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Beit Midrash
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- 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.
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.
