The Controversy over Kol HaTor

Well, I learnt a lot of things about ‘Kol HaTor’ over Shabbat.

To keep things as simple as possible, I’m going to divide the huge post I’ve written up in Word into sections.

Section One (this post) is going to bring the main ideas found in ‘Kol HaTor’ that are being used for all the pseudo-kabbalah about ‘Moshiach ben Yosef’ being a woman, or a non-Jew.

(Or even, a person who is totally evil, but somehow engaged in the process of ‘ingathering the exiles’.)

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Then, Section II is going to look at more of the massive controversy over whether these ideas are actually from the GRA, or from ‘Hillel Rivlin of Shklov’, or from someone else entirely.

And if not, then who might have come up with them.

By the end of these posts, I hope, with God’s help to do have done 2 things:

1. To finally debunk all the crud being amplified online, and particularly, by non-Jews, concerning the speculation about ‘MBY’.
2. To give you, the reader, the basic information to come to your own conclusions about whether Kol HaTor was really written based on the GRA’s ideas, or not.

If I manage both these things, BH, it will be a lot.

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As always, in order to make this stuff accessible and understandable, I have to simplify and focus-in on very specific areas.

I have included footnotes to whatever I’m referring to in Kol HaTor, so if you have the capacity and inclination to engage with the material more, then please do that and draw more of your own conclusions.

Let’s begin.

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First, you can see the text of Kol HaTor, side-by-side English and Hebrew, on Sefaria HERE.

Chapter 7, which is talking about the money and charity being raised for Eretz Yisrael is missing…. Apparently, it’s been missing from the Hebrew text right from the beginning. That’s a real shame, because when you follow the money, that’s always when you start to get more clarity about what is really going on.

But here’s the main breakdown of what Kol HaTor sets out, supposedly in the name of the Vilna Gaon, R Eliyahu of Vilna.:

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There are two spiritual forces known as ‘MOSHIACH BEN YOSEF’ (MBY)  and ‘MOSHIACH BEN DAVID’ (MBD).

And each of these ‘moshiachs’ has both an ‘upper’ version (corresponding to the angels Me-tat and San-dal), and a ‘lower’ version, apparently corresponding to ‘real people’.

The author of Kol HaTor states[1]:

“The general mission of Moshiach ben Yosef is three fold:

[1] – REVELATION OF THE MYSTERIES OF THE TORAH

[2] – INGATHERING OF THE EXILES

[3] – REMOVAL OF THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT FROM THE LAND.

“The INGATHERING OF EXILES encompasses three tasks:

[I] – BUILDING JERUSALEM

[II] – GATHERING IN THE EXILES

[iii] – FULFILLING THE COMMANDMENTS DEPENDENT ON THE LAND.”

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These are the exact words, but I set them out with different syntax to make it easier for us all to read online, and grasp.

In that same paragraph, the author of Kol HaTor also states:

“These three tasks were given to Cyrus…”

This is the basis for the claim that a non-Jew like Trump could be ‘MBY’.

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What’s incredible is that Kol HaTor really does describe anyone who is engaged in anything to do with ‘ingathering the exiles’, etc, as being from the ‘line of MBY’.

So according to this idea, if you made aliya yourself, or encouraged someone else to do that – you are from the line of MBY.

If you fly the plane that brings the new olah to Israel – or stamp their passport enabling them to leave their country of origin – you are from the line of MBY.

If you are the Hamas-nik Abdullah, who has a day job on one of the building sites putting up the new apartments across Israel – you are from the line of MBY.

If you are the guy who stabbed the Chabadnik in the middle of Crown Heights last week, or beat up a Jew in the middle of Stamford Hill whilst yelling ‘Allahu Ahkbar!!! – which got a few other Jews to start thinking about making aliya – congratulations! You are also from the line of MBY – according to the Kol HaTor.

Women, non-Jews – anyone who is doing anything to do with any of these goals set out above – Kol HaTor says these people are all aspects of ‘MBY’.

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What we learn from this, is that half the world apparently fits into this category of being an aspect of ‘MBY’ – according to Kol HaTor.

Which effectively renders any discussion of a specific individual being ‘MBY’ pointless.

At best.

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Take a moment to really digest what’s being said here.

