« Israel at 60 | Main | Who's the Jewish Movie Star? Take 4 »
May 08, 2008
The Promise Fulfilled
Painting depicts a number of well known Rabbis from previous generations dancing with Torah scrolls on Simchat Torah — the day of rejoicing with the Torah.
Pictured are:
Rabbi Yakov Yisrael Kanievski (known as the Steipler Gaon)
Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri
Chacham Yosef Chaim (known as the Ben Ish Chai)
Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzeira (known as the Baba Sali)
Moses ascended from the plains of Moab, to Mount Nebo, to the summit of the cliff that faces Jericho, and Hashem showed him the entire Land; the Gilead as far as Dan; all of Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh; the entire land of Judah as far as the western sea; the Negev and the plain—the valley of Jericho, city of date palms—as far as Zoar.
And Hashem said to him, “This is the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying 'I will give it to your offspring,' I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross over to there.”
So Moses, servant to Hashem, died there, in the land of Moab, by the mouth of Hashem. He buried him in the depression, in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, and no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eye had not dimmed, and his vigor had not diminished. The children of Israel bewailed Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the days of tearful mourning for Moses ended.
—Parshat Vezot Haberacha (Deuteronomy) 34, 1 - 8
Rashi, (1040 - 1105) the great French medieval commentator explains: Having blessed the people and prayed for them, Moses, the faithful servant ascended the mountain as he had been commanded (32:49). As he stood there, G-d showed him every part of the Land, the entire panorama of Jewish history that occurred at the places named in the passage. G-d prophetically showed Moses the entire Land of Israel, in its prosperity and under the oppression of future conquerors.
—The Stone Edition, published by Mesorah Publications
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at May 8, 2008 09:43 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
I believe this passage has been officially labeled as "racist" by the U.N. Human Rights Council... chaired by Syria.
Posted by: Jake at May 8, 2008 12:13 PM
Jake:
It's a sign of the times that it took me a good ten second to realize that this was a joke.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at May 8, 2008 03:42 PM
-- a beautiful picture of one of the Shuls in Tzfat
the person in front, holding the red Sefer Torah,
is the Chidah
it is interesting that you chose this picture,
as the Chidah's resting place is in Har HaMenuchot in Yerushalayim, and is the first structure visible upon entering the old cemetery
on a plaque within the domed structure,
it states that the Chidah left this world while he was in self-imposed exile in Livorno, Italy,
and was brought back to a final resting place in Israel (don't remember exactly what year in the sixties, but it was on the 2nd of Iyar, which was yesterday)
here is the legend of how his self-imposed exile came about (as recorded in a biography of the great Sefardi Kabbalist, the Rashash, Rav Sholom Sharabi) :
http://www.judaicaplus.com/tzadikim/tz_viewer.cfm?page=chidah.htm
may his return to his resting place on the 2nd of Iyar, after Israel became a nation and allowed for the return and gathering of the Jews of Exile,
herald the time of the Final Redemption,
and completely fulfill the promise that G-d showed Moses.
(see the last Rashi on Deuteronomy 34:2 in Robert's quote)
Posted by: exdemexlib at May 8, 2008 04:29 PM
" ... Chacham Yosef Chaim (known as the Ben Ish Chai) ..."
oops,
you're right
(time for the glasses with the lines ... ;-( )
here is a picture of the Chida, and you can see how he looks a little like the Ben Ish Chai
Posted by: exdemexlib at May 8, 2008 09:31 PM
Exdemexlib:
It's an easy mistake to make. I should have listed the Rebbeim earlier but i got called away on some work. Sorry.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at May 8, 2008 10:19 PM
Robert:
Yes, a sad joke. Anything that says the Jews belong in the land of Israel is being labeled as "hate speech" across the world.
Posted by: Jake at May 9, 2008 03:40 AM