Devarim-Tisha B'av - Angel of Israel

You're listening to the weekly para podcast with Ari Goldwag recorded with Hashem's never- ending assistance in Ramapish Israel 5786 2026. This week's para is parasim and of course we read this para as the as the para that immediately precedes tishab. of tishab is next Thursday, Wednesday night, Thursday and we commemorate and we relive and reexperience the destruction of the bikash the Jewish people being sent into exile which we still suffer from today we still don't have a bish we have been gathered in to a large extent more than half of the Jewish people is living in Israel I'd like to focus in on a puk and a medish first in our para and then I want share with you a famous story with a which is in the it's also and I would like to point out something very interesting about these two midrashim that are that are that parallel buzzik says mishenu is speaking he's giving us the story he's giving us the history of what's gone on in the 40 years in the midbar in the wilderness And it says in days, God said to me, this is before they're about to enter enter into a great battle withhm said. Hashem says, "Behold, I'm going to give before you. They're going to fall before you in his land. The translation here is begin the occupation and take possession of his land says that and his people came out to greet us. They came to this place called that's where the battle was and and they battled with okay Hashem gave him into our hands and we smoked. We struck them and him and his children and all of his nation is called. So claw Israel when we when we take over so when it comes to taking over the nations that were occupying the land of Israel at the time. So we destroy everything. We take we we destroy and kill all the people and we take over the land. And uh it doesn't sound so nice to the modern mind to the western mind but if you want to replace an old archaic destructive culture sometimes it's necessary obviously at the behest of Hashem to destroy that culture and bring in a new culture which is what happened brought in the first monotheistic culture that would ever exist became the foundation for all of western civilization today. Now what I'd like to share with you is something profound about what happens. We need to understand what this means. But what happens when Israel destroys another nation? When KL Israel takes over there's a when it talks about the fact that we began right behold something's happening and as I'm for point out means you should see something which hasn't yet happened. It's about to happen. And Hashem was speaking to Mosha before the battle with and Hashem says to him, "See what's going to happen." He gave him a vision of what's going to happen. There was a spiritual seeing that was going on here. But in this process, not only is there a physical destruction here that goes on, but there's a spiritual destruction that goes on as well of a negative spiritual force. That's the magic is going to say. The bus says, we say it every day. Brazil. In Psalms 149 verse 8, it says that we tie up we tie up their kings with chains and their honored ones in chains of iron. So what are what's the difference between the kings and the honored ones? That's the the kings that we're talking about are the kings of the idoltors who are the the honored ones that are tied up in chains of iron says the medish this is referring that to the fact that when there is a destruction here in this world when we take out Iran's nuclear stuff or whatever kamas etc. So there's not just a a destruction of the physical aspect that's there. There's also a destruction on an I would say ideological level. There's a statement of this ideology has no place in the world. But there's also on a spiritual level. There's a a worshshiping of a god that's a god of destruction and anger that's destroyed alongside the physical destruction of the enemies of the Jewish people. We can hear that. We can hear that very clearly in modern terms. And the measure says interestingly the spiritual aspect of a nation is the first thing or the first aspect that has its fall before the nation itself. Which means to say that if we see, let's say, a destruction of Iran that's going on right now, that's only possible if preceding it, there's a spiritual downfall to the ideology, let's say, or the spiritual aspect of that thing that we see in this world physically. Pyro and all of the Egyptians. What do we see? And we see this. It's something that we can actually see that the Pharaoh and all of the Egyptians, they drowned in the sea only after their gods were first destroyed, right? Through the process of the of the Makus, of the plagues. So, first the Nile was one of their the things that they worshiped, right? the constant flow of their parnas of their livelihood. We can relate to this today. The Nile was first destroyed and then progressively the different things that they worshiped that they depended upon instead of Hashem those were destroyed and then ultimately they themselves were destroyed. But the the gods of Egypt were first destroyed. An interesting thing says that in the when it