tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18662004932893527762024-01-30T16:08:54.919-08:00Gematriot - Revealing Torah SecretsGematriot - the numerical values of the Holy Hebrew Letters, reveal the deeper meaning of what the Torah wants to convey to us. Far more than just an intellectual game, Hashem - with His complex wisdom via the road of Gematriot - teaches us all about living the REAL Jewish way of life. Gematriot are mentioned in virtually every section of Jewish literature - Talmud, Midrash, Zohar, and Halacha.shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.comBlogger223125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-18664193761274002722014-07-27T03:27:00.002-07:002014-07-27T03:49:22.444-07:00#223 - The Policeman in ChargeIt's true that I haven't had a chance to post in a long while, but today marks the first day of the week of the first Parsha of the fifth and final book of the Chumash - Sefer Devarim (Deutronomy). And so, with this new beginning, I hope to bounce back to posting on a more regular basis.<br />
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With all that has been going in Israel the last few weeks, regardless of one's opinion in all of this, it is quite hard to simply ignore what is happening. To look at the good side of things, there has been much increased unity among Jews in these last several weeks, which began with the disappearance of three Yeshiva students, may Hashem avenge their blood, who were kidnapped by the Hamas beasts. And though it was well known that they were Yeshiva students, rather than soldiers in the Israeli army, even much of the secular Jewish world showed that they cared, and frankly, many of even these Jews know by now that it is about time that we have to fight for our rights and not let our Arab enemies get the best of us.</div>
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Now that I have mentioned this, there is one part of all that has been happening in Israel as of late that I want to focus on in this post, something that just happened within the last few days - the burning and looting of the Israeli police station on the Temple Mount by Arabs. The fact that the Arabs have protested many times and prevented Jews from praying at the Temple Mount is not all that new. But the fact that the police at the Temple Mount, who for the most part give in to the Arabs, seemed to be totally helpless and hapless in this scenario, despite their own weapons and Israeli soldiers all around them, says one of two things - either they were not able to defend themselves, or did not want to defend themselves. Regardless, one thing is clear here. They failed in the past to protect Jewish rights pertaining to praying on the Temple Mount, and so now, they themselves now got back their just deserts. But perhaps more logically, the Arabs all the time smell weekness in this communist run land, and so it was really only a matter of time before this was bound to happen. And for the cherry on top, the police attempted afterwards to remove the Palestinian flag from the rooftop of the police station to replace it with the Israeli flag, but met with no success.</div>
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I will address this a little more in a minute, but first, continuing on with the Sephira combination count in posting, we are up to the 31th Sephira, which is Tiferet She'B'Hod. As mentioned many times in this Gematriot blog, including the last one, the Sephira of Hod is very associated with the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). With this said, the mosque on the grounds of what was the Kodesh Kodoshim (Holy of Holies) is hinted to in the Book of Daniel as the detestable thing. Accordingly, the opposite of something detestable, or ugly, is something that is beautiful, which is Tiferet. Hence, as Hashem works Midah K'negged Midah (measure for measure), since the police defended the rights of the Moslem Arabs worshipping to their Allah idol (believe it or not, they are not praying to Hashem, but to their own concept of a Higher Power, or the Koran god) in their mosque, rather than the rights of the Jews praying on the Temple Mount, it finally boomeranged back to these police whose building on the Temple Mount on the site in turn was completely trashed between the burning and the looting. And this happened when? In the week of Parshat Masei, the very Parsha that warns us that if we don't kick out the idolater non-Jews from our land, then they will be "snares in our eyes and thorns at our sides" (Deutronomy 33:55). Speaking of which, I once heard Rabbi Binyamin Kahane, may Hashem avenge his blood, gave a speech quoting this very verse in reference to a bombing in the Machane Yehuda market in Jerusalem which also took place in the very week of Parshat Masei, demonstrating that Hashem keeps his word time and again. </div>
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Having mentioned the 31th Sephira, let me quote another verse, this one in Parshat Ha'azinu, where Moses warns us in his final sermon of what will happen to us if we don't listen to Hashem. Shicheit Lo Lo Banav Mumam Dor Ikeish U'Phtaltol "Is corruption His? No. His children are blemished, it is a generation of crookedness and perverseness." Indeed, there hasn't ever been a generation in Jewish history having such a low level of corruption along with such double standards as applied to Jews versus our Arab enemies, the latter receiving constant free food, electricity, medicines, and weapons from a government running our Holy Land as in this generation. Now, while I may be using the word generation a little loosely here, this is the result of the anti-religious government that declared Israel as a State in 1948, or in the Hebrew year 5708. You see, the letters in the word Shicheit (corruption) are the very same letters as the Hebrew year (Hei) Tav-Shin-Cheit! And so, from the getgo, this government was already on a path of corruption and spiritual destruction, and despite constant victories in our wars against the Arabs, with the highlight in 1967 when we gained major land, including the Temple Mount, the holiest spot in the world, it would be just a matter of time before things would get out of hand once again, beginning with giving the key to the Temple Mount to the wakf, which led to other parts of Israel being given to the Arabs for a piece of paper in the name of peace. </div>
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So, is corruption His (Hashem's)? No. In Hebrew, no is Lo, making up the letters Lamed and Aleph, which is also the number 31 in Hebrew. For in fact, there are two consecutive words in this verse that are pronounced the very same way as Lo, except that the first Lo is with a Vav - which also spells the Hebrew number 36, while the second is with an Aleph. Now, adding the numerical value of these two words is the total of 67, noting that we are presently in the 67th year since the State of Israel was declared by the Israeli government in 5708. Then, the next word is Banav "His children" which is the Gematria of 68.</div>
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So basically, what is going on here is that finally, Hashem is showing who the real Policeman is, since the policemen who were supposed to do their job of protecting Jews thought it was a good idea to protect the Arabs instead, and so finally after 66 years of this government misbehaving with corruption and bowing down to the enemy, the only true Policeman is now saying that enough is enough, and even if the Arabs should continue violating and desecrating the Temple Mount, at least the phoney weak police won't be around to stop Jews from ascending the Temple Mount; since after all, the Arabs are doing enough of a good job at that to keep Jews away. </div>
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Now, taking a close look at the above two words Lo Lo, when they are read backwards as one word, this is the word Elul, the name of the final month in the Jewish calendar year in which we prepare ourselves for Aseret Y'mei Yeshuva (Daws of Awe). And in connection to this, this Shabbat Parshat Masei was the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried, author of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Abridged Code of Jewish Law), noting that his passing took place on this very Shabbat Parshat Masei and Yahrzeit (28 Tammuz) some 128 years ago. With this said, the 128th chapter of the 221 chapters in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch is all about the Halachot (Jewish laws) pertaining to the month of Elul, the month in which we especially work on ourselves to be close to Hashem. Accordingly , the place of the Temple Mount, the grounds of the Temple, is the place where we are able to be closest to Hashem spiritually. <br />
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As for the first word Lo which also spells the Hebrew number 36, the word Eicha, which begins Megillat Eicha (Book of Lamentations) which is read on Tisha B'Av is also the Gematria of 36. And the word Eileh, the beginning word of Parshat Masei, which is also the first word of the final verse of this Parsha, as well as the beginning word of Sefer and Parshat Devarim that we began reading from in the Mincha (afternoon) service of Shabbat, is also the Gematria of 36. And as especially related to this year, it is not very common that Parshat Masei is read as a Parsha read by itself, especially outside of Israel, being that in most years, it is combined with its preceding Parshat Matot. Moreover, the square root of the number 36 is six, and we are presently in the sixth year of the Shemitta (Sabbatical) cycle. <br />
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As we see here, we are presently in the End of Times right before the upcoming Redemption. And as we see prophecies related to the Redemption happening in front of our eyes, we see that as per the above Gematriot of 67 and 68, Hashem has decided that now is clean up time, as is presently happening in the 67th year from the announcement of the State of Israel, which will likely end in the upcoming 68th year. For once Moshiach comes, the present government of Israel, mostly consisting of politicians who sold their souls to the devil long ago, will be history, as once they see what is really happening, they will hide to avoid execution from King Moshiach, who will then show the world that these games are over, with everyone receiving their just rewards, along with the rebuilding of the Third Temple.<br />
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29 Tammuz, 5774<br />
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P.S. Noting the timing of this post as 3:27 AM, bearing in mind that the number 27 is 3*3*3, this post ended off with the wishes of the THIRD Temple being rebuilt very shortly, after Hashem is beginning to clean up on the Temple grounds.</div>
shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-3300940083553076492014-06-05T18:58:00.001-07:002014-07-27T03:33:28.539-07:00#222 - SECOND in ChargeAs I am beginning this post, there are still some Jews observing the final hours of the second day of Shavuot, celebrated as Yom Tov Sheni, "Second day of the holiday" (although from the Torah, it is only one day, as is observed in Israel) in the western part of the United States; while here in Israel it has already been over 30 hours since the conclusion of the holiday of Shavuot as one day. It is kind of ironic when it comes to Shavuot, because at least according to Rabbi Yose in Tractate Shabbat of the Talmud, Matan Torah (Giving of the Torah) took place on the seventh of Sivan, the date of the second day of Shavuot which is observed specifically outside of Israel; while in Israel, it is back to the work week.<br />
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The reason that there is a difference of opinion as to the exact date that the Torah was given - the sixth of seventh of Sivan, is because the Torah itself does not directly specify the date, unlike with all of the other Jewish holidays. On a practical level, Shavuot is observed on the 50th day from the beginning of the counting of the Omer, which is the name given to the barley meal offering that took place on the 16th of Nissan, the second day of Passover; and while today in our fixed Jewish calendar, the 50th day is always the 6th of Sivan, it wasn't necessarily always like that in earlier times when the new Jewish month was declared based on the sighting of the new moon, when there were times that both the months of Nissan and Iyar could have 30 days, making the 5th of Sivan as the date of the observance of Shavuot, or these two months could have 29 days, making the 7th of Sivan as the date of the observance of Shavuot.<br />
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And so, the question can be asked - Do we celebrate Shavuot strictly as an agricultural type of holiday, since after all, the observance of the date is based solely on when the Omer was offered, perhaps in thanks to Hashem for the bounty that He has provided us, and after all, in the times of the Temple, two special wheat loaves of bread, one of the few exceptions of Chametz (leaven) being offered in the Temple, was offered on this holiday; or, do we celebrate this holiday celebrating our receiving of the Torah? <br />
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In fact, in the holiday Shemoneh Esrei prayer, we mention Shavuot as Yom Matan Torateinu "The day of the Giving of our Torah"; and so, it would seem that this is the reason, or at least one of the reasons, why we celebrate this holiday. However, if this is so, why don't we always celebrate this holiday on the exact date that the Torah was given, as any other event is celebrated on a date of the calendar; but rather, being based on the date of the 16th of Nissan when the Omer was offered? And perhaps the most burning question is, despite on when we actually observe this holiday, if the Torah is the raison d'etre of the world's existance, why didn't the Torah mention the exact day that the momentous occasion of the giving of the Torah took place?<br />
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The answer begins with why the Torah did not specify the exact date of Matan Torah. You see, while there is a specific day in the calendar that we observe this momentous occasion, we are in fact bidden to feel that on each and every day of our lives, that it is as if we are learning Torah anew, as if we were given the Torah on that day. For certainly, it is very easy to feel that excitement about Torah learning, even as we stay up all Shavuot night to show our enthusiasm for Torah learning. However, it is an even greater challenge to maintain that momentum throughout the year in terms of both learning Torah, and feeling excited about it, even if it is during the waking hours when we have nothing else to do. In fact, the Torah doesn't even wait until the event of Matan Torah to teach us this lesson, but rather, from Rosh Chodesh Sivan, the beginning of this month when the Jews arrived at Mt. Sinai - BaChodesh HaShlishi "On the third month"...BaYom HaZeh "On this day" (Exodus 19:1), and as Rashi explains, each and every day, we are supposed to feel as if the Torah is new to us. For certainly, the Jews were all excited about receiving the Torah in the days preceeding the momentous event, and so similarly, we are supposed to feel the same way, especially when we recite the Birchot HaTorah, the daily morning blessings for learning Torah, thanking Hashem for giving us the greatest eternal gift. <br />
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As pointed out to us, we offer the Omer offering, which consisted of barley, which is basically animal's food, symbolizing the fact that when we left Egypt, we were in a rather low spiritual level, hardly differentiating us from animals. However, over the course of seven weeks, lifting ourselves up from the 49 levels of impurity to the 49 levels of purity, it was then and only then that we were able, ready, and worthy of receiving the Torah, and so, it is on this holiday that the meal offering, this time consisting of wheat, was offered, for this is a much more refined type of grain, eaten exclusively by people, and not animals. <br />
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Having mentioned this, while the holiday of Pesach (Passover) is certainly a very important holiday, in fact, so much so, that this is the only time in the entire year that it is forbidden to eat Chametz, which symbolizes the evil trait of haughtiness, making oneself to be high above others, just as the yeast that rises making the final product being Chametz (believe it or not, Matza can also be Chametz if one isn't careful about its production that is so crucial for Passover); nevertheless, it is in fact only a preparation for Shavuot. For while it is true that Hashem took us out of Egypt not only as freedom from our physical slavery, but also from spiritual slavery for in fact, there were Jews who even worshipped idols in Egypt; the ultimate purpose of this was for us to receive and observe the Torah.<br />
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And now, I am going to get to the reason why I have mentioned the above in this post. You see, among all the Jewish holidays, there are three that are classified as the Shalosh Regalim "Three Pilgrimate Festivals" - Pesach, Shavuot, and Succot. And so while both in this list and in history, Pesach is the first holiday, consisting of seven (or eight days if outside of Israel) days, full of Mitzvot that Hashem commanded us even before Matan Torah, it is Shavuot that is by far the more important holiday. This may sound ironic, but as we see with many Jews who aren't all too observant, while they get together as family and all to have some sort of Seder on the first (or two nights) night of Passover, they don't celebrate Shavuot, which most unfortunately, many if not most of these type of Jews don't know anything about, the day that celebrates THE WHOLE REASON FOR OUR EXISTANCE AND THE EXISTANCE OF THIS WORLD! And as detailed in the Gemara as to how Moses asked Hashem to give the Jews one more day to prepare themselves for the holy momentous occasion, the Giving of the Torah took place on the 7th of Sivan, which as a TWO day holiday observed outside of Israel, is the SECOND day of the SECOND of the three pilgrimage holidays, and of the Ten Commandments, Hashem directly spoke the first TWO Mitzvot of these commandments (Note: There are actually 14 Mitzvot in the "Ten Commandments" which should actually be translated from the Hebrew as "Ten Statements"), while Moses told them the rest, being that the Jews were too frightened from hearing Hashem's voice, which caused them to die fainting, but were revived with the dew that will be used for the resurrection of the dead in the future.<br />
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My friends, this is one instant in which it is the SECOND that is MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FIRST. In fact, this is nothing new. You see, the Torah, which begins with the Torah She'B'Ketav (Written Torah) or Tanach (Jewish Bible), begins with the letter BEIT, the SECOND letter of the Aleph-Beit, rather than the Aleph, the first letter. The truth is that this is not to say that the letter Beit is more important than the letter Aleph, because in fact, the letter Aleph represents the Alufo Shel Olam "Chief of the World", and it is the first letter of the Aseret HaDibrot (The Ten Commandments); but rather, the SECOND letter of the Aleph Beit serves a unique function as the first letter of the Torah, beginning with the word Bereishit "In the beginning".<br />
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For while it is Hashem Who created the world, He created the world for others, a world which is full of doubles or plurality - heaven and earth, light and darkness, male and female, etc. And it is specifically in this world, a world that hides the spirituality, giving the impression to many that this is a world for us having pleasure in it, as if this were to be the main thing, that we are to observe the Torah. For some on a practical level, especially for observant Jews, it is a matter of balancing one's time, energies and resources between the constraints of having to pray and work, learning some Torah and spending time with family. However, even in our physical activities, we can devote our minds to the Torah and spirituality, and at times, even some of our physical activiites can be Mitzvot, not just as preparations for us to have the energy to serve Hashem, but because we are bidden to eat, such as eating special Shabbat and holiday meals, or eating Matza as a special Mitzva on the Seder night. And so, while in fact, the Aleph may be even a more important letter than the Beit, it is the letter Beit that teaches us, even as the name of this letter implies as Bayit (similar to Beit), as a home, as this world is our present home for as long as we live in our physical bodies, in which to observe Hashem's Mitzvot, preparing us for our eternal home.<br />
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To note, while many will talk excitedly about the Jews being the only nation to willingly accept the Torah, the truth is that this refers only to the Torah She'B'Ketav. However, it is the SECOND of the two parts of the Torah - the Torah She'B'Al Peh (Oral Torah) which is in the long run not only much more in content, but ultimately the most studied one by the big Torah scholars, and ultimately even more important than the Chumash or Tanach which makes up the Written Torah, because it is only through this Oral Torah that we learn the Halachot (Laws) of HOW to follow Hashem, which is the ONLY way that one can be and live as a proper observant Jew. It was this SECOND and MORE IMPORTANT part of the Torah that the Jews were not ready to accept, and this is why Hashem threatened them with being crushed by the Mt. Sinai mountain, which forced the Jews to accept this part of the Torah. It was only in the Purim story after seeing how Hashem saved us from the anti-Semitic nations that the Jews openly and willingly accepted the Oral Torah, and the proof of this is that Purim, which was enacted by the Sages of the time, a holiday not mentioned in the Chumash, was willing accepted by the Jewish people.<br />
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And as for the first mention of Moses, the Lawgiver of the Torah from Hashem to the Jewish people - his name is first mentioned in the SECOND Aliyah/Chapter of Sefer Shemot (Exodus), the SECOND book of the Torah. And while on the subject of names as related to the concept of being the second, my namesake Shimon, the name of the SECOND son of Jacob and Leah, is mentioned as the SECOND word of the SECOND verse of the SECOND book of the Torah; as well as the SECOND word of the SECOND verse of the SECOND Aliyah of the SECOND Parsha (Va'era) of the SECOND book of the Torah. Coincidence? Well, take a look at the beginning of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) where Moses is the very first word, as it mentions that Moses received the Torah from Mt. Sinai. But then the SECOND Mishna begins with the name of Shimon, that is Shimon HaTzadik (the righteous one), one of the few righteous Cohanim Gedolim (High Priests) in the time of the SECOND Temple, who was also among the transmitters of the Oral Torah, the SECOND part of the Torah. And along these lines, Shimon is also the name of the author of the teachings of the Zohar, known either Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai or Rashbi as the acronym, who in fact was visited by Moses in being taught secrets of the Torah not ever taught in this world beforehand. <br />
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And by the way, as per my Jewish birthdate -the first of the SECOND month (1 Iyar)- mentioned TWICE in the first Aliyah of Parshat/Sefer Bamidbar (Numbers), my name Shimon is the SECOND word of the SECOND paragraph (as it appears in the Sefer Torah) of the SECOND Aliyah of this Parsha whose name Bamidbar consists of the letter BEIT=2 appearing TWICE in this word, including the first letter. And then we see in the SECOND chapter of this Book of Numbers that in the arraingement of the 12 Tribes of Israel as four groups of three each in each of the four directions of the Israelite camp, the Tribe of Shimon is mentioned as the SECOND Tribe of the SECOND grouping of three tribes. <br />
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Then we see in the Book of Joshua, the first book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Tanach that of the lotteries of different sections of the Land of Israel for the Tribes, which wasn't apportioned necessarily according to birth of the ancestors of the tribes, but rather had two sets of lotteries - one for each of five tribes (Reuben, Gad, Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh), and the other for the seven other tribes. Of the set of the latter ones, the Tribe of Benjamin - whose name starts with the letter BEIT - had first pick, and then it was Shimon which had the SECOND pick of the land lottery, for which the first city mentioned is Be'er Sheva, this name starting with the letter BEIT (Be'er) and the SECOND letter of the SECOND word (Sheva) of the name of this city is also a Beit/Veit (Joshua 19:1-9). And then in the beginning verses of the SECOND book (Shoftim or Judges) of the SECOND part of the Tanach (Jewish Bible) which is Nevi'im, the Tribe of Judah invites the Tribe of Shimon to help fight their enemies together.<br />
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And for those who are familiar with the Sefer called Chok L'Yisrael, which is composed of Torah learning consisting of Tanach, Mishna, Gemara, Zohar, Halacha, Mussar apportioned for daily study, in the portion for the SECOND day of the week of Parshat Va'era, the SECOND Parsha, of Sefer Shemot, the SECOND book, in the Mishna chapter (Shabbat Chapter 14), the very first word is Shemonah (eight) which is similar to the name Shimon, and the very end of this chapter states "Rabbi Shimon says "All Jews are princes (literally "sons of kings")"". But perhaps the most amazing thing here is that in the Mussar (ethical instruction) section for the day, which is usually from one of the classical Mussar books such as Sefer Chasidim or Sha'arei Teshuva, this day's portion is from the Zohar (authored by this Rabbi Shimon in the Mishna who when mentioned without any title or father's name refers to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai), ONE OF THE FEW TIMES of the 324 daily portions (for each of the 54 Parshiyot for the first six days of the week) that the daily portion of Mussar is from the Zohar!<br />
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Now, to note a few other examples of the letter Beit taking charge of the stage, the first letter of the name of the first tractate of the Mishna - Berachot (Blessings), begins with a Beit. And for the name of the Talmud that is most commonly studied, the Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud), the first two letters of the word Bavli is the same letter Beit/Veit (Beit and Veit are basically the same letter, both spelled the same way in the Sefer Torah, but the difference when the letters are spelled with vowels is that the Beit is spelled with a dot in the middle). Also, the first letter of the word Bechor (firstborn), which by the way has the same Gematria as the number of this post - 222 (when spelled without a Vav), is a Beit. In fact, we see that even in English, the second letter B, which is based on the Hebrew letter Beit, also takes on special significance as the beginning of something, such as the first letter of the word BEGINNING, which is part of the translation of the first word Bereishit, though ironically, the Hebrew word for beginning is Reishit, while the letter Beit itself means, at least in this context, "in", as well as the word BIBLE, though the Hebrew equivalent word is either Sefer or Tanach, and the word BABY, which is the first stage of a person's life, noting that both words BIBLE and BABY consists of two of the letter B.<br />
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Another phenomenal thing, as it relates especially to this year, is that Pesach Sheni "SECOND Passover" fell out on the fourth day - the MIDDLE day of the week, of Parshat BeChukotai, the name of the Parsha starting with the BEIT=2, which in turn is the MIDDLE of three Parshiyot whose names all start with a Beit - Behar, BeChukotai, Bamidbar. Hence, this is one illustration of three number twos in a row, as illustrated in the number 222, the number of this post.<br />
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Having said this, as per my previous post where I mentioned the concept of Pesach Sheni, mentioned in this very week's Parshat B'Ha'alotcha, which takes place a month after the original Pesach, for those who didn't or weren't able to offer the Pascal sacrifice earlier, it is called Sheni (Second), just as the second day of a Jewish holiday outside of Israel is called Yom Tov Sheni. For in fact, it gives a chance for those who missed out earlier in fulfilling a Mitzva a chance to do it this time. For while with many if not most Mitzvot, once the Mitzva has passed, it is too late to be observed, this is one Mitzva that teaches us the lesson that even if one has spent some of his life not living a G-dly life, one can still repent and become a better person, a better Jew, despite one's past. And why is this hinted specifically with reference to the holiday of Pesach? As the name of this holiday implies, the verb Pasach is jumping over, for Hashem jumped over the houses of where the Jews were residing in Egypt and killed only the Egyptian firstborn. Similarly, despite the fact that some Jews missed that point in time for one reason or another to offer the Pascal sacrifice, Hashem grants them another chance by jumping over time to do so, even though Pesach Sheni is just a designated day for the makeup sacrifice for the original day of Passover, the date the observes the Exodus that took place on that date. <br />
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Interesting. Pesach Sheni "SECOND Passover" takes place in the midst of the SECOND month (Iyar). And speaking of SECOND, let us take a look at the beginning of Sefer Bamidar (Numbers), where Hashem tells Moses to count the Jewish people, this taking place (both the command and the beginning of the count), mentioning TWICE the date of the first of the SECOND month, of the SECOND year from the Exodus. As related to myself, I was in fact born on this very date of the first of the second month, which is the 1st of Iyar (or Rosh Chodesh Iyar), but another fascinating connection of the number TWO with this date is the Gematria of this date as Aleph (the letter Aleph as the numerical value of One (1)) and Iyar (221), making the total Gematria of 222 (the number of this post). And as also related to myself, it is in the context of this that the names of the leaders of the 12 Tribes (diving Joseph into his two sons Ephraim and Menashe, and excluding the Tribe of Levi) are mentioned, in which the SECOND tribe mentioned is Shimon, my namesake. <br />
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And at a later point in Jewish history, both Temples began to be built, according to some, on this very date of 1 Iyar. And certainly as not mere coincidence, we see that the Temple in Hebrew is called BEIT HaMikdash "HOUSE of the holy place", most similar to the name of the SECOND letter of the Aleph Beit- BEIT - which began being built in the SECOND month of the Jewish calendar, and the Hebrew word for building - Binyan, begins with the letter Beit. And on a personal note, the Gematria of my SECOND Hebrew name Matisyahu has the same Gematria as the phrase Beit HaMikdash (861).<br />
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And speaking of the Beit HaMikdash, we see in the Talmud (Berachot 58a) that (the Sephira) Hod, as mentioned in a verse, refers to the Beit HaMikdash. You see, the word Hod is the Gematria of 15, and as per our discussion in this post about Pesach Sheni, while the makeup Passover sacrifice was first slaughtered in the afternoon of the 14th of Iyar, the date that is dubbed as Pesach Sheni, the eating of it actually took place on the night of the 15th of Iyar. Moreover, as we continue post by post corresponding to the 49 Sephirot combinations, in this post, we are up to the 30th Sephira of Gevura She'B'Hod, which falls out in our present calendar on the 15th of Iyar, in the midst of the week of the Sephira of HOD=15 (14th through the 20th of Iyar). And in terms of the Aleph Beit, the letters Dalet, Hei, and Vav, making up the word Hod, are the SECOND set of three letters. And as we see, the Mispar Katan "Small Number" of each three letters each comes out to six, for Aleph-Beit-Gimel as 1+2+3=6, Dalet-Hei-Vav as 4+5+6=15 and in turn, 15 as 1+5=6, and so on, just as the number of this post - 222, also add up to six as 2+2+2=6. And along these lines, the corresponding week in the Jewish calendar beginning with Rosh Hashana includes the 1st of Iyar, as mentioned above.<br />
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In fact, the number 222 reminds me of a Midrash where the holy day of Shabbat once complained to Hashem as being lonely, asking Him "All the other days of the week have a partner - Day One and Day Two, Day Three and Day Four, Day Five and Day Six. However, who is my partner?" Hashem answered the holy day of Shabbat saying that the Jewish people is its partner.<br />
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And so yes. We live in a world in which the work week, represented by the first six days of the week (though ironically, at least in the States, a good percentage of the people don't work on Sunday, which is the first day of the week), seem to be in control. After all, what we do for work seems to have a major influence on the financial lifestyle of one's family. However, it is within this framework that we are supposed to infuse our time with spirituality, which for Jews, means Torah and Mitzvot, realizing that though there may be some that will look on one solely based on his or her financial standing, this world serves a purpose only as place to serve Hashem, and it is only working for a living that helps us achieve this goal, rather than the other way around as observing a few laws as a "side thing", rather than being the main focus of our lives. <br />
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Thus, when we follow the Torah in this world of complex paradoxes that at times challenge our faith, representing numerous pluarities, being subjected by the world with its DOUBLE standards being applied to Jews, such as the United Nations looking at Jewish Israel as being occupiers of land as though it belongs to others when it is clear from the Bible that many members profess to believe in but only what is convenient to them, claiming how we poorly treat the "Palestinians" even though most ironically, this anti-religious Israeli government is busy attempting to show the world how kind we are to this sub-human enemies of ours by constantly providing them with food, electricity, medicines, and weapons; while on the other hand, ignoring the massive autrocities that some countries represented by the UN are commiting on others - it is then and only then that we can hope for Hashem to ultimately pay everyone according to what they really deserve, and set the standards straight - as to who is really first class citizens (the observant ones among the Jewish people) and the second class citizens (the non-Jews who lived righteous lives), while everyone who lived wickedly won't even be second class citizens but will be eternally damned to hell. <br />
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Yes, being second can be a very good thing - especially if we live our lives as second to both Hashem and others, realizing that everyone else has something that is better than ourselves, thus helping us not to be haughty and think of ourselves as higher than others by putting them down, regardless of who is actually the greater one in spiritual or physical achievements. For at the end, we are all public servants of Hashem, each one of us serving Him in our own personal level, circumstances, and talents.<br />
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8 Sivan, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-14837324921070145882014-05-13T09:33:00.000-07:002014-06-05T17:49:36.468-07:00#221 - The Month of IYARThis post will be dedicated to writing about my birthmonth Iyar; and as it turns out, the name of this month is the Gematria of 221, the number of this post.<br />
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To note, the present names of our Hebrew months weren't always in existance as month names; for as we see at least in the Chumash (Penteteuch), the months of the Jewish calendar are referred to as the first month, second month, etc. However, later on in the Tanach (Jewish Bible), we see a few of the months being given specific names, but even at that, some of these names are no longer used as a different name is used today.<br />
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One such example is our present month Iyar. In the Tanach, in the context of noting when the first Beit HaMikdash (Temple) was first begun to be built, this month is called the name Ziv (II Kings 6:1), which means brightness. This word is spelled with the letters Zayin and Vav, making up the Gematria of 13, noting that today is the 13th day of Iyar. (While in other contexts, one might see this word as spelled with the letter Yud in the middle, the correct spelling is how it is spelled in the Tanach; just as the word Chodesh which means month may be found to be spelled with the letter Vav, but throughout the Tanach, it is spelled without a Vav). <br />
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Now, while the focus in this post is on the name of this month as Iyar, I do want to expound a bit on the name Ziv that is given to this month. You see, all the months of the Jewish calendar have corresponding tribes and corresponding letters. With this said, the month of Iyar's corresponding Tribe is Yissaschar, which is the tribe that learned Torah all the time while being supported by his brother Zevulun, the tribe whose corresponding month is the next month Sivan. Now, the corresponding letters for these two months of Iyar and Sivan are Vav and Zayin, respectively. Noting this, the word/name Ziv consists of these very two letters, except that the Zayin preceeds the Vav, just as Zevulun preceeds Yissaschar in the blessings of Jacob and Moses; and the reason for this is because the learning of Yissaschar all day is made possible only by the support of Zevulun, and so even though Zevulun was the younger brother, he is mentioned before his older brother Yissaschar in the tribal blessings. And so, while in fact, learning Torah is the greatest of all Mitzvot and the most important thing in this world (not to put down doing good deeds for others, which have to be done at times even at the expense of Torah learning, but it is Torah learning that has the greatest spiritual value) and this month of Iyar's corresponding tribe is the one who learned Torah all day, we see with the Biblical name of this month as Ziv that its letters remind us of the value of the one who supports Torah learning who has in equal share in the Torah learning of the one whom he is supporting, as demonstrated by its two letters in which the Zayin whose corresponding tribe Zevulun, via the month of Sivan, comes before the Vav whose corresponding tribe is Yissaschar.<br />
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The truth is, there are two versions of how the month Iyar is spelled. In certain contexts, the name Iyar is spelled with only one Yud, and while technically, it may make more sense in terms of pronounciation, it seems that the prevelant spelling is with two Yuds, which is followed in Hala cha as mentioned in Hilchot Gittin (Laws of Jewish divorce - Shulchan Aruch Even HaEzer 126:23). Accordingly, we see that in the conclusion of Chapter Six of Tehillim (Book of Psalms) - the first letters of the last four words Oyvai Yashuvu Yeivoshu Raga "My enemies will return ashamed in a moment" spell the word/name Iyar; noting that the letter Vav whose numerical value is six and the sixth letter is the corresponding letter of the month of Iyar. And the other famous thing pertaining to the letters of the name of the month Iyar is that these letters are the first letters of the names Avraham-Yitzchak-Ya'akov-Rachel. <br />
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On this last point, there are a couple of questions that can be asked here: 1)What is the special connection between Iyar and the Avot (Patriarchs) along with Rachel, 2)What is the significance of Rachel of all the four Imahot (Matriarchs) being mentioned alongside with the Avot?<br />
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To answer this, we have to look at the spiritual accomplishments of these four, particular in terms of prayer. As is well known, the Avot - Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov - instituted the Shacharit (morning), Mincha (afternoon), and Arvit (evening) prayers, respectively. But perhaps what is not so known is that it was Rachel who composed the prayer for Rosh Chodesh, as we see that her name is spelled as the first letters of the first three words of the middle blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei Mussaf prayer for Rosh Chodesh - Rashei Chadashim L'Amcha "New Moons to Your people have You given..."<br />
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Aside from prayer, we see a common theme with the prayer compositions of these four is that their prayers are based on a specific time, whether it is the time of day or night, or the time of the month. And it is the month of Iyar that is especially connected with the aspect of time, because it is the only month in which we count the Sephirat HaOmer, the days starting following the first day of Pesach (Passover) until Shavuot (Pentecost), every single day of the month. <br />
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To note, the Gematria of these four names - Avraham, Yitzchak, Ya'akov, Rachel - is 876. And noting the etymology of the name of this month, or rather, the NAMES of this month - the wording of Iyar is based on the word Ohr (light) and the word Ziv means brightness. So as you can see, there is a direct connection between the two names of this month, as per the obvious connection between the concepts of light and brightness. This is nice, but what is the connection between the number 876 as related to the names whose first letters spell the month of Iyar and what I just wrote here? You see, this relates to the holiday of Chanukah, which is called Chag HaUrim "Festival of Lights", as this holiday began as a direct result of the resumption of lighting the Menorah in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). Now, among the main Mitzvot that the Syrian Greeks banned the Jews from performing was the Mitzva of Chodesh, observance of the New Month, which was the sanctification of the New Moon in the determination as to which day Rosh Chodesh was to be declared. And the reason why this was one of the Mitzvot that the foreign nation picked on was because they knew that the observance of the Jewish holidays as to the date of their observance was dependent on this determination of Rosh Chodesh whether it would be declared on the 30th or 31st day of the previous month based on the sighting of the New Moon. And as we see, Chanuka is the only holiday during which in the midst of it is Rosh Chodesh, which in our present calendar, is only one of two times in the year in which Rosh Chodesh (Tevet) can be either one or two days, which makes the month of Kislev either 29 or 30 days, respectively, reminding us of how Rosh Chodesh used to be determined.<br />
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Oh, for the above Gematria of 876, there are three fascinating things to write about this:<br />
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1)It is a composite of two numbers - 861, which is the Gematria of the name of Matisyahu, the one who started the revolution of the Jews fighting the Syrian Greeks which led to the holiday of Chanuka, as well as the Gematria of "Beit HaMikdash" in which religious freedom was restored with the lighting of the Menorah; and 15, which is the Gematria of the name of the Sephira - Hod, which we see corresponds to the Beit HaMikdash (Talmud Berachot 58a), as well as its corresponding holiday Chanuka, as mentioned in the writings of the Vilna Gaon.<br />
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2)It is a composite of the Gematria of two of the names of the tribes - Yissachar (830) whose corresponding month is our month Iyar, and Levi (46). It is these two tribes who were most devoted to Torah learning<br />
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3)We can dissect this number as three distinct numbers. The number eight (8) signifies the eight days of Chanuka, and the last two numbers seven (7) and six (6) are the very numerical values of the letters that spell the word Ziv, the Biblical name for this month of Iyar. <br />
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Within the last 2,000 years, the highlight of this month is Lag Ba'Omer, which celebrates the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), the author of the teachings of the Zohar. It is surely no coincidence that his passing took place in this month of Iyar, for as we see, the name of the book containing his teachings means "shining". Another way of looking at this is that both the first letters of the words/name Zohar and Ziv is the letter Zayin, and the last letters of the words/names Zohar and Iyar is the letter Reish. Moreover, the Gematria of the word Zohar is the same for the word Orah (212), the feminine wording for Ohr. Another way of looking at this is that the word Orah consists of the word Ohr and the letter Hei=5, and as we see in the first day of creation which begins the Torah, the word Ohr is mentioned five times, and the first mention of the word Ohr is the 25th word of the Torah, which hints to the 25th of Kislev, the date that begins Chanukah. Moreover, there is a prayer of praise called HaAderet V'HaEmuna which has mention of 22 stanzas each consisting of two words that begin a letter of the Aleph-Beit in order of the letters. For the letter Zayin, the words are HaZiv V'HaZohar, hinting to the fact that Rashbi, the author of the teachings of the Zohar, passed away in the month called Ziv (Note: In some prayer books, it is worded a little differently as HaZach V'HaZohar). As for Lag BaOmer itself, it is the date of Sephirat HaOmer whose corresponding Sephira combination is HOD She'B'HOD, the ultimate level of the Sephira of Hod that is related especially to Chanukah.<br />
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As a side note, having mentioned earlier about Rachel in terms of the month of Iyar, the corresponding tribe of Kislev, which includes the beginning of Chanuka, is Binyamin, the young son of Rachel. Interestingly, it is Mordechai, as a parental descendant of Binyamin, who was responsible for the holiday of Purim. And as we see in the Megilla (Esther 8:16), one of the four verses which are recited out loud by the congregation is LaYehudim Hayta ORAH V'Simcha V'Sasson V'Yekar "For the Jews there was LIGHT, happiness, joy and honor", and as our rabbis tell us in the Talmudic tractate of Megilla, "Orah" refers to Torah.<br />
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ORAH-TORAH<br />
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If you see it in the Hebrew, the only difference between the words Orah and Torah is that Orah begins with the first letter Aleph and Torah begins with the last letter Tav, whose respective numerical values are one (1) and four hundred (400). In reference to these numbers, I saw an amazing thing here only days ago in the Torah blog www.absolutetruth613.blogspot.com, along the lines that the nations of the world correspond to the sun while the Jews corresponds to the moon, it has been mentioned statistically that the Jews are 1/400th of the world population, or in other words, the ration of the world population to the Jews is 399:1. Amazingly, the size of the sun is 399 times the size of the moon. And if this was not enough, the distance of the sun is 399 times further than the istance of the moon to the earth. To more fully appreciate this, the light of the moon is a reflection of the sun's light.<br />
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With this said, it would seem that the opposite should be true. You see, I mentioned that the difference between the words Orah and Torah pertains to their first letters where the letter Aleph (1) begins the word Orah. Now, having mentioned that the Jews, who are 1/400th of the world population, correspond to the moon and that the moon's light is a reflection of the sun's light, it is the sun that is the source of the light and not the moon. And yet, we see that the word Orah (light), as beginning with the letter Aleph=1 which reflects the Jewish population, seems to relate specifically to the moon, when ironically, it is the sun that is the source of the light where the moon gets its light from. <br />
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Perhaps an even greater question can be asked here. If the raison d'etre of this world's existance is for people following what Hashem's says and wants, then how come Hashem didn't make everyone equal in terms of this, or at least a good percentage of the world population, aside from the Seven Noachide Commandments given to non-Jews? In fact, it is a very small percentage of the world population who have been given the whole package of what Hashem wants from us. Why should it be this way?<br />
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The truth is, we see that is how Hashem created this world to begin with. For in fact, the total human population is far less than just about any species of creatures roaming the universe or the seas. There are billions of certain creatures who have no soul, no commandments of G-d to follow, and yet, there are so many more of them than human beings. <br />
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Those who are in the business world, especially when it comes to business opportunities, well understand that it is in fact a small percentage of people who earn the vast majority of the money out there. And in earlier times, before the modern day business model, we see that one who was wealthy typically had not one, but several servants to attend to his every need. <br />
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Indeed, what most perhaps shows the importance of the Torah and the observance of its Mitzvot in this context, is that Hashem created the world SOLELY for the few who would observe them. It is everyone else, regardless of their spiritual level, whether good or evil, who are in this world merely to serve the few righteous ones, in all types of farming, construction, technology, etc. for this world to be fully functional for food, clothing, housing, transportation, etc. so the ones who are righteous don't have to spend all their time in physical survial for themselves, but rather, to spend a good portion of their time on spiritual pursuits. <br />
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As demonstrated with the letter Yud that represents the world to come, it also represents the righteous, being that the letter Yud is the smallest of all the letters, signifying that there would be relatively few righteous people, aside from the fact that it is this letter that begins' Hashem's main name as well as the name of the Jewish people, which are called by three names Ya'akov, Yisrael, and Yeshurun, all beginning with the letter Yud. In fact, the very language Yiddish is based on the word Yid, which is etymologically related to the letter Yud, the numerical value of 10 and the 10th letter of the Aleph Beit. For in fact, Hashem created the world with Ten Statements, as mentioned in the beginning of Chapter Five of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) and the very beginning of the Midrash called Yalkut Shimoni, where it is asked as to why Hashem couldn't simply create the world with one statement rather than with ten statements. The answer is to pay back the wicked ones who destroy the world which was created with ten statements, and to give good reward to the righteous who uphold the world which was created with ten statements. This means that people are punished or rewarded ten times the punishment or reward they would have received had the world been created with only one statement, since the amount of ten statements shows how much more the creation of the King of kings means to Him, and thus, one is so much more liable or worthy based on how little or much the creation of Hashem means to oneself.<br />
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One more explanation pertaining to the concept of the Aleph representing the Jews and the Tav representing the non-Jews via these letters' numerical values showing the ratio of their respective ratio populations is that the letter Aleph represents the Alufo Shel Olam "Chief of the World", and it is the Jews who best represent Him, beginning with Abraham the first Jew, whose name begins with Aleph; as well as the name of Adam HaRishon, Who was created directly by Hashem, and whose name is used as a term to refer to the Jewish people; and in terms of serving Hashem in the Beit HaMikdash, it is the Cohanim who are the main ones, who are parentally descended from Aaron, the first Cohen Gadol (High Priest), whose name begins with an Aleph, and whose son Elazar, who's name also begins with Aleph, became the next Cohen Gadol while still during the lifetime of Aaron's brother Moses.<br />
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In sharp contrast, the letter Tav begins the word Tachton (below) for the ones who don't observe Hashem's commandments, which are most of the non-Jews (with the exception of the few righteous non-Jews who observe the Seven Noachide Commandments) who are spiritual below, which includes a second Tav, which is based on the word Tachat which begins and ends with Tav; as well as the word Tehom (deep), which is used at times in reference to Gehinnom (Hell or Purgatory) for the wicked people who are indeed the biggest low-lifes, even lower than the ugliest, creepy creatures that Hashem created who aren't commanded or expected to observe any of Hashem's commandments.<br />
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And as far as the word Torah beginning with a Tav, the letter which especially relates to the non-Jews as per the above, the truth is that before Hashem offered the Torah to the Jews, He offered it first to the rest of the world. Of course Hashem knew beforehand that none of the nations wished to receive it, but He didn't want anyone else complaining later that He didn't even give them a chance or that they would have claimed that had He offered it to them, they would have accepted it. But the fact that Hashem offered it to them to begin with shows that in fact, they had the potential of being able to observe the Torah, if they would have just been willing to conquer their base desires and temptations to properly observe the Torah, and for this, Hashem could have had them go through a purification process, just as the Jews did to receive the Torah. True, even some of the Jews even after the Torah was given fell into temptation; in fact, it was hardly 40 days after the event of the Giving of the Torah that some succumbed to worshipping the Golden Calf. However, at least on a national level, the Jews overall were willing to accept the Torah, and hence, this was enough for them to be able to receive the Torah.<br />
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SECOND MONTH-SECOND PESACH AND THE CORRESPONDING SEPHIRAH<br />
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Just as the Torah, at least in the Chumash, calls the month of Iyar as the "second month"; so too, there is an observance of offering the Korban Pesach (Pascal sacrifice) a month later after the one offered on Passover eve for those who weren't able or didn't offer it the first time, which is held on the 14th of Iyar, called Pesach Sheni "Second Passover" (though it used to be in Talmudic times that it was Pesach Katan "Little Passover") when the Korban was slaughtered and then was eaten on the night of the 15th of Iyar. <br />
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I will focus more on the "second" aspect as per this in my following post; but for today, I want to discuss the Sephirah count and combination for the date of Pesach Sheni, which in our present calendar, it always coincides with the 29th day of Sephirat HaOmer, whose corresponding Sephirah combination is Chesed She'B'Hod (Kindness within Glory). The reason I word it like this is because in earlier times when Rosh Chodesh was observed based on the sighting of the moon, it could happen that the month of Nissan would have only 29 days; and hence, the 29th day of Sephirat HaOmer would fall out on 15 Iyar, rather than on 14 Iyar; but even then, this Sephira date and combination still had a connection to Pesach Sheni, because it was on the night of 15 Iyar (Noting that we count the Sephira to begin with at night) that the Korban of Pesach Sheni was eaten. Aside from this, the Gematria of Hod is 15, so whatever Sephira count it was on 15 Iyar, it always included the Sephira of Hod.<br />
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Anyways, as per the "Second Pesach" during the "Second Month", the connection with the 29th day of the Sephira is significant being that this event takes place around the middle of the month or with the full moon, and at least in our present calendar, there are always 29 days in the month of Iyar. As per the Sephira combination of Chesed She'B'Hod that relates to Pesach Sheni, we see a phenomenal thing. On each day of Passover, there is a Torah reading that relates to Passover, each in a different place in the Torah. Anyways, on the sixth day of Passover, which is the fifth day of Sephirat HaOmer, the Torah portion about Pesach Sheni (Numbers 9:1-14) is always read. But the phenomenal thing here is that the Sephira combination is Hod She'B'Chesed (Glory within Kindness), USING THE SAME SEPHIROT, BUT JUST IN REVERSE ORDER! Certainly, this is no coincidence, as I will now demonstrate.<br />
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Reading about Pesach Sheni in the Torah during Passover is the aspect of Hod, this word which is etymologically related to the wording of giving thanks, such as Todah, for the fact that Hashem gave this Mitzva of Pesach Sheni for those who weren't able to bring the Korban Pesach on Passover eve, even though it is a month later, is a great kindness from Hashem for these people that they shouldn't be left out from doing this Mitzva. Part of this is the fact that when in the following year following the Exodus, the command was given to perform the Korban Pesach, there were some Jews who were impure due to contact with the dead, in which case, it is forbidden to bring a sacrifice in such an impure state, and tahus were not able to bring the Korban Pesach on time. But instead of saying that it wasn't their fault, they'll offer the Korban Pesach next year, etc., the fact that they would not be able to participate in the Mitzva of Korban Pesach like most of the other Jews bothered them enough to ask Moses to ask Hashem if there was something that could be done for them. It was in reply to these good Jews that Hashem gave the Mitzvot of Pesach Sheni. Hence, when we read this in the Sefer Torah during Passover, it is in essence giving THANKS to Hashem for the great KINDNESS of granting a special Mitzva to those who weren't able to perform the earlier Mitzva of the regular Korban Pesach on Passover eve, the aspect of Hod She'B'Chesed, the Sephira combination of the day on which we read about this.<br />
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Conversely, it is on Pesach Sheni itself that the Mitzva or Mitzvot of the day are performed as Hashem's great KINDNESS (Chesed) to the ones who weren't able to perform the Mitzva of Korban Pesach earlier that we read about earlier during Passover, as reading about Hashem's kindnesses is a form of GIVING THANKS (Hod) to Hashem, the aspect of Chesed She'B'Hod, the Sephira combination of the day of Pesach Sheni, which in our present calendar, is always on 14 Iyar.<br />
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Now, noting the connection of the Sephira combination of Chesed She'B'Hod with the 29th day of Sephirat HaOmer, the Hebrew number for 29 is Kaf-Teit, the first letters of the word Ki Tov "for it is good", a refrain mentioned in the Creation of the world. It is also part of a Pasuk (verse) that is mentioned several times in Tehillim (Book of Psalms) - Hodu LaHashem Ki Tov Ki L'Olam Chasdo "Give thanks to Hashem for He is good, for His kindness is forever". As we see in this verse, the first word is Hodu "Give thanks", which is either at times spelled with a Vav between the Hei and the Dalet, thus the first three letters spelling the word Hod, or at other times when there is no Vav between the Hei and the Dalet, but it does end off with a Vav, thus the word Hodu having the same letters as Hod; and the last word is Chasdo "His Kindness". Among the number of times of the mention of this verse in Tehillim, it is both the first and last verse - the 29th verse - of Psalm 118, the last of six consecutive psalms that make up the Hallel prayer. In fact, this is the only chapter in the entire Tehillim that begins and ends with the same verse, ending as the 29th verse in which the phrase Ki Tov, whose first letters spells the Hebrew number 29 in the verse that mentions the concepts of the Sephirot Hod and Chesed. Coincidence?<br />
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But just when you thought this was it, let us take a look at the names of the letters Kaf and Teit. The word Kaf is spelled Kaf (20) and Phei Sophit (80), totalling the sum as 100, and the word Teit is spelled Teit (9), Yud (10), and Tav/Sav (400), totalling the sum as 419. As we know, we recite at least 100 Berachot (blessings) a day, which is an aspect of giving thanks to Hashem, and the 419th Mitzva of the Torah, and as mentioned in the first paragraph of the Shema, is to love Hashem, which is partly motivated by realizing all the kindnesses that Hashem has done for us, so it should only be natural for us - howbeit having in mind to do so as a Mitzva - to love Hashem, just as we love someone who has done kindnesses for us. In fact, the Sephira of Chesed is represented especially by Abraham, who by the way, is especially represented by the holiday of Pesach, which is the week of Chesed in terms of the Sephira combinations, and it is Abraham who is called in the Tanach as Avraham Ohavi, which can be translated either as Abraham who love Me, or as per his activites, the one who caused Hashem to be loved by others whom Abraham brought close to the wings of the Shechina (Divine Presence) especially by performing Hachnasat Orchim, inviting guests to his free steak meals in the midst of the desert, so long as they would thank Hashem afterwards for what they had just eaten.<br />
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And in terms of the Sephira combinations corresponding to the timing of the year in the Jewish calendar beginning from Hashana, this falls out around the week of Pesach, hence showing the clear connection between Pesach the holiday which begins its festivities with the Korban Pesach shortly before the holiday actually starts, and Pesach Sheni. For indeed, Pesach most represents the aspect of Chesed from Abraham's activities to Hashem taking us out of Egypt, even though some of the Jews were hardly spiritually prepared to be redeemed; and so, one year later, Hashem continued His kindness to us by giving a Mitzva opportunity to those who were earlier spiritually unprepared, howbeit in a different way by having impurity as per contact with the dead. <br />
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Now, one more Gematria that will solidify one of the above concepts. The Gematria of the phrase Hod She'B'Chesed or Chesed She'B'Hod is 389, and the Hebrew number for this consists of the letters Shin-Pei-Teit. Now, if we reverse these letters, they begin the words as Tahor (pure) - Pesach Sheni, for while there were a number of reasons why the Pesach Sheni sacrifice was offered if the Korban Pesach wasn't offered, the reason that brought Hashem to give this Mitzva to the Jewish people to begin with were the ones who were spiritually impure from contact with the dead, who badly wanted to do the Mitzva of Korban Pesach, but were forbidden to do so because of their impure condition. In fact, among other reasons for bringing the Pesach Sheni offering was if someone was too far away on Passover eve, which was also considered a reason beyond one's control; however, the only ones who were actually forbidden to offer the Korban Pesach were the ones who were impure; and so, while they may have missed the deadline as per their week long wait to get rid of the contact of the dead impurity, they now had another opportunity to bring the Korban Pesach one month later now as being TAHOR, and then and only then could they bring the offering on PESACH SHENI.<br />
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13 Iyar, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-67017816233960778122014-05-13T08:45:00.002-07:002014-05-13T09:26:37.930-07:00#220 - Covenant StrengthHad meant to write this post on the anniversary of my Brit Mila (circumcision) on 8 Iyar, but I am not too far behind writing my posting which I have done much more lately. But today is the 13th of Iyar, and as per the number of today's date, there are 13 Beritot (Covenants, plural of Brit) associated with this Mitzva (Commandment) of circumcision about which the word Brit is mentioned 13 times (Genesis Chapter 17). In any case, I have to note that this year, it was my first Brit (short for Brit Mila) anniversary since the birth of my son Shevach who had his Brit this past Rosh Chodesh Elul (1 Elul).<br />
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In any case, as per my past two posts focusing on Adam, the father ancestor of all mankind, being that his name is the Gematria of 45 as I have recently begun on 45th year, I will be mentioning about him in this post again in relationship to the Brit.<br />
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The truth is, the first person who ever performed a Brit was Abraham. You see, when Adam first entered the scene, Hashem had high hopes for him, but following eating from the forbidden tree, things changed, for had he not sinned, he would have reached the greatest spiritual heights, especially as being created by Hashem himself, unlike everyone else born from Adam and Eve who are formed in the womb of the mother.<br />
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In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b) on the fourth chapter of Sanhedrin that has the sole mention of Adam HaRishon in the Mishnayot, it lists the what took place on each of the 12 hours of that fateful Friday on which Adam and Eve were created. It was in the ninth hour that Hashem told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Hardly an hour went by, and Adam already did the sin. The Midrash tells us that had Adam waited only for three hours until Shabbat night, the test would have already been over, and the Tree of Knowledge would have no longer been forbidden to eat from, and would have already earned Eternal Bliss.<br />
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In the Torah, we are given a Mitzvat Lo Ta'asei (prohibition) not to eat the fruit from a new tree for the first three years (Leviticus 19:23), during which time, is called Arlah (uncircumcised). Only in the fourth year can the fruit be eaten when redeemed, and then in the fifth year and on, the fruit can be eaten without concern of this prohibition. Hence, it can said that the THREE years of the prohibition of eating from a new tree corresponds to the THREE hours that Adam was prohibited from eating from the Tree of Knowledge.<br />
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And why the number three? Well, we know that the Mitzva of the Brit consists of three parts - 1)Mila - Cutting the forskin, 2)Periah - Revealing the prepuce (head of pinus), and 3)Metzitza - Sucking the blood to prevent danger (There has been much discussion on this last part in recent years due to hepatitis cases that have happened, but I am not here to discuss the details on this or alternatives in terms of Halacha (Jewish Law). One should consult one's Orthodox Jewish rabbi or a well recognized Halachic authority pertaining to this issue). Also, the Gematria of the word Av (father) is three, and it was to Abraham, the first of the three Avot (Patriarchs, plural of Av), whose name is partly based on the word Av which begins his name, to whom Hashem first gave the Mitzva of the Brit. The word Av consists of the first letters of the Aleph-Beit, and as we know, the first two Mitzvot of the Torah is 1)to be fruitful and multiply, and 2)To circumcise one's son (Note: As for the first Mitzva, women aren't commanded to have children as men because of the pains of pregnancy and all, but Hashem implanted in them a greater desire to have children than men. As for the second Mitzva, women for the most part are not commanded with Mitzvot that are based on time, as with the Mitzva of Brit which is not before the eighth day, and is meant to be performed on the eighth day unless circumstances prevent doing so).<br />
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Now, as related to the number 28 which I wrote about in my previous post pertaining to the 28th Sephira combination, especially today being the 28th day of Sephirat HaOmer, being that the Hebrew number for 28 which consists of the letters Kaf and Cheit, the Mitzva of the Brit was first given to Abraham, the 20th generation descended on the parental line from Adam, and the ideal time for the Mitzva of the Brit is the 8th day of the baby's life, which was first performed as such on Abraham's son Isaac (20+8=28).<br />
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Having said this, let us see the letters of the names of these two letters Kaf and Cheit. The word Kaf consists of the letters Kaf (20) and Phei Sophit (80), hence the total Gematria of 100; and the word Cheit consists of the letters Cheit (8), Yud (10), and Tav/Sav (400), hence the total Gematria of 418. As per the word Kaf being the Gematria of 100, Abraham (the 20th generation as per the lettter Kaf) was in his 100th year when he performed this Mitzva on himself (the Torah states that he did it when he was 99 years old, hence his 100th year); and as per the word Cheit being the Gematria of 418, the reason why Abraham was the first one to be given this Mitzva to begin with was because of his declaring Hashem's unity, which is the 418th Mitzva of the Torah (which we mention in the first verse of the Shema), to the world at large (unlike some of his righteous ancestors whom while they themselves faithfully belived in Hashem and didn't sin like most of the world, they didn't go out to preach the word of G-d). And as we know, Hashem pays back with reward or punishment as Mida Knegged Mida, paying according to the deed. You see, since Abraham declared to the world that Hashem is Echad (One), noting that the word Echad is the Gematria of 13, Hashem paid him back by being the first one to be commanded the Mitzva of the Brit which consists of 13 Covenants.<br />
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Now, another way of Gematria as pertaining to five letters that appear only at the end of the word, whose letters are named with Sophit (end), which are Kaf, Mem, Noon, Pei, Tzadi is that their numerical value as the last letter of the word are 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, respectively. With this said, the two letters of the word Kaf in this instance have the Gematriot as Kaf (20) and Phei Sophit (800), with the sum total of 820, which in turn is the Gematria of the phrase V'Ahavta K'Reiacha Kamocha "You shall love your friend (at least) as much as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18), the Mitzva of loving a fellow Jew. And it was Abraham (the 20th generation as per the letter Kaf) who caused Hashem to be loved by showing his kindness and love to others, especially through Hachnasat Orchim, inviting guests who he fed both physically and spiritually, using his free meals for them as a springboard to recognize Hashem. And as we know, the word Ahava (love), just like the word Echad, is the Gematria of 13. <br />
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And as per the number of this post - 220, let us apply the same type of Gematria in terms of the words for the Hebrew letters for the number 220 - Reish and Kaf. The word Reish consists of the letters Reish (200), Yud (10), and Shin (300), hence the total Gematria of 510; and the word Kaf consists of the letters Kaf (20) and Phei Sophit (80), hence the total Gematria of 100. Now, adding the two sums 510 and 100, the total is 610, and its Hebrew number is spelled as the letters Tav, Reish, and Yud, which also spells the word Trei, which in Aramaic means two (2). With this said, adding these two numbers 610 and 2, the total is 612, and the word Brit consists of the same letters that spells the number 612 in Hebrew!<br />
