The Creation of Man: Thinking Shabbat #2

• Contemplating Sinai
• Sinai IS Torah
• The Mishcan and You
• Shabbat Labor
• Shabbat of Gerim
• "My" Place in the World
• Interactive Torah
• etc.

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The Sisterhood of Motherhood

                                                                Parashas Shemot

                                                    The Messiah's Women's Club

                                                                Rabbi David Katz

Parashas Shemot is the formal introduction to Moses after a successful build up throughout the entire Book of Genesis. Yet the most compelling part of Moses' character and subsequent development, might strike one as the most elusive secret has ever told –it may even begin to decipher as to why he in fact did hit the infamous rock, on his way to Israeli – expulsion, keeping resonance with the Torah's narrative and theme in repairing Adam, who suffered a similar fate. So what is it that Adam and Moses share in a most profound way? If we look to Adam's fateful day, we can remember that he looked to call Eve [his better half] "The Mother of all Life" (חוה) and that is just it – for as much as Eve defines Adam and all of Life, it is the women within the Life of Moses, that shape his destiny as the paradigm redeemer. Moses' greatness in historic proportion, and his ability to attain to the highest heights of Understanding [symbolized his ascension of the Mt. to gaze upon the Land, along with the rabbinic tradition that Moses gained the elusive 50^th Gate of Understanding, expressing that he actually existed in the Land of Israel already, that which is on High] was a direct result of his surroundings – that of the Joy [Hedva] of Torah, or in other words, the "Mother of the Messiah [as the Zohar states] -  "The Ger Tzedek [non-Jewish convert] Women." There may not be a greater secret within the Torah as this, for as much as the women ushered in the first Redemption from slavery, the Women of the entire World [Gerim and Jewish] shall conspire again against tyranny in the End of Days, and secure eternal Liberation and Salvation.

In a short span of "page time" in Shemot, we quickly find ourselves familiar with Moses, and his four most essential [Ger -] women in Miriam [sister], Yocheved [mother], Batyah [daughter of Pharaoh – surrogate mother], and Tzipporah [wife, daughter of Jethro, and as the Midrash states, a spiritual twin sister to Batyah]. To make the linear progression clear, Moses was born to Yocheved, and was hid and nursed with the help of his sister Miriam until three months of age in seclusion had passed. The women of the House of Levi [Moses was a Levite, and his father, mother, and sister each established a house, in Priest, Levite, and Kingship] placed Moses in the Nile to see what would become of him, due to the oppression of Pharaoh, which led to his discovery by Batyah [Pharaoh's daughter]. Batyah desired to raise Moses in royalty, and commenced as such with full cooperation with Moses' family. At this point Moses would grow up under these terms, live a life of a Man discovering God, which properly found him contemplating God's ways upon a well in Midian. From there Moses arose to the challenge vested within his future wife and family in Tzippora, the daughter of the Midianite Priest / Pharaoh's advisor – Jethro.

Jethro and Moses would quickly become the best of mates, developing "Ger Theory" [and Torah revelation, for Jethro was a great inspiration to Moses, and vice versa] while at the same time Moses' love for Tzippora would erupt and culminate with the birth of their two young men Eliezer and Gershom. From the House of Jethro, Moses would be called to meet God at Sinai, and receive command to redeem Israel from Egyptian bondage. All would go moderately well [aside form Moses' shock to happen upon God, where he refused to gaze at the intensity of God – for better or worse] for Moses and his new task; soon he would find himself put into motion, and he sought to bring his wife and children along for the Divine Mission that he was now in charge of.  Yet before we meet up with Moses and his wife Tzippora on their journey into exile's land, it is most appropriate to reveal the first part of the saga of Moses, one dominated by women. Women will become a sort of definition for Moses, and a key to the future final redemption, one that his soul is heavily involved in, to which Messiah is called "Nishmat Moshe / Moshe Moshiach." [The soul of Moses / Moses – Messiah]

If Moses found God in the burning bush, then this was certainly a message for Moses' soul! 

