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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Chayei Sara
But hold on, the Torah tells us in this Parsha; there is still one more hurdle, one more challenge before Avraham can finally relax & recede into the background: he must secure a proper resting-place for his beloved wife, Sara. And so he gets up from Shiva & begins to negotiate with the Hittites for the burial site that would forever become known as "Ma’arat HaMachpela," the double-layer cave in which were interred four couples (the others being Adam/Chava, Yitzchak/Rivka & Yakov/Leah).
Ephron the Hittite is a sharp negotiator; he first tells Avraham that he can have the place for free. But when Avraham insists that it must be inviolable, eternal Jewish land, the price suddenly skyrockets to four hundred shekels. This, say the commentators (from the unusual term, "Ohver La’socher") indicates a form of internationally-recognized currency, & so the actual amount is in the millions of shekels, by today’s standards.
Why does Avraham feel the need to spend so much money? Jews, after all, are buried in cemeteries throughout the known world. Why davka here? Furthermore, this was land that was promised to be given to Avraham & his future descendants by Hashem (which is why Lot saw no problem with his animals grazing on the land), so eventually he would have the plot anyway. So why not be patient & save a whole lot of money?
And even if Avraham did legally buy it, who is to say that the inhabitants who lived there – then or in the future – would admit & acknowledge it? They might lie & say that it was always there’s, that the contract was forged, or some other excuse.
But the point here should be obvious to us: Avraham was sending a clear message to us, and to all the generations of Jews to come: "This Land is priceless, valuable beyond estimation, and so we must be prepared to pay a very high price to take it, & to keep it."
We have reclaimed the Land of Israel, but we have paid, & are still paying, a very high price to sustain it. We had to fight the Arabs even when this was "no-man’s land." We had to battle 7 nations that converged against us in 1948. We had to fight "official" wars in 1956, in 1967 & in 1973, & "unofficial" battles in the Gulf War, against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in Gaza & in Yehuda & Shomron.
And now we have a full-fledged war against the Hamas barbarians, not only in Gaza but wherever they spread their venomous tentacles. And a war in Iran is not far off. We pay dearly in these wars - even one precious soul lost outweighs all the terrorists we kill. But we have to know 1 essential thing: Israel costs a lot because Israel is the most valuable thing the Jewish People can ever own.
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
