Meeting of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
with the Foreign Press in Israel
February 21, 2007
Prime Minister Olmert:
Distinguished members of the foreign press in Israel,
I vividly remember the last such meeting that took place in precisely the same room as this one. I guess since then I had several meetings in this room, the last one was two days ago, so let me start, perhaps, by referring to this meeting, and then I'll make two other short comments and afterwards I'm sure that you may have one or two questions for me.
The trilateral meeting which took place Monday here was a very serous meeting, and I think it was very candid. I said what I had in my heart, the President of the Palestinian Authority shared with me what he has in his heart and we heard also, of course, the opinion of the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. We appreciate very much the American efforts to keep the momentum of contacts between us and the Palestinians. I think this is very important for all, and Secretary of State Condi Rice is playing a very positive role in creating the necessary environment, which is very helpful to both sides. I think it's well known and everyone understands that we were very unhappy with the reconciliation agreement that did not explicitly recognize the Quartet principles. And I shared my view with President Abu-Mazen, and I also shared it with President Mubarak, but in a different telephone call, and it was clear that Israel will not be able to maintain any kind of formal or practical contact with a government that will not accept explicitly the principles of the Quartet. That was said by us, it was said by the Americans, it was side by the Quartet members on the 2nd of February, and immediately following the announcement of the agreement it was said again by all the Quartet members and I believe that it will be repeated today at the conclusion of the meeting of the Quartet members in Europe. However, at the same time, I made it clear that I will not cut my contacts with Abu-Mazen. I will continue to maintain the bilateral track, I will meet with Abu-Mazen, my staff will meet with his staff on a regular basis, hoping to create the necessary environment that will be helpful for the relations between us and them. We want to contribute to the quality of life of the Palestinian people living in Gaza and in the West Bank. We believe that however mistaken their leadership come sometimes be, people don’t have to suffer from the mistakes of their leaders, and inasmuch as we can contribute to the upgrading of the quality of life, under the present circumstances, we'll make these efforts, and if necessary, in cooperation with Abu-Mazen. And also we expect Abu-Mazen to make exceptional efforts to stop the terrorist attempts and the suicide attacks against Israelis. What may have happened yesterday is just a reminder to all of us of how dangerous and serious terror can be and how easily it can break up every pattern of cooperation that we are trying to build. So I believe that this bilateral track will continue. I believe that the Secretary of State will continue to play this positive role in inspiring these contacts between us and the Palestinians, and I want to believe, and I hope, that if indeed a new government of the Palestinians will be established, this government will be explicitly, publicly and officially committed to the principles that were adopted by the international community, to the Roadmap, and to the Quartet principles.
Today is the last day that was designated by the international community and by the UN Security Council Resolution 1737 for the adoption of the parameters of cooperation by Iran with IAEA, with regard to their attempts to acquire nuclear capacity. It appears that up until now the Iranians did not respond in a manner that all of us wanted and therefore the international community will have to think of additional measures in order to influence the Iranians to change their basic position. My personal view is that the sanctions that were already applied and other measures taken by the international community, including financial measures, are effective. They influence and they make an important contribution to what may eventually appear as a new perception of opportunities and realities for the Iranians. It's not enough. A lot more has to be done. But I think that the Iranians are not as close to the technological threshold as they claim to be and unfortunately, they are not as far as we would love them to be. So there is a lot that still can be done and ought to be done, and the sooner it will be done, the better it will be. If there will be a concerted effort by the international community, both diplomatic, economic and political effort by the international community, I think that there are serious chances that it will have an impact that may change the Iranian attitude. And so I think that this is the main area of focus that should engage us. I personally believe that this can be a productive way and I urge all the international community, particularly in light of the refusal of the Iranians officially to extend their cooperation with the IAEA to stop the efforts for enrichment, that additional resolutions – effective resolutions – will be adopted and applied in this area of economy, financial measures, diplomacy.
And finally, since we didn’t meet for such a long time, I want to take this opportunity to also report to you of what I think was the record, historic record year for the Israeli economy. I don’t know how many of you are aware of the fact that this last year we had, in spite of the fighting through July and August, we had a very remarkable growth of our economy of over 5 percent, inflation rate in Israel last year was minus 0.7, which is quite unusual for the economy to grow so rapidly and at the same time to have such low inflation. We had last year a record export, first time that our balance of payment was positive and we sold overseas more than we bought, and the surplus was more than 6 billion dollars. We also had – and we still have – record of our stock exchange, which I think is an expression of the confidence of investors, both in Israel and outside of Israel, in the Israeli economy. Another indicator of confidence in the economy was the highest ever foreign investments in the history of the State of Israel. Last year we had 23.2 billion dollars of foreign investment, of which more than 12.5 billion dollars were in tangible assets, in Israeli properties and industries. The other part was financial investments. And of course, the interest rate of Israel is one full point below the American prime rate, which is certainly something quite unusual, which I think, again, reflects the strengths of the Israeli economy and the confidence of the international community in the economy of the State of Israel. And so we were not surprised that people like Warren Buffet thought that Israel is a target for their investments. First time that Warren Buffet ever invested outside of the United States of America, he chose to invest 4 billion dollars in one of the leading Israeli industries, the Iscar Industries, and he never even visited the State of Israel. When he finally came to see what he bought, and he was so gracious to come and see me, he told me: I have never seen any such place in the world. I am going now to go everywhere to speak so highly of the enormous and unbelievable achievements of your economy and your industries, and I think that this is a very positive indication. Coming in the same year that Intel decided to invest 5 billion dollars in new facilities, manufacturing facilities and research facilities in the State of Israel, I think it is a very strong signal of the successes of our economy last year, and our anticipation is that this year, the year 2007, will also be a year of growth in our economy and continued foreign investments in Israel. So we are looking forward with great hope for the coming year and of course we will make every possible effort that every other front of our lives will be as successful as this.
Thank you very much.
Questions & Answers
Q: Jackie Roden from A-Jezeera. Prime Minister, what would Israel be willing to give up in territorial terms in exchange for a lasting peace with Syria?
PM: I think we first have to start negotiations and then we will find out precisely how much and what kind of territories we want to give up. I think it's a little bit too early. It is true that President Assad talked about starting a peace process with Israel, and I think I said several times – and this is our position – that we would be very happy to make a serious, genuine, credible and trustworthy peace agreement with the Syrians. But for the Syrians to want to make peace is not only just to say that they want to talk with Israel in order to make peace. They have to stop their daily involvement in encouraging terror, in smuggling arms to Lebanon, in assisting the terror in Iraq and in assisting the brutal actions sponsored by the Iranians in our part of the world. Just to say that you want peace and at the same time to sabotage the legitimate government of Lebanon and to continue the assistance to Hizballah to smuggle arms and to provoke all kinds of terrorist actions, is not a genuine signal that can convince Israel that they are really ready for a peace agreement. If there will be a positive change, they will find Israel ready, and when we will sit to the table of negotiations, I am sure that they will find out exactly what are the kind of compromises that we are ready to make.
Q: BBC. Two questions. First of all, President Ahmadinijad in Iran has reportedly repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel. What red line do the Iranians have to cross before you would carry out a military strike against Iran? And secondly, when the Israeli public voted you into office a year and a half ago, it was on your promise to withdraw from large parts of the Occupied Territories. Why are you still building in the West Bank?
PM: I think I've outlined what I think should be the strategy to deal with the Iranian thereat. There is a genuine threat by Iran. The fact that a leader of a nation of almost 80 million people, which is a member- State of the United Nations, can stand up publicly and openly and threaten the very existence of another nation, which is a member-State of the United Nations, this in itself is totally intolerable. The fact that this leader is doing it and at the same time is trying to build up nuclear capacity for his country and delivery systems that could use this capacity in order to destroy another nation, is totally unacceptable. And I think it is incumbent upon the international community not only to take practical measures to stop this threat, but also to take practical measures that will indicate the extent of the disapproval of this language, of these attitudes and of these approaches, as spelled out by President Ahmadinijad of Iran. No country in the world, which is a member of the United Nations, can hesitate or contemplate its position about it. Every nation has to take a very strong stand against anyone who threatens the annihilation of another nation. And that's what we expect the international community to do. I believe that the coordinated effort, the diplomatic and the economic and financial measures, can cause the result that we are looking for. And therefore I'm not defining any other thresholds or timetables. I believe that the goal that we have set for ourselves can be achieved in this way, and naturally this is my priority.
Is it already a year and a half since I was first elected to Prime Minister? I think the elections took place on March of 28th, so we are slightly less than a year. Anyway, it is true that I said that I want to reach a new agreement, preferably that will allow the Palestinians to have their State alongside the State of Israel. This is my vision. This is the vision of the United States. This is the vision of the international community, and I share this vision entirely. I am in favor of the creation of a Palestinian State that will live in peace and security alongside the State of Israel, which has the same right to live in peace and security. As you know, unfortunately, some of the circumstances that developed over the last year did not make it any easier. Just in the Palestinian front – we pulled out entirely from Gaza, we disengaged, no one can claim that we hold one inch of territory which is claimed by the Palestinians in the south part of the country. And yet there was not one single day since the disengagement from Gaza in which the Palestinians did not shoot rockets on innocent Israelis living in the south part of the country. Now we have agreed on a cease-fire with the Palestinians in Gaza in November. Since then, again, there was not one single day they didn’t violate this agreement. And we didn’t respond up until now. So I think that there is no basis whatsoever to come to the Israeli side and to argue: why haven't you yet not accomplished everything that you wanted to do after less than one year, with all these violations that were committed by the Palestinian side, and I haven’t yet even started to talk about the brutal abduction of the Israeli soldier Corporal Shalit and the numerous attempts of suicide attacks, the last one was yesterday, by the Palestinians against the State of Israel. And on top of it, of course, the divisions amongst the Palestinians, the fact that the Palestinians keep fighting against each other. They have appointed a government which is boycotted by all the international community because they are not prepared to make pace with Israel and are not prepared to recognize the State of Israel. And as I already said at the beginning of this talk, unfortunately, the agreement signed between the Fatah and the Hamas does not promise any change in the basic position of the Palestinian government with regard to the basic principles of the Quartet, which are the guidelines for any future agreement. So these are the main obstacles for the fulfillment of the vision of a two-state solution, and unfortunately it takes more time as a result of this. But the strategy has remained the same and I haven’t changed my vision and I haven’t changed my commitments, and I'm going to do everything in my power to continue to build up bridges between me and Abu-Mazen that will allow both of us to move forward on this direction that I have set forth for my country when I ran for the election. There is not any violation of the basic Israeli commitment that there will not be any building outside of the existing settlement limits as they were. So there is natural growth and everything that was done was done within the framework of the existing settlements as a result of natural growth. There is not any government building, there is no policy of building, there are no government investments in the territories, certainly not in the last year.
PM: I will answer and refer to the questions. So the first was how long will you restrain your responses to the terrorist attempts and the shooting of Qassam rockets against Israelis? The last two Qassam rockets just landed now in the south part of Israel. So the answer is that we are not going to restrain ourselves forever, and I made it clear to Abu-Mazen when I met with him and I think that the Palestinians know very well. However, I'm not going to give you now any specific timetable or dates of when we are going to respond, but it is clear that the patience of Israel is being tested only too often and I think that it is a terrible mistake by the factions in Gaza that are stretching and challenging the Israeli patience for such a long time. At the end, we will respond and we will reach out for those who are responsible for the threats and for the shooting against innocent Israelis.
The other question was about the appointment of the new inspector-General. There is not yet an appointment, there is a proposal by the Minister of Police, this proposal will have to be examined by a special committee according to the formal requirements, and then and only then will it come to the approval of the cabinet. When it comes to the cabinet, it will be reviewed by the members of the cabinet. I think that right now it will not be appropriate that I will pass any personal opinion before a committee is requested to review this proposal and to pass its recommendation to me and to the cabinet members.
Q: Jonathan Ferziger from Bloomberg News. You've said that you conveyed your concerns about the Mecca agreement to Abu-Mazen. What's the point of keeping up the appearance, the process, if you don’t expect any substance to come out of a joint government with Hamas? And how many more trips will Condoleezza Rice have to make here? Aren’t you just spinning your wheels?
PM: Jonathan, I'll never lose my desire to talk with every Palestinian that I will find a genuine potential partner for peace with the State of Israel. How many do I have to want not to meet with Abu-Mazen? Unfortunately, there are not too many, and I personally think that we have to realize that the Palestinians are divided. I will not speak with Hamas, I will not speak with Mashal, I will not speak with Haniyeh, I will not speak with a government which does not accept the very right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state as it is. But if the Palestinian President, who was directly elected by the people, shares these basic commitments and repeats it publicly and formally, do I have to also say to him: I will not talk with you? I will not try in every way to find ways that together we can work towards peace? I think it would be a mistake. So I don’t ignore the complexities, and of course the reluctance of the majority of the Palestinian members of the national council now, who are members of Hamas, to recognize Israel and to negotiate with Israel, and therefore we will not coordinate any efforts with a government which is not obliged to these basic principles. But Abu-Mazen is different and he is not afraid of spelling out his difference, in spite of the agreement, and I think that I have to maintain that link between us and the Palestinians in order to be able to continue this dialogue, and hope that one day, perhaps, the promise of this dialogue will be stronger than the fears and the threats and the hatred and the viciousness of Hamas and its supporters.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, Ahmed Budeiri from BBC Arab Service. Obviously everybody knows here or maybe some know, that you were actually the Mayor of Jerusalem for many years. The question, sir, Israeli Antiquities Authority said a couple of days ago that there is actually a room under the Mugrabi Gate there and that they have hid this evidence from the public. Now the Turkish team is going to come to the region soon. Why, sir, you are hiding the evidence in this delicate, sensitive issue? Second question, sir. Israeli people actually voted you to do the Realignment Plan, and this was the campaign of Kadima. Are you still committed to this in a sense that there is no final status negotiations with the Palestinians? Are you still committed to Realignment? Thank you very much.
PM: First of all, I want it to be clear. Israel doesn’t work at all on Temple Mount. There are not any kind of works by the Antiquities Authority of Israel in the Temple Mount, and the fact that so many are using the Temple Mount to describe what we do is false, is untrue, is part of an attempt made by the most radical anti-Israeli Islamic group in Israel to stir the emotions and to provoke violence between us and Arabs. I repeat again – the walkway is entirely outside of the Temple Mount. That's number one. Now, everything involved – everything involved – all the information was shared in advance by the Antiquities Authority with all the interested parties, including the Waqf and others inside and outside the State of Israel. There was nothing new that was not revealed in advance by the Antiquities Authority. Now I can only say one thing, that I'm very proud that we are such a democracy that even the most extreme, fundamentalist, radical groups of the Islamic movement within the State of Israel can express their positions and their provocations in our democracy. I just suggest that we will not be carried away too much by their false statements and their provocations.
Finally, when I met with the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, and he certainly showed some concern because what he knew was based on what he heard on some of the reports, which were not accurate, to put it mildly. I suggested to him that his ambassador will come to visit the site, as did so many other ambassadors that were invited by us, and he suggested that maybe with his ambassador he will send a special representative, one or two of his own. So I said: why not? Everything is in the open, everything is exposed, actually there are television cameras that broadcast live everything that happens there and if you want to send more than one person you can send, but of course, there is no inspection committee, there will not be any inspection committee, there is no need for any inspection committee, but we always welcome everyone that wants to come and look around and see everything, and I believe that after such a visit will take place by the Turks or by others, they will report to the Prime Minister of Turkey, and he will do precisely what he said he wants to do, which is to say that everything is alright.
You also asked me about the Realignment plan. What I said before the elections, and I kept saying all along the way, is that we have the same vision, as America and many others, which is a two-state solution. The Realignment is a process. The vision is a two-state solution. Now, the most important part, of course, is the substance, or what is the vision. What is the final permanent situation that we envision for the Palestinians and ourselves? And I am absolutely loyal to the same position that I expressed before the election, that there should be a two-state solution and that the Palestinians will have a contiguous territory in the West Bank and that they will be able to live their own secured, independent lives in their own State. And this has not changed. How to come about it, how to accomplish it, how to carry out this plan depends on circumstances. I hope that the circumstances will allow us to reach an agreement with a Palestinian government that will recognize the Quartet principles and will accept the right of Israel to exist as an independent State. And in that case, this will be the best possible way in which I will be able to carry out my commitments.
Question not clear.
PM: We knew exactly in July that there is no government that we can talk with. Now, we want to talk with our enemies, but the pre-requisite for such talks ought to be that they will agree to talk to us. And I'm sure that you heard what the real leader of Hamas said, Khaled Mashal, that he will never talk to Israel, will never make peace with Israel, and will never recognize a two-state solution, so I think that this question of when will you talk to your enemies, should not be put to us. We are ready to talk with our enemies, but there must be a basis for such talks, and the basis which was accepted by all the international community is the Quartet principles. We accept the Quartet principles. Everyone that will share with us this acceptance will be a partner of negotiations.