speaks about the destruction of its rhyme it says the horse and its rider were thrown about in the sea. So the measure says the horse and rider that we're talking about is not a physical horse and not a physical rider. It's talking about a spiritual horse and a spiritual rider. The Egyptian people are a vehicle so to speak. They're a horse for a spiritual concept which is their idolatry which is their ideology and so there's a destruction of the ideology when there's a destruction of Egypt. So the horse and its rider, the people who who upon whom ride a spiritual concept or a spiritual being, an angel, that's what we refer to it, as a sar, a prince of of the spiritual realms. So they both fall together. Okay, that's the idea. What did Moshe see when he is about to battle with Og and these giants of the physical realm? So he's not just battling with them, but he's battling with their ideology and with their spiritual aspect, what they what they manifest on in a spiritual realm, what man the way it manifests and and rides into this world, so to speak, how it manifests in this world, which is and Hashem shows him, I've already I can show you something that's already happened. It's already started. The battle has already begun because the spiritual aspect has already fallen. That's the that's what we see in our para. We see that everything that you see in the world, all of the all of the nations and and that which they represent, all there's a parallel between a physical and a spiritual representation. And that can be seen to fall. We can see in the physical realm what's happening in the spiritual realms. It's very interesting. Now I want to turn to this other medish which I actually saw first and I I was looking for something to connect it to the para and when I read what we just read it struck me very strongly the following question. If you think about it, so for example, we have Asov, we have the western world, we have As of himself, Esau, he was a counterforce to Jacob of to Jacob. The western world, Trump, we could say America, Europe, the world of the West is a counterforce to Israel, to the people of Israel, to the Jewish people. The Jewish people represent godliness in the world, the learning of the Torah, the focus, the centrality of a relationship with Hashem in the world. We could say that as represents the centrality perhaps of my strength is it my business acumen, my art of the deal, my ego. So there's a there's a battle between Kal Israel who is Yosharel straight to God and the world of Asov right but when we read the story of Asov and Yakov so before Yakov meets Asov so Asov's angel the Sultan himself battles with Yakov Jacob first vanquishes that spiritual aspect of Asov. He has a spiritual angel who battles on his behalf. Once we vanquish the spiritual aspect, so then Yakov can vanquish the physical aspect. Now, who is the spiritual angel of the Jewish people? What is the spiritual angel of the Jewish people? What does it look like? So, we find in the Tyra that Hashem sends a Malik He sends an angel before butu says I don't want an angel I want you I want you to be the angel of Israel and indeed when we are Israel when we are when we are straight to God when we are doing what we're supposed to do Hashem himself as it were there's no there's no secondary angels there's no one beneath him that that represents us in the heavenly spheres when we're not doing it perhaps what we should be doing. So then Hashem sends an angel. It's very high angel. It's called matat. Different kinds of angels. I don't want to get into the discussion so much, but the bottom line is we're doing what we're supposed to do. So Hashem himself is our angel. Now, and this is how I'm thinking about it. You know, you know, but actually before I give you my my thoughts, that's the hint as we're about to read about the destruction of the Bikdish and the famous story with it says like this says a in this was something that hurt us, hurt our hearts. Our eyes were darkened that Mount Zion it's desolate foxes are walking there right it's desolate can't go up to the bikdash to the holy temple we can't go there it's inhabited at the time of the destruction it was inhabited by foxes in our in our times it's inhab inhabited by instead of by Arabs. So before we get to Harab before we get to Ba Mdash tells us a different story which is related and important relates to the concept of the west of Rome which we spoke about just now and Rabaka these four great sages came to Romeos they heard the sounds of Rome the noise the the hour the impact of Rome extended for 120 miles. That's how loud it was. And as I'm explain, it doesn't necessarily mean that there was it could be there was a loud sound coming out of Rome. But it doesn't just mean that. It means the effects of Rome. The sound of Rome was something that was heard. It's heard down till today, right? Roman culture. Rome is highly regarded in in Western thinking. Rome. It was a noisy place. It was a place that had an impact on the world. When they heard the sound, when they understood intuited the depth of the fact that there's a sound here that explodes