Reb Neuberger: Chayei Sora – The Dimension of Impurity

 THE DIMENSION OF IMPURITY

By Roy S. Neuberger

 

I was in the middle of writing this week’s article when I learned that the U. S. election has apparently been decided. I would like to comment on what I believe is the significance of this event. I understand that the validity of the results is under challenge, but those challenges would not nullify what I am about to say.

 

The end of this week’s Parsha describes how Avraham Avinu remarries at the end of his life and becomes the father of additional children. He gives these children “gifts” and then sends them “away from Yitzchak, his son … ked-mah el eretz kedem … eastward to the land of the east.” (Beraishis 25:6)

 

What is “eastward … to the land of the east?”

 

And why does Avraham Avinu want to separate these children from Yitzchak?

 

Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky zt”l discusses this passage:

 

“Chazal tell us that there is one place in the world outside Eretz Yisroel where avodah zarah (idol worship) was exceedingly strong. That is, somewhere in the Far East. Harav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l used to explain that the reason we see so much avoda zara emanating from the Far East is sourced in the words of the possuk [quoted above, regarding the sons of Avraham Avinu who were sent to the East].

 

“Rashi … writes that the ‘gifts’ which Avraham Avinu gave to the children of his concubines were the ‘Shaim Tumah … Names of Impurity.’ In other words, Avraham gave them the pseudo-spiritual practices rooted in the ‘sitra achra’ (dimension of impurity … evil inclination). This ‘storehouse’ of impure wisdom was sent to the Far East, as suggested by the repetition of the words ‘kedmah … kedem.’ Apparently, Avraham tried to get rid of all this impurity by sending it far out, but he was not completely successful.” (Rabbi Belsky on Alternative Medicine)

 

What is the “dimension of impurity” to which Rabbi Belsky refers?

 

I am not going to attempt to define “impurity” because the answer is so deep. But we know that impurity was introduced into mankind when Adam and Chava ate the prohibited fruit in the Garden of Eden. At that moment death entered the world. Along with death came every form of suffering. Contact with the dead is the primary source of impurity. The forces of impurity that were unleashed 5781 years ago in Gan Eden have been in ascendancy from that moment onward.

 

As we learned from Rabbi Belsky, the seat of impurity is in the Far East. From the first day of the secular year 2020, the plague of Corona, emanating from the Far East, has spread across the world. It is more than a physical plague; it is also a spiritual plague which has terrible destructive potential, G-d forbid.

 

I do not think it is an accident that the petira of Hagaon Ha Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l occurred shortly before election results were announced in the United States. So many gadolim have left us in recent decades that we have little protection against the onslaught of this tumah. Am Yisroel, the Children of Israel, who have brought Torah into the world, are the only shield standing in the way of the domination of tumah over the entire world. The Bais Hamikdosh, the Holy Temple, for which we are so desperately waiting, was the antidote to tumah. As the Prophet says, “Ki mi Tzion taitzai Torah, ud’var Hashem mi Yerushalayim … From Tzion the Torah will come forth and the Word of Hashem from Yerushalayim.” (Yeshiah 2:3)

 

We have no Temple today, and tumah is strengthening itself. Those who are rooted in impurity have lost their sense of embarrassment, and now the tsunami of impurity is threatening to engulf the entire world.

 

In my book, Hold On: Surviving the Days Before Moshiach, I speak about certain practices reflecting moral deterioration which, our Rabbis tell us, caused the Great Flood to engulf the earth. Those practices are once again becoming prevalent throughout the world. I, for one, do not believe that Hashem will allow these impure practices -- which caused the destruction of the world 4125 years ago -- to continue. As we saw last week, in the case of Sodom, there is a limit to the extent to which Hashem will tolerate evil.

 

Hashem revealed to Avraham Avinu (in the Bris Bain ha Basarim, Beraishis 15:16) that his children would inherit the Holy Land only when the “iniquity of the Amorite [shall be] full.” Rashi comments that Hashem “does not exact punishment from a nation until its measure (of sin) is full.”

 

My friends, it appears that the measure of sin in the world is nearly full. Those who deny the Existence of the Master of the Universe are in ascendance. At some point Hashem will act and we must be prepared. “When the wicked bloom like grass and all the doers of iniquity blossom, it is to destroy them until eternity.” (Psalm 92) Right now, it is our job to “Hold On” to Hashem and His Torah with all our strength.

 

Let us hope the day will come soon when “idolatry will be removed from the earth and false gods will be cut off, to perfect the universe through the Al-Mighty’s sovereignty…. On that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One!” (Aleinu)

 

TSUNAMI

THE AUTHOR WITH HAGAON HA RAV DOVID FEINSTEIN ZT”L 

(Photo: Reb Tsemach Glenn)

 

Roy Neuberger’s latest book,

HOLD ON: Surviving the Days Before Moshiach

Available at Jewish bookstores and online at

https://mosaicapress.com/product/hold-on and Amazon.com.

