WHAT REALLY CAUSED THE EXPULSION FROM GUSH KATIF?

First, we would like to remind readers that the polling station is still open at http://www.jewishsexuality.com regarding the question whether the Internet is the proper medium for educational articles about Jewish sexuality. In the meantime, we will continue with an investigation of the past week’s Torah reading in the light of some secrets from the Zohar. In so doing, we will try to understand some of the deep esoteric causes of the expulsion from Gush Katif and shed light on some of the dangers we face as a nation.
I know that these are difficult concepts to grasp, but as we saw at the conclusion of the Torah portion, "Achre Mot," the punishment for sexual transgression is being vomited out of the Land.

Since the holiday of Lag BaOmer is approaching, when we will be honoring the memory of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the holy Zohar, it is an appropriate time to take a look at a few of his teachings. Readers who are interested in delving more deeply into the Zohar are invited to read the chapter, "Flow of Blessing" of the book, "Secret of the Brit," and to study the section, "Zohar Passages," both of which can be found online at www.jewishsexuality.com.

The following material is based on a class delivered last night by the elder Kabbalist, Rabbi Eliahu Leon Levi, at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron, where the Rabbi and some 70 students gathered at midnight to usher in the Lag BaOmer holiday which officially starts this Motzei Shabbat.

As we noted in a previous blog, the Torah portion of "Achre Mot" concludes with a long list of forbidden sexual relationships. In the middle of the list is a verse that appears out of place. "And thou shall not let any of thy seed to be passed to Molech" (Vayikra, 18:21). What is this injunction against sacrificing one’s offspring to the idol worship of Molech doing in the middle of a list of forbidden sexual relations? Rabbi Leon explained that according to the Kabbalah, when a Jewish man has sexual relations with a non-Jewish woman, this is considered passing one’s seed to Molech, a synonym for the realm of unholiness. According to the secrets of Torah, every prohibited sexual relationship, and every forbidden sexual union, is considered passing one’s seed to this impure realm, like the actual passing of one’s children to Molech (See the book, "Sod HaHashmal, Vol.1, "Achre Mot" by the Jerusalem Kabbalist, Rabbi Yekutiel Zalman Zeev).

Rabbi Leon said that when a Jew conducts marital relations in the holy proscribed manner, he and his wife give strength to the Shechinah, increasing holiness in the world. However, should a Jew commit a sexual transgression, he gives his strength to the evil realm of Molech, magnifying the force of evil.

Elsewhere in the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon equates sexual relations with non-Jews as worshipping idols. Here, and in the other teachings of the Zohar that we shall quote, we clearly see that guarding the Brit, or Covenant, is not merely referring the commandment of circumcision, but also to the general obligation to safeguard the laws of sexual holiness:

"Whoever cleaves to a woman of any of the idolatrous nations becomes defiled. The child born from such an attachment receives a defiled spirit. It may be asked, if the child is from a Jewish father, why should he receive a defiled spirit? Behold, at the very start, his father polluted himself when he attached himself to that impure woman. Since the father became impure from this impure woman, all the more so, the child born from her will receive an impure spirit. Not only this, but he transgresses the Torah commandment, as is written, ‘For thou shall not bow down to another god; for the L-rd, whose Name is Zealous, is a zealous G-d…’ (Shemot, 34:14). He is zealous over the holy Brit" (Zohar, Bereshit 131b).

Elsewhere, Rabbi Shimon teaches that sexual relations with non-Jews drives the Shechinah from the world, causing prayers to go unanswered, something we experienced with our prayers for Gush Katif:

"The man who has sexual relations with a gentile woman enters the holy Brit and the sign that upholds the world into a foreign realm, as is written, ‘For Yehuda has profaned the holiness of the L-rd whom he loved, and has taken to himself the daughter of a strange god’ (Malachi, 2:11). For we have learned that the Holy One Blessed Be He has no zealousness, except for His zealousness over the holy Brit, for this Brit is the secret of the Sacred Name and the secret of faith. As is written, ‘And the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moav’ (Bamidbar, 25:1), then, immediately afterward, ‘And the anger of the L-rd was kindled against Israel.’" (Zohar, Shemot 3b).

Widespread sexual immorality brings about a kindling of the anger of G-d. The Zohar emphasizes that it was through the Brit with Avraham Avinu that Israel made its initial attachment to with the Holy One Blessed Be He, through the act of circumcision and the Covenant to safeguard our lives in sexual purity. Judaism is founded upon this Covenant. This is our connection to the Shechinah. Thus, Rabbi Shimon explains, a Jew who is false to this Brit is false to our Covenant with G-d. What is the essence of this betrayal? Not to blemish the Brit by bringing it into a foreign domain, as is written, ‘For Yehuda has profaned the holiness of the L-rd whom he loved, and has taken to himself the daughter of a strange god’" (Zohar, Shemot 37b).

These esoteric understandings are especially disturbing when we remember that during the waves of mass immigration to Israel from Russia in the past two decades, tens of thousands of non-Jewish women were brought to the country, and a staggering number of them are working as prostitutes around the clock. When Jewish men transgress with these women, they give their spiritual strength to a foreign realm. Rabbi Leon teaches that according to Kabbalistic formulas, this weakens Israel’s sovereignty over the Land of Israel and allows non-Jews to rule here, G-d forbid. This, he explains, was a major part of the inner spiritual cause of the evacuation of Gush Katif, which brought about the surrendering of portions of Eretz Yisrael to the foreign realm of our enemies. Not that the settlers committed sexual relations with non-Jews, G-d forbid. Rather, the sad state of immodesty and sexual transgression throughout the nation brought an evil decree of expulsion upon us all, and the lot fell upon the communities of Gush Katif and the Shomron. In a similar way, our Sages teach us that Divine punishment afflicted on the righteous atones for the overall sins of the nation.

