YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Balak
What is going on here?
Until now, throughout the book of Bamidbar, Bnei Yisrael has gone from crisis to crisis, all the while incurring the wrath of G-d. We complained incessantly about water, about the lack of meat, about the Mahn. We rallied around the Meraglim & their rejection of Hashem’s promise to bring us into Israel. We even had the audacity to react angrily to Korach’s demise. On more than one occasion, Hashem threatened to wipe us out, & was deterred only by Moshe’s spirited intervention on our behalf.
Imagine how low our self-esteem must have dropped! Our psyches battered & bruised, we must have thought that we were not a Royal, Loyal nation, but rather an insolent, inferior bunch. What could possibly be done to restore our morale & our majesty?
Enter Bilam. Though he is no lover of Am Yisrael (indeed, the last two letters of the names "Bilam" & "Balak" combine to spell "Amalek!"), & though he is paid to curse us, Bilam ends up bestowing the most glorious, complimentary blessings upon us, blessings that live on throughout our history. One of them, "Mah Tovu" even begins our daily Tefilot!
While we Jews are very adept at giving ourselves a well-earned pat on the back, there is something quite dramatic & powerful when those of another faith sing our praises. Not only is it a Kiddush Hashem that has a heightened effect on the world at large, it also reinforces our own faith in who we are & what we do. When Bilam – a complete outsider, with no bias whatsoever in our favor - speaks about our modesty, our courage, our destiny to live eternally & outlast all other civilizations, he is affirming truths that verify & validate our mission in this world.
And so Bilam takes center-stage in this Sedra while Moshe retreats to the sidelines. It is Hashem’s way of massaging our damaged ego, trying to re-inject that missing sense of self & status that we need to fulfill our mission in this world. We will be tested time & time again – as we are at the end of this very same Sedra – but there will always be heroes, from among us & from the world at large, who will remind us of our path to glory.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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.
