Yud Cheshvan, 5769 Parashat Lech Lecha

The Month of Mar Cheshvan: The Best

is Yet to Come
Rav Chaim Richman Shlit”a
International Director of Machon Hamikdash - Temple Institute
This month of Mar Cheshvan is the only to look forward to or anticipate here: Mar Cheshvan,
month of the Hebrew calendar that does not feature as it is formally known, is just that: the prefix Mar de-
even a minor observance -- not even a fast day. Es- notes a certain cold formality, “Mr.” Cheshvan, or per-
pecially given the fact that this month comes right haps “bitter” Cheshvan…not the feeling of an old
after the action-packed month of Tishrei – which is familiar friend, like its predecessor. Following on the
host to the High Holidays and Sukkot, with its high- heels of the exhilarating month of Tishrei, we are per-
profile, action-oriented mitzvot – this month of Mar haps just a bit disappointed.
Cheshvan seems particularly drab and colorless…a
fitting introduction to winter. After the rush of adrenalin Indeed, as the month of Cheshvan enters ac-
we experience in Tishrei that manifests itself in every companied by these feelings, the idea of disappoint-
aspect of our prayers and spiritual pursuits, is this ment seems to transcend our personal idiom and take
month not something of an anticlimax? Indeed, its on a universal theme, running parallel to our own,
very name seems to foretell that we haven’t got much through the Torah portions that begin the
See
Page 10

IN THIS ISSUE
Rav Yossie
Evan Kotel
PHOTOGRAPHER
Bloch
The Monarchy Wedding and Bar Mitzva Coverage
Public Relations Photography
in Contempo- www.evankotel.com evan@evankotel.com
rary Halakha 0524-877-232

English speaking sales respresentatives are

available for home visits to give you the best
prices possible. Both Kosher and regular
phones are available.
Call Simcha 052-444-6022
 Inequality and a Fifth Column
Shmuel Sokol Editor-In-Chief

In our generation we have seen miracles and victories. We have witnessed ancient prophecies
fullfilled and miraculous rebirth from our own ashes. We live in a situation that would was beyond the
wildest hopes of our forebears. However, this does not mean that there are not problems that must be ad-
dressed, and dangers that threaten our very lives.

I believe with all of my heart that things will work out in the end. I only worry about how much suf-
fering we will have to endure before we get there.

Currently we face a danger greater than the Arab enemy, greater than an anti-semitic United Na-
tions, or campus radicals in the United States. We face an enemy within.

There is a double standard in this country that condemns the religious and the politically right,
while allowing excessive license to the left, to self-haters and post-zionists. While Jews are throwing rocks
in Na’alin, and professor Zev Sternhall is calling for tanks to destroy Ofra, Rabbi Glick of Machon Hamik-
dash is arrested for incitement for the crime of bringing Jews to Har Habayit and the Israeli police argue in
court that bringing an Israeli flag into an “Israeli Arab” city should be banned as incitement.

We have recently seen a blatant example of anti-settler prejudice in the case of Noam Federman. The police
broke into his house in the middle of the night like the gestapo, breaking windows, hitting his wife and chil-
dren and arresting him for assualt. It was later established that he was handcuffed and restrained at the time
of his alleged violence. The police then proceeded, protected by soldiers who had been falsely told to hold a
perimiteer to protect civilians against a terrorist incursion, to destroy Mr. Federman’s home with all his pos-
sesions inside. Watching this destruction, one man called out a curse upon the police. I do not judge him or
condemn him, though I disagree with him, for the Torah states that one is not allowed to judge his fellow
while his dead lies before him (i.e. in a time of extreme grief). The media and upper echelons on government
seized upon these remarks to fabricate stories on right wing conspiricies and plots against the state. Decry-
ing settler “violence”, they ignore their own brutality.

