It is filled by a multitude of anonymous snakes that are more deadly than the cobra. They entice us by claiming that not all of its fruits are forbidden. The snakes claim that if one navigates his way very carefully one is able to avoid its poisonous fruit and even use it for Torah study. They point to the many healthy, delicious, and permitted fruits growing on the tree. They claim that they cannot do us any harm and will actually help us expand our knowledge of the universe. The clever snakes urge us to check it out and see for ourselves. They entice us to click the mouse and take a taste of some of its amazing educational sites. All it takes is a little push of the finger and we’re connected. What we see is truly mind-boggling. We begin surfing through a world we knew little about. At first it seems mehadrin min hamehadrin. That’s because the snakes hide under the rocks so that we can’t detect them.

It all begins when we least expect them, starting with just one little bite and then another, and another. We go from place to place and are truly impressed at what we see. It’s absolutely amazing! Everything seems fine and dandy until suddenly, just by chance, a forbidden image suddenly appears on our screen out of nowhere. How it got there nobody knows. We try to look the other way but our head refuses to turn. The enticing image seems to exert a hypnotic power and pull upon our eyes and brain. The damage has been done. We’ve been bitten by the snake’s deadly fangs. The poisonous image remains with us forever. It’s deeply imbedded in our brain cells and there is no way we can make it disappear no matter how hard we try. The snake has sunk its deadly fangs and implanted its poisonous venom into our brain. The snakes go on to vilify and slander even the greatest tzadikim of the present and past generations and to attack all that is sacred and holy to us.

Like the tree of knowledge of ancient times which brought death and destruction upon the world, today’s modern version once again threatens to destroy modern civilization with its hate filled pages. While Adam and Chava had only one snake and one tree to contend with, today the trees and snakes have multiplied at an enormous rate. Snakes are very clever and continuously shed their skin so that we shouldn’t be able to recognize them. They attack us like Amolek did, when we are least expecting him, and when our belief in Hashem has been weakened.

While many businesses require that we trek through this dangerous jungle, we must be careful to use adequate filters and not let our curiosity get the best of us. Never lift up a rock, for it may have a snake lying underneath. Keep away from the sewers that are full of dangerous poisonous blog rats that carry a deadly virus that can kill millions. Always remember that you are playing with high voltage live wires. One mistake and you are zonked. Curiosity killed lots of cats. The only way to kill a snake is to step on its head.

As the Mashiach draws closer, the Satan does everything in his power to delay his coming. That’s because he knows that the day he arrives he’ll be put to death.

Yet, while man was granted these five wonderful gifts, in truth he received only a very limited amount of each one of them. The colors man can see are limited to only a few different colors making up the electromagnetic spectrum. Our eye can see only certain wavelengths of light. All the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum such as those waves that are longer than red light called infrared, or those that are shorter than violet light called ultra violet, cannot be seen by the human eye. Scientists believe that there are bees and other creatures whose eyes are very different then ours and that they can see certain colors that we cannot. One wonders what beautiful colors we are missing out on.

The same is true about our hearing. Our hearing is not all that great and many animals, birds, and fish can hear lots of sounds that we can’t seem to hear. Our ears can only pick up certain frequencies. We can only hear sound vibrations from about 50 cycles to about 20,000 cycles per second. Anything below or above is inaudible to our ears. Dogs as well as dolphins and many other creatures have far better hearing than man. The same is true about our sense of smell. A bloodhound can smell far better than even man’s most sensitive nose. In fact, scientists have found that even a small ant is able to detect thousands of different smells that we are unable to smell.

Yet man, using his intelligence, has been able to build instruments and machines to detect and explore much of the world that he can’t see, feel, hear, taste or touch with his very limited five senses. He has built a tape recorder that can detect many of the sounds that his ear cannot hear. He has built large radio telescopes that can listen to signals from outer space that no ear is able to detect. He has built a Geiger-counter to sense radiation that his senses never knew existed. He has built a compass to detect the earth’s electromagnetic field that he could never have known existed if not for the fact that the compass’s needle points it out to us.

