A Home at the Center of the Universe

Jewish law has some “basic” laws. What makes basic laws basic? I suppose because without grasping these at first, knowledge of the rest of Jewish law may not be appreciated. For this reason, Maimonides, in scoping out all of Torah’s laws in his great 14-volume compendium, begins his treatise with 10 chapters called:
“Torah’s Most Basic Laws”. (LINK)

Curiously enough, one of these most fundamental Torah laws is a lesson in astronomy. We are taught, of all things, the shape of the universe! “It’s round”, says the Rambam. And to be sure we understand just what round means, he qualifies his description as “round like a ball”. This extra phrase “like a ball” is deliberate. It pays to know that the Rambam scrupulously paid heed to being exceptionally concise, never using extra words unless they were necessary. I suppose therefore that adding "like a ball", therefore, means to exclude ovoid or elliptical shapes.

So right from the start, the student of Jewish Law learns that Torah rejects the scientific theories of modern astronomy, whose theories invoke elliptical orbits.

Then we learn that this huge spherical universe is made up of 8 concentric spheres, one within the other, layered like an onion. Each sphere whirls or rotates in its own autonomous direction, irrespective of its neighboring inner or outer sphere's direction, although the direction or velocity of a neighboring sphere does have influence on an adjacent sphere.

Outside the 8th sphere, is the 9th dimensionless, starless, empty expanse that rotates the entire universe contained within it one full revolution every 24 hours.

In the middle of this concentrically layered universe of stacked, orbiting spheres, one inside the other, the lowermost or innermost sphere has, at its core -- an empty space. That is, the 1st or innermost sphere has within it a hollow core. It is inside this core where Earth and its atmosphere were placed. Although all spheres around the Earth's space are in constant rotation, the Earth itself remains stationary!

Here too the Torah's perspective differs from modern science. Astronomy subscribes to a heliocentric universe, with the sun at its core; Torah, on the other hand, teaches us that the universe is geocentric, with the Earth at the center of the universe. Modern science claims the Earth rotates; Torah, to the contrary, tells us the Earth is still.

Each sphere has a thickness, is transparent and intangible. Each sphere abuts with its adjacent spheres. Each of the 1st 7 contain a main planet. The 8th sphere contains all the other stars of the universe.

Now -- you might ask -- why would this shape and configuration of the universe constitute a "most basic law of Torah"? Among the thousands of laws in Judaism, why does this one deserve such an important status? Is it even relevant to religious conduct?

Maimonides tells why. Pondering the incredible organization, beauty and grace built into the universe, he says, inspires us to “Love your God!” and “Fear your God!”. Without this basic law’s knowledge, the laws of loving and fearing Hashem involved in many other Torah commandments may not otherwise be satisfied.

One can also draw a simple conclusion from knowing the above shape-of-the-world facts. The whole world revolves around us down here at the center of it all. We small creatures live in this huge universe, all of which was obviously meant to benefit us down here. We are the focus of it all. Obviously this gives man a sense of awe and, at the same time, a sense of responsibility, which implies dedicating oneself to a commitment, knowing he is the centerpiece of all of creation.

Parenthetically, now that NASA has 3 times sent antennas to outer space to map cosmic background radiation, 3 times they've confirmed that the pattern found cannot support a random distribution. Rather, their finding implies a source of intelligence! Cosmologists belied their anger at these findings by dubbing the plotted axis, which points to the Earth as being the center of the universe, "the axis of evil". Why evil? Evil because they did not expect an alignment of all that surrounds the universe (the outermost "sphere") with what they supposed was an insignificant Earth. If anything, it now shows that the earth is indeed at the center of the grand architect's master plan. Their findings, to their own surprise and dismay, point to a one God of the universe!

Chabad Chassidus is based on a most interesting axiom, which originates from one Midrashic quote, or a few at most; Namely, that the Creator of the universe desires to make this nethermost world of ours into His "home". That is, if all Jews were to behave according to Jewish law, this world would be a fitting place for God's Presence to manifest in its full glory. The above basic laws of Torah certainly support this exalted mission of the Jewish people.

The Deed to the Land of Israel

Finally, finally, Israel has followed Torah's exhortation to proclaim before the gentile nations who accuse Israel of having robbed their land exactly as Ambassador Danny Dannon did in the U.N.'s security council on April 30, 2019.

The very first verse in Torah, and there, in the very first Rashi, Rashi dictates exactly the words that need be said to counter this false accusation. And indeed, Mr. Danon raised the Chumash in the air and said words to the same effect, if not exactly the right words.

God gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish people when he made a covenant with Abraham, said Danon, quoting from Genesis.

He could have elaborated just as Rashi elaborates, that God, creator of the world, had first given the land to the Canaanites and then took back the land from them -- to give it to the Jews.

Only this argument, which carries Torah's sanction, is the one that will be respected by the Goyim. Indeed, until now, no matter what else Israel had been arguing, it all fell on deaf ears. Now things are going to change.

