The 2nd Aliyah of the VaYigash Effect
The 2nd Aliyah of parshat VaYigash is the climax of the last three parshiyot (Shabbat Torah portions) in Bereishit (Genesis) which started with VaYeishev (Gen. 37). It is such a stirring aliyah, one has to wonder how and in what way it will spur on the final redemption and the revelation of Mashiach ben Yosef. Since today is Thursday, according to one opinion, today corresponds to that 2nd Aliyah. (This is going by the effect of Shabbat on the days of the week from the Wednesday before until the Tuesday after that Shabbat.) It is truly one of the most stirring moments in the entire Written Torah if not all of our Written Scriptures. It is such a watershed event, that it represents the greatest watershed in human history. Here is the text of Holy Torah starting with Chapter 45:1
Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him, so he called out, "Remove everyone from before me!" Thus no one remained with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers.
He cried out in a loud voice. Egypt heard, and Paro's household heard. And Yosef said to his brothers, "I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him.
When Yosef said, "I am Yosef," G-d's master plan became clear to his brothers: Everything that had happened for the last twenty-two years fell into perspective. So, too, wit it be at the End of Days when G-d will reveal Himself and announce, "I am HaShem!" The veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will comprehend everything that transpired throughout (all of human) history. - Chafetz Chaim
I was not planning on writing tonight because of pressing concerns, but this climactic moment cannot go unnoticed.
May it be so, so so soon!
Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who stood before him, so he called out, "Remove everyone from before me!" Thus no one remained with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers.
He cried out in a loud voice. Egypt heard, and Paro's household heard. And Yosef said to his brothers, "I am Yosef. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him because they were left disconcerted before him.
When Yosef said, "I am Yosef," G-d's master plan became clear to his brothers: Everything that had happened for the last twenty-two years fell into perspective. So, too, wit it be at the End of Days when G-d will reveal Himself and announce, "I am HaShem!" The veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will comprehend everything that transpired throughout (all of human) history. - Chafetz Chaim
I was not planning on writing tonight because of pressing concerns, but this climactic moment cannot go unnoticed.
May it be so, so so soon!
posted by Dov Bar-Leib at 12/29/2011 03:24:00 AM
16 Comments:
My husband cried when he read this to me last night...
Thank you. I agree whole heartedly with you and this is the bent that my chavrusa and I were having....
Dov, this must happen. Though we disagree on you following the dictates of men vs me following the Torah of Moshe (see Isaiah 29:13) our only chance now is for Yehovah to reveal himself. Dont be distraught over saying God's name as it is completely clear in the Tanach that we who call on His name will be saved. It is only a rabbinical fence that the name was banned. God himself never said for us not to call His name, ever. He actually said to use it. At anyrate I truly hopes He pulls the plug and am so perplexed why He waits so patiently for this world to collapse and to fully expose the golden calf called religion is a falasy.
AMEN AND AMEN!!!
These parshiot move me so, it's as if my entire neshoma is excited and agitated. The saga of Yosef pulls at me. I relate to it as to when the northern tribes are torn away from their land and the southern tribes.
Yosef, a leader in golus, keeping his brothers' families alive.
Did you read that Binyamin Netanyahu has an IQ of 180!
i was waiting to 'hear' from you dov. you articles always give me hope to continue and somehow today is a bleak day for me, but you have reminded me all will be well, because Hashem will is always in charge, though in our pain we sometimes forget it. thanks again.
It will, it will and it will. Jews outside of Israel will return home to the Land of Israel, Amalek will be completely obliterated. Shalom:-)
Happy new secular year and a 2012 of overflowing financial abundance to all of us and our friends! May the nightmares materialize for our enemies, instead.
I simply hope the ones who have went off the path in Beit Shemesh will recognize their brother do Teshuvah and walk justly with their fellow man.
Just a FYI the 'secular' new year is also a pagan fest based on an older avoda zora so we dont wish well, observe, or celebrate it except when forced by financial interactions with the other nations.
Yes, St. Sylvester was not one of our buddies during the time of Constantine in the 4th Century. Yet, there are many good gentiles who comment here who may not know this. So if the Happy New Year is said in kindness, I usually keep silent and recognize the kindness even though I personally look at the day of Sylvester as a day to get in some more learning and to get some necessary chores done. For now don't forget to write 2012 on your checks, and get your taxes filed early if you can. best to get that done before the Euro's collapse.
Sorry Anonymous that my wishes of financial abundance got on your nerves, and I can't help noticing the contrast: posts containing (a warped version of) the 4-letter holy name appear to be no problem. In any event, I apologize and I am happy to withdraw my unwanted wishes from anyone who does not like them.
Daniella,
Thanks for the bracha, just letting you know since most people have no idea, sorry if it came out harshly, was not offended by an innocent comment.
