Libérate de añorar lo que es tiempo de superar

Shalóm, Javerím

Seguimos aprovechando el breve receso en la edición de Matók MiDvásh, para dotar de bases más sólidas y luminosas a nuestra Comunidad de Toráh. Por lo pronto, quien navegue por los diferentes cursos, observará que hay cada vez más shiurím grabados en VIDEO, tanto en español como en hebreo; a la vez, estamos rediseñando algunas secciones, preparándonos para inaugurar algunas nuevas, y completando la nueva versión de nuestra radio on-demand de Toráh....,

El desafío de seguir incorporando áreas temáticas y tecnología a nuestra Comunidad de Toráh torna más urgente que nunca arribar a una solución para el déficit crónico que el proyecto sufre; con un servidor enorme completo y otro compartido a su servicio, EduPlanet.

Network tiene a disposición general, por ejemplo, más de 50 Gb en archivos de audio y video de clases y conferencias en tres idiomas, y sirvió, sólo en el último mes, más de 500 gigabytes de información. Es una enorme bendición la presencia constante de javerím dentro de la Comunidad de Toráh todos los días, y sentimos profundamente la responsabilidad de poder acogerles y recibirles, y proveerles la oportunidad de estudiar del mejor modo las distintas facetas de nuestra sagrada Toráh, con la tecnología más avanzada dispuesta del modo más eficaz, y con la atención personal y el calor humano de que intentamos dotar siempre a nuestra labor. Hay más novedades en camino. Muy pronto, con ayuda de Hashém, estaremos inaugurando KolIsrael.TV, que contará puramente con contenidos en video de alta calidad en actualización constante, proveyendo esa verdadera "Kol Israel", la verdadera voz eterna de Israel, del modo en que está llamada a modificar para bien, hoy como siempre, nuestra realidad. El sitio periodístico de Hasbaráh www.KolIsrael.info sigue entretanto creciendo día a día gracias a la excelente gestión de Fabián Spagnoli, y también prepara alguna pequeña sorpresa tecnológica.

