Parashat Shemot: What Can We Learn from Moshe About Defining Who is a Native Israeli?

 

Parashat Shemot
What Can We Learn from Moshe About Defining Who is a Native Israeli?

Why Does Any Jew Living in Israel Deserve to be Called an Israeli?

When people, detecting my slight foreign accent, ask me where I’m from, I always answer, “I’m from Israel!” Most people don’t really buy that and keep asking for my ‘true’ identity and place of origin. So, I must insist that I truly am from Israel. As a Jewish woman, I stem from the Holy Land and have deep roots here. I only happen to have been born in Denmark, which is completely inconsequential to who I am. It is a minute part of my extensive Jewish family tree. From the vast genealogy of our family, only my parents were born in Denmark, whereas each of my grandparents originated from somewhere else. Moreover, I gave up my Danish citizenship to become Israeli so I’m 100% Israeli and I will protest against anyone calling me a chutznik (someone from outside Israel). Actually, no Jew living in Israel should be called by that appellation. I object vehemently whenever I hear the term chutznik. Just as it is prohibited to remind a Ba’al Teshuva or a convert that s/he didn’t always keep the Torah (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metzia 58b) so do I venture to say that calling any Jew who wasn’t born in Israel a chutznik is included in the Torah prohibition of verbal mistreatment (Vayikra 25:17). Most people making Aliyah to Israel make great efforts and sacrifice much to be able to leave everything behind and join their people in the holy land. Therefore, rather than reminding them that they aren’t born and bred Sabras by calling them chutznikim (outsiders), Israelis must acknowledge the loyalty of newcomers to Israel and their willingness to acquire the land of Israel through suffering, as taught in the Talmud: “The Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel three precious gifts, and all of them were given only through suffering. These are they: The Torah, the Land of Israel, and the World to Come” (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 5a).

How does Parashat Shemot Teach us the Importance of Calling Ourselves Israelis?

In Parashat Shemot, we learn the importance for any Jew to call himself Israeli even if he never set foot in Israel. The midrash admonishes Moshe for allowing himself to be called “an Egyptian man” without correcting Yitro’s daughters, telling them he was a Hebrew. Therefore, as a consequence, he was not buried in his Land. When Yitro questioned his daughters why they were able to return home with the sheep so quickly his daughters replied:

ספר שמות פרק ב פסוק יט וַתֹּאמַרְןָ אִישׁ מִצְרִי הִצִּילָנוּ מִיַּד הָרֹעִים וְגַם דָּלֹה דָלָה לָנוּ וַיַּשְׁקְ אֶת הַצֹּאן:

“An Egyptian man rescued us from the hand[s] of the shepherds, and he also drew [water] for us and watered the flocks” (Shemot 2:19).

Moshe said before Him: ‘Yosef’s bones will enter the land, but I will not enter the land?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘The one who acknowledged his land will be buried in his land, and the one who did not acknowledge his land will not be buried in his land.’ Yosef acknowledged his land; from where is this derived? His master’s wife said: “See, he brought us a Hebrew man…” (Bereishit 39:14), and he did not deny it; rather, “I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews” (Bereishit 40:15). He was buried in his land. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The bones of Yosef, which the children of Israel took up from Egypt, they buried in Shechem” (Yehoshua 24:32). ‘You, who did not acknowledge your land, will not be buried in your land.’ How so? Yitro’s daughters said: “An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds” (Shemot 2:19), and he heard and was silent. That is why he was not buried in his land (Midrash Devarim Rabbah 2:8).

Why did Moshe our Rabbi not Merit Being Buried in Israel?

When I mentioned this Midrash to my husband, he right away countered, asking how Moshe could know that Yitro’s daughters called him an Egyptian man, which obviously didn’t take place in his presence. The following Torah verse testifies his point: “He [Yitro] said to his daughters, ‘So where is he? Why have you left the man? Invite him and let him eat bread’” (Shemot 2:20). As I was in the middle of preparing Shabbat salads, I retorted that I was just repeating what the midrash said. Later I read that it is still possible that the appellation “an Egyptian man” was given to Moshe at his first meeting with Yitro. Moshe, who was raised at Pharao’s castle, most likely would give off the impression of an Egyptian, both through his dress and accent. Yitro therefore naturally would have assumed Moshe to be an Egyptian, and Moshe did not challenge Yitro’s assumption by clarifying that he was a Hebrew. Furthermore, while Moshe may not have heard the daughters’ reference to him as an Egyptian, Yitro – looking for a husband for one of his daughters – would undoubtedly have questioned Moshe about his national identity, allowing Moshe to respond that he was a Hebrew rather than an Egyptian. Therefore, since Moshe should have been aware that Yitro would assume him to be an Egyptian, without correcting this misconception, he didn’t merit being buried in Israel. In contrast, the Rambam who lived his last 45 years in Egypt, is known to have signed his letters as, “Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, who violates the commandment not to dwell in Egypt every day.” Indeed, there are many parallels between Moshe Rabbeinu and Moshe ben Maimon: Both lived most of their years in Egypt, both were great Rabbis and teachers who had concern for those much lesser than they, and they both acted on behalf of their emunah and their people – before the entire world – with dignity, wisdom, and sensitivity. Perhaps Rambam’s public penitence for living in Egypt is a rectification for Moshe’s tolerance of being called an Egyptian. This could be why Rambam did merit burial in Israel. The spiritual connection between Moshe Rabbeinu and Moshe ben Maimon is highlighted by the inscription on Rambam’s tombstone stone in Tiberias, where it states, “From Moshe to Moshe, there arose no one like Moshe.”

Why is Every Jew a Child of Eretz Yisrael?

