Emuna: "Mama Rachel" and the Rebuilding of Israel

by Rav Bnayahu Bruner, President of Yeshivat Hesder Tzfat, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week, on the 11^th day of Mar-Cheshvan, the Jewish Nation commemorated the passing of our Matriarch Rachel near 3,680 years ago. Rachel, wife of the Patriarch Yaakov, was a woman of the Exile, in many ways. She was born outside the Land, married Yaakov in Haran, and died shortly after entering the Holy Land with him; she was buried along the way outside Bethlehem.

The Prophet Jeremiah teaches us that Rachel wept for her descendants as she watched them limp along into Exile: "So says the Lord: A voice is heard on high, one of lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel crying for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, for they are gone."

But G-d comforts her in the next verse: "Refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your work, says the Lord; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, says the Lord, and the children shall return to their border."

Rav Kook, the visionary Chief Rabbi of the Holy Land until his death in 1935, saw how these words of solace began to take shape and form. Not only did he see the nation begin to return to its Land, but he also saw how this return itself enabled the "writing" and formation of an original Jewish creation: "A truly Israelite enterprise, in thought and in practical life, can be effected only in the Land of Israel." The bonds between the Nation of Israel and the Land of Israel are intrinsic and essential, and therefore such a creation and be formed only when the Nation is in its Land. Any Jewish creation formed outside the Land is not essentially Jewish/Israelite; its creative forces are drawn from the general world, and not from the Jewish Nation.

…

Another aspect of Rachel is seen in her son Joseph, whom she bore to Yaakov. Joseph is he who saved his family (and much of the world) from the debilitating famine, and took care of all their needs. He merited to receive the birthright from his father Yaakov, and thus his two sons received inheritances in the Land as if they were Yaakov's sons. From Joseph emerged the force of "Mashiach ben Yosef," the materialist/physical aspects of the Messianic period.

Today, as well, whoever devotes his life to Israel's Redemption on the practical plane is a successor to Yosef. He also has the attribute of "good communication" with the Gentiles: He was the viceroy of King Pharaoh – the second-highest position in the Egyptian empire. Still and all, he remained loyal to his G-d; he remained Yosef HaTzaddik, Joseph the Righteous.

Yosef's successors in future generations, and today, also have this attribute, and therefore they are able to face off with the nations and emerge victorious over the descendants of Esav. Rav Kook writes:

"The Medrash teaches us that the deeds of the forefathers are signs for their descendants [to learn from and to do]. Yosef was the provider whom G-d sent "to revive a great nation" [B'reshit 50,20, referring to the sons of Yaakov], and he brought physical life to Yaakov and his sons with needed food, while the other nations came to Egypt for the same purpose. Yosef knew how to blend in with the Gentiles, and he knew 70 languages – showing the aspects of commonality between Israel and the nations – but still he knew and preserved the strength of his sanctity. Precisely for this reason we are taught that Esav will fall [to the Jews] at the hands of Rachel's descendants."

We see from the above prophecy that Rachel senses deeply the grief of the Nation as it goes into Exile, and she cries bitterly. The future kingdom of the "Mashiach ben David" is to emerge from the seed of Leah (Yehuda) – but the present is given to the descendants of Rachel. Rachel is the "family foundation" that forms the basis for the "national foundation," on which the nation will be built. As Rav Kook writes:

"The present and the future are the two pillars on which will be built the great fortune of the nation and the individual… When the leadership is perfect and protected from all pitfalls along the way, then the present will be revealed in all its light, and will be able to be a fine guide to the future that is exalted above and beyond it [i.e., the present]."

In our generation, we have been privileged to free large parts of our Holy Land from desolation and/or foreign rule, and to establish our State, and to bring home millions of Jews. The process that began in Rav Kook's lifetime has expanded and broadened. Though Rachel is no longer crying bitterly as she once was, we still need her help so that we can stabilize our grasp on the Land and reinforce the Jewish family unit so that we can be ready for the Davidic kingdom.

In this month of Mar-Cheshvan, when we remember the death of Rachel as she traveled, let us fortify our grasp as we journey to the Complete Redemption, may it come speedily in our days.

Vayeira: The Binding of Isaac – 3700 Years Ago and Today

by Rav David Dov Levanon, Jerusalem Rabbinic Court, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

According to the approach that Yitzchak Avinu was 37 years old at the time of the test of his binding, this year marks exactly the 3,700^th anniversary of this historically defining event. How so very relevant it is this year!

