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Beit Midrash
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- Ein Aya
Ein Ayah: The factors that calm the mind so that one does not react emotionally and get annoyed at people come in a few forms. One is when one is at complete rest, in which case he is so calm that he does not become irritated. On the other hand, that situation could cause annoyance because the person can be upset the irritating event has taken him away from the calm he enjoyed. Yet, the calm setting does give him the peace of mind that usually allows him to handle the situation well, even though someone is trying to remove him from his good feeling.
Sometimes one who is in taxing circumstances will actually be trained to be calm and patient, even though he will be lacking full calmness. This is because he can become trained to deal with vexing circumstances and come out of them reasonably.
The worst situation is when something upsetting arises when one is in a period of pressure and is preparing to be extricated from it. After all, he is not yet within a state of calm, but he is looking forward to having the calmness and not bracing himself to deal with additional upsetting matters. Therefore, for these two reasons, he is most susceptible to becoming agitated.
Another thing that prepares one to not get upset is if he is in the mode of being around people, in which case he prepares himself to deal with different types of behaviors from various people. In contrast, when one is concerned with his own needs in such a manner that modesty requires him to separate himself from others, then he is even more susceptible to losing his patience at a difficult person.
Let us consider the situation one is in before Shabbat. One has been involved in troubling things during the course of the week and is now preparing for a tranquility that has not yet arrived. When he is bathing, he is further in a situation of needing and wanting to be away from others. This is the exact circumstance in which the man who was full of chutzpah chose to try to upset Hillel. The supreme humility with which Hillel acted at that time proved that this was a characteristic that was at the depths of his type of sanctity. All the preparations taken to pick the time that was most likely to upset Hillel did not help. We see that true modesty is in the heart and soul of the modest person and does not need to be aided by favorable circumstances. That is why Hillel is described as being the epitome of tolerance and humility.
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
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part I
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part I
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Our King on Rosh Hashana, Our Father on Yom Kippur.
Based on Aroch Siach, p. 221 (Rav Shaul Yisraeli)
P'ninat Mishpat A Non-Contractor in Changing Times – part II
(based on ruling 85128 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Moreshet Shaul Hashem Is your Shadow – part II
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 420 – an address from 1941
Parashat Hashavua Happiness for the Right Reasons
[With painful longing, we share these divrei Torah from our co-Rosh Kollel for close to 40 years, Harav Moshe Ehrenreich zt”l.]
Israel and the Nations A Few Minutes & Many Innovative Ideas on Antisemitism & What to do About It
As we approach the High Holidays, this short lecture (18 minutes) deals with the unfortunate situation of how Israel and the Jewish People stand against antisemitism, analyzing its cause according to Rav Kook, and how to deal with the issue pragmatically & via our prayers.
Ha'azinu PURSUIT is PERFECTION
p. Ha'azinu, Shabbat Shuva
Rav Kook deals with the question of the seemingly hopeless nature of Tshuva. For G-d Himself knows that He created us with free will, which inevitably means we will sometimes make mistakes and choose wrong. This can easily be frustrating, freezing us into inaction and ye'ush (loss of hope). If one sins even once, does he chalila have no choice but suicide?! Moreover, our Godly conscience demands justice, righteousness and perfection, but we all know this is impossible, so what's the solution? Rav Kook's innovative thinking, strongly based on chazal (our sages), offers an inciteful and important aspect to this topic, especially this time of year!
