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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Beha'alotcha
But all the other grievances in the Sedra are of a much more mean-spirited & arrogant nature:
"Who will feed us meat?" "Where is all the good(?) food we enjoyed in Egypt - the fish, the garlic, the melon?" "What is with this Mahn?! True, the taste may vary, but it looks the same every single darn day!"
And then Miriam & Ahron get into the act, criticizing their brother Moshe, accusing him of acting in a "holier than thou" fashion vis a vis his wife, Tzipora.
Moshe himself catches the "moaning malady," when he cries bitterly to G-d: "Why did you do such a bad thing, to make me leader of this nation?! I can’t take them any more, it’s too much for me! Just kill me & end the misery!"
What is going on here? Why all the complaints? Did the people not experience, just a short time ago, the most amazing miracles in history (at least until 1948)? Were they not coddled & cared for in the hostile desert, their every need satisfied? Why the massive ingratitude?
Perhaps the answer lies in one little phrase (11:6): The people say, regarding the Mahn, "Naf’shenu y’vesha; ayn kol" - our souls are parched, we have nothing." But the words "ayn kol" can also mean, "We don’t have everything!"
All too often, no matter how much we have – or perhaps, because we have everything! – we suffer from a disease known as Extreme Entitlement, or "Affluenza." We get used to the world bowing to our every whim, we think every minute of every day must go our way & we go ballistic if things don’t turn out exactly as we would like. The slightest inconvenience sets us off.
The cure for this, perhaps, is a mix: One ounce Humility, one ounce Hakarat HaTov, one ounce Emuna. Appreciate what you have; don’t think you are the most important person on Earth; and trust in Hashem that He knows what is
good for you. And take that frown - and turn it upside-down.
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?
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.