Rabbi Meir Yechiel of Ostrovtza asserts that from the moment G-d promised the Land to Avraham Avinu, every Jew must regard himself as a native of Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, whenever we are asked where we are from, we must answer “I am from Eretz Yisrael.”  The Rabbi is known for introducing himself as follows: “I am from Eretz Yisrael, though as the result of our sins we were exiled from her, and I find myself in Ostrovtza (To Dwell in the Palace, Feldheim Publishers, p. 135). Thus, Hashem expected Moshe to say something like this: “Although I have lived all my life in the land of Egypt, my true ties are to the Land of Israel.  Like Yosef before me, I have unfortunately been exiled by circumstance. I am not an Egyptian at all” (ibid., p. 116). In the speech he gave upon receiving the Nobel Prize for literature, Shai Agnon paraphrased the Rebbe of Ostrovtza: “Due to the historic catastrophe in which Titus, king of Rome destroyed Jerusalem and exiled Israel from its Land, I was born in one of the towns of the diaspora. However, I have perpetually considered myself as one as born in Jerusalem…” The connection between every Jew and Eretz Yisrael is so deep and so basic that even one who was not born in her or never visited the Land is indeed a (spiritual) native of Eretz Yisrael. Thus, we understand that Eretz Yisrael is not merely a geographic location, or simply the dwelling place of Am Yisrael (the Nation of Israel), where the nation established its state. Israel is the spiritual homeland of every single Jew. “Eretz Yisrael is an independent unit, bound with a living attachment with the nation, bound with inner segulot (auspicious properties) with the nation’s existence” (Rav Kook, Orot 1). Even if certain circumstances require a child to be raised by a foster family, won’t that child always be connected to and identify with his biological parents? This is the connection between every Jew and Eretz Yisrael, and the reason why every Jew is from Eretz Yisrael as Rav Kook teaches, “Every Jew is a Child of Eretz Yisrael.”

What is the Halachic Implication of “Every Jew is a Child of Eretz Yisrael”?

During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire decreed that citizens of countries at war with her would be exiled from Israel. However, one born in Israel was entitled to Ottoman citizenship and would be allowed to remain in Israel after filing an affidavit that he was in fact born in Israel. Rabbi Y. L. and his friend Rabbi Citron were both Russian-born; the rabbis neither wanted to be exiled from Israel nor to swear falsely that they were born in Israel. Rabbi Citron addressed the question to his father-in-law, the Rogatchover Gaon (Rabbi Yosef Rosen 1858-1925). Who explained that the Talmud elucidates the verse “Of Tzion it shall be said, this man and this man were born in her…” (Tehillim 87:5) as follows: “Both one who was (actually) born in her and one who looks forward to seeing her (are equally considered children of Tzion),” (Babylonian Talmud, Ketubot 75a). Thus, the Rogatchover ruled, as a practical halacha, that regardless of where he was physically born, a Jew may honestly swear that he was born in Eretz Yisrael. (Based on Avrum Leeder and Ori Engelman, Eretz Yisrael Yomi, Why Moshe was not privileged to be buried in Eretz Yisrael).

Where is the Mitzvah of Making Aliyah to Israel Hinted in Parashat Shemot?

Rabbi. Meir Yechiel of Ostrovtza pointed out that the first commandment ever given to a Jew (Avraham Avinu) was to go to Eretz Yisrael. Similarly, the very first mitzvah that G-d mentioned to Moshe Rabbeinu was Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael:

ספר שמות פרק ג פסוק ז וַיֹּאמֶר הַשֵׁם רָאֹה רָאִיתִי אֶת עֳנִי עַמִּי אֲשֶׁר בְּמִצְרָיִם וְאֶת צַעֲקָתָם שָׁמַעְתִּי מִפְּנֵי נֹגְשָׂיו כִּי יָדַעְתִּי אֶת מַכְאֹבָיו: (ח) וָאֵרֵד לְהַצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא אֶל אֶרֶץ טוֹבָה וּרְחָבָה אֶל אֶרֶץ זָבַת חָלָב וּדְבָשׁ אֶל מְקוֹם הַכְּנַעֲנִי וְהַחִתִּי וְהָאֱמֹרִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַחִוִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי:

“Hashem said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of their slave drivers, for I know their pains. I have descended to rescue them from the hand[s] of the Egyptians and to bring them up from that land, to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Chittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Chivites, and the Yebusites’” (Shemot 3:7-8).

Only afterward did Hashem allude to Matan Torah, saying, “This is your sign that I have sent you: when you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve G-d on this mountain (Shemot 3:12). Why did Hashem make the giving of the Torah secondary to bringing the Children of Israel to the Land of Israel? As is well-known, many mitzvot cannot be fulfilled outside the Land, and the rest are more complete in the Holy Land. Therefore, when Hashem promised to bring the Jews out of Egypt to a Land flowing with milk and honey, He promised, in essence, to enable the Jews to keep the entire Torah. This clarifies why Matan Torah is considered merely a preliminary sign to entering the Land, for without the Land, the Torah is incomplete (Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel, Eretz Chemda). Even if our lives in exile seem quite safe and comfortable, we should yearn to be with our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, despite the suffering we might have to endure for the privilege (Rabbi Moshe D. Lichtman, Lights on Shemot). How heartwarming it is to learn about the massive increase in the opening of Aliyah files in Western countries. About 35,000 Jews from a hundred different countries (but of course from Israel😊) have made Aliyah between October 7, 2023, and December 2024, according to figures published by the Jewish Agency for Israel. A third of all immigrants were aged 18-35 years old. The Massa organization, jointly created by the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government, has meanwhile continued to bring thousands of young Jews to Israel despite the war (35,000 Jews immigrated to Israel since the October 7 massacre). We pray that more and more of the Children of the Land of Israel will truly return to our homeland so everything will keep getting better and better! 

