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Beit Midrash
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- Bo
But the word "Bo" is a gentler, softer, more respectful term; Hashem is telling Moshe he must approach Paro with respect even when coming to make demands of him. But why? Paro is a villain extraordinaire, responsible for putting our people through terrible ordeals of slavery, degradation & death. Why show him any honor at all?
One response is that Paro was a king, & kings are to be treated with respect. Another thought is that Moshe grew up in the palace, & so Paro was a semi-father to him, & fathers need to be spoken to with humility & deference.
But there is another, deeper dynamic at work here. Paro, for all his villainy, performed certain acts of goodness & kindness. For one thing, he (or his namesakes) gave Bnei Yisrael a home & shelter in Goshen for many years. Paro also once exhibited a surprising sense of Chesed. The Medrash says that he & Yitro, Paro’s advisor, were walking one day in Egypt’s slave market, & saw two young girls. They took pity on them, & decided to adopt them so as to save them from a life of misery. Who were these girls? None other than Batya & Zipora, who played major roles in Moshe’s life! Perhaps it was even Paro’s act of saving Batya that instilled in her the very instinct to save Moshe!
The lesson here is that Hashem is a meticulous CPA (Cosmic, Punctilious Accountant). He keeps careful track of everything his subjects do; for each & every positive act, we will be rewarded; conversely, every negative act we do will have its own consequences. And so a Tzadik will pay for his sins, regardless of his other acts of merit, & a Rasha will be blessed for his good deeds.
Think of it this way: Mitzvot are vitamins & medicine, & Aveirot-sins are poison. If you place medicine in a sick body, there will be some benefit to that person, maybe even a complete healing. But if you inject poison into even a super-healthy body, the results will certainly be harmful, maybe even deadly. That’s just reality.
Is there any person in this world who is completely & totally without sin, or who is 100% sinful? Certainly not! Perhaps this is why we should not be completely perplexed when we see "good" people suffer, or "evil" people prosper. What we are actually witnessing is the ultimate, eternal CPA balancing His books.
Now, if someone like Paro could be rewarded for acting nobly now & then, imagine what we could earn through a life of Yirat Shamayim & Torah observance. Let’s do our best to see that we are always on the right side of the ledger!
Peninei Halakha 5. Weddings and Engagements during the Omer Period
Chapter 3: Customs of Mourning during the Omer Period
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.
