What Comes Before the Land of Israel?

by Rav Yehezkel Frankel, yeshiva.org.il, translated by Hillel Fendel

G-d's message to Moshe at the beginning of this week's Torah portion, Va'era, requires our sensitive attention. G-d promises Moshe that He will extricate Israel from Egypt and will redeem them: 

"Tell the Children of Israel, I am G-d, and I will take you out… and I will save you… and will redeem you… and will take you unto Me as a nation…" (Sh'mot 6,6-7). 

These four verbs are called the "Four Languages of Redemption (Geula)," or the "Four Redemptions" – meaning that each one is a Redemption in and of itself.

A basic precondition for understanding both the situation in which the Israelites found themselves on the eve of the Exodus, and our situation today, is to remember the following words of the Sages: "Like the first redeemer (Moshe), so will be the last redeemer (Mashiach)" (Midrash Kohelet Rabba 1,28). That is, there are basic similarities between our situation in Egypt and ours today, during the final Geula.

Q&A: Considering Becoming Hareidi

  

Q. I am searching for the right spiritual path, after deciding that the time has come to do G-d's will. I now understand that G-d is true, His Torah is true, and that the source of everything is spiritual. For instance: There is no connection between PA incitement and terrorism, because terrorism against Israel is a result only of the sins of the People of Israel; if there would be no sins, no terrorist would be able to hurt us.

 

My question concerns going to the army. I see many religious-Zionist rabbis who shirk all responsibility for the fact that many boys they sent to the army have deteriorated from a religious point of view. For if instead of sending him to the army or to some college, the rabbis would have sent him to a Yeshiva, it is almost certain that he would not have gone off the right path, or at least the chances of that happening would have dropped prodigiously.

I have asked this question of several rabbis, and from the answers I received, I get the feeling that they don't really care if their students falter spiritually while in the army, as long as they fulfill their obligation towards the country. I would imagine that if a rabbi would send his student to work in an office in a mixed-gender environment [sic; rabbis don't "send" their students to work or anywhere else; every student has Free Will], and he in fact becomes less spiritual or observant because of what he sees and hears there, G-d will apparently have claims against that rabbi.

 

I feel that the rabbis were gambling with my life and my friends' lives when they sent us to serve in the army. I have friends who were strongly religious before they went to the army, but today are totally secular; I saw them change before my eyes. What will those rabbis say when they see many of those they sent to the army leave religion? What about the Sages' teaching to "stay away from a bad neighbor and don't be close with one who is wicked" (Pirkei Avot 1,7) – such basic advice as to how to remain an observant Jew?

Redemption From Egypt to Redemption Today

by Berel Wein, www.rabbiwein.com

It is difficult to imagine a more unlikely scenario than the one described for us in the Torah as to the process of redemption of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. We can readily understand a personality of holiness and tranquility such as Aaron becoming the hero and redeemer of the holy people of Israel. We could also easily understand that the redemption could come from negotiations and the recognition by Pharaoh and the Egyptians that it was in their best interests to allow the Jewish people who escaped from slavery. Yet, that certainly is not the way the Torah presents this story for us.

Q&A: How Free Is Our Free Will?

 

Q. We know that we face evil and good in the world, and our objective is to choose that which is good. A "choice" implies that we can choose either of the two alternatives – but many times we find that our Evil Urge is stronger than our urge to do good. If so, where is our Free Will? The odds are stacked in favor of bad!

Rotten on the Outside, Perfect on the Inside

by Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, translated by Hillel Fendel

What can I say during these crazy days? [The year was 2003, during a stormy election campaign, which was ultimately decisively won by the Likud party headed by Ariel Sharon; it received 38 Knesset seats. The runner-up was Labor, headed by Amram Mitzna, which received only 19. The Arab Ra'am party received 2 seats.]

I believe in our nation. It is a good nation, a strong nation; large, healthy, pure and holy. I'm not trying to comfort with platitudes those who are in despair. I wish rather to point out a way to extricate ourselves from the political whirlpool in which we are spinning – for this entire storm upon us is just foam upon the water, and nothing substantial. This whole crisis is merely external, and all the weaknesses and problems we see and experience are superficial. But deep down within, everything is different. The unreliability and lack of integrity of some of our politicians are merely an outer garment that conceals the strength of the faith and credibility that are deeply rooted in the nature of our being.

Vayehi: Demystifying The Tribes Of Israel

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

What are the individual contributions of each Hebrew tribe to Israel's national collective?

