Monday, December 23, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Nega-tivity to Oneg-tivity.
By Joe Indomenico.
I found great solace in pondering that Geulah - Redemption has already happened.........it is just that we have not arrived there in time and space.........but occurred, it certainly has.
What do you see ..... The destruction and ruins of temples, the ashes of crematoria, the dust of wilderness or do you see the vibrant light of the rebuilt Beit haMikdash, and the industrious labour of love of G-d fearing Yehudim reclaiming the ancient sites and barren sands? We must see with clarity. The blind negativity of the left eye must be transformed by the light of the right eye. And it has.........just open the eyes.
Jewish Mysticism teaches that different Hebrew words that contain the same letters, but in a different order, are intrinsically related to each other.
Rabbi Yehonatan Eyebeschutz zt”l, in his famous work Yaarot Devash, explains that Lashon HaKodesh (lit. the “Holy Tongue” or Biblical Hebrew) reflects a basic aspect of life: Just as the situation of an individual or society can change from good to bad, so too the meanings of the Hebrew letters and words can change from positive to negative ones (through changes in the letter sequence).
In Vayikra - Leviticus 13 v 1-46, the Torah discusses the laws of a person whose skin is afflicted with נגע - nega, a Hebrew word meaning “plague” or “affliction”. The same letters, in different order, spell ענג - oneg, which means “pleasure” or “delight” – the very opposite of nega.
Chassidut explains that the only difference between the words oneg and nega is the placement of the Hebrew letter ע- ayin (which literally means “eye” - how one views the world). Whether a person will experience oneg and pleasure in life or only nega and “plagues” all depends on his perspective – where one chooses to place one's ayin - does one want to see all the good that there is or just focus on what one sees that is bad ?
How do we learn from the spiritual afflictions of tzara’at and nega as written in the Torah?.
These afflictions appeared on the skin of a person. In Hebrew, the word “skin,” ohr, is written with an ayin עור. If the ayin is substituted by an aleph, the rendered word is אור “light.” These two words are pronounced almost identically. In other words, the “skin” of the world, the way the world looks from the outside, is that it seems as though things just run by themselves devoid of an Unseen Hand. The “skin” of the world obstructs the Light. Nature is like a skin that obstructs the perception that everything in the world is miraculous, that everything is a manifestation of the Light.
If you take the spiritual affliction that manifests itself in the skin that is called nega and re-arrange the letters, you can form the word oneg, meaning, “pleasure.” By rearranging our view of the world, we can turn nega into the oneg of experiencing the Light. Similarly, if you rearrange the letters of tzara’at, you can form the word Atzeret, another name for Yom Tov, the holy festivals of the Jewish People, which afford yet another unique glimpse of the Light.
Every week, we are afforded an opportunity to make the “skin of the world” transparent, to see beyond to that Light. This opportunity is called Shabbat. G-d called Shabbat “pleasure.”
The real pleasure of Shabbat is the opportunity to re-orient our world-view,
to see the Light. The Light of Shabbat is the Messianic Age with the rebuilt Temple in Yerushalayim enveloped in the glory cloud of Shechinah drawing down the well springs of the Etz Chaim - The Tree of Life and Ohr haGanuz- the hidden Light of creation.
Do you see it ?.....................just open your עיניים eyes.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Shabbat Shalom : Shemot.
"Vehi She’amda, La’avotainu Velanu Shelo Echad Bilvad, Amad AleinuLechaloteinu Ela Sheb’chol Dor VaDor Omdim Aleinu Lechaloteinu V’HaKadosh Baruch Hu Matzilenu Miyadam."
"And this (Hashem’s blessings and the Torah) is what kept our fathers and what keeps us surviving. For, not only one arose and tried to destroy us, rather in every generation they try to destroy us, and Hashem saves us from their hands."
From the cool crisp mountain air (and snow) of Tzfat and the balmy sub-tropical breezes of the South Pacific, Rav Katz and I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself
- Mi Eleh
- Love The Ger
- Gematria of The Ketz
- Efraim Menashe
- Moshiach ben Yosef
- Redemption
- Kol HaTor
- etc.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Who Are These?
