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Rav Avigdor Miller on the True Story behind the Kamtza bar Kamtza Fiasco & What It REALLY Means

31/7/2020

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It's still Tisha B'Av for some of you, while for some of us, it's the 10th of Av, which is the continuation of our mourning because while the Beit HaMikdash was ignited on the 9th of Av, it continued burning throughout the 10th of Av.

Please read what Rav Avigdor Miller said about the whole Kamtza & Bar Kamtza fiasco, which ended up being the last straw prior to the Churban (Destruction).

It's...WOW.

I would link to it, but it's not up at the time of this writing at Toras Avigdor. (I received it via their email sign-up.) I'll link to it when it's up.

It could be you've never heard the real story told like this before...

Rav Avigdor Miller on the Truth behind Kamtza bar Kamtza

Q [from an anonymous questioner in the audience]:
How can you claim the Jews at the time of the churban were so righteous? We know the story of Kamtza bar Kamtza and that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of sinas chinam?
​

 A [from Rav Avigdor Miller]:
​
Now, there’s a big misconception that the public has about a certain Gemara in Mesichta Yuma.

In Mesichta Yuma (9b) the Gemara asks: Why was the Beis Hamikdash charuv? Why was it destroyed?

​When we say Beis Hamikdash we mean not only the Beis Hamikdash – it means the whole setup of Jewish independence and commonwealth. 

So the Gemara says that the first Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of certain reasons and then the Gemara asks: What about the second Beis Hamikdash? Why was that destroyed? And the Gemara says because of sinas chinam; because of causeless hatred.

Now, on this there is a great deal of misconception.

I was once in a Orthodox school, a very Orthodox school, and I saw on the wall there were two pictures. One was a picture of a concentration camp. Jews in the concentration camp and they’re being thrown into fire, the crematorium.

And next to it was another picture of Kamtza bar Kamtza in ancient Yerushalayim just before the churban;and the host was ejecting him from a banquet – Kamtza bar Kamtza was being ejected from a banquet. Kamtza bar Kamtza was dressed in a black hat and a kapote; he had a nice beard too.

He was represented as a decent person, maybe even a talmid chochom, and he was being ejected from the banquet.
 
Those were the two pictures and there was a chain with links connecting them; the picture of Jews being killed in the camps linked to the picture of Kamtza bar Kamtza in ancient Yerushalayim. 

And the people who made these pictures understood it as follows:

The Gemara says (Gittin 55b) why was Yerushalayim destroyed?

Because of Kamtza bar Kamtza.

Because a man once wanted to make a banquet and he invited all the talmidei chachomim to the banquet and he sent his servant to invite a certain sage named Kamtza.

But the servant made an error and he invited Kamtza bar Kamtza, a different person.

Now, when Kamtza bar Kamtza came, the host said, “I’m sorry but I didn’t invite you. This is a private gathering and you therefore must leave.”

So Kamtza bar Kamtza said, ”You’re embarrassing me. Let me stay and I’ll give you the cost of my meal.”

But the host wouldn’t allow him to stay at the private banquet and after some haggling Kamtza bar Kamtza offered to pay for the whole banquet if he would be allowed to remain.

But the host said no and he took him by his garment and he led him out; he ejected him. And for that, the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed.

So, underneath the pictures was a statement printed in big letters, that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed because of sinas chinam; in other words, these two stories were equated.

They were trying to say that because Kamtza bar Kamtza was ejected, that was sinas chinam, and that was the example of the causeless hatred prevalent in Yerushalayim. And therefore that caused a chain that led up to the crematorium, to Jews being burned in Hitlerland.

Now, that really is what most people think. That’s the picture they have.

They put together these two statements, the story of Kamtza bar Kamtza and the statement of sinas chinam that destroyed the Beis Hamikdash and they understand that this is what caused all our troubles from then on. 

It’s a terrible misconception! It’s a slander on the Jewish people! A terrible error!

First of all, who was Kamtza bar Kamtza? Who was this character?

Josephus, in his Vita – that’s his own life story – he relates that Kamsus the son of Kamsus was a Herodian. Which means he was a rasha; he was a member of the clique of the house of Hurdos. And the house of Hurdos, the Herodians, were our enemies. They were our bitter enemies; we suffered tzaros from them without number.

Now the Gemara tells us that this host had sages at his banquet table. He made a private seudah for the chachomim to gather. And we know that נקיי הדעת שבירושלים לא היו יושבים אלא אם כן יודעים עם מי היו יושבים‏ – The pure minded sages of Yerushalayim never sat down at a meal or a meeting unless they knew who was present.

It was a principle of theirs. They didn’t believe in sitting down in a moshav leitzim. 

And sometimes there could be one person, a leitz, who can spoil everything. One careless person who shoots his mouth off, he spoils the whole atmosphere.

So the נקיי הדעת שבירושלים, the people whose minds were pure, would only associate with other pure minded people. They wouldn’t be impolite to others. They didn’t demonstrate that they were standoffish but they made it their business not to be around when the wrong people were around.

Now, this host invited the pure-minded people, the chachomim.

It says in the Gemara that all the chachomim were there.

And who marches in?

None other than Kamsus bar Kamsus who is famous as a member of the Herodian clique, an enemy of the sages.

He was a moser, an informer, and he was delighted that he was invited there. Because now he could sit and listen to the deliberation of the sages. That’s what he wanted – to sit and listen in so he could know their plans. This would be his chance; otherwise he could never get in because the sages would never discuss things publicly.

But here some mistake was made and Kamtza bar Kamtza hastened to utilize it.

So he hurried and dressed up and he came to the banquet. Here he is! And he wants to sit down with the chachomim and listen in to what’s going on.