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (34 min)

Stories from the Mikveh

By Hillel Fendel

A rabbi of the Puah Fertility Medicine Halacha Institute in Jerusalem tells the following story:

Vayigash: The Necessity of Dreams

by Rabbi Berel Wein, rabbiwein.com

The brothers and Joseph finally meet each other head-on, without pretense and subterfuge. When Joseph reveals himself to the brothers, the veil of secrecy, role-playing, distrust, and enmity is ripped away. The dreams that apparently were the cause of this gripping family drama now reappear in their stark and simple meaning.

Hanuka: The 2,200-Years War

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.co, translated and adapted by Hillel Fendel

I heard the following story directly from Rav Avraham Shapira, the late Rosh Yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav Kook and Chief Rabbi of Israel. He related that there was once a certain rabbi who used to deliver many in-depth Torah classes, and would always make sure to quote from the Shaagat Aryeh – Rabbi Aryeh Leib Ginzburg (d. 1785).

It turned out that one day, before his regular lecture, this rabbi fell asleep and had a dream. In his dream, the Shaagat Aryeh himself appeared to him with a strange request: "Please don't quote me today. I'll be busy and I can't be bothered." The rabbi awoke with a start and tried to understand what this could mean. He knew that the Shaagat Aryeh's son was still alive, serving as rabbi in a far-off community, so he figured he would be the one to ask. He rushed off a telegram to the town with a short question: "How is your rabbi, the son of the Shaagat Aryeh, doing?"

Miketz: Yosef & Yehuda, Nationalism & Universalism?

by Rav Amatziah Berkowitz, translated by Hillel Fendel

In this week's Torah portion of Miketz, we encounter Yaakov's sons Yosef and Yehuda, two leaders in Israel, who appear to represent two different approaches. Yosef is in a very powerful position in Egypt, the imperial power of the world at the time. The entire national economy is run by him, and, as we will read in Parashat Vayigash, he provides sustenance for the populace. We also see that Yosef had all the Egyptian males circumcised, as Rashi states. This indicates that Yosef feels that it is important to do "outreach" to the gentiles and, via the material world, help raise them up in sanctity.

Vayeshev: Yosef & His Brothers / The National Religious & the Left

by Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, translated by Hillel Fendel

It seems as if the relationship between the left-wing and the Jewish population of Judea and Samaria (Yesha) is like that between the first ten sons of the Patriarch Yaakov and their young brother Yosef. Yosef is a dreamer, dreaming of royalty, of redemption, of Messianic times. He dreams of grain sheaves, in which those of his brothers bow down to his own. This is reminiscent of the Song of Redemption (Shir HaMaalot B'shuv), which states both "When G-d returned [us] to Zion, we were like dreamers" and "he will come with joy, carrying his grain sheaves." Yosef dreams that he has a senior role and a great mission, and this causes his brothers jealousy and even hatred.

Hanuka: Who are the Hellenists of Today?

Answered by three rabbis, translated and adapted by Hillel Fendel

The holiday of Hanuka commemorates both military and spiritual victories, of a national nature, during the Second Temple period. On the one hand, the one-day supply of oil in the Holy Temple miraculously lasted for eight days. On the other hand, the greatly outnumbered Jews also won incredible military victories over their Greek enemies, thus preserving the State of Judea for over 200 years. The war was fought also against the Hellenists [Greek sympathizers, mostly Jews], who sought to secularize the Jewish Nation.

Do the Hellenists of then have a parallel today? 

By way of example, let's consider this story: A yeshiva boy named Ariel met his friend Shlomo rushing outside with a menorah, candles, and Hanuka donuts in hand, and asked him where he was headed. "I'm taking part in the 'Light up Tel Aviv' project! You know, we knock on doors, offer to light Hanuka candles with the families, sing Hanuka songs, and bring some G-dliness and Torah into their lives." Ariel was skeptical: "You're going to secular families to celebrate Hanuka?! They're precisely the Hellenists we fought against over 2,000 years ago!"

Is this true? Three rabbis weigh in.

Rachel Imeinu: The Mother Who Never Stops

by Rav Shimon Cohen, translated by Hillel Fendel

In honor of our Matriarch Rachel, about whom we learn in this week's Torah portion of Vayishlah, we present a collection of thoughts on what she stands for, and what all mothers stand for.

