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The Sprinkled Blood

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 22:50:03 -0400

In Vayikra 1:5, we are told of a very interesting scenario:

"The bull shall be slaughtered before G-d; and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall offer the blood, dashing the blood against all sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting."

The Torah specifies that "they shall sprinkle the blood on the altar on all sides". The blood is taken in the vessel and dashed against the two diagonal corners of the altar: the northeast corner and the southwest corner. It took great expertise to dash the blood properly so that when sprinkled on these two corners, the blood would reach all four walls of the altar. (Me'am Loez, Vayikra 1:5)

Why do this in such a way? How do we understand this?

As always, what is about to follow is only my opinion. With that, let's go!!

I believe each of these corners represents one of Yaakov Avinu's four wives. The two main sides from which the sprinkling is made are Leah and Rachel. The remaining two are Bilhah and Zilpah. The landing on all four corners means Hashem is making all four ladies liable for the fact that the person bringing the korban, from which the blood is taken, is a descendant of one of their sons. And the way the ladies raised their children - the twelve boys - now requires a korban, and now, years later, their descendants keep on making sins, due to the brothers' mothers bad parenting practices; bad internal home politics; competition between the wives, and hatred of the children towards Yosef, which eventually got him sold to a different country, away from the family. Sons of Leah's dislike and disrespect toward the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, and all these bad traits were passed down to their descendants to this day.

And there was that man, bringing a sacrifice, and Cohen is sprinkling the blood, as if putting a blame on the wives of Yaakov Avinu, thus inspiring them to join together in his prayer.

When the ashes of the red heifer are sprinkled, they atone for Chavah Imenu and purify the person. But the wives of Yaakov Avinu have it much tougher.

In everyday life, we encounter all sorts of people. Some good, some not at all, but all are products of their mothers' parenting, who have instilled those traits in them.

So...welcome to the show!!

Shmuel Katanov

The Small Alef

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:39:14 -0400

In Parashat Vayikra 1:1 says: " וַיִּקְרָ֖א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו מֵאֹ֥הֶל מוֹעֵ֖ד לֵאמֹֽר׃ - G-d called to Moshe and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying" The word I want to discuss today is the word Vayikra - And He called, which for some odd reason has a small Alef at the end of the word. Why is there a small letter Alef? Why isn't it the same size as other letters?

Please allow me to state my opinion of why what is about to follow may be the reason why the small Alef is present in this word. So with your permission, let's begin.

I believe the reason the small Alef is written is that Moshe Rabbenu learned and mimicked it from the moon.

Please allow me to explain.

In Masechet Chullin 60b:2-4 says: "Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi raises a contradiction between two verses. It is written: "And G-d made the two great lights" (Genesis 1:16), and it is also written in the same verse: "The greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night," indicating that only one was great. Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi explains that "When G-d first created the sun and the moon, they were equally bright. Then, the moon said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to serve with one crown? One of us must be subservient to the other. G-d therefore said to her, to the moon: If so, go and diminish yourself."

And based on this story, Moshe Rabbenu felt he needed to write the Alef in a smaller size, not the same size as the other letters.

And this is where the mistake was made, I believe.

If you have read the following essay, The "Well-Meaning" Inlaws, you will see how Yitro, the father-in-law of Moshe Rabbenu, just by being at the party, has caused Moshe to suddenly act weird - Moshe started serving people at the party, walked around with a tray, and started giving out food to the people. This behavior, as I have explained in that essay, was due to his past and unresolved trauma that he went through while he lived in the house of Yitro.

To undo the damage, Hashem has worked on Moshe day and night.

Moshe Rabbenu was the key figure to bring the 10 plagues upon Egypt. He was the one who parted the sea and led the nation through it. He was the one to close the waters on the pursuing Egyptians, thus solidifying Hashem's greatness and might and himself as a holy extension of G-d Almighty. Through him, Hashem has given Torah, and later the teachings, thus establishing him as the only true source of authentic Torah.

Suddenly, Moshe Rabbenu is carrying a tray.

Did Hashem give up on him after that? No, not at all.

Later in Parashat Ki Tisa 34:29-30 says: "וַיְהִ֗י בְּרֶ֤דֶת מֹשֶׁה֙ מֵהַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּשְׁנֵ֨י לֻחֹ֤ת הָֽעֵדֻת֙ בְּיַד־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בְּרִדְתּ֖וֹ מִן־הָהָ֑ר וּמֹשֶׁ֣ה לֹֽא־יָדַ֗ע כִּ֥י קָרַ֛ן ע֥וֹר פָּנָ֖יו בְּדַבְּר֥וֹ אִתּֽוֹ׃ - So Moshe came down from Mount Sinai. And as Moshe came down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, Moshe was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant, since he had spoken with G-d.

וַיַּ֨רְא אַהֲרֹ֜ן וְכׇל־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה וְהִנֵּ֥ה קָרַ֖ן ע֣וֹר פָּנָ֑יו וַיִּֽירְא֖וּ מִגֶּ֥שֶׁת אֵלָֽיו׃ - Aaron and all the Israelites saw that the skin of Moshe' face was radiant; and they stayed away from coming near him."

So, there was Moshe Rabbenu with the skin of his face radiant, since he spoke with G-d. And this was another attempt by Hashem to elevate Moshe Rabbenu above the people, thereby solidifying his position as the chosen leader of the nation of Israel by G-d Himself.

The mistake of Moshe Rabbenu, in my opinion, was that he felt that since his face was already radiant, and now Hashem comes to him and calls him by his name. He felt that it was too much honor for one person, so he tried to shrink himself, like the moon. It's just that the moon was forced to shrink; he chose to do so out of humility. So, in the Torah, he writes the word Vayikra - And He called, with a small Alef.

But later, this single act worked against him, enabling Korach and others like him to challenge Moshe's authority.

Come to think of it, just as Moshe Rabbenu, the son of David, will go through plenty of his own hurdles in his life. But who will raise the son of David to undo the damage that was done to him? Will it be the rabbis of his generation or Hashem himself? Or will he also be carrying trays?

נִבְזֶה֙ וַחֲדַ֣ל אִישִׁ֔ים אִ֥ישׁ מַכְאֹב֖וֹת וִיד֣וּעַ חֹ֑לִי וּכְמַסְתֵּ֤ר פָּנִים֙ מִמֶּ֔נּוּ נִבְזֶ֖ה וְלֹ֥א חֲשַׁבְנֻֽהוּ - "he is despised, shunned by men, a man of suffering, familiar with illness, as one who hid his face from us, he was despised, we held him of no account" (Isaiah 53:3)

אָכֵ֤ן חֳלָיֵ֙נוּ֙ ה֣וּא נָשָׂ֔א וּמַכְאֹבֵ֖ינוּ סְבָלָ֑ם וַאֲנַ֣חְנוּ חֲשַׁבְנֻ֔הוּ נָג֛וּעַ מֻכֵּ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים וּמְעֻנֶּֽה - "Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, our suffering that he endured. We accounted him plagued, smitten, and afflicted by G-d" (Isaiah 53:4)

וְהוּא֙ מְחֹלָ֣ל מִפְּשָׁעֵ֔נוּ מְדֻכָּ֖א מֵעֲוֺנֹתֵ֑ינוּ מוּסַ֤ר שְׁלוֹמֵ֙נוּ֙ עָלָ֔יו וּבַחֲבֻרָת֖וֹ נִרְפָּא־לָֽנוּ - "But he was wounded because of our sins, crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, and by his bruises, we were healed" (Isaiah 53:5)

נִגַּ֨שׂ וְה֣וּא נַעֲנֶה֮ וְלֹ֣א יִפְתַּח־פִּיו֒ כַּשֶּׂה֙ לַטֶּ֣בַח יוּבָ֔ל וּכְרָחֵ֕ל לִפְנֵ֥י גֹזְזֶ֖יהָ נֶאֱלָ֑מָה וְלֹ֥א יִפְתַּ֖ח פִּֽיו - "He was oppressed, yet he did not open his mouth to answer back, like sheep being led to slaughter, like a ewe dumb before those who shear her, he did not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7)

The son of David won't be just a teacher; he will be a scholar and a king, thus preventing the likes of Korach from even attempting to challenge his authority.

רַבִּי נָתָן אוֹמֵר אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה כְּשֵׁם שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי יַעֲקֹב בְּכוֹר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ד כב) בְּנִי בְכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּךְ אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה לְמֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ בְּכוֹר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים פט כח) אַף־אָ֭נִי בְּכ֣וֹר אֶתְּנֵ֑הוּ עֶ֝לְי֗וֹן לְמַלְכֵי־אָֽרֶץ - Rabbi Natan said, "The Holy One Blessed Is He said to Moshe, 'Just as I made Yaakov a firstborn, so too I will make King Mashiach a firstborn', as it is written, "I too will make him a firstborn, supreme over all the kings of the earth" (Psalms 89:28)(Midrash Rabbah)

חֹפֵ֤ף עָלָיו֙ כׇּל־הַיּ֔וֹם וּבֵ֥ין כְּתֵפָ֖יו שָׁכֵֽן - "The Holy One Blessed Is He hovers over him all day and resides between his shoulders" (Devarim 33:12)

תוֹרָ֖ה יְבַקְשׁ֣וּ מִפִּ֑יהוּ כִּ֛י מַלְאַ֥ךְ יְהֹֽוָה־צְבָא֖וֹת הֽוּא - "seek Torah from his mouth! because he is the Messenger/Angel of The LORD of HOSTS!" (Malachi 2:7)

עִמּֽוֹ־אָנֹכִ֥י בְצָרָ֑ה - "I am with him in his distress" (Psalms 91:15)

מַגְדִּל֮ יְשׁוּע֢וֹת מַ֫לְכּ֥וֹ וְעֹ֤שֶׂה חֶ֨סֶד לִמְשִׁיח֗וֹ לְדָוִ֥ד וּלְזַרְע֗וֹ עַד־עוֹלָֽם - "He will increase salvations to the king Mashiach, He will act kindly to his anointed one, To King David and his descendants forever" (Psalms 18:51)

אִם־יִתְמַהְמָהּ֙ חַכֵּה־ל֔וֹ כִּי־בֹ֥א יָבֹ֖א - "If Mashiach delays, wait for him, for he will surely come!" (Habakkuk 2:3)

Tick Tock, Tick Tock...

The clock is still ticking, but he is the one we are seeking and waiting for...

ר' יהושע בן לוי אשכח לאליהו אמר ליה ומאי סימניה - Rabbi Yehoshua the son of Levi encountered Eliyahu the Prophet and asked him, how do we know who is the Mashiach?

יתיב ביני עניי סובלי חלאים - Eliyahu the Prophet answered him "The Mashiach sits among the poor and suffers from afflictions" (Sanhedrin 98a)

וְאֶל־זֶ֣ה אַבִּ֔יט אֶל־עָנִי֙ וּנְכֵה־ר֔וּחַ וְחָרֵ֖ד עַל־דְּבָרִֽי - "at this one do I gaze, at the poor and humble one, the repentant, who trembles upon My words" (not to forget them) (Isaiah 66:2)

וּבָ֤א לְצִיּוֹן֙ גּוֹאֵ֔ל - "and a redeemer shall come to Zion!" (Isaiah 59:20)

Shmuel Katanov aka Acher

The Maimed Sacrifice

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 12:21:23 -0400

I believe there's something left uncovered in the story of Bar Kamtza. With your permission, let's look into it again.