Parashas Vayechi
Redemption of The Ger
Rabbi David Katz
***Special Thanks to The Ramchal – For Coining
the Phrase/Concept
Parashas
Vayechi is riddled with many obvious staples of the Redemption, such that they
have become the classic tapestry of esoteric realms of Messianic lore. Whether
you wish to discuss the Blessings of Judah and his rights of Malchus /
Rulership, and all the while within is laced gleanings of the future
simultaneous – enigmatic inclusion of Moses alongside the Messiah trail, or
Bnei Reuven, who according to the Zohar, bring redemption, yet seem left out of
Jacob's acknowledgements – Vayechi is filled with ironic twists of fate. Yet
the most fateful twist of them all within Torah eschatology, something that
King David alludes to in Psalms, followed by the Zohar, and onwards in the
later generations – is the Redemption of The Ger. The Parsha at hand perhaps
more than any other, explains the and reveals to the keen eye not only who is
Messiah son of Joseph, but takes it a step deeper into two new characters –
Messiah(s) son(s) of Efraim and Menashe [sons of Joseph] and what exactly is
their involvement with The Ger, Redemption, Ben David, etc.
The
Zohar in building its angle of the redemption of The Ger as a staple for the
beginning of the redemption process, first states that just as Shimon and
Reuven are not listed favorably by the Torah's Blessings, yet are nonetheless
redeemed, so too sons of Jacob through Joseph's progeny – Efraim and Menashe.
The case built is somewhat complex in its construction, by using Torah exegesis
to show the Divine handiwork within the verses to show the range that The
Complete Redemption yields. Two of such methods are Gematria, and word
extrapolation [Remez (hint) and Drush (analogy)], and along with Joseph's
character traits as an archetype figure – based on the Torah's account with
Joseph and Jacob , we have all the making of a clear window that peaks into the
opening moments of Redemption. Couple this with King David's view/prophecy of
Gog Magog concerning Noahides/Gerim, and Rabbinic tradition of how the transition
to The days of Messiah will be, and thus the Messiah son of Joseph was never
clearer, as a partner to Messiah son of David. Once the story is complete, we
can take at face value the words of such luminaries as the Ramchal that paint a
picture that to many may be distorted, but to the pure enthusiast without
agenda, the arena could not be any more vivid and an Honor to God.
A
famous Gematria exists showing the unique relationship between Shimon and
Reuven with Efraim and Menashe, in that their perspective Gematria has a
differential of one [in difference; 725/726]. In standard Gematria, the seeker
will engage in comparing likewise Gematrias, yet we learn that there can be a
differential of one in any set. Thus as the Zohar explains, on the path that is
already easy to identify, Efraim and Menashe will be to Jacob as Reuven and
Shimon [which in the end actually happened, for Joseph although he is an
original Tribesman, is left out of the count, along with the Priest Levi, and
inserted is Efraim and Menashe along with the other ten Brothers. It should be
noted that not always do we accept this count, and at times the original twelve
are used to express a point of view].
At this stage we find out in the Zohar that as Shimon and Reuven shall be ultimately redeemed [even as it seems that they may not be] from a compromised position in their historical context, so too will the full extent of Efraim and Menashe. The startling revelation offered is that this may occur even abroad [outside of Israel, both in Land and in direct people, i.e. the Gerim who are attached to Joseph, and are the cause of his often questionable conduct, such that we saw from the Brothers, and as will be pointed out, by Jacob himself].
At this stage we find out in the Zohar that as Shimon and Reuven shall be ultimately redeemed [even as it seems that they may not be] from a compromised position in their historical context, so too will the full extent of Efraim and Menashe. The startling revelation offered is that this may occur even abroad [outside of Israel, both in Land and in direct people, i.e. the Gerim who are attached to Joseph, and are the cause of his often questionable conduct, such that we saw from the Brothers, and as will be pointed out, by Jacob himself].
The
exegesis continues within the actual names of Efraim and Menashe, based on the
description that Joseph gives when he first conceived of them. It should be
noted from the Gematria point onwards this becomes an aspect of Messiah son of
Joseph. Thus at this stage we have identified an aspect of redemption itself,
involving Gerim, and all that commences hereon after.
