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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The High Holidays
- Rosh Hashana
But, just as in courtship, there is a special passion which precedes the actual ceremony, & so we dispense with some of our precious sleeping time even before RH arrives, in order to recite the Selichot prayers. Among the most poignant of these prayers is the "Aseh L’ma’an…." section which pleads with G-d: "If we do not have the merit to be forgiven, then do it because You are good; do it in the merit of our holy ancestors; do it in the name of all those who went through fire & water, persecution & pogrom & gave their lives for You; do it for the sake of the innocent children who never committed a sin."
I suggest that if we slightly adapt this Tefila, using its same style & approach, we might be able to self-motivate ourselves & intensify our Yamim Noraim pleas to the Almighty. We should turn the prayer around; instead of us talking to G-d about what HE should do, we should rather be listening to other voices that speak to us, to our souls, & tell us what WE should be doing:
Aseh L’Maan Ha’Sabim; HaBubbe V’HaZayde: Do it for the sake of our grandparents & great-grand-parents. They may hardly have known us, or perhaps never even met us, but they prayed for & dreamed of having grandchildren who would make them proud, who would carry their name & bring honor to it. They knew that all they accomplished, everything they stood for, would come to naught if we, years after their passing, rejected their values & failed to live up to their standards.
Aseh L’Maan Ha-Horim: Do it for the sake of our parents, who took care of us when we were helpless, who raised us, loved us, guided us, sacrificed everything for us. All their hopes & dreams reside in us, in our behavior & in our success; how CAN we – how dare we - let them
down?
Aseh L’Maan Ha-Y’Ladim: Do it for the sake of our children. They look up to us, they respect us, we are the model & example they crave to follow - even if they seem rebellious. If we falter, if we do not continually strengthen our ties to Hashem, how can we expect THEM to maintain their own connection?
Aseh L’Maan Atzmeynu: Do it for our own sake. For when all is said & done, WE are the prime recipients, the main beneficiaries of a closer union with G-d. It will enrich our lives, connect us to our glorious past, and bring us much bracha.
Shana Tova!
Halachot for Rosh Hashana Checking the Simanim for Rosh Hashana 5783
According to Sefer Bedikas Hamazon by Rav Vaye
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.
