Rav Kook

כשחושבים על דעת אלוהים בלא השכלה ובלא תורה מתהוה ברעיון ציור אפל מלא תוהו ובוהו ואחר כך כשבאים להשתעבד לעבודת אלוהים על פי המושג הריקן הקדום האדם הולך ומאבד את זוהר עולמו על ידי מה שהוא מקשר את עצמו לדברי תוהו ובוהו נידף וכשהדבר הזה נמשך משך של איזה דורות מוכרחת הכפירה לצאת בצורה תרבותית לעקור את זכר אלוהים ואת כל המוסדים של עבודת אלוהים אבל מה היא עוקרת רק הבלים ודברי נואש שהם רק חוצצים בין האדם ובין אור אלהי אמת ועל משואות החורבות שהכפירה מחרבת בונה דעת אלהים הנשגבה את היכלה

(Free translation)

When one speculates about God without [secular] knowledge and without Torah, one develops in one’s mind a dark image, full of emptiness and confusion. When that person now turns to divine worship based on this previous empty concept, man slowly loses the splendor of his existence, because he becomes attached to empty and confused ideas. When this goes on for several generations, it is inevitable for Kefirah to show itself culturally with the goal of eradicating the memory of God and all the trappings of God worship. But ultimately, what is it eradicating? It is eradicating nonsensical and hopeless ideas that truly interfere between man and the light of the true God. It is upon these destroyed ruins trampled by Kefirah, that God’s supreme wisdom builds its temple! (Shemona Kevatzim volume 1, page 31).

I see this as a beautiful exposition of the secret of Sasson and Simcha.

Hat Tip to Piere Sogol

מדרש הקץ

Update

Prophetic Conspiracy

I received a question regarding the historical accuracy and the authorship of the Torah.

Tenach is the vehicle of communication between the prophets of the era before Bayit Sheni, and the Ba'alei Hasaga of later generations, and, via their commentaries, between Ba'alei Hasaga of the generations. In every generation there are Ba'alei Hasaga, but until the time of Moshiach they must be few in number. Conversely, as long as they are few in number, the days of Moshiach did not arrive.

The prophetic nature of Tenach regarding the future is obvious. Regarding the past, it is just as prophetic. There is some literal history in Tenach. There is almost no literal history in the Chumash. It does not mean that history cannot be derived from it. Even the future can be derived. All of history is encoded in the Torah. Do not miss the crucial word: It is encoded.

Until the time that Klal Yisrael will number many Ba'alei Hasaga, that is, until the time of Moshiach, it is hard to speak about this, because the masses are bound to misinterpret. This loss of access to the truth is the heart of the Galut. It is a test. As it were, HaShem wants to see if we can recover it. Also, the truth would enrage Edom and Yishmael.

While speaking may lead to trouble, in our time silence does the same. Every rational and knowledgeable person knows that the Torah is not accurate regarding ancient history. The truth is coming out. It must be that Moshiach is coming.

Eliyahu

In Devarim 32:7 we read:

שאל אביך ויגדך זקניך ויאמרו לך

This can be translated as: "Ask your father and he will appoint your elders and they will teach you." Rashi hints that the father refers to the prophets, and in particular to Eliyahu, who is called father in II Melachim 2:12:

ואלישע ראה והוא מצעק אבי אבי רכב ישראל

I suggest that this sheds light on Malachi 3:23-24:

הנה אנכי שלח לכם את אליה הנביא לפני בוא יום ה' הגדול והנורא: והשיב לב אבות על בנים ולב בנים על אבותם פן אבוא והכיתי את הארץ חרם

See, I will send you Eliya the prophet before the great and awesome day of HaShem. And he will return the heart of the fathers (the prophets like Eliyahu) to the sons (the new elders), and the heart of the sons to the fathers. So that I will not come and destroy the world.

The sons receive from the fathers. In other words: The olden days are renewed. The sons reach the level of the fathers. But this is not all. The fathers receive from the sons. In other words: What the fathers could not reach themselves, they achieve through the sons. This applies specifically to Eliyahu, and therefore it is he who must come.

"So that I will not come and destroy the world." A priori, the world was to come to its end in the year 5366. The Arizal merited preventing this through his understanding of the Torah that underlies the Zohar. It was revealed to him. He was Zocheh L'Gilui Eliyahu. This was the beginning of a long process. The Arizal was not given the time to organize and publish his knowledge. In fact, he was given only a very short time to teach to his students.

As a result, the work of the Arizal was transmitted to later generations in a very imperfect way. Why did it have to be this way? To establish that the key is not the Arizal, or any other sage. The key is Gilui Eliyahu, revelation. The key is Truth. The key is closeness to HaShem. The key is Yisrael. It is the task of every Jew to try and reach the spiritual level of truth and prophecy.

Eliyahu appoints elders. So that they will teach you. Also you.

Camel Domestication

In the standard rabbinical chronology, Avraham Avinu was born 500 years before Yetziat Mitzrayim. In my chronlogy this would be in 829 (1329 minus 500). Around this time, camels were domesticated. The Torah mentions camels when describing Avraham's wealth (Bereishit 12:16). Perhaps Avraham was at the cutting edge of camel domestication. It could explain his position of power.

[Thanks to Elisheva]

Mesirut Nefesh

On the eigth and last day of Miluim, the dedication of the Mishkan, at the height of Simcha and Kedusha, suddenly two sons of Aharon are killed, and Aharon stands silent.

