C.LEAGUE FINAL 2005

2) Bereishit 2 - (Bereishit 2:7-8)  (Bereishit 2:15-25) Men and Women were unified then divided and then unified - men and women was created together, G-d seperated them and then gets them to get back together again.

Hashem wants the couple to unify - Shalom Bayit - 'ltaken olam bmalchut shaddai'

12) (Year 2448) (Shemot 19:1-6) Rashi Pasuk 2 -

The next source on the page is 'Vayichan' when Klal Yisrael was encamping below Har Sinai - is Vayichan in the singular where Rashi says one person one heart - (wasnt sure if it was in his source sheet) , Vayichan in the singular symbolises one person one heart instead of Vayachanu - simple explanation is we were reunified - the deeper idea is that Torah represents G-ds ratzon - that he is infinitly one - Hashem is teaching israel that if you dont all unify - there is no where to put my Torah - my Torah represents my oneness - fi you all arent getting along with each other then my Torah doesnt fit - - but if you can become one then you can fit me and my torah into your midst - but if you wouldnt have got along at Har Sinai you wouldnt have got my Torah - you would have waited till youd learn how we connect - becasue you cant fit oneness into disconnection - oneness fits into unity - thats a depper idea how to achivee oneness - one person one heart by Har sinai.

Bring up that all Jews had nevua (prophecy at a greater level than Yechezkel had, who was one of the greatest prophets of all time. (made prophecy of Exile in the year 3332

3)  (Vayikra 23:40)  A major element of Succot is the shaking of the ‘four species,’ the Etrog (citron), Lulav ( palm branch), the Hadasim (myrtle leaves) and the Aravot (willow branches). By holding all four of the species together during Succot, we symbolize the need of a person to utilize all his faculties in the service of G-d.

As well as this, each of the four species symbolizes a different type of Jew: -

The Etrog (which has a good taste and pleasant aroma) symbolizes an individual who is learned in Torah and righteous. - give example

- The Myrtle (which has a pleasant aroma but has no taste) symbolizes a righteous individual who is deficient in Torah. An example of this is the Judge ‘Yiftach’. He was a sincere, G-d fearing man, who as a youngster was driven out of his town by his brothers and his fellow people for no good reason. The leaders of the town did not stick up for him and he left Israel in order not to retaliate, thus he was worthy of becoming a leader as Hashem’s presence rests among the man who walks away from an argument when he is in the right. He was worthy to be the judge for the Jewish people for six years however his lack of Torah knowledge later on proved to be his downfall as a leader (Taanit 4).

The Lulav (which has a good taste but no aroma) symbolizes a Torah scholar who is deficient in good deeds. An example of this could be Korach, he knew and studied torah to a high level, however he instigated a rebellion against the leader of the Jewish people, Moshe, whilst in the Wilderness (Nedarim 39).

The Willow (which has no taste and no aroma) symbolizes an individual who lacks good deeds and Torah.

4) Ketoret (Shemot 30:34)

the 11 spices for the incences included one that tasted terrible - page 10 - it is the chelbona - Rashi there spices smell as fowl - you see G-d says you cant bring an incence mixture to me unless the fowl smelling spices are in there, why? because everybody whetehr you get yourself together or not is part of klal yisrael - now just so people dont throw you with a vort that you see... as part of avodat hashem you have to include the people who are not doing what they are supposed to do thats the bad smelling incense - the answer is one second - do the math, you still have to have the kosher minyan - and then you add the eleventh - it sounds like you need 10 thats good smelling since the 11th is bad smelling - but anyway there si the idea - when it comes to avodah i want to hear from everybody.

