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[Moshiach and the Ger]

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Pax Judaica - The Putin Spiral

The bear has awoken from his slumber [pun intended; Russia is often depicted as a bear] and it seems now that 2012 issues are again in full bloom by us here and now in 2014. Can I say that somehow the stage seems more [sur]real in our current location? Logic dictates that this game can't be played much longer, so one must assume there is "bang" to this firecracker, or the whole ensemble was one big dud; a political joke where not many spectators would have even caught the punchline.

Somehow I still think there is more drama to be played out from this World scene, one of Syria, Russia, America, Israel, Gog Magog [more like it, should it culminate within prophetic terms]? - Which brings us into prophetic boundary set up by King David himself:

In Tehillim, many of the Psalms speak of exile, Gog Magog, the coming of the Messiah, etc. all from a unique lens of the Psalmist. There is a penetrating theme in these Psalms, and it isn't necessarily a frequency of Armageddon, rather one of Hashem judging the World, and as such with Noahide laws being the tool with what to judge.

We may may not be gazing at drumbeats of war at all, really, rather this may be [under terms of mazal - a spiritual reality that we just aren't fully aware of in the physical realm; what we see, really isn't - and there actually is an "IS"] a unique tribunal, one that is indigenous to a true End of Days, one that is heavily prophesied [and misunderstood; taken out of context] and only serves to glorify God. One could surmise, that if there is a peaceful resolution, nations [already have] will fall, judgment will be at the forefront of all paradigm shift, and Hashem will be realized as the true judge, while Noah and his enter entourage will consummate as the scepter grasped by the hand of God.

We may be closer than we think, yet at the same time, man may be utterly confused. In any rate, "that's not what I was told" - will be the mantra of all outcomes led by God. This is simply God's story, we are along for the ride as spectators, and as King David says, one day there will be a show, and through that show the Nations will see the hand of God. There was a season for the Creation of Israel, and there will be a season for the [final] Creation of the World.



American Thinker:





In a column analyzing Russia’s recent threat to rethink its position on Iran, Walter Russell Mead and his staff at The American Interest postulated, “Linking the Ukraine crisis with the Iran negotiation is an American nightmare; it might just be a Russian dream come true.” Mead is on to something; however, he stops short in his analysis. Russia’s threat could also be quite helpful to Israel.

Obama entered into the Iran negotiations in order to avoid a military confrontation, as well as to constrain the “true barrier” to peace in the region – Israel. His hope was to bide time, notwithstanding that Iran’s centrifuges would continue to spin, bringing its nuclear capability to the brink or to fruition.

If Iran does in fact go nuclear on Obama’s watch, so be it; he will proceed to sell containment to the American public for the little time left in his term. The carnival salesmen in the White House are quite talented at selling the American people a bill of goods – just look at ObamaCare. While Russia invades a European country and threatens all-out war, the administration spends $52 million of taxpayer funds in just three months on advertising this debacle. One can only imagine what they will spend to convince Americans that a nuclear Iran poses no threat to our national security.

Alas, since reality has yet to penetrate the White House bubble, Obama has likely never lost sleep thinking about Iran’s nuclear capabilities (his Baracketology, next vacation, and golf game, perhaps, but national security, not so much) – that is, until Vladimir Putin stepped into the picture. Obama's failure to realize that he is now unmasked as a fool on the world stage does not mean that the rest of the world’s leaders have not noticed. It is not a coincidence that just six months after Putin manipulated Obama out of bombing Syria despite its having crossed Obama’s disingenuous red line, Putin took to annexing Crimea from Ukraine. And Putin did so despite a U.S. promise to protect Ukraine. As one Ukranian parliamentarian stated, "[e]veryone believed that for good or bad the United States would be the world's policeman. Now that function is being abandoned by President Obama, and because of that Russia invaded Crimea."

So Mead is correct that linking Ukraine with Iran is good policy for Russia while thrusting Obama into a nightmarish situation. It will cause Obama to quake in his mom-jeans and further diminish American power. Obama has already stated that he will not act militarily in response to the Ukrainian situation. What are his choices if Russia acts on its threat and allies with Iran? Cancel Putin’s Netflix account?

But linking Ukraine and Iran just might be an Israeli dream come true as well. Mead stated, “The Obama strategy has always been a risky one; if Russia shifts into active cooperation with Iran, it is hard to see how the White House can keep hope alive.” True enough. But if Russia moves into Iran’s camp, Israel has the perfect excuse to move ahead with a military strike on Iran’s nuclear installations and will likely have the support of the entire Western world (in addition to America’s Mideast allies like Saudi Arabia), all of which will be relieved that at least someone is standing up to the bad guys.

