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  Parashas Vayishlach

  Religion

  Rabbi David Katz

Parashas Vayishlach resonates on one frequency that gives a certain bling to any time period in Torah history, and this pitch is none other than "religion." Our Parasha is unique in this respect, for in her contents lie the essential core of the three foundational pillars that make up our society over all of time, in Jacob, Esav, and Yishmael. As a staple of Chazal, it is said that the peoples of planet Earth will always boil down to these three, even against all odds; as east west and central parts of the planet are composed of these three figure heads. Although the Torah latent in the three dynasties is practically infinite, the focus of the parasha due to its imagery can very simply point to one direction: religion. To put it simply, "A long time ago, in 'galaxy' far far away there was Jacob, Esav, and Yishmael…while today we call it Christianity, Islam, and Zionism" … [and along the way Judaism fell in love with the 4^th entity, the Ger]. And I assume in the end they lived happily ever after? – That would be the plot in "Return of the Ger," and I happen to be serious.

In the Parsha, we can easily identify the major characters, Jacob is Jacob, Esav is Esav, hidden among the women of Esav is the heritage of Yishmael, out of Esav and his wives comes the society's villain in Amalek, and hidden under the tapestry is the Ger, reminiscent of Dan's Blessing, "a viper by the path…" To state the obvious, we can see Jews, Muslims, Christians, Amalekites, and hidden tzaddikim among the nations relating to their patriarchs; but the real trick is connecting the dots between "A" and "B." For example, how does Esav [especially after we have properly understood him in proper context; see recent articles] become "The West" – and Yishmael the "Middle East" and Jacob into "Judaism [Yiddishkeit]" as we know it? The answer is simple, by looking into the imagery of the Parasha; its natural religious depictions can give insight as to how and why history became what it did. Inside we have the characters, images, and roots, throw in the Blessings that were delivered earlier, and we are ready to make our cocktail of what will become the religious scenario [Gog Magog?] dejour in the End of Days. This saga may have begun over 4,000 years ago, but it only begins to make sense from 1948 and onwards into our current present; ultimately we will realize that we went full circle, and our Parasha serves as the node where it all comes together.

From the beginning of the Parasha to its end, these are the various images and symbols [of religion] that strike with the most poignancy: Jacob, Esav, Edom, Biblical armies, God, prayer [in war], Abraham & Isaac, brotherhood, Jacob and the wrestling angel [the Satan], Israel, angels in general, Shechem, Rape – blood – seed – women – swords – circumcision – plunder –attack [of the weak] – revenge – etc. etc. etc, prophecy, Temple Mount, God's Blessings, Twelve Tribes, Rachel [and Rebecca], Machpela/Hebron, Bethlehem, Seir, Amalek, Yishmael, incest, [and into the Haftorah – Saviors/redeemers, Zion, Zionism [perforce], Ovadiah –prophet of the Gerim [finally], hidden Emunah, Shem, Moshiach ben Yosef, and Gerim [as Jacob said "Garti" ["I was a Ger"].  It is true that every Parasha perforce is "Biblical" [obviously]; yet our Parasha has the richness of vessels, that it is truly revealed as religious by nature! For all intents and purposes, this is religion; now the task is to put together the puzzle, as it is appropriate for each figurehead of Jacob, Esav, Yishmael, and Erev Rav.

[Erev Rav is the Amalekite faction of each Nation; rather than their violent upheaval or neglect (as Noah, Elijah, and Hanoch all tried to do) to vanquish them, the Ger stands to remind the World of the Noahide Laws, which serve as the victory over false religion, and ironically it is this filtering process that shakes free the Gerim from the Nations. Noah erred in that by eradicating the Erev Rav with might over mercy, he potentially blocked the Gerim from entry into the World. Shem resurrected this endeavor, and came onto Abraham, who was the first of the Gerim. The Commentators actually state that Amalek, and even Gog will fall to the Noahide Laws, thus they are destroyed with Mercy over bloodshed. King David sought to conquer the World with Noahide Laws and to bring the World under God's dominion by these means. The Zohar predicts in the End of Days, the Soul of Moses will return and achieve angelic rank (similar to Hanoch and Elijah) achieving angelic standard, in the success of this area, and the World will realize its Ger Toshav potential that it inherited at Sinai for all of Mankind.]

Now let's take a quick [over generalized] look at the three essential Blessings to Esav, Yishmael, and Jacob: "physicality" (Esav), "his hand against everyone" / "over all his brothers shall he dwell" (Yishmael) and Firstborn (Jacob). These are gross generalizations, but once plugged into our religious map latent in the parsha, we have the ingredients that over time (6,000 years of Creation to be exact) will culminate into a perfect Gog V' Magog scenario, a religious one, that King David depicts with utter clarity. We all knew it would be a religious war, yet what the pundits did not consider was the evolution over time, and again, the proper path between A-B. The Two biggest wildcards in modern thought are the Jews and the Gerim; no one thought the Gerim were real, and only the Gerim paid attention that in 1948, the Jews became Zionism. In other words, Jacob crashes the party only in recent history, and the End began with the Jews coming back to Israel; should we be surprised?

Finally, we can weave the fabric:

Esav: The brother of Jacob [with all proper context i.e. not the satirical villain, but one who went through real process of real life] who lost the Firstborn Rights. The Blessings are in the physical, time has painted a picture of Esav, one that even he has embraced [which is destined to at least partially be over-turned, as his name has the Gematria of 376 – Shalom], and all of this turned into [through sublime Mazal] the Roman empire that would take hold with the destruction of the Second Temple. The Romans needed a major boost to survive, and their life source at that time was dominion, control, and war. What better way to take command and "fly" than to convert to Christianity? They found all the armor that they would ever need to secure conquest, and hence religion was born.

As much as Jacob was involved in Torah, Law, etc. Israeli society never mastered the art of religion to be a success in the Land. Of course this requires a workable definition [and for what good reason!?] of religion. Christianity would arrive with the conglomerate of, God, idolatry, Paganism, military, doctrine, law, society, conquest, war, divine imagery, control, etc. Case in point, for every image of our Parasha, coupled with Esav's Blessings and ultimate destination [of 2000 years ago], Esav was ready to take the World by storm with his new invention of organized religion; Rome was never more powerful, as the World's first "Petra dollar" came into focus by painting a Vayishlach picture, that would even take into its possession the greatest propaganda team of all time, those found in the NT. This is essentially the Edomite exile seen in DNA of a religious reality.