When
we first meet Efraim, the reader is informed that his name is in reference to
despite being born in exile, Hashem nonetheless made him prosper, i.e.
"Fruitful and Multiply" – a direct connotation to his name which
sounds appropriate in the Hebrew. Menashe on the other hand comes to signify
that "God has caused me to forget my suffering/sins of my father's house. By method of analogy, the next piece of the Messianic puzzle that involves
Gerim has just fallen into place: fruitful and multiply and eradicating
sin/suffering.
The
Job of the Messianic process [which as much as it is eventually funneled into a
single being, it is still a time and process] is exactly this blend of two-fold
when dealing with the Gerim and Redemption. The first stage is to make them
fruitful and multiply [it should be noted that this is the first mitzvah in the
Torah and can be seen as the composite of the entire Torah], facilitating the
entire redemption process and their part of it, to the point of identity and into
a self-flourishing people. This would at the very least satisfy the Creator of
Creation whose vision was to have a Kingdom of Priests and Light to the
Nations. It should be obvious for the need to involve all of Mankind to please
the Will of God.
The
second phase to this beginning of Redemption [of Gerim] is to eliminate and
remove suffering and sinful nature. All of the catalysts of exile are
eradicated at this stage, those who seek to capitalize on sinful behavior and
the exploitation of the Nations due to their previous fallen state of existence
[again, it should be obvious that all of Mankind and every individual whether
in the micro or macro have experienced these conditions, Jew or Gentile,
religious or secular]. To put this bluntly, all behavior that was acceptable by
default in the pre-Naaman stage [idolatrous] would be subject to review, and the
individual would be encouraged to incorporate Hashem proper into his life and
all that that entails for his successful service of the Lord.
As
for the removal of suffering, to be sure that one is to no longer suffer, and
benefit from a Torah/Hashem Universe, he would need to incorporate the Sinai
moment into his psyche, thus losing all context of an idolater, while coming to
terms with being a Ger. At the point of being a Ger, the liberated would then
connect with God [Shem (name) Elokim – connoted with Will of God by reason],
and become an extended member of Israel; his destiny lies with Hashem and his
heart, and is to be encouraged as such. A proper Ger is a type of conversion
from idolatry, and all past involvement is in a new light; subjugation, anti-Torah,
any suffering and sin-encouragement is a serious crime in the eyes of God, and
is seen as an impediment to the redemption…"You shall Love the Ger/Don't
taunt the Ger."
For
the Jewish involvement, one must be steadfast to serve as a Light to the
Nations, even if it means to stand against Amalek as Jacob withstood Esau [and
to the extent that if it comes disguised as "good" as Jacob challenged
Joseph over his progeny, one must prevail and sanctify God] and define one's
honor of involvement as it is God's own.
When
Esau who personified Amalek to Jacob in the sense that his momentous murderous attack
was in the guise of the evil inclination, such that he sought to emasculate to
Jacob from servicing as Yisrael in the name of fathering the destined Twelve Tribes
of Israel. The attack came in the guise of a manipulation of God's name, for
which Jacob responded with a sanctification of God('s Name) and defeated the
attack of Esau. Jacob himself reiterated the wave of doubt, for he brought the
same accusation upon Joseph himself, all in the name that perhaps Joseph was
somehow blemished, thus guaranteeing destruction for Israel. Joseph, like his
father sanctified God in the open, and a precedent was established in the name
of Joseph [he who is destined in the future as "Moshiach ben Yosef"
to eradicate the personification of Esau] to stand tall in redemption terms
over one's own children [even if only spiritual, as were Efraim and Menashe to
Jacob].
Such
is the Jewish responsibility to the Gerim, to withstand "evil eye"
attacks that are orchestrated by stigma and poor education and taste to that which
God considers the most holy [making Gerim], and the crucial aspects of redemption.
In the work of God, we must know the truth, stand for the truth, and carry out
the truth; to the absence of the opposite, reduces an enemy attack into
dialogue with God, even if superimposed upon the potentially wicked. In this
way, the Redemption will arouse from below, and the Messiah son of Joseph
process will witness the Honor of God in Dynamic proactive motion.
