Almost Eden

BS"D The Book of Vayikra (Torat Kohanim - Laws of the Kohanim) Parashat Vayikra 5770

A. Homeopathic Cure for Anti-Semitism

Parshat Vayikra establishes, among other things, the procedure for sacrificing a Korban Chatat - a sin offering. The sinner is beset with remorse over what he has done and brings his sacrificial animal to the Temple. At this point, psychologists, who deal with mental health would suggest that the sinner leave the premises and not dwell on what he has done, but rather feel that he is absolved of all guilt to begin life anew.

The Torah is obviously not from the new schools of psychological thought. The Halacha (Jewish law) states that the sinner place his hands upon the animal’s head and confess his sin. He then looks on as the shochet (ritual slaughterer) kills the animal. A kohen (priest) then collects the blood in a vessel and places part of the blood on the four upper cornerstones of the Altar. The fats and internal organs are then burned on the Altar and Kohanim eat the sacrificial meat.

Ramban explains the procedure as a way of informing the sinner that what is being done to the animal is deserving to be done to him, if not for HaShem’s mercy in substituting the animal in lieu of the sinner.

This is a very heavy load to bear. It is not enough that the sinner is beside himself with remorse for his transgressions, the Torah causes him a great deal more mental stress.

Why must it be so?

Follow up:

Homeopathy (derived from the Greek "homeos" meaning similar and "pathos" meaning disease or suffering) is an alternative system of medicine based on the principles of the Law of Similars and Micro doses of the remedy.

The Law of Similars states that "like cures like," meaning the disease is treated through a remedy that produces symptoms similar to those of the disease. For example, if one has a cold that produces a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing, the homeopathic practitioner recommends doses of Allium cepa - red onion - whose symptoms are similar to a cold.

Micro doses of the remedy are sufficient to produce similar symptoms which the body uses to cure itself.

The Torah is treating the sinner to a dose of homeopathic-atonement medicine. The conscience pangs caused by the sin are accentuated by what the sinner witnesses being done to his animal, and the knowledge that it should be he who should be so treated. This produces in him a deep sense of remorse leading to true, sincere teshuva (repentance).

Many Christian and Moslem peoples of the world, and probably many others, suffer from a terrible, and so far, incurable disease. It is carried by their mothers’ milk, and some claim it is contracted in the womb. The malady initially affects the brain, and if not contained, goes to the heart and from there to every muscle and sinew in the body. It has several names, but all agree that it is also called anti-Semitism.

The disease knows no boundaries. It is evenly distributed between men and women, with signs appearing in very young children. At some stage it produces homicidal aggressive tendencies, which, if not controlled, appear in various forms depending upon the genes of those infected.

In Spain it appeared in the form of the inquisition. In Eastern Europe it was identified in the form of pogroms. In Germany the disease reached epidemic proportions to include the judiciary and clergy. It took two forms in the United Kingdom. The British White Paper which limited emmigration from the holocaust in Europe to a mere handful, and the British Mandate. In the United States, a serious outbreak of the disease was identified in 1948, when the government declared an arms embargo on the struggling infant nation of Israel fighting for its very existence.

The disease is especially malevolent because it never leaves one’s system. It could be benign for a period of time, but it eventually raises its ugly hydra-like heads to strike out at any Jew who happens to be present.

Traditional methods are ineffectual in treating it; the only alternative way is homeopathic. That is, to feed the sufferer elements which increase the symptoms to such a degree that the carrier implodes into himself, thus ridding the world of the disease together with the carrier.

In keeping with the second principle of homeopathic medicine, a very small dose is sufficient to cause grave symptoms. In fact, a single nail in the wall of a Jewish home in Yehuda and Shomron (Judea and Samaria) can cause an immense reaction in the United Nations of the world.

Actually, it does not take the insertion of the nail into the wall to cause a septic reaction that poisons the entire Gentile body. The mere intent of a Jew in Eretz Yisrael to put together a Lego form, is sufficient to send those infected into fits of raving insanity.

But thank HaShem, a homeopathic cure exists - just increase the stimulus, even a bit, to effect huge symptoms of insane anti-Semitism, which in time will produce the cure.

We can begin with the construction of another toilet in Sarah’s gan yeladim (kindergarten) in Ariel in preparation for the 20% increase in next year’s registration. We can then add a dose of Shalom Klein’s enclosing his porch in Kiryat Arba, which will certainly extract more anger from the liberal, democratic gentiles of the enlightened world. This can be followed by the construction of 1600 apartments in Ramat Shlomo. These are certain to arouse the desired reactions of anti-Semitic symptoms. We should then increase the dosage by building in all the towns and villages of Shomron and Yehuda, to absorb our people in Eretz Yisrael and also the inevitable tsunami (tidal wave) of Jews who will be fleeing the lands of the galut (exile).

This, of course, will be followed by the official annexation of all the area west of the Jordan River to the area east of the Jordan.

While all this is going on the world is getting closer to a cure. By now, the symptoms are quite manifest and are affecting the entire population of the Christian and Moslem lands as they approach being completely healed.

