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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
"For the living know that they will die" (Kohelet 9:5) - this is referring to tzaddikim (righteous people), who, in their death, are called living.
Ein Ayah: For one to picture his own absence is indeed very difficult, for how can one accurately picture his absence, when the picture needs to have in it the existence of the subject of the picture. One can picture the absence of his counterpart or even the absence of something that relates to him, as long as his own existence continues.
Tzaddikim put all of their power with all their feelings and desires into things that are not built specifically on the body and its desires. They apply their spirits to love of Hashem, His Torah, His great ways, His nation, Israel, and in general the love of justice, truth, kindness, and straightness. These feelings are the foundation of their lives and the center of the goals that they desire. Therefore, tzaddikim feel the main part of their existence in regard to eternal things. That which happens to their bodies, which cease to exist after death, they consider as something external, albeit connected to them.
Therefore, tzaddikim can accurately picture their deaths, and it does not scare them too much. It does not confuse their happiness at the prospect of reaching shleimut (completeness) and goodness, and they do not lose the feeling that they still exist when they picture their physical death.
In contrast, the whole center of the lives of resha’im (wicked people) is powered by material desires and is dedicated only to acquiring things that the physical senses pick up on. They view spiritual acquisitions as something secondary and foreign to them. Therefore, they are unable to properly picture their death, for that would force them to picture the negation of their essence and the absence of their existence, and then who is supposed to do the picturing. Therefore, they cannot accurately picture their death, except for the natural sense of being startled, which must come when they picture a situation where all they worked toward ceases and blows away like a cloud. That is why the pasuk says that the dead (referring to resha’im) do not know anything.
The Legacy of the Righteous that Continues Thorugh Their Children
(based on Berachot 3:6)
Gemara:
"The son of a living man" [said about Benyahu ben Yehoyada - Shmuel II, 23:20) refers to one who is called alive even when he is dead.
Ein Ayah: The main connection of the tzaddik’s life is to things that are loftier than that which is connected to the body and that which occurs to it, and these lofty things are the mainstay of his life while he is alive. Since these things do not cease with death but add luster, the tzaddik is considered alive even after he has physically died.
This praise of the tzaddik finds the clearest expression in the tzaddik’s child. This is because the truly complete person does not part from his true perceptions, which accompany him to every corner, to the point that the natural connection to the world by means of begetting children becomes the internal goal of justice and goodness, which lasts eternally.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 5- "Proofs of G-d"
This may be the most important class of the entire book, where we finally get to the Jewish proof of the existence of G-d and truth of the Torah. We should follow His own direction where He tells us how to get to Him: through the Nation of Israel: Jewish history, Jewish prophets (and today, prophecies fulfilled), and national reward & punishment towards Am Yisrael.
Ein Aya One Humanity, One Creator, One Jerusalem
Rav Kook innovatively and beautifully explains this aggadeta where our sages say that after Jerusalem was destroyed her cinnamon fragrance is only found locked in a particular kingdom's treasury.
Shlach Lecha "Why So Many Don't Make Aliya?" - Parshat Shlach
This short article deals with the weird phenomena that every single time Am Yisrael is meant to enter the Land of Israel, throughout the Tanach, 2nd Temple and until today, they "chicken out" and look for excuses. What's the problem with this mitzvah that proves so challenging. The article, based on sources, suggests that the difficulties of Eretz Yisrael is precisely her secret and beauty!
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 4
The class deals with Islam and how the Muslim tries convincing the King of the Khazars, and why he was also rejected.
Beha'alotcha JEWISH STATE= GUIDE TO G-DLINESS & SELFLESSNESS
A Jewish State not only is a good idea, but educates us towards selflessness, altruism and G-dliness in our daily lives.
Ein Aya In Zion Even the Smoke of the Bark is Sweet
Just as Jewish nationalism is different from others, so too our capitol of Jerusalem is totally different than other national capitols. Rav Kook beautifully explains the passage in the Talmud that the trees of Yerushalayim were cinnamon trees.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 3
The second speaker invited to convince the Khazar King is the Christian, who presents their beliefs. Even before the questions of the King, "between the lines", the author R. Yehuda HaLevi already begins disproving them.
Ein Aya "Intimacy: Love, Life & Giving or Egocentric Taking & Expiration"
Today, many confuse between intimacy in marriage, based on love, giving and life which are diametrically opposed to empty "sex", pornography and prostitution which destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The practical importance of clarifying this topic in today's western society is obvious, especially for young adults.