Rabbi Leon told the large crowd that assembled around him in the inner chamber of the tomb that the Zohar emphasizes that all transgressions to the Brit, not just illicit relations with gentile women, are loathsome to G-d. At the beginning of the Torah portion, "Kedoshim," we find the admonishing command, "Do not turn aside after their gods, nor make for yourselves molten gods" (Vayikra, 19:4) In honor of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, once again, let’s take a look at the Zohar’s illuminating explanation of this:

"We have learned (Avodah Zara, 20b) that it is forbidden for a man to gaze upon the beauty of a woman, so that he should not come to have evil thoughts and thus be incited to something worse. For this reason, when Rabbi Shimon had to walk through the town followed by his disciples, whenever he came to a place that beautiful women were apt to be found, he would lower his eyes and say to his companions, ‘Do not turn aside!’ For whoever gazes at the beauty of a woman by day will have sinful thoughts at night. And if these evil thoughts overcome him, he transgresses the commandment, ‘Thou shall not make for yourselves molten gods.’ Furthermore, if he has marital relations with his wife while thinking about these evil images, the children born from such union are called ‘molten gods.’ For this reason, it is written, ‘Do not turn astray after their gods, nor make for yourselves molten gods’" (Zohar, Vayikra 84a).

Rabbi Leon chose to speak last night about the tragedy that befell Gush Katif because the situation that brought about the decree of expulsion are still very much with us. Time and again in the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai warns of the tragedies that transgressions to the Brit bring on the individual and the Jewish Nation as a whole. What is vital to understand is that this underlying spiritual malaise was a major invisible factor in bringing about the tragedy of the evacuation. This spiritual betrayal to the Brit was played out in the physical world through the treacherous actions of the government and its adulterous pacts with foreign regimes, but the underlying cause was a spiritual betrayal that must be understood and corrected, as well as correcting the timid, exile mentality of our political leaders.

I know that these are difficult concepts to grasp, but as we saw at the conclusion of the Torah portion, "Achre Mot," the punishment for sexual transgression is being vomited out of the Land. Let's be honest. What was the evacuation of the settlements of Gush Katif and the Shomrom if not being spit out from our communities and homes?

With G-d’s help, in an upcoming blog, we will write in more detail about the connection between our settlement of Eretz Yisrael, the evacuation of Gush Katif, and the Covenant of the Brit. In the meantime, may we all take these matters to heart and strive to heed the Torah’s command to "Be holy!" and thus nullify any Divine anger, and enemy missiles, that may still be hovering over our heads, G-d forbid. Happy Lag BaOmer!

Jewish Sexuality Poll

Some readers have expressed concern that an open forum like this blog on Arutz 7 is not the proper place for articles on Jewish sexuality, while other readers have expressed appreciation and encouragement. In order to gage the leanings of the silent majority, we are initiating a poll dealing with this important question. First, we shall present the two sides of the argument, then set forth the questions in the poll, which is posted at: www.JewishSexuality.com

AGAINST AN OPEN FORUM:
The opinion that maintains that educational articles about Jewish sexuality are not fitting for an open forum like this blog on Arutz 7 can be summarized as follows:

First, just thinking about sexual matters is a transgression in itself, if it arouses erotic thoughts. Even though the articles are educational and founded on Torah study, they conjure up sexual images in the mind, and this has a negative spiritual influence.

Second, because an open forum on a popular website like Arutz 7 attracts all sorts of people and ages, there is a very real danger that young, unmarried people will be exposed to sexual matters that can harm their spiritual and emotional development.

Third, from time immemorial, traditional Orthodox Judaism has treated this subject with great modesty. The discussion of sexual matters has been conducted in private, between rabbi and student, or between an Orthodox woman counselor and a young women about to get married. This practice is based on a Mishna which states that the matter of forbidden sexuality relations should not be taught to three students at the same time (Chagiga, 2:1). This is to insure that the subject be learned precisely. The Gemara explains that if two of the students should talk to each other during the lesson, they might not hear the teacher’s words exactly. Since the sexual urge is so strong, tempting people into error, if a student doesn’t pay careful attention to the teacher, he might come away thinking that a forbidden relationship is permitted and thus transgress the law.

Fourth, regarding masturbation, because the punishment for this transgression is so severe, if a person learns in depth about the severity of his doings, he may fall into depression, believing he can never escape the powerful pull of temptation, and the resulting feeling of doom and despair could lead him on to further sin and to the abandonment of Torah altogether.

Fifth, since the deeper understandings of sexual transgression belong to the secrets of Torah, a majority of people will not comprehend the matters anyway.

IN FAVOR OF AN OPEN FORUM:
In contrast to the above reasons against an open forum, the opinion that maintains that educational articles about Jewish sexuality are fitting for an open forum like this blog on Arutz 7 can be summarized as follows:

First, since the subject is not widely taught in the yeshiva world, there exists a great deal of ignorance regarding Jewish sexuality, and people can easily fall into wrongdoing. Therefore, these matters must be publicized.

Second, because of the widespread permissiveness and promiscuity of our time, a counterbalancing widespread effort is needed to inform the Jewish public of the seriousness of sexual transgression and of paths of correction.

Third, because of the widespread viewing of pornography over the Internet, corrective educational material must be made available over the Internet so that people can discover ways to overcome negative habits and sexual transgression.

Fourth, because of the widespread exposure to sexual material in magazines, movies, TV, the Internet, schools, and the like, young people today already know about "the birds and the bees." Therefore, exposing young people to the guidelines of the Torah is a positive factor in their spiritual and moral development.

Regarding the need to publicly educate the world Jewry about the breach of modesty that erupted in his time, the great Torah giant, the Chofetz Chaim, wrote a letter, calling on rabbis of every community to speak out publicly on this issue:

"It is known to everyone that when a fire bursts out in the vineyard of the king, a proclamation goes forth from the ministers of the king to the inhabitants of the city, saying: ‘Everyone be strong to extinguish the fire in any way you can, for the vineyard of the king is burning, and if you are lazy in this matter, know that you will be held responsible with your lives, and you will be labeled rebels, because you did not take heed for his honor. And if you take courage, as is fitting, and put out the fire, then everyone shall receive his reward and honor according to his efforts.’ So too in this matter, for it is known that all of Israel is considered the vineyard of the L-rd, as is written, ‘For the house of Israel is the vineyard of the L-rd of Hosts.’

