The Secret of Mount Meron

by Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

Every year, more and more myriads of people stream to the gravesite of the author of the Kabbalah, Rav Shimon bar Yochai, in the Galilee hilltop village of Meron – signaling mounting anticipation of the Redemption itself!

What is it about this amazing phenomenon of hundreds of thousands of people streaming every Lag B'Omer to the gravesite of Rabi Shimon bar Yochai?

To understand it, we must first know that it's not just Lag B'Omer. All year long the site is a very popular one for visiting and praying. Some days are more crowded than others, such as on the 7th of Adar (the birthday and yahrtzeit of Moshe Rabbeinu), Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, other holidays, and even Sabbaths in general. But of course Lag B'Omer, anniversary of the death of Rabi Shimon (often known as Rashbi), is the pinnacle, with the arrival of well over a half-million visitors.

How is this singular event to be understood? It can be properly grasped only if we realize that the surging of the masses to the physical gravesite is simply part of the general rush to and pursuit of the teachings of Rabi Shimon – the Zohar and "Torat HaSod," the Kabbalah. This, too, is becoming continually more intense. Not long ago, the study of Kabbalah was a "trendy" thing to do, or possibly the stuff of some sincere amateurs who did not understand much of what they were reading. But today, it is becoming more serious and more profound, and it is gaining momentum in Israel and around the world – among Jews of all stripes, and among non-Jews as well.

Q&A: Can I serve under a non-religious IDF commander?

Q. Can I serve under a non-religious commander in the IDF? Does this bring up Halakhic and moral issues? If you cannot accept witness testimony of someone who breaks Shabbat, how can you serve under him?

Lag B'Omer & The Hebrew Mission

 by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

What can the secrets of Torah celebrated on Lag B'Omer teach us about Israel's historic mission & the antagonists we need to overcome to achieve it?

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (36 min)

Q&A: How Can We Know This Is Really Redemption?

 

Q. I understand that the establishment of the State of Israel is an amazing miracle and cause for celebration. But is it really the beginning of the Total Redemption that our Rabbinic literature speaks of? Even some of our great Rabbis today are not certain of this. Without prophets, how can we be sure that those Rabbis who rule that this great miracle requires a special halakhic holiday, with a Hallel blessing and other such hallmarks, are right? Perhaps they might be wrong? Why take this chance? If, for instance, all of Judea and Samaria is given away, many people will stop believing altogether in the Final Redemption! 

When Compassion & Holiness Come to a Head

by Rav Azriel Ariel, Rabbi of Ateret (in Samaria) and Head of the Achva Center for Jewish Social Policy, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

Two issues have surfaced recently that bring to the fore the question of how "flexible" is Jewish Law (Halakha) where people are suffering. Public calls have been made, even within the religious Orthodox community, to a) allow occasional light physical contact between spouses during the period of niddah, and b) to officially accept same-sex couples into our communities. The calls have, not surprisingly, elicited sharp reactions from all shades of the spectrum. 

These issues appear to place two important values – holiness and compassion – at odds with each other. How does the Torah instruct us to deal with them?

The Religious Significance of Independence Day

by Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Shenvald, Head of the Meir Harel Yeshivat Hesder, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

On the 5^th day of Iyar (May 14^th) in 1948, the establishment of the State of Israel was dramatically announced. After nearly 1,900 years of exile and loss of sovereignty, we merited to establish the Jewish state. The proclamation was tremendously exciting, and a wave of spontaneous joy burst forth throughout the entire nation. Finally, finally, we had been granted the fulfillment of the vision of the Prophets regarding the return to Zion, and the realization of the dream of generations to "be a free people in our land."

Every year, as Independence Day approaches, the question of this day's relevance arises: Does it have only national meaning, or also religious significance?

No Destruction After Redemption

by Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, Rosh Yeshivat Bet El, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

It is a well-known Torah truism that a third destruction, following those of the First and Second Holy Temples, will never occur. There will be no Exile following the beginning of the Redemption that we have been experiencing these recent decades and more.