Esta semana, parashát Nóaj viene a hablarnos de lo que nos está sucediendo: de cómo opera esa mecánica perversa que hace que los enemigos nos "pierdan el respeto" y se atrevan a atacarnos cruelmente sin temor; hemos referido el tema en nuestro estudio escrito de Zohar, y lo hemos ampliado en nuestra clase semanal de Zohar, disponible en video. Nos ha llamado la atención que la palabra "Jamás" (jet-mem-samej) que alude al robo y a la expoliación en el hebreo de la Toráh, aparece en nuestra parasháh como factor determinante del Diluvio. La tierra "se ha llenado de Jamás", dice Hashém en la Toráh, y por tanto, es irrescatable: hay que producir un nuevo inicio. Seguramente, si la humanidad hubiera enmendado su conducta, si hubieran emprendido la Teshuváh, el retorno a la senda del Bien señalada por el Creador, no habría habido Diluvio. Hay un lapso de espera, de suspenso en que nada ocurre, entre que se llenó la tierra de Jamás y que sobreviene el Diluvio; y durante ese suspenso breve, es posible modificar la realidad, es posible evitar que se cumpla la sentencia ya firmada. Es posible salvarse. El Diluvio se llama en hebreo "hamabúl" (hei-mem-bet-vav-lamed), cuyo valor numérico 83 equivale al de la palabra "Jezballah" en la ortografía hebrea más cercana a la pronunciación árabe: hei-zain-bet-Alef-lamed-lamed-hei. Tenemos, entonces, al Jamás que avanza hasta abrir la brecha moral por la que se desencadena el "Diluvio" de Jezballah sobre nosotros. Tras el Diluvio, se halla Irán, cuyo nombre 'ain-iod-reish-Alef-nun tiene el valor numérico del "sheOl", el infierno de la interrogancia, el estado de negación de toda Verdad y de máximo ocultamiento de la Luz.
Como entonces, como siempre, se halla en nuestras manos la opción y a nuestro arbitrio la elección de por qué camino continuará desarrollándose la realidad. Estamos a tiempo del tikún, de la enmienda espiritual que el Shalóm requiere. Cada quien, desde quien es y donde está, tiene un rol en la expansión de Luz de Toráh para producir felicidad, para producir amor y justicia, para producir la GueUláh. Cada quien tiene herramientas en su mano que para dicho objeto le fueron concedidas. Quiera Hashém que sepamos utilizarlas, y que la fuerza nunca nos falte mientras la labor sagrada convoque a nuestras manos.Libérate de añorar lo que es tiempo de superar.
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No hubo jamás soledad más profunda, y tampoco más confortada, que la de Nóaj -Noé-, tanto durante los preámbulos del gran diluvio universal, mientras construía su arca, como después, inmediatamente después... al desembarcar en tierra nueva y firme, solo él con su esposa y sus hijos y sus nueras y los animales que había rescatado, solos ellos en el planeta que se entregaba blando y dolido a sus ojos y a sus manos.
Tras que Hashém le advirtiera que la vida sobre la tierra, a excepción de sí mismo y cuanto le acompañaría, sería aniquilada, Nóaj dispuso de largos años para construir su "teiváh": en hebreo, "teiváh" es tanto "arca" como fonema = palabra. Una obra de tamaño colosal en que la palabra (hemos visto en parashát Bereshít que el hombre es llamado "nefesh memalelá", "espíritu parlante") se salvaría de la catástrofe global, para dar a la Creación una segunda oportunidad.
Nóaj estaba solo, en medio de una civilización que, tras apenas diez generaciones del mundo, se había vuelto miope y egoísta, ciega de las alturas, incapaz por completo de enmendarse a sí misma. Una generación que le vio por años advertir de la catástrofe, siquiera por vía de la evidencia tácita de su actividad: plantó los árboles, los cultivó, los cortó, preparó la madera, construyó la nave de tamaño colosal... y aún así, esa generación no fue capaz de dejar cada uno de cuidar por su propia parcela en desmedro del vecino y de la oportunidad común. Explica Rash"i (Bereshít -Génesis- 6:13) que es precisamente el "jhamás" (en hebreo: la forma sutil de robar que consiste en adquirir lo que pertenece a otro, contra la voluntad de su propietario, y al precio que el comprador determina - nótese el germen semántico de la organización que lleva hoy el nombre de "Hamás"), el pecado más generalizado de esa generación, por el cual se tornaron impasibles de toda enmienda.
Sobrevino entonces el diluvio; se elevaron las aguas hasta más de seis metros por encima de las cumbres más altas, anegando todas las formas de vida sobre la tierra. Nóaj y los suyos, y los animales que llevaba, navegaban sobre las aguas dentro del arca, cuyo techo "a dos aguas" les mantenía a resguardo de la lluvia. A la culminación del diluvio, tras encallar en el monte Ararát, tras enviar a la paloma una vez y verla retornar por no haber hallado sobre qué posarse, tras enviarla de nuevo y recibirla con una rama de olivo en el pico (y desde entonces, la rama de olivo será símbolo de paz entre el Cielo y la tierra), tras enviarla una tercera y comprobar con satisfacción que, habiendo hallado la paloma un mundo entero en que retozar a sus anchas ya no volvería al arca, recibe Nóaj la orden de Hashém de descender del arca, de la "teiváh"; de portar consigo la palabra, para decirla otra vez sobre la tierra.
Desciende, y construye un "mizbéaj", un altar. Nóaj está completamente solo y porta consigo los recuerdos de cuanto ya no es. Podríamos imaginarlo diciéndose, melancólicamente: "En este valle estaba la casa de la familia Fulano...", y nada hay ahora que permita distinguir a este valle de los otros que lo circundan, ni que permita evocar una historia que ha sido arrancada de la tierra y guardada en la palabra, en la memoria que se enuncia en la Toráh para enseñar y prevenir a los hombres. Pero Nóaj no hace eso; no cede a la tentación de la nostalgia.
La evocación nostalgiosa de lo que nunca debió ser es una trampa mortal. Y quien se salvara del diluvio, debía estar exento del peligro de caer en ella. Quien, desde una vida de bien y bendición, se deja tentar por cualquier evocación emparentada con el mal (quien, tras haber enmendado su camino, se permite añorar instantes de una vida anterior que, aún no siendo sustancialmente "malos", forman parte de un contexto sólo posible en un camino sustentado en cimientos falsos), en esa evocación, convoca para sí la tentación del mal, da de su propia fuerza a los instintos del mal para que se aferren a él y le conviertan en instrumento de su acción.
Nuestros sabios establecen severos cuestionamientos acerca de la singularidad de Nóaj, acerca de las cualidades que le habilitaron a ser el único sobreviviente de la masacre universal, y con ello, el germen de una nueva humanidad. Arguyen, por ejemplo, que a diferencia de Abrahám, que diez generaciones más tarde intentaría disuadir a Hashém de destruir Sdóm -Sodoma- y Amoráh -Gomorra- bajo la sospecha de que hubiera al menos diez hombres justos entre sus pobladores, nada hizo Nóaj por disuadir al Creador de su designio de exterminación total. Arguyen que, a diferencia de Ionáh -Jonás-, que fue por fin a Níniveh para impartir a sus pobladores la necesidad de arrepentimiento y de retorno al camino del bien para que fueran absueltos de la sentencia que pesaba sobre ellos, Nóaj no predicó entre su generación la oportunidad de salvación.
Pero Nóaj -se nos dice al inicio de nuestra parasháh (Bereshít -Génesis- 6:9)- era un "Ish tsadík tamím", un hombre justo e inocente, que caminaba por la vida bajo la guía de Hashém. Vivía en la respuesta, y por consiguiente, carecía de toda necesidad de preguntar, de cuestionar. Asumía su realidad presente como bendita bajo cualquier condición, y de ello derivaba el no poder ser sino justo, sino piadoso; y el no cuestionar los designios de Hashém. Nada tendría para añorar, por consiguiente, una vez pasado el diluvio, sabedor de que la bendición residía en conectarse de modo infalible con la fuente de la vida y de la bendición, en ser sagrado, y caminar la vida cual si un canal inefable le comunicara constantemente con la fuente de toda realidad. De ese modo, el canal inefable se producía efectivamente, y Nóaj se encontraba a salvo de ilusión y desilusión por igual: se encontraba a salvo de la mentira. Acaso, su impermeabilidad a toda tentación de evocar el mal una vez extirpado éste de la tierra, haya sido la condición determinante de convertirse en "el hombre elegido" para perpetuar la palabra y la vida sobre la tierra.
Nóaj, entonces, completamente solo en una realidad nueva de la que Hashém le ha hecho responsable, desciende del arca, pisa la tierra, y acude inmediatamente a la verdadera "compañía", a la única fuente de sustento. Hoy en día, en los tiempos difíciles que vivimos, los judíos reavivamos nuestras fuerzas cantando que "no hay en quien apoyarnos, sino en el Padre Celestial"; y tal supo Nóaj claramente al desembarcar. Y por consiguiente, en lugar de entregarse a una contemplación ya eufórica o melancólica del mundo que le pertenecía, construyó un altar sobre el que elevó ofrendas, que despertaron para siempre la misericordia de Hashém (Bereshít -Génesis- 8:21).
Hashém pone todo en manos de Nóaj y de su descendencia: la tierra, los animales, las aves, los peces. La condición es que los hombres sean "creadores", responsables de la Creación, en sociedad y a semejanza del Creador. Que respondan a las leyes verdaderas a que está condicionada la Creación, para que ésta persista, y para que el mundo inferior, desarraigado de su fuente, se reúna con ella en plenitud de amor y de Shalóm en el final del camino y de los tiempos.
Para ello, Hashém entrega a Nóaj un camino enmarcado en siete mitsvót, siete leyes fundamentales, que hasta el día de hoy llamamos "las 7 mitsvót de Bnei-Nóaj", los siete preceptos que rigen sobre toda la humanidad. En primer término, la prohibición de la idolatría: el hombre debe reflejarse en el Creador, en el Absoluto y Eterno; debe sumirse a lo Ilimitado y no a ninguna creación de Hashém; debe conectarse con la Cima, y abstenerse de postular techos intermedios que obstaculicen su acceso a la verdadera luz. La contrapartida de este precepto es el de creer con fe plena en Hashém, sujetarse al Creador con esa "inocencia" que hizo de Nóaj el germen de una nueva humanidad.
También rige sobre todos los hombres la obligación de establecer cortes de justicia; ésto es: de asegurar el cumplimiento de las leyes fundamentales que dan al hombre dignidad de tal. Y entre estas leyes por las que las cortes de justicia deben velar, se establece la prohibición del asesinato, la prohibición del incesto y el adulterio, la prohibición del robo, y la de comer carne de un animal vivo. Tales, en apretadísima síntesis que merece detalladas explicaciones en otro contexto, las leyes Divinas que rigen desde aquel entonces para toda la humanidad.
Y se convirtió Nóaj en "hombre de tierra".....: cultivó una viña, y cuando estuvo pronto su vino, bebió y se emborrachó; y mientras dormía, fue víctima del impudor de su hijo Jam, en tanto su hijo Shem (de cuyo nombre sale el patronímico "semita") secundado por Iáfet, le cubrieron púdicamente absteniéndose de ver su desnudez. Este es el episodio paradigmático que da lugar a la maldición que pesa sobre Jam y su descendencia, para todo el tiempo del mundo.
Mas un par de generaciones más tarde, reinaba Nimród, nieto de Jam, bajo cuyo mando apuraron los hombres una decisión desorbitada.
Había un designio que pesaba ya sobre la humanidad. Había una enmienda trascendental que realizar a la transgresión original de Adám. Y había, tras la generación de Nóaj, tres vertientes, nacidas de Shem, Jam y Iáfet, que debían diferentes tikuním, enmiendas, misiones vitales. De Shém nacería, entre otros, Israel, sagrado entre las naciones. De Iáfet, Grecia, Media y otros pueblos. Y los hijos de Jám deberían enmendar la impudicia de su matriz (de la acción impúdica de Jam), y pesaría sobre ellos -especialmente sobre los hijos de Cná'an hijo de Jam- una maldición eterna de sometimiento (esta "maldición de sometimiento" enunciada por el propio Nóaj, debe ser comprendida como un dictamen que auxiliaría a la descendencia de Jam a obtener su enmienda: visto que su naturaleza les compelía a actuar con desvergüenza e impudor si disfrutaban de libertad, Nóaj dictaminó sobre ellos que estuviesen sometidos a los hijos de Shem y Iáfet que serían respetuosos de Hashém y buscarían dirigir sus vidas por los caminos del bien y la Verdad).
Por lo pronto, era Nimród, nieto de Jam, el rey del mundo; y bajo su mando, decidieron los suyos rebelarse al Creador. Y dijeron: "nos haremos un shem"; que es, a una vez, hacerse un "nombre" ("shem" significa "nombre"), y también, usurpar el lugar de Shem, el lugar de la bendición y la sacralidad. Decidieron rebelarse a su condición y, a diferencia de Nóaj, evocar -convocar- la oscura realidad del caos que hizo lugar a la necesidad imperiosa del diluvio. Su intento era el de la materia sometiendo al espíritu, el de los bajos instintos sobreponiéndose a la condición espiritual del alma. Decidieron hacer una torre cuya cima sustituyera al paradigma del cielo a los ojos de los hombres. Una torre de cuya magnificencia se desprendiera haber alcanzado la cualidad de dioses, y estar habilitados, por consiguiente, para prescindir del Creador. Buscaron reunir a toda la humanidad, a "toda la palabra del mundo", alrededor de un poder único y totalitario, que sustituyera ante los hombres a la presencia de Hashém.
Esta vez, y para todo el resto del camino de los tiempos, Hashém disolvió la posibilidad de que tal intento prosperara, por vía de deshacer la unidad de lenguaje, la unidad "de palabra" de los hombres. "Confundamos sus lenguas", se propuso Hashém (Bereshít -Génesis- 11:7), "para que no comprendan uno la lengua del otro". Tal desconexión entre los hombres se hizo necesaria, merced a que el poder sobre los hombres estaba detentado por quienes respondían al paradigma de Jam, por gente perversa, a quien no importaba la verdad sino sólo la satisfacción de sus propios apetitos (toda coincidencia con nuestra realidad no es casual, cuando nos acercamos rápidamente al fin del ciclo be'ezrat Hashém). La diversificación de la palabra fue la manifestación final de la desconexión entre la realidad superior del Creador, y la realidad inferior de los hombres. Esa desconexión que el corazón nos llama apasionadamente a disolver, sobreponiéndonos a las culturas de trágica fantasía en cuyo seno vivimos para obtener acceso a la Verdad, para conectarnos a la fuente inefable de la vida, y hacernos Uno con Hashém: recuperar el carácter sagrado y arribar así a la finalidad trascendental, a la realización plena del potencial de nuestras vidas.
Cual expresa el profeta (Zejaríah -Zacarías- 14:9), y repetimos al final de nuestras tres plegarias cada día: Ese día, el de la completa Redención final que se aproxima, será "Hashém Ejád uShmó Ejád": el Creador será Uno (la evidencia de su unicidad será patente a ojos de todos), y Su Nombre será Uno: Su nombre y el de nosotros, el único nombre, la palabra del verbo absoluto, verá reunidas sus partes en una unión maravillosa y perfecta, que no dejará lugar ya a la angustia ni la duda. Ese día, cual Nóaj al desembarcar, habremos aprendido a no sentir nostalgia ni vértigo por lo que fue, sino la felicidad plena del mundo nuevo que hoy invocamos, y pedimos, y suplicamos a Hashém abra y haga nacer, en y desde nosotros, con el Mashíaj revelándose para quienes aman esperarle y convocarle cada día, que sea hoy el día Suyo que ya añoramos por nuestro, Amén.