outwards, they started crying. They started crying because Claw Israel is the one who's supposed to have this kind of impact. The world is supposed to be led by a god- centered people, not by people who their highest ideal is success in business, success in war, success, ego, the the humble ones who are just about shining God's light into the world. That's who's supposed to be shining out our light. That's just supposed to be having an impact in a in a to the to to a distance of 120 miles which is an expression of very far. So the the Yeshua they were crying but was was laughing. So he said you're you're laughing but we're crying like what's this about? He says to them, "Why did you cry?" They said, "We shouldn't cry." Look at these look at these people, idol worshippers. Their their whole essence is a broadcast of the fact that their egos are in charge. They sit with confidence. They're quiet. They have serenity. What's supposed to be the center of the world? Where's the light supposed to shine out of the place of of Hashem's foottool? It's been burned. Not just that, it was burned by whom? By the Romans. So the ideology of the Romans has taken over the world instead of the the truth the depth of what the mdish represents. Should we not cry? He says that's why I'm laughing. Okay. So in the first story he says to them if this is what happens to those who anger Hashem. So certainly it's going to be good for those who do the will of Hashem. Okay. So basically he's saying and if you think about I'm just I want you to as we're talking here conceptualize the fact that we spoke at the beginning about the nations of the world and their gods right has a hashem is the sar. So when there's a base amigdosh that's destroyed that means to say that Kal Israel has gone into exile because of our sins we've had a destruction but our sar as it were there's a there's a a loss of honor that's how I would say it the loss of honor that occurs and and it's a mixed bag and I think that that's part of what Rika is trying to say it's a mixed egg the the Jewish people the bdish is destroyed the center of our life really what's supposed to be the center of the of the entire world of mankind's focus when is destroyed our sar is also loses his power loses his power says it looks that way it looks that way those who are angering Hashem, they seem to have power. It seems like their ideology is ascendant now. But he says if it works out well for them, I promise you, I guarantee you, those who do Hashem's will will certainly will certainly be ascendant. Okay, so that's the first story. It's the first story. Let's see the second story. Another time they came up to Jerusalem. They got to Jerusalem. They got to they got to the mountain that looks out upon and they tore their garments. All of them as well. He also was sad. Heas they got to Arabas. They got to the temple mount and obviously there was no uh Islamic shrine there. The whole area was open and they saw they were standing on Arab. They saw a a fox come out of the area of the kadesh the holy of holies which by the way is the precise location is underneath the dome of the rock. The the rock is the foundation stone of that was the exact spot they saw a fox come out of the area of the rock because similar thing happened. They started crying and was laughing. They said to him, "You're you keep doing this kind of thing. You're laughing, but we're crying. Why are you laughing?" Same thing. So he says, so so they say to them, "What do you basically say, what are you doing? Why are you why are you laughing?" And he says to them, "Why are you crying? Should we not cry?" They said, Yumos. This is the holy of holies. This is the place that says if a a non-co comes in there, he has to be killed. Which expresses the intense kadusha, the intense holiness that's present in this location. This is where you experience Hashem like no other location in the world. This is where is realized to the extent that if a person who's not supposed to go there goes there, he had he forfeits his life. But the the holiness is gone or it looks like it's gone. If a fox can just walk in and out of there, where's the holiness? Should we not cry? They were crying because the PK was fulfilled that says it was the the sad the lamentation the lamenting of of Yoi which which was that there's going to come a point where the temple's destroyed and there are going to be foxes walking out of there. So says that's why I'm laughing. says in I have two I have two witnesses that I've set up and zakaria and Isaiah 8:2 what what do these two witnesses have to do with each other's in the first temple and and zakari is in the second temple He says, he says these two prophets said two opposite seemingly opposite prophecies. One said that the the mountain of Zion is going to be plowed over. It's going to be destru absolute destruction there. or Zakaria says the opposite. He says there's going to be a renaissance. There's going to be old people in Jerusalem, young people, kids playing in the streets. There's going to be the Jewish people will return to Israel. Will return to Jerusalem. The young and the old