Hints on the Sod of Birkat HaChamah

• Read this post.
• Read this post.
• Read this post.
• See the source in the Zohar for טצ"ץ, which is referenced in Kol HaTor (1994 edition).
• See the Arizal there.

Between Tishah B’Av and Yom Kippur

I don’t have anything to draw this together, yet, but this is what I’ve come up with. Comments are welcome.

Both days have an issur on eating, drinking, anointing, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations. Tishah B’Av

• The restrictions are because this is a day of mourning.
• Fast is on the 9th, but the majority of the destruction was on the 10th, so abstaining from wine and meat continues in to the 10th.
• On the 1st of the month, we decrease happiness (Mishnah Taanit 4:6)
• The fast is followed by a happy day on the 15th of the month, celebrating (among other things)Am Yisrael coming together as a nation (Taanit 30b).
• Am Yisrael as a nation needs to do teshuvah in order to achieve the goal of the day.
• If Am Yisrael takes an active role in the tikkun for the day, it is akin to working for the Keitz Meguleh, which is related to the Geulah B’Itah.

Yom Kippur

• The restrictions are to help us become spiritually elevated. This is not a sad day.
• Yom Kippur is on the 10th, yet it is a mitzvah to fast a little on the 9th.
• On the 1st of the month is the Day of Judgment, Rosh Hashanah.
• The fast is followed by the Time of our Happiness, on the 15th of the month. According to Rebbi Eliezer (Sukkah 27b), one must spend Sukkot in their own Sukkah, leading to a private holiday, not a public one.
• Each individual has to do teshuvah in order to achieve the goal of the day.
• If Am Yisrael does effective teshuvah, this would merit the Geulah Achishenah.

Figures

I spent literally years looking for the GR"A's explanation of Tikkunei Zohar and Tikkunim miZohar Chadash. I was able to obtain a custom reprint within the last 6 months.

But evidently someone put it back in print.

Tikkunim Chadashim - Tikkun 60

And for all the mighty hand - At the time that Gog will come to the gates of Yerushalayim: for it is by way of accusation that he is aroused to come, because of the sin of Kayin.

And in the 1st time that he will come, a strong fire will be seen between the heavens and the earth for 3 days, and Gog will stand on the outside, opposite the gate, and the king Moshiach will be inside, and this fire will separate them, and they won't do anything to each other. Once he (Gog) will see that he can't attack, he will return to his place.

Afterwards, he will come a 2nd time, and then a strong darkness will be seen and much anger will be in the world, and great mountains will be broken, as it is said about them: "For the mountains will move, and the hills will collapse (Yeshayahu 54:10), and then: "And my kindness will not move from with you, etc (Isaiah 54:10). Then, Gog will go back.

But come and see, this wicked person, when time passes and he will consider being strengthened, like Par'oh the wicked did, as it is said about him "And Par'oh saw that he had an opportunity and he hardened his heart (Shemot 8:11), for he thought that the fear had left, and he could be strengthened, and if not now then after a bit of time.

Come and see, this wicked Gog will come a 3rd time certainly. But before he comes, HaKadosh Baruch Hu will rise up to take away the sin of Kayin from the world. And that is the secret of the verse "And he shall sit as a refiner" (Malachi 3:3). And because this wicked one (Gog) will come, the sin will already be gone. And that is the secret of the verse: "Why are the nations in an uproar, and the nations utter in vain" (Tehillim 2:1). Vain, for sure, that they thought they could become strengthened in that same sin (of Kayin), but behold that sin is already not to be found, and opposing this, the side of Kedushah needs to be strengthened for sure.

And all the strong hand - In the 2 (first) times that still the sin was not taken away.

And all the great terror - The refinement that (He will) refine, before the 3rd time he comes, that when he does come, it will be said about him: "The righteous are delivered from trouble, and the wicked come in his place" (Mishlei 11:8), really. And also, and all the hand, etc, is this.

Gog

There has been much talk in the Jewish blogs lately regarding the identity of Gog. It would seem that exerting of efforts to identify Gog are not productive. I might touch on those reasons later. What I wanted to mention was the ideas behind the Wars of Gog uMagog.

The Wars of Gog uMagog are mentioned 3 times:

• Zecharyah 12
• Zecharyah 14
• Yehezkel 38

This is a scriptual support for the tradition that there are 3 Wars of Gog uMagog. It has been fairly well circulated in the name of the Chofetz Chayim that WW1 and WW2 were stages 1 and 2.

The Ramchal made this tradition regarding the 3 stages fairly explicit in his Tikkunim Chadashim, Tikkun # 60.

