Latest Essays

• King David's Lineage

  Feb 9, 2025 Admin 0 Comments

  Long live the King! Long live the King.. - shouted people when King David walked amongst the crowd to his throne. But did you hear about the tough road he had to go through to get to this point in his life? Even after he was established as a king, they said that his lineage was stained, and anyone who came from it and would come in the future, like Mashiach, would be stained as well. It feels like it has become almost established, and everyone is so sure of it, but is it so, and could it be any other way? 
  
  This is the topic I would like to delve into with your permission. 
  
  So, King David's lineage starts with Yehuda, the son of Yaakov Avinu.
  
  Tamar married two of Yehudah’s sons, and both of them died. Yibum, a levirate marriage, had to be performed, but Yehudah was saving his third son for marriage to Tamar and was hesitant to allow that marriage to go forth. Tamar decides to do the unthinkable and appears at the crossroads as a zonah (prostitute), and Yehudah, without realizing that it is his daughter-in-law, hires her services.
  
  Yehudah has relations with this woman who he thought was zonah, and she becomes pregnant. When Yehudah learns that his daughter-in-law is pregnant, he assumes that she has been unfaithful to his third son and orders her to be put to death. Tamar proves to Yehudah that she was pregnant from him, and he responds, "She is more righteous than I." as it says in Parashat Vayeshev 38:14-26.
  
  The Midrash asks, how is it that Yehudah, patriarch of one of the Twelve Tribes of G-d, could do such a thing? What caused him to have relations with a zonah that he happens to see at the crossroads? The Midrash answers that Hashem sent Yehudah, "Malach ha'me'muneh al ha'tayvah", an Angel appointed over the attribute of human sexual desire. Yehudah was almost forced into this unseemly act. He didn’t want to do it, but somehow, a spiritual entity "forced him" into it. This angel was given such a mission because it was part of the Divine Plan that the Davidic monarchy, and ultimately the Moshiach himself, would descend from this union. 
  
  Now, let's look at the story of Yishai, the father of David HaMelech. 
  
  David's father, Yishai, was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth. After several years of marriage to his wife, Nitzevet, and after raising several virtuous children, Yishai began to question his own ancestry. True, he was the leading Torah authority of his day, but his grandmother Ruth was a convert from the nation of Moab, as it says in the book of Ruth.
  
  Many people doubted the legitimacy of her marriage to Boaz during Ruth's lifetime. The Torah specifically forbids an Israelite to marry a Moabite convert since this nation cruelly refused the Jewish people passage through their land and did not allow them to purchase food and drinks when they wandered in the desert after being freed from Egypt.
  
  To fix his problematic situation as he thought it was, he decided to do the following: His plan was to engage in relations with his Canaanite maidservant.
  
  He said to her: "I will be freeing you conditionally. If my status as a Jew is legitimate, then you are freed as a proper Jewish convert to marry me. If, however, my status is blemished and I have the legal status of a Moabite convert forbidden to marry an Israelite, I am not giving you your freedom, but as a Shifchah K'Naanit, a Canaanite maidservant, you may marry a Moabite convert."
  
  Maidservant agreed and went straight to Nitzevet, Yishai's wife, and told her about his plans. They decided to switch places, and with a prayer on her lips that the plan should succeed, Nitzevet took the place of her maidservant. That night, Nitzevet conceived. Yishai remained unaware of the switch.
  
  After three months, her pregnancy became obvious. Enraged, her sons wanted to kill their mother with the "illegitimate" baby that she carried. But Nitzevet did not want to embarrass her husband by revealing what had occurred. And just like Tamar, who was ready to be burned alive and not to embarrass Yehudah, Nitzevet decided to keep quiet. She kept quiet for twenty-eight years, and David lived and was treated as an outcast by his family and the community. When Prophet Samuel anointed David, the sound of weeping could be heard from outside the room. It was the voice of Nitzevet, his mother, David’s only supporter and only source of comfort.
  
  Her twenty-eight long years of silence in the face of humiliation were finally coming to a close. At last, all would see that the lineage of her youngest son was pure and undefiled by any blemish. Finally, the anguish and humiliation that she and her son were going through would come to an end.
  
  All the doubts originated from the two events mentioned above... But -- something has been overlooked elsewhere, and this, in my opinion, would be the key to solving it once and for all. 
  
