

"Behold, I am a man of peace, and I pursue peace even in places where most people would not think it could be found. But that is my characteristic, especially since I come from the seed of Aharon, to whom the covenant of peace is entrusted." (Iggrot I, p. 168)

Translation from An Angel Among Men (p. 167)

Kiruv Post

The Mishna in Avot says (3:22):

Anyone whose wisdom exceeds his good deeds, to what is he likened? - to a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few; then the wind comes and uproots it and turns it upside down; as it is said: (Jeremiah 17:6) 'And he shall be like an isolated tree in an arid land and shall not see when good comes; he shall dwell on parched soil in the wilderness, on a salted land, uninhabited.' But one whose good deeds exceed his wisdom , to what is he likened? - to a tree whose branches are few but whose roots are numerous; even if all the winds in the world were to come and blow against it, they could not budge it from its place; as it is said: (ibid 17:8) 'And he shall be like a tree planted by waters, toward the stream spreading its roots, and it shall not notice the heat's arrival, and its foliage shall be fresh; in the year of drought it shall not worry, nor shall it cease from yielding fruit.'

The Maharal makes a tremendous point on this Mishna (Derech Chaim pg. 157 London ed.):

Thus, when a person has more wisdom than his deeds, then he enters a level to which he is not prepared and therefore, the extra Torah that he has beyond the value of his deeds are to him as poison. As Chazal taught (Yoma 72b): 'If he merits, the Torah is an elixir of life. If he does not merit, an elixir of death.' Because the Torah needs to be appropriate to him. Thus he tends towards emptiness, and when an opposing force approaches him, he, [the person], becomes totally empty. [This is as] we already clarified, that the deeds of a person are considered the root and the essence of that person, and according to [the strength of] the roots, it is appropriate [that he acquires] wisdom which is analogous to branches.

This is a tremendous idea. Instead of Torah being a prerequisite to proper deeds, the proper deeds become the groundwork for proper Torah learning. When I first learned this Maharal, I immediately thought of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Zt"l approach to kiruv. The Rebbe emphasized over and over again that the proper approach to kiruv is to convince Jews to perform fundamental mitzvot. The learning would come later when the Jew is self-motivated to learn but performance of mitzvot is the main goal.

This is in diametric opposition to the approach other kiruv organizations take. Most of the kiruv world first tries to convince people of the Truth of the Torah and once they are convinced, teach them how to perform fundamental mitzvot. According to the Maharal's understanding of this Mishna, such Torah can be poison to these souls who are not prepared to appreciate its teachings.

This is something that is critical to our understanding of what Torah is. Torah is not just a bunch of data that we must integrate into our minds. Torah is G-d's wisdom that we must incorporate into the very essence of our spiritual and physical being. The physical parts of our world can only become prepared for the Torah through mitzvot which sanctify our physical bodies.

There is much talk in the blogosphere regarding the shortcomings of contemporary kiruv. Perhaps the problem with the common approach to kiruv is that it tries to enter the person through the mind instead of through the soul. When a Jew is exposed to true and sincere avodat Hashem, it affects them at their very soul. A soul that is lit by mitzvot begins to develop a sensitivity to the Truth of the Torah. This sensitivity is not based on the person's rational faculties. Rather, the person accepts the Torah as True through a sixth spiritual sense; a sense that perceives the Truth of the Torah in a manner similar to the way a person is aware of their own self. Such acceptance of Torah is not subject to rational challenges nor can it be proved nor disproved. Rather, such Emunah exists in a realm that is above reason. A realm where rational challenges are not ignored but neither do they challenge the foundation of the person's spiritual life. When tough questions come up, such a person can be much more comfortable with a wait-and-see approach whenever satisfactory answers are not readily available.

May we all merit to see the age when the “earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9) and the forces of doubt will be no more.

The miracle of Chanukah

Probably the most famous vort told over on Chanukah is the Beit Yosef's question regarding the 8 candles. The Beit Yosef asks why we commemorate 8 days when there was enough oil in the jug for 1 day. The first day, the oil burned naturally, thus the miracle was only the 7 days after the first and we should only commemorate 7 days of miracle. Almost every achron has their own answer to this question. I wanted to know if everyone can give as many answers that they have heard and we can collect them into one long post.

