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  • The Divine Plan

    In Megilat Esther, Chapter 2 Pasuk 7, we find something interesting and shocking.

    וַיְהִ֨י אֹמֵ֜ן אֶת־הֲדַסָּ֗ה הִ֤יא אֶסְתֵּר֙ בַּת־דֹּד֔וֹ כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין לָ֖הּ אָ֣ב וָאֵ֑ם וְהַנַּעֲרָ֤ה יְפַת־תֹּ֙אַר֙ וְטוֹבַ֣ת מַרְאֶ֔ה וּבְמ֤וֹת אָבִ֙יהָ֙ וְאִמָּ֔הּ לְקָחָ֧הּ מׇרְדֳּכַ֛י ל֖וֹ לְבַֽת׃ - He was foster father to Hadassah—that is, Esther—his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The maiden was shapely and beautiful; and when her father and mother died, Mordechai adopted her as his own daughter. 

    Some commentators translate the לְקָחָ֧הּ מׇרְדֳּכַ֛י ל֖וֹ לְבַֽת - Mordechai adopted her as his daughter, instead, they say that Mordechai took Esther as his wife.

    So, the shocking part would be, when Achashverosh was looking for a wife, Esther ended up as a contestant in a beauty pageant and later as the wife of Achashverosh. 

    Wow! How did that happen? A married Jewish lady, who never got a get, was never officially divorced, still had a living husband, ends up as the wife of another man, a non-Jew, a Persian monarch, a ruler of the many nations?! Why would anyone agree to this? Why would Esther agree to this? Why would Mordechai allow his wife to go and live with another man? What would people say? The story tells, that Achashverosh didn't know that she was Jewish, because she hid that fact, but the local Jewish community - they were no fools, they knew her and Mordechai, and they knew that she still was his wife. Imagine the daily slander that was floating in the community as if Hashem canceled out the laws of lashon hara - the stories, the dirt, the looks - the daily new insights.

    This is a very serious issue - so, how do we understand this? It seems like Mordechai and Esther were driven by something. But what can it be? To understand this, we need to look at a different episode in the Torah, and this is where I believe they took their inspiration from.

    In Parashat Vayera, Chapter 19, the Torah tells us a story of how two angels came to save Lot and his family by taking them out from the city of Sodom before it was destroyed. So the two daughters and father Lot end up in some cave outside the city. And this is where I would like to draw your attention.

    The two daughters of Lot thought that there was no man left in the world, so they decided to be with their father to continue mankind. To accomplish this they decided to intoxicate their father with wine. And this is exactly how they did. 

    Chapter 19:36-38 - וַֽתַּהֲרֶ֛יןָ שְׁתֵּ֥י בְנֽוֹת־ל֖וֹט מֵאֲבִיהֶֽן׃  - Thus the two daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father. 
    וַתֵּ֤לֶד הַבְּכִירָה֙ בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ מוֹאָ֑ב ה֥וּא אֲבִֽי־מוֹאָ֖ב עַד־הַיּֽוֹם׃ - The older one bore a son and named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. 
    וְהַצְּעִירָ֤ה גַם־הִוא֙ יָ֣לְדָה בֵּ֔ן וַתִּקְרָ֥א שְׁמ֖וֹ בֶּן־עַמִּ֑י ה֛וּא אֲבִ֥י בְנֵֽי־עַמּ֖וֹן עַד־הַיּֽוֹם׃ - And the younger also bore a son, and she called him Ben-ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today. 

    The older named him Moab - another way to read מוֹאָ֑ב would be as Me Av - which means From My Father

    Whaaaaaaat?? Why would anyone name her son this way? Didn't she realize that people will point their fingers in his face, and tell him that he came into this world not in a kosher way, and there a whole lot is wrong with his lineage..? Why would a mother put her son through so much shame, and put herself through shame as well? The second daughter named her son - Ben-Ammi The Son of My Nation, which could be anyone and nothing shameful, and you could say that she had a blissful life with no worries and concerns.

    But the oldest one, asked for trouble, by naming her son this way, and she got plenty of it. But because she chose to be honest, unlike her other sister, with no made-up stories, accepted her situation, and went through that shame and suffering in life - so not to mislead anyone, she merited to have royalty come from her lineage - King David, King Solomon, all the way to the King Messiah. 

