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Beit Midrash
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Our physical liberation at the Exodus was incomplete; we also needed a crucial spiritual component in order to perfect ourselves & justify the "Great Escape" which G-d orchestrated on our behalf. Day-by-day we would climb the mountain of self-improvement, shedding our slave persona & regaining our bearing as G-d’s first-born. Only then would we be ready for the mountain (of Sinai).
As we nightly count the Omer, we mention the 7 attributes that correspond to each day: Chesed, G’Vura, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Y’Sod, & Malchut. To achieve perfection, we should understand what these qualities are, & do our best to integrate them into our daily lives.
These 7 terms, according to the Kabala, also represent the 7 Sefirot (spheres) of the Universe & the 7 thousand-year periods through which humanity must pass before we ultimately reach the Final Redemption. If our counting is accurate, then we in Hebrew year 5783 are in the very last quarter of that 6th thousand-year period, just a bit before Geula (thus the phrase, "Reva L’Sheva.").
Kabbalists differ as to which is the 1st & the last of the Sefirot. Some say Malchut is the last stage, because at that point in history, we & the world at large will willingly come to accept G-d’s Kingship (Malchut) & authority.
But others say the last phase of existence is Chesed. Ultimately G-d, the Giver, will bring the Redemption out of abundant kindness to humanity (whether we deserve it or not) as a gesture of Hashem’s unqualified love for us.
If that is so - & Chesed is indeed the final stage - then we are now in the era of Gevura. "Gevura" is a mystical blend of strength, will & purpose that together make up what we call Courage. Courage is what enables us to step up & be proud that we are Jews & carry the name "Israel;" to admit our failings & dare to be better; to believe – really believe - that there is a G-d who is the true source of our sustenance & survival.
Our Rabbis warn us that as we near Geula, times will get tougher & the challenges of Am Yisrael will increase. Yes, Hashem will deliver the ultimate Chesed to us - but we shall have to earn it. If we want to make it to the end of the rainbow, we will have to gather all our courage & hang tough in what may be very, very tough times.
For in the final Sefira, it will be Courage that Counts.
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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.
