ה'תשנ"א – ה'תשפ"א                                  

                                      Prophecy spoken by

                        the Lubavitcher Rebbe 30 years ago

                                       for this Year 5781

                              “This will be the year when

                        I will certainly show you Miracles”

הי' תהא שנת פלאות אראנו                                  

 

                                     Sefer HaSichos, Parshas Vayigash, Heh Teves 1990

OVERVIEW

 

Living in times when a reader wishes to immediately grasp the point spoken; therefore, as translator I thought it appropriate to initially offer this short overview of this lengthy Sicha Parshas Vayigash 5751 which spans 19 pages, and to focus on the overall theme of which the Rebbe is speaking to us for our current year 5781 and to visualize the major contours of the landscape of the full Sicha which follows.  

The Rebbe is speaking to us of our present time-period, describing how, whilst still in exile, we are also in immediate proximity to the imminent Geula by our righteous Moshiach.

As Chassidus explains, the word Torah has in its meaning ‘teaching’, eternal and most relevant messages for Jewish people for all generations. The Rebbe focuses upon the specific Torah narrative which reflects our times, and from its manifold details, the Rebbe opens our eyes to the parallel through which we are now living, offering us the spiritual strength and insights to comprehend the events in the world around us, and to discern the imminence of the Geula.

  The narrative speaks of Yehuda, head of the tribes, approaching Joseph, the viceroy of Pharaoh, the superpower of that time, for the release of Binyamin from being held in Egypt, the source of all later-day exiles [paralleling the Jewish people from exile]. Initially unaware of the Yosef’s identity, Yehuda displayed supreme determination to fulfill his mission [as is demanded of us] even without ‘a friend in the White House’.  Yosef, upon exposing his identity, with the full consent of Pharaoh, offered to give of the best of the land of Egypt, Goshen to Yaakov and his sons and families to settle and gain estates and holding there. This reflects the final turnaround of the exile which we will see in favor of the Jewish people resulting from a Jew’s determination to hold on to his Jewish tradition, regardless of any adverse situation with which he is beset.

Yaakov had the seventeen best years of his life in Goshen with the freedom to serve Hashem and live in tranquility. This is paralleled in our times by the wondrous opening of the gates of the USSR, offering hundreds of thousands of Jewish people the freedom to ascend to the Holy Land and also to come to the kingdom of kindness [USA] where the expanse and pursuit of G-dly service is unimpeded. Yet, the Rebbe alerts us to the reservation that the Jewish people were then in Goshen, and as now, we are still in exile.

The spiritual secret of the letter ה. Our Sages tell us that this material world was created with the letter ה, a composition of three lines. The upper line and connected right hand side line represent G-d’s spiritual worlds of thought and utterances for the process of creation. Different however is the disconnected left side line which represents this created material world which is seen through our eyes of exile as disconnected, independent, without source.

However since this world is the ultimate purpose of Creation where Hashem desired for himself a residence in this world, our Avoda in this world will draw down a spiritually loftier fourth dimension of G-dliness into this world.

The continuation within this overview offers a translation of the highlights and climax of this Sicha, pages 12 - 15. Same as all of the Rebbe’s words are with great precision and accuracy, the numbered notes below with their starred references, need to be studied together very carefully in order that the reader not miss the sometimes subtle messages of prophecy and insights which the Rebbe is conveying here to us.

In greater detail –“with relevance to the Yosef of our generation, the Rebbe my father-in-law, leader of our generation who parallels “And Yosef was brought down to Egypt” - to the lower hemisphere [to the USA], to the kingdom of kindness [greatly different to the previous situation of persecutions etc. initiated by the government of that country in those times].

And this continues with even greater fortitude after his passing – that even then he remains same as  יעקב ויחי “And Yaakov lived”, as our Sages tell us [Taanis 5b]

יעקב אבינו לא מת...מה זרעו בחיים אף הוא בחיים

“Yaakov⁹⁰ our Patriarch did not die…just as his progeny live so too⁹¹ does he live”, even as [the Zohar  pt.3 71, 2 etc. says] he is active in all of the worlds [also in this material world] even more than during his lifetime.  