It would seem from the Ramchal (and other sources which I will not discuss now) that the 1st stage was WWII, not WWI: He states there that Gog will come up to Yerushalayim but won't be able to enter. All we need to do is take Yerushalayim to mean the entirety of Eretz Yisrael. The Nazis under Rommell were stopped in Egypt. This threat was one of the reasons for the founding of the Palmach. See also here.

Obviously with the above, there is no connection between the name Gog and the names of the characters involved, either for WWI or WWII.

Gods of Wood and Stone

In this week's parshah, we have a nevuah from Moshe Rabbeinu that Am Yisrael will end up being exiled from Eretz Yisrael.

I will provide a translation for a verse here in to English, and then a translation of Targum Onkelos in to English.

Devarim 4:28

Hebrew:

And there you will serve gods, the works of man, wood and stone, which cannot see and cannot hear, and don't eat and don't smell.

Targum:

And there you will serve idol worshipping nations, the works of man, wood and stone, that cannot see and cannot hear, and don't eat and don't smell

The Targum basically tells us that in the lands of exile we will not actually become idol worshippers, G-d forbid. But rather, our exile will lead us to serve nations that do serve gods of wood and stone. And this very fact is likened by Moshe to Am Yisrael themselves becoming idol worshippers.

Parshat Ki Tavo also uses this expression, describing Am Yisrael being in Galus.

Devarim 28:64

And Hashem will disperse you amongst all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth, and you will serve there other gods, that you did not know, and your fathers, wood and stone.

Chazal relate the curses of Devarim 28 to Galus Edom, the time when Am Yisrael has been under the rule of Esav and Yishmael. Neither of these kingdoms serve gods of wood or stone.

But alas, the two religions do turn their prayers toward wood and stone.

Christianity has the wooden cross.

Islam has the Ka'aba, the stone which lies in Mecca.

Even if not the object of worship, these items are focusing points of their prayer service.

The Hidden Nature of Moshiach

It is brought in Kol HaTor that Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David are hidden, as long as Am Yisrael and the Shechinah are in Galus.

This indeed has been the case during history.

As mentioned before, the main tasks of Moshiach ben Yosef are:

• Kibbutz Galuyot
• Binyan Yerushalayim
• Setting up Anshei Amanah (the precursor to the Sanhedrin)
• Revealing the Secrets of Torah

The Ariza"l and the GR"A, both identified in the role of Moshiach ben Yosef, revealed many secrets of Torah. The GR"A sent his students to start the work of Moshiach ben Yosef. But what about afterwards?

We find that the person who is credited as the father of Zionism is Theodore Herzl, a secular Jew. The First Zionist Congress in Basel, 1897, which was initiated and chaired by Herzl, was a pivotal event in the history of Zionism. Rav Kook referred to him as Moshiach ben Yosef (if anyone can supply an exact source for that, I would appreciate).

How can we consider Theodore Herzl as one of the many incarnations of Moshiach ben Yosef? He did not keep Torah and mitzvot; his life story is public knowledge for one that wants details.

That is exactly the key: Since Am Yisrael and the Shechinah were still in Galus, and the appointed time had come to arouse Am Yisrael to make Aliyah, the Moshiach ben Yosef who came forth had to be someone who did not fit the mold.

This also teaches another idea: the revelation of Moshiach is dependent on Am Yisrael returning to Eretz Yisrael.

Moshe's Recounting of the Sin of the Spies

In the 3rd Aliyah of Parshat Devarim, Moshe recounts the sin of the spies. As is known, the wording of Sefer Devarim is many times in a way to give reproof to Am Yisrael.

When recalling our sin, the evil report of the 10 spies is not mentioned.

דברים א:כה - ויקחו בידם מפרי הארץ, ויורדו אלינו, וישבו אתנו דבר, ויאמרו טובה הארץ אשר ה' אלקינו נתן לנו

דברים א:כו - ולא אביתם לעלת

Devarim 1:25 - And they took from the fruit of the land, and brought it down to us, and returned to us a word, and said "The land that Hashem our G-d gives us is good".

Devarim 1:26 - And you didn't want to go up (to the land) ...

As Rashi explains there, this is the testimony of Kalev ben Yefuneh and Yehoshua bin-Nun. Moshe leaves out the testimony of the 10 Spies. Am Yisrael went after the majority instead of Truth.

Tish'ah B'Av - Redemption of Truth

As we approach Tish'ah B'Av, it is proper to consider the spiritual heights and depths that Am Yisrael has experienced, for they are related to the essence of Tish'ah B'Av.

At Har Sinai, Am Yisrael experienced an extremely high form of revelation, the truth was "seen" by all. From this time forward was the age of prophecy, where many individuals achieved a high level of prophecy.

The destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash brought the age of prophecy to a close. Churban HaBayit and Galut Bavel mark the beginning of the downward spiral of Truth down to the earth. With the withdrawal of prophecy, this level of connection to heaven was blocked. Truth, however, remained in the hands of the Sanhedrin.

Galut Edom brought a further fall, with the cessation of smichah, the disappearance of the Sanhedrin.

Binyan Beit HaMikdash and the end of Galut Edom will reverse this. Truth sprouts up from the ground, in the end it reaches the heavens.

Truth on the ground; that is the individuals fighting for truth. We find what is true, even if unpopular, even if it is against the common belief.

Above this is the Sanhedrin, where the Truth acts on a national level, leading the nation.

But the individuals will as well reach higher, attaining even prophecy as the Truth that they have found continues its path back to the Heavens.

The highest level is prophecy for all, where we will not need to seek out a teacher due to our innate connection to the Truth, as is brought in the Navi.

May Hashem help us to raise the Truth back up from the earth, and let it truly sprout forth.

The Tribes Represent The Upper World

The following is based on an idea that Moshe Gavriel posted in the comments section of the last post. I'm posting this in Hebrew due to the content.

בעליה הרביעית לפרשת מסעי, רשום שמות הנשיאים שינחילו לעם ישראל את ארץ ישראל. משום שבני גד ובני ראובן לקחו נחלתם בעבר לירדן מזרחה, נשיאיהם לא הוזכרו שם, ונשארו שעשרה נשיאים כתובים בפרשה, ויש שינוי באופן רישומם בפרשה:

שמות נשיאי יהודה, שמעון, ובנימין כתובים סתם.

שאר הנשיאים כתובים עם המלה "נשיא" כהקדמה.

כתוב בספרי הקבלה שהפרצוף זעיר אנפין מקביל בעולם האצילות את מצבי עם ישראל פה בזה העולם, וכנראה זה רמוז פה.

המלה "נשיא" מרמזת על מיתת המלכים, מ"אלה המלכים אשר מלכו בארץ אדום...", אשר מיתתם הוא ענין נפילתם מאצילות לבריאה. לכן שבעת הנשיאים, או יותר מדויק להגיד שבעת השבטים, מרמזים על חסד עד מלכות של ז"א. ויש לציין שמלכות של ז"א הוא נקרא עטרת היסוד.

באצילות, חל תהליך של יצירה מחדש של ז"א, עם עיבור, יניקה, קטנות, וגדלות. עניין הגדלות, הוא קבלת המוחין, השלשה ראשונים, חכמה, בינה, ודעת. אלה השלשה באים מהחלקים התחתונים של הפרצופים העומדים מעל ז"א, אשר בהם לא היתה מיתה, ולכן אין צורך להזכיר שם נשיא אצלם.

המוחין של ז"א הם מביאים לנו, לתחתונים, את הנבואה. ולכן מאוד מתאים שהפסקת הנבואה מעם ישראל לא התחילה עד גלות שלשת השבטים במלכות יהודה.

בזה נראה לי שגם ארץ ישראל בחלקים מרמזת על העולמות העליונים: מנשה נמצא בארץ ישראל העיקרית, וגם בצד המזרחית, כמו ש מלכות מהווה כתר דבריאה.

צאצאי מלכות יהודה, שבטי יהודה, שמעון, ובנימין, לא נעלמו מעיני ההסטוריה, מקור המוחין האלה הוא ענין אבא ואימא אשר להם לא שיך ענין הקליפות, וכו'.

השאלות הנשארות:

מהו ענין שמעון, המעורב ביהודה?

מהו ענין לוי המעורב בכל העשרה? חסדים וגבורות או רק הגבורות כפי שורש הלויים?

אתם מוזמנים לכתוב תיקונים למה שכתבתי פה.

Question on Parshat Mas'ei

The 4th Aliyah of this week's parshah, Mas'ei, lists the 12 tribal heads who are to be in charge of dividing the land during the time of Yehoshua bin-Nun.

The first 3 tribes listed are Yehudah, Shimon, and Binyamin.

From the 4th onward, all of them have the word "Nasi" in front of their name.

The grouping is obvious: Those 3 tribes would, after the time of Shlomo, be the Kingdom of Yehudah, and those 9 would be the Kingdom of Yisrael.

I didn't see any peirushim on this in Mikraot Gedolot.

Does anyone have any drashot on this?

And while we're at it, does anyone have a drash as to why they are called the 10 Tribes (which is a title given by Hashem in Melachim 1 11:35) when it is only 9?

