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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Yitro
Ok, but just what did he hear? Rashi comments that Yitro heard both about Kriat Yam Suf, as well as the stunning military victory over Amalek. Fair enough. But when Yitro speaks to Moshe, he makes a rather curious statement:
"Now I know that Hashem is greater than all the gods, by virtue of the thing which had been conspired against them (ba’davar asher zadu aleyhem)."
Rashi picks up on this unusual word "zadu" & connects it to the story of Yakov & Esav, when Yakov made a bowl of lentils for Esav & "traded" it for the Birthright. There the pasuk (BR. 25:29) says, "Vayazed Yakov nazid," using that very same word that’s used here. Rashi adds the saying of the Gemara (Sota 11): "In the pot where the (lentils) were cooked, there he (Esav) was cooked."
Let’s try to make some sense of these cryptic remarks, & better understand better just what Yakov & Esav’s story has to do with Yitro & the Yam Suf.
Yitro, clearly, was impressed by the attribute of justice which Hashem had meted out, both to Mitzrayim & to Amalek. Both had severely mistreated Hashem’s first-born children, the Jews, & now it was payback time. Fair enough. But what most caught Yitro’s attention was the manner in which G-d reacted; He dispensed that justice in a precise & calculated measure for measure, mida k’neged mida fashion. Egypt had begun its genocidal campaign against the Jews by throwing the males into the water, & so the plagues began with the water "rebelling" against Paro & turning into blood. The final blow, fittingly, saw the drowning of the Egyptian army in the waters of Yam Suf.
As for Amalek, they had proclaimed that there was no G-d fighting for Israel; that Egypt’s demise was random, a fluke. And so Moshe raised his hands to the sky as the battle raged, indicating that it was Hashem alone who would act on Israel’s behalf & demolish Amalek.
And as for Esav? He deemed his status of first-born to be worth no more than a hill of beans, & so when he later cried out to his father that he was being denied the primary blessing, his complaint was dismissed. Like Egypt and Amalek, he was, to paraphrase the Gemara, the victim of his own actions.
In similar fashion, the Arabs & Palestinians have rejected every possible offer Israel (& the U.S.) have presented to them for 3 generations. And so it is only measure-for-measure that there finally comes a proposal that rightfully rewards Israel for our having taken the high road & conducted ourselves with decency & integrity in the face of unbridled hostility.
In life, you see, when you do the right thing, you will eat your just desserts, rather than cook your own goose.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
