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Beit Midrash
- Sections
- Chemdat Yamim
- Ein Ayah
Ein Ayah: The life of a shepherd brings one to healthy intellectual contemplation, in which one looks inward, and in a real, not artificial, manner. A shepherd’s life contains a lot of partnership with nature. It also does not include the type of back-breaking toil of working the land, which connects one more strongly to the material element of agriculture. That is the reason that our forefathers, who were mankind’s greatest thinkers, were shepherds.
The path of elevating one’s thought process always starts with unclear ideas. Out of their foggy characteristics comes only a great cloud of imagination. However, within the "cloud," there are great treasures, which become ever clearer, bringing light from within the darkness.
The standard status of the animals of a flock follows the pattern of human thought. If not for our ancestral shepherds, we would not have any clear thoughts. If not for the foggy thoughts, which always fill the human mind in the beginning, we would not be able to reach the eventual light that comes. Rather, first comes the set of hurried thought, which is represented by the dark-haired goats, which run forward in disarray. They precede the "orderly" group of white sheep, which represent the light.
This is the model that the shepherd sees in the flock, to which his life is dedicated. First he sees the unclear part of his group of thoughts, followed later by the discarding of the dark ideas, as from them the clear ideas emerge. This is the only way to get to more logical ideas, which become the basis for all elements of his moral life. This is the natural life. One should never give up on the life of imagination that rules over us because the light shines through it.
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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Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
D'varim Judaism’s Social Vision
Re’eh
Giving is more than an act of generosity—it is an essential part of human dignity that belongs to everyone, rich and poor alike. The ultimate goal of help is to empower others to stand on their own.
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.
