Author: Ari Shvat

Hi
I’ve been researching the three oaths.. and would like to know Rav Kook’s opinion of them? Thank You
If it is too long to write it will be useful if you could direct me to a link

Shalom Michael,
Rav A.Y. Kook dealt briefly with the “three oaths”, in Otzrot HaReIya, II, ch. 37 in his article regarding the re-founding of the Sanhedrin, and wrote 19 years before the Balfour Declaration, that we will receive permission from the nations of the world, like we did in the time of Koresh (Cyrus), to build the second Beit HaMikdash, and that will “solve” the problem of the oaths. His son, Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook writes about them in L’N’tivot Yisrael II, p. 115-116, and it’s common knowledge that almost everything he taught or wrote is in agreement with his father. It’s even brought in Tov Ro’ee on Ktuvot there, which is supposed to be the chidushim of Rav Kook, senior. I imagine you have seen Rav Shlomo Aviner’s very comprehensive booklet on the
topic (it’s reprinted in his Responsa She’elat Shlomo), including some 13 answers to the Satmar Rebbe, and Rav Moshe Tzuriel wrote a kuntres on the topic, as well. I might add that the Rambam (Hil. Mlachim 11, 2) who brings the Bar Kochba rebellion supported by R. Akiva and his many students as the prototype for the way of the rise of mashiach, clearly feels that the oaths are not halachic. Many cite Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, the Meshech
Chochma and Or Same’ach, in his letter to the Keren Hayesod where he simply dismisses the oaths as aggada, and especially after the Balfour Decleration ratified internationally in San Remo, “it removes all ‘fear’ of those oaths”. I might just add that Rav Ya’akov Moshe Charlap (Memaynai HaYshua, p. 245), another major student of Rav Kook, explains that the idea of the aggada was to stress that the national revival of Israel is actually an international event and of universal importance, and therefore we prefer for it to be in cooperation with the other nations. In addition, many don’t realize that Rav Soloveichik’s famed article Kol Dodi Dofek is an answer to the three oaths.
In short, many people look for excuses why not to make aliya, but this surely isn’t a legitimate one! If chazal teach us that “Living in Israel is equated with the rest of the mitzvot combined” even when there is no Beit HaMikdash (as seen in Sifre Dvarim 12, which takes place about 60 years after the churban), and even when Israel is in exile (and the land is in gentile hands, Tosefta Avodah Zara 5, 2), than obviously the sources speak for themselves.
We need to strengthen the priorities and courage of the Jews in exile to make the move, and it really doesn’t depend on this or that aggadic source, which everyone knows is not legit and is just an excuse (especially when those quoting it are not at all Satmar Hassidim on any other issue!). With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat

I have a great English handwriting, Thank G-d.
I would like to write a Torah on expensive paper in English.
Can I make it in scroll form ? (not in book form).
Or may this scroll form confuse people into thinking that this is a kosher Torah.
Also….
Do I fulfill the mitzva of writing a Torah.

Shalom.
It’s great that you want to use your G-d-given talents for G-dly acts and making the mitzvot beautiful and honorable. Nevertheless, the rabbis tell us that there was “darkness for three days” when the Torah was translated, for although translations are allowed if one doesn’t know Hebrew, it’s clearly not an ideal and should be done minimally and surely not ceremoniously (R. Y. E. Henkin, Tshuvot Ibra, 56, 2; R. Moshe Feinstein Y.D. iv, 38; for more sources, see my article in Tchumin, http://www.rambish.org.il/results.asp?SearchFunction=find&SearchCode=F2_WAU&SearchRequest=94&SearchSort=publish_year&UserAction=&jump=1).
Regarding the question if you would be fulfilling the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah, the Rambam (1, 19, see also Sha’agat Aryeh (Turei Aven on Megilla 8a) clearly says no, but theoretically, the Ran (Megilla 8a, Shabbat 115b) seems to think its okay (if it’s on parchment, and fulfills all of the many complicated requirements), although it’s not clear how he would suggest writing G-d’s name, or the “kri u’chtiv” (where it’s written one way and read another way), and those questions would apparently render the Torah non-acceptable (R. Sh.Z. Auerbach, Minchat Shlomo, II, 4).  Similarly, there are many varied translations of the Torah, all of which “lock” you into one particular/partial explanation of each original Hebrew passage, and none of them are certified or officially recognized.

