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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Bereshit
This concept began at the dawn of time. While Hashem is a great & giving G-d, who created the world & everything in it for our benefit, it did not come condition-free. There was a qualifier attached: Man was placed in the Garden of Eden - & by extension, in the world at large - "L’Avda U’l’Shamra – To Serve & to Protect." (Note: this phrase is written on the side of every Chicago police car!).
The quid-pro-quo for receiving this wonderful treasure we call Earth is two-fold: We must serve Hashem & follow in His ways; and we must not only work the land (another interpretation of "L’Avda"), but also safeguard & protect it, as well as all those around us, from any harm.
Piety, devotion to G-d, communal responsibility, hard work & ecological awareness are the main mandates to Man which all wrapped up in this succinct, two-line command.
The tragic downfall of history’s "First Family," dramatically described in this week’s opening Sedra, stem from a failure to heed G-d’s warning. Adam & Chava do not follow Hashem’s instructions as to what may or may not be eaten; Kayin & Hevel argue over the land, & the end result is that Paradise Granted turns into Paradise Lost.
Where did it start to all break down?
In castigating Adam, G-d says (3:17): "Because you listened to the voice of your wife….." Presumably, this seemingly chauvinistic comment means that Adam’s sin was that he listened to Chava when she offered him the Etz Ha’Da’at, & did not object to her advances.
But hang on a second: Where do we see anywhere in the text that Chava spoke to Adam? Look for it; it’s simply not there!
Thomas Furst offers a brilliant idea: Where DO we see Chava speaking? It is when she converses with the snake, who convinces her that it’s absolutely OK to transgress G-d’s command. Says Hashem to Adam: "You listened to that conversation, you heard what Chava said, & yet you did nothing! You did not come to her rescue; you did not protect her from the snake’s evil counsel! For that, you must pay a heavy price."
The lesson should be clear to us: Be a good spouse, a good Jew, a good neighbor, citizen & person; and always protect all those around you from harm. That is the ticket back into Gan Eden.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
