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Beit Midrash
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Ein Ayah: The greatest level of a leader of a nation is that he should consider himself so dedicated to the needs of the people he leads that he fully appreciates their worth, their situations, and their specific needs. Specifically, he should be able to not view these elements of the people’s lives from his own perspective but to lower himself into their situation in a clear manner, as if he is standing in the same predicament and in one place with them.
When this delicate characteristic is found in abundance in a righteous judge, it will cause him to "go down" to the people, travelling from one place of their inhabitation to another place. This will then naturally cause him to lower his spirit to their inner situation, which is quite distant from his own level. In that way, he will raise them up, take them with him, and judge them with justice and with an approach of belief. Such a holy judge will be led by a great internal strength to keep the judicial apparatus functioning on firm footing without the need for intimidating officers to enforce the smooth running of the judicial system.
However, to reach this level is no simple thing. How great and lofty, holy and transcendent, it is?! How much spirit of Hashem must a person have upon him to know how to lead those who are far from his level based on their true situation?! Shmuel was blessed with these abilities, and therefore his "spirit took him" to travel from place to place in the cities of his fellow Jews – going down to them and raising them up to him, as opposed to influencing them from his high station.
Shmuel’s sons did not attain their father’s high level in this regard. They decided to judge the people from their own places according to their understanding. Such justice cannot be definite, and therefore it needs a judicial apparatus to support it. These positions were filled by assistants and scribes who received pay. Shmuel’s sons’ actions could not be considered a sin in the regular sense of the meaning; however, this was not the way of their father, who was chosen by Hashem – the righteous Shmuel.
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.