Q: Danish media. There's been a lot of talk about international agreements and whether to accept them and who accepts them and who does not accept them. As far as I remember, the international agreement with the Palestinians was done between the Israeli government and the PLO. Could you explain to us why do you insist now on the recognition by a government that we apparently all understand will not recognize Israel for the time being. Why do you not, as the Palestinians suggest, go into further negotiations with the head of the PLO, Mr. Abu-Mazen, who you're meeting already and you say to us that you want to meet? Are you going to engage with him in negotiations? And I just want to add an extra question because I think both the Palestinian side, and if I'm not wrong also the Israeli side, the public is dead tired of politicians who seemingly don’t do what the people want, make peace. I know it seems and maybe sounds a bit simple, but that's the basics. If you go into the Palestinian areas, they are sick and tired of Fatah and they are sick and tired of the Hamas, and I won't tell you who they are sick and tired of in Israel. Thank you.
I am sure that you know what the basis that you have to speak for the Palestinians and for the Israelis at the same time is, for the public. I'm not certain that there is one voice in our country. We are a democracy, there are many voices, and I am afraid that also there are quite a few voices amongst the Palestinians. Now, what you ask me to do is to speak with the body which does not represent the majority only because the majority is against talking with me. But a body which does not represent the majority today amongst the Palestinians will not be able to actually carry out any commitment that will make any such talks valuable and meaningful. Let's not bypass the issue. The fact is that indeed the majority amongst the Palestinians voted for people who don’t want to make peace with Israel, and without a change amongst the Palestinians it will be very difficult to accomplish this. What you suggest is that we will be talking as if the 13 years or 14 years that passed since the Oslo Agreement did not exist and that we will go back into 1993. But we live in 2007 and there is a certain reality in 2007 and the only way to deal with this reality is to look into its eyes openly and seriously and to deal with it. What you suggest or some may suggest is that we will ignore all of this. So it's good when you want to fool yourself, but we don’t have this privilege. We have to take care of the problems every day and when a party says not only that we don’t want to make peace with you, but we will continue our efforts to commit suicide attacks and to shoot rockets on your cities, I am not certain that ignoring this can be of any help to the creation of a real and sustainable peace process between us and the Palestinians.
Q: Walid el-Omari, Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel. Mr. Prime Minister, you mentioned Abu-Mazen more than six times, that you are ready to negotiate with him and you want to meet more with him, but in the last meeting that you held with Abu-Mazen here in this hall, you accused him that he deceived you in this Mecca agreement. This on the one hand. On the other hand, Abu-Mazen existed before the Palestinian elections, before the winning of Hamas, and in that time, he was the President, and Israel refused to negotiate with Abu-Mazen around the disengagement from Gaza and now you're going to choose your counterpart with whom you want to negotiate with the Palestinian side. How do you want the Palestinians to respect the result of the negotiations if you want to negotiate only with 50%, if you neglect 50% of the Palestinians, which mean the Hamas people? Why didn’t you negotiate with the Palestinian leadership from the Hamas and from the Fatah together?
PM: I never accused Abu-Mazen of deceiving me. And I don’t remember that you were in this very intimate meeting that I had with Secretary Rice and with Abu-Maze. There was no one else there. There was only an interpreter and I'm certain that this interpreter didn’t tell you this because it never took place. I never accused Abu-Mazen of deceiving me. I accused him of making an agreement which, unfortunately, is not productive and is not constructive and is not helpful in creating the necessary environment for an agreement and the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian government. That I said, and I regret very much that Abu-Mazen was not more consistent on this issue. But at the same time, as I said before, I know of no other person that has any kind of authority amongst the Palestinians who is a better candidate for a dialogue with me and therefore I want to continue to meet with Abu-Mazen. I never said that this will be easy, nor did I say that it will be simple. It will be difficult and it will be complex. It will require the utmost patience by me and by him from his respective point of view, which I can understand even if I disagree with, and we will have to work together and meet and meet again and again and again. What we can't do, of course, is to…
End of first side of tape
PM: And of course, I don’t accept the legitimacy of his position. But I think it will be fair to say that he is more sincere than you. Why don’t you accept the fact that Khaled Mashal says openly, publicly and formally in every platform in the world, that he doesn’t want to negotiate with Israel and he doesn’t want to make peace with Israel? That's what he says. It's regrettable. It's sad. The fact that the leader of more than 50% of the Palestinian electorate openly says that he will do everything to destroy the State of Israel is very sad. But why don’t you accept that this is the reality and why do you come to the Israeli side and blame the Israelis for not wanting to sit with someone who is aiming a gun at your head and says: if you come close, I'll kill you?
Q: NHK, Japanese Public TV. I'm very interested in your opinion about Israeli Arabs. First of all, would you tell me what kind of significance do you see of the appointment of Mr. Majadleh as a first Muslim Arab minister? And second, what kind of role would you expect Israeli Arabs to play in the context of a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians? Thank you.
PM: The fact is that Raleb Majadleh is the first Israeli Arab who was appointed to be a member of the cabinet. So this in itself is an historic turning point which no one can ignore or disregard. I think it's very symbolic, it's very important. It's one more step in a long and painful process that will have to take place between the Israeli citizens who are Arabs, both Muslims and Christians but mostly Muslims, who are 90% of the Israeli Arabs, and the other citizens of the State of Israel, mostly Jews. The Israeli Arabs, I am sure, many of them, the majority of them, are torn between their natural emotional identification with other Arabs and Muslims in the neighboring countries and between their commitments to the State of Israel, of which they are a part as equal citizens in our country. And this is a source for a very painful emotional conflict which characterizes their lives. Now, I think that what we need to do is to find the pattern that will allow them to resolve this conflict without violating their commitment to the State of which they are citizens and at the same time not to entirely dissociate themselves of their emotional connections to the people that they identify with, and this is something that we have to invest a lot of energy in and a lot of effort in, and we are doing it. It's not simple. The fact that we have reached a point that in spite of the complexity of this conflict which characterizes the Israeli Arabs, there is an Israeli Arab member of the cabinet, is a very significant step forward. It's not a solution, it's not the only thing which has to be done in the build up of a better understanding and tolerance between us and the Arabs living in Israel, but I think that this is a step forward. The fact that we have 10 members, Arab members in the Knesset who can, almost on a continuous basis, on a daily basis, speak out their heart and mind, which happens to be completely, wholeheartedly against the consensus of the vast majority of Israelis, I think is a testament to the strength of the Israeli democracy, of which we are so proud.
Question not clear.
PM: I hope that the relations that will be built and will be improved all the time between the Israeli Arabs and the Israeli Jews will help create the appropriate environment that will encourage the upgrading of our dialogue with the Palestinians.
Q: I would like to ask you about the hint you gave last week concerning the release of Gilad Shalit, which could maybe change your attitude towards the Palestinian unity government. Would you please clarify on that, and I would like also to ask more in general, which place on the Israeli priority list does the release of kidnapped soldiers still posses today?
PM: I don’t remember any particular hint that I gave last week about Gilad Shalit. Now, certainly, Abu-Mazen said all the time that the first requirement, the pre-condition for the creation of a national unity government, will be the release of Gilad Shalit. So if indeed such a government is about to be formed and if Abu-Mazen is a part of this effort, then I hope that the first condition that he set for such a government would be fulfilled, which is the release of Gilad Shalit. But I never said that the release of Gilad Shalit can come in exchange or instead of the acceptance of the Quartet principles. There is no way that we can make a trade-off here between the principles of the Quartet and the release of Gilad Shalit. Gilad Shalit has to be released, unconditionally, immediately! As, by the way, the two abducted soldiers in Lebanon ought to be released immediately, because this was the first demand of the 1701 Resolution of the United Nations Security Council. Now, the release of Gilad Shalit does not mean that we then are going to ignore all the other basic principles, which are the necessary foundation for any future negotiations between us and the Palestinians.
Q: Mr. Prime Ministers, Steven Erlanger from the New York Times. The other day in parliament before a committee, army intelligence officer, Mr. Baidatz, testified that he thought Hizballah was stronger today than it was before the war, and your Defense Minister, Mr. Peretz, said: no, no, no, that's not really true. Their potential is to be stronger, and that was an unusual debate. I'm curious to ask you, as the head of the government, whether Hizballah is stronger now than it was before the war, and if that is true, is that a failure of Israel's campaign this summer?
PM: Since the answer is no, I don’t think I have to go into the second part. I think that Hizballah is weaker, much weaker, than they were. It is true that they are trying to smuggle arms into Lebanon. It is true that they are making efforts in order to rearm themselves to the level that they had before the war, but it is also true that the south of Lebanon now is filled with 30,000 or 25,000 soldiers of the army of Lebanon and of the international force, which make the life of Hizballah almost intolerable in that part of the country, and the fact is that since August 14th, there was not one case that a Hizballah soldier surfaced in uniform and with guns in the south of Lebanon, and when it happened, by the way, then they were killed by the Israeli army when they were present there. And when they try to surface now, they are disarmed and arrested by the international force and the Lebanese force. So I think the fact that all along the Israeli border there are not any more bunkers of the Hizballah, that they don’t have the same freedom of movement that they had, that there is an international force in the south of Lebanon together with the Lebanese force, has changed dramatically the basic situation in the south of Lebanon and has definitely weakened the options of Hizballah in comparison to what it was. Now, I can only say to you that the newly appointed Chief of Staff, General Ashkenazi, today said the same thing, that according to his assessment, the assessment that was made by one of the officers of the intelligence, or what was attributed to him because I never heard him so I have to be very careful, what was attributed to him, I think was incorrect. The Hizballah is still a major obstacle to an important change in Lebanon. They are the allies and partners of Iran and of Syria. They are making every possible effort in order to destabilize Lebanon and to continue to service the Iranians' ambitions in this part of the world. And therefore, we have to have a very close look at what they are doing and to make sure that they will not be able to rebuild the same kind of fortresses which were in the south of Lebanon under their command prior to the 12th of July. I don’t think that the situation today is what it was. I think it is much better. I'm not certain that they have any appetite to fight with Israel again and I think that there is still a lot to do so that the threat of Hizballah will be removed entirely. It has not been removed entirely, but it has changed in a very significant way, and I think that therefore the result of the war in Lebanon, or the fighting in Lebanon, in this respect, was very important, but we still have a way to go.
Q: Mr. Prime Minister, Joel Greenberg from the Chicago Tribune. A question about Syria again. You've argued, and you argued again today, that the problem with talking with Syria now despite their rhetoric is that they actively support terrorist groups, Hizballah radical groups in Damascus. The question is: isn’t that the point of the negotiations? In other words, wouldn’t it be wise to check their intentions and through that, to get them to stop their activities? Isn’t that the logical way to proceed in order to get them to stop the activities you say are blocking negotiations? Aren’t negotiations the key to stopping this activity?
PM: This is a very dangerous distinction that you have drawn, which must be clarified. The purpose of negotiations is to make peace, if they take place, not to find out that the other side that you are negotiating with is not interested in the main thing which is the driving force for you, which is peace. So as I said, we are interested in peace, not in the "industry of peace". We are interested in peace, not in the process of peace. We are interested in peace with Syria, not in helping Syria pretend that it is now a peace-loving country and therefore it has to be released of all the efforts made by the international community to establish an international tribunal to inquire the assassination of the former Prime Minister of Lebanon and of the violent Syrian involvement with Hizballah in Lebanon. In other words, if the Syrians are really interested in genuine peace with the State of Israel, they can't at the same time be actively involved in making the opposite against the State of Israel, and in order to find out what they are doing on a daily basis, I don’t have to negotiate with them. I can see and you can see and everyone can see, they are assisting terror in Iraq, they are assisting the Hamas in their terrorist attempts against the State of Israel, they are assisting the Islamic Jihad. The attempt yesterday, which, almost by an extraordinary chain of circumstances, was prevented, was coordinated by the Islamic Jihad whose headquarters is in Damascus. So what the Syrians are doing we know. If they want to make peace, at some point they have to stop it. Then we will still have a long way to go in order to accept the terms of peace. But how can you try to make, sit and negotiate with someone who at the same time is preparing your assassination from the backside?
Thank you very much.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Do Vazio Intelectual: mito e poder dos media
André Veríssimo.
Presidente KOah. Dir. CEIMOM
Fazer tzedakah é igual a todas as outras mitzvoth. (Bava Basra 9a)
Poderíamos dar com um sorriso… e também oferecer palavras amáveis. Persuadir os outros a dar como tal é mesmo uma das maiores mitazvah. (Hilchos Matnas Aniyim 10:13).
Antes de tudo gostaria de glorificar a única fé, que no nosso entender, ultrapassa toda a mitologia: o judaísmo.
Que entendemos por mito? O mito está ligado ao primeiro conhecimento que o homem adquiriu sobre si mesmo e o seu meio. Na sua composição de vida, o mito afirma-se como forma natural do homem ser-no -mundo. O homem toma parte da natureza como aquele que a ultrapassa e que tudo questiona. Ao passo que os animais e as plantas fazem parte do mundo, o homem une-se ao mundo por vínculos de inúmeras possibilidade. A simplicidade do homem primitivo tem sido imaginada pelo homem civilizado como sendo marcada por uma íntima amizade entre homem e natureza. Mas a todo momento essa harmonia reaparece como destruída.
O homem primitivo reconhece-se no conflito com a natureza e integra-se nela: vê o mundo como si mesmo e outorga às forças da natureza a sua personalidade; atribui uma alma às coisas do mundo; inventa divindades à sua imagem e semelhança, atribuindo-lhes virtudes e defeitos humanos. Daí as características antropomórficas e antropognósicas do mito. A própria existência do mundo está aí, para confirmar o mito que dá conta da sua explicação. O mito é vivenciado, pré-reflexivo e, no momento em que é tratado como algo que pode ser contestado, deixa de ser mito. A preocupação mitognósica do mundo é uma apreensão da realidade total que se faz a partir do vivido, isto é, do conhecimento não meditado e é essa conotação afectiva que possibilita ao mito ser controlado e manipulado facilmente. Podemos citar como exemplo, nesse sentido, os sacerdotes que usavam, para controlar o povo, a mitologia egípcia e o poder da palavra aí implícito. Por isso defende Roland Barthes (…) – “certamente que a imagem é mais imperativa que a escrita, impondo a significação de um só golpe, sem a analisar, sem a dispersar. Mas não se trata de uma diferença constitutiva. A imagem torna-se uma escrita, desde que seja significativa: como a escrita, ela faz apelo a uma lexis”. (Barthes, R., Mitologias, Ed. 70, Lisboa, 182).
O mito em Barthes aparece também como sistema semiológico ligado à fala. O autor faz um recurso à ciência dos signos em Ferdinand de Saussure que além disso se repercute noutros campos como a psicanálise, o estruturalismo, a psicologia eidética, certas tentativas inovadoras de crítica literária. A semiologia dá conta duma significação mas não é totalizante. O estatuto destas ciências segundo Roland Barthes é que elas são ciências que têm agrupados valores. Longe da factualidade a semiologia é algo que vale por. A semiologia é assim uma ciência das formas estudando as significações independentemente do seu conteúdo. O que quer dizer que as estruturas e formas relevam a ciência com o que ela tem de extraordinário, a análise, a metodologia e a linguagem que engloba a mitologia como parte da semiologia e da ideologia – assim diz Barthes: E conclui: “A semiologia, colocada nos seus limites, não é uma ratoeira metafísica: é uma ciência como as outras, necessária mas não suficiente. O importante é ver que a unidade de uma explicação não pode dever-se à amputação de esta ou aquelas das suas abordagens, mas, em conformidade com a expressão de Engels, à coordenação dialéctica das ciências especiais que nela estão implicadas. O mesmo se pode dizer da mitologia: ela faz simultaneamente parte da semiologia como ciência formal e da ideologia como ciência histórica: ela estuda as ideias-em-forma.” (Barthes, R., 1997: 184). Neste contexto Barthes indica certos materiais semiológicos e acima ritos comunicativos da sociedade de massas (publicidade, da grande imprensa, da rádio, da ilustração, aparências sociais, moda, …) quando nas margens do social temos uma galáxia de materiais semiológicos: bandeiras, dísticos, cartazes, roupas, falas, silêncios, … que renovam o contexto das mensagens anteriores e redobram o seu significado, um mar surge perante nós e se agiganta.
