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.
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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.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.