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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: The comparison [to the sin of Tzelufchad] is of things that are not on the same level. How can you compare the individual matter of the identity of the one who violated Shabbat to the public matter related to Aharon, who was uniquely holy to Hashem? The matter at hand is also unique, as Moshe’s siblings, in questioning whether Moshe’s status as a prophet was qualitatively different from theirs, touches on a foundation of the Torah – that Moshe was the master of all prophets. This principle was reinforced by the story of Hashem’s reaction to Aharon and Miriam, making the details of the event especially important.
Rabbi Akiva had a consistent approach, which finds expression regarding the Torah’s hiding facts due to this special person’s (Aharon) honor. Rabbi Akiva was one who uncovered secrets and learned from every crown attached to the Torah’s letters. He always yearned to spread Hashem’s light until he ended his life calling Hashem "one." All the details were interwoven so that there was nothing hidden from his perspective, as a small hint created great light for him. It is regarding the normal person who receives Torah knowledge that there is a clear difference between what is known and not known.
It was a major event when Miriam and Aharon spoke about Moshe in a way that equated him to other prophets. Hashem had to appear and thereby notify them and all generations that there is a great difference between them. The difference between Moshe and all others must be predicated both on physical and spiritual causes. The physical one must include that with all their sanctity, Miriam and Aharon were missing something in their constitution that precluded them from gazing onto the highest levels of perception and realizing the total superiority of Moshe, the source of all prophecies. This physical lacking caused a minor lack of clarity, which caused them to say: "Did Hashem speak only to Moshe? Did He not speak to us as well?"
Certainly, when both physical and spiritual factors impact on something, it is worthwhile to know which one is mainly responsible for the result. Is the physical impacting on the spiritual, or is the spiritual impacting on the physical? Since a punishment was inflicted on the body of the righteous Miriam, we know that her lacking in understanding was prompted by a deficiency in her physical constitution.
Miriam’s punishment of leprosy brought a great light to the world in that it publicized the unique greatness of Moshe. Rabbi Akiva posited that Aharon was also physically punished, but his punishment was not as much a function of a lacking on the physical side, and therefore the Torah publicized Miriam’s physical punishment and not Aharon’s. Aharon’s punishment was fleeting while Miriam’s lingered over a period of time. However, R. Akiva did clarify that there was some physical punishment for Aharon as well.
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Multiple Agreements and Parties – part IV
based on final ruling of 80082 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
P'ninat Mishpat A Commercial Rental for a Closed Business – part II
based on ruling 80047 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Igrot Hare’aya Connecting Disciplines in Torah Study
Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook 103 – part III
P'ninat Mishpat Payments after a Gradual End of Employment
(Based on ruling 82024 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
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.