I will start by giving 2 that I learned over Shabbat.

Rav Kook Zt"l in his chiddushim on Shulchan Aruch gives 2 answers:

• The extra day was added as a gzeira to protect people from the Issur DeOraita of creating a model of the Menora in the Beit Hamikdash. If the festival was only 7 days, people would make candelabras with 7 arms and therefore transgress a Torah commandment so chazal extended the holiday to protect people from this transgression.
  
• The 1st day was miraculous as well. The Greeks had such hate for Jewish worship that they ransacked the entire Beit Hamikdash. The fact that even a small jug of oil escaped their attention is a miracle in and of itself.
  

Nu, what else do you guys have?

Rav Goren Zt"l

Since the 24th of Cheshvan is the Yhartzeit of Rav Shlomo Goren Zt"l, i wanted to relate a small historical story regarding his role in the defense of Jerusalem in the war of Independence.

Rav Herzog, upon a request from the commanders of the Army, sent Rav Goren to the Rabbinic leaders of Meah Shearim and the surrounding communities in order to convince them that the Yeshiva boys should work on Shabbat to dig tunnels against invading tanks. Rav Goren convinced almost all of the Rabbis (an exception was the Brisker Rav who refused to help the war effort in any way and labeled the secular Zionist as rodfim) and almost all of the yeshiva boys in Meah Shearim were recruited to the war effort (working even on Shabbat). The results of this tunnel were of note. The Sunday following Shabbat the tanks attacked. 2 tanks flipped over due to the tunnels and the rest retreated.

Klal Gadol BaTorah

Rav Kook writes (Orot, p. 169):

The trait of openheartedness - to include the whole world, all of humanity - belongs to Avraham. When it comes from recognition of the special stand of Am Yisrael, and from that flows a love of all people, that is praiseworthy, like Avraham, the father of many nations.

This point is made in a different fashion in Ein Aya (Chap. 5, 74):

One cannot love the collective unless he first loves every individual; therefore "Love your neighbor as yourself" is the basis of the Torah and the rest is just commentary.

Actually, there is an argument in the Gemara regarding which teaching the whole Torah can concentrated into: (BR 24:7)

Ben Azai said "This is the book of the generations of man," (Bereishit 5:1) That is the major principle in the Torah. Rabbi Akiva said "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18) This is the major principle.

Ben Azai obviously stresses that the main mission of the Torah is to benefit all of humanity. Rabbi Akiva stresses that the main mission of the Torah is to create a perfect moral society internally, within our own nation.

It seems that Rav Kook makes peace between these two opinions. He sees love of all humanity as a positive force in the world, an essential part of our mission. However if such a love comes before love of our own nation, it becomes a corrupting force. True love of humanity must flow from love of the Jewish people. Perhaps Rabbi Akiva was not arguing with Ben Azai but rather modifying his statement.

The Polls

While polls can often mislead, recent polls show the following realistic breakdown for the next Knesset:

Avoda 25
Kadima 30
Likud 20
NRP + NU 20
Shas 10
UTJ 5

What this implies is that if the RZ and the chareidim were to join forces on one list, then there is a realistic chance that the religious would run the country. Why is this not happening? How can we expect anything of the non-religious if we can not find unity among those who share faith in the Torah?

Metzuveh VeOsseh

Masecket Kiddushin (ל"א ע"א) relates a story regarding Rav Yossi. Rav Yossi was blind and therefore possibly exempt from many mitzvot. He used to say that he would throw a big celebration if anyone would prove conclusively that the blind are exempt from the Mitzvot. Rav Yossi held at this point that someone who does the commandments voluntarily is greater than one who is commanded. Once he heard the drash of Chazal that one who is commanded and performs the commandments is greater than one who does so voluntarily, he exclaimed that he would throw a celebration if anyone proved conclusively that the blind are obligated in the mitzvot.

The Rishonim and Achronim all have different takes on why one who is commanded and performs commandments is greater. The tosefot and the ritva (תוס' עבודה זרה דף ג' ע"א, ד"ה "גדול", בריטב"א בקידושין שם) say that the reason is psychological. People have a natural aversion to authority. As soon as one is commanded, they have an immediate desire to assert their own independence and thus they have a greater evil inclination to overcome than those who perform mitzvot voluntarily.