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13 Iyar, 5774 - 28th day of Sephirat HaOmer<br />
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<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-10233225454782777512014-05-04T09:04:00.000-07:002014-05-12T19:30:31.210-07:00#219 - First Day of Earthly LifeTechnically, this is a continuation of my previous post which focused on Adam the first man, being that the Gematria of his name is 45, as I have entered my 45th year of life in this world a few days ago. In my previous post, the focus about Adam was about him being the head of creation - though he was created last in Creation - being that Hashem created mankind superior to other creatures in various ways, since it is mankind in particular that is commanded to serve Hashem, so we need all the resources possible for this to happen. Today, the focus about Adam will be about him being Adam HaRISHON, Adam the FIRST human being.<br />
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With this said, we must not forget that behind virtually every accomplished man, is the woman, his wife. And so, we must mention Adam's wife Chava (Eve), the "first" First Lady (there is really only one first, this title designated for the wife of the U.S. President is just an honorary title); though it is true that it didn't start off this way, being that it was Chava who convinced Adam to eat from the forbidden tree, and the rest is history.<br />
And just as I mentioned Adam's name in reference to Gematria, so will I will mention Chava's name as being the Gematria of 19, and today, as I am writing this, it is the 19th day of the Sephirat HaOmer.<br />
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But there is more than just this about today. You see, just as Adam is called HaRishon, so is the first day of the week called Yom RISHON, though in fact, Adam was created on the sixth day of Creation. And what is especially significant today about being Yom Rishon, as it relates to Adam, is that this coincides with the 19th day of the Sephira as it relates to the Gematria of Chava's name. Now if you noticed, Chava is in fact not called HaRishona (the first in feminine form) as Adam is; presumably because Chava was not created at the same time as Adam, but only afterwards as the second human being, being created from Adam's rib. (There is in fact another view that mankind was first created with the figure of Adam on one side and Eve on the other, and only later were they separated as distinct human beings, but I don't wish to get into this in my post). Anyways, as it relates to me, today is the FIRST Yom Rishon in my 45th year.<br />
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And speaking of the "first Yom Rishon", there is some interesting information about the first Yom Rishon - that is, the first Yom Rishon of the week of Adam's life, which was the second Yom Rishon of the week from Creation. The following will be a narrative that will help us imagine what it was life.<br />
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It was Motzaei Shabbat, the first Saturday night of Adam's and Eve's life. After the chain of events that happened to them on the day that they were created, finding themselves doomed to a life with misery following their sin of eating from the forbidden tree and being kicked out of Eden Paradise, the two at least had a chance to spend their first Shabbat knowing that their lives had been spared - at least from not dying anytime soon for their misdeed. In fact, on this very first Shabbat of Creation, Adam even sang what would later be known as Psalm 92, the Shir Shel Yom (Song of the Day) that the Levites sang in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) on Shabbat, which begins with Mizmor Shir L'Yom HaShabbat, the only mention of Shabbat in the entire Tehillim (Book of Psalms). Anyways, getting back to the present moment of time, while it seemed that earlier, there was some sort of spiritual light that they encountered throughout Shabbat, it was now after Shabbat, and all they saw was this darkness - the same darkness that we all see when it becomes night. However, not knowing that this is how nature is in this world outside of Eden Paradise, they were quite scared, with thoughts going on in their mind as per their past misdeed, aside from the fact that they could hardly see anything, except with a little light from the cresent moon that appeared on the night of the third of the month (Tishrei), appearing slightly bigger than when it was the New Moon two nights earlier when the moon was yet be able to be seen. In any case, this hardly sufficed for them and were beside themselves. All of a sudden, Adam thought of an idea. He took two pieces of wood, rubbed them together, and...fire appeared. It is based on this true story that in the Havdala service that we perform following the conclusion of Shabbat that we make a special blessing over seeing fire - Borei Meorei HaEish, the blessing that concludes with the words "the Creator of lights of the fire", marking the time of the week that fire first appeared in this world.<br />
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The next morning, Adam woke up on his first Sunday, his first day of what we call reality - no more Eden Paradise, no Shabbat for the next five and a half days, and felt tremendous remorse for his misdeed. He wanted to do something to somehow purify himself. He decided to dip himself in a body of water that we call a Mikva (ritualarium), connecting himself with the opposite type of nature than what he encountered last night. In the midst of this, he cried out to Hashem, begging Him for His forgiveness. And if this was not enough, following this, he offered an animal sacrifice (Kudos to yeranenyaakov.blogspot.com for bringing this last point just days ago) on the very grounds of what would be the future site of the Temple. <br />
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So as we see, there is a very strong connection here between Adam HaRISHON and Yom RISHON. To more appreciate the connection between the two here as it relates to us, the name Adam, which he gave to himself when naming all the various creatures in this universe, is actually based on the word Adama, which means earth, or more specifically, the dust of the earth, for it was from this source that Hashem created his body. Moreover, it was his head, the ROSH (related with the word RISHON), that was created from the grounds of the future Temple. <br />
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Hence, we see here a paradox: Adam was created from a very physical, earthly substance, from the lowest form of existance - both in terms of the level of existance, which is the lowest of the four (mankind, moving creatures, plant life, non moving), as well as its treatment, which is trodded upon by every creature that does not live solely in water. And yet, with Adam being created, his head was formed from what would become the holiest spot of the world.<br />
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Having said this, let us now turn to Gematriot. The word Adama is the Gematria of 50, while the name Adam which is based on the word Adama is the Gematria of 45. In similar fashion, near the beginning of the Zohar, it mentions the concepts of Mi (Who) which is related to the heavenly sphere, and Mah (What) which is related to the earthly sphere, having the Gematriot of 50 and 45, respectively. <br />
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With this said, we see even an even greater paradox, or perhaps more of an irony. You see, the Adama=50, being a most physical substance, became the very source of Adam's physical creation. However, unlike the Adama, Adam=45 (mankind) has the potential to rise up spiritually way above the Adama, for after all, this is the whole purpose of Hashem creating Adam to begin with. However, in the context of the Zohar, the word Mi, having the same Gematria as Adama, represents the greater spirituality than the word Mah, which is connected specifically with this world. What's the deal here?<br />
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True, it is only Adam (mankind) that has the potential to reach the greatest spirituality; in fact, even greater than angels who don't have the free choice that we do, since they are surrounded by spirituality, and aren't with a physical, earthly form which comes with its base pleasures and all. However, believe it or not, it is specifically BECAUSE he was created from the Adama that this is possible. The proof? First, we know that the Adama itself can be holy, or become holy, and not just in the Temple either. We see that when Hashem appeared to Moses for the very first time, He told him to remove his footwear since he was stepping on Admat Kodesh "holy ground". But ultimately, the number 50, which is the Gematria of the words Adama and Mi, represents the 50 gates of purity, and the 50 levels of understanding. In terms of the 50 levels of purity, the Jewish people reached the 50th level of purity on the day that they received the Torah, for being steeped in the 49 levels of impurity in Egypt, one step away from the 50th level of impurity which would be the point of no return, the Jews had 49 days following the Exodus to shed one level of impurity per day, and acquiring on level of purity per day. And in terms of the 50 levels of understanding, Moses acquired 49 levels of understanding, and it was on the final day of his life that he reached the 50th level of understanding. <br />
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And so, while Adam (mankind) was created with the potential for base desires and temptations, this does not have to define him. For ultimately, the roots of his source, the Adama, are from the highest levels of spirituality, but quite hidden in this world, and it is up to Adam to claim these levels.<br />
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And now, we see what brought Adam to bring a sacrifice on the grounds of the future Temple on that first Yom Rishon of his life. We know that at least with a Korban Chatat or Asham (sin or guilt offering), a Jew who brought such a Korban was able to see that the animal was slaughtered, its blood was poured in a vessel and poured on the altar, etc., reminding him that in fact, what was happening to the animal really should have happened to him for his sin, except for the fact that Hashem is ever merciful, and it is His wish that we should rather repent and resume serving Him. And so, while the animal itself is not what we would call a holy creature to say the least, for after all, an animal follows its base desires, it became the vehicle for a Jew to better his ways, being the cause for the Jew to serve Hashem better. In fact, once an animal was formally designated as a sacrifice of whatever type, it became sanctified, and having illegal benefit from it was a sin, requiring one to bring a sin offering for inadvertently committing this sin. <br />
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And so, we see that objects other than mankind can become holy, such as the ground in the midst of the Divine Presence as it was with Hashem's revelation to Moses, and animals in the service of the Temple. Hence, before Adam would start his long life being busy working with the sweat of his brow, he first reminded himself with his animal sacrifice that really, he should have already been dead, especially since in fact, Hashem told him that on the day that he would eat from the forbidden tree, he would die. However, Hashem in His great mercy reinterpreted His statement of "on the day", so to speak, since Hashem's own definition of "one day" is "one-thousand years", and so, instead of dying on that fateful Friday, Adam would be granted to live more than one physical day, but not to exceed 1,000 years.<br />
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AND FOR THE FIRST LADY...<br />
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O.K, so Eve is not called Chava HaRishona (Eve the First) in all of the Talmudic or Midrashic lore. However, being that after all, she was Adam's wife, her name that Adam named her requires explanation.<br />
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The Torah notes that the reason that Adam named his wife Chava is "because she was the mother of all living beings" (Genesis 3:20); in short, the ancestor of all mankind. On this, Rashi notes that her name is actually based on the word Chaya, which means "living", for she grants life (as a mother) to her children, going on to explain the other part of the root word of the name Chava as related to the word "is". <br />
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This is very nice, but if this is the case, why couldn't Adam have named his wife as Chaya, which today is a very common name for females? Was Adam trying to hide something here?<br />
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Actually, there are two answers that I have to offer here. First, we see that the terminology of Chava is actually used in the sense of speech, which is in fact the ultimate feature that separates mankind from the rest of creation. We see in Tehillim where it says V'Layla L'Layla YeCHAVEH Da'at "Night after night DECLARES knowledge" (Psalms 19:3), using the letters of Chava as a verb meaning declaring. Second, it relates to the Gematria of Chava, which is 19. In fact, my first answer is related to the Gematria of Chava's name, because the terminology of this word is in Psalm 19!<br />
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And why 19? You see, this is the amount of blessings that we recite in the weekday Shemoneh Esrei prayer. In fact, it is based on this, as noted in the Talmud (Berachot 10), that we recite the verse Yihyu L'Ratzon "May it be Your will...", the final verse of Psalm 19, at the end of every Shemoneh Esrei, paralleling the first 19 psalms ending with this verse. This is especially in light of the fact that in fact, we call our main prayer the Shemoneh Esrei, which means eighteen, rather than nineteen, because at one time, there were 18 blessings, but an additonal one was added at one point, asking Hashem to remove the evildoers from our midst. In a similar vein, in the early version of Tehillim, as noted in the above Talmudic source, Psalms 1 and 2 were at one time one psalm, but was divided up later. <br />
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Noting that Chava's name is 19, which is the number of blessings that the Shemoneh Esrei prayer consists of, we learn from this that when we TALK to Hashem, we are in fact creating a relationship with Him, in similar fashion to how we create our relationship with our wives, and communication, which is usually through speech, is how we most relate to them (and vice-versa of course), and is the usual determinent of what makes or breaks a marriage. <br />
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Taking a brief moment within the Shemoneh Esrei prayer, we see that the FIRST time that the word Adam is used is in the fourth blessing, the first of 13 blessings that are recited during the weekday, excluding Shabbat (and certain Jewish holidays) - Ata Chonein L'Adam Da'at "You grant knowledge to mankind", and it is in this very blessing, on Motzaei Shabbat, the beginning of Yom RISHON, that we recite a paragraph in similar fashion to the Havdala service that we perform over a cup of wine, declaring differences between what is holy and secular.<br />
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Now, one of these differences is the separation between Jews and the other nations (in terms of holiness). To note, the Hebrew terminology used for nations is Amim, rather than perhaps the more familiar term Goyim, plural for Goy. It seems that in certain contexts, the term Goy or Goyim is used in a derogatory sense, especially when refering to anti-Semites. However, in the Mincha (afternoon service) Shemoneh Esrei of Shabbat, we actually call ourselves a Goy - Goy Echad Ba'Aretz "One nation on earth", which is based on a phrase in the Tanach (Jewish Bible). And why do I mention this specific point? You see, the word Goy is also the Gematria of 19. <br />
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Yes indeed, the entire human population, Jew or non-Jew, all come from the same two people who were created by Hashem Himself. And while a human being looks like a human being, and not like an animal, it is Hashem Who made the distinction between Jews and non-Jews, specifically in term of holiness. For otherwise, everyone else would be right - why should Jews behave differently and refrain from marrying outside their professed faith? After all, if we really believe in G-d, Who created this universe, and we all come from the same people who were created from G-d, then what is determine who is holier or of a higher species than another, other than what we ourselves perceive to be a difference, such as color or race. But just like we see physical differences that often determine with whom we will or will not spend the rest of our lives with; so too, Hashem decided that there would be spiritual differences. However, unlike with color or race, this can actually be changed, because a non-Jew can decide to become a Jew, and then he or she is welcome to the Jewish fold, acquiring the same holiness that a born Jew has, and with the exception of marrying Cohanim, one who converts to becoming Jewish can marry - and only marry - someone else who is Jewish. <br />
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And so, unlike the claims of some who call us Jews racists, this could be nothing further from the truth. For as Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZT'L, HY'D (may G-d avenge his blood) put it, being racist is saying that one cannot change to be something else, which would be applicable to color or race. However, in terms of being Jewish, we state that in fact, one who is not born Jewish can change his status, can become Jewish, and color or race is not a factor in this.<br />
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After all is said and done, in certain contexts, it is specifically the Jewish people who are called with the terminology of Adam. And the reason for this is because it is specifically the Jewish people who are accomplishing the ultimate purpose of the creation of Adam. And as we know, had Adam not sinned, he would have been in the highest spiritual level possible. In fact, the Torah states that Hashem placed Adam in the Garden of Eden "to work it and to guard it". As our rabbis explain, working refers to the Mitzvot Asei (Positive or Active Commandments) and guarding refers to the Mitzvot Lo Ta'asei (Negative or Non-Active Commandments), which in essence is what we are commanded to do (the non-Jews were given only seven categories of commandments, but are not categorized as Mitzvot Asei or Lo Ta'asei as is done for Jews who were given 613 Mitzvot). However, since Adam fell short of his mission, a large part of it would be resumed nearly 2,000 years later, when Abraham, whose name begins with the letter Aleph and ends with the letter Mem Sophit, as it is with Adam's name, would arrive at the scene, and on his own, derived the 613 Mitzvot commanded to the Jews. <br />
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One more connection of the number 19 as it relates to both Jews and non-Jews relates to the calendars - the solar and the Jewish calendars. Now notice, I didn't write lunar calendar, for while the solar calendar that the non-Jews, or at least the Christian world uses, is totally based on the sun; the Jewish calendar, while it is based largely on the moon in terms of when a month begins or ends, its seasons are based on the sun, for every so often (in our present time, every two or three years), a 13th month is added to maintain a balance between the months and the seasons, unlike the Moslem calendar that is totally based on the moon, and its months in one year during one season will appear in the opposite season some 15 years later. In any case, it takes 19 years of our Jewish calendar to fall out in the same time of the season as it is with the solar calendar, maintaining a extra month for seven out of every 19 years.<br />
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With this said, while there are some that want to maintain good connections between Jews and Christians, let's say, to have a better understanding of each others' religions and all, it must be remembered that the ultimate way that we can get the world to accept us for who we are is our own strict observance of our Judaism, which will set the ultimate example for the world to see how life should be lived and what is most important in life. It is this and only this, that has served us in good stead throughout Jewish history, unlike the periods of the Holocaust for example when before this happened, there were many Jews whose only wish was to be the best Goy (living as a non-Jew in this instance) possible, but the day came when these most assimilated Jews were standing side by side with Jews who strictly observed our holy faith.<br />
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And one more point solidifying the similarity/contrast between the Jewish people and the other nations, the phrase Adam V'Chava (Adam and Eve) is the Gematria of 70, noting that there are 70 nations (aside from the Jews). On our side, there were 70 "souls" who came to Egypt where we lived for 210 years, dealing with the struggles of assimilation; but at the end, we came out whole as a nation, to receive the Torah a mere seven weeks later.<br />
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IN THE MISHNA<br />
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As I have mentioned in the past, there is a study program of learning a Perek (chapter) of Mishnayot a day. Presently in its ninth cycle, the chapter for today's date is the FOURTH chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin (Note: the FOURTH letter of the word Sanhedrin is a DALET=4), the FOURTH tractate of Seder Nezikin, the FOURTH volume of the six volumes of the Mishnayot. Being that the feature of this post is Adam, the middle letter of his name in Hebrew is Dalet, which is the numerical value of FOUR, and is the FOURTH letter of the Aleph-Beit. Also, the three letters of his name - Aleph, Dalet, Mem - begin the words Adam, David, and Moshiach; for King David, to whom Adam granted 70 years of his life, partly rectified Adam of his sin, and it will be King David's descendant Moshiach who will finish the rectification, and then the world will be in a state like the Garden of Eden before Adam sinned. As for King David's name himself, it both begins with a DALET and ends with a DALET. And if we count the number of letters of these names/words Adam, David, Moshiach, the FOURTH letter is the first DALET=4 of King David's name.<br />
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Having said this, let us now turn to the very beginning of this chapter that is most connected with the letter FOUR - Echad Dinei Mamonot V'Echad Dinei Nefashot... "The same law applies to both monetary laws and capital laws regarding the cross examination fo witnesses". Amazingly, the first letters of the first three words of this chapter - Aleph, Dalet, Mem - spells Adam's name! Now note, the very first word of this chapter is Echad, which means one. Now in this post, I spoke of the first day of the week as Yom Rishon, and this is normally how we refer to this day, including in our prayers in the Shir Shel Yom (Song of the Day) for the first day of the week. However, in the story of the account of Creation, the first day is refered to as Yom Echad, hinting to Hashem as Echad, for no other creatures were created on this day, and it was only on the second day that the angels were created. And as for the number FOUR, the last letter of this first word Echad is a DALET=4, and the first letter of the next word Dinei is also a DALET=4, noting that the DALET appears here twice right next to each other.<br />
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Now, to more appreciate the significance of what is mentioned here - Dinei Mamonot (monetary laws), these are the opening words of Tractate Sanhedrin (which begin both the first and three chapters of this tractate), and as it relates to me personally, the chapter learned on my birthday of 1 Iyar a few days ago was the first chapter of Sanhedrin beginning with these words. To note, the first letters of these first two words - Dalet and Mem - are the same letters as the Hebrew number for 44 - DOUBLE FOUR, and most significantly in my case, this day was my 44th birthday, or in another words, the day to reflect on my past 44 years of my life in terms of how I spend my years on a spiritual level and what I can now do to improve or move forward, now that I am beginning my 45th year. <br />
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But the main reason that I mention this first chapter particularly is because this phrase Dinei Mamonot is the same Gematria as HaTorah (the Torah) - 616, for the very reason of the Sanhedrin or any Beit Din (Jewish court) for that matter is to enforce the laws of the Torah and to decide cases, which are often money related cases, in accordance with the Torah. Anyways, in the context of the first chapter of Sanhedrin, it states Dinei Mamonot B'Shelosha - "Monetary cases are decided by a Beit Din of three judges". In terms of the phrase Dinei Mamonot having the same Gematria as HaTorah, the following word B'Shlosha which in some contexts can be translated as "in three", this is in effect saying "The Torah in three", for as we see in the Talmud in Tractate Shabbat, the Torah is referred to as the "Threefold Torah", whether in terms of the Tanach (Torah, Nevi'im, Ketuvim) or as Tanach-Mishna-Gemara. Accordingly, we see that Adam's name consists of THREE letters.<br />
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Having said this, let us now turn back to the opening words of the fourth chapter of Sanhedrin where it starts off with the word Echad (one), for indeed, regardless of how the Torah is apportioned, the Torah is all ONE, the wisdom of the One. Now, the word Echad itself is the Gematria of 13, and this is a most significant number both in terms of the Torah She'B'Ketav (Written Law or Tanach), as Moses wrote the first 13 Sifrei Torah (Torah Scrolls) on the day of his passing (this was done in a most miraculous way), and the Torah She'B'Al Peh (Oral Law or Talmud), for in terms of how the laws are interpreted, among the methods that make up the oral tradition are the 13 ways through which the Torah is interpreted.<br />
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Now, if this was the only mention or hint to Adam HaRISHON, especially being that this fourth chapter of Sanhedrin is always learned on Yom RISHON, as the Mishnayot consists of 525 chapters (which includes two chapters that are techincally not part of the Mishna) which is equally dividable by seven, would itself be very significant, aside from the fact that this is the first Yom Rishon of my 45th year as it relates to the Gematria of Adam's name - 45, and being the 19th day of Sephirat HaOmer as it relates to the Gematria of Adam's wife's name Chava - 19. But in this chapter of all the chapters of the Mishnayot, IT CONSISTS OF THE SOLE MENTION OF THE PHRASE ADAM HARISHON IN ALL OF THE MISHNAYOT, as mentioned in the last Mishna of this chapter (Chapter FOUR (4), Mishna FIVE (5) - and putting these two numbers together, it spells 45=ADAM!), which mentions the word Adam (though not necessarily every time referring to Adam per se, but rather as "person") seven times. So with no further ado, let me quote this Mishna directly:<br />
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"How was the process of frightening the witnesses for capital cases? They were entered into a room and were frightened with the following: "Is there a chance that perhaps you are giving witness out of estimation or hearsay such as from another witness or trustworthy person (ADAM)? Or perhaps, you weren't aware that we would be cross examining you? You should know that capital cases are not like monetary cases. You see, when it comes to monetary cases, a person (ADAM) gives money that he is ordered to pay and he is then atoned for. However, when it comes to capital cases, the blood of the accused and the blood of his would-have-been-descendants are dependent on the word of the witnesses until the end of time. As we see with Kain (who was ADAM's firstborn) who murdered his brother (Abel), it is written "The bloods of your brother are crying" (Genesis 4). It is not written as "The blood of your brother", but rather "The bloods of your brother" (in plural form), indicating not only his own blood, but the blood of his would-have-been-descendants (who would have been born otherwise had Abel not been murdered by Kain).""<br />
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"(The Mishna continues on with its own comments on the above verse following the statement from the court to the witnesses). Another interpretation of the phrase "The bloods of your brother", for his blood was thrown on wood and stone. Therefore, ADAM was created alone, to teach you<br />
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1)One who murders one Jew is considered by the Torah as if he murdered the entire world; while conversely, one who causes one Jew to live is considered by the Torah as if he caused the entire world to continue living. <br />
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2)There should be peace between mankind, so one person (ADAM) should not say to another "My father is greater than your father".<br />
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3)Those who don't believe in Hashem as the One and Only shouldn't claim that there are many Higher Authorities.<br />
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4)To declare the greatness of the Holy One Blessed Be He. For a person (ADAM) mints coins with one seal, each one looking the same. However, the King of kings, the Holy One Blessed Be He minted each person (ADAM) with the seal of ADAM HARISHON, and no one resembles one another.<br />
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5)(Therefore) Each and every one is obligated to say "For my sake was the world created""<br />
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Believe it or not, this is not the conclusion of this Mishna, but I am here to focus on Adam HaRishon. But as you can see here, it is nothing short of Hashgacha Peratit (Divine Providence) that the first letters of the opening phrase of this chapter that especially mentions Adam HaRishon should be the very letters that spell Adam's name (in order of the letters)! At this point, it is noteworthy to mention that there is one more chapter in all of the Mishnayot where the first letters of the first three words also spells the word Adam, the FOURTH chapter of Tractate Eiduyot (Testimonies), which is also a tractate in the FOURTH volume of the Mishnayot - Eilu Devarim M'Kulei... "These are the things that are among the leniencies of Beit Shammai...", and similarly, the word Adam (as person) is mentioned twice in the last Mishna of this chapter, in which this Mishna begins with the word Adam. <br />
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THE CORRESPONDING SEPHIRA<br />
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Moving right along with each post corresponding in order of the 49 combination Sephirot, this post corresponds with the 28th Sephira of Malchut She'B'Netzach. Today, I am going to focus on the number of this Sephira - 28. First, the very first verse of the Torah which begins off with the account of Creation which culminated with the creation of mankind, consists of 28 letters. But as especially related to Adam, there is a Halachic Sefer on the laws that make up the first section of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) in the Orach Chaim section about the laws of daily prayers, blessings, eating, Shabbat and holidays, composed by Rabbi Abraham Danzig, and is called Chayei Adam (Life of a Person), for indeed, the laws of the Torah, especially the ones that we daily observe, is what are spiritual lives consist of, our daily spiritual nutrients. To note, the Gematria of this first word Chayei is 28. Significantly, one of the words in Hebrew which means strength is Ko'ach, which also spells the Hebrew number 28; for indeed, following the laws of the Torah gives one spiritual strength. Moreover, the total Mispar Katan ("Small Number" refering to a reduced Gematria value) of the names of Adam and Chava adds up to a total of 28, as illustrated like this: Adam (Aleph=1, Dalet=4, Mem=40), where when we remove the zero and then add the three numbers together, the total is nine, and with Chava's name (Cheit=8, Vav=6, Hei=5), the total is a straight 19 as the regular Gematria of her name. Now, as the number 28 is the combined Mispar Katan, or small Gematria of the names of Adam and Chava, we see that one's children are called one's strength (Ko'ach), as we see for example with Jacob's blessing for his firstborn Reuben where he states Kochi "My strength" (Genesis 49:3), as the children of Adam and Chava were the very first ones (Kain and Abel) who were born from the womb of the mother. <br />
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4 Iyar, 5774 - 19th day of Sephirat HaOmershimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-30425283018242791912014-05-02T07:09:00.002-07:002014-05-03T20:49:55.092-07:00#218 - Head of CREATIONAs my first post since my Jewish birthday on 1 Iyar, I want to focus today on the number of my present year of life in this world - 45. <br />
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First, aside from how the number 45 is spelled in Hebrew as the letters Mem-Hei, it also spells the word that reads Mah. Typically, this word is translated as meaning "what", but at times, depending on the context in the Tanach (Jewish Bible), is means "how" - not necessarily as a question, but rather as an exclamation of praise, such as "HOW goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your living quarters, O Israel" (Numbers 24:5) and "Oh HOW do I love Your Torah, it is my conversation all day long" (Psalms 119:97).<br />
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More on this later, but first, I want to write about Adam, the father ancestor of all mankind, since his name is the Gematria of 45, and today is Friday, or the sixth day of the week, the first one in my 45th year, noting that Adam was created on the sixth day of the week. Indeed, I have started a new beginning, so to speak, with the commencement of my 45th year. Thank G-d, I am already a parent of both a girl and a boy.<br />
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While Adam is called Adam HaRishon, the first, this is not referring to him as being the first of creation, but rather, the first of all mankind. However, Adam can rightfully be called the HEAD of all creation, since of the four categories of vitality in creation - speaker, living, sprout, and inanimate - it is mankind who is called speaker, since it is only mankind of all creations that are able to speak as coming from the soul (Note: While we see animals, birds, etc. using their mouths in communication, this is not on the same level as it comes for human beings). The ultimate proof of this, aside from the fact that we know that it is mankind of all creatures that is expected to serve Hashem, is that mankind was created last of all creations. You see, it is just as it is in a gathering that is together to meet the king, president, or some other important personage. As it always happens, everyone else is together, and it is they who are waiting for the last one to show up - the important person that they are waiting for. After all, this important person's time is very valuable, and neither does he have the time nor is it respectful to expect him to have him wait for everyone else to show up. Similarly, Hashem created everything else first, so that by the time Adam and Eve would be created on the sixth day following the first five days, including the animals who were created on the sixth day, everything would be ready for them rather than them having to wait for Hashem to create other things that would be of service to them.<br />
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With this said, when it comes to the various parts of the body, it is the head that is both literally the head, or the top of the body, and also the leader of the body, because this is where the brain resides, without which, there is no way that the body could survive, and as we know, the various limbs of the body move according to the thinking and will of the brain. Moreover, we usually communicate with each other by seeing each other's faces that are part of the head and speaking to each other with our mouths. And so in essence, mankind is the brainpower of all creation; for after all, what other creature in this universe, for example, is able to create the various modern technologies that mankind has invented, which happen not only because mankind has far more flexibility in moving their limbs than animalistic creatures, but ultimately, it is their brains that are far superior to that of all other creatures. And finally, an injury to the head is far worse than to other parts of the body; for if a part of the body is injured, it is usually just that limb that is affected, but an injury to the head affects not only the head, but quite oftentimes, the rest of the body as well, as is most evident when one is in a coma.<br />
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In any case, it is true that the word Rishon (first) is actually based on the word Rosh (head), for indeed, it is the head that is the first to know of something happening, and it is only afterwards that other parts of the body react accordingly. And speaking of the head of creation, the word for creation in Hebrew is Beriah, the Gematria of 218, and this is my 218th post.<br />
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Now, I personally believe that if Adam and Eve would not have sinned with the forbidden tree, then Hashem would have picked a different couple who would have sinned. To make this clear, Hashem knew beforehand that Adam and Eve were going to sin; though in fact, they had a choice not to sin, so it isn't like they were forced with eating food that they weren't supposed to eat. However, if Hashem would not have wanted a world with suffering physically or spiritually, he wouldn't have had a couple as the first couple that were going to sin. After all, the very reason why Hashem put us all in this world to begin with was in order for us to earn reward, rather than receiving it par bono, which would make us always feel bad that we are receiving something for nothing. And so, if this world would have been without suffering or temptations, it would defeat the whole purpose of Hashem taking us from a high spiritual place to a rather very low one. And so, even as Adam and Eve were righteous people, Hashem already knew that they were going to sin, and hence, since everyone descended from them who were stricken with punishment, we are all stuck with the same deal, whether it is men working with the sweat of the brow or women dealing with the pains and all of menstration and pregnancy. Hence, since Adam and Eve, as the heads or ancestors of mankind were affected as a result of their sin, we as their descendants are all affected accordingly.<br />
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In a similar vein, we Jews started off good with Hashem giving us the Torah and in fact, the impurity that attached to everyone else beginning with Adam and Eve as a result of the original sin, hence causing death, was removed at first from the Jewish people, but was returned followed the sin of the Golden Calf. However, as bad as this was, aside from the much shorter life now that the impurity returned to the Jewish people, it was the crying of the Jews at the evil report of the Spies on the night of the date of Tisha B'Av (9th of Av) that made a major spiritual decline, first delaying them from coming to Israel for nearly 40 years, and this resulted with Moses not being able to come with them to Israel when the time come, for as our Sages say, had Moses entered the Land with the Jewish people, the Temple would have never been destroyed. However, not only one Temple, but two Temples were destroyed - both on this very date of Tisha B'Av, along with a multitude of other major sufferings that happened to the Jewish people on this date.<br />
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In any case, we see that the date of Tisha B'Ab is the NINTH day of the FIFTH month (counting from Nissan, the month of the Exodus and birth of the Jewish people). The reason that I write this is becuase the number 45, which is the Gematria of Adam's name, is a multiple of NINE and FIVE. Now, we see that following the sin of the forbidden tree, Hashem confronts Adam, and the very first word that Hashem says to him is Ayeka (Genesis 3:9), which can be translated as "Where have you been", meaning, asking Adam as to how he could have allowed himself to be brought down spiritually from committing this sin. In any case, we see that the word in the text as Ayeka is the very same word, except with different Hebrew vowels, as the word Eicha, the word that begins the book in Tanach that is called Eicha (Lamentations) that is read on Tisha B'Av.<br />
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And having said this, it is nothing short of Hashgacha Peratit (Divine Providence) that this word Ayeka is found in Chapter 3, Verse 9 of Genesis - for two reasons. First, the letter with the numerical value of three is Gimel and the letter with the numerical value of nine is Teit, and these two letters when spelled together as this, is the word Get, the name of the document that the husband gives to his wife in divorcing her, and in essence, Adam and Eve were divorced from Hashem's Presence "He (Hashem) chased away mankind" (Genesis 3:24), this word "chasing away" or Vayegaresh in Hebrew, whose root word is used in Tanach in reference of divorcing one's wife. Second, these two numbers together - three and nine - when put together, spells the number 39, and as the Zohar notes (Tikkun 48), there were a total of 39 curses as a result of this sin - 10 for the snake, 10 for Adam (men), 10 for Eve (women), and 9 for the earth (the source of the forbidden tree). This is also related to the 39 types of work which are forbidden to be performed on Shabbat, as these types of work are related to the curse of working that Hashem placed on mankind which are forbidden to be performed on Shabbat, the source of blessing. And by the way, the story of the destruction of the second Temple can be found in the midst of the fifth chapter of Tractate Gittin, the tractate that is all about Jewish divorces, of the Babylonian Talmud.<br />
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Now, in a more positive sense, the 45th day from Rosh Hashana (1 Tishrei), the date of the creation of Adam whose name is the Gematria of 45, is the Yahrzeit of Matisyahu (my second Hebrew name that I adopted six years ago) of the Chanuka story - 15 Cheshvan. And it is Matisyahu, who led the rebellion that led to the victory of the Jews over the Syrian Greeks that allowed them to reenter the Temple after an absence of time due to the foreign oppression to attempting to prevent the Jews from observing the Torah, who was responsible for the holiday of Chanuka, marked by lighting the lights of the Menorah for eight nights, and is the 620th and last of the 613 Mitzvot of the Torah and seven Mitzvot instituted by the Rabbis, and the word Keter (crown) consists of the letters that spell the Hebrew number 620. The reason that I write this is because the first days of the year beginning with Rosh Hashana and culminating with Yom Kippur correspond to the total of 10 Sephirot (Keter, Chachma, Bina, Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchut) as mentioned in the writings of the Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero); and hence, Rosh Hashana corresponds to the Sephira of Keter. With this said, the name of Matisyahu who was responsible for the 620th Mitzva is the same Gematria as the name of the holiday Rosh Hashana - 861, of which the first day (which is really only one day according to the Torah, but due to technical reasons related to the timing of seeing the new moon, eventually became two days) corresponds to the Sephira Keter whose name is the Gematria of 620. Moreover, as in this 45th year of mine, Matisyahu's Yahrzeit of 15 Cheshvan falls out on Shabbat on which Parshat Vayeira is read, the latter half of this Parsha is read during the two days of Rosh Hashana. <br />
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ABOUT THE NUMBER FIVE<br />
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Yesterday, on my birthdate beginning my 45th year, I learned Tikkun 45 of the Zohar. This is the very place in the entire Tikkunei Zohar, going in order of explanation on Parshat Bereishit, that it writes about the FIFTH day of Creation. Amazingly, my 45th year began on the FIFTH day of the week, just as I was born on the FIFTH day of the week (as well as the day that I turned Bar Mitzva and the day that I became a full legal man according to the Torah at the age of 20).<br />
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With this said, let us see how some of the greatest Tzadikim (righteous people) bearing my namesake Shimon are especially related to the number five. First, there is Shimon HaTzadik, one of the few righteous Cohanim Gedolim (High Priests) of the second Temple, whose Yarhzeit is 29 Tishrei, which is the first day of the FIFTH week from Rosh Hashana. And then, there is Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), author of the teachings of the Zohar, whose Yahrzeit is observed on Lag Ba'Omer, which is the FIFTH day of the FIFTH week of Sephirat HaOmer, and whose Sephira combination is Hod She'B'Hod, noting that the word Hod is a multiple of FIVE (as the Gematria of 15 or 5*3). And as related to Rashbi, there was a Rabbi Shimon Lavie who composed the most famous song pertaining to Rashbi who passed away on Day 15=Hod of the FIFTH month (this is a special date known as Tu B'Av), noting that the Tribe of Shimon is the corresponding Tribe of the month of Av. And as pertaining especially to the number 45, the song that this Rabbi Shimon Lavie composed includes the repeat stanza - Bar Yochai Nimshachta Ashreicha Shemen Sasson MeiChaveirecha "Son of Yochai, fortunate are you that you have been anointed with the oil of gladness from among your peers", these last three words Shemen Sasson MeiChaveirecha coming straight from Tehillim Chapter 45 (Psalms 45:8), noting that some have a custom to recite the Psalm Chapter daily corresponding to the present age year that they are in, which means that Psalm 45 is my corresponding psalm as I am presently in my 45th year. With this said, in this same song, there is a stanza that states Na'aseh Adam Ne'emar Ba'avurecha "Let us make mankind (Genesis 1:26)" was said for your sake", noting that the word Adam, which is the Gematria of 45, is used here, as this was the 10th and final Statement that Hashem made in creating the world, creating Adam (and Eve) as the last creation.<br />
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In fact, we see in the Torah that the leader of the Tribe of Shimon brought special offerings on behalf of his tribe, in the midst of the leaders of the other tribes doing so, on the FIFTH day, which actually has three meanings - the fifth day from the dedication of the Tabernacle, the fifth day of Nissan, and...the FIFTH DAY OF THE WEEK! And of course, the name Shimon consists of FIVE letters. <br />
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ABOUT TODAY'S SEPHIRA<br />
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Today is the 17th day of the Omer, and the Sephira combination of this day is Tiferet She'B'Tiferet (Beauty with Beauty). With this, I am reminded of the verse that I mentioned in the beginning of this post Mah Tovu Ohalecha Ya'akov "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob..." This verse begins with the word Mah which is the Gematria of 45. To note, this is one of six places in the Torah that the Sofer (Torah scribe) is supposed to write at the beginning of a column, the FIRST word of this column being the word Mah, which is the same Gematria as the name of the FIRST human being called Adam. Now, the very next word is Tovu (good in plural) which is the Gematria of 17, just as the day of today's Sephira, falling out on the first Friday, or sixth day, of my 45th year, being the same day of the week as Adam was created. And then we see that the name Jacob, the name of the third of the Patriarchs, is mentioned here (though in this context, it refers to the Jewish people).<br />
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I am reminded of what it states in the Talmud (Bava Batra 58a) "The BEAUTY of Jacob (the Patriarch) is a reflection of the BEAUTY of Adam". Now, whether this is supposed to be referring to spiritual or physical beauty, it is obvious that the creation of Hashem has to be perfect in the way that He wanted it to be created, since after all, Adam was to be the ancestor of all mankind. In any case, we do see a similarity between Adam and Jacob; Adam being the ancestor of all mankind, and Jacob being the ancestor, or father, of the 12 Tribes of Israel, showing that the Jewish people, despite differences are in essence one, having the potential to maintain unity among each other, which is in fact, an aspect of beauty, because it is precisely with an array of colors that are together that show how different colors are next to each other, side by side. (Note: The word for beauty in this context of the Talmud is a different word being that it is Aramaic rather than Hebrew.)<br />
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To note, the Sephira of Tiferet, of the seven active Sephirot (beginning with Chesed), corresponds to Jacob of the Seven Shepherds. And so, this day being the Sephira of Tiferet She'B'Tiferet (Beauty within Beauty) falling out this year on the sixth day of the week, the day of the week on which Adam was created, is an amazing connection between Adam and Jacob in itself. But if this was not enough, this date falls out this year (unlike last year when it also fell out on the sixth day of the week, or in other leap years when we read the previous Parsha) as the sixth day of the week of Parshat Emor, and the sixth Aliyah of this Parsha is all about the Mitzvot of the holiday of Succot, the third of the Shalosh Regalim (Three Pilgrimage Festivals) that corresponds to Jacob of the three Avot (Patriarchs). This is highlighted by a verse that shows a special connection between Jacob and the concept of Succot "Jacob travelled to Succot (name of a city) and while there, he built a home and he made Succot (booths) for his cattle; therefore, he named the place Succot" (Genesis 33:17). <br />
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And noting that the above verse is Verse 17 where the word Succot is mentioned THREE times, we see that this number 17 is unique to Jacob in quite a few ways:<br />
1)The Sephira combination of Tiferet She'B'Tiferet, the THIRD Sephira within the THIRD Sephira, which falls out on the 17th day of the Omer, is most connected to Jacob.<br />
2)As the seven days of Succot correspond to the Ushpizin or the Seven Shepherds (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, David), the third day of Succot, which is the 17th of Tishrei, the THIRD day of Succot, corresponds to Jacob.<br />
3)As is mentioned at the very beginning of Parshat Vayechi, Jacob's last 17 years of his life were spent in Egypt, the beginning of the 210 years that the Jews were in Egypt "Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for 17 years" (Genesis 47:28), noting that this Parsha is always read in the month of Tevet, and the name of the constellation for this month is Gedi, the Gematria of 17.<br />
4)The Mitzva of Gid HaNashe, the prohibition of eating the sinew vein of the thigh, is the THIRD Mitzva of the Torah (and the very first of 365 prohibition Mitzvot), which is a result of Jacob being injured at his thigh as a result of having a fight with an angel who looked to wrestle with Jacob. The first word of this phrase GID Hanashe is the Gematria of 17. <br />
5)In the phrase Mah Tovu Ohalecha Ya'akov "How goodly are your tents O Jacob", which we recite at the very beginning of our morning prayers following putting on the Tallit (prayer shawl) and Tefillin (phylacteries), the word Tovu, in reference to the name Jacob, is the Gematria of 17. In the original context of the Torah, this is the THIRD verse of a poetry of blessings for the Jewish people that the evil Bila'am stated that Hashem made him speak instead of his original intended curses in his THIRD attempt of doing so.<br />
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Exactly one year ago on this date of 2 Iyar, the 17th day of the Omer, which is Tiferet She'B'Tiferet, Rabbi Ya'akov Yoseph ZT'L, a Rosh Yeshiva in Jerusalem who gave numerous Torah lectures in various places each week, son of the famed Rabbi Ovadia Yosef who served as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and headed the Shas party of the Knesset, passed away. I already wrote about him last year since his passing, especially as he was a champion to the rights of not giving any parts of Israel away despite being surrounded by others who weren't in agreement of his views, following in the ways of his namesake Ya'akov Avinu (Jacob our Forefather) who was especially attuned to the trait of Emet (truth) - Titein Emet L'Ya'akov "Give truth to Jacob", but one thing of significant interest, as it relates to Tiferet, as that on the day of his passing, unlike many others who are also very sick and aren't conscious in the last so many days of their lives, Rabbi Ya'akov Yosef was fully alert, having recited the morning prayers with his Tallit and Tefillin, noting that the Tefillin is especially related to the concept of Tiferet. Of this rabbi, it can truly be said M'Ya'akov Ad Ya'akov Lo Kam K'Ya'akov "From Ya'akov (the Patriarch) until (Rabbi) Ya'akov (Yosef), there was none who rose like Ya'akov".<br />
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As per the above verse "How goodly are your tents, O Jacob", we see that right from the getgo that Jacob was the epitome of Torah learning, because of which is dubbed "The chosen of the Patriarchs", even more than his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham, as the verse writes of him in his youth V'Ya'akov Ish Tam Yoshev Ohalim "Jacob was a man of simplicity, a dweller of tents" (Genesis 25:27), referring to the tents of Torah learning, as in a Yeshiva setting, as this is referring to the tents of Shem and Ever, two of his ancestors who established the very first Yeshiva in the world. And as Jacob is the THIRD of the Avot (Patriarchs), we see in the Talmudic tractate of Shabbat that the Torah is called the "THREEFOLD Torah" (which can be either Torah-Nevi'im-Ketuvim the Tanach or Tanach-Mishna-Gemara). <br />
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And noting that today is the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Ya'akov Yosef, which is the first Friday of my 45th year, the SIXTH day of the week on which Adam was created, and having mentioned above about the connection between Adam and Ya'akov Avinu in terms of Tiferet (beauty), there is one chapter in the entire Mishnayot that begins with the word Adam (referring to a human being), the SIXTH chapter of Tractate Ahalot (Tents), this tractate which discusses the spiritual impurity that one can attain as a result of being under the same roof as a corpse, which is originally mentioned in Numbers Chapter 19, in which Verse 14 states - Zot HaTorah Adam Ki Yamut B'Ohel... "This is the law of a person who dies in a tent, whoever comes to the tent or whatever is in the tent will be impure for seven days". Now, aside from the fact that both the Chumash (Penteteuch) and the Mishna chooses the word Adam, rather than one of the other three synonyms in Hebrew for a person, highlights the concept of death that began with Adam following his spiritual downfall. In a homiletic sense, our rabbis tell us "From where do we see that Torah is attained by one who "kills" himself for it? As it says "This is the Torah (law) of a person who dies in a tent"" (Talmud Berachot 63b). Indeed, it takes much Mesirut Nefesh (giving up of oneself) to be a Torah scholar, as we know of numerous examples of rabbis of yesteryear who spent endless hours in their youth, with little sleep, and oftentimes with little food when there was hardly any, learning Torah, especially in the areas of the Talmud and Halacha (Jewish Law), as what Rabbi Ya'akov Yosef specialized in. <br />
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And to end off on a GOOD note - noting that the Hebrew word for good is Tov, the Gematria of 17, the number of today's Sephira - as is common in finishing off a piece of Torah, it states Ein Tov Elah Torah "There is no good but Torah" (Talmud Avoda Zara 19b)<br />
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2 Iyar, 5774 - 17th day of Sephirat HaOmer<br />
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<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-91577902741833803882014-04-30T05:32:00.000-07:002014-04-30T07:26:13.154-07:00#217 - End of the BLOOD YearAt this time, I am literally hours away from my Jewish birthday, ending my 44th year of life in this world. It has been significant that I mentioned the number 44 in my previous two posts, as at this time, both the four red moons as related to the number 44, the Gematria of the word Dam (blood/bloodshed) are taking place, and this, within the middle of the second term of the 44th U.S. President Obama. As for Obama's two presidental terms, multiplying the number 44 by two equals 88, the number that represents the symbol HH, as H is the eighth letter, that stands for Heil Hitler. And there is another word related to this that also begins with the letter H, of course - Holocaust. It was only in 1945 that the Holocaust ended with the ending of World War II, a great travesty that occured with the silence of the world, including and especially the United States, our so called ally of Israel, which then was under the leadership of the anti-Semitic U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during which time a boatload of Jews came to the States escaping the Holocaust, only to be turned back and perish in the flames of Jew hatred. It was only thanks to Mr. Roosevelt croaking in the midst of his FOURTH term that things changed, with Harry S. Truman taking over the reigns, who even acknowledged Israel as the State of Israel in 1948 shortly after this historical event took place. <br />
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In any event, having mentioned before that Obama is Gog (U'Magog), this phrase Gog U'Magog is the Gematria of 70, and next year, the predicted time that Obama will be pressing the red button on Israel, it will be just about 70 years since the end of the Holocaust. Also, this will be happening around the end of 48 years since the liberation of Jerusalem which occurred in 5727 (1967). You see, the number 48 is the sum of the numbers FOUR and FORTY-FOUR, and it is particularly on Jerusalem, as foretold in the Tanach, that Gog U'Magog and Co. will be fighting against, which is basically negating the belief of Jerusalem as our capitol as far as they are concerned, attempting to vindicate the claims of the Arabs that the Temple Mount area in their East Jerusalem is theirs, while fighting us in West Jerusalem where most of the Jews in Jerusalem reside, since after all, both the Arabs and the other nations not only don't want us in East Jerusalem, but neither in any part of Jerusalem - or anywhere else in Israel for that matter, but their fight against us will at least begin in Jerusalem, because after all, if we are not entitled to even live in Jerusalem the capitol, then what right do we have to live anywhere else in Israel. This will especially be the case should Moshiach come soon enough, because then, the nations will make one last attempt to get rid of us, knowing that if indeed we have the true Moshiach that we have been waiting for, the more Jews dead, G-d forbid, the better for them from their perspective, as they will viciously attempt to prevent us from having the long awaited Redemption.<br />
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There is something that I had mentioned once before in connection with the number 44, aside from Torah study, that could very well help the Jewish people from this bloodshed predicament. You see, in the 70 Tikunim of the Tikunei Zohar, the holiest part of the Zohar, Tikkun 44 focuses on the Mitzva of Tzedaka (charity). Indeed, the final verse of the Haftara for Parshat Devarim, the 44th Parsha, that we read on the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av, reads "Zion will be redeemed with justice, and those who return to her with Tzedaka" (Isaiah 1:27). And amazingly, as the Tikkunei Zohar at one point explains the verses in Parshat Bereishit in order of the verses, it is Tikkun 44 that explains particularly the section of the Torah of the FOURTH day of Creation. By the way, this final day of my 44th year falls out on the FOURTH day of the week. And not to forget, my son Shevach Tzion Yisrael was born on Wednesday, the FOURTH day of the week, of the last day of Week 16 (4*4!) of my 44th year (along with his circumcison one week later on the FOURTH day of the week), whose first two names were given based on my Pasuk (verse) that I recite corresponding to my name Shimon that begins with the letter Shin and ends with the letter Noon (Sophit), the verse beginning with the word Shabechi and ending with Tzion (Zion), noting that the names Shevach Tzion is the same Gematria as my name Shimon - 466! Moreover, I was born on Day 16 (4*4) of the Sephirat HaOmer.<br />
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And moving along on the Sephira calendar in posting, we are currently up to Hod She'B'Netzach, the 26th Sephira combination. As it turns out for today's very date - the 15th day of the Omer, which is actually the Sephira combination of Chesed She'B'Tiferet - the name of the Sephira of Hod is the Gematria of 15, and the corresponding Sephira for the FOURTH day of the week is Netzach. And the Shir Shel Yom, the psalm for Wednesday, the FOURTH day of the week, is Psalm 94 along with the first three verses of Psalm 95, which is a total of 26 verses. And speaking of 26, it is the Gematria of the main name of Hashem written in English as YKVK (where K substitutes H out of respect of Hashem's holy name), which is represented by the Sephira of Tiferet, the combination of Chesed (strict kindness) and Gevurah (strict justice), blending the perfect combination for Hashem to rule this world in order for it to continue existing without getting carried too far away with sins. Moreover, this Psalm 94 begins with the word E-l, which is the name of Hashem that corresponds with the Sephira of Chesed, even as the opening verse speaks of vengence, except that this vengence against the nations who mistreated us with their anti-Semitism, thus showing Hashem's kindness towards us, just as a father would want to show his beloved son that injustice against him in not tolerable. Hence, today - this FOURTH day of the week of all weeks of the year, the Psalm of this day represents the very Sephira combination of today's Sephirat HaOmer. <br />
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The truth is, the Talmud near the end of Tractate Shabbat mentions, where there are a list of predictions for those born on any particular day of the week or under a particular hour that is under the influence of one of the planets, states "There is no Mazel (constellation signs) for the Jews". For even if what there is supposed to be a bad sign for us, G-d forbid, it can be changed over for the good, if we just but repent, just as a true Ba'al Teshuva (repentant) can change his sins into merits. The proof for this is what Pharaoh (and is strongly believed that President Obama is a reincarnate of the Pharaoh of the Exodus) told Moses, that he sees Ra'ah (literally means evil) coming to meet the Jews. In this instance, Pharaoh was actually referring to a star named Ra'ah that indicated bloodshed, attempting to scare Moses from wanting to lead the Jews out of Egypt, so they could remain his slaves. In any event, we see that this was an actual predicament; but however, it was changed for the good of the Jews in the merit of TWO BLOODS - the blood of Brit Mila (circumcision) and the blood of the Korban Pesach (Pascal lamb) that the Jews smeared on the doorposts which would prevent the Jewish firstborn from being struck when the Egyptian firstborn would be struck. In retrospect, we see that in essence, the Jews were prevented from a Holocaust at that time, since we see that a DOUBLE BLOOD merit was needed to avert the predicament of this Ra'ah sign, as twice the number 44 is the same number representing Hitler. <br />
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As we are coming close to entering this 70th year, being mindful of the 70 Tikkunim of the Zohar, let us do what it takes to avert this coming evil decree, G-d forbid, which includes learning the Zohar - though it must be emphasized that it shouldn't be learned for the sake of learning "the secrets" in using Kabbala, for it is in fact forbidden to use Kabbala for our own means, but simply for the sake of Torah study, as the Vilna Gaon writes that it will be in the merit of the inner parts of the Torah (which includes the Zohar) that we will be redeemed. And as related to the number of this post, the word HaZohar (the Zohar) is the Gematria of 217.<br />
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And in conclusion, we see that there 70 people of Jacob's family that are mentioned by name coming to Egypt. Actually, the total amount of names are 69, but the 70th was Yocheved, the mother of Moses, who was born just as the Jewish family clan was entering the walls of Egypt. It seems that her name isn't mentioned in this context, because...she hints to the future Redemption, and we sure hope that by the time that Passover of this coming Hebrew Year 5775, nearing the end of the 70th year, comes around, that we will be able to see good things happening to the Jewish people, despite the upcoming war of Gog U'Magog, leading to our long awaited Redemption. <br />
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30 Nissan, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-64429804258880701662014-04-29T19:13:00.002-07:002014-05-02T04:48:11.064-07:00#216 - Going from STRENGTH 2 STRENGTHA few days ago, something that went virtually unnoticed took place. Shortly after Passover, on 23 Nissan, the 8th worldwide cycle of the Daf Yomi of the Jerusalem Talmud ended, and on the following day - 24 Nissan - the 9th worldwide cycle of the Daf Yomi of the Jerusalem Talmud began. To be honest, I found absolutely nothing in the internet about this, as it far pales in stark comtrast to the Daf Yomi of the Babylonian Talmud. The reason for this is quite simple - relatively few people study the Jerusalem Talmud, except for seasoned scholars and some Gerrer Chasidim, as the fifth Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter ZT'L is the one who proposed this idea of learning Daf Yomi of the Jerusalem Talmud, which began on Tu B'Shevat (15 Shevat) 5740 (1980).<br />
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In this instance, the significance of the timing of the conclusion of the 8th cycle of this Daf Yomi and the commencement of the 9th cycle of this Daf Yomi is strikingly amazing in terms of this Sephirat HaOmer (counting of the days from the day after the first day of Passover at which an Omer offering was brought in the Temple until the holiday of Shavuot), for the conclusion of the 8th cycle took place on the 8th day of the Sephira, and so the commencement of the 9th cycle took place on the 9th day of the Sephira. And if this was not enough, the date of this commencement took place on 24 Nissan, the birthdate of the founder of the learning of this Daf Yomi of the Jerusalem Talmud - Grand Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter of the Gerrer Hasidic dynasty!<br />
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Now first, in terms of the conclusion of this EIGHTH cycle, it ended off with Tractate Nidah, which is about the woman who had a period who needs a period of non-physical contact with her husband which includes first a period of usually 5-6 days until no more blood appears, followed by seven "clean" days on which no blood has been seen, following which the woman goes to a Mikva (ritualarium), then rendering her pure to resume physical contact with her husband. In any case, we see that it is only following these seven clean days that on the night of the EIGHTH that she becomes spiritually pure once again.<br />
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To note, in the Jerusalem Talmud, there are 13 Dafim on this tractate, which includes material only on the first four out of ten chapters of this tractate. And as we see, there are approximately 13 days from the beginning of a woman's period until she is ready for the Mikva. (Technically, it could happen as early as 12 days, but oftentimes, since we count the period of time as to when day begins which is nighttime, rather than hours; and so, it often happens that at least six days, including the day that blood was first seen, are counted before no more blood is seen, and is only at that point that the seven clean days begin). Corresponding, we see an amazing thing with the Shlosh Esrei Middot HaRachamim (the Thirteen Divine Attributes of Mercy), in which the final one of these 13 is V'Nakeh "and will be clean (from sin)", which in the context of when the woman goes to the Mikva, it could happen at times on the 13th day from when the period began, or this 13th day could be the conclusion of the seven clean days.<br />
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And now, in terms of the commencement of this NINTH cycle, it begins with Tractate Berachot, which consists of NINE chapters. And as we know, various conduct in how we say the main Shemoneh Esrei prayer is based on the conduct of Chana, mother of Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet) when she prayed, as we see in the beginning of Sefer Shmuel that we read on the first day of Rosh Hashana, following which, we pray the Mussaf Shemoneh Esrei which consists of NINE blessings, the ONLY day(s, being that we now observe two days of Rosh Hashana) of the year that the Shemoneh Esrei consists of particularly nine blessings. And as related to a birthday, the birthday of a person is technically his Rosh Hashana, for indeed, it is the beginning, or as literally translated, the head of one's year, just as Adam and Eve, the ancestors of all mankind, were created on Rosh Hashana, which was also their personal Rosh Hashana. And as we see pertaining to the Gematria of Adam's name - 45, the Mispar Katan (small Gematria) is NINE (4+5).<br />
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And as for the new cycle of the Daf Yomi of the Jerusalem Talmud beginning on the birthday of the one who proposed this idea, his birth took place 116 years ago in 5658 (1898). And as we know, there were 116 years of slavery of the Jews in Egypt until their freedom with Yetziat Mitzrayim (Exodus), and one's birth is in essence, leaving the Meitzarim (straights) of the womb, being freed from the womb and let out into the world at large. And though ironically, we are speaking of 116 years since the birth of Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter, the ultimate freedom of a Jew is Torah, as we see in the sixth chapter of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers). In any case, the first chapter of the Mishna/Talmud is very connected with the concept of the Exodus, for the subject matter of this chapter is about the Shema, which concludes with the verse that mentions the Exodus, and as the last Mishna of the chapter deals with as to how we know that the third paragraph of the Shema, which includes mention of the Exodus, is recited even at night (even though the first topic which is about the Mitzva of Tzitzit is technically a daytime Mitzva), which is quoted in the Haggada.<br />
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Now, for more emphasis on the concept of nine, as especially related to the concept of the Sephira of this date (24 Nissan) as Gevurah She'B'Gevurah (Strength within Strength), which has to do with strict justice, the number nine is especially related to the concept of darkness, such as darkness being the ninth plague that struck the Egyptians, and in terms of us - it is the ninth of Av, the month that is represented by the letter Teit, the ninth of the Aleph Beit with a numerical value of nine, which is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, commemorating the destruction of both Temples, along with other numerous unfortunate events for Jews that took place on this date. In fact, the phrase of "in darkness, you have placed me", which is mentioned in the Talmudic tractates of Sanhedrin and Avoda Zara as referring to the Babylonian Talmud, the product of the learning that took place in the exile of Babylonia, the country which destroyed our first Temple, comes from the book of Eicha (Lamentations) that is read specifically on Tisha B'Av. And so, it is quite ironic that it is the NINTH cycle of the Daf Yomi of the corresponding Jerusalem Talmud that commenced on the NINTH day of the Sephira that represents the ultimate harshness and darkness. <br />
