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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Ki Tavo
The Torah warns us not to be overly clever and sanguine about unfolding events. Human eyesight is very limited. For everything that occurs in life carries with it a certain ambiguity and uncertainty. Therefore the Torah insists that we be tamim - simple, whole, almost naïve - in our assessments of events. Faith in God is the only certainty that remains for humans to trust in. Even though there is strict separation of church and state in the United States, the dollar bill proclaims that "In God We Trust." Only the Lord truly knows what events will actually turn out to be blessings. Therefore the great Chasidic masters all proclaim that Jews should pray to the Lord and state that "what is good in Your eyes, so to speak, is what we wish to occur." My teachers in the yeshiva long ago taught us to be careful for what we pray for the Lord may actually hear our request and grant it and that does not always turn out to be of true benefit to us. The great sage, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim) stated that there are people who can handle great wealth and thus it can be a great blessing to them and yet there are others who are unable to deal with being very wealthy (especially if it happens suddenly to them) and thus the blessing eventually turns out to be a curse for them and their families. I know from my own personal experience in the rabbinate people who when they earned a middle class salary were wonderful people and when they had fortune seemingly smile upon them and they suddenly became very wealthy they became insufferable to others and eventually even to themselves.
As the new year approaches we all pray for the blessings of a time of true peace, prosperity that we can handle and family harmony and contentment. But the wise person will leave one’s laundry list of requests from Heaven a short one. We should rather submit ourselves to Heaven’s wishes and that whatever is a good in the Lord’s eyes, so to speak, is good and acceptable for us as well. In a world of incessant and insatiable demands for more of everything that is material and thus transient it would be true to Jewish tradition for us to be more humble and sparing in our demands and requests. The truth is that that is very little that we actually need though there is much that we want. The ability to deal with this contradiction in our lives between need and want is the key to spirituality and to contentment in this world and our lives in it. This idea is reinforced throughout the Torah and rabbinic writings. Judaism does not preach poverty or its virtues. But it certainly does preach moderation in all matters for only in moderation can true blessing be found and achieved. We wish to be blessed but we also wish to have blessings in a degree and kind that we can absorb and exploit correctly. And that is what our prayer should be.
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
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.