    As Mordechai approached Esther, he told her that for that generation to merit the next Bet Hamikdash, just like the oldest daughter of Lot merited kings, the only way would be if Esther married Achashverosh.

    When everything was done and over, and the nation was saved, Queen Esther had a son Cyrus, who became King Cyrus The Great. She brought him up to be favorable to the Jews, and he eventually lifted the ban against the rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash, freed the nation, and helped them rebuild the Second Temple in Jerusalem.  

    So now, let’s talk about the Messiah. Mashiach does suffer and he suffers a lot. Let’s try to understand this?


    In the book of Prophet Isaiah Chapter 53:10, it says, “Hashem desired to oppress him, and He afflicted him.” In 53:7, “He was persecuted and afflicted.” In 53:5, “He was pained because of our rebellious sins and oppressed through our iniquities; the chastisement upon him was for our benefit, and through his wounds, we were healed”. In 53:4, “But in truth, it was our ills that he bore, and our pains that he carried.”

    Just like the daughter of Lot went through her pain and humiliation - she merited the lineage of kings. Ruth and her grandson King David went through their trials which merited the nation the First Bet Hamikdash. Esther went through her difficulties and merited the nation the Second Bet Hamikdash. So is the Righteous Messiah will go through pain and suffering just to atone for his generation, and eventually to merit the Third Bet Hamikdash in Yerushalayim.

    May Hashem bring about the events for the rebuilding of the Third Bet Hamikdash, and we see it rebuild speedily in our days, Amen!!

    Shmuel Katanov

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  • Part 2 - The Secret of The Red Heifer Revealed

    If you haven't read Part One, I would strongly suggest it, since the ideas below are built on the knowledge of the previous article.


    The ceremony of the red heifer seems to be very mysterious, but when you analyze it, you will find that Hashem is making some major atonement for a misdeed made before

    So, let's look at it together.

    What qualifies a red heifer as acceptable for the ceremony?

    These are some of the requirements:
    - The cow must have never worn a yoke or performed any type of a job. 
    - Never cohabited, and must have no blemish, etc..

    Maybe the following ideas were never mentioned anywhere, but for a second, please allow me to present some of the ideas that may shed some light on this, which in my humble opinion, may have a right to exist. 

    When a korban is brought, a person places his hands, admits his guilt, and says that this animal will be brought as a sacrifice instead of him, that is why Korban has the same root as Karov - to come near or draw closer.

    The same thing happens here. It looks like the red heifer is brought as a korban to atone for Chava. Why Chava you ask? Well let's see, Chava also didn't do any work while they lived in the Garden of Eden, she hasn't been close with Adam, and wasn't pregnant while in the Garden of Eden. When she ate from the Tree of Knowledge and made her husband eat it, she brought death into this world and distanced her future descendants from the Creator. So, the sprinkling of the Red Heifer atones for an impurity of contact with a dead body, and draws the person back to Hashem.

    Why does Cohen become defiled and need to go through a cleansing process, while the one being sprinkled on becomes pure? In Parashat Bereshit, when Adam and Chava ate from the Tree of Knowledge, Hashem asked whether Adam ate it or not. Adam said that the woman that You gave, she gave it to me, and made me eat it. The Gemara in Masechet Avodah Zarah 5B, says that Adam has shown his ingratitude, and has not taken the blame on himself. This was not a right thing to do, and an atonement now is required. And since Adam was created by Hashem himself, and he was very holy and close to Hashem, so the only people that could atone for Adam - are the Cohanim, the highest echelon of the society, and closest to Hashem, since they are allowed to enter into the deepest and holiest places in the Bet Hamikdash while doing their service.

    So when the Cohen sprinkles someone to purify him, the Cohen at that moment becomes impure or as if he is taking the blame or the impurity upon himself for the other man, thus atoning for the sin of Adam Harishon. Where Adam fell short, his sons - the cohanim are making up for it.

    So the waters of Red Heifer atone for Chava, while the cohen that sprinkles the water atones for Adam HaRishon. This process returns the nation of Israel and all of humanity to purity level before Adam and Chava sinned with the original sin when they were in the Garden of Eden.

    So this, in my opinion, would be the secret of the Red Heifer.

    And what happens after the nation becomes pure, you can read here.