5) Kohen Gadol yearly took incence sacrifice to Holy of Holies

5a) K.Gadol had Urim V'Tumim over his heart - 12 tribes etched out (Shemot 28:30)

One of the begadim which outshines them all (literally) is known as the “choshen mishpat.” With 12 stones in total, 1 for each of the shevatim, this masterpiece, set in gold, was worn by Ahron, the Kohen Gadol and contained within it the Urim Vi’Tumim. After explaining the structure of the choshen mishpat, the Torah goes on to tell us the following:

“Vinatatah el choshen hamishpat et haoorim viet hatumim, vihayu al lev Aharon,    bivo’oh lifnei Hashem, vinasah Aharon et mishpat Bnei Yisroel al libo lifnei Hashem tamid.”

“Into the Breastplate of Judgment shall you place the Urim and the Tumim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart when he comes before Hashem; and Aaron shall bear the judgement of the Children of Israel on his heart constantly before Hashem.”  (Shemot 28:30)

Within this small pasuk is hidden such a huge yisod of Judasim. The Seforno explains that wearing the choshen mishpat over his heart inspired Ahron to daven for Am Yisroel-“sheyitpalel aleihem sheyizku bamishpat.” Abarbenel adds that not only did Ahron daven for the nation, but they were constantly on his mind and in his heart. The words of Abarbenel are mamash so special-“ sheyizkor Ahron tamid bimachshavto oovitefilotav et Bnei Yisroel.” Wow. I was actually speechless after reading this. Think about it…Ahron “wore” the names of each of the shevatim “on his heart” (the choshen mishpat was worn over his heart). This constant awareness of Am Yisroel isn’t and shouldn’t only be the tafkid of the Kohel Gadol!! Rather, this is the essence of every single Jewà “ki’ish echad bilev echad.”  We as Jews must always be thinking of one another, no matter what we are doing in life or where we are located in the world. This is what makes our nation so unique and special.

It was fitting that the Kohen Gadol had garments very mich connected to Unity, seeing that Aharon Hakohen was the man of unity.

What is so special about 12 and unity????

Kabbalistically the number twelve symbolizes the maximum of multiplicity. That’s why there are twelve months in a year, twelve tribes of Israel twelve lines which form the ideal three dimensional structure which is the cube etc. The number 13 symbolizes the coming together of the 12 individual parts to form a unity. That’s why the word
echad=13 and the word ahava=13 (joining together of two individuals). This is also why the boy becomes bar mitzvah at 13 and the girl at 12 (the reason for the difference between the boy and girl is based on their nature of chochma and bina, which is beyond the scope of this devar torah). Now we can try to understand what the stones symbolized.

Aharon Hakohen, was considered the 'man of peace'
among the Jewish nation (Taanit 9), we learn from the Talmud that the ‘Cloud’s
of Glory,’ in the wilderness was provided in the merit of Aharon. These Clouds
escorted the Jews for forty years in the wilderness, they shielded the Jews from
enemy attacked, provided protection for Jews while they were travelling in the desert
and much more! We learn that Aharon, in the wilderness, was the man of peace.
He greeted all the Jews in the wilderness, in fact, if one of the Jews was wicked,
they would think twice in the wilderness about doing a sin, because they thought,
how can I look at Aharon in the eye tomorrow when he greets me, if I do this sin?
Furthermore, whenever married couples got into an argument, Aharon helped the
couple make peace, and the commentaries say he was very successful, according to a
Midrash, many children born in the wilderness were named ‘Aharon,’ as the women
that gave birth to the child, named the child after Aharon in attribution to his peaceful
character. The Festival of Succot commemorates these 'clouds of glory,' which were
in the merit of Aharon. This goes with the theme of how everyone should have their
Succah's open to everyone to dwell and eat together, to promote unity!

Also the Clouds of Glory were in the merit of Aharon, the booths we sleep in during succot commemorate the 40 years we slept under the clouds in the midbar - where Hashem protected us..

Mention the different flags and encampings of the tribes for 40 years in the midbar.

First Temple - churban 3338

Second Temple - Churban 3829

5 d) Let's first take a look at comparing the two time periods of the First (2928- 3338) (410 years) and the Second
Temple (3412 -3829). We find that the transgressions of the Jews, as a nation, which resulted in
the destruction of the First Temple were attributed to Forbidden relations, murder and
idol worship (Yoma 9b), these were all Man against G-d transgressions.

