this man has spent his entire life focused on the Ten Tribes and the End Days!
06 February 2026
The Lost Ten Tribes will Return from America by Aeroplane!
Parashas Yisro: "Make for Me an altar of earth"
"Make for Me an altar of earth"
(Exodus 20:21)
Shevat 19, 5786/February 6, 2026
Parashat Yitro begins and ends with scenes that can be best described as down to earth. All that transpires in between is anything but. Yitro opens with a family reunion, as Yitro, Moshe's father-in-law, arrives at Israel's Mount Sinai encampment, bringing with him his daughter, (Moshe's wife), Tzipporah, and her two sons by Moshe, Gershom and Eliezer. Moshe is informed and promptly goes out to meet his father-in-law, bowing before him and kissing him. One feels the warmth of family relations as the two sit down to discuss all that has happened since last they met. Yitro is overjoyed by Israel's miraculous salvation by the hand of HaShem, the G-d of Israel, and in his joy cries out "Baruch HaShem - May G-d be blessed!," an utterance that has since become shorthand for gratitude for all that good that G-d has done and constantly does for us, each and every moment of our lives. The family get-together grows as Aharon and the elders join Moshe and Yitro for a festive meal and offerings to G-d. The atmosphere being conveyed is so inviting that we, reading these words some three thousand and five hundred years later, feel as if we were among the honored guests.
The end of parashat Yitro is a type of reprise of the opening scene, albeit on a slightly more exalted level: "HaShem said to Moshe: Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: You yourselves saw that I spoke to you from the very heavens: With Me, therefore, you shall not make any gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves any gods of gold. Make for Me an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you." (Exodus 20:21-22) In essence, an invitation by HaShem, to yet another family gathering.
What takes place in between these two homey scenes is, of course, the prelude to and the presentation of the Ten Commandments. HaShem has meticulously planned this occasion, presenting detailed instructions to Moshe as to how the people are to prepare, and preceding His one time, personal, direct pronunciation of the Ten Commandments to Israel with thunder and lightning, thick clouds, smoke and trembling earth, and an ever increasing sound of an unseen shofar, unseen, yet, nevertheless, visually perceived by the people: "All the people saw the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance." (ibid 20:15) Yes, Israel was terrified by HaShem's display of celestial grandeur, and justifiably so. This was no simple light and sound show. This was not CGI or AI generated. This was G-d playing with His creation like a child plays with a toy. The earth was shaking beneath their feet and the sky was smouldering above their heads. Of course the people were terrified. HaShem's intention was not, of course, to simply frighten the people for fright's sake. HaShem wanted to gain the people's attention. Not just some of the people, but all of the people. Not just the menfolk, but the women, too. Not just the elders, but the young folk, also. Not just the educated or the sophisticated, but the simple folk, as well. G-d wanted, and received the absolute attention of every single soul that stood there that day at Sinai. For G-d was presenting Israel with a covenant between Him and the entire nation of Israel, to the exclusion of none. Their absolute focus and attention was required. They needed to know what they were signing on for.
G-d got the people's attention, and, as we will witness in next week's Torah reading, the people unanimously agreed to all the terms contained in the covenant of Torah, even those that they had not yet received or understood. Little wonder that Matan Torah - the receiving of Torah at Sinai - is compared to a marriage. When we marry our soul mate we are in-all-the-way, with the knowledge that there is so much more to discover about one another, and with the promise that we will keep our vows to one another, come what may.
But now that the ceremony has ended, and the eternal covenant between G-d and Israel has been agreed upon by both parties, G-d realizes the need to return to the quiet that preceded the giving of the Torah. As pointed out above, "All the people saw the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance." So frightened were they that they pleaded with Moshe, “You speak to us... and we will obey; but let not G-d speak to us, lest we die.” (ibid 20:16) Moshe explains to the people what we have discussed above, “Be not afraid; for G-d has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of G-d may be ever with you, so that you do not go astray.” (ibid 20:17) G-d employed shock and awe in order to focus the people on His message to them: the Ten Commandments, which, to this day, present for us the does and do nots of how to live a good life in peace and harmony with one another, giving honor to one another, and under the blessed dominion of HaShem, the One True G-d of Israel: "Anochi HaShem your G-d - I HaShem am your G-d." (ibid 20:2)
But now it's time to return to earth, to return to the familiar, because that is where the real work of fulfilling our part of the covenant is to take place - not in heaven but on earth. Not in the thick cloud or the thunderous roar of a shofar, but here on solid ground. Hence G-d's invitation: "HaShem said to Moshe: Thus shall you say to the children of Israel: You yourselves saw that I spoke to you from the very heavens: With Me, therefore, you shall not make any gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves any gods of gold. Make for Me an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you." (ibid 20:19-21)
We recall that it was Adam, (as per Midrash), who first built an altar and made offerings to HaShem, followed by his two sons, and later, Noach, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. Building an altar and making offerings to HaShem was man's idea. It was man's way of reaching out to HaShem, of making contact with Him and engaging in a relationship with Him. In the beginning of our parashah, on the morning following their festive meal, Yitro observed Moshe standing alone and opposite him a long line of people seeking Moshe's wisdom in settling differences. Yitro told Moshe, “The thing you are doing is not good - lo tov - you will surely wear yourself out..." (ibid 18:18) The expression lo tov - not good - is employed only twice in the entire Torah. The first time was when G-d said "It is not good that man is alone." (Genesis 2:18) Yitro's message to Moshe is the same: it is not good that you alone judge the people. Appoint others to help you.
