The Threefold System

קהלת ד:יב - ... והחוט המשולש, לא במהרה ינתק

Kohelet 4:12 - ... and the threefold cord is not quickly broken

The fourth chapter of Kol HaTor discusses a system made up of three parts:

• The Appointed Action (יעודים)
• The Appointed Time (מועדים)
• The Appointed Person (מיועדים)

The basic idea is that we can learn what the appointed times are, as we have touched upon elsewhere in this blog. We can also learn what is to happen in these times. The appointed person must know, based on the gematrias of his name (see Kol HaTor chapter 3) that he is the one that must initiate action at the appointed times.

But that is not exactly what Kol HaTor says. It says that the Person initiates the Action, which brings forward the Time. I will now translate a paragraph from page 101 of Kol HaTor, in chapter 4.

And how is it that the Appointed Times (Moed) will become closer? It is easy to understand that we can move up the Actions, but how can we move up the Appointed Times, meaning date, the times of the Kitzim which are already set? That in the 6th millenium, about which it is said Moed, Moadim and a Half (Daniel 12), the sign for every Appointed Time according to its action, and the half to a half, and thus onward, for every action done in the Awakening from Below, Midat HaDin is assisted by Midat HaChesed from the Right, and explained elsewhere, we find that also every Appointed Time is cut in half the time, and that is the meaning of the verse "For the Appointed Time is coming", that is to say that we won't need to go to the Appointed Time but rather the Appointed Time will come to us after "Your servants have desired her rocks and they will cherish her dust", and it will be completed on the center line Midat HaRachamim, by way of the Middle Column, as said at the beginning of the verse "You will have mercy on Tzion" etc. And thus it is in the Midrash on the verse "And to Tzion will come the Redeemer", that the coming of the Redeemer is dependent on the building of Tzion.

קהלת ג:א - לכל זמן, ועת לכל חפץ תחת השמים

Kohelet 3:1 - For everything there is a time, and there is a season for every desire under the sun.

The season is dictated by our desire, which must be put in to action.

More on 5 Opposing 5

In my last post, the issue of the 5 Yaakov's and the 5 Eliyah's was discussed, 5 on one side, 5 on another.

There is an example of this principle in Breishit.

• Avram (אברם) in Gematria is 243
• Sarai (שרי) in Gematria is 510
• Total of the 2 together is 753

After they are renamed, we have these values.

• Avraham (אברהם) in Gematria is 248
• Sarah (שרה) in Gematria is 505
• Total of the 2 together is 753

In order to make the family work, Sarah had to take her Yud (from Sarai), which is 10, and give half to Avraham, and keep half for herself.

There is an example of this principle in Shemot (and Devarim) with the Ten Commandments. Akin to the discussion of the 5 Vav's, we have imbalance here as well.

(The following is partially based on a drash attributed to the GR"A which can be found in Pninim miShulchan HaGR"A)

As I have written before, the Spiritual stems from the Right and the Physical from the Left. The Ten Commandments have 5 Commandments about the relationship between the Individual and Hashem, and 5 Commandments with the relationship between Individuals. The first 5 are the Right, the second 5 are the Left. Therefore, it would be proper for the first 5 to use the name Hashem exclusively, and the second 5 would use the name Elokim exclusively. But what we have is that the first 5 use both names, Hashem and Elokim, whereas the second 5 have no names of Hashem. The statement in the Tikunei Zohar is "The Left is included in the Right".

Pinchas - Eliyah - Yaakov

There are multiple places in Chazal where it is written that Pinchas is Eliyahu. For one such example, see Pirkei D'Rebbi Eliezer chapter 46.

In BaMidbar 25:12 it is written:

לכן אמר, הנני נתן לו את בריתי שלום

Therefore say: Behold I give to him my Covenent of Peace.

In Masechet Kiddushin 66b it is written that the Vav of the word Shalom needs to be written in two parts, cut down the middle.

The Ba'al HaTurim says there:

ו' קטיעא כי פנחס הוא אליהו. וכן אליה כתיב חסר ו' ויעקוב מלא ו', שנטל ו' מאליהו למשכון עד שיבא עם המשיח ויגאל את בניו

A cut Vav, for Pinchas is Eliyahu, and Eliyahu is written without a Vav (Eliyah) and Yaakov with a Vav, for he took the Vav from Eliyahu as collateral until he comes with Moshiach to redeem his (Yaakov's) sons.

We see from this Midrash that Yaakov Avinu is holding on to a certain number of Vav's to make sure Eliyahu comes with Moshiach to redeem Am Yisrael.

There are 5 Vav's total that are out of place.

At the end of chapter 3 of Kol HaTor, it is recounted that in 5542 (the beginning of the 2nd hour of the day where 1000 is divided in to 24 parts), the GR"A set out to make Aliyah, to start the work of Kibbutz Galuyot, by himself. While he was on the way, he realized that he had advanced from the level of Yehoshua bin-Nun to the level of Moshe Rabbeinu, whose role is to send his student in to Eretz Yisrael. He then turned back to Vilna, in deep worry regarding the problems that faced the move back to Eretz Yisrael. He fasted for days and using secret methods, managed to attain a revelation of Yaakov Avinu. In this revelation, Yaakov Avinu transferred to him these 5 Vav's that he had taken from Eliyahu. The GR"A then handed this over to someone whose name is equal to Vav 5 times.

(Vav spelled Vav Aleph Vav is 13, 13 * 5 = 65, the Gematria of Hillel, implying Rav Hillel, author of Kol HaTor, who came to Yerushalayim 196 years ago)

Here is a list of the verses that make up the drash on the Vav's:

Yaakov - יעקוב

• Vayikra 26:42
• Yirmiyahu 30:18
• Yirmiyahu 33:26
• Yirmiyahu 46:27
• Yirmiyahu 51:19

Eliyah HaNavi - אליה הנביא

• Melachim 2 1:3
• Melachim 2 1:4
• Melachim 2 1:8
• Melachim 2 1:12
• Malachi 3:23

Notice we have 5 against 5. Four of each are from one sefer of Tanach, and a 5th from a different sefer. They mirror eachother.

Yaakov - יעקוב

• Vayikra speaks of rememberance, a word of Chesed.
• The verses of Yirmiyahu are all words of consolation, Chesed.

Eliyah - אליה

• The verses of Melachim are all verses of Din, punishment for sin.
• The verse from Malachi speaks of the Great and Awesome Day, invoking fear, and indeed this is confirmed in the next and last verse of the sefer.

From here it is not a big jump to arrive at other Kabbalistic concepts, like the idea of seeing the 10 Sefirot as 5 on the Right and 5 on the Left, from the perspective of Da'at (Kabbalistic relativity).

Eliyahu HaNavi

This post is in honor of my brother's first yartzheit. May his neshamah have an aliyah today. Moshe left us too early. May his zechuyot stand for his toddler daughters forever.

While my brother was on his deathbed on Shabbat Ki Tisa, already in a coma 7 days, I leined for him the parshah from a Chumash. The last Divrei Torah that entered his ears were the Haftarah of Eliyahu HaNavi at Mount Carmel. The last verse of the Haftarah serves to teach us about Eliyahu HaNavi's role.

מלכים א יח:לט - וירא כל-העם ויפלו על פניהם, ויאמרו ה' הוא האלקים ה' הוא האלקים

Melachim 1 18:39 - And the nation saw and they fell on their faces and they said Hashem is the Elokim, Hashem is the Elokim.

Eliyahu HaNavi's actions at Mount Carmel had a profound response. Hashem is the Elokim.

The name Hashem is representative of the Right, Spiritual Reality.

The name Elokim is representative of the Left, Physical Reality.

The Gematria of my name, son of my father's name, is equal to a single verse in the Torah.

שמות ו:ב - וידבר אלקים אל משה ויאמר אליו אני השם

Shemot 6:2 - Elokim spoke to Moshe and he said to him I am Hashem.

