Holidays

• The State of The Generation - Part 2

  Jun 3, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  If you haven't read the Part 1, you can do so here. I strongly suggest it, since Part Two is built on the previous article.
  
  There's something about The Fifth Son and the goat offering. Let's go a bit deeper so we understand more of it. 
  
  So עֵז - Ez means a goat, but it also means arrogance. So, by throwing a goat from a cliff, this ceremony fixes the trait of arrogance. 
  
  But this word can also be read as עַז - Az or עַז פָנִים - Az Panim brazen-faced, shameless, arrogant with total disregard for others - a type of individual. There's a pasuk that predicts the end of this type of people - עַז פָּנִים לְגֵיהִינוֹם - Az Panim Le Gehinam which means that the Shameless end up in Hell. But why would Hashem judge them so harshly, and write in books their destination ahead of time, while they are still alive down here on Earth?
  
  The Az Panim or Shameless person or his sin of arrogant behavior, and his disregard for others, allows him to start rumors, and incite people just to keep the hatred against the individual going for years to come. It's never a one-time venture, it is a long, quiet, and behind-the-scenes operation that can go on for years with many people involved. That is why Hashem lets us know his destination - Gehinam/Hell. Notice in the community, that these Azei Panim start rumors that go on for years with no hope of dying off even after many years, while causing lots of sleepless nights and suffering to the other party.
  
  But what about his support group - the ones that support him and his ideas for the next dirty rumor? The ones that do his dirty work, while he stays on the side "clean and dry". These people fall into a whole different category. So, let's talk about them for a change.
  
  In Mishna Sotah 9:15, it tells us about the generation - פני הדור כפני הכלב - The face of the generation will be like the face of a dog. Why would Sages compare the generation's face to the face of a dog? What is it about this animal that Hashem compares the generation to it?
  
  In Parashat Bereshit 2:19-20, we are told about Adam HaRishon and how he was naming the animals. Midrash on these pesukim, tells us a bit more. Every time Adam HaRishon looked at the animal, he looked at its essence, that is why the dog got its name Kelev, which derived from the words "Kulo Lev" or "All Heart". This accurately represents the dog, since it’s traits are devotion and loyalty. The people who support the shameless person or Az Panim become his dogs without realizing it, and they apply their devotion and loyalty to the wrong cause. In the process which may take years, they lose their free choice and act as slaves while serving their master - the Az Panim guy, while disregarding an enormous amount of sins being committed loyally and with devotion for years and all for the wrong reasons. Serving The Shameless and participating in various conflicts and situations, across shuls, communities, and continents. 
  
  And this is the sorry state of the generation, Azei Panim - shameless, brazen-faced people with lots of dogs around them… And if you notice a similar scenario in your daily life, expect Mashiach to be in their midst getting most of the blows. 
  
  

  So, what is the way out of this? How do you silence the Az Panim and his dogs? In the Parashat Bo 11:7, it tells us - that when the nation of Israel came out from Egypt, no dog barked against a man or beast. And so it will be in the future, no dogs of the generation will bark or raise their voices when Hashem on That Day will humiliate the Azei Panim - The Shameless of the generation and their dogs. Mashpil Geim Ade Aretz - He will throw down the Proud/Arrogant people to the ground.
  
  There's a pasuk, ה' עֹז לְעַמוֹ יִתֵן - Hashem Ohz Le Amo Yiten - Hashem gave the strength to His Nation - עֹז - Ohz, another variation. What is this strength? It is a Strength to Choose - whether to choose the way of Ez/Goat and become the Az Panim, the Shameless Individual, and end up in Gehinam or Hell, or end up as someone's slave or dog. Or use that strength to stay away from the way of the Az Panim - Shameless, and not become his slave or dog, but to be a Boshet Panim - a Person of Modesty and be on the way to Gan Eden or Paradise, and serve Hashem wholeheartedly, with loyalty and devotion, all for the right reasons. And only then ה' יְבַרֵך אֶת עַמוֹ בַשָלוֹם - Hashem Yevarech Et Amo Ba Shalom - Hashem will bless His Nation with Peace.