And so, while man has been granted these great gifts, he must be very careful that they are not taken away from him. When the snake sinned by convincing Chava to taste from the forbidden fruit, it was punished by losing its own sense of taste and would now find its food tasteless. Certainly a horrid punishment for anyone who enjoys the millions of different delicacies that are out there. When Shimshon used his eyes to look at what he wasn’t permitted, he lost his great gift of sight and was blinded by the Plishtim.

Yet the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos tells us that all the pleasures that one can enjoy in a lifetime on this world, don’t come close to even one hour of the pleasures awaiting us in the World to Come. No prophet has ever been able to see or describe these pleasures to us because it would be impossible for him to comprehend them with the five senses.

The only pleasures man can comprehend are those derived from seeing, tasting, feeling, touching or smelling. Try explaining to a blind man the great joy of seeing a beautiful painting or scenery. Try explaining to a deaf person the great joy one gets when listening to a great symphony orchestra. Try explaining to someone who has no taste buds the great pleasure derived from eating food. No matter how well you could explain it to them they will not understand what you are talking about.

In order to properly understand the great sensations and pleasures found in Gan Eden, one needs certain senses that we don’t presently possess. Words or descriptions alone cannot properly convey their meaning.

This may be why the Torah does not describe the great reward that awaits those who study the Torah and keep the mitzvos properly.

To better understand the great pleasurable sensation of Gan Eden, our Chachomim describe it as “tzadikim sitting with crowns upon their heads and enjoying the presence of the Shchina.” The great pleasurable sensation of love for Hashem will be so intense that it simply cannot be described with words.

But in order to merit this unbelievable world, one must make the proper preparations for it right now. Only through the study of Torah and the performance of the mitzvos will we merit this spectacular world. Only those who have prepared during the week will merit to enjoy the World to Come. So let’s all make sure that we too will have a share.

Words in the hands of a brutal dictator like Hussein or Hitler have been instrumental in murdering millions around the world.

Before you pull the trigger, make sure you have no deadly bullets loaded inside your mouth. Often we believe that our gun is empty even though it contains live ammunition. Dovid Hamelechwisely compares the deadliness of words to the swift shots of arrows. Had he lived today he would surely compare them to a nuclear explosion. Let’s just remember that while bombs kill only in this world, lashon hora andhotzo’as shem rah kill one for eternity, for the Rambam states that those who are guilty will not be allowed to enter Gan Eden.

Only when we begin to realize that the spread of gossip can be more devastating than an atomic explosion and its invisible radiation has killed more people than all the wars in history, will we put an end to this horrid sin.

Words are alive, and can be shot like a gun,

their aim is so deadly they can harm anyone.

Once they’ve been said, we’ve lost all control,

and if they are bad they’ll harm our soul.

Words said with hatred can easily inflame,

while words uttered with love can ease someone’s pain.

Words said with cunning can be used to deceive,

while words of wisdom can be used to appease.

Words can be shouted, words can be yelled,

words like sharp arrows are swiftly propelled.

Words show if we’re clever, or reveal a fool,

words are a human’s most valuable tool.

So make sure to think, before each word you say.

Let us not give, our olom ha’bo away.

It’s better to burn in a fiery flame,

than in public to cause our friend any shame.

Words can build and words can destroy,

or words can be pleasant and words can annoy.

Words can bring honor or bring abuse,

the words that we say, we must carefully choose.

Words are man’s special possession,

words are a mind’s verbal expression.

Don’t carry gossip, watch what you say,

never speak evil, in school or at play.

Words should be used in an encouraging way,

remember to say “Have a nice day.”

Make sure to greet those in your sight,

And always remember to be polite!

Words said with a smile, can make sad hearts glow,

it can make you a friend, out of a foe.

Words can bring sorrow, words can annoy,

words that are kind will bring people joy.

Words spoken at random without any rules,

are statements of nonsense uttered by fools.

If the value of words were a thing we could count,

then silence is worth twice the amount.

If we think before we utter each word,

then our tefillos in Heaven will surely be heard.

If we answer omein with our full heart,

it will tear a bad decree completely apart.