Parashat Vayechi: What Do Ya’acov’s Blessings on His Deathbed Teach Us About the Land of Israel?

 

Parashat Vayechi
What Do Ya’acov’s Blessings on His Deathbed Teach Us About the Land of Israel?

Why is the Tiny Land of Israel so Diverse from Snowy Mountains to Hot Springs?

Isn’t it fascinating how the nature of the tiny Land of Israel is so diverse? From the stunning fertile Golan Heights with its viticulture traditions to the Salt Sea famed as the Earth’s lowest point; the rich olive groves of the Galilee; not to forget the enchanted Sea of Galilee (Kineret); the moist coastland sparkling with citrus fruit; the cool summer nights in the pomegranate land of the Judean Hills; the date palms of the Judean desert and the Negev; the winter warming oasis of Ein Gedi featuring wild and rare flora and more. Oh, and I forgot the famous ski resort of the desired Mount Chermon, now since December 9, 2024, Israel has taken over the Syrian peak, and the Ski resort’s CEO dreams of expanding the Chermon site including as he calls it ‘The New Chermon.’ For nature lovers living in Israel, there, certainly, is no need to go abroad for vacation, Israel has it all! From its first conquest by Yehoshua, the Land of Israel was divided according to the twelve tribes of Israel. Each tribe has its own distinct features, personality, tendencies, and talents reflected in the corresponding topography of its allotted land. I recall more than two decades ago when my friend Nechama wrote her book The Twelve Dimensions of Israel. She requested to stay with us, here in the Judean Hills when she was writing about the Tribe of Yehuda. She disclosed that she wrote about each tribe while residing in its allotted territory. This way she could best tune into the vibe of the respective tribes. The distinct features of the tribes of Israel and their allotted land are quite intriguing. Whenever I visit a new place in Israel, I familiarize myself with the tribe of the place to tune into its personality and thus get more out of the experience of the visit. I’m always happy to return to the Judean hills, where I feel at home, and enjoy the mountain air, the rich herbage, and bird song. 

How is Yehuda’s Blessing Synchronized with the Features of His Land to This Day?

Parashat Vayechi recounts the blessings Ya’acov imparted to his sons on his deathbed. Each blessing teaches us about each son’s individuality, strength, and pitfalls, which would be bequeathed to its respective tribe. More than the rest of the tribes, Ya’acov’s blessings for the tribes of Yehuda, Zebulon, and Asher include a description of praise of their corresponding lands. Although the wine of the Golan Heights is internationally known as one of the best in the world, it is Yehuda’s land (which includes Chevron) that Ya’acov praises for its abundant vines:

ספר בראשית פרק מט פסוק י לֹא יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִיהוּדָה וּמְחֹקֵק מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו עַד כִּי יָבֹא שִׁילֹה וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּים:

(יא) אֹסְרִי לַגֶּפֶן עִירֹה וְלַשּׂרֵקָה בְּנִי אֲתֹנוֹ כִּבֵּס בַּיַּיִן לְבֻשׁוֹ וּבְדַם עֲנָבִים סוּתֹה :(יב) חַכְלִילִי עֵינַיִם מִיָּיִן וּלְבֶן שִׁנַּיִם מֵחָלָב:

“The staff shall not depart from Yehuda, nor the scepter from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and the obedience of his people be his. Binding his foal to the vine, and his ass’s colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. [He is] red-eyed from wine and white toothed from milk” (Bereishit 49:10-12).

Ya’acov prophesied that the land of Yehuda would run with wine like a fountain. The vines will be so productive that a man of Yehuda will bind one foal to a vine, and fully load it with grapes of only one grapevine. From the produce of only one branch, he will load one ass’s colt (Rashi, Bereishit 49:11). Yehuda’s land, also called Judea, is an area characterized by warm days and cool nighttime temperatures – indeed the perfect climate for growing grapes. Even today the Chevron grapes of Yehuda are famous for being the sweetest with the most incredible taste. According to Onkelos, גֶּפֶן/gefen – “the grapevine” is a metaphor for Israel, as it states, “You plucked a vine out of Egypt” (Tehillim 80:9); and “I have planted you a noble wine” (Yirmeyahu 2:21). Being “red-eyed with wine” appears to be the opposite of a blessing. Yet Onkelos helps us understand the imagery in a positive light. The word עֵינַיִם/einayim means both ‘eyes’ and ‘fountains.’ They refer to the mountains, from where one can see far away how the Judean hills are red with wine. Rashi adds that eyes refer to the fountains - the continuous flow of the wine press. Alternatively, wine is a metaphor for Torah. When it states “He washes… in wine” it refers to Israel’s purification process through Torah immersion.  However, if the time of redemption comes while Israel still lacks Torah, then the redemption will come through the suffering of the nations, as Chazal said, (as we have experienced during the Holocaust) he will allow a king as cruel as Haman to rise (Yerushalmi Ta’anit 3a). This is the meaning of “With blood of grapes” - through suffering their preparation for redemption will be completed, like the ripening of grapes. The nations will only be able to pick a few grapes, but they won’t have the power to cut down a tree, even a branch, or a cluster (Ohr HaChayim, Bereishit 49:11).

What will be the Fate of the Biblical City of Tzidon (Sidon) After Israel’s Conquest?

