YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Vayikra
- Behar
Rashi asks why it is this Mitzva of leaving the
land untouched every 7th year said to have been
given on Har Sinai. He offers a cryptic answer:
Just as this Mitzva was said on Har Sinai, so all
the Mitzvot also emanate from there (as opposed
to being man-made). Huh? I still don’t see why
Shmita represents all the other Mitzvot. Why not
kashrut, Shabbat, love the convert? Why is Shmita special?
The usual answer: Shmita requires a lot of Emuna,
faith. After all, doing without one’s field in an
agricultural society & counting on Hashem to
provide for up to three years requires a whole
lot of faith. And so, by extension, performing
any Mitzva is, essentially, an act of faith.
A variation on this theme goes to the core of
Shmita’s significance. Shmita is illogical; it
is anti-social & goes against the norms of
economic activity. How can people just walk away
from their livelihood for a whole year? How can
they stop producing foodstuffs that the nation
needs? Can you imagine if the Torah asked us to
cease all hi-tech activity for 12 months? Or
ordered the police, hospitals or sanitation
workers to walk off the job for a year? When you
factor in many agronomists’ opinion that letting
the land go fallow every 7 years does nothing to
enrich its nutrients, it seems even more absurd!
So I suggest there are 2 objectives at work here:
First, treat the land (of Israel) as a living
thing! Respect it, nurture it, appreciate it.
Just as we have our Shabbat, it has & deserves
its own as well. The lesson, by extension, is
that all the Torah is Torat Chayim, a living Torah.
Moreover, accept the fact that if humans had
created the Torah, they never would have invented
Shmita! Only Hashem could command such an extreme
& seemingly absurd directive. But that is
precisely the point: Do not follow the Torah
because it makes perfect sense to you (like, for
example, the 7 Noachide mitzvot); follow it
purely because it is G-d’s will. Though it may
rub against our intellectual sensibilities &
require us to do things that confound us, that is
how every one of the Mitzvot must be approached &
why Shmita is the Mitzva par excellence.
The sublimation of our mortal wisdom to that of
G-d, our steadfast belief even in the face of
disbelief, is perhaps what causes Hashem, in
turn, to also do things that are beyond belief -
such as keeping the Jewish People alive forever &
allowing us to return & to reclaim our ancient
homeland. It's illogical, absurd, against every
norm of history, & it certainly confounds our enemies.
But guess what? It works! We are here - & we are staying here!
Rabbi Stewart Weiss
Was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois, and led congregations in Chicago and Dallas prior to making Aliyah in 1992. He directs the Jewish Outreach Center in Ra'anana, helping to facilitate the spiritual absorption of new olim.
Jewish Laws and Thoughts Shul “etiquette:” can we honor Hashem while respecting our fellow congregants?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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.