Symbol of Motherhood

Yaakov had four wives and many children, but Rachel – who did not have children for several years – played a very central role in his home. The Midrash teaches: "Rachel was the main pillar of the house, as is written, 'Rachel was barren, akarah' – from the same root as ikarah, primary." 

Yaakov explained to Rachel that the fact that she is akarah doesn't mean that she is not ikarah, a primary component of the home; on the contrary. But this did not console Rachel; without her own children, she does not feel like a true partner in the building of the House of Yaakov: "Grant me children, and if not, I am dead" (B'reshit 30,1). Rachel is willing to give her life for her motherhood. We have four Matriarchs – Sarah, Rivka, Leah and Rachel – but among them, the one we see as the symbol of motherhood is none other than Rachel. She merited to be known as Mama Ruchel – and not for naught. 

Woman's Two Purposes

19th of Kislev: The Aroma of Awe of G-d

by Oded Mizrahi, translated by Hillel Fendel

A true Hassidic tale, in honor of the 19th of Kislev – the date the first Chabad Rebbe was freed from the Czar's prison. 

In the late 18^th Century, at the height of the tensions between the young Hassidic movement and its opponents the Misnagdim, the latter did almost everything they could to repress the Hassidim. Some of them even informed on Rebbe Shneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of the Chabad movement, to the Russian authorities. This drastic step was taken according to an official religious dispensation, as part of the excommunication of the Hassidim. 

The informers accused the Rebbe of sending money to his followers in the Land of Israel, thus aiding the Ottoman Empire that then ruled the Holy Land and which was a bitter adversary of Czarist Russia. As a result, the Rebbe was arrested during Sukkot of 1798. Only after many efforts on the part of the Hassidim was he released nearly eight weeks later, on the 19^th day of Kislev. This date has since been commemorated in Chabad as the "holiday of redemption."

Pure Faith, Intellectual Faith

by Rav Mishael Dahan zt"l, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

The foundation and ultimate objective of all is the pure faith in He, may His Name be blessed, Who created everything, both hidden and revealed. And as is known, there are two kinds of emuna: emuna that stems from investigation and analysis, and emuna based on that which was handed down through the generations.

Vayeitze: Yaakov's Struggle to Become Israel

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Before becoming Israel, Yaakov had to first spend several years in exile learning to be more like Esav.

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (8 min)

Toldot: This Culture Is Not for Us

by Rabbi Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

One of the greatest Talmudic commentators was R. Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Ideles, known most often as the Maharsha (whose public memorial celebration will be this Wednesday, 5 Kislev). The Maharsha's teachings spread throughout the Diaspora, such that in certain circles the Maharsha's teachings are considered foundational for an understanding of the Gemara, in much that same way that Rashi's teachings are considered foundational explanations.

There is a tradition among Breslav Hasidim to tell stories about the Maharsha as a segula for healing, and even Kabbalists tell the stories that Rabbi Nachman of Breslav would tell about the Maharsha.

As it is known, the Maharsha would waste no time from Torah study every night of the year. He had long hair, and he would tie a rope to the ceiling of the room, so that when he would start to nod off, the rope would pull on his hair and wake him up.

It was said that though the Maharsha studied Torah every single night, there was one night on which he did not – Xmas – on which he would withdraw from his learning and instead deal with his accounting books. One year, the Gentiles informed on the Maharsha saying that he despises X-ians. And the informers brought as proof of their words that every night of the year the Maharsha learns Torah, and only on the night of the birth of their "Messiah" does he withdraw from his studies.

That very year, on Xmas night, the Maharsha was reviewing his expenses as he did every year, when suddenly one of his Torah books fell from the shelf. He picked it up, kissed it, and returned it to its place. A few minutes later, the book fell again – and the Maharsha picked it up, this time placing it more firmly in place. When it then fell a third time, the Maharsha said to himself, "There is a Divine message here." He thereupon opened the holy book and began to search for the message – and precisely at that moment,

Simple, Relaxed Faith – or Stormy, Questioning Faith?

by three rabbis, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

1. Intellect is not Divinity – Rabbi Zalman Gopin, Guiding Rebbe (Mashpia) in Yeshivat Tomchei Tmimim, Kfar Chabad

Emuna [often (mis)translated as "faith"] is something internal and true within one's soul (neshama), and is above the intellect. The answer to the question posed in the headline depends on how that which brings about emuna is understood.

Q&A: Weren't Rav Kook's Positions Unique Among Rabbis?

