tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41076194560529038942024-03-14T03:47:37.035+00:00Rick's Café AmericanJ.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.comBlogger15028125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-83400034886425963452017-05-11T13:16:00.000+01:002017-05-11T13:16:55.492+01:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">EM BREVE ESTAREI DE VOLTA</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">EM PORTUGÊS</span></h2>
J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-43969102336480386532012-01-15T03:16:00.001+00:002012-01-15T03:18:44.250+00:00RubinReports: If Tourists Can Wear Bikinis But Local Women Must Wear Chadors Does That Prove the Muslim Brotherhood is Moderate?<div align="justify"><a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2012/01/if-tourists-can-wear-bikinis-but-local.html">If Tourists Can Wear Bikinis But Local Women Must Wear Chadors Does That Prove the Muslim Brotherhood is Moderate?</a><br />If Tourists Can Wear Bikinis But Local Women Must Wear Chadors Does That Prove the Muslim Brotherhood is Moderate?<br />By Barry Rubin<br />The answer to that headline is, "No. But seeming to answer 'yes' proves the West is hypocritical about supporting human rights."<br />Oh, wait, what if a democratically elected government decides to enforce such a system in a law legally passed by a democratically elected government? I guess that's just democracy in action.<br />The Western media is obsessed with whether the new, Islamist-dominated Egyptian government will let tourists wear bikinis. When some Islamist leader says that there will be no dress code for tourists--due to the desire to keep getting tourist dollars--journalists pronounce the Muslim Brotherhood to be pragmatic, as in this Los Angeles Times article.<br />While Brotherhood leaders seem to disagree on this issue, I can see the outlines of a "deal" that will prove to Westerners that the Brotherhood is going to be "moderate" in power, nothing to worry about, and therefore an organization that should be spoken of sympathetically. Ready to hear the "deal?" Here it is:<br />A few hundred visiting Western women will be able to wear bikinis on isolated beaches in expensive resorts where almost no Egyptian will see them.<br />Tens of millions of Egyptian women will be forced to wear all-enveloping black robes and veils.<br />Sound fair enough?<br />Then the Islamist-ruled countries will have a motto to parallel Karl Marx's Communist slogan of 1848. The new one goes:<br />Burkas of the world unite! You have nothing to lose but your lack of chains!<br />So cheering the return of Egyptian women into near-slavery is just fine as long as the rulers show how modern and pragmatic they are by letting visiting Western women dress as they please. That's a really good example of how contemporary Western "liberals" practice their claims of sympathy for Third World peoples.<br />Where is the Western feminist movement at the moment that tens of millions of sisters desperately need its support, and for many things other than just being able to choose their own wardrobe?<br />Of course, many Egyptian women already do dress that way either voluntarily or due to family and social pressure. Those who don't will either be made to do so by regulations or, more likely, through the fear of being beaten up by Islamists, either Brotherhood, Salafist, or both. An Islamist regime--through propaganda, education, etc.--will also harden family's demands that women dress that way even without a law being passed. If a woman persists, and few will, she might just be killed and the state courts will either not persecute or not punish the perpetrators.<br />Note: The title of this article is a play on Jonathan Swift's sarcastic 1729 essay on how the British could "humanely" solve the problem of hunger in Ireland, by having the Irish eat their own children.By the way, MEMRI has <a style="LINE-HEIGHT: 19px; FONT-FAMILY: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 13px" href="http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/5992.htm">done something</a> that any Western media outlet (highly financed, highly staffed) or think tank could have done during the last year but didn't. It just went to the official Muslim Brotherhood website and translated some of the many antisemitic, anti-American, and extremely radical articles there. Note that this is an official site and nothing goes on it unless it meets the group's ideological and policy requirements. To coin a phrase, a translation is worth 10,000 words of blather about "moderate Islamists." <br /><a href="http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2012/01/13/if-tourists-can-wear-bikinis-but-local-women-must-wear-chadors-does-that-prove-the-muslim-brotherhood-is-moderate/">To read this article on PJ Media and see my other original articles in full there click here </a></div><br /><br /><a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2012/01/if-tourists-can-wear-bikinis-but-local.html">RubinReports: If Tourists Can Wear Bikinis But Local Women Must Wear Chadors Does That Prove the Muslim Brotherhood is Moderate?</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-57694125717527242422012-01-15T03:12:00.000+00:002012-01-15T03:12:13.131+00:00RubinReports: Friedman Cheers as Egyptians are Enslaved<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2012/01/friedman-cheers-as-egyptians-are.html">Friedman Cheers as Egyptians are Enslaved</a> </h3>
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<br />Professor: [A<em>s the Martian ambassador starts disintegrating Congressmen with his ray gun</em>]: "Mr. Ambassador, please! What are you doing? This doesn't make sense! It's not logical! It's not !" --"Mars Attacks"<br /><br />By Barry Rubin<br /><br />It is distasteful when Western intellectuals, politicians, and journalists who pride themselves on their enlightened humanitarian views watch people abroad fall subject to ruthless forces of dictatorship and dogma. When these same people actually cheer the new tyrannies, put their arms around the shoulders of those who despise them, and tell everyone else that there's nothing to worry about, that's actively disgusting.<br />Many in the West have so acted toward Egypt during the last year. They have also and previously done so for the Gaza Strip, Iran, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey. Thomas Friedman has been one of them but perhaps no one else has been louder and more enthusiastic. In doing so, of course, he has echoed U.S. government policy.<br /><br />Now, Friedman goes all-out to explain that the Muslim Brotherhood isn't radical, isn't a threat, in fact is a good thing, and will only become eve more moderate once it is in power.<br /><br />In a<a data-mce-href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/friedman-watching-elephants-fly.html" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/friedman-watching-elephants-fly.html"><span style="color: #0066cc;"> column </span></a>entitled, “Watching Elephants Fly,” obviously a reference to seeing something impossible happen, Friedman writes:<br /><br />“Here is what was so striking: virtually all the women we interviewed after the voting — all of whom were veiled, some with only slits for their eyes — said that they had voted for either the Muslim Brotherhood or the Salafists. But almost none said they had voted that way for religious reasons.<br /><br />“Many said they voted for Islamists because they were neighbors, people they knew, while secular liberal candidates had never once visited. Some illiterate elderly women confided that they could not read the ballot and just voted where their kids told them to. But practically all of them said they had voted for the Muslim Brotherhood or Salafist candidates because they expected them to deliver better, more honest government — not more mosques or liquor bans.”<br /><br />My reaction is, “So what?” They voted for an authoritarian, Sharia regime (and let’s remember a hardline interpretation of Sharia, not the interpretation of Sharia offered by <span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;">New York Times</span> reporters). That's what's important. People also had diverse reasons for supporting Communism, Fascism, and Nazism. Indeed, they always voted for such regimes because “they expected them to deliver better, more honest government.” Hasn’t Friedman ever heard that Mussolini made the trains run on time, Hitler built the autobahns, and the Communists promised to give land to the peasants?<br /><br />But there’s even more irony here. These women are already living lives governed by Sharia and, as traditionalists, are happy (and told to be happy) with that situation. Thus, they have ample reason for supporting Islamists. There is nothing surprising in their political behavior, except to people like Friedman who predicted last year they would back liberal Westernized Facebook kids.<br /><br />Once again, Friedman shows a striking inability to think logically. If women were voting on the basis of family orders (I'd bet on the husbands and fathers rather than the children so instructing them) how can he then say that they voted out of specific personal motives or--after reporting they were told what to do!--claim that their vote is a sign of freedom?<br /><br /><a href="http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2012/01/11/friedman-cheers-as-egyptians-are-enslaved/"><span style="color: #0066cc;">To read the entire article (including the great closing joke about the title of Friedman's column) click here.</span></a><br /></div>
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2012/01/friedman-cheers-as-egyptians-are.html">RubinReports: Friedman Cheers as Egyptians are Enslaved</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-6734694991121946532012-01-15T00:35:00.000+00:002012-01-15T02:26:41.616+00:00Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYECHI; LAST OF THE PATRIARCHS<shape style="height: 2065px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 654px;"><fill></fill></shape><shape style="height: 2065px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 654px;"><stroke></stroke></shape><shape style="height: 2065px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 654px;"><stroke></stroke></shape><shape style="height: 2065px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 654px;"><stroke></stroke></shape><shape style="height: 2065px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 654px;"><stroke></stroke></shape><br />
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Our parsha, Vayechi, deals with the life and end-times of Jacob. His passing evokes thought on what it means to put one's affairs in order, to have one's body returned to the Land of Israel for burial, the nature of dying itself, and the connection between this world and the world to come. As Jacob initially embarks on his first exile, crossing the borders of the Holy Land to find sanctuary among his uncle Laban, he has a dream in a place which he calls Beit El, the House of G*d, formerly known as Luz.</div>
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Jacob, upon his passing, becomes the first Hebrew to seek repatriation of his body to the Holy Land for burial. When, in the End of Days, according to tradition, the body rebuilds itself and tunnels underthe earth to Eretz Yisrael where it becomes newly resouled, the foundation bone (of the neck) which serves as the latticework for this rebuilding is also called the "luz." What is the connection?<br />
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At Beit El, Jacob encounters the dimension of the infinite realm, a revelation of a heavenly ladder (sulam), a kind of latticework upon which angels ascend and descend. This ladder represents all the spiritual levels. As he about to start a family he need be cognizant of how much his children's spiritual growth would depend on his own instruction. We see that crossing the Jordan becomes a metaphor for death itself, a transformative passageway between the foundation experience (Luz/Canaan) of his life growing up, and the full blossoming of his manhood as a mature adult (Beit El, G*d's Holy Abode, Olam HaBa).<br />
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The seeds of deception which he planted in his earlier life (his name Yaakov/Jacob means "trickster," or "heel") came to fruition to teach him his life's lessons and meaning in his later life. By the end of his third stage, his life in Egypt of this week's parsha, he finally witnessed the rectification of his earlier mistakes in the peace and harmony of his children and grandchildren. <br />
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Now in Egypt, his second exile, he blesses his children for the last time, and takes stock of their spiritual growth and progress. He knows that he himself, as the Last of the Patriarchs, must be buried in Machpela Cave, in Hebron. His body, the last to be placed in the holy tomb, is the final missing piece necessary to complete its spiritual function. Only then, with his body, the missing piece now in place, can this spiritual rejuvenation process finally be triggered.<br />
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Why was it so urgent for Jacob to be buried whole in the cave, rather than to just have his future remains brought out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus, as would be the case with Joseph? Ironically, the holy couples that were buried there were buried whole, and yet their function spiritually was to serve symbolically as a collective bare luz bone, upon whose foundation all Israel in the future would attach themselves.<br />
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As the Last Patriarch, Jacob was blessed with a keen vision to glimpse what will be in the End of Days (Acharit HaYamim- Gen 49:1). This vision was an echo of the Vision of the Ladder. His last act before his final blessing was to instate his grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe as co-equal in status to his own children to merit becoming tribal heads. What made them worthy of their co-equal status was their fraternal harmony. Jacob could cross his arms and bless the one instead of the other and none would bat an eyelash. <br />
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Contrast the bitter enmity and struggle between Jacob and Esau. Now, at last, it seemed that the children of Israel had learned the secret of their future success. The old paradigm shattered, the new model of fraternal unity and harmony could now become manifest.<br />
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We must be so very conscious at every moment to teach our children the value of loving each other. And not just biological brothers, but all Jews should see themselves as brothers, and ultimately all humanity as well. We are all brothers with one heavenly father.<br />
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The whole painful saga of Jacob and his brother, and of Joseph and his brothers was to learn the value of empathy and brotherly love. Only with that painful lesson learned could Israel emerge from its pupa-like "family" stage and become a mature nation with a vision of brotherhood and peace to share with the world.<br />
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Jacob confesses to Pharaoh that his years were bitter ones, and few, compared to his father and grandfather. But that bitterness was really the toxic bile of fraternal strife and enmity being released. All the years, nay, generations of brotherly conflict, going back to Cain and Abel of the first generation, had been so very toxic that humanity could not grow and move forward without Jacob's release of the negativity of the bitter bile of multi-generational toxic sludge.<br />
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Just as the ladder, the sulam, in Jacob's dream was a vertical lattice work of the angelic realm, the bodies arranged horizontally in the Cave of Machpela would serve as the lattice work foundation of the human/earthly realm. The dream took place in Luz. The cave would come to be the workshop where the dreams of Jacob/Israel would become reality. <br />
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The foundation couples of the Jewish nation, like the foundation bone (the luz), would come to serve as the attachment point for the rebuilding of not necessarily a physical body per se, but rather of a vision for a rebuilt Israel living in harmony as a role model for world harmony and peace. This is Israel's mission. Indeed, this is Israel's dream.<br />
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Shabbat Shalom.</div>
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© 2000 - 2012 by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">These words of Torah are written in the merit of my beloved father, Israel J. Melman, obm, Yisrael Yehoshua ben Harav Ya'aqov Hakohen Melman, z"l and in memory of my beloved mother, Esther Melman, obm, Esther bat Baruch z"l</span></div>
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<a href="http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2012/01/vayechi-last-of-patriarchs.html">Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYECHI; LAST OF THE PATRIARCHS</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-24462990844581321642012-01-15T00:04:00.001+00:002012-01-15T00:04:30.975+00:00UNIVERSAL TORAH: VA-EIRA<div style="text-align: justify;">
UNIVERSAL TORAH: VA-EIRA</div>
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By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum</div>
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Torah Reading: VA-EIRA Exodus 6:2-9:3</div>
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"WITH MY NAME YKVK I WAS NOT KNOWN TO THEM"</div>
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At the end of last week's parshah of SHEMOS, we saw how, precisely when Moses started the process of Geulah (redemption) by asking Pharaoh to send away the Children of Israel, the latter responded by intensifying their oppression and servitude. This caused even Moses to question his mission: "Lord, why have You done evil to this people? Why have You sent me?" (Ex. 5:22).</div>
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Our parshah of VA-EIRA opens with G-d's answer to Moses. It contains a profound teaching about faith. G-d promises, and it is up to G-d to deliver! He can be relied upon absolutely to do so -- in His own good time. Even in the thickest darkness, we must have faith that G-d will redeem us. We must understand that the darkness is most intense just before the morning.</div>
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In G-d's answer to Moses, He says that He appeared to the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as "the Eternal G-d" but "WITH MY NAME YKVK I WAS NOT KNOWN TO THEM" (Ex. 6:3). What does this mean? It is a fact that the essential name of HaShem, YKVK -- expressing the perfect unity of G-d within and beyond all phenomena -- was indeed known to the patriarchs, as we see many times in Genesis. However, as pointed out by Rashi here, the Hebrew text (NODA'TI) does not mean, "I did not make it known to them". Rather, it implies: "I was not known and RECOGNIZED for my quality of truthfulness. as HaShem Who am faithful in proving the truth of My words. For I promised them but as yet I have not fulfilled the promise" (see Rashi).</div>
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An integral part of faith in G-d is to have faith that He will bring about everything He has promised through His prophets, even if we cannot see how this can possibly come about. The Exodus from Egypt is the proof of this faith, for G-d had promised the patriarchs what He was going to do: "And also the people that they will serve I will judge, and afterwards they will go forth with great wealth" (Gen. 15:13-14). At the height of Egyptian power and arrogance, it seemed impossible that this could come about. But in this and the coming parshiyos telling the story of the Ten Plagues and the Exodus, we see that G-d indeed brought it about.</div>
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No less essential a part of the promise than the redemption from Egypt was that G-d will "bring you to the Land that I swore to give it to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, and I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU AS AN INHERITANCE -- I AM HASHEM" (Ex. 6:8). It is not sufficient for the Children of Israel "go out from Egypt", even in the spiritual sense of being released from the chains of servitude to the evanescent material world. G-d's plan for a perfect world will be fulfilled only when the Children of Israel dwell securely in their own Promised Land, fulfilling all the commandments that are bound up with the Land. We must have complete faith that G-d will bring this about.</div>
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KAL VA-CHOMER - "Light and stringent"</div>
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When the Children of Israel could not hear Moses' message of redemption because of "shortness of spirit and hard work" (Ex. 6:9), Moses wondered: "If the Children of Israel did not listen to me, how will Pharaoh listen to me?" (ibid. v. 12).</div>
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Moses' argument is based on making an inference from a "light" case -- the Children of Israel -- to a "stringent" case: Pharaoh. In Hebrew such an inference is known as KAL VA-CHOMER, "light-and-stringent". In the written text of the Five Books of Moses there are ten cases of arguments using KAL VA-CHOMER (Rashi ad loc.) The ten cases are listed in the Tannaitic commentary on Exodus, "Mechilta". The argument of KAL VA-CHOMER is one of the most important of the hermeneutical methods by which the sages derived teachings by inference even though they are not written explicitly in the Torah text. KAL VA-CHOMER is the first of "thirteen rules of Torah interpretation" set down by the tannaitic sage, Rabbi Ishmael. These have become part of the daily order of prayer, being recited at the conclusion of the sacrificial portions prior to PSUKEY DE-ZIMRA, the verses and psalms of the morning service. Besides Rabbi Ishmael's thirteen, there are other hermeneutical rules, such as the Thirty-Two rules of Midrash collected by Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosi HaGalili (printed in the KLALIM, "rules" of the Talmud, after Tractate Berachos).</div>
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As in the case of Moses' argument by KAL VA-CHOMER that Pharaoh would not listen, all the other rules of interpretation are themselves contained in the biblical text. It is through the application of these rules that extensive parts of the Oral Torah were developed by the early sages and rabbis. When rules like KAL VA-CHOMER are applied to the text, it is possible to infer new teachings that are not explicitly written in the text but are logically implied. The legitimacy of this method of argument is sanctioned by its use in the Biblical text itself, as here. This shows the essential unity of the Oral and Written Torah.</div>
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THE TEN PLAGUES</div>
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In the event, G-d took on the "harder" task of bringing down Pharaoh and breaking his stony heart. This was what would make the Children of Israel listen! This was accomplished through the Ten Plagues. The gripping account of the first seven plagues occupies the greater part of this week's parshah of VAYEIRA, while next week's parshah of BO bring us to the climax with the last three plagues and the Exodus itself.</div>
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Many have sought to explain the sequence of plagues according to some rationale. One of the most celebrated explanations is that mentioned by Rashi on Ex. 8:17, quoting from Midrash Tanchuma Parshas BO #4, a Tannaitic source:</div>
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"Our Rabbis of blessed memory said: The Holy One blessed be He brought the plagues upon them using the tactics of worldly kings. When a region rebels against a king of flesh and blood, he sends his legions to surround it. The first thing he does is to shut off their water supply. If they relent, all the better! If not, he brings against them criers with loud voices... then arrows. barbarian hordes. He hurls heavy weights at them. shoots burning oil. fires cannon. rouses multitudinous armies against them. imprisons them. kills their great ones. In the same way, the Holy One blessed be He came against the Egyptians with the tactics of kings. With the plague of blood He stopped up their water supply. The "criers" were the frogs with their loud croaking. His "arrows" were the fleas. His "barbarian hordes" were the wild animals. The "heavy weights" were the "heavy pestilence" that killed their livestock. The "burning oil" was the boils. The cannon shots were the hail. The "multitudinous armies" were the locusts. The Egyptians were "imprisoned" through the plague of darkness. Finally, He killed their great ones in the plague of the first born."</div>
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A kabbalistic explanation of the sequence and rationale of the plagues is provided in the writings of the ARI in Sha'ar HaPsukim (the Gate of the Verses) Parshas Va-eira. The Ten Plagues correspond to the Ten Sefiros, ascending from the bottom of the "ladder" to the top. Thus the seven plagues recounted in this week's Parshah of VA-EIRA correspond to the seven "lower" sefiros, from Malchus-Kingship up to Chessed-Kindness, while the three plagues recounted in next week's Parshah of BO correspond to the top trio: Binah-Understanding, Chochmah-Wisdom and finally Keser-Crown. According to this explanation, the Ten Plagues came as successive manifestations of the 10 different aspects or "attributes" of G-d's kingly power over all the world (the ten sefiros of MALCHUS -- or "NUKVA" -- of ATZILUS). In this way the arrogant supremacy of worldly power, the "Evil MALCHUS" -- the force that conceals G-dliness -- was broken. Behind the nightmare to which Egypt was subjected -- apparently the very opposite of SEDER, "order" -- lies the supreme order of the Sefiros.</div>
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THE PHARAOH WITHIN US</div>
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"Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and when he stumbles, let not your heart exult. Lest G-d will see and it will be bad in His eyes" (Proverbs 24:17).</div>
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We may not laugh over Pharaoh's downfall, because there is a Pharaoh in each one of us. This is the stubborn MELECH (king) who rules in our hearts, in our ego, our vanity and pride. I. me.!</div>
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Writ large in the drama of Moses coming against Pharaoh in the name of G-d is the story of our inner lives, our daily conflicts and struggles in the test of free will to which we are all subjected. One side of us -- Moses, "conscience" -- knows what we should do. But another side -- Pharaoh, "the evil urge", the king riding the chariot -- resists. There are constant ups and downs in the trial of free will. Today one "wants to" -- Pharaoh relents. Tomorrow, he hardens his heart again and resists.</div>
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Does it need plagues to beat this Pharaoh down? Or can we find better ways to get free and to take our destiny into our hands?</div>
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Shabbat Shalom! Chodesh Tov Umevorach!</div>
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Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum</div>
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UNIVERSAL TORAH: SHEMOS<br />
<br />
By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum<br />
<br />
Torah Reading: SHEMOS Exodus 1:1-6:1; Haftara: Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23 (Sephardi ritual: Jeremiah 1:1-2:3).<br />
<br />
"AND THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL":<br />
ISRAEL ON THE WORLD STAGE<br />
<br />
With the beginning of the book of SHEMOS, "Exodus", Israel enters the
world stage as a people. Pharaoh himself, their oppressor, recognizes
them as "the PEOPLE of the Children of Israel, many and mighty." (Ex.