Perhaps it was fitting that he passed away davka on that Motzaei Shabbat, leaving Ki Tisa as his last parshah, with me in that hospital room leining for him. But alas cheshbonot are for Hashem.

It is the lonely job of Eliyahu HaNavi to make people realize the folly of turning Hashem and Elokim in to two separate domains. Eliyahu HaNavi is said to come between Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid. He comes between 2 different Geulot. It is his job to teach us that we are to appreciate both, to strive for perfection in both. If we write off one, we are not truly ready for the other. There is so much in this world that tries to convince us otherwise, but we must remain steadfast in our advance in both worlds.

We are in the final footsteps, and we must be careful not to go astray.

I'm Back

This last week I was hospitalized with pneumonia, and Baruch Hashem, I am doing much better now. I hope to have something to post here in the coming days.

Shmitah & Yovel - Sefirat HaOmer & Shavuot

(For more on the subject of Yovel, click here to return to the Table of Contents.)

The parallels between the 50 year cycle and the 50 days of Sefirat HaOmer and Shavuot are obvious due to the numeric similarity. So let's examine them in light of what I wrote before.

Vayikra 23:16 states that we are to count 50 days. However, as halachah states, we only count 49 days. We do not count the 50th day on the night of Shavuot. One explanation that I've heard is that after Am Yisrael has worked to get out of the 49 levels of Tum'ah over the 49 days of the Omer, there is no more effort necessary, and therefore no work is necessary after the 49th day to move in to the 50th day. This would parallel what I have written, there are 49 Yovel cycles for Am Yisrael to count, and it is proper for us to take charge and count the 49th cycle ourselves before we effortlessly enter in to the Yovel of Yovels.

But let us look back over the entire period. Fifty Yovel cycles, some 50 years, most 49 years, is between 50 * 49 years (2450) and 50 * 50 years (2500 years). Let us picture this period of time as paralleling the Kabbalistic Sefirah-development of the Omer period: Each week is one overriding Sefirah, each day is an aspect thereof.

For this analysis, a day of the Omer is 1 Yovel cycle, a week is 7 Yovel cycles.

Chesed - 3416 - 3765 (-345BCE - 5CE)

• According to Daniel 9, there were 490 years decreed from the destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash to destruction of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash. The period that the Beit HaMikdash stood, therefore, can be understood to be a decree in and of itself, a gift from Hashem. The 2nd Beit HaMikdash stood throughout this period. Chesed she'b'Chesed contained the founding of the Knesset HaGedolah.

Gevurah - 3766 - 4110 (6CE - 350CE)

• This is a period of increasing persecution at the hands of the Edom. The period of Gevurah she'biGevurah covers the destruction of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash. This period ends at approximately the time that the Talmud Yerushalmi was sealed. It was sealed prematurely due to Roman persecution. This period saw a steep decline in the number of Jews in Eretz Yisrael.

Tiferet - 4110 - 4453 (350CE - 693CE)

• Tiferet represents Torah, and as such the Talmud Bavli was finished during this period. Torah finished getting ready for the long exile. Torah is Truth. The final decade of this period saw the building of the Dome of the Rock, for the age of Truth ended.

Netzach - 4453 - 4796 (693CE - 1036CE)

• Netzach is a lower level of Chesed. In this week of Yovels, Har HaBayit was free from idolatry.

Hod - 4796 - 5139 (1036CE - 1379CE)

• The 33rd of the Omer, Lag Ba'Omer commemorates the revelation of the Zohar by Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The 33rd Yovel period, Hod She'b'Hod, parallels the time that the Zohar was revealed in the days of Rav Moshe DeLeon (approximately 5020-5030, 1260CE-1270CE). Hod is also a lower form of Gevurah, the Jewish population of Eretz Yisrael (as well as Europe) suffered much during the Crusades.

Yesod - 5139 - 5482 (1379CE - 1722CE)

• Since Yesod is the Sefirah directly below Tiferet, it is to be expected that there be an intricate relationship between the periods of these two Sefirot. Yesod has many meanings, including Moshiach ben Yosef, the revealer of the Torah's secrets. This is the age of the major revelations in Kabbalah, namely from the Ariza"l.

Malchut 5482 - ~5826 (1722CE - ~2066CE)

• Starting 2 years after the GR"A's birth, who came down from Heaven in order to start the Geulah process, this period of time sees the rebirth of Am Yisrael as a nation in Eretz Yisrael. We will soon enter Malchut she'b'Malchut.

Yovel of Yovels ~5826 - ~5876

Recent Yovels

(For more on the subject of Yovel, click here to return to the Table of Contents.)

This is a continuation of the post "Yovel Count of Rebbi Yehudah."

As the Steps of Moshiach advance, they become louder, to the point that they are apparent to all.

Yovel Year 46 - 5678

• Dated November 2, 1917 (17th Marcheshvan 5678), the Balfour Declaration is one of the biggest steps towards gaining international recognition for the Return to Eretz Yisrael.

Yovel Year 47 - 5727

• In Iyar 5727 (June of 1967), Yerushalayim, Yehudah, Shomron, the Golan, and Gaza came under Jewish control for the first time in centuries, and the move back to these areas began.

May Yovel Year 48 bring Am Yisrael even closer to Eretz Yisrael.

Galut Bavel in Tanach

In order to shed further light on the 163-year discrepency, I will be examining the different books of the Tanach that were written in this period.

Namely the books: Chagai, Zechariah, and Malachi

But more time will most likely be spent examining: Esther, Daniel, Ezra, and Nechemiah

Conclusions will (likely) be drawn in a post after discussing these different sefarim.

Yovel Count of Rebbi Yehudah

(Click here for an in depth discussion of Yovel in the online book "Yovel & Geulah".)

According to the Rambam, Yovel is counted as follows:

There are 7 Shmitah cycles, followed by a Yovel year. The year after Yovel is year 1 of the next Shmitah cycle. This is the opinion of the Chachamim brought in the Gemara. Yovel occurs every 50 years.

However, that is not the only opinion. Rebbi Yehudah says that we count this way:

There are 7 Shmitah cycles, followed by a Yovel year. Yovel counts as the 50th year of the prior cycle, and the 1st year of the next cycle. The year after Yovel is the 2nd year of the Shmitah cycle. Yovel occurs every 49 years.

Perhaps it is not that the Geonim held that we don't count Yovel when the Beit HaMikdash isn't standing, but that the halachah is to use the counting system of Rebbi Yehudah in times of Galus, when Shmitah is on a sort of autopilot, which on the outside (for halachah) seems as if we count Shmitah alone.

So while the 2nd Beit HaMikdash stood, Yovel years were:

3415 + 50n where 1 <= n <= 9 (3415 was the year before the counting of Yovel began in the time of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash)

However, when the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, Yovel switched to:

3816 + 49n where 1 <= n <= 44 (3816 was the year after the last Yovel counted of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash)

By this, we find that the last Yovel year was 5727 (1967CE), the year of the 6-Day War. This was the 48th Yovel year starting from the time of Ezra in 3416. The Yovel year which is 49 years later is 5776. Perhaps the year following would be a fitting time for the Sanhedrin to assume/resume its role in counting of Shmitah and Yovel, to assume its role of leadership of Am Yisrael. This next Yovel would start the 49th Yovel period. Rather fitting that the Sanhedrin would count the last Yovel before the 50th Yovel, a Yovel of Yovels.

It is nearly time to take Am Yisrael off of autopilot.

Rambam - Why Don't We Count Yovel?

(For more on the subject of Yovel, click here to return to the Table of Contents.)

Am Yisrael first started counting the years of Shmitah and Yovel after the division of the land in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun. There have been since this time, as we learned from the Rambam, 2 periods wherein Am Yisrael didn't count Yovel: Galut Bavel and Galut Edom, or alternatively, when the Beit HaMikdash was not built.