The partnership between Yissachar and Zevulun is well known. Yissachar would learn Torah and share his reward with Zevulun, who, in return, would work in import and export providing for both tribes. His land on the seacoast allowed him to travel overseas for his business. What is less known is that the city of Tzidon was originally included in the Promised Land within Zevulun’s portion as Parashat Vayechi testifies:

ספר בראשית פרק מט פסוק יג זְבוּלֻן לְחוֹף יַמִּים יִשְׁכֹּן וְהוּא לְחוֹף אֳנִיֹּת וְיַרְכָתוֹ עַל צִידֹן:

Zevulun will dwell on the coast of the seas; he [will be] at the harbor of the ships, and his boundary will be at Tzidon (Bereishit 49:13).

Although Tzidon (Sidon) is within the borders of the Biblical Land, it has been located in Lebanon, 25 miles south of Beirut until October 8, 2024, when the IDF raised the Israeli flag in Southern Lebanon. According to Arab news sources, Lebanese fishermen were forced to keep their boats ashore after Israel warned that it would expand its operations against Hezbollah to coastal areas south of Sidon (Al-Monitor, 8 October 2024). The Bat Ayin resident and American-Israeli journalist, Shai ben-Tekoa, demonstrates that the territory intended for the Jewish state by the British politicians when issuing the Balfour Declaration extended north through Tzidon (Sidon). Nevertheless, Tzidon has been the third-largest city in Lebanon since the 1920 Arab attack on the northern settlement of Tel Chai. In his book Phantom Nation, Shai ben-Tekoa compares several contemporary maps produced in Europe to determine the boundaries of the Jewish state intended by the British. He writes: The Britannica map and all others in circulation at the time of the Balfour Declaration were based on the Biblical descriptions of the Land… maps of Palestine from France (1907), Spain (1907) and Sweden (1914) in use during the First World War… are pretty much the same, all of them based, and not surprisingly, on the Bible, the borders of the Promised Land as described in several word-maps found in the Five Books of Moses/Pentateuch. (Shai Ben-Tekoa, Phantom Nation: Inventing the Palestinians as the Obstacle to Peace). For decades, the area north of Tzidon has been used by terrorists to attack the State of Israel. The IDF has fought two wars (in 1982 and 2006) against the terrorists in Southern Lebanon. Though Israel had managed to clear the area of terrorists, after Israeli withdrawals, the terrorists eventually returned (https://aish.com/a-history-of-southern-lebanon/). Now that Israel has recaptured Southern Lebanon let us hope that it will remain terrorist-free within the rightful borders of the land of Israel!

The Fertile Olive Groves of Asher’s Land

The land of the tribe of Asher was especially rich with olive orchards, as it is today. Both Ya’acov and Moshe blessed Asher with an abundance of olive oil. The Midrash describes the flag of Asher with a picture of an olive tree (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7).  Asher’s land encompasses Western Galilee, and stretches over the northwestern part of Israel, bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the west. This coastal region has comparatively low temperatures and much rainfall, making it some of the most fertile land of Israel, with rich pasture, wooded hills, and orchards; as such Asher became particularly prosperous, and known for its olive oil. His territory includes Mount Carmel, an especially fertile and bountiful mountain. It produced such large amounts of olive oil in biblical times that Asher became exceedingly wealthy, as the leader in the olive oil trade. The kings of all the neighboring nations would pay a special tribute to Asher to have the right to anoint themselves with their oil. Ya’acov’s blessing to Asher, which testifies that Asher’s wealth both spiritually and materially arose to the tables of kings, hints at this:

 ספר בראשית פרק מט פסוק כ מֵאָשֵׁר שְׁמֵנָה לַחְמוֹ וְהוּא יִתֵּן מַעֲדַנֵּי מֶלֶךְ:

“From Asher will come rich food, and he will yield regal delicacies” (Bereishit 49:20).                  

Ya’acov prophesized that the food from Asher’s territory would be rich, for there would be many olive trees in his territory so that oil would flow like a fountain. Likewise, Moshe blessed him, “…and dip his foot in oil” (Devarim 33:24). The Talmud tells a tale of a Gentile official charged with the mission of bringing olive oil worth a million coins. The official went to a town in the territory of Asher and found a man who worked his olive grove and dipped his hands and feet in a golden cup full of oil, to fulfill what is stated: “and dip his foot in oil.” After providing oil worth a million coins, the man measured additional oil for one hundred eighty thousand coins (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 85b). Olive oil is associated with wisdom as it states “Rabbi Yochanan said, because they are accustomed to olive oil; wisdom is found in them. The Rabbis taught, HIS FOOT IS DIPPED IN OIL - This is Asher’s portion, which draws oil like a wellspring (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 85b).

The Spiritual Eternal Message of Olives – A Metaphor for Israel

The Children of Israel are compared to olives, our spiritual work is transforming the bitter, useless, or even negative, to become good, useful, and positive. “Hashem called your name a leafy olive tree, fair with goodly fruit” (Yirmeyahu 11:16). Israel is compared to the olive tree because it is a perpetually fresh evergreen with leaves that remain moist the entire year. The fact that the olive leaves never wither symbolizes Israel’s perpetual success. The fruits of the olive, as its oil are for the honor of G-d and people, therefore the righteous who take refuge in the protection of G-d are compared to the evergreen olive tree (Tehillim 52:10).  Just as olive leaves do not fall from the tree neither summer nor winter, so can Israel never be completely nullified neither in this world nor in the coming world. However, as we are experiencing today, just as the olive only brings forth its oil when beaten, so does Israel only return to good through difficulties and hardships (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 53b). Just as olive oil does not mix with other liquids, Israel does not mix with Gentiles. Moreover, even if you put this oil into several liquids it remains on top of them all. Likewise, Israel is on top of all the nations as it states, “Hashem your G-d placed you uplifted on all the nations of the earth” (Devarim 28:1; Midrash Devarim Rabbah 7:3).