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On this note, it must be remembered that we just passed the first of four red moons, which I wrote about in my previous post. Technically, the sign of a red moon is, G-d forbid, a bad sign for Jews. True, we are soon going to usher into the Messianic era; however, this will not occur without a major challenge to the Jewish people. However, one of the main ways, though not the only way, that will help us as a nation pass through these rough times, is the study of Torah, which has been recently challenged by the Knesset in which some viciously attempted to pass rules which will, G-d forbid, punish the very group of Jews who learn Torah the most. <br />
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This vicious effort was superheaded in part by the evil Naftali Bennett, whose last name in Hebrew, which is spelled as Beit-Noon-Teit, reads the word Satan (letters Sin-Teit-Noon) in the Gematria form of Atbash (the first Aleph being substituted with the last letter Tav, the second letter Beit being substituted with the next to the last letter Shin, and so on), using the pretext that this was part of a serious of bills being in benefit of the Hareidi (Ultra-Orthodox) to give work incentives for them, as though he couldn't pass this work incentive bill alone. Indeed, this is the very way how Satan operates, for an observant Jew doesn't necessarily think of sinning by itself, but is sometimes fooled by the Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination), which is Satan, to think that one could be doing a Mitzva, when in fact, it is an Aveira (sin), or leads to an Aveira, which in this case, is "defending" the State of Israel. Moreover, this last name can be read as B'Noon-Teit (with Noon-Teit), for the letters Noon and Teit begin the names of Nebuchadnezzar and Titus, the respective heads of the Temple destruction operations of the Babylonian and Roman empires. And while in Bennett's video of him talking in English, he spoke about his ancestors in Europe not having had the chance to defend themselves; there would be NO NEED to defend ourselves in our country if we would only do what Hashem wants. In fact, quite contrary, it is due in part, in fact, a large part, of Jews learning Torah especially in Israel, that helps so many miracles of Jews not being attacked, as especially evident with the amount of missiles that our Arab enemies throw at us these days. And so, for an observant Jew who is devoted to learning Torah to be thrown in a non-friendly observant environment of the army is not going to help matters in the long run; aside from the fact that this is an army that is basically trained to be "moral" and not be so quick to attack our enemies, and unless openly attacked first, to at most shoot in the air, something that is not done in ANY other army in the world. <br />
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And as I am writing this post which is based on the study of the Daf Yomi of the Jerusalem Talmud, it was in Jerusalem that the gathering and protest of the Hereidi community took place a couple of months ago, in response to the Knesset attempt to get Jews learning Torah in Yeshivot to learn a little less by "defending" our country. Perhaps for others, such as in the Zionist or Dati Leumi (National Religious) camp, and for anyone else who wants on his own to serve in the army, it is a Mitzva for them to be in the army, if their sole intent is truly to defend our country, rather than follow orders that could be detrimental to the safety of Israel. However, for those who are truly intent in learning Torah, so long as this army is dictated by the policies of an anti-Torah/religious government, there is NO Mitzva to serve in the army, since as it states in the Talmudic tractate of Megilla, learning Torah is GREATER than saving lives. Yes, you read correctly, though of course, if G-d forbid, a situation occurs where there is no else or there is insufficient manpower to save lives, then we need to stop our Torah learning to tend to the emergency situation, since after all, "learning Torah leads to action", and that is why we have Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments).<br />
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However, in our situation, since the Israeli army is an army that is based on mandatory recruitment of its citizens, rather than voluntary enrollment such as in the United States; numbers is not an issue. And as seen in the history of Israel's wars in the last 65 some years, Hashem has done all kinds of miracles to save us from our Arab enemies. However, it was particularly when Israel practiced restraint to fulfill the wishes of the United States not to attack the Arabs first, that caused THOUSANDS of Jews to be killed in war, which could and would have been avoided for the most part had Israel attacked first. And so, before Jews who hate our Torah tell followers of the Torah what to do, let them at least first get their own act in order and show the type of true strength needed in fighting our enemies as every other sane country does in fighting its enemies, in lieu of releasing terrorists - who deserve execution - from prison; and then perhaps, the evil Bennett, whose beanie on his head is just a Jewish uniform in disguise, can start lecturing Torah Jews on the benefits of "defending" our country.<br />
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And so indeed, even in Israel, we are living in a period of darkness, just as in the period of the Syrian Greeks who attempted to get the Jews to stop observing the Torah, which is hinted to by the Torah with the mention of the word Choshech (darkness), in which even some in the guise of observant Jews, including some Zionist rabbis, tell truly observant Jews who are devoted to the Torah, that they are sinners by not wishing to "fulfill" what the Torah says, to be part of army that "fights" our enemies, as we see in numerous stories in the Tanach (Jewish Bible). However, the difference is that at least in those days, there was virtually no political interest controlling how we fought our enemies, and quite often, they had no choice but to fight to the bitter end, and were indeed in the midst of getting rid of our enemies, as the Torah mandates. However, with all the talks and concessions happening from the Israeli government, not only is its interest is NOT in annihilating our enemies, but it even causes further attacks from our neighboring Arabs, proving statistically in an increase in terror when "peace" concessions are taking place, along with of course, releasing thousands of Arab terrorists from Israeli prisons. And so, a larger army is definitely NOT the answer to the present crisis that is happening in Israel. The ONLY answer to our present crisis is if anything, to beef up our Torah observance, and then, in the merit of these good Jews, Hashem will continue performing miracles on our behalf. <br />
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With this said, if the Israeli government is truly worried about upcoming wars, it should start worrying about the upcoming Gog U'Magog war, which will be headed by none other than its "ally" country, the good U.S. of A., which is still keeping Jewish and American hero Jonathan Pollard in prison to rot away, even as he is presently in poor health. And with his recent refusal to attend the parole board in the midst of the United States to be pressured to release him with conditional further releases of terrorists in Israel, it just comes to show who is the hero and villians here. Of course we didn't see any fuss in press releases in the States of how Jonathan Pollard could be such a fool to take a chance of not being released after being stuck in prison for nearly three decades, because this would make him look real good, the LAST thing that the United States as headed by the evil Obama wants; and so, life goes on as though it is Israel who didn't want the "peace" concessions to continue, still being blamed by the evil John Kerry when he knows damn well it is the Arabs who have been cry babies for the longest time, having the Chutzpa to do so when Israel, on his demands, already released scores of terrorists. <br />
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MIDDLE SEPHIRA-MIDDLE DAY-MIDDLE TRACTATE<br />
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The truth is that the focus of this post is on Torah learning. With this said, moving along the Sephira calendar as this year's posts is following, the 25th or the MIDDLE of the 49 Kabbalistic Sephirot is Netzach She'B'Netzach, and as related to our post, I will translate as Victory within Victory, for indeed, it is the learning of Torah that will be the ultimate cause of our victory over our enemies. <br />
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Lo and behold, the MIDDLE day of this Hebrew Year 5774, having the maximum of 385 days as allowed in our present Jewish calendar, is 14 Adar II, the date of Purim! And as we see from the Vilna Gaon pertaining to the relationship of the various holidays with the Sephirot, it is the holiday of Purim that corresponds to the Sephira of Netzach! For as clearly shown in the Megilla that we read on Purim, it was following our VICTORY over our enemies that we celebrated.<br />
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The truth is that it is a little funny here, because the number of this post - 216, is the Gematria of the Sephira that is called Gevurah (Strength), but in a way, there is a connection here, because it is with strength that an army has VICTORY in war. Actually, the title of this post is actually based on a verse in Psalm 84, where it states "they will go from strength to strength", though the actual Hebrew word used for strength in this instance is not Gevurah but Chayil, which in at least modern Hebrew, is based on the wording that means soldier. And in the Talmudic sense, the context refers to one who has completed a course of Torah study or has done a Mitzva, and is wished continued strength in learning more Torah or doing Mitzvot.<br />
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And amazingly, the Gematria of the name of the MIDDLE tractate of the Mishnayot - Bava Metzia - is 216, which in this year, in the NINTH cycle of the study of one chapter of Mishnayot a day, was learnt in the MIDDLE 10 days of the month of Nissan, the month of miracles, as it consists of 10 chapters. And the MIDDLE two days of Nissan - the 15th and 16th - are both especially related to miracles, as the 15th is the miracle of the Exodus, and the 16th marks the date of hanging Haman, the villian in the Purim story who attempted to have all the Jews murdered on one day. The miracle in this instance is that one day, Haman was second to King Achashveirosh, and then the next thing we know, King Achashveirosh orders his execution, leading to the war of the Jews fighting victoriously over our enemies.<br />
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Aside from this reason, noting that in this Hebrew leap year, there were two months of Adar, the Talmud in Tractate Megilla discusses as to which of these months is appropriate to have the holiday of Purim. The conclusion is that Purim should be celebrated in the second month of Adar, as it is appropriate to have a holiday of miracles in the month closest to the month in which we have another holiday of Passover celebrating miracles. <br />
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With this said, the name of Sephira called Netzach, the FOURTH and MIDDLE of the seven Sephirot, is the Gematria of the name of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov - greatgrandson of the Ba'al Shem Tov, founder of the Hasidic movement - who was born on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, who was especially connected with the number FOUR. And noting that both his name and the name of the month of Nissan both start and end with the letter NOON (as well as the name of Nachshon Ben-Aminadav, leader of the Tribe of Judah the FOURTH son of Jacob and Leah, who brought special offerings in the Tabernacle on behalf of his tribe on Rosh Chodesh Nissan), it is precisely in this year that the study of the first three tractates of the FOURTH of the six volumes of the Mishnayot, called Nezikin (Damages) was learnt in this program of one chapter of Mishna a day, noting that the name Nezikin also begins and ends with the letter NOON! This is also to note that at one time, these three tractates - Bava Kama (First Gate), Bava Metzia (Middle Gate), and Bava Basra (Last Gate) - was at one time one large tractate also called Nezikin. but in time, was divided into three separate tractates. To note, Bava Metzia is called the Middle Gate because it is the middle of these three tractates in Nezikin, but it is ALSO the MIDDLE of the 63 tractates of the Mishnayot. In any case, the very first chapter of Nezikin, the first chapter of Bava Kama, which was learnt on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, starts off stating Arba'ah Avot Nezikin... "There are FOUR classifications of damages - the ox, the pit, the tooth, and the fire", noting the number FOUR beginning the FOURTH volume of the Mishnayot. <br />
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And having written in this post about Jewish armies and fighting, it was Yehoshua Bin-NOON (Joshua son of Noon) who led the Jews people to Israel and faught various nations for seven years before dividing the land for the various tribes. And in this year, aside from the learning of the first chapter of Nezikin/Bava Kama that starts off with mentioning the word Avot, it is the very name of the tractate that we learn on Shabbat starting from the Shabbat after Passover (until Shavuot or Rosh Hashana depending on custom) which fell out this year on 26 Nissan, the Yahrzeit of Yehoshua, beginning with stating "Moses received the Torah from Mt. Sinai, and handed it over to Joshua, Joshua to the prophets...". In fact, some of Joshua's main accomplishments took place in this very month of Nissan, including on the 10th of Nissan in which he led the Jews to Israel, and his first victory mission that took place in Jericho on the 28th of Nissan. Indeed, it is hardly surprising that we mention Joshua on the first day of Passover, both in the Haggada and the Haftara, for it was Joshua, as Moses' successor, who followed in his footsteps in TRUE Jewish leadership and fighting our enemies, realizing that ultimately, if we do our part, then Hashem will do His part and help us with His miracles, a point that was made clear to Joshua when an angel appeared to him early on to reprimand him for not learning Torah one day in the midst of a fighting expidition, keeping him in track of what is the ultimate weapon in the midst of fighting our enemies, not using a lack of time as an excuse for not learning Torah, an event that is mentioned in the Haftara for the first day of Passover (Note: Though this is not clear from the text of the Tanach/Haftara, this is how our rabbis in the Talmud interpret this story). <br />
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And as our rabbis tell us "The face of Joshua resembles the moon" (Talmud Bava Batra 75a), and as per my previous post on the four red moons phenomenon, two of the four times occur in the middle of the month of Nissan at the full moon point. And having mentioned the concept of damages here and that the red moon is, G-d forbid, a bad sign for Jews, it is the number four, that is most associated with the concept of damages, is also the number that is most associated to the concept of the moon, as I go into detail about in my previous post.<br />
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There is one more thing here that I want to mention pertaining to the concept of MIDDLE that relates especially to this Hebrew year. As we know, there is what is called Shirat Ha'azinu, the Song that is mentioned in the first 43 verses of Parshat Ha'azinu, in which Moses exhorts us to follow in Hashem's ways, or G-d forbid, bad things will happen. Now, while this was not the first time that he spoke on this issue, this was the very last time in his life that he did so. But also significantly, this is marked in the Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll) by how this is written - not as regular reading text, but written in poetry form, leaving more space between phrases, rather than just between verses, to make the design that it looks, just as it is written for Shirat HaYam (Song of the Sea) that is read on the seventh day of Passover. Anyways, the 5774th verse of the Torah, corresponding to this Hebrew Year 5774, is the MIDDLE verse of Shirat Ha'azinu!<br />
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Now, let us take a look at this verse "For fire burned in My nostrils, and blazed until the lowest depths, it shall consume the land and its produce, and set aflame what is founded on mountains" (Deutronomy 32:22). Now, to quote Rashi, "the land" refers to Israel and "founded on mountains" refers to Jerusalem, quoting a verse from Tehilim (Psalms 125:2) where it states that Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains.<br />
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Technically, this verse was already fulfilled with not one, but two destructions of the Temple. In today's terms, we know that it is just a matter of time until Gog U'Magog sets afoot in Israel, particularly in Jerusalem, which even the Israeli government which bows to our enemies, for the most, insists on being our eternal capitol of Israel, but soon, even this will not be agreeable to the United States government. In fact, the United States never actually acknowledged that Jerusalem is the capitol of Jerusalem, maintaining its main embassy rather in Tel Aviv, and in natural citizenship documentation, a child of an American parent born in Jerusalem is listed as born in Jerusalem WITHOUT THE MENTION OF THE NAME ISRAEL. As far as the government of the United States is concerned, Jerusalem - as long as East Jerusalem is inhabitated by the Arabs - is part of the "West Bank", regardless of what the Bible has to say on the subject. In fact, as far as President Obama, who is Moslem, is concerned, he is more worried about what he calls the "holy Koran" has to say on the subject, since in fact, Jerusalem is not mentioned even once in the Koran, in stark contrast to the 669 times that the name Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible.<br />
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In my previous post, I mentioned how the four red moons hints to Dam (bloodshed), this word being the Gematria of 44, all taking place literally within the MIDDLE part of the 44th U.S. President Obama's second term. But one more thing that I want to add today is that being that the number 44 is a composite of 4*11, the number 11 also is related to the concept of damages. For first, the name of the 11th of the 14 volumes of the main work of the Rambam (Maimondies) called Mishne Torah, which encompasses all the laws of the Torah, is called Nezikin. Moreover, the 44th Parsha of the Torah is called Devarim, whose word begins with the letter Dalet, the FOURTH letter and is the numerical value of FOUR, and is the first Parsha of 11 Parshiyot in the fifth and final book of the Chumash (Penteteuch), and is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av, or in some years, on the date of the 9th of Av itself, except that we fast the day after since we don't fast on Shabbat (the only exception being Yom Kippur). And as especially related to Tisha B'Av, he was politically born on Tisha B'Av in the year Two Thousand and FOUR, first becoming a public figure when he spoke endorsing then the anti-Semitic Democratic candidate John Kerry when he spoke on this very day (this fact coming from the ones who are behind the website www.redemption5768.com).<br />
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And just like Hashem showed His strength when it came to the Exodus, so may Hashem show His strength shortly in sanctification of His name, showing that it is only when we follow in Hashem's ways that we will achieve the ultimate victory, including in Jerusalem being ablaze with the Torah learning of the ones who put themselves on the line despite the threats of the Erev Rav, which includes most members of the Knesset, who will soon vanish into eternal damnation, as the verse promises, "Not with infantry, nor with power, but with My spirit, says the L-rd o Hosts". May this be fulfilled speedily in our days. Amen!<br />
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End of Nissan, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-49196414605762626432014-04-23T07:01:00.002-07:002014-04-30T04:36:34.679-07:00#215 - Moon SHINING RedIndeed, a sign of the times.<br />
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I was delayed for a while since Purim from writing new posts, especially as a father of two helping to prepare our place for Passover. As it turns out, since I had a delay, I now have information to reveal about this four red moons phenomenon when it comes to Gematria.<br />
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This post will be short and sweet to the point. As just about everyone knows by now, unless you have been living in a shell, there is supposed to be a total of four red moons in intervals of six months apart. As it especially relates to Jews, these four have or will occur around the beginning of Passover and Succot when there is a full moon both in this secular year and the next secular year.<br />
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To those who have been following the news as of late as per the prophecies of the Messianic times, as well as what autistic children/adults from observant Jewish homes are telling us, and of course, the Hidden Codes of the Torah, regardless of when Moshiach will actually come, there is no doubt that a major war on Israel is on its way, and it's only a matter of time - perhaps no more than a year - but definitely before the end of the next Hebrew year 5775, with the major part of the war continuing into 5776. One of the places where this is hinted is in a matrix that includes the verse that mentions the Shalosh Regalim (three Pilgrimage festivals) - Pesach, Shavuot, and Succot, which was part of the Torah reading for the last day of Passover yesterday outside of Israel (where eight days of Passover are observed, rather than the seven days from the Torah in Israel). At the mention of Pesach, there is a code that states that "a Goy (non-Jewish nation in this context) will arise in 5775", and the name of Obama is spelled out by the mention of Sukkot. In fact, it has been long since known as shown in a matrix in the Book of Ezekiel in the section of the war of Gog U'Magog (Chapters 38 and 39) which again shows Obama's name mentioned very clearly in reference to being Gog and Magog (which in this instance, is Obama and the United States, respectively). In fact, this is the very Haftara for Shabbat Chol HaMoed of Succot, which we will be reading in both years (At times, there is no Shabbat Chol HaMoed on Pesach or Succot).<br />
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In the last 520 years, including this time, that there have been four consecutive new moons between Pesach and Succot. The first was in 1493 and 1494 following the year 1492 (Hebrew Year 5252) when the Jews were expelled from Spain, as well as Christopher Columbus's discovery of the area in the world which led people to moving to America/United States. Then, in rather recent times, this happened again in 1949 and 1950, following the year 1948 (Hebrew Year 5708) when massive amounts of Jews emigrated to Israel as well as the war in Israel in that year that prevented access to the holiest area in the world, which included the Western Wall. And then, this happened in 1967 and 1968 when in 1967 (Hebrew Year 5727), we had the Six Day War which led to reconquering major areas in Israel, including the holiest area in the world (until the evil Moshe Dayan handed the keys of the Temple Mount to the Wakf). And finally, this is happening in this year and the next year.<br />
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In case one is confused as to whether this moon sign is a good sign or a bad sign (G-d forbid) for Jews, as the moon represents the Jewish people, while the sun represents the nations, we do see that the color red is associated with war or bloodshed, and as mentioned in Joel 3:4, "The sun will turn to darkness, and the moon will turn to blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of Hashem" (this latter phrase being also mentioned at the end of Malachi in which Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet), who will herald the arrival of Moshiach, is mentioned. As for the sun turning to darkness, which is a total solar eclipse, this is going to happen in the following year around Rosh Chodesh Nissan, two weeks before Passover, thus hinting as a good sign for the Jewish people, as it is the sun, representing the nations, will be striked or eclipsed In any case, this red moon phenomenon will not happen again for the rest of the secular century. More details on this while subject can be found on the Hebrew site sod1820.co.il, or for those who aren't familiar with Hebrew, can find this same basic information at other sites.<br />
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But one thing is for sure. As in the previous three times, where Jews were faced with challenges between being tortured and kicked out of a country, or wars fighting the Arabs in which many Jews lost their lives, this occasion is more reason to be concerned than ever. In fact, in this round of war, Hashem will pick out the Jews worthy of remaining alive, while unfortunately, there will be others who will not be spared and will be eternally damned. Another key difference here is that while in past wars, a Jew who was murdered by a non-Jew (whether in war or other occasions), went straight to Heaven for being a martyr; on this occasion, it will instead be Hashem's filtering process of allowing only good Jews, including those who seriously repent, to survive the war of Gog U'Magog.<br />
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And while it will particularly be Israel that will be attacked, one should not think that automatically he will be safe in other countries, for as we see now already, there has been increased anti-Semitism, including in the United States, which is happening in due part to the concesssions of the Israeli dictatorship government that is desperately attempting to bring to the table to give more land away. And so, especially after seeing Obama's track record of pushing Israel to stop building of "settlements" and pressuring Israel with the peace talks when ironically, it is the Arabs who aren't happy with giving "peace" a chance. as well as Obama's alliance with various Arab nations, it is just a matter of time before Obama is going to press the red button on Israel, whether or not he will physically travel overseas to fight us Jews in our Holy Land or just send American soldiers to fight us. For ultimately, it is those who look to follow Hashem who will survive, which will include some Jews outside of Israel who have pressing circumstances of why they aren't living in Israel or are involved in Hashem's holy work of bringing Jews closer to Judaism, whose hearts are with Hashem; but in the long run, it will be a little easier in Israel, despite the location of this World War III that will involve numerious nations coming to fight us, as dictated by the United Nations, as mentioned by the autistics who have spoken as of late as to what will be happening in the very near future.<br />
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With the above said, we see a frequent occurance of the number four in relationship to the moon. For these last FOUR periods of history, as especially hinting to the Jewish nation, each consists of FOUR red moons. This is hardly surprising of the connection of the moon to the number four, for we see that it was on the FOURTH day of Creation when Hashem set up the solar system, and the FOURTH Mitzva of the Torah is the sanctification of the New Moon, as was done for close to 2,000 years until Hillel II, leader of the Jewish people, propogated in Beit Din (Jewish court) for a fixed calendar, as Jews were being increasingly scattered and endured various troubles from the nations. Moreover, we see that it is King David who is especially associated with the moon, and as mentioned in the Zohar, of the Seven Shepherds (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, David) corresponding to the various holidays, it is King David who corresponds to Rosh Chodesh (New Moon). And as we see in his name, it begins and ends with the letter Dalet, the FOURTH letter with the niumerical value of FOUR. Also, as we see in Kabbala, in certain contexts, the man is the giver while the woman is the receiver, the latter being the concept of the moon receiving its light from the sun, and as we know, there are FOUR Imahot (Matriarchs) which are Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah. In fact, it is mentioned that it was Rachel who composed the Rosh Chodesh prayer that we recite in the weekday Rosh Chodesh prayer of Shemoneh Esrei, and as hinted as the beginning letters of the first three words, it spells her name Rachel in Hebrew as Roshei Chodoshim L'Amcha "The New Moons to Your people (that You gave)". And if this was not enough, the first letters of the beginning FOUR words of Tractate Ketubot - Betula Niseit L'Yom Ha'Revi'i "A virgin is married on the FOURTH day" as was customary in ancient times - make up the word Levana (moon) - consisting of the letters Lamed, Beit/Veit, Noon, Hei!<br />
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And as mentioned, the red sign of the moon represents bloodshed, which in Hebrew is the word Dam, the Gematria of 44 - a double four number, in units of singles and units of tens; or in another way of looking at this, a multiple of FOUR, which is 4*11. And as we already mentioned that Obama is Gog (U'Magog), it should be mentioned here that he is the 44th U.S. President, and that in fact, ALL FOUR RED MOONS ARE TAKING PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF OBAMA'S SECOND TERM AS THE 44TH U.S. PRESIDENT! For as we know, he was resworn as president on Jan 20, '13, and his term will be over on Jan 20, '16; and as we see the timing of the four red moons on the calendar, from the first to the fourth, we can see that this time period is virtually parallel in terms of being THE MIDDLE part of Obama's second term! More on the concept of the MIDDLE, especially as it relates to the end of our exile will be discussed in this coming post.<br />
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And now, more in terms of the number four in connection with the timing of the four red moon phenomenon, let us take a close look at the Hebrew years 5708 and 5727 of the second and third times, respectively. For the year 5708, there are 292 years following this year until the end of the sixth millenium, marking the end of this world's existance, and the word Revi'i, this word which is first used in the Torah as Yom Revi'i "Day FOUR", is the Gematria of 292. And for the year 5727, there are 273 years following this year until the end of the sixth millenium, and the word Arba - FOUR - is the Gematria of 273, and the highlight of the Six Day War in 5727 was the liberation of Jerusalem which included the holiest area in the world which was on 28 Iyar, on a Wednesday, the FOURTH day of the week. Noting that these years 5708 and 5727 have special significance in terms of Israel, we say in our prayers "Bring us to peace from the FOUR corners of the earth...and walk us upright speedily to OUR LAND", "Gather us together from the FOUR corners of the earth to OUR LAND". And let us not forget that we Jews had/have a total of FOUR exiles, culminating with eternal freedom in our land which will happen speedily in our days. <br />
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Now, in case one is wondering why the number FOUR should be especially significant in terms of Israel, we see that it is in Parshat Shelach, the FOURTH Parsha in the FOURTH book of the Torah called Sefer Bamidbar (Numbers), in which 12 spies were sent to check out Israel before the Jews would enter, but most unfortunately, ended with at least virtually all the male Jews between ages 20-60, except for the Tribe of Levi, who cried their faces off believing 10 of the 12 spies who gave an evil report about Israel, which was the night of the 9th of Av, thi date that eventually became the saddest day in the Jewish calendar, which included the destruction of both Temples followed with the murder and exile of most of the Jewish population in Israel, as well as the official date of the expulsion of the Jews from Spain. In short, the Jews were delayed in the desert from entering Israel for nearly 39 years.<br />
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And presently, we are in the midst of the 207th 28-year-cycle of the sun which began, being marked with the blessing for the sun, on the 14th of Nissan, 5769 ('09), which in this cycle (which presently occurs on April 8 of the secular calendar), it began on the day before Passover, and is in fact hinted to in the beginning of Tractate Pesachim in the Mishna where it states "On the "light" night of the 14th (of Nissan), we search for Chametz (leavened food or particles) by the light of the candle", as the very first word Ohr (light) is the Gematria of 207! And so, no doubt that we are in a most special time in history. Also, this phrase which mentions the FOURTEENTH of the month begins the FOURTEENTH tractate, and the Gematria of King David's name, as related to the moon part of the solar system, is the Gematria of FOURTEEN. And as seen in the verses of Creation, the first verse for the fourth day which mentions "lights" is the FOURTEENTH verse of the Torah which consists of 16 words, and the square root of 16 is FOUR. <br />
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And now, for the connection of Gematria to the number of this post - 215, which is the Gematria of the word Zarach, which means shines. This word begins a verse in Tehillim. though in the English translation, it is translated a little differently, "A light shines in darkness for the upright; He is gracious, merciful and righteous" (Psalms 112:4). This verse tells us that Hashem reveals His spiritual light to those who walk on the straight path to serve Hashem, and don't look for shortcuts or politics to do things differently. For as we see, especially in these times most unfortunately, there are even many rabbis who clearly say things against the Torah, including some of the Zionist rabbis who were outright against the Ultra-Orthodox having a demonstration and prayer services nearly two months ago, protesting and praying for averting the evil decree of the Israeli government which plans down the road to punish the Ultra-Orthodox if they will not join the self defeating army that caters to its enemies that is not very religious friendly for the most part instead of them learning Torah without unnnecessary interruptions. Imagine, all throughout Jewish history, when Jews are in trouble, they openly prayed to be spared. Yet, in this instance, even though this gathering included praying for the right to be able to learn Torah, which is the greatest Mitzva of the Torah, there were some Zionist rabbis not part of their camp who criticized such a gathering, which is what true Torah Jews took part in. Indeed, one who truly wants to walk on the straight path in serving Hashem, will be helped from Above accordingly, and will not come to say or do things against the Torah.<br />
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The Zohar speaks of the Erev Rav, which is a term used originally to refer to people of other nations who joined the Jews in the Exodus, but were not sincere in keeping the Torah, and wound up creating the Golden Calf for the Jews to worship. Anyways, the Erev Rav in the Zohar refers to those who go against the Torah.<br />
This includes, yes my friends, even some rabbis who don't serve with their heart, but are persuaded with money, power, and politics, who will be destroyed around the time of the coming of Moshiach. However, for those who keep the Torah on the straight path, they will live to the time of the prophecy as mentioned in Isaiah Chapter 60, which begins with a verse that ends with the word Zarach, which is also the beginning of the Haftara for Parshat Ki Tavo "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of Hashem will shine on you" which we hope to see the fulfillment of this speedily in our days. Amen!<br />
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23 Nissan, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-33042025395444178332014-03-09T05:11:00.000-07:002014-03-17T13:25:32.775-07:00#214 - Bringing DOWN the TorahTo Hashem, no location in the heavenly spheres or the planetary system is limited. Regardless of the type of spiritual or physical life in any given place, Hashem is equally there. The only practical difference is regarding to us - whether we will feel spirtuality. You see, in the spiritual world, both the righteous and the wicked know very well that it is the world of truth where they feel Hashem's presence - the only variable being to what degree and through which medium. But in this physical world, the Shechina (Divine Presence) isn't just felt anywhere, but mainly either in Israel or in a place of Torah learning/prayer. Chances are is that one who lives a holy life will feel Hashem's presence far more than one who doesn't live such a life. But even without this, one who lives a holy life will nonetheless feel Hashem's presence to some degree, via love and fear of Him.<br />
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Based on this, the number one person who walked on this planet to have this type of feeling was Moses, whose birthday/Yahrzeit is today - 7 Adar. Unlike all the other prophets who had to make spiritual preparations but even at this were not guaranteed to receive prophecy, Moses was called by Hashem without prior preparations, as he was already spiritually ready for this. <br />
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Regardless, this did not prevent Moses from interacting with this physical, mundane world. For although Moses had his times when he was virtually only spiritual, such as the three times of 40 day periods when he spent time in the heavens, and as attested to in the Torah, he didn't eat or drink during this time, he was able to demonstrate his greatness specifically by being the leader of the Jewish people, of whom, not all of them were always appreciative of Moses, and hence, Moses had to spend some time dealing with their materialistic issues. <br />
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Indeed, following the sin of the Jews at the Golden Calf, which was at the end of the first period of 40 days for Moses in the heavens, Hashem tells him - Lech Reid "Go down..." (Exodus 32:7), and as Rashi explains, Hashem was telling Moses that he should lower himself from his position as the leader since the only reason that he was leader to begin with was because of the Jewish people; however, now that they have sinned, he wouldn't be of service anymore (with the original assumption that Hashem was going to kill the nation until Moses begged for mercy). <br />
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Now wait a minute. You may have noticed a contradiction here. First I implied here that by Moses interacting with the people as per their materialistic issues, he was in essence lowering himself, since after all, here he was a tremendous Torah scholar who knows that the Torah is the most valuable thing, but he had to deal with some for whom Torah obviously didn't mean the most precious thing to them to say the least. But then, I quote from the context of Hashem telling Moses to "go down from his position", which implies that beforehand, he was in a high spiritual state in the leadership position that he was in. <br />
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Let us turn to the Talmud (Megilla 13a) which quotes a verse in Divrei HaYomim: "Yehudiya gave birth to Yered the father of Gedor, Chever the father of Socho, and Yekutiel the father of Zanoach, and these are the sons of Bithya the daughter of Pharaoh" (I Chronicles 4:18). From the literal meaning of this verse, you would think that there are two or more families involved here; but believe it or not, there are only two people here - Bithya, the Egyptian princess who converted to Judaism, and Moses, whom Bithya discovered as Baby Moses in a reed basket on the Nile River, who was left by his family due to fears of the Egyptians finding and drowning him due to a prediction of astrologers who were saying that the redeemer of Israel would be born around that time. As it turns out, the basis of their prediction in the stars was referring to none other than Moses himself.<br />
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As the Talmud notes, Yehudiya, which literally means Jewess, refers to Bithya because she converted to Judaism, and the other names inbetween are in fact all names of Moses; for as our rabbis tell us, he was given a total of 10 names as everyone gave him a different name. However, the ONLY name that the Chumash, which is known in English as the Five Books of Moses, even mentions is Moshe, named by Bithya herself, based on the phrase Ki Min HaMayim MESHITIHU "For I DREW him out of the water". And being that Bithya both rescued Moses and raised him in her father's palace, she is given credit as if she actually gave birth to him.<br />
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As the Talmud continues, she is named here Yehudiya because she negated idol worship, as the verse states, "She went down to bathe by the river". And in case anyone thought it was because it was a nice or hot summer day to do so (and it was in fact the beginning of the summer because our rabbis tell us that this incident occured on the future holiday of Shavuot that occurs in this time of the year), Rabbi Yochanan has news for us "She went down to bathe herself from the idolatry of her father's house", the same way that one who converts to Judaism does so by using the Mikva (ritualarium) as part of the conversion process.<br />
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Anyways, beginning the analysis of Moses' various names here, the first one mentioned is Yered, which has the same letters as the Hebrew number for 214 - the number of this post. Incidentally, this is the same name as Yered, the great-great-great grandson of Adam and great-great grandfather of Noah; in short, the sixth generation in parental line from Adam and Eve. The Talmud notes that the reason why he was named as such was to hint to the future time when it would be in his merit that the Jews would receive the manna, for as per the meaning of this word, which has the meaning of coming down, it implies that the manna CAME DOWN for the Jews in his days. <br />
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Now, a most astonishing thing is brought by the Artscroll translation and commentary on the Talmud. It brings the Vilna Gaon who says that the correct reading of the text, in lieu of the manna being brought down for the Jews, is "because he (Moses) BROUGHT DOWN THE TORAH to the Jews".<br />
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Having said this, it is true that throughout the Mishna, Talmud and Zohar, among other texts, there are variant readings of many words, where usually, the variant reading is a similar word being suggested. The reason that this is so is because in the old days, writing was either not so eligible as it is nowadays, so it could have been misread, or the word could have been mixed up with another similar word when copied over. Other instances of changes happened thanks to censureship, usually due to non-Jews who were printers, and may have not liked certain words or phrases, including in prayers, that either would seem to refer to non-Jews in a bad light, or to the false Christian god for that matter. In fact, there is even a compilation of texts that were part of the original Talmud, but were left out due to Christian censureship. <br />
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In any case, we see that this type of alternative reading from the Vilna Gaon to be very unusual. Well first, the text of the Talmud as we have it uses the word Yarad (came down), which is in essence the same word as Moses' earlier name Yered, except for the vowels, while in the Vilna Gaon's reading, it should be Horid (brought down). But the main point that is quite unusual is that a totally different word or subject is offered here - Torah instead of manna, as not even one letter is shared between these two words. So the question begs to be asked - Is the Vilna Gaon suggesting to change the wording of the Talmud, because he prefers to see the reason as related to the most important thing which is the Torah? This is true, but does this justify deciding to change what the rabbis wrote? It can't be just a simple mistake in copying something over, because the only real common denominator in the different phrases is that the name Yisrael, referring to the Jewish nation, is mentioned.<br />
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I say that yes, the Vilna Gaon is actually saying that the reason that should be given for the name Yered should be about the Torah, which is the main thing, rather than the manna, though it was a spiritual food, and in fact, the Talmud even tells us in Tractate Yoma that the Torah was given specifically to those who ate the manna. In other words, he is begging to differ, and he seems to actually to be arguing about what the reason should be given, the same way that in numerous occasions, both in Halacha and Aggada, various rabbis each give a different reason for a certain thing. Now in case one will wonder how anyone, since the writing of the Talmud some 1,500 years later, can dare have the Chutzpa to contradict what any rabbi says in the Talmud because he feels that it should be different; the Vilna Gaon, though not among the Talmudic rabbis, with his supreme knowledge of the Torah that far few attained clearly within the last 1,000 years at least, could talk, and ESPECIALLY, when it comes to emphasing what the most important thing is in life, as it was most important in his own life. For while it is true, as the Talmud notes in Tractate Ta'anit, the manna came to the Jews especially in the merit of Moses; Moses brought down from the heavens something so far more important, that everything else pales in significance. And so, even though normally, with what is called the Yerida - the spiritual going DOWN or decline - of the generations, we are on a much lower level of Torah learning, the Vilna Gaon is one of the few who didn't fit this criteria; and so, if it were the Vilna Gaon who would have been among the Talmudic rabbis, no doubt that his opinion about the name of Moses' name Yered would have been mentioned, because after all, what rabbi would disagree about what the most important thing is that that he is supposed to represent?<br />
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In fact, the Talmud in Tractate Shabbat records the dialogue between Moses and the angels when he attempted to bring the Torah down to the Jewish people, since after all, as the angels argued, how could Moses, a man of flesh and blood, have the nerve to take down a Torah that is most spiritual from a most spiritual place up above to a coarse, materialistic world. It was only because Moses showed the angels how the Torah was not practical for them, being that they are not human beings who have materialistic needs, that they were convinced that he was right, and they even wound up giving him gifts at the end, including the Angel of Death himself. <br />
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Accordingly, we see a direct connection between the going down of Bithia to bathe herself from idolatry and the Torah being brought down. For how it works in this world is that a descent - at least a physical descent, and sometimes a spiritual descent too - in order to have a spiritual elevation. And as for the Torah, though it would now be brought down to a materialistic plane, this is in fact the ultimate purpose of the Torah, for though it is Hashem's Wisdom, part of this wisdom is that the Jews would observe its commandments in this finite world, including many commandments that involve materialistic items that are used in serving Hashem. In fact, the very last Mitzva of the Torah is writing a Torah scroll, and guess what the scroll is made up of - animal hide! Imagine, using an animal, howbeit a kosher one, to be the very medium that makes up the holiest item in Judaism! And as for the first Mitzva of the Torah, this is the commandments to have children, involving using our most pleasurable base desire in order to be able to fulfill this Mitzva. For in fact, parents are partners with Hashem in bringing down a person to this materialistic world, as mentioned in the Talmudic tractate of Nidda.<br />
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Now, the reason why Hashem takes an unblemished, untained soul from the heavens and brings it down to this lowly, materialistic world which is full of sin to begin with, is in order to earn its reward, via using the materialism to become spiritual, rather than falling prey to our base desires for the sake of the desires themselves. So while it is in fact a tremendous spiritual downfall for a holy soul to be surrounded by such materialism, one can ultimately become even higher than the angels who are always near the Shechina (Divine Presence) by channeling our G-d given talents in the right direction. And so in essence, the soul of a righteous person (that is, who will become a righteous person for in fact, everyone has free choice) benefits not only himself at the end, but everyone else around him who are willing to follow the correct spiritual path.<br />
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Another major example of this concept is illustrated via the next Sephira combination of Gevurah She'B'Netzach, the 23rd one, corresponding to the week in the Jewish calendar from Rosh Hashana which is either in the week of the Torah reading about the various items of the Mishkan (Tabernable) involving all sorts of materialistic items from gold and silver to animal hide, as well as the various materials used for the making of the priestly garments or last week's Parshat Vayikra which is all about offering various sacrifices, which were usually animals. Very interestingly, where the sinner needs to bring an animal to make atonement, it is the animal being slaughtered and all that makes the person who brought it to the Temple to do Teshuva (repentence); and hence, the animal being slaughtered - though it may sound quite barbaric to some in today's world, including non-observant Jews who look at the Torah as an old fashioned man-made book - served its purpose in getting a person, who before sinned but is now looking to rectify the spiritual blemisht that he created - to be a better servant of Hashem and be worthy of eternal reward. Indeed, this very Sephira - Gevurah She'B'Netzach - represents this very concept. For this world is in fact a finite, limited world, which is the concept of Gevurah, judgment and limitation, as opposed to Chesed (kindness) which is open even to those who aren't worthy of it, being granted good sometimes even without the qualification, or limitation, to being a goody-good. And so, it is precisely through the concept of Gevurah in this world, limiting ourselves in materialism only to the extent that is needed to serve Hashem, that one can achieve Netzach (eternity), which is in fact, the very Sephira that corresponds to Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses). And it was Moshe Rabbeinu who used his spiritual strength to be able to bring down the Torah to this world, having achieved Netzach (victory) over the complaints of the angels, which would ulimately benefit the Jewish people to cause them to be worthy of Netzach, the world of eternity.<br />
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On a personal note, my Brit Mila (circumcison) took place on the same date as the corresponding Sephira of Gevurah She'B'Netzach (8 Iyar). And as we see with the Brit, a piece of foreskin, which represents our base desires, is cut off. For in effect, Hashem created something - the foreskin, and it is we the Jewish people, as commanded by Hashem, who are supposed to limit the amount of skin that there is with the male member, which by doing so will prevent the soul of the baby boy from being spiritually cut off from, and the act of doing this is compared to bringing a sacrifice in the Temple. <br />
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Oh, as for Moses' name Yered which is the same name as the original Biblical Yered, perhaps it isn't so "incidentally". To note, the original Yered was the SIXTH generation in parental line from Adam. Accordingly, the manna that Hashem brought down to the Jews took place only in the SIX days of the week, except for Shabbat, and at that, it was on the SIXTH day that the Jews received a double portion of manna, so the extra portion of manna could be eaten on Shabbat. And as for the Torah, aside from Torah She'B'Al Peh (Oral Torah) whose root is the Mishna which consists of SIX volumes; it is interesting to note another thing from the Vilna Gaon here is that the Chumash in a way consists of SIX books; for each of the books of the Chumash correspond to another millenium of the slated 6,000 years of the world's existance. Now, how it this possible if there are in fact five books of the Chumash? You see, the Vilna Gaon notes that the story of the Creation of the World is considered like a book in itself. <br />
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Hence, according to this, being that each Parsha of Deutronomy, which in this context, is considered the sixth book with corresponds with our current sixth millenium, corresponds to 100 years, noting that though there are technically 11 Parshiyot in this book, the Parshiyot of Nitzavim and Vayeilech are often combined, and hence, are considered a total of 10 Parshiyot - the Parsha of this eighth century of the sixth millenium (5701-5800) is the combined Parshiyot of Nitzavim-Vayeilech. And noting that there are a total of 70 verses from Nitzavim-Vayeilech, dividing 70 by 100 yields 0.7; and hence, multiplying 73 (as per last year 5773) by 0.7, which yields 51.1, and 74, as per this current year 5774, by 0.7, which yields 51.8, we can see that this Hebrew year 5774 clearly corresponds to the 52nd verse from the beginning of Parshat Nitzavim that is found in Parshat Vayeilech, which is "Gather the people, the men, women, children, and your convert that is found at your gates, in order that they should listen, learn and fear Hashem your G-d, and observe to do all the words of this Torah" (Deutronomy 31:12). This is the very verse that is the source of the 612nd Mitzva of the Torah, next to the last Mitzva of the Torah, which was for the Jews to gather at the Temple once every seven years on the Succoth holiday following the Shemita (Sabbatical year), and hear portions of Deutronomy, THIS VERY BOOK THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION HERE, being read from the king. This is the Mitzva that is known as Hakhel (gather), for the entire Jewish people, even the women and children who were normally exempt from being at the Temple during the holidays, were obligated to be at this event, being compared to Matan Torah (Giving of the Torah). Moreover, the Hebrew number of this Mitzva - 612, consisting of the letters Tav-Reish-Yud-Beit, has the same letters as the word Brit (covenant) which is used both in referring to the Torah, and even more commonly used, for the Mitzva of Brit Mila, which is the second to the first Mitzva of the Torah. <br />
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And on a separate note, there is another Biblical personage with a name that is also the Gematria of 214 - Chur, a nephew of Moses, who was the son of Moses' sister Miriam and Caleb - whose other wife was Bithia. We first see mention of Chur in the end of Parshat Beshalach in the context of the Jews having its first national war with Amalek. In the midst of this, both Moses' brother Aaron and Chur supported his arms as Moses lifted his hands up in prayer to Hashem that the Jews should be victorious. Later on, when Moses was about to leave for Mt. Sinai for his first period of 40 days away, he left the Jewish people under the leadership of Aaron and Chur. However, on the day before Moses returned to the Jewish people, the Jews were confused, miscalculating the day that they thought Moses said as to when he was going to return, (they thought that the 40 day period was supposed to end on 16 Tammuz, the 40th day from when Moses left, but Moses said he was going to be away for 40 days, which were 40 complete days) which led to some of them feeling desperate for an alternate leader, which was the Golden Calf idol. Upon seeing this, Chur protested, and subsequently, was murdered by the idolatrous crowd. Significantly, perhaps it can be said that since they saw that Moses did not "COME DOWN" when they thought he was supposed to, and Chur protested the result of this, they squashed the challenge to their erronous and devious thinking by murdering Chur. You see, just as Chur's name is the Gematria of 214, this number is also the Gematria of the word Yarad (came down); for since they didn't see that Moses was going to "come down", and Chur challenged the result of their thinking this way which was their worship of the Golden Calf, they thought that they can solve the problem of their guilty conscience by silencing the one who was attempting to stop their wrong way of thinking and actions.<br />
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Moshe Rabbeinu and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein - 7 Adar<br />
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Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the greatest decider of Halacha (Jewish Law) of the previous generation and the Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Tiferet Yerusalayim in Manhattan for nearly half a century - having the same name as Moshe Rabbeinu, and passed away in 5746 (1986), was born on 7 Adar 5655 (1895) - the same birthdate as that of Moshe Rabbeinu - which was also on the first day of the week as it is this year (Note: When there are two months of Adar, unless one was born on the first Adar, the birthday is celebrated on the second Adar). But what I want to point out especially here, is that today marks THE BEGINNING OF THE 120th YEAR from the birth of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. And as we know in the Torah, starting from the midst of Parshat Chukat in Sefer Bamidbar (Numbers), the events beginning from the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu's sister Miriam (on 10 Nissan) until the end of the Chumash took place in the last year of Moshe Rabbeinu's life. Hence, we are currently on a 354 day COUNTDOWN (speaking of the concept of going down in this post) until there will be exactly 120 years from the birth of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein on 7 Adar, 5775 ('15), having the same name and birthdate as Moshe Rabbeinu who passed away on his birthday of 7 Adar when he became 120 years old (2368-2488), as noted already in the beginning of Parshat Vayeilech. In fact, it has been said that the passing of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein in 5746 is hinted in the Torah, for the 5746th verse in the Torah - in Parshat Yayeilech - is "It was when Moshe finished writing the words of this Torah until their completion", and as we know, Rabbi Feinstein was a prolific writer, especially noted for the several volumes of the Igrot Moshe, a compilation of his letters of correspondence to those with Halachic queries, as well as Dibrot Moshe, a collection of his words of Torah on various tractates of the Talmud. And since his passing, the Sefer that is entitled Darash Moshe, which consists largely of his words of Torah on the Chumash as well as various sermons that he delivered over the years, has been published (Artscroll has an English translation of this Sefer). Indeed, it will be very interesting to see what this coming year, as we are now nearing the Redemption as we know based on various prophecies, will be like, for as we also know, it was a month and three days following the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu that Joshua, Moshe's successor, led the entire Jewish nation to Israel (on 10 Nissan).<br />
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It should be noted that while many other great rabbis didn't want to make a big deal of their birthdays, since after all, one who is born doesn't necessarily have reason to celebrate if he will not accomplish what he is supposed to in his lifetime, for this world at best is a preparatory state for the world of eternity; Rabbi Moshe Feinstein didn't take his birthday for granted, noting that the fact that he had the same name and birthdate as Moshe Rabbeinu had an influence on him to become what he became, and his family members wished each other a happy birthday on their corresponding birthdays. And as we see in the Torah, it states that when Moshe Rabbeinu, who was to become the greatest Tzadik (righteous person) who would walk this planet was born, his mother (Yocheved) saw that it was good, and as Rashi notes, their house was filled with (spiritual) light.<br />
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And on a final note, as another connection to the number of this post - 214, as well as the Gematria of Moses' name Yered, the Gematria of the birthday of Moshe Rabbeinu - as Zayin (the letter, which is the numerical value of 7) B'Adar (207) - is 214. (Note: Based on this, today's date Zayin Adar Beit, without the prefix to the month Adar, is also the Gematria of 214, the only difference is the shift of the letter Beit having the meaning of being the second Adar). And without the prefix of the letter Beit as in B'Adar, just as Zayin Adar, it is the Gematria of 212, the Hebrew number that has the same letters as the word Rebbe (Rabbi), for indeed, Moshe Rabbeinu was the first rabbi, ordained by Hashem Himself.<br />
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7 Adar II, 5774<br />
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P.S. The timing of this post - 5:11 AM, can serve as a way to remember that the 5th and final book of the Chumash (The FIVE Books of MOSES) - Sefer Devarim (Deutronomy), which contains 11 Parshiyot, ends with the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu which took place on today's date - 7 Adar.<br />
<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-79157612603446080452014-03-07T06:25:00.001-08:002014-03-07T07:01:50.011-08:00#213 - "Behold, Days Are Coming..."The title of this post, which is a familiar phrase in Tanach (Jewish Bible), is the title of this Sefer - Hinei Yomim Bah'im - that I have, which is a collection of sources on the Messianic Era, the Resurrection of the Dead, and the future Eternal World. While the author of this book did not bring the reason for naming the title of his book as such in his preface, I did notice where he quotes a verse "Behold, days are coming, says Hashem, and I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah", bringing a commentator known as the Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi) who notes that the new covenant with the Jewish people in the future won't be like the covenant that the Jews nullified by sinning following the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai which became annulled, since this future new covenant will be an everlasting one; however, there will not be a new Torah - only what was given on Mt. Sinai.<br />
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Now, the Hebrew for new covenant is Brit Chadasha, which is the terminology that Christian missionary groups who attempt to convert Jews to the idol worshipping religion use for the New Testament. And after all, the Torah is in fact called Brit, for there were three covenants made over the Torah. However, the term Brit is not exclusive to the concept of Torah; for in fact, when this word is normally used in everyday talk, it typically refers to Brit Mila (circumcision), about which 13 mentions of the word Brit is written in the Torah pertaining to this Mitzva. And so, if Hashem would have ever meant for us to change to a different religion, it would have been crystal clear to us long ago.<br />
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Another misnomer about the concept of the Messiah that the Christians have is that, aside from the wrong candidate, the Messiah already came and that he is going to come once again, or as put, "the second coming of..." But as we know, the real Messiah is going to come once, or if even according to some sources who say that he will first appear and then disappear for a little while until reappearance, it won't be like thousands of years apart. For when the Messiah does for appear, it will be at a time that it will be obvious according to the prophecies that it is high time that he shows up, and it will just be a matter of time until things come into place preparing for a new world order that will not only not be threatening, but will be the utopian setting that the world has been waiting for since the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.<br />
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Now, while the Chumash (Penteteuch or the Five Books of Moses), what the Sefer Torah (Torah scroll), the holiest object in Judaism consists of, does not seem to mention anything about a Messiah except in perhaps some poetic form in Parshat Balak, stated ironically by none other than Bilaam, an evil magician who attempted to curse the Jews, but was forced by Hashem to bless them instead; in contrast in the lesser holy parts of the Tanach where much more mention is made of the Messiah, everything is hinted to in the Chumash.<br />
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Actually, what I wrote is not entirely true, for in fact, the Torah (Chumash) mentions about "the Messiah" very clearly in another part of the Torah. As it turns out, this is found quite a few times in this week's Parshat Vayikra, and once in this coming week's Parshat Tzav. However, as is clearly evident in the context of the verse, "the Messiah" is not referring to whom we normally refer to as Moshiach who is a descendant of the Davidic dynasty, but rather, the Cohen Gadol (High Priest). Now mind you, the word Messiah, or Moshiach in Hebrew, means annointed, which refers to being annointed on the head with olive oil, which was how the Cohen Gadol was sanctified for his position. And so, just as the head of the Davidic dynasty, King David, was annointed by Shmuel HaNavi (Samuel the Prophet),so will this be the case in the near future for Moshiach, King David's descendant, who will be annointed by Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet). <br />
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This is all very nice, but there must be a reason why it is the olive, of all fruits, aside from being among the Shiv'at HaMinim (Seven Species) of Eretz Yisrael (the country Israel), should have the merit of having a part, via its oil, in anointing some of our holiest people; noting that we always refer to Moshiach as this title. And, why do we always refer to Moshiach as such?<br />
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As we all know, the lighting of the Menorah in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) was performed with olive oil. And I write that we all know, because this is exactly how the holiday of Chanukah got started, being that there was one cruise of olive oil found that wasn't spiritually contaminated by the Syrian-Greeks, and with this oil, the Menorah was lit without interruption for eight days until new Kosher oil was able to be used for it. Also, the oil used for the Menorah has to be of the physically purest oil without any sediments, unlike for the Mincha (flour offering), or Menachot in plural, where the olive oil didn't have to be of the highest grade. <br />
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With this said, the light of the Menorah is especially representative of the light of Torah, for as our rabbis tell us, one who wishes to have wisdom (of Torah) should pray facing southward, as the Menorah in the Temple was on the south side. And as we see, this light is thanks to the oil of the olive, which has also been used for the longest time for those learning Torah at night. And so, it is specifically olive oil that is used to annoint the Cohen Gadol, Jewish kings, and Moshiach, for it is only with the light of the Torah can they serve effectively in their position. And so, we refer to Moshiach especially by this title, for even as a great Tzadik (righteous person) and Talmid Chacham (Torah scholar) as he will be, and he will in fact teach us Torah in the future, his calling to fame is due ultimately to the Torah, Hashem's wisdom. For after all, it is Hashem who decided in the first place that there should be a Moshiach, and who it should be, and not one who is elected by the Jewish people, or even by a select group of the greatest Torah scholars, though normally in Halacha (Jewish law), what the rabbis (unless obviously politically motivated as we see many today who are) issue as Halacha has the upper hand even over a Heavenly voice, as the Torah was given to us to study and discern.<br />
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And now, for the Messiah in this week's Parshat Vayikra, we see that the Cohen Gadol is referred to this title specifically in the context of him having committed a sin in error and requiring to bring one or more Korbanot (offering or sacrifices) as a result. But the question begs to be asked, why is it specifically in THIS context that he is called HaMoshiach, since after all, Hashem knew ahead of time that we would be using this very phrase or title for the future Moshiach in a most positive sense?<br />
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Well, as I mentioned above, the whole concept of being annointed, as done by olive oil, is related to the light of the Torah. Now note, I write here the LIGHT of Torah. You see, as we see most unfortunately today, both in the physical exile and in Israel, there are those rabbis, who while they may have an encyclopediac knowledge of what is supposed to be Hashem's Wisdom, they use it to twist it for their benefit. In the latest scandal, as I call it, there were those Zionist rabbis who decried and denounced the upcoming gathering of the Ultra-Orthodox groups this past Sunday in Jerusalem protesting the evil attempt happening within the Knesset attempting to pass criminal sanctions against the cream of the crop youth studying Torah if they don't join the army, as well as praying to Hashem, as we are supposed to do in a time of trouble, to annul the evil decree. Now, it is only like an hour before Shabbat, and I have a lot more to write on this subject, but this will be two posts later, as I plan to write another post this coming Motzoei Shabbat (Saturday night) on a timely theme, but suffice it to say, the above Zionist rabbis who have Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred) of the Ultra-Orthodox apparently don't have the LIGHT of Torah, and are attempting to present what they want others to see as Torah in spiritual darkness. <br />
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In sharp contrast, the Cohen Gadol, at least the ones in the times of the first Temple, and a handful of them in the times of the second Temple, were guided by the light of Torah. Yes, we all are human, and we see that even Moses and Aaron the first Cohen Gadol made mistakes. However, the practical difference here is that they weren't motivated by politics, money, power, or fame. If they indeed made a mistake, such as an improper Halachic decision, it was just that - a mistake. It wasn't because they had a warped sense of what the Torah wants as some of the Zionist rabbis have, but simply an honest misinterpretation of what the Torah says. Indeed, as in this week's Parsha states - Asher Nasi Yecheta "WHEN a leader will sin", referring to the head of the Sanhedrin, the authentic Jewish Supreme Court, on which Rashi notes that the word Asher (when) is used, unlike the usual Torah wording of Im (if), hinting to the similar word of Ashrei (fortunate), noting that fortunate is the generation who merits such a leader, who when he sins, he admits his mistake. True, it is not enough for the Cohen Gadol or Sanhedrin head to simply confess their mistake, howbeit well intentioned, but must offer atonement offerings as other Jews do when they commit certain sins.<br />
