Latest Essays

• The Sound Of The Clock

  Jun 26, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  Have you ever tried to hear the sound of a clock?
  
  In Parashat Terumah 25:31-40, "Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu to build a Menorah from a pure gold, hammered out shall the Menorah be made." The Hallacha says that if parts of it were made separately and then attached later on to make it look like one piece, this would make the Menorah not kosher and not fit for the service. Midrash Tanchuma tells us even more interesting details. Moshe could not visualize how the Menorah should look, so Hashem showed a Menorah of fire. Even then, he could not understand how to make it, so Hashem told him to throw the ingot, a huge solid chunk of gold, into the fire, and voila! A completed golden Menorah emerged from the fire, as explained by Rashi. 
  
  So, why must the Menorah be made from one solid piece of gold? And why does it need to be hammered out to give it the shape and look of the Menorah? Let's try to answer these questions. 
  
  In Parashat Ki Tisa 32:1-5, when people approached Aharon HaCohen after killing Chur and asked him to make them an intermediary between them and Hashem. Aharon’s response was - Bring me the gold. He thought that till they go and get the gold from the ladies, who will not be very thrilled about the idea of parting with their jewelry, Moshe Rabbeinu would come. Just like he suspected - the women refused to give their jewelry, but he didn’t expect men to give their own instead. So, in no time, they have gathered the necessary amount of gold for their project. Aharon HaCohen threw that gold into the fire, and from that fire, the golden calf emerged.
  
  This is where I would like to analyze these two events closely. 
  
  Do you realize what happened? These two scenarios are very similar but with different outcomes and responses. When Moshe Rabbeinu was presented with a task he did not fully grasp, his response was, "I don’t know, or I am not sure and I have to ask Hashem," as it was in the making of the Menorah we have discussed above, also judging the cases like with wood-gatherer or blasphemer in Parashat Shelach and Emor. But Aharon HaCohen's response was, "Bring me the gold."
  
  I strongly believe that Hashem put Aharon HaCohen in this situation so that Aharon would turn to Heaven and ask Hashem for assistance, and this is where something amazing would have happened. Aharon HaCohen would have risen in the level of prophecy, Hashem would have answered him and made him much closer to Himself, to the point where he would have been not far away in prophecy from Moshe’s level. 
  
  Even in Parashat Balak, when the delegation came to Bilaam HaRasha to invite him to "bless the Jewish Nation," his first response was - I need to ask Hashem.
  
  But since Aharon HaCohen made the call and did not get Hashem involved, his closeness was postponed and has taken a different road. 
  
  By the way, how big was Moshe Rabbenu's level, or how close was he to Hashem? When Miriam and Aharon were discussing Moshe’s behavior towards his wife Tziporah, Hashem told them that they were nowhere near Moshe since he was - the trusted one in His house, and his level of prophecy was far above anyone. (Parashat Behaalotcha 12:4-9)
  
  Now, Hashem needs to bring Aharon HaCohen closer to Himself, but how can He do that? Aharon could have had that level by requesting help from Hashem, but since he did not turn to Hashem when he was in the situation of a golden calf, going forward, he had to put in the required work and years of effort to attain it.
  
  So, in Parashat Behaalotcha 8:1, Hashem commands Aharon HaCohen to light the Menorah and makes it a part of the daily service in the Bet Hamikdash, thus bringing him closer to Hashem.
  
  How do we know that Aharon HaCohen succeeded in this task and came closer to Hashem and those lofty levels?
  
  Centuries later, King David wrote in the Book of Tehillim, in Psalm 99: "Moshe, Ve Aharon be Kohanav, u Shmuel be Kore Shemo, Korim El Hashem Ve Hu Yaanem - Moshe and Aharon are among his priests, and Shmuel among those who invoke His name, they would call to Hashem and He would respond to them." King David confirmed in prophecy that Aharon HaCohen was able to accomplish that closeness with Hashem, and rose in the level of prophecy. 
  
  My dear reader, let me ask you a question. When you are in a situation where you can do good or evil, do you call out to Hashem? Do you ask Him for His opinion on how to respond to the situation you may be in? Do you bring the Torah knowledge or life experiences to your memory, the values you have been brought up with or learned in life, to ensure you make the best possible decision? 
  
