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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Chayei Sara
At the heart of this obsession are Stats. To know baseball, you have to know the statistics behind it: That the distance from the pitcher to the batter is 60 feet, 6 inches, while the distance between each base is 90 feet. You have to know how far it is from home plate to the outfield fences, and you certainly have to know the individual players' stats: Their walks, hits, home runs or stolen bases; whether they pitch left or right-handed and their strikeouts or earned-run averages. There is even a term invented for all these facts and figures: "sabermetrics." Any kid worth his baseball cap must know all of these numbers - by heart, immediately, even subconsciously.
"OK, so what does all this possibly have to do with our Parsha?!" you wonder incredulously.
Well, here's a stat for you that I find incredible: The central story of our Sedra is the mission of Eliezer, at Avraham's behest, to find a suitable wife for Yitzchak. This episode, which takes up the entirety of the 24th chapter and comprises no less than 67 p'sukim, minutely details the events of the search. And how many times is Eliezer - a central character of this narrative - mentioned by name in these 67 verses? Not even once!! He is referred to as "eved-slave" 13 times, and he is called "Ish - a man" 8 times, but never once is he called Eliezer! The other players in the game all get name-recognition: Avraham, Sara, Yitzchak, Rivka, Lavan, Betuel, even Lavan's grandmother Milka and Avraham's brother Nachor - but not Eliezer.
Hashem help me ("Eliezer!") if this stat didn't boggle my mind!
So there are those who suggest that perhaps Eliezer is not named because he was just a functionary, a messenger sent on a mission whose identity is essentially unimportant and inconsequential. Others note that Avraham rejected Eliezer's daughter as a possible match for Yitzchak - the Medrash even says that Avraham told him, "My son is blessed and you, as a Canaanite, are cursed" - and so the Torah does not want to accord Eliezer any particular honor or recognition, not even uttering his name.
But I think I have a kinder, gentler approach. In a sense, each of us is an "eved," a servant of G-d brought to this world to accomplish our own particular mission. That task is imposed upon us, to be honest, for no one asks to be born; Hashem commands it from above. But when we execute our mission, when we validate our life by seeing our unique service through to its fruition, we graduate from "eved" to "Ish." That term "Ish - Man," say Chazal, is always a title of honor and admiration, proudly bestowed upon those (Noach, Yakov, Mordechai, etc.) who faithfully fulfill their assignments.
In that sense, Eliezer - clearly with G-d's help - successfully completes his task. He will never be mentioned again, but for at least this crucial moment in our history - as the torch passes from one leader to the next - Eliezer makes it all the way to home base and he is, simply, The Man.
Rabbis in Midrash
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.