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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
The Rabbis taught [in a baraita]: One who enters a bathhouse says as follows: "May it be your will, Hashem, our G-d, to save me from this and similar things, and no destructive thing should occur to me, and if something destructive or related to sin does occur, let my death be atonement for all of my sins." Abayei [from the later period of Amoraim] said: A person should not speak in such a way, for one should not open his mouth to the Satan, as Reish Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Yossi: One should never open up his mouth to the Satan. Rav Yosef said: What pasuk supports this idea? It is written: "We were almost like S’dom; we were similar to Amora" (Yeshaya 1:9). What does the navi respond: "Listen to the word of Hashem, oh officers of S’dom" (ibid. 10).
Ein Ayah: One who is healthy in body and in spirit will not be afraid, and his contemplations will not shake him. Even when he imagines great tragedies, his bravery/confidence will not disappear. That is why in baraita, written at the time when the nation lived in its own Land in relative tranquility and with a spirit that was intact, spoke about potentially tragic things openly without it causing any damage to people’s spirits.
However, in the time of exile (Abayei lived in Bavel), when spirits were weakened, one’s emotions have to be more carefully protected, as people were more apt to lose their confidence, especially when they contemplated frightening scenarios. Once a person with a weakened spirit utters something frightening, it will be difficult for him to remove it from his thoughts. That is why one should not "open his mouth to the Satan," as the characteristics of weakness that have clung to Hashem’s nation due to the pressure exerted by its enemies and its many problems make it necessary to avoid anything that could further frighten it. This is despite the fact that within the personality of the Jewish people there is an innate strength of spirit.
The weakening of the spirit and lack of courage cause the likelihood of deterioration both in the physical and the spiritual realms. When a person’s healthy confidence is shaken, then external ideas of doom are able to infiltrate his mind and impact on his psyche. Therefore, one should even avoid saying anything that could paint a negative spiritual picture of himself and his prospects. When Yeshaya spoke of a comparison of Bnei Yisrael to the people of S’dom, that type of rebuke which displayed a resignation of sorts to the bleakness of the people’s spiritual state actually caused a lowering of the spirit. In that case, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy, prompting the subsequent prophecy to depict them as being deserving of being called the "officers of S’dom."
This teaches us in a broad manner that when giving rebuke, one should not describe a situation, whether from a physical or a spiritual perspective, as fitting of resignation and great darkness. Such words will not elevate the people but lower their dignity to the ground, weaken their resolve, and degrade them. These ideas that lower the spirit have their impact both on an individual and a national level in a manner that the subjects are not able to overcome.
Various Rabbis
Various Rabbis including those of of Yeshivat Bet El, such as Rabbi Chaim Katz, Rabbi Binyamin Bamberger and Rabbi Yitzchak Greenblat and others.
Moreshet Shaul Moreshet Shaul: A Crown and its Scepter – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 294-5
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.
