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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The High Holidays
- Yom Kippur
Now we want to put the ideas behind that mishna in the context of Sukkot. The women would urge the men to not notice physical beauty but to consider such things as the family in which the young woman grew up. They cited the pasuk: "Charm is false, and beauty is void of meaning; a woman who is G-d-fearing should be praised" (Mishlei 31:30). They also cited the pasuk in Shir Hashirim (3:11) about seeing the crown of King Shlomo which his mother made for him on the day of his marriage (referring to the giving of the Torah) and the day of his heart’s happiness (referring to the building of the Beit Hamikdash).
Let us apply the matter as follows. On Yom Kippur, we cast aside physical needs and focus on fixing society. On Sukkot, we abandon another basic physical need – the house which brings us stability and security – and go out to live in the sukka. This helps us receive forgiveness and atonement, represented by the possibility to dwell in the proximity of the Divine Presence.
The idea of the Kohen Gadol entering the place of the cloud (see Vayikra 16:2), in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur, has a broader application on Sukkot. It is not just the Kohen Gadol who enters the sukka and the shade of Hashem that it represents. The idea of unity that arises on Sukkot (e.g., the motifs of lulav and etrog, the idea of sharing one sukka) is something that facilitates the presence of the Divine Presence in the Mikdash throughout the year. This unity was also critical in the giving of the Torah, which occurred when the people became "like one person with one heart" (Rashi, Shemot 19:2).
As the mishna equates the two, the individual equivalent to the national giving of the Torah and building of the Mikdash is one’s wedding. In the meeting place to encourage Jewish marriages, people reminded each other that the idea behind marriage is building a relationship that is based on fear of Hashem. That is the idea of "if [the couple] succeeds, the Divine Presence will be between them."
We want to relive the days of meriting special clouds – like the ones that hovered over the tents of the patriarchs and matriarchs and those that their offspring merited in the desert. We want a taste of the clouds that were in the Beit Hamikdash during its inauguration and those that were seen every Yom Kippur. The sukka, which reminds us of the enveloping cloud, represents all of these ideas. As we wish each young couple, we hope that these clouds of glory will enrich and accompany the couple wherever they go.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
