Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen
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Tefillin- a Remembrance
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosenתאריך פרסום: תשס"ז | | 30 minutes
We now encounter something new. Until now, we have seen continuing narratives in the books of Bereisheet and Shemot, but in Parashat Bo we begin to find sections of mitzoth. Most of those in our parasha appear to be clearly connected to the Exodus from Egypt. Tefillin seems to be an exception. Drawing on traditional works of halakha and Jewish thought, we examine this mitzvah and contrast it with the mitzvoth of sukka and tzitzith.
Hagar and the Angel: Spiritual Experiences in a New Environment
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenEsav - Potential and Fulfillment
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenParashat Shavua - Ki Tisa - Truth as an Attribute of Mercy
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 30 minutesAfter Bnei Yisrael construct the Golden Calf and the first tablets are shattered, Moshe pleads with God for mercy on behalf of Bnei Yisrael. God teaches him the 13 Attributes of mercy. The list, strangely, includes "emet' - truth. In what sense could truth by a Divine attribute of mercy? And why is truth a quality that comes in addition to kindness? We eplore the relationship between truth and kindness to arrive at a deeper sense of the relationship between God and man, as well as between man and man. We also look at the verses preceding the Sin of the Golden Calf, which center around Shabbat. Both Shabbat and the Mishkan serve to continue the relationship between God and Israel begun at Sinai by having the Divine Presence in our midst in a normative way - part of justice being combined with hessed (kindness).
Acharei Mot - Kedoshim and Yom HaAtzmaut
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenKedoshim: Social Values, Laws, and Boundaries
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenBehar: Giving Charity with Illogical Insistence, but Wisely
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenBechukotai: The Pursued with no Pursuer
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenPrimordial Wisdom
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenThe Strange Laws of the Nazir
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenThe Thief Who Swore Falsely
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenLeaders as Spies
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenConverts and Sacrificial Rules - Equality and Closeness
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenWhy is Tzitzit in Parashat Shelach?
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenMiriam, Moshe, and Water
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenRambam on Moshe at Mei Meriva
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenYehoshua vs. Pinhas as Moshe's Successor: Shepherd vs. Savior
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenThe Netziv on God Promising Pinhas a "Covenant of Peace"
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenDescriptions of War in Devarim vs. Bemidbar
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenThe Generation who Left Egypt - People of War?
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenParashat Devarim and the Nature of Blessing
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenEkev: Monotheism, Paganism, and Human Pride
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenThe Ran on Ekev
Rabbi Shlomo Dov RosenMishlei - Part 1: Introducing Mishlei
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 33 minutesMishlei is a book of philosophical poetry, relating to the deeper messages of our lives. A proper understanding of its themes - religiosity, wisdom, personal growth, and the relationship among them - can only be understood through a careful literary analysis of the poetry.
We begin the first shiur in this series with the very beginning of the book: the first of the set of short poems. We set out to understand how the key themes of wisdom, ethics, and justice are expressed through these poems.
short ideas that look so easy, so obvious, so accessible, that until you analyze them you don’t realize how much effort is necessary – in order to expend those efforts effectively, one needs to have yirat Hashem at the head of it all.
What does the first part of Misheli tell us? In the various stages of development, there are different types of wisdom, different aspects of one's personality. Wisdom will touch you on whatever level you have attained and will move you ahead – but only if you are willing to approach it with Yirat Hashem (Fear of God) and humility -not as the chacham (clever one) but as the navon (discerning one).
Mishlei - Part 2: Jewelry, Company, and Double Entendres
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 29 minutesIn the second shiur of our Mishlei series, we examine the second poem of the first chapter. The twist at the end will compel us to revisit the poem to understand the whole piece.
At first, the metaphor of ethical and moral instruction as ornaments and jewelry seems to move into a message about the company one keeps. The end of the poem seems more philosophical, begging us to look again. We find multidimensional readings and double entendres. Is this peom also teaching the reader how to read these analogies?
The message of this poem seems to be that there is ultimately no hunter outside yourself - your actions upon the world are actually affecting you.
Mishlei - Part 3: Wisdom is Calling - Will there be an Answer?
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 37 minutesIn this third part of our Mishlei series, we look at the second half of the first chapter. The verses are quite frightening -possibly the most frightening verses in the whole book. But a proper understanding of this poem will lead us to see that it is full of light and hope.
We find a warning of what will happen when wisdom is calling but you refuse. When things are hard- God will make things difficult. When things are really terrible - one will call out to God but He will not answer. Nowhere else in Mishlei do we see this type of thing- the inversion of Tehillim 91!
How does this idea square with idea of teshuva? Elsewhere in Tanakh, we find the refrain of calls to do teshuva - to call out to God, who will be with you in your suffering and who will come to your aid. Of course, as Yeshayahu and Yirmiyahu point out - if you do not do teshuva you will eat from the fruits of your ways.
Perhaps teshuva is different from the natural desire for wisdom. Anyone can do teshuva, but it is not necessarily possible to turn the clock back intellectually. With repentance, there is always a possibility for spiritual change. But if you do not develop yourself in the natural sphere of wisdom - there is no turning back.
Mishlei - Part 4: A Treasure Hunt
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 37 minutesIn this fourth part of this Mishlei series, we will study stiudy fourth poem- the entire second chapter of Mishlei.
In this chapter we enter into spiritual knowledge and delve into philosophy in the religious sense. If you are searching for treasure – you will be looking in a particular place. If you want to succeed in studying for spiritual knowledge, you will need to search with sustained effort, but it also must be done from excitement and enjoyment. Natural wisdom depends on you calling back to nature. Spiritual wisdom comes if God decides to give it to you, but you can call out to him, too - in a form of tefilla. We look at the metaphor of the "bad woman" and the "bad man" who try to steer people astray. We examine some philosophical aspects of mitzvot, and discuss reward and punishment.
