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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Beha'alotcha
"Cushite." Kush (also mentioned in the Purim
Megila as one end of the Persian empire) is
usually the name for Ethiopia. Kush was the older
brother of Mitzrayim (Egypt) so that makes sense
geographically. Rashi says Tzipora was a
Midianite & not actually black-skinned; this is
rather a euphemism for her beauty (Kushit in
Gematriya equals Y’fat Mare’h; implying that just
as everyone acknowledges an Ethiopian as black,
so all would admit that Tzipora was beautiful.
Note that King Shaul was also called, "Cush ben
Yemini" (Tehilim 7:1) though he obviously was not
from Ethiopia. But it’s also possible that
Tzipora was indeed black, as there is a Midrash
that says Yitro bought her as a young girl from
the slave market, which had people from many
different countries. It’s also interesting to
note that Miriam’s punishment of tzara’at caused
her skin to turn "snow-white," perhaps
contrasting to the black skin of Tzipora, who may
have also been embarrassed by Miriam’s charge that she was neglected by Moshe.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
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.
