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The gabbai of the shul – one of 7 Jews to have survived the attack – showed us a large book of the Torah, kept always at the front of the bima, covered in blood. "The sedra that week was actually Shoftim," he told us, "but we found the Chumash opened instead to Kedoshim."
This sedra is almost always read in the week during or just before Yom HaShoa & Yom Hazikaron, the two days when we, as a nation, pay our respects to the Kedoshim, the holy Jews who gave up their lives Al Kiddush Hashem. Their sacrifice sanctifies all the rest of us.
Yet as we look through Parshat Kedoshim, we see that the vast majority of Mitzvot therein deal with the living, not the dead: Dealing honestly with others by maintaining accurate weights & measures; reserving a place in our fields for the poor; paying workers on time; refraining from misleading another person; not bearing a grudge or taking revenge on someone else; loving the convert; loving all of those around us, even as we love ourselves.
The guiding principle here – stated at the very beginning, & then repeated at the very end of the sedra – is: "You shall be kadosh-holy, for I, Hashem, am holy."
In other words, though we cannot actually BE G-d, we can certainly imitate & emulate Him. He is kind; so we should be kind. He gives of Himself – selflessly, even when it gains Him nothing - & so should we. He loves others – showing particular care for the less fortunate & most needy - therefore we, too, must follow His example & attend to the needs of the vulnerable & the disenfranchised.
As I write these words, our community of Ra'anana is still reeling from the loss of Rav Daniel Beller zt"l. It would be hard to imagine someone who cared more for those around him than Rav Beller, who gave endlessly & completely to "the other," inspiring everyone around him to do better & be better. His legacy is that in death – especially in martyred death – one can indeed become Kadosh. But you
certainly don’t have to wait that long. Live holy – be holy.
Peninei Halakha 12. Yom Ha-zikaron: A Day of Remembrance for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers
Chapter 4: Yom Ha-atzma’ut
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.
