Yes indeed. There are some dramatic, original and creative insights here. I wish I could stop with that and praise the Rav. But then the whole presentation is undermined by the Rav's confused political cynicism, with remarks about the Yom Kippur war and the leadership of the State of Israel, such as, "Golda Meir had no brains in her head." This kind of carelessness in offhanded sarcastic comments IMHO is detrimental to the entire preceding discourse. And it is a strange simplification to compare the legend of the downfall of Sampson to the tragedies of the Yom Kippur war.
In context, the Rav's negative comments regarding Golda Meir was said only in regard to her academic abilities. She never represented herself as a great intellectual, as did David Ben Gurion, for example (a fact that the Rav discussed briefly in another recording). IMO, the downfall of Samson was a hauntingly precise analogy to Israel's initial losses during the Yom Kippur War. At the beginning of the war, I personally remember thinking how Israel would have a swift victory just like during the 6 day war (I was 18 years old in 1973). The hubris in Israel as well as among America's Jews was widespread. The kochi ve'otzem yadi consciousness was pervasive. Only when the battlefield losses mounted did Israel realize how terrible that assumption was. Indeed: והוא לא ידע כי ה סר מעליו. After thinking that one is invincible, the sudden feeling of vulnerability is agonizingly acute. The resulting defeat becomes profoundly more tragic.
A whole new meaning to "If you will it, it is no dream."
Can we please attain subtitles for this Drasha?
Subtitles are already there. Click on the icon that looks like a gear (settings) , and then click on "subtitles". Let me know if it works.
Yes indeed. There are some dramatic, original and creative insights here. I wish I could stop with that and praise the Rav. But then the whole presentation is undermined by the Rav's confused political cynicism, with remarks about the Yom Kippur war and the leadership of the State of Israel, such as, "Golda Meir had no brains in her head." This kind of carelessness in offhanded sarcastic comments IMHO is detrimental to the entire preceding discourse. And it is a strange simplification to compare the legend of the downfall of Sampson to the tragedies of the Yom Kippur war.
In context, the Rav's negative comments regarding Golda Meir was said only in regard to her academic abilities. She never represented herself as a great intellectual, as did David Ben Gurion, for example (a fact that the Rav discussed briefly in another recording). IMO, the downfall of Samson was a hauntingly precise analogy to Israel's initial losses during the Yom Kippur War. At the beginning of the war, I personally remember thinking how Israel would have a swift victory just like during the 6 day war (I was 18 years old in 1973). The hubris in Israel as well as among America's Jews was widespread. The kochi ve'otzem yadi consciousness was pervasive. Only when the battlefield losses mounted did Israel realize how terrible that assumption was. Indeed: והוא לא ידע כי ה סר מעליו. After thinking that one is invincible, the sudden feeling of vulnerability is agonizingly acute. The resulting defeat becomes profoundly more tragic.