Tag Archive for spies

Pursuit of honor

July 3, 2015 Uncategorized No comments
This article was constructed with the help of either writings, lectures or shiurim of Rabbi’s Chaim Shmuelevitz z’l,  Yissachar frand, Dr. Abba Goldman

Our sages teach us, there are certain character flaws which one possesses that are so destructive, so devastating, ‘it could take you out of this world’. In other words, one can be thrown off course and lose any line of reasoning, any happiness, and any satisfaction, because of this deficiency.

 As one is well aware of, the Sages are very careful, perhaps that’s an understatement, of usage of words. We have to think many times over why they employed, so brilliantly, a word or a phrase when a statement was made.
The Sages use the word ‘RODEF KAVOD’- pursuit of honor; RODEF implies a very harsh and intense connotation. The reason why the use of RODEF is associated with KAVOD is once a person is enticed, naturally, even the biggest tzaddik, the most intellectual, can pursue it with a vigor. At times, the drive for honor, will reach a level to such an extent that he will be looked at in the eyes of others, with his arrogant statements, as a buffoon.  Though, at times, with the power of persuasion his blinded pursuit of honor can be dangerous.
 Perhaps, now we might be able to explain the difficulties of Parshas Sh’lach as to how to understand the sin of the Spies. One must bear in mind that the individuals about whom we are speaking were righteous people. Answering the question of what happened to them? Why did they come back with such a negative report? We know from Sages that it was not just a “negative” report. It was a report that bordered on heresy. The Rabbis interpret the statement “ki chazak hu mimenu” [“they are stronger than us”] to have the nuance that “they are stronger than Him”. They doubted the ability of the Almighty to successfully take them into Eretz Yisrael. After all they witnessed, this statement certainly borders on heresy if not being heresy itself!
What happened to the Spies? The Zohar addresses this problem and states that the motivating factor that led the Spies to this debacle was a matter of ‘Kavod’ [honor seeking]. At this point in time, these people all occupied positions of prominence in the Wilderness. They were afraid that when the Jewish people came into the Land of Israel, there would be a new administration, a new world order, and as a result, they would lose their positions of prominence.
 They lost their objectivity. They had their own agenda. Their agenda was to NOT go into Eretz Yisrael and not to lose the prestige and importance that they had maintained in the society of the Wilderness. This agenda warped and perverted their whole view of Eretz Yisrael and of the Almighty’s ability, to the extent that they said things that bordered on heresy itself.