“Hold On” has now been released in Hebrew in Israel

as “Tachzik Chazak” (Feldheim Publishers)

Roy and his wife speak publicly and via Zoom

Website: www.2020vision.co.il.

Email: newsletter@2020vision.co.il

 

© Copyright 2020 by Roy S. Neuberger

 

Reb Neuberger – Parshat Vayeira

 THE KEYS IN THE DUMPSTER

By Roy S. Neuberger

 

 

The story of Am Yisroel is a story of arising from the depths.

 

This is also the story of each individual. The greatest of the great admit that they have a mountain to climb. Listen to King David: “I am a worm and not a man, scorn of humanity, despised of nations.” (Psalm 22:7)

 

At the beginning of history, Adam and Chava rebelled against Hashem. The rest of history consists of their children’s efforts to climb up from the pit.

 

Then the Mabul destroyed the world. Noach’s children have to rebuild it.

 

In this week’s Parsha, Lot debases himself. He could have been the closest talmid of Avraham Avinu, but instead he embarked on a shocking freefall into moral decadence.

 

And from him, Moshiach comes! How on earth can we understand this?

 

My friends, this is the very secret of Redemption.

 

King David exemplifies this spiritual journey. This is why he is the eternal king. He is the one who says of Hashem, “Mikimi mai afar dal … He raises the needy from the dust. From the trash heaps He lifts the destitute, to seat them with nobles….” (Psalm 113) The word “dal” means “needy.” Why are only the “needy” raised from the dust?

 

Because in order to be raised from the dust one has to know he is in the dust!

 

Only the needy will cry out to Hashem! The arrogant, who think they are already high, will not call for help because they don’t think they need it. Only the one who knows he is destitute will eventually be seated with “the nobles of his people.”

 

King David descended from Lot, who made such mistakes that he truly descended to the trash heap. From Lot came Ammon and Moav, who alone were prevented, among all the nations in the world, from ever joining Am Yisroel as converts. Their entire behavior pattern is in opposition to the life of chessed by which the descendants of Avraham Avinu live. Ammon and Moav to Am Yisroel are like two positive or two negative magnets which repel each other by nature.

 

And yet, buried in this trash heap was a diamond which had rolled there from the earliest days, a diamond broken off from Lot’s uncle Avraham Avinu, the Prince of Chessed. Rus, great grandmother of King David, emerged from the darkness of Moav.

 

In the trash heap, hidden from all eyes, the diamond is hidden. Perhaps there, the Satan, the Yetzer Hara will leave it alone. Perhaps he will not see it.

 

Among the greatest people, the talmidei chachamim, the righteous of the righteous, the yetzer hara is forever at work, trying – G-d forbid -- to seal the fountain of sanctity flowing out into the world. But in the trash heap, who even notices! It’s not worth even looking! Who wants to sift through the garbage?

 

Years ago, our daughter in Israel was working in the kitchen. Her key chain was accidentally pushed off the counter into the garbage. When she discovered the loss, she was extremely upset. These keys were irreplaceable! She had looked “everywhere.” Perhaps she should search the dumpster outside; maybe the keys had dropped into the garbage bag. But she could not bring herself to dive into that pile of filth.

 

Her youngest child is a lively young man named Eliyahu. On this day, years ago, he had been a little obstreperous at cheder and the rebbe had sent him home. He walked in as his mother was contemplating diving into the dumpster. What a great thing for a good-hearted kid just sent home from school! He would love to dive into the dumpster. What an adventure!

 

Shortly afterward, Eliyahu walked in with his mother’s keys!

 

My friends, pardon me, but we have to be willing to jump into the dumpster of our own soul. This is where we are going to find the diamonds. Like Dovid ha Melech, who said “Min ha maitzar … from the depths I called upon G-d….” (Psalm 118) Like Eliyahu, who ran after his mother’s keys.

 

Today, when the entire world resembles a trash heap, we have to know that we are going to extract diamonds. Lot’s moral corruption was necessary for the seed of Moshiach to germinate. We are not going to imitate Lot, G-d forbid, but if we fall, we have to know that we can arise.

 

“Though the righteous one may fall seven times, he will arise.” (Mishlei 24:16)

 

The most glorious tree arises from a tiny seed buried invisibly in the dark earth.

 

“Know from where you came …. From a putrid drop.” (Pirkei Avos 3:1)

 

The anti-Semites want to say that we are beneath contempt. But we know exactly who we are and from where we came, and so does Hashem. Soon and suddenly, the Son of Dovid will arise from his deeply-hidden place, and the Torah he brings will illuminate the world like the sparkling radiance of a brilliant diamond.

