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Beit Midrash
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- The Seven Weeks of Condolence
The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
Yaakov Ben Behora
The result was that Jews lost interest altogether in seeking out a uniquely Jewish thought process. And even if by chance one were to stumble upon such a process, it was either ignored or quickly swept under the rug.
One of the more important Jewish traits - a trait which was weakened as a result of the influence of the nations - is the instinctive faith in a Creator and Overseer of the universe. The Jewish people are, in the words of the sages, "faithful believers, and the offspring of faithful believers." In contradistinction, "All non-Jews forget God."
The nations' forgetfulness regarding the Almighty is not the fruit of modern times (though some mistakenly believe this to be the case); ancient Greek philosophy already viewed heresy as an advanced form of thinking. Surprisingly, however, we find that the Judaism of the same era, despite its familiarity with Greek culture, chose to ignore entirely the sorts of theological problems which the Greeks raised; Judaism flatly refused to employ similar methods - even for the purpose of a counterattack. Judaism does not posses a philosophical tract dealing with religious skepticism. And if we do find something along these lines it exists in Philo who hailed from Alexandria in Egypt. The independent Jew, nurtured in independent Israel, was a religious believer by his very nature. He could only be perplexed by the speculative web within which the Gentile world was helplessly tangled. For him, the very question did not exist. Hence he was free from any sense of a need to respond. And while the experiences of Abaye and Rabba as recorded in the Talmud constituted the foundation of entire world of Jewish thought, and all attendant difficulties, interpretations, and details were milled and ground in the study halls of Israel and Babylon, still, the point of departure for all of this mental exertion (an exertion which possesses no counterpart in world literature, whether in depth or breadth) is the Torah. - and the most basic underlying principle of the Torah is: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
Our consolation, then, will also be twofold in nature. But it will only come if together with our physical rebirth as a nation we return to the source of our existence; only if we free ourselves from the chains of European culture and thought in which, lacking any sense of self-worth, we have tied ourself.
The complete consolation will only arrive when we learn how to restore faith as our purest and most natural sense, when we understand that these notions of forgetting God so common to Europe are the continuation and outgrowth of an earlier, more ancient tendency. Only then will the true consolation arrive.
The Seven Weeks of Condolence Hester Panim, Exile and Redeption
Shiv'a de-Nechemta: The Philosophy of Comfort and Redemption - 6
The Seven Weeks of Condolence God's Punishment and Comfort are our Support
Shiv'a de-Nechemta: The Philosophy of Comfort and Redemption - 4
The Seven Weeks of Condolence Is Redemption Fixed or Flexible
Shiv'a de-Nechemta: The Philosophy of Comfort and Redemption - 1
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.