"And due to our many sins, a great blaze has erupted in His vineyard in several places because of this terrible fashion. For the power of impurity has considerably strengthened because of this. As our Sages have said on the verse, ‘And you shall guard yourselves from every evil thing’ (Devarim, 23:10), that a man should not have sexual thoughts during the day and come to pollute himself at night (Ketubot 46A). For if this should occur, all of the blessing and Divine flow to this man’s deeds will be cut off, and because of this he will be surrounded by evil tribulations, as is written in the holy books of wisdom.

"Therefore, every man has the obligation to extinguish this terrible fire, and to rectify the situation in his home so that everything will be according to the law, and not to allow licentiousness, G-d forbid. And in doing so, he will merit to have upright and exalted holy children.

"And more than anyone else, this obligation falls on the rabbis and on all those who are zealous to fulfill G-d’s words, that in every city and village, the importance of this matter must be publicly explained, in that it directly effects our survival and our success, both physically and spiritually, in this world and the next. Thus will the verse be fulfilled, ‘And your camp shall be holy.’"

When the esteemed Torah scholar and halachic authority, Rabbi Aharon Cutler, was asked if lecturing in public about modesty wasn’t an infringement of modesty itself, he answered: "Here I want to awaken you to a painful and shocking matter about which many people err. There are many people whom refrain from speaking about these things under the pretext of modesty. May Heaven help us! In such a fallen and licentious generation as ours, where everything is exposed without shame in the open - to speak about holiness and modesty – this is considered an affront to modesty?! Can there be a greater deception on the part of the evil inclination than this?! On the contrary, it is an absolute obligation to speak about these matters in public!"

In response to the claim that it is best not to speak openly about the seriousness of sexual trangression, since it will only lead people to depression, despair, and further sin, the elder Kabbalist, Rabbi Eliahu Leon Levi, says the situation is like seeing a person about to fall off a cliff. "Do you reach out to save him, or let him fall to his death?" he asks. "In the matter of sexual transgression, it is not knowledge that kills, it is the lack of it. When a person is offered a ladder to escape from the pit he has fallen into, he is happy, not depressed."

THE POLL
The poll is located on the homepage of www.JewishSexuality.com

The poll’s questions are:
Articles about Jewish sexuality such as those on this site have a: 
* positive educational value in an open forum on the Internet. The word must get out to broad audiences. 
* positive educational value, but should be limited to sites like jewishsexuality.com – and not on Arutz Sheva.
* positive educational value, but only in private discussions/closed classes.
* negative influence and should not be made available over the Internet.

Participants in the poll are requested to vote only once.
The poll will be open until May 10, 2007 at midnight in Israel.
Thank you for your participation.

Proper Sexual Behavior And Victory In War

A reader comments that according to his understanding of Jewish law, a husband is permitted to do whatever he pleases with his wife during marital relations, and asks for clarification. At a time when the nation is focused on the scathing report of the Winograd Commission concerning the arrogant and criminal ineptitude of Israel’s leaders during the War in Lebanon, the matter of marital relations might seem totally insignificant and out of place. However, several elder Kabbalists have pointed to the widespread immodesty and sexual transgression in Israel as the deep inner cause of the war, asserting that the majority of man’s sufferings, whether through pestilence, war, or famine, result from transgressions to the Brit of sexual purity. Therefore, in dealing with the issue of sexual transgression, we are dealing with the real inner causes of the war, as the Torah states:

"When thou goest out to encamp against thy enemies, then keep thee from every evil thing. If there be among you any man that is not clean by reason of an impure emission of semen at night, then he shall go abroad outside of the camp, he shall not come within the camp" (Devarim, 23:10-11).

"For the L-rd thy G-d walks in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thy enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy, that He see no unclean thing in thee and turn away from thee" (Devarim, 23:15).
In order to make certain that Israel annihilates its enemies in upcoming wars, we must not only revamp our political leadership and army, we must also revamp our minds and our morals by turning away from the bestial ways and licentious lifestyles of the West, and return to our true holy calling.

It is true that the halachic authority, the Rama, writes that a man can do anything he wants with his wife (with her approval) but he adds that the husband must take care not to spill his semen in vain. Furthermore, he emphasizes that while many liberties are permitted, it is preferable to sanctify oneself in what is permitted and not to engage in immodest practices (Aven HaEzer, 25:10). However, the commentary, "Hilchat Michukek," comments on this ruling, by emphatically questioning the validity of any marital behavior that results in the spilling of semen in vain (see loc. cited).

In his book, "Darke Tahara," former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordechi Eliahu, Shlita, sums up the matter:

"Even though there are things which are permitted for a husband to do, nothing good will come from them. Regarding this, the Gemara lists physical blemishes that can occur to a newborn when the manner of sexual relations was not conducted in a proper way, even though permitted (Nedarim 20A).

"Thus, even though it is permitted to have relations at whatever time one wants, the Jewish People are holy and don’t have relations during the daytime hours (Niddah 17A). And even though one may kiss whatever part of his wife’s body that he wants, it is forbidden to look at or to kiss his wife’s sexual organ" (Aven HaEzer, 230:4).

For more specific guidelines regarding the holiness of the marital union, readers are encouraged to browse through our website www.jewishsexuality.com for an in-depth exploration of the subject.

Another reader questioned the need for added holiness during marital relations, saying that couples have enough problems just living together without complicating their lives in the bedroom.

