Yishai and Malka Fleisher - INN Beit El and ITamar

bs"d

For a connection to Shemittah please see end of this post.

I just finished listening to a fabulous program on Arutz7 - Yishai and MAlka Fleisher. Their first guest was Yossi Maimon who spoke about Beit El also the home of Yishai and Malka Fleisher. Yossi mentioned that in Parshas Vayetzei this past weeks Parsha, Yaakov Avinu left his father's house and was confronted by Elifaz who was instructed by his father Eisav to kill him. Yaakov Avinu suggested to Elifaz that instead of killing him, that he give Elifaz all that he owned and Elifaz should spare his life. Elifaz agreed. It was in this penniless state that Yaakov Avinu laid down to rest with only rocks as his pillow. Yossi Maimon said that Yaakov Avinu was the first refugee. It was in this state, owning nothing of his own, Yaakov Avinu had a dream where Hashem appeared to him and promised him that He will be with him and that once again he will return him to this Land. Breishis Perek 28 Pasuck 13 "And behold! Hashem was standing over him , and He said "I am Hashem, G-d of Abraham your father and G-d of Isaac, the ground upon which you are lying, to you will I give it and to your descendants. Your offspring shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out powerfully westward, eastward northward and southward, and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you and your offspring. Behold, I am with you; I will guard you wherever you go and I will return you to this soil; for I will not forsake you until I will have done what I have spoken about you."

Yossi mentioned that if you go on top of the water tower in Beit El there is a magnificent view of all of Israel. On a clear day you can see the hills of Moav to the East and the Ocean to the West.

Yaakov Avinu returns 23 years later to the same place loaded down with posessions. In Perek 31 Pasuk 17 it says "Yaakov arose and lifted his children and his wives onto the camels. He led away all his livestock and all the wealth which he had amassed - his purchased property which he had amassed in Paddam-aram - to go to his father Isaac, to the land of Canaan."

Yaakov Avinu then prays to Hashem " Perek 32 Pasuk 10 "Then Jacob said "G-d of my father Abraham and G-d of my father Isaac; Hashem Who said to me "Return to your land and to your relatives and I will do good with you - "I have been diminished by all the kindnesses and by all the truth that You have done Your servant; for with my staff I crossed this Jordan and now I have become two camps. Rescue me, please from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him lest he come and strike me down, mother and children. And you had said "I will surely do good with you and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea which is too numerous to count."

Yaakov Avinu recognizes the miracle that has happened and that G-d has been true to His word. Yaakov Avinu has returned with much blessings, far from his original state at this site when he davened from Beit El with just his staff.


In Parshat Vayishlach, Yaakov Avinu fights with the Sar of Eisov and is victorious. At this point his name is changed to Yisrael. Yishai Fleisher pointed out that before, the name Yaakov represents someone that knows of his worth but has to somehow subversively keep claim to it. Now Yaakaov Avinu has earned the name that symbolizes dignity and self worth. Embedded in the name Yisroel is the word Sar which means prince. Yakov Avinu deals with Eisav and goes to settle in Shechem.

How fortunate are Yishai and Malkah Fleisher to live in Beit El constantly being reminded of the fulfillment of Hashem's promise to Yaakov Avinu . In fact Yishai Fleisher invited Yossi Maimon to a Hachnasas Sefer Torah on the hill of Beit El near the water tower, I believe today.

Yaakov Avinu settles in Shechem. How fitting that the program's next guest was Leah Goldshmidt of Itamar, a settlement facing Har Grizim and Har Eival overlooking Shechem. Leah mentioned that there is a very strong connection with the residents of Itamar and to Yosef Hatzadik. She discussed the Moshiach Ben Yosef and Moshiach Ben David. Yosef symbolizes material wealth. She said that ISrael today with it's many choices of leben have reached material wealth. It is now the time to bring Moshiach Ben David. The forces are out trying to prevent Moshiach Ben David's arrival. If I understood correctly, she said that the destruction of Yosef's tomb symbolizes the end of an era where Yosef(materialism) is the primary ruler.

She quoted Breishit Perek 48 Pasuk 22 "And as for me, I have given you Shechem - one portion more than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Emorite with my sword and with my bow". Leah said the Achad means that we, Am Yisroel must be united as one and even if many of our brethren do not see eye to eye. I am not sure I understand what Leah was suggesting by this.

