Since the month of Elul has unique spiritual properties, we are going to go over a few things from the last few Torah portions, with the hope that their teachings will be grasped by everyone.

Sometimes people ask, “What is the purpose of the Torah?”

G-d Himself gives us the answer. The Torah states: “All the commandments which I command you this day shall you observe to do, that you may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the Land which the L-rd swore to your fathers (Devarim, 7:8).  

G-d gave us the Torah so that we could live fruitfully in the Land of Israel. That’s what the verse says. There is no way else to interpret it. This means that living in the Land of Israel isn’t just an extra mitzvah for which you get bonus points if you fulfill it. Living in the Land of Israel is THE mitzvah. It is the reason all of the commandments were given to us – to enable us to refine ourselves in order to live in this unique Holy Land. Why? Because only when the Jewish People live a life of Torah in the Land of Israel is G-d’s Kingship manifest in the world. When Jews are in exile outside of the Land of Israel, it is a desecration of the Name of G-d, as the Prophet states: “And when they came to live amongst the nations, into which they came, they desecrated My holy Name, in that people said of them, ‘These are the people of the L-rd and they are gone out of His Land (Ezekiel, 36:20).

In other words, when a gentile sees Jews living in Canada, and Brooklyn, and Australia, he says, “Hey, the L-rd gave the Jews the Land of Israel, and they prefer living here with us instead of obeying their G-d.” That’s called a “Chillul Hashem,” or desecration of the G-d. The opposite – when the Jews return to the Land of Israel – is called a “Kiddush Hashem,” or a sanctification of the Name of G-d, as G-d Himself states: “And I will sanctify My great Name, which was desecrated amongst the nations, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the gentiles shall know that I am the L-rd, says the L-rd G-d, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes – for I will take you from among the gentiles, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own Land” (Ezekiel, 36:23-24).

Is that clear? Or do I have to repeat it another 10,000 times before it sinks in? Jewish life in the Land of Israel is a sanctification of the Name of G-d, and Jewish life in the Diaspora is a desecration of the Name of G-d – that’s what the Prophet says.

Let’s read on a little further in the Book of Devarim. The Torah states: “Like wise, when the L-rd sent you from Kadesh Barnea, saying, ‘Go up and possess the Land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the commandment of the L-rd your G-d, and you believed Him not, nor hearkened to His voice” (Devarim, 9:23).

The Torah says it plain and simple – going on aliyah is a commandment. Rejecting aliyah is a rebellion against G-d. That’s what the Torah says. I’m not making it up. Look for yourselves. I haven’t changed the words. The Torah clearly states that not going on aliyah is a rebellion against G-d and an expression of lack of faith, as it says, “and you believed Him not.”

Not only does the Torah make it clear that G-d wants the Jewish People to live in Israel, the Torah states this over and over again. For instance, just a little later, the Torah states: “Therefore you shall keep all the commandments which I command you this day, that you may be strong, and GO IN AND POSSESS THE LAND, into which you go in to possess it, and that YOU MAY PROLONG YOUR DAYS IN THE LAND which the L-rd swore to your fathers to give to them AND TO THEIR DESCENDANTS, a Land flowing with milk and honey” (Devarim, 11:8-9).

My friends – do you get the message yet? Eretz Yisrael is not some tinsel town LA, or honky town Detroit, or some second rate borough like Brooklyn – Eretz Yisrael is “the Land which the L-rd your G-d cares for; the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end” (Devarim, 11:12).

And what follows that? The second paragraph of the “Shema,” which promises blessing in the Land of Israel for obedience to the Torah. And what is the punishment if we stray from the Torah? The worst punishment that can be – exile from the Land of Israel, as it says, “And you will quickly perish from the good Land which the L-rd gives you” (Devarim, 11:17), to live as Obamalicking Jews amongst the goyim.

This is the message that a Jew is to absorb in his heart, and write in his tefillin,  and teach to his children, as the Torah goes on to say in the very next verse, “And you shall lay up My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they will be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your children….”