    Shmuel Katanov

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  • Part 1 - The Red Heifer Explained

    We all have heard of the Red Heifer, it is the commandment that has no explanation, but with your permission, I would like to try to explain it. So, without further ado, let's get started.


    There are different types of cows in this world, but the Torah gives us a commandment where we have to take the rare cow - the red heifer for a ceremony. 

    In Parashat Chukat 19:2-9 it says:

    זֹ֚את חֻקַּ֣ת הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר דַּבֵּ֣ר ׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֣וּ אֵלֶ֩יךָ֩ פָרָ֨ה אֲדֻמָּ֜ה תְּמִימָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֵֽין־בָּהּ֙ מ֔וּם אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָלָ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ עֹֽל׃ 
    This is the law of the Torah which the Lord has commanded, saying, Speak to the children of Yisrael, that they bring thee a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, and upon which never came a yoke: 

    וּנְתַתֶּ֣ם אֹתָ֔הּ אֶל־אֶלְעָזָ֖ר הַכֹּהֵ֑ן וְהוֹצִ֤יא אֹתָהּ֙ אֶל־מִח֣וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וְשָׁחַ֥ט אֹתָ֖הּ לְפָנָֽיו׃ 
    and you shall give her to Elazar the priest, that he may bring her outside the camp, and she shall be slaughtered before his face: 

    וְשָׂרַ֥ף אֶת־הַפָּרָ֖ה לְעֵינָ֑יו אֶת־עֹרָ֤הּ וְאֶת־בְּשָׂרָהּ֙ וְאֶת־דָּמָ֔הּ עַל־פִּרְשָׁ֖הּ יִשְׂרֹֽף׃ 
    and the heifer shall be burnt in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall be burnt: וְלָקַ֣ח הַכֹּהֵ֗ן עֵ֥ץ אֶ֛רֶז וְאֵז֖וֹב וּשְׁנִ֣י תוֹלָ֑עַת וְהִשְׁלִ֕יךְ אֶל־תּ֖וֹךְ שְׂרֵפַ֥ת הַפָּרָֽה׃ 
    and the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 

    וְאָסַ֣ף ׀ אִ֣ישׁ טָה֗וֹר אֵ֚ת אֵ֣פֶר הַפָּרָ֔ה וְהִנִּ֛יחַ מִח֥וּץ לַֽמַּחֲנֶ֖ה בְּמָק֣וֹם טָה֑וֹר וְ֠הָיְתָ֠ה לַעֲדַ֨ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל לְמִשְׁמֶ֛רֶת לְמֵ֥י נִדָּ֖ה חַטָּ֥את הִֽוא׃ 
    And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them outside the camp in a clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yisrael for the water of sprinkling: it is a purification offering. 

    This reminds me of something in Parashat Toldot. It says there in the Toldot 25:30 - "Esau said to Jacob: Feed me now from that red, red [haadom haadom] dish, as I am tired. Therefore, his name is called Edom". -  These two events in the Torah are connected via the red heifer and the soup that Eisav bought -- red or rare heifer VS הָאָדֹ֤ם הָאָדֹם֙ הַזֶּ֔ה - this red red dish. When he asks for that dish, Hashem wants us to pay attention to Eisav.

    What is Hashem trying to tell us? 

    Hashem is trying to tell us that He is concerned about Eisav. But, not the ancient Eisav, the brother of Yaakov Avinu, the one that has abandoned the path and faith of his father Yitzchak and grandfather Avraham. The one that ran after the wealth, and luxury of this world, while ignoring the spiritual side, thus being forever lost to Torah and Judaism not only himself but billions of his descendants over the centuries till today. 

    Hashem is concerned about the other Eisav, about the one you and I may know - the everyday Eisav'im. The ones we see on the street, and maybe the one that stares back at you in the mirror. Some are lost to the Torah and mitzvot because they either don't know it or maybe if they do, they choose to ignore it. These are the Eisav'im of today - Hashem does not want to lose. He cares about them and He wants them back.

    And how will He get them back? This is where the Red Heifer comes in.

