Wednesday 4 February 2009

UNIVERSAL TORAH: BESHALACH

UNIVERSAL TORAH: BESHALACH


By Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum


Torah Reading: Exodus 13:17-17:16Haftara: Judges 4:4-5:31 (Sephardi ritual: Judges 5:1-31).


INTO THE WILDERNESS


Fairy tales may end happily ever after, but the Torah is an encounter with reality, in which progress and breakthroughs are frequently accompanied by reverses and obstacles.


The climactic drama of the Exodus, related in last week's parshah of BO, was followed by the entry of the Children of Israel into the Wilderness, the MIDBAR, a place that "speaks" -- MEDABER -- teaching day by day. The MIDBAR is a super-reality, a stark no-man's land where the ultimate existential reality of our lives, wanderers in this often inhospitable world, is writ large. It was fitting that the Torah was given in the Wilderness, a place to which no one can lay claim, a place where no one can take credit. In the wilderness, no one provides hospitality except G-d.


The main event of the "Giving of the Torah" at Sinai is recounted in next week's parshah of YISRO (and also in the ensuing parshah of MISHPATIM, as well as partially in VA-ESCHANAN, the second parshah of Deuteronomy). However, the lessons learned by the Children of Israel in ALL their wanderings in the Wilderness are integral parts of this same Torah, as in this week's parshah of BESHALACH, which begins to relate their encounter with the harsh reality of the Wilderness after the exuberance of the Exodus.


Directly after the triumphant march of the Children of Israel out of Egypt "with a high hand", they appear to go into retreat, and their former masters come racing after them to recapture them. Directly after they depart from the Red Sea after witnessing the greatest ever freak event in the natural order, they find themselves three days into the Wilderness with no water to drink. They go further, and they have nothing to eat. They find food today, but will they have food tomorrow? They go further -- and again there is nothing to drink. Suddenly, their deadliest enemies, the Amalekites attack.


The promise is that at the end of the journey lies the "happy ending" -- the Land flowing with milk and honey. But unlike in fairy tales, the path through the speaking, teaching Wilderness of reality is long and arduous, twisting and turning in frightening ways. Each twist and turn in the journey comes to teach a new aspect of faith in G-d: faith in the miracles that take place in and through the workings of nature ("and they BELIEVED in HaShem and in Moses his servant", Ex. 14:31); faith in the miracles through which we receive our livelihood (the root of MANNA is the same as EMUNAH, faith); faith in G-d's miraculous power to heal through our keeping the Torah ("I, HaShem am your healer" Ex. 15:26); faith in G-d's power to conquer the forces of evil ("and his hands were faith" Ex. 17:12).


Faith is the sustenance needed to survive in the wilderness of this world and to reach the promised "inhabited land" (Ex. 16:35) that surely lies at the end of the road. The very twists and turns in the road are trials sent to bring us nearer to this sustaining faith. For that reason, it is not written (Ex. 14:10) that "Pharaoh drew near" (KARAV, Pa'al verbal form) to the Children of Israel, but rather, Pharaoh HIKRIV, Hif'il verbal form -- "Pharaoh BROUGHT closer" (see Rashi ad loc.). I.e. Pharaoh brought the Children of Israel closer: his very onslaught and the fear it caused brought them closer to G-d, forcing them to turn to Him in prayer and faith.


* * *


THE MIRACLE OF THE SPLITTING OF THE SEA


A man once came to Rabbi Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov, wanting to ask him a question. The man had studied science and philosophy, and according to what he had learned, at the time when the sea split before the Children of Israel, there were natural reasons why it split. Since the sea split naturally, why does everyone make such a fuss about the miracle of the splitting of the sea? This question made the man enormously perplexed, which is why he traveled to the Baal Shem Tov.


