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Beit Midrash
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But before Bnei Yisrael exits Egypt, the Torah narrative is abruptly interrupted so that Hashem can issue a very unusual commandment, "Ha-Chodesh ha’zeh lachem," installing Nisan as the 1st official month in the Hebrew
calendar. Though the world was indeed created in Tishrei, life, in a sense, begins anew when the Jewish nation is launched. A very flattering proclamation – accentuating the centrality of the Jewish People – but one that seems a bit out of place. Why didn’t this come after the plagues were over, and we were out of slavery and out of Egypt, safely en route to Israel? Why is it davka injected here?
Chazal explain: Hashem was telling the people: "Until now your time was not your own; you were on someone else’s clock. But now, you will be in control of your own time and your own schedule – it will be "lachem," yours to
use or abuse. Your time, day by day, is a precious gift; what you do with it will determine whether you lead a life of liberated glory, or slavish irrelevance. This is precisely why I am freeing you!"
And so immediately after this command is given, Hashem lists all the many Mitzvot connected with Pesach, our most intricate, law-laden festival, so as to illustrate just how we are to spend our days and best utilize our time.
Now, one of these laws is to bake Matzot, which we would later carry with us on our journey to Israel. But the question here is obvious: If we were told to bake Matzot on the 1st of Nisan, and we only left Egypt two full weeks
later, why the need to bake it in such a rush, within 18 minutes?! Why not just take our sweet time?!
But this is exactly the point: The Matzot symbolize that time is fleeting and life is short, and we must make certain to utilize every precious moment of the life and time allotted to us by the Almighty. Just as the only difference between
bread and matza – which share the same ingredients - is Time, so, too, the difference between a life fulfilled and a failed life is how we spent our time on this Earth.
Chicago - and its suburb Skokie, where I studied in Yeshiva – can be a very cold place in the winter. But our classroom always had an open window, such that at times we wore coats and gloves while learning Gemara. "You’ll sleep in the next world," our rebbe, Rav Herzl Kaplan zt"l would often say. "In this world, you will do, not dream." The old cliche still says it best: It’s not the years in our life, but the life in our years that really counts.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
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.