 

Q. [Ed. note: The questioner posits several inaccurate premises] I learned that if a rabbi takes a position that opposes that of all the other rabbis in his generation, he is not to be listened to. Would this not apply to Rav Kook (1865-1935), who, though clearly a Torah giant, was a lone voice in his generation regarding the attitude towards secular Jews and the sanctity of the process of the national Jewish return to the Holy Land? Is his innovative thought not a problem, given that he did not rely clearly and stably on the previous generations?

Land of Israel: G-d-Given Right or Legal Right?

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, translated by Hillel Fendel

On the outskirts of the city of Jericho (about 25 kilometers east of Bet El), may it soon be rebuilt, stands the site of the Shalom al Yisrael synagogue. It is famous for its age – about 1,400 years old – and for its large, beautiful mosaic floor; the 1,400 square foot mosaic, featuring a menorah and other Jewish symbols, was uncovered in a 1936 archaeological dig.

Unfortunately, the Oslo Accords gave Jericho over to Palestinian Authority control, leaving Israel with only a minor measure of control over the synagogue. A yeshiva was allowed to function on the second floor of the building, while the ground floor – with the precious mosaic floor – was handed over to the responsibility of a local Arab. In 2001 Arabs vandalized and set the building on fire, although the Torah scroll had been locked in a safe and was not damaged. 

Of late, weekly prayers are permitted at the site, with special IDF-PA coordination. On one of these occasions, I stood outside in the courtyard, and my ears caught a lively conversation between two of the regular weekly worshipers. One said: "Our goal must be to restore Jewish control to the ground floor. The mosaic is like an imprint on the earth left behind by our ancestors, proof of our national rights to our hold land. The mosaic seal must be foremost in our goals!"

The Israeli Conquest of Hevron and the Machpelah Cave, 1967

by Oded Mizrahi, translated by Hillel Fendel

(based on a book by Avi Rath, based in turn on Rav Goren's taped memoirs)

In honor of Parashat Chaye Sarah, which recounts the story of the Patriarch Abraham's purchase of the Machpelah Cave in Hebron

Following the conquest of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, where IDF Chief Rabbi famously blew the shofar and conducted the first prayer service at the Western Wall in 19 years, Maj.-Gen. Rabbi Goren traveled southward to Hebron. After passing Gush Etzion, which had fallen to Jordan the day the State of Israel was declared, he saw white flags of surrender on many of the houses – but just before Hebron, he saw a Jordanian flag on the 3^rd floor of a house. "They might still try to fight us," the driver warned. Rav Goren said, "Give me the Uzi [rifle] and cover me. I'm going up to take it down."

Emuna is Life

by Rav Yossi Badihi (long-time personal assistant to Rav Tzvi Yehuda HaKohen Kook), yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

"Who is the man who desires life, loves days in which to see [and do] good"

(Psalms 34,13)

How fortunate we are to be healthy seekers of life, "believers sons of believers," and the descendants of Avraham Avinu, about whom the Torah writes, "He had emuna in G-d" (Genesis 15,6).

All of Creation aspires to live life that is meaningful, grounded in a cleaving to the source of life. This is how the living G-d created mankind, imbuing it with this aspiration. As Moshe Rabbeinu made it very clear in his parting speech to the People of Israel: "And you who cleave to Hashem your G-d, you all live today" (Deut. 4,4) 

Why Such an Emphasis on the Land of Israel?

Q. Could the Rav please explain to me why the religious-Zionist camp took upon itself the commandment of the Land of Israel as such a primary and important project, while ignoring all the other commandments? Yes, this mitzvah is said to be equal to the entire Torah, but there are other mitzvot that are also equal to the whole Torah. For most (not all) of the religious-Zionists, it looks like their whole lives are just the Land of Israel! This question arose when I was sitting with some knitted-kippah youths, and when I told them that I did not enlist in the IDF but rather went to a yeshiva for baalei teshuvah, they said, "What?! Aren't you Jewish?! What about the Land of Israel?!" And when I asked them, "What about the importance of Torah study?" they shrugged me off.

When Faith is Tested

 by Rav Zalman Baruch Melamed, yeshiva,co, translated by Hillel Fendel

The late Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira, former Rosh Yeshiva of Merkaz HaRav Kook, once said, "Ever since Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook passed away [in 1982], there has been a general weakening in emuna."