And naturally he’s going to bring all the information he has to the Herodian clique who are waiting in order to undo any good things that the chachomim wanted for do for the people.

So the host was now in a dilemma. What could he do? Either he could send away all of his guests, or he could send away this informant, this rasha.

Now, you have to understand that the Torah is very just.

The Gemara is extremely fair.

In fact, the Gemara leans all the way over for fairness.

And so when this low character – and he was a low character. That we know because what did he do subsequently out of revenge when he was ejected from the banquet? He went to the Romans and he told them that the Jews are in revolt against you.

That’s the worst thing you can say. It’s like throwing a spark in dynamite.

Because the Romans were afraid of revolt and they punished most cruelly any small sign of revolt. So this man Kamtza bar Kamtza was an enemy of the Jews; you could see that. Because he started all the trouble.

And still when this host got up and he remonstrated with Kamtza bar Kamtza and finally he had to take him by his lapels and lead him out, our sages said it was wrong. It was a sin.

Now how was it a sin?

That’s too much for us to understand. What would we have done?!

Otherwise Kamtza bar Kamtza would be sitting there and the sages wouldn’t say a word. The whole evening would be wasted. You couldn’t open your mouth when this informant was sitting there.

And still, such is the judgment of the Gemara. It’s fair and severe, and therefore it says there that this is what caused the destruction of Yerushalayim.

It doesn’t mean that this is really a sin; that this was the cause.

Yerushalayim would have been destroyed anyhow.

But when Hakodosh Boruch Hu sought a match that would set the fire, He chose this to be the match. It was a poetic justice.

Don’t misunderstand this! It wasn’t this that caused the Churban. This was just a spark that set off the fire.

Yerushalayim wasn’t destroyed because of this.

But when Hakodosh Boruch Hu had already decided forty years earlier to destroy Yerushalayim – that’s what the Gemara says; forty years before He had already decided to destroy Yerushalayim – so He waited for an opportunity and He utilized this opportunity to teach a lesson.

So when Kamtza bar Kamtza was heard to have gone to the Romans and he started the trouble, it was a parable; it was meant to be used as a lesson – that we shouldn’t have embarrassed him. 

Now we don’t really understand that lesson – it’s too fair for us to understand.

But that’s what the Gemara does – the Gemara uses a magnifying glass and the smallest thing is magnified as if it’s a sin.

You shouldn’t have ejected him; you should’ve let the evening be ruined. And all the sages should have just sat there in silence and that’s all.

You couldn’t cancel the banquet. All the food would have gone lost. There were no refrigerators in those days. All the food would go lost! It can’t be helped. It was an expensive banquet but it can’t be helped. Don’t put a man to shame.

And that’s why this poetic lesson was utilized – to teach the people a lesson. You shouldn’t have embarrassed him.

So what is this business that sinas chinam, that causeless hatred caused the churban.

It says in the Gemara that causeless hatred caused the destruction.

So many Jews think it means that the Jews hated each other, that frum Jews hated each other. That’s what they think. They think that the whole nation at that time were all frum Jews, all talmidei chachomim, and they were all busy hating each other. And that’s why the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed! 

But that’s as silly as could be. It’s not realistic at all!

They didn’t hate; the frum Jews loved each other! In those days, the whole nation, the Am Hatorah was divided into followers of Beis Shammai and followers of Beis Hillel. The entire Jewish nation was divided into those who followed Beis Shammai and those who followed Beis Hillel. These were the two great assemblies of Torah sages.

There wasn’t anybody else that was of the shelomei emunei Yisroel, of frum Jews. We’re not talking about the reshaim. 

​
True Jews all were talmidim of Beis Shammai or of Beis Hillel. 

And the Gemara (Yevamos 14b) says openly that the talmidim of Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel loved each other.

These two schools, although they had different opinions on some things, even on very important things, but they loved each other. שהיו אוהבים זה את זה – They loved one another, לקיים מה שנאמר – in order to fulfill the possuk of, האמת והשלום אהבו – Love the truth but love peace too. 

They loved the truth; that’s why each one stuck to his opinions but they loved peace too.

And the Gemara talks about that. The Gemara dilates on how they loved each other.

Now if Beis Shammai loved Beis Hillel and vice versa so Beis Shammai certainly loved Beis Shammai. And Beis Hillel loved Beis Hillel. It doesn’t make sense that Beis Hillel loved Beis Shammai but they didn’t love their own people. It’s ridiculous. The Jewish people loved each other – there was no sinas chinam.

I once saw that an adam gadol wrote – I won’t mention his name – he was misled, and on the strength of this ma’amar that the Beis Hamikdash was laid waste because of sinas chinam, he wrote that unfortunately the frum Jews were too critical of each other and they sometimes suspected each other of not being frum enough.

Now, that’s just taken out of thin air! There is no authority for that at all anywhere!

So what does it mean that there was sinas chinam? 

Who were the ones who hated for nothing? These were the Tzedukim. There were irreligious Jews there too who were not of Beis Shammai or Beis Hillel. The Tzedukim hated the sages! That’s the sinas chinam!

You’ll ask a question: So because the Tzedukim, the wicked people, hated the sages, therefore the Jewish nation is responsible?

The answer is yes, because they were also Jews.

When Jews are wicked the entire Jewish nation is responsible.

That’s a great principle in the Torah. We are treated as one individual. Kol Yisroel areivim zeh la’zeh – all of Yisroel are guarantors for one another means that we’re one body, we’re one person.

And therefore we were held responsible for the misdeeds of Kamtza bar Kamtza and the Tzedukim and all those who hated the chachomim.

Do you want that example of hatred?

The New Testament is an example of the hatred towards the sages.

