WAR AND PEACE

Rabbi Meir Kahane The Jewish Idea (Or Hara’ayon) WAR AND PEACE (Excerpts) (Today November 23, 2022 it is way past time to learn we have always been and are today at war with our enemies the ARAB. Today, 2 bombs went off near bus stops. It was the morning hours that young people went to school and adults to work. A 15-year-old from Canada and attending a yeshiva in Israel was killed and buried the same day, more than 14 others are in serious or critical condition. This is not an isolated case or a situation - this is war within our own land)bg “I will grant peace in the land” (Lev.26.6): Perhaps you will say, “Well, there is food and there is drink, but if there is no peace then all this is nothing!” Scripture therefore states, “I will grant peace in the land” This teaches that peace counterbalances everything. It likewise says (Isaiah 45.7), “I will make peace and create evil.” This teaches that peace counterbalances everything. (See Bamidar Rabbah, 11:5-6) Since peace is limited to its own time, it follows that in wartime all traits associated with love, kindness and mercy are redefined. It is then kind and merciful to go to war against the wicked. Our sages teach (Kohelet Rabbah, 3:[8]1): There is “a time to kill” – during war; “and a time to heal” – during peace. There is “a time to break down” – during war; “and a time to build up” – during peace – There is “a time to seek” – during peace; “and a time to lose” – during war. There is “a time to rend” – during war “ and a time to sew” – during peace…There is “a time to love”- during peace; “ and a time to hate” – during war. There is “a time for war” – during war; “and a time for peace” – during peace. The word of the Living G-d! And how relevant they are to our day: there is a time for war – during war; and a time for peace during peace. We might ask why Scriptures must tell us that there is a time for war. Might anyone think otherwise? Our sages were teaching that, in fact, some might really think so, especially with the insane, alien culture holding portions of our people captive in its sullied hands. Above I quoted Tanchuma, Shoftim15: “When you go forth to battle against your enemies (Deut.20:1)… What is meant by “against your enemies”? G-d said, “Confront them as enemies. Just as they show you no mercy, so should you not show them any mercy.” We have to realize that the non-Jew who goes to war against Israel is our enemy and not our friend. How unaware people are nowadays of this simple yet profound principle! Our sages also said (Sifri Shoftim 192): You are going to war against your enemies and not against your brethren. It is not Judah against Simeon or Simeon against Judah such that if you fall captive they will have mercy on you…It is against your enemies that you are waging war. If you fall into their hands, they will show you no mercy. Indeed, a timely war is a mitzvah, a duty, a kindness and an everlasting act of righteousness. Ex.24:6, which enumerates G-d’s attributes, ends by mentioning “truth”: The L-rd, the L-rd, Omnipotent, merciful and kind, slow to anger, with tremendous resources of love and truth.” I have already explained that there cannot be “mercy, kindness and tremendous resources of love,” without “truth.” We often find the combination of “kindness and truth,” to teach us that that same Deity who is “merciful, kind and loving,” is above all else a G-d of truth. Likewise, G-d is described as follows (Ex.15:3): “The L-rd is the Master of war, ‘Hashem’ is His name.” Despite His name being “Hashem,” a name indicating mercy, He is still “Master of war.” That same Hashem of mercy is also a Master of war against the wicked. All this is the plain truth. There is a time for war and cruelty and a time for mercy, kindness and clemency. It all depends on G-d’s laws, the laws of war by the Master of war. Our sages said (Mechilta,Ibid): “The L-rd is the Master of war, Hashem is His name: Our sages teach us a great lesson here regarding love for one’s fellow Jew and the duty one bears to him: It is not enough for a Jew not to murder. Surely, “Turn away from evil” (Ps.34:15) applies here, but a much weightier duty applies too: he must do all he can to save his fellow Jew from danger, to eradicate every danger and mishap, to defeat every foe who imperils the Jewish People before he can harm them. A non-Jew who tries to attack or kill a Jew must be punished, and if that non-Jew flees to save himself from punishment, it clearly is not just permissible but a mitzvah and duty to shoot to kill him. Whoever opposes this and orders that the enemy be allowed to flee, thereby enabling him to return later and kill Jews, will never be able to rise up and proclaim, “My hands have not spilled this blood.” He is aiding a rodef, is allied to murderers of Jews, and should be treated like a criminal (Moreover, such non-Jews not only fail to accept upon themselves taxes, slave status, and G-d’s and Israel’s sovereignty over the Land, but they declare war on the Jews, attacking and murdering us. We are duty-bound to wage a milchemet mitzvah against them, a compulsory war, and they deserve death, as I shall write below.) King David said (Ps 9:17), “The L-rd has made Himself known. He has executed judgment.” That is, the nations will know G-d and His glory only when he executes judgment in His war against them. He also said (PS 24:8), “Who is the King of glory? The L-rd strong and mighty, He is mighty in battle.” The wars Israel was commanded to wage were not meant to satisfy any selfish urge on their part, any craving for land or desire for personal glory, but to sanctify G-d’s name and cast down the wicked, who plunder and afflict the upright. Just as every part of Israel’s life must be holy, so must be their wars. Due to our sins, the reason we were exiled from our land, the laws of war, have been so corrupted and confused by so many fine students that ignorance on this matter has surpassed all limits. Some have no understanding whatsoever of what a milchemet mitzvah is, and in their blindness ask whether the war between us and the Arabs today is such a war. Woe, to the ears that hear this! Rambam writes (Hilchot Melachim 5:1) In a milchemet mitzvah, the king need not obtain permission of the court. Rather, he may go forth himself at any time and compel the people to follow. With milchemet reshut, however, he may only compel the people through a court of seventy-one. Here is the law before us. Clearly, no king is needed either. After all, the judges who preceded Saul were not kings nor were the Hasmoneans when they rose up against the Greeks. How long can our disgraceful ignorance of these laws go on?- Holiness and knowledge of G-d elevate a person from bestiality, fear and confinement to trust in G-d. Kiddush Hashem brings the redemption “speedily.” Rosh Chodesh tov and Shabbat Shalom Barbara Anyone reading this article and is not on my personal list to receive the weekly articles written by Rabbi Kahane and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane and would like to be, please contact me at barbaraandchaim@gmail.com To view articles written by Rabbi Meir Kahane and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane go to blog: www.barbaraginsberg-kahane.blogspot.com Facebook: Barbara Sandra Ginsberg Rav Kahane Divrei Torah Pictures Viewpoints Youtubes, Videos First join Telegram and then hit link and you will see all. Telegram link: https://t.me/RKDTVP