Olive Oil – Representing the Inner Essence of Israel

Pure olive oil is used for the Menorah in the Holy Temple, and it was with olive oil that the Chanukah miracle occurred. It is also with Divine Inspiration that the Menorah with its olive-oil-lights became the emblem of Israel. Olive oil comprises the inner essence of olives. The Greeks and the Western World in its wake worship the external appearance. However, the Torah outlook – as represented by the Menorah – teaches us to appreciate that which is inwardly good is beautiful. Our victory – with Hashem’s help – in the current war is the triumph of the inner essence over external appearance – of light over darkness. May Hashem empower our brave, dear soldiers to eradicate all the darkness, bring home all the hostages, and liberate the Land of Israel, so that it can once again reflect the various characters of the holy tribes of Israel!

Parashat Vayigash: How do We Tap into the Mission of Mashiach ben Yosef?

Parashat Vayigash
How do We Tap into the Mission of Mashiach ben Yosef?

Is Torah Immersion to the Exclusion of Secular Work the Ideal for Every Jew?

I spent my first seven years as a Ba’alat Teshuva (newcomer to Torah) in a Chareidi Yeshiva, where we learned the importance of separating ourselves from the secular world. Our lives were Torah and only Torah and the Rabbi taught that the mission for every Jew is to separate from the mundane world in order to devote oneself totally to Torah learning. I’m grateful for those foundational years of immersion in the holiness of Torah and for the experience of being supported by Hashem without having to be preoccupied with making a living. However, from the very beginning, it didn’t sit well with me, that this was supposed to be the ideal lifestyle for every Jew. Doesn’t the Mishna teach that if there is no flour, there is no Torah… One whose wisdom exceeds his deeds is compared to a tree with many branches and few roots so that when the wind comes, it uproots it and overturns it… (Pirkei Avot 3:20). Moreover, I couldn’t imagine the bus driver sitting in yeshiva all day poring over a blatt (page) of Gemara, and how would people (like us) who didn’t have cars get around if all the bus drivers metamorphosed into Yeshiva bachurim (students)? Our great role models in the Torah supplemented their Torah study with farming the land, shepherding, leading, building, and organizing perfected societies. They also fought many wars and made pacts with the surrounding nations. Likewise, the Rabbis in the Talmud had secular occupations from silversmiths to shoemakers.  Abba Chilkiyah was a field laborer; Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai was a businessman for forty years; Abba Oshiya was a launderer; Rabbi Shimon P’kuli was a cotton dealer; Rabbi Shmuel ben Shilas was a school teacher; Rabbi Yosi ben Chalafta was a tanner; Rabbi Yochanan Hasandlar was a shoemaker; Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananiah was a blacksmith; Rabbi Safra and Rabbi Dimi of Nehardea were merchants; Rabbi Abba ben Zavina was a tailor; Rabbi Yosef ben Chiya and Rabbi Yannai owned vineyards; Rabbi Huna was a farmer and raised cattle; Rabbi Chisda and Rabbi Papa were beer brewers; Karna was a wine smeller (he determined which wine could be stored and which had to be sold immediately); Rabbi Chiya bin Yosef was in the salt business; Abba Bar Abba, (father of Mar Shmuel) was a silk merchant; and (Mar) Shmuel was a doctor. So how could our rabbi teach that every Jew should only learn Torah?

Contrasting the Divergent Approaches of Yehuda and Yosef

Having grown up with a Zionistic outlook, rejecting the Jewish state and avoiding army service also bothered me. Thus, in 1987 we left the Yeshiva as my husband served in the IDF as a medical officer and I enrolled in Michlala Jerusalem College for Women where the teachings of Rav Kook changed my life. I learned about the holiness within the mundane, and rather than separating and segregating it was a mitzvah to connect with Klal Yisrael – the general community of Israel – and engender unity, for we all have a divine spark even if it is concealed.  With this background, it was natural to perceive the different approaches of Yehuda and Yosef contrasted in Parashat Vayigash:

ספר בראשית פרק מו פסוק כח וְאֶת יְהוּדָה שָׁלַח לְפָנָיו אֶל יוֹסֵף לְהוֹרֹת לְפָנָיו גּשְׁנָה וַיָּבֹאוּ אַרְצָה גּשֶׁן:

“He sent Yehuda ahead of him to Yosef, to direct him to Goshen, and they came to the land of Goshen” (Bereishit 46:28).

Yehuda represents the Yeshiva World, whom Ya’acov sent ahead to Egypt to establish a yeshiva there (Rashi, Bereishit 46:28). Yosef, in contrast, occupied the top position in the decadent Egyptian society as he was able to elevate the spiritual sparks concealed within the greatest material darkness. Whereas Yehuda’s work corresponds to the task of birur (separation), Yosef’s mission is to elevate the world. In Yehuda’s world, there are clear boundaries between the holy and the mundane. Yet, for Yosef, holiness is present in the mundane or ‘natural’ world (the field) when we submit the mundane to its spiritual root. This concept applies very much to our time when the outlook of religious Zionism is contrasted with the Chareidi outlook that shuns the secular State of Israel. The Sefat Emet relates to this chasm in his commentary on Pararashat Vayigash, Year 1871of “Woe to us from the day of judgment…” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 93:10) - For the distress of the tribes seems to be that by the revelation of Yosef’s illumination came great shame. They mistakenly did not perceive Yosef’s holiness due to the concealment. This is the shame of the times to come, when it will be revealed that this world’s dealings are themselves entirely internally holy.