As we read in this week's Torah portion (Vayeira) about the Binding of Isaac (Akedat Yitzchak), we poignantly note that the Nation of Israel is facing its own heroic, national Akedah test this year. Our people's greatness is being revealed in countless deeds of self-sacrifice, unceasing volunteerism, and general jumping in to save lives and offer help, to an extent that we possibly have never seen before.

We have heard this year an endless amount of stories of faith and heroism from families whose sons were killed in war for the Sanctification of G-d's Name, or who otherwise took part in the courageous fight for our existence here in the Land of Israel. We have heard from parents whose children are in cruel captivity in Gaza, yet who encourage the Nation of Israel in its present existential struggle to continue until victory, without negotiations with terrorists – and perhaps in this merit, the children will return home safely.

One story that we recall is that of the woman whose daughter was taken captive on that tragic Simchat Torah day. She brought a Torah scroll to her home, performed the mitzvah of separating and sanctifying dough, and heartfully and tearfully prayed to G-d for the sake of the girl's safe release. We all saw her on our screens, and it touched all of our hearts – especially her surprising final words of prayer: "O G-d, I love you!" What greatness of spirit to express such emotions at a time of her great pain. And then it happened: Within a few weeks, her daughter was miraculously freed.

From where do all our soldiers and mothers and fathers draw the strengths for such self-sacrifice? Let us recall the Medrashic story of Chana and her seven sons, whom she encouraged not to bow down to idols even though it meant their death. When her youngest son was about to be killed as well, she kissed him and said to him, "Go to Avraham Avinu and tell him for me, 'You bound up one son for slaughter, while I have given up seven! And you thought to do it, while I actually did it!"

Was Chana actually saying that she had surpassed the self-sacrifice of Avraham Avinu? I heard an explanation of this point in the name of the late saintly Rav Shach (1899-2001). He said that Chana meant that Avraham Avinu was the very inspiration for her deed; she learned this attribute of sacrifice for G-d from him – and that she carried out in practice what he taught her in theory! And in fact, it's impossible to explain the amazing national phenomenon of self-sacrifice, today and throughout our generations, other than by realizing that these are strengths that have been implanted in the depths of our souls, beginning with Avraham.

The Medrash concludes by saying that a Heavenly voice was heard praising Chana with the words from Psalms, "The mother of the sons is happy." What happiness could possibly apply here? It could be that Chana saw that her sons had merited a very privileged place in the World to Come – and it could also be, after hearing how bereaved parents this year have responded with such great faith, that she, and they, feel privileged to have had sons whose lives were so meaningful that, ultimately, they stood wholly for the sake of their nation. In this I heard an echo of that Heavenly voice…

 The entire story of the Akedah abounds with Avraham's fatherly love for his son, especially as evidenced by his frequent use of the word b'ni, "my son." When G-d originally told him to take and bind the son "that you love," Avraham answered, according to the Medrash, "Which one exactly? I love both of them!" Could it really be that he loved them equally, given that Yishmael actually had to be banished from Avraham's home? The answer is that his love for both his sons was infinite, and as such, there was no difference between the two loves.

How was Avraham's love for Yitzchak manifest during the Akedah? For one thing, just as Avraham answered G-d by saying, "Hineni – here I am, ready to serve You," he also answered Yitzchak with the same word: "Hineni, my son; tell me what I can do for you." That is to say, his love for G-d and for Yitzchak were the same. By agreeing to perform this painful act of the Akedah at G-d's bidding, Avraham was saying that he is not running from his love of G-d nor from his love of his son; the two are united together as one, in a profoundly deep and faith-based manner that our cold logic alone cannot grasp.

As the Medrash states: "When Avraham took the knife in hand, his eyes shed tears that fell into Yitzchak's eyes… – and even so, his heart was happy to carry out the will of his Creator." Love of his son and of G-d were united within Avraham in the source of his love for G-d Who, from His own love of Avraham, gave him his son – and there is no contradiction; crying and happiness at the same time.

May G-d help that in the merit of the sacrifices made by so many soldiers and others for the Sanctification of G-d's Name over the course of the war, and in the merit of all the volunteers who arose to help with great dedication wherever they were needed, and in the merit of our great faith in G-d – the prophecy of "In [despite] your blood, you shall live" (Yechezkel 6,16) should be fulfilled, in our generation.

