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Stories usually carry with them great moral messages and life lessons if they are correctly understood and interpreted. I have always been an avid listener to stories, and I have benefited greatly from their teachings and moral direction. Stories teach in a gentle and even indirect fashion, and to be a very high form of educational technique and methodology. And many stories have the advantage of being memorable and thus remain in our memory bank and are much more accessible oftentimes than hard lessons taught directly.
The moral lessons of stories seep into our personalities and viewpoints and are an enormous aid in the development of our intellect and spiritual growth. In utter simplicity, one can say that the entire narrative, of the holy books of the Bible, is told to us in the fashion and style of stories so that we will be able to correctly absorb and assess the eternal lessons meant to be conveyed from God, so to speak, to human beings.
An example of the value of a story is: Goethe and Beethoven were taking a walk together when they were confronted by Archdukes dressed in all their regalia and finery. Goethe motioned to Beethoven that they should move off the path and stand at the side of the road and bow in respect to these two noblemen, allowing them to pass before them on the garden path. Beethoven apparently did not hear what was said to him or purposely ignored the message and kept on walking straight down the path. When he came face-to-face with the two noblemen, they recognized him and realized that here was one of the immortal and great musical geniuses of Germany, in fact of all-time, standing before them. The nobleman separated and stood at the side of the path while Beethoven marched on his way seemingly oblivious to them. A few minutes later Goethe caught up to Beethoven and inquired of him as to what the source of his courage was that enabled him to continue walking between the noblemen without any signs of fear, respect or trepidation, causing them to make way for him on the garden path. Beethoven replied simply: "There are thousands of them but there are only two of us."
How much wisdom and intellectual astuteness lies in that comment! The measure of human beings is never by quantity or numbers. There is no doubt that in the eyes of the posterity of human civilization, Goethe and Beethoven more than balance the importance of thousands of flamboyant Archdukes.
The Torah emphasizes this point many times, especially regarding the Jewish people and the relatively small population that Jews would constitute over all the ages of humanity. The Torah specifically tells us that Jewish people are special not because of the numbers, for in fact they are rather small and few considering the billions of human beings that inhabit our planet. Nevertheless, it is the uniqueness of human beings and not their numbers that determine their true worth and value and therefore grant selective immortality to the few – ‘there are only two of us’ – rather than the many – ‘there are thousands of them.’ Every person needs to see one's self as an important individual, someone unique and special and incomparable as well.
Science eventually may be able to clone physical characteristics and even body parts and skeletons, but the secret of personalities and creativity remains locked within each individual and cannot be copied or duplicated. All honors, titles and awards granted by humans to humans are but temporary blips on the radar screen of human civilization. What a person accomplishes by himself or herself, by the uniqueness of one's own personality and talents, industry and efforts, is what is really lasting and remains the legacy that human beings truly achieve. It is comforting and heartening to know that there are only two of us though there may be thousands of them.
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.