1:9). Their servitude in Egypt is in fulfillment of the promise given to
their founding father, Abraham: "Surely KNOW that your seed will be
strangers in a land that is not theirs and they will serve them and they
will oppress them. And also the people that they will serve I will
judge, and afterwards they will go forth with great wealth" (Gen.
15:13-14).<br />
<br />
The Exodus of the People of Israel from Egypt is the pivotal event in
the history of mankind, paradigm of all true freedom and liberation, the
eternal proof that G-d is not only the Creator of the natural world but
also directs and controls all aspects of human affairs with HASHGACHAH
PRATIS - "providence in every detail" - for good.<br />
<br />
For the sake of G-d's self-revelation to the world, it is not sufficient
that He should be known privately to a select few. The climax of G-d's
revelation is when "the earth will be full of the KNOWLEDGE of G-d like
the waters cover the seas" (Isaiah 11:9). Even those who are turned away
from G-d, even those who resist knowing Him, must be forced to admit --
even against their will -- that G-d is King of the whole world.<br />
<br />
Thus when Moses first calls on Pharaoh in the name of G-d to release His
People, "...and Pharaoh said, 'Who is HaShem that I should listen to
His voice. I do not KNOW HaShem." (Ex. 5:2). But in the end Pharaoh
himself was forced to send them away: "Go, serve HaShem as YOU said"
(12:31); "And Egypt said, let me flee from Israel, for HaShem is
fighting for them against Egypt" (14:25).<br />
<br />
In Egypt the Children of Israel, G-d's emissaries, were in an
upside-down world. "There is an evil that I have seen beneath the sun
like a mistake that went forth from before the Ruler: folly is put in
many high places while the wealthy [=Israel, Rashi] sit in the low
place. I have seen slaves on horses while princes walk like slaves on
the ground" (Koheles 10:5-7). Noah cursed the nations of Ham to be "a
servant of servants to his brothers" (Gen. 10:25). But now Ham's
second-born, MITZRAIM (Gen. 10:6) -- Egypt -- were lording it over the
choicest of the line of Shem. It looked as though Pharaoh was the
"first-born". G-d's revelation to the world depended upon showing that
"My son, My first-born is Israel" (Ex. 4:22). Even the Egyptians saw
this when G-d smote all their first-born while saving all the Israelite
first-born.<br />
<br />
Even the Egyptians had to come to KNOW. Even Jethro -- who tried every
religion in the world -- had to admit in the end: "Now I KNOW that
HaShem is greater than all the gods." (Ex. 18:11). More than anyone, the
Israelites -- who in slavery fell into the false consciousness imposed
on them by their oppressors -- had to learn the lesson on their own
flesh. The Exodus from Egypt is the pivotal event in the history of the
People of Israel, the very brith of the nation. The climax was to come
at Mount Sinai, when the entire nation, together and in unity, witnessed
G-d's revelation. The revelation at Sinai was a "mass conversion": the
Rabbis point out that the three acts associated with conversion --
circumcision, immersion in the Mikveh [the Torah root of "baptism"] and
[in Temple times,] a sacrificial offering, were all observed at Sinai.<br />
<br />
After introducing us to the "upside-down" world of Egypt in the first
chapter of Exodus, our parshah of SHEMOS immediately moves to the
concepts of revelation and conversion. When Moses was born, "the whole
house was filled with light" (Rashi on Ex. 2:2 "and she saw him THAT HE
WAS GOOD" corresponding to "and G-d saw the light THAT IT WAS GOOD" Gen.
1:4). Immediately afterwards, "And Pharaoh's daughter went down to wash
by the river" -- "she changed her religion and went to convert" (Baal
HaTurim ibid.) In the merit of Batya's compassion for the baby Moses and
her act of saving him, she was worthy of being one of the greatest ever
converts. Batya's predecessor, Hagar, daughter of the Pharaoh of
Abraham's days and mother of Ishmael, "went astray" (Gen. 21:14). But
Batya married into the princely tribe of Judah (Sanhedrin 19b on
Chronicles I, 4:18). The other prominent convert introduced in our
parshah is Jethro.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
THE CONSTRICTION OF THE THROAT<br />
<br />
In the upside-down world of Egypt it looks as though not G-d is running
the world but Pharaoh. As discussed in the commentaries on Genesis,
PhaRaOh is the embodiment of the OrePh, the "back of the neck" of the
Creation as opposed to its inner face. Pharaoh is the epitome of worldly
power and control, "the great crocodile squatting in his rivers who
says 'the river is mine and I made myself' " (Ezekiel 29:3, Haftarah of
next week's parshah when not Rosh Chodesh).<br />
<br />
Pharaoh "does not know" HaShem: he resists knowing. Thus MITRAYIM is
related to the root MEITZAR, the "narrow strait", a place of
constriction. In kabbalistic literature, Pharaoh is called "the
constriction of the throat" (MEITZAR HAGARON). Through the neck run
three narrow channels that are vital to survival: the windpipe, the
gullet and the jugular veins (corresponding to Pharaoh's three
"officers", the Butler, the Baker and the Captain of the Guard). Life
depends upon the free flow of gases, fluids and solids through these
channels from the head down into the body, while all our functioning is
governed through the most heavily protected channel of all: the spinal
column, which extends down from the brainstem into the body via the
neck.<br />
<br />
The book of Genesis is the "head" of the Torah: BEREISHIS, "at the
head". The first word and first verse of Genesis contain the entire
creation "in a nutshell" (King Solomon's "garden of nuts"). The first
book of the Torah is the head and brain in the sense that it introduces
us to all the fundamentals of true religion. The rest of the Torah is
the "body". Exodus is the "arms" ("for with a mighty HAND G-d took you
out of Egypt" Ex. 13:9). Leviticus is the middle and heart of the Torah:
"You shall be holy, for I HaShem your G-d am holy" -- "and love your
neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus ch. 19 v. 2 and v. 18). The Book of
Numbers is the "legs": the Children of Israel are on the move through
the wilderness -- "these are the journeys of the Children of Israel"
(Numbers 33:1). Finally Deuteronomy is the "feet" -- Malchus, the lowest
level: "the END of the matter, when all has been heard: fear G-d and
observe His commandments, for that is the Whole Man" (Koheles 12:13).<br />
<br />
With the opening of the book of Exodus, we are at the beginning of the
transition from "the head", Genesis, to the "body", the rest of the
Torah. We are at the "neck". This is why we must now encounter Pharaoh,
the "back of the neck" -- the real Pharaoh, no longer Joseph's
"friendly" patron but a wicked tyrant who, to perpetuate his own rule,
is hell-bent on keeping the world from KNOWING G-D.<br />
<br />
Pharaoh's scheme is to constrict the passage of DAAS from the head and
brain down into the body. Whereas the nervous system connects the body
with the brain, bringing sensation, awareness and consciousness to all
parts, Pharaoh's officers work to constrict the flow of awareness. The
Butler and the Baker make us want to eat and involve ourselves in the
material world, but our material involvements, although vital for our
survival, often tend to distract and separate us from the life of the
spirit. We fall into false consciousness, and the battle for physical
survival and material gratification becomes paramount. We spend our
lives building "store cities for Pharaoh" (Ex. 1:11).<br />
<br />
The role of Moses is to bring DAAS, spiritual knowledge and awareness
from the "head" down into the "body". It is not enough to know that
there is a G-d in our minds. We have to bring that knowledge down into
our actual lives and daily activities. "And you shall KNOW TODAY and
BRING DOWN INTO YOUR HEART that HaShem is G-d in the heaven above and on
the earth below, there is none other" (Deut. 4:39).<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
THE KEY IS SHABBOS<br />
<br />
Adam was created for the highest mission, to "fill the earth and conquer
it and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and
every living being swarming on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). But Adam fell
from his mission, and instead of "tending and guarding" the Garden of
Eden (Gen. 2:15), he was driven out to become slave to the earth: "With
the sweat of your brow you will eat bread." (Gen. 3:19).<br />
<br />
The only way for the Children of Adam to escape this servitude is
through the Shabbos, which each week releases man from slavery to the
material world and the battle for survival, lifting him above it to the
world of DAAS, the knowledge and awareness of G-d.<br />
<br />
Thus when Moses first went into Pharaoh, his initial request was that
the Children of Israel should have a holiday from their slavery: "Let us
please go for a journey of three days into the wilderness, and there we
will sacrifice to HaShem our G-d" (Ex. 5:3).<br />
<br />
Pharaoh's immediate reaction was to resist the idea: "Why are you
disturbing the people from their labors, go back to your tasks. You are
causing them to cease from their tasks" (Ex. 5:5). The Hebrew for "you
are disturbing" is taPhRiyOO, containing the word PHARAOH -- as if Moses
and Aaron are the tyrants. The Hebrew for "You are causing them to
cease" is ve-hiSHBATem, containing the word SHABBOS. Pharaoh's scheme
for preventing DAAS spreading from the head, Moses, to the Children of
Israel, the body, was to make the Children of Israel so busy with
this-worldliness that they would not have TIME to be aware of G-d. And
indeed the Children of Israel became so wearied by their intensified
servitude on the threshold of redemption that "they did not listen to
Moses because of shortness of spirit and hard work" (Gen. 6:9).<br />
<br />
Moses had to legislate the Shabbos because there is a wicked force in
man -- Pharaoh -- that will not allow him to rest from the world until
he must by law! Shabbos was the first commandment given to the Children
of Israel directly after their entry into the wilderness following the
crossing of the Red Sea (Rashi on Ex. 15:25). Shabbos -- SHEVITA, the
willful cessation of and resting from MELACHAH, deliberate, manipulative
labor -- is the very key to man's freedom from the tyranny of this
world.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
THE RIGHTEOUS WOMEN<br />
<br />
"In the merit of the righteous women that were in that generation, Israel were redeemed from Egypt" (Sotah 11b).<br />
<br />
The Midrashim give many examples of the heroism and self-sacrifice of
the women of the period of exile and slavery in Egypt in lifting their
husbands' spirits and breeding new generations for a better future.<br />
<br />
While our parshah introduces the Savior of Israel -- Moses -- who was a
man, it is striking that the most decisive roles are played by women. In
Genesis we saw a succession of great women turning and shaping history
on their own initiative, such as Sarah, Rebeccah, Rachel, Leah and
Tamar. In our parshah this is a recurring phenomenon: four outstanding
women take decisive action on their own initiative to bring about
redemption: Jochebed, Miriam, Batya and Tziporah.<br />
<br />
Thus when Pharaoh wanted to kill the Israelite boys, it was the two
midwives, "Shifra" and "Pu'ah" (= Jochebed and Miriam) who cleverly
frustrated his plans. When Amram "took the daughter of Levi (=Jochebed)"
(Ex. 2:1) from whom he had separated because he did not want to breed
children who would be killed, it was on the initiative of Miriam that he
relented (see Rashi ad loc.). By drawing Moses out of the water, Batya
saved the entire world. The dauntless Miriam went straight up to the
king's daughter offering to bring someone to take care of the rescued
baby. Batya had the good sense to understood the crucial importance of
good nurturing. Jethro's daughters were perhaps too modest to invite
Moses home until their father told them -- after all, they thought he
was an Egyptian (Ex. 2:19-20). However, Tziporah showed no hesitation
when she saw an angel consuming her husband Moses for failing to
circumcise Eliezer: she took a flint and performed the bloody
circumcision herself, showing that as a true righteous convert, her
heart was circumcised to G-d.<br />
<br />
In all these cases, examples, the heroism and initiative of these women
is bound up with breeding and rearing future generations to know and
serve G-d.<br />
<br />
Shabbat Shalom!<br />
<br />
Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum</div>
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UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYECHI<br />
<br />
By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum<br />
<br />
Torah Reading: VAYECHI Gen. 47:28-50:26<br />
<br />
AND JACOB LIVED.<br />
<br />
"And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years" (Gen. 47:28).
These were "good" years (17 is the gematria of TOV = "good") as opposed
to the first one hundred and thirty years of Jacob's 147-year life. The
first hundred and thirty years were riddled with suffering. Through the
suffering Jacob endured while struggling to build his family, the House
of Israel, he rectified Adam's 130 years of separation from Eve (see
Rashi on Genesis 4:25), during which Adam wasted his seed and created
demons, instead of peopling the world with Bney Adam.<br />
<br />
G-d's first command to Adam was "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth and conquer it" (Gen. 1:28). As explained by Rabbi Nachman
(Likutey Moharan II:7), this commandment is fulfilled not by producing
anthropoid monsters but by giving birth to, raising and educating true
Children of Adam, who bear the TZURAH ("form") of ADAM, who was made "in
the image of G-d".<br />
<br />
Ever since Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil, their generations were flawed. Cain killed Abel, Canaan
sodomized Noah, the Sodomites wanted to sodomize the angels, the kings
of Egypt and of the Philistines and the crown prince of Shechem
kidnapped women, Ishmael lived by the sword, Esau was a rapist.<br />
<br />
Only Jacob was SHALEM, "Whole" or "Perfect" (Gen. 32:18): Jacob bore the
true TZURAH of ADAM, of whom it is said: "And upon the likeness of the
throne was a likeness having the appearance of ADAM upon it from above"
(Ezekiel 1:26). When man perfects himself, G-d shines through him and is
thus revealed in the world.<br />
<br />
Jacob is sometimes called Yaakov, sometimes Yisrael. Yaakov is "small"
("Yaakov her SMALL son" Gen. 27:15; "How will Yaakov rise, for he is
SMALL" Amos 7:5). In his "small" aspect -- his time of struggle and
suffering (MOCHIN D'KATNUS, "constricted consciousness") -- Jacob
signifies that the revelation of G-d is as yet incomplete and is still
proceeding in stages. But Yisrael, Israel, is Jacob's name of greatness
-- "for you have struggled with G-d and with men and you have prevailed"
(Gen. 32:29).In his "great" aspect (MOCHIN D'GADLUS, "expanded
consciousness") Jacob -- Israel -- signifies that G-d's greatness is
revealed and manifest in the world.<br />
<br />
This was the case at the time of the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of
the Torah, when the entire world shook with G-d's self-revelation. It
was the case during the reigns of King David and his son Solomon, who
built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. And it will be the case again in the
near future, when G-d's House of Prayer for All the Nations will stand
in the center of the world on Mount Moriah in the Holy City of
Jerusalem. [The intensity of the hatred in much of the world today for
all that goes by the name of Israel signifies how far the world is from
HaShem. But "the people that go in darkness will see great light and
those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death, light has shone upon
them" (Isaiah 9:11).]<br />
<br />
Our parshah of VAYECHI puts the seal on the first of the Five Books of
Moses, the book of Genesis (Bereishis), portraying Jacob, the rectified
Adam, in his "good" years at the end of his life. They are good years,
because Jacob is now reunited with Joseph, who is in his place of true
glory ruling over Egypt. Jacob's main love was essentially for Rachel.
It was for her that he served Laban, and it was because Joseph was
Rachel's firstborn that "Israel loved Joseph out of all his sons" (Gen.
37:3). While Leah signifies the "hidden realm", Rachel signifies G-d's
glory revealed in and through this world. This comes about when
Jacob-Israel (=ADAM, the Soul complete with its Nefesh, Ru'ach and
Neshamah levels) conquers Esau (=the Serpent, ASIYAH, the realm of
material activity), using this world to build a sanctuary for G-d.<br />
<br />
Our parshah of VAYECHI also contains a number of specific allusions to
the Temple in Jerusalem, as in Jacob's blessing to Judah (Gen. 49:11)
and especially his blessing to Benjamin (ibid. v. 27). The Temple Altar
stood in the territory of Benjamin, son of Rachel. Thus in Jacob's
funeral procession, his twelve sons carried him up to the Land of Israel
in the same positions in which their descendents the twelve tribes
encamped around the Sanctuary in the Wilderness. Jacob and his sons, the
House of Israel, are the Sanctuary in which G-d dwells in the world.
"And I will dwell within them" (Exodus 25:8).<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
HEAR O ISRAEL!<br />
<br />
Jacob spent the final "good" years of his life fulfilling the
commandment to be spiritually fruitful -- by educating the young,
especially his grandson Ephraim (see Rashi on Gen. 48:1: "Ephraim was
habitually with Jacob learning"). Jacob'sfinal blessings, will and
testament to his sons, with their harsh chastisements, were also
intended to be educational.<br />
<br />
According to tradition, "At the time when Jacob our father assembled his
sons in Egypt at the hour of his death, he commanded and spurred them
on in the unification of the name of G-d and that they should follow the
path of HaShem that Abraham and Isaac his father walked. He asked them
and said, 'My sons, maybe someone among you is flawed and does not stand
with me in the Unification of the Name.?' They all answered and said,
'Hear Israel HaShem our G-d HaShem is One' -- that is, 'Hear from us,
our father Israel, HaShem our G-d HaShem is one'. The old man answered
'Blessed be the Name of the Glory of His Kingship for ever and ever!'
And this is why all Israel has the custom of repeating the expression of
the praise used by Israel when he was an old man after this verse".
(Rambam, Laws of Recital of Shema Ch. 1:4).<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
JACOB'S BLESSINGS<br />
<br />
Jacob's death-bed blessings to his sons contain some of the most
beautiful flights of Biblical poetry. It is noteworthy that Onkelos,
author of the best-known Aramaic Targum (= "translation") of the Five
Books of Moses, departs here from his usual practice of giving the
simplest, clearest PSHAT (= "simple meaning") of the Biblical text
except where DRUSH, Midrash, "searching out" beneath the surface is
absolutely indispensable. However here, as in the case of some other
highly poetic passages (the Song at the Sea, Bilaam's blessings, the
Song of Moses -- HA-AZINU -- and his final blessings), Onkelos felt
obliged to introduce MIDRASH into his Targum in order to bring out the
essential meaning of the text, which contains allusions to all
historical periods and especially the time of Mashiach.<br />
<br />
Thus it is Onkelos who informs us that SHILOH (Gen. 49:10) is Mashiach.
