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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Korach
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Chukat
The answer can be found, quite simply, in the first two words of the sedra, "Vayikach Korach – and Korach took." But what did he take; the pasuk never tells us!
Some want to say he took other rebels along with him; or that he took his life & legacy & destroyed it, etc. But I suggest that the words speak for themselves: "Korach took" – Korach was a taker! Whatever he could take, he took: Money, power, fame. It was never enough, for once you become a taker, there is no end to it, you can’t stop. You just keep taking & taking, beyond all reason & rationale.
But Levi’im are not meant to be takers - they are givers. They devote themselves selflessly to the people, to the nation, to Hashem. They are the spiritual leaders, the conduit for the offerings, the lifeline to G-d. And so when Korach abdicated his role & became a taker, Hashem took it all away from him – his money, his family, his life.
And now on to Chukat. This is a sedra that is centered around Death. Miriam dies. Ahron dies. Moshe is given his "death sentence" after he strikes the rock. And of course, the opening section deals with the Para Aduma, the red heifer which is killed & whose ashes purify those who come into contact with the dead.
All these items fall under the general category of "Chukat" or "Chok," laws & phenomenon that are mysterious, unknowable, inscrutable. And Death is most paramount among them. Why did Hashem create Life – be it in animal, vegetable or human beings - if all are destined to die? Is this not cruel? Knowing that from the moment we are born we have an incurable illness – it’s called "Life!" – can surely lead to sadness, depression, melancholy, existentialism.
But the Para Aduma ritual comes to teach us that there are cycles of life and rebirth. The cow dies, but its ashes give spiritual life to others. Ahron dies, but the Kohanim he produced live on. Moshe dies, but his Torah is eternally true, a Torat Chayim; in short, we live beyond ourselves.
This Shabbat is the 25th anniversary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s death. But, truth be told, the Rebbe is not "dead." For as long as his Torah is spread, as long as his emissaries carry out his mission, & the values he espoused emanate throughout the world, he lives on in the purest sense. Tzadikim b’mitatan k’ruim Chayim; the righteous, even in death, are called "Chayim."
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.
