Parashat Yitro: What is the connection between Honoring Our Parents and Eretz Yisrael?

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Parashat Yitro
What is the connection between Honoring Our Parents and Eretz Yisrael? 

Does Honoring Parents Override Keeping the Mitzvah of Living in Israel?

When I became a Ba’alat Teshuva (returnee to the Torah) in 1980, the question of whether moving to Israel would infringe upon the mitzvah to honor my parents did not cross my mind. First of all, the concept of honoring parents was quite novel to me, and secondly, my new Torah observance was so intertwined with living in the Torah community I was part of in Jerusalem, that even entertaining the thought of leaving Israel would be tantamount to leaving the Torah and thus cutting myself off from true life as it states: “For that is your life and the length of your days, to dwell on the land which Hashem swore to your forefathers to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’acov to give to them” (Devarim 30:20). My husband-to-be had joined the Yeshiva community in between completing medical school and carrying out his internship. His parents, who had pinned great hopes upon their only son’s medical career, insisted that he return to the States to fulfill his internship and his conditional scholarship to work in a physician shortage area. His dilemma elicited a heated discussion in the Yeshiva, regarding whether the mitzvot to live in Israel and learn Torah override the mitzvah of honoring parents. Our Rabbi ruled that the former overrides the latter. As support for his ruling, the Rabbi quoted Rashi’s commentary on: “Every man shall fear his mother and his father, but you shall observe My Shabbats. I am Hashem, your G-d” (Vayikra 19:3). This verse implies that although we must fear our parents, we must nevertheless keep Shabbat; thus, should a parent ask the child to violate Shabbat, the laws of Shabbat override the parents’ wishes as the Talmud states, “Although I have admonished you regarding the fear of your father, nevertheless, if he tells you to desecrate the Shabbat, do not listen to him. This is also the case with all the [other] mitzvot.  (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Metzia 32a). Our Rabbi taught us that based on the above, even if our parents request that we leave Israel, the mitzvot of living in Israel and learning Torah supersede their request. Due to following this ruling, to this day, we still – 45 years later – live on our homestead in Gush Etzion. We, our two sons and four granddaughters, who grew up here in Israel, have no intentions to leave our homeland. Had we heeded my in-laws’ demand to return to the US who knows whether we would be keeping the Torah today? 

By Honoring our Parents, we Acknowledge and Honor Hashem – Our Ultimate Parent

A classical question is why the fifth commandment to honor our parents is placed on the first tablet describing the five mitzvot between man and G-d when it seems to belong to the category of the mitzvot on the second tablet dealing with the five commandments between man and man. The well-known answer is that although honoring our parents is essentially an obligation between people, it is also related to G-d since there are three partners in the team bringing about the birth of a child. “There are three partners in the creation of a person: The Holy One, Blessed be He, his father, and his mother. His father emits the white seed…  His mother emits red seed…  And the Holy One, Blessed be He, inserts into him a spirit, a soul, astral energy field (countenance), eyesight, hearing of the ear, the capability of speech of the mouth, the capability of walking with the legs, understanding, and wisdom… (Babylonian Talmud, Niddah 31a). If I respect my father and mother who are the ones who created my physical body – which will eventually wither and die – how much more must I honor my Father in Heaven, who granted me with the superior component, my eternal soul! (Kli Yakar, Shemot 20:12). Our parents are merely junior partners with G-d in the creation of life. They did not actually bring us into the world, they only planted a seed in the ground. Yet the Divine power alone is capable of transforming the seed into a living and breathing being. Thus, when we honor our parents, we all the more so honor G-d, the true Creator, Who provides our life and soul (Based on Ramban, Shemot 20:12). By commanding us to honor our parents, G-d informs us that each and every individual exists due to His specific will. If we, as individuals, were created by chance, there would be no reason to honor parents. Therefore, when we honor our parents, it is considered as honoring G-d Himself, for by honoring them we demonstrate our awareness of G-d’s involvement in our own creation (Maharal, Tiferet Yisrael, Chapter 41).  Thus, respecting our parents enables us to acknowledge and appreciate that it is ultimately G-d who brought us into existence, and sustains and guides the world.

Why is the Reward for Honoring Parents Specifically a Long Life in the Land of Israel?

ספר שמות פרק כ פסוק יב כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִכוּן יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר הָשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ:

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days be lengthened on the land that Hashem, your G-d, is giving you” (Shemot 20:12).

