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In the course of his 22 years away from home, Yosef undergoes an amazing transformation – from impetuous dreamer to "Tzadik." I suggest one key to his growth is his ability to Listen. As a teenager, Yosef loved to talk. He spread negative rumors about his brothers, he talked about his grandiose plans for the future, he recounted his dreams to anyone & everyone who would listen. His "motor-mouth" led him into disfavor, & then into disaster.
But then he is cast into the pits. There, he takes the time to listen to the dreams of the baker & butler, eventually leading to his freedom from prison. He then listens to Paro’s dream, not just hearing, but perceiving what is so important to Paro – Egypt’s economy & status as a world power. And so Yosef alone rightly "reads" the dreams.
The ability to listen – to take an interest in others & hear their pleas & pain – is a wonderful quality that is essential for leadership. When Yosef’s brothers finally confess their crime, they say, "We sinned when we did not listen to our brother Yosef as he cried out to us from the pit." And when Shlomo HaMelech (in last week's Haftora) asks G-d for just one thing, do you know what it is? Not wisdom, as most people think, but rather a "Lev Shomaya, a listening heart! (Look it up in the beginning of Melachim I).
Once, a town invited two Rabbis to interview for the position of Rav. One of the candidates was distinguished, well-trained, polished & erudite; the other pretty much of a shlemeil - shirt not tucked in, unprepared, a make-it -up-as- you-go-along kind of guy. They were each asked to deliver a drasha for Shabbat, & checked into a local inn.
The first Rabbi, though already quite prepared, spent Friday night in his room rehearsing aloud his masterful Drasha, over & over. The other fellow had nothing whatsoever in mind. But, to his good fortune, the inn’s walls were thin, & the shlemeil could hear the sermon from the adjoining room. And so, in the morning, he innocently asked if he could go first in shul. "You always are profound and witty," pleaded. "I'm not in your league. But maybe if I go first, that will help me!"
The rabbi magnanimously agreed, but imagine his shock when he heard the shlepper give the very same drasha he had so carefully prepared the night before! But the rabbi was a quick thinker. As he rose to speak, he told the shul: "You know, it’s important to speak well, as my colleague just did. But it’s even MORE important for your Rav to a good listener. So, to prove I know how to listen well, I will now repeat the drasha you just heard – word for word!"
He got the job, of course.
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
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.
