Happy Marriage - and Binyan Adei Ad!

 Dear Shapir and Sascha.

Blessings for a wonderful marriage, and may you both live to 120 and dance at your many, many great-great-grandchildrens Weddings and Bar-Mitzves and Britois.

Not Long ago, I wrote the below speech for a couple who married in Switzerland.

A wonderful couple of chassidishe jews.

But it applies to us all, and thus  I wish to also dedicate it to you. 

Blessings

Yoichonon.

INCREDIBLE NEWS FROM ISRAEL! Sapir Cohen and Sasha Trupanov were kidnapped together from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Sapir was released after 55 days of captivity in Gaza, when Israel made its first deal with Hamas. Sasha remained in Gaza and didn’t think he would make it out alive. He prayed that Sapir would find another man to love. He prayed that she wouldn’t wait for him so she could move on with her life. Well, Sapir waited. Sasha was released in February 2025 after 498 days in Gaza. And today, Sasha proposed to Sapir. She said yes!!!!! Mazal tov! The nation of Israel lives!

 

Chukas – Cooking up a mushroom soup.

 

All of this Parsche is under the canopy of the Red Heifer.

Although, the Red Heifer was already given at the building of the Mishkan in Shemois (Ramban, Malbim, Sifra, Raschi).

 

Since your Chuppe is in this Parshe, a few observations and an attempt at carving out a basic taam of your sivug.

 

1)      We see a direct link to Koirach in the Text: 

Koirach	Chukas
וַיִּקַּ֣ח קֹ֔רַח  \/ חרק חקיו    Read the first two words backwards.                                                                                                     A cockroach his Chukav.	וחקיו ….. וְיִקְח֣וּ Further  Permutations :
במדבר י"ט:ב' ב) זֹ֚את חֻקַּ֣ת הַתּוֹרָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה יְ־הֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר דַּבֵּ֣ר׀ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְיִקְח֣וּ אֵלֶ֩יךָ֩ פָרָ֨ה אֲדֻמָּ֜ה תְּמִימָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֵֽין־בָּהּ֙ מ֔וּם אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָלָ֥ה עָלֶ֖יהָ עֹֽל׃	Chukas, read backwards: Tikach – take Vayikechu – vechukav –and his laws. And they should take to you a Red Heifer – as Koirach took their hearts, or they thook their hearts to Koirach, to lies and vanity, so now they take the Red Heifer to Moishe, to truth and modesty.

a.       We already saw in Koirach, how he, by way of his resentment and pride, made up his own Chukim, and was absolutely willing to follow through on them and take all of Yisroel with him with this. Since HaSchem was still very close, B`H Koirach miserably failed.

b.       Now, in Chukas, HaSchem teaches us the ultimate Choik, which even Shloimoi Ha Melech, Peace be with him, did not understand. This in order to teach us all:

קהלת ה':א'

(א)    אַל־תְּבַהֵ֨ל עַל־פִּ֜יךָ וְלִבְּךָ֧ אַל־יְמַהֵ֛ר לְהוֹצִ֥יא דָבָ֖ר לִפְנֵ֣י הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּ֣י הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים בַּשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְאַתָּ֣ה עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ עַל־כֵּ֛ן יִהְי֥וּ דְבָרֶ֖יךָ מְעַטִּֽים׃

Do not open your mouth hastily, and may your heart not run, to raise issues before the Eternal ONE, for the Eternal ONE, HE is in heaven, and you are on the earth, therefore may your words be few.

 

It is good to have our own take on things, and it is a positive commandment to spend oneself in learning and strain to understand the holy Toire.

It is written in Koirach VaYikach, and it is written here Vayikchu:

Koirach took his vanity and invented fantasy-laws, that brutally collided with reality.  

He took his heart and his brethren´s, and spoiled them.

HaShem now orders us, according to eternal law, to take the Red Heifer and learn how to learn, and how to live.

And it is not for nothing that the Red Heifer lifts off the Tum´a of death. For, just maybe, Koirach already had this Tum´a in his heart.

