One of the basic building blocks and foundations of Jewish life revolves around the subject of “Taharat HaMishpachah” or family purity. The following is an essay by the devout Torah scholar, Rabbi Yaakov Adas, from his book “Hitkaravut L’Hashem.”

SINCE we are presently in the period of “Shovavim,” it is proper to direct our attention to what our Sages have taught us, that now is the time to awaken ourselves to the crucial importance of two matters: the first of which is the gravity of spilling semen in vain and the need to rectify the damages it causes; and secondly, and the prohibition of violating the laws of Niddah.

(The laws of Niddah are known also as family purity or “Taharat HaMishpachah.” For a detailed look at the many laws of Niddah, please click to another essay and follow the links posted there).

Presently, we will focus on the transgression of the Niddah laws. It is important to know that the prohibition of having sexual relations with a woman while she is in her Niddah period (the menstrual period including the obligatory days that are added according to Jewish Law) applies to both married and single women. All women before they marry are considered Niddah (in a spiritual state of menstrual impurity). The Chofetz Chaim, in his article on the prohibition of Niddah, writes: “Everyone knows that the sin of Niddah is not merely a Torah prohibition such as eating pork, and the like, rather, it carries the severe penalty of ‘karet,’ being cut off from life before one’s allotted time, G-d forbid. The penalty applies both to the man and to the woman. Even if their meritorious deeds should multiply, affording them an extension of their days, their souls will be cut off from the ‘Bundle of Souls’ - the pool of souls in Heaven - which is an everlasting loss of the soul, and this is what the Torah verse infers by saying, ‘This soul will be exceedingly cut off from before Me.’ Even should Hashem fill up the world again with souls, there will be no room for this soul (if the person does not repent in tshuva). How terrible is the punishment! It is one thousand times worse than the punishment of death, which is only death in the temporary physical world, whereas this is eternal death. And all of this comes only after the person has received punishment in Gehinom (hell) where unfortunate ones first descend to the pit to undergo bitter sufferings over each and every time they transgressed the prohibition of Niddah.”

These are the words of the Chofetz Chaim who continues in greater length on the dangers of violating this prohibition in its negative effect on the children of those who fail to guard the laws in this matter.

The Chofetz Chaim further writes that people must know, what is familiar to all those devotees who adhere to the Torah, that the prohibition of Niddah is among the forbidden sexual relations (Aryiyot). Concerning these prohibitions, one must be willing to be killed rather than engage in the forbidden deed. So severe is this transgression that one must be ready to give up one’s life not to commit it.

The Chofetz Chaim proceeds to explain a great foundation of Torah, teaching us that when the Torah requires a person to sacrifice his life rather than to violate the prohibition of Niddah, it is not merely commanded us to give up our lives rather than sin, it is also telling us that the damage caused by having sexual relations with a woman in Niddah is so very great that it is preferable to die rather than commit the transgression.

To understand this warning of the Chofetz Chaim, we can use the metaphor of two people who were driving in a car from one city to the next when an accident occurred. One was killed and the other escaped unharmed. He continued on his way, and when he reached the other city he transgressed the prohibition of Niddah. In doing so he caused himself much much more damage and loss than the damage and loss incurred by the one who was killed in the crash.

It is also proper to mention here a matter in which people err, and that is, although the punishment of ‘keret’ applies only to those who engage in sexual relations (intercourse) during the Niddah period, nevertheless the law to give up one’s life rather than sin applies even to hugging and kissing a woman who is Niddah. Even over this one is obligated to sacrifice one’s life and not commit the action (see the essay of the Chofetz Chaim in the book, “Geder Olam,” in the concluding article). Furthermore, in the metaphor of the two passengers, if the survivor of the crash was to reach the city and even just hug or kiss a woman in Niddah, he causes more damage to his soul by hugging and kissing a Niddah than the damage caused to the one who died in the crash.

It must also be noted that a woman is not only classified as being Niddah during her menstrual cycle (including the additional days accorded to the halachah) but even though her menstruation has stopped, she remains in her Niddah state until she has properly immersed herself in a kosher mikvah. Until such time, all of the Niddah restrictions apply with all of their halachic details. A wise man will take these matters to heart in order to save himself from the paths of death, and to chose instead the way of life.

Anyone who has erred in any of these matters should make haste to turn back to Hashem in repentance over his deeds, and he shall be forgiven.

(From “Hitkaravut L’Hashem,” Pgs 342-345)    

The joyous holiday of Tu B’Shvat celebrates our great gratitude to G-d over the trees and fruits of Eretz Yisrael. Why the trees of the Land of Israel and not the trees of America or Canada? In the same way that it wouldn’t make sense for a Chinaman to have a holiday over the rice of India, the Jewish People thank G-d for the fruits indigenous to the Land of Israel, and not for the fruits found in foreign places.

Why? Because a Jew is supposed to live here, in the Land that G-d gave us, and not live in the lands of the gentiles.    

Isn’t this perfectly obvious?

The reason that Jews have been living outside of the Land of Israel, in exile, for nearly two-thousand years is because the gentiles attacked our country, slaughtered millions of Jews, and banished the survivors to the four corners of the earth. The exile is a punishment, not something to cling to and enjoy.