And so may that of Zechariah come to pass: "With the blood of your covenant, I have freed your prisoners from a pit in which there was no water. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope… I will restore to you a double promise." (9,11-12)

Lech Lecha: What Motivated Avraham's Kindness?

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtat, founder and head of the Yoru Program for the Training of Rabbis and Community Leaders, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Lech Lecha (B'reshit 12-17) begins with G-d's command to our Patriarch Avraham to leave his homeland and go "to the land that I will show you." Avraham then took his wife Sarah and the rest of his family and all those they had taught about G-d, "and they set off for the land of Canaan."

The Medrash Rabba (39,1) quotes the simile cited by R. Yitzchak: 

"[Avraham is] analogous to a traveler passing from place to place, who saw a building with a candle burning inside. He said: ‘Could it be that this building has no one in charge?’ The owner of the building looked out at him and said: ‘I am in charge.’ Similarly, because Avraham was saying: ‘Is it possible that this world has no one in charge?’ The Holy One, blessed be He, looked at him and told him: ‘I am the owner of the world and I am in charge.’"

Rashi explains that Avraham Avinu saw the heavens and earth, and the sun in the daytime, and the moon at night, and the shining stars, and said to himself, "Could there be such a vast enterprise as this without someone running it?" G-d looked down and gave him the answer: "Yes, Someone is in charge – Me." 

This opening passage of Lech Lecha also tells us about the people that Avraham and Sarah "made." The Medrash (ibid. 39,14, and Yalkut Shimoni 66) quotes R. Elazar ben Zimra: 

"If everyone in the world would gather together to try to create even one mosquito, they would not be able to give it life – and yet the Torah states that they "made" souls in Haran?! [Answer:] This refers to the people that they converted [to belief in G-d]. But if they converted, then why does the Torah say that they "made" them? It teaches you that whoever is mekarev [from the same root as "kiruv," meaning "to draw near"] an idol worshipper and converts him, it is as though he has created him. And why is it written in plural ["they made"]? R. Huna said: Avraham converted the men and Sarah converted the women."

Later on we read, "Avraham planted an eshel in Be'er Sheva" (21,33). The Gemara tells us that this a form of rest stop, or possibly an orchard, where he could give passersby room and board, and from there accompany them along their way. In short: Avraham was a one-man kindness operation. The above verse continues: "and there he called in the name of G-d, Lord of the Universe." The Sages say that this means Avraham proclaimed G-d's name to all the people and caused them to recognize and say His name. How so? "After they ate and drank and were about to thank him [Avraham], Avraham said, "Was it my food that you ate? It is food that belongs to the G-d of the universe! Thank and praise Him, He Who spoke and created the world!" 

Avraham Avinu was born in a generation of idol-worshipers and spiritual darkness – and he was the one to bring it light. He looked around and came to a simple and logical conclusion that if there is Creation, there must be a Creator. Avraham set out on his Divinely-ordained journey, and wherever he traveled, he brought the message of faith in the Creator. Thousands of people flocked to him, and Avraham and Sarah taught them faith in G-d. As a great man of chessed, kindness, Avraham hosted and fed them, accompanied them on their way – and taught them that everything is from G-d. 

If we were to ask what was the main legacy that Avraham left to the world, it would seem that he symbolized the essence of faith in G-d, for this was his main message to the world. 

However, let us look at these sources:

*  "You will keep truth with Yaakov, kindness to Avraham" (Micha 7,20).

* "Simon the Just was one of the last of the Men of the Great Assembly. He would say: 'On three things the worlds stands: on the Torah, on service of G-d, and on acts of kindness." (Pirkei Avot 1,2). Rav Chaim of Volozhin explained: "Yaakov Avinu instituted the pillar of Torah, for he was a "dweller of tents." Yitzchak instituted the pillar of service (prayer)… and Avraham instituted the pillar of kindness, as is known: He "planted an eshel in Be'er Sheva" [as we explained above]."

We see that the Prophet Micha, and then the Sages after him, when they defined the flagship attribute of Avraham Avinu and what he symbolizes, their answer was clear: Chessed! Why is this? Certainly he raised up the concept and actualization of chessed to heights that the world had never seen before, helping thousands of people as he did. But still, how can this be compared to the message of faith in G-d that he brought to the world? This message brought about a change in the world that still reverberates among all mankind even today, thousands of years later! Even the chessed that Avraham did was recruited for the purpose of spreading the tidings of faith in the Creator!