Words bring us closer, words can repel,

words can make friendships, words can expel.

With words one can help, a poor man in need,

and with words of compassion we’ll always succeed.

Words are like houses they can contain,

sacred meanings or the profane.

If we want them to reach, Hashem up above,

pack them in fear and wrap them with love.

Sticks and stones break only one’s bones,

but words can destroy all that one owns.

Sound travels quickly and reaches afar,

so make sure you’re never, motzei shem ra.

A word can bring sorrow, a word can be fun,

a heavy heart lightens when hearing a pun.

A word of reproach is a waste on a fool,

but a word to the wise is a powerful tool.

Words can be friendly, words can bring joy,

words can depress and words can destroy.

Words can elate, words can incite,

words can bring peace so that brothers won’t fight.

Words are compared to the Heavenly rain,

they can be beneficial or cause much pain.

When words that are nasty at others are hurled,

they’ll come back to haunt us, in the next world.

So be sure what you say, is pleasant and kind,

for the words that you utter reveal your true mind.

Words comfort a friend; words teach things you know,

sharing warm words is how friendships can grow.

Unfortunately, much of what people pass on as magical cures are based on such pseudo-scientific evidence. Chinese herbs as well as homeopathic products and many vitamin producers make extensive claims exulting their miraculous powers and even provide lots of supposed “evidence” and “testimonials” telling of their fascinating curative powers.

Little do people realize that for thousands of years, long before there were any antibiotics to cure diseases, people often recovered from many dangerous sicknesses on their own. All they needed was some tea and bed rest. That’s because Hashem made the body produce its own anti-bodies that would fight bacteria and viruses. In fact, the entire theory of vaccination is based on inducing the body to produce its own antibodies to fight the disease. Sometimes this is done by injecting the body with a weak form of the virus and sometimes by injecting the body with a dead or similar less deadly form of the virus.

Let’s remember that quack medicine is nothing new and has a long history. To get a better look at what’s happening out there I would suggest you read the excellent book written by Stephen Barrett, M.D. and William Jarvis, Ph.D. entitled “The Health Robbers.”

Homeopathy, which has become very common nowadays, is based on the theory that very tiny amounts of certain natural substances stimulate the body’s healing process. While some studies suggest that homeopathic remedies work, mainstream doctors and medical researchers consider it outright quackery. Unfortunately, the law allows the sale of quack remedies unless the FDA proves them harmful.

With the discovery of electricity, people began building all sorts of electric and magnetic contraptions claiming they possessed miraculous healing powers. Today, there are some that claim to have special computer programs that can detect all a person’s medical problems and even prescribe a remedy. There are others that claim to have magical healing powers in their hands that can even cure the incurable. Unfortunately, the desperate will always cling to a straw in the hope that it will bring salvation. One can find a large collection of stories about such devices in the book “Tales of Medical Fraud from the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices” by Bob McCoy.

Just recently I saw an advertisement claiming to cure people from “Geopathic stress,” which is supposedly caused by electromagnetic radiation. Some quack claims that her positive energy treatments remove the negative effect caused by this terrible harmful radiation. She also make other outrageous claims such as being able to cure Cancer etc. etc..

As long as there is lots of money to be made selling these supposed miracle cures, there will always be someone providing a product and suckers to bite the bait. Companies spend millions of dollars advertising their products in health magazines and convincing people of their great effectiveness. The government has done little to protect consumers against their misrepresentation and false claims. The few government laws that do exist can easily be circumvented by the use of clever deceptive wording on the label of these products.

So before you take out your wallet and spend your hard earned money, make sure you’re not buying any snake oil or other mysterious worthless concoctions.

This raises a most difficult question. Throughout the centuries, there surely were thousands of converts to Yiddishkeit, yet we don’t find much mention of them at all. Nor do we find any of them meriting such an unbelievably great reward because of their conversion. Certainly we don’t find them deserving of the crown. Why is Rus any different? Why is she singled out for such a great reward for her conversion. After all, can there be a greater reward than Melech Hamoshiach himself! It also seems a little odd that malchus Yisroel should have its origin tainted with foreign Moavi blood. The Moavi nation caused the Jews plenty of trouble in the midbar and then again when they refused to give us food and water when they passed by. She came from Bolok, one of our arch-enemies, who had caused many problems for us. Who was this strange convert that was able to infiltrate the highest level of Klal Yisroel, into the house of royalty itself? Getting such a great reward just for a simple conversion is most difficult to comprehend!