And now that G-d in His infinite kindness has brought us back to our homeland, gathering His scattered children and rebuilding, in miraculous fashion, a reborn Jewish State, it is time for us to come home.

Isn’t this perfectly obvious?

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaKohen Kook lived in a tiny apartment in the Geula neighborhood of Jerusalem. On one of the walls were pictures of his father, Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook, and an old photograph of his grandfather, the renowned Torah scholar, the “Aderet.” There was also a photograph of another bearded Jew – Herzl, looking perfectly in place with the rabbis on the wall. Alongside the photographs was a drawing of a sunrise over a mountain, with the caption: “So too unfolds the Redemption of Israel – in the beginning, little by little.”

The quote is from the Jerusalem Talmud: “Rabbi Hiyah Rabbah and Rabbi Shimon Ben Halafta were walking in the Arbel Valley at the break of morning before the light of day. They watched the dawn as the light began to shine. Rabbi Hiyah, the great one in wisdom, said to Rabbi Halafta, ‘Rabbi, so too unfolds the Redemption of Israel – in the beginning, little by little. And the more it progresses, it increases and grows (Berachot, 1:1).

Both Rabbi Kook and his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda, taught that the thrust of the Torah, of the Prophets, of our holidays and prayers, all point toward the Redemption of Israel with our return to Jerusalem and Eretz Yisrael.

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda emphasized again and again at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, and in the classes he gave in his home, that the Redemption was taking place in our time with the ingathering of the exiles, with the restoration of Jewish sovereignty over Eretz Yisrael, and with the widespread return to Torah.

He was always baffled by the phenomena that Jews continued to live in the exile, as if Israel were a foreign country, and the foreign country where they were living was home!

“What is galut?” he asked. “An aberration. In our normal, healthy state, we need to be here, the entire Nation of Israel, in the Land of Israel. And all of the Land of Israel needs to be in our hands! Thank G-d, Hashem’s light is shining on us now, and increasing in strength, little by little, in gradual stages, as our Sages have told us, in stages and not all at once.”

While there are lovers of New York who say that they will come to Israel when the Mashiach comes, as if that marks the end of the exile, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda once again pointed to the Gemara for the definitive sign.

“The Sages, may their memory be for a blessing, gave us a clear definition of the end of galut. They cite the verse from the Book of Yehezkiel, ‘You O mountains of Israel shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel, for they will soon be coming.’ Rashi comments that there can be no surer sign of the end of the exile than this, when the trees of the Land of Israel give forth their fruits in abundance” (Sanhedrin 98A).

When the tree give their fruits in abundance

No surer sign of the exile's end

A Land of Pomegranates

I never saw an olive tree in Brooklyn

Who ever heard about Tu B'Shvat in America?

“We need to open our eyes,” Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda said. “We have to see, eye to eye, with our vision in line with the Divine perspective, in order to see what Hashem is doing, as it says, ‘For they shall see eye to eye, the L-rd returning to Zion.’ Today we are moving forward with the resettlement of the Land, overcoming obstacles and errors along the way, progressing and coming closer to ‘a new light on Zion.’ The desecration of G-d’s Name caused by the presence of Jews in the exile, and its terrible disgrace, will disappear, and, more and more, we will merit to sanctify the Name of the L-rd in our midst.”

During the Tu B’Shvat seder, when we enjoy the fruits of Eretz Yisrael, we first begin by eating the fruits that are closest to the word “eretz” in the Torah verse, “A land of wheat, barley, and grapes, and figs, and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and date honey.”

So too, Rabbi Kook taught, “Whoever has a greater love for the Land of Israel, and whoever exerts himself more ardently in the settlement of the Holy Land, he is blessed first, and he is closer to perfection.”      

Happy Tu B’Shvat!

I know I said I was going on vacation, but I was shocked to hear that a man named Pincus Cohen rose up in the congregation and hurled a pair of good sneakers at Israel's Supreme Court chief judge.

The sneakers heard round the world

Here are a few of the talkbacks taken from the INN article about the shameful incident:

The Lions should hire him or perhaps the Tigers-seems like he has a pretty good arm, with accuracy! 

The two new articles on @@@@@@@@@@@@ posted on jewishsexuality.com are too top secret to be posted here. I realize that the mature and G-d fearing readers of this blog don't have this problem, but perhaps the information and suggested advice may prove helpful in counseling teenage children.

Someone, besides the Jewish Dept of the Shabak, is always watching!

In this week's Torah portion, Egypt is smitten with a plague of darkness. Rashi relates that the darkness was so thick, the Egyptians couldn't move. They were frozen in the darkness.

Egypt

Rashi asks why Hashem brought the darkness upon the land of Egypt? He answers: "Because there were amongst the people of Israel in that generation evildoers, and they did not want to go out of Egypt, and they died in the three days of darkness, in order that the Egyptians should not see their shameful downfall and say, 'They too are smitten as we are.'"

Elsewhere, Rashi informs us that four/fifths of the Jews refused to leave the exile in Egypt and perished in the three days of darkness. 

Some things don't seem to change.

Brooklyn

Toronto

Melbourne

LA

London

Monsey

May the Almighty open the eyes of our brothers and sisters still frozen in the darkness of exile and enable them to see the light.

"I can see! I can see!"

Shabbat Shalom