    In the Haftorah for the Parashat Parah, after the red heifer is made to ashes, in Ezekiel 36:25-37, it says the following:

    וְזָרַקְתִּ֧י עֲלֵיכֶ֛ם מַ֥יִם טְהוֹרִ֖ים וּטְהַרְתֶּ֑ם מִכֹּ֧ל טֻמְאוֹתֵיכֶ֛ם וּמִכׇּל־גִּלּ֥וּלֵיכֶ֖ם אֲטַהֵ֥ר אֶתְכֶֽם׃ 
    I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you shall be purified: I will purify you from all your defilement and all your fetishes. 

    וְנָתַתִּ֤י לָכֶם֙ לֵ֣ב חָדָ֔שׁ וְר֥וּחַ חֲדָשָׁ֖ה אֶתֵּ֣ן בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וַהֲסִ֨רֹתִ֜י אֶת־לֵ֤ב הָאֶ֙בֶן֙ מִבְּשַׂרְכֶ֔ם וְנָתַתִּ֥י לָכֶ֖ם לֵ֥ב בָּשָֽׂר׃ 
    And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you: I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh; 

    וְאֶת־רוּחִ֖י אֶתֵּ֣ן בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וְעָשִׂ֗יתִי אֵ֤ת אֲשֶׁר־בְּחֻקַּי֙ תֵּלֵ֔כוּ וּמִשְׁפָּטַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃ 
    And I will put My spirit into you. Thus I will cause you to follow My laws and faithfully observe My rules. 

    וּזְכַרְתֶּם֙ אֶת־דַּרְכֵיכֶ֣ם הָרָעִ֔ים וּמַעַלְלֵיכֶ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־טוֹבִ֑ים וּנְקֹֽטֹתֶם֙ בִּפְנֵיכֶ֔ם עַ֚ל עֲוֺנֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם וְעַ֖ל תּוֹעֲבוֹתֵיכֶֽם׃ 
    Then you will remember your evil ways and your doings that were not good, and you shall hate yourselves in your sight because of your sins and your disgusting practices.

    לֹ֧א לְמַעַנְכֶ֣ם אֲנִֽי־עֹשֶׂ֗ה נְאֻם֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה יִוָּדַ֖ע לָכֶ֑ם בּ֧וֹשׁוּ וְהִכָּֽלְמ֛וּ מִדַּרְכֵיכֶ֖ם בֵּ֥ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃         
    Not for your sake will I act — declares the Sovereign G-d — let it be known to you. Be ashamed and humiliated because of your ways, O House of Israel! 

    When they will sprinkle the waters of the Red Heifer on the people, it will purify them, and it will also change the heart of stone we currently have to the heart of flesh, and this is when we will finally understand and regret the times we went against G-d and His laws. 

    And this is Hashem's plan to help the Eisav'im of Today - all of us, to come back home - to truly repent and become holy, and to "re-join" the Jewish nation with a heart full of gratitude, and dedication to Hashem and His laws.

    May it speedily happen in our days, Amen!

    Click here for Part Two, to go even deeper and understand the secrets of the Red Heifer.

    Shmuel Katanov

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  • The Reason Behind The “Borrowed” Treasures

    Isn't it strange why Hashem is telling Moshe Rabbeinu to ask the nation, to go and ask for gifts of silver and gold from Egyptians?

    Parashat Bo, 11:2 it says: "דַּבֶּר־נָ֖א בְּאׇזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וְיִשְׁאֲל֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ מֵאֵ֣ת רֵעֵ֗הוּ וְאִשָּׁה֙ מֵאֵ֣ת רְעוּתָ֔הּ כְּלֵי־כֶ֖סֶף וּכְלֵ֥י זָהָֽב׃ - Tell the people to borrow, each man from his friend, and each woman from hers, objects of silver and gold."

    The Chachamim say that there's a promise that was made by Hashem to Avraham Avinu, and Hashem wants to keep His word. So, when the Jews will ask the Egyptians, they will give gladly. 

    But I believe there's much more hidden under such a request. So, please allow me to uncover what may be the reason for such an odd request.

    In Parashat Lech Lecha when Lot was taken captive, Avraham Avinu assembled a small army and went to free him. After the battle of 4 against the 5 kings, Avraham Avinu was on the side of the winners. The victorious king made somewhat an interesting request, in Lech Lecha 14:21: "וַיֹּ֥אמֶר מֶֽלֶךְ־סְדֹ֖ם אֶל־אַבְרָ֑ם תֶּן־לִ֣י הַנֶּ֔פֶשׁ וְהָרְכֻ֖שׁ קַֽח־לָֽךְ׃ - Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, and take the possessions for yourself."

