Zohar - Parshat Chayei Sara - The Shechina in Exile - Waiting for the Rebuilding of the Temple

ZOHAR PARSHAT CHAYEI SARA (FOR 9 AV)

Daf 134a With Matok Midvash pp. 134-137

THE SHECHINA IN EXILE – WAITING FOR THE REBUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

The coming discourse is a continuation of what is discussed before this – that our forefather Abraham subjugated all the forces of the Kelipot (husks) below in order that they would not rule over the seed of Isaac, but rather that Isaac would have dominion over the nations. Regarding this it said – how much evil came to Israel through their sins that the matter was turned around and the nations ruled before the holy and the Temple was destroyed and the impure Chitzonim (external evil forces) rule over and swallow up Israel into themselves, and they get stronger each and every day, and Israel become increasingly weaker under their dominion, and piety and goodness is increasingly diminished. (Ramak)

Rabbi Chizkiya opened and said – to explain what is written (Isaiah 42:24) “Who gave Jacob for looters and Israel for plunders? Surely G-d is He, for we [sic] sinned against Him, and they [sic] did not desire to go in His ways and they [sic] did not listen to His Torah.” This means – who was the one that gave over Israel as spoils and as plunder [to the nations of the world]? Surely it was G-d that placed them in the exile, for they sinned against Him, and He paid them their recompense. And it precedes and says, come and see. From the time that the Temple was destroyed, blessings no longer rested in this world and abundance was withheld. So to speak it was withheld from above from the world of Atzilut and from below from the worlds Beriya and Yetzira. And all of the other lower levels of the Chitzonim get stronger and rule over Israel, since they caused this through their sins to destroy the Temple. For until the Temple was destroyed, an abundance of blessing was drawn into the world through the gate of heaven – which is positioned directly opposite the Temple.

And Rabbi Chizkiya said, this verse does not sit nicely with its order of its wording. For it is written, “Who gave Jacob for spoils?” Since it says “Who gave Jacob and Israel for spoils?” which is a hidden language, what does it mean to say, “We sinned against Him?” It should have said, “They sinned against Him.” [also] in a hidden language. [In Hebrew when expressing an action performed by someone we do not know, the Hebrew form of the verb is in the 3^rd person past tense i.e. “they” did the action. The verse in Isaiah expresses that we sinned. It should rather have expressed itself in the 3^rd person past tense to show that nobody can identify any particular person or people that sinned. In fact the second part of the verse “they did not desire” is written this way. The Zohar is questioning the strange make-up of the grammar used in this verse which begins with 1^st person plural and only later continues with 3^rd person plural past tense.] And if it said, “We sinned against Him,” if it already spoke in a language speaking about themselves, what does it mean, “They did not desire”? Why is it written again in the hidden language [i.e. 3^rd person plural past tense.] It should have written, “And our fathers,” as if speaking about themselves.

But rather, at the time that the Temple was destroyed i.e. when the external walls were destroyed, and afterwards the sanctuary was burned within, and the nation of Israel went into exile, the Shechina [Indwelling Divine Presence] wanted to uproot herself from her place above and to go with them into exile. She said, “I will go first to see my house and my sanctuary, and I will remember the places of the Kohanim and the Levites that served in my house, and I will eulogize and I will cry about the destruction and about those who were killed.

[The question of the Zohar regarding the grammar has still not been answered…]

Rabbi Elazar said, still Rabbi Chizkiya did not complete his words, and Rabbi Elazar interrupted him with an aid and additional explanation and said, “At that moment Knesset Yisrael – the Shechina – looked upwards, and she saw that her husband – Z”A was being removed from her and going further and further upwards. Therefore she went down and entered into the Temple and looked around at all the places to see if there remained any place for any aspect of service, that through it she could have any Yichud [joining] to awaken for her side upwards. And she saw that there did not remain any place at all for service. Then immediately her voice lifted up in crying, and her voice was heard crying above to Binah (as is written further, Daf 210a “What is BeRama? [lit ‘above’] This is the world above – the world to come.) And the voice of her crying was heard below, for the place of the Shechina is above and below. This is what is written, (Jeremiah 31:14) “A voice is heard on high, wailing, bitter weeping, Rachel weeps for her children.” For Rachel is the Shechina that cried [cries] because of the destruction of the Temple, and her voice of crying is heard above – which is Binah. Until here the words of Rabbi Elazar.

Now Rabbi Chizkiya returns to answer the difficulty of the language of the verse, and he said, Since the Shechina went down into exile with Israel to save them from the evil of the enemies and to guard them in their exile, she saw the troubles with her nation the children of Israel, and she saw the nations oppressing them [Israel] and treading upon them in exile, between the legs of the other nations. Then she [the Shechina] says, “Who gave Jacob to spoils…?” And they – the children of Jacob say to her, “It was not for nothing that they tread upon us, for surely it is G-d. We sinned against Him, and our sins caused us these stresses and troubles.” And she says, “They did not want to go in His ways and to listen to his Torah.” This means that the Shechina says that these children of exile are good and righteous and endure suffering and are not sinners. For this is the attribute of supernal mercy. That since they accepted upon themselves the judgment, they are considered like complete Tzaddikim [righteous]. It is only their fathers that already died – it is they that did not desire to go in His paths. And it is they that caused the bad and the destruction, and because of them, the children are suffering. To this it does not speak in an opposite manner, ‘You did not desire to go in His ways” but rather “They did not desire.”

