Four Cups

Leil HaSeder, the night of Pesach, is a time of great emotion. We relive the redemption from Egypt. We revive our belief in the future redemption. We drink four cups of wine. They represent the four stages of the final redemption. The first stage is redemption at the lowest level:

וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מִתַּחַת סִבְלֹת מִצְרַיִם

Physical redemption. This occurred when the State of Israel arose out of the ashes of the Holocaust. The second stage of redemption occurred in the 60's, in particular through the 6-day war:

וְהִצַּלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מֵעֲבֹדָתָם

The Land of Israel was miraculously redeemed. Yerushalayim fell into the hands of Israel. A world-wide spiritual revolution fell from the sky. The revolution of the 60's was not completed, and was followed by a set-back. Idealism begot materialism. The vacuum left by rejected religions was not filled. Jewish rule over Land of Israel became a contention. Yerushalayim became a burdensome stone for the entire world. The next step of the process of redemption will reverse the set-back. The truth will be clarified unambiguously. A Jew or Gentile who does not serve HaShem may well be just confused. He really is not sure about the truth. Therefore the truth will be come abundantly clear, בִּזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה:

וְגָאַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בִּזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה ובשפטים גדולים

Israel will be freed from external and internal enemies. With the truth revealed, the resistance of Yetzer HaRa remains. Its removal may require ובשפטים גדולים. Finally, we will serve HaShem in full freedom, freedom from the Yetzer HaRa:

וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לִי לְעָם וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹהִים; וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הַמּוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם מִתַּחַת סִבְלוֹת מִצְרָיִם

מח

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

The Early Roots of Chochma

I mentioned that if X is a count of Chochma, this is sometimes referred to as 200+X. Examples are the Zoharic expressions רנ''ו and רע''ב (see Raya Mehemana Pinchas 230 and 249-252) and the verse BaMidbar 3:46.

The 200 of Chesed that preceded Chochma start in year 2909, a year of Din as well as a year of Chesed. As suggested here, this could be the year of the plague that occurred after David HaMelech had held a census. To avert the plague's entry into Yerushalayim, David bought Aravna's Goren that was to become Makom HaMikdash, built a Mizbeach, and brought a Korban (see the end of Samuel II). Seventy thousand people had died during the plague, ostensibly because they opposed building Beit Elokim in Yerushalayim.

It is clear from the account of these events that the plague threatened the life of David himself. Year of Malchut 2909 corresponds to physical year 1789. Hence, 4000 years before the year 5789, David almost died.

Divrei HaYamim I 22:5 calls Shlomo a Na'ar V'Rach at the time of these events, whereas Melachim I 3:7 calls Shlomo a Na'ar Katon when he became king. If one takes Rach as referring to age 3, and Katon to age 19, the above chronology is accommodated.

Summarizing, counting from year 2909, Chesed reaches 300. After two thirds was the Arizal. At two thirds of the remaining 100, called Yesod, starts Ateret HaYesod. At this time, at count 66 and a little, Moshiach ben Yosef will arise.

The 200 of Chesed from year 2909 until Yesod are divided into 35 spanning 420 years of Malchut until the Galut, and 165 spanning 1980 years of Malchut until Yesod. These 1980 years are the 1200 years of Galut plus the 780 years of Da'at.

Hence, we see that from David's Korban until the ceasing of the Tamid were 420 years of Malchut. The parallel must be true: Bayit Sheni stood 420 years, until 3829. Until the end of the coming of Moshiach are 1980 years, i.e, until the end of "day" 70, the last opportunity for reciting Sh'ma Yisrael.

מג

Piercing Questions

I learned from an Israeli official that the UN is asking Israel questions regarding our vision for the Kotel. As I sensed that the background may be that the UN school for Arab girls is sitting on holy ground, I told the official that the school is standing on Makom HaMizbeach. This UN school reached the news on 7 Shvat, when shortly after noon the earth opened its mouth in a classroom and a number of girls fell into a Bor. According to the Mishna, there is a deep Bor just next to Makom HaMizbeach. It leads all the way to the water of the Gichon. The official told me that he knew that some hold this Shitah regarding Makom HaMikdash, which, in his polite words, was not accepted by all.

Israel's politics is in a breath-taking standoff. Kadima beat Likud - HaShem strengthened Kadima's pride. Korach saw that prophets would come from him, and it strengtened his pride. Surely, HaShem wanted him to be the leader. Why else did HaShem grant him such a vision? He could not possibly loose all. How would prophets come from him? Korach forgot that his camp was divided. Pride prevents rational thought. Korach pursued his confrontation to the end, asking Moshe piercing questions. Moshe knew how to answer, and the earth opened its mouth to confirm that the truth is with Moshe.

May the next government know how to answer the piercing questions of Kadima and the UN. What shall we do with the "palestinians"? How shall we react to international pressure to divide the Land of Israel? What shall we do with the holiest place of Judaism?

מב

האם מותר לבחור במפלגה שהייתה שותפה להסכמי אוסלו

מאת הרב יעקב יוסף

בחומש דברים בפרשת ואתחנן (ד', ל') התורה אומרת: "ושבת עד ה' אלוקיך ושמעת בקולו". גם בפרשת ניצבים התורה עוסקת בנושא התשובה. ב"ה זכינו, וגם לאדם שחטא יש אפשרות לחזור בתשובה. במסכת יומא פ"ו, מביאה הגמרא ארבעה חילוקי כפרה, והרמב"ם מביא (ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה פרק א' הלכה ו')להלכה ולמעשה שיש חילוקי כפרה. כל עבירה היא לכלוך על הנשמה. וככל שהלכלוך גדול יותר, התשובה קשה יותר

בעל תשובה צריך לתקן את כל מה שלכלך. הוא צריך לנסות לטהר ולנקות את הנשמה שלו. צריך הרבה עמל והרבה יגיעה כדי לכבס ולטהר את הנשמה. אדם צריך להיות זהיר. גם על הדברים שהם שוגג צריך תיקון. בחומש במדבר (פרשת מסעי, פרק ל"ה) מובא דינו של אדם שהרג נפש בשגגה, שצריך גלות. צריך כפרה. לכן, כל אלה שתמכו בהסכם אוסלו, על פי ההלכה, ע"פ הדין, הם חייבים תיקון. רצחו יותר מאלף איש!

