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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Sukkot
- The Sukkah
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Ha'azinu
In this crazy-busy world of ours – forget about so-called "time-saving" devices, we’re busier now than our previous generations ever were! – we struggle to find a "space" (sorry for using that over-used buzz-word!) to just be calm & peaceful. A place to let our minds roam free as we pause & think - just plain think - about the magnificent, multi-dimensional world around us; our place in it, & G-d.
I once asked Rav Shlomo Carlebach – a man who was perpetually on the move & surrounded by fans & friends - where he goes if he wants "private time." Where is his "escape room" where he can be alone with his thoughts? He pondered that for a moment & then said, "My one & only refuge from this all-too invasive & intrusive world is when I am wrapped up completely in my talit!"
The talit is one of 4 Mitzvot that can completely surround us from all sides so that, in a sense, we are "swallowed up" by a Mitzva. There is the Mikva, of course, & then there is the Sukka, which also totally envelops us, & is the closest thing we Jews of today can experience akin to the Ananei Kavod, the Clouds of Glory, the impenetrable, Heavenly wall that kept Bnei Yisrael safe in the desert.
In my Sukka, I am the Prince of my Castle (Hashem, of course, remains the King!). Cozy (I prefer that to "small") & constructed by our own hands (every Jew wants to be a kablan!), we can sit in the great outdoors, under the stars, & contemplate nature, escaping, as it were, the rush-rush of "normal" everyday existence. The decibel level has dropped, the spiritual level has risen, & somehow – despite its temporary structure - I feel safe there. I feel that Hashem is squeezed right in here with me.
Of course, there is yet one more Mitzva in which we can be completely immersed, & that, of course, is Eretz Yisrael. The moment we fulfill this glorious, foundational commandment & come to Israel, its Kedusha encircles us as if G-d is whispering, "You are home; you are safe in your Sukkat Shalom!"
Ironically, the Sukka was once upon a time a symbol of our national homelessness, as we moved through the desert from place to place on our epic journey to the Holy Land. We quickly assembled & then disassembled our makeshift quarters, & headed to the next stop on the map, wandering, & wondering when that long voyage would come to an end. And historically, that voyage would continue for a long, long time thru the Diaspora.
But now we are home, finally & forever. Wrapped in my talit, sitting in my Sukka in the re-Jew-venated State of Israel, I can close my eyes as the Mitzvot wash over me as I rhetorically ask, "Does it get any better than this?!"
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
