Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Bamidbar
On the High Holy Days we recite the famous liturgical poem regarding the shepherd having his flock pass before him individually to be marked for holy purpose. The poem is naturally based on the imagery of the Mishnah as it appears in tractate Rosh Hashanah. Each of the billions of people who populate our world is an individual and is so counted by the great shepherd of us all. No matter how fervently wish to melt into the mass of humanity and not be singled out for life’s tasks, challenges and inexplicable events. Part of the uniqueness of the Jewish people is that it has always been of relatively small numbers. The Torah itself informed us that we would be of limited numbers and that God did not choose us to fulfill our mission in human civilization because we would be many in numbers. Our limited numbers contribute to our sense of uniqueness and mission. To be a Jew is to be special, but only those who truly cherish and appreciate their Jewishness, their traditions and value system can achieve that inner sense of uniqueness and self-confidence and self-worth. And those who unfortunately opted out of Jewish life, assimilated, intermarried, never built families, etc. eventually have counted themselves out of participating in the great drama of the Jewish story. So we should not wonder why the Torah counts us so often and so carefully. It teaches us a great deal about ourselves and our future.
Rabbis in Midrash
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Various Events FOR WHOM NOT TO VOTE
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook stressed that Israeli politics is G-dly, so I have no problem answering this common question on a Torani blog. Also, Free-Will is a G-d-given right and obligation, to "destine one's fate" (R. Soloveichik, Kol Dodi Dofek, 67), so I obviously don't tell others how to vote. But once not a few (especially young) have already asked, a couple of personal words from experience and thoughts from chazal & Rav Kook which may be of help to others, mainly for whom NOT to vote.
P'ninat Mishpat Fallout from Failure to Install Elevator – part II
based on ruling 85007 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
