Teachings (1)

The entire realm of consciousness, with everything that comes from it, down to the very lowest levels (in other words, the entirety of existence) shifts between times of silence and times of speech. When the universe prepares itself to receive God's supernal outpouring, everything is still and silent. Then, when those forces that have received God's outpouring sent onward to those below them, speech begins.

Our human reality also shifts in this manner. When we direct our minds to improving qualities that lie below our inner, spiritual level, then our consciousness is constricted, and we are active in the world. But when our supernal attention grows strong, this constricted consciousness can no longer act. At that time, silence begins to rule.

When you reach this level, the normal activity of consciousness (whether it is dealing with everyday or holy matters) is below you. You find within yourself a great, unceasing opposition to any activity of consciousness that is rational and structured. Prepare yourself for the measure of silence. Take heed of the voice from above that brings blessing and good will and spontaneously gives these to you. God's word will come to you. Day to day expresses speech.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 116

There is a special type of silence that is accompanied by a spirit of holiness. That silence emerges from something within you bursting forth. Something bursts forth from the midst of the wellspring of your soul. Your soul bursts forth because it is searching for a great arena where it can spread out and stretch itself without any constriction.

Inner meditation is very demanding. It seeks to ascend without letting anything in the world disturb it. It gains its forms and hues from its inner strength. Then the spiritual light, which is the beauty and basic strength of life, grows stronger. Then you speak; and this, with its ability to build, shakes things up. It raises you from the old, which is already tottering and tenebrous, limited and cramped. Your speech connects you to the current of the wellspring, which slakes a thirst for the new and fresh.

Some silence means cessation of speech. Another silence means cessation of thought. That silence arrives together with the most hidden, beautiful and exalted thought. These matters ascend constantly, level after level.

Matzah silences superficial uproar, all movement and self-elevation within the framework of life. Matzah silences the superficial currents. Parallel to this is the revelation of God's Presence, which is accompanied by a great fear that penetrates to the depth of the secret of silence. Matzah expresses itself in a glorious voice to which silence is attached. "The Pesach sacrifice that one eats is the size of an olive. Yet one's Hallel resounds as though the roof would burst forth" (Pesachim 88b).

Orot Hakodesh III, 273

Singer of wholeness, Are you yet born? If your soul is still bound In the bond of heaven, The bond of life, Descend to us soon. Play your harp-- Let the down-hearted hear, Let the disillusioned listen To the murmur of your strings-- And be revived.

Orot Hateshuvah, p. 144

There are three levels upon which the individual and collective perfection of Israel must be based. These are the return to nature, to human ethics, and to the national foundation. Supernal holiness rests only upon these three. The highest divine service is connected directly to nature. But this supernal holiness was polluted by human defilement, which destroyed the service of nature and turned it into a monster of idolatry rather than a firm foundation for supernal idealism.

Engaging in the "Chapter of song" is the foundation of this return to nature. This is a lowly return that is high, that rises beyond all national jealousy, lifting man to become an elevated brother to his other brothers, the creations of the Almighty, who all know their Maker and take pleasure in the glory of His activity.

Orot Hakodesh II, pp. 493-94

Jealousy between scribes increases wisdom (Bava Batra 21a). Because this wisdom comes from jealousy, in the end it will disintegrate. Everything that disintegrates has an unpleasant odor. And so the sages said that "in the end of days before the messiah comes, the wisdom of the sages will [be despised, as though it has] an unpleasant odor" (Sotah 49b). This unpleasant odor will destroy the form that the wisdom of the sages had had. Then it will begin to radiate the light of the soul of supernal wisdom, which transcends all jealousy and which is higher than the wisdom of the sages. This wisdom will come to light by means of a "new song."

Arpelei Tohar, p. 59

Each new Torah insight must basically be ideal: Based on the depth of rectitude in our ethical being; On the depth of holiness in our faithful being; On the depth of expression in our intellectual being; Enveloped in the awareness of poetry and beauty in our creative being.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 178

If your soul is poetic, you must be acquainted with your character, your particular longings, desires, the path of your soul and the special spiritual sustenance it requires to satisfy its spiritual life, just as air is required to breathe. You may join with other gifted people for other spiritual necessities. But never forget that you are summoned to stand firm upon your own spiritual foundation.

From your spirit, which is pure and powerful, filled with a song that is holy, alive and unblemished, sprinkle upon all service of God, all discussion, teachings, examinations, analyses, logic, pure streams of light, expressions of song, elevation of the soul, which constantly desires her Beloved, her Redeemer, the living God.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 215

To attain victory over unconstraint and destructive atheism, we must educate Torah scholars who are healthy physically and healthy in all their non-physical aspects. They must be educated intelligently with the ability to recognize the sweet feelings that come from dealing with the most elevated aspect of beauty—whether in song and poetry, the glory of nature, or whether it is the beauty that stands out in the works of mankind.

Orot Ha'Emunah, p. 17

Free thinking cannot touch that which is higher than knowledge. The logic of supernal faith reveals God in the soul. This is higher than any knowledge. That is why untrammeled free thinking is not right for it. Freedom from life is death. But "the righteous lives by his faith."

