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Somehow, Avraham suppresses his doubt along with all its moral dilemmas, & reacts to Hashem’s command with Emuna Sh'lema. The man who discovered G-d through deductive reasoning, logic & common sense must now put all those aside & activate his element of pure Faith.
But Avraham is not the only hero of this story. Yitzchak - no mere "lad" at age 37 - also submits to Hashem’s will. At one point he asks (sheepishly?), "where is the lamb for the offering?" but then he accepts Avraham’s assurance that "G-d will show us the lamb." Fittingly, this episode is called, "Akeidat YITZCHAK" (and not "Nisayon Avraham) in Yitzchak's name and honor.
Approaching Har HaMoriah, Avraham sees glowing clouds ringing the place of the Akeida, future home of the Bet HaMikdash & he asks Yitzchak, "Do you see the place?" Yitzchak says he does. Avraham then asks Yishmael & Eliezer, but they see nothing! So they stay behind with the donkey, as father & son go forward. The pasuk then dramatically declares: "The two of them walked together."
This Shabbat is our beloved Ari z"l’s Bar Mitzva parsha. I am thinking of all the parents who brought their children to Israel, to live in this "challenging" neighborhood, to fight like lions in our holy army against the enemies of Am Yisrael. These parents deserve enormous credit for answering the command of Hashem to come here with their families, despite all the risks that this entails.
But it is the children, the "Yitzchaks" of our people who risk their lives. They are the ones who face the knife as they selflessly defend us, who "tie" themselves down for several years while other kids their age around the world go on with simpler, safer lives. Somehow, like Yitzchak, they, too, see what the others do not see, they perceive the mountain of Hashem that must be climbed.
It is in their great z’chut that the foundation of the future – and the final Bet HaMikdash - is being built here & now. May we & they "walk together" as we proceed to Geula Shlema.
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.
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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.
