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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Matot
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Masei
But wait: Didn’t we cover this subject last week, in parshat Pinchas? So why do it again? Not just that; this is actually the very last item in the entire sefer, a kind of signature on the whole book! What is so all-important about it?
I suggest to you that the heroism of the B’not Z’lafchad is a tikun, (correction), a cure & a Kappara (atonement) for all the manifold maladies of Sefer Bamidbar.
You see, the Torah really should have consisted of 3 books, not five. It should have ended after Vayikra; after we had left Egypt, received the Torah, built the Mishkan & appointed the Kohanim & the Sanhedrin. We should have marched straight to Israel, conquered it, & set up shop as a nation. But alas, it all broke down rather disastrously.
This breakdown is manifested in 3 ways: We rebelled against G-d, when we complained about all He was doing for us, grousing about the shortage of meat & water and even about the miraculous Mahn! We rebelled against Moshe, in the popular but ill-fated Korach-ian rebellion against Moshe’s leadership. And we rebelled against the Land of Israel itself, in the outrageous negative report of the m’raglim - spies, to which we tragically subscribed.
Comes the B’not Z’lafchad to correct, with their petition, all these flaws in our national character. Machla, Noa, Chagla, Tirza, & Milka complain that they, too, want a share in the Land. But this is the exact kind of complaint which Hashem loves, like the teacher who is thrilled when his student demands extra homework or begs to be allowed into the after-school math club. Their decidedly positive plea makes up for all the previous, negative ones.
The ladies show their loyalty to Moshe by bringing their petition straight to him, trusting fully in his wisdom & guidance. They specifically point out that their family had no part whatsoever in Korach’s mutiny. And of course, they show their great love for Eretz Yisrael, in their determination to receive an equal share of the Land.
This is why the story of B’not Z’lafchad is given such prominence & why it was chosen to end the Sefer. It rights all the wrongs & allows us to conclude Sefer Bamidbar on a very upbeat note. Note that the initials of these 5 women form the word "Minchatam," literally, "their offering." It is indeed a marvelous offering for the ages.
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.
