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[email protected]‏ -B'Shabbato – Parshat Shelach (Abroad: Parshat Behaalotecha) No 1629: 19 Sivan 5776 (25 June 2016)

AS SHABBAT APPROACHES The Nation of Eternity is not Afraid of a Long journey - by Esti Rosenberg, Head of the Midrasha for Women, Migdal Oz

"You followed me in the desert, in a land where nothing was planted" [Yirmiyahu 2:2]. That is how the describes the era of the desert, but we all know that in reality matters were a bit more complex. The era of the desert was full of crisis and many difficulties. When King , the psalmist of Yisrael, summarizes this period he writes something that is very different: "For Yisrael did not believe in G-d, and they had no faith in His salvation" [Tehillim 78:22]. The soul of the nation, like the soul of a person, moves back and forth between the spiritual and the physical, between the holy and the profane – between close attachment to G-d in a land without any planting and the simple desire of the people for their physical needs, such as meat and other food.

This struggle by the people to overcome their physical needs and desires and to cling to the word of G-d and have faith in His power reaches a peak in this week's portion. This leads to a turning point in Jewish history. The failure of the people to choose faith in G-d instead of fear and their own desires will remain part of the relationship between mankind and the Creator for all eternity.

The nation is downcast, and very slowly it begins to understand that it has failed an important test. This crisis is characterized by two specific verses. One serves as a warning sign, and the other one will allow the nation to continue its growth and cling to the Holy One, Blessed be He.

"They were defiant and climbed up to the top of the mountain" [Bamidbar 14:22]. A great deal of frustration and sadness can be seen in the story of the "ma'apilim," who tried to observe the will of G-d after it was too late, teaching us for all subsequent generations that fulfilling the will of G-d must be a precise action and must use the exact tools that G-d commands. Otherwise, we will not succeed, since this becomes our own action and not the labor of the Holy One, Blessed be He. In the first very critical verse, Moshe warns the people, "Why are you violating the words of G-d, it will not succeed!" [14:21]. At times, the effect of missing the exact time is dramatic, and performing the will of G-d requires us to overcome our own desire at the exact time and in the exact way which G-d has commanded.

The second verse is very exciting and challenging. Right after the decree, "They will reach their end in this desert, and they will die here" [14:35], and right after the failed attempt to reach the mountain peak, Moshe gathers all of his strength and continues the process of teaching the Torah to his people. In spite of the great disappointment with the nation and its actions, he immediately gives them new mitzvot.

"When you come to the land of your heritage which I am giving you..." [15:2]. "When you come to the land where I am bringing you..." [15:18].

Moshe and the nation must show a great deal of faith at this point in accepting two mitzvot that depend on living in the land – a place where those who receive the new mitzvot will never enter. A great degree of power and coping with a challenge are encompassed by these commands. Moshe indicates the horizon for the next generation, and he thereby teaches the people that "the nation of eternity is not afraid of a long journey" [Rav Kook]. The Torah is given to the chain of generations and not to a specific generation. Moshe sets a horizon of faith that goes beyond the present time, and he thereby allows the nation to see beyond its sins and failures. The hand of G-d can be seen stretched out towards the nation in these mitzvot which were very surprising given at this time.

1 POINT OF VIEW The Sad Joke of the Supreme Court and Reform Mikvaot - by Yisrael Rozen, Dean of the Zomet Institute

The Supreme Court "Mikveh Ruling"

A preliminary version of a bill was recently approved in the Knesset, known as the "Mikveh Law." It was proposed by eight MK's from Chareidi parties and four MK's from the Bayit Yehudi Party. The law decrees that "The use of a mikveh (ritual bath) will be allowed only for immersion that is halachically approved... according to the instructions of the Chief Rabbinate." This law was born as a reaction to a recent "victory" by Reform , who won a case in the Supreme Court that permits them to immerse their new converts in a mikveh in Beer Sheva, just like people who are converted through the Chief Rabbinate. "It is not reasonable to expect residents from the south who want to convert through the Reform movement to travel to Kibbutz Hanaton in the north (which is Conservative), or to Modi'in or Omer... And even granting permission for them to immerse in these three places is not a satisfactory solution to the problem, since most of the converts come from or Tel ..."

Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubenstein wrote a long decision, focusing on the need not to discriminate against Reform Jews: "Reform converts must be allowed to immerse in Beer Sheva, and it naturally follows that a similar solution must be made available in other regions where converts will be allowed to immerse in a mikveh. An explanation is necessary as to why public mikvaot which are built by public funds should not be made available to various private entities, when private Orthodox organizations which perform conversions have no trouble in obtaining the use of such mikvaot" (but this is patently untrue! – see below). It goes without saying that Chief Justice Naor and Justice Jubran joined Rubenstein, who wears a kippa and therefore clearly understands the details of the issues involved. And so the "Mikveh Ruling" took shape and was born! As a counter-move a law to overrule the Supreme Court was introduced, and to counter this it was agreed that the country (through the Jewish Agency) will construct four Reform mikvaot throughout the country. They will remain closed during the year, but this does not change the fact that the Reform "victory" has taken shape. And we have legitimacy and equality in the realm of "religion and state."

Both Laughable and Sad

This whole situation can be best described as a sad joke. The "joke" part is the untrue "facts" that were "spoon-fed" to the honorable justice. For his part, he (perhaps based on his judgmental preferences) chose to raise the level of discussion and to move the ruling into the realm of equality. This joke makes me sad in the way the Chareidi parties (who also managed to pull in the Bayit Yehudi) go into an all-out war at the very mention of Reform . Reform Jews will always win their case when they ask for protection of the Israeli Supreme Court! What follows is a summary of my claims, ending with a compliment to Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg for his opinion in the "Kashrut Ruling" and for the way he criticized his colleague Elyakim Rubenstein. What does that have to do with the mikvaot? Have some patience, and you shall be rewarded with an explanation...

Fact Number 1: The governmental Conversion Authority performs immersions of about 4,000 converts a year (while the Reform courts do less than 300), and for them a total of 3 mikvaot is enough – in Chatzor (in the north), in Hod Hasharon (the center), and in Beer Sheva (the south). People from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, or Haifa "have no convenient nearby public mikveh for their immersion, to avoid forcing them to travel," but nobody has complained about this in the past.

Fact Number 2: Converts are immersed in the morning hours, when the mikvaot involved are not open for other purposes. This takes place in accordance with commercial contracts signed between the Conversion Authority and the mikvaot, which are hired for the (the contract includes heating the

2 , cleanup, and providing a place for a chuppa for converts who want to be married on the spot). What prevents the Reform organizations from signing similar contracts with any mikvaot that are available? I am sure that they can make similar arrangements!

Fact Number 3: As opposed to what the honorable judge wrote, private Orthodox conversion organizations (such as those of Rabbi Karlitz in Bnei Berak, the one in Gush Etzion of which I am the head, and the one for minors headed by Rabbi Rabinowitz, among others) cannot have their converts immerse in public mikvaot, and nobody ever thought of adding them to the contracts for immersions in Chatzor, Hod Hasharon, or Beer Sheva. It is perfectly clear to me that what Justice Rubenstein wrote (about public immersion of private conversions) is something that he was never told. Evidently, he seems to prefer Reform conversions as opposed to Chareidi ones (such as those performed in the Karlitz court).

In summary, the "Mikveh Ruling" of the Supreme Court, which gave full recognition, is based on a statement of "facts" which have no basis in fact, and which can be "credited" to lawyers who did not have correct information (and who perhaps were not in a proper defensive mood) – in addition to having a judge who was in search of a "ruling based on value judgements" even if this was not really necessary in this case. Note that this misinformation would not have happened in a court run by the rules of halacha, where a judge is allowed to perform his own investigation of the facts in the case.

Comparison to the "Kashrut Ruling"

I am reminded of another ruling by the Supreme Court from a few weeks ago, on the subject of kashrut. A private supervision company was providing certificates (not using the word "kosher") to restaurants in Jerusalem. They turned to the Supreme Court for a ruling against the "Law to Prevent Fraud in Kashrut" which insists that "the owner of a food establishment shall not write that the food is kosher unless it was given a certificate of approval" (by the Chief Rabbinate or the local Rabbinate). The (previous) state attorney supported the restaurants, claiming that the certificates clearly stated which authorities were granting the certificate, and thus there was no element of fraud, and that the word "kosher" was not used. The state attorney's office concurred with this opinion, even though its task in this case should have been to defend the position of the Chief Rabbinate.

However, Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg "listened to the people" and he "heard rumors" (that is, he read in news reports) that the Chief Rabbinate disagreed with this opinion and wanted to be represented by a private law firm and not by the state attorney's office. Judge Solberg ruled in favor of the Rabbinate, explaining in broad terms why a government body should have the right to represent itself in such cases. His colleague Judge Rubenstein wrote a minority opinion on this ruling, noting that he is willing to accept representation other than the official government legal bodies only under very special circumstances.

My heart tells me that if the Conversion Authority had been represented by their own lawyers in the "Mikveh Ruling" the true facts of the case which I outlined above would have come to light...

(Written after the end of Shabbat, Torah portion of Behaalotecha.)