In order to fully understand this strange phenomenon, let us examine the circumstances surrounding her conversion. Rus was the daughter of Eglon Melech Moav (some say she was a granddaughter). She was a princess. She was next in line to become queen. Instead of remaining home in the luxury and comfort of her father’s palace, she follows a poor, penniless broken woman. Her own husband died. There was no motivation of love. Nomi was penniless. There was no motivation of money. In fact, she was sacrificing her own great glorious future. She was giving up her rights to queendom.

What does she see in Yiddishkeit? Only death. Only tragedy. A life of sadness. A life of pain and suffering. Nomi’s husband is dead. Machlon and Kilyon are dead. Nomi herself is turned from riches to rags. All she ever sees is sorrow and pain. All she sees is tragedy and suffering. Why should she want to become a Jewess? She has a life of riches, honor and royalty waiting for her back home! Instead she accepts poverty. She relinquishes her rights to the throne, all because she is convinced of the real truth. What a great and amazing sacrifice! What unbelievable character . We don’t find people converting to Yiddishkeit when the chips are down. There were no converts during the Holocaust. When things are going badly, nobody wants to become a Jew. Certainly Rus was aware of the ravaging hunger that had caused her mother-in-law Nomi to run away from Bais Lechem. Eretz Yisroel was no tourist attraction.
She also must have been informed and well aware of the unwelcome attitude Jews took to converts from her nation, Moav. A man no matter how sincere his motive, was not given a royal welcome. Even if he was the finest and nicest most honest man around, he would still not be permitted to marry a Jewess- ‘d ldwa ia`ene ipenr `ai `l. The Torah absolutely forbids a Moavi from intermarring into Klal Yisroel. While he could convert and become a Jew, he could only marry another convert. And there are no exceptions! Surely she couldn’t have been impressed with such racism toward her race!

Many leading Rabbis claimed that the Biblical prohibition of intermaRRIGE included women as well. There was absolutely no precedent to follow. No Moavi woman had ever married a Jew. She was the first test case. She would have to undergo strong court battles to be accepted. She certainly would be met with ridicule and derision, even possible harassment. (Generations later, Dovid still suffered from this harassment and derision.) She certainly couldn’t expect any royal welcome or ten-gun salute. The daughters of Moav had already caused the Jews enough trouble in the midbar by enticing them with z’nus. Twenty-four thousand Jews died in a plague on their account. No wonder many Jews resented them and probably thought they had a legitimate right to totally reject even their women. Hadn’t everybody refused to offer the Jews food and water as they were passing by on their way into Eretz Yisroel? The women hadn’t acted any better than the men. The gemorrah finds an excuse for the women by stating that going out to feed others is only a man’s obligation and not a woman’s. Not everybody accepted this reasoning.

Even though a female Moavi was permitted to enter into the folds of Klal Yisroel certainly no one would marry her. Who wants to get himself messed up in a rabbinical dispute? Who would want to get involved in a problematic and doubtful situation? How would she ever find a willing mate? She had too many strikes against her. Her personal genealogy stemmed from Eglon and Bolok, two terrible reshoim that the Jews had killed. Anybody who would check her ancestry would certainly run the other way. Who needs problems? Who wants to be treated like a reject? Who needs all these troubles?

She could return to her father’s palace and be wined and dined in royalty. Religion? She could still remain religious in her own home. Who stopped her? Basya, Pharoh’s daughter, had learned to cope with these problems when she converted. Surely her father would allow her to have an extra set of kosher dishes. He could afford it! What don’t you do for a daughter, even if you believe she has gone astray. There’s always hope she’ll wise up and drop her foolish idealism.

