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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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The
intention of Nadav and Avihu was to sanctify themselves, but instead of
being rewarded, they were killed. Why? Because holiness without the
acceptance of the Yoke of Heaven is strange fire.
Without the
"Yoke of Heaven", all of the mitzvot lose their significance. For
example, someone might say: I observe Shabbat because I think it is
nice, and not because G-d commanded me to do so. Such a person does not
fulfill G-d's commandments, but rather is following his own thoughts
and ego. He is performing the act out of intellectual or emotional
"agreement", and is only reinforcing his own arrogance and conceit,
despite the fact that on an exterior level, he is performing the same
mitzvah just as you and me.
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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First published in 1996.
Parshat
Tazria-Metzora discusses all kinds of unpleasant subjects. One can even
say they are "not nice." Leprosy, plagues, scabs, semen and all
different forms of uncleanliness are expounded upon in the greatest of
detail. Why must the Torah deal with the most undignified of problems
that trouble man? Would it not be preferable for our holy Torah to skip
such subjects and discuss more spiritually uplifting matters? You know,
concepts such as holiness and purity, grandeur and splendor, and
similar religious subjects? Do we really need to read in such graphic
detail about semen and scabs on a Shabbos morning? Should not this
subject matter be dealt with modestly?
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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A most
pertinent question regarding the holiday of Shavuot is: Do we view this
holiday as the comemmoration of an isolated event which occurred 3,000
years ago, or is it perhaps something more?
On Passover, we say
that, "that in each and every generation, one must see himself as if he
left Egypt" In other words, though the original event itself took place
thousands of years ago, every Jew is obligated to feel that he himself
left Egypt. If such is the case regarding Passover, all the more so
regarding the Torah itself, for which our sages say that "each and
every day, it shall be in your eyes as something new". The Torah is not
some antiquidated burden we "shlep" on our backs, that must "somehow"
be adjusted to jibe with the present-day realities. No. Torah was given
today and for today. Yes, it was actually given today, for this very
moment!
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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Fear of Hearing the Truth is Nothing New, but the Phenomenon Has Certainly Reached New Heights in This Generation
In
the introduction to the book "Em Habanim Smaicha", which was written
during the time of the Holocaust by one of the great rabbis of Hungary
dealing with the obligation to live in the land of Israel, the
following is written (page 37): "And so my words in this book are
intended only for those who want to know the truth the way it really
is, and for those who are willing to stop and listen to the words
written here. I am not demanding: 'accept my views'... and whoever
would like to refute what I say, let them refute only with direct
proofs from the words of our sages as I have brought, and only then
will I debate them, with the help of G-d."
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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For They Are Servants of the Lord
I
write these words on the fiftieth anniversary of the State of Israel's
Independence, from behind prison walls, only a few days after being
tossed behind bars after my sentencing of nine months in jail. In
parshat Behar I will seize the opportunity to show a surprisingly
similar connection between my situation and a teaching found in Midrash
Raba on Parashat Behar: "And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year and
proclaim freedom throughout the land for all it's inhabitants" (a
passage referring to slaves).
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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The
modern concept of "Jewish occupied territories" rears its ugly head in
Parshat Chukat and in our haftarah, Shoftim(Chapter 11). We read in our
parasha how Og ,the king of Bashan, and , the king of Ammon, try to
prevent the Jewish people from passing through their borders to get to
the Land of Israel. Both kings decide to wage war against The Chosen
Nation and both kings lost. The children of Israel conquer their
enemies and inhabit their land. Interestingly enough, no one at the
time suggested that the Jewish people return the land that they just
conquered to the nations that tried to annihilate them. No, such a
proposal was never even considered. But, what if such a proposal was
raised? How would a Jewish leader have reacted?
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