גם אם תגיד שזה לא במזיד אלא בשוגג, שהטעו אותם, הרי הם עשו את הפשע הנורא הזה, "ידיהם דמים מלאו", והם חייבים, בלי ספק, תיקון. אינני יודע מה התיקון. אני יודע מה התיקון של אדם שהרג בשוגג נפש אחת. אבל על הריגת כל כך הרבה נפשות, אינני יודע מה התיקון

ולא מספיק לומר "אני חוזר בי". מהגמרא ומדברי הנביא שאמר "ופקדתי בשבט פשעם" אתה רואה שלגבי הדברים החמורים לא מספיק לומר "אני חוזר בתשובה". אם אדם ביטל מצוות עשה, כמו למשל אם אדם לא התפלל יום אחד, מיד כשהוא חוזר בתשובה – "ושב ורפא לו". לא זז משם עד שמוחלים לו. אבל ההורג נפש בשגגה צריך, לפי דין תורה, גלות לעיר מקלט, גם אחרי יום הכיפורים, עד מות הכהן הגדול. ואם על נפש אחת ככה, מסכנים – מה יעשו אותם שתמכו בהסכם אוסלו? מי שעשה את הדבר הזה, אינני מקנא בו


על מפלגות החילונים אין לי קושיות. בלאו הכי... ה' ירחם. אבל אני מדבר על מי שבחר במפלגה שהייתה שותפה לפשע הנורא של הסכם אוסלו. כל אדם שבחר במפלגה כזו, גם הוא קשור לפשע הזה. נמצא שאותו אדם צריך לתקן


במסכת הוריות, המשנה מדברת על סוגי קורבנות. יש קורבן יחיד ויש קורבן ציבור. יש סוג קורבן שהציבור מביא כשהוא נכשל. למה, הרי הרבנים פסקו לו? למרות שפסקו לו, התורה מחייבת קורבן. היום, לצערנו, אין קורבנות, אבל צריך תיקון. מבואר בהלכות תשובה לרמב"ם, שאם חלילה לא יעשה האדם שום תיקון, "נכונו ללצים שפטים". ה' ירחם

מא

What Will Be?

The governments of the world are pumping huge amounts of money into the banking system. The money that was destroyed in the credit crisis was not government-issued, but generated by the financial system. The governments are forced to replace this money by government-issued money, to prevent a general loss of monetary savings, which would lead to social chaos.

This government policy is likely to stabilize the financial system. Healthy companies will yet thrive. That should yield a big economic boom, as there will be lots of money available. Banks will soon be able to restart lending and multiply the money that they are receiving now. We will then re-encounter the limits of fossil energy resources. The high oil prices must return. The boost won't last long, because huge inflation will cause another financial crisis. The governments will try to prevent this by taking money out of circulation, at the cost of proper government expenditures. Whatever they will try, social chaos will become inevitable.

I believe that the next collapse will be three years from now. You don't want to be a Jew living in Exile at such times.

מ

Science Reveals TzimTzum

The first verses of Parshat VaEra read:

וידבר אלהים אל משה ויאמר אליו אני יהוה
וארא אל אברהם אל יצחק ואל יעקב באל שדי ושמי יהוה לא נודעתי להם

And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: 'I am the Lord; and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name hwhy I made Me not known to them.

How can HaShem reveal his Name, his Nature, in this world? HaShem is One. He is beyond time. The features of the physical world are utterly opposite. The world is complex beyond measure and subject to the flow of time. The Universe seems independent, ruled by and only by the laws of Nature. The Universe does not seem to need a Divine power. It does not even seem to leave room for Him.

HaShem is One – what does it mean? Here is how the Universe reveals what it seems to hide.

Quantum Mechanics establishes that a physical system can be in what is called a pure state. A pure state is timeless: At all times the pure-state system is completely characterized by its properties at any particular time. In scientific jargon, time evolution of a pure-state system is “unitary.” Examples of pure-state systems are elementary particles such as electrons, protons, or neutrons, or atoms in their ground states.

In principle, pure-state systems can be of any size, and can consist of any number of particles. Even if consisting of many particles, the pure-state system must be treated as “one” in order to describe its unitary evolution. Unitary evolution will generally not apply to its subsystems in isolation, as each subsystem will be “quantum-entangled” into the rest of the pure-state system. Subsystems cannot be completely understood by themselves.

This is the lesson: The physical Universe is but a subsystem (not in a spatial sense, obviously) of the whole of reality. It cannot be fully understood in isolation. It is “quantum-entangled” into the higher worlds. The total of reality is One. Ein Od Milvado. There is definite Hanhaga. The future is certain. The chaos is illusionary.

לט

Until Shiloh

We read in Parshat VaYechi, Bereshit 49:10:

לא יסור שבט מיהודה ומחקק מבין רגליו עד כי יבא שילה ולו יקהת עמים

The scepter shall not depart from Yehudah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until men come to Shiloh; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.

Rashi, following the Targumim and the Midrash, interprets Shiloh as Moshiach. This interpretation leaves the question why Moshiach would be called Shiloh.

Rashbam explains the verse differently, explaining that Shiloh refers to the well-known place with that name (as the above English translation has it). He explains that the mention of Shiloh refers to the division of the kingship, which occurred in Shiloh, when Rechavam became king of the tribes of Yehudah and Benyamin only.

Chizkuni takes the approach of Rashbam and explains in the light of Divrei HaYamim II, 10:1, that the above verse describes the main period of greatness of Yehudah as being from David until Rechavam, the son of Shlomo.

Ba'al HaTurim identifies Shiloh as Achiyah HaShiloni, the prophet from Shiloh who told Rechavam that his kingdom lost control over the ten tribes - an approach also mentioned by Chizkuni.

If this light, the verse would relate to a period of merely two kings - David and Shlomo. As the hefty formulation clearly suggests a longer period, in my humble opinion, the explanation of Chizkuni strengthens my contention that the period of Shlomo lasted a thousand years.

All this relates to the Pshat of the verse. At the level of Sod, the verse refers to Moshiach, as Rashi states in the name of Chazal. Ba'al HaTurim notes that the gematria of שילה equals the gematria of Moshe while the gematria of יבא שילה equals the gematria of Moshiach. I suggest that the Pshat sheds light on the Sod.

לח

Redemption of the Truth

In essence, the redemption of Israel is the redemption of the truth. The Shechina, the Divine Presence, is in exile with Israel. Until the redemption, the truth can express itself only with extreme difficulty, and whenever it expresses itself, it is almost necessarily denounced. Also by Israel. We can learn this from Parshat VaYeshev. Though he recognized the truth in his heart, even Yaakov denounced the dreams of Yosef. Fueled by hatred, the ten brothers decided to get rid of the dreamer. The Sages teach us that they used halachic reasoning to defend their decision, to conceal the ugliness in their hearts. In effect, they fought the truth in the name of Torah.

I submit that events like the removal of Jews from their houses in the name of the rule of law, or in the name of Pikuach Nefesh, are reflections of the sale of Yosef. At some point the consequences of these actions will become so glaring that the sin can no longer be denied. The suffering of the righteous serves the redemption of the truth.

One could wonder why there is no shorter and easier way to redemption. Rashi brings in Bereshit 37:35 that Yitzchak knew that Yosef had not died. If so, why did he not tell Ya'akov? Similarly, why did Yosef not notify his father after he had risen to power in Egypt? The answer must be that short of Teshuva, until a certain time, sin can and must express itself to reach its conclusion.