Shabát Shalóm, y mis brajót para todos,
daniEl I. GinermanEditor


daniEl I. Ginerman

Psak din

Na Sichat Codesh da Parashat Shoftim, 5751, o Lubavitcher Rebe estabeleceu como halachá o fato de que esta geração tem um profeta e nós devemos ouvi-lo, como codificado no Rambam [Maimônides], Hilchot Yessodei HaTorá, capítulo 7.
Estas são as sagradas palavras do Rebe: Nós devemos divulgar a todas as pessoas da geração que temos o mérito que Hashem tenha escolhido e designado alguém com o poder do livre arbítrio, que é incomparavelmente maior que as pessoas da sua geração, para ser o "seu juíz" e "seu conselheiro" e o profeta da geração para dar instruções e conselhos sobre o serviço Divino de todo o povo judeu... incluindo a profecia principal — a profecia de "A Redenção é imediata" e "eis que (Mashiach) está chegando" já.
O Rebe disse na Sichá da Parashat Vaierá, 5752: ...todos os obstáculos e impedimentos foram anulados em nossos dias, etc. Já que é assim, temos (não apenas a existência de Mashiach, mas) também a sua revelação, e agora nós devemos apenas saudar Mashiach Tsidkeinu na prática.
Na Sichá da Parashat Mishpatim, 5752, o Rebe diz: "Este é o psak din dos Rabanim e mestres do povo judeu, de que a hora da Redenção chegou, ‘um rei se levantará da Casa de David, etc., que presumimos ser o Mashiach", e o Rebe acrescentou estas palavras a este psak din: "até o estágio de "este é o Mashiach vadai [o Mashiach definitivo]". Além disso, nesta Sichá o Rebe claramente alude a ele próprio como sendo Melech HaMashiach.
Nós [abaixo assinados] estabelecemos aqui, neste psak halachá, de acordo com a halachá de nossa sagrada Torá — baseado na halachá no Rambam, capítulo 7, Hilchot Yessodei HaTorá, Halachá 1; Capítulo 9, Halachá 2; e Capítulo 10, Halachá 1 — que o Rebe Melech HaMashiach detém o status haláchico de um profeta, e está explícito em suas sagradas Sichot que alude a ele mesmo como sendo um profeta (e entende-se de suas Sichot que ele é Melech HaMashiach, e ele encorajou que se cantasse "Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu VeRabeinu Melech HaMashiach Leolam Vaed"), e ele já profetizou, diante de todos os judeus e diante do mundo inteiro, coisas que se concretizaram em sua totalidade durante a Guerra dos Seis Dias, a Guerra do Golfo, etc.
Portanto, nós temos a obrigação de escutar tudo que nos é dito [pelo Rebe] como uma obrigação de ouvir um profeta, incluindo o fato de que o Rebe é Melech HaMashiach e será imediatamente revelado a nós.
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Chacham Yitzchok Michaelashvili, Rav Kehilat Yotzei Gruzia, Shchunat Chabad, Lud. Yitzchok Michaelashvili, Rav Kehilat Yotzei Gruzia, Shchunat Chabad, Lud.
Rabino Noam Cohen, Rav — Ocean City, Maryland.
Rabino Aharon Leifer, Nadvorna Rebe, Tsefat. Aharon Leifer, Nadvorna Rebe, Tsefat.
Rabino Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi, Rav de Kfar Chabad. Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi, Rav de Kfar Chabad.
Rabino Dovber Lazar, Rav — Moscou, C.I.S.
Rabino Rafael Alashvili, Rabino-Chefe dos Judeus da Geórgia. Rafael Alashvili, Rabino-Chefe dos Judeus da Geórgia.
Rabino Moshe Ashkenazi, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Tel Aviv. Moshe Ashkenazi, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Tel Aviv.
Rabino Ezriel Zelig Ashkenazi, Rav de Yekatrinaberg e distrito de Ural, C.I.S. Ezriel Zelig Ashkenazi, Rav de Yekatrinaberg e distrito de Ural, C.I.S.
Rabino Menashe Zecharyahu, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut, Rosh Há’Ayin.
Rabino Shlomo Frank, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut, Acco. Shlomo Frank, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut, Acco.
Rabino Shmuel Gorelick, Rav Amidar, Nahariya. Shmuel Gorelick, Rav Amidar, Nahariya.
Rabino Avrohom Michaelashvili, Av Beit Din da Comunidade Georgiana e membro do Beit Din Sefaradi, em Viena. Avrohom Michaelashvili, Av Beit Din da Comunidade Georgiana e membro do Beit Din Sefaradi, em Viena.
Rabino Avinoam Ta’eizi, Rav da comunidade Talmai-Yechiel.
Rabino Yaakov Edrei, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut Or Yehudá. membro do Lishkat HaRabanut Or Yehudá.
Rabino Yehuda Kalman Marlow, Beit Din, Crown Heights. Beit Din, Crown Heights.
Rabino Yosef HaLevy Avraki, Rav, Kiryat Yam. Rav, Kiryat Yam.
Rabino Baruch Yurkowitz, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Lud. Rav Kehilat Chabad, Lud.
Rabino Yitzchok Ginsberg, Rosh Yeshivá — "Od Yosef Chai", Shechem e Chevron.
Rabino Asher Zemel, Rav Lev HaSharon e Bnei Tzion, e Diretor do Rabinato dos assentamentos. Rav Lev HaSharon e Bnei Tzion, e Diretor do Rabinato dos assentamentos.
Rabino Yisrael Halperin, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Hertzlia. Rav Kehilat Chabad, Hertzlia.
Chacham Moshe Michaelashvili, Rav da Comunidade Georgiana de Nachalat Har Chabad e membro da comissão do "Agudat Rabanei Yahadut Gruzia". Moshe Michaelashvili, Rav da Comunidade Georgiana de Nachalat Har Chabad e membro da comissão do "Agudat Rabanei Yahadut Gruzia".
Rabino Yitzchok Niasoff, Av Beit Din da Comunidade Buchariana e membro do Beit Din Sefaradi, em Viena. Yitzchok Niasoff, Av Beit Din da Comunidade Buchariana e membro do Beit Din Sefaradi, em Viena.
Rabino Menachem Mendel Volpe, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Netania. Menachem Mendel Volpe, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Netania.
Rabino Yosef Rosenblatt, Rav de Guivat Avnei. Yosef Rosenblatt, Rav de Guivat Avnei.
Rabino Binyamin Cohen, Rav Moshav Rinatya. Binyamin Cohen, Rav Moshav Rinatya.
Rabino Shneur Zalman Liberov, Beit Chabad, Flatbush. Shneur Zalman Liberov, Beit Chabad, Flatbush.
Rabino Aminadav Machlof Krispin, Rav de Kiryat Bialik e genro do tsadic R. Meir Abehsera, Zt’l.
Rabino Yochonon Gurary, Rav de Cholon. Yochonon Gurary, Rav de Cholon.
Rabino Chaim Naftalin, Rabino-Chefe de Badden, Wirtenberg, Alemanha. Chaim Naftalin, Rabino-Chefe de Badden, Wirtenberg, Alemanha.
Rabino Yeshaya Hertzl, Rav de Natzeret Ilit Yeshaya Hertzl, Rav de Natzeret Ilit
Rabino Yosef Almesheli, Rav da Comunidade Marom HaGalil. Yosef Almesheli, Rav da Comunidade Marom HaGalil.
Rabino Avshalom Kill, Rav da Comunidade Gan-Ner. Avshalom Kill, Rav da Comunidade Gan-Ner.
Rabino Zecharya Karmi, Rav da Comunidade Shetulim. Zecharya Karmi, Rav da Comunidade Shetulim.
Rabino Dov Teichman, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut, Tiberíades. Dov Teichman, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut, Tiberíades.
Rabino Yosef Cohen, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut, Ramala. Yosef Cohen, membro do Lishkat HaRabanut, Ramala.
Rabino Rachamim Refael Tzikushvili, Rav da Comunidade Georgiana em Natania. Rachamim Refael Tzikushvili, Rav da Comunidade Georgiana em Natania.
Rabino Aryeh Weg, Rav, Kfar Baruch. Aryeh Weg, Rav, Kfar Baruch.
Rabino Yosef Kaplan, Rav, Yishuv Setariya. Yosef Kaplan, Rav, Yishuv Setariya.
Rabino Shalom Dovber HaLevy Volpe, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Kiryat Gat. Shalom Dovber HaLevy Volpe, Rav Kehilat Chabad, Kiryat Gat.
Rabino Shneur Zalman Blumenfeld, Beit Chabad, Peru. Shneur Zalman Blumenfeld, Beit Chabad, Peru.
Rabino Moshe Chaim Levin, Rav em Kensington, Brooklyn. Moshe Chaim Levin, Rav em Kensington, Brooklyn.