Just as the fire burned yet did not consume the material, Moses' life was the proverbial matter amidst the flames [Moses' allusion in the Torah (Genesis 6:3) suggests this point – Rashi]; the reality of this was seen that Moses could handle the wrath of God and the wrath of Israel and Gerim. Moses was able to withstand the pressures of Life and Torah through his upbringing and association with women; more specifically Ger Tzedek women…and dare I say Ger Tzedek, God Fearing – Levite women. [Levites are historically known to contain the passion for God; and God Servant according to the Rambam is called a Levite] Moses was destined to stand in the fire and not be consumed, and this could easily define his entire existence. For that which is termed "Nishmat Moshe" [soul of Moses] and is synonymous with the Tree of Life above, we now have an idea how to envision the Cherubim of which take hold of the flame of the sword that turns! …and when Moses was born, they saw that he was Good; Moses was born circumcised, and was thus thought to be the prophesied redeemer due to his radiance and apparent exalted stature.

Yocheved gave birth to Moses after her husband Amram returned to his wife, no longer in fear of Pharaoh's threat to slaughter new born males; this was a result of the piercing wisdom of Miriam, sister of Moses, who was herself a keen prophetess. The Hebrew women were different than the Egyptian women, for they performed miraculous pregnancy and delivery, took the risk of ritual bath [which became a custom in Egypt, to the dismay of the dignitaries of the land], and as we shall see with Moses, the women were versed in the art of circumcision. [A practice that was even among the Egyptians due to Joseph incorporating the act in his day as a tool to ease the pending exile] Moses would ultimately spend three sacred and holy months with his mother and sister in seclusion [for he was born three months ahead of schedule], and although knowledge of exact details are scant of the nature of his upbringing [even as a baby Moses had a profound awareness that was likened to a youth], the Midrash [along with Torah definition of the art of nursing, to which this was a mark of distinction by Moses, for his mouth would speak with The Creator – that which was pure from its inception] details that Moses' time with Yocheved was so profound on a soul level, Moses never lost his identity. Yocheved, the Levite, successfully lit the fire known as Moses, a fire that never found darkness; on the contrary, Moses' face would eventually glow with the fire of his youth.

Yocheved and Miriam kept their promise to Batyah, and after three months and Batyah's finding of Moses which led to the hire of Yocheved to raise Moses further, Batyah the Ger Tzedek [as evidenced by her Mikvah] received Moses, and brought him into the fires of Egypt. The Zohar proclaims that Batyah [on of the righteous who walked into the Garden of Eden while alive] represents harsh judgments of soul. This is the DNA of a righteous woman, and Batyah not only named Moses thus defining his existence and the Torah through her prophetic action, but she shaped Moses into the man that he was destined to become, both to God, and to his future wife; all the while sanctifying the opening efforts of the righteous Yocheved, wife of Amram the Levite. Moses would soon be ready to meet his match in his chance meeting with daughters of Jethro.

Moses quickly fell in love with Tzippora, Jethro's daughter, and her remaining role within the Torah comes across as largely irrelevant, and even to a point of gross disrespect, for Moses eventually and suddenly divorces her, upon which we will eventually meet Miriam in full detail over this matter, as she contests Moses in a most compelling fashion. Once the Torah moves towards its end game and Moses' exile / hitting the rock, the episodes known with Tzippora, his righteous Ger Tzedek – Levite – like bride, will provide the inside track as to who she was, and more importantly what he role was to Moses, the man who withstood the fire.

Quickly after Moses takes command of the journey ahead of him to Egypt to redeem Israel, Moses saddles up his youth and wife, and thinks to commence on his way. The Midrash informs us that he and Jethro had a Torah debate as to the nature of the circumcision needed [or not needed] for his two young men; the point of contention is what is perhaps the Torah's biggest conundrum that exists – "the status of a child born of a Jewish man and a Ger Tzedek woman" – for Moses was destined to stand at Sinai, while Tzippora sought to be strangely absent. All throughout the Torah's Messianic characters, this theme plays out accordingly with such luminaries as Moses, Joshua, Pinchas, David, etc. The relationship between Gerim and Jews has always baffled the mind, enticed souls, and even has served as the impetus of frustrated outburst of anti-Semitism [on both sides]; The Ger Tzedek is simply the greatest riddle ever told, and any offshoot of it has baffled every mind that has come upon it. This is the arena of Jethro and Moses concerning circumcision, and now there is an audience – Hashem Himself, and Moses was destined to meet up with his odd fate.

The Torah states that God sought to kill Moses over his delaying to circumcise his son; Moses was in doubt and confusion over the matter, and not surprisingly, his blunder put his life in danger with an attack of the evil inclination who overstepped his boundary as the angel of death by God's command. Moses and Tzippora would commence to argue in an out of character expression of anger, leading Moses halfway to his demise, before Tzippora would perform one of the greatest actions in history. She blazed over Moses, reducing him to ashes of a proverbial Red Heifer, for she understood the Mazal of her name: Tzippora contains the two words within it "rock" and Mouth"; she know knew her role of destiny, and acted as a savior to the soul of Moses.