Filósofos e filólogos como Spencer e Max Müller empregaram as suas teses e análises como ponto de partida para teorias duma afinidade entre linguagem e mito. “A ideia de que o nome e a essência se correspondem numa relação intimamente necessária, que o homem não só designa, mas é também esse mesmo ser, e que ele contém dentro de si a força do ser... são algumas das suposições fundamentais dessa consciência elaboradora de mitos, suposições que também parecem ser aceites pela mitologia filosófica e científica. O que, no espírito do mito, actua como convicção vivente e imediata converte-se num postulado do poder reflexivo, para a ciência da mitologia; esta impôs, assim, como princípio metodológico, a intima relação entre o nome e a coisa, a sua latente identidade”. (Cassirer: S/D, p.7). “A ortodoxia dos fundamentalistas [que tomam a coisa pelo nome] de todas as versões de fundamentalismo (e elas existem em todos os domínios da vida) é normalmente medo e cegueira. Ou então, mais meandrosamente ainda, apenas o tributo amargo que a certa imagem de virtude presta o vício de se não ter convicções, mas sempre sentido da oportunidade, e do poder (P. Ferreira de Cunha, Heterodoxia e autenticidade, in O Primeiro de Janeiro)”.
Para Max Müller, o mito não era nem transformação da história em lenda fabulosa, nem uma fábula aceite como história. Na realidade, para ele, o mito é algo condicionado e proporcionado pela actividade da linguagem; é o resultado de uma deficiência linguística e debilidade inerente à linguagem. Toda a denotação linguística é, essencialmente, ambígua e, nessa “paronímia” das palavras, está a fonte de todos os mitos. Foi apenas no século XX, que os estudiosos ocidentais passaram a reconhecer a originalidade radical do mito, que passou a ser conhecido na história verdadeira, extremamente preciosa pelo seu carácter sagrado, exemplar e significativo; uma história que fornece modelos para a conduta humana, conferindo significação e valor à existência. É nesse momento que o mito deixa de ser confundido com “fábula”, “invenção” ou “ficção” e passa a abrigar a noção narrativa, ou ainda é a criação de uma história ficcional que estabelece parentescos entre realidades diferentes para captar parcelas de sentido do mundo, da mesma forma, todo o texto literário encerra aspectos místicos pelo concurso da imaginação que desafia a lógica existencial. A partir duma alusão ao mito, Lévi – Strauss (Lévi Strauss, 1978) indica que a separação entre mito e história se tornou um dos problemas mais significativos no mundo ocidental, nos séculos XIX e XX. Os mitos resultam das experiências colectivas dos homens, que não se reconhecem como produtores desses mitos, já que não têm consciência da projecção do seu eu subjectivo para os elementos do mundo. Por isso, o pensamento mítico não deve ser compreendido como mera ilusão ou patologia, mas sim como uma forma de objectivação da realidade mais primária e de carácter específico.
Hoje, como podemos imaginar e testar o que sobrevive do mito? Entre o amiticismo e a mitofagia como tenta a sociedade contemporânea criar e afirmar uma mitologia que pensa adequada à sua realidade? Do meu conhecimento temo que os discursos e a sua utilização para finalidades díspares podem ser vistos em diferentes campos de estudo e aplicação como na filosofia, direito, política, na psicanálise, na literatura e no jornalismo como um discurso persuasivo mas não convincente como é o caso comum dos editoriais do «dn», do «jn», da lógica “esclarecedora”, melhor, efabulativa dos directórios partidários, que estou seguro, valerão apenas para um auditório particular e não transmitem necessariamente algo que pretenda obter a adesão de todo o ser racional. Perelman e Olbrechts-Tyteca afiançam a existência “de uma argumentação, que não seja nem coerciva nem arbitrária confere um sentido à liberdade humana” e, “ se a liberdade fosse apenas adesão necessária a uma ordem natural previamente dada, excluiria qualquer possibilidade de escolha” – e assim – “reduzir-se-ia a uma decisão arbitrária actuando num vazio intelectual” Perelman, Chaïm, Olbrecthts-Tyteca, Lucie, Tratado da Argumentação: a Nova Retórica, S. Paulo, Martins Fontes, 1996, p. 581). Mas será possível escolher hoje? Tem hoje o jornalismo uma finalidade social relevante? Não, a não ser a caricatura de jornalismo efabulativo que engoda e regala o olhar turvo, tipo «O Eixo do Mal», reality shows, discursos de estadistas e estrelas de oratória do star-system e quejandos que mesmo assim ampliam o seu efeito hipnótico junto do iletrado «homo videns». Vale a pena indagar, reindagar, analisar, criticar, autocriticar, especular? Sim. Todavia, a apreensão imediata da imagem e do saber por ela proporcionado numa escala exponencial, minimiza a capacidade do ser humano pensar abstractamente e compreender conceitos. Estamos hoje no fim da etapa alfabética e naquilo que Giovanni Sartori depreende como Homo Videns (Sartori, Giovanni, La Sociedad Teledirigida, Madrid, Taurus, 1998).
Presidente KOah. Dir. CEIMOM
A Paulo Ferreira da Cunha, com grande respeito e admiração
Fazer tzedakah é igual a todas as outras mitzvoth. (Bava Basra 9a)
Poderíamos dar com um sorriso… e também oferecer palavras amáveis. Persuadir os outros a dar como tal é mesmo uma das maiores mitazvah. (Hilchos Matnas Aniyim 10:13).
Antes de tudo gostaria de glorificar a única fé, que no nosso entender, ultrapassa toda a mitologia: o judaísmo.
Que entendemos por mito? O mito está ligado ao primeiro conhecimento que o homem adquiriu sobre si mesmo e o seu meio. Na sua composição de vida, o mito afirma-se como forma natural do homem ser-no -mundo. O homem toma parte da natureza como aquele que a ultrapassa e que tudo questiona. Ao passo que os animais e as plantas fazem parte do mundo, o homem une-se ao mundo por vínculos de inúmeras possibilidade. A simplicidade do homem primitivo tem sido imaginada pelo homem civilizado como sendo marcada por uma íntima amizade entre homem e natureza. Mas a todo momento essa harmonia reaparece como destruída.
O homem primitivo reconhece-se no conflito com a natureza e integra-se nela: vê o mundo como si mesmo e outorga às forças da natureza a sua personalidade; atribui uma alma às coisas do mundo; inventa divindades à sua imagem e semelhança, atribuindo-lhes virtudes e defeitos humanos. Daí as características antropomórficas e antropognósicas do mito. A própria existência do mundo está aí, para confirmar o mito que dá conta da sua explicação. O mito é vivenciado, pré-reflexivo e, no momento em que é tratado como algo que pode ser contestado, deixa de ser mito. A preocupação mitognósica do mundo é uma apreensão da realidade total que se faz a partir do vivido, isto é, do conhecimento não meditado e é essa conotação afectiva que possibilita ao mito ser controlado e manipulado facilmente. Podemos citar como exemplo, nesse sentido, os sacerdotes que usavam, para controlar o povo, a mitologia egípcia e o poder da palavra aí implícito. Por isso defende Roland Barthes (…) – “certamente que a imagem é mais imperativa que a escrita, impondo a significação de um só golpe, sem a analisar, sem a dispersar. Mas não se trata de uma diferença constitutiva. A imagem torna-se uma escrita, desde que seja significativa: como a escrita, ela faz apelo a uma lexis”. (Barthes, R., Mitologias, Ed. 70, Lisboa, 182).
O mito em Barthes aparece também como sistema semiológico ligado à fala. O autor faz um recurso à ciência dos signos em Ferdinand de Saussure que além disso se repercute noutros campos como a psicanálise, o estruturalismo, a psicologia eidética, certas tentativas inovadoras de crítica literária. A semiologia dá conta duma significação mas não é totalizante. O estatuto destas ciências segundo Roland Barthes é que elas são ciências que têm agrupados valores. Longe da factualidade a semiologia é algo que vale por. A semiologia é assim uma ciência das formas estudando as significações independentemente do seu conteúdo. O que quer dizer que as estruturas e formas relevam a ciência com o que ela tem de extraordinário, a análise, a metodologia e a linguagem que engloba a mitologia como parte da semiologia e da ideologia – assim diz Barthes: E conclui: “A semiologia, colocada nos seus limites, não é uma ratoeira metafísica: é uma ciência como as outras, necessária mas não suficiente. O importante é ver que a unidade de uma explicação não pode dever-se à amputação de esta ou aquelas das suas abordagens, mas, em conformidade com a expressão de Engels, à coordenação dialéctica das ciências especiais que nela estão implicadas. O mesmo se pode dizer da mitologia: ela faz simultaneamente parte da semiologia como ciência formal e da ideologia como ciência histórica: ela estuda as ideias-em-forma.” (Barthes, R., 1997: 184). Neste contexto Barthes indica certos materiais semiológicos e acima ritos comunicativos da sociedade de massas (publicidade, da grande imprensa, da rádio, da ilustração, aparências sociais, moda, …) quando nas margens do social temos uma galáxia de materiais semiológicos: bandeiras, dísticos, cartazes, roupas, falas, silêncios, … que renovam o contexto das mensagens anteriores e redobram o seu significado, um mar surge perante nós e se agiganta.
Filósofos e filólogos como Spencer e Max Müller empregaram as suas teses e análises como ponto de partida para teorias duma afinidade entre linguagem e mito. “A ideia de que o nome e a essência se correspondem numa relação intimamente necessária, que o homem não só designa, mas é também esse mesmo ser, e que ele contém dentro de si a força do ser... são algumas das suposições fundamentais dessa consciência elaboradora de mitos, suposições que também parecem ser aceites pela mitologia filosófica e científica. O que, no espírito do mito, actua como convicção vivente e imediata converte-se num postulado do poder reflexivo, para a ciência da mitologia; esta impôs, assim, como princípio metodológico, a intima relação entre o nome e a coisa, a sua latente identidade”. (Cassirer: S/D, p.7). “A ortodoxia dos fundamentalistas [que tomam a coisa pelo nome] de todas as versões de fundamentalismo (e elas existem em todos os domínios da vida) é normalmente medo e cegueira. Ou então, mais meandrosamente ainda, apenas o tributo amargo que a certa imagem de virtude presta o vício de se não ter convicções, mas sempre sentido da oportunidade, e do poder (P. Ferreira de Cunha, Heterodoxia e autenticidade, in O Primeiro de Janeiro)”.
Para Max Müller, o mito não era nem transformação da história em lenda fabulosa, nem uma fábula aceite como história. Na realidade, para ele, o mito é algo condicionado e proporcionado pela actividade da linguagem; é o resultado de uma deficiência linguística e debilidade inerente à linguagem. Toda a denotação linguística é, essencialmente, ambígua e, nessa “paronímia” das palavras, está a fonte de todos os mitos. Foi apenas no século XX, que os estudiosos ocidentais passaram a reconhecer a originalidade radical do mito, que passou a ser conhecido na história verdadeira, extremamente preciosa pelo seu carácter sagrado, exemplar e significativo; uma história que fornece modelos para a conduta humana, conferindo significação e valor à existência. É nesse momento que o mito deixa de ser confundido com “fábula”, “invenção” ou “ficção” e passa a abrigar a noção narrativa, ou ainda é a criação de uma história ficcional que estabelece parentescos entre realidades diferentes para captar parcelas de sentido do mundo, da mesma forma, todo o texto literário encerra aspectos místicos pelo concurso da imaginação que desafia a lógica existencial. A partir duma alusão ao mito, Lévi – Strauss (Lévi Strauss, 1978) indica que a separação entre mito e história se tornou um dos problemas mais significativos no mundo ocidental, nos séculos XIX e XX. Os mitos resultam das experiências colectivas dos homens, que não se reconhecem como produtores desses mitos, já que não têm consciência da projecção do seu eu subjectivo para os elementos do mundo. Por isso, o pensamento mítico não deve ser compreendido como mera ilusão ou patologia, mas sim como uma forma de objectivação da realidade mais primária e de carácter específico.
Hoje, como podemos imaginar e testar o que sobrevive do mito? Entre o amiticismo e a mitofagia como tenta a sociedade contemporânea criar e afirmar uma mitologia que pensa adequada à sua realidade? Do meu conhecimento temo que os discursos e a sua utilização para finalidades díspares podem ser vistos em diferentes campos de estudo e aplicação como na filosofia, direito, política, na psicanálise, na literatura e no jornalismo como um discurso persuasivo mas não convincente como é o caso comum dos editoriais do «dn», do «jn», da lógica “esclarecedora”, melhor, efabulativa dos directórios partidários, que estou seguro, valerão apenas para um auditório particular e não transmitem necessariamente algo que pretenda obter a adesão de todo o ser racional. Perelman e Olbrechts-Tyteca afiançam a existência “de uma argumentação, que não seja nem coerciva nem arbitrária confere um sentido à liberdade humana” e, “ se a liberdade fosse apenas adesão necessária a uma ordem natural previamente dada, excluiria qualquer possibilidade de escolha” – e assim – “reduzir-se-ia a uma decisão arbitrária actuando num vazio intelectual” Perelman, Chaïm, Olbrecthts-Tyteca, Lucie, Tratado da Argumentação: a Nova Retórica, S. Paulo, Martins Fontes, 1996, p. 581). Mas será possível escolher hoje? Tem hoje o jornalismo uma finalidade social relevante? Não, a não ser a caricatura de jornalismo efabulativo que engoda e regala o olhar turvo, tipo «O Eixo do Mal», reality shows, discursos de estadistas e estrelas de oratória do star-system e quejandos que mesmo assim ampliam o seu efeito hipnótico junto do iletrado «homo videns». Vale a pena indagar, reindagar, analisar, criticar, autocriticar, especular? Sim. Todavia, a apreensão imediata da imagem e do saber por ela proporcionado numa escala exponencial, minimiza a capacidade do ser humano pensar abstractamente e compreender conceitos. Estamos hoje no fim da etapa alfabética e naquilo que Giovanni Sartori depreende como Homo Videns (Sartori, Giovanni, La Sociedad Teledirigida, Madrid, Taurus, 1998).
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Parashat Mishpatim
Hamaayan / The Torah Spring
Edited by Shlomo Katz
Mishpatim - Shekalim
Volume 21, No. 18
29 Shevat 5767
February 17, 2007
Sponsored by
Elaine and Jerry Taragin
on the yahrzeits of
Mrs. Shirley Taragin a"h,
Mr. Irving Rivkin a"h,
and Mrs. F. Rivkin a"h
Bobbi and Jules Meisler
in memory of his mother, Anne Meisler a"h
Robert and Hannah Klein
in memory of his father
Milton Klein (Meyer ben Kalman a"h)
The Katz family
on the yahrzeit of uncle
Avraham Abba ben Avigdor Moshe Hakohen a"h
and on the yahrzeit of Yitzchak Zvi ben Chaim Hakohen a"h
Today's Learning: Sotah 1:2-3 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Megillah 10 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Eruvin 15
Molad: Shabbat A.M. 11:17 + 17 chalakim
In every non-leap year, this week's parashah, Mishpatim, is read together with the special reading known as Shekalim. This is not coincidental, writes R' Moshe Avigdor Amiel z"l (1883-1945; ChiefRabbi of Antwerp and Tel Aviv). He explains: Our parashah opens, "And these are the mishpatim / laws that you shall place before them." Our Sages understood that "placing" the laws before Bnei Yisrael demanded more from Moshe than just "teaching" them. Moshe had to be, and was,wholly devoted to his responsibility to communicate the laws to Bnei Yisrael. And, unlike many lawgivers, Moshe actually practiced the laws that he transmitted.
Moshe is considered the father of all prophets. We read about one of the prophets -- Avraham -- "So shall you do as you have spoken" (Bereishit 18:5). This is the common denominator among the prophets; they speak, but they also do. Indeed, this is why Hashem chose as a leader someone (Moshe) who had a speech impediment -- to downplay the role of speech and emphasize the importance of action.
The attitude of Moshe and his fellow prophets stands in contrast to the attitude promoted by the yetzer hara. We are taught that the Torah's laws may be divided into several categories: there are chukim / laws with no obvious reason, and there are mishpatim / rational laws. The yetzer hara ridicules the chukim, while of the mishpatim, the yetzer hara says, "If they had never been written, they would need to be written." The yetzer hara acknowledges that mishpatim should be written, but he does not advocate practicing them.
But practicing the laws is not enough. Much of Parashat Mishpatim teaches us how to judge monetary cases. Then we read Parashat Shekalim to teach us the proper attitude toward money. The mitzvah of giving a half-Shekel applies to the rich and poor equallyand thereby teaches the rich man not to view the poor man as lesser than himself. This does not mean that the Torah promotes socialism, but it is meant to make us think about the situation of others.
(Derashot El Ami p.561)
********
"V'aileh / And these are the mishpatim / laws that you shall place before them." (21:1)
Rashi comments: "Wherever "aileh" / "these are" is used, it separates the preceding section from the section that is being introduced. Where, however, "V'aileh" / "and these" is used, it addssomething to the former subject. This is the case here: `And these are the laws.' Just as the Ten Commandments [in last week's parashah] were given at Sinai, so the laws in this parashah were given at Sinai. Also, why is this section dealing with the `civil laws' [as well as criminal laws] placed immediately after the verses commanding the making of the altar [at the very end of last week's parashah]? To tell you that you should seat the Sanhedrin / Supreme Court in the vicinity of the altar."
