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As for me, always the contrarian, I have a certain nostalgia for the lockdowns we experienced. At first, I admit, it was indeed frightening and oh so constraining. Couldn’t move more than 100 meters from home; food had to be washed down, clothes cleaned or burned (that may be an exaggeration) and more-than-subtle hints that that life as we know it had ended. We started stockpiling food, batteries and magazines, and we said our goodbyes to distant relatives, just in case the phone lines and cell towers went down.
But slowly, as we moved our center of balance inwards, we discovered a whole new world that had been all but forgotten. We began to appreciate our family more intensely, for as we agonized over those who had tragically succumbed to the disease, we understood in a very real way that life is short and must never be taken for granted. Because so many places of entertainment had closed, we learned how to entertain ourselves by being creative. We read more because we had the time. I wrote more because I had the urge. We reached out via phone and computer to fellow shut-ins. We cooked for ourselves, and experimented with new dishes and diets, at the same time creating our own workout regimens to avoid the dreaded Corona calorie curse. As travel stopped and the borders shrunk, we learned new ways to expand our horizons.
But the greatest joy came on Shabbat and holidays. Once the clock stopped, the serenity started. With synagogues on hold, we could finally devote the time we always lacked to appreciate what we were doing. We prayed at our leisure – each of us taking turns being the Chazan - and actually paused to think about the words we were saying, without fear of falling hopelessly behind the congregation as it hurried towards some artificial time limit. We discussed the weekly Torah portion at length, uncovering countless new insights and lessons that we had somehow missed in the decades before. On Seder night, we sang the songs of the Hagada – each in the tune we grew up with, rather than splitting the different versions – and we discussed the story of the Exodus until the wee hours of the morning, just as the rabbis of the Hagada famously did. Why rush, after all - we weren’t getting up early the next day!
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, when we make our case before the Heavenly Court for survival, never seemed more real or relevant than during Corona.
And I slowly understood that this new universe unfolding before us, for all its anxieties, could become somewhat of a gift from God; perhaps this was the way our Creator wanted us to connect to Him, if only for a while. Less pressure, more pondering. Quality and quantity wrapped up in the same elusive, exciting package, because no one – except for the Almighty – was looking over our shoulder. Yes, I understand that our synagogues must not be abandoned, that the concept of praying in a minyan is a vital and valuable component of Judaism. And I realize that group study has a special dynamic all its’ own.
But for a moment in time, the curse was transformed into something of a blessing, and we were being taught a lesson that we sophisticated citizens of the world desperately needed to learn. That simplicity can be every bit as valuable as success; that down-sizing can be downright liberating and expansive. That less is definitely more. It was like the light we turn on for just a brief moment before walking into the kids’ rooms late at night, mentally tracing the objects that litter the floor so we won’t trip over them. God was shining a celestial flashlight over this crazy, unpredictable world and showing us something we may very well have missed before.
Eternal optimists that we are, we believe with a full faith that humanity will survive and the world will return to a new normal. But maybe, just maybe, we will take something out of this once-in-a-century phenomenon that will enhance our existence and impact our attitude towards life and those we love. Even as we God-willing will banish the pandemic, some of its impact will remain. We should face it, embrace it, and not completely erase it.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
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.