If we look closely at the Rambam, we find a difference between the Rambam's relationship to Galut Bavel and Galut Edom. By Galut Bavel, he says they didn't count (both Yovel and Shmitah - but it should be noted that the Rambam says later on in the chapter that the tradition of the Geonim is that Shmitah was counted), for the land was nullified. What was nullified? Kedushah Rishonah of Kibbush Yehoshua (The Holiness of the Land which was imparted upon it by Yehoshua capturing the land) was nullified. But, as it says in the Gemara, Kedushah Shniyah, imparted by the settling and acquisition of the land in the days of Ezra, is eternal. Therefore, when the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, the count continued. This is why the Rambam brings the entire calculation of what the year count should be, he assumes that we should still be counting the Yovel. He then nullifies his own opinion for halachah, saying we should rely on the tradition of the Geonim.

Conclusion from the Rambam is as follows:

• Yovel is a mitzvah from the Torah only in times when certain criteria are met, per the Yerushalami Shvi'it chapter 10.
• Regardless of this, counting of the Yovel is dependent on the Kedushah of Eretz Yisrael being in force. This was nullified with the destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash in 3339 (per Rambam), and reinstated in the days of Ezra, and the count resumed in 3416.
• Since, per the Gemara, the Kedushah imparted in the time of Ezra is eternal, the count of Shmitah including Yovel should continue regardless of whether or not the Beit HaMikdash standing. This is akin to the fixed calendar of Hillel HaKatan, which continues regardless of whether or not the Sanhedrin declares the new month. We follow for halachah, however, the tradition of the Geonim, despite the fact that it contradicts this.

The question that this raises is as follows. According to a continuing calculation from the year 3416, the year 5765 was Yovel. When the Sanhedrin begins counting the years of Yovel, will they pick up from this count or start over from year 1? Or more imminently, will they pick up on the Shmitah count, where either 5772 (instead of 5775) or 5779 (instead of 5782) is Shmitah?

Commentary on Rambam

(For more on the subject of Yovel, click here to return to the Table of Contents.)

This is a commentary on the post "Rambam on the Year Count".

Let's start with Halachah 2. Am Yisrael left Mitzraim in 2448 after the birth of Adam HaRishon, entered Eretz Yisrael 40 years later in 2488, spent 14 years in conquering and dividing the land, leaving us in 2502. Therefore the next year, 2503, was the first to be counted towards Shmitah. If 2503 is the first year, then that makes 2509 the first Shmitah. However, the Rambam brings a chidush (per the GR"A there, see the Frankel edition of the Rambam here). It is 2503 from the birth of Adam HaRishon, which is the beginning of year 2, therefore if we are counting from Creation, we push everything back 1 year. The first Shmitah ever was in the year 2510.

Halachah 3 states that Am Yisrael counted 17 Yovels. They were not 17 complete Yovels. There were 16 complete 50 year periods, and another 36 years. That is to say 2503 is year 0, add on 16 * 50 = 800 years, and add another 36 years, and you arrive at the year 3339, the year the 1st Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, 1 year later than the Seder Olam Rabba brings, due to the different starting point.

Halachah 4 states that the 50 year cycle which started in 2504 ceased altogether in the year 3339, and for 70 years, there was no such cycle. Then we count the years following the building of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash in 3409, so 3409 is year 1. It was 7 years after that when Ezra arrived. The counting restarted the following year, since Shmitah and Yovel counting is from Rosh HaShanah (see the Radbaz there). Therefore the count for the 2nd Beit HaMikdash period started in the year 3416. The Rambam states that even though there was no Yovel during the period of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash, nonetheless, they counted the Yovel anyway.

Halachah 5 tries to resolve a difficulty. Our tradition says that both of the Batei Mikdash were destroyed in the year after Shmitah. The Rambam is basically saying that the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was destroyed during Shmitah, but since it was so close to Rosh HaShanah of the next year, it counts as being part of the next year.

Halachah 6 comes to tell us that if we were to continue the count of Shmitah and Yovel onwards, then the year that he is writing would be considered Shmitah, year 21 of the Yovel cycle.

Halachah 7 tells us that what we actually count is different from this; there is no 50 year cycle. Basically, when the Beit HaMikdash is not standing, we count only the 7 years of Shmitah, but not the 50 years of Yovel. This is a nafka minah. Yovel is only in full effect when the majority of Am Yisrael are in Eretz Yisrael, and the land is divided among the tribes (per the Yerushalmi Shvi'it chapter 10, and the Rambam). But we still count the cycle if the Beit HaMikdash is standing. If not, the cycle goes away altogether and there is only the 7-year cycle.

Halachah 8 shows us that when we get down to it, the cycle the Rambam brings is the same one that we keep today. If the Rambam tells us that 4936 is the year after Shmitah, then that means 4935 was Shmitah. 4935 / 7 = 705, an integer, just like this year 5768 / 7 = 824. It is not taught as a direct relationship with Creation but rather a count from the Destruction of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash. Nonetheless, the formula works. Shmitah Year = 3829 + 7n where 0 <= n <= 310.

According to what we do today, the year preceding Birkat HaChamah is always Shmitah. From the above, it would seem that there is no inherent relation between the two at all. The question remaining is what year does the Rambam hold we should use to make the brachah? No formula is given in Hilchot Brachot chapter 10.

Rambam on the Year Count

(For more on the subject of Yovel, click here to return to the Table of Contents.)

There are a few halachot from Rambam Hilchot Shmitah v'Yovel chapter 10 that are relevant to the chronology.

(Translation and division of halachot is according to this page)

2. We see from this that in the year 2503 from the Rosh Hashanah after the birth of Adam HaRishon, which is the 2nd year of creation, they began to count. And they did the year 2510 from creation, which is the 21st year from the time they entered Eretz Yisrael, Shmitah. And they counted 7 Shmitah years and sanctified the 50th year, which was the 64th year from the time they entered Eretz Yisrael.

3. Am Yisrael counted 17 Yovels, from the time they entered Eretz Yisrael to the time they left, and the year they left, in which the 1st Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, was the year after Shmitah, and year 36 of the Yovel, for the 1st Beit HaMikdash stood 410 years.

4. And due to the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, this count ceased, for the land was nullified. And the land remained destroyed, 70 years; and the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was built, and stood 420 years. And in the 7th year from its construction, Ezra came up to Eretz Yisrael, and that is the Bi'ah Shniyah, and from this year a new count began. And they made the 13th year of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash Shmitah, and they counted 7 Shmitah years and sanctified the 50th year, even though there was no Yovel during the time of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash, they would count it in order to sanctify the Shmitah years.

5. We see from this that the year that the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, whose start is from Tishrei after the destruction by 2 months, for it is from Tishrei that we count Shmitah and Yovel, that year was the year after Shmitah, and year 15 of the 9th Yovel.

6. And according to this calculation, this year, which is 1107 of the Destruction, which is 1487 to the count of Shtarot, which is 4936 to Creation, is a Shmitah year, and it is year 21 from the Yovel.

7. However, all of the Geonim said that it is a tradition in their hands, from one generation to the next, that they only counted Shmitah during the 70 years between the Destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash and the Building of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash, without Yovel, and thus it is since it was destroyed this last time, we don't count the 50th year, but rather just every 7 years alone, from the the beginning of the year of the Destruction. And thus is the conclusion from the Talmud Avodah Zarah, according to this calculation, which is a tradition.

8. And the year of Shmitah is well known by the Geonim and the people of Eretz Yisrael, and all of them counted only from the years of the Destruction, and removing the remainders of 7. And according to this calculation, this year which is 1107 to the Destruction, is the year after Shmitah. And this is what we rely on, and according to this calculation we teach for the matter of Maaser, and Shmitah, and Shmitat Kesafim, for the tradition and the deed are great pillars for instruction, and upon them it is proper to depend.