This leads us to the question why the punishment for the sin, the exile in Egypt, was 210 years. The punishment is tenfold, 10 times 21, because ten brothers were involved. The 21 is the gematria of אהיה, the name of HaShem revealed to Moshe after the exile. It is a hint at a heinous aspect of the sin of the brothers: They made a halachic decision, as it were involving HaShem into their deed.

The punishment of 21 years is sevenfold (see VaYikra 26:18), 7 times the 3 years that Yosef was in jail. A hint at the three years is the three-day period the brothers spent in jail (Bereshit 42:17). Why did Yosef have to spend three years in jail? The three years constitute a tenth of Yosef's life. He was in jail from age 27 until age 30. Yosef had to sacrifice a tenth because his brothers had counted the Shechina as a tenth member of their Beit Din after Reuven had left. In other words, Yosef's emprisonment was because of the falsehood that was uttered in the name of HaShem, and Am Yisrael suffered accordingly.

This leads us to the question why the current exile is so long. The main reason for the current exile is the re-emergence of the monster of hatred sanctioned by religion. This time, as explained in the Zohar, the punishment for the hatred was not 70 times the three years of Yosef's jail term, but 70 times the 22 years that Yosef did not see his father.

May those who rule against faithful Jews in the name of Torah take heed.

לז

Suffering of the Righteous

Ya'akov's fleeing from Esav is the start of many years of trouble and suffering for him and for his family, especially Yosef. Why must the righteous suffer?

Talmud Bavli, Bava Metzia 85a, brings examples of great suffering that visited several great Sages - Rebbi, Rabbi Elazar, Rabbi Shimon. The Gemara states that the suffering of the righteous is desirable and brings blessings to the world.

Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 98b, discusses the nature of Moshiach. Searching for the proper identification of Moshiach, the Gemara discusses a series of names of Moshiach, ending with Moshiach's identification as being a Me'uneh, an afflicted. The Gemara here points to Yeshaya 53, which describes Moshiach ben Yosef, the suffering Moshiach. After saying that Moshiach is typified by suffering, Rebbi and Daniel are mentioned as prototypical examples, because they were righteous and suffered. The discussion supports the idea that until the redemption Moshiach ben Yosef must suffer in every generation.

The concept of Moshiach ben Yosef has collective dimensions. This might be why most commentators take Yeshaya 53 as describing the suffering of Am Yisrael. However, Chazal applied Yeshaya 53 to Moshiach in a narrow sense. In the collective approach, Am Yisrael is suffering because of the nations. In particular, the phrase

כֻּלָּנוּ כַּצֹּאן תָּעִינוּ, אִישׁ לְדַרְכּוֹ פָּנִינוּ

We all went astray as a herd of sheep, and we turned each to his own way

of Yeshaya 53:6 would describe the nations of the world, and Jews would be the exception. However, if we take the above approach of Chazal, it is Israel that went collectively astray, and Moshiach must suffer as a result. Both interpretations are true. Israel must suffer to heal the world and the faithful of Israel must suffer to heal Israel (Yeshaya 53:5).

May this be a comfort for the faithful who suffer at the hands of the current Israeli government.

לו

Fortunate is He Who Waits

Near the end of the book Daniel, we read a secretive passage that tells us when will be the redemption:

From the time that the continual burnt offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days. Fortunate is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred thirty-five days. (Daniel 12:11-12)

Earlier, I mentioned the following two interpretations of the numbers mentioned in this passage.

Firstly, the Zohar takes the numbers 1290 and 1335 as composed of 1200 plus 90 and 135, respectively, and the numbers 90 and 135 refer to the sephira of Da'at. This sephira reached 66 in 5309 but continues as the sephira of Chochma. Ergo, when the sephira of Cochma is X, the sephira of Da'at is 65+X. Hence, 90 was reached for Da'at when Chochma reached 25. This was in the year 5480, the year of birth of the GR"A. Da'at will reach 135 when Chochma reaches 70, in year 5801. In other words, in this view 1335 is reached in 5801.

Secondly, 1290 and 1335 can be identified as the length of a "time", as the word appears in the verse:

I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7)

In this view, 1335 is reached in year 5786.

I wish to suggest a third interpretation, which in my view is deeper than both preceding ones. It derives from a question. The sephira of Chochma starts as the latter part - from 5309 onwards - of the sephira of Da'at - which started at 1200, in year 4529. Why then does the Zohar in several places suggest that it was the sephira of Chochma that started at 1200? For example, the count 56 is referred to as 256, and 72 is at times referred to as 272, which suggests that it is that many counts after 1000.

The answer is that this hides another relationship between the sephira of Chochma and the 1290/1335 days. If X is a count of Chochma, this is sometimes referred to as 200+X because of its correspondence to Daniel's day 5*(200+X). The Remez is in Bamidbar 3:46-47:

For the redemption of the two hundred seventy-three of the firstborn of the children of Israel, who exceed the number of the Levites, you shall take five shekels apiece for each one; after the shekel of the sanctuary you shall take them.

The number 273 hints at the completion of the redemption. It corresponds to day 1365, the number of shekels the 273 first born were redeemed with. Dividing the numbers by five, we see that 1290 and 1335 correspond to 258 and 267, and therefore to the counts 58 and 67 of Chochma. The first occurred in 5727, the miraculous Yovel year in which the redemption was heralded by a Pekidah in the Heavens. The second will occur 50 years later, in year 5777.

I suggest to interpret this as follows. In 5727, we merited liberating the Temple Mount, but we must wait until 5777 to make progress towards building Beit HaMikdash, until 5786 to dedicate Beit HaMikdash, and until 5801 to start counting towards the first Yovel year of the new era, fifty years later.

What is the nature of the redemption symbolized by (2)73? The Sin of the Golden Calf, which led to the need to redeem the firstborn, will be fully repaired. Subsequent to the Geula, HaShem's firstborn, Israel, will become Padui, free of Sin, and an offering to HaShem, as it says in the Zohar VaYera 119a (translated here):

בשבעין ותלת כל מלכי עלמא יתכנשון לגו קרתא רבתא דרומי וקודשא בריך הוא יתער עלייהו אשא וברדא ואבני אלגביש ויתאבדון מעלמא בר אינון מלכין דלא ימטון לתמן ויהדרון לאגחא קרבין אחרנין, ומההוא זמנא מלכא משיחא יתער בכל עלמא ויתכנשון עמיה כמה עמין וכמה חיילין מכל סייפי עלמא וכל בני ישראל יתכנשון בכל אינון אתרי עד דאשתלימו אינון שנין למאה כדין וא"ו יתחבר בה"א וכדין (ישעיה ס"ו) והביאו את כל אחיכם מכל הגוים מנחה ליי'

There is a technical uncertainty regarding the year in which 73 will occur, as it depends on the determination of leap years by Sanhedrin. The earliest possibility is 5820. There may be providence in the uncertainty. As this is the final Keitz, the principle B'Ita Achishena - in its time I will hasten it - (Yeshaya 60:22) must apply. May Am Yisrael be blessed to not have to wait until 5820 for the tikkun of 73.

