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Beit Midrash
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- Parashat Hashavua
The power of speech is stressed as early as the story of creation. "Hashem created man, dirt from the earth, and He blew into him the soul of life, and man became a nefesh chaya (lit., a living spirit)." Unkelus (who provides a quite literal translation, with cases of anthropomorphisms being common exceptions) translates the end of the pasuk as "spirit that speaks."
On one hand, oral communication is not unique to humans, as many species have the ability to make sounds with which they communicate. There are many different forms of communication among species throughout the world, on the ground, in the air, and even in the sea. We might note that whales can send and receive sounds over great distances. The matter is that speech is not just the ability to communicate within a social setting. Man is able to express himself in abstract matters and to connect to Hashem through Torah. At the time when prophecy was prevalent, speech had an additional function in connecting to Hashem, and even imagination was involved in accepting divine messages.
The higher and more developed a person’s abstract thinking is, the deeper he can go in his Torah study. This ability allows one the merit of being a partner in developing Torah through the generations, which even makes him a partner of sorts with Hashem, through the powerful medium of the Oral Torah. This finds expression, first through the spoken word and only later through the written word, as the Oral Law was allowed to be written only later in history and only reluctantly. Man’s involvement in this process makes him unique and the crown of creation. This requires him to guard the sanctity and purity of his thoughts and his speech, and the importance of this matter cannot be overstressed, for these are the utensils for his connection to Torah and the Divine Presence. (Protection of what one looks at is also a critical value.)
Since speech enables creativity, it is no surprise that oaths are an important subject that the Torah stresses, as we find in our parasha. The negative commandment against violating that which one accepted upon on himself by means of an oath is "lo yachel," perhaps best translated as do not de-sanctify. This same root is used to describe the harming of the relationship between early humanity and Hashem, which k’v’yachol chased away the Divine Presence (Bereishit 4:26). The midrash (Bereishit Rabba 23) sees the root as connected to rebelliousness, as it is used in the context of the pre-flood generation (Bereishit 6:1) and of Nimrod (ibid. 10:8).
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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.
