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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
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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.
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.
