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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: When the human spirit delves, with all its depth, thought, feelings, desires, and imagination, into the depths of animalistic coarseness, it sets many and deep paths of darkness. The general approach that the paths of darkness employ is to bring the desired "peace" between a person’s evil and lowly tendencies and between his good and lofty tendencies by "killing" the positive tendencies and having the negative ones take control over all of a person’s totality. From there darkness takes over the world.
The phenomenon of the amgosh sets the stage for idol worship, and his ways are very complex. Sometimes such a person has positive things to offer and can teach things that are useful. However the characteristic of the amgosh imprints on everything in which he is involved with venom. Thereby, anything that comes within his domain will cause an increase of darkness and allow a person’s lowly animalistic elements to cause him to be brash and have his side of chutzpa prevail. Even the smallest measures of intellectual attainment that come from such a destructive source have venomous impact. They strengthen a person’s excitement with that which his evil inclination presents in a way that grows and grows in severity. One who learns from an amgosh thus leads himself away from the proper paths of life
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!