In more cases than not, the opposite is true. Kabbalists tell us that it is precisely unholy behavior in the bedroom that causes most marital problems. For example, Rabbi Eliahu Leon Levi warns that a lack of modesty in marital relations such as immodest positions, or engaging in relations in a lit room or during the day, can cause serious medical, emotional, and spiritual defects in ones offspring. In many places, the Zohar describes the damage that results from immodest, lightheaded behavior in the bedroom, emphasizing that a Jew is commanded to sanctify himself in his marital relations and not to be drawn after his lusts:

"Rabbi Abba said, I see that the masses pay no attention to, and are ignorant of, the honor due to their Master. It is written of Israel, ‘I have set you apart from the nations to be mine’ (Vayikra, 20:24), and it is written, ‘You shall sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I, the L-rd, am holy’ (Ibid, 11:44).

"If they distance themselves from G-d, where is their holiness, since their lusts turn them away from Him? About this, the verse proclaims, "Be not as the horse, nor as the mule which have no understanding" (Tehillim, 32:9). How are men distinguished from the horse and the mule? By sanctifying themselves, and by perfecting themselves, and by distinguishing themselves from all other creatures.

"If men distance themselves from Him and behave like beasts during their marital relations, where is their holiness in their duty to be holy? Where are those holy souls that could have been brought down from Above? Regarding this, King Shlomo cried out and proclaimed, "Also the soul without knowledge is not good" (Mishle, 19:2). What lack of knowledge does this refer to? The knowledge of HaKodesh Baruch Hu (during marital relations). When this occurs, then the soul is not good. This is the soul that is drawn down to their offspring through their marital relations, it is not good, for this soul is drawn down from the Impure Side, and this is not a good soul, for their hearts are not concentrated on G-d.

"A man who incites himself with the evil inclination, and who does not focus his intention and the desire of his heart on G-d, the soul which he draws down comes from the side of the evil inclination, and this soul is not good. This is the meaning of, ‘Also the soul without knowledge is not good.’

"And this is the reason that evil diseases fall upon men, and bear witness against them of their brazenness, and reveal that G-d is repelled by them, and that He will not look on them with favor until they repent and mend their ways and return to their original purity" (Zohar, Vayikra 49b).

We saw that our Sages explain holiness as not only avoiding sexual relations that are clearly forbidden by the Torah, but also in sanctifying oneself in things that are permitted. The need for carefulness in one’s marital relations is underscored in the classic treatise on Jewish morality and holiness, "Mesillat Yesharim," a book esteemed by all of Orthodox Jewry. Regarding the need for separation, the book’s author, the holy Kabbalist, Rabbi Moshe Haim Lutzato, states:

"The rationale of Separation is epitomized in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, ‘Sanctify yourself through what is permitted to you’ (Yevamot 20a). "This is the meaning of the word separation – separating and withdrawing from something that is permitted, as if it were forbidden. The intent is to keep oneself from that which is forbidden. The understanding is that a person should withdraw and separate himself from anything which might give rise to something that could bring about evil, even though it does not bring about it at the moment, and even though it is not evil in itself.

"One might ask, What basis is there for multiplying prohibitions? Have our Sages of blessed memory not said, ‘Are the Torah’s prohibitions not enough for you that you come to create new prohibitions for yourself?’ Have our Sages of blessed memory in their great wisdom not seen what was necessary to forbid as a safeguard; and they have not already forbidden it? And does it not follow then that anything they did not prohibit, they felt should be permitted? Then why should we now initiate edicts which they felt no need for? What is more, there is no limit to this. One would have to live in desolation and affliction, deriving no enjoyment whatsoever from the world, whereas our Sages of blessed memory have said that a man will have to give an accounting to the Almighty for everything that his eyes beheld and he did not wish to eat, though permitted and able to do so (Yerushalmi, Kiddushin, 4:12). They quoted Scripture in their support, ‘Anything my eyes asked, I did not keep from them’ (Kohelet, 2:10).

"The answer to all of these arguments is that Separation is certainly necessary and essential. Our Sages of blessed memory exhorted us concerning it, explaining the Torah command ‘Be holy!’ to mean, ‘Separate yourselves!’ (Sifre, Vayikra, 19:2).

"For there is no worldly pleasure upon whose heels some sin does not follow. For example, kosher food and drink are permitted, but over imbibing causes one to put off the yoke of Heaven, and the drinking of wine brings in its wake licentiousness and other evils....

"There is no question as to the permissibility of cohabitation with one’s wife, but still ablutions were instituted for those who had had seminal emissions, so that scholars should not be constantly with their wives, like roosters. Even though the act in itself is permissible, it plants in a person a lust for it which might draw him on to what is forbidden; as our Sages of blessed memory have said, ‘There is a small organ in a man which, when it is satiated, hungers, and which, when it is made to hunger, is sated’ (Sukkah 52b).

"The best way for a man to acquire Separation is to regard the inferior quality of the pleasures of the world, both in point of their own insignificance and in point of the great evils to which they are prone to give rise. For what inclines one’s nature to these pleasures to the extent that he requires so much strength and scheming to separate himself from them is the gullibility of his eyes, their tendency to be deceived by good and pleasing superficial appearances. It was this deception that led to the commission of the first sin. As Scriptures testifies: ‘And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat from and that it was desirable to the eyes...and she took of its fruit and ate’ (Bereshit, 3:6). But when it becomes clear to a person that this ‘good’ is deceptive and illusive, that it has no healthy permanence, and that it contains real evil, or is prone to give rise to it, he will certainly come to despise and decline it. All that a man need teach his intelligence then is to recognize the weakness and falseness of these pleasures so that he will naturally come to despise them and find it not at all difficult to spurn them....

"What one must be heedful of in the process of acquiring Separation is not to desire to leap to its farthest reaches in one moment, for he will certainly not be able to make such great strides. He should rather proceed in Separation, little by little, acquiring a little today and adding a little more tomorrow, until he is so habituated to it that it is second nature with him."

