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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Passover - Pesach
- The Month of Nissan
But folks, everyone likes a nice intro! In fact, even our Chagim have an "intro" to set the mood for them before they begin. Consider: The High Holidays have the month of Elul, which prepares us for Teshuva & introspection. Purim has Ta’anit Esther; Tisha B’Av has the 3 Weeks. Pesach, I suggest, has Parshat HaChodesh. Always read before the month of Nisan, this last of the 4 special Parshiyot commands us to honor Nisan as month #1. In essence, our calendar - & our history - begins again.
This is the primary message of Pesach, is it not? No matter how gloomy things appear, no matter how hopeless the situation seems, we need never despair – there is always hope, always a second chance for us if we are ready to seize the moment & act upon it.
The Jews of Egypt had reached a dead end: They had sunk to a depth of behavior barely above the Egyptians; they were bitter, depressed & resigned to their fate. They did not even want to bring children into the world, knowing what awaited them. No slave, Chazal say, had ever escaped from Pharoah’s clutches. How would they, so downtrodden & despairing, find salvation?
But their pessimism proved unfounded. There’s always hope, because – like the moon – we are a resurgent people. We may wane, but we never disappear. From the most unlikely of places – Paro’s palace itself! – our hero would emerge. He would forsake the life of luxury to cast his lot with his enslaved brothers & evoke G-d’s saving hand. In short order, the tables would turn: We would become star players on history’s stage, while the mighty Egyptians would be reduced to a footnote in history.
Among all the holidays, only Pesach has a phenomenon called "Pesach Sheni." If you miss the 1st Pesach (for a valid reason) you can "make it up" a month later & bring the Korban Pesach in Iyar. Again, 2nd chances. All is not lost. There’s always an open door, if you really want in.
Pesach, then, is the Chag of "open-doors." Not just for Eliyahu, but for everyone - even the rebellious Rasha has a place at our Seder table! And so we open the Hagada by welcoming strangers to our Pesach celebration; indeed, close to 90% of the Jews in Israel attend a Seder each year! And now - Baruch Hashem, our societies are "opening" after more than a year of Corona closures.
So don’t be "plagued" by pessimism; have faith in G-d & "take a chance" – a second chance - to make it right.
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?
Army and War "If Haredim Should Serve in the IDF, So Should You"
IDF Service for Young Jewish Men from America
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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.