Why?

“That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, IN THE LAND which the L-rd swore to your fathers to give them, AS THE DAYS OF HEAVEN UPON THE EARTH” which means forever, at all times, in every generation, even now my friends.

And I ask you once again – do you get the message?

Not yet?

Let’s go on to the next Torah portion. What does it say?

“For you shall pass over the Jordon to GO IN AND POSSESS THE LAND which the L-rd your G-d gives you, and you shall possess it AND DWELL IN IT. And you shall observe to do all the statutes and judgments which you shall observe to do IN THE LAND which the L-rd G-d of your fathers gives you to possess it ALL THE DAYS THAT YOU LIVE UPON THE EARTH” (Devarim, 11:31-12:1).

That means forever. Not just in Biblical days. Forever.

Do you get it now, my beloved brothers and sisters? It’s time to face the truth. The Day of Judgment is before us. The shofar blasts at dawn, telling us to wake up!

Yes, I know it is difficult. I know it is scary. Thousands of years ago, when G-d gave us the Torah, He knew that making aliyah wouldn’t be easy. He knew there would be excuses, and draft dodgers, and Jews going AWOL, running away from the ranks. That’s why He had the priest in charge of aliyah give them a pep talk on the verge of entering the Land, saying, “Let not your hearts be faint, fear not, and do not tremble” (Devarim, 20:3). So as not to embarrass the frightened among them, G-d Himself gave them excuses for not joining in the commandment to conquer the Land: “Who has built a new house and not dedicated it? Who has planted a vineyard and not eaten of it? Who has betrothed a wife and not taken her? Let him go home, lest he die in battle…. What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, lest his brother’s heart melt like his heart” (Devarim, 20:5-8).

Rabbi Yose HaGalilee explains that these people were afraid that they would die in battle because of their sins, so the Torah gave them these excuses for going home to cover up their shame (See Rashi, Devarim, 20:8).

True, there are many people today who simply cannot come on aliyah for justified reasons. But for those who can, and don’t, they shouldn’t be writing discouraging talkbacks against aliyah and against life in Israel, lest they melt the heart of their brothers with all of their unending blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Get it?

The best way to help the Torah giant, Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu, in his battle for life this moment at the Shaare Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem, is to pray and study Torah on his behalf (HaRav Mordechai Tzemach ben Mazal). You can do this by studying the seven chapters dealing with the laws of marital relations from his book, “Darkei Taharah,” which we have translated on our jewishsexuality.com website.

Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu

The book, “Darkei Taharah,” which means “The Ways of Purity,” is a definitive and concise guide to the subject of Family Purity (Taharat HaMishpachah). For years, the book has been used to prepare brides and grooms for their wedding and the sacred ways of married life. These laws are the foundation of the Jewish Nation, and the Jewish family. Their observance has a direct influence on the health, happiness, and prosperity of the family, and on the physical and spiritual wellbeing of the children.

In addition to helping the Jewish Nation via his book, Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu has guided countless Jewish couples in private meetings over the last several decades. We first went to him for advice when my wife needed a break between babies. When he heard our request for a temporary hiatus, he frowned and glanced up toward the ceiling of his office in serious concentration, as if waiting to receive a fax from Above. The grave seriousness of his expression made me realize how profound was the holiness surrounding marital relations, and the importance of every soul to the building of Am Yisrael.

After several moments of deep reflection, he gave his consent in a clear, no-nonsense manner, and told us exactly what to do, adding that we should return to consult with him again in another six months.

While some people scoff at my postings dealing with this subject, the silent majority indeed click on the links, some 600 people a day, and read a total of 3000 pages, demonstrating that the wise of mind and heart gladly take advantage of these translations.    

So to help Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu – pray, study, and whatever change for the better that you can make in your lives after studying his teachings will add more weight to the scale of merit in his behalf, and accompany him, please G-d, to a complete and speedy recover.

