The Writings of Rav Binyamin
Ze'ev Kahane HY"D- Dvar Torah in honor of Sukkot דבר תורה לכבוד חג הסוכות
NOT EVERYONE IS INCLUDED IN THE FOUR SPECIES
Organs of power at home joining the side of our enemy requires
us to take another look at the known midrash about how the "four
species" symbolize different levels in Am Yisrael.
It is impossible to ignore the growing and obscene phenomenon,
where Jews in the upper echelons of Israeli society mobilize time and time again
to further the cause of our bitter enemies. Whenever possible, they rise from
within us, under the orchestration of the media, to demoralize the nation
during its fight for existence, while furthering the interests of the enemy.
The question is: How should we relate to these people? Are they one of us, or
are they "beyond the pale"?
THE FOUR SPECIES: A PARABLE FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE
One of the famous midrashim in connection to Sukkot, compares
the four species to the unity of Israel:
Just as the Etrog has both taste and smell, so too do the Jewish People have
within it people who have Torah and good deeds:
Lulav...has taste and no smell, and so too there are those who
have Torah and no good deeds...
Just as the Hadas has smell and no taste...(there are those)
with good deeds and no Torah...
Just as the "Arava" has no smell and no taste, so
(there are those) who have no Torah and no good deeds.
And what does the Almighty do to them? To destroy them would be
impossible! But rather the Almighty said that he will tie them all up in one
unit and they will atone for one another". (Vayikra Raba, 30:12)
In view of how we opened this article, this amazing midrash
mentioning how the Aravot are held tightly together with the rest of Am
Yisrael, seems to shed light on the subject, and must be further analyzed.
WICKED, BUT WANT CONNECTION
The worst kind of Jew spoken of here is the Arav, who is not
destroyed, because the righteous atone for him. They are Jews "who have no
Torah and no good deeds." True, we are not talking about the cream of the
crop - but we are talking about Jews who are ready to be part of the union of
Am Yisrael, connected to them so that the righteous can atone for them. We are
not talking about Jews, who G-d forbid, sever themselves from the collective
and detest their own Jewishness. We are not discussing Jews who the sages spoke
of when they said that in the days of the Messiah, there will be Jews who will
identify with and join forces with the enemy. About such Jews, the above
midrash does not speak. On the contrary. The idea of the midrash is two-fold.
On the one hand, G-d does not desire to see the wicked of Israel destroyed. One
the other hand, the wicked mentioned here are those willing to join and be a
part of Klal Yisrael. Only they merit this special atonement. It is an
atonement reserved for one who feels belonging to the collective of the Jewish
Nation.
It must be known: Relatively speaking, there really are only a
few Jews who seek to cut themselves off from Am Yisrael. In Israel today, this
miniscule band of haters, though they wield tremendous control, are a tiny
minority. Through all the generations, and especially in this final era before
the complete redemption, there were always Jews who took themselves out of the
collective, and deep inside of them, identify more with the goyim than with the
Jews.
SOME JEWS ARE BARRED
And so, it is a great mistake to identify such people as the
"Arava" described in the midrash. for while the Arava is still only
an Arava, it still has a belonging to the Jewish collective. While it has no
taste or smell, at least it does not give off a putrid or damaging smell. The
Arava sees himself as part of the four species and does not nullify his
Jewishness, nor does he want to be like a gentile. By this very fact, he is
able to absorb within him the smell and taste of the others. We must also
remember that there are certain things that disqualify the four species from
being Kosher. And so, though we are never happy about disqualifying a Jew,
there are those who are rejected, and not tied together with the rest of the
four species.
The nation is willing to absorb the individual sinners, and to
cover and atone for them so that they will not perish with their sins. (Even
though this causes us great suffering as a people). It is ready to hold on
tightly to them with all its might in order to unite them, for we Jews are all
guarantors for one another. But the nation is not ready to carry under its wing
he who in his very essence is an aberrant traitor. Such people remove themselves
from the Sukkah of Israel, and as much as it hurts to say, they are beyond the
pale for us.
Chag Sameach!
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