The reward of a long life is promised specifically “on the land that Hashem, your G-d, is giving you.” Not only is the reward for honoring parents to live a long life, the reward also includes the privilege of living in the promised land. This second lesser-known reward for honoring parents is surely no less valuable than the first. But what is the connection between honoring parents and being fortunate to live in the land of Israel?  By honoring our parents, we demonstrate the humility to understand that the world did not originate with us, rather, we acknowledge that Hashem runs every detail of this world. Being a Divine mitzvah it is appropriate that its reward be realized in Hashem’s Land together with His chosen people in Eretz Yisrael. G-d created the world, and when it suited Him, He allowed temporary control of the Land to the Canaanites until the Jewish people fulfilled the divine mitzvah of conquering the Promised Land, which He had granted us eternally (Rashi, Bereishit 1:1). Since then – a period of approximately 3300 years – the Land has never been devoid of Jews. “If it were possible that the Children of Israel would be completely absent from the Land of Israel, G-d forbid, that Hashem would do this, for He has already promised that He will never completely wipe out or uproot the Jewish nation, then there would be no possibility of calculating the months or declaring leap years” (Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Mitzvah 153). Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains the connection between honoring parents and the reward of long life specifically in the land of Israel by adding the national element. Honoring our parents is a necessary condition for Am Yisrael to be able to remain within Eretz Yisrael. This is so because recognizing our personal roots will lead to recognizing our national roots, which are cast deep within the Land of Israel. This connects the reward for honoring our parents with a long life specifically in Eretz Yisrael; for it is not simply a matter of our individual length of days, but that of our entire nation. Honoring parents stems from recognizing that we are part of the Jewish people who have been planted deeply within the Land since time immemorial. Our nation’s yearning for the Land has not changed and will never change throughout the generations. Thus, the Torah teaches that the reward for honoring parents is longevity specifically in the Land of Israel (Based on Nir Shaul, presented by Yedidya Solomon, Honoring Parents and Eretz Yisrael).

Honoring Parents Confirms the Transmission of the Torah Fully Applicable in Israel

Honoring parents highlights the importance of each previous generation’s role in transmitting the Jewish tradition. It makes us aware of our place in the world, understanding that we are merely like dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants, with the previous generations having built towers of Torah and of faith and imbued Am Yisrael with sanctity. This outlook brings us to recognize the true historical connection between the Nation and the Land of Israel. Since our faith is based on the transmission of our ancestors; disrespect for parents would be disrespect for the tradition they bequeath to us, G-d forbid. In my weekly Kuzari class, we just discussed the importance of proving the truth of the Torah. The Jewish people knew about the Exodus, Hashem’s miracles during the desert wandering, the giving of the Torah, and leading the Israelites to the promised land, originally from personal experience, and afterward through uninterrupted tradition, (from parents to children) which is equal to the former (Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, The Kuzari 1:31). The prerequisite to accepting traditions from our ancestors is honoring our parents, the bearers of those traditions. The mitzvah of honoring parents is the fact that the very basis of our faith is what has been transmitted to us by our parents and ancestors, as it is written “Recall the days of old, ponder the years of each generation. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will speak to you” (Devarim 32:7). We can only accept the traditions that we receive from our ancestors if we have an attitude of respect toward them (Based on Abarbanel, Shemot 20:12). Likewise, the more contemporary Torah scholar Rabbi David Elimelech Yoles conveys  a similar outlook. We received our faith from our parents and ancestors who transmitted to us the miracles and wonders that G-d performed for us during the Exodus from Egypt, in the desert, and at the revelation at Sinai. Therefore, showing disregard toward our parents and ancestors undermines the strength of the tradition we receive, for how can we know that our faith is true if we disrespect those who have transmitted it? (Sefer Keren le’David, Yitro). The ultimate purpose and destination of our uninterrupted tradition is its complete fulfillment in the Divinely imbued Holy Land: The mitzvot are primarily for those who dwell in the Land of Hashem.  “We were commanded to take possession of the Land that G-d, may He be blessed, gave to our forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya’acov; and we must not leave it in the hands of any other nation or let it remain desolate” (Addendum to Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvot, Positive Commandment 4).