Logic Makes No Impression on Them

Kahane on the Parsha Rabbi Binyamin Kahane- Parshat Chayeh Sarah LOGIC MAKES NO IMPRESSION ON THEM" Rabbi Yudan bar at HaMachpela, as it is written: 'And Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver...'; Har HaBayit, as it is written, 'So David gave Arnan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site'; and Kever Yosef, as it is written, 'And [Jacob] bought the parcel of ground...at the hand of the children of Chamor, the father of Shechem'" (Bereishit Rabba 79:7) Two questions arise from this Midrash:( 1. Is it only about these three places that the nations can't say we are thieves? Isn't this claim baseless regarding the ENTIRE land (as Rashi states in his commentary to the very first verse of the Torah)? 2) What does the Midrash mean by "the nations of the world will not be able"? We see that they are quite able to challenge our claim to these three places! Indeed, it is precisely these three places on which they concentrate their struggle! The key to answering these questions is a rule that we should etch in our souls: It is not important what GENTILES SAY; what's important is what JEWS THINK. The Torah knew that when the gentiles would eventually accuse the Jews of being "thieves" and "occupiers" and "conquerors," the Jews would feel uncomfortable, even a little guilty. Perhaps the gentiles are right that we stole their land. Perhaps they have an ethical argument. And so the Rabbis tell us: There are three places about which the gentiles cannot open their mouths even according to simple logic since these places were legally purchased with money. And yet, logic makes no impression on them. On the contrary, it is precisely these three places that they place at the heart of their fight against us! What does this teach us? That it isn't justice or ethics which motivates them, nor is our struggle a dispute over property that can be resolved. Rather, it is a national-religious fight.Therefore, the Rabbis teach us: Just like you know that their claim to these three places is not justified, by the same token don't get excited about their claims to other parts of the land since "the entire world belongs to Hashem; He created it and gave it to whomever He saw fit" (Rashi to Genesis 1:1). Darka Shel Torah, 1995 Shabbat Shalom Barbara Anyone reading this  article and is not on my personal list to receive the weekly articles written by Rabbi Kahane and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane and would like to be, please contact me at barbaraandchaim@gmail.com  To view articles written by Rabbi Meir Kahane and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane go to blog: www.barbaraginsberg-kahane.blogspot.com  F First joinTelegram and then hit link and you will see all. Telegram link: httpsacebook:  Barbara Sandra Ginsberg Rav KahaneDivrei Torah Pictures Viewpoints Youtubes, Videos ://t.me/RKDTVP Simon said, '[Concerning] three places the nations of the world will not be able to castigate Israel by claiming, 'You are thieves': Me'arat HaMachpela, Har HaBayit, and Kever Yosef. "Me'ar

