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- Terumah
These kinds of sentences, circulated by very specific people, assume that there is a separation between the citizens and the state. The mindset is that the State of Israel is a kind of "service provider" and the citizen is the customer. Once this is the way of thinking, it is also clear what "I deserve", and woe betide those who will not give it to me.
This week's Torah portion Teruma, deals with the contributions that the Israelites brought for the building of the Tabernacle. The word teruma in Hebrew is derived from lehitromem, to ascend; to succeed in transcending personal egoism and connecting to something bigger. Every detail of the Tabernacle eventually connected to the entire structure. The ability to contribute to the whole comes about due to the individual seeing themself as a partner with the whole and not as a bystander.
There definitely is room for harsh criticism of specific people in the country, but the contributor’s position is that of a partner, not a customer. Just as couples can criticize each other, and just as there is friction between parents and children – and at the same time, the healthy situation is that they see themselves as one unit, and in any case the criticism will be practical, less virulent and without threats.
Those who are in such a mental position also know how to appreciate the contribution of others. As a citizen evacuated from the city of Sderot and staying in a hotel for the past months, I remind myself from time to time that in other countries where civilians are forced to evacuate due to war or natural disaster – refugees are not always settled in hotels, nor receive benefits from the government (!) and get a never-ending embrace from all sectors of the population. The people of Israel love to gripe but also know how to contribute wholeheartedly.
Shabbat Shalom!
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Shiur in Hebrew on Parashat Teruma-->https://youtu.be/F_bevkYjpis
Army and War "If Haredim Should Serve in the IDF, So Should You"
IDF Service for Young Jewish Men from America
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part II
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
Parashat Hashavua Happiness for the Right Reasons
[With painful longing, we share these divrei Torah from our co-Rosh Kollel for close to 40 years, Harav Moshe Ehrenreich zt”l.]
Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