  
  Shmuel Katanov

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• The Arrogance of The Fifth Son, Part 1

  May 28, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  The story is told in the Parashat Behalotcha 9:6-14 of people who approached our teacher Moshe and posed a very logical request. They have been carrying the bodies of people who passed away, and as the law states, those who have been exposed to the dead body are ritually unclean, and may not partake in the offering of Korban Pesach that is brought on the Holiday of Pesach. But they felt - why should they miss out on this commandment, and they also want to have a share in it! So Moshe, after speaking with Hashem, was told that the nation of Israel gets a new commandment of a Second Pesach or Pesach Sheni, which will allow them to fulfill some of the rituals and get Merit for the performed mitzvah as if they have fulfilled it as well - they were given a Second Chance.
  
  But here it gets more interesting. There's a discussion in Masechet Sanhedrin, that goes like this: what if the person skipped the Holiday of Pesach on purpose, but on the Pesach Sheni wants to partake in the mitzvah, how will that work..?
  
  So, this is where I would like to drop the anchor.
  
  In Haggadah of Pesach, we are told about 4 sons that are sitting around the Passover table: Chacham - the wise son, Rasha - the evil one, Tam - the simpleton, and Eno Yodea Lishol - one that doesn’t know how to ask a question. But the Sages tell us of yet another son that is missing in this list, it is the one that chose not to come to the Seder.
  
  The one that has skipped the observance of the Holiday of Pesach on purpose. He didn’t feel like it, he had other plans, and other people to see, so he didn't come for the seder. But as time passed, this person regretted it and came to the rabbi to ask what he could do, to make up for that missed Seder night. And this is where the Holiday of Pesach Sheni comes in, as a Second Chance.
  
  But what is the character trait that played the role in his decision not come to the Seder, but enjoy himself somewhere else when he was supposed to be together with the others? It is a trait of Gaavah or Arrogance, Bloated Ego, or a mix of the few.
  
  This reminds me of another incident in the Torah, and this is where I believe, the clarity may set in.
  
  In Parashat Acharei Mot 16:6-11, we are told of a service that was performed on Yom Kippur. They would take two male goats, and by lot, one would be sent to the wilderness to Azazel to be thrown from the cliff, and the other to be offered as a korban, as an atonement.
  
  But why a goat? What is so special about it? This is the animal that has a bloated ego, is arrogant, head-butting, jumping the fence or on the trees, has no problem climbing mountains and cliffs, is loud, and is somewhat a rebellious child - always pushing boundaries.
  
  So the person who did not attend the Seder night feels bad about it and wants to make up for the missed Seder. So Torah tells us to take the goat and throw it from the cliff. But the intention of the Torah is for us to throw our traits like bloated ego and arrogance that led us to rebel against Hashem, Rabbinical and Torah laws, and to throw those traits from the cliff. And when this person is about to make teshuvah and wants to come back and rejoin the Seder, Torah tells us, that we take a goat and bring it as a sacrifice. Because those traits that have made the person not to attend the Seder, are still inside of him. So this sacrifice is as if we are bringing our ego and arrogance as a sacrifice to Hashem, and that's how we start anew.
  
  Sometimes we let our traits of arrogance, ego, and chutzpah shine and run wild. Be it in the service of Hashem where we allow ourselves to bend some of the laws, and not follow them as Hashem commanded, or ignore them altogether and be on the loose. Or maybe it is the laws between fellow men, be it monetary, slander, or many other ways one can hurt the other individual. But either way, we are sure that we are loved and accepted by Hashem, but maybe...
  
  As it says in the Book of Prophet Ezekiel in 41:22, ...And He said to me, This is the table that is before Hashem... maybe we have disqualified ourselves from His Table, by acting as the Fifth Son - and now we are no longer there, because of the things we have done on purpose. Oh maybe Hashem is NO Longer Present at Our Table, and we have to go through the painstaking process of wiping clean those traits of ego and arrogance, deal with the consequences of our traits, and eventually take our rightful place at the table of Hashem or have Him be present at Our Table.
  
  The Hebrew word for "table" is "shulchan" (שלחן). The same Hebrew letters can be rearranged to spell "lenachash" (לנחש) - "to a snake." It is either we change and our Shulchan becomes "a table [before Hashem]", or we make it "lenachash" - to a snake - that kills and makes our food, us and our lives - "zivchei meitim" — lifeless, dead, and full of impurities.
  
  In a few places in the Torah, it says - Ish Ish... which may be explained the following way. The first Ish translated as Man which includes all men, but the second one talks about the person who says: It does not mean me. And it has no connection to me, in no way it concerns me as I am above all of that - comes Hashem and adds a second Ish, to include exactly the one that tries to exclude himself: Ish - Yes, You Too May Be if not already The Fifth Son.
  