Just as it goes with anything I write, this is my opinion, or how I understand passages in the Torah.

This story is almost in every speech on Tisha B'Av. But for some reason, everyone portrays Bar Kamtza as a guilty party. In no way do I downplay what he has done and the evil it has brought onto the nation. But I believe there's another guilty party in this story that has walked away as innocent to date.

In Tractate Gittin 55B-56A, a story is told of a slave who is asked to invite a guy named Kamtza to a party, but the worker mistakenly calls Bar Kamtza, his owner's enemy, instead.

While going around the tables, the host notices his enemy sitting with other guests and enjoying himself. Infuriated, he comes over and asks him, what is he doing here? Bar Kamtza told him that his slave invited him, so that is why he is here. The host said, "It must be a mistake, since he asked him to call Kamtza, and not his enemy, Bar Kamtza."

The host asked him to leave. To avoid being humiliated in front of everyone, Bar Kamtza offered to pay for his meal, half the party, and even the entire banquet. The host refuses, grabs him by his hand, stands him up, and pushes him out of the party.

While there, Bar Kamtza notices many rabbis at the table. And none of them have interfered on his behalf. A thought crept into his mind that the host's behavior was acceptable to them, as if they supported the host.

He decides to get back at the rabbis by going to Caesar and inciting him against Jerusalem. Per his suggestion, Caesar sends them a fine calf as a sacrifice, but on the way to the Bet Hamikdash, Bar Kamtza causes a blemish to it by making a small cut on its lip, which disqualifies the animal as a kosher sacrifice in the Temple.

Now the rabbis are faced with a dilemma. They can't bring the animal as a sacrifice since it is not kosher, and they can not send the animal back, since it is something that Caesar sent as an offer.

So, they decided to bring it anyway. But Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkulas said, "But people will say that a blemished animal may be offered on the Altar."

So they decided to kill Bar Kamtza, but Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkulas said, "But people will say, those who blemish consecrated animal will be put to death."

At the end, they did nothing.

Says Rabbi Yochanan: "The tolerance displayed by Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkulas towards Bar Kamtza has destroyed our Temple, burned down our Sanctuary, and exiled us from the land."

And this is where I would like to draw your attention to.

Why would Hashem destroy the Temple, kill millions, and drive away millions into slavery, and cause over 2,000 years of exile till today, because of the decision of one rabbi?

Because the rabbis at the party were not new to this issue of Bar Kamtza. Every argument has a pre-story, plenty of hearsay, slander, and defamation, to the point where people take sides and work tirelessly, blindly following their "leader".

The host of the party knew this game, and he took advantage of it to its fullest. He had "slaves" working for him in every layer of society, from top to bottom. People were talking about Bar Kamtza to the point that he felt like an outsider in the community, and he did not feel guilty for punishing the whole city for what was done to him. And the worst thing about this was that all the rabbis knew all the fresh and latest dirt about Bar Kamtza.

And this is what Hashem did not like about this whole thing: that Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkulas was concerned about what people might say about the blemished animal, or about the people who bring the blemished animal, it is as if Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkulas suddenly became too religious or makhmir, way to strict about this one law of bringing a maimed korban, while ignoring all other laws.

As if Hashem was saying to Rabbi Zechariah ben Avkulas: for years, the issue with Bar Kamtza was a known fact, and everyone was talking about it; the laws of evil speech, defamation, and plenty of other laws that support this type of behavior were broken daily by many people. All the rabbis were okay with this behavior of the community for years, and suddenly, this One Halacha - this law of the maimed korban, a sacrifice which may lead to peace between the king and the nation, suddenly, you are too makhmir or strict about it?? Two-faced behavior, most likely of the many, led Hashem to destroy the Temple.

And no rabbi of that time was able to overrule Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkulas’ decision, since he was most likely the highest-ranking rabbi above all the others. This decision of the former Chief Rabbi affected the nation back then, and we are still in exile today because of it.

But let's jump to Tractate Chagigah 14B, which I have been talking about incessantly. The above just proves my point in another essay I have written about four people who went to Pardes. People learn it as just another story, but it is not - just another story. The story of Pardes or the issues I have raised here, just proves that Ben Zoma and Rabbi Elisha ben Avuya, who was later called Acher, have dealt with the same set of rabbis as Bar Kamtza.

The Gemara has recorded the stories of Acher and Ben Zoma, and later of Bar Kamtza, as MAJOR FAILURES of that past generation, mostly of the rabbis who were ruling the nation at that time.

The failure of that past generation was never fixed, and every generation since then has failed to make things right. How about this one? Are we on our way to fail, too?!

According to the Talmud (Yoma 54b), when the Babylonians entered the Holy of Holies to destroy the Temple, they found the Keruvim or Cherubs on the Ark in a close embrace. There's an explanation that this scene represented G-d's enduring and intimate love for the Jewish people, even during the exile and destruction. But in my opinion, it can also represent G-d's frustration at seeing the injustice and incompetence of the few on top in executing justice, enforcing laws, reinstating the rejected ones into society, and ensuring that this won't happen again - therefore the destruction…with the hope to start all over again at some future date.

Shmuel Katanov

The Failed Mission

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 23:33:28 -0500

In every essay I have written so far, I have presented a question and answered it, but in this one, I would like to have a different approach. Here I would like to present a bunch of questions on a topic that has been bothering me for a few years now. On the outside, it looks simple, but once you start delving in, you notice a whole different picture. So, with your permission, let's begin.

Just to mention, the following is my opinion, or just some thoughts and questions out loud.

In Masechet Chagigah 14b of the Talmud Bavli, there's a story about four people who went to Pardes: Ben Azzai and Ben Zoma, Acher, and Rabbi Akiva. Four great scholars embarked on a mystical journey. Ben Azzai died, Ben Zoma lost his mind, and Acher lost his faith or went off the derech. Only one, Rabbi Akiva, returned unscathed.

As a sidenote, Rabbi Elisha ben Avuya or Acher was a wealthy Jerusalemite, one of the great sages of the Mishnah, as they were called Tannayim. Tannayim were the caliber that could raise the dead. He is quoted by name in a Mishnah in Tractate Avot, and his ruling regarding mourning rites is cited in Tractate Megillah. He was a colleague of Rabbi Akiva and the teacher of Rabbi Meir, one of the greatest and most prolific contributors to the Mishnah. Above is his biography, so we know who we are dealing with.

My personal rule is: No Tannah EVER Goes OFF The Derech. So, in that case, what happened? Why is it documented in the Gemara that he did go off the derech?

I think the correct question that should be asked about what happened in the Pardes?

So he chopped the trees and saw Angel Methatron sitting. And this is what made him go off the derech? But why?

I do believe there's much more to this.

The Nation at that time was divided into two camps: those who had visited the Pardes and those who hadn't.

And I believe that the current problems we have in the nation are because those who were not in Pardes won, since they crushed those who had been there. And I am not talking about one or two people, but the Rabbanut and the community as a whole went against Rabbi Elisha ben Avuya and Ben Zoma. (Looks like the community loves to crush people and go as a group against the few, but more on this later.)

The ascent to Pardes was a failed mission; they had a reason to go there, and thus far, what we know about it is only hinted at and not discussed openly in the Gemara. But there's a reason why they went there.

And the reason IS...

First, what is Pardes? You can read about it here. The fruits they ate from the tree made them know Torah. So, all three knew Torah, not only Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Akiva was a seasoned rabbi, and he was the only one teaching Torah. What happened to the other two?

Well, Ben Zoma was called crazy. Why? I believe he was a young fellow with no credentials as a Rabbi, and since he knew Torah because he came from Pardes, the rabbis of the old told him, "You think you're going to teach us Torah? We are double and triple your age, and we been at it longer than you, and you want us to listen to you? You must be crazy! Oh yes, you are!" And that's what they labeled him.

In his conversation on Chagigah 15A says: "There was once an incident with regard to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya, who was standing on a step on the Temple Mount, and ben Zoma saw him and did not stand before him to honor him, as he was deep in thought. Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: From where do you come and where are you going, ben Zoma, i.e., what is on your mind? He said to him: In my thoughts I was looking upon the act of Creation, at the gap between the upper waters and the lower waters, as there is only the breadth of a mere three fingers between them, as it is stated: "And the spirit of G-d hovered over the face of the waters" (Genesis 1:2), like a dove hovering over its young without touching them. Rabbi Yehoshua said to his students who had overheard this exchange: Ben Zoma is still outside; he has not yet achieved full understanding of these matters."

But if you dwell on his answer a bit more, you will see a depth in his answer. What are the lower and upper waters? The breadth of a mere three fingers between the waters; what does he mean by that? He has given a very deep answer. I believe Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya did not understand him, since they did not learn Torah from a young, crazy, and no-credentials fellow.

Again, just so you know who Ben Zoma is: a Tannah, who is cited in multiple places in the Talmud and the Midrash for Midrashic interpretation, for laws relating to blessings, for discussions about lineage and marriage laws, and in the Passover Haggadah. Although not formally ordained (hence called "Ben" rather than "Rabbi"), he was regarded as extraordinarily brilliant. The Talmud preserves statements showing that leading sages considered him exceptionally sharp in argumentation.

Rabbi Akiva came intact - came back alive and seemed as if nothing happened.

I heard in one of the lectures that there's an opinion that 24,000 students' deaths happened because of his support for Bar Kochba, since they joined his army. And second, he publicly supported Bar Kochba and proclaimed him Mashiach, which turned out to be false, and there were plenty of consequences that followed.

How come no one holds him liable for that? Oh wait, someone does - Hashem. Rabbi Akiva is counted as one of the martyrs and dies a horrible death. Can it be because of the above??

- Why did Rabbi Akiva support Bar Kochba?
- Why was Rabbi Akiva smiling when he saw a fox on the Temple Mount, emerging from the place of the Holy of Holies? (Read the whole story)
- How come Acher and Ben Zoma were not part of the 10 martyrs, since they all lived in that generation, but only Rabbi Akiva was one of the ten?

Let's talk a little about Rabbi Elisha ben Avuya or Acher, as he is currently called.

- My first question would be, what made Rabbanut turn away from him?
- Why did he turn away from them?
- Why did he leave the community?
- Why did he stop going to synagogue or Bet Midrash?
- Why were the kids reciting to him the passages that sounded bad - or insisted that he was a rasha?
- Why did he ride a horse on Shabbat (a public violation)?
- Why did he carry items beyond the permitted boundary (techum Shabbat)?
- Why did he hire a zona? That's a big one.
- But another BIG question is, what made him a rasha?
- What was it about him that, after his arrival from Pardes, made him different?
- Why did everyone think that the Torah of Acher was maimed and bad? He ate the fruit in Pardes; his Torah was awesome and ahead of its time.

