From the World of Rabbi Avraham Kook
“The rebirth of our people has to be complete. It has to encompass physical and spiritual rebirth, rebirth of the sacred and the secular. Indeed, the whole purpose of the secular rebirth is to bring us to spiritual rebirth, to the rebirth of the holy.”
(Ma’amarei HaRe’iyah, p. 336)
Rabbi Dov Begon – Rosh Yeshiva of Machon Meir
Message for Today:
“Whoever Mourns for Jerusalem Shall Merit Seeing it’s Rejoicing”
“Five things happened to our ancestors on the 17th of Tamuz and five things happened on the 9th of Av. On the 17th of Tamuz the Tablets were broken, the daily offering ceased, the walls of Jerusalem were breached and Apostomos burned the Torah and erected an idol in the Temple, and on the 9th of Av, it was decreed that our ancestors would not enter the Land, the First and Second Temples were destroyed, and Beitar was conquered and Jerusalem was plowed.” (Ta’anit 26a)
There is a connection between the troubles that befell our ancestors on the 17th of Tamuz and those which befell them on the 9th of Av, despite the distance of days and years between them. The main troubles of the 17th of Tamuz were spiritual and resulted from Israel’s moral deterioration. For example, in the wake of the Golden Calf, Moses broke the Tablets, and the same was the case with the daily offering’s cessation, the burning of the Torah and the placement of an idol in the Temple.
By contrast, the troubles of the 9th of Av affected the nation’s concrete political situation and their connection to Eretz Yisrael. For example, the sin of the spies led to the decree that the generation of the desert would not enter the Land, and the same applies with the destruction of the First and Second Temples, Beitar’s destruction and Jerusalem’s being blotted out by the Roman’s plowing it.
Our sages were seeking to teach us that the moral and spiritual deterioration that caused the troubles of the 17th of Tamuz was what led to the destruction of the Temples and all the other troubles. As in our sages words to both Nebuchadnezzar and Titus, “You ground flour that was already ground” – by which they meant, “The first stages of the Temple’s destruction were really due to Israel’s sins. You just completed the destruction.”
During the Three Weeks between the 17th of Tamuz and the 9th of Av, Israel keep various mourning practices. The purpose of those customs and fasts is to arouse our hearts to repentance, for recalling what occurred can prod us back to the good path. Therefore, every Jew must take pains to scrutinize his deeds and to repent. After all, the main point of the fast is repentance (“The fast is nothing but a preparation for repentance” (Orach Chaim).
What can we rectify in our generation if these fast days and mourning customs are to be transformed into days of joy and celebration? (as in Zechariah 8:19)? As far as the troubles associated with the 17th of Tamuz, corresponding to the Golden Calf, the reason the Tablets were broken, we must strengthen ourselves in faith and in patience. After all, the sin of the Calf occurred due to a lack of these two traits. Israel could not wait for Moses to descend from the mountain. We must become stronger in faith and tolerance on the personal level, and no less, on the national level. We must work together with G-d to bring the redemption, yet we mustn’t fall into a hysterical panic if the process is fraught with crises.
As far as the cessation of the twice-daily offering, we must become stronger in prayer, our “regular daily offerings”, going to synagogue mornings and evenings, and maintaining regular prayer and Torah learning.
In response to the breaching of Jerusalem’s walls, we must fortify the walls of Jerusalem by building homes and neighborhoods in Jerusalem, especially those places over which the Arabs are striving to take control. We mustn’t allow Jerusalem to be divided.
In response to the burning of the Torah, whose purpose it was to prevent Israel from learning Torah, we must increase and magnify our Torah learning, establishing more and more Talmud Torahs, yeshivot and Torah institutions and filling the county with Torah. Nothing strengthens and exalts our nation like learning our holy Torah.
In response to the idol being placed in our Temple, it is well known that the Temple was likened to a man’s heart. We have to rectify our character, especially regarding pride, anger and lust, which in a man’s heart are like idols in the Temple (see Nefesh HaChaim 1:5).
Through these improvements, we will merit the Third Temple’s construction, and the return of all the Jews of the exile to Israel. The city of Beitar, which is being rebuilt, will continue to grow by leaps and bounds, together with all the other cities of Eretz Yisrael. Instead of Jerusalem in its ruins, Jerusalem is speedily being rebuilt, and will continue so. And may we be the living fulfillment of our sages’ words, “Whoever mourns for Jerusalem will merit to see its rejoicing.”