Several other rishonim (ריטב"א בשם הרמב"ן, תוס' הרא"ש, דרשות הר"ן, דרוש השביעי) explain that the advantage of being commanded is that on top of doing an act that is intrinsically good, you are also fulfilling the will of the King. This means that those who are commanded are performing an act that is essential to the functioning of the world. If the act was not essential then it would not have been commanded.

This second explanation in the rishonim fits perfectly with the Maharal’s explanation of the famous midrash in masechet Shabbat (פח ע"א) where Hashem suspends mount Sinai above the heads of the Jewish people and forces them to accept the Torah. The Maharal explains that this is to teach that the Torah is not in the realm of "choice", an addition to natural life. Rather the Torah is an essential component of the world and without it, life can not continue in a normal fashion.

Middot Chassidut

Here is another very important letter from Rav Kook translated by Rav Bezalel Naor:

I see in any youth who comes, seeks, asks, and speaks of his confusion the likeness of a precious stone, onyx or jasper, destined to be set in the gates of Jerusalem

many matters of philosophy cannot be fully understood if one's emotions are not also adequately prepared

We must understand life according to two standards: how it is and how it ought to be.

By the grace of God, 21 Menachem Av 5644.

To my beloved friend, delightful and pleasant, imbued with understanding and knowledge of the awe of God, sharp-witted and learned, our teacher, Rabbi Moshe Seidle, may his light shine, and in all that pertains to him, shalom.

Your precious words gladdened my heart while I sat in the pleasant fields of the settlement of Rechovot in Judea with the view of the Judean hills before my eyes, and was inspired as I contemplated the glory of God that crowned us here in ancient days and that will continue to crown us with his benevolence in days to come, as his words are not unfulfilled. Indeed, we must prepare ourselves with the spirit of God for our glorious future, with the spirit of knowledge and the light of God, which will have the power to unite all the flourishing forces in our nation and ready us for a healthy and perfect life, life which will be an example for all the nations of the world in their strength and courage, and in the glory of their holiness and grandeur so that we then will be able to fulfill the mission befitting the nation of Israel in the land of Israel. This is impossible except by combining all the good found in the lives of both the fathers and the sons, in such a manner that not only will the good in one way of life not oppose the good of the other way, but that both sides will also strengthen and exalt one another. This is the principle of returning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. These are the thoughts which occupy me, and thank God that everything I believed outside this land about what needs to be done for the good of our nation and our land is in keeping with what I see here in our holy land, inspired by a spirit of purity which will invigorate all actions, so that we may say, "O house of Jacob, come, and let us walk in the light of the Lord."

And here, I was thinking of the thirst for the word of God, taking in our generation the form of a fainting thirst. Only in the most fortunate and those closest to holiness has this disease of thirst not turned longing into revulsion. I know, without a doubt, that only to the extent that we spread the work of God and the light of the Torah in a language known to those with parched thirst, will our might increase. Thus will we be fit to wear our splendor and the raiment of our glory, and deserving redemption and salvation, as we return to God and his holy word in love, a love born of recognition and understanding. "And from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him, if you seek with all your heart and all your soul." And this request made with one's entire heart and entire soul can not be fulfilled except after the removal of all the darkness of confusion which blocks the light of Israel, so that it cannot be revealed in its majestic splendor. Only when we recognize our own value, the merit of having the spirit of God upon us, only then will our sublime might return to us and [enable] us to know how to live in our holy land after all the many difficult trials [God] imposed on us to teach us knowledge and wisdom. For this reason, I see in any youth who comes, seeks, asks, and speaks of his confusion the likeness of a precious stone, onyx or jasper, destined to be set in the gates of Jerusalem: "And I will make your windows of rubies, and your gates of beryl, and all your borders of choicest stones. And all your children will be taught of the Lord, and great will be the peace of your children."

Therefore, all my longing and desire is that our talented youth should study, first to gain familiarity [with the texts] and then in depth, the ethical and philosophical part of the Torah, the Torah of the heart, compiled in concise principles by the pious one in his book. This study imparts ever-increasing enlightenment if time is set aside for it, an hour or two every day, sufficient for the acquisition of a proper outlook and inner sensitivity for the ethical and philosophical part of the Torah. This study makes the spirit gentle and delights the soul, until one finds oneself ready and able to inquire and examine, filled with courage and strength, for "the Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" Occupation with laws of dei’ot in the Torah bears fruit so that the debate, explanation, examination, and innovation in these topics will become common to all talented youth, as it is already, thank God, (well-versed] in the practical parts of the Torah. This will be beneficial in that even the practical side of the Torah will be heightened and broadened.

