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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.
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
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.
