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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Jewish Holidays
- Passover - Pesach
It is not just that historical Shabbat before liberation that was great, for the greatness of Shabbat is not mainly what is clear but what is hidden. All of the Shabbat experiences that our nation had came together and were a "great Shabbat"; they ensured the liberation, making the people fit for that greatness. "They possessed scrolls from their forefathers, which they would enjoy from Shabbat to Shabbat, when they rested, saying that Hashem would liberate them" (Shemot Rabba 5:18).
What is the secret of a nation that powers try to enslave and destroy with all sorts of clever plans and to erase hope of freedom, but do not succeed? It is Shabbat. The gray weekdays may be days of suffering and low spirits. Shabbat, though, is a day of rest and light, not only of the candles but of the spirit. The light reminds the people of the words of their parents from their childhood and the bright past when the forefathers lived in their homeland; these give hope for a brighter future. It brightens the spirits and raises the stooped backs, as people hold on to faith in the future liberation. A father tells his son and a mother whispers to her daughter: "He will certainly redeem."
If during the week, "These are idol worshippers and those are idol worshippers" (see Shemot Rabba 21:7), "Whoever observes Shabbat properly, even if he worships idols like the generation of Enosh, he will be forgiven" (Shabbat 118b). Shabbat contains a wonderful power that can destroy idol worship, for belief in the Creator of All gives light to the depths of the spirit, which can help it climb out of its deterioration. While the Egyptians physically enslaved and tortured, the purity of the heart was the possession of those oppressed. There is no need to be jealous of the oppressor but to have a feeling of disdain and lack of regard for him.
Shabbat gave the power to the spirit to oppose the idol worship of Pharaoh: "The Nile is mine and I made myself" (Yechezkel 29:3). The bravery of the specific Shabbat Hagadol, where the Israelites took sheep, one of the idols of Egypt, and prepared to slaughter them, was able to make us fit for the liberation. It was all the previous Shabbatot that made this attitude possible and prepared the people to "smash the idols."
If we will merit to soon see a nation of freed people marching vigorously toward a glowing future, it is due to the historical Shabbat Hagadol and the greatness of Shabbat, in general. This is what slaughtered the Egyptian idols and gave the people the standing they needed, and this is the proper preparation for Pesach.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
