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There is a fascinating common denominator at work here. In our Parsha, Avraham makes a decision to part ways with his nephew Lot. Now, Lot was never a candidate for tzadik-of-the-year, but Avraham was committed to caring for him. So what was it that suddenly made Avraham decide to split with Lot? As part of his strong sense of honesty & integrity, Avraham muzzled his animals as they passed through other's fields. But Lot's shepherds did not. When questioned why not, they had a ready rationalization from Lot: "G-d promised this land to Avraham & his family, and I am his rightful heir. So technically, I'm at least part owner of whatever grows here. Thus I'm really only taking that which is destined to be mine!"
Avraham thought long & hard about this: He could accept lapses of honesty & the occasional misdeed - after all, no one is perfect. But when that shadiness is wrapped in a cloak of fair play, it turns justice on its head & is simply too devious, too dangerous to be around. And so Avraham reluctantly decides he cannot share a community with these people. He parts from Lot, who ultimately will lose all of his ill-gotten wealth.
This devotion to moral correctness may have been a legacy left to Avraham by Noach. For Noach confronted this very same malicious mentality in his own day. The generation of the Flood thought they had it figured out: If they steal just a little bit at a time, in amounts too small to be prosecuted, they could get away scot-free with their theft! But it was precisely this combination of crime and cleverness which Hashem despises, and so He decided that such a generation must be replaced.
The lesson for us is that while you may be able to outwit the law, you can never outsmart the Lawgiver. Pay up now - or youll surely pay up later.
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
