Many of our understanding of the Erev Rav (The Mixed Multitude) comes from the Zohar.
Here are a number of articles which discuss what the Erev Rav are, what they do, and why they are dangerous to the Jewish people.
http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5770/kisisa.htmlby Rabbi Pinchas Winston
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And now, in this week's parshah, their coupe de grace: the golden calf. Had it not been for the Erev Rav, the Jewish people would have waited peacefully at the foot of the mountain in their camp below for Moshe Rabbeinu to return with the Word of G-d. Maybe they would have asked, "What's taking him so long?" and been a bit concerned.
But, they certainly would not have responded with idol worship and licentious behavior. Only the Erev Rav, as intelligent as some of them may have been at the time, could do something so dumb at Mt. Sinai. It is always amazing how a bad trait can lay waste to intelligence, even use it to engineer one's own destruction. We're watching the very same thing happen today as well.
Interestingly enough, another name for the Erev Rav was "HaAm," or "the people," as noted above. In fact, Chazal say that every time the Torah refers only to HaAm, which, on a simple level, can apply to the Jewish people as well, it is really a direct reference to the Erev Rav themselves. Hence, when the verse says:
After Pharaoh sent the people away. G-d did not lead them through the land of the Philistines . (Shemos 13:17)
the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh says that it refers to the Erev Rav, whom Pharaoh sent along with the Jewish people to cause precisely the kind of trouble they cause in this week's parshah.
Of all the nicknames to give to a troublesome people, HaAm is not so bad. At least, that is what one might think at first, until one considers that they are not supposed to be an "um," that is, a separate nation. They were Egyptians who, because of the Bris Milah Yosef, as Viceroy, had the Egyptians perform to get grain during the famine, became converts to the way of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov. By the time they left Egypt, there should have been no trace of a different origin.
In other words, the name HaAm was a way of denoting the lack of integration into the Jewish people by these Egyptian converts, evidenced by how quickly they reverted to Egyptian ways in this week's parshah. And, having not fully integrated into the Jewish people meant, means, that the conversion process was not complete on all levels, and therefore, that they remained a divisive force within Klal Yisroel.
In other words, in this case, HaAm is not compliment, but an indication of the Erev Rav's propensity to be divisive. If k'ish echad b'leiv echad1 describes the ultimate state of Jewish unification, HaAm, in reference to the Erev Rav, alludes to just the opposite. And, it has been by sowing disunity amongst Jews that the Erev Rav has been most successful in keeping us from fulfilling the ultimate dreams of our nation.
And, make no mistake about it: the Erev Rav comes in various different forms and types of people. In fact, the Zohar discusses in great detail five different categories of Erev Rav (Bereishis 25a), and all of them can have an application in every kind of Jewish community you can think of. And, as different as one group might be from the other, they all have one thing in common: they put themselves before the nation.
Therefore, says the Zohar, they can give charity, lots of it, even build synagogues and Torah study houses, but to act as base for their name plaque. Secondary to the good name they will receive for being so philanthropic is the good their actual contribution will do for the people for whom it is intended.
Or, they can take an activist role on behalf of some cause, or even specifically, a Jewish cause. But, if you truly analyze what they are doing, no matter how well-intentioned they make themselves appear on the surface, it is their personal mandate that they attempt to fulfill, not the national one of the Jewish people. Indeed, as they work on behalf of the Jewish people they in fact work against the Jewish people, often using their money and political clout to force their ways and means.
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However, the same cannot be said about everyone who struck it rich in America. Some use their wealth, not to strengthen the Jewish people against the pitfalls of the golden calf lifestyle, but to encourage it. Some, as mentioned before, even use their financial clout, in the name of helping the Jewish people, to actually undermine the future of the State of Israel. They call themselves friends of the Jewish people, but then again, so did the Erev Rav.