In conclusion, in order to make certain that Israel annihilates its enemies in upcoming wars, we must not only revamp our political leadership and army, we must also revamp our minds and our morals by turning away from the bestial ways and licentious lifestyles of the West, and return to our true holy calling.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A JEW AND A ROOSTER?

We have seen that the teachings of Rabbi Kook establish beyond any shadow of a doubt that Israel is the natural, optimum, healthy place for a Jew. But it is not enough to dwell in the Land of Israel as if it were anyplace else – we must also live here in a holy fashion. This week’s Torah reading is a perfect place to begin our discussion of sexual modesty and its connection to the Land of Israel and to healthy Jewish living.
Not only are we to avoid all of the sexual prohibitions described in the Torah, but we are also called upon to sanctify our behavior while engaging in things which the Torah permits

At the end of the Torah portion, "Achare Mot," the Torah cites a long list of sexual prohibitions, including familial incest, adultery, sexual relations with non-Jews, homosexuality, bestiality, and the like. The section concludes with a warning: "Do not defile yourselves in any of these things; for in all of these doings the gentile nations were defiled and I cast them out before you; and the Land was defiled; therefore do I punish its iniquity upon it; and the Land vomits out its inhabitants" (Vayikra, 17:24-25).

The great Sage and Kabbalist, the Ramban, explains that Eretz Yisrael is not like other lands. The Land of Israel has a living soul that cannot tolerate sexual transgression. When the Land of Israel is defiled by sexual wrongdoing, it vomits out its inhabitants. To live in the Holy Land, one must live in a holy fashion, according to the precepts set down in the Torah. This is because, the G-d of the Jewish People is more zealous toward sexual sin than any other transgression (Zohar, Bereshit 66b).

The Ramban explains that G-d created a special holy nation for Himself, the Jews, and gave them a special Holy Land, the Land of Israel. We saw in the essays of Rabbi Kook how G-d divided the world between nations and gave each nation a land suited to it. He fashioned and formed the nation of Israel, and set it in the land particularly suited to its holiness. Eretz Yisrael enjoys a special relationship with the Almighty, as the verse attests: "For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation. This is My resting place; here I will dwell" (Tehillim, 132:13-14). A special Divine Providence graces Eretz Yisrael to the exclusion of all other lands. It is, "The Land where the eyes of the Lord our G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year till the end" (Devarim, 11:12).

Certainly, G-d reigns the world over. However, as the Ramban explains, G-d has placed angelic forces to rule over all other lands. Only in the Land of Israel is G-d's Providence direct, without any intermediary angels (Ramban on the Torah, Vayikra, 18:25). Only in Israel is the worship of G-d pure without any barriers or impurities. This is how the Ramban explains the Gemara's startling declaration that "All who live in Eretz Yisrael resemble someone who has a G-d, and all who live outside the land of Israel resemble someone who has no G-d" (Ketubot 110B). Outside of the Land of Israel, the worship of G-d only reaches the level of the celestial angels, whereas in Eretz Yisrael, Divine service is direct to G-d Himself, with no interference whatsoever.

As we have seen in previous blogs, this unique, life connection between G-d and the Jewish people in Israel has very real physical and spiritual advantages. For instance, Eretz Yisrael is the only place on earth where the Torah can be observed in all of its fullness. The commandments themselves were only given to be performed in Israel. As the Ramban explains, the commandments which we perform in the Diaspora are only to serve as reminders, so that we don’t forget them until we can return to Israel to observe them properly (Sifre, Ekev, 11:18). The true value of the mitzvot is only in Eretz Yisrael. Outside the land, the precepts have an educational value, but the Torah repeatedly tells us that Eretz Yisrael is the place for their performance. Accordingly, our Rabbis have told us that dwelling in Eretz Yisrael is equal in weight to all of the commandments of the Torah (Sifre, Reah, 80).

Because of the special relationship between G-d and the Land of Israel, the Land will not tolerate sexual transgression. Should the measure of sexual wrongdoing become full, the Land vomits out is inhabitants. We can readily understand this when we remember that G-d’s gift of the Land to the Jewish People was made dependent on safeguarding the Covenant of Circumcision, known as the Brit. In reward for keeping the Brit, G-d promises to Avraham in the Torah: "And I will give to thee, and to thy offspring after thee, the Land in which thou dost sojourn, all the Land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their G-d." (Bereshit, 17:8). This Covenant did not merely mean circumcising Jewish children, but also safeguarding the laws of sexual purity, as the Zohar repeatedly stresses . This is what guarantees our settlement of Eretz Yisrael. Should we violate this Covenant, and defile the Land with sexual sin, G-d forbid, the Divine punishment is exile from the Land, as this week’s Torah portion makes clear.

The importance of sexual holiness is reinforced in this week’s other Torah reading, "Kedoshim." The portion begins: "The L-rd spoke to Moshe, saying, Speak to the entire assembly of the Children of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I, the L-rd your G-d am holy" (Vayikra, 19:1). The Torah commentator, Rashi, explains that the command, "You shall be holy," means to be removed from sexual prohibitions and sexual sin. Because the Nation of Israel is holy, we must be removed from the perverse sexual practices that characterize the other nations. Sexual purity is the mark of our holiness as symbolized by the sign of the Brit. Not only are we to avoid all of the sexual prohibitions described in the Torah, but we are also called upon to sanctify our behavior while engaging in things which the Torah permits (Yevamot 20A).

For example, regarding the command to be holy, former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu, writes:
"This holiness is expressed not only by distancing yourselves from forbidden relationships, but also in distancing yourselves from things that are permitted. For the Torah has not come to grant those driven with lust room to wallow in their lechery and to be degenerate with the permission of the Torah.... Someone who does not need to have relations in order to quiet an aroused sexual passion, since his urge is not pressing him, but rather purposefully arouses his lust and excitement just to fill himself with the lusts of this world, then his behavior is not a mitzvah. The opposite – this is the counseling of the evil inclination. From the permitted he comes to the forbidden, as it says, ‘Whoever purposefully arouses his sexual organ to excitement will be banished’ (Niddah 13A). This resembles a man who is satiated, but nevertheless eats and drinks in abundance until he is drunk and vomits up what he ate.... Thus a man must strengthen himself, and overcome his passions, and battle to save himself by subduing his lusts, so that his soul will reign over his animal nature which knows no limits in seeking to fulfill its lusts." ("Darke Tahara," Laws of Modesty, Pg. 178-182).