While Aryeh Deri is forbidden from running for Mayor of Jerusalem, due to a
previous incarceration, Tagrid Saadi (Yemach Shema), a convicted terrorist
who helped facilitate the murder of six Israelis, is allowed to run for city council in
Sakhnin. Arabs riot in Akko, calling out death to the Jews, and the media calls it
Arab-Jewish rioting when the Jews begin to fight back. We need a change in
our political culture and media and we need it fast. The only solution that I can
think of at this point, is civil disobedience. The majority of Israelis would
be appalled if they knew of what really was going on in this country and we
should not hate our brothers in our hearts. We must educate them, and at the
same time, give a message to our corrupt leadership that the Jewish
people is unwilling to sell out its rights and heritage.
 Though the elections in the United States are
over, the season in Israel has barely begun. In a few
days, we will hold local elections, and shortly after-
wards, the focus will turn to the national elections for
the 18th Knesset. However, from a halakhic point of
view, we must ask: how does modern democracy
compare to the traditional Jewish approach to govern-
ment?
Indeed, one of the most interesting of the
mitzvot which are unique to Eretz Yisra'el is the mitzva
to appoint a king. As Rabbi Yehuda states (Sifrei
67:10): "The Jewish people were commanded three
mitzvot upon their entry into the land: to appoint a
king, to build a Temple and to eradicate the seed of
Amalek." The Tosefta (Sanhedrin 4:10) is even more
explicit: "We do not establish a monarchy in the Dias-
pora." This stands in contrast to the other mitzva relat-
ing to Jewish government, that of establishing a justice
system, which is universal; as the Tosefta (ibid. 3:10)
puts it: "The Sanhedrin applies in the Land and out-
side it."
Does our modern form of government in any
way reflect the idea of Jewish government in the
Torah? The Rambam (Hilkhot Melakhim 1:5) rules that
"We do not set up a woman in the monarchy, as it
says, '[You shall surely place] upon yourself a king'
(Devarim 17:15)—and not a queen; so too, for any ap-
pointment in Israel, we appoint only a man." The ex-
clusion of women from the monarchy is mentioned in
the Sifrei (157:15), but we do not find that this applies
to all offices. Instead, it is the exclusion of converts
from the monarchy which the Gemara in Yevamot
(45b) expands, declaring: "Any appointments you
make shall be only be 'from among your brothers' (De-
varim ibid)." It seems that the Rambam interprets the
latter source as telling us that any appointment in a
Jewish society should mirror that of a See
Page 13
3