And this is certainly true now of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe since the completion of forty years [of his passing 1950 – 1990], that [Hashem] has now granted you [us] a heart to understand and eyes to see and ears to comprehend”,

Especially in the year of ניסים – ‘miracles’ [תש"נ] and the year "נפלאות אראנו" ‘I will show you wonders’ נ"א]] – as we saw openly miracles and wonders in recent times, with regard to that country [the superpower USSR] to permit and assist the Jewish people to enter a situation of breadth, to exit constraint into freedom, that even in the land of Egypt [USSR] [in the last moments of exile] they should experience “And Yaakov is alive”.

And all of this is because we are in close proximity to the true and complete Geula by our righteous Moshiach, in the words of David Melech HaMoshiach, composer of the pleasant songs of Israel [Tehillim], Psalm 89⁹⁴: “I have cut a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David, My servant⁹⁵”, “I have found David My servant, with my holy oil I have anointed him⁹⁶”, and at the conclusion and end of the psalm “Blessed is Hashem forever, Amen and Amen”, “he [King David] saw…the arrival of Moshiach, therefore gave thanks to Hashem⁹⁷”

-------------------------------

90) The same is true of the verse “These are the children of Yaakov – Yosef”. And as in the verse [our Parsha 45, 26] – “Yosef is still alive”. Note, that the spiritual sphere of Yosef is Yesod which is called ‘alive’ [Or HaTorah (יהל אור) on Tehillim 70’ 116. and other sources]. [The Rebbe is speaking of his father-in-law, the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak Schneersohn. - Translator]

91) Our Sages in saying “so too is he alive” - specifically use the word אף – indicating both extremities: אף  in a negative sense – the descent of passing [compared to the burning of The House of our G-d [Tractate Rosh Hashanah 18b]], and together with thisאף  understood positively – that there [his - the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe’s presence] is even further enhanced by “his progeny is alive” “even more than during his [the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe’s] lifetime”.

94) Note, that in the division of the 150 Psalms of Tehillim into 15 x 10* [as is known that at times and certain situations there would be added the saying of ten Psalms of Tehillim**], that Psalm 89 - פ"ט is relevant to the ten Psalms which begin with Psalm 81 – פ"א [and their conclusion Psalm 90 – צ] – Hebrew letters אף, however, in the opposite order indicates the overturn of אף – [anger] of the negative sense into אף of the positive sense *** 

[פ"א – the head letters of the year **** פלאות אראנו   the year 5781 when] I will show you miracles, the main emphasis being upon the revelation before human eyes of אראנו - “I will show you” – good, seen and revealed].

*) Perhaps the reason for this was because this parallels the 15 Songs of Ascent of the book of Tehillim.

**) Not [only] due to a situation of constraints, may Hashem save us, may this never again be repeated, but [also and] mainly as giving praise and thanks to HaKadosh Baruch Hu.

***) Perhaps one could say and note,  in Psalm 89 - פ"ט there appears the word אף five times, which indicates the overturning of the anger of exile of Pharaoh [the root of all exiles], that Joseph viceroy of Pharaoh decreed that one fifth of the Egyptian produce [see our Parsha 47, 24] be taxed for the Pharaoh of impurity, that this be overturned to the אף of holiness [See Likkutei Torah Song of Songs 24.4 and more], that one fifth goes to Pharaoh[‘s spiritual source] of holiness that “there be the torrential flow and revelation from Him of all G-dliness lights” [Zohar pt.1, 1].

****) As the head letters of this year 5751 -  ה'תשנ"א  meaning

הי' תהא שנת נפלאות אראנו  

“This will be the year when I will certainly show you Wonders”

95) Verse 4      96) Verse 21      97) Ibn Ezra on the verse

 

Rabbi Binyomin Schlanger

Translator

Email: 770dvarmalchus@gmail.com

© Copyrighted 2020 by Translator

All rights reserved. No part of this overview or the full or part of the translated Sicha [talk] may be reproduced for sale or any form of financial gain without prior written permission from the translator. 

 

The full Sicha in Lashon HaKodesh with all 133 reference notes and multiple sources is printed in Sefer HaSichos 5751, volume 1 pages 206 – 217.

 

A lesson for the government of Israel: The Lubavitcher Rebbe demands: All terrorists must be removed in one single procedure!