Middle East and foreign policy experts have vacillated for years analyzing Israel’s capability to conduct a successful unilateral military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, guessing when it might proceed, and wondering whether the United States is holding Israel back from doing so. Some ask why U.S. support is a necessary prerequisite to an Israeli strike that is in Israel's own national security interests. One need only look at a map of the region and the fact that the country, the size of the state of New Jersey and only nine miles wide at its narrowest point, is surrounded by 21 Arab nations, the vast majority of whom are adversaries, to understand Israel’s need for supportive friends.

When the most powerful nation on earth, the one that provides Israel with the most support both militarily and diplomatically, orders its ally not to attack another country, Israel is left with little choice but to listen. That is why Obama, Kerry, Clinton, and Panetta have been able to publicly abuse Israel with little backlash. But it is also why the administration’s threats of international isolation and abandonment have left Israel with little choice but to loudly proclaim her legal right to take all measures necessary in order to ensure the safety and security of her people – to defend herself, by herself.

And there are many signs that Israel is prepared to do so. In the sixth year of Obama’s administration, Israelis know full well that the American president who promised, “The United States will always have Israel’s back when it comes to Israel’s security” has no intention of actually following through on that assurance. The U.S. may have been “shocked” (just shocked!) at the statements of Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon this week when he opined that Israel must “behave as though we have nobody to look out for us but ourselves,” in part because:

... [w]e had thought the ones who should lead the campaign against Iran is the United States. But at some stage the United States entered into negotiations with them, and unhappily, when it comes to negotiating at a Persian baazar, the Iranians were better.

But Ya’alon was certainly speaking truth to power. And speaking of power, let us turn to a real superpower. Not the type that we reminisce about from the pre-Obama glory days of the Pax Americana that kept stability in the world, but the superpower that presents itself in the form of a democratic dynamo – the economic and military powerhouse known as Israel. As reported in the Times of Israel this week:

Israel’s security forces have the capability to carry out military operations in virtually every part of the globe, including Iran, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said Wednesday, adding that Israel had already conducted dozens of covert operations in foreign and enemy countries….

The TV report asserted that Gantz’s comments represented a first “definitive” acknowledgment that Israel is capable of military intervention in Iran and constituted a hint from the chief of General Staff that this kind of activity was already happening.

And according to a report in Ha’aretz, despite the ongoing talks with Iran and P5+1, Netanyahu and Ya’alon have ordered the IDF to begin preparations for a possible 2014 Iranian strike, earmarking at least $2.89 billion for the operation. (As an aside, think about that dollar amount in the context of the $52 billion that Obama has spent on three months of ObamaCare advertising and try not to throw something at the television the next time you see him joking around with Jimmy Fallon, Ellen DeGeneres, Zach Galifianakis, Kobe Bryant, and the rest of his adoring entourage.)

Many Israel-supporters had hoped that Netanyahu would attack Iran prior to Obama’s 2012 victory, believing that Obama would have been forced to support Israel for fear of reprisal from the electorate if he failed to do so. That is why now, when the world’s good guys are shirking their responsibilities and shrinking in stature in the face of ever more powerful bad guys enabled by the U.S. president, is the time for Israel to act.

Putin has given Netanyahu the gift of a second window. In the lead-up to the 2014 midterm elections, in which Obama must keep the Senate in control of the Democrats, Obama would have no choice but to stand behind Israel if she attacks Iran. If Russia stands with Iran, Obama will be forced to stand with Israel or lose the American people to the Republican Party. He cannot risk that happening. And Netanyahu cannot afford not to act on that knowledge.

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You Don't Know Your Enemy Until...

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• Mazal and The Ger
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Where's Moshiach? - Calling All Gerim!

                                                                    Parashas Vaeira

                                                 The Hidden King and His Kingdom

                                                                   Rabbi David Katz

Parashas Vaeira can quite simply be the Torah's formal introduction to kings and non-kings. In some ways this can appear as an overt operation, while some implications can be extremely subtle; yet with the careful eye, they are all here. Whether we are to discuss Pharaoh, Moshiach [and who he is], Egypt, Moses, or the Kabbalistic slant in this domain, the evil kingdom is quite clear in the passages that lay before us, while the secrets of the eventual ultimate redemption and her king is one of the truly most blessed aspects in the whole Torah – the truth of the final Moshiach – Moshiach son of David.  Let's examine six distinct aspects of the Kingdom in (1) Hashem and His name, (2) Egypt, (3) Pharaoh, (4) Moses, (5) Ger Tzedek, (6) Messiah.