The Tribes are compared to various animals. Judah is a lion, Issachar is
a wide-boned donkey, Dan is a serpent, Naftali a gracious hind,
Benjamin a preying fox. In the case of Jacob's children, the animal
qualities are elevated in order to destroy the wicked and give the
victory to G-d. Thus Onkelos translates Gen. 49:14-15 as: "Yissachar
will be wealthy in possessions and his inheritance is between the
boundaries. And he saw that his share is good and that the land produces
fruits. And he conquered the territories of the nations and destroyed
their inhabitants and those who remain of them will serve him and pay
him taxes." Onkelos translates the blessing of Benjamin (v. 49:27:
"Benjamin is a preying fox, in the morning he devours the prey, in the
evening he divides the prey") as: "In the land of Benjamin the Shechinah
will dwell (= TISHREI) and in his inheritance the Holy Temple will be
built, in the morning and in the afternoon the priests will offer
sacrifices and in the evening they will divide the rest of their
portions from the other offerings".<br />
<br />
Onkelos himself was a GER TZEDEK ("righteous convert"). He was the son
of the sister of the Roman Emperor Titus." It is said that before
Onkelos converted, he raised the spirits of Titus, Balaam, and Yeshu
from hell in order to find out the truth. All three confirmed that the
nation of Israel is held in the highest repute in the world to come
(Gittin 56b, 57a). Onkelos learned Torah from Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus
("Rabbi Eliezer the Great") and Rabbi Yehoshua, who were outstanding
students of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai and were also the
teacher-partners of Rabbi Akiva. Onkelos' Targum is the first and most
authoritative "commentary" on the Torah.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
AND THE DWELLER OF THE LAND OF THE CANAANITE SAW.<br />
<br />
When Joseph went up with his brothers to bury Jacob, "they came to the
threshing floor of Atad (= bramble)" (Gen. 50:10). According to Rashi,
"It was surrounded by brambles. All the kings of Canaan and princes of
Ishmael came to war, but when they saw the crown of Joseph hung on
Jacob's ARON (= Ark), they all stood and hung their crowns and
surrounded him with crowns from the threshing-floor which was surrounded
by a fence of brambles.<br />
<br />
The kings and Canaan and princes of Ishmael were confounded by the ARON,
the holy ark of Jacob, crowned with the crown of Joseph.<br />
<br />
According to tradition, this took place on during Chanukah-time. Jacob's
HISTALKUS (ascent) was on 15th Tishri, the first night of Succos. The
Egyptians wept for him seventy days, upon which Joseph and his brothers
went up to Israel to bury him. The seventieth day after 15th of Tishri
is 25th Kislev, the first day of Chanukah. The initial letters of the
four Hebrew words in the verse "and the dweller of the land of the
Canaanite saw" are the permutation of the name of HaShem that holds sway
in the month of Kislev (see Kavanos of Rosh Chodesh Musaf prayers).<br />
<br />
There is an integral conceptual connection between Jacob's funeral
procession and Chanukah, which is the time of the inauguration of the
Temple. Jacob's twelve sons, the holy House of Israel, under the
leadership of Joseph the Tzaddik, were taking Jacob -- the archetypal
House-Builder -- to his final, eternal house and home in the Cave of
Machpelah, the resting place of Adam and Eve as well as the patriarchs
and matriarchs.<br />
<br />
The funeral procession was a "rehearsal" for the formation in which the
twelve tribes would would bring the Ark of the Covenant up from the
wilderness and into the Holy Land. This is paradigmatic of the building
of the Holy Temple, the House of G-d on the spot where Jacob had his
dream of the ladder: "This is none other than the House of G-d and this
is the Gate of Heaven" (Gen. 28:17). That place is alluded to in the
opening word of the Torah, BEREISHIS, the letters of which, when
re-arranged, spell out BAYIS ROSH, the House that is Head (=Tefilin shel
Rosh). It was to that place that Joseph promised his brothers that they
would return from Egypt: "G-d will surely redeem you and bring you up
from this land to the Land which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to
Jacob" (Gen. 50:24).<br />
<br />
CHAZAK! CHAZAK! VE-NIS-CHAZEK!<br />
"Be strong! Be strong -- and we will be strong!"<br />
<br />
Shabbat Shalom!<br />
<br />
Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum</div>
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</span></span></div>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-70319541332565082152012-01-08T16:44:00.002+00:002012-01-08T16:44:40.096+00:00UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYIGASH<div style="text-align: justify;">
UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYIGASH<br />
<br />
By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum<br />
<br />
Torah Reading: VAYIGASH Gen. 44:18-47:27; Haftara: Ezekiel 37:15-2.<br />
<br />
"AND JUDAH STEPPED FORWARD."<br />
<br />
The key to the dramatic encounter between Judah and Joseph with which
our parshah of VAYIGASH begins is to be found in the Haftara our sages
attached to this parshah: Ezekiel's vision of the joining of the two
sticks. One stick the prophet was to inscribe with the names of Judah
and the Children of Israel his friends -- the kingdom of Torah Law and
spirituality under David. The other stick he was to inscribe "to Joseph
Tree of Ephraim and all the House of Israel his friends" -- secular,
assimilated Israelite might: economic, political, military, involvement
in the material world. The prophet was to join the two sticks and make
them one, signifying that they will become --<br />
<br />
"One nation in the earth in the mountains of Israel, and one king will
be over all of them as King, and they will no longer be two nations and
they will no longer be split into two kingdoms. And my servant David
will be king over them and one shepherd will be for them all [King
Mashiach]. And they will go in My laws and guard My statutes and do
them. And they will dwell in the land that I have given to My servant
Jacob in which your fathers dwelled, and they and their children and
children's children will dwell upon it forever, and David My servant
will be Prince to them forever. And I will cut for them a Covenant of
Peace, an eternal Covenant will be for them. And I will give them and
multiply them and I will put My Holy Temple within them forever. And My
Dwelling will be upon them and I will be G-d for them, and they will be
My People. And the Nations will know that I am HaShem who sanctifies
Israel that My Sanctuary should be among them forever " (Ezekiel 37:28).<br />
<br />
The encounter in our parshah between Judah and Joseph is the paradigm of
this necessary joining between the two aspects of Israelite being in
the world, spiritual and material. For its own existence, the Torah
"kingdom" depends upon the successful material presence of Israel in the
world, be it in the Land of Israel or in "Goshen". ("Goshen" would
include all historical and present-day centers of Jewish sojourn in
exile and dispersal east or west.) For "if there is no flour [bread to
eat], there is no Torah". Likewise, material Israel cannot survive
without true Torah leadership -- Melech HaMashiach. Jacob saw this,
which is why "he sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to rule before him to
Goshen" (Gen. 46:28). It is the Torah leader who must rule over Israel,
and Torah leadership must direct Israeli worldly power to the nation's
prophetic mission of being worthy of building the Temple in the Land of
Israel from which the Law will go forth to all the Nations.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
THE POWER OF WORDS<br />
<br />
Judah's heart-rending appeal to Joseph (standing there before him as a
hard-hearted Egyptian tyrant) is the prototype of the Tzaddik (which may
be any one of us) facing MIDAS HADIN (the aspect of G-d's harsh
judgment) and using prayer to turn it into RACHAMIM (compassion). Judah
appealed to Joseph's heart and to a fundamental sense of FAIRNESS that
exists everywhere in the world including among the Gentiles (see "Rabbi
Nachman's Wisdom" #78 for a profoundly insightful discussion of this
subject.) At some point there is a universal loathing for blatant
unfairness<br />
<br />
This is because even the Seventy Nations are at root vitalized by a
spark of G-dliness deriving from KETER, the "Crown" of G-d's will, which
gives life and sustenance to the side of evil, as represented in Egypt.
For the duration of history, this vitalizing root is contained in the
Seven "Crowns", the seven Commandments of the Son's of Noah, which come
to rectify the Seventy Nations as exemplified in Egypt (Ham) under the
rule of Joseph (Shem).<br />
<br />
Judah's appeal to Joseph is a heart-to-heart appeal, man to man. Judah
is willing to sacrifice his entire life and submit himself to slavery in
order to save his younger brother Benjamin. Judah is the true AREV
("guarantor") for his brother - the ultimate in loving your fellow as
yourself.<br />
<br />
From the way we appeal to the heart of a fellow human, we are to learn
how we should to appeal to G-d in prayer. This must be "face to face",
as to a friend, even all seems clothed in MIDAS HADIN, the power of
strict judgment. From Judah's appeal to Joseph we are to learn how in
prayer we are to plead and offer to sacrifice our very selves in
servitude to G-d, in order to turn G-d's DIN, strict judgment, into
RAHAMIM, mercy.<br />
<br />
Judah's eloquent appeal to Joseph's sense of fairness can serve as an
exemplar to all of us in the art of prayer and entreaty, particularly in
times of stress and danger. Eloquence in prayer is a good trait for all
of us to cultivate -- it comes by speaking from heart to heart. We need
to be bold and speak out our complaints and requests to G-d from our
hearts.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
"NOT YOU SENT ME HERE BUT G-D"<br />
<br />
After revealing himself to his brothers, Joseph provides them with a
peace-making way of re-perceiving the past, even where negative, as part
of a divinely-prepared plan -- in this case to draw the Children of
Israel down into Egypt. "Not you sent me here but G-d" (Gen. 45:8) --
"for sustenance G-d sent me before you" (ibid. v. 5).<br />
<br />
In all circumstances, understanding that all the various humans who
surround us are in reality agents of G-d, Who is behind and within all
phenomena, is one of the main keys to understanding our personal
situation in the world.<br />
<br />
As expressed by the great early-20th century Polish Breslover Chassid, Rabbi Yitzhak Breiter (in his "Seven Pillars of Faith"):<br />
<br />
"Other people are also free agents, yet everything they do is ultimately
controlled by God. If someone insults you or in some way harms you,
know that this has been sent by God as a way to cleanse your soul. If
things go against you, be patient. When you accept everything as God's
will, this causes the veil of concealment to be removed, thus
manifesting God's control over all creation..<br />
<br />
"..,.Everything we experience is actually a communication from God. This
includes our inner thoughts and feelings. Even negative thoughts and
feelings - heaviness, lack of enthusiasm, depression and the like - are
from God. Everything you hear, see, or experience in life, whether from
people you know or from complete strangers, is a call to you from God.
Even unclear or contradictory messages are sent with a purpose: to give
us choice and free will in order to test us. The way to sort out which
messages we should follow and which we should ignore is by evaluating
everything in the light of Torah teaching Pillars #4 and #6).<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
FORCED BY THE MOUTH OF THE WORD<br />
<br />
"Forced by the WORD OF THE MOUTH of G-d -- "ANOOS AL PI-HADIBUR" -- is a
phrase from the Haggadah explaining why Jacob and his sons went into
exile. Historically, exile was forced on the Jews as a kind of "rape" of
the Shechinah, the Jewish Soul, by the material world, making it
necessary to go out to "slavery" in the "Egypt" of the Seventy Nations
for sheer survival. Again and again in Jewish history, economic needs
("famine") caused Jews to migrate.<br />
<br />
G-d's plan in sending Joseph down to Egypt to prepare for the subsequent
Israelite slavery and ultimate redemption may be seen unfolding
repeatedly in the later history of Jewish exiles. For example, the Jews
who spread wide in Poland and what was once its empire, the very centers
of Ashkenazic Jewry, (Ukraine, Belorussia, Lithuania, Galitzia, etc.)
were originally enticed there in the 11th Century and thereafter from
Germany by Polish kings (Pharaohs) who wanted to enrich themselves with
industrious Jewish managers (Joseph). The Jews of Germany had themselves
been enticed there in better days from France, the original "Ashkenaz".<br />
<br />
For centuries the Jews of the "Four Lands" of the Polish empire were
practically an independent Torah kingdom within the kingdom, even after
the dispersal of another Torah kingdom, the Jewry of "Sepharad" --
Spain, remnants of whom reached Israel. For Polish Jewry, the tide
changed from the times of the Chmielnitzki Massacres of 1648-9 and
thereafter, when Jewish worldly influence and actual Torah practice
among the Jews of Russia,Poland and its former empire declined to the
point of near extinction under communism. Meanwhile the Jewry of Europe
was rapidly assimilating. For generations from the 1800's onwards, Jews
were looking westwards, especially to America. The culminating points
were the Pogroms, the Russian Revolution and the Holocaust, which
annihilated European Jewry spiritually and physically. After the Second
World War most of Sephardic and Oriental Jewry migrated to Israel or to
the west. Thus the main world Jewish centers shifted to Israel and
America, both of which contain an uneasy balance of "Judah" and "Joseph"
Jews -- Torah observant and secular.<br />
<br />
Israel was built up by the returnees to the Land from the East and from
the West and is today the key to ultimate Jewish survival and victory --
Israel is LAND: it is THE Land. The holocaust appears to have been the
"price" for the birth of the State of Israel, which today is confronted
by an existential struggle for survival, under attack, directly or in
disguise, by all of the Seventy Nations.<br />
<br />
The key to Jewish survival today is the bond between "Israel" under the
leadership of Judah -- Torah, Melech HaMashiach -- and "Joseph",
"Ephraim", the main body of Jewry in Israel and throughout the world.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
CONNECTION TO THE LAND<br />
<br />
The concluding section of our parshah of VAYIGASH, recounts how in the
years of famine in Egypt, Joseph "purchased" the Egyptians' land, their
livestock and their very bodies for Pharaoh (Genesis 13-27).<br />
<br />
One point found in the commentators is of special note in UNIVERSAL
TORAH, which focuses on aspects of Torah that apply to all humanity. It
is that Joseph worked assiduously for the benefit of Pharaoh and did not
seek to use his position as Viceroy for personal enrichment. He could
have sent sacks of silver back to store for himself in Canaan, but he
did not. He worked diligently for his employer and was an exemplar of
service.<br />
<br />
The "purchase" by Joseph of the land and the very bodies of the
Egyptians for an annual tax of 20% -- one fifth of all income --
institutes fundamental principles of the modern state. Military power is
controlled by the "king" or government, who is expected to protect the
population and alleviate "famine", providing everything necessary for
general wellbeing ("health of the economy").<br />
<br />
One of the features of modern history has been great migrations of
people of all nations from country to country and continent to
continent. This has tended to separate the population from connection to
the land in the form of land-ownership, while urbanization has
separated over 50 per cent of the world's population from direct
connection with nature.<br />
<br />
The only people on earth who have a continuous historical link with one
and the same country going back thousands of years is the People of
Israel and the Jews. Israel is the only country on earth that belongs to
the Jews.<br />
<br />
The Twenty Percent Tax Joseph instituted for Egypt alludes to the 20% of
net income that a person should ideally separate for Tzedakah (just as
Jacob said, ASOR (10%) A-ASRENAH (10%) "I will surely tithe" -- Genesis
28:22, Maaser Rishon ("the first tithe") and Maaser Sheni ("the second
tithe").<br />
<br />
"And Zion will be redeemed through justice and her returnees through charity" (Isaiah 1:27)<br />
<br />
Shabbat Shalom!<br />
<br />
Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span class="HOEnZb adL"><span style="color: #888888;">AZAMRA INSTITUTE<br />
PO Box 50037 Jerusalem 91500 Israel<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.azamra.org/" target="_blank">www.azamra.org</a></span></span></div>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-91001519713224936652011-12-18T18:34:00.000+00:002011-12-18T18:36:35.621+00:00Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYESHEV; OF ABANDONMENT AND HOPE<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
VAYESHEV; OF ABANDONMENT AND HOPE
</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="post-header" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>This week's commentary is dedicated to a refuah shleimah for Erica Chava bat Elisheva.</i><br /><br />Clothing
may at times betray our deepest wishes. And at times it may betray our
deepest fears.When we dress for success it reflects the former. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="When">Wenn</span> we veil our women it reflects the latter.<br /><br />In the Tamar and Yehudah narrative, Genesis 15:38 states:<br /><br />"<em>vayireha Yehudah vayachshevaha lezona ki chista paneha</em>-<br />Judah saw her, and <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="because">weil</span> she had covered her face, he assumed <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> she was a prostitute."<br /><br />Note <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> because her face was veiled, he had assumed she was a prostitute. In fact, <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> was WHY she dressed <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> way. She WANTED him to assume <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>!<br /><br />Note
the odd vowelization in the word for "he assumed," or
"thought"-vayachshVAHA. It might ordinarily be vocalized as
vayachsheVEHA instead. But <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="here">hier</span> it is not. Now VA means "in it"or "in her." This may signify <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> there is an element of psychological projection occuring. Not <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> he is assuming x,y, or z about her based on objective criteriae. Rather, his own fears <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> projected onto (into) her in his quick yet faulty summation of who she was.<br /><br />He
was driven by fear and guilt for having abandoned his brother Joseph.
Guilt for and fear of abandonment had become defining forces in his
personality makeup. He had spared his youngest son, Shelah, from the
possibility of an untimely death only through abandoning Tamar and
postponing/foregoing his levirite obligations. Er and Onan had died.
Would Shelach be next? By abandoning Tamar and withholding her due, he
would thus <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="save">sparen</span> his son. But at what price?<br /><br />Now
the levirite laws were intrinsically righteous in nature in ensuring
the social security of a widow in her old age. It was the world's first
social security program! </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Psalm 71 declares: <i>"al tashlicheni la'et ziknah, ki'chlot kochi al ta'azveni. Do not cast me off me in my old age. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="When">Wenn</span> my stength leaves me do not abandon me."</i><br /><br />Having
a child would serve to protect her from abandonment in her old age.
Onan's deepest sin was in avoiding his obligation to protect his widowed
sister-in-law in her old age (as well as perpetuating his dead
brother's name). True onanism in its deepest sense is really then the
willfull neglect of the widow, the elderly and all society's vulnerable!<br /><br /><i>We see in our parsha the recurring theme of abandonment</i>. Joseph is abandoned in the pit, then abandoned in Egypt, and lastly - abandoned in prison. He wrestles <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> sexual temptation in the context of committing adultery <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span>
Potiphar's wife, thereby resulting in the potential abandonment of his
sole connection to his family's moral code, a succumbing to the alien
allures of Egyptian pagan culture. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="That">Dass</span> he did not succumb was the reason he became known as Yosef HaTzaddik, Joseph the Righteous.<br /><br />Prostitution
reflects the disconnect between sex and obligation. It embodies
abandonment at the deepest taboo level. Fear of abandonment leads to
hatred of <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> which symbolizes it. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="That">Dass</span>
which is hated must be covered up or put away. Rather than seeing
someone covered as modest and demur, he projects onto her the opposite, a
reflection of his own inner demons and struggles.<br /><br />A face
connotes personality. Veiling the face reduces her to a sexual object,
violating her humanity. Many Muslim women would protest this assertion,
but they <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span> bought into their own oppression in a Stockholm Syndrome-like way.<br /><br />In Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia, as well as in <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="most">am meisten</span> of the Islamic world, the Taliban and the imams fear the freedom and sexuality of women. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="More">Mehr</span>
to the point, they fear their own sexuality and its associated drives
and passions. They project their fears onto women and turn them into
objects of fear and loathing so intense <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> they punish the victim for the sins of the predator! Rape victims <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span>
lashed at best, and killed for the family's honor at worst. They
justify their veiling practices to fend against the predatious demons of
male society in the name of guarding their women's sexual purity.<br /><br />Ironically, according to the sartorial descriptions of the Torah as <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="read">lesen</span>
in this week's parsha, their women thus assume the costume of the
prostitute who must dwell in the utmost darkened cave-like fringes of
society. Their society is thus shut off to the ideas and values of
female energy and insight. Islamic society became unbalanced <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="when">wenn</span>
it was open only to the aggressive tendencies of male energy, and
thereby lost its vital center and devolved into an orgy of hatred and a
lust for warfare.<br /><br />The beauty of traditional Jewish notions of
Tzniut, or modesty, lies in finding a balanced attitude towards
sexuality. Embracing a wholesome view of sex, it sees it as
intrinsically good and worthwhile. Yet while its energies <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> viewed as basically positive, there is a recognition <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>
it best be channeled through the vessel of consecrated marriage, or
Kiddushin, lest its urges become destructive and all-consuming.<br /><br />The Eishes Chayil song/poem, which is sung at the Shabbat <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="table">tabelle</span>
each and every week, validates the woman of the marketplace, whose
wisdom and insight nurtures and sustains both the family as well as the
greater society, and whose industriousness contributes to society and
helps provide for the poor and destitute. Men and women equally must
learn to focus on their internal as well as external qualities, and thus
both equally develop their truest potentials and input society <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> a harmonious balance of male and female energies.<br /><br />And
as the moral compass of Yehudah reasserted its sense of justice in
doing right by Tamar and reversing her very real sense of abandonment,
so too will the Jewish <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="People">Menschen</span> come to reassert the centrality of Israel in their lives and give succor and support to her <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span> through visiting. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="When">Wenn</span> family members <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> in trouble one goes to be <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> them in their <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="time">zeit</span> of need. And Israel must come to see <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>
Jerusalem is the heart and vital center of world Jewry, just as Mecca
is for the Moslem world and the Vatican is for Christendom.<br /><br />The
G*d of Israel saw Joseph overcome his sense of abandonment and led him
breathtakingly up from his lowly slave status to the rank of grand
vizier so as to be a conduit of salvation for his <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span>.
