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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Bo
The first boundary is place. One cannot live without a place, and one can be in only one place at a time. These limitations are not only true for individuals but also on the national level. A nation needs a land to serve as its homeland; without one, it is difficult to view it as a nation.
Time is also a boundary, which is significant on two planes. A person moves on a timeline. He exists in the present, which is like the batting of an eye. On either side of him, there is the past and the future. There would seem to be no way to break free from this limitation. An individual has his time from birth "to 120." This applies slightly differently for a nation. If a nation has no past, it has no future, and in general, it cannot last forever, as history teaches us. (You can assemble a long list of nations and empires that have disappeared.) We will now focus on two examples in the national realm that show how the Exodus from Egypt went beyond the normal limitations of time and place.
Parashat Bo begins with Bnei Yisrael still enslaved in Egypt, and Paroh continuing his intransigence despite the several plagues with which Hashem had hit the Egyptians. Am Yisrael still had next-to-no signs of nationhood, certainly not a significant time and place. Egypt was a place from which it was virtually impossible to escape to go to one’s own place, and slaves are people who lack control over their own time.
When Moshe commanded the people to sacrifice the Korban Pesach, he stressed their ability to breach both roadblocks. "You shall observe this matter as a statute for you and your offspring until eternity " (Shemot 12:24) – beyond the boundaries of time. "It will be when you come to the Land, which Hashem will give you as He said, you shall observe this service" (ibid. 25) – beyond the limitation on place, as existed at that time. This is a promise of the eternity of the nation with the gift of a Land that seemed beyond belief at that time.
Additionally, in the introduction to the commandment of Korban Pesach, Hashem instructed Bnei Yisrael to adopt a (lunar) calendar, even while they were slaves in a foreign land, even though a calendar is basically only feasible for independent people in their land. A calendar is a means to unite a nation in a manner that remembers the past and strives toward a better future. This commandment thus is a sign of the greatness that laid ahead.
Throughout our national history, often dispersed in exile, we clung to that calendar while being forced to live daily life under the realities of the local nation and its calendar. The p’sukim also prophesized an improbable phenomenon – non-Jews would want to join Bnei Yisrael (see ibid. 48-49). Who would want to convert to join a nation of lowly slaves? Yet they too would bring a Korban Pesach (see ibid.) and would enjoy full civil rights (see ibid. 22:20).
The first Rashi on Chumash made a point to look ahead to better times. During times when Christians and Muslims vied for control of the Holy Land, Rashi wrote about the rationale for Jewish sovereignty over it!
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Realtor’s Fee on Large Commercial Building – part I
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 85031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the laying of the cornerstone of the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh)
Re'e NEVER EXTREME EXCEPT ISRAEL
Parshat Re'eh
Judaism is against extremism, so how can we understand the seemingly extreme statements found in our sages in favor of living in the Land of Israel and against living in Chutz laAretz? The article deals with the seeming contradiction between the strength of Free-Will and the strength of being influenced by our surroundings.
Ekev DANCE FOR ISRAEL- FOR YOUR BENEFIT
Parshat Eikev
Description: The 7 Haftarot we read after Tisha B'Av ("Shiva D'Nichemta") surely get us excited that they're coming TRUE, and awaken us to yearn, dance & join the return to Zion! The short article also deals with the problems and solutions facing the American Jewish community as discussed at a recent panel, as well as the question why Jews come from America to Israel to help when we face problems, but Israelis don't come to aid Jews in America when they face anti-Semitism.
P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
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.