He was a rejected sage, and I really would like to add him to the following list of The Rejected Trio.

So many questions, and more could be added to this list, but so much of this story can be explained only if it is learned through the passage from Tanach and Torah together, since the keys are hidden there. Once they are applied, then a whole new picture is painted.

Are there consequences for the community for mistreating Rabbi Elisha Ben Avuyah? I believe there, and we are paying for it to this day. Rabbi Elisha Ben Avuyah is a Mighty of Israel, and for mistreating the Tannah HaKadosh, Hashem has taken the insults personally and has punished the nation to this day, to this year of 2026. From just reading the Gemara, it seems all cut and dry, with no questions, but once we start delving in a new way, all the questions above will be answered, and many places in the Torah become clear and understandable.

- Who atoned for Rabbi Elisha Ben Avuyah? There's someone who has made atonement for him.
- Did he succeed?
- How far did he go in the atonement process?
- What is his name, and when did he live?
- What steps has he taken to accomplish that?

Since Ben Zoma didn't make a sin, how did Hashem atone the nation for mislabeling and mistreating Ben Zoma? Ben Zoma died young, and believe me, he was another rejected one from society.

Society should get its act together. Nothing in this world goes away unpunished. Eventually, we answer for everything.

And finally, is there a connection between Rabbi Elisha Ben Avuyah and Adam HaRishon, Chavah, Moshe Rabbenu, and our times? Yes, I think there's one.

And the reason why they went to Pardes IS...

I will reveal the answers to the Honored Rabbis at my humble shulchan aruch - at a set table of insights, where I would like to serve those answers to the above posed questions and some more...

Shmuel Katanov aka Acher

The Mystery of The Half Shekel

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 23:33:00 -0500

I want to share an interesting idea with you. There are many explanations for the reason for half shekel, but please allow me to offer another one.

In Megilat Esther, it says that Haman offered 10,000 kikar silver in exchange for the right to get rid of the Jews. Haman was afraid that Achashverosh would object to the loss of Jewish tax revenue if he killed them all. So, to prevent that objection, Haman was ready to sweeten the deal for the King by offering the above amount. King Achashverosh never took the offered money, which is an important fact to remember.

Hashem foresaw the above conversation, so when the Nation of Israel came out from Egypt, Hashem gave Moshe Rabbenu a commandment to collect half shekel from each individual. Moshe Rabbenu did exactly that and collected from 600,000 men, as it says in Parashat Ki Tisa 30:11-16.

These funds were used to build the mizbeach or the altar in the desert, but its spiritual value has been reserved for future use.

Targum Sheni Masechet Megilah says that “Haman offered a quarter of the shekel for each person of the 600,000 that came out from Mitzrayim to King Achashverosh, which equals 10,000 kikar silver.” Or, in other words, Haman set the price to a quarter of a shekel or 50% of the half shekel.

Based on the price set by Haman, it makes me think, since at the time of Exodus they collected half shekel, which is 50% of the whole shekel, Hashem deducted half from that collected value, and in its merit, the miracle of Purim happened, and the Nation of Israel was saved from the dark scheme of Evil Haman.

But the remaining 50% of the half is still unclaimed and has never been used.

For centuries, no matter where in the world the Nation of Israel has been, on Taanit Esther, we have been “paying” in all types of currencies—but in reality, we are renewing the original half shekel, or the remainder of it—nonstop, which in turn has Hashem collecting its spiritual value and saving it for future use.

But when, and how can this remainder be used?

I believe that when Mashiach comes, Hashem will use the merit of the remaining 50% of the half shekel. And this will end the dark schemes of this world's evil and allow the Nation of Israel to walk away free from current exile into redemption.

But remember, King Achashverosh never took the money offered by Haman!!

That's why says Prophet Isaiah in 52:3-6:
כִּי־כֹה֙ אָמַ֣ר יֱהֹוִ֔ה חִנָּ֖ם נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֑ם וְלֹ֥א בְכֶ֖סֶף תִּגָּאֵֽלוּ׃
For thus said G-D:
You were sold for no price,
And shall be redeemed without money.

כִּ֣י כֹ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יֱהֹוִ֔ה מִצְרַ֛יִם יָֽרַד־עַמִּ֥י בָרִֽאשֹׁנָ֖ה לָג֣וּר שָׁ֑ם וְאַשּׁ֖וּר בְּאֶ֥פֶס עֲשָׁקֽוֹ׃
For thus said my Sovereign G-D:
Of old, My people went down
To Egypt to sojourn there;
But Assyria has robbed them,
Giving nothing in return.

וְעַתָּ֤ה מַה־לִּי־פֹה֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּֽי־לֻקַּ֥ח עַמִּ֖י חִנָּ֑ם מֹשְׁלָ֤ו יְהֵילִ֙ילוּ֙ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְתָמִ֥יד כׇּל־הַיּ֖וֹם שְׁמִ֥י מִנֹּאָֽץ׃
What therefore do I gain here?
—declares G-D—
For My people has been carried off for nothing,
Their mockers howl
—declares G-D—
And constantly, unceasingly,
My name is scolded.

לָכֵ֛ן יֵדַ֥ע עַמִּ֖י שְׁמִ֑י לָכֵן֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא כִּֽי־אֲנִי־ה֥וּא הַֽמְדַבֵּ֖ר הִנֵּֽנִי׃
Assuredly, My people shall learn My name,
Assuredly [they shall learn] on that day
That I, the One who promised,
Am now at hand.

And as it was V’Nahapoch Hu, the bitter situation was reversed to happy, centuries ago, so it will be reversed once again in our time.

Shmuel Katanov
03/06/2025

The “Well-Meaning” In-Laws

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 01:27:18 -0500

Do you know what I thought was interesting? When Yitro came to the Nation in the desert, then Aharon, the elders, Yitro, and Moshe sat down for a festive meal. They all sat down for a meal, and suddenly Moshe Rabbenu - the Mashiach of the generation, the one who has saved the nation, the one who speaks to G-d, the one after whom 3 million went into the desert - took a tray and started serving people. The Sages said that he had done it out of humility.

Please allow me to share my perspective on these verses. So, with your permission, let's begin.

The Parashat Yitro 18:12 says: "And Yitro, Moses' father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for G-d; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to partake of the meal before G-d with Moses' father-in-law." The name of G-d that is being used in the sentence is Elokim. So, here goes the question - why does the Torah use the Name of Judgement? It's just a meal. Why judge anyone at that moment?

The answer is found in the Midrash Mekhilta De Rabbi Ishmael, which states: "This is because Moshe Rabbenu was standing on his feet, serving the people. Moshe was humble enough that he ignored his status completely."

Again, what is about to follow is simply my opinion of how I understand and view the verses.

But woe, that's a heavy one. Do you mean to tell me that Mashiach of the generation suddenly took a tray and started serving the dishes to everyone? Yes, but why? Was it because he saw his father-in-law? And suddenly he forgot that he is the leader of millions who always sits at the front, and that he is the one who should be served? Are we dealing with some kind of past and unresolved trauma?

To understand this, let's go back in time.

In Parashat Shemot, the Midrash tells us that when Moshe killed the Egyptian, and after being reported to authorities by Dathan and Aviram, he fled to the City of Cush. At around age 20, he joined the army and later became a king. Later, at the age of 67, he came to Midian and was sitting by the well. When the shepherds attacked the daughters of Yitro who were shepherding their flocks, Zohar said that "the girls were being attacked primarily because their father had abandoned the local idolatrous practices."

When Moshe came to live with Yitro, Targum Yonatan says: Moshe told him his life story - killing an Egyptian, and being deposed after being a king in the City of Cush. Not sure what to make of it, Yitro has thrown Moshe into a prison with no food and water for the next ten years. He would have starved to death if not for one of the daughters of Yitro, Tzipporah. She had pity on him and secretly fed him every day. That is how he survived those ten years. Imagine their amazement when they opened the prison to find Moshe alive and healthy.

Later, he married Tzipporah and had a son whom he named Gershom, as if to say I have been a foreigner in the strange land, says Parashat Shemot 2:22. It never mentions that strange land. But I strongly believe that the strange land was the city of Midian, where Yitro lived.

In my opinion, since Yitro left his idolatrous practices, the locals were not friendly toward him, his daughters, or Moshe, who was caring for Yitro's flock. And since he was outside most of the time, he had plenty of face-to-face contact with the locals.

But I would also like to add that he was not only a stranger in the land but also a stranger in the family of Yitro.

When we are first introduced to Yitro in Shemot 2:18, it says, "they came to their father Reuel." Reuel means a friend of G-d. But not necessarily friendly to the son-in-law. When one comes to meet the future bride's parents, he finds them very religious and friendly. It is only after the wedding that he sees their true colors. Going forward, the Torah no longer uses the name Reuel; instead, it calls him Yitro.

With six daughters of marriageable age, I assume he had plenty of interesting moments with his brothers-in-law.

On the way to Moshe in the desert with Tzipporah and her two sons, Midrash Tanchuma says: "Said Yitro, I am here with your wife and two kids. If you will not come out to greet me, at least come to greet your wife. If you do not consider her worthy of your consideration, at least come to greet your two sons." (Hmm...)

And here they are in the tent, everyone sitting around the table, and Moshe Rabbenu is serving everyone with dishes. What's wrong with it? The people who were present at the table - the elders, and Aharon, were stunned!!

In my opinion, it looks like Moshe had a tough life in the house of Yitro. He was raised as a prince, served as a king in the City of Cush, but in the house of Yitro, he served dishes.

That is why G-d's name is used in the pasuk as "Name of Judgement"- Elokim. As if Hashem was saying to Moshe: Moshe, how can you do this? At least now DO NOT carry dishes in front of YOUR FATHER-IN-LAW and other people around this table. Through you, I have performed the 10 plaques in Egypt. Through you, I have punished Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Through you, I have parted the sea where the Jewish nation passed through it, and I drowned the Egyptians. Through you, with thunder and lighting I have given you the Torah. Through you, I give over the commandments and My teachings. You, I have raised and made almost as a god in the eyes of Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

And after all I have done for you, you feel it is okay to take a tray and serve people, as you have done in the house of Yitro?

But again, what's wrong with it?

The elders who were sitting at the table, as is customary, talked. And they have done plenty of talking. At the time of the splitting of the sea, and plenty of efforts on Hashem's part, people finally believed in G-d and Moshe Rabbenu. But after this incident, his ratings dropped. He fell in the eyes of the Nation. The problems with Korach, Dathan, Aviram, and plenty of complaints flowed in throughout their forty-year journey.

Yitro, his father-in-law heard and then saw that Moshe had risen to unbelievable heights. And simply by being present at the party, he had altered Moshe’s life path.