The Lubavitcher Rebbe demands: All terrorists must be removed in one single procedure!

I [The Rebbe] once spoke with a surgeon. Our discussion moved on to the situation in Eretz Israel.

I said to him: “When you operate on a Jew, your intention is to improve his health. Now since an operation is a serious matter costing much health and blood loss, may G-d protect us; being that you are a merciful and intelligent man, perhaps you break up the operation into ten stages.” First operate; only some blood will be lost, wait for this area to heal, operate the second stage, until the tenth, when you finally reach the problem, and then remove the undesirable elements.

The physician replied: “Do not take offense, but you are not qualified in medicine. To my question “Why?” he replied: “The purpose of an operation is to remove the ailment. If a small incision is made, and we wait for this to heal, after a week make a second incision, until the tenth, the element remains embedded in the body and much blood is spilled. No benefit will be gained because the source has not been removed. There is no choice but to operate in one single procedure. He will be temporarily weakened and more blood spilled but ultimately less blood lost. The patient will be healed because the ailment will have been dealt with.”

I responded; I am pleased to hear your view. This should be the precise procedure applied to Eretz Israel. There are two options: One, to tell the opposing side that we will not relinquish the Land of Israel. Since he will be offended, we will take no action against terrorists. We wait a week or so, perhaps his mood will improve, and then suggest he gives in on something. But we do nothing. Armed terrorists remain in the Old City of Jerusalem, Hebron, Shechem, Ramallah, and everywhere, may G-d protect us!

Alternatively, there is the second option: In one single operation we take out all the terrorists and be rid of them!

From the book "Security for the Land of Israel"

'Moshe went out for some fresh air and was killed by a rocket' Family of man killed by Gaza rocket recounts horror of the ordeal after 500 rockets fired at Israel. Sunday 5/5/2019

The Rebbe:These terrorists are coming to murder. We have a ruling: “One who comes to kill you, take pre-emptive action – kill him!

Two hundred rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel on Saturday 5/4/2019

Israel is the Front line for World Security

Interview with the Lubavitcher Rebbe:

Ron Nachman, Mayor of Ariel. Oct. 6 1991

The Lubavitcher Rebbe: 

"As I have said several times, Israel’s welfare is in the best interest of the United States, because Israel is the front line there against the Arabs, and the Arabs are against the United States; they want the United States to fail"

The Rebbe's Stand on entering the Israeli Army

The Gemara states:[1]

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Were it not for David, Yoav would not have done battle, and were it not for Yoav, David would not have engaged in Torah. As it is written, “David performed justice and righteousness for all his people, and Yoav ben Tzeruya was in charge of the army.” What does it meant that “David performed justice and righteousness for all his people?” [He was able to,] because Yoav was taking care of the army. And what is the meaning of “Yoav was in charge of the army?” So that David could perform justice and righteousness for all his people.

Yoav and David HaMelech were partners who each valued the other’s contribution. David HaMelech knew that since the Jewish people had enemies, and since Torah instructs us “We do not rely on a miracle,”[2] he needed an army of soldiers led by a mighty general to lead the battles against the enemies of the Jewish people. This general was Yoav.

But David HaMelech himself did not go to war, although he was fully capable of doing so. He chose, instead, to remain behind in order to study Torah and teach it to the people.

Yet Yoav had no complaints. He knew that David HaMelech’s contribution was indispensable. “Were it not for David, Yoav would not have done battle.” He did not view David HaMelech’s choice as shirking responsibility, never mind as cowardice, G–d forbid. He knew that most fundamental principle of the Jewish faith: Success at any endeavor comes not from one’s efforts, intelligence, and strength, but from divine blessings—“it is the blessing of Hashem that gives us wealth.”[3]

Yes, accomplishment require a human investment, for Hashem created the natural order and desires that we follow its laws. But one who relies on his own power and does not combine reasonable efforts with prayers for divine assistance denies the existence of Hashem as “the One Who sustains the entire world with His goodness, grace, kindness, and compassion”[4]—as the Provider of all our needs. The Torah warns us against this: “And you may come to say in your heart that your strength and the might of your hand made you this wealth, but remember that it is Hashem, your G–d Who endows you with strength to perform deeds of valor.”[5] In particular, “war does not belong to the mighty.”[6]

So Yoav knew that in order to triumph over his foes, he needed divine blessings, and that this depends upon Torah study. But not the Torah study of the soldiers, for a soldier must focus his attention on the technicalities of warfare and cannot simultaneously analyze intricate Talmudic debates. Rather, the material efforts of the soldiers must be complemented by the spiritual efforts of the full-time Torah scholars, for “Torah protects and saves”[7]—Torah study brings protection and safety not only to those who study it, but to the Jewish people as a whole, and therefore to its protectors in particular.

