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Beit Midrash
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- Chemdat Yamim
- Igrot Hare’aya
Recipient: Rav Yitzchak Aizik Halevi, the author of a monumental history of rabbinic scholarship, Dorot Harishonim. See Rav Kook’s letter to him (#99).
Body: [In the first installment, we saw Rav Kook’s warm words of thanks and excitement over receiving the Dorot Harishonim and his beginning of the topic of the connection between aggada (the moral and philosophical elements of Torah) and Halacha, including that they stem from prophecy and wisdom, respectively.]
Igrot Hare’aya (200)
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit
77 - Connecting Disciplines in Torah Study
78 - Connecting Disciplines in Torah Study
79 - Connecting Disciplines in Torah Study
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This is also the implication of the gemara (Zevachim 62a) that three prophets who came to Eretz Yisrael at the beginning of the Second Commonwealth provided information about the details of the operation of the Second Temple. There were certainly also scholars who moved to Eretz Yisrael at that time, but apparently certain matters required specifically the power of prophecy. Even if we accept that the final decision in a halachic matter is not determined by means of prophecy, it still has an impact on the process of the studies.
Certainly, in Eretz Yisrael, which is the place of prophecy, the flow of prophecy makes an impression on the study of Halacha. The matter is understood based on the internal look at the matter, without the need for great investigation. The Rabbis tell us that "the air of Eretz Yisrael makes people wiser" (Bava Batra 158b) and that study in Bavel could confuse what otherwise could be accomplished in Eretz Yisrael (see Bava Metzia 85a). The wisdom of prophecy, which is the foundation of the wisdom of aggada, the internal element of the root of the Torah, was much more active in Eretz Yisrael than in the Diaspora, which is not a suitable place for prophecy (see Moed Katan 25a).
Those people who are influenced by the roots of the wisdom of prophecy consider brevity a desired value. For them, the analysis of the halachot and the manner in which one matter is arrived at through another is done with a very broad survey of the topic. It is enough for them to have a small hint, and they already arrive at a ruling. That is the way the Jerusalem Talmud was studied, as those who merited to benefit from its divine light were able to suffice with short derivations before arriving at the practical halacha. Those who took part in the Babylonian Talmud, who were not likewise privy to the roots of prophecy, required much more long-winded discussion before arriving at a conclusion.
Beit Din Eretz Hemda - Gazit
Igrot Hare’aya Semi-solicited Advice to Calm Down Petach Tikva
#227 Date and Place: 8 Tishrei 5669, Yafo
P'ninat Mishpat Limits of Interest Rate for Loan with Heter Iska – part I
based on ruling 80033 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Igrot Hare’aya Trying to Arrange Purchase of Land in Eretz Yisrael – part II
#229 Date and Place: 13 Tishrei 5670 (1909), Yafo
P'ninat Mishpat Payment for Not Clearing Warehouse On Time – part II
based on ruling 75076 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
Igrot Hare’aya Worse on the Outside, Better on the Inside – #332
Date and Place: 26 Elul 5670 (1910), Yafo
Igrot Hare’aya Description of New Yeshiva’s Goals to a Supporter – #328
Date and Place: 12 Elul 5670 (1910), Yafo
Rabbis in Midrash
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P'ninat Mishpat P'ninat Mishpat: Complaints about Contractor’s Work – part II
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
(based on ruling 83037.1 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)
Chemdat Yamim Moreshet Shaul: Twin Foundations
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
Based on Siach Shaul, Pirkei Machshava V’Hadracha p. 690
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.
