Mamdani and Korah

Rabbi Pini Dunner compares New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (YM"S) and Korah.

He writes:

Mamdani is reading straight from Korach’s script — only the costume has changed. He doesn’t want to improve New York; he wants to dismantle it. He doesn’t seek to reform flawed systems; he seeks to uproot and replace them with a radical ideology that divides rather than unites. To him, opponents aren’t fellow citizens with different ideas — they’re villains in a moral crusade.

...

And in the end, just like Korach, populists like Mamdani always go down with the ship they set ablaze.

Interestingly enough, the gematria of זוהרן ממדאני (with the final nun as 700) is 1063.

The only Pasuk in the Torah with the gematria of 1063 is Shemot 6:21:

כא  וּבְנֵי, יִצְהָר--קֹרַח וָנֶפֶג, וְזִכְרִי.

21 And the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.

which is the first Pasuk in the Torah that mentions Korah.

Shmulik Sukkot - Beota Hashaa

From the words of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk

I Hope We Won't Need to Qom Back to Fordow

Although we are hearing conflicting reports, the preliminary report is that the Fordow nuclear facility is B"H destroyed.  We'll have to wait for the final assessment, but we hope that that is the case.  However, before the underground facility was known by its closest town of Fordow (population of 839 as of 10 years ago), it was known by its closest metropolis - Qom (population almost 1.4 million).

So, back in 2009, right before Yom Kippur, I wrote a post on how Qom was similar to the Hebrew word קום (Kum).  I noted that Haman was referred to (Megilla 11a) in the verse לולא ה' שהיה לנו בקום עלינו אדם.  Similarly, Iran threatened us with Qom.

Two days later, on the day after Yom Kippur, I wrote another post with some more verses:

Yonah 1:6:

מַה-לְּךָ נִרְדָּם; קוּם, קְרָא אֶל-אֱלֹהֶיךָ

Drash: Why are you sleeping, O world? Qom is being built! Go call out to your G-d!

And another verse that we can understand much better now:

Tehillim 36:13:

שָׁם נָפְלוּ, פֹּעֲלֵי אָוֶן; דֹּחוּ, וְלֹא-יָכְלוּ קוּם

Drash: There the workers of iniquity have fallen. They have been thrust down, and they were not able to build weapons at Qom.

And then in 2012, Rav Fish quoted someone who compared it to Amos 5:6:

נָפְלָה לֹא-תוֹסִיף קוּם, בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל

which as the gemara in Berachot 4b writes, can be interpreted in 2 ways:

1) Virgin of Israel has fallen and will never arise (Has Veshalom)

2) Israel has fallen, but will fall no more.  Arise, oh Virgin of Israel!

Before this past Shabbat, it was in doubt which interpretation would take effect (until Mashiah, of course).  After this past Shabbat, with Hashem's help, it seems clear that the 2nd interpretation will take effect.  We had fallen on October 7th, but we have risen again and again until the nuclear facility in Qom was destroyed.

Another verse comes to mind:

ח  בְּשֶׁצֶף קֶצֶף, הִסְתַּרְתִּי פָנַי רֶגַע מִמֵּךְ, וּבְחֶסֶד עוֹלָם, רִחַמְתִּיךְ--אָמַר גֹּאֲלֵךְ, יְהוָה.

8 In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have compassion on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

May this continue to be true with the coming of Mashiah speedily in our days.

Elam's Destruction

Of course, we should all be praying for אחינו כל בית ישראל הנתונים בצרה ובשביה. May HKB"H save all of us from all types of trials and tribulations, including Iranian missles.

