Tu B’shvat and the Israeli Elections

 

Moshe Kempinski....

The celebration of Tu B'Shvat--the 15th of the month of Shevat on the Hebrew calendar is described in the Talmud, where Tu B'Shvat is called "the new year of the trees." The determination of the date is connected to the fact that four months have passed since the commencement of the rain season on the Feast of Tabernacles. From that point on the roots of the tree have been saturated and the life giving fluids are filling the tree and beginning the energy and revitalizing power of blossoming.

 

 

The ancient books describe the traditional eating of the fruits of Israel on this day as a means of Tikkun or correcting the sin of Adam and Eve.

 

Adam and Eve were put into the garden to protect and care for the garden. They were given one restriction, one prohibition, and that was to avoid eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Every fruit they ate from the garden was a source of blessing because it was received as a gift from the Almighty. Yet that was not enough and they earned to reach out and eat from the one tree that was forbidden to them. That act had nothing to do with the Divine Giver but was an act done in spite of Him. It was an act that fulfilled their passion to take for their own selfish desire.  

 

Yet there was something deeper that was missed by Adam and Eve that led to their act of defiance, and it is something that continues to be missed by mankind until this very day.

 

Rabbi Kook, of blessed memory, revealed that deep insight regarding two verses in Genesis. God commanded the earth to give forth fruit trees producing fruit: "And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so" (Gen. 1:11).

 

The earth fulfilled G-d's command but with one modification: "And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good" (Gen 1: 12).

 

The earth produced "trees producing fruit." Our sages in the Midrash  teach homiletically that the original and ideal creation was that the trees themselves (their bark and trunk) would taste like the fruit that it produced, fruit-trees bearing fruit.

 

Instead, the earth fashioned trees that only produced fruit. The deep meaning and instruction in such a seeming difference between the ideal and the created reality points to the flaw in the reality we all experience in life. Yet G-d "saw that it was good." G-d purposely created a reality at odds with its ideal, a tension filled imperfect world.

 

Rav Kook explained that one of the basic failings of our limited perception of reality is that we generally aspire to the goal and ignore the process of attaining that goal.  Man often focuses on the fruit of the tree and ignores the sweetness of the tree that bore the fruit. We place emphasis on the destination and as a result are unable to appreciate the means by which we attain our goals. We focus on some goal we have determined is important and ignore the journey and as a result we often stumble and fall. Focus on the voyage and the journey is the only way to ensure that we reach the right point in our destiny. That focus is  also the only way to ensure that we arrive with our souls and hearts intact.

 

 

Such a decision stands before the people of Israel again . The choice in the coming election must be made with a clear determination of the purity of heart. We are choosing a voice to speak and stand for the people of Israel and it must be a voice that is clear pure and vision based. The voice of the National Union/ Ichud Haleumi is such a clear voice. Much will be done in these final days before Election Day to deter those who are committed to electing such a voice.

 

There will be many that will declare that such a decision to vote for a small party is weakening the Likud and enlarging the threat of a Kadima  government. That in fact does not seem to be the case based on the latest polls.  The Land Of Israel bloc seems to be growing rather than weakening. It may in fact force the Likud to rely more heavily on parties such as the Jewish Home and the National Union.

 

But yet despite those threats, the decision about how to vote this coming Tuesday must be  one filled with the surety of commitment . It must be based on the sweet truth of the journey without rushing towards a destination we assume will be the only correct one. It must be based on a commitment to the truth of the land of Israel, the people of Israel and foremost to the G-d of Israel. That has been and continues to be the secret of this people’s survival.

 

 

Choosing to Dispel the Darkness

...Moshe Kempinski....

