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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Parashat Hashavua
- Torah Portion and Tanach
- Bamidbar
- Beha'alotcha
[This is part of a d’var Torah addressed to a bar mitzva boy.]
"When you raise up the lights, toward the face of the menora shall the seven lamps give light" (Bamidbar 8:2). There are seven lamps in the menora, and the commentators explain that this corresponds to the seven wisdoms in the world. A condition for the proper use of these wisdoms is that they all give their light toward the face of the menora, which is their sole purpose. The gemara (Shabbat 22b) tells us that this refers to "the western light, from which they would start and they would finish." [This light hints at the light of Torah, and it served as a testament, as the same amount of oil placed in that lamp would last all day, while the others did not – see Rashi ad loc. and Ein Ayah, Shabbat 2:17.]
There is another condition in reference to the menora. "Its knobs and its flowers shall be from it" (Shemot 25:31). Our wisdom is unlike that of the Greeks, which Rabbi Yehuda Halevi described as having flowers but no fruit. Rather, the knobs and the flowers will all be fundamentally linked to each other. The development of aesthetics, of morality, and of science must all stem from one whole piece.
"From its base to its flower" (Bamidbar 8:4). The flower on the top must form one piece with the base. The previous generations serve as a base for us, who are only additional pieces added to the vessel that our predecessors created and built. They are the proper basis for our development, our behavior, and our world view. It is true that society has changed, but we must not look at ourselves as the generation that started things from scratch. Those who taught the generation of "sabras" in Israel to think that they began the new Jewish history are now bitterly disappointed by the sour fruit that their theories brought forth. "Look at the rock from which you were quarried and to the chasm from which you were chiseled. Look at your father Avraham and at Sarah, who bore you" (Yeshaya 51:1-2). We have deep roots in the past; we have an old trunk, which is well entrenched due to its roots, and we are nothing but a direct continuation of them.
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.