 Yirmiya 49:34-39:

לד  אֲשֶׁר הָיָה דְבַר-יְהוָה אֶל-יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא, אֶל-עֵילָם:  בְּרֵאשִׁית, מַלְכוּת צִדְקִיָּה מֶלֶךְ-יְהוּדָה--לֵאמֹר.	34 The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying:
לה  כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, הִנְנִי שֹׁבֵר אֶת-קֶשֶׁת עֵילָם, רֵאשִׁית, גְּבוּרָתָם.	35 Thus saith the LORD of hosts: behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
לו  וְהֵבֵאתִי אֶל-עֵילָם אַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת, מֵאַרְבַּע קְצוֹת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְזֵרִתִים, לְכֹל הָרֻחוֹת הָאֵלֶּה; וְלֹא-יִהְיֶה הַגּוֹי, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָבוֹא שָׁם נִדְּחֵי עולם עֵילָם.	36 And I will bring against Elam the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the dispersed of Elam shall not come.
לז  וְהַחְתַּתִּי אֶת-עֵילָם לִפְנֵי אֹיְבֵיהֶם וְלִפְנֵי מְבַקְשֵׁי נַפְשָׁם, וְהֵבֵאתִי עֲלֵיהֶם רָעָה אֶת-חֲרוֹן אַפִּי--נְאֻם-יְהוָה; וְשִׁלַּחְתִּי אַחֲרֵיהֶם אֶת-הַחֶרֶב, עַד כַּלּוֹתִי אוֹתָם.	37 And I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life; and I will bring evil upon them, even My fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them;
לח  וְשַׂמְתִּי כִסְאִי, בְּעֵילָם; וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי מִשָּׁם מֶלֶךְ וְשָׂרִים, נְאֻם-יְהוָה.	38 And I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence king and princes, saith the LORD.
לט  וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, אשוב אָשִׁיב אֶת-שבית שְׁבוּת עֵילָם--נְאֻם-יְהוָה.  {פ}	39 But it shall come to pass in the end of days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD. {P}

Let's go Pasuk by Pasuk.

34: Hashem is telling Yirmiyahu Hanavi what will be the fate of Elam. Elam is part of the area known today as Iran.

35: Keshet Elam - Rashi says 2 explanations:

1) Elam's hope

2) Elam's strength

Both can apply to Iran's nukes.

Metzudat David says that they use their bow (and arrow) as their main strength.  This is, in modern terminology, ballistic missiles to deliver the nukes, לא עלינו.  It also shows their religious relationship to Yishmael, who was also an archer (see Bereishit 21:20).

36: The 4 winds - Targum Yonatan says that it refers to 4 kings.  We so far only see Israel entering the conflict.  Will the US join?  Any others?

And there shall be no nation... - perhaps it's referring to Tehran itself, where there is a mass exodus of people trying to flee the capital city.  Or perhaps, it refers to the whole country and we haven't seen this yet.

37: No explanation needed.

38: And I will set My throne in Elam - from Israel's amazing first strike of the war, it was proven without a doubt that Hashem is in charge.

King and princes - Princes - yes.  King - not yet.

39: End of days - This year?

The captivity of Elam - the people of Elam will return to be ruled by Mashiah instead of Ayatollahs.

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Iran is the "head of the octopus", as Naftali Bennett and others like to say.  Similarly, when the 4 kings fought against the 5 kings in Bereishit chapter 14, Chedorla'omer the King of Elam was the main guy in the war.  As Rashi points out, he was נכנס בעובי הקורה - he carried the heaviest part of the beam - i.e. he had the most responsibility.

Eventually, Avraham Avinu and team demolished his whole army.  Any similarities to what's happening today are purely coincidental ;-)  

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Note that the Cosmic Clock on the sidebar of the page has reached 12:50 PM on Friday afternoon.  Note that the destruction of Iraq began in 1991 when the Cosmic Clock was at or near 12:00 noon.  And the destruction of Iran has begun around the time when the Cosmic Clock turned to 12:50 PM.

If 50 minutes is a period of Bein Hashemashot in the USA according to Rav Moshe Feinstein ZT"L, and is therefore the largest Bein Hashemashot period for the vast majority of World Jewry, then we can understand why there is a 50-minute difference between the sunsets of 2 of the 4 Malchuyot.  Hopefully, we won't need to wait long for the rest.

For further reading of the topics discussed in this post, see here, here, and here.