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But the main point here is that IT IS SPECIFICALLY WHEN THEY MAKE A MISTAKE/SIN, when we see the true strength of our spiritual leaders. For on a day to day basis, it is easy to take for granted that they do a fine job, and as long as they teach Torah or perform some spiritual service, or do a kind act, that they are just the type of rabbi that one needs. However, when something happens out of the ordinary that makes us think, especially when such a leader is put to the test so to speak, that we see if such a leader takes responsibility for his actions. O.K., there are certain types of actions or weaknesses that have hurt the community, as performed by hopefully very few rabbis, such as sexual molestation, that can't be brushed aside even after confession. However, when it is the type of mistake that was truly unintended, or thought of to be the right thing, that taking a step backwards instead of attempting to justify the wrong thing is what shows one to be a true mentsch, and someone who can always be relied upon; for after all, if even a Torah scholar can make an error, certainly the rest of the people aren't any less prone to it. And in fact, there are certain cases, where both the Sanhedrin leader and the people, or at least representatives of their specific tribes who commited the error/sin based on the mistaken Halachic decision, had to bring atonement sacrifices. True, it was a sin, howbeit an accidental sin that was performed, but in the long run, such a leader is on the right track, guided by the light of Torah, and we have every obligation to continue following such a leader.<br />
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Anyways, what does all this have to do with Gematriot? Oh, you see, the phrase Hinei Yomim Bah'im (Behold, days are coming...) is the Gematria of 213, the number of this post. Other than this, the important thing here is today's Torah lesson that we must all learn in knowing how to pick our Torah leaders guided by the true spiritual light.<br />
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Shabbat Shalom!<br />
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5 Adar II, 5774<br />
<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-11495495460426454372014-02-25T19:57:00.001-08:002014-02-26T10:53:29.518-08:00#212 - Kosher RABBIWhen Rabbi Shmuley Boteach came out with his book Kosher Jesus a couple of years ago, there were many who were with an uproar about the title of his latest book. Regardless of what this rabbi himself thinks about the false Christian god who was the cause of millions of Jews being murdered in his name in the last nearly 2,000 years, no doubt that he thought of this title as a good advertising gimick to make more sales, especially among Christians. But whatever I personally think of Rabbi Boteach, two things that I will note off the bat is that Jesus was not kosher in terms of Jewish observance - including encouraging his followers to eat ham, and certainly, he was not a rabbi.<br />
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The truth is, regardless of how the dictionary may define the word rabbi, aside from whether it may coincide with the Torah definition of it or not, not everyone has the same way of defining who a rabbi is. You see, a rabbi in the literal sense is one who teaches Torah to others. However, it is clear that when we say an ordained rabbi, even though it may at first sound redundant, it makes it clear that one was actually ordanined as a rabbi, which is usually confirmed with a certificate, which in Hebrew is called Semicha, based on the wording used when Moses ordained Joshua, which was not done in writing, but rather, Moses LEANED his hands on Joshua; the word in caps which means Samach in Hebrew <br />
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You see, these days, there are all kinds of religious looking Jews who pose as rabbis, which begins usually with some sort of black attire, in order to collect money and/or receive fame, honor, and power. Technically, anyone who wants to be listed in the phonebook as a rabbi, at least in the States, can just inform the phone company before its next edition of the book list of residences and businesses, that they have the title of rabbi, and no one at the phone company will even question it. <br />
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Today, many have the title of rabbi that they rightfully earned, but don't practice a rabbinical position usually because they make a living some other way. However, there was a time in Jewish history when the title of rabbi was worth a lot more. You see, at one time, you had to know the teachings of the entire Talmud and Jewish laws to legally qualify for the title; otherwise, you were just a student in training. But at one point, mastering the entire Talmud was either not attainable at a relatively young age, or making a living somehow couldn't wait forever until one could quality as a rabbi since one already had several mouths to feed as most in those days got married at a relatively young age. And so today, even without knowing all the Talmud and all, one who is learning in Yeshiva for so many years can qualify for the title by studying a particular part of the Talmud and Jewish laws, mostly in the laws of Kashrut (kosher food and related laws), which is the basic level of the title of rabbi, which is dubbed with the title Yoreh Yoreh. And then, there are advanced rabbinical degrees, such as the laws of courts, judging, etc. which qualifies one to be a rabbinical judge, which is dubbed with the title Yadin Yadin. And nowadays in Israel, there is the Semicha what is known as the Rabbanut Reishit which involves learning like half the Talmud and half the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) to qualify for this title, which allows one to be paid well as a rabbi of a synagogue, neighborhood, city, etc. who is appointed by the Israeli government. <br />
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And in more recent times, there are what are called private Semichot (plural for Semicha) which are given by rabbis who may or may not necessarily be the rabbi of a synagogue or Yeshiva, but the ones who typically receive this Semicha, which is the same basic Yoreh Yoreh one, are quite often those who already have either left Yeshiva, never had the chance to learn in Yeshiva, or is presently working for a living Personally, I received Semicha from such a rabbi, Rabbi Mordechai Friedman, Shlita, who is a very talented rabbi by the way, but if you or someone you know might consider studying to be an ordained rabbi, you can check out details on his Semicha program, or contact him via his website at http://www.vaadharabbonim.com/<br />
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In any case, one who has Semicha does not necessarily become more holy because of it. If anything, one who has this title has to be ever more careful with how he behaves, or he will G-d forbid profane himself, and most certainly, Hashem's name. But typically, I think it's safe to say that many if not most who have rabbinic ordination are those with fine characters, as Torah learning does have a positive influence on people who study Torah for the right reasons, or those who study it day and night, since after all, part of the Torah relates to both how we relate in our interpersonal relationships, as well as our character or behavior traits. However, one thing that is certain is that rabbinic ordination is no guarantee as to how an individual will behave. <br />
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And this is where I come in. Yes, there are some rabbis who aren't exactly the nicest people in the world, but then again, most of us have our days when we wake on the wrong side of the bed. But in other ways, there are those who have gotten into trouble with the law - which can be either with the Torah Law and/or the legal system, which can vary from money fraud to inappropriate sexual advances. Now mind you, while there have been quite a few rabbis with rabbinical positions who have been in trouble with law enforcement and/or fired by the institution that they worked for; one needs to know that not all of them were necessarily who are labeled as Orthodox (title for Jews who observe Shabbat, Kosher, and laws of family purity), but some who were Conservative or Reform (who are rather lax in some of the main laws of the Torah). In fact, there was a Reform rabbi who was the very first one featured in a television program in which sexual predators are caught meeting with whom they think is a minor following chatting online, which has had hundreds since coming for the same purpose, and mind you, he came to meet with whom he thought was a boy, showing himself to also be homosexual, or wishing to have a homosexual relationship. Oh yes, there is even an ordained Orthodox rabbi who is public about being homosexual, and believe it or not, he even went to far as to officiate at a Jewish gay "marriage ceremony". What fifty years ago would have been at least shameful for an Orthodox rabbi to be public of such matters, is today being public about this without shame of openly violating one of the 613 Commandments of the Torah, which is the prohibition of a male having sex with another male.<br />
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Now, the part that bothers me more is not necessarily the rabbi who is the crook or predator himself, but rather at times, the ones protecting him, such as his comrades or school in which he works. Regardless of the particular rabbi's accomplishments in terms of good deeds, some of his victim children down the road either leave the fold of Judaism or commit suicide as a result of feeling their whole life shattered, which is thanks due in part to the ones protecting the rabbi in question. While some may feel that it will be a greater Chilul Hashem (desecration of Hashem's name) with everyone knowing that a particular rabbi did certain crimes that will either have people look down at Jews or increase anti-Semitism, or that it is forbidden by Jewish law to report these type of crimes to the police without first speaking to a rabbi, nothing could be further from the truth. For in fact, these childrens' lives were greatly endangered - physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually; and ultimately, if these predators aren't reported, chances are (which is virtually 100%, pending strength of age) is that they will continue wrecking the lives of more Jewish children, which has already been agreed upon by some notable rabbis. <br />
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Now, there are other types of rabbis, while they may not necessarily be crooks or predators, preach teachings that go clearly against the Torah, which is especially felt in Israel, though there are also sentiments of Modern Orthodox rabbis in the States whose words are nothing short of politics in the guise of some Torah teaching. You see, the Torah does tell us about us being kind and nice not just to Jews, but even at times with non-Jews, at least for the reason of "ways of peace", such as greeting him in the street even before the non-Jew greets us, as one rabbi in the Talmud did, or providing non-Jewish poor people with money at the same time as we provide our own poor Jewish brethren. However, in a national situation in which non-Jews are clearly out to get at us, or steal parts of our Holy Land, that is another story. <br />
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And neither is everything a black or white issue, or at least on the surface. You see, you have the teachings of Rabbis Meir and Binyamin Kahane, HY'D, may Hashem avenge their blood, who clearly show from the Torah that we have to throw out the non-Jewish elements (excepting non-Jews who accept certain laws on themselves and agree to pay taxes) from the Holy Land, or "they will be snares in your eyes"; and no government, run by Jews or non-Jews, are to be listened to when it gives orders violating what the Torah says. And then, you have other rabbis on the other end of the spectrum who, while they won't necessarily deny what the Torah says, but somehow, they want to convince everyone that we are forbidden to disobey orders from the Israeli government, even if it seems that these orders contradict the Torah. Now, please bear in mind that typically, the rabbis who do say these things are politically motivated, because after all, if they are being paid by the government, then what are chances that they will speak against it? And while when the Torah states that bribery "blinds the eyes of the wise, and twists the words of the righteous" is a scenario that seems to be referring to the judge, it is quite logical to say that one receiving money from a source that is providing his income will most likely feel indebted to that source, and find ways to at least not criticize, if not openly praise it. <br />
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To be sure, Rabbi Meir Kahane was a member of the Knesset at one time. And while such a position gets him or her to be paid by the government, Kahane was never swayed by blood money; for after all, his interest was for the people who voted him into power to begin with to intercede and help pass legislation on their behalf; while in stark contrast, most politicians "forget" their promises they made to the public who voted them into office begin with, since some of their promises are simply not politically correct, showing that they used, or rather misused, the votes of the people to get themselves to be above them, and then pretend that they are doing something that will benefit the people, when quite the opposite is happening. And also, unlike Kahane who wasn't afraid to say the Torah truth even on pain of imprisonment, being locked away from family, these other government paid rabbis have no such worries, if not paid a bonus from the Israeli government allowing it to continue its pro-Arab/anti-Jewish stances.<br />
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And then, there is what is called, or so called, a gray area here. You see, there are many rabbis who are thought of being right-wing. However, if these older rabbis have had no connections with Rabbi Kahane at a time that he needed rabbinical support, especially in Israel, then chances are, these rabbis, including some in the "settlement" movement, wanted nothing to do with someone who was branded a fanatic or racist. Sooner or later, the truth comes out from these rabbis. A classic example of this just happened recently, when over a 100 Zionist rabbis signed a letter criticizing Jews who supposedly sought revenge against Arabs in the form of what is called "price tags", or a similar letter several years ago after the Jews were thrown out of Gush Katif, that settlers shouldn't use violence against soldiers or police if something similar happens again. Now, after seeing how the Jews from Gush Katif suffering immensely from lack of care, including housing and employment, from the government, where is the mercy for Jews suffering from this tragedy, or from similar tragedies in the future, that these rabbis go out of their way to defend the rights of a dictatorship who are clearly against the Torah? And what is perhaps most ironic here is that for the most part, it is the Arabs who pretended to make it look like that we Jews did these price tags attacks by burning trees, and even doing the grafetti thing writing the words "price tag" in Hebrew. However, this was totally ignored by these rabbis, ever so afraid of looking like they have some connection with a few fanatic Jews who may have done such things. Yes, they may technically be rabbis, but they are certainly not righteous people to say the least, who are more concerned that their pockets don't dry out of tainted government money. <br />
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How fortunate was it that Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Shlita, who was a paratrooper in the Six Day War who had the great merit of taking part in making the holiest spot in the world, which includes the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, be available to Jews once again, who criticized the above rabbis pertaining to the price tag incidents, when at the same time, discussions from the government are being made about dividing Jerusalem to give parts of it away to other nations, which these rabbis were not criticizing. This is stark contrast to another rabbi-paratrooper in the Six Day War, who declared a Jew who killed an Arab on the Temple Mount as being no longer considered a part of the Jewish people for doing such a shameful thing. O.K., let us say for a moment that this was not the proper manner of asserting our rights and ownership of our holiest piece of real estate in Israel. But if a lone Jew does such a thing that can cost him his freedom or life, at worst scenario, this rabbi could have at least given him the benefit of the doubt, as the Torah mandates, of having some kind of mental condition, which would not brand such a person as someone "who no longer belongs to the Jewish people". However, what about Jews who murder other Jews - why aren't they considered as such in the same category - because this didn't arouse Arab or world anger? So as almost anyone can see, there are quite a few double standards employed by these political rabbis.<br />
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The truth is that this is nothing new. We see in the Talmud (Shabbat 33a) that there were a few rabbis who were having a discussion about the Romans, the leading rulers of the Jews following the destruction of the Temple by this nation, of the day. One rabbi praised the Romans' physical contributions, another rabbi who didn't say anything, and then a third - who openly criticized the Romans, stating that whatever they accomplished was only for their own selves, or do sins with them. In short, after the Roman government was informed of the details of this conversation, the first rabbi got a speaking engagement promotion with a rule that he was supposed to be the first to speak among other rabbis, the second rabbi was exiled for keeping his mouth shut from similarly praising them, and the third rabbi - well, he was on Rome's Most Wanted. This led to this rabbi and his son hiding in a cave for some 12-13 years until it was safe to be out in the world again.<br />
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O.K., I will let you know in a minute who this third rabbi is. But first, in case you were wondering what this post has to do with Gematriot, the Hebrew word for rabbi - Rebbe, the subject of this post, has the same letters as the Hebrew number for 212, the number of this post. Now, there is another famous Hebrew word that has the same Gematria - the word Zohar, which literally means brightness, but is usually used within the context naming the secrets of the Torah which is the collection of teachings of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, also known as Rashbi (acronym of his name) who is the third rabbi in the above story of the Talmud, who obviously wasn't afraid of stating the Torah truth about these evil Romans. Indeed, we see a connection here, that the one who wasn't afraid to reveal the Torah truth, even taking a chance of being imprisoned or killed by the ruling enemy nation, was the very rabbi to merit to learn and reveal these Kabbalistic secrets of the Torah, whose Yahrzeit on Lag B'Omer, the 33rd day of the Omer, is celebrated by observant Jews worldwide as a day of happiness as per this rabbi's last wishes, even by the ones who don't learn the Zohar. In fact, I have heard that the grounds of Rashbi's gravesite is the second most visited place in Israel, being topped only the place of the Temple Mount/Western Wall. And by the way, it has been pointed out that the about story about Rashbi, who passed away on the 33rd day of the Omer, is on Daf 33 of Tractate Shabbat of the Talmud. Moreover, there is a rule that whenever it states Rabbi Shimon in the Mishna, without mentioning the father's name or titles, refers to Rashbi, who was one of the main students of Rabbi Akiva, who in turn was among the greatest scholars of all time.<br />
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And in the teachings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the letters of the word Rebbe - Reish, Beit, Yud - can begin two phrases that are diametrically opposite to one another. The one that refers to Tzadikim (righteous people) are the words Rosh Bnei Yisrael (Head of the Children of Israel), this phrase taken from the beginning of Parshat Ki Tisa, where it states Ki Tisa Et Rosh Bnei Yisrael "When you will take a census of the heads of the Jewish people..." which by the way, will be read this coming Shabbat Shekalim as the special Maftir about donating coins to the Sanctuary which was typically done in the month of Adar before Nissan (Note: This year, being that there are two months of Adar, it is for the second Adar that this is read for). Now, for the phrase that refers to Reshaim (wicked people), it states Reshaim BaChoshech Yedamu "the wicked are stilled in darkness", which seems to hint to the fact that those who pretend to be righteous as a rabbi, but say or do things against the Torah, will eventually be silenced forevermore, for Hashem doesn't want his Torah to be misrepresented, especially by those who are perceived or supposed to be perceived by others as being a good example or need to be a good example in the position that he is in. (See Likutei Moharan I:111)<br />
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Now, the following may seem to be an interruption of thought here, but in a minute, you will see the connection with the theme of this post. We are presently up to the 21st Sephira combination - Malchut She'B'Tiferert (Kingship within Beauty). Now, in our present Jewish calendar, this falls out on the 6th of Iyar, which is the Yahrzeit of a dear rabbi-friend of mine, as he was to thousands, especially in the South Florida area - Rabbi Dovid Bryn, ZT'L of blessed memory, Despite an illness that he had for the latter half of his 40 year life, it was precisely during these years that he worked with outreach, having had a most positive effect on thousands of Jews, many who came closer to Judaism as a result. The truth is that originally, he had in mind to do only outreach, but circumstances led to him founding a synagogue in an area which needed one, and a good spiritual leader such as himself. Fortunately, he met his wife after many years of being single due to his illness, being married for the last two and a half years of his life, though leaving this world without physical children. However, he has left here hundreds, if not thousands, of spiritual children, whose lives will never be the same without this special rabbi. Indeed, he was meant to live in this world for only so long, and accomplished far more in this short time, despite the weakness of his illness, than most rabbis do in their long, comfortable lifetime - at least in the area of outreach to other Jews.<br />
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And as per the Sephira combination of the day of his passing, Rabbi Bryn treated Jews - regardless of religious, financial, or cultural standing - as kings or princesses, aside from the fact that he had the same Hebrew name as King David who especially represents the Sephira of Malchut (Kingship), bearing in mind the statement of Rabbi Shimon (who is Rashbi) at the end of the 14th chapter of the Tractate Shabbat of the Mishna (bearing in mind that the Hebrew name David is the Gematria of 14) that "all Jews are the sons of kings (princes)" stating his opinion on a halachic issue pertaining to the laws of Shabbat. And even though in this case, the Halacha does not follow Rabbi Shimon, his statement about Jews is certainly not for naught, for indeed, we are all considered sons of the King of kings as His chosen nation. And so, Rabbi Bryn's mission in life was to relate to Jews in a kingly manner, bringing out the best from them, showing them their good points in encouraging them to come closer to Judaism, or in other words, showing them their Jewish beauty (Tiferet) and presenting to them the beauty of Judaism - indeed, Malchut She'B'Tiferet, Kingship within Beauty. For more information on the life of this most special rabbi - HaRav Chayim Dovid ben HaRav Nachman - whose love for Jews was unconditional, untainted by money or politics, please check out this following website www.rabbidovidbryn.org<br />
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Now, relating the Sephirot combinations to the weeks of the Jewish calendar beginning from Rosh Hashana, the corresponding week to the 21st Sephira of Tiferet She'B'Malchut is approximately the week that includes the date of 7 Adar, the birthday and Yahrzeit of the first rabbi - Moshe Rabbeinu, who is called Moses our Rebbe/Teacher, being that he wasn't the teacher of just his immediate generation, but of all future generations.<br />
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And so, it isn't enough to be a rabbi to declare food kosher or not, the typical type of cases that rabbis in the times of Jews living in Europe received, when a chicken which may have had a problem with its body that could possibly disqualify it from being kosher to eat was brought to him for inspection. Most importantly, a rabbi needs to make sure that his words are all kosher talk, without twisting the words of the Torah. And as we ask Hashem in our daily morning prayers (in the blessing immediately preceding the Shema) "Enlighten our eyes in Your Torah, and attach our hearts to Your Commandments, and unite our hearts to love and fear Your name, so that we won't be ashamed forever. For we have trusted in Your holy, great, awesome Name, may we be glad and rejoice in Your salvation." Amen!<br />
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26 Adar I, 5774<br />
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<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-71706024747950990812014-02-20T06:51:00.000-08:002014-02-22T11:35:07.390-08:00#211 - Blessed is the Brave OnePurim 5754 (1994) in Hebron. It was the day and place which was meant by Heaven for Jewish blood to be sacrificed. However, the only question or variable would be - would Jews sit around silent and let it happen, or would one take "matters into his own hands" and have to sacrifice himself in lieu of many other Jews. <br />
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Perhaps if enough Jews would have known of a planned attack on Jews in Hebron on that fateful day on the Moslem Sabbath (Friday) in the month of Ramadan, massive prayer by Jews worldwide could have possibly averted this. But for Dr. Baruch Kappel Goldstein, ZT'L HY'D (May Hashem avenge his blood), time was of the essence, and as a resident of the general area, he knew what was being planned, including flyers for the Moslem Arab community informing everyone to stock up on food and supplies for an upcoming curfew from the Israeli government following their planned attack. But, he didn't just simply enter the Me'arat HaMachpela, the burial place of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron, to gun down 29 Moslem worshippers who were chanting "Slaughter the Jews" without telling anyone first. He informed the Shin Bet, the secret service agency in Israel, of what was being planned, but no one else wanted to do anything themselves. So, realizing that time was of the essence, and he didn't wish to see what would happen next, G-d forbid, he took the ultimate step of killing human life, or in this particular case, sub-human life; knowing full well that for all that he knew, he would either be killed or at best, be imprisoned by the pro-Arab Israeli government for life. <br />
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In fact, Dr. Goldstein had everything to live for. An observant Jew who believed in living life in this world to serve Hashem, a married man with six children, an accomplished doctor who was very good in saving lives, especially Jewish lives (though he also had to treat Arabs in his hired position, which comes to show the lack of gratitude from these Arab beasts). And in case anyone thought that he was simply a Kahane follower and lover, which he was; following his medical studies in the States from where he was born and raised, he moved to Israel, and though he was only obligated to serve in the Israeli army (IDF) for a year and a half instead of the standard three years for born Israelis, he insisted on serving three full years. Of course, especially in his position, being a doctor would be quite useful in an army in which most of its beginners have just finished high school. <br />
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If there was any one person who could have justified not taking matters in their hands in an attempt from preventing Jews from being murdered, it was Dr. Baruch Goldstein, who could have instead sit back and lived on afterwards and continue using his skills to save many more Jews in the future. However, first of all, we don't know what the future holds, as it is Hashem who decides what will be, as none of us know how long we will live, or how our lives will end. Secondly, according to the Torah perspective, which I heard from one of Kahane's close followers known to some as Yekutiel ben Yaakov, we learn a lesson about the urgency of helping our fellow Jew(s) from Moshe Rabbeinu who took matters in his hands in slaying the Egyptian taskmaster for beating up a Jew. Now, Moshe could have easily justified not doing so to avoid taking chances of being imprisoned or killed, since after all, looking long term, he could possibly help many more Jews in the future in the midst of their slavery. However, we see from the greatest Tzadik (righteous person) who ever walked the planet and lover of Jews - whom we call Moses our Teacher, as he is our teacher too - that when it comes to helping and saving Jewish lives, there is no accounting to be done as to what the "preferred way of doing things", what will be best long term, etc. If we see a Jew who is suffering NOW, then NOW is the time to do something about it - and without any personal or political agendas - because after this short frame of time, it could be too late, and we don't know what the future will hold in terms of helping other Jews. True, Moshe saved only one Jew from being beaten to death, following which, he was himself nearly executed by Pharaoh, and subsequently fled to Midian, but the Torah in the form of the Chumash (Penteteuch or the Five Books of Moses) doesn't just pick any story to write about in the Torah. For indeed, there are numerous stories about our Biblical figures in the Midrashim. However, if the Torah writes only about certain incidents, there is a reason for this, and of course, the general reason is for us to learn a lesson from these incidents.<br />
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In fact, this is the very concept of what is called Kiddush Hashem (Sanctification of Hashem's Name), which is one of the 613 Mitzvot (Commandments) of the Torah. An aspect of this is for a Jew to give up his life when threatened to violate the prohibitions of idolatry, adultery, and murder, or any commandment under certain circumstances. Now, one can rationalize that if he does give in to the threat, his sin won't be so bad since he is only doing it to avoid being murdered and not because he wants to do it, and then afterwards, he will be able to live long afterwards to perform many more Mitzvot. However, if this Mitzva of Kiddush Hashem would be left for us to decide how to go about this, no doubt that many more Jews in history would have converted to other religions and would have died that way without repenting of leaving the fold of Judaism. But even if were to know in advance that we would be able to live henceforth with religious freedom, it would still be a violation of this Mitzva, as well as a violation of the prohibition of Chillul Hashem (Desecration of Hashem's Name), another Mitzva of the Torah, if we would be obligated to give up our lives or be tortured for that matter. That is why if a Jew is murdered as a Kiddush Hashem, he is granted a special place in Heaven where most other Jews, even the greatest righteous ones, aren't permitted to enter. Now, this is not to say that we are permitted to purposely place ourselves in such a position to die under these circumstances to be rewarded as such in Heaven, as this may very well be considered as committing suicide, which is forbidden from the Torah, and one is not able to repent for such a sin since repentence only works to our benefit as long as we are living in this temporary world. But, if we serve Hashem in earnest, then ultimately, we don't need to worry about how Hashem will take care of us in terms of Heavenly reward, but rather, we do things for the sake of Hashem because He says so, and then we will get our just reward.<br />
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Now, while the Torah clearly defines what is called a Kiddush Hashem or a Chillul Hashem, some who have agendas have their views of what these terms refer to. To illustrate here, if a Jew, G-d forbid, does something that is not very appropriate, which results in people looking down on Judaism and Jews, then generally, this is what the Torah calls a Chillul Hashem, which by the way, Rabbi Meir Kahane, ZT'L HY'D (May Hashem avenge his blood) defines as Challal, a hollow, an area which has, so to speak, emptiness of Hashem, as for example, when Jews are derided and defamed by non-Jews believing that Hashem isn't in the picture. However, if a Jew does perform a Mitzva the way that it is supposed to be performed, then even if it doesn't look good in some people's eyes, then not only is it not a Chillul Hashem, but it is a Kiddush Hashem, for Hashem's will was being performed, and the only problem is with the ones who don't believe in keeping Judaism the right way, being that they have a twisted sense of what the Torah wants, because of their political agendas.<br />
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To this day, there are even a few among the observant Jewish community, including one Modern Orthodox rabbi who writes a blog online (I don't want to say what it is so he won't get attention) who still think that what Dr. Goldstein did on that Purim morning 20 years ago was nothing short of a Chillul Hashem, and for all that they are concerned, Dr. Goldstein went to Hell for this. After all, we are not supposed to take human life of those who didn't hurt us. True, but obviously, these few who think they have learned the Torah conveniently forget a statement that our Talmudic rabbis have made "Someone who comes to kill you, arise up and kill him". <br />
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This is sure in sharp contrast to the standards of the ones running the Israeli army (which by the way, was praised by another Modern Orthodox rabbi for their humane treatment of our avowed enemies) who give orders not to start attacking Arab kids who are throwing rocks at them, and it is only permitted in other circumstances to actually attack ONLY AFTER our army starts gettting attack; otherwise, as far as the pro-Arab Israeli government, this is nothing short of murder. So basically, according to this, soldiers who are being trained to fight in war, are supposed to take a chance being murdered before fighting back, and if what is hurled at them isn't necessarily deadly, then at best, our soldiers are only allowed to shoot in the air, and if G-d forbid, they shoot in the air before the first rock is hurled at them, they could face army trial and imprisonment. Now, the only problem with this is that WE ARE IN A WAR WITH OUR ARAB ENEMIES. <br />
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In fact, this war hasn't stopped in many years. The only practical difference is that at times, there is a lot of more action that goes on. But as long as there is daily news of Arabs attacking Jews somewhere in our country, then we have every obligation at the very least to feel that something is very wrong here, especially since the dictatorship in our country looks to literally turn the other cheek in appeasing the Arabs, appeasing the so called ally the United States who have kept Jonathan Pollard in prison for over 28 years, when his actions should not have warranted prison for more than a few years maximum according to the U.S. law, appeasing the United Nations who sole reason of being formed to begin with, under the guise of world peace, was to hate Jews and do its best to allow us Jews to have the least amount of land possible, with the possibility of eventually the Arabs taking it over from us and driving us to the sea.<br />
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Actually, this is hardly surprising. You see, in the film Herzel and Zionism, which you can see on Youtube, it was the very founding Zionist leaders of the new State of Israel who were in the position to save MILLIONS OF JEWS from the Holocaust, but because of their political agenda in terms of who could help the Zionist entity, they even turned down an offer, via the Jewish Agency, from the Nazi leader Eichmann himself who offered them Jews in return for barter of tea and coffee. And so, if the present Israeli government, who is continuing the work of their fathers and grandfathers whose turning the other cheek literally caused millions of more Jews to die in the Holocaust, has the nerve to critcize Dr. Goldstein's heroic actions, then this clearly shows who are the true murderers here. In fact, if the government would have given a damn to Dr. Goldstein's warnings to begin with, his own blood would not have neither be needed to be shed to say the least. And what actually happend is that the Shin Bet wanted this issue to be taken care of, but didn't want to look as the ones responsible for the "terrible crime" of gunning down the Arabs shouting "Slaughter the Jews!", and so, the Shin Bet (which should be called the Sin Bad) let Baruch Goldstein in the door with the praying Arabs - and then locked the door behind him so Goldstein wouldn't be able to escape, hence not making it "look bad" on the Shin Bet as per this pro-Arab Israeli government, pretending that it was strictly the doings of Dr. Goldstein (which was the case for he was the one who actually shot the Arabs, it's just that the Shin Bet accompanied him to the door of the room that it locked on him). <br />
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And so, after all is said and done, if anyone wants to still criticize Baruch Goldstein, they need to also criticize the whole political Israeli government scene, but not because of its "poor treatment" of our Arab enemies, which the media wishes for everyone to believe; for if anything, it's quite the opposite; even as our Arab enemies are laughing at this government who are begging on its knees for the world to accept us, but typically has the world laughting at it instead.<br />
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With this all said, with an ever greater appreciation of Dr. Goldstein's heroic deed that clearly saved Jewish lives, who could have otherwise be a "good Jewish doctor" somewhere in the good ol' U.S.A., buy himself a big beautiful home with the money as a physician, have his spouse and three children as many if not most in the Modern Orthodox world have as the maximum amount of children, and being a doctor would have been just something that he could make a good living with without making any special mark in Jewish history, I will now get into some Gematriot pertaining to this most special Jew who is still being written about 20 years later - for the better or worse.<br />
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To be clear, the timing of Dr. Goldstein's heroic act was on Purim in a regular Jewish year. However, in some years when there are two months of Adar, like this year, the Yarhzeit - at least according to Ashkenazic rite, and Dr. Goldstein was Ashkenazic - is observed on the first Adar, as noted by the Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserleis) on the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law). Hence, it was last week on Purim Katan, the date of 14 Adar I, which was his Yahrzeit, which happened to fall out on the sixth day of the week, the same day of the week as that fateful day that cost Dr Goldstein his life - but only in this temporary world, but earning himself tremendous eternal reward that even most of the greatest righteous Jews don't merit.<br />
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His full Hebrew name is Baruch Kappel, the second name actually being Yiddish for believe it or not - what is called Kipa in Hebrew, Yarmulke in Yiddish, or beanie in English. The reason that I mention this is that his second name is the Gematria of 211, and this is the number of this post. But part of my point here is the meaning of the word Yarmulke, which is based on the Hebrew phrase Yarei M'Elokim "having fear of G-d", and the word Yarei "having fear" is also the Gematria of 211. So, what observant Jews typically wear on their heads is named after the Mitzva of the Torah to fear Hashem. Indeed, Reb Baruch Kappel Goldstein's life was based on what the one Above, as what we wear on our heads is supposed to remind us of, wants us to do, and being a physician wasn't just a means for Dr. Goldstein to make a living, for he could have made far more money in the States, than in the medical system in Israel, in which most doctors working in the system from which they get paid either make peanuts, or have to work their butt off tons of hours to make half decent money. Rather, Dr. Goldstein chose a profession that he was able to use to help Jews in the best way possible as his top priority, and then whatever money he could make from it would justify him continuing on working in the same field to continue his holy work. <br />
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This is in stark contrast to some doctors who take on as many patients as legally permitted. let's say in a hospital, and since they don't have much time to spend on each patient, some of the patients aren't treated right, such as receiving an infection as a result of let's say an I.V. being placed in the armpit which is full of bacteria, leading to the patient's death, which happened to a young Jewish woman of 32 years of age whom I knew. Or, a seemingly observant Jewish dentist who carelessly or purposely takes out a tooth from one side of the mouth of a patient that didn't need to be removed, while on the other side of the mouth, there was an infection which needed to be tended to, and then after being summoned to a Beit Din (Jewish court) and told to pay back the money to the patient and doesn't pay it anytime soon, the patient has to pressure the Beit Din to have him pay it. Oh yes, the patient in this case was my mom, but ultimately, what angers me most is that these professionals in the Orthodox Jewish community who crook others or look down on others who don't begin to compare to their financial standing, make themselves look like the biggest Tzadikim (righteous people) of town (except maybe for the rabbi) by giving lots of Tzedaka (charity) within their community as a cover up for what they do wrong, which is no less evil in terms of intent as far as I am concerned, than an owner of what is supposed to be a kosher plant who sneaks in non-kosher meat who gives lots of Tzedaka in the Jewish community so that even the rabbis won't open up their mouths. <br />
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Now, another word that is the Gematria of 211 is Gibor "strong one". Now, the true definition of a Gibor is what the Torah defines as such, particularly in the first Mishna of the fourth chapter of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers): "Who is a Gibor? One who conquers his (evil) inclination." Perhaps in more practical terms, it is one who has excessive desires when it comes to food, sex, etc., but uses self control to not let himself go overboard; and at times, not only when it comes to non-kosher food or forbidden sex, but even when it comes to things that are permitted, he doesn't let himself get mentally consumed with the desire at hand, but rather, uses it in serving Hashem without benefiting from it any more than necessary. For after all, the ultimate spiritual pleasure is what we receive from doing Torah and Mitzvot, and so, if one is focused on what Hashem wants rather than thinking of his own pleasures and desires, this is a person who can truly be called a Gibor. In fact, in a way, he is imitating Hashem who is also called a Gibor. Interestingly, the FIRST word of the FIRST blessing of the main prayer called Shemoneh Esrei is Baruch (Blessed), and the SECOND word of the SECOND blessing of Shemoneh Esrei is the word Gibor - in the context stating "You are forever a Gibor, my Master" - which is the Gematria of Baruch Goldstein's second Hebrew name Kappel.<br />
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In fact, there was a Sefer that was published commemorating Dr. Goldstein's life with Divrei Torah (words of Torah) on various subjects including Kiddush Hashem and Mesirut Nefesh (giving up one's own life) which is called Baruch HaGever, the word Gever being etymologically related to the word Gibor . This phrase is taken from the text from Sefer Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah 17:7) "Blessed is the man (Gever) who trusts in Hashem, and Hashem will be his trust", which is recited both in our daily morning prayers and in Bircat HaMazon (Grace after Meals). But perhaps what is a little less known, as that this verse is also mentioned in Perek Shira, a compilation of verses of praise of Hashem that the various forces of creation recite. In this case, it is the lucky goose, which is the wild goose, that recites this verse when it finds food. Now in Hebrew, it is called Avaz HaBar. Most amazingly, these two words has the respective Gematriot of the two words in the Hebrew date of Baruch Goldstein's Yarhzeit Yud-Dalet B'Adar (14th of Adar), as the word Avaz (goose) is the same Gematria as the Hebrew number Yud-Dalet (14) and the word HaBar (of the wild) is the same Gematria as the word B'Adar (of Adar) - 207. Coincidence?!<br />
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Based on this, what seems to be the ultimate lesson that we can learn from Baruch Goldstein's life is the trait of Bitachon (trust in Hashem). This may seem to be similar or the same as Emuna (faith). However, there is a vast difference between the two. And the best explanation that I have come across as to the difference between the two is again from the above Yekutiel ben Yaakov. You see, almost anyone can have Emuna in Hashem, even Prime Monster Bibi Netanyahu, behaving indifferently towards Jews, though ironically, saying just the opposite of Pharaoh, for while the latter refused to "Let My people go", Bibi has done just this when he voted for Jews to be thrown out of Gush Katif and when he allows (oops, I made a mistake, I mean which he authorizes) Jews to be thrown out of their homes or have their homes destroyed which just happened a couple of weeks back to one who is in the forefront of helping prevent this happening to other Jews in the "settlements". You see, even someone who is cruel to good Jews as Bibi while pocketing good money will believe enough in having a Seder on Passover night, say a few good words to the Jewish nation wishing us a Happy Passover, and then it's back to business, literally, with our sworn enemies who naturally refuse to even recognize Israel as our state, which includes construction freezes, releasing terrorists, and his ultimate long-term project of throwing out more Jews from homes in areas that he plans to eventually hand over to the Arabs, just as he handed autonomy of Hebron, Israel's second holiest city, to the Arabs, perhaps in due part in revenge for what Dr. Goldstein did to the Arabs in this town a few short years earlier, to appease the rest of the Arabs. <br />
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However, Bitachon involves far more in relating ourselves to Hashem. This is the ultimate trust in Him with doing the right thing, even if it is not popular, not appreciated, or makes us far less financially than doing something different. Such a person can truly be called a Gibor, or a Gever; in short a man/person who reports to a Higher Authority, who has the self control even with matters that are permitted to one. In fact, even in the secular Jewish world, we have had people like Joel Brand, who desperately attempted to save Jews from Eichmann when the latter gave him a proposal, but flatly turned down by the Jewish Agency, and then Mr. Brand scrambled from one office to another in Jerusalem in an attempt to find even one agency who would prevent Jews from being murdered but to no avail, and subsequently had no better luck finding work, being branded as one who was working against the best interests of the Zionist movement, and later on, even turned down an offer from the evil Teddy Kollek (a former major of Jerusalem who seethed with hatred of observant Jews) which would have been a prestigious position in the Weizman Institute in lieu of going ahead with his book to write exactly what happened in the events of the Zionists as per the Holocaust, and was even threatened to be put in an insane asylum. <br />
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THE CONCEPT OF THE LETTER KAF AND THE NUMBER 20<br />
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Noting that this has been 20 years since a most holy Jew has left us physically, while the lesson of his heroic life remains with us, or at least with the ones who are truly interested in Torah truth, this number 20 is most associated with the concepts of Kiddush Hashem and Mesirut Nefesh. For details on this, one can check my past post "Letter of SELF SACRIFICE" (March '09). But for today, I will be adding a detail or two pertaining especially to Baruch Goldstein as per this, as well as a short recap of what I wrote then.<br />
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Well first, the last letter of his first name Baruch is a Chaf Sophit, which in simple Gematria (in contrast to the upgraded numerical value of the five "final" letters) is the numerical value of twenty. <br />
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From the beginning of Jewish history, the number twenty has played a crucial theme. You see, Abraham the first Jew, was the 20th generation in parental line from Adam and Eve, but was not only the first Jew, but the first one who have self sacrifice for the right principles; in his case, in the belief in one G-d, in opposition to the idols of his day, for which he was thrown into a fiery furnace, which is hinted to in the Torah as Ur Casdim, the "light" or "fire" of the Casdim, the name of the nation in the area that Abraham lived in, which begins with the letter Caf. <br />
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Next, we see with Moses that when he saw how angry Hashem was with the Jewish people for the sin of the Golden Calf, he offered himself to be totally erased from the Torah if Hashem would not otherwise forgive the Jewish people. And while Hashem did eventually forgive us, at least in terms of not destroying the Jewish nation which He initially said that He was going to do, since even a conditional statement of a Tzadik (righteous person) has to be fulfilled in some way, Moses' name doesn't appear in Parshat Tetzaveh, the 20th Parsha of the Torah. In fact, the story of the Golden Calf in which Moses offered of himself is in the following Parsha that is named Ki Tisa, this name which begins with the letter Kaf.<br />
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The following year, Moses sends 12 spies to the Land of Israel in request of the Jewish people, which showed their lack of Bitachon in Hashem after promising them to bring them to a "land flowing with milk and honey". Now, while 10 of the 12 spies came back with a slanderous report which landed up the Jewish male adults outside of the Tribe of Levi crying their faces off which earned them wandering in the desert up to nearly 40 years, only to die before making it to Israel, two of these two spies - Joshua and Caleb - refused to join the evil club, and were nearly stoned for speaking words of encouragement to the Jews. Now, while both of them were rewarded - Joshua who became Moses' successor and led the Jews to Israel, and Caleb who was awarded a peace of Israel in the environs of Hebron; the Torah seems to especially praise Caleb for "having a different spirit". <br />
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Now, why does the Torah focus on Caleb and not also on Joshua, other than mentioning that these were the only two of all the Jewish male adults (of the older generation who did the crying) who remained alive to come to Israel? You see, Joshua already received his blessing from Moses in advance which made it easier for him not to give in to the tempation of the journalism of the evil spies. However, Caleb had to work on his own to behave the same as Joshua, having prayed especially at the Me'arat HaMachpela for Divine Assistance so he wouldn't sin. So, it was hardly surprising that he should get a piece of Hebron land in the environs of the place at which he prayed that he should remain a good Jew who has Bitachon on Hashem. But perhaps what is most interesting here is that first, his name Caleb begins with a Caf, and when it was time for the land to be apportioned following the Jewish people under the leadership of Joshua fighting the nations in Israel for a good seven years, we see that Caleb requested Joshua of the piece of land that he wanted, stating Ke'Chochi Az U'CheChochi Atah "Just as my strength was then (in the time of the Spies), so is my strength now for war" (Joshua 14:11). Now, the word for strength in Hebrew is Ko'ach, which also begins with the letter Koach. But the most intriguing part here is that in the text, the letter Kaf in the word Ke'Kochi - JUST as my strength - is ENLARGED. No doubt, this is another MAJOR hint as the letter that represents Mesirut Nefesh, which in Caleb's case, was going against the trend of the Spies, who while may have first been as Rashi called them Kesheirim (Kosher ones), this word which also begins with the letter Kaf, they eventually turned sour. And it seems that as part of Caleb's reward, he had the same strength at the age of 85 when he received his just reward of land following his own participation in fighting the enemies at his advanced age, as he had at the age of 40 when he went with the Spies - both in physical strength and spiritual strength (actually more, for the righteous increase in greatness in serving Hashem), with no less spiritual strength as when he started off with "JUST as my strength was then", not ever wavering in his trust in Hashem.<br />
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Now, this is not the only time in Tanach (Jewish Bible) in which the letter Kaf is enlarged. In Tehillim, the verse states V'Chana Asher Nat'ah Yeminecha V'Al Ben Imatzta Lach "The foundation that Your right hand planted, and for the son that you made strong for Yourself" (Psalms 80:16). In the word (V')Chana "Foundation", the letter Caf/Chaf is ENLARGED. Now, for an appreciaton of what this verse is saying, we have to turn to the Metzudat David commentary "Place your Divine Watch on the Land of Israel, and on the Jewish people whom You have strengthened". So as we see here, the word Ben (son) refers to the Jewish people. Now, in terms of Gematria, this word has the same numerical value as Caleb's name, and in this context, is also mentioned the concept of strength, howbeit using a different word. But in Caleb's case, whose name begins with the letter Kaf, the word for strength that he used was Ko'ach which also begins with the letter Kaf. As a side note, when Baruch Marzel, a resident of Hebron, one of Kahane's close followers who headed the Kach movement at one time - this word Kach (SO shall it be) which consists of the letters Kaf and Kaf Sophit - ran to be a member of Knesset in 2006, the letter that represented him/his party was the letter Kaf, though unfortunately, he wasn't able to succeed to even have one seat in the Knesset, but I am proud to say that this was the first time that I voted in Israel, having voted for the one party, based on Kahane ideals, that is not full of politics.<br />
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Then, in the Mishna, the 20th tractate is called Ta'anit, refering to the various fasts of the Jewish calendar. Now, when we fast, we are diminishing some physical strength, as we don't have the food, the fuel, to continue on very well. However, the idea of fasting in Judaism is more than this, for generally, one needs strength to serve Hashem. But when we are obligated to fast, the idea is to pick up some more spiritual strength. Most notably, this is felt with the 24/25 hours of the fast of Yom Kippur, and as many have attested, they don't even feel the need to eat on this day, unlike with other fast days even with far less hours of fasting that aren't mandated from the Torah but from the rabbis, as they feel a special spiritual strength. Now, the full name of Yom Kippur is Yom HaKippurim. In any case, the base of this word Kippur or Kapara (atonement), begins with the letter Kaf. And with the word Kippurim, we see that it can read as K'Purim - which literally means "just as Purim". Now as we know, the story of Purim had yet to take place, and so is not mentioned as a holiday in the Chumash. However, everything is hinted in the Torah, and most amazingly, not only is the name of a future holiday hinted in a name of a holiday in the Torah, but ironically, this reads that Yom Kippur is like Purim, and NOT vice versea, as if to say, that Purim may have been a holiday before Yom Kippur. <br />
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Perhaps the ultimate lesson that we can learn here is that in truth, the ultimate level in reaching spiritually really should be elevating the physical world to spirituality, including the food that we eat, giving us the strength to serve Hashem in this physical world. In fact, this was Hashem's intention with Adam and Eve, with the proviso not to eat from one particular tree, but failed the test. And so, this world became a world full of troubles and sins, and so, we need a holiday like Yom Kippur to cleanse ourselves of the base desires of this world that we may have benefited from not in the service of Hashem, and so, with this holiday, we are supposed to accomplish the same spirituality as we can do with Purim which involves a special Mitzva of eating a festive meal, which includes feasting with wine and happiness, the spiritual state that Hashem meant for us to begin with to attain without the need of fasting. But when we do fast in accordance with Hashem's wishes not only with the fasting itself, but to accomplish the ultimate purpose of the fasting in bettering ourselves, we are performing a form of Mesirut Nefesh that is related to the letter Kaf/the number 20, just as Tractate Ta'anit, about the laws of fasting, is the 20th tractate of the Mishna, as well as the concept of Kiddush Hashem, which means making Hashem's name holy (so to speak, but we are in effect advertising His holiness to the world), and it was only on Yom Kippur that the Cohen Gadol entered the Kodesh Kodoshim "Holy of Holies" room in the Temple. And as we see in the last Mishna of Tractate Ta'anit, the two days of the year that are mentioned as the happiest days of the year, in which the young ladies danced in hope for a Shidduch (matchmate), are Tu B'Av - the words of this date being the total Gematria of 20 (Tu is 15 and B'Av is 5), and Yom Kippur.<br />
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Also, the fifth of the six volumes of the Mishna, called Seder Kodoshim (Holy Things), begins with Tractate Zevachim, which can be translated as offerings or sacrifices. And what does this tractate, beginning the fifth volume of the Mishna, start with? Kol HaZevachim "All sacrifices...", which begins with the letter Kaf. Coincidence?<br />
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And along these lines, in the series of the combination of Sephirot, we are up to the 20th, which is Yesod She'B'Tiferet "Foundation within Beauty". Most interesting, both the words Yesod and Chana (made up of the letters Chaf, Noon, Hei; not to be confused with the Hebrew name Chana that begins with the letter Cheit) are synonyms of the meaning of foundation, just as there are synonyms in Hebrew for the meaning of strength or power. And as per the Yahzeit date of Baruch Goldstein, the 14th of Adar, the first and last letters of the word Yesod - Yud and Dalet - spell the Hebrew number 14. Also, as the seven active Sephirot correspond with the seven days of the week, Yesod corresponds to the sixth day of the week, and it was on this day of the week that Baruch Goldstein gave up his life on behalf of the Jewish people "the FOUNDATION that Your RIGHT hand has planted", noting that it is only the views of Kahane - whose last name starts with the letter Kaf - which Goldstein followed, that can truly be called RIGHT-wing, the terminology that is used today to refer to our full rights to Israel in contrast to the Arabs; and all the other Knesset factions that are thought of as right wing are actually the fake right, as hinted to in another verse in Tehillim "Their mouths speak falsehood, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood" (Psalms 144:8). How true today! This is especially noting that just days ago, the Shaked Commission, named after Ayelet Shaked, a secular Jewess within the "Jewish Home" party that was endorsed for voting by Zionist rabbis who despised Kahane and the Kahane based party "Power to Israel" whom they should have endorsed instead to vote for, is about to endorse a bill to punish, nay criminalize, young Ultra-Orthodox Jews who wish to learn in Yeshiva full time as they have done until now, instead of entering an army that is self-defeating, the only such insane army in the world that is extra careful with not hurting its enemies, nay, even running away from them at times, instead of showing the true strength that Israel is fully capable of showing in knocking our avowed Arab enemies to the ground once and for all. <br />
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Now, the name of the Sephira called Tiferet in this Yesod She'B'Tiferet combination, begins and ends with the letter Tav, the numerical value of 400, and the square root of 400 is 20. How fitting then, after what I have wrote, that the 20th Sephira of the 49 Sephirot combinations should be so closely related to the number 20.<br />
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It's interesting how I mentioned the documentary "Herzl and Zionism" earlier on in this post. You see, the date in the Sephira period to which corresponds Yesod She'B'Tiferet is 5 Iyar, the famous, or as far as some are concerned, the infamous date, of the signing of the Declaration of Independence for Israel, penning this day as Yom Ha'Atzmaut "Independence Day". This declaration was pronounced by non-other than David Ben-Gurion, who was among the Zionists who believed that we shouldn't mess with saving most of the Jews perishing in the Holocaust, but only the young ones who could be an asset to the Zionist dream, as he didn't want a bunch of loafers consisting of old people, or in his opinion, a bunch of observant Jews, just taking instead of providing. Perhaps if this rule of thumb would have been applied to his own parents or grandparents, he would have felt a little differently, but after watching this film, you will see that the State of Israel was built not only on the blood of the Jews who directly fought for our rights to our land, but bloodstained with the blood of Jews who perished in the Holocaust because David Ben-Gurion and his fellow gang members who felt that these murdered Jews, especially the old timer religious ones with the long black coats and beards, would not serve a purpose in his view of what the Zionist dream should be about. And then, everyone wonders why non-Jews pretend not to be anti-Semitic when they claim that they are just against Zionism, believed to be a ploy to take over land that was once occupied by who are called Palestinians. Indeed, Hashem works this world as a two way street, because if we don't have mercy on our own, why should others have mercy on us?<br />
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In conclusion, I would like to quote from Psalm 20, which is based on the concept of relying on Hashem, even when it seems that everything else is helpless, especially in wartime. Let me quote here the final verses, "Some are with chariots, others are with horses, but we will mention the name of Hashem our G-d. They kneel and fall, but we will arise and be refreshed. O Hashem, save us, the King will answer us on the day that we call". In this LAST verse of Psalm 20, we refer to Hashem as King, which in Hebrew is Melech, ending with the LAST letter of Chaf Sophit, just as the LAST letter of Baruch Goldstein's first name is a Chaf Sophit. For ultimately, it is the King of Kings that we have to worry about serving, and not the interests of world opinon, the so called Torah opinion of some Modern Orthodox rabbis who live quite confortably with six digit figures who dare criticize righteous people as Goldstein, the true BRAVE Jew, or the opinion of some so called Zionist rabbis who claim that we have to obey the orders of the Israeli government or the heads of the IDF, even if it means throwing out Jews from their homes. Ultimately, there will come a time when everyone will see the truth, when it will be too late for the anti-Semites and rabbis who use Judaism for their self interest to repent, that "Hashem will be King over the entire world. On that day, Hashem will be One, and His name will be One". Amen!<br />
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20 Adar I, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-5746259845707429662014-02-16T14:45:00.000-08:002014-02-19T22:05:13.513-08:00#210 - My Experience on THE MountainMany people, including myself, can relate to mountains, at least in name. You see, I was born in a hospital named Mt. Sinai. In fact, there are quite a few hospitals in the States with this name. I once heard that the reason for this given name for a hospital is because as our rabbis tell us, when the Torah was given on Mt. Sinai, everyone was healed of their bodily deficiencies, so everyone would be able to see, hear, and speak in time for the Giving of the Torah. Hence, the name Mt. Sinai would be most appropriate for a hospital which has the purpose of healing people.<br />
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But buildings and places that are named after mountains aren't limited to hospitals. There is a cemetery in Miami that is called Mt. Nebo, the name of the mountain upon which Moses passed away. And of course, one of the states in the continental United States is called Montana, which is based on the word mountain.<br />
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However, regardless of the Jewish history of these mountains, there is no special holiness attached to them. It may seem paradoxical that Mt. Sinai, the very place on which Hashem began giving the Torah to us with the Ten Commandments, the moment in time which was the cause for the world to remain in existence since it only exists in the merit of Torah learning, should have no more holiness attached to it today than any other mountains, at least outside of Israel. But then again, this is not so new. You see, the site of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) that we learn about in this week's Parshat Vayakheil (as well as detailed in Parshat Terumah) which was located for hundreds of years in the city of Shilo in Israel, does not have any more special holiness on its grounds than other places in Israel today, since, just like the location of Mt. Sinai, it only served its purpose for a period of time, but now it doesn't serve this purpose anymore. Imagine, there was a time that all Jews, our ancestors were all in this town of Shilo to worship and offer sacrifices on the Shalosh Regalim (Three Pilgrimage Festivals), but today, it's a ghost town with perhaps a thousand residents in stark contrast to what it was at one time housing the greatest spot of holiness in this world.<br />
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However, there is one mountain that is given attention by the Torah early on - Mt. Moriah. In fact, the Torah doesn't introduce us to this mountain as Mt. Moriah per se, but rather as "the land of Moriah" where there was "one of the mountains" at which Abraham was to bring up his son Isaac on an altar upon Hashem's commands. <br />
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As it turns out, this was not the first time in history that sacrifices were offered at this part of the world. The Midrash tells us that both Adam and Noah offered sacrifices, and it was the same place at which Jacob stopped by after he left his parents' home before he proceeded to Haran where his uncle Laban lived.<br />
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In any case, it was only after nearly three millenium since Creation that the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) was built in this part of the world. But once this happened, there was no turning back - this remained the holiest spot in the world, even after the Temple would be destroyed. In fact, as we learn in the final chapter of the Mishnaic Tractate Zevachim (Offerings) Chapter 14, unlike in the past when private altars were permitted to be built and certain sacrifices were able to be offered at them, at least in the absence of the Mishkan; once the Temple was built, never again would private altars be allowed to be built, regardless of whether the Temple would be in existance or not in the future. <br />
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Now, a question can be asked, what is the practical difference here between the times following the destructions of the Tabernacle in Shilo and the Temple on Mt. Moriah in terms of private altars? We can't offer sacrifices on the grounds of the past Temples anyways. In fact, we are not even allowed to go up to Mt. Moriah, which will be called henceforth in this post by its popular name of Har HaBayit (Temple Mount).<br />
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Actually, I just wrote two myths here. First, unlike the political opinion of some rabbis, including the Chief Rabbinate in Israel which in recent times has been used more for politics than for the right causes, there are some areas on the Temple Mount that are permitted to be tread upon, and we know this for a fact, because the Rambam (Maimonides), when he visited the Temple Mount, declared the date that he visited as an annual day of personal celebration, having been at the greatest area of holiness in the world. So long as one goes to the Mikva (ritualarium) beforehand, and goes up with a religious group in which one will be led only at the areas that are permitted to be walked on, excluding the most holy areas that we are presently not permitted to enter because of our spiritual impurity of contact with the dead that can only be rid of from the ashes of the Para Aduma (Red Heifer), not only does one not have a sin for treading on this part of the Temple Mount, but one actually fulfills the Mitzva of Mora Mikdash, having awe of Hashem Who commanded us about respect in this holy area (some of today's rabbis will claim that this Mitzva applies to our synagogues and Torah study halls, but the main part of this commandment refers SPECIFICALLY to the Temple Mount that many of not most of them will claim that going up on any part of the Temple Mount is committing a grave sin). In fact, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi (Judah the Prince) could not be more clear about this in his compilation of the Mishna, mentioning near the end of the final chapter of the first tractate of the Mishna - Berachot - which is about the Shema, prayers, and blessings - the guidelines of being on the Temple Mount, including not entering with certain items to avoid showing disrespect at this most holy place. Now mind you, when the Mishna as we know it today was composed, this was already after the destruction of the Second Temple, so if it would be totally forbidden to be present even at a part of the Temple Mount, the Mishna would not been worded as such to give us a misimpression to make us think that there would be no prohibition today. <br />
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How unfortuante that so many observant Jews, who sincerely want to fulfill all of the Torah's commands that are able to be fulfilled today, noting that we presently don't offer sacrifices in absence of the Temple, are misled to think that it is forbidden to ascend even the part of the Temple Mount that is permitted to be walked upon, missing out on the MAIN part of the Mitzva of Mora Mikdash, even as they led to believe that it is the Western Wall that has all this special holiness. Well, as Rabbi Chaim Richman, Shlita of the Temple Mount Institute, www.templeinstitute.org, puts it, that while the Western Wall is very holy, it had absolutely no significance at the time of the existance of the Temple, other than of course, being the western wall of the grounds of the Temple Mount, as its name implies, but at the time of the Temple, no one came to pray and bow down at this wall. <br />
