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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Bereshit
Certainly it’s true about the life of our Biblical heroes. Adam & Chava begin their lives in the most pristine & perfect environment imaginable – so elevated were they in that Paradise that they actually glowed with the light from Above. But then, in a flash, it all came crashing down; they are exiled, put to work & beset by horrendous "family issues." Adam, created just a tad lower than the angels, reverts to what his name implies: Adama, dirt, close to the ground, a "fallen angel."
Noach, the next Torah personality in line, must also undertake the most perilous of journeys. Not only Noach, but the entire world he inhabits, will undergo a "sea change" of massive proportions when the Great Flood destroys all humankind that "misses the boat" by sinning against their fellow man.
And Avraham & Sara, too, embark upon a great adventure when they are told by Hashem to pack up their monotheistic beliefs & set out for "the Land that I will show you" (A.K.A. Israel). As we who live here know all too well, life in EretzYisrael is incomparable – it doesn’t compare to life anywhere else on the planet!
What message is sent by these dramatic, compelling narratives, which our Rabbis call "Mitzvot in story form?"
The message seems clear: It’s all about Starting Over.
We may think we are going to have neat, orderly lives that build slowly but surely, step by step, year after year, in a predictable pattern. But it ‘ain’t necessarily so.
At various points in our life, we experience change. Change that can be sudden and dramatic. We grow up & must leave the nest to face the real world (like Adam). Or a great financial flood comes & washes away our hard-earned savings (Note: both the great crash of 1929 & the stock market fall of 1987 occurred during the week of Parshat Noach!). Or we re-locate, or feel a calling, like Av & Sara, an urge to change the world - or at least ourselves! - & set out on a new path in uncharted territory.
This is the beauty and the blessing of Bereisheit. We praise G-d in our Tefila for "benevolently creating the world anew each day." But guess what? We, too, are called upon to do the exact same thing!
Have you ever wondered why Bereisheit is not the 1st Torah reading of the new year? Shouldn’t it be? But Hashem orchestrated things so that our Sedra is always read immediately after Sukkot. For the dismantling of our Sukka & our move back to a "new" home reminds us that, no matter how old or set in our ways we may be, we are all really "In the Beginning."
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
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Shoftim TESHUVA IN COURT OF LAW?
Parshat Shoftim-Chodesh Elul
Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Chemdat Yamim The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
