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Beit Midrash
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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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Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
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.
