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Beit Midrash
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"They despised the Coveted Land" (Tehillim 106:24). Did they despise it, or did they just fear the dangers involved? Midrash Tanchuma (Shelach 5) brings an ostensibly inaccurate parable. A king selected the most wonderful bride for his son. The son asked to see her before agreeing to marry her because he did not believe his father. The king decreed that his son would see how wonderful the girl was but would not marry her; rather, the son’s son would. For the story to be parallel the son should have seen the girl and rejected her. More accurately, he should have been scared off by fear of rival suitors and not trusted his father’s promise to defend him. What do we make of the comparison as is?
The parable has a deep message, comparing the Land reserved for Bnei Yisrael to a beautiful bride selected for a prince. Popular culture and experience teach that a man who is really in love will do most anything to "secure" the woman he wants to marry. Obstacles and even danger will not deter him. Had Bnei Yisrael been as enthralled with the Promised Land as they should have been after Hashem’s promise, they would not have asked to check it out. Similarly, the fearful reaction to the spies’ evaluation was a further sign of their initial lack of enthusiasm. Otherwise, love would have made them cast fears aside and prepare to overcome the obstacles. (Those with an eye on Israeli politics could claim a modern parallel). Thus, Bnei Yisrael’s fate was already set when their indifference prompted the scouts’ mission, as the midrash implies. The rest was just playing out the plot.
The midrash teaches additional lessons. The king knew that he wanted the woman as mother of his dynasty’s future generations. He also wanted his son to have the pleasure of her companionship. When the son proved unworthy, she entered the king’s family at the next stage. Following the parable through, we see a not so rosy picture. By the time the prince begot a son of marriageable age, the bride had aged and was presumably not as fit for her new groom as she would have been for his father. Similarly, the generation that should have had Israel as a "mother" had the desert as a "mother" and Israel as a "wife." While still a wonderful "wife," one has to suspect that the delay of a generation was more than a matter of time but hindered the next generation’s chances of developing in the ideal manner.
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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.
