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Waving the Flag Yaron Perez This Week We Begin to Read the Book of Would Lead [Israel] to Raise the Flag of Miracles, Personal and National

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Waving the Flag Yaron Perez This Week We Begin to Read the Book of Would Lead [Israel] to Raise the Flag of Miracles, Personal and National בס“ד Parshat Bamidbar 2 Sivan, 5777/May 27, 2017 Vol. 8 Num. 35 This issue is sponsored by Sybil & Zev Hershtal and Annie & Tuli Winter in honour of our good friend, Gerard Klein, to celebrate his special birthday Waving the Flag Yaron Perez This week we begin to read the book of would lead [Israel] to raise the flag of miracles, personal and national. The Bamidbar, recording the Jews’ travels exaltation and victory in all of the four State of Israel grew fourfold, and there through the wilderness. As is expected directions. By [Israel] surrounding in all was a clear understanding that this was at the start of a journey, the Torah four directions, with the Shechinah and from G-d. We returned to the site of the calls the roll of Bnei Yisrael, and the Ark in the middle, the mound Temple, and each individual was moved describes the order and structure of toward which all turn, all of the nations by the words of Paratrooper their camp, as technical details would see that they go in the Name of G Commander Motta Gur, “the Temple necessary for organizing the nation. -d… And this is the sign of the flag, a Mount is in our hands.” The nation was Bamidbar 2:2 describes, “Each by his sign of victory in battle. And this flag unified behind the banner, and we flag, with signs for their families, Bnei would be in the Name of G-d, for they could now wave the flag for all of the Yisrael camped.” But what is the flag would conquer the land not by their nations as a sign that G-d was with us. described in this sentence? sword but by the Name of G-d…” Anyone who has seen Jerusalem on the Rashi addresses this question, The flag conveys a message, in the annual day of its celebration has explaining, “A sign, a coloured cloth name of the nation, to the world. But in certainly been moved by the traditional hung on each flag. Each had a order to wave the flag in the name of the parade of flags to the Old City. different colour; the colour for each nation, we must be unified around the Thousands of marchers rejoice and was like the colour of its stone, affixed banner – around the Shechinah, around dance, heads held high and the banner to the choshen. Therefore, each one the Tent of Meeting. Only after the waving in every direction: We are here, would recognize his flag.” Thus, we presentation of the Torah could Bnei and G-d is with us! learn, for the first time, that there are Yisrael wave the flag throughout the flags for each tribe. But when did this world – not only because they had The joy of the new redemption of begin? What was the source for the received the Torah but because this was Jerusalem calls to mind the redemption idea of having flags? the first time they were unified around from Egypt, as described by Ramban the banner, around the recognition that (Shemot 14:5), “This is the meaning of A midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 2) the Name of G-d was called upon them. ‘And Bnei Yisrael departed with a raised reveals the source of the flags: “When arm.’ They made a flag and a banner to G-d was revealed at Mount Sinai, Three weeks ago, we celebrated the wave, going out with joy and song, with 220,000 malachim descended with incredible miracle of the establishment drum and lyre, like those redeemed Him… And all of them were aligned by of the State, but then the joy was only from slavery to freedom, not like slaves flags… When Israel saw that they were partial. The heart and the nation were destined to return to their slavery.” May aligned by flags, they began to desire split when the State was established; we merit the complete Redemption flags…G-d said to them, ‘You desire to the site of the Beit haMikdash was in soon! have flags? By your lives, I will fulfill foreign hands, large portions of the land [email protected] your desire!... Immediately, G-d were under foreign control, the security informed Israel and told Moshe, ‘Go and financial situations were difficult, arrange them by flags, as they desire.’” and internal battles split the nation. We But what was the purpose? could not raise our heads and wave our flag. Rabbi Ephraim Luntschitz (Kli Yakar) explains, “Israel’s main desire was to Nineteen years later – fifty years ago – show all of the nations that the Name we merited another step on the path to of G-d is upon them, and [the nations] Redemption; in six days we saw open would be in awe of them, and this OUR BEIT MIDRASH ROSH BEIT MIDRASH ABBI ORDECHAI ORCZYNER R M T SGAN ROSH BEIT MIDRASH RABBI JONATHAN ZIRING AVREICHIM DAM RIEDMANN ARON EREZ A F , Y P CHAVERIM ISAAC BUSHEWSKY, URI FRISCHMAN, NADAV GASNER, MICHAEL IHILCHIK, SHIMMY JESIN, BJ KOROBKIN, ZACK