Yishmael: Sets out to equal his Brother by marriage in religion. Once again, we see the images of the Parasha coupled with Yishmael's Blessings. And again, his religion is a body of work consisting in Law, raw dogma, knowledge of a deity, military, conquest, etc. Islam is practically recycling all of the old vessels into a new direction; you say "tomaytoe", I say "tomeaughtoe." Where Esav goes with perversion of might that develops misappropriated kindness [i.e. immorality], Yishmael goes with a perversion of Kindness that develops misappropriated might [i.e. bloodshed and suicide bombs]. It is very easy to see how these two religions would early on [and promised to again in the End of Days] be at war. Essentially, Esav and Yishmael [through the mazal of Hashem] have produced two distinct blends of religion from our Parasha and in the Torah up to this point. It should be noted that religious doctrine is all but one portion of religion, as religion as was pointed out is really an attempted practice of "everything." In so many words, it is an intended perversion of the Tree of Life, as opposed to a poor attempt at a false impression of Torah.

And Jacob: Jacob was not a religion until very recently, believe it or not. The Torah is the Book of Life – if we can just understand it! [Hello, calling all Gerim!!!] From the Torah's beginning, it was an Oral and spiritual guide to Life, i.e. the Torah of Shem [which still lives as the light within the Torah of Moses; pilpul], then it was what it was in the desert and onwards into the Land. In fact, from what we see in Tanach, the Jews were largely quarreling as to what exactly is the fundamental message of the Torah which ironically, when we focus on the Gerim, they had an angle of understanding that the Jews never seemed to get. [Think Priests/Light to the Nations] If you want a success story to the Second Temple, well, that was even worse in one respect, and of course the seeds of religion were sown in its stand. The Second Temple served as a type of blueprint to a proto-religion, which its destruction led to all out religiosity. [Again, pardon the generalization, space and time allowing]

Once Edom took root in the final exile, and Islam came strong onto the scene, if Jacob ever was a religion in the modern sense, that was well extinguished. Religion for Jacob would become doctrines of ritual; tools of Jewish survival in a hostile World. If Jacob had a message [which he did], it was buried inside the scholarship, in a world that saw each man for himself. Jacob was thought to be just another religion [which ironically it was purposely not measuring up for a myriad of reasons and subject to the will of God], and although Jacob had his spots of illumination buried within, the world just saw Esav, Yishmael, and Jacob…outright ignoring Yisrael, and rightfully so, for Yisrael was nowhere to be seen. Until 1948.

1948. Zionism. Yisrael/Jacob returns. Neo-Judaism spreads Worldwide. Gerim start coming out. Religion's table is set. Judaism of yesteryear is a sliver of what Zionsim will become. The imagery of the Parasha also exists for Jacob, but in a totally novel way! Women in the IDF – a new wrestler in Jacob to say the least. Judaism is in shambles, but its Zionism that is capturing the imagination and interests of the entire planet. The list goes on and on. The point is, Jacob became an organized religion like the others, but in a totally Jewish way; albeit one that still measures short of the Torah's standard. Yet in a short time, Jacob came to stand with his peers, and with the promised Messiah, all will fall to the waste side, as the Torah's sacred message will finally be delivered from a top Mt. Zion, as the Haftorah prophesies. From this point onwards, the points to connect are endless.

Jacob may be standing with the Gid HaNashe dislocated, Amalek runs wild, etc. etc. and the Gerim are

 practically invisible – all in today's publicized map of Creation. Yet this is why the End of Days prophecies exist, and are depicted this way. The puzzle fits, with its Blessings, imagery, generational time, etc. Religion came to the plate in 1948, and as much as we made it here, all three players [and the entire Biblical team that was mentioned], this should be seen as where it all started [over 6,000 years] as opposed to its end. We are all present and accounted for, three religions, Worldwide, covertly battling for supremacy. And the irony of all ironies, the impetus of victory is the one that was never mentioned in the Parasha, only alluded to by each character – the Gerim. King David says very clearly in Tehillim [he who mastered every type of Man for this reason!] – the Noahide Laws are that which brings down false religion, and ends the division amongst Man, and brings justice upon Gog Magog.

Ironically, for everything that religion stands for within a tainted perspective in this World, the Vision of Moshiach will be the clarity of the Glory of the Upper World Atzilus – Emanation. Yet to connect those dots from A-B, is easier done than said; Don't taunt the Ger.




Audio Shiur on Parasha Monday 11 P.M. [Tzfat Time]

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Ger 101 - The Ultimate Ger FAQ and Guide

• Who is a Ger?
• What is a Ger?
• Why Gerim?
• Who Are The Noahides?
• Gerim and Shabbos?
• Torah and Gerim!
• Everything you ever wanted to know about, "What is a Ger?"
• etc.

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More Noah Jr!

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The Power of Shem and Abraham

• Abraham and Greatness
• Who Is Elisha
• The Real Ger
• Moshiach - Finally Clear
• Shabbat - For All
• Let The Truth Be Told etc.

Click Here For Article!

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Peek a Boo Shem!

                                                                       Parashas Vayeira

                                                             Undertones of Torat Shem

                                                                      Rabbi David Katz

The previous Parasha ends with the circumcision of Abraham and Yishmael, and yet what most readers never find out, was that this was orchestrated by Shem. There are three ways of looking at the Brit of Abraham, and each one appears as he is the master of the art form; in fact, all three are really one in the same. Abraham musters the strength to go at it alone, as he is aided by Hashem, who in turn called upon the selfless Shem to be the facilitator to bring the command to form and function in God’s name. This is just one example of the hidden Shem; the entirety of our Parasha offers more of the same in regards to Shem, and his influence over the all of Jewish history.