Oui c'est bien Michael!

Legenda: UM grupo amigo numa esnoga, MHK, do Norte de Portugal.
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Uma escrita exemplar contra o laxismo de Colin Powell do nosso guia-mor da Shavei Israel

George W. Clinton
Bush policy is his predecessor’s, on the Mideast.
By Michael Freund

There is a story making its way around the Internet, as such stories inevitably do, about a recent encounter which took place between U.S. President George W. Bush and one of his former Yale university classmates on the eve of the president's much-publicized visit to the Auschwitz death camp in Poland.

In tones alternating between respect and outright veneration, the author tells us to have no fear, because the president assured him personally that he would not harm Israel's security. "There he was — the most powerful man in the world — telling me once, then reassuring me again, that Israel's security is of utmost importance to him," notes the e-mail's author. And, lest we doubt the president's commitment, our faithful correspondent informs us that Bush's pledge "was sealed with two firm hugs". Not one, you see, but two. Well, that certainly makes me feel better. After all, it has barely been a week since Bush flew in to the Middle East and forced Israel into submission, compelling the Jewish people to agree to divide their land, create a terrorist state next door, and fore go the right to defend themselves against those who seek their destruction. Bush also embraced Palestinian prime minister and renowned Holocaust-denier Abu Mazen as a man of peace, refused to compel the Arab states to normalize relations with Israel, and effectively demanded that thousands of Jews be thrown out of their homes in Judea, Samaria and Gaza against their will. So, I guess it's a good thing that Israel's security is "of utmost importance" to him. Otherwise, we might really have reason to be worried. But worry we should, because by all indications, Bush has now decided to adopt the approach of his predecessor, Bill Clinton, who continued to court the Palestinians even as they violated their commitments and carried out acts of terror against the Jewish state, all the while twisting Israel's arm to refrain from protecting its national interests. It is interesting to note that before he was elected, Bush was singing a very different tune. He went to great lengths to differentiate himself from Clinton's policy on the Middle East peace process, which often seemed to stress speed over substance.

On May 22, 2000, in an address to American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Bush took a swipe at the Clinton-Gore team, saying, "In recent times, Washington has tried to make Israel conform to its own plans and timetables. This is not the path to peace. "Subsequently, in October 2000, in his third presidential debate with Al Gore, Bush again attacked Clinton, stressing that "the next leader needs to be patient. We can't put the Middle East peace process on our timetable. It's got to be on the timetable of the people that we're trying to bring to the peace table. We can't dictate the terms of peace."Yet now, just two-and-a-half years later, that is exactly what Bush is attempting to do. In laying out the road map leading to the creation of a Palestinian state, Bush has sought both to impose a series of timetables as well as to dictate the outcome of the process.

In other words, he's become George W. Clinton, only without the intern. And so, we now find ourselves once again confronting an awfully similar scenario, one in which Israel is forced to make concessions even as the Palestinians persist in killing Jews. Indeed, in the first three days following Bush's June 4 summit in Aqaba, there were a total of 24 Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israelis, including shootings, bombings and rocket attacks. Then, this past Sunday, five Israelis were murdered in yet another post-Aqaba measure of the Palestinian commitment to peace.And so how did the Bush team react to this new spasm of Palestinian violence? Why, by turning up the pressure on Israel, of course. The Sharon government's sudden decision on Monday to start dismantling Jewish outposts in the territories reportedly came about only after America demanded immediate action on the issue. Within hours, the bulldozers were unleashed, and Jewish homes were under assault. It is safe to assume that the lack of an Israeli military response to the recent spate of Palestinian attacks is also the result of Washington's diktat, since the Jewish right to self-defense was apparently not considered worthy of inclusion in the road map. At first glance, it is difficult to comprehend the Bush team's infatuation with the new Palestinian premier. Since assuming his post, Mahmoud Abbas (a.k.a. Abu Mazen) hasn't shut down a single terrorist training camp, he has not confiscated any illegal weapons, and he has failed to halt anti-US and anti-Israel incitement in the Palestinian media. Not one terrorist group has been disarmed or disbanded, and no Palestinian terrorists have been arrested or detained by the security forces under Abbas's control. And, in a press conference held Monday in Ramallah, Abbas openly ruled out the possibility of confrontation with terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, saying only that he would use "dialogue" in his dealings with them. Nevertheless, despite Abbas's dismal record, Bush and his aides continue to deny reality, overlooking the Palestinian leader's failure to do more than just offer up a few platitudes about peace. Nowhere was this willful obfuscation more on display than in U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's interview on Fox News Sunday, where he said, "We've made our choice. We are going to be supporting Prime Minister Abbas."And so, it doesn't really seem to matter whether or not Abbas lives up to his end of the bargain. Either way, the Bush team will not hold him accountable, because, as Powell so clearly stated, "We've made our choice."This, too, is a throwback to the Clinton era, when Washington purposefully made a choice to overlook PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's complicity in terror, just because it conflicted with their vision for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.

But as the decade since the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords so amply demonstrated, such an approach is not only shortsighted, it can be deadly too, for it sends the Palestinians a dangerous message, leading them to believe that they can murder Israelis with impunity.

On a flight to South America this past Monday, Colin Powell told reporters that regardless of the recent attacks on Israel, "we can't let the terrorists win."

What he fails to realize is that by following in Clinton's footsteps, and pressing for the establishment of a Palestinian state, that is precisely what he and his boss in the White House are doing.

— Michael Freund served as deputy director of communications and policy planning in the Israeli prime minister's office. He now writes for the Jerusalem Post, from which this is taken, with permission.