Reminds me of another incident in Parashat Vayetzeh 29:31: "וַיַּ֤רְא ה׳ כִּֽי־שְׂנוּאָ֣ה לֵאָ֔ה וַיִּפְתַּ֖ח אֶת־רַחְמָ֑הּ וְרָחֵ֖ל עֲקָרָֽה׃ - Seeing that Leah was unloved, G-d opened her womb; but Rachel was infertile." In all the books, Senuah Leah is translated as "Leah was unloved," but the literal translation is "Leah was hated." Yaakov Avinu did not like that Lavan switched the sisters, and instead of Rachel, whom he loved and for whom he had worked seven years, he got Leah. So he hated her, if I may say so, because Lavan did things his way, the way he wanted, the way he saw things should be done. Yaakov Avinu wanted only one wife, just like his father Yitzchak Avinu had, but he ended up with four, and all because of Lavan, his father-in-law.

No wonder our Sages have made a custom for a groom to break a nice piece of glass on his wedding night.

In the fourteenth century, the author of Kol Bo offered the following explanation: The broken glass represents the wreckage of our past glory, and the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem in the first century. It recalls, at the most joyous and momentous occasion of the life cycle, that there is a continuing national sadness. It is a memory of Zion that reminds us that, in life, great joy can be cancelled by sudden grief.

But it can also mean the following: The sound of broken glass is a reminder to those around the groom and bride at the wedding. SMASH - to remind them how their ancestors have destroyed the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, and now they, the "well-meaning" in-laws and all those well-wishers and not, those who are around the newlywed couple, may and definitely could destroy once again the new Temple that is about to be built by this new couple that just got married.

Shout-out to the well-meaning in-laws and all those well-wishers or not - how far have you gone in your efforts?!

The sound of the broken glass - SMASH - means: Stay Out, Don't Get Involved. Mind Your Own Business. And only then does this new couple have a shot at creating their Temple - Bayit Ne'eman B'Yisrael, a Faithful Home in Israel.

Kudos To All The Amazing In-Laws Out There..I Know You Exist!!

Keep On Being AMAZING!!

Shmuel Katanov

The “Borrowed” Treasures

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 23:14:35 -0500

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

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

The Sages say that Hashem made a promise to Avraham Avinu, and He wants to keep His word. So, when the Jews ask the Egyptians, they will gladly give.

But I think there's much more hidden behind these words. So, please allow me to uncover what may be the reason for this odd request.

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

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

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

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

This story is located near the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, so many, attribute this conversation to that event, but if I may suggest, let's view this incident from a different angle.

Let's imagine, for a second, that it's not about Sodom and Gomorrah, but rather about the generation that came out of Egypt. Avraham Avinu is a prophet, and he has realized that he made a mistake. When the King of Sodom offered him gold and silver, Avraham declined. But now he has realized that this was a huge mistake.

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

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

Remember the discussion Avraham Avinu had with Hashem, where Hashem agreed to save the city if He found 10 worthy individuals? So, since Avraham Avinu's descendants had to go into exile, and later in Parashat Shelach, when the spies came back from Eretz Yisrael, Hashem didn't find the required 10 people out of the 12 spies to save the "city", since 10 spoke against the Land. Hashem did as He had promised - the fate of the men aged 20-60 in that generation or that "city" was decreed to be buried in the desert.

So, at this point, you may ask why such a harsh punishment for not taking gold and silver when the King of Sodom offered them to Avraham Avinu?

Because Avraham Avinu was raised by a father who was a craftsman, who made idols from clay, wood, gold, and silver. Every day, he saw the influence the idols had on people who came to his father's store. He should have foreseen the consequences of not taking the gold and should have prevented it by taking the treasures when they were offered to him. Only he was able to raise them to the levels of holiness to serve Hashem, but since he declined them, those treasures were made into idols, which misled the population, and eventually led to the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

That is why Moshe Rabbeinu asked people to get silver and gold from the Egyptians, and to bring the treasures out of Mitzrayim. In the desert, he has raised those treasures to the highest levels of holiness by making them into Holy items, such as the Mizbeakh, Mishkan, Menorah, and other Holy vessels, to serve G-d Almighty. And those objects were built from gold, silver, and other materials that the nation of Israel has earned, and paid for with pain, blood, and death.

Just like the Gemara in Masechet Berachot 5A says, Three things are acquired through hardship: The Next World, Torah, and Eretz Yisrael. And I will add that the above artifacts of such enormous proportions of holiness under Torah, which can't be acquired merely by money. They require national effort of sacrifice and suffering, and only then will Hashem's presence be found among the nation, when the Nation is molded as if one vessel through hardships, and at the end, together works toward one goal - to serve Hashem in holiness.

Part 2: The above is the story of how Moshe Rabbeinu elevated the treasures they brought out of Egypt to the level of holiness. However, there were other events throughout our history where gold was "used".

- In Parashat Ki Tisa, people approached Aharon HaCohen and asked him to create for the nation an intermediary between Hashem and the people, because Moshe Rabbenu had delayed his return from the mountain. Aharon HaCohen asked them to bring him the golden earrings from their wives, thus trying to delay the time. When the wives rejected this idea, men wanted to expedite the process; so men gave their earrings - exactly those that they had gotten from the Egyptians, the ones they paid for with pain, suffering, and death - thus contributing to the sin of the Golden Calf and cheapening the national efforts of years of slavery and national sacrifice.

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

So, where do we go from here?

We got another shot at it, and it is a Third Bet Hamikdash. According to one opinion, when the time comes, we will build the Third Temple under Mashiach's supervision. And this time, we will also use gold, and lots of it too. The Third Bet Hamikdash - The House of G-d will attract people from all over the world, according to Sefer Yeshayahu. It will be a magnificent structure and, most importantly, holy, built according to the Jewish Law. But why use so much gold on it, you may ask? Since the beauty of that scale and aggrandizement of this structure should elevate the Honor and Name of G-d ONLY. Because, if anyone deserves the praise and fanfare of that magnitude, that would be not us - the mere mortals, but only Him alone - Hashem, G-d Almighty!!

So, at the end of the day, Mashiach would have previous experience working with gold and would find a way to atone and elevate the gold in the service of G-d.

Part 3: But what do we do with the other gold? That same gold that Avraham Avinu didn't take as spoils from the King of Sodom. Since Avraham Avinu hasn't taken the spoils of war and others weren't able to atone for the gold, who will take it? Since its balance is there in Hashem's books marked as pending.

This time Hashem will give this to Mashiach, as it says in the Book of Yeshayahu 53:12, "Therefore I shall give him a portion with many, and he shall split a booty with mighty ones. For he exposed himself to death and let himself be counted among the transgressors, whereas he bore the sins of many and prayed for the transgressors."

Here, I should probably bid farewell and call it a day, since I believe the point is made.

But - this time, Today, let me ask you a question.

- "And he shall split booty with the mighty ones" - Why would Hashem give the spoils to Mashiach? What does it mean? How did he earn it?

- "For he exposed himself to death?" What is it talking about? It almost feels like somehow he mimicked Avraham Avinu, but how??

- "...And let himself be counted among the transgressors" - This one is really puzzling...Why would he do that? Plenty of questions here...

- And how about this one - "...He bore the sins of many and prayed for the transgressors" - Why would he pray for the sinners?

SOS!! Is anyone out there?

The above and many more missing pieces of the puzzle will be revealed to the selected few on That Day, hopefully sooner, with the help of the Mighty G-d.

Shmuel Katanov
January 14, 2024

Yosef & “The Spies”

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 22:12:09 -0500

As always, what is about to follow is just my opinion, based on studying the Holy Books, and my understanding of the verses. With your permission, let’s get right to it.

In Parashat Miketz 42:9 says: “Josef recalled the dreams that he had about them(the brothers). He said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see where the land is exposed."

What just happened? Yosef HaTzaddik has accused his brothers of being spies, and I believe this is where a whole new story is being unfolded.

The brothers denied the accusations. Later, they brought Benyamin, and eventually they all immigrated to Egypt with their families. One may think that the story is over.

But hold on, Yosef HaTzaddik has made an accusation, do you think it’s all forgotten!? I believe this action has led to many events to unfold over the centuries. Please allow me to get a bit more specific.

Were the brothers spies? No, not at all. They entered Egypt through ten gates to find Yosef; later, they were caught in a bad neighborhood while looking for him. They had good intentions.

This begs the question: if you look at Jewish history, why has Hashem given us, their descendants, so much trouble over the centuries?

Yosef had accused the brothers, but he was trying to make his dreams a reality, deliberately taking steps to bring about the events he had seen in his dreams.

In the same way, when Miriam, out of concern for Tziporah, asked about Moshe Rabbenu, Hashem considered it as Lashon Hara and punished Miriam for this sin. Yosef HaTzaddik took it to the next level, knowing the future from his dreams, he tried to bring the events to fruition, made this one big plan, and accused his brothers.

Watch now how Hashem will unfold the events from this point on…

In Parashat Shelach, the twelve tribes sent out an expedition to spy out the Land. It was a failed mission, since the majority came back and slandered the Land for which that generation had paid dearly. But when they asked for Hashem's permission to go into the Land, Hashem told them, "Send for yourself." An interesting way to answer.

Ever since the sale of Yosef, the nation has felt its aftereffect—this event has always been on the nation’s conscience—something they have always wanted to fix.

That's why Hashem said, "Send for yourself. He meant, send for your own good, definitely try to fix this sin, since this sin must be fixed, and this sin is not going anywhere, unless it is fixed. Let Me see how you will do it."

The 12 people went to spy out the Land in order for Yosef’s words not to sound as an accusation. But the spies have failed to atone for this sin, and all the males aged 20-60 of that generation were punished. (Parashat Shelach)

Now Hashem has taken upon Himself to cleanse the Nation of this sin. And so He begins…

Centuries later, ten great sages were brutally tortured and executed by the Romans to atone for the sin of the brothers.

But it is not enough.

At that moment, it was also decreed that ten religious Jews will be murdered every year till the end of times, as it says in Yalkut Shimoni on Proverbs, as mentioned in the Book of Meam Lo'ez.

But it is still not enough.

The situation with Bar Kamtza was also an atonement for Yosef and the Brothers, which ended badly for everyone involved (Talmud, Taanit 19b, The Rejected Trio).

But it is still not enough.

Since the sin wasn't atoned through all these mentioned situations above, Hashem found a different way to fix it, please refer to the essay called: The Rejected Trio, where the members of the nation will be put through situations of infertility, and men dying early with no children, and then either Levirate Marriage or Khalitza process will take place, and all the pain and suffering that stem from all of these situations, will serve as an atonement of that sin.

The above would be enough, you would think, but no.. Hold your horses, we are not done yet.

Since then, over the centuries, Hashem has put the Jewish nation through many false accusations:

- The death of Jesus, this belief, known as deicide, became a powerful justification for antisemitism.
- In ancient times, Jews were often blamed for various societal issues, including plagues and economic troubles.
- Blood Libel: Jews were falsely accused of murdering Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals. This myth led to violence and massacres.
- Causing the Black Death: During the 14th-century plague, Jews were scapegoated and accused of poisoning wells, resulting in widespread persecution.
- Economic Accusations: Excluded from many professions, Jews often became moneylenders, leading to stereotypes of greed and exploitation.
- Conspiracy Theories: In the 19th and 20th centuries, Jews were often depicted as part of a global conspiracy to control governments and economies.
- Zionism and Ani-Zionism: The establishment of the State of Israel led to accusations against Jews of being responsible for conflicts in the Middle East, often framed in antisemitic terms.

