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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The High Holidays
- The Month of Elul
All of us are beset by the problems of everyday life - children, family, finances, work and the pressures of time. In such a situation it is naturally difficult to deal with lofty spiritual matters and issues of self-improvement spiritual progression. In Eastern Europe great people would withdraw from their every day lives and spend the month of Elul in splendid isolation and contemplation. For most of us this is an impossibility given our schedules and life responsibilities. Nevertheless it is important to know that such behavior was deemed necessary by people of impeccable greatness and piety. We can all afford at least a few moments a day for serious thought and contemplation. Someone once asked the great rabbi Yisrael Lipkin of Salant, the founder of the Mussar movement in Lithuania in the nineteenth century that if one has only ten minutes a day to spare should one study Mussar or concentrate on Talmud. Rabbi Yisrael answered that one should stud Mussar for then he will realize that he has more than ten minutes a day available for the study of Torah. In brutal actuality, we all have sufficient time every day to think about our true selves and where we are headed. But since we are not trained or accustomed to think in those paths and are prone to give up on our spiritual growth rather easily we comfort ourselves to believe that we really have only ten minutes a day available for our souls. The month of preparation for the High Holidays is meant to allow us to climb out of this rut of hopelessness and life’s pressures. We should attempt to truly exploit the opportunity for spiritual growth that this month presents to us.
Spiritual growth comes in small increments and rarely is it achieved through dramatic, sudden, unexpected leaps of faith or epiphanies. The fact that spiritual growth is a long range goal and a far journey oftentimes deters people from taking the first step on this road to personal growth and greatness. We are always interested in instant diets, quick fixes and simplistic solutions and this tendency prevents us from pursuing the only true path that can lead to a better life and better living. We all have heard the famous maxim that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first lone step taken toward the destined goal. This is certainly true as regarding one’s spiritual growth and the improvement of one’s character traits. Our father Yaakov is represented in the Torah as a wrestler who contends with an angel. He also wrestles with himself, so to speak. The main struggle in life is really with one’s self. The preparation for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur lies in the recognition and acceptance of this lesson of life.
Moreshet Shaul Moreshet Shaul: Returning Torah to its Central Standing – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 312
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