 

Roy Neuberger’s latest book,

HOLD ON: Surviving the Days Before Moshiach

Available at Jewish bookstores and online at

https://mosaicapress.com/product/hold-on and Amazon.com.

“Hold On” has now been released in Hebrew in Israel

as “Tachzik Chazak” (Feldheim Publishers)

Roy and his wife speak publicly and via Zoom

Website: www.2020vision.co.il.

Email: newsletter@2020vision.co.il

 

© Copyright 2020 by Roy S. Neuberger

 

Reb Neuberger – Parshshas Lech Lecha – Courage

 THE COURAGE OF NOACH AND AVRAHAM AVINU

By Roy S. Neuberger

 

I find it difficult to take a stand in front of people who disagree with me.

 

Chazal tell us that a shy person will not learn (Avos 2:6). In other words, if I am going to look ignorant by asking a question, I will not ask. The yetzer hara tries tells us we have to protect our reputation. After all, “I might embarrass myself!”

 

Why are we afraid to be different?

 

My father used to say, “Don’t have a sheep mentality!”

 

Well, Am Yisroel, let’s face it. We are different!

 

We are “Am levadad yishkon … a nation alone.” We need to ask Hashem for strength to be ourselves. We cannot afford to be afraid. If we are afraid, then we will, G-d forbid, cease to exist, because we are by nature different from every other nation!

 

For example, Hashem “did not give [Shabbos] to the nations of the lands, nor did You make it the inheritance … of idol worshippers…. In its contentment the uncircumcised shall not abide.” (Shabbos Shemoneh Esreh)

 

Dovid Ha Melech teaches us about fear of others when he says, “Hashem is with me. I have no fear. How can man affect me?” (Psalm 118)

 

But acquiring this attitude takes work.

 

This week and last week, the Torah has presented us with monumental heroes who were not afraid to serve Hashem, even in the face of worldwide ridicule. I hope that we can appreciate the courage of Noach and Avraham Avinu. The world has literally survived because they summoned up the strength to follow derech Hashem, even when they were entirely alone.

 

Noach was physically threatened. According to the Midrash, Hashem sent lions to protect him as he was building the Ark, because the rest of the world wanted to kill him.

 

Avraham Avinu’s own father tried to kill him! He was called “Avraham ha Ivri,” meaning that he was on one side and the rest of the world was on the other side. Contemporary politicians consult the polls to see which position is popular, but Noach and Avraham Avinu consulted only the Ribono shel Olam, the Ruler of the Universe.

 

My friends, it is appropriate to contemplate the depth of their courage. They saved our physical world and our spiritual world. We would not exist today if they had not been willing to abandon their egos and listen to the voice of Hashem.

 

Today’s world resembles the world in which these great men lived.

 

Today, there is a worldwide war against Moshiach, which means a war against G-d and His Torah. And who represents G-d and His Torah in this world? We do! The Children of Israel, which means that there is a worldwide war against us.

 

“Yaakov was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the break of dawn.” (Beraishis 32:25) The epic battle between the Jew and the rest of the world will continue until “the break of dawn,” the moment Moshiach arrives. Now the battle is heating up, as the dawn draws closer. The nations of the world sense the coming of the Great Redemption and they are making a final supreme effort to wipe out sanctity from the world.

 

The picture is so clear. For people who desire to follow their physical desires, to live for their appetites, there cannot be rules. The last thing they want is to understand that there is a Ruler who says, “Do not kill … Do not steal … live with sanctity … understand that your soul is eternal.”

 

We, the Jewish People, are the messengers who bring these words to the world, and that is why they hate us. The voice of the crowd is so loud that it reaches the heavens. This is why King David reassures us: “When the wicked bloom like grass and all the doers of evil flourish, it is to destroy them until eternity.” (Psalm 92)

 

Hashem is watching every move. He is unseen, but we are seen. “The voice of My Beloved. Behold, he is coming, skipping over the mountains, jumping over the hills…. I thought that I would be alone forever, but behold! He was standing behind our wall, observing through the windows, peering through the lattices.” (Shir ha Shirim, 2:8-9)

 

We await the man with the courage of Noach, the courage of Avraham Avinu.

 

May we greet Moshiach the Son of Dovid soon in our days!

 

Roy Neuberger’s latest book,

HOLD ON: Surviving the Days Before Moshiach

Available at Jewish bookstores and online at

https://mosaicapress.com/product/hold-on and Amazon.com.