The Houthis' Attack and 760

This past Shabbat, we read the Parshiyot of Tazria and Metzora, which mainly deal with the affliction of Tzara'at.  One day later, the Houthis sent a missile to Ben Gurion Airport, creating a large crater in the ground.

A crater in Hebrew is called a מכתש, which happens to be the word (albeit with different voweling) that that Targum Onkelos uses in Tazria/Metzora for the word נגע.

Some interesting gematrias:

מכתש = 760

צרעת = 760

תימן אירן =   1 + 760 (Yemen [&] Iran - where the missile originated from)

So, one may be inclined to say that the Land of Israel was hit with a נגע (or מכתש) of צרעת on the day after reading about צרעת in the Torah.  I will not venture to guess why it was deserved.

And where was the target of Israel's retaliation?

חודיידה צנעא בתימן = 760 (Hodeidah [&] Sana'a in Yemen)

Did we just move from "Ikveta Dimshiha" to "Penei Mashiah"?

Rav Amir Cohen: Based on the Baba Sali's Blessing to Rav Mazuz ZTVK"L, We Perhaps Moved from the Period of Ikveta Dimshiha to the Period of Penei Mashiah

A little background:

Rav Meir Mazuz, the Rosh Yeshiva of Kisei Rahamim and one of the great rabbis of our generation, passed away on the 7th day of Pesah.  He was 80 years and 8 days old when he passed away.

According to this video by Rav Naftali Nissim, on the 13th of Nissan (his 80th birthday) this year, he asked for 10 men to come to his bedside.  They came and his daughter saw that his face was shining.  She asked him why this was so, and he replied, "Because this is the last day." He knew that he would pass away on the 13th of Nissan, but later changed his mind due to the fact that he didn't want to pain the Jewish people with a funeral during the holiday so he was able (presumably via צדיק גוזר...) to push it off for 8 days.

Before he passed away, while he was gravely ill, people were encouraged by the following story (see this video [at the 3-minute mark] in Hebrew and also in the previous video):

51 years ago, in 5734, Rav Mazuz fell from the third story of a building and he severely damaged his leg to the point where his doctors were doubtful that he would even survive.  His wife went to the Baba Sali ZY"A and asked for a blessing.  The Baba Sali assured her that not only would he survive, but he would walk again, he would have length of days,  and he would greet the face of Mashiah (Penei Mashiah).

The first 3 parts of the blessing were miraculously fulfilled.  B"H, he survived, he was able to walk again, and reached the age of 80 (גבורות).  However, as Mashiah has not yet arrived, it seems that the final blessing about greeting Mashiah has not yet been fulfilled.  So, people were encouraged when they heard this, but were later discouraged when Rav Mazuz ZTVK"L passed away with the blessing seemingly unfulfilled.

There are a number of ways to answer the question.  Some, like Rav Nissim in the first video, want to say that he did see the Mashiah, but he just wasn't revealed yet, but will be if the generation is worthy.

Rav Amir Cohen, a Talmid of Rav Mazuz, has a different take.  He says in this video that the period before Mashiah comes is divided into different periods (it wasn't clear what the order is):

• עקבות של משיח (the footsteps of Mashiah)
• חמורו של משיח (the donkey of Mashiah)
• אורו של משיח (the light of Mashiah)
• פני משיח (the face of Mashiah)

He then says that perhaps, a short time before he passed away on the 7th of Pesah, we entered a new period called "Penei Mashiah" - the face of Mashiah - which is a higher stage of the Geula process.  And that perhaps was the intent of the Baba Sali's blessing.  

It's unclear how this new period differs from the previous period of Ikveta Dimshiha, but we know from the Mishna/Beraita in Sotah that the period of Ikveta Dimshiha was not destined to be a pleasant one, to say the least.  If Rav Cohen is correct, may this new period be one of only good things for our nation, and may it lead quickly and painlessly to the coming of Mashiah בב"א.