Let us explain.

There can be various reasons why one is motivated to do chessed. Some of them are negative, in that he might want to gain influence over people so that they will support him politically or otherwise. Or it could be that he wants to help those who are suffering in order to quiet his conscience. Alternatively, it could be he has reached the logical conclusion that the right thing to do is to help others in need. There might be other motivations as well.

Avraham Avinu did chessed for none of the above reasons. Rather, he simply wanted to be like G-d. The Gemara (Sotah 14a) teaches: 

R. Ḥama son of R. Ḥanina says: "What is the meaning of that which is written: 'After the Lord your G-d you shall walk' (D'varim 13,5)? How it is possible to do so, given that 'the Lord your G-d is a devouring fire' (4,24)? The meaning is that one should follow G-d's attributes. For instance, just as He clothes the naked, as is written: “G-d made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them” (B'reshit 3,21), so too, you should clothe the naked; just as He visits the sick, as with Avraham Avinu (18,1), so too, should you visit the sick; and just as He consoles mourners, as is written, "it came to pass after the death of Avraham, that G-d blessed Yitzchak his son” (25,11), so too, should you console mourners; and just as G-d buried the dead – Moshe Rabbeinu (D'varim 34,6) – so too, you should bury the dead.

Avraham Avinu discovered his Creator on his own, and sought to cleave to Him in every aspect of life by walking in His paths and exemplifying His attributes. The reason why he spreads the truth of G-d among all mankind is because he wishes to do kindness for them. Everything that he does is simply chessed, because this is what G-d does; his motives are totally pure, for the sole purpose of being like G-d. The Prophet Micha revealed to us this innermost and essential truth of Avraham: the attribute of chessed. Avraham did not welcome guests and feed them, etc., simply to teach them about G-d; rather, he did so purely to do what G-d does and to help people. He did so both spiritually and materially, and all from the same pure and true motivation. And this is why what symbolizes him is, in Micha's words, "Chessed l'Avraham."

Emuna: Refusing Anti-Torah Military Orders

by Rav Eliezer Melamed, Rabbi of Har Brachah, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

Back in 2005, when the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to carry out the Disengagement – a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from all of Gaza, including the destruction of 19 Jewish communities whose 9,000 residents were scattered around the country (some of them in new communities) – it embroiled Israel in one of its most scathing controversies. One of the questions that arose was how a soldier must act if ordered to participate in the destruction of Jewish communities.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Dean of the Yeshivat Hesder in Har Brachah, explained in an article at the time why such refusals were a Torah imperative.

The Fundamental Mitzvah of Settling the Holy Land

Our Sages have taught (Medrash Sifri, Re'eh 53): "Living in Eretz Yisrael is equal to all the other Torah commandments." This is because this mitzvah is not only fulfilled by individuals living in the Land, but is also the very basis for the complete and absolute existence of the Jewish People, and facilitates the fulfillment of their destiny to disseminate faith and Torah for the rectification of the entire world. 

It is therefore clear why it is such a cardinal mitzvah, and why the Prophets spoke so frequently about the future flowering and building of the Land, and why our greats throughout the ages pined so strongly to grace its very dust. 

This mitzvah of building and settling the Land also embodies the principle of Jewish Unity and Love of all Israel, for it is fulfilled by the nation, for the nation. It is so important that the Torah even commands us to endanger our lives by warring for the Land and for its protection, and sometimes even husband and wife must be separated in order to fulfill it (Shulchan Arukh Even HaEzer 75,4).  

Religious Zionism

The mitzvah of ensuring that the Land of Israel is built-up and remains in our hands is the foundation and basis of the Religious-Zionist Movement's approach to Aliyah, settlement, defense of the Land, and the establishment of the State of Israel.

It is, furthermore, the root and source of the Religious-Zionist view of the entire process that the Jewish People has been undergoing for well over a century, namely, that it is the "beginning of the sprouting of our Redemption," as foreseen in the visions of the Prophets. All of the educational institutions of the Religious-Zionist movement teach and inculcate the values of love of nation, land, and state, as well as service in the IDF, participation in the social and economic yoke of the country, and involvement in all networks of our national life, not only in Israel but even abroad. 

Cooperation With All?

