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Beit Midrash
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Why does G-d tell Moshe to instruct the people to
"take" donations for the building of the Mishkan?
Would "give" not have been a more appropriate verb?
There is a common misconception that one feels
love for someone from whom he receives & derives
benefit. But in truth, love is generated through
giving; counter-intuitively, a person loves most
someone to whom he has given abundantly. The love
that husband & wife feel for one another grows
over the course of their marriage in direct
proportion to their giving to each other more &
more. (Thus the root of "ahava – love" is "hav" – to give).
Sports fans feel an intense attachment to their
favorite team because of the time, money &
emotional energy they invest into that team.
Indeed, the average price paid for a ticket to
this week’s sold-out Super Bowl was $8600! As the
Gemara teaches, a person is happier with the $100
that he earned by his own efforts than with
$1,000 that came to him effortlessly.
The more that one invests into a given person or
item, the stronger an emotional attachment he
will feel towards that person or item. G-d
therefore specifically tells Moshe that Bnei
Yisrael should "take for Me a donation."
Towards the end of Parshat Mishpatim, Bnei
Yisrael declare their blind acceptance of the
Torah without any knowledge of what this
entails. But Hashem wanted to ensure that they
would proceed to carry out this great commitment
with love & excitement, rather than with a sense
of burden or resentment. He therefore commanded
that they give generously to G-d & donate
expensive materials towards the Mishkan, thereby
engendering a strong feeling of attraction to & affection for the Almighty.
In this sense, then, their "giving" was indeed an
act of "taking." By donating to the Mishkan, the
people walked away with a feeling of both love &
personal connection to the religion they have now
accepted upon themselves. This ensured that they
would observe the Torah not as a forced
obligation, but rather willingly, with genuine fervor.
Many of us, for most of the time, tend to
"sleep-walk" through the Mitzvot, adopting a
daily, almost mindless routine of conducting
ourselves according to the dictates of the Torah
& Halacha. But Judaism should never be "routine;"
it should be observed with an ongoing, ever-new excitement & wonder.
If you want to soar like Eagles, heed their
advice: "Any kind of love without passion is no kind of loving at all."
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
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.
