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The well known axiom in Jewish tradition is that the lives of our ancestors, the history of the Jewish past serves as the guidepost for all present and future Jewish life as well. Therefore the most that we can apparently expect in the overall scheme of life and events is that it will be bittersweet. This is not a pessimistic observation for Judaism of all faiths is optimistic and forward looking to the core. Yet it is a realistic assessment of human beings and human and national life. There are many distractions and blandishments in life that eventually lead nowhere. Whatever hard won victories and accomplishments that the Jewish people have achieved against all odds akin to the miraculous birth of Isaac are nevertheless constantly endangered. If it isn’t Hitler, it is Stalin, and if it is not Stalin then it is Arafat and Ahminejad. The list is never ending and the dangers are omnipresent. There are people who recoil and even die (Jewishly speaking) at the realization that this is a permanent factor in Jewish national life. They wish to pretend that this is not so and that we can have all the sweet we desire without having to encounter the bitter as well. Would that this be so, but realistically speaking it just is not possible. So the example of our biblical ancestors serves us as a model for perseverance, faith and commitment in the face of all challenges and enemies.
Abraham is recorded in the Torah as having died "filled and satiated with his days." This phrase can be taken in different days. One can look at it with a jaundiced eye and say that Abraham was fed up already. He had had enough troubles and disappointments. In a moment of despair the prophet Jonah tells God that He should take his soul from him for "my death is a better option than my continued life." There have been many who have said that very thing in human and Jewish history and there are many more who have thought it without expressing it verbally. Yet Abraham, according to all traditional commentaries is not pessimistic or despairing at the end of his life. He is confident that God’s promises to him will all prove valid - that the world will be blessed through his progeny and that the Land of Israel will be the home and property of the Jewish nation. He is confident that his descendants will learn to live productively and morally in a world that is at best bittersweet and not succumb to the temptations of pure hedonism and materialism on one hand and also be able to survive and grow amidst crushing poverty and bigotry directed against them. He is satisfied with his days, with what has been accomplished and that a half-filled glass is always better than an empty one. That is the guidepost for life that is his legacy for all of us in our difficult world of today.
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)
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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)
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)
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
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.
