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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Laws of Shabbat
- Praying, Kiddush and the Meals
It is reported that when the great Rabbi Meir Shapiro of Lublin visited the United States in the 1920s and then returned to Europe, when asked what his opinion of American Jews was, he profoundly stated: "They know how to make kiddush, but they do not know how to make havdalah."
By this, he correctly foretold how assimilation and Americanization would lead to a demographic disaster and the loss of Jewish identity amongst American Jews in the future. We have all unfortunately lived to see that making kiddush is insufficient to guarantee Jewish continuity. Rather, it is the ability to recognize and make havdalah that is the key to a Jewish future and Jewish generations.
Retaining Jewish identity always requires the ability to draw lines of differentiation between Jewish values, knowledge, and practice, and those of general society, its ideals and milieu. That has always been the key point in understanding the miracle of the survival of the Jewish people throughout the ages.
The havdalah service itself consist of three blessings. One is over a cup of wine or other special beverage. The second is regarding the fragrance of spices, flowers, or other plants. Finally, the third blessing is the one that differentiates between the Sabbath and weekdays. The blessing over the wine is a traditional way to introduce any service of importance: as the sanctification of the Sabbath itself, the holidays, a wedding ceremony, circumcision, or the redemption of the firstborn son.
In the ancient world, and in our world as well, wine occupies a place of honor and special significance. It is, perhaps, the oldest agricultural product that humans created – certainly from the time of Noah – that has always been valued. By making a blessing on wine we are indicating that the service itself is one of importance. It is not to be treated lightly or in an offhand fashion. The Torah always emphasizes that what can be treated as mundane and everyday can really be unique and important, and deserving of honor and special treatment.
The end of the Sabbath and the beginning of the workweek is such a special time. It moves us from one realm of spirit and behavior to another. To help us realize this, it is the blessing over the wine that alerts us to this change by impressing upon us the importance of the occasion, and the significance of the service itself.
The blessing over spices was enacted because when the holy Sabbath departs from us, our soul skips a beat ,so to speak. The spices serve to strengthen our soul, just as smelling salts serve to strengthen our bodies when we feel inexplicably weak. Spice boxes have long been the province of Jewish artistry and creativity. There are literally thousands of different types of spice boxes that Jews have used for this service over the centuries. It is the fragrance that reminds us, once again. of the sweet serenity of the Sabbath day itself, and that in another six days there will be another Sabbath. The fragrance of the Sabbath past lingers with us and supports us during our workday week, and during our more mundane activities. It also lends a sense of drama and importance to the occasion.
Finally, the last blessing is the one that emphasizes the differences that exist in our world, as it marks the separation between light and dark, between sacred and ordinary, and between the Jewish people and the rest of humanity. By recognizing these differences, one gains the appreciation of the necessity to separate the seventh day of the week from the other six and reinforces the message of the Sabbath even as it departs from us.
Shabbat shalom
Berel Wein
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