Foolish Bravery

An analogy for this division of roles can be drawn from the army itself. Consider the chief general who sits calmly in his protected headquarters, poring over one classified intelligence report after another, calculating how the war ought to be fought—with what tactics, with which weapons, when to attack, how many soldiers to deploy, and countless other complex considerations. In the course of his duties, he instructs that others be dispatched to the battlefront, while he remains hard at work.

One day, his son and best friend approach him in outrage and accuse him of hypocrisy and cowardice: “How can you do this?! You send us and many others to face mortal danger, while you remain far from harm’s way in your cushy office chair, reading all day? Shame on you! As the verse puts it, ‘Will your brothers go to war while you sit here?’”[8]

Filled with guilt, the general concedes to the pressure, considering himself guilty of reprehensible double standards. He bows his head, clears away all the classified documents, closes down the headquarters, dons army fatigues and a gun, goes to the front, and fights.

Not only would no one benefit from this “sacrifice,” but it would lead to certain defeat and horrendous loss of life, may G–d save us, for both the soldiers and the civilians whom they are protecting.

So, too, on the broader, national level, in order for the army, the general, and everyone else involved in the material war effort to succeed, spiritual war efforts are necessary—devoted, full-time, G–d-fearing Torah scholars.

Spiritual Desertion

But when the Torah scholar lacks fear of Hashem and forgets what his Torah study accomplishes, he can become so captivated with awe for the heroic soldier that he desires to quit learning. He wants to let everyone know that he, too, can wield a gun, earn a medal, and perform daring feats of military prowess.

Just as one who is assigned to the front and abandons it is termed a deserter, so are Torah scholars assigned with the mission of studying Torah day and night who abandon their post, don army fatigues and a gun, and go to fight, are also deserters. Since Jewish military victory depends upon the merit of Torah study, instead of benefiting the war effort, these young men jeopardize it and bring disaster upon the Jewish people, may G–d save us.

Unsung Heroism

In a sense, the Torah scholar is faced with a more difficult challenge than the soldier. Soldiers are lionized. They are given honorable mentions in the newspaper, awarded with marks of distinction, and their exploits and victories are publicly recounted and rhapsodized. They are national heroes.

But far away from the action of the battlefield, the Torah scholar sits and learns without fanfare. His efforts to protect the Jewish people (studying Torah all day is very difficult, as anyone who has done so, or attempted to do so, can testify) confer upon him no elevated status and glory; he goes unknown.

If anything, he is punished for his choice, subjected to constant insults and condemnation by his less religious brethren, who scream at him in self-righteous indignation: “Will your brothers go to war while you sit here?” And not only doesn’t his vital contribution not earn him an honorable mention in the media, but the media regularly spews vitriol against the full-time Torah scholar and incites the populace to despise him, branding him a leech and a drain upon society, one who selfishly refuses to “share the burden.”

An Invisible Lifeline

There is a response to their complaint, albeit one that some don’t appreciate because they don’t want to.

The Torah is a “Torah of light”[9] in which Hashem reveals sublime, perfect teachings that illuminate our daily lives with moral clarity and direction. The Torah tells us: Look beneath the material reality.

Even the soldier himself depends upon others whose involvement is not visible. For the soldier to stand and shoot, many other army personnel and others are required to assist the war effort from the sidelines by providing food, technical know how, logistical direction, discipline, funding, and so on.

Likewise, the soldier needs spiritual help from behind the scenes in order to be alive. After all, all his training and weaponry will be of no avail if he is not alive. And the true source of life and safety is Hashem, Who grants us life through His holy Torah, which is “our life and the length of our days.”[10] So for the soldier to be alive, he must be infused with life through the life-giving studies of the Torah scholar.