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Oh, the second myth, that sacrifices are forbidden to be offered on the Temple Mount. While we are restricted as to certain areas on the Mount due to impurity of the dead, there is a certain area in the permitted area where we can build an altar and offer sacrifices - most especially, the Korban Pesach, the Pascal Sacrifice, which is the most single important sacrifice that we are obligated to offer, one of the two Positive or Active Commandments that one incurs the penalty of Karet (spiritual extinction) for violation thereof (the other such commandment being circumcision); quite contrary to the claim of certain rabbis that one incurs Karet for entering even on part of the Temple Mount, or that we may "accidentally" enter a part of the Mount that is forbidden to enter since today, "we don't know where the boundaries of the differences lie", which is a lie, since it is clearly laid out in the Talmud and Halacha that clearly matches what is seen on the Mount (while in Temple times, individuals were forbidden to offer or eat of the Korban Pesach in an impure state, the rule is that where the majority of Jews are impure, then the condition of being in a pure state is waived). Moreover, contrary to what some want us to believe, we don't need to wait for Moshiach to come before building the Temple. If there is any question as per building the Temple, the only question is pertaining to the exact spots that everything is supposed to be built upon. And by the way, today's Sanhedrin, which was formed some nine years ago, ascended the Temple Mount once as a group; bearing in mind that this rabbinical court consists of some of the most brilliant Torah scholars of today, who not only aren't paid by this pro-Arab Jewish government, unlike the Chief Rabbinate as well as other appointed rabbinical positions, but even one of its members, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, Shlita, who heads the Temple Institute and a former paratrooper who had the great merit to be among those who liberated the Temple Mount, was arrested at one point and interrogated for his strict right wing beliefs, including recently for the great "crime" of bowing on the Temple Mount, noting that he was the second on the Kach party list which was headed by Rabbi Meir Kahane, may Hashem avenge his blood. <br />
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However, there are other questions to be asked here. What are the politics involved here that gets rabbis to say things that are clearly against what the Torah says? And, why aren't Jews offering even the Korban Pesach when the Supreme Court in Israel issued a ruling that allows us to do so - not that we need the Supreme Court's approval for a commandment in the Torah, but that we have been given the green light to do so without being allowed to be hindered even according to Israeli secular law?<br />
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You see, so long as the Al Aksa mosque, which houses the grounds of the Kodesh Kodoshim (Holy of Holies), the holiest room in the world, is in existance, many rabbis don't want to appear that they are making trouble, especially since many if not most of them in Israel are paid by the pro-Arab, anti-Jewish Israeli government, and so, it is easy for them to make these types of claims. A case in point - when Rabbi Meir Kahane, was a Knesset member, another Knesset member who was a rabbi, a member of the Ultra-Orthodox community, was attemping to downplay the problem of the Moslem Arabs occupying the Temple Mount with their mosque. Upon this, Rabbi Kahane told him that he was saying this because he was afraid. The rabbi, in defense, was claiming that we Jews are forbidden to ascend the Temple Mount. "In that case" exlaimed Rabbi Kahane, "neither of us will ascend the Mount; but for that matter, neither should we allow the Chillul Hashem (Desecration of G-d's Name) of these Arabs being on the Mount". And as for the Supreme Court ruling allowing the Korban Pesach to be offered here, the police pretend to be using a loophole in the law claiming that they can not allow this taking place due to "security reasons". So much for the secular laws promoting religious rights of Jews in Israel!<br />
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However, the above rabbinal rhetoric didn't stop me from ascending the Mountain of Hashem (phrase from Psalms 24:3 which refers to the Temple Mount) a couple weeks ago on 5 Adar I, a Wednesday morning. The truth is that I did attempt once before to ascend the Temple Mount several years ago, but despite the fact that some were waiting an hour and a half to ascend, the police stopped the visit short in appeasement of the Arabs, in order to discourage Jewish visitors from coming in the future. For me, it was far easier in the past to come to the Western Wall, pending only a quick security search, and then no problem. But to come to the Mount, which has FAR LESS people visiting than the grounds of the Western Wall, there is FAR MORE security, restrictions, and chances of being turned away, despite spending time with the spiritual preparations of going to the Mikva and making the trip. <br />
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As it turned out, I joined several others from the town that I reside in that early morning which began for me outdoors at 5:00 AM when it was still night out, being well dressed with my backpack in the cool weather, walking for a good 40 minutes to where I was going to join others in this van. The funny thing is that it was less than 48 hours before on that past Monday that I saw a flyer about this intended trip, which there have been many of like this one since I first moved to the town that I reside in some three and a half years ago; but this time, something inside of me told me that it is about time that I get out of my comfort zone, and make that call (to reserve a spot not only in the van, but typically, there is a group restriction of how many can join together ascending the Mount). <br />
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But this time, I was in good company. In fact, the leader of our group, who visits the Mount on a weekly basis, was even having a nice chat with one of the policemen in front of the security area while we were waiting our turn to enter. To note, under this Israeli government dictatorship, an observant Jew who dares opens his lips in prayer or bows down can immediately get arrested for "disturbing the religious rights of the Moslem Arabs" at the site that all praying Jews, wherever they are in this universe, turn to when speaking to the King of Kings. Accordingly, no holy books or religious effects are allowed entry. Fortunately, this is not only applicable for Jews, but even for Christians, as I witnessed while awaiting; and I say this, not only because Christian idolatry isn't allowed in this most holy area, but perhaps ultimately most importantly, everyone can see the great prejudice and misjustice of allowing these Moslem Arabs free reign OCCUPYING THE HOLIEST PLACE IN THE WORLD THAT BELONGS TO US. You see, any honest Christian who knows the Bible well, especially after visiting the Temple Mount, can only wonder why Moslem Arabs have more rights to this place than Jews. Of course, Christians being challenged with entry to holy places in Israel is nothing new - we can go back in time to nearly one thousand years ago in the time of the Crusades when Christians came to the Holy Land to fight the Moslems to claim title to the land that the Christian false god was born and lived in; and this is bearing in mind that the Koran admits to this Christian god being a prophet (though not a god or Messiah in their book).<br />
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Anyways, getting back to our trip, when we first arrived, I noticed a sign in front from the Chief Rabbinate claiming that it is forbidden to visit the Temple Mount, which bothered me not so much because it is their opinion, but that it makes it look like that this is the viewpoint of the Torah without even suggesting that there could be a difference of opinion in the context of Halacha, which the police of course have no problem allowing to be displayed, hoping that less Jews will visit the Mount. Anyways, after waiting for like an hour, we were finally allowed through, but not before our outer coats were throughly examined - both in the security machine and manually, and I had to leave my backpack which contained by prayer effects and holy books at a corner right outside of the security area, and the police gave instructions - mostly about what we are not allowed to do. We then proceeded towards the Temple Mount area, with some in the group reciting a couple of psalms beforehand. And then, at last - my breathtaking moment of entering the same holy spot that my ancestors of thousands of years ago entered during Temple times. Time to say the special blessing of Shehecheyanu that is customarily recited on special occasions when we are about to perform a special commandment or ready to eat a new fruit or wear a new garment. Only kidding, though technically, I could be halachicly correct, but it wouldn't make any practical difference here, because moving our lips in prayer could mean an immediate arrest, unless I would be willing to risk my freedom and face grueling questioning for the next many hours, which friends of mine dealt with not long earlier.<br />
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But today, I wasn't ready to take chances, being first of all, I am no longer single and so I didn't want to have to deal with upsetting my wife, and secondly, this was my first time on the Mount after all; and so. I just wanted to enjoy my time here and soak up what I was seeing, accompanied with a tour guide, freely quoting the Talmudic and Halachic texts describing the various parts of the Temple and areas of the Temple Mount, part of which being occupied with shouting Moslem Arab women, about which my wife told me later that they are paid to be there to make disturbances for us Jews, along with a few policemen and Arabs following us to make sure that we wouldn't dare violate the rules, or else. In the midst of this, the tour guide pointed to the area where the Israeli army, which liberated parts of Israel, including the holiest area in the world, entered on the Temple Mount during the Six Day War to declare this to be our land once more. Finally, after nearly circling the whole general area (the holiest area that we are forbidden today to enter is more like in the center in the elevated areas which are led up to with steps), we were bidden by police to exit through a different way than where we entered, being that it was close to 10:00 AM when the occupying Moslem Arabs want the place to be only for themselves (actually, they want it all the time like this, but let tourists visit for a set period of time, though at times, they will riot or use other attempts once in a while not to let others visit, who are usually listened to by the Israeli Jewish police who show an obvious weakness when it comes to these matters). Once outside of the Temple Mount grounds, we danced and sang a couple of minutes, singing the prayer that the Temple should be rebuilt speedily in our days. <br />
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Now, this is all nice, but what does this have to do with Gematriot? You see, the Hebrew word HaHar - THE Mountain, is the Gematria of 210, the number of this post. And as I mentioned myself going on the Temple Mount for the first time, the words Har (mountain) and Adar, the name of this month, have the same Gematria of 205. <br />
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However, it doesn't end here, at least in terms of the number 210. In fact, Rashi, who especially focuses on Peshat, the simple meaning of the text, makes an obvious exception in the story of Jacob's children going to Egypt for the first time to purchase food in the beginning of a famine, when Jacob told them - REDU Shama "Go down there" (Genesis 42:2). On this, Rashi asks why Jacob didn't use the more common wording of Lechu Shama, "Go there" without mentioning the dirction, as the grownup brothers certainly knew in what direction Egypt was. Rashi answers that the word Redu is the Gematria of 210 corresponding to the 210 years that the Jews were enslaved in Egypt.<br />
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However, a red flag should go up here. How could Rashi say that the Jews were enslaved for 210 years when this is only how long they spent living in Egypt, but the slavery actually lasted for only 116 years following the passing of the last of the Tribes (sons of Jacob)? But no doubtedly, this slavery is refering to the most significant part of it - the spirituality decline while sojouring for this period of time. And the proof is what lead to the physical slavery; for it was only after King Pharoh himself participated in building to get the Jews working and then have them be slaves, since instead of learning the Torah as the Tribe of Levi sid who was spared the physical slavery, these Jews were looking to enjoy themselves and feel part of the culture that they were presently l;ivijng up. And of course, this resulted from a spiritual DECLINE on their part. <br />
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In stark contrast, the ultimate spiritual ascent in terms of physicality is GOING UP on THE MOUNT, the Temple Mount, and as we mention in the Haggada of Passover in which we recount our freedom from our slavery in Egypt, we mention a list of 15 different favors that Hashem did for us, the final one being granting us the Holy Temple.<br />
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There is one important point that I want to note here. Especially today, with the Moslem Arabs' claim of the Temple Mount being their "third holiest spot", even though the Koran doesn't mention Jerusalem even once, it is crucial that we Jews make a difference, showing our support of OUR ownership to our Land, and MOST ESPECIALLY, THE HOLIEST PLACE ON THIS EARTH THAT HASHEM HAS GRANTED TO US, which was returned to us in the Six Day War, except that the evil Moshe Dayan who despised Judaism gave over the key of the Temple Mount to the Wakf, without even any pressure to give it away. And so, we must make a supreme effort that at least if we are not going to defy the dictatorship of the Israeli government and police by praying and bowing on the Temple Mount, that we at make a showing which will assert OUR ownership to the place, and all the Barack Obamas and John Kerrys in the world cannot change that or will be able to stop this. True, it is only at the Western Wall that we are not forbidden by the government to pray at, but it is about time that especially observant Jews stop using the WALL as a coverup for claiming that it is forbidden to ascend the Temple Mount at all, which is tantamount to denying a holy piece of the Torah, which in effect is denying a Mitzva of the Torah that still exists to this day which is called Mora Mikdash, that refers SPECIFICALLY to this most holy spot, and has not ceased with the destruction of the Temple.<br />
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PURIM KATAN AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT<br />
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What kind of connection could there be between the Temple Mount and Purim, let alone Purim Katan, naming the date of 14 Adar I, a few days ago, being that it is not on this first 14th of Adar that we read the Megilla on (as well as the other Mitzvot of Purim), but on the second 14th of Adar, and so, this first 14th Adar is called the "Small Purim"? At least Halachicly, fasting and eulogies are forbidden on the 14th and 15th of the first Adar, as is the case on the second Adar, or on Adar in a regular non-leap Jewish year. The only question that is asked about Purim Katan, at least on 14 Adar I, is if we celebrate this date by eating delicious food as we do on a regular Purim. While there are those Halachic authorities who state that this is the case, while the Rama, the Ashkenazic viewpoint on the Shulchan Aruch that is composed by Rabbi Joseph Karo who was Sephardic, states that there is no Mitzva to have a festive meal per se, he does note that it is customary to add something to one's regular meal in commemoration of this once in two or three years occasion. <br />
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Now note, the laws of Purim Katan is the very last chapter of the Orach Chaim section of the Shulchan Aruch (Siman or Chapter 697). This year, I made sure to learn the various commentaries on this chapter in my Mishna Berura set. And let me tell you what I discovered - the Temple Mount.<br />
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No kidding. You see, one of the Halachic commentators, known as the Ba'er Heiteiv, authored by Rabbi Yehuda Ashkenazi, in his very last note on this part of the Shulchan Aruch, on the final word of this Shulchan Aruch - in the followup words of the Rama - which is the word Tamid (always), writes a wish that "Our House of Beauty should speedily arise, we will serve Him in fear of Him, the HAR HABAYIT (Temple Mount) will be positioned on the top of mountains forevermore."<br />
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Now, this is a most beautiful wish/prayer, using nice poetry language. But, what does Purim have to do with the Temple or Temple Mount for that matter? After all, the holiday of Purim evolved specifically outside of Israel where the miracles that led to this holiday took place; while ironically, the holiday of Chanuka, which came about a nice couple hundred of centuries later, took place not just anywhere in Israel, but on the very grounds of the Temple Mount pertaining to the lights of the Menorah in the Temple lasting for eight days instead of just one day until new pure olive oil that wasn't spiritually contaminated by the Syrian Greeks was able to be made available.<br />
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Well first, as I had mentioned in a recent post, in the Purim story, King Achashveirosh, who was a rotten anti-Semite from beginning to end, offered his queen Esther any part of his 127 country kingdom - except for the middle part which was the very site of the Holy Temple. And so, it makes only sense that since at that time, at least as long as this king was alive, when construction on the Temple which began a little before his reign was halted thanks to the "good Samaritans" (dubbed by the Christian Bible which is full of anti-Semitic statements and implications), one could only wish for the Temple to be rebuilt "speedily in our days".<br />
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And we can certainly use this wish/blessing now, more than ever. In fact, the final words used in this Ba'er Heiteiv are Adei Ad, loosely translated as forevermore. Both of this words are using the letters Ayin and Dalet - the final two letters of our Jewish year 5774 - which consists of the letters Hei, Tav, Shin, Ayin, Dalet. And this thing about the phrase Adei Ad is most significant for another reason, because in the opening verse of the Shema - Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad "Hear O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One" (Deutronomy 6:4), the last letters of the first word Shema and the last word Echad - Ayin and Dalet - are written extra large in the Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll), howbeit in a different context of these two letters as a word reading Eid (instead of Ad) meaning witness, as in the Shema, we bear witness to Hashem being One, Who by the way, will be in existence forevermore (Adei Ad) just as He was always in existence before the creation of time (hard to understand how time can be a creation, but this is beyond human comprehension).<br />
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With this said, Purim corresponds to the Sephira of Netzach, which means both eternity and victory. In terms of eternity, our rabbis tell us that in the future, when all the other Jewish holidays will be nullifed (may not necessarily mean that they will be abolished, but that they will pale in significance to other holidays), the holiday of Purim will never be nullifed. And in other contexts, this is similarly stated in terms of Megillat Esther (Book of Esther), that while in the future, the other books of the Nach (Nevi'im - Prophets and Ketuvim - Writings) will be nullified, Megillat Esther will never be nullified. And in terms of victory, the Jews won wars against their enemies that led to this holiday of Purim. However, this was not a complete victory, because Israel was still under Persian rule when at that time, the ban on Temple construction wasn't lifted followed lies from the "Good Samaritans" about the Jews, and so in a sense, it can be said that Purim should be called Purim Katan "Small Purim", for it was a small victory in terms of the Jews' spirituality in terms of what the Jews were able to accomplish. Hence, this could well explain the connection between what is in actuality Purim Katan as in the context of the last chapter of the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim and the Temple Mount, the grounds of the Temple.<br />
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Also, just as the Sephira of Netzach is the middle of the seven active Sephirot (Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchut), so in certain leap years in which there are the maximum 385 days a year, as it is this year, Purim is the middle day of the year, which I have touched upon in the post in this Gematria blogspot, and will be expounding into greater depth, G-d willing, before Purim in the next month of Adar II. And in relationship to this concept of the middle, noting that the Talmud states (Berachot 58a) quoting Rabbi Akiva that in the context of a verse, Netzach refers to Jerusalem, this is the part of the world that King Achashveirosh was avoiding to give to Queen Esther "I will give you up UNTIL HALF of the kingdom", noting that Israel, or more specifically Jerusalem, home to the grounds of the Temple, would not be granted to her people, the Jewish people (While King Achashveirosh did not technically know yet of Esther's Jewish origins; subconsciously, he was such an anti-Semite, that he automatically said this).<br />
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And before conclusion on this post, in the series of the combinations of the Sephirot, we are up to the 19th Sephira - Hod She'B'Tiferet. As per this post, Hod refers to the Beit HaMikdash and as I quoted earlier from the Ba'er Heitev commentary on the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, he refers to the Temple as Beit Tifarteinu, "Our House of BEAUTY". So basically, this Sephira combination focuses on the Temple being the aspect of Tiferet.<br />
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Oh yes, there is one more connection of the number 210 to Purim or Purim Katan. You see, the date of Purim - 14 Adar - is the Yarhzeit of Dr. Baruch Goldstein, may Hashem avenge his blood. In a leap year, according to Ashkenazic customs, as he was an Ashkenazi, the Yarhzeit is supposed to be observed on the first of the two Adars; and hence this year, his Yarhzeit was on Purim Katan. This year marks 20 years since he was the Purim hero of the day having shot 29 Moslem Arabs as the Mearat HaMachpela, the burial place of Adam, Eve, the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron, who were among many planning to murder Jews on that fateful Purim which fell out on the Moslem Sabbath (Friday) in the month of Ramadan - hence a most "holy" time for these beasts to pick to murder Jews, which was well known by the Israeli government beforehand, including the fact that the Arabs posted fliers telling everyone to stock up for an upcoming curfew which they felt would be imposed on them by the Israeli government following their planned attack. More on this in my upcoming post, but the point here is that since the murder of Dr. Goldstein, a Sefer was published about his life and Torah on themes of Kiddush Hashem (Sanctification of Hashem's name) and Mesirut Nefesh (giving up of oneself) called Baruch HaGever, which means "Blessed is the man", or "Blessed is the strong one", and the word HaGever is the Gematria of 210. So, stay tuned for this upcoming post commemorating 20 years from the murder of this most special Jew who had everything to live for, but gave up his life to save many other Jews' lives.<br />
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17 Adar I, 5774<br />
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P.S. It is with great sadness to note the passing of another very special Jew that just happened today on this Hebrew date - Rabbi Meir Tzvi Schuster, ZT'L, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing. Known as the "Man of the Wall", he spent some 40 years on a daily basis at the Western Wall attracting young Jews visiting to the beauty of Judaism, bringing them to their first class on Judaism or arranging for their first Shabbat meal, having literally brought thousands to the fold of Judaism, including some who are today noted rabbis. While this post focused on the Temple Mount in start contrast to the Wall, it was this rabbi's exceptional good deeds at the Wall, among others who have also done outreach at the Wall, that made a huge impact on the Jewish people for eternity. There is perhaps no one today who has done as much Jewish outreach with the accomplishments that Rabbi Schuster had performed. For more information on his incredible life, especially as testified by many who were brought back to the fold of Judaism, you can refer to http://www.rebmeirschuster.org/shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-72303445776811784542014-02-10T00:07:00.001-08:002014-02-10T00:35:59.147-08:00#209 - The Righteous OneThe truth is, the ultimate righteous One is Hashem. However, those who follow the righteous path, following in Hashem's ways, are also called righteous. In fact, the 611th Mitzva of the Torah is to be similar to Hashem, as the Talmud (Shabbat 133b) states: "Just as Hashem is compassionate, so too must we be compassionate. Just as Hashem is merciful, so too must we be merciful", being derived from what the Torah states "You shall walk in His ways" (Deutronomy 28:9). Small wonder then that it is the 611th Mitzva of the Torah, for the Gematria of the word Torah is 611.<br />
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While there have been many righteous Jews, as well as some righteous non-Jews, throughout the generations, there have been a few that particularly bear the title of HaTzadik (the righteous one), most notably Joseph and Shimon HaTzadik, the latter being the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) for 40 years, and the last surviving member of the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah (Men of the Great Assembly). <br />
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Now, the big question is, who was the most righteous person to walk this planet? Well, if we go through the Chumash (Penteteuch), the greatest star of this five book series is Moses, whose birthdate/Yahrzeit was just a few days ago on 7 Adar I. Ironically, he is not mentioned even once in Genesis, the first book of the Torah, but that is because he wasn't born yet until the beginning of the book of Exodus. But as believers of the Chumash, what is written in the Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll), that it comes from Hashem, rather being a man made written material (Moses just transcribed what Hashem told Him to write), we can see that Hashem spends most of His time with the greatest righteous ones, as is evidenced from the amount of material that is written on them in the Torah. Similarly, in this physical world, the business people who are wealthy don't just spend the majority of their time, outside of their families, just with anyone, but with other similarly minded people, ultimately helping them reach their goals of being financially successful.<br />
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Now, while with Moses, who is typically known as Moshe Rabbeinu, is called HaTzadik many times in the Midrash, it seems that he is given this title only once in the entire Talmud, particularly in the Mishna (Nedarim 3:11), where it states: Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Korcha says, Great is circumcision, to the extent that (even) Moshe HaTzadik was not held back from punishment for even a moment over it. Now, the particular context of this is when Moses delayed circumcising his second son Eliezer on his trip to Egypt, even though going to Pharaoh telling him to let the Jews go was on Hashem's orders. Nevertheless, he was nearly killed because this Mitzva of circumsion to be performed on the eighth day is so great, it supercedes virtually all other Mitzvot, even Shabbat, unless the child's health could be endangered. Now, the reason why Moses delay his son's circumcision was for this very reason, or at least supposed reason, being afraid that the travel would have an effect on his son's health. However, he was blamed nevertheless because Moses spent time staying in a motel instead of going as quickly as possible to follow Hashem's orders, and so, if he already was going to delay following Hashem's orders, then he had no excuse not to circumcise his son. <br />
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Now mind you, the various Midrashim are also part of the Torah She'B'Al Peh (Oral Torah). However, the Mishna and Gemara, making up the Talmud, is the most important part of the Oral Torah, being that this comprises all the basic laws, and discussions thereof, of the Torah. And so, if this is the only instance in the Talmud that Moses is referred to as Moshe HaTzadik, there has to be a good reason for this.<br />
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As we know from Kabbala, the Sephira of Yesod represents the sexual organ part of the body, representing the Brit Mila, the Holy Covenant; and accordingly, it is the Tzadik who is called the Yesod HaOlam "Foundation of the world", especially because it is the righteous one who is careful to guard the Covenant. This means that not only he doesn't misuse his sexual organ for pleasures that are forbidden from the Torah outside of marriage, but he doesn't do anything that can arouse himself, aside for his wife, that could lead to misusing it, including improper thoughts. Indeed, while we may very well know what the Torah wants and expects of us, undeniably, sexuality is very tempting, and without the proper controls, one can easily be led astray after it, especially in this day and age when more than ever, girls and women walk around more immodestly dressed, or undressed, then ever before; which was not always the case even a hundred years ago. And so, it is in the particular context about the Brit that Moses is referred to by the title of HaTzadik, noting that despite his own great righteousness, especially in this area of controlling himself from sexual temptations, just as Joseph did that earned himself the title of HaTzadik, all his merits did not save him from being nearly killed for not circumcising his week old infant, and it was only when his wife Tzipora who realized what was happening and circumcised their infant herself, was Moses then released from being punished. <br />
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Now typically, righteous people do the type of heroic deeds that few others would do. A prime example is in this week's Parshat Ki Tisa, in which is recounted the story of the Golden Calf that unfortunately, some Jews fell prey in worshipping it. Now, while Moses himself told his Tribe of Levi to go out and kill the sinners, he still had a love for the Jewish people as a whole, to the extent, that not only when Hashem told him that He was going to destroy His nation and make a new nation from Moses, that he turned it down, not wishing for the Jewish people to be killed (but Hashem's offer of Moses having a nation descended from him became fulfilled in having a multitude of descendants); but knowing how Hashem was still very upset and angry over what some of the Jews did, Moses told Him that if He would not forgive them, then He should remove his name from the entire Sefer Torah that was destined to be written (which was also fulfilled in a way by the lack of his name being mentioned in last week's Parshat Tetzaveh, even though Hashem said that He forgave the Jewish people). For even though certainly, if Hashem was upset and angry at the Jewish people, it was for good reason, Moses did not find this justifiable in terms of letting the Jewish nation being destroyed or not remaining on good terms with Hashem, and even though Moses of all people could have had it easy and not worry about the rest who weren't as righteous as he was, he would not hear of this, and was willing to even give up his own spiritual merits if this is what it would taken to secure the Jewish people's future.<br />
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At this time, I would like to note that my daughter Tamar's second Hebrew name is Tzadika, which has the same letters as HaTzadik, which by the way, is the Gematria of 209, the number of this post. And indeed, the Biblical Tamar in the Chumash was one of the 22 righeteous women mentioned in the Tanach (Jewish Bible). And while on the surface, it may seem that Tamar was simply looking to have a one night stand, and for a prostitue fee, with Judah her former father-in-law, following the death of her past two husbands who were both sons of Judah, her intentions were for the sake of heaven, which I will not discuss in this post, as the discussion of this is beyond the topic of this post. However, what is important to note is Tamar's willingness to take a chance being burned in the furnace following being judged to death by Judah who didn't realize that it was Tamar whom Judah made pregnant; and it was only when Tamar sent him the items that Judah placed with her as a deposit until he would pay her the prostitute fee, with the hope that Judah would get the hint without being embarrased, that it reminded him of what happened which prompted him to confess, saving Tamar from death. In fact, the Talmud praises Tamar in more than one place for her heroic deed of not wishing to embarrass Judah, even if it would mean that she would be burned to death otherwise; and it is from this very incident that the rabbis learn out that it is better for one to even be thrown into the furnace than the sin of embarrassing another Jew. In essence, Tamar, just like Moses, went the extra mile to save face for someone else who condemned her to death, and she could have easily made him look bad, especially after Judah refused to give over his third son Shela over to her for marriage. Truly, it could be said of Tamar that her actions of sleeping with Judah was full the sake of heaven. In fact, the Midrash tells us that it was meant to be from Hashem that it would be from this very union that the Davidic dynasty and Moshiach would be descended from. Interestingly, the letters of Tamar's name - Tav, Mem, Reish - are beginning of the words Torat Moshe Rabbeinu - the Torah of Moses our Teacher, for it is both through the teachings AND the actions of the righteous that we learn from.<br />
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And before I conclude, I would like to point out to the next Sephira combination in posting, Netzach She'B'Tiferet, the 18th one in line. Kabbalistically, it is Moshe Rabbeinu of the Seven Shepherds who represents particularly the Sephira of Netzach (Eternity or Victory), who indeed, secured the eternity of the Jewish people in the incident of the Golden Calf, in the midst of Tiferet, which is the combination of Chesed representing pure kindness and Gevurah representing pure strictness, which was displayed among the Jewish people in punishing the rotten apples while letting the rest of the Jewish people remain alive in this incident.<br />
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There is one more personage that I would like to mention here bearing the same name as Moshe Rabbeinu, Moshe ben Yaakov from Coucy (a town in France), known as the Semag, an acronym for the name of his work Sefer Mitzvot HaGadol, an early work on the list of the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments). The reason that I mention him here is because his name is Moshe, just like Moshe Rabbeinu who represented the Sephira of Netzach; and his father's name is Yaakov, just like the name of the Biblical Jacob who represents the Sephira of Tiferet. <br />
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Having dedicated a recent post #207 (Jan '14) to the Chofetz Chaim, whose birthdate (11 Shevat) - which falls out during the week of the Jewish calendar that corresponds to the Sephira of Netzach She'B'Tiferet - in this year fell out on the FIRST day of the week of Parshat Yitro, it is most interesting to note that the Hebrew word for "from Coucy", in terms of the Semag, is M'Kutzi, which has the same Gematria as the title of the Chofetz Chaim, which is also the name of the Chofetz Chaim's first Sefer. Having mentioned this, the work of the Semag is divided up into two parts - the 248 Mitzvot Aseh (Positive or Action Commandments) and the 365 Mitzvot Lo Ta'aseh (Prohibitive or Non-Action Commandments). Now, the first of the Mitzvot Aseh in the list is the Mitzva in the belief in Hashem, and the first of the Mitzvot Lo Ta'aseh in the list is the Mitzva of not believing in a god other than Hashem - the FIRST two Mitzvot of Parshat Yitro (which are the first two of the Ten Commandments).<br />
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Indeed, it is most fitting that Moshe Rabbeinu, who was the greatest one in emulating Hashem's ways as per the 611th Mitzva of the Torah, should be the one after whom the Torah - this word being the Gematria of 611 - be named after, as mentioned in the END of the prophecy of Malachi, the LAST of the prophets - Zichru Torat Moshe Avdi "Remember the Torah of Moses My servant", and in English, the Chumash, the material of the Sefer Torah that was first written down by Moses who miraculously wrote 13 Torah Scrolls on the LAST day of his life, corresponding to the 13 ways that the Torah can be interpreted and the 13 Divine Attributes that we are supposed to emulate, of which the END of it mentions his passing, is known as the Five Books of Moses,.<br />
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10 Adar I, 5774<br />
<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-84030661398945833412014-01-30T00:03:00.001-08:002014-02-10T00:27:27.337-08:00#208 - The first Jewish STRENGTHPresently, we are in the midst of the week of Parshat Terumah, the first Parsha mention about the Mishkan (Tabernacle) for it is in this Parsha in which the details of the various measurements and placements are found.<br />
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Now, counting the 54 Parshiyot of the Torah, it winds up that Parshat Terumah is the first of the second of three sets of 18 Parshiyot each. This means, that there are 18*3 Parshiyot, and as 18 is Chai (life) times three signifies the lives of our three Avot (Patriarchs) - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Hence, it winds up that Isaac is the corresponding Patriarch to the second set of 18 Parshiyot. Moreover, being that Parshat Temurah is the BEGINNING of the second set of 18 Parshiyot, this corresponds with the beginning of Isaac's life. <br />
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This is all nice, but is the connection here between the Mishkan and Isaac, particularly the beginning of his life? You see, we learn this from when the dedication of the Mishkan took place. Now, the building of the Mishkan became completed on 25 Kislev, the future date of the first day of Chanuka. However, Hashem wanted the dedication of the Mishkan to take place on Rosh Chodesh Nissan. Why? As the Midrash (Shemot Rabba 52:2) tells us, it was because Isaac was born in the month of Nissan. Again, I say that this is nice, but what is the connection between the two, and why particularly in the month of the birth of Isaac, and not during the months of his father Abraham the first Jew or his son Jacob who is the "choicest of the Patriarchs" being that he was the greatest Torah scholar of the three?<br />
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Well first, Isaac was actually the first one to be born a Jew, unlike his father Abraham who only became this way when he repudiated the idolatry of the home and surroundings that he was living with. And so, he was also the first to have his Brit Mila (circumcision) on the eighth day as proscribed by the Torah. And as unique to Isaac, he was the only human being to be bound on the altar at the future site of the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) as per Hashem's instructions to Abraham, and until this day, is considered as though Isaac was offered as sacrifice, serving as a constant merit for his descendants the Jewish people. And so, it was only fitting that the dedication of the Mishkan, the forerunner of the Temple, took place in the same month as the birth of Isaac took place as a symbol of how a Jew should live to begin with, including with Mesirut Nefesh (self sacrifice) that Isaac displayed in his willingness to be slaughtered and burnt for all he knew as Hashem's wishes until Abraham was told of a change of plans at the last moment when he was just about ready to end his son's life. But one part of this emphasis relates to the month of Isaac's BIRTH, and accordingly, although Isaac himself was born on Pesach (Passover) in the middle of this month, the dedication was held at the beginning of this month, on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, which is called the head of the months - "This month (Nissan) will be to you the head of the months, it will be to you the first of the months of the year" (Exodus 12:2), the reason being is that the birth of the Jewish nation was to take place in this month on Pesach, Isaac's birthdate (15 Nissan), and so even though Rosh Hashana, the New Year, starts from the other half of the year at the beginning of Tishrei, we count the months - Month 1, Month 2, etc. - starting from Nissan. This is also to note that the first letters of Rosh Chadashim "Head of the months" is Reish and Cheit, which spells the number 208, the Gematria of the name Yitzchak, which is also the number of this post.<br />
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And by the way, continuing on with the weeks of the Jewish calendar as they correspond to the 49 days of the Sephira, the 17th Sephira combination is Tiferet She'B'Tiferet, whose corresponding week includes Rosh Chodesh Shevat, which sometimes falls out during the week of Parshat Bo in which we read about the Mitzva of declaring new months as it does this year; or at other times, during the week of Parshat Vaeira (noting that when Rosh Chodesh Shevat falls out on Shabbat, we always read Parshat Vaeira); bearing in mind that the name of this Parsha - Vaeira - has the same Gematria as Yitzchak's name.<br />
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And there is another connection between the concept of the months beginning with Nissan and Isaac, or at least as related to the name Isaac (Yitzchak). You see, the very first Rashi on the Torah (from Bereishit Rabba 1:2) begins with quoting a Rabbi Yitzchak (although he is quoting from the Midrash, interestingly, both Rashi's father and two of his Torah teachers' names was Yitzchak) of saying that really, the Torah should have began with "This month will be to you..." because this is the first Mitzva that the Jews were commanded. It then proceeds with explaining why the Torah begins with Bereishit "In the beginning.." pertaining to the creation of the world; for although the Torah begins in order of history, the whole purpose of the Torah are the Mitzvot that we are bidden to follow as Jews, the purpose of our being in this world, and this world being created, to begin with.<br />
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Now, this Midrash continues with explaining why the Torah begins with Bereishit, by quoting a verse from Tehillim - Ko'ach Ma'asav "The strength of his actions He told to His people, to give them the inheritance of the nations" (Psalms 111:6). Aside from today's date, which is 28 Shevat, being that the word Ko-ach (Strength) also spells the Hebrew number 28, it is interesting to note that this is the very FIRST FULL VERSE that Rashi mentions in his commentary, bearing in mind that there are 28 letters in the FIRST VERSE of the Torah. And having mentioned here Rabbi Yitzchak, who has the same name as Abraham's son Isaac, it was Isaac who was Abraham's FIRST Jewish Ko'ach, as we see that Jacob, in the blessings to his children, calls his firstborn Reuben - Kochi "my strength" (Genesis 49:3). This is to note that the Gematria number of the name Yitzchak is 208, which, when we remove the middle number zero, is the number 28. Also, as we see with the Gematria of his name, it is composed of the sum totals of the number 28 and 180, the latter being the amount of years that he lived.<br />
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Another theme that relates to the number 28 is what we see in Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), at the beginning of Chapter 3, that there are a total of 28 "times", the last one being "a time of peace". However, this is not the first time that we see that the concept of peace is related to the number 28. In the beginning of Parshat Pinchas, after Pinchas, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Aaron the first Cohen Gadol (High Priest) the master peacemaker, killed the evil Zimri who dared took a Midianite princecess in front of Moses to sleep with her, which afterwards warded off Hashem's anger at the Jewish people for falling into temptation with idol worshipping and sleeping with the Midianite/Moabite women, Hashem rewarded him with an everlasting Kehuna (being that beforehand, Pinchas did not have the status of a Cohen), stating "Behold I have given him My covenant of PEACE". Now, while in this context, Pinchas is not mentioned here for the first time in the Torah, it outlines his geneology as "Pinchas son of Elazar son of Aaron HaCohen", since from here, we clearly see that Pinchas was the 28th generation in parental descent from Adam. <br />
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To note, both the names of Yitzchak and Pinchas have the same Gematria of 208, the latter who is first mentioned in Parshat Va'eira, the name of this Parsha which also has the same Gematria of 208. Indeed, Pinchas showed fearless courage killing Zimri, not just because of taking a chance of Zimri fighting back, but being that the latter was leader of one of the Tribes, there was the chance of being majorly criticized for daring to kill a Jewish "leader" (in comparison to what even some Modern Orthodox rabbis will be quick to criticize a Jewish guy doing a little mischief against Arabs, or their insistance of Yigal Amir being the assassin of Prime Monster Yitzchak Rabin, when it is clearly shown in video that Rabin received the fatal shot by someone else who got away with it). Certainly, if Pinchas would be living today, without Hashem's open approval of his actions killing Zimri, he would certainly be viewed as a fanatic even by some lip service practicing Jews.<br />
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And so, while Yishmael - whose mother Hagar's name is also the Gematria of 208 - ancestor of the Arabs, may have been Abraham's first physical son, his first physical "strength", it was Isaac who was Abraham's first spiritual "strength", for indeed, it was Isaac who ultimately represents the TRUE peace, and not what Yishmael's descendants want the world to think. For it is ONLY when we Jews live on, and allowed to live on, the land on which Hashem has granted us that the non-Jews who read the Bible know very well, that there can a chance of TRUE peace. And as we see with the Gematria of Isaac's name Yitzchak which is 208, it is composed of the sum totals of the number 28 and 180, the latter being the amount of years that Isaac lived. <br />
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However, the key to having true peace is certainly not concessions with our sworn Arab enemies or our so called allies such as the United States who are only keeping Jonathan Pollard in prison way beyond the legal amount of years for which he is supposed to be in prison ONLY because he is a Jew, even as this country via the evil John Kerry have the Chutzpa to demand that Israel releases more and more Arab terrorists from the zoo jail (and of course, Prime Monster Bibi Netanyahu who paid lip service to JP's wife Esther not long ago that he would do his best to have him released after his failure to do so from many years ago at the Wye Accords continues releasing terrorists without making Mr. Pollard's release being a condition); but rather, by maintaining our Jewish STRENGTH, stepping up to the plate - NOT only with words such as the Prime Monster's lip service words - but rather with fighting back, beginning with the IDF immediately striking back at the Arabs following the first rock being thrown at them by the latter, rather than waiting "for orders" to defend their lives and the lives of the entire Jewish people. For the only language that these Arab animals understand is strength, and AUTHENTIC Jewish strength, and NOT the image that the Israeli government wants the IDF to display to the world as having mercy on "poor" Arab families by sending them food and medicine especially during war time, although of course the Arabs are at constant war with us, being that they know that the IDF fighting them is for the most part a joke, so long as the dictatorship in Israel wants to show goodwill to our biggest sworn enemies to "show the world" that we are humane people after all, which in the long run not only does not serve this purpose, but if anything, gets the world to laugh at us, and still criticize us as being aggressors. <br />
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And so, if we are going to ultimately be blamed and criticized anyways, we might as well just fight it all out, we might as well just attack Iran, and we might as well just do the same thing that all other countries would do if and when threatened by their enemies, following in the footsteps of the first Jew born in Israel - Isaac, who was willing to sacrifice himself on the altar, even though he wasn't even commanded by Hashem to do so, and was only told so by Abraham who was the one given the order to bring Isaac up on the altar (and not Yishmael as the Koran wants us to believe), at the very spot in the midst of the present Temple Mount, the ultimate source of Jewish strength, and NOT Masada - the fortress that the IDF brings all the soldiers to - to swear their allegiance at, where the Jewish zealots in the times of the Romans committed suicide (which is an unforgivable sin especially since one cannot repent of this sin being that one is dead already), rather than using their remaining strenth in fighting the Romans, not trusting in Hashem to do the right thing (no wonder why the IDF has such problems!). If we read the Tanach well enough, if we analyze authentic Jewish history well enough, we will realize the source of THE FIRST JEWISH STRENGTH.<br />
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28 Shevat, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-45259788689346065722014-01-16T06:58:00.000-08:002014-11-02T22:14:30.094-08:00#207 - Jewish EnLIGHTenmentMeant to have written this post a few days ago on 11 Shevat, but perhaps for good reason, it waited until today. It is true that today is Tu B'Shevat; however, I am referring mainly to a very different reason. In a way, both the 11th and the 15th of Shevat have something in common. Both of these dates mark the birthdates of two great righteous people, scholars, and writers. The date of 11 Shevat marks the birthdate of Rabbi Yisroel Meir HaCohen Kagan, who is famously known as the Chofetz Chaim, the title of his first Sefer (holy book), a composite of the laws of forbidden speech that are strewn in the Talmud and early Halachic works. And the date of 15 Shevat (Tu B'Shevat) marks the birthdate of Rabbi Nosson Sternhartz (Reb Nosson), main disciple of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who was the main one responsible for spreading the teachings of Breslov Hasidism after the passing of Rabbi Nachman. <br />
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Both have quite a few things in common. Both of their birthdates when they fall out on Shabbat, it is Shabbat Shira when Parshat Beshalach is read (Note: Reb Nosson was born on Shabbat). Both of them passed away on dates on which Selichot (prayers asking Hashem for forgiveness) are recited - the Chofetz Chaim passed away on the first day of Selichot (according to Ashkenazic rite) of the last few days of the Hebrew calendar year immediately preceding Rosh Hashana in which they are recited, and Reb Nosson passed away on the fast day of Asara B'Tevet on which Selichot are recited. As it turned out, the Chofetz Chaim was born while still during the lifetime of Reb Nosson, with an overlap of almost seven years. Both of them were prolific writers, each having written a Sefer with the name Likutei Halachot - the Chofetz Chaim wrote his as a composite of the Halachot of the Talmudic tractates, in the style of the Gemara, including Seder Kodoshim, that the Rif (an earlier Halachic codifier), in his composite of the Halachot of the Talmud that he didn't write his on; and Reb Nosson wrote his as a Hasidic commentary on the entire four volumes of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) which he wrote over a period of exactly 40 years. Both of them placed special emphasis on Halacha - the Chofetz Chaim wrote his Mishna Berurah on the first volume of the Shulchan Aruch called Orach Chaim - whose halachic decisions are followed by Ashkenazic Jews worldwide, and Reb Nosson emphasized the importance of learning Halacha every single day as one of his three main pointers in the life of a Breslov Chosid.<br />
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Speaking of which, the Chofetz Chaim was once approached by one who was thinking of which of the many branches of Hasidism to join. While the Chofetz Chaim himself was not related to the Hasidic world being that he was a Litvak, he told the guy that it would be best to be a follower of Breslov Hasidism, since as he put it, Breslov Hasidim observe the Shulchan Aruch and fulfill what is written in it. Now mind you, the Chofetz Chaim was most careful in not speaking bad of other Jews, and certainly not of groups of G-d fearing Jews; and hence, was not trying to imply that other Hasidic groups do not follow Halacha. However, knowing that Breslov Hasidim in particular were very careful about fulfilling Halacha, he felt that this guy who asked for advice could not go wrong in following this branch this branch of Hasidism, even though the Chofetz Chaim may have not necessarily been familiar with this branch of Hasidic philosophy, or with other such branches for that matter.<br />
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At this point, I am reminded of the verse: Beit Yaakov Lechu V'Neilcha B'Ohr Hashem "O House of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of Hashem" (Isaiah 2:5). Now, we see a double wording here - Lechu V'Neilcha, which is loosely translated in English as "Come and let us walk" - which is related to the word Halacha. Now, the beginning of this verse - Beit Yaakov "House of Jacob" is found in this week's Parshat Yitro, noting that the birthdays of both the Chofetz Chaim and Reb Nosson, who are very much associated with Halacha, fall out in this week of this year, where Hashem first speaks to Moshe in His beginning words following the Jews' arrival at Mt. Sinai where they would receive the Torah days later "So shall you say to the House of Jacob" (Exodus 19:3). Now, in the above verse from Isaiah, the words that follow the double wording of coming/walking (Halicha) are "in the LIGHT of Hashem". Now, while this post in www.gematriot.blogspot.com is not the first to be written on the concept of Ohr, especially as spiritual light, from when I wrote early on about Bircat HaChama "Blessing of the sun" taking place in 5769 ('09) as the beginning of the 207th cycle, noting the Gematria of Ohr as 207 to the beginning of Tractate Pesachim that begins with this word Ohr that mentions the date of 14 Nissan - the very date of the beginning of the 207th cycle of Bircat HaChama, it is THIS POST that is the 207th post, and hence, the concept of Ohr=207 takes on special meaning here.<br />
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Now, the Enlightment period in Europe, which encompassed the period of the lives of the Reb Nosson and the Chofetz Chaim, contained the philosophy that all people are equal. Now, while this may have seemingly made this good for Jews within the seabed of anti-Semitism, giving the Jews equal rights as their non-Jewish neighbors, it did much spiritual harm, helping some Jews in the long run to assimilate and become the best Goy (literally means nation, refers typically to a non-Jew) possible. And it was during this period that both of these great rabbis addressed Jews in their numerous writings to keep the Jewish faith despite the materialistic illusions of this temporary world, bearing in mind the ultimate goodness of the eternal world to come, which is symbolized by the spiritual LIGHT that we will bask in, the ultimate pleasure that is virtually unimaginable in this pleasure filled temporary world.<br />
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From henceforth in this post, I will be focusing mostly on the Chofetz Chaim, whose Hebrew name is Yisroel Meir. Noting his two Hebrew names, Yisroel is the name of the Jewish people, and Meir literally means lights as the verb. And indeed, the Chofetz Chaim lived his name very well, for he was among the top rabbis who enLIGHTened the Jewish people, both through his works and his good deeds, which included his high level of honesty and thoughfulness of other Jews, whose deeds impressed many a non-Jew, making a Kiddush Hashem "sanctification of Hashem's name", as related to the verse "ISRAEL through whom will I (Hashem) be glorified" (Isaiah 49:3), which is interpreted by our sages as referring to a Jew whose actions, and more specifically, his good interactions with people, along with his Torah scholarship, cause others to think highly of the Torah way of life, encouraging them to behave likewise. And speaking of verses, the very end of the Chumash (Penteteuch) reads L'Einei Kol Yisrael which literally means "in front of the eyes of all Israel", and as obvious, of the various parts of the body, it is the light (aside from sunlight) that benefits the eyes the most, for it is through light that the eyes are able to see to begin with (even in a totally dark room, one who is not blind can still see, howbeit ever so vaguely, the makeout of what is in a room). <br />
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Perhaps the final phrase in the Sefer Torah, ending with the word Yisroel, is hinting especially to the Chofetz Chaim, who, while he passed away over 80 years ago, still has major influence on the observant Jews of today, especially through his works of the Chofetz Chaim and the Mishna Berurah, among his total of 21 compositions, in our last stage of our exile right before the coming of our final Redemption, that the Chofetz Chaim spoke and wrote about, and prepared for, including his emphasis on studying the laws of the Temple sacrifices, having a special suit set aside to wear for when Moshiach would come, and running up and down the stairs as a way of staying physically in shape for the possibility of being the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) assuming that Moshiach would come and the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) would be rebuilt. But perhaps the most important part of this connection of the Chofetz Chaim with the final stage of our exile is that as he writes in the beginning of the introduction to his Sefer Chofetz Chaim, it is the sin of baseless hatred, which includes speaking bad about other Jews, that caused the destruction of the second Temple, and that by following the laws of being careful of not having baseless hatred and avoiding evil speech about other Jews, we will immediately bring the long awaited Redemption. <br />
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To note, his work Chofetz Chaim has been apportioned for daily study, to learn through this Sefer three times a year, being divided up for both a regular yea.r and a leap year. While in any given year, one of the three cycles begins on Rosh Hashana, the following cycle begins on different dates depending on the year - in a regular year of 12 Hebrew months, it begins on 1 Shevat (Rosh Chodesh Shevat) - the same date on which Moses began his final series of discourses that take up the fifth and final book of the Torah - Sefer Devarim (Deutronomy), which begins with the words Eileh HaDevarim "These are the words", in which the letters of the first word Eileh (these) can spell the word Issur Lashon Hara "Prohibition of evil speech". In a leap year of 13 Hebrew months, it begins on 11 Shevat - THE BIRTHDATE OF THE CHOFETZ CHAIM! And it so happens that in this cycle, the portion that is learned today - Tu B'Shevat - is the part where the Chofetz Chaim mentions the reason that he named this book by this name, being taken from the verse in Tehillim (Psalms 34:13-14) "Who is the man who WANTS LIFE, loves days to see good. Guard your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceipt".<br />
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Taking a close look at the first verse, let us note the words in Hebrew - Mi HaIsh HeChofetz Chaim. The word Mi (Who) are the letters that begins the Chofetz Chaim's name Yisroel Meir (Yud and Mem), though in reverse order. The next word is HaIsh (the man), and the letters of the word Ish begins the words that make up the Hebrew date of his birthday - Yud Aleph Shevat (when these letters are rearranged - Yud, Aleph, Shin), and then "the Chofetz Chaim", noting that when referring to the Chofetz Chaim as the person, in contrast to his word with this name, the word "the" is used. And continuing on in this verse, we see that the Hebrew word for "days" is Yomim, in which the letters Yud and Mem that are the beginning letters of his name Yisroel Meir, is used twice in order as the makeup of this word. Is all this coincidence as hinting to the Chofetz Chaim? Moreover, the phrase HeChofetz Chaim has the same Gematria as the Chofetz Chaim's second name Meir - 251! <br />
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For indeed, this Sefer called Chofetz Chaim after which he would henceforth be known by, ENLIGHTENED the Jewish people with a new awareness of both the importance of the prohibition of this sin of speaking bad of other Jews, and perhaps most importantly, the detailed laws of this prohibition, many if not most was not known beforehand to non-learned Jews who didn't learn the Talmud and early Halachic writings to know what is sometimes forbidden to be discussed or mentioned, being that the Chofetz Chaim was THE ONE who gathered all these laws together, which was not done for some 1,500 years since the writing of the Mishna/Talmud which is in the category of the Oral Torah that was not written down beforehand. <br />
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It is also significant to mention at this point of mentioning the concept of ENLIGHTENING ("Meir"), the name of his very much studied Halachic work called Mishna Berura "CLEAR Mishna", CLARIFYING the Halachot of the section of the Shulchan Aruch that pertains to the daily life of a Jew as pertaining to prayers and blessings, and the various Jewish holidays, having sifted through numerious Halachic works in his commentary to this Orach Chaim "Way of Life" section of the Shulchan Aruch, so there would be no misunderstanding of the Halacha via his explanation of what is behind the makeup of the particular Halacha (Note: In similar fashion, Reb Nosson in his Likutei Halachot on the Shulchan Aruch emphasized the spiritual reasoning behind the Halacha, which is not meant to be followed merely as something that has to be followed without understanding the rationale behind it, but with the understanding of the purpose of why we observe particular laws and customs that would otherwise not be understood in terms of the purpose of observing them).<br />
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Among his 21 works, the Chofetz Chaim wrote Shemiras HaLashon "Guarding of the Tongue", among other Sefarim, consisting of the various statements from the Talmud, Midrash and Zohar about the evils of and punishments for forbidden speech as well as the rewards for one who is careful of his speech, including a section about the importance of Torah study, for just as each and every word of forbidden speech is another Aveira (sin), each and every word of Torah is another Mitzva (commandment). <br />
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Another Sefer of his, among his shorter works, is called Torah Ohr "Torah of Light", about the importance of the study of Seder Kodoshim, the fifth of the six volumes of the Mishna/Talmud that pertains to the Temple sacrifices and other related works, being that now we are not able to offer sacrifices, our study of them serves threefold 1)It is considered as though we offered the sacrifices that we learned about, since it takes the place of offering them since we are not able to do so at this time, 2)Few others learn these parts of the Torah (Note: The Chofetz Chaim wrote this book and similar things before the Daf Yomi, the study of the daily page of the Talmud which includes this study of the Temple sacrifices, was instituted), and hence is considered what is called a Meit Mitzva (compared to a situation of an unattended corpse that one notices and is commanded to see to its burial, even if he is a Cohen who is normally forbidden to defile himself with the touch of a corpse), 3)We have to prepare ourselves to know these laws now so that when Moshiach arrives and the Temple is rebuilt, we will be familiar with these laws which are numerous, especially the Cohanim who are the main ones who serve in the Temple. Ipso facto, this will show that we eagerly awaited the Redemption, as we will be asked one day by the Heavenly Tribunal following our life in this world if we did indeed antipicate the Redemption.<br />
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Now, the reason for the title of this Sefer is based on the Midrash Rabba (3:5) which states that the five mentions of the word Ohr (light) in the beginning of the Torah which is about creation on the first day - corresponds to the five books of the Chumash (Penteteuch). Hence, the third mention of Ohr - Vayar Elokim Et HaOhr Ki Tov "G-d saw the light that it was good" corresponds to Sefer Vayikra (Leviticus), and as this Midrash notes, quoting Rabbi Simon, the significance of this mention of Ohr with Leviticus is that this Book contains numerous Halachot (laws). In any case, it is particularly with this THIRD mention of Ohr of the five times that is particularly associated with the word "good". <br />
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And as connected with the number three, we see that it is particularly with the THIRD day of creation that the word Ki Tov (for it was good) is mentioned twice. And why is the number three especially connected with the concept of good? We see that when in Creation, it states "for it was good", it means that something in Creation was completed, and in Hebrew, the word for completion is Shleimut, which is very similar to the word Shalom (peace), for only with peace is there completion. And sometimes, the mission of peace is to dissolve fights between two parties as what is called a THIRD party, and hence, when everything is peaceful, it is then and only then can a situation be considered truly good without anyone or something being out of place. Indeed, it was Aaron, the ancestor of the Cohanim - after whom Vayikra, the THIRD book, is named Torat Cohanim being that it is full of Mitzvot/Halachot pertaining to Cohanim, the Korbanot (offerings) in the Temple that were brought by the Cohanim, etc. - who was the epitome of peace, who constantly between two Jews who were fighting with each other, to the point that they embraced each other following a fight as though you would think that they were always the best of friends. And at the end of the Korbanot section of Shacharit (daily morning prayers), where is mentioned the introductory part to the Midrash called Torat Cohanim on Leviticus, which consists of the 13 Middot (literally means measures) through which the Torah is interpreted, it is the 13th and last one which is where there are two verses in the Torah that seem to contradict each other, but are resolved via a THIRD verse that solves the seeming contradiction between the first two verses. This is also to note that 13 is the Gematria of the word Ahava (love), which is associated with the Mitzva of Bircat Cohanim, the THREEFOLD blessing that the Cohanim bless Jews with, with the introductory blessing that ends with "to bless His people YISRAEL with LOVE".<br />
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As for the word Tov (good), it is the Gematria of 17. And as it turns out this year, the birthday of the Chofetz Chaim falls out on the FIRST day of the week of Parshat Yitro, the 17th Parsha of the Torah. And if we look at the first verses of the 54 Parshiyot of the Torah, there are some with the mention of the name of Yisroel, but the ONLY Parsha in which its first verse mentions this name twice is the FIRST verse of this week's Parshat Yitro, which is the FIRST name of the Chofetz Chaim. Moreover, noting the context from where the phrase Chofetz Chaim is taken from (Psalms 34:13), we see that the word Tov is used twice; first, in this same verse "Who is the man WHO WANTS LIFE, loves days to see GOOD?" The context continues like this "Guard your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceipt. Turn away from evil and do GOOD, seed PEACE and chase after it".<br />
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But perhaps, at least for today, the last Sefer that I will mention of the many compositions of the Chofetz Chaim, is called Ahavat Chesed "Love of Kindness", which consists of three parts: 1)The laws pertaining to the Mitzvot of granting loans and paying wages on time, 2)The rewards and punishments of doing or not doing kindnesses, and various ideas as to how to implement doing kindness, 3)Discussions of the various types of kindnesses. And as particularly connected to this year, the birthday of the Chofetz Chaim falls out on the FIRST day of the week, which corresponds to Chesed, the FIRST of the seven Sephirot (Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, Malchut). Moreover, the Chofetz Chaim's name Yisroel Meir is the Gematria of 792, and is equally divided by 72 - the Gematria of the word Chesed, or 72*11. (Note: The Chofetz Chaim passed away on the FIRST day of the week). <br />
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Now, though it may not necessarily be called a Sefer, but rather more like a pamphlet or a section in a Sefer, the Chofetz Chaim wrote a short five part essay entitled Ahavat Yisroel "Love of Jews", using the same first word Ahavat (love of) as in the title Ahavat Chesed. Most interesting, if we add the Gematriot of the second words of these two compositions of the Chofetz Chaim that begin with the word Ahavat - Chesed (72) and Yisroel (541), the total is 613, as there are 613 Mitzvot. As per the two compositions, the Gematria of the name Ahavat Chesed is 480, which is also the Gematria of the word Talmud. Similarly, the Mitzva of Ahavat Yisroel is the 244 Mitzva of the Torah, and the Gematria of the word Gemara is 244. Hence, we see that there is an equal balance between the concepts of the Mitzvot of Bein Adam LaMakom (relationship with Hashem) - the greatest of which is the Mitzva of learning/teaching Torah, of which the chief learning is the Talmud/Gemara, and the Mitzvot of Bein Adam LaChaveiro (relationship with people) of which the basis is loving our fellow Jews and doing all types of kindness. In a similar vein, the words Torah and Gemilut Chasadim (benevolent acts of kindness) each have the same Gematria of 611.<br />
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THE MAGIC NUMBER 11<br />
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O.K., this section of this post deserves its own subjected section. I just ended the previous paragraph with the number 611, which ends with the number 11. Indeed, the Chofetz Chaim, both in his writings and his personal life were full of the concepts of both Torah and Gemilut Chasadim. In fact, we see many connections of the Chofetz Chaim with the number 11.<br />