Honoring our Ancestors Entitles us to Our Ancestral Promise of Inheriting the Land

Although the mitzvah of honoring our parents is a rational, humanistic mitzvah, it is still connected – like all other mitzvot – specifically to Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, through promising the reward “that your days will be lengthened upon the land that Hashem, your G-d is giving you,” the Torah emphasizes that even mitzvot such as honoring our parents apply especially to Eretz Yisrael. When we observe the early tradition (of honoring our parents), we will be worthy of the rightful privilege of the early ones, which Hashem communicated to Avraham initially, “Go forth from your land ... to the land that I will show you ... To your offspring I will give this land” (Bereishit 12:1-7); “For all the land that you see, to you I will give it, and to your descendants forever” (Ibid. 13:15). This commitment was repeated to all the patriarchs. If Israel will honor the heritage of the patriarchs, the Divine promise regarding their connection to Eretz Yisrael will be fulfilled, and they will live long lives, “upon the land that Hashem, your G-d is giving you” (Rav Mordechai Greenberg, The Reward for Honoring Parents and Eretz Yisrael). As a reward for honoring our parents, we become honored to live an upright life in our homeland also called our Motherland and Fatherland. In a certain sense, the land of Israel is our parent, as all human souls are created at the Temple Mount. The Temple below is connected to the Temple above. From this place, the souls descend and ascend on the ladder (Kli Yakar, Bereishit 12:1). Perhaps we can explain that had the reward for honoring parents been merely longevity without the promise to live in the Land of Israel, it would have been a merely quantitative rather than qualitative promise, for a life lived in exile cannot be compared to the goodness of living in the Promised Land, as no life is as worthy as that lived in Eretz Yisrael. Rather than bowing our heads with a hunched over back through the effect of millennia of exile antisemitism, here in Israel we live to see the fulfillment of the prayer, “May the Merciful One break the yoke of exile from our neck, and may He lead us upright to our land” (Grace after Meals). 

Parashat Beshalach: What Can We Learn from the Manna About Bringing About Redemption?

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Parashat Beshalach
What Can We Learn from the Manna About Bringing About Redemption?

What is Our Main Mission that is Amplified During the Month of Shevat?

The main mission of the Jewish people is to rectify the downfall of the first couple, Adam and Chava. The final redemption can only occur when we have completed this calling and become worthy of returning to the spiritual existence in the Garden of Eden, before the fall.  The first step is to rectify our problematic relationship with food which has plagued us ever since eating from the Tree of Knowledge. As we enter the month of Shevat, our work on rectifying eating from the Tree of Knowledge intensifies, with its corresponding challenges. In my experience as soon as we arrive at the month of Shevat, it becomes much more difficult to eat mindfully. I believe that this is because when the rectification is vital for holiness and redemption the sitra atra (opposing forces) muster all their strength to do everything in their power to prevent this rectification. Therefore, holy people from Avraham to King David faced numerous obstacles and enemies. This also explains why throughout the ages “…not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us” (The Pesach Hagaddah). The midrash explains why Avraham is called “the Ivri” (From the other side) because “The entire world is on one side, but he is on the other side” (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 42:8). This sadly pertains no less to the Jewish people today, for we are also called “Ivrim.” “Returning to our topic about rectified eating, the lust to quickly mumble the blessings and stuff our faces is the “enemy” of holy eating that I often encounter during the month of Shevat. This is because the tikun (rectification) of the Shevat is precisely לְעִיטָה/Le’itah – ‘Eating’ or literally ‘pouring into me,’ for this is the word used by Esav when he expressed the epitome of unholy eating in his desire for “the red, red lentil soup,” exclaiming הַלְעִיטֵנִי/haliteini… (Bereishit 25:30).  Rashi explains, “I will open my mouth, and [you] pour very much into it.” So, during Shevat, more than ever we need to mobilize our self-discipline and strength against the ‘enemies’ of holy eating to focus on the words of the blessings before and after eating, recognizing deeply that Hashem is the source of the food and pleasure we ingest while chewing mindfully and curbing our appetites to eat only the food that is healthy and beneficial for us, as well as only the needed amounts.