This article may seem at first to be dealing
with nothing more than semantics. But in this case, we
are dealing with words pertaining to our very identity.
Our identity is the way we perceive ourselves and
broadcast that perception to others. The name we are
given and words we use to describe ourselves are
fundamental to our identity.
In an interview with Haaretz journalist Daniel
Ben Simon the day following Shimon Peres' defeat to
Benjamin Netanyahu in the 1996 election, the follow-
ing exchange took place:
Interviewer: "What happened in these elections?"
Peres: "We lost."
Interviewer: "Who is we?"
Peres: "We, that is, the Israelis."
Interviewer: "And who won?"
Peres: "All those who do not have an Israeli men-
tality."
Interviewer: "And who are they?"
Peres: "Call them the Jews."
According to the Peres model, there are two
publics in Israel: the 'Israeli' and the 'Jew'. 'Israeli' rep-
resents the New Jew, free from the constraints of reli-
gion and free of the "Galut mentality." This individual
has thrown off the baggage of two thousand years of
exile and has now taken his rightful place amongst the
nations as an equal. He has developed a new culture,
a mix of East and West; and while he speaks Hebrew,
he is a citizen of the world and feels that Israel's great-
est mission is to achieve normalcy and equality
amongst the nations.
Peres' 'Jew', on the other hand, stubbornly re-
tains his religious observance. The 'Jew' tends toward
political isolationism and in his ignorance he is willing
to disregard world opinion. The troublesome 'Jew'
supports the continued "occupation" or "settlement" of
Judea and Samaria, thereby retarding all progress to-
wards peace. The 'Jew' is some kind of relic that
needs to be cleared away so that a "New Middle East"
can be born. The 'Jew' even has the audacity to fight
4
for his land, not to mention for his life.
Recently, Yair Lapid, the son and heir of the
anti-religious Shinui party founder Tommy Lapid, with
no trace of brotherly love, eulogized the "Jews" of
Judea and Samaria by saying the following: "These
people create a situation whereby, when the day
comes, and the agreements are signed on the lawn in
Washington, it will be easier to give up this land, which
isn't really ours; this land where not only the laws and
landscape are different, but also the people."
This is yet another example of the linguistic
and anthropological paradigm which we have been
taught: the progressive and the regressive are two
very different people living in the same parcel of land.
One is 'Israeli' while the other is an outsider; he is the
'Jew'.
The division between the Israeli and the Jew
is artificial, counter-productive, and anti-Jewish. Our
leaders should always be striving to strengthen the
bonds that unite every Jew in the world - especially in
this time of renewed anti-Semitism and the world
jihad. So why do people like Peres and Lapid utilize
the 'Jew' versus 'Israeli' paradigm? Because the dis-
tinction between 'Jew' and 'Israeli' was created by
them and their post-Zionist cohorts. By blaming the
'Jew', they seek to create a scapegoat for their failed
attempts to make peace by manipulating the public
and giving away our country. By diverting the spotlight
away from their own ineptitude and corruption, they
stay in power.
Furthermore, cowardly people who are pre-
pared to give away the heart of Israel to our sworn en-
emies feel threatened by fellow countrymen who
represent bravery and a will to survive. For post-Zion-
ists like Peres and Lapid, the woman who happily
raises her kids in Judea and Samaria is a constant re-
minder of their own gutlessness, leading them to de-
velop a burning hate for the pioneering and strong
'Jew'.
The irony of it all is that in today's Israel, the
'Jew' is the new 'Israeli'. Israel was supposed to be the
breeding ground for a strong new Hebrew who does
not cower. Yet in today's Israel, it is the secular-post-
Zionist-left which is the cowering Jew being led to the
slaughter. The religious settler is now the emancipated
Israeli, bedecked with side locks and tzitzit, and
armed with the classic fundamentals of Zionist See
Page 6
ideology; that is, to ingather, to build, and to settle the
land of Israel.
In a cynical and cunning fashion, the post-
Zionists are attempting to take away 'Israeli' identity
from those parts of society which still retain the true
'Israeli' and Zionist spirit. By branding strong Israelis
as 'the Jews', post-Zionists are trying to marginalize
and denigrate that segment of society. The division
between Jew and Israeli works to their advantage.
Sadly, after the Disengagement, many of the
'Jews' have also embraced the very same 'Jew' ver-
sus 'Israeli' lingo. While it is not commonplace, some
religious Zionists proclaim: "I am not a Tzioni, leave
that for the Israelis, those who kick Jews out of homes
and bash our children's heads in Amona like Cos-
sacks."
Without realizing it, the religious Zionist who
embraces the 'Jew' vs. 'Israeli' lexicon is a victim of a
propaganda aimed at destroying him by cutting him off
from the state he helped build and defend. Instead of
relinquishing his Israeli identity, he would be better off
saying the truth: it is the post-Zionists who have lost
their Israeli self. The strong Jews of Israel are the real
Israelis.
The word 'Israel' has been hijacked and has
been made merely to reflect an identity of citizenship.
However, while Israel is indeed the name of our coun-
try, it is much more than that. It is the name of our
people.
Our familial and tribal name is Israel. Our
Book of Collective Memory tells us that we are all
sons and daughters of one man named Jacob, who
was renamed Israel: "Then G-d said to him, 'Your
name is Jacob, your name shall not be called Jacob
6
any longer, but Israel shall be your name.' Thus he
called his name Israel." (Genesis 35:10)
(Israeli Arabs are not Israeli, and how could
they be? Israel is a name set aside for the people of
Israel. Arabs who live here can be called "Arabs with
citizenship of the State of Israel", but they are cer-
tainly not 'Israelis'. Ask them and they will tell you the
same thing.)
Israel is the country that we have built. We,
the Children of Israel, have returned to our land and
have built a prosperous and healthy country in which
Torah flourishes alongside advanced farming, life-sav-
ing medicine and computers. Are these things in con-
