Moshe Burt

Parsha Vayechi recounts two experiences which carry a common thread
relating to Eretz Yisrael.  And this week, we've just completed our Fast of 10
Tevet.

Our parsha tells how, when Yaakov saw that the time of his death was
near, he called for Yosef and made him (Yosef) promise not to bury him
(Yaakov) in Mitzriyim, but rather in Ma'Orat HaMachpela in Chevron. (Perek
47, posuk 29)

Later, just before his death, Yaakov called all of his sons to his bedside and pronounced blessings upon them.  About Yissachar, Yaakov said,  "...he rests between the boundaries.  He saw tranquility that it was good, and the land that it was pleasant. And he bowed his shoulder to bear." (Perek 49, posukim 14 & 15)

And on the Fast of 10 Tevet, we recall the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's
siege of Jerusalem, which ultimately led 18 months later to the Korbon
Beit HaMikdash Rishon (the destruction of the 1st Beit HaMikdash).  The
day also commemorated two other lesser known tragedies; that the Mitzri King
forced our 70 Sages to translate Torah into Greek causing 3 days of darkness
resulting from the superficial knowledge of Torah gained by unlearned masses
and the deaths of Ezra the Scribe and his colleague Nechemia who had both led
the Jewish people in rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash and Jerusalem and forging
a Jewish nation during a time of difficulty and turbulence.  (Artscroll Weekday
Siddur, The Tenth of Tevet, pages 378-380).

So what is the common thread that is shared by the two occurrences in our parsha
and the Fast of 10 Tevet?  And what relationship do they bear to our current
difficulties, the current evil decrees which we are suffering in Eretz Yisrael,
i.e., the expulsions of Jews from Jewish lands by their fellow Jews (not by the
impotent, cowardly Islamic enemy)?

R' Shimshon Rafael Hirsch, as quoted in the Sefer "Torah Gems" (by Aharon Yaakov
Greenberg, pages 338-339), writes that Yaakov saw during his final years how
his children and grandchildren cleaved to Egypt, taking it as their land and how
they would eventually forget their own land, Eretz Yisrael which was promised them
by Hashem.  Yaakov, as Patriarch of his family sought to instill in them the hope of eventually returning to Eretz Yisrael.  And so he said to his children, "My sons, you may
want to live in Egypt.  I don't even want to be buried in it."  "Bury me not, I pray
you, in Egypt."

Regarding Yaakov's Bracha to his son Yissachar, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin in "Growth Through Torah" (pages 135-136) relates comments from Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz.  

Rabbi Levovitz noted that some people find it difficult to understand how Torah could be given to the Jews on Har Sinai in the wilderness, that acquiring Torah requires calm and peace of mind, without disturbances.  Torah contains instructions for living and, as such, the manner in which Torah was given is instructive to us all.

Rabbi Levovitz continues that Torah teaches us how we can make ourselves fit to accept it.  It further teaches us that, contrary to the mistaken impressions of many that our surroundings and our daily lives must be in perfect harmony and without disruption
in order to achieve peace of mind and thus properly absorb the lessons of Torah, the
reality is that "when a person is able to have peace of mind even though he is missing
comforts and pleasures, then he has acquired the peace of mind necessary for accepting Torah."

Rabbi Levovitz then brings the example of how soldiers are trained to be prepared for battle.  Their training prepares them to have peace of mind even though their surroundings are in a state of chaos and their lives are endangered.  The training includes being placed in situations where they do not live in comfortable quarters, they lack the comforts of home and do not have all of their physical needs met.  They are taught not to permit even the most difficult circumstances disturb them.  Their training for one goal, to fight tenaciously for the homeland and to defeat the enemy.  Their training has conditioned them to have peace of mind no matter how difficult the situation.  "When one reaches the proper level of training, nothing will be
able to take away his serenity.  Therefore, in reference to Yissachar the Torah states, 'He saw that rest was good.'  Yissachar is the tribe that was devoted to Torah study.  He knew that rest and peace of mind were necessary to master the Torah.  ... 'He bowed his shoulder to bear' - by training himself to bear any difficulties he was able to reach the highest levels of peace of mind in all situations."

In analyzing what the common thread of two experiences above from our parsha and the point of the Fast of 10 Tevet, it seems that, just as in Mitzriyim, many of B'nai Yisrael have lost and are losing their link, their connection with Eretz Yisrael.  Maybe, substantial segments of our generation both residing in Chutz L'Aretz and living in Eretz Yisrael have never truly been bonded or connected in any tangible way with our Holy Land.   And maybe, the segments who have distanced themselves from a connection to Torah and who have replaced Torah with every manner of falseness and depravity are the same segments who have grown complacent, desperate and willing to do anything so as to bring about what they perceive as quiet, peace, tranquility, normalcy at any and all costs including the ultimate cost -- rendering themselves, and all of
us as impotent, or perceived impotent weaklings, seemingly demoralized and ripe in the minds of the Arabs, the Islamics, for destruction.

And so Yosef Q. Israeli runs after the seemingly perfidious and religiously-unconnected Sharon who has turned on the very people and issues which he supported for scores of years and the traitorous Peres and all of their self-aggrandizing, self-enriching, politically agendized accomplices.  Yosef Q. religiously-unconnected Israeli, in his naivete, runs after the very political slime who seek to profit hugely by the suffering of their brethren who they (the politicians) have managed to alienate from each other through their successful propaganda campaign of hate.  Watch out for that Tax Monkey on your backs.  You know, the one that, if the cheap, slimey, corrupt, cheating politicians have their way, will assess us all handsomely for the priviledge of having Kassams fall on our major population centers from launchers at the northern-most tip of Gaza.   You know, the one which the political slime will blame President George W. Bush for when, in fact, it was caused by their own hate-filled, corrupt, self-enriching agenda.

Just as we commemorate 10 Tevet annually with a Fast Day and beseech Hashem eradicate the evil decrees made throughout these nearly 2000 years, we repeat the same mistakes as then -- the modern-day bogus avodah zora of peace and tranquility and naive support for slimey, two-faced, corrupt and divisive politicians.  
                                                                                                                                       
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 Al Kol HaGoyim", the Ultimate Redemption, "bimhayro b'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.