Transforming Earthly Food into Manna from Heaven

During the month of Shevat, we read the Torah portion of Parashat Beshalach, most often during the week of Tu b’Shevat. This Torah portion is connected with the tikun and energy of Shevat through its description of the manna – the spiritual food from heaven. Manna, like the fruits of Paradise, was supernal light in physical form that contained no waste and was, therefore, absorbed completely into the body.  It included no mixture of Evil, since only Goodness descends from Heaven (Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin Ruach Chayim on Pirkei Avot, Chapter 3). When we express our recognition that the entire whole world belongs to G-d through our blessings before and after eating, we can transform Earth into Heaven; resembling the World to Come where neither food nor drink exist, and only righteous people enjoy the Divine splendor.  In this world, spiritual food is covered in a physical garment, yet the blessing reveals its inner essence.  By accessing the spiritual life force of food, it will taste whatever flavor we desire, as it states about the spiritual manna that they tasted the flavor of all types of food in the manna (Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 75a). This is in contrast to the personification of physical desire – the snake, who is nourished by physicality and “everything he eats will taste like the dust of the ground” (Bereishit 3:14).  By blessing Hashem for our food, we free ourselves from the curse of the snake and enjoy the Divine life force within the food.  This helps us understand why “The Torah was only given to the generation who ate manna” (Yalkut Shimoni, Chapter 15, allusion 258).  In every generation, the Torah is given to those who purify the food from the snake bite and transform it into manna. Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, one of the richest men who ever lived, never took any pleasure from this world.  Although he had a table of kings, his awareness of G-d as the source of all his abundance turned his worldly pleasure into Divine pleasure, transforming earthly food into manna from Heaven.  Because Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi elevated his food into manna, he was given the ability to compile the Mishna (The main body of the Oral Torah).

How do we Extract Divine Sparks from Human-Produced Food?

The 15^th of Shevat bespeaks the praise of the Land of Israel, for on this day the strength of the soil of the Land is renewed. The land of Israel is praised for its fruits and therefore on Tu b’Shevat, we praise Hashem for the delicious fruits He makes grow in our Land of Israel. By blessing the fruits during the Tu b’Shevat Seder we can raise up our relationship with food and transform our eating into the words of Torah. According to Pri Tzaddik, each fruit includes a part of both the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life – its antidote. It is the way we partake in the fruits that determines whether we are going to continue the sin of Adam and Chava by eating the Fruit of Knowledge or whether we will be able to relate to the fruits the way of a Tzaddik and then take each bite from the Tree of Life. Although the manna was heavenly food connected to the Tree of Life, and we may long for the time when we were fed directly by the hand of Hashem, it was not ideal.  Looking back at our days in the desert reminds us of the true Source of our sustenance, yet the goal is to come to the Land of Israel and work its soil. Our mission is to transform the Earth into Heaven by extracting divine sparks from human-produced food. This way we demonstrate how to serve G-d and reveal Him from within the material – from the very soil of the Land of Israel. Although growing our own food wherever we live is important, nothing compares to what grows in the Holy Land, upon which Hashem’s light shines directly. This is why the Torah emphasizes that Hashem fed us Manna until we could eat from the crop of the Land of Israel, to ensure that the transition from the holy food of heaven to the holy food of the land.

Why did the Israelites Eat Manna Only Until They Entered the Land of Israel?

ספר שמות פרק טז פסוק לה

וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָכְלוּ אֶת הַמָּן אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה עַד בֹּאָם אֶל אֶרֶץ נוֹשָׁבֶת אֶת הַמָּן אָכְלוּ עַד בֹּאָם אֶל קְצֵה אֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן:

“The children of Israel ate the manna for forty years until they came to an inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan” (Shemot 16:35).

The manna stopped falling on the 7^th of Adar, when Moshe passed over, (when they came to the settled land) but the manna lasted in their vessels for 40 days until the 16^th of Nissan, when they came to the land of Canaan. Rav Kook explains that the food in the Land of Israel is holy in its inner essence and only physical in its exterior. However, we need to be careful with the food from outside Israel. Only through the yearning for the land of Israel can the food outside of Israel be raised up as well. When we recite Shir Ha’ma’alot (on Shabbat) and Al Naharot Bavel (on weekdays) before Grace after Meals. We express our yearning for redemption through these particular Tehillim in conjunction with blessing Hashem for our sustenance. Expressing our yearning for the land of Israel when concluding our meal comes to refine the food that is not from Israel and make it close to the level of food from the Land of Israel. This is important even for those of us who have the merit to live in the Land of Israel, due to the decrease of holiness caused by the destruction of the Temple, which caused even the food in the Land of Israel to become less heavenly (Rav Kook, Orot Hakodesh part 3, The Holy Way, page. 295). Since I learned this, I have always been careful to recite Shir Hama’alot before Grace after Meals, with the intention to elevate my physical food to resemble the spiritual manna.