According to the Rosh who holds that even buying any book of Torah study is included in the mitzvah, so seemingly, laboring to write the Torah, even in English, would be fulfilling the mitzvah, if it would actually be used for study. On the other hand, many hold that the real mitzvah is to write a genuine kosher Torah in Hebrew (Taz and Shach, Yoreh Deah 240), than if you are investing so much money on parchment etc., it would halachically be much better to pay a scribe to write a kosher Torah and fulfill the mitzvah according to all opinions.
I might add an additional factor that you may want to consider: your descendents will all eventually be Hebrew (and not English) speakers, and if you’re investing so much time and effort, I would suggest taking that into account.
In short, you can learn from a translation if need be, but it should remain a temporary necessity and not turned into a ceremonious ideal.
With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat

Would G-d change up his covenant for another nation.
G-d Bless

Shalom John,

No, there are countless verses which say explicitly that G-d has an eternal covenant with Israel. See for example, Gen. 17, 7; ibid, 19; Jer. 31; ibid 32; Ezek. 16, 60; Psl. 105, 10 et al. How much more so after we have witnessed the revival of the Jewish Nation and State, the Holy Language, the Holy army, and Holy land only 3 short years after the Holocaust, the lowest point in Jewish (and human) history, one has to be blind or consciously in denial, not to see that G-d hasn’t, forbid, left His people of Israel!

Can a coffee urn or pump that was used for chometz be used for pesach

Shalom!
If you are sure that it was just used during the year for water and non-flavored coffee and no chametz, then it's enough to clean it with soap and water, and then it can be used for Pesach. But if you mean it was used with actual chametz, for example if you warmed challot on the urn, then it's a problem.
Chag Kasher v'Same'ach,
Rav Ari Shvat

I’m a bit confused over how Moshiach will be named King.

0. Is there a “Coat of Arms” for the House of David?
1. Will there be something like a “coronation” ceremony?
2. Will he (and his family, if he has one) live in something like a “castle” or a mansion, or simply a humble house or apt?
3. Is it said that he will be rich or will he be poor?
4. Will there be a fully functional Monarchy where only King Moshiach is in control of Israel or will there be something like a shared governance like how Britain has the Queen as well as the Prime Minister?
5. Will the current government of Israel cease to exist with the emergence of The King? If Moshiach is to reign supreme over all of Israel, than wouldn’t it stand to reason that the current government would be rendered useless?
6. If there is no more need for a government the way it is, would they (the gov’t) try to selfishly stop the emergence of Moshiach or even try to assassinate him?
7. Once Moshiach is here, what does that mean for Jews and Noachides around the world who have not been fortunate enough to afford to make it to Israel yet?
8. If the Palestinian Authority succeeds in gaining UN support for a “state” of their own, and move in to “claim” territory, then what will happen to them once Moshiach emerges?
9. Does the Temple come before Moshiach or vice versa?
10. Once Temple is rebuilt, and Moshiach emerges, what becomes of the Mosques on the Temple Mount? Would we have them removed or let them stay? Would HaShem perhaps level it?

