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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Tanach
- Yirmiyahu
Yirmiyahu was written in two periods of time, one after the other, following a traumatic event. The first period started in the 13th year of the reign of Yoshiyahu and lasted until the 4th year of Yehoyakim (22 years). The commandment to write the prophecies as a book is found in Yirmiyahu 36:1-4. The navi relates that in the 4th year of Yehoyakim, Hashem explicitly commanded Yirmiyahu to write a sefer of his prophecies from the time of Yoshiyahu so that maybe Bnei Yisrael would repent as a result. His cousin Baruch ben Neriya is the one who physically wrote the book. Then Baruch read the sefer in the Beit Hamikdash (ibid. 8). The public was apparently not overly impressed by the warnings, as Yirmiyahu remained in jail.
A few months later, Yirmiyahu was released from jail, and the people were very concerned about the ascendance to power of Nevuchadnetzar in Bavel. Baruch was once again called upon to read Yirmiyahu’s warnings and calls to repent in the Beit Hamikdash (ibid. 10). This time there was more "buzz" from the messages. The righteous officials who remained from the rule of the righteous Yoshiyahu instructed Yirmiyahu and Baruch to hide to escape Yehoyakim’s wrath. They took the "first edition" of Yirmiyahu’s sefer and presented it to the king’s palace, hoping that the warnings would have some influence over him. After listening to a few passages, the king ordered that the sefer be thrown into the fireplace and to arrest Yirmiyahu and Baruch. Miraculously they were not found, as "Hashem hid them" (ibid. 26).
In this miraculous hideout, the second period of the writing of Sefer Yirmiyahu began. It spans a period from the 5th year of Yehoyakim until after the exile of the people of Judea and Jerusalem to Babylonia. (The last event covered in the sefer is the release from Babylonian prison of the once king Yehoyachin, 37 years after he was exiled, or 43 years after this period of writing began.) This period of writing also is spelled out explicitly, as Yirmiyahu was told, after the king burned the first scroll, to take another one scroll. This new book included all that was in the first plus additional matters (ibid. 27-32).
The idea of two periods of writing is briefly alluded to in the opening to the sefer, as pasuk 2 mentions the words of Hashem at the time of Yoshiyahu, and pasuk 3 refers to the times of Yehoyakim until the final exile. There are also two personal charges that Yirmiyahu received. The first (1:4-12) speaks of how he was chosen from before birth to impact on the nations. The second one refers to the image of a cauldron facing north and the difficulties Yirmiyahu would overcome (ibid. 13-19). Let us pray that Yirmiyahu’s consolation for us of Hashem’s resolve to "build and plant" will be realized soon.
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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.