If you want a textbook which is full of venom against the sages, that’s the New Testament.

Because the New Testament is full of great anger, endless anger against the Pharisees. Constantly it’s reiterated. The Pharisees are promised that there’s only one place where they’re going to go when they’re dead. When they die they’re going to a certain place and it’s reiterated over and over again in the New Testament.

The chachomim are called vipers and snakes. They are the worst kind of hypocrites and criminals.

Now, who are the Pharisees?

The Pharisees are Rabbi Dosa ben Harkinus, Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurkinos, Rabban Gamliel Hazaken and his son Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai.

All these famous names; they are our luminaries, our teachers. Their lives we study. It’s their words that inspire us. M’pihen anu chayim! There’re the best of our nation! They’re the cream of our nation. They are the ones who the New Testament condemn us as the worst.

Now you people may not believe it; it may seem exaggerated to you.

But the fact is that the New Testament mentions other nations too. It mentions a lot of people. It mentions the Romans but it has nothing bad to say against the Romans. It mentions the Greeks but there’s no criticism against the Greeks. It mentions the Samaritans, the Kusim, but no criticism of the Samaritans. It mentions the Sadducees too; no criticism of the Sadducees.

But when it speaks about the Pharisees, then they let loose; they turn around and let loose like a skunk that gives the best that it has to offer and the New Testament pours a torrent on the chachomim. Not only once! All the time; all the pages of the New Testament are splattered with that poison against the chachomim.

But they were all Jews however. In those days they were all Jews; they were still Jews.

And so if you want to know why the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, so the Gemara says that there was hatred, sinas chinam.

Whose hatred? Not the sages! And not the people who followed the sages!

They wouldn’t hate anybody – they were the ones who were being hated!

That’s the point that’s missed by all the writers. All the writers who speak on this subject misunderstand it. They blame our poor people for sinas chinam.

There’s no remez anywhere that there was causeless hatred among the sages and their disciples.

But there was a very great hatred against them!

The Saducees hated the sages!

And the gemara says certain types of amei ha’aretz were also sonim; they hated the sages.

It’s a gemara in Pesachim. You remember what Rabbi Akiva said? He said, “When I was an am ha’aretz, if I would get a hold of a sage I would tear him to pieces.” He testified later that that’s what he thought when he was an am ha’aretz.

It was these people – they’re the ones because of whom the Beis Hamikdash was ruined.

Because our nation has to be perfect!

And when we have in our body-politic, in the commonwealth of the Jewish nation a certain poisoned minority, so that means that the body is not healthy and therefore Hakodosh Boruch Hu had to make a change of climate.

​And that’s why the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed.

TAPE # 107

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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat V'Etchanan:

29/7/2020

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You can also see Rav Avigdor Miller's great Tisha B'Av hitorerut here:
Tisha B'Av: Mourning for Our Perfection

Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshat V'Etchanan: Honor Thy Parents contains a wealth of information on how to honor your parents, and inspiration for feeling the necessary gratitude.

But what jumped out at me was a brief comment Rav Miller made regarding the shift he made over the years of giving the class.

On page 8, Rav Miller notes that initially, his lecture's attendees consisted of the adult children of non-frum parents.

Therefore, he couldn't do more than mention the mitzvah of honoring parents because "who knows what their parent will tell them to do?"

Honoring non-frum parents is a thorny task and sincere baalei teshuvah find themselves with many questions to maneuver this minefield.

Sure, some secular parents go out of their way to accommodate their frum children and grandchildren, making it much easier to honor them.

But others are more of a challenge.

Anyway, despite the enormous importance of this mitzvah and Rav Miller's vast knowledge of it, he decided it was too much of a stumbling block for that particular group, so he focused on other aspects of Torah.

This is the sign of a real chacham (wise man) & someone who really cares.

Rav Miller made himself aware of the composition of this particular audience & tailored his message to best suit their needs.​

It's Still a Big Favor Even If We didn't Ask for It.

In today's world, Rav Miller notes that many people delete their filial gratitude with ideas like, "I didn't ask to be born!"

In recent years, abortion is increasingly portrayed as an act of compassion upon the unborn child who may be born into a difficult situation.

In the Eighties, syndicated advice columns published letters from people who described a traumatic childhood and concluded with the heartfelt wish that their parents had aborted them.

Unfortunately, those testimonies were compelling propaganda for my generation. 

Rav Miller notes that many parents also capitulate to that idea ("I didn't ask to be born!"), as if they owe their children.

It's true that parents should bring up their children well — and this means raising them in a way that gains them the best Olam Haba possible.

Also, every soul comes into the world with certain tikkun (rectifications) to complete.

As the Pele Yoetz advises, training children to focus on what makes Hashem happy must be a major part of chinuch.

​So if a parent "owes" a child something, it's guiding them on the path of being a joyful Jew.

​("Jew" meaning someone fully committed to Torah & mitzvot, not just a slap-happy assimilationist.)​ 

Try This 1 Baby-Step

In line with his approach of greatness via baby-steps, Rav Miller recommends saying the 3 verses at the end of Shemoneh Esrei with feeling. (See page 13.)

These verses plead with Hashem to bring back the Beit Hamikdash so we can serve him like days of old.

Try your best to say it with a pang in your heart.

Essential Reading for Tisha B'Av & Rav Miller's Answer about Aliyah

On pages 14-15, Rav Miller brings the times of the Beit Hamikdash to life in colorful detail — essential reading before Tisha B'Av!

​On the very last page, Rav Miller offers food for thought regarding whether one should make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael.


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What Hatred Really Destroyed the Temple? A Fascinating Q&A with Rav Avigdor Miller

27/7/2020

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The newest transcription of a Q&A is up at Toras Avigdor, and boy, is it shocking.