The footsteps of Moshiach continue after 73. Moshiach is parallel to Adam HaRishon. Every step is one Amah. Adam HaRishon was 100 Amot, and he reached from Earth to Heaven. The knowledge of HaShem will grow until Chochma reaches 100, which is until the year 6000.

לה

Avraham, Yitzchak, Ya'akov

Jewish tradition presents the ancient history of Israel as two eras of 480 years: From Yetziat Mitzrayim to Bayit Rishon were 480 years, and from Bayit Rishon to Bayit Sheni were 480 years. The period of 480 years is called an Idan, Idanim in plural. The next paragraph is a representation of what I wrote before.

From Adam, the rise of Homo Sapiens, to Avraham were 150 historical Idanim. From Avraham to Yetziat Mitzrayim were three historical Idanim, corresponding to Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov. From Yetziat Mitzrayim to Bayit Rishon was one historical Idan. From Bayit Rishon to Bayit Sheni were 10/3 historical Idanim, three and a third, a fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel 7:25 that the repression of Israel is to be "until an Idan, Idanim, and a fraction of an Idan". At a deeper level, then, the book of Daniel hints that ten historical Idanim are from Yetziat Mitzrayim until death will completely loose its power.

Three Idanim is 1440 years, close to the Bond cycle length of plagues of climatic change and massive migrations of human populations. Yetziat Mitzrayim fits the scheme. Following Yetziat Mitzrayim was the Idan of the first prophets in the Land of Israel. Three Idanim later was the Idan of the later prophets in the Land of Israel. Yet three Idanim later, the exile would have ended (see Sanhedrin 97b), but the rise of Islam granted Ishmael his 1300 years of rule over the Land, according to the years of his Milah. Yet three Idanim later is now.

The Idan of Chochma was from the year -111 until the year 389, 500 years from the historical event that corresponds to Noach's flood, until the historical event that corresponds to the dispersion from Shinar. The historical flood was likely in the same area. Year -111 is 5880 years ago, the time of the 5.9 kiloyear event. There is scientific evidence for a great flood in Mesopotamia around this time which brought an abrupt end to the Ubaid period in Ur. The Middle East became an area of much drought.

Avraham came from Ur Kasdim, likely in Shinar, the center of idol worship. Avraham's soul is rooted in the Idan of Chochma, the Idan of Shinar - the sephira of Chesed is related to the sephira of Chochma. Note that Avraham, fleeing drought, moves to Mitzrayim, the second center of idol worship, and that he had to leave for the Land of Israel just like his father had to leave Ur Kasdim for Charan. Note that there were 500 years from the birth of Avraham to Yetziat Mitzrayim.

The Idan of Bina was from year 389 until year 789, 400 years from the dispersion from Shinar until when Terach took his family from Charan, the free land of shephards, across the river Prat, to Ur Kasdim, the city of oppression.

In Ur Kasdim, Charanites were called Ivri'im, the settlers across the river Prat. They were the Mitnachalim of their time. Yitzchak is the purest Ivri. He never left the Land of Israel, not even for Charan. The sephira of Gevura is related to Bina. Note that there were 400 years from the birth of Yitzchak to Yetziat Mitzrayim.

The Idan of Da'at was from year 789 until year 1329, 540 years from Terach's move to Ur Kasdim until Yisrael's leaving Mitzrayim as a nation. Tif'eret is related to Da'at, Ya'akov lived in a period that fitted his soul. From his birth until Yetziat Mitzrayim is 340 years - add twice 100 years for Avraham and Yitzchak. Ya'akov combines Yitzchak and Avraham. He took his family to Mitzrayim in year 1119, to return as a nation of Ivri'im. In Mitzrayim, the Old Kingdom arose in the wake of Yosef's reforms.

From 1329 until 1809 is 480 years, the Idan of the early prophets, from leaving Mitzrayim as a nation until Bayit Rishon and great worldly power.

From 1809 until 2929 is from Bayit Rishon to Eliyahu HaNavi, two Idanim and a third for the rise and the fall of the Hyksos - the return to Mitzrayim, as a nation. After all, it must be that Bnei Yisrael were 430 years in Egypt (Shemot 12:40).

From 2929 until 3409 is from Eliyahu HaNavi to Bayit Sheni, the Idan of the later prophets. The Ivri'im return, powerless, but vowing to stay a nation of Ivri'im forever.

What followed is history, the long and final exile, and Israel's definitive return from that exile.

לד

A Thought for Shemini Atzeret

On Shemini Atzeret we start asking for rain. We do this in the Beracha "Mechayeh HaMetim". Talmud Bavli (Berachot 33a) states that this is because rain is similar to Techiat HaMetim, resurrection of the dead: Rain brings life. Talmud Yerushalmi (Taanit Perek 1, Halacha 1) brings a more prophetic explanation and notes that the verse in Hoshea that announces Techiat HaMetim:

Hoshea 6:2

יחינו מימים ביום השלישי יקמנו ונחיה לפניו

After two days will He revive us, on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.

is followed by a verse that mentions rain:

Hoshea 6:3

ונדעה נרדפה לדעת את יהוה כשחר נכון מוצאו ויבוא כגשם לנו כמלקוש יורה ארץ

And let us know, eagerly strive to know the Lord, His going forth is sure as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter rain that watereth the earth.

The morning of the redemption will surely come. The knowledge of HaShem will certainly come to us, from above, as does rain. This is a blessed thing to have in mind when saying the Beracha "Mechayeh HaMetim". When we ask for physical rain, we should eagerly be asking for spiritual rain also. May this year bring us lots of both types of rain.

לג

Crusades and Pogroms

The Crusades started in the beginning of the 56th 64-year "day" since 1329 until the end of the 58th day. According to the mapping of these days to years of Keter Yosef, the Crusades period corresponds to years 5772-5774. These are years 45-47 of Keter Yehuda. According to the mapping of the years of Keter Yehuda to the count of Chochma, 45-47 corresponds to 5632-5645, the period of the Pogroms in Russia.

The Pogroms and the Crusades are from the same root. The nature of the exposed evil is the same, and the results of the events were similar. Both the Crusades and the Pogroms catalysed the return of Am Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael.

From this we learn what to expect in the years 5772-5774. The same evil will rise its head, against the Jews of the Galut. It will be history's purest expression of this evil, and it will be its last expression of this kind. After this, the Galut will no longer be.

