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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Moreshet Shaul
We should admit that socialism has more in common with Israel than with other nations. The concept of equality among people was developed amongst Jews, and it received practical expression in daily commandments to the point that it left a special place in the Jewish spirit, even for those who abandoned the practical mitzvot that developed the concept of equality. Pioneer spirit and self-sacrifice make a splendid page in Jewish history, and kibbutz life contains elements of Judaism, even when its members do not recognize this. However, the [continuation of kinship between Jewish practice and external philosophies] cannot last long. They take out things from Judaism without putting in [proper things within them]. They thereby waste that which was acquired during thousands of years, wasting power and beauty without replacing it by putting something else into the "treasure house."
A person can find his contentment by nullifying his personal interests and integrating his life with that of his community, with concern for communal welfare and social justice. This can make him feel fulfilled. He sees in himself a special uplifting, a certain lofty aspiration that he did not find by his father or grandfather. He saw them as those who pray in a set and rote fashion and act without thought but based on a certain book, like a table that was set by someone else. [He sees in himself something new and special.]
However, he is making a great mistake. A person does not receive things from that which is unowned. Even if an unowned area is full of precious stones, the one who gets them will have some sort of special connection to the area. [So too,] a person inherits his nature and his contentment from his forebears over many linked generations. In the final analysis, that which he sees in himself, he should not attribute to the purity of his spirit without regard to his forbears. If he indeed has something special about his character, he should recognize that this comes from the greatness of the spirit of his predecessors, who bequeathed it to him, sometimes even when it did not fully find expression in them. If one does indeed find something more ideal about his actions and his approach than in his father’s, he should realize that this just means that what was stored hidden in his father’s spiritual storehouses came to the surface in him.
However, the revelation of the positive characteristic can actually be a sign of death. As long as the spirit is involved in creation, it is hidden. When the wellspring of creativity is closed, the character becomes revealed. This is a sign that there is no activity and the spirit is living off that which was prepared in it in the past, and is thus wasting that which was prepared for him.
We will continue next time.
Moreshet Shaul (48)
Various Rabbis
13 - Moreshet Shaul: To Learn and to Be Happy – part II
14 - Moreshet Shaul: Inability to Pass on Abandoned Tradition – part I
15 - Moreshet Shaul: Inability to Pass on Abandoned Tradition – part II
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Moreshet Shaul Moreshet Shaul: Spiritual Self-Improvement – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 405-7 (from the 1930s)
Moreshet Shaul Moreshet Shaul: Introduction to Midrash Rabba – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 121-124
P'ninat Mishpat Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
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)
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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
