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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Shabbat
The Talmud records for us that many of the great rabbis and scholars of the time were personally involved in preparing their houses, tables and meals for Shabat. From setting the table to curing the salted fish to sweeping the floors, all of these were considered to be noble and important activities in readying the home and one’s self for the arrival of Shabat. Though I am neither great nor overly scholarly, I am in charge in our home of setting the table and supervising the Shabat food cooking in our oven. The latter is done surreptitiously, since that is really my wife’s domain and exclusivity of division of labor is a wise course for a successful marriage relationship. Nevertheless, this allows me to tell guests at our Shabat table that the food was prepared under strict rabbinical supervision. Jewish tradition also prescribes that the husband should prepare the candles that his wife will later light in welcoming in the Shabat to their home. I find this to be an act of affection to my wife and to the Shabat itself. The custom is that the husband actually lights the candles to make certain that the wicks are in proper order and then extinguishes them until they are lit for Shabat. It is the small things in life and home that build the great relationship. Judaism does recognize anything as being a small thing - and certainly not as to the necessity for preparing the home and one’s self for Shabat.
The Talmud uses the relationship of erev Shabat and Shabat itself as a metaphor for life itself. It states: "One who toils on erev Shabat will eat well on Shabat." This is not only valid in a literal sense but it reflects the Jewish attitude towards life and living in a general sense. Enjoying success - Shabat - in any endeavor, educational, commercial or personal is always conditioned on toiling beforehand - erev Shabat. The rabbis in Avot stated: "According to the effort and pain is the reward and payment." Judaism posits no free lunch to anyone. It is the erev Shabat that alone creates the Shabat in all of its grandeur, simplicity and serenity. The fact that Friday afternoons are already times of business closings and home preparations contribute greatly to this erev Shabat atmosphere. No matter how different Jews have attempted to have a Jewish life without a traditional and observant Shabat it is now abundantly clear that the Shabat remains the cornerstone of Jewish life and continuity. The famous slogan that "More than the Jews have kept the Shabat, the Shabat has kept and preserved the Jews" has never been more true and telling than in our time. When all of the ideologies that were supposed to redeem us from our troubles have visibly and miserably failed, the Shabat remains as a beacon of light and hope for Israel and as a symbol of our eternal covenant with our Creator. And therefore, that is what makes the erev Shabat so vital for our society as well.
Rabbis in Midrash
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The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
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.
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.
