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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Vayikra
- Tazria
So why are they put together in the same Sedra?!
The Lubavitcher Rebbe offers great insight to this strange combination of emotions, perfect for chodesh Nisan which begins this week!
To understand, he says, we have to say a few words about the concept of reward & punishment. Both words are misleading; a much better term to use would be "consequences." Hashem does not seek to harm us, or even to "pay" us for adhering to His will. But he does want us to come to the realization that A) Everything he commands us to do in our lives is for our own good, not His; and B) There will be consequences that perforce will flow from whatever choices we make and, whether "good" or "bad", these consequences will help to steer our neshama to its rightful place.
When a person does not act in a G-dly fashion, & slanders others around him, he is really harming himself. People will start to avoid him, so that they do not also become the victim of his diatribes. He will lose friends, become a loner, & he will fall into depression & bitterness.
But there is a cure for this. When the Torah declares such a slanderer tamei, ritually impure, he is put into quarantine, apart from the community. There, in isolation, he can begin his rehabilitation process. Because he is now alone, with no one to speak to, he will physically not be able to slander anyone! He will think long & hard about why he has been set apart from others. He will hopefully grasp the truth about the error of his ways, & this will start him on the road to being a more perfect person. This, in turn, will result in more blessings flowing to him.
As his faults shrink, his good midot will undoubtedly expand & it will be a "win-win-win" situation - for him, for his fellow Jews & for Hashem!
This is the connection to the opening part of our parsha, the link to the subject of conception & birth. The consequences of our actions allow us to achieve a spiritual "rebirth," to regain some of that pristine innocence which we had when we first came into this world as a neshem Hashem, a breath of G-d. Our souls will be cleansed & we will emerge, literally, a new person!
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
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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.
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.