Another prime example of seeking honor is the wicked Haman who presumably had everything and yet felt he had nothing. Here is a man who was second in command to the king of the most powerful nation in the world and worshiped by all subjects of the vast super power – Persian Empire; however, he was not satisfied with everything because one Jew, Mordechai, would not bow down to him. How could it be that Haman even noticed the lack of this minuscule amount of honor amidst the overwhelming flood of glory that was his? Perhaps, if not for the dangerous predicament our ancestors were in, the way he conducted himself through his obsession would have been observed as quite humorous.
Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l explains that one is never able to achieve satisfaction through honor. As much honor as you will receive, you will find yet more that you must have, and so your craving will never be satisfied. It’s like a cat chasing after his own tail.
 A great insight by Dr. Abba Goldman who says” the pursuit of honor develops because of one’s insecurities. Therefore, he compensates by enforcing his authority upon others, not believing that he will receive honor naturally”.
Mordechai saw right through Haman and Haman knew it. Haman realized Mordechai didn’t think much of him and it bothered him to no end.
Our sages write, “Those who chase honor, honor will run away from them”. Rabbi Akiva Tatz teaches us an important lesson in human insights. He says, “As man gets older, his desire for physical pleasures for women decreases. However, as compensation, there is an increased desire for honor”.
HOW TO DETERMINE YOU HAVE THE “PURSUIT OF HONOR” BUG
Everyone, in the general public, thinks they are humble and this article cannot be talking about them. It perfectly describes their wives, husbands, friends, teachers, Rabbis.  Perhaps, they’re correct in their assessment. However, there are many interesting methods and perhaps, here is an interesting one to determine if one’s drive toward ego is such. Mind you, there has to be some degree of honor that a person needs, however, one has to gauge that he should not exceed the required amount. So what is the Litmus test?
 Please listen to this interesting observation. Falling asleep, at times, can be difficult. There are those who the minute they place their head on the pillow – they’re sleeping. Others, though who are not so fortunate, start to unwind, at times, forty minutes later? During that waiting grace, many have developed methods of how to fall asleep. One very popular method is to envision pleasant thoughts or being in a nice relaxing environment.
For instance, I envision lying on a hammock by a pond, between mountains where there is a waterfall in the background. That usually does the trick. Another nice thought, is sitting on the bridge, on the USS Star ship Enterprise cruising at warp speed. The galaxy never looked nicer.
However, one can sound the alarm of “honor” when this soothing thought, more or less, is his lullaby. The scenario, often repeated, is being at the podium, giving an exhilarating speech in front of a banquet  of well-wishers who are applauding your every breath. Then you break out into a song that brings the crowd to a standing ovation. Everyone is impressed.
 We all, in our adolescent, have acted out in our room, in front of the mirror, pretending  taking the last shot at the buzzer at the basketball game or hitting the game, winning home run in the seventh game of the World Series. However, if these dreams of glory linger into our adult life it can lead to negative results and disappointments.
Dr Goldman says: “G-d gave each one of us special powers. Yes, it’s okay sometimes to dream; in fact it’s healthy. However, one cannot take it to the level of RODEF. G-d wants us to be ourselves. He wants us to be the best version of ourselves and that means being modest in our actions. An example given of one with a good voice is asked to pray as a chazzan. He should not think that he is deserving of great honor because he can sing so beautifully. The ability to sing is a gift from G-d and that is true of all the human abilities that a person may possess. We are charged to use the gifts G-d gives us appropriately in His service. By acting with too much pride one is insulting his very essence.
 It’s funny; RODEF is a human trait that can be used in an extreme way.  The commandment in the passuk [verse] to pursue justice is stated in Devarim Tzedek, Tzedek tirdof. (Literally, “Justice, Justice shall you pursue.”) Also, we find a parallel usage: “Seek out peace, and pursue it.” (Bakesh shalom, v’radfehu.) [Tehillim 34:15]. One can use this powerful energy, for justice and peace, in a positive direction.
  One has to know the dangers of the unconscious pursuit of honor. The spies fell prey to it, Haman ruined his life and the life of others for that desire, and it’s frightening, because to some degree we are all prone to get tested by it at some time.

Our Brave Israeli solderes protect the holy city of Tel Aviv

June 4, 2015 Uncategorized No comments
This article was constructed with the help of either writings, lectures or shiurim of Rabbi’s Paysach krohn,  Yissachar frand and survey by Boaz Davidoff

 

