Wake Up (Set Your Sights)

The well-known Meshech Chochmah (Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk) on the posuk “ואף גם זאת בהיותם בארץ איביהם לא מאסתים ולא געלתים לכלותם להפר בריתי אתם” in our Parsha, Bechukosai, explains the inevitable advent of destruction when Jews abandon the Torah and become assimilated and depraved. Many see this as a prediction of the Holocaust, which occurred less than two decades after his passing.

I, however, disagree with this approach. A prediction should be much more precise and focused. Rav Meir Simcha in fact points out the difference between the cyclical history of Gentiles versus that of the Jews; whereas Gentile empires, after “ripening” in might, size and glory, become degenerate, narcissistic, interested only in their enjoyment and material well-being lose their determination for survival, they are struck down by an inferior, yet determined and ferocious nation. This chain of events is observable in all major civilization-empires known to us: Assyria, Media, Persia, Greece, Rome, et al.

In contrast, whenever the Jewish nation follows a similar path, they incur immense retribution and suffering (I assume this is what is taken as prediction of the holocaust, in light of his extremely descriptive language), but aren’t annihilated; they survive as a nation despite the terrible calamity.

The really puzzling item, to me, is how the author throws together all Jews – Orthodox, secular, reform, etc. - in his criticism. Of course all denominations are deserving of ample criticism, but there are huge differences between these groups. How can one criticize great talmidei chachomim, reformers, common folks, secularists in one sentence – and for the same thing? Is it possible to say “יחשוב כי ירושלים היא ברלין – he shall imagine that Berlin is Jerusalem”, as a combined repudiation for both the lamden and the atheist? How could this be?

I think the answer is simpler than expected – perhaps when our link to the creator becomes so external, so routine, so “מצות אנשים מלומדה”, there is no more difference between frum and not frum. When we, as a whole, exercise our Yiddishkeit so outwardly and routinely that it becomes just a matter of culture or communal adherence – we’re no different than secularists, atheists and reformers. When real yearning for bais hamikdosh is no longer burning in us, when we feel so at ease in golus, when we feel too comfortable in front of the gmora, that’s when Yiddishkeit is truly in danger. When even the sincere ones aren’t so sincere – it’s not for G-d but for the clan or the self, then there is no other way but to fulfill the contract through extermination and calamity, which ultimately results in a phoenix-like revival.

It may seem contradictory to the Torah/Yiddishkeit's uniqueness – consisting in being every Jew’s lot, as imperfect as he may be- but there is a great difference between the average people being imperfect and the entire nation being soaked in gashmius and “self-ism”. We don't live the Torah anymore. The frum seem to ignore bain odom lachvero’s existence, while the self-righteous falsifiers sanctimoniously use this as an excuse for their trampling of the Torah. This is our great problem today.
The writing is on the wall. Neo-Communism (officially named ‘progressivism’) from the West, massacre (officially named “the religion of peace”) from the East, and economical havoc from everywhere, disaster looms while we await the impending doom.

There is no other way but to wake up, repent and unite.
So wake up, wake up and set your sights.



© Joseph Izrael 2008

Slave To The Grind

Steg sings his second Passover Hymn, ”No More AuctionBlock For Me” at the Seder. Although feeling other peoples’ suffering is noble and praiseworthy, I believe that celebrating other peoples’ freedoms on Pessach is inappropriate. There are 358 days in the year to do that, but during Passover we celebrate our own independence and our own formation as a nation – nobody else’s.

There is, however, a far, far deeper aspect to the differences between our freedom and the blacks’ emancipation.

Redemption from physical slavery is a central theme on Pessach, but it isn’t the only one - certainly not the main one.

G-d tells Moishe Rabeinu: “Sanctify to me each firstborn in Israel”. Moishe Rabeinu goes and starts tormenting Israel with halachic minutia: for seven days now, no bread, no bagels, no pizza. Then, when you will be in the land of Israel, on this day, you will have to slay a lamb in this and this manner, and keep this holiday, and teach it to your children, and even strap these laws on your arms and your foreheads with leather strings. The parshes must be written in such and such manner, on such and such kind of parchment etc. etc. etc. Poor Jewboyz! They’ve just heard the good news that they’re finally leaving Egyptian servitude, and here comes Moshe showering them with halochos, without letting them breathe even for a second! Heck, not even a muffin before setting out to the desert? Nope. Stale hand matzos. Bada”tz shmura, with Brisker chumrahs. But how does this sanctify the Jewish firstborn (who were originally meant to serve in the Mishkan with the Leviim)?