(Note: Not sure exactly when this Q&A occurred, but Avneri served in the Knesset between 1965-74, then again in 1979-81, and Mapai was a center-Left party that lasted from 1930-1968. So that, combined with the tape number, likely places it in the mid- to late 1960s.)

Whose Sinas Chinam Caused the Churban?

Q:
Was the Beis Hamikdash destroyed because of sinas chinam, baseless hatred, among frum Jews?


A:
No, there’s no sinas chinam among the Jews. Don’t let anyone tell you that.

The sinas chinam the Gemara talks about means the causeless hatred of the type that comes from Avneri, the representative of the homosexuals in the Knesses today.

He hates decent Jews. The communists there too, or the Mapai, they hate the Jews.

That’s the sinas chinam — but decent Jews don’t have sinas chinam.

In the times of the Beis Hamikdash it wasn’t Shamai and Hillel and their talmidim who had sinas chinam.

It wasn’t the Pharisees and the multitudes of the frum Jews who were their followers, who were the problem.

The sinas chinam was from the Tzedukim and the Notzrim. They hated the sages and the frum Jews who sided with the sages.

And it was because they were Jews, it was their sinas chinam for which the Jewish nation suffered.

I understand that even some well-meaning writers and speakers have attempted to to apply the accusation of baseless hatred to the frum Jews at the time of the churban, but it’s a serious error.
​
TAPE # R-55

(Used with permission from Toras Avigdor)

Wow. I sure would like to hear more about that. 

Anyway, it also got me thinking...

It's not uncommon for frum Jews to prefer or feel more sympathetically toward certain types of non-frum Jews than certain groups of their fellow frum Jews.

It's well-intentioned & often feels good, but it's also a sign of veering off into the wrong direction.

​And this is one of the aspects of Rav Miller that I really appreciate: the consistent push toward achdut with fellow shomerei Torah u'mitzvot regardless of the variables in hashkafah.

When we have a strong base of people who keep Shabbat and all the rest, then that strengthens those of us who already keep Shabbat while providing a firm foundation for any fellow Jews who wish to join in keeping Shabbat & all the other mitzvot.

Also, when Rav Miller says above: "There's no sinas chinam among the Jews," you might be saying to yourself: "Now, wait just one minute there..."

But as described on this blog several times, your regular Jew actually wants to bond with fellow Jews.

Having come from a predominantly non-Jewish society sprinkled with assimilating Jews, the connection I feel with fellow Jews in Eretz Yisrael always stood out for me.

It was the first time I was among large groups of Jews, both frum and not so frum.

​(I admit that even though I've been in Eretz Yisrael over half my life, I barely encountered the secular Leftist types. So most of my experiences have been pretty positive.)

A certain trust exists between us, especially frum Jews, and it's so natural & common, we barely notice it because it's expected; we take it for granted.

In fact, that's why we get so angry when maltreated by a fellow Jew, especially a frum Jew. We expect so much more from our fellow frummies, our disappointment becomes that much greater. We feel betrayed in a way we wouldn't with anyone else.

Just like how we feel disappointed by maltreatment from our siblings with whom we grew up.

Or the moments of friction stand out so much more, the marvelous stuff gets eclipsed.

As noted several times on this blog, a lot of Jews don't hate each other, except that the newspapers are so manipulative and vitriolic, they create fire and fan flames where there weren't any.

When I lived in Geula (near Meah Shearim), I found the people to be so nice. Demonized groups like Toldos Aharon, Neturei Karta, and Gerrer chassidus actual contain some of the most good-hearted people. Compassionate, sensitive, and warm in their own way, I encountered several situations in which I felt very cared about by Jews generally demonized as hate-filled close-minded fanatics & zealots.

Since marrying, I've found myself living in buildings comprising frum Jews of different groups, different politics, different ethnicities, different nationalities, different mother-tongues, and so on — all in one building!

And generally, people get along. Not always, but a lot.

At the very least, there's a desire to get along on the part of most.

Sure, we all have our flaws and sometimes stress & Galus overwhelm our yetzer hatov.

But I've seen a lot of good.

And I've also seen frum faces glow with pleasure when they speak about a frum friendship they've cultivated outside their specific frum group, or how their children play with children from another group.

A lot of Jews wish to bond together and even manage to do so.

Rav Miller isn't blind to our flaws; transcripts of his lecture show how aware he is of our flaws as he chastises us for everything from being noisy in a street late at night to not speaking nicely enough to our spouse to not appreciating apples & air enough.

​But overall, we possess a lot of good.

Problematic leadership (NOT Gadolei Hador, but other kinds of leadership), plus media that stirs up a lot of hatred (including self-hatred), causes the main problems.

What people do wrong gets into the newspapers.

What people do right receives very little, if any, publicity. 

To see stories of Jews who behave well, and therefore will never make the news, please see the posts collected in the category:
The Stunning Greatness of "Regular" Jews
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A Brief Analysis of the End of the Nine Days 5779

12/8/2019

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The 7th & 8th of Av:
Baruch Dayan Emet

This year, the end of the Nine Days ended up being an emotional roller coaster.

The 7th of Av saw the murder of a soft-hearted shomer mitzvot teenager, Dvir Sorek. May his family be comforted among all the mourners of Tziyon & Yerushalayim. Hashem yinkom damo.

The 8th of Av saw the passing of Ahava Emunah bat Chava Ehta after a 7-year battle against the machalah. Our hearts hurt for the passing of this wife and mommy of 5 children in Eretz Yisrael. May her husband David Lange and their children be comforted among all the mourners of Tziyon & Yerushalayim.

These were very bitter events.

