Pig Out - Chukat
וַיִּשְׁלַח מֹשֶׁה מַלְאָכִים מִקָּדֵשׁ אֶל מֶלֶךְ אֱדוֹם כֹּה אָמַר אָחִיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתָּה יָדַעְתָּ אֵת כׇּל הַתְּלָאָה אֲשֶׁר מְצָאָתְנוּ. וַיֵּרְדוּ אֲבֹתֵינוּ מִצְרַיְמָה וַנֵּשֶׁב בְּמִצְרַיִם יָמִים רַבִּים וַיָּרֵעוּ לָנוּ מִצְרַיִם וְלַאֲבֹתֵינוּ. וַנִּצְעַק אֶל ה' וַיִּשְׁמַע קֹלֵנוּ וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָךְ וַיֹּצִאֵנוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ בְקָדֵשׁ עִיר קְצֵה גְבוּלֶךָ. נַעְבְּרָה נָּא בְאַרְצֶךָ לֹא נַעֲבֹר בְּשָׂדֶה וּבְכֶרֶם וְלֹא נִשְׁתֶּה מֵי בְאֵר דֶּרֶךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ נֵלֵךְ לֹא נִטֶּה יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול עַד אֲשֶׁר נַעֲבֹר גְּבֻלֶךָ. וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֱדוֹם לֹא תַעֲבֹר בִּי פֶּן בַּחֶרֶב אֵצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ. וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמְסִלָּה נַעֲלֶה וְאִם מֵימֶיךָ נִשְׁתֶּה אֲנִי וּמִקְנַי וְנָתַתִּי מִכְרָם רַק אֵין דָּבָר בְּרַגְלַי אֶעֱבֹרָה. וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא תַעֲבֹר וַיֵּצֵא אֱדוֹם לִקְרָאתוֹ בְּעַם כָּבֵד וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה. וַיְמָאֵן אֱדוֹם נְתֹן אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבֹר בִּגְבֻלוֹ וַיֵּט יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעָלָיו. (במדבר כ, יד-כא)
Am Yisrael were camped in Kadesh. Miriam had just died and the unfortunate episode of Mei Meriva had just occurred.
As opposed to Kadesh Barnea, which is in Midbar Paran, from where the spies were sent, the Kadesh above is the city of Kadesh in Midbar Tzin (רש"י במדבר לב, ח), on the border of the kingdom of Edom, south of Kadesh Barnea.
Geographically speaking, it is located (today) in the northeastern Sinai Peninsula, approximately parallel in latitude to Mitzpe Ramon. It is mamash in the "boondocks", far from civilization (GPS coordinates 30°38'54"N 34°25'20"E).
In parshat Devarim (דברים ב, ה) Moshe recalls that he was commanded by HKB"H to not provoke Edom because Edom is the inheritance of Eisav and HKB"H will not allow Am Yisrael to even set foot in Edom (Rashi, ibid. adds "without their permission"). In the previous passuk it says אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים בִּגְבוּל אֲחֵיכֶם בְּנֵי עֵשָׂו הַיֹּשְׁבִים בְּשֵׂעִיר וְיִירְאוּ מִכֶּם וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד (שם, ד), that your brothers the sons of Eisav will greatly fear Am Yisrael and therefore וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם מְאֹד, do not provoke them.
Moshe, heeding HKB"H's directive, sends messengers to the king of Edom to ask for permission to pass through their land. Moshe uses the same language in speaking to Edom that HKB"H uses, כֹּה אָמַר אָחִיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, your brother Israel.
Moshe tells the messengers to relate what had happened to Am Yisrael, from when Yaakov went down to Egypt to the present, when they are now standing at the border of Edom. How the Egyptians mistreated them and how HKB"H sent a redeemer to take them out of Egypt.
Why did Moshe feel it was necessary to rehash this story to the king of Edom?