Looking forward to complete redemption,
Shabbat Shalom
Hundreds of hours of free Torah videos! – www.machonmeir.net
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner– Chief Rabbi of Bet El
Is There Hope for Pollard?
Asking the question, “Is there hope of Jonathan Pollard going free?” implies a lack of faith. After all, there’s always hope. “Even if a sharp sword is pressed against a man’s neck, he shouldn’t despair of divine mercy.”
Obviously, it isn’t enough to be full of faith and hope in G-d, even in difficult situations. Rather, one must open his eyes wide and look for opportunities to bring deliverance, as in Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak’s explanation of the expression, “We look forward to salvation”, in his commentary on the Siddur, Olat Re’iyah.
Presently a window of hope has been opened, since in November-December the incumbent American President will be completing his term. It is customary for American presidents to grant pardons to many people during that period, just as the previous president freed about 150 inmates. There is good reason to say that our brother Jonathan will be included amongst the large quantity of persons granted pardons, such that even those opposed to his release will have no pretext to complain. This is especially so considering that his medical condition is grave, and there is room for granting a pardon on humanitarian grounds. All the more so considering that in the United States, itself, there are people who support his being freed. Who has more authority to speak than James Woolsey, former head of the C.I.A., who for two years already has been saying over and over: “I examined Pollard’s whole file. I was against his early release, because I thought he should be punished, but twenty years in prison is more than enough. We have to consider U.S.-Israel relations.” (You can find his words in writing and on tape in the Pollard Internet site.) The same thing was said by Dennis Ross, the American envoy to the Middle East.
Besides, twenty years is going too far. If we take a look at the sentences handed down to the various spies, we find that Jonathan is the only one throughout American history who received a life sentence for spying on behalf of a friendly country. The most ever received was ten years, and the average was two or three.
We must therefore work now energetically, on two tracks: 1) a precondition for a pardon is that the State of Israel must approach the U.S. and ask them. We have to convince the Prime Minister, the government and the Knesset, and it must also be included in coalition agreements as they arise. 2) Every individual must act to increase public awareness of this matter, for as we know, the government is greatly influenced by public opinion. Towards that end we must take twelve steps:
1. Talk. We must talk and talk and talk, whether in individual conversations, on the radio or in articles. We must write songs in Hebrew and in English. We must talk about this everywhere, with our families and at work, hitching rides and standing in line at the grocery store, at school and at our youth groups, at conferences and at Torah lectures.
2. Petitions. Sign a petition (there’s one on the Internet site).
3. Bracelets. Wear a blue Pollard bracelet. Boys are allowed to as well. It’s not a feminine clothing article, but an ornament meant a priori for both males and females.
4. “Mi Sheberachs”. Every Shabbat, together with a blessing for the captives, we should recite a blessing for Jonathan.
5. Leaflets at weddings. At weddings, it is customary to hand out “bentchers”, etc. We can also hand out a prayer to recite for Jonathan, written by the Rishon LeTziyon, HaGaon Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, shelita – may G-d speedily send him a complete recovery – obviously with the name of the bride and groom printed on the prayer (can be found on the Pollard site).
6. Wedding invitations. On wedding and bar mitzvah invitations many people print verses from the Torah, which is halachically problematic, because then the invitations must be buried in a Geniza [“Sheimos”], and many are instead thrown away. We can instead connect our joy with a call for Jonathan’s release.
7. Stickers. We can equip ourselves with stickers and announcements (available on the site) and put them up everywhere, obviously after attaining permission.
8. Donations. Please contribute to the struggle on behalf of Pollard. Obviously such a donation counts towards “ma’aser” [charitable tithing]. Besides, this is the greatest charity there is.
One time someone vowed to give charity to “a big mitzvah”, and the sages ruled that the term “a big mitzvah” connotes redeeming hostages (Bava Batra 8a). Likewise, Rambam rules: “No mitzvah is as great as redeeming hostages” (Hilchot Matanot LaAniyim 8:10).
9. Secular Leaders. Somehow, for no logical reason, almost everyone who has taken up this cause is religious. If you know top-echelon secular personages, please try to interest them in this struggle, and perhaps they will even agree to lead it.