What Happened on the 9th of Av This Year?
A Brief Analysis of Events

Shabbat was the actual 9th of Av (although the fast and commemoration of Tisha B'Av were pushed off to Sunday, 10 Av, in honor of Shabbat). And this 9th of Av saw what I think are 3 very good things:
  • (1) The alleged capture of Dvir Sorek's murderers
  • (2) The alleged suicide (which I personally think was probably an assassination) of a particularly degenerate "Jew"
  • (3) The elimination of armed terrorists who snuck into Israel BEFORE they could carry out an attack

While 9 Av is traditionally a time of great sorrow in Am Yisrael (please see the lists HERE & HERE), the above 3 events seem to be good for Am Yisrael.

(In fact, Mashiach is born on 9 Av and when Mashiach reigns, Tisha B'Av will become a chag of celebration.)

  • (1) If it's true that Dvir Sorek's murderers were actually found (and that it's not just self-promotion to make the powers-that-be look good), it's a good & just thing.
 
  • (2) I was relieved to hear about the death of the great degenerate, although...

...on one hand, it means that neither his copious & equally degenerate partners in crime nor his poor victims will receive proper justice (in the conventional way, at least).

On the other hand, official justice probably wouldn't have been served anyway because we are talking about extremely powerful people involved. After all, while everyone is acting like this is a big shock, this degenerate was actually in all the press several years ago.

So everyone, readers and journalists, knew all about him and his nefarious deeds and connections, yet everyone is pretending they didn't know all about this before.

​In other words, it was both hyped over and then glossed over already. It could've gotten glossed over again if he hadn't kicked the bucket.

However, because this degenerate identified as a Jew and sported a very Jewish-sounding name, I was concerned about the potential effects on the Jewish community which hates this person, but would be associated with him anyway, especially with the rising acceptability of Jew-hatred in the "civilized" world now. 

Sure, those of us who've read Modern Erev Rav immediately dismissed him as Erev Rav of the Nefilim persuasion and not really one of us. But that's not how much of the world would see him.

On the other hand, Jew-haters can take anything to strange extremes. So while my initial feeling was relief because it SEEMED good overall, we'll still have to wait & see.
​
  • (3) And of course, capturing armed terrorists BEFORE harm can be done is a very good thing, although once again, it was used to promote female service in the army although guys can also be trained (and ARE successfully trained) to monitor a screen and call for security forces to intervene. (It was the male soldiers who actually risked their lives, showing great courage and skill under fire, to eliminate the terrorists.)

There are probably other significant events that happened during this time of which I'm not aware. But this is what I think right now.
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AMAZING New Video from Rav Miller for Tisha B'Av, Plus Rav Avigdor Miller in Español.

7/8/2019

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Toras Avigdor just came out with a special Tisha B'Av video of Rav Avigdor Miller explaining what this week and that day are all about.

And it's...WOW.

Just a couple of tidbits:
​Thinking about the Churban means thinking about how we can strive for excellence.

Striving for excellence means loving ALL real talmidei chachamim EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT FROM "YOUR" GROUP.

Rav Miller acknowledges that some people feel a lot of zeal and think they have good reason to scoff at another group's Gadol, but DON'T.

  • Don't get into machloket with fellow frum Jews. 
  • Stand behind your Rav.
  • Stand behind your Rebbe.
  • Stand behind your Rosh Yeshivah.
  • But DON'T let your loyalty toward your own group turn into disdain for another FRUM group!

He makes the excellent point that widely read non-Jewish newspapers and Jewish assimilationists relish machloket among frum Jews.

We've all seen how quickly a story about machloket between frum Jews makes it into the media.

Why don't we see that about Sikhs? Or Bhuddists? Or Hindus?

Even in Eretz Yisrael, where Yishmaelite machloket gets REALLY out of hand, the secular Israeli either doesn't publish it or they write about in a way that makes you think they're regular Israelis, when it was, say, a Yishmaelite honor killing.

But FRUM machloket? Oh, man...they really rev up for that.

Rav Miller also discusses real ahavat Yisrael in a way I hadn't heard before.

So please click the following to see this powerful video:
​https://torasavigdor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Nine-Days-Video.mp4

Also, for any of you Spanish-speakers, I see that a Toras Avigdor Q&A is available in ESPAÑOL.

Please click here to download the Spanish PDF:
Toras Avigdor Español

I'm not sure exactly how to sign up for the Spanish, but you can contact them and ask (they're very pleasant & get back to you in a timely manner):
https://torasavigdor.org/contact/

​
Enjoy!
0 Comments

Links to Posts on This Blog Dealing with Tammuz & Av

5/7/2019

0 Comments

 
We've just started Tammuz, and it's a pretty heavy month.

​It's followed by Av, which is even heavier (at least the first 10 days, anyway).

If you'd like some help in understanding & dealing with Tammuz (and Av!), you can check out the following posts:

  • How to Fight the "Crabby" Mazal of Tammuz
  • How to Deal with the Mazal of Crabby Tammuz and Savage Av
  • What's the Message of the Erev Rav for Us on 17 Tammuz?
  • Dealing with the Mazal of Tammuz & Av
  • The Secret Power of Tammuz
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Dealing with the Mazal of Tammuz & Av

15/6/2018

7 Comments

 
Note: English dates are for the year 2018 only.

We've recently entered the month of Tammuz (June 13-July 12), which is followed by the month of Av (July 13-August 10).

Historically, these months contain a lot of tragedy and difficulties.

This is due to the mazal, the astrological influence, of these months.

If you find it harder to work on certain character traits or you find certain flaws getting the best of you, the mazal (Crab/Cancer and Lion/Leo) is the reason.