  Hashem puts us in situations just to see the type of decisions we will make, and then we have to live and deal with those decisions and their consequences - be it man to man or man to G-d.
  
  Each of us hammers out his own Golden/Spiritual Menorah by the decisions we make down here on Earth. Every move we make, every decision we make, and every statement we make - slams and hammers out a dent on our own Menorah for Hashem to view in the spiritual realm, which is the only place where it is all truth, where one can't mask those dents, or lie about them. 
  
  Some have nice and symmetric menorahs - Kudos to them since lots of work went into them, and it's not an easy task. The rest of us may have very dented, twisted proportions and ugly-looking shapes. But these are our menorahs, and we keep on hammering away on them daily, hopefully bringing our menorahs to the right symmetry, and making them look nicer than they previously were. 
  
  Shhh..quiet down a bit and listen. Do you hear the sound of the clock—tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock? How does your menorah look? Do you think you'll have enough time to fix it?
  
  Our decisions of the past and in the future make dents that matter. Whether good or bad, it is our dents and responsibility - made by us and for us to fix. Decisions...an unending flow of more decisions pounding on us daily...it’s time to own up to those decisions. Maybe after 120, when we have had our chance to work on our menorahs, we won't be ashamed to view them, and we will be the Cohanim Gedolim of our Menorahs. We will light it daily in front of Hashem and come closer and closer to Hashem - just like Aharon HaCohen did. 
  
  So, now, do you hear the sound of the clock? It is always ticking away...nonstop, without skipping a beat, and not waiting for anyone. There's no way to stop it but to use it to our advantage. There's so much to fix and so little time to do it. How does your menorah look? Maybe the time has come to make the right dents?!!
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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• The Fifth Son - 2, The State of The Generation

  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 their destination in books ahead of time while they are still alive 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 many 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 its 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 and 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? Parashat Bo 11:7 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 - choose the way of Ez/Goat and become the Az Panim, the Shameless Individual, and end up in Gehinam or Hell, and 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 Fifth Son - 1, The Arrogance

  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 four 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 who is missing from this list; it is the one that chose not to come to the Seder.
  
  The one that has intentionally skipped the observance of the Holiday of Pesach. 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 to 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, where I believe the clarity may set in.
  
  Parashat Acharei Mot 16:6-11 tells us of a service 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 animal 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, the Torah tells us to throw the goat 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. When this person is about to make teshuvah and wants to return and rejoin the Seder, the Torah tells us that we should take a goat and bring it as a sacrifice. Because those traits that have made the person not 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 is 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 learn more secrets about The Fifth Son.
  
  Shmuel Katanov

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• Aish Tamid - The Continuous Fire

  Apr 2, 2024 Admin 0 Comments

  There were two items in the Bet Hamikdash called a Mizbeach or an Altar, Mizbeach HaChitzon or the Outer Altar or the Outer Mizbeach, and Mizbeach HaPnimi, The Inner Altar or Golden Altar. The root of the word Mizbeach is related to the noun Zevach(sacrifice) and verb Zoveach(sacrificial slaughtering). In this article, I would like to discuss The Outer Mizbeach and the fires on it.
  
  While reading the Parashat Tzav, The Torah tells us that there were three fires on the Outer Mizbeach. Two fires were lit each day and were called ma'arachot or arrangements. The first fire, Ma'aracha Gedolah - The Great Arrangement, was used to burn the flesh of the animals, the parts of the Tamid, and other sacrifices. The second fire was called Ma'aracha Shniya - the Second Arrangement; from here, the fire coals were placed on the Golden Altar to burn the incense or Ketoret. The Third Fire is called אֵשׁ תָּמִיד - Aish Tamid - The Continuous Fire, a fire that Cohanim were responsible for, to make sure it is lit all the time, day and night, and is never extinguished. 

  
  So, as always, anything in the Torah has a deeper meaning. So, what or who do these fires "represent," or how do we understand them?
  