  Click here to go to Part 2 of this article, where you will find out more secrets about The Fifth Son.
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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• The Divine Plan

  Mar 5, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  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 young girl was beautiful and good-looking; 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 that’s exactly how they did it. 
  
  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 oldest daughter named him Moav - another way to read מוֹאָ֑ב would be as Me Av - which means From My Father (as if she was declaring it to the world).
  
  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 Darius, who became King Darius II. 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. The holy books say that Mashiach does suffer and he suffers a lot. Let’s try to understand that?
  
  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 oldest daughter of Lot went through her pain and humiliation - she merited the lineage of kings. Ruth The Moabite and her grandson King David went through their trials which merited the nation the First Bet Hamikdash. The Queen 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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• The Mystery of The Lit Candle

  Apr 11, 2022 Admin 0 Comments

  Have you ever wondered why we light a candle during the Bedikat Chametz or Searching for the Leavened Bread? To the outsider, this looks like an ancient ceremony, but as always there may be reasons for it and it should be something for us to look into.

   

  On the night of Bedikat Chametz we use a candle and look for 10 pieces of bread that we hid before, and also let me mention here - that we use the lit candle on Motzeh Shabbat during the Havdalah. Why do we do that? Is there a connection between these two candles? I believe there's, so let's examine it closely.

   

  The first time the fire is mentioned is in the Midrash for Parashat Bereshit, when Adam and Chavah went out of Gan Eden. When the night has fallen it says, that Adam got scared, since this would be the first time he has experienced - the nighttime. Hashem told him not to worry since it is a normal occurrence. He taught him how to start a fire with stones, and this gave Adam peace of mind and calmed him down. But I believe there's more that could be added to this Midrash or may be explained from a different angle.

   

  Let's start with a question, how come Adam and Chavah ended up outside of Gan Eden?
  
  In Parashat Bereshit, right after Hashem created the world, Hashem has told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, in turn, Adam has told Chavah not to touch the tree. Later when Adam wasn't around, Chavah was approached by a nachash, a primordial snake. And this is when the snake persuaded her - by telling Lashon Hara or slander about Hashem - to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and she fell for it. There are several opinions about the fruit that the tree had - apple, grape, bread, etc.., but I strongly believe this tree had a ready-to-eat bread growing as fruits. 

   

  So there was Chavah - she took the fruit of that tree - a piece of bread from the Tree of Knowledge, and right before she ate it - the snake placed his poison into it - and Chavah ate the poisoned bread. And at that moment, the Yetzer Hara went into her, and then she made Adam eat it as well, and there they were with Yetzer Hara also known as - the bad character traits - jealousy, hatred, dishonesty, rudeness, and more - deeply rooted in them, and which are passed on to billions of people throughout the generations until today all across the world.

   

  Hashem wasn't happy about this. He punished Adam, Chavah, and the snake, but humanity was still infected, and Hashem had to figure out a way to somehow cleanse the people from it.

   

  And this is what Hashem did.
  
  Remember the time when Moshe Rabbeinu came to Egypt and took the Jewish nation out of Mitzrayim? In Parashat Beshalach, Hashem has given us manna in the dessert - a pure bread - food for the angels. A bread that was digested by the body fully with no waste. There's a reason why Hashem has put millions of people in the desert on this diet - only one reason - to raise the nation spiritually to the level Adam HaRishon was at when he was in Gan Eden. 

   

  But later when we get to Parashat Shelach, suddenly the selected few get this idea of spying out the Land. Hashem is not so excited about this idea, but He still lets Moshe send out an expedition, which he does. After forty days when they come back, what do they do? They say Lashon Hara or slander only this time on the Land of Israel. Hashem tried to cleanse the nation from that original sin, and raise them to high spiritual levels, but they fell for the same sin again, and this time Hashem decided to kill the males between ages 20 to 60 of that generation, and their children went into Israel years later. 

   

  But the Yetzer Hara was still inside those people that went to Eretz Yisrael.

   

  So, in Parashat Bo 12:11 it says, "So shall you eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You shall eat it in haste. It is a Passover offering to G-d." It continues in 12:34 & 39: "The people picked up its dough before it could become leavened, their leftovers bound up in their garments upon their shoulders. They baked the dough that they took out of Egypt into unleavened cakes, for they could not be leavened, for they were driven from Egypt for they could not delay." 

