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Beit Midrash
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As Israel prepares to leave Egypt, the Pasuk tells us: "And Hashem caused the Jewish People to be viewed favorably by the Egyptians; Moshe, too, was admired as a great man in the eyes of Pharoah's servants and the people of Egypt." (11:3)
What a stunning, amazing statement! We surely would have expected a far different reaction! After years of anti-Jewish incitement and demonization by the Pharoahs, after 10 Plagues that decimated the Egyptian landscape, economy & daily routine, we'd have thought the Jews would be utterly detested and ridden out of Mitzrayim on a rail. Instead, we left b'Yad Rama, with hand held high, showered with lavish gifts! Earlier (5:21), Bnei Yisrael had complained to Moshe that they were so detested that "even our very scent is abhorrent to the Egyptians!" What happened so that now we came out smelling like a rose?!
I suggest the Egyptian’s perception of us radically changed when our own perception of ourselves changed! As long as we saw ourselves as a pitiful, pitiable people, others viewed us likewise, & their pity soon turned to contempt. If we had no pride in who we were, if we ourselves had no self-respect, how could we possibly expect others to respect us?
Moshe changed all that. The first task assigned to him by G-d (6:6-7) was to take us out of "sivlot Mizrayim." The word "sivlot" can mean "burden," but it can also mean "tolerance," the tolerance of being brutally mistreated by Egypt and simply accepting it, doing nothing to stop it. Moshe taught us to stand up for ourselves, to fight back, to view ourselves and conduct ourselves as an Am Segula, not as a degraded slave people. Our defining moment came when we were commanded to take a lamb – the Egyptian deity - and offer it to the One, true G-d. Tough? Absolutely. But - no guts, no glory! We would gather up our courage and proudly declare that we are Hashem’s first-born and that we fear Him and Him alone.
Hashem promises that one day we shall be looked up to by the world as a model for holiness in human form. While that seems so very far away, we have recently been granted a glimpse of what the future holds for us. When the Emirates broke ranks with other Arab-Muslim nations and established diplomatic and economic relations with us, they expressed their whole-hearted admiration and respect for Israel and the Jewish People. This was truly a prophecy come to life.
The longest journey begins with the 1st step. And that first step is to stand straight & walk tall, clothed in Midot & Mitzvot, secure in our role as G-d's treasured nation.
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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.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
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.
