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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
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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.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
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.
