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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Vayetze
Why do the angels first ascend, then descend? It should be the opposite: Angels come from Heaven; they should come down & THEN go up! Why does the Pasuk begin: "Vayifga Bamakom;" (and he encountered the place)? Vayifga" is an unusual, negative term (as in the word "nifga," wounded). And why does G-d identify Himself as "Elokei Avraham Avicha," the G-d of Avraham your father; wasn’t Yitzchak Yakov’s father, & not Avraham?!
To answer, let us try to understand what Yakov is feeling as he lies down to sleep in Luz. Dreams reflect what our soul is saying, the things that deeply concern us, & this why Yakov dreams this particular dream. Here he is, the man who just was blessed as the next leader of Am Yisrael, now fleeing his home, fleeing his homeland, leaving Eretz Yisrael! He is severely, spiritually wounded (nifga) by the fact that he is headed into Galut, an alien, unknown environment filled with shady, Lavan-type characters. He is overwhelmingly depressed.
But then Yakov sleeps & dreams. He sees a ladder "mutzav artza" - rooted in the land, Eretz Yisrael. He is reminded that his roots will always be in Israel. He sees the angels of Eretz Yisrael first, the primary, ascendant angels, to remind him that he must always aspire to return to Israel someday. But he also sees angels descending, angels of Chutz L’Aretz, reassuring him that he will never be abandoned by Hashem, no matter where he goes, so long as he remembers to someday return!
G-d blesses him as "the G-d of Avraham your father." Avraham, not Yitzchak, because Yitzchak never left Israel; Avraham, who did go into Galut, is his true role model. Avraham left, but he also returned. Hashem tells Yakov that he, too, will leave but come back ("I shall return you to this Land"). This is why Yakov’s final act is to make Yosef swear unconditionally that he will return him to Eretz Yisrael & not leave him behind in Egypt.
Yakov makes a solemn pledge to return to Israel & consecrates this holy spot. He renames the place, once called Luz, "Bet El," the House of G-d, affirming that while G-d is everywhere, His primary home is in Eretz Yisrael. As long as Yakov remembers his roots, remembers Israel, he will remain a faithful member of the House of G-d, & will never be a "Luz-er." And that’s no dream.
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.
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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.