Note that 5772 is a year of Din, and note that from the rise of the State of Israel in 5708 until 5772 are 64 years, one day of tranquility for Ya'akov in the shadow of Esav (Bereshit Rabba 63:13):

ויאמר יעקב מכרה כיום אמר לו זבין לי חד יום מן דידך אמר רבי אחא כל מי שהוא יודע לחשב ימי הגלות ימצא שיום אחד ישב יעקב בשלוה בצלו של עשו

And Ya'akov said, "Sell, as this day [your birthright to me]" - He said to him, "Sell me one day of yours." Rabbi Acha said, "Anyone who knows to calculate the days of Galut will find that Ya'akov will sit one day in tranquility in the shadow of Esav."

I write this during Sukkot 5769. Only three years to go. Financial problems are inundating the USA and Europe. Obama is about to be elected president. The writing is on the wall.

לב

A Thought for Sukkot

If Am Yisrael would do Teshuva, the redemption would come swiftly. This statement expresses "common knowledge," yet begs a question that lacks an obvious answer. What is the nature of the Teshuva that HaShem requires from us? Most will tend to answer the question in terms of performance of Mitzvot. Such answers are not wrong, but neither are they sharply correct.

A great lesson can be learned from the calendar of the month of Tishrei. After Yom Kippur, the climax of the days of Teshuva, comes Sukkot. Life after Teshuva starts with a display of faith in HaShem. We move from our safe houses to live in a temporary residence, under the sky, subject to the forces of Nature. We may indeed conceive of life after Teshuva as a life of exemplary performance of Mitzvot. However, there is a caveat. Our sages teach (Makkot 24a) in the name of Chavakuk (2:4) that in the final analysis all Mitzvot stand on one pillar - faith: "The righteous shall live by his faith."

Here is the message of Sukkot. We are destined to be a Nation dwelling alone, under the Heavens. We are destined to be a nation that trusts in HaShem rather than in money or gold. We are destined to be a nation that fearlessly follows HaShem in all the Mitzvot, no matter what the gentiles will say. This is the Teshuva that HaShem is waiting for.

לא

A Thought for the Days of Teshuva

Parshat VaYelech and Parshat Ha'azinu relate how Moshe Rabbeinu transfers the scepter to Yehoshua. The transition involves the death of Moshe. Yehoshua receives not only the rulership, he also becomes the highest Torah authority. Moreover, he receives a unique task, one that Moshe had wanted so much: Yehoshua is to conquer the Land and give Israel its inheritance.

The final redemption follows this pattern, but in the reverse direction. Yehoshua, of the tribe Ephraim, represents Moshiach ben Yosef. Moshe represents Moshiach ben David. (As Moshe was from the tribe of Levi, we learn from this that Moshiach ben David need not davka be a "Ben-Acher-Ben" descendent of David and need not even be of the tribe of Yehuda.) Moshiach ben Yosef will conquer the Land and will then transfer the scepter to Moshiach ben David. The transition may involve the death of Moshiach ben Yosef, but it need not be. The secret is that Yehuda unites the nation by coming from the left and cleaving to the right. Ben Yosef and ben David can be as Aharon and Moshe, as Moshe and Aharon, one.

The death of Moshe was caused by the sins of Israel, which brought much suffering that could have been avoided. Likewise, the death of Moshiach ben Yosef will not need to be if Israel will do Teshuva. The transition from Moshiach ben Yosef to Moshiach ben David will then be graceful, and very much suffering will be avoided.

ל

A Verse Per Year

The Torah's verses seem to be aligned with the years of history. In addition to the years mentioned here, I suggest the significance of the following verses.

Verse 5751: For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and you will stray from the path that I have commanded you, and evil will befall you at the end of days, if you do what is evil in the eyes of HaShem, to anger Him through your handiwork. (Devarim 31:29)

Firstly, this resonates with the death of rabbi Meir Kahane in 5751. Secondly, the mention of the end of days strenghens the view that 5751 is the start of the last generation, as well as the relevance of chapter 32 to our times. See here for an extremely serious aspect of this.

Verse 5786: Is it not revealed with Me, sealed in My treasuries? (Devarim 32:34)

This confirms the pivotal nature of year 5786. See here, here, here, and here. It is also 420 years after 5366, which was 22*10 years of Din after 3826.

Verse 5791: See, now, that I, I am He - and no god is with Me. I put to death and I bring life, I struck down and I will heal, and there is no rescuer from My hand. (Devarim 32:39)

This confirms what I wrote regarding the year 5791. Our sages (Sanhedrin 91) explain that this verse is the Torah's clearest reference to Techiat HaMetim. HaShem can revive those who died, just like He can heal who was struck down.

כט

Higgs and the Big Bang

Today was the first time that the ATLAS device was operated at CERN. After having seen a lot of misinformaton about this event, I feel enticed to join the chorus of commenters.

1. The Big Bang is not being reproduced at CERN. The Big Bang was first and foremost the creation of space and time. It cannot be reproduced within space and time. Even so, in a very indirect way, the ATLAS experiments may teach us something about the Big Bang. See below.

2. The experiments at CERN will create conditions under which the so-called Standard Model, the theory which describes Electro-Magnetism and the force called "Weak Interaction", should cease to be valid. The Standard Model has a built-in validity limit. At energies above the so-called Higgs mass there is not much reason to believe the theory can hold. In the propaganda, it is said that physicists want to show that the Higgs boson exists. I cannot understand how someone who understands the Standard Model can honestly expect the Higgs boson to exist. A few months from now the headlines will say that the search for the Higgs boson has brought surprises.

3. I have seen hugely distorted claims about "Higgs". It is claimed that the Higgs boson explains how elementary particles get mass, or even how anything gets mass. In reality, the Higgs boson explored by ATLAS has nothing to do with the masses of protons and neutrons. A macroscopic body derives almost all of its mass from its constituent protons and neutrons. The massiveness of protons and neutrons is not coming from the Higgs mechanism. They are composite particles, and their mass equals their energy content, which is predominantly due to the Strong Interaction.

4. The Higgs mechanism in the Standard Model is a sophisticated but artificial mathematical device, used to "give mass" to the W and Z bosons, the particles that intermediate the Weak Interaction like the photon intermediates Electro-Magnetism, and to elementary fermions that carry both electric and weak charge - electrons and quarks. The massiveness of the W and Z bosons and the short-range nature of the Weak Interaction are almost synonymous notions. One could more modestly say that the Higgs boson was introduced to explain why the Weak Interaction works only at very short distances despite its kinship to the Electro-Magnetic force, which works over long distances.

5. The last statement illustrates the nature of the Higgs mechanism. It is an attempt to describe what is called symmetry breaking. Though symmetry breaking is a fact of Nature, and thus must be an essential ingredient of the theory, its expression in terms of the Standard Model's Higgs boson is not.