    To which Avraham Avinu answered in 14:23: " אִם־מִחוּט֙ וְעַ֣ד שְׂרֽוֹךְ־נַ֔עַל וְאִם־אֶקַּ֖ח מִכׇּל־אֲשֶׁר־לָ֑ךְ וְלֹ֣א תֹאמַ֔ר אֲנִ֖י הֶעֱשַׁ֥רְתִּי אֶת־אַבְרָֽם׃ - I will not take so much as a thread or a sandal strap of what is yours; you shall not say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich." It seems like Avraham Avinu wants to attribute his success and wealth to only one source - Hashem, but here I believe - if I may say so - an error was made.

    In Parashat Vayeira when the angels visited Avraham Avinu after he had made the Brit, one of the angels said that he had come to execute a judgment against the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. When they finished speaking to Avraham, they left and went on with their task.

    In 18:23-33 it says: "וַיִּגַּ֥שׁ אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַאַ֣ף תִּסְפֶּ֔ה צַדִּ֖יק עִם־רָשָֽׁע׃ - Abraham came forward and said, “Will You sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?   אוּלַ֥י יֵ֛שׁ חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים צַדִּיקִ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֑יר הַאַ֤ף תִּסְפֶּה֙ וְלֹא־תִשָּׂ֣א לַמָּק֔וֹם לְמַ֛עַן חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים הַצַּדִּיקִ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃ - What if there should be fifty innocent people within the city; will You then wipe out the place and not forgive it for the sake of the innocent fifty who are in it?" And so Avraham went down in numbers each time, lowering it to 10. Hashem said that He would not destroy if He found 10 righteous individuals in that city, and for their sake, he will not destroy other people.. on this note, they parted.

    It seems like this story is talking about Sodom and Gomorrah, but I believe we can look at this incident from a whole different angle. 

    Let's imagine for a second that it may be not Sodom and Gomorrah, but it is talking about the generation that is coming out of Egypt, Avraham Avinu is a prophet, and he has realized that he made a mistake. When the King of Sodom asked him to give him people and Avraham should take the gold and silver, Avraham declined. But now he has realized this was a huge mistake. 

    In Parashat Lech Lecha 15:13-14 it says: "וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְאַבְרָ֗ם יָדֹ֨עַ תֵּדַ֜ע כִּי־גֵ֣ר ׀ יִהְיֶ֣ה זַרְעֲךָ֗ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ לֹ֣א לָהֶ֔ם וַעֲבָד֖וּם וְעִנּ֣וּ אֹתָ֑ם אַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָֽה׃  - And [God] said to Abram, “Know well that your offspring shall be strangers in a land not theirs, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years; וְגַ֧ם אֶת־הַגּ֛וֹי אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲבֹ֖דוּ דָּ֣ן אָנֹ֑כִי וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵ֥ן יֵצְא֖וּ בִּרְכֻ֥שׁ גָּדֽוֹל׃ - but I will execute judgment on the nation they shall serve, and in the end they shall go free with great wealth." 

    And because Avraham Avinu had declined and did not take the wealth - gold and silver offered by the King of Sodom, which he has earned by fighting in a war - where one goes through pain, blood, and death, and by the rules of war - the treasures taken from the enemy are called loot and are shared amongst the winners. Declining  to take the loot, led Avraham Avinu's descendants to go down to the unknown land into slavery, to experience pain, blood, and death, and then be freed by Hashem, and only then bring out that great promised wealth. 

    Remember the discussion Avraham Avinu had with Hashem, where Hashem agreed to save the city if He finds 10 worthy individuals? So, since Avraham Avinu's descendants had to go into exile, in the Parashat Shelach, the fate of the men ages 20-60 of that generation was decreed to be buried in the desert. Since in this generation, Hashem didn't find the required 10 people to save the "city" - 12 spies went to Eretz Yisrael and 10 spoke against the Land. Since 2 out of the agreed 10 were worthy to stay alive which were Yehoshua bin Nun and Caleb ben Yefuneh, the rest of the men ages 20-60 have died in the dessert - remember the story of the spies?!