“Perception” is very important. How one sets the table determines the tone, the heartbeat of the moment. There is a very important lesson one can learn from this week’s parsha, Shlach, which our Sages try to emphasize. It comes naturally to one particular individual, my fun-loving aunt.  My Aunt Tamar has a unique quality of painting a rosy picture of our home land, Israel.
She set the tone many times as she picked us up from the airport when we arrived in Israel. I’ll never forget as we were waiting at the traffic light in her car, staring at the Israeli solders guarding the area surrounding the airport, how she raved these are the best solders in the world; they protect us. Those words gave me a reassuring feeling of safety, especially after all the attacks against our people. On many occasions, she would tell my mother, ” Roza, lo ta’amini kama ha’aretz shelonu hitpate’ach”, you would not believe how our Israel has blossomed”. She was referring to the new roads, central bus station and neighborhoods that had opened up. My mother grew up in Israel in the pre-state Palestine and early statehood. My Aunt Tamar would kid with me smiling and say “maybe its not as modern and sophisticated like your America but we’re not too far behind; we have kinyons- huge shopping malls too”. If one would play some Israeli popular culture tunes as she’s talking about the cafes and restaurants it would seem like an Israeli tourist commercial. A little song and dance to go with her pitch and I’m sold. Guide me to the American neighborhoods in Israel please!!
A student of Reb Yisrael Salanter ( father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh Yeshiva and Talmudist) once went to his master and told him that he was going to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. He inquired of his Rebbe what he should be careful about. Reb Yisrael told him to be careful not to transgress the prohibition of speaking Lashon HaRah [evil] about Eretz Yisrael.  Just as our ancestors’ actions set patterns for us in a positive direction (ma’aseh Avot  siman l’Banim), so too can they do in a negative direction. There was an action of our ancestors concerning Eretz Yisrael — the incident of the Spies. This incident implanted for all generations a tendency within us, that when a person goes to visit Eretz Yisrael he may wish to dwell on its shortcomings rather than on its tremendous attributes. Reb Yisroel therefore told the student “Be careful, and don’t stumble in the sin of the spies.”
However it is becoming a difficult task to see the positive light. With the advent of jet airplanes and overseas travel, we can, at a whim, hop on a plane and spend a few days in Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel]. It wasn’t always so easy. In earlier times, travelling to Israel involved a long, exhausting, and sometimes dangerous journey over land and water. In fact, to “visit” Israel at all was quite uncommon. Most people who undertook the journey did so to move there permanently. To go there for a week or ten days was unheard of.
Today, we are blessed to have such ready accessibility to our Holy Land. Sometimes, though, this blessing can be a two-edged sword. The easier it becomes to visit Israel, the more commonplace and ho-hum it becomes. Travelling to the Holy Land, which had once been seen as a holy pilgrimage and a spiritually uplifting mission which could change one’s life forever, is now weighed by potential vacationers against a trip to Florida or summer camp for the kids – “What should we do this year…” The more difficult something is, the more commitment and resolution it requires, the more meaningful it becomes. We have to be careful that in today’s global, travel-happy society, we do not lose sight of our Holy Land and its significance.
  The story of the Spies and their nation which looked a gift horse in the mouth and rejected it … the one time that they should have accepted it. Just as the momentary eating from the Aitz HaDa’as Tov v’Rah-the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil-cost mankind Paradise until this day, likewise has the momentary rejection of Eretz Yisroel back at our beginning cost us 3,322 years of exile, and counting. Scary how quick decisions can be costly.
We see many examples from the Torah how important the land is and what attitude we should have towards it. A verse concerning our forefather Avraham says “And G-d said to Avraham, ‘Lift your eyes and see from the place where you are standing there. For all the land that you see, I will give to you and your children.'” [Bereshis 13:14] Before G-d showed Avraham the Land, he advised him to lift up his eyes. That is the approach that one must take when viewing the Land of Israel. It must be with ‘lifted eyes’. It requires, sometimes, an uplifted vision to see beyond the imperfections and to recognize the beauty and greatness of the Land.
Our leader Moshe went through painstaking experiences to ensure that his successor would be ready to deal with such problems.
Many of us are familiar with the teaching of our Rabbis that the letter Yud that was added to the name Hoshea came from the name of our first Matriarch. Sarah originally was called Sarai. Moshe took the Yud that was dropped from her name and gave it to Hoshea. Moshe anticipated that Yehoshua would need tremendous strength and assertiveness to stand up against the other spies in defending the Land and the plan to inhabit it. Moshe felt that because of his personality traits, Hoshea did not have the resolve necessary to stand up and fight. That is why he had to give him the new name including the letter Yud.
But still, what does the Yud from Sarai have to do with protecting Hoshea?   If there was one personality in Tanach who had strength to stand up to adversity and know how to fight ill influences, that was our Matriarch Sarah. When she saw that there was a Yishmael growing up with her son Yitzchak and she saw that this person would provide the wrong type of influence for her son, she knew what type of action was necessary. She insisted, “Send this lady out of my house with her son, into the desert!” When Avraham questioned her how he could act so cruelly, G-d told him, “All that Sarai tells you, listen to her” [Bereshis 21:12]. That took a tremendous strength. But a mother knew what was right for her child. She knew that so-called compassion now would end in cruelty. What was required over here was to say emphatically, “I am sorry. I will not have my son ruined!” Yehoshua also required that. There were 10 people, great and worthy leaders. It would be necessary to stand-up to the Gedolei HaDor-people who are considered the heads of the generation, in effect. Where does one get that strength? One gets it from what Sarah our Matriarch had. Sarah was the Torah prototype when it came to standing up to the wrong crowd. The YUD represent the strength of personality that will be needed by Yehoshua.
There are many tests we encounter comparing the land of Israel and its people, our brothers, to other lands and nations of the world. Our thought and perception of Israel can be ruined by those notions.  That negativity is similar to Yehoshua encountering the ten spies. We need the YUD to stand up and fight the influence, the materialistic influence for that matter, against those seductions. We need the YUD to stop those who dissuade us from visiting, because of safety reasons, or to a higher extent, make pilgrimage to the holy land.
There was a study which found Israeli citizens who were on the lower part of the income chart, needed less to live and were satisfied with what they had more then any other citizens in the world.
When the Gerrer Rebbe, zt”l, (25 December 1866 – 3 June 1948), also known as the
Imrei Emes after the works he authored, was the third Rebbe of the Hasidic dynasty of Ger, went to Eretz Yisrael before the Second World War he wrote back a letter and referred to the “holy city of Tel Aviv”. His Chassidim wondered — we would understand “the holy city of Jerusalem”; we would understand “the holy city of Hevron”; “the holy city of Tzfat” — But the “holy city of Tel Aviv”?! What is so holy about Tel Aviv?
The Gerrer Rebbe wrote back and told his Chassidim, “The only Houses of Worship in Tel Aviv are synagogues! Other cities have churches and mosques, but Tel Aviv is holy — it has only synagogues!” This is the “lift your eyes” that G-d said to Avraham — to see that Tel Aviv has its holiness and not to dwell upon the imperfections.
We see more examples how careful one should be with people associated with the land. Yaacov our forefather was afraid of Eisav because perhaps his good deeds might prevail over his. What were his good deeds?  Eisav honored his parents in a tremendous way. Secondly, he lived in Israel.
The Talmud saw the Land of Israel as a supreme religious value that under certain circumstances allowed Jews to reacquire and purchase land in the Land of Israel from non-Jews even on the Shabbat. It promoted the concept of “yishuv Eretz Yisrael” – the settlement and upbuilding of the Land of Israel as a religious obligation and a supreme value in Judaism and Jewish life.
 