Turning Eating from the Tree of Knowledge into Eating from the Tree of Life

Eating from the Tree is rooted in all generations, and it will only be completely corrected when  Mashiach the son of David arrives. Therefore, the manna only descended until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. For it is known the land of Israel is Malchut, which is the attribute of King David and King Shlomo. The king is the source of the abundance of all kinds of delicacies connected to this world. Similarly, Eretz Yisrael was praised with all kinds of delicacies, yet these delicacies embody the spiritual aspect of Eretz Yisrael – the Holy Land. Her fruits are all in holiness, and when we partake in them, they imbue us with the recognition that they derive from the Creator. During all the 42 stations of our forty years of wilderness wandering, the words of Torah were absorbed by the Israelites each station brought us to a higher divine awareness. When we arrived at the forty-second station, even the physical desire for food – the utmost craving – entered into the highest holiness. This alludes to the future rectification when the Creator will reveal the hidden light to us (Rav Tzaddok of Lublin, Sefer Dover Tzeddek, Parashat Acharei Mot Letter 4). Just as the Israelites ate manna as a preparation for entering the land of Israel, in the future during the time of Mashiach we will once again eat the manna of the Face-to-Face unification with Hashem. Then the manna will truly rain down from the Tree of Life! (Heichal Habracha, Parashat Beshalach). May we merit mindful eating in holiness to turn our eating from the Tree of Knowledge into eating from the Tree of Life, so we can speed up the final redemption with the coming of Mashiach!

Parashat Bo: How Does Taking Gold from the Egyptian Exile Bring About Redemption?

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Parashat Bo
How Does Taking Gold from the Egyptian Exile Bring About Redemption?

How Does Filtering the Values from Our Exile Speed Up the Redemption Process?

While I wish to have been born a Sabra, I acknowledge that I brought with me to Israel many important virtues from the land of my birth. Although Avraham was told to leave his country, birthplace, and father’s house behind, I believe he was to extract the good points he had received from there and bring them to the Land of Israel. Apparently, filtering is a great part of my life’s mission. That is to take what you have learned from the general world and sift it through a Torah sifter. For example, cleanliness is a value I take with me from the country of my birth and my parents’ home. Cleanliness is one of the ten virtues mentioned in the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 20b) quoted in the Path of the Upright by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. It is a mitzvah to clean our home in honor of Shabbat, and when we live in an organized and clean environment, we can work more efficiently in serving Hashem. Where I grew up the Privet hedge was always trimmed to the T, the garbage was never overflowing, and you wouldn’t find even one cigarette stub on the ground. The grass seemed perpetually green and freshly mowed, the flowerbeds were weeded, and the fringes of the carpets were combed. Perhaps you can imagine the rest. The great mindfulness of the details of taking care of things, cleaning up as we go, and keeping our home and environment together is a birthright that I bring with me from Europe to the Middle Eastern melting pot of muddled cultures. However, when orderliness and cleanliness (or anything else) become a value for its own sake, it misses the mark. If a mother is so obsessed with tidying the mess that she will yell mercilessly at her kids; and is too preoccupied with spotlessness to spend quality time with them, then cleanliness becomes a detriment to the Torah way of life. Therefore, I have filtered the aspiration to maintain the kind of impeccable home I grew up in. I have perhaps preserved about 70-80% to allow other more internal values to override the endeavor for cleanliness when needed. Based on my experience and the Torah I have learned, the main reasons why the Jewish people had to be scattered in exile throughout the four corners of the earth is to redeem the good sparks of truth from all these places and return them to the Holy Land. We are now at the culmination point of this long-winded process. The more sparks of exile we receive, the sooner complete redemption will occur.

How do We Redeem the Sparks Entrapped Within All Reality?

There are seventy aspects (literally faces) of the Torah (Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15), each correspond to the good points of one of the seventy nations. When it states that “The people of Israel were exiled amongst the nations only so that converts might be added to them” (Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 87b), it refers to more than actual converts. On the simple level, this dictum does refer to the many non-Jews – who, through coming in contact with the Jewish people dispersed in various exiles – have been inspired to convert to Judaism. However, according to the inner dimensions of the Torah, the Talmud also refers to the sparks of holiness contained within the physical creation. They too can be considered different types of soul-sparks that are transformed and elevated through our exiles: As the Arizal teaches, every object, force, and phenomenon in existence has a spark of Divine holiness within it that constitutes its spiritual essence and soul (See for example Sefer Etz Chayim 26, Chapter 1 42, Sefer Halikutim Chapter 36). Just as we can only stay alive as long as our soul is infused within our body, without the Divine spark keeping anything in the physical world alive nothing would be able to exist. Yet not everything in existence is in line with the Torah or beneficial to the world. This is because the Divine spark is encased in a coarse husk concealing its light. To reveal the light, we must extract the sparks from their captivity. So how do you redeem the sparks entrapped within all reality? When we employ an item or even a certain mode of operation in the service of Hashem, we crack open its material shell, revealing and actualizing its Divine essence. Hashem dispersed us across the face of earth, so that we may come in contact with the sparks of holiness that await redemption. We all have our personal scattered sparks that are slivers of our greater selves. Only when we have redeemed all the sparks specifically related to our souls can we reach our completion.  This explains why people may be guided to move from place to place, job to job, coming across various people and possessions. While it may seem random, it is by Divine Supervision to allow us to light upon things intimately connected with our soul mission (Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Meaningfullife.com). Now in the new month of Shevat, we are especially called upon to elevate the sparks in food by infusing our before and after-bracha with mindful intention.