Firstly, allow me to admire your interest in the details of the messianic age- for it shows true, even pragmatic, belief, something very important for Noachides, as well. In general, it is important to look ahead, to keep constant eye-contact on the eventual goal, nevertheless, the Rambam (Maimonides) stresses that the main point is to live a G-dly life in the present, and that way, slowly but surely, we will merit and bring that better and ideal future.
That being said, regarding your questions:
0. Our tannaic rabbis (in Bamidbar Rabba 2, written about 1800 years ago), recount the tradition that each of the 12 tribes had a flag with the symbol which their forefather received in the blessing from their father Jacob at the end of Breishit (Genesis). Accordingly, David, from the tribe of Judah probably used the flag with his tribal symbol, the lion, which, as the medieval commentator Rabbi Isaac Abarbanel explains, was given the symbol (“King of the Jungle”) befitting a king, on a sky-blue backdrop (either consciously or ironically, very similar to the Israeli flag suggested by the first president, Chaim Weitzman). Especially after the secession of the ten tribes who rebelled and left the kingdom of Judea to found the Kingdom of Israel (which were subsequently exiled and lost), it is logical that the flag of Judah took on that much more significance and this could be a type of coat-of-arms or flag.
1. There will definitely be a coronation ceremony for that is the literal meaning of the term mashiach (=transliterated as messiah=the anointed one), although his succeeding son would not need such a service. It will probably be by the Shiloach fountain, found about a 10 minute walk from the Temple, right by where David’s palace has been uncovered by archeologists, and where his great-great grandfather David was himself anointed.
2. With all his humility, as the head and international representative of the Chosen People of Israel, he must command respect and live respectfully according to the norms accepted in the modern world. As I wrote in the past, he must be addressed respectfully as is accepted in each generation, and as is the custom in the Jewish world (for example, in yeshivas today), he would clearly be spoken to in the third person (“What does the King feel about…?”, and not “What do you feel about…?). No one is allowed to sit on his throne, ride on his horse (or motorcade), nor use his utensils, even after his death. His wife can’t remarry. He is the only one allowed to sit in the Temple in Jerusalem. He must be immaculately groomed, and has his hair cut every day: “see the king in his beauty” (Isaiah 33, 17). In addition, one must stand when the King enters a room, and bow before him, and he may not even voluntarily forego this, or any of the other aforementioned honors, for they are not personal tributes, but represent the honor of Israel. On the other hand, in his heart, he must be extremely humble and he must not act arrogantly towards Israel, just according to the necessary protocol, “so that he shouldn’t be haughty before his brothers” (Dvarim 17, 20). He must be merciful to small and great alike, and must serve Israel responsibly, and address them as brothers.
3. He must find the delicate balance, between the obligated necessary wealth needed to command respect and receive the gentile leaders, run the army and state of the world super-power, but he isn’t allowed to amass more wealth than is necessary, for this can lead to arrogance (Dvarim 17, 17). He cannot amass extraneous personal wealth in his treasury, and if he does so, the Sanhedrin must punish him (see next paragraph).
4. The government will clearly not be a dictatorship, and he must confer with advisors and specialists in each respective field (the Hebrew word for king- melech- is from the verb “confer”, differentiated from the Hebrew word for dictator- moshel, as stressed by the Malbim and Vilna Gaon). The checks and balance system for example, calls for the king to answer to the rabbinical Sanhedrin. His pastime should be spent studying the Torah, and he obviously must be in constant contact with the Sanhedrin and Torah scholars, even though he possesses the power to enact special laws, even applying the death penalty to masses (for the national or international needs), even temporarily circumventing the Torah itself, when necessary. Similarly, he must respect and listen to the prophet, and should stand before the High Priest, nevertheless, the Priest must tell him to sit (unless he has come to ask the Priest to confer with G-d via his breastplate) and himself should stand in honor of the king. Similarly the king must honor Torah scholars, especially the heads of the Sanhedrin (Rabbinical Supreme Court), and must stand before them, and seat them by him. The above is true in privacy, but in public when seen by the people, the king may not stand in honor of anyone, may not speak gently, and may not refer to anyone by any respective title, only by their name, so that all will revere him.
