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Written by Dr. Rabbi Michael Ben Ari
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"Binny" - this was what Rav Binyamin Zev Kahane was called by his
family and close friends. A son born into the holy family of Rabbi Meir
Kahane . From infancy, he absorbed the sense of dedication and
self-sacrifice of his father and the rest of his family. In his
childhood, he experienced his father's, and the Jewish Defense
League's, struggle to break open the Iron Curtain and free Soviet Jews
from Soviet oppression. Within all of this, he learned that when a Jew
is in danger, one must leave his home and do something. For "all Israel
are guarantors"... and, "the debasement of Israel is a desecretion of
G-d's name". No slogans were heard in the home where he grew up, that
didn't translate into a way of life for him.
After years of activism dedicated to helping American Jews, subject to
antisemitic incitement, stand proud and tall, the slogan characterizing
the life of his father - "Never Again!" - was instilled in the young
boy. A holy flame was burning, which would forever seek to extinguish
any fear or appearance of the Exile or the Holocaust.
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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At the end of Parshat Ki-Tisa, God prepares the Jewish people for their
entry into the land of Israel (which awaited them shortly if not for
the subsequent sin of the spies), and we see the following commandment:
"Observe thou that which I am commanding thee this day, behold, I am
driving out before thee the Amorite, and the Cananite, and the Hittite,
and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Take heed to
thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land
whither thou goes, lest they be for a snare in the midst of
thee."(34:11,12)
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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Removing the Mosques: Part One of the Mitzvah of Building the Temple
On the verse, "and you shall make me a sanctuary", the Ohr HaChaim
writes: "And by saying, 'you make shall me a sanctuary' - it is a
mitzvah for all times". The Rambam writes in Chapter 1 of "Hilchot Bet
HaBicheira": "It is a positive commandment to construct a House for
G-d, as it is written, 'and you shall make me sanctuary..." We have
discussed this subject on numerous occasions, and we will continue
writing about how the mitzvah of building the Temple is an
unconditional commandment, not dependent on Moshiach, and not on the
nation's "level". Certainly we will continue to address all the other
arguments and lame excuses that have enabled Jews to dismiss themselves
from this vital mitzvah.
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Written by Binyamin Zev Kahane
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The Grandest Mitzvah of Them All Faces Total Blackout
It seems as if every year when Parshat Teruma rolls around, rabbis all
over the world become hard-pressed for their sermons. Sermons, after
all, must be "relevant for our times". And what could be less relevant
for our times than the laws of the Temple, sacrifices, and ritual
purity? One third of all the mitzvot of the Torah are dependent upon
the building of the Temple, yet this mitzvah is absolutely ignored by
so many religious Jews.
Yes, there is such a mitzvah, and this Shabbat we read it: "and they
small make a Temple; that I may dwell among them." A positive
commandment that is emphasized no less than laying tefilin or eating
matzoh on Passover.
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