What Does Elevating Sparks Have to Do with Parashat Bo?  

ספר שמות פרק יא פסוק א וַיֹּאמֶר הַשֵׁם אֶל משֶׁה עוֹד נֶגַע אֶחָד אָבִיא עַל פַּרְעֹה וְעַל מִצְרַיִם אַחֲרֵי כֵן יְשַׁלַּח אֶתְכֶם מִזֶּה כְּשַׁלְּחוֹ כָּלָה גָּרֵשׁ יְגָרֵשׁ אֶתְכֶם מִזֶּה: (ב) דַּבֶּר נָא בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם וְיִשְׁאֲלוּ אִישׁ מֵאֵת רֵעֵהוּ וְאִשָּׁה מֵאֵת רְעוּתָהּ כְּלֵי כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב:

“Then G-d said to Moshe, One more plague shall I bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt - thereafter he shall banish you from here; when he lets you go he will banish you completely from here. Speak then, please, in the ears of the people, and let each person ask of his neighbor, and each woman of her neighbor, vessels of silver and vessels of gold” (Shemot 11:1-2)

Rashi explains that the word נָא/na – ‘please’ always implies a request. G-d requests “Please give them this message, so that the righteous Avraham will not have grounds to claim that I did not keep My promise of “thereafter they will leave with great possessions.’” Yet, for the Israelites leaving Egypt was a great traumatic struggle both physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Amassing gold and silver would deter and delay the Exodus and even endanger them to fall into the fiftieth gate of impurity from which there is no escape. Wouldn’t Avraham Avinu prefer that his descendants escape the iron furnace of Egypt in the quickest, safest way rather than having to be deterred by gathering gold and silver?  The Talmud gives us a clue about the importance of the Children of Israel leaving Egypt with valuables. Rabbi Yossi ben Hanina said, “Why is it written: ‘I will remove his blood from his mouth, and his detestable things from between his teeth. This, too, shall remain to our G-d…’ (Zechariah 9:7). ‘And I shall remove his blood from his mouth’ - this refers to their house of worship of Karia (an Edomite idol); ‘and his abominations from between his teeth’ - this refers to their house of worship of Bamia (another Edomite idol). ‘This too shall remain to our G-d’ - these are the synagogues and study halls of Edom, in which the princes of Yehuda are destined to study Torah publicly” (Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 6a). The understanding of the Talmud is that not only are the princess of Yehuda to study Torah in what used to be temples for idol-worship, but they are also destined to extract the holy sparks even from the idol-worshipping gentiles which “shall remain to G-d.”  In the same vein, Moshe tells Pharaoh “You too shall give sacrifices and burnt offerings into our hands, and we will make them for Hashem our G-d” (Shemot 10:25). We shall take the Pesach sacrifice from that which is good in Egypt (Arizal, Etz Hada’at Tov, Parashat Bo); (Based on Removing the Sparks from Egypt, Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l, Summarized by Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon).

To Take or Not to Take the Gold of the Nations?

ספר שמות פרק יב פסוק לה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עָשׂוּ כִּדְבַר משֶׁה וַיִּשְׁאֲלוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם כְּלֵי כֶסֶף וּכְלֵי זָהָב וּשְׂמָלֹת:

 “The children of Israel did according to Moshes’ order, and they borrowed from the Egyptians silver objects, golden objects, and garments” (Shemot 12:35).