KEHILLAH OR AHAYIM - Os nossos amigos - Our Best Friends

Speakers Spread the Word

KR
More than 500 years after the Jews were given proffered baptisms (submit to baptism or leave the country), a Jewish genealogy group is forming in Spain. The Jewish community of Barcelona invited an American, Dr. Jeffrey S. Malka, to speak to the group recently about
Sephardic genealogy and discuss with them the formation of a genealogy group. Malka is the author of Sephardic Genealogy: Discovering Your Sephardic Ancestors and Their World.
Co-sponsored by Be'chol Lashon as part of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival's "Spotlight on Ethiopian Jews and Jews of Color” in July, the film Sisai was followed by panel discussions on race, adoption, and Jewish identity with director David Gavro, his brother Sisai Bayo, Dr. Ephraim Isaac, and others.
The Jewish Studies Center in Washington presented a 5-session series in May and June on Jewish Cultures Across the Globe. Courses included “The Evolution of Sephardic Names in the Diaspora” with Jeffrey Malka, “The Jews of Iraq from the Establishment of the State
of Israel until Now” with Maurice Shohet, “Judaism in Transylvania” with Larry Stern, “The Jewish Community of Nigeria” with Rabbi Howard Gorin, and “The Jews of Turkey” with Amalia S. Levi.
Ehav Eliyahu spoke about Jewish Migrations into West Africa on May 17 at Congregation Shearith Israel in NYC. Michael Freund spoke at the opening ceremony of Shavei Israel exhibition tracing the history and experience of Bnai Anousim over five centures. Titled ““The Journey of Spanish and Portuguese Bnai Anousim: Past, Present and Futue,” the show opened on May 25 and ran through July at the Dona Gracia House in Tiberias, Israel.

Vampire or Teacher?

Roger S. Gottlieb

Nick, one of the most brilliant students I’ve ever had, told me his career goal: “I want to create politically progressive video games.” “Oh well,” I said to him, “small market, but very little competition.” In my own mind, however, there was a good deal more doubt about the whole project.

As someone who has read, written, edited, reviewed, and bought too many books, I have a large amount of skepticism about deep learning of any kind taking place on computers. If it’s just reading text on a screen, then there’s little difference from regular old books other than greater energy consumption and eye strain. If it’s the idea that books are somehow obsolete, and that the discipline of gaining knowledge through reading can be replaced by the Web or games, well, I’ll believe it when I see it.

I say this, let me be clear, as someone who uses the web extensively and has played more than a few video games himself (and not the wholesome ones, either). I like my computer, and I like to play games. (There is a no doubt immoral thrill about going online and beating some no doubt younger people at a game like Halo and then letting them know they’ve just lost to a 60 year old man.)

But I also like sweets, and eat more than I should. So the fact that I enjoy computer games doesn’t make them good or good for me. Indeed, as a friend of mine once said, computers are a bit like vampires. They are compelling, charismatic, sexy—but soon after you start to make love to them you realize they are actually sucking your blood. Indeed, who reading this is not familiar with sitting down to a computer “for just a few minutes” and later realizing with a start that a sequence of email, web surfing, a game, or just messing around has lasted hours? A slightly confused, slightly guilty feeling of lost time arises, along with a combination of fatigue, anxiety (there’s so much out there, did I miss something good?) and a hard to describe unnatural ‘electrified’ sensation, like your brain was plugged into something it shouldn’t. It may well be that the very neurological experience of screens, quick mouse clicks, instantaneous changes, and an endless beckoning world of possible stimulus is not good for our brains or bodies. As for the content: a near infinite mall raising consumerism to dizzying heights, a trillion websites and blogs of uninformed raucous opinion, and games many of which submerge players in virtual mayhem and slaughter.

On the other hand, it can’t be denied that the Web puts at our disposal an incredible range of useful information, from explanations of legal and medical matters that we’d otherwise have to pay a small fortune for to samplings of obscure world music CDs. From a political point of view, the propaganda and organizing power of the web has proven to be surprisingly powerful. Yet this very power contains its own dangers. For instance, wireless email means that there is virtually no place and certainly no time when we can’t be “at work.” How great is that? The beckoning convenience returns to a vampire face as we start to see that with all these breathtaking technological advances, people have never been so tired, as if some hidden force were draining our energy. Like books in print (which, the bards quite properly warned, would cripple people’s memories), the internal combustion engine, and antibiotics, the jury is likely to be out on computers, the web, and games for some time.

Further: for all its convenience, we can still wonder if there is anything really different that is really of value. The mass of information is not fundamentally new, just an enormous number books, magazines, catalogs and advertisements on a screen. The shoot-em-up games and pornographic webcams are new, but can we say they are great contributions to human culture? For me these contradictory reflections get turned in a positive direction when I consider the recent appearance of two potent, highly original and really quite wonderful computer games: A Force More Powerful and Journey to the Wild Divine. These two games refute any supposition that video games are by their nature anti-social, dopey, or engrossingly escapist; or that computers cannot teach the kind of things Tikkun readers believe are important.

Journey to the Wild Divine is perhaps the more revolutionary of the two, since it integrates some radically new technology into the computer experience. Plastic clips fit over the three middle fingers of one hand, connect to wires that plug into a USB port and measure your heart rate and skin conductivity—physiological signs of excitement, anxiety, or relaxation. Through the course of the game, critical encounters or transitions require that you exert conscious control over these processes—calming your mind, slowing your heart rate, or raising your level of energy. The goal of Journey is not blowing up the aliens or ruling the galaxy, but spiritual development, of which this kind of mental awareness and self-control is an essential part. In between keeping balloons from falling or focusing a bow and arrow by managing your mind, there are little talks from guru types—about mastering time, understanding consciousness, and coping with desire. All this takes place in a visual environment which is long on New Age eye candy and enhanced by some occasionally very good New Age music. Perhaps most important: when you move in this game you move slowly: indicate the direction you want to go and after a pronounced pause you glide off. Between the movement and the meditations, it is the only computer game I’ve ever played that leaves me feeling calmer and more relaxed after I play it than before.

A Force More Powerful (many will recognize the title from a PBS series and book) has a more conventional form: a turn-based strategy game like the simulations in which people build cities or manage empires. The distinctive difference here is the goal, since the game is centered on 10 increasingly complicated political contexts in which the player seeks to create positive, progressive, nonviolent social change. If the language element in Journey pretty minimal, at times Force reads a bit like a political science textbook, since in every context there are multiple locations (urban, rural, capital, provinces) and political agents (union leaders, peasant groups, legislators, police chiefs, journalists, students), each with their own political agenda, beliefs and level of commitment. Goals range from bringing about elections by mobilizing popular support against a dictatorship to achieving women’s rights, and are all based in recognizable political settings from the last 40 years of world history. Someone might say that nothing in these games can’t be gotten better (and cheaper, since Journey retails for well over $100) from books. In some ways this is true, but in some ways it isn’t. Journey’s biofeedback technology can’t be found in any book on meditation, and no history of political struggle allows readers to direct the action themselves. If there is a danger that, the medium being the message, games necessarily have the negative consequence of tying us further into the machine world and away from the real one, this is clearly true of print as well. People have kept their noses in books while the world goes to hell, and even if computers are more captivating, the danger is much the same. Few people would toss out books because bookworms can be selfish or apolitical—and this should well extend to computers as well.

In the end, then, Nick was right—creating positive video games is possible; and I was wrong in saying there won’t be a market or in doubting that computers can be part of the revolution. I can’t imagine a course on progressive political movements that wouldn’t benefit from Force—supplemented by history and theory from books, even as it would supplement them. And if Journey is a bit too pricey, and too easily mastered, for purchase by some individuals, I can’t imagine a school from K-12 that couldn’t use it to teach students what they won’t be learning in the rest of their classes. Whether they come from books, lectures, TV, movie or, yes, the computer, what better subjects to teach our students of all ages than the beginnings of meditation and strategies of nonviolence? The point is the message, not the method.

Roger S. Gottlieb is Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Two of his recent books are Joining Hands: Politics and Religion Together for Social Change and A Greener Faith: Religious Environmentalism and our Planet’s Future.

Iran y Hesbollah oficialmente acusados de la AMIA

El fiscal Alberto Nisman acusó ayer al gobierno iraní de 1994 por el atentado de ese año contra la AMIA. Además, le pidió al juez Rodolfo Canicoba Corral que ordene las detenciones de siete ex altos funcionarios de ese país, encabezados por el ex presidente Alí Rafsanjani, y de un líder del grupo libanés Hezbollah.


