New Translations

Yaacov David Shulman has spent decades translating the writings of Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook from Hebrew into English. The selections gathered here represent newer translations, including passages from works that have not previously been available to English readers. Each translation aims to preserve both the precision of Rav Kook's thought and the lyrical quality of his prose.

The supernal will is the foundation of all existence. It is the will of God that the world should exist, that creatures should live, that human beings should think and feel and love. This will is not arbitrary. It flows from the divine nature itself. It is the expression of the divine goodness, the divine wisdom, the divine love. When we align our will with the supernal will, we become partners in the work of creation.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 107 (new translation)

The heart must be broad. It must be broad enough to contain all of reality—the good and the evil, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the profane. A heart that is too narrow cannot contain the fullness of life. It must exclude and reject. But a heart that is broad enough can embrace everything and find the divine spark within it.

Midot Harayah, Ahavah 5 (new translation)

The world is awakening. After centuries of slumber, the divine light that is hidden within creation is beginning to emerge. We can see it in the renewal of the Jewish people in their land. We can see it in the spread of knowledge and the growth of human freedom. We can see it in the increasing recognition of the unity of all humanity. The messianic era is not a sudden event. It is a gradual awakening.

Orot, p. 84 (new translation)

Pure thought is a great gift. When the mind is clear and untroubled, when it can think without distraction or distortion, it is able to perceive the truth directly. This is the state that the mystics call "clear consciousness." It is not achieved through effort alone. It is a gift of grace. But we can prepare ourselves to receive it by purifying our character, our actions, and our intentions.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 19 (new translation)

Reality is composed of opposites: light and darkness, good and evil, the spiritual and the physical. The task of wisdom is not to choose one side and reject the other, but to find the harmony that underlies the opposition. Every apparent contradiction contains within it a deeper unity. The more deeply we penetrate into reality, the more we discover this underlying unity.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 456 (new translation)