5. The Maharal (Gvurot Hashem 18) and the Malbim (on Micah 4, 8), explain that the messianic kingdom will be preceded by “the first government” which will be a small, non-religious republic (like what we call today: democracy) out of which will eventually grow the religious spiritual kingdom of the messiah. The Talmud (Megilla 17a) written about 1,500 years ago, recounts the tradition that after a long exile (it was about 1,900 years), there will be an agricultural revival of the Holy Land, followed by the ingathering of the exiles (statistically, by the year 2032, most of world Jewry will reside in Israel, for the first time since the exile of the ten tribes almost 3,000 years ago). The third stage will be the return of the Jewish State to religious law. Just as in the first stages, of the Holy Land and the mass Jewish immigration, this transition will also be gradual, with the people, and subsequently the State of Israel, becoming more and more religious and spiritual. This is  already taking place, and is extremely noteworthy when taking into account the difficult changes involved in one’s eating and dress, and withdrawing from most activities every Sabbath (Saturday), as required by Jewish observance.
6. We don’t know exactly how it will come about, but we pray that the transition will be natural and peaceful. In fact, the democratic process is ideal for such changes to be made according to the pace chosen by the electorate. The legendary Chief Rabbi A.I. Kook explained in this context, that true improvement is the result of educating each generation better and better, and certainly not through religious coercion which causes animosity rather than identification. As long as man has (thank G-d) free will, inevitably some will be disappointed with any change, but that’s what democracy is about. Assassination or any sudden artificial intervention or upheaval is good for the childish imagination, but in reality, almost always cause more harm than good. The democratic and educational process is by far the most natural, real and long-lasting, and that’s exactly what we (and G-d) all want.
7. Regarding Jews, the State of Israel already offers free airfare and a generous “basket” of benefits which have already aided more than a million Jews to come home, even from economically problematic countries like Russia, Ethiopia, Algeria, Iraq, Cuba, etc. Regarding the masses of Noachides who will want to visit, I’m not familiar with any sources, but my educated guess is that at that time, the world will be so enamored with the Holy Land, it shouldn’t be complicated to establish scholarship or loan funds for the less fortunate and youth.
8. The entire world, even Moslems, will believe in peace and international brotherhood. International economic and/or military sanctions will eventually clarify to all, that violence is counterproductive and will not be tolerated by the civilized and moral world. Unfortunately, the leadership of our enemies have yet to mature and still primitively believe in the law of the jungle. Their educational system and even street names glorify suicide bombers according to the number of innocent Jewish citizens which they murdered, and the only way to rectify that is to stand strong and together in order to deter them. The world should definitely not condone their present behavior.
9. Some sources (like the aforementioned Megilla 17a) say that the third Temple in Jerusalem precedes the coming of Mashiach, while the Talmud in Sanhedrin 98a indicates that if there is a mass Jewish return and repentance, than the Mashiach may come first, but if we choose the slower and more natural path (which seems to be the present situation), the Temple will be man-made and will pave the way for Mashiach.
10. The Bible, Talmud and early rabbinical sources obviously don’t refer to what to do with the mosque, because it’s only been around for about 1,300 years and that’s relatively recent as far as Judaism is concerned. What is clear is that although G-d can do anything, already in the Book of Esther, about 2,500 years ago, He clearly prefers not doing super-natural miracles, but rather working through nature (like the Six-Day War in ‘67), thus enabling us to believe in Him through our free will and not through miraculous coercion. My educated guess is that being that the messiah is for the entire universe, the Moslems themselves will want to participate and help us build the Temple, to atone for their multitude of violent crimes and terrorism which they will surely regret. Unfortunately, in the foreseeable future, no Israeli government (and hopefully no individual) would risk opening up a world war by leveling the mosque, so it seems more likely that the incessant Arab shelling and bombing which has been going on for almost 65 years, may somehow blow it up by mistake. As we well know, the L-rd works in many ways and we can’t know for sure, but as in the time of Haman, G-d often helps the evil destroy itself (Yalkut Shimoni, Yirm. 319), so that we don’t have to get involved in international problems.