Tzippora understood that this was a matter of circumcision as an action of representing the entire Torah, and that Hashem was judging Moses according to this principle. By Tzippora circumcising her son while Moses was overcome by a state of confused anger, she saved not only her son and Moses, but avoided a desecration of God, thereby saving the whole Torah in a way that Eve did before Adam, through the performance of tremendous "Binah" – the power of understanding within the soul of every woman. As soon as she knew and saw, she quickly grabbed a rock to perform not only the cut itself, for the salvation came within the awareness that she had to perform an entire and complete mini ritual to the Torah standard of the mitzvah as well. 

One would think that this also was enough to satisfy God, yet the most daring leg of the micro journey was yet ahead, and due to the dangers of the action, the child [as with every child] would need sterilization to survive. It is precisely here that the mention of "mouth" within her name would manifest, and Tzippora completed one of the most profound actions in history, by orally sanitizing the young child, according to Torah law, and in accordance to the way the mitzvah has been done from the days of Abraham until this very day. In victory and salvation of Moses, Tzippora "reached the blood to his feet, and said, my husband's blood was because of circumcision."  Tzippora withstood God, Moses, and the baby's blood, and sanctified herself in accordance with Yocheved and Batyah before her, entering her into a proper sisterhood of Righteous Ger Women in the Torah's illustrious motherhood.

Tzippora may have saved Moses, and merited to bring him to that final level of fire capacity to withstand the fire of Sinai, but it did not come without a paying a price. Moses received the Torah and Tzippora was not there to see it; he would achieve greatness and understanding, yet he would not merit containing the fire that became of Tzippora and the imposed definition within him of the state of the Ger tzedek. Later in the Torah, Moses divorced Tzippora, and he remained exiled from Israel and building the Temple due to his shortcomings. A opportunity arrived later to wed the daughters of Tzlafchad who had inherited land in Israel, but Moses chose to reveal the Torah of the women, this time from the side of the Get – the divorce contract. This is where Moses met the Messiah within him in Miriam.

Miriam and Aaron spoke poorly of Moses over the matter of the divorce, and although Miriam would receive "the spit in the face by God" [showing the severity of the matter, and reinforcing that Miriam was a prophet in her own right] by rebuking Moses, she did ignite the final flame in Moses. Miriam was right in that she knew that Moses wrong to divorce Tzippora over matters such as the status of the Ger Tzeddek in Am Yisrael. Yet Moses could only go so far at this time, he was reduced to ashes [even literally over the exile from the land] and the fiery sting of Miriam was all that Moses could take. He achieved his understanding, but he would have to wait for his prophetic return to enter the land, as the Torah states in regards to the soul of Moses, "then Moses will sing" [the Torah's hidden wisdom, i.e. Binah / understanding – Zohar]

Moses is said to be a part of the Messiah team, one that is invested as Messiah sons of Joseph and David, to which his soul is enjoyed within this task. It is on this point, that the Zohar says that Messiah rests in the Birds Nest Above [etymology is as Tzippora – Kan Tzippor] to which the Zohar says the souls of the Righteous Ger Tzedek Women Above nurture the Messiah in the location of the Soul of Moses, and this nurturing is called, "the mother of the Messiah."

Suffice it to say, the Temple and the Messianic redemption is slated to descend built from Above amidst the great fire that will wipe away evil. It shall be the presence of the "map" in place of the territory that held back the redemption; but the cooperation of the World's righteous women culminating in the End of Days that will provide the fire to destroy the way people thought in exile that led to our proverbial exiles and even demise of Moses over matters of the heart. When we begin to realize how the Torah thinks instead of baselessly asking why and what does the Torah think of things, then and only then will the territory of Hedvah – supreme joy "fun" of the Torah reveal itself, invested within the hearts and smiles of the world's redeemed women. The final showdown in history led by Moses Messiah and his song of wisdom, shall finally express the Mother of all Living, Eve as she was, expressed among the sacred Jewish women, …and with Gerim who hold with one hand, and like Miriam, contain the drum in the other, who simply did what Adam and Moses simply could not do: be themselves.

