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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Pkudei
With this Sedra, we come to the end of the dramatic book of Shmot. It began with our descent into Egypt, followed us through the horrific period of slavery, celebrated our freedom from bondage & our triumphant stand at HarSinai, where we bonded together & received the Torah. And then, for 16 chapters, we "build" the Mishkan & fill it with objects of holiness. Why the massive emphasis on the building of the Mishkan that - while it did last for more than 400 years - was destined to be dismantled, never to be seen again?
I suggest that Hashem is sending a powerful, pointed message to the Jews of eternity. He is telling us that as we wander along the path of history, passing through locales without end, from Cuba to Kaifeng to Canada, from Scotland to Spain to Santa Barbara, we would continually set up & then take down our holy places. We would build our Yeshivot & Batei Midrash & Mikvaot, & they would service & support us for some time. But then, we’d pack up & move on to another stop in our ongoing sojourn; the "holy places" of our past would turn into libraries or hospitals or office buildings, & be but a distant memory.
Yet that’s only Part I of the message. The second, all-important point, is that one day the Mishkan would finally cease its travels. It would morph into the more permanent edifice of the Bet HaMikdash, where stones would now replace collapsible wood & the ground upon which the Temple stood would attain a Kedusha L’Netzach, a permanent holiness that could never, ever be expunged despite the ravages of time.
Wherever Jews have lived, we have built. We built societies, our own as well as that of our hosts, & we built magnificent edifices. But for 2000 years these buildings were of the temporary variety. Only now, with our blessed return toIsrael, do we build permanent structures that stay right where they are. Now, the builders and the buildings are fixed firmly in their place, never to be uprooted again.
On a trip to Norway some years ago, I visited Trondheim, Norway's third-largest city. Its once-viable Jewish community had dwindled to no more than a handful of elderly people. The head of the shul – which now met just once a month – was proud to tell me that they had a mikva. I rushed excitedly to the room, but sadly, I had to push away the heavy cobwebs to see the pool.
The lands of the Exile can be fantastic, but they are fleeting & finite. Israel, & Israel alone, is forever.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
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.