tradiction? Of course not. We are one nation, reuniting
on one land, speaking one language. We are Israel.
I am Israeli, because for two-thousand years
of exile I was the Jew, a lone speck traveling through
time just to arrive at this point of redemption. I am no
doubt Jewish, and I love Judaism. But I am even
prouder that I have been given the great opportunity,
the Jewish dream of two thousand years, to live in Is-
rael and to help build it into the wonderful and holy
country that it will one day be.
Nobody is going to take away my hard-
earned right to be an equal member of Israeli society.
Nobody is going to take from me my country and my
identity. And certainly I am not going to relinquish my
name Israel and give it to those who have forgotten
what Israel is really all about.
Yishai Fleisher is the Program Director of Arutz 7’s Is-
raelNationalRadio.com and the co-founder of
Kumah.org.
 Baruch Hashem, presidential elections in the
USA are over and Baruch Hashem (times 10!), the
municipal elections in Israel will be over in a few days.
That means life returns to normal… wrong!
“Election season” is far from over in our
sweet, holy and cherished Promised Land. Actually, it
is really just beginning! Think about it; While America
has already picked its president and cities across Is-
rael will pick their mayors and city councils very soon,
the elections for the Knesset are just about ready to
start. How exciting is that???
All kidding aside, these elections are far dif-
ferent from those in most parts of the world. In the
overwhelming majority of political races, you simply
prefer a certain candidate over another. Your candi-
date – we’ll call him “Candidate A” – appeals to you
because you like his economic plan or his stand on
crime, housing or education. You vote for him and
even work hard on his campaign but when the votes
are tallied - whether he wins or not - does not really
mean a whole lot. Your life goes on, pretty much the
same, whether “Candidate A” wins or loses. Sure, you
will be a little upset and depressed if he loses but as
the saying goes; the beat goes on…
This is not true in Israel. Here in Israel, if the
wrong candidate wins, you could find your house de-
stroyed, your city bombed, your business closed, your
Yeshiva demolished or yourself dead. No exaggera-
tion. As a matter of fact, things are so upside-down
here that even if your candidate of choice wins you
can find your house destroyed, your city bombed, your
business closed… If you don’t believe me, ask the
10,000 good Jews from the southern coast of Israel
who once lived in a beautiful region called Gush Katif.
These people danced the night Ariel Sharon won
the election. They sang and partied with joy Next
Page
7
when the final votes were counted. Their hero had These 98,000 people – and only these
won and they would be safe! Sadly, they are not danc- 98,000 people – will decide on who will be on the
ing now… Likud list after Bibi. All polls show that Likud will get at
least 30 seats in the next Knesset. Who will these 30
If I needed to summarize the election process people be? Will they be strong and proud of their Jew-
in Israel I would simply use one word. While “crazy” ish heritage – like Moshe Feiglin? Will they be com-
comes to mind – as does “again???” – the real word is mitted to the land – like Uzi Landau? Will they be
“serious”. Elec- ready to fight the
tions here are no enemy – like
laughing matter
“You have to look past the commercials, posters Boogey Ya’alon?
and you had bet- and jingles and realize that it’s not just people in Is- These questions
ter realize that rael who are waiting for election results but some will be decided on
very quickly! very evil eyes from Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria and December 15th by
This is a serious those people who
business since
Egypt are waiting to see who wins on February 10, took my sugges-
millions of lives 2009.” tions seriously and
are at stake. You joined Likud. They
have to look past the commercials, posters and jingles realize that the secret of Israeli politics is in the “pri-
and realize that it’s not just people in Israel who are maries” and they are determined to make their voices
waiting for election results but some very evil eyes heard!
from Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Syria and Egypt are wait-
ing to see who Please get
wins on Febru- involved in
ary 10, 2009. these elections.
Even if you are
Actu- not-yet a mem-
ally, if you re- ber of Likud,
ally want to be you can help
serious, the im- those who are.
portant date to You can help
put on your cal- elect a ticket
endar is De- that will truly
cember 15, represent your
2008. That is in views and
just over a ideas. Don’t just
month and on that day, all voting members of the hide under your pillow counting the days until elec-
Likud party (approximately 98,000 people) will go to tions are over. Roll up your sleeves and get to work
the polls to select the Likud Knesset slate. Ever since making sure that the next leading party in Israel is
I began writing these articles, I told you to join Likud. I made up of people that are strong, proud and con-
urged you to realize that the Likud is the true national- nected to authentic Jewish values. You can – and
ist party of the entire nation of Israel. It is not just must – make a difference. Join the team! Please visit
made up of “knitted kippa wearers” or members of the our website for more information: www.MFLikud.com
“Orange camp” but rather it is made up of representa-
tives from every sector of the Israeli population. The Shmuel Sackett is the co-founder of both Zo Artzeinu
98,000 members of Likud who will vote on December and Manhigut Yehudit. Together with Moshe Feiglin,
15th are from Elon Moreh, Haifa, Jerusalem, he is spearheading a campaign to rise to the leader-
Ra’anana, Petach Tikva and Hebron. They are reli- ship of Israel with an ideology based on Jewish iden-
gious, secular, Ashkenazic, Sefardic and Haredi. They tity and values. He has spoken in 500 USA cities and
are native born Israelis, anglos and French. They are universities in the last 5 years. His website is:
young and old. Some are in hi-tech, some are farmers www.JewishIsrael.org His email is: Shmuel@jewishis-
and some learn in kollels. You simply won’t find these rael.org
98,000 people in any other party in Israel.