Now, very close to the Era of Ultimate Redemption, it's due time that the right argument be put forth. Only this argument will be the one that the Gentiles nations will understand and respect, and eventually accept (whether they like it or not).

This big step is yet another clear sign we're heading down the path of Geulah.

(It pays to realize, too, that Rashi, who lived in France some 1,000 years ago, in the time of the Crusades, when Jews were deep in exile, scattered the world over, under persecution almost wherever they lived, in an era when the Land of Israel was merely a figment of imagination or a dream at best, wrote this Torah commentary derived from prophecy. For who then would have believed that there would ever again be a Land of Israel that will belong to the Jewish people, a people then dispersed across all the continents, without a common language, without an army, with no political clout, with no security and without any power whatsoever?)

____________ Rashi on Genesis 1:1 ____________

אמר רבי יצחק: לא היה צריך להתחיל את התורה אלא (שמות יב ב) מהחודש הזה לכם, שהיא מצווה ראשונה שנצטוו בה ישראל, ומה טעם פתח בבראשית, משום (תהילים קיא ו) כוח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גויים, שאם יאמרו אומות העולם לישראל לסטים אתם, שכבשתם ארצות שבעה גויים, הם אומרים להם כל הארץ של הקב"ה היא, הוא בראה ונתנה לאשר ישר בעיניו, ברצונו נתנה להם וברצונו נטלה מהם ונתנה לנו

Rabbi Yitzchak said: "Torah ought to have began its narrative from (Shemot 12: 2) where God delivers His 1st commandment to the entire Jewish People, from the verse "This month (of Nissan) shall be for you the 1st month of the year ... ."  Why then did Torah open with the story of creation, etc. ? King David explains it (Psalms 111:6). It was "in order the people should know of God's omnipotence, which He projected for the sake of the Jewish People." That is, they should know that He, the Creator, gave them the inheritance to this land. For when the gentile nations will accuse the Jews of robbing them of it, and that Israel conquered a land that belonged to 7 other nations, Jews should respond, saying, that all of earth belongs to God, He created it and gave The Land to whom He saw fit for it; He first wanted the Canaanites to have it, but then wanted it back, because now He wanted to give it to us."

Anti-Semitism in Moshiach's Times

The previous post (Rating the Trump Miracle) posed the seeming contradiction of anti-Semitism prevalent in an era imminently leading to a utopian Redemption. The explanation given there was the standard answer that applies to all eras.

But here's a more apt reason from a Moshichist's perspective. The looming anti-Semitism in Moshiach times serves as a backdrop to portray the sharp contrast between good and evil. How so?

The present era, being the prelude of Moshiach's times, is depicted by the prophet Tzefaniah. In his last verse (3:20) he describes this era:

"'At that time, I will bring you to the land, ingathering you to there, and give you a reputation of praise among all peoples of the earth as I restore you from exile before your eyes',
said God."

בעת ההיא אביא אתכם ובעת קבצי אתכם כי אתן אתכם לשם ולתהלה  בכל עמי הארץ בשובי את שבותיכם לעיניכם
אמר ה׳

How can "all peoples of the earth" recognize Jewish merit? Until 100 years ago this could have been a very hard question to answer. How could people from Afghanistan to Zambia, from all continents and walks of life, know up close what's happening with Jews and who these people are, to recognize them, let alone praise them? Even television a few decades ago wasn't sufficiently widespread to capture the ongoing fluidity of events. But this phenomenon today can easily be appreciated. Today's modern technology is designed to capture everybody's attention on a whim. Hardly a person today, wherever on the globe, is prevented from seeing and hearing worldwide events - right in front of his nose.

For merit to be grasped, for good to take on tangibility, a backdrop of blatant evil makes it stand out in bold relief. Are not people who have for decades been aborting live fetuses today starting to turn around? Are not perverts and corrupt politicians running for office for all to see? Are not good people like judge Kavanaugh being paraded before the public to show how evil seeks to destroy what's good? And let's not forget, as the previous post emphasizes, that we have a role model of goodness leading the most powerful of all countries, having trumped (pun intended) what could have been the most wicked of administrations.

People the world over see who Jew-haters are. Their evil is starkly visible. The more people see this, the more they come to appreciate the value of goodness, the more they'll align with good against evil. And indeed, is not the world stage being set, as the entire world somehow always seems to focus on tiny Israel? And although evil will finally be eradicated only by Moshiach himself, by then those who chose the side of evil will easily be identified and vanquished.

Even the ingathering of Jews can now also be felt, as the screws mildly tighten across Europe, where they may need more convincing to make aliyah. However things pans out, it will always remain mild for Jews, no matter from where, and when; This is, after all, Moshiach's times. Be that as it may, in fact, the other main task that will be Moshiach's, besides destroying the last remnants of evil, will be the ingathering to Israel of all his brethren.

Rating the Trump Miracle

The election of President Trump in 2016 may well appear to the general public as a "natural" event that was just a happenstance, because long-shots on occasion win as they do in horse races.

Judging from his opposition's view of things still today, despite his convincing majority, they think his win was a fluke.