Orot Ha'Emunah, p. 32

He whose soul does not soar in the wide expanses, he who does not seek the light of truth and goodness with all his heart, does not suffer spiritual devastation. But neither does he acquire mighty buildings. He takes shelter in the shade of natural havens, like the hares who take shelter in the clefts of the rock. But when a person has a robust soul, his soul can shelter only in structures that he erects with his spiritual toil, never ceasing from his vigorous labor.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 314

The very essence of the soul, which expresses and experiences the true, spiritual life, requires complete inner freedom. This freedom is its life. This freedom comes to the soul from the midst of its essential thought, its inner spark. Our learning and contemplation cause this spark to continually flame. But really, this independent spark is the basis of idea and thought. If room is not provided for the independent spark with its light to appear, then whatever comes to it from without will be of no avail. This spark must be guarded in its purity. Then the inner thought—in the depth of its truth, in its greatness and exaltedness—will awaken.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 175

The inner, essential "I"—whether individual or communal—does not appear by itself. Rather, it appears in relation to our holiness and purity. It appears in relation to the amount of supernal power that, with the pure light of an elevated illumination, burns within us.

We abandoned our essential "I." "Israel rejected goodness" (Hosea 8:3). In the days of creation, the earth itself sinned. It denied its own essence. It constricted its power and went after limited goals and purposes. It did not give all of its hidden power so that the taste of the tree could be equal to the taste of its fruit.

Orot Hakodesh III, pp. 140-41

Whoever has said that my soul is torn spoke well. It is certainly torn. I cannot imagine a person whose soul is not torn. Only a lifeless object is whole, but a human being is filled with conflicting desires, and an inner war rages within him continuously. The purpose of all my work is to mend the rents within my spirit by means of an all-inclusive viewpoint in whose greatness and exaltedness everything is embraced and comes to complete harmony.

Hamachshavah Hayisraelit, p. 13

Supernal repentance, which comes from great love and clear understanding, raises the content of all learning to a degree of fecundity and effusion that cannot be found in any learning in and of itself.

Orot Hatorah 6:3

In the world, there exist both gradual development and sudden leaps forward. There are soulful people whose trait of leaping forward is stronger than their gradual growth. This is the character of the Jews: deeply influenced by the concept of teshuvah, yearning for the most exalted realities. Our surroundings and conditions may not be in concert with that. Nevertheless, our powerful yearning is the power that turns the universe, and gives forth the most perfect wealth that may be found within life.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 567

Why do we fall? Because we do not realize how easy repentance is.

Orot Hateshuvah 14:4a

If you want to become completely righteous, you will find it hard to even repent. But always desire to repent. Immerse yourself in the idea. Yearn to see the manifestation of repentance in action. Then your repentance will lift you to the level of a completely righteous person—and even higher.

Orot Hateshuvah, 14:36

When your intent declines because of some transgression, then wisdom also declines, and divine illumination is darkened. With a solid inner might, return to your power after this decline. Return to your place with the force of your intent. Illumine the light that was eclipsed within you and within the entire world, utilizing the entire size, depth and the breadth of all that pertains to the roots of who you are.

Arpelei Tohar, p. 108

Our spirit places within us the image of its creations. We recognize that angel, filled with life, who sits upon the birth stool, bringing forth its works. That angel is flying in the heights, approaching us, appearing to our souls—behold, it comes! We welcome that angel with great peace and joy.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 167

As long as you must wait for particular periods of time for the spirit of creativity to occur to you—at which opportunity you will generate ideas, contemplate them, express them and sing them—this is a sign that the light of your soul has not rested upon you. Your soul sings constantly, clothed in strength and beauty, surrounded by supernal sweetness. You must rise to the heights and meet your soul.

Orot Hakodesh I, pp. 172-3

In the seedbed of imagination lie the beginnings of intellectual awareness—in a constricted form. This form shines more and more, constantly spreading and developing. At last, from the clouds of imagination comes forth a content that is wise and refined. Intellectual awareness spreads in truth over all existence: over nature and its ramifications, as well as the many components that surround nature from without.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 229

All truth and greatness exist in the treasure-house of imagination. It gradually becomes successively refined, as it passes through a number of conduits of the intellect, which reduce and purify it. We are summoned to appear in the light of our imagination, in the full splendor of its life-force, in the complete, precious, beautiful greatness of its holiness, on the world plane.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 223

The flash of light that unveils the relationship between all souls of all generations and the soul of an adept engaging in visualization is the beginning of a holy spirit. When you develop this holy ability with regular practice and connect it to wisdom and good deeds, you will rise level by level, and attain a number of realizations. "Open the gates of justice for me; I will enter them, I will thank God."

Arpelei Torah, p. 108

The more you perceive your spiritual state, The more will you realize that all of your images Can be limitless. Your ability to visualize Can be fully attained. So visualize, to whatever degree, Greatness and strength. Still, you will attain less Than a drop from the ocean Of what can be grown and ennobled. Your liberated gaze, Touched with the joy of refined imagination, Might satisfy you. That still won't approach The smallest degree Of the true state of Eden Within all of existence-- All of which reveals supernal joy: That Eden of the Creator of all worlds.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 176

We are not always fit for elevated spiritual experiences. Those many instances that lack any elevated illumination are to be dedicated to exoteric Torah learning and practical service of God. But when the light of our soul bursts forth, we must immediately give that light its freedom, so that we may unfold, visualize, imagine, grow wise and attain, aspire and yearn to the highest heights, to the source of our root, to the life of our soul, to the light of the life of the soul of all universes, to the light of the supernal God, to His goodness and beauty.

Orot Hakodesh 10:2

Humanity must develop a great deal before it can realize the great appreciation that the idealism hidden in the depths of the soul has for intent and will. The soul is at all times adorned in a wealth of new colors. These colors display a small part of its treasure and beautiful greatness. All great, moