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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: The reason the gemara has to find a source for the beracha on smell is that there is logic to say that the reason for berachot is to prevent one who is involved in animalistic enjoyment from sinking into animalistic lowliness. In that regard, the function of the beracha would be to remind him to attach to the physical benefit a spiritual benefit of recognizing Hashem’s role in creating with kindness all of mankind’s enjoyments.
If it were the case that the beracha was to prevent negative influences, then it would be necessary only for lower-level enjoyments such as eating and drinking. In contrast, delicate enjoyments such as smell, which by nature elevate the spirit and its strengths, would not require a beracha. That is why the gemara refers to smell as something from which the soul benefits and the body does not. In other words, it does not bring one to animalistic behavior. Yet the pasuk that refers to benefit of the soul says that this experience should also be the impetus to praise Hashem. The reason is that the purpose of a beracha is not merely to protect from negative but for the positive of elevating one to recognize his Maker. When one makes a beracha on a good smell, where there is no fear of the negative, he strengthens the realization that the beracha exists so that we should gain the positive.
The Loss of a Tzaddik
(condensed from Ein Ayah, Berachot 6:43)
Gemara: When Rav died, his disciples escorted him to burial. When they came back, they said: "Let us go and eat bread by the Dank River." When they were about to eat, they wondered whether each one should make his own beracha because they were sitting but not reclining, or whether the fact that they discussed eating together is equivalent to reclining and one could exempt the others from making the berachot. They did not know the answer. Rav Ada bar Ahava got up and moved the rip in the garment (from the mourning for Rav) to the back and made another rip, saying: "Rav has died, and we don’t even know the laws of berachot on food." Finally, a sage came, contrasted a mishna and a baraita, and concluded that discussing eating together is equivalent to reclining.
Ein Ayah: The loss to the world upon the death of a tzaddik is two-fold, like his importance to the world during his life. One element is the lofty segula (roughly, the special spiritual conduciveness). Namely, when a holy person is in the world, it certainly brings on shleimut to those who are both near to and far from the tzaddik. The second element is from the more direct benefit that people extracted from his Torah knowledge and his righteousness.
The first element is broader and deeper and is thus the focus of one’s thoughts during the ripping of the clothes. However, when the halachic issue arose and they did not have a solution, Rav’s disciples felt more strongly their personal loss of a teacher to whom to turn, and Rav Ada decided to do something in recognition of this feeling. They turned the clothes around to indicate that this second element now eclipsed, in their cognizant thought, the first, general element.
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.
