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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Jewish Holidays
- Yom Haatzmaut
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The Tenth of Tevet
- Yom Hakaddish Haklali
The other 3 "Yoms" are Yom HaZikaron on 4 Iyar, when we pay tribute to Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror; Yom Ha'atzmaut on 5 Iyar, when we celebrate Israel's independence (on this date the State was declared, 8 hours before the British Mandate ceased); and Yom Yerushalayim, 28 Iyar, the date on which Israel took control of Jerusalem and re-united the city as our eternal capital.
Now, I understand the last 3 of these holidays; they relate strictly to the modern State of Israel, and so it is fitting to group them in the same time period. But I often wondered why Yom HaShoa is included; indeed, Israel initially designated the Fast of the 10th of Tevet as the appropriate occasion to commemorate the Holocaust, and that date remains the opportunity to remember all those whose burial places are unknown. Why not keep that as Yom HaShoa?
But now I think I understand. Yom HaShoa immediately precedes the other "Yoms" for two main reasons: It shows us what can happen to Jews all over the world when there is no State of Israel, and it fortifies our belief that such a horror can never happen again, as long as Israel remains strong.
Because there was no State from 1939-1945 - the British, and others, made sure that didn't happen - there was essentially no safe place to where Jews could escape. Quotas and White Papers and anti-Semitism put roadblocks on almost every avenue of refuge. Had there been a State, the efforts to smuggle Jews out of Europe - valiant though they were - would have increased a thousand-fold. In addition, weapons might have been sent to Jewish partisans, and diplomatic pressure might have been brought to bear in order to slow, if not stop, the Nazi's genocidal obsession. But the fledgling Yishuv in Eretz Yisrael was fighting its own battle to survive against the Arabs and had few resources to stop a global phenomenon.
But now there is a State, Baruch Hashem. Now, there will always be a loud voice, and a strong arm that can reach anywhere in the world in order to protect Jews. First and foremost, we bring them here, where every Jew belongs, in our one and only true home. But even if they tarry, we can use the might and mind of the Jewish State to guard them. The specter of the Shoa is never far from our minds and hearts; it screams out "Never Again!" to a national entity that has the power to enforce that mandate.
Pesach, our Festival of Freedom, is built around "fours:" 4 Questions, 4 Children, 4 Cups of Wine. But our eternal freedom is secured via the "four" that follow: Yom HaShoa, Yom HaZikaron, Yom Ha'atzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim. One of these will never be "four"gotten; the other 3 are "four"ever.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
