Moshe Burt

Yasser Arafat, Y'machsh'mo was officially pronounced as dead on Thursday, 11 November, 2004 by his top-ranked associates in the "p.a.<sic>".  The organization will now be run by five of his associates; "p.a.<sic>" temporary president Rauhi Fattouh, PLO head Abu Mazen, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, Farrouk Khaddoumi, Secretary-General of the PLO and Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath.   Predictably, the current Prime Minister of Israel and his leftist allies such as Shimon Peres effusively proclaim that, in this new lineup of "p.a.<sic> leadership", they have found a "partner" for "peace <piece> talks."  Assuredly, we'll see Arafat's Associates maintain and accelerate terror and Islamakazi Suicide bombings.

In our Parsha Toldos, there is discussion amongst Torah commentators regarding the definition of the word "tam" and the term "ish tam" in the posuk "...and Yaakov was a plain man who sat in tents."  (Breish't, Perek 25, posuk 27).

So, as has been asked on many other points of many other Parshiyot as applied to contemporary history, what does Arafat's death and succession have to do with our parsha?

The key to answering this question can be found in commentaries on the above posuk in both "Growth Through Torah" by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin and in "Torah Gems" by Aharon Yaakov Greenberg.

We are told in the posuk that Yaakov is an "ish tam", seemingly a plain man who is not sly or cunning, "who is not skilled in deceiving others."  We are then told that the term "ish tam" denotes one who was "totally honest, a man of great integrity", who was master over the trait of being "tam"; "not skilled in deceiving others."

So we learn that "Yaakov was generally a 'plain man', ... without trickery, but he did not allow this character trait to dominate him.  He knew when and where to act otherwise."
("Growth Through Torah" by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin on Parsha Toldos, pages 62-63, "Torah Gems" by Aharon Yaakov Greenberg, on Parsha Toldos, page 203)

We learn later that Yaakov told Rachel "'...that he was her father's kinsman', according to the Sages, 'If he has come to be sly, I am his kinsman in being sly.'"  And the Hozeh of Lublin  quotes the Sages saying; "'Whoever is compassionate where he should be cruel will eventually be cruel where should be compassionate.'" He continued by saying that "a person needs to be master over all of his traits. If he fails to apply so-called negative traits in their proper times, he will end up applying them when it is wrong to do so."  "A person needs to know how to act in different circumstances, sometimes one way to further the will of Hashem and other times the exact opposite way for the same end."

It seems also that Yaakov used the trait of opportunism to further Hashem's will when securing Eisev's birthright in exchange for Eisev's desparate pleading for some of that "red stuff" which Yaakov prepared for his father Yitzchak on the day of Avraham Aveinu's leviya.   "Yaakov knew that until Hashem chose Aaron and his descendents as the priestly family, it was the first-born who would serve as priests to Hashem.  Eisev was not worthy of this sanctified work."  (L'lmod U'Lamed on Parsha Toldos, page 38.)

And so we observe the contrast between Yaakov Aveinu, "ish tam", who mastered his traits and knew when to employ them to further Hashem's will and for the betterment of B'nai Yisrael, and Israel's current Prime Minister and it's current crop of sleezy, slimey politicians.  This motley crew bares no resemblance to Yaakov Aveinu. 

We note what subserviance of Jewish rights and sovereignty in Eretz Yisrael to the so-called "rights" of "Israeli Arabs" and "palestinians<sic>" has wrought -- over 1,000 Jewish deaths and countless thousands of Jews injured, maimed over the past four plus years as well as all of the deaths and casualties endured throughout the entire despicable Oslo process.  We have watched the intellectional "dumbing-down" and brainwashing of Israel's masses over the entire 10 1/2 years of the Oslo disaster.  We have seen the modern-day fulfillment of the prophesy, "Whoever is compassionate where he should be cruel will eventually be cruel where should be compassionate."

We see a hard-hearted Prime Minister who, upon the imminent massive Arab turmoil resulting from Arafat's death, still refuses to step down from the ladder he climbed by pressing for expulsion of Jews from Jewish land against the wishes of a majority of hs own party.  We see a Prime Minister who is totally pre-occupied with keeping himself and his sons out of Beit Mishpat (Court) by seeking expulsion Jews from Gaza and the Northern Shomron, according to the effete leftist dictates.  

May it be in this new year that our brethren in Gush Katif as well as our dear brother, Jonathan Pollard and our brethren currently subject to police harrassment, political interrogation and political persecution be central in our thoughts, prayers and actions.  May the Gezeirot Rah end, the Socialists evaporate and may we be zocha the moment when Jonathan Pollard is finally home among his brethren who care deeply about him.  May we be zocha in this coming year take giant steps toward fulfilling Hashem's blueprint of B'nai Yisrael as a Unique people -- an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with "the nations."   

May we be zocha the Moshiach, the Ge'ula Shlaima, "Yom Hashem V'Kol HaGoyim", the Ultimate Redemption, bim hay v'yameinu -- speedily, in our time", -- Immediately; Achshav, Chik Chuk, Meiyad, Etmol!!!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of the Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.