Beit Midrash

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  • Parashat Hashavua
קטגוריה משנית
To dedicate this lesson
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"This month is for you the first of the months" (Shemot 12:2). Rashi relates that Moshe was having trouble visualizing the new moon until Hashem showed him a moon as it began to reappear and said: "Like this, see and sanctify." While the beginning of the nations’ count of the New Year is from Tishrei, for Israel it is from Nisan, the month of the past and future liberations (Rosh Hashana 11a). We are even commanded specifically to celebrate the month of the spring in order to have Pesach within it.
What this all teaches us about Am Yisrael is that our strength is in our ability of renewal. While we have low points, they are never final. As in nature, the cold of winter is a preparation for the blossoming of spring. The difficult experience in Egypt was actually the cauldron from which a new nation emerged. During the exile in Bavel, the evil inclination toward idol worship was removed. Even the 2,000 years of exile we have experienced did not destroy us, and it actually spawned within us the desire for a new life, reestablishing our ties to the Land of our Fathers.
What is the secret of our proclivity to rejuvenation? It is not our weapons or our enthusiasm, which our enemies also possess. Rather, Moshe was shown the secret to renewal: "see and sanctify." The gemara (Pesachim 87a) says that our "wall" and "fortresses" are the Torah, shuls and study halls. Even scattered among the nations, we maintained a level of independence and uniqueness. In these spiritual fortresses, we dreamed of a return to Zion and renewed political independence. We observed the month of spring with hope for our future redemption, as well, however far off it seemed. In our times, we have seen the light of day, and the scent of spring blossom before us.
However, the danger has by no means passed. We are still bound by the words, "Like this, see and sanctify." When you see a renewal, call out in the name of Hashem; do not see it as a natural occurrence. We hear calls of: "What is this work for you? Focus on ritual was good for the exile, to help ward off assimilation, but what need for it exists in our own Jewish state? Let everyone define for himself if he is a Jew and what that means to him." However, the Torah says: "Pull to you and take for yourself a Pesach sacrifice ... and slaughter the Pesach" (Shemot 12:21). What is special about this sacrifice? On one hand, the entire nation is described as bringing it at one time (see Kiddushin 42a), thus stressing unity. On the other hand, we declare that it is an offering to Hashem (Shemot 12:27).
What we need to learn is that in every generation, nations rise up to destroy us, whether in the exile or in our own Land. Anti-Semitism just changes faces, clinging to different excuses. We are blamed for militarism, capitalism, oppressing foreigners, etc. The common denominator is that we always stick out like a sore thumb. The nations both hate us and are afraid of us, as Moshe promised so long ago (see Shemot 15:14).
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Lessons
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    Beha'alotcha

    The Consolation of Lighting the Menora - Rav Kook at the Third Shabbat Meal

    15 Sivan 5784
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    Beha'alotcha

    Why Was Miriam Punished?

    Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon | 5777
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    Prayer

    ?How we should dress for Prayer

    Chapter five-part two

    Chapter five-part two

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5775
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    Prayer

    Who Can Be Counted in a Minyan?

    Chapter Two-part three

    Can every ten men be a Minyan or are there other conditions?

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
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    P'ninat Mishpat

    Historical View of Rav Mordechai Yaakov Breish (Chelkat Yaakov)

    Various Rabbis | 5775
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    Happy Occasions

    Fasting and Feasting on a Yahrzeit

    “My father’s yahrzeit falls during the week of sheva brachos for my grandson. May I attend the sheva brachos?” "My yahrzeit falls on Shabbos this year. Do I fast on Friday or Sunday instead?" "I usually fast on my father’s yahrzeit, but someone is honoring me with sandaka’us on that day. Do I fast, and do I need to be matir neder in the event that it is permitted to eat?"

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff
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    Revivim

    Halakha on Abortion of Fetuses with Severe Abormalities

    A fetus is considered a living entity in regards to certain laws, but there is no penalty of death for taking its life. What do the rabbinical decisors say?

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
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    Jewish Holidays

    The Twentieth of Sivan

    "I noticed that the back of my siddur contains a large section devoted to selichos for the 20th of Sivan, yet I have never davened in a shul that observed this day. What does this date commemorate?"

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | Sivan 17 5780
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    The Giving of the Torah

    The Day of the Rains and the Giving of the Torah

    According to our Sages, The Day of the Rain is as great as, or even greater than the day of the Giving of the Torah. The basis for this comparison is discussed in depth, as well as additional aspects of the connection between the rains and the Torah.

    Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l | 5770
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    The Torah Perspective

    Secular Zionism in the Eyes of Rav Kook.

    How can we understand the rebellion against religion over the past century? What does the world gain spiritually from this rebellion which was foreseen in the mishna 1,800 years ago as part of the period preceding the mashiach? Only after we understand the rebellion can we glean the benefit and relate to our brothers properly.

    Rabbi Ari Shvat | 5769
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    Redemption - Geula

    When Moshiach Comes

    A summary of the different Brachot we will bless when the Moshiach will walk through the door.

    Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff | Iyar 5768
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    Marriage and Relationships

    The Role of Parents in Marriage

    Today, parents can fulfill the commandment of marrying off their children by providing them with a good education at prestigious schools, supporting them so that they be able to learn a profession, and clothing them in attractive attire.

    Rabbi Eliezer Melamed | 5764
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