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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Shmot
1. Yaakov stresses that he is transferring the berachot that he received from his parents and that the berachot were being elevated (gavru).
2. Two words are used to describe Yosef’s head (representing stature): rosh and kodkod.
3. The image of the crown of his brothers (n’zir echav) is invoked.
On the other hand, as we begin Sefer Shemot, the family/national leadership seems to be transferred to the Tribe of Levi (through Moshe), whose patriarch is actually castigated by Yaakov. To follow the process of leadership shifts, let us look at what happened after Yosef died and then after Moshe died.
We do not have a lot of information on the period between Yosef’s death (which seals Sefer Bereishit) and the rise of the new king in Egypt who "did not know Yosef" (Shemot 1:8). There is pertinent information elsewhere in Tanach and in corresponding passages of Chazal. Tehillim (78:9) refers to the sons of Ephrayim (Yosef’s son) as warriors, within a psalm that deals with the period of the exile in Egypt. Chazal send us to Divrei Hayamim (I, 7:20-22), which tells us of the death of sons of Ephrayim who were killed by the people of Gat when they went there with their cattle. P’sikta D’Rabbi Kahana (Beshalach 11) tell us that groups within Ephrayim made a mistake in calculating the end of the exile in Egypt, which caused a very large number of them to be killed.
The picture that we get is that as Ephrayim had been chosen by Yaakov to be leader of Yosef’s family and thus of the emerging nation, he used his influence among Israel and Egypt to embark on an armed excursion to Eretz Yisrael in order to pave the way for an Israelite return. This premature effort to bring liberation, ending in great failure, caused Ephrayim’s leadership to lapse, and the actual liberation to move to Moshe the Levite.
However, Yosef/Ephrayim’s special status was not over. As Moshe was about to die, he passed on his leadership to Yehoshua bin Nun from the Tribe of Ephrayim. In his beracha for the Tribe of Yosef, Moshe again invoked the words "rosh, kodkod, and n’zir echav" (Devarim 33:16).
How long did Yosef’s prominence last? In the same perek of Tehillim, the Mishkan in Shilo is referred to as "the tent of Yosef," and the pasuk concludes that Hashem "did not chose the Tribe of Ephrayim" (see Tehillim 78:60-67). While the p’sukim talk of the fall of Shilo, this took place only at the end of the period of the Judges. During this period, the majority of the judges were from the family of Yosef and/or the tribes connected to the matriarch Rachel. (In my upcoming Tzofnat Shmuel, you will be able to learn in depth about the reasons behind the assumption of the mantle of leadership by Yehuda, the son of Leah.)
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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.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