On Reuven and Gad from Doresh L'Tzion

The following is a translation of chapter 7 of HaMagid Doresh Tzion, part of the book Doresh L'Tzion, which is part of the set Torat HaGeulah.

One that Refrains from Helping the Mitzvah of Yishuv HaAretz is Considered as Among a Culture of Sinners

In parshat Matot, the request of B'nei Gad and Reuven to Moshe Rabbeinu is told, that he (Moshe) would give to them land for an inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan. Moshe replies to them "Why would you turn away the heart of B'nei Yisrael from crossing to the land which Hashem gave them?", and in the rest of his words, he compares them to the spies that turned away the heart of B'nei Yisrael in to not coming to the land which Hashem gave them, and calls them a culture of sinners.

From Moshe's harsh answer to B'nei Gad and B'nei Reuven, we have much to learn for our times, for did B'nei Gad and B'nei Reuvent say anything bad about Eretz Yisrael? And it is only because they requested to settle on the eastern side of the Jordan that he called them "turners away of the heart of B'nei Yisrael from crossing the Jordan", and compares them to the Spies, and calls them a culture of sinners, and they replied "we will be armed and ready to go before B'nei Yisrael ... " and only on that condition did Moshe Rabbeinu acquiesce.

From here we learn 2 important ideas:

1. Everyone that refrains from joining in Kibbutz Galuyot, and even though he doesn't harm the mitzvah at all is thought of as one that prevents the hearts of others from B'nei Yisrael from fulfilling this great mitzvah, and he is thought of as sinning the Sin of the Spies, and a helper of a culture of sinners.
2. Anyone that helps Kibbutz Galuyot and Yishuv Eretz Yisrael with dedication brings a Tikkun against the Sin of the Spies, like the answer of B'nei Gad and B'nei Reuvent "we will be armed and ready to go before B'nei Yisrael".

And why all this? Because the Mitzvah of Yishuv Ha'Aretz is equal to all the other mitzvot in the Torah as brought in the Sifri on the verse "And you shall inherit it and settle in it" (Devarim 11). And thus is the ruling for the mitzvah of building Yerushalayim, for Kibbutz Galuyot and the building of Yerushalayim are connected according to the verse "Hashem builds Yerushalayim, the dispersed of Yisrael he will gather" (Tehillim 147).

David HaMelech's Rise to Power

This is to fill in some details for this post.

The beginning of Shmuel Bet describes the chain of events from the time of the death of Shaul HaMelech.

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• Shaul HaMelech dies, his son, Ish Boshet, assumes the role of king. David moves with his people to Chevron, where the tribe of Yehudah takes David as their king.

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• The House of Shaul and the House of David battle, with the House of David constantly becoming more powerful at the expense of the House of David. (For an alternate opinion on the timing, see the Malbim on chapter 2 verse 10)

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• Avner ben-Ner, the general of Shaul and now Ish Boshet, tries to bring the nation under David HaMelech, but Yoav ben-Tzeruyah murders Avner to avenge Asa'el's death.

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• All Israel comes to Chevron to make David king of all Israel.

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• David HaMelech moves to Ir David, near the city of Yerushalayim. Chiram pays tribute to David. After coming to Yerushalayim, the Plishtim attack twice. After this, the Aron is brought to the house of Oved Edom haGiti and then Beit David, then 3 months later to Ir David.

Tachanot HaMidbar

B'nei Yisrael stopped at 42 different locations between Mitzraim and Eretz Yisrael, but only by some of them do we have a Mesorah as to what happened. I might fill in a few more later.