Sefer Be'er Mayim Chaim (על פירוש רש"י בראשית כט, יא) written by R' Chaim ben Betzalel (1520), the older brother of the Maharal, says that when Eisav sent Eliphaz to kill Yaakov as he was leaving for Charan, Yaakov convinced him not to, because of the prophecy given to Avraham כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ (בראשית טו, יג), that the descendants of Avraham would have to be slaves in Egypt. If Eliphaz would kill Yaakov, that would result in Eliphaz's descendants being slaves in Egypt instead of Am Yisrael.
This convinced Eliphaz and he did not kill Yaakov. Instead, Eliphaz told his son Amalek to wait until Am Yisrael left Egypt before attacking them and trying to kill them.
By relating this, Moshe was testifying that indeed it was Am Yisrael who suffered in Egypt instead of Eisav's descendants as Yaakov had truthfully told Eliphaz, hoping that it would evoke sympathy from the king of Edom.
Moshe directed the messengers to request safe passage through the land of Edom. The Ramban (דברים כ, יט) says that Am Yisrael initially said that they would not trespass through fields or vineyards (but would pass through cities), travelling only on public roads, not veering left or right and not consuming any resources (water etc.).
However, the king of Edom refused and warned that he would attack Am Yisrael if they attempted to do so. The Ramban continues to say that the messengers then said to the king of Edom "We will not even pass through the cities, we will travel only on the main highway and if we do draw water from the rivers alongside the highway, we will pay full price for the water". The messengers said "until we pass out of your border", they didn't say "on our journey to the land HKB"H promised us", to not arouse the jealousy of the Edomites.
Despite these assurances and placations, the king of Edom refused and mustered his army. The Malbim (במדבר כ, כא) says that unlike Sichon who left his land and attacked Am Yisrael, Edom did not attack, they just mobilized their army on their border in a defensive posture, to prevent Am Yisrael from entering.
Since they did not receive permission to enter Edom, Am Yisrael changed course and took a detour, heading south-east and circumventing Edom from the east.
The Targum Yonatan (במדבר כ, כא) says that the reason HKB"H commanded Moshe to not provoke and wage war with Edom was because לָא מָטָא זִמְנָא לְמִתְיַהֲבָא נִקְמָתָא דֶאֱדוֹם בִּידֵיהוֹן, the time had not yet arrived when Am Yisrael would exact their revenge on Edom.
The Midrash (בראשית רבה, פרשה סה) compares Edom to a חֲזִיר, a pig that has one of the two simanim for a kosher animal – it has a cloven hoof but does not chew the cud. The pig flaunts its exterior siman, the cloven hoof as if to say "Look at me, I am kosher", meanwhile "inside" it is rotten. This is how Eisav behaved. On the outside he portrayed himself to his father Yitzchak as if he was a tzaddik, while in truth he was evil.
Another Midrash (ויקרא רבה יג, ה) says that Edom is called a חֲזִיר for a different reason, because שֶׁמְּחַזֶּרֶת עֲטָרָה לִבְעָלֶיהָ הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְעָלוּ מוֹשִׁעִים בְּהַר צִיּוֹן לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת הַר עֵשָׂו וְהָיְתָה לַה' הַמְּלוּכָה (עובדיה א, כא). It is from a different root, חֲזִיר מִלְּשׁוֹן חֲזָרָה, meaning to return. Edom in the time of Geulah will return the malchut to HKB"H and Beit David.
A third Midrash (מדרש הגדול, שמיני יא, ז) says the Romans ordered the Sanhedrin to present to them an exemplary scholar who would answer their numerous questions. The Sanhedrin sent R' Meir and why is his name R' Meir? שֶׁהוּא מֵאִיר פָּנִים בַּהֲלָכָה.
The Romans asked R' Meir why is a חֲזִיר called a חֲזִיר? R' Meir replied שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לַחֲזוֹר. The Romans mistakenly understood this to mean that in the time of Mashiach, Edom will return (i.e. continue) to rule. So, they said to R' Meir דַּיֶּיךָ מֵאִיר אֵין כָּל חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ, what kind of a chidush is that? (they believed they were going to rule forever).
The Or HaChaim HaKadosh (ויקרא יא, ז) says that this is not what R' Meir meant, he meant that when the Geulah arrives, הָחֲזִיר יַחְזוֹר לִהְיוֹת מוּתָּר, that in the time of Mashiach the pig will change its nature and will begin to chew the cud, this making it a kosher animal. On a deeper level it means that Edom will be חוֹזֵר בִּתְשׁוּבָה and serve HKB"H.