The month of Elul, which began today, is the time most suited to t’shuva (repentance). It is a period of Divine favor, because it was at this time that Moshe went up Mount Sinai to receive the second Tablets of Law, after the sin of the Golden Calf.

The forty days that Moshe was on the mountain, beseeching G-d to forgive the Jewish People, includes the 30 days of Elul and the first 10 days of the month of Tishrei, which are known as the Ten Days of Repentance. This period of intense t’shuva climaxes on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, when forgiveness was granted.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov teaches that the dominant theme of the month of Elul is “Tikun HaBrit” – the rectification of sexual sins, known as blemishes to the Covenant:

"For the forgiveness that Moshe won for the Jews was actually over transgressions to the Brit (the Covenant), for the sin of the Golden Calf was over sexual misconduct, as our Sages have taught us - the Jewish People only worshiped idols to provide an excuse for publicly engaging in sexual licentiousness. (Sanhedrin 63A; Rashi, Shemot, 32:6). This rectification of the Brit made this day, the Day of Atonement for all generations."

To help people in their t’shuva, and to give husbands and wives a chance to review the many laws dealing with marital relations, we are continuing to translate Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu’s codification of these laws. Readers are recommended to read over these chapters, which are the foundation of the Covenant between Hashem and the Jewish People.

Those who are interested in learning the deep secrets of Elul can find an essay on the theme on our jewishsexuality.com website. Included is a powerful prayer of rectification written by Rabbi Nachman’s foremost student, Rabbi Natan.

For everyone else, here is a partial checklist of transgressions to the Covenant to remind people of things we can all too easily forget during the course of the year:   

Thou shall not look at pornographic sites on the Internet.

Thou shall not have a computer at home without a filter.

Thou shall not engage in sexual fantasies.

Thou shall not stray after your hearts and your eyes which lead you astray.

Thou shall not masturbate.

Thou shall not engage in pre-marital sex.

Thou shall not hug or kiss a woman whom you are not married to (except for your mother).

Thou shall not have sexual relations with a non-Jew.

Thou shall not engage in oral sex.

Thou shall not engage in homosexuality.

Thou shall not commit adultery.

Thou shall not covet another’s man’s wife.

Thou shall not think about another woman when having relations with your wife.

Thou shall not have marital relations with your wife (nor touch her) during her Niddah (menstruation period).

Thou shall not have marital relations in the daytime.

Thou shall not have marital relations by candlelight, moonlight, electric light, and the like.

Thou shall not have marital relations uncovered.

Thou shall not spill semen in vain – even when engaging in marital relations.

Thou shall not have marital relations in unnatural positions, other than what is known as the missionary position.

Thou shall not have marital relations using a method of contraception without first consulting an Orthodox rabbi.

Thou shall please one’s wife before pleasing oneself.

This is only a partial list. For a detailed review of the topic, please check out the link to Rabbi Eliahu’s compilation of the laws.

Chodesh tov!

The month of Elul, the time most suited for repentance, is just a few days away. To get in the mood, here’s a little story that just happened.

When I first came to Israel, I had a friend, let’s call him Moshe, who was also exploring the world of Orthodox Judaism. But instead of having faith in the Torah, and in the Rabbis who were teaching him, he would always play a game of intellectual ping-pong, finding loopholes and doubts in every explanation he heard. I remember telling him at the time that he should flush his arrogance and ego down the toilet, along with all of his pseudo knowledge of the world, and open himself up to the wisdom of our Sages, but Moshe just couldn’t take the leap. He ended up leaving Israel, convinced that he was rejecting all of the imperfections he found in the religion and in the country, when in reality the Land was vomiting him out.

Back in America, giving up all ritual observance, the poor guy met one misfortune after the next, with his marriage, with his children, with his work. Then after almost 25 years, he began to have second thoughts, and began reading Arutz 7 and taking peeks at this blog and others. One day, not long ago, he wrote me, saying he was coming back to Israel for a short trip.

