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Beit Midrash
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A major issue in the parsha that touches on the lives of our young people, now and then, is Identity Crisis.
"And the children ‘struggled - vayit’rotz’ztu’ inside of (Rivka)." She said, ‘Why is this happening?' & she inquired of Hashem. G-d then revealed to her, ‘Two nations are inside you, two entities; they will vie for supremacy & the elder will serve the younger." (25:22/3)
We know the famous Medrash that Rivka would pass a house of idolatry & Esav would try to emerge from the womb; she’d then pass a house of study & Yakov would try to get out. Aside from advising us to avoid idolatrous hang-outs, let’s see this Medrash in a different light:
The children inside Rivka, even as unborn fetuses, were already expressing a will & identity of their own. Though they were twin brothers, their characters were decidedly disparate. Each had a distinct "answer" (the word teretz/answer is a root of the word vayit’rotz’ztu) that expressed their own particular world-view.
This totally confounded Rivka: "If my child already behaves in a certain way," she thought, "then "lama zeh Anochi?" why do I need G-d (Anochi)? What place does He have in their development? If their life’s direction is already decided, what role does He play in their destiny?"
G-d answers Rivka: There are 2 entities inside you – in effect, inside every child. The diverse forces compelling & controlling us, the identities which define us, compete against one another in a battle for supremacy. Will we be selfish or compassionate, stingy or charitable? Will we care for others, or only for ourselves? Are we driven by greed, or a desire to do good? While our responsibility is to introduce our children to a G-dly path in life, in the end they alone who choose whether or not to walk down it.
Interestingly, both Esav & Yakov experience a name-change. Yakov – the meek & mild "follower" out of the womb, who hangs on to his brother, will become Yisrael, the leader of the nation whose new name embodies nobility & decisiveness. Esav – who came into the world "asuy," ready-made, with amazing strength & the potential to build the world - becomes Edom, a bloody & barbaric predator who will terrorize & destroy the planet.
Life is all about choices – from the womb to the tomb.
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.
