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Beit Midrash
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Being privileged to live here in Israel, so many of the blessings & promises in the sedra come to life every day. Hashem says, "There will be no infertility among you;" & while that may not (yet) be 100% fulfilled, Israel has the largest number of multiple-births per capita of any country, with free, unlimited fertility treatments. G-d says that "sickness will be removed from you;" & Israel is a leader in cutting-edge (no pun intended) medical advances, the latest being a nano-vaccine to prevent melanoma, & an advance-warning mechanism for detecting Parkinson’s.
We are told "kings will be delivered into our hands," & the kings of Jordan & Saudi Arabia can testify to that. We are assured that no nation, no matter how large or seemingly invincible, will be able to stand against us & defeat us. B"H that promise has sustained us throughout 7 wars. The sedra also tells of the great bounty that will be showered upon Israel, represented by the 7 Minim & also by the abundance of water that will flow here. Well, a walk through Shuk HaCarmel or Machane Yehuda reveals, in living color, just how prolific & plentiful our food supply is. And as for water? Our desalination technology gives us plenty of that; & now we can even produce water out of the air, thanks to Israeli start-up WaterGen.
But let us not forget for a second that all these miraculous gifts are subject to two crucial conditions: The first is that we must diligently serve Hashem & keep His decrees, ordinances & Mitzvot (11:1). The second requirement – no less crucial - is," Lo b’miskaynut tochal ba lechem (8:9);" we must not eat our bread "like a miskayn, like a nebech." In other words, we must see the miracle for what it is & not grouse or complain, for in order to BE blessed, you must acknowledge that you ARE blessed. We must eat our bread, so to speak, "with relish," with grateful appreciation & love of Hashem for all the good that has been bestowed upon us from Above.
And then, as the sedra concludes, everywhere our feet tread – from the Sinai to Lebanon, from the Jordan to the Euphrates to the Mediterranean – will be our borders.
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part II
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
Parashat Hashavua Happiness for the Right Reasons
[With painful longing, we share these divrei Torah from our co-Rosh Kollel for close to 40 years, Harav Moshe Ehrenreich zt”l.]
Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
