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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Beha'alotcha
"Vay'hi bin'so'a ha'aron: When the Ark traveled, Moshe said: "Arise, G-d, & scatter Your enemies. And when the Ark rested, he would say: "Return, G-d, the tens of thousands of Israel."
Why would these sentences be framed by 2 extraneous letters? And why are those letters davka the letter Nun?
The Gemara in Shabbat says the floating letters indicate that this small section is out of order, not in its proper place. OK, but then why is it out of place? In another opinion, Rebbi (Rav Yehuda HaNasi) postulates that this section is framed because it constitutes a completely separate book of the Torah! What does that mean?
Let's try to make some sense of it all. The S'forno (as elucidated by Rav Soloveichek) explains that, at this juncture in our history, we were primed to enter Eretz Yisrael. We had achieved physical freedom, received the Torah & built the Mishkan; the Shvatim had been assembled & given their "marching orders." Moshe was about to lead us triumphantly into the Promised Land.
But then, sadly, it all broke down. We degenerated into constant complaints & squabbles; Moshe lost his temper & castigated us severely. The episode of the Spies would seal our fate; we would wander 40 years in the desert before crossing into Israel, & then it would be without Moshe to lead us.
The "additional" book which Rebbi refers to is one that we could & should have written, but never did. The book describing our Aliya to Israel was left undone. It is therefore encased in a kind of parentheses formed by the 2 nuns.
But I suggest that the nun has another connotation: In the Ashrei prayer, it is the only letter missing. Chazal say it's omitted because it stands for "nafal" or fallen, a negative word. But every letter can represent some negative word! But maybe the link is to these nuns in our Sedra: Here, too, we failed, or fell, from our task (nafal=fell, fail).
Yet the glorious promise of this missing "Special Sefer," this final chapter in our glorious history, has only been delayed, not deleted. The day will come - is coming! - when Hashem will indeed scatter all of our enemies, & return all the tens of thousands of the House of Israel back to our rightful home in Israel.
And as for those nomadic nuns - they will then right themselves & proclaim a new & positive connotation: Nun for Nitzachon - total, eternal victory.
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
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.
