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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- The High Holidays
- Rosh Hashana
Judaism Has Its Own Form Of Virtual Reality, Particularly At This Time Of Year. Each Of The Special Chagim We Celebrate Utilizes V.r. To Create Or Accentuate The Mood We’re Trying To Establish. On Rosh Hashana, We Have Tashlich, A Long-standing (Controversial) Custom, As We Go Through The Motions K’ilu (As If) We Are Divesting Ourselves Of Our Sins & Sending Them To The Bottom Of The Ocean/sea.
Then, Just Before Yom Kippur, We Do Kaparot, Another Debatable Minhag Where We Swing A Chicken (Money, Let's Face It, Doesn’t Really Cut It) & Consider The Sobering Possibility That It Is We, K’ilu, Who Are About To Die, & Not The Poor Bird. Finally, Near The End Of This Long Holiday Period, During Sukkot, We Perform Hoshanot, A Mystical Ceremony That, In One Sense, Represents Our Fervent Desire To "beat Out" The Sins & Imperfections That Have Attached Themselves To Us, Leaving Us With An Unadulterated, Pure Neshama.
But There Is Another Application Of Virtual Reality That I Think Can Really Help Us To "get Into The Mood" & Appreciate The Gravity & Significance Of What These (40) Days Of Repentance Are All About. Close Your Eyes At Some Point During Rosh Hashana (Maybe As The Amida Is Repeated, Or Perhaps When The Shofar Is – Or Would Be – Sounded. Imagine That You Are Standing In A Courtroom At The Dock Of Justice. On One Side Of You Is The Prosecutor, Holding Your File. It’s Filled With Evidence Of Where You Might Have Strayed From Your Mission, From Your Better Judgment Or From Your Innate Knowledge Of What Is Right & What Is Wrong.
On The Other Side Is Your Defense Attorney Avidly Pleading Your Case, Bringing Character References, Arguing That You Tried To Do Your Best &, If You Failed, It Was Because Of Extenuating Circumstances, & Certainly Not Premeditated. And Then, Of Course, There Is The Judge, Who Is Actually On Your Side. The Judge Isn’t Out To Punish You, But Rather Wants You To Bravely Face The Many Challenges That Life Presents, & To Be The Very Best "you" Possible.
On Rosh Hashana, Virtual Reality Turns Into Actual Reality. We Are The Ones Who Control That; We Will "Sign Off" On Our Own Fate! May We Live To Create A Better World In 5784. Shana Tova.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