I was anxiously anticipating arriving at the old neighborhood, Floranteen, of where my grandparents lived. It has been twenty years since I visited; my grandparents have long since left this world. As I was coming nearer I could smell the scent of the sandy industrial neighborhood causing millions of memories of my childhood visits.
On one such memory, we were sitting, mom, Aunt Tamar and my grandparents, on the porch of my grandparents house, on a shabbat afternoon. where my aunt convinced me to eat a fruit; it was a peach. She said Israel has the best peaches in the world.
Today, my life style has changed. I had to give up  the Haagen-Dazs /pizza diet which I was a mainstay for the past gazillion years, because of health reasons.  Eating more fruits and vegetables is now a necessity. Being exposed to natures candy a lot more, I must admit, my Aunt Tamar was right. Israeli peaches are the best I have ever tasted. Perhaps the background music on the Israeli tourist commercial can stop. I’m sold on the land of Israel……HOW SWEET IT IS.

Tricking Pharaoh: a lesson in life

January 22, 2015 Uncategorized No comments
Dvar Torah based on the writings of Y. Nachshoni on weekly parsha  
We see something very interesting in this week’s parsha. Every aspect in life is connected. Unfortunately, many times we’re not privileged to see the connection but sometimes we’re lucky and we can see the puzzle being pieced together.

In criminal law, entrapment is when a law enforcement agent induces a person to commit an offense that the person would have otherwise been unlikely to commit.

