YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Jewish Laws and Thoughts
- Middot - Character Traits
- Additional Lessons
My law school professor told me that patience is the key ingredient for successful negotiation. I once was present at a negotiation between an American food company and its oriental counterpart. The people who represented the oriental company just sat impassively for minutes on end not offering up ant proposal. The Americans therefore impatiently began to negotiate with themselves raising the ante to their disadvantage at every statement they made. Patience is the key ingredient for successful parenting and classroom teaching. Patience is the hallmark of the righteous and holy. It allows one to see the forest and not just the trees and to factor in correctly the long term consequences and effects of one’s statements and actions. The hasty person, unlike his Creator, would see no merit in saving Lot while Sodom and its wicked inhabitants were being destroyed. But human beings are by their very nature likely to be short sighted in these matters. Snap judgments, built in bias and prejudice, impatience with others and events all combine for behavior and policies that in the long run are nearly catastrophic. Temporary gain and immediate gratification most often lead to long term disasters and erroneous policies and behavior. This is true both in our personal lives as well as in the national life of the Jewish people and the State of Israel as a whole. Patience therefore is not only a virtue, it is a necessity. For without patience, wisdom becomes foolishness and triumph turns to ashen defeat.
Our father Yaakov stated that "tomorrow I will come to claim my reward." Judaism always preaches the virtue of tomorrow, of postponed gratification. A person should not only be concerned with his life and generation but should be equally concerned regarding the life and generation of his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Those Jewish movements that have deviated from Torah observance and traditional values receive great initial publicity and initial acclaim. But it is an almost incontestable rule that these movements do not produce later generations of committed Jews. I know that it is not politic of me to say this but facts are facts and current political correctness never changes facts on the ground. We should not rush to judgment for perhaps a Ruth and a Naama will yet emerge even from those who generations earlier abandoned tradition and halachic norms. But we should never be beguiled by promises of instant success and sweeping beneficial change. This corresponds to the dictum of the rabbis that teaches us to say and promise little but to act and accomplish greatly. The impatient shout and proclaim loudly regarding their so-called achievements. The patient plod on steadily towards the goals set for Israel at Sinai. Patience is taught by example and by history. It is too bad that there is no required course in our schools of learning that is labeled Patience 101. Such a course subject would make all of the other courses of knowledge being taught more relevant, productive and beneficial to life’s work and its goals.
Additional Lessons May I Dangle the Receiver?
Hearing is Not Believing, and other Loshon Hora Question
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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.
