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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Chayei Sara
death, are referred to as alive" is certainly apt, but might be used for any Biblical hero. Why choose Sara alone?
Avraham approaches the Hitites to purchase a burial site for Sara. The negotiations don’t go very well for Avraham, & he is told that it will take no less than 400 silver coins to buy the lot. And these are not your run-of-the-mill coins;
the rabbis say that they were "Over La’Socher" – a special mint of international currency worth millions of shekels. Why did Avraham submit to this exorbitant price? After all, he felt that he had a legitimate claim on the land, straight from the Almighty, & this is why he says to Ephron, "Ger V’Toshav Anochi Imachem – I am a stranger and a resident among you." Meaning, Rashi explains, "while I am not exactly ‘one of your kind,’ I have legal rights to this place."
And let’s not forget that Avraham was not someone to be physically trifled with. He recently had almost single-handedly defeated the 4 kings in battle (in parshat Lech-Lecha) & certainly had earned a wide-spread reputation for himself
as a mighty warrior. So why does Avraham - who so deftly demonstrated the art of negotiation when he debated S'dom's fate with Hashem - meekly submit to Ephron’s pricey demand & dish out the money so readily, without any negotiation at all?
I suggest that Avraham is making a grand statement: The value of something is directly proportional to the price paid for it. If it comes cheap, it is cheap. Like an expensive, exclusive piece of art or bottle of prize, aged wine, the very cost of the thing conveys its intrinsic worth. So it was with this initial purchase in Eretz Yisrael. It was important to establish, right from the start, that this land is infinitely valuable; it demands a high price to win it, & to maintain it. That price tag reads Struggle, Sacrifice & Stamina.
Sara’s life – more than any other woman in the Torah – is one of continual hardship & heroism. She, no less than her husband, must set out for a new land. But she must also deal with the added frustration of infertility, her belittling at the hands of her servant Hagar, & her being abducted by a foreign power – not once, but twice! And then finally, while Avraham & Yitzchak survive the ordeal of the Akeida, Sara does not; she dies from the trauma.
All of these profound trials & tribulations combine to make Sara a model – THE quintessential model - for all future generations to admire & emulate. Sara teaches us that, when all is said & done, the value of a life is directly equal
to the price we pay for living it.
The Mitzvah of Settling the Land Land of Israel: G-d-Given Right or Legal Right?
Translated by Hillel Fendel
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
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.