The loss of tzaddikim has an effect on the world. "Save, O Lord - for the pious are gone; for the faithful have vanished from among men" (Psalms 12,2). That is to say, when a righteous man passes away, the world suffers a loss of emuna and trust. Emuna diminishes because tzaddikim help ensure that it remains strong, and when they leave, it becomes weaker. Rav Tzvi Yehuda was a great man of emuna, and his loss left a great vacuum of emuna in the world. 

Q&A: Is the State of Israel the Beginning of Redemption?

 

 Q. [Ed. note: Not all of the claims in the question are well-founded.] A top student of Rav Kook, Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Harlop, wrote that the establishment of the State of Israel was the "beginning of the Redemption," or what we call today, reishit tzmichat ge'ulateinu, "the beginning of the sprouting of our Redemption." Rav Kook's son, Rav Tzvi Yehuda, also felt that way. My question is: On what do they base this?

Clearly, the process of the State's formation was replete with Divine providence and miracles, meaning that G-d wants the People of Israel in the Land of Israel. But isn't it going a bit far to say that this is actually the beginning of our long-awaited Redemption? Many of the great rabbis in Europe actually felt the opposite, that the Redemption cannot come about via heresy and opposition to Torah and sanctity – and the State has certainly attempted to crush religious matters over the years, such as what it did with the Yemenite children, etc. It is also insufficient to say that many of the signs of the End of Days have already started, such as the blossoming of the Land of Israel after 2,000 years of near-desolation, or that the Gaon of Vilna wrote that Redemption will happen in the year 5708 (1948) – first of all, because in these matters it is known that we do not rely on various calculations, and secondly, these signs indicate only that we are in the period before the Redemption – known as the "footsteps of the Messiah" – but not in the actual Redemption. 

In addition, the Torah states that the nation must repent before the Ingathering of the Exiles! So how can we say that what we are seeing is the actual Ingathering? In addition, is it not true that we must also first experience the arrival of the Davidic Mashiah, the war of Gog u'Magog (Armaggedon), and more?

Noah: Technology Without Spirituality

by Rabbi Berel Wein, rabbiwein.com

The rabbis were not so much critical of Noach - after all the Torah itself pays to him the highest of compliments calling him a righteous person - as they were wary of him. I have often felt that this attitude is born of the idea that Rashi himself states in commenting upon the origin of Noach’s name. Rashi makes a point that the name Noach should not be construed as a derivative of the Hebrew word "nacheim" - meaning to comfort - but rather it is derived from the other Hebrew word "noach" - meaning, rest, leisure, comfortable but not comfort as in consolation.

Q&A: Do Hareidim and Religious-Zionists Observe Mitzvot Differently?

 Q. Do the hareidi public and religious-Zionist public truly observe the mitzvot differently, or is the perceived difference merely because of their differences regarding the State of Israel?

For the New Month of Heshvan: Using the Hebrew Calendar

by Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed, translated and adapted by Hillel Fendel

There are some people, in Israel for the most part, who oppose the use of the Gregorian calendar in their every-day interactions, and choose to use the Jewish calendar instead. Let us delve into and explain the importance of the Jewish calendar. 

Breishit: Creation's Secret Internal Structure

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

There's a hidden understanding of our Torah that has yet to reach the English-speaking Jewish world.

Listen to the audio/read the transcript here (28 min)

Sukkot: The Ushpizin in Kabbalah

by Rabbi Eyal Ein-Dor, translated and adapted by Hillel Fendel

It is a widespread custom in Jewish homes that just before we begin our evening meal in the Sukkah, we invite the holy Ushpizin (guests), beginning with our Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This custom is first mentioned in the Zohar, which states that one must invite to his home the "upper-world guests" – and after them he must invite "mortal" guests, those who are needy. Inviting the poor and hungry into our home, especially on festivals, is a Torah command, as the Rambam writes: "One must feed the foreigner, the orphan and the widow, together with other poor people – and one who closes off his yard and eats and drinks only with his children and wife without giving food and drink to the poor and bitter-hearted, is not engaging in the Torah-commanded holiday joy, but is rather gladdening only his own belly."

Sukkot: Zionist Etrogim

Stories about Rav Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l, translated by Hillel Fendel

Zionist Etrogim

The late saintly Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu served as Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993. His student Rabbi Yosef Alnekaveh related that he was once visiting Rav Eliyahu and they were discussing the greatness of the Baba Sali, Rav Yisrael Abuhatzeirah.