Before the man had an opportunity to put his question, the Baal Shem Tov went to the Synagogue and gave instructions to assemble everyone in the town for a sermon. The Baal Shem Tov stood up and said that there are crazy people and unbelievers who find this difficult, but they have eyes yet they do not see. For it is written, "In the beginning G-d -- ELOKIM -- created." (Gen. 1:1). The Hebrew letters of the name ELOKIM have the numerical value of 86, which is the same as that of the letters of the word HATEVA = Nature. The Holy One blessed be He also created nature. And thus our sages taught that when "the sea returned to its strength (EITANO)" (Ex. 14:27), this can be read as if the sea "returned to its CONDITION (TANA-O)" (Midrash Rabba Beshalach 21:6). From this we learn that when G-d brought about the Creation, he made a condition and incorporated into the very nature of the sea that it would split before the Children of Israel at that precise moment. This makes the miracle even greater, for G-d gave the sea this nature from the very outset of the creation for the sake of the Children of Israel. BEREISHIS -- "for REISHIS -- for the Children of Israel, who are called REISHIS = the first". If Israel had not needed this miracle, G-d would not have created nature so."


(From Beis Yaakov -- Teachings of the Baal Shem Tov -- Parshas Bereishis & Beshalach).


* * *


THE SONG OF PROVIDENCE


The Shabbos of Parshas BESHALACH is known as SHABBOS SHIRAH, the Shabbos of Song, because the parshah contains the SHIRAS HAYAM, the "Song of the Sea" sung by the Children of Israel after the miracle.


The difference between song (or music) and mere noise is that noise is random and meaningless, while song and music are ordered and communicate a message.


The Children of Israel burst into song after the miracle of the splitting of the sea, because at that moment, they saw clearly that nature is not random and meaningless. It was tailor made for them! The natural realm, random and chaotic as it may seem, is part of and subject to one greater order or system. It is all one song -- the awesome Song of G-d's HASHGACHAH, His "watching over" the world, supervising every tiny detail. Each detail is a note in the amazing beauty of this song. (See Likutey Moharan Part II, Discourse 8:9 and Rabbi Nachman's story of the Exchanged Children).


At the very center of this Song, to which all the world dances, is the vision of the Holy Temple, the House on G-d's Mountain in Jerusalem. This too is an integral part of BEREISHIS, the letters of which, when rearranged, spell out BAYIS ROSH -- the "House that is the Head". "In Your kindness You have taken this people that You redeemed, You have led them in Your strength to the dwelling-place of Your holiness. You will bring them and plant them on the Mountain of Your inheritance, the foundation of Your dwelling place that You have made, HaShem, the Sanctuary, O G-d, that Your hands have formed" (Ex. Ch. 15 vv. 13 & 17).


When we train ourselves to hear the Song of G-d's providence, we can at treasured moments see, with the eyes of faith, the "inhabited land" that lies at the end of the road. It is this vision that gives us the strength to continue with the journey.


* * *


THE TORAH HEALING PATHWAY


Parshas BESHALACH is always read just prior to, or as this year, actually ON the festival of TU BISHVAT (15th of Shevat). Many people think of this as the "Festival of Trees". However, the Mishneh (Rosh HaShanah 1:1) refers to it as the "New Year of THE TREE". On one level, this is an allusion to the Etrog tree -- and it is proper on Tu Bishvat to offer a prayer for the Etrog one will take in eight months time on the festival of Succos, for it is now, after Tu Bishvat, that the fruit begins to develop and grow on the tree. On another level, "THE TREE" is an allusion to the Tree of Life, which begins sending fresh vitality and life into the world just when spring starts to appear in the Land of Israel and the water from the winter rains enters the trees from the soil, sending energizing sap all through them.


"And they came to Marah and they could not drink the waters for they were bitter. And he cried to HaShem, and HaShem SHOWED HIM (or "taught him") A TREE and he cast it into the waters and they were sweetened" (Exodus 15:23, 25).


The "Tree" that sweetens the bitterness of life is the Torah, which provides us with the waters of DA'AS, understanding of how evil is joined to good as part of G-d's unity.


The first laws of the Torah were given at Marah: "There He placed for him [i.e. Israel] a law and judgment, and there He tested [the people]. And He said, If you will surely listen to the voice of HaShem your G-d and do what is right in His eyes and listen to His commandments and guard all His statutes, all the diseases that I have put upon Egypt I will not put upon you, for I HaShem am your healer" (Ex. 15:25-6).