HaRav Jonathan Sacks zt"l proposed a fundamental premise which permeated many of his shiurim. That sefer Breishit is the template for all history, past, present and future and it is all based on sibling rivalry – Kayin and Hevel, Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yaakov and Eisav, the brothers and Yosef.
Chazal and many of the Rishonim equate Rome/Christianity with Edom (Ramban, R' Bachyei etc.), Islam with Yishmael (Rambam, Ramban, etc.) and the Far Eastern religions with the sons of the פִּילַגְשִׁים that Avraham sent קֵדְמָה אֶל אֶרֶץ קֶדֶם (בראשית כה, ו) (The Zohar חלק א, קלג ע"ב).
If you are interested in the history and evolution of the Christian religion, I suggest you read and listen to HaRav Tovia Singer שליט"א who is an expert in the subject and has thousands of hours of lectures on his Youtube Channel.
He is more erudite a Christian scholar than most Christian scholars and his exposure and analysis of all the falsifications and perversions of the Tanach to fit the Christian narrative is mind blowing. R' Singer is definitely a phenomenon, כָּל מָה שֶׁבָּרָא הקב"ה לִכְבוֹדוֹ בְּרָאתִיו.
The current exile we are in is galut Edom, which encompasses most of the Christian world – Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, North and South America, Australia, Canada and southern Africa. If anyone is doubtful that we are still in galut Edom, you need to examine the extent of dependency of the Jewish world (in Israel and in חו"ל) on Western powers. The answer to the question "How much can Bibi defy Trump?" will vividly illustrate the degree of this dependency.
Galut Edom, however, is waning. History has a nasty habit of repeating itself and what happened with the Barbarian "invasion" of the Roman Empire in the 5th century is again happening with the Edom "Empire" today.
Ancient Rome was not defeated on the battlefield by decisive military might, it was infiltrated by invading tribes, Goths, Franks, Saxons, Picts, Huns etc. who migrated into the Roman Empire because of climate change, seeking refuge from wars, seeking job opportunities, etc.
These, coupled with corruption and decay in the highest echelons of power and the replacement of traditional Roman nationalist values with the new religion of Christianity and its "turn the other cheek" philosophy, were instrumental in the fall of the empire.
Today, as we speak, we are experiencing a similar phenomenon. The "modern" invaders of the Edom Empire are predominantly Islamic Muslims fleeing conflicts in the Middle east, many of them fundamentalist, other refugees from around the world seeking asylum, seeking job opportunities, because of climate change, etc.
Traditional Christian values in the indigenous Edom Empire are being replaced by the new "religion" of Woke, progressive liberalism. The birthrate of the indigenous populations of the Edom Empire in America and Europe is on the decline, while that of the "invading" immigrants is increasing exponentially. Europe, Canada and Australia have been overrun without a single shot being fired. Entire cities have been overrun, many of them capital cities.
Once world superpowers, like France, UK, Germany and Italy have been quietly overrun by Islamists. America is not far behind with foreign "invading" economic powers like Qatar and other Gulf states, infiltrating politics and university campuses with their petro trillions. Half or more of the Democratic and Republican parties are in their pockets.
The mayor of New York city is an Islamist. The so-called democratic political structure that once defined America is dead, being replaced by rotting decay and corruption, fueled by foreign influences trying to hasten its demise. America is just the upper deck of the Titanic. What happened in Europe, Australia and Canada is now also happening in America.
The affluent, decaying Edom Empire no longer has the stomach for conflict of any kind - they have forgotten what it means to fight. The rotting decay of progressive liberalism with its perverted values has eroded any nationalist and moral values, replacing them with perverted instant gratification narcissism. How can you fight evil if you can no longer identify evil?
When you are unwilling to sustain a conflict, it does not matter if you have superior military power, the opposing side who is willing to wait you out, for a year, four years, 47 years, even though militarily their navy may currently be at the bottom of the sea and their air force non-existent, they will eventually triumph, because they have the ideology and the patience and you do not.