The criteria for ‘MBY’ as set out by the Kol HaTor are so ridiculously wide they encompass literally milllions upon millions of people, including the Arabs who are doing more to physically, literally, ‘rebuild Jerusalem’ than anyone else.

According to these criteria, ‘MBY’-ness has been totally divorced from being a righteous, God-fearing Jew.

Is this really something you think the ‘Vilna Gaon’ was teaching his students? Does this sound ‘kosher’ to you? Is this ‘real kabbalah’, or ‘pseudo-kabbalah’?

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Remember this comment from the Shirat Devorah blog, which kick-started this whole discussion?

Now you can see how what’s written in the ‘Kol HaTor’ can be twisted to big-up pretty much anyone in the world, as the ‘MBY’.

(And it’s supremely ironic that according to the Kol HaTor’s own criteria, Abdullah the Hamas-nik handyman who is replacing your floor tiles in Jerusalem still has way more of a claim to the title than Trump or Pollard….)

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Other claims made by the Kol HaTor is that the GRA was the MBY of his generation.

“[I]n the last generation, it was the Gaon, our Rabbi, Rabbi Eliyahu, light of Moshiach ben Yosef whose light goes before us, and whose light increases until the day it will be established.

A few of his students, who fulfilled his commandment regarding the vision of Zion to accept and be inspired with his spirit and his great light, are also in the line of Moshiach ben Yosef.”[2]

Of the Kol HaTor’s criteria set out above, the GRA himself was apparently was only engaged in:

REVELATION OF THE MYSTERIES OF THE TORAH

Otherwise, the Kol HaTor is seems to be suggesting that the teachings of a dead person, which inspires someone to do something connected to the mission of ‘MBY’ can make someone ‘MBY’ retro-actively.

Personally, this idea is troubling, and has a strong ‘xtian’ whiff.

Moshiach has to be alive, and from our generation, that’s clearly set out in the Gemara.

So how can someone can be the ‘MBY’ of their generation when the actions they are claimed to have inspired only occurred long after they are dead….?

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Here’s another very strong quote about the GRA ‘being moshiach’:[3]

“The Gaon became the light of the Moshiach when he was 20 years old in the year 5500, the first hour of the dawn in the 6th millenium. Then the last generation began.”

I’m quoting this stuff, because even the fact that the GRA considered himself to be MBY, and possibly also MBD, has been almost totally obscured today.

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In that same par, the author continues:

“Since the Gaon then considered himself to be….from the aspect of MBY, he travelled to the Holy Land. However, on the way, he rose to the level of of the sefira Tiferet, the level of Moshe Rabbenu….

Then the Gaon saw his name hinted at in a verse that refers to Moshe Rabbenu…”With abundant mercy I will gather you” (Isaiah 54:7) and realised that the gematria of the verse equals that of his name [606]…

“Therefore, the Gaon thought that he did not have permission to enter Eretz Yisrael: he could only transmit to his students, as Moshe did to Joshua, that they…. Should begin gathering in the exiles.”

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You come to your own conclusions about the authorship of Kol HaTor, but this is one of the extracts that seem to me to be from the authentic teachings of the GRA.

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TWO MOSHIACHS BECOME ‘ONE’

The Kol HaTor continues:

“[T]he entire Redemption depends on the unification of the two pieces of wood [see Ezekiel 37:19]; the wood of Yosef and the wood of Judah…

They are the two meshichim, MBY and MBD, who at first, i.e. When the Redemption starts naturally, from below, will be seperate individuals….Afterwards, they will become one in ‘My hand’ (Ez. 37:19.)”[4]

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How does this go together with ‘MBY’ being anyone engaged in the ‘tasks’ of MBY to rebuild Jerusalem, expand its boundaries and ingathering the exiles?

The Kol HaTor doesn’t explain.

So, on the one hand, it’s saying that even evil people, even non-Jews, even apartment-building Hamasnikim are all ‘MBY’ – but then, it reverts back to saying ‘MBY’ is actually just one guy after all.

And that one guy is ultimately one and the same as MOSHIACH BEN DAVID.

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Tachlis, this is telling us that the only ‘Moshiach’ that really counts, and who can really be THE Moshiach is Moshiach ben David.

(Who has to be a son-after-son descendant of the House of David).

Or in other words – all this talk about ‘MBY’ is a total red-herring, and even if it’s a ‘kosher’ idea, it’s pointless claiming a specific ploni is ‘MBY’ – because so is half the world.