Perhaps
the only question that could be offered is, why? One answer is quite simple,
and is contained in the explanation of Jacob's Blessing to Judah, he who
signifies all Jews in the End of Days [which has the same Gematria as Efraim /
Menashe 726!] concerning becoming "red-eyed from wine and white toothed
from milk." The Midrash answers that the wine gladdens the heart and the
milky teeth come not from the consumption of milk, but from the frequent smiles
that coordinate with a glad heart. Such an occasion can only take place on
Shabbat, where Kiddush brings in Shabbat, and smiles extend forever, as Jews
and Gerim usher in week after week together the fact that God – Elokim Created
the World; one Mankind, a Shabbat for all.
In
closing, "who are these to you," you say – well, these are the Gerim,
those destined to be redeemed, return to God, and partake of the Shabbat…can't
you tell by the smile that is barely contained by the World of the Ger?
Audio Shiur at 11 P.M. on Vayechi Monday [Tzfat Time]
Oh! You Mean Atzilus!
Are Scientists finally gazing at the Merkava?!
Kol Hator - Science and Kabalah shall meet [paraphrased]
Scientists have found the “clearest evidence yet” that the universe we inhabit is a giant hologram, paving the way towards reconciling one of physics’ most pressing issues: the relationship between Einstein’s theory of relativity and quantum physics.
In other words, we could be living inside a giant 3D projection of what is actually a two-dimensional space, similar to an IMAX movie theater screen or a painting. Or one could simply imagine the experience of looking at a three-dimensional object from various angles and seeing it change shape according to the point of observation.
The new experimental simulations proposed by Japanese scientist, Yoshifumi Hyakutake, and his team at the Ibaraki University of Japan tackle the varying energies of black holes discovered in parallel universes. But it also goes a long way towards marrying Einstein’s theory of general relativity and the theory of quantum mechanics as the two main theories describing our universe.
The findings were published in the journal, Nature, on December 10.
In physics, the 'holographic principle' is a property described in string theory. It represents a volume of space whose entire information can be imagined as encoded on a boundary of that selected space. The holographic principle started by first observing black hole thermodynamics. There, it was noticed that the informational content of all the objects that got sucked in by the hole can be seen in a scaled sense on the hole's event horizon.
Einstein, in his collective theorizing, posited that space and time are related and should be considered and calculated in relation to each other, and that the measurements of objects will be relative to the velocity of the person observing them. It is very empirical and observable.
Quantum mechanics, on the other hand, deals with particle behavior on an infinitely small scale and therefore cannot belong in Einstein’s empirically testable worldview for the simple reason that it is too abstract and theoretical.
Though both suffer from certain inconsistencies: Einstein’s theory, for instance, breaks down when one imagines the middle of a black hole – an object in which time and space both collapse – the theories have been competing each other and generally hardly viewed as parallel. Scientists have been looking for a linking theory.
Hyakutake’s model explains some inconsistencies between the two big models, furthering the research first carried out in 1997. Then, theoretical physicist, Juan Maldacena, catapulted ‘string theory’ into the spotlight providing a reliable realization of the holographic principle.
That theory – which is widely said to explain the nature of everything – believes that the universe is made of tiny, immeasurable ‘strings’, or one-dimensional objects that vibrate and fluctuate, and in so doing account for the activity of all matter and time.
The theory goes that the strings exist in nine dimensions of space and one of time. But because their scale is so difficult to measure – and yet they are believed to control everything – they are said to ‘project’ their activity onto a much simpler, flat space with no gravity whatsoever.
This produced a world without gravity laws. However, it did not yet prove the universe is a hologram.
Furthering the string theory, Hyakutake wrote two papers.
In one, he measures the internal energy of a black hole – specifically, the place where the hole meets the universe, otherwise known as the ‘event horizon’. He measures the activity of its visible properties (made up of visible particles) based on string theory and the effects of virtual particles, which at times appear and then disappear – many scientists even consider them a purely mathematical tool.
In the second paper, Hyakutake and his team calculated the same activity at lower dimensions (without gravity involved) and the results matched the measurements of the first paper.
