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Beit Midrash
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- Bereshit
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We might ask the same question about Am Yisrael. Always the underdog, we face the worst enemies on the planet, generation after generation, & yet we are never knocked out. What is holding us up?! Hold that thought for a moment.
In our Sedra, famous for the episode of the bechora – whereby Yakov wrests the birthright from his twin Esav – mother Rivka plays a crucial role. It is she who sets up the whole charade, she who convinces Yakov to fool his father Yitzchak & impersonate Esav in order to to win the blessing.
Asks Rav Pam: "Wasn’t Rivka taking an awful chance? Wasn’t she afraid that if her husband discovered the ruse being played upon him, he would be terribly angry at her, even possibly divorce her? What was she thinking?"
Rav Pam offers a novel answer. During the 22 years Yakov would spend away from his parents, he would undergo the most challenging, debilitating ordeals. He would battle with Lavan, his devious father-in-law. He would confront Esav. His daughter Dina would be kidnapped & raped, & his sons would attack Shechem. Then, when all this was over, the whole saga of Yosef’s abduction would send him deep into depression.
How did he survive all this anguish & agony?
What kept him going, says the Medrash, was the knowledge that his mother had risked everything – including her marriage – to see Yakov take his rightful place as leader. If he gave up, if he threw in the towel, he would let his mother down & negate her self-sacrifice & unstinting faith in him. And so he battled on, Rivka’s love sitting like a medallion on his chest.
Years later, ironically, it would be Yakov’s face that would keep his own son Yosef faithful to his sacred principles.
The pasuk says: "Vaye’ehav Yitzchak et Esav; V’Rivka Ohevet et Yakov;" Yitzchak loved Esav (past tense), while Rivka loves (present tense) Yakov! In other words, Rivka’s love for Yakov was eternal, ever-present, unending, the source of his strength.
And I ask you, are our own parents any different? Did they, too, not sacrifice for us in so many different ways, putting us always before their own wants & desires? How can we let them down? Close your eyes, picture their faces, & you, too, will be able to face any & all challenges.
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.