Until then, in order to become a true ‘עבד ה one had to truly, completely and absolutely devote his entire being, inside and out, mind body and soul to G-d’s servitude to a degree of perfection, – in other words, become an Avrohom, Yitzhcok, Yaakov or Moshe. At יציאת מצרים the people united to obey one G-d, one Law – a Law that shall encompass their entire life and being, from cradle to crypt, with G-d’s hot breath in their necks forever: when they sin, they’ll incur supernatural retribution – plague, defeat and exile. When they’ll do His will, they’ll be tempted by their neighbors, and will have to withstand the arrogance and decadence that comes with power and prosperity. Every moment and passing breath will have to be dedicated to Him – what they eat, how they eat, how to sleep, to tie shoes, how to wage war and how to make peace, how and when to bring קרבנות… That’s how we became a people. That really meant that from now on, one belonging to this nation would be able to live G-d and His Law despite his sins and shortcomings.

That’s how our בכורות became קדוש we all became קדוש, and they became more קדוש. They were singled out on the day that sanctified us all, and their קדושה depends on our acceptance and observance of קדושה.

The problems begin when we lose focus, and start following Pharaoh's command: תכבד העבודה על האנשים ואל ישעו בדברי שקר. When we start enslaving ourselves to materialism, that's when our Torah becomes a שקר, and we become slaves again... Yet even so, even when mincha/maariv is but a pain and chol hamoed becomes an excuse to go to lavish hotels and amusement parks, we're still bound together -"ועוד ידו נטויה"- and need no artificial glue - durags, rap, and buggy pants ”50% off” to identify ourselves and create kinship.

A nation whose plumbers, engineers, cabbies, lawyers, chefs and schoolteachers gather after a long day’s night to learn their Law – intricate hair-splitting on oxen goring sheep, wheat adding 1/200th of growth in proximity of grapes and hilchos tumah vtaharah is a Free Nation – even if it has swindlers, concert-banning thugs and “rabbis” who cover up for child molesters.



© Joseph Izrael 2008

Two Minutes To Midnight

My 17th cousin, fellow pyromaniac and ideological twin (in the sense that our ideas always run parallel to each other; they never meet), Hagaon Hakadosh Reb Steg (not to be confused with Steg, Steg, Steg, Steg or Stag) posted two “Passover hymns” on his website: the first, ‘Creeping Death’ by Metallica, deeply disturbs him. The second, ‘No More Auction Block For Me’ performed by several artists, including Maran Reb Zimmermann, deeply inspires him.

Brother Steg; please be not disturbed by a drunken, LSD saturated rock’n’roller who spends his life between Sunset Boulevard and different rehabs, and his money between CAIR, NAMBLA and the DNC. The idea that our G-d is cruel and vengeful is not new. In fact, I am fond of worshiping Him rather than some wussy surfer telling me to turn the other cheek or a pedophile obsessed with conquering the world by sword and fire.

But why indeed, did G-d pass over the houses with lambs’ blood on the lintels? According to one widely known peirush we were commanded to take a lamb ten days prior to the Exodus. The Egyptians would see how their deity is destined to be slain, yet be unable to prevent it.

What is idol worship? According to R. Avrohom Grodzniski (of the early baalei mussar), anything to which one attributes power, and worships it one way or another.
The Egyptians, even after witnessing G-d’s great power, clung not only to their idols, but their wretched slaves. (I mean, let’s be serious – how much could those kikes with big noses, Yerushalmi hats and flying pajes already worth as slaves? They probably swindled out half of Pharaoh’s hay, then smuggled it to Nubia and sold it as premium Egyptian gold dust.)