R' Yechezkel Yaakovson shlita (Rosh Hayeshiva of Yeshivat Sha'alvim) asked: Would I have thought that the civil and criminal laws, which after all are part of the Torah, were not given by G-d at Sinai? Also, why indeed should the Sanhedrin be located in the Bet Hamikdash?
He explained: Both of Rashi's comments are meant to teach that man's ability to grow in his relationship to G-d ("bain adam la'Makom"), represented by the revelation at Har Sinai and by theTemple, is dependent on his respect for the property rights and other rights of his fellow man ("bain adam la'chavero"). The Sanhedrin, the supreme arbiter of civil law and property rights belongs in the Temple because these two aspects of Torah are inseparable. This is illustrated by a remark of the Chafetz Chaim when he saw a man immerse himself in the mikvah in preparation for Shabbat and then dry himself on a third person's towel without permission. The Chafetz Chaim told that man, "You may have immersed in the mikvah, but you have not purified yourself for Shabbat; in fact, you are dirtier now than you were before."
There is a deeper message as well. We read in Tehilim (147:19-20) and recite in our daily prayers: "He tells His word to Yaakov, His chukim / religious laws and mishpatim / civil laws to Yisrael. He did not do this for any other nation, and mishpatim -- they do not know." Is this true? I would understand if the verse said, "Chukim / religious laws -- they do not know," but don't all societies have civil and criminal laws?
R' Yaakovson explained: Among societies, civil and criminal laws exist to promote social stability. In the absence of property rights etc., societies could not function. However, that is not the purpose of the mishpatim in our parashah. The mishpatim do not exist to protect your neighbor, but rather to promote your own spiritual growth. That is, indeed, a type of mishpat (singular of mishpatim) that the nations do not know.
For example, halachah says that a burglar must, in certain circumstances, pay double what he stole. Not so an armed robber, who pays at most the equivalent of what he stole. Isn't an armed robber a bigger threat to society than a burglar, since the former is ready to kill, while the latter avoids confrontation? Maybe, but that is not the concern of the mishpatim.
Mishpatim view a burglar as a greater sinner, for a burglar, who steals stealthfully, seems to fear man more than he fears G-d. Not so an armed robber; he may not fear G-d, but at least he does not place man on a higher plane than he places G-d.
(R' Yaakovson added parenthetically: This of course does not mean that the Torah is unconcerned with society's well-being. That is why there is a mitzvah to appoint a king, for halachah gives the king the power to legislate for society as he sees fit.)
(Heard from R' Yaakovson 24 Shevat 5767)
********
From the Haftarah . . .
"Yehoash did what was proper in the eyes of Hashem all his days as Yehoyada the Kohen horaihu / taught him." (Melachim II 12:3)
R' Moshe David Valle z"l (1697-1777; Italian kabbalist) observes: The pasuk does not use the most common term for "[he] taught him" -- i.e., "limdo" -- but rather says, "horaihu." The reason is that "horaihu" connotes the most effective form of teaching -- that of an instructor who takes a parental attitude towards the student. ["Parents" = "horim."]
(Kisai Nachon)
********
[The above verse can also be translated:
"Yehoash did what
was proper in the eyes of Hashem all his days that Yehoyada
the Kohen taught him" -- but not after Yehoyada died.
Our Sages explain that after
Yehoyada's death, the servants of
King Yehoash reminded him that he had spent the first eight
years of his life hiding in the attic of the Temple's Holy of
Holies after his grandmother, Ataliah, attempted to
assassinate all males from the house of David.
Yehoash's servants argued that a mere mortal could never have lived in
so holy a place, and that Yehoash therefore was divine. How did Yehoash acquiesce in this logic if Yehoyada had taught
Yehoash so effectively?]
Commenting on Yehoash's error, R' Moshe Chaim Luzzato z"l (Ramchal; 1707-1746) warns us:
"Another deterrent to humility is keeping company with or being served by flatterers, who, to steal a person's heart with their flattery so that he will be of benefit to them, will praise and exalt him by magnifying to their very limits the virtues that he does possess. [Thereafter,] he is sometimes praised for attributes that are exactly the opposite of his real attributes. Since, in the finalanalysis, a person's nature is weak, so that he is easily deceived (especially by something towards which his nature inclines) when he hears these words being uttered by someone in whom he has faith, the words enter him like a poison, and he falls into the net of pride. A case in point is Yehoash, who acted virtuously all the days that he was taught by Yehoyada Hakohen, his mentor. When Yehoyada died, Yehoash's servants came and began to flatter him and magnify his virtues until, after they had virtually deified him, he paid attention to them. It is evident that most men in a position of influence, regardless of their level, stumble and are corrupted by the flattery of their subordinates.
(Mesilat Yesharim Ch.23)
R' Yechezkel Sarna z"l (Rosh Hayeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva in Yerushalayim; died 1969) elaborates: Even a person who knows that it is wrong to flatter others is likely to have trouble protecting himself when others flatter him. Furthermore, although giving flattery is similar to stealing, for it demonstrates a desire to profit from dishonesty, accepting flattery is far worse. The greater a person is, the worse it is when he believes his flatterers, for when a great person stumbles, he drags others down with him. No one is immune, as we learn from the experience of Yehoash. Thus, no matter how much a person has accomplished in his Divine service, he must always watch out for this most basic of errors.
(Iyunim)
********
Forgotten Festivals
Once again, we present an excerpt from Megillat Ta'anit / The Scroll of Fasts, one of the earliest written halachic works - dating from long before the Mishnah was set down in writing. Notwithstanding its name, Megillat Ta'anit is not a list of fast days, but rather of days on which fasting and/or eulogizing were prohibited because of miracles that occurred to our ancestors. The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 18 & 19 discusses whether these prohibitions remain in effect today, and concludes that, for the most part, they do not. As a result, most of the festivals mentioned in Megillat Ta'anit have long since been forgotten.
The anniversary of one festival described in Megillat Ta'anit was yesterday (Friday). We read:
On the 28th [of Shevat], King Antiochus was taken away from Yerushalayim. He had been persecuting the Jewish People and intended to destroy Yerushalayim and annihilate the Jewish People. The Jews could not come and go during the day, only at night. Then he heard bad news [i.e., that his land had been invaded (Eishel Avraham)]. He departed, and died there [i.e., in battle defending his homeland].The day that he left [Yerushalayim] was declared a holiday.
[The commentary Eishel Avraham says that the villain of this account was the King Antiochus II. According to other sources, it refers to Lysias, regent for Antiochus V, the infant son of AntiochusIV of the Chanukah miracle.]
Edited by Shlomo Katz
Mishpatim - Shekalim
Volume 21, No. 18
29 Shevat 5767
February 17, 2007
Sponsored by
Elaine and Jerry Taragin
on the yahrzeits of
Mrs. Shirley Taragin a"h,
Mr. Irving Rivkin a"h,
and Mrs. F. Rivkin a"h
Bobbi and Jules Meisler
in memory of his mother, Anne Meisler a"h
Robert and Hannah Klein
in memory of his father
Milton Klein (Meyer ben Kalman a"h)
The Katz family
on the yahrzeit of uncle
Avraham Abba ben Avigdor Moshe Hakohen a"h
and on the yahrzeit of Yitzchak Zvi ben Chaim Hakohen a"h
Today's Learning: Sotah 1:2-3 Daf Yomi (Bavli): Megillah 10 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Eruvin 15
Molad: Shabbat A.M. 11:17 + 17 chalakim
In every non-leap year, this week's parashah, Mishpatim, is read together with the special reading known as Shekalim. This is not coincidental, writes R' Moshe Avigdor Amiel z"l (1883-1945; ChiefRabbi of Antwerp and Tel Aviv). He explains: Our parashah opens, "And these are the mishpatim / laws that you shall place before them." Our Sages understood that "placing" the laws before Bnei Yisrael demanded more from Moshe than just "teaching" them. Moshe had to be, and was,wholly devoted to his responsibility to communicate the laws to Bnei Yisrael. And, unlike many lawgivers, Moshe actually practiced the laws that he transmitted.
Moshe is considered the father of all prophets. We read about one of the prophets -- Avraham -- "So shall you do as you have spoken" (Bereishit 18:5). This is the common denominator among the prophets; they speak, but they also do. Indeed, this is why Hashem chose as a leader someone (Moshe) who had a speech impediment -- to downplay the role of speech and emphasize the importance of action.
The attitude of Moshe and his fellow prophets stands in contrast to the attitude promoted by the yetzer hara. We are taught that the Torah's laws may be divided into several categories: there are chukim / laws with no obvious reason, and there are mishpatim / rational laws. The yetzer hara ridicules the chukim, while of the mishpatim, the yetzer hara says, "If they had never been written, they would need to be written." The yetzer hara acknowledges that mishpatim should be written, but he does not advocate practicing them.
But practicing the laws is not enough. Much of Parashat Mishpatim teaches us how to judge monetary cases. Then we read Parashat Shekalim to teach us the proper attitude toward money. The mitzvah of giving a half-Shekel applies to the rich and poor equallyand thereby teaches the rich man not to view the poor man as lesser than himself. This does not mean that the Torah promotes socialism, but it is meant to make us think about the situation of others.
(Derashot El Ami p.561)
********
"V'aileh / And these are the mishpatim / laws that you shall place before them." (21:1)
Rashi comments: "Wherever "aileh" / "these are" is used, it separates the preceding section from the section that is being introduced. Where, however, "V'aileh" / "and these" is used, it addssomething to the former subject. This is the case here: `And these are the laws.' Just as the Ten Commandments [in last week's parashah] were given at Sinai, so the laws in this parashah were given at Sinai. Also, why is this section dealing with the `civil laws' [as well as criminal laws] placed immediately after the verses commanding the making of the altar [at the very end of last week's parashah]? To tell you that you should seat the Sanhedrin / Supreme Court in the vicinity of the altar."
R' Yechezkel Yaakovson shlita (Rosh Hayeshiva of Yeshivat Sha'alvim) asked: Would I have thought that the civil and criminal laws, which after all are part of the Torah, were not given by G-d at Sinai? Also, why indeed should the Sanhedrin be located in the Bet Hamikdash?
He explained: Both of Rashi's comments are meant to teach that man's ability to grow in his relationship to G-d ("bain adam la'Makom"), represented by the revelation at Har Sinai and by theTemple, is dependent on his respect for the property rights and other rights of his fellow man ("bain adam la'chavero"). The Sanhedrin, the supreme arbiter of civil law and property rights belongs in the Temple because these two aspects of Torah are inseparable. This is illustrated by a remark of the Chafetz Chaim when he saw a man immerse himself in the mikvah in preparation for Shabbat and then dry himself on a third person's towel without permission. The Chafetz Chaim told that man, "You may have immersed in the mikvah, but you have not purified yourself for Shabbat; in fact, you are dirtier now than you were before."
There is a deeper message as well. We read in Tehilim (147:19-20) and recite in our daily prayers: "He tells His word to Yaakov, His chukim / religious laws and mishpatim / civil laws to Yisrael. He did not do this for any other nation, and mishpatim -- they do not know." Is this true? I would understand if the verse said, "Chukim / religious laws -- they do not know," but don't all societies have civil and criminal laws?
R' Yaakovson explained: Among societies, civil and criminal laws exist to promote social stability. In the absence of property rights etc., societies could not function. However, that is not the purpose of the mishpatim in our parashah. The mishpatim do not exist to protect your neighbor, but rather to promote your own spiritual growth. That is, indeed, a type of mishpat (singular of mishpatim) that the nations do not know.
For example, halachah says that a burglar must, in certain circumstances, pay double what he stole. Not so an armed robber, who pays at most the equivalent of what he stole. Isn't an armed robber a bigger threat to society than a burglar, since the former is ready to kill, while the latter avoids confrontation? Maybe, but that is not the concern of the mishpatim.
Mishpatim view a burglar as a greater sinner, for a burglar, who steals stealthfully, seems to fear man more than he fears G-d. Not so an armed robber; he may not fear G-d, but at least he does not place man on a higher plane than he places G-d.
(R' Yaakovson added parenthetically: This of course does not mean that the Torah is unconcerned with society's well-being. That is why there is a mitzvah to appoint a king, for halachah gives the king the power to legislate for society as he sees fit.)
(Heard from R' Yaakovson 24 Shevat 5767)
********
From the Haftarah . . .
"Yehoash did what was proper in the eyes of Hashem all his days as Yehoyada the Kohen horaihu / taught him." (Melachim II 12:3)
R' Moshe David Valle z"l (1697-1777; Italian kabbalist) observes: The pasuk does not use the most common term for "[he] taught him" -- i.e., "limdo" -- but rather says, "horaihu." The reason is that "horaihu" connotes the most effective form of teaching -- that of an instructor who takes a parental attitude towards the student. ["Parents" = "horim."]
(Kisai Nachon)
********
[The above verse can also be translated:
"Yehoash did what
was proper in the eyes of Hashem all his days that Yehoyada
the Kohen taught him" -- but not after Yehoyada died.
Our Sages explain that after
Yehoyada's death, the servants of
King Yehoash reminded him that he had spent the first eight
years of his life hiding in the attic of the Temple's Holy of
Holies after his grandmother, Ataliah, attempted to
assassinate all males from the house of David.
Yehoash's servants argued that a mere mortal could never have lived in
so holy a place, and that Yehoash therefore was divine. How did Yehoash acquiesce in this logic if Yehoyada had taught
Yehoash so effectively?]
Commenting on Yehoash's error, R' Moshe Chaim Luzzato z"l (Ramchal; 1707-1746) warns us:
"Another deterrent to humility is keeping company with or being served by flatterers, who, to steal a person's heart with their flattery so that he will be of benefit to them, will praise and exalt him by magnifying to their very limits the virtues that he does possess. [Thereafter,] he is sometimes praised for attributes that are exactly the opposite of his real attributes. Since, in the finalanalysis, a person's nature is weak, so that he is easily deceived (especially by something towards which his nature inclines) when he hears these words being uttered by someone in whom he has faith, the words enter him like a poison, and he falls into the net of pride. A case in point is Yehoash, who acted virtuously all the days that he was taught by Yehoyada Hakohen, his mentor. When Yehoyada died, Yehoash's servants came and began to flatter him and magnify his virtues until, after they had virtually deified him, he paid attention to them. It is evident that most men in a position of influence, regardless of their level, stumble and are corrupted by the flattery of their subordinates.
(Mesilat Yesharim Ch.23)
R' Yechezkel Sarna z"l (Rosh Hayeshiva of the Chevron Yeshiva in Yerushalayim; died 1969) elaborates: Even a person who knows that it is wrong to flatter others is likely to have trouble protecting himself when others flatter him. Furthermore, although giving flattery is similar to stealing, for it demonstrates a desire to profit from dishonesty, accepting flattery is far worse. The greater a person is, the worse it is when he believes his flatterers, for when a great person stumbles, he drags others down with him. No one is immune, as we learn from the experience of Yehoash. Thus, no matter how much a person has accomplished in his Divine service, he must always watch out for this most basic of errors.
(Iyunim)
********
Forgotten Festivals
Once again, we present an excerpt from Megillat Ta'anit / The Scroll of Fasts, one of the earliest written halachic works - dating from long before the Mishnah was set down in writing. Notwithstanding its name, Megillat Ta'anit is not a list of fast days, but rather of days on which fasting and/or eulogizing were prohibited because of miracles that occurred to our ancestors. The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 18 & 19 discusses whether these prohibitions remain in effect today, and concludes that, for the most part, they do not. As a result, most of the festivals mentioned in Megillat Ta'anit have long since been forgotten.
The anniversary of one festival described in Megillat Ta'anit was yesterday (Friday). We read:
On the 28th [of Shevat], King Antiochus was taken away from Yerushalayim. He had been persecuting the Jewish People and intended to destroy Yerushalayim and annihilate the Jewish People. The Jews could not come and go during the day, only at night. Then he heard bad news [i.e., that his land had been invaded (Eishel Avraham)]. He departed, and died there [i.e., in battle defending his homeland].The day that he left [Yerushalayim] was declared a holiday.
[The commentary Eishel Avraham says that the villain of this account was the King Antiochus II. According to other sources, it refers to Lysias, regent for Antiochus V, the infant son of AntiochusIV of the Chanukah miracle.]
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
"Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"
Rabino Daniel Travis
"Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"
And after these events God Tested Avraham... (Bereshith 22:1)
A person may profess strong ideologies, but this does not necessarily mean that he is living up to those ideals. God tests a person in order to push him to actualize his potential. He thereby shows the world, and the person himself, that he is not just espousing lofty ideals, but rather that he lives by what he says (1). God tested Avraham with ten trials; the final and most difficult one was the Akeidah, in which Avraham was commanded to offer his son as a sacrifice to God.