  Parashat Vayetzeh 29:16-18 says that Lavan had two daughters, Leah and Rachel. "Leah had weak eyes, while Rachel was shapely and beautiful." Jacob loved Rachel, and he offered to work for her for seven years.
  
  Later, in Vayetzeh 29:23-25, "When the seven years were up, Lavan substituted Leah for Rachel on the night of the wedding. Yaakov discovered the deception only after consummating the marriage with Leah." Because Yaakov had given signs to Rachel, since both knew that Lavan might cheat and switch the sisters, so, when Rachel saw that they were bringing Leah, she said, "Now, my sister will be put to shame. So she willingly transmitted those signs to Leah.", as it says in the Masechet Megilah 13B. Rachel received a reward for this act from Hashem, and you can read about it here. 
  
  But once again, Yaakov Avinu didn't know that he was with Leah; he thought he was with Rachel. 
  
  How can Kiddushin, Betrothal, or an intent to get married be accomplished? Through three things - money/gift, shtar/document, and biya/being together.
  
  - In Yaakov Avinu's case, all three items were present, and the only thing that was absent was the realization of who he was with.
  - With Yehudah, he gave her "money"—items that would be exchanged later for a gift and were held by her as collateral, which had monetary value, and there was biya—he cohabited with her. The only item missing was a document/shtar, but those 2 items were enough to get married. On top of it, she was an available woman who was waiting for Yehuda's third son from that same family, and the only thing missing was Yehuda didn't know who he was with.
  - With Yishai, Nitzevet was his wife, and he was married to her. Again, the only item missing was the realization of who he was with. 
  
  All three instances above have one thing in common - all three couples were together, and men didn't know who they were with. Yaakov didn't know it was Leah; Yehudah had no idea it was his daughter-in-law, Tamar, and Yishai didn't know it was his own wife, Nitzevet. (Wow.. look at the holiness level these couples practiced during their intimate moments.)
  
  These holy ladies - Tamar and Nitzevet, have taken a vow of silence not to shame Yehuda and Yishai. Both ladies have endured plenty of shame over the centuries until today. As a reward, their lineage will have Mashiach, who will talk incessantly about G-d's greatness and will bring honor to these ladies, their lineage, and G-d Almighty.
  
  PS: I would like to mention Lot's daughters. After their city was destroyed, the two daughters of Lot thought that no man was 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 that’s exactly how they did it. 
  
  The oldest daughter named her child Moav—another way to read מוֹאָ֑ב would be as Me Av—which means From My Father as if she were declaring it to the world. The second daughter named her son Ben-Ammi, the Son of My Nation, which could be anyone and nothing shameful. You could say that she had a blissful life with no worries or concerns.
  
  But the oldest 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 as not to mislead anyone—she merited to have royalty come from her lineage—which makes her a link before Leah. 
  
  I believe King David's lineage has mighty and holy ancestors who have endured hardships, shame, and suffering and whose descendants will eventually elevate the Name of G-d and bring Honor to G-d Almighty.
  
  That's why it says in Prophet Isaiah 52:13, הִנֵּ֥ה יַשְׂכִּ֖יל עַבְדִּ֑י יָר֧וּם וְנִשָּׂ֛א וְגָבַ֖הּ מְאֹֽד׃ - Behold, My servant shall prosper, He shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high - Mashiach will be exalted because his ancestors endured hardships and shame, so Hashem will raise His servant to bring honor to Himself and to His servant's lineage. 
  
  And in the Prophet Isaiah 52:7-10 says, "מַה־נָּאו֨וּ עַל־הֶהָרִ֜ים רַגְלֵ֣י מְבַשֵּׂ֗ר מַשְׁמִ֧יעַ שָׁל֛וֹם מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר ט֖וֹב מַשְׁמִ֣יעַ יְשׁוּעָ֑ה אֹמֵ֥ר לְצִיּ֖וֹן מָלַ֥ךְ אֱלֹהָֽיִךְ׃ - How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good news. That announcer of peace, the forerunner of good news. That announces salvation; That says unto Zion: "Your G-d is King!
  
  ק֥וֹל צֹפַ֛יִךְ נָ֥שְׂאוּ ק֖וֹל יַחְדָּ֣ו יְרַנֵּ֑נוּ כִּ֣י עַ֤יִן בְּעַ֙יִן֙ יִרְא֔וּ בְּשׁ֥וּב ה׳ צִיּֽוֹן׃ - Your scouts raise their voices and sing together, for they shall see G-d's return to Zion with their own eyes. 
  
