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Beit Midrash
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There have been many attempts in human history, especially by dictatorial governments and autocratic institutions, to treat all human beings the same, and to mobilize them into a rigid society where the individual really counts for nothing. Amazingly enough, despite all this force and attempts to control society, the human spirit has resisted and refused to be crushed, with the need to remain individualistic and unique at almost all cost to themselves, and they have always triumphed in the end.
There is a spark within each of us that constantly reminds us of our individuality and uniqueness, and reassures us that no matter what, each of us is special. This has been a Jewish view of human beings from time immemorial. Human beings, from the very beginning, were created as individuals, and therefore people should never be considered just a large herd of moving organisms. We all were created as unique people, and there never again will be anyone exactly like me in the world.
This fact of life has been borne out to me when I look back over the past year, and realize how many good friends, unique individuals and treasured mentors have passed on and are no longer here. Each one is, to me, completely irreplaceable. None of them are indispensable to my continued functionality and physical well-being. But I feel myself a lesser person simply because these people that I so treasured no longer exist.
There are even moments when I forget that they are no longer here, and I pick up the telephone and dial his or her number, fully expecting that there should somehow be a response at the other end of the line. Naturally, I have always come up short when I realize my error. It only reinforces in me this strong idea about the difference between being indispensable and irreplaceable. We are all afflicted by the passage of time, whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. But part of the damage that the passage of time inflicts upon us is the inevitable loss of people whose presence in our lives we value. At one and the same time, this brings forth within us a feeling of sadness, but also an appreciation for the gift that was bestowed upon us, simply by knowing that person. To a certain extent, this sense of loss that we feel is balanced by the sense of appreciation and recognition that one can gain only what one truly appreciates what is now missing in one's life and existence.
Perhaps, this accounts for the universal human trait of establishing memorials and monuments. These memorials sometimes are physical, such as the stone monuments that mark the final resting place of that person. But there are also the memorials, spiritual, educational, and social that we erect to invoke the memory of the deceased on a more permanent basis.
It is the very uniqueness of that person that was so valuable in life that now distinguishes the memory of that person and fuels our desire to share that memory with others of our own and future generations. People sense that memory is somehow inextricably bound up with immortality, and that if a person is yet remembered in this world, the immortality of that person is guaranteed. Part of the tragedy of our time is that there are millions of unique individuals who were done to the death in the name of a higher purpose or fanciful utopia and have no memorial to mark the path that they walked in their lifetimes. The most dreaded fear that human beings harbor within themselves is that they will be forgotten, and it will be as though they never were here at all. However, if we think of people as being irreplaceable, the memory of them is unique and remains.
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.