The two new papers take Maldacena’s findings further by proposing an extra dimension. That tenth lower dimension has no gravity and its particles neatly line up in a set of strings oscillating in harmony, attached to one another – and not in chaos, which is what we had until now.
And now, the scientists finally seem to have laid hands on mathematical proof that the universe can be measured according to both approaches – one that involves gravity and one that does not. If they are as identical as they seem, Maldacena himself predicts that we could one day use just quantum theory alone to explain the nature of everything in the universe.
Maldacena has already voiced his excitement at Hyakutake’s calculations, saying that they appear to be correct. He told Nature that “the whole sequence of papers is very nice because it tests the dual [nature of the universes] in regimes where there are no analytic tests.”
“They have numerically confirmed, perhaps for the first time, something we were fairly sure had to be true, but was still a conjecture — namely that the thermodynamics of certain black holes can be reproduced from a lower-dimensional universe,” said Leonard Susskind, a theoretical physicist at Stanford University, California, who was one of the first proponents of the theory of the universe as a hologram.
The Parsha Article will be posted tomorrow - blame the blizzard of 2013!
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| Tzfat - The Year of Snow in 2013. The World Shall Never Remain The Same! |
Thursday, December 12, 2013
The Act of Love.
by Joe Indomenico.
“Any love which is dependent on something, when the ‘something’ ceases, the love ceases. Any love which is not dependent on anything will never cease. What is love which is dependent?…………………………………… The love of Amnon for Tamar. And which is not dependent?…………………………............. The love of David and Yehonatan.”
The Sages teach us that HaShem is “Ayn Sof,” who within and without Himself is complete and perfect.
Nothing can be added or subtracted from HaShem.
Nothing can be added or subtracted from HaShem.
And yet, why did He create ? A good question I think.
The purpose of creation was for the bestowing kindness of a benevolent and giving G-d upon His creation.
The purpose of creation was for the bestowing kindness of a benevolent and giving G-d upon His creation.
HaShem created mankind in His image, both male and female.
The male provides the spark / seed / idea.
The female receives from the male and brings to fruition and development the intent of the union….. new life.
The male provides the spark / seed / idea.
The female receives from the male and brings to fruition and development the intent of the union….. new life.
HaShem brings His spark / Torah and unites with His wife , Israel, who develops and brings to fruition the purpose of marriage…..new life…… eternal life.
The unconditional love of HaShem is based on giving.
Just as it was not good for man to be alone and was provided with the perfect helper who would extract his essence and assist him to bring to fruition his ideals, so HaShem .
Just as it was not good for man to be alone and was provided with the perfect helper who would extract his essence and assist him to bring to fruition his ideals, so HaShem .
As Rabbi Nehunia ben HaKana says in the "Bahir: :
“The original vessels of the Ten Sefirot in their primitive form. In this state, they could not interact with each other, and hence, could not give to each other. All they could do was receive from G-d.
In order to receive G-d’s Light, however, a Vessel must in some way be connected with G-d. The basic difference between the spiritual and the physical is the fact that space does not exist in the spiritual, and hence, there is no way in which the Sefirot can be physically connected to G-d. The only possible relationship is therefore resemblance.
Hence, in order to receive G-d’s light , the Vessel must, at least to some degree, resemble G-d.
This presents a difficulty, however. If G-d is the ultimate Giver, while the vessel only receives, the two are absolute opposites. Therefore, in order for a vessel to properly receive, it must also give.”
Hence, in order to receive G-d’s light , the Vessel must, at least to some degree, resemble G-d.
This presents a difficulty, however. If G-d is the ultimate Giver, while the vessel only receives, the two are absolute opposites. Therefore, in order for a vessel to properly receive, it must also give.”
In this light, the man gives his seed to the woman, who receives this seed. In turn she gives to the embryo her “life” in her womb. After nine months she brings new life into the world. This new life then receives from both paternal and maternal until such time that it is ready and mature to continue the cycle of life. This is the concept of “Abba” and “Imma.”……………..both attributes of the Divine. Love is the manifestation of this union.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Dying To Finally Live!