8
month. In the Torah portion of B’reishit, we are told
that G-d was pleased with the world. Upon completing
His creation, He looked and beheld that it was very
good. Yet by the time we reach the end of the portion
– and a mere 10 generations have passed from Adam
to Noah – G-d was so disappointed with His creation
that He regretted having made man, and decided to
destroy all life with the exception of the righteous
Noah and those with him upon the ark. And don’t for-
get that it was on the 17th day of this very month of
Mar Cheshvan that the flood began…
But a fascinating mystical tradition relates
that although on the surface, Cheshvan doesn’t have
much to offer, in truth, the best is yet to come:
“The Tabernacle of the desert was completed
by Moshe in the month of Kislev, however the Holy
One, blessed be He commanded him to wait until the
following Nisan to inaugurate it. The month of Kislev
was embarrassed, and so G-d rewarded her with the
rededication of the Second Temple, during the era of
Chanukah.
The First Temple built by King Solomon was
completed during the month of Mar Cheshvan (the
month known as ‘bul;’ see I Kings 6:38) however
through Divine Inspiration, King Solomon knew that
he was not to dedicate it until the following Tishrei. So,
the month of Mar Cheshvan was embarrassed…and
G-d
prom-
ised to
repay it
in the
future,
with the
dedica-
tion cer-
emony
of the
Third
Tem-
ple.”
10
(Midrash Yalkut Melachim 184 as cited in Bnei Yissas-
char).
How does one view a tradition such as this?
Is just merely anecdotal? It is just a whimsical tale of a
“month being embarrassed,” devoid of any signifi-
cance in our real world?
What would it take to make a dream like this
– the dream of the dedication of the Third Temple –
come true?
If there is one thing we know about the Jew-
ish people, it’s that our dreams always come true. But
it is the people of Israel themselves who make these
dreams happen! A constant recurring theme in the
Torah is that everything is up to us. This is exactly
why the Sea of Reeds did not split until one man –
Nachson, the son of Aminadav, prince of the tribe of
Judah – walked out into the water until the sea came
up to his nostils, and he could walk no further. G-d
made a miracle, to be sure…but only after one man
showed Israel that nothing will happen until we do all
that we can possibly do ourselves…and not a drop
less.
There is a spiritual revolution taking place in
Israel. We see it and feel it all around us, and during
this past month of Tishrei, it became a palpable, living
reality, as thousands of Jews from all over the country
converged at the gate of the Temple Mount, to ascend
the Mountain of Hashem, location of the Holy Temple,
in purity. Just a few years ago, only a handful of Jews
visited the Temple Mount in strict accordance with ha-
lacha. But on several days of Chol HaMoed during
this past Sukkot, for the first time in living memory,
there were more Jews lined up to ascend Har HaBayit
then there were waiting to visit the Kotel. These num-
bers included entire families, delegates from commu-
nities all over the country, Roshei Yeshiva with their
students…a veritable representation of the entire Klal
Yisrael.
This is how the Third Temple will be rebuilt.
When we look and see how Am Yisrael, with its collec-
tive, intuitive wisdom and pure faith, is changing the
facts on the ground, we can understand how, after
such a Tishrei, Mar Cheshvan is anything but drab…it
is laden with promise and potential, because the best
is yet to come. We can understand how the Jewish
people will see to it that Hashem will keep His prom-
ise to the month of Cheshvan, with the dedication of
the new Holy Temple. This is the plain and
See
simple meaning of this enigmatic Page 12
Midrashic teaching: If we will it, it will be.
According to our sages of blessed memory,
the month of Cheshvan is a bridge between Tishrei
and Kislev. Our forefather Yaakov passed away on
the first day of Sukkot and was buried on Chanukah.
Thus these days of Mar Cheshvan are characterized
by the aspect of Yaakov Avinu, and Chanukah is the
true climax and completion of the holidays of Tishrei.
