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The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
R. Meir b"r Yechezkel Shraga Brachfeld
The ability of the Jewish people to persevere, despite repeated blows and continuous misfortune is astounding. There is no nation on earth who has suffered so much hardship and misfortune as have the Jewish people. Other nations who suffered less were unable to bear the affliction and hence disappeared from the stage of history. The Jews, though, manage to persevere and refuse to be broken. The Sages liken Israel to the dust. Just as dust is trampled by many yet continues to exist, so the Jews, trampled by many, continue to exist. Other nations are likened to metals - gold, silver, bronze, and iron; these metals, while seemingly more important than dust, are worn away by the dust. The metals deteriorate; the dust perseveres.
Not only have all these difficulties not succeeded in putting an end to the Jewish people, they have in fact strengthened them. Hardships serve to cleanse, purify and refine. Israel is likened to the olive, "God called your name a green olive tree, attractive and with impressive fruit." (Jeremiah 11:16) Why did Jeremiah see fit to liken Israel to the olive? Just as olives are beaten down from the tree, brought to the olive press, placed in the grinding-mill and ground, encircled by ropes and pressed by heavy stones before finally producing oil, so too Israel: The nations of the world come and beat them from place to place, bind them and tie them, until they finally repent. And God says to them, "As it is written, 'And the Children of Israel cried out [to God in repentance] because of the hard work,' (Exodus 2:23) and 'When you are in distress and all of these things come upon you, in the end of days, you shall return to Lord your God and hear His voice for the Lord your God is a kind God" (Deuteronomy 4:30).
All of the difficulties which the People of Israel have suffered have not succeeded in lessening their great hopes. Israel has never ceased longing to reach the highest of heights, as promised in the passage: "To make you the greatest of all of the people of the earth" (Ibid. 28:1). In the lowest of depths, while the entire world disdained them, they continued to dream and to long for greatness. In the most critical and hopeless of hours, their existence hanging in the air, when it seemed as if at any moment they would be crushed, they maintained faith and hope, were certain of their great future, and looked forward to the arrival of God's lofty kingdom on earth. They were neither broken nor discouraged. The nation of Israel is one of a kind. There is none like them when it comes to suffering, and there is none like them when it comes to hope and faith. They are a truly miraculous people.
Though Israel lives amidst a sea of hardships, they lead a lofty and spiritual life, clinging to the one true God and bearing His word. Their faith in one God has influenced large portions of mankind. Despite all their suffering Israel holds a central spiritual place in the world. The Jewish people are recognized as a people of faith, a people of learning, a people of the Bible, a people whose entire existence is illuminated by the Torah.
Even in our own generation, with all of its trials and spiritual crises, with all of its hardships and difficulties - in the midst of all this the nation succeeds in nurturing a wonderful nucleus of faithful and pious individuals, people of impeccable spirit who love, and are set upon strengthening, their people and their land. They are the heart of the nation, the source of its existence and the foundation of its renaissance. These individuals are leading the nation down the twisted road of redemption, to the great future which awaits us - the complete redemption. They are like a glowing coal which will become a "fire and a flame," as it is written: "And the house of Jacob shall be fire, the house of Joseph, a flame, and the house of Esau, for straw, and they will kindle them and devour them, and nothing will remain of the house of Esau, so has God spoken" (Obadiah 1:18).
The redemption process is continuously advancing. Having come this far, our perseverance and capacity to withstand suffering will no doubt maintain us even in these confusing times. God willing, we will overcome and expel from our midst all hatred and confusion, emerging from this terrible crisis doubly united; we will continue with abundant elevation and might to proceed towards the great goal set out for us, the goal of all generations - a goal which we are closer to now than ever before.
"God will give might to His people; God will bless his people with peace" (Psalms 29:11).
Peninei Halakha 5. Weddings and Engagements during the Omer Period
Chapter 3: Customs of Mourning during the Omer Period
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