You also may notice other people acting "off." The mazal is why.

When we know that others are struggling against unseen forces, it helps us to give them the benefit of the doubt and judge them more favorably.

It helps us to judge ourselves more favorably too.

The good thing about the struggle against the mazal of Tammuz and Av is that it gets us into shape for Elul (August 11-September 9), whose mazal is so much more conducive for love and bonding with Hashem, and teshuvah, which in turns prepares us for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

It's all about flexing that teshuvah muscle.

Here are some past posts on the topic:
The Kli Yakar - Parshat Devarim
How to Fight the Crabby Mazal of Tammuz
How to Deal with the Mazal of Crabby Tammuz and Savage Av

May we all succeed in rising above all negative influences.
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7 Comments

Tisha B'Av: What are We REALLY Missing & Mourning?

30/7/2017

0 Comments

 
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I always find it very hard to relate to the times when either Beit Hamikdash was standing.

Meaning, I find it hard to visualize what it must have been like, what exactly it gave to us and what exactly we lack now.

It's hard to know what you've never experienced.
 
Part of the problem is that you read about how things operated, yet at the same time, people started acting like it wasn’t there and all sorts of crazy things happened, like all the times a fake Kohen Gadol went into the Kodesh Kadoshim (Holy of Holies), he entered with a rope around his ankle so that when he dropped dead (Kodesh Kadoshim doesn’t suffer fakes), the people could pull him out for burial without endangering themselves.
 
Everything about the Beit Hamikdash was set up to make doing the right thing easier and doing the wrong thing harder.

It was also set up to atone for when Jews did do the wrong thing because as Rebbe Levi Yitzchack Bender said in Words of Faith, the rituals in the Beit Hamikdash didn’t allow sin to settle on a Jew overnight because the Jewish soul cannot carry sin.

​Yet today we are forced to carry our sins overnight and even for years. (Unless we sit with Hashem every day to do a cheshbon nefesh…or at least, we immediately acknowledge our sin and ask forgiveness.)
 
So here’s my best shot at what it must have been like:


A Look Inside the Beit Hamikdash

First of all, the Beit Hamikdash hit all your senses in the most sublime way:
  • the air was imbued with the scent of Ketoret and the roasting meat of the korbonot
  • you heard the melodies of the Leviim singing as they played their flutes, horns, harps, and drums
  • you saw the tremendous beauty of marble, gold, and copper all around you
  • the techeilet color worn by the Kohanim was not just a sky blue, but a deep, rich azure
  • you walked barefoot on smooth marble
  • the emotional atmosphere consisted of profound spirituality, which included sincere teshuvah and lofty joy.
  • healing of past traumas came so easily
  • it was easy to feel unity, Hashem’s Love along with your own love for others, and forgiveness.
 
(Please see the Kli Yakar on detailed symbolism of the Mishkan and the Kodesh Kadoshim.)
Scent
Today, we know that some scents can be described as “heady.” Furthermore, inhaling certain substances can even make you high. But it’s a false demonic high.

Scent is incredibly powerful; you probably have known the experience of catching a smell you haven’t smelled in years and being taken back to that original experience (whether for good or for bad).
 
Yet the scent of the Ketoret was special.

Made with specific ingredients in specific amounts, it enhanced the spiritual experience with total purity.

Ketoret was Holy and by inhaling it, you became infused with untainted Holiness and spirituality.

This gave you a shortcut of sorts to the very things we fight so hard for today: teshuvah, feeling close to Hashem, davening with a focused mind and a captivated heart…

Ketoret also repelled flies, and nullified scorpions and snakes wherever the scent wafted.

​Ketoret could also stop even the most rabid plague.

Even today, just reading the Ketoret service provides powerful protection against disease, family disharmony, and klippot (forces of spiritual impurity) while opening channels of success (both financial and spiritual).

If that’s true of just its reading, imagine what being infused with its scent must have been like!

(See more at How Ketoret Proctects against Spiritual Tumah.)
The Scent and Sight of the Korbonot Experience
Many modern Jews struggle to relate to the Korbonot (Sacrifices).

In short, Korbonot were performed with specific actions in specific amounts on specific animals. Everything was highly symbolic and the Kohanim themselves dedicated themselves out of heartfelt concern for the errant Jews offering the Korbonot and out of their own personal sense of intimacy with Hashem.

​Living within the Beit Hamikdash as it were, the Kohanim were constantly infused with the entire atmosphere - heart, body, and soul.

The entire physical ritual of the Korbonot reflected a spiritual process which affected the baal teshuvah on the inside by spiritually cremating all that person’s bad thoughts and taavot that led to the sin in the first place!

But as people began to relate to the Korbonot by rote, they clogged the opening for the spiritual effect to penetrate, which also clogged the preventive effect.

In other words, those offering the korbon didn’t want the atonement and prevention enough. Going through the motions was enough for them, tragically speaking.
 
(See the Kli Yakar on more detailed symbolism of the  Kohanim and the Ketoret and here for a short explanation of how the Korbonot worked on an inner spiritual level.)
Music
Ah, music…this is what I’m affected by the most. I could get lost within just the right song.

Today, popular music is calculated and produced to hit a person’s brain in just the right way.

Producers have fine-tuned tempo, chord structure, beat, and timing to a science.

Just the “right” song can pull you from a lively mood into one of longing, nostalgia, or tears within minutes. Yet just the “right” upbeat song can imbue renewed energy and cheer to a gloomy person, even igniting him to dance.

Today’s music has been one of the strongest influences in society’s downward spiral.

(TV/movies and books/newspapers are its competition for what gets First Place in the promotion of immoral gunk.)