Thus, while the marital act is a supreme mitzvah, our Sages have warned that a man shouldn’t be like a rooster with his wife. In the upcoming blogs, we will continue to discuss the vital importance of sexual holiness to the Jewish People, both in the Land of Israel, and for our brothers and sisters still stuck in the unholy lands of the Diaspora.

HOW TO BECOME A MAJOR LEAGUE JEW

Yesterday, someone came up to me on the street, held out his palm, and asked for some tzedaka. At the time, the only thing in my wallet was a check for 10,000 dollars, so I held it out for him to take it. "What’s that?" he asked. "A check for 10,000 dollars," I answered. "No thanks." he said. "I only need a shekel for a phone call." I told him that he could make 40,000 phone calls with the money that I was offering him. "No thanks," he repeated. "I only need to make one phone call and that check won’t fit into the pay phone."
Someone who is unfamiliar with the writings of Rabbi Kook simply does not know what is going on with the Jewish People in our time. In effect, without these deep Torah insights, a person does not know what Judaism is all about. As the song says, "Something is going on, Mr. Jones, and you don’t know what it is."

What is the point of the story? Here I am offering readers a priceless essay of Rabbi Kook into the deepest understandings of Torah, and some readers say, "no thanks," they would prefer a blog. It may be true that in the age of cyberspace, people are no longer able to process and absorb any message requiring an attention span of over two minutes. That’s why blogs are so great. But there are some things that can’t be compressed into a blog. Eretz Yisrael is one of them. So for the next few days, we will continue to present the illuminating essays of Rabbi Kook from his classic, "Orot," as explained by Rabbi David Samson and your humble blogger. The truth is that these essays are worth not just 10,000 dollars, but millions. Someone who is unfamiliar with the writings of Rabbi Kook simply does not know what is going on with the Jewish People in our time. In effect, without these deep Torah insights, a person does not know what Judaism is all about. As the song says, "Something is going on, Mr. Jones, and you don’t know what it is."

I remember that on my very first trip to Israel, while riding on a bus through the Biblical, terraced hillsides of Judea to the city of Hevron, I was seized by the overwhelming revelation that Eretz Yisrael was the real thing. I suddenly understood that Eretz Yisrael was the real place for a Jew. That this Land was the Major Leagues – the Yankee Stadium of Judaism. The feeling stayed with me when I returned to the States. Every other Jewish community was a miniature, Lilliputian village in comparison, like the fake Indian Villages, and Frontier Towns on the way to Lake George in upstate New York. Whether it be Monsey, the Lower East Side, or Boro Park, in comparison to Eretz Yisrael, every other Jewish community seemed like a make believe Hollywood set that is destined to be razed once the production is over.

Rabbi Kook’s deep esoteric essay tells us why the Land of Israel dwarfs every place else. So, ladies and gentlemen, let us begin....
When a Jew makes Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, the letters of his soul shift into high gear and multiply in size. All of his being gets bigger. He grows closer to G-d. Compared to the person he was in Galut, he becomes larger than life. He transforms into a giant, filled with greater valor, greater holiness, greater happiness and wisdom.

If we could dissect a soul, what would we discover inside? What would a microscopic examination reveal? What are a soul's components? Its atoms? When we probe as deeply as we can into the anatomy of the soul, suddenly under our high-powered lens, an Alef comes into focus. Then we see a Mem, and a Taf. If a soul had a genetic make-up, we would discover that its DNA helix is made up of Hebrew letters.

The Hebrew letters are the atoms and basic building blocks of the Jewish soul. The letters which Rabbi Kook describes are not only the outer, graphic shape of the letters, which have meaning in themselves, but the inner essence and content of the letters. In another work, "Rosh Millin," Rabbi Kook writes in depth on the meaning of each of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Unlike the letters of the English alphabet which are mere symbols of sounds with no inner meaning of their own, the letters of the Holy Tongue have an independent existence, and spiritual roots in the celestial worlds above.

In the wisdom of the Kabbalah, letters are understood to be powerful, life-giving forces. The Gemara teaches that the Hebrew letters were used to create heaven and earth. Bezalel knew how to combine the letters which were used in Creation. It was this secret wisdom which enabled him to build the Mishkan.

The Torah itself is made up of letters. Each letter is said to represent one of the basic 600,000 Jewish souls in the world. In addition to their alphabetical form, each letter has a deeper, living nature. Every letter contains a concept, a direction, a will which finds expression in the soul. Beyond a person's individual ego is the deeper, general will of existence. There is a force of life which is Divinely inspired, and this is what inspires each individual ego and psyche. The inner components of this deeper life-force are the Hebrew letters. Just as the letters are the building blocks of Torah, and of the world, they combine to form the molecular blueprint of the soul. What atoms are to the physical world, Hebrew letters are to the spiritual. Thus, Rabbi Kook writes:

"The soul is filled with letters which are infused with the light of life, full of knowledge and will, full of spiritual seeking, and full existence."

The soul is filled with letters which contain the Divine life-force which grants us existence. They themselves have knowledge and will and a quest for spiritual inspiration. All of a Jew's primary activities, whether his thought, will, deed, and imagination, stem from the letters of his soul. Different combinations of letters make for different types of souls. There are high-powered combinations, and there are souls of lesser might. According to the brilliance of these life-giving letters, a man's soul radiates with more and more energy.