Let’s take a look for a moment how the Jews treated her family. It was a shofet by the name of Eihud, who had sneakily murdered her own father (or grandfather) Eglon, in the privacy of his own palace and then escaped with his life. She should have been filled with contempt and hatred for the people who were guilty of the murder of her father!

Naomi put it to her straight. She withheld no punches. Judaism requires full disclosure of all details. It’s not a religion looking for converts.In fact, our chachomim warn us that converts are actually thorns in our sides. Who wants a pain in his side? Rus must be given all the facts before she can be accepted as a true convert. It wasn’t like today’s Reform rabbis that give you an instant conversion kit and for an extra $25 you get a gold certificate along with it. Nomi paints in vivid detail all the difficulties faced by a Jew. There are 613 mitzvos. Her entire social life would be destroyed. She couldn’t go to any theaters. No swimming at mixed beaches. No membership at prestigious private social clubs. Her menu would be restricted. All the delicious dishes she was so used to eating back home were out. She couldn’t even eat in her own parents’ home. No working or even riding on Shabbos. Nearly all her great enjoyments and pleasures in life would be eliminated. They are against the Jewish lifestyle. A Jew lives a totally different life. There are 365 negative commandments altogether. How would she ever be able to keep so many?

And woe to her if she transgresses just one of them. The punishments are very harsh. You get a hard lashing for intentionally eating even the tiniest bug. For drinking a glass of water on Yom Kippur or eating a small piece of bread on Pesach, the penalty is death by G-d. Eating a scrumptious meal at her parents’ home could even bring death, all depending on the ingredients it contained. Even intentionally lighting a match on Shabbos can get you stoned to death. What tough, brutal and harsh punishments for such seemingly simple offenses. It was serious business. Even if absolutely no one saw you transgressing a law, and the court could not punish you, G-d would eventually catch up with you, and give you what you deserve. There was absolutely no hiding from Him. You can’t get away with anything. Even death doesn’t solve or end all problems. There are special cemeteries for those who are killed by the court. You can’t even be buried near your loved ones. This is a scary situation. No, it’s not easy to be a Jew! And for what?

Every nation hates the Jews. You are looked down upon by everyone. You are downtrodden and despised. You want to join a nice fancy health club and they turn you down because you’re a Jew. Who needs it? Who wants it? Go home and live it up! Who needs this entire mess? Why look for problems?

Yet she is stubborn. Unbending. Unyielding. Nothing in the world can stop her. All Nomi’s arguments fall on deaf ears. She doesn’t want honor. She doesn’t want glory. She doesn’t want luxury. She doesn’t even want to be a queen. All she wants is to be a Jew. She’d rather live a life of poverty and misery and serve the real G-d. Queen? King? Palace? She’s just not interested. She wants the truth. She wants to live her life the way the Torah teaches it. Worldly pleasures are profane. She wants the real thing! She is very persistent, so she finally makes it. The Bais Din, in a violent session rules in her favor. zia`en `le ia`n. She’s exhilarated. She won! The ruling would still be under attack many years later. After all, if we follow their reasoning then Edomi women should also be included. Why not zinec` `le inec`

And then miracle upon miracle. She does find favor in someone’s eyes. The great and famous Jewish leader, Boaz, suddenly becomes a widower. He decides that it is obligatory for him to marry this poor convert because of his own family ties to Nomi. Evidently he must see in her something nobody else takes notice of. He had watched her picking up some grain from the ground, and had taken notice of her great tznius, in the way she bent down. Just a little clue, but for Boaz it says enough. Her other relatives (Ploni Almoni,) refuse to marry her. They’d rather not get involved. Not everybody accepts the court’s arguments. There are underground rumors that the verdict was given improperly.

The grand wedding is celebrated, despite much whispering and undercurrents of disapproval. The medrash tells us that on their wedding night Boaz was 300 years old, certainly no spring chicken. The medrash adds that Rus had no womb, and therefore her chances of bearing children were nil! No wonder people saw the wedding as an outrageous nonsense and an exercise in silliness. Little could they have imagined how wrong they were. It was purely L’shem shomayim. There was no ulterior motive! That very same night, as soon as the wedding was over, Boaz mysteriously dies. Many see in this a clear message. They see it as a vindication of their charges. It must be the Heavenly retribution for having married Rus. After all, G-d is very harsh. Little did he or she realize that it was on this night she conceived, and Boaz’s task on this world was accomplished.