  פִּצְח֤וּ רַנְּנוּ֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו חׇרְב֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ֑͏ִם כִּֽי־נִחַ֤ם ה׳ עַמּ֔וֹ גָּאַ֖ל יְרוּשָׁלָֽ͏ִם׃ - Break out in song, together, the ruins of Jerusalem! For G-d has consoled His people and redeemed Jerusalem! 
  
  חָשַׂ֤ף ה׳ אֶת־זְר֣וֹעַ קׇדְשׁ֔וֹ לְעֵינֵ֖י כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְרָאוּ֙ כׇּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֔רֶץ אֵ֖ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ - G-d shall reveal His holy arm before all nations and all ends of the earth shall see salvations of our G-d. 
  
  And just like that, the Ruach Elokim - The Spirit of G-d, has left the waters and is walking the land. 
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• And Yosef Was In Mitzrayim

  Jan 19, 2025 Admin 0 Comments

  Sometimes, you read a sentence in the Torah and wonder why some events are written in a certain way. But, like anything in the Torah, there's a deep wisdom behind every word. This essay will uncover the thought process behind the actions of our forefather, Yaakov Avinu. 
  
  With your permission, let's begin.
  
  In Parashat Shemot 1:1-5 Torah says: "וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמוֹת֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵית֖וֹ בָּֽאוּ׃ - These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his household: 
  
  רְאוּבֵ֣ן שִׁמְע֔וֹן לֵוִ֖י וִיהוּדָֽה׃ - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; יִשָּׂשכָ֥ר זְבוּלֻ֖ן וּבִנְיָמִֽן׃ - Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; דָּ֥ן וְנַפְתָּלִ֖י גָּ֥ד וְאָשֵֽׁר׃ - Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. 
  
  וַֽיְהִ֗י כׇּל־נֶ֛פֶשׁ יֹצְאֵ֥י יֶֽרֶךְ־יַעֲקֹ֖ב שִׁבְעִ֣ים נָ֑פֶשׁ וְיוֹסֵ֖ף הָיָ֥ה בְמִצְרָֽיִם׃  - The total number of persons that were of Jacob’s issue came to seventy, Joseph was already in Mitzrayim." 
  
  The Holy Book of Zohar gives an interesting commentary on which I want to concentrate. 
  
  It says that Yaakov Avinu made sure that even young children were married so they would not marry Egyptian women. Continues The Book of  Zohar and gives another explanation: Yaakov Avinu wanted to be certain that precisely seventy people would emigrate to Egypt with him, paralleling the seventy angels overseeing the seventy nations. To achieve this, Yaakov Avinu ensured his offspring were married before he went to Egypt since an unmarried person is considered half a man. That’s why the Torah uses the word Nefesh - Soul, a man and woman comprise a complete soul, thus seventy souls.
  
  But let me ask you a question—why? Why was it necessary to do all of that? Why not just emigrate as is?!
  
  I believe this was Yaakov Avinu's train of thought. 
  
  The Jewish nation was on its way to Egypt - galut or exile. What happens to the nation when it is away from its land and under the slavery of another nation? It means that the Jewish nation won't develop in pretty much anything. This would lead to the total opposite for other nations. Other nations will continue bettering their lives, but they will also develop militarily, economically, and in every other sector. By the time the Jewish nation was done with its exile and would be on its way out, other nations would have had tanks, missiles, and other advanced weaponry. And imagine for a second what they would have done to the nation after slavery on its way to its homeland. This could have been the end of it.
  
  So, our Forefather Yaakov Avinu made these seventy couples or Souls parallel the seventy nations and dragged them all into exile - all 70 nations, as if saying, "If my children are not able to develop and grow, then everyone should not be able to do so until they all get their fair shot at it."
  
  And so it was. 
  
  When the State of Israel was established in 1948, everyone got their fair start. Since then, Israel and other countries have made discoveries and grown across many sectors. Today, Israel is leading in areas such as technology, medicine, military, agriculture, and many others. It sustains and defends its population while contributing greatly to the world. 
  
  But there's another sentence that we need to look at: Joseph was already in Mitzrayim. This shows that the seventy couples represented the seventy nations, and Yosef represented the Jewish nation, which has suffered more than anyone since it was already in Egypt going through difficulties before anyone else. 
  