A Beacon of Truth

Kahane on the Parsha Rabbi Binyamin Kahane- Parshat Noach A BEACON OF TRUTH For 120 years, Noah fulfilled G-d's directive to build an ark, all the while warning people about the impending flood. The Midrash relates that when people would pass by and ask Noah what he was doing, he would reply, "The Almighty is bringing a flood upon the world." But the people disregarded Noah's warning and reacted with vicious mockery (Bereishit Rabba 30:7).This Midrash seems to contain an implicit criticism of Noah. After all, for 120 years Noah warned that G-d would destroy the world if the people continued in their evil ways. But no one listened. In the end, the flood wiped out the entire world, except for Noah and his family. Not a single person was convinced to do teshuva by Noah's warnings. Not one! Noah's life endeavor of 120 years was essentially a failure. Or was it?The story of Noah provides us with a concrete illustration of the true role of a Jewish prophet. Certainly, the primary purpose of his warnings and rebukes is to inspire his audience to do teshuva. But unlike what one might think, if the prophet does not succeed in convincing people to do teshuva, he did not necessarily fail. Deeper reflection will reveal that the rebuke in and of itself has value. If we look at the prophets of Israel, we will notice an amazing fact: Generally speaking, they were dismal failures. It seems as if they influenced no one. The people were not interested in listening to them and did not cease their evil ways. But does that mean their warnings had no value? Of course not. After all, the words of the prophets are inscribed forever in our holy bible.When G-d appoints Ezekiel to be a prophet, He says, "I am sending you to the Children of Israel...they have rebelled against Me...you shall say to them, 'Thus says the L-rd G-d.' And they--whether they hear or refuse to hear...--will know a prophet has been amongst them" (Ezekiel 2:3-5). Immediately afterwards, G-d states, "But the house of Israel will not hearken to you..." (ibid. 3:7). Can this be? If G-d knows they won't listen, why send Ezekiel and expose him to so much humiliation and abuse?He does so because the proclamation of truth has value even if it has no apparent influence at the moment it is proclaimed. What is its value? As G-d says: The people "will know that a prophet has been amongst them." Even if there are no immediate results, the warnings have value in that they bring G-d's word into the world. The prophet who expresses divine truth is giving expression to G-d's presence in this world, showing us that the world is not a free-for-all - that there is right and wrong, reward and punishment. By proclaiming the truth, the prophet, in essence, sanctifies G-d's Name.Furthermore, while G-d knows for certain that the nation won't listen to a particular rebuke, the righteous, who are obligated to rebuke, do not know that (Shabbat 55a). In other words, we can never be sure that our words won't influence people, and therefore we must say them. Even more, we must realize that our words can have an impact tens, or even hundreds, of years down the road, as the Talmud states about prophets whose influence was not apparent during their lifetime: "Prophecy which is needed for future generations is written down" (Megillah 14a).My father, HY"D, saw his major role as one of a "prophet" who must warn and rebuke the people. That is, to say the truth of G-d- the same truth which no one else dares express thanks to 101 different excuses ("it's not practical", "it's not realistic," etc.). And while it may appear sometimes that all efforts are in vain, such is not the case in the long run. In the long run, it is sticking with the truth that makes a real impact on the nation and the course of history. Darka Shel Torah, 1997 S