The laws given at Marah were those of Shabbos, the Red Heiffer (purifying from defilement from contact with a dead body) and DINIM, the laws governing our relations with others (see Rashi on Ex. 15:25). All three are bound up with healing. Only through keeping Shabbos is it possible to heal from the curse of Adam, "with the sweat of your brow you will eat bread". Man is forced to work in the world. The only release from this slavery (Egypt) is to abstain from work for one day of the week, in order to elevate the work of all the days of the week to the service of G-d. The Ashes of the Red Heiffer are the source of all healing (EPHER = ashes, has the same letters as the root RAPA = heal), for if we cannot heal from death and integrate it into our vision of life, we cannot heal from anything. The laws governing our relations with others in our family, marital, business and other dealings are the foundation of social healing, which must go hand in hand with individual healing.


* * *


May we be blessed with health and strength and taste of the fruit of the Tree of Life this TU BISHVAT!!!


Shabbat Shalom!


Avraham Yehoshua Greenbaum


--


AZAMRA INSTITUTE
PO Box 50037 Jerusalem 91500 Israel
Website: http://www.azamra.org/

THE WAR CRIMES FICTION


The war-crimes fiction


By Yehuda Ben Meir


Tags: israel news, cast lead, Gaza


Anyone who has been listening to the news and reading newspapers might still really believe that Israel committed war crimes during Operation Cast Lead. Not so! This is a blood libel, quite simply, a baseless accusation. This is not to say that mistakes were not made here and there, that there was not flawed judgment, that a given unit didn't use inappropriate ammunition, and that there weren't incidents of soldiers who behaved in an improper way. Presumably such things did happen. But from here to the accusation that Israel is guilty of war crimes and that the Israel Defense Forces is guilty of immoral warfare is a very long way.


The mention of concepts like "war crime" or "crime against humanity" in the same breath as Operation Cast Lead is sheer, futile nonsense. The leaders of the Nazis were convicted of war crimes for the murder of millions in cold blood. Adolf Eichmann was convicted of a crime against humanity for having sent millions to the gas chambers. The use of these terms in connection with a belligerent act of self-defense against an armed terrorist organization acting from an area crowded with civilians is not only a distortion of the truth, even if hundreds of civilians or more are killed. It is also a moral perversion of the first order, marked by an overabundance of maliciousness and hypocrisy.


Do not believe people who say international law was violated during the Gaza operation. They are the ones using international law cynically for purposes that have nothing to do with concerns about the morality of warfare. The best academic jurists in Israel and abroad are rejecting these accusations. Professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard University has dissected with the honed scalpel of a great legal expert the accusations against the IDF operation, and has rejected them outright. Professor Yoram Dinstein, one of Israel's greatest experts on international law, made it clear in a lecture at the Institute for National Security Studies that the accusations against the IDF are anchored in prejudice. In Europe this is a matter of classic anti-Semitism and in Israel one of pathetic self-hatred - or ignorance and misunderstanding of the principles of international law, especially in spirit.


A strange thing has happened here. It used to be that the main question was who is the aggressor and who has implemented his right to self-defense. This is the true moral question. Today no distinction is being made between one who has risen against the state to destroy it and one who has risen to defend his life.


The only question that interests the world is whether and how many civilian casualties there have been, while totally ignoring the identity of those responsible for the war and killing, an inevitable outcome of any war and certainly a war against a cruel terrorist organization. When he was U.S. president, Harry Truman ordered the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan to spare the lives of American soldiers; the justification for this was anchored in the fact that Japan was responsible for the war.


Of course it must be regretted that women and children were killed. Nor am I glad about the killing of Hamas people - on such things the Holy One, blessed be He, has already said: "The work of my hands is drowning in the sea and you are chanting a song before me?" But the responsibility for all the killing and suffering is solely that of the aggressor, Hamas. No civilian who was harmed - even if because of a mistake - is weighing on the Israeli conscience. This is the truth that lets us walk with our heads high. There is no need to be alarmed by people for whom hypocrisy and mendacity are lights unto their feet. Their moral level is very far from ours.


The writer is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies.