And at the time in the future the Holy One Blessed be He will remember His nation Israel to take them out of exile! Then Knesset Yisrael – the Shechina – will return from the exile as in the beginning. And immediately she [the Shechina] will go to the Temple even though it is still destroyed. And the reason she will go there is because the Temple will be built first and she will go there to see it being built. And before its establishment the Holy One Blessed be He will say ‘Arise from the impure dust,’ these are the Chitzonim that you are lying in with the nation of Israel. She will return and answer the Holy One Blessed be He, ‘If the Temple is not built yet, what is there to be established?’ And this is what she says, ‘To which place shall I go if my house is still destroyed and my sanctuary is burned from fire?’ Until the Holy One Blessed be He will first build the Temple and He will repair the Sanctuary and He will build the city of Jerusalem. This means while He is still gathering Israel and comes with them from their exile, it will be found that the Holy One Blessed be He has already built the Temple and repaired the Sanctuary and built the holy city of Jerusalem. And afterwards the Holy One Blessed be He will cause the Shechina to arise from the dust, and a proof for this statement is, this is what is written (Psalms 147:2) “The Builder of Jerusalem is G-d,” which means in the beginning the Holy One Blessed be He will build the holy city of Jerusalem and included in it is the Temple. And afterwards He will gather in the dispersed of Israel i.e. He will say to the Shechina, (Isaiah 52:2) “Shake the dust from yourself,” from the Chitzonim, “Arise and sit Jerusalem…” i.e. the Shechina which is called Jerusalem. And then Israel will be gathered from its exile, and he adds to explain this is what is written, the Builder of Jersualem is G-d – in the beginning the Holy One Blessed be He will build Jerusalem and the Temple, and afterwards He will gather the dispersed of Israel from exile. And then He will heal the broken hearted bodies and will bandage their sadness – this is the resurrection of the dead. And it is written, (Ezekiel 36:27) “And I will place My spirit within you” – I will return the spirit of prophecy to you. “And I will make it that you follow My decrees and my judgments you will guard and do them.” This means I will awaken your hearts to go in My statues and to guard My judgments with a perfect and complete heart.

[May we merit the building of the Temple immediately with the coming of Moshiach and may all those who dwell in the dust arise and awaken. Amen!]

NOTES TO SIGNS USED IN FORMATTING:

Bold print: Original Zohar

Ordinary text: Matok Midvash

[Square brackets]: ELIYAHU ben PINCHAS

(Round brackets): Either the source being quoted e.g. Proverbs etc., or alternatively used to quote the kabbalistic language as discussed in Matok Midvash. The Matok Midvash formats the Nigleh side of things in an ordinary print, and the Nistar terminology in Rashi script. I’ve therefore put the Rashi script – the Nistar terminology in round brackets.

LENGTH OF THE EGYPTIAN EXILE

There seems to be a contradiction within the Torah (Chumash) itself concerning the length of the exile the Jews experienced in Egypt. In one Passuk, in the book of Bereishis, it seems to indicate that the exile lasted a period of 400 years. Whereas in another Passuk, in the book of Shemos (dealing with the Egpytian bondage) it is clear that the exile lasted a period of 430 years. We might think that, in the usual way of the Torah, a third Passuk might come about to reconcile the two views, and yet we hear of nothing that can adequately resolve this contradiction.

In fact, if anything, we do have a clear mention of the exile having lasted a total of 400 years from another external source. This final reference is perhaps the ultimate source of history – namely the Haggadah Shel Pesach. More than this, the Haggadah indicates that Hashem had actually calculated the end of the exile to coincide with this period of time. And yet, after all these views, it seems that we don’t have a firm grasp of the actual period. Why is there an apparent contradiction within these sources, and why, if anything, does the Haggadah quote an anonymous source adding additional details, when it seems the original two sources are contradictory enough?

Two sources clearly indicate 400 years, and a third source indicates 430 years. Which are we to follow? And which of these is the correct period of time? And were the Jews actually in the Egyptian Exile for 400 years, or is there perhaps a hint somewhere within the above sources, that the exile may have been shorter? An in-depth study of each of these sources will clearly indicate that none of them contradict any of the others, and in fact, even that that we consider as being 400 years of slavery was far from that.

AVRAHAM AVINU AND THE CONVENANT BETWEEN THE PARTS

Our first indication of the period of exile that the Jews were to undergo i.e. their first of four exiles, was told to Avraham Avinu at Bris Bein Habesarim – The Covenant Between the Parts. Avraham had just made an extremely close connection with Hashem and had been promised by the Creator of the world that his descendants would continue the heritage which he had taught, and would ultimately inherit the Land of Israel. Avraham wished to know if indeed this would be so, and so “challenged” Hashem by asking for a proof from Him. The Passuk reads as follows:

בראשית פרק טו

(יג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע כִּי גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ בְּאֶרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה:

“And (Hashem) said to Avram. You shall surely know (that this promise will be fulfilled) for your seed will be strangers in a land not theirs, and they (another nation) will enslave them and afflict them 400 years.”