    So, at this point, you may ask why such a harsh punishment for not taking gold and silver when they were offered by the King of Sodom? Because Avraham Avinu was raised by a father who was a craftsman, who made idols from clay, wood, gold, and silver. Avraham Avinu should have foreseen the consequences and taken the treasures when he was offered them. Because only he was able to raise them to the levels of holiness to serve Hashem, but since he declined them, those treasures were made into idols and were used to mislead the masses - which eventually led to the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah

    That is why Moshe Rabbeinu asked people to get silver and gold from Egyptians and brought the treasures out from Mitzrayim. In the desert, he has raised those treasures to the highest levels of holiness, by making them into Holy items like Mizbeach, Mishkan, Menorah, and other Holy vessels to serve Hashem. And those objects were built from the gold, silver, and other materials for which the nation of Israel has paid with their pain, blood, and death

    Just like the Gemara in Masechet Berachot 5A says, three things are acquired through hardship: The Next World, Torah, and Eretz Yisrael. So are the artifacts of such enormous proportions of holiness can't be acquired merely by money. They require national effort, sacrifice, and suffering, and only then Hashem's presence will be among the nation - when all are molded as if one vessel, and are together working toward one goal - to serve Hashem in holiness.


    PS: The above is the story of how Moshe Rabbeinu was able to elevate the treasures that they brought out from Egypt to the level of holiness. But the same attempts were made by others throughout history as well.

    In Parashat Ki Tisa, people approached Aharon HaCohen and asked him to make them an intermediary between Hashem and the people, because Moshe Rabbeinu has delayed coming back from the mountain. Aharon HaCohen asked them to bring him the golden earrings from their wives, thus trying to delay the time, but men gave theirs - exactly those that they have gotten from the Egyptians, the ones they paid for with pain, suffering and death - thus contributing to the sin of the golden idol and cheapening the national efforts of years of slavery and national sacrifice. This action alone has brought us a lot of trouble for which we still atone for till today.

    Comes King Solomon and tries to elevate the gold in the service of Hashem. We are told in the Book of Melachim 1, that King Solomon has covered most of the Bet Hamikdash with gold along with most of its vessels. There's opinion, that about 1,086 talents, or about 34 tons of gold were brought to Jerusalem from Ophir by King Solomon's workers. This amount of gold is estimated to have been about half of the world’s known gold supply at that time. The First Temple was the most beautiful building in the world in its time - as the House of G-d should be. But there was another problem. King Solomon had around 1000 wives, and for each of his wife he built a palace which also required gold to make them feel "royally accepted" in the society. So each of the wives' palaces were also looking golden and sparkly. But later in life, his wives started to worship their idols in each of their palaces, so all that vast amount of gold in the time of King Solomon wasn't elevated in holiness and did not achieve it's intended purpose.

    The Second Bet Hamikdash, had plenty of its own issues, so let's not discuss it right now. 

    So where do we go from here? 

    We got another shot at it, and it is a Third Bet Hamikdash. When the time comes, under Mashiach's supervision we will build the Third Temple. And this time, we will also use gold, and lots of it too. The Third Bet Hamikdash - The House of G-d will attract people from all over the world as it says in Sefer Yeshayahu, it needs to look awesome and most importantly - holy - according to the Jewish Law. But why you may ask? The beauty of that scale and aggrandizement of it should be used to serve and elevate the Honor and Name of G-d. Because, if anyone that deserves the praise and fanfare, that would be not us - the mere men, it is only Him alone - Hashem, G-d Almighty.

    Shmuel Katanov

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  • The Thoughts Behind The Empty Pit

    "And they took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.", Vayeshev 37:24. It is puzzling that the Torah mentions that the pit was empty. Why would I need to know that? If you ask me, they are in the desert, and if there is water in the pit - it would be called a well, why does the Torah specifically mention the lack of water in the pit?

    I think the answer may be hiding in a few places in the Torah. Let's start with the first key. Yosef, וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר - Ve Hu Naar, Rashi explains, "And He, Being a Lad - His actions were childish: he dressed his hair, he touched up his eyes so that he should appear good-looking." 

    But I believe there's more to it.

