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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.
Army and War "If Haredim Should Serve in the IDF, So Should You"
IDF Service for Young Jewish Men from America
Army and War "If Haredim Should Serve in the IDF, So Should You"
IDF Service for Young Jewish Men from America
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
