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Beit Midrash
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Life is about learning, & the Jewish sojourn in Mitzrayim was meant to be the learning experience par excellence; its profound lessons should be studied & scrutinized, & should never be lost on us.
As our Sedra opens, G-d orders Moshe to approach Paro & warn him regarding the 8th Plague, locusts. "I have hardened Paro’s heart," He says, "so as to multiply My wonders, & so you can tell your sons & grandsons what I did to Egypt, so that all may know that I am Hashem."
Moshe then proceeds to meet Paro, & tells him about the impending locust attack. "They will cover the earth, they will consume your crops & completely fill your houses. It will be something never before seen by the likes of your father & grandfather from the time the world was formed."
Notice the subtle phraseology Moshe uses? About Am Yisrael, he talks of future generations’ sons & grandsons. But vis a vis Egypt, he cites previous generations.
There are many Eastern religions that do not believe in a Supreme Being. Instead of worshipping G-d, they pray to their ancestors. But Jews, while revering those who came before us - either in our own families or in the collective history of our People - pray only to the One G-d. (When we visit cemeteries, we ask our loved ones to use their merit & intercede for us with G-d; we don’t pray to them.)
We are answerable not only to our predecessors, but also to those who come after us. We cannot make decisions based only on past precedent; we also have to consider the effect on future generations. They are the ones who will reap the reward or punishment for what we do today.
Ben-Gurion met with his advisors to decide whether or not to declare Statehood. Then he dismissed the group & said he must first consult with 2 other people before he can make his final decision: one of them was his Zayde, long since dead; the other his grandchild, not yet born.
I wish I had a 5-shekel coin for every time someone came up to me & said, "Rabbi, you know, my bubbie was a tzadeyket & an Ayshet Chayil & my zayde was a Talmid Chacham & a distinguished Rav!" I always reply, "That’s indeed very impressive; but I’m even more interested in who your grandson & granddaughter will be! That’s truly accessing the power of the day after tomorrow!
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