And all the trouble above was because Yosef wanted the dreams to come true.

Each person is the head of a family-tribe, and just as Yosef and the brothers, these people put their children and descendants in harm’s way.

Miriam talked about Moshe Rabbenu out of concern for Tziporah. Yosef accused the brothers because he was trying to bring the events of the dream to come about. And there we are, with our justifications, working daily on a man-made verbal mess. The mess that probably spread out of control for many, with daily consequences for the other parties to deal with.

And only G-d stands by it all, and brings them and the descendants of the parties involved throughout the world, to the bitter situations they have themselves created, by simply talking.

Makes one uneasy, doesn’t it?

So..what have you been spreading lately?

Shmuel Katanov

The Great Shofar

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 16:21:51 -0500

Shofar has three distinctive sounds - Tekiah, a long, loud blast; Shevarim, three broken blows; and Teruah, nine broken blows. Why exactly are these notes being played?

The story is told in the Talmud, a mother of General Sisra would always wait for her son to return home from the battle. One day, she waited and waited, and it got very late, and he was not coming back, since he usually should have been back a while ago. She understood that he had been killed, and she started to cry for her son. She cried a bitter cry that only a mother would cry for her son.

So we mimicked her cry with a shofar.

My question would be a pretty simple one: Why do we mimic the cry of a non-Jewish lady in our service to G-d? What does she have to do with us? We have plenty of our personalities crying throughout the Torah —so why don't we use any of them? Why is the cry of this lady being used?

So, please allow me to offer you what may be the explanation.

In the story of Akedat Yitzchak, when G-d comes to Avraham Avinu, He asks him to bring his son as a sacrifice. The Parashat Vayera 22:2 says: "Take your son, your only son, the one you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him there as a burnt offering on a mountain, I will show you." So Avraham Avinu goes and ties up Yitzchak, and places him on the Mizbeach. Once he was on the Mizbeach and Avraham was about to bring him as a sacrifice, Hashem tells him, "Avraham, Avraham. Do not raise your hand against the boy or do anything to him. Because now, I know that you fear G-d since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me." But Midrash says that Avraham Avinu wanted to carry out the commandment, to bring Yitzchak as a korban, and some say he did so.

So here's my question: why such a desire to hurt him? Yes, I know he wanted to carry out the commandment, but for Yitzchak, it wasn't a fun moment. Later, we see that when Avraham goes to fight for Lot and is offered prisoners instead of gold, he declines, saying he won't take even shoelaces from the king as booty. Again, why not feel bad for the prisoners and take them and set them free, or convert them and show them the path to serve the True G-d?! When it came to Yishmael, and Hashem told him to listen to Sarah and throw him out, Avraham Avinu grew sad, but Hashem reassured him, saying He would make a nation out of him, since he was his seed. How come Avraham didn't feel sad for the prisoners or Yitzchak? No compassion was shown, if I may say so.

We go further into the story of Chana in the Book of Samuel. Chana had no children and was praying for a child. Eli, the Cohen, saw her and thought she was drunk; she asked him a question: "How come you didn't see in your prophetic vision and bless me so I can have a child?" Why didn't you feel bad for me? Again, no compassion was shown.

More on the story of Chana and Penina. You'll be amazed at how much suffering Chana had to endure, all because she had no kids. This is yet another case of zero compassion.

We go to Yaakov Avinu. When Rachel approaches him and asks him to give her a child, he tells her to talk to G-d, since he can't help her. Again, there is no compassion shown.

The same happens with the brothers and Yoseph. Yoseph begged them to return him to his father, but they sold him to Egypt, again without compassion.

During the First and Second Bet Hamikdash, there was no compassion shown toward one another; the nation had plenty of man-to-man problems, to the point that Hashem allowed the Two Temples to be destroyed, millions to be killed, and millions to be sent into exile.

This was when the Men of Great Assembly made it a law to blow the shofar in exile - mimicking the cry of a non-Jewish lady - the mother of General Sisra. The nation went into exile to be amongst the non-Jews, and there in those distant lands to blow the broken sounds of the shofar and to experience hatred, humiliation, death, pain, and suffering - because the nation has displayed no compassion towards each other in Israel, in the Land of G-d, and in the House of Hashem.

And now two thousand years later, we are bitter and have suffered plenty. But how do we know that we, as a nation, have acquired the trait of compassion and are ready for the next chapter of our history?

In the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 53 discusses Mashiach and his suffering. Here comes the question: Why does Hashem make him suffer? Why put him through so many—no compassion shown—moments? Let him live his life, and later appoint him to carry out his mission. Does it make sense, wouldn't you think?

And here's why Mashiach is going through the rough waters...

After a long exile and plenty of suffering, Hashem wants to see - if and when the Nation of Israel will find a potential Mashiach; Hashem awaits for the nation to feel his pain, "to rescue him," and to "come over to the Mizbeach on which Mashiach is tied and suffering", and this time say to Him - to Hashem:

"Hashem, Hashem, do not raise Your Hand against the boy, or do anything to him. Since now, You know that we fear G-d... - for thousands of years, away from home, in exile, scattered all over the world, we have seen it all - death, illnesses, wars, pogroms, hunger, hatred, humiliation, difficulties, pain, suffering, and have had plenty of other unpleasant events happen to us. We have seen them all, and we have experienced them all, but we have stayed as Jews and still fear ONLY You. And now the time has come to "take this boy OFF the Mizbeach" and offer our korban - this prayer, and blast the shofar, just like Avraham Avinu did on That Day. And with that blast, Avraham Avinu started the exile, but Today - this exile will end with us right now, also with the blast of the shofar. The blast of Tekiah - a long, loud blast - תקע בשופר גדול לחרותנו - Teka b’Shofar Gadol l’Cherutenu - Sound the Great Shofar for Our Freedom. No more the sound of the broken blasts - no more sorrow, tears, pain, and hardships.”

And with this long blast of shofar, the nation closes the old chapter of Exile - of this Galut and begins a new chapter in History - the Chapter of Geulah Shlemah, a Complete and Long-Awaited Redemption.

May it be so, and in our days, Amen!!

Shmuel Katanov
09/10/2024

Why the community of the ancient Jerusalem was destroyed?

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 15:14:03 -0500

The 9th of Av is the most horrible and darkest day in Jewish history. Thousands of Roman troops came to the walls of Jerusalem, and on the 9th of Av, Jerusalem was on fire. Why? What did the Jews in the community do, so this happened to the nation?

The Talmud, Gittin 55–56, says that the Second Bet Hamikdash was destroyed due to an argument between two people—Kamtza & Bar Kamtza. The story goes like this: a man threw a party and asked his servant to invite his friend Kamtza. The servant went, but instead of going to Kamtza, by mistake, he invited his enemy, Bar Kamtza. Already at the party, as the host went from table to table, he noticed his enemy sitting and having a good time with the rest of the guests. The host came over and asked him, "What are you doing here?" Bar Kamtza politely answered that his servant had invited him. That's when the host realized that his servant had made a mistake and called the wrong guy. Furiously, he asked the guy to leave the party, but Bar Kamtza offered to pay for his meal and asked him not to make a scene and not to humiliate him in front of everyone. But the host refused again and asked him to leave. Bar Kamtza offered to pay half the cost of the party, then the full cost, but the host refused and threw him out.

The Talmud says that people present at the party, especially the Torah sages, sat quietly and didn't get involved. The Talmud rebukes this behavior and says at the end, that this incident was the reason for the destruction of the Second Temple.

Any argument is accompanied by gossip and rumors.

The same thing happened many times in our history, and every time, Hashem's reaction was very severe.

- Yosef was saying about his brothers to his father, and for that they hated him. Because of this, the brothers sold Yosef, and later the whole family emigrated to Egypt (Bereshit Chapter 37, and Bereshit Rabah 84:7)

- Moshe was puzzled as to why the Jewish people had such a hard life being slaves in Egypt. But when he found out that amongst them were people who spread rumors, he understood why this was their fate. (Shemot and Rashi 2:14)

- When the spies came back and slandered Eretz Yisrael, those who believed paid with their lives - all the adults died and were buried in the desert. (Parashat Shelach)

- Doeg, the Head of Sanhedrin, was solely responsible for the killing of the City of Kohanim. (Shmuel 22:9)

- The armies of Shaul HaMelech were losing battles with the Philistines because people were spreading rumors about (already anointed and future) King David. (Midrash Shocher Tov 7:8)

There are lots of other stories of people being slandered, and all of them have one thing in common: they break one commandment —the Commandment of Lashon Hara, which means saying something bad, even though it may be true. (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Hachaim 156:10)

- It is forbidden to repeat something about someone, even though this may not be negative; this is called Rechilut. (Vayikra 19:16, Mishneh Torah, Chilchot Deot Chapter 7)

- It is forbidden to listen when someone says something negative about someone. The person should admonish the speaker, and if this is not possible, he needs to remove himself from his presence. (Chafetz Chaim 6:2, based on Talmud Ketubot 5A and many other sources)

- And even if the person heard something negative about someone, he is not allowed to believe it; on the contrary, he needs to give him the benefit of the doubt and justify his actions, and always judge a person for good. (Talmud Pesachim 118A, also in the commentaries of Rashbam in Perek HaMekabel)

In the Book of Shemot, Parashat Vayera 18:1 - 18:33, it talks about Avraham Avinu: right after he made a brit, the three angels came to him. One of the angels said that he came to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. When Avraham Avinu heard that, he began praying to Hashem and asked Him whether fifty righteous people were living there, so that He would not destroy the cities for their sake. Hashem told him, There are not. Then he asked him to save the cities for forty-five, and again He said they are not there. Then he asked for thirty, and twenty, and still he got a negative answer. Then, once again, he approached Hashem in prayer and asked to save the cities for ten righteous people, but Hashem said that even ten righteous people don't exist in those cities. Rashi says that the lawyer —Avraham Avinu — fell silent, and Hashem left his presence, since there were not even ten tzaddikim to save the cities in their merit.

In the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza, there were no ten members of the community who thought well of Bar Kamtza, and who were willing to get up and publicly defend him and stop the host of the party. People have been gossiping about Bar Kamtza, and others have believed it and spread it further. This was an epidemic in a society that had laws against such behavior. People were so sure that Bar Kamtza was the guilty party that they took on the roles of observers at the party. They were judging Bar Kamtza unfavorably because they already had an opinion of him, influenced by all the gossip and rumors circulating before this incident at the party. And with all of this, laws of lashon hara and other laws were broken, which led to the destruction of the Second Temple, loss of millions of lives, and an exile till our time.

We are in exile, which means this disease is still plaguing us. And suppose there's a person amongst us, about whom everyone is talking, and talking very badly, and people believe and spread rumors. Based on these rumors, he is being judged and treated differently, while being subjected to more and more new labels and accusations. In that case, this is called Lashon Hara—talking badly, spreading rumors, and gossip— which Torah calls in two words: sinat chinam or baseless hatred.

