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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Balak
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- Chemdat Yamim
- 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
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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.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.