I even read a disturbing account of a prisoner in a torture chamber during the Balkan War of the Nineties whose guitar-playing inflamed tired or uninterested torturers back into torture-mode.
​
(And no, he wasn’t forced to play. Sick, I know.)
 
But the music of the Beit Hamikdash hit all the right notes—literally. Every note, every instrument, every voice was meant to uplift your heart in the purest and most genuine way.

With today’s heavy bass pounding away in even the frummest venues, it’s hard to imagine the profound and heart-lifting effect of soft drums, flutes, harps, clear horns, and Levite tenors and baritones on the heart of a Jew among the infusion of Ketoret surrounded by marble and rich gleaming metals.

Frum Allure Back Then vs Non-Jewish Allure Now

Back then, occult worship offered an easy-come-easy-go coating of feelings and results.

But for all the occult incense, you had the equally compelling Ketoret.

For the alluring music of the idolaters, you had the equally compelling symphony of the Leviim. For all the glitter and glory of the temples of Baal, Dagon, and Aphrodite, you had the stunning magnificence of the Beit Hamikdash to surpass them all (as stated in the Talmud Sukkah 51b).
 
Yet today...

Reading/Learning
  • People complain that frum books (whether non-fiction or novels) just aren’t as compelling as secular books.
  • And which article do you turn to first in a frum magazine - the dvar Torah or the newest chapter of the serial novel or news feature?
  • Does a blog post on a dvar Torah ever get nearly the same number of comments as a post on something more current and "exciting"?

Music
And even the most insulated frum people perceive frum music as so lacking that they need to spice it up by taking the worst of non-Jewish music and applying it to frum lyrics and Torah verses.

Holy niggunim crafted by tzaddikim “need” bass and synthesizer added to make them appealing to a frum audience today.

In fact, one of the hardest things to let go of for those Jewish children (and I mean those who remembered their love of Judaism and had grown up in committed Torah families) hidden in convents and monasteries during the Shoah were the songs and melodies of the idolatrous religious services.

Physical Beauty and Impressiveness
And is there a shul that rivals in physical beauty the Vatican or Eastern temples or the more exquisitely designed mosques?  

Look at the Kotel remnant of our Beit Hamikdash: pigeons roosting among moss in its crevices, old lumpy stones speckled with erosion and bird-droppings…it’s still beautiful to me and to so many others, but to the physical eye, can it compare to what the other nations have?

In December, drive through the streets of America and look at a Jewish home with its Chanukiyah in the window next to the light-shows decorating the lawns and houses of the non-Jewish neighbors.
​
How many Jewish children have begged their parents to put up "Chanukah lights" ("Just blue and white lights, Mom and Dad! Pleeeease?") or begged for a tree?

Scents
And how many people find the smell of cigarettes, marijuana, perfume (with names like Poison or Opium or Obsession or Fantasy), and incense more alluring than the aroma of baking challahs and chocolate yeast cakes, simmering cholent, roses in a vase on the Shabbat table, or the Havdalah spice?
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​With the Destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, pure and true spirituality went underground in a sense. Today, you have to dig for it.

Back in the time of the Beit Hamikdash, all you had to do was go there and you had something that was obviously better in every way than anything the nations had to offer.

(Not to mention the mere fact of its existence and operation contributed something to your spiritual efforts even if you were physically far from the Beit Hamikdash.)

Struggling to Grasp on to What Once Came So Easily

Today, we strive to give our hearts a boost by davening at the gravesites of holy tzaddikim, going to holy people for blessings, and going to the Kotel, the last standing remnant of the Beit Hamikdash.

But even with that, so much still depends on us working ourselves up to it.

Sometimes, a Jew visits a holy tzaddik and feels…nothing. A nice guy, to be sure, but nothing more than that.

I know of FFB Jews who heard about the holiness of and special experiences at the Kotel only to finally arrive there in person and feel…nothing.

I myself would go visit holy gravesites, only to feel disappointed at feeling…nothing.

Now I feel more at gravesites, but nothing nearly as strong as what I feel at the Kotel.

Interestingly, even though I still feel something special at the Kotel each time I go, it doesn’t compare to that initial wallop of spirituality and holiness I felt the first several times I went to the Kotel as a secular teenager completely immersed in a non-Jewish lifestyle.

My point is that even with the spiritual boosts we have today, there are no guarantees even if you really, really want that boost.
​
(Really, you should hear the disappointment saturating the voice of a Jew who really wanted what the Kotel had to offer, but just didn't feel anything. It's heartbreaking.)
 
Yet in the times of the Beit Hamikdash, all you had to do was want what it had to offer—and you got it. Guaranteed!
 
Today, you have to struggle SO HARD for every little drop of spiritual inspiration…and even then, your achievement within that exertion varies from moment to moment.

And even when you get it, how long can you maintain it?

And no matter how much you want it, not only can you not necessarily maintain it, you often can’t even get there at all.

(Fortunately, any spiritual effort reaps massive dividends in the Upper Realms even if you don't sense a darn thing down here.)

May our Beit Hamikdash be rebuilt and restored to its former glory speedily in our days.
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0 Comments

How to Deal with the Mazal of Crabby Tammuz & Savage Av

27/6/2017

2 Comments

 
Over the years, I've learned to dread Tammuz and Av.

But I'm trying to view them as the opportunities they actually are, and not as the obstacles and frustration they end up feeling like.

A while back, I wrote a post describing my experiences in Tammuz and explaining the astrological effects based on the Kli Yakar:
How to Fight the Crabby Mazal of Tammuz

Later, the Kli Yakar mentions the effect of Av: the Lion.

Lions tend to savage their prey, which is why hatred and other person-to-person sins came to a head with the Destructions of both Temples on the 9th of Av.