And if in that place you still have 50, 45, 30, 20, or 10 righteous people, who do not believe all that gossip, contrary to public pressure, then there's still hope that Hashem's fury can be turned away. We should always try to prevent the community from speaking and spreading rumors, using our influence and communal pressure, and squash this type of behavior right from the start.

And if not? And the rumors went far—then there's a job to do: he should be cleaning up. When he sees those who heard and those who might have heard, he needs to convince them that this is not true and ask Hashem for mercy. (Sefer Chafetz Chaim). Otherwise, as was said in the previous articles, our Small Batey Mikdashim—homes, synagogues, and social places — are at stake.

Our Sages taught, "Any generation in which the Temple is not built, it is as if it had been destroyed in their times" (Talmud Yerushalmi, Yoma 1A). Because that generation continues in the footsteps of the one who destroyed the Temple, they are not trying to fix the mistakes of the past generations, but continue doing the same destructive sins in the eyes of Hashem and the nation.

Our goal is to build strong families and communities which have to live by Torah laws. Based on our life experience, we need to help people by giving them advice, guiding, and encouraging all those who fell in life - and to do this not because we owe them or they owe us, but just like that, as the Gemara says: Loving and helping another Jew without any reason, as Achavat Chinam or Baseless Love.

This action alone will grow, multiply, and strengthen the Jewish Nation and our communities while doing an unforgettable act of bringing peace between people and families, for which Hashem Himself will repay. This action will be responsible for many who have left the Judaism, returning to Hashem and His Torah and mitzvot. And based on everything said above, we and our families will merit seeing Mashiach while doing our part to hasten his arrival and free us from this prolonged exile.

Shmuel Katanov
08/13/2025

The Rejected Trio

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:46:11 -0400

In Parashat Ki Tetzeh, we are told of a ceremony called Yibum, also known as levirate marriage. If the man does not want to marry his brother's widow, the ceremony that releases him from this obligation is called Khalitzah.

As always, everything that is about to follow is strictly how I view the verses in the Torah, and is my opinion, and with that said, let's go!!

So, why is the khalitza performed? And why does the woman take off his shoe and spit on his face? I assume you are familiar with the laws and details of this ceremony, so I will proceed directly.

It may all be related to the incident involving The Brothers and Yosef. The Brothers sold the young Yosef and bought shoes with that money. Brothers denied Yosef the opportunity to have his own family, a bright future, and to leave sons after himself, so they sold him to Egypt at a young age. The same is the brother who doesn’t want to take the wife of his deceased brother-in-law, in the ceremony of Khalitzah, denies his dead brother an opportunity to continue his name and leave a descendant in his name, since the one who passed on died childless.

Why does the woman need to spit on his face? The Brothers didn’t - do the selling - with a smile; they did it through anger, screaming, and spit flying from their mouths. The same way a woman needs to spit on his face, as it says in the Parashat Ki Tetzeh 25:9, and in my opinion, this would atone in some way the anger shown by The Brothers, for their spits that flew onto Yosef's face.

Since the whole nation comes from the Brothers, the whole nation needs to atone for this situation. Shoes are not worn during Tisha Be Av, as the money made from their sale was spent on them.

Problems between people often lead to someone "getting sold", or to put it more politely, being thrown out of the community, as happened to Bar Kamzta, which eventually led to the destruction of the Bet Hamikdash. But in reality, on Tisha Be Av, we atone for that same sin of The Brothers, which repeats itself centuries later - a similar scenario, only it played out a bit differently - but still the same old plot where we have failed once again.

It feels like centuries come and go, but we have never graduated or fixed that situation.

But let’s take it a bit further:

Hashem has made a way for us to atone for The Brothers through the couples that have a hard time bringing children into this world, but why through them?

Since Yosef was denied by The Brothers to have a family and was sold to Egypt, Hashem puts the couples - the descendants of The Brothers, and denies them children for some time, thus atoning for what The Brothers did to Yosef HaTzaddik. They experience pain as if like Yosef, who went through his hardships during the time when he was alone and childless - the time before he got married.

The wife in the Khalitza process spits at the brother, since the brother behaves as The Brothers did and causes her not to have a child, and she is in pain. She went through this childless marriage, just buried her husband, and now even this brother denies her a child, and brazenly continues to deny her this last opportunity.

But you may say that Sarah and Rachel also didn’t have children, are they also atoning for Yosef? They are not. That’s why Hashem explicitly says - And Hashem remembered Sarah(Vayera 21:1) and Rachel(Vayetzei 30:22) and gave them children, after that Hashem didn’t remember anyone, He either spoke via an angel to Shimshon’s mother(Judges 13), or Chana - via a prophet (Samuel 1). The rest of the people are atoning for Yosef HaTzaddik till our time.

Hashem hand-picks those couples and awards them to do an atonement for The Brothers, and in the process, Hashem draws them close to Himself. Besides the children, whether they get it or not, their spiritual leap in the process is unbelievably huge and is their highest spiritual reward.

So, if you think about it, we have Yosef HaTzaddik, who was thrown out from the family, then Bar Kamtza was thrown out from the community, and there’s a third personality in the End of Days, the Son of David, with a similar plot.

Every day, the Nation has problems, and will continue to have problems for as long as the situation is not fixed with the Son of David.

There were significant mistakes made with Bar Kamtza and Yosef HaTzaddik.

It says in the Book of Midrash, after the family has united in Egypt, Yosef ate separately from the rest of The Brothers, since Yaakov Avinu didn't make peace between The Brothers, thus Hashem made them go through a hard and bitter Galut later, and on top of it had to punish the ten rabbis in order to atone for The Brothers.

Bar Kamtza had no one on his side - not a single rabbi, and he did what he did, where the Bet Hamikdash got destroyed, millions died, and millions were taken into captivity.

Same way is Mashiach - "He is despised, and isolated from men, a man of pains, and accustomed to illness. As one who hid his face from us; he was despised, and we had no regard for him." as it says in Prophet Isaiah 53:3, an outsider, despised and isolated from men and will be so until he is reinstated into the community. And then, and only then, the problems will stop, and the atonement of the Rejected Trio will be made - Yosef HaTzaddik, Bar Kamtza, and Mashiach Tzidkenu - and then The Brothers will be set Free.

So, Gentlemen - Let's Find This Guy & Let’s Bring The Redemption!!

- Part 2 -

But as always, let's go even deeper.

The question is, why does the widow need to remove the shoe from her Brother-in-law?
The Parashat Mikeitz says that the brothers took off the Ketonet Pasim from Yosef, and now the widow - the descendant of The Brothers, needs to take off the shoe from the brother's foot, and he will be called as - the one whose shoe was removed, as if marking him with a title that he has behaved like The Brothers who took off the Ketonet Pasim from Yosef.

But why Hashem makes the lady suffer, and why is she left without a child?
The widow is atoning for Reuven, who suggested throwing Yosef into the pit, hoping to save him later; he should have saved him right then and there. When Reuven came back, the child, Yosef, was gone, and Reuven had no child to bring back to his father. So is the widow, at the mercy of her Brother-in-law, who refuses to marry her; thus, she walks away without a child.

Why does her husband die childless?
The husband dies, since The Brothers removed the Ketonet Pasim and sold Yosef with anger, they showed their evil side, thus ensuring that he won’t have descendants, and the atonement for this is death.

Why, in all of this, does the widow seem to be suffering the most?
In a previous article, we discussed the mistake Adam made. (Below is just a snippet, but please refer to the full essay located at this address, for context and whole idea behind every word presented.)

“In Parashat Bereshit, Chava gave Adam HaRishon a fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge 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 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 is written there, and the word לאישה - Le Yisha could also be translated as To a Woman, as if Chavah passed the fruit to a woman.

To me, it seems that Hashem belittled Adam HaRishon because he thoughtlessly agreed with his wife and went along with her, not standing up to her, not protesting, and eating when she offered him the fruit. That exact fruit from the 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.”

The widow is atoning for Chava, since she was the cause of Adam's fall. Reuven has followed in the footsteps of Adam HaRishon and has fallen, just like Adam did. Adam HaRishon thoughtlessly, without giving it too much thought, has taken the fruit from Chava, while ignoring the word of Hashem. In the same way, Reuven thoughtlessly moved the bed of Yaakov Avinu, without thinking of his father's response and its consequences.

I call upon all of the Reuvenites of Today, who thoughtlessly and carelessly break the word of G-d, be it towards them and G-d, or them and other people. When or how will you atone for your thoughtless and evil schemes of the past?

How serious are these thoughtless sins, you ask? As a punishment, Reuven has lost it all - birthright, priesthood, and kingship.

So, what do we stand to lose??

Shmuel Katanov

Ayeka - Where Are You?

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 18:15:49 -0400

This is Part 2; please read Part 1 before proceeding with the content below.

Recently, I heard a thought about Adam HaRishon and his eating of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, as when one associates oneself with that sin, it limits one's growth. It is a nice idea, but please allow me to approach this from a different angle.

In Parashat Bereshit 3:9-11, says: "וַיִּקְרָ֛א יה׳ אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ אַיֶּֽכָּה׃ - G-d Hashem called out to the Human and said to him, "Where are you?"

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר אֶת־קֹלְךָ֥ שָׁמַ֖עְתִּי בַּגָּ֑ן וָאִירָ֛א כִּֽי־עֵירֹ֥ם אָנֹ֖כִי וָאֵחָבֵֽא׃ - He replied, I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מִ֚י הִגִּ֣יד לְךָ֔ כִּ֥י עֵירֹ֖ם אָ֑תָּה הֲמִן־הָעֵ֗ץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר צִוִּיתִ֛יךָ לְבִלְתִּ֥י אֲכׇל־מִמֶּ֖נּוּ אָכָֽלְתָּ׃ - Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?"

Let's stop here. As always, everything that is about to follow is just my two cents, my opinion, may be something to ponder about.

So, what happened here?

Adam ate the fruit, and Hashem is looking for him? I don't believe it's that simple; there must be more to it. Hashem knows where everyone is, and especially He knows where His creation is, right there in the Garden. By asking Ayeka - Where are you? I believe, Hashem meant something else.

If you read part 1, in my opinion, Rabbi Akiva ate the fruits from the Tree of Knowledge, and this propelled him to become one of the greatest teachers we have ever had, a person who taught the next generation of rabbis, who have passed on the Torah as we know it Today.

Similarly, Adam, by eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, gained knowledge of the Torah and its laws - halachot, which is why he was hiding, since the law says that one can't be naked out in the open.

But there's a problem. There was no Torah given to him yet.

So, in 3:21, "וַיַּ֩עַשׂ֩ ייה׳ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְאָדָ֧ם וּלְאִשְׁתּ֛וֹ כׇּתְנ֥וֹת ע֖וֹר וַיַּלְבִּשֵֽׁם׃ - And G-d made garments of skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them." And drove them out of the Garden of Eden.

But let's further develop this idea, because I feel we're on to something huge!

In Talmud Bava Metzia 59a, we have an interesting story.

