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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- D'varim
- Ki Tavo
The commentator Kli Yakar takes notices of this & famously comments, "Every blessing can be a curse, while every curse can become a blessing." A person, for example, can have tremendous wealth, but may use that wealth to buy drugs, bribe people or become lazy. How often do we hear of people receiving large sums of money via inheritance or the lottery, only to have this "blessing" ruin their lives, making them spoiled, arrogant or non-productive citizens? Or take someone who gets a high-powered executive job, only to become a prisoner of his position, neglecting his family & working himself to death?
Conversely, that which on the surface seems negative can always be turned into something positive, to be used for the good of oneself & others. Poverty can teach resourcefulness & humility; the loss of a job can motivate us to learn a new skill or trade; suffering can instill in us a deep sense of empathy & compassion for others.
Let me relate a true story to you. I asked one of my best friends, Jack, "what was the worst day in your life?" He said, "the day that I had to close my restaurant."
"And what was the best day in your life?" I then asked. "The very same day!" he said immediately, with a broad smile.
Jack, you see, had a very successful & popular fish restaurant. He was on top of the world. But then one day, a couple came in & ordered Mahi Mahi fish. It had an imperceptible virus, one that could not be detected in advance. The couple became seriously ill, & was rushed to the hospital. The restaurant was ordered shut down by the health authority.
By the next morning, the story was a front-page headline, & Jack knew he could not re-open his place again. He spent the day in depression, but after a sleepless night, he decided to open a new style of restaurant. It caught on; he would then go on to open several more branches until his company was eventually bought out for many millions of dollars. The curse turned out to be a very great blessing.
The fact that there are so many klalot in this sedra, says the Kli Yakar, actually means that there is a tremendous potential for those curses to transform into good & for bracha - if only we have faith & fortitude in G-d, & in ourselves, & know how to tap into it.
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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.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.