YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Miketz
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Hanukkah
- Reflections on Chanukka
We’ll answer this in a bit. But first, let’s turn to the famous dispute between Hillel & Shammai, as to how we are to light. Shammai says that we start with 8 lights & wind down to 1; Hillel counters that we start with 1 & then work our way up to 8. One rationale for their opinions: The purpose of the light is to conquer darkness; Shammai says in order to do that, you need an initial burst of light, a solid "opening punch" to stagger the enemy; after that, it will be an easier fight, so you can reduce the energy level more & more.
Hillel counters that the struggle against darkness is a continuous process; start small but keep going, build on your momentum. The key to victory is determination & persistence; the race is won by slow yet steady progress.
Yosef is the perfect model for gradual growth, particularly as it relates to his relationship with his family & his people. When he first lands in Egypt, he is – quite understandably – disenchanted with both his brothers & his father. After all, they threw him in the pit, cruelly ignoring his pleas for help, then they sold him into slavery & nonchalantly sat themselves down for a hearty meal.
Is it any wonder that Yosef does not try to find his folks, even after he becomes Viceroy of Egypt & has virtually unlimited power? Maybe Yosef just doesn’t want to find them!
He gets a new, Egyptian name – Tzafnat Paneach, which means "hidden face" - & an Egyptian wife. He even names his first son "Menashe," because "he has forgotten his father’s house." He "walks like an Egyptian" & looks like one, too – it’s likely that is why his brothers don’t recognize him even when they stand directly in front of him. But little by little, Yosef starts to change. He notes how the Egyptians refuse to break bread with Hebrews, whom they consider "abominable." He names his second son "Efraim," saying, Hashem has made me fruitful "in the land of my oppression."
He sees how Yehuda stands up for Binyamin, even at the risk of his life. He longs for his one true father – Yakov - & somehow senses that Paro – who has been a kind of foster father to him – will not always be so benevolent. He comes to understand that his true loyalty is to Am Yisrael, & so he cautions his family to live separate from the Egyptians. He sternly reminds them that ultimately they will – they must! – leave this, & every other Exile in history - no matter how cushy it may seem - to come back to Israel, our only true home.
Yosef, then, was clearly a pre-existing Hillel supporter. His life exemplifies that growth doesn’t usually occur in huge spurts; it comes slowly, step-by-step. In that dark pit, Yosef lit the lights in ascending order - & so do we.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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.