1. Sukkot - B'nei Yisrael are joined by the Erev Rav on the way to Sukkot (Shemot 12:37-38)
2. Eitam
3. Pi HaChirot
4. Marah
5. Eilim - There were 12 springs and 70 date trees (Shemot 16)
6. Yam Suf
7. Midbar Sin
8. Dofkah
9. Alush - They received the Man (Ba'al HaTurim 33:13)
10. Refidim - The war with Amalek (Shemot 17:8)
11. Midbar Sinai - Maamad Har Sinai, Chet HaEigel
12. Kivrot HaTa'avah - Recounted in BaMidbar chapter 11, includes the mitzvah to Moshe to appoint a Sanhedrin.
13. Chatzeirot - Lashon HaRa of Miriam (BaMidbar 12)
14. Ritmah - Sin of the Spies (Rashi to BaMidbar 33:18), Ma'apilim
15. Rimon Paretz
16. Livnah
17. Risah
18. Keheilatah - Ma'aseh Korach (Ba'al HaTurim to BaMidbar 33:22)
19. Har Shefer
20. Charadah
21. Makheilot - Ba'al HaTurim also relates this to Korach (per the girsah I have here), but perhaps it is referring to chapter 17:6 onwards, which is the day after Ma'aseh Korach.
22. Tachat
23. Tarach
24. Mitkah
25. Chashmonah - The 25th stop is Chashmonah, like Chashmonaim, hinting at Chanukah.
26. Moseirot
27. B'nei Ya'akan
28. Chor HaGidgad
29. Yotvatah - Devarim 10:8 says that at that time, Hashem separated the tribe of Levi for its work. According to (if I recall correctly) Rashi, this happened earlier, but the placement of this statement by this Tachanah nonetheless is relevant here.
30. Evronah
31. Etzyon Gaver
32. Kadesh - Death of Miriam, Moshe hits the rock (Bamidbar 20)
33. Hor HaHar - Death of Aharon, war with Melech Arad
34. Tzalmonah
35. Punon
36. Ovot
37. Iyei HaAvarim
38. Divon Gad
39. Almon Divlataymah
40. Harei HaAvarim
41. Arvot Moav - Maaseh Ba'al Pe'or (Bamidbar 25)
42. Har Nevo - Death of Moshe (Devarim 34)

B'nei Reuven and B'nei Gad's Deal

At the end of Parshat Matot, the tribes of Reuven and Gad request from Moshe to settle outside the land of Canaan, the lands conquered from Og and Sichon. Moshe's response here is quite telling, and a great lesson can be learned from this, as is brought in Chazon Tzion. Hopefully I'll get to type up that drashah some time.

What has been troubling to me is not the main deal, but rather the details.

• If Reuven and Gad send men to fight, then they get to settle on the other side of the Jordan River.
• If Reuven and Gad don't send to fight, then they will get to settle on the west side of the Jordan.

From my point of view, I had a hard time comprehending this deal. I spent much time desiring to make Aliyah before the realization. The Aliyah date was a constant focus for more than a year. Now here comes the Torah and tells Reuven and Gad that if they don't fight, they get a portion of Eretz Yisrael for nothing!

Difficult indeed. But to understand this properly, I believe that we must understand what Reuven and Gad were asking for.

Eretz Yisrael is a huge plot of land, from Nachal Mitzraim to Nehar Prat. However, Eretz Yisrael starts out small. It must be the land west of the Jordan first. The 12 tribes needed to settle there before expanding outwards. (Perhaps this hints at something else. Reuven and Gad offered to fight and stay in Eretz Yisrael-proper until the end of the division, which turned out to be 2503. If they would have just stayed in Eretz Yisrael proper, the further need of Galus would have been nullified.)

Essentially, Eretz Yisrael-proper is a land promised by HaKadosh Baruch Hu to fit our needs. By not following this mitzvah, Reuven and Gad essentially decided to settle in Chutz La'Aretz, in that Eretz Yisrael-proper wasn't settled first. They decided that Eretz Yisrael didn't have what they "needed", instead of adjusting their desires to match Eretz Yisrael.

Moshe then cuts a deal with them. If they will contribute in a meaningful way, then in spite of their residence in Chutz La'Aretz, they will be considered as if they are in Eretz Yisrael.

But if they don't follow through on this deal, what is their punishment? The mitzvah overrides their desire for materialism. That is to say, since they made Eretz Yisrael and their materialism mutually exclusive, Eretz Yisrael will win out, and they will be forced to make Aliyah.

So for me to understand this deal, I must read it like someone that doesn't want to be in Eretz Yisrael. Then it makes sense.

The Honor of B'nei Yisrael

Parshat Matot teaches us an important lesson in very few words.

במדבר לא:ב - נקם נקמת-בני ישראל מאת המדינים

Bamidbar 31:2 - (Hashem tells Moshe:) Avenge the vengeance of B'nei Yisrael from the Midianites.

במדבר לא:ג - ... לתת נקמת-ה' במדין

Bamidbar 31:3 - ... to put the vengeance of Hashem upon the Midianites.

Hashem calls it the vengeance of B'nei Yisrael, Moshe calls it the vengeance of Hashem.

We must guard the honor of Am Yisrael and Hashem as if they are the same.

The 3 Weeks

Today is the 17th of Tamuz, a fast day which opens a 3 week period of mourning for the Beit HaMikdash, culminating on the 9th of Av.

The Mishnah of Masechet Taanit (4:6) recounts what happened on these days:

17th of Tamuz

• The Luchot were broken (at the time of the sin of the Golden Calf).
• The Tamid offering ceased to be brought.
• The walls of Jerusalem were breached.
• Apastomos burned the Torah.
• He put up an idol in the Sanctuary.