The Second Temple was destroyed due to the transgression of Baseless Hatred, the lack
of unity amongst the Jews in Israel (Yoma 9b)!

If we look further into this, we know that the Kohen Gadol, represented the Jewish nation as a whole, each year he would go into the holy of holies on Yom Kippur to carry out a 'Ketoret' service, if he would
come out alive from the room, it was a sign that Hashem was happy with the nation
as a whole.

We know that the First Temple stood for 410 years,

whereas the Second Temple stood for 420 years.

Furthermore the Talmud relates (Yoma 9a) that during the First
Temple, there were only 18 Kohen Gadolim, each Kohen Gadol on average staying
22 years in his position, which was a good sign of Hashem's satisfaction among the
people despite there sin's.

However during the Second Temple era, in the 420 years
that the Temple stood, there was 300 Kohen Gadolim (Yoma 9a)!! Each Kohen
Gadol barely lasted the year, obviously as a nation; Hashem was not satisfied with the
Jewish people, what was the sin? Hatred amongst each other, a lack of Unity!! This is
one of the many proofs that G-d does not like it when we are not United.

Story on second Temple

The best-known story is that of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza.[4] Essentially, the story, which appears in both the Talmud and the Midrash,[5] is about a Jerusalemite who made a feast. He instructed his agent to invite his friend Kamtza. Instead, the agent invited Bar Kamtza, the host’s enemy. The host embarrassed Bar Kamtza by evicting him, despite his repeated pleadings. By means of a well-orchestrated scheme involving a mildly blemished sacrifice sent by the king, Bar Kamtza convinced the king that the Jews were rebelling, an assertion that led the king to destroy the Temple; thus it is said the Temple was destroyed over Kamtza and Bar Kamtza. “Rav Yochanan said: The diffidence of Rav Zechariah ben Eokolos [one of the rabbinic figures in the story] destroyed our Temple.”

In Gittin 58a, we find another story that attributes the destruction to an individual. The Talmud states:

It happened that a man cast his eyes on the wife of his carpentry teacher. Once his teacher required a loan. He said to [his teacher]: “Place your wife in my keep and I will lend [money] to you.” [The teacher] placed his wife in his keep, and she stayed with him three days. [The teacher] came to him and asked, “Where is my wife that I sent to you? ” He replied: “I released her immediately, but I heard that some young people took advantage of her on the road.” [The teacher] asked him: “What shall I do?” He said: “If you heed me, you should divorce her.” [The teacher] said: “But her ketubah is excessive.” He replied: “I will lend you [the amount] and you will give her the ketubah.” [The teacher] divorced her and [the student] married her. When the time [for the loan] came due and he did not have enough to repay it, [the student] said: “Come and work off your debt in my service.” So they [the student and the wife] would be sitting, eating and drinking, and [the teacher] would be standing and serving them their drinks, and his tears would fall from his eyes into their cups. It was at that moment that the [Divine] decree was sealed.

Here a single story rather than widespread corruption is blamed. However, it is unlikely that the rabbis were truly blaming the destruction on this one student; rather this story must be seen as representative of the tattered mores of the society at the time.

Second Temple Story

6) Achav and Izebel (3022- 3042 King period) (Kings 1 : 20:13-34

If we compare the era of the two kings, the Righteous King David and King Achav,
who was considered wicked by many. We see an interesting observation. The
generation of the wicked King Achav used to win tremendously in war despite the
fact that Idolatry was at high levels in the land, while in the generation of King David
they used to go out to war and suffer defeats, despite his great levels of righteousness
(Devarim Rabba 5:6). The Rabbi's teach us, that despite during Achav's tenure as
King there was high levels of Idol Worship taking place, however they had one
huge merit, the people were united together. In King David's time, despite the great
levels of Torah, there was a lot of slander and baseless hatred among the Jews, which
resulted in their downfall.

