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21 Elul 5767, 9/4/2007
Penultimate Blog
With such dismal and visionless government leaders in Israel, it is hard to feel joyous as the New Year approaches. Therefore, we must remind ourselves that the scenario of Jewish History is all a part of a supreme Divine Plan that is being orchestrated by a faultless Conductor. Everything is under control.
Our Sages have told us that the Redemption of Israel is a gradually unfolding process, similar to the dawning of the day (Jerusalem Talmud, Berachot, 1:1). First, the Jewish People return to Zion to rebuild their homeland. Once the physical body that houses the nation is built, then the revitalized Jewish soul will yearn for spiritual completion as well and return to the Torah. ZIONISM AND NATIONAL T’SHUVA Rabbi Kook taught that even in the return of the non-religious Zionists to Israel there is a profound holy core. The inner source of their desire to return to the Jewish Homeland is an expression of the Redemption itself. With time, its spiritual core will surely be awakened. This great transformation may take fifty years. It may take one hundred. We need to remember that after nearly two-thousand years in exile, a few generations is like the blink of an eye. The important thing to know is that the t’shuva of the Nation of Israel is sure to come (Rambam, Laws of T’shuva, 7:5). Rabbi Kook writes: “The awakened yearning of the Jewish people as a whole to return to their Land, to their roots, to their spirit and way of life — truthfully, there is the light of t’shuva in this” (Orot HaT’shuva, 17:2). The book of Ezekiel includes an overview of Jewish history which traces Israel’s exile among the gentile nations, and our ultimate return to the Land of Israel and Torah. Only after the nation’s physical revival in Israel is underway do the Jewish people undergo the period of spiritual cleansing which leads them back to Torah. “For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries, and I will bring you into your own Land. Then I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you shall be clean; from all of your uncleanlinesses, and from all of your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart will I also give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit in you, and cause you to follow My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them. And you shall dwell in the Land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I shall be your G-d” (Ezekiel, 36,24-28). The great and ongoing physical return of our people to Israel is something we have witnessed in our century. First, out of the graveyards of exile, came a new hope and zest for life, as if our scattered, dry bones were rising to rebirth. Out of the ashes of the Holocaust, the Jewish nation was reborn in Israel. The Hebrew language was restored. After two-thousand years of wandering, the Jews returned to being an independent nation in their own Land. An incredible, new awakening of Jewish valor and physical prowess, epitomized by the Israel Defense Forces, startled the world. The ingathering of exiles from the four corners of the earth led to the building of a dynamic, progressive society. Yeshivas were opened all over the country. Today, Israel is unquestionably the Torah center of the world. All of these things are aspects of t’shuva, of a nation returning to its roots. As Rabbi Kook writes: “Without question, the light of Mashiach and the Redemption of Israel, the rebirth of the Nation and the Land, the revival of its language and literature — all stem from the source of t’shuva, and everything will be brought out of the depths to the heights of the highest t’shuva” (Orot HaT’shuva, 4:11). 
Our government leaders may be fools, but the orchestra’s Conductor knows what He is doing, and everything is under His guidance and control.