10. Write Knesset members and the Prime Minister asking them to work for Pollard’s release.
11. Write the U.S. President. Please write letters asking the President for a pardon. Make your letter polite, respectful and brief, but you can use a passionate, moral tone.
12. Write to Jonathan. It is an unfathomable miracle that after all the terrible torment he has suffered, he is still alive, mentally healthy, and physically stable. Yet his strength is spiritual. He draws strength from his faith, from his love of the Jewish People, and from letters of support that he receives. So, men and women, boys and girls, please write to him, obviously in English, and without words in Hebrew, due to censorship, at the following address:
Jonathan Pollard 9185016
P.O.B. 100
Butner N.C.
U.S.A. 27509
Rabbi Yoram Eliyahu
Bli Neder (No Vow Intended)
Our sages differ in the way their relate to “nedarim”, vows, as far as whether it is good to make a vow and then to carry it out, or better not to make vows at all. Sifri on Deuteronomy 23:23 comments:
“‘If you refrain completely from making vows’: Rabbi Meir says: Better not to vow than to vow and not pay (Ecclesiastes 5:4). Better than either is not to vow at all.’
“Rabbi Yehuda says, ‘Better than either is to vow and to pay.’”
Malbim elucidates that according to both Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda, it is ideally better not to involve oneself in a vow lest one not pay it. “And there is no argument between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda except where one made a vow and fulfilled it. According to Rabbi Yehuda, the person’s having made the vow was good. According to Rabbi Meir, even if he fulfilled it without delay it would have been better had he not made the vow and not put himself at risk.”
We learn our caution regarding vows from Deuteronomy 23:23: “If you refrain completely from making vows, then you will not sin.” This verse teaches that “even when someone is facing troubles or has benefited from a miracle, such that it is a mitzvah for him in that situation to make a charitable vow, it is still better for him not to make a vow but to make an immediate donation, that is, to set aside the money he wants to give and to give it.” One shouldn’t put himself at the risk of failing to fulfill a vow.
The same ruling is brought down as law in Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 203), and the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 67 elaborated still more:
“Don’t make vows a habit… Even for charity, it is not good to make vows. Rather, if someone has money in his possession that he want to contribute, he should give it immediately, and if he doesn’t, he should wait until he has it and he should give it without a vow.”
“And if charity is being collected (for example, in one’s synagogue), and he has to vow together with the others, he should state explicitly that he doing so “beli neder”, without a vow.”
Yet our sages said that it is good to vow “nidrei ziruzin” [vows of self-prodding]. In other words, if someone wants to establish some regular time for Torah learning or to do any particular mitzvah, but he fears lest he will neglect to fulfill it, or he fears that his evil impulse will incite him to commit some sin or to refrain from some mitzvah, then “he is allowed to prod himself by way of a vow or an oath. We learn this from Rav’s words in the Talmud, who said, ‘How do we know that we are allowed to make an oath to fulfill a mitzvah… even though we are already sworn to fulfill it from Mount Sinai? It says, ‘I have sworn, and confirmed, that I shall observe Your righteous ordinances’ (Psalm 119:106). All the same, one should be cautious when he states that he is going to perform some mitzvah, that he should say ‘beli neder’” (Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, ibid.).
Likewise, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch ruled that “if someone makes vows in order to improve his character, that counts as praiseworthy alacrity. For example, if someone used to overeat, and he vowed not to eat meat for some length of time, or if he loved to drink wine, and he forbade himself wine… such vows constitute divine worship, and regarding these our sages said, ‘Vows are a protection against sin.’ All the same, one shouldn’t even accustom oneself to vows such as these. Rather, he should overcome his passions even without these vows.’” (ibid., se’if 5).
Translation: R. Blumberg
SIGN UP NOW!
Men’s Hebrew Ulpan beginning in September in Machon Meir. Four afternoons a week-
E-mail english1@emeir.org.il for more information
Tax deductible contributions may be made out to
American Friends of Machon Meir
and sent in North America to:
American Friends of Machon Meir
c/o Ms. Chava Shulman
1327 45th st.
Brooklyn,NY 11219
And in Israel:
Machon Meir-
2 Hameiri Ave. Jerusalem, Israel 91340