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Beit Midrash
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- Bamidbar
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- Parashat Hashavua
Bilam declared: "He [Hashem] did not see iniquity in Yaakov nor did He see impropriety in Israel. Hashem his G-d is with him and the closeness (teruah) with the King is with him" (Bamidbar 23:21). Our simple translation is along the lines of Unkelos – Bilam saw that there was no trend of idol worship, lying, or other impropriety in the nation.
Rashi goes a step further: even when the members of the nation do not follow Hashem’s instructions properly, He does not treat them as sinners to the extent He might. Hashem’s being with them and His closeness is even when they do things to anger Him. Thus, according to Rashi, Hashem looks at us particularly favorably, even when we do not deserve it. The connection between the Divine Presence and the Congregation of Israel cannot be broken, as the pasuk says, "Your nation are all righteous" (Yeshayahu 60:21; see Sanhedrin 10:1).
Rabbi Chaim ben Atar (author of Ohr Hachayim, whose yahrtzeit is around now), one of the early trailblazers of our national regeneration, who moved to Yerushalayim more than 200 years ago, would also look to justify the actions of Israel. He says, on our pasuk, that the negative actions are not able to make the negative imprints we might expect. This is along the lines of the pasuk "You are totally beautiful, my beloved, and there is no blemish in you" (Shir Hashirim 4:7). The Ohr Hachayim explains that the sin does not make a permanent blemish but rather creates dirt that can be removed by washing. Bilam also was forced to teach us that even when a simple Jew sins, he remains a good Jew in his essence.
We will end off with the homiletic ideas of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berdichev, the great "defense attorney of Israel," in his sefer Kedushat Levi, regarding our pasuk. He says that Hashem’s love for Israel "ruined the objective standards," so that when they sin, Hashem does not look at the sin. As the end of the pasuk indicates, when they do good, Hashem connects Himself to them and their positive actions. The word teruah, according to this approach, is the breaking, i.e., the distinction that Hashem makes between His relating to our positive and negative deeds.
Let us put matters in perspective as follows. Whoever has fear of Heaven in his heart and wants to cleave to the ways of Hashem, whoever feels that the State of Israel is important to him and sees it as the "the beginning of the flowering of our liberation," should adopt the approach of the giants we have surveyed here. He should adopt Rashi’s love without conditions and boundaries, as Hashem does. He should emulate the Ohr Hachayim’s and Rav Levi Yitzchak’s ideas of not viewing Jews as innately flawed. Even if we do, as we may, disagree with our compatriots, we should focus on their merits.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
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.