The story begins with a halakhic dispute regarding an oven called "Tanur shel Akhnai" or "The Oven of Akhnai." This oven was constructed from separate tiles with sand placed between each tile. The main question was whether this oven, when disassembled and reassembled, retained its original status or became a new entity. This distinction was crucial for matters of ritual purity.

Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus argued that the oven lost its status, meaning that if it had been ritually defiled, it would lose that impure status.

The majority of the sages ruled that it retained its original status throughout the disassembly and reassembly process.

On that day, when they were discussing this matter, Rabbi Eliezer gave all possible answers to support his view, but the Rabbis disagreed with him. After he could not convince the Rabbis, Rabbi Eliezer said to them:

If the law is according to my opinion, 'This carob tree will prove it'. The carob tree has uprooted itself and moved from its place one hundred cubits, and some say four hundred cubits. The Rabbis said to him: One does not bring halakhic proof from the carob tree.

Rabbi Eliezer then said to them, 'If the halakha is according to my opinion, the stream will prove it.' The water in the stream turned backward and began flowing in the opposite direction. They said to him, 'One does not bring halakhic proof from a stream.'

Rabbi Eliezer then said to them: If the halakha is according to my opinion, 'The walls of the study hall will prove it'. The walls of the study hall leaned inward and began to fall. Rabbi Yehoshua scolded the walls and said to them: 'If Torah scholars are arguing with each other in matters of halakha, what is the nature of your involvement in this dispute?' The Gemara says: The walls did not fall because of the respect due Rabbi Yehoshua, but they did not straighten because of the respect due Rabbi Eliezer, and they remained leaning.

Rabbi Eliezer then said to them: If the halakha agrees with my opinion, 'Heaven will prove it'. A Divine Voice, Bat Kol emerged from Heaven and said: 'Why are you arguing with Rabbi Eliezer, as the halakha does agree with his opinion in every place that he expresses an opinion?'

In response to the Divine proclamation, Rabbi Yehoshua rose to his feet and quoted Deuteronomy 30:12, declaring "Lo BaShamayim He" – "It [the Torah] is not in Heaven." This bold statement asserted that once G-d gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, its interpretation was entrusted to human scholars rather than through Divine revelation.

Rabbi Yirmiyah explained this principle further, stating that since the Torah was already given at Mount Sinai, Jews are instructed to "follow the majority" in legal matters. This establishes the principle that halakhic decisions are made through human deliberation and majority rule, rather than through miraculous signs or Divine voices. After this incident, Rabbi Eliezer was boycotted or put in cherem.

When Hashem came to Adam, and said: Ayeka - Where are you? G-d meant, Adam, where are you, in the Garden of Eden - in the upper world, or down there in the lower world? Your knowledge of Torah and its laws, the halachot, is not for the spiritual world in the Garden of Eden, but it is for the lower world of physicality - the Earth.

This is one of the reasons why Hashem gave the Torah to Moshe Rabbenu in Parashat Yitro, as angels cannot fulfill it because they lack parents and cannot show them respect, and are unable to keep hundreds of other commandments that only us, the humans can fulfill on Earth, down here in the physical realm.

The Sages teach us that when the baby is conceived, an angel teaches the entire Torah to a fetus in the womb. Then, just before he is born, the angel taps him on his upper lip (which leaves an indentation right under the nose). The baby forgets what he had learned, as it says in the Talmud Niddah 30b. I would also assume that the angel has given a tap on Adam's upper lip as well, so he should forget the Torah that he acquired by eating the fruit or by "using a shortcut."

But what is this thing called: law or halacha?

This is the Word of G-d, which is interpreted and explained by the rabbis of each generation and passed on to the next. You can find it in the pages of the Talmud and the written works of the rabbis of each generation, which make up the Oral Torah.

Welcome to Orthodox Judaism, which is the Word of G-d. It is not in Heaven, but down here on planet Earth - interpreted, explained, accepted, and embraced by the millions.

When Rabbi Nathan encountered the prophet Eliyahu, and asked what G-d's reaction was to the argument of The Oven of Akhnai. The Prophet Eliyahu said that G-d smiled and said, "My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me," (Talmud Bava Metzia 59b), showing Divine pleasure in human interpretive authority.

So, if what you have read so far makes sense, and since the law is made and changed by the majority, and if the majority of the Sages agree with me that Adam haRishon was hiding since he knew the halacha that one cannot be naked out in the open. And Ayeka - Where are you? - is Hashem's question to Adam, in which world is he - Upper or the Lower, and that the law can be practiced only in the Lower world and not in the Upper.

And if the majority of the Sages have agreed to my opinion above, then may I have the authority just for a second, to call upon the Sages of our Times, to release Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus forever from the cherem/boycott and set him free, so that he may be allowed to sit in the Yeshivah Shel Malaa or The Bet Midrash in Heaven, together with the colleagues of the yesteryears. And just like it was in the olden days, may he state the law as equal, and go head to head with the Mighty of the Upper Worlds.

So, my friend, grab a book and learn the laws of Orthodox Judaism - The Shulchan Aruch. The laws that have been analyzed, debated, agreed upon, accepted, and embraced by millions throughout the history of the Jewish people. We have a lot of catching up to do. Since by learning the laws, we join the millions around the world who are living day-to-day by the Word of the Living G-d.

Shmuel Katanov

The Power of The Constant Drip

Thu, 22 May 2025 16:37:43 -0400

I am sure you have all heard the story of Rabbi Akiva. I want to touch on just a small part of it.

After Akiva gained basic knowledge of the Torah, he and his wife agreed that he would go to the academy of the great scholars of the day, headed by Rabbi Eliezer, to devote 12 years to intensive study. Thus, the two parted, and for 12 long years, Rachel worked hard to support herself, while her husband grew to become one of the most learned men that ever lived. At the end of 12 years, Rabbi Akiva returned to his wife, as he had promised. When he came to his house, and before he opened the door, he heard a conversation between his wife and a neighbor taunting Rachel for being foolish enough to wait and slave for her husband, who had left her to study Torah.

"As for me, he could stay away another 12 years at the Yeshivah to acquire more knowledge," was Rachel's reply.

When Rabbi Akiva heard this from his wife, he turned around and did as Rachel wanted - he went back to Yeshivah.

At the end of 24 years, Rabbi Akiva became the most famous living scholar. Youth came from all over Israel to study under his guidance. Rabbi Akiva was the rabbi of 24,000 scholars.

Accompanied by them, Rabbi Akiva returned home in a triumphant journey from city to city, welcomed everywhere by the highest nobility.

My question would be, how come Rabbi Akiva didn't even come to the house or say hello to his wife?

Below, as always, is just my opinion.

I believe that just like the young Yosef was atoning for Kayin, Rabbi Akiva has taken it upon himself to atone for Yaakov Avinu.

Why would Yaakov Avinu need an atonement for, you may ask?

Parashat Vayetzeh 29:18-30 says Yaakov came to Lavan and agreed to work for Rachel for seven years. Seven years had passed, and on the night of the wedding, Lavan switched the sisters, and Yaakov married Leah. Indignant but determined to marry Rachel, Yaakov agrees to work for another seven years. So at the end of 20 years, Yaakov leaves Lavan's house with four wives, 12 children, and lots of livestock. Yaakov Avinu has become rich.

But during this time, he concentrated on his work; "he worked hard," as it says in Vayetzeh 31:6. One thing lacking in this effort was the study of Torah. I am sure he learned in his free time, but most of this free time was dedicated to diligently delivering work to Lavan, his employer.

So, centuries later, Rabbi Akiva gathers many students. He fills the gaps that Yaakov Avinu left, where no Torah was learned. Rabbi Akiva has filled them with his years of learning, no matter the time and effort it took; thus, he has become the greatest sage, renowned and wealthy.

When Rabbi Akiva was a 40-year-old shepherd, he saw drops of water falling on a huge stone – drip, drop – and, directly where the drops fell, a deep hole appeared in the stone.

"What mighty power there is in a drop of water," thought the shepherd. "Could my stony heart ever be softened up that way? Look what the little drops of water did to the rock. Suppose I began to study the Torah, little by little, drop by drop, perhaps my mind would soften up?"

This motivated him to study Torah and become the greatest Torah sage.

How about you? Are you still looking for your rock with a hole made by water drips to motivate or convince you to study Torah?

Many have "used" Rabbi Akiva's rock and reached the heights in Torah and holiness.

Drip, drop.. drip, drop.. Let’s..reach those heights!!

Shmuel Katanov

For Out of Zion Shall Go Forth The Torah

Mon, 05 May 2025 16:35:11 -0400

There's a story in Masechet Chagiga 14b, "The Rabbis taught: Four Sages entered the Pardes or the orchard - the highest spiritual elevation, as explained by Rashi. They were Ben Azzai, Ben Zoma, Elisha ben Avuya, and Rabbi Akiva.”

The consequences of this journey were as follows:

- Ben Azzai: He gazed upon the Divine Presence and died.
- Ben Zoma: He glimpsed the Divine Presence and was harmed by losing his mind.
- Elisha ben Avuyah: He became a heretic and was thus called Acher.
- Rabbi Akiva: He entered and exited the Pardes safely.

With your permission, I would like to examine why Rabbi Akiva exited safely. Was he safe after he came back?

Below are some ideas, and are only my opinion.

If you look at his students' names, they are not the same people who went with him to Pardes. His students are: Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, Rabbi Yossei ben Halafta, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua.

He took with him a different group of people. His students were not on the level to travel with him into those realms, but the ones who went with him were on the same level as him to travel that far.

After the journey, the other three rabbis met their fate, but Rabbi Akiva seems to be fine, as the Gemara above says, but why?

Because after Rabbi Akiva buried 24,000 students, no Torah teacher was left in this world capable of transmitting the Torah to the next generation. So, Hashem has given a Master Teacher time to teach the next generation of Rabbis, who taught the five luminaries that have revived the Torah. After he had accomplished this goal and left the teachers behind, Rabbi Akiva was executed by the Romans.

But what is this place, Pardes?

It is a Paradise or an orchard, "a place of fruit trees".

In Parashat Bereshit, we read that after G-d created man and woman, he placed them in the Garden of Eden. Adam was instructed that he could eat anything in the Garden except the fruit of one tree—the Tree of Knowledge.

But Adam and Eve ate from that tree, and G-d punished them. Since then, we have been banished from the Garden for thousands of years. This act alone prevented us from understanding Torah and appreciating its depth.

If you break down the word PARDES by letters it stands for four levels of understanding Torah: P'shat (straight, direct, literal), Remez (hinted-at), D'rash (inquire, seek) and Sod (secret, mysterious).

So, maybe one day when the time is right, we will be able to travel to Pardes and partake in all the fruits in the Garden of Eden, and even from the Tree of Knowledge—and this time, be ready and fit to understand Torah on all four levels - deep and wide, feel its sweet flavor ourselves, love it, appreciate it, and be able to share it with others.

As the prophet Yeshayhu 2:3 says: "Ki MiTzion Tetze Torah uD’var Hashem Me’Yerushalayim - For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah, and the word of Hashem from Jerusalem."