    Ve Hu Naar - And He, Being a Lad, can be also interpreted as him having a child-like imagination. It seemed as if he was a dreamer with his head high up in the clouds. Maybe that is why when he saw the dreams, he was able to come up with great explanations for his and other people’s dreams because he thought out of the box.

    So, after Yaakov Avinu sent him to check up on his brothers, Yosef being the dreamer he is, wasn't just simply walking to his brothers, his mind was thinking. And this time he was thinking about Kayin and Hevel. 

    Our job in this world is to fix what was broken before – making the Tikkunim, and Yosef was a great example of this.

    In Parashat Bereshit 4:9, Hashem said to Kayin, "Where is your brother Hevel?" Kayin said, "I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?" And this is what bothered Yosef that day. Him being the most hated one in the family, he felt that vibe between Kayin and Hevel. And this is where the Tikkun or fixing was being done...given a chance, he thought - he could fix Kayin's error.

    And with these thoughts, he came to Shechem, but there he met a man. Chachamim tells us it was an angel, and when that man asked him, who is he looking for, he said: My brothers do I seek - אֶת־אַחַ֖י אָנֹכִ֣י מְבַקֵּ֑שׁ, Parashat Vayeshev, 37:16, but as you know in the Sefer Torah the Nekudot - the vowels are missing and the word אַחַ֖י - My Brothers can also be written as Achi, so at the end, he meant: אֶת־אחִי אָנֹכִ֣י מְבַקֵּ֑שׁ  and that makes it as - My brother do I seek.

    Fully determined to fix Kayin’s error and with full understanding of why Kayin killed Hevel, Yosef felt that no matter the amount of hate Yosef had seen from his brothers, they were as a Brother to him, and he was looking not for them but for him - all as one. And with this thought, he went to the city of Dotan. 

    But Yosef didn't stop there, he asked Hashem for a sign, that he was on the right track, that his thought process was correct, and his Tikkun was noticed above. 

    He didn't have to wait too long, because when he approached his brothers, they took off his colorful tunic - "And took him and cast him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.", Parashat Vayeshev 37:24. No water in it...?! Notice how the Torah highlights that water was not there.

    In Parashat Bereshit, after Kayin killed Hevel, Hashem came to punish Kayin, He asked him, Where's Hevel? Kayin answered, וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי הֲשֹׁמֵ֥ר אָחִ֖י אָנֹֽכִי׃ - And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?"

    So, Hashem said, וְעַתָּ֖ה אָר֣וּר אָ֑תָּה מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר פָּצְתָ֣ה אֶת־פִּ֔יהָ לָקַ֛חַת אֶת־דְּמֵ֥י אָחִ֖יךָ מִיָּדֶֽךָ׃ - "Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand." Meam Loez says that the sin of the Earth was that it left no trace of blood, like it wanted to hide the blood completely, so it could not be discovered, thus it completely swallowed the blood.

    So, Yosef got the sign he asked for - no water in the pit when he was thrown into it, just like the incident with Kayin killing Hevel - no blood was left visible on the ground.

    But let's go even further. In Parashat Vayigash 45:12, when Yosef HaTzaddik opened up to his brothers, he says the following:" וְהִנֵּ֤ה עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ רֹא֔וֹת וְעֵינֵ֖י אָחִ֣י בִנְיָמִ֑ין כִּי־פִ֖י הַֽמְדַבֵּ֥ר אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃ - You can see for yourselves, and my brother Benyamin for himself, that it is indeed I who am speaking to you." Rashi said," ועיני אחי בנימין - And the eyes of my brother Benyamin - just as I harbor no hatred against Benyamin, my brother, for he was no party to selling me, so is my heart free from hatred against you."

    But maybe it can also mean, just like Benyamin my brother looks at me and sees me as His Brother, so am I, looking at All of You and seeing you all, as My Brother - Achi and not as Achai - My Brothers. He was not looking for brothers in Shechem, Yosef HaTzaddik was looking for them all - as a Brother looks for His Brother.

    Kayin fell short by not being able to co-exist with one brotherand was not content with his lofty share - even though he did have more than plenty, Yosef HaTzaddik has proven that he was his brother's keeper - the caretaker of the entire family. When the time came and the family moved to Egypt, he took care of the needs of his father, the brothers, and all of their families, thus making his contribution to the atonement of Kayin's sin.

    Shmuel Katanov

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