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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: The greatest desire that fills the heart of great, righteous people is to always be involved in service of the community, improving it to the maximum, which is the most complete service of Hashem. When such people (Rav Chisda and Rabba) found they could help the public through the judicial system, they did not want to refrain from this holy work for even a short amount of time. How could they turn their back on the community to work on self-improvement, as the latter is focused on the individual? Thus, they neglected taking care of their personal physical and spiritual needs (both can be included in weakening their hearts).
Rav Chiya agreed that improving the community is the highest level of activity. However, involvement in such service should not totally preclude one’s efforts for self-improvement. For one who is involved in communal needs, all of his life, attending to even his personal physical and spiritual needs, is actually serving the community as well, as it enables him to succeed in his future communal work.
All of Moshe’s life was dedicated to the needs of the nation, as is represented by the pasuk that the nation stood over him, i.e., was sustained by him. He is described as being involved in judging them from the morning to the evening, even though this included time he was working on self-improvement, because all his efforts were intended to promote his great communal work. He who desires the best for the community should not neglect his own improvement but should reach the level to realize that his own advancement enables more complete advancement of communal goals.
Work for the public is not measured quantitatively but qualitatively. An hour of activity with a spirit at rest and a healthy body can be more beneficial than constant activity in a manner that weakens the body and overly compromises the spirit. This is the way Hashem created the world – the whole is dependent on its parts, whose advancement is necessary for the success of the whole. Day and night form one unit even though the day includes greater opportunities to act significantly. It is night that allows one to rest and have the strength to act during the day, which makes it equal to the level of the day.
For this reason, one who judges ideally for one hour is one whose every activity, whether intense Torah study, maintaining his health, or perfecting his refinement and ethics, enables him to positively influence others in the fullest sense. Getting the parts of the world to work symbiotically is basic to creation, and those who promote this are thus like partners in creation. Since the foundation of a Torah-based legal system is to help society function ethically, being a judge is also a great contribution to perfecting the world that Hashem created. This partnership can be reached through a small amount of public work, when the rest of his work is sincerely dedicated to making himself fit to continue serving the public.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
Rabbis in Midrash
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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.
