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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
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- Passover - Pesach
This dramatic statement by Hashem - the essence of our special reading for Parshat HaChodesh this Shabbat - declares that our calendar must be re-ordered so Nisan officially becomes the 1st month of the Hebrew year, despite the fact that the world was created in Tishrei (we proclaim Rosh Hashana as "Hayom Harat Olam, the birthday of the world.")
This pasuk has far-reaching consequences. The word "lachem – to you" teaches us that G-d gave mortal man control over the calendar, with the power to manipulate it whenever necessary, such as intercalating it & adding a second Adar when necessary (primarily to keep Pesach in the Spring, the season when it must be celebrated).
But I want to focus for a moment on the word "Chodesh." It means "month," because it connects to "chadash, new." The moon is always renewing itself, going from a tiny silver sliver to a bright, full orb. This epitomizes Am Yisrael; our fortunes wax & wane according to both the merit we accrue due to our actions along with Hashem’s Chesed.
But chadash, I suggest, has another connotation. It hints at our unique ability as a People to renew ourselves, & to re-invent ourselves. This is precisely what we needed to do when we left Egypt for Israel. We had to transform ourselves from a disparate collection of tribes into a unified nation that would fight to win our land, & then farm & develop it. Our tribal leaders would defer to Yehoshua, to judges & to kings.
Then, when, sadly, we were exiled to every corner of the globe, we would have to re-invent ourselves again & find ways to survive in the most difficult of Diasporas, which often cruelly persecuted us & severely limited our ability to make a living or freely practice our religion.
And now, B"H, we have miraculously returned from Exile to Israel. And once more, we had to re-invent ourselves & rebuild all the institutions of a nation: our government, our economy, our army, our social welfare system. After 2000 years, this opportunity has again been awarded to us, & we must now exchange a Diaspora mentality for a nation-state posture where we are the decisors. Rather than being controlled, WE have control.
Now, we must embrace our national identity right along with our ongoing religious identity. The two must go hand-in-hand; we cannot create "states within a state" for that will only divide & then ultimately disillusion us. Even 75 years after declaring statehood, this is still a "new" challenge to be met.
Parshat HaChodesh, fittingly, is Shmot"s final Torah reading; it is a cap to Redemption, both then & now. Hashem, I believe, is looking down upon us & saying, "This month, this year, & all the rest of history is 'Lachem,' for you!"
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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.