And while we don't justify or excuse bad behavior, we can at least find a merit for people if they start acting wonky in Tammuz and Av:
"Oh, they're not innately awful. It's just that they're having a hard time warding off the influence of Tammuz and Av."

And even though the Gemara tells us that astrological effects do not decide a Jew's destiny, the effects are clearly there.

So what's going on?

And what are we supposed to do?

(Hint: The answer to this particular question is partly answered in the link above.)

Dealing with Tammuz

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The mazal of Tammuz influences a person to start moving backwards or sideways, just like a crab.

This means that in Tammuz, you need to push yourself harder just to maintain equilibrium.


Picture yourself strolling down a sunlit path with a gentle breeze on your back.

Now picture yourself marching down an overcast path with hurricane-force winds at your face.

You need to brace yourself and push a lot harder to keep going forward, right?

That's Tammuz.

The fun part of it is that when the hurricane-force winds suddenly stop in Elul, all your pushback ends up flinging your forward, spiritually speaking, into the loving arms of Elul.

Elul stands for "Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li - I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine."

​(The acronym is clearer in Hebrew: אלול - אני לדודי ודודי לי )

Anyway, the same idea holds true for Av.


Dealing with Av

As the Kli Yakar explains in Parshat Devarim:
That was in the month of Av whose sign is Aryeh (the Lion) because each person became like a lion who longs to attack his fellow
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If in Av you feel like ripping someone apart, give yourself the benefit of the doubt and recognize that it's likely the influence of Av working on you (and not that you are an Godless raging bull of a person) and then do something to counteract those lion-esque tendencies:
  • Talk to Hashem about your feelings
  • Search for a good point in that person and mention it to Hashem
  • Pray for that person to do teshuvah from love
  • Pray for yourself
  • Actively do chessed
  • Go out of your way to help others (doesn't matter how small the help is; even letting a car in front of you or not careening toward that ideal parking spot while cursing under your breath when you see another car going for the same spot makes a huge difference, spiritually speaking)
  • Go out of your way to speak pleasantly or at least courteously in even the most trying situations.
  • Thank God for the situation, knowing that it's from Him and somehow good.
  • Whatever else you can think of

By the time Av ends and Elul begins, you'll automatically be in a higher place than you would be otherwise.

Elul is a time that is very welcoming toward and conducive for teshuvah and self-improvement, and sweetening judgements and decrees.

So the very frustrations and challenges of Tammuz and Av are actually the perfect preparation for Elul.

Wishing us all a lot of bracha (blessing) and hatzlacha (success)!

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Keeping pushing forward!
2 Comments

The Kli Yakar - Parshat Devarim

22/7/2015

2 Comments

 
  • How to chastise so that people will actually take it to heart
  • Some Jewish astrology regarding the signs of Cancer and Leo
  • Powerful advice for every generation​

How to Chastise the Authentic Jewish Way

PictureWhat we usually do with explicit reproof
These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael (Devarim 1:1)

This taught them the proper way of chastisement because every chastiser wants his words heard and obeyed.
 
To prevent the people from kicking at his reproof, he should correct them with hints and subtlety, and not explicitly.


Beware the Astrological Influences of Tammuz and Av

​Between Paran and between Tofal (1:1)

The Kli Yakar explains why Jews tend to sin in the month of Tammuz (like with the Sin of the Golden Calf), and give Hashem the back of their neck, so to speak, rather than their face:
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….the month whose sign is Sartan [the Crab] in that his nature is to go backwards and so they [the Jews] went backwards....
Later, he explains why the Destructions of the Beit Hamikdash occurred in Av:
That was in the month of Av whose sign is Aryeh (the Lion) because each person became like a lion who longs to attack his fellow.

​And then they [the Jews] lost all natural rescue because if there’s no love between them, then there is no one to support and help his fellow....
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However, in Parshat Bo, the Kli Yakar emphasizes the remedy to fight oppressive mazal:
  • Fear Hashem
  • Think about His Name
  • Keep the mitzvot 

​And that's all you need to do to keep on track and re-direct the constellations away from harming you and yours.
 
(For personal experience with and more insights into handling this, please see this post.)

Very Pertinent Advice for Today

You have circled this mountain for too long; turn yourselves northward (2:2)

The Kli Yakar says this verse contains a secret for every generation.

The word tzafona can mean “northward,” but it can also mean “toward concealment.”

​He quotes the Midrash Rabbah on Devarim: “If Esav’s hour arrives, conceal yourselves.”
...if a Jew in Galut finds that he begins experiencing a small success there, then he should hide and conceal everything from before Esav because there is no nation more envious of Israel than Esav because in their [Esav's] opinion, everything has been stolen from them, from the blessing of Yaakov Avinu, who took the blessings of Esav deceitfully...both Bnei Yishmael and Bnei Esav believe that Yitzchak stole Yishmael’s success and that Yaakov made a conscious effort to steal Esav’s success.
 
Therefore, Hashem commanded davka about Esav to “turn yourselves toward concealment” so that he won’t be envious of you.
 
And that is the opposite of what Yisrael does nowadays in the lands of our enemies.

Whoever has his portion displays himself in regal attire and decorative residences and are considered to have several thousands and incite the nations against them and transgress what is said “turn yourselves toward concealment.”

​And this practice occurs among many members of our nation and it encapsulates all the plights in which we find ourselves.

[All emphases are mine-MR.] 
 
Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntschitz (1550-1619) lived in Bohemia (which is today Poland and Czechoslovakia). He served as rabbi and dayan and wrote several books, the most well-known being his commentary on the Chumash known as the Kli Yakar.
This is my own translation and any errors are also mine.
2 Comments
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Kli Yakar in English

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