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Beit Midrash
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The Torah warns us not to be overly clever and sanguine about unfolding events. Human eyesight is very limited. For everything that occurs in life carries with it a certain ambiguity and uncertainty. Therefore the Torah insists that we be tamim - simple, whole, almost naïve - in our assessments of events. Faith in God is the only certainty that remains for humans to trust in. Even though there is strict separation of church and state in the United States, the dollar bill proclaims that "In God We Trust." Only the Lord truly knows what events will actually turn out to be blessings. Therefore the great Chasidic masters all proclaim that Jews should pray to the Lord and state that "what is good in Your eyes, so to speak, is what we wish to occur." My teachers in the yeshiva long ago taught us to be careful for what we pray for the Lord may actually hear our request and grant it and that does not always turn out to be of true benefit to us. The great sage, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Chafetz Chaim) stated that there are people who can handle great wealth and thus it can be a great blessing to them and yet there are others who are unable to deal with being very wealthy (especially if it happens suddenly to them) and thus the blessing eventually turns out to be a curse for them and their families. I know from my own personal experience in the rabbinate people who when they earned a middle class salary were wonderful people and when they had fortune seemingly smile upon them and they suddenly became very wealthy they became insufferable to others and eventually even to themselves.
As the new year approaches we all pray for the blessings of a time of true peace, prosperity that we can handle and family harmony and contentment. But the wise person will leave one’s laundry list of requests from Heaven a short one. We should rather submit ourselves to Heaven’s wishes and that whatever is a good in the Lord’s eyes, so to speak, is good and acceptable for us as well. In a world of incessant and insatiable demands for more of everything that is material and thus transient it would be true to Jewish tradition for us to be more humble and sparing in our demands and requests. The truth is that that is very little that we actually need though there is much that we want. The ability to deal with this contradiction in our lives between need and want is the key to spirituality and to contentment in this world and our lives in it. This idea is reinforced throughout the Torah and rabbinic writings. Judaism does not preach poverty or its virtues. But it certainly does preach moderation in all matters for only in moderation can true blessing be found and achieved. We wish to be blessed but we also wish to have blessings in a degree and kind that we can absorb and exploit correctly. And that is what our prayer should be.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
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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.