NOTES FROM THE "For we have Heard" - by Rabbi Oury Cherki, Machon Meir, Rabbi of Beit Yehuda Congregation, Jerusalem

Rachav helps the two scouts that Yehoshua sent, even though she knows that they have come to conquer . At first glance this would seem to be an act of treason against her own people and an act supporting the invaders. However, she can justify her actions based on a number of significant claims. Rachav's first claim is a realization that the end has come for the

3 entire region of Canaan: "I know that G-d has given the land to you" [Yehoshua 1:9]. This is a form of recognition of the high moral status of the wars of Yisrael, for G-d would certainly not give land to a nation which does not uphold a righteous moral standard. "The entire earth belongs to the Holy One, Blessed be He, and He gave the land to those He found worthy" [, the beginning of Bereishit, based on Yirmiyahu 27:5]. Rachav's words are a direct continuation of what G-d said to Avraham: "For the sin of the Emorites is not yet complete" [Bereishit 15:16]. The nations of Canaan would not be defeated by Yisrael as long as they still have some remaining merits. "According to His will, He gave it to them" [Rashi]. That is, when the people of Canaan did His will and were favored by Him, He gave them the land. But now His desire is that the land should be taken from them and given over to Yisrael.

The second claim is in the political realm. This is that Yisrael is stronger than the Canaanites: "And that your fear has fallen over us, and all of the residents of the land have turned to liquid because of you" [Yehoshua 2:9]. The low morale of the people in the land renders ineffective any opposition they might try.

The third claim involves recognizing the Divine guidance over Yisrael. "For we have heard that G-d dried up the of the Red before you when you left Egypt, and what you did to the two Emorite Kings who were across the " [Yehoshua 2:10]. She takes note of the splitting of the Red Sea forty years before, and the wars against Sichon and Og just a few months previously. (However, it is surprising not to see any mention of the momentous events of Sinai and the journey through the desert. This implies that the giving of the Torah and the appearance of the Shechina in Yisrael are internal matters that involve the special relationship between the Holy One, Blessed be He, and Yisrael.)

From this point, Rachav reaches conclusions that are on a metaphysical level: "For your G-d is the G-d of heaven above and of the earth below" [2:11]. This is no longer a reference to the victory of one local god over others, as was the usual way that wars were interpreted in the ancient world. Rather, this implies the intertwining of the history of the nation of Yisrael as part of the general plan of the Creator, who has a broad view of all the generations of past and future history.

We can learn from this viewpoint that our own spiritual renewal in this generation is a continuation of those ancient events which began with of our people from Egypt and which is reaching a conclusion at this time.

The depths of perception by Rachav, a woman who stood at the crossroads of history and was able to understand the underlying processes taking place in the events of her day, are worthy of being studied for all generations to come. They are the kind of prophecies which can be useful for all of the generations of mankind – and that is the reason that they have been written down and preserved in our holy books.

WHEN THE CHILDREN OPEN THEIR HEARTS A Faithful Jewish Home - by Meirav Maggeni, Author of Content and Stories in Chemed, the Religious School System

I stood in silence, watching how the clothes closet belonging to my older sister Ronit was slowly being emptied, while all the clothing was carefully packed away into a suitcase. At the same time, entire shelves of her books were put into boxes, followed by the pictures on the wall, and all the albums... Lior looked on, and in his sweet voice he said, "Where are you going?" But he didn't wait for an answer. "Take me too!" Imma smiled at us, and she said that Ronit was going to establish "a faithful Jewish home." I didn't quite understand, but it was clear to me that this was a very good thing. Just look how everybody was in a happy mood, and Ronit was positively in the clouds.

Well then, why was I suddenly so sad? I knew that our sister Ronit already belonged to Elad, and that things would never be the same again. Ronit was 4 the one who always organized pajama parties for us when Imma and Abba were away, she made the most delicious pancakes, she is always telling us how sweet we are, and – sometimes – she even scolds us. Whenever Ronit comes into the house, some extra joy comes in with her.

Don't get the wrong idea, that maybe I am not happy for her. We have been getting ready for Ronit's and Elad's wedding and everything that we do is very exciting. Imma bought me a white dress to wear as a bridesmaid, with a beautify crown and together with new shiny shoes. And Elad is very nice, and he always makes me very happy whenever he visits us. Abba says that it is as if he and Imma had a new son born to them, and of course he is talking about Elad. We even wrote a special song for their wedding, and we made an album full of pictures and drawings. In a few days, Ronit will put on a pure white wedding gown that was made just for her. She will be the most beautiful bride in the whole world.

