Rav Yitzchak Berkovits, founder and director of The Jerusalem Kollel (www.thejerusalemkollel.com), is a widely respected authority on Halachah and well known for his telephone tapes on Shmiras Halashon. He is well known as a teacher and lecturer throughout Jerusalem and was ordained at the Mirrer Yeshiva, Jerusalem.
Rabbi Berkovits continues to delve into rabbinic law by examining its origins in the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court, that sat in the holy Temple. Those judges were the elite, with an incredible amount of prerequisites that had to be met before they were promoted to their position. Each one, such as the necessity to speak all 70 languages of the world, made sure that they would fully understand all people that came to settle their cases. However, the rabbis of today don't quite match up to those larger than life judges of yore. So why should we be expected to listen to their halachic rulings?
Just the word Holocaust is packed with fearful images of smoke, defenseless children, skeletal Jews and decimated communities. Where was God during all the devastation? For a moment, can we put our emotions and torment on hold to hear about our age-old responsibility of being the chosen nation? Rabbi Berkovits's clarity and gentle approach creates a powerful class on this almost untouchable subject.
How do all the memorials, reparation payments and revisionists' counterclaims help to heal a person's heart from that horrible nightmare? And why do youth, who mostly consider it just another historical event, have a vested interest to keep the lessons of the Holocaust alive? This beautiful lecture by Rav Yitchak Berkovits can also help to calm the fright people may continue to harbor by offering a healing way to look at this incomprehensible tragedy.
"Nothing is mundane or lowly in Eretz Yisrael--everything here is sublime," says Rabbi Berkovits. Hear a fascinating talk on the integral holiness ground into the soil of Eretz Yisrael. From the past to the present, from the historical to the political, get a sense of awe for this reality, where its very ground, people and country wondrously survive their enemies through one miracle after the next. As he explains, if you are considering aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, hear the best attitude you can adopt for a quick and total absorption.
In a world where so much is imperfect, wouldn't we all want Moshiach? Perhaps, if we didn't think further. Once we grow to appreciate challenge and the ability to be self-made, we feel less than wiling to give up the satisfaction of self-growth. Wouldn't we be better off if we waited just a bit longer? Why do we pray for Moshiach?
An often less well-known aspect of Shmitah is the nullification of all outstanding debts that goes into effect at the end of the seventh year. This presents many problems for those who still desire to be repaid. How did Hillel find a way to encourage the Jews to continue lending money with the enactment of Prusbul (a document that circumvents the nullification)? And how does one make a Prusbul today?
Rabbi Berkovits takes the problem of planting and pruning way past the farm and into the practical aspects of our own homes. Mowing the lawn, trimming your hedges, watering the grass - all of these involve the Halachos of Shmitah. Even construction may run into problems of digging in the land.åÊ What is Kedushas Shvi'is of the produce grown during the 7th year, and how does that change how we handle it?
What has Kedushas Shevi'is and what doesn't is a complex matter involving different levels of produce, when they are grown, and where. Going to the local Makolet must be done with open eyes and a store of knowledge. Is the produce Arab grown, imported or grown in questionable areas? How does one treat produce of a Shomer Shevi'is?
Is Shmittah the year to allow land to lay fallow, or are you just not allowed to actively work the land? The consequences of this answer goes far beyond the farmer and his crops. Can you program a computer from beforehand to water you lawn, or use time release fertilizer? Simply watering a house plant becomes quite complicated, as can buying your weekly fruits and vegetables. This class is full of important details on how to live Shmittah with the awareness it entails.
Man's personal relationship with G-d has a link that leads to what we may view as mundane, such as eating, sleeping, and business. Why does the Jewish religion have something to say about all our actions? Feel the sudden lift of realizing spirituality is all encompassing, and that you can truly connect to G-d while living the every day.