For this reason, when I saw your comments on the study of Torah thought, with the questions you presented me, I was happy and thanked God that my voice has not been a voice calling in the wilderness, and I hope that "many will run to and fro, and knowledge will be increased.’’ But I think it best to remind you of the need to proceed gradually —in other words, to acquire proper proficiency in any work of ethics that comes your way, the simpler ones first, because they all come from the hearts of great scholars, wise and most pious, and many matters of philosophy cannot be fully understood if one's emotions are not also adequately prepared. That is why the Torah is also called a poem, as it is called an obligation. For this reason one needs to call on the help of that special strength to feel the words of the living God, which are clear only to a pure heart, and this demands the moral (side of the Torah], which deals not so much with [philosophical] inquiries, as with establishment of the soul on its inner foundations. But one should not stop [there] but go on to philosophical inquiries]. "Let us therefore know, let us follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is as sure as the morning and he shall come to us as the rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth. "

This brief comment completed, I turn to your wise remarks. Even though these and similar questions have been asked in previous generations, they need further clarification in ours. But the content of this clarification must he to raise the intellect to wider concepts, the purpose of both practical and theoretical antitheses, and with a truer, more generalized view the light of truth is revealed, making specific answers for every detail unnecessary.

Know well, my friend, that when a person takes up a particular investigation or study, he must always prepare himself, as much as it is within his power to do so, to be intimate with the matter under study, and if possible to familiarize himself with the concept to the point where he feels it as [part] of himself, his soul and the depths of his emotions for if he does not make use of this capacity he will lack the major one of the necessary conditions for the quest of truth. Therefore, when we turn ourselves to the study of how to understand the Ways of righteousness hidden in the light of the Torah, which includes the vision of reality in relation to human morals, theoretical and practical, personal and general, social and political, from beginning to end, we need first of all the desire to discover the truth, to integrate the visions of life, each according to its power. In other words, [we] must not view moral levels according to the particular state of a special generation, but rather in accordance with the value needed to establish this moral [state] in practice, in accordance with its own [rules] and with the chain of events growing out of it, to the end of time, so that its effect will always be beneficial and enlightening. This process must be done in carefully measured steps. If, in a particular period of history, the attribute of mercy is overabundant, more than is necessary for the [desirable] outcome of the distant future, harmful and destructive forces will arrive in its wake, sometimes greater than those of an apparent injustice. From this you should understand that, although we are not in any way permitted to neutralize [our] sense of justice, and the laws resulting from them, in relation to our current actions, in accordance with those same visions manifesting themselves in our emotions in the present, we must not depend on them as if they were "what is above, what is below, what came before and what will come after." We must understand life according to two standards: how it is and how it ought to be. The absolute [standard of] righteousness is always fixed at the point where life should be, while the [standards of] passing righteousness, more in line with present deeds, are built on the point where life actually is. The great and divine Torah can not be anything but a delightful vessel that directs and structures life for its proper state. But you must be careful not to think of these two dimensions as independent of each other, they are connected as are the successive horizons [seen] by the wayfarer on his distant path.
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Know also that the developing powers of goodness and light emanating from the Torah are balanced between their derivation from the [coercive] power of law and judgment, and from the goodness of the heart and internal consensus in the absence of coercion, even that of the conscience. This is the reason we always attach the covenant of the forefathers with the most essential principles, and the covenant of the land of Israel is also derived both from our inheritance from them and from our acceptance of the Torah. Since our forefathers kept the [laws of] the Torah by their own free inner choice, it is desirable that this quality play a large role in morality. This is the idea behind the hidden aspect [of-goodness], manifested particularly in midot chasidut and as actions above and beyond the letter of the law, for if these were set down as obligations of the law, they would have obscured its eternal guidance from being a beacon to all generations and a light to the gentiles, according to their widely varied spiritual levels. That aspect of morality which must rise out of charity and the love of righteousness must always be the greater part of general positive morality [Torah and the commandments], just as the open air is in comparison with buildings and the cultural activities in them, so that it is impossible not to reserve a large role for it. That which is added by good intention and the spirit of giving must be [counted as] midot chasidut, and if these exalted virtues were set as fixed obligations, the harm suffered by humanity would be immeasurable. Only that which is most essential for present physical and moral life, and which, when weakened, harms the roots of the future, becomes law, and it is written: "He who is commanded and acts is greater than he who is not commanded and nevertheless acts.’’ But that which reaches the essence of good, spreading like a dew of resurrection for future days, without harming by its softness and gentleness the entire goal of the future ascension [of the world] — this has the merit to be designated an act of charity and lovingkindness. Acts above and beyond the letter of the law will be of great benefit when man's heart of stone turns into a heart of flesh. For this reason, these acts in excess of the law must remain [voluntary], and as the level of man rises, pious deeds will spread from the domain of the individual to that of the masses, becoming a trait of the entire nation: "and all thy children shall be taught of the Lord.’’
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Regarding war, it was not possible that, at a time when every one of our neighbors were wolves in the night, Israel alone would not fight, because they would then have gathered and destroyed, God forbid, the remnant of the nation. On the contrary, it was vitally necessary to evoke fear in the savages, even by ruthless means, but with the aspiration of bringing mankind to its proper state, but without proceeding too quickly. Be aware also, that the social laws were lenient, not pressuring the spirit of the nation to piety because [piety] would then have become routine and mandatory, and the Torah's purpose is that the mind be ruled by love and benevolence.

