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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Lech Lecha
More than one commentator has pondered over why G-d chose to use the rather oblique phrase, "the Land that I will show you,"
rather than telling Avraham directly that He was commanding him to go to Israel. Some pundits chuckle that Hashem did not want to scare Avraham by telling him that he was headed to Israel, preferring that he first get there & only then find out that he had made Aliya!
But I have a very different take on it: I suggest that it was davka because Israel is such a rich, beautiful & inspiring place that G-d withheld the fact that this was his ultimate destination! For you see, had Avraham known that he was headed to the Holy Land – which, due to his prophetic vision, he knew would be the ideal place for Jews to live – he might have gone there for THAT reason, rather than out of sheer
obedience to the Divine command. And Heaven more greatly rewards those who act purely in consonance with G-d’s will, rather than those who act of their own volition.
This is why the dictate to depart Charan for Israel is considered the first of Avraham’s 10 Tests, even though he had other terrifying ordeals prior to Lech-Lecha. He had to live underground for 13 years to escape the wrath of King Nimrod, & he was later thrown into a fiery furnace,
both of which occurred because of his determination to educate the public about the uselessness & fallacy of idolatry.
But those first two trials were a result of Avraham’s own convictions, his own rational realization that this world is presided over by One, comprehensive power and not many individual forces. And while Avraham's beliefs & acts were noteworthy & true, they came via his own conclusions & lacked the "signature" of the Almighty. And so they did not "make the cut;" they did not qualify as part of the immortal Ten Tests.
As the Gemara states: "Greater is the one who is commanded & acts, rather than one who acts without being commanded." True faith is tested, & strengthened, when we react instantly & instinctively to Hashem’s voice.
On the day that we arrived in Israel, we received some very solid advice from friends who had themselves made Aliya some years before us. "Israel is the most marvelous place on Earth," they told us, "but it also has the severest challenges. At times you will love this place, at other times you may fear, or even resent it. But always remember: You are here because you are doing a Mitzva; that is the bottom line, and that is the lifeline to hold on to at all times."
Good friends, great advice.
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.
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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.