9th of Av

• Our forefathers were sentenced to not enter Eretz Yisrael after the Sin of the Spies.
• The 1st Beit HaMikdash was destroyed.
• The 2nd Beit HaMikdash was destroyed.
• Beitar was captured.
• Jerusalem was plowed.

While they are called 3 weeks, it is really a 22 day period, related to the 22 years that Yosef didn't see his father when he was sold down to Mitzraim (See last paragraph of this blog post).

Regarding the Tamid: If we look at the events of the 9th of Av in the Mishnah, we see that they are all chronological. Such seems not to be the case by the 17th of Tamuz.

It is brought in the Yerushalmi and the Bavli that sefer Yirmiyahu records the 9th of Tamuz as the date in which the walls of Yerushalayim were breached.

Yerushalmi

• The Cessation of the Tamid: A Midrash is brought, describing the cessation in the time of the Bayit Sheini.
• The Breaching of the Walls: In spite of the 9th of Tamuz being the date mentioned in Yirmiyahu, this part of the Mishnah is related only to the time of Bayit Rishon. The contradiction in the dates is attributed to confusion caused by the general turbulance at the time of the Churban. See the full text and commentaries for a fuller understanding.

Bavli

• The Cessation of the Tamid: The Bavli doesn't give commentary on this line, saying only that it is a tradition that this event took place on that date.
• The Breaching of the Walls: Due to the contradiction of dates in Yirmiyahu, the Bavli takes the approach that this part of the Mishnah refers to Bayit Sheini.

So when it comes down to the Mishnah possibly relating to an explicit calculation in Sefer Daniel Chapter 12, nothing clear comes out, possibly to fulfill the words of Gavriel to seal the words until the end time.

It is written in Zecharyah chapter 8 that the fast days that we currently have as commemoration of the Churban will be times of joy and happiness in the future. The expression used, for joy and for happiness (לששון ולשמחה) is equal to the Gematria of my name, so I am familiar with other phrases of that Gematria, namely Shemot 6:2, which hints at equality between the Left and Right.

That is to say, when we reach equality on the Left and Right, these days will indeed be times of joy and happiness for Am Yisrael. May we be zocheh to experience this joy and happiness in our days.

Thoughts for Today

The news today is difficult, it makes me think of a Kabbalistic teaching.

There is an idea that when the Sefirot are in place, they bestow their light out through their front side downwards. The front gives off far more light than the back. When the Sefirot move up, they turn their front upwards. This causes the amount of abundance bestowed to be severely restricted, as it comes out of the back side. But when the Sefirot reach their new higher level, they then turn around again, giving off what, in relation to the restriction, seems like an extremely bright light.

May our pain signal that we are nearing the next level.

David HaMelech as Moshiach

A talmid of this blog sent this to me. The wording and commentary is mine, the chiddush is his.

According to the chronology from Seder Olam Rabba, David HaMelech was born in the year 2854, which is exactly half of 5708.

Let's assume that David HaMelech's life, therefore, parallels now, only half as fast.

David HaMelech rose to power at age 30, but only over the tribe of Yehudah, from Chevron, for 7.5 years.

mid-5708 + 30 * 2 = mid-5768.

7.5 * 2 = 15

mid-5768 - mid-5783

Therefore, the time when David HaMelech reigned only over his own tribe parallels what has already been written here.

Thoughts:

• I could bring a kashya, in other places I have written slightly less than 15 years. But behold we have written in one place in Divrei HaYamim 1 29:26 that David HaMelech only reigned in Chevron for 7 years. 7 + 7.5 = 14.5, bringing us to the time of the Omer 5768 until the beginning of 5783, as we have seen before.
• Furthermore, it seems to me that Chevron represents Zechut Avot, which is necessary for the Geulah: 15 years for the 3 forefathers, 5 years each. One the Zechut is aroused, we can arrive at Yerushalayim.
• Alternatively, the 15 years could be re-divided in 2, each 7.5 years represents another aliyah to Yerushalayim.
• The Talmud Yerushalmi Brachot 2:4 (17a) brings the idea that David HaMelech is Moshiach.

On the Calculation: Yovel and Shmitah Together

A calculation is mentioned here in the Zohar Chadash. Here is the translation that I made:

At the time of the End of Days, according to the hour of the day, at the time that the sun shines, from the 6th Day, at the time that is ready according to the count of years, of Yovel and Shmitah together, which is רע"ד (Raa'd, 274 in Gematria) from the 6th Day. At that time a single voice is prepared to awaken at the heights of the upper heavens, a sad and bitter voice, such that hasn't been since the day that the world was created.

