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Beit Midrash
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The Kli Yakar has an interesting take on these words. A person may think that if God chose the Land of Israel for the Jewish people then the Land has God’s " Plumbe "
( a lead seal vouching for the Kashrut of an item ) , and by bringing us here we have carte blanche to do with the Land as we, the chosen of God, see fit. But is that true?
As a child I remember coming to Israel , walking into a restaurant and asking "Is this kosher?" Invariably, someone nearby would say, "You’re in Israel now, everything is kosher."
As a naive child, I was able to accept that everything is kosher in the Land of Israel . But, the Kli Yakar says, the Torah is warning us that though the holiness of the Land inspires us, makes us feel pure and holy, we need to ask ourselves, do we inspire it, do we make it kosher?
Yaacov Peterseil is the Director of Simcha Publishing Company and calls Jerusalem "home."
Pesach
On Pesach, besides celebrating the fact that our ancestors were freed from brutal slavery, we celebrate the birth of the Jewish people. The prophet Yechezkel refers to the exodus from Egypt as the birthday of the Jewish nation, "the day that you were born" (Yechezkel 16:4). Along with our release from the shackles of bondage placed upon us in Egypt, our collective existence was broadened as we gained the new status of "Am Yisrael."
It is for this reason that within the context of the retelling of the story of the exodus, the wicked son is seen as a blasphemer because he separates himself from the nation of Israel - "since he removed himself from the collective, he has denied God ". The Jew who removes himself from the Jewish nation simultaneously removes himself from the Master of the World.
While, in fact, our departure from Egypt marked the beginning of the formation of the Jewish nation, the Maharal of Prague explains (Netiv Hatzedaka, Chapter 6) that true "arevut" - mutual responsibility of every Jew for every other Jew - was only achieved when we crossed the Jordan River and entered into Eretz Israel. It is only here in Eretz Israel that we are able to reach our full potential as an interconnected and unified nation.
"Ata echad, ve'shimcha echad, umi ke'amcha Yisrael goy echad ba'aretz"
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