In the above verse, the children of Israel carried out the word of Moshe (Shemot 11:2), by requesting silver, gold, and garments from the Egyptians. The transfer of a significant portion of Egypt’s wealth to Israel had both material and spiritual importance. Besides being material payment for centuries of slave labor, Israel also had to extract the spiritual sparks of Egyptian culture and civilization. These sparks would be needed later for the Jewish establishment in the Land of Israel. Some of the gold Israel took from Egypt would later be used to construct the Mishkan while some of it would be used for the Golden Calf. It is not simple to sift through outside cultures or values in a way that we only pick the fruit while discarding the peel, which isn’t beneficial for us. The existential question of what gold from exile we bring with us and incorporate into the Land of Israel and what gold we discard remains for each of us to contemplate and determine. We must make deep Emunah the measuring stock of this filtration process for Israel’s national mission (Based on Rav Yehuda Hakohen, The Jewish Press, Bo: Israel’s Internal Transformation). Today, too, especially those of us deriving from the Western culture, some take everything – the good along with the bad – while others carefully refrain from taking anything. The correct balance is to select carefully and take only the good. If we take too much there is the danger of succumbing and becoming absorbed into the non-Jewish culture. Yet if we recoil into utter isolation within ourselves, we lose the Divine opportunity to redeem the sparks and return them to their Divine source in the Land of Israel and thereby bring about the final Geulah (redemption). 

Parashat Vaera: How Can We Merit to End the Current War in Ultimate Victory?

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Parashat Vaera
How Can We Merit to End the Current War in Ultimate Victory?

What Kind of Heritage Do I Wish to Bequeath to Our Offspring?

A long time has passed since my husband and I arrived from different corners of the earth and met in Jerusalem, the vortex of the world. Since then, we have built our lives and settled on a beautiful plot of land in the Land of Israel. Not a day goes by without us thanking Hashem for this zchut (privilege) to manage our homestead here in the Promised Land. What an honor to build our home on our treasured land, and engage in its upkeep, such as renovating, insulating, and painting it. Likewise, we delight in tending to our trees, vegetables, herbs, and flowers here on our own holy land portion. Although our patriarchs and matriarchs also tended the land of Israel – then called Cana’an – they had not yet inherited the land, which Hashem had promised them, as a heritage for their children.  Therefore, Avraham called himself a ‘foreigner- resident’ (Bereishit 23:4) when he needed to purchase the Machplah cave as a burial place for Sarah. Baruch Hashem through our soldiers’ blood, bravery, and tears the former land of Canaan and Palestine has now become our Land of Israel – the Jewish homeland – where we never again will have to be foreigners. My husband and I worked hard for our heritage in Israel, which we wish to bequeath to our children. Many of our friends have already written their will, but we have been hesitating, and now I know why. I just read an article by Rabbi Riskin about the difference between a יְרֻשָּׁה/yerusha – ‘inheritance’ and מוֹרָשָׁה/morasha – ‘heritage.’ Whereas most people’s Will is a yerusha – an inheritance that the children inherit without any strings attached, Hashem gave the Jewish people Israel as a morasha – a heritage – which is not only for the children themselves but will remain within the family for all future generations. Such a heirloom must be deserved, worked for, and maintained. The difference between a yerusha and a morasha is that the latter requires active involvement and participation. It can be compared to the difference between inheriting a sum of money or a family business. Receiving a morasha needs sweat, blood, and tears to maintain, keep going, and develop. So, I told my husband, “I want to leave my children not only with a yerusha, but with the morasha of our homestead, that they continue to tend and develop. I want our descendants to live on our land and pick the fruits of the trees we planted, for fruit-picking is actually work and effort.”

What is the Consequence of Moshe’s Complaint About the Intensified Hardship in Egypt?

The three most important things that Hashem bequeaths to His Chosen people must be acquired through hardships:

תלמוד בבלי ברכות ה ע/א תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַאי אוֹמֵר: שָׁלֹשׁ מַתָּנוֹת טוֹבוֹת נָתַן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכוּלָּן לֹא נְתָנָן אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי יִסּוּרִין, אֵלּוּ הֵן: תּוֹרָה וְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהָעוֹלָם הַבָּא:

The Holy One, Blessed be He, gave Israel three precious gifts, all of which were given only by means of suffering, [which purified Israel so that they may merit to receive them. These gifts are:] Torah, Eretz Yisrael, and the World-to-Come (Babylonian Talmud, Berachot 5a).