When was Adam HaRishon Born?

The chronology on which our calendar is based uses an assumption:

The first year of a life is year 0. In other words, we count the number of birthdays completed.

Using this assumption, we can arrive at all the traditional dates, that the Flood was in 1656, that Avraham was born in 1948, that the Exodus was in 2448, etc. The problem is with the birth of Adam HaRishon.

In order to get the traditional dates, Adam HaRishon must be born in year 0. This is problematic:

• Birkat HaChamah is based on the creation of the sun being in Nissan of year 1 (according to the opinion that Creation was in Nissan), which is why the formula for Birkat HaChamah is 1 + 28n, for 0 <= n <= 214. According to this, we should say Adam HaRishon was born in year 1 (in Nissan)
• The Molad that we calculate today is based on the 1st day of Creation being the 25th of Elul, year 1 (according to the opinion that Creation was in Tishrei). In other words, Adam HaRishon is born on Rosh Hashanah of year 2.

According to the above, our chronology of Adam HaRishon being born in year 0 indicates that the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was destroyed in 3828. Yet according to the other systems of counting, we could say that it was destroyed in 3829 or 3830.

There is a statement I believe in a few places, including the Zohar Chadash, that says that the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was destroyed in the year after Shmitah. Shmitah, according to our counting, is any year evenly divisible by 7 (like this year, 5768, is evenly divisible by 7 a total of 824 times). This would make 3830 the closest year that mathematically fits this statement. However, it is not necessary to fit this, because Shmitah (I believe according to most opinions, correct me if I am wrong) was counted by the Sanhedrin during the 2nd Beit HaMikdash period, meaning it wasn't based on the overall year count (where a Shmitah Year is when year divided by 7 is an integer).

The idea that Adam HaRishon was born in year 0, according to this counting system, has a message that the 6000 years that we count is really the 6000 year life of Adam HaRishon, and not just the world overall. It is a 6000 year story of the development of mankind.

On The 163 Year Discrepancy

When we check dating of events of Galut Bavel in Jewish chronology against secular dating, we find a striking discrepancy of 163 years:
Destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash

• Secular Dating: 3175 (586BCE)
• Jewish Dating: 3338 (423BCE)

There is basic agreement regarding the beginning of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash Period being the year 3408 (353BCE).
So we seem to have a contradiction.

• According to Secular Dating, Galut Bavel was 233 years long
• According to Jewish Dating, Galut Bavel was 70 years long (very close to 30% of the Secular Dating)

To gain a better understanding of how this discrepency came to be, I recommend reading Moshe Lerman's article on Arutz Sheva: "Why Do We Live in the Year 5765?"
Our question here, however, is not how our chronology or the secular chronology was determined. The question is this: How do we understand the discrepency?
The dating of the Churban of the 1st Beit HaMikdash to 3175 (586BCE) is on fairly solid ground, from astronomical data in Babylonian records. From a physical perspective, the secular dating is truth. Does that make the traditional Jewish date of 3338 faleshood? Is the physical perspective the only true perspective? Of course not.
The chronology taught in the Jewish Calendar as derived in Seder Olam Rabba represents a deep reality. It is the reality of the 6 Days of Creation, the Sin of Adam HaRishon, and the 6000 Years of Tikkun to bring Mankind back to Gan Eden before the 7th Millenium. The chronology takes us from the Tanach and shows us just where we stand in relation to this 6000-year story.
Our calendar starts with and parallels the 6 days of Creation. The chronology itself indicates the timing for the Geulah, in parallel to the 6th Day. The GR"A makes it explicit in his commentary on chapter 5 of Sifra Ditzniuta.
Since the 6000 Years are a hint to the process of Geulah, and the setting of the calendar is based on the traditional (yet mathematically inaccurate) cycles of the Sun and Moon, then there must be a relation between the Geulah and the cycles that make up the calendar. This is mentioned by the early Kabbalists, and indeed some of them made Geulah calculations (which did not prove to be correct) based on the number of cycles to have passed. Birkat HaChamah marks this relation, yet as I have mentioned before, the 28-year cycle by itself is not sign of the Geulah.
In a way, the different symmetries of the calendar, the mathematical beauty of it all, was programmed in to the calendar for us to find.
In the Zohar, the following is pointed out:
In all of th Torah, it is never written that Hashem made the earth in 6 days. The exact phrasing in Hebrew is:

כי ששת ימים עשה ה' את השמים ואת הארץ

To translate literally: For six days G-d created the heavens and the earth. Inserting the preposition "in" is definitely the easy way to read this. However, the necessary letter ב is simply not there. One of the implications is that the purpose of creation is the 6 "days", or 6000 years.

So how do we relate this back to the 163 year discrepancy? The men of the Great Assembly, among them prophets, determined the date, as Moshe Lerman explains. Through the prophetic insight they had, they determined that the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was built in the year 3408. They saw that 70 "years" had passed since the destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash until the construction of the 2nd. Their insight was to realize where they stood in the 6000 years of history. From the beginning of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash period, the correlation is straightforward between secular and Jewish chronologies.

Perhaps the most surprising of all is this: I have found reference in a very kosher and old source leading me to believe that the dating of 3175 for the destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash is true (from a Torah perspective) as well. Perhaps I will be able to elaborate on this one day.

Daniel 9

The 9th chapter of Daniel takes place in the year 3390, the year of the great Pekidah of Koresh, where all Jews were invited back to the land of Israel. See Ezra chapter 1. The majority of the chapter is a prayer for the rebuilding of Yerushalayim. Verses 21-27 describe what happened to Daniel as he finished his prayer.

Gavriel appears to Daniel and explains to him that 490 years have been decreed. The term used of Shavua is explained as meaning cycles of 7 years. This expression is used in the Mishnah to refer to which year of the shmitah cycle. See Masechet Shvi'it 4:7 for one such example.

Summary/Explanation (Summarized according to some of the commentators):

24. Seventy Weeks have been decreed upon Israel and Yerushalayim. This period starts with the beginning of the atonement of the sins of Israel and Yerushalayim: 3338. It lasted 490 years (70 * 7 years) until 3828 with the destruction of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash. This tells us from the beginning that the existence of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash was in a way a Chesed from above, not bestowed due to merit. The period is made up of 70 years of Galut Bavel, and 420 years of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash.

During these 70 Weeks:

• Am Yisrael's sin was to be atoned for.
• A Beit HaMikdash was to be built.
• Prophecy was to cease

25. From the time of the going out of the word to return and build Yerushalayim until the anointed leader is 7 Weeks. The is the time from the destruction (and the prophecy about the rebuilding) until the decree of Koresh to rebuild Yerushalayim. From the time of the destruction in 3338 to the decree of Koresh is 52 years, which is 7 Weeks and 3 years. Only the full weeks are counted. For 62 Weeks, the city will be built and settled, however it will be a time of trouble. 62 weeks * 7 years = 434. 3390 + 434 = 3824, 4 years before the destruction of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash.

So to summarize, there are 3 periods: 70 weeks, and then its division to 7 weeks and 62 weeks. The missing week is the years on top of the 7 weeks and the 62 weeks.

In other words, it is 7 Weeks and 3 years, 62 Weeks and 4 years.

There is an important message to be gleaned from the decree of 70 Weeks: It is possible for Am Yisrael to be granted the Beit HaMikdash in spite of a lack of merit. We should not expect any different in our day. When the 3rd Beit HaMikdash is built, we will have a tremendous opportunity to do Teshuvah, and indeed its building is a great act of Teshuvah by itself. However the building of the Beit HaMikdash is not indicative of our arrival at the Final Goal.

Erev Rav - Summary

The following is a summary of the defining factors of the Erev Rav and Erev Zeir.