The greatest enemy of the Jewish people is the nation of Amalek ,as we read in the parsha of B'Shalach;

And HaShem said unto Moshe: 'Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' And Moshe built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-nissi. And he said: 'The hand upon the throne of HaShem: HaShem will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'( Exodus 17;14-16)

 

In the book of Bamidbar( Numbers) we read that "Amalek is the first ( Rosh) of the nations." (Num. 24:20) Rashi explains that the Hebrew word "rosh" here refers to the fact that Amalek was the first nation to attack the Jews as they went out of Egypt. Yet our mystical writings declare that Amalek is the Rosh or head of the evil nations that will endeavor at all times to eradicate the Jewish people .They represent the evil power that attempts to instill doubt and confusion into the world around us . That is the reason that the torah tells us ;

  “Remember what Amalek did unto you by the way as you came forth out of Egypt;   how he happened upon you (KARCHA)  by the way, and smote the hindmost of you, all those who were stragglers, when you were  faint and weary; and not God-fearing .( Deuteronomy 25:17-18) .

They could not have happened upon them as the Amalek people lived very far from where the Israelites were camped. Yet the word for “happened upon you , Karcha ,  comes from the root of Mikreh, or happenstance. That is why Haman the descendant of Amalek preferred to throw lots to determine when the Jewish people would be eradicated rather than kill them as soon as he received the royal ring. It was more important to him as a son of Amalek to instill happenstance and doubt than it was to immediately eradicate the people he so hated. The greatest threat to the Jewish people is if they fall prey to the Amalek belief system based on randomness and happenstance. They are in the midst of the great danger if they begin to believe that their life is purposeless and direction-less.

 

These elections are unusual in that the regular display of election posters and balcony signs are almost non-existent. The sense of indifference hangs like an overwhelming pall in the air. Everywhere you turn you meet with a sense in the air that reeks of a belief that nothing really matters. Nothing is new under the sun and everything will be as it was.  Bibi , Barak or Livni are all seen  as clones of each other. Yet there is sense that that is the impression that is being fanned in the public perception..

 

Netanyahu is a complex and difficult choice, yet there is no doubt either of the other two choices would spell further disaster for the people of Israel. We must remember that the solution to the danger facing Israel is not simply throwing out a failed cadre of politicians that have brought Israel into such decline. Psalm 34:14 says “Sur Merah veAseh Tov – Depart from evil and do that which is Good. “It is true that ensuring the election of a "Land of Israel” government under Netanyahu may be a fulfillment of the Sur Merah- Depart from evil” viewpoint. Yet Netanyahu ,at this point in his developing soul journey ,does not yet represent the “Asey Tov- do that which is Good" side of the equation. In order to achieve that, those that love the land of Israel must wake from their slumber. They must shake off the chains of indifference that have been thrust upon them by the spirit of Amalek.

 

To do “good” means to choose a clear and unequivocal voice that represents good. It must be a voice undiluted by the grand designs imposed upon it by the Likud party apparatus. It must be voice that speaks its mind unabashedly and with an undertone of faith and vision.

 

To my mind ,that is the voice of the Ichud Haleumi, the National Union. The list that they have chosen represent a group of people who are part and parcel of the collective soul of this people . One was a hero in battle and a visionary in everything else he has done and created. With another one of the list, I sat through meeting after meeting and at demonstration after demonstration and watched a fierce and unquenchable passion burning in his eyes. With another I stood and cried as we stood on a corner outside of Sderot trying to give the expelled residents of Gush Katif a strengthening hug as they were driven out of their homes. Another has stood with courage and determination at every crossroad of this long journey this people are on.

 

 They all represent a clear and pure voice. A voice that needs to be heard. That is the only way to dispel the darkness of Amalek.

Knowing The End

 
Moshe Kempinski.....