As the "Quartet" confers about what to do with those pesky Israelis, here in Israel we discover huge natural gas deposits. This find sends our people to the drawing boards to plan out even greater building projects in Eretz Yisrael. The very thought that another home will be built in the Biblical areas of Eretz Yisrael increases the anger of the "peace-loving" Gentiles of Christianity and Islam. President Obama fumes in white fury at the idea. His Vice President is insulted by the idea, and his Secretary of State - in the manner of a dedicated school "marm" shakes her finger at the truculent Israelis who refuse to sit quietly in the corner with their hands folded.

How will we know that the world has been cured of their anti-Semitic disease?

When the doses of "medicine" reach the point that the infected nations of the world cry out in understanding, "Hashem is the only God and the Children of Israel are His only chosen people".

The final dose of homeopathic medicine, like the proverbial "straw that broke the camel’s back", could possibly be the reconstruction of the Churva Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The symptoms are gaining in severity. since the Moslems and others are foaming at the mouth, the cure must not be far off.

But it is still far enough away for the world to yet experience some devastating wars.

The scenario may be that Iran produces the bomb but will not use it on Israel because of the following reasons: they believe that the very fact that they have the bomb will demoralize us to the extent that we will capitulate or disappear, they fear a retaliatory strike from Israel, and the most valid reason - they would wish to deal with their greatest enemy - the Godless Sunni Saudi Arabians. When the Saudis would feel threatened, the United States would come to their aid. Then the plot will thicken as the Western Europeans, Russians, Chinese and others are drawn into the maelstrom.

As the world inches nearer and nearer to 12:00, so too will the level of anti-Semitism increase.

The disease is already at a chronic stage, the remedy is at hand and the cure is just beyond the horizon.

B. The "Churva" Synagogue in the Old City of Yerushalayim

The Churva is magnificent by any standard. Twice in the past, it was destroyed by Arabs. In 1724 by the locals, then rebuilt in 1816 by Am Yisrael, destroyed again in 1948 by the Jordanian Legion led by British officers.

I have a very personal connection with this Bet Knesset (synagogue).

My father z"l was the rabbi of the Sharei Tefila synagogue in Flatbush. The synagogue’s main sanctuary for Shabbat and holiday services was on the top level of the building, and on the lower floor was the Bet Midrash for weekday services. On the eastern wall of the Bet Midrash was a beautiful fresco (oil painting directly on the wall) of the Old City of Yerushalayim.

When I was four years old, my father brought me to the Bet Midrash and seated me in front of the painting and said, "This is your place".

The painting depicted the Jewish Quarter with all its interesting domes and intriguing alleyways, but the eye-catching subjects were the main synagogues - the Churva and Tiferet Yisrael (Nisan Bek synagogue) caught the viewers’ attention.

At some point in my young life, I was determined that one day I would live there. In 1948, when I was 10 years old, I learned that the Old City had fallen to the enemy and was destroyed by the enemy. The following morning, I went to pray at my regular place, but I could not imagine that everything I saw in the fresco was gone, taking with it my dream to live there one day.

The years came and went. In 1962 my wife and I came on Aliya (return to Israel). We would frequently go to Mount Zion from where it was possible to get a glimpse of the old Jewish Quarter. Destruction - not a stone on a stone was left.

The Six Day War broke out on Monday June 5, 1967. Two days later on Wednesday, the Israeli flag flew from atop the Temple Mount and, in the words of General Mota Gur when his troops reached the Mount, "Har Habayit Be’ya’daynu" - The Temple Mount is in our hands.

A short time later, the government established the Company for the Reconstruction of the Jewish Quarter, and the mechanism for the return of Jews to the Quarter began.

My family was merited by HaShem to move into the Quarter in 1976, in the fulfillment of my dream.

There were homes, yeshivot, shuls and shops, but the grand bet knesset "HaChurva" lay in ruin and destruction.

This Tuesday, rosh chodesh Nisan, after two days of ceremonies, the restored bet knesset was opened to the public for prayers. The huge breathtaking dome, the frescos, the glorious marble and stone works - I am certain that everyone present thought that this will be the last imposing structure of its kind in the Old City before the building of the Bet Hamikdash.

My wife and I went to the first minyan (prayer quorum) at 5 AM. There was not a empty seat in the building.

At the chazon’s (cantor) repetition during the shacharit (morning service) the Kohanim ascended the bima (stage) to bless the assembled.

The Torah was taken out from the holy ark and placed on the reader’s table.

At that moment, I heard my name called out, "Harav Nachman ben Harav Yechezkel Shraga Hakohen", to be the first person called up to the Torah in 62 years. As I approached the Torah, I envisioned that little boy sitting in front of the painting of the Churva long, long ago in time and far, far away in a foreign land, now being called as the first kohen to resume the holy service in the Bet Knesset, whose destruction by the Jordanians was to presumably end 1000 years of continuous Jewish presence in the Old City of Yerushalayim.

Wonderful things happen to people who steadfastly refuse to give up hope for the redemption of our people.

The next and last stop in our long trek home will be the rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash, speedily in our time.

Shabbat Shalom,

Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5770/2010 Nachman Kahana