Following God through the Desert

נמצאו 8 תוצאות חיפוש

1. "And These are the Journeys of Bnei Yisrael..."

   Rabbanit Sharon Rimon

   The list of travels in Parashat Masei is not purely geographical; it offers a summary of the travels through the desert, and provides meaning for the journey, which is led by God. Why does the list include certain events, but omits others that seem no less important? Which events are mentioned, and what do they teach us about the journey through the desert?

2. Parshat Behaalotekha

   Rabbi Alex Israel | 28 דקות

   There seems to be a contradiction as to where the Ark of the Covenant was located during Am Yisrael's travels through the desert. On one hand, we know that they traveled in the formation in which they camped, meaning that the Ark was in the center of the nation. On the other hand, a verse in our parsha tells us that the Ark lead the nation - travelled at the front - through the desert. By closely examining the verses as well as the commentaries who grapple with this contradiction, we can learn about the nature of Am Yisrael's relationship with God during times of peace and times of war. 

3. From Love to Betrayal: Yirmiyahu's First Prophecy of Rebuke

   Rabbi David Sabato

   Yirmiyahu's first prophecy conveyed to Israel is comprised of a series of sections, linked one to the next linguistically and substantively. Together they paint a difficult, varied, and penetrating picture of the moral and spiritual state of the people. The prophecy opens with one of the most moving accounts of the early relationship between God and His people, but it immediately takes a sharp turn to the difficult, spiritual reality in the days of Yirmiyahu, when the people have abandoned and betrayed their God. The description of Israel's youthful devotion in the wilderness serves only as a background and introduction to the essence of the passage – a prophecy of rebuke.

4. Yirmiyahu's First Address: Nostalgia or Confrontation?

   Rabbi David Sabato

5. Light in Tanakh

   Elisheva Brauner

6. Bemidbar - "Hefker" like the Wilderness

   Rabbi David Silverberg

7. A Desert Gift

   Rabbi Moshe Taragin

   The blazing provision of Torah certainly highlights both its transcendence as well as the terror seized the audience at Har Sinai. The ambience of Matan Torah – at least as portrayed by Parashat Yitro – is dominated by billowing mountains; the mountain was transformed into a terrifying furnace.

   However, the symbolism of desert and the manner in which this climate contributed to Matan Torah is far less obvious. The Midrash equates the three, suggesting that the wilderness and dunes reflected an essential facet of Har Sinai. In fact, the pivotal role of a desert environment is already established by the  Biblical text in Bamidbar 21:18. What special aspects of Torah does a desert setting demonstrate?

    

8. “But Do Not Rebel Against the Lord”

   Rabbi Gad Eldad

   Of the complaints that had a significant impact on the history of Am Yisrael, the sin of the spies stands out prominently. As a result of this sin, it was decreed that the entire generation would die in the desert instead of reaching the Promised Land.Why could God not have found some punishment that would leave room for recovery and moving on, along with recognition of the sin and atonement for it?

   We find  a real crisis in the people’s faith in God-- a lack of confidence so profound that even the spontaneous initiative of the ma’apilim, who realize the gravity of their sin and propose proceeding anyway to Eretz Yisrael, cannot repair the damage.

    

   Translated by Kaeren Fish