Author: Ari Shvat

Sinai left no room for free will — Purim, centuries later, was designed to require it.

Q. Why Don’t We See Supernatural Miracles Anymore?

The Six Day War and the present Ingathering of the Exiles are natural miracles. Supernatural miracles were necessary for the nascent nation of Israel, who grew up as idolaters in Egypt, and needed a strong and conclusive “introduction” to G-d. Just as the individual matures, so too, with time, the nation and mankind mature, as well. The Talmud (Shabbat 88a) explains that Israel did not really have free will at Mount Sinai, because all of the supernatural miracles were so convincing. By the time Purim came around about 800 years later, G-d chose to save us through natural actions, which leaves more room for free will. In the megilla, the name of G-d purposely doesn’t appear, so that man can decide freely to recognize and thank Him, or not. The Talmud continues and explains that’s why Purim was an even higher level of accepting G-d than at Mt. Sinai. This is a more mature and deeper way of choosing to accept Hashem through identification with His running of history and ideals and not by force, which also adds to our enthusiasm of observing the mitzvot, which we accept voluntarily.

With Love of Israel!

Rav Ari Shvat

Skepticism is the norm, so when a scholar earns near-universal respect up close, it’s not spin.

Q. What’s Special About Great Rabbis?

We Jews are naturally skeptical (“stiff-necked”), so that when you do find someone who is genuinely respected in learning and ethics by those who know them personally, it is extremely well-deserved. In the yeshiva world, there is no room, nor tolerance, for fakers. Scholars scorn and simply won’t attend the lessons of somebody unqualified, who received a position through “protekzia” or P.R. Everybody in your yeshiva knows you up close for years, and slowly but surely, only those “naturally selected”, are asked to teach, the more capable eventually rising to become the prominent and historical figures. Their every lecture, action and decision, are constantly scrutinized and questioned by tens, then hundreds, and then thousands, and only the truly great “make it”. How much more so this was the case in previous generations, when all of the Jewish Einsteins were not Nobel Prize laureates, but rather directed to the yeshiva and dedicated their genius to Torah, true status among Jews. Recent examples like Rav Kook, Rav Aryeh Levin, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Rav Mordechai Eliahu were easily accessible and their righteousness transparent to all, while historically, the Rambam, Rabbenu Tam and Maharal et al , have virtues clear to anyone who learned their works in depth. [It should be noted that although some opposed Rav Kook’s cooperation with Zionism, all of the great rabbis of his time respected his Torah genius and his sterling character traits.]

The same objection could be raised about Shabbat, or about the Kohanim — concentration isn’t limitation.

Q. It seems that religious Zionism narrows G-d down to one small plot of land, when actually He fills the entire universe.

Shalom. Your question isn’t on religious Zionism but on Judaism and the Bible itself, and not just regarding the Holy Land. You can similarly ask, if all of life is meant to be holy, why does G-d grant the Shabbat (Sabbath) special holiness? If all people are meant to be holy why is Israel the Chosen, and within Israel, why are the Kohanim (priests) blessed with an additional holiness? Just as every generation needs leaders and teachers to set an example and influence the others, similarly G-d chose to concentrate Himself more, as if it were, in one day, one people, and one land more than others, and that “concentrate” is meant to set an example, set the tone and influence the others. So “G-d chose Zion, He desired it for His habitation, This is My resting place forever, here will I dwell for I have desired it” (Tehilim 132, 13-14), “For G-d has chosen Ya’akov for Himself, Israel for his special/treasured possession” (ibid 135, 4). That’s why the mitzvot were commanded to be done by Israel in Israel (Dvarim 6, 1; Sifre Ekev 43).

A Talmudic rule obligates Hallel for any national salvation — and this one beat Chanuka’s odds.

Q. Should I say Hallel on Israeli Independence Day?

Our rabbis teach us that a new holiday must be instituted to celebrate and say Hallel upon each and every national salvation which occurs in Eretz Yisrael, and ends with independence for the Jewish people (Psachim 117a and Megilla 14). The victory of outnumbered, untrained skeletal immigrants from the holocaust and from undeveloped s’faradic countries over 7 larger invading Arab armies was militarily even more miraculous than the victory of Chanuka. There is just a disagreement whether one who doesn’t celebrate such a victory annually is a sinner mid’Oraita (from the Torah, the opinion of the Chatam Sofer, Resp. Y.D. 233) or a sinner mid’Rabanan (transgressing a rabbinical mitzvah, the opinion of the Netziv (on She’iltot, Chanuka, 26). Moreover, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 94a) teaches us that G-d wanted to make Hizkiya, king of Judea, the mashiach, but didn’t because Hizkiya did not sing His praise after they were saved from Assyria. This is written forever in the Talmud to teach us that if a similar occasion arises, we would be pretty stupid to repeat the same mistake.

