Talmud Torah

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1. Love of God and Torah Study

   Rabbi Yehuda Rock

   Getting to know God can be a means to loving God, as Maimonides suggests; however, knowing God can also be an independent goal, achieved by the study of Torah. The commandment to study Torah at any given time educates us to the centrality of God's will in our lives, and expresses man's love for his creator.

2. The Image of the Jewish King (Audio)

   Rabbi Elyakim Krumbein | 5 minutes

   The image of the Israelite King as presented in Devarim emphasizes a command for him to write a Torah and study it constantly. Why do the laws upheld by the Sages insist that each king must write his own scroll? The laws pertaining to the king serve to underscore the importance of moral values—the primacy of ethical standards—not just for the king, but for the entire nation.

3. The Rise of King Hizkiyahu

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   King Hizkiyahu heralds an exciting period in the kingdom of Yehuda. He is devoted to God and responsive to His prophet. During his reign, Hizkiyahu leads Israel in a religious renaissance and seeks to heal the rift between the kingdom of Israel in the north and the kingdom of Yehuda in the south in the observation of a national Pessah. He repudiates idolatry and dishonors his father Ahaz at his burial to send a strong message to the nation. He dedicates and purifies the Beit Hamikdash and makes learning Torah a national priority.

4. A Sicha for Parashat Vayigash

   Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein | 19 minutes

   Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein delivers a sicha about Yosef's words to his brothers on their way back to Canaan: "Do not get distressed on the way." The simple meaning of the Hebrew verse seems to connote turmoil, fear, or anxiety - and that Yosef is trying to calm his brothers with a soothing message. Rashi, however, explains the verse as meaning "do not deal with Halakha on the way." What does this mean?

5. Bemidbar - "Hefker" like the Wilderness

   Rabbi David Silverberg

6. Ezra Arrives on the Scene

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   Ezra chapter 7 finally introduces us to Ezra himself. During the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra led a group of Jews on aliya. Ezra is referred to as both Kohen and scholar. There is particular emphasis on the role of the priestly teacher in the works of Shivat Tzion. This represents a larger shift away from charismatic priestly and prophetic roles toward an emphasis on Torah. The fact that Ezra is identified as a Kohen without reference to the Temple service accentuates the transition underway.

   Whereas in the opening section of Ezra, the only form of worship practiced by the Jews is that of sacrifice, Ezra ushers in a new emphasis on Torah study and observance. This shift foreshadows the revolution on which Ezra was about to embark.

   Ezra deflects credit from himself toward God. This theme of hashgacha – that while God no longer performs open miracles, He nonetheless profoundly influences world events – pervades the literature of Shivat Tzion. While prophecy may be waning, divine inspiration remains, so too God continues to guide earthly events.

   Absolute divine clarity is declining. In that vacuum, divinely-inspired personal reminisces rise to the fore.

7. The Teshuva Revolution

   Part 1

   Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky

   The events of Shivat Tzion are cyclical. Although three different sets of events are recorded in our sefer, each mirrors the others. The similarity dramatizes the striking parallel between the events of the early chapters of Ezra, in which the Jews are restored to their homes and engage in a religious revival by rebuilding the altar, and Nehemya’s repopulation and inspiring Torah reading. The details differ and some sixty years separate the two events, but the fundamental challenges of Shivat Tzion remain the same.

   Whereas Ezra was highly esteemed as a scholar and role model, his political acumen was no match for that of Nehemya. Throughout the events which until this point had emphasized matters of security, Ezra stood outside the limelight. Now that things have settled down considerably and Nehemya is finally ready to turn to religious matters, Ezra once again steps forward and plays a prominent role alongside his colleague.

   As we make our way through the Torah reading ceremony, it becomes clear that Ezra’s ritual is intended to recreate the Hakhel ceremony. Hakhel is a septennial recreation of the Revelation at Sinai. Thus, the Torah reading ceremony is a transformative event of Shivat Tzion, and even of Jewish history. It is evident that there was mass ignorance on the part of the remnant in Judea. Had Ezra not ascended from Babylonia, it is not at all self-evident that the Judean community would have ever learned the basics and recommitted themselves to a Torah-based lifestyle. The comparison to Sinai is thus certainly not an exaggeration.

8. Moshe Fasting on the Mountain: Being Great by Being Good

   Rabbi David Silverberg