לעילוי נשמות כפיר ואריאל ביבס, ה' יקום דמם
This sheet is dedicated to the aliyat neshamot of Kfir & Ariel Bibas, may God avenge their blood.
Kfir (9 months old) and Ariel (4yo) grew up in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their loving parents, Yarden and Shiri, raised them and took care of them until their untimely deaths. Now that the Bibas boys are no longer with us, many of us wish to do something for them. This source sheet explores the meaning of their names- which both translate to "lion"- and focuses on the significance of lions in Judaism. Learning this source sheet in their memory and in their זכות (merit) is one way we can do something meaningful for them.
מֶלֶךְ שֶׁבַּחַיּוֹת — אֲרִי,
As the Master said: The king of the beasts is the lion.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן שִׁשָּׁה שֵׁמוֹת יֵשׁ לַאֲרִי אֵלּוּ הֵן אֲרִי כְּפִיר לָבִיא לַיִשׁ שַׁחַל שַׁחַץ
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: There are six Hebrew terms for the lion, and they are: Ari, kefir, lavi, layish, shaḥal, shaḥatz.
Why would there need to be so many different terms for the same animal?
1. Ari because everyone fears lions, and the root of the word fear (יראה/yirah) is comprised of the same letters as the word ari/ אריה. Tikkunei Zohar (122a) explains that lions correspond to the sense of sight (the letters of the word aryeh rearranged spell out the word reiyah/ ראיה, “sight”).
2. Kfir because anybody sees a lion will deny (kofer) his life. Others argue that kfir is related to the root KAF-PEH-REISH (כפר), which means to "cover" (like the kapporet which covered the Holy Ark), and refers to the lion's mane which covers him in hair.
3. Lavi because lions “grab” the hearts (levavot) of men by scaring them (when they roar). Rabbi Menachem Azariah of Fano (1548-1620) writes that a lion is called a lavi because when feasting on its prey it begins by eating the heart (lev).
4. Layish because the lion’s teeth “knead” (lash/ לש) the skin of man like dough.
5. Shachal because people become “sick” (choleh/ חולה) from fear when confronted by a lion.
6. Shachatz because the lion’s teeth are very sharp like “arrows” (cheitz/ חץ).
The above approach assumes that these are different attributes of the same creature. However, a different approach suggests that at least some of the names for lion are divided up by the lion's stage of life and size.
כפיר שמתהו. מלך כל כפיר שבמקרא ארי בחור וגבור:
and made him a young lion [i. e.,] a king. Every כְּפִיר (kfir) in Scripture is a young and mighty lion.
שאגת אריה וקול שחל וגו'. הארי גדול, והשחל בינוני, והכפיר קטן...
The roar of an old lion, the voice of a young lion The אריה (aryeh) is the old one, the שַׁחַל (shachal) the middle one, and the כפיר (kfir) the cub...
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. According to Rashi, is an aryeh an older lion or a cub?
2. According to Rashi, is a kfir an older lion or a cub?
3. According to Rashi, why is it fitting that Ariel (which translates to 'Lion of God') was the older Bibas brother and Kfir the younger?
You may have noticed that in synagogue, there is a covering (parochet) on the Aron, or Ark, which often features two lions. Here is an example (taken from SeferTorah.net).
What is the significance of *two* lions appearing on the parochet (covering for the Aron/ Ark) as opposed to just one? Come up with your own answer first!
Now that you've thought of your own answer, we will explore one approach to this question. In order to do this, we will need to delve into the story of the building of the משכן/ Mishkan, a portable home for God. There were two people who were specified as the special builders for God's dwelling place.
(1) ה׳ spoke to Moses: (2) See, I have singled out by name Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. (3) I have endowed him with a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft; (4) to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, (5) to cut stones for setting and to carve wood—to work in every kind of craft. (6) Moreover, I have assigned to him Oholiav son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have also granted skill to all who are skillful, that they may make everything that I have commanded you:
Bezalel and Oholiav are a dynamic duo- the two of them together will build God's Mishkan/ משכן. But the text doesn't just mention their names- it also mentions the tribes they come from. It states that Bezalel comes from יהודה/ Judah, while Oholiav comes from דן/ Dan. Why do you think the Torah decided to include their tribes in addition to their names?
When our forefather Jacob/ יעקב was on his deathbed, he blessed his sons. The following is his blessing for his son יהודה/ Judah.
(ח) יְהוּדָ֗ה אַתָּה֙ יוֹד֣וּךָ אַחֶ֔יךָ יָדְךָ֖ בְּעֹ֣רֶף אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ יִשְׁתַּחֲו֥וּ לְךָ֖ בְּנֵ֥י אָבִֽיךָ׃ (ט) גּ֤וּר אַרְיֵה֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה מִטֶּ֖רֶף בְּנִ֣י עָלִ֑יתָ כָּרַ֨ע רָבַ֧ץ כְּאַרְיֵ֛ה וּכְלָבִ֖יא מִ֥י יְקִימֶֽנּוּ׃ (י) לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר שֵׁ֙בֶט֙ מִֽיהוּדָ֔ה וּמְחֹקֵ֖ק מִבֵּ֣ין רַגְלָ֑יו עַ֚ד כִּֽי־יָבֹ֣א שִׁילֹ֔ה וְל֖וֹ יִקְּהַ֥ת עַמִּֽים׃
(8) You, O Judah, your brothers shall praise;
Your hand shall be on the nape of your foes;
Your father’s sons shall bow low to you. (9) Judah is a lion’s whelp;
On prey, my son, have you grown.
He crouches, lies down like a lion,
Like a lioness—who dare rouse him?
(10) The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet;
So that tribute shall come to him
And the homage of peoples be his.
Before Moses/ משה רבינו passed away, he also blessed the tribes. Below is his blessing for the tribe of דן/ Dan.
(כב) וּלְדָ֣ן אָמַ֔ר דָּ֖ן גּ֣וּר אַרְיֵ֑ה יְזַנֵּ֖ק מִן־הַבָּשָֽׁן׃
(22) And of Dan he said:
Dan is a lion’s whelp
That leaps forth from Bashan.
QUESTION TO CONSIDER
1. What is the similarity between Jacob's blessing to the tribe of Judah and Moses' blessing to the tribe of Dan?
2. Based on this information, why might the tribes of Bezalel and Oholiav been mentioned? What do they have in common?
Rabbeinu Saadya Gaon suggests that a common denominator between these two tribes is that they are both compared to lions. Yaakov blesses Yehuda to be as a royal lion, and Moshe blesses Dan to be as a lion cub. This is significant since the Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple) itself is laced with references to lions, making it a fitting place for “lions” to build.
The two lions that are on the curtain are the two powers of courage. The spiritual power of Yehuda and the physical power of Dan are what constructed the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the Temple, and in the future they will bring Mashiach Ben David.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. How did Bezalel and Oholiav work together?
2. What did they accomplish through working together?
3. What does this teach us about teamwork?
4. More broadly, what is the power of the tribe of Dan and the power of the tribe of Judah?
5. Why might we have *two* lions specifically on the parochet (covering of the Aron)?
6. How might the significance of two lions connect to the Bibas brothers?
וְזָכַרְתָּ אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ כִּי הוּא הַנֹּתֵן לְךָ כֹּחַ לַעֲשׂוֹת חָיִל, יָדוּעַ כִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל גִּבּוֹרִים וְאַנְשֵׁי חַיִל לַמִּלְחָמָה, כִּי נִמְשְׁלוּ לָאֲרָיוֹת וְלִזְאֵב יִטְרָף, וּמַלְכֵי כְּנַעַן בְּמִלְחָמָה נִצְּחוּ אוֹתָם,
[...]
וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר דָּוִד (תהלים מד ד) כִּי לֹא בְחַרְבָּם יָרְשׁוּ אָרֶץ וּזְרוֹעָם לֹא הוֹשִׁיעָה לָּמוֹ כִּי יְמִינְךָ וּזְרוֹעֲךָ וְאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ כִּי רְצִיתָם, יְמִין הַשֵּׁם וּזְרוֹעוֹ בַּתַּקִּיפִים, וְאוֹר פָּנָיו שֶׁרָצָם בַּהֲרוּגֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה, שֶׁנָּתַן לָהֶם כֹּחַ עֲלֵיהֶם.
AND THOU SHALT REMEMBER THE ETERNAL THY G-D, FOR IT IS HE WHO GIVETH THEE POWER TO GET WEALTH. It is known that Israelites are mighty men, valiant men for the war because they were likened to lions and to a ravenous wolf, and they vanquished the Canaanite kings in battle.
[...]
This is what David said, For not by their own sword did they get the Land in possession, neither did their own arm save them; but Thy right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy countenance, because Thou wast favorable unto them — the right hand of G-d and His [left] arm fought against their mighty ones, and the light of His countenance that was favorable unto them [the Israelites] gave them power over those who were slain in battle.
Hebrew version of IDF Speech
before entering Gaza (link here)
סא"ל במיל' הרב מעוז שוורץ, מחנך י"ב בישיבת אמית יג"ל אשדוד נשא מרגש לפני שנכנס עם חייליו לעזה.
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"זאת שעה היסטורית. לא יודע אם אנחנו מעכלים את הרגע הזה, לא יודע אם אנחנו מבינים באמת את גודל השעה. הגדוד יוצא למלחמה. צבא הגנה לישראל נלחם באויב. כבר אתמול, משעות הלילה המוקדמות האוגדה מבקיעה בעומק האויב, כבר הרגה עשרות עד מאות מחבלים. היא במגע עם אויב", הדגיש שוורץ.
שוורץ התמקד באויב אותו הם עומדים לפגוש. "אני רק מדמיין את 200 החטופים והחטופות בתוך עזה, אצל האויב המנוול הזה שחטף לנו מתינוק בן חצי שנה שנמצא בשבי, המוח לא מעכל, ועד זקנים וזקנות. ברוע המנוול הזה, אנחנו יוצאים להילחם".
"אנחנו לא לבד, ככה אני מרגיש. נמצאים אתנו לוחמי דוד המלך, נמצאים אתנו המכבים, נמצא אתנו מרדכי אנילביץ' ולוחמי גטו ורשה. נמצאים אתנו לוחמי חירות ישראל, האצ"ל, הלח"י, הפלמ"ח, ההגנה, וכל הלוחמים בכל תולדות ישראל מאז נהיינו לעם. זו לא קלישאה בעיני. כולם בסוף ילחמו כתף אל כתף. זה הולך להיות ארוך. אנחנו צריכים אחד את השני".
"מעטים הדורות שיכולים להגיד 'יצאנו להילחם בשביל המולדת', בשביל להחזיר את הכבוד שהלך לאיבוד בשמחת תורה ויחזור עכשיו בענק.
אני מנסה לדמיין עוד כמה שנים טובות כשהעצרים פה יהיו עם בנים ונכדים והוותיקים יותר עם נכדים ונינים יושבים על איזו ספה בבית והבן שלכם והנכד שלכם ישאל אתכם ״אבא לפני כמה וכמה שנים נחטפו 230 תינוקות וילדים ומבוגרים ואמהות ואבות ושמענו ש1400 אנשים נטבחו ונשרפו ב2023״ כאילו מדובר על איזו תקופה עתיקה.
ואתם תגידו לו ״כן, כן בן יקר, אני הייתי שם ואתה יודע מה עשיתי? התנחקתי מהבית התנחקתי מהעבודה והלכתי להילחם.״ והוא ישאל אותך ״מה אבא, נלחמת בדבר הזה?״ אתה תגיד לו ״כן נלחמתי בדבר הזה. אני נלחמתי ברוע הזה!״ ״ומה היה אבא בסוף?״ ״היינו גבורים גדוד 7 אריות וניצחנו את האויב. מדור לדור יספר את ה״ח הגדודית הזאת.״
The IDF Speech Before Entering Gaza (YouTube video link here)
Lieutenant Colonel Rabbi Maoz Schwartz, a 12th-grade educator at Yeshivat Amit in Ashdod, delivered an emotional speech before entering Gaza with his soldiers
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We are in a historic time. I don't know if we're internalizing the magnitude of the hour that we are in, but this is indeed an hour of great magnitude. Battalion 7 is going to war. The IDF is battling the enemy since the late hours of the night. Company 162 is breaking through the depths of the enemy territory and has killed tens to hundreds of terrorists. They are facing off directly with the enemy. I can only imagine the 200 hostages in Gaza held by the despicable enemy that kidnapped a 6-month-old baby. Our minds can't even process it. They have kidnapped even the elderly. It is against this deplorable evil that we are going out to battle. But we are not alone. Standing here with us, I can feel it, are the soldiers of King David. Here with us today are the Maccabees. We're here today with Mordechai Anielewicz. The warriors of the Warsaw Ghetto are here with us today. The fighters of the Lehi, the Haganah, the Palmach. All the warriors of Israel, from the time we became a nation until today. When we put on our tactical vests, each battalion at their own time, each battalion that goes in, sooner or later we will all fight shoulder to shoulder, because this will be a long war and we need each other. We will need to support each other and cover for one another because this is not a drill. This is a historic moment.
Few are those who can say that we went out to fight for our homeland, to restore the honor of our people that was lost a little bit on Simchat Torah and will be restored in all of its glory. I imagine in a few years, when the younger guys here have children and grandchildren, the older guys are here with grandchildren and their great-grandchildren, and the children will be sitting on the couch asking, "Father, when 230 babies, children, elderly, mothers, and fathers were taken captive, we heard that 1,500 people were slaughtered and burned in 2023, as if it was ancient history." And you will say, "Yes, my dear son, I was there. And you know what I did? I left my home, I left my work, and I went to fight." And he’ll ask you, "You went out to fight?" And you will say, "Yes, I fought the evil." And when what happened at the end, father? We were heroes. Battalion 7 were lions, and we defeated the enemy. From generation to generation, the heroism of this Battalion will be told.
"I fly and I save people who are stuck inside a pit." - Ariel Bibas
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. Why is the nation of Israel compared to lions?
2. Who helps the nation of Israel conquer their enemies?
3. Why does Lieutenant Colonel Rabbi Maoz Schwartz compare his IDF battalion to lions?
4. How might the term "lion-hearted" or having "the heart of a lion" make sense in this context?
5. How does bravery connect to being a lion?
6. How did Ariel demonstrate his own desire to be brave- just like his name?
7. Do you think you connect to God through physical/ military might? Do you know someone who does?
The following pasuk (verse) appears in context of the prophecy of Bilam when he praises and blesses the nation of Israel.
Lo, a people that rises like a lioness,
Leaps up like a lion,
Rests not till it has feasted on prey
And drunk the blood of the slain.
הן עם כלביא יקום וגו'. כְּשֶׁהֵן עוֹמְדִין מִשְּׁנָתָם שַׁחֲרִית, הֵן מִתְגַּבְּרִין כְּלָבִיא וְכַאֲרִי לַחֲטֹף אֶת הַמִּצְוֹת — לִלְבֹּשׁ טַלִּית, לִקְרֹא אֶת שְׁמַע וּלְהָנִיחַ תְּפִלִּין:
הן עם כלביא יקום וגו׳ BEHOLD, THE PEOPLE RISES AS A LIONESS, etc. — When they rise from their sleep in the morning they show themselves strong as a lioness and as a lion to “snatch at” the Divine precepts (to perform them immediately) — to clothe themselves with the Tallit, to read the Shema and to lay Tefillin (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 14).
יְהוּדָה בֶן תֵּימָא אוֹמֵר, הֱוֵי עַז כַּנָּמֵר, וְקַל כַּנֶּשֶׁר, וְרָץ כַּצְּבִי, וְגִבּוֹר כָּאֲרִי, לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן אָבִיךָ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמָיִם.
Judah ben Tema said: Be strong as a leopard, and swift as an eagle, and fleet as a gazelle, and brave as a lion, to do the will of your Father who is in heaven.
דין השכמת הבוקר. ובו ט סעיפים:
יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו שיהא הוא מעורר השחר: הגה ועכ"פ לא יאחר זמן התפלה שהצבור מתפללין. (טור) הגה שויתי ה׳ לנגדי תמיד הוא כלל גדול בתורה ובמעלות הצדיקים אשר הולכים לפני האלקים כי אין ישיבת האדם ותנועותיו ועסקיו והוא לבדו בביתו כישיבתו ותנועותיו ועסקיו והוא לפני מלך גדול ולא דבורו והרחבת פיו כרצונו והוא עם אנשי ביתו וקרוביו כדבורו במושב המלך כ"ש כשישים האדם אל לבו שהמלך הגדול הקב"ה אשר מלא כל הארץ כבודו עומד עליו ורואה במעשיו כמו שנאמר אם יסתר איש במסתרים ואני לא אראנו נאום ה׳ מיד יגיע אליו הירא' וההכנעה בפחד הש"י ובושתו ממנו תמיד (מורה נבוכים ח"ג פ' נ"ב) ולא יתבייש מפני בני אדם המלעיגים עליו בעבודת הש"י גם בהצנע לכת ובשכבו על משכבו ידע לפני מי הוא שוכב ומיד כשיעור משנתו יקום בזריזות לעבודת בוראו יתברך ויתעלה (טור):
One should strengthen himself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve his Creator, so that it is he who awakens the dawn. Rem"a: At least, one should not delay beyond the time when the congregation prays (Tur). Rem"a: "I have set the Lord before me constantly" (Psalms 16:8); this is a major principle in the Torah and amongst the virtues of the righteous who walk before God. For a person's way of sitting, his movements and his dealings while he is alone in his house are not like his way of sitting, his movements and his dealings when he is before a great king; nor are his speech and free expression as much as he wants when he is with his household members and his relatives like his speech when in a royal audience. All the more so when one takes to heart that the Great King, the Holy One, Blessed Is He, Whose glory fills the earth, is standing over him and watching his actions, as it is stated: "'Will a man hide in concealment and I will not see him?' - the word of God" (Jeremiah 23:24), he immediately acquires fear and submission in dread of God, May He Be Blessed, and is ashamed of Him constantly (Guide for the Perplexed III 52). And one should not be ashamed because of people who mock him in his service of God. And he should also go modestly. And when he lies on his bed he should know before Whom he lies, and as soon as he wakes up from sleep he should rise eagerly to the service of his Creator, May He Be Blessed and Exalted (Tur).
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. Based on these texts, how can we get up in the morning like a lion or lioness?
2. How can restraining our yetzer hara/ evil inclination be a way of being strong as a lion?
3. Do you think you connect to God through spiritual might/ observing mitzvot? Do you know someone who does?
4. If you do connect to God through spiritual might/ observing mitzvot, what is one of your favorite mitzvot and why?
- The names "Kfir" and "Ariel" both translate to "lion" (with "Ariel" meaning "lion of God.")
- There is special significance to the idea of two lions, which appears in Jewish art and holy objects. We can draw a connection between the significance of these two lions and the two Bibas brothers, also lions.
- There is an idea of serving God through physical might and strength and being valiant as a lion to do so. This courageous instinct was modeled by Ariel Bibas.
- There is an idea of serving God through spiritual might and strength and through latching on to mitzvot (Jewish precepts and laws) with the vigor of a lion.
May the Bibas family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and may Kfir and Ariel's neshamot (souls) continue to soar, flying as high (if not higher) as their beloved Batman.
