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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Vayetze
Rashi explains: Yakov never would have slept there, had he known that this was a holy place, the future site of the Bet HaMikdash. He would have continued on to a less holy site in order to rest his head.
However, Rav Moshe Feinstein says that Hashem davka wanted Yakov to sleep in that sacred spot! For what Yakov "did not know," & what G-d wanted very much to teach him – and us! - was that every activity we perform in life - be it eating, dressing, or even sleeping – can be a holy act, if only we have the right outlook, intent & attitude.
When we eat, for example, we glorify G-d by reciting a blessing acknowledging that He provides our sustenance. We show respect for others by talking - & especially by listening! – in a dignified manner as we sit around our table, saying "please" & "thank you" as the food is passed. When we dress, we carefully & consciously choose clothes that reflect the dignity of a tzelem Elokim; clothes that are at once attractive & clean, yet modest. And when we lay down to sleep, we ask ourselves if we have used our day wisely; we beg forgiveness for any wrongs we may have committed during the day, & we request Hashem to guard us during the night as we "re-charge" our batteries through the gift of sleep, so that we can serve Him again, at full strength, tomorrow.
Yakov awakens & immediately builds a Mizbeyach. He offers oil upon it & consecrates the spot as the "House of G-d." He calls the Bet HaMikdash a "house" for now he understands that which he did not know before: that our home is the essential "laboratory of learning" where we may perceive & practice myriad Mitzvot on a daily basis & strengthen our relationship with Hashem. In fact, even the inanimate house itself can be a holy thing, if it hosts guests under its roof; if its walls house books of Torah; & if its "airspace" contains the sounds of learning, prayer, friendship & love.
The Torah begins, interestingly enough, not with an Alef, as we might have assumed, but rather with a Bet - the very letter which means "house" (& is actually shaped like a house, with an open door to welcome others!) Hashem is telling us that living a Torah life begins with the way we conduct ourselves each & every day inside our own Bayit.
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
Army and War "If Haredim Should Serve in the IDF, So Should You"
IDF Service for Young Jewish Men from America
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