"Here, I'll show you something interesting," Rav Eliyahu told his student, and pulled out three thin sticks, asked, "Can you imagine what these are? They are dried-out etrogim that grew in Morocco; the Baba Sali would send me one every year because he felt that they were of the highest quality. But you should know that I never recited a blessing over an etrog that he sent me – because I only recite this [once-a-day] blessing over etrogim of our holy land on which the Land-dependent mitzvot [such as tithes, orlah, etc.] have been observed. Know that there is nothing like the sanctity of the Land of Israel."

The Secrets of Yom Kippur

by Rav Eliezer Melamed, yeshiva.co, translated and adapted by Hillel Fendel

Why does Yom Kippur atone for Israel's sins? The secret is rooted in the "covenant of love" between G-d and His people Israel. It started with the covenant He forged with the Patriarchs Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov; it was strengthened at the Exodus from Egypt, and was signed and sealed with the giving of the Torah to Israel at Mt. Sinai. Precisely then, however, Israel sinned with the Golden Calf – and when the first Yom Kippur arrived, G-d forgave them totally, and gave them the Torah again with the Second Tablets.

Yom Kippur: The Time Tunnel

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

The story is told about Rabbe Tzvi Yehuda of Stratin, who used to pray for many hours on Yom Kippur, finishing hours after the end of the fast. One year, he told his Hassidim, "This year will be different. We'll finish the prayers on time." The Hassidim thought he meant he would say the prayers more quickly – but as the day progressed, they saw that he was praying as usual. He finished the morning prayer only at 6 PM, with just another hour to go until the end of the fast!

But suddenly, in the middle of the Mussaf prayer, at exactly one minute to 7, the clock on the wall froze and stopped. The prayers continued, and took several more hours. Finally, when the final prayer – Ne'ilah – was over, the second-hand on the wall clock resumed its circular journey, showing that the prayers were over at 7 PM, precisely on schedule. The worshipers were sure that the clock had simply stopped for a few hours, and that outside they would find everyone sleeping for the night… But when they left the synagogue, to their tremendous surprise they found that everyone else had just ended Yom Kippur, just like them! The Rebbe had simply extricated them from the framework of time.

Teshuva: Don't Expect a One-Shot Deal

by Rav Haggai Londin, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

Yom Kippur is less than a week away, and for many of us, its approach is cause for unease and disquiet. Precisely during this period of the holy High Holidays, poisonous doubts creep into our thoughts and hearts: "Last year I asked forgiveness for my sins and errors; I prayed from the depth of my heart; I promised myself I would not fall into the same traps – and behold, it didn't work! So what's the point of all my teshuva [commitment to return to one's true inner self]? Will anything be different this Yom Kippur than last time or the time before?"

Rosh Hashana: Types of Teshuva

by Rav Shimon Cohen, translated and adapted by Sharona Eshet Kohen

Sudden Teshuva and Gradual Teshuva

In Orot HaTeshuva 11, Rav Kook describes two types of Teshuva - sudden Teshuva and gradual Teshuva - and this is how sudden Teshuva is described:

Q&A: Why Did G-d Make Israel Special?

 

Q. I have several questions in matters of emuna, as follows:

1. Why is the Nation of Israel considered greater than others? Why does G-d relate to Israel differently than the other peoples? Is this not discrimination? Why were the others created, if from the outset Israel takes precedence?

2. If G-d planned it all out in advance that the Gentiles are not commanded to keep the Torah, what complaints can there be against them when they do not keep commandments?  And why do we have the privilege of keeping the Torah, and they do not?

3. I searched on my own for an answer, and I found a Midrashic teaching that states that G-d approached all the nations and asked if they wanted the Torah, and each one of them found a reason to refuse; the only one who agreed was Israel. So this answers most of my questions – but the Midrash somewhat contradicts a passage in the Talmud that says that the Torah, Israel, Teshuva, and the name of the Mashiah were all created, in this order, before the rest of the world – which would again indicate that everything was planned out in advance…

4. Why are some of the Torah's punishments seemingly so cruel? Capital punishment, it's true, was very rare – but why does it exist at all? And even if we say it's for the sake of deterrence, why are there other punishments, such as some that are stated in the Talmud, that seem to be quite harsh for "light" sins?

Why a *Nation* Is Needed to Fulfill G-d's Plan

By Rav Haggai Londin, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

The Divine Idea reaches full expression only in the form of national Jewish life in the Jewish land – and not simply via individuals, no matter how righteous they may be.

