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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Miketz
a Tzadik, a truly righteous person; that is
Noach. But there is one other person who is known
as a Tzadik, though the text does not say so.
That, of course, is Yosef. But what constitutes being a Tzadik?
I suggest that there are 3 essential requirements
to reach this elevated & rare achievement, & Yosef had all three.
The first quality is abundant love of others.
While Yosef may seem to be arrogant & conceited,
in truth he wants desperately to "bond" with his
brothers. He says as much just before his
kidnapping, when he tells the angel Gavriel, "Et
achai anochi m’vakesh, I seek my brothers." He
then befriends the prisoners incarcerated with
him in Egypt, & he not only will forgive his
brothers, he supports them in literally royal fashion in Goshen.
The 2nd quality of a Tzadik: "M’sirat nefesh,
self-sacrifice." Yosef & all his descendants,
down to the future Moshiach ben Yosef, are
willing to give up their own needs & desires for
the greater good. Thus Yosef refuses Mrs.
Potifar’s advances, so as not to disappoint his
father, & Yosef is the first of the Shvatim to die.
Finally, there is humility. If you meet someone &
ask if he is a Tzadik, & he answers "yes," then
he probably isn’t one. Yosef ascribes all his
talent & ingenuity to Hashem. "Biladay," it is
not about me; only G-d has all the answers," he
tells Paro, even though this might have caused
Yosef to be sent back to prison.
All three attributes come together in Yosef, with
one more virtue: growth. For even those who see
the young Yosef in a negative way, claiming he’s
immature & self-serving, by the end of his life
all would agree that he has become a towering, imposing figure.
So my question is this: "Are there Tzadikim
today?" My answer: "Absolutely!" But sadly, we
generally only know the truth about them when
they are gone. And so, I want to share a truly
amazing, holy "last testament" by one of our holy
chayalim, Ben Zussman HY"D, who fell in battle
last week. Here is a paraphrased portion of Ben’s
letter to his family before he died:
"I write these words on my way to base. If you
are reading it, then something must have happened
to me. But I couldn’t be happier; I feel
completely fulfilled now. My dream was always to
fight for Israel; there can be no greater merit
than to defend this beautiful country & its people.
"I don’t permit you to be immersed in sadness. I
fulfilled my mission & now I am surely looking
down upon you from above with a huge smile,
sitting with my departed relatives. If you are
now sitting shiva, let it be with friends &
family, with food & drink & upbeat – ‘kef.’ Joke,
tell stories & meet my comrades."
"But one important point: If I will fall into
enemy hands, dead or alive, I insist: I do not
want any campaign held for my release or any
terrorists freed in exchange for me. If I must
die, I am proud that it was in the course of my
protecting others, and the State."
So, do Tzadikim, like Yosef HaTzadik, still exist
today? They sure do, & we are humbled to be in
their presence every single day.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
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.