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Asher Shmuel ben Rivka
He heard, for example, about what happened to R' Zaira when he traveled to Israel. Because R' Zaira so desired to reside in the land he eagerly jumped into the river that led into Israel and began to cross by foot despite the danger involved. When ridiculed by a gentile, he responded, "If the likes of Moses and Aaron did not merit to dwell there, who is to say that I shall merit? Who is to say that I will merit entering the land of Israel? Therefore I cannot afford to put it off for even a few moments, for perhaps some sort of obstruction will arise inhibiting me from entering."
When the Khazar king heard all of these things, he said to the Rabbi, "This being the case, you are violating a Torah commandment by not immigrating to Israel, by not making the Land of Israel your place of living and dying. In your prayers you say, 'Have mercy on Zion, for it is our life's home,' and you believe that the Divine Presence will return to Israel, yet still you do not immigrate. Even if its only quality was that the Divine Presence previously dwelled there for about nine hundred years in the era of the First and Second Temples, this would be enough for a person to long to make his home in Israel.
Foundations of Faith (51)
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed
28 - 28. Expression of the Land's Preeminence
29 - 29. “You have shamed me, King of Khazar”
30 - 30. The Preeminence of the Holy Land (Continued)
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"This so, why do you and the entire people of Israel not make your way to the land of Israel this very day? Is it not hypocritical to pray, kneel, and bow down in the direction of Israel yet not immigrate?" This is what the King of the Khazar's asked the Rabbi.
The Rabbi responded, saying, "You are indeed correct. You have shamed me, King of Khazar. What can I say? It is this very sin that prevented us from achieving that which God promised us in the Second Temple, as it says, 'Rejoice and be happy daughter of Zion, for I am coming and will dwell in your midst, says God' (Zechariah 2:14). This means that the Divinity was prepared to settle in the Second Temple as it had previously in the First Temple, provided that the Jewish people would all agree to return to Israel eagerly. Instead, only some returned, while the majority – including important leaders – remained in Babylon. They preferred subservience in the Diaspora, so that they would not have to part from their homes and affairs.
Owing to this, the goals which God had set for the Second Temple were not fulfilled in their entirety. The Divine promises were fulfilled only on a small scale, commensurate to the meager awakening. If we had been ready to draw near to the God of our forefathers wholeheartedly, surely God would have been willing to save us as he saved our forefathers in Egypt. And so, our recitations of such prayers as, 'Bow down to the Mount of His holiness,' 'Bow down to His footstool,' 'Blessed are you Who returns His Divine Presence to Zion,' and the likes, are merely like the warble of the parrot and other birds who imitate human voices with no true intention.
"You are correct Khazar king, Israel's persistent presence in the exile is but a weakness, a shortcoming, a disgrace that must be put to an end."
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.
