Part I: Longing for the halakha classes of our mentor, Rishon Lezion Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu. A sample on shmitta. Part 2:The failure of IDF commanders in the pork-eating affair
The holiday approached and Rosh Hashanah arrived. Rabbi Amnon of Mainz asked his relatives to bring him to the synagogue with all of his dismembered organs and to place him by the prayer leader. We can well image the atmosphere in the synagogue.
Not only was he versed, sharp, and innovative in the arenas of Talmud and Halakha, he was at home in all areas of Jewish thought – Bible, Midrash, philosophy, and mysticism. On top of all this he was unmatched in piety and righteousness.
It would appear that his thirst for closeness to God, and his great longing for the Holy Land - the land wherein the Divine Presence rests - shook his inner being so strongly that no worldly enjoyment could compare to living in the land of Israel.