YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Ha'azinu
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Sukkot
- The Spirit of the Holiday
I’ll get back to this in a minute. But first, more questions!
Moshe’s final speech, particularly in the last few chapters, is really charif – biting & critical. So much talk about all the negative things that can & will happen to us if we stray from G-d. I ask you: Is this really how Moshe wants to be remembered? And more than that, should my prime motivation in acting G-dly be to avoid punishment? Just as I should not perform Mitzvot for their reward, so I should not refrain from violating them because of the punishments! So let’s try to sort this all out.
Essentially, there are no punishments – or rewards – in Judaism. There are rather consequences. That’s right; consequences that naturally flow from our actions. Each & every action. That is why even a righteous person will be negatively affected when he does a sin, for every sin must perforce bring results in its wake, as does every positive act.
It’s not a punishment, per se; it is what happens when we do what we do. Distance yourself from Hashem, & you remove yourself from His protective force-field, you fall into depression, you end up too "far away" to collect His brachot. But get closer to Him, join Him in His palace, & good things are right there for the taking.
That’s what Moshe is trying desperately to teach us, but not for the sake of being critical. He wants us to thrive & grow & be safe; he is warning us for our own good, because he loves us. He "sees" the truth, & so he tries to get us to see it, too.
Hashem wants the best for us, of course. So he gave us the Sukka, davka right after Yom Kippur. If our tefilot were lacking, if we are now in for tough consequences, then let the Sukka be a kind of "mini-Exile," a kapara & expiation for our sins. But if we deserve merit, then the Sukka is a living demonstration that we can & will survive even in cramped circumstances, even if G-d forbid we are forced out of our personal or collective homes.
Jewish history, with its shaky walls & protective cover above us is, after all, a Sukka!
Either way you cut it, there’s no reason to grouse when you leave your house; it’s great to get back to the shack.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