The verse is clear. Hashem informs Avra(ha)m of the exile to be imposed upon his descendants. This was the Egyptian Exile. It was to last a total of 400 years.

SHEMOS: LOOKING BACK AT THE TIME OF EXILE

However in the book of Shemos (Exodus) we find a verse that seemingly contradicts the time of the exile. Here in telling about the actual length it states as follows:

שמות פרק יב פסוק מ

וּמוֹשַׁב בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יָשְׁבוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה:

“And the dwelling (time) that the children of Israel were in their stay in Egypt was 430 years.”

An apparently clear contradiction that the Bnei Yisrael remained in Egypt for 430 years. A clear discrepancy of 30 years against the very promise that G-d himself made with Avraham. How could this be?

THE HAGGADAH SHEL PESACH:
RECONCILIATION OR FURTHER CONFUSION?

In the Haggadah of Pesach, the following paragraph is said shortly after the 4 sons:

בָּרוּךְ שׁוֹמֵר הַבְטָחָתוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. בָּרוּךְ הוּא. שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חִשַּׁב אֶת־הַקֵּץ, לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּמָה שֶּׁאָמַר לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ בִּבְרִית בֵּין הַבְּתָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹּֽאמֶר לְאַבְרָם יָדֹֽעַ תֵּדַע, כִּי־גֵר יִהְיֶה זַרְעֲךָ, בְּאֶֽרֶץ לֹא לָהֶם, וַעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם אַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה: וְגַם אֶת־הַגּוֹי אֲשֶׁר יַעֲבֹדוּ דָּן אָנֹכִי. וְאַחֲרֵי כֵן יֵצְאוּ, בִּרְכֻשׁ גָּדוֹל:

“Blessed is the One who guards his promise to the Bnei Yisrael. Blessed is He. For the Holy One Blessed be He calculated the end to do just as he said to Avraham our father at the Covenant Between the Parts. Like it says: “And he said to Avram (that this promise will be fulfilled) for your seed will be strangers in a land not theirs, and they will enslave them and afflict them 400 years. And also the nation that will do the enslaving, I will judge. And afterwards, they will go out with great wealth.”

Although in the Haggadah, we can often identify exactly where the source of it is, this particular paragraph has no source. It is not in the Tanach. It is not in the Talmud, and it cannot be traced to any direct authentic Torah source. Yet we well know the truth of it (to be discussed later.)

In this source of the Haggadah, we clearly see that the famous verse of the Covenant Between the Parts is quoted, and that the exile was to last for 400 years. All is perfect, except for some strange wording within the paragraph. “…the Holy One Blessed be He calculated the end…”

Why are these words added, and what is their purpose? Hashem calculated the end. What does it mean that Hashem calculated the end? Surely He already knew the end, and no calculations were necessary. After all, it was either 400 years, or 430 years. It surely could not have been anything else. Or could it?! And perhaps herein lies the clue to our understanding of the different parts of exile that the Jews underwent during that period of suffering.

RASHI: CLARIFIER AND RECONCILER! DIGGING DEEPER.
A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE PROMISE MADE AT
THE COVENANT BETWEEN THE PARTS

In order to understand any area of Torah properly, it is not sufficient to read only the original text. We need something additional to the text that will help us uncover the true meaning of the text. Although there are many depths to Torah, it is still impossible to work through any part of it without the help of the foremost commentator who clarifies all parts of Tanach with a simple, insightful and clear meaning. This is Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki 1040-1105.) It is through his words that the above discrepancies will be reconciled to indicate that neither of our verses was contradicting the other, but rather, perhaps, elucidating exactly how they are all saying the same thing.

Rashi (Bereishis 15:13) in speaking about the promise made to Avraham, says the following:
רש"י בראשית פרק טו

(יג) כי גר יהיה זרעך - משנולד יצחק עד שיצאו ישראל ממצרים ארבע מאות שנה. כיצד, יצחק בן ששים שנה כשנולד יעקב. ויעקב כשירד למצרים אמר (להלן מז ט) ימי שני מגורי שלשים ומאת שנה, הרי מאה ותשעים, ובמצרים היו מאתים ועשר כמנין רדו, הרי ארבע מאות שנה. ואם תאמר במצרים היו ארבע מאות, הרי קהת מיורדי מצרים היה, צא וחשוב שנותיו של קהת, ושל עמרם, ושמונים של משה שהיה כשיצאו ישראל ממצרים, אין אתה מוצא אלא שלש מאות וחמשים, ואתה צריך להוציא מהן כל השנים שחי קהת אחר לידת עמרם, ושחי עמרם אחר לידת משה:

בארץ לא להם - לא נאמר בארץ מצרים אלא בארץ לא להם, ומשנולד יצחק (להלן כא לד) ויגר אברהם וגו', וביצחק (שם כו ג) גור בארץ הזאת, (תהלים קה כג) ויעקב גר בארץ חם, (בראשית מז ד) לגור בארץ באנו:

“FOR YOUR SEED WILL BE STRANGERS: Since the birth of Yitzchak until Yisroel (the Jewish people) went out of Egypt there was 400 years. How can that be? Yitzchak was 60 years old when Yaakov was born. And Yaakov, when he went down to Egypt (in answering Pharaoh as to his age) said (Bereishis 47:9) ‘the years of my sojourns are 130 years.’ Behold (altogether) are 190 years. And in Egypt there were 210 years as in the same amount as the Gematria of the word “Redoo” (meaning: Go down [to Egypt]) Behold, there are a total of 400 years.