Erev Rav of the Left

• Religion - Mainly based on belief, if not outright secular. Should not require any action on behalf of the believer.
• Morals - Morals shall be deduced by human reason alone. "I don't need G-d to tell me how to be a good person".
• Science - Achievements in science are valued, as it brings understanding, does not necessitate the obligation to any sort of belief.
• Politics - Separate Religion and State
• Geulah - "We can make our utopia here and now", there is no "process" of Geulah. They desire to do all the work.

Erev Rav of the Right, the Erev Zeir

• Religion - Mainly based on action, deeper/outside understanding of Kabbalah/Science is not stressed.
• Science - Any seeming challenges coming from science are attacked, science is deemed unnecessary/heretical.
• Politics - Separate Religion and State (by this I mean that there is no desire to eventually come to a "Torah" mode of governing, any religious influence is at most on the "dalet amot" scale)
• Geulah - "We cannot make our utopia here and now, only Moshiach can, we must wait." There is no "process" of Geulah. They pray for Moshiach to do all the work.

The Heresy of Sasson and Simchah

An anonymous commenter eloquently summarized the heresy of Sasson and Simchah as follows:

The heresy of Sasson, then, would be that the ikar is attaining faith, understanding, and morality. They can be achieved without (all) the Mitzvot, and once they have been achieved, the Mitzvot have no purpose. And this reflects what is seen in the religion of Edom: Only faith.

And the heresy of Simcha would be that there is only the performance of Mitzvot. Halacha provides and defines everything. There is no morality outside of it, and no Hasagot of any kind. Simcha does not care much about the faith of the orthodox Jew. He does not care much about the Jew's spiritual level. As long as he learns Halacha and lives it. Simcha discourages learning "other things", like Sod, or Science. Our whole purpose is to serve HaShem by doing the Mitzvot. And this reflects what is seen in the religion of Yishmael.

Sasson and Simchah

Sukkah 48b

There were once two heretics (According to one version: Tzedokim), one whose name is Sasson (joy), and one whose name is Simchah (happiness).

Sasson said to Simchah: I am better than you, as it is written: "Sasson and Simchah they will attain" (Yeshayahu 35:10) (The claim of superiority is based on which word comes first in the verse)

He (Simchah) said to him (Sasson): I am better than you, as it is written: "Simchah and Sasson for the Jews" (Esther 8:17).

Sasson said to Simchah: One day they will leave you and make you a runner (one who goes out in front of people), as it says: "For in Simchah they will go out" (Yeshayahu 55:12).

Simchah said to Sasson: One day they will leave you and water will be drawn by you, as it says: "And you will draw out water in Sasson" (Yeshayahu 12:3)

The heretic by the name of Sasson said to Rebbi Abahu: In the future you (the Jews) will draw water for me, as it says: "And you will draw out water in Sasson" (Yeshayahu 12:3)

He (Rebbi Abahu) said to him (Sasson): If it was written "to Sasson", it would be as you said, but now that it is written "in Sasson", from the skin of that man meaning Sasson), we will make a pitcher and fill it with water.

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Kol HaTor Chapter 2, Part 1, Page 74

147) Sasson and Simchah – In the verse: And the redeemed of Hashem will return, etc, Sasson and Simchah they will attain (Yeshayahu 35). Sasson and Simchah are the 2 Moshiachs and the main matter of Sasson is Moshiach ben Yosef about whom this pasuk is said, “and the redeemed of Hashem will return”, according to our Rabbi (the GR”A) in Sod HaOtiot Chafa”f (in Likutei HaGR”A), this is the main meaning of the Gemara (Sukkah 48b, quoted above) on the matter of Sasson and Simchah. And our Rabbi (the GR”A) merited to attain understanding of the meaning of that Gemara in all its purpose, and about this he said that if he was created only to understand this matter, it is enough for him….

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For a thorough yet partial explanation of this matter, see Sefer Pitchei She’arim part 1, back of the book, Beit Netivot, page 26. It is too long and complicated for me to type up here. Some points can be gleaned from this. Per the GR”A, the Gemara there is referring to the time when the 2 Moshiachs will be caught up in the Klipot, the period which I have written of, from the GR”A’s era until our era. They are Tzedokim (heritics) as long as they are caught up in the Klipah. When they are freed, they are Tzadikim. First, Sasson (Moshiach ben Yosef) will be freed of his Klipah, and then Simchah (Moshiach ben Dovid).

Erev Rav in the Zohar

Zohar 2:191a-2:191b

And the people saw that Moshe was delayed (boshesh Moshe). Who are these people? These are the Erev Rav. Who is the Erev Rav? For the Ludim and Kushim and Kaftorim and Tugarmim were the ones called Erev Rav, but wasn't it Mitzri'im and from Mitzrayim that they traveled? And these were a mixture of many peoples, therefore it should have been written that the Erev Rav went up (with the verb for went up being plural) because it was a mixture.

But rather the Erev Rav went up (in the singular), one people, and one language, but rather they were all the sorcerers of Egypt and all of their magicians, about whom it is written "and they also did, the magicians of Mitzrayim", that they wanted to stand up against the wonders of Hashem. And because they saw the miracles and the wonders of Moshe in Mitzrayim, they followed Moshe. Hashem said to Moshe: "Don't take them". Moshe said: "Master of the World, because they saw Your strength, they want to convert. They'll see your strength every day and know that there is no G-d aside from you." And Moshe accepted them.

Why are they called Erev Rav, rather they were all the sorcerers of Mitzrayim, and at there head was Yonus and Yimbrus, and (according to) the hours of the day they would do their sorcery. For all this upper sorcery they would look at where the sun is. At the beginning of 6.5 hours until the beginning of 9.5 hours, which is a big Erev. And all the smaller magic is from nine and a half hours until midnight.

These upper ones amongst them would look at the position of the sun , and then the 995 levels would begin to wander on the mountains of darkness. Their spirit would wander around all of these levels with their sorcery. And they would do whatever they desire, until all the Egyptians would place their trust in them. And they call them the Erev Rav, because there is also an Erev Ze'ir (small Erev). From 9.5 hours and onward, this is is the Erev Ze'ir. Therefore it is written "and also the Erev Rav went up with them."

And there wisdom was great, and they would look at the hours of the day, and the level of Moshe, and they would see that from all sides "Boshesh Moshe" (Moshe delayed), for in the first six hours of the day they couldn't control him because of the six upper levels that are within him.

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If we look at the 6th Millenium as being the day of the Sin of the Golden Calf, the Zohar shows us what to expect. The control of the Erev Rav in general will start at approximately 6.5 hours in. At this time, the Erev Rav, not the Erev Zeir, however, is dominant. The time of the Erev Rav comes to an end, and the time of the Erev Zeir's dominance comes at 9.5 hours in to the day. Why do they ascend? Because Moshe (Moshiach) is delayed (we did not merit Moshiach's arrival), and this is their opportunity to control Am Yisrael.

1 hour = 1000 / 12 = 83.333 years

6.5 * 83.333 = 541.666 + 5000 years = 5541.666 (1781 CE)

9.5 * 83.333 = 791.666 + 5000 = 5791.666 (2031 CE)

Keeping in mind the entire discussion we've had regarding the root of the Erev Rav of the Left and Right, now look at Jewish history starting in the late 18th century, you will find new movements begin to influence Am Yisrael. It was in the early 1780's that Moses Mendelssohn wrote his most influential works on the separation of religion and state. Moses Mendelssohn is widely held to be the "Father of the Haskalah Movement". Read here about the effects of this movement.

For better understanding, read up on the history of Jewish movements of the last 230 years, and you should be able to draw further conclusions about our situation today.

In Kol HaTor we are reminded that the Other Side has 999 levels, just like the side of Kedushah, so the physical side of the Erev Rav precedes the spiritual side of the Erev Rav, just like with Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid. Physical dominates, but it is not alone. Perhaps this is why, as recorded in Kol HaTor, the GR"A attempted to make Aliyah specifically in the year 5541, to counteract this force with Kedushah in the physical world, yet he was not given permission from Heaven to continue, he was to pass this on to his students, who arrived in Tzfat in Elul 5569.