MINCER, KOBI NAUENBERG, RONI PEREZ, JOSH PHILLIP, DAVID RIABOY, MORDECHAI ROTH, ARIEL SHIELDS, DAVID SUTTNER Find our upcoming shiurim on-line at WOMEN’S BEIT MIDRASH MRS. ORA ZIRING, MRS. ELLIEZRA PEREZ www.torontotorah.com CHAVEROT YAKIRA BEGUN, NOA BORDAN, MAYTAL CUPERFAIN, MIRA GOLDSTEIN, KAYLA HALBERSTADT, LEORA KARON, RIVKA SAVAGE, KAYLA SHIELDS, ARIELA We are grateful to SNOWBELL, SARAH WAPNER, MIRIAM WEISS Continental Press 905-660-0311 Book Review: Jewish History in Conflict Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner Jewish History in Conflict Greek Empire. Based on the of secular archaeology. Most notably, Mitchell First calculations of secular historians, the rabbis from the 16th century Rabbi Aronson Press (1997) first Beit haMikdash was built in Azariah de Rossi (Meor Einayim) to the approximately 965 BCE, the Persians 20th century Rabbi Shimon Schwab Who is the author? conquered Babylon under Cyrus in have suggested ways to resolve the Mitchell First, a lawyer living in New 539 BCE, construction of the second evidence and the histories. Mr. First’s Jersey, received an M.A. in Jewish Beit haMikdash began in 521 BCE – central contribution is to collect, History from Yeshiva University’s and we are currently living in the 60th analyze and annotate a well-footnoted Bernard Revel Graduate School in century since Creation. list of dozens of rabbinic positions, 1995. Aside from Jewish History in from that of Rabbi Saadia Gaon until Conflict, he has also published Esther The gap between the traditional and the present day. Unmasked: Solving Eleven Mysteries of secular chronologies is approximately the Jewish Holidays and Liturgy 160 years. This discrepancy does not A difficult read (Kodesh Press 2015), and various affect daily Jewish practice, but it does One of the main reasons why most articles. affect talmudic calculations of the Jews are unaware of the missing years shemitah cycles as well as is that a true understanding of the What is this “conflict”? interpretation of the book of Daniel, problem requires knowledge of the The traditional timeline of Jewish and it challenges the traditional dating books of Daniel and Ezra, as well as history, recorded in the midrashic Seder of the world as 5777 years old. It also patient study of the identities of Olam Rabbah and relied upon in the raises a fundamental religious Persian kings. Mr. First makes a good Talmud (see Bava Batra 3a-b and question: How does a believing Jew attempt to lay out the two competing Arachin 12a-b), dates the construction respond to widely accepted scholarship systems in Appendices A and B, but of the first Beit haMikdash to 831 BCE, which contradicts rabbinic teachings? the issues remain complicated, and its destruction to 421 BCE, the this book will only be truly useful to construction of the second Beit What does this book add? the reader who dedicates serious time haMikdash to 351 BCE and its The problem of conflicting histories is and attention to these prerequisite destruction in approximately 68 CE. hardly new; Rabbi Saadia Gaon areas of study. However, this chronology runs afoul of addressed it in the 10th century. For significant literary records and the most part, Jewish tradition has [email protected] archaeological evidence regarding the upheld the view of Seder Olam, Persian Empire between the rise of although recent centuries have seen Cyrus the Great and the rise of the an openness to accepting the evidence Israel’s Chief Rabbis: Rabbi Shlomo Amar Rabbi Jonathan Ziring Rabbi Shlomo Amar related to the Ethiopian Jews, helping establish the b. 1948 conditions to bring them to the State of Israel. Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv 2002-2003 Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem 2003-2013 His halachic positions are mostly known through his responsa, Shema Shlomo (8 volumes). He has two other Rabbi Shlomo Amar was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and volumes of responsa, Kerem Shlomo, devoted just to he ascended to Israel in 1962. He studied in several yeshivot agricultural laws, and Be’erah shel Miryam on the laws of both in Morocco and in Israel. He learned from Rabbi Nissim Kashrut. He has also published a book of articles on Toledano and Rabbi Yaakov Nissan Rosenthal, considering marriage-related issues. He has written extensively about the latter to be his main teacher. He was also close to Rabbi agricultural laws in Israel, addressing matters including Ovadia Yosef and has familial ties to him as well. defining the five grains, and deciding the proper blessing on quinoa. He has also dealt with modern agricultural Rabbi Amar served as a Rosh Yeshiva in his early twenties, questions, ruling that it is permitted to create genetically headed the kashrut supervision in Nahariya, was the Rabbi modified organisms (GMOs) without violating the prohibition of Moshav Megadim, and held several other rabbinic against kilayim (forbidden mixtures of species).
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