This message - it is not good for man to be alone - is the motivating message behind the giving of the Torah and living a life of Torah. It is not good to be alone. We need one another, and together, we need G-d. Creation was made for partnership. Life is made for partnership. G-d required celestial bells and whistles to make this point to Israel in a way that we will never forget. But once we have received Torah at Sinai it is now our job to bring G-d into our lives, into our reality, even in family get-togethers and festive meals. And even upon an altar made of earth - not ethereal heaven - but earth, where G-d will see and bless us.
Rabbi Freund: Be careful what you say about Israel
G-d will tolerate many things from His servants. Becoming a prosecutor of Israel is not one of them.
The Haftorah for Parshat Yitro (Isaiah 6:1-7:6 according to the Ashkenazi custom) is majestic and awe-inspiring yet also somewhat unsettling. Isaiah beholds a vision of G-d enthroned in glory, attended by Seraphim, a type of angel, who proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the entire world is filled with His glory" (6:3).
The foundations tremble. Smoke fills the Temple. Heaven itself seems to shake.
And then something unexpected happens.
Isaiah does not rejoice. He recoils.
“Woe is me, for I am undone," he cries, “for I am a man of impure lips, and I dwell among a people of impure lips" (6:5).
At that moment, one of the Seraphim flies toward him, holding a glowing coal taken from the altar, and touches Isaiah’s lips. The angel declares that his sin has been removed and his iniquity atoned for.
Why the lips? Why fire? And why this searing act at the very moment Isaiah is being called to prophesy?
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, 1040-1105), cites the Midrash Tanchuma and says that Isaiah was punished for indicting the Jewish people. It was acceptable for Isaiah to say, “I am a man of impure lips." What crossed the line was adding, “I dwell among a people of impure lips." That judgment, Rashi explains, was not his to make. A prophet may rebuke Israel. He may warn, exhort and admonish. But he may not speak with contempt.
And so G-d responds. Not with words, but with fire.
Speech is the instrument of prophecy, and Isaiah’s speech required correction before it could be entrusted with Divine truth. The mouth that would soon carry G-d’s message to kings and nations had first to be purified of any hint of disdain for its own people.
The Midrash in Shir HaShirim Rabbah (1:6) amplifies this message. It too records G-d’s rebuke of Isaiah’s statement, with the Creator telling him that he had no right to say that Israel is “a people of impure lips". Self-judgment is legitimate. Condemning the Jewish people is not.
The Midrash then turns to the burning coal itself, which verse 6 refers to with the Hebrew word “ritzpah". Rav Shmuel explains that this is no ordinary ember. The word “ritzpah", he says, may be read as a contraction of “rotz peh", or “smash the mouth." Why? Because Isaiah had used his mouth to slander G-d’s children.
And just how grave a sin is it to besmirch the entire Jewish people? The Vilna Gaon, in his commentary to Tikkunei Zohar (Tikkun 21), is unequivocal: “The Holy One, blessed be He, hates one who accuses His children". Not dislikes. Not disapproves. Hates.
The implication is inescapable: even someone as righteous as a prophet can not and must not denounce Israel. Holiness grants no license to indict. Spiritual stature confers responsibility but not immunity.
Read through this lens, the application of the burning coal to Isaiah’s lips becomes inevitable. The angel’s act is not merely purifying; it is corrective. Isaiah’s lips are seared because leadership demands responsibility in speech. A prophet who speaks on behalf of Israel must carry loyalty alongside truth. Moral clarity divorced from love risks becoming cruelty. Criticism untethered from solidarity becomes destructive.
Only after Isaiah’s lips are purified does G-d issue the call: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And only then does Isaiah respond, “Here am I; send me" (6:8).
The sequence is deliberate. Moral authority must precede moral instruction.
This Haftorah is read alongside Parshat Yitro for a reason. At Sinai, revelation is collective. The entire nation hears G-d’s voice directly. But once guidance is channelled through human speech, the risks multiply. Frustration can harden into contempt. Disappointment can curdle into accusation.
G-d will tolerate many things from His servants. Becoming a prosecutor of Israel is not one of them.
The message of Isaiah’s singed lips could not be more relevant today. We live in an age of reckless speech, when Jews attack other Jews with ease and even relish. Israel is maligned, its defenders delegitimized, its moral standing denied, often by those who claim to inhabit the highest ethical ground.
But Isaiah, the Midrash and the Vilna Gaon all deliver the same warning: righteousness begins with restraint.
Fire can destroy, but it can also refine. G-d places fire on Isaiah’s lips not to silence him, but to make him worthy of being heard. Leadership demands truth anchored in loyalty, criticism shaped by love and speech forged in responsibility to the people it addresses.
Only then can a voice truly speak for G-d.