With Shem having given circumcision to Abraham, we now have a perfect introduction into our Parasha, and a precedent that Shem never left Abraham’s side from their monumental meeting at the Temple Mount. As one flips the pages and scans each event that will revolve around Abraham, one can see the Shem undertones loud and clear. Up next for example, is the art of praying on behalf of the generation; where Noah would stumble Abraham shined...and perhaps Shem is was and will be the difference, as for the Final Redemption, Shem will be the all too famous Righteous Priest to get things started.

Hashem wastes no time in getting to business with Sedom and Gemorra, as their wicked cries have reached a boiling point for Divine retribution. At the same time, Hashem makes known that He must include Abraham in such matters, and Abraham meets the standard, as he prays for the lives of the righteous among the wicked. Here we see two direct connections to Shem – praying for the generation, and the link between Sedom and Jerusalem.

Where Noah stumbled in uplifting the generation, we can see that Shem rectified the problem, and helped pass the appropriate torch onwards to Abraham. The Zohar accounts that Hashem’s covenant after the Flood was actually inscribed in the merit of Shem. The Zohar also gives account that both Jerusalem and Sedom suffer common fate of destruction. However Shem took Jerusalem in a righteous direction, whereas the rest of the World made Sedom into a spiritual wasteland. That is where the similarities end, as Jerusalem is the one destined to become rebuilt. The Messianic dream of Jerusalem will also include a return of the righteous inhabitants who come as Nobleman who are in the mold of Abraham and are found in every Generation to the number of Thirty-Six. [The Zohar points out that there are 30 like Abraham, another three not included in the count, and three like the three men who appeared to Abraham at the beginning of the Parsha. These thirty-six men uphold the World every generation, and this was the precedent that Abraham prayed for.]

Fast forward to the episode of Lot and his two daughters at the tail end of the Sedom story, and we find the seeds of yet another Shem saga.

As we know, Lot fathered the eventual nation Moav; the same Moav that Ruth is destined to come from. Yet if we trek just a little bit deeper, it is almost common knowledge that the Davidic Kingdom comes out of this. These state of affairs are practically synonymous with not only David, but the Tribe of Judah. For the whole entire Judah – Ger Tzedek relationship is a sect of Torah that laid its first roots of fruition with Tamar and Judah. Tamar of course was Shem’s daughter, and their union would help shape and ferment the eventual Ruth story, along with the other Judah – Ger Tzedek relationships that would occur in close proximity of the Judah lineage.  The Torah is about spiritual repair and leverage; for as much as Lot perverted the pathways [with his daughters], Shem sought to purify the World through righteous paths that the impure know not of. Of Judah, Shem, and the myriads of Gerei Tzedek; a word to the wise is sufficient.

The next stop on the Shem train is the encounter between Abraham and AviMelech. To quickly and simply put the story into Noahide context, the Talmud [and all subsequent authorities] understands that AviMelech was [Noahide] wrong for his out of bounds interest of Sarah, the wife of Abraham. To put it bluntly, in any situation [all the more so an openly dodgy situation] one must make it his business to know what is going on. As Hashem said in the Torah [and the Talmud expounded further] – AviMelech was obligated to learn, yet he hadn’t learned. This goes for all situations, places, and people. It was not impossible to know that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, thus he was obligated to make it his business to find out just exactly was going on; the difference being life and death. The Torah precept here is called Derech Eretz, and as is known Derech Eretz comes with Torah, and reminds us of Shem and Abraham on the Temple Mount that was embodied by an inheritance of Torah.

Yet one can expound further, and say that this precept is actually an [binding] invitation to take on Shabbat [something  Abraham then did!] for if one is to learn [and incur possible guilt should he not learn] then Shabbat is the ticket! As Jewish Ger relations thicken towards Geulah [in relation to the Judah – Ger Tzedek tree], the two peoples will come into close proximity by nature on and around the Sabbath. Should the Jew entertain his Ger Tzedek [Ger Toshav] friends who have journeyed a great length to partake of his company, they will be obligated to have learned the ins and outs of an acceptable Shabbat. In most cases this is for the sake of the Ger, to know what is appropriate in the relationship, for Scholarship on the Jewish side may be weak as to what the function of the Ger is on Shabbat. [The same as well on the inverse] Accolades again fall upon Shem, for soon after Lech Lecha, we find Torah proof that Abraham was a Shomer Shabbat Ger, in conjunction with the Ger who learns Torah is as a High priest. [Abraham was given the High priesthood from Shem]

The last two locations of Shem in the Parasha are both tailored to Isaac. We find that the life of Isaac was inspired directly from Shem. After Isaac was weaned, the Midrash tells us that Abraham and Sarah had a party, and the generations greatest Men were in attendance. Amidst the congregation, as Sarah was attending to Isaac, she noticed that Shem and Ever had come to pay respects to young Isaac. It is a known wisdom that a nursing mother heavily influences an infant; one can imagine the Awe that Sarah had and imbued into Isaac when she saw Shem and Ever in full bloom and in relation to Abraham. Isaac was destined to be different.

And indeed he was, as after Abraham had succeeded in his 10^th and final test [the Binding of Isaac, upon which both of them merited their higher self], the Midrash again fills in the missing gap, and makes the reader aware, that Isaac left the Mount, and enrolled into Shem’s Yeshiva for advanced learning. This would become the gold standard of the Abrahamic lineage, as Jacob and his sons would also learn from the mouth of Shem. In fact, Torah history would come to be defined by one’s proximity to Shem and the Torah of.  Once we meet Malki Tzedek / Shem and Abraham together in Lech Lecha, the Torah’s secret precedent is established.

The lost doctrines of the Ger are not a tale of doom and gloom, for Shem is said to have eaten of the Tree of Life and Lives forever. As much as we find false religions that exploit the ambiguous nature of the Shem – Abraham connection, or in Judaism’s side it has sadly become forgotten, misquoted/learned, or blatantly left out of tradition, Shem certainly does live and thrive even to this day. Every year we have the chance to align ourselves with the Shem undertones in Genesis, and are given the opportunity to heal the Shem – Abraham union in a religious awakening. Whether it be a Ger Shabbat, extended Torah learning, or the classic Love the Ger message, we all have what to gain and learn from seeking out Shem in this new Torah cycle of the current year.

