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Beit Midrash
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Yet suddenly, Hashem puts the 10 Plagues on hold. He interrupts the process of Redemption in order to issue His first decree to Bnei Yisrael as a nation: "This month (of Nisan) will be for you the first of months." Our calendar, like Jewish life itself, is starting anew, and so we will now begin counting our months from Nisan, even though the world was created in Tishrei, six months prior.
But why pause to make this decree, rather than first concluding the Makot & only then establishing a New Jewish Order? Would that not have made more sense?
I think the answer lies in a statement Hashem makes just before He issues the command to re-order the calendar: "L’ma’an tayd’un asher yafleh Hashem bayn Mitzrayim u’vayn Yisrael; so that you shall know that G-d has differentiated between Egypt & Israel."
Rashi helps us by defining the unusual word, "yafleh" as "differentiated." But clearly, the word also connects to "peleh," which means wonder, or miracle.
I want to suggest that Hashem here is making a grand statement about the nature of His relationship with the Jewish People, as well as hinting as to how we are to proceed towards ultimately fulfilling our eternal destiny.
Hashem is telling us that there is a structured, systematic procedure for us to follow in normal, Halachic life. We will studiously observe the moon; that will allow us to "set up" each month, so we can designate our Chagim during the next 30 days, as well as establish our seasons. The sun will guide us as to when we rise for morning prayers & when we recite evening Tefilot; it will also tell us when Shabbat begins & ends. These universal objects are not ours alone; we share them with all humanity, but we utilize them for our own specific Jewish purposes.
Yet the natural world is not our boundary. We are also a people of wonders, witnesses to miraculous events & recipients of Divine assistance from above that defy logic, science & rationality. There is no rational explanation as to how we could have survived – no, flourished! - all these centuries against such staggering odds, outlasting mighty empires along the way that sought our demise.
Our very existence is a peleh, a wonder. To the knowing eye, it is as clear as the moon & as bright as the sun.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