  Our Sages have established a few numbers over the generations, but based on the above, I would like to visit them again.
  
  Since the time of the Brit Ben HaBetarim - Covenant Between The Halves, Avraham Avinu was told that his children would go into exile for 400 years. Thirty years later, Yitzchak was born, so 400 years from Yitzchak's birth until the nation left Egypt, plus 30 years from the covenant until Yitzchak was born, makes it 430 years. 
  
  So, let's run these numbers with another scenario -- which is only my opinion.
  
  It has been 400 years since Yitzchak's birth and until the nation emerged from Egypt. The total time we have been in Egypt is 210, but based on the above that Yosef was in Egypt, the new calculation would be—we have been in Egypt for 232 years, and the old number of early redemption of 190 now becomes 168 years. 
  
  This brings the redemption even closer, in my opinion, since Yosef adds another 22 years of national exile, for a total of 232 years in Egypt. 
  
  This shows, I believe, the level of importance our forefather Yaakov holds in G-d's eyes. G-d follows his decisions and executes world history based on his reasoning.
  
  And this, my friend, is what I call Impressive!!
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• The Secret of Rachel’s Flowers

  Jan 12, 2025 Admin 0 Comments

  Ever wonder why Yaakov Avinu has elevated Menashe and Efraim to the level of shevatim / tribes? Don't forget these kids have lived outside of Eretz Yisrael and grown without Yaakov Avinu's influence. Why did Yaakov Avinu elevate them to such great heights? 
  
  In Parashat Vayechi 48:5 when Yaakov Avinu was about to bless Menashe and Efraim, he says the following: "וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־בָנֶ֩יךָ֩ הַנּוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־לִֽי׃ - Now, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, shall be mine; Efraim and Menashe shall be mine no less than Reuven and Shimon." Why would Yaakov Avinu make such a request, he already has 12 sons, why does he need additional 2 sons? 
  
  On this pasuk, Ari HaKadosh says that Yaakov Avinu should have had fourteen sons, but Reuven confused the beds by taking them out of Bilhah's tent and placing them in Leah's tent (Parashat Vayishlach 35:22); he caused these two additional souls not to descend. These souls came down only when Yosef married Osnath. Therefore, says Yaakov, I say that Menashe and Efraim shall be like Reuven and Shimon to me since they were originally destined to be fathered by me. 
  
  In the same parsha in pasuk 30:14 says: "וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ רְאוּבֵ֜ן בִּימֵ֣י קְצִיר־חִטִּ֗ים וַיִּמְצָ֤א דֽוּדָאִים֙ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וַיָּבֵ֣א אֹתָ֔ם אֶל־לֵאָ֖ה אִמּ֑וֹ וַתֹּ֤אמֶר רָחֵל֙ אֶל־לֵאָ֔ה תְּנִי־נָ֣א לִ֔י מִדּוּדָאֵ֖י בְּנֵֽךְ׃ - Once, at the time of the wheat harvest, Reuven came upon flowers in the field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah - Please give me some of your son's flowers." The Sages say these flowers are jasmine or mandrakes which promote fertility. 
  
  וַתֹּ֣אמֶר לָ֗הּ הַמְעַט֙ קַחְתֵּ֣ךְ אֶת־אִישִׁ֔י וְלָקַ֕חַת גַּ֥ם אֶת־דּוּדָאֵ֖י בְּנִ֑י וַתֹּ֣אמֶר רָחֵ֗ל לָכֵן֙ יִשְׁכַּ֤ב עִמָּךְ֙ הַלַּ֔יְלָה תַּ֖חַת דּוּדָאֵ֥י בְנֵֽךְ׃  - But she said to her, "Was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you would also take my son's flowers?" Rachel replied, "I promise, he shall lie with you tonight, in return for your son's flowers." 
  
  It seems to me that there's something about these flowers or the Dudaim that Reuven has found in the field. Rachel is asking for them to have more chances to conceive, but I believe it is more than that. 
  
  I believe this is what Rachel thought at that moment. The maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, already had two sons each, while Rachel had none. So, Rachel thought, "I am the wife of Yaakov Avinu, and I still have no children. The maids have two children each, and even if I have two, am I on the same level as the maids?" 
  
  So, she asked Leah for the dudayim in the plural form, the flowers—Rachel was asking for two more boys or tribes to be added to her, making her greater than the maids. 
  
