Emuna: How the Four Places Called "Zion" are All the Same

by Rabbi Moshe Tzuriel of Yeshivat Hesder Rishon LeTzion, a widely-recognized and prolific Torah scholar who passed away three months ago, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel. 

The name Zion (Tziyon) in the Bible can refer to four different places: The Temple Mount, the city of Jerusalem, the entire Land of Israel, and the City of David, south of Mt. Moriah. 

Let us seek out one common thread that will explain the various meanings.

The 16th-century Maharal of Prague, in his famous commentary on Rashi at the end of Parashat VaYetze, explains that the holiness of the Land of Israel stems from the presence within it of Jerusalem. That is to say, Jerusalem is heart of the Land. And from there we can also note that the heart of Jerusalem is the Temple Mount, the site of the Beit HaMikdash – and that the Dvir (the Holy of Holies), where the Tablets of the Covenant were placed, is the heart of the Beit Hamikdash. 

The Dvir is the primary source of the sanctity of the Holy Temple [see Rav Sh. R. Hirsch's commentary to the Torah, Lev. 4, verses 17, 33 et al]. The word dvir is from the same root as dibbur, which means "speech," and this connects the Dvir with the Ten Dibrot, known as the Ten Commandments. The great esteem and admiration that we have for the bringing of sacrifices in the Temple, and the closeness to G-d that it brings, all stem from our adherence and obedience to the words of the Ten Commandments, which include all 613 mitzvot of the Torah [as the 10th-century R. Saadia Gaon stated; see Rashi to Sh'mot 24,12]. 

The Tablets of the Law on which were written the Ten Commandments are literally the handiwork of G-d, as is written: "…the two Tablets of the Testimony, stone tablets written with the finger of G-d" (Sh'mot 31,18). The Torah also states: "And the tablets are the work of G-d, and the writing [thereon] is the writing of G-d, engraved on the Tablets" (Sh'mot 32,16). 

And those very Tablets, given at Sinai, are in the Ark of the Covenant – which itself is in the Dvir, the Holy of Holies, which itself is the very heart of the Holy Temple. After all, the Dvir is the place where no one may ever enter, except for the High Priest on Yom Kippur – and even then, only for a few minutes each of the four times he enters it that day. 

Based on all this, we can understand why the Prophet Yeshayahu states: "For from Zion will go forth Torah" (2,3). 

And with this inspiration of G-d's Torah in the Holy Temple, the wise men of the Sanhedrin convened in the Chamber of Gazit in the Temple, and issued rulings on all matters of doubt having to do with Jewish Law (see Rambam, Laws of Mamrim, Chapter 1).

The word tziyun, which is the same as Tziyon (Zion) but with the shuruk vowel (oo) instead of a cholam (o), means "sign." For instance, we read in the words of the Prophet Yirmiyahu (31,20), "Hatzivi lakh tziyunim," meaning, "Set signs for yourself." Tziyun is also used to mean "gravestone marker" and the like. 

This is the mobile tziyun – but the Tziyon that is quite permanently set in the ground, what we call Zion, is Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. One hundred and fifty mentions of Tziyon in the Bible refer to the Holy Temple, Jerusalem, and the Land of Israel. 

Only in four places does the Bible use the word Tziyon to refer the City of David, which is the area south of the Temple Mount, including the Shilo'ach spring (Nechemiah 3,15). But these four are actually only two, because the verse in Shmuel II 5,7 is repeated word-for-word in Chronicles I 1,5, and the same for Kings I 8,1 and Chronicles II 5,2. The latter pair of verses speaks of "bringing the Ark up from the City of David, which is Tziyon." Why was it called Tziyon? Because the Tablets of the Covenant were there!

