YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Ki Tavo
- Family and Society
- The Land of Israel
- Mitzvot of the Land of Israel
All fine & well. But what seems to lend a rather negative, almost whiney quality to what should be a very upbeat ceremony is the preamble, whereby the farmer tells of the
great suffering the Jewish nation endured at the hands of the Aramean (Lavan?) & then later in Egypt.
Is this part of the "persecution complex" we Jews are often accused of having? A propensity to go & blame others for our troubles, always seeking out the dark cloud
that lurks behind every silver lining? ("Such a terrible-tasting sandwich, & such small portions, too!"). Or is something else at work here?
I suggest that the Bikkurim ceremony is about much more than just one farmer’s gratitude for his individual harvest. It is rather a reminder of the centrality – the supremacy, if you will – of the Land of Israel, and the inalienable connection we have with this specific little corner of the world.
The farmer remarks, "Arami oved avi," which can mean "my father (Yakov) was a wandering Aramean." Yakov searched for a home, & perhaps, at some point, thought
he had found it in Goshen, where all of his family lived quite well. But then we learned how quickly Jewish fortunes could change in the Galut. The same Egyptians who hosted us, soon hated us, & sought our demise. It became clear that Egypt was not our eternal home.
Am Yisrael is called "the first of nations;" in a sense, we are G-d’s first fruits, Hashem’s b’chorim, or, better, bikurim. Just as only the 7 special fruits of Israel (the "sheva minim") could be brought as bikurim, so, too, Eretz Yisrael is designated as the purest soil in which a Jew can grow. This message, amplified countless times by all
the farmers in an agricultural society, reinforce the message that the People & the Land of Israel are one unit. The farmer is not bemoaning his past; he is rather accentuating the good fortune of his present.
To bring this message dramatically home, the farmer concludes his remarks by saying: "Hashem, look down from Heaven & bless your nation; Israel; & the land." ("Et amcha; et Yisrael, et ha’adama"). The unique phrasing of this statement, with a pause between "nation," "Israel," and "land") comprises a 3-fold bracha that encompasses
the people, the state, & the very land itself. All are holy, & together they make up one complete, indestructible set.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
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.