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The Chofetz Chaim was born on 11 Shevat, which is the ELEVENTH day of the ELEVENTH month (counting the months from Nissan, the month of the Exodus which is the birth of our nation). Moreover, the Gematria of the name of the month Shevat is 311, ending with the number ELEVEN. And as for the Chofetz Chaim's name Yisroel Meir (total Gematria is 792), it is equally divideable by ELEVEN, or 792/72=11. In fact, both of these names each include the letters Yud and Aleph, making up the number ELEVEN (Note: Both of these names also have the letter Reish, but the connection to the number eleven still applies no less).<br />
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And now, I will reveal a most fascinating thing that happened to mean conceptually on this 11 Shevat as per the Choeftz Chaim's name Yisroel Meir. Counting the months from my birth (1 Iyar 5730), being that I was born in the beginning of the month of Iyar, the month of Shevat in this year is the 541st month from my birth, noting that the Gematria of the Chofetz Chaim's first name of Yisroel is 541. Now, as per the Chofetz Chaim's second name Meir, which is the Gematria of 251, counting the first 251 hours of this month, it winds up that the ELEVENTH hour of the ELEVENTH day of the ELEVENTH month (Shevat) - the date of the BIRTH of the Chofetz Chaim - was the 251st hour of this month, which is the 541st month from MY BIRTH! Luckily, I noticed this most amazing phenomenon shortly before in this month, so I took advantage of this most special hour, or amount of time, if we assume that the earliest time that night could possibly begin, accordingly to Halacha, which is sunset. In this case, as sunset nearing the end of Shabbat, at least where I live in Israel, was 5:00 PM, the 11th hour from this time was 3:00 AM; though if one considers when it was for sure nighttime as when there are three medium stars appear, it comes out to be around 42 minutes, or if one follows the strict time of 72 minutes after sunset as definite nighttime (which is what the Chofetz Chaim holds in terms of when one is supposed to keep Shabbat before doing work), the end time would be like 6:12 PM, and considering even a later viewpoint of 90 minutes after sunset, the latest would be 6:30 PM; hence, giving a wide range of as much as two and a half hours in terms of the 11th hour. In any case, as tired as I felt trying to force myself to stay awake (originally, I planned to go to be early, but circumstances didn't allow this to happen), I began the 11th hour at 3:00 AM with learning the short essay of the Chofetz Chaim called Ahavas Yisroel to commemorate this special moment of time in my life, falling out ON THE VERY DATE OF THE BIRTH OF THE CHOFETZ CHAIM! (Though the concept of the number 11 with the number of months in my life coinciding with the Gematriot of the name(s) of the Chofetz Chaim would still be very significant, even if the date wouldn't be the birthday or Yahrzeit of the Chofetz Chaim). Moreover, it is particularly on this date of 11 SHEVAT IN THIS YEAR, being that it is a leap year, that the cycle of the learning of the Sefer CHOFETZ CHAIM began (three cycles in any given year, and divided up for learning depending on the length of a regular or leap year). No doubt, Hashgacha Peratit (Divine Providence) has manifested here in a major way, for if Hashem shows this in even materialistic matters; most certainly, Hashem shows this in spiritual matters. Indeed, Hashem has a most special message for me here.<br />
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As per the Chofetz Chaim's work entitled Ahavas Yisroel, I feel a special connection to this Mitzva of Ahavas Yisroel, though in this particularly work, he focuses more on the Mitzvat Lo Ta'aseh, Negative or Non-Action Commandment of not hating other Jews. You see, the letters of this nine lettered phrase contains THE SAME LETTERS AS MY BIRTHDATE as this (Day) ONE IN IYAR - Aleph, Aleph, Yud, Reish (in this case, this month Iyar spelled with only one Yud, though usually, it is spelled with two of this letter) 5730 - Hei-Tav-Shin-Lamed! In comparison, the letters in order in the phrase Ahavas Yisrael are Aleph-Hei-Vav-Tav (or Sav), Yud-Sin (like Shin)-Reish-Aleph-Lamed. <br />
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Considering the beautiful connections here of the number 11, birthdays, the Mitzva of Ahavas Yisroel and all, we must not forget that the ultimate purpose of Torah in this world is TO FULFILL WHAT THE TORAH SAYS, and at least half of it if not a major part of it is OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER JEWS. Now, many may boast of their communal activities of all types of kindnesses that they do for others, and they seem to have many friends and all. However, this does not always reflect, most unfortunately, of other aspects of their relationships with certain other Jews, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE SIN OF FORBIDDEN SPEECH AND HATRED OF TYPES OF JEWS THAT THEY LOOK DOWN ON. Of course, I am speaking of personal experience knowing of certain people, though thankfully, I think only a small amount whom I know to be this way, who show off as big "machers" giving much to Tzedaka, doing acts of good deeds or favors as per some Jewish organization, while they look down at other Jews who are not in the same financial standing as they are, even to the point (and yes, this is a true story that I personally know of) of not allowing children of one or more families who pay a limited tuition, to not begin the Yeshiva day school year until the first check of monthly tuition checks is paid as though the struggling parents - who sacrifice themselves for their children to learn Torah instead of going to public school - can't be trusted. Usually, these types of people are laymen, who while may have some knowledge of Torah as "Orthodox" (a label which should not really be used) Jews, either have hardly learned of certain basic Mitzvot or Sefarim such as the book Chofetz Chaim, or simply haven't applied what they learned to practice, some of whom may even pat themselves on the back for going to the daily Daf Yomi class of Talmud. Oh yes, and among everything else, the ones who made that tuition decision of delaying the children from going to the Yeshiva day school, after their time in this world, will have to give an accounting to Hashem for each and every word of Torah that the children didn't learn as a result of their Aveira (sin) of Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred), looking down at others - a form of hating Jews for no justfiable reason - for not being as rich as they are in the guise of collecting money for the Yeshiva day school (the excuse from the Yetzer Hara - Evil Inclination) that they themselves would have a far easier time paying.<br />
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Among this, I have noticed a great irony. I know of one synagogue with the name Ahavas Yisroel whose rabbi, while he may be into outreach and do good things for other Jews, doesn't always exactly behave nicely to others in the way that he talks to them. I also know of an organization that uses the name Ahavas Yisroel that involves helping financially, and in other ways, Jews in need, whose boss thinks that it's only Lashon Hara when others say bad things about other Jews, but when it comes to himself speaking of others, well, that is another story, aside from his verbal abuse to those who don't do exactly as he says, be it employees or other people with whom he may seem to be friends with. Of course, being that I am talking about the prohibition of forbidden speech, I am not going to mention anyone's names here. But clearly, the general Mitzva of Ahavas Yisroel, while it most definitely includes doing kindness and charity, ALSO NO LESS INCLUDES THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR BEHAVIOR TOWARDS OTHER JEWS, which includes not insulting them, not shouting at them, not hurting their feelings, not fighting with them all the time, etc. In fact, in the midst of the 17 Negative Commandments and the 14 Positive Commadments that the Chofetz Chaim lists in his Sefer Chofetz Chaim related to the Prohibition of forbidden speech, in the Mitzva about Ahavas Yisroel, he notes that one who speaks Lashon Hara or Rechilut (A telling B that C said something bad about B for example) or accepts/believes the Lashon Hara/Rechilut shows that one doesn't really love at all the Jew about whom he is saying bad about, and certainly, isn't fulfilling the Kamocha (like you) in the phrase V'Ahavata L'Reiacha Kamocha "You shall love your fellow (Jew) as yourself", for surely, one would not want others to speak bad about us, as though we are so much more holy than other Jews, when perhaps the opposite could be true.<br />
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THE MONTH OF YISRAEL<br />
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It was only some five months ago that at the Brit Mila (circumcison) of my son that I named him Shevach Tzion Yisrael, the last name Yisrael being patterned after the name of my wife Yael, as both names begin with a Yud and end with a Lamed. And so, noting that the name Yisrael is the Gematria of 541, my 541st month of life takes place within around half a year from the birth of my son. <br />
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While on a personal level, this month of Shevat in this year is Month 541 as pertaining to the Gematria of the name Yisrael; the Sefer entitled Bnei Yissaschar, authored by the Chasidic Master Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, which includes many Gematriot pertaining to Shabbat, the months and the holidays, mentions that the Mazal (constellation) for the month of Shevat, which is Deli (Aquarius), is "the Mazal of Yisrael (Jews)". That's right my friends, it is this particular constellation, in contrast to all the others representing the other months of this year which includes the one for the month of Nissan, the timing of the birth of the Jewish nation. And the question is why?<br />
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As the Chasidic author explains, this constellation (the word Deli means pail) is associated with water, and as the Talmud notes (Bava Kama 17a), water refers to the Torah, for after all, just as humans can's survive without water, so too the Jewish nation can't survive without Torah. In fact, the name Moshe comes from the very phrase Ki Min HaMayim Meshitihu "For from the water did I pull him out" (Exodus 2:10), this coming from Batya, the princess of Pharaoh who converted to Judaism, who merited to be the very one to rescue Baby Moses from the Nile River after being left there by his family as the Egyptians were coming to all the homes with newborn baby boys to murder them on Pharaoh's orders after hearing the astrologers telling him that the savior of Israel was soon going to be born. Ironically, Batya would latter raise him in her father's own palace, her father little knowing that it was going to be this very baby boy who would one day confront him on orders from Hashem to let the Jews leave Egypt. Anyways, the reason that I mention Moshe at this point is because it was in the beginning of this month of Shevat, whose constellation represents water, the concept that Moshe was most connected to as demonstrated by the source of his very name, began his final series of discourses of Torah in the last 36 days of his life.<br />
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Anyways, the Gematria of the word Deli is 44, and presently, I am in my 44th year of life. Accordingly, the 541st Hebrew month always occurs within the 44th year. Similarly, the constellation Deli=44 IS THE CONSTELLATION OF YISRAEL=541. <br />
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Aside from the birthday of the Chofetz Chaim, whose name is Yisroel Meir, in this month of Shevat whose constellation is the constellation of the Jewish people who are called Yisroel, there are two other great rabbis whose names are Yisroel who passed away in this month.<br />
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First is the passing of Rabbi Yisrael Abu-Chatzeira, or popularly known as the Baba Sali, hailing originally from Morocco and settled later in life in Netivot, Israel, on the 4th of Shevat, 5744 (1984). Now, while many may know him particularly for his blesssings, miracles, and being a Kabbalist, he was already well versed in the entire Talmud and Halacha long before his own fame, aside from his already famous rabbinical familly, and was appointed Dayan (judge) in the Jewish court at a relatively young age. Perhaps even a little less known is that there are collections of writings and teachings of his in a Sefer called Ahavat Yisrael. The reason for this title is that this is a collection of hints of the Mitzva of Ahavat Yisrael in all the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments) showing the letters the word V'Ahavta (You shall love) as acronyms of phrases in many of the Mitzvot and showing a connection between the two. However unfortunately, his writings of this are presently available only on the first 127 Mitzvot of the Torah. But perhaps the basis for this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva who says that "You shall love your friend as yourself" is the great principle of the Torah; hence, encompassing the entire Torah, or as Hillel the Elder put it to one who sought to convert to Judaism on condition to be told everything about Judaism during the time it takes to be able to stand on one foot, "What is hateful to you, don't do to others. This is the Torah, and the rest is commentary. Go learn it", and in time, converted to Judaism. Anyways, it's interesting to note that both the Chofetz Chaim and the Baba Sali wrote works whose title are the same based on the same name and the common Mitzva of loving our fellow Jew.<br />
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Next is the passing of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, founder of the Mussar movement, on 25 Shevat 5643 (1883).<br />
While a most brilliant Talmudic scholar, he is most popularly known as the one who introduced the study of Mussar, ethical instruction, in Yeshivot. Now, while not all Yeshivot were receptive of learning other than the Talmud for the most part, neither was he banned and denigrated as has happened to rabbis in the past who seemed to have introduced something new that looked contrary to the Torah. In fact, he had met with the Chofetz Chaim from time to time, and the Chofetz Chaim writes in his Mishna Berura that one is obligated to learn Mussar every day. <br />
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Basically, the purpose of Mussar is that a Jew realizes his mission in this world, and not to loose sight of it. The basic stepping stone of Mussar is Yirat Hashem (fear of Hashem), for without this Mitzva, this type of feeling that Hashem sees and knows everything, one could wind up doing what he or she wants thinking that one could always get away with doing something wrong without being caught. Of course, the ultimate level of fear of Hashem is that one feels such awe of Hashem, that it is simply unthinkable to sin. <br />
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Now, while Rabbi Salanter himself didn't do much writing of his Torah discourses, his students gathered together his teachings from over the years, which includes five letters that he wrote to his students collected in a Sefer or pamphlet called Ohr Yisrael (Light of Israel). Perhaps this was named as such because there are particular FIVE letters in this composition, just like the word Ohr is mentioned FIVE times in the first day of Creation. In any case, this includes a special section called Igeret HaMussar (Letter of Mussar).<br />
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AND THE SEPHIRA IS...<br />
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We are now up to the 16th Sephira combination of Gevurah She'B'Tiferet. In the present Jewish calendar, it always falls out on the first of Iyar, which is my birthdate. And having mentioned the concept of Ohr in this post, especially being that Ohr is the Gematria of 207, the number of this post, the name of the month Iyar is based on the word Ohr. Aside from this, in order of the Jewish calendar from Rosh Hashana, the corresponding week to this Sephira combination is the week which includes the 21st of Tevet, the birthday of Shimon, the son of Jacob, my namesake. It also falls out in or around the week of Parshat Shemot, in which Moshe Rabbeinu is born. Rashi notes that when he was born, the house in which his familiy was living was full of LIGHT, which is of course spiritual light. As for Shimon himself, together with Levi, whose great grandson was going to be Moshe, killed the residents of the city of Shechem in avengence of their sister Dina being raped by the son of the mayor of Shechem, hence displaying the atttribute of Gevurah (strength), being the son of Jacob, who especially corresponds to the Sephira of Tiferet; thus, highlighting the connection of this to Gevurah She'B'Tiferet.<br />
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CONNECTIONS BETWEEN 11 AND 15<br />
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Aside from the birthdays of the Chofetz Chaim and Reb Nosson of Breslov on the 11th and 15th of Shevat, respectively; there are other connections between these two numbers specifically. Well first, dissecting Hashem's main name YKVK (K is substituted here for H in respect of His most holy name) into two parts, the first two letters Yud=10 and Hei=5 equal 15, and Vav=6 and Hei=5 equal 11. Also, we see in the very beginning of Tractate Megilla where it starts off with "The Megilla can be read on the 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th (of Adar)" which refer to all the possible dates that reading the Megilla was possible, particularly in earlier times when market day was Monday and Thursday making it easier for villagers who might not otherwise hear the Megilla reading would be able to do so. <br />
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As for the more spiritual or Kabbalistic reason, in the end of Parshat Beshalach, the last nine verses about Amalek's initial war with the Jewish people which is read on Purim before the Megilla reading - noting that Parshat Beshalach can be read on Shabbat at times on the 11th of Shevat or on the 15th of Shevat - the final verse states "For a hand is on the chair of YH, the war of Hashem against Amalek from generation to generation". Now in Hebrew, normally the word for chair is Kisei with an Aleph at the end of the word, but in this instance, the word reads as Keis as meaning chair, utilizing just the letters Kaf and Samech, which is immediately followed by Hashem's name YH, just the first half of Hashem's main name. Now, the basic meaning of this is that until Hashem finishes off Amalek once and for all, Hashem's name and chair is not complete (so to speak), as Rashi notes. Now taking a closer look at this word Keis consisting of the letters Kaf and Samech, they are the 11th and 15th letters of the Aleph Beit, respectively. This is immediately followed by Hashem's name YH which equals 15. By the way, having mentioned a little earlier about the birth of Shimon the son of Jacob, this final verse of Parshat Beshalach is the 466th verse from the beginning of Sefer Shemot (Exodus), noting that the Gematria of the name Shimon is 466.<br />
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Acccordingly, Purim which celebrates our victory over the non-Jews who attempted to get rid of us thanks to Haman's attempt to annihilate the entire Jewish people on one day, is a step towards getting rid of Amalek once and for all, noting that Haman was a descendant of Amalek. And so, the reading of the Megilla, which is akin to the Mitzva of remembering what Amalek did to us on our way out of Egypt, is slated for reading particularly through the timeframe of the 11th through the 15th of Adar. Now, refering back to the final verse of Parshat Beshalach, noting that the Hebrew word for hand is Yad, which also spells the Hebrew number 14, this is the date of the month of Adar on which Purim is observed. However, for the city of Shushan in Persia and walled cities from the time of Joshua such as Jerusalem, the reading of the Megilla take place on the 15th of the month, as it is the 15th that is on the highest level of holiness in this context, as we see in the words Keis YH, in which the word Keis includes the 11th and 15th letters of the Aleph Beit and is immediately followed by the name YH which also in Hebrew spells the number 15 (although typically, we refer to the number 15 with the letters Teis=9 and Vav=6 to avoid spelling Hashem's name YH on paper which could be thrown out afterwards accidentally).<br />
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And why the number 15? You see, this is the Gematria of the Sephira of Hod, which represents the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). And as connected to the Megilla, the middle verse is King Achashveirosh offer to Esther "What is your request? Until half of the kingdom, and it will be done". Now, noting that his kingdom was not limited to Persia but included a total of 127 provinces as stating in the very beginning of the Megilla, our rabbis tell us that the MIDDLE of his kingdom was...the Beit Hamikdash! In another words, what Achashveirosh was telling Esther was that she could have whatever lands she wanted, so long as she would not be given the area (or the land) of the Beit Hamikdash (even though at that point, he didn't know as of yet that Esther as his wife and queen was Jewish; subconscioiusly, his evil soul knew that she was, being the big anti-Semite that he was from beginning to end.) In fact, not only did he not allow the Temple to be rebuilt that had begun around 15 years earlier in the days of a previous Persian King Coresh who stopped it when he believed the lies of the "good" Samaritans (yes, Good Samaritan is a phrase from the New Testiment which was purposely phrased as such to make us Jews look bad) about the Jews wanted to conspire against the king with the construction of the Temple, but he even celebrated the so called end of the 70 years of the Babylonian exile of the Jews, thinking that this prophecy of the length of this exile had passed without all the Jews returning to Israel (but he miscalculated the timing of the 70 years), which is the very subject at the beginning of the Megilla with his 180 days of feasting, followed by a special seven days; noting that this was a total of 187 days, bearing in mind that the number 187 is used as one of the measurements of the Temple as details in Tractate Middot, the tractate about the measurements of the Temple. <br />
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And as far as the number 15 is concerned in terms of the month of Adar, this number is indeed the MIDDLE day of the month of Adar that always consists of 29 days in our present calendar, noting that in Jewish leap year such as this year which includes two months of Adar, it is the second one consisting of 29 days in which we observe Purim. And as future anti-Semites who did not and to this day, do not want us Jews to live in the land of which the Temple is the holiest point, and where the greatest resistance lies in terms of Jews even visiting as per the Temple Mount fiasco of the evil Israeli police who give in to the demands of the Wakf, Achashveirosh was willing to give Esther not as ONLY until HALF of the kingdom as 63 lands, but rather double that being 126 lands - just as long as Israel wouldn't be given back to Esther's people, being that they didn't want the Jews to especially get their holiest spot, the Temple back in their hands. And so, it is particularly on the 15th of Adar, the MIDDLE day of the month, that particularly the residents of Jerusalem, the city of the Temple, the MIDDLE spot of Achashverosh's kingdom, which especially represents the number 15 as per the Gematria the name of the Sephira of Hod, celebrate Purim on this date.<br />
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And particularly for Mordechai and Esther, the heroes of the Megilla, who were descended from the Tribe of Benjamin, it was the land of this Tribe that merited to have the (majority of or the holiest part of) Temple be located. And significantly, just as the very LAST part of the Orach Chaim section of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) consists of the laws of Purim, so is the Tribe of Benjamin descended from Benjamin, the LAST of the sons of Jacob. <br />
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Perhaps this would explain why the Rambam (Maimonides) in his Mishne Torah, places the laws of Chanuka, rather than the laws of Purim as the end of the volume of Zemanim (which consists of the laws of Shabbat and holidays), for Chanuka begins in the month of Kislev, whose corresponding tribe is Benjamin, since after all, this was the very holiday celebrating our return to our Temple in which the Menorah has begun to be lit once more, aside from the fact that it is particularly the holiday of Chanuka that corresponds to the Sephira of Hod as it most relates to the Beit Hamikdash; unless the Sephira of Netzach which corresponds to Purim and Jerusalem, which would explain why the residents of Jerusalem celebrate Purim particularly on the 15th of Adar, since Jerusalem retains its most holy status, even outside the immediate environs of the Temple, particularly because of the Temple. <br />
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One more striking connection between the numbers 11 and 15 pertains to the context of the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments) in the Talmud (Makkot 24a) where it mentions that various prophets, so to speak, summarized all the commandments into a few basic principles - not to G-d forbid lessen the amount of Mitzvot that the Jews should observe, but rather, to emphasize a few matters that would help them stay on the right track. The first of these to do so was King David who listed 11 such principles in Psalm 15 - the ONLY psalm that is written in its entirety in the Talmud (consists of five verses)!<br />
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And on a final note, noting that today marks the 15th of Shevat, we await for Purim which will arrive in a couple of months, the holiday which is associated with LIGHT, noting the verse in the Megilla "For the Jews there was LIGHT, happiness, gladness and honor" (Esther 8:16). And as our rabbis tell us (Megilla 16b) "Light" is Torah, the ONLY authentic, and ultimate Jewish enLIGHTenment.<br />
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15 Shevat, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-85516596334710644852014-01-10T06:53:00.002-08:002014-01-10T06:53:17.902-08:00#206 - A Taste of Lag BaOmer and PurimThis week's Parshat Beshalach, is no doubt, one of the happiest Parshiyot of the Torah, between the deliverance of the Jewish people from the Egyptians via the crossing of the Reed Sea to begin granted the manna, the heavenly food that sustained us for 40 years in the desert. In fact, the Shabbat in which we read this Parsha is always good Shabbat Shira, for it is named after the Shira (song) that the Jews sang following their deliverance, which is also part of our daily morning prayers.<br />
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There is another very significant thing that took place this week; meaning, our present week in which we read this Parshat Beshalach, and is somehow connected.<br />
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Let us rewind to like a couple of years ago. Aside from the Daf Yomi, there are many other study programs, some of which may be more famous than others. But when you have two Torah study programs in which many Jews in Israel and around the globe study that begin the same time, it is hard to deny the Hashgacha Peratit (Divine Providence) in the matter. And so, exactly 23 months ago, on 9 Adar 5772 ('12), cycles of two different Torah study programs began on the very same day, actually three to be exact. It's like this. First, there is the daily study of either one or three chapters of the Rambam's Mishne Torah, a composite of the Halachot from the entire Torah, the study of which was implemented on 27 Nissan 5744 (1984). Now, for those who study only one chapter a day as opposed to three, wind up finishing the whole Mishne Torah in three cycles of the daily study of three chapters. In any case, on this date of 9 Adar two years ago, both the 31st cycle of three chapters a day and the 11th cycle of one chapter a day of the Rambam's work began anew. However, the amazing thing that I am referring to here is that another Torah study program cycle began on this very date - the eighth cycle of the daily study of one chapter of Mishna, which is the original composite of the Halachot of the Torah and root of the Torah She'B'Al Peh! I have a feeling that virtually nobody, if anybody, noticed this at the time, but I don't believe that this was mere coincidence, especially when it comes to the greatest Mitzva of the Torah - the learning and teaching of Torah. (Accordingly, it could be said that the Siyum (completion) of the respective previous cycles of these works occurred the day before, but I am here to focus on the beginning of the new cycle for good reason).<br />
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Now, moving foward in this same Hebrew year, the 13th cycle of Daf Yomi of the daily study of a Daf of the Babylonian Talmud began on 15 Av, which is also known as Tu B'Av, a most happy day in the Jewish calendar due to various happy things having occurred on this date, as well as being a time to start increasing our Torah study at nights as the night starts increasing its time around this time of the year. Now, it was on this day that within the 8th cycle of the daily Mishna chapter, that day marked the learning of the first chapter of Tractate Megilla, which is based on the Mitzva of reading the Megilla (Book of Esther) on Purim, at it begins with Megilla Nikreit "We begin the READING of the Megilla...", just as the beginning of the Mishna/Talmud starts with Tractate Berachot that begins with Mei'ei'matai Korin Et Shema B'Arvit "When do we begin READING the Shema in the evening?", both Mitzvot which involve the very concept of READING, and these respective Mitzvot are performed twice in the day - once in the evening, and the second in the daytime; although the Shema reading is performed daily while the Megilla reading is performed on Purim, one day in the year. <br />
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Now, let's fastforward to today. Today - the 9th of Shevat - marks the BEGINNING of the 33rd cycle of the daily Rambam study of three chapters, and...the learning of the first Mishna chapter of Tractate Megilla - THE VERY CHAPTER of the 525 chapters of the Mishna - that was learned on the BEGINNING of the 13th cycle of Daf Yomi! In any case, we see that there must be some special significance to Tractate Megilla in relationship to the general concept of Torah learning, especially its first chapter.<br />
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Actually, we don't have to go too far as far as numbers are concerned. You see, Tractate Megilla consists of 33 Mishnayot, which will be learned in this study program in the course of FOUR DAYS, just as the beginning of this Rambam three chapter study includes the introduction and Mitzvot, before the main body of the Mishne Torah, during the course of the first FOUR DAYS, the beginning of the 33rd cycle. So as you can see, the number 33 is very prominent here.<br />
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But this is not the end of the connection of the number 33 in this week's Parsha, or the concept of Purim for that matter. You see, in the section of this week's Parsha about the manna, called Parshat Haman, in consists of 33 verses (Exodus 16:4-36), and the very end of this Parshat Beshalach, it consists of nine verses about Amalek attacking the Jews and us retaliating, which is read on Purim, the very day on which we also read the Megilla. And when the 31st cycle of the daily study of three chapters of Rambam began exactly 23 months ago (which was also on the ninth of a month) on 9 Adar, it fell out on Shabbat Zachor, the Shabbat before Purim, in which we read the special Torah portion that is at the end of Parshat Ki Teitze consisting of three verses which includes three Mitzvot pertaining to what Amalek did to us.<br />
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As far as the connection of Amalek in terms of Torah study is concerned, Rashi points out that when the hands of the Jews were weak from Torah study, as implied in the name of the place that they were at in Refidim, based on the word in Hebrew for weak, Amalek came and attacked the Jews. And on a more positive note, the lesson to be learned here is that just as we are excited when it comes to Purim, feeling the special holiday spirit in the air as we hear the Megilla reading, so too, we are supposed to be excited when a new cycle of Torah learning begins - but not just for the first day as the Megilla reading is on one day a year, but just as the Mitzva of the daily recital of the Shema, the very first Mitzva mentioned in the Mishna and the Mitzva that begins the life of the Bar Mitzva boy (or man), to have the same enthusiasm in Torah learning, and reciting the Shema - each and every day as though it was the first time that we are learning any given piece of Torah or saying the Shema.<br />
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And as for the number 33, the 33rd day of the Omer is called Lag BaOmer, which is considered a happy day in the 7 week Sephira period, for it was on this day that the students of Rabbi Akiva no longer were dying in a plague as well as being the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the teaching of the Zohar, who declared the day of his passing as an annual day of rejoicing. To note, the 33rd and final verse about the manna mentions the word Omer, no doubt hinting to this special day of Lag B'Omer. Moreover, in any given calendar year, Lag Baomer falls out on the same day of the week as the previous Purim in the year falls out on.<br />
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It's shortly before Shabbat, so have a Shabbat Shalom.<br />
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9 Shevat, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-12800061842934291412013-12-31T17:10:00.000-08:002014-01-09T01:32:42.898-08:00#205 - Which New Year?Though I am writing in this post on the first day of the new secular year (actually, the blogpost will show the last day of the outgoing secular year, because it is based on a different time zone than where I am at in Israel), it so happens that I am writing this post for a totally different reason. In fact, when it comes to Rosh Hashana that some call the Jewish New Year, it is techically a misnomer, because the actual definiton of Rosh Hashana is Head of the Year. But the reason why I chose the subject of this post to read New, rather than Head, will be evident during the course of this post. <br />
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The Hebrew number for 205 - the number of this Post - is Reish-Hei, which is the acronym for Rosh Hashana. Though there may not seem to be any connection between this number and Rosh Hashanah other than the acronym aspect, you may expect some surprises here. For what I will soon mention, though the ideas that will be presented here come from Torah sources no doubt, putting together the puzzle pieces will make some think about the difference between Hashgacha Peratit (Divine Providence) and coincidences, the latter which is called in Hebrew - Mikreh, which can actually be reread when rearranging the letters in this word as Rak Mei'Hashem "Only from Hashem", aside from the fact that the last two letters of this word Mikreh are also Reish-Hei.<br />
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With this said, Rosh Chodesh Shevat - the first day of the month of Shevat - falls out this year at night of the first day of the secular calendar year. But the real significance of Rosh Chodesh Shevat, aside from being Rosh Chodesh, has something else that is connected to Rosh Hashana.<br />
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There is a Mishna learning program in which a chapter of Mishna is learned daily, which takes like a year and a half for a full cycle, and is presently in its 9th cycle since its inception on 27 Shevat 5762 (2002). And out of the 525 chapters of Mishna to be learning about Rosh Chodesh Shevat takes place on this very date - as the first chapter of Tractate Rosh Hashana! <br />
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So, lets turn to the first Mishna of this tractate: Arba'ah Roshei Shanim Heim "There are four Rosh Hashanas (New Years, literally means "Heads of Years"): On the first of Nissan, it is the Rosh Hashana of kings and holidays. On the first of Elul, it is the Rosh Hashana of the tithing of animals. Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shimon say that it (the tithing of animals) is on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei (when we normally refer to as Rosh Hashana), it is the Rosh Hashana of years, Sabbatical years, Jubilee years, planting, and vegetables. ON THE FIRST OF SHEVAT, IT IS THE ROSH HASHANA OF THE TREE, according to the words of Beit Shammai. Beit Hillel say that it (the Rosh Hashana of the tree) is on the fifteenth of the month (Tu B'Shevat)."<br />
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Now, there is a little irony here. You see, as the Gemara on this Mishna explains, the reason why these four dates are designated as Rosh Hashanas, the New Year for their respective reasons, is because they are all Roshei Chodashim (plural for Rosh Chodesh); for in fact, there are other dates in the Jewish calendar that can be called Rosh Hashana. For example, there is the 16th of Nissan, which marks the Omer barley offering being brought in the Temple, allowing the barley of the new harvest to be eaten according to Jewish law (which was forbidden beforehand). However, the Gemara explains that it is only the dates of Rosh Chodesh, which represent something that terms these dates as Rosh Hashana, that are recorded as such in the Mishna. <br />
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So here is where the irony enters. For in fact, what we observe as the Rosh Hashana of trees is (at least nowadays) on the 15th of Shevat, what is normally called as Tu B'Shevat, following the Halacha like Beit Hillel, as is typically the case, rather than the views of Beit Shammai, who hold that this Rosh Hashana is on the first of Shevat. However, had it not been for the opinion of Beit Shammai to begin with, it seems that Tu B'Shevat would never have been mention here, based on what the Gemara said as to the qualifications of the dates that are called Rosh Hashana in the Mishna. <br />
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And so, it seems on the surface that basically, Beit Shammai is being used so to speak, due to the fact that he holds the Rosh Hashana of trees to be on Rosh Chodesh Shevat, when we don't follow the Halacha like this group, but according to his rival group, Beit Hillel, instead, who hold that this Rosh Hashana is observed in the middle of the month of Shevat. So, what's the deal here?<br />
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The truth is that, as I have mentioned before in posting, that both opinions, even if they are opposing opinions, in Halacha (Jewish Law), are "words of the Living G-d" (P.S. This does NOT include the opinons of some straying rabbis of today who will claim that parts of the Land of Israel can be given for "peace" or that soldiers have to follow orders to throw Jews from their homes because these are orders from the ruling Israeli government, which is clearly against the Torah, but this is a subject to be dealt with on its own); and so, even though technically, only one of the two opinions are able to be followed, there is Torah truth to the opposing opinion as well.<br />
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Now, to understand the Halacha in question here in terms of the New Year for trees, the Torah tells us not to eat from the produce of new trees for the first three years, and then in the fourth year, we redeem the fruit with money which then allows us to eat the fruit from henceforth. Now, while the Jewish calendar year begins from the standard Rosh Hashana, the Rosh Hashana in this case that determines the new year for trees begins in Shevat, which we observe as Tu B'Shevat (15 Shevat) nowadays following the view of Beit Hillel. <br />
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So, it seems that in fact, the real Rosh Hashana for trees SHOULD BE on Rosh Chodesh Shevat; but it is only due to the technicality of the opinion of Beit Hillel that we observe this on a different date. But still, how is it possible to even theoretically call Rosh Chodesh Shevat as a Rosh Hashana when it is not observed as such, for there cannot technically be two Rosh Hashanas, two New Years for the same thing. And the reason that I say this, is that if you look carefully at the wording of the Mishna, it seems to imply that Rosh Chodesh Shevat is the fourth of the Roshei Hashana (New Years), for only after it mentions this date, does it say that this is "according to the words of Beit Shammai"; and then immediately afterwards, it mentions Beit Hillel of giving a differing opinon, but reversing the wording of mentioning the name of the one giving the opinion before the opinon itself. For sometimes, the Mishna, when it mentions different opinions, mentions each rabbi and then his opinion. And so, if this Mishna would have followed this same format, it would have first mentioned "New Year of the tree" followed by the two opinions of what the date for this is. <br />
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Believe it or not, you will not find the date of Tu B'Shevat anywhere in the entire Tanach (Jewish Bible). However, the first of Shevat is found in a very prominent place - the very beginning of Sefer Devarim (Deutronomy) the fifth Book of the Chumash (Penteteuch), which is termed as "the eleventh month, on the first day of the month", counting the Jewish months from Nissan, the month marking the Exodus and birth of the Jewish nation. It was on this very date that Moses began his final series of discourses that ended on 7 Adar, the day on which he passed away, making up the content of the last book of the Five Books of Moses in just a matter of 36 days (in our present calendar, it seems to be 37 days, but I will soon mention why I mentioned 36 days specifically). <br />
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Now, in recent times, it has been mentioned in Hassidus, including in the Hasidic book called Bnei Yissaschar, that Rosh Chodesh Shevat marks another type of Rosh Hashana - the New Year of Torah She'B'Al Peh (Oral Law). Now, while we received the Torah on Shavuot, which included Torah She'B'Al Peh; we see that the Torah demonstrates the concept of Torah She'B'Al Peh especially via the sermons of Moshe Rabbeinu to the Jewish people. For as we typically see in the Torah, when Hashem wanted Moses to instruct the Jewish people with Mitzvot (Commandments), it writes "Hashem spoke to Moses saying. Speak to the Children of Israel..." Until Deutronomy, there aren't many places where we see Moses directly speaking to the Jewish nation with commandments; for typically, this is was Moses did following Hashem speaking to him, so it is not necessary for the Torah to tell us everytime that this is what Moses did. However, while obviously, the Mitzvot and Halachot that Moses instructed the Jews in Deutronomy were no less from Hashem's instructions, here the narrator is Moshe Rabbeinu. And it is this format that demonstrates the tradition of Torah She'B'Al Peh, for as it literally means, it is Torah that is spread by word of mouth, from generation to generation. For if it was just the Penteteuch or the Bible, with no details or explanations of what the Written Word means, then we would be no better than the non-Jews who are left to figure out what the Word of G-d says. And so, the fact that we see that the Book of Deutronomy focusing on Moshe Rabbeinu as the narrator, rather than Hashem, in the last five weeks of his life, shows us the importance of our Oral Tradition, and following our rabbis who are responsible for instructing us in the right path, through correct interpretations of the Torah (as opposed to what the ones who started the Enlightment, Reform, Conservative, etc. movements wanted to do was to water down Judaism "to make it easier" while they basically ignored the Talmud) based on the rules handed down from Hashem to Moses, including the 13 ways (Shlosh Esrei Middot) through which the Torah is interpreted.<br />
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Now, in this week's Parshat Bo, we see one of the few times in the Torah, within the middle three books of the Chumash (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers) in which we see that it is Moses who is giving over Mitzvot and Halachot to the Jewish people, starting off with Vayikra Moshe "Moses called to all the elders of Israel and said to them..." (Exodus 12:21), with instructions for observing Pesach (Passover), which by the way, is the very beginning of the Torah reading for the first day of this holiday. In fact, this also marks the beginning of the fifth Aliya of this Parsha, and correspondingly, the fifth day of this week is Rosh Chodesh Shevat, marking the date of Moses speaking to the Jewish people in the final days of his life.<br />
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A hint to this concept of Torah She'B'Al Peh with the Book of Deutronomy can be found withe the opening words of this Book - Eileh HaDevearim Asher Diber Moshe El Kol Yisrael "THESE ARE THE WORDS that Moses spoke to the Chldren of Israel..." Now first of all, it has been said that the letters of this opening word of Deutronomy - Eileh (Aleph, Lamed, Hei), begin the words Avak Lashon Hara "Dust of Evil Speech", referring to statements that one makes about another that could possibly lead to thinking bad of the latter. While this may also be implied with this word, I say that the letters of Eileh begin the words Issur Lashon Hara "Prohibition of Evil Speech", for these are the words that Moses wanted to convey to the Jewish people. For as the Chofetz Chaim, whose title is the name of the book that compiled these laws, notes that while the greatest Mitzva of all is learning/teaching Torah, for each word of Torah is another Mitzva of its own. And conversely, each word of forbidden/evil speech is another Aveira (sin). Hence, we see that in the very beginning of Deutronomy, the concept of Torah She'B'Al Peh, as is related particularly with the mouth. Moreover, the word Eileh, the FIRST word of Deutronomy, can be dissected in two parts - the letter Aleph (1), and the letters (or number) Lamed-Hei (35), for indeed, the mention of Rosh Chodesh Shevat, the date in the context of the beginning of Deutronomy, is also mentioned in the beginning, in the FIRST of the 35 Mishnayot of Tractate Rosh Hashana.<br />
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And so, the fact that the study program of one chapter of Mishna a day places the first chapter of Tractate of Rosh Hashana, which includes mention of the very date on which this is learnt, which besides being the Rosh Hashana of trees according to Beit Shammai, is also termed the Rosh Hashana of Torah She'B'Al Peh, can hardly be dismissed as mere "coincidence". And observing the name of this tractate and holiday - Rosh Hashana, this can also be read as Rosh (Head) of Hashana, this word having the same Gematria as the acronym Shas - 360, which are the letters Shin and Samech beginning the words Shisha Sedarim "Six Orders" referring to the Mishna that consists of six volumes. Moreover, the words Hashana and Mishna are quite similar, the only difference in these four lettered words is that Hashana begins with a Hei and Mishna begins with a Mem. Now, what is the head - the beginning - of the Mishna? Mei'ei'matai Korin Et Shema B'Arvit "From when do we read the Shema in the evening?" which begins the six orders of the Mishna, the beginning of Tractate Berachot ("Blessings"). And this HEAD word Mei'ei'matai, the word that begins the Mishna, is the Gematria of the word Rosh (Head) - 501! And so, the phrase Rosh Hashana, though the name of its own tractate, also hints to the beginning of the Mishna.<br />
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Furthering the connection between the two tractates of Berachot and Rosh Hashana, bearing in mind that the above Mishna study program is in its NINETH cycle, we recite a total of NINE BERACHOT in the Mussaf Shemoneh Esrei of ROSH HASHANA, the only time in the year that we recite particularly nine blessings in the Shemoneh Esrei, being that the three middle blessings each consists of 10 verses from the Tanach that represent Malchuyot (Hashem's Kingship), Zichronot (Rememberances) and Shofarot (plural for Shofar), respectively. It is most interesting to note that on the first day of ROSH HASHANA, we read the Haftara from the beginning of the Book of Samuel about Chana, mother of Shmuel Hanavi (Samuel the Prophet), who was barren for many years until Hashem finally answered her prayers for children and granted him the future prophet. Following this, we see that Chana prayed a special thanksgiving prayer in a poetic form. But interestingly, the Talmud in Tractate BERACHOT (31a) learns several important points about prayer from the earlier part of the Haftara about Chana. And as for her name, it is the Gematria of 63, the amount of tractates of the Mishna.<br />
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Now, back to Tractate Rosh Hashana itself, having mentioned that the difference between HASHANA and MISHNA is with the first letters Hei (5) and Mem (40), respectively, the difference of Gematria between these two words is 35, the amount of Mishnayot in this tractate, and is also the name of the concluding Daf of this tractate in the Babylonian Talmud. <br />
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Next, let us look at the HEAD (or first) letters of the first words of this tractate Ar'ba'ah Roshei Shana Heim "There are four Rosh Hashanas", which are the same letters that make up the word HaRosh "the head", or if just the letters of the first three words, it is the word Rosh (head). Now, the word Rosh consists of the same letters as the name of the tribe Asher - WHO IS THE CORRESPONDING TRIBE OF THE MONTH OF SHEVAT! And if this was not enough, we are told that Asher the son of Jacob prevents people who learned Mishna from entering Gehinnom (Purgatory or Hell). And so, it is no wonder why the first word of all the Mishnayot has the same Gematria as Asher's name.<br />
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And as for the letters of the first words of the Mishna (in Tractate Berachot) - Me'ei'matai Korin Et Shema, the numerical value of these first letters (Mem, Koof, Aleph, Shin) add up to the Gematria of the word Emet (truth) - 441, and as it says in Tehillim (Psalms 119:160): ROSH Devarcha EMET "The HEAD (normally translated as beginning) of Your words are TRUTH", for in fact, the Torah She'B'Al Peh, of which the Mishna is its source (which then includes the Gemara, Shulchan Aruch, etc.) is part of the "Word of G-d", no less than the Written Word in the form of the Tanach, Bible, or whatever other name you want to call it. And in fact, the opinons of the rabbis in discussing issues in the context of the Oral Law are called Divrei Elokim Chaim "WORDS of the Living G-d".<br />
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Now, there is another number here that comes very much into play - 300. First, both words in the phrase Rosh Hashana share one common letter - SHIN, which is the numerical value of 300. And of the four months that are represented in the first Mishna of this tractate Rosh Hashana, it is the month of Shevat that begins with a Shin. And while in this Mishna, all the dates are referred to as "first of...", each of them are Rosh Chodesh, and both words in this phrase also share the one common letter Shin. And it is particularly according to Beit Shammai that it is Rosh Chodesh Shevat (all three of these words each having the letter Shin!) which is the Rosh Hashana of trees, noting that the first letter of the word Shammai is also a Shin. And speaking of the Mishna, its 300th chapter (which includes the fourth chapter of Tractate Bikkurim which in fact is not part of the Mishna per se but a Baraita, but is included in the Mishna study program as mentioned in this post) which is the first chapter of Tractate Avot (also called Ethics of the Fathers) which begins with the words Moshe Kibel Torah M'Sinai U'Mesara L'Yehoshua "Moses received the Torah from Mt. Sinai and handed it over to Joshua", the VERY BEGINNING OF THIS 300TH CHAPTER DETAILING THE PROCESS OF HOW THE ORAL TORAH WAS HANDED DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENEARTION! Moreover, the Gematria of the name for the letter Shin (consisting of the letters Shin,Yud, Noon) is 360, the same Gematria as Shas, the acronym of Shisha Sedarim, which refers first and foremost to the Mishna, the root of Torah She'B'Al Peh.<br />
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Continuing on with the beginning of Tractate Avot, the numerical value of the first letters of this phrase (Mem, Koof, Tav, Mem, Vav, Lamed) add up to the Gematria of the word HaTorah (the Torah) - 616. Also, there are 410 words to this first chapter of Tractate Avot, and pertaining to the subject of the beginning of the Mishna, which is the reading of the Shema, the word Shema is the Gematria of 410. And being that the beginning word of Tractate Avot is Moshe, it has been noted that the letters of Moshe's name begin the names Moshe (Mem), Shammai (Shin), and Hillel (Hei), the latter two names being part of the first Mishna of Rosh Hashana.<br />
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As for Shammai's name, although the Halacha usually follows Hillel or Beit Hillel, his name is the beginning of two tractates - Eduyot and Nida. And so, we see here that the Torah - particularly the Oral Torah, would not be complete without the opinion of Shammai, even though in practical terms, the Halacha does not follow his words. Also, the Gematria of Shammai's name is 351, and adding the four letters, it equals 355, which spells the Hebrew number Shin-Noon-Hei as well as spelling the word Shana (year). <br />
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Speaking of FOUR, we see a phenomenal thing here. While several chapters in the Mishna begin with the number four - Ar'ba'ah or Arba, the ONLY two tractates which begin with this word (Arba'ah) are Rosh Hashana and Bava Kama. And in this NINETH cycle of the daily Mishna chapter, the first chapter of these tractates are scheduled for learning on Rosh Chodesh Shevat and Rosh Chodesh Nissan, respectively. And so, as we see here, the learning of this FIRST chapter of Rosh Hashana which includes mention of Rosh Chodesh Shevat, the FOURTH of the FOUR Rosh Hashanas, is scheduled for this very date. And the learning of the FIRST chapter of Bava Kama ("FIRST Gate") is scheduled for Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the FIRST of the FOUR Rosh Hashanas, which begins with the word Ar'ba'ah (FOUR), beginning the FOURTH volume of the Mishna, beginning with the words Arba'ah Avot Nezikin "There are four major categories (literally translated as fathers, as per the Hebrew word Avot) of damages. The ox..." Now, the numerical value of the first letters of the words of this tractate (Aleph, Aleph, Noon) add up to the number 52, which is the Gematria of the word Echad=13 FOUR times, being that each of the four Rosh Hashana dates are describes as Echad B... (FIRST of...). And the name (or word) of the FIRST of the four major damagers is HaShore (the ox), noting that the word Shor (ox) is the same Gematria as the first letters of the opening words of Tractate Rosh Hashana (Aleph-Reish-Shin-Hei) - 506. <br />
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And as in this post, we are speaking of the Head of the Year, the New Year, etc., let us speak for a moment about the year itself, that is, the Hebrew year 5774. Now, to visualize this in Hebrew, it consists of the letters Hei-Tav-Shin-Ayin-Dalet. And at this, we can dissect the spelling of this year into two parts. The first four letters Hei-Tav-Shin-Ayin that spell the word HaTeisha "the NINE" and the letter Dalet which is FOURTH letter and is the numerical value of FOUR. And to note, this entire Hebrew year 5774 is included within the 9th cycle of the daily Mishna chapter study in the midst of the Mishna's 525 chapters. On a personal level, aside from the connection of my Hebrew names with the concept of the Mishna in terms of Gematria, the numbers nine and four have been in my bloodstream since the minute I was born, literally. You see, the time of my birth was 9:04 AM, which parallels the breakdown of the numbers nine and four in this Hebrew year. Could this year be a year of fortune for myself?<br />
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It is true that the name of this tractate Rosh Hashana is the same Gematria as my second Hebrew name Matisyahu - 861; and the last word of this tractate - Chovatan "their obligation", is the same Gematria as my first Hebrew name Shimon - 466. Also, noting the fact that I was born on a Rosh Chodesh, approximately half of this tractate (of the Mishnayot) is about the FOURTH Mitzva of the Torah of Kiddush HaChodesh "Sanctification of the (New) Month", which is this very week's Parshat Bo, which is usually read during the week in which Rosh Chodesh Shevat occurs, as it does this year, and especially in this Hebrew year, the Mishnayot on Kiddush HaChodesh, included within the first three chapters of this tractate are scheduled for learning in the last three days of this week of Parshat Bo that is the original source of this Mitzva. Truly amazing!<br />
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And as per the content of Kiddush HaChodesh in this tractate, the announcement of Rosh Chodesh when it used to be done by sighting the moon, the letters of the Hebrew word for moon - Levana - can be rearranged to read Ben Lamed-Hei, "Son of 35", meaning, having the characteristics of the number 35, and indeed, this Mishnaic tractate consists of 35 Mishnayot. Moreover, the psalm for Rosh Chodesh - Chapter 104 in Tehillim - consists of 35 verses.<br />
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Now, turning to the Gematria of the names of the two tractates that start with the word Arba'ah (FOUR), the combined Gematria of these names (Rosh Hashana=861 and Bava Kama=146) is 1,007. Lo and behold, this four digit number is the very Gematria of my son Shevach's full Hebrew name Shevach Tzion Yisrael, whose Brit Mila (circumcision), took place five months earlier on Rosh Chodesh Elul (1 Elul), the second of the FOUR Rosh Hashanas mentioned in the first Mishna of Tractate Rosh Hashana, on a Wednesday, the FOURTH day of the week (as well as his birth one week earlier)! And per my son's last Hebrew name Yisrael, it is the Gematria of 541, and Rosh Chodesh Shevat, the FOURTH and last of the four Rosh Hashanas, begins my 541st month of life in this world! And as we see in the very first Rashi on the Torah - on the word Bereishit, the first word of the Torah, the letters of which can be rearranged to read Aleph B'Tishrei, (Day) One in Tishrei, the date of Rosh Hashana - the question is asked as to why the Torah didn't begin with the first Mitzva that we Jews - using the word Yisrael - were commanded, since after all, the Torah's main objective is to teach us the Mitzvot, the commandments of the King of Kings? The answer to this is that the Torah wanted to start with Bereishit, showing that the whole world belongs to Hashem, and it is Hashem who decided that we Jews - using the word Yisrael - will live in the Land of Israel, despite what the nations of world will claim against us, as we can see all too well today; in fact, more than ever, despite what the Bible says of our rights to our land that so many Christians will deny while claiming they believe in the Bible, showing so many of them to be the hypocrites that they are, not being satsified with the fact that so many millions of Jews were murdered in the name of their false god, including during the Crusades in which, on their way to OUR Holy Land, they travelled through town after town in Europe murdering Jews along the way, including during the end of Rashi's life. Could it be that when Rashi began his commentary on the Torah early on, that he had a feeling of what was going to happen later on during his lifetime, that could have motivated him to write what he did in his very first comment on the Torah about our rights to the Land of Israel? <br />
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Now, this is all very fine and dandy. But, getting to what I mentioned at the beginning of this post, why did I name this post using "New Year" rather than "Head of the Year"? You see, a part of the aspect of the Rosh Hashana of the Oral Torah is the concept of Hitchadshoot (renewal), for in fact, we are supposed to feel every morning when we recite Birchot HaTorah (Blessings for reading the Torah-) that we are receiving the Torah anew, as though we received the Torah on this very day. And the Hebrew word for month is Chodesh, which as the same letters with different vowels, can also read as Chadash (new), and being that the moon is renewed after its disappearance from our eyes for so many hours, this is why we call the beginning of every lunar month as Rosh Chodesh, which is normally translated in English as "New Moon", though Rosh Chodesh technically means "Head of the month". But be it as it may, having said that Rosh Chodesh Shevat is the Rosh Hashana of Torah She'B'Al Peh, and is mentioned in the Mishna as the FOURTH of the Rosh Hashanas, it should be noted that King David, as I have mentioned in past blogging, is very connected with the number FOUR. <br />
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Another major personality who is especially connected with this Mitzva of Kiddush HaChodesh is the Rambam (Maimonides), who is hinted in this week's Parshat Bo, particularly in the part of Hashem giving over the Jewish nation's first Mitzvot which include Kiddush HaChodesh, as shown in the writings of Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandel, ZT"L, a pioneer in discovering Hidden Codes of the Torah. The hinting of the Rambam includes the letters of the name of his magnum opus, Mishne Torah, which emboddies the Halachot covering the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments). And within his Mishne Torah, the section of the laws on Kiddush HaChodesh consists of 19 chapters and 235 paragraphs (or laws), which amazingly correspond to the 19 year cycle of the solar and lunar calendar coinciding around their same respective days. For example, if one was born on Rosh Chodesh Iyar with the secular date of May 7 (like I was), 19 years later - these dates will virtually coincide. However, unlike a straight 12 months in the annual secular/solar calendar; there are seven years within the 19 year lunar cycle that have 13 months which include an extra month of Adar; and hence, there are a total of 235 Hebrew months in 19 years, just as there are 235 paragraphs in the 19 chapters of the Rambam's Hilchot Kiddush HaChodesh. And as per the other name for the Mishne Torah which is Yad Chazaka, this phrase is in the last verse of this week's Parshat Bo.<br />
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Now, let us make a parallel here with the number of dates in the first Mishna - which are in fact five, the last of which is Tu B'Shevat. You see, speaking of Torah study, there are four major areas of Torah interpretation: 1)Pshat- Simple meaning (what Rashi focuses on in his commenatary on the Torah and Talmud), 2)Remez- Hint, such as Gematriot, 3)Drush- Expounding, such as the material we see in the various Midrashim, and 4)Sod- Secrets of the Torah, referring to Kabbala. Now, the first letters of these four words Pshat, Remez, Drush, Sod, spells the word Pardes (orchard or garden; seems that the word Paradise comes from this word) to remember these four areas of Torah interpretation. And in recent times, we have what we call a "new" way of Torah interpretation - Chasidut, which is based, at least in part, on the Kabbala; for although Rabbi Isaac Luria, known as the Arizal, announced some 450 years ago that "It is a Mitzva to reveal this Kabbalistic wisdom", not too many people can truly grasp these deep secrets of the Torah, as so in time, the Ba'al Shem Tov founded the Hasidic movement, and he, along with his followers, and his followers' followers taught various teachings, known as Chasidut, that helped Jews feel their self-worth and have the motivation to want to serve Hashem better, for in effect, Chasidut brought down the teachings of Kabbala to a level that people, even unlearned people, could better relate to.<br />
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Now correspondingly, we see that there are four Rosh Hashanas that all fall out on Rosh Chodesh. However, the last of the four - Rosh Chodesh Shevat, which corresponds to Kabbala, though the reason for its mention in the Mishna as Rosh Chodesh, is not the accepted date for this Rosh Hashana, but rather, Tu B'Shvat, when the moon is full for all to see, as opposed to the timing of Rosh Chodesh when the moon is barely visible because it is a tiny speck at best, just as there are relatively few Jews who can truly understand Kabbala. However, Chasidut is the form of Torah that brings down the teachings of Kabbala for the masses to be able to relate to both in terms of learning and serving Hashem, just as the full moon is visible to all without having to strain to see where it is, for its light is pretty obvious in the thickness of the night. Similarly, though the view of Beit Shammai who hold that the Rosh Hashana for trees is technically the right timing of this observance; the general masses of the Jewish people can better relate to a little later time when the spirituality of this Rosh Hashana will be more easily felt, and so, the Halacha of the timing of this Rosh Hashana follows the view of Beit Hillel as the date of Tu B'Shevat.<br />
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We can also make a comparison of these five parts (which seem on the surface to be only four) of Torah interpretion to the five books of the Chumash. <br />
1)Bereishit (Genesis)- Pshat. This book is basically filled with simple history without mention of Mitzvot (except for three) being that the Torah had yet to be given in the history of this first book of the Torah.<br />
2) Shmot (Exodus)- Remez. It is in this book that the Torah was given, following the Redemption of our nation from Egypt which Hashem had hinted to Abraham about (see Rashi on Genesis 15:9 "Eglah Meshuleshet" where Rashi uses the word Remez in reference to the animals that Abraham offered in the Treaty of the Covenants in which Hashem told him of the Jews' slavery and consequent redemption from Egypt).<br />
3) Vayikra (Leviticus)- Drush. This book consists mostly of laws, which consists of 247 Mitzvot, more than all the other books of the Chumash; and hence, requiring a lot of expounding to know the correct Halacha. In fact, this is reflected in the middle double worded phrase in the Torah is found in this book- Darosh Darash (Leviticus 10:16), in the context of Moses inquiring (Derisha) of why his brother burnt the sin offering of Rosh Chodesh rather than eat it as is normally supposed to be done (but Aaron was correct since he was a mourner whose two oldest sons died a short time earlier on that day, and therefore wasn't allowed to eat of it; however, Moses forgot this Halacha until Aaron reminded him).<br />
4) Bamidbar (Numbers)- Sod. As its English name, this book is full of numbers of various counts of the tribes of the Jewish people. Correspondingly, the Zohar, the main book of the Kabbala, is full of Gematriot (numerical values), especially in the holiest part of the Zohar, the Tikkunei Zohar. It is interesting to note that in this year 5774, the first day of the week of Parshat Bamidbar falls out on Lag BaOmer, the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi), author of the teachings of the Zohar.<br />
5)Devarim (Deutronomy) - Hasidut. For just as Moses, as the narrator of this book, spoke to the entire Jewish nation of the various Mitzvot and Halachot at the end of his life in this finite world; so too, the Ba'al Shem Tov and future Hasidic Rebbes openly taught Hasidut to the masses (unlike Kabbala which is normally not taught in such a public fashion, though today, you will see lectures of the Zohar on internet videos, but is meant strictly for learning, not for using Kabbala for one's own needs) for the purpose of bringing them closer to observing the Mitzvot and Halachot. <br />
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And finally, there is one more set of four that I want to mention here. You see, it started here pertaining to the 9th cycle of the learning of the daily chapter of Mishna, having mentioned that the learning of the first chapter of Rosh Hashana - beginning with the word Ar'ba'ah (FOUR) which includes the mention of Rosh Chodesh Shevat falls out on this very date, along with the fact that the learning of the first three chapters that include the topic of Kiddush HaChodesh falls out on the last three days of this week of Parshat Bo which is the original source of this topic, the FOURTH Mitzva of the Torah, in this Hebrew year that is a composite of the numbers NINE and (ending with the number) FOUR.<br />
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There are three more periods in this 9th cycle of Mishna study that somehow relate to the timing during which a particular chapter or tractate will be learned. During the 30 days of the month of Nissan, the first three tractates of the FOURTH volume of the Mishna called Nezikin - whose name begins and ends with the letter Noon just as the name of the month of Nissan - which at one time was one large tractate called Nezikin, consisting of a total of 30 chapters, and begins with the word Arba'ah (FOUR), will be learned, beginning with Rosh Chodesh Nissan which is the FIRST of the FOUR Rosh Hashanas. Next, the first chapter of Tractate Avot will be learned on 7 Sivan (not to be confused with the normal learning of this tractate during Shabbat at this time of the year from after Passover until Rosh Hashana), the actual date of the Torah being given (as discussed in detail in the Talmudic tractate of Shabbat), this chapter beginning with "Moses received the Torah from Sinai", which was the beginning of the 40 day period of Hashem teaching the Torah to Moses on Mt. Sinai. And finally, the beginning of the sixth and last volume of the Mishna, called, Teharot (pure things), will be learned on 18 Elul, the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Judah Lowe of Prague, who initiated a program of learning a chapter of Mishna a day over 400 years ago, bearing in mind that this final volume of the Mishna contains more Mishna material (126 chapters and 1,003 Mishnayot) than all the first five volumes.<br />
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Now, before I sign off on this post, there is one more significant thing to mention here. Continuing on with the Sephirot combinations in my blog posts, we are now on the 14th one, which is Malchut She'B'Gevurah (Kingship within Strength), and speaking of Rosh Hashana, it is the time that we especially corronate Hashem as King (so to speak), reflected in the first of the middle three blessings of the Shemoneh Esrei of Rosh Hashana which are called Malchuyot, which includes the mention of the holiness of the day (as opposed to the other two blessings of Zichronot and Shofarot which do not mention this). And this is done on the day that represents the creation of the world, and more specifically, Adam and Eve. And as I mentioned earlier in this post, the first word of the Torah - Bereishit - is a composite of the letters that read when rearranged as Aleph B'Tishrei - Day One of Tishrei, the date of Rosh Hashana (though nowadays, we celebrate the first two days as Rosh Hashana because in former times, some places didn't know what day was supposed to be Rosh Hashana, being that they didn't know when the New Moon was announced, and so kept two days as holidays by not working). And it was in this first week of creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3), that particularly, Hashem's name of Elokim (G-d) is used, this name particularly reflecting the Sephira of Gevurah, which represents strict justice, for it is on Rosh Hashana that Hashem begins judging us as to what will be our fate in this coming year, and in recognition of this, we declare Hashem as King, with hopes that He will be a merciful King, allowing us to live both physically and spiritually, with no tragedies that would otherwise, G-d forbid, impede our service to Hashem. <br />
