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We often think of Esav as a foreigner, a complete stranger to Am Yisrael. But that’s not so; he has the very same holy genes as Yakov, his brother, & Avraham & Sara, his grandparents. So what happened to him? What caused him to fall so far from the royal family tree?
In our parsha, Esav comes into the shiva tent where grandfather Avraham is being mourned. There, Yakov is cooking, & "trades" a bowl of lentil soup for the birthright. Now, most of us have this image of Esav being famished, & ravenously demanding the stew. But – look carefully at the text – nowhere does it say that Esav was hungry! What it does say is "V’Hu Ayef – he was tired!"
Huh?? If he’s tired, then let him go & lie down!
Clearly, Esav is expressing the fact that he is tired of being looked upon as the first-born, the rightful heir to the leadership of the Jewish nation. That title comes with certain very serious rights - and very serious responsibilities: Such as scholarship, integrity, honesty & selfless devotion to the community, rather than to himself. Not exactly the kind of qualities usually ascribed to hunters.
No doubt the family had clearly expressed its expectations that Esav would be a moral role model, & he was simply tired of all that
pressure. And so he opted out, & Yakov.took over.
The "Esav Syndrome," alas, has not disappeared. It is not easy today to maintain one’s Jewishness, when much of the world looks down upon Jews, or denigrates organized religion in general, calling it "archaic," "dogmatic" or "chauvinistic."
It’s also not very easy being supportive of Israel these days, either. Lots of pressure coming at us from every corner to condemn Israel as the aggressor, to see it as the victimizer rather than the victim, to boycott & abandon her.
And so people – many of them good people, who probably wanted to stay strong – get exhausted. They are tired of always being on the defensive, tired of being in the minority & swimming against the tide. And so, like Esav, they give up fighting the good fight & choose the path of least resistance; they opt for capitulation rather than courage.
But, Baruch Hashem, we have our antidotes to Esav. They are the Yakovs of the nation, who do not give up, who face adversity after adversity, who keep getting knocked down but always get up again. They are determined never to get tired, never to give up or give in, but to go the distance until the final bell - of Moshiach.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
