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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Vayigash
Avraham and Sara experienced this when they were blessed with a child; Yitzchak when he realized that Esav was not the "model son" he thought he was. In our Sedra, Yosef’s brothers certainly are shocked & surprised to learn that Yosef is alive & well, & that all his seemingly fantastical dreams have actually come true.
But Yosef, too – though he occupies center stage and is the lead actor in this amazing drama - also has an epiphany.
I believe this moment comes when he "unmasks" and asks his brothers to confirm the fact that his father Yakov is still alive. "Ha’od avi chai?!" Yosef asks. The Soforno succinctly comments: "Yosef was really asking, ‘Is it possible that my father is still alive, that he did not die from anguish & worry about me, his missing son?!’ " It’s almost as if Yosef is saying, "How dare my father still be alive, with all that I, Yosef, have gone through!"
At that moment, Yosef understands that all that’s been happening in his family’s life – while it has indeed been centered around him to a great extent - is not ONLY about him. There are other dynamics at work, too; there is a bigger picture - the puzzle is much larger than just his individual piece.
At that point, Yosef stops feeling sorry for himself and embraces his brothers in love & reconciliation. "G’shu na aylai, vayigashu - come closer to me, and they came close," says the pasuk, employing the same term which connects back to the title of our Sedra, Vayigash; the title is always the key to the parsha's deeper message.
Yosef began his life being described as a "na’ar," an immature and impetuous youth who stared in the mirror and curled his hair; but he ends up being known as "Yosef Ha-Tzadik – the righteous one." How does he make that colossal jump? Well, it starts by realizing that the whole world does not necessarily revolve around him, that, yes, he is vital, but he is also part of a greater community.
When a baby cries, he receives all of his needs – food, a diaper change, a hug or a cuddle – almost immediately. He thinks that he controls everything around him, that it’s all about him. But as he grows older, and matures, he begins to understand that he is not the end all and be all, that people have their own lives to live, too. That is not an easy morsel to digest; it can be quite painful. But the transition from selfish to selfless is a huge step in the growth process, and it is what ultimately turns a katan into a Gadol.
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
