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Beit Midrash
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week has been one of the hardest in Israel’s
history, if not in the entire history of the
Jewish People. The shock, the anger, the sadness
combine combine to overwhelm & debilitate us.
When we struggle to find answers to the deepest
questions in life, there is only one place we can
go: to Hashem. And where do we find Hashem? In
the Torah, of course; specifically the Parsha of
the week. And so I want to focus on two themes in our Sedra that speak to us.
The first is about violence. Soon after human
beings are evicted from Gan Eden, the Torah
records the first & perhaps the worst murder ever
committed. Though they "divide" the world between
themselves, the brothers Kayin and Hevel are not
satisfied. They are greedy; Kayin is angry while
Hevel is unsympathetic, & they fight, until one
dies. The potential for violence, says G-d, is
always there, "crouching at the door." This
propensity for evil will grow until, at Parsha’s
end, G-d will decide that this society must be
utterly destroyed, & the world must begin anew,
hopefully with a better moral character.
The lesson we are being taught is that evil can
destroy a whole world, unless we eradicate it
from our midst. We, who have now witnessed pure
evil, must do all we can to utterly destroy this
source of evil epitomized by the barbarians in
Gaza, as a favor to all the earth. As the Torah
will later teach, the presence of Amalek demands
from us a merciless, uncompromising destruction.
And let us make no mistake: Gaza IS Amalek in its
basest & most cruel form, and not an ounce of mercy can be wasted on them.
The beginning of Bereisheit describes Creation, &
the day-by-day progression of life. On the 3rd,
4th, 5th and 6th days, the pasuk says: "Vayar
Elokim ki tov;" and G-d saw that it was good. But
no such phrase is mentioned on either the first
or second days. Why not?! The answer is that on
both of those days a separation takes place. On
Day 1, Light & Darkness are divided from one
another; & on Day 2, the waters above (the
sky/clouds) separate from the waters below (the seas).
The Torah is hinting that in situations where
separation & division exist, the term "tov-good"
is out of place. The not-so subtle message is
that friction & disunity cannot be called "good;"
& if that is true about inanimate entities, it
certainly applies to people. And especially to
Jews. When we divide and separate, no good can come of it.
On the 6th day, "Hashem saw that it was good"
when the animal kingdom is created, then G-d said
it was "very good" when humanity is formed &
given dominion over the animals. The message: It
is a very good thing when people, by any means,
rule over & control the animals, both those with
4 legs & those with 2. If we do not rule them, evil will rule over us.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
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.