This Shabbat, he spent some time at our house, and filled me in on the sad events that had dominated his life since abandoning the Land. When he mentioned that he hadn’t put on tefillin in 25 years, I suggested he have his tefillin checked out, since tefillin should be checked every seven years, and I related some mystical, but true, stories about how a person’s behavior and transgressions affected their tefillin and caused blemishes in the letters of the parchments.

Time to check your tefillin!

I told him where he could have his tefillin checked, and yesterday morning he took them to the place I recommended. Sure enough, a word was missing in a parchment on the tefillin of the arm, making the tefillin not kosher. The missing word was in the verse, “you shouldn’t have chametz.” It blew him away.

This morning, he called me still dizzy from the revelation.

“Amazing!” he said. “It’s amazing. Chametz represents arrogance and pride, and that’s exactly what I have.  I know it. My heart is full of arrogance. Until now, I’ve been closed to believe what other people were trying to teach me about Judaism and to take their advice when I was here in Israel. For the first time, I feel that Hashem is really there, looking at me, one-on-one, giving me another chance to get my act together.”

With Elul a few days away, it’s a good time for everyone to check their tefillin –especially some of our more cacophonous talkbackers who are so arrogantly sure that they are right in their asinine opinions (like it's better to live amongst the obamanations in foreign lands than to live in Israel). I guarantee you, some of you are in for real surprises!

Every Motzei Shabbat, I go to the Kotel to read Tehillim with the revered Kabbalist, Rabbi Leon Levi, and students. At the end of the recital, Rabbi Leon speaks about the Torah portion.

Rabbi Leon Levi

According to the secrets of Torah, the opening verse of the Torah portion, “Ekev,” is talking about sexual transgression. G-d promises the Jewish People that if we guard ourselves from sexual transgression, He will guard over his side of the Brit, or Covenant, that he made with our Forefathers, and grant a unique, Divine kindness to us, blessing us in the Land of Israel with a life filled with material bounty, health, and victory over our enemies (Devarim, 7:12-16).

As usual, a large gathering crowded around to hear Rabbi Leon speak. He reminded everyone that the organ of the Brit, which is graced with the “stamp of the King” upon circumcision, possesses a special holiness. He said it had the holiness of a Torah scroll, and reminded us that both Avraham and Yaacov had made Eliezer and Yosef takes oaths by placing their hands under this sacred place. He said that the dream of Yaacov of a ladder reaching up to heaven symbolized the exalted holiness of the place of the Brit, and the spiritual sefirah (channel) of “Yesod” which is associated with it, as it says:

“How awesome is this place! This is no other than the house of G-d, and this is the gateway to Heaven! (Bereshit, 28:17).

Rabbi Leon said that the measure of a man’s holiness, and the determination of a “Tzaddik,” is the purity of his sexual life, as exemplified by Yosef, who is known as “Yosef the Tzaddik” for having overcome the temptations of Potifar’s wife.

A person’s attachment to G-d, he said, depends on the measure that he safeguards the Brit. If a man conducts his married life in a modest and holy fashion, then the blessings of health, livelihood, and security, stated in the Torah, will be granted to him. But if he falls into sexual transgression and wastes the holy, Divine energy contained in seminal seed, which is infused with holy souls, and radiates with the precious power of the Divine source of life, than the opposite will be his portion – sicknesses, hardships with children, and other painful sufferings, G-d forbid.

Because of the great importance of this fundamental matter to every person, and to the Jewish Nation as a whole, we are undertaking to translate the Laws of Marital Relations, from the book, “Darkei Taharah,” by the saintly Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu, former Chief Rabbi of Israel. The first chapters have been posted on our website, jewishsexuality.com, and, with G-d’s help, we will endeavor to post additional chapters in the coming weeks. Like all aspects of Torah learning, these matters should be reviewed to strengthen our observance of the proper Torah conduct and in the many details involved. Especially in a matter where the evil inclination is so great and temptations abound, it is wise for all people to go over these laws, along with the guidelines that Rabbi Leon has set forth in his writings to help people achieve enhanced health and blessing in their lives.