  Let's take the first fire - The Great Arrangement, where they would burn the animals' flesh as a sacrifice. One may think, why would they burn the animal, what did it do to deserve this? Let's imagine a scenario. Person A needs funds, so he goes to Person B and borrows $10,000 from him. Per their verbal agreement, the funds must be returned in 6 months. Person A is happy that he got the money and uses it for their intended purpose. But as sometimes happens, 6 months later, he doesn't have the money available to return or he simply does not want to do that. When approached by Person B and reminded about the loan, Person A says that he doesn't remember borrowing such a sum from him. Infuriated, Person B takes him to the Jewish Court - Bet Din, where Person A denies it again and even backs it up by swearing falsely. There's nothing Person B can do now, but to walk away. And Person A walks away thinking he is off the hook and gets to keep the money. But, something happens to him at that moment - a tiny feeling of guilt embeds itself in his heart. As the Rosh Hashana approaches, he feels that guilt grows into a raging fire, which he does not want to suppress anymore, so he decides to return the money. He apologized to Person B and gave back the $10,000. The Torah requires him to pay another fifth, which is $2,500, and on top of that, to bring a korban, which is called Korban Asham or Guilt Offering. The person admits the wrongdoing, and the animal is brought as a sacrifice instead of him, and the guilt fire that used to burn him inside will now burn the animal and atone him for his sin. 
  
  The second fire - The Second Arrangement, from where the coals are used for Ketoret or Incense offering. The Sages tell us that the aroma of the incense offering is the most pleasurable to Hashem, which is something that Hashem enjoys. A few scenarios come to mind, but I will stop at two - Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. The learning of Rabbi Akiva was on such a high level, as was his dedication to the Torah, the number of students he taught, and the knowledge he had where he would uncover new insights just from the crowns of the letters in the Torah. The same goes for Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai - the knowledge of the secrets of the mystical Torah - The Book of Zohar, his dedication to learning, the depth of learning, and countless new insights he came up with. This is how the Sages of the past have given ketoret-like pleasure to Hashem daily. 
  
  The third fire, The Aish Tamid - The Continuous Fire, is the fire that is never extinguished; this fire can be compared to none other than King David. He was a king, a warrior, and a Talmid Chacham of the highest caliber. He was never satisfied with his accomplishments and was always striving for more. During the day, he governed the country, fought wars, and answered halachic questions of the nation. At night, when the city was sleeping, he played the harp, composed Tehillim, and learned Torah. But he didn't stop there. His desire to grow in service of Hashem was so great that he even started building the Bet Hamikdash, where Hashem had to stop him from doing so, explaining that this task was reserved for his son, King Solomon. 
  
  That is why in Parashat Tzav 6:2 & 6:5, the Torah tells us that "the fire of the altar shall be ignited by it" - by the third, continuous fire. Because The Asham guy - the person that brings the Guilt Offering hoped that he could get away with stealing money, so the Torah tells us to ignite his sacrifice with continuous fire, which in turn will influence him and bring him to the levels of faith where he would never need to bring this type of sacrifice in the future ever again, and going forward, he would grow in Torah observance, and overall grow across the board, and reach his highest potential.
  
  The same is true for the Ketoret guy, the person who learns every day, a few hours a day, but when he is finished, he goes on his daily routine, and his thoughts of serving Hashem end the moment he places the book back on the shelf. Torah tells us to ignite the coals for the Ketoret offering with the Continuous Fire, so it gives him a boost in his learning and his service. So his service does not stop once the book is placed back on the shelf or when he walks out from the Bet Midrash, but Hashem and Torah are constantly on his mind, in his daily routine, in every one of his business transactions, and all of his people to people interactions. His learning should not be repetitive, once a day, and just going over some text - but deep and earth-shattering, making the time for it during the day and night, to the point where the new insights are pouring out of him just like it was with Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and plenty of other Jewish Sages. And this is how we can give pleasure to Hashem - our own Ketoret offering, a pleasant aroma of the Torah. 
  
  So, are you an Asham or Ketoret guy? The Aish Tamid level is just a few steps away. Isn't it time to step up your game?!!
  

  To all the Aish Tamid Tzaddikim - we are coming and we will see you at the top!!
  
  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 that 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 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 it? 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, which is where I believe they took their inspiration from.
  
  In Parashat Vayera, Chapter 19, the Torah tells us how two angels came to save Lot and his family by taking them out 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 decide 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. 
  
  So, 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. 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 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 suffers a lot. Let’s try to understand that.
  
  The book of Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 53:10, 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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