And just as the G*d of Israel saw justice for Tamar, reversing her
abandonment and causing the ancestors of the messianic Davidic redeemer
to descend from her womb, so too will the G*d of Israel <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="today">heute</span> protect and redeem His <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span> in their <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="time">zeit</span> of travail as woesome as any in their <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="history">geschichte</span>.<br /><br />Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!</div>
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© 2000 - 2011 by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman<br /><br /><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">These words of Torah <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span>
written in the merit of my beloved father, Israel J. Melman, obm,
Yisrael Yehoshua ben Harav Ya'aqov Hakohen Melman, z"l and in memory of
my beloved mother, Esther Melman, obm, Esther bat Baruch z"l.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2007/07/yahrzeit-of-my-father-27-tammuz.html" style="color: #3366cc; font-weight: bold;">http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2007/07/yahrzeit-of-my-father-27-tammuz.html</a><br /><a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EEDC1630F93BA35754C0A9649C8B63" style="color: #3366cc; font-weight: bold;">http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EEDC1630F93BA35754C0A9649C8B63</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=esther-melman&pid=143745543" style="color: #3366cc; font-weight: bold;">http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=esther-melman&pid=143745543</a><br /><br />Chabibi stands for CHidushei Baruch Binyamin ben Yisrael Yehoshua<br />(a chidush, from the word chadash, means a new, original or fresh perspective)</span></div>
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<a href="http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2011/12/vayeshev-of-abandonment-and-hope.html">Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYESHEV; OF ABANDONMENT AND HOPE</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-63507154790492985132011-12-18T18:31:00.000+00:002011-12-18T18:33:12.119+00:00Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYISHLACH; ON VULNERABILITY AND SEEING THROUGH THE RUSE<br />
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VAYISHLACH; ON VULNERABILITY AND SEEING THROUGH THE RUSE
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<b>by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman</b></div>
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<i>This week's commentary is dedicated to a refuah shleimah for Erica Chava bat Elisheva.</i><br /><br />A unifying theme to this week's parasha is the seemingly paradoxical <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="idea">idee</span>
of the acquisition of inner strength through the display of outward
vulnerability. Jacob faces his fear of encountering his brother Esau,
and instead of unifying his camp which would make himself stronger and
thus <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="more">mehr</span>
able physically to defend himself, counterintuitively opts to divide
his camp segmentally to face him. This display of vulnerability won over
his brother's heart.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="Some">Einige</span> take risks for love; others for safety. At last he <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="made">gemacht</span> a peace <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> his brother and could now move on <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> his life. He could <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="never">nie</span>
realize his life's mission as long he was dominated by his fear of
Esau. He was so sure of his parents' unconditional love for him <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> he was willing to risk vulnerability in the pursuit of his father's blessing. </div>
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Deena
perhaps emulated her father Yakov's sense of risk for venturing out
from the safety of the family compound. Yakov perhaps needed to grow
spiritually by venturing out in order to compensate for his youthful
predilection for dwelling in tents. His personal challenge was to leave
the comforts of home. As a bearer of the Judaic vision, he could only
learn to do so by venturing out from the protective confines and
relative safety of the home (<em>yoshev ohalim</em>).<br /><br />But <em>his</em>
challenge was not necessarily her challenge. Each person needs to
reflect on the personal growth challenges which he alone needs to face.
Yakov won Divine blessing for choosing to go forward to meet his brother
rather than to hide and live in fear. Facing his fears actually <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="made">gemacht</span> him stronger. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="That">Dass</span>
being said, however, she had every right to live her "normal" life and
visit in town. She wasn't looking for trouble. She just wanted to make
friends.<br /><br />Let us not blame the victim for the crime. Shechem was brutal. Three verbs <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> used in the Torah to describe his actions. He seduced/took her (<em>vayikach</em>), he lay <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> her (<em>vayishkav</em>), and then he raped her <em>(vayaneha</em>). Only later did he "love" her. His brutality necessitated a strong response.<br /><br />But on account of the love he felt for her an agreement was <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="made">gemacht</span>. All the males circumcised themselves and <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="made">gemacht</span> themselves vulnerable. Jacob must <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span> respected their acceptance of vulnerability as a result of his past experience. It <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="made">gemacht</span> him open to the possibility of rapprochement. </div>
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<i>Where
Esau's righteous anger could be abated by a display of vulnerability on
Jacob's part, so too could Jacob's own righteous anger be abated by
vulnerability on Shechem's part.</i> </div>
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Now if we examine and contrast Chamor and Shechem's words <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> respect to Israel and his family, and their words which they used <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> respect to their own <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span>
we see an eery foreshadowing of today's conflict. Contrast language
used vis a vis the outsider vs language used for internal consumption:<br /><br />To Israel they say (Gen 34:10):<br /><br />"You will be able to live <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> us, and the land will be open before you. Settle down, do business <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="here">hier</span>, <i>and the land will become<b> your</b> property."</i><br /><br />But to their own <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span> they say (Gen 34:23):<br /><br />"Won't their livestock, their possessions, and all their animals <b><i>eventually be ours</i></b>?"<br /><br />Whereas
Shimon and Levi saw through the ruse and disallowed their own potential
vulnerability which would lead to their demise, their father perhaps
was unduly influenced by the need to validate his own past experiences
which gave form and meaning to his life. Jacob, who in his youth <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="found">gefunden</span> it all so <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="easy">leicht</span> to trick others (hence his name), now <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="found">gefunden</span>
his own life an endless sequence of others, from Laban to Shechem to
his sons' future claiming of Joseph's death, now tricking him.<br /><br />So we can learn in our parsha <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>
vulnerability plays out in two possible ways- reconciliation or ruse.
They seem to cancel each other out. But the parsha also suggests a third
way. At Beit El, the place of his initial Divine/angelic dream
encounter, G*d swore to him (Gen 28:15):<br /><br />"no matter where you go I shall protect you- <em>ushmarticha bechawl asher telech</em>").<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="When">Wenn</span> Jacob is now in <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="great">große</span>
fear of Canaanite retribution for the slaughter in Shechem, G*d tells
them to exchange a false protection for a True protection. They must
make themselves seemingly <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="MORE">Mehr</span> vulnerable by discarding and burying all the idolatrous artifacts - <em>elohei hanechar-</em> even the rings in their ears (25:4), which were in their midst.<br /><br />Just as the sukkah is a reminder <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> becoming vulnerable and trusting in G*d is our truest, <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="most">am meisten</span> reliable protection, so is our parsha this week "pre"iterating <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>
notion, albeit in a proto-Sinaitic context. While the Torah wisely
mandates the apparatus of police and a court system, it also recognizes
and endlessly repeats the message <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>
true security rests in Hashem alone. We dare not shut off the
possibility for love in our lives by encasing ourselves in psychic
armor.<br /><br />Vulnerability leads to possible hurt, but also to possible
love. And the truest love and security of all is Divine love. As we
begin on the path to follow and observe both the letter and the spirit
of G*d's Torah, we make ourselves vulnerable to the possibility of
ridicule or rejection by others who claim to know what's best for us.
But other <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span> come and go. To follow the easier path of social comfort may be easier but not necessarily the <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="more">mehr</span> fulfilling one. G*d's path may be less comfortable physically, but it behooves us to recognize <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> the Torah of Hashem is eternal and its truth endures forever.<br /><br />Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!</div>
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© 2000 - 2011 by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman<br /><br /><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'trebuchet ms', verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">These words of Torah <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span>
written in the merit of my beloved father, Israel J. Melman, obm,
Yisrael Yehoshua ben Harav Ya'aqov Hakohen Melman, z"l and in memory of
my beloved mother, Esther Melman, obm, Esther bat Baruch z"l.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2007/07/yahrzeit-of-my-father-27-tammuz.html" style="color: #3366cc; font-weight: bold;">http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2007/07/yahrzeit-of-my-father-27-tammuz.html</a><br /><a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EEDC1630F93BA35754C0A9649C8B63" style="color: #3366cc; font-weight: bold;">http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EEDC1630F93BA35754C0A9649C8B63</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=esther-melman&pid=143745543" style="color: #3366cc; font-weight: bold;">http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=esther-melman&pid=143745543</a><br /><br />Chabibi stands for CHidushei Baruch Binyamin ben Yisrael Yehoshua<br />(a chidush, from the word chadash, means a new, original or fresh perspective)</span></div>
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<a href="http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2011/12/vayishlach-on-vulnerability-and-seeing.html">Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYISHLACH; ON VULNERABILITY AND SEEING THROUGH THE RUSE</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-44341293794484355952011-12-18T18:03:00.000+00:002011-12-18T18:04:24.270+00:00RubinReports: A Coming War Threat: Terrorists Are Developing A Safe Haven in Egypt to Attack Israel<br />
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/coming-war-threat-terrorists-are.html">A Coming War Threat: Terrorists <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="Are">Sind</span> Developing A Safe Haven in Egypt to Attack Israel</a>
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What's
Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="That">Dass</span>
he should weep for her? What would he do,</div>
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Had
he the motive and the cue for passion</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="That">Dass</span>
I <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span>? He would drown the stage <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> tears</div>
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And
cleave the general ear <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> horrid speech.... </div>
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--William
Shakespeare, "Hamlet"</div>
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By
Barry Rubin</div>
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Or,
in other words, do these writers, policymakers, and "experts" care what happens
in the Middle East? War? Bloodshed? Repression? Christians fleeing; women being
turned into chattel? Just a possible boost to their careers and a test for their
theories. A good luncheon topic. But this is real, all too real.</div>
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First,
a word on contingencies. Governments and political analysts <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> supposed to
examine likely problems in order they can be evaded or minimized. The <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="time">zeit</span> to be
alarmed is not <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="when">wenn</span> problems become visible but <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="when">wenn</span> governments refuse to
recognize their existence. Western regimes and analysts <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> generally taking a
best-possible-case view on Egypt and other developing issues in the region. I'm
tempted to say they <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> taking a fantasy view. They dismiss not just worst-case
but highly likely case scenarios. Now that's what's alarming.</div>
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In
the Sinai Peninsula, Hamas is building support bases and arms-manufacturing
facilities including those for building rockets. Over <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="time">zeit</span>, these rockets will
no doubt be upgraded. In other words, Egypt is becoming a safe haven for
anti-Israel terrorism. We know <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> these attacks will come from the Gaza Strip.
The only <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="question">frage</span> is whether at <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="some">einige</span> point they will come directly across the
Egypt-Israel border.</div>
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Israel
had a long experience <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> three comparable situations....</div>
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Barry
Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA)
Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA)
Journal. His book, Israel: An Introduction, will be published by Yale University
Press in January. Latest books include The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition),
The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East
(Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan).</div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><a href="http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/12/18/a-coming-war-threat-terrorists-are-developing-a-safe-haven-in-egypt-to-attack-israel/">click <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="here">hier</span> to <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="read">lesen</span> the entire article</a></div>
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<br />
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/coming-war-threat-terrorists-are.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Rubinreports+%28RubinReports%29">RubinReports: A Coming War Threat: Terrorists Are Developing A Safe Haven in Egypt to Attack Israel</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-65335111126204905442011-12-18T18:00:00.000+00:002011-12-18T18:02:15.331+00:00RubinReports: How Can Israel Please the American Government, Media, and “Experts”? It Can’t<br />
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-can-israel-please-american.html">How Can Israel <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="Please">Bitte</span> the American Government, Media, and “Experts”? It Can’t</a>
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This article was published in a <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="different">unterschiedliche</span> form in the <u>Jerusalem Post</u>. I own the copyright and ask you to <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="read">lesen</span> this version and link only to it.<br />
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By Barry Rubin<br />
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There is a constant effort—especially by the anti-Israel left--to
portray those who express mainstream Israeli public opinion and the
views of professional analysts as “right-wing” or “Likudnik.” This leads
me to wonder what one would <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span> to say to <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="please">bitte</span> these <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span>.
What would be the equivalent of a “liberal” position for Israel
according to them? What kinds of positions would they see as legitimate?<br />
<br />
------------<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="Please">Bitte</span> be subscriber 28,589. Put email address in
upper right-hand box: </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com/">http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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What follows is not meant to exaggerate in any way but is, I believe, a genuine list of what they demand. To <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="please">bitte</span> them, I presume one would <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span> to say the following:</div>
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--President Barack Obama is the best president for Israel
ever (even he says so!). There <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> no problems in the relationship and if there
<span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> these <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> all due to Israel’s government being so selfish, short-sighted
and unreasonable.<br />
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--Israel would <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span>
to agree to the following: a long-term freeze of all construction on
existing settlements; to drop the demand for the PA's recognition of
Israel as a Jewish state, drop the demand for demilitarization of a
Palestinian state and <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> Palestinian refugees be resettled in the new state of Palestine (or remain where they <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> living now), and accept the partition of Jerusalem. Israel could <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="keep">halten</span> its demand for security guarantees but would <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span> to ask for the minimum on this point, too, since Israeli demands block peace.<br />
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--Peace <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> the Palestinians could be achieved within a few
<span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="months">monate</span> if Israel only gave <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="more">mehr</span> concessions, including those listed above, and stopped being so belligerent and
stubborn.<br />
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--The Palestinian Authority—PA--would not <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span> to change any of its
policies since its demands, by definition, don't block peace. (At <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="some">einige</span> point, though, the PA might <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span> to drop its demand <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> all refugees or any of their descendants could choose to go live in Israel and <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>
the border lines be exactly along the post-1948 ceasefire lines. This
would not be clear, however, until Israel agreed to all of the point
presented <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="here">hier</span>.) </div>
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--The PA’s incitement to violence; daily denials of Israel’s
existence or right to exist; and refusal to negotiate or compromise <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> not
important and Israelis should <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="never">nie</span> talk about these things. </div>
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--The PA sincerely wants peace and if given the West Bank plus
a corridor to the Gaza Strip and all (or almost all?) of east Jerusalem it would be a reliable partner
and <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="keep">halten</span> all of its commitments. In
exchange for a peace agreement, Israel should withdraw to the 1967 borders <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span>
minor modifications and dismantle all settlements. </div>
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--If the above were to happen, the Middle East would become
quiet and peaceful. Islamists would either become moderate or lose support.
Terrorism against the West would cease or at least decline steeply and America would be very popular</div>
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--The PA’s partnership <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> Hamas in the Gaza Strip isn’t
really a problem. Once there is a peace agreement, Hamas will give up its goal
of wiping Israel off the map <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="because">weil</span> it would <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="have">haben</span>
to respect the democratic rules of Palestine and would get caught up in
the daily business of politics and administration. There would be no <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="more">mehr</span> rocket, mortar, or
cross-border attacks and if there were the government of Palestine would deal <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> them by arresting and punishing those responsible.<br />
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--Meanwhile, if Hamas does attack Israel from the Gaza Strip then
Israel should not retaliate since to do so would inevitably involve
disproportionate force and hurt Palestinian civilians.</div>
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--The failure of Western countries to <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="keep">halten</span> their commitments
to Israel in 2006 to bar Hizballah from rebuilding its military installations in southern Lebanon and stop its arms’
smuggling is unimportant and Israel should not mention it. This—or for <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span>
matter the experience of the 1990s’ peace process and 2000 Camp David meeting—are
unimportant and should not influence Israel’s thinking.<br />
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--If the state of Palestine were to violate the peace agreement, all
Western countries would strongly support Israel and the UN would
recognize <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> Palestine was at fault, side <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> Israel, and take necessary steps to end this behavior. </div>
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--Israel has nothing to fear from Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya
becoming governed by the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is really
moderate. Israel should stop talking about the existence of any threat from
these quarters. It is up to Israel to
patch up relations <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> Egypt and not to be concerned about such things as a
cross-border terrorist attack, continued assaults on the natural gas
pipeline, and the government-permitted mob takeover of the Israeli embassy in
Cairo. (Optional?) Israel should agree to renegotiate the Egypt-Israel peace treaty and the natural gas sales' agreement.
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--Israel should apologize to Turkey for letting its own
soldiers defend themselves after being attacked by jihadi terrorists on
the
Mavi Marmara. It should pay compensation to the families of those who
attacked
it and end the embargo completely against the Gaza Strip. There should
be no restrictions on what items can transit the Israel-Gaza border. The
collapse of the
Israel-Turkey relationship was completely Israel’s fault.</div>
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--Israel should give up any option of attacking Iran’s
nuclear weapons’ facilities at any <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="time">zeit</span>, not only now to prevent Tehran from
getting such weapons but presumably in the future as well if there is a perceived
threat from Iran. Instead, Israel should depend on U.S. protection. If Iran
hits Israel <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> nuclear weapons, the United States will then (probably?)
retaliate. <br />
<br />
--If Hamas attacks Israel from the Gaza Strip <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> rockets, mortars, or cross-border attacks, Israel should not retaliate since <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="some">einige</span> Palestinian civilians might be killed. Any Israeli attacks cannot <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="use">verwendung</span> planes, artillery, helicopters, or other advanced technology since <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> would be a disproportionate response. </div>
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I’m not in the least bit joking and honestly don’t think I’ve
exaggerated the above points covering what the American and European left
(including its Jewish components) thinks should be the proper Israeli policy. </div>
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Nevertheless, I don’t see the Kadima or Labor parties
adopting such a program. I think it would be <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="most">am meisten</span> amusing to go down to the
corner of, for example, King George and Dizengoff streets to quiz random
Israeli pedestrians about what they think of this plan.</div>
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As always, since the mainstream Western media generally does
not allow a real response to the ridiculousness of the program it advocates for Israel you won’t be reading any of the points <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="made">gemacht</span> above in such places. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="People">Menschen</span>
will just be left to believe <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> the current government is just unreasonably
reactionary; <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> most Israelis support Obama (or if they don’t they deserve
what they get); and if Israel just let the American far left choose its
government than everything would be just fine. In fact, every public opinion poll in Israel backs up my points.</div>
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Indeed, if anyone left-wing blogs or the mass media does remark on this
article it will only be to brand it “right-wing.” Not at all. It's just
right.<br />
<br />
Oh, wait, there is an alternative. Such organs might quote or reprint this article saying <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> it is very accurate and they <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> pleased to see <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="people">menschen</span> in Israel agreeing <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> their position.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile there <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span>
at least two new commercially published books in the United States--and
numerous articles--that Israel is collapsing. What is the evidence for
this? Not much. A country <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span>
consistently high scores on personal satisfaction, the highest growth
rate in the OECD, close to the best medical system, the fifth highest
life expectancy, etc., etc. Meanwhile, the <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="same">gleichen</span> people tell us how <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="great">große</span> everything is in Egypt, Turkey, and so on. Welcome to the age of insanity.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Barry Rubin is director of the Global
Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East
Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. His book, <u>Israel: An
Introduction</u>, will be published by Yale University Press in January. Other books include <u>The Israel-Arab Reader</u> (seventh edition), <u>The Long War for
Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley)</u>, and <u>The
Truth About Syria </u>(Palgrave-Macmillan). The website of the GLORIA Center is at
http://www.gloria-center.org and of his blog, Rubin Reports, </span><a href="http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">http://www.rubinreports.blogspot.com</span></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-can-israel-please-american.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Rubinreports+%28RubinReports%29">RubinReports: How Can Israel Please the American Government, Media, and “Experts”? It Can’t</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-58097127795320673892011-12-18T17:58:00.002+00:002011-12-18T17:58:40.256+00:00UNIVERSAL TORAH: MIKETZ<div style="text-align: justify;">
UNIVERSAL TORAH: MIKETZ<br />
<br />
By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum<br />
<br />
Torah Reading: MIKETZ Gen. 41:1-44:17<br />
Shabbat CHANUKAH<br />
<br />
"AND PHARAOH WAS DREAMING."<br />
<br />
The exile of the Children of Israel in Egypt and their subsequent
redemption and exodus are the paradigm of all exile and redemption,
physical and spiritual. The chief oppressor is Pharaoh, King of Egypt, a
figure first introduced in the Torah several parshiyos earlier, in LECH
LECHA (Ch. 12, v. 10ff). Famine had forced Abraham to go down to Egypt,
the "nakedness of the earth" (just as in our parshah, famine forces his
descendents down to the same place). Egypt is the stronghold of
MITZRAYIM, second son of the accursed Ham, who had "uncovered" his
father Noah's nakedness. In the same tradition of sexual immorality,
Pharaoh, representing the evil, self-seeking aspect of earthly power,
kidnapped Sarah, embodiment of the Indwelling Presence of G-d, until a
divine plague forced him to release her. According to tradition, Sarah
was released on the night 15 Nissan, the date of the later Exodus of her
descendants from Egypt.<br />
<br />
Our parshah of MIKETZ traces the successive stages in which the snare
was laid to force Jacob and his Twelve Sons to follow Joseph down into
exile in Egypt in preparation for the ultimate redemption of the
Children of Israel years later on that same date. The net is artfully
prepared by Joseph, who alone of all the sons of Jacob had the power to
stand in the House of Pharaoh. Joseph is the archetype of the Tzaddik
who enables us to survive in This World. Having been drawn down to Egypt
by Joseph, the Children of Israel are eventually redeemed by Moses,
who, having been brought up in the House of Pharaoh, had the power to
stand there. Moses is integrally linked with Joseph, and thus Moses
"took the bones [= the essence] of Joseph with him" up out of Egypt.
