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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Vayechi
I suggest that there is one answer to both questions. If there is one family flaw, one malady that has plagued us thru the generations, it is that of intense sibling rivalry. Yitzchak vs. Yishmael. Yakov vs. Esav. The brothers vs. Yosef. It is precisely because Menashe says nothing & does not protest Efraim’s blessing that these two boys are eternalized as a paradigm of Jewish love & unity.
Certain key individuals in our history nurture & guide us, like a loving mother. They are represented by the letters Alef & Mem, which form the word, Aym, or mother:
Adam, the first human being, begins with an Alef & ends with a Mem; Avraham, the first Jew, begins with an Alef & ends with a Mem; Aharon & Moshe’s initials are Alef & Mem; Esther & Mordechai’s initials are Alef & Mem.
Add to this prestigious company Yosef’s sons. So crucial is it that we Jews – who regard one another as Achim, brothers – get along with each other & learn to co-exist, that we choose to bless our sons with the hope that they will be like Efraim, & especially like Menashe, who voiced no protest, no jealous reaction to his brother’s blessing.
I suggest this is also why Yakov cryptically said of E & M, "They will be to me like Reuven & Shimon!" True, these were Yakov’s first 2 sons. But they certainly weren’t his pride & joy; Yehuda or Yissachar might have been better choices. But Reuven & Shimon were instrumental in throwing Yosef into the pit; perhaps Yakov is saying that Efraim & Menashe, via their brotherly love, will be the tikun, the correction, for the cruel actions of their uncles.
There is, of course, one more Alef & Mem combination – the most important one of all - that is yet to come. That, of course, is the team of Eliyahu & Moshiach. They will arrive on the scene when all the diverse Jews of the world – observant, secular, Sefardi, Ashkenazi, Chasid & Mitnaged, convert or natural-born - have learned to focus on the positive merits of our fellow Jews rather than accentuate their differences. B’ezrat Hashem, with lots of left-Mem - Ahava & Mesirat Nefesh - we shall get there.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