But we must ask: Why, in Shmuel II 5,7, was the Fortress of David given the name "City of David" name even before David conquered it? The Metzudot David commentary explains that this is because later, after the conquest, it was given that name. I would like to expand on this and say that it was similarly called "Fortress of David" at an early stage because of the future, i.e., that David was to bring the Ark and the Tablets to that spot. As follows: 

The City of David was called Tziyon in the above verses simply because of the few years in which David placed the Ark of the Covenant, with the holy Tablets inside, in that place. Both sets of Tablets were there: the second set, as written in D'varim, and the first set, those that Moshe shattered during the Sin of the Golden Calf. In addition, an entire Torah scroll was placed in the Ark (Bava Batra 14b).

David was king in Jerusalem for 33 years, after which his son Shlomo took over. From then, it took another seven years for the Temple to be built – and for at least some of this time, the Ark with the Tablets was in the City of David, that is, Tziyon. (When the Philistines returned the Holy Ark to Israel, it was housed in the house of Oved-Edom, from where David brought it to the City of David.)

In short: The word Tziyon signifies the Tablets of the Covenant, which are themselves the sign – tziyun – of the Torah that G-d gave and implanted within us.  

The following objection might be raised: "There was no Ark at all in the Second Temple?!" The answer is that in fact, there was an Ark then, but it was hidden and buried under the ground (Yoma 54a). And since it, too, will one day be restored to us, the name of the site is still "Tziyon." 

And for this reason, the city of Jerusalem, too, and also the entirety of the Land of Israel are called Tziyon – and all in the merit of the Torah that is there!

Toldot: Esav's Deceptive in His Perennial Struggle with Israel

by Rabbi Dov Lior, former Rabbi of Kiryat Arba, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion of Toldot (B'reshit 25,19-28,9), recounts the birth of twin boys, Yaakov and Esav, to Yitzchak and Rikvah. Even inside their mother's womb, these twins went their separate ways – one to holiness, one to the opposite. 

The root of the conflict between them lies in the fundamental contrast that divides them. On the one hand, within our Patriarch Yaakov were embedded spiritual powers as early as when he was in the womb, and from there they continually grew and expanded. On the other hand, Esav's impurity simply could not tolerate the revelation of holiness. 

The struggle between them began before they were born, as G-d told Rivkah: "Two nations are in your womb… and one kingdom shall be stronger than the other" (25,23). And it continues up to this very day, as the Sages taught in the Midrash: "It is a clear Halacha [Jewish law] that Esav loathes Yaakov."

The source for this hatred is imbedded so deeply within Yaakov's nemesis that it cannot be repressed in This World. Only when Yaakov and his descendants – the Jewish People – attain a sufficiently sublime level of spirituality will the wickedness in the world recognize the power of this spirituality and yield to it. 

This long-lasting struggle is waged on various fronts, and we see in this week's Torah portion that it involves deception and trickery as well. At one point, Rivka warns Yaakov to watch out for his brother: "Esav your brother is mit'nachem to you to kill you" (27.42). The renowned 19th-century commentator Netziv (R. Naftali Tzvi Berlin, in his Harchev Davar) explains the word mit'nachem to mean that Esav is playing a tricky game here. For he knows that Yaakov knows that he wants to kill him, and he sees Yaakov taking extra precautions against him. Esav thereupon acts, on the outside, as if he does not want to harm Yaakov. Rikva, however, sees right through him, and warns Yaakov that his brother is aiming "to kill you - his declaration that he wants peace are just a trick so that he will be able to harm you, and you must therefore escape."  

Over the past years [this was written in late 2007 - HF], we have been witness to a phenomenon by which our enemies claim to want peace – when really their intentions are to soothe us to careless sleep. The true desire of the Europeans and their Arab supporters is to destroy Yaakov, its land, and its state. There is absolutely no truth to their peace declarations. 

Our nation must know that our peace and security will not come from the other nations, but rather from within our own spiritual strengths. We must strengthen our Torah observance, and then "the voice is the voice of Yaakov" (27,22) – at which time Esav and supporters will have no ability to harm us.