And it is written in Mishlei.

משלי ו':כ"ג

כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר.

And we should live by way of our learning and Mitzves, and not die.

And it is very good to remember how tiny we are before our creator, who is infinite, as is HIS creation.

 

 

 

Bamidbar rabba on Posuk 1 – the great mysteries of Toire

Or: without gravitation, there would be no bones.

 

במדבר רבה מחולק לפסוקים במדבר י"ט:ב'

[א] זֹאת חֻקַּת – זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: מִי יִתֵּן טָהוֹר מִטָּמֵא לֹא אֶחָד (איוב י"ד:ד'), כְּגוֹן אַבְרָהָם מִתֶּרַח, חִזְקִיָּה מֵאָחָז, יֹאשִׁיָּה מֵאָמוֹן, מָרְדְּכַי מִשִּׁמְעִי, יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא מֵעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. מִי עָשָׂה כֵּן, מִי צִוָּה כֵּן, מִי גָּזַר כֵּן, לֹא יְחִידוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, תַּמָּן תְּנִינַן, בַּהֶרֶת כִּגְרִיס בָּאָדָם, טָמֵא. פָּרְחָה בְּכֻלּוֹ, טָהוֹר. מִי עָשָׂה כֵּן, מִי צִוָּה כֵּן, מִי גָּזַר כֵּן, לֹא יְחִידוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם. תַּמָּן תְּנִינַן הָאִשָּׁה שֶׁמֵּת וְלָדָהּ בְּמֵעֶיהָ וְהוֹשִׁיטָה הַחַיָּה אֶת יָדָהּ וְנָגְעָה בּוֹ, הַחַיָּה טְמֵאָה טֻמְאַת שִׁבְעָה וְהָאִשָּׁה טְהוֹרָה עַד שֶׁיֵּצֵא הַוָּלָד. הַמֵּת בַּבַּיִת הַבַּיִת טָהוֹר, יָצָא מִתּוֹכוֹ הֲרֵי הוּא טָמֵא, מִי עָשָׂה כֵּן, מִי צִוָּה כֵּן, מִי גָזַר כֵּן, לֹא יְחִידוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם. תַּמָּן תְּנִינַן הָעוֹסְקִין בַּפָּרָה מִתְּחִלָּה וְעַד סוֹף מְטַמְּאִין בְּגָדִים, הִיא גּוּפָהּ מְטַהֶרֶת בְּגָדִים. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, חֻקָּה חָקַקְתִּי גְּזֵרָה גָּזַרְתִּי, אִי אַתָּה רַשַּׁאי לַעֲבֹר עַל גְּזֵרָתִי.

 

, הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא מֵעוֹלָם הַזֶּה 

This is a great mystery revealed in a small side-sentence.

How is it, that eternal Oilam Habo is actually built from Oilom HaSe??

 

The Mahara`l in his foreword to דרך חיים starts with the above cited Mishlei, and expands on it, I highly recommend reading the whole piece.

What he is revealing is a little more depth on how HaShem gives us, his Children, powers beyond our imagination to actually build Oilam HaBo.

He uses the candle and the light and shows: The candle is in this world, it burns down and does not come back. But the Light of Toire is eternal. And by using the candle, we attach to the eternal Light.

 

And maybe, we could also say the following:

Mitzvot are like mushrooms or flowers:

They form, they present themselves to us.

A mushroom blooms within a few hours, it stays a few days and then decays.

But if we pluck it and dry it – it stays good and edible for many years.

And we can later on make tasty mushroom soup from it.

Mitzvois and learning, on the other hand, stay eternally. And while Mitzves are often elusive and grow within seconds, or even less: If we pluck them, they are transformed into Oilom Habo, into eternity. From nothing. Yesh me Ayin! And it is us who are priviledged to build it!

 

And thus, by making Chassenes and uniting in Kiddushin, HaShem has endowed us with the might of building the world!

