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Beit Midrash
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"Had Israel kept two Shabbatot properly, they would have immediately had a complete geula" (Shabbat 118b). It seems that this refers to two types of Shabbat. One is the weekly remembrance of Creation. The other one is Yom Tov ("the day after Shabbat" – Vayikra 23:15, which the Tzedukim were not willing to accept as the meaning of the pasuk), because it is a Shabbat which is created by the intervention of man, by setting the calendar.
What is the crucial significance of our setting the calendar? While the rule is that "everything is in the hands of Heaven," the task of sanctifying that which is mundane is man’s. Man is a being of opposites, as he is made from earth combined with a soul from the divine. Whereas an individual has a struggle in dealing with the physical world, that is easier than for a nation, as an individual can put up partitions between him and the rest of the world. An entire nation cannot do so. It must collectively embrace the physical world. Someone needs to plant and harvest and grind … These time-consuming activities can swallow a person up.
This was the task that was created for Israel when they left Egypt. As an independent nation, they would need to be involved in all elements of their national existence. Bnei Yisrael were to be a nation like all nations … and unlike all nations. They would sing not just about its struggles but also about its harvest and its first fruit. But the approach to these agricultural elements has to be done according to the input of the Torah, which thereby sanctifies it.
This holiday is the second Shabbat, the one which only Israel, with its combination of flesh and soul, will create; it is not decided in the Heaven, and that is the nature of the day. How does one reach the spiritual content of the day? The special mitzva of the first day of Pesach is the eating of the Korban Pesach. This is different from other korbanot, for which the main part of the mitzva is the sprinkling of the blood. There are many fundamental halachot concerning the eating, and spiritually it represents the taking of material meat and turning it into something holy. This is how we prepare to celebrate the geula from Egypt, not by means of only a physical celebration or of a fully spiritual one, but of a mix that represents national sanctity.
Until the day after this Pesach celebration, it was not possible to take the first harvest of the field properly. It must be done without haughtiness, and only then can one begin to prepare for the giving of the Torah (sefirat ha’omer begins, ending with Shavuot). In that way, we do not suffice with a transformation from slavery to freedom but also from shibud ("we would still be meshubadim to Paroh in Egypt") to a fuller geula. We could have had an independent state in Egyptian form, which is what the people were used to. Only after eating the Korban Pesach were we spiritually prepared for a new national life, fundamentally disjointed from Egypt.
Igrot Hare’aya Excitement over a Friend’s New Newspaper – #319
Date and Place: 4 Menachem Av 5670 (1910), Rechovot
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Shoftim TESHUVA IN COURT OF LAW?
Parshat Shoftim-Chodesh Elul
Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Chemdat Yamim The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