6. Despite the artificial nature of the Higgs sector of the Standard Model, theorists have used it to audaciously explore aspects of symmetry breaking in the very early Universe, its so-called inflationary phase, and to explain how a once very uniform Universe could have generated its current level of inhomogeneity. It is because of this that the upcoming experiments will have impact on our understanding of the Big Bang. I estimate that a lot of the Higgs-based stuff will turn out to be wrong.

7. The realistic expectation is that the experiments will reveal new physics - aspects of reality that are really different from what we know and that we have not been able to guess. I estimate that the new physics will spur great progress towards understanding all forces of Nature in a unified way - a sine qua non for understanding the primordial evolution of the Universe, and key to understanding how everything came from One.

כח

Parallels

The counts of Keter Yosef (Keter Yesod) and Keter Yehuda (Keter Malchut) each have a parallel. As mentioned in the previous post, the parallel of Keter Yosef counts "days" of 64 years since Yetziat Mitzrayim in the year 1329. The following is a summary of these days:

Day 41 (3889-3953) brought the rebellion of Bar Kochba and the teachings of rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Day 59 (5041-5105) brought the appearance of the Zohar. Day 63 (5297-5361) brought the work and teachings of the Arizal. Day 66 (5489-5553) brought the work and teachings of Ramchal and the Vilna Gaon. The land of Israel came into Jewish control in day 69 (5681-5745). We live in day 70 (5745-5809), the generation of Moshiach's coming. Day 72 (5873-5937) will see Techiat HaMetim of the Tzadikim.

Keter Yosef has parallel climaxes at 41, 59, 66, 69, 70, and 72.

The parallel of Keter Yehuda is the count of Chochma. When Chochma reached 56, the state of Israel arose. When Chochma reached 59, Yerushalayim was liberated. Chochma will have further climaxes at counts 66 and 66.5 (the definition of a half was given here in the context of the count of Chesed). Keter Yehuda has parallel climaxes at 56, 59, 66, and 66.5.

Keter Yosef will reach 66 in year 5782, when the count of Chochma will reach 66.5. This confluence is highly significant in view this quote of Zohar VaYera 119a:

Rebbi Shimon opened up and said: "And I will remember My covenant with Yaakov" (Vayikra 26:42) . (Yaakov is written) full with a Vav, why? But in 2 sides is the secret of Chochmah, one which is a secret on the level of Chochmah, the place where Yaakov dwells, but this verse is said about the Galut of Israel, for when they are in Galus, the time that they are remembered (the House of Yaakov), they are remembered via the secret of Vav. And that is that in the 6th millenium, and the Rememberance (Pekidah) is in the secret of Vav, 6 moments and a half time and in the time of the 60th year to the bar on the door in the 6th millenium, the G-d of Heaven will raise a rememberance for the Daughter of Yaakov, and from that time until the Full Rememberance (Zechirah) will be 6 years and a half, and from that time another 6 years, and these are 72 and a half. In 66, the King Moshiach will be revealed in the Land of Galilee.

In 5783, Keter Yehuda will reach 56, a new Yom HaAtzma'ut. A short time after the appearance of Moshiach ben Yosef, Israel will have emerged victorious. As Israel rises, Edom falls.

In 5786, Keter Yehuda reaches 59, a new Yom Yerushalayim. This same year, I suggested, has the third Pekida. It is 1335 years after the construction of the Dome of the Rock. Moreover, Keter Yosef reaches 70 in 5786.

At the downside, as mentioned in the previous post, Moshiach ben Yosef may die at 73 of Keter Yosef. This is at 62 of Keter Yehuda, and in the parallel, rabbi Meir Kahane was killed in a year of Din when Chochma stood at 62. We read: "And after 62 weeks a Moshiach will be cut off (Daniel 9:26)." May we merit that Moshiach ben Yosef will not die.

כז

Midrash Ne'elam and the Vav Principle

I have explained how the count to 144 towards Techiat HaMetim mentioned in Zohar Shemot 10 ends in the year 6129. Midrash Ne'elam Toldot also mentions a count to Techiat HaMetim, stating that it occurs after 408 years of the sixth millenium. What is the connection? This matter refers to the principle of Vav and is quite complicated. The word Vav contains two Vav's. This is reflected in a ubiquitous doubling of things, in couplings of overt things to hidden things.

Before it reveals the count to 144, Zohar Shemot mentions two counts to 132. The number 408 mentioned in Midrash Ne'elam does not denote a period of 408 consecutive years until Techiat HaMetim. Rather, the number is the sum of the counts appearing in Zohar Shemot: 132 + 132 + 144 = 408. In other words, Midrash Ne'elam does not describe an independent scenario of events. Rather, its statements are made in reference to the counts of Zohar Shemot. The double count to 132 is an instance of the doubling principle: The first count to 132 is overt, while the second is hidden.

The Zohar specifies that the first count of 132 starts off with a count to 66 (twice Vav), complemented by another count to 66. The first 66 is said to be after the 1200 years of Galut. Therefore, this is the count of Da'at. The count of Da'at is of a hidden nature. The associated overt count occurs after that. In accordance with the Vav principle, there are two ways to count to 66 after the count of Da'at. They are the counts of Chochma and Bina, two instantiations of the same principle - the first count to 132 - one (Chochma) overt and the other (Bina) hidden.

The second count of 132 mentioned by the Zohar hints at a count we did not mention yet in its prophetic context: Keter. This count signifies the return in stages of the Hanhaga of Arich Anpin. Again, there are two instantiations, one overt and one hidden.

The overt instantation of the second 132 years is associated to Moshiach ben David and starts with the count of Chochma, which started in the year 5309. The count reached 59 in the year 5727. In that year, a count "Keter Yehuda" of 73 literal years started towards the end of the task of Moshiach ben David, which thus will be in the year 5800, 24 years after Chochma reached 66 in 5776.

The hidden instantiation of the second 132 years is associated to Moshiach ben Yosef and starts with the count of Bina, which started in the year 5310. The count reached 59 in the year 5716. In that year, a count "Keter Yosef" of 73 literal years started towards the end of the task of Moshiach ben Yosef, which thus will be in the year 5789, 24 years after Bina reached 66 in 5765.

After the second 132 years, the Zohar states that there will be a revival of the dead. This refers to Moshiach ben Yosef and Techiat HaMetim of the Tzadikim, as follows.

It appears that Keter Yosef is parallel to 73 generations of 64 years of Zeir Anpin, from Yetziat Mitzrayim in year 1329 to year 6001. Thereafter, HaShem will be Supreme alone and revive us after two "days" (Hoshea 6:2), in 6129. Likewise, Moshiach ben Yosef will disappear at 73, possibly through death, to return at 75, 210 years before year 6001, 40 years into the last generation. (When Keter Yosef reaches 75, Keter Yehuda reaches 64. One could deduce that at 64 of Chochma, in the year 5765, some shadow event should have happened. It think this deduction is correct. See next post.) As an aside, we learn from Hoshea 6:2 that a 64-year generation is a day for who knows how to calculate the days of exile (Bereshit Rabba 63:13).

