YeshivaThe torah world Gateway
Beit Midrash
- Family and Society
- Current Events
- Understanding Circumstances
The Torah study is dedicatedin the memory of
Asher Ben Haim
Yet, the claim that the nonreligious stand for freedom and the religious believe in coercion is superficial and mistaken. To the contrary, the goal of achieving freedom from foreign influences lies at the very foundation of religion. According to religion, the root of all sin is the external influences which sways a person from his true inner desire.
This was Adam's sin: he heeded a foreign call—he was tempted by the voice of Eve. This was Eve's sin as well—she was tempted by the snake. Adam did not answer God, saying, "I ate of my own desire." Rather, he said, "the woman influenced me." And the woman did not say "I ate of my own accord." Rather, she said to God, "The snake caused me to to eat." Their sin was that they allowed themselves to be influenced by others and did not remain faithful to their inner selves. When God asked Adam, "Where are you?" Adam did not know how to give a clear answer. God was not merely inquiring as to Adam's physical location, "Where are you standing?" The Almighty's "Where are you?" was addressed to Adam on a spiritual plane—"Who are you?" "Which path have you chosen to take?" Adam did not know how to answer because he had lost himself. He had betrayed his essence, following after foreign influences and bowing down before a foreign God.
This was also the sin of the moon. The Midrash tells us that originally the sun and moon were the same size. The moon, who was not satisfied with this arrangement, wanted more than what befitted her. The moon complained, "Two kings cannot rule with the same crown." She wanted to be the only ruler. She wanted to take the sun's portion for herself, to be something that she really was not. The sin here is that the moon deviated from her true natural essence. In essence, this is the root of all sin in the world: man deviates from his true inner self and fails to give voice to his unique inner nature. This is true of both the individual and group. The group also has an essential uniqueness of its own which it must protect. It must resist the temptation to follow foreign gods. Israel, too, must protect its uniqueness, and be true to its essential Israeli character, its inner desire. We must do this with complete freedom, without any alien exterior pressure. We must be what we really are.
We find, then, that the true ambition of religion is the ambition to achieve complete freedom. This freedom makes it possible for a person to reveal his true inner nature. This, as we have noted, is as true for the nation as it is for the individual. We, the Nation of Israel, must throw off all foreign and coercive influences and become what we really are. What we really are is written in the Torah, which was given to us by the Creator Himself, He Who chose us from amongst all the nations.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
fast navigation
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.
