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Beit Midrash
- Jewish Laws and Thoughts
- Jewish Thought
Yannai, the great 6th century Poet of the Land of Israel versifies this passage as follows: " You are the righteous One which makes righteous. In order to make righteous the righteous nation, you havetaught them to slaughter in righteousness (sedheq) an animal which you permitted for righteous(sedheq) offerings."
Yannai’s rendition is better understood on the backdrop of Rabbinic Traditions that were current in the Land of Israel in his days. Once such tradition which appears to be his source is preserved in Wayikra Rabbah:"The Children of Israel brought sacrifices violating the prohibition of bamoth and [as a result] retribution would come upon them. The Holy One Blessed He said: At all times you shall [only] bring sacrifices before Me in the Tent of Meeting. This way they shall be saved. (Wayikra Rabba 22:8)."
Once the Mishkan was erected, sacrificing on bamoth became prohibited (Zevahim 14:4), but the Jewish People continued and brought punishment upon themselves. God restricts the Jewish People from even slaughtering the sacrificial meat outside of the Tent of Meeting. He makes it less opportune for the Jewish People to stray to illegitimate sacrifice and thereby hopes to eradicate this practice from their midst.
The Rabbinic Tradition and Yannai’s apparent reworking of it differ in a number of nuances. For the Sages in this Tradition, God is the stereotypical maternal figure. He is concerned with the physical well-being of the Jewish People. The reason that God wants to eliminate sacrificing on bamoth is ultimately to put an end to the suffering of the Jewish People.
For Yannai, God is the paternal figure. He is consumed with the moral welfare and collective image of the Jewish People. God’s ultimate concern is to put an end to the sinning of the Jewish People, to cleanse them of the blotch that sin leaves behind and to make them righteous. This is evidenced by Yannai’s multiplied usage of "righteousness" and furthermore by his reinterpretation of the Scripture’s "command" as "taught" stressing the aspect of guidance.
God is not only judge, but as much our caretaker!
How deep are God’s interests in the welfare of His people?
The Talmud of the Land of Israel teaches us that God made certain that cases of irreconcilable differences between the House of Hillel and Shammai did not occur (Kiddushin 1:1 4a). This ensured a peaceful co-existence between the two houses and allowed them to marry into each other’s families.Here God appears to go as far as actually orchestrating history to ensure a peaceful existence for His people.
The well-being of the Jewish People, physical or moral is a deeply personal matter to God who is immersed in the affairs of His people and will go to any lengths to save them from self-affliction and self-destruction. God may be our Judge, but He is even more so our guide and caretaker!
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.