- Yosef Still Lives!
- Pharaoh's Con
- Essence of Exile
- The Jew and The Ger
- King David Chai
- Life Perspective
- etc.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Your Brother Next Door
Parashas Vayigash
What If
Rabbi David Katz
Society
of today, due to our unique location in spiritual time, which many believe is
the much anticipated time of the Coming of the Messiah, in many ways glorifies
the hidden revelations of a redemption picture that is buried deep inside the
Parasha. Just as the Parasha can be read either as semi-boring stories with
light dramatic fantasia or depicted as the seeds of redemption still in its
infancy of micro proportions, so too our society [Western at least, i.e. a
World dominated by the Edomite Exile] can be seen as "nothing going on
here" vs. "Moshiach just around the corner" consciousness.
Vayigash in-depth will allow the student scholar to be able to recognize what
was seemingly mundane happenstance [of life] and become able to elevate life
into the exciting times that these truly are. We just need to learn how to look
at what Hashem is doing to us in front of our eyes every day in this Messianic
Life that we most probably are living. Should it be that we are not living in
these times, then what joy it will be to have the Light of Moshiach shining
with even more clarity, for even now the prophecies of the End are quite clear,
and allow for the Parasha to shine bright in today's times.
In
Torah law the House of Israel is composed of four parts: Priest, Levite, Israelite,
and Righteous Gerim; the "Gerim" brings an exclusion of traditional
"Bnei Noach" [non absolute believers in the 7 laws] and Akum/Goyim [idolaters
by definition]. Thus effectively society is made of these components in our
daily lives. These six people are the fabric of society, and once we understand
them in the context of a Torah tapestry, as viewed in the World of Emanation
[of which we strive to make reality here on Earth] we can begin to see how the
light of redemption [i.e. the Light to the Nations] can become a reality. These
relationships happen even without our knowledge; one can then imagine how
powerful life can become when we sanctify God's light and help usher in
Messianic rays of sunshine into a rather mundane existence devoid of the Divine.
By simply knowing our Biblical place and root, and having the audacity to
manifest this into modern society, we can the live the life that Torah demands,
and ultimately begin to know the Torah on an incredibly more profound level of
understanding. The goal is to return the Torah to the Prophetic from that of
the wise; as the Zohar claims, we then become the agency that ushers in the
redemption through Divine Mazal – Hashem's providence achieved within the
efforts of Man.
The
Enlightened Jew
For
the enlightened Jew who is a Ger among the Nations [Ger – a person dwelling in
a Land not his own. Thus the definition falls upon all who identify as such.]:
The
Jew amongst the goyim will function as the Vilna Gaon describes as an aspect of
the Messiah son of Joseph. He is a regular Jew in the normative sense, nor is
he the Messiah. However in certain aspects he will illuminate in parts of his
life as Joseph did before him, and to the keen eye, he will live a prophetic
life [that of Mazal] recognizable by the apparent Torah that radiates from his
intimate moments where the soul shines. He will prophetically die [as Moshiach
ben Joseph is prophesied to die] in his shortcomings, if not literal, but
certainly in the aspects [of the mundane].
The
picture might look like this: a learned fellow, someone that is out of the box
and choosing the Prophet [Tanach and Torah of Faith over repetitious wisdoms];
he most certainly is familiar with Midrash, Kabbalah, prophecy, meditation,
Shem and Ever, the various types of non-Jews in the World, etc. Once one is
familiar with the fringe domains of Torah, Hashem will inevitably collide
worlds of Jews, goyim, Gerim, Amalek, Erev Rav, etc. and as much as this is the
fabric of his existence many questions will invariably come up for him.
"Why do I like this type of non-Jew vs. this other one?" "Why do
I get on with some Jews and others not?" "Why am I seemingly being
exploited for being Jewish, yet this isn't anti-Semitic?" In a sense, he
is living the Joseph program every day, and has no clue until the day he
connects his Torah to his private life – i.e. his understanding voice that
echoes from God.