If so, the question is contrarily, how can any Jew not say Hallel on Yom HaAtzma’ut?!

Forgiveness between individual Jews is an ideal — national genocide is drawn as a different category entirely.

Q. If Judaism sees forgiveness as an ideal, should we not forgive the Nazis for their crimes?

There is a significant difference between the atrocious murderous national genocide of the Nazi Holocaust as opposed to forgiving the crime of a fellow individual Jew. Davka in the name of morality which Israel brought to the world and eternally represents, our national enemies are meant to be hated and hunted, and not only punished, but so severely disciplined that it will deter all future haters and terrorists against Israel, and hopefully, against anyone. Any lover of Israel, and for that matter, any moral person, should have zero compassion and absolutely no forgiveness for the cruel, baby-hunting, maiming, annihilating monsters who shamed all of mankind with their barbaric and sadistic behavior. I suggest you read more on the holocaust, and the more you read, the more you will understand that “Those who love G-d despise evil” (Tehilim 97, 10).

On the other hand, when a fellow Jew wrongs you, the ideal of brotherly love commands us to rise above feelings of hate or revenge when asked for forgiveness. In fact, many have the tradition every night, or at least before Yom Kippur, of forgiving anyone who wronged them. In extenuating circumstances for serious crimes, it is obviously that much more difficult to forgive even the individual Jew, and in such a case, one should consult his local halachic authority.

With Love of Israel, Rav Ari Shvat

Rav Kook’s theory: the world resents the conscience the Jews handed it, the way a child resents a dentist.

Q. If even in a modern world, there are Pharohs and Hamans, named Hitler, Nasrallah and Haminai (y’mach shmam) who wanted to “nuke” us, does that mean that anti-Semitism never ends?

Rav Kook (Orot, p. 157), suggests that the source of hatred for Am Yisrael, is that we taught obligations and brought morality and “conscience” to the world, commanding barbaric man not to steal or kill- something that the nations of the world did not and do not want to hear. Nietzsche even called “conscience”, a “Jewish invention”. Most people don’t like their conscience (even when they listen to it!). Secondly, in comparison, we show the world that morality is do-able, something which “shows-them-up”. This is what Chazal teach us that Sinai’s name infers that the Torah brought hate (Sin’a) of Israel to the nations.

Rav Kook explains that people not only enjoy gifts but even harbor a positive association with the “pleasure-giver”. Many people go so far as to value the autograph of entertainers for that reason, admiring those who bring us gratification. Children often love the candy-man but hate going to the dentist, despite the fact that it’s for their benefit. Only when they mature will they eventually recognize and appreciate the dentist. The more the world matures and understands the benefits of morality and its source in monotheism, the more they will eventually appreciate the nation who brought those ideals, the greatest of all gifts, to the world. Until then, we must be on guard, and celebrate and thank G-d for His protection!

Pesach Same’ach v’Kasher!

An ancient tradition about a third and final return, and the population numbers that suggest it’s already happened.

Q. Is it possible that Zionism is just another false messiah? Especially with the nuclear threat from Iran, shouldn’t we be worried about another exile?

Our rabbis cite an ancient tradition that Israel will not return to the Holy Land until the third and final redemption. The first was from Egypt, the second from Babylon, and the third will be the last (Tanchuma Shoftim 9). If those 42,360 Jews from Babylon were considered a “return”, so how much more so, today, when more than 100 times (!) that number have come home (7,300,000), that we are undoubtedly witnessing the third, and accordingly, the final return, and that we’re here to stay. Elsewhere, the number mentioned in the final return is 600,000 army-aged men (Yalkut Shimoni, Hoshea 518), and we passed that number in the Six Day War, when 670,000 men participated.