 The return of a scattered people to its Land is no simple matter. Because of the magnitude of the undertaking, there are numerous problems. Nonetheless, Rabbi Kook assures us that our inner Israeli longing for G-d will overcome all of the barriers. Even the brazen secularism, which seems so contrary to the nation’s holiest goals, will become a powerful vessel bursting with Torah. “Out of the profane, holiness will also come forth, and out of wanton freedom, the beloved yoke (of Torah) will blossom. Golden chains will be woven and arise out of secular poetry, and a brilliant light of t’shuva will shine from secular literature. This will be the supreme wonder of the vision of Redemption. Let the bud sprout, let the flower blossom, let the fruit ripen, and the whole world will know that the Spirit of G-d is speaking within the Nation of Israel in its every expression. All of this will climax in a t’shuva which will bring healing and Redemption to the world” (Ibid, 17:3). This necessary developmental process from the physical to the spiritual should be obvious to everyone, including our friends in Virginia and Monsey. The Talmud teaches that the Beit HaMikdash was first constructed in a normal, profane manner, and only after its completion was its sanctity declared (Me’ilah 14A). Similarly, Adam was first created from the dust of the earth, and then the soul was placed within him. So too, a Jewish youth only becomes responsible to keep the Torah at the age of thirteen, after his body and mind have developed in strength. This is the pattern of spiritual building; first comes the physical vessel, and then its inner content. First the ark is constructed, and then the Tablets are placed within (Rashi, Shemot, 38:22). It must be remembered that the Zionist movement did not begin with Herzl, but rather with the giants of Torah, the Baal Shem Tov and the Gaon of Vilna, more than a hundred years earlier. The “Gra” sent his students to settle Eretz Yisrael, teaching that the active resettlement of the Land was the path to bring the long-awaited redemption (See the book, “Kol HaTor). Other great Rabbis, Rav Tzvi Hirsh Kalisher, Rav Eliyahu Guttmacher, and Rav Shmuel Mohliver were the actual founders of the early Zionist groups like the “Lovers of Zion.” As the movement spread, its message attracted many non-religious Jews as well. Rabbi Kook explains that the newcomers embraced the call to Zion in a way which fit their own understandings, national aspirations, and dreams. While this temporarily lowered the loftiness of the message, it insured the necessary first stage of physical rebuilding. He writes: “Occasionally, a concept falls from its loftiness and its original pureness after it has been grounded in life when unrefined people become associated with it, darkening its illumination. The descent is only temporary because an idea which embraces spiritual goodness cannot be transformed into evil. The descent is passing, and it is also a bridge to an approaching ascent” (Orot HaT’shuva, 12:12). The original, pure, lofty idea of Zionism, as handed down by our Sages, is that the revival of the Jewish nation in Israel is the earthly foundation for the revelation of the Kingdom of G-d in the world. For the secular Zionists, the return to Israel become something else. For some, the Land of Israel was merely a refuge from the persecutions of the gentiles. For others, it was a place to build a utopian socialist society. Because of their large numbers, the influence of the secular Zionists was widespread. Additionally, Rabbi Kook explains, the secular Jews were more suited to the task of settling the barren, swamp-ridden land. The religious Jews of the time lived in a spiritual world, having little contact with earthly matters. The physical side of their nature was neglected and weak. The secular Jews, on the other hand, had an abundance of physical energy and prowess, along with the subsequent will and desire to work and achieve through concrete endeavor. When a holy idea needs to be grounded in reality, it necessarily descends from its exalted elevation. Rabbi Kook explains that when this happens, people of lesser spiritual sensitivities seize the idea and profane its true intent. Because greater numbers of people can grasp the idea in its minimized form, its followers increase, bringing more strength and vigor to its practical implementation. This trend continues until powerful spiritual figures arise, girded with the strength of Divine righteousness. They grasp the idea in its original purity and hold it aloft, rescuing it from the depths where it had plunged, stripped of its holiness and spiritual splendor. As a result of this new infusion of light, the original idea is resurrected in all of its majesty and power. Even those who attached themselves to the idea in its fallen state are raised up, and they are inspired to a powerful, lofty t’shuva. “This process will surely come about. The light of G-d, which is buried away in the fundamental point of Zion, and which is now concealed by clouds, will surely appear. From the lowly valley, it will raise up G-d’s Temple and Kingdom and all of its branches. All those who cling to it, the near and the distant, will be uplifted with it, for a true revival and an everlasting salvation.” Rabbi Kook’s deep spiritual insight did not blind him to the unholy lifestyles of the secular pioneers. However, he knew that the holy essence of Am Yisrael guaranteed that the Nation would return to its roots. Long before the establishment of the State of Israel, Rabbi Kook described this process in almost prophetic terms: “We recognize that a spiritual rebellion will come to pass in Eretz Yisrael amongst the people of Israel in the beginnings of the Nation’s revival. The material comfort which will be attained by a percentage of the nation, convincing them that they have already completely reached their goal, will constrict the soul, and days will come which will seem to be devoid of all spirit and meaning. The aspirations for lofty and holy ideals will cease, and the spirit of the Nation will plunge and sink low until a storm of rebellion will appear, and people will come to see clearly that the power of Israel lies in its eternal holiness, in the light of G-d and His Torah, in the yearning for spiritual light which is the ultimate valor, triumphing over all of the worlds and all of their powers” (Orot, Pg. 84). Also vital to recognize is that the spiritual darkness presently hanging over the State of Israel is not so much a product of the profane culture of the secular pioneers and their children, who are still in power today; rather it is because the majority of Orthodox Jewry failed to respond to the call of Redemption and chose to remain behind in Boro Park and Monsey and Antwerpen and Manchester, England. As Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook often proclaimed, if the G-d-fearing Jews of the Diaspora would have made aliyah, the religious situation in Israel would be very different today. If they had come in their hundreds of thousands, Israel would have been immeasurably strengthened, both physically and spiritually, and our weaknesses in the face of our enemies, and the tragedies of Oslo and the Disengagement, would never have occurred. As Rosh Hashana approaches, the important thing is not to despair. The t’shuva of our Nation is promised. Our government leaders may be fools, but the orchestra’s Conductor knows what He is doing, and everything is under His guidance and control. [More of Rabbi Kook's writings on T'shuva are available now online.]