"My Name Hashem"

Perhaps the most obvious King in our Parasha is The Creator Himself. Yet it still must be stated, for all too often we tend to stare at the trees while losing site of the forest! This is and shall always remain Hashem's dynamic opening moves that will eventually be realized as an eternal bombardment. Hashem was always working His vision into our hearts, and now has come the time to fashion the Nation of Israel in an absolutely revealed way, one that will see Him as head of this new Nation, one containing Jews and Gerim. As much as this week's headlines detail Hashem and Israel-proper, the rest of the Torah, starting next week [and from where we left off in Bereishit] will intertwine the Children of Israel who stood at Sinai, alongside in countless ways with the Gerim, who are also inherently bound by a Sinai in a sublime way.  Suffice it to say, Hashem has made his formal introduction with His essential name, and the buildup will culminate with a redemption [that leaves His distinct fingerprints all over it] and Sinai revelation. For the rest of time, no idolatry will be able to stand before Sinai and Moses as the Prophet of God; all others fall short, and with proper guidance in the nature of this redemption that God orchestrates, the Path of the Ger truly does represent Sinai and redemption, for their entire tradition rightfully so begins right at the foot of Sinai.

"Egypt"

Egypt was the empire of its day, and history teaches that it worked in tandem with the Land of Canaan [the future "Holy Land"]. This is "Kingdom" [lit.] / Malchut – "Rulership" [practical usage] at its best, and serves as the paradigm for every exile – redemption scenario. At this point in the narrative, we understand Egypt's roots through Bereishit, and onwards into Shemot, we see that Joseph's enactments of circumcision was now a [problematic] custom for the locals, along with ritual bathing for the women; this is a nice way of saying, that the future Jews were successful in the early efforts of "Making Gerim." Out of this scenario, a slew of issues will arise, such as Erev Rav [a mixed assembly of future Jews, Gerim, and enemies to God], this served as the basis of identity [through Batya – daughter of Pharaoh] for Moses, and as a symbol of the World in every empire, culminating with a similar setting towards the End of Days.  Some of the most potent prophesies that speak about sure signs of Redemption involve the falling of Egypt. One need not look too far in today's settings to see a possible Divine effort in fulfilling this symbol. To reiterate in simple terms, "we all have an Egypt to fall into, and then flee from."

"Pharaoh"

Pharaoh is a character that changes shape practically every time we see "him" – from Abraham and Isaac, through Joseph, and finally at the present Exodus. Thus to focus on the most essential attributes of Pharaoh would be to look upon him as we see him in our Parasha. Pharaoh's name in Hebrew can be split into the two words "Peh – Rah" or, Mouth of Evil. In Kabbalistic literature Malchut / Rulership is depicted as the Divine Mouth, as illustrated by the two most publicized kings in Torah History – Moses and David. The Zohar's depiction of Pharaoh is one of a perversion of the Rulership in God's image, even as an anti-messiah. If the Messiah extends his head upwards towards God, Pharaoh claims to be God incarnate. If Joseph [a Messiah type figure, i.e. Messiah son of Joseph] represents the river that flows from Eden [kabbalistically], one need not think too far back to Pharaoh's claims to stand on the river; this is the setting of which Moses is told to happen upon Pharaoh in the morning, as Moses is commanded to talk to Pharaoh. It is Pharaoh that goes against God, wishes to enslave the Nation of Israel / withhold the Gerim, and he represents the power of perversion of Rulership – a distortion of what redemption is supposed to look like. A great mystery can be said of Pharaoh, for at the Exodus he did not die, and for every generation that delivers a Moses in scholarship, the power of Pharaoh still manifests to attempt to block the will and vision of heaven [this is synonymous with Erev Rav and their leader].

"Moses"

Moses the eventual first King of Israel is a sublime example of Rulership. Yet as we focus from Hashem, and onwards into the evil sectors of Rulership – those that oppose Hashem as King, we come upon Moses as he is at the time of redemption. The Zohar illustrates that Moses' mouth is not totally operative [as evidenced by his "uncircumcised lips"; the verse 6:12 hints through beginning and end letters with a spelling of the words, "Circumcision", "and bounty", and "crying out"] and explains that his mouth is still in exile - EXCEPT FOR AT SINAI.  Moses has almost the whole package of redemption, even the Shechinah unites with his mouth, however there is still an aspect missing from this redemption and Moses, and that are his mouth and its Rulership that will manifest in the End of Days through Messiah. King David in psalms expresses this final level of Rulership [such that David is the promised Messiah] within the Mouth, and it is found in the sanctification within one's own mind. He says that all day man makes vows in the depths of his own mind, should he bring to light that higher voice, all of God's enemies will cease to exist. Ironically Moses could hear the voice of God, yet ironically his own voice went unrecognized…"From the mouth of God I heard two, will become the salvation of Sinai.

