Geula "Today"

I read a puzzling pamphlet by Rav Ya'akov Ariel about Birkat HaChammah. The Rav explains that we know that the year is not really 365.25 days, but for the purposes of Birkat HaChammah we prefer the non-precise computation. The way I understand what the Rav writes is that, theoretically, we could do better with a better approximation, but the Sages chose to not do so, for the sake of simplicity.

This is not how I understand it. With better approximations of the year's length, the notion of the Sun returning to its original position disappears. The simplicity of the 365.25 approximation is the essence. It is not at all a pragmatic choice.

The 28-year cycle is not an approximation. It is exact, just like the cycles of 7, 12, and 19 years are exact. Physical reality reflects these numbers in a slightly distorted fashion. There are approximately, but not exactly, 235 months in 19 years, giving 7 leap years and 12 regular years. The year is approximately, but not exactly, 365 and a quarter days, and after 28 years the 'quarters' approximately, but not exactly, add up to a week. However, physical reality is not the norm. It is the mirror through which we see.

What we see through the mirror are exact symmetries of the 6000 years of Malchut. Zeir Anpin has interfering cycles of lengths 7, 12, 19, and 28. The sum is 66, twice Vav. Gevura has 7, Chesed has 12, Yesod has 19. Tiferet, Netzach, Hod together have 7 times 12. Each has 28. Every one of the 28 years is associated to a letter of the Aleph-Beth. Years 1-22 correspond to the regular letters of the Aleph-Beth, years 23-27 correspond to the five "Sofit" letters, the last year is Aleph Sofit. At every Birkat HaChammah a new "day" of history starts. Its middle five years are its essence, the height of the day.

The last four cycles brought us the success of the zionist movement, leading to the Balfour declaration, the rise of Yemach Shemo, leading to the Holocaust, the liberation of Yerushalayim, leading to the Yom Kippur war, and the Oslo rebellion, leading to the Oslo war. The pattern is clear - May we merit to see the final Geula "today."

מז

On the Date of Birkat HaChammah

A Ma'amar regarding this year's date of Birkat HaChammah from the Kadosh Elyon is making waves. The date is Erev Pesach. The pshat of the Ma'amar makes no sense. The reason given for the importance of Erev Pesach is invalid from every perspective. Clearly, the Kadosh Elyon was aware of this. He must hint at something hidden. Perhaps he hints at the one date for Birkat HaChammah that is special - the fourth of Nissan. Interestingly, when we will say the Beracha on Erev Pesach 5769, that will be the end of the auspicious period which started with Birkat HaChammah on Nissan 4, 5741.

מו

The Sin of the Right

Talmud Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 10, Halacha 2 (page 28, Tor 2)

ר"ש בן יוחי שלשה עשר עגלים עשו ישראל ואחד דימוסיא לכולן ומה טעמא ויאמרו אלה אלהיך ישראל הרי לשנים עשר שבטים זה אלהיך הרי דימוסיא אחת לכולן וכי מה עשה אחאב כתיב ויהי הנקל לכתו בחטאות ירבעם בן נבט והלא קולותיו של אחאב הם כחומרותיו של ירבעם ולמה נמנה ירבעם תחילה שהוא התחיל בקלקלה תחילה

Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai said: Israel made twelve calves, and a public one for all. What is the meaning of this? They said: "This is your God, Israel." That is, to the twelve tribes (they said): "This is your God." That is, the public one is for all. And what did Achav do? He got used to doing the sins of Yerovam ben Nevat. And see, the small sins of Achav are as the worst sins of Yerovam. Why then is Yerovam (in Scripture) regarded as the primary (sinner)? Because he started the corruption.

The Sin of the right is to go against HaShem in a religious fashion. The danger looms when Am Yisrael is divided. To illustrate this, the Talmud mentions Achav. His Avodah Zarah originated from Yerovam, the first king of Yisrael after the split between Yehudah and Yisrael. Reuniting does not automatically solve the problem. Achav brought great unity between Yehudah and Yisrael (Melachim Aleph 22). Yet, Achav's smaller sins equal Yerovam's worst sins. If the uniting groups keep serving false doctrines, their unison will create the most vicious falsehood. This is how Chet HaEgel came about.

In all humility, because of the seriousness of the matter I feel I must apply this to a disaster that is happening in our days - the disaster that was caused by a psak of Rav Ovadia Yosef. A psak regarding the most urgent national matter the State of Israel is facing. Can we give away parts of Eretz Yisrael to achieve peace? Rav Ovadia understood that he could not decide alone. If Sanhedrin had existed, a majority would been needed to decide. And so, Rav Yosef consulted with numerous gedolim. The majority of those consulted agreed with Rav Yosef that we can give away parts of Eretz Yisrael. Rav Yosef is a gaon in Halacha, who is served by a phenomenal memory and wide view of opinions. He spent more time on this psak than on any other. He worked literally years to get this one right. How can it be that disaster was the result?

The consultations of Rav Yosef did not represent what would have been a vote in Sanhedrin. The disaster was foreseen by many. By many simple people and by very many learned people. The latter's Da'at Torah was discarded because Am Yisrael is divided. Rav Yosef was going with the majority of his section of the Nation only.

מה

Mount Confusion

Around year 3715, Herod was appointed ruler over the Galil. This was the start of the brutal rule of Rome over Israel.

Herod artificially created the highest mountain in Midbar Yehuda, and built upon it his Herodion palace. In Caesarea, he built an artificial harbor with towers far into the sea, which fell centuries later and now lay on the bottom of the sea. In Matzada we see the remnants of his palace, which was hanging over the cliff. His building projects are typified by miraculous architectures.

Chazal say that who did not see the Temple of Herod, never saw a beautiful building. In view of the greatness of his other building projects, how can this be?

Herod extended Har Moriah, in two ways. Around the top of the mountain, he build high walls which are largely still extant. They contain the artificial mount that was the basis for his fort Antonia. South of this, Herod built an artificial mount contained by a square of walls. The mount extended from upon the shoulder of Har Moriah towards the South and the East. The southern and eastern walls of this square arose from the depth of the valleys below. Herod built his Temple in the North-West corner of the square mount, on a flat area of the ridge of Har Moriah, on Aravna's Goren, the site of Ezra's Temple, which Herod broke down.

As Herod's Temple mount has been destroyed entirely, whereas the walls of fort Antonia are, with significant renovations, still standing, the identities of the two mounts became confused. Today, Makom HaMikdash and Makom HaMizbeach are not occupied by mosques or by the Moslem Waqf. The main occupiers of the holiest place on Earth are the United Nations.

מד