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Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bereshit
- Lech Lecha
"Lech Lecha meartzecha... Go forth from your land, your birthplace, your father’s house to the land that I will show you." Thus, spoke Hashem to Avrohom. Pursue my instructions and "I will bless you and you shall be a blessing...and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you."
Avrom Avinu left his native, idol-worshipping land crossing into Eretz Canaan. It wasn’t a short, easy voyage, not then - and not today. Changes at any stage in life are traumatic. Nevertheless, "deeds of the fathers are emblematic to sons." The parasha opens with Hashem’s directive to journey to the land, and ends with the mitzvah, brit mila the covenant, pre-requisite for entrance to Eretz Yisrael.
"Shaal avicha v’yagedcha" ask your father, he will tell you. At the Seder, Succa or Shabbat table, stories of Jews forced to flee, abandoning homes in exile are recounted tearfully, some miraculously... in appreciation. Ask courageous new olim about their complex passage and listen to awesome tales.
Observant Jews seek to strengthen daily mitzvah performance and yet many do not, or cannot, exercise the will to partake in the mitzvah to settle the land. As stated in Lech Lecha, "Arise, walk about the land through it’s length and breadth", a living legacy for the resolute.
May brit milah, first practiced by our exalted ancestor, precede massive Jewish response to the Almighty’s promise to the Patriarch.
Faigie Heiman born and raised in Brooklyn, an accomplished short story and essay writer, lives in Jerusalem with her husband and family. Her articles are featured in newspapers and magazines in Israel and abroad.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
Sukkot Bug-Free Sukkah: Essential Halachic and Practical Schach Guide
How to inspect, clean, and store bamboo mats and palm branches to protect your mitzvah and holiday meals.