The count of Keter Yehuda reaches 59 in the year 5786, the start of a count of 40 years that indicates the return in stages of the Hanhaga of Atik Yamim, and is mentioned in Midrash Ne'elam Toldot as the forty years from Kibbutz Galuyot to Techiat HaMetim of the Tzadikim. These (hidden) 40 years are counted in the same fashion as the (overt) 40 years of Atik Yamim towards the general Techiat HaMetim after the 100 of Chochma. That is, we count 40 years of Chesed and Din starting with the year of Din 5786, and so reach forty in the year 5919. Hence, with general Techiat HaMetim in 6129, there are 210 years between the two instances of Techiat HaMetim, in accordance with the words of rabbi Yehuda in Midrash Ne'elam Toldot.

The alternative length of this period, 214 years, the opinion of Rabbi Yitzchak, will be if the general Techiat HaMetim will be in the year 6133. As I have hinted before this is a distinct possibility and the timing is in the hands of Israel. The years of Chesed are the years of the 12-year cycle plus in every calendar cycle of 19 years, the year in which Pesach occurs later than in all other years with respect to the Solar year. In the current calendar (leap years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, 19 of the cycle) the latest Pesach is in year 8. When Sanhedrin will be restored, the leap years will almost certainly be changed to be years 1, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 17 of the cycle, and that will make year 6 into the year of the latest Pesach. With this assumption, the count to 144 ends in year 6129. However, by 6129, it could be that the leap years will be 1, 4, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17. If so, the latest Pesach will be in year 17. With this assumption, the count to 144 will end in 6133. The prophecy יש תקוה לאחריתך (Yirmyahu 31) may hint at year 6133, which is 511 (תקו"ה) times 12 years after year 1.

Midrash Ne'elam associates the sixth millenium to the 408 "years". In accordance with the above, the explanation is that the end of the sixth day of history coincides with the end of the count to 144 (going with rabbi Yehuda) and therefore with the end of the 408 years. Interestingly, the beginning of the first count to 132 coincides with the beginning of the fifth day, so that the 408 "years" exactly cover all of the last two days of history, the period of Moshiach.

כו

Count to The Last Generation

I have explained the perush that year 5751 is the end of the 62 weeks mentioned in chapter 9 of the book of Daniel, every week being in between two years of Din.

From what was brought down by his students, it appears that the GR"A understood by a similar calculation that the end of the third quarter of the sixth millenium would be the end spoken of in Daniel 9. This is the secret of תספרו לדור אחרון (count to the last generation, Tehilim 48:14), and of ארבעים שנה אקוט בדור (forty years I quarrel with a generation, Tehilim 95:10).

This refers to the return of the spiritual inclinations of the generation of the Midbar. This return started in 5751 (תספרו לדור, count TO the generation). I submit that the three major national sins of the generation of the Midbar have since been repeated. The worship of the late Lubavitcher Rebbe is a repetition of Chet HaEgel. Despising the Land of Israel, culminating in the expulsion of Jews from the Gaza strip, is a repetition of Chet HaMeraglim. The personal corruption of the elite is a return to the rebellion of Korach.

The GR"A taught that there would be 7 Pekidot of 36 years in the third quarter of the sixth millenium. This is the secret of עת הזמיר הגיע (the time of the song has arrived, Shir HaShirim 2:12). The historical realization of these Pekidot is less than clear to me. I humbly suggest that they are to be actualized in the third quarter of the sixth day as I have defined it. This would mean that the first Pekida started in 5729. With every Pekida lasting about 28.5 years, the beginning of the next, third, Pekida would be in the year 5786.

This would be in accordance with Zohar VaYera 119a, which addresses the process of the redemption and the Pekida that heralds its beginning, and states that this Pekida will be at the time of a count reaching 60. This count then, whould be the count of Chochma, which reached 60 in the year 5729.

כה

Worship of Man

Something very painful is the case. A great Birur has occurred in the Land of Israel. The matter cannot be hidden and will not go away, as some seem to hope. It is recorded in Shamayim. It was recorded in thousands and thousands of instances of human documentation. The goyim rejoiced - they will not forget the victory. The faithful of Israel mourned - they will never forget the loss.

Pursue peace, the Rav proclaimed, return the Land, Pikuach Nefesh overrides all. Such was his Da'as Torah. The Oslo disaster ensued. The government gave autonomy to the PLO, gave them weapons, and called it peace. The Arabs called it war and used the acquired freedom and the received weapons to shoot Jews and explode busses. Who would believe it? Pikuach Nefesh! Go tell the victims, the families and friends of the 1500 murdered Jews, the myriads of wounded.

Astonishingly, the rebellion continued. Da'as Torah brought us another disaster. We shall not forget the dates: 10 Tevet 5765 and 9 Av 5765.

Da'as Torah brought us the Disengagement. The absurd, senseless, and wanton destruction of the life's work of thousands of productive Jews, the destruction of Jewish villages, Jewish industry, Jewish agriculture, Jewish learning institutes, synagogues, graves, without any reason, without any purpose.

Once more "Pikuach Nefesh" was claimed. Who can still bear hearing these words, uttered by "gedolim?" Too much they sound like "Sinat Chinam."

Pikuach Nefesh - Who would believe it? Only fools do not shiver at what is happening today. Very very dangerous rockets are transported from Egypt to the northern border of Gaza. Israel's major cities are becoming shooting targets.

The worship of man has evolved into outright rebellion. The Chabad heresy is challenging the first commandment. It seeks to replace the proper longing for Moshiach, and to demolish the proper perception of the Divine. Myriads of souls it has caught. A complementary mirror image is found in the world of Da'as Torah. Having enslaved the many souls of their insulated communities, the "gedolim" have come to use their power to challenge the commandment to settle the Land of Israel, and to fight the miraculous settling that has already occurred.

When rockets are fired from Gaza, all understand that the Arabs did it. Most will acknowledge that the Left enabled the Arabs to fire. The standing challenge is to clearly and loudly identify the enablers of the Left, and to fight them with the sword of the truth.

יכבשו רחמיך את כעסך

כד

Anshei Amana

We live in the three weeks towards Tisha B'Av, the commemoration date of the destruction of Beit HaMikdash. Daniel 8:12 states that with the ceasing of the Tamid, the truth was thrown onto the ground. The meaning of this statement reaches very far. The Tamid is not only the daily sacrifice that was once brought in Beit HaMikdash. It is also the continuous dwelling of the Shechina among Israel. It is the presence of men of truth, prophets. After the destruction of Beit HaMikdash, all this truth was thrown onto the ground. Prophecy stopped. At a lower level, the Chachamim of Sanhedrin became the embodiment of truth, and continued the heritage of the prophets. (Though we learn that a Chacham is at a higher level than a prophet, this is restricted to matters in which both reach the truth.) When also Sanhedrin disappeared, the last Tamid ceased. What remains is the Talmud.

