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Part of staying in a state of exhilaration is not to get emotional about the background noises which try to get us down. Let's summarize a little of the good that has happened in the State of Israel over the past forty days:
From the beginning of the month of Elul, around three million Israelis visited the Western Wall; in fact, there was no room at the Western Wall plaza, so Selichot was screened on giant screens in various locations; tens of thousands of inspiring classes were given across the country; synagogues held millions for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services, including minyanim in kibbutzim, community centers and city centers; there was a thirteen percent increase in students in yeshivas and midrashot (Torah institutes for women); in addition, every second child in the Jewish sector who started first grade in the 2023-2024 school year wears a kippah.
What does the evil inclination do? It wants us to be alarmed by the few dozen megaphones that the media is trying to leverage to ruin the atmosphere. Don't let it! This gives the feeling that the majority is Jew-hating; they aren't! How to deal practically with these strange people is a topic in itself, but first of all it is important to internalize that they are a minority. Last Saturday night I was at Selichot at the Western Wall with two hundred thousand people, more than any of Kaplan's demonstrators and readers of Haaretz throughout the generations. Do not give in to the hateful people and do not let them dictate your mood. They belong to the past; we face the future, to the festival of Sukkot in which we "rejoice in all the good that the Lord [y]our God has given" us (Deuteronomy 26, 11).
Gmar Chatima Tova!
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.