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19 Elul 5767, 9/2/2007
Major League Judaism
Just as the new Israeli baseball league is a poor imitation of Major League baseball, the Judaism of the Diaspora is a poor imitation of the Judaism of Eretz Yisrael. Step up to being a Major League Jew in the Land of the Jewish Giants.
For example, this coming year in Israel, every religious Jew will be busy with the mitzvah of Shmittah, the Sabbatical year when the Land must rest from labor. This countrywide mitzvah will influence the food that we buy, where we will buy it, from whom the purchases will be made, what housewives will do with the discarded peels of the Land’s holy fruit, what homeowners can do in their gardens, farmers in their agricultural fields and the like. All of these things don’t exist for the Jews of Chutz L’Aretz (the Diaspora). They will continue practicing their minor league Judaism unaffected by this gigantic, national mitzvah. The Torah potion, “Ke Tavo,” that we read yesterday on Shabbat begins, “When you come to the Land….” The Torah doesn’t say, “If you come to the Land….” The Torah takes it for granted that a Jew will come to the Land because that is where a Jew belongs, that is where G-d decreed that the Jews keep the Torah. The Torah portion goes on to describe all of the bountiful blessings the Jewish People will receive if we properly express the gratitude and joy we should rightly feel over the great gift of the Land. In contrast, if we scorn this unparalleled gift of Eretz Yisrael, terrible curses will come upon us, curses that have indeed plagued our history as a people because we “did not serve the L-rd your G-d with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all things (Devarim, 28:47). In a letter, Rabbi Kook writes: “The source of the moral baseness which continues to darken the world stems from the lack of recognition regarding the value and wisdom of the Land of Israel. Thus the sin of the Spies, who spoke derogatorily about the pleasant Land, remains uncorrected. To rectify this, the Land’s praise, splendor, holiness, and honor must be declared to all the world” (Letters, Vol.1, 112-113). Our Sages have long ago noted the exalted level of Eretz Yisrael in saying, “There is no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisrael” (Bereshit Rabbah,16:7). There is so, not only because over two-thirds of the Mishna deals specifically with Jewish life in Eretz Yisrael, and because of the many mitzvot which can only be performed here - the Judaism of the Land of Israel is immeasurably more elevated because the Jewish people possess true national vitality only in the Land of Israel. Outside of the Land, Jews can excel as individuals in all fields of endeavor; including great Torah scholars, but the light of G-d cannot appear in its intended NATIONAL format. Only in the Land of Israel can the Jews be a KINGDOM of priests and a holy NATION (Shemot, 19:6). The Zohar emphasizes that the Jews can be a nation only in Israel, and not outside of it, where we are minorities in other people’s lands. (Zohar, Vayikra, 93B). Prophecies of Redemption all involve the return of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel and the restoration of Jewish sovereignty over the Land. The Jewish people’s unique prophetic talent is dependent on being in the Land of Israel (Kuzari, 1:95; 2:8-24). The Temple can only be rebuilt on the Temple Mount, and the full revelation of G-d’s Presence is exclusive to Eretz Yisrael, as the prophet teaches, “For Torah will go forth from Zion, and the word of the L-rd from Jerusalem” (Isaiah, 2:3). For the world to reach perfection, G-d decreed that the Jewish People must live a life of Torah in Israel. G-d’s first commandment to Abraham is to go to the Land of Israel in order to serve G-d in the most complete way. Afterwards G-d commands Moshe to bring the Jews out