Am Yisrael took the Talmud as its absolute guideline. Until prophecy returns, nothing will supersede it, because its teachings, though formulated by the sages, are based on the heritage that came from prophets. This sounds heroic, but we must internalize: The truth was thrown onto the ground. The sages of Sanhedrin did not always understand the prophets, because they were not at the same level. And for the same reason, later sages did not always understand earlier sages. And we do not always understand the sages. A desolating Shikutz appeared in our midst. With the truth on the ground, dogma took over. We became increasingly liable to reject truth in the name of Torah.

This is explicit in the ban of rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanos because of a halachic matter in which he was right. Although Heaven attested that rabbi Eliezer was right, his opinion was rejected by Sanhedrin, and he was banned. The message of our sages is very honest and sobering. Because we are not at the level of prophets, we cannot attain truth in their way. Therefore, we can only decide Halacha by majority. There are many ways to make believe that this was progress in disguise. Lo B'Shamayim Hi - Torah is not in the Heavens; it is in the hands of man. However, by logic, truth is not in the hands of man. Truth is. Therefore, in truth, the matter is a deeply saddening aspect of the exile. While the men of dogma claim the truth, the truth is that in essence the truth is in exile from us.

Woe to those who insist to remain in the exile of dogma. The redemption depends on the return of men of truth, Anshei Amana. This refers to the return of Sanhedrin, and to the return of prophecy. It refers to renewed understanding of Torah, the words of the ancient prophets. The men of dogma will not forever be able to repress the emergence of the men of truth. The hearts of the fathers must return to the children. The hearts of the children will return to the fathers.

כג

Regarding 5769

We are approaching the year 5769. I promised earlier to elaborate on its significance. In the light of preceding posts the following two statements seem in place.

1. Parallel to the count of Chochma, the count of Bina is the final leg of the Din count. Bina starts in 5310, one year after the start of Chochma. The count of Bina reaches 60 in 5723, 66 in 5765, and 72 in 5807. In 5769 it will reach 66.5. The Zohar VaYera 119a promises great things in the year 66 and a half. Though Bina is not the main clock of history, and this Zohar does not directly refer to it, a relationship does exist. May we see the beginning of good things.

2. The year 5769 is 40 years after the auspicious year 5729. In line with what I explained before, tbis is 40 years into the second half of the sixth day of history. If the 800 years of this day are divided into 24 hours of 60 minutes, 40 years is 72 minutes. Both 40 and 72 are numbers that indicate completion.

There are two methods to define the Halachic day and divide it into hours. In the first method, the day is divided into 12 hours of 60 minutes from sunrise to sunset. The second method takes the first method to define minutes rather than hours, and defines an hour as 72 of these minutes. The Halachic day, then, is defined to last 12 hours of 72 minutes, starting one hour of 72 minutes before sunrise, with the appearance of the earliest daylight, and ending one hour of 72 minues after sunset, with the appearance of the first stars.

The second definition of the Halachic day is most commonly used to determine until when we can recite Sh'ma Yisrael in the morning. We can fulfill this Mitzva until two hours of 72 minutes after sunrise. If we apply this to the sixth day of history, year 5769 is 400 years before the stars come out. At one hour after sunrise in 5729, the appointed time for accepting the Yoke of Heaven - Sh'ma Yisrael - is forty more years.

כב

חוזה ישראל

לעניות דעתי הגיע הזמן ליוזמה חדשה ומפלגה פוליטית חדשה. נציע לעם ישראל את ההוזה הבא:

למען השלמת כיבוש ארץ ישראל: נעודד הגירתם של לא-יהודים המתגוררים בארץ ישראל אבל גם גיורם ליהדות. נספח את יהודה ושומרון למדינת ישראל. אזרחים ערביים של אזורים אלה יקבלו מסמכי נסיעה וזכויות התגוררות. זכויות לאומיות לא יקבלו לעולם. מי שלא יקבל ריבונות יהודית על ארץ ישראל יגורש ממנה.

למען אחדות עם ישראל: נאפשר נישואין אזרחיים ככה שחתונה אזרחית בין שני יהודים תהיה תקפה על פי ההלכה. המדינה תתנתק באופן רשמי מכל מוסדי הדת עד שיקום בית דין הגדול בישראל. עד אז, נסתדר בלי רבנות מוכרת על ידי המדינה. ההפיכה תהיה כאשר בית דין הגדול יכריז שהוא התקבל כפוסק הלכה לכל ישראל .בעקבות אימות יסודי של הכרזה כזו, הכנסת תיתן לבית דין הגדול שלוש זכויות כדי לממש יסוד שייקרא מוסר מעל החוק:

א': כל חוק מאושר על ידי הכנסת יכנס לתקפו רק דרך אישורו של בית דין הגדול.
ב': בית דין הגדול יוכל לבטל כל החלטה של בג''ץ.
ג': המדינה תכיר בבתי דין שיוקמו על ידי בית דין הגדול. אזרחים יוכלו לפנות לבתי דין אלה ללא הגבלות, ויוכלו לתבוע את מוסדי השלטון הנוגעים בהם, כגון מועצות אזוריות והמשטרה.

כל המועמדים ברשימת המפלגה הם בעלי מידות מעל כל חשש והם תרמו באופן משמעותי וחיובי לחברה בתחומים מחוץ לתחום הפוליטי.

בעזרת ה' נעשה ונצליח.

In my humble opinion, it is time for a new initiative and new political party. Let us propose to the Nation of Israel the following contract:

Complete settling the Land of Israel: We stimulate emigration of the non-Jewish population of Israel, but also their conversion to Judaism. We annex Yehuda and Shomron to the State of Israel. The Arab citizens of the annexed areas will receive green cards and travel documents, but they will never receive national rights. Who does not accept Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel will be deported from it.

Create Unity in the Nation of Israel: We institute Civil Marriage, such that the Civil Marriage of two Jews will be halachically binding. The state will disengage officially from all religious institutions, until Sanhedrin will arise. Until this time, we will do without rabbinical authority that is officially recognized by the State.
The turning point will be when Sanhedrin announces that it has gained acceptance as the decisor of Halacha for all of Israel. After thorough validation of this announcement, the Knesset will grant three rights to the Sanhedrin, thereby implementing the principle "ethics overrules civil law":

1. Every law passed by the Knesset will only attain its validity though approval of Sanhedrin.
2. Every decision of the High court of Justice can be overruled by Sanhedrin.
3. Judicial courts established by Sanhedrin will be recognized by the State. Civilians will be able to turn to religious courts in all matters, and may challenge there government institutions that affect them, like local government and the police.

All candidates on the party's election list are of impeccable character and contributed significantly and positively to society in fields outside of politics.

May HaShem help us to succeed.

כא