We know that the Book of Genesis (B'reshit) is followed by that of Exodus (Sh'mot) – and there is great significance to this order. B'reshit deals with individuals: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, etc. – but Sh'mot deals with the beginning of the Jewish presence in history as a nation. As Rav Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook wrote, "From the value of the individual [in B'reshit], we move on [in Sh'mot] to the value of the communal."

Ki Tavo: The Torah is a National Precept

by Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

The performance of our Torah's ritual precepts must be contextualized & experienced within the larger meta-narrative of Israel's story & mission.

The Slave Mentality of Exile

By Rav Moshe Kaplan, https://meirtv.com/en

Rav Moshe Kaplan delves into the concept of slave mentality as it affected the Jews who left Egypt, and also how it affected the Jews of Exile, both in their opinions of Zionism and also their beliefs surrounding the coming of Mashiah.

Ki Tetzei: Finding Our Power - and Channeling It

by Rabbi Netanel Yosifun, yeshiva.co, translated by Hillel Fendel

The scene is an IDF base somewhere in the Negev, featuring the last day of an intensive training course for new artillery cadets, including a hesder yeshiva soldier named Uziyah. The day began with each soldier practicing on his own, one at a time, on "dry" – that is, without real ammunition. For long and tiring hours under the hot sun, the soldiers run, direct their weapons again at the cardboard targets, yell, "Fire! Fire!", fall, jump up again, run, shoot - over and over and over.

Then comes the climax: The exercise is held on "wet." One after the other, the soldiers approach the commander, who guides each one through the exercise as they run and storm ahead and fire real bullets. Uziyah watches as the soldier before him roars battle cries and storms forward with full force towards the cardboard stands. He smiles to himself at his friend's battle-cries and over-enthusiasm.

Ki Tetzei: Returning Lost (Spiritual) Items

by Rabbi Netanel Yosifun, translated by Hillel Fendel

The story is told of a brother and sister who set out to search for spirituality. Each one found something: The brother found and returned to Judaism, while his sister fell under the influence of a guru in India and decided to remain there. 

The brother felt bad about his sister and her decision to forego a life of Torah. He tried to get her to return to Israel and learn about Judaism, but she was happy where she was and refused to entertain his suggestions. Finally, though, after he simply didn't give up, she agreed to return to Israel for just a few days and take part in one, and only one, Torah class. Her brother, of course, prepared feverishly for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and sought the best possible lecturer on the most fascinating Torah topic he could think of.

Q&A: Lessons on forgiveness

Background: The Talmud (Tr. Taanit 20a-b) recounts a story in which R. Elazar ben R. Shimon was returning home from a long period of Torah studies and was quite pleased with himself for having studied so much. He met a man who was very ugly, and talked to him in an insulting manner. The man told R. Elazar, "If you have complaints about my appearance, go tell my Maker how ugly is the utensil He made." R. Elazar realized that he had sinned, and begged for forgiveness. The man refused to forgive. Only after they entered a town together, and the ugly man told the townspeople what the rabbi had done, and they asked him to forgive the rabbi, did he grudgingly agree to do so.

Q. In the story of the ugly man and the rabbi, he ugly man didn't really forgive him, but rather sought to appease the townsmen. The story ends with R. Elazar seemingly criticizing the ugly man for having been stubborn in not forgiving, without any criticism of R. Elazar himself for haughtiness and having treated the man not nicely.

My questions are: Is it truly possible to forgive someone who has insulted you? Can one who truly regrets having made someone feel bad ever really wipe away the pain that the other one felt and still feels? Perhaps we should demand of the one who was hurt to "get out of it already" and forgive and forget? And why is the message of the story that we must be flexible, instead of that we should be careful not to make others feel bad, or that we should not judge people by how they look but rather remember that everyone was created in G-d's image?

Shoftim: Love and Duty

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

A Hebrew leader must embody the aspirations of his people to the extent that he becomes a microcosm of the entire nation of Israel and his personal identity is absorbed into that of the national collective.

Elul: The Teshuva of the Treasury Minister

by Rav Netanel Yosifun, translated by Sharona Eshet-Kohen

It happened on a particular Yom Kippur Eve. Rabbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, the great defender of Israel, entered the synagogue all fired up. He screamed, "Look all over! Find them! Look even under the benches and the tables!"

 

Everyone looked around at each other in discomfort. What were they supposed to look for?