An intriguing oral tradition (Imrei Noam – R.
Eliezer of Dzikov) – relates that when the dove
brought Noah an olive branch, Noah made pure olive
oil from these olives. He gave this oil to his firstborn
son, Shem, known as Malkitzedek, the first king of
Jerusalem… “the priest of the Most High G-d”
(Gen.14:18). Shem sealed this oil in a bottle and gave
it to Avraham Avinu as a gift. Avraham, in turn, passed
it on to his son Yitzchak, and Yitzchak gave this bottle
of oil to Yaakov.
According to our sages of blessed memory,
Yaakov forgot some small jars on the other side of the
Yabbok River and returned to retrieve them. This is
when he was confronted with the angel of Esav, who
fought with him all that night but could not defeat him.
One of these jars was this container of oil from Noah’s
Eretz Yisrael Photo of the Week
12
ark.
Yaakov Avinu hid this oil at the site of the
Holy Temple and thus laid the foundation for the mira-
cle of Chanukah.
It is well known that the Chanukah lights we
kindle each year are a reflection of the “hidden light”
with which G-d originally created the world but then
hid away for the future. The Imrei Noam explains that
the gematria (numerical value) of the words pachim
ktanim (small jars) is 359, the same as the word
mashiach. Perhaps this is the meaning of Yaakov’s
hiding of this oil, the oil which originated with Noah’s
dove. After the flood, when it was time for the world to
heal, the Holy Temple was already foreseen and an-
ticipated…and Mar Cheshvan, the very month in
which the great flood began, would look forward to
hosting the greatest holiday of all…the dedication cer-
emony of the Third Holy Temple, soon to be built by
all of Israel on the Temple Mount, the one spot cho-
sen by the G-d of Israel for the resting of the Divine
Presence and the ultimate healing of the world.
Rabbi Chaim Richman is the Directorof the Interna-
tional Department of The Temple Institute
www.templeinstitute.org, www.universaltorah.org
monarch.
Indeed, this ruling of the Rambam serves as
the basis for the ban on female representatives
among the haredi parties and their hesitation to sit in
governments headed by women. However, national-
religious parties, on the local and national level, have
had female representatives. What is the basis of this
approach? If we strive to build a government that at
least reflects the Torah's vision of it, how can we flout
this law?
Rav Moshe Feinstein (Iggerot Moshe, Yoreh
De'a II, 44) argues that the Rambam's limitation does
not represent the halakhic consensus. He shows that
Tosafot (Sota 41b, s.v. Oto) prove that there is a dis-
tinction between the monarchy and other offices pre-
cisely in the area of lineage: while having a Jewish
mother is enough to make one eligible for other of-
fices, to ascend to the throne one must have a Jewish
father as well. If so, he argues, there is no reason to
assume that the ban on females—which is derived
from the very word "king"!—applies to other positions
of authority.
Another issue is raised by the Malbim's inter-
pretation of the abovementioned verse. He differenti-
ates between "sima" (the term used for the positive
command to appoint a king) and "netina" (the term
used for the prohibition of appointing a non-Jew over
the community), arguing that "sima" indicates a per-
manent office—such as the monarchy, which is hered-
itary—while "netina" refers to even temporary
appointments. Based on this, one may argue that
since the exclusion of women is based on a clause
which uses "sima," there is never an issue of appoint-
ing a woman to a temporary position—which all
elected offices in Israel are, by definition.
Regardless of the technical issues, we must
note that these terms, "sima" and "netina" (the latter
being used also for the appointment of judges, De-
varim 16:18), do turn directly to the Jewish people and
place upon us the responsibility to choose our leaders,
from judges to kings. Ultimately, the authority of a
leader comes from the people, though we do our best
to find the representatives most fitting in Hashem's
eyes. Thus, our duty on any election day is a sacred
one.

