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Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Purim & The Month of Adar
- The Month of Adar
Many educators are unhappy about the current state of affairs. They try to restrain, to limit, to reduce, and to minimize the damage. Some succeed and others fail in this effort. Many educators face difficulty taking a stand against the "glorious tradition" of shattering the frameworks during the month of Adar. They find it nearly impossible to stop the rowdiness on Rosh Hodesh Adar, the inflated and vain coronation of the Purim Rabbi, the pointlessness and the utter futility. Therefore, the only solution remaining that somewhat helps defuse some of the pitfalls is scheduling the yearly trips (typically several days long) for the beginning of Adar.
The truth is that the best thing would be to phase out all of the aforementioned silliness. There is no justification in wasting spiritual energies and money for non-educational (or anti-educational) purposes. The Talmud emphasizes (Shabbat 88a) that the month of Adar is the month in which the Jews "once again received it (the Torah) in the days of Achashverosh." There is no reason that Adar shouldn't be a month of spiritual growth, of intensive learning and of joy of the Mitzvot. But everyone who understands something about education knows that the situation cannot be changed overnight. Therefore the first and most important task at hand is to prevent the misuse of spiritual energies and to direct them to positive and constructive directions.
Our sages have already deliberated over this point, how can happiness be channeled toward positive means of expressions. Certainly, the ideal way is "Simcha (joy) of Mitzva," about which the Book of Ecclesiastes (8:15) says, "I praised joyfulness." But not everyone is capable of directing his Simcha to the realm of Mitzvot and learning Torah.
The guidance which is universally applicable is that of the Rambam. Twice the Rambam cautions us that a person who delights himself on the Festivals or on Purim and doesn't include others in his celebration does not fully fulfill the Mitzvah of rejoicing (which is obligatory on these special days). The Rambam writes (in the laws of Yom Tov 6:18) that if one doesn't incorporate in his Simcha "the poor and the despondent, then this is not the Simcha of Mitzva but the Simcha of his stomach." In the laws of Megillah 2:17, the Rambam adds, "There is no great or splendid Simcha besides making happy the hearts of the poor, the orphans, the widows, and the converts, and he who makes these unfortunates happy resembles the Shechina (divine presence), as is written, "to revitalize the spirits of the demoralized, and to give life to the hearts of the downtrodden."
"With the onset of Adar (we must) increase in Simcha" must be interpreted as a directive to make the hearts of the downtrodden happy - the poor, the sick, the needy, people without families, and all those suffering from distress. In short, we have to proclaim the month of Adar as the month of Chesed (kindness). All the energies - to be directed toward Chesed. All the expenditures - for Chesed. All the ingenious plans and sophisticated intrigues - for Chesed. Incentives, activities and creative thinking - for Chesed. Students should get together and brainstorm how to coordinate successful Chesed projects. The administration of the schools will give them financial and logistical support. True, many schools already have Chesed projects in the month of Adar (for example distributing Mishloach Manot in hospitals) but these comprise a minor part of the "Adar experience," they are not the main focus of the month. The Chesed operations will doubtless be at the expense of the regular learning framework, maybe even more than this is true today, but the energies will go toward positive and constructive directions, and not anarchic and destructive ones.
If we stand firm and persevere about this, then we will succeed in creating a new tradition as to the nature of the month of Adar in the educational institutions. If a broad enough coalition forms of principals and educators in elementary and high schools, it can lead a process which will result in an educational revolution in several years. And from then, the month of Adar will cease to be dreaded by educators, but will be a month which itself is educational: the month of Chesed!
The Month of Adar 4. The Three Mitzvot Concerning the Obliteration of Amalek
Chapter 14: The Month of Adar
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