GERMAN-BORN POPE UNDER FIRE IN HIS HOMELAND OVER TOLERANCE OF HOLOCAUST DENIAL


German-born pope under fire in his homeland over tolerance of Holocaust denial


By Reuters


Tags: Vatican, Israel News


Nearly four years after a rare outburst of national pride over the election of a German pope, Germans are falling out of love with Pope Benedict because of his rehabilitation of a bishop who denies the Holocaust.


Prominent Catholics, politicians and newspaper commentators in Joseph Ratzinger's homeland are pulling no punches in their criticism of his lifting of the excommunications of four bishops, including one who denies the extent of the Holocaust.

In a rare move, even Chancellor Angela Merkel criticized him, saying that the Vatican must make clear that it does not tolerate any denial of the Holocaust. "I do not believe that sufficient clarification has been made," Merkel said.


"Worldwide criticism of the Pope," read the front page of top-selling German daily Bild which devoted most of its second page to the furore. It was a stark contrast to the jubilant "We are the pope!" headline in April 2005 to celebrate his election.


"The pope has made a serious mistake. That he is a German pope makes the matter especially bad," read its editorial.


"Pope Benedict XVI is inflicting great damage on Germany... The pope must correct his mistake, reverse his decision and excuse himself," it said, in comments echoed by other papers.


Former foreign minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher wrote in the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung: "Poles can be proud of Pope John Paul II. At the last papal election, we said "We are the pope!" But please -- not like this.


" The Vatican on Tuesday moved quickly to counter any suggestion that the pope has been unclear in his stance on the Holocaust. "The pope's thinking on the subject of the Holocaust has been expressed very clearly," said Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi.


He cited Benedict's visit to a synagogue during his first visit to Germany as pope in 2005, a visit to Auschwitz in 2006 and his remarks during last week's general audience.
Lombardi quoted from what he called the pope's unequivocal words at that public audience. "I hope that the memory of the Shoah leads humanity to reflect on the unpredictable power of evil when it conquers the heart of men," he quoted the pope as saying. "May the Shoah be a warning for all against oblivion, against denial or reductionism."
Lombardi said that during the audience the pope himself clearly explained the purpose of lifting the excommunication, which has nothing to do with any legitimization of positions denying the Holocaust, which were clearly condemned by Benedict.
More than 60 years after the end of World War Two, Germans are still struggling to come to terms with the legacy of the Holocaust, in which Nazis deliberately killed 6 million European Jews, and relations with the Jewish community are highly charged.
Last week, Germany's Central Council of Jews said it was breaking off ties with the Catholic Church over the pope's move.
The rehabilitated bishop at the centre of the storm is Richard Williamson, who belongs to the ultra-traditional Society of Saint Pius X and denies the extent of the Holocaust.
Last month, the British-born bishop told a Swedish broadcaster he believed there were no gas chambers and no more than 300,000 Jews perished in concentration camps.
Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany and state prosecutors in the southern city of Regensburg are investigating Williamson for incitement. German neo-Nazi websites and blogs have published contributions supporting Williamson's stand.
In his commentary, Genscher argued that Ratzinger, forced to join the Hitler Youth as a boy though his parents opposed the Nazis, was making a habit of offending non-Catholics.
He has shown little respect to Protestants and angered Muslims by hinting Islam was violent and irrational in a 2006 speech in Regensburg, Genscher said.
"This is a deep moral and political question. It is about respect for the victims of crimes against humanity," he wrote.
Other politicians joined in and in an unusual intervention Chancellor Merkel, daughter of a Protestant pastor, called on him to make clear he rejected any Holocaust denial.
"It is a fundamental question if, through a decision by the Vatican, the impression arises that the Holocaust can be denied," she said, adding she wanted the pope to issue a clarification.
The pope has also faced harsh criticism from German Catholics. Hamburg Archbishop Werner Thissen was quoted as saying the decision risked undermining trust in the church.
Cardinal Karl Lehmann, former chair of Germany's Catholic bishops' conference and head of Germany's 26 million Catholics, has described the affair as a catastrophe. Others say it has exposed flaws in the pope's detached governing style.
"It's an unforgivable mistake, and also a political error that Swiss, German and French bishops' conferences, where most people of the brotherhood live, were not informed beforehand," widely respected theologian Hans Maier told Vatican Radio.

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