YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Korach
of Milk & Honey, & did not bring us into a land of Milk & Honey?!
If a prize was given out for Chutzpa, we Jews
would certainly, hands-down win it every single
year. How could Korach’s rebels dare to insinuate
that Egypt was a virtual paradise, where
nourishment flowed like milk and day-to-day life
was sweet as honey?! Did Am Yisrael not suffer
dreadful losses during the more than a century of
slavery? Did we not endure horrible degradation -
our rabbis say that as many as 80% of the nation
did not make it out alive from Mitzrayim!
There are several ways of looking at Korach’s
hysterical hyperbole. We know there is indeed a
tendency of people to look back upon their past
with romantic nostalgia, imagining that life was
so much better "then" & "back there" – even when
they know that it’s really not true. Consider the
people who reminisce about life back in shtet'l
Europe, waxing poetically about its warmth & its
wondrous Yiddishkeit. But, as my Bubbie z"l (who
hailed from Zamosc, Poland) used to say, "these
are ‘Bubbie-Mayses!’" Most Jews were, at best,
wary of their non-Jewish neighbors, & their life
was a day-to-day struggle simply to survive. And,
in the end, that story almost always had an unhappy ending.
Or this may have been Korach’s attempt at
fomenting mass hysteria by creating a false
narrative, despite the people’s recent exit from
Egypt. Hard to believe the nation would swallow
it? Just look at what’s happening all over the
world, as seemingly intelligent, decent people
fall for the pernicious lies spread about us,
denying our moral excellence while creating
fanciful fiction about the "good people of Gaza."
But here’s another idea: Korach, let us remember,
was among the richest people ever to have lived
(the Midrash says Korach had free access to
Paro’s treasury). Perhaps, for him, Egypt was a
honey-pot, so he likely did miss the standard of
living he had enjoyed (in addition to being a
member of Shevet Levi, which was not enslaved).
But that prevented him from relating to those who
suffered in bondage & were grossly mistreated; so
it’s fitting that he should precipitously fall
(pun intended) from power & end up with nothing at all.
It’s not easy to identify with the plight of
others; we strive to live within comfortable
physical & mental surroundings. But now, as our
soldiers & hostages battle to stay alive, it
would be a fitting exercise to "stand in their
shoes" for a bit. To experience complete
darkness, as if in a tunnel; to postpone or limit
luxurious vacations; to imagine - as we sit in
our homes periodically with the A/C off - what it
must be like for those who wear layers & layers
of heavy clothes in stifling heat. Connecting to
others’ reality can bind us to them and fill us
with hakarat ha-tov - appreciation for their sacrifice on our behalf.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