 

 

Chiskiyahu and free choice

Question: How can it be, that HaShem restricted Chiskiyahu HaMelechs free will and free choice?

For: HE, Boruch HU, threatened to kill him, because he declined fathering children!

This because he saw in his prophetic vision, that Menashe the Roshe would decend from him.

Thus he declined having children, saying: I am a Tzaddik, and from me, such a roshe should come out?!

No! From me, such suffering will not emanate.

Told him the prophet Yeshayahu: Who are you to tamper with HaShems plans?!

We learn: It was Chiskiyahus Yetzer, Gayve, that drove him. He was not ready, he the big Tzaddik, to bear the shadow of such a descendent.

And we learn from this: The Keter of Toire is Hefker. Every generation must fight for it anew, there are no guarantees, only tefillois. For, if there were guarantees, free will and free choice were to fall, and all of Toire with them.

But what about Chiskiyahus free will?

Lev Ha Melech be Yad HaShem.

And he had free will. He could have chosen to die rather than give in.

And by giving in and admitting his error he taught all of Yisroels generations how to live by Toire and Mitzves, and that the Keter Toire is Hefker.

Furthermore: The king has a special function in the people. He is the ultimate leader. To him, everyone looks up and therefore, masses of simple folks will emulate him. Therefore, He has a much heavier burden to carry when it comes to “lifney Iver…”.

 

Dear Jungeleit, dear newly wed couple,  אברהם ומרים  you are now Melech ve Malka.

You are very important to HaShem, and to Am Yisroel.

With your  loving relationship, learning, your mitzves, your Shulem Bais and your future children you build Oilom HaSe AND Oilom Habo! And you lead, together with all other newly weds, Am Yisroel in this holy endeavor.

 

May you pluck, dry, cook and eat many, many mushrooms!

 

יהי רצונ מלפני המקום שאהיה לכם בניין אדי עד

שהו יתברך תשמור אותכם מתחת כנפי שחינתו תמיד ושתזכו להרגיש ולראת את השגחתו תמיד

שלום וברכה

יוחנן וזויה צוויג

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Shlach Special – Moishe's Hidden Messages – According to Maharal

Contents

Shlach Special – Moishe's Hidden Messages – According to Maharal 1

Introduction.. 1

Maharal’s Gematria and Statement. 1

Who Owns the Land of Yisroel 2

The Sin of the Spies: 3

Calev and Jehoschua: 3

1)         Our Free Choice – This! 4

Lessons for Our Time. 4

 

Many thanks to Jossi Neufeld, Zurich, for drawing my attention to the three “Mo”s!

Introduction

In our Parsha, there are several text passages that, when read in context with one another, reveal a hidden image of the land and cast a completely different light on Moishe's communication with the scouts/spies.

It lays bare, so to speak, the spiritual truth about this land on the table!

However, to understand this, one must have thoroughly studied a passage from the Drash of the Maharal of Prague on Shabbos HaGadol and apply it here:

Maharal’s Gematria and Statement

Maharal, Drash on Shabbos HaGadol.

Gematria:

Ma = 45

Schem HaSchem = 45

Odom = 45

Meoid = 45

Fundamental statement in the Drash:

The human being, as a human entity in and of itself, is “Hevel Domo” – like a breath of air, nothing.

When the human being makes “Ma” out of themselves, that is, something indefinite, not directed by the ego, but defined by Torah and Mitzvot;

Then the human becomes “meoid – much, significant” for HaSchem, a vessel and instrument of the Almighty, through whom the Almighty’s forces work.

But this only succeeds if the human becomes extraordinarily humble and claims nothing of what happens through them for themselves. See, for example, Moishe Rabbeinu and our numerous Tzadikim.

Who Owns the Land of Yisroel

What about the Land of Yisroel? Who owns it? And who is it fitting to live there?