Thank you, Anonymous. Forgive me if I overreacted, but I believe you are misinformed. Perhaps you are not aware that in our days, "Sylvester parties" have nothing to do with any church, as they usually involve striptease and other mildly transgressive events, and that the very expression originated in xian europe in the late 60s and 70s as an alternative goodwish expression for atheists who did not want to hear xian wishes. Perhaps you are not aware that in the early 70s, after the second vatican council, the catholic church appointed a commission to remove "mythological figures" from the list of "saints of the day", and guess who was among the target? (Do you know what "sylvester" means? Do you know what connotation the word had in 6-700 common era? I don't want to bore you and the readers, but if requested, I can explain. Hardly a xian name though.) However, the commission never made it to 31 december. After having determined that "benedictus" (the mythological benedectine founder welcoming the spring equinox) never existed, and faced with opposition from the ignorant followers, the pope in charge (Montini) decided to forget about the cleanup and just de-emphasize the "saints of the day", focusing instead on historical figures such as augustinus or thomas or francis, and greatly increasing the rate of proclamation of new "saints" with verified historical existance, a trend that continues to this day.
Anonymous, forgive me if I am wrong, but I am afraid you get some of your info from wikipedia, which, besides being antisemitic (and antizionist of course too), is an appalling bundle of ignorance and falsity. Please, don't trust everything you read. This well-meaning advertisement has been circulating the info of the (mythological figure of) "pope sylvester" way more than the catholic church itself did. Was it not better to allow the (mythological but repulsive) "pope sylvester" fade into oblivion, where it belongs, and where it had already faded? In Israel, I expect most people only think of "tweety and sylvester" when they hear "sylvester party". The rest, will hardly think of "pope sylvester", but if anything, will imagine a nightclub.
Anonymous, the name "sylvester" is so loaded with anti-xity connotations (in the 70s one would have said: militant anti-xian connotations), that it was taken by Jews a couple of centuries ago, when in many countries it became compulsory to have a surname. Please look up "Sylvester's theorem" to get a partial list of a Jewish mathematician's works (many more were falsely attributed to others) who took that surname. Sylvester, who lived in England, did not receive a degree, because he did not accept the articles of faith of the church of england! LOL!! He is the father of modern matrix theory, you realize, and countless other contributions each of us enjoys every day. So may be the next time you see "sylvester sale", instead of mentioning someone negative and whose name has already been erased out (and who likely never existed in real life), may be you can enter the shop and tell everyone the beautiful and inspiring story of James Joseph Sylvester, the Jew.
This is the last I will say on this, I am truly sorry you have misunderstood. We are simply having a cultural clash where you misunderstand a detail in halacha which I was pointing out. Consider my comment similar to a kind refusal should you had offered me a gourmet but non-kosher treat you had carefully made for me. Since you are here at Reb BarLeibs blog seeking Torah I had thought my comment to be valuable to you, otherwise I would have let it pass.
Jews are commanded to be a nation apart, we do not participate in any of the holy days of any other religions even if for the last 50-100 years they may have been secularized in a few countries.
This apartness has always been a part of the law and is accepted from the times of Moshe to the prophets to Chanukkah and today. For example why wouldn't the stubborn Jews just get along with the nice Greeks who just wanted maybe a Jewish team for the old nude Olympics and Jews to be open minded in going along or at least accepting modern civilized philosophical Greek traditions and holy days? Because we are a nation kodesh to Hashem, kodesh means holy but that is a terrible translation, it really means reserved as a wife is for her husband, or a animal designated for a korban is reserved only for the service in the temple, or the temple and its grounds is reserved only for the service to Hashem even today.
I have heard several times from well learned rabaim that the true avoda zora (strange/wrong service) in our time of Amalek is secularism, the job of Amalek is to distance the world from and to wipe out knowledge of Hashem and to completely snuff the light of the Jews, aidim of Hasham, from the world. He will never stop and he would rather die than recognize the Holy One, hence the law to destroy Amalek completely. The old religions are for the most part dead, everyone who cares at all knows of the one G-d of Avraham in one warped form or another.
But New Years is a holiday based on an old avoda zora, older than xianity who adopted it, and Sylvester the pope if you like; culturaly secularizing it with alcohol, gelui ariot, and general decadence doesn't help at all, nor does well wishes or hanging a kippah on top like the J4J's do to their message.
Fortunately in E"Y most communities let Sylvester partying aka xian new years pass unnoticed and Hebrew dates work on almost all government and bank documents, you only need to use church calender based dating for docs sent to the US.
I think we all appreciate your feelings of well wishes, I had hoped my input would be appreciated too.
Anonymous, you instigate a mess and then run away? Just like the blood libels against the charedim? Sorry but now I have a few questions. Would it be possible to know who is your rabbi? And are these words you are posting, said in his name? Who among the gedolim do you and your rav follow? I know a few that object to Jan 1 wishes, but they all forbid internet and computers. Thank you.
Post a Comment
<< Home