from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael. Over and over, the Torah repeats that the Jewish people are to live their unique Torah life in the Land of Israel. When the holy Jewish nation lives a holy life of Torah in the Holy Land, the vessel is formed to bring the light of G-d to the world. The nation of Israel becomes an international beacon, an example and light to all of the nations (Isaiah, 42:6). It follows then that a Jew who is able to return home to the Land of Israel, yet chooses not to, is holding up his part in the Geula. At the time of the Second Temple, when we failed to uphold the high moral standard demanded of us by the Torah, we were punished and exiled from the Land. G-d’s worldly vessel was shattered. Israel was conquered, Jerusalem was razed, the Land was laid waste. G-d’s Chosen People were scattered and debased. Like the Jews, G-d’s Presence went into exile (Megillah, 29A). His light in the world became hidden. In effect, mankind was cut off from G-d, given rise to many false religions like Christianity and Islam. To rectify this tragedy and return the entire world to G-d, the Jewish people must return to their previous spiritual stature, including a national life in Israel, the only place in the world where the Torah can be observed in all of its wholeness because of the many commandments unique to the Land (Ramban, Vayikra, 18:25). On an even deeper level, each Jew has a bit of the Shechinah, or the Presence of G-d, within him. When a Jew returns to the Land of Israel, he is, in effect, bringing the Shechinah back with him (Rashi, Devarim, 30:3). This is the Kabbalistic concept of “raising up the buried sparks of holiness from the kelipot.” Since the soul of a Jew is infused with the light of the Shechinah, when the Jewish people return en masse to Israel, the light of G-d in the world returns with them. A visual illustration will help us envision this global spiritual revolution that is gradually unfolding in our time. To raise ourselves to an all-encompassing, history-spanning perspective, imagine being in a spaceship orbiting the earth. Down below, scattered all over the globe, are tiny, little lights. These lights are the Jews, in their lands of dispersion around the world. Slowly, lights begin to travel to a certain point on the globe — the Land of Israel. More and more lights begin to congregate there. From all over the world, the scattered lights begin to unite in Israel. Lights that do not make the journey begin to flicker and disappear. Gradually, a great beacon of light is formed in Israel, sending out rays of light to all the world. These rays are the lights of t’shuva, summoning mankind back to G-d. Already, the eyes of the world are turned to Israel. Headlines about the tiny country of Israel fill news reports on a day to day basis from all over the world. In just a few decades, Israel has become a world leading in science, medicine, agriculture, computer technology, and a gamut of other fields. Israel has become by far the world center of Torah and boasts the greatest concentration of Torah giants and students. To be a Jew in Israel is to be a part of a world-leading nation, soon to be #1 in the world, and not just the member of the community shul. Make no mistake, my good friends. When it comes to Judaism and true Jewish life, Israel is the Big Leagues. Anything else is the minors.
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15 Elul 5767, 8/29/2007
Conservadoxy
The concept of t’shuva means to return to one’s source. Suppose a man is expelled from his house by thieves. The wrongdoing will only be corrected when the owner returns to repossess his house. This is true for the Jewish People on both a national and individual level. To achieve a state of true t’shuva and reunion with G-d, we have to return to our home in the Land of Israel.
A Jew who becomes a baal t’shuva in Chicago has only returned a part of the way home.