"Ger Tzedek"

The Ger might be the most invisible character to our Parasha on a revealed level; however the Zohar again illustrates that the manner of the redemption very much so involves the Ger on an ultra-dynamic scale.  The Ger Tzedek [here explained explicitly NOT as a convert, but as a proper Ger] is involved at removing stern judgments on the Creation, by working alongside Israel, and thus perforce can't be a Jew in this sense [although at times a Ger Tzedek can be referred to a full convert]. The task of the Ger is to return to his root of soul, and refine his character. The Ger exists in a world of Derech Eretz [good character traits] and thus has a natural tendency to gravitate towards his good inclination and to avoid any negative animalistic pull [Which every human being obviously has; the nature of Jews and Gerim are their functions of how to deal with good and bad.  In their equality, we can look at this in terms of right and left, male and female], or his evil inclination- to accentuate his good.  The Ger Tzedek is unique [and thus a proper Chasid by definition – going beyond the letter of the law; pursuing more than "7"] and wishes to purify and refine the areas of his soul that he is not naturally expected to, and by doing so he confronts his natural evil, and as he succeeds, this removes judgments from Mankind. The Jewish people in general are involved with this task, and thus a Jewish "Chasid" [in the literal sense] should then be one who involves himself with the work of the Ger [non-Chasid], or more explicitly, involving himself with the Noahide Laws. In the end, both the Jews and Gerim will work both sides together, and this will constitute a repair of the Rulership, and as King David prophesies, will bring in Redemption.

"Messiah"

…And finally the Messiah's Rulership, otherwise known as Pinchas, he who came of the "Daughters of Putiel." Pinchas the son of Elazer, came of the mysterious Daughters of Putiel, to which the Midrash, Talmud, and Kabbalah, have all identified as a double entendre representing Joseph and Jethro. To make this easier to understand on the Joseph side, we need to recall that Jacob told Joseph "Ephraim and Menasha are to Jacob" but any other progeny afterwards would belong to Joseph himself. This fact coupled with Elazar's Daughter of Putiel, reveals that likely Pinchas descended from one of Joseph's future daughters!  That would make her a prototype Ger Tzedek [Messianic type] of woman. This is not foreign to Pinchas, for he married a daughter of Rachav [and Joshua – he who personifies Moshiach ben Joseph] the Ger Tzedek! The Messiah lineage seems to travel alongside the Ger Tzedek and their women, to which the Torah says, "Daughter of Putiel" rather than daughter in the singular. Jethro is the other reference to Putiel [for this is a hint of his idolatrous days, as opposed to the Joseph hint that he defeated his evil inclination – another Ger Tzedek hint as we listed above], and Jethro is likened to a father of Ger Tzedek women! Just as his daughter married Moses and was an exemplary Ger Tzedek woman, and the Midrash calls Moses' Batyah her twin sister [in concept, relating to Jethro as the consummate Ger Tzedek], we see that the Davidic line flourishes with these women, from Tamar, to Ruth, and onwards until Moshiach is revealed and performs the redemption of the Ger. It should be noted that Pinchas is said to have received both roles of the Moshiach sons of Joseph and David, through the Brit Shalom [with the slaying of Zimri and Cozbi] – which was his own performance of the Redemption of the Ger, in keeping it in sanctity. Pinchas and the Priesthood became bonded to the Ger Tzedek woman through the enigmatic mitzvah known as the Yafa Toar – captured women of war, of which Pinchas is on record of having been present at the time of the command. For support, our Parasha has the same Gematria as Pinchas [208] and this is our first introduction to his character.

We live in a World that has never beheld true Rulership, a King, or in other words God revealed on Earth. The six listed archetypes of Kingdom listed in the Parasha [there are sure to be more, the more one delves within the micro, and perhaps can show there are less by illuminating the macro] show a range of the issues that manifest in every society at every time. We all know a Pharaoh in our Egypt, as we wish for God and a Messiah to end our problems, as we study every year about Moses while ignoring the Righteous Ger as if he does not exist. The irony is, every year we read about Pinchas, and overlook his future commitment in ushering in the redemption; whether it is through his soul, or the announcement that we have arrived through God's messenger Elijah, to whom we say, "Pinchas is Elijah." Parashas Vaeira is special, for it contains all of the necessary ingredients for a proper redemption; if we just knew that it is the Ger who lurks behind every type of Rulership, perhaps the shofar blast would erupt suddenly in our day. Only we do know, but if a tree falls in a forest with nobody there to listen, did it make a noise? [Hint; a word to the wise is sufficient]

Audio Class on Parasha Tuesday 11 P.M.