October 7th by the Numbers and as a Sign

The tragedy and catastrophe of the October 7th Massacre, like everything else, is hinted to in the Torah and Tanach.  For example, as we're in the Bein Hametzarim period, let's look at Eicha. 

Eicha 1:15:

טו  סִלָּה כָל-אַבִּירַי אֲדֹנָי בְּקִרְבִּי, קָרָא עָלַי מוֹעֵד לִשְׁבֹּר בַּחוּרָי; גַּת דָּרַךְ אֲדֹנָי, לִבְתוּלַת בַּת-יְהוּדָה.

15 The Lord hath set at nought all my mighty men in the midst of me; He hath called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men; the Lord hath trodden as in a winepress the virgin the daughter of Judah.'

The Sages use this verse to explain that Tish'a Be'av itself is called a holiday.  However, allow me to offer a different interpretation.  

This verse encapsulates the utter military failure that occurred on the Mo'ed of Shemini Atzeret/Simhat Torah.  We get an even more detailed comparison when we look at the Targum on this verse (emphasis in the source):

כְנַשׁ כָּל תַּקִּיפַי יְיָ בֵּינִי אֲרַע זְמַן עָלַי לִתְבִירָא חֵיל עוּלֵימַי וְעָלוּ עַמְמַיָּא עַל גְזֵירַת מֵימְרָא דַייָ וְסָאִיבוּ בְתוּלְתָּא דְבֵית יְהוּדָה דִּי הֲוָה דִמְהוֹן דִבְתוּלְתְּהוֹן מִיתְשַׁד הֵיךְ כַּחֲמָר מִן מַעֲצַרְתָּא בְעִידַן דִגְּבַר מְבַעִיט יָת עִנְבִין חֲמַר עִינְבוֹהִי שַׁדְיָין:

The Lord has crushed all my mighty ones within me; he has established a time against me to shatter the strength of my young men. The nations entered by the decree of the Memra of the Lord and defiled the virgins of the House of Judah until their blood of their virginity was caused to flow like wine from a wine press when a man is treading grapes and the wine of his grapes flows.

But how do we know that the Mo'ed referred to is Shemini Atzeret?

We just read Parashat Pinehas about Shemini Atzeret:

לה  בַּיּוֹם, הַשְּׁמִינִי--עֲצֶרֶת, תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם:  כָּל-מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדָה, לֹא תַעֲשׂוּ.	35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no manner of servile work;
לו  וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עֹלָה אִשֵּׁה רֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ, לַיהוָה--פַּר אֶחָד, אַיִל אֶחָד; כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי-שָׁנָה שִׁבְעָה, תְּמִימִם.	36 but ye shall present a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD: one bullock, one ram, seven he-lambs of the first year without blemish;
לז  מִנְחָתָם וְנִסְכֵּיהֶם, לַפָּר לָאַיִל וְלַכְּבָשִׂים בְּמִסְפָּרָם--כַּמִּשְׁפָּט.	37 their meal-offering and their drink-offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, shall be according to their number, after the ordinance;
לח  וּשְׂעִיר חַטָּאת, אֶחָד; מִלְּבַד עֹלַת הַתָּמִיד, וּמִנְחָתָהּ וְנִסְכָּהּ.	38 and one he-goat for a sin-offering; beside the continual burnt-offering, and the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof.
לט  אֵלֶּה תַּעֲשׂוּ לַיהוָה, בְּמוֹעֲדֵיכֶם--לְבַד מִנִּדְרֵיכֶם וְנִדְבֹתֵיכֶם, לְעֹלֹתֵיכֶם וּלְמִנְחֹתֵיכֶם, וּלְנִסְכֵּיכֶם, וּלְשַׁלְמֵיכֶם.	39 These ye shall offer unto the LORD in your appointed seasons, beside your vows, and your freewill-offerings, whether they be your burnt-offerings, or your meal-offerings, or your drink-offerings, or your peace-offerings.

We are not including verse 30:1 since Rashi says that that verse is only there to separate the section of the Torah that talks about the sacrifices of the holidays from the next Parasha of Matot that talks about vows to show that Moshe Rabbeinu told the holiday Musafim section over to the people.