El extenso dictamen de Nisman firmado por Nisman y su colega Marcelo Martínez Burgos, de 800 páginas, atribuye el atentado a terroristas de Hezbollah instigados por Irán. Y habla de un móvil: la suspensión en 1991 de una asistencia en tecnología nuclear que la Argentina brindaba a Irán a través de convenios firmados durante el gobierno de Raúl Alfonsín.


Luego del atentado, la Argentina e Irán redujeron sus relaciones diplomáticas al nivel de encargado de negocios pero en la primera etapa de Néstor Kirchner los iraníes esperaban un mejoramiento de los vínculos que la decisión de Nisman seguramente empeorará. Anoche, el encargado de negocios iraní no quiso hacer comentarios al respecto, pero la Embajada de EE.UU. salió a apoyar la medida.


Los fiscales llegaron a su conclusión luego de reexaminar toda la causa y cruzar cerca de 300 millones de llamados telefónicos. El ex juez a cargo del caso, Juan José Galeano, ya había ordenado la detención de doce iraníes en 2002, pero cuando uno de ellos —el ex embajador en Argentina Hadi Soleimanpour— fue arrestado en Londres, Gran Bretaña se negó a extraditarlo por falta de pruebas. Luego Interpol puso en duda la investigación argentina y abandonó la búsqueda.


Ahora, los fiscales aseguran haber reunido más pruebas para incriminar a los iraníes, aunque buena parte de ellas fueron conseguidas durante la investigación de Galeano (ver Doce años después, la misma pista). El magistrado fue apartado de la causa y terminó destituido a raíz de las irregularidades detectadas en la investigación de la conexión local del atentado.


La hipótesis de la fiscalía especial creada por el gobierno de Kirchner para investigar el atentado es que la conexión local de los terroristas fue el ex agregado cultural de la embajada iraní, Mohsen Rabbani, ya acusado por Galeano y cuya detención se vuelve a reclamar ahora.


La decisión de atentar contra la AMIA se habría tomado el 14 de agosto de 1993, en una reunión del Comité de Asuntos Especiales del gobierno iraní realizada en la ciudad de Mashad. Un año y medio antes, en 1992, había sido volada la Embajada israelí y murieron 22 personas. En la AMIA hubo 85 víctimas.


"Fue una decisión tomada por las más altas autoridades de la República Islámica de Irán y encomendada al grupo libanés Hezbollah", dijo ayer Nisman en conferencia de prensa.


Los fiscales analizaron las sentencias de otros atentados por los que fue condenado Irán en el mundo y llegaron a la conclusión de que todas las características que se dieron en ellos ocurrieron en el caso de la AMIA, como el uso de correos diplomáticos.

De acuerdo con Nisman y Martínez Burgos, el atentado se produjo con un "coche-bomba" en el que se inmoló el libanés Ibrahim Berro. Los terroristas que lo asistieron habrían ingresado al país el 1º de julio por Ezeiza y habrían salido la misma mañana del atentado por Aeroparque. Y la camioneta habría pasado por las manos de Carlos Telleldín.


Para los fiscales, "operaban células terroristas de Hezbollah en la Triple Frontera" de Argentina, Paraguay y Brasil. Desde una mezquita de esa zona se hicieron dos llamados a presuntos familiares de Berro en julio de 1994.


La acusación fiscal, que ahora debe refrendar Canicoba Corral, fue bien recibida por la DAIA . "El dictamen tendrá una gran repercusión y el Gobierno tendrá que tomar decisiones a nivel internacional", dijo Jorge Kirszenbaum, presidente de la DAIA.

Stealing: Not For The Taking

Rabbi Osher Chaim Levene

The Mitzvah: All forms of robbery are forbidden as the unlawful taking of another's possession is prohibited (Exodus 21:37; Leviticus 19:11,13). The crime of stealing is important enough to be included as one of the Seven Noachide Commandments (Sanhedrin 56b). In fact, the decree of annihilation imposed upon the Generation of the Flood was only sealed because of the sin of stealing (Sanhedrin 108a). However this is a sin where most people falter to varying degrees (Bava Basra 164b). Cheating others, embezzlement, scam insurance claims, tax fraud etc also fall within the category of stealing. In fact, them is appropriating of another's belongings in any shape of form is included within this commandment. In our essay Hashovas Aveidah: All is not Lost (Mishpatim 5766) we quoted Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (Horeb p.243) who describes man's relationship and his assets as follows: "Property is nothing but the artificially extended body, and body and property together are the realm and sphere of action of the soul.

"Every one of man's possessions, like the body, is the medium to reveal the spiritual essence of the person (his soul) into this world. Accordingly, each physical object is an instrument to serve G-d. And to personally use it he must. In the wider scheme of things, stealing is likened to the thief taking the soul of his victim (Bava Kamma 119a). This is because, in truth, what the bandit is doing is to prevent the rightful owner from using his objects as an extension of his body as the projection of his soul. The thief is murdering that relationship between owner and his asset. Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, founder of the Musar Movement, decried the tendency to place greater emphasis upon the laws between man and his Creator and to trample upon the importance of the interpersonal laws. Such thinking is erroneous on man's part. It is related that the Chazon Is honce disbanded a group of Jews waiting to pray in a quorum because it would mean that one of the prayers would be late for an important business meeting. Quite the contrary; any infraction on the commandments between man and his neighbor negatively impacts upon his subsequent relationship with G-d. Indeed, thie very smacks of heresy. "No man touches what is set aside for his fellow...even to a hair's breadth" (Yoma 38b). It is an affront to true belief in an Omnipotent G-d should man think he will not get something - if he is destined to receive it from on High - but onlythrough illegitimate means.

More than that: G-d does not want man to use stolen goods as a means of serving him. Thus it is prohibited to make use of stolen money to acquire a religious artifice such as an estrog or lulav (Mishnah Succah 3:1). It cannot portray the dynamics of a mitzvah - which bring a person close to his Creator. What stealing does is to destabilize the continual interaction of creatures within the universe. This was the seal for the complete destruction of the Generation of the Flood. It had no remnants and was washed away. What occurs where stealing is rife is that there no respect is accorded for the property of another - and there is a lack of faith that man's assets are precious instrument of potential holiness - that their exclusive purpose is to be used by the owner in the service of G-d. What each one of us must realize is to use our existing property to its fullest and that another's belongings are "not for the taking".

Are the Sages Infallible? Part III

Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld

Chapter 6, Mishna 6, Way 22(c)

"Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquiredwith 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is acquired with 48 ways. These are: ... (22) trust in the Sages..."We're now up to Part III of a topic which many find one of the most difficult to accept about traditional Judaism -- trust in the Sages. TheTorah seems to insist that we accept the words and decisions of the Sages to be on par with Scripture itself. We are told almost to "trust" them --even beyond what we understand or agree with, even if "they tell you your right is your left and your left is your right" (see again Deuteronomy17:8-13). The question we have been dealing is: Were the scholars of the Mishna and Talmud perfect? As great as they were, were they infallible? And theoretically if they did err, why should I (who somehow knows better) be bound by their decisions? Is what they wrote "Torah" per se -- or is it merely their own imperfect attempt to make sense of the same Scripture and tradition we can understand ourselves?

Let us briefly review the discussion up until now before we arrive at the final hurdle. As we explained, most of our tradition was given to us orally rather than in written form. Originally, only Scripture itself was recorded in writing. Most of the explanation -- the Oral Law -- was memorized and passed from teacher to student until the period of theMishna and Talmud many centuries later. We explained that the Torah had to be in an oral state. The world is an ever-changing and developing place. New societies and situations arise and new technologies develop. There isno way a written work could tell man how every person should act in every possible situation from the Revelation till the End of Days. Rather, G-d gave us a *dynamic* Torah -- in a state we would have to explain and interpret ourselves. Man would have the task of understanding the Torah's eternal truths and applying them to myriads of people and situations. The Oral Law, as a living document, would bridge this gap. It would be the tool through which man would take G-d's infinite and absolute knowledge and apply it to the relativity of the physical world. The key to this arrangement is that G-d placed the Torah in man's hands. Since we were entrusted with the mission of understanding the Torah and applying it to mankind, G-d would have to *give* us the Torah as well. Could G-d have us interpret and live by the Torah, yet fault us if we make mistakes?