Like the fire of Tamar and the passion of Ruth, were they out of line, or just buring the fire of the Ger, "singing the song while understanding the lyrics."

Class Thurs. Dec. 26th 11 P.M. Tzfat Time

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Seeing Beyond The Trance - Finding Gerim

Click Here For Interview with "Beyond The Matrix"

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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.” 

יא  וְנָחֲךָ יְהוָה, תָּמִיד, וְהִשְׂבִּיעַ בְּצַחְצָחוֹת נַפְשֶׁךָ, וְעַצְמֹתֶיךָ יַחֲלִיץ; וְהָיִיתָ, כְּגַן רָוֶה, וּכְמוֹצָא מַיִם, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יְכַזְּבוּ מֵימָיו.	11 And the LORD will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make strong thy bones; and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
יב  וּבָנוּ מִמְּךָ חָרְבוֹת עוֹלָם, מוֹסְדֵי דוֹר-וָדוֹר תְּקוֹמֵם; וְקֹרָא לְךָ גֹּדֵר פֶּרֶץ, מְשֹׁבֵב נְתִיבוֹת לָשָׁבֶת.	12 And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places, thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.
יג  אִם-תָּשִׁיב מִשַּׁבָּת רַגְלֶךָ, עֲשׂוֹת חֲפָצֶךָ בְּיוֹם קָדְשִׁי; וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג, לִקְדוֹשׁ יְהוָה מְכֻבָּד, וְכִבַּדְתּוֹ מֵעֲשׂוֹת דְּרָכֶיךָ, מִמְּצוֹא חֶפְצְךָ וְדַבֵּר דָּבָר.	13 If thou turn away thy foot because of the sabbath, from pursuing thy business on My holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, and the holy of the LORD honourable; and shalt honour it, not doing thy wonted ways, nor pursuing thy business, nor speaking thereof;
יד  אָז, תִּתְעַנַּג עַל-יְהוָה, וְהִרְכַּבְתִּיךָ, עַל-במותי (בָּמֳתֵי) אָרֶץ; וְהַאֲכַלְתִּיךָ, נַחֲלַת יַעֲקֹב אָבִיךָ--כִּי פִּי יְהוָה, דִּבֵּר.  {פ}	14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD, and I will make thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. Isaiah 58 v 11-14

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.

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Shabbat Shalom : Shemot.

ט  וַיֹּאמֶר, אֶל-עַמּוֹ:  הִנֵּה, עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--רַב וְעָצוּם, מִמֶּנּוּ.	9 And he said unto his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us;
י  הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה, לוֹ:  פֶּן-יִרְבֶּה, וְהָיָה כִּי-תִקְרֶאנָה מִלְחָמָה וְנוֹסַף גַּם-הוּא עַל-שֹׂנְאֵינוּ, וְנִלְחַם-בָּנוּ, וְעָלָה מִן-הָאָרֶץ.	10 come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.'
יא  וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלָיו שָׂרֵי מִסִּים, לְמַעַן עַנֹּתוֹ בְּסִבְלֹתָם; וַיִּבֶן עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹת, לְפַרְעֹה--אֶת-פִּתֹם, וְאֶת-רַעַמְסֵס.	11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses.
יב  וְכַאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ, כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ; וַיָּקֻצוּ, מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.	12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were adread because of the children of Israel.
יג  וַיַּעֲבִדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּפָרֶךְ.	13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.
יד  וַיְמָרְרוּ אֶת-חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבֹדָה קָשָׁה, בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים, וּבְכָל-עֲבֹדָה, בַּשָּׂדֶה--אֵת, כָּל-עֲבֹדָתָם, אֲשֶׁר-עָבְדוּ בָהֶם, בְּפָרֶךְ.	14 And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field; in all their service, wherein they made them serve with rigour. Exodus 1 v 9-14

"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.

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Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself

• Mi Eleh
• Love The Ger
• Gematria of The Ketz
• Efraim Menashe
• Moshiach ben Yosef
• Redemption
• Kol HaTor
• etc.

Click Here For Article!

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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].

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]

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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!

Tzfat - The Year of Snow in 2013. The World Shall Never Remain The Same!

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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.

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.

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.

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 .

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.”

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.

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Dying To Finally Live!

• Yosef Still Lives!
• Pharaoh's Con
• Essence of Exile
• The Jew and The Ger
• King David Chai
• Life Perspective
• etc.

Click Here For Article!

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