"kach Hee Daka Shel Torah" Parashat Toldot-vayetse

PARSHAT TOLDOT-VAYETZEH

Weekly Parsha Commentary by Rav Binyamin Zev Kahane | Translated by Lenny Goldberg | published by Yekutiel Ben Yaakov When It Comes to the Jewish Idea - No Changes!! (1993)

The

last two Torah parshas of the week have portrayed Yaakov as quite a con-man. Every step of the way he is using his cunning to achieve his desired goals - at first in attaining the birthright by putting the pressure on a weary and vulnerable Esau, and afterwards in his outright theft of the blessing from his father. In our parsha this week, we see this guile directed now at Laban, his cheating uncle, as our sages tell us: "If to deceive he comes, then I, too am his brother in deceit, but if he is an honest man, than I, too am the son of Rivka, his honest sister". (Rashi 29:12) And indeed, when the dust clears Yaakov comes out of the Laban situation a very wealthy man. The problem is that all this is in sharp contrast to the very first words the Torah uses to describe Yaakov - "And Yaakov was 'tam' (in Hebrew, the word 'tam' has the connotation of pure, whole, simple or naive). Couldn't the Torah find another word to characterize Yaakov other than 'tam'?? In our simplistic eyes, Yaakov is the very antithesis of 'tam', full of savvy and even an outright liar when need be. The question is magnified tenfold when we remember that Yaakov Avenu represents, of all things, "Emet" (truth), as it is written, "And you will give truth to Yaakov", (Micha 7). And so again, couldn't the sages come up with a more appropriate characteristic for Yaakov other than "Emet"? The fact is that this subject is a very delicate one, and it is one that my father, Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY"D, had to deal with his entire life. Obviously in this short space it is impossible to delve too deeply into the subject, but it certainly must be touched upon. Everyone used to ask Rabbi Kahane: "Why don't you change a little?" Just change a little to outmaneuver your enemies and then get into a position of power when you can then say the truth. Without exaggerating, he was

Editor's Note:

approached by literally thousands of people with advice of this sort. He never listened to these "advisors" and insisted on clinging to truth. There are enough liars and cowards out there already, he would say. SOMEONE has to speak the truth. Rabbi Kahane was the only one to get up and shout the truth without changing an iota, and without taking into account the "ifs" or "buts". From this point of view, he was the epitome of "And you will give truth to Yaakov". On the other hand, when it came to less important matters not concerning the essence of the message, the Rav was as sly as the best of them, making a mockery of his opponents, often using "gimmicks" to expose their fraud or get himself press. But all this cunning was used for TACTICAL matters, not ideological ones. When it came to the message of the Jewish Idea, there was no place for even the tiniest of compromises. He knew that if he would make the slightest change, even for a short period of time, he would lose everything he had worked for - he would be selling out, and the power of his message would be emasculated. It seems to me that through this actual, live example of my father in our generation, we are given insight into the behavior of Yaakov in his interaction with Esau and Laban. Sure Yaakov knew how to manipulate and fend for himself when need be. But when it came to the message itself he was willing to sacrifice himself even for "little jars", for it was a matter of principle to retrieve what he earned. He was ready to go face to face with the angel of Esau for even the slightest reason. This ability to separate what is important and what is not important; what is the message and what is only tactical; when to compromise and when not to - this made my father so special. It is the lesson we learn from Yaakov Avenu.