🔥אתם נזר הבריאה! החיזוק העוצמתי ששיגר מנהיג הדור הרב לנדו לבני ישיבת קרית מלאכי מול גזירות השלטון
מסע "הנחלת התורה"
ימים קודם המסע כבר הכינו עצמם בהתרגשות בהיכלי ישיבות קרית מלאכי שערי שמועות, בעלז בבית חלקיה, לקראת הגעת מנהיג הדור רבינו מרן ראש הישיבה הגר"ד לנדו שליט"א אמש בהמשך במסע הנחלת התורה בישיבות.
צילומים: בני דקל
את המסע פתח רבינו מרן שליט"א בישיבת קרית מלאכי במסירת שיעור עיוני בעומק הסוגיא, עם בואו של רבינו מרן שליט"א קיבלו ראש הישיבה הגאון הגדול רבי יהודה עמית שליט"א, אחר השיעור כללי הדריך את התלמידים, שחלקו המרכזי רק לאחרונה זכו להכנס לחסות בצל השכינה ולדבוק בלימוד התורה:
ברשות ראש הישיבה שליט"א, אני יאמר כמה מילים
בני הישיבה אשר באתם מקרוב ומרחוק לחסות בצל השכינה, ולדבוק בלימוד התורה הקדושה.
דעו! אין קץ לאושר שלכם שבחרתם בטוב, לעמול תורה, ולחיות חיי תורה, האושר הזה הוא רק הפירות בעולם הזה, אבל הקרן קיימת לעולם הבא בכפל כפליים לאין ערוך.
אתם אשר זכיתם ללמוד תורה יומם ולילה, אתם נזר הבריאה, ואתם מקיימים את העולם, וכל הישוב היהודי בארץ קיים בזכותכם ובזכות כל מי שמקדיש את חייו ללימוד התורה, גם אם אתם לא מרגישים את זה, אבל זו האמת ואין בלתה!
מאידך, אתם גם צריכים לזכור שהינכם צעירים, וחובתכם לקבל הדרכה מרבותיכם, אשר נסמכו על ידי רבותיהם, להנחיל לכם את מסורת התורה כצורתה בטהרתה.
הידבקו ברבותיכם, לימדו מהם תורה דעת ומוסר, השקפה תורנית נכונה, וכך תצמחו בסיעתא דשמיא לבני תורה מובהקים, ותשפיעו הלאה והלאה על כל סביבותיכם כל מילי דמיטב.
יהי רצון שתזכו להתעלות בתורה יראת שמים ומידות טובות, ותרוו נחת את כל מי שחפצים בטובתכם. ואני מברך את ראש הישיבה שליט"א ואת רבני הישיבה שליט"א את הברכה של חז"ל שירבה גבולם בתלמידים הגונים. והשם ישמרנו ויצילנו מכל הקמים עלינו, ומכל מיני צרות ופורעניות, ונגאל גאולת עולמים במהרה בימינו אמן סלה.
לאחר המשא רקד מנהיג הדור רבינו מרן שליט"א עם ראשי ובני הישיבה לכבוד התורה ועמליה.
Does this remind anyone of Yetzias Mitzrayim?
Full clip can be viewed here
this happens to be snow plowed to allow for the flow of traffic
but imagine this as frozen water and the Israelites going thru!
05 February 2026
🔥ריקוד ליטאי סוחף בשערי שמועות: ההתרגשות האדירה במעמד ההיסטורי, ביקור מנהיג הדור מרן הרב לנדו בישיבה
ריקוד ליטאי סוחף הערב בראשות מנהיג הדור מרן ראש הישיבה הגר"ד לנדו שליט''א לאחר מסירת שיעור כללי בהיכל ישיבת "שערי שמועות" בבית חלקיה בריקוד יחד עם ראש הישיבה הגר"א שפירא. צילום: בני דקל
Rabbi Weissman: Guide to the Shidduch World
Introduction to EndtheMadness Guide to the Shidduch World
Plus Satanic pedophiles want to protect YOU, and more
Plus Satanic pedophiles want to protect YOU, and more
Here is the first installment of EndtheMadness Guide to the Shidduch World, followed by a few short items.
Introduction
I was wrong.
In October 2002, when EndTheMadness went live, I believed that changing the shidduch world was simply a matter of explaining to people the true nature of the problem and outlining the correct approach. Granted, many people would disagree with these ideas and dismiss them out of hand, but that didn’t matter. The many people who would agree would be excited by this campaign and the refreshing voice of sanity it offered. They would find the courage to act according to principles they always believed in and encourage others to do the same.
Before long the superiority of this approach would become evident, motivating others on the fence or with less courage to join. Over time even those who initially disagreed with ETM would be forced to acknowledge that something special was going on that simply could not be ignored. The more open-minded of these people would break away from their former, failed ideas and embrace this better way.
In a matter of months or just a few years, the entire face of the shidduch world would change; ETM’s approach would become the mainstream, widely preferred way. People would wonder why they ever approached shidduchim any other way. Longstanding problems in the community would finally be alleviated, and youngsters would once again look forward to the age of dating and marriage with optimism and excitement, not fear and dread.