G-d gave us the tools for understanding the Torah, the various methods of interpretation, but at that point the Torah was no longer inthe hands of Heaven. It was ours understand and apply. And if we would err -- after -- and only after -- our greatest efforts -- that is theonly Torah G-d gave us, and it is the one we would have to live with. (In addition, the Torah provides guidelines for settling debates among the Sages -- primarily by following the majority opinion. It also provides criteria for defining who is a true and authentic scholar -- although that has not gone uncontested over the centuries.) We then introduced the final issue. We quoted the passage in the Talmud (Bava Metziah 59) in which during a debate a Heavenly voice spoke up infavor of R. Eliezer's opinion, yet the remaining scholars (who were in themajority) rejected it, stating that the Torah was no longer in Heaven's hands to decide. To this we asked that we might accept the Sages could make an occasional mistake and we should still follow it. But here the scholars *knew* they were wrong -- their understanding of the Torah was not in accordance with G-d's original intent. If so, how in the world could they have persisted? We now arrive at an even deeper issue. The task of the sages of each generation is not merely to "figure out" what G-d meant in the Torah. And if they err, it is not just simply a matter that their mistakes can be forgiven. Rather the task of the sages is infinitely more profound: to bring down the Torah from the heavens to the world of man and to fathom how their particular generation relates to the Torah. What does the Torah -- in its many possible interpretations -- mean to *us*, not what did it mean to G-d in heaven?

As we explained above, it is the task of man to bring G-d's Torah down tothis world, applying its timeless principles to the relativity of man and the physical world. This is the charge of the greatest scholars of each generation. They must take the Torah from the level of the abstract to the down-to-earth. They must as certain what the Torah means to *them*, and what particular messages and applications are most relevant to their times. This is because the Torah does not and cannot on its own reside in the world of man. The Torah is eternal and infinite; the world physical, finite and relativistic. It is the task of the sages to bridge this gap, to understand the Torah as they are best able, and to fathom what particular messages are most relevant to their day and age.Thus, amazingly, when the sages rejected R. Eliezer's opinion, they were not interested in how G-d understood the Torah.

The Torah was truly no longer in heaven. It was theirs. They realized they were the leading scholars of the age. They were entrusted with the task of bringing theTorah down to their generation. They were not studying the abstract law of heaven, but the practical law of man. And so, as great as R. Eliezer no doubt was, the sages decided to -- in fact they had to -- reject his opinion. If anything, he was *too* right. His arguments were perhaps too sharp and profound for them to grasp, and he touched upon a level of trutht hey simply could not comprehend. And they recognized that his opinion was just not one their generation was worthy of. (Based in part in thoughts heard from my teacher R. Moshe Eisemann.) It should also be borne in mind that the Sages tell us there are many valid interpretations to the Torah. The Midrash writes that there are 70 "faces" (facets) to the Torah (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15). There are many valid ways of understanding each part of the Torah -- some more literal and some more profound -- but all valid according to the legitimate methods of Torah study handed to us. Thus, the Sages who contested R.Eliezer did not consider themselves "wrong". Perhaps their opinion was not the most profound in an absolute sense. But they correctly recognized that it was the only explanation their generation could fathom. I'd like to illustrate this principle with yet another fascinating episode from the Talmud (Shabbos 12b).

I recognize this topic is one of our most profound and to be honest, most difficult to explain. Hopefully another illustration will shed a little more light -- then we'll call it a day. The Sages of the Mishna forbade reading from the light of an oil lamp on the Sabbath for fear the reader would tilt the lamp to adjust the light(causing a fire to burn better on the Sabbath). R. Yishmael son of Elisha responded: "I will read and I will not tilt." He felt, probably rightly so, that he was so cognizant of the Sabbath that it would never slip his mind. He went ahead and ignored the decree and the expected happened: he found himself tilting the lamp.The simplest explanation of this incident is that one never really knows and we can never be too sure of ourselves. My teacher, R. Yochanan Zweig, saw a much deeper lesson. One person cannotdisassociate himself from his generation. Just as the sages of a generation bring down the Torah according to their ability, they also recognize precisely how it applies to their generation. This is a part of their mission of applying the Torah. They define the reality of Torah for their day -- what precisely is the Torah their generation is privy to. If the Sages correctly see that their generation requires an extra safeguard for Torah observance, they are defining how their generation (and future generations) relates to Judaism -- in this case, to the Sabbath.

The Sages of the Mishna saw that as a whole, their generation did not have the same awe of Sabbath that previous generations did. There was the need for an additional fence or decree. They had therefore defined their generation's relationship to the Sabbath. This was now the Sabbath that existed forthem. And very few individuals, no matter how great, could relate any differently.We now have an inkling of the magnitude of the Sages' mission -- then and today. They see Torah, they define it, and they bring it to man and the world. Over the generations, our greatest leaders have seen the need for new concepts and new stresses within Judaism -- for Chassidus, the mussar (ethics) movement, or the study of kabbalah. (Not, of course, that they introduced something foreign to Judaism, but the Sages saw need for new stresses or safeguards.) Each generation would then have its own unique approach to the Torah, and each would make its own contribution. And so, the Torah in all its wonder and eternity, would assume greater freshness, relevance and vitality in each and every generation.

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What do Jews do when the longed-for miracle does not occur?

Sara Yoheved Rigler

It started with a sign and it ended with a sign.

On Israeli Independence Day this May, in a massive rally in Gush Katif attended by tens of thousands from all over Israel, the sign behind the dais proclaimed: WE WILL BE HERE FOREVER! It was a conviction shared by almost all Gush Katif residents as well as many other Israelis.

A prominent rabbi rented out Jerusalem's largest hall for Sunday, August 21, for the celebration to thank God for the miracle he was sure would come. Indeed, as the nation counted down to the scheduled date of the disengagement, most Gush Katif residents refused to pack their belongings or make any plans for the day after.

The ubiquitous sign on front doors in every community read: "Together we will prevail." Even once the evacuation had begun in villages in southern Gaza, further north in Netzarim, the men stayed up all night dancing in anticipation of the miracle they were sure would save them.
The miracle did not come.

Families were taken out of their homes of decades amidst tears and pleas. One palm-tree lined community after another was emptied. Synagogues were stripped of their holy trappings and Torah scrolls. A traumatized nation watched scenes of soldiers crying together with the families they were uprooting.

Judaism is a religion conceived out of a miraculous redemption, the Exodus from Egypt. It is a mitzvah of the Torah to remember the Exodus every day, to remind ourselves every day that God has redeemed us and can redeem us and will redeem us. The hope for redemption is imprinted into the Jewish soul. That is why Jews on their way to the gas chambers sang, "I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah." Ultimate redemption is our promise and our destiny.

The Jews who were evacuated from the settlement of Netzer Hazani on Thursday, August 18, were loaded onto buses to take them away. They told the bus drivers, "Take us to the Kotel [the Western Wall]!" Word spread throughout Jerusalem and its environs that the banished Jews of Gush Katif were on their way to the Kotel, for millennia the site of Jewish joy and tears. By midnight a couple hundred people were gathered at the Dung Gate to greet the evacuees. By 1:30 a.m., when the buses finally arrived, the crowd had swelled to thousands.
People lined the access road singing the line from Psalms: "God will not abandon His people, nor the land of His inheritance." As the first busload descended outside of Dung Gate, weary, tearful mothers, fathers, children, and youth trudged toward the Kotel. They were greeted by girls handing them large, orange marigolds, women handing out their home-made cakes and candy, and hastily-made signs proclaiming: "We love you and are with you."

Hundreds of men linked shoulders and danced the evacuees toward the Kotel, loudly singing the refrain: "God will not abandon His people."

The Gush Katif residents who alighted from the buses made their way through the throng, amidst tears and song. For an hour, a huge mass surrounding a lone Torah scroll beside the Kotel sang and wept.

Amidst the thousands who had gathered to receive the evacuees was a woman who had lost her daughter in a suicide bombing. Even she, who knew that miracles do not always happen, was incredulous that, instead of a miracle, this calamity had befallen the Jews of Gush Katif.

