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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Naso
The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
Asher Ben Haim
Kohanim are commanded to bless the people with the three- fold Birkat Kohanim. The requirement is to bless the people daily. More than once a day is optional for a kohein, but considered a mitzva nonetheless. In fact, kohanim in Jerusalem and many other parts of Israel bless the people almost 450 times a year. And the people receive that blessing the same number of times.
In contast, most Jewish communities in Chutz LaAretz fulfill this mitzva 13 times - less than 3% of the number of times in Israel.
Perhaps more significant than the numbers is the reason Birkat Kohanim was limited to Holidays in Chutz LaAretz. Different sources use different terms, but the idea is the same: Birkat Kohanim requires a positive, comfort- able mood towards their fellow Jews for the bracha to flow smoothly. Feelings of joy and love for all Jews are considered almost like prerequisites for Birkat Kohanim. Because of the difficulties and tentativeness of Jewish life in exile, the proper mood was felt to be attainable only with the help of the Yom Tov spirit.
To oversimplify - but to capture the essence, there is a quality of Jewish Life attainable in Eretz Yisrael - even with its present-day imperfections and problems - that can be felt nowhere else in the world.
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Rabbis in Midrash
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Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
