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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Sefirat Haomer
- The Meaning Sefirat Ha'omer
One of the basic teachings of Avot is that of the necessity of respecting others - respecting their space, their property, their right to opinions that disagree with ours, and of their innate humanity. There are special levels of respect that are demanded of us regarding parents, teachers, Torah scholars, people of age and experience and of venerated leaders. A society that shows little respect for its elders and even worse for the "others" in society eventually brutalizes itself. Respect for humans who are created in the image of the Creator Himself is an innate Torah value. It leads to respect for the Almighty Himself for after all respect for the unseen and unknown and the ineffable is almost impossible if one is not previously trained in respect to those that we can actually see and interact with. Even a cursory perusal of Avot convinces us that this concept of respect is central to the Jewish concept of derech eretz. In fact the concept of derech eretz extends to one’s own person and body as well. The Torah that forbids the abuse of others also forbids self abuse. It is not coincidental at all that the commandment of honoring and respecting one’s parents appears in the Torah as the bridge between the commandments pertaining to our relationship with God and those commandments that deal with our required behavior towards fellow human beings. For without this concept of respect and honor we cannot effectively serve either God or humans.
Another facet of Avot is its emphasis on tradition. Each of the great men identified in Avot, the people who more than anything else guaranteed the survival of the Jews in Greco-Roman times, are recorded to have had a teacher, a transmitter of tradition. It is the importance of tradition and of a direct connection to that tradition through a human teacher of stature and importance that is the basis of all religious Jewish life. It is only this connection with human greatness that guarantees the vitality, let alone the survival, of Judaism and the people of Israel. Judaism is a religion of books but certainly not of books alone or even of books mainly. It is again no accident that the basis of Judaism is the Oral Law of Sinai. The written Bible has become the property of all of civilization and is not exclusively Jewish any longer. But the Oral Law of Sinai has remained exclusively the property of the Jewish people. It constitutes the main curriculum of study of all of the yeshivot and many of the courses of higher Jewish studies the world over. Without understanding the role of the tradition of Sinai as transmitted generation after generation by great human beings and awesome scholars, one never can really appreciate the majesty and worldview of Judaism. It is the teachings of Avot that allow us therefore to march forth confidently to the great moment of acceptance of the Torah as symbolized in the forthcoming holiday of Shavuot.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
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.
