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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
The white clothes of the girls connect to the white clothes that the Kohen Gadol wore when he entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. He must wear white and not the regular "gold clothes" not only to not arouse reminders of the Golden Calf. Rather, there is also a need for humility when encountering the Divine Presence in that most holy place. The idea of the white clothes not embarrassing those who do not have applies to the Kohen Gadol, who is lacking when compared to the Holy One, Blessed Be He. He would not impress Hashem by wearing the most expensive clothing.
Brides wear white as they involve themselves in the building of "a complete and eternal structure" on a personal level. Representing the nation, the Kohen Gadol enters the inner sanctum in white almost like a kalla entering a yichud room. This great affection found expression in the cherubim, which "embraced each other" when relations between Hashem and His nation were going well. The mishna we cited does its part in describing the historical events that highlight the connection between Israel and Hashem in terms of wedding days.
Every Jewish wedding has an element of building a personal mini-Mikdash between the two hearts. But the comparison to the Beit Hamikdash hints that this relationship must also be based on humility and minimizing the centrality of one’s ego. The male-female relationship must also be based on sanctity and purity, modeled on the entry into the Holy of Holies. Chazal knew that with all the involvement in sanctity that we have on Yom Kippur, one must not ignore the strong human tendencies toward illicit relationships, which is a major topic from the Torah reading. If man’s relationship with a woman is based on yetzer (physical desire), the connection with the yotzer (Creator) is compromised.
Today’s media presents relationships as something that is divorced from striving for a proper lifestyle, and the pursuit of gold is advanced before the pursuit of whiteness. May we remember the message of Yom Kippur, when white replaces gold and people look for the proper things for the proper reasons when they look to build a complete and eternal structure.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
