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Beit Midrash
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Jews throughout history did not just doubt whether they were physically capable of gaining control of their Land. Rather, they also had misgiving over whether they could run a country in the Land while still keeping a life of Torah. Isn’t it easier to live as a Jew in the Diaspora, where the agriculture is in non-Jewish hands? Then a Jew can look for an "easy and clean" profession, one that will allow him to spend some extra time davening and learning some mishnayot and spend the evening in the beit midrash? Can a state exist without an army, and can the existence of an army go hand-in-hand with ideal Torah education and greatness in Torah scholarship? Will that not cause an increase in secularism, to the point that this nation would no longer be fit to inherit the legacy of Avraham?
Let us examine these questions in light of Yitzchak’s blessings to his sons. Yitzchak did not intend to make Eisav the full firstborn, but rather his idea was to divide the elements of leadership. Eisav was to be the man of action, business, and worldliness. Yaakov would remain a tent dweller, removed from worldly activity. Each would live peacefully with the other and complement him. However, that is not the way Hashem wanted it. He chose Yaakov to assume both mantels – the dew of the heaven and the fats of the land.
Yaakov was daunted by the task. Chazal explain that he saw on his ladder nations going up and down. Hashem encouraged him to climb up, but he was afraid (Shemot Rabba 32). Yaakov was supposed to oppose Eisav from the beginning, but instead he ran away and tried to appease him. This was a dereliction of his task. Going to the Diaspora, which he thought would enable him to serve Hashem with more freedom, did not work out. While he did not have to battle, the building of a family was not easy for him (see Hoshea 12:13).
The phenomenon returned along the lines of "the actions of the fathers serving as a sign for the children." The new Diaspora was Egypt. This too came about as a result of a misunderstanding of the proper fusion between the physical and spiritual worlds. Why were the brothers jealous of Yosef? They did not want him to have prominence in practical affairs since he was the one who studied the most Torah with their father. They did not want him to use what proved to be great political skill on family affairs; he should stay in the tent with their father. They thought it was haughty to think he could do it all.
At the end, the mistakes became clear. It is not better to leave the practical world to the gentiles, and it is not possible to have an ideal spiritual state among them. Maror represents the physical torment the non-Jews will exact from us, and matza represents the need to quickly extricate ourselves before their spiritual decadence dooms us. The korban Pesach represents the third lesson – that the liberation of Israel is carried out as part of a divine plan, which one needs to take part in and not avoid. Without these three elements, we have not fulfilled the mitzva of Pesach.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