And, before we say to ourselves with confidence, "Well, that's not me!" we should read the Zohar on the Erev Rav today. Once I did, I became very uneasy, and felt compelled to examine my lifestyle for any Erev Rav tendencies. Everyone ought to do the same thing, especially as scandals come to light from all sectors of the Jewish people.
At the very least, get back to Torah basics, and make sure that whatever you do, you do it for the right reasons, and with humility. Above all, let G-d be above all, meaning that you should fear no one but G-d Himself, and serve Him loyally. This will serve you the best of all, especially as we head into uncharted waters of history, and the world becomes less favorable to anything the Jewish people seem to do today.
http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5762/shoftim.htmlSEUDOS SHLISHIS:
Righteousness, righteousness you must pursue... (Devarim 16:20)
In terms of courts, we must try to establish the most righteous courts as possible. The Talmud does not mince words when it comes to speaking about the damage non-righteous courts cause, to the Jewish people and to the world in general.
On a personal level, it means you must run after righteousness. It means that if you do not pursue the correct perspective and seek it out, more than likely, it will not seek you out either. The result will be an illusion about life and grossly mistaken understandings about the events of the day.
For example, consider the following and how it might apply to our present day situation, which millions of Jews today tend to only view through the lens of modern-day politics. Writes Rabbi Hillel Mishkelov, in the name of the Vilna Gaon, about 200 years ago (the brackets are my comments):
"The purpose in our bringing about the ingathering of the exiles [from around the world back to Eretz Yisroel] is to set up faithful people for the sake of the unification of the two moshiachs (i.e., Moshiach Ben Yosef and Moshiach Ben Dovid) in the gates of Jerusalem. This is in order to return the Divine Presence to bring about the redemption, the true redemption and sanctification of G-d's Name [the very fact that the Jewish people have to live in exile reduces the world's belief in G-d, and therefore profanes His holy Name]. According to our teacher, the Vilna Gaon, z"l, we can bring about, with the help of G-d and through these strong people, these two moshiachs, and to learn well all the levels and their purposes in practical terms. [In other words, according to the Vilna Gaon, redemption was, is, something that must be triggered through our actions below and not the result of our present waiting game.] The general purpose of the two moshiachs, Moshiach Ben Yosef and Moshiach Ben Dovid, throughout all the generations has been to protect and fight against the three 'heads' of the K'lipos [literally, 'encrustations,' and the source of spiritual impurity and the principle spiritual opponent of the Jewish people], Eisav, Yishmael, and the Erev Rav (Mixed Multitude). [From the moment Moshe Rabbeinu took the Mixed Multitude out of Egypt with the Jewish people, they have been the source of one spiritual downfall after another. Though they have become more covert in history, they are still the single greatest enemy the Jewish people struggle against.] The specific role of Moshiach Ben Yosef is against Eisav who is the k'lipah of the left [within the realm of the sefiros on the side of impurity], the main purpose of Moshiach Ben Dovid is against Yishmael, the k'lipah of the right [within the realm of the sefiros on the side of impurity], and together they go against Eisav and Yishmael who are the ox and the donkey from the side of impurity [all nations are symbolized by specific animals that share their main trait]. The joining of Eisav and Yishmael is the result of Armelius, the sar (heavenly angel) of the Erev Rav, who are able to destroy Israel and the entire world, may G-d have mercy. The main drive of the Erev Rav is to unify Eisav and Yishmael and to separate the two moshiachs. Therefore, our main service and battle is to break and to remove the strength of the Erev Rav, the k'lipah of Armelius the Evil, from Israel; the Erev Rav is our greatest enemy, the one who separates the two moshiachs. The k'lipah of the Erev Rav works only through deception and roundabout ways [like a magician who fools his audience by giving them the impression he is doing one thing when in fact he is deceptively doing something else]. Therefore, the war against the Erev Rav is the most difficult and bitterest of all [since it is VERY hard to know what they are planning and how much damage they plan to cause. On the surface they can appear peace-loving and docile when in fact their end goal is just the opposite with respect to the Jewish people and Torah ideals]. We must strengthen ourselves for this war, and anyone who does not participate in the battle against the Erev Rav becomes, de facto, a partner with the k'lipah of the Erev Rav, and was better off not being born in the first place. [Hence, there is not neutral ground in this central historic battle; if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem!] The main strength of the Erev Rav is in the gates of Jerusalem, and specifically at the entrance to the city... [which helps us understand why Jerusalem remains to be one of the most divisive issues when it comes to making peace.]" (Kol HaTor, Chapter 2, Section 2, Letter 'bais')
The only question is, who IS the Erev Rav? You can't fight against an enemy you can't recognize! Are they Jewish? Are they gentile? According to some, they seem to be the former. According to others, them seem to be the latter. However, according to everyone, we shall see, b"H, they are VERY problematic and set up the final showdown of history.
MELAVE MALKAH:
The footnote to the above quote says:
"Regarding the k'lipah [of the Erev Rav], the Zohar says: On the right side of Avraham, the level of Chesed, revenge will be taken against Yishmael and his appointed leader [everything in creation has a corresponding spiritual counterpart - "zu l'umus zu" - which is what creates the relationships manifested in the physical world itself]; on the left of Yitzchak, the level of fear (i.e., Gevurah), revenge will be taken against Eisav and his appointed leader, through the two moshiachs, the one from the right being Moshiach Ben Dovid and the one from the left being Moshiach Ben Yosef... "until the coming of Shiloh." (Bereishis 49:10; Shiloh has the gematria of 'Moshe'), [but ultimately through] the 'faithful shepherd' on the level of 'Tifferes Yisroel' [the level of Ya'akov]. Through them revenge will be taken against Eisav and Yishmael and the Erev Rav, because the Erev Rav is a combination of Eisav and Yishmael just as Ya'akov is a combination of Avraham and Yitzchak."
Woe. That is more than a mouthful. It is a lifetime worth of learning, of moving from level to level of Torah understanding. It incorporates learning Torah not just for the sake of knowing the halachah, but also for the sake of understanding Jewish history, G-d's Providence, and HIS expectations of our involvement.
A person who possesses sophisticated secular information and responds accordingly is said to be savvy. In the realm of Torah, he is called a true 'chacham' - 'wise person.' The days of the crusades and pogroms at the hands of Eisav seem to be over (G-d willing), perhaps coming to an ignominious end with the Holocaust, a faded memory in the Western world.
The problem with Eisav has always been that he is a charmer. Whether it is the way he dresses or speaks, or seems to act culturally refined, somehow we Jews get lulled into trusting him, only to get burned royally in the end. Perhaps that is why Chazal saw fit to make it clear from the start that, no matter what you want to believe about Eisav, "it is a well-known 'law' that Eisav hates Ya'akov." (Sifri, BeHa'alosecha, 69).
Since 1948 (and even before), we have been battling against Yishmael, in one form or another. You have to hand it to the Arabs: They make no bones about their feelings for us, thus making it easy NOT to trust them. After five wars and who knows how many skirmishes, with G-d's Divine protection, we have held our ground, militarily, politically, and even in the PR department.
All of a sudden, the situation has unraveled, and we find ourselves embroiled in a conflict that seems to draw from both Yishmael and Eisav. What to make of it? No answers in the world of pshat, so we sit and wait to see whither the conflict will go. However, according to the Vilna Gaon, that is tantamount to partnership with the wrong side, a very bad move spiritually (and ultimately, physically as well).
What to do? How to judge the situation?
"A judge only has what his eyes see."
Treat your eyes and your mind to a little fact-finding mission that goes beyond the realm of the simple understanding of Torah, and watch the BIG PICTURE emerge before your very eyes. And, don't be surprised if your priorities in life change.
Topic: Thoughts on the Erev Rav (Read 4982 times)