This is the reason underlying the Torah's leniency in the laws of war. The elimination of idolatry is in keeping with Israel's general mission; and in any case this matter was handed to the courts, for the examination of the moral quality of each particular cult, since not all cases are identical. Because of our many sins, and the lack of practical application, this matter has not been expounded to us in detail from the time we lost our national spiritual strength, [and thus it will remain] until God, blessed be he, returns to us our crown of glory, may it be soon in our days.

As for corrupt ideas, man must overcome them with the power of his mind. Nevertheless. if he is unable to do so, we have the right to compel him not to discuss these matters with others, since these [ideas] bring ruin to society. If he heeds this, he will by himself come to recognition of the truth. Understand that the Torah juxtaposes the topics of "he who blasphemes the name of the Lord," "he that kills any man," and "he that kills a beast." This implies that corrupt thoughts are not only a Corruption of the mind and morals, but a matter of the corruption of society as well.

I also want to clarify what you wrote concerning my words about the non-observant. My intention is that we explain to them the irrefutable [fact], witnessed by experience that the nation's survival until now has been due to the performance of the commandments. It is not possible that the nation and its spirit can survive without the fulfillment of the Torah, but even if we were, for the sake of argument, to accept their mistaken view, they cannot claim much experience to weigh against ours. Thus to threaten the existence of the nation, by their own words dear to them, is evil and folly. One who realizes, even by way of rational reasoning, that there is a spiritual existence, and that it is impossible for anything evil and corrupt to come to any good, will understand that whoever lifts his hand against our national survival, be it in passion or by plan, is partner to the most destructive evil-doers. I do not, nevertheless, reject the claim in their favor that many of the misguided of our generation are for all intents and purposes coerced to think as they do, because of the corrupt ideas [prevalent today] and the lack of proper influence to help them steer a straight path. May the Lord enlighten our darkness in his kindness.

I began writing this letter in Rechovot, when your letter reached me, and then I became distracted [with other matters] until after Rosh Hashanah, which passed with God's help. When my brother Shmuel Chana, long life to him, came, I was reminded [of the letter] and quickly hurried to complete it. Read my words well, and I hope you will find what you sought. And please write everything, and do not leave out your wise observations, because youth, which raises heartfelt questions, is very dear to me. I hope at the proper time to explain further and more clearly, with the help of God, blessed be he.

I close with a new year's blessing and with much love. May God, blessed be he, bring you success in his Torah as well as in his awe, and broaden your understanding to know his holy name. May you be successful in all matters, as befits your precious soul, and as your beloved friend, who wishes your joy, from the holy land.

Humbly yours,
Avraham Yitzhak Hakohen Kook