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Beit Midrash
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- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: The ability of prayer to improve one’s material and spiritual wellbeing, as Hashem incorporated into nature, depends on one understanding clearly what prayer is.
A person should know that all his strengths and the circumstances that surround him are arranged with Divine wisdom. When a person feels upset due to personal or communal circumstances and his pure heart turns to Hashem in prayer, this helps his moral standing. He need not be concerned with the philosophical question of whether people’s prayers can cause a change in the Divine plan. In truth, that which can bring a person to completeness (i.e., prayer) is part of the all-encompassing Divine plan. Since a person’s soul flourishes when he feels Hashem’s closeness upon turning to Him, nature is set up so that such beseeching before Him will be fruitful.
A person should concentrate in his prayer just on the feeling of connecting emotionally to Hashem through the process. It should not include intellectual calculations of gain and loss or determining philosophical truths based on it. The power of prayer was created for the feelings of the soul, not the limited human intellect.
If one delves deeply into the expected results of his prayer, he will not receive the results he seeks but will experience great disappointment. Rather he should treasure the ability to turn to Him with a full and thirsting soul. Hashem did not create man just for his intellect, but also so that his heart would be most moved when praying to Hashem in a time of need.
It is crucial to save oneself from over-intellectualization of the experience of prayer, which stems from one’s desire to feel that he can capture Hashem’s providence within his intellect. However, Hashem is beyond that and wants to engage man by giving him life in the realm of the body and the emotions, as well. That is why one who spends a long time on his prayer, but does so in a manner of trying to analyze what will come of it, will experience heartache. If someone treats the power of prayer as a power of nature [which must succeed], he will not only lose the full experience but will come to false beliefs.
It is important for man to have faith in Hashem to keep his physical and spiritual state stable so that he not be shocked and overpowered by the physical world. He thereby learns that not everything that man thinks is good is indeed so, for everything in the world is guided by Hashem. He will also not be despondent when times are hard and foreboding, for nothing can prevent Hashem from bringing salvation. Faith is not intended to make a person lazy and inattentive to the efforts needed for the success of the individual or the group. Faith is certainly not intended to give a person the confidence to put himself in a position of danger. That is why one must not walk next to a leaning wall.
Divine judgment is a pillar of the world, but that is primarily to keep a man’s evil inclination in check. It is not something that a person should misuse for personal gain at the expense of another person. If he does so, it will not help but will pollute his soul and will cause his sins to be remembered.
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
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
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.