Why is Aharon silent? How can HaShem do this to him, Davka on this day of perfection?

The name Miluim hints at the answer. Something had to be filled, completed, during the days of Miluim. That something is related to what happened at a previous "Simcha," the one around the Golden Calf. Chur dared to confront the idol worshippers and was murdered by them. Subsequently, Aharon cooperated.

In the face of Chilul HaShem, a Jew must be prepared to fully trust HaShem, and sacrifice himself, if need be. Certainly the Kohen Gadol must act this way. Aharon failed, and this was his sin.

The days of Miluim come to repair. Therefore, at the completion of the days of Miluim, something had to happen that could make up for the sin. Aharon has to accept the death of his sons, who died in a sense in his stead. He understands, and stands silent. His acceptance is the repair.

[After Rabbi Meir Kahane, Or HaRayon, Chapter 17 (Mesirut Nefesh)]

On Possible Pasts

In the language of physics, current reality is a superposition of its possible futures. The future is not a definite property of what is now. Less intuitive is the principle's time-reversal. Yet, also the reverse is true: The past is not a definite property of current reality. The current is a superposition of possible pasts. I suggest that the following is a case in point.

As mentioned before, the week before Mashiach in a sense extends to four years before its time. Its time is a function of the time of Yetziat Mitzrayim, year 1329. Now, the week before Moshiach would indeed start four years earlier if Yetziat Mitzrayim would have been in the year 1325.

Midrash HaKeitz (version 2)

Rabbi Yitzchak, who knew the Keitz, calculated in the years of Malchut. He said: The world was created ששת ימים, which is six times one thousand years, from year 1 to year 6001. Each day is Erev and Boker, and so the world is 12 times 500. But the very end of Malchut is a little later, as is written (Yirmyahu 31:16) יש תקוה לאחריתך. Therefore, the very end must be the year 6133, 511 (תקו"ה) times 12 from year 1.

Rabbi Yehuda, who heard from Eliyahu (Sanhedrin 97b) and knew Ma'aseh B'reishit, calculated in years of the Earth. He said: It is written (B'reishit 6:3) "his days shall be a hundred and twenty years." Read "his generations". The generations are ע"ב נ"ב, Keter Malchut. That is, 72 generations of 1000 years until the Mabul, and 52 generations of 120 years thereafter. Also, the generations are Tzaddik Malchut, צ' נ"ב, Ninety generations of 800 years until the Mabul, followed by 52 generations of 120 years until the end, in accordance with what is written (B'reishit 7:1): צדיק לפני בדור הזה. Until Yetziat Mitzrayim are ברי"ת generations of 120 years. The Brit of the Tzaddik, Noach. After Yetziat Mitzrayim, מ' דורות remain, forty generations of 120 years. Together: ברי"ת מ' דורות, or 78,240 years, until the year 6129. The Brit of the Mem.

Replied Rabbi Yitzchak: Add four years and get ברי"ת ד"ם.

Rebuts Rabbi Yehuda: Even so, ד"ם is Dalet Mem, not Mem Dalet. Add Dalet to the Rosh and not to the Keitz. Say ד' שנים and afterwards מ' דורות. Derive that Yetziat Mitzrayim was in the year 1325 and agree with Chachamim that Bayit Rishon stood 410 years!

רזא דאלף

One Idan of 480 years after Yetziat Mitzrayim in 1329, four years after the reign of David HaMelech, the time of the Mikdash arrived. However, the successful construction only started when three Idanim had passed from Yetziat Mitzrayim, in the fourth year of Shlomo HaMelech, in year 2769. From the end of the reign of David, year 1805, until the end of the reign of Shlomo, year 2805, is one thousand years. Hence, Shlomo is said to have taken 1000 נשים. Read: 1000 שנים. As is written: האלף לך שלמה.

There were 410 years from the beginning of Shlomo's reign until the destruction of the Mikdash in year 3175. Seventy years later, the time of the second Mikdash arrived. The attempt to build it failed at that time, but three times 70 years after the destruction of 3175, in year 3385, the rebuilding started once again, and culminated in the dedication of the second Mikdash in the year 3409.

There were 420 years from the dedication of the second Mikdash until its destruction in 3829. In the year 4480, 651 years after the second destruction, the El Aqsa mosque was completed, slightly north of Makom HaMikdash. Three times 651 years after the second destruction, the building of the third Mikdash is due to commence at the proper location.

Kriyat Yam Suf

What forces the Nations to chase after Israel?

When Paraoh pursued Israel as it stood before Yam Suf, Israel was seriously divided about how to handle the situation. Some wanted to give up and return to Egypt. Some wanted to fight the Egyptian army. Some prayed fervently. Some wanted to jump into the sea. In the end, the truth became apparent to all, and Israel stood united. It would not have happened without Paraoh. It would not have happened without Moshe.

The same is true today. The nations of the world are unknowingly pushing for the redemption of the truth, and sense that this must come from Israel and the Torah of Israel. In the mean time, Israel is very divided about Torah in general, and regarding the correct approach to the redemptive process in particular.

Getting Israel to agree on the truth is literally as hard as Kriyat Yam Suf. It cannot happen without an event similar to Kriyat Yam Suf. It cannot happen without Moshiach.