YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Passover - Pesach
- Shabbat Hagadol
Really? Is that true? Does anyone believe that today, in the "modern" era of freedom & independence, we Jews could still be languishing as hapless, helpless slaves?
There are two responses to this question. The first is, "Who knows?!" Had Hashem & the Jewish People not pioneered this revolutionary, unparalleled act of breaking free from a despotic dictator, perhaps the long-standing system of slavery would have endured forever! But it was our dramatic breakthrough that sent a universal, timeless message that slavery is wrong, & must be fought. That is why the rallying cry of the black slaves in the South was: "When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let My people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let My people go!" As in so many cases of social justice, we Jews have led the way. Indeed, the Lubavitcher Rebbe said that it was the struggle for Soviet Jews to achieve the freedom to emigrate that ultimately caused Communism to fall & tens of millions of people to be freed from oppression!
There is yet another slant on freedom. A person can be physically enslaved, yet he can still remain free. Though we were subject to Paro’s dictates, in our hearts we knew that we were destined for greater things, that we carried the legacy of the Avot & Imahot in us & would eventually pursue our rightful destiny & place in history. Chazal say Moshe understood this from the Burning Bush. From the outside, it looked just like any other bush, but internally it burned with fire, just as the Jews had a burning desire to be free to again worship Hashem.
When Natan Sharansky was in prison in Russia, he was visited by his brother, who was searched by the guards to be sure he was not carrying any "subversive" material. But at some point, the brother took off his shirt to reveal aT-shirt with the slogan, "Anatoly will be free!" The guards then evicted the brother, & told Natan that as punishment, he would now be denied family visits for a long time. Sharansky told the guards: "Rest assured that someday, I will be freed. But YOU - & all those who live under the Communist regime – will remain prisoners!"
This Shabbat is BIG because we Jews are always involved in BIG events & big causes that rattle the establishment & prod the world onwards towards a better way of life. And it begins by recognizing the bigness, the greatness, inside each & every one of us.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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.