So, I can ask it again. Why am I so sad sometimes? Could it be that I have already begun to miss her, and that I am afraid of being in a situation that is new to me?

Suddenly, Ronit called out to me and interrupted my thoughts. "Hey, what's the matter with you? You came here to help me organize my new house and to get it ready for us." I said to her, "I don't know how to make a faithful house, but I do know how to clean everything." And I could see that Ronit had a broad smile on her face.

I sat in the car surrounded by pots and pans, bedding, towels, and more boxes.

Suddenly, we heard Elad's voice coming from the speaker of the phone. These two never stop talking to each other. Ever since Ronit met Elad, they are either together or in contact on their phones. And then I was lucky, we got into an area without reception, and Ronit had a moment to talk to me.

I asked, "Aren't you sad that you will be leaving us?"

Ronit answered, "It really does feel a bit strange to be leaving the home that I love so much, but it makes me happy to be starting out with something new. Our lives are full of separations, but they give us an opportunity to make a new start. When we were born we left behind our mother's womb and came into an interesting and well-lit new world. And then we were separated again, when we went to kindergarten and school. We met new friends and learned how to be better developed and independent. I am very happy and excited that Elad and I will be able to build a new home in Yisrael."

I corrected her: "a faithful home!" Ronit laughed. She said, "When a Jewish couple gets married, it is not only so that they will enjoy being together. They marry in order to enhance the feeling of faith in the world, to lead to more Torah and more holiness. The home that we want to establish will be faithful to all of these goals..."

Ronit wanted to add something else, but just then her phone rang. Can you guess who it was?

At that moment I was also very happy and excited. If Ronit and Elad wanted to accomplish so much, they really should get married.

After we finished unloading the car, I said, "A wedding is the happiest event in the whole world. I can't wait until it happens. Ronit was breathing hard from all the work, and she had a weary smile on her face. I said, "So, then, will you visit me? Otherwise, I will miss you very much. We can have a great time, making pancakes and having pajama parties..."

HOLY AND SECULAR Confessions of a Hardened Criminal - by Rabbi Amichai Gordin, Yeshivat Har Etzion

On the eve of Shavuot, a respected journalist from the newspaper Haaretz gave a nickname of "international criminals" to 400,000 residents of the

5 settlements beyond the "green line," who are commonly known as "mitnachalim" – settlers. And the leaders of the leftist Zionists did not let out as much as a squeak of protest over this name calling.

Evidently the ideological struggle against the settlements is a valid reason to "delegitimize" hundreds of thousands of citizens of our land. And when de-legitimization abounds, it is not really surprising to find a week later that a respected and important news anchor on Channel 10 notes that some of the community of settlers are insane. It's not really her fault, she was only reflecting the general attitude that is current in her surroundings.

Since yours truly is one of the veteran international criminals in our land (no less than 42 years of criminal activity, from the age of twenty months), and since tomorrow will be marked as the 47-th anniversary of the founding of Alon Shevut, one of the oldest of the criminal settlements, and since it is important that we at least acknowledge our criminal heritage (with my apologies to any readers who are not criminals or who do not at least have some criminal relatives) – I hereby take it upon myself to tell you the story of the Arab village on whose ruins the town of Alon Shevut was built.

* * * * * *

Alon Shevut was built on the ruins of an Arab town that was expelled from the area in a violent and brutal way. At the spot where the "Givat Hachish" neighborhood exists today, an innocent Arab village by the name of "Savir" existed for many years. The residents, who lived here in peace and quiet, suffered from repeated aggressions and abuse. In the end, after several cases of murder (no details are available about this), they abandoned their beloved home and moved to another town, Jeb'ah.

This is the truth and the whole truth. For more than a thousand years, the Arabs of the land and its surroundings belonged to two main basic groups, the "Qays" and the "Yaman." The two groups constantly fought each other. Even the Druze, who are relatively stable, fought on the two sides in a bloody battle named "krav ein darah" (the Yaman Druze, who lost the battle, later called it "tabach" – slaughter).

This foundational split pitted the Arabs of Beit Lechem (Yaman), with their white flag, against the Arabs of Chevron (Qays), with a red flag. Gush Etzion was in the middle, and it was a constant site of fighting between the two tribes. In the seventeenth century, Arabs from the Qays settled on the land in Gush Etzion but they were attacked by Bedouins from the Yaman area of Beit Lechem, who managed to chase them away.

The attempts of the Turks, who ruled the land, to unite the two tribes were doomed to failure. Only when the Jews arrived did the Arabs of the area remember that they all belonged to one Palestinian nation. In this way, we had the merit of uniting two antagonistic tribes into one – Palestinians, whose birth can evidently be credited to us.

