YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Vayelech
"And now, write for your-selves this song & teach it to the Children of Israel."
Rambam interprets this to mean that each person must write for himself a sefer Torah. While this is usually accomplished by participating in the dedication of a new Torah, the larger principal & intent of the pasuk remains: Each one of us should make the Torah "our own."
In other words, each of us should not only follow the specific dictates of Hashem as given via the Torah & its commandments, but we should also internalize its many messages. Perhaps we will connect to the chesed of Avraham, the self-sacrifice of Yitzchak or Rachel, or the unshakeable faith of Sara. Perhaps we will become pursuers of peace like Ahron haKohen, or practice Ahavat Yisrael like Moshe, who - as the very title Vayelech indicates – went to visit all of his fellow Jews before he died.
The Torah has so many diverse lessons to teach, ideals such as having courage during times of adversity, or being responsible for one’s actions, or developing a sense of discipline, or passing on our tradition to the next generation. If we follow any of these, we indeed "own" the Torah.
Two more lessons emerge from this short pasuk: The Torah should be "a song," something that brings joy, that gets into our soul, that we sing almost instinctively (don’t you wonder why we still can recite the lyrics of songs from the ‘60’s?!)
And we must teach this Torah to fellow Jews. It is not enough to "keep the faith;" we must share it with others!
Chazal tell the story of a king who hired 3 contractors to build him a palace. He gave them each a million gold pieces & said, "Spare no expense!" The first builder decided to pocket most of the money & build a substandard edifice with cheap materials; the second improved a bit on that, but still took many short-cuts. The third contractor, however, decided to use all the funds he had been given to create the most superb & perfect palace he could.
When all of the buildings were done, the king came to inspect & decreed: "These palaces are for you; you will now live in them for the rest of your lives!"
The Torah we embody, the Judaism in which we live, is given to us by the King of Kings. Let us work hard, with all the means at our disposal, to construct the very best palace we can, & to joyously sing the sweet song of Torah.
Shana Tova & may we be inscribed for only bracha!
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