“Hold On” has now been released in Hebrew in Israel

as “Tachzik Chazak” (Feldheim Publishers)

Roy and his wife speak publicly and via Zoom

Website: www.2020vision.co.il.

Email: newsletter@2020vision.co.il

 

© Copyright 2020 by Roy S. Neuberger

Reb Neuberger — Our Hiding Place

 OUR HIDING PLACE

By Roy S. Neuberger

 

 

Erev Yom Kippur I received an email from a yeshiva in New York, which said, “The Satan is trying mightily to close shuls and mosdos ha Torah. We are on the verge once again of not being allowed to gather for tefilla or learn in our bais medrash.”

 

Shortly afterward, I received an email from another yeshiva, which said, “The Department of Health has agents who are observing the community. On Tuesday they will decide about restrictions.”

 

In a statement issued this week, Agudath Israel of America noted the attitude of government officials: “New York’s public health officials … need to reflect on their approach. Shaming is not a legitimate or effective tool. No other community is singled out and stereotyped as the Orthodox are. That … needs to change.”

 

My friends, we are living in an alien world, a world resembling Mitzraim, from which our ancestors were freed only after they “groaned … and cried out. Their outcry … went up to Hashem. Hashem heard their moaning, and Hashem remembered His covenant with Avraham, with Yitzchak and with Yaakov.” (Shemos 2:23ff) 

 

We are coming to the great showdown. The surge of evil in the world calls upon us to grasp with an ever-tighter grip the rope of Torah extended from Shomayim, which is our only hope for survival. “Bifroach rashaim … When the wicked bloom like grass and all the doers of iniquity blossom, it is to destroy them till eternity.” (Tehilim 92)

 

Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch provides a masterful description of how we are supposed to relate to the Ribono shel Olam, the Master of the World. (Dvarim 32:11) From this I believe I understand why the Torah could tell us that Hashem carried us “on the wings of eagles….” (Shemos 19:4) when He took us out of Mitzraim.

 

“The eagle does not bear his young aloft when they are sleeping or in a passive condition. Rather, first he arouses his nest, and then spreads his wings -- not under his young -- but above them. Wakefully and energetically, they take off and fly up to alight on the outspread wings awaiting them. By free, conscious and brave decision, they entrust themselves to him so that he should bear them aloft. The eaglets must fly up and out of the nest by themselves and set themselves on the wings. So did G-d first awaken the spirit of His people and, through training, invest them with the courage to entrust themselves, by free, conscious decision, to His guidance.”

 

“Hashem alone guided them, and no alien god beside Him.” (Dvarim 32:12)

 

This word “alone” refers to Hashem, Who is by definition separate from all of His creations. But it also implies that we, Am Yisroel, His children, are alone in the world. 

 

The word “alone” in Hebrew is “badad,” which has the same root as the word “bidud,” a word one hears constantly on the news in Israel. “Bidud” means “isolation.” The current plague requires us to isolate ourselves. This comes to remind us that we are “am levadad yishkon, a nation that dwells alone.” (Bamidbar 23:9).

 

Someone said to me yesterday, “Let Corona just go away.” I do not think Corona is going away so fast. In Mitzraim, the plagues came to separate us from the culture of Egypt so that Hashem could take us out of there and we could receive the Torah in purity and unity – unity with each other and unity with Hashem.

 

I believe this plague is telling us: separate yourself from the alien culture around you because Hashem is coming to take you out and present the Torah to you once again.

 

My friends, we have a hiding place. We can run to the sukkah!

 

This is where we exist in isolation, protected only by G-d, where we join our avos, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe, Aharon and Dovid, who paved a way for us to cleave to G-d with wholehearted purity.

 

This is all we need! 

 

“Ana Hashem Hoshia na! Ana Hashem hatzlicha na ….”

 

“Please Hashem save now! Please Hashem bring success now!”

 

“Hoshana v’hoshiana na! …. Save now and bring salvation now!”

 

 

Roy Neuberger’s latest book, 

HOLD ON: Surviving the Days Before Moshiach

Available at Jewish bookstores and online at 

https://mosaicapress.com/product/hold-on and Amazon.com.

“Hold On” has now been released in Hebrew in Israel 

as “Tachzik Chazak” (Feldheim Publishers)

Roy and his wife speak publicly and via Zoom 

Website: www.2020vision.co.il.

Email: newsletter@2020vision.co.il

 

© Copyright 2020 by Roy S. Neuberger

 

 ———

I have a thought after reading this. Maybe HaShem is bringing all this upon us in order to separate us from “them” so when the MHM passes over the world we will be inside our mezzuzot masks and protected. Just a thought. Dreadful times are coming and there must be a reason that we are being singled out? Remember to examine the “opposite purpose from Shamayim” that may apply to us Torah abiding Jews.