Malchus Bais Dovid is born!

Rus’s dreams are now totally shattered! What had she done wrong to deserve this terrible harsh punishment? She had gone through enough tragedy. Her first husband, Machlon, had died a young man. Now her second husband dies on her wedding night. What greater tragedy can there be? Is there really a G-d? If so, then where is He? How broken Rus must have felt. Enough! Go home! Why be a Jew? Nobody wanted her anyway! Even G-d seemed to reject her! But she persists. Her love for the truth has still not faltered. Her faith and trust in G-d remain unshattered. She still believes. Nothing can dampen her love. Nothing can destroy her belief. She remains forever faithful to Hashem. She abandons nothing. She strengthens herself more than ever. She passed Hashem’s test with flying colors! Do you know of another person that would convert under similar conditions? Someone willing to give up all worldly pleasures in exchange for degradation and suffering? Can you possibly find a more noble woman than her?

Chazal tell us that Hashem never withholds a reward due any creature. Even fish, animals and birds get their due reward. The donkey was duly rewarded for carrying out our heavy loads from Mitzrayim. The bird in Noach’s ark was blessed with eternal life for not wanting to trouble Noach to feed it. How much more so are humans rewarded for their good deeds. Nevuchadnetzar harosho, received three generations of kings for a mere three steps that he took for kovod shomayim. For just four tears that Orpoh shed as she left her mother-in-law Nomi, she was rewarded with four great giant warriors. Even the evil Achov was given 22 years of kingdom because he showed honor to the Torah, which is written with 22 letters.
Actually, Rus too, was zoche to be guided in the right path in return for her own father’s single act in G-d’s honor. All he did was stand up when Eihud told him that he wished to read him a message from Hashem. Even this simple one little action could not go unrewarded. Absolutely nothing goes unrewarded. Bolok, from whom she descended, also had to get his reward for the 42 korbonos which he was makriv to Hashem. Certainly Rus’s own willingness to give up a life of royalty and become a Jew, accepting all that came along with it, could not go unrewarded.

When Hashem rewards, He rewards midah k’neged midah. Whatever you are willing to give up for Hashem’s honor you receive back in return. Nobody ever loses out when dealing with Hashem. Hashem is the best banker in the world. His bank can never run out of currency. He can never declare bankruptcy. His currency only goes up, never down. His reward continues on for 1,000 generations for those that serve Him with fear. It extends 2,000 generations for those that serve Him with love. (Sotah:3l) .

Rus not only received kings, something she rightfully deserved for having given up the throne back home, but she would be rewarded with that greatest of all prizes. She would be the progenitor of the Malkoh Meshicho-the Melech Hamoshiach. Chazal, by the way, tell us that she actually lived long enough to see her great-grandson Shlomo on his throne. She must have lived at least 400 years. Yes! Hashem’s treasuries never run short. You’ll never be shortchanged for what you do for Hashem.

And all this, by the way, is only in this world. The reward given in olom haboh is beyond description. Even the neviim made no mention of it. It’s far beyond our wildest dreams and imagination. It defies human understanding. The joy of spending only one short hour in olam haboh outweighs all possible joy and pleasure one can experience an entire lifetime. Yes! Ha’Shem can surely be trusted and relied upon. He pays the highest dividends.

And so, it’s certainly most appropriate to read the story of Rus on the holy Yom Tov of Shvuous, z’man matan Torah. Where else do we find a person with so much love for Torah? So much self -sacrifice to enter Klall Yisroel against the greatest of odds? And this story teaches us the great reward coming to those who embrace the Torah with both hands. For those who are willing to suffer poverty and pain for it. All the riches in the world cannot repay even the s’char of doing one mitzvah properly.