It was a beautiful vision — and still is — but I was wrong. I underestimated the power of fear and inertia that gripped the community. I overlooked the “stiff-necked nation” that we are and counted too much on our being a “wise and understanding nation.” I failed to fully appreciate that even if I could win the minds and hearts of many people, something deep inside the psyche of our people would prevent them from acting in even the smallest of ways. Nachshon ben Aminadav is still the exception, not the rule.
The Orthodox Jewish world is naturally resistant to change of any kind, good or bad. We are suspicious of anything that we are not familiar with as being a mortal threat to our very soul and the future of our people. This comes mainly from two sources. The Torah and its laws are extremely nuanced and must be studied with the greatest of care and attention to detail. We are exhorted to be “patient in judgment” because any slight factor can influence the proper interpretation. Consequently, our minds have been trained through Torah study to be deliberate, and this makes it extremely difficult to change something that has already taken root in the community. When there is any doubt, we will stay with the status quo.
The other reason why we are naturally resistant to change comes from many generations of experience. Attempted changes and “improvements” to the accepted way of doing things have often been sinister attempts to undercut our teachings and traditions.
The problem, of course, is twofold. First, sometimes change is necessary, and is not only fully in line with the Torah but required to uphold it or to rectify a deviation from it. Second, change happens whether we like it or not, whether we want it to or not, and whether we choose to recognize it or not. If our stance on change is that it is almost invariably a bad deal and should be rejected, the only changes that will happen—and they will happen—will be bad ones. Good changes happen with foresight, effort, and positive action. Bad changes can happen entirely on their own.
The shidduch world has undergone many changes in recent times, and they have been very bad ones. The specifics of these changes, the reasons for them, and the negative impact they have had will form the greater portion of the first part of this book. These changes have taken on a life of their own and will continue to evolve in a negative way unless the community summons the drive to break out of this mess and change for the better.
Changing for the better is very easy. Summoning the drive to make these changes is a great challenge. That’s where I was wrong. I thought the latter would come naturally. But at least the changing itself is not as onerous as some might fear.
What will it take to summon this drive for positive change? Only one thing will do it: desperation.
Chances are that you are already somewhat familiar with EndTheMadness and believe at least that it has something important to offer. Chances are also that you have done nothing to promote this and currently have no intention of ever doing so. That’s because you’re a stiff-necked Jew who is afraid of change and the consequences of promoting change among others who are resistant to it. That’s okay, I still love you. But I hope you recognize that there is something tragically defective with this behavior, and when it is widespread across the community it creates dysfunction.
The only way you will overcome this impediment is if you are absolutely desperate. You have to be brought to believe that there is simply no other way, that not changing is guaranteed to fail with horrific consequences. As long as you hold out any small hope that “things aren’t so bad,” or that “it seems to work for many people,” or that “we just need to make some minor changes,” or that “the situation is under control and in good hands,” or any other such rationalization, then you are not yet desperate and will not act.
Simply put, my goal in the first part of this book is to make you despair. Then you will embrace the second part of the book, which will outline the Torah-true approach that addresses the heart of the problems. If enough people in our community utterly despair of any hope with the current “shidduch system,” then the dominoes can begin to fall and the beautiful vision of a better way will become reality in our time.
Buy the complete eBook here.
Limited copies are available in Israel for 70 shekels. Contact me directly to purchase this and my other books at weissmans@protonmail.com.
***********
Just because the richest and most powerful people in your country are pathological liars who were/are involved in a worldwide Satanic pedophilia ring doesn’t mean you shouldn’t believe them about everything else and trust them to keep you healthy and safe. Don’t be ridiculous!
You should take all their vaccines, join their armies and just follow orders, adhere to all their safety recommendations, believe all their promises, and mock anyone who believes they would conspire on large-scale evil. They are making America great again, bringing the redemption, bringing world peace, saving the planet, and planning a better life for everyone.
Well, almost everyone. Just not a few unfortunate children. But you’re in good hands.
From Arutz Sheva:
State Attorney Amit Isman has instructed police, at the last moment, to add the charge of “assisting the enemy in wartime” to the list of suspected offenses against Bezalel Zini and two additional soldiers, who are implicated in a case involving the smuggling of cigarettes into the Gaza Strip during the war.
The offense of assisting the enemy in wartime is considered among the most severe in Israel’s statute book, carrying a possible penalty of death or life imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the regime supplies the enemy with everything. But they don’t get prosecuted; they get raises and promotions.
And in totally unrelated news:
Years ago I suggested women might look to marry men who were old, rich, and recently took Covid shots. Just saying.
Eliezer Meir Saidel: Mountain Climbing – Yitro
Mountain Climbing – Yitro
וְהִגְבַּלְתָּ אֶת הָעָם סָבִיב לֵאמֹר הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם עֲלוֹת בָּהָר וּנְגֹעַ בְּקָצֵהוּ, כׇּל הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּהָר מוֹת יוּמָת. (שמות יט, יב)
Three days prior to the Shechina descending on Har Sinai for Matan Torah, HKB"H commands Moshe to erect barriers around the mountain to prevent Am Yisrael from approaching and touching the mountain. Nine psukkim later HKB"H repeats the command וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה רֵד הָעֵד בָּעָם פֶּן יֶהֶרְסוּ אֶל ה' לִרְאוֹת וְנָפַל מִמֶּנּוּ רָב (שם, כא). Rashi explains this second passuk, that HKB"H warned Am Yisrael not to go up the mountain, despite having an irresistible urge to do so, to be closer to the Shechina.