The return of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel is a necessary stage in the t’shuva of the nation and each and every Jew. This is the Redemption that we pray for. For instance, a Jew who becomes a baal t’shuva in Chicago has only returned a part of the way home. While his personal character and behavior have been sanctified by aligning his life on the pathway of Torah, he has traveled only half of the journey home. The “t’shuva train” is continuing on to Israel. The final stop is Jerusalem. Every Jew needs to bring his little light home to the Holy Land where it can join the great flame. He has to uplift his private, egotistical life, to the higher life of Clal Yisrael, and to merge his personal goals with the goals of the rebuilding of the nation. To rectify the blemish caused by the galut, he has to abandon the exile and join the ingathered to Israel. He has to actualize the words of his prayers, “And gather us together from the four corners of the earth.” Otherwise, he is just like a parrot who mouths words without acting out their meaning (Kuzari, 2:24). Here’s another example. Let’s say a non-religious Jew decides to return to G-d and make a commitment to Torah. He learns all about Judaism and embraces the mitzvot with the great joy and fervor characteristic of the newly religious. Except he decides that he doesn’t want to put on tefillin. For whatever reason, whether because he feels it’s a silly piece of mumbo jumbo, or because the little box looks strange on his head, or because tefillin are expensive, he decides that it isn’t for him. Obviously his return to the Torah is incomplete. One could not even call this person an Orthodox Jew. The same thing is true with the mitzvah of living in Israel. Jewish Law states: “A Jew should always live in the Land of Israel, even in a city where the majority of residents are idol worshippers, and not live outside of the Land, even in a city where the majority are Jews” (Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer, 75:1:3). Our baal t’shuva from Chicago may do all of the other commandments with joy, but by not coming to live in Eretz Yisrael, he is showing that his belief in the Torah and in the G-d of Israel is incomplete. Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook would stress to his students that an Orthodox Jew does not pick and choice mitzvahs, saying “This commandment is pleasing to me, I will do it, but this commandment is too difficult, I will pass.” This is the way of Conservative Jewry. If Shabbat is too much of a burden, they don’t observe it. If wearing tzitzit is too embarrassing, or uncomfortable, or old-fashion, then it isn’t for them. Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook at the Kotel, (standing to the right of the Nazir, Rabbi David HaCohen,) immediately after its capture in the Six Day War
“Rejecting the commandment of living in Israel is a rejection of Hashem,” Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda emphasized. “It is a rebellion against G-d, as it is written in the Torah concerning the Jews who refused to continue on to Eretz Yisrael after the exodus from Egypt. Hashem declares to them: ‘You rebelled against the L-rd your G-d, and you did not believe in Me, and did not listen to my proclamation’” (Devarim, 9:23). Not coming to live in Israel expresses a lack of faith of G-d. It is a denial of G-d’s will for the Jewish People that the commandments be observed in the Land of Israel. Living in Israel is not a matter of personal preference. It is one of the commandments of the Torah required of each and every Jew, a mitzvah that our Sages declare is equal in weight to all of the commandments of the Torah (Sifre, Reah,80). It is such a great mitzvah because living in Israel is the cornerstone of our nation, and the foundation of all of the Torah. “Being a Jew today comes with the basic requirement to be in Eretz Yisrael,” Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda taught. “Every Jew who comes to Israel brings back to Zion an aspect of the Shechinah from the exile. Every additional Jew who comes to Israel, and every additional tree which is planted in the soil of Eretz Yisrael is another stage and step of the Redemption, in the same way that every additional piece of Torah which is learned, and every yeshiva which is built in Israel, is another stage in the returning of G-d’s Presence to Zion” (see the book, “Torat Eretz Yisrael,” Chapters 5-9, for an in-depth study of the mitzvah of living in Israel). Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda’s father, Rabbi Avraham Yitchak HaCohen Kook, also stressed that the true t’shuva of the Jewish People is in our return to Eretz Yisrael. Again and again, in his letters and speeches, he called the Jewish people to return home to Zion. One public proclamation, sent out all over the Diaspora, years before the Holocaust, was entitled, “The Great Call.” THE GREAT CALL “To the Land of Israel, Gentlemen, To the Land of Israel! Let us utter this appeal in one voice, in a great and never-ending cry. Come to the Land of Israel, dear brothers, come to the Land of Israel. Save your souls, the soul of your generation, the soul of the entire nation; save her from desolation and destruction, save her from decay and degradation, save her from defilement and all evil — from all of the suffering and oppression that threatens to come upon her in all the lands of the world without exception or distinction.... “Escape with your lives and come to Israel; G-d’s voice beckons us; His hand is outstretched to us; His spirit within our hearts unites us, encourages us and obliges us all to cry in a great, powerful, and awesome voice: Brothers! Children of Israel, beloved and dear brethren, come to the Land of Israel, do not tarry with arrangements and official matters; rescue yourselves, gather together, come to the Land of Israel.... “From the time we were exiled from our Land, the Torah has accompanied Israel into exile, wandering from Babylon to France, Spain, Germany, Eastern and Central Europe, Poland, Russia, and elsewhere. And now, how happy we would be if we were able to say that she has returned to her first place, to the Land of Israel, together with the people of Israel, who continue to multiply in the Holy Land. “And now, who is so blind that he does not see the L-rd’s hand guiding us in this, and does not feel obligated to work along with G-d? A heavenly voice in the future will cry aloud on top of the mountains and say, ‘Whoever has worked together with G-d, let him come and receive his reward.’ Who can exempt himself from doing his part in bringing additional blessing and swifter salvation; from awakening many hearts to return to the Holy Land, to the L-rd’s legacy, that they may become a part of it, to settle it with enterprises and buildings, to purchase property, to plant and sow, to do everything necessary for the foundation of life of a stable and organized settlement....” My friends, the fact of the matter is that if you want to be a real baal t’shuva, you have to return to the place you came from, to the place you belong. And if you want to serve G-d as the Torah intended, you have to perform the mitzvot in Eretz Yisrael. If you are not already here, or not on the way, chances are that you are either lacking in faith, or your understanding of Judaism is mistaken. As the Day of Judgment approaches, find a few quiet moments and ask yourselves, “Am I really doing the best that I can to serve G-d by living here in Chicago, or Monsey, or Beverly Hills? Is my living in Chicago what G-d really wants?” If you truly believe so, then when you come to the following verses in the Rosh Hashana liturgy, you should either cough loudly to drown out the words, or quietly sneak out of the shul: “Our G-d and G-d of our fathers, sound the great shofar for our freedom, and raise up a banner to gather together our exiles, and return our scattered from amongst the nations, and assemble our outcasts from the corners of the earth, and bring us to Zion, your city, with happy singing, and to Jerusalem, the home of your Sanctuary, with everlasting joy.”
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14 Elul 5767, 8/28/2007
Madonna to Visit Israel
Regarding Madonna’s scheduled visit to Israel for Rosh Hashanah with other Hollywood stars, the question was asked, “What about celebrities like Madonna learning Kabbalah?” One time, after watching a monkey in a traveling circus perform all kinds of tricks, a man in the audience made a bet with the trainer of the monkey that he couldn’t teach the monkey to drive a car. They agreed to meet in a month, and sure enough, the monkey took the keys from the hand of the trainer, got in the car, started the engine, and began to drive off. The man who had made the wager watched in amazement. Coming to an intersection, the monkey stopped at the red light, waited for the light to turn green, then continued to drive along the busy city street. Everything was well and dandy until the car passed a sidewalk fruit stand. Seeing a pile of bright yellow bananas, the monkey jumped out of the window of the car and ran to the irresistible food. The driverless car proceeded to speed down the street toward an approaching intersection. The result was a four car crash, killing several people. The monkey had a wonderful time eating the bananas he stole. As for the trainer, he grabbed the talented monkey, snatched a bunch of bananas for himself, and raced away down an alley, taking his monkey to another circus in a different town.
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12 Elul 5767, 8/26/2007
Men are Men, and Boys Will Be Boys
A reader inquired where to start on his path of t’shuva. The legendary Kabbalist, Rabbi Yaacov Abuchatzera from Morocco, states that a person should first strive to cleanse himself from the stains of sexual transgression. In his commentary to the Torah portion, “Bechukotai,” he writes: “A person who comes to serve G-d should first rectify any blemish to the Brit in the proper fashion, and afterward begin to serve G-d…. When the Brit is blemished and has not been rectified, everything is canceled and considered naught.”
Wake up, my friends. The clock is ticking. The Day of Judgment is just moments away.
