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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Korach
- Family and Society
- A Nation and its Halachot
- Leadership
The battle between Moshe & Korach over the leadership of Am Yisrael is all the more tragic because they are cousins. They should have been the first to band together, to share in the joy of being in the upper echelon of Jewish society & representing the community. Instead,
they are part of a divisive machloket that rocks the nation.
But there is something quite puzzling in this saga. Korach criticizes Moshe for taking too large a chunk of power for himself & his immediate family: "It’s too much for you!" he says. "All the nation is holy, Hashem is with all of us, so why do you exalt yourself over G-d’s congregation?!"
Moshe then replies to him quite sharply: "Isn’t it enough that you, Korach, a Levi, serve in the elite ranks of the nation? Yet you want to be Kohen Gadol, too?!"
Sounds like a valid enough argument, eh? But hold on a moment. Didn’t Moshe himself also want to be the Kohen Gadol?! In fact, he actually held that position for one week, during the inauguration of the Mishkan, & he was quite reluctant to give it up – even to his own older brother Aharon!
As evidence, if you look at the section in Parshat Tzav, where Moshe, serving as Kohen Gadol, is commanded to consecrate Aharon & sons to service in the Mishkan, you will "note" something very interesting. The pasuk places a shalshelet note there, one of the few times this trope-note appears in the entire Torah. The shalshelet, by it’s back & forth cantillation (it also is shaped in a zig-zag, for added emphasis), always indicates hesitation & pause. It is used, for example, by Yosef, when he debates whether or not to succumb to Mrs. Potiphar’s advances; by Lot’s family when they are reluctant to leave the sin-city of S’dom, etc.
Moshe, clearly, is extremely reluctant to pass on this plum position to Aharon. So why should he be so angry at Korach for expressing the very same emotion?!
The answer, of course, is the man’s motivation, the will behind the wavering. Moshe’s sole interest in the Kehuna was his desire to get closer to G-d - which could be accomplished by performing the Avoda & entering the Kodesh Kadashim - & further serving His people. As opposed to Korach, who just wanted more power & more fame.
In the end, the test chosen to settle the dispute was to take fire-pans filled with ketoret-incense, & see whose offering G-d would choose. Ultimately, Hashem cannot be fooled; He knows the all-important "why" behind the "what," & whether our passion is holy fire, or just plain burning greed.
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.