  Leah agreed with Rachel. Rachel also said, "Yaakov shall lie with you tonight." He did. Until today, Leah rests with Yaakov Avinu in the Maarat Hamachpela or The Cave of the Patriarchs, and Rachel alone rests on the road to Ephrath, near Bethlehem.
  
  Since this agreement was made between matriarchs—the Mothers of Our Nation—Hashem has remembered Rachel, and carried it out exactly as they have decided. Today, Rachel Imenu is the mother of four tribes: Yosef, Benyamin, Menashe, and Efrayim. 
  
  Just as Hashem has carried out their agreement in the past, He promised to do more for Rachel Imenu in the future. 
  
  A cry is heard, and that person has never been comforted. It is Mama Rachel's bitter cry. 
  
  Says Prophet Yirmiyahu, 31:15-17:
  
  כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר ה׳ ק֣וֹל בְּרָמָ֤ה נִשְׁמָע֙ נְהִי֙ בְּכִ֣י תַמְרוּרִ֔ים רָחֵ֖ל מְבַכָּ֣ה עַל־בָּנֶ֑יהָ מֵאֲנָ֛ה לְהִנָּחֵ֥ם עַל־בָּנֶ֖יהָ כִּ֥י אֵינֶֽנּוּ׃         
  Thus said  G-d:
  A cry is heard in Ramah—
  Wailing, bitter weeping—
  Rachel weeping for her children.
  She refuses to be comforted
  For her children, who are gone. 
  
  כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר ה׳ מִנְעִ֤י קוֹלֵךְ֙ מִבֶּ֔כִי וְעֵינַ֖יִךְ מִדִּמְעָ֑ה כִּי֩ יֵ֨שׁ שָׂכָ֤ר לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ֙ נְאֻם־ה׳ וְשָׁ֖בוּ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ אוֹיֵֽב׃ 
  Thus said  G-d:
  Restrain your voice from weeping,
  Your eyes from shedding tears;
  For there is a reward for your labor
  —declares  G-d: They shall return from the enemy’s land. 
  
  וְיֵשׁ־תִּקְוָ֥ה לְאַחֲרִיתֵ֖ךְ נְאֻם־ה׳ וְשָׁ֥בוּ בָנִ֖ים לִגְבוּלָֽם׃ 
  And there is hope for your future
  —declares  G-d:
  Your children shall return to their borders.
  
  May this come speedily in our days, amen!!
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• The Toughest Battles of Life

  Dec 19, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  Life is all about choices. But before I continue with this topic, I just wanted to state it once again, as always anything I write is just my opinion, an understanding of how I see the passages based on learning the Holy Books. With that out of the way, back to the choices. The definition of choice is an act of selecting and making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities. Some people choose the breezy, easy road, but some are seem to be stuck on the bumpy one. Our Torah is full of these scenarios of the giants of the yesteryears that fell or some that have risen to unbelievable spiritual heights. With your permission, let’s begin. 
  
  The Parashat Shemot 2:11-15 says, "He saw an Egyptian man striking a Hebrew man, of his brethren. He turned this way and that, and saw that there is no man, so he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand." When Moshe’s crime was reported, he fled Egypt, ruled in another country as it says in Midrash, went to Yitro, was in jail, went through plenty of hardships, and then became the leader of the nation.
  
  The Parashat Vayeshev 39:11 says, "Yoseph saw no man in the house" - when Potifar's wife tried to force him so he could be with her, he ran from her leaving his garment in her hands, which she used as a piece of evidence against him. She magnified this situation to the point where he was found guilty and had to be in jail for 12 years, and only then became the viceroy of Egypt. 
  
  In the Book of Prophet Samuel verse 24:1-16 says, that David had an opportunity to kill Shaul HaMelech when he was alone in the cave away from his troops, but chose to cut the corner of his garment - just to "get the king's attention", and to stop the king from further attempts to kill him. David could have killed him, but he chose not to. 
  
  All 3 had opportunities to do what was convenient or necessary at that moment. 
  
  - Moshe Rabbenu could have passed by, and not stood up for some slave, who was being beaten mercilessly by an Egyptian.
  
  - Yosef could have slept with Potiphar's wife and he could have given in to those emotions of lust.. and hey, no one would have known.
  