We have explained on many occasions that sexual transgressions most damage the Brit, or Covenant, between G-d and the Jewish People. The Brit of sexual purity that was sealed in the flesh of our forefather Avraham is the foundation of the Jewish Nation. Living our lives in a holy fashion is what distinguishes us from the other nations of the world. Therefore, Rabbi Abuchatzera explains that G-d warns us in the most emphatic matter regarding the sufferings that will come upon us if we blemish this part of our lives: “Even if you will do all of the mitzvot, I will consider that you have not done them. Even if you will observe My statutes with love, I proclaim that you have despised My statutes. And even if you will perform My judgments with great joy, I proclaim that you have abhorred them. All of this is because you violated My Brit and have not rectified it. For this reason, everything you do is considered canceled and as naught.... Therefore, whoever desires to do t’shuva, let him first rectify blemishes to the Brit, and after that, the things he does to please G-d will succeed.” Readers who are interested in understanding this subject in more depth are encouraged to read the opening chapters of the book, “Secret of the Brit,” which can be found online at www.jewishsexuality.com. But even without learning the Kabbalistic secrets surrounding the Brit of sexual purity, this message comes across loud and clear in the Torah portion we read this past Shabbat: “When you go out to encamp against your enemies, you should keep from every evil thing. If there be a man among you that is not pure by reason of impurity of a seminal emission that chances by night, he shall go abroad out of the camp…. For the L-rd your G-d walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you, and to give up your enemies before you; therefore your camp shall be holy, that He see no unclean thing in you and turn away from you (Devarim, 10-16). All of our security and well being, both in a national, military sense, and in the camp of our homes, depends on our sexual purity. The Talmud explains that the meaning of “you shall keep from every evil thing” means that you should not gaze upon the beauty of a woman, because a man shouldn’t have sexual thoughts in the day and come to seminal impurity at night,” (Avodah Zara 20A). Our camps are to be holy. Sexual transgressions cause the Shechnah, the Divine Presence, to flee. Without the protection that the Shechinah affords, our country and our homes are vulnerable to all sorts of misfortune, G-d forbid, whether it be enemy missiles, traffic deaths, or health, livelihood, and marital problems at home. Of course, most people hear these verses during the Torah reading in shul and don’t think twice about them. “That was back then,” they think. Or “It’s something for the army to worry about.” They don’t realize the Torah is also speaking about our homes, warning us that our homes must be free of any unclean thing, and that includes such things as televisions, and computers that don’t have reliable filters on their Internet server to prevent pornography from entering the home. Without such a filter, a computer is an “unclean thing.” Say what you will say, the fact is that men are men, and boys will be boys, and only the most holy Tzaddik will not fall prey to the temptation of the Internet, with all of the seductions of Midian and Amalek just an easy click away. Without a reliable filter that blocks out erotic images and websites, your computer is an open, flowing sewer that brings pornography into the house, causing the Shechinah to flee. Men will be men, and boys will be boys.
The Day of Judgment is only a short time away. Don’t let it come without having downloaded a filter onto your computer. Don’t fool yourselves, saying that you trust yourselves, or your husbands, or your children. Don’t let your camp be unholy. For the sake of your family, and for the well being of the Jewish People as a whole. “Remember what Amalek did to you (àùø ÷øê áãøê) causing you to have a seminal emission on the way” (See Rashi, Devarim, 25:17). Amalek isn’t just some enemy of the past. He is lurking in our computers, just waiting to pounce and draw us into his web. And we are to remember and guard against his evils every day, in every way that we can, including blotting Amalek out of our homes. Take it from Rabbi Yaacov Abuchatzera. Take it from the Torah. Wake up, my friends. The clock is ticking. The Day of Judgment is just moments away.
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Hollywood to the Holy Land
by Tzvi Fishman
Tzvi Fishman was awarded the Israel Ministry of Education Prize for Jewish Creativity and Culture
Before making Aliyah to Israel in 1984, Tzvi Fishman was a successful Hollywood screenwriter. He has co-authored 4 books with Rabbi David Samson, based on the teachings of Rabbis A. Y. Kook and T. Y. Kook.
His other books include: The Kuzari For Young Readers and Tuvia in the Promised Land. His most recent book, Secret of the Brit, can be found at JewishSexuality.com, along with an abbreviated online version. |