Although God does not present us with challenges as great as the Akeidah, we are nonetheless obligated on a daily basis to show that our actions are consistent with our beliefs. One of the ways we do this is during the morning and evening prayers when we mention the Exodus of the JewishPeople from Egypt and all the miracles which accompanied that event, and immediately afterward we recite the Amidah prayer. Since the Exodus from Egypt and all of the miracles that surrounded it are an expression of Divine Omnipotence, when we mention all that God did for us then, we areaffirming our faith. In order to demonstrate the authenticity of our belief, after mentioning the Exodus in our prayers, we immediately turn to God in prayer (2).
This concept is further strengthened in the actual phrasing of the prayer from Al haRishonim to Ga’al Yisrael in which the word emeth is repeated six times, corresponding to the six times that the word emeth is hinted to in the creation narrative (3). Since this prayer is preparing us to demonstrate that our beliefs are substantiated by our actions, the more we internalize the reality of these events, the stronger our faith will be as we approach God in prayer. Therefore our Sages saw fit to mention the word truth so many times at this point in the liturgy.
Footnotes:
1. Ramban.
2. From the commentary of Rabbeinu Yonah on Brachoth 4b.
3. Bereshith 1:1, 1:4, 1:21, 1:27, 1:31, 2:3. See the essay “Signs of Truth I,” (Page 9).
"Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"
And after these events God Tested Avraham... (Bereshith 22:1)
A person may profess strong ideologies, but this does not necessarily mean that he is living up to those ideals. God tests a person in order to push him to actualize his potential. He thereby shows the world, and the person himself, that he is not just espousing lofty ideals, but rather that he lives by what he says (1). God tested Avraham with ten trials; the final and most difficult one was the Akeidah, in which Avraham was commanded to offer his son as a sacrifice to God.
Although God does not present us with challenges as great as the Akeidah, we are nonetheless obligated on a daily basis to show that our actions are consistent with our beliefs. One of the ways we do this is during the morning and evening prayers when we mention the Exodus of the JewishPeople from Egypt and all the miracles which accompanied that event, and immediately afterward we recite the Amidah prayer. Since the Exodus from Egypt and all of the miracles that surrounded it are an expression of Divine Omnipotence, when we mention all that God did for us then, we areaffirming our faith. In order to demonstrate the authenticity of our belief, after mentioning the Exodus in our prayers, we immediately turn to God in prayer (2).
This concept is further strengthened in the actual phrasing of the prayer from Al haRishonim to Ga’al Yisrael in which the word emeth is repeated six times, corresponding to the six times that the word emeth is hinted to in the creation narrative (3). Since this prayer is preparing us to demonstrate that our beliefs are substantiated by our actions, the more we internalize the reality of these events, the stronger our faith will be as we approach God in prayer. Therefore our Sages saw fit to mention the word truth so many times at this point in the liturgy.
Footnotes:
1. Ramban.
2. From the commentary of Rabbeinu Yonah on Brachoth 4b.
3. Bereshith 1:1, 1:4, 1:21, 1:27, 1:31, 2:3. See the essay “Signs of Truth I,” (Page 9).
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Chapter 6, Mishna 6, Ways 44-45
(44-45) Torah to Do
Rabino Dovid Rosenfeld
"Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is acquired with 48 ways. These are: ... (44) learning in order to teach, (45) learning in order to do..."
This week's qualities relate to the goal or purpose the scholar has in mind when he studies Torah. Before we look at the goals themselves, it is clear right away that the scholar must have *some* goal in mind when he studies. It may be to teach others, to fulfill G-d's word, or even just to gain an appreciation of G-d's wisdom. But some purpose is necessary to make Torah study (or any activity) meaningful. We must always be asking ourselves why we are doing whatever we are doing. For meaningless activities engender empty results.
Further, the importance of the goal determines the intensity of the effort. If we see the Torah as a work of Divine and eternal significance, if we study it because we see it as G-d's word (or even if we do so to sincerely attempt to determine that), there is no limit to where Torah study may lead us. We will appreciate the Torah's messages and live up to the greatness to which it challenges us. If, however, a person studies for no particular reason -- other than perhaps detached curiosity or intellectual stimulation -- his study will not be imbued with holiness. If he does not see the Torah as the wisdom of G-d challenging man to spiritual heights, his study will be devoid of purpose and sanctity. It will not be -- and cannot be -- any more significant than the lack of sanctity he ascribes to the Torah itself.
Thus, the Torah scholar, who appreciates the value of G-d's word, will study with a goal in mind. Our mishna tells us two such worthy goals: in order to teach and in order to "do". The meaning of the first is fairly clear. As we wrote recently, at the 44th Way (out of 48), we are now dealing with the advanced scholar who instructs and gives over to others. Thus, he studies with the intention of teaching what he has studied.
The second goal -- to do -- is less apparent. What does studying to do mean -- to fulfill what one studies? That would seem a very minimal goal, something basic to any believing Jew who studies Torah. Yet our mishna lists it second, implying it is the loftier goal. It also hardly seems such an advanced goal -- one of the final of the 48 Ways. If so, what does studying to do mean?
We came across these two qualities once before, in Chapter 4, Mishna 6.
I'm going to quote that mishna and give a brief review of our discussion there (just in case any of you have forgotten). It will shed some light on the true concept of studying to "do". We will then build on that discussion slightly, relating that mishna to the 48 Ways.
Chapter 4, Mishna 6 reads as follows:
"Rabbi Yishmael bar (son of) Rabbi Yossi said, one who studies Torah in order to teach is granted the ability to study and to teach. One who studies in order to 'do' is granted the ability to study, to teach, to observe, and to do."
We are thus told that two primary agendas exist in studying Torah -- to teach and to do. Clearly, "doing" is the ultimate goal, the one which surpasses and supersedes studying to teach. When one studies to do he will be able not only to do but to teach as well. Thus, again, studying to do is clearly far loftier than just studying to perform the commandments and even more encompassing than studying to teach. What is this goal?
We explained then that "doing" implies something much more than just physically observing the commandments, performing acts with our hands. "Doing" implies making a change in ourselves. (In Yiddish we'd say to "tu auf" -- "do up" -- implying accomplishing as much as doing.) We study Torah in order to integrate its teachings into our lives and become changed human beings. We study to be moved and inspired, to fathom G-d's wisdom and grow from the knowledge and experience. Thus, Torah study causes us not only to fulfill, but to appreciate as well, and slowly, as we become instilled with G-d's wisdom and the Torah's teachings, we are transformed into more caring and sanctified human beings -- into Torah personalities.
For this reason, Torah study and in particular Talmud study involve far more than studying topics which are relevant to practical Jewish law. We study subjects such as sacrifices, oaths, capital punishment, and all sorts of theoretical issues having little or no practical relevance. This is because we do not study simply to know how to perform. We study in order to grow -- to connect ourselves with our tradition and G-d's infinite wisdom. When we study the Talmud, we become acquainted with the words and the world of the Sages, with all their passion and vitality. The Talmud is far more than a book of Jewish law. As R. Berel Wein puts it, it captures the soul of the Jewish People, with all of its wisdom, warmth and vitality. When we study the Talmud, we become a part of this world -- and a part of our heritage -- and our souls are irreversibly transformed.
This also explains why learning to "do" is not only greater than learning to teach but encompasses it as well. The scholar who studies to "do" -- to transform himself and make the Torah a part of his life -- will in a way be an even more capable teacher than the one who studies to teach. A teacher must know his material well. He must not only understand but must master. He must be able to express and elucidate Torah concepts on a level others can appreciate. The one, however, who studies to do may not have the language and communication skills of the more seasoned teacher, but he has something more: he *is* what he teaches. He teaches not only what he understands, but what he lives and feels as well. And the student will recognize the passion and sincerity of his words -- as the Jewish expression goes, "Words which come from the heart enter the heart" -- and cannot help but be moved.
This was a not-so-concise summary of our discussion on 4:6, of nearly two years ago (based in part on a thought once heard from R. Yochanan Bechhofer). I'd like to add one additional (also not-so-concise) insight, relevant to the 48 Ways.
One question remains: If the ultimate is learning to do, why does our mishna include learning to teach as well? Does not learning to do transcend and incorporate learning to teach?
There's an amusing story told about R. Aryeh Leib Gunzberg, (1695-1785), known universally by the name of his classic work, the Sha'agas Aryeh. Once, before preparing a Torah lecture, his son, R. Asher, sneaked into his father's study and hid under the table, intent on observing how his father prepared his masterful lectures. (This seems to be an old Jewish practice -- for the devoted student to secretly follow and observe his rabbi -- to learn from his practices in private -- often to observe the greatness he would hide from public view. See Talmud Brachos 62a.) The son listened in amazement as his father not only prepared his lecture, but proceeded to anticipate the questions each student would pose. The father mulled: "Rav X will ask me this... And I'll answer that. Rav Y will ask me this, and I'll answer that." Finally, the Sha'agas Aryeh turned his thoughts to his son: "Rav Asher will ask me this..." At that point, the son could restrain himself no longer and called out from under the table: "Asher is not going to ask that! He's going to ask this! ..." Oh well, he blew his cover. But that's how one of the stories in the Talmud ended as well. :-)
The illustration is a cute one, but the lesson is significant. The Sha'agas Aryeh took such care and interest in each of his students that he intimately knew each one's style of study and approach to the Talmud. This is because we teach not only to explain our own Torah thoughts but to allow each of our students to develop his own method of study. Every Jew must develop his or her own unique relationship with the Torah. Thus, although studying to "do" is ultimately the most effective means of imparting to others, the true Torah teacher will study to teach as well -- to see to it that others view the Torah in the way that will most inspire them. He must take a personal interest in their growth and development. For teaching is not only an expression of my own inspiration; it allows all Jews who are willing to hear to sense their own inspiration as well.
Postagem Andre Moshè Pereira
Rabino Dovid Rosenfeld
"Torah is greater than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is acquired with 30 qualities, priesthood is acquired with 24, whereas the Torah is acquired with 48 ways. These are: ... (44) learning in order to teach, (45) learning in order to do..."
This week's qualities relate to the goal or purpose the scholar has in mind when he studies Torah. Before we look at the goals themselves, it is clear right away that the scholar must have *some* goal in mind when he studies. It may be to teach others, to fulfill G-d's word, or even just to gain an appreciation of G-d's wisdom. But some purpose is necessary to make Torah study (or any activity) meaningful. We must always be asking ourselves why we are doing whatever we are doing. For meaningless activities engender empty results.
Further, the importance of the goal determines the intensity of the effort. If we see the Torah as a work of Divine and eternal significance, if we study it because we see it as G-d's word (or even if we do so to sincerely attempt to determine that), there is no limit to where Torah study may lead us. We will appreciate the Torah's messages and live up to the greatness to which it challenges us. If, however, a person studies for no particular reason -- other than perhaps detached curiosity or intellectual stimulation -- his study will not be imbued with holiness. If he does not see the Torah as the wisdom of G-d challenging man to spiritual heights, his study will be devoid of purpose and sanctity. It will not be -- and cannot be -- any more significant than the lack of sanctity he ascribes to the Torah itself.
Thus, the Torah scholar, who appreciates the value of G-d's word, will study with a goal in mind. Our mishna tells us two such worthy goals: in order to teach and in order to "do". The meaning of the first is fairly clear. As we wrote recently, at the 44th Way (out of 48), we are now dealing with the advanced scholar who instructs and gives over to others. Thus, he studies with the intention of teaching what he has studied.
The second goal -- to do -- is less apparent. What does studying to do mean -- to fulfill what one studies? That would seem a very minimal goal, something basic to any believing Jew who studies Torah. Yet our mishna lists it second, implying it is the loftier goal. It also hardly seems such an advanced goal -- one of the final of the 48 Ways. If so, what does studying to do mean?
We came across these two qualities once before, in Chapter 4, Mishna 6.
I'm going to quote that mishna and give a brief review of our discussion there (just in case any of you have forgotten). It will shed some light on the true concept of studying to "do". We will then build on that discussion slightly, relating that mishna to the 48 Ways.
Chapter 4, Mishna 6 reads as follows:
"Rabbi Yishmael bar (son of) Rabbi Yossi said, one who studies Torah in order to teach is granted the ability to study and to teach. One who studies in order to 'do' is granted the ability to study, to teach, to observe, and to do."
We are thus told that two primary agendas exist in studying Torah -- to teach and to do. Clearly, "doing" is the ultimate goal, the one which surpasses and supersedes studying to teach. When one studies to do he will be able not only to do but to teach as well. Thus, again, studying to do is clearly far loftier than just studying to perform the commandments and even more encompassing than studying to teach. What is this goal?
We explained then that "doing" implies something much more than just physically observing the commandments, performing acts with our hands. "Doing" implies making a change in ourselves. (In Yiddish we'd say to "tu auf" -- "do up" -- implying accomplishing as much as doing.) We study Torah in order to integrate its teachings into our lives and become changed human beings. We study to be moved and inspired, to fathom G-d's wisdom and grow from the knowledge and experience. Thus, Torah study causes us not only to fulfill, but to appreciate as well, and slowly, as we become instilled with G-d's wisdom and the Torah's teachings, we are transformed into more caring and sanctified human beings -- into Torah personalities.
For this reason, Torah study and in particular Talmud study involve far more than studying topics which are relevant to practical Jewish law. We study subjects such as sacrifices, oaths, capital punishment, and all sorts of theoretical issues having little or no practical relevance. This is because we do not study simply to know how to perform. We study in order to grow -- to connect ourselves with our tradition and G-d's infinite wisdom. When we study the Talmud, we become acquainted with the words and the world of the Sages, with all their passion and vitality. The Talmud is far more than a book of Jewish law. As R. Berel Wein puts it, it captures the soul of the Jewish People, with all of its wisdom, warmth and vitality. When we study the Talmud, we become a part of this world -- and a part of our heritage -- and our souls are irreversibly transformed.
This also explains why learning to "do" is not only greater than learning to teach but encompasses it as well. The scholar who studies to "do" -- to transform himself and make the Torah a part of his life -- will in a way be an even more capable teacher than the one who studies to teach. A teacher must know his material well. He must not only understand but must master. He must be able to express and elucidate Torah concepts on a level others can appreciate. The one, however, who studies to do may not have the language and communication skills of the more seasoned teacher, but he has something more: he *is* what he teaches. He teaches not only what he understands, but what he lives and feels as well. And the student will recognize the passion and sincerity of his words -- as the Jewish expression goes, "Words which come from the heart enter the heart" -- and cannot help but be moved.
This was a not-so-concise summary of our discussion on 4:6, of nearly two years ago (based in part on a thought once heard from R. Yochanan Bechhofer). I'd like to add one additional (also not-so-concise) insight, relevant to the 48 Ways.
One question remains: If the ultimate is learning to do, why does our mishna include learning to teach as well? Does not learning to do transcend and incorporate learning to teach?
There's an amusing story told about R. Aryeh Leib Gunzberg, (1695-1785), known universally by the name of his classic work, the Sha'agas Aryeh. Once, before preparing a Torah lecture, his son, R. Asher, sneaked into his father's study and hid under the table, intent on observing how his father prepared his masterful lectures. (This seems to be an old Jewish practice -- for the devoted student to secretly follow and observe his rabbi -- to learn from his practices in private -- often to observe the greatness he would hide from public view. See Talmud Brachos 62a.) The son listened in amazement as his father not only prepared his lecture, but proceeded to anticipate the questions each student would pose. The father mulled: "Rav X will ask me this... And I'll answer that. Rav Y will ask me this, and I'll answer that." Finally, the Sha'agas Aryeh turned his thoughts to his son: "Rav Asher will ask me this..." At that point, the son could restrain himself no longer and called out from under the table: "Asher is not going to ask that! He's going to ask this! ..." Oh well, he blew his cover. But that's how one of the stories in the Talmud ended as well. :-)
The illustration is a cute one, but the lesson is significant. The Sha'agas Aryeh took such care and interest in each of his students that he intimately knew each one's style of study and approach to the Talmud. This is because we teach not only to explain our own Torah thoughts but to allow each of our students to develop his own method of study. Every Jew must develop his or her own unique relationship with the Torah. Thus, although studying to "do" is ultimately the most effective means of imparting to others, the true Torah teacher will study to teach as well -- to see to it that others view the Torah in the way that will most inspire them. He must take a personal interest in their growth and development. For teaching is not only an expression of my own inspiration; it allows all Jews who are willing to hear to sense their own inspiration as well.
Postagem Andre Moshè Pereira
How Did the Torah Exist Before it Happened?
Could you explain to me how Jacob could study Torah “in the tents” if Torah was given to Moses centuries later? And could you explain how Jacob could study the Torah in which he, too, is a character?
Hi! Thank you for the interesting question. The Ramban explains in his introduction to the Torah that the Torah was created before the world, black fire written on white fire. Even so, he says that that doesn’t mean that its form was fixed. He has an interesting way of describing this: He says that the spaces between the letters weren’t assigned yet. However one understands that, the idea is that the Torah is not just a record of events. It is the embodiment of the relationship between Hashem and His world.