We are all given the choice – do we judge Abraham as the streimel [Chasidic fury head garb] wearing first Jew that he really wasn’t [but if we put enough makeup on him – he can be], or as the Universal message that Shem saw at the Temple Mount, and thus routed the Torah of Creation through him? Abraham makes a great Jew, maybe even the best Jew…but as a Ger, Abraham really was one of a kind, and the best part of the original Ger Tzedek story, is that it finally allows the truth of Shem and his Torah to radiate into our souls. Shem is not mentioned in our Parasha, but don’t be fooled, as Sechel is a Ger in this World. Thank God we have Abraham, the first Ger Tzedek as a constant reminder that all that we have, comes from Shem son of Noah.  Thanks to Shem, Abraham goes from being a good Jew [through limited perception], and illuminates into Abraham the father of Chesed…and now, we can merit to know the difference.

Audio Shiur 11 P.M. Monday Night [Tzfat Time]

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Lech Lecha: Mr. Ger Tzedek- Lover Of God -Abraham Program!

                                                                    Parashas Lech Lecha

                                                Abraham My Lover – The First Ger Tzedek

                                                                      Rabbi David Katz

God loves Abraham. Abraham was a Ger. Abraham loves God. Under these terms, one will conclude and realize the true meaning of the text, “Abraham My Lover” – and that this Love is unconditional, running the gauntlet of every faction of Love contained in the Torah. If you want – Love God, Love Israel, Love Jews, Love Gerim, Love Torah, Love your neighbor, Love your wife, Love your son – every true love on Earth, then perhaps one should invest time into understanding Abraham, the first [Ger Tzedek] of all Gerim. To put it simply, Jews are commanded to Love [to which the commentators will apologize for the difficulty that runs towards perceived impossibility of this command] while the Ger [i.e. Abraham] simply falls in love.

To first understand matters, we as people don’t dictate our emotional affairs with God [when undeserved]. If I feel like loving God [or at least convince myself of this new religious flavor] there is no guarantee that God will openly Love me back. Yes God loves us all, yet as Torah will show time and time again, if one is so bold as to claim to Love the God of Israel, your grace period is quite short, and soon you will have the merit of meeting “Mr. Test” – for any serious follower of Torah will have his faith based on love tested promptly by God. Yet the Torah is littered with exceptions to the rule no matter what; sometimes it’s the widow, or the orphan, or the Levite….or the Ger. And always remember, God Loves the Ger. He just does.

Yes we try to Love God and sometimes it works out and sometimes we stumble in our efforts, not different than any flesh and blood relationship. Where God is different, is that His side of the equation is not based on a flesh and blood [emotional] response. God might weigh it out as a test as was mentioned, He could enter merit into the equation, this could be a matter of repentance; there are essentially a myriad of ways that God will act towards a human yearning for Him. At that rate all we can say is that God is Good, righteous, Just, and the True Judge. Some will experience a clear path to God, others will be met with challenges. Yet the biggest perceived impediment to God’s Love [as the Love is always there, that’s the point of the effort and the Torah on the matter to encourage the Servant of God to Love God through various agencies and Mitzvot, all leading to Love Hashem your God] might not be in the ingredients of which we approach Him, rather in the withdrawal of the subject’s own Love! In fact if one is compelled to Love God from trial, one can ask why do good people suffer, and if from the source of Blessing, one can belittle the actual dynamic taking place as a perceived happenstance.

Underneath the complexities of Life and Love – “He loves me/He loves me not” – for whatever reason, and all of one’s struggles and life made easy moment’s, the relationship might be different than you ever imagined, in fact, you may be operating the Abraham program, all the while you are searching for merit in Abraham! In other words, as you search for God, and to offer Love to Him, He may have already found you; Joe average may be perhaps something different to God. Sometimes God pours out His love for the sake of His love, and this becomes the foundation of being a Ger [Tzedek]. Should this be the case, instead of “trying” to Love God, one would need to realize “God loves me!” – I am a Ger, and at that point, it becomes the journey of falling in Love.

The Torah is for Jews and Gerim. Jews are commanded to Love God, Love your fellow, Love the Ger, etc. One could even say this is one reason why God created the Jews out of the World’s Gerim, to be a Nation that would forever be charged and bound to the task of preserving the art of Love. Moses reiterates often in the Book of Devarim, “What does Hashem your God want from you – only to Love Hashem your God!” This is the very premise of the Shema, in which we proclaim a Love for God after declaring his unique One-ness over His peoples. This begs the question then, as to the nature of the Ger – if he really even exists.

The good news is that he does exist, and the journey of the Ger is unique in the eyes of God, for if Noah found grace in the eyes of God, we can at least say the same thing about every Ger; one could call it the Naaman moment, when one realizes he is having a God/Jewish moment, and needs the prophet of Israel stat! Ok, not always is there a prophet of Israel standing nearby, but thanks to God’s providence [mazal], Jews and [invisible/unknown] Gerim are intertwined, and have  been since God said “I am Hashem Your God, and even going back to Shem and Abraham where it all began to take its current shape. Thus for every Naaman moment, a Jew [even if unbeknownst to himself] will have his “be a light to the nations moment” – and this is where the falling into Love begins, not much different to Naaman, who departs from Elisha the Prophet, in order to properly fall in Love, and fall out of idolatry.

 It is here, the Ger Toshav is born, and the path of the Ger Tzedek begins; he need not search for Abraham outside of himself in a mythological what if scenario, for he is now a student of Abraham, finally realized as a Lover of God in God’s eyes. This is where the path to the Garden of Eden and joining hands with the Shechinah will fill the heart of the Ger. God loves the Ger, and the Ger Loves God – not much different from Shir Hashirim, and the Love that King Solomon compares to the Holy of Holies.