Apparently.

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Here are a few more pertinent snippets I picked up about the general ideas set out in Kol HaTor:

[1] It’s promoting communism / socialism:

“Equality means that each person must equate himself to the other members of his community. He must not regard himself as superior or greater than others, neither materially or spiritually….

The individual has only what the community has.…Nothing in Israel is seperate and personal in all aspects.”[5]

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[2] It’s stating that a secret society of ‘People of Truth’ needs to be established and maintained in Jerusalem.

“All the work involved in gathering in the exiles is in preparation of setting up and ‘maintaining people of truth’, in order to reach the level of redemption of the truth….For without the existence of people of truth, there is no hope, God forbid, for all the work involved in the beginning of the Redemption….”[6]

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[3] It openly talks about using ‘secret names’ of God:

“A secret name should not be used except at a critical time, in order to save the community and settle the HolyLand, or even more so, to prevent dishonoring God.”[7]

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[4] It says the GRA was adept at ‘practical kabbalah’, that he learnt in Shklov, and created a golem:

“When he was only about 14 years old, he also learned a lot about the concealed teachings from great men in our community in Shklov, relatives of his father, his great grandfather R SHLOMO ZALMAN[8], son of R ZVI, as well as from R ELI ZEITLIS.

He especially engaged much in the study of combining letters related to the wisdom of creation.

As we heard directly from his holiness, he did so in order to achieve and now how to create raw power with the help of God – to use it to subdue Samael in the gates of Jerusalem.

That is why he began as far back as his childhood an awesome attempt to create a Golem, as is known.”[9]

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Did you know the GRA was engaged in this sort of kabbalistic ‘black magic’ from his childhood?

I for sure didn’t.

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Why does all this matter?

Why should anyone care what the Kol HaTor says, and whether or not it was written by the GRA’s real students, or not, based on GRA’s own principles, or not?

There are two main reasons:

1. Kol HaTor is being used to justify, whitewash, and ‘promote’ evil people, and evil ideas, under the cover of them being ‘MBY’.

I’ve given you a few concrete examples of where we have seen this in action, including Betzalel Naor ‘whitewashing’ yoshki and Shabtai Tzvi, and commentators on the Shirat Devorah blog stating that Trump can by MBY.

There are many more instances of where this has happened in the past, and is still happening today.

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2) Kol HaTor is being used to distract sincere Jews away from what the authentic concept of what‘Moshiach’ actually means, and what it entails, which makes it so much harder to identify and accept real candidates for ‘MBD’.

This quote from Eli Eshed’s defunct website basically sums up the problem:

The GRA determined that there are several types of Messiah ben Yosef, and in fact he can be found in any house in Israel, since every person who acts on the plan of redemption has in his soul a spark from the soul of Messiah Ben Yosef.

(This is reminiscent of the classical Zionist view that the Messiah is collectively the people of Israel.)

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In other words, we are right back in Korach’s rebellion against Moshe Rabbenu, the one, unique, ‘Tzaddik HaDor’.

Korach is claiming the whole tallit should be tekhelet, not just the strings, and that a room full of Torah scrolls doesn’t need a mezuzah on the wall.

We’re all equal!!! We’re all just as good as you, Moshe Rabbenu, why do we need to be following you when we’re all just as holy?!?

Of course, Korach was rebelling against the Tzaddik HaDor because he wanted the power and the authority for himself – exactly as our failed, anti-Torah State does.

There is literally nothing new under the sun.

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In the next post, we’ll take a much closer look at some possible authors of Kol HaTor, BH.

See you there.

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] Chapter 1, bullet point 6, page in the English rendition of Kol HaTor HERE.

[2] Chapter 1, par 23, on page 15 of the English version.

[3] Chapter 3, par 8, on page 66 of the English version.

[4] Chapter 2, par 101, on page 38 of the English version.

[5] Chapter 5, par B, pages 80-81 of the English version.

[6] Chapter 5, par B, page 79 of the English version.

[7] Chapter 3, par 8, page 69 of the English version.

[8] SHLOMO ZALMAN the son of ZVI is actually the Vilna Gaon’s father, not his great-grandfather. There is a lot of ‘creative genealogy’ at work here.

[9] Chapter 3, par 12, pages 70-71 in the English version.