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The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
Rabbi Uzi Kalcheim zt"l
"I will give the rain of your land in its season, the first rain and the last rain, that you may gather in your corn, and your wine, and your oil" (Deuteronomy 11:14).
Here we shall address the meaning of the word "yoreh" (first rain) based upon explanations given by the sages of the Talmud in tractate Taanit (6a).
"Our rabbis have taught: [The first rain is termed] 'yoreh' because it warns people to plaster their roofs and to gather in their fruits and to attend to all their needs."
Rain in Israel (17)
Rabbi Uzi Kalchaim zt"l
8 - "You shall not lack any thing"
9 - The First Rain
10 - The "Malkosh" - Last Rains
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Today, of course, we do not need to gather in fruit as they once did when people would dry their fruit out in the sun. Nonetheless, we can apply the lesson of the "yoreh" to our own time: We, too, must prepare for rains in those areas prone to flooding. We must clean out the canals and reinforce the dirt mounds that prevent flooding. On an individual level, too, the "yoreh" tells us to put away our summer clothes and buckle in for the winter.
Next, the sages describe the "yoreh" as rain that "saturates the ground and waters it right down to its depth, as it is written, 'saturating her ridges abundantly, settling down the furrows thereof, you make her soft with showers, you bless the growth thereof' " (Psalms 65:11). Here the sages associate the word "yoreh" with the root resh-vav-heh, which means to saturate. The first rains fill the cracks in the earth that so anxiously await water. Rain's task is not only to water the exposed earth, but also to saturate down to the depths.
According to the sages' third explanation, the first rain is called "yoreh" because it descends gently, not heavily. Here the sages trace the word "yoreh" to the root yod-resh-heh, which designates something shot, like an arrow, that does not miss its mark (see Exodus19:13 and Rashi's commentary ad loc.).
Rains that fall where they are not needed are liable to be a curse, as the prophet says "And I made it rain upon one city, and did not make it rain upon another city; one field was rained upon, and the field on which it did not rain withered" (Amos 4:7). In the words of the Talmud, "both of them are a curse" (Taanit 7b): when they fall where they are not needed and when they do not fall where they are needed. But when rain falls gently where it is needed, it brings comfort to all.
The root yod-resh-heh evokes other thoughts as well. What if this "shot" of rain causes "the fruit to fall and washes away the seeds"? The Talmud therefore, basing itself upon Yoel (2:23), assures us that the "yoreh" is a blessing: "For it is written, 'Be glad, then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He gives you the former rain in just measure.' "
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
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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.
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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.
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As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
