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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Shmot
If the name of a Sedra is the key to understanding that particular Sedra, then there must be something even more significant about the name of an entire book of the Torah! What is the deeper idea behind the name "Shmot?"
Paro has a problem. Like so many of our adversaries throughout the Exile, he wants to single out the Jews for punishment. But how can he turn his nation against us when Yosef was such a genuine Egyptian national hero? Yosef’s brilliant direction of the Egyptian economy vaulted Egypt into the position of the pre-eminent country in the known world. Though many years have passed, the people still read about Yosef, & venerate his name.
But Paro is clever & has a very well-thought out plan:
Step 1: He acts as if "he did not know Yosef." Denial (or is it "De-Nile?!") the big lie. Chazal say he even went so far as to obliterate Yosef’s name from all the Egyptian record-books (or scrolls).
Step 2: Defamation. He tells his people that the Hebrews have become great & mighty "mimenu – from us!" That is, "These foreigners have taken our wealth, Egyptian wealth; these parasites have sucked it right out of the ground. We Egyptians are farmers, we make the ground produce things. But these Israelites – who are cursed shepherds & cattlemen – they quickly eat up all the things we grow!"
Step 4: Incrimination. Paro is the first to describe us as an "Am," a nation. Or rather, a nation within a nation. He charges us with being a "Fifth Column," a subversive entity that will "join our enemies, fight against us, & then leave."
Step. 5: Humiliation. Paro saps our self-respect by giving us degrading, menial jobs completely not befitting our intelligence & capability. Chazal say he gave the men women’s work, & the women men’s work. The cities we had to built were called "Arey Miskanot," pitiful edifices that crumbled as soon as we finished making them.
Step 6: Enslavement, soon to be followed by genocide.
What is the antidote to this devious plan to destroy us?
The cure is our names. A name has two primary qualities. First, it gives us a unique identity, our own persona & presence. A name is much like a title that conveys status. Second, it recalls our past generations, all the way back to our illustrious ancestors. If you have a name, you have dignity, yichus (a pedigree), you have value. In short, if you have a "shem," you will never have shame.
And so this sefer is called "Names." It begins by telling us we have a name, & takes us to the very end of the Torah, which concludes with our most glorious name, Yisrael.
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
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.