It is told that the first Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, HaRav Yitzchak Isaak HaLevy Herzog, of saintly blessed memory, displayed amazing faith during World War II. In the summer of 1942, Nazi German armies had made their way to Egypt and were poised to conquer the Holy Land as well. But Rabbi Herzog said, "There is nothing to fear! We know that there will never be a third destruction!"

Nissan & Iyar: Redemption, Kabbalah, & Astrology

by Rav Eran Tamir, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

In Nissan we were redeemed miraculously, but in Iyar, we are expected to recognize Him through natural events.

The 12 months of the year correspond, the Zohar tells us, to the 12 Tribes. As such, the month of Nissan – the first of the months, the month of our original Redemption from Egypt – corresponds to Reuven, the oldest of Yaakov's sons. Reuven's name comes from the Hebrew root meaning "to see," as his mother Leah said upon naming him: "G-d has seen my troubles" (B'reshit 29,32).  

 

Continuing in this vein, the second month – Iyar, which begins this week – corresponds to Shim'on, whose name means "hearing," as his mother said when he was born: "G-d has heard that I am unloved" (verse 33). Iyar is the month in which we commemorate our present-day redemption, with Israel Independence Day and Jerusalem Reunification Day.

Emuna & the Shoah: From Destruction to Revival

by Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, Rosh Yeshivat Bet El, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

How should a believing Jew regard and look at the Holocaust? After all, we are tasked with looking carefully at the acts of G-d and His ways, studying them, and learning from them. It is true, of course, as the Prophet Yeshayahu says about G-d, "As the heavens are higher than earth, so are My ways higher than yours, and My thoughts higher than yours," and therefore we cannot even hope to grasp the depth of the Divine wisdom and the manner in which He runs the world. 

Still, we are not exempt from trying to understand what we can. We are even commanded to study His ways and seek to comprehend them: "Remember days long gone by, ponder the years of each generation" (Deut. 32,7), as well as, "Whoever is wise will consider these things and ponder G-d's kindnesses" (Psalms 107,43).

This does not mean that we must or can succeed in understanding G-d's ways. In Pirkei Avot (2,16) we learn, "It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you free to avoid it altogether." We are not expected to understand the complete depth of G-d's intentions, for this is beyond our ability. But we are not free from trying to understand that which we can, and to thus recognize the greatness of G-d and His leadership of the world. 

The Seventh of Pesah

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Israel was granted insight into HaShem's Divine plan for revealing Himself in Creation and bringing the world to its predestined state of perfection.

The seventh day of Pesaḥ – referred to by Rav Sa’adya Gaon as Ḥag HaShmada – the Festival of Destruction – celebrates the destruction of Egypt’s military forces at the Sea of Reeds. But it also commemorates something more significant to our people’s story – the climax of Israel’s miraculous national birth and attainment of collective nevua.

Shhh… It's a Secret (for Now)!

The Last Day of Passover (Shvi'i Shel Pesah)

by Rabbi Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.co

It is told in Hassidic circles that the year in which the Baal Shem Tov (the Besht) died, on the Shavuot holiday, one of his top students – Reb Pinchas of Kuritz – had spent the last day of Pesah, six weeks earlier, with him. Reb Pinchas wasn't feeling so well that day, and he was unsure about whether he should immerse in the mikveh, as was his custom. In the end, he decided not to.

During the festival morning prayers, Reb Pinchas saw with his spiritual powers that it had been decreed that the Besht would soon pass away. Reb Pinchas began to pray extra hard, but he could sense that it was not helping. He felt terrible that he had not gone to the mikveh, because he could have learned of the decree earlier and then prayed more effectively. 

After the prayers, the holy Besht asked his student if he had gone to the mikveh the day before. When he heard that he had not, the Besht said, "The deed has been done, and nothing can change it." [From the work Shivchei HaBesht, 216]

This very profound story alludes to a unique aspect of Shvi'i shel Pesah – an aspect that is central and fundamental to the entire process of the Final Redemption. It concerns the Chabad tradition that the Besht instituted an afternoon meal on this last day of Passover, known as Seudat Mashiah [Feast of the Messiah].