As the world progresses, and human beings use their free choice, Hashem’s relationship with us progresses and changes as well. I don’t know exactly what the Torah looked like in the time of Jacob; it wasn’t the same as the Torah we have today, because we weren’t the same. Some things had already happened, like the creation of the world, the flood, and Hashem’s relationship with Abraham and Isaac. And some aspect of it is surely fixed and always was. Other parts, like Mount Sinai, and the sin of the Golden Calf, and the people of Moav hiring Balaam, were yet to be, and were still up to people’s free choice. The Torah continued to develop and reflect our relationship with him until it reached its final form by the death of Moshe Rabbeinu.
Best wishes,
Michoel Reach
Hi! Thank you for the interesting question. The Ramban explains in his introduction to the Torah that the Torah was created before the world, black fire written on white fire. Even so, he says that that doesn’t mean that its form was fixed. He has an interesting way of describing this: He says that the spaces between the letters weren’t assigned yet. However one understands that, the idea is that the Torah is not just a record of events. It is the embodiment of the relationship between Hashem and His world.
As the world progresses, and human beings use their free choice, Hashem’s relationship with us progresses and changes as well. I don’t know exactly what the Torah looked like in the time of Jacob; it wasn’t the same as the Torah we have today, because we weren’t the same. Some things had already happened, like the creation of the world, the flood, and Hashem’s relationship with Abraham and Isaac. And some aspect of it is surely fixed and always was. Other parts, like Mount Sinai, and the sin of the Golden Calf, and the people of Moav hiring Balaam, were yet to be, and were still up to people’s free choice. The Torah continued to develop and reflect our relationship with him until it reached its final form by the death of Moshe Rabbeinu.
Best wishes,
Michoel Reach
Thursday, February 08, 2007
YITRO FATHER KNOWS BEST
RABINO RAYMOND BEYDA
The Ten Commandments are the basis for our religious belief system. Imbedded in this brief portion of the Torah are the directives that require one to believe in Hashem, keep the Shabbat and honor our parents.
There are also restrictions on the behavior of humans forbidding one to steal or kill. The last one is the command “Do not covet” that which belongs to another. The great Sefardic poet and sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, zt’l, wrote that many people are confused and don’t comprehend how it is possible for a person to be told that it is a sin to want. One can comply when told not to steal or kill but how can one be told not to desire something beautiful that one sees?
There once was a burly peasant who visited the capital city. There he had the unique opportunity to view the beautiful daughter of the king.
Although the princess was of marriageable age, the peasant did not even fantasize about a life together with her as man and wife. He knew that she was from a different world than the one he lived in. The social barriers – financial discrepancies and learned tastes and manners were so differentthat he saw her as an angel and himself as a horse. Everyone, he thought to himself, knows that an angel does not marry a horse. The bottom line was he could look and he could appreciate her beauty and desirability without wanting her for himself. She just didn’t belong to him.
I have two friends who love to smoke cigarettes. They probably consume two packs a day apiece. When Shabbat is about to end their craving builds to a crescendo of desire and with the last blessing of Havdallah they light up and smile. Strangely enough, until a few moments before Shabbat ends they don’t need that cigarette at all. On Shabbat they don’t even think about smoking. No – not even with their coffee or after their meal. I was curious enough to ask: “How come you smoke so much during the week but don’t even think about cigarettes on Shabbat?”
“Oh, that’s easy they both jumped in to answer. On Shabbat I know I can’t have one so I don’t want one. During the week, when I know I am permitted to have one I can’t wait to light another.”
The Torah expects us to understand that G-d does not ask of the human being what is impossible to do. Hashem only asks us to do the possible. Therefore, to not desire that which belongs to another is a real possibility. One simply has to train one self to accept that Hashem distributes everything in this World to the one that needs it for his or her service to G-d. The command to avoid jealousy is a command that requires that one believe that Hashem does not err, h’v, and knows clearly how to give out money, possessions, talents, wives, children and all else that a person may need or want. Once one sees that someone else has something one should immediately conclude that that item was given to that other person by G-d. That possession is best suited for the other and not for him. Hashem knows best, therefore, I should not even desire that which was given to another.
Do not covet is not impossible it is just a matter of accepting the All Knowing King as a perfect distributor and supplier of all that everyone needs. Farther knows best.
Shabbat Shalom
The Ten Commandments are the basis for our religious belief system. Imbedded in this brief portion of the Torah are the directives that require one to believe in Hashem, keep the Shabbat and honor our parents.
There are also restrictions on the behavior of humans forbidding one to steal or kill. The last one is the command “Do not covet” that which belongs to another. The great Sefardic poet and sage Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, zt’l, wrote that many people are confused and don’t comprehend how it is possible for a person to be told that it is a sin to want. One can comply when told not to steal or kill but how can one be told not to desire something beautiful that one sees?
There once was a burly peasant who visited the capital city. There he had the unique opportunity to view the beautiful daughter of the king.
Although the princess was of marriageable age, the peasant did not even fantasize about a life together with her as man and wife. He knew that she was from a different world than the one he lived in. The social barriers – financial discrepancies and learned tastes and manners were so differentthat he saw her as an angel and himself as a horse. Everyone, he thought to himself, knows that an angel does not marry a horse. The bottom line was he could look and he could appreciate her beauty and desirability without wanting her for himself. She just didn’t belong to him.
I have two friends who love to smoke cigarettes. They probably consume two packs a day apiece. When Shabbat is about to end their craving builds to a crescendo of desire and with the last blessing of Havdallah they light up and smile. Strangely enough, until a few moments before Shabbat ends they don’t need that cigarette at all. On Shabbat they don’t even think about smoking. No – not even with their coffee or after their meal. I was curious enough to ask: “How come you smoke so much during the week but don’t even think about cigarettes on Shabbat?”
“Oh, that’s easy they both jumped in to answer. On Shabbat I know I can’t have one so I don’t want one. During the week, when I know I am permitted to have one I can’t wait to light another.”
The Torah expects us to understand that G-d does not ask of the human being what is impossible to do. Hashem only asks us to do the possible. Therefore, to not desire that which belongs to another is a real possibility. One simply has to train one self to accept that Hashem distributes everything in this World to the one that needs it for his or her service to G-d. The command to avoid jealousy is a command that requires that one believe that Hashem does not err, h’v, and knows clearly how to give out money, possessions, talents, wives, children and all else that a person may need or want. Once one sees that someone else has something one should immediately conclude that that item was given to that other person by G-d. That possession is best suited for the other and not for him. Hashem knows best, therefore, I should not even desire that which was given to another.
Do not covet is not impossible it is just a matter of accepting the All Knowing King as a perfect distributor and supplier of all that everyone needs. Farther knows best.
Shabbat Shalom
Tubishvat
B"H
Shalom javerim:
de Leah Bisquert
Este Shabbat es especialmente festivo, como sabéis, ya que coincide con la celebración del Año nuevo de los árboles y fiesta de la naturaleza.
Tu Bishvat es un buen momento para reflexionar y agradecer tanto como nos da el Buen Dió a través de su perfecta Creación, y sobre nuestra responsabilidad como cuidadores de ella...
Con cariño os comparto esta corta secuencia preciosa:
http://www.eyarok. org.il/tubishvat .html
Shabbat Shalom !
Leah
Shalom javerim:
de Leah Bisquert
Este Shabbat es especialmente festivo, como sabéis, ya que coincide con la celebración del Año nuevo de los árboles y fiesta de la naturaleza.
Tu Bishvat es un buen momento para reflexionar y agradecer tanto como nos da el Buen Dió a través de su perfecta Creación, y sobre nuestra responsabilidad como cuidadores de ella...
Con cariño os comparto esta corta secuencia preciosa:
http://www.eyarok. org.il/tubishvat .html
Shabbat Shalom !
Leah
Nazir 6:10-11
Hamaayan / The Torah Spring
Edited by Shlomo Katz
Yitro
Volume 21, No. 17
22 Shevat 5767
February 10, 2007
Sponsored by
David Dahan on the yahrzeit of his father Yeiche ben Friha a"h (25 Shevat)
Today's Learning: Nazir 6:10-11
Daf Yomi (Bavli): Megillah 3 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Eruvin 8 We read in this week's parashah (Shmot 20:12), "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened upon the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you." This implies, writes R' Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin z"l (1817-1893; rabbi and rosh yeshiva in Volozhin, Russia; known as the Netziv), that long life as a reward for honouring parents is given only in Eretz Yisrael. Can this be true? There is another mitzvah for which the reward is long life -- shiluach ha'kain / sending away a mother bird before taking her offspring. Regarding that mitzvah, the Torah says (Devarim 22:7), "It will be good for you and will prolong your days." Shiluach ha'kain is a far easier mitzvahthan honoring parents, and the reward for that mitzvah is not limited to those living in Eretz Yisrael! In fact, Netziv explains, those who honor their parents are rewarded in the diaspora no differently than in Eretz Yisrael. The reference in our verse to "the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you" is teaching a different lesson. R' Moshe ben Nachman z"l (Ramban; 1194-1270) writes that although there is a special category of mitzvoth that apply only in Eretz Yisrael, primarily agricultural mitzvot, all mitzvot have a different spiritual quality when performed in the HolyLand. Our verse, writes Netziv, is teaching that this is true as well of the mitzvah of honoring one's parents. We might have thought that Ramban's principle applies only to mitzvot bain adam la'Makom / man's obligations to G-d, but not to mitzvot bain adam la'chavero / man's obligations to other people, such as one's parents. Therefore, our verse teaches that even the latter type of mitzvah is more special if performed in Eretz Yisrael. (Ha'emek Davar)
********
"Yisrael encamped there, opposite the mountain." (19:2) Rashi z"l comments on the fact that the word "encamped" is in the singular form: "As one man with one heart; but all their otherencampments were made in a murmuring spirit and in a spirit of dissension." According to some authorities, one is obligated to recall the events at Har Sinai on a daily basis by reciting these verses from Devarim (4:9-10):
Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things that your eyes have beheld and lest you remove them from your heart all the days of your life, and make them known to your children and your children's children -- the day that you stood before Hashem, your G-d, at Horev, when Hashem said to me, "Gather the people to Me and I shall let them hear
My words, so that they shall learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and they shall teach their children."
R' Chaim Yosef David Azulai z"l (Chida; 1724-1806) composed the following prayer -- based in large part on the quoted verse from our parashah and on Rashi's comment -- to be recited after reading the above verses:
May it be Your will, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our fathers, that You be filled with mercy toward us, and that You implant within us and all of Yisrael love, brotherhood, peace and friendship that we may be as one -- just as there was peace between us at Har Sinai, as it is written: "Yisrael encamped there, opposite the mountain" -- as one man in perfect unity. Likewise, in Your great mercy, may You cause us to merit to remove from among us hatred, jealousy and competition, so that we may love each other, and may You make peace between us. Also, just as at Har Sinai the zuhamah / the specific impurity that resulted from the sin of Adam and Chava ceased, and You refined us and purified us from all forms of impurity, sickness and zuhamah, and sanctified us inYour holiness, likewise, in Your great mercy, purify us from our impurity and zuhamah, sanctify us through Your mitzvot, and purify our thoughts and hearts to serve and fear You.
Plant Your Torah in our hearts, and may fear of You be before us so that we do not sin. Awaken our hearts to Your Torah, and may we view every day as if we are then receiving the Torah with attachment, longing and desire. Enlighten our eyes to Your Torah and cause our hearts to cling to Your mitzvot; make our hearts single-minded to love and fear Your great, powerful and awesome Name, and redeem us for the sake of Your mercy. Cause us to merit to receive and hear the Torah from Your mouth, as it is written (Yeshayah 54:13), "And all your children will be students of Hashem, and Your children will have peace -- soon in our days. Amen.
May this be Your will.
********
From the Haftarah
. . . "There will be asiriyah in it, then it shall regress and be destroyed . . ."
(Yeshayahu 6:13)
Numerous explanations have been offered as to the pshat / plain meaning of this verse. For example, Rashi z"l writes that Hashem will cleanse the Jewish People until only the most righteous -- one in eser / ten -- will remain. The commentary Metzudat David writes that it is a prophecy that ten more kings would rule over Yehuda before the Bet Hamikdash would be destroyed. R' Yosef Chaim z"l (rabbi of Baghdad; died 1909) offers thefollowing homiletical explanation:
The word "asiriyah" may be read "ashiriyah," a reference to a person's spiritual wealth. (An "ashir" is a wealthy person.) This verse is a warning that even the person who is spiritually wealthy is at risk of regressing spiritually and being destroyed.
How so? R' Yosef Chaim explains: Imagine a person who awakens early, goes to shul to learn Zohar [Ed. note: or Daf Yomi, or any other Torah subject], prays with intense concentration, recites Tehilim, and then studies Torah again before going home for breakfast.What will the yezter hara do to entrap such a person, who seems so spiritually strong? It will cause him to enter his house and find something about which to lose his temper. Or, the yetzer hara willcause this person to go to work and cheat, lie or steal. When this happens, writes R' Yosef Chaim, the person has not merely accumulated bad deeds alongside his good deeds. Such a person is considered to be a servant of the yetzer hara and his good deeds are considered a form of idol worship. Can any person withstand such a challenge? What can a person do to avoid the loss of his good deeds when he is confronted by anger or by financial temptation, as every person is at one time or another?The answer, writes R' Yosef Chaim, is that Hashem, in His great kindness, has given us the gift of repentance. Immediately upon stumbling, a person must repent. When a person does sincere teshuvah, all of the spiritual accomplishments that he forfeited through his anger or other grave sin are returned to him.
(Birkat Chaim)
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Forgotten Holy Days
Introduction: One of the earliest written halachic works - long before the Mishnah was set down in writing – was Megillat Ta'anit / The Scroll of Fasts. Notwithstanding its name, Megillat Ta'anit is not a list of fast days, but of days on which fasting and/ or eulogizing were prohibited because of miracles that occurred to our ancestors. The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 18 & 19) discusses whether these prohibitions remain in effect today, and concludes that, for the most part, they do not. As a result, most of the holy days mentioned in Megillat Ta'anit have long since been forgotten. The anniversary of one holy day described in Megillat Ta'anit is today. We read: On the 22nd [of Shevat] the enemy's plan to place an idol in the Temple was foiled; therefore, eulogies are prohibited.
There was a day when Gascalcus [Rashi: a Greek king] sent idols to place in the Temple. When the word arrived in Yerushalayim, it was Erev Sukkot. Shimon Ha'tzaddik [the Kohen Gadol] told the people, "Go celebrate the holiday joyously, for none of the things you have heard will come to pass. The One who has rested His Shechinah in this house - just as He did miracles for our ancestors in every generation, so He will do miracles for us in this time." Immediately, a voice was heard emanating from the Holy of Holies [in the Temple], saying, "The enemy's plan to place an idol in the Temple has been foiled. Gascalcus has been killed and his decrees annulled." [Hearing this,]the people took note and wrote down the time.
When he [Shimon Ha'tzaddik?] saw that the enemies were approaching, he told the people, "Go out and meet them." [His intention was to show Gascalcus' messengers honor in every town they passed through, thus slowing down their advance until they would hear that their king had died. (Eishel Avraham)] When this became known to the other leaders of Israel, they objected: "Let us all die rather than do this [i.e., show honor to idol worshipers]." Instead, they cried and pleaded before the [king's] messenger [hoping to persuade him that they felt unbearably oppressed]. He replied, "Rather than crying to a messenger, cry to your G-d to save you."
When the messenger approached the cities, he saw people coming toward him from each city, and he wondered, "How many of them are there?" Certain traitors told him, "These are the Jews who have come from each city [to support you (Eishel Avraham)]." However, when he entered each city, he saw people sitting in the marketplaces wearing sackcloth and ashes.
Even before he reached Antipras [Alexandria, Egypt (Peirush Mahari Halevi)], he received a letter informing him that Gascalcus had died and his decrees had been annulled. Immediately, they [the Jews?] took the idols and dragged them through the streets, and that day [the 22nd of Shevat] was made a yom tov.