We pray to merit that our nation and all its members awaken from their slumber, recognize their mission in the world, and act in accordance with the Divine charge. Would that we be a light unto the nations, and merit to see G-d's salvation upon His nation and inheritance – very soon!

Emuna: Iron Swords: The War Against Hamas, 5784 (2023)

by Rosh Yeshivat Beit El Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, speaking to soldiers of the IDF Chief Rabbinate currently engaged in identifying corpses and related work, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel. 

I have experienced many wars in my lifetime. I was a boy during the Second World War, and I remember that after it ended, when it became clear what had happened in Europe, there was a special Yizkor prayer in our synagogue in Tel Aviv, and it was filled with terrible sobbing and loud wailing; everyone there had lost parts of their families.

A few years later, the War of Independence broke out. I was only 10 years old, but I remember that once again we had to deal with dead and wounded. Many people were killed during that war, including a neighbor of mine.

And after that, I experienced the Sinai Campaign, the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and the wars in Lebanon. We have had many wars – but after each one of them, we came out strengthened. During the War for Independence, we were 600,000 Jews here, and now we are many, many times that amount. 

We are in the midst of a long process of the Ingathering of the Exiles, and the price we pay for acquiring the Land is a high one. The Talmud tells us that Eretz Yisrael is acquired through tribulations and afflictions. To this, the Gaon of Vilna adds (Kol HaTor 1,13) that during the process of Redemption, we must remember this truth – and know that "in this way the Land is genuinely acquired." He continues: "We must therefore not, Heaven forbid, retreat at all even if there is some difficulty, Heaven forbid – but rather be sure that these hardships will themselves sprout the deliverance." 

Among the tests that the Patriarch Abraham had to undergo was being forced to descend to Egypt because of a famine in the Land that G-d had just then promised him. The Zohar states that if it were not for this test, Avraham would not have been who he was. Without the need to meet and withstand this and other hardships, he would never have reached the exalted level he ultimately attained. And this is how we must view the difficulties of our times. 

I thought to myself of these souls of all the dead ascending to the Heavens – and the Master of the Universe greets them and says, "You were killed simply because you were a Jew, because you are a son of Mine – so you have to be close to Me here." Even those who didn't live Torah or know about it in their lives, we have heard that in their final moments they said Shma Yisrael. And if they didn't say it, they thought Shma Yisrael, or felt it in some way. They were all killed with a connection to their source.

In one case, a mother and daughter sat in their shelter with terrorists all around them, knowing they could burst in at any moment. At one point, the little girl said to her mother, "We have to say Shma Yisrael." Her mother said, "Not yet; only at the end do we say Shma Yisrael." They never before spoke this way – but that's how it is, the entire nation of Israel is connected in some way or other to its source.

And now, the souls of these bodies which are being taken care of so lovingly and caringly, look down upon those who are doing this holy work, and they are very happy that they are being cared for, being identified, and being brought for a Jewish burial. The merit of those who are doing this work is tremendous, with all the terrible difficulties that we know that are involved. The greater the hardship, the more meritorious is the work.

With G-d's help, we will come out of this situation even stronger. Every tribulation that comes upon Israel brings salvation with it. We know that we will not revert to our previous state, but to a new level of the Nation of Israel, a new togetherness and unity, a Nation of Israel stronger and healthier and more connected to its roots, with the help of G-d.

Hayei Sarah: The Ever-Flowing Spring of Kindness of the Patriarch Abraham

by the late Chief Rabbi of Israel and Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, Rabbi Avraham Shapira, and edited by Rabbi Binyamin Rakover, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

This week's Torah portion – Chaye Sarah (B'reshit 23,1-25,18) – is one replete with acts of chessed, kindness. Possibly the most famous of them occurred when Rivka gave water not only to Eliezer but to all his camels. In truth, this portion is simply the climax of all the kindnesses of Avraham Avinu. Our Sages enumerate all of Avraham's acts of chessed that are recounted in the Torah. Among them are those of the beginning of Parashat Chaye Sarah, where Avraham put in great efforts to find a burial plot for Sarah, and of course buried her, eulogized her, and wept over her.