“And if you say that they were in Egypt for 400 years proper (as in being enslaved for that entire time,) behold, Kehas (the son of Levi, and the grandfather of Moshe) was of those who went into Egypt. Go and count the years of Kehas and of Amram (the father of Moshe) and the 80 years of Moshe (his age) when they went out of Egypt – and even then, you will only find 350 years. And still, you need to subtract from them all the years that Kehas lived after the birth of Amram (i.e. the overlapping years,) and the years of Amram after the birth of Moshe (that were also overlapping.)

“IN A LAND NOT THEIRS: It does not say in the land of Egypt (i.e. that they were in Egypt all 400 years,) but rather in a land not their own. And from the birth of Yitzchak (further 21:34) ‘And Avraham sojourned…” and with regards to Yitzchak (further 26:3)‘sojourn in this land,’ (Tehillim 105:23), ‘And Yaakov sojourned in the land of Cham,’ (Bereishis 47:4) ‘to sojourn in the land, we have come.’

RASHI: CLARIFIER AND RECONCILER! DIGGING DEEPER.
SHEMOS: A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE ACTUAL LENGTH OF THE EXILE

Rashi (Shemos 12:40) comments on the actual length of the exile and says as follows:

רש"י שמות פרק יב פסוק מ

(מ) אשר ישבו במצרים - אחר שאר הישיבות שישבו גרים בארץ לא להם:
שלשים שנה וארבע מאות שנה - בין הכל משנולד יצחק עד עכשיו היו ארבע מאות שנה. משהיה לו זרע לאברהם נתקיים (בראשית טו יג) כי גר יהיה זרעך, ושלשים שנה היו משנגזרה גזירת בין הבתרים עד שנולד יצחק. ואי אפשר לומר בארץ מצרים לבדה, שהרי קהת מן הבאים עם יעקב היה צא וחשוב כל שנותיו וכל שנות עמרם בנו ושמונים של משה, לא תמצאם כל כך, ועל כרחך הרבה שנים היו לקהת עד שלא ירד למצרים, והרבה משנות עמרם נבלעים בשנות קהת והרבה משמונים של משה נבלעים בשנות עמרם, הרי שלא תמצא ארבע מאות לביאת מצרים, והוזקקת לומר על כרחך, שאף שאר הישיבות נקראו גרות, אפילו בחברון, שנאמר (בראשית לה כז) אשר גר שם אברהם ויצחק, ואומר (שמות ו ד) את ארץ מגוריהם אשר גרו בה, לפיכך אתה צריך לומר כי גר יהיה זרעך משהיה לו זרע. וכשתמנה ארבע מאות שנה משנולד יצחק, תמצא מביאתן למצרים עד יציאתן מאתים ועשר שנה, וזה אחד מן הדברים ששינו לתלמי המלך:

“THAT DWELT IN EGYPT: After other dwellings, since they had dwelt as strangers in (other) lands that were not theirs.

“430 YEARS: In counting everything (all the years) – Since Yitzchak was born until now there were 400 years. Since the time that there was seed to Avraham (i.e. that he had offspring) was fulfilled the promise (Bereishis 15:13) ‘for foreigners shall your seed be’ and 30 years had been since the (actual) decree of the (Covenant) Between the Parts, until Yitzchak was born. [In other words, it was at this point in time that the actual 430 years began since Avraham was already considered to be a foreigner.]

“And it is impossible to say that they were only foreigners in Egypt, since (we know) Kehas was of those who came with Yaakov (into Egypt.) Go (now) and count all the his years, and all the years of Amram his son, and the 80 years of Moshe, (even then) you will still not find them so much (to add up to 400. See Rashi in Bereishis above where Rashi clearly shows the calculation.)

“You must (also) say that there were many years to Kehas before he had gone down to Egypt. And there were many years of Amram that were included in the years of Kehas. And many of Moshe’s 80 years were included in the years of Amram. Behold, you will not find 400 years in their coming down to Egypt. And you are forced into saying this, since (the real point of the matter is that) even the other dwellings (of the Bnei Yisrael) were called “Geiroos” – sojourning, even in Chevron, like it says (Bereishis 35:27) ‘that Avraham and Yitzchak sojourned there.’ And it says (Shemos 6:4) ‘the land of their sojournings that they sojourned there.’

Therefore, you have to say that (the phrase where it says) ‘for your seed will be foreigners’ began at the time when he had seed (i.e. when Yitzchak, the first of his descendants, was born.)

And if you count 400 years from the birth of Yitzchak, you will find, that from their coming into Egypt, until the time of their leaving, 210 years. And this was one of the things that was taught over to Ptolemy the king.” (See translation and bold print to Rashi in Bereishis above.)

CLARIFICATION AND SOLVING THE PUZZLE

Rashi’s comment to the verse in Shemos clarifies for us what he had been discussing all along in his same comment in Bereishis. The two Rashi’s are both necessary and back each other up!