Moses is the Tzaddik who teaches us the path leading through the
wilderness of This World to the Land of the Living -- the Land of
Israel.<br />
<br />
This World is but a dream. Pharaoh is dreaming. Pharaoh is the
"back-side" (PHaRAO = ORePH, the back of the neck) -- the external
appearance of This World as opposed to it's inner "face", the inner
spirituality and meaning. The outward appearance is frightening: plump
prosperity turning into wizened waste.<br />
<br />
Pharaoh is the worldly ego. "So says the Lord G-d, Here I am against
you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great crocodile [=primordial serpent]
lying down in his rivers, who says: 'The river is mine, and I made
myself' (Ezekiel 29: 3, from the Haftara of parshas VO-ERO which
recounts the plagues sent against Egypt). Pharaoh thinks he is
all-powerful -- "I made myself" -- but in the end he is humiliated by
G-d's plagues, which show him his limitations. As yet his downfall is
still far-off -- a distant vision, a bad dream. Yet already Pharaoh is
being humiliated. The dream is terrifying. Pharaoh's own magicians and
wise men are helpless: they cannot give meaning to his dream. The only
one who can help Pharaoh is "a man who has the spirit of G-d in him"
(Gen. 41:38), the truly righteous Tzaddik: Joseph.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
THE VIRTUE OF THRIFT<br />
<br />
Temporal leaders may imagine they are pulling the strings, but the
underlying forces that drive human history are great global cycles of
success and decline ("Seven years of plenty" / "Seven years of famine")
that are in the power of G-d alone. Likewise, G-d alone has the power to
send truly wise leaders to guide us through these cycles to a better
end.<br />
<br />
While Pharaoh is the archetype of the self-seeker, Joseph is the
archetype of self-discipline. The latter is the virtue needed to get
through This World successfully. Pharaoh knows how to consume to gratify
the self here and now -- to live the dream of This World. This may work
as long as the river keeps flowing. But Pharaoh does not know what to
do when the flow stops. He is unprepared, because Pharaoh is PARU'AH,
undisciplined. He does not know how to conserve and save for lean times.<br />
<br />
Pharaoh's self-seeking is rooted in the fundamental flaw of Adam: KERI,
spilling the seed in vain -- waste. Thus it is said that the sparks in
the seed spilled by Adam fell to Egypt, where they had to be rectified
in the generation of Joseph and in the generation of Moses. The
rectification in the generation of Joseph was accomplished by the
DISCIPLINE which Joseph brought to the country. Joseph used the Seven
Years of Plenty to teach the Egyptians to put limits on IMMEDIATE
CONSUMPTION AND GRATIFICATION in order to SAVE for the FUTURE.
(Similarly in the generation of the Exodus, the Children of Israel,
incarnation of Adam's spilled seed, were rectified through the building
of Pharaoh's "store-cities".) We must all learn how to set limits to the
physical gratification we receive from this world in order to make the
best use of our time here to acquire and "save" Mitzvos and good deeds.
These are our TZEIDAH LA-DEREKH, the "sustenance for the way" that leads
to the Land of the Living, the Future World.<br />
<br />
The world today is suffering from the catastrophic effects of IMMEDIATE
CONSUMPTION on the global ecology in the form of reckless depletion of
resources, pollution etc. and on the moral fabric of contemporary
society. The model of happiness entertained by most of the world --
CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION -- is unsustainable and destructive, and must be
replaced with Joseph's model: that we must "circumcise" ourselves and
learn self-discipline. Only by thriftily "saving" Torah and good deeds
can we attain true happiness. Thus Joseph told the "Egyptians" to
"circumcise" themselves (see Rashi on Gen. 41:55).<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
CHASTIZEMENTS OF LOVE<br />
<br />
"It is good when manifest reproof stems from hidden love" (Proverbs 27:5).<br />
<br />
The essence of good leadership is to teach people to lead themselves --
to take themselves in hand and use self-discipline to attain the good
that is available in this world.<br />
<br />
Had Joseph revealed himself to his brothers immediately on their first
arrival in Egypt, he would have elicited little more from them than
superficial expressions of contrition for a sin whose seriousness they
still did not understand. "Do not stand idly by the blood of your
neighbor" (Leviticus 19:16) -- don't "sit down to eat bread" when your
brother is screaming in the pit (Gen. 37:25).<br />
<br />
Joseph used his consummate wisdom to engineer events that would put his
brothers in the same situation in which they had placed him. As the
compassionate leader, Joseph sought to make his brothers draw their own
conclusions, knowing that the lessons we learn on our own flesh are more
deeply inscribed and instilled than those we simply hear from others.<br />
<br />
Joseph engineered events that would force his brothers to "read" and
"interpret" for themselves the message of reproof the events implied. So
it had been from the beginning. When Joseph dreamed of the sheaves
bowing down to him, it was the brothers who interpreted the message for
themselves. "Will you surely rule over us?" (Gen. 37:8).<br />
<br />
Years later, the brothers bowed before the Egyptian Viceroy TZOPHNAS
PA'ANEAH ("Interpreter of that which is Hidden", as Joseph had been
named by Pharaoh, Master of the Dream).<br />
<br />
"And Joseph saw his brothers and he recognized them, AND HE MADE HIMSELF STRANGE [vayisNACHER] to them" (Gen. 42:7).<br />
<br />
In order to chastise his brothers and bring them to genuine contrition,
Joseph acted not like a BROTHER but like a NOCHRI, a STRANGER. He
clothed himself in the garb of a stranger with a heart of stone, deaf to
all appeals.<br />
<br />
Joseph's way of teaching and educating his brothers can help us
understand how G-d may sometimes have to beat down the walls of people's
insensitive hearts by chastising them with enemies that appear strange
and incomprehensible to them.<br />
<br />
"G-d will bring up a people against you from afar from the end of the
earth, like the eagle swoops, a people whose language you will not
understand, a people of fierce countenance who will not show respect to
the old or compassion for the youth." (Deuteronomy 28: 49).<br />
<br />
But like Joseph's indirect, roundabout reproof to his brothers, G-d's
reproof has but one purpose: "And they will confess their sin and the
sin of their fathers and the treachery that they have committed against
Me, that they went contrary [with KERI] against Me; So I will go with
them contrary [with KERI, apparently chance events] and I will bring
them in the land of their enemies, and then their uncircumcised heart
will be humbled and then they will make appeasement for their sin. And I
will remember my COVENANT." (Leviticus 26:40-42).<br />
<br />
With consummate skill, Joseph brought a series of "troubles" upon his
brothers that would bring them to successive levels of
self-understanding and genuine contrition. Joseph's first step was to
separate one brother (Shimon) from the others and hold him in detention.
The brothers read the message: "And one said to the other, But we are
guilty over our brother, the pain of whose soul we saw when he pleaded
with us and we did not hear: that is why this trouble has come upon us"
(Gen. 42:21).<br />
<br />
The final stage was when Joseph engineered the framing of Benjamin with
Joseph's "stolen" divining goblet (Gen. ch. 44). Still appearing to his
brothers as the Egyptian Viceroy Sourcerer, Joseph's choice of scenario
was one that had special meaning for the brothers, as they had all (with
the exception of Benjamin) witnessed their DIVINER grandfather Laban
(Gen.30:27) searching the tent of Rachel, for his stolen TERAFIM
(idols).<br />
<br />
At last the brothers grasped the complete message. They had stolen their
brother and sold him as a slave. "And Judah said, What shall we say to
my lord, what shall we speak and how can we justify ourselves? G-d has
found your servants' sin."<br />
<br />
In next week's parshah we will continue with the beautiful story of how
Judah steps forward to TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS BROTHER. This was the
goal of all Joseph's "reproof".<br />
<br />
The above-quoted words of Judah are woven into our TACHANUN (supplicatory) and SELICHOS (penitential) prayers:<br />
<br />
"What shall we say? What shall we speak? How can we justify ourselves?
Let us search out and investigate our ways and return to You. For Your
right arm is stretched out to receive those who return. Please G-d, save
us."<br />
<br />
Happy Chanukah!!! Shabbat Shalom! Chodesh Tov Umevorach!<br />
<br />
Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum</div>
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UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYEISHEV<br />
<br />
By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum<br />
<br />
Torah Reading: VAYEISHEV Gen. 37:1-40:23<br />
<br />
"FROM THE DEPTH OF HEBRON": JACOB & HIS CHILDREN<br />
<br />
"These are the generations of Jacob. These are their dwellings and
rollings (GILGULIM) until they came to a state of habitation (YISHUV).
The first cause was that 'Joseph was seventeen years old.'<br />
<br />
" 'And Jacob dwelled.': Jacob wanted to dwell in tranquility, but the
storm of Joseph sprang upon him. The tzaddikim want to dwell in
tranquility, but the Holy One, blessed be He, says, 'Is it not enough
for the tzaddikim that the World to Come is prepared for them, but they
want to dwell in tranquility in this world?' " (Rashi on Gen. 37:2).<br />
<br />
Now that the Torah has completed the stories of Abraham and Isaac and
that part of the story of Jacob in which he is the chief actor, we now
turn to the story of Jacob's children: "These are the generations of
Jacob". Their "dwellings and rollings" -- as recounted in the remaining
four parshiyos of Genesis, allude to all their future history, in the
Land of Israel and in exile, until we will finally come to a "state of
habitation" (YISHUV) in the Land of Israel, with Melech HaMashiach: a
state of YISHUV HADA'AS, "a settled mind" -- expanded consciousness.
Jacob sought immediate tranquility in the Land of Israel, but this
tranquillity could only be attained in the Future World, after many
"rollings" -- (GILGULIM) incarnations and generations.<br />
<br />
The Children of Israel are destined to be a Light to the Nations. As
such, they must be at peace with each other, for how can they shine to
the nations when they are at war with one another? But in our parshah of
VAYEISHEV, the Children of Israel were unable to make inner peace:
".And they could not speak to him [Joseph] peaceably" (Gen. 37:4).
Joseph exemplified the true leader -- "and he was pasturing his
brothers" (v. 2) -- but as yet his brothers could not accept him. He was
too saintly. The brothers were still out for themselves: ".They went
only to pasture THEMSELVES" (Rashi on Gen. 37:12). Their in-fighting
turned into a hypocritical religious war: "They said, Let us go to
Dothan" (from the root DAS, "religious law"; Gen. 37:17). They went "to
seek out religious contrivances" (NICHLEY DOSOS) in order to kill the
true leader (see Rashi on this verse).<br />
<br />
Yet Jacob sent Joseph into the middle of all this "from the depth (EMEK,
valley) of Hebron" (Gen. 37:14). -- "But surely Hebron is on a
MOUNTAIN, as it says, 'And they ASCENDED from the south and he came to
Hebron' (Numbers 13:22)??? But what it means is FROM THE DEEP PLAN of
that tzaddik who is buried in Hebron, i.e. Abraham, to fulfil what was
said to him at the Covenant Between the Pieces, 'for your seed will be a
stranger' (Gen. 16:13)" (Rashi ad loc.).<br />
<br />
In other words, the "deep plan" necessitated the sale of Joseph into
slavery in Egypt, which would eventually cause all his brothers and
Jacob himself to go down to Egypt, in order to bring about the exile of
the Children of Egypt there in preparation for their eventual Exodus.
The paradigm of Exile / Redemption recurs repeatedly in Jewish history
in the exiles of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome (Edom-Yishmael).<br />
<br />
All the "rollings" and incarnations of the Children of Israel from
generation to generation refine and purify their souls in preparation
for the eventual state of YISHUV, "habitation", which depends on peace
among the Twelve Tribes. In the coming parshiyos, we will see how the
wise leader exemplified in Joseph skillfully manipulates everything to
bring his "exiled" brothers to repent of their fractiousness and enmity
and make peace with one another. Repentance is a recurrent theme of this
and all the remaining parshiyos in Genesis. Reuven repented his "sin"
(Gen 35:22; Rashi on 37:29); Judah repented, confessing: "she was more
righteous than me" (Gen. 38:26); Joseph's brothers repented: "but we are
guilty" (Gen. 42:21).<br />
<br />
The essential fissures among the Children of Israel in their later
history were between Benjamin vs. the other tribes (Judges Ch. 19ff),
and the House of Judah (representing fidelity to the Oral Torah) vs. the
House of Israel, the Ten Tribes, who rebelled under the leadership of
Jeraboam son of Nevat of the tribe of Ephraim = Joseph (representing
worldly success). (This is also the clash today between the "religious"
and "secular".) In the coming parshiyos we will see how Judah (from the
Children of Leah) becomes a "guarantor" (Gen. 44:30) for Benjamin (from
the sons of Rachel), and how the state of near war between Judah and
Joseph (Gen. 44:18) is transformed into a state of reconciliation
between Joseph and all his brothers (Ch. 45). Judah's repentance and
taking responsibility make him worthy of being the religious leader.
"And he [Jacob] sent JUDAH before him to Joseph to RULE." (Gen. 46:28).<br />
<br />
The bond forged between Judah and Benjamin exemplifies the concept that
"all Israel are guarantors for one another" (Shavuos 39a). This bond is
embodied in the fact that the territories of the two tribes of Judah and
Benjamin are contiguous, meeting in Jerusalem, YeruSHALAYIM, City of
Peace, at the site of the Holy Altar in the Temple on Mount Moriah. The
bond between Judah and Benjamin is also embodied in the figure of
Mordechai, who although from the tribe of Benjamin is nevertheless
called ISH YEHUDI, a man of Judah (Esther 2:5). The Code of Jewish Law
also represents peace between Judah and Benjamin, in the sense that the
stringent House of Shammai (Benjamin) receives honor and is always
mentioned first, yet the legal decision in almost all cases follows the
opinion of the compassionate House of Hillel (Judah).<br />
<br />
The transformation of the war between Joseph and Judah into a state of
reconciliation and peace is paradigmatic of the future reconciliation of
the Jews (= Jude, Judah) and the lost Ten Tribes, and also the
reconciliation between the "religious" and the "secular". All this comes
about through Mashiach son of Joseph (Rachel) and Mashiach son of Judah
(Leah).<br />
<br />
However, in our parshiyos, all these hints of future history are
contained in allusion only, for prior to attaining the future state of
YISHUV and MOCHIN DE-GADLUS -- "settled" and "expanded consciousness" --
the world is in a state of BILBUL and MOCHIN DE-KATNUS, "confusion" and
"limited consciousness". Thus our parshah deals with negative feelings
and emotions: the hatred of the brothers for Joseph; their deception of
Jacob with the blood of the slaughtered goat; the deception of Judah by
Tamar; the attack on Joseph by Potiphar's wife, etc. etc.<br />
<br />
The state of MOCHIN DE-KATNUS is the state of exile. Thus in our
parshah, the scene changes from the Land of Israel to Egypt, MITZRAIM =
METZAR, the "narrow" or "constricted" place. While Israel is the "face"
(the PNIMIUS, the hidden "interiority"), Egypt represents the revealed
exterior, the "backside". Thus the King of Egypt is Pharaoh, the Hebrew
letters of whose name when rearranged spell out HA-OREPH, "the BACK of
the neck", opposite of "the FACE". In this state of exile, there is no
more prophecy, only dreams. Joseph dreams. The Butler and the Baker
dream. Pharaoh dreams. G-d appears to Jacob "in the appearances of the
night" (Gen. 46:2). Constricted consciousness!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
"AND JUDAH WENT DOWN.": THE LIGHT OF MASHIACH<br />
<br />
"The tribes were busy with the sale of Joseph; Joseph was busy with his
sack-cloth and fasting; Reuven was busy with his sack-cloth and fasting;
Jacob was busy with his sack-cloth and fasting; Judah was busy getting
himself a wife. And the Holy One, blessed be He, was busy creating the
light of the King Mashiach. -- 'And at that time Judah WENT DOWN' (Gen.
38:1). Even before the first oppressor [Pharaoh] was born, the final
redeemer was born" (Midrash Rabbah Bereishis 85:1).<br />
<br />
Immediately after the story of the sale of Joseph to Egypt (the
beginning of the exile) the Torah immediately tells us the story of
Judah and Tamar, which culminates with the birth of Peretz (Gen. 38:29)
who was the ancestor of King David, the Messianic King (Ruth 4:18-22).<br />
<br />
The story of Judah and Tamar ione of sexual sin and its rectification.
Of the three cardinal sins, Abraham rectified that of Idolatry (fallen
CHESSED) while Isaac rectified the sin of Bloodshed (fallen GEVUROS).
The mission of Jacob and his sons was to rectify the sin of GILUI
AROYOS, sexual immorality (fallen TIFERET-Beauty), which is why the
preceding parshiyos were preoccupied with how Jacob built his House,
with his Four Wives and the Twelve Tribes arranged around his pure
"bed", the Holy Sanctuary. Sexual immorality was the main theme in the
story of Dinah, recounted in last week's parshah of VAYISHLACH. The
theme continues in our parshah. Thus Joseph was "a lad" -- "he was
engaged in puerile behavior, he arranged his hair carefully and smoothed
his eyes in order to look beautiful" (Rashi on Gen. 37:2 and see Rashi
on Gen. 39:6). Judah came in to "the harlot" (Gen. 38:15ff); Potiphar
lusted for the beautiful Joseph and his wife attempted to seduce him...<br />
<br />
Sexual immorality was an essential element in the original sin of Adam,
which the rabbis conceptualized as KERI, an "impure emission" of seed.
Adam had been commanded to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
and conquer it and rule." (Gen. 1:28). But in "eating the forbidden
fruit" of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, Adam fell into
material lust. His seed, intended to produce future generations that
would know G-d, "fell" and became prey to the forces of unholy lust.
Thus the holy sparks became trapped in exile. This had to be rectified
by Adam's descendants, the Children of Israel, whose mission -- as
mentioned above -- was to rectify sexual immorality [see Kavanot of ARI,
Pesach]. However, Er, the firstborn of Judah, failed the test and
spilled his seed in order that his wife Tamar should not conceive and
loose her worldly beauty (see Rashi on Gen. 38:7), and as a result G-d
killed him.<br />
<br />
According to the law of Levirate marriage (YIBUM), Er's surviving
brother Onan should have "raised up seed" in the name of his dead
brother (i.e. the dead brother would be reincarnated in order to rectify
his sin in a new life), but Onan was also selfish, and spilled his seed
(Gen. 38:7).<br />
<br />
Only through the resourcefulness of Tamar (who was the daughter of Shem =
Malki-Tzedek, the "Priest", symbol of moral purity, see Gen. 9:23) was
the sin rectified through the mystery of Judah's encounter with the
"harlot", which led to the birth of Peretz and eventually of David King
Mashiach.<br />
<br />
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov stated that the main task of Mashiach is to rectify the spilling of seed.<br />
<br />
* * *<br />
<br />
".AND HE WAS A SUCCESSFUL MAN"<br />
<br />
The reason why Joseph was "a successful man" (Gen. 39:2) was precisely
because "HaShem was with Joseph" (ibid.) -- "the name of Heaven was
regularly on his mouth" (Rashi ad loc.). Joseph had the power to see and
find G-d even in Egypt, the place of MOCHIN DE-KATNUS, "constricted
consciousness", the "back-side". This was the key to his "success".
Joseph was the very essence of Jacob, as Rashi goes to some lengths to
prove (see Rashi on Gen. 37:2).<br />
<br />
As the key figure in the "generations of Jacob", Joseph had the same
mission as his father: the building of the archetypal holy HOUSE, as
discussed in connection with the preceeding parshiyos. At first, Joseph
dreams of being in the FIELD, where all his brother's sheaves prostrate
to him. Later Joseph strays in the FIELD (Gen. 37:15). Yet at length his
dream comes true in Egypt. There his brothers prostrate before Joseph,
who orders them to be brought to his HOUSE (Gen. 43:16ff.), where they
eat and drink.<br />
<br />
The Children of Israel are not disembodied souls. They are IN the
material world, their task being to elevate and spiritualize it. This is
done through turning the mundane material house into a HOME, a
Sanctuary of G-d -- "and I will dwell within them" (Exodus 25:8).<br />
<br />
It is the moral integrity of Joseph -- who succeeds in finding G-d even
in Egypt, constriction, the "back-side" -- that is the key to this
house-making. As we will see in next week's parshah of MIKETZ, Joseph
knows the secret of material, economic success (as exemplified in his
successful management of the Egyptian economy even in times of famine).