8IZ
*
T
*
T

EPFT

S
BFMJ


SBFM

U
/BU

IF
NFEJ
D

B

J
POBM
PN
/FXT

4U

5IF

BUF

T
/FXT
5BM




L

+
1S
FXJ

4J
P
U
T
*
T
F

3BEJ
I
SBFM
BOE
P


T
FMFDU

BOUJ*
T
SBFM /FXT

H
3BEJ
P
57
H


J
OUFSWJFXFFT"
#FDBVTF
U
IFZ

UIFNTFMWFT
BSF

BOUJ
*
TSBFM
BOE

EPO
U

FWFO

LOPX
JU
XXX
*TS
BFM
/BU
JPOBM
/FXT
DPN

13
 Remember the days of old; understand the years
of each and every generation.
(Devarim 32:7)
This verse refers to the necessity of appreci-
ating the past ("days of old") in order to understand
the present ("each and every generation"). Indeed, the
Ramban (Bereshit 12:6) uses the principle of ma'aseh
avot siman le-vanim, that what happens to the Patri-
archs (literally, fathers) is significant for their descen-
dants, to explain much of Sefer Bereshit. He writes:
Nothing of that which befell the fathers will not happen
to the sons, and this they explained in Bereshit Rabba
(40:6): "Rabbi Menachem said in the name of Rabbi
Oshaya: 'The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Avra-
ham: "Go out and conquer it ahead of your sons"—
and you find that everything which is written by
Avraham is written by his sons.'"
The Gemara (Tamid 32a) says "Who is wise?
One who sees the nolad." The term "nolad" is usually
translated as "future," but the Chatam Sofer chal-
lenges this. After all, "nolad" is literally "that which has
been born," in the past tense. Thus, he explains that
one who sees the future is not really a wise man;
rather, he is a prophet. Instead, the wise man is one
who sees the past and figures out what will happen in
the future.
So it is with ma'aseh avot siman le-vanim.
The Midrash (Introduction to Eikha Rabbati) refers to
the Jewish people as "bat golim," daughter of the ex-
iles—daughter of Adam Ha-rishon, who sinned and
was exiled from the Garden of Eden; daughter of
Avraham, who was exiled from his place with the com-
mand "Go for yourself" (Bereshit 12:1). Thus, these
cycles repeat themselves.
We see this also in the famous verse (Mikha
7:15): "As the day you left the land of Egypt, I will
show you wonders." This tells us that the miracles of
the Exodus serve as a template for all the genera-
tions; thus we find in Tehillim (136:13), "To He Who di-
vides the Sea of Reeds asunder"—in the present
tense. The Zohar Chadash to Parashat Ki Tavo (98a)
explains that the essential revelation of Hashem's
glory is on the road to Egypt; this is why we find a re-
turn to Egypt it at the climax of the Curses in Devarim
(28:68). Therefore, in the future, there will be special
miracles on the road to Egypt. The Jewish people will
face their enemies in the same place that they first be-
14
came a nation, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will
do miracles as wondrous as the splitting of the Sea of
Reeds. The enemies of Israel who surround Eretz Yis-
ra'el today are the Egyptians, the Syrians (Aramean),
Jordanians (Ammonites and Moabites) and Saudi Ara-
bians (Edomites)—just as they were our enemies in
the past.
This is why the first prophecy of exile
(Bereshit 15:13) opens with "Yadoa teda"—literally,
"Know you will know"—a double language. The
Midrash Rabba (44:18) expounds this idea, that by
meditating on the present tense, we can understand
the future:
"Know" that I scattered them; "you will know"
that I will ingather them. "Know" that I sold them off;
"you will know" that I will buy them back. "Know" that I
enslaved them; "you will know" that I will emancipate
them."
The Maharal, in the first chapter of Netzach Yisra'el,
explains that the experience of slavery allows one to
understand redemption, since exile is unnatural; be-
cause of this, the Jewish people's periods of exile
teach us about the preparation towards the future.
This is how we can understand the words of our Rab-
bis explaining Hashem's name (Shemot 3:14): "I will
be what I will be;" they say (Berakhot 9b) "As I was