The Jewish people were destined to be slaves to Pharaoh for a period of 400 years. That is clear, and this is the exact promise that Hashem told Avraham at the Covenant Between the Parts. However, even Rashi admits that the actual period of enslavement only began when Yaakov went down into Egypt. Leaving only 210 years of enslavement. The real period of time of enslavement was actually 210 years. And even then, we are taught, that the real oppression only lasted for 86 years.

If so, it seems that there are even further contradictions. Were they enslaved for 400 years, 430 years, 210 years, or 86 years?! And if Hashem made a promise to Avraham that the enslavement was 400 years, then how do we reconcile all these views?

For this, the Haggadah Shel Pesach teaches us the most important line! Hashem calculated the end. In Hebrew the word for “end” is “קץ”. The Haggadah is hinting at something very important. The Gematria (numerical value) of the word “ketz” is 190. Since the Haggadah uses this word with this Gematria, it is coming to teach us something about the number 190 that was related to the original 400. If Hashem calculated the “ketz” it means that He used a method (know only to Him) to change the real duration of the exile. It was supposed to last for 400 years. But because of a change in the decree – due to the attribute of Mercy sweetening the judgment period, 190 years were removed from the original 400, thus leaving only 210 years of real exile!

This is clear. The total time of exile was supposed to last 400 real exile years. But Hashem – in His mercy – and after having ruled harshly – mitigated His judgment removing 190 years, bringing the “ketz”, the end, to a faster conclusion. The exile therefore ended up to be only 210 years.

But how did Hashem manage to make His promise remain, while still shortening the duration of it at the same time?! He had to count the 190 years somewhere. If the promise was to last for 400 years, then 400 years it would last! 190 years cannot just be done away with. This is what the Haggadah is saying. In His calculating those 190 years, he found a valid place to start them off. When would that be? At the very birth of Yitzchak exactly 190 years before! Indeed, Yitzchak was born on 15 Nissan, the exact same day the Jews left!

But if Hashem makes a promise that the Jews will be in exile for 400 years, then that must be, and they must be so! He cannot just make calculations according to any system of illogical thought. And so He does not! As the Pesukim state clearly, that from the time that Yitzchak is born, the Jewish people are in exile!

How do we reconcile the fact that they were not enslaved in Egypt for 400 years? No reconciliation is necessary. The promise the G-d made to Avraham was that they would be oppressed for this period of time, and not that they would be physical slaves in Egypt for this period of time. Although the promise may have indicated a possibility of being physically enslaved in Egypt for this period of time, it had a leeway manner of describing the enslavement. The enslavement did not have to be entirely under Egyption sovereignty. And because Hashem mitigated judgment with kindness, the oppression ended up being wherever the Jewish people found themselves in exile.

This period of time lasted a total of 400 years. Since even from the birth of Yitzchak, who was born in a land not owned by him i.e. Eretz Kenaan. While the land was eventually to become the property of the Jewish people (as it was so destined from the beginning of creation, see Rashi to Bereishis 1:1), at the time of Yitzchak’s actual birth, other people inhabited and owned the land. And since it was that Yitzchak did not own it, it was already considered that he was in a state of exile! Thereafter, all his children and grandchildren were also in a state of exile even up and until Yaakov physically entered the Land of Egypt. That total period of time lasted 190 years. Thereafter, the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt proper for a period of 210 years.

Thus, Rashi together with the Haggadah – answers all of our questions. All but one! Why then in Shemos, does it in fact say that the Bnei Yisrael were in exile for 430 years? Even if we go in accordance with all of Rashi’s explanations, that we can begin counting from the time that Yitzchak was born – and that he too was in exile, still that gives us only 400 years. What happened to the extra 30 that this Passuk teaches us actually existed?

By using the same “logic” that Rashi teaches regarding the exile of Yitzchak, being that he was in a land not his own, and therefore we could begin counting from his birth – so too can we extend that to Avraham.

From the time that Hashem makes the promise to Avraham (at the age of 70), 30 years before the birth of Yitzchak, Avraham is already considered a sojourner in a land not his! (Likewise see Bereishes 35:27) that Avraham was only a sojourner, never an owner, never a claimant to the property he was on. In such an instance he was truly in exile.

The Gemara in Megilla 9b teaches that in fact, because the Bnei Yisrael knew that they were to be in Egypt for 400 years, and since many of the tribe of Ephraim already began their counting of these years from the time of the Bris Bein HaBesarim, they left Egypt 30 years before everyone else, anticipating that the time of the redemption had arrived. The Gemara says that they were killed. It is true that the exile lasted 400 years – but that was only to begin from the birth of Yitzchak. Then, when the Passuk in Shemos teaches us that the entire exile lasted 430 years, it means to include the years of Hashems promise to Avraham at that time – 30 years before the actual birth of Yitzchak. Yet in truth, Hashem promises Avraham that it was only his descendants who would be enslaved for 400 years. Therefore the calculation of the 400 years was only to begin at the birth of his son Yitzchak – even though in accordance with Shemos, the total real enslavement began with Avraham 30 years before!

