YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Shmot
- Bo
On the other hand, popularity is not always reliable. A community can look for a leader who is society’s lowest common denominator, in which case they may spiral downward morally. A leader who always consults the polls before acting is not a leader but one who is led. He will be unable to elevate the nation, and there will almost always be a leadership crisis.
On the eve of the Exodus from Egypt, the Torah relates to Moshe’s stature. "Hashem placed the grace of the nation in the eyes of Egypt; also the man Moshe was very great in the Land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants and in the eyes of the nation" (Shemot 11:3).
Ibn Ezra posits that the issue discussed is only the status of the Jews and their leader in the eyes of the Egyptians. Their positive impression explains the matter at hand, that the Egyptians lent them expensive wares. Moshe’s status was noteworthy, as some Egyptians gave to Jews because of Moshe’s stature. The Ramban rejects the Ibn Ezra’s approach on linguistic grounds. He interprets that the Egyptians respected and miraculously did not harbor ill feelings toward the Israelites despite the plagues. However, he says that the final words, "in the eyes of the nation," refer to the Israelites’ outlook on Moshe. The reason this was noteworthy (at the stage that Moshe was riding a wave of success) is that it stresses that Moshe was consistent in his approach, acting as needed both at times that it made him popular and unpopular. The pasuk teaches us that his consistency paid off, as it showed the people that he was a trustworthy leader and prophet.
We conclude with the Meshech Chochma’s idea on this pasuk, which assumes, like the Ibn Ezra, that the pasuk focuses on the Egyptians’ outlook. One can impress a nation by impressing the intelligentsia with one’s consistency and reliability and allow that to trickle down over time to the nation. The other way is to obtain popularity by using public relations "spins" to reach the masses and the powerful at once. The former method is the longer but truer method. With this in mind, the pasuk stresses the order of events, that Moshe first became respected among the servants of Pharaoh, among whom he represented Hashem’s word and only later did it spread to the general Egyptian populace.
Peninei Halakha 5. Weddings and Engagements during the Omer Period
Chapter 3: Customs of Mourning during the Omer Period
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.