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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Shlach Lecha
But is there any positive way to view this Sedra? Is it relevant to today’s Jewish People? Surely it must be!
Looking at the instructions Moshe gave to the scouts, we might imagine he is talking to us, right here & now, asking us to take a critical look at Israel, to "r’item et ha-aretz, mah hee" – to recognize the Land for what it is:
"Hechazak hu, harafeh? Is the nation strong, or weak?" Can anyone deny that Israel is a strong country? Is our army not among the finest – perhaps the finest, soldier for soldier – in the entire world? What other country, under constant threat, surrounded by hostile forces within & without, goes about its daily life unimpeded & secure?
"Ha’m’at hu, im rav? Is the land few, or numerous?" In the last two generations, Israel’s population has sky-rocketed 1200%, while virtually every other Jewish community in the world has shrunk. We have the highest per-capita number of multiple births & although our life-expectancy is expanding, we are actually getting younger every year!
"U-ma ha-aretz? Tova, im ra’ah, sh’mena im raza? – is the land good or bad, is it fat or lean?" As you drive the length & breadth of Israel, you see the fields of grain, the flowers blooming, the crops overflowing. By brilliantly solving our water issues, we have turned the barren desert into a green paradise. We can grow virtually anything, anywhere, anytime, & we have helped millions of people worldwide overcome their food shortages.
"Hayesh bah etz, im ayin – are there trees, or not?" Rashi defines "tree" here as referring to upstanding people of character, & we certainly have many of those. But I suggest that "tree" actually means tree! The question is: Are we planting trees? Because, as the Gemara teaches, planting trees is a sign of confidence of the future, that though it will take some time for those trees to grow, we – or our offspring – will be there to enjoy the fruits. We are, in other words, a confident & self-assured People.
The Spies, tragically, suffered from an acute, self-imposed inferiority complex; that is why they compared themselves to grasshoppers. And that was their fatal mistake. They should have understood that if they maintained their faith, they would conquer, with the Almighty’s help, every enemy, & overcome any obstacle.
And as long as WE stay faithful & believe in ourselves & in Hashem, then we, too, will IY’H continue to prevail & to grow stronger & stronger. Scouts’ honor
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