Because of these apparent difficulties and discrepancies, to anyone not focusing on the intricate depth of the discussion, it would seem that the Torah contradicts itself. It would seem therefore, that possibly the author was not G-d (Chas VeShalom) and that a human wrote according to his own will, making mistakes as he went along. The truth is that each figure of years was carefully chosen to describe different parts of the exile, from Avraham, to Yitzchak, to Yaakov – and to his children etc. None were contradictory, but merely explaining different aspects of exile.

Since this was the case, the Gemara describes a miracle that occurred in the days of King Ptolemy. The king had requested 70 of the leading sages to translate the Torah for him, so that he could understand it properly. Naturally, by human translation, everything would come out in a contradictory way – proving to the king that the Torah was fabricated by man. The Gemara states that Hashem caused a miracle and that all the sages translated the Torah exactly the same – to indicate it’s authenticity. But for one thing. On certain occasions, where the Torah is difficult to understand, and would not be understood correctly by everyone if it was not made absolutely clear, a miracle occurred and Hashem made it that all the sages wrote a translation which was not exacting to the meaning of the Hebrew words, yet each of them wrote the exact same words.

It was in this very place – with regards to understanding the length of the Egyptian exile, that one of those miracles occurred. The sages all translated this very verse as follows: “And the habitation of the Children of Israel which they dwelled in Egypt and in other lands was four hundred and thirty years.”

The sages thereby resolved all possible contradictions that could come about. The exile was indeed 400 years long, as it began with the birth of Yitzchak. It was also 210 years long, because that is when they entered into Egypt. But above all this, it was still 430 years long, because even the journeys of Avraham were included. And those journeys began 30 years before Yitzchak was born – right at the moment when Hashem made this very promise of exile to Avraham himself.

We should merit that just as Hashem mitigated all His judgements with mercy in making the Egyptian exile so much shorter than His original promise, so too should He calculate our ketz bringing the real and ultimate redemption to be immediately.

From Exile to Redemption - A Sefer Torah is Saved!

Pesach and Shavuos share a unique connection. It may seem that these two holy days are festivals in themselves, but there is a clear clue that they are linked. Sefiras HaOmer. As we count each day, we link these two festivals together. While Pesach is the festival in which the Jews were taken out of Egypt, it was for the purpose of receiving the Torah 50 days later that Pesach actually happened. Pesach is not a festival to itself. Shavuos too, is not a festival in itself. Each shares something of the other and both are intertwined and interlinked.

The number 4 is significant when talking about Pesach on the revealed level. The Haggadah and the Seder are all about the number 4. We drink 4 cups of wine. We ask 4 questions. There are 4 expressions of redemption spoken about. There are also 4 sons.

Just as the number 4 is so important for the Seder, it too shares a quality with another 4. Four generations. While the four sons represent various qualities of four different Jews, and even one Jew with four different qualities, it also represents four generations that are linked with each other. Four generations link a great-grandparent to a great-grandchild. And that brings me to the significance of this article.

My great-grandfather, HaRav Zelig Pinchas Shear must have been a special man. I never knew him personally, and neither did my father – who was named after him. But something of “his” found it’s way many years ago into my own hands.

My great-grandfather had been brought up knowing what Torah was all about! He studied in the famous Telz Yeshiva in Lithuania. The story I share certainly answers any questions I might have had about his level of scholarship and his fear of heaven. It shows his connection with Pesach, of leaving a country and fleeing, and bringing the Torah (literally) to another country – a receiving of the Torah elsewhere – Shavuos!

At the age of 32, he fled Lithuania, having already obtained Semicha from the famous Yeshiva. He arrived in South Africa and settled in that beautiful area of Uniondale in the Cape. A place that had no formal Jewish community. He literally became that community! He raised the finance; bought the property (my father actually has the title deed to the property), and built a most beautiful shul, its ceiling painted by an Italian artist, filled with the most exquisite design of stars and the heavens upon it. It still stands to this day and just a few years ago I travelled together with my father to see it, stand in it, and offer up a few prayers in this holy place. This place was where my great-grandfather had davened over 100 years ago. This was literally his shul.

In addition, my great-grandfather was a Mohel, having circumcised all of his 8 sons. He was also a Shochet. The shul premises also included a Mikvah and a Cheder (a room made for the sole purpose of teaching children).

From the stories I have heard of him, he was highly respected even by the non-Jews of the town. He apparently had quite a presence about him. A big man with a shining countenance. He was a powerful swimmer, and I heard a story about him diving in and saving somebody from the icy waters of his homeland. He became a successful shopkeeper and ostrich farmer, and in his spare time he would sit, spending most of his days immersed in his Torah books.

It seems the “shear” quality of Torah he was immersed in was filled with power. There was nothing fake about the Torah to him. It was real – every part of it. He wasn’t just a congregational Rabbi, or a good preacher of sorts. He knew what it meant to build an entire community, taking care of all its needs. More than this, he knew what it meant to be a presence even in a foreign environment amongst non-Jews.

Through the stories told by my grandfather, we knew that to him, his Torah was his most important asset. It was life itself. And when he fled from Lithuania, he brought with him a Sefer Torah, which he used in his Shul. We later found out that he had brought out , not one, but indeed three Sifrei Torah. We had always wondered what had happened to the Torah used in the shul, but the thought of locating it never entered our minds, until my Grandfather passed away, and my father decided to trace a family tree to perpetuate his memory.