The Sages are puzzled why G-d had to trick Pharaoh into thinking that the Israelites were trapped in the dessert. Pharaoh, who was very intelligent, was obviously afraid of pursuing the Jewish people unless he was assured in some way that the situation had changed and he had a fighting chance to succeed in catching and re-enslaving the Jews. Pharaoh actually became king again and led another nation after the Egypt fiasco……go figure. He had to have a great amount of charisma and cleverness to persuade another country to put him at the helm.
Despite all the miracles of the ten plaques that G-d performed for his chosen people at the expense of the Egyptians, Pharaoh was not entirely convinced of G-d’s power. G-d therefore made the Jewish people seem entangled in the desert. The plan of deception was to bring them to a spot between Migdol Eisam and the sea, where Pharaoh would be certain they had nowhere to flee. The desert cut them off. They could not travel there because of the wild animals. Before them stood the impassible sea. Migdal Eisam  was a high place from which it was easy to wage an attack. Thus the Children of Israel entered a strait with no exit.

The famous answer to this question is that G-d pays back measure for measure. Pharaoh and the Egyptians killed many Jewish children by throwing them in the river.  Therefore G-d punished the Egyptians by drowning them in the sea. As a matter of fact when the scripture writes ” VAYAMINU BAHASHEM UBEMOSHE AVDO-..and they believed in G-d and to Moshe his servant. Who are they “the believers” referring to?

Rav Henoch Leibowitz z’l teaches us it’s referring to the drowning Egyptians soldiers. At the last precious moments of life, when the the towering walls of water that was split on behalf of the Jews was breaking and tumbling down and becoming whole again, the Egyptians realized the truth. They comprehended the measure for measure and understood why they were about to die.
The Abarbanel, a famous Jewish commentary and at one point Finance Minister of Spain in the 15th century, presents a beautiful explanation of G-d’s enticement of the Egyptians into the sea. He says G-d intention was to frighten the other nations whose lands the Jewish people were going to conquer. He knew that the people leaving Egypt were at a low point, powerless to conquer large fortified cities.
The Jews coming out of Egypt had a slave mentality; they weren’t going to scare anybody. They weren’t warriors and the world knew that. G-d had to infuse a facelift of the Jewish image and it wasn’t going to be just the likes of the mild mannered Jewish accountant.

G-d struck the powerful Egyptians, the perennial superpower, a devastating blow which was publicized throughout the world. Hence, the splitting of the sea paved the way for the conquest of the land of Israel.

The beautiful song that we sing in our morning prayers, AZ YASHIR, which describes the wonders of the splitting of the sea by G-d’s mighty hand, hints at what transpired as a result of the devastation of the drowning of the Egyptians:
“Nations heard and shuttered: terror gripped those who dwell in Philistia. Edom’s chief then panicked; trembling gripped the powerful ones of Moav; all of Canaan’s residents melted away…..Until Your people crossed through, G-d.”

Similar are the words of Rachav, who was considered one of the four most beautiful woman that ever lived,. She was the most sort after prostitute ever. Rachav helped and protected the two Hebrew spies who were on a mission exploring the land that would eventually be their land; the land of Israel. She said (Yehoshua 2:9:10) ” I know that G-d gave you the land and that your fear took hold of us. All the residents of the land tremble before you , for we heard how G-d dried up the sea of Reeds before you when you were leaving Egypt”. Rachav eventually converted to Judism and astonishingly married the leader Yehoshua ben Nun. She rose to such an extent that she became a prophetess.

Rachav expressed the tone and heartbeat of the seven nations who occupied the land of Israel. This gave the Israelites a huge psycological edge in conquering the promised land in which G-d laid the groundwork by splitting the sea.
It seems like Pharaoh did not get the message from the plaques. The message that G-d runs the show had to come full circle by splitting the sea. With that action G-d was able to pay back measure for measure for the killing of the Jewish babies as well as set the tone for the future. We see how important the concept of the homeland is. G-d split the sea for an easy landing for our ancestors in the promised land.

There are many things in life that occur that one scratches his head. There are some incidences that are quite painful and difficult to make the adjustment. One has to realize every event that happens is connected and if we are lucky we can understand and figure out the puzzle.

When our forefather Avraham was about to leave this world, the scripture said AVRAHAM ZAKEN BAH BAH YAMIM-Avraham was old. The Sages interpret that he was blessed where he was able to understand and figure out the puzzle. He was able to figure out why events occurred in his life. Most of us will live our entire life and not know why things happened to us. We just have to realize that there is a master plan and everything is charted by G-d.