When the spies/scouts are sent out by Moishe, he already senses their intentions. He warns them and urges them to repent, to do Teshuva:

במדבר י"ג:י"ח

(יח) וּרְאִיתֶ֥ם אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ מַה־הִ֑וא וְאֶת־הָעָם֙ הַיֹּשֵׁ֣ב עָלֶ֔יהָ הֶחָזָ֥ק הוּא֙ הֲרָפֶ֔ה הַמְעַ֥ט ה֖וּא אִם־רָֽב׃

1)     Pshat, according to R. S.R. Hirsch sAl: And consider the land, what it is, and the people who dwell in it, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few in number or numerous.

2)     Drash using Maharal’s statements on the word “Ma – what”:

a)     And see the land: MA is it! (It is HaSchem’s); and the people who sit upon it; Are they strong – or weak?! (Of course, they are very, very strong, for HaSchem’s land can only be good, meaning it produces strong people); Are they numerous – or meager?! (It can only be numerous, for it is a good land that allows people to multiply. See also Talmud Bavli, Bava Basra 158b).

b)     In the Midrash, it is stated that every nation has a land, and every land is guided and protected by an angel. Not so Eretz Yisroel. Eretz Yisroel is under the direct guidance of HaSchem, without an intermediary/representative. And just as the people of Yisroel are also under HaSchem’s direct guidance, without an angel, the people of Yisroel are inseparably connected to the Land of Yisroel. This is essentially what is stated here in the briefest and encrypted form.

(יט) וּמָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־הוּא֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּ֔הּ הֲטוֹבָ֥ה הִ֖וא אִם־רָעָ֑ה וּמָ֣ה הֶֽעָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁר־הוּא֙ יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בָּהֵ֔נָּה הַבְּמַֽחֲנִ֖ים אִ֥ם בְּמִבְצָרִֽים׃

1)     And what the land is, in which they dwell, whether it is good or bad, and what the cities are, in which they dwell, whether in open or fortified places.

2)     And MA is the land! (The land is HaSchem’s); in this they dwell! Is it good or bad?! And MA are the cities (the cities, too, are built according to HaSchem’s will), in which they (the people) dwell! Are they fortified or open?!

The Sin of the Spies:

במדבר י"ג:ל"ב

(לב) וַיֹּצִ֜יאוּ דִּבַּ֤ת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תָּר֣וּ אֹתָ֔הּ אֶל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֡רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ עָבַ֨רְנוּ בָ֜הּ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֗הּ אֶ֣רֶץ אֹכֶ֤לֶת יוֹשְׁבֶ֙יהָ֙ הִ֔וא וְכׇל־הָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־רָאִ֥ינוּ בְתוֹכָ֖הּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י מִדּֽוֹת׃

1)     And they brought forth slander about the land they had explored to the children of Yisroel, saying: The land we traveled to explore is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great stature.

a)     Dibas – Slander – Gematria 406

b)     Oiso – which, they – Gematria 406: The word seems superfluous. In Hebrew, one could simply omit this word, and the sentence would still mean exactly the same. Why is it there?

i)      Gematria of both words is 406.

ii)     In the sentence where the two heroes and Tzadikim, who contradict the spies, call out to the people, the word Oiso also appears, a seemingly superfluous word!

iii)   What do we learn from this, see below.
They deny the LAND.
And it is said:
צדיקים ירשו ארץ Tzadikim inherit the land

Calev and Jehoschua:

במדבר י"ד:ז'

(ז) וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ אֶל־כׇּל־עֲדַ֥ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָבַ֤רְנוּ בָהּ֙ לָת֣וּר אֹתָ֔הּ טוֹבָ֥ה הָאָ֖רֶץ מְאֹ֥ד מְאֹֽד׃

1)     And they spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Yisroel: The land we traveled to explore is an exceedingly good land.

2)     And they spoke to the entire congregation of the children of Yisroel: The land, through which (Oiso) we traveled to explore, is very, very good.

a)     Two times “land” – at least one of them superfluous.

b)     Oiso – as above! The word is superfluous; to express the simple meaning of the sentence, it could be omitted.

c)     Meoid meoid – very, very – also doubled, and actually unnecessarily so.

d)     Meoid Gematria = 45, see above = HaSchem = Odom, human = Meoid, much, important.