The events leading to the discovery of one of these holy relicts prompts me to realize just how true it is of what the Baal Shem Tov teaches, that G-d leads events in the world exactly as He wishes them to be. This concept – Hashgachah Pratis – “individual Divine providence” extends even to the way in which a leaf falls from a tree. Not only does G-d want the leaf to fall from the tree, but He even orchestrates the exact path it must take to reach the ground. As the well known story is told, when a Chassid of the Baal Shem Tov asked his Rebbe if this really was true, the Baal Shem Tov looked at a leaf on the ground and asked the Chassid to lift it up ever so gently. In so doing, the Chassid noticed a tiny worm hidden underneath it. The Baal Shem Tov told the Chassid that the worm was in need of some shade, and so G-d had orchestrated all of creation, the winds and trees, the branches and leaves, to blow a certain way, so as to cause the leaf to land directly on top of the worm, in order to give it shade.

If G-d can take such care for the detailed providence of a worm, surely He is involved in every moment – and every movement – of a human being.

And so did the events occur. My father used to run a computer school from his home. In fact, one of his pupils was the son of the country Rabbi of South Africa. My father mentioned to him that he was compiling a family tree, and casually asked him, being the Country Rabbi, whether he knew of the little shul in Uniondale, and if there was any chance of locating the Torah used there. Imagine his surprise when the Rabbi replied that he indeed knew the Shul well, and the Sefer Torah just happened to be on his desk in his office. He said that it was a special Torah, being small in size and portable, and for those reasons, when the last Jews had left Uniondale, and the Shul had closed its doors, the Torah had been saved and had been used in the South African army. My father immediately realized and knew instinctively that this Torah must be the very one which had belonged to my great-grandfather! It had come all the way from Lithuania, and was now in the possession of this Rabbi – who by “shear” coincidence was the father of a pupil of my father’s!

It was not long after this, that the ownership of this Torah was established, and it was given back to us to be a part of our lives once again. This in itself was an absolute miracle! How could all of these events happened in such a way – and that in fact, a Torah – which may well have been Hefker (ownerless) actually found it’s way back into the hands of it’s “owner”?

It is a beautiful Sefer Torah. I must admit that it doesn’t look like much on the outside though. It seems that it was still protected by the original cover that it had when taken from Lithuania. And the columns of writing are really not that neat either! In fact, the columns are all of different sizes. Some have long lines running across the parchment, and others have short lines made of just a few words. Far from the perfection of Sifrei Torah that we have today, which are precisely written on only the best parchment! Our Sefer Torah had a slightly yellowy and even darker color in certain places.

Our Sefer Torah is no king in size! It’s rather sweet. One can easily hold it and carry around with one. When I made Aliyah with my new wife at the end of 2006, I brought it on the plane with me. As Divine Providence would have things, the plane wasn’t full, and the air hostess saw three open seats next to each other, and allowed us to sit in them. It was wonderful to see this Sefer Torah finally on a journey to the Holy Land strapped in its seat with protected seat belt.

Our Torah has been with us for quite a number of years already. I’ve danced around with this beautiful “jewel” of holiness on many Simchat Torahs. Unfortunately through the years, we’ve never really known whether it was Kosher or not, so we’ve never used it. How many years it could have been since it was last used is impossible to say. But the Halachah states that one may not use a Sefer Torah unless every one of it’s letters is present and Kosher. That being the case, and being unable to afford to check it, we have simply kept it with us without making use of it.

Sadly, our “Queen” has had to have the shame of having a piece of cloth tied around her on the outside, warning all outsiders of the possibility of its “inferior” status by not being Kosher. And so our queen has remained, very often at times, all by herself, and alone - separated from all the mighty kosher Torahs it would stand next to in the shuls she was left in. Our queen seemed less loved than the other Torahs. On those wonderful Simchat Torah occasions, I remember my joy at being able to carry her around and around. But when they would hand her out to others to share in the Simcha, they didn’t seem quite as excited. Usually she was given to the children to carry – because it would be easier for them. They of course wanted the “bigger” Torahs! The one’s with the beautiful pure white coverings on – not some simple blue covering with a Magen Dovid on it looking like it’s about to fall off!

We had tried getting help to have the Torah queen checked, but lacking the financial means to do it ourselves made things difficult. Well, I suppose, what with a Sefer Torah 150 years old, who would want to check it?! Perhaps it would be a waste of time, and a waste of our money.

When I arrived in the Holy Land, I had enquired about having it checked, and met with quite a few responses. One person told me that it was absolutely forbidden for me to have in my home and that I should immediately get it buried! He was adamant about this, and felt quite disgusted and irritated with me that I had even thought of bringing it to Israel when I had no place for it here. And after all, it’s 150 years old! I recall another person telling me on the phone – without so much as being prepared to look at our queen, that we should see to it that she would be buried immediately!

It seems that Divine Providence won the battle again. Things were not meant to be the way “others” see them. If my great-grandfather had considered this Torah to be inferior to the other two he had brought out (which we have never been able to locate), maybe he would not have brought it with him in the first instance! What chance could there have been of bringing three Sifrei Torah with him aboard a ship?! What would be the chances of success? Better bury the Torahs in Lithuania. Write new ones in South Africa – everything will be just fine there! Why should he concern himself with a small Torah that appears inferior to its bigger sisters? There must have been a reason. Again Divine Providence comes into the picture.