Expulsion from Tapuach from the Diary of a Jewish Refugee As was published in the last edition of "Kach Hee Darka Shel Torah," I have been expelled from my home in Kfar Tapuach and given an administrative order that prohibits me from entering anywhere in Judea and Samaria. This obscene decree, signed by General Shamni, IDF Chief of Judea and Samaria does not offer any explanation and I am not afforded any due process whatsoever. While the system has permitted me to appeal the order before a military appeals court, there is little room given to challenge an order when one has no clue what the alleged charges are. No matter, we appealed the order and our attorney Yitzhak Baum of the volunteer association "Legal Forum" did a magnificent job arguing our case before Major Natanel Baneshi. The hearing was "behind closed doors" and is considered "secret", however, I will take the risk here of publishing some of the more comical happenings in and outside of the court room, with the sincere hope that no state secrets will be revealed here. Secret Agent Testifies Ironically, the court proceedings were to be held in the Ofir military base. Ofir, located within the "territories" I am forbidden to enter, also houses a military jail. The murderers of Rav Binyamin Zev Kahane were said to be held their several months ago, before their arraignment in the same military court that is to hear my appeal. As I pull up to the front gate of the base, dozens of Arabs can be seen, waiting to visit imprisoned family members or to attend trials. Evidently, we seem rather out of place to the guards at the gate, who asked us where we were going. They immediately allowed us entry into the base, assuming that we were officials who would enter through the side of the base that is designated for official witnesses or representatives of the state. I had no clue where we were going but was happy enough not to be detained for breaking the administrative order that effectively should have forbade me from entering into the area, which is officially part of Judea and Samaria. There we stood, myself and Shmuel, a young aid who is in his third year of law school, waiting for Bereny, another friend from Tapuach and for Yitzchak Baum, our attorney. Suddenly a pair of "James Bond," shady looking individuals show up

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Editor's Note: and were given immediate entry into the base. Looking at Shmuel I muttered, "These clowns must be the Shin Bet agents who are to substantiate the case of the government and "justify" the administrative order against me." After 25 years of being harassed by these characters, one develops the ability to sniff these disgruntled creatures out from miles away. Sure enough, they were the agents, and it was not before long that a frantic officer came darting out of the base shouting at us, "you are supposed to enter the base from the other side, what are you doing here?" I answered, "We were directed here when we got to the front gate, where should we go?" Oops we already saw the "secret" agents. Several hours later, the secret agent "Moshe" would be testifying behind a makeshift metal standing curtain in the court room. Naturally, "Moshe" was unable to answer any questions concerning the secret evidence that only he and the judge could review – making it rather difficult indeed to counter any of their secret claims. The only thing that was disclosed to us was the "paraphraza" – a one sentence general explanation of the cause and reasoning behind the administrative order: "If he is allowed to enter into Judea and Samaria before January of next year he could influence others to take actions that have within them definite potential to cause unrest between local Palestinians and Jews and could cause instability and damage in the region". Yitzchak brilliantly exposed the farce from a legal, constitutional and technical perspective. He proved that Arabs living in Judea and Samaria have more rights than Jews who are not protected by Israeli law or by international law and The Hague. He proved that throwing a person out of his home in such a procedure was unlawful and absurd, especially in view of the fact that in the age of the internet, expelling one from his home would not be effective in preventing him from communicating with his alleged co-conspirators. He argued that if there was truly any evidence of any conspiratorial crime being plotted, then the authorities should arraign me and bring me to trial where the evidence could be weighed based on its merit or lack of merit.

free, even after they have been caught red-handed, after the crimes have been committed. The real reason they expelled me However, I am not complaining, for when the evil ones decree a curse, it is often more of a blessing than a curse, as we learn from Balaak and Bilaam. Obviously this decree has nothing to do with olives. Nerya and I would not know a Syrian olive from a Greek olive. What have we to do with olives? Talk to me about pickles and pastrami and maybe I can help you, but olives? Give me a break! It is obvious that behind this administrative order there is a far more sinister plan and it has nothing to do with olives or pickles. Olmert is presently planning his summit trip to Annapolis. I am presently running for "mayor" of Kfar Tapuach. The elections are to be held later this month on Nov. 27. The administrative order was issued on the very day that I submitted my candidacy. The government is particularly sensitive to potential opposition to Olmert's plan to dismantle Tapuach and most of Judea and Samaria. The last thing they need is for "extremists" to be in positions of power and influence in towns in Yesha at this time. Tapuach is an important town because it maintains a radical militant image. It is important for the government to make certain that Tapuach residents will walk like sheep back into the "Auschwitz borders" of 1967 that they are carving out of Israel. Expelling me during the month prior to the elections is a classic case of intervention and a futile attempt at that meant to hamper and influence the democratic process. While I am allowed to hold one meeting a week in Tapuach, that is not much of a match to the constant campaigning being done by the other candidates. Kahane Outreach Mitzvah Tank – If I can't be in Tapuach I will preach throughout the land We can only reverse the decree and turn it into a positive if we have a "klee" a vehicle or utensil on which to accept this blessing in disguise. I want to use every second of this administrative order to reverse the intended results of those who issued the order. Now, that I have the free time to travel the roads of Israel, I am holding weekly lectures in Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem, in English and in Hebrew and am available to lecture throughout the land about the authentic Jewish Idea and about Rabbi Kahane's ideology and program to save Israel. I have appealed to some of our donors to sponsor the purchase of a special vehicle, known as an RV that I will live and travel in. "The Kahane Mitzva Tank" that we spoke about with Rabbi Kahane before his assassination, 17 years ago will G-d willing now become a reality. And after the expulsion order is over, I will take it up to our hilltop. While the government does not permit caravans or any housing to be built in Yesha these days, caravans on wheels are perfectly legal and can be used on our hilltop or on any other hill in Yesha.