What you make of the world is what the world makes of you.
Mishlei - Part 5: Knowledge and Action
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 36 minutesIn this fifth instalment of our Mishlei series, we study both the 5th and the 6th poems in the Book of Mishlei – the third chapter of the book. We continue from last shiur's message, that understanding and internalizing the concepts of God keep us from straying and bring us spiritual gain.
We look at the relationship between intellectual knowledge and action in the world. What is the difference between the relationship to the mitzva and the relationship to the Torah? We guard the mitzvot, keeping them in mind for when the time comes to act upon them. But Torah is about not forgetting, not about just guarding. We examine the meaning of "length of days" by looking at the story of Yaakov's interview with Pharaoh in the book of Bereisheet, and look at the relationship between kindness and truth in the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy
Intellect and action - hesed (lovingkindness) and emet (truth) can sometimes seem to contradict one another, but the "tree of life" image in Mishlei sends the message that we must support society and also ourselves. This personal and interpersonal development evokes the intertwining of truth and kindness.
Mishlei - Part 6: Heaven and Earth
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 18 minutesIn this 6th part of our series, we will look at the second half of the third chapter of Mishlei: the seventh poem. This poem about morality and the realization of wisdom seems to be made up of three distinct poems, yet is actually one cohesive whole. What does it mean that “God established the earth with wisdom”? We examine a series of moral arguments and try to understand the meaning in context, while unpacking the parable of the earth and sky– static and dynamic elements, respectively. We consider how they represent different aspects of humankind’s relationship with wisdom, and how they contribute to finding the elusive definition of being on the straight path.
Mishlei - Part 7: Ethics, Wisdom, and Enlightenment
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 34 minutesIn this seventh instalment, we return to the end of the third chapter and then move onto the first part of the fourth chapter of Mishlei. The poem in the beginning of the fourth chapter relates to the idea of strengthening our personalities through studying mussar (ethics) and hokhma (wisdom), both of which develop us and enable us to be more enlightened and involved in the world.
Mishlei - Part 8: The Cisterns and The Strange Woman
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 40 minutesIn the eighth part of our series, we will focus on the end of the fourth chapter of Mishlei. Three poems are interconnected to form one long poem that builds on the ideas developed from the last parts of our series. Our poem uses the familiar motifs of the cisterns and the “strange woman”- what is she an allegory for? It deals with the question of how to express one’s creativity in the world in a healthy and successful manner, and the difference between simplicity in religious life and more complex approaches when one is faced with more complex problems.
Mishlei - Part 9: Tips for Success
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 40 minutesIn our ninth lecture, we will look at the sixth chapter of Mishlei. This chapter is composed of four short poems divided into two halves. They comprise separate units, but there is a basic theme and connection between them. The second poem is similar to the first half in form, but the message seems to be quite different. We must ask what type of message we are supposed to try to glean from these poems? We must return to the beginning to analyze it anew to find a deeper meaning to what seems to be a moral, yet self-defeating rule. Are we dealing with a practical guide to life as a successful person, or are we talking about something completely different: practical guidance on a deeper level - about repentance?
Mishlei - Part 10: Wisdom as a Sister
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 37 minutesThis tenth part of our series looks at the seventh and half of the eighth chapter of Mishlei. The metaphor of the negative woman comes up again, but in this chapter it is used in new ways. What new ideas are developed in this metaphor, and how do they compare to ideas of wisdom developed in the eighth chapter (the last instance of this metaphor in the entire book of Mishlei)? How do we relate to wisdom being called a “sister”? We will focus our energy more on dealing with the psychology of evil than the psychology of wisdom. People involved in evil doings (who are not really evil at heart) often become psychologically hidden to themselves. They close off their hearts and are unwilling to look honestly at the problematic issues in their lives.
Mishlei - Part 11: Wisdom Before Creation
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 40 minutesThe eleventh part of our series looks at the majority of the second half of the eighth chapter of Mishlei. This section contains some of the most philosophical parts of the book. We will aim for a literary reading, but our reading will bring out some philosophical ideas which we will see in context. We encounter the tension between the ideas that pride is antithetical to wisdom, but knowledge is power. We consider the concept of God as Creator and “acquirer” of the world, and relate it to the story of Malkitzedek and Avraham, who wanted God’s name to infuse society.
What does it mean that God created wisdom before forming the universe? The basis for coming closer to God is translating the wisdom that preceded existence into our reality. Once it plays out in reality, it becomes a delight to human beings.
Mishlei - Part 12: Concluding the First Book of Mishlei
Rabbi Shlomo Dov Rosen | 45 minutesIn our final shiur on the first Book of Mishlei, we will notice that the last two poems serve as a summary of the basic ideas that we have studied: the relationship between the fear of God and wisdom, natural wisdom and what it means to be pushed away from developing the potential for wisdom, approaching God through wisdom, and the possibility and pitfalls of being led astray.
We will look at the last five verses of the eighth chapter which constitute the penultimate poem, and then we will move on to the ninth chapter – the last chapter of the first part of Mishlei. Why does the text say that one who hates wisdom loves death? Why cannot it not say that one who loves wisdom loves life? Natural wisdom is necessary to develop one’s potential goodness, but it is wrong to equate it with goodness in and of itself. Wisdom along with spirituality, morality and ethics will make life better and can lead to the potential for closeness with God.