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Beit Midrash
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This plague was the only one that was not reserved exclusively for the Egyptians. Rashi remarks that there were wayward Jews, who did not want to leave Egypt. They died during the darkness, so the Egyptians wouldn’t see their demise and say, "The Jews are affected no less than we are!"
But hang on a second; we know that even in the desert there were wicked Jews (informants, idolaters, etc.) among the populace. So why did THEY survive the darkness, and only those Jews who refused to leave Egypt perished?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe offers a fascinating insight based on Yom Kippur. That day is so powerful, he says, that it atones for any sin a person may have committed, with ONE exception: the transgression of Yom Kippur itself! If one willingly eats or works on Yom Kippur, he nullifies the day’s saving power and will be held fully accountable for the sin.
Similarly, the courageous decision to leave Egypt was sufficient to atone for whatever sins a person had done and to merit their being saved. But - if someone declared that he did not wish to follow Hashem’s directive to exit that debased land, then he forfeited the merit to be redeemed and died in Egypt during the darkness.
This past week, our Central Bureau of Statistics announced that Israel’s population increased by almost 2% in the last year, and now stands at more than 8 million citizens (of which more than 75% are Jewish). 163,000 babies were born, and we are on course to reach 11.5 million people in just two decades. Already the largest Jewish community in the world, our increasing fertility rate – soon to exceed 3.0 – guarantees that we will IY"H grow exponentially.
Just by living in Israel – Chazal tell us repeatedly – we increase our wisdom and spirituality. Here, we walk down streets like Har Sinai and Nerot Shabbat; the Jewish festivals are our national holidays; it’s hard to find a supermarket that isn’t kosher! Yes, we surely have our challenges, but the twin societal cancers that have ravaged Diaspora Jewry – assimilating into the Gentile world and marrying out of the
faith – are virtually non-existent here. As the Gemara succinctly says, "The Land of Israel itself atones for us."
Darkness, the Gerer Rebbe once said, is not only a physical phenomenon. Even the "brightest" people may walk in darkness, if they stubbornly refuse to see the light.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
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.