A sharp rabbinic dispute arose towards the beginning of the modern Zionist movement, as to whether religious Jews could/should cooperate with the secular Zionists. Many of the rabbis who became the beacons of today's flowering and extensive Religious Zionist movement, such as HaRav Kook, Rav Herzog, Rav Amiel, Rav Uziel, Rav Goren and many more, ruled that because of the tremendous importance of the mitzvah of settling the Land, it is important to work with the secular movement in order to build Eretz Yisrael and its institutions and hasten Israel's Redemption. 

As such, it is clear that one may not take part in any activity that uproots the great mitzvah of settling and building the Land – that which is the basis of all we stand for and all we do. As such, even if one is ordered to do this in a military framework, he must find the way to avoid doing so, even at the expense of outright refusal. 

That is to say, if there is a collision between the values of supporting the government of Israel in all its activities and the basic principle of building Eretz Yisrael, our Rabbis ruled that there is a clear and absolute preference to the timeless values of the Torah over the rules of a given government or regime, which by its very nature is not permanent. 

This principle applies to all the mitzvot of the Torah, and not only to the great commandment of settling the Holy Land; the government has no standing to negate a Torah commandment. So ruled IDF Chief Rabbi Goren, without fear of the Chief of Staff's rebuke. (See Bavli Sanhedrin 49a and Rambam Kings 3,9.)

Ideally, of course, we must do all we can on the political and legal planes in order to avoid or head off anti-Torah commands from being issued in the first place. We must do all we can to void and retract the Disengagement. And if we don't succeed at first, we must stand with self-sacrifice in passive resistance against anti-Torah laws and regulations, which, as Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook said, are "null and void in comparison with the eternal statutes of the Torah."

What About How it Looks?

Many fear that the image of the entire Judea and Samaria settlement enterprise will be tainted if its members refuse military orders. This is of course an important point, and rabbis and experts must be consulted any time this danger exists in order to recommend the best approaches. 

But at the same time, we must remember that short-term damage is not always that which determines how we act. Often, the educational value of a given act is more important, even if it causes some temporary harm to the cause. This is true in this case, because it defines very clearly the importance of the mitzvah and of our connection with Eretz Yisrael. It also establishes in our hearts the overriding value of the Divine command over transient political values. By standing strongly and stubbornly for the Torah's values, we are marking the right and true path, along which we will all walk one day. This has been borne out many time in our history. 

But what happens if left-wingers see that we are refusing orders in the name of our Jewish values, and decide that they can also refuse orders that contradict their liberal values? They might refuse to serve in the army if their job is to protect "settlers" and take part in the "conquest" of the land from its Arab residents!

The answer is: We must distinguish between truth and deception. Our stance is one of truth, founded in Torah and even in logic, while theirs is one of falsehood, based on mistaken human misconceptions. While we are loyal to eternal truths, human morality sometimes finds itself on the side of a Stalin, the "sun of the nations," and sometimes embracing and kissing Arafat, the father of modern-day terrorism. The values that guide us are not only moral, but are those that build the nation, while the values that call for the expulsion of Jewish residents and for a refusal to fight our enemy are those that destroy us from within. The dispute regarding refusal of orders must focus on this point, and not only the formal and external symmetry between the different types of "refusal."

Outposts Too? 

Under the Rabin government [10-12 years before the Disengagement], Rabbis Goren, Yisraeli, Kapach, Neriah and Shapira ruled that soldiers must refuse order to evict residents of Jewish communities. But later a different issue came up: What about hilltop outposts, which are not yet full-fledged communities, but rather the beginning steps towards building them? Is it permitted to take part in IDF actions to take them down? 

Some rabbis ruled that if the intent of the evacuation is not to give the hilltop over to Arabs, but just to maintain the rule of law and even to "show the world" that we are not violating international norms and the like, then military orders to do so need not be refused. However, others, including myself, feel that such an evacuation causes great harm to the Jewish settlement enterprise in the Land, and that bringing desolation upon any part thereof is forbidden. 

In any event, the question has not been totally resolved, and therefore the body called the Rabbis of Judea and Samaria issued this ruling: "Every settled hilltop is part of the mitzvah of settling the Land, and it is forbidden to evacuate it… We ask every soldier to ask his commander to release him from all activities having to do with evacuating Jewish outposts, for reasons of conscience and faith." 

And what happens if one's commander does not agree to release him? In such a case, as of now and until there is an agreed-upon ruling, which we hope to reach soon, each soldier must consult with his own rabbi and follow his instructions.