"From the rays of these living letters, all of the other levels of life's building are filled with the light of life – all of the aspects of the will, of knowledge, and of deed, of the spirit, and of the soul, in all of their values."

Like atoms, these letters exist in a constant, dynamic flow. They are active, full of knowledge, motivation, inspiration, and will, constantly affecting the life of the soul. They are full of vision and imaginative flight. They are filled with full existence, not bounded in nature, containing a blueprint for all of Creation within them; in the same way that a molecule contains a solar system of atoms within it, and a cell contains the genetic structure of the body as a whole. Every soul contains a blueprint for all of the world. Letters activate letters in a constant chain reaction which is the motivating force of all life.

"Upon approaching a mitzvah, the mitzvah is always full of the light of life of all of the worlds – every mitzvah is filled with letters, big, incredible letters from among all of the 613 precepts which are, in turn, interdependent on each individual precept – from all of the life of the worlds which is in the secret of faith."

What happens in the soul when a person approaches a mitzvah? A mitzvah of the Torah is also filled with pulsating letters and a stream of Divine inspirational force. The commandments themselves are fountains of life, as the Torah says, "These are the mitzvot which a man shall do and live." The mitzvot are the channels which enable letters to flow from their Divine source to the soul. The life-force in the mitzvot adds vitality to the life-force in man. They are the circuits and conduits of life. And they too, like the letters, are microcosms of existence, bursting with the energy that G-d supplies to the world.

When a Jew performs a mitzvah, he receives a new dose of energy and life. When the letters of his soul collide and combine with the letters of the mitzvah, an explosion occurs. Like a nuclear fusion of atoms, new life is released to the soul and to all of the worlds. The union of the soul and the mitzvah is what gives the world its constant renewal. And because each individual mitzvah is integrally connected to all of the 613 precepts of the Torah, when we perform one mitzvah, we release the power of them all in a chain reaction which sends waves of Kedusha and light throughout the universe. This is the mechanism which brings life to the world. Thus, our Sages have taught that if the Jews were to stop learning Torah, G-d forbid, for even a moment, the whole world would come to an end.

The interrelationship between all of the 613 precepts of the Torah offers both tremendous potential and problems. Because every mitzvah is integrally connected to every other, the performance of a mitzvah can only be perfect if all of the other mitzvot are performed. This can be likened to a symphony made up of hundreds of notes. When they are all played together, they blend into a pleasing harmony. But if one note is flat, or missing, the harmony of the whole is destroyed. This is true in the life of an individual, and in the life of the nation. When a person is only performing a portion of the 613 mitzvot, his life-force is lessened. Similarly, if the Jewish nation as a whole is missing the full range of mitzvot, either because of spiritual weakness, or because of Galut, the entire life of the nation is crippled, and Divine goodness appears in the world in a dim, shattered light.

"The light of the G-d of life, the light of the life of the world, lives in complete harmony in the glory of every mitzvah."

In the observance of a mitzvah, the soul meets with the light of G-d. This is the meaning of the Yichud prayer which some Jews say before performing a mitzvah. The mitzvah is the vehicle which unites G-d and His Presence with all of Clal Yisrael.A Jew cleaves to G-d, not only through abstract meditation, but through the performance of the practical mitzvot as well. When we perform the commandments, we connect our lives to G-d's will, and to the Divine life-force which He implanted in them. This is the path to true life, through cleaving to the Divine life-force in the mitzvah, as we say upon reading the Torah: "Those who cleave to Hashem your G-d are all alive today."

"As soon as we approach a commandment's performance, all of the living letters which constitute our essence expand – we grow bigger, and become stronger and more forceful in the light of life and sublime existence which is resplendent and rich with the wealth of universal holiness and with the light of Torah and of wisdom, and all of the universe is renewed with light and life. The judgment of the world turns meritorious because of our deeds; light and truth, good will and inward satisfaction grace every face."

When we come to perform a mitzvah, the energy in our souls and the mitzvah interact, and all of the letters which make up our essences grow bigger with an injection of Kedusha, Torah, exalted wisdom, and life. If we were on the proper level to experience this spiritual union, if our sensitivities were in tune with the immeasurable wealth of our Divine inner life, when we approached a mitzvah, we would feel the same ecstasy and joy that a bride and groom feel when they step under the wedding canopy to become husband and wife.

When a Jew performs a mitzvah, the letters of his or her soul are magnified with an accelerated life-force. Letters of Torah from the upper worlds of existence merge with the letters of the individual soul. This "wedding" between the upper and lower worlds causes a union of splendor and joy. Our will and G-d's will become one. We and the world are filled with supernal strength, wisdom, holiness, valor, harmony, and joy. The same wholeness which returned to the world upon the giving of the Torah now returns to our souls. In the meeting of man and the mitzvah, the purpose of life is achieved. Man stands in line with G-d's will for existence. The soul cleaves to G-d. Worlds merge, and the union brings rebirth to all of Creation.

Because of the soul's connection to all of the world, each seemingly small mitzvah is, in truth, a cosmic deed which fills the world with untold blessing. The performance of a mitzvah fills the world with Torah, and with inner goodness and truth. We hold in our hands the fate of existence. Our good deeds infuse the world with merit. By observing the commandments of the Torah, we not only elevate our own life, we make the world a better place. In the Heavenly court, G-d's judgment is sweetened.

In effect, the Almighty has put in our hands the key to existence. Divine blessing and life are released in the world according to what we do. In a sense, when we perform a mitzvah, we give strength to G-d Himself, as we say in our morning prayers, "Give strength to G-d." Israel is figuratively the source of G-d's power. It is our deeds which enable G-d's goodness to appear in the world. Because of the unity of all Creation, the mitzvot which we perform on earth open valves of Heavenly blessing in the exalted worlds above. By doing G-d's will, we bring about the wedding of heaven and earth.