The lamb is not a major Egyptian deity – far behind Ra, Osiris, Isis, the scarab and some aquatic fowl. True, it is perhaps the only one fit for a korbon – but it was also the Jews’ parnossah (at least formerely - aparently, they still posessed flock even at that time). So now the G-d of Legions tells them that they will soon be out of Egypt – but first they’ll have to slay their own idol – to take Egypt out of themselves. The lamb will be no more a mere object of livelihood and nutrition. They’re not going to freedom just to build another empire like Egypt. And they're not going for a picnic either. They were going in an arid desert to receive a Law – a Law to cherish and live by, as a nation and as individuals. And to proclaim this, they had to stain the openings to their abodes with the lamb's -their own Gelt’s- blood. And while they sat inside, pondering on their future as the Torah’s Nation, The Giver Of Life smote the readers of the Book Of The Dead, who, even after witnessing G-d’s greatness in so many ways, after so many warnings, instead of rebelling against Pharaoh’s egomaniacal tantrums, followed him blindly, as slaves... to the power of death…

© Joseph Izrael 2008

Stained Class (Israel Syndrome Pt. IV)

Part I
Part II
Part III
Intermezzo

The iron forge. The crucible. This is what Klal Yisroel’s residence - nay, cradle - is termed by Chazal. The Egyptian exodus is considered the independence of Jews and our becoming a nation. But wasn’t it meant to happen earlier?

Yaakov Avinu blesses his sons before his death. Each son by himself, the brothers - together them all. Seemingly, neither the brothers’ belief that they’d be kings and nations’ progenitors, nor Yossef’s dreams of a totally unified nation materialized. With the twelve brothers’ death come two centuries of incertitude and servitude, culminating in Kabbolas HaTorah – the acceptance of the Law – at Sinai. Under common Law and leadership, the Nation was now clearly defined – which became all the more evident with the conquest of the Patriarch’s Land.

The establishment of the Jewish monarchy wasn’t easy, nor did it happen fast. The way to the throne was fraught with many a bloodbath. Despite feuds, even until Shaul’s ascent to the throne, the Nation was one. Sadly, this wasn’t a given for too long. Shlomo Hamelech, the wisest of all men, committed a grave error – for which he was duly criticized. Duly – but not respectfully. His critic had to flee in exile, but when he spotted a moment of weakness in the reign of Shlomo’s successor, he came back with a vengeance.

Yerav’am ben Nevat split the kingdom and cast two golden calves on the way to the Bais Hamikdosh to prevent Jews from attending the Temple for worship. By doing so, he not only became one of the most infamous Jews in history, but set a precedent for all future dissidents. Unfortunately, he is followed by a long line of ideologues and sects that further harmed and weakened Israel through the generations. Helenizers, Esseans, Karaites, Jacob Frank, Shabtai Tzvi, Maskilim, Hassidism, Reform, Bundists, Zionism, Modern Orthodxy have all contributed to further chop and trim Klal Yisroel – some of these groups with the explicit intention of doing so.

Before you jump at my throat, accusing me of comparing this to that, let me make clear that I’m only comparing the process by which new groups form. Point is, every time Jews have an idea, are unhappy with a certain situation, or just want to reject authority, they form a new group, generally heralding some tremendous innovation – which G-D somehow couldn’t figure out for five thousand years.

Traditionally, Judaism has viewed any innovation –for good or otherwise- with suspicion. Even the groups and ideas that eventually became accepted were absorbed slowly, gradually, and their acceptance was fraught with opposition and controversy.

That people take their beliefs and ideals seriously – seriously enough to live by them to a rather high degree – is generally a good thing. Extremism is good if the ends are good and good is not arbitrarily self-defining (or defined self-servingly). But at a certain point extremism becomes fanaticism. Where and how exactly to define this is not easy and will vary according to one’s beliefs and perceptions. But I’m fairly convinced many would agree that forming segregated groups that won’t intermingle based on their ideology – and in many cases much less; the name of a godforsaken village in Galicia is often enough – is indeed fanaticism. The fact that in secular society there are almost no such barriers (e.g. marriage between political leftists and right-wingers or different branches of a religion) may be an indication they aren’t too dedicated. So how about the fact that the very same loyalty to G-d, in the name of which we seclude in groups within groups, is so blatantly disregarded in other areas? (Of course tolerating a grand ganef - or worse - in a community isn’t comparable to an openly different ideology, but it still doesn’t justify the airtight segregationism ubiquitous within Judaism.)

Alas, greed, corruption and hunger for power make this über-idealism even less rosy than it seems. Add to this the sad fact that the stubborn isolationism continues even in the face of existential danger, - makes you feel like checking in the nearest sanatorium. Or joining the KKK. Or getting a hook and a rope from Home Depot – you can do it, we can help. Oh, wait – that’s exactly what we’re doing, on a larger scale.