  - David could have killed King Shaul since that was what Shaul HaMelech had been trying to do to him for a long time. But David would have done it first since he had the opportunity to do that at that moment, and he could have always relied on the law - if he was coming to kill me, I could kill him first.
  
  All the people above chose not to give in to those safe, familiar, and easily triggered emotions that drive one to sin. They went against those emotions and fought them - even though later their lives did not become smoother because of their choices. That ability to make hard and uncomfortable choices is a trait of the mighty, those who choose to go toward Hashem while making unpopular decisions.
  
  The teshuva or repentance process and the keeping of the 613 commandments is the ladder to climb out from your current fallen state - after the sin, and to rise and become Adam before the sin - as he was in the Garden of Eden before he ate from the Tree of Good and Evil. 
  
  Moshe Rabbenu worked on his character traits, gave us the Torah, learned the Torah, and achieved the state of holiness, that Adam was in before he committed that sin. 
  
  Yosef HaTzaddik learned with his father, who taught him the secrets of Torah, who became a holy person, with the title of HaTzaddik, in whose merit the Red Sea parted when the nation of Israel was coming out from Egypt - HaYam Raah Ve Yanos, The sea saw and fled. (Tehillim 114:3). 
  
  David HaMelech went through many hardships but made repentance because of his deep devotion and prayer. He has climbed out from the level of Ben Adam and achieved the level where Hashem has called him His beloved. The Zohar Chadash in Parashat Lech Lecha says that he has become the fourth leg of the Merkava, the Divine Chariot of Hashem. 
  
  By overcoming their challenges and rising in holiness, the above individuals have placed themselves in the category of the Mighty - as Adam HaRishon was before he made the sin of eating the forbidden fruit. 
  
  But there's also the other side of the coin.
  
  Chava, gave Adam HaRishon a fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil, and he ate it. In Bereshit 3:6 says, "וַתֵּ֣רֶא הָֽאִשָּׁ֡ה כִּ֣י טוֹב֩ הָעֵ֨ץ לְמַאֲכָ֜ל וְכִ֧י תַֽאֲוָה־ה֣וּא לָעֵינַ֗יִם וְנֶחְמָ֤ד הָעֵץ֙ לְהַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַתִּקַּ֥ח מִפִּרְי֖וֹ וַתֹּאכַ֑ל וַתִּתֵּ֧ן גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ עִמָּ֖הּ וַיֹּאכַֽל׃  - When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate." 
  
  Per our Oral Torah tradition, the word לְאִישָׁ֛הּ - Le Yisha is translated as to her husband, due to a dagesh in the Hey - a dot in the last letter Hey. But as you know when the text is written in the Sefer Torah, it has no vowels and no dagesh, and the word לאישה - Le Yisha could also be translated as To a Woman. 
  
  Why would Hashem use this word which may be explained in two ways? There are other words Hashem could have used to make the same statement. Is Hashem trying to hint at something? Maybe this is where we need to concentrate more, since I believe, this is where deep understanding is hidden.
  
  So, let's look at the word Le Yisha when translated as To Woman - as if Chavah passed the fruit to a woman. To me - it seems that Hashem had belittled Adam HaRishon because he listened to his wife - and didn't stand up to his wife, didn't protest, and ate when she offered him the fruit. That exact fruit from that tree that Hashem told him not to eat from. He had only this one commandment to keep, but he went along and sinned and went against the word of G-d. 
  
  This "habit" was passed on to their descendants—to the billions around the world, the Bnei Adam—the Sons of Man—who are on the same wavelength as Adam HaRishon—sinning and walking in his footsteps.
  
  But, let's not stop here, and let's take this idea further. 
  
  The Sages tell us that when Hashem created heaven and earth, He did it with Midat HaDin - the strict judgment, but He saw that the world wouldn't be able to exist, so He changed it to lenient judgment - Midat HaRachamim. 
  
  In the same way, in Tosefta, Sukkah 2:3, we are told that there are two schools of thought—The House of Hillel or Bet Hillel or The House of Shammai or Bet Shammai. Bet Shammai is generally more stringent or restrictive, while Bet Hillel is more lenient. 
  
  Hashem saw that Adam and humanity as a whole would not be able to lead life by strict law, and would struggle with making sense of the difficulties they face in life. Above are the few - David HaMelech, Moshe Rabbenu, and Yosef HaTzaddik, and many more stories of the likes in the Gemara, that have risen to unbelievable heights and have become The Mighty - simple and ordinary people who have walked the thorny and tough road of life. They went through challenges, but in the end, they acquired their titles and became the examples for the nation. 
  
