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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Vayeshev
In the story of Yehuda & Tamar, the Torah tells us that after Yehuda discovers that the woman he has impregnated is his daughter-in-law Tamar, he "ceases to be intimate with her anymore." Why, exactly, do I have to know this? Is it crucial to the story? And is Yehuda to be praised for this?!
Let’s back-track a bit. Parshat Vayeshev is really a story-within-a-story. First, there is the tale of the tragic jealousy & quarrel between Yosef & his brothers, who end up throwing him into a pit, & then into slavery.
Then there is the saga of Yehuda & Tamar. After Yehuda’s 2 eldest sons, Er & Onan, refuse to have relations with Tamar – fearing this would mar her beauty – Yehuda promises to give Tamar his 3rd son, Shelah. But he actually had no intention of honoring that promise, & so, after Yehuda’s wife dies, Tamar disguises herself as a prostitute & seduces Yehuda, resulting in the birth of Peretz & Zerach.
What is the link between these 2 seemingly diverse stories?
The answer can be found in the verses that open two chapters: "At that time, Yehuda went down from his brothers….;" and, "Yosef was brought down to Egypt."
While Yosef’s descent was a physical one, Yehuda’s was a moral, spiritual decline. Yehuda had had the chance to save Yosef, but he chose to advise selling him, instead. He also allowed his father to believe that Yosef was dead, causing him untold grief. As the natural leader of the family, he abdicated his responsibility, & so he declined in stature & self-bearing, until he was finally reduced to consorting with prostitutes.
Yet at the very same time that Yehuda was acting morally degenerate, Yosef was going in the exact opposite direction, holding fast onto his own moral character. He befriended the baker & wine steward, listening kindly and patiently to their tales of woe, & then he refused the illicit advances of Mrs. Potiphar. So while the king, Yehuda, became slavish to his urges, the slave, Yosef, maintained a royal bearing.
But then Yehuda’s tryst was uncovered, & he had to make a decision. Would he hide his indiscretion & let Tamar die, or would he step up and confess to his actions? He chose the right path, admitting that Tamar was more righteous than he.
And then adds the pasuk, "He ended his intimacy with her." Technically, he could have continued, say Chazal. But having relations with one’s daughter-in-law - even before the Torah was given, with its rules of who one may or may not marry - was odious. And so Yehuda did the right thing. And this started him back on the road to redemption. For admitting a sin is just the first step; resolving never to repeat it, refusing to commit that sin again, is the real test of strength.
Yehuda stopped the lyin’ & reverted back to Yehuda the Lion.
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.