Is our idealism really as true as it seems? If so, how come so many practice only in a tribal, folkloristic way, couldn’t care less about the principles yet stay within a specific fold/mold? And how come the most principled people who have such a clear picture of the trees are blind to the forest?

Isn’t it possible, despite all obstacles, fears and doubts, to achieve at least a certain sense of unity and solidarity? For collaboration at least on the broadest levels? Can’t at least some of the stupidity, the selfishness, paranoia and corruption be trimmed away? Or do we want another dip in the crucible?

How History will unfold no one can tell, yet all can influence. How the script will play itself out until the grand finale largely depends on the cast.



© Joseph Izrael 2007

Roxanne

We just read about Shimon and Levi slaying an entire town for tolerating a tremendous injustice done in their midst. But there was something else at play too – maybe even deeper and more fundamental than the simple reason attributed to the retribution.

Yaakov chastises his sons, saying that by their action, they have placed him in peril. Their reply seems totally detached and unrelated to the rebuke: “? הַכְזוֹנָה, יַעֲשֶׂה אֶת-אֲחוֹתֵנוּ - Shall our sister be dealt with as a prostitute?” Communication breakdown? How does this possibly answer their father’s claim that their actions caused them to face extermination? No answer, no give and take. The chapter ends here.

So what was so convincing about this short snippet that left Yaakov Ovinu speechless? What can possibly make you agree that putting your life in danger was justified?

Had Yaakov’s sons taken their father’s reasoning into consideration, what would have been the outcome? Would the Hittites and surrounding nations have respected and honored Bnai Yisroel for being able to restrain themselves? Would they see the Daughters of Israel as dignified women with self-respect? Would they be safer that way?
In all probability that’s not exactly the message the Hittites would have gotten. And perhaps, they would not have been better off being constantly victimized by the neighboring bullies.
And maybe even if it wouldn’t have turned out exactly like that, what kind of life is it knowing you can be bought?

Well, certain things are worth fighting for. Dying for. Suffering for.

Certain things just cannot be prostituted, bastardized and sold out. The Torah is one of them. One’s integrity is another. Yes, there is a tremendous amount of flexibility. But there are red lines. And it really doesn’t matter whether you start by prostituting your integrity or the Torah. They’re bound together. If you start cutting corners “for the Torah”, first a little white lie, a little dishonesty here, a bissaleh fraud there… If you start cutting corners of the Torah… you’ll end up in the same place as well… you’ll eventually cut the fundamental corners, the cornerstones. You’ll willfully distort the Torah, as distortion will become part of you.

Maybe Shimon and Levi’s mistake was taking booty. They didn’t make it clear enough that their sole objective was doing justice. They declared to the entire world: “Don’t mess with us!” But then and there they also erred buy touching the material belonging. And perhaps that was Yaakov Ovinu’s claim against them: if you can’t carry out your duty in the purest possible form, you may as well not do it at all. But they still answer him There’s no prostituting the Torah!

'אין חכמה ואין תבונה ואין עצה נגד ה

© Joseph Izrael 2007

Tears Of Fire

In case video fails click here.

Jew's Syndrome Pt. I (Sad Wings Of Destiny)

Have a great Shabbos, and don't forget to talk to your rav about EJF! Truth must prevail!


© Joseph Izrael 2007

Demolition (Israel Syndrome - intermezzo)

Includes vague references to Part I
Part II
Part III

מי האיש החכם ויבן את זאת ואשר דבר פי ה' אליו ויגדה ל מה אבדה הארץ ונצתה כמדבר מבלי עבר
Who is the wise man who shall understand this, which the mouth of G-d spake to him, and tell why the land was lost and desolated as a desert with no passers through

