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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Noach
When the rains stop & the waters abate, it is time for Noach to step out & encounter a Brave New World. But Noach is reluctant; he must actually be commanded by G-d to leave the ship; only then does he venture forth.
Significantly, the Torah uses the name Elokim here ("Vay’daber Elokim el Noach: Tzay min haTeyva!") rather than "Hashem." Elokim denotes strictness, indicating that G-d had to forcefully "evict" Noach from his place of residence, & that He was somewhat perturbed that Noach did not want to exit the Ark of his own volition.
But we can fully sympathize with Noach’s mind-set. The world he had known is now gone forever; it has become a global "ghost-town," no doubt littered with corpses & rubble everywhere. Where will he go; how will he start over? Is it any wonder that he immediately turns to drink, trying to drown out his despair & depression?
Noach prefers to stay inside the Teyva. There, despite the squawking & baying & barking of the four-legged passengers, Noach is safe. He has his family, he has his memories, he has his work with the animals to keep him occupied. Why leave that sanctuary to enter the unknown; why must HE be the one to repopulate Earth?
Noach’s feelings are genuine, human, understandable emotions. We should be sympathetic to Noach, for we would probably feel exactly the same way. Starting over – particularly after experiencing a tragedy – is traumatic & terrifying. But Hashem commands it, & so. like it or not, we must go.
Is this not the pattern of our own lives? We are nurtured by our parents in our own little "Ark" – perhaps even with a pet or two! – but then we must grow up & go out. We attend Yeshiva, or university or kollel, & wish we could spend our whole lives there. But G-d has other ideas; He wants us to face the world - & hopefully change its face for the better.
Is this not also the microcosm of our entire national history? Were we not forced to rebuild our ravaged communities? Did we not see our worlds destroyed, & then be told we must begin again? That we have done, for so long, with amazing success. Let us hope that the Ark has now finally come to rest, here at home, in Eretz Yisrael.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