Rebbe’s sicha of 6 Tishrei 5728.
Translation by Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver by kind permission.

______________________________
[1] Sanhedrin 49a.
[2] Toras Kohanim on Vayikra 22:32.
[3] Mishlei 10: 22.
[4] Grace After Meals liturgy.
[5] Devarim 8:17,18.
[6] Koheles 9:11.
[7] Sotah 21a.
[8] Bamidbar 32:6.
[9] Mishlei 6:23.
[10] Evening prayer liturgy.

Menorah lighting at the Western Wall this evening.

            

When the Jewish People overwhelmed the Greek secular infiltrators in the Holy Land. Miracles in those days and in our times!

Government of Israel to the Rebbe: Send several hundred families to live in Hebron.

A Story:

Heard three days ago from Rabbi Yehuda Leib Groner, assistant to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Member of Knesset, Uzi Landau: I am coming as emissary of the Prime Minister of Israel, requesting that the Rebbe send several hundred families to live in Hebron.

The Rebbe: I am prepared to do that on one condition: that the Prime Minister promise me that these families will not be evacuated and not be told to go back home. I am not prepared to uproot hundreds of families unless I receive a firm assurance that this will not happen.

MK Landau: I cannot assure that.

The Rebbe: As long as I do not receive this assurance from the prime minister, I cannot request families to move.

The Holy city of Jerusalem, is the eternal capital of the Jewish Nation

Letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe to the organization Bnei Brith.

Since the time of King David, Jerusalem has been the eternal capital of the Land [of Israel], much before the birth of any single world capital in our times. With the exception of the break of 70 years – the exile of Babylon, our nation had always dwelt in the Land for a period of 1340 years [2488 – 3828 since the time of the Creation].

Also, after G-d sent his People into exile, the current dispersion, there was always,even until this time, the presence of Jewish people living in our Land.

Throughout the time Jewish people lived in the lands of the dispersion, did they yearn and pray [three times a day] for our return to the Land of our birth, and to our eternal inheritance, - with these words – “ May our eyes perceive Your return to Zion in mercy”.

It happened: Israel P.M. Shamir phones the Lubavitcher Rebbe for a blessing to avert a multiple PLO terror attack

On the 28th of Nissan, 5750 (April 23, 1990) the Rebbe was notified that P.L.O. terrorists were threatening to attack various targets throughout the world.

Rabbi Binyomin Klein A”H, secretary of the Rebbe

                                                                   Former Israel P.M. Yitzchk Shamir A”H

Rabbi Binyomin Klein A”H, secretary of the Rebbe, tells the following story.

It was before Mincha prayers at 2 pm, the telephone in the Rebbe’s office rings, I pick up the telephone, Eliakim Rubenshtein is on the line who passed on the phone to Shamir, and says that PM Shamir wishes to speak to me. He tells me that information has filtered through that the PLO intends to carry out targeted terror attacks to multiple locations; not one location when protective action can be taken, but for multiple locations world-wide, so he is requesting a blessing.

I went and knocked on the Rebbe’s door, the Rebbe opened the door for me, I repeated the story, and the Rebbe showed no reaction whatsoever. I had carried out my duty by informing the Rebbe.

Mincha time came. No-body knew of this call, because no-one was in the office at 2 pm. After Mincha the Rebbe turned towards those present and began talking about the issue at hand.

The Rebbe: We received information about one hour before Mincha that the PLO has given out instructions to their cells around the world to attack targets G-d forbid to deadly harm which we will not elaborate. Therefore it is understood that we must increase all matters of holiness – since the power of the Jewish People lies in their words, beginning with increasing Torah study with great diligence; this will uproot all unwished for issues, and to the contrary, we will transform these so that greatly increased light will beam forth from the darkness, as wisdom overcomes folly.

Rabbi Klein continues: Everybody starts looking around, some gaze at me; “is this a private issue which the Rebbe is making public?” That’s what took place.

The Rebbe had spoken.  The plans were foiled.

The New York Times did not connect the foiled outcome with the Rebbe. The story in the NYT was only in the news the following day that there was a bomb threat which somehow came to naught, not mentioning the Rebbe [who had spoken of this publicly already the previous day at the time of the threat and who had given the spiritual preventive guidelines to prevent the attack].

