YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Purim & The Month of Adar
- The Month of Adar
The Torah bids us to destroy Amalek. Though Amalek is no longer identified as a particular tribe or nation or ethnic group, thus obviating the literal necessity of destroying anyone, nevertheless the overriding lesson of combating the forces of evil in any and all ways that are available to us remains as true today as it did in the time of Moshe. We are not allowed to be passive in the face of Amalek. This is the message that Mordecai conveyed to Esther when confronting, Haman, the Amalek of his time: "If you are silent now, salvation will nevertheless come to the Jewish people, but you and your family (and its memory) are doomed to destruction!" Esther’s passivity in the face of Haman and the king will only lead to her own later downfall. Being currently politically correct and fawning will win one some temporary praise but eventual revulsion will surely follow. Amalek is to be opposed, not coddled and accepted. That is why the Torah commands us to remember Amalek, remember that it as eternal and uncompromising foe that we face. Evil never gives in. So we also must be unbending in our opposition to evil. The Lord bids us to remember this lesson always. Forgetting it or worse ignoring it can prove disastrous and fatal. Mordecai’s greatness lay in the fact that he spotted Haman for what he was from the beginning. While others bowed and scraped to Haman, hoping to mollify him and his malevolence, Mordecai would not bow or kneel to him. Haman was Amalek and Amalek is not to be shown any quarter.
We cannot wish Amalek away. Amalek is a constant reminder of how precarious life and freedom is in this world. The Torah instructs us to remember that Amalek is only weakened - that is the verb that the Torah uses to describe Yehoshua’s triumph over Amalek in the desert of Sinai - and yet always resurrects itself in different guises and times. Many Jews thought that the Holocaust and its gruesome searing lesson would finally destroy European anti-Semitism once and for all time. How naïve that belief was is so evident in our current generation and situation. Amalek is Durban I and II, it is the pious posturing of the NGO’s who call self-defense war crimes, it is the biased media coverage of events concerning Israel and Jews, and it is Iran and its proxies bent only on the destruction of Israel, the state and the people. So the Torah warns us not to be fooled or lulled into a false and unwarranted complacency. Remember Amalek! Although we would wish it to be otherwise, Amalek is not going to disappear in the foreseeable future. Eventually Amalek will not only be weakened but destroyed as well. But until that day comes Shabat Zachor - the Sabbath of remembrance of Amalek - will always be part of the Jewish calendar and life experience.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
Shoftim TESHUVA IN COURT OF LAW?
Parshat Shoftim-Chodesh Elul
Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Chemdat Yamim The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
