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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: The most spiritually elite among the Jew’s of Bavel were connected to the love of Eretz Yisrael with all their hearts. These people always wanted to express that they appreciate the Holy Land. Discussion of the great value of the sanctity of Eretz Yisrael is a recurring theme, which we see appearing, scattered in many sections of the Babylonian Talmud. This goes together with the recognition that living in the Diaspora is a negative thing even if the situation there is ostensibly good, whether it be in relation to the Jewish community’s physical welfare or its spiritual level.
At the end of the story, that which sustains the nation is the Land, and exile, with its impure ground, must by necessity, harm the light of the Torah’s sanctity and all of the highest spiritual levels that exist within the nation. When the Holy Land is given the opportunity to sustain the nation, it will possess the light of sanctity.
The sign for these concepts is the hide upon which matters of sanctity are written. They must not be written on impure hide even if they are prepared in a very pleasing way, because sanctity cannot connect to an impure material. Similarly, the sanctity of the soul, connected to the light of the Jewish nation, cannot be connected properly with a community of people who are living in an impure land. [Karna was] hinting that only a very pressing situation could have caused the departure of someone like Rav from Eretz Yisrael in favor of Bavel. One must posit that there is an eternal advantage of living in Eretz Yisrael, the Holy Land, the place of the highest sanctity and purity.
Rav also responded in a similar vein. He said the reason that tefillin must be written on the hide of a kosher animal is that the Torah must be written on something that is permitted to put in one’s mouth. Even though the Torah portions are written on parchment, which is not a part of the animal that one eats, still the material that is the base for the words of Torah must be pure. So too, the land to which the sanctity can be connected to the Jewish people must be a holy land, a land which was given to us to eat its fruit and be satiated from it. In that manner, both the body and the spirit are nourished, as both elements are connected in the chain of the light of Torah, which shines only in the place that Hashem desires to dwell. This is not true in a land of darkness, where the light is not powerful enough to properly sustain the Jewish nation in exile. This is true even in a time when the Jewish people need to be in the Diaspora until the appointed time.
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit
Igrot Hare’aya Departure of an Uncle to Eretz Yisrael
Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Vol. I, #1 , p. 1-2 – part II
P'ninat Mishpat Limits of Interest Rate for Loan with Heter Iska – part II
based on ruling 80033 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
P'ninat Mishpat Payments after a Gradual End of Employment
(Based on ruling 82024 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)
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.