The
story need not remain mundane and unidentified – for he is living Mazal! Think
about the Joseph saga, and consider how basically the whole thing died. A new
Pharaoh came who knew not of Joseph, slavery commenced, etc. etc. Yet we know
in the End of days and the real Messiah program, Joseph will LIVE! The end of
the line won't end with a Pharaoh and mundane existence. For the Light at the end
of the tunnel is the Ger for the Jew! The bad Jews – Erev Rav, bad boss –
Amalek, non-Jews not of Torah – goyim, and the strange friendship / bond
between "Jew" and "non-Jew" is the enlightened Ger. Their
strange bond to help each other is God's way of crying out with "Joseph
still lives!"
Once
this can be sanctified into a hall of light, the enlightened can censor out the
Amalekite, goyim, Erev Rav, etc. from the daily living program – that which
seeks to terminate Joseph. Now they can live, give vitality, talk about Torah
of Life [i.e. Torah of Shem], bestow charities as righteousness, liberate those
in bondage together, work for a cause – replacing money, witness the fantastic
authenticity of God's World, indoctrinate others into Truth over trance, unpack
the Tanach's mysteries through Ger – Chasidut, and ultimately end the Ger-keit
of the Jew by sending closer to the Land and Temple – Light Service, while
elevating the World into the Ger Tzedek program!
The
irony is, this is Jewish reality 101, either in the mundane or in the holy;
they are the same thing, we just lack Torah light to see the difference. Every
Jew is one perspective paradigm shift away from turning his life into a Joseph
lives sage, reversing the patterns of death / failure that Mankind has come to
embrace for the exchange of currency.
The
father of this type of thinking, i.e. positioning of Jews and Gerim goes back
to the program of Messiah that only knows how to live – King David himself. For
in Psalms, King David states the nature of all types of peoples – Jews and
non-Jews, for he was the Torah's master of society, and namely life, the
advantage of being King in Israel. Yet perhaps the most profound statements of
King David are in his reports of how Redemption will come about and defeat the
infamous Gog and Magog. He credits the
whole redemption, in the clarification of the Noahide Laws, and the prophetic
partnerships of destiny to what he calls the Men of Nobility [Truth – in the
words of the Vilna Gaon] will turn to Jerusalem in the End of Days. Thus
according to King David the Nations are loaded with Noahide Gerim who will
partner with Light in the End of Days, bringing down institutions of religion
at that time, and ending all evil – such that perpetually ended every Joseph in
history. Now would be the time to Live!
The
Enlightened Man of Nobility/Truth; The Ger
The
Ger is he who lives in the World according to his Biblical self. He left
idolatry, and like Naaman he seeks the Prophet of Israel; from there onwards,
the Tanach is his existence, and for all of those around him.
The
Enlightened Ger [Man of Nobility] is not that different from the Jew above,
only now God has positioned these two bookends to meet through the agency of
evil, while at the same time transcending every evil known to Mankind. Should
they "work" together, we still have the Erev Rav, goyim, Amalekite
[boss], etc. Only now, God has engineered that these two meet, embrace, and
ultimately Love each other. Once they at least acknowledge this upper reality
in their Divine Voice, Joseph will immediately "find life between
them."
All
of the World's vanities fly away – "Jews and goyim", money,
competition, bad old beliefs, lack of authenticity, trance automaton behavior
to life, lack of Torah [reality], false sense of life, mundane everydays,
Darkness from God, "religion/believe in's", etc.
The
bond between the Noble Ger and the Jew replaces the Jew and Pharaoh [even
though all players here were Gerim, and even here Joseph played the part of Ger
to the rest of the Brothers, we can very easily see how in the future this
paradigm becomes the End of Days /
Moshiach ben Joseph / David program] program. Life begins to if not inch up to
the Messianic, then at least shed light on what that glorious time will
ultimately look like. For just to perceive the Torah in motion, with its
players, sagas, God's Hand, Mazal, etc. is to behold what will be in the End of
Days. Our World of six thousand years will be the DNA in Gan Eden, the same
life we live every day; the opportunity to live redemption is always an option,
and add the fact that we are literally crawling into that time space, all the
more so the green remains lit for those who seek to live the Divine.
