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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Pkudei
We will focus on the meaning of counting, which is found in our parasha and many other places in Tanach. We will see that the counting is also frequently connected to participation in the army, a setting in which even the mundane is holy, as people fight the battles of Hashem.
We start by noting that not all Jews were counted, but only men from the age of 20 (see Shemot 30:12-14). In Bamidbar, the Torah explains the significance of the age of 20 – "… all those who go out to the army in Israel shall you count" (Bamidbar 1:1-3). The counting comes up again later in the book, and there the "pekudim" are those who went to fight the Midianites (ibid. 31:48-49). The pekudim in Nach are also consistently related to going out to battle. Yehoshua counted them as he prepared to go to battle with the city of Ay (Yehoshua 8:10-11). The same is true of the men of the Tribe of Binyamin, as they prepared for battle (Shoftim 20:15). We find the same root arising when Shaul prepared to fight to save the people of Yavesh Gilad (Shmuel I, 11:8). It appears again as Shaul was preparing his army to fight Amalek (ibid. 15:4). There are multiple examples in this vein in Divrei Hayamim.
One of the most impactful counts uses the root pakod and focuses on soldiers. David pressured his head general, Yoav, to do a count of the men of war who brandished swords, in a way that violated Halacha (Shmuel II, 24:2-4). In the aftermath of the punishment that befell the people, the place where the Beit Hamikdash was to be built was revealed. It turned out that those counted soldiers would later take part in the building of the Beit Hamikdash.
Enlistment in the IDF is intimately related to the goals of the Exodus from Egypt – the acceptance of the Torah and the establishment of a Jewish state whose capital is Yerushalayim and whose center is the House of Hashem (see Yeshayahu 2). This state is to serve as a light unto the nations, in which the values and ideals of the Torah will be realized. It is impossible to separate these goals. It is specifically those who learn Torah who should be the backbone of the IDF (they need not be afraid of their sins (see Devarim 20:8)). Torah and Eretz Yisrael go together. The gemara (Chagiga 5b) refers to learning Torah outside Eretz Yisrael as relatively ineffective. Those yeshiva students who found the way to combine the two values are the "men of valor" – the giants of Torah of our generation, as they unite around them all of the factions of Klal Yisrael.
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)
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Shoftim TESHUVA IN COURT OF LAW?
Parshat Shoftim-Chodesh Elul
Why does parshat Shoftim always come out during Elul? This innovative and central explanation is an eye-opener regarding many aspects of Judaism.
The Month of Elul TESHUVA IS THE ANSWER
The month of Elul serves as a vital time for self-reflection and personal accountability to prepare for true repentance.
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)
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: 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)
Chemdat Yamim The Goal of an Agricultural Yeshiva – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 263 (address at the cornerstone laying for the Yeshiva Chakla’it in Kfar Haroeh – 1938)
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