Let’s hope that the story of Rus’ struggle and mesiras nefesh for Torah will rub off on us. It’s celainly something to think ahout. How many sacrifices are we willing to make? What luxuries are we willing to pass up for kovod shomayim? It’s a frightening thought to think about. We’re not even fit to tie Rus’s shoelaces. The greatest part of our day is occupied in amassing greater and greater wealth for our own entertainment and pleasure. Here and there we grab a couple of minutes for Hashem, maybe just to clear our conscience. It’s hard to say it’s all lishmoh. One must be willing to accept far less than we do today. We must set our goals of earthly pleasures aside for a while. Cut down on all our other commitments. Make only one commitment. A total commitment to Torah, the way Rus did. Otherwise you’ll find yourself distracted with a thousand other distractions. There can be only one desire. Only one goal. But it’s going to take Rus’s stubborness to succeed. Rus’s obstinacy to achieve our goal! No wonder then, that we read the story of Rus on the Shvuous day. When we accept the Torah on Shvuous, we must be willing to make Rus’s commitment! We must be willing to give up all worldly pleasures in exchange for the greatest treasure of all – the holy Torah.

I spoke with some so-called bible scholars that told me that Paleo Hebrew was the original writing, and that only Hashem’s name was written as such because that was the only way to preserve the text.

Knowing my own traditions and how we Jews live today, I had my own opinion of how this was done as our traditions haven’t deviated that much over the years. Just like today we have print and script (for everyday usage), the Israelites “everyday” writing was written during that time was in Ksav Ivri, which is evident in coins of those days.

As for the scrolls? I suspect that, since in those days people didn’t have copy machines, the Essenes like many others had to copy texts by hand as there was no other way. In order to make readable texts for teaching, reviewing, and more while not making the text necessarily “sacred,” they wrote Hashem’s name in a more “mundane” handwriting in a manner similar to how we write Hashem’s name in the form of a Heh-apostrophe or Dalet-apostrophe so that we know what the word should say, but that the text shouldn’t become too holy to throw out (not that the Essenes did, but that’s a different story).

Think about it: for all we know the scrolls were written for scribal practice!

Hashem in Paleo Hebrew – Dead Sea Scrolls

My hypotheses turned into a theory when the following happened:

1. When visiting the Dead Sea Scrolls website, I reviewed the scroll of Habbakuk among others and saw, aside from Hashem’s name being written in Ksav Ivri, there were “X’s” and clear grammar edits:

2. I heard someone tell me how in certain areas, some Jews would write Hashem’s name as a “….” in order to not compromise text space. After getting a link to the Dead Sea Scrolls Israel website, I saw the section on the dead sea scrolls, and found a text with such a mark.

The images below are attributed to the gallery “4Q Testimonia.” Notice the “….” in the second word as part of the sentence “Vayedaber Hashem [....] El Moshe Le’Emor!” Also note the many mistakes and corrections. Does this look like a scroll one would read publicly?

3. Among the classical texts were scrolls regarding legal documents in Greek, personal letters, and more. If the bottled-up scrolls were holy, they would have been placed separate from legal scrolls.

The Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls

Nevertheless, it is very impressive what has been worked on in order to verify our authenticity for at least 2,000 years. However, the theory that Tagin came in the 13th century by Professor Judith Schlanger now needs to be revisited as the scrolls in question have now been proven to be for regular use, be it for scribal practice, ancient textbooks or something else.

Another important element of the Dead Sea Scrolls is the Apocraphical texts, which are essentially explications of the classic Biblical texts. Those were done perhaps in a manner as students take down notes. However, these are important as one can get more of a “taste” and detail of events as they transpired from a much closer source.

So What If The Texts Are Rough Drafts?

So far, the claim that our texts/writing are subjected to the Dead Sea Scrolls simply because they are the oldest texts we have has no basis. For all we know they could have been textbooks used/written by 2nd Graders from 2,000 years ago! That thought must be pretty depressing to those that paid millions of dollars to restore these scrolls. Still, there are other uses for those texts. However, Biblical scholars would be prudent to not use the Dead Sea Scrolls as a yardstick to compare how all texts were written back then to how they are written now. Also, they shouldn’t  tell us Orthodox about when Tagin came out, comparing our texts to scrolls that clearly were used for more private, and not public, use.

