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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Sukkot
- Arba'at Haminim
Answer: This year the Arba Minim (4 Species) are not taken on 1st day YomTov, which is Shabbat (in fact, they are muktze - except for the Etrog - & should not be moved). So we wait until Sunday to take them for the first time (the Mitzva is thus a Rabbinic one rather than a Biblical commandment) & we recite the Shehecheyanu then. Women are not obligated in the Lulav, but do fulfill an optional Mitzva by taking it. One may make a gift of his Lulav to another person so that he can fulfill the Mitzva, even stipulating that it be returned when he finishes with it.
In order to best keep the Hadasim & Aravot fresh, one should wrap them in plastic or foil, with a wet napkin inside, & place them in the fridge when they are not being used. Since the Lulav is not used on Shabbat, the Hoshanot prayer ("Om N'tzora") is said without the usual encircling of the Bimah (when shuls are open!).
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
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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.
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.