There are multiple elements to this.

• This is during the 6th millenium (the 6th day)
• It is during the time that the sun shines
• Shmitah and Yovel will intersect
• It is רע"ד from the 6th Day

I have shown that the 47th Yovel from the time of Ezra was the year 5727. I have stated, without providing an explanation, that Shmitah was also in the year 5727, hinting that one who wants to learn more should look at Zohar Parshat Behar.

The Zohar also confirms the calculation.

What I haven't explained is why it says:

... according to the hour of the day, at the time that the sun shines ...

This seems to be hinting at the counting of the hours of the 6th day as 24 hours, where 5000-5500 is the 12 hours of "night" and 5500-6000 is the 12 hours of "day". This seems to be a confirmation of the validity of the system used in Kol HaTor, which is in contrast to the system used in Pirkei D'Rebbi Eliezer that we are to divide 1000 by 12 hours alone.

This statement is necessary, for there is one other instance in the 6th millenium that Shmitah and Yovel intersect during the "night", 10 Yovels prior. Of course this instance doesn't fulfill the "confirmation" statement that it is 274 from the 6th millenium.

5769 as the Beginning of an Era

There are many posts on this blog which show a relation between certain aspects of our history and our time, in such a way that certain years keep showing up repeatedly. The closest of these years is next year, 5769.

• The Birth of Esav, a metaphor for a crack in the Erev Rav, and a beginning of conflict with Esav.
• The 7 years of Conquest of Eretz Yisrael from Yehoshua begin: Here too there is a metaphor: Yehoshua and Eretz Yisrael both symbolize other ideas.
• The year 5769 is also related to the idea of Ateret HaYesod, but in a hidden way.

We should learn from this that the world will not be ending imminently, that there is still work to do.

The most concrete activities (more in depth here: here):

• Aliyah
• Supporting the establishment of the Sanhedrin
• Building up Eretz Yisrael in general, Yerushalayim in particular

To read further the ideas of the Keitz Meguleh, please read through the posts here.

Go, Lessen Yourself

The Midrash says that Hashem told the Moon to lessen herself during the week of creation.
A Solar Year is 365 days and 1/4.
A Lunar Year is 354 days, 8 hours, and 876 chalakim (29 days, 12 hours, 793 chalakim, times 12 months).
The difference between those two numbers is 10 days, 21 hours, and 204 chalakim, which is approximately 10.883 days.
In year 1, these years were in sync, but every year, Lunar Years are completed 10 days, 21 hours, and 204 chalakim before the accompanying Solar Year.
6000 Lunar Years, by extension, finish 6000 * (10 days, 21 hours, and 204 chalakim) sooner than our count. That would be the year 5821/5822 (corrected per comments below)

The 12 Day Year over 6000 Years

Here, I wrote that the 12 year cycle is like a day. Therefore over 6000 years, we have 500 days.

This is all based on Tekufat Nissan, so let's start with the world being created on the 1st of Nissan, and count forward 500 days.

Obviously the Hebrew calendar has its variances, for simplicity sake I used Nissan 5768 to Adar 5769 for determining month lengths.

Day number 500 is the 29th of Av, my birthday.

The 29th of Av is brought down by Rashi as the end of the 2nd period of 40 days. On the 29th of Av, Moshe attained forgiveness for the Sin of the Golden Calf. However, it was only 40 days later that the 2nd Luchot were received, on the 10th of Tishrei, Yom Kippur.

At the end of 500 days is forgiveness, but only 40 days later takes us back to before the sin itself.

Water

Last week's parshah told how after Miriam HaNeviah's passing, Am Yisrael ran out of water.

We are moving in a similar direction ourselves.

See here and here.

The last big drought, also during Shmitah 7 years ago (do not quickly look pass this seeming coincidence) brought measures to conserve water. I remember hearing about one city (was it Tel Aviv?) that decreased the water pressure being supplied to consumers in an effort to preserve.

Here we are, nearing the point called the "black line", the minimum necessary amount of water from which pumping is physically possible, and it is just today that conservation measures are being announced.

May Hashem soon send us the rains that are so desperately needed here.

And may Hashem give us the wisdom to use our resources wisely to solve our problems.

Comprehensive Timeline

There are numerous posts on this blog which attempt to classify the years of our generation according to different ideas. I've put the majority of them together in one place, which will hopefully facilitate easier study.

The spreasheet spans 5708 to 5795, and has a different column for each idea. Row 2 of each column has a link to the appropriate blog post.

It's not the most attractive spreadsheet, but it contains much data.

Here it is.

