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The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
Asher Ben Haim
1. The Almighty exercises His Divine providence over all of creation. He did not simply create the the universe and then abandon it. Rather, He directs and oversees His handiwork.
2. The Almighty is all-powerful. He is the unrivaled Ruler of all, and there is absolutely nothing in existence which escapes his providence.
3. The Almighty gave the Torah to Israel. It is therefore not a human creation but a Divine one.
Three monumental events in history serve to reinforce the above-mentioned principles: the Exodus from Egypt, the Splitting of the Red Sea, and the Giving of the Torah.
Foundations of Faith (51)
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed
14 - 20. God's Incorporeality
15 - 19. Divine Providence and Prophetic Revelation
16 - 14. Contradictions between Science and Torah
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The Exodus from Egypt. God freed us with miracles and wonders and with a great outstretched arm from a most terrible bondage. He released us from our complete subjugation to Pharaoh and the Egyptians. This event revealed God as Overseer of His creation. He saw the privation of our forefathers, heard their cries, and came to their rescue. The Torah relates that when Moses came to take His people out of Egypt, "the people believed" - i.e., their faith in God's all-encompassing providence was firmly established.
The Splitting of the Red Sea. This miracle was greater than any of the other miracles performed in Egypt. The sea opened up and the Children of Israel passed through on dry land. The waters became like "walls on each side of them." This transformation of water to dry land held still so long as the Israelites passed through the sea. The closing of the waters upon the pursuing Egyptian army was a miracle which clearly demonstrated God's omnipotence and His ability to change the laws of nature completely. At this point, the people’s faith in God was unquestionably established. It became clear that everything is subordinate to His rule, as the verse states: "And they believed in God, and in Moses His servant" (Exodus 14:31).
The Giving of the Torah. Via the Divine revelation at Sinai it became known that God reveals Himself to man through speech. The prophecy of Moses and prophecy in general were thus substantiated. It was firmly established that prophecy is not a dream, the workings of the imagination, or some other kind of powerful outpouring of human emotion. Prophecy is definitively unlike any other sense or cognition that man is familiar with. It is not some form of overpowering hallucination in which man imagines that he is hearing real voices or seeing actual sights. Prophecy is not some earth-shattering dream of which a person remains intensely aware when awakening. It is not a burning inner sense - it is something else completely. The difference between prophecy and imagination is even greater than that between the the heavens and the earth. Unfamiliar with prophecy, man tries to compare it to mental faculties he is familiar with, but this is a terrible mistake. Prophecy does not originate from man's inner faculties, but from the Almighty Himself. God causes man to prophesy. All human faculties are as nothing in light of the enormity of prophetic revelation. When an individual experiences prophecy he is instantly transformed into a different person. He is illuminated by the Divine light, the Divine light which penetrates his whole body and changes him into a different person. Only a individual who has personally experienced prophecy knows how to distinguish between prophetic inspiration and other human faculties such as imagination and dream.
Recognition of the fact that God causes man to prophesy, that He Himself gave the Torah to the Jewish people, was attained by the Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. At that time, the entire nation heard the word of God in the form of the Ten Commandments. The entire nation prophesied. At that time, faith in the fact that God speaks to man and has presented man with His Divine Word in the form of the Torah was established. It became clear that Moses was, and would forever be, the greatest of all prophets, and that he stood between God and the people when giving the Torah to Israel. It is hence written, "God said to Moses, 'I shall come to you in a thick cloud so that all the people will hear when I speak to you. They will then believe in you forever" (Exodus 19:9).
In sum, through the Exodus from Egypt, the Splitting of the Red Sea, and the Giving of the Torah, the three fundamental principles of the Jewish faith were established: (1) the Almighty exercises providence over creation, (2) He is the unrivaled Ruler over all, and (3) the Torah was Divinely given from God.
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The translation of Exodus 19:9 was taken from Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's The Living Torah (Moznayim)/
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.