Edited by Shlomo Katz
Yitro
Volume 21, No. 17
22 Shevat 5767
February 10, 2007
Sponsored by
David Dahan on the yahrzeit of his father Yeiche ben Friha a"h (25 Shevat)
Today's Learning: Nazir 6:10-11
Daf Yomi (Bavli): Megillah 3 Daf Yomi (Yerushalmi): Eruvin 8 We read in this week's parashah (Shmot 20:12), "Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will be lengthened upon the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you." This implies, writes R' Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin z"l (1817-1893; rabbi and rosh yeshiva in Volozhin, Russia; known as the Netziv), that long life as a reward for honouring parents is given only in Eretz Yisrael. Can this be true? There is another mitzvah for which the reward is long life -- shiluach ha'kain / sending away a mother bird before taking her offspring. Regarding that mitzvah, the Torah says (Devarim 22:7), "It will be good for you and will prolong your days." Shiluach ha'kain is a far easier mitzvahthan honoring parents, and the reward for that mitzvah is not limited to those living in Eretz Yisrael! In fact, Netziv explains, those who honor their parents are rewarded in the diaspora no differently than in Eretz Yisrael. The reference in our verse to "the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you" is teaching a different lesson. R' Moshe ben Nachman z"l (Ramban; 1194-1270) writes that although there is a special category of mitzvoth that apply only in Eretz Yisrael, primarily agricultural mitzvot, all mitzvot have a different spiritual quality when performed in the HolyLand. Our verse, writes Netziv, is teaching that this is true as well of the mitzvah of honoring one's parents. We might have thought that Ramban's principle applies only to mitzvot bain adam la'Makom / man's obligations to G-d, but not to mitzvot bain adam la'chavero / man's obligations to other people, such as one's parents. Therefore, our verse teaches that even the latter type of mitzvah is more special if performed in Eretz Yisrael. (Ha'emek Davar)
********
"Yisrael encamped there, opposite the mountain." (19:2) Rashi z"l comments on the fact that the word "encamped" is in the singular form: "As one man with one heart; but all their otherencampments were made in a murmuring spirit and in a spirit of dissension." According to some authorities, one is obligated to recall the events at Har Sinai on a daily basis by reciting these verses from Devarim (4:9-10):
Only beware for yourself and greatly beware for your soul, lest you forget the things that your eyes have beheld and lest you remove them from your heart all the days of your life, and make them known to your children and your children's children -- the day that you stood before Hashem, your G-d, at Horev, when Hashem said to me, "Gather the people to Me and I shall let them hear
My words, so that they shall learn to fear Me all the days that they live on the earth, and they shall teach their children."
R' Chaim Yosef David Azulai z"l (Chida; 1724-1806) composed the following prayer -- based in large part on the quoted verse from our parashah and on Rashi's comment -- to be recited after reading the above verses:
May it be Your will, Hashem, our G-d and the G-d of our fathers, that You be filled with mercy toward us, and that You implant within us and all of Yisrael love, brotherhood, peace and friendship that we may be as one -- just as there was peace between us at Har Sinai, as it is written: "Yisrael encamped there, opposite the mountain" -- as one man in perfect unity. Likewise, in Your great mercy, may You cause us to merit to remove from among us hatred, jealousy and competition, so that we may love each other, and may You make peace between us. Also, just as at Har Sinai the zuhamah / the specific impurity that resulted from the sin of Adam and Chava ceased, and You refined us and purified us from all forms of impurity, sickness and zuhamah, and sanctified us inYour holiness, likewise, in Your great mercy, purify us from our impurity and zuhamah, sanctify us through Your mitzvot, and purify our thoughts and hearts to serve and fear You.
Plant Your Torah in our hearts, and may fear of You be before us so that we do not sin. Awaken our hearts to Your Torah, and may we view every day as if we are then receiving the Torah with attachment, longing and desire. Enlighten our eyes to Your Torah and cause our hearts to cling to Your mitzvot; make our hearts single-minded to love and fear Your great, powerful and awesome Name, and redeem us for the sake of Your mercy. Cause us to merit to receive and hear the Torah from Your mouth, as it is written (Yeshayah 54:13), "And all your children will be students of Hashem, and Your children will have peace -- soon in our days. Amen.
May this be Your will.
********
From the Haftarah
. . . "There will be asiriyah in it, then it shall regress and be destroyed . . ."
(Yeshayahu 6:13)
Numerous explanations have been offered as to the pshat / plain meaning of this verse. For example, Rashi z"l writes that Hashem will cleanse the Jewish People until only the most righteous -- one in eser / ten -- will remain. The commentary Metzudat David writes that it is a prophecy that ten more kings would rule over Yehuda before the Bet Hamikdash would be destroyed. R' Yosef Chaim z"l (rabbi of Baghdad; died 1909) offers thefollowing homiletical explanation:
The word "asiriyah" may be read "ashiriyah," a reference to a person's spiritual wealth. (An "ashir" is a wealthy person.) This verse is a warning that even the person who is spiritually wealthy is at risk of regressing spiritually and being destroyed.
How so? R' Yosef Chaim explains: Imagine a person who awakens early, goes to shul to learn Zohar [Ed. note: or Daf Yomi, or any other Torah subject], prays with intense concentration, recites Tehilim, and then studies Torah again before going home for breakfast.What will the yezter hara do to entrap such a person, who seems so spiritually strong? It will cause him to enter his house and find something about which to lose his temper. Or, the yetzer hara willcause this person to go to work and cheat, lie or steal. When this happens, writes R' Yosef Chaim, the person has not merely accumulated bad deeds alongside his good deeds. Such a person is considered to be a servant of the yetzer hara and his good deeds are considered a form of idol worship. Can any person withstand such a challenge? What can a person do to avoid the loss of his good deeds when he is confronted by anger or by financial temptation, as every person is at one time or another?The answer, writes R' Yosef Chaim, is that Hashem, in His great kindness, has given us the gift of repentance. Immediately upon stumbling, a person must repent. When a person does sincere teshuvah, all of the spiritual accomplishments that he forfeited through his anger or other grave sin are returned to him.
(Birkat Chaim)
********
Forgotten Holy Days
Introduction: One of the earliest written halachic works - long before the Mishnah was set down in writing – was Megillat Ta'anit / The Scroll of Fasts. Notwithstanding its name, Megillat Ta'anit is not a list of fast days, but of days on which fasting and/ or eulogizing were prohibited because of miracles that occurred to our ancestors. The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 18 & 19) discusses whether these prohibitions remain in effect today, and concludes that, for the most part, they do not. As a result, most of the holy days mentioned in Megillat Ta'anit have long since been forgotten. The anniversary of one holy day described in Megillat Ta'anit is today. We read: On the 22nd [of Shevat] the enemy's plan to place an idol in the Temple was foiled; therefore, eulogies are prohibited.
There was a day when Gascalcus [Rashi: a Greek king] sent idols to place in the Temple. When the word arrived in Yerushalayim, it was Erev Sukkot. Shimon Ha'tzaddik [the Kohen Gadol] told the people, "Go celebrate the holiday joyously, for none of the things you have heard will come to pass. The One who has rested His Shechinah in this house - just as He did miracles for our ancestors in every generation, so He will do miracles for us in this time." Immediately, a voice was heard emanating from the Holy of Holies [in the Temple], saying, "The enemy's plan to place an idol in the Temple has been foiled. Gascalcus has been killed and his decrees annulled." [Hearing this,]the people took note and wrote down the time.
When he [Shimon Ha'tzaddik?] saw that the enemies were approaching, he told the people, "Go out and meet them." [His intention was to show Gascalcus' messengers honor in every town they passed through, thus slowing down their advance until they would hear that their king had died. (Eishel Avraham)] When this became known to the other leaders of Israel, they objected: "Let us all die rather than do this [i.e., show honor to idol worshipers]." Instead, they cried and pleaded before the [king's] messenger [hoping to persuade him that they felt unbearably oppressed]. He replied, "Rather than crying to a messenger, cry to your G-d to save you."
When the messenger approached the cities, he saw people coming toward him from each city, and he wondered, "How many of them are there?" Certain traitors told him, "These are the Jews who have come from each city [to support you (Eishel Avraham)]." However, when he entered each city, he saw people sitting in the marketplaces wearing sackcloth and ashes.
Even before he reached Antipras [Alexandria, Egypt (Peirush Mahari Halevi)], he received a letter informing him that Gascalcus had died and his decrees had been annulled. Immediately, they [the Jews?] took the idols and dragged them through the streets, and that day [the 22nd of Shevat] was made a yom tov.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Truth And Justice
Rabino Daniel Travis
Avraham answered, “I realized that the one thing that is missing here isthe fear of Elokim. Therefore I could have been killed on account of my wife.” (Bereshith 20:11) Although the Hebrew word Elokim in general is a reference to God, in this case it also refers to the magistrate (1).
Avraham expressed his fear that since the people who lived in Gerar had no fear of their ruling authorities, they were so lacking in discipline that they would have killed him in order to take his wife. (They were not altogether corrupt, for although they would have killed a man to fulfill their desires, they would not have gone so far as to molest a married woman.)
Many people who are basically honest are not careful regarding the violation of “minor” government-imposed laws. Our Sages, however, tell us that government regulations have the same status as other parts of Jewish law, and this is accepted as the halachah (2). Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky, for example, was very careful never to violate any law. He would never cross the street when the light was red, even if there were no cars in sight.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations in which it is difficult for usto tell “the whole truth” to government officials. Even under such circumstances, someone who has mastered the trait of integrity can muster the inner strength to avoid justifying lying. One such incident occurred when Rav Noigershel, one of the great living teachers of Jewish ethics, caring for his father in the hospital, had not slept at all. As they were entering Jerusalem, the driver fell asleep at the wheel and the carskidded off the road down the side of a cliff. Miraculously, neither Rav Noigershel nor his driver was harmed. Moments after the accident police were on the scene. Rav Noigershel advised his driver to tell the police the true story of what had happened and why, for, he explained, after having experienced such a miracle, he owed it to God to tell the truth. By telling the police that he had fallen asleep at the wheel, the driver was risking suspension of his driver’s license and the loss of his insurance benefits, but he chose to follow Rav Noigershel’s advice. Significantly, he suffered no major negative consequences as a result of his having spoken the truth (3).
Footnotes:1. Seforno on Bereshith 20:11.2. Nedarim 28a; Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 369:2,7,8,9; Rambam, Lawsof Theft (gezeila) 5:11-18.3.
Heard from Rav Avraham Krohn.
Postagem Andre Moshè Pereira
Avraham answered, “I realized that the one thing that is missing here isthe fear of Elokim. Therefore I could have been killed on account of my wife.” (Bereshith 20:11) Although the Hebrew word Elokim in general is a reference to God, in this case it also refers to the magistrate (1).
Avraham expressed his fear that since the people who lived in Gerar had no fear of their ruling authorities, they were so lacking in discipline that they would have killed him in order to take his wife. (They were not altogether corrupt, for although they would have killed a man to fulfill their desires, they would not have gone so far as to molest a married woman.)
Many people who are basically honest are not careful regarding the violation of “minor” government-imposed laws. Our Sages, however, tell us that government regulations have the same status as other parts of Jewish law, and this is accepted as the halachah (2). Rav Yaakov Kaminetsky, for example, was very careful never to violate any law. He would never cross the street when the light was red, even if there were no cars in sight.
Sometimes we find ourselves in situations in which it is difficult for usto tell “the whole truth” to government officials. Even under such circumstances, someone who has mastered the trait of integrity can muster the inner strength to avoid justifying lying. One such incident occurred when Rav Noigershel, one of the great living teachers of Jewish ethics, caring for his father in the hospital, had not slept at all. As they were entering Jerusalem, the driver fell asleep at the wheel and the carskidded off the road down the side of a cliff. Miraculously, neither Rav Noigershel nor his driver was harmed. Moments after the accident police were on the scene. Rav Noigershel advised his driver to tell the police the true story of what had happened and why, for, he explained, after having experienced such a miracle, he owed it to God to tell the truth. By telling the police that he had fallen asleep at the wheel, the driver was risking suspension of his driver’s license and the loss of his insurance benefits, but he chose to follow Rav Noigershel’s advice. Significantly, he suffered no major negative consequences as a result of his having spoken the truth (3).
Footnotes:1. Seforno on Bereshith 20:11.2. Nedarim 28a; Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 369:2,7,8,9; Rambam, Lawsof Theft (gezeila) 5:11-18.3.
Heard from Rav Avraham Krohn.
Postagem Andre Moshè Pereira
"Eight Chapters"
Chapter Six (Part 4)
Rabino Yaakov Feldman
There's a single hidden, deep, very private element in our being that enables each one of us to choose between doing good or wrongful things: our free will. We'd discussed it before and we'll come to it again furtheron in other contexts, but it's important to understand it in the followingone. As Rambam puts it, "In truth, everyone is capable of being as righteous as Moses or as wicked as Jereboam". That is, we have it within us to be as great or as lowly as we ourselves choose to be, thanks to ourfree will.
Indeed, "no one forces, decrees, or draws a person in either direction. He alone, of his own volition consciously inclines himself in the direction he so chooses". And as such, "it follows that a sinner alone brings harm upon himself", no one else. The point is that since we're answerable to noone else's proddings if we sin and do harm, we'd need to take self in hand.
Just realize how great repenting is, though. For, "the very person who,just yesterday, was completely separated from the G-d of Israel" because he'd turned his back on Him defiantly, "who would cry out and go unheeded ... who would do mitzvot, and have them rent from his hands"because of his bad choices, who'd then turn around and change his way "is now attached to G-d" instead. Indeed, "his cries are answered immediately" instead, "and (all of) his mitzvot are received easily and happily ... and are even yearned for!" because he'd repented.
That being so, we should find out just how to regain our spiritual standing and repent. But not so fast. Because there are quite a number ofthings we'd have to tend to before we could even start to repent. For as Rambam tells it, "There are twenty-four things that (are likely to) thwart repentance"; and as any sensitive soul knows, most of us tend to lapse into some of them all the time. So let's see what they come to.
Among several others, what holds us back from repenting includes being inthe habit of (in Rambam's words) "causing many to sin, inclining someone away from the path of goodness onto the path of wrong doing", "isolating yourself from the community, arguing against the words of the sages, mocking the mitzvot (or) one's teachers, hating criticism", "cursing the multitude", "using another's personal failings to one's own advantage, casting aspersions upon people with good reputations", as well as "tale bearing, slandering, being hot tempered, arousing evil thoughts, and associating with wicked people".
Not only is that true, but we're to always bear in mind that we're not torepent "for concrete transgressions, like promiscuity, robbery, or theft,alone." For "just as a person has to repent for those sorts of sins,"traits like "anger, hostility, envy, sarcasm, the pursuit of wealth or glory, the pursuit of food, etc." So there's clearly a lot to do.
But let's turn next to the ultimate reward due those who thus draw closeto G-d indeed, and the actual process of repenting Rambam says emphatically, we also have to repent for unbecoming personal traits like "anger, hostility, envy, sarcasm, the pursuit of wealth or glory, the pursuit of food, etc." So there's clearly a lot to do. But let's turn next to the ultimate reward due those who thus draw closeto G-d indeed, and the actual process of repenting. Not only is that true, but we're to always bear in mind that we're not to repent "for concrete transgressions, like promiscuity, robbery, or theft, alone".
Postagem: Andre Moshè Pereira
Rabino Yaakov Feldman
There's a single hidden, deep, very private element in our being that enables each one of us to choose between doing good or wrongful things: our free will. We'd discussed it before and we'll come to it again furtheron in other contexts, but it's important to understand it in the followingone. As Rambam puts it, "In truth, everyone is capable of being as righteous as Moses or as wicked as Jereboam". That is, we have it within us to be as great or as lowly as we ourselves choose to be, thanks to ourfree will.
Indeed, "no one forces, decrees, or draws a person in either direction. He alone, of his own volition consciously inclines himself in the direction he so chooses". And as such, "it follows that a sinner alone brings harm upon himself", no one else. The point is that since we're answerable to noone else's proddings if we sin and do harm, we'd need to take self in hand.
Just realize how great repenting is, though. For, "the very person who,just yesterday, was completely separated from the G-d of Israel" because he'd turned his back on Him defiantly, "who would cry out and go unheeded ... who would do mitzvot, and have them rent from his hands"because of his bad choices, who'd then turn around and change his way "is now attached to G-d" instead. Indeed, "his cries are answered immediately" instead, "and (all of) his mitzvot are received easily and happily ... and are even yearned for!" because he'd repented.
That being so, we should find out just how to regain our spiritual standing and repent. But not so fast. Because there are quite a number ofthings we'd have to tend to before we could even start to repent. For as Rambam tells it, "There are twenty-four things that (are likely to) thwart repentance"; and as any sensitive soul knows, most of us tend to lapse into some of them all the time. So let's see what they come to.
Among several others, what holds us back from repenting includes being inthe habit of (in Rambam's words) "causing many to sin, inclining someone away from the path of goodness onto the path of wrong doing", "isolating yourself from the community, arguing against the words of the sages, mocking the mitzvot (or) one's teachers, hating criticism", "cursing the multitude", "using another's personal failings to one's own advantage, casting aspersions upon people with good reputations", as well as "tale bearing, slandering, being hot tempered, arousing evil thoughts, and associating with wicked people".
Not only is that true, but we're to always bear in mind that we're not torepent "for concrete transgressions, like promiscuity, robbery, or theft,alone." For "just as a person has to repent for those sorts of sins,"traits like "anger, hostility, envy, sarcasm, the pursuit of wealth or glory, the pursuit of food, etc." So there's clearly a lot to do.
