YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Terumah
When her husband was alive, they were the most beloved couple in town. He had made a fortune in real estate, & was legendary for his generosity. Not only did he support every worthy institution, but anyone in need knew that they could come to him & be assured of assistance. In fact, although he was officially retired from business, he kept his office so that one & all could see him throughout the day. His door was always open.
But then he died, & suddenly the contributions stopped cold in their tracks. His widow must surely have inherited a huge estate, everyone reasoned, but the door was closed & the faucet turned off. No matter how many pleas were made for help, it was to no avail. While she listened closely & nodded her head to hundreds of supplicants, in the end she did nothing.
And so, little by little, she was shunned. People could not hide their resentment & wanted nothing to do with her. Even in shul, they moved to seats far away from her. Only the little children flocked to her for the candies she gave out & wished her a Shabbat Shalom. Still, she did not react with rancor or anger; she kept her dignity.
And then, some years later, she died as well. The rabbi was required to officiate, but no one else came to the funeral. As she had no children, there was also no shiva. But when the Shamas, in an act of Chesed, came to her house to clean it, he was shocked at what he discovered. There, on a long table, were hundreds of envelopes filled with cash, with no return address, neatly arranged in boxes by months & addressed to dozens and dozens of individuals & organizations. The Shamas recognized many of the names & decided to call several of them.
"Did you ever receive anonymous donations?" he asked.
The answer was affirmative, "Yes; every month, like clockwork, they arrived, with no clue as to where they came from."
A few weeks later, the Shamas gathered the townsfolk & revealed the truth to them. They were stunned, & ashamed of their behavior towards this righteous soul. They had made assumptions, and assumed the worst. Now, they would have the almost insurmountable challenge of doing Teshuva.
The word "T’ruma" contains the words "true" & "mah" (what). Only Hashem knows what is true, & who is truly a tzadik. As for us, we can only judge l’kaf z’chut, with the benefit of the doubt, & with ayin tova, a view to the good.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
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.
