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Dvorah bat Miriam
The Sages equate fear with sin, and the Scriptures support them, for it is written: "The sinners in Zion fear; a trembling has taken hold of the profane" (Isaiah 33:14). It is told that one of the great rabbis, upon seeing his student in a state of unnecessary fear, said to him, "You are a sinner!" In this spirit the Torah teaches, "Trust in God and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faith" (Psalms 37:3).
Some claim, "We find, though, that the sages, in keeping with the commandment to 'Protect yourself exceedingly' (Deuteronomy 4:15), repeatedly obligate man to guard himself as much as possible, and to avoid all danger. In addition, the Talmud teaches that, 'Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the cold and the heat.' Man is responsible for protecting himself from the cold and the heat - that is up to him. How, then, can one compare fear to sin? The Torah itself commands man to protect himself!"
Pathways in Personality Development (52)
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed
8 - 8. Self Actualization and Freedom from Indulgence
9 - 9. Overcoming Fear
10 - 10. Self Criticism and Taintlessness
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Safeguarding oneself from real dangers is fear based on wisdom, and is appropriate. Concerning this sort of fear it is written: "The wise man sees evil and hides, but the fools pass on and are punished" (Proverbs 22:3). Senseless fear, though, is characterized by its excessive fanaticism, the heaping precautions upon precautions, fears upon fears and safety measures upon safety measures, to the point where it causes the disruption of Torah study and work.
The dividing line between these two types of fear was drawn by our Sages who taught that in a place where damage is common and prevalent one should be cautious, while in a place where damage is not so evident one need not fear, for a wise person knows only that which his eyes tell him. And this is exactly what the earlier mentioned passage says, "The wise man sees evil and hides." The wise man actually saw the evil and therefore hid himself, but one who does not see the evil, has no reason to hide. There is no reason to go into hiding because of what might possibly happen, or from that which could possibly occur. There is no reason to fear unfounded and imaginary notions.
According to the Midrash King Solomon had this to say concerning the nature of lazy person: When a lazy person is told: "Your Rabbi has come to the nearby town! Go to the town to learn Torah with him," he answers by saying, "I fear meeting up with a lion along the way." They say to him, "Your Rabbi has reached your neighborhood, go study Torah with him." He says to them. "I am concerned that there may be a lion lurking through the streets." They say, "He's in your house." He responds "If I go to him I will no doubt find the door locked." "The door," they persist, "is open." Finally, when he no longer knows what to say he responds, "I wish to sleep a bit." At that point it becomes clear that not the fear caused him to become lazy, but the laziness caused him to fear. Sometime laziness causes imaginary fear. When a person frees himself of exaggerated fear and fills himself with a healthy sense of confidence, he is saved from one of the sources of laziness, one of the things that prevents alacrity in good deeds. "Trust in God and do good."
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Midrash - A general term, usually indicating the non-legalistic teachings of the Rabbis of the Talmudic era. In the period following the final editing of the Talmud (around 505 c.e.), much of this material was gathered into collections known as Midrashim .
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
Chukat "HOW ENTEBBE STOLE THE BICENTENNIAL
The Difference Between Historic & Eternal"
As we approach America's 250th birthday, it's worth remembering her 200th Bicentennial birthday, on Jul. 4th 1976, when Israel "stole the show" by shocking the world & miraculously saving 101 hostages in a foreign continent. As Pres. As Pres. Trump decides which countries get priority in his new Middle-East, it's worth reminding him of the difference between historic events and eternally historic ones. This obviously connects with this week's parsha, as well!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 6 - The Parable of the King of India
The advantages of testimony over circumstantial evidence or philosophical speculation.
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.
