YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Vayikra
- Tazria - Metzora
How do we do it? I suggest our Sedra, & the Sefira we are now counting, offer us a valuable insight.
Tazria opens by discussing the state of impurity known as Nida. A woman must (Biblically) count 7 days from the end of menstruation in order to again reach a state of Tahara, purity. Menstruation indicates the inability to bear new life (thus the status of Tuma), while its conclusion represents the chance to give birth once more (Tahara).
The counting of 7 rings a bell to us. For we are all now counting another 7; 7 weeks from Pesach to Shavuot. What is the connection between these two sevens?
I suggest that the Torah is telling us that life is a progression from tragedy to triumph, from Tuma to Tahara, from despair to deliverance. Only by enduring the blood do we ultimately achieve the birth; that is the history of Am Yisrael; the pattern that G-d imposed upon the universe.
And so, we could not climb the mountain of Sinai had we not first gone through the bitter Egyptian experience & all the travail it engendered. We emerged as a new creation, but we had to traverse a harsh birth canal to get there.
What seems difficult to understand is that the Torah also prescribes a state of Nida for a woman who has just given birth! This seems strange; should not this moment be one of pure joy, a celebration of absolute purity? The answer lies in the origin of childbirth. The Zohar tells us that in Gan Eden Chava conceived & delivered a child in the same day, with no pain at all! But then sin entered the world, Adam & Chava became mere mortals, & the trauma of labor & delivery became the norm. And so, even having a child is tempered by the knowledge that this same pattern of pain & pleasure will continue.
The good news is that it won’t always be that way. In the end of days we’ll restore the pristine perfection of Gan Eden, & then childbirth, as well as Life itself, will come with no suffering attached. For all those who have paid the supreme price for Israel - & so, for them, the celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut cannot be fully realized – we anxiously await the coming of Moshiach & Techiyat HaMetim, when all the souls will be reunited, the tears will finally disappear & complete joy will reign. May it happen soon, b’sha’a tova.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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