My understanding is that according to Rashi, Yaakov Avinu says that he is giving to Yosef Hatsadik the extra Chelek portion that he received from Eisav. True, Beit David(from Shevet Yehudah) and Beit Yosef(from Shevet Efraim) must be united as one. The time has come for the Calev's of our generation(Calev was from Shevet Yehudah) to take a stand for our covenant and say that G-d has promised us the Land of Israel. In Yehoshua, Perek 14, Calev is not humble or timid. He is quite upfront and came with all the elders of Shevet Yehuda, with dignity to Yehoshua the Leader of Am Yisroel 7 years after the conquering of Eretz Canaan and the time when the Land was being portioned out to all the Shevatim.

In Yehoshua Perek 14 Pasuk 6) "The Children of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Yefuneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You are aware of the matter that Hashem told Moses, the man of G-d, concerning me and concerning you in Kadesh-barnea. 7)I was forty years old when Moses, the servant of Hashem, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him back a report as was in my heart. 8)My brethren who went up with me melted the heart of the people, but I fulfilled [the will of] Hashem, my G-d. 9)Moses swore on that day saying 'Surely the land on which your foot trod will be to you as a heritage, and to your children forever, because you fulfilled [the will of] Hashem, my G-d. 10)And now behold - Hashem has kept me alive as He had spoken, these forty five years, from the time HASHEM spoke this word to Moses when Israel went in the Wilderness; and now, behold, I am eighty five years old today. 11) I am still as strong today as I was on the day that Moses sent me. As my strength was then, so my strength is now for war - to go out and to come in. 12)So now, give me this mountain of which HASHEM spoke on that day, because you heard on that day that the Anakim were there and that the cities were large and fortified. Perhaps Hashem will be with me, and I will drive them out, as Hashem had spoken."

Calev was extremely upfront. He did not sound very humble when he talked about his strength and asked to conquer Hebron, a strong and fortified city, single handedly. His intention was to show that Hashem will fulfill the promise that He had made because Calev fulfilled the will of Hashem. Calev was so convinced that Hashem was with him because why else would Calev have retained his strength if not to single handedly take Hebron. What just came to mind was that in 1967, Hebron surrendered to a single chief Rabbi at the time).

How is this connected to Shmita? Hashem has promised us via our Avot, via the Covenant, Eretz Yisroel. This is fundamental to our Torah. Just like Calev spoke up for Eretz Yisroel we too must speak up for the Covenant and for the Mitzvot of the Torah. Yaakov Avinu was penniless when he had the dream of Beit El. Hashem promised that his offspring will inherit the Land. Yaakov Avinu knew that the promise Hashem made to him 23 years prior was becoming a reality. Now he actually had offspring and posessions while before he was single and penniless. Yaakov Avinu says Breishis, perek 32, pasuk 11 "Katonti Mikol Hachosadim".


Yishai Fleisher quoted from Vayikra Perek 26 Pasuk 13 the word Komemiyut anad translated it as dignity.

Komemiyut comes hand in hand with "following My decrees and observe My commandments" (Pasuk 1). This dependance is repeated again and again. In Parshas Behar when it talks about Shemittah and Yoveil it talks about security. Shemittah is the key for Kommeyut together with Yoveil. But for Yoveil we need to know who the tribes are and what their Nachala is. If we knew exactly what our nachala was, then we would all be displaced. If we found out that we were living in a Nachala that was not ours we would need to return it to the rightful owner in the Yoveil year. However, I am sure it would not be another disengagement void of dignity and pride. It would be with love, knowing that we are simply returning to the place we can best actualize our purpose on this earth. For this to actually happen, we need to first identify all the tribes and then act in unity.

How did Efraim rise to power to begin with? They stood up to Rechavim from the House of David when the Kingdom of David began to stray from the mitzvot and the Laws of Hashem Unfortunately, Efraim and the rest of the ten tribes also worshipped idols and strayed from the proper path. (See the Haftorah of Parshat Vayetzei) Hashem promises that He will not forsake Efraim.

Like Karbonot and all the other Mitzvot we can not do until we have a Beis Hamikdash, we yearn for Moshiach to come so that he can reveal to us our ancestral heritage.

How else can we keep the Mitzvah of Yoveil?

Yes we want to be disposessed.. but only by keeping the Mitzvot and not Chas Vesholom from other outside forces.

(translations from the Stone Edition of Chumash and the Rubin Edition of Yehoshua).