This union, Rabbi Kook writes, brings a look of inward satisfaction to every being's face. If this is so, why don't we see it? A part of the reason is because the union between G-d and the world is still incomplete, as the verse in Tehillim implies: "How can we sing the song of the Lord in an alien land?" As long as the nation of Israel has not returned in its fullness to the Land of Israel, as long as we can perform only part of the Torah and mitzvot, as long as the Beit HaMikdash is missing, then G-d's blessing and light is diminished. Only with our redemption from physical and spiritual bondage, when we return to national Torah wholeness, will smiles grace every face, as the verse says, "Then our mouth will be filled with laughter, and our tongue with happy song." This happens when the nation is living its true life of Torah in Eretz Yisrael. For, as Rabbi Kook teaches, in Eretz Yisrael THE LETTERS OF OUR SOUL GROW BIGGER, MAGNIFIED THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF TIMES, EVEN WITHOUT DOING A MITZVAH, BECAUSE JUST BEING IN ISRAEL IS A MITZVAH IN ITSELF.

"In Eretz Yisrael, the letters of our souls grow bigger; there they reveal shining light; they are nurtured with independent life from the light of life of Knesset Yisrael; they are directly influenced from the secret of their original creation."

In simple language, Rabbi Kook is saying that if there were a Geiger counter which could measure the existence of Hebrew letters, it would start to crackle with a thunderous noise the moment it approached the borders of Israel. For Eretz Yisrael is the land of GIGANTIC 3-D LETTERS. It is the land of indigenous ALEFS and BETS. Like the giants which the spies encountered in Hevron, and the gigantic fruit they found in the land, the ALPHABET of Eretz Yisrael dwarfs the Lilliputian alphabet of Galut. The letters thrive in the air of Israel and draw body-building nutrients from its holy soil. In contrast, the letters of Chutz L'Aretz are stunted, like plants grown outside of their natural climate.

When a Jew makes Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, the letters of his soul shift into high gear and multiply in size. All of his being gets bigger. He grows closer to G-d. Compared to the person he was in Galut, he becomes larger than life. He transforms into a giant, filled with greater valor, greater holiness, greater happiness and wisdom.

What is the secret of this change? IN ERETZ YISRAEL, OUR LETTERS, LIKE OUR SOULS, BECOME THE GIGANTIC LETTERS OF CLAL YISRAEL. They are no longer small, private, individual letters – THEY MULTIPLY AND MULTIPLY THROUGH THEIR UNION WITH KNESSET YISRAEL. IN THE LAND OF CLAL YISRAEL, OUR LETTERS MERGE WITH THE MEGA-SOUL OF THE NATION.

In his connection to the nation, the Oleh to Israel becomes a more complete Jew. He becomes a co-builder of the Jewish nation. He becomes a soldier in the Israeli Defense Force, in the army of G-d. He speaks the language of his forefathers. He becomes independent in his own land. His aspirations are filled with idealism. He becomes an architect of history, an active partner of Redemption. His outlook and psyche are exponentially expanded by his new identification with the national aspiration and will.

Because he is living in Israel, his whole life is a mitzvah. A mitzvah which is equal in weight to all of the mitzvot of the Torah. Divine life flows and flows into his being through the infinite channel of his new mitzvah life. His house is a mitzvah, his job is a mitzvah, every step which he takes in the Holy Land is a mitzvah, every four cubits earns him a greater share in the world to come. Every holy breath he takes fills him with holy life. Letters and letters of Torah pour into his soul.

Rabbi Kook quotes a verse from the book of Isaiah:

"And it shall come to pass, that he who is left in Zion, and he that remains in Jerusalem, they shall be called holy, everyone in Jerusalem who is written to life" (Isaiah, 4:3)

In Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem, the letters of our souls are inscribed for eternal life.

Like the land's giant letters, the mitzvot of the land are giant mitzvot too, performed where G-d's commandments are supposed to be performed. They burst with energy and life through the full force of their value. In Israel, the performance of the mitzvot is pure, without static and pollution, performed in the land of G-d. In Israel, each mitzvah reverberates through the myriad of souls in the Clal, multiplying beyond measure, echoing through the universe, filling the world with harmony, completeness, and order. When the nation is living its true Torah life in Israel, G-d's will for the world is fulfilled. The vaults of heaven spread open, and Divine blessing flows uninterrupted to all of creation.

So too, the Torah of Eretz Yisrael is the complete Torah. As our Sages teach: "There is no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisrael." The Torah in Israel is the all–encompassing Torah, the Torah of the nation, the Torah of the Clal, none of whose mitzvot or letters are missing. In the Land of Israel, the Torah is in its true place, radiating its influence in intimate pleasantness, its heavenly letters glowing with the light of the Shechinah.

"The yearning to see the glory of the cherished land; the inner longing for the land of Israel, increases the letters of holiness, the letters of independent Israeli life that are at the depth of our essence and being; it increases their inner spiritual growth. `One who is born in it, and one who yearns to see it' – `And to Zion it shall be said; a man, and a man who is born in it, and He will establish it in exaltation, the Lord will count in the writing of the nations, this one has been born there, Selah.'"

Rabbi Kook tells us that not only by being in Israel can this heroic life be achieved, but also the soul which aspires to live in Israel is invigorated with increased holy energy. The Diaspora Jew who logs on to the Arutz 7-INN website first thing in the morning, and sincerely yearns to be in Israel, is influenced by its greatness. In yearning to link himself with the Land, he too is like someone approaching a mitzvah, running to embrace his beloved. His pulse quickens, and the letters of his soul expand to receive a giant new infusion of life. He grows spiritually bigger in his attachment to Eretz Yisrael and to the aspirations of Clal Yisrael. Both "One who is born in it, and one who longs to see it," both of them share in her blessing; both attain wholeness by living the maximum life of a Jew.

So you too my INN friends and readers, you too have GIANT LETTERS in your yearning to be in Israel. In the next blog, G-d willing, we will discovery the vital importance of bringing those Hebrew letters here, back to the LAND OF LIVING LETTERS, back where they, and you, belong.