I am the real threat? Needless to say, "Moshe" went home, as did the military prosecutor, her aid, the attorney general of the Shin Bet and as did Moshe's assistant. After all, "Moshe" has a driver and a handyman who shleps the evidence and the metal curtains into the court room. And so everyone went home, including judge Benishu and his three young female clerks who type the transcripts and who assist him. Everyone went home, and I went back to my car, where I am living. The government will maintain law and order in Judea and Samaria now that Yekutiel Ben Yaakov and Nerya Ofan are out of Judea and Samaria. What madness! The very same day, we read of dozens of policemen wounded when they entered the Druze village of Pikeyin in the North. A policewoman was kidnapped during the debacle. The police left empty handed without the 12 Arabs that they came to arrest, who have been terrorizing a Jew who put an antenna up. Hand-grenades have been thrown, buildings torched, cops injured, shots fired - But the government will restore law and order to the You can help land by expelling Yekutiel and Nerya! What insanity! To find out what you can do to help maintain or join our Yeshiva, hilltop and canine defense program in Tapuach or how you could participate in The following day saw 3000 Jewish vines destroyed and a synagogue our classes and activities in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv feel free to call me torched near Talmon by Arabs and international anarchist sympathizers - from Israel 054 4 876 709.From US 011 972 54 4876709 or email to but the government will maintain law and order by expelling us! The police [email protected] Contributions to help sponsor succeeded in arresting three perpetrators out of the dozens who uprooted the "Outreach Kahane Tank" or the other projects, including the the Jewish fields, and they were later released. They pose no threat to the publishing of our weekly parsha newsletter "Kach Hee Darka security and tranquility of the region. Shel Torah," checks can be sent to Mishalot Yisrael POBox 6592 Jerusalem Israel. For the record, the unofficial reason given to reporters "off the record" for the administrative orders handed down to us was, "there is reason to believe Sincerely, that Yekutiel and Nerya will be active in preventing Arabs from picking olives Yekutiel Ben Yaakov in areas under dispute". In the meantime, Arabs are effectively torching synagogues and uprooting thousands of trees and vineyards and they walk see a picture of the RV I hope to buy soon, with your help >>>>>>>>

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"YAAKOV WENT OUT" and "YAAKOV SAT" (2000) Weekly Parsha Commentary by Binyamin Zev Kahane Translated by Lenny Goldberg

