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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
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According to the simple reading of the p’sukim, military leadership has deep spiritual roots. Avraham Avinu, the greatest leader of his generation, personally led 318 disciples, the Torah students of that time, into battle to rescue his nephew Lot from captive armies (Bereishit 14:14).
Even according to the midrash, cited by Rashi, that Avraham took "one person," this was Eliezer, who soaked in his master’s Torah and taught it to others. According to most opinions in the gemara (Nedarim 32a), including Rav, Shmuel, and R. Yochanan, Avraham’s decision to bring his students to battle was entirely positive. Even the one dissenting opinion (Rav Avahu) that criticizes Avraham for enlisting his students does not oppose Avraham’s own involvement in the war.
Rav Avahu’s opinion requires careful analysis. He states that Avraham was punished with his descendants’ enslavement in Egypt for 210 years because he employed angaria (forced labor) on talmidei chachamim. However, this criticism does not apply to the present-day situation, as Avraham’s battle was not an obligatory war. Talmudic use of angaria always refers to coercive hard labor. One such example is King Asa of the Kingdom of Yehuda, who was criticized (Sota 10a) for conscripting "all of Yehuda without exception" (Melachim I, 15:22). This refers to a civil war with Ba’asha, King of Yisrael. Asa went as far as to pay the king of Aram to attack fellow Jews in the Galilee. By conscripting Torah scholars for this unjust conflict, Asa falsely proclaimed it a milchemet mitzva (obligatory war). This cannot be compared to defending Jews under attack, where all agree that universal participation is required.
The two greatest Torah scholars, who were the first links in the transmission of the Torah from Sinai – Moshe and Yehoshua (Avot 1:1) – both engaged actively in milchemet mitzva. They thereby taught us how Torah leadership should respond to security threats. Yehoshua fought Amalek. As the midrash tells us, Moshe himself struck down the giant Og.
We will continue next week, but in the meantime, we point out that we cannot and should not force military service. This is not the way to unite our nation in this mitzva. Instead, we call upon the leadership of the Charedi community, our brothers and partners in many ways, to approach the IDF and Israeli government with the following declaration: "We want to be partners in the sacred mitzva of protecting our nation and state, as has occurred throughout Jewish history. We make this offer with the just demand that the spiritual needs of Charedi soldiers be fully ensured."
Such a declaration would increase kiddush Hashem, enhance respect for Torah, and bring the entire nation closer to our Father in Heaven.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
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.