The Malbim (ibid) asks "HKB"H already told this to Moshe in the earlier passuk, why does He need to repeat it?" and he brings three reasons.
The first reason is that in the three days prior to HKB"H instructing Moshe to ascend the mountain, neither Am Yisrael nor Moshe were allowed to approach and touch the mountain. Am Yisrael requested that at Matan Torah there should be no "barrier" between them and the Shechina and HKB"H acceded to their request by beginning to communicate the Ten Commandments directly with no "intermediary".
Since Am Yisrael experienced the same proximity to HKB"H as Moshe at this point, when HKB"H subsequently told Moshe to ascend, Am Yisrael might mistakenly think that they too were also permitted to go up the mountain. This is why HKB"H repeated the command a second time, to clarify that only Moshe was allowed to go up, not the rest of Am Yisrael.
The second reason is that in the beginning of Matan Torah, when HKB"H began relaying the Ten Commandments, the light of the Shechina enveloped the entire mountain. However, after this, the light of the Shechina moved to the top of the mountain, far from the camp of Am Yisrael, so that the body of the mountain now separated them from the Shechina. Am Yisrael might mistakenly think that they were permitted to advance up the mountain together with the Shechina.
We will bring the third reason shortly, but in order to understand it, we need to examine the Malbim's perush on the previous passuk –
"וְהַגְבָּלַת אֶת הָעָם". בָּזֶה רָמַז גַּם כֵּן שֶׁלֹּא יַהֲרֹס אָדָם לְהַעְפִּיל לַעֲלוֹת הַר הָעִיּוּן בְּעִנְיְנֵי הָאֱ-לֹקוּת שֶׁהֵם לְמַעְלָה מֵהַשָּׂגָתוֹ, כִּי יֵשׁ לַשֵּׂכֶל הָאֱנוֹשִׁי וּלְכֹחוֹתָיו גְּבוּל שֶׁשָּׁם יַעֲמֹד וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר הַגְּבוּל. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁהָיָה בְּאַרְבָּעָה שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ לַפַּרְדֵּס שֶׁאֶחָד עָלָה בָּהָר וְהֵצִיץ וְנִפְגַּע וְאֶחָד מֵת, כִּי לֹא יָכוֹל לִסְבֹּל הָאוֹר הַגָּדוֹל, כְּמִי שֶׁיַּטְרִיחַ עֵינָיו לִרְאוֹת בְּאוֹר הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ שֶׁיַּכְהוּ עֵינָיו, אוֹ הִטְרִיחַ שִׂכְלוֹ עַל דָּבָר שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה מֵהַשָּׂגָתוֹ שֶׁיִּמָּצֵא פֶּגַע אוֹ בִּטּוּל לְגַמְרֵי אוֹ שֶׁיָּצָא לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה, וְזֶה נִמְשָׁל מ"ש כָּל הַנֹּגֵעַ בָּהָר מוֹת יוּמָת (מלבים שמות יט, יב).
The Malbim teaches us that each person has a limitation in their ability to perceive HKB"H. The human intellect and its powers are limited and one should not try to overstep these limitations. The Malbim brings as an example the episode of אַרְבָּעָה שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ לַפַּרְדֵּס, as brought in the Gemara (Chagiga 14b).
The sugya in this Gemara deals with studying מַעֲשֵׂה מֶרְכָּבָה – HKB"H's "chariot" (this week's Haftara, from sefer Yishayahu, פרק ו), which describes the reality up in Heaven, with the angels surrounding the כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד of HKB"H. There are limitations on who is allowed to study this topic and in which forum. As part of this discussion the Gemara relates the following incident.
Four Chachamim entered the "Pardes" [literally – "orchard", i.e. attempted to uncover the hidden secrets of the Torah], Ben Azai, Ben Zoma, Acher (aka. Elisha ben Avuya) and Rebi Akiva. Rebi Akiva, who was of greater stature than the others, warned them - "In the Pardes, the higher realms of the Torah, when you encounter pure marble stones, do not say 'water water', although they appear to be water, as it says לֹא יֵשֵׁב בְּקֶרֶב בֵּיתִי עֹשֵׂה רְמִיָּה דֹּבֵר שְׁקָרִים לֹא יִכּוֹן לְנֶגֶד עֵינָי (תהילים קא, ז)". In other words, even if you perceive things to be a certain way, your limited perception may not allow you to understand the truth of what they really are and you could end up interpreting them incorrectly.
The Gemara continues, Ben Azai "glimpsed" the Shechina and died. Ben Zoma "glimpsed" the Shechina and was damaged נִפְגַּע. Acher became a heretic. R' Akiva emerged safely.