* * * * * *

As a result of these bloody wars, the area of Gush Etzion remained desolate and abandoned. Both the first time the area was settled, before the State of Israel was established, and the second time, after the Six Day War, the mountains of Gush Etzion remained desolate. Pictures of the area in 1969 show mostly rocky hillsides. The main colors that were visible at the time were yellow and brown, there was no green to be seen.

And then the criminals arrived. As their crime progressed, they brought flowers into the desolate areas, and the area became green and came back to life. These criminals were not deterred by terrorism, and they developed and stabilized the Gush even when the times were difficult and bloody. Because of the criminals, the Arabs of Beit Lechem became jealous of their very few relatives who had the privilege of living within the bounds of the Gush Etzion regional council.

* * * * * *

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According to the website "Zochrot," 600 Arab villages were abandoned and destroyed within the area of the green line in the War of Independence. Between Chadeira and Gedeira there are the ruins of dozens of abandoned Arab villages. Many kibbutzim and moshavim were built on the ruins of hundreds of abandoned Arab villages.

And what did the criminals of Yehuda and the Shomron do? Only six Arab towns were abandoned within the area of Yehuda and the Shomron. A mere six Arab towns. We built the settlements next to the Arab villages and not over their ruins, as did our brethren within the green lines.

The history of the nations of the world is full of cases where entire populations were moved from one place to another. Eretz Yisrael is our home, and I have no pangs of conscience about any Arab residents who fled from their homes within the green line. However, if it is important to find real criminals, I recommend searching for them within the green line and not in Yehuda and the Shomron. Any damage that was done to the Arabs in that area is a minute percentage of the damage that the population of Tel Aviv and the surrounding area caused to the Arabs from the coastal plain. The only difference between us is that in the "country" of Tel Aviv all the evidence was systematically destroyed and buried under the ground, while those of us who live in Yehuda and the Shomron continue to live alongside the Arabs of the region.

Jamal Zahalka, an Arab member of the Knesset, defined the matter much better than I ever could. He said, "The kibbutzim are worse than the settlements. You built the settlements next to the Arab villages, but you built the kibbutzim on the ruins of the Arab villages."

* * * * * *

We send our blessings to those who built up the land, including the settlers and the kibbutz dwellers. Let the hypocrites from Shoken Street carry their shame with them wherever they go.

For reactions and comments: [email protected]

ZOMET AT THE CROSSROADS An Electric Car - by The Zomet Institute

For the past few months, a small electric car has been making the rounds on Shabbat in the city of Efrat, disturbing the quiet of the holy day. This is a new vehicle which was purchased by "Machar" – an emergency medical service in Efrat.

This is used by on-call physicians who live far away from the emergency medical clinic and therefore could not participate in the on-call service on Shabbat. In response to a request from Machar, the engineers of Zomet Institute attempted to devise a way to operate such a car on Shabbat. After a long period of searching, they were able to develop a system where the motor is turned on and off using "gramma" – indirect action – and the speed is controlled by changing the level of an existing electric current. The car was ready before Pesach and it was used on the night of the Seder.

Do you have any interesting challenges for our engineers? We would like to hear from you. Write to us, at [email protected].

RIDDLE OF THE WEEK by Yoav Shelosberg, Director of "Quiz and Experience"

Shelach The "truth" which we usually hear Is missing from this week's Torah portion.

(With thanks to Mann, from Petach Tikva, who sent the riddle.)

7 Answer to last week's riddle – it was: The formula which begins this week with X and ends with 2X ended last week also with 2X, but then it began with X+5. What is this? What is the value of X?

The answer is, X = 25. In Behaalotecha, the children of Levi were counted between the ages of 25 and 50. In Nasso, they were counted between the ages of 30 and 50.

* * * * * *

We will be happy to publish your riddles here, with proper credit to the author. Send your suggestions to the e-mail address given below.

Do you have a bar/bat mitzva coming up? Are you looking for a special quiz? To order: www.hidonim.com e-mail: [email protected]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SHABBAT-ZOMET is an extract from SHABBAT-B'SHABBATO, a weekly bulletin distributed free of charge in hundreds of synagogues in Israel. It is published by the Zomet Institute of Alon Shevut, Israel, under the auspices of the National Religious Party. Translated by: Moshe Goldberg To subscribe: http://www.zomet.org.il/eng/?pg=subscribe&CategoryID=165 Visit the Zomet Institute web site: http://www.zomet.org.il Contact Zomet with comments about this bulletin or questions on the link between modern technology and halacha at: [email protected] Or: Phone: +972-2-9931442; FAX: +972-2-9931889 (Attention: Dan Marans) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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