Imagine what a wonderful world it would be!!

Click here to go to Part 2 of this essay.

Shmuel Katanov

The Few versus The Many

Fri, 02 May 2025 17:22:51 -0400

What sin led to the destruction of Rabbi Akiva's students? The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) states that the students died because they did not treat each other with respect.

A quick look in the dictionary shows the following:

What is respect? When one admires (someone or something) deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

What is disrespect? To disrespect someone is to act in an insulting way toward them. When you disrespect people, you think very little of them. Disrespect is all about not showing respect. It's about showing the opposite of respect, by acting rude, impolite, and offensive.

The Talmud says that 24,000 died in an epidemic called by the Aramaic word "askara." What is askara? Some translators translate it as croup, and others call it diphtheria.

But what led to this catastrophe? What sin did they commit that triggered this epidemic?

Below is only my opinion.

Rabbi Akiva's students were great at Torah, but as is usually the case, some knew less and some knew more.

When you disrespect people, you think very little of them. But why would someone disrespect another human being, especially another student in the class? Only if the other one knows more than he does, which opens the door for one of the heaviest sins - lashon hara, driven by some internal and unconfronted character traits.

They have talked. All 24,000 of them have spoken. And I bet no matter what Rabbi Akiva has said, he could not get through to any of them, and the heavy consequences of the lashon hara eventually caught up to all of them.

After burying 24,000 students, Rabbi Akiva understood one simple rule. It is better to have quality rather than quantity. It is better to have the few that truly follow Torah, its laws, and truly fear G-d, instead of thousands that you have no control over, who may know Torah and its rules, but do not keep them, or allow themselves to break the laws as they see fit.

These are the names of his five students: Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda bar Ilai, Rabbi Yossei ben Halafta, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and Rabbi Elazar ben Shamua—the luminaries of yesteryears. The Torah we have today is from these five students. But the Torah of the 24,000 is forgotten and not recorded at all.

The simple questions arise:

Where do we stand? Do we follow in the footsteps of the five or 24,000 students? Which camp do we belong to? Each of us does what he does, and Hashem keeps the score, and eventually the consequences of us breaking the Torah laws will catch up to us as well.

Shmuel Katanov

Divine Justice

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:07:46 -0400

In Parashat Shemini 9:23 it says: "וַיָּבֹ֨א מֹשֶׁ֤ה וְאַהֲרֹן֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד וַיֵּ֣צְא֔וּ וַֽיְבָרְכ֖וּ אֶת־הָעָ֑ם וַיֵּרָ֥א כְבוֹד־ה׳ אֶל־כׇּל־הָעָֽם׃ - Moses and Aaron then went inside the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the Presence of Hashem appeared to all the people."

On the words: ויבא משה ואהרן - And Moshe and Aharon came, Rashi says the following: That after doing all the sacrifices, and seeing that Hashem's presence was not revealed. Aharon became upset and asked Moshe, in my opinion, a very logical question: "My brother Moshe, was I not correct when I said that I did not want to enter services and offer sacrifices? I was concerned because of the Golden Calf. Now that I have begun, I am humiliated. The Divine Presence is not here certainly because of my sin. G-d is still mad at me because of the Golden Calf."

And this, my reader, is a very good question. Why is there a delay? How come Hashem's presence was not revealed immediately, and was revealed later? Why make Aharon HaCohen go through humiliation?

With your permission, I would like to offer an explanation that may be an answer to this question.

Remember, in Parashat Bereshit 4:4-8, when Kayin came up with the idea of bringing sacrifices to Hashem. Kayin, the farmer, brought an offering, which was not the best of what he had grown, so Hashem did not accept it. And when Hevel, the shepherd, saw it, liked the idea, and brought from what he had to offer - the best of his flock - Hashem brought down the fire and accepted his offering.

It says that this has upset Kayin to the point that he was unable to deal with his emotions, so he has killed Hevel.

And now, in Parashat Shemini, we have Aharon HaCohen, who has made all the preparations to bring down the Presence of G-d, but nothing has happened after all the work has been completed.

Hashem is awesome at what He does best - vengeance!!

The Holy Book of Zohar says that Moshe Rabbenu is a gilgul or reincarnation of Hevel. But if I may add, I believe that Aharon HaCohen is the reincarnation of Kayin. And like in the past, both brothers are at it again.

So, back to our question: Why Aharon HaCohen was humiliated in front of the whole nation?

Shame is a form of death, and since no atonement was made for Hevel's death, Hashem humiliates Aharon HaCohen, as if He is killing Kayin at that moment, for the sin he has committed in another reincarnation, and makes it possible for the incident of Korach to occur at a later date. After the atonement is made and Divine Justice is served, Hashem's Presence joins the Nation.

Kayin didn't walk away innocent, nor did the billions after him. So, shout out to all those who are next in line. Patience...slowly but surely, Hashem is coming for you.

Shmuel Katanov

Moshe, will sing!!

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:31:37 -0400

Why were the words of the song that Moshe Rabbenu sang in the future tense: "Moshe will sing - Az Yashir Moshe" and not in the present tense?

But I will ask you another question: why did Moshe wait to sing the song? Why didn’t he sing it when they left the borders of Egypt? Why wait till they crossed the sea?

As it says in Sanhedrin 94A, where's the song from Chizkiyahu HaMelech when, on the night of Pesach, Hashem killed 185,000 soldiers of Sanheriv? But when Hashem cured Chizkiyahu HaMelech, he sang. Since Chizkiyahu HaMelech didn’t sing the song when there was a national miracle, he lost his opportunity to become a Moshiach.

Moshe Rabbenu didn’t sing when they crossed the border of Egypt, but he did once they had crossed the sea. By the time they crossed the sea, he had realized that he had made a mistake; that’s why the words of the song - as if he had prophesied - "Moshe will sing" - a reincarnation of Moshe - Mashiach will sing at the time of Geulah, thus fixing what Moshe Rabbenu had missed.

Below are some more thoughts out loud:

By missing this opportunity, Moshe wasn’t punished right away, but he was as if "marked for more tests in the future - TBD - to be determined". Read my essay about 'Hitting the Rock' - Moshe knew he had made a mistake by not singing the song on time. He was given another chance when he hit the rock, but by then, he was already a seasoned leader who had been fighting in the spiritual realm, teaching and ruling the nation for years. That’s why the hitting of the rock came out as it did due to his calculation as a leader -- for the benefit of the nation, but not as Hashem had planned. Hashem has honored his decision. But these two events have worked against him: he was not allowed to enter Eretz Yisrael and had to stay behind with the nation in the desert.

So, how important is singing in the service of Hashem?

It’s Very...Very Important!!

Part 2:

I can't let you go without expanding on this idea. So, for a second, imagine the following scenario.

In Parashat Beshalakh 13:17 says: "Vayhi Beshalakh... - As it happened, when Pharaoh let the people go, G-d did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although it was nearer."

We were led by G-d towards the land of the Philistines, because it was near. Vayhi - As it happened, what happened? The fact that Moshe Rabbenu did not sing or the absence of the song - happened, this made G-d reroute the nation through the sea, send Amalek, and us having problems until today from the people that are living in that patch of land.

Honestly, this long route we have been walking on is called Galut, and it feels like it drags on forever.

Let me explain.

What would have happened if Moshe Rabbenu had sung the song of Gratitude upon leaving the land of Egypt?

I believe that the miracles of delivering the ten plaques and devastating ancient Egypt, and later crossing the border that had been guarded for 210 years by the dark forces, are achievements in themselves that requires its own celebration. That's why Hashem expected a song from the Nation. This would have been a HaKarat HaTov or Moment of Gratitude.

At that moment, this action would have been a valuable lesson, an example for the Nation and the world by the top human authority chosen by G-d. Moshe Rabbenu missed that opportunity. Since the miracles that would be performed in the land of Philistines, amongst a hostile nation, would make our Nation and the world believe in Moshe and G-d Almighty forever and with no doubt, and would have solidified and glorified G-d's authority and the nation's position as G-d's chosen.

But until then, gentlemen, let's chant as well... Free.. Free.. The minor Moshe. So we, today, can take a turn singing the song of Az Yashir for real this time. We've been practicing this song every day for more than 2,500 years... And Hashem, believe me, we know the words by heart.

Hashem, the time has come for You to let it happen. We're ready whenever You are.

Shmuel Katanov
April 3, 2025

So That I May Dwell Amongst Them

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 23:53:16 -0500

Did you ever want Hashem to live next to you or in your community? In Parashat Terumah 25:8 it says, "וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃ - And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell amongst them." All Hashem is asking to make a home for Him, but is it all it takes? This would be another example where Hashem is hinting at something, without saying it openly.

Let's look at this word: וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם - Veshachanti Beh Tocham - and I may dwell amongst them. The word Shachanti has a root of שָׁכֵן - shachen - neighbor. It is as if Hashem wants to be our neighbor, He wants to have His home amongst us.

Really, Hashem as a neighbor? That sounds cool! But in order to prepare a home for Hashem so He can be a neighbor, how do other existing neighbors feel living around us? Do neighbors suffer living there, or do they enjoy their life?

What is a shul? Shul is a place where neighbors within a radius of around 5 to 15 blocks of walking distance gather together, and try to co-exist in and out of that establishment, and offer prayers in unity to G-d for the next 1-4 hours.

And while there, what do you think Hashem hears from this crowd in their prayers?

There may be more, but let's look at these two possible scenarios:

Scenario 1: Someone’s prayer would be that he was wronged, ruined financially, with a stained reputation, and has an unbearable life in that neighborhood because of the lasting effect of the campaign against him, even after the dust had settled.

Scenario 2: Someone’s prayer would be that the person is blessed to live in this neighborhood and to know those few individuals or the community who helped him when he was going through the hard times. The prayer would also be that he enjoys the thought of being associated with this crowd. There are plenty of gratitude, warmth, and great vibes coming from the members of that community as a whole.

In my opinion, Hashem would think twice before joining the crowd in Scenario 1, since the congregants there are far from being the type Hashem would want to associate with.

Be it a shul, kollel, or some social setting - which scenario do you find yourself in or are part of?

As I mentioned before in this essay: Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue - the solution described would be the way to stop evil and eradicate it from our midst. Only then can we fulfill this pasuk—Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell amongst them. Otherwise, evil will continue to live, thrive and go unpunished, since we, the community, are not doing our part to fight it.

Shmuel Katanov

King David's Lineage

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 15:05:24 -0500

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 Shmuel HaNavi 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 an end. 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 these 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 or a gift, shtar or a document, and biya or 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.

Please read Part 2, or the continuation of this thought.

Shmuel Katanov

And Yosef Was In Mitzrayim

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 13:25:53 -0500

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, 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 of their times. 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 other categories. It sustains and defends its population while making a significant contribution to the world.

Kudos to the State of Israel for its achievements!!

Let's look at the other part of this sentence: 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 he was already in Egypt, enduring difficulties before anyone else.

Our Sages have established a few numbers over the generations, but based on the above, I would like to revisit them.

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, bringing the total to 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