Erev Rav - The Connector

The Ramchal writes in the sefer Kin'at Hashem Tz'va'ot the following short statement:

For the nations themselves are on the outside, and they attach themselves to Israel through the Erev Rav...

This clarifies further what I wrote here and here.

From this we see why the Erev Rav is the Center of the Klipah. The Klipah attaches itself to Am Yisrael. The Klipah feeds on Kedushah. The conduit for the Klipah of the Left and Right to attach to Am Yisrael is through the Erev Rav. When the Erev Rav no longer provides this link to Kedushah, the conflict begins.

This is the reality we live in. The State of Israel is considered a close ally of the USA. This stems from their common source on the Left. The leadership here in Eretz Yisrael enables both the sons of Esav and Yishmael to have a say over the affairs of Am Yisrael, where no such say is due to them. The leadership in Eretz Yisrael, even by partial obedience, enables Esav and Yishmael to maintain their profitable relationship. When will this situation end? It will end when the time of the Erev Rav of the Left ends. That is when the goals of Moshiach ben Yosef are no longer considered to be a threat to national security.

From that point, it is no longer the partnership of the Internal and External Klipah of the Left, partners against Moshiach ben Yosef.

It is the side of Kedushah against the Klipah, Moshiach ben Yosef will return the "war to the gates."

That is the conflict.

Erev Rav in the Chumash

The Erev Rav is mentioned only once explicitly in the Torah, in Shemot 12:38:

And also a Mixed Multitude went up with them...

Targum Yonatan translates this as:

And also many foreigners, and from them 240 myriads (2,400,000 men), went up with them...

We see from this that the Erev Rav was 80% of those that left Mitzraim, while B'nei Yisrael were just 20%.

8th Tikkun - Tikkunim Chadashim

Here's a short translation from Tikkunim Chadashim of the Ramchal, Tikkun #8. This can be found on page 86 of Machon Ramchal's edition, with translation from Aramaic to Hebrew.

And just like (Moshiach ben Yosef) needs death to fix this defect, thus about (Yisrael) it is said (after the Sin of the Spies): In this desert they will be finished and there they will die (Bamidbar 14:35). And also Moshiach ben Yosef after halfway through the sixth day is set to die, to fix a complete Tikkun. And from there and onword the two trees will join as one to stand in one completeness.

To Unify the Moshiachs

I am departing from the translating/commentary style.

The following is based on Kol HaTor chapter 2, part 2, siman bet. Please read that in the original Hebrew for further understanding.

The side of Kedushah and the side of Tumah (the Klipah) each have their respective parts, Right, Left and Center. G-d has made this opposing that (Kohelet 7:14).

Kedushah

• Right - Moshiach ben Dovid
• Left - Moshiach ben Yosef
• Center - Moshiach ben Dovid and Moshiach ben Yosef together (or as we learn elsewhere in that chapter, Melech HaMoshiach)

Tumah

• Right - Yishmael
• Left - Esav
• Center - Armilus, ministering angel of the Erev Rav

The Center of the side of Kedushah is the unity of the 2 Moshiachs. The Center is basically the sum of the Left and the Right, but only when they work in tandem.

The Center of the side of Tumah, on the otherhand, seems to be a completely separate entity from the respective Left and Right of Tumah. Add Yishmael and Esav together and you don't get Erev Rav. But, as the Zohar teaches, the Erev Rav itself is divided in to two parts, the Left and Right of Tumah which is attached to Am Yisrael. So it would seem that the Erev Rav's Left and Right are the Jewish side of Tumah, or Am Yisrael's Internal Klipah of the Left and Right. The unity of the Left and the Right of the Klipah, we find, is dependent upon the Klipah which is within Am Yisrael.

The Erev Rav's desire is twofold:

• To connect the External Klipah of the Left and Right, Esav and Yishmael. If the Erev Rav were to succeed, the world would be destroyed, G-d forbid.
• To prevent the unity between the Left and Right of Kedushah, Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben Dovid.

Our job is the exact opposite: To unify the Left and Right of Kedushah, to struggle against the Erev Rav's goals.

The beginning of this chapter of Kol HaTor states that Moshiach ben Yosef is the heavenly force responsible for the physical wellbeing of Am Yisrael, whereas Moshiach ben Dovid is responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of Am Yisrael.

We see from this:

• The Left side is based on the Physical
• The Right side is based on the Spiritual

What is the separation of the Moshiachs? For the past few generations, Am Yisrael has been led towards two opposing worldviews:

• The ultimate perfection can be found in the Physical, the Spiritual can be abandoned.
• The ultimate perfection can be found in the Spiritual, the Physical can be abandoned.

Our struggle is not just to actively reject these two extremes, but to carefully attain the absolute balance needed, 499.5 from this side, and 499.5 from that side.

Yerushalayim: The City of Truth

A few thoughts to ponder amidst current events.

• Torah is Truth
• Yaakov is Truth (Michah 7:20)
• Yerushalayim is to be the City of Truth (Zechariah 8:2)
• Yerushalayim is completely built and able to fulfill its role only when it is connected (Tehillim 122:3)
• Esav hates Yaakov (Rashbi)

• Esav is the External Klipah of the Left
• The Erev Rav is the Internal Klipah of the Left

The implications of these statements help explain what is happening.

Truth

This morning I was reviewing Yehoshua chapter 2 with the GR"A's commentary (among others) and I encountered a great definition of Emet (truth) for our purposes.

Verses 12 and 13 read like this (please forgive the style of the English, the translation is somewhat literal at the expense of ease of reading):

12. And now, swear, please, to me by Hashem, for I did with you Chesed; and you should do, also you, with my father's house Chesed, and give me a sign of Emet.

13. And you should make live my father and my mother, and my brothers and my sisters, and everything they have, and save our souls from death.

14. And the men said to her, our soul is under yours for death, if you will not tell regarding this thing, and it will be that when Hashem gives us the land, we will do with you Chesed and Emet.

The GR"A explains the precision of the words. Rachav did Chesed with them. She requested a sign that they would repay this, which is Emet. She requested in return Chesed for her family, which was not directly involved, and Emet in regards to herself, since they owed it to her.

This is explained further in the verse in Michah (7:20)

You give Emet to Yaakov, Chesed to Avraham, to whom you swore, to our fathers, from the days of old.

The GR"A states:

• Chesed to Avraham - is the promise (regarding the Eretz Yisrael).
• Emet to Yaakov - to follow through on the promise that was given to Avraham.

Proper measures. Good is done to us, we do good in return.

Two somewhat political examples of what not to do:

• The South Lebanon Army: They fought against Hizbullah with the IDF for nearly 20 years, and then the Israeli government has basically abandoned them.
• Gush Katif & the Shomron: Many of the residents who were expelled in 5765 were encouraged by the government to settle those areas. Regardless, the Israeli government has basically deprived them of their livelihoods and done little in the way of rectifying the massive loss and trauma imposed upon these productive, G-d fearing Jews.

This is part of Geulat HaEmet (the Redemption of Truth), doing what is right. Not simply determining what is right and wrong (which I hope to discuss soon), but doing what is right. What is right is Emet.

Removing Jews From Galus and Vice Versa

Hashem removed Am Yisrael from Mitzraim in the year 2448, but it took another 40 years for Hashem to remove Mitzraim from Am Yisrael. Then, as a ready nation, Am Yisrael entered Eretz Yisrael in 2488.

This is indeed a metaphor for our times. They do not start and end consecutively as they did, but the parallels are there.

• Mitzraim: We leave the Mitzraim of our times, the physical lands of Galus.
• The Midbar: We adjust spiritually to the new reality of being under the direct guidance of Hashem.
• Eretz Yisrael: We enter Eretz Yisrael. All of it.

