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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Bo
"And the Children of Israel, 600,000 males, not counting children, journeyed from Ramses to Sukkot" (12:37).
But this is not the only dramatic event in our Sedra of Bo which hardly draws any attention, & yet is a particularly powerful phenomenon. There is another happening that also seems to somehow slip "under the radar:"
"Hashem granted the people favor in the eyes of Egypt; moreover, the man Moshe was very great in the eyes of the servants of Paro & in the eyes of the people." (11:3)
This is truly an amazing, mystifying statement! Coming as it does after nine plagues, when the country has been decimated physically, financially & emotionally, you would have thought that the average Egyptian – not to mention those in a leadership position – would be incensed with Moshe, that they would blame him for all their problems & consider him Public Enemy #1. And yet, they actually respect him; they actually like him!
This is an even more striking phenomenon considering that in the very next pasuk, Moshe announces that the final, ultimate blow is at hand: Every first-born - who are the elite of Egypt - will die. In fact, "there will not be a single house in the country where there will not be a corpse," even if there is no firstborn to be found there! So how could these same people have a positive feeling about Moshe, the "public face" of the relentless onslaught of the 10 Plagues?
It would seem to be counter-intuitive, but Moshe was respected because, in the end, he represented Truth, & Justice. The Egyptians, deep down, knew that enslaving other people & cruelly denying them all human rights was wrong. They may have benefited from the work of the slaves, but they recognized that no person should have to endure such torture. Moshe, as the one who most prominently stood up for justice & freedom, may at first have been fought against, but ultimately he was admired for his idealism & integrity.
What a message this sends to us! Today, Israel is defamed & denigrated by so many, even dragged to bogus international courts to answer for our "crimes." But we have nothing to apologize for; we are the just, the moral party. We must stand tall & stare the world in the face, proud of our actions. Like Moshe, we shall ultimately be vindicated.
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.