No Rest in the Exile 1989

KAHANE ON THE PARSHA Parshat Noach NO REST IN THE EXILE "'And [Noah] sent forth a dove...but the dove found no rest for the sole of its foot, and it returned to him into the ark' (Genesis 8:8-9). Rabbi Shimon said: Had it found a resting place it would not have returned. And similarly does it say: '[Israel] sat among the nations and found no resting place' (Lamentations 1:3). Had they found a resting place they would not have returned to Eretz Yisrael. And similarly: 'And among those nations you shall find no peace, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest' (Deuteronomy 28:65). Had they found a resting place they would have never returned" (Bereishit Rabba 33:6). The divine proclamation is clear: There will be no rest for the Jew in the Exile because if there would be rest and tranquility and comfort and ease, the Jew would NEVER return to Eretz Yisrael. How well the Rabbis knew the Jews!!! No amount of Halacha, no amount of admonition, no amount of religious observance would ever convince the overwhelming majority to leave an Exile in which they find ease and rest for the soles of their feet. And that is why there is an iron law of Judaism that decrees that the Exile shall never be anything but a place of terror and fear and tragedy. I wonder if the average Jew knows how much he is hated in America. I wonder if the average Jew has the slightest knowledge of the immense, deep, poisonous venom that is Jew-hatred in the United States. I doubt it. We live in our ghettos, our increasingly golden ghettos, and see and hear nothing, and we sit satisfied in our glatt isolation that so enables us to escape from the reality of the vicious bile and venom. We live in our worlds of dreams and illusions and know nothing. Can we imagine what will be if, G-d forbid, there is an economic collapse of massive proportions? Can we imagine what will be if the American economy bursts- an economy that is one huge balloon filled with the gas of huge debt, unbridled spending and borrowing, trade deficit, a banking and savings and loan system that sits on the thin ice of loans that can never be repaid, an economy that is one huge fraud as jobs and products slip away into the Japanese-Asian orbit? Can we imagine what will be when the violent American who has been hopelessly spoiled by 40 years of unprecedented prosperity and wallowing in the mud of materialism suddenly faces economic ruin? Can we imagine what will happen when the life of three automobiles to a family, VCRs, a TV in each room, vacations, fun, fun, fun - suddenly comes to a screeching stop? Such a person will become a wild animal, literally incapable of accepting a life of sharp economic displacement. He will follow anyone who promises to restore him to the days of beer and daisies. And the scapegoat will be - the Jew. And so, I do not even bother any longer to persuade Jews of the halachic obligation to live in Eretz Yisrael, of the positive reason for going there. They will not go. Together they sit in the fleshpots, in a sensational display of Jewish unity against leaving the golden land. Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, all bound in a pledge of allegiance to the good life and all that for which it stands. I can only warn them about the ultimate halachic scholar for the Jew in the Exile. Who is that? Why, surely, the gentile. The Jewish Press, 1989 Shabbat Shalom Barbara If you are interested in reading more Divrei Torah from Rabbi Meir Kahane HY”D and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane HY"D, you can purchase the book at both of the following two links: http://brennbooks.com/ http://www.amazon.com/Kahane-Parsha-Meir/dp/098867680X Anyone reading this Rabbi Meir Kahane or Rabbi Binyamin Kahane article and is not on my personal list to receive the weekly articles and would like to be, please contact me at: barbaraandchaim@gmail.com To view articles written by Rabbi Meir Kahane and Rabbi Binyamin Kahane go to blog: www.barbaraginsberg-kahane.blogspot.com Facebook: Barbara Sandra Ginsberg Rav Kahane Divrei Torah Pictures Viewpoints Youtubes, Videos First join Telegram and then hit link and you will see all. Telegram link: https://t.me/RKDTVP