The Ger in Love, who loves by responding to and recognizing God’s love upon him, for simply realizing that he is a noble Ger to God, will literally fall in Love on many levels and to many furthest extents. He will Love Israel, Love the Jews, Love his fellow man, etc. – in short, for every Torah precept of Love, the Ger is there. The irony is in his relationship with the Jew, for the Jew knows not of this Love, struggles with his inclinations that counter love, and even denounces the Love of the Ger; the entire time the Ger is there in Brotherhood for the Jew, yet the Jew remains blind to the Divine dynamic. Oddly, this scenario plays out throughout the entire Torah, from Kain and Able, Yishmael and Isaac, all the way until today. For all that the Jew is challenged by the yolk of Heaven, the Ger has fallen into place, and has become a standing partner in Serving God.

How ironic is it then, that Loving Ger should be discouraged from Torah, prayer, Brotherhood, Mitzvot, song and dance, etc. To put it mildly, the Ger has been put into a place of Love, and his soul’s desire now is to express this Love! – all in the name of serving God from Love, and most uniquely from the lack of command, rather from the very fact that God has Loved him, and he has seen this Love and acts to preserve it for eternity. The Ger under the spread wings of the Shekinah, will delight in the path of Torah such that the Zohar explains that this is the way to healing all of the World’s sufferings […urging people to accept their divine role and place, such that God’s Love reaches all of the Torah’s subjects; Gerim, Priests, Levites, etc.  All must be realized and accepted to find content within the soul, and this alleviates suffering].

The crown jewel to such philosophy is the Shabbat, for it resonates in the exact light of the Noahide Laws. Just as one takes the Laws in the fashion as Moses taught at Sinai, so too a Ger is to take Shabbat. Not for his sake is he to take Shabbat, but to join the Brit of Yisrael [who is sworn to guard preservation that God created the World as represented by Shabbat; this serves as the World’s continued existence as well], as an expression of Amen to the Jewish command of Shabbat. The Torah hints at this by stating “My Sabbaths you shall keep” – implying two peoples’ Sabbaths; along with commentary that suggests this is the deeper appreciation as to why Hashem created Shabbat in the first place, was for World Peace between those who keep the Torah.

In short, God Loves the Ger. The Ger Loves God. Abraham was called by God His Lover, and the Ger from then on until the end of time shall be subjected to falling in Love. There is nothing to fear from such providence, for one’s salvation is finally find this Love; Blessed is the Ger to be of the first to know God’s Love, and Blessed is Am Yisrael to have a faithful Lover/Brother in the Ger. One day the Jews with give back the light and Love the Ger as he was created to do, but ironically, by that time, the Ger’s Love will already have played its part in bringing Moshiach. Torah of Moshiach? – learn to Love, and that journey began with the Ger. You may even want to call him Tzedek…like Abraham who loved God, as the father of all Gerim, and who fulfilled the Torah’s deepest desire, in making Gerim. As Torah states, God loves the Ger, and there is no greater Honor to God, than having Gerim return to walk the Divine path.

Audio Shiur Tonite Sunday 11 P.M. [Tzfat Time]

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The Two Who Finally Came Together

Parashas Re'eh

• Give Meat To Who?
• Yiddishkeit and The Ger
• The Torah In The Negative
• Bread, Wine, ....and Meat  Shem and Abraham
• Noah's Permission, a Gift to Israel
• Future Sustenance
• The Real World
• The Ger, The Birth, The Moshiach
• etc.

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Finding Emes

• The Bread of the Ger
• ALL the Mitzvot
• Torat Eretz Yisrael
• Ramban - Explaining Gerim
• Chassidus of the Ger
• Learning - Essence of All
• etc.

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• David The Ger
• Tehillim 119:19
• David in Atzilus
• The Ger, King David
• The Mitzvot, The Ger, The King
• Nefesh HaSechel, David, The Ger
• Chomer Against The Divine
• etc.

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Torah of My Father - An Ode To K&K Gourmet Meats: The Meat of the Ger

        Parashas Re’eh

        Along With The Bread and Wine – The Meat Is On The Table

        Rabbi David Katz

In Memory of my Father ליב בן נחמן הכהן – he probably knew this Parasha better than anyone; as a true Kohen, he owned a Meat Factory still in existence today. May he merit to learn the Emes of Meat from the Mouth of the Rosh Yeshiva Shel Maaleh and may this be in merit for that endeavor as an elevation of his Soul in Gan Eden.

**Note: Read the sentences first without brackets [ ] and upon completion of sentence re-read with brackets, for easiest flow and comprehension. I think you will find the bracketed information quite helpful in gaining a 3-D model of what is being taught. Enjoy!

Parashas Re’eh is particularly fascinating when seen in the residual light that [hopefully] still emanates from last week’s Parasha “Eikev.” As last week the Zohar honed in on the essence of the Parsha with its precision focus upon “small matters” such as the Ger, and his association with bread [and due to the highly Kabbalistic teachings from the Zohar, the Parasha can be properly compared to wine, which is synonymous with “sod” /”secret” of Torah, as seen by their common gematria/numerical value – 70] and garment, this week brings apparent completion to the conceptual “set table” [the concept of Torah/Halacha being complete and ready for practice, is to make it as a |Shulchan Aruch – “a set table”] and effortlessly it seems intertwines “meat” [and the concept of] with every step forward, from the Parasha’s beginning, and onwards until the Parasha finishes where it began – with a Blessing [and a curse]. It is surprisingly vivid for the mind to witness the simple yet deep conclusion of the Parasha, being summarized that the Blessing you seek must not be held against you; and this is none other than the finishing touch to God’s table, the Meat – a proverbial [and actual] altar to the Lord.

The scope of this potential breakthrough in revelation on a halachic level is immense, and when one applies “Chassidus” [inner most realm of Torah; conclusions drawn from combining Torah angles; the inner dimension of Torah that identifies as the natural mind (sechel) of the Ger] into the fabric, the Parasha [and the Torah all the more so] absolutely enter(s) the realm of Absolute Knowledge, and awareness of nothing but Pure Truth.  On a very oversimplified level, the Parasha seems to equate [as One “Face of Torah” from the famed “70 Faces of Torah”] that the entire Torah can be seen from a perspective of “meat” and our relationship with it. In fact, from this view of meat in the “positive”, one can conclude [i.e. the impression of meat on the whole Torah “Lefi Pshuto” – “to understand the intent of the written from a basis of the non-written”] that its negative [non-emotional; in terms of positive –negative relationships in science] would explain the entire Torah, as the premise of the Book of Devarim - keeping pace with its goal of Torah – reiteration. In essence, the Torah was opened last week with Bread, as the appetizer [Kiddush and HaMotzie], and now we are ready for the Festive Meal [the whole Seudah].

