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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.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
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.