will be there together. And the before says which the maroo brings and says that's really the main it says I will return to Zion. I will bring my divine presence to the Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be called the city of truth. The mountain of hem be called the holy mountain. You're going to see Hashem there again. It's a promise. So says these two sukum are connected. These two prophecies are connected because you got to know that they're both going to happen. If you see one happening which is the destruction, the desolation, you know the other one's going to happen. Now I I just wonder I just wonder that how do we know? How do we know? Just cuz the desolation occurred, who says that the the good thing is going to occur? I mean he said a similar if Hashem does good to those who who defy his will so certainly going to do good to those who do his will but we but we don't see that it's not what it looks like we see destruction we see we see desolation we see the death of millions first b second million people were killed holocaust we see desolation we see destruction but the thing that I was desire to from the first medush and I'm repeating this again to give a deeper depth to it. It needs to get into our heart and I think this is perhaps what Rik is saying or the depth of what he's implying and that is that when you see desolation where do you see the desolation you see it in the place which was the most open manifestation that there's a god in this world there was an auron in there there was a a a a an ark a holy ark which had in it the original tablets that were given to me raenu the Tyra the relationship of Hashem to Kal Israel and it was miraculous it didn't take up any space and you walked in there the Kel would walk in there and he had at home for Kal Israel it was the center of relationship between Hashem and and us now you could look at the desolation of that place in in two different ways you could look at it as finished we didn't do it or you could look at it as Hashem went with us into galos into it. Where is Hashem now? We can look at a moment of desolation, a a time of destruction as where is Hashem? Or we could look at it as Hashem gives up his honor here. The fact that he allows there to be such a strong question of how could he do this means that Hashem gives up his honor in this moment where Cla Israel's honor is desolate. The Sar the the spiritual entity which represents the Jewish people which is Hashem himself also goes missing as it were. He gives up his honor in the world as well which means to say obviously is forever. Ultimately, there's no such thing as a world that that Hashem will allow his presence to be completely missing from forever. Hashem will manifest his presence. He will show the world. which really means to say that when Israel goes into exile and Hashem also as it were goes into exile the hill the the the foxes are are walking there showing that there's there's no God there when you see that so you know that there's for sure going to be a return to this place there's for sure going to be young people again cholesterol is going to continue there's not it's going There's going to be a miraculous rejuvenation. There's going to be an unbelievable return, renaissance of Claw Israel in Tyra in connection in manifesting Hashem in the world. Incomprehensible. Every single one of us will be experiencing and reflecting the divine presence of Hashem. We're going to see it. We're going to feel it. It's going to be so real. It's going to be the old people, the young people. The streets are filled. They're all playing. Hashem is playing as it were in the world, showing his presence after all of the darkness. That's I I believe that that's the depth of what's going on here. The nations of the world, their sar falls when they fall. Clar as it were also falls with Hashem as it were. But of course, there's no such thing as a not making its return. Theina has to return. There's no such thing as a world that doesn't have a god in it. It can't it can't continue that way forever. That would defeat the purpose of Hashem's creation. And so will return is returning. And it's to the degree and to the extent that we connect into the more that we do that the more it's revealed and the closer we are to returning into the mikdash into the to that place of ultimate connection and I want to bless you ask you to bless mem should help us to realize that he's the one he's the center he's he his presence is what we're after his presence in our heart in our in our holies of holies is what we're seeking should help us to experience the the the loss and the destruction but realize what Rabika realized that there's an implicit message that Hashem is always with us always with us whether we're there or whether we're not Hashem should help us to experience the return of of the Jewish people and his presence to si to Zion. Thank you so much for listening. Have a wonderful Shabamus. This podcast was made possible through the gracious donations of listeners like you. For more podcasts like this, please visit www.argoldwag.com or search on iTunes Arig Goldwag.