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Beit Midrash
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- The Life of Tzaddikim
- Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu
Rabbi Eliyahu warned the rabbi how dangerous and problematic his method was, begging him to cease and desist, but the man paid no attention. Rabbi Eliyahu finally came up with a solution. He asked if he could check the names of the rabbi and his wife. When he made the calculations, he discovered that the couple — this rabbi and his wife — were completely unsuitable for one another. When Rabbi Eliyahu showed the rabbi his calculations, he told him he must divorce his wife because the numbers just didn't match up.
The rabbi was understandably shaken to the core. He clutched his head, crying, "How can I do that? I have eight children! How can I divorce my wife?"
Rabbi Eliyahu answered, "You don’t need to divorce her — but you can't continue to tell other couples to get divorced based on arbitrary, meaningless numbers and calculations." This time the rabbi listened.
Another time, an engaged couple approached Rabbi Eliyahu in tears. They had planned to marry, but their parents had sent them to a certain "rabbi" to have their names checked. He did so, announcing that they weren’t suited to one another. He advised them to break their engagement. The couple was completely distraught; they liked one another and truly believed they had found the right one.
Rabbi Eliyahu was terribly distressed and immediately summoned the rabbi and the parents of the bride and groom. Despite the other rabbi's discomfort, he refused to retract what he had said. So in the presence of the couple, the rabbi, and both sets of parents, Rabbi Eliyahu took the names of the young man and woman. Then he asked the girl's mother if her daughter had another name. She said that when her daughter was very young they had called her by a different name.
The rabbi who had forbidden the marriage meanwhile went pale. "Wait," he said, making calculations with pen and paper, "I didn't realize she had another name! If that's the case, then the formula is completely different and they can marry each other."
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Why is the Rav’s Watch on his Right Hand?
stories from Father of Israel in English
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Controlling Flights, Directing Journeys
stories from 'Father of Israel' in English
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