So what do Jews do the night after? What do Jews do when the longed-for, prayed-for miracle does not occur? The final word of the night, the final word of the Disengagement, was emblazoned on a large sign brought by the evacuees and hung on a fence near the Kotel. It was a sheet painted with light green letters: "FROM THOSE BANISHED FROM NETZER HAZANI," and then in meter-high red letters: "HASHEM HE IS GOD."

The Divine name indicated by "Hashem" refers to God's quality of mercy. The second Divine name in the sign refers to God's quality of stern judgment. The sign's bold statement, the identical credo of faith embodied in the Shema, is: The merciful God is the same God who judges us sternly. This is the way, for millennia, that Jews have accepted upon themselves calamity, in the faith that even the harshest fate is dictated by a merciful, loving God.

That sign, and the faith behind it, is the true miracle of the Disengagement. That is the miracle that did happen.

Support for Needy People of Gush Katif:

1. Avital and Natan Sharansky have started a short term emergency fund for families who have been evacuated from Gush Katif. They are evaluating each case carefully and would like to have funds available in an account so that they can give funds to these people who are currently in crisis as soon as possible to help them with their immediate needs. Thus far they have helped families having weddings in the coming weeks and several other short term emergency needs. There are many families with serious needs.Checks can be made out to Avital Sharansky and mailed to:Avital and Natan Sharanskyc/o Richard KovlerRechov Mishmar Ha'am 1/4Jerusalem 93226IsraelQuestions or further information can be obtained from Richard Kovler who works closely with the Sharanskys at richkov@netvision.net.il

2. An organization called Lemaan Achai -Emergency Campaign for Gush Katif- is trying to be the coordinating body of all those interested in helping. One can call 1-700-501-300 to donate items, services or to volunteer one's time. People willing to donate funds are being asked to call 1-800-351-012 and to specify that the money is for Keren Lemaan Achai. Israeli tax deductible receipts will be issued through an organization called Paamonim.

3. United States donors of funds can give money with US tax deductible receipts through All4israel via their website www.All4israel.org or by contacting Zalman@all4israel.org.

Presidente de Croacia recibió el Premio Wallenberg

Presidente Mesic y Baruj Tenembaum.

Nueva York, Septiembre de 2006.

En una ceremonia a la que asistieron altos dignatarios, la Fundación Internacional Raoul Wallenberg (FIRW) galardonó a Stjepan Mesic, presidente de Croacia, con el Premio Raoul Wallenberg 2006 por el compromiso demostrado con el destino de Raoul Wallenberg y otros salvadores del Holocausto. El evento tuvo lugar en la Misión Permanente de la República de Croacia en las Naciones Unidas.

El presidente croata mostró una sincera dedicación para promover los ideales de la FIRW y para ayudar a resolver el misterio del destino de Wallenberg. Mesic escribió una carta al presidente Vladimir Putin explicándole su decisión de ser Miembro Honorario de la FIRW. En la misiva señala, en referencia a la campaña de la Fundación Wallenberg para develar el destino de Wallenberg y llevarlo de vuelta a Estocolmo, "Yo estoy convencido (...) que usted hará todo lo que esté a su alcance para satisfacer el pedido de la Fundación Internacional Raoul Wallenberg".
En la década del '70, Mesic fue acusado de llevar a cabo "actos de propaganda enemiga" por apoyar políticas igualitarias dentro de la ex Yugoslavia. Por ello pasó un año en la prisión de Stara Gradiska. Fue electo presidente en 2000 y reelecto en 2005. Mesic se muestra muy activo en materia de política exterior y está trabajando para que Croacia sea miembro de la Unión Europea y la OTAN.

El embajador Mirjana Mladineo, Representante Permanente de la República de Croacia ante Naciones Unidas, inauguró la ceremonia dándole la bienvenida a los invitados. Abigail Tenembaum, Vicepresidente de la Fundación Internacional Raoul Wallenberg, resaltó los méritos y principios del presidente Mesic, así como el rol de más de 100 croatas que salvaron personas durante el Holocausto. También leyó algunas citas de las decenas de cartas de apoyo que llegaron a la Fundación.

Baruj Tenembaum, fundador de la FIRW, y Saul Kagan, co-fundador de Claims Conference, entregaron a Mesic la medalla del Premio Wallenberg 2006. En su discurso, Mesic aseguró su compromiso con la causa Wallenberg y subrayó que se trató del premio más significativo que recibió en toda su carrera.

Ivo Sanador, Primer Ministro de Croacia; Kolinda Gabar-Kitarovic, Ministra de Relaciones Exteriores; Bozo Biskupic, Ministro de Cultura; el embajador Anders Lidén, de la Misión Permanente de Suecia ante la ONU y el embajador Gábor Bródi, Representante Permantente de la República de Hungría ante la ONU, estuvieron entre los invitados. Líderes religiosos judíos y cristianos fueron presentados, subrayando el compromiso de la Fundación Wallenberg en la continuidad del legado de Wallenberg en el diálogo y en el entendimiento interreligioso.
El Premio Raoul Wallenberg fue establecido para distinguir a aquellas personas que demuestran rectitud en su conducta y una trayectoria destacada en materia de derechos humanos y de apoyo a la labor de las ONG. El Dr. Natalio Wengrower, vicepresidente de la FIRW, agrega, "La FIRW decidió crear este premio para fomentar a las personas de bien que demuestran un inquebrantable compromiso para sostener los valores humanitarios que simboliza Raoul Wallenberg". Desde su creación el Premio Raoul Wallenberg fue entregado en España, Francia, Israel, Argentina y Suecia. Esta es la primera vez que se le presenta a un jefe de Estado

Cyrano mio caro

Ciao, mi accorgo adesso del tuo preziosissimo link e ti ringrazio (obrigado!).
Stai bene, e grazie ancora.

Cyrano.

Succah: Strictly Under Divine Supervision

Rabino Osher Chaim Levene

The Mitzvah:

The Jew dwells for seven days in a succah, booth. Needing a minimum of twoand a half walls and organic material as its roof covering, the basicmitzvah is eating bread on the first night of Succos. All activitiesshould be relocated to the succah during this festival (Leviticus 24:42-43)
Succos commemorates the Israelites’ shelter – either the actual ‘huts’ inwhich the Jewish people dwelled or to the Ananei Hakovod, miraculousClouds of Glory protecting them in the wilderness.
But it beggars belief why there is a festival to celebrate this miracle?And why should Succos follow in the wake of the Days of Awe?
By swapping his permanent building for a temporary booth exposed to thenatural elements, the Jew affirms how he is, in truth, “strictly underDivine Supervision”.
What Succos marks is not just simply their miraculous protection but how G-d lovingly enveloped the nascent nation under His protective shelter. Eversince their emergence as the Chosen People, after the Exodus, the Jewwould be subject to a special constant Divine providence.
However this unique relationship forged between G-d and Israel almostdisintegrated at the foot of Sinai. This was because of their treacherousdisloyalty in worshipping the Golden Calf.
Only on Succos, explains the Vilna Gaon, did the Clouds of Glory which haddeparted because of their sin, return. That G-d allowed his DivinePresence to return and rest upon the Jewish nation, and their instructionto construct the Sanctuary, confirmed their full atonement. Therestoration of the Clouds of Glory is the source for the joyouscelebration of Succos, Zman Simchosenu, “time of our rejoicing”. Succos issequentially placed after the judgment and atonement of Rosh Hashanah andYom Kippur.
But with their repentance, G-d once again rested upon Israel. Of the threemiracles in the wilderness – the manna, wellsprings of water and clouds ofglory – only the latter was not essential for the nation’s on-goingsurvival. Instead, it was an expression of G-d’s love and affection. Andthey, in turn, would take delight in His protection.
Into the succah the Jew goes.
It is on this festival, that the Jew’s eyes are fixed upon the Heavens. Heplaces his trust and reliance in G-d – and not in the security of physicalstructures or his financial assets.
The succah is the symbol of G-d is directly involved in every aspect of aJew’s life – just as He was, is and continues to be involved in theirmiraculous national survival against all odds through the pages ofhistory. Where challenged and persecuted, the only fortress within whichIsrael can seek refuge is under G-d’s wings.
It is the knowledge Israel is “strictly under Divine Supervision” which isthe happiness celebrated on Succos.