But why are these acts considered "kindnesses?" Is it not natural and self-evident that a husband would do this for his wife? 

It must be, then, that Avraham did not do all this simply because he felt he "had to," or because that's what everyone does; he did it from the very source of chessed. 

The very basis and foundation of kindness is not the act of goodness itself; there is rather something that precedes it, and that is the love of kindness. As the Prophet Micha exhorted (6,8): "What does G-d require of you other than to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with G-d." Chessed is not merely a limited human attribute, but is rather an ever-flowing spring. After I thought of this concept, I saw that Rabbeinu Yonah had already written it. One who has a love of kindness is not happy only when he does chessed, but also when someone else does a kindness. As we read in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers, 5,13[16]), one who gives and is happy when others give as well is considered "pious" – and it is also a sign that he is a descendant of Avraham Avinu. The basis of all good attributes is "love," and when one works with love, he is of the seed of Avraham. 

Accordingly, it is clear that Avraham's deeds when his wife died are considered true kindness, for they stem from the very source of chessed, and not just because she was his wife.

Lot, too – Avraham's nephew – performed kindness. The Medrash says that he saved Avraham and did not reveal to Pharaoh that Sarah was his wife. He did this even though it was under dangerous circumstances. However, Lot's chessed did not stem from the very source of kindness, but only because that was what he had learned and that was the custom in his family. It certainly was not rooted in the "love of kindness" that Avraham felt.  

We see this in the way Avraham behaved with the people of Het, from whom he wished to purchase a burial plot. As soon as they said something gracious to him and showed willingness to allow him to acquire the site, he showed them great appreciation by bowing down (B'reshit 23,7). This was not a mere formality, but rather true gratefulness and appreciation of chessed for its own sake. 

The Medrash tells us that the Torah refers to B'nei Het, the men of Het, ten times (including once in Parashat Vay'chi), and that this corresponds to the Ten Commandments. They merited this special status because they acted kindly with Avraham, and "whoever makes a solid deal with a righteous person, it is as if he fulfilled the Ten Commandments." Their leader Ephron, on the other hand, was more concerned with the money that he would receive, as we see from the exorbitant price he exacted; this is why his name was written deficiently, without a vuv, in the verse recounting the payment.

An interesting question arises here: Why did Avraham send emissaries, the people of Het, to their leader Ephron to ask him to agree to the sale? Was this not a violation of the last of the Ten Commandments, namely, "Do not covet?" According to the Medrash P'sikta, this is actually the gravest of all the Ten Commandments, because as the Maharal of Prague explains, the desire and lust for "more" and for things that are not ours is the source of all sin! If not for this lust, there would be no reason to sin! And as we just saw, the men of Het had a connection to the Ten Commandments, so how could Avraham have acted in this way? 

The answer must be that one may not covet something that the owner wants – but in this case, Ephron had no interest in the field, but only in the money that he would receive for it. Avraham wanted the field because he knew that it was the burial place of Adam and Chava, while Ephron had no interest in its special qualities, other than its monetary value. Ephron's guiding principle was money, while for Avraham, it was love of G-d leading to love of kindness.

When Kindness is Evil

by Rav Moshe Leib HaCohen Halbershtat yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel.

What is true kindness? 

In this week's Torah portion of Vayera (B'reshit 18,1-22,24), we read of two angels disguised as men whom Lot kindly hosted in his home. Rashi tells us that he learned this blessed trait of welcoming guests from his uncle Avraham, our Patriarch Abraham. 

We then read of the evil S'domites who came to Lot's house and violently demanded that they hand over his guests for their own evil designs. Lot refused, as we would expect – but then he shocks us with his "solution" to the problematic situation: "Behold, I have two virgin daughters; I will bring them out to you and you can do as you wish to them. Just to these men do not do a thing, for they have come to take shelter in my home" (19,7-8). 