Achav went to war (Kings 1 : 20:13-34) Had multiple miraculous victories in war against the land of Aram

HASHEM LOVES UNITY

7)  Story of Harvard Classic about 4 brothers, bundle of sticks and father on his death bed.

8) Bereishit (11:1-9)

Mabul - 1656

Tower of Bavel - 1996

In Parashat Noach, we learned of two different time periods, the Generation of the
flood and the generation of Dispersion. The flood killed all of humanity, except
for Noach and his family, what was the transgression? There was rampant robbery
amongst each other, no one respecting another, there was a lack of unity (Bereishit
7:22)! However the sin of the Generation of dispersion, the people who attempted to
build the Tower of Bavel (Bereishit 11:1), did it in order to fight G-d, however despite
this terrible sin, the people worked together as a unit. There high levels of unity led to
the punishment for this sin seeming to be a lot more lenient than that of the flood, they
were dispersed to different regions, acquiring different languages. Most of the people
of that generation survived, despite G-d killing some groups of people, but as whole
many of the generation were spared death (Sanhedrin 109).

9) Story of the Unification of the Taxi companies late at night in Israel

10)  Bereishit Chapter 36 - verse 6 - Eisav took his wives his households, his animals , all the wealth he aquired - in land of Canaan and he went to a land because of his briother Yaakov, if look in the Hebrew he circled the little vav - it says 'He took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the NEFASHOT (members of his household) why does the nefashot of Eisav compared to the next source down Bereishit Chapeter 46 verse 27, Yosefs sons were bron in mitzrayim and all of Yaakovs family that came were 70 - he ciricle the '27'  it says ' Nefesh' in the singular - by Yaakov his family is one - So Hashem used the term Nefesh - by Eisavs family who is bad - is called Nefashot - Eisav cant get his family to unify - they are all in the negative - so he has all his nefashot went to Har Sair - by Yaakov it is called Nefesh - One - the 70 peoples are really one person there. That is the 2 pasukim to fine.

13) Purim

megillat Esther  (Esther 3:8)  - where Haman said we are scattered and disperesed - Haman said there is a certain people scattered and dispersed - why the double lashon - one implies physically dispersed and therefore we will never raise an army to defend ourselves - the other implies we cant get on with each other so the meforshim explain that Haman is already seeing the destruction of the next bet hamikdash - since we cant get along with each other and thats why he says we are no threat to Achashveiroush - not only scattered around but they also dont like each other - and thats why they will be destroyed.

Rav Yochanan Ben Zakkai   3760 - 3834 (Died 74 years old)

Torah is the real unity - Pirkei Avot asks, 'who is the honored person (Pirkei Avot 4:1)?' The answer is the one who honors others! This was very much represented by Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai, he was never seen walking 4 meters without learning Torah, yet he was the first to greet everyone in the market place (Berachot 17). Furthermore the great sage Shammai, stated 'greet everyone with a cheerful face (Pirkei Avot 1:15)'.
We further learn the lesson of smiling and being cheerful to other people from the Talmud, "When one shows his teeth (in a smile) to his fellow man, it is better than giving him milk to drink (Ketubot 111b)."

I leave you with a story, The Talmud tells of a Rabbi who was walking in the marketplace with the Prophet Eliyahu. The Rabbi asked the prophet, who among all the people in the market, has a place in the World to
Come? In this market place featured many great prominent business men, attendants, Rabbi's... At first Eliyahu could not find anyone, then two people looking like clowns entered the marketplace. The prophet identified them as the people worthy of the World to Come. The Rabbi wondered what important activity they were doing to
merit this precious reward, they replied to the Rabbi, "We are clowns," "We go to cheer up those who are upset." These two individuals would cheer up the shop attendants, when they saw they were upset due to a lack of business, they knew these people need cheering up (Taanit 22a). G-d rests his divine presence among those that are in a happy state!