Female LessonParashat HashavuaSeries'LibraryPiskei Din (Hebrew)Test YourselfThere is a special quality attached to the fruits of Israel, specifically the 7 Minim" (types) listed in parshat Ekev: Wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives & date (honey). These fruits create Kedusha within us & enhance our love of Hashem & Israel. Each type of fruit symbolizes a different aspect of the Jewish People: the pomegranate/rimon, for example, is filled with many (613?) seeds, just as each Jew is chock-full of merits; grapes bring people to higher levels of joy, as we Jews bring joy to our G-d; olives must be crushed to produce its pure, holy oil, even as we endure crushing difficulties yet produce purity & holiness, etc. The last letters of "zavat chalav u’dvash," a land flowing with milk & honey, form the word Shabbat. Just as Hashem infused 1 specific day with unique holiness & a special mode of behavior, so, too, G-d declares 1 land – Israel - more unique than any other, assigning to it the special Mitzvot dependent on the land, & eating its special fruits.
DO WE DESERVE REDEMPTION? “Blood, Covenant, and Return”- Parshat VaEra
Are we today so much greater than say the Rambam's generation? Why is G-d returning us to Israel & doing so many salvations and victories over Hamas, Hizballah, Syria and Iran in recent years, even if we haven't done Teshuva & seemingly don't deserve it?
The class deals with how to cleave and strengthen the G-dly trait of "Truth", the need to pray for Teshuva, the importance of returning that which was wrongly taken before saying Viduy, and other aspects of Teshuva.
Rav Kook explains why that which is learned on Shabbat is considered so much greater than that studied during the week, and why creativity is that much greater on Shabbat, for better or for worse!
The class deals with not "resting on one's laurels", and that not a few people who lived their entire lives idealistically, "lost it" upon getting older. Similarly the importance of not focusing on luxuries but on the necessities of life.
Seemingly 'Strange' Rabbinical Decrees- Not What You Thought!
Rav Kook suggests a very innovative and important "eye-opening" way to understand some of the rabbinical decrees which are particularly difficult to understand!