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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
One who sees the Great Sea recites the blessing … when he sees it periodically. How long a break constitutes periodically? Rami bar Abba says in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: thirty days.
Ein Ayah: The reason for the time period of thirty days is that we learn wisdom from the heavenly bodies, as the pasuk says: "Lift up your eyes to the heavens and see who created these" (Yeshaya 40:26). Of all the heavenly bodies, the one that is closest and most linked to our own planet of Earth is the Moon. That is why the Jewish people count the passage of time based on the orbit of the Moon. The Moon’s creation also has special significance for the needs of our planet. Part of its effect has to do with the fact that the amount of time of the Moon’s orbit is connected to renewed feelings, which makes it appropriate to recite a new beracha based on it.
For this reason, also, new Moons are a time of atonement for Israel, as it is a time when a new spirit takes the place of an old spirit. At that time, it is possible to create a ‘new heart’ in matters of wisdom and fear of Hashem.
The Effects of Environment on a Person
(condensed from Ein Ayah, Berachot 9:165)
Gemara: What is [the significance of the name] Chidekel (the Tigris River)? It represents that its water is chad (crisp) and kal (light). What is [the significance of the name] Prat (the Euphrates River)? It represents that its water is ever increasing. Rava said: that which the people of Mechoza are sharp is due to the fact that they drink from the water of the Tigris.
Ein Ayah: Quality and quantity are two special characteristics. The Tigris excels in the quality of its water and the Euphrates in the quantity of its water (see also Shabbat 65b).
A river’s water has an impact on the local environment. The better the water’s quality, the better the vegetation that grows there and the animals that live there will be. As a result, the people who live in the region and are nourished by the above will acquire special attributes affecting their physical constitution. Even a person’s spiritual makeup, which is connected to the status of his body and its health, will be positively impacted. This teaches us generally how important it is to learn how to improve our physical well-being, as it impacts our spiritual well-being.
The people of Mechoza were known for their sharpness, which, in the intellectual realm, corresponds to the element of quality, in which the waters of the Tigris excelled. This is in contrast to the ability to amass knowledge, which corresponds to the element of quantity. This should teach a person in general that Hashem created everything in a measured-out manner.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