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Back to The Religion.

  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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Seeing Hashem: To Die For The Shechinah

 אָכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ, כָּל-דִּשְׁנֵי-אֶרֶץ לְפָנָיו יִכְרְעוּ, כָּל-יוֹרְדֵי עָפָר וְנַפְשׁוֹ, לֹא חִיָּה.

To see The Face of God - Is it to Die For?

Rashi on Tehillim 22:30 states: When people die, at the time of the taking of their Neshama, they merit to see the Face of the Shechina, as this verse relates to the moment of death. [Nidda 30b]

With this said, who was perhaps the Greatest Man to ever die?

 [as opposed to not die; as people of Torah are often judged by the degree of which that they did not die, sin, etc.]

Moshe Rabbeinu

Moshe was quite possibly the greatest Man who ever died, as he tragically did not earn the right of existing eternally as an angelic man [Arizal].

Now think to Moses' life as we know it in Torah: Hashem wished to "show Moses His face" - and Moses emotionally turns aside so as to not see God. Later in the Chumash, Moses practically begs God for Moses to be able to perceive God, as Hashem responds: no man shall see me and Live.

As no Man shall and Live, this equates to our Tehillim verse that on one hand suggests seeing the Shechina; yet the pshat of the verse says: Hashem shall not liven the Nefesh. Thus this verse seems as if it could explain Moses' quest to perceive God - to see while "not live."

Moses thus is quite peculiar: he does not want to see, he does want to see, etc...

Was Moses however destined for God? 

Everyone asks of Moses: why did he hit the rock, causing denial of The Land, and thus ultimately death. Perhaps Moses was on a collision course with death, even against his cognitive will. As Rashi says: we see the Face of the Shechina at the time of the taking of our Neshama.

One could say, it was the Nefesh [as opposed to Neshama] of Moses that wished at all cost to see the Shechinah!

Who knows what the reality would have been had |Moses lived, entered the Land etc. What we do see is that he died, and thus he saw the Face of the Shechinah. Moses may have been one step away of being as perfect as Man can be; but maybe what drove the Man even more, was an insatiable desire to behold the Almighty in the highest revelation possible. Moses was given practically every key to every door.  

In Devarim, the Shechinah spoke through Moses, and as we all know, Moses had the face that shined as the sun. Had he entered the Land, would the Shechinah radiate of off Moses? Would this be a dangerous level to be on, if not for Moses, but the Jewish People and the Noahides who would behold him? The Land would have been an aliyah of the highest order, especially with the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem. 

Perhaps this madreiga would have been too uneasy for Moses, and thus even on a subconscious level: death would be the answer! It would guarantee victory [as Moses himself would not be an impediment], satisfaction, completion, and allow Moses the Man [of Moses] to truly express himself.

Moses was the Man of God; maybe Moses wanted to go out as the man of Moses, with a kiss of death, and the ability to see the Face of the Shechinah - from his point of view.

Moses was exceedingly humble, and in the future Moses- Moshiach will be the absolute vessel in the Hand of God. Moses' death was the last hurrah for Moses to be Moses.

As Rashi explains, it is Moses who will get Techias Hametim, and lead the Geulah. Through Moses, the Jewish People and Torah have survived, and Moses has remained the faithful Man. Angelic Moses never came, and perhaps this was not only for Moses' benefit, but for Mankind.

Moses did not enter the Land, but maybe this was between him and God - and maybe this fight Moses did win! - he was able to do what avoided him his whole life. Moses may have been selfless, yet there would always remain some sense of identity. Death would be his; once delivered, Moses the Man of God would never again need to die, thus ushering in the messianic age, of which it is said:

Death shall be swallowed up forever. 

Until then most will or have died; Moses was the exception. He always was. He always will be.

Moses is a Man also, one who was after God; and unlike most Men - He got there.

Sometimes matters of the heart run on a different track, and don't always equate through our decisions as some would think. 

The point taken: when there is Love of God - Nothing will stand between you and God.

אשרי

Moses sealed the Torah with Ashrei / אשרי
King David explained Moses' message with utter clarity, as he began where Moses left off: אשרי
Moses was אשרי unlike any other - and his message to David was simple: 
Be a Man who goes after the Heart of God. 
Was there ever a Chasid greater than David?
...and in the end, the two come together, in the great secret of: משיח בן דוד וגואל אחרון



 

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