In one sense we can compare the Torah through its first rendition the Torah of Shem, he who brought out Bread and Wine, to a “People” like Abraham – the Ger Toshav. By Mishna Torah, we are served the Meat, a second time through, as this becomes elevated into the essential Torah of Moses; interestingly enough, when Shem brings out Bread and Wine to Abraham [Bereishit Ch. 14], the end letters to the words “King of Salem Brought Out” – has each end letter with a “Mem”, “Shin”, and “Heh”, together forming “Moshe.”  Thus last week in Eikev we found the Ger [as in Moses’ Name “בשגם” (as hinted at by same gematria), it hints to Bereishit – Shem – Ger – and Moshiach], and as he was compared to Bread, the Torah’s Essential Light was exposed through its mitzvah equivalent of the Ger, as King David says, [The. 119:19] “I am a Ger”; King David illustrates how this contains the entire Torah]. This week we are urged to go a little bit deeper and experience the essence as meat, and once again for proper context, the Torah [of Moshe] paints its picture with the Ger, and as per its Universal message, it is in proximity of a Mitzvah that absorbs the Jewish People and the Gerim. From this point forward, it would be fitting to say, “Welcome to the world of the Ger,” and better yet, “welcome to the Torah of Life.”

To make matters short and concise [and within definite scope of the Parasha context], the Parasha illustrates what is perhaps the greatest distinction of a Ger [Toshav] as a non-inclusion of a Ger Gamor [convert], and yet how many people make the mistake of locating the “Ger” of our Parasha, then out of haste and ignorance continue to mislabel him as a convert.  I am referring to Devarim 14:21, “You shall not eat any carcass; to the Ger who is in your cities shall you give it that he may eat it, or sell it to a gentile, for you are a Holy People to Hashem, Your God; do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.” This one verse in the Torah is the entire basis of everything known about the Ger, and has a macro potential to encompass the entire Torah; weigh in all of the other meat references,  and should be clear that Moses has [re]encapsulated the entire Torah [again] right before our eyes. The mission statement from this verse should be the need to look up the material with a deeper perspective in mind, in this case to weigh in the meat factor. Imagine the tragedy that befalls the people who carelessly call this Ger a convert; that is to say that a Jew eats non-Kosher Meat, the Ger [Toshav…] then does not exist. Woe be the one who does not show Love for the Ger, for Hashem Loves the Ger, and you should Love the Ger.

The basic premise of the verse, [and that is a gross understatement] is that the Ger [non-convert without exception] has removed himself from the status of being of the Nations [goyim in the slang sense] and is a [4^th type of] Israelite [joining Priests, Levites, and Israelites – he is the Righteous Ger, hence why Gerim are called Ger Tzedek – philosophically (taken in the literal sense, devoid of halachic weight; the 4-headed Hebrew Letter Shin – limud of Chassidus in Torah]; he is categorically NOT the Nachri, of whom the verse speaks about next, and the Jewish people are commanded to sell [carcass] the meat to him, while giving it to the Ger. It is forbidden to receive a gift from the Nachri [who is deemed steeped in idolatry] and Torah does not condone the relationship between Jews and the Nachri. On the flip side of things, the Jew and the Ger have the exact opposite type of relationship; this is called “Mitzvah Le’Chiyuso” [a command to give to the Ger vitality in physicality and spirituality].

It is at this point, the Torah expands in every direction for the Ger Toshav, and every option he has to walk the path of righteousness.  He may choose to focus on “no other Gods” [incorporating the maximum of the “negative”], or choose to remain a classic Noahide, while some may even take on the whole Torah, mimicking the ancient Gerim who came before him, whose legacy is told to “stand at Sinai”; just as those in the past stood there, he loads his potential offspring to “return there” as well.  The common thread amongst all three types of Gerim [Avodah Zara 64b] is the need to eat non-kosher meat, as spoken of in Parashas Re’eh.

The Parasha is all about meat, and the major mitzvah of the Parasha [with the Ger] is also about meat being handled properly.  The generalization to these matters are two-fold: there is meat, and then there is the Torah of meat. It is thought that all of Man’s service of God and perceptions of this World can be reduced to how we incorporate meat into our lives.  One avenue is top take no caution with meat, yet the Torah warns [the sons of Noah] that was the Path to the Flood; hence “don’t eat the Limb of a Live Animal” was instituted to curb the sensation. Yet this comes with caution as well, as evidenced by the very next warning in the Torah – to not spill the blood of Man [which is another (more serious obviously) form of meat and blood]. By the “Taryag” commandments [613] Hashem illustrates the “Torah of Meat” in our Parasha, and Moses has successfully shown that the whole Torah can be different angles of perception of meat in proper context. The goal as always, is the repair of Adam, and Noah’s commands, were to help rectify that equation; with the advent of Shem, Abraham, Sinai, etc. this would become a guarantee - a guarantee at least from one perspective, in the proper sensitivity for meat and all associated with it.

The Ger is cautioned that while he may incorporate even all the Commandments of the Torah, he must save the consumption of non-carcass meat as his last Torah fulfillment. In basic terms, when the meat stops, the Torah begins, and per force this is the proper order of progression. Meat serves as the basis of all Spiritual matters governing the Ger and the Jew [together] – for it is at the very least, the conceptual bridge that expresses itself as a universal language between not just these two peoples, but all peoples.

Meat is the language that we have to speak with God, as there is no greater line of communication in the World, than the function of the Altar within the Holy Temple. [Even as Man communicates this way, so too does the rest of the Universe operate on these terms, concepts, and principles.] The Ger thus is the elected one by God to represent the point of where the Halacha not only starts [with meat], but he also ushers in the beginning of the realm towards the infinite, in opening the door to Chassidut based on pure Torah Commandments. From here we delve into what is meat, what is the nature of the Temple, what is the Ger, what is a Jew, even what is Life and God – all based on perceptions of Meat.

