YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Hanukkah
- The Meaning of Hanukkah
could link them.
And yet, isn’t it interesting that for all eternity, we will read the story of Yosef during the days of Chanuka! And there is another hint: The Gemara Shabbat has a short discussion of Chanuka, including the law of how high or how low the Chanukiya may be placed. If it is too high or too low – at the bottom of a pit, for example - then others will not see it & there will be no pirsumei Mitzva, publicizing of the Mitzva. Suddenly, straight out of left field (where I sat during the Cubs game in the World Series, but that's another story), in the mitten d’rinum, the rabbis tell us that the pit in which Yosef was thrown had no water, but it did have snakes & scorpions! Are they winking perhaps at us?!
I suggest: Chanuka, in its essence, is the story of the righteous oppressed, the virtuous underdog, overcoming all the odds & emerging victorious. There was precious little oil for the Menora & yet – because it was pure oil – it
somehow stayed alit for 8 days. The victorious Maccabim were hopelessly outgunned by the Syrian-Greeks, but they were pure in their beliefs, staunchly determined to protect the faith or die trying. "Mi La’Hashem, Aylay! – Who is for G-d, let him come to me!" was their stirring battle cry.
Yosef was desperately alone in Egypt, a slave with no power of his own. Rejected by his brothers, maligned by Mrs. Potifar, he is thrown into one pit after another. Yet he does not lose his faith; he proudly identifies as an Ivri;
he refuses to commit crimes of moral turpitude. For this he is called "Yosef ha-tzadik," one of only 2 people in the Torah to earn this exalted title. He will rise to a position of great prominence that defies all logic. He, too. is pure oil, a valiant Maccabi who shakes off adversity & lights the way.
Yosef is the precursor to another hero inextricably tied up with the Bet HaMikdash. That is David, whose life story remarkably parallels Yosef’s. David is also rejected by his brothers, maligned & abandoned by them, forced to fight for his very life. He faces every possible trauma & crisis, but he never gives up or loses faith. "Though I walk in the valley, in the shadow of death, I fear no evil…..I will dwell in Hashem’s house forever," he writes in Psalm 23.
There are, by tradition, not one but two distinct Moshiachs: Moshiach ben Yosef, & Moshiach ben David. They come from different tribes, & each has his own particular task to perform. But they are united in their common resolve to place their trust in G-d & battle on, firm in their belief that they can achieve the seemingly impossible & unite all the branches of their Jewish family. In Israel, their spirit & their light lives on - look deep into the flames of the Chanukiya and you can see it.
Rabbis in Midrash
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Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 2
The King of the Kazars, in his search for truth, starts by inviting the philosopher. This is a "crash-course" on Aristotelian philosophy and the reasons why the king is not convinced. Through this dialogue, R. Yehuda HaLevi already foreshadows some of his central ideas that will appear later.
Shavuot "Love of Torah = Love of Israel"- for Shavuot
People often identify Judaism as just a religion, but upon examination, we see, even halachically and explicitly in the siddur, that the Torah is dependent upon Am Yisrael, Jewish nationalism.
Ein Aya The Middle-Child & Anti-Tzni'ut Syndrome- Negative Attention
Although tzni'ut is for men just like women, Rav Kook deals here with the sources in Yishayahu and the Talmud which deals with the special problem of lack of tzni'ut in women's dress and actions, where it's not just a problem of midot and character traits, but also can include practical, social and national ramifications, as well, which caused the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash and exile from Israel. The class continues the previous one (Ayn Aya Shabbat vi, 29), and is a must for all educators and parents of high-school aged and young adults.
P'ninat Mishpat P'NINAT MISHPAT: A Mess of Loans, Repayments and Grievances – part II
based on ruling 83033 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
based on ruling 83033 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