The Rebbe continued: Since it is not the appropriate way in Chabad to call for fasting even when halachically one could suggest fasting, rather to increase in Tzedaka which will break the decree, and we have the rule ‘think positive and there will be a positive outcome’, but not to reduce the amount or quality of Tzedaka; rather one should give the value of three meals and to recite three additional chapters of Psalms, adding the last chapter which ends with the words ‘Every Soul should praise G-d, together that each of such should assess what one can contribute spiritually, in this direction and spirit, this, by men women and children, certainly not to cause fear to those around one, but to increase in both Torah and Mitzvos, amidst comfort and true trust in G-d. 

Crusader Nations of today who once again wish to destroy us, but this time under the mantle of "making peace".

One hundred and forty representatives of the nations [the UN] “gather and speak futility” arguing that they cannot tolerate the injustice. Just like those who marched in the Crusades, today these are their descendants following in their footsteps, not only in thought and speech, but also by their actions, as we saw in the past few weeks and in the attack, that took place last year and two years ago and they are doing the same now: “I sinned and I will continue to sin!”   

Crusaders Then

Words of Prophecy for our times by Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki [acronym - Rashi, 1040 -1105] 

Rashi begins his commentary, on the very first verse of the Torah, and this is the very beginning of all [our discipline and culture]. Quoting the Midrash that the day will yet come when “nations of the world will claim that the Land of Israel belongs to them”. They begin gradually, first claiming their right to one piece of land, then claiming that another piece of land belongs to them. Rashi therefore starts his entire commentary, “In the beginning”, that we should know a halachic legal decision of Torah, that the time will yet come when they will not openly claim that they intend to steal the Land, that they intend to harm the Jewish People, but to the contrary, they argue “We are an upright people! We are righteous people, we are in pursuit of peace. All we want is peace, but peace can only be built on justice: “you Jews are thieves, you stole the Land!!!” This we see before our very eyes. 

Today's Crusaders

Therefore, this is the very first thing which is told to a five-year-old Jewish child, and the Torah of Truth gives him the rightful response: “This is not an issue of theft, nothing was stolen from anybody”. To the contrary, if nations wish to spare themselves from an existential threat to their countries, one should guide them to stop their talk running contrary to the Will of the Creator, because it was by His Divine Will that He gave the Land originally to them [the Canaanite nations], and it was by His Divine Will that he took the Land from them, and bequeathed it to the Children of Israel His Sacred Nation as an eternal inheritance”.  

When is it that the Jewish response ineffective, when this response is not given. They [the government of Israel] begins to invent their own answers, knowing full well that what they are saying in not being accepted because their responses are not truthful; the truth would be accepted by people. “The Land of Israel sprouts truth”, and before truth everyone becomes submissive!  

We have seen something wondrous: all the [fake] responses [which the Israel government] have given, yet, this is the sole response which until this time they are ashamed to give! This is the extent of the darkness of Exile! Then come along those very same confused people and claim that they are walking along the path of justice and truth which will lead to peace; G-d says that by offering those responses you are turning a gentile into a thief, Heaven For-fend. These Jews are so personally insecure that they cannot bring themselves once and for all to publicize to all 140 gentile representatives and tell them: “We are telling you with absolute clarity the truth, which has been printed and published centuries ago, in one country, then in a second country, ongoing, and upon this truth we have been educated over the centuries that “In the beginning G-d created the world” - this has been first premise of our education given even to our children. 

Rashi wrote his commentary on the Torah even for a child of five years old to understand, for a child who then lived in the times of the Crusades, the terrifying slaughters which took place then as did in our times in Germany. The Crusades took place in Germany, in France and more. Comes along Rashi to tell a child “you intermingle with gentiles, that, should a gentile remonstrate to you, “You stole the Land”, Rashi points out - do not invent your own answers, but tell him as is written in Torah - “G-d, Who recorded His mighty works in the book of Genesis, bequeathed the Land [of Israel] to the Jewish People. 

Now, since the Torah states that this is the response you should give, there is no shadow of doubt that this response will be successful and will be accepted.   