But those of us in the know, those who ride on to the coattails of the prophet and leader of this generation, know better. More than that, with our keenly honed perspective, we can even rate Trump's victory -- not just as a simple miracle that happened, but as a huge miracle of the highest proportions.

Of course to see it this way, you'd have to familiarize yourself with a good "miracle barometer".

To learn what this miracle barometer is based on, you can go to this LINK to find out. But for here, briefly, the difference between a "big" miracle and a "small" one is -- the extent of its concealment from the natural landscape. The more that nature's framework of laws and constraints is breached, the smaller the miracle is; And the greater its concealment within the natural environment, thus making it practically undetectable, the greater the miracle.

For example, consider events as they unfold before us in the present. As Jews, do we not sense a greater fear because of a rise in antisemitism the world over, and in America too, where it never existed to such a degree? Still, that would seem natural enough because Jew-hatred has been around for ages and now it's just escalating even over here. This phenomenon would assuredly cancel out any talk of living today under miraculous conditions, would it not?

Or, consider today's Democrats who have consolidated behind their "never Trump" posture, with full backing by the "deep state" or "establishment swamp", together with their Republican (in name only), university, mainstream media and Hollywood cohorts in full support. These have the strong impression they have simply encountered a bump in the old road, which will again smoothen itself out once they obliterate or trash their nemesis often enough. With such folk around, does today's scenario suggest a miracle is in progress?

Even good folk, even Trump lovers, without the spectacles that align us with the vision of the Rebbe MH"M, they too cannot see the great miracle that took on tangible form the day of Trump's election. They too would fail to see the momentous transformation occurring in real time, right now, and only growing stronger.

How so? Doesn't the virulent antisemitism and the disgusting politics of the left negate this view of the imminence of an era of ultimate Jewish and world redemption? On the contrary, does it not portend a slippery slope into an abyss of socialism, divisiveness and hate?

It would -- unless you see the present trend in motion from the Rebbe's angle. Consider the miracle of Purim. It all looked frightfully bleak for world Jewry then. They were destined for demise. That is, until that night when the Persian king was unable to sleep. At the crack of dawn, he welcomed into his palace the nemesis of the Jewish people. That's when events quickly revealed that a grander plan had actually been in effect already 9 years in the making. Sure enough, Jewish prospects suddenly took a turnaround. Less than a year later, Jews would breathe a deep sigh of relief and rejoiced. That was the Purim miracle, one that rates extremely high according to the aforementioned barometer. These events and the turnaround all became apparent when, metaphorically, "on that night the King [of the universe] had his sleep perturbed." (Esther 6:1) - בלילה ההוא נדדה שנת המלך
[The halacha is that this possuk must be read by the megillah-reader a bit louder because here the main part of the miracle is about to happen.]

There's a major transformation going on in our natural landscape and another huge step took place during the few hours polling booths were open across America. In that short span of time another giant leap to advance the Era of Ultimate Redemption happened.

Just before the election, the Hillary witch was destined to be the next leader, with some polls predicting her victory with 90% probability. And who was this dame? The wife of a crook, awash in Arab money, hateful of Jews, and having for two decades as her deputy chief of staff the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood key figure. She was expected to take over the reins from the incumbent, Muslim, Jew-hating president, may his memory be wiped out. Until that election day, Jews certainly, if not most of America, had little hope for a good future had she won. This country would have quickly become a 3rd world country.

But behold, the election results betrayed the forecasts. In a matter of hours the outcome had cast aside a gloomy situation. It was the bright light of Moshiach dissipating darkness. The new Era of Ultimate Redemption can no longer be turned back.

Instead of a Muslim girl in the White House steering Hillary, we now have where a Jewish girl can comfortably sit in the White House. Instead of greed, hate, immorality, disgrace and ugliness spewing from the world's highest office, we now sense beneficence, love, moral integrity, grace and beauty exuding therefrom.

The election result was an obvious turnaround moment. Of course another such obvious turnaround event was wrought 70 years earlier when the United Nations (of all organizations) granted the Jews their right to return to their Jewish homeland.

As for the Jew-hatred, I suppose it's a way to keep our opponents busy so they can wallow in their evil as a world of goodness lying dormant is reshaping the natural terrain. It's a slow process, apparently for the purpose of still allowing the individual free choice, allowing him to consider which side he wants to be on, to weigh matters on his own and have bearing. To paint everything blatantly rosy would rob the individual of his free choice.

But besides for appearances, Israel and the Jewish people will thrive and only wax in prosperity.

The Rebbe MH"M told us, nay -- bombarded us daily, for years, from around 1991, trying his darnedest to get us to see the great miracle in its making. There were, to be sure, plenty of other significant events that pointed to the truth of his prophecy, before then and after then. And in 2016, Trump's election has clearly solidified the Rebbe's stance.

That Mr. Donald J. Trump will be a shoo-in in 2020 is a sure thing. May God grant him and his family good health and disposition. Thereafter too the golden path will be open to us, leading us to the utopian era. There's no turning back. May it happen that we dance with all Jews and with King Moshiach in Jerusalem sooner than we expect.