I don’t remember where it is, but I’ve heard about a Gemara or a Medrish which says that physical pleasures used to be stronger during the times of the Beit Hamikdash. If there is such a source, please let me know where it is and maybe an understanding of why that happened. Thank you.

Shalom Yonasan,
The sources you are looking for are in Midrash T’hilim 7, 9, “From the day of the destruction of the Beit haMikdash, there is no day without curse, the dew of blessing does not fall, the taste and “oil” of fruit was taken away,… the (pleasure of) taste and smell were also taken…”; Sanhedrin 75a, “From the day of the destruction of the Beit haMikdash, the taste of sex was diminished”.
The idea is that in Judaism the spiritual and the physical work together, and when one suffers, so does the other. Just like when a person is physically sick, it’s difficult to achieve a spiritual high, and when an elderly person feels no spiritual meaning to his life, it may be reflected in a disheveled physical appearance and dress, so too on a national level, when Eretz Yisrael, Y’rushalayim, and the Beit HaMikdash are in ruins, the physical and spiritual pleasure are both lowered. The reason being that the real physical pleasures were created to accompany spirituality: the fruit of Israel is holy, the physical beauty of the Beit HaMikdash is spiritual, etc. Similarly, the kabbala talks at length about the spirituality of the proper physical union between man and wife which enhances physical pleasure, as well. On the other hand, when the physical lacks the spiritual, than it’s not “the real pleasure” intended in creation. The proper harmonizing of the spiritual and the physical produce more than the sum of those two parts, so when they’re separated, each one cannot really exist properly, independent of the other. Simply put, when our spirituality and physicality suffer, our spirituality and our physicality suffer!
May we speedily see the Aliya of all of the Jews to Eretz Yisrael, and with that additional kedusha, the spiritual and physical will return speedily in our days!
Rav Ari Shvat

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Candy after terror attacks vs. songs at the Red Sea — what the sources actually say about celebrating the defeat of evil.

Q. What is the Torah’s approach to the killing of thousands of Hamas terrorists and especially their leaders who are being killed by Tzahal and the Mossad? Are we any different than the Gazzans who distribute candy after terrorist attacks? I davka remember learning that Hashem told the angels not to sing when the Egyptians drowned in the sea!

Any semi-intelligent person knows to differentiate between celebrating the joyful killing of innocent women and babies in their beds, and retaliating to punish and deter those vicious murderers. It’s true, King Shlomo said “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls” (Mishlei 24), but a few chapters before that he already stated: “There’s happiness when the wicked are vanished”! (ibid, 11). The Gemara itself asks about this apparent contradiction (Megillah 16a), and answers through the differentiation: to be sad over the fall of a fellow Jew (that you are not allowed to rejoice), but regarding wicked gentiles who hate and kill Jews, we are not only allowed, but should even be happy when they fall. As Shlomo’s father David HaMelech wrote (Tehilim 58) “Let the righteous rejoice, for he has seen the vengeance of his people…”.

In general, anyone who has learned in yeshiva or midrasha knows that it’s always important to see quotes in their context, including the source that you quoted. Chazal specify that Hashem said to the angels (not to the Jews!), not to sing at the Red Sea, because they were not parties to the suffering- they weren’t the ones being persecuted and killed by the Egyptians (Megilla 10b). But we who were persecuted by the evil Pharaoh and his army, of course need to thank G-d for the victory. We say every morning the prayer of “Az yashir Moshe u’vnei Yisrael…”, and Hizkiyahu was even punished for not singing to Hashem after his victory over Ashur (Sanhedrin 94a). If my brother is killed and daughter raped by someone, Hashem created us that it’s totally normal and even healthy to feel hatred towards such Hitlers and terrorists. Ahavat Yisrael includes not only feeling love for my brothers, but getting angry and when necessary, fighting and taking vengeance to come to their rescue and subsequently, celebrate victory (that’s many of our holidays!).

Celebration for the fall of the enemies of Israel shows a positive love and national identification, and conversely, only one who isn’t truly worried when Israel goes to war, doesn’t rejoice when we are victorious over our enemies.

Of course, we would prefer for our enemies to repent and also love Israel (or at least stop killing and raping us), but in the meantime, let’s not be naïve. As Shlomo himself wrote, “There’s a time for war, and a time for peace (Kohelet 3, 8), and let’s not be childish in confusing the two. Rav Kook writes (Chazon HaTzimchonut, 19) that idealism must be sincere and not a “bluff”. Be honest, and don’t pretend to fool yourself or others, that you’re on an unrealistic level of spirituality and morality, when you don’t really feel it. In fact, Rav Kook adds that one who pretends to love foreigners (and how much more so, enemies!) with a similar love and loyalty which he has for his brothers, sons and daughters is apparently showing that doesn’t really know what love is (Orot Yisrael 8, 5)! Similarly he writes that morality is an extremely central ideal, but there are others, as well. For example, justice, truth and love of Israel are also G-dly traits that we are meant to emulate in our “imitateo Dei”, as well.