Am Yisrael of today has 2 basic states, Galus and Geulah, and we have 2 basic levels, physical and spiritual. We do not, however, have an interim place on the physical plane akin to the wanderings of Am Yisrael in the desert.

• Mitzraim: Physical Geulah
• The Midbar: Spiritual Geulah
• Eretz Yisrael: Putting the combination of the two Geulot in to action. We will truly be an Ohr LaGoyim and we will completely fix the world under the kingdom of Hashem.

The period of the Midbar is more relevant to those of us who live in Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, it is wise for us to study well the lessons brought in the Torah regarding Am Yisrael in the Midbar. We are coming up to Yetziat Mitzraim in the weekly Torah portion. Let us learn well. Learn from the pshat, learn from the commentaries. Do not just read. Absorb it, it is one of the challenges of our times. He who understands the lessons well will be able to choose correctly, aligning with Moshe, with Hashem's will. Learn about the Golden Calf, the 10 Spies, Korach, B'not Moav along with the other mistakes made. Then you will be able to avoid them and choose the Side of Kedushah. May Hashem open our eyes to understanding His Torah.

Kibbutz Galuyot - 600,000 Jews

When Am Yisrael left Mitzraim, the approximate number of Jewish males of Am Yisrael is mentioned. About 600,000. Due to the parallels between Am Yisrael's departure from Mitzraim and the Final Redemption, this number of 600,000 also comes up in relation to Kibbutz Galuyot.

Kol HaTor Chapter 6

Kibbutz Galuyot - How?

The work of Kibbutz Galuyot: How much is our obligation as messengers of the most High in the Atchalta DiGeulah? The minimum amount of Kibbutz Galuyot that has the power to return the Shechinah is at least the amount of "Population (Ochlusa) of Israel", i.e. 600,000. This number has the power to defeat the S'M in the gates of Yerushalayim. "For I will not enter in to Yerushalayim of Above until the Population of Israel enters in to Yerushalayim of below.

The following is the footnote on this paragraph.

And here it should be noted what is written in the Introduction to the Zohar Breishit and the explanation of Rav Moshe Maggid:

"In the Introduction to the Zohar on Sefer Breishit regarding the verse "Built Yerushalayim like a city which is connected together" it is written like this: "Thus I (Hashem) say to you (Yerushalayim): I will not go up Above until an Ochlusa will go up to you Below." And according to Chazal (Masechet Brachot 58) There is no Ochlusa less than 600,000. And a primary source for this we see in the words of the GR"A in the book Likutei HaGR"A (page 40 and Be'er Yitzchak there) that Kibbutz Galuyot is by the First Redeemer, Moshiach ben Yosef, and according to the verse "And the redeemed of Hashem will return and come to Tzion in joy" etc, and according to what is brought in the Gemara (Shabbat 88) that this verse is said about the number 600,000" - HaMaggid Doresh Tzion (p 64)

Rav Menachem Kasher, in his introduction to Kol HaTor in HaTekufah HaGedolah, mentions two statistical records:

5708 (1948) was the first year in centuries that there were 600,000 Jews living in Eretz Yisrael.

5727 (1967) was the first year in centuries that there were 600,000 Jewish males above the age of 20 living in Eretz Yisrael.

In short, the mere existence of this number is a tremendous Tikkun that is felt in the this world.

We are but a few years old away from the next Tikkun of Kibbutz Galuyot, having a majority of world Jewry in Eretz Yisrael. May we merit to see its benefits materialize in the physical world as well.

On Calculating the Keitz

The following is a translation of the last 2 paragraphs of Kol HaTor chapter 4.

And in regard to the opinion that all Kitzim (plural of Keitz) have passed, the meaning is for those appointed time that the specific actions of the appointed emissaries were note fulfilled as explained above. And for those who say "the bones of those who calculate the Keitz should explode", the meaning is those that calculate alone, without the actions of the Awakening from Below, who are not considering the Atchalta which comes by the First Moshiach, Moshiach ben Yosef as the great preparation by way of action. Therefore it is written in the language of "their bones" for they sin against the "bones of Yosef", which within is the secret of Moshiach ben Yosef in the verse "And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him".

And in the measure that we hasten the Geulah, to desire her stones and to cherish her dirt, the Geulah comes towards us in the secret of "for the appointed time is coming" and like is written "return to Me and I will return to you". And in that measure as well, holy hints are revealed before us about the appointed times of rememberence and the Keitz Meguleh in the Last Generation that arrive until the Final Keitz, Keitz HaPlaot (the Wonderous End), until the Keitz HaYamin in the fullness of blessing in the secret of "his right hand is on the hand of Ephraim". A bit of what has been revealed on the way of Tso'fnat Pa'aneach up to what we are allowed to reveal about these hints will be discussed in the next chapter with the help of Heaven.

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I would like to comment on this.

While it can be a somewhat intriguing topic when people believe Moshiach is coming, calculations by themselves do not hold inherent positive value, for a person might get this idea that we are stuck in the flow of history and we do not have an active role in Am Yisrael's destiny. Some of the hints, such as what I have written on this blog, indicate what preparations we need to make, both on a physical and mental level. Physical, I mean leaving Galus. Mentally, I mean removing Galus our minds. Or in our metaphor of being the Generation of the Desert, replace Galus with Egypt. The Redemption of Truth is a goal for us all, leading to essential changes in perception. It is the key to adapting to the changes of our future. It is essential for turning the hearts of the children to their parents and parents to their children.

Kol HaTor: Repairing the Sin of the Spies

Preface: The following is a particularly sharp (and lengthy) critique of Jews who oppose moves towards Kibbutz Galuyot. It should be understood the seeming rage of the author, Rav Hillel, came from frustration in fulfilling his holy mission and his desire to do only good for Am Yisrael. If you believe that you would react negatively to critique on the matter of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael, please do not read this post. I did not spend time translating this to cause anger.

The Tikkun of the Sin of the Spies: By Building Yerushalayim

Kol HaTor chapter 5, page 129

The Sin of the Spies in the Desert in the days of Moshe is one of the greatest general sins that attaches itself to Am Yisrael in all the generations until today. According to the midrash of our sages, a weeping from generation to generation was decreed because of the Sin of the Spies, weeping for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the destruction of Yerushalayim, and the desolation of the land. In a large part, Am Yisrael has suffered and suffers in all the generations the pains of the bitter exile due to the Sin of the Spies. A large portion of the punishment of this sin was brought down in the days that the sin occured during the generation in the desert, as explained in the Torah, but the remainder of the punishment was divided up to pieces that were put upon all generations, G-d save us.

A great tikkun for the Sin of the Spies can come by way of the redemption and building of Yerushalayim, and by way of actions of gathering in the Exiles, according to the known principle of "G-d made this opposing that", and measure for measure, for merit and also for sin, fix what you broke, to fix everything according to the place, according to the time, according to the action, and according to the publicity. And behold the Sin of the Spies which brought weeping for generations according to the explanation of our sages on the verse "And the people wept on that night", that night was the night of Tishah b'Av, on which the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed. We find that the tikkun for the Sin of the Spies needs to be by building the Beit HaMikdash, and before the building of the Beit HaMikdash, there needs to be the building of Yerushalayim, as explained according to our Rabbi (the GR"A) according to the verse "Yerushalayim will be built and the Sanctuary founded" which is said on the final Atchalta DiGeulah like in the days of Koresh.

