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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Jewish Holidays
- Shavuot
The Sages of the Talmud asked: In the Torah's account of Creation, the sixth day is termed Yom HaShishi, as if to say "The Friday" – as opposed to the other days, which do not have "the" in their names. Why is this? And the answer is that this alludes to the "special" sixth day – the sixth day of the month of Sivan, on which the Torah was given at Mt. Sinai. The lesson is that Creation was made contingent upon Israel accepting the Torah: "G-d said to His creations: If Israel accepts the Torah [given on The Sixth Day], fine, but if not, I will return you to your original state of tohu vavohu, nothingness (B'reshit 1,2)."
That is to say, the essential aim and intent of the world is that it must have Torah and that G-d's light must illuminate the world – and therefore, it must be that the Nation of Israel will be in the world to accept the Torah. Israel is the nation imbued with the natural Divine unique spark suitable for the Torah. Just like it is totally inconceivable that the world will not have Torah, so too it must be that there will be people who are worthy of accepting it and via whom the Torah will appear in the world. This is Am Yisrael.
When we approach the Torah with this understanding, that Israel is innately harmonized with Torah – all of our Torah study will take on valuable significance. There is a great difference if it is our nature to study the Torah and fulfill its mitzvot, or if we just choose to do so on our own. If the latter, it means that there is no permanence to our connection with Torah; our choice could conceivably change. But if this is a matter of nature – nature does not change. Without our unique innate Divine spark, our acceptance of the Torah would not have been absolute – leaving the fate of the entire world in doubt, as we saw above.
… The Talmud also teaches that G-d forced upon us the acceptance of the Torah, by symbolically turning Mt. Sinai upon us and threatening not to remove it if we did not agree to receive the Torah (Shabbat 88a). Why is this? The Maharal of Prague explains that this signifies the permanence and absoluteness of the bonds between Israel and Torah and that they can never change. They are not dependent upon our behavior, or our consent; they are simply there, rock-solid and unchangeable. True, Israel said, "We will do and we will listen" (Sh'mot 24,7), and this is correct: Israel has a fundamental desire to keep the Torah. But G-d wished to inform us that this is not just a voluntary matter, but is something much more intrinsic and eternal than we thought; it is bigger than just our consent.
With this introduction and preparation, we can correctly approach our renewed acceptance of Torah on this upcoming Shavuot festival. Just before the Stand at Mt. Sinai, G-d told us that we were to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" and a "treasure to Me among all the nations" (Sh'mot 19) – and with this understanding, we were given the Torah and instructed, "I am the Lord your G-d Who took you out of Egypt" (Sh'mot 20).
May we merit, with G-d's help, to renew our covenant with G-d and deepen it, and may G-d help us to celebrate Shavuot in the Beit HaMikdash in the most complete and full manner, together with all of Am Yisrael – and then the Divine Presence will appear in the greatest and most sublime manner, in the rebuilt Holy Temple, speedily in our days!
Translated by Hillel Fendel
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Rabbis in Midrash
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.