But we will include verse 29:39 despite the fact that it is a summarizing verse for all the holidays since it is part of the Parasha of Shemini Ateret and part of Hashem's words to Moshe.

Note the 30 Mems in these 5 verses.  Since each Mem has a gematria of 40, that means that 30 Mems have a gematria of 1200, the number of Korbanot murdered on October 7th.

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Without minimizing the enormity of such an event, we can also definitely say that without certain miracles from Hashem, the loss could have been so much worse.

We know that there are 20 days of Biblical holidays mentioned in Parashat Pinehas:

1. Shabbat (counted as 1 day)
2. Rosh Hodesh (counted as 1 day)
3. Pesah (7 days)
4. Shavuot (1 day)
5. Rosh Hashana (1 day)
6. Kippur (1 day)
7. Sukkot (7 days)
8. Shemini Atzeret (1 day)

If Shemini Atzeret claimed 1200 lives, if you multiply that by all the days of the holidays (20), you get 24,000.  This is the number of those who died in the plague in Shittim.  Then, as now, we were duped by an enemy and paid the price.  

But B"H, the October 7th massacre was relegated to one one-day holiday - Shemini Atzeret - which is a רגל בפני עצמו - a holiday unto itself.  With Hashem's lovingkindness, we were spared a much greater tragedy that could have occurred.

And just as then, when in Parashat Matot, Moshe was commanded to take vengeance against the Midianites, it seems like vengeance is being exacted against Hamas, especially with today's news.

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The Book of Daniel contains this famous cryptic verse:

ז  וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶת-הָאִישׁ לְבוּשׁ הַבַּדִּים, אֲשֶׁר מִמַּעַל לְמֵימֵי הַיְאֹר, וַיָּרֶם יְמִינוֹ וּשְׂמֹאלוֹ אֶל-הַשָּׁמַיִם, וַיִּשָּׁבַע בְּחֵי הָעוֹלָם:  כִּי לְמוֹעֵד מוֹעֲדִים וָחֵצִי, וּכְכַלּוֹת נַפֵּץ יַד-עַם-קֹדֶשׁ--תִּכְלֶינָה כָל-אֵלֶּה.

7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he lifted up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and swore by Him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

Perhaps, the Mo'ed refers to Shemini Atzeret, 5784, which was the event that Daniel was to wait for.  We know this from the verse in Eicha above that I surmised was referring to that very day and is called a "Mo'ed".  

Then, he was told to wait for the Mo'adim.  Since we know from the first Mishna in Rosh Hashana that Rosh Hodesh Nissan is the New Year for holidays, that means that Shemini Atzeret is the last of the year's holidays.  So, he must have been told to wait for the following year's holidays.

But then it says וחצי, meaning that when it referred to the Mo'adim, we don't have to wait for all the Mo'adim to pass - only half of them.

We see from the list of holidays above that whether you count the number of holidays or whether you count the number of days of the holidays, the halfway point is reached at Shavuot.  The next half of holidays begins at Rosh Hashana.

So we need to find the midpoint between Shavuot and Rosh Hashana to find the exact חצי. 

The first day of Shavuot is June 12th, 2024.  The first day of Rosh Hashana is October 3rd, 2024.  That is a span of 114 days (when you include both days).  That would mean that 57 days from Shavuot would be the midpoint, which comes out to August 8th, 2024, or the 4th of Av, 5784.

וּכְכַלּוֹת נַפֵּץ יַד-עַם-קֹדֶשׁ perhaps means: when the bombing by Hezbollah/Hamas/Houthis/Iran of the holy Jewish people will stop, which we hope בע"ה will be done by that date the latest.  Things are heating up in the entire region so the terrible status quo seems to be ending soon.  And we will inevitably enter a new phase of war, which we pray won't be even more terrible.  ה' ישמור.

But in the end, it will be good.  Very good.

All this is pure conjecture.  May we merit it!