Who entered the Sea first?

Hi,

A lot to think about here - 

"Rabbi Meir said: When Israel stood at the sea, the tribes were contesting with each other, this one saying, 'I will descend to the sea first,' and this one saying, 'I will descend to the sea first.' The tribe of Binyamin jumped up and descended to the sea first, as it is written… And the leaders of Yehudah stoned them, as it is written… Therefore, righteous Binyamin merited to be made a host for the Mighty [the Beit haMikdash], as it is written…

"Rabbi Yehudah said to him: It was not so, but this one said, 'I will not descend to the sea first,' and this one said, 'I will not descend to the sea first.' Nachshon ben Aminadav jumped up and descended to the sea first, as it is written… Therefore Yehudah merited to reign over Israel, as it is written… "

(Talmud, Sotah 36b-37a)

חג כשר ושמח,

Mordechai

The beauty of Simchat beit haShoevah

Hi,

"One who never saw the Simchat Beit haShoevah (the Water celebration in the Beit haMikdash, conducted on Succot, as part of our prayers for rain) never saw joy.

"One who never saw Jerusalem in its glory never saw a beautiful city. One who never saw the standing Temple never saw a beautiful building."

מי שלא ראה שמחת בית השואבה לא ראה שמחה מימיו. מי שלא ראה ירושלים בתפארתה לא ראה כרך נחמד מעולם. 

(Talmud, Succah 51b)

מועדים לשמחה,
Mordechai

Jerusalem: Gd's eternal home

Hi,

"Once the Sanctuary [mikdash] was built in Jerusalem, building a house for Gd, in which to bring offerings, became prohibited.

"There is no eternal house other than in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, regarding which Divrei haYamim I 22:1 states, 'And David said: This is the house of Gd, and this is the altar for ascending offerings for Israel.' And Tehillim 132:14 says, 'Here is My place of rest, forever.'"

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit haBechirah 1:3)

המצפה לישועה,
Mordechai

The special character of Benjamin

Hi,

“The Shechinah was manifest upon Israel in three places: Shiloh, Nov and Givon, and the Beit haMikdash. In each of these it was manifest only in the portion of Benjamin, as it is written (Devarim 33:12), ‘He covers Benjamin all day,’ all of the coverings [by HaShem] occur only in the portion of Benjamin.”

(Talmud, Zevachim 118b)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Guarding the Mikdash

Hi,

"We are commanded to guard the Beit haMikdash [Temple in Jerusalem]. Although there is no fear of enemies or bandits there, this guarding is a matter of honoring it. A palace with guards is different from a palace without guards."

(Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Beit haBechirah 8:1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Internalizing awe through our actions

Hi,

Regarding the mitzvah of not taking large steps on the mizbeiach [altar in the Beit haMikdash]:

“Among the roots of this mitzvah is… to establish in ourselves awe of the site and awareness of its significance. Therefore, we are instructed not to act frivolously there, in any way. Everyone knows that the stones will not care about any disrespect toward them – they neither see nor hear – but the point is to help us internalize awe of the site and awareness of its significance and great honor, for the heart is activated by our actions.”

(Sefer haChinuch, Mitzvah 41)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

The First

Hi,

“It is written: ‘And the first one [Esav] emerged.’

"Rabbi Chaggai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: In the merit of ‘And you shall take for yourself on the first day [the mitzvah of the Arba Minim]’:

"I, the First, am revealed to you, as it is written (Yeshayah 44), ‘I am the first and I am the last.’

"I will punish the First [Esav] for you, as it is written, ‘And the first one emerged.’

"I will build the First for you, meaning the Beit haMikdash, as it is written, ‘The throne of honor, elevated from the first.’

"I will bring you the First, meaning Mashiach, as it is written, ‘Behold, here, the first for Zion.’"

(Midrash, Bereishit Rabbah 63:8)

Chag sameach,
Mordechai

The most important concepts in the universe

Hi,

"Seven entities were created before the universe: Torah, Repentance, Gan
Eden (Heaven), Gehennom (Hell), the Divine Throne, the Temple, and the
name of the Messiah."

[As I understand it, the lesson is that these seven entities/concepts
are so fundamental to Gd's Creation that they had to exist in order to
enable the creation of the Universe.]

(Talmud, Pesachim 54a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Judaism's Egalitarian Instincts

Hi,

"Great and small are equal before Gd. Betzalel was from Yehudah [the royal tribe] and Ahaliav was from Dan [a tribe of lesser standing], and one was paired with the other [to build the mishkan].

"R’ Chanina said: Great and small are equal… The Mishkan was created by these two tribes. So was the Beit haMikdash – Solomon from Yehudah, with Chiram, 'the son of a widow from the tribe of Naftali.'"

(Midrash, Sh'mot Rabbah 40:4)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Wisdom

Hi,

"Rabbi Elazar taught: If a person develops wisdom, it is as though the Beit haMikdash [Jerusalem Temple] had been built in his lifetime."

(Talmud, Sanhedrin 92a)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Simchat Beit haShoevah: The Succot Water-Drawing celebration

Hi,

"Our sages taught: One who never saw the Simchat Beit haShoevah (the Water celebration in the Temple, conducted on Succot,) never saw joy. One who never saw Jerusalem in its glory never saw a beautiful city. One who never saw the standing Temple never saw a beautiful building."

(Talmud, Succah 51b)

Moadim l'Simchah,
Mordechai

A sign of Gd's love

Hi,

"How did the Shulchan [a table in the Beit haMikdash, on which loaves of showbread where placed] display Gd's love for the Jewish people?

"It is as R' Yehoshua ben Levi taught: A great miracle was performed for the weekly showbread in the Temple, in that it was fresh and warm when removed from its table, just as it had been when it was placed there one week earlier."

(Talmud, Menachot 29a)

Food for thought: How does this particular miracle indicate Gd's love for the Jewish people?

Have a good day,
Mordechai