Jews and Lions

Hi,

"The Beit haMikdash is called a lion… The monarchy of David is called a lion… Israel is called a lion… Nevuchadnezzar is called a lion. He destroyed the Temple and took the monarchy of David and exiled Israel, and so Gd said, "Where is the home of the lions," where are my children? And then He roars for His home."

(Midrash, Shemot Rabbah 29:9)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Cups in Tanach

Hi,

"In the Tanach, כוס [kos, or cup] is always a figurative expression of the Divinely ordered purpose of life. In this sense the cup is also used by our Sages as a symbol replete with meaning… The drinking from the cup thus expresses the taking to heart and affirmation of a Divine ordained destiny."

(Rabbi Samshon Raphael Hirsch, Horeb 188)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

One-legged angels?

Hi,

"Doubtless, they [the angels envisioned by Yechezkel] had two legs... But perhaps their legs were seen as a single, straight leg in order to state that their legs always sped along in righteousness, justice and fairness, never veering from the command of their Gd."

(Abarbanel to Yechezkel 1:6)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Faith and Intellect in the thought of Rav Kook

Hi,


"Human frailty causes a person who is gifted in intellectual analysis to have a weaker inclination toward faith, and a person who is whole in faith to reduce his intellectual insight and wisdom of the heart. But the goal of the straight path is that each strength not reduce the other, and not be reduced by the other, but rather that both be revealed in their full strength, as though it alone was in control.

"Faith must be as complete as if there was no possibility of analysis, and complementing this must be a force of intellect which is elevated and energized, as though there were no force of faith in the soul. "Man and animal (Tehillim 36)" – clever in intellect, and making themselves as [unthinking] beasts."

(Rav Avraham Yitzchak haKohen Kook, Orot Yisrael 1)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Only gratitude will remain

Hi,

"In the future, all korbanot [offerings] will be cancelled other than the korban todah [thanks offering], and all prayers will be cancelled other than prayers of thanks.

"It is written [regarding the world of the future], "The voice of joy, the voice of happiness, the voice of grooms, the voice of brides, the voice of those who say, 'Thank Gd!'" which is a prayer of thanks, and [the verse continues] "And those who bring thanks to the house of Gd" which is the thanks offering."

(Midrash, Vayyikra Rabbah 9:7)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

What did Yechezkel see?

Hi,

"Gd showed Yechezkel His glory and manifestation travelling and leaving the Temple; [this means] that His supervision and protection and ministering angels who fulfill His will, His spheres and heavens and mighty ones who carry out His word, which all camped about Israel in their times of success, saving them and acting as agents on their behalf and saying good things about them - all of them were now traveling and leaving His protection, being elevated from upon the land."

(Don Isaac Abarbanel, Introduction to Yechezkel)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Shavuot is for you

Hi,

"R' Eliezer said: On Yom Tov one either eats and drinks or sits and studies. R' Yehoshua said: Split it – half for eating and drinking, half for the study hall.

"R' Yochanan said: Both learn it from the same text: One passage says, 'A celebration for HaShem your Gd,' and one passage says, 'It shall be a celebration for you.' R' Eliezer said it should be for Gd or for you, and R' Yehoshua said to split it, half for HaShem and half for you.

"R' Elazar said: All agree that for Shavuot we require 'for you', because that is the day when the Torah was given."

(Talmud, Pesachim 68b)

Have a great Yom Tov,
Mordechai