Through the story of Joseph, the Torah teaches us that the foundation of
genuine long-term material success is moral purity and integrity. Even
when Joseph was faced with the supreme moral test -- alone in the house
with his master's wife tempting him day after day -- he set the
unchangeable Law of G-d before him: adultery is forbidden. "How could I
do this great evil and sin against G-d?" (Gen. 39:9).<br />
<br />
Joseph observed G-d's law despite the fact that this led to his
incarceration in the king's prison and his disgrace in the eyes of
sophisticated Egypt. Joseph is the archetype of "the tzaddik who has it
bad" (Berachos 7a). Yet even in this adverse situation, "HaShem was with
Joseph" (Gen. 39:21). As before (ibid. v. 2), this teaches that "the
name of Heaven was regularly on his mouth". That was the very key to
Joseph's "success". Joseph knew that G-d speaks to us through the
happenings of this world, and that we can find divine messages and
meaning everywhere and in everything. Thus Joseph (DAAS-YESOD,
Knowledge-Foundation, the Center Column) could "interpret dreams", even
those of the Butler (fallen CHOCHMAH-Wisdom) and the Baker (fallen
BINAH-Understanding). These two, together with the Captain of Guard
(fallen DAAS-Knowledge) in whose HOUSE Joseph was a slave and captive,
were the Chief Officers of Pharoah, the very embodiment of the
"Back-Side", where holiness is initially concealed. It was through
Joseph's incorruptible moral integrity (SHEMIRAS HABRIS, Observance of
the Covenant) that he was able to turn everything around and find divine
meaning and messages even in darkness and dreams of the night. This is
what brings Mashiach.<br />
<br />
And so may our Chanukah Lights light up the darkness of night, heralding
GEULAH SHELEMAH, complete redemption with Ben David Melech HaMashiach
quickly in our times. Amen!<br />
<br />
Shabbat Shalom!<br />
<br />
Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum</div>
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AZAMRA INSTITUTE</span></span><br /><span class="HOEnZb adL"><span style="color: #888888;">
PO Box 50037 Jerusalem 91500 Israel</span></span><br /><span class="HOEnZb adL"><span style="color: #888888;">
Website: <a href="http://www.azamra.org/" target="_blank">www.azamra.org</a></span></span><br /><span class="HOEnZb adL"><span style="color: #888888;">
</span></span></div>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-77640910323062991172011-12-04T03:36:00.000+00:002011-12-04T03:41:34.805+00:00RubinReports: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta Shows How the Obama Administration Is Selling Out Israel...And U.S. Interests<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/secretary-of-defense-leon-panetta-shows.html">Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta Shows How the Obama Administration Is Selling Out Israel...And U.S. Interests</a> </h3>
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<br /><br />Charlie<strong>:</strong>: “You coulda been another Billy Conn, and that skunk we got you for a manager, he brought you along too fast."</div>
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Terry: “It wasn't him, Charley, it was you. Remember that night in the Garden you came down to my dressing room and you said, `Kid, this ain't your night. We're going for the price on Wilson.’….I coulda taken Wilson apart! So what happens? He gets the title shot outdoors on the ballpark and what do I get? A one-way ticket to Palooka-ville! You was my brother, Charley, you shoulda looked out for me a little bit. You shoulda taken care of me just a little bit….” --Budd Schulberg, “On the Waterfront”</div>
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By Barry Rubin</div>
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Let me state this in undiplomatic language: U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is a clown. True, this will not be the kind of thing written about in the mainstream media but it is true nonetheless. Panetta has no knowledge of the Middle East, no experience in grand strategy, no concept of Islamist politics, no awareness of Israel’s defense needs, and doesn’t know much about military issues generally.</div>
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All that would be forgivable if it weren’t for one more problem: He has no understanding of what has happened in the last year either.</div>
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Panetta has now bashed Israel based on a premise. Here it is:</div>
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"I understand the view that this is not the time to pursue peace, and that the Arab awakening further imperils the dream of a safe and secure, Jewish and democratic Israel. But I disagree with that view." Nevertheless, Israel needs to take risks and particularly, "The problem right now is we can't get them to the damn table, to at least sit down and begin to discuss their differences."</div>
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First, there is a peculiar phrase that I have not seen used even once to describe what’s going on now. How did that phrase get into Panetta’s vocabulary? Obviously, from a briefing and I don’t believe it came from anyone at the Defense Department. That phrase is “Arab awakening” instead of “Arab Spring.”</div>
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Every Middle East historian—well, every Middle East historian who knows something about the Middle East—knows that The Arab Awakening was the famous book written by George Antonius (subsidized by a U.S foundation to do so, by the way) advocating Arab nationalism and opposition to Zionism in 1938. I can’t prove it but it gives me an idea of the views of whoever wrote those talking points.</div>
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This phrase also gives Panetta’s statement a strangely contradictory tone. If The Arab Awakening began a half-century pan-Arab struggle against Israel’s creation or existence might this not give us a hint of what the new “Arab Awakening” is going to do? Oh, and 1938 marks the year when Great Britain desperately tried to sell out the Jews in order to gain Arab support (for the coming war with Germany and Italy). Interesting parallels.</div>
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But there are three major questions raised in Panetta’s silly statement....</div>
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<a href="http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/12/03/secretary-of-defense-leon-panetta-shows-how-the-obama-administration-is-selling-out-israel/"><span style="color: #0066cc;">To read this entire article click here</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/secretary-of-defense-leon-panetta-shows.html">RubinReports: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta Shows How the Obama Administration Is Selling Out Israel...And U.S. Interests</a></div>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-21391987524562375312011-12-04T03:19:00.000+00:002011-12-04T03:25:25.007+00:00RubinReports: The Middle East Policy Twilight Zone: Four Examples<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/middle-east-policy-twilight-zone-four.html">The Middle East Policy Twilight Zone: Four Examples</a> </h3>
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<em>You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead — your next stop, the</em> Twilight Zone<em>. </em><em>—Rod Serling</em></div>
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By Barry Rubin</div>
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Ah, the gap between Middle East reality and official U.S. government-approved reality. Here are four examples:</div>
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--“Here is the next challenge for the citizen movements that are advancing from Tunisia to Syria — and eventually, surely, to repressive non-Arab states such as Iran and China. Once they have toppled the secret police, the revolutionaries need to draft constitutions affirming the rights of the individual.” --David Ignatius, Washington Post</div>
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Yes, on the way to the Middle East utopia do stop off and adopt a Bill of Rights. It made such a nice adornment to the Soviet Constitution. Who says the secret police have been toppled? Any really democratic state will need them to deal with Salafist terrorists, while the Islamist-ruled regimes to come will need them to suppress democrats, secularists, Christians, feminists, and those who will be called Zionist and imperialist agents.</div>
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How much faith these people have in elections! One balloting won by anti-democratic forces and you’re home free.</div>
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--“There are many ways the Arab Awakening might veer off track, and religion-inspired constriction of freedom is one. But so far in Egypt, the greatest threat to democracy has come from the military rulers. In any true Arab democracy, Islamist parties will win a lot of votes. As long as they are willing to play by the rules, those parties should not be treated as a specter to be feared.” --Editorial, Washington Post</div>
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Here’s an interesting question. Other than the arrest of some bloggers and moderates who have been accused of criticizing the army and also the army’s terrible behavior toward the Christian demonstration at Maspero in which about 30 were killed, where’s this big threat to democracy from the military?</div>
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<span style="color: #0066cc;">click here to read the entire article</span></div>
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/middle-east-policy-twilight-zone-four.html">RubinReports: The Middle East Policy Twilight Zone: Four Examples</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-61449363594649490252011-12-04T03:05:00.000+00:002011-12-04T03:11:55.649+00:00RubinReports: Hope and Change in Egypt; Naiveté and Wishful Thinking in the West<br />
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/by-barry-rubin-much-of-mass-media-seems.html">Hope and Change in Egypt; Naiveté and Wishful Thinking in the West</a> </h3>
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By Barry Rubin</div>
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Much of the mass media seems to be saying, to paraphrase John Lennon and Yoko Ono, “All we are saying is give the Muslim Brotherhood a chance.”</div>
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There are three arguments supporting this policy that are worth discussing in large part because the Muslim Brotherhood’s advocates don’t have any others.</div>
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The first,which one hears everywhere, is that the Muslim Brotherhood is full of factions that are moderate and hip young people who want real democracy. If this were true it should be easy to prove. Here are some of the ways to do that:</div>
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Who are the leaders of these factions? What is their composition? Where have the put forward alternative positions? What posts do they hold in the movement? Was there a battle among factions on choosing the Brotherhood’s parliamentary or presidential candidates? How have they reinterpreted in a more liberal way Sharia law? Do their opponents in Egypt recognize the existence of these factions? Do those who defected from the Brotherhood say that the movement they formerly thought to be irredeemably radical has changed?</div>
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At the same time, the Brotherhood’s leadership continues to come up, without contradiction in the ranks, with the most extreme, intolerant, and bloodthirsty positions. Even if it were to be established that other factions exist one would have to show that these factions had some chance of directing policy.</div>
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And the young hip people in Turkey’s old fogey Islamist movement have now been running the country for almost a decade, carrying out the work of fundamental transformation in that once secular polity toward being an Islamist state. They are far from finished.</div>
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<a href="http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/12/01/naivete-and-wishful-thinking/"><span style="color: #0066cc;">Click this link to read the entire article</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/12/by-barry-rubin-much-of-mass-media-seems.html">RubinReports: Hope and Change in Egypt; Naiveté and Wishful Thinking in the West</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-35144224385498298572011-12-04T02:54:00.000+00:002011-12-04T03:02:34.769+00:00RubinReports: Flash: What, Me Pessimistic? Egyptian Election Outcome is Worse Than I Expected<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/11/flash-what-me-pessimistic-egyptian.html">Flash: What, Me Pessimistic? Egyptian Election Outcome is Worse Than I Expected</a> </h3>
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These are actual New York Times headlines used in covering the 1932 German and 2011 Egyptian elections. It is not meant to suggest that these two events are exactly the same but to suggest that people should take seriously the immense importance of what is taking place in Egypt. Graphic by <a href="http://rebmordechaiofchelm.blogspot.com/%20and%20my%20website%20at%20www.martinbermangorvine.com."><span style="color: #0066cc;">Martin Berman-Gorvine</span></a> <br /><br />-------<br /></div>
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By Barry Rubin</div>
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Since last February I have predicted that the Muslim Brotherhood would win elections in Egypt. People have thought me very pessimistic. I have warned and warned that this is a disaster for Western interests, Israel, and ultimately the Egyptian people themselves. I have detailed why this was going to happen and how it was going to change the history of the Middle East. </div>
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Now the votes are starting to come in and…it’s much worse than I thought. But my prediction that the Brotherhood and the other Islamists would gain a slight majority seems to have been fulfilled and then some. According to most reports the Brotherhood is scoring at just below 40 percent all by itself.</div>
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Why worse? For two reasons:</div>
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First, the votes we now have come from the most urban areas of the country. If there are Facebook sophisticates they’re going to be in Cairo and Alexandria. If the moderates do that bad in the big cities, what’s going to happen in the villages up the Nile? If the fascist party came in first in some European countries Social Democratic districts you know you are in trouble.</div>
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The Brotherhood came in first in Cairo and Alexandria. Think about that. Of course there are millions of migrants from rural areas in those places but that’s also where the middle class, such as it is, lives.</div>
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Second, the moderate parties didn’t even come in second they came in third or close to it. The Salafists—that is people who are even more radical than the Muslim Brotherhood—came in second. That they did that well is a surprise. That they did that well without bumping the Brotherhood down a notch is really shocking.</div>
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<a href="http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/11/30/flash-what-me-pessimistic-egyptian-election-outcome-is-worse-than-i-expected/"><span style="color: #0066cc;">Click on this to read the entire article </span></a></div>
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/11/flash-what-me-pessimistic-egyptian.html">RubinReports: Flash: What, Me Pessimistic? Egyptian Election Outcome is Worse Than I Expected</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-53232109113427540262011-12-04T02:29:00.000+00:002011-12-04T02:45:55.656+00:00Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYEITZEI; KISSING AND A WEEPING TONIGHT<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
VAYEITZEI; KISSING AND A WEEPING TONIGHT </h3>
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<b>by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman</b></div>
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<i>This week's commentary is dedicated to a refuah shleimah for Erica Chava bat Elisheva.</i><br /><br />Just as Esav "lifted his voice and wept"- (Gen 27:38), so too does Yaaqov when he meets Rachel (Gen 29:11):<i> "Vayisa et qolo vayevk.</i>"</div>
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Identical language! What can we learn from this?<br /><br />We all have a "low" voice, which we use in our material pursuits. But we also have a "high," or raised voice which we use in our deepest spiritual moments. Not high in volume, but high in spiritual vibration.<br /><br />With Esav it was a plaintive cry of sorrow. But with Yaaqov it was a cry of joy. But just as Yaaqov is identified by his voice- his "<em>qol</em>," by lifting up his voice, Esav was finding his Yaaqovness within, that holy spark within himself, however late, that was worthy of a blessing from his father. And on the deepest level, by his words, he was "lifting up" his brother Yaaqov, euphemistically praying to heaven for Yaaqov to marry. By thus blessing his brother and wishing him joy, he merited blessing from his father, Yitzhaq, who found in his quiver of blessings one more left forEsav.<br /><br />So just as Rachel looked for a soulmate for her sister, Leah, and ended up finding one for herself as well, so too did Esav pray on behalf of his brother Yaaqov, and benefited himself in the process. This is the deepest meaning of<i> vayisa et kolo vayevk.</i><br /><br />Now Rachel was *also* Yaaqov's soulmate. She was the "outer" soulmate, while Leah could actually be considered the "inner" soulmate. Just as Sarah was characterized by her outer beauty, which was actually merely a reflection and expression of her inner beauty, so too was mother Rachel- <em>yefat toar viyfat mareh </em>(Gen 29:17).<br /><br />When Yaaqov meets Rachel he kisses her, which is actually a clever play on words with giving water-<i> vayashaq</i> vs. <i>vayishaq</i> (Gen 29:10,11). </div>
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This really is saying that when you give someone water, i.e., when you teach him Torah, you're touching the innermost soul part of that person. As water nourishes on the physical level, Torah nourishes and gives life on the soul level. Later we see kissing to be intrinsic to reunions of those who were separated and then reunited. Esav and Yaaqov weep when they later meet again. Similarly Yosef and his brothers weep when they reunite as Yosef reveals his true identity in Pharaoh's palace.<br /><br />"<em>Vayishaq</em>" (and he kissed) also alludes to a kind of death, in the sense of passing from one state to another. A <i>neshiqah</i>, a kiss, is really a <i>drawing out</i> of the soul to encounter its soulmate. A <em>nesheq</em>, or a gun, in modern Hebrew, is really the means by which to draw out the soul of a person from THIS life and enable him to cross over into the next life.<br /><br />Both Rachel and her sister Leah may have been destined to be Yaaqov's wives. How? We see it from what comes later, and we see it from what comes earlier- from after and from before.<br /><br />We see it in that twelve tribes descended from them and from their respective handmaidens. All twelve were beneficiaries of the Abrahamic blessing. As Ishmael had twelve descended entities, so too did Yitzhaq achieve parallel blessing through his son, Yaaqov, both blessed "seed descendants" of Avraham. This is the argument from "later."And we see it in the argument from "sooner," in the earlier Cain and Abel narrative, where the three sons of Adam and Eve (Cain, Abel and Seth) parallel and foreshadow the three patriarchs.<br /><br />Abraham is asked to kill Yitzhaq, but doesn't, thus achieving a <em>tiqun</em>, or a fixing for Cain's killing of Abel (first born killing the second born). Lamech had two wives (Gen 4:23), Adah and Tzillah. Chazal teach us that one was for beauty; the other, for procreation. Similarly, one of Yaaqov's wives was more loved (Rachel); the other was more for procreation (Leah). Indeed, Lamech says to them , <em>shma'an qoli</em>- listen to my voice. <em>Qol</em>, or voice, is always associated with Ya'aqov <em>(haqol qol Ya'aqov</em>).<br /><br />There is a strong connection between the earliest Hebrews and the earliest humans, even relating specifically to the love between Yaaqov and his wives. Here is a hint:<br /><br />Lamech says, (Gen 4:23): "I have killed a MAN by wounding, and a CHILD by bruising."<br /><br />This is an allusion to Yaaqov's future deceit and clever trickery. First against his brother (the child)- when he cajoles and buys the birthrite from Esau in a famished state when he was out of his mind from hunger, while still a youth. And later on, years later when he tricks his father Yitzchaq (the man) by gaining the actual birthrite blessing via gross deception.<br /><br />The final touch is when he then says "If Cain shall be revenged seven times, then for Lemech it shall be seventy seven times." That is, if someone were to seek vengeance for my misdeeds, the price shall be seven/seven. Esav sought to kill Ya'aqov. The result is now seven/seven. Seventy seven is also written as seven and seven. Seven years for Rachel and seven years for Leah!<br /><br />The story of Lemech may be only a literary prefiguration for Yaaqov and the other Avoth. But it may also hint of a reincarnative/metempsychotic connection between the first humans and the first Hebrews!<br /><br />Now that we understand that both Rachel and Leah were destined soulmates for Ya'aqov, we see in the text four hints of Leah's special connection toYa'aqov. The first hint is in Leah's name, and in the previous parsha's description of Ya'aqov as an "ish tam yoshev ohalim...a "perfect" man (Targum) who dwelled in tents. Why is ohel, or tent, expressed in the plural? The text could have said "yoshev ba'ohel,"i.e., in the singular. This plural expression may hint to his future association with Leah, for ohel in Hebrew, is an acronym of Leah!<br /><br />One ohel so as referring to his actual proclivity for dwelling in tents, the other ohel suggestive of his soul's proclivity for reuniting with Leah. A second hint of Leah's special soul connection to Yaaqov was in the Torah's description of Leah, referring to her eyes:(Gen29:17) <em>ve'eynei Leah rakot</em>...and Leah's eyes were "lovely," or "soft."<br /><br />Traditionally, we usually associate eyes with the inner, soul level, while beauty and good looks, are usually associated with the outside level (or at times as a manifestation or expression of an inner beauty). Leah's description focuses exclusively on her eyes, the proverbial windows to the soul.<br /><br />The third example is based on a comparison with other Biblical women who conceived and had children before their "competetive" wives or concubines. Hagar mocks and ridicules Sarah. Likewise in Judges, Peninah mocks and ridicules Hannah, who remained barren for many years. Not so Leah!<br /><br />Although she outpaces Rachel many times over before she (Rachel) could have children, nevertheless the text gives no indication of any scorn or mockery on her part towards her sister. This is quite laudatory, and is so valorized by the text. As a result, she partakes in the blessing of fulfilling the Abrahamic line and blessing through *her* children as well. Her experience lies outside the typical pattern, whereby usually the woman who remains barren for many years and subsequently gives birth has exclusive claims to blessings of her lineage. This was not the case with Leah, and so is further evidence of a soul connection with Yaaqov and bearer of the seed of Abraham (<em>zera Avraham</em>).<br /><br />The fourth hint of Leah's special soul relationship with Yaaqov is in a class all by itself, worthy of its own careful treatment. The four sons of Leah reenact in miniature the struggle of merit versus birth order that is played out in many Biblical fraternal conflict scenarios- Yitzhak and Ishmael, Ya'akov and Esav, to name just two. Here the first two by birth order, Reuven and Shimon, are played against Leah's second pair- Levi and Yehudah. Each of the first two are eventually cursed by their father,whereas the last two are held out for special blessings. Each pair of brothers correlates to the traditional single brothers in their birthrite primogenitural struggles.<br /><br />With regard to the first pair of Leah's sons, Reuven is cursed for allegedly moving his father's bed; Shimon is cursed for his wanton, gratuitous unrepentant violence committed against Shechem.<br /><br />And with regard to the second pair of Leah's sons, "Levi" does teshuvah on the tribal level for partaking in the same act as Shimon, by rechanneling his passion at the Golden Calf episode. He goes on to wear the mantle and robes of Israel's priesthood. Yehudah initially fails by his actions in the sale of Yosef, then redeems himself through his actions with regard to Binyamin later in the Joseph narrative. He subsequently wins his father's blessing and would later wear the mantle and crown of Israel's future monarchy. As this struggle is played out with Leah's sons, but not with the sons of Rachel, it suggests a special kind of relationship between Ya'akov and Leah, akin to that of the other patriarchal marital units. Hence they all similarly share burial privileges in Machpelah- the cave of the "couples."<br /><br />While we all seek our soulmates in life, we should understand that our truest soulmates are staring back at us in the mirror. We need to look forward to that day when we reunite with our true selves, and become the righteous person each of us was meant to become when we took the angelic oath upon leaving the womb (BT Niddah). As long as we keep standing near the well of Torah, we increase our chances of discovering that true-self soulmate.<br /><br />We may break many hearts when we go through life. And our hearts similarly may become broken many times. Our expectations may be dashed, our hopes may be shattered. But then we realize that all the doors we go through are but ladders to ascend up to the next level of experience, where we may hope to achieve a healing.<br /><br />Indeed, we also learn that to heal ourselves, we best start with first healing others. And in the process we move beyond our own pain and bring healing and blessing to everyone. May the weeping and crying we experience from sadness, become soon a weeping and crying that we experience from joy. As the psalmist says, "<em>Hazorim bedimah berinah yiktzoru -</em> may they who sow in sorrow, soon come to reap in gladness." May our tears of sadness become tears of joy! Amen.<br /><br />Shabbat Shalom. Good Shabbos!</div>
