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Beit Midrash
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There was great excitement in the carriage, as the parents journeyed to visit their daughter for the first time since she was wed, a few months earlier. Their hearts were filled with the expectations of finding their daughter joyful and content.
However, when they arrived and saw a worried, unhappy expression on her face, they became filled with fear. They asked what was wrong, and she explained that although her husband was indeed a pleasant and virtuous man, she had begun to notice some strange practices on his part, and they had her concerned.
She told them that her husband wakes up at midnight, goes to the mikveh (ritual bath), prays in an unconventional manner, and reads each night from a mysterious book he keeps hidden away under his mattress.
The parents were alarmed, and they asked her to show them the book. The father took the volume in his hand, opened it, and read the title aloud, "Toldot Yaakov Yosef." Its author was Rabbi Yaakov Yosef of Polonne, the foremost disciple of the Holy Baal Shem Tov. The father was seized with horror, for he understood that his son-in-law belonged to the sect of the Hassidim.
He ran to his young son-in-law and demanded that the latter give his daughter a divorce certificate on the grounds that they were not aware of his Hassidic beliefs when they agreed to the match. To his surprise, the son-in-law refused most adamantly, explaining that he would not think of parting with his righteous wife for no reason, and that all of the fathers' allegations against the Hassidic school stemmed from a lack of familiarity with Hassidic thought and its sages.
Their argument caused a crowd of townspeople - all of whom belonged to the anti-Hassidic camp - to gather. The debate intensified, becoming more and more vociferous.
Then, all of a sudden, everything became silent. The town overlord entered the crowed. The overlord, who was known for his fondness of the Jews, heard the tumult of the argument from his adjacent palace and decided to see for himself what it was that had the Jewish townspeople in such an uproar.
After he had seated himself in a chair brought in his honor, the Jews related to him the nature of the argument that had arisen between father and son-in-law as a result of the latter's Hassidic affiliation. When the elder landowner heard the name of the book the son-in-law made a covert practice of reading, he jumped up excitedly and began to relate a personal experience.
"I was a young officer in the Tzar's army at the time," said the overlord. "We were planning to relocate our troops, and it was necessary to take a count of the soldiers to be sure that all were present. As it turned out, three soldiers were missing. I sent out a party to search for them in the adjacent town, Polonne, and they returned a short time later, visibly shaken by something.
"They explained that they had indeed tracked down the missing soldiers in a certain house belonging to an old Jew. But the soldiers were entirely unable to move; they simply sat there next to the Jew, paralyzed.
"When I heard this, I assumed that our scouts had probably become intoxicated, and their imagination had gotten the best of them. I decided, then, to go investigate the matter myself.
"And, indeed, things were exactly as they had described them. I knocked at the door and the old man opened it. I told him that the three soldiers had to rejoin us and therefore requested that he let them go. He responded that they had apparently stolen something, and that so long as the goods remained in their possession, the soldiers would be unable to move.
"We searched them and, behold, they had indeed stolen a number of silver goblets. As soon as we removed the goods from their possession, they were again able to move, and they promptly fled from the house."
The overlord was visibly moved. He paused shortly and then continued, "The old man told me that it was Passover night, the night on which the Jewish people became a nation. On this night the Jews are granted special protection, and therefore the soldiers were unable to perpetrate their theft."
The overlord looked around at his intrigued audience and went on, "I then lowered my head before the old man and asked him to give me a blessing. The holy Jew blessed me with long life and other blessings, but he made this dependent upon the condition that I always behave kindly toward the Jews.
"Then he added, 'A day will come when a dispute will arise between Jews over my teachings. You will then be obliged to relate everything you saw here. Once you have done this, your blessing of long life will come to an end.'"
The elder landowner paused for a moment and then said, "I am aware that I have just now decreed my own death, but I owe this to the holy man regarding whom you are arguing - Rabbi Yaakov Yosef from Polonne."
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D'varim EXCUSES ARE RUNNING OUT
p. Dvarim, Shabbat Chazon, Tisha b'Av
p. Dvarim, Shabbat Chazon, Tisha b'Av
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.