"And

Yaakov went out" - This seemingly innocent opening of our parasha is really not as simple as it may appear. Think about it: From where is Yaakov going out, and where is he going to? He is departing from Yitzchak and Rivka's warm home, from the cozy tent (as the verse says, "he dwelled in tents"), from a pure and wholesome environment (and Yaakov was "tam", meaning wholesome or pure). And where is he headed? To a cold, cruel world of murderers and swindlers. Yaakov, a wholesome, pure man, whose only desire is to serve God, finds himself fleeing from his brother who wants to kill him. He is on the way to a place he is not at all familiar with. Sure, it's his uncle. But what kind of uncle is this? Lavan the Aramite, the cheat and scoundrel. Does Yaakov really need all this grief? Remember, Yaakov tried to avoid all of this in the first place. It wasn't his idea to steal the blessings, which was what got him into this mess in the first place. It was his righteous mother who incited him to do it. Yaakov wanted to sit in his tent, to bask in the radiance of his father, to absorb Torah from him, to elevate himself spiritually. And now? He is alone and unsure of his destination, with but a stick in his hand. This is a situation he never dreamed he would find himself in. And again, where is he headed? To his uncle. If he only knew what waits for him there. With brothers and uncles like that, who needs enemies? How are we supposed to understand this? Why does God wish to see Yaakov go through all these difficult circumstances? Esau, Lavan, and let us remember his greatest sorrow of all - the loss of Yosef. Why doesn't God allow this righteous man, whose entire life's goal is to sit in the tent of Torah and serve God - why doesn't God allow him to fulfill his aspirations? Instead, this man of enormous potential must waste his thoughts and his efforts in scheming how to avoid his murderous brother. Is this not a waste of talent. Isn't there a more optimal way this spiritual giant can utilize his time? What is the reason for all these trials and tribulations which befall Yaakov, turning his life into one of brutal hardships, a life he himself later sums up as: - "few and evil have the days of the years of my life been."

No Tranquility for The Righteous

In order to understand, "And Yaakov went out", we must understand "And Yaakov sat", which is two parashas ahead of us. On this seemingly mundane phrase, "And Yaakov sat", the sages tell us: "Yaakov desired to sit in peace, but there sprang upon him the troubles of Yosef. When the righteous desire to sit in tranquility, the Almighty says: Is it not sufficient for the righteous that which is prepared for them in the world to come, but they seek to sit in tranquility in this world too!" (Rashi, at beginning of parasha) What is so wrong about wanting to sit in tranquility? Don't the righteous deserve it? This is basically the same question we have been asking all along. And the answer is a resounding, No! The righteous are not supposed to sit in tranquility. Yaakov was put on this earth to be a "And Yaakov went out" man, and not a "And Yaakov sat" type of person. This is a novel idea in this generation. For up to now, we have been taught that the complete Jew is one who spends all his time learning in the Beit Midrash. Not true. There is a time for sitting in the Beit Midrash, and a time to go out to the people. People are suffering. There are ideals that must be fought for. There are problems that must be solved.

Yaakov as a Symbol For Us

Therefore, it is wrong to think that Yaakov "went to waste" wandering and investing energies to foil con-men and murderers. All these experiences, which may seem as needless aggravation and wastes of time, bring the Jew to loftier heights. A Jew who must face all this while remaining steadfast in spreading God's word and doing the right things; who takes on the wicked and does it all out of a connection to God and guidance from the Torah he is engrossed in during every moment available to him - such a Jew reaches far greater heights than the one who dismisses himself from such "politics", and enters only the Beit Midrash. Yaakov is a symbol for the sons who succeed him, the nation of Israel. Yaakov does not sit in tranquility. The days of Messiah have not yet arrived. Jew! In this world there are problems which are sometimes difficult, and one must deal with them, and if necessary,

to fight them. This is part of your destiny. Why do you think there is Esau and Lavan in this world? For you! They did not sprout up by themselves. God created them! They exist in order to harass the wholesome Jew. They exist to test him. And the tests are difficult ones. True, you do not have to go and look for tests. But don't worry, because they will find you. Each one according to what has been designated for him. But take comfort, Jew: In the end, these tests and trials mold you and give you the chance to reach greater heights, and to prove your faith and trust in God. And that is what being a Jew is all about. The "gedolim" of all generations, who are our guiding light from the days of Avraham until today - they are people who never fled from struggles. When Yaakov starts to fatigue, and it happens, God throws all kinds of events his way - events which awaken him from the cocoon of tranquility he tries to curl himself into. They awaken him and say: Yaakov, Yaakov, there is no rest in this world. Don't worry, don't take it too hard - if you only knew what awaits you in the next world! And then he is awakened and inspirited, anxious to do battle. We are amazed to see Yaakov, this pure and simple man being forced to deal with the devious Lavan, and overcoming him. Sure, Yaakov is "tam", but when he leaves his tent, he knows how to deal with evil...

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