  The reason why Hashem compared Adam to Woman, is not because He belittled him, but because women are obligated to keep only three commandments, which are (1)the separating of challah, (2)lighting the candles, and (3)keeping the laws of family purity. And men are obligated to keep 613 commandments. Adam had one commandment to keep, and he failed. That's why Hashem sided him with those who kept the 3 commandments. 
  
  But there are plenty of righteous amongst the women, those that have kept their three commandments to the strictest in our history and are placed in the same group of The Mighty, together with Moshe Rabbenu, David HaMelech, Yosef HaTzaddik, and the like.
  
  No wonder Talmud Sotah 11B says: "In the merit of the righteous women our ancestors were redeemed from Egypt." Why? Because women have kept the three laws they were given by G-d. And because of them G-d has redeemed us from Egypt and will do so as well in the future redemption - because of the ladies. 
  
  And we men - we are a bit behind.
  
  Can I ask you a question? Do you rise or constantly fall when you battle in your life — with your obligations towards G-d or in your dealings with men? Do you give in or stand strong against the evil inside of you? 
  
  When we, the men fall, we are placed in the group of The Mighty in Progress...and are judged per Bet Hillel. How? Ever wonder, why people who are evil and those who fall in the keeping of the mitzvot, always seem to get a good judgment and sweet year? Because, in the eyes of Hashem, they are in the group of The Mighty in Progress, who are only required to keep the three laws, but since they are men, those laws do not apply to them, so they have little or no merit and accomplish very little at the end of the year. Hashem has mercy on them and pardons them from year to year. That's why Hashem takes away the tzaddikim of the generation from The Mighty group, in order to save the ones in The Mighty in Progress group.
  
  Also, that's why on Chanukkah, we are told to light per the opinion of Bet Hillel - starting from one candle and adding another for the next eight days, because it builds us up, since we are weak in faith, and may crumble by the end if we were to go by Bet Shammai. Bet Shammai said to start with eight candles and go down to one on the eighth day. Only the Mighty will be able to go by Bet Shammai, grow from it, and become even stronger in faith - but we, the simpleton, are still not there yet.
  
  This is - the toughest battle of all, but it separates the Mighty from the Weak.
  
  Today - you can choose to stand with Adam, continue being weak, keep on sinning and falling, and rely on G-d's compassion, or be on the side of The Mighty, and for once become mighty yourself and join the ranks with Moshe Rabbenu, The Righteous Yosef, and King David.
  
  So, Rise The Mighty of Israel!!
  

  Son of Man - pick your side...!!
  
  Shmuel Katanov
  
  

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• The Hands of Esav

  Nov 27, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  In Parashat Toldot 27:1-22, we are told that Yitzchak Avinu grew old and could not see. He asked his son Esav to go hunting and to prepare him a dish since he wanted to bless him. Esav left, and Rivka Imenu overheard the conversation and told her other son Yaakov to get that blessing instead. She prepared the dish as her husband liked, and dressed Yaakov as Esav by placing a hairy goat skin on his hands. Yaakov went inside with a dish and approached his father. 
  
  Yitzchak said to Yaakov, "Come closer that I may feel you, my son—whether you are really, my son Esav or not. So Yaakov drew close to his father Yitzchak, who felt him and wondered. The voice is the voice of Yaakov, yet the hands are the hands of Esav." 
  
  And here is where I would like to go a bit deeper.
  
  "The voice is the voice of Yaakov, yet the hands are the hands of Esav." The Sages explain, that if there's a voice of Yaakov that's saying the words of Torah, then the hands of Esav have no power over Yaakov. But with your permission, please allow me to present a somewhat different idea about the hands of Esav. 
  
  In Parashat Yitro 19:10-13, the Nation of Israel is standing by Mount Sinai and is ready to receive Torah, Hashem tells Moshe to tell the nation: "And Hashem said to Moshe, Go to the people and warn them to stay pure today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes. Let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day Hashem will come down, in the sight of all the people, on Mount Sinai. You shall set bounds for the people round about, saying, 'Beware of going up the mountain or touching the border of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. Without being touched—by being either stoned or shot; beast or person, a trespasser shall not live.' When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain."
  