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© 2000 - 2011 by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms", verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">These words of Torah are written in the merit of my beloved father, Israel J. Melman, obm, Yisrael Yehoshua ben Harav Ya'aqov Hakohen Melman, z"l and in memory of my beloved mother, Esther Melman, obm, Esther bat Baruch z"l</span></div>
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<a href="http://seferchabibi.blogspot.com/2011/12/vayeitzei-kissing-and-weeping-tonight.html">Sefer Chabibi Deepest Torah: VAYEITZEI; KISSING AND A WEEPING TONIGHT</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-28163421344139177662011-12-04T01:55:00.001+00:002011-12-04T02:00:12.544+00:00UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYISHLACH<div style="text-align: justify;">
UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYISHLACH<br />By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum</div>
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Torah reading: Gen. 32.4-36.43. Haftara: Obadiah 1.1-21 (Optional substitution: Hosea 11.7-12.12).</div>
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THE ENCOUNTER WITH ESAU</div>
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At the end of the previous parshah, VAYEITZEI, we saw Jacob at MOUNT Gil'ad in his final encounter with Laban, who represents the evil husk in its spiritual manifestation, fake CHESSED-kindness. At Mount Gil'ad, Jacob made a "treaty" with Laban demarcating the boundaries which they and their descendants were to observe: these are the boundaries that neither good nor evil may overstep in the unfolding drama of human history. In prevailing over Laban, Jacob demonstrated that he had made a complete acquisition of Abraham's quality of CHESSED. As discussed in connection with previous parshahs, it was Abraham who went to the MOUNTAIN, and thus Jacob's "treaty" with Laban was struck at MOUNT Gil'ad.</div>
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In the present parshah, VAYISHLACH, we see Jacob struggling with the evil husk in its material manifestation, the "fallen" GEVUROS, worldly power and strength, as embodied in Esau, man of the FIELD. Thus at the beginning of the parshah, Jacob, who is about to enter the Promised Land, sends emissaries ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the FIELD of Edom (Gen. 32:4).</div>
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Esau was called the "man of the field" (Gen. 25:27), having received the trait of GEVURAH, power and strength, from Isaac, who, as the embodiment of holy GEVURAH, self-discipline, "went out to the field" (Gen. 24:63). However, the aspect of GEVURAH which Esau received from Isaac was the excess, unholy aspect: Esau's "field" was the wild outdoors. Thus later on, the Torah writes: "And if IN THE FIELD the man finds the engaged girl and the man takes hold of her and lies with her, that man that lay with her shall die, he alone... for as a man rises up against his neighbor and murders him, so is this matter" (Deut. 22:25). This FIELD of rape and murder is the field of idolatrous slaughter: "the sacrifices that they slaughter on the face of the FIELD... their sacrifices to the GOAT-demons (SE'IRIM) that they lust after them..." (Leviticus 17:5-7). According to the Rabbis, on the day when Esau came in "from the field" (Gen. 25:29) and sold his birth-right to Jacob, Esau was "tired" from the three cardinal sins of idolatry, sexual immorality and murder.</div>
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In order for Jacob to complete his acquisition of the birth-right and enter and acquire the Promised Land, he had to demonstrate that together with the CHESSED he had inherited from his grandfather Abraham, he had also made a complete acquisition of the trait of holy GEVURAH embodied in his father Isaac. Jacob demonstrated this in his struggle with Esau, where he prevailed through applying his consummate wisdom and humility. Thus we find in our parshah that Jacob also made a treaty of boundaries and separation with Esau. This boundary will prevail "... until I will come to my lord to Seir" (Gen. 33:14) -- "And when will he go? In the days of Mashiach, as it says, And the saviors will go up on Mount Zion to judge the house of Esau" (Ovadiah 1:21, in our haftara, see Rashi on Gen. 33:14). A substantial portion of our parshah is devoted to Esau, including the concluding section, which traces all the generations of Esau, including Amalek (Gen. 36:12) the historical counterfeit of Israel, and Rome (Gen. 36:43, "Magdiel", see Rashi ad loc.).</div>
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Jacob was first characterized as "a dweller of tents" (Gen. 25:27) -- the "tent" of Abraham (CHESSED) and the "tent" of Isaac (GEVURAH). "Planting" tents in a field turns the FIELD into a place of residence. Jacob's mission was to join and synthesize the holy traits of his fathers and teachers, CHESSED and GEVURAH, in order to build TIFERES, truth, beauty and balance. This is the HOUSE, the House of Jacob -- the HOUSE, family and people of Israel, and also the archetypal, model physical HOUSE that is to serve to guide all mankind to return to G-d, the "House of Prayer for all the Nations", the "HOME" of G-d: the HOLY TEMPLE. In the course of our parshah, we see Jacob busy building houses. He travels to Succos, "TABERNACLES" -- temporary homes. There Jacob built himself a HOUSE while making booths for his livestock.</div>
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Jacob then came "COMPLETE" to SheCheM (Gen. 33:18). The Hebrew word for "complete" is ShaLeM -- made up of the letters Shin, signifying fire, GEVUROS, Mem signifying water, CHASADIM, and the transcendent center-column Lamed, that shoots upwards exactly like the Vav on top of the Kaf from which the Lamed is formed. SheKheM signifies SHAFEL, the lowly material world, KOCHAVIM, the stars and constellations that direct what happens here, and the MALACHIM, the angels or the spiritual forces which "drive" the stars and planets (Likutey Moharan I:9). In Shechem, Jacob "acquired the lot of the FIELD in which he PLANTED HIS TENT..." (Gen. 33:17-19). Finally, at the climax of our parshah, "And Jacob said to his HOUSE and to all that were with him, remove the strange gods that are in you and purify yourselves and change your garments. And let us arise and go up to the HOUSE of G-d..." (Gen. 35:2-3). And then the House of Jacob was complete: "And the sons of Jacob were twelve" (Gen. 35:22).</div>
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Jacob could only succeed in building this HOUSE, the House of Israel and its center HOUSE, the Holy Temple, after having won a complete victory over Esau, representing ASIYAH, the world of material action, with its many traps and dangers. When the Temple stands, order prevails, and atonement is brought to Israel and the world through sending the SEIR-goat of atonement away to die in the wilderness (Lev. 16:21-22).</div>
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A GIFT, A PRAYER... AND/OR WAR</div>
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Esau came against Jacob with the implacable envy and enmity of the serpent towards Adam, for "he will stamp on you on the head and you will bite him at the heel (AKEV)" (Gen. 3:15). Even when Esau kissed, he really came to bite (see Baal HaTurim on "and he kissed him" Gen. 33:4 -- "in gematria, 'and he came to bite him'"). Jacob, YaAKOV, was so named because he "gripped the heel (AKEV)" of Esau (Gen. 25:26). This was how Jacob reclaimed Adam's greatness, the REISHIS, "head" or "birth-right", thereby stamping on and crushing the serpent's head.</div>
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Esau came with 400 men, the legions of death. 400 corresponds to the Hebrew letter Tav, last letter of the Aleph Beis, the ultimate in multiplicity. 400 signifies a complete array of numbers -- 10 x 10 -- on all four sides: number, measurement and limitation everywhere. This multiplicity stands counter to G-d's unity, represented by Jacob and his twelve sons (the twelve constellations and twelve hours, time and space), arranged in order in a square (= perfect balance) around the House, the Sanctuary, the BAYIS (from BereishYS), which ends in the letter TAV. The House of Jacob comes to overcome death, MAVES, which also ends with the letter TAV. For "her feet go down to death" (Proverbs 5:5) -- plurality, the worship of many gods.</div>
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Esau's GEVURAH was BRAWN, the power of physical force. ("I have abundance" Gen. 33:9). But Jacob overcame Esau's brawn through BRAIN, ROSH, ("kopf"), the wisdom gained from Jacob's synthesis: this is the TIFERES-DAAS center-column, the faculty of "putting things together" (CHOCHMAH and BINAH, CHESSED and GEVURAH). This is achieved through GIVE AND TAKE. Thus Jacob is the ultimate in humility: "I am too SMALL for all Your kindnesses" (Gen. 32:11). "Say they belong to YOUR SERVANT Jacob, a gift sent to MY LORD Esau" (ibid. v. 19). "And he PROSTRATED to the ground seven times until he approached his brother..." (33:3).</div>
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For Jacob is Ya-AKOV, the one who grasps the heel, and "the HEEL (AKEV) of humility is FEAR OF G-D" (Proverbs 22:4) -- "how AWESOME is this Place" (Gen. 28:17). The fear of G-d is the "beginning" of wisdom, the REISHIS, the birth-right (the Hebrew letters of the word REISHIS include the letters of the word YA-RE, "he is in awe"). For "the BEGINNING of wisdom, CHOCHMAH, is FEAR OF G-D" (Psalms 111:10) and "what wisdom made her crown, humility made the sandle on her heel (AKEV)" (Midrash).</div>
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Jacob knows that this world is but the heel of an entire system of worlds, and this is what gives him his mastery over this world. He is able to use this world to serve G-d by configuring and ordering the world properly. Jacob understands that there has to be give and take with Esau. He understands that Esau has chosen This World. Jacob thus "bribes" Esau with the "goat for Azazel", the gift of material wealth, which Jacob, as the source of all blessings, has the power to draw down and channel to the world.</div>
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The abundant gifts of livestock that Jacob sends to Esau contain a message. Rashi on Gen. 32:15 brings a midrash showing how the varying ratio of males to females among the different kinds of live-stock alludes to the appropriate ONAH or time of conjugal union for people in different walks of life (see Rashi there). In other words, the same Jacob who sent messages to Isaac in the "lentil soup" is now teaching the sexually wild Esau a lesson in how to tame and direct animal lust for the sake of good breeding. In this way, Jacob's material "gift" to Esau brings order and rectification to the world of ASIYAH.</div>
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Jacob offers peace and gifts (CHESED), but he is prepared for war to the very end (GEVURAH). Yet in his humility, Jacob knows that all the gifts and all the might of ASIYAH will not prevail against Esau without the help of G-d. "He prepared himself for three things: for a gift, for PRAYER and for war" (Rashi on Gen. 32:9). Prayer is at the center, in between CHESSED (gifts) and GEVURAH (war). "And Jacob said: G-d of my father Abraham and G-d of my father Isaac...." (Gen. 32:10).</div>
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Jacob struggled with Esau's root -- his SAR ("guardian angel") -- and it was his success against the angel that enabled him to prevail over Esau himself. Jacob's success was WIN/WIN, for even Esau gained what he really wanted: the material glory of this world. While Esau takes the material wealth, Jacob struggles to find the inner "face", the roots and inner meaning of the wealth and glory of this world. Thus Jacob calls the place of his struggle with the angel PENI-EL, "for I saw G-d FACE TO FACE" (Gen. 32:31). Yet in order for the world to continue to exist after we uncover the inner face, there has to be give and take. Jacob gets injured "in the leg" -- HOD. In this world, KULO OMER KAVOD, "everything cries out glory". In the very outcry of worldly glory, G-d's glory becomes concealed! As a result, Jacob's children -- "the legs" -- "do not eat from the slipped tendon" (GID HANASHEH). The Children of Israel are unable to eat all the material blessings of this world because of the blemished glory. In this world the glory is taken by Esau, for if Jacob's glory, the glory of Israel, were fully revealed, there would be no free will.</div>
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THE SIN OF THE MEN OF SHECHEM</div>
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The integrity of the House -- the family -- of Jacob depends upon family PURITY, observance of the laws of sexual decency and restraint. "Shall our sister be treated like a prostitute?" (Gen. 34:31). Moral purity is the very foundation of the Covenant of Abraham, which is sealed in the flesh of the male Children of Israel on the organ of procreation, indicating the need to restrain animal lust and elevate it in the service of G-d in order to breed righteous children to "guard the way of HaShem" (Gen. 18:19).</div>
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The rape of Dinah was a violation of this integrity by Shechem the son of Hamor (= donkey, physical animality) the Chivi (Chivia in Aramaic is "serpent" see Targum on Gen. 3:1). Shechem is the opposite of Joseph "the Tzaddik", the archetype of sexual discipline, who restrains himself with Potiphar's wife and eventually receives SheKheM (the three worlds, the lowly world, that of the stars and that of the angels, as discussed above) as well as -- according to the midrash -- marrying Dinah's daughter = Osnath.</div>
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Dinah's urge to go out and about "to see the daughters of the land" (a trait unbefitting the daughter of Jacob) exposed her to danger in a world that was still untamed. Abraham and Isaac had both faced trials because of the fallen morality of the Egyptians and the Philistines. Now Jacob's own daughter is raped by Shechem the Hittite, descendant of the accursed Canaan, son of Ham.</div>
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According to Torah law, Dinah, as a PENUYAH, "unmarried", was not forbidden to Shechem. What was forbidden was the manner in which he "saw her... and he TOOK her and lay with her": Shechem kidnapped Dinah. His crime was the violation of the Noachide Law against stealing, which prohibits the unlawful taking not only of goods but of people. The crime of the men of Shechem who were sitting "in the gate of their city" (Gen. 34:20) -- i.e. they were the judges of the city -- was that they watched this violation of Noachide law and did nothing.</div>
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In the words of Rambam (Maimonides) Laws of Kings 9:14: "In what way are they (the Children of Noah) commanded with regard to the rule of law? They are obliged to establish judges and magistrates in every region to judge cases relating to the other six commandments, and to warn the population. And any of the Children of Noah who violates one of these seven commandments is to be killed by the sword. AND FOR THIS REASON THE RULERS OF SHECHEM WERE LIABLE TO EXECUTION, for Shechem STOLE and they saw and they knew and they did not bring him to justice..."</div>
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The zeal of Levy and Shimon in perpetrating justice did not escape Jacob's censure, both in our parshah (Gen. 34:30) and in his blessings to his sons before his death (Gen. 49:5, "Shimon and Levi are brothers, weapons of might are their swords... Accursed is their anger... I will divide them among Jacob and scatter them among Israel...") Zeal is necessary yet dangerous. It is controlled when the zealots are divided and scattered. Levi was "scattered" by having to go around to all the farms to collect the Levitical tithes. This honorable scattering was the reward for the zeal showed by the tribe later on, at the time of the sin of the golden calf. However, Shimon's zeal was not so pure, and led to excess, as when the Zimri, Prince of the tribe of Shimon, took Kozbi the Midianite and challenged Moses. (Zimri was killed by Pinchas, son of Aaron from the tribe of Levi, exemplar of Holy Zeal). To rectify the challenge to Moses by the Prince of the House of Shimon, members of the tribe of Shimon were "scattered" by having to become scribes and teachers of Moses' Torah (see Rashi on Gen. 49:7).</div>
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LET US GO UP TO THE HOUSE OF G-D</div>
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The significance of the section of the parshah describing Jacob's "pilgrimage" with his family to Beth El, the HOUSE of G-d, has been discussed above. At Beth El, Jacob's acquisition of the birthright and the Promised Land was sealed, and he attained his name of greatness -- Israel -- from the mouth of G-d.</div>
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The House of Jacob was completed by the birth of Benjamin, who was the only one of Jacob's twelve sons to be born in the Land of Israel and who founded the tribe that was to contribute the first king of Israel, Saul, who was "head and shoulders above all the men of Israel" in his outstanding modesty and righteousness. Shamai, the Mishnaic Tanna and Av Beis Din ("father of the court") in the time of Hillel the Elder, was a descendant of King Saul, while Hillel, who was the Nasi or Prince (and as such, the highest in rank) was a descendant of King David. Thus the MACHLOKES (controversy) throughout the SHAS (6 orders of Mishneh), between BEIS SHAMAI and BEIS HILLEL is bound up with the struggle between Judah (son of Leah) and Benjamin (son of Rachel). This struggle is resolved through the process of clarifying the halachah, which practically always follows the opinion of Beis Hillel.</div>
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Conflict and its resolution is the theme of all the remaining parshiyos in the book of Genesis from next week (VAYESHEV) until the end of Genesis (VAYECHI). This is the story of the rectification of the world, which comes about through Mashiach son of David (who is from the tribe of Judah, son of Leah) and Mashiach son of Joseph (son of Rachel). In order to clear the way for the story of rectification, namely the story of Joseph and his brothers (in which the bond between Judah and Benjamin plays a central part), the Torah concludes our parshah of VAYISHLACH with an account of the generations of Esau. The theme of sexual immorality recurs in this account, for several of Esau's children and grandchildren were MAMZERIM (bastards -- see Rashi on Gen. 36:2 and 36:12 etc.)</div>
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This account ends with the account of the Seven Kings who ruled over Edom -- and died -- before there was a king in Israel. It is well known that these Seven Kings allude to the seven "fallen" Sefiros of the World of TOHU (devastation), while the last-mentioned king -- the eighth, of whom it does not say "and he died" -- is Hadar = Abraham, father of the World of Rectification.</div>
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This throws light on the meaning of Rashi's first comment on next week's parshah (on Gen. 37:1): "After the Torah writes for you the dwellings of Esau and his generations in brief, since they were not sufficiently important to tell in detail... the Torah now comes to the dwellings of Jacob and his generations at length and all the cycles (GILGULIM) of causes, for they are important before G-d... It can be compared to a jewel that fell in the sand. A person feels through and sieves all the sand until he finds the jewel. And when he finds the jewel, he throws away the pebbles and takes the jewel."</div>
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Shabbat Shalom!</div>
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Avraham Yehushua Greenbaum</div>
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--<br />AZAMRA INSTITUTE<br />PO Box 50037 Jerusalem 91500 Israel<br />Website: <a href="http://www.azamra.org/">http://www.azamra.org/</a></div>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-50896233800325693552011-12-04T01:51:00.001+00:002011-12-04T01:52:20.057+00:00UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYEITZEI<div style="text-align: justify;">
UNIVERSAL TORAH: VAYEITZEI<br />By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum</div>
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Torah reading: Gen. 28:10-32:3. Haftara: Hosea 12.13-14.10 (Optional addition: Micah 7.18) (Sephardi ritual: Hosea 11.7-12.12).</div>
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"AND JACOB WENT OUT FROM BE'ER SHEVA"</div>
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Last weeks parshah, TOLDOS, completed the story of Isaac, which concluded with Isaac's giving the blessings to Jacob and sending him away from home to find his wife. In our present parshah of VAYEITZEI, Jacob, the "perfect" or "compete" patriarch (since he incorporated the best of both Abraham and Isaac) now takes center stage, and the story of his life and that of his twelve sons occupies the remainder of the book of Genesis.</div>
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Jacob's departure from his parental home into exile in Padan Aram and his return from there with a complete family and laden with wealth are paradigmatic for the subsequent history of Jacob's descendants, Israel and the Jewish people. Historically the Israelites were repeatedly forced to leave the ancestral Land of Israel, yet always returned in increased numbers, together with the wealth acquired in exile: the souls of the proselytes and actual material wealth.</div>
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"AND HE CAME TO THE PLACE"</div>
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While Jacob's journey of exile to Padan Aram is paradigmatic of all later Jewish exile, his detour on the way there to "THE PLACE" (Gen. 28:11) -- Mount Moriah, "THE PLACE that G-d said to Abraham" (Gen. 22:9), that same FIELD where Isaac went to pray -- is paradigmatic of the GIVING OF THE TORAH. Thus the numerical value of the Hebrew letters of SuLaM, the "ladder" of Jacob's dream (Samech 60, Lamed 30, Mem 40) = 130 = SINaI, where the Torah was given (Samech 60, Yud 10, Nun 50, Yud 10). The Torah itself was given "in exile", in the wilderness. The dream of the ladder and Jacob's actions in response to G-d's promise of protection -- his laying the Temple foundation and his vow to tithe all he acquires for G-d -- are Torah. They are the very essence of the Torah, the GIVING OF THE TORAH for all Jacob's descendants. Jacob's eventual return to this PLACE where he "received the Torah" (see next week's parshah, Gen. ch. 35) is paradigmatic of the return of the Jewish people after exile to build the Holy Temple. The Temple and the Giving of the Torah are one concept.</div>