Parashas
Vayigash is the essence of Moshiach ben Joseph who dies – by the trickery of
Pharaoh [even though by the will of God], such that this defines Torah history
up until the Redemption that we are promised will see "Joseph" [all
Joseph's – Jews and Gerim] Live. As the
Haftorah prophetically alludes to King David [and all that he represents in
prophecy] and the Parasha stresses that even from amid the evil Joseph will
live, in the End of Days, the Gerim and Jews will unite in the way that the
Brothers met with Joseph, the Lost tribes will meet their Brothers, etc. The
Gerim are a part of Israel, and God will be glorified in the eyes of the
Nations, when the Light will be revealed in these hind quarters – the essence
of Good in life.
To
Love the Ger is not for personal gain, but simply because God decreed it as
such, and He makes it His business to become involved with these affairs. God
is good, and that should be enough, yet with God's good comes Love and Mazal
intertwined; the Love affair between Ger and Jew becomes a gift from God's Love
of these two peoples, to which the beauty of Song of Songs expresses all types
of Love, not to the exclusion of all Messianic Love. The Faith element will become a little bit
easier once we all experience that "I am Joseph" moment that Hashem
is destined to pour out onto Mankind, in the universal language of "I am
God" – finally, but until then it is our job between Jews and Gerim to
have our own "I am Joseph" moment together in life [overturning
death], spreading the Torah's hidden light into our immediate local domain.
It
is amazing to think that all it takes is a small trek out from the backyard,
open your eyes, and suddenly realize you were standing next to your Brother the
whole time. Joseph was there living the whole time, you know…and as we saw, he
was dying to say it with conviction.
In-Depth Audio [Covering Parasha] Mon 11 P.M. Tzfat Time
Friday, December 6, 2013
Haftarah Vayigash.
by Joe Indomenico.
In Parashat Vayigash, Yehudah and Yosef confront each other. As the Midrash explains, Yehudah, "the lion,"king of the beasts, faces Yosef, "the ox," king of domestic animals. The other brothers stand aside, leaving it to the two leaders to fight their verbal battle. But as Yosef reveals himself , all animosity melts away and there is total unity among the brothers.
The parashat portends the future. The two kingdoms remained bitter rivals until the very end. But just as Yosef and Yehudah were reconciled with each other, the Prophet Yechezkel foretells that in the future, perfect unity will reign among the whole house of Yisrael. Both houses will contribute to Klal Yisrael's future redemption: Mashiach ben Yosef will pave the way and Mashiach ben David will complete the redemption.
We all know the imagery that is employed in conveying the message of Yechezkel. However, it is interesting to note that the prophet actually holds two tree branches together whilst making the prophecy. Why was this necessary when a verbal message would have sufficed ?
There are two reasons why a prophet sometimes accompanies his message with a symbolic action...... A physical demonstration makes a deeper impression on the people, the better to help them understand his message and generally, a prophecy from HaShem is conditional. Teshuva can reverse an evil prediction for the sinner involved. Vice versa, a good prophecy can be nullified if the person concerned, sins. The only time a prophecy becomes irreversible is if the prophet reinforces his words with a symbolic action.
Thus, the prophecy of the future union of the two kingdoms became irreversible by Yechezkel's action of holding the two tree branches together as one. It is interesting to note that the original prophecy concerning the split of the two kingdoms was also accompanied by a symbolic action in 1 Kings 11 where Achiyah the prophet seized his garment and tore it into twelve pieces, giving Yeravam 10 pieces. But for the sake of King David two tribes were given to Shlomo's son, Rechavam. Further along we read in verse 39 that this will not last forever. With these words, Achiyah hinted that in Mashiach's time both kingdoms will reunite and once again become "one tree," under the rulership of the Davidic Dynasty.
The Hebrew wood utilized is "etz - tree" or "etzim - trees." Chida in "Tzavrai Shalal," explains that tree or wood was used for this symbol in order to hint that in Mashiach's time the sin of the "Tree of Knowledge" will be atoned. All jealousy and baseless hatred will then vanish.
From the cool crisp mountain air of Tzfat and the balmy sub-tropical breezes of the South Pacific, Rav Katz and I wish you a Shabbat Shalom.
