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Beit Midrash
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- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: It is true that wisdom "spreads its branches out" over the entire world of thought and all the elements of life and activity. It covers good and evil, and truth and falsehood, so that from all of these the power of clarification and the light of life can be expanded. In fact, from matters of stupidity, matters of wisdom become known (Zohar, Vayakhel 47:2). Yet, in order to really understand matters, the feeling of the heart is often integral to the knowledge itself. In such a case, while he can imagine with his mind, he will not be able to grasp them until he also feels them with the heart.
The above creates a self-conflicting situation, which makes it incredibly hard for great people, who have elevated themselves properly in seeking truth and justice, to reach full wisdom. On the one hand, these people need to "arm themselves" with every area of knowledge in the world, including paths of evil, foreign influences, and inanity. These include feeling the negative elements, for only by internalizing them will one be able to rule over those elements and turn them into powers of goodness and divine light. On the other hand, if he feels them as they are, he runs the risk of actually falling into the "net" of the evil.
It is therefore necessary for the great man, who far exceeds a normal person, to first make special preparations in field of ethics, and develop a holy attribute of truth. Then he can delve into the very essence of matters until the depths of his heart and soul. If he succeeds at reaching this unique level, then even the lowly exposure to evil cannot harm him, but will enrich his recognition in a way that will enable him to contribute to the nation as a whole by teaching them how to avoid the pitfalls of the evil.
This ability, to reach the depths of all matters, whether good or bad, in a manner that encases all elements of his life, was a central goal of Shlomo in building his monarchal dynasty for all generations. That required him to go to the depths of even the most foreign worlds, including those from which a normal person would not be able to extricate himself. Shlomo, in contrast, had all the tools and the motivation to prepare himself. Because of that, the inclination toward evil developed in him only when he became older, by which time he had already filled himself with proper preparation to handle the challenge. That is when his wives turned his heart toward other gods. In such a case, the fact that his personal heart was not as complete as David’s, and in fact brought him to the brink of terrible sin, was actually an advantage in his quest to improve the nation. It was actually the tendency toward the sin that ensured that he would not sin because he internalized the fact that these sinful matters were full of depravity that can trap people. Only the greatest of all minds could succeed to follow such a dangerous path – to have his heart go toward sin but not to act in sin as a result.
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.