Holidays: The Days of Awe and Sukkot: Parallel Lines

by Rav Shlomo Yosef Veitzen, Rabbi of Psagot, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

We are about to embark on the High Holidays, also known as the Days of Awe: the New Year day of judgement, and the Yom Kippur day of atonement. Five days after that, a week of joy begins, with the holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, the Rejoicing of the Law. How do we make sense of this progression from solemnity to joy?

The days of happiness that follow the Days of Awe fill the pockets of emptiness that were left in our souls during the process of teshuvah (repentance). What is interesting, though, is that when we had the Holy Temple and were able to bring offerings to G-d, this long-awaited joy was not so evident. On Sukkot we were commanded not to finally engage in our happiness – but rather to bring a long series of 70 sacrifices. And the sacrifices weren't even for us! Instead, they were for the 70 nations of the world. Only on the day after the week-long holiday did G-d say to us: "Please remain for another day, so that you and I can rejoice just us together" – and we bring one extra offering for the occasion. Why just one little feast for us to be alone with our Creator and Redeemer?

Perhaps we can explain that the days of joy correspond to the days of awe that precede them. Rosh HaShanah is the new year for the entire world, whose entire population is judged in the Divine court – "all of mankind passes before Him" in judgement, as we say in the prayers of the day. But Yom Kippur is a day that is totally "Israelite," a special day that atones for the Jewish Nation. 

Sukkot follows the same pattern: The week begins with days in which we bring sacrifices for the world and analyze our relationship to the other peoples, and only at its end is revealed our private aspect of "a nation that will dwell alone, and will not be reckoned among the nations" (Bamidbar 23,9). These are the two ways in which we perceive Am Yisrael: sometimes as the heart of the universal human body, and sometimes as the independent nation standing alone.

How then can we define the relationship between Israel and the nations? On Rosh HaShanah, all the nations, including Israel, begin on an even keel – but our entire job on that day is to begin a process of disengagement. We must show in every way possible that we are different than them. We recite on this day a special prayer of Malchuyot, Zikhronot, and Shofarot – enthroning G-d over us, beseeching Him to remember us for good, and recalling the historic national occasions of His majestic presence on which the shofar was and will be sounded (at the Giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, when the Exiles return, when the Holy Temple is rebuilt, etc.).

The paragraphs of this prayer begin with the nations and continue with Israel. In Malchuyot we begin with, "Place Your awe over all Your creations," but we quickly move to, "Bring honor to Your nation" and "the righteous will see and rejoice." 

In Zikhronot, we begin with the covenant that G-d forged with the children of Noach, and then continue with, "Please remember the Binding of Yitzchak for the merit of Yaakov's descendants."

And Shofarot begins with a prayer for "all the inhabitants of the world," quickly changing over to "He hears the shofar blasts of His nation Israel with mercy."

But on Sukkot, we change the program and we begin to "re-engage" and offer up 70 sacrificial bulls to atone for the nations. The great Sukkot joy that follows the Days of Awe is not the joy of individuals, nor is it egotistical happiness, but rather rejoicing for all, a happiness stemming from the desire to be good to all. 

The 70 bulls that we bring decrease in number each day: 13 on the first day, 12 on the next, and so on, until the seventh day, when we bring seven. This is an expression of the fact that the nations of the world are diminishing. But we are clearly not rejoicing over this, for we are bringing sacrifices precisely to atone for them! What then is the significance of the decreasing number of bulls? 

The answer lies in a profound distinction between Israel and the nations. For the Jewish People, it is precisely the disengaging and the inward-looking that makes us into a better nation, of higher quality. But for the nations of the world, the process works in reverse: The more the nations are invested deeply into themselves and only themselves, the more they harm their environment. On the other hand, the more they diminish their own national character and engage more in contributing to the world as a whole, the more they can refine their individual coarse strengths.

This is why the rectification of the nations is not when they disappear from the face of the earth, but rather when they reduce their specific national focus. The goal of the 70 nations must be to "de-nationalize," to strive for the entire world to be, spiritually, "one nation, one language." We pray for a time when "everyone who has breath in his nostrils will say that the G-d of Israel is King, and His Kingship rules over all." 

We conclude by noting that the Zohar, too, makes this point. It explains that the "way of holiness is to begin with separation and end with connection; the way of impurity begins with connection, but ends with separation."