I believe that suffering can be transformed into effort and through Emunah faith) we can take on a self-imposed effort that will take the place of suffering. Let me explain. At the end of Parashat Shemot Moshe complains that since he followed Hashem’s instruction to tell Pharaoh to “Let my people go” the situation had gotten so much worse for the Israelites. (They now had to gather the straw on their own while still producing the same amount of bricks as beforehand). Thus, Parashat Shemot concludes with Moshe’s complaint to Hashem: “Since I have come to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has harmed this people, and You have not saved Your people” (Shemot 5:23). This statement is the first cause that made Moshe lose the privilege of entering into the Land of Israel. Hashem responds to Moshe’s complaint by telling him about the forthcoming Exodus from Egypt: “Hashem said to Moshe, ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a mighty hand he will send them out, and with a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land” (Shemot 6:1). Eithin this promise of redemption there is an allusion to Moshe’s punishment as Rashi explains.         

What Character Flaw Caused Moshe to be Barred from Entering the Land of Israel?

NOW YOU WILL SEE - You have questioned My ways [of running the world, which is] unlike Avraham, to whom I said, “For in Yitzchak your seed shall be called” (Bereishit 21:12), and afterward I said to him, “Bring him up there for a burnt offering” (Bereishit 22:2), yet he did not question Me. Therefore, NOW YOU WILL SEE - What is done to Pharaoh you will see, but not what is done to the kings of the seven nations [a reference to the battles fought to conquer Canaan] when I bring the children of Israel into the land of Israel (Rashi, Shemot 6:1). In other words, Hashem reprimands Moshe for his complaint which expresses a lack of emunah compared to Avraham, who had to endure great hardships without questioning Hashem. Due to this lack of emunah, Moshe lost the privilege of joining the Israelites in conquering the seven Canaanite nations when they would (forty years later) enter the Promised Land. Although Moshe’s slight lack of emunah stemmed from his great compassion and empathy for his people, there was still a minute element where he failed to look beyond the suffering of the moment and recognize that it was all part of the divine covenant. Through his immense care for the Israelites, he could see only what was immediately before him, namely that his intervention had resulted in a worsening of the Israelites’ situation. Although Moshe’s limited perspective stemmed from his deep identification with the pain of his people, nevertheless, G-d limited his perspective by cutting his life short; so that he wouldn’t be able to enter the Promised Land and witness the Israelites’ conquest. He who questioned the divine promise will not merit seeing its full realization (Based on Ilana Kurshan, Parashat Vaera). Whereas Moshe’s complaint emanated from his lofty level of love for his fellow Jews, regular people in the midst of suffering unbeknownst to themselves naturally try to alleviate the suffering through complaining or blaming. This tendency stems all the way back to the first humans. It is a way of projecting the hardship that seems too hard to bear onto someone else. However, that usually never helps in the long run. We can learn from Moshe’s complaint and its severe consequence that the best way to deal with hardships is through emunah. Strengthening our emunah in Hashem’s goodness – and believing that in the end, even our current suffering will turn out for the best will help us get through the bumps on our way!

Acquiring the Land of Israel through the Effort of Emunah

ספר שמות פרק ו פסוק ח וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָשָּׁאתִי אֶת יָדִי לָתֵת אֹתָהּ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב וְנָתַתִּי אֹתָהּ לָכֶם מוֹרָשָׁה אֲנִי הַשֵׁם:

“I will bring you to the land, concerning which I raised My hand to give to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Ya’acov, and I will give it to you as a heritage; I am Hashem” (Shemot 6:8).

The above verse gives me a lot of hope that Hashem will soon expand the boundaries of Eretz Yisrael according to His promise to Avraham “From the river of Egypt until the great river, the Euphrates River” (Bereishit 15:18). As Ramban explains “I have raised the strength of My arm to Myself that I will give them the Land” (Ramban, Shemot 6:8). However, our Torah verse also indicates that our efforts are what brings Hashem’s oath into effect. Hashem swore that he would give us the land as a מוֹרָשָׁה/morasha – ‘heritage’ rather than a יְרֻשָּׁה/yerusha –‘inheritance.’ The added letter mem in morasha is a grammatical sign of intensity, for us to come into possession of a morasha, we must work for it. Thus, the Promised Land is acquired through suffering or effort. The effort of strengthening our emunah to have faith that everything will become better is the mildest way of acquiring Israel through suffering because overcoming our natural urge to complain – when things are hard like during this current war – is a way that we can take on the short-lived suffering of not following our negative inclination, but overcoming it through emunah, which will turn all the darkness into light.  Israel’s new ‘anthem’ is proof that Israelis today especially our brave soldiers are strengthening our emunah by singing at the top of our lungs: “Hashem, blessed be He, always loves me, and everything will always be good for me, and it will be even better and even better and it will always be only good for me!” 

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

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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!