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The First Mishnas in Seder Taharot delineate Ten Levels of Tumah (Kelim chapter1 mishnas 1-5).According to this list , a person who is a metzorah is at the highest level of defilement that a person can contract exceeded only by the tumah of a decaying cadaver.
The mishna then goes on to delineate 10 levels of Kedusha in Israel. The holiest of course being the Holy of Holies upon the temple mount where only The High priest can enter once a year on the holiest day. The mishna then correlates the various defilement's of people and lists those who are forbidden to enter the temple, the temple mount, Jerusalem, and finally any walled city in Israel. As would be expected , the person with the greatest level of defilement The Metzorah , is exiled to the remotest part of Israel being forbidden to live within the confines of any walled city in the country.
The Talmud (Erchin16a) teaches us that Tzaraat is contracted by speaking lashon haroh. One who speaks lashon horah about a fellow Jew is ostracized from the community but may still dwell within the confines of Israel. There is however one person whose defilement is so great that he is banished totally from the land.- One who speaks lashon horah about Israel. The torah prescribed a punishment for the spies and their followers, of being banished not only from the community but from all of Israel "...All who detest me shall not see her(Israel)".(Bamidbar 14,23)."In this wilderness will your cadavers decay"(Bamidbar 14,29).". From this , we can see the extreme severity of speaking negatively about Israel. It is tantamount to the epitome of defilement.
May we merit to cherish the land in our hearts, deeds and speech As the Kuzari concludes "For Yerushalaim will verily be reconstructed only once the Jews yearn for it with all of their heart".
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
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.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
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.