Our Inability to Recognize Mashiach Ben Yosef

In our time, those who walk in Yosef’s path are often put down for being “less Torah observant” by those who don’t recognize the holiness of Yosef. This is alluded to when the brothers first met the ‘Egyptian’ ruler, “Yosef recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him” (Bereishit 42:8). The Vilna Gaon emphasized the lesser-known teachings of the Talmud and Zohar about Mashiach ben Yosef (Babylonian Talmud Sukah 52b; Zohar I:25b; ibid. II:120a, III:153b, 246b and 252a). The redemption process starts with Mashiach ben Yosef, whose job it is to pave the way for the final Mashiach ben David (Rav Hillel of Shklov, Kol Hator, based on the Teachings of The Vilna Gaon, Chapter 1). Yosef’s brothers’ inability to recognize him applies to every generation, particularly to the Jewish people who fail to recognize Mashiach ben Yosef. “This is the work of Satan, who hides the characteristics of Mashiach ben Yosef so that the footsteps of Mashiach are not recognized and are even belittled. Were Israel to recognize Yosef, i.e. Mashiach ben Yosef the Mashiach whose job is to ingather the exiles, etc., then we would already have been redeemed with a complete redemption” (Rav Hillel of Shklov, Kol HaTor, Chapter 2:39).  

Tapping into the Mission of Mashiach ben Yosef

I personally identify very much with the work of Mashiach ben Yosef which is threefold. The general mission of Mashiach ben Yosef is three-fold:

1. Revelation the Inner Dimensions of the Torah, 
2. Ingathering of the Exiles, 
3. Removal of the Impure spirit from the Land (building and planting).

The ingathering of exiles encompasses three tasks: building Jerusalem, gathering in the exiles, and fulfilling the commandments dependent on the Land. The verse “You will rise, and You will have mercy on Tzion for it is the time to favor her, for the appointed season has arrived” (Tehillim 102:14) refers to Mashiach ben Yosef. Wherever the word “to stand up” is mentioned, it refers to the line of Mashiach ben Yosef, as in the phrase “my sheaf rose” (Bereishit 37:7). “To favor” refers to planting as it states, “he will favor its dirt” (Kol Hator 1:7).

Learning the Principles of Mashiach ben Yosef at the Threshold of Redemption

The book Kol Hator enumerates 156 principles applying to Mashiach ben Yosef. They correspond to the numerical value of the name יוֹסֵף/Yosef 156 = (10+6+60+80). The Vilna Gaon further highlights that 156 equals the gematria of צִיּוֹן/tzion (90+10+6+50). Thus, Mashiach ben Yosef is intrinsically linked with religious Zionism in its truest sense. Tzion means the inner point, as the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef is to reveal the inner dimensions of the Torah as well as the inner sparks of holiness buried within the mundane reality. These two are interdependent. To understand the inner layer of the Torah we must dig down deeply through the exterior layers and find the hidden light. In the same way, revealing the Divine sparks within all reality requires us to look beyond the surface and connect with the concealed nuggets of goodness. As we stand on the threshold of the Redemption, we must learn well all the 156 characteristics, aspects, appellations, and special attributes of Mashiach ben Yosef. We must also study well the secrets regarding the beginning of the Redemption that is hinted at in the holy compositions of the Vilna Gaon – so that we shall know the way and what will happen in our times. The beginning of the Redemption, otherwise known as the footsteps of the Mashiach, began the first hour of Friday morning in the 6th millennium, that is the year 5500 (1740), as is known, every hour [of the six days of creation corresponding to 6 millennia] consists of 41 years and 8 months. From hour to hour the footsteps have continued to progress in many aspects (Kol Hator 1:4).

Keeping the Flame of Yosef Alive

The Vilna Gaon’s basic approach is contained in the words Od Yosef Chai, which means, “Yosef is still alive.” Yosef and his mission continue to have relevance for the generations heralding the final redemption.  Parashat Vayigash mentions the phrase “Yosef is still alive” twice:

ספר בראשית פרק מה פסוק כו וַיַּגִּדוּ לוֹ לֵאמֹר עוֹד יוֹסֵף חַי וְכִי הוּא משֵׁל בְּכָל אֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וַיָּפָג לִבּוֹ כִּי לֹא הֶאֱמִין לָהֶם... (כח) וַיֹּאמֶר יִשְׂרָאֵל רַב עוֹד יוֹסֵף בְּנִי חָי אֵלְכָה וְאֶרְאֶנּוּ בְּטֶרֶם אָמוּת:

“They told him (Ya’acov), saying ‘Yosef is still alive,’ and [they told him] that he ruled over the entire land of Egypt, and his heart changed, for he did not believe them… Then Israel said, ‘Enough! My son Yosef is still alive. I will go and see him before I die’” (Bereishit 45:26, 28).

This implies that Mashiach ben Yosef is still alive and will live, because, as it is written, every aspect of the beginning of the Redemption is dependent on him (Kol Hator, Chapter 1, 6a). Regarding the verse, “You shall possess it and you shall settle in it” (Devarim 11:31),  the Vilna Gaon explains, “Because of your merit in taking possession of it, you will dwell in it, and how will you take possession of it, by establishing your claim.” How does one establish a claim? This is done by building and planting (The Vilna Gaon, Aderet Eliyahu, Devarim 11). However, when necessary, force may also be used which is in line with Yehoshua’s conquest of the Land of Israel. Yehoshua – a descendant of Efraim ben Yosef, was Mashiach ben Yosef, whose mission was to counterattack and fight Amalek (Kol Hator, Chapter 1, 9d). As Israel is waging a multifrontal war against the darkest evil – the spiritual Amalek whose main raison d’etre is to murder Jews – we are experiencing the final powerful accomplishments of Mashiach ben Yosef, paving the way for the final Mashiach ben David. We at Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin continue to align ourselves with the mission of Mashiach ben Yosef, to ingather Jewish women from the four corners of the earth to make their home in Israel, to teach inner dimensions of Torah and to keep planting and tending our gardens!  “Am Yisrael Chai” – “Od Yosef Chai!” “Yosef is still alive” and kicking!