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Now, a little earlier, I mentioned the Rambam's work of the Mishne Torah, which was the most comprehensive compilation of the Mitzvot and Halachot up to his time as per Torah She'B'Al Peh, following the Mishna and Gemara, and consists of 14 volumes. Aside from the Rambam's personal connections with the number 14 which I have mentioned in past posts; I want to focus today on the number 14 as it relates to Torah She'B'Al Peh. Now, corresponding to the 14th Sephira combination of Malchut She'B'Gevurah in the Jewish calendar beginning with Rosh Hashana, the 14th week is the week that immediately follows Chanuka, until around the date of Asara B'Tevet (10 Tevet). This includes the date of 8 Tevet, which is considered a day of tragedy, following the completion of a Greek translation of the Torah that King Ptolemy of Egypt ordered 72 sages to compose, for it now exposed the Torah to the non-Jewish world, who could and did treat the Torah as a book of wisdom, rather than respecting it as a holy book whose Mitzvot we are bidden to follow. For it was KING Ptolemy that caused the Torah to be used by non-Jews to use it against it, treating us with STRICT JUSTICE, and in the future, translated (a play on words) in the sense of murdering millions of Jews in the name of the false god of the Christians, claiming that now we have to now accept the NEW Testament, along with what they called the "OLD" Testament, which in fact is supposed to be considered NEW to us each and every day, no different than looking forward to Rosh Chodesh, a new beginning at each month. <br />
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It seems that Hashem prepared Hashgacha Pratit (Divine Providence) to allow to be a Tikkun (rectification) for the Greek translation that was completed on the 8th of Tevet. You see, presently, we are in the 13th cycle of Daf Yomi, the most worldwide Torah study program (aside from Parshat HaShavua) of the daily Daf of the Babylonian Talmud; and in my 150th post following the commencement of this cycle, I went into length showing the special significance of the number 13 in terms of Torah She'B'Al Peh. Now, think of this as a future Bar Mitzva, which means, 13 complete cycles, just as a Jewish male celebrates his Bar Mitzva after having lived 13 complete years. This means, the beginning of the 14th cycle of Daf Yomi will occur in six years, G-d willing, on 8 Tevet, 5780 ('20)! And whether Moshiach will have already arrived by then or not, we are clearly in the Messianic Era times when major prophecies relating to the time of our Redemption have already occurred or are occurring, and so, this will be a major rectification, and perhaps the completion of the rectification of the damage of the Torah having been translated - which was completed on this date so many years earlier that overtime caused major trouble for the Jewish people - with learning the major body work of Torah She'B'Al Peh, in stark contrast to the learning of the Bible by non-Jews who don't have the Oral Law to know how to perform the Mitzvot properly, even if they would be commanded to perform them. And in terms of the daily learning of a chapter of Mishna, the beginining of the 14th cycle will fall out on 29 Tishrei, 5781 ('20), in the coming Hebrew year, which is the Yarhzeit of Shimon HaTzadik, who is considered the ROSH Chachmei Torah She'B'Al Peh, the "HEAD of the sages of Torah She'B'Al Peh", whose statement of "The world stands on three things - Torah, Avodah, and performance of deeds of kindness" - is in the second Mishna of Tractate Avot (1:2). <br />
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Oh, I almost forgot. The 36 final days of Moshe Rabbeinu's life, encompassing his sermons taking up the entire book of Deutronomy, which is especially related to the concept of Torah She'B'Al Peh, have its correspondence to the 36 tractates of the Babylonian Talmud, which was put together by Rav Ashi and Ravina, noting that the name Ashi has the same letters as the Hebrew number 311, the Gematria of the name of this month of Shevat, the beginning of which Moses began his Deutronomy sermon. And while in our present calendar, we have 30 complete days of Shevat, and then we have the 7 days of Adar ending with the passing of Moses, being a total of 37 days; I mentioned here that in the year of Moses' passing, there were 36 days - for two reasons. First of all, the Gematria of the first word of Deutornomy - Eileh (These) - is 36. Secondly, as our rabbinic sources tell us that Moses passed away on Shabbat, it would make much more sense if Moses would have began his Deutronomy sermon on Shabbat, making this a total of 36 days, rather than on Friday - Erev Shabbat - on a rather short winter day when everyone focuses on getting ready for Shabbat, even as the Halacha tells us to curtail our Torah learning on this day to get ready on time for Shabbat, which would otherwise make this 37 days in total.<br />
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And so, it would have made most sense that he chose to begin lecturing on Shabbat, which is something that he instituted some 39 years earlier, as the Midrash in Yalkut Shimoni tell us, and as quoted in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Concise Code of Jewish Law by Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried), that the beginning of Parshat Vayakheil, where Moses gathered the Jewish people to tell them about observing Shabbat, hints to the fact that Moses gave Torah lectures on Shabbat. And so, it would have made most sense to continue on this path to the end of his life, just as the Torah (with the giving of the Ten Commandments) was given on Shabbat, rather than on the original slated day of Friday, but was changed to Shabbat thanks to Moses asking Hashem to give the Jewish people one more day to prepare for this most momentous occasion, to be prepared in the most holy way possible, to receive the Torah on the day of the week that is most auspicious to holiness, which in turn was following Moses' past efforts of convincing Pharaoh of Egypt to let the Jews have a day of rest "to be refreshed for a new week of work", when the real reason, aside from it making it a little easier for the Jews physically, to be spiritually refreshed by learning Torah (though it was not officially given yet) on Shabbat. </div>
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Erev Rosh Chodesh Shevat, 5774</div>
shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-44049044648132756132013-12-30T18:20:00.001-08:002013-12-30T22:17:07.898-08:00#204 - "Light Is Sown For The RIGHTEOUS"Continuing on with the combination Sephirot, this post will be discussing the 13th one, which is Yesod She'B'Gevurah (Foundation within Strength). It is with this one that this is passing the first quarter of the 49 combination active Sephirot. The reason that I mention this will be clear a little later on here.<br />
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But first, looking at the corresponding week or time period of the full Jewish calendar year to this Sephira, it is the holiday of Chanukah, eight days that are included in the dates of 25 Kislev- 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet. Now, the reason that I wrote 2 or 3 Tevet is simply because that depends on when Chanukah ends. For in some years, Kislev consists of 30 days, such as this year, and hence, the last day of Chanuka is on 2 Tevet; while in other years, Kislev consists of 29 days, and hence, the last day of Chanukah is on 3 Tevet.<br />
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And as I have mentioned before about the special connection of light to Chanukah, which is fact called Chag HaUrim (Festival of Lights) in Israel, I am not going to go through everything once more about it. However, there is one thing that I do what to mention that is related especially to this post. You see, this is my 204th Post, and the Gematria of the word Tzadik (righteous) is 204, which is related to Chanukah - in more than one way.<br />
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First, in terms of Gematria - For the eight days of Chanuka, multiply the first eight numbers by their own number, such as 1*1, 2*2, etc. After this, add up the eight totals, and the grand sum is 204. Now, I will mention something else here in connection of the word Tzadik with Chanuka that I didn't mention before. There are 192 hours in the eight day holiday of Chanuka. The difference between these two numbers - 192 and 204, is 12 (204-192). And how is the number 12 related to Chanuka? During these eight days, we read the section in the Torah about the various sacrifices that the leaders of the 12 tribes (including the Tribes of Ephraim and Menashe, but excluding Levi) offered duiring the course of the respective 12 days from the dedication of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), in the latter half of Parshat Naso (Numbers Chapter 7), consisting of 89 verses, which correspond to the Gematria of the name Chanukah, which is 89 (Actually, the first day of Chanuka in many circles includes the six previous verses which is the section of Bircot Cohanim (Blessings of the Cohanim) and the last day of Chanuka includes the following four verses which is the section about the Cohanim lighting the Menorah - Numbers 8:1-4). <br />
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Second, in terms of the Parshiyot of Shabbat that we read during Chanukah. In any give year, Chanukah falls out either during the weeks of Parshat Vayeishev and Parshat Mikeitz, or Pashat Mikeitz and Parshat Vayigash. It this these very three Parshiyot that focuses on the life of Joseph, who is sometimes called Yosef HaTzadik (Joseph the Righteous), due to his resisting the sexual temptation of the wife of his master Potiphar, having overcome, or as it can be said in Hebrew was Gover (overpowered) his Yetzer Tov (Good Inclination) over his Yetzer Hara (Evil Inclination). And indeed, this fits perfect with the Sephira of Yesod She'B'Gevurah, for it is the Tzadik, who is the foundation of the world, as it written in Mislei - Tzadik Yesod Olam "The righteous are the foundation of the world" (Proverbs 10:25) who control their base desires, not allowing themselves to cave in to them. As it says in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) "Who is STRONG (Gibor, upon which the name of the Sephira of Geverah is based on)? One who conquers his (evil) inclination". <br />
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In fact, there are a couple of more interesting aspects of Yesod She'B'Gevurah. The first letters of the words Yesod and Gevurah are Yud-Gimel, which is the Hebrew number for 13, and this is the 13th Sephira combination. And as related to the number 13, the Mitzva of Brit Mila (circumcision) consists of 13 Beritot (covenants), and as we see in the Torah, the wording of Brit is mentioned 13 times in the section of the Torah pertaining to Hashem telling Abraham to fulfill this Mitzva, the source of this Mitzva (Genesis Chapter 17). For it is the Tzadik who is one who is Shomer HaBrit (Observer of the Covenant), who guards himself from sinning in terms of sexual matters, just as was Joseph, and that is why he is sometimes referred to as Yosef HaTzadik (Joseph the Righteous One). <br />
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Moreover, the Gematria of "Yesod She'B'Gevurah" - 598, is the same exact Gematria as "Netzach She'B'Netzach" (Victory within Victory), the Sephira combination of the middle day of the 49 days of the Sephira period, which is the 25th day of the Sephira. And just as the number 25 is the middle number between one (1) and forty-nine (49), so is the number 13 the middle number between one (1) and twenty-five (25). And the connection between these two Sephirot combinations is evident by the fact that the Tzadik achieves the ultimate spiritual victory by conquering his evil inclination, especially when it comes to sexual matters, which are the strongest physical temptation. <br />
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And as related to Chanuka, Day One of Chanuka - bearing in mind that the Hebrew word for one "Echad" is the Gematria of 13 - falls out on the 25th day of Kislev. Moreover, the name of the Sephira of Netzach has the same Gematria as the name of the holiday of Pesach -148, and as per the Sephira combination of Netzach She'B'Netzach, the plural for Pesach is Pesachim, which is the name of the Tractate that is all about the Mitzvot and laws of Pesach, which consists of 89 Mishnayot, just as the name of the holiday of Chanuka is the Gematria of 89. Also, bearing in mind that the Jews were considered to have been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years as it was really supposed to be (but they only actually lived in Egypt for 212 years, and were slaves there for 116 years), counting the years from the birth of Isaac who was the first person to be born Jewish and have his Brit Mila at the age of eight days, the prime time for this Mitzva, until the Exodus when right before, many Jews had their Brit Mila to qualify to eat from the Korban Pesach (Pascal Sacrifice); adding 400 to the Gematria of the name/word Pesachim, which is 198 - the sum total is 598, the same Gematria as the above two Sephirot combinations!<br />
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This year, Chanuka fell out in the midst of the learning Tracate Yoma of the Talmud, the tractate about the Mitzvot and laws of Yom Kippur, of the worldwide Daf Yomi study. And at the very beginning of the Yom Kippur services commencing with Kol Nidrei, while all the Sifrei Torah (Torah Scrolls) are being held by members of the congregation right before the start of Kol Nidrei, the Chazan (cantor) recites a particular verse seven times - Ohr Zarua LaTzadik... "Light is sown for the righteous, and happiness for the straight of heart" (Psalms 97:11). While there are obviously good reasons for this verse to be recited at this time, this is in the midst of Psalm 97, which is among the 11 Psalms (Chapters 90-100) that Moses compiled corresponding to one or another of the tribes, and this psalm corresponds to Joseph, who is called Yosef HaTZADIK. In fact, according to the Book of Jubilees, the selling of Joseph by his brothers took place on the future date of Yom Kippur. Indeed, this may well explain why particularly during the Chazan's repetition of the Mussaf prayer of Yom Kippur, we recite a solemn poetic piece about the murder of 10 Torah scholars by the Roman government, which was to atone for the sin of selling Joseph, aside from the fact that Rabbi Akiva, one of the ten, was murdered on Yom Kippur evening; and according to Kabbala, these 10 were in fact reincarnates of the 10 brothers involved in the selling of Joseph (including Joseph, but excluding Reuben and Benjamin).<br />
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As explained by commentators, this part of the verse that states that light is SOWN for the righteous indicates that the seed, the reward for the good deeds, are SOWN, rather than being used or merely stored. For instead of eating the seed (some are edible), if we plant it in the ground, it allows whole trees to grow which in turn will consist of fruit, each which will consist of one or more seeds. And so, it is the spiritual light which will grow in abundance over time, which will be reserved and waiting for the Tzadik after his time on this earth. <br />
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Now, among the blessings that Bilaam - who intended to curse the Jews, but Hashem forced him to say blessings instead - he stated U'Mispar Et Rova Yisrael "Count the seed of Israel" (Numbers 23:10). In this context the word for seed is Rova. Now, we know for a fact that the word Rova means a quarter, or one-fourth, because today, we refer to the section of the Ir Atika (Old City) of Jerusalem as the Rova "Quarter", being that the area is divided up into four sections, which include obviously, the Jewish Quarter. In any case, why is the word Rova used here in this context as meaning "seed"?<br />
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Well, as we know, while we all know that the Children of Israel are divided up into 12 tribes; in the desert, they were grouped into four groups of three tribes each, and hence, each direction in the desert camp consisted of three tribes. Hence, Bilaam was in effect saying, in praise of the abundant amount of Jews, Bli Ayin Hara (without an evil eye), that even counting ONE QUARTER of the camp seemed to be pretty numerous.<br />
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And being that the first word of this verse is Ohr, I should note that this is also the first word of Tractate Pesachim. For it was the slavery of Joseph, who corresponds to Psalm 97 that includes this verse, that eventually led for his family to come to Egypt, and they finally left Egypt on the date of the first day of Pesach. And even at this event of the Exodus, it didn't happen without somehow being directly related to Joseph. For first of all, before he died, he gave a sign to his brothers and family as to how they would know when the redeemer would come to take them out of Egypt, and it was Moses who gave the Jews the sign - Pakod Yifkod "He (Hashem) will surely remember". Secondly. he made them swear that they would take his bones out of Egypt to be buried in Israel. Now, when the time came, Moses came to where Joseph's coffin was hidden, and it was only after Moses beseached Joseph to come up from where he was hidden at the bottom of the Nile River, did it surface up.<br />
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On a concluding note relating Joseph to Chanuka, the reading of the Torah in Parshat Naso for the last two days of Chanuka begin each with the offerings of the leaders of the Tribes of Ephraim and Menashe, the sons of Joseph, respectively. And as we see here, one-fourth, or a QUARTER of the eight days of Chanuka, are related especially to Joseph as per the reading of the Torah. And as we see with the name of Ephraim, Joseph's Torah scholar son, he was so named by Joseph "for Hashem made me FRUITFUL in the land of my affliction". <br />
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And as especially related to Ephraim, his paternal descendant Joshua is the one who led the Jews to Israel, and his very first war with the Canaanite nations was in the city of Jericho, whose wall he encircled for seven days, and it was on the seventh day when the wall "came tumbling down", and then the Jews were able to successfully win this fisrt war in Israel. According to tradition, this week war took place during the dates of 22-28 Nissan, immediately following the week of Pesach. And as for that final day that signaled VICTORY (Netzach) for the Jews - 28 Nissan - it is also the 13th day of the Omer, whose Sephira combination is Yesod She'B'Gevurah that is most related to Chanuka, as well as Joseph - whose descendant is Joshua - in terms of the Sephira of Yesod. And though the main aspect of Chanuka is the spiritual victory of freedom of religion as demonstrated by the Menorah being able to be lit in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple) once more, the Hasmoneans/Maccabees won a series of wars, the physical VICTORY, that led to the spiritual VICTORY (Netzach She'B'Netzach).<br />
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Finally, looking at the word Rova - consisting of the letters Reish, Beit/Veit, Ayin - it can be dissected into two words - Rove (majority) and Ayin, the letter Ayin being the numerical value of 70. And so, the majority of 70 is 36, and on Chanuka, we light a total of 36 mandatory LIGHTS. And as I mentioned early on this post, relating the connection of the Gematria of the word Tzadik to the first eight numbers which is the result of mulitplying each of these numbers by their own same number, the sum of these first eight numbers is 36. Hence, OHR - hinting to the 36 lights of Chanuka, ZARUA LATZADIK - sown for the TZADIK, for the seed, which begins with the concept of the number 36, the reward - the spiritual light - for the Mitzva that we do, as represented by lighting the Menorah on Chanuka, is sown for us Jews - V'Ameich Kulam Tzadikim "All of you (Jewish) people are righteous", and this LIGHT at the end will represent the concept of the number 204, the ultimate reward for the TZADIK, the ones who faithfully keep the Mitzvot of Hashem, and it is the lighting of the Menorah on the EIGHT days of Chanuka which is the LAST of the Sheva Mitzvot D'Rabbanan "The Seven Commandments of the Rabbis" which was instituted.<br />
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28 Tevet, 5774<br />
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P.S. Noting that the timing of this post is 6:20 PM, as I ended of this post with the Mitzva of lighting the candles of Chanuka which is the last of the Sheva Mitzvot D'Rabbanan; adding these seven Mitzvot (though the Torah forbids us to add Mitzvot, the rabbis were empowered to add these as enactments, but are the beyond the scope of this post) to the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments), making a total of 620 Mitzvot, the Mitzva of lighting the Menorah is the 620th and LAST Mitzva that was instituted.shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-64812556599306129272013-12-30T05:35:00.001-08:002013-12-30T06:58:08.204-08:00#203 - Thou Shalt Not B A STRANGERDon't think that the subject line is mentioned anywhere in the Tanach (Jewish Bible), though there are similar phrases to this, such as "Thou shalt not oppress a stranger", and "Thou shalt love the stranger". <br />
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I will get to why I worded the subject line the way that I did shortly. But first, I would like to point out that the word for stranger in Biblical Hebrew is Ger, which contains the same letters - just in reverse - as the Hebrew number for 203.<br />
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In life, whom we view as strangers don't necessarily reflect the Torah's view as to who are strangers. But first, we have to know to whom the Torah refers to when it says the word Ger. So first, let us turn to Parshat Mishpatim "You shall not oppress a stranger. You should know what it feels like being a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt." (Exodus 23:9). At least in this context, the first mention of stranger refers to one who converted to Judaism. Our rabbis tell us that we are not supposed to say things to him such as "Remember the deeds of your ancestors" or say about him "Oh, yesterday, he ate all kinds of non-kosher foods, and today he puts himself under the wings of the Shechina (Divine Presence)". <br />
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Now the question can be asked, "If the Torah mentions that we were strangers in Egypt, where it means that we were in a land that was not ours as the Egyptians', then perhaps the word stranger here means someone whom we don't know, even if it is an observant Jew." Well, it is true that there are those who say that until the time we were ready to receive the Torah, we we not officially Jews, though we may have had to observe a few more Mitzvot than the other nations. And there are those who hold, though not necessarily in this context, that we are supposed to treat other Jews who visit or have come to live in our town that they don't have connections with - as our fellow Jews as we would want ourselves or our friends in the local synagogue would want to be treated. But I think that the main point here is that the Torah focuses on the feelings of the convert who, while he may be in love with our way of life, deep down inside, he knows that he doesn't come from the same cultural background that most of us come from, and so, unless he is made to feel at home as we would want to do for any friend who visits us from out of town, he will truly feel that he is being treated as a stranger. And when we were in Egypt, we weren't only (not) treated as second clas citizens, but we were literally slaves, when even our basic rights of respect as human beings weren't granted.<br />
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Next, let's turn to Parshat Kedoshim ''When a Ger (convert) comes to live with you in your land, don't hurt his feelings. The Ger who lives among you has to be treated just as the citizens among you. You shall love him as yourself, for your were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am Hashem you G-d." (Leviticus 19:33,34)<br />
Now, the good news here is that loving a convert is not merely fulfilling a Mitzva in the Torah to love the convert, but it is additonal to the Mitzva of loving one's fellow Jew that is stated a little earlier in this Parsha (verse 18). In another words, one fulfills an EXTRA Mitzva by loving the convert, and hence, more brownie points in Heaven. But for some reason, this Mitzva of loving the convert is actually derived from Parshat Eikev "You shall love the Ger, for you were strangers in Egypt" (Deutronomy 10:19)<br />
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While no doubt, there are always those who are careful to perform ALL Mitzvot that are possible to be fulfilled, there are those who will rationalize certain things, and including pertaining to the Mitzva of loving the convert. I once read a letter in the Jewish Press from a Jewish Afro-American lady (don't remember if she wrote about being a convert, but the message here will be clear) who called up a Yeshiva day school in Crown Heights to send her child to. On the phone, she was told about paying a certain amount for tuition and were discussing about sending the child on the school bus. However, when the lady came in person, she was told that she would have to pay full tuition and that her child will not be able to use the school bus.<br />
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I'm sure that the above story is far from the only such story in what goes on in the Yeshiva educational system, though I will not say that this is what goes on in every single such school. However, I can tell you from personal experience when I worked on dating for several years in the United States where I contacted over 100 matchmakers over a period of time, and I told them what I was looking for, and I always indicated that I would be open to a convert. My friends, guess how many converts were even suggested to me as a possibility? You guessed it folks - not one! Why? I won't believe that very few girls of a younger age who converted to Judaism exist. All the time, men and women of almost all adult ages convert to Judaism. And I happen to know from one older lady who converted to Judaism, observed it well, and was looking for a Shidduch. Anyways, there was one matchmaker that she had contacted, and before the lady knew it, everyone around knew that she was a convert, which didn't make things easier for the lady, which was obviously thanks to the Baba Yenta (Yiddish for one who has a big mouth) matchmaker who was supposed to keep private the information of her clients, especially when it comes to something personal, like Shidduchim, to begin with.<br />
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It is true that when I came to Israel and dated, I was offered two bona fide converts (there was another who went thorugh the conversion to be sure that she was Jewish) as dates, neither of whcih worked out. But for good news about those who love converts, I heard a story pertaining to one convert who decided that his Derech (way) would be being a Belzer Chosid (a follower of the Hasidic Belz dynasty). The next thing he knew, the present Belzer Rebbe, Shlita had him summoned. When the convert arrived, the Rebbe pointed him to a Chosid follower of his who would take care of the convert's needs; and in time, the Chosid found him a job and a Shidduch. <br />
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Think of it. Unless somone has a dynamic, open personality, or is famous, how is one who doesn't know anyone in town supposed to feel. Sure, if you know you have to survive, you somehow find a way to do it. But, I think we will all agree that if we were in this position, we would want someone to be there for us for basic questions, moral support, and offer us a place to stop by for at least a friendly chat over coffee and cake, especially if we make Aliyah, despite friends having moved to Israel before us and the vast amount of information on the subject of Aliyah on the net. And not just because we need help with something, but that we don't need to feel lonely and instead, feel part of a community, the same way that a convert is supposed to feel, to be given no less of an opportunity of finding work and a spouse.<br />
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Now in Hebrew, at least in these days, we refer to a convert to Judaism as a Ger Tzedek "righteous convert". This phrase is especially pertinent today when people go through a phony conversion via the Conservative or Reform movement, when they are no more Jewish the day after than they were the day before. It is all too common for the boyfriend or girlfriend to go through the few thousand dollar conversion ceremony that will stuff more money in the "rabbi"'s pocket towards his next Porsch, but it is clear from Jewish tradition that converting because of marriage is an invalid reason for converting. After all, if one converts to any given religion, it is with the understanding that they convert to that particular religion because they believe in it, and presumably, they will be following what the religion requires. So then, why should it be any different when it comes to the only authentic religion (which really isn't the right word for Judaism, but I won't get too technical now)? <br />
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Now, there is another type of Ger that the Torah bids us to give assistance as we would for someone who is Jewish - a Ger Toshav (literally "stranger resident"). There are differences as to who qualifies as a Ger Toshav, but it could either be one who accepts the Seven Noahide Laws (Sheva Mitzvot Bnei Noach) or at least one who repudiates idolatry and perhaps will observe some of the Mitzvot of the Torah, but doesn't keep kosher. In any case, we see how far the Torah goes as far as making people feel at home.<br />
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And there is another type of stranger situation that we should be mindful of. You see, children are trained from since they are young by responsible parents not to listen to strangers, not to accept candy from them, etc. Now, a true meaningful stranger, that is, someone who doesn't know the family or child, will not approach a child to offer candy or anything like that without the presence of a parent to begin with, unless let's say, the child is crying, and the guy wants to help the child. And while we all Jews are supposed to be treated as brothers and sisters unless there are pending facts that show they could be dangerous physically or spiritually, children still need to be trained accordingly. While it may not happen every day in a religious community or school, there are unfortunately those who look very religious sometimes, and perhaps even the teacher or principal himself, who is a sexual predator. For that matter, anyone wearing a skullcap could walk to a religious Jewish school, call a child by his/her name, and the rest is history. And so, for safety reason, children need to always be forwarned of these things - not because we want to hate anybody, but strictly for their safety. <br />
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Now, for the ongoing Sephira combination, we are up to the 12th one - Hod She'B'Gevurah. Now, I don't see any connection between this particular Sephira and the topic of this post, except for the fact that the letters of the word Ger are included in the word for the Sephira of Gevurah, and the word Gibor (strong) begins with a Gimel and ends with a Reish, the letters that make up the word Ger. However, the date of this corresponding Sephirah is 27 Nissan, which is observed as Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Day). Now the truth is, the great Torah scholars and leaders of these past couple of generations never officially accepted this day as Yom HaShoah, since first of all, since Nissan is a month that is supposed to be considered of a festive nature to the extent that we do not recite the Tachanun (supplicatory) prayers throughout this month, and so, we don't establish a rather solemn day of this month to begin with. Also, the idea that this day should be chosen as such, regardless of the reason, was not the idea of the rabbis, but of others who were not necessarily observant Jews. <br />
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In any case, being that the topic of the Holocaust has been brought here through this connection, we will go for it. Though there were a number of countries that clearly showed their anti-Semitism when it came time for the Holocaust and allowed and/or assisted the Nazis to ship out the Jews and make slaves of them or murder them, the country that gets the most points on this is Germany. And I don't think it will take long to figure out - the first syllable of the word Germany is...Ger! Yes, a country where there were Jews who behaved more like gentiles than the gentiles themselves, and hence, thought this would save them from continued anti-Semitic persecution. Well, Hitler came along, and he made no distinction betw een religious and secular Jews, for both types were standing side by side at the gas chambers. Indeed, it was Germany who were the biggest STRANGERS to us, for all of a sudden, they showed themselves as though they never had friendly ties with us once Hitler gave them the green light.<br />
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Now, observant Jews generally aren't so bothered by anti-Semitism, at least in terms of the rationale, or rather, irrationality behind it, because they know that anti-Semites are just pawns by Hashem that allows them to be this way to wake Jews up. However, it is the non-observant Jews who are typically very bothered by this because after all, we Jews have contributed so much to the world, we have gone out of our way to help Afro-Americans, etc. I recently came across a blogpost in which there is an article from an IDF soldier visiting the States and giving lectures, and among the various anti-Semitism that he encountered, there was a lady professor who asked him how many Palestinians did the IDF rape. When the soldier replied that he didn't know of any, she replied that of course the IDF soldiers didn't rape any Palestinians, because they are so disgusted and racist against them, they wouldn't even touch them.<br />
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Personally, in all my years of reading about anti-Semitism, I think that this cuts the cake. It has been nothing new for gentiles to blame us for everything under the sun, even when it was their fault, such as the Black Plague in the Middle Ages, or rather, Dark Ages, when it was due to insanitary conditions on their part that this happened when the Jews were rather very clean, for we have to wash our hands, go to the Mikva (ritualarium), etc. And so, blaming us for something as a result of not behaving like animals to our sworn enemies is just like blaming someone for either one of two opposing choices that one makes. For certainly, if IDF soldiers were to be rapists, the world would certainly pound on us for something that they themselves would do. So, since they hate Jews and Israel, they find a way to find fault with what we are not doing wrong, despite the fact that the dictatorship Israeli government has no problem sending packages of food, medicine, etc. to our enemies in Gaza during war time, and can hardly wait to release more terrorists and give more land away to them. However, this doesn't impress the world, and ironically, certainly not the Arab Moslems who call our land Palestine, for as far as they are concerned, ALL of the terrorists that hurt our brethren should be released from Israeli prisons, and we should walk away from ALL of Israel for their Palestinian dream, not just a few prisoner terrorists here (even if they are over a 1,000 of them released at one time as it happened the other year as a tradeoff for Gilad Shalit), and not just another significant piece of land there. They want it all, and the world will blame us for anything and everything that goes wrong with the "peace" process that Israel didn't have to agree with to begin with, as we are blamed for the "Palestinians" not wanting to have peace, as though they were forced in a corner to murder and maim Jews, G-d forbid, and so this "proves" that we are the ones who don't want peace.<br />
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So the question is, who is the true stranger, the one whom we treat as a stranger - or we - when we don't want to do the right thing and we treat the other person as though he or she is doing something wrong by existing because we have our prejudices pertaining to their color, race, lifestyle, culture, etc.? I will say that there is a fine line between not having a group of friends who belong to a different culture and having total disgust for them to such an extent that we won't even say hello to them but we will speak bad about them when the subject about them come up in conversation.<br />
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And by the way, for those Modern Orthodox girls looking for guys with college degrees only (or with big money), such as a minimum B.A. degree, (and it happens the other way too by the way, though maybe not as much), aside from the fact that they don't have true faith in Hashem Who provides a living for all who look to work, they are truly not looking to marry out of love. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying that they should feel that they have to marry someone like a truck driver. However, the college degree is only an aid to getting what could be a good career, but working for someone else due to the college degree is still not being in much control of one's livelihood as one who owns a successful business even without a college degree. And then of course, some of these college educated women wonder why they get divorced one day, even though both husband and wife have college degrees, have good jobs, keep the Orthodox Jewish faith - at least as far as they think they do; but something is just missing from the puzzle. In this case, I say - Thou Shalt Not B A Stranger Against A Non-B.A. Human Being.<br />
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But for everyone else - Thou Shalt Not Be A Stranger To Someone Else, at least the same way that we would not be treated as a stranger BY someone else. As Hillel said to one who came to him to be converted to Judaism "Don't do to others anything hateful that you don't want to be done to you", based on the Commandment of "Thou shalt love your friend as thyself".<br />
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27 Tevet, 5774<br />
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<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-17364038927426793262013-12-28T17:15:00.000-08:002013-12-28T23:19:59.619-08:00#202 - FIGHTING 4 the MAJORITY: Is it Right?In the number of this post - 202, you see a rather very even number, and can even be read forwards and backwards the same way. But ironically, the number for 202 in Hebrew can either mean multitude (Rove) OR fight (Reeve, as a noun), OR many./much or rabbi (Rav) - depending on the vowels.<br />
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In life, people like to be on the winning team. Of course, those who come from a certain area in the United States where their favorite team hails from that location, can get very upset sometimes if "G-d forbid" the opposing team winds up winning. I bet that the ones who spent several hours watching the annual Super Bowl game only to see "their" team having lost will have no problem finding fault and so called foul plays with the "criminal" loosing team, while for all that G-d knows, the ones with these faults was the loosing team, which was the real reason why that team lost. <br />
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And so, it isn't always who is the winning team or the majority that count after all for many. However, when it comes to something evil, or what hides the real truth, the masses have no problem relating to it. For example, as per the Knesset elections in Israel close to a year ago, many who pat themselves in the back as "nationalists" or "right wingers" justified voting for the Jewish Home party, which had joined forces with the National Union party, the latter which started off four years earlier as pretty right wing which included a Kahane believer, Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, Shlita; in this last election, he ran his own party called Power to Israel because this now combo party Jewish Home - National Union did not have a strong stance on the true important issues as they may have claimed. And so, a few too many chose to vote for the fake right-wing party, having all kind of excuses, attempting to fool themselves that they were helping to save Israel, when the opposite was true, as has been proven in this past year. True, there were a couple of good nationalists on the Jewish home ballot who did get voted in, and I wish them good luck in their attempt to make things right in the Knesset. But aside from the family and friends of the few good ones in the Jewish Home party, the rest voted either because they wanted to vote for a party headed by a finacial success tycoon Naftali Bennett, or they didn't want a nationalist party that's a little too "fanatical" like Dr. Ben-Ari's, or that is what all their other friends were voting for. So, while Power to Israel party lacked only like 9,000 votes to receive the minimum two seats in the Knesset, the Jewish Home received a nice dozen seats Sure enough, Naftali Bennett pretended that he cares so much about the safety in Israel, he used this merely as a front, for he was busy teaming up with the self hating Jew Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid "There is a Future" party to take away major funding from Yeshivot not only from the Ultra Orthodox, but even from those of his own camp called the National Religious, the latter who now got paid back by Hashem for their lack of faith in Him by not voting instead for the ONLY party that stands for the truth, headed by one with the idealisms of Rabbi Kahane, that could have made a real difference in the Knesset as Dr Ben-Ari has proven in his four years in which, among other accomplishments, he got many illegal Sudanese to be kicked out of Israel.<br />
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And the proof that I am right? Let's turn right to Parshat Mishpatim that we will be reading in a few weeks, which deals mostly with judicial cases. The verse in our subject is Exodus 23:2 "Don't be for the majority when it comes to evil, and don't answer pertaining to an argument as being swayed to after the majority to make a mistake". Now, in case this sounds a little too literal, rather than the "correct" meaning of this, let's see what Rashi has to say on this. After going through a detailed analysis on this, Rashi's conclusion take on this is like this:<br />
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"Don't be for the majority when it comes to evil" - If you see wicked people perverting justice, don't say that since they are the majority, I will follow after them.<br />
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"And don't answer pertaining to an argument as being swayed to after the majority to make a mistake" - If the defendant asks you about that judgement (which was perverted), don't answer him about the dispute with a view that follows the majority to turn the judgement away from the truth, but state your opinion on the judgement just as you know it to be, and let the chain hang on the neck of the majority.<br />
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The point here is that just because a majority on the court, no matter how scholarly, may take a certain view, that doesn't necessarily determine that they are correct. If you feel that the truth is different than what the majority of the judges are claiming, then you have to speak up your piece, regardless of how unpopular you may sound or become. In fact, even though typically, the Halacha (Jewish Law) does follow the majority, and you know already that your words won't make a practical difference, you still have to do your part and speak up your piece. For who knows, perhaps after you do, there will be some who will rethink their position, and it will make up the difference as to whether the defendent has to pay or not, or whether the suspect will be executed or not. <br />
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To be clear on the Hebrew in the text here, the word majority is a translation for the word Rabim, which is the basis for the words Rove and Rav ( the word dispute (fight) is a translation for the word Reeve, spelled in this instance as Reish-Beit/Veit, which also spells the Hebrew number 202; although in other instances, Reeve is spelled with the letter Yud in the middle.<br />
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So as you can see, even those who are supposed to be among the top Torah scholars can become corrupt if they let personal interests or otherwise get the better of them. And if one thinks that this is hardly unlikely, on doesn't have to go far to see how some rabbis even in Israel who are supposedly very Zionist cave in to the so called Zionist government that basically caters to the Moslem Arabs and throws true Zionistic Jews in prison or tears down their homes, the most famous case being what is called the Disengagement (rather than the true name of something more like Destroyment) of nearly 10,000 Jews from their homes in the Gush Katif and Gaza areas. In fact, the police had special vests prepared in advance for these traitor rabbis for them to wear with the word "Rav" written on them, so it could convince the thrown out Jews not to give a hard time about having to leave their homes, since after all, if a rabbi himself could come to tell them to leave, then who were they to say otherwise. In addition, there were lay leaders of the Yesha Council who conspired with the police, including one of the main leaders of what is called the settler movement, who was the main man that everyone turned to for the final decision, so as when a mass amount of Jews came to Kfar Maimon like a couple of months before doomsday to try to stop this, but were prevented from doing so by being misdirected by this Yesha Council so the good Jews, including some who lost their jobs for taking off from work, would not be able to continue their true Zionistic work. And in case some think that I am making up stories, one can turn to israeltruthtimes.blogspot.com, and after scrolling down a bit, one can see a series of four videos on the right hand side of what can be called the biggest fiasco that has happened in the State of Israel's 65 years of existance.<br />
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And now, I will be discussing the next Sephira combination following the last 10 plus blogposts - Netzach She'B'Gevurah (Victory within Strength). Basically, this means that the victory that was achieved shows that strength was used to make it happen, or in other words, the victory, such as in war, shows everyone the power of the winning side. <br />
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In more practical terms, the date of this Sephira combination during the Sephira period is 26 Nissan, which is the Yahrzeit of Yehoshua Bin Noon (Joshua), Moses' main student and successor. If only the ones who call themselves Zionists today - who are loosely called religious and secular - would truly not only read the Tanach (Jewish Bible), but would actually take to heart what these true Biblical heros stood for and accomplished, we would have a few less problems today in a country that is run by a dictatorship. For it was Joshua, the first Jewish leader, who would enter and live in Israel following the Jewish people becoming a nation. And during the course of seven years of fighting the Canaanite nations, he conquered 31 kings, followed by seven years of helping the Jews settle on their respective tribal lands. Then and only then, was he able to retire for a corresponding 14 years (except for lecturing Torah to the Jewish nation as we see he did towards the end of his life) until his passing at the age of 110. And during his seven years of fighting, he showed no signs of weekness not only physically, but also mentally, for he knew that he was fighting the "wars of Hashem", and that VICTORY in this case meant showing Hashem's STRENGTH. <br />
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Perhaps it is of no coincidence that Joshua, even though he certainly was a brilliant Torah scholar, and followed Moses as his faithful RAV, that he should be become the leader that the Jews needed to head their wars. The reason that I say this is because it isn't enough for a Torah scholar to know Torah and have good character traits. He also needs leadership skills to be a successful communicator and knowing how to lead. For example, not everyone, despite their knowledge, knows how to be a successful teacher, for it isn't merely transmitting knowledge, but knowing HOW to do so, as well as being able to handle teaching a class, let's say, that includes kids who misbehave and attempt to manipulate adults to get their way. Perhaps they would be better being writers, like me, or be on the advisory board, or something else in the way of education or transmitting Torah knowledge. <br />
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We see that there was the time when the Jews were complaining that they didn't have enough satisfying food, even though the manna was supposed to have accomplished this. Anyways, it reached the point that Moses felt that he couldn't handle them all alone anymore. Hashem agreed, and had Moses appoint 70 elders/leaders to be assistants. This would mean that they would be granted a spirit of Hashem that Moses would accomplish by appointing them as leaders. Meanwhile, two of these appointed were starting to say prophecy. After Moses was informed of this, we see that Joshua gets all upset and tells Moses to stop them. Moses replies "Are you zealous for my sake? If only all the Jews would be prophets that Hashem should place His spirit on them!" (Numbers 11:26-29)<br />
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Now, if one were to read this for the first time, without knowing what anyone had to say on this, one would wonder what was so terrible for two particular people to start saying prophecy, especially after this was supposed to be expected, so much so that Joshua would want them to be stopped. But as our rabbis tell us, the prophecy that they were saying was bad news for Moses, and didn't sound very respectful for them to say this. These two, Eldad and Meidad, stated that Moses was going to die in the desert, and Joshua would lead the Jews to the Holy Land. No doubt that Joshua was quite humble, especially in following Moses who was the humblest of men to have walked the earth. He apparently didn't feel a whole lot of pride about being the next leader after Moses, because he seemed to be rather very agitated to hear such a thing from these two, begging Moses to stop them from speaking further. And accordingly, Moses, who certainly had reason to be upset about what they were saying, not only brushed this off as though nothing personal, but even wished that all Jews would have this level of prophecy. <br />
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O.K., so it seems that Joshua as a younger man had a quick temper, though of course for good reasons. However, we already see his leadership skills early on, not wanting people disrepecting Moses, even in the name of prophecy. And on Moses' part, he wanted to make sure that Joshua would not go overboard, but that sometimes, one should think things out, and to see situations at another angle before coming to a conclusion, as is especially supposed to be done in court, and most certainly in a Jewish court that follows the Torah. <br />
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Now, a year ago, I mentioned a significant word that is used rarely in the Tanach that is mentioned in this context, and the word in question is HaMekanei "Are you zealous?", the very first word of Tractate Sota. And the connection between the two places are certainly of no coincidence, for in the Torah, it was Moses who addressed Joshua, who was a parental descendant of Joseph, and Tractate Sota is inherently connected especially with Joseph, who resisted the temptations of an adulterous affair, and this tractate is about the laws of a woman who is suspected of such an affair, and the details of how she is tested to see if she is guilty or not, along with the fact that Joseph is mentioned at the end of the first chapter of this Mishnaic tractate, and is learned by some Jews on the sixth day of Sukkot, the day that highlights Joseph, the Heavenly Guest of the day. <br />
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No doubt, Joseph was rewarded for holding himself back from temptation by having Joshua as a descendant of his, the one who would take over the leadership from Moses of all people, and be the author of the first book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section named after himself, of which the first chapter is read on Simchat Torah, the day that we rejoice concluding the reading of the Sefer Torah, and beginning anew. For as we know, Hashem pays back Mida Knegged Mida (Measure for Measure). Just as Joseph, the ELEVENTH of Jacob's sons, WON over his temptation, uses the trait of Netzach (Victory) in a spiritual sense, and he was Gover (the verb based on the word Gevurah) OVERPOWERED his Evil Inclination to not sin with his master's wife who begged him to sleep with her; so accordingly, he was blessed with Joshua as his descendant who would fight the physical battles with the ultimate purpose of getting rid of the idolatrous nations and allowing the Jews to live in the Holy Land, and whose Yahrzeit is on the ELEVENTH day of the Sephira whose combination is Netzach She'B'Gevurah.<br />
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Now, the question can be asked. We see that with everyone else in the Tanach, when it is written that one is the son of so and so, the word Ben (son) is used. However, with Joshua, we see that the word for son is with a different vowel, and hence pronounced differently as Bin as Bin Noon. And the question is why?<br />
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The answer given is that Bin is similar to the word Bina (understanding), and the name of Joshua's father is the name of the letter Noon which is the numerical value of 50. It was Joshua, of everyone else, despite Moses' two children, or other great Torah scholars such as in Aaron's family, that was chosen to be the successor of Moses' who attained the 50 levels of Bina (the truth is that he attained only the first 49, and it was only right before his passing that he attained the 50th level). And so, in showing the importance of Joshua, even though no one could truly take the place of Moses' spiritual level, he is accorded with this honor, equating him to Moses in the leadership sense, so that no one would disrepect Joshua as the leader of the Jewish people teaching them Torah. <br />
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In recent times, we see that Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who founded the only official Hasidic movement without a dynasty of further Rebbes within the familiy, trained his faithful student Rabbi Nosson Sternhartz to take over the leadership (without being a Hasidic "Rebbe") of the Breslov movement. But part of this were the number of hints that Rabbi Nachman alluded to their Rebbe-Talmid (teacher-student) relationship in comparison to Moses and Joshua. Aside from this, we see something fascinating that no doubt relates to the original Rebbe-Talmid, and that is, both Rabbi Nachman's and Rabbi Nosson's names begin and end with a Noon. Perhaps the fact that Joshua's surname, so to speak, as BIN Noon, rather than Ben Noon, hints that near the end of our exile, there would be a similar relationship as Moses-Joshua for Hasidic teachings that would guide the Jewish people as a light at the end of our exile. For as Rabbi Nosson said, all the advice that a Jew needs are contained in Rabbi Nachman's teachings. And of course, this advice isn't simply what Rabbi Nachman thought was logical for people, but based purely on the teachings of the Torah. Additionally, as compared with Moses, Rabbi Nachman passed away on the fourth day of Sukkot on which we especially invite the Heavenly Guest - Moses.<br />
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In this past year, I read an incredible book about the life of Rabbi Nosson called "Through Fire and Water". One cannot help but be amazed at the tremendous self-sacrifice, persistence, and leadership skills that Rabbi Nosson showed. At one point, he had major opposition that affected him physically, including from a major Hasidic Rebbe who turned against him, along with other people, but Rabbi Nosson wouldn't give up his devotion to helping Jews become better spiritually, though he certainly didn't make any money from it, but only what his followers helped him out with when his family lost its fortune that it once had. His hardships included being exiled from his home in Breslov for three years on orders of the government thanks to Jewish informers and was briefly imprisoned at one point. And as time went on, Rabbi Nosson trained a Reb Nachman, who was named after Rabbi Nachman of Breslov short after the latter's passing, to take over the leadership of the movement after Rabbi Nosson's passing, which he did until his passing on the same date as Joshua's Yahrzeit - 26 Nissan. So as we see, the first three leaders of the Breslov movement all had names that begin and end with a Noon, and as especially related to Joshua. Coincidence?<br />
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Ultimately, it was thanks to Reb Nosson that the Breslov movement grew, despite the low amount of numbers that this movement had early on in contrast to other Hasidic movements, which comes to show that when it comes to the truth, few go for it at first. But in time, the efforts bore major fruit, and today, Breslov - especially in Israel, is among the fastest growing Hasidic movements, even without an official Hasidic Rebbe, as evidenced by the fact that some 30,000 Jews, some from all other kinds of walks of life, make the annual Rosh Hashana pilgrimage to Uman in the Ukraine (even though efforts to have Rabbi Nachman reburied in Israel were thwarted, it doesn't take away from this fact of the attractiveness of this movement). And in terms of the Sephira of Netzach as used in reference to Joshua who is especially connected with the concept of Noon, Rabbi Nachman's name is the same Gematria as the word Netzach. And the enlarged form of the word Netzach is called Nitzachon, this word also begins and ends with a Noon.<br />
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Before I conclude this post, there is another aspect of fighting that is called fighting for "the same of heaven"(L'Shem Shamayim). To give an example of what is and what is not, Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) in the fifth chapter, tells us that "for the same of heaven" includes the arguments between Hillel and Shammai; and not for the sake of heaven includes the strife that Korach and his cronies created, complaining that his cousins Moses and Aaron took the best leadership and honors for themselves, claiming that it wasn't Hashem who told them what to do. Well, we all know what happend to Korach at the end, swallowed up by the first earthquake that ever happened in this universe. But as for Hillel and Shammi, since they true motive was arriving at the Torah truth, they remained good friends. <br />
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However, someone who is somewhat learned in Torah will notice something a bit peculiar. True, there were a few disputes between Hillel and Shammai. However, the vast majority of disputes in terms of their names were actually between their students known as Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai. So, why are Hillel and Shammai shown as prime examples of disputes for the sake of heaven when it was mostly their disciples who had the disputes?<br />
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You see, things weren't always so rosy between the Hillel-Shammai disciples. There were times that things got out of hand, and in one case, Beit Shammai put their foot down to enforce some Halachot to be observed their way. And so, if Pirkei Avot is to give a prime example of disputes for the sake of heaven, it needs to give a prime example of it without possible objections.<br />
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Now, if this is the case when it was quite common for various rabbis throughout the centuries to have Torah disputes about what the Halacha should be, then it is not too surprising when you have, let us, a Hasidic Rebbe who passes away, and then some of his followers decide that things aren't the way that they like it and they start disputes with the other followers "for the sake of heaven". Well, there is one way to know, at least at the end, as to whether it really is for the sake of heaven. If at the end, things are peaceful between both parties, then yes, this is exactly what Pirkei Avot is talking about. However, if it leads to much fighting that causes their cause to become news in the non-Jewish loving media, along with vandalism, beating up, and on occasion, even murder, then obviously, something went very wrong along the way.<br />
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Politics in synagogues are nothing new, it just has spread to be an unbelievable rate, especially in the United States. As we all really know, when it comes to elections of virtually any type, there will almost always be one party castigating the other party, when in fact, the former party is no less guilty if not of the same thing, then of something else. But just to tell you a story that happend nearly 25 years ago back in my hometown of North Miami Beach, there was a building within a retirement community that the Jewish worshipping residents used for prayers. While perhaps it may have not looked a synagogue from the outside, they had their president, vice-president, etc. Anyways, there was one member who wanted a certain synagogue position, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen. Angry at this, he decided to ruin it for all, telling the zoaning board that it didn't have the proper licensing and all. To make a long story short, this led to an investigation, and at the end, the place was shut down for non-compliance to the zoning laws. So here was this one guy, who instead of caring about Hashem's honor, turned it around to attack those who didn't care about his own personal honor for the few short years he had left in this world as a senior citizen, and caused a place of worship to be shut down. I don't think any one of us would want to be in his shoes, to imagine how much holiness he prevented in this world and Jews from performing Mitzvot everyday, including answering Amen and other responses to certain prayers that can only be performed in a quorum of 10 or more adult males; one can only imagine the punishments in the next world that awaited this guy as one can see described in the Zohar for one who disgraces the honor of Hashem in a synagogue. And all for what?! In the name of righting a so called wrong? And in this particular situation, for these old people to go to another synagogue without driving on Shabbat, it would probably take them like a good half hour to reach the main religious area with their feable legs if they could even walk without problems. And for those who would drive on Shabbat, and decided to join another place for Saturday morning services, now they wound up violating Shabbat by driving, even if it is to a place of worship, which they weren't doing when the location of prayer services was right on the grounds of the senior citizen community.<br />
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The bottom line is, before we think we know what the truth is because there is a majority following a certain way, we have to ask ourselves if this is the real truth, just because so many people go for it or because rather few people go for it. Hopefully, the rabbis that we turn to will not be afraid to declare the truth. Just make sure that at the very least, without saying "Yes, but..." or "Don't be too fanatical", they are supportive of Rabbi Kahane's ideals. Or better yet, I strongly advise getting Rabbi Kahane's magnum opus either in English "The Jewish Idea" (in two volumes), or in Hebrew "Ohr HaRayon". Then, after reading this holy Sefer, I don't think you will have too many questions as to who to follow, or who to vote for in the next set of elections in Israel. My rule of thumb of voting in Israel is, if the political party is not connected to Kahane, it is simply not worth voting for, nay, it is dangerous voting for; for even the so called religious parties in the Knesset have all proven at one time or another to be full of politics and will sell their souls to the devil for stuffed pockets of money "to support Yeshivot", which happened especially when it came time for our Jewish brethren to be thrown out of Gush Katif.<br />
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So if you don't have an official Rav that you can turn to for questions in Halacha or Hashkafa (Torah outlike), make sure that he is Kahane certified. It's not so hard today, because through the internet, if he is a well known Rav, statements of his will show up, and you will be able to compare to see if this is the true Torah/Kahane truth, even if most of your other friends who claim to follow the Torah don't agree with Rabbi Kahane. And G-d willing, over time, the question will not be "Is he right?" but rather, "When will we be able to get a MAJORITY of Jews to change their way of thinking to think the authentic Torah way of life?''<br />
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26 Tevet, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-40479156412543426372013-12-27T05:17:00.001-08:002013-12-28T12:37:57.314-08:00#201 - Making the Best of a SituationSo now, on my 201st Post, I will begin the 3rd series of 100 posts. The reason that I mention this is because I will mention something pertaining to the beginning of time, that is, pertaining to the creation of this world.<br />
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But first, I want to write about a rabbi who passed away exactly 201 years ago, as it coincides with my 201st Post. I am referring specifically to Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the first Rebbe of the Chabad movement, which eventually became synonamous with the name Lubavitch. <br />
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The truth is as an ex-Chabadnick or an ex-Lubavitcher, I didn't think that I would be writing anything pertaining to this, as I have my personal grievances that turned me off from the movement. Since then, I connected with Breslov, the Hasidic movement that is mostly found in Israel, that is somewhat similar to Lubavitch, at least culturewise, both movements having originated from the Ukraine. However, at least with the first Rebbe of Chabad, I have to give him credit for something.<br />
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Unlike most Hasidic Rebbes of his day who never even thought of the possibility of actually travelling to Israel - whether to visit or live, Rabbi Schneur Zalman actually started embarking on his way to Israel, as a present follower of Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk following the passing of the founder of the Chasidic movement Rabbi Israel Ba'al Shem Tov's successor Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezrich's passing, of whom he was a past follower, joining his new Rebbe and other followers of this Rebbe making Aliyah to Israel. However, early on, Rabbi Menachem Mendel told Rabbi Schenur Zalman to turn back, and not follow him to Israel. Good thing he listened, because a ship carrying some of Rabbi Menachem Mendel's followers drowned on their way to Israel. Since then, Rabbi Schneur Zalman founded the Chabad movement. To note, the word Chabad is actually an acronym of the letters Cheit-Beit-Dalet, which begin the words Chachma (wisdom), Bina (understanding) and Da'at (knowledge), describing this particular Hasidic philosophy. The magnum opus of this philosophy is known as the Tanya; and hence, Rabbi Schneur Zalman is sometimes known as the Ba'al HaTanya (author of the Tanya). And while he may be known as the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, the name Lubavitch actually came into play when his son and successor Rabbi Dov Ber established his Hasidic court in the town of Lubavitch.<br />
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Even as I believe in the Breslov movement, founded by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, there are undeniably connections of Lubavitch to the Breslov movement, other than their general location where these movements were founded. First, Rabbi Nachman, when he returned to the Ukraine following his visit to Israel, he made a special trip to meet with Rabbi Schenur Zalman. While the purpose of the visit may not be very clear, at least the two rabbis had an amicable experience. Also, when Rabbi Nachman's successor student Rabbi Nathan Sternhartz came to him for the first time, Rabbi Nachman told him three stories of three different Hasidic Rebbes in the beginning of training his future successor, which included a story pertaining to Rabbi Schneur Zalman. Additionally, in the Sefer Shmos Tzadikim, the Breslov book which is a list of the names of the righteous from the beginning of world history, the only Chabad Rebbe mentioned in this list is Rabbi Schneur Zalman. <br />
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And in the Litvish world (which is non-Hasidic), Rabbi Israel Meir of Radin, popularly known as the Chofetz Chaim, named after his first work which is a compilation of the laws of forbidden speech (Lashon Hara), mentions Rabbi Schneur Zalman various times in his Mishna Berurah, a halachic commentary on the first volume of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) called Orach Chaim (Path of Life) which consists of the laws of the daily prayers and holidays, under the title of HaGraz, which is an acronym for "The Gaon Rabbi Zalman", as Rabbi Schneur Zalman wrote his own version of the Shulchan Aruch which is known as Shulchan Aruch HaRav.<br />
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While today, I no longer study the Tanya, whose study is part of being a Lubavitcher, there is one Lubavitcher book that I still refer to on occasion, being that it is not actual Lubavitch philosophy. I am referring to Hilchot Talmud Torah "Laws of Learning/Teaching Torah" authored by Rabbi Schneur Zalman. It consists of 54 laws or paragraphs, which seem to correspond to the 54 Parshiyot of the Chumash (Penteteuch). Also, there are exactly 54 words in the first paragraph of the Shema which include the verse from which is derived the Mitzva of learning and teaching Torah - V'Shinantam L'Vaneicha... "You shall enunciate them (the words of Torah) and speak of them, when you sit at home, when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up" (Deutronomy 6:7). In appropo to this, there are exactly 54 letters in the verse V'Limadtem Otam... "You shall teach them (the Torah) to your children and speak of them when you sit at home, when you walk on the way, when you lie down, and when you get up" (Deutronomy 11:19), which is also a verse in the 2nd paragraph of the Shema. And finally, his son and successor Rabbi Dov Ber lived exactly 54 years, having passed away on his birthday. And the connection between Rabbi Schneur's Hilchot Talmud Torah and his son Rabbi Dov Ber is more than the connection of the number 54, but that they correspond to the last and first Mitzva of the Torah, respectively, for writing a Sefer is akin to the last Mitzva of the Torah of writing a Sefer Torah, especially if the very Sefer deals all about the laws of studying Torah, and having a child is part of the first Mitzva of the Torah of Pru U'rvu (Being fruitful and multiply)<br />
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And as per the timing of the passing of Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the time of the week that he passed away on was on Motzoei Shabbat (Saturday night), beginning of the week of Parshat Vaeira, which is the 14th Parsha, just as the Gematria of the acronym Chabad, name of his movement, is 14. Also, the last two letters of the name of Parshat Va'eira are Reish-Aleph, which spells the Hebrew number 201.<br />
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And before I forget, he is known in Yiddish as the Alter Rebbe (elder Rebbe), and the first letters of this phrase Alter Rebbe are Aleph and Reish, which spell the Hebrew number 201, bearing in mind that today is his 201st Yahrzeit, in time for my 201st Post. <br />
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HASHEM'S ATTITUDE IN THE BEGINNING OF CREATION<br />