The Torah portion of Vayechi stands out from the other torah portions in an interesting way.  In the Torah scroll there is usually a space between the last words of the previous Torah portion and the next  one. The Torah portion of Vayechi is not separated in such a way. In Jewish terms that situation is called SATUM or CLOSED.  Rashi asks what we are to learn from the fact that this Parsha( Torah Portion) is SATUM. ;

“Why is this portion closed? The death of Yaacov caused a closing of the eyes and hearts of Israel, due to the troubles of the oppression which began (at this time).Also .. (Yaacov) wished to reveal the end of days to his children, but it was closed to him. [Rashi 47:28, based on Breishit Rabba 96:1]   


 Jacob wanted to explain to them what would happen in the "end of Days" and the secret was SATUM-Closed to him as we see in the posuk;

 " And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: 'Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the end of days. (Breishit 49:1)

Yet one wonders what benefit such a revelation would bring his children about to enter into exile and slavery. Would it offer them any sense of hope and comfort that redemption was over three thousand years away?

Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Alter known as the Sfat Emet quotes his Grandfather, the Chidushei HaRim , who, in turn, quoted Rav Simcha Bunim of Psyshcha ,  that Yaacov was not in fact attempting to reveal the secret of “ the end of days”  but rather he was attempting to reveal to them that  such a concept was a fact.

Though the particulars of that end may have been closed to him , the message buttressed by his demand  to be buried in the land of his forefathers brought the message clearly into their hearts. It is only in possession of that awareness  that his children could withstand the long voyage still ahead of them. Only thusly could they weather the coming storms of oppression. An eternal people have no fear of a long voyage when they know that the voyage is  headed towards destiny.

Those armed with such knowledge can have the strength and courage to enter the dark alleyways of the Gaza strip to weed out terror. Those who have a deep sense of destiny can withstand the pressure of a world that has sometimes lost direction in the eternal battle against evil.

In Afghanistan there has been  a war raging against the terrorist  designs of the Taliban and regrettably many innocent civilians are being killed in the fray by the European and American forces. Yet even though very few European soldiers are being killed, no one is calling that war a disproportionate war. A world that has lost direction inevitably loses discernment.

When Israel does what any healthy nation would do if their citizens were under the barrage of thousands of rockets is called aggression by a world that is partially confused and partially malicious. When the murderers who sent out the missiles and kassams clearly hide behind men women and children .the shells fired back in defense are viewed as the evil. The evil of "he hit me back first".

It is further interesting that  none of the casualties on the Palestinian side are  ever called terrorists , or even militants. They are all civilians. What happened to the Hamas? Where did they go? They have disappeared and become invisible to a world that has lost vision.

Yet even amongst our own people the concept of Destiny has waned. This is true of the weak leadership that took months to do what should have been done before the enemy became so dangerous. Yet it is also true of the people who call for a division of this people of Israel. They, being so frustrated by the stubborn ignorance of those that have lost their way , call for separating from those others and disconnecting from Israel’s institutions. That too is a mark of losing the sense of destiny.

That type of call might be understandable coming from those living in the exile. It is very hard to be connected to the vision of redemption in the affluent towers of exile.In exile you sometimes lose the awareness of the sanctity of Jewish unity.  But one cannot avoid that sense or vision here in the land of Israel for very long . You can avoid G-d elsewhere, G-d forbid , but you cannot avoid G-d here in His  land.

That fact of that ever-present awareness may explain why some secular Jews in Israel are so vehemently secular. You can be passively secular in America. It is impossible to do so here. As a result, if the implications of a redemptive  G-d   becomes too frightening for some it leads them to feel a need  to rip that awareness out in anger and vehemence. They cannot simply ignore what burns in their heart.That is the secret of the passion of secular Israel and yet it is a passion that is easily turned as the awareness simmers just below the surface in the inhabitants of this land.

That is the reason that the return to Judaism movement has grown so dramatically in this land. That is the reason our young men in battle are turning inwards into their Jewish souls.  Events around us have forced many in Israel to re-look at that deep sense of destiny that flickers in their soul.We need not to disconnect from our fellow Jews but to await their return.

What Yaacov revealed to his sons in Egypt , if only in remez, by hinting , is a passion that is waiting to be fulfilled.