Yes, Christians believe in “resist not evil” and “turning the other cheek” to let one’s enemy slap him there, as well, but Judaism clearly disagrees, believing it’s immoral not to fight and deter the immoral. The war against wars is what bezH will eventually bring peace, and is actually super-moral.

In short, it’s natural, healthy, G-dly, a great mitzvah and occasion to thank Hashem when we succeed in killing those satanic evil who joyfully killed and raped us, just as we do in Pesach, Purim, Chanukah, Yom Yerushalayim, etc., and that’s part of Ahavat Yisrael. As a matter of fact, part of our mistake and misconception which enabled the Hamas attack on Simchat Torah, was that we didn’t realize their level of evil. Not being naive can prevent future tragedies.

Yes, in the end of days we dream of peace and helping those same gentile neighbors, but in the meantime, not only is such tolerance for murderous enemies naïve and immoral, but we’re not allowed to rely on miracles! We act G-dly, and together with Him, work for a better and moral future for all mankind!

With Love of Israel, Ari Shvat (Chwat)

I’m very happy in the country that I live in, but feel guilty because growing up I was always taught that as Jews, we have an obligation to live in Eretz Yisrael. I was told things like “you will never attain the spiritual heights in chutz la’aretz that you will attain in Eretz Yisrael”.

Should I feel guilty for not wanting to live in Israel? And can I attain the same spiritual greatness in chutz la’aretz that I could in Israel?

Shalom,
I truly admire your desire for spiritual greatness, and your honesty and candidness in admitting that which most orthodox Jews in western countries really feel, yet are embarrassed to confess: that they simply are happy where they live, and don’t feel like make Aliya. There are likewise, many Jews who would like to observe Shabbat or learn Torah, yet simply don’t feel like it, and aren’t motivated enough to “take the leap”. B’ezrat Hashem, through understanding the Torah’s stress and the importance of these fundamental mitzvot, hopefully the motivation will come.
Yes, it is true what you learned that according to Judaism, “you will never attain the spiritual heights in chutz la’aretz that you will attain in Eretz Yisrael”. In this short anwer, it is impossible to cite the multitude of sources stressing the centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Judaism and spirituality, for when asked to do so, the Or Same’ach (Meshech Chochma) answered that would be “like trying to gather all of the dew from the oceans” (Eretz Yisrael b’Sifrut haTshuvot, III, p.68). Let me just suffice to quote that “Living in Eretz Yisrael is equated with the rest of the mitzvot combined” and therefore “it’s even better to live in a city of idolators in Eretz Yisrael rather than a city of Jews in chutz laAretz” (Sifre R’eh 12, Tosefta Avoda Zara 5, 2); “whomever lives in chutz laAretz has no G-d” and is “as if he serves idols” (Ktuvot 110b). The Sh’china (Divine spirit) is only found in Eretz Yisrael (see at length, Sefer HaKuzari, II, 22-24) and the mitzvot were all commanded to be observed davka here (Dvarim 5, 27- 6, 3). Outside of Israel, even the mitzvot which can technically be done, are just practice, so as not to forget how to do them when we come back to Israel (Sifre and Rashi Dvarim 11, 18 and Ramban on Vayikra 18, 25). The Chafetz Chaim says that the very same mitzvah in chu”l is worth only 5% of its real value when observed in Eretz Yisrael (20 times as much!, L’Ntivot Yisrael, p.202).
Philosophically, the all-encompassing mitzvah of living in Israel, is not just one mitzvah but actually changes every single aspect of life, even elevating the mundane and secular to become holy and significant. The land, rocks and fruit are holy (Eretz HaKodesh), as are the people (Goy Kadosh), the language (Lashon haKodesh), and the army (Milchemet Mitzva). The air we breathe here is holy, and every single second you amass another mitzvah m’doraita, even in your sleep (Sefer Charedim, ch. 59)! Going to work or cleaning the house is not bitul Torah, for every apple you pick, every garbage you sweep or every computer program you write, is fulfilling Mitzvat Yishuv Eretz Yisrael (Chidushei Chatam Sofer, Sukka 35, and Torat Moshe, p. Shoftim).
As is often the case in life, when having to decide between inner or external desires, between your Yetzer Hatov (the spirituality you want deep in your heart) and your yetzer HaRa (what you “feel like” doing), it would be wise to favor the long-term spiritual pleasure, as opposed to the short-term physical pleasure. Living in America, for example, may be more comfortable (at least in the meantime!), but Judaism believes that spirituality, idealism, kdusha, mitzvot and Am Yisrael are what life is really about! There is more kdusha in one raisin in Eretz Yisrael, than in all of the fruits and vegetables grown in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia put together!
Nevertheless, all of the above is definitely not in order to make you feel guilty for not wanting to live in Israel, but contrarily, to help you identify and “want to want” to fulfill this all-encompassing mitzvah. Just as our rabbis teach that Shabbat and Torah study are equated with the rest of the mitzvot, not in order to make those who don’t observe feel guilty, but to stress the spiritual greatness which comes with their observance. That it’s worth it to “take the leap”.
In summary, especially today, when Aliya is not “just” a mitzvah equated with the rest combined, but is also: part of the promised “ingathering of the exiles” which we dreamed about for 2,000 years; coming home to the Torah center of the world; identifying and placing your lot with Am Yisrael who’s future is here- today Aliya should be seen not just as an obligation but a z’chut, an historic fortune and golden spiritual opportunity.
In y’mot haMashiach, every Jewish family that will still be around, will have had at least one member who had the courage and spiritual motivation to “make the leap” and eternalize that family’s tree, by getting up and moving to the final destination. Why not be that great-great grandfather who is truly great, who’s vision will leave an eternal mark on the family and on Am Yisrael, even a thousand years from now! Be like Avraham who passed the test of “Lech Licha m’artzicha… el haAretz”.
Try learning as much as you can (for example see “The Centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Judaism” at: //www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/shiur.asp?cat=562&id=10931&q= )
about Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael, and your motivation to spend your life with both will deepen your connection to Torat Yisrael, as well!
With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat

Shavua tov,

I have a question about some situation which just happened to me few days ago. I left my profile opened on Facebook while some of my friends were visiting my wife and I in our home. It was Rosh Chodesh so we made some nice diner etc. During the time my wife and I were preparing the food, 2 of our friends made me on my facebook profile some “joke” which in my opinion wasn’t funny and nice. They put as my profile picture some strange picture of some catholic “saint” and they changed some information about me, e.g. that I am a Lubavitcher chasid and that I am Arab etc.
What does halacha say about this kind of acting? It is a kind of stealing and shem elohim acherim lo tazriku or something more? Could you give me some sources? One of those friends is a girl during the giur (conversion) process so should I inform her rav about this situation? Thank you for quick answer. be’bracha
Dovid

Shalom,
It is clearly forbidden to hurt anyone in any way, whether physically, verbally or psychologically, and this is so basic to living a Torah life, that Hillel summarized the Torah as “don’t do to others that which you wouldn’t like to be done to you” (Talmud, Shabbat 31a). Although Judaism encourages having a healthy sense of humor, there is no room for “practical jokes”, where even if the butt of the joke claims he doesn’t care, it’s impossible to know if this is truly the case. How much more so when you say explicitly that you object. To quote sources is totally extraneous because, this is the ABC’s of Judaism, but if you’re looking for an English book on the topic, see R. Zelig Plisken, “The Power of Words”.
To the same extent, I have no doubt that were you to be in her place, in the process of conversion, you definitely would object to have someone squeal on you to your rabbi, so that would be extremely forbidden, as well.
With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat

Hi Rabbi,

Does one need to have a Minyan for Rosh Chodesh benching (Birkat HaChodesh) right before Musaf, or can one say it alone?

Shalom,
The Mishna Brura (417,1) explains that the idea of benching Rosh Chodesh on the previous Shabbat is to remind us to observe it. Therefore, there is no need for a minyan and one can do it alone.
With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat