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Beit Midrash
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The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
Rabbi Uzi Kalcheim zt"l
"I will give the rain of your land in its season, the first rain and the last rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil" (Deuteronomy 11:14).
Here we shall address the meaning of the word "yoreh" (first rain) based upon explanations given by the sages of the Talmud in tractate Taanit (6a).
"Our rabbis have taught: [The first rain is termed] 'yoreh' because it warns people to plaster their roofs and to gather in their fruits and to attend to all their needs."
Rain in Israel (17)
Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
8 - "You shall not lack any thing"
9 - The First Rain
10 - The "Malkosh" - Last Rains
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Today, of course, we do not need to gather in fruit as they once did when people would dry their fruit out in the sun. Nonetheless, we can apply the lesson of the "yoreh" to our own time: We, too, must prepare for rains in those areas prone to flooding. We must clean out the canals and reinforce the dirt mounds that prevent flooding. On an individual level, too, the "yoreh" tells us to put away our summer clothes and buckle in for the winter.
Next, the sages describe the "yoreh" as rain that "saturates the ground and waters it right down to its depth, as it is written, 'saturating her ridges abundantly, settling down the furrows thereof, you make her soft with showers, you bless the growth thereof' " (Psalms 65:11). Here the sages associate the word "yoreh" with the root resh-vav-heh, which means to saturate. The first rains fill the cracks in the earth that so anxiously await water. Rain's task is not only to water the exposed earth, but also to saturate down to the depths.
According to the sages' third explanation, the first rain is called "yoreh" because it descends gently, not heavily. Here the sages trace the word "yoreh" to the root yod-resh-heh, which designates something shot, like an arrow, that does not miss its mark (see Exodus19:13 and Rashi's commentary ad loc.).
Rains that fall where they are not needed are liable to be a curse, as the prophet says "And I made it rain upon one city, and did not make it rain upon another city; one field was rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered" (Amos 4:7). In the words of the Talmud, "both of them are a curse" (Taanit 7b): when they fall where they are not needed and when they do not fall where they are needed. But when rain falls gently where it is needed, it brings comfort to all.
The root yod-resh-heh evokes other thoughts as well. What if this "shot" of rain causes "the fruit to fall and washes away the seeds"? The Talmud therefore, basing itself upon Yoel (2:23), assures us that the "yoreh" is a blessing: "For it is written, 'Be glad, then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He gives you the former rain in just measure.' "
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.