The gmora in Bove Metsie (85a/b) interprets this posuk as a question “why was the land lost?” i.e. the Temple’s destruction and the exile. The sages, the prophets and the angels could not answer it, so The Holy One Bessed Be He answered himself “עַל-עָזְבָם אֶת-תּוֹרָתִי, אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לִפְנֵיהֶם; וְלֹא-שָׁמְעוּ בְקוֹלִי, וְלֹא-הָלְכוּ בָהּ. – for they have forsaken my Torah that I gave before them and haven’t heeded my word and haven’t gone in it[s teachings]”. The gmora explains that this doesn’t mean that there was no Torah learning – but that the people wouldn’t “שלא ברכו בתורה תחלה…. They [the people] didn’t bless the Torah first”. According to the commentators, this means that the Torah wasn’t important in their eyes and was disrespected. Which is an oxymoron – how is it possible to toil day and night over the Torah and not holding dearly important?
But this explanation does not match any of the reasons given in various gmoras. According to the simple understanding, this refers to the first Temple’s destruction, as this is a verse in Yirmiyohu. But in Yirmiyohu’s times the Torah was literally abandoned – the sages and prophets needn’t have to be consulted on the matter. We also know that idol worship, adultery and bloodshed were ubiquitous, and this reason for the destruction is spelled out in scriptures. Furthermore, the land was not ‘lost’, in the sense that the Jews returned from exile seventy years later.

Joseph’s dreams have come true in a way he never dreamt himself; the tribes were not separated anymore – for they were lost… And still, there was no unity between them.
In the era of the second Temple’s destruction, there was intense Torah learning, and it was destroyed because of sinas chinom, baseless, vain or “free” hatred. So how was the land lost due to a lack of proper Blessings for Torah? And why was that so terrible as to cause the destruction and the exile?

Our sages explain that the word ברכה is rooted in בריכה – pool, in the sense of container, a storing of sorts, or source, from which the ‘blessing’ emanates. In other words, when we “make a brocha”, we acknowledge that G-d is the source and giver of that which we have. Meaning that it’s not us who ‘bless’ the Creator, but rather acknowledge him as the source of our blessing. This word ברכה is always used with the preposition על - on (for). We make a brocha on an apple etc. But here the gmora states “ שלא ברכו בתורה תחלה…. They didn’t bless in the Torah first”. This makes absolutely no sense. Blessing in something has no meaning. So why does the gmora expresses itself this way?

The utmost disrespect for something, or someone, is to know it well, deal with it on a daily basis, and blatantly ignore it, flying in its face. Achdus Yisroel, the unity of the Jewish people is the absolute crucial and central concept of the Torah. The revelation of the Torah would not have been possible without perfect and sincere unity. Toiling in torah has for its purpose the perfection of the soul, the polishing of the self, to achieve closeness to the Infinite. And perhaps the clearest indicator to such closeness and perfection is the love, the true brotherhood to the fellow Jew. And it’s also the hardest. Since the Torah has so many facets and aspects, and our History and backgrounds are so turbulent and different, it is a real challenge to respect one another without compromising our beliefs and the way Torah is. But it must be achieved – and it can; to cite “e pluribus unum”, for the sake of a cheesy cliché.

Maybe this is the true meaning of “שלא ברכו בתורה תחלה…. They didn’t bless in the Torah first”, they wouldn’t acknowledge that the blessing was in the Torah, the obligation of unity and solidarity. That the fulfillment of this commandment is also a condition, - a condition for G-d’s bestowing his blessing and protection on us. If there was sinas chinom, if the crucial concept in Torah, the very condition for its deliverance in the hands of our Nation, is abandoned, that is the utmost disrespect. And if the cornerstone is missing, the entire building collapses. Than all other rituals are meaningless motions – the Temple lost its unifying power, and as a result was destroyed.

May we open our eyes and begin to unite – in sincere brotherhood, despite our differences.

May we merit to be united, in life, and see our Temple’s building soon.

The Seventh One

When I was in first, second, third, fourth (may I help you count, sir?) grades, the rabanim and teachers always reminded us that the fifth commandment is on the right side of the tablets;
According to tradition, the Ten Commandments are divided in two: The first five, on the right tablet, are commandments between man and G-d. The other five are between man and his fellow. But this raises a difficulty in regard with the fifth Commandment: Honoring one’s parents is clearly a man-to-man obligation – why, then, is it on the right side? The answer is, say our Sages, that the honor and respect one owes his father and mother is on an entirely different plan than the honor mutually owed between all people. There is a G-d mandated, sacred honor each man is bound to yield to his parents, independent of the toils, sacrifices, finances and energy they invested in him. This obligation is in place even if one never met his parents – or met them only later in life.