Parashat Miketz: Which are the Plants that Praise the Land of Israel?

 

Parashat Miketz
Which are the Plants that Praise the Land of Israel?

The Carefree Evergreen Rockrose with Spring Petals in White and Pink

One of our favorite classes at B’erot is Herbal Workshop as no such class exists in any other women’s midrasha or seminary. We integrate the learning of herbal and Torah teachings about the plants that grow in our vicinity when they’re at their peak. Then we go out into nature and pick enough of the particular plant for tea, medicated oil, or tincture. Not all the wonderful plants that grow in our surrounding area can be traced back to the Torah, but it is very exciting when we do find plants – mentioned in the Bible – growing right near our doorstep. I really enjoy relating the spiritual significance of various plants that grow here in Israel to their context in the Torah. Rockroses grace the bare land here in Bat Ayin around Pesach time. Large drifts of pink and white ephemeral flowers fill our edges and meadows. Two rockrose varieties are growing in our area. One has white petals with butter-yellow centers and is smaller than the pink variety with wrinkled petals. These hardy evergreen shrubs native to the Land of Israel hardly need any caretaking. They are very common in the Mediterranean including in the Judean Hills where we live. Rockroses are great edging plants with their low maintenance needs and rough, gray leaves. Rockroses grow in the back of my flower garden towering over the pansies, snapdragons, and daisy bushes. Hailing back from Biblical times, rockroses are also mentioned in the Mishna, where the Rabbis discuss whether or not the laws of Shemitta (the Sabbatical year) apply to them (Mishna Shevi’it, Chapter 7, Mishna 6). Although rockroses are very adaptable, they are not for everyone. They only grow in climates with relatively mild winters. I’ve never met a rockrose anywhere but in Israel. Usually, each flower lasts only until mid-afternoon before gently falling to the ground. The bush is part of the Rockrose charm. Blooming for only a few weeks each spring, the shrub’s characteristic as a carefree evergreen is endearing too. Yet, when the few weeks of early spring finally arrive and the melding of the millions of pastel flowers becomes a daily experience, we truly appreciate the rockrose. There are so many flowers on a mature rockrose that it is hard to see the bush.

The Choicest Products of the Land Accompanying the Exiled Yosef

From Biblical times, rockrose has been popular as a perfume and aromatic. When Yosef’s brothers decided to sell him as a slave, they grabbed the opportunity to have him sent down to Egypt with a company of spice-selling Arabs:

ספר בראשית פרק לז פסוק כה וַיֵּשְׁבוּ לֶאֱכָל לֶחֶם וַיִּשְׂאוּ עֵינֵיהֶם וַיִּרְאוּ וְהִנֵּה אֹרְחַת יִשְׁמְעֵאלִים בָּאָה מִגִּלְעָד וּגְמַלֵּיהֶם נֹשְׂאִים נְכֹאת וּצְרִי וָלֹט הוֹלְכִים לְהוֹרִיד מִצְרָיְמָה:

“They sat down to eat bread, then they lifted their eyes and saw, and behold, a caravan of Yishmaelites was coming from Gilead, and their camels were carrying spices, balm, and lotus (labdanum), going to bring it down to Egypt” (Bereishit 37:25).

All the plants mentioned here served both as remedies and for embalming the dead (Da’at Mikra). One of the aromatics mentioned in our Torah verse is לֹט/lot, which Targum Onkelus translates as לֹטּוֹם/lotum – the Hebrew word for rockrose, or more specifically, for the resin – labdanum – produced from it. Although it is generally challenging to identify most plants mentioned in the Bible, most commentaries and botanists have little doubt that the biblical לֹט/lot refers to rockrose. Thus, לֹּטֶם/lotem – labdanum mentioned in the Mishna is identified with לֹט/lot in Scripture (Bereishit 37:25). “There are those who identify it with the native bush with large, pretty flowers in the colors of white-yellowish or pink (Cistus). It grows mainly in the mountains of the Land of Israel” (Kehati, Mishna Shevi’it, Chapter 7, Mishna 6). לֹט/Lot – labdanum is a perfume produced from rockrose plants (Rabbi Ya’acov, Fliks, The Plant World of Scripture, p. 272-273). The very same labdanum that accompanied Yosef down to Egypt is what Ya’acov intuitively chose to give as “a gift to the man” – second in charge to Pharaoh, who was no other than Yosef in disguise.

The Choice Products of the Land Reminding Yosef of his Connection to Israel’s Land

ספר בראשית פרק מג פסוק יא וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲבִיהֶם אִם כֵּן אֵפוֹא זֹאת עֲשׂוּ קְחוּ מִזִּמְרַת הָאָרֶץ בִּכְלֵיכֶם וְהוֹרִידוּ לָאִישׁ מִנְחָה מְעַט צֳרִי וּמְעַט דְּבַשׁ נְכֹאת וָלֹט בָּטְנִים וּשְׁקֵדִים:

“So, Israel, their father said to them, ‘If it must be so, then do this: take from זִּמְרַת הָאָרֶץ /Zimrat Ha’aretz – ‘the choicest products of the land’ in your vessels and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm, and a little (date) honey, a spice mixture, ֹלֹט/lot – ‘labdanum,’ pistachios and almonds’” (Bereishit 43:11).