And due to our many sins, there are many who are sinning the great sin of "they despised the desirable land", also many that keep Torah do not know or understand that they are caught up in the Sin of the Spies, they are attached to the Klipah of the Sin of the Spies in all sorts of nonsensical, lying arguments, also covering up their logic with the rejected opinion that there is no mitzvah of Yishuv HaAretz at this time. This opinion was already rejected by the geniuses of the world, the Rishonim and Acharonim. These Spies want to be bigger than our rabbis the Tanaim and Amoraim that set that the mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisrael is equal all the other mitzvot in the Torah, and our rabbi the Ramban zya"a that set that the mitzvah of Yishuv HaAretz is a positive commandment of the Torah from "and you shall inherit it and settle it", and our rabbi the writer of Tosefot Yom Tov that before the Geulah there will be an Atchalta like in the days of Koresh in the days of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash and also our rabbi the Shla"h HaKadosh (in Sha'ar HaOtiot) explains the greatness of the mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael, that at no time does the holiness of this mitzvah cease, even for an instant. And who is greater for us in all the last generations than our rabbi the GR"A, the holy of Israel, that with firey words urged his students to move to Eretz Yisrael and to work in the Ingathering of the Exiles, and urged his students greately to start the Keitz Meguleh to bring forward the Keitz of the Geulah by way of settling Eretz Yisrael. Almost every day our rabbi spoke to us with great emotion that "In Tzion and in Yerushalayim there will be refuge", and not to delay the appointed time. Who can speak or describe the great worry of our rabbi as he spoke to us with words like these with his holy spirit and with tears in his eyes, and also explained to us many times that the opinion of Rav Yehudah (Ketubot 110) that said that someone who moves to Eretz Yisrael from Bavel violates a positive commandment, even according to Rav Yehudah, this is only said regarding Bavel and not from the rest of the lands. And also Aliyah from Bavel of Rav Yehudah, it is a opinion of a single authority, and it is rejected from its base in the Gemara there and in the commentaries. This and more: Rav Yehudah bases himself on the verse "To Bavel they will be brought and there thay will be until the day of My rememberance" (Yirmiyahu 27). What is the meaning of "until the day of My rememberance"? Behold during the Aliyah of Ezra and Nechemiah was from Galut Bavel and any rememberance from Heaven needs to have first a rememberance in the Awakening from Below, and as our rabbi said to us in many places that the rememberence in the Footsteps of Moshiach will be first like in the days of Koresh in the days of the 2nd Beit HaMikdash from the Left Side, the side of Din meaning the Awakening from Below.

How great is the pain of the fact that many of our brothers Bnei Yisrael and among them many wealthy Jews in the state of Russia who eagerly prepared to come to Eretz Yisrael by the mitzvah of our rabbi the GR"A, and were cooled off davka by some who keep the Torah that don't know and understand. And this is what our rabbi wrote that during the ingathering, the Other Side will be strengthened, G-d save us, and this is what it says in the midrash that when Israel goes out of the Galut, Amalek is made ready for them on the way. And that is the strength of the impurity about which it says "that cooled you off on the way". And see how strong the power is of the satan that put this deceiving opinion also in those that keep the Torah to delay the Geulah, for behold the Spies themselves were amongst the greatest of Israel and the satan enticed them, G-d save us.

In addition to this, amongst the obstacles in the Diaspora, there are also those that interfere in the sending of financial support for the strengthening of the settlement in Eretz Yisrael. We hear from our emissaries a few such horrible stories. For example: On the day of the GR"A's Yartzheit, one of our emissaries gave the drash in the synagogue in the city in favor of supporting the settlement in Eretz Yisrael. After him, the Gabbai of the community came up to the bimah and said that the Gabbai's of the community in Yerushalayim have created a new business, it is not enough that they request donations for food for the poor but also donations for the building of Yerushalayim to buy fields, etc. in order to expand the settlement, and other dreams like this. And if it were really a time of desire in front of Hashem, said this Gabbai, to bring the Geulah, then there would be no need to buy fields, etc. And behold this Gabbai that has no idea about the ways of the Geulah and doesn't know or doesn't want to know about the words of the prophet "Fields with money will be bought in the land of Binyamin and in the surroundings of Yerushalayim" (Yirmiyahu 32), and the words of the prophet "Expand the place of your tents" that all these were spoken about the Atchalta DiGeulah as I have explained in prior chapters. And also what our sages said that thus is the Geulah of Israel, little by little it comes, like Ayelet HaShachar, etc, and all this was said about the Atchalta DiGeulah like a poor person on a donkey, as long as we have not merited the full Geulah on the clouds of heaven, speedily and in our days. And the GR"A speaks in many places about the first Geulah from the Servitude of the Nations by the first Moshiach, the Moshiach of the Atchalta, Moshiach ben Yosef, who is responsible for Kibbutz Galuyot in the Awakening from Below. And what is the meaning of the First Moshiach and the First Geulah in the words of the GR"A? It is the preparations that come before Moshiach ben Dovid. And what will those people with their deep explanations say regarding the words of our sages"When Yerushalayim is built, ben Dovid comes" and on the verse "And there will come to Tzion a redeemer" (Yeshayahu 59), about which the Midrash and Rashi say "As long as Tzion isn't built, the redeemer doesn't come". And indeed it is (akin to) the hyssop in the wall coming to defeat the (mighty) Cedars of Lebanon, this is nothing but the Klipah of the Spies speaking from within their throats, indeed this is what our sages said that in the Footsteps of Moshiach, the truth is hidden and chutzpah increases, chutzpah also against the holy words of our prophets and visionaries, chutzpah against the earlier Gedolei Yisrael, and against the opinion and holy command of the holy of Israel, our rabbi the GR"A, and we pray that all those that have the spirit of Amalek dwelling within them will repent from their evil ways, and He is merciful and atones sin.

Why Little By Little?

The following is from Kol HaTor chapter 1, page 33.

Little By Little:

To know ahead of time that the Atchalta DiGeulah comes little by little, according to Chaza"l (Yerushalmi Brachot): Thus is the Geulah of Israel, it comes little by little, like Ayelet HaShachar, "though I sit in the dark, Hashem is my light", and it continues until the day.

Thus it is with every action of the Atchalta, we should start with a little according to the verse "1 from a city and 2 from a family". It is an important rule according to the GR"A that all the things that in the future will be completed with the Geulah start little by little even in the Atchalta, thus in the building of Yerushalayim, we should start even from one stone. According to the verse "behold I have set in Tzion a foundation stone, a tried stone". For this stone is for a test to prove that it is the Will to build Yerushalayim and to expand the place of her tents, and Hashem will help us. Also in the secret of "and I will go slow".

We once asked our rabbi why does the Atchalta need to come davka slowly. If the desired time has come before Hashem to gather the dispersed of Israel, will the Hand of Hashem become shortened? That Kibbutz Galuyot should be the most part at one time?

Our rabbi explained to us that the entire matter of the Atchalta DiGeulah is when we are not meritorious. That is without the merit of our righteousness. And if the Geulah would come at once, behold from one side we would not be able to stand up to the measure of suffering that comes with Midat HaDin as mentioned above. And from the other side it wouldn't be possible to receive the great light that comes from the side of Chesed at once. All this it is imperitive for us to understand from the beginning on the way to the actual work of Kibbutz Galuyot.

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What we can learn from this is as follows: We most certainly believe that if the level of Teshuvah done by Am Yisrael is sufficient, Geulah will happen in a pleasant and quick fashion. However, if we have not done Teshuvah by the time of the Keitz, the suffering, G-d forbid, would be great. Why would the suffering be so great?

Imagine the 999 Steps of Moshiach as a graph. The X axis is time, the Y axis is Am Yisrael's advancement through the Footsteps of Moshiach. The final Keitz, the latest point of X, is at the Y of 1000. Our desire is by our own actions to be at 999 when that day arrives. The further away we are, the more suffering, G-d forbid. The suffering is in direct relation to the steepness of the jump to 1000. If we are at 999, there is no suffering, akin to why we need not count the 50th day of the Omer. Just as we have done 49 days and kivyachol Hashem completes it, so too here, we arrive at 999 and Hashem completes the 1000.

The Keitz Meguleh means staying keeping up with the ascending line to perfection.

May Hashem help us to fulfill the tasks He has put upon us all.