As I grew older, I started to wonder why the Seventh Commandment is on the left, among the man-to-man obligations? If it can count as damage at all, it’s a “הזיק שאינו ניכר” (no material damage) yet capital punishment is in place even if the cuckolded husband didn’t know about his wife’s infidelity. Furthermore, the sinners are liable even if the husband knew and agreed to such behavior! If so, this is clearly not a commandment between man and his fellow, rather a G-d mandated Law.

The simple answer might be that marriage is a sacred pact between humans – that the structure of human society shall forever remain the bond between man and woman, and that this bond should be forever respected. Hence adultery is a crime against all humans – and the offenders are liable regardless of the husband’s ignorance or consent to their destructive behavior – as they sinned against their fellow humans.

The out-of-control promotion of deviant behavior might be an indication of the breakdown of a cohesive society, and humanity’s obligation to live, if not in perfect harmony, at least in a semblance of peace or at least truce. We witness vicious hatred between people of different persuasions – yet there is no substantial difference in their ways of life and daily actions – their hatred stems from their subscribing to different ideologies or beliefs. Or does it? Aren’t those ‘ideologies’ mere excuses for people to vent their hate at each other?

Did we lose focus of our duty in this world? Did we forget that flesh is not the final destination? Isn’t our addiction to the sweetness of the moment, the unprecedented abundance and well-being, the cause of our downfall? Life has never been easier before – and yet… yet spiritually we keep sinking lower and lower. Isn’t a lowly, fanatical, barbaric ‘culture’ here to wake us up? They aren’t impressed with big fancy cars, gold-rimmed toilet seats and comfy air-conditioned parlors (10-ft cathedral ceilings, designer sofas & Persian carpets included) – yet they are willing not only to die, but to live a life of hardship and often suffering for the sake of their beliefs.

Haven’t we committed some sort of adultery? Haven’t we turned our backs on our Sanctuary, our Land, our Father for the sake of a pretty lifestyle?

Sin After Sin (Israel Syndrome Pt. III)

(loosely continued from part II
includes refernces to part I)

Yossef sees his very own brothers before his eyes, after an absence of twenty-two years. Instead of jumping in their arms, he starts a seemingly cruel charade of confusion and obscurity. The most dazzling part in this familiar story, in my very humble opinion, is that the scriptures never actually tell us why Yossef had to harass his brothers at such lengths. If admission of the brothers’ guilt was the objective, it was right there after the first accusation was made. But it seems that Yossef wanted more than that.

Rashi points out that the one who found the money pouch in his pack is Levi, based on the word “the one”, referring to his being the single one remaining of a pair. It is not clear whether Rashi himself intended to hint to it, but it seems that this was no mistake; the posuk states: “ויפתח האחד את שקו לתת מספוא לחמרו במלון, וירא את כספו והוא בפי אמתחתו - And the one opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey in the inn, and he saw his money, and lo, it is in his pack’s mouth.” The verse gives a lot of seemingly unnecessary information, namely the location of the occurrence, the reason for opening the pack, and the location of the money in the pack. The last detail repeats itself when the other brothers open their own sacks at home: “והנה איש צרר כספו בשקו - …and each one’s money bag is inside his sack…” Presumably, each had to feed his donkey at one point or another on the road. Yet none found it in the mouth of his pack (אמתחת), rather inside their sacks, while emptying them. Did Yossef intentionally plan for Levi to find his moneybag on the road? Was it intended to signal them to come back to him while still not too far (not more than one donkey's "tankful" away)? And if yes, why?

In his initial encounter with the brothers, Yossef uses the word “Elokim”, in all probability not the most frequent expression in idolatrous Egypt. This sure should have lit a red light, especially after three days of captivity. Upon their second encounter Yossef acts even more weirdly – feasting with them, seating them according to their birth dates, giving them presents, and again mentioning “Elokim”. Even in Yehuda’s final argument, it seems that Yossef didn’t actually plan to ‘out’ himself at that point. Was he begging for them to recognize him? Or to admit and acknowledge something beyond their guilt in selling him?

After Yaakov’s passing, for no apparently valid reason, the brothers, suspect that Yossef still harbors ill-feelings against them, and come with a fabricated plea from their father for Yossef to forgive them. But Yossef never explicitly forgives them: he only states that he is not G-d’s representative, and that his transfer to Egypt was beyond their control.

