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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- 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!
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.