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Beit Midrash
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Moshe Rabbeinu was the greatest leader in all our
history - & we have had some truly great leaders!
He amazingly transformed us from a downtrodden,
depressed group of slaves into an Am Kadosh that
merited receiving the Torah. But what made him so great?
Moshe had many outstanding qualities. He was
genteel, of royal bearing, having been raised in
the kings palace. He was brave, standing up to (&
then killing) the evil taskmaster. He was kind,
tending his sheep with love; & of course, he was super-brilliant.
But the Torah chooses one attribute that stands
above all the others: he was the humblest person
who ever lived. That feature, more than any
other, qualified Moshe to lead us. We see this
admirable mida in action when Moshe begs & pleads
not to be appointed the savior of Am Yisrael.
Rather than egotistically pursuing power & glory,
as so many of our so-called leaders tend to do,
Moshe instead tries desperately to defer the title upon someone else.
But does Moshe try too hard to convince Hashem
that he is not the right man for the job? It
would seem so! Note the pasuk (4:13) when, after
arguing unsuccessfully with G-d, Moshe finally
proclaims, "Shlach na byad tishlach;" please, my
Lord, send whoever you want to!
At first glance, it seems that Moshe was throwing
up his hands & saying, OK, Hashem, You win, do
whatever You want. But hang on; why does Moshe
say please?! That doesn't see to fit here!
So Chazal explain that Moshe was saying something
completely different, apropos to his lack of
conceit. Moshe the greatest of all prophets
foresaw that while he would indeed redeem us from
Egypt, this would be but one step in our
checkered history. Yes, we would conquer Israel &
build the Bet HaMikdash, but then wed lose it
all. Wed then return, but be exiled yet again. So
Moshe petitions Hashem: Please, please, don't
send me, the temporary redeemer; send instead the
true Goel, the final redeemer! Let Bnei Yisrael
go straight to the Geula Shlema & avoid all the
horrible heartache & suffering along the way.
But Hashem turns down Moshe's benevolent request.
For Jewish history is not linear, G-d tells him;
it does not go in one straight, smooth path
direct from slavery to salvation. It rather
undulates throughout history, with innumerable
ups & downs, with the highest highs & the lowest
lows. Moshe will not accomplish everything he
hoped for, but he will provide us with an
invaluable piece of the puzzle. He has his own
unique task to perform, & the rest of history
must then play out as G-d sees it.
This roller-coaster ride were on, 4000 years &
counting, has now taken a deep & drastic dive.
Were certainly at a low point, with daily doses
of trauma & tragedy, worse than anything most of
us have ever faced. But be assured: what goes
down must come up, & we will rise again to days
of happy news, good tidings & miraculous
delivery. B'ezrat Hashem, this is the final
plunge before we see that final Goel that Moshe assured us is coming.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.