In a World where the Ger’s Torah is the most objective view from the point of the lowest common denominator, and now through Eikev and Re’eh, we have reached the DNA of existence in the investigation of the seemingly simple and overlooked elements of Life in Bread and Meat. Perhaps the only way we will ever know what Bread and Meat really are, and have answers to such matters as “will Meat be in the Third Temple,” etc. is when the Jews will finally realize that they have a tremendous gift of God, in a Torah that allows them to properly eat Meat, and thus giving them the merit to give it to a Ger. This may sound like a Beis Hamikdash reality with Offerings and Olah’s up in fire to the pleasing of God by the hands of Jews and Gerim; so what will it take to simply give Meat to a Ger – and finally allow the Hidden Light of Creation to pour out of eons of closed-door-syndrome! It is not that hard, to just stop calling the Ger in Re’eh a convert, look up the ramifications as such, acknowledge the Truth that is now readily available, and the sky is the limit.  

Who would have thought that the secrets of Creation could be found in Meat? And then one should surely remember, Sechel is a Ger in this World, and that the Torah was written of words of the Gerim [Zohar BeHalaloscha]. As the Simple Son of Passover said, “what is this?” – in context and understood as a True Jacob, an Ish Tam [Simple meaning of having known the Truth] – it is my presumption that the Ger knows all too well what meat is, and is willing to serve with Chassidic undertone; the question that remains, will there ever be someone simple enough to ask? Maybe not, because the Gerim already are, and as the parable goes, if a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound? God Loves the Gerim, and so should you.

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Korach Had No Clue, While Amalek Still Argues The Point

                                                                Parashas Korach

                                                       From Gifts alongside Gerim

                                                                Rabbi David Katz

Parahas Korach follows the Ger in Torah template to perfection, for the Parsha doesn’t only echo, but practically cries out its roots well into the Oral Torah. Where one person may see the story of Korach’s rebellion and baseless argumentation [machlokes – not in the sake of heaven; influence seen as Amalek in behavior, the evil Nation that is promised to be wiped out in the End of Days], the true beauty of the Parsha is the wealth of Oral Torah tradition in the peripheral of the Parsha, such that it is largely triggered by Torah of the Ger – at root level. 

Amidst the rebellion we are calmly confronted with new concepts such as, Priestly Gifts, possessions, inheritance, Land by Tribes, etc. such that from a few verses in the Parsha, triggers practically all of the Oral component called “Bava” [Tractate “damages”], and when seen from the Ger perspective [which is also rooted deep in the valleys of “Bava”; see Tosfos 111b and the Ger Tzedek], a whole new dimension to Oral Torah learning is illuminated before the eyes of the beholder. Just one tweak of recognizing the Ger in Parashas Korach, and Bava Metzia [and all of Bava; - Kama, Metzia, Basra (first, middle, and last gates)] all of a sudden becomes Parashas Korach in Technicolor, due to the precept – “the Torah is written in the language of the Ger.” [Zohar]

Upon first glance through the Parsha, one may be hard pressed to spot the Ger in the text, and the obvious option to resort to would be to make a Priestly connection, predicated on the dictum, “a Ger who learns Torah is compared to a High Priest.” Although this is correct, and will yield significant bounty, an undertone that registers throughout the Parsha is a topic/character that we will become quite familiar with over the next few weeks, one who is Messianic in nature and highly symbolic of Gerim in Torah [history]; this is none other than Pinchas the Priest, son of Aaron. It should send off bells and whistles just mentioning Aaron in context with Parashas Korach, pegged alongside the entire Priestly debate, and the table is set for a plunge into the deeper side of the Parsha.

Pinchas, who is a grandson of Aaron [who kicks the door in to become a Priest, as he was not grandfathered in as for having been born as a grandson at the time of Sinai, i.e. not a son of Aaron], highlights nearly all of the Bava [Talmudic] discussions in the Parsha, such as inheritance, possession, priestly gifts, Priests and “their Land” [which is traditionally not given to the tribe of Levi, as the Parsha specifically points out] etc., yet what separates Pinchas from the traditional Priestly lot, is not the possessions themselves, but how he came to possess in the first place!

If we think back to last week’s Parsha [which a theme of Bamidbar is the wonderful flow amongst its Parshiot in these matters; a true story immerges, reminiscent of Bereishit] and recall Joshua and Caleb, who had a different spirit than the rest of the spies, it is seen that they were successful in the Land largely, if not entirely, because they each embraced the Ger. Caleb was seen connecting to the Ger Tzedek in the Avot, while Joshua was mysteriously buried in Jericho which would become synonymous with him in his Torah legacy. It was there that the spies Pinchas and Caleb [ring a bell?] met up with a family of Righteous Gerim [and these two spies were sent by none other than Joshua], headed by the inn-keeper Rachav, who would later become Joshua’s wife, to which most never offer a second glance with the ramifications of such a union. This raises issue as to who was Rachav, what was her exact relationship with Joshua, and where/how/why/where/when does Pinchas fit into this [apparent and odd] love triangle.

The Talmud Megilah states that Joshua married Rachav, and it is clear that their relationship on some level began as a product of Joshua’s conquering Israel through Jericho as a “buchor” [a young Torah scholar, to which the Torah testifies to this distinction, as a student of Moses], through his efforts of dropping the bow and arrow bit, and fighting through Love and Peace as a Ger enthusiast, realizing that the World truly was desperate to hear about the Truth of God. This is a hint of what we learn from the Torah, in that vessels of war will become extinct in the End of Days [a time when most people would think that we need them the most!], and that there is an alternative method of perspective of the ancient Jewish warrior; from being a “quasi neo ninja” to a true Man of War [as King David], which the Kabbalah learns as being effective in the Oral Torah and prayer.