Matan Torah. Photo courtesy of MySiyum.com

The bush is to Moshe like the Jews are to the world.

As Shavuos fast approaches, let’s reflect on what we do. We eat Milchig meals (which meals vary by custom), some of us stay up all night learning (popularized by Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz, author of the Lecha Dodi), read about Matan Torah (the giving of the Torah), the Ten Commandments (more accurately, statements) and the Jews dying – twice – before becoming resurrected and begging Moshe Rabbeinu to tell them commandments 3-10 since they couldn’t take the dying/resurrection experience any longer.

I recently became bothered by the following question. Earlier on, Hashem spoke to Moshe through the means of the burning bush, before Moshe became the great man that he was. Interestingly, he didn’t die! Why didn’t Moshe die earlier whereas all of Klal Yisrael did – twice no less?

I believe that the big difference-maker here has to do with the burning bush. Moshe had it as an intermediary, while the rest if Klal Yisrael didn’t. Simply put, Hashem’s presence by itself is too powerful for anyone to bear, as Hashem Himself said that nobody can see Him and live.

On that note, let’s focus on the burning bush. The burning bush in my opinion symbolizes Klal Yisrael:

1. The bush is low, which represents the Jews as we are more modest compared to everyone else.

2. The bush has many leaves that are attached together, which symbolize us as being numerous but always sticking together. (Side point: I remember once a non-Jewish classmate from a Spanish speaking country whom I shared a class with, told me that I was lucky to be a Jew as we stick together, compared to Christians and Muslims that fight over everything).

3. The bush was not consumed despite of the fire always burning. This seems to symbolize our resilience in the face of Anti-Semitism, especially in the face of the Egyptian oppression of that time.

Indeed, the bush is to Moshe like the Jews are to the world. We, “the bush,” are required to be a light unto all the nations, Gd’s spokespeople. We are supposed to be the shining example of what’s moral, good and Gdly, Without us, Gd’s word wouldn’t be able to reach everyone without killing them. It would just be too much!

Chag Sameach!

While for a few years Christian hatred of Jews has lied dormant, the new movie “The Passion of the Christ” crosses a dangerous red line. The potential viewers number in the billions and the plot has been fanning the flames of anti-Semitism throughout the ages. While American Jews have been fortunate not to have suffered violent forms of anti-Semitic persecution and pogroms as have Jews living in Russia or Europe, millions of Jews have been murdered on account of such false accusations.

While the rationale to hate Jews has been latent for some years, in some countries it is now slowly raising to what it was in the early 1930’s in Germany. Just read how most of the world views the Israel-Palestinian war and you will undoubtedly smell the hatred for the Jews emerging from between the lines. Israel is not even permitted the right of self defense against suicide bombers on the way to kill them. Putting up a fence to protect themselves is seen as a crime against humanity and for that they are taken to the World Court. Imagine a person putting up a lock on his door because he has been robbed a dozen times yet a court of law forces him to remove the lock because it inhibits other people’s freedom of entry.

While Gibson denies being an anti-Semite, his father has let the cat out of the bag by claiming that the Holocaust was not really what the Jews make it out to be. “I do not believe it’s an anti-Semitic movie, ” said Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti- Defamation League, “but, I believe that this movie has the potential to fuel anti-Semitism, or to reinforce it.” “If I were a Jew I would be concerned,” said Mike Sergeant, a film critic who attended the first screening of the film. The portrayal of the Jews is virtually uniform, from the cruel manipulative figure of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas, to the howling cries of a Jewish mob, to even the presentation of young Jewish children as “satanic.” It should be quite obvious that this film is blatant anti-Semitism in a religious guise.

Our only way to fight against the “Hamans” of the world is to do what the great Mordechai Ha’tzadik did. To gather together the thousands of young children and teach them the holy words of our Torah. Their words are mightier than all our tanks, planes and guns and have ensured our existence throughout the ages. It’s time we follow his example. If we can’t do what he did, then let’s at least support those who do!