Stand Strong with our rights over the entire Land!

 Halachic law states that ‘there can be no claim of overcharge on a land sale since even a small land-­plot can be of great value. The same ruling stands true regarding an estate in the land of Israel.  

Ancient Jewish Hebron

The Torah recounts that when Jacob our Patriarch lay down [the vision of the Ladder] on the ground of Israel, G-­d gathered together the entire Land beneath him [Rashi] telling him “the land upon which you are lying I will bequeath to you and to your children”. Therefore, does the land of Israel belong to each and every Jew.  

The message we have from the portion of the Torah we read this week is as follows: It is not sufficient to come out with grandiose proclamations. Rather the Jewish people need take down to earth action to inhabit the Land! It is not sufficient to view and move around in the Land of Israel; rather should he need to lie down to sleep, to relax and rest, he should be able to do so anywhere in the Land of Israel. He needs to know that he does not fulfil his obligation by being able to move around and dwell only on an area where there are no contestants; rather, when a Jew wishes to rest he needs to know that he can do so [as G­-d told our Patriarch Yaakov “lie down upon it”] anywhere he so wishes in the land since G-­d “folded the entire land under him [Yaakov]”.  

The Midrash enumerates three locations [which were purchased] against which nations cannot make any claim against the Jewish People by saying these came in your hands by means of theft: The Cave of Machpelah [Hebron], the Temple Mount, and Shechem, the burial place of Joseph. Now it is specifically at these three locations that vicious Jews stubbornly refuse to allow a Jewish presence, and should a Jew dare to enter these places they are forcefully evicted!  

The message for our times is as follows: Jewish People must stand with absolute fortitude over their rights to dwell throughout the Land of Israel. We must dwell here fearlessly so that G-­d will grant His blessing “And I will give peace in the Land”.  

At this time there are Jews who pursue gentiles begging them to make peace. The time will yet come [Isaiah 49.23] when “Kings will serve you as your craftsmen, and their princesses will be your child-minders”. Those very same gentiles who humiliated and subjugated the Jewish people, they will yet beg us ‘sign, let there be peace already, the quicker the better!’  

To see the fulfillment of this prophecy it is imperative that we conduct ourselves as descendants of our Patriarch Yaakov ­ “inhabit the Land”. There is no-­one to pursue or to whom we be subjugated; there is nothing to fear.  Rather, there is the assurance by G-­d regarding the entire Land “it will be easy for his children to conquer”.  

Only by inhabiting the [entire] Land will it be ‘easily conquered by his children’, and thereby will there be peace. On this basis how does it make sense the argument that by surrendering land will we ensure peace for our children and grand­-children; how, by surrendering land G­-d forbid, can this be the path whereby we achieve the fulfillment of the verse ‘the land will be easily conquerable by his children’??  

We have already seen the outcome of previous surrenders and concessions [of the Sinai desert, Gush Katif and more] and the wars which followed when G­-d gifted territories of Israel to the Jewish People. Yet regardless there come along primitive Jews who unjustifiably immediately began begging and running after the Arabs to take back the territories! This brought upon Israel mounting and increasing pressure to relinquish more and more land! In reality however, G-­d performed a miracle: the Arabs refused the offer! In addition, ‘a Divine spirit befell the Jews’ to refuse further give-­aways, but with the proviso that, what has been agreed they will not retract upon. 

The truth needs to be heard: whatever was agreed [even by a show of hands] is null and void! In the first instance, never did they have any legal right of surrender, since the land of Israel is not their personal property! The Land of Israel belongs to every single Jew each of whom hold legal ownership over the Land. It is sufficient for just one single Jew to state his objection to put a stop to giving away the Land! Only then will there descend and be revealed the eternal Word of G-­d ‘that the Land will be easily conquerable by his descendants’.  

This legal tenet stands true also in international law: should just one inheritor object to the handling by others of his inheritance, all agreements reached by others become retroactively voided and all agreements must be re-­examined afresh.  

The same stands true in our situation. A [Jewish] inheritor [of the Land of Israel] is not merely stating his personal objection, rather his right of ownership is empowered by the written Torah, Oral Torah, and Code of Jewish Law.  

                                                     Public talk Motzoi Shabbos Vayetze 1979