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What is devotion? Devotion is the state in which a person's heart clings to God so intensely that he is not concerned with anything else, as alluded to in Solomon's simile (Proverbs 5:19), "A beloved gazelle, full of favor . . . In her love will you ever wander." The height of devotion is attained when a person clings to his Creator constantly, at all times. At the very least, one who loves his Creator will certainly cling to Him during while worshiping Him.
The sages teach (Berachot 5a): "Once, R' Chanina ben Dosa, while standing and praying, was bitten by a poisonous lizard, but he did not interrupt his prayers. His disciples asked him, 'Our master, did you not feel anything?' He answered, 'I swear, because my heart was intent on my prayers, I felt nothing.' "
Pathways in Personality Development (52)
Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed
37 - 37. Piety and the Love of God
38 - 38. Love and Devotion to God
39 - 39. For the Sake of God's Honor
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The second branch of love for God is joy, and this is an important principle in the service of God. Thus King David says (Psalms 100:2), "Serve God with joy; come before Him with song," and (Ibid. 68:4), "The righteous will rejoice; they will exult before God and be filled with happiness." And our Sages of blessed memory have said (Shabbat 306), "The Divine Presence comes to rest upon one only through his rejoicing in a good deed." R' Ibu said, "When you stand before him in prayer, let your heart rejoice that you are praying to an unparalleled God."
In this vein, King Solomon says (Song of Songs 1:4), "Draw me on; we will run after You. The King has brought me to his chambers; we will rejoice and be happy in You." The more that a person merits entering the chambers of the knowledge of God's greatness, the more happy he becomes, and his heart rejoices within him.
David would give abundant expression to the joy he felt in serving God (Psalms 104:34): "Let my words be pleasant to Him; I will rejoice in God," and (Ibid. 43:4), "I will come to the altar of the Lord, to the God who is the joy of my rejoicing and I will praise You with the harp, O God." His joy waxed so strong within him that his lips moved of themselves and sang (Ibid. 71:23), "Let my lips rejoice, for I will sing to You."
Furthermore, because Israel did not serve God joyfully, God reprimanded them (Deuteronomy 28:47): "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with happiness and willingness of heart." We see, then, that joy is an important principle in the service of God.
The third branch of love for God is jealousy, for one one who loves God cannot bear seeing God's name disparaged, and he becomes jealous on God's behalf. Elijah thus says (I Kings 19:10), "I have been exceedingly jealous for the Lord of Hosts..." and Pinchas, in his jealousy for God's honor, smote the sinners and thus put an end to the plague (Numbers 25:13): "Because he was jealous for his God and brought about atonement for Israel."
A person who loves God cannot bear the desecration of God's name, and this is what King Solomon says (Proverbs 28:7), "The deserters of Torah will praise the wicked and the observers of Torah will rebuke them," and King David says (Psalms 97:10), "Those who love God hate evil."
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Some of the translated material in the above article was taken from, or based upon, "The Path of the Just" (Feldheim).
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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.
