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This week in the modern State of Israel, the Pope of Rome is coming to visit. All visits of popes to Israel - I believe that Benedict is the fourth prelate to do so - arouse great interest and an undercurrent of controversy. The Vatican has not been a traditional friend of the Jewish people over its long history - to put the case in its mildest form possible. Nevertheless it is an occasion of note to realize that the Vatican actually recognizes the State of Israel as a legitimate nation - something which most of the Moslem world has yet to do - and has gone to some lengths to attempt to rectify its teachings, liturgy and theology regarding the Jews. The revelations after the Holocaust, the apparent silent complicity of the Vatican and its then pope Pius XII, and the emergence of a more liberal strain within Catholicism on many issues have all contributed to a new interaction between Jews and the Vatican. The Church elevated us to the status of "elder brother," officially stopped specific missionary activities against Jews, and has attempted what in its eyes is an even handed policy towards the State of Israel. The Church certainly has a long way to go to make proper amends for its brutal behavior towards Jews over the centuries but it is clear to any unbiased observer that the attitude of the Church towards Jews today is the most benign that it has ever been in its long history. The mere presence of the Pope in Israel this week is an event that should be appreciated for its historical significance.
The Pope will undoubtedly notice the smoky haze over Jerusalem on Lag B’omer. His retinue of advisers and experts may have already explained to him why this peculiar event of bonfires is occurring. But to me there is a symbolism in the confluence of the Pope’s visit and Lag B’omer. The Church absorbed the Roman Empire within its culture, ritual and society. The Jews continued to battle against Roman culture, practices and ways long after they were seemingly defeated by Hadrian and his legions. There are no pilgrimages to the grave of Hadrian. What is truly vital and long lasting within Church doctrine is what is borrowed and adapted from Judaism. The Pope’s visit here in Israel this week vindicates this truth. Our ancestors who lived in the dark exile of millennia under Church domination would be amazed and wondrous that the Pope of Rome is making an official visit to Jewish Jerusalem and Israel. As we do with all of the wondrous historical events that surround the return of the Jewish people to their rightful homeland we take the Pope’s visit in stride as being somehow at worst a nuisance - the traffic in Jerusalem will be unbearable during his visit - and at best a gesture of true historic good will and reconciliation. The words of the prophets of Israel that many nations will come to Jerusalem to seek God and His spiritual sustenance continue to resonate in our world in spite of all of the dangers and problems that surround us.
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The Commandment of Redeeming Captives
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