Islam, with its imperialist ambitions and fundamentalist ideology is now quietly taking over the Western world. They are winning, not with military might, but with petro trillions and rugged, focused ideology and determination.
If this trend continues, in a few short decades the "West" will be gone, replaced by an Islamic fundamentalist global village and one remaining superpower – China. China is encouraging this world Islamist takeover and at the same time keeping it out of China. The Muslim population in China is under 2% and is not increasing one iota, China is repressing its expansion.
The once superpower that was Russia, a pale shadow of the former Soviet Union, led by an ex-KGB officer who thinks he is still living in the glorious Soviet Empire, which ceased to exist many decades ago, is so bogged down in his never ending war in Ukraine which is exposing the "naked king" of Russia for who he really is, a despot who cannot convince his own people and army to fight for him.
Where does that leave us? Am Yisrael?
Geopolitics do not concern me, they are the machinations of G-d, not man (as much as man would like to think he manages them). It is best to leave HKB"H's cheshbonot up to Him and not try second guess Him or play "chess" with Him. They say the Iranians invented chess, but HKB"H invented the Iranians, so in a chess game between HKB"H and the Iranians, who do you think is going to win?
All that should concern us is what HKB"H promised us, through the Avot and the נְבִיאִים. We must place our trust in HKB"H, not in flesh and blood, friendly as they may seem or favorable to our cause. If we are looking for strategic alliances, the One we should be most concentrating on right now is with HKB"H. David HaMelech stated this categorically in Tehillim (קמו), which we read every day in Shacharit. We would be wise to heed his advice.
HKB"H promised us that galut Edom would be the last exile and we can see the end of galut Edom materializing more and more every day in front of our very eyes. After galut Edom, is the everlasting era of the Mashiach and the Geulah. The rise of Yishmael is temporary and short lived and its purpose is to reestablish our alliance with the King of kings, HKB"H.
To shame us for straying so far from the path and to inflict pain and anguish on us to drive us back into His welcoming arms by doing teshuva, which Am Yisrael is doing – in droves, b"H. Now is the perfect time to concentrate on that. The rashei teivot of תמוז are זְמַנֵּי תְּשׁוּבָה מְמַשְׁמְשִׁים וּבָאִים.
Our parsha teaches us that the purpose of Edom is to "return". To return the malchut to HKB"H and Am Yisrael. For those neshamot who were originally neshamot of Am Yisrael that got swallowed up in Christianity and Islam over the centuries that have returned to the fold, like R' Akiva, Shmaya and Avtalyon, Onkelos and a myriad others, whose bond with HKB"H has been rekindled during our 1956 years of galut Edom and Yishmael, they too will return and reconnect with HKB"H.
Those of our "brothers", and they are our brothers – we share the same fathers Avraham and Yitzchak - who relinquish evil and accept the malchut of HKB"H, they will return and the חֲזִיר will begin to chew the cud and become a kosher animal. At the end of his life Yishmael did teshuva. Eisav's head rolled into Yaakov's lap in Me'arat HaMachpeila and is there to this day, which means that not all of Edom is evil, there is a part that are not. Those who do not return, will perish in מִלְחֶמֶת גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג.
Instead of trying to "double guess" HKB"H and depress ourselves with irrelevant details like an US-Iran deal, we should be concentrating on living each moment to the full, with simcha. Trying to make the right choice at each and every moment.
That is what life is – a long series of moments at which we make a choice. Each moment only has two possible choices – the right choice and the wrong choice. (General rule - the best of the worst choices also counts as a right choice and the easiest choice is usually the wrong choice). We encounter these "choice moments" multiple times a day, every day.
This is the way we make the only alliance worth having stronger - our alliance with HKB"H. Trusting HKB"H that He is orchestrating geopolitics for our benefit. Concentrating only on making ourselves worthy of His efforts.
I will leave you on an optimistic note. The gematria of –
וַיְמָאֵן אֱדוֹם נְתֹן אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבֹר בִּגְבֻלוֹ וַיֵּט יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעָלָיו
is the same gematria as –
שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
www.machonlechemhapanim.org
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