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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Jewish Holidays
- The Holidays of Tishrei
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!
Rabbi Haggai Lundin
Articles about Hanukkah The Triumph of Israeli Renewal over Greek Stagnation
From "Megged Yerachim" published by "Beit Harav"
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.