The Malbim says that the three who did not emerge safely were not ready to tolerate such intensity of light, like someone who tries to gaze directly at the sun - it will irreparably damage his eyes. Someone who tries to use his intellect to grasp things beyond his perception, will similarly be damaged. He will misinterpret them and this will cause him to stray from the path.
After that introduction, we will be able to understand the Malbim's third reason for HKB"H repeating the warning for Am Yisrael not to get near the mountain.
He quotes the Targum Yonatan as saying "Perhaps Am Yisrael will wish to gaze at the Shechina, therefore HKB"H warns them to not overstep the limits of their perception and think they have seen some kind of 'form'. Since they will not be able to separate what they saw from the limits of their human imagination, they will [chas veshalom] imagine some physical boundary or form based on their physical sight and ascribe some physicality to HKB"H. This will damage their faith and many will fall as a result, as it is tantamount to avodah zarah – making an idol in thought".
וְנָפַל מִמֶּנּוּ רָב, The Targum Yonatan continues "This will also damage the great stature of Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe's greatness (אִישׁ הָאֱ-לֹקִים, מֵחֶצְיוֹ וּלְמַטָּה אִישׁ מֵחֶצְיוֹ וּלְמַעְלָה הָאֱ-לֹקִים) was purely for the sake of Am Yisrael [Only someone of his stature could ascend Har Sinai and return unscathed, like R' Akiva]. This is why, after the sin of the egel HKB"H tells Moshe לֵךְ רֵד, descend from your greatness. Similarly, when the Kohanim serve HKB"H in the Mikdash and enter the higher realms, they must refrain from incorrect perceptions that attribute physicality to HKB"H".
Since this is the parsha of Matan Torah, I would like to delve deeper into this perush of the Malbim because it has direct and immediate ramifications for the way we study and teach Torah.
The Malbim is teaching us that each person has a different capability of perception, and overstepping the limits of their perception can have disastrous results.
If misunderstood, this perush of the Malbim could chas veshalom lead to the greatest "cop-out" in Judaism.
A person might say to themselves "I have an IQ of 105, it is genetic, I have had this IQ from when I was born and I will die with this same IQ. Therefore, there is no point in me trying to attend Daf Yomi shiurim - they are beyond me. I cannot understand what they are saying most of the time, even though they are speaking English. Someone suggested I try join the Daf Yomi for the new masechet of Menachot. I tried for a few sessions, but they are talking about concepts that I have no understanding of – pigul, kemitza, notar, blila, etc. It is like listening to someone speaking in a foreign language. Better stick to my familiar parshat hashavua shiurim on Youtube, or shiurim about סִפּוּרֵי צַדִּיקִים which I can understand – that is more my level! Even the Malbim explicitly says it – don't try to לִקְפֹּץ מֵעַל הַפּוּפִּיק, it could have disastrous results, right?"
Wrong. This is not what the Malbim is saying.
R' Akiva managed to emerge safely from the Pardes, but imagine if Akiva (before he became Rebi Akiva) tried to study מַעֲשֵׂה מֶרְכָּבָה, when he was just starting out!
Akiva, the shepherd, son of a convert, who married Kalba Savua's daughter Rachel, was illiterate. He didn't even know the alef bet. He thought he was a hopeless case and that remaining a shepherd was the destiny HKB"H had planned for him, until one day he saw a rock under a constant stream of dripping water – drip … drip … drip…, one solitary drop … every ten seconds. From the constant dripping of water on this rock, year after year after year, the water began to make an impression in the rock. Akiva said "If water has the power to do that to granite, then there is hope for me."
He ditched his day job as a shepherd and sat himself down in a classroom with 5-year-olds to learn the alef bet (the mesirut nefesh of his penniless wife Rachel, who had been dispossessed by her father for marrying Akiva against Kalba Savua's wishes – was the reason he was on the student's bench in the first place). One letter … another letter … and another. One word … to one sentence … to one paragraph … to one chapter … to one book … day in and day out … for … forty years!
Imagine if Akiva's Rebi told him, when he was starting out, that it would take him forty years to amount to anything. Akiva would never have persevered. He would have said to himself "Forty years! Who knows if I will even live out the next twenty years! What is the point?" Instead, his teacher (R' Eliezer ben Horkenos) patiently taught him, block by block, drop by drop and the years flew by. One day, without even noticing it, the now Rebi Akiva was a Rebi himself with 40,000 students! He was like a Moshe Rabbeinu, who could enter the Pardes and emerge unscathed.
How did his teacher know this is the way to teach? Because R' Eliezer ben Horkenos himself, had been taught the same way by his Rebi, R' Yochanan ben Zakai. Eliezer was learning disabled. He was approaching thirty and he couldn't even recite Shma Yisrael, let alone study Torah. His father, the millionaire Horkenos, gave him menial tasks in the family business befitting his IQ.
But something in Eliezer's heart yearned to study Torah, some inexplicable force was pushing him in that direction, despite the statistics, the circumstances. He ran away to Jerusalem and was adopted by R' Yochanan ben Zakai who made him repeat single sentences, over … and over again … hundreds of times … until it finally sank in. Years later, R' Eliezer Hagadol became R' Akiva's teacher and mentor.