with them in the Egyptian exile, so too I will be with
them in other exiles." The Egyptian exile symbolizes,
more than anything, God's leadership of his people.
Sefer Chasidim writes (160): "If you withstand the test,
do not give yourself too much credit, for perhaps it
was because your ancestors withstood a test that you
withstood a test." We are merely following in our an-
cestors' footsteps.
In conclusion, we should recall the words of
Rabbeinu Se'adya Gaon in Emunot Ve-deot:
"In the Egyptian exile, concerning which it
said [merely] 'And also the nation which they will
serve, I will judge' (Bereshit 15:14), the Holy One,
Blessed be He did so many miracles for us; in the fu-
ture redemption, upon which so many chapters in the
words of the Prophets were written, all the more so,
the Holy One, Blessed be He, will do miracles for us!"
Rav Shwartz is the RaM of Yeshivat Dvar Yerusha-
layim in Har Nof and the founder of Nahal Hareidi.
 The Zohar hakadosh comments that Hashem
gave man the power of bechirah chofshit - free choice
- the principle according to which every individual is
empowered to make unconstrained moral decisions
and hence to be held accountable for his or her con-
duct, be it good or evil.
When a man decides to act according to
Hashem`s will,hashem would help him, but if he de-
cides to go against hashem `s will Hashem let him go
in this way but let also the teshuva door open for him.
The story of Pinchas ben Salu is an example
of the application of this principle. The Arizal says
when Pinchas wanted to stop Zimri`s action to protect
Am Yisrael against Hashem`s anger, his Neshama
flew in the sky, as with the souls of Bnei Yisrael during
Matan Torah, because of the fear that taking such ac-
tion held for him. Then Hashem, seeing his mesirut
nefesh sent him tremendous strength and ten mira-
cles. His actions made him worthy of great reward and
merit.
The Zohar explains that when someone feels
an unexplained fear, it comes from the sins that he
has committed, such as lashon hara, misbehavior in
makomei kadoshim, lack of honesty and causing
shame for others.
David Hamelech was very careful in forbear-
ing to transgress any of the aforementioned aveirot.
Before he went out to battle, he would undergo a
cheshbon hanefesh, and only then pursue his ene-
mies and achieve complete victory. Free of sin, he felt
no fear.
In the case of Asa Hamelech, even though he
was careful regarding his actions, he knew that he
was not on the same spiritual level as David Ham-
elech. Therefore, he would ask Hashem to help him to
pursue his enemies, but not to vanquish them. He
would request that Hashem himself would eliminate
them, and his request was always accepted.
Yehoshafat Hamelech would tell Hashem that
he had neither the strength to pursue, nor to kill his
enemies, only to sing shira to Hashem. He would be
mevakesh that Hashem would both pursue and anni-
hilate his enemies himself, and Hashem acceded to
his requests.
Chizkiyah Hamelech, because he was not
married, told Hashem that he had not even the
strength to sing shira like Yehoshafat, to pursue like
Asa or to kill like David. He said that he would do
teshuva and then go to sleep, and that Hashem
should undertake all actions on his behalf. Chizkiyah
made this request while under siege by the forces of
Sancheriv, and Hashem sent an angel who destroyed
the entire enemy force.
Chazal say that this last war was a siman for
the war of Gog U’Magog. The Zohar says that if even
the tzaddikim were afraid due to their aveirot, that kal
v’chomer, how much more so our generation has to be
careful in regards to the aforementioned aveirot, in
order to protect ourselves from our enemies. From this
we learn that teshuva brings the destruction of the
strength of evil, and brings the yeshua of Am Yisrael.
May Hashem bless Am Yisrael and bring peace and
the Mashiach in our days.
15