By his peculiar antics and strange behavior, Yossef was probably trying to get his brothers to admit their initial mistake regarding their original dissent. It is possible that he tried hinting to them that their view of having status of Ovos like their forefathers was ultimately proven wrong. By singling Shimon and Levi out, he may have been trying to hint to them that just as they had judged the citizens of Shchem for their distorted ideology of agreeing to injustice (i.e. accepting Hamor’s behavior and reasoning), - so too they should renounce their own mistaken belief.

It seems that both the brothers and Yossef stuck to their initial beliefs until their deaths, and there was no definite solution to their machlokes. Yossef’s dream of a definitively united and bound nation never materialized, and he possibly held his brothers culpable for it, as it depended mostly on them.

________________________________

Note another parallel, or at least similarity, between Yaakov and Yitzchok: both blind before their passings, and in somewhat similar ways, exchange the firstborns with their juniors.

In the baker’s dream the birds freely peck at Pharaoh’s pastries, without being chased away. At the bris bein hab’sorim, Avrohom chases the buzzard (or whichever bird of prey it was) away. According to Rashi the bird symbolizes David who tries to defeat Israel’s enemies, but is prevented by Heaven from doing so. In the baker’s dream, the verse uses the word “ והעוף - the bird”; the simple meaning is just a general reference to birds, an oft-occurring expression, (although anywhere else this expression is used without a ‘heh’/”the”) yet can be interpreted as the specific bird. In our case, probably a heavenly intervention to keep Yossef from realizing his dreams the way he saw them.

--(Cont.)--


© Joseph Izrael 2007

Babylon And On

While reading the Parsha this past Shabbos (Noach) I just had this little thought crossing my head;
The posuk first tells us that all peoples had “one language and one speech” – meaning that despite having their own languages, as mentioned in an earlier posuk, they had one language all spoke, besides for being in agreement and harmonious understanding. When they come to Shin’ar, they discover how to make bricks and mortar – a significant technological breakthrough for the times. Immediately they start building a city with a big tower in it, to prevent them from scattering throughout the earth as G-d has commended. So as soon as technology permits them to be a bit self-sufficient, they spit in G-d’s face. Sounds familiar?
Their sin is not explicitly stated in the posuk, yet Rashi explains that they wanted to build a tower to climb in the sky and fight G-d. Being a bit hard to accept at face value, I’d speculate that this might mean that the tower served indeed as an important establishment teaching the rejection of G-d and denying his kindliness to mankind.

G-d at this point makes one of the most powerful –and underestimated- statements in the Torah: since these people are in perfect union and total agreement, they would be able to achieve whatever they want and nothing would stand in their way. There it is, black on white, the blueprint for absolute success. Alas, this unity was for a bad cause. But it still had merits, for the Merciful One does not just send a 9.2-magnitude earthquake, tornado or wildfire as he did with the Dor Hamabul (Flood’s Generation) who stole, extorted and otherwise harmed and degraded each other. So G-d takes away their common language, and they are unable to complete their tower and are dispersed all over. But why? Isn’t a typical construction site composed of workers of different nationalities, barely speaking their own language let alone others? Couldn’t they learn each other’s tongues and complete the construction despite the lack of one common language? It seems to me that something deeper and subtler happened here. The verse states “Havo Nevoloh…” (let’s blend) their languages, i.e. mix them up so each would have their own separate speech (or just forget the common language). But the word “נבלה” can also mean “let’s make filthy” (whereas the single “nun” would serve as both a root letter and the prefix for “let’s” - this is permissible in biblical Hebrew, as opposed to the mishnaic where “ננבל” would be have been used) meaning to infiltrate discord in their words which would make them “filthy” and unacceptable to each other. This would be the litmus test to see which way to seal their fate – if they succeed in their plan and remain united despite dissent, they’d merit to stay together. But if their unity cannot survive disagreement, it would be a retroactive proof that it was superficial from the onset and only their desire to reject authority caused their union. The rest is history.

Another interesting observation – after the Second Temple’s destruction -because of vain hatred- most Jews eventually settled in Babylon, where the Babylonian Talmud was forged – an epitome of unity through dissent, where each and every statement is challenged from every possible angle to find truth, by a strongly unified people without personal strife.

Which Babylon do we choose?