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Beit Midrash
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Let us look for historical cycles based on the life of our nation’s founder, Avraham. When Avraham was 70 years old, Hashem informed him that his descendants would go down to Egypt for 400 years and that they would be redeemed from there, amassing great riches. (There was apparently a dispute between Ephrayim’s and Levi’s descendants as to how to calculate this time period. See the Ramban on Bereishit 15:13 and the Rishonim on Shemot 12:40. Rashi says that is counted from the time of Yitzchak’s birth until the Exodus.)
According to this timeline, there were approximately 480 years from when Avraham recognized his Maker until Bnei Yisrael’s emergence as a free nation. The same number of years passed from the Exodus until the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem (Melachim I, 6:1). 480 is an interesting number, as it is the product of 40 and 12. Throughout Tanach, 40 years is considered a generation (Tehillim 95:10) and an era (see Shoftim 3:1; ibid. 5:31; Shmuel I, 4:18 and more). Certainly, the number 12 is significant in Jewish history, as this is the number of tribes that formed our nation.
Reviewing Jewish history, we see that this time interval is a very significant one; it carves out historical periods. 480 years after the building of the First Temple, the second one was built (the first stood for 410 years and for 70 years there was no Temple - see Arachin 12b and Yirmiyah 29:10). Another 480 years later marks the rebellion of Bar Kochva, upon the heels of whose defeat the settlement of the Second Commonwealth faded away. After an equal amount of time, we come to the end of the Talmudic period and the beginning of that of the Geonim. Another 480 years later, the Rif and Rabbeinu Gershom lived, ushering in the period of the Rishonim in Spain and Germany, respectively. This period also lasted some 480 years until the time of Rav Yosef Karo and Rav Moshe Isserles, who authored the Shulchan Aruch and its glosses, respectively; thus began the period of the Acharonim. This period, where Jewish scholarship and life was centered in and around Europe, came to an end some 480 years later with the Holocaust.
Finally, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, the Jewish people were able to launch a new enterprise in an old/new location: the establishment of the State of Israel in the Land of Israel. Let us pray that we will appreciate the great responsibility our generation bears to help turn this development of atachalta d’geula (the beginning of redemption) into a full redemption.
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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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.
