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Harav Yosef Carmel
There is a surprising midrash about the background of the test that Avraham underwent with the binding of Yitzchak, which the Torah introduces with the words "It was after these matters" (Bereishit 22:1). The obvious questions are: what were these "matters" and what was their significance? One midrash (Yelamdenu, Bereishit 104) says that Avraham had contemplated negative thoughts about Hashem’s attribute of judgment. Avraham was concerned that because he had been saved from death, he used up his reward and would not have any in the world to come. Consequently, he had to give an oleh sacrifice, which is appropriate for sins of the heart (with the sacrifice being his son).
Does Hashem really punish for sins of thought without a sin in action? The Mishna (Nazir 23a) says that if a woman made a vow to make herself a Nazir, her husband canceled the vow without telling her, and she violated the terms of Nezirut, she is not liable for the punishment. However, the Gemara (ad loc.) continues to derive that she still requires atonement because she planned to violate the prohibition. So the conclusion is that for sins of the heart alone, there is no punishment, although there is a need for rectification.
Why, then, was Avraham "punished" for his thoughts and did he have to bind his son to an altar? The answer is that a man on the level of Avraham has to pay a price even for only thoughts that are not of the level expected of him.
We will prove this concept of holding great people responsible for thoughts from a story later in Bereishit, a section that was also introduced with the words "It was after these matters." Like his great grandfather, Yosef was also tested, not with ten different tests, but with the same test, day after day. The wife of Potiphar desired Yosef and repeatedly tried to seduce him. Yosef refused time and again (Bereishit 39:7-10). Yet, a curious Pasuk about one of those days, when the house was mainly empty, says that Yosef "came into the house to do his work" (ibid. 11), which Chazal viewed as unusual language. Rabbi Yochanan (in Sota 36b) says that at that point, Yosef joined his master’s wife in planning to sin.
In the end, Yosef overcame his desires and did not sin. However, he paid a heavy price for his thoughts, as after running away from her, she decided to accuse Yosef of attacking her, and as a result, Yosef sat in jail for ten years despite his innocence (Shemot Rabba 7:1). The reason is, again, that a tzaddik has to pay for behavior below his level, which includes by thought. This would not happen to a regular person if for example, he meant to eat not kosher and it turned out to be kosher (although he would need atonement).
We have substantiated that the righteous must be careful about what they think. All the more so, they need to be careful about what they say!
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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.