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We see a phenomenon in the Torah. Throughout the description of the first week of the world's existance, including Shabbat, the Torah uses the word Elokim (G-d) to describe the Supreme Being. It is only after this that the Torah starts using the phrase Hashem Elokim (the L-rd G-d). This continues throughout the details of the creation of mankind until after the mention of Hashem chasing out Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden following their sin. It is finally afterwards, when the Torah begins speaking of the first couple's children.<br />
does the Torah use the usual Hashem name (YKVK in which K is substituted for H in honor of Hashem's holiest name) without the other name of Elokim. <br />
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Anyways, without waiting long, Rashi gives an explaination in the beginning of the Torah, stating that really, Hashem wanted to create the world with strict justice. However, being that the world wouldn't exist for long under these circumstances, a better solution was implemented by Hashem, in which he gave precedence to the trait of mercy, denoted by Hashem's name YKVK; and only then attached it to the trait of strict judgement, denoted by Hashem's name Elokim.<br />
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So, as you can see here, this is a perfect illustration of the tenth Sephira combination - Tiferet She'B'Gevurah (Beauty within Strength), for Hashem took Tiferet, represented by the name of YKVK, and used it to mitigate Gevurah, represented by the name Elokim.<br />
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And in connection to the TENTH Sephira combination, there are TEN Statements that Hashem made in creating the universe. Some say that the first statement, though we don't see it literally as something that Hahem actually spoke, is Bereishit, the first word of the Torah. In fact, this very fact, which begins as B'Asara Ma'amarot... "With ten Statements was the world created", which begins both the fifth chapter of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) and Yalkut Shimoni, a Midrash that covers the entire Tanach.<br />
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And now, a way to remember about the above as being part of my 201st Post. The first two words of the Torah - Bereishit Bara, begin with the letters Beit-Reish-Aleph. Now, let us do a little letter/number trick here. Taking the first three letters of the word Bereishit, we can read this as "With Reish-Aleph (201)" and then the next three letters - Shin, Yud, Tav/Sav - which means the number six in Aramaic. Now, multiplying 201 by six (201*6), the total is 1,206. And in Hebrew, the letters that spell this number are Aleph-Reish-Vav, and when these letters are rearranged, they spell the word Ohr, which is a creation of the first day of creation, this word being mentioned five times in the mention of the first day of creation which consists of five verses. <br />
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Now, the second word in the Torah is Bara, which are the identical first three letters of the first word of the Torah. Again, we can read this phrase as "With 201". As you can see, the letters of the first word are used as 201*6, and this second word is strictly 201. And the pattern here is that the first word Bereishit corresponds to the first six days of Creation, while the second word Bara corresponds to Shabbat; for after all, we see the pattern of the account of the first seven days of the world's existance, we see the details of the work that Hashem did on the first six days of the week, and then we see the contrast of how the day of Shabbat is presented, including the mention of Hashem having finished His work on this day. In a similar vein, in the name of Parshat Va'eira, the first two letters are Vav=6 and Aleph-1, and the last two letters Reish-Aleph spell the Hebrew number 201.<br />
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As for the number 201 itself; well, the Hebrew letters for this number spell the first and last letters of the word Ohr (light), a creation of this FIRST day of the SEVEN days of the week mentioned in the beginning of the Torah. And as connected to the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Schneur Zalman, the FIRST of the SEVEN Rebbes of Chabad, his first name is Schneur, which is a contraction of the words Shnei Ohr "Two lights". And as connected to Shabbat, the minimum lights that are lit to begin Shabbat, known as Hadlakat Neirot, are two, which correspond both to husband and wife, as well as the two aspects of Shabbat - Zachor (Remember - using the day spiritually) and Shamor (Observe - avoiding forbidden work). Moreover, the first letters of Rabbi Schenur Zalman's name are Shin and Zayin, which begin the words Shamor and Zachor, respectively. <br />
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And since it is nearing the time of Hadlakat Neirot, I must end my post here. Will look forward to writing my next post; hopefully tomorrow evening on Motzoei Shabbat, B'Ezrat Hashem (G-d willing). <br />
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Shabbat Shalom and a Gutten Shabbos!<br />
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24 Tevet, 5774shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-57994319764771066462013-12-24T23:15:00.000-08:002013-12-26T18:23:19.333-08:00#200 - The New HEADWriting my 200th post, I look back from since I had started www.gematriot.blogspot.com over five years ago, and I must say that there is a big difference between writing my first 100 posts and my second set of 100 posts. You see, when I wrote my 100th post nearly three years ago, while I was already married, I had yet to have my first child. It would be during the course of the next 100 posts that I would became the father of two children, having more challenges with time over time to write posts in a timely manner. However, determination usually wins, and the blog posting goes on.<br />
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And so, let us begin here, especially in honor of my 200th post, with a couple of verses from the Tanach (Jewish Bible) that mentions something significant with the number 200. <br />
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THE 200 HEADS<br />
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The first verse that I will quote is taken from the context mentioning the various Tribes of Israel who came to coronate King David as king of Israel. Among these verses reads "Of the sons of Issaschar who had knowledge of the understanding of the times, to know what Israel should do, having TWO HUNDRED heads, and all of their brethren following their advice (literally means "their mouth")" (I Chronicles 12:33). Now, a literal interpretation of this verse would fail in this case to help understand the simple meaning here. But what it does mean is that this tribes consisted of 200 heads of Jewish courts who determined the declaring of new months and intercalation of leap years. <br />
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In connection to King David, he represented the concept of the moon that waxes and wanes. Noting that he was the 14th generation in the parental line from Abraham the first Jew, and that King David's name is the Gematria of 14, his son King Solomon was the 15th generation whose kingdom enjoyed the highlight of utopian living in the history of the Jewish people who were living in a time of peace during King Solomon's rulership of not only the Jewish people, but of the entire world, since all the nations turned to him especially for his gift of wisdom. After he passed way, the kingship of the House of David gradually went down in terms of influence, starting from King Solomon's not so smart son Rechavam who chose to tax the people even worse than his father did, and so most of the tribes aside from Judah, Benjamin, and Levi coronated Yeroboam as king instead. Finally, the last king of the Judean empire before the destruction of the first Temple, Tzidkiah, was the 30th generation from Abraham, who was blinded by Nebuchadnezzar and was then exiled to Babylonia in chains. <br />
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So as we can see here, King David and King Solomon, as the 14th-15th generations from Abraham, represented the highlight of the moon being what we see as a FULL MOON, which occurs during the 14th-15th day(s) of any given Jewish month, after which it wanes until there is no visible moon left at the end of the month, which was signified by King Tzidkiyahu, the 30th generation, who was blinded and exiled. Ironically, the Gematria of his name is the same as the name/word Zorach (215), the conotation of the word shining, for had Tzidkiyahu listened to Jeremiah the prophet who told him not to attempt to rebel against Nebuchadnezer, king of Babylonia due to the sins of his generation, the Temple would not have been destroyed - or at least not at that point in time; but since Tzidkiyahu thought he knew better, it resulted in the Temple being destroyed, Jews being murdered and exiled, and he himself was blinded, ending the era of the moon shining.<br />
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Anyways, we see here about the concept of 200 heads as related to the Tribe of Yissaschar in reference to the coronation of King David. Now, the Hebrew word for head - Rosh - begins with the letter Reish, which is the numerical value of 200. And in relationship to King David who is most connected to the number 14, the letter with the highest numerical number in the name of the 14th Parsha of the Torah - Vaera (we are presently in the midst of the week of Parshat Vaera) is Reish, which is also the case with the first word of this Parsha - Vayedaber. Similarly, it is also the case with the first word of the 14th Tractate of the Mishna, Pesachim - the word Ohr. And finally, the first section of laws in the 14th and last volume of the Rambam's Mishne Torah which is also called Yad Chazaka (Yad, meaning hand, also spells the Hebrew number 14) are called Hilchot Sanhedrin (Laws of the Jewish Court), and the letter with the highest numerical number is also a Reish. And in our prayers - in the midst of the middle blessings of the weekday Shemoneh Esrei, there is one blessing in which we request that the Sanhedrin will be returned to us (Note: There is a group that formed as a Sanhedrin nine years ago in Israel. Whether this is the beginning of the fulfillment of our request in this blessing or not, we still pray for the time for the state of the Sanhedrin is that it will have full power, and not prevented from executing its powers because of our present dictatorship Israeli government), in which the first letter of the blessing is Hei=5 in the word Hashiva "RETURN our judges as it was at one time" and the last letter of the blessing is Teit=9 in the word U'Mishpat "The King Who loves justice AND JUDGEMENT", and the total numerical value of these letters is 14! Later in this post, I will mention the concept of Sanhedrin in relationship to another number theme).<br />
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As for the whole word Rosh (head), which is the Gematria of 501, we see a phenomenal thing in relationship to the number of years that King David reigned. Now, most who know some Biblical history will say that King David was king for 40 years. Actually, make that 40 and a half years, for he was king in Hebron for seven and a half years, and in Jerusalem for 33 years. With this said, let us count the number of Hebrew months in this 40 and a half years time. As we see in our present Jewish calendar, there are 235 months in a 19 year cycle. Twice this amount are 470 months in 38 years time. Adding two and a half more years for the total, this consists of 30 months. Hence, it would seem that King David ruled for a total of 500 months and passed away in the 501st month; or, if there was an additional leap month in the remaining two and a half years, this would make 501 complete months of King David's kingship. This would be most significant, because King David was the ROSH=501 of the Davidic monarchy which includes the soon to be Moshiach. And as we see in Kabbala, in terms of which Biblical character corresponds to which holiday, King David corresponds to Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), which is the beginning of any given Jewish month. This phrase can also be read as "New Head", contrasting him to King Saul who was in fact the very first official king of the Jewish people, but because he messed up, the kingship dynasty was transferred to King David, who became the Rosh Chadash "New Head".<br />
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And as for Yissaschar himself, the letter Reish is the last of his name as well as the last letter of other words of concepts that relate to him. You see, the month of Iyar's corresponding tribe is Yissaschar, and the Mazel (constellation) of this month is Shor (Taurus). Amazingly, all of these three words - Iyar, Yissaschar, and Shor - end with the letter Reish. Perhaps the fact that the letter Reish - whose name means the beginning of and etymologically related to the word Rosh, is particularly at the end of these words (the main connection here is with Yissaschar's name) hints to King David, who until he was first annointed as king by Samuel the prophet, was treated as a lowlife by everyone, including and especially his family, which even included his righteous father Jesse (the reason for this is beyond the scope of this post); in fact, so much to this extent that when the prophet Samuel came to their home to annoint one of Jesse's son upon Hashem's command, Samuel checked out all of Jesse's seven sons, one by one, but saw no luck. It was only after Samuel insisted that Jesse tell him about having any more sons did Jesse at that point admit that his son David was outside tending the flock. And so, Jesse had no choice but fetch for David to come, and the rest is history. In fact, there is a verse in King David's Tehillim (also part of the Hallel prayer) which reads "The stone that the builders rejected, became the HEAD of the corner (cornerstone)" (Psalms 118:22) which our rabbis say, refers to himself in this incident.<br />
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Now to note, the Chasidic Sefer entitled Bnei Yissaschar, which consists of fascinating explanations, including Gematriot, pertaining to Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh, the Jewish months and holidays, derives its title from this very verse, though the phrase Bnei Yissaschar "Sons of Yissaschar" is found in several places during the course of the Tanach where the other tribes are mentioned as well. However, it is the phrase in this verse that points out the function of this tribe, especially among its judges who were in charge, at least during the time of King David, of determining the time in terms of establishing the Jewish months and leap years; as this tribe learned Torah all the time, while his brother/tribe Zevulun supported him.<br />
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The author of this Sefer, Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, named the Sefer as such using the name Yissaschar, because his Rebbe, the Chozeh of Lublin, told him that he was descended from this tribe. And as for his own name - Tzvi Elimelech, which is the Gematria of 233, we see a corelationship to this from our verse which mentions the number 200, and it is the 33rd verse of Chapter 12, the chapter that mentions the tribes, meaning, the 12 Tribes of Israel who unquivocally agreed that King David should be king after it was obvious to all that the kingdom was lost from the family of King Saul' which happened as a result of him not listening to the prophet Samuel about totally eradicating the memory of Amalek. Moreover, each of the three Pilgrimage Festivals - Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot - are called by the name Regel ("Festival"), having the same letters as the Hebrew number 233, as it was for these three holidays that the entire Jewish (adult male) population during Temple times traveled to the Temple to celebrate these holidays at this site, as Regel literally means foot, for traveling is performed primarily with the feet, whether by walking or riding (in those days, at least until the auto era, it was the horse or whatever other animal that did the walking in place of the person), and the exact dates of these holidays were determined by the decision of the Jewish court as to when Rosh Chodesh ("New Moon") was supposed to begin. <br />
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And since I have mentioned about his Sefer which pertains to the various times of the year, I should note that the Yahrzeit of Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech was this past Shabbat Parshat Shemot, about which I have seen hints to the timing of his passing in Parshat Shemot. As it was on the second day of the week of Parshat Shemot when he passed away, we can take a look at the corresponding second Aliyah of this Parsha which is about the birth of Baby Moses. Now, in case one thinks that it is ironic for the passing of a righteous person is hinted where it speaks of a birth, the truth is that the righteous are considered alive even after their passing (Talmud Berachot 18), for after all, the true life is the life in the world to come. In fact, the Torah normally doesn't dwell on details of the birth of a person, because after all, who knows what one will become in life as to whether it would have been worth it for him to have lived depending on whether he will die having been righteous or otherwise. However, with Moses, it was different, because he lived to be the greatest righteous person to walk the planet, and his spiritual aura was felt even when he was a baby by both his immediate family and Batya, Pharaoh's daughter who converted to Judaism, the one who found him on the Nile River after his family dropped him off, so the Egyptian authorities wouldn't find him at home to kill him as per Pharaoh's decree of drowning all male babies as per the astrologers were saying that a (male) redeemer would been born to eventually take the Jews out of Egypt. <br />
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Now, the Yahrzeit date of Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech is Yud-Cheit (18) Tevet, in which the number can be read, when the letters are reversed, as Chai (life), and the name of the month Tevet is based on the word Tov (good). And we see pertaining to the birth of Moses "she (Yocheved his mother) saw him that he was good" (Exodus 2:2), and as Rashi explains, when he was born, the house was full of (spiritual) light". Now, the word in the text for "she saw" is Vateire, which consists of the Hebrew letters Vav-Tav-Reish-Aleph. This is very similar to the Hebrew year in which this rabbi passed away - 5601, the only difference being that the Hebrew letters making up the number of the year begins with a Hei instead of a Vav. In this instance, the Vav=6 can signify the sixth millenium in which we are presently living in, and this rabbi passed away 173 years ago. And, since after all, one's passing is the END of his life in this world, let us turn to the END of this Parsha, in the last Pasuk (verse), where after Moses complained to Hashem that since He sent him to speak to Pharaoh to let the Jews go, Pharaoh made things even worse for the Jews, Hashem tells him "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh" (Exodus 6:1). The Hebrew for "You will see" is Tir'eh, which consists of the very Hebrew letters as the Hebrew number of the year of this rabbi's passing! Speaking of which, as I quoted here from the last verse of the Parsha, typically, it is the last few verses of the Parsha that is designated as Maftir, the reading for the one who is called up to the Torah who will read the Haftara, a section from the Prophets part of the Tanach that has some theme that relates to the Parsha. Now, the word Maftir is similar to the word Niftar, the noun or verb pertaining either to the one who passed away or that he passed away, respectively.<br />
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200 FOR THE GOOD ONES<br />
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In Shir HaShirim, one of the three books of the Tanach that King Solomon composed, it is written (I will be translating this literally, though it has many meanings to it) "The thousand is yours, O Solomon; and TWO HUNDRED for those who guard its fruit" (Song of Songs 8:12). When reading this verse literally, some may be thinking of King Solomon's 1,000 women. In a way, they may be right. To put things in perspective, King Solomon was a very righteous person, having been raised by his very righteous father King David. After all, he merited to be the one to oversee the construction of the first Temple. However, it seems that he had a week point about himself, and aside from marrying more than the permitted 18 women for a king, he thought that the reason that the Torah gives for a king not being allowed more wives that they won't sway his heart from the right path wasn't applicable to him due to his high spiritual level. And while his idolatrous wives (all of his women who weren't born went through the proper Jewish conversion but didn't necessarily all stay being observant) didn't get him to actually worship idols, they no doubt ultimately put a damper on the spiritual standing of the Jewish people, which continued with his successor son Rechoboam who worshipped idols for most of the years that he was king. In any case, I don't have an immediate explanation of the following phrase in the verse about the "two hundred" in relationship with this.<br />
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My take on these numbers here is to make equal portions of 200 of "The thousand". Hence, there are five portions of 200 within the 1,000, and then there are "two hundred for those who guard its fruit". Now, in relationship to the six work days of the week, we have the corresponding six Sephirot of Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod. Hence, the sixth day of the week corresponds to Yesod, which corresponds to the part of the body which is the place of the Brit (literally means covenant, word used for male organ). Hence, the sixth 200 is mentioned as a phrase by itself "Two hundred for those who guard its fruit", referring to the concept of Shmirat HaBrit "GUARDING the covenant", the place of the body that is supposed to be used only for the sake of procreation, and not for other self pleasure purposes or having fun with other women other than one's wife for the sake of having a fun time (Note: There is no prohibition for a couple to be intimate even if they are pass the child bearing age, so long as they are married according to Jewish Law and the woman is not in a menstrous state). In fact, the very first Mitzva (Commandment) of the Torah, which is found in the account of Creation on the SIXTH DAY, states "Be FRUITFUL and multiply". And looking at the Hebrew text of this - Pru Urvu - in both of these words, the letters with the highest numerical value is the Reish=200. <br />
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THE 200 IN THE WAY<br />
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In King Solomon's book called Kohelet, he states "He who loves money, will not be satisfied with money" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). The Midrash on this phrase tells us "One who has 100, wants 200; one who has 200, wants 400". Now, a question can be asked here, "If one is really greedy for money, is it just that he wants twice the amount that he has? More likely, one who makes a five digit income on his own success is thinking of making a six digit figure income; and one who makes a six digit figure income is thinking of making a seven digit income..." <br />
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I think that the Midrash here is making a very distinct point. It is not necessarily the amount per se that one wants to make that is the big trouble maker here. Rather, it is the person himself who doesn't have a true grasp on his limits to making the money. You see, when it comes to gambling with so much money, one can pick a small amount of money to put down on the table without feeling any major loss; but on the other hand, the winnings won't be so great. The ultimate foolish gambler who will have nothing left afterwards will put down everything, not thinking of the possibility of loss, but rather, he will so to speak "double his odds" and then have more money - to gamble with of course. You see, there is hardly a gambler who after makes so much money, will walk out of the place saying enough is enough, even for the night. The gambling addiction tells one that at the end, one will eventually make much more money, though the chance of loosing some money is expected. However, the other problem other than one being addicted to the gambling set of mind is that there is a chance - in fact a good chance - that especially with this way of thinking, one will loose it all.<br />
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Now, the proof to this, as we see in the comment of the Midrash, it is the number 200 that is being used both ways - what one wants and what one gets. And closely related to the name of the letter Reish is the word Rahsh - consisting of the letters Reish and Shin - one of the synonyms for one who is destitute. The difference though between a pauper who never knew of money and the gambler is that the pauper may simply have never had the good luck or never received the education to begin with to help make a better living. However, the gambler has much more to regret, because he actually had the big money at one time, but in his self-illusion of thinking that he could make even more - and at the expense of others - he is the one who looses his fortune that he knew he had, making himself feel ever so worse, and one whom few people will pity because as they say to themselves, why should they give some of their hard earned money to someone who didn't show respect for it when he didn't have to loose it. For that matter, it has been said that most people who win the lottery in their respective country or state - in five years time, are either dead or dead broke. I have also learned in the course of learning about business is that if the wealth were taken from the rich people and given to the poor people; in five years time, the wealth would be back in the same hands. For while many rich people are workaholics, at least they know the formula to making more money, which part of it includes hard, honest work, believe it or not. <br />
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SANHEDRIN AND THE NUMBER FOUR<br />
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Having mentioned earlier about the Sanhedrin, the large Jewish court consisting of either the bigger amount of 71 (Sanhedrei Gedola) or the smaller amount of 23 (Sanhedrei Ketana), it relates very well with the letter Dalet, the 4th letter of the Aleph-Beit with the numerical value of four. First, in the word Sanhedrin, the letter Dalet is 1)The FOURTH letter, 2)The middle letter, and 3)The letter with the least numerical value. Second,<br />
the FOURTH tractate of the FOURTH volume of the Mishna called Nezikin (Damages) is the tractate Sanhedrin, which begins with Dinei Mamonot B'Shelosha "The laws of monetary matter may be tried by a court of three (judges)", in which the first letter of the tractate is a Dalet. Moreover, of the five chapters of Mishnayot that begin with the letter Dalet, the one tractate that includes more than one such chapter is Tractate Sanhedrin, in which the third chapter also begins with Dalet - Dinei Mamonot. As for other interesting factoids connecting the letter Dalet with this tractate, of the six Mishnayot of its first chapter, the only other Mishna than the first one that begins with a Dalet is the FOURTH Mishna - Dinei Nefashot B'Esrim U'Shelosha "The laws of capital offenses may be tried by a court of 23 judges". And then for its FOURTH chapter, it begins with Echad Dinei Mamonot V'Echad Dinei Nefashot B'Drisha U'VaChakira "Both monetary and capital cases are tried by questioning and examining". Now to note, the literal meaning of the word Echad is "one", though in this context, I have translated both of uses of the word Echad simply as "both". The reason that I say this is that the FOURTH letter of the FOURTH word of the FOURTH chapter of the FOURTH tractate of the FOURTH volume of the Mishna is the letter Dalet=4! And the magic word in question is - V'Echad, which literally means "and one" in the context of explaining the similarity between the two types of court cases, following which, the Mishna goes into long detail of the differences between these two. <br />
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Perhaps we can learn from here that to begin with, we need to see the similarities between each other - Echad...V'Echad "One...and one", which becomes both. True, there may be differences between various factions of Jews, in fact, there are at times many differences, especially culturally (Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Edut HaMizrach, Teimani, etc.); however, at least as far as we are concerned, one is no less of a Jew, or to be considered a less important Jew, just because he or she belongs to a different, which will some say "so to speak" faction of Jews - whether Litvish, Hasidic, Reform, Conservative, etc. However, the practical difference between the various groups that we Jews became over the period of time, especially in our long exile, is related primarily to laws and customs. True, at least how Halacha (Jewish law) is presented in the Conservative or Reform movements, it is a great distortion of traditional Judaism which is based primarily on Torah She'B'Al Peh (Oral Law), which these latter movements basically leave outside the door, ready to be trashed, being left only with the literal meaning of the Tanach which can be misread or mislearned if not learned with Rashi, the Mishna and the Gemara to say the least. And it is at this point that the various differences have to be outlined crystal clear for all to hear, so no one will be misled as to what Judaism is about. <br />
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With this said, we must not let ourselves loose sight of our first point pertaining to the similarities between us Jews. One who isn't so observant isn't supposed to be treated as less of a Jew because of it; for if anything, this is the perfect opportunity for one who wishes to bring Jews closer to the Torah, which will work far better by inviting one to his Shabbat meal than screaming "Shabbes" (the Yiddish pronounciation of the Hebrew word Shabbos or Shabbat) at drivers in Israel, some of whom could have already become observant Jews had more Jews who consider themselves so religious - instead of waiting in the street to scream at the drivers during Shabbat - would wait in the streeet to meet Jews who clearly need direction and guidance as to why Hashem put us in this world.<br />
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And speaking of unity, the closet unity in terms of family is the husband-wife relationship. Indeed, the first letters of the first three words of this chapter - Echad Dinei Mamonot - spell in order the name of the first human being - Adam (Aleph-Dalet-Mem). And then the next word V'Echad is the Gematria of the name of Adam's wife Chava=19. The next two words are Dinei Nefashot of which the first letters of these words spell the word Dan "He judged", for in fact, Hashem judged them both following their eating of the forbidden fruit of which He warned that doing so would warrant one to die on the same day. Hence, this was the first Dinei Nefashot - capital offense case, tried in this world, in which Hashem first gave each of them a chance to speak in their defense. As it turned out, Hashem didn't have them die that same die, but rather fulfilled His<br />
statement of the consequence of performing that sin in a more favorable way in that since each day is considered like 1,000 years in Hashem's eyes, they passed away within 1,000 years (instead of not dying at all had they not sinned), and we know that Adam lived for 930 years, while as the Midrash tells us, he gave 70 years from his alloted 1,000 years to King David who was originally destined to live for only three hours. In fact, it has been said that the letters of Adam's name spell the first letters of the names/words - Adam (Aleph), David (Dalet), and Moshiach (Mem). <br />
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Continuing on in the context of this Mishna, both types of court cases were tried with Derisha (questioning) and Chakira (examining). So as we see here, the word Derisha begins with the letter Dalet. Now, it is at this point that I will turn to discussing the name of King David who is mentioned in the second chapter of Tractate Sanhedrin, whose name both begin and end with the letter Dalet, aside from the fact that his name is a palindrome. But perhaps most significantly, he himself was a Dayan (one of the Hebrew words that means a judge), noting that the word Dayan begins with the letter Dalet, and as the Talmud tells us, King David learned more Torah in one night than an accomplished Torah scholar learns in a lifetime, and mind you, this was said in times of the Talmud some 1,500 years ago, let alone today. Anyways, there is one verse in the entire Tehillim, authored by King David, which begins and ends with a Dalet - Dirshu Hashem V'Uzo Bakshu Phanav Tamid "Search out Hashem and His might, seek His presence always" (Psalms 105:4). Amazingly, as parallel King David's name - which consist of the letters Dalet=4, Vav=6, Dalet=4; this is the FOURTH verse of Chapter 105, there are SIX words in this verse, and each of these words contain FOUR letters!<br />
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Now, let us look at the first and last word of this verse, which begin and end with the letter Dalet, respectively, as King David's name. The word Dirshu (search), which is etymologically related to the word Derisha (questioning) which was one of the methods used to investigate witnesses in a Jewish court case, is the Gematria of the name of the letter Reish - 510, noting that the letter Reish itself is the numerical value of 200, which is the number of the heads of the Sanhedrin that came from the Tribe of Yissaschar who came to coronate King David as king. And the last word of this verse - Tamid - is the same Gematria as the names of the letters Yud - 20 and Dalet - 434, bearing the total of 454, noting that the letters Yud and Dalet is the Gematria of King David's name! Moreover, the Gematria of David HaMelech (King David) is 109, just as the sum total of the chapter number - 105, and the verse number - 4. And finally, in Divrei Hayomim (Chronicles), the 24th and last book of the Tanach, his name is spelled with a Yud, as Dalet-Vav-Yud-Dalet, making his name in this book to be the Gematria of 24, there are 24 letters in this verse that begins and ends with a Dalet, as it is with his name. <br />
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Now, connecting some dots here, let us take a look at the word Dan (he judged), which by the way, is the name of the Tribe Dan, whose corresponding month is our present month of Tevet. Next, noting the two letters of this words - Noon=50, which is the 14th letter of the Aleph-Beit, and Dalet=4, the total of the multiplication of these two numbers yields 200, as related to the Bnei Yissaschar, which is the name of the Sefer authored by Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, who passed away in this month of Tevet.<br />
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And of course, how can we forget the ultimate Jewish book of laws - the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law)? As the Talmud (Berachot 8a) tells us, since the day that the Temple was destroyed, Hashem has nothing in this world except for the FOUR cubits of Halacha. Perhaps this is the reason why the Tur (the predecessor of the Shulchan Aruch) and the Shulchan Aruch is divided up into FOUR parts. In any case, the FOURTH of these volumes is called Choshen Mishpat "Breastplate of Judgement", named after one of the eight garment pieces that the Cohen Gadol (High Priest) wore, which consisted of Arba'ah Turim, four rows of stones which consisted of a total of 12 stones corresponding to the 12 Tribes, and it is based on this that the Halachic work was called the Tur (row), authored by Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, who is popular known by the masses as the Ba'al HaTurim (author of the Turim (rows)), whose commentary on the Chumash (Penteteuch), which includes Gematriot for the large part, is printed in various editions of the Chumash.<br />
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Having said this, the first of many sections of this Choshen Mishpat section of the Shulchan Aruch is called Hilchot Dayanim (Laws of Judges), noting that the first letter of the word Dayanim is Dalet=4. And looking at the first chapter of this, it consists of six laws, of which it is the FOURTH law that begins with the letter Dalet, and I will quote this law right here - Dinei D'Geramei V'Chein Din HaMoser, Danin Oto Dayanim She'ainam Semuchim B'Eretz Yisrael "The laws of causes (of damages) and so too the law of one who tells on another Jew to the non-Jewish authorities - are judged (even) by judges who do not have their ordination from Israel (but rather, they were ordained outside of Israel, which is not as effective in other types of court cases as ordination in Israel)". Anyways, we see in the first eight words of this law, the letter Dalet begins five of these eight words And then in the FOURTH chapter, it begins with Yachol Adam La'asot Din L'Atzmo "A person can make judgement for himself", where the FOURTH word is Din (judgement) which begins with Dalet=4. <br />
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For additional information relating to the Sanhedrin, you can check out Post 71 (Jun '10).<br />
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AND THE SEPHIRA IS...<br />
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Continuing on with the Sephirot combinations, the ninth such Sephira is Gevurah She'B'Gevurah "Strength within Strength". Now particularly in the context of judgment, as Gevurah is sometimes synonymous with Din (judgement), another way of phrasing this Sephira is "Strict judgement within strict judgement". <br />
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And continuing on in the Jewish calendar, the corresponding week to this Sephira is approximately 28 Cheshvan-4 Kislev, which includes Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Now Kabbalistically, Kislev's corresponding letter is Samech. And the reason that I mention this here is because now, I want to point out to the Gematria of Din - 64, which also means law, a synonym for the word Halacha, which is the Gematria of 60, just as the numerical value of Samech. It seems that sometimes, the words Halacha and Din are used interchangeably. And while I am not here to discuss the practical diffrence between these synonyms, what I do want to point out is that the Gematria number of the word Din is FOUR more than the Gematria number of the word Halacha, aside from the fact that it is the letter Dalet=4 that begins the word Din. For after all, as I mentioned a little earlier about the "FOUR cubits of Halacha". <br />
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Now, I will mention something as pertains to my previous post, where I dissected the word Dinar, one of the names of the types of coins in Mishnaic times, into two words - Din Reish - "Law of 200 (the letter Reish)" hinting to the fact that one who has 200 Zuzim was forbidden to take from Tzedaka, noting that the word Tzedaka is 199. However, if one has "200 Zuzim MINUS one DINAR", which means that one has SLIGHTLY LESS than 200 Zuzim, then one is permitted to receive even 1,000 Zuzim at one time as Tzedaka. For until one has COMPLETELY 200 Zuzim, even the slightest less missing one Dinar's worth qualified him for Tzedaka. Hence, in this instance, it is a blessing for him to be missing one Dinar's worth of money, for he is without the Din Reish, which can also be interpreted as THE JUDGEMENT of 200, which would otherwise disqualify him from taking any Tzedaka, even though he would have far less than others who don't even feel the need to take Tzedaka who aren't affected by this law or judgement since they can well afford to take care of themselves. <br />
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Now, as I mentioned earlier in this post, the name of the letter Reish - whose letter is the numerical value of 200 - is etymologically related to the word Rahsh (destitute). And the difference here is that Reish with a Yud signifies the concept of Ma'aser, tithing one tenth of one's crops or money to give to Tzedaka, to give to others who signify one number less - 199 instead of 200. And then, even if one feels that one doesn't have enough for himself, barely getting by with 200, but gives to someone who is less fortunate than he is, then in the end, he will be paid tenfold by Hashem, as hinted in the phrase Aser T'Aser, the Torah using the double Hebrew wording for tithing, the words here or the word Ma'aser (tithe as the noun) being based on the word Eser (ten). For in essence, he is giving the Ma'aser or Tzedaka to one who D'LEIT Leih M'Garmei Klum, a play on the name of the letter Dalet, which means "WHO DOESN'T HAVE anything for himself". And having mentioned the word Tzedaka, it is actually based on the word Tzedek (justice), noting that the letter Dalet of these two words is the letter with the least Gematria value, just as in the words Sanhedrin and Din.<br />
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Having said this, the harshest of all the Sephirot combinations is Gevurah She'B'Gevurah, for it is strict justice mixed with strict justice. This attribute is especially applicable in terms of Hashem punishing the nations for their sins, including their mistreatment of Jews, as mentioned in the writings of the Kedushas Levi, authored by Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichov. In any case, having mentioned that this is the ninth Sephira combination, the number nine is most related to the concept of darkness, as I have mentioned in a number of posts, the most obvious connection being that the NINTH of the 10 plagues that smote the Egyptians was DARKNESS, which was the last of the plagues to smite the Egyptians displaying the Sephira of Gevurah She'B'Gevurah before the final plague that involved a direct involvement of Chesed (kindness), for it was this final plague that convinced the Egyptians, and especially Pharaoh, to let the Jews leave Egypt (Note: Of course Hashem could have brought the Jews out of Egypt anytime that He wanted to. However, He wanted it to be due to the will of the Egyptians as part of Hashem's displaying of His signs and wonders which were most displayed in the plagues that He visited upon them).<br />
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On the other side of the coin, the number nine displayed the ultimate level of Gevurah She'B'Gevurah with the destruction of both Temples on the NINTH of the month of Av, which is Kabbalistically represented by the letter Teit, which is the NINTH letter with a numerical value of NINE. And at the very end of our long nearly 2,000 year exile, there will be (or has already started) the Chevlei Moshiach "Birth pangs of Moshiach", for the birth pangs or labor pains of a woman occur at the end of NINE months of pregnancy right before the newcomer into the world.<br />
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And as related to Yissaschar, he is the NINTH birth mentioned of the 12 sons of Jacob (Note: It doesn't necessarily mean that he was actually the ninth of the 12 sons to be born, but that his birth is the ninth mentioned, as Jacob had four women from whom he had his sons). And according to one tradition, he was born on 10 Av, the date on which most of the burning of the Temple actually took place, for it was only at the end of the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av) that the burning started; and it is only because the beginning of a tragedy is considered the worst part of the tragedy that we fast on the 9th of Av, rather than on the 10th of Av; unless the 9th of Av falls out on Shabbat, in which case, the fasting and mourning of this fast day takes place on the 10th of Av. Moreover, the Gematria of Yissaschar's name - 830, is the sum total of the years of the existance of both Temples - 410 years for the first, and 420 years for the second. <br />
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Also, of the Biblical women characters who correspond to the Sephirot, it is Devorah who corresponds to Gevurah; and as we see in Hebrew, the only difference of the letters in these two words is in one, it begins with a Gimel, and the other word begins with a Dalet (culled from Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh's lectures). And in addition to Devorah's name beginning with a Dalet=4, the story about her in the Tanach, in Sefer Shoftim (Book of Judges) begins in the FOURTH verse of the FOURTH chapter. This is especially to note that Devorah is the only judge ever in observant Jewish history to be a female judge, which is normally forbidden being that women have other roles to fill, especially as related to the family, but this was the sole exception. In any case, this highlights the connection of the Sephirah of Gevurah as relating to laws and judgement.<br />
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Now, on a more positive side to Gevurah, more than just punishing our enemies, we see in one context in the Tanach how it can displayed as a good thing as more directly related to us. You see, King David states in Tehillim "Whoever is going to talk of the STRENGTHS of Hashem (Gevurot Hashem), should let all of His praise be heard" (Psalms 106:2). Now, one explanation of this is that this refers to saying all of the Tehillim, for as the see, the verse concludes with the word Tehilato (his praise) is etymologically related to the word Tehillim, which in fact includes parts that mentions of Hashem punishing our enemies, which is related especially to the Sephira of Gevurah She'B'Gevurah. <br />
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ROSH CHODESH AND THE NUMBER FOUR<br />
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As I mentioned earlier, King David corresponds Kabbalistically to the holiday of Rosh Chodesh. Noting that the first and last letters of his name is a Dalet, and the middle letter of the word Chodesh (month) is Dalet, it is most fascinating to note that the FOURTH Mitzva of the Torah is the sanctification of the New Moon by sight (which was abolished by Hillel II, head of the Sanhedrin, because of the hard times of exile, so he established today's Jewish calendar to be used until the Redemption and we have our Sanhedrin once more). And as for King David himself, he is the FOURTH of the four parts of the Ma'asei Merkava (Holy Chariot, which is explained at length in Kabbala) following the three Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.<br />
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Now, getting to Rosh Chodesh Kislev, which is in the midst of the week that corresponds to the NINTH Sephira, the month of Kislev is itself the NINTH month - being that we count the Jewish months from Nissan, the month of our Redemption from Egypt. And as related to Yissaschar, it was the heads of the Sanhedrin from THIS tribe who were in the forefront of establishing the rules of pronouncing Rosh Chodesh.<br />
And as particularly for the Rosh Chodesh of this month, one of the evil Syrian Greek kings gave orders to the Jews to especially not observe Brit Mila (circumcison), Shabbat, and Chodesh (Rosh Chodesh). And here, the question can be asked, why didn't the king forbid the Jewish holidays, rather than Rosh Chodesh, which is at best a minor holiday in which we are allowed to work. However, the king knew all too well that the dates of the holidays was based on when Rosh Chodesh was set. <br />
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In time, the holiday of Chanuka came into being, which was a result of such evil decrees which were protested against, and it is Rosh Chodesh Kislev that is the HEAD of the month that includes the beginning of Chanuka marking our freedom from such decrees. Accordingly, the significance and observance of lighting the Menorah lights on the eight nights of Chanuka helps us maintain our spiritual balance during the coming months of the winter period around the time that the nights are the longest, which represent the concept of NINE, for the ninth night from the beginning of Chanuka doesn't show any special spiritual significance now that Chanuka is over, but the spirituality of the 36 lights of Chanuka is what keeps us spiritually attuned from the ninth night and on, corresponding to the NINTH of Av on which we read the Book of Eicha (Lamentations), whose name Eicha, which is also the first word of this book of the Tanach, is the Gematria of 36 (See my 36th Post in Jul '09). <br />
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And finally, the letters of the word Rosh (head), as in the name of the beginning of any given Jewish month - Rosh Chodesh, have the same letters as the name of the Tribe of Asher, which was especially blessed with an abundance of olive oil in their portion of land in Israel. For bearing in mind of the connection between Rosh Chodesh and Chanuka - aside from the fact that Rosh Chodesh Tevet always falls out during the midst of Chanuka - the prefered way of lighting the Menorah on Chanuka is with olive oil, the way that it was done in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple). In fact, as related to the name of the month Tevet, the Avoda (Temple service) of cleaning and lighting the Menorah is called HATAVAT HaNeirot. In fact, its interesting to note that Halachicly, the measure of oil for the Menorah in the Beit HaMikdash was the amount that would last during the long nights of the month of Tevet (half a "log", which was applicable even for the short summer nights). And as Rashi notes, the Cohanim Gedolim (High Priests) were typically married to women from the Tribe of Asher. Moreover, the month whose corresponding tribe is the Tribe of Asher is Shevat, the month following Tevet in the midst of the winter whose nights are the longest. And as related to King David, who reigned for 501 months, corresponding to the Gematria of the word Rosh (Head), was annointed as king with olive oil, which is especially related to the Tribe of Asher, whose name has the same letters as the word Rosh. And the future NEW HEAD of the Jewish people will soon be our long awaited Moshiach, a descendant of King David.<br />
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22 Tevet, 5774<br />
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<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1866200493289352776.post-47636094869399632302013-12-18T18:35:00.000-08:002013-12-19T17:27:16.827-08:00#199 - Quality TZEDAKAFollowing my previous Post #198 which focused on Tractate Pesachim, whose name is the Gematria of 198, this post will be focusing on the following Tractate Shekalim, which is about the annual donation of half a Shekel (Note: Not necessarily the same value as today's Israeli Shekel) donated during the month of Adar for sacrificial funding in the coming year beginning with the month of Nissan. <br />
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Now, while there is a Mitzva in the Torah to give Tzedaka, which is loosely translated in English as charity, the giving of this half a Shekel was also an aspect of Tzedaka, an aspect of giving a part of one's money towards a worthy cause. With this said, the Gematria of the word Tzedaka is 199, which is the number of this post.<br />
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As for the Gematria of the word Tzedaka, it seems that it is not mere coincidence. Let us take a look at a Mishna in tractate Peah (8:8): "One who has 200 Zuz should not take Leket, Shichecha, Peah, or Ma'aser Ani (various gifts of grains from the field alloted to the poor). Should he have 200 (Zuz) minus one Dinar, even if he is given 1,000 (Zuz) at one shot, he can take it..." So as we can see here, one who has a little less than 200 Zuz, thus having 199 Zuz - even with a little change that is less than Zuz, he is considered to be in the category of needing financial assistance, and can take whatever he is given as having a Halachic status of being a poor person, which is termed Tzedaka, this word being the Gematria of 199.<br />
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Now, note what the Mishna says in terms of this person having a little less than 200 Zuz "minus one Dinar". Most interestingly, if we look at this Hebrew word Dinar, we can dissect it into two parts - Din Reish, which literally means "Law of 200 (the number Reish)". In other words, the Mishna can be read to mean that if one has 200 (Zuz) minus the status of having the law of one who has 200 Zuz which would otherwise disqualify him from receiving Tzedaka; in this case, even though he has a little more than 199 Zuz, but still, LESS THAN 200 Zuz, he qualifies for Tzedaka, for indeed, in accordance with the Gematria of the word Tzedaka, he technically has 199 Zuz, and not 200 Zuz; and hence' the LAW OF 200 Zuz is not applicable to him.<br />
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Noting that this Mishnaic statement hinting to the Gematria of the word Tzedaka is in the EIGHTH Mishna of the EIGHTH chapter of Tractate Peah, I should note that tractate Shekalim, which represents among other concepts the Mitzva of Tzedaka, consists of EIGHT chapters. And if you thought that there were no more connections of the number eight with the Mitzva of Tzedaka, the Rambam (Maimonides) comes along and tells us that there are EIGHT levels of giving Tzedaka (Laws of Gifts of the Poor 10:7-14). So, without further ado, let's list these here, from best to worst:<br />
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1)Offering work to one, which is also fulfillment of the Mitzva of "You shall strengthen him... and he shall live with you"; meaning, helping one be self-supportive, especially in a dignified manner.<br />
2)Giving Tzedaka to one, where neither one knows who the other is.<br />
3)Giving Tzedaka to one, where the one who receives it doesn't know who the giver is.<br />
4)Giving Tzedaka to one, where the one who gives it doesn't know who the receiver is.<br />
5)Giving Tzedaka before being asked for it.<br />
6)Giving Tzedaka after being asked for it.<br />
7)Giving less Tzedaka than one should, but at least done in a cheerful way.<br />
8)Giving Tzedka grudgingly.<br />
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Actually, there is another connection of the number eight here, particularly with the word Shekalim (which by the way is the plural for Shekel) which is the Gematria of 480, for 480 divided by EIGHT (480/8) yields an even 60. And as we see with the shapes of the letters of the Aleph-Beit, the letter that looks closest to a circle is the letter Samech, having the numerical value of 60; and as we know, coins, which in this context are called Shekalim, have a circle shape. <br />
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Now, the original source for this Mitzva of Shekalim is the beginning of Parshat Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-16), which is also read, besides the regular Parsha reading, on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh Adar, or if Shabbat falls out on Rosh Chodesh Adar, on this day itself, for it was on this date that the announcement of the requirement of giving a half a Shekel was made. <br />
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There are quite a few interesting factoids pertaining to this section in the Torah about Shekalim consisting of six verses. This consists of 90 words, and the word Tzedaka begins with the letter Tzadi, which has the numerical value of 90. This is especially illustrated in the word Machazit of the phrase Machatzit HaShekel "HALF a Shekel", in which the middle letter is a Tzadi which begins the word Tzedaka, for as the Vilna Gaon notes, the letters in the word that are next to the Tzadi are Cheit and Yud, which together spell the word Chai (live), while the outer letters - Mem and Tav - spell the word Meit (dead), for as it is written in Mishlei (Proverbs 10:2): "Tzedaka saves from death".<br />
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Now, in the part that states "Each person shall GIVE..." the Hebrew word V'Natnu - consisting of the letters Vav-Noon-Tav-Noon-Vav - can be read forwards and backwards, which in English is called a palindrome. The Ba'al Haturim, in explaining this phenomenon, tells us that we can learn from this that whatever a person gives to Tzedaka comes back to him. As for who is required to give this Machatzit HaShekel, the Torah states, unlike for most other Mitzvot that are applicable from the age of Bar (or Bat) Mitzva, it is mandated particularly for those (men) who are 20 years old and above. Moreover, as a further connection to the number 20, we see that in measuring what a Shekel is, the Torah tells us that it is worth the value of 20 Gerah. even though in fact, one gives a half Shekel; and hence, one is really giving a half Shekel that is worth 10 Gerah. But perhaps, the Torah is hinting to what what would be the current money being used at one time, which in Mishanaic times, was called a Zuz, this word being the Gematria of 20. <br />
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And, just as shown with the word Dinar, a type of value for coins, how it can be dissected into two words, we will do the same now for the word Zuz, which is also a type of value for coins, for this can be read as Zu Zayin "This is a weapon", for the name of the letter Zayin also means weapon, except that in this instance, it is only the actual letter Zayin that is spelled here and not the full word Zayin. And while the word Zuz itself isn't mentioned in the Torah, being that it is the Gematria of 20 which is the number of Gerah for the value of a Shekel as mentioned in this Torah section about Shekalim, the word Zuz can theoretically come into play here. Additionally, the word Zuz, just like the word VeNatnu "They shall give", is a palindrome, consisting of the letters Zayin-Vav-Zayin. In any case, one may wonder what weapons have to do with coins here.<br />
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For this, we turn to the story of the Megilla - Megillat Esther - that we read on Purim, the holiday that is celebrated in the midst of the month of Adar, the month during which the half Shekel is contributed. When Haman, who hated the Jews so much that he just wanted to have them murdered without even giving them a chance to convert to a different religion (which is actually even worse, but what Haman wanted to do to us just shows how much he couldn't stand us), played the dice to decide on what month he would murder us, which was Adar, he then appeared to King Achashveirosh with his evil plan, offering the king some 10,000 talents of silver, which the king turned down, but not Haman's offer to murder all the Jews. Now the Hebrew words for talents of silver are Kikar Kesef, both words starting with the letter Kaf, the numerical value of 20, and in the word Kikar (talent) - the letter Kaf is spelled twice consecutively. And for additional math, let us divide 10,000 by 20 (10,000/20), and the answer is 500, which is the Gematria of the word Natan "he gave", which is the root word of the palindrome VeNatnu, and is itself a palindrome - consisting of the letters Noon-Tav-Noon. <br />
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So, as per the words Natan and Zuz, these refer to the giving of both the Jews and Haman. As for us Jews, it was the GIVING of the Shekalim, our spiritual WEAPON (Zayin), which is called the Kesef HaKipurim, using the letter Kaf in both words, including the word that includes Kipurim (atonement), the last part of this word that is pronounced the same as the name of the holiday of Purim, that saved us from Haman's offer of Shekalim, which he used as a WEAPON to have us murdered, even though he didn't actually accomplish giving them to the king since the king turned them down, as the king himself was all to happy to get rid of of the Jews in his own bitter hatred of them, which resulted at the end of us having the holiday of Purim. In any case, it is still considered as though Haman actually give the 10,000 talents of silver, since as our rabbis tell us, the evil thoughts (or plans) of non-Jews, even though they never come into fruition, are considered as though they performed them, and are punished accordingly.<br />
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And speaking of HALF, since this portion of the Torah is called Shekalim, we see that half the Gematria of the word Shekalim (480) is 240, which is the Gematria of the name of Amalek, the first nation who dared attack the Jews since the Exodus, from whom Haman was descended who was defeated in the merit of the Jews giving the annual half-Shekel during the month of Adar, the month that Haman planned to murder all the Jews in. In fact, the exact date that this was planned for was 13 Adar, just as in the dissected word Zuz which can be read as Zu Zayin, Zu is the Gematria of 13 and Zayin means weapon; but instead, the Jews, with their physical weapons as well, defeated their enemies on the 13th of Adar, who came to fight the Jews as a result of the original letter that the king sent out for them to fight the Jews upon Haman's advice. Moreover, Haman's name can be read as Ha-Man "the Mahn" referring to the manna that the Jews ate in the desert for 40 years (I explained the connection between the two in a past post), but the point here is that the letters of Mahn - Mem and Noon - together is the Gematria of 90; hence, "the ninety". Meaning, in the merit of the half Shekel that the Jews gave that is based on the Torah section consisting of 90 words, Haman - whose name can be read as "the ninety" was defeated. <br />
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Another connection here between the concept of Shekalim and the ultimate defeat of Amalek, which will happen soon in our days, G-d willing, is that in the section of the Torah about the half Shekel, the wording of Terumah is mentioned THREE times right next to Hashem's name (Terumah LaHashem or Terumat Hashem), hinting to the three types of donations that the Jews gave pertaining to the Mishkan (tabernacle) or the Korbanot (sacrifices). Accordingly, there are THREE Mitzvot pertaining to how to deal with Amalek - 1)Remembering what Amalek did to us following the Exodus, 2)Erasing the memory of Amalek - leaving not a trace of this evil nation alive or in existance, 3)Not forgetting what Amalek did to us following the Exodus.<br />
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As for symbolisms, the popular baked good called Hamentaschen, named ironically after our arch enemy, which probably is named as such to denote defeating, in the symbolism of eating, our enemies, consists of THREE sides or corners, in contrast to most other baked goods that are either round or sqaure. Now, this is good for food as per ourselves. However, we must not forget the poor, not only when it comes time to give the annual Machatzit HaShekel on 13 Adar (or if we didn't have a chance to before, on Purim) in the synagogue, which is today a symbolism rather than the Mitzva - though you still fulfill the Mitzva of Tzedaka (Note: Actually, as of a few years ago, this Mitzva is now in existance once again, thanks to the Temple Institute. To donate your annual Machatzit HaShekel during the month of Adar, contact the Temple Institute via the contact form at templeinstitute.org or by phone at 972-(0)2-6264545).), but also, when it comes to the Mitzva of Matanot L'Evyonim "Gifts for the poor", one of the four special Mitzvot of Purim, consisting of giving money (equivalent to at least the value of a satisfying meal) to (at least, but the more the better) two poor people, each. In fact, the section in the Rambam's Mishne Torah about the laws of Tzedaka are included in what is entitled Hilchot Matnot Aniyim "Laws of Gifts of the Poor".<br />
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And as for the Mitzva of Machatzit HaShekel in relationship to the list of the Taryag Mitzvot (613 Commandments), it is Mitzva 106. Now, the name of the letter NOON, consisting of the letters Noon-Van-Noon, is the Gematria of 106, which begins and ends with a NOON, just as the word Natan (wording meaning gave or giving, from the midst of the word VeNatnu which is mentioned in the midst of the section of the Torah about the Machatzit HaShekel, noting that all of these three words - Noon, Natan, and VeNatnu - are palindromes. And perhaps the biggest surprise here is that the Mitzva of Tzedaka is the 480th Mitzva of the Torah. That's right, the word Shekalim, which in the Torah context, refers to the Mitzva of Machatzit HaShekel which is also a Mitzva of Tzedaka - Mitzva 480, is the Gematria of 480! Coincidence?!<br />
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Now, getting back to the Talmud as per Tractate Shekalim, the name Shekalim has the same Gematria as a most famous word - TALMUD! Ironically, of the twelve Mishnaic tractates in the second of the six volumes of the Mishna that is called Moed (Holiday), the only tractate that doesn't come along with the explanation of the Babylonian Talmud is Tractate Shekalim, whose name is the same Gematria as Talmud. However, it does come along with the explanation of the Jerusalem Talmud, just as the other tractates of the volume of Moed. While at one time, the Daf Yomi of the learning of the Babylonian Talmud didn't include the learning of this tractate, it was decided at one point to include the learning of the Jerusalem Talmud for Tractate Shekalim; thus, giving a taste of the Jerusalem Talmud to those who are accustomed to the daily learning of the Babylonian Talmud, being that the Jerusalem Talmud way of explaining the Mishna is a little different than the typical way of its counterpart Talmud. In any case, there is a practical difference in terms of Dafim between the two Talmuds pertaining to Tractate Shekalim. You see, in the regular Jerusalem Talmud edition, it consists of 33 Dafim; while in the edition as printed in the Babylonian Talmud volumes, it consists of 21 Dafim. The way to remember the number of Dafim in the Babylonian Talmud is that the section of Shekalim in the Torah is the beginning of the 21st Parsha, Ki Tisa. <br />
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Now, having mentioned this concept in quite a few of my past posts, we see here a correlationship here between learning Torah and doing acts of kindness or Tzedaka. You see, the words/phrases of Torah and Gemilut Chasadim (providing kindnesses) have the same Gematria of 611. Accordingly, both the words/phrases Talmud and Ahavat Chesed (love of kindness) have the same Gematria of 480, and the 480th Mitzva of the Torah is giving Tzedaka. And accordingly, the word Gemara is the Gematria of 244, and the 244th Mitzva of the Torah is Ahavat Yisrael (love of Jews).<br />
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And getting to the corresponding Sephira as per the Jewish calendar, the EIGHTH Sephira combination is Chesed She'B'Gevurah, the beginning of the second set of the Sephirot combinatons that are under the category of Gevurah (Strength), which represents Hashem's Din (strict justice). Yet, there is an allowance at times for good points within this strict realm. With this said, giving Tzedaka is in essence performing a Chesed (Kindness) to those who are affected by Gevurah. This is not to say that all poor people are punished by Hashem, G-d forbid. If anything, there are some righteous people who are also very poor. However, we have to remember that in essence, Hashem is all good, and that is why our rabbis enjoin us in the last chapter of Tractate Berachot in the Mishna that one is obligated to bless Hashem for the bad just as we bless Hashem for the obvious good. And even if this bad is actually a punishment from Hashem, the good part of it is that it is an atonement for us in this world, so we won't be punished by the far more severe punishment in the next world, aside from allowing us to be worthy of our share in the world to come for our good deeds. Accordingly, even for those who live in poverty not due to punishment, they are also affected by this Divine trait of Gevurah, so unless the reason why they are poor is because they are too lazy to work, they are in this situation because at least outwardly, it seems to be strict justice for them, though in the long run, it paves the way for them to be ever more worthy of the eternal bliss following this short transitory life. <br />
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Accordingly, in the first Aliyah of Parshat Chayei Sara, we see the story of how Abraham transacted a business deal to purchase the Mearat HaMachpeilah in Hebron to bury his wife Sara. We see that Abraham paid the purchase price of 400 Shekel pieces of silver to Ephron, whose name, when spelled without the letter Vav following the transaction due to his greediness, is the Gematria of 400, as well as the phrase Ayin Ra (evil eye), which Ephron, who boasted of how generous he was to Abraham, was in effect quite the opposite. In any case, in the various Jewish calendar years, the week of Chayei Sara can begin as early as 16 Cheshvan on the first day of the week, and in other years, can end on 27 Cheshvan on Shabbat. This means that in all years, the dates of 21 Cheshvan and 22 Cheshvan will always fall out during the week of Parshat Chayei Sara. And as I mentioned in my previous post, the Daf Yomi learning of Tractate Pesachim in this 13th Daf Yomi cycle ended on 15 Cheshvan, and the beginning of the Daf Yomi learning of Tractate Shekalim, which consists of EIGHT chapters, began on 16 Cheshvan, the first day of the week of Parshat Chayei Sara, which begins with the purchase of the Mearat HaMachpelah, where there are a total of EIGHT people buried (Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah). And while Abraham's giving of the 400 Shekel was not in the context of Tzedaka which is very related to the number eight; nevertheless, the fact that the words Shekel and Kesef (silver) mentioned here are the same words that are mentioned in the section of the Torah about the Machatzit HaShekel that teaches us things about the concept of Tzedaka brings us to mind of this concept, which was a part of Abraham's life, which was especially focused on Hachnasat Orchim (inviting guests), giving them both physical and spiritual nourishment without expecting any financial returns. <br />
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In any case, the giving of Tzedaka, which is very related to the number EIGHT, represents the EIGHTH Sephirah combination of Chesed She'B'Gevurah; corresponding to which is the third/fourth week of the month of Cheshvan when we read Parshat Chayei Sara which begins with the story of Abraham purchasing a burial plot for Sara with Shekel coins. For in fact, burying someone is what is called Chesed Shel Emet "Kindness of Truth", for one is doing a kindness for someone who is now deceased, who obviously will not be able to physically return us a favor, hence, this being Tzedaka given to someone who is deceased, which is not a loan to him, as loans are not considered Tzedaka which is giving something to someone without expectation of being paid back. The only practical difference between giving Tzedaka to someone who is living and one who is deceased is that at the very least, the one who is alive who just received your kind generous donation of money, food, or clothing will most likely show some short of appreciation, which is absent with one who is now deceased, but is in effect relying on the Chevra Kadisha "Holy Society", the group of people who see to it that the deceased is taken care of properly, including being cleaned, washed, dressed in shrouds, and finally placed in the coffin. <br />
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And so, the next time that we give Tzedaka, we should ask ourselves - why we are giving it. Do we do this because we want to show how kind we are, to make ourselves look good, or...because first of all, it is a Mitzva in the Torah, and it is also a fulfillment of the Mitzva of Ahavat Yisrael, not wishing honor or fame for ouirselves, or even to pat ourselves on the back; but rather, that we are giving it strictly as the Mitzva of Tzedaka, knowing that it will make some positive difference in another's life, just as we would wish for ourselves if we were to be in that same situation. Hence, the next time that we give Tzedaka, bearing in mind the right reasons for doing so, which by the way maximizes our eternal reward for this Mitzva, it should be what we call QUALITY TZEDAKA.<br />
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16 Tevet, 5774<br />
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<br />shimonmatisyahuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00988486888703196670noreply@blogger.com0