These concepts are easily seen as [in relation to the] Ger in every way, and as they are acute Ger attributes/components, one can easily see why David said, “I am a Ger.” An original template can be seen through Joshua, who was the elected one to carry the essence of Torah into Israel, as the buchor who most understood Moses’ final message [and essential philosophy and naturally Kabbalistic message of Torah] as the departing King of Jushuron [Israel]. [Joshua and Caleb were both said to have reached the spiritual and righteous level called “Kruvim” (Angelic); similar to the Kruvim who are stationed to guard the way of the Tree of Life by their fiery swords. Thus they were operating on a Tree of Life distinction as opposed to the Korach driven Tree of Knowledge.]

Joshua and Rachav wed at some point, and their offspring was said to have produced the finest Priests and Prophets in Israel’s History. Yet one function of their fertility was the lone ability to produce females, for males would be rendered spiritually impossible due to the circumstance of Joshua’s unique level he attained that hinted of angelic quality and caliber in soul root. As this is true in practical spiritual terms, it is also a product to the nature of their marriage in Torah Law, for Joshua differed from Caleb, in that Caleb pursued the path of the concubine to enhance the tradition of the Ger, whereas Joshua actually made his wedding canopy entirely from the seed of the Ger Tzedek, i.e. The Family of Rachav.

Joshua carries a special weight in his lineage that was put on the line through his union with Rachav, for Joshua is the end of the line of the First Born continuum that extended from Abraham, manifesting through Joshua by way of Joseph and Ephraim culminating with the marriage with Rachav. By way of Joshua and Rachav and more importantly their offspring [females to the negation of the males as was stated], with special precedence being given to perpetuate Priests and Prophets in potential, the stage was never more set for Pinchas to come on board, perpetuate the seed of Joshua [and their common ancestor Joseph, of which Pinchas also is related to on his mother’s side, as a Daughter of Putiel, wife of Elazar, father of Pinchas]. The two [Pinchas & Joshua] represent the secret closeness of Joseph [Ephraim] and Levi as hinted at in the additional “yud” given to [Ye]Hoshea bin Nun by Moses in the spies, as is explained by the Arizal as an impregnation with the Tribal head Levi as a double [firstborn] portion. [*every spy had its Tribal Head infused in each member’s mission]

Pinchas thus married a daughter of Joshua and Rachav [which raised issue after Pinchas’ Priesthood over a similar (impure manner) between Zimri and Cozbi, of the Tribe of Shimon and Midianite women], continued Joseph’s spiritual legacy [as hinted at in Pinchas’ (messianic understood) name] and ultimately inherited a good portion of Land from Joshua, due to the inherent void in his lineage from a lack of male offspring; the male in laws would inherit Joshua, i.e. through Priests and Prophets – among them was Jeremiah. This Land would be known as Givat Pinchas [the Hill of Pinchas] located in the Hills of Ephraim, and buried there to this day is the father of Pinchas, Elazar the Priest, son of Aaron the Priest. This is the same Aaron who in the Parsha was granted victory in Korach’s rebellion, was distinguished as the quintessential Priest, and by as such, it was decreed that the Priest would not have ownership of Tribal Land in the normative sense. The question then must be addressed as to the nature of Pinchas’ Land.

The commentators are all in basic agreement that Pinchas was given the Land by the inhabitants of Ephraim in close proximity to Joshua, as an official and eternal transaction through inheriting his wife [Pinchas lived forever as the eventual manifestation of Elijah literally, and thus was destined to outlive any prospective wife, thus an inheritance. Parashas Pinchas is ironically the source of such Torah Law in conjunction to our Parsha which deals with Priestly Land.] By this acquisition, Pinchas would never lose the Land to Jubilee, and he merited having his righteous father buried on his private lot.  This now brings a special light onto our Parsha that deals with Priestly Land.

The Parsha is clear that no Priest is to own Land, and Pinchas is the joyous exception to the rule [as he is for many ground breaking areas in law and Kabbalistic philosophy such as Messianic truths], one that stems directly from Gerim. Joshua set the stage with his unique view of Torah Law and thought when he coupled with Rachav, a Ger Tzedek, produced by a pre-requisite family (after 40+ years) of Ger Tzedek lineage (akin to Ruth; listed among the three daughters of Shem/Iyov), preparing the footstool for Pinchas and his soulful story [encoded in his name according to the Zohar]. Pinchas seized the moment, as no one would prove to better at standing as a role model to “Pinchas Torah Concepts” than the man Pinchas himself!  What is exceptional to the Pinchas saga is that it is rooted and revealed through the prism of the Ger in our Parsha, and as a set precedence to continue in Torah Scripture. The Land that belongs to Pinchas will forever tell the tale of the sacrifice to Torah Truth that was dually achieved by Pinchas and Joshua, a symbol of their close union, as essential students to Moses and his Kingdom that entered the Land on their behalf.

We are embarking on Pinchas Torah in these next couple of Parshiot, and Korach served as a template of the final stage before redemption as the rebellion against the Torah that could be dubbed as the quintessential Gog [of Magog]. Pinchas according to the Arizal and others is the soul that will contain the messianic mission of the future, restoring the Torah as he did numerous times with sacrificing action, and bringing an end to all opposition to God’s truth. What is often hard to hear is that the Truth is best seen from the objective vantage point of the Ger, and perhaps we see this the most clearly in Parashas Korach. From a simple adjustment of perspective, a wealth of Torah can be understood through Pinchas, to an extent of absolute revelation to the blueprint and DNA of the Oral Torah, which came/comes from Gerim, as often is the case.

Special is the Land of Israel in the eyes of God, coupled with His love of Gerim; for Pinchas was given Land by means of the Ger, Caleb delivered his portion [and his lack of sons as well] to his seed, and we all look forward to the future, when the Temple will be built from the Hands of Heaven, in a time that the Ger Toshav can come home to his land, enjoying the milk and honey that comes served best, while sitting with the best point of view of all those in the Torah. If the Jew represents the Voice of the Turtledove that is heard in the Land, then perhaps someone was there first watching it happen, enjoying the finest parts of the Land.

Look around, and perhaps you may stumble upon the position of the Ger - a wondrous Torah indeed, one seen through the eyes of God. Would the Land stand without a scribe to document His Torah, or would the Torah speak the tongue of a Foreign Land; perhaps one should stand with those in good standing with The Lord Himself, for does he not speak of His Love of the Ger?

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