Rashi explains thatזִּמְרַת הָאָרֶץ /Zimrat Ha’aretz refers to “that which is praised in the Land, about which people sing praise when it comes into existence.”  Despite the severe famine, that gripped the land of Israel at the time, Ya’acov had various choice products on hand to send to Egypt. These choice products represent the bounty of the land of Israel, similar to the Seven Species through which the Land of Israel is praised. Nevertheless, in contrast with the Seven Fruits of the Land, these crops can survive even during drought years, since they require relatively small amounts of rain. Balm, gum, and labdanum are products of the sap dripping from the bark and leaves of various plants. Pistachio and almond trees flower early, fruiting before olive, grapes, and pomegranate trees have even blossomed. Most plants in Israel including the Seven Fruits of the Land depend on specific weather conditions that determine the fate of their crops. This applies especially during the sensitive period between Pesach and Shavuot distinguished by multiple climatic changes and contrasts. For the Israelite farmer, whose sustenance depended on the success of his crop, the drastic shifts between the southern and northern winds could easily tempt him to regard them as battles between various deities. This poses a danger of “being enticed to serve the other gods” (Devarim 11:16), of the local Canaanites. Yet, the plants that Ya’acov chose to send as a gift to the ‘Egyptian ruler’ aren’t dependent on the weather conditions. They grow even during a severe famine. Therefore, they do not present the worrisome agricultural problems that could lure people away to serve other gods. (Noga Reuveni, Nature in Our Biblical Heritage pp. 35-28). It is interesting that the ‘Choice Products of the Land’ include three kinds of produce: 1. צֳרִי נְכֹאת וָלֹט/tzori, n’chot v’lot – ‘balm, gum and labdanum’ – plants used for their perfume. 2. דְּבַשׁ/devash – ‘honey’ – liquid foods. 3. בָּטְנִים וּשְׁקֵדִים/botnim u’shekdim – ‘pistachios and almonds’ – solids (Da’at Mikra). Perhaps these choice products of the land allude respectively to the three garments of the soul: Thought, speech, and action. The צֳרִי נְכֹאת וָלֹט/tzori, n’chot v’lot – balm, gum, and labdanum that may represent the aspect of thought, reminded Yosef about his connection to Israel, as they were identical with the merchandise carried by the caravan that brought him down to Egypt from Israel.

Uniting Together to Become Vessels for the Sefirot of the Upper Land

The choice products of the land that Ya’acov sent to Yosef were called “Zimrat Ha’aretz” – the strengths and praise of Hashem because they were drawn from the upper world and had the power to transform ‘din’ (judgment) into ‘rachamim’ (mercy). Moreover, these species, including rockrose, represent the unity of the sefirot. Before Israel went down into the Egyptian exile, they had to be completely united. Through the power of this unity, Israel would survive the exile and emerge as a complete nation during the Exodus. When the sefirot are united in the Infinite (Ein Sof) good influences are drawn down from the upper worlds into the lower world. Of all the sefirot two specific sefirot (on the middle axis) unite and connect the rest of the sefirot: Tiferet and Yesod. Ya’acov, who represents Tiferet, draws down the influences of the upper worlds to Yosef. Yosef, the embodiment of Yesod, then divides these influences into the lower world. This is the secret of Ya’acov’s Zimrat Ha’aretz gift, which he sent to Yosef (Maor V’Shemesh, Parashat Miketz). The Zimrat Ha’aretz embodied the sefirot, which must be united. When the brothers sold Yosef into slavery, the sefirot went down into exile. This is symbolized by the fact that the Zimrat Ha’aretz accompanied Yosef down to Egypt. Ya’acov sent Yosef the gift of Zimrat Ha’aretz with his brothers because he understood that it was time to rectify the blemish in the unity of the sefirot caused by the sale of Yosef. By bringing the Zimrat Ha’aretz to Yosef, the brothers became vessels for the sefirot from the upper land that united them all together.

The Rockrose Helped Yosef to Overcome His Trauma and Forgive his Brothers

Rockrose is a medicinal herb for the body, mind, and soul. I find it interesting that the spiritual properties of rockrose are synchronized with the emotional needs of Yosef when he as a tender youth of 17 was harshly ousted by his brothers and sold into slavery to the most spiritually decadent society of Egypt. We can imagine how Yosef’s reaction to his abusive treatment by his own brothers may have elicited the ‘fight, flight, or freeze’ response.  Yet, he couldn’t run away or fight against his stronger and older brothers, the only response available to him was ‘freeze.’ By divine providence, Hashem brought it about that the rockrose – a remedy for alleviating suffering from coldness and feelings of internal numbness – accompanied Yosef down to exile. Specifically, these properties of the rockrose had the ability to thaw Yosef’s frozen heart. Rockrose is furthermore the chief ingredient in Rescue Remedy, recommended for panic, shock, and fears caused by trauma that Yosef had just suffered.  It helps those who experience fear to think clearly. People take rockrose to treat panic attacks, anxiety, stress, extreme fright, or fear; and for promoting calmness and relaxation. The lightly creased, rockrose thus became the antidote to Yosef’s delicate and beautiful feelings that otherwise may have dried up or been destroyed due to the possible unmastered experiences and emotions of the trauma Yosef suffered. Rockrose brings about expansion, especially in the heart, lungs, gut, and womb, and creates deep relaxation. It is a nourishing and softening herb enabling hope and ease, as we surrender to our truth. How amazing that Hashem had prepared the healing to Yosef’s wound and imparted within him the remedy that kept his flame burning and prevented him from despair. The rockrose, the brothers brought Yosef years later, as a gift, also releases old hurts and buried memories. This was exactly the remedy Yosef needed when he prepared to face his brothers anew and completely forgive them. The spiritual properties of rockrose explain how the choice products of Eretz Yisrael “are praised in the Land, about which people sing praise when they come into existence” (Rashi). זִמְרַת הָאָרֶץ/Zimrat Ha’aretz with their ability to form the holy emotions of the Children of Israel indeed embody the praises of the Land of Israel.