Our rabbis actually deal explicitly with the modern threat which you mentioned, and tell us not to fear (Sanhedrin 106a). To the contrary, Iran should start worrying: “Woe to the nation who tries to prevent the Father from redeeming His son (Israel). Woe to the fool who interferes with the Lion (G-d) who wishes to mate with His beloved lioness (Israel, after such a long 2,000 year separation)!”

A case against celebrating Thanksgiving at all, built on why exile was never meant to feel like home.

Q. What’s the meaning of this year’s rare overlap of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving?

The issue of Jews celebrating Thanksgiving is problematic. Our presence in exile is a punishment and no reason to party (“because of our sins we were exiled”). The Meshech Chochma warned well before the Holocaust, those who feel that Berlin is their Jerusalem, a terrible storm will eventually uproot them and remind them not to feel “too German” or “too American”. Moslems and Christians can be Americans, for they are religions and not nationalities. Contrarily, even an atheist is still Jewish, for Israel/Judaism is also our nationality, not just our religion. America may consider Jews as “one of them” from their point of view, but that clearly doesn’t change Judaism’s objective and eternal definition of our identity. Moshe was not buried in Israel as a punishment for identifying himself as an Egyptian instead of Israeli (Dvarim Rabba 82, 8), even though he truly grew up in Egypt and never was in Israel, because all Jews wherever they are, should always identify themselves as Hebrews from the Land of Israel. Accordingly, most poskim (aside from R. Soloveitchik) feel like R. Moshe Feinstein (Or.Ch. v, 20), R. Hutner, R. Menashe Klein that one shouldn’t celebrate Thanksgiving at all, for America is not our home, and her holidays are not ours.

Just as there’s no significance that Xmas often overlaps with Chanuka, even more so with the rarity of Th.G., except for the significance that, like the Jonathan Pollard case, it’s an opportunity to help Jews clarify their real identity, their real homeland, and their real holidays, when tremendous “thanksgiving” to G-d is truly necessary and obligatory, for example, Israel Independence Day- when G-d expressly gave the Jewish nation our real and permanent homeland.

A scrupulous question about a borrowed notebook, and why the answer is also about kiddush Hashem.

Q. A while ago someone (not Jewish) “lent” me a notebook, to use in class, because one day I did not have one. She did not say it was a gift, however, it is something you use to write on it, so you surely can’t give it back to the original owner in its original state. I used it only for that day, so some pages are still blank. Moreover, I am pretty sure she forgot about it. Do I still have the halachic obligation to give it back to that person?

Firstly, allow me to admire the fact that you are as meticulous and caring about mitzvot between man and his fellow, as between man and G-d, for both are religious obligations! You definitely should return the rest of the notebook, for the common practice is to lend pages to fellow students, but not to give an entire notebook. In addition, to not return it may inadvertently cause a chilul Hashem (a desecration of G-d’s Name), for Jews must set an example and be at least (!) as morally careful as is commonly accepted, that she shouldn’t go around saying, or even thinking, that Jews don’t act properly. To the contrary, by returning it, you are doing a Kiddush Hashem (sanctifying His Name), by doing positive “public relations” for G-d and His People, in addition to cleaning your conscience, your soul, and your home from any non-kosher property.

The Talmud mentions them, the Rambam rationalizes them — and either way, only G-d and man have free will.

Q. I saw a few books mentioning Shedim (demons) and even the Gemara mentions them. I always thought that demons was a primitive superstition but then, it seems our sages believed in them! Maybe I have a misunderstanding of what Shedim are?

Shalom! There are many things in life beyond that which is seen by the naked eye, and among them are what we call malachim (angels) and sheidim (negative angels). As opposed to other religions, Judaism believes that they have no free-will, are not independent, and are just robot-like messengers doing the will of G-d. This can include germs, viruses etc. The Talmud mentions beings called sheidim, but also states, “one who worries about them- they bother him, while he who doesn’t worry about them, they don’t bother him” (Psachim 110b). Similarly, among the rishonim there are different opinions. The Rashba, for example, talks about them but the Rambam, whenever he must, explains the concept in rational terms (e.g. Hil. Rotze’ach 12, 5). Nevertheless, all agree that man and G-d, and no other forces, run our lives. Only we and G-d have free will, and accordingly we’re not allowed to believe in superstitions or the like. Many point out that certain powers that may have existed, aren’t found any more today (e.g. Magen Avraham 173, 1), and Rav Kook adds from the kabbalists that in the Holy Land of Israel, all the more so, that one need not worry about sheidim.