But my great-grandfather knew well what the value of a Torah is. In fact, he knew the value of this particular Torah years before he left Lithuania! And this has only become apparent recently.

I found a wonderful Sofer in Jerusalem, who upon hearing of our Queen, came over to our apartment, not even wanting us to move the Torah a few meters! He felt honored to be able to be the one who could take a look at this wonderful holy jewel. He opened the Torah up and quite quickly glanced through the Torah, tapping the parchment in various places to see that the ink was still attached to it. It seemed like a fuller check was necessary, but the good news was that the Torah was in excellent condition! It could easily be repaired and made use of again!

The Sofer explained everything to us. In those days long ago in Lithuania, when the Jews had to pay for pieces of parchment, they were required to work with whatever sizes they could afford and purchase at the time. As a result, when it came to writing, they would make use of each piece as best as they could. They did this by writing long lines at times, and shorter lines at other times, in order to make sure that every part of the parchment was used. Our question regarding the odd size of the lines had been answered. What could he tell us regarding the parchment itself? It was in excellent condition. They knew how to purchase in those days! And they bought only the best!

We were ready to have the Torah checked. Now, we needed a beautiful cover made for her. We posted some requests on various Jewish Newsgroups on the Internet asking if anyone would help with this project of ours. We had no idea who to contact, and we lacked the financial means to pay too. But we were prepared to take things one step at a time. First we would need to find someone who could design a cover.

One lady responded. Not only did she respond, but she was filled with a Simcha I cannot relate in words. She wanted the job! There would be no cost attached. Just the cost of the materials themselves. She was proud to be able to take part in restoring a Sefer Torah to a useable state!
I told her a little about the size of the Torah, and she asked me a few questions. Suddenly, she shouted out in excitement that she couldn’t wait to become involved in this project.

Our small, inferior-looking Queen had been neglected, but was at last beginning to reveal her true value through the kindness and sincere faith of some people sent to us by Divine Providence.

This wonderful lady told us that she knew of only two others similar Torahs. She said that these Torahs are called "Pogrom Torahs" because they were *especially* written this way in order to be carried around when the time would come. In other words, it wasn't just that they didn't have enough paper or couldn't afford bigger parchment etc., but that the Sofer - and all those that took part in the making of the Torah - did so because they knew they would eventually have to flee in the pogroms, and they obviously wanted to make sure they had a Torah with them. These Torahs are very precious indeed. And my great-grandfather had realized this years ago in distant Lithuania, and this was the reason that he had preserved it and brought it out with him to South Africa. The truth was that this Torah had been written exclusively to be able to continue teaching Torah under the most oppressive conditions. It would be able to be transported around the world with ease. This insignificant Torah – the “ugly duckling”, actually deserved a place of honor in its role of perpetuating the Jewish religion.

And now, back to the festival of Pesach – a time of fours. Great-grandfathers to great-grandsons. Shavuos, a time to receive the Torah. Which Torah will we choose to receive this year? Will it be the kind that is externally big and beautiful, or will we perhaps think again. Perhaps we’ll choose the Torah which seems rather small. In fact, it may even have a “band” tied around it, seemingly indicating some sort of inferior status. But maybe, inside this Torah, there is far more good, kindness and truth. It just takes a little patience to see behind the mask of materiality. The mask that calls out in words of holiness “I am greater”. Perhaps, with just a little patience, we can dig a little deeper to find that hidden amongst the thorns lies a rose.

The story is told of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Chananya. Caesars daughter once chanced upon the physically ugly looking Rabbi. “Shame, such beautiful wisdom in such an ugly vessel,” she told him. He replied “My daughter, in what type of vessels does your father keep his wine?” Said Caesars daughter “in earthen vessels.” “What then is the difference between you father and the common people,” he asked. After asking him where they should be kept, he replied “People as important as you should keep their wine in gold and silver vessels.” She notified her servants to make the change, and the wine was transferred to the beautiful gold vessels. The wine turned sour. Caesar was angry! He asked her why she did this, and when told it was the doing of Rabbi Yehoshua Ben Chananya, he summoned him. Rabbi Yehoshua explained to Caesar that he was simply giving the same advice to his daughter as she had given to him.

Shavuos – a time for self refinement to finally set it. After 49 days of counting the Omer, and working on improving character flaws, we can finally enjoy and reap the rewards. Modesty is beautiful. It shines. But its light is only available to those prepared to see it. A Sefer Torah, small and hidden. For so many years considered to be worth nothing. Considered to be deserving of burial. Yet some human beings had the patience to see its worth and its light! Finally, after 150 years, our Queen is on her way to being restored to her fullest beauty. She does not do this for herself though, but so that each of us can recognise what she truly is all about, so that each of us will appreciate what true goodness, kindness and beauty is all about.

“כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה" “All the goodness of the daughter of the King is inside” (Tehillim 45:14)

For those reading this article and wish to partake in the project of restoring this Sefer Torah to a completely usable status - which includes a comprehensive check - or for those wishing to contribute to aid in purchasing a beautiful Aron Kodesh for the Torah to be used in the Yeshiva, please would you donate - whatever you are able to - by clicking on the button below. Thank you so much!