3)     What do we learn here?

a)     In the two verses above (13:18, 19), Ma = 45 appears with land, and we learned there that the land is very closely connected to HaSchem. In each verse, land and Ma appear once.

b)     In our verse here, land appears twice, and also the word Meoid – very, which has a Gematria of 45 again, as explained above, is deeply connected to HaSchem. Two times land for two times land above. Two times meoid for two times meoid above. The land is meoid – it is a land through which HaSchem blesses the world, which does not function under natural laws. It obeys the commands of the Creator of the world directly!

c)     We can see this in the fruits and the people living there and their dwellings: The fruits are gigantic, unnaturally large. And giants live in the land, invincible people five meters or taller, who build huge cities with walls “up to the heavens.” The land is, by natural means, unconquerable.

1)     Our Free Choice – This!

a)     The last two verses both contain the seemingly superfluous word “oiso” – this, that, which. Therefore, we connect the last two sentences to understand what we learn for our inner spiritual attitude:

b)     The spies have an intention: They want to prevent people from entering this land; they want to return to Mitzrayim and become great, important princes there. To this end, they deny the land by twisting the existing facts to their advantage: Large fruits, large people, large cities; everywhere they went, they saw only funerals and mourning. Therefore: The land is evil, it devours its inhabitants, only unnaturally large giants can survive in it.

c)     The two Tzadikim, Calev and Jehoschua, on the other hand, make themselves Ma – indefinite. They see HaSchem’s plan and trust in it. They say: The land is Toiv meoid meoid, doubly good, and it is indeed HaSchem’s land, destined for HIS people. And therefore, it is not conquerable by natural means, cannot be conquerable by natural means, for HaSchem wants our prayers and our unconditional faith and trust in HIM (Chatam Sofer). And therefore: they saw that as soon as they entered the land, the inhabitants began to die. They had to do nothing. HaSchem caused this to give them a strong sign: I am here, I protect you and destroy my/your enemies: As I promised, I will fight for you. I will drive them out and destroy them. And not because you are such great Tzadikim, but because these nations do everything I hate: Idolatry, child sacrifices, human sacrifices, same-sex marriages, immorality, immorality with animals, robbery, murder, infidelity.

d)     In further verses (see the text Bamidbar Shlach – An Evil Day – Diverging Forces), we learn what the task of the people of Yisroel in the Land of Yisroel is: To serve the Creator of the world, to live HIS Torah, and thereby become a light for all nations, so that all of humanity, through its own desire, returns to HaSchem and lives according to HIS laws.

 

The choice is ours. We can live this way or that. Do this – or that. Pursue our interests or HIS interests.

Lessons for Our Time

And here is also an intersection with our time:

Naturally, the people of Yisroel should have disappeared over the last 2000 years. Billions of people with an absolute will to destroy pursued them wherever they found them.

The land lay desolate and empty, yielding hardly any produce to those living on it. It was full of swamps, deserts, malaria, and all kinds of diseases.

Those who cultivated it barely reaped any fruits.

Against all logic, the people of Yisroel returned to their land.

And suddenly, the land began to produce fruits, it became green and beautiful!

And the people of Yisroel bring incredible goodness to the world in every conceivable area of life. There is no industry or activity that has not been enriched by the Jewish spirit, and continues to be enriched by it.

It follows:

And for the first time in 2000 years, we see enormous signs and wonders. A tiny people of just 15 million, half of them still scattered among the nations, the other half in their Land of Yisroel, stand firm against 3 billion people who want to annihilate them.

A 7-front war against 300 million enemies living in the Arab region. Thousands of rockets and drones, practically without effect. The list is very, very long. The very large number of miracles is visible to all every day.

This is the direct, visible proof of what is written in our verses here.

Whoever attacks and seeks to destroy or dominate the Land of Yisroel and the people of Yisroel goes directly against HaSchem, the Creator of the world. And that never succeeds.