9 shiurim in this series
An in-depth analysis of the mitzvot to love our fellow Jews and converts, exploring the differences between treating someone as an equal versus elevating them, and how the concept of holiness requires us to give up our own space for others.
A deep analysis of whether women are obligated in Birkat Hamazon biblically or rabbinically, exploring the connection between land inheritance in Eretz Yisrael and Torah obligations.
An exploration of the Torah's unusual language regarding donations to the Mishkan, teaching us how to give tzedakah without seeking control or recognition, through the concept of hafrashah (separation) rather than direct giving.
When a nozir sees a sotah, it is a message from Hashem that he is living with an enormous internal contradiction, between body and soul. He has sinned and Hashem is telling him he has a propensity for adultery. Therefore, he must restrict himself for 30 days which will free himself from this contradiction. During this time of abstention, he lives with a sense of body and soul before sin, with physical and spiritual in total harmony.
The goal of the legal system is not the punishment. The deterrent is not the punishment, but the sense of right and wrong. People must realize that murder is horrific and terrible. They must sense the chomer haveira. The primary purpose of the cities of refuge is to create respect for the law. A secondary purpose is to help those who killed b'shogeg. The one who is the most enraged must kill the murderer, therefore the goail hadam must kill the convicted murderer.
Ultimate cause of churban Bayis Shaini was sinas chinam. S"ch is hatred of others to point that you'll harm yourself even more in order to hurt them. One can only reach that point if he hates himself as well - and so doesn't care about harming himself. Host of Bar Kamtsa exhibited middos of self-alienation and s"ch, as well as not being ro'eh es ha'nolad (i.e. not caring about consq's). More subtle version of same chisaron appeared in R. Zecharya ben Avkulas: false anava alienated him from himself to extent he didn't trust his own judgment. Proper anava restores love of self and others.
A human being has an inherent right to live. This right comes from man's ability to have free choice. This gives a tremendous chashivus to the human life. When people don't recognize a borei olam then man is no different then a monkey. When a person kills he is saying that the victim had no right to exist. The goail hadam is the validation of the existence of a person. The blood of the victim is screaming out for revenge. The earth was cursed for swallowing the blood of Hevel. When we avenge the person's death then it is a kapara for the sin of the land.
Hashem created a system where man can do something for Hashem and thus earn his existence. This is accomplished by praising Him and fulfilling his mitzvos. The ikar hatava we have is by earning our existence. The hatava is not money, health or power. Since mitzvos enable man to earn his existence, which is the greatest hatava, they are then performed with simcha. Only when done willingly and with simcha is there a relationship. If it is viewed as a burden that is no relationship and it is not doing a mitzvah.
Ordinarily, when an av would get a nevuah, he would concretize is through ma'aseh avos siman libanim. By bris bain habesarim, Hashem made bris with Avraham about nevuah's. Bris is two-way, and likewise Avraham was given task of architecturing the nevuah's, while nevuah's themselves were just general outline. Avraham was faulted for not setting precedents entirely for future but for his own agenda as well.