The Malbim is telling us "Don't jump ahead too quickly before you are ready". He is not telling us "Don't jump at all, stay as you are for the rest of your life!"
Not all of us are destined to be a R' Eliezer HaGadol or a R' Akiva or … a Moshe Rabbeinu. For some, the pinnacle of our Torah study will be סִפּוּרֵי צַדִּיקִים. HKB"H is not interested in the endpoint, He is only interested in the "delta" between the endpoint and the starting point – how far have you progressed? Have you progressed at all?
Today you may not understand the terms "pigul, notar, kemitza, blila", especially when they are rattled off at high speed in a Daf Yomi shiur. So, start at the beginning, like R' Akiva, build it up block by block. Start off by learning what "pigul" is, what "blila" is. Build up your alphabet one letter at a time, your vocabulary one word at a time. You may not yet be ready for a Daf Yomi shiur on Menachot right now, but make it your goal that one day you will be. R' Akiva only began the process when he was in his forties, others (like me) started even later. It is never too late!
"But that drudgery – pigul, notar etc. is so boring and uninspiring!" you may say to yourself, "I prefer to learn inspiring things, philosophical things, profound things, like the meaning of life, how to become my best self, how to inspire others!"
One person's drudgery is another's inspiration.
One person may be naturally attracted to numbers. I am not one of them. When we have our regular annual meeting with our accountant prior to filing the tax report, after five short minutes of him rattling off figures in the report, my mind is already floating in other stratospheres. I am daydreaming about the Lechem HaPanim, archeological coins and ancient handwritten manuscripts of Rashi.
Another person, when they think of archeology, the Lechem HaPanim, they feel a nap coming on and their eyes begin to droop. But talk to them about the latest updates in the stock exchange and market trends, and they come alive!
Everyone is naturally drawn to something that interests them. There is not a single person on the face of the earth who is not interested in something. The Vilna Gaon calls it our own personal Ruach HaKodesh, that steers us to our ultimate purpose in life.
By all means devote your Torah study time to things that interest you. You may love סִפּוּרֵי צַדִּיקִים, learning about the midot and hanhagot of our gedolim. Devote your time to studying it if this is what grabs you. But keep delving further into it, digging deeper. Advance, do not remain static. It may begin with simple stories of the Avot, but it will eventually evolve into Mesilat Yesharim, Sha'arei Teshuva and other intricate philosophical works.
As you dig deeper into your personal interest in the Torah, you will find how everything is connected and things that you thought had nothing to do with your realm of interest suddenly pop up. Hearing numeric financial reports from the accountant puts me to sleep, but as it turns out, calculating gematriyot while looking for hints in psukkim has become one of my main methods of analysis. I spend hours and hours on it. Numbers. Who would have thought? When something is applied within the context of a subject you love, the whole game changes.
You may not think right now that the concept of "pigul" or "notar" has anything to do with your subject of interest, but I can guarantee you that it does, somehow. Eventually you will discover it and come to understand it in that context.
This is how we should be studying Torah. Not by going through a curriculum that everybody else tells you to, sequentially, in an order they tell you. But rather by choosing a subject that you love and using it as your gateway to the rest of the Torah. Studying something because you are told to and have to will never have the same value as studying something you love. When you love something, you won't need anyone to force you to study Torah related to that, you will do it willingly and often, because you enjoy it. You will end up crisscrossing masechtot and sefarim, studying an excerpt here, another excerpt there, rather than learning them sequentially from the beginning of the book to the end.
The end result will be the same, however. You will eventually visit the entire Torah, learnt through the prism of חֶלְקְךָ בַּתּוֹרָה. This is what we daven every morning - וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךְ, asking HKB"H to give us our own personal חֵלֶק in the Torah, from which we will branch out and traverse the entire Torah – thus making the Torah an extension of ourselves.
This is the first profound lesson of the Malbim. Study something that grabs you and build it slowly, don't skip steps. Our modern world is an "instant" world. Everyone wants everything now, now, now! Nobody has any patience for anything anymore. We have to have instant communication with others, instant information on tap, instant gratification, instant meals, instant coffee, instant education, instant military victory, instant Geulah!
Nobody in today's screen swiping generation can contemplate the thought of something taking a longer time. Nobody wants to invest the time. When you rush things, when you skip important steps, says the Malbim, you risk becoming exposed to things you are not ready for and they can irreparably derail you. Stupidity is not a result of low IQ - it is a result of laziness.
The first "side of the coin" of the Malbim's perush relates to students, we who study Torah.
The flip side of the coin relates to teachers, we who teach Torah. Everyone who studies Torah eventually becomes a teacher of Torah, it does not necessarily need to be a formal type of teaching, like in a shiur or a classroom. It can be as "mundane" as teaching by example – personally applying the things we learn in ourselves and behaving accordingly. Our behavior teaches other people – for good and sometimes, unfortunately, for bad.
To be an effective teacher, you have to be able to identify each person's "gateway", to clarify what their personal interest is and use it to present the subject to them in such a way that it is an extension of their personal interest. When the person sees that what you are teaching them is tailor made and personally applicable to something that they are interested in, they will listen, they will learn. When you teach something generically, they will hear, not listen and they will not learn.