Avraham's Arrival in Eretz Yisrael

In chapter 12 of Breishit, we see the history of Avraham's Aliyah, his 1st year, if you would:

• The Mitzvah to come to Eretz Yisrael.
• Avraham comes to Eretz Yisrael with Sarah, Lot, and all of the souls that they had made. (Ateret HaYesod. Also, all the souls they made: the Borer of Galus is over.)
• They came to Shechem, but the Canaanites were there then. (Shechem symbolizes Yosef)
• Avraham has a prophecy from Hashem, and builds a mizbeach, and then travels south. (Mizbeach as a precursor to the Beit HaMikdash)
• There is a drought, Avraham goes with Sarah to Pharoah. (Before the great Aliyah, there is a Yeridah. ועת צרה היא ליעקב וממנה יושע)
• Avraham becomes exceedingly wealthy both upon arriving, and more so upon leaving Mitzraim. (The Zechirah brings physical abundance to Am Yisrael)
• Avraham returns to the place that he was at first, between Beit El and the Ai. (Again the Beit HaMikdash)

Explanation of Ateret HaYesod

A few more hints.

The Zohar in Parshat VaYera 119 mentions, in regards to its counting for events related to the Geulah, that there are 100 years total.

These 100 years are not linear or consecutive years. They are the years during the 6th millenium of Yesod mentioned in Kabbalah; the Geulah is connected to Yesod. The overall Sefirah of Yesod is divided in 2:

• Yesod: 0% - 66.66%
• Ateret HaYesod: 66.66% - 100%

If the 100 years are divided like this, the 66 and a half mentioned in the Zohar is the switching point between Yesod and Ateret HaYesod.

A half "time" mentioned in the Zohar is 6 years and 6 months long.

Results of this counting gives us:

• The Year 66 begins in 5776 (also the 66th Yovel year from the time of Yehoshua)
• The Year 67 begins in 5777

Therefore the time of 66 and a half is in the year 5783.

• Yesod is from year 1 until year 66 and a half.
• Ateret HaYesod is from 66 and a half until 100.

So the period of Yesod ends completely in the year 5783, but the period of Ateret HaYesod starts in the end of 5777, this gives us an overlap of a bit over 5 years, wherein Yesod and Ateret HaYesod are mixed.

Hints on the Zohar's Years

These are hints that help shed light on some of the other posts (particularly The Sod of Avraham's Location) and comments througout this blog. Hopefully this will spur further study in some of the readers.

• The years mentioned in the Zohar fall at varying intervals.
• The "half time" (פלג עידן) mentioned is a constant amount of time.

I'm turning off comments for this post, but there is an email address on my profile if needed.

I Was Having Lunch

I was having lunch with my family in downtown Yerushalayim at one of the few fast food joints with a good hechsher, and then the sirens began.

First an ambulance.

Then a police van.

Then a Hatzoloh motorcycle.

Then an army truck.

And another ambulance.

Another Hatzoloh motorcycle.

A police officer is directing cars towards downtown, no westbound traffic is allowed.

One Chillul Hashem begets another. May Hashem help us to finally sanctify His name as is proper.

Hashgachah Pratit:

We were originally going to go to a fancy fish restaurant (by Gan Sacker) for lunch to use a gift certificate that we have; the closest bus stop to that is basically where the attack took place. I decided that it was too inconvenient.

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One of my friends tells me that the bus that was overturned was one of the 2 buses that runs from my neighborhood.

The Sod of Avraham's Location

I brought an idea in The Sprouting of Moshiach that the lives of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov are replaying, on a certain level, with modern history, starting with the founding of the State of Israel in 5708.

One idea that came out was that Avraham Avinu made it to Eretz Yisrael in 2023, which would parallel to 5783.

Per the GR"A on the Seder Olam (which I typed up here), Avraham Avinu left Ur Kasdim at age 70, dwelling in Charan for 5 years, then arriving in Eretz Yisrael at age 75.

This would parallel as follows:

• 5708 - 5778 - Avraham is in Ur Kasdim
• 5778 - 5783 - Avraham is in Charan
• 5783 and onwards - Avraham is in Eretz Yisrael

As I have mentioned before, 5783 will begin the period of Ateret HaYesod. Due to reasons which I will not explain here, there seems to be actually an overlap period between Yesod and Ateret HaYesod, which lasts from the end of 5777 (fairly close to 5778) to 5783.

That is to say:

• Up to 5778 is the Midah of Yesod
• 5778 - 5783 - Yesod and Ateret HaYesod
• 5783 and onwards - Only Ateret HaYesod

Avraham's arrival to Eretz Yisrael represents the spiritual elevation that will take place with Yemot HaMoshiach.