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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
The Main Purpose of Clothes
(condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 8:30)
Gemara: Levusha (clothing) represents lo busha (no embarrassment).
Ein Ayah: Man has spiritual characteristics that are prevalent in him due to his special divine image. These characteristics indeed rule over the internal content of the way he leads his life. Due to this fact, when a person has a need which fulfills both a physical and a spiritual need, the spiritual need that is related to his spiritual stature is more impactful than the physical one because it is in regard to the spiritual that man is significantly different from animals.
There are multiple reasons for wearing clothes. It helps prevent the discomfort of exposure to excessive heat or excessive cold. However the gemara’s play on words stresses the important part about clothes. The internal emotional need of avoiding embarrassment is the most significant of the reasons for them. Embarrassment is, after all, a very important emotion, and it is related to the moral spirit of a person. That inclination is more important than the other factors, and they are subservient to this reason. For this reason, there is a connection between the word levusha and the words lo busha.
Beauty in Lack of Detail
(condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 8:31)
Gemara: Gelima (a cloak) is related to the idea of making one like a golam (a chunk of clay).
Ein Ayah: Spiritual grandeur is not realized when each part of the whole of a matter that contains beauty, is stressed individually. It is possible that the special small parts of the matter add to its general beauty, when each part contains some specific grace. However, the main appearance of beauty relates to the general appearance, which overpowers the specific lines of the pieces of the whole.
All of a person’s limbs, and indeed all of the elements that act to accentuate the general picture of the body as a whole, join together in one appearance of unity. Therefore, the cloak, which is a wide article of clothing that covers all the other articles of clothing, envelops a person as a whole and gives him an overall picture of grandeur. This completes the appearance of overall beauty, which stems from a spiritual beauty, which itself emanates from the inclination toward good in spirit. Only certain parts of the overall being can have their specific elements viewed. But the main thing is the general element, which embraces the various individual elements that make up the whole. That is what is special about a cloak that does not allow the various shapes of the limbs to be seen. In that way, it makes a person like a golam, in the positive sense.
Various Rabbis
Various Rabbis including those of of Yeshivat Bet El, such as Rabbi Chaim Katz, Rabbi Binyamin Bamberger and Rabbi Yitzchak Greenblat and others.
Moreshet Shaul Moreshet Shaul: A Crown and its Scepter – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 294-5
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Shoftim TESHUVA IN COURT OF LAW?
Parshat Shoftim-Chodesh Elul
Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Chemdat Yamim The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