This is the disadvantage of the modern education system where everything is generic and production line. Students are swallowed up in a class with 30+ other students and unless the teacher is superhuman, there is no way he/she can possibly interact with each and every student on the level required to penetrate and make an indelible mark.
If you ask me to highlight one specific thing that I learned in my entire school and college career, that left an indelible mark on me that I have not long since forgotten, there is only one. It was taught to me by my 6th grade Gemara teacher and it had nothing at all to do with Gemara. He taught me to bake whole grain bread. I attended his Gemara classes day in and day out for two years and I remember nothing from them, I learned nothing from them.
What made an indelible mark on my life was a brief, fleeting moment when he dealt with me on a personal level and connected with me in a subject that we mutually loved. He did it with such passion and intensity that it was unforgettable. It was that love for baking that eventually became my gateway into studying Torah. I have since studied a LOT of Gemara and I remember it all, because it was Gemara that interested me, that I discovered was necessary for me to further my personal interest.
It was not just some generic Gemara that was spoon fed to me by a production line system. Ironically, much of it was Gemara that this same teacher taught me in 6th grade, which I didn't realize had a personal value to me back then. This is what makes a great teacher, not a cog in a system covering a syllabus to thousands of students who will never remember what they learned.
Moshe Rabbeinu was this type of great teacher, perhaps the greatest. He saw with prophecy exactly who the person standing in front of him was and what his "gateway" to learning Torah was and … he taught it to him in that unique, personal way. There was only one problem. Just like any teacher cannot possibly deal with a class of 30 students on a personalized level, Moshe Rabbeinu could never possibly deal with 600,000 students on the personal level each required.
This is what Yitro was telling him. וַיֹּאמֶר חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה אֵלָיו, לֹא טוֹב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה. נָבֹל תִּבֹּל גַּם אַתָּה גַּם הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עִמָּךְ, כִּי כָבֵד מִמְּךָ הַדָּבָר לֹא תוּכַל עֲשֹׂהוּ לְבַדֶּךָ (שמות יח, יח-יט). One person cannot possibly effectively teach 600,000 people - you need to decentralize authority. Moshe accepted Yitro's advice and established a network of teachers/judges who could interact with each person on a personalized, individual level.
Incredibly, Moshe indirectly (or perhaps directly) ended up giving us the most inspiring fundamental principle in teaching … the very same principle that later resulted in a R' Akiva.
At Mei Meriva, Moshe said שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמֹּרִים הֲמִן הַסֶּלַע הַזֶּה נוֹצִיא לָכֶם מָיִם (במדבר כ, י). We all assume that Moshe was rebuking Am Yisrael for rebelling against HKB"H, but I believe that was not what Moshe was saying at all. Moshe was addressing teachers forever more - שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמּוֹרִים. What is the effective way to teach? מִן הַסֶּלַע הַזֶּה נוֹצִיא לָכֶם מָיִם. Even if you think that your brain and soul are like granite, immutable – that you will never be able to learn and change who you are – look at the stone. By dripping drops of water on it, one at a time … drop by drop … the water will eventually make its mark in the stone and change it forever.
The correct way to teach (and to learn) is at a pace that each individual person (each of us is different) can tolerate and sustain. If you try to shove too much too quickly, you will have derailment. The person will mistakenly think they are capable of perceiving the next level, even though they are not, they will advance too quickly and fall, sometimes irreparably. It takes a teacher who loves their student to understand what the required pace is, to build the vessel.
This is the lesson Moshe learned at Har Sinai. Am Yisrael were not ready to absorb the intensity and volume transmitted at Matan Torah. This resulted in the sin with egel. HKB"H tells Moshe לֵךְ רֵד – you are at the high level, you are capable of climbing the mountain, but the rest of Am Yisrael are not yet. Do not let them even try to climb the mountain yet or they will fall. You need to drop down to their level and slowly "drip on the stone" for forty years in the Midbar. R' Akiva took forty years to become R' Akiva, Am Yisrael took forty years to attain the level necessary to enter Eretz Yisrael. Some things cannot be rushed.
David HaMelech says צַדִּיק כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח כְּאֶרֶז בַּלְּבָנוֹן יִשְׂגֶּה (תהילים צב, יג). Why do you need two types of trees to describe a tzaddik? What is the difference between them? The difference is in the stages. The first stage is יִפְרָח, when the tzaddik is still growing, still learning and has not yet reached the high level. At this stage he is compared to a date palm, whose fruit are sweet. For teachers to effectively teach their students requires sweetness, both regarding the teacher's relationship to the student and also the method of teaching - the material also needs to be "sweet", attractive and applicable to the student. If a teacher teaches like that then the student will climb to great heights, כְּאֶרֶז בַּלְּבָנוֹן יִשְׂגֶּה. However, if you mistakenly skip the first stage of כַּתָּמָר יִפְרָח and try to go straight to the high level without the necessary foundation, instead of יִשְׂגֶּה it will be יִשְׁגֶּה, a terrible mistake.
Climbing mountains requires patience, persistence, but above all … it requires love.
Shabbat Shalom
Eliezer Meir Saidel
Machon Lechem Hapanim
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