But let's turn next to the ultimate reward due those who thus draw closeto G-d indeed, and the actual process of repenting Rambam says emphatically, we also have to repent for unbecoming personal traits like "anger, hostility, envy, sarcasm, the pursuit of wealth or glory, the pursuit of food, etc." So there's clearly a lot to do. But let's turn next to the ultimate reward due those who thus draw closeto G-d indeed, and the actual process of repenting. Not only is that true, but we're to always bear in mind that we're not to repent "for concrete transgressions, like promiscuity, robbery, or theft, alone".
Postagem: Andre Moshè Pereira
Anti-Semitism: USA
Press Release
Annual ADL Audit: Anti-Semitic Incidents Decline in 2005 but Levels Still Of Concern In U.S. New York, NY, April 5, 2006 … Despite a slight decline, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States remained at disturbing levels in 2005, according to newly issued statistics from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The League's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, issued today, reported a total of 1,757 anti-Semitic incidents in 2005, a 3 percent decline from 2004."While any decline is encouraging, we remain concerned because too many people continue to act out their anti-Jewish hatred," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We have always said that America is different, that the Jewish communities here are fortunate to be largely immune from the kind of anti-Semitic violence experienced by some European Jewish communities. The numbers remain sobering because we know from painful experience that it only takes one incident of anti-Semitism to affect an entire community."The number of anti-Jewish incidents spiked in 2004 at 1,821 – a nine-year high, according to ADL
Several trends continued to serve as a driving force behind the numbers in 2005. These included: Public activity by organized neo-Nazi and other hate groups; anti-Jewish harassment and intimidation in the schools; and anti-Semitic activity on the college campus.
The 2005 ADL Audit comprises data from 42 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's 30 regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders. The Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate literature, threats and slurs.Among the most serious incidents reported in 2005:
An ambulance operated by Hatzolah, a Jewish volunteer emergency service squad in Queens, NY, was defaced with swastikas, a Hitler reference and "death to Jews" (March)
A total of 64 headstones were toppled in two rural New Jersey Jewish cemeteries (June).
Local teenagers vandalized and defecated in the synagogue of a rural New York resort bungalow colony, spray-painted religious books and pictures, drew swastikas on a table and elsewhere on the grounds, and set fire to a curtain over the Torah ark (August).
In Swampscott, MA, three days before the start of the High Holidays, vandals defaced the inside of a synagogue with anti-Semitic graffiti (October).
A school bus parked on a Phoenix, AZ synagogue's property was spray-painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic obscenities, including "F--- the Jews" (December).
During the December holiday season, ADL confirmed nine separate incidents of vandalism involving public Hanukkah displays, including large menorahs in Philadelphia, PA; Holbrook, NY; New Windsor, NY; Santa Fe, NM; Orange County, CA; and Haverhill, MA that were damaged or defaced.
The Findings for 2005Anti-Semitic incidents included in the Audit comprise physical and verbal assaults, harassment, property defacement, vandalism or other expressions of anti-Jewish sentiment. For reporting purposes, the ADL Audit divides anti-Semitic incidents into two categories: Vandalism, such as property damage, cemetery desecration or anti-Semitic graffiti; and Harassment, including threats and assaults directed at individuals and institutions.Continuing a longstanding trend, states with the most total incidents included New York (381, up from 350 in 2004); New Jersey (266, down from 297); California (247, up from 237); Florida (199, up from 173); Massachusetts (93, down from 128) and Connecticut (57, down from 81).
Vandalism: Acts of vandalism decreased by four percent to 617 incidents, compared to the 644 reported in 2004 (and also below the 628 reported in 2003). Examples of these incidents range from synagogue vandalism to swastikas and other anti-Jewish graffiti painted at schools, on private homes and public buildings.
Harassment: Incidents of harassment decreased by 3 percent in 2005, with 1,140 incidents reported, compared with the 1,177 reported in 2004. As in 2004, harassment accounted for 65 percent of the total incidents reported in 2005. Examples of harassment incidents included:
The neo-Nazi National Alliance distributed anti-Semitic and racist fliers in six communities in the Sacramento, CA area on the same night (February).
Message left on an Edison, NJ synagogue answering machine stated, "Dirty f---ing kikes, you will all go down in flames" (March).
The lettering on a sign board outside a Jewish community center in Dunwoody, GA was rearranged on two different occasions to read, in part, "Hitler is god," and "Adolf is a Jew god" (May and June).
Proprietors of a Fair Lawn, NJ Jewish funeral home received a violently anti-Semitic phone call, including the statement, "I want to cremate all Jews" (October).
The principal of a local Illinois school told the parent of a student that the Star of David worn by the parent was a sign of devil worship. When told that it was a Jewish symbol, the principal replied, "If you are a Jew, you should have been gassed with the rest of them" (October).
Anti-Jewish Expressions in the SchoolsAnother factor that again played a role in both harassment and vandalism incidents was a high number of anti-Semitic acts reported at middle and high schools. In the eight states with the highest overall totals of anti-Semitic acts in 2005, 13 percent of all incidents were school based – the same level reported in 2004. These incidents took the form of swastikas painted or written on desks, walls and other school property, as well as anti-Jewish name-calling, slurs, mockery and bullying.Some examples include:
Swastikas and "kill the Jews" found painted on a Redding, CT high school wall (January).
Students at a Northridge, CA grade school were heard making loud comments including, "Hitler was right," and "Burn the Jews" (March).
Swastikas carved into classroom doors and other materials at a high school in Ardmore, PA (March).
Obscenities including, "F--- the Jews" and swastikas scratched into playground equipment used by children on grounds of grade school in Hazlet Township, NJ (April).
Note left for Staten Island, NY 8th grade teacher read, "Burn in hell, Jew bastard! Hitler Rocks." Swastikas also drawn on desks in classroom (April).
At a Phoenix, AZ elementary school, a Jewish teacher's property was defaced with swastikas and a death threat (August).
A teacher at a Los-Angeles area high school returned from the Yom Kippur holiday to find the windows of his classroom painted with swastikas (October).
Harassment by Hate GroupsIn the eight states with the highest number of harassment reports, 112 of 871 incidents of harassment – 13 percent – were related to extremist group activity. Due to concerted activity by the neo-Nazi National Alliance early in the year in Montana, that rural state reported an unusually high number of incidents in 2005 (17 harassment, 11 vandalism). (The ADL Audit classifies leafleting reported by numerous recipients within the same neighborhood on the same day as a single incident.)The continued high level of distribution of extremist fliers and other racist literature reflects ongoing "in-your-face" activity by various hate groups. At the same time, dissention and disarray in the ranks of the National Alliance led to a small decline in such leafleting as a percentage of all harassment incidents in 2005.The Internet continued to play a substantial role in the dissemination of anti-Semitism, with hate literature being transmitted through hundreds of sites on the Web and through bulletin boards, chat rooms, and e-mail messages. While innumerable Internet messages are not generally counted as incidents of hate in the ADL Audit, specific threats aimed at Jewish synagogues and institutions via e-mail were counted.
Anti-Semitism on CampusOn campuses across the country, 98 anti-Semitic incidents were reported in 2005, an increase of nearly one-third from the 74 incidents reported in 2004. Campus incidents peaked at 106 in 2002.Some examples include:
The Hunter College (NY) Palestinian Club posted a sign showing the Star of David morphing into a swastika, and reading: "History Repeats: Look What Hitler Taught Some of His Victims" (February).
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, swastikas were carved into a residence hall bulletin board (March).
Swastikas, "Jews" and other racist and extremist symbols carved into the freshly poured concrete at new construction on campus of Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey (April).
Posters advertising a Chicago Friends of Israel event placed in the campus library of the University of Chicago were defaced with swastikas (May).
Swastikas were found in a dormitory at the University of Oregon and an acidic substance was used to form swastikas on a table top in a campus café (October).
About the ADL AuditThe Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs. Compiled using official crime statistics, as well as information provided to ADL's 30 regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders, the Audit provides an annual snapshot of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
Annual ADL Audit: Anti-Semitic Incidents Decline in 2005 but Levels Still Of Concern In U.S. New York, NY, April 5, 2006 … Despite a slight decline, the number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States remained at disturbing levels in 2005, according to newly issued statistics from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The League's annual Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents, issued today, reported a total of 1,757 anti-Semitic incidents in 2005, a 3 percent decline from 2004."While any decline is encouraging, we remain concerned because too many people continue to act out their anti-Jewish hatred," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "We have always said that America is different, that the Jewish communities here are fortunate to be largely immune from the kind of anti-Semitic violence experienced by some European Jewish communities. The numbers remain sobering because we know from painful experience that it only takes one incident of anti-Semitism to affect an entire community."The number of anti-Jewish incidents spiked in 2004 at 1,821 – a nine-year high, according to ADL
Several trends continued to serve as a driving force behind the numbers in 2005. These included: Public activity by organized neo-Nazi and other hate groups; anti-Jewish harassment and intimidation in the schools; and anti-Semitic activity on the college campus.
The 2005 ADL Audit comprises data from 42 states and the District of Columbia, including official crime statistics as well as information provided to ADL's 30 regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders. The Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal incidents of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate literature, threats and slurs.Among the most serious incidents reported in 2005:
An ambulance operated by Hatzolah, a Jewish volunteer emergency service squad in Queens, NY, was defaced with swastikas, a Hitler reference and "death to Jews" (March)
A total of 64 headstones were toppled in two rural New Jersey Jewish cemeteries (June).
Local teenagers vandalized and defecated in the synagogue of a rural New York resort bungalow colony, spray-painted religious books and pictures, drew swastikas on a table and elsewhere on the grounds, and set fire to a curtain over the Torah ark (August).
In Swampscott, MA, three days before the start of the High Holidays, vandals defaced the inside of a synagogue with anti-Semitic graffiti (October).
A school bus parked on a Phoenix, AZ synagogue's property was spray-painted with swastikas and anti-Semitic obscenities, including "F--- the Jews" (December).
During the December holiday season, ADL confirmed nine separate incidents of vandalism involving public Hanukkah displays, including large menorahs in Philadelphia, PA; Holbrook, NY; New Windsor, NY; Santa Fe, NM; Orange County, CA; and Haverhill, MA that were damaged or defaced.
The Findings for 2005Anti-Semitic incidents included in the Audit comprise physical and verbal assaults, harassment, property defacement, vandalism or other expressions of anti-Jewish sentiment. For reporting purposes, the ADL Audit divides anti-Semitic incidents into two categories: Vandalism, such as property damage, cemetery desecration or anti-Semitic graffiti; and Harassment, including threats and assaults directed at individuals and institutions.Continuing a longstanding trend, states with the most total incidents included New York (381, up from 350 in 2004); New Jersey (266, down from 297); California (247, up from 237); Florida (199, up from 173); Massachusetts (93, down from 128) and Connecticut (57, down from 81).
Vandalism: Acts of vandalism decreased by four percent to 617 incidents, compared to the 644 reported in 2004 (and also below the 628 reported in 2003). Examples of these incidents range from synagogue vandalism to swastikas and other anti-Jewish graffiti painted at schools, on private homes and public buildings.
Harassment: Incidents of harassment decreased by 3 percent in 2005, with 1,140 incidents reported, compared with the 1,177 reported in 2004. As in 2004, harassment accounted for 65 percent of the total incidents reported in 2005. Examples of harassment incidents included:
The neo-Nazi National Alliance distributed anti-Semitic and racist fliers in six communities in the Sacramento, CA area on the same night (February).
Message left on an Edison, NJ synagogue answering machine stated, "Dirty f---ing kikes, you will all go down in flames" (March).
The lettering on a sign board outside a Jewish community center in Dunwoody, GA was rearranged on two different occasions to read, in part, "Hitler is god," and "Adolf is a Jew god" (May and June).
Proprietors of a Fair Lawn, NJ Jewish funeral home received a violently anti-Semitic phone call, including the statement, "I want to cremate all Jews" (October).
The principal of a local Illinois school told the parent of a student that the Star of David worn by the parent was a sign of devil worship. When told that it was a Jewish symbol, the principal replied, "If you are a Jew, you should have been gassed with the rest of them" (October).
Anti-Jewish Expressions in the SchoolsAnother factor that again played a role in both harassment and vandalism incidents was a high number of anti-Semitic acts reported at middle and high schools. In the eight states with the highest overall totals of anti-Semitic acts in 2005, 13 percent of all incidents were school based – the same level reported in 2004. These incidents took the form of swastikas painted or written on desks, walls and other school property, as well as anti-Jewish name-calling, slurs, mockery and bullying.Some examples include:
Swastikas and "kill the Jews" found painted on a Redding, CT high school wall (January).
Students at a Northridge, CA grade school were heard making loud comments including, "Hitler was right," and "Burn the Jews" (March).
Swastikas carved into classroom doors and other materials at a high school in Ardmore, PA (March).
Obscenities including, "F--- the Jews" and swastikas scratched into playground equipment used by children on grounds of grade school in Hazlet Township, NJ (April).
Note left for Staten Island, NY 8th grade teacher read, "Burn in hell, Jew bastard! Hitler Rocks." Swastikas also drawn on desks in classroom (April).
At a Phoenix, AZ elementary school, a Jewish teacher's property was defaced with swastikas and a death threat (August).
A teacher at a Los-Angeles area high school returned from the Yom Kippur holiday to find the windows of his classroom painted with swastikas (October).
Harassment by Hate GroupsIn the eight states with the highest number of harassment reports, 112 of 871 incidents of harassment – 13 percent – were related to extremist group activity. Due to concerted activity by the neo-Nazi National Alliance early in the year in Montana, that rural state reported an unusually high number of incidents in 2005 (17 harassment, 11 vandalism). (The ADL Audit classifies leafleting reported by numerous recipients within the same neighborhood on the same day as a single incident.)The continued high level of distribution of extremist fliers and other racist literature reflects ongoing "in-your-face" activity by various hate groups. At the same time, dissention and disarray in the ranks of the National Alliance led to a small decline in such leafleting as a percentage of all harassment incidents in 2005.The Internet continued to play a substantial role in the dissemination of anti-Semitism, with hate literature being transmitted through hundreds of sites on the Web and through bulletin boards, chat rooms, and e-mail messages. While innumerable Internet messages are not generally counted as incidents of hate in the ADL Audit, specific threats aimed at Jewish synagogues and institutions via e-mail were counted.
Anti-Semitism on CampusOn campuses across the country, 98 anti-Semitic incidents were reported in 2005, an increase of nearly one-third from the 74 incidents reported in 2004. Campus incidents peaked at 106 in 2002.Some examples include:
The Hunter College (NY) Palestinian Club posted a sign showing the Star of David morphing into a swastika, and reading: "History Repeats: Look What Hitler Taught Some of His Victims" (February).
At the University of Colorado at Boulder, swastikas were carved into a residence hall bulletin board (March).
Swastikas, "Jews" and other racist and extremist symbols carved into the freshly poured concrete at new construction on campus of Atlantic Cape Community College in New Jersey (April).
Posters advertising a Chicago Friends of Israel event placed in the campus library of the University of Chicago were defaced with swastikas (May).
Swastikas were found in a dormitory at the University of Oregon and an acidic substance was used to form swastikas on a table top in a campus café (October).
About the ADL AuditThe Audit identifies both criminal and non-criminal acts of harassment and intimidation, including distribution of hate propaganda, threats and slurs. Compiled using official crime statistics, as well as information provided to ADL's 30 regional offices by victims, law enforcement officers and community leaders, the Audit provides an annual snapshot of a nationwide problem while identifying possible trends or changes in the types of activity reported.
The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.
For Excellence and Ramchal
We're told that there's something of a congenital relation between our souls and the Torah. That the same impalpable, electric, teeming, numinous, full, rich stuff found in one is there in the other, too.
As such, whenever a Torah thought is studied, a soul that's somehow or another connected to it is intoned in response to it like a bell; and whenever a soul is remembered, a Torah thought is suddenly clarified inresponse to it. And so if that soul is ill, it's somehow remedied to a degree by the Torah thought connected to it, and if it has passed on that soul is somehow upraised by it. If you know a soul who's ill, who'd need the Torah thoughts connected to the holy books we concentrate in this series; or if you'd like a soul that had passed on to benefit from those Torah thoughts, please consider dedicating a class or a series of them to him or her.
-- Yaakov Feldman --
As such, whenever a Torah thought is studied, a soul that's somehow or another connected to it is intoned in response to it like a bell; and whenever a soul is remembered, a Torah thought is suddenly clarified inresponse to it. And so if that soul is ill, it's somehow remedied to a degree by the Torah thought connected to it, and if it has passed on that soul is somehow upraised by it. If you know a soul who's ill, who'd need the Torah thoughts connected to the holy books we concentrate in this series; or if you'd like a soul that had passed on to benefit from those Torah thoughts, please consider dedicating a class or a series of them to him or her.
-- Yaakov Feldman --
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