"A Process of Redemption"

Not sure how I missed this one.... PM Netanyahu's remarks at the Festive Event at Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, Marking 59 Years since the Unification of Jerusalem.

And I want to add regarding Rabbi Kook's teachings: This is the Torah of the Land of Israel at its best. Rabbi Kook understood a fundamental thing: The Torah that was shaped in the Diaspora is important, but in its character, it addresses the individual, the community. In the Land of Israel, he understood, we need a renewal of Torah: A Torah that addresses all parts of the nation. A Torah that is required for national challenges. A Torah that is connected to Zionism, to the ingathering of the exiles, to security, to settlement, to economy, to education, to culture. A Torah that gives strength to deal with the difficulties, out of the understanding that we are in a process of redemption! Nothing less than that, a process of redemption, as the prophets prophesied. As we came here for the ingathering of exiles to redeem our people, to ensure the eternity of Israel.

Read the whole thing here.

Soul Searching

"A man or woman who distinguishes himself (or herself) by taking a Nazirite vow of abstinence for the sake of Hashem" [Naso 6:2]

Rashi asks "Why was the Torah portion of the nazir put adjacent to the portion of the sotah (a woman who deviated from moral behaviour)? To tell you that anyone who sees a sotah in her disgrace should take upon himself to abstain from wine [by becoming a nazir]."

Whenever a person sees something improper, he must think: "Why has Heaven shown this impure thing to me?" He must do some serious soul-searching and attempt to strengthen himself in his Divine service.

R' Yisrael Salanter once caught a bad cold. The first day of his illness, he spent the entire day worrying.

"Why is the Rav so worried?" asked one of his close disciples. "Baruch Hashem, it's just a cold and it will not pose any serious threat to your health."

"It is not my health that concerns me" responded R' Salanter. "I worry over what it states in Mishlei: "Colds and traps are in the path of the stubborn" [Mishlei 22:5] "This verse is evidence that I was stricken with a cold on account of possessing the terrible trait of stubbornness".

Only once evening had arrived and R' Salanter had thoroughly examined his deeds without finding the trait of stubbornness within himself, was his mind put to rest.

[Source: Rabbi Y. Bronstein]

No-one Is Prepared... The Final War Is Beginning

H/t Sherry

With clips from Yishai Fleisher and Rabbi Tovia Singer, this video explores Jewish prophecy and the End of Days. 

Is the current conflict connected to the war of Gog and Magog — the final war described in Tanach?  

In this deep dive, we examine: 

• October 7 and its possible prophetic significance 

• The rebirth of Israel and its connection to Tanach prophecy 

• Gog and Magog in the words of the prophets 

• Ezekiel (Yechezkel) and visions of the future State of Israel 

• Prophecies from Joel and readings in the weekly Torah cycle 

• Parshas Vayeilech, Yom Kippur, and messianic themes 

Through Tanach and classical Jewish sources, we explore what these events may mean for Israel’s destiny and the unfolding of history.

No Dispute

Camping in front of the Mishkan, in front of the Tent of Meeting to the east were Moses, Aaron and his sons... [Bamidbar 3:38]

Rashi coments: Adjacent to them was the division of the camp of Yehudah, with whom Yissachar and Zevulun camped.  The righteous man prospers and his neighbor prospers!  Since they were neighbors of Moshe, who was engaged in Torah study, they became great Torah scholars.

A person could influence his neighbour with any good or bad quality.  Nevertheless, the fact that Rashi mentions just one good quality - Torah study - and one negative quality - being quarrelsome [see Rashi's Commentary to v. 29 and 38], is certainly no coincidence; it indicates that these two qualities are connected with each other. 

Rashi is teaching us that the study of Torah and involvement in disputes are diametric opposites.  If a person studies Torah with the proper intentions and sufficient dedication, he simply will not become involved in disputes, bcause Torah is the common thread which unites all Jews.

Based on Likutei Sichos vol 33, pp 16-17 Lubavitcher Rebbe

Trump and Iran - What's Really Going On?

Rabbi Isser Weisberg

Aliens and the End of Days

H/t Sherry

Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff

In The Desert

Bamidbar, the name of this week's parsha as well as the name of the entire 4th book of the Torah, means "in the desert". However, the name Bamidbar itself does not seem to bring to light any unique qualities of the Parsha at all. At this point, the Jewish people have been situated in the desert for a considerable period of time: throughout the whole book of Vayikra and part of the book of Shemos. So what is added now by stressing that the Jewish people were "in the desert"?

The answer to this question lies in the fact that "we always read Parshas Bamidbar before Shavuot" [Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim]. Before we experience the giving of the Torah once again - for spiritually the Torah is given anew every Shavuot - it is necessary to recall and take to heart the fact that the Torah was not given in a civilized environment, but in a desert.

The lesson here is twofold:

1. A desert is a place of utter desolation where "no man can live". Thus the Torah was given there to indicate that it should be embraced without any preconceptions or ulterior motives. When a person lives in a civilized place and he encounters a new idea or suggestions, he will first evaluate it to determine whether it is acceptable according to societal norms. With Torah, however, this would be a mistake; the correct approach to accepting the Torah is "we will do, and (later) we will understand" [Shemos 24:7]. Therefore the Torah was given in a desert, where nobody lives, to indicate that one needs to be truly "open-minded" - i.e. not influenced by one's environment - to appreciate its values.

2. The Torah was given in a desert to teach that sharing the Torah with those who currently find themselves in a spiritual desert is fundamental to Torah Judaism. It is not the case that the Torah can "also" reach those who are found in a spiritual wasteland; to the contrary, this is a central theme of the giving of the Torah: To transform every spiritual desert into a "civilized environment".

Based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Bamidbar of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (5732 and 5734)

The Incredible Power of Staying Silent

Rabbi Shlomo Landau - A one minute video