   

  So, it was set as a Holiday of Pesach for generations till today, to eat the unleavened bread - matzah, a bread that is pure and has no chametz in it. The Sages teach us that we should celebrate the night of Pesach, and we should feel that we leave Mitzrayim. But I don't believe that by leaving Mitzrayim, they meant that we should leave any physical location. Our Mitzrayim is our OK with the current situation, our contentment with it, and our will to continue living in it. Because the moment we understand what happened, we understand that we have lost - and we have lost BIG.

   

  On Motzeh Shabbat when we make the blessing for a lit candle, we look at our fingernails, which reminds us of Adam HaRishon, since it says in the Midrash that his whole skin was covered by fingernails like skin, but now we have nails only on our fingers and toes. But this is not the only loss it should remind us of. It should remind us of the fact that we no longer live in the Gan Eden, we no longer have ready-to-eat bread growing on the trees, and we have to toil hard for a piece of bread daily. We no longer have a close relationship with Hashem and thus live in the darkness. No Bet Hamikdash, and no Eretz Yisrael, with wars, diseases, hunger, death, conflicts, and a whole lot of troubles across the globe.

   

  Therefore, while we look for chametz with a lit candle, and gather the pieces of chametz - the leavened bread, we realize: Chametz, it is because of you we have lost so much. The life we have, and the life the whole world has is not what Hashem initially intended it to be - and instead, we suffer today because of the poison the snake put into the bread - which is the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge - which in turn has infected us, humans, with the Yetzer Hara from which we suffer daily. We take that bread and we burn it, and with it, we annul all the chametz, that may be in our possession -- thus weakening its influence over us for the next 7 days. 

   

  And to all those that think, that G-d has abandoned the Jewish nation - should know that He has neither abandoned nor has given up on us.

   

  He has commanded us to celebrate the Holiday of Pesach for 7 days. And on this holiday we are commanded to eat the unleavened bread for 7 days. The bread that has zero chametz - the matzah. And when we eat the matzah - we grow in our belief in G-d, and most importantly we grow in holiness, which eventually will lead to the ultimate redemption, Mashiach, and Third Bet Hamikdash speedily in our days...amen.
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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• Why men are obligated to light the Chanukah candles?

  Dec 15, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

  In the story of Chanukah, when the Maccabees returned to Jerusalem, they entered the Temple and cleared off all the idols that were placed there by the army of Antiochus. When they wanted to light the menorah, they found only a small jug of pure olive oil bearing the seal of the Rabbi Yochanan Cohen Hagadol. It was sufficient to light only for one day. By a miracle of Hashem, it continued to burn for eight days, till new oil was made available. That miracle proved that Hashem had again taken His people under His protection. In memory of this, our sages appointed these eight days for annual thanksgiving and for lighting candles.

  
  Chachamim z"l tell us that the Second Temple was destroyed for only one sin - Sinat Chinam - Baseless Hatred. Only one sin brought down the House of G-d, and I believe we are still battling with it till today. There's no unity, and plenty of lashon hara, dislike and ill-will floating between the communities and between people. I believe that the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash is the sin of the men - this is something we as men are responsible for. 
  
  That's why the obligation to light the Chanukah menorah lies on men and we have eight days to do it - in our own homes, each one no matter what part of the world he is in, or what the situation he may be in. In addition the Sages say that there's a segulah, to look at the burning candles and hopefully this will give us the chidushim or the new understandings in the Torah. But maybe it could also mean, that we should look at the candles and ponder - how can we fix the situation of the divisiveness, the hatred and the distancing between the communities and the people. We got whole eight days to do the pondering,  and the rest of the year to carry out the plan. If anyone can do it, then it is us - men.
  
  Since the destruction of the Second Temple, Hashem has no home to reside in, the Shechina is in exile, the nation is spread around the world, there are plenty of problems in the families, in the nation, and the world as a whole. 
  
  Perhaps, this is the time we say: We had enough of it?!
  
  Perhaps, this is the time to approach this consciously?!
  
  Either, we can keep on lighting our menorahs for years to come - in exile and in our warm homes, distanced from each other, comfortable and in disagreements, or we put our egos aside, make up with each other, unite as a nation and light the Golden Menorah next year in the House of Hashem - our own Bet Hamikdash Shlishi?!!
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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