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Beit Midrash
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The Torah portion of Pinchas, which we will read this Shabbat, deals with the continual offering. Every morning and evening, a lamb was sacrificed in the Temple. The lamb represents the natural and simple way of life. This means that the main way to get closer to God is not through dramatic actions and media noise, but through constant, quiet and successful effort. One of the reasons for marking the 17th of Tammuz fast which we will observe on Thursday is that from the day the Temple was destroyed, the continual offering stopped - in other words: since the destruction of the Temple, people relate more to the audible noise and listen less to the quiet sounds that operate below the surface.
Think of the thousands of hours of watching and listening to inflammatory media that time and time again turn out to be full of hot air – political babble that we don't even remember exactly what it was about a year later. Look at how the noise of Netanyahu's files collapses into itself; look at how the progressive fantasies of the left are collapsing in France. Note the discrepancy between the IDF's quiet operation in Jenin and the noise of those who block the airport. Anyone who listens knows that while the screamers threaten civil disobedience, the systems below the surface are quietly moving in the right direction – demography, education, settlement, economy, security and tradition. The best of our sons act quietly. a continual victory of continual sacrifice; always quietly.
The bad will pass
The good will prevail
With God's help
Rabbi Haggai Lundin
Family and Society There Will Not Be A Civil War!
(Told to the students of the Hesder Yeshiva in Holon)
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
