YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Noach
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
Let us take a look at coerced divorces in the context of our parasha’s main topic, the generation of the flood. The spiritual reasons that "precipitated" the vast ecological disaster were raised in Bereishit: "The sons of the powerful saw that the daughters of man were good, and they took women from whomever they chose" (Bereishit 6:2). The midrash (Rabba 26) says that this refers to the taking of married women. Ibn Ezra says that the husbands could do nothing about it because the perpetrators were the sons of the judges. Other commentators give other possibilities about the nature of this powerful group of elitists.
Unfortunately, history has shown us that there are various ways for the powerful to claim even the married women of their desire, including in "legal" ways. The powerful pressure the socially weak husband to divorce his wife or else ... Getting from there to finding a newly divorced bride is not too difficult.
To deal with cases such as this is certainly a worthy use of the restrictions on a coerced divorce. Another is to prevent a woman from abandoning a worthy husband because she has improperly fallen in love with someone else (see Nedarim 90b). In contrast, holding on to the claim of a coerced get in order to extract financial gain or to "take revenge" against a wife is against halacha. It also lends a hand to those who want to destroy the holy foundations of the Jewish, and universal, for that matter, family unit.
Noach’s ark served as a place of refuge for a normative family: father Noach, mother Naama, three sons and their wives, and even mates among the animal world. This is a message for generations. The future survival of man on our planet has more to do with our clinging to family values than to recycling and other ecological measures, which we also value. A mother, father, and upstanding children, not just for the Jewish people but for all of the nations of the world, are our security against foreboding horrible storms.
Specifically, after the "white holiday" of Yom Kippur, when we read about the prohibitions of illicit relations, and the "green holiday" of Sukkot, when we went out into nature, let us call on the rabbinical courts to strengthen the family unit. We encourage the survival of families based on the principles of mutual respect and fidelity, but not based on using elements of our system for any form of extortion.
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)
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
