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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Vayera
But let us walk together through one corridor of consideration.
If any "one-liner" defines the Akeida, it is the phrase, "Vayelchu Sh’neyhem Yachdav – and the two of them walked together." Curiously, this phrase is said twice: Once, when Avraham prepares the offering and takes the wood, the torch & the knife in hand; & then again just after Yitzchak asks, "Father, where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"
Now, why is this phrase said twice? That, I suggest, is the key question, as well as the key to unlocking a powerful insight into the deeper meaning of the Akeida.
First, let us consider: Just who are the "two" who walk together? On the surface, it seems clearly to be father & son. They "walk together;" that is, they are of one mind, each fully prepared to go through with this awesome test. But there is another possibility: The two walking together aren’t father & son, but rather Man & G-d!
Avraham must have been filled with great dread & doubt. "How can I kill my son, the one whom even G-d calls ‘my only son,’ my true heir? Why is this happening davka to me, the man of chesed? And what about G-d’s promise that my generations will go on & on forever?" Avraham does not have a clear answer to all these questions. But he does have Faith, & he knows that he is not going through this test alone; G-d is right there with him, supporting him all the way.
Yitzchak, too, must have been plagued by intense doubt and confusion: "Why is my father doing this? Does he not love me? Did I do something wrong, terribly wrong that deserves my execution?" Yet Yitzchak – 37 years old and no less a man of faith than his father – continues on the path. He, too, knows & feels that he has not been abandoned; that he, too, does not walk alone. And that gives him immense strength.
And so the phrase appears twice - at the key moment when Avraham readies the sacrifice, and just after Yitzchak utters the only words he says in this whole episode - because each partner in this test needs his own, personal reassurance that, come what may, G-d will be with him each & every moment of his life.
Avinu She'ba'shamayim, Father in Heaven: There are times when we feel that we, too, can’t go on, times when we feel alone, uncertain, deserted, cast adrift. We don’t know why we have been given our specific tests. We falter, we begin to despair. But then, somehow, we sense that you are right there next to use, prodding us on, encouraging us, helping us. And then we know that as long as we are together, we will make it.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
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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.