What is happening here?! Lot, the nephew of Avraham who lived in his house and from whom he learned how to be compassionate and kind, is willing to abandon his own daughters to a frenzied mob?? Can there be a worse instance of corrupted behavior? 

Not only that, but the truth is that when Lot was given a choice of where to live, he chose, of his own volition, to live among these evil S'domites (13,10-13)! Is Lot some kind of schizophrenic? 

The Medrash Tanchum goes so far as to say that Lot apparently wished to keep his daughters for incestuous purposes for himself: "The way of the world is that a person is willing to kill or be killed to save his wife and daughters – and yet Lot gave them over by his own choice! G-d thereupon said to him: 'By your life, save them for yourself - and in the end, schoolchildren will laugh derisively when they read: Both daughters of Lot with child by their father (19,36).'" [See also the Ramban's commentary to this passage, particularly verses 7-8.]

From these words of our Sages, it is quite clear that Lot was not a particularly great tzaddik… He chose to live with the vile people of S'dom so that he could behave like them – even to the point of being willing to ditch his daughters; he had an evil heart and a distorted S'domite ideology. 

But then, how do we explain his proclivity to welcome guests, which is certainly a kind and blessed trait?

We read in the Book of Proverbs (Mishlei): Chessed leumim chatat, "Righteousness exalts a nation; kindness of nations – sin." (14,34). Rashi explains that the Gentiles would snatch from one and give to another, i.e., perform kindness in a sinful manner. We note that the singular "nation" in this verse indicates one special people, Israel, while the second part of the verse is written in plural, speaking of the Gentiles in general. 

The message of the verse is clearly to warn us from stealing, even if we then do kindnesses and give charity with what we have stolen. It is a Halakhic principle that a good deed done in a sinful manner [such as making fun of someone in order to build up someone else] is nothing more than a sin (Sukkah 30a). Rabbeinu Menachem HaMeiri wrote in the 13th century: "The kindness and charity done by Israel, and those imbued with their traits, is a great honor to them, because they do these deeds with their own property and from the labor of their hands; but the kindnesses done by the Gentiles and those who follow them are actually 'sins', for they steal from one and give to another…"

The Talmud (Bava Batra 10b) cites many Rabbinic explanations on the above verse from Proverbs. Their common thread is that idolaters and the like do not really perform good deeds, but rather perverse their ways and act in a praiseworthy manner externally, while their deeds are actually motivated by wickedness and have evil consequences. 

Lot, too: "Lot lifted his eyes and beheld the entire plain of the Jordan, well-watered… And he chose [that area] …" (13,10-11). Lot lives in Avraham's house, but was in reality focused on the area of S'dom. He chose to separate from Avraham and his G-dly path, and instead joined up with the S'domites. Lot chose the land of rivers and brooks – the land of men of evil and iniquity. 

After a while, his conscience began to bother him, for after all, he had lived with the truth for many years in Avraham's house. He did not know what to do – until he found a solution, the type of solution chosen by those who wish to follow their lusts but whose "good hearts" don't let them do so with abandon. He took one attribute from Avraham – that of welcoming guests with kindness – but did so only externally and superficially. He would act as if he was very kind, to the point that he would even abandon his daughters simply to protect his guests – and all this just to quiet his conscience and then continue along the evil path he had chosen. "The kindness of Gentiles is sin" – kindness that stems from their evil traits and with very ulterior motives, and not from walking in G-d's path, is no longer kindness, but rather cruelty and sin. They steal from their own families in order to help others, and are compassionate to cruel enemies while hurting their own countrymen. 

The holy Torah teaches us that even when we welcome needy guests into our homes, or any mitzvah, it must be done from pure motives, and certainly in a thought-out manner according to Torah principles. Only in this way will we merit to fulfill the above verse, "Charity will exalt a nation," and not, Heaven forbid, "Kindness of nations is sin."