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The PLACE that Jacob "hit" (like you hit a target with an arrow or with a prayer) while on his way to Padan Aram was none other than the spot from which Adam was created: the place destined to bring atonement to all the Children of Adam in all generations through the sacrifical altar that is to stand there in the House of Prayer for all the Nations. This was the place where Noah sacrificed after the flood and this was where Abraham bound Isaac on the Altar. This was the field to which Isaac would return to pray. This place is alluded to in the opening word of the Torah, BeRAiSHIS, the Hebrew letters of which can be rearranged to form the words BAYIS ROSH, "the House that is the Head". As discussed in connection with the parshiyos of the last two weeks, Abraham had conceived of this place as a lofty -- and almost daunting -- MOUNTAIN of spiritual achievement. Isaac had brought the idea nearer to ordinary people by conceiving of it as a FIELD of regular endeavor. It was the innovation of Jacob, the "perfect patriarch", to bring the idea within reach of everyone (for fields, in which Jacob was expert, are still not accessible to everyone): Jacob conceived of the place as a HOUSE. "This is none other than the HOUSE of God" (Genesis 28:17; see Likutey Moharan I, 10).</div>
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In the words of the Talmud (Pesachim 88a): Said Rabbi Elazar: What does Isaiah mean when he says, "And many peoples will go and say, 'Come let us go up to the Mountain of G-d to the HOUSE of the G-d of Jacob!'" ? Why the G-d of Jacob and not the G-d of Abraham and Isaac? The answer is: Not like Abraham, who saw it as a Mountain ("as it is said this day, On the Mountain HaVaYaH is seen" -- Genesis 22:14). And not like Isaac, for whom it was a Field ("And Isaac went out to meditate in the Field" -- Genesis 24:63). But like Jacob, who called it a House: "And he called the name of that place Beth El, the House of G-d" (Genesis 28:19).</div>
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This passage comes to teach that at the consummation of human history, when "many peoples will go" in search of G-d's truth, the idea through which G-d will be understood by the peoples will be Jacob's idea: the idea of the House -- the Holy Temple. The conception of the Temple as a House brings the idea of devotion to G-d right into the house and home. The Temple is the epitome of all houses. Thus it has a kitchen (the AZARA or central courtyard) and oven (the Altar), a "living room" (the Sanctuary), with its "lamp" (the Menorah) and table (the Showbread Table), and a "bedroom", the Holy of Holies, place of the ZIVUG of the Holy One and the Shechinah (Divine Presence).</div>
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The Temple is the universal paradigm of what all of our homes should be, a place for the dwelling of the Divine Presence. At the very center of the Temple vision is the "ladder" that has angels "ascending and descending" on it. This is the ladder of devotion. Our prayers, blessings and simple, everyday "homely" mitzvos and acts of devotion send "angels" ASCENDING upwards to realms that are beyond our comprehension. The ascending angels in turn elicit angels of blessing who DESCEND into this world and into our very lives (such as the angels who accompany us from the synagogue to the home on Shabbos night and who, on seeing that we have made everything ready for Shabbos, bless our table, which is like the Temple altar.) The vow Jacob made upon inaugurating the House of G-d is the paradigm of all the different "vows" or commitments we make involving some kind of self-restraint and sacrifice in order to elevate ourselves spiritually and elicit G-d's protection. These acts of self-sacrifice send up ascending angels, drawing down descending angels of blessing. The foundation of devotion is our COMMITMENT (but without actual vows).</div>
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ENCOUNTER WITH THE WORLD OF OLD</div>
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Given that Jacob conceived of divine service using the metaphor of the HOUSE, it is fitting that the central focus of the story of his life is on how he built his house, namely the household of wives and children who made up the House of Jacob, and how he faced all their subsequent domestic problems -- the kidnap of Dinah, the quarrels and hatred among the twelve brothers, the sale of Joseph and all that followed from it.</div>
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The building of Jacob's House could be accomplished only through struggles of many kinds -- for truth, Jacob's quality, is born out of struggle on all levels, material and spiritual. In order to build his House, Jacob had to struggle with two major antagonists: Esau and Laban. Esau embodies the threat to the Holy House from the forces of excess and evil in the material world, ASIYAH. The encounter with Esau is a central theme in next week's parshah: VAYISHLACH. In this week's parshah of VAYEITZEI, the focus is on Jacob's encounter with Laban, whose threat to the Holy House is from the forces of excess in the spiritual worlds. Thus while Esau is portrayed as a HUNTER-WARRIOR, Laban is portrayed as a PRIEST (Rashi on Gen. 24:21, Gen. 31:30ff).</div>
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To build his House, Jacob had to rescue the sparks of holiness that were still to be find in the land of the Sons of the East (Gen. 29:19), literally the "Sons of OLD". These sparks of holiness were embodied in Rachel and Leah and their handmaidens, who were to mother the Souls of Israel. In order to rescue them, Jacob had to struggle with Laban, the High Priest of the "Old World", the unrectified World of TOHU (confusion) created by G-d to spawn the realm of evil with which man has to struggle in order to attain his destiny. Laban was the father of Be'or who was the father of Bilaam, also called Bela. Bela the son of Be'or is the first of the Seven Kings of Edom who ruled "before there was a king in Israel" (Gen. 36:31 ff.). These "Seven Kings" allude to the seven sefiros in their "fallen" manifestation as a result of the "breaking of the vessels". Kabbalistically, Bela corresponds to DAAS of the SITRA ACHRA, the evil consciousness that is the opposite of G-dly knowledge and awareness, the root of all the other sefiros. The ARI states that Bilaam-Bela was the incarnation of Laban, who is the very brain of the realm of evil, as indicated by his name, which consists of the letters Lamed (30) Beis (2) corresponding to the 32 Pathways of Wisdom, and Nun (50), corresponding to the 50 Gates of Understanding. Jacob's conflict with Laban continued in Moses fight against Bilaam and his pernicious spiritual influence.</div>
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Laban is the arch swindler and deceiver, symbolizing the force in creation that conceals G-dliness through our querks of false-consciousness that make evil seem like good and good seem like evil. Laban TRANSLATES one thing into another (we find an example of Laban as a translator in Gen. 31:47), distorting the entire meaning in the process. Time and time again, it turns out that Laban actually means something entirely different from what he appears on the surface to be saying. White-appearing Laban (Lavan in Hebrew = "white") is actually filthy black.</div>
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Since the devotions of Jacob (the Children of Israel) are accomplished by using the homely objects of this world to create the House of G-d through which the Divine Presence may dwell in the world, it is essential to cleanse the world of the mental distortions (the deceptions of idolatrous Laban) that could undermine the entire message of the Holy House.</div>
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Each one of us has the personal work of using Jacob's honesty to cleanse ourselves of the inner Labans that have us working for years chasing after phantoms, only to find ourselves sadly deceived...</div>
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THE WORK ETHIC</div>
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Jacob followed the example of Abraham's servant Eliezer (Gen. 24:11) in going to the WELL in order to find his ZIVUG (soul-mate). As father of the people who were to bring the spiritual waters of Torah to all mankind, Jacob expected to find the appropriate soul-mate at the place of the "water-drawers". There Jacob saw his first love, Rachel, whose beauty was visible also on the exterior, as opposed to Leah, whose spiritual greatness was more concealed. The swindle by which Laban motivated Jacob to work for seven years for Rachel but actually gave him Leah, forcing him to work another seven years to get Rachel too, was a harsh lesson in how life may give us what we didn't bank on.</div>
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The implicit message in Jacob's deals with Laban, whereby Jacob worked for everything he gained -- his wives, his children and his flocks -- is that honest work is good, even when swindlers lurk. The heavens and earth were made "to do" (Gen. 2:3). "For six days, work shall be done..." (Exodus 35:2): Work is a good thing! Jacob had received rich blessings from Isaac, but that did not mean he had what he gained through sitting back and doing nothing. It was his very conscientiousness in working to earn the promised good that made him deserve the blessings.</div>
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The repeated seven-fold cycles in our parshah (seven years of work for Rachel and Leah, the seven days of the marriage celebrations) are bound up with the underlying six-day/Shabbos cycle of creation which comes to rectify the seven fallen sefiros of the world of TOHU spawned by Bilaam-Laban. The holy sparks rescued by Jacob through his "work" -- Rachel, Leah, the handmaidens, their children, and the "flocks", namely the holy souls -- are all reordered in the world of TIKUN (Rectification, the sefiros in their holy manifestation) in the House of Jacob. Here Jacob (corresponding to Zeir Anpin, the unity of G-d) is joined and unified with his wives, Rachel (the revealed world) and Leah (the concealed world).</div>
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Jacob's main work and that of his wives was that of BREEDING -- the breeding of children and the breeding of "flocks". This comes to emphasize the centrality of family, education and good breeding in true civilization. The House about which Jacob's Temple comes to teach is not a far-off concept. It is the actual house and home in which we live, where our work must be to educate ourselves and our children to see and manifest G-d in our mundane, everyday activities.</div>
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Jacob is the archetype of the faithful employee. He starts off with nothing (according to the Midrash, Jacob was stripped of all his possessions by Esau's son Eliphaz as he set off for Padan Aram). He works conscientiously to benefit and enrich his employer, with scrupulous honesty and devotedness (as expressed in Jacob's eloquent self-defense Gen. 31:38 ff.). Jacob is pitted against a slick liar who keeps on changing the terms of agreements, who sells his own daughters, who watches his nephew work for his wives, children and flocks for 20 years and still says, "They are all mine...."</div>
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The practical teaching about the work ethic that emerges from this section of our parshah telling of Jacob's way of working applies to all mankind. It is an important aspect of the universal law against stealing:</div>
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"Just as the employer is cautioned not to steal or withhold the wages of the poor man, so the poor man (the employee) is cautioned not to steal the work of the employer by wasting a little time here and a little there so that he spends the entire day cheating his employer. The worker is obliged to be strict with himself in the time he devotes to his employer's work... and he is obliged to work with all his strength. For the righteous Jacob said 'For WITH ALL MY STRENGTH I worked for your father...'. And therefore he took the reward for this even in this world..." (Rambam, Laws of Hiring 13:7)</div>
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Those who are inclined to pass the working hours drinking tea and coffee, chatting, making irrelevant phone calls, etc. should take note.</div>
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Shabbat Shalom!</div>
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Avraham Yehushua Greenbaum<br />--<br />AZAMRA INSTITUTE<br />PO Box 50037 Jerusalem 91500 Israel<br />Website: <a href="http://www.azamra.org/">http://www.azamra.org/</a></div>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-2723757874303572292011-11-22T21:51:00.000+00:002011-11-22T21:53:16.081+00:00RubinReports: Karl Marx Visits Occupy Wall Street<br />
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<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/11/karl-marx-visits-occupy-wall-street.html">Karl Marx Visits Occupy Wall Street</a>
</h3>
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<br />
Karl Marx Visits Occupy Wall Street<br />
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<br />
By Barry Rubin<br />
<br />
<strong>November 1989, Moscow</strong><br />
During the Polish anti-Communist revolt, spearheaded by the workers, a joke
swept through Poland. According to the story, the Communist dictator couldn’t
figure out what to do in order to put down the uprising. So he went to Moscow to
visit Lenin’s tomb for inspiration and the Soviet authorities closed it down to
let him meditate there.<br />
"Oh Lenin,” said President Wojciech Jaruzelski, the situation is terrible.
Thecountry is in turmoil; the economy is collapsing; counterrevolutionaries <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span>
everywhere, the imperialists <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> subverting Poland, and the church is backing
the revolt. What should I do?<br />
Suddenly, Lenin, mummified as he was, came to life, sat up, and shouted,
“Arm the workers!”<br />
<br />
<strong>November 2011, New York City</strong><br />
The bear-like man <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> wild hair and long beard waddled down the lower
Manhattan street. <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="That">Dass</span> “old mole,” revolution, has stuck its head up into the
air again, sniffed the carbon dioxide laden firmament, and didn’t scurry <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="back">zurück</span>
down into the hole. A specter was haunting the world all right.<br />
<br />
He was excited to see it first-hand. But the sight was a shock. This was no
organized group of class-conscious proletarians but the flotsam of bourgeois
society. Drug users and sex fiends; spoiled brats from the upper bourgeoisie,
and anarchists.<br />
<br />
He had written about:<br />
<br />
“The social scum, <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> passively rotting mass thrown off by the lowest
layers of the old society, may, <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="here">hier</span> and there, be swept into the movement by a
proletarian revolution; its conditions of life, however, prepare it far <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="more">mehr</span> for
the part of a bribed tool of reactionary intrigue.”<br />
<br />
Perhaps his first impression was misleading or perhaps this movement was
indeed a tool of reactionary intrigue. He must investigate further.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://pjmedia.com/barryrubin/2011/11/22/karl-marx-visits-occupy-wall-street/"><span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="Read">Lesen</span> it all</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/11/karl-marx-visits-occupy-wall-street.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Rubinreports+%28RubinReports%29">RubinReports: Karl Marx Visits Occupy Wall Street</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-29087283306554745982011-11-22T21:42:00.001+00:002011-11-22T21:55:51.028+00:00RubinReports: Europe and the Palestinians: What's the Difference Between Ordinary insanity and Middle East Policy Insanity?<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/11/europe-and-palestinians-whats.html">Europe and the Palestinians: What's the Difference Between Ordinary insanity and Middle East Policy Insanity?</a>
</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
By Barry Rubin<br />
<br />
What is the definition of insanity? Repeating the <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="same">gleichen</span> behavior and expecting
<span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="different">unterschiedliche</span> results.<br />
<br />
What is the definition of Middle East policy insanity? Intensifying the <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="same">gleichen</span>
behavior <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> has already failed and expecting a better result.<br />
<br />
Example: After 60 years of failure by radical Arab nationalism being
intransigent, warring on the West, trying to destroy Israel, and seeking to
create a utopian Arab society <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> turns into a ightmare, we <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> about to get
six decades or so of revolutionary Islamism doing each of these things in an
even <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="more">mehr</span> extreme way.<br />
<br />
But here's my favorite instance for <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="today">heute</span>. For almost three years, the
Palestinian Authority (PA) has refused to negotiate <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> Israel. It has kept
none of its commitments, rejected every U.S. initiative, and wasted an entire
year playing <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> a unilateral independence bid at the UN to avoid making a
compromise peace. It has <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="made">gemacht</span> a unity agreement <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> the genocidal, antisemitic
Hamas.<br />
<br />
The PA has also been rife <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="with">mit</span> corruption and there is a huge economic
catastrophe facing Europe. Oh, and the PA also maintains a huge,
well-paid security establishment <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="that">dass</span> doesn't do anything useful and has on its
payroll antisemitic preachers who spew hate<br />
<br />
So how does Europe respond? Obviously by <a data-mce-href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=437777&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter" href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=437777&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter">increasing
aid to </a>the PA by 20 percent, from 500 million to 600 million Euros for
2012.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="That">Dass</span> will teach them a lesson all right! But what lesson? Why the lesson that
extremism, intransigence, refusal to make peace, inciting to violence
and glorifying terrorism <span style="background-color: white; background-image: none; border-style: none; color: black; display: inline; float: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: static; text-decoration: inherit;" title="are">sind</span> rewarded.</div>
<br />
<a href="http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2011/11/europe-and-palestinians-whats.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+Rubinreports+%28RubinReports%29">RubinReports: Europe and the Palestinians: What's the Difference Between Ordinary insanity and Middle East Policy Insanity?</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-85935404144766156872011-11-20T22:16:00.000+00:002011-11-20T22:17:30.240+00:00First Gaza smuggling tunnel was dug 10 years before "blockade"<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
First Gaza smuggling tunnel was dug 10 years before "blockade"
</h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="post-header" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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<a href="http://www.palpress.co.uk/arabic/?action=detail&id=28636">Palestine Press Agency</a> has a long article about the tunnel trade between Gaza and Egypt based on an Egyptian report.<br />
<br />
Some parts of interest:<br />
<blockquote>
Relieving the siege of Gaza is not the reason for creating the idea of
tunnels "but profit only and nothing else" says Abumahmod, owner of a
tunnel that collapsed for no apparent reason. He said that the proof is
that drilling of the first tunnel was in in <b>1994 </b>by one of the
most famous families in Rafah, a Palestinian family, "in order to
smuggle goods across the border as it happens on the borders between
many countries in the world."<br />
<br />
Abusaúb says sources of goods that enter Palestine are between three
countries, namely China, South Korea and Turkey, as well as Egyptian
goods. Palestinian merchants travel to those countries, and transfer
the goods to Egypt to then be transferred into Gaza through tunnels...<br />
<br />
[Another] revealed that the tunnels are used to transport all goods,
regular and non regular, including forbidden items such as drugs and
weapons, and noted that some tunnel owners recently had started<b> transporting Israeli goods to be sold in Egypt through the tunnels</b>, "as some Egyptians prefer." Many of the Gazans who sell them boast about Israeli products in their shops.</blockquote>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/11/first-gaza-smuggling-tunnel-was-dug-10.html#.Tsl8O46x_hs.blogger">First Gaza smuggling tunnel was dug 10 years before "blockade"</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4107619456052903894.post-79326998119723911002011-11-20T22:14:00.000+00:002011-11-20T22:17:40.554+00:00Egyptian feminism, Salafi-style<br />
<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: justify;">
Egyptian feminism, Salafi-style
</h3>
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</div>
<div class="post-header" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.translatingjihad.com/2011/11/female-candidate-for-egyptian.html">Translating Jihad</a> brings us an article from<a href="http://www.alwatanvoice.com/arabic/news/2011/11/17/215883.html"> Donia Al Watan:</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote>
Female Salafi Candidate for Egyptian Parliament: "<b>Women Are Deficient in Intelligence and Religion, and It Is Not Permissible for Them to Be in Authority</b>" <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ok9lTeEjfng/TslcIkonQ1I/AAAAAAAAFYU/exfS2FM0A7s/s1600/salafiwoman.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ok9lTeEjfng/TslcIkonQ1I/AAAAAAAAFYU/exfS2FM0A7s/s320/salafiwoman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A female salafi candidate for Egyptian Parliament, Muna Salah, said to
al-Sharq al-Awsat that women are deficient in intelligence and religion,
and it is not permissible for them to be in authority or to occupy the
office of the presidency. She defended her candidacy for the People's
Council, saying that acting as a representative in the Council only
partial authority and not complete authority, such as the presidency of
the republic. She added that she seeks to apply the Islamic shari'a,
including cutting off the hands of thieves, preventing the mingling of
men and women, and specifying black clothes for women and white clothes
for men. <br />
<br />
While just one of thousands of candidates in the upcoming parliamentary
elections, Muna Salah--president of the Manabir al-Noor Charity
Association in Egypt--continues to provoke controversy. She is one of
two veiled candidates in the parliamentary elections scheduled to take
place in two weeks.</blockquote>
<br />
There's other stuff in the article. For example, even though Muna sent
her daughter to a mixed non-religious school, she would want to
introduce legislation to keep all schools separated between boys and
girls. <br />
<br />
But you've got to admit, she looks really hot for a 53 year old.</div>
<br />
<a href="http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/11/egyptian-feminism-salafi-style.html#.Tsl7hNddE74.blogger">Egyptian feminism, Salafi-style</a>J.R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15619580994279437285noreply@blogger.com0