  On that night the nation of Israel received the Torah and has achieved total unity - as one in body and heart. 
  
  So a person was neither allowed to touch the mountain with his hand, nor climb it.
  
  As you know, a man and a woman come out from under the chuppah to live together and to build a family. The wife goes through cycles - clean and unclean. Just like the nation of Israel prepared themselves before receiving the Torah, so is the woman when in a niddah state - the unclean state, she needs to count the unclean and clean days, and then go to the mikvah to purify herself, see the laws of family purity. Once immersed, only then she is allowed to be with her husband.
  
  The wife is compared to Mount Sinai and the husband to Moshe Rabbenu.
  
  That's why no man can touch other women except his wife, since those women - are the mountains that have their own Moshe Rabbenus, and the person is not allowed to go onto those mountains or touch them, see the laws of shomer neggiah and adultery.
  
  When the woman is ritually pure and is together with her husband - ba basar echad, as one flesh - as says in Bereshit 2:24 - man clings to his wife so that they become one flesh, same as the nation was by the receiving of the Torah - one in body and heart, only then Hashem's presence came down unto the mountain. The same is true of the couple, who gets the presence of Hashem during their intimacy and merits their guarantor - their precious child. According to the Midrash, when the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, Hashem asked for a guarantee that they would keep it. "Our children shall be our guarantors." "They truly are worthy guarantors," G‑d replied. "Because of them I will give the Torah." (Midrash Rabbah, Song of Songs 1:3,1) 
  
  Esav lost it all when his hands touched the foreign, and the impure, which eventually led to a marriage. He has married women his parents disapproved of, Parashat Toldot 26:34-35 says: "When Esav was forty years old, he took as wife Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite; and they were a source of bitterness to Yitzchak and Rivkah."
  
  These ladies were part of another nation, which meant that his wives, would not keep the laws of purity, would not listen to Rivkah Imenu, and would not follow her teachings.  Those unions led to one thing—no Hashem's presence was by the marital act since no laws of family purity were followed, which eventually led to descendants like Amalek, and others like him, who have done evil to the Jewish Nation and the world throughout history. 
  
  The Holy Book of Zohar tells us that when laws of family purity are followed before the marital act is performed, the holy souls of prophets and righteous individuals are drawn into this world and into future generations. This is, my friend, how you merit holy descendants and build an upright family. 
  
  As it says in Parashat Yitro 19:19: וַיְהִי֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר הוֹלֵ֖ךְ וְחָזֵ֣ק מְאֹ֑ד מֹשֶׁ֣ה יְדַבֵּ֔ר וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יַעֲנֶ֥נּוּ בְקֽוֹל׃ - The blast of the shofar grew louder and louder. As Moshe Rabbenu spoke, and G-d answered him in thunder."
  
  So, gentlemen... Who do you hear and follow—Moshe Rabbenu or Esav?
  
  PS: But, who are those Guarantors that I talk about above? The Guarantors because of whom Hashem has given us the Torah. Who are they and what is their mission?
  
  Only Yosef HaTzaddik was able to have 2 sons, with such high-quality souls, that Yaakov Avinu elevated to shevatim or tribes level. They had that inborn ability, and later, great descendants came from them. Gidon from Menashe had the qualities of a potential king, that fought the wars for the nation. From Ephraim came Yehoshua bin Nun—a prophet and a warrior. We are also told that Moshiach ben Yoseph will also come from Shevet Ephraim. The rest of the brothers also had children, but all of them had regular souls. 

  And the same happens in our time.

  There are only a few rabbis that have been acting as Guarantors in our history, they have been preserving the Torah, leading and teaching the nation. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi the author of the Mishnah, Rav Ashi, and Ravina the main contributors to the Gemara. Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon or Rambam, was a rabbi and philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. Rav Moshe Feinstein, the Orthodox Jewish legal authority of the twentieth century. Rav Ovadia Yosef, Talmudic scholar, a posek, former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party, to name a few... The above and many more rabbis over Jewish history have been the Guarantors who have been leading the Jewish communities and pulling others to the heights of holiness. These Guarantors have been preserving the Torah, teaching and inspiring the masses, bringing people close to the Torah observance, and ensuring that the Torah stays pure and is strengthened for years to come until another Guarantor with that inborn ability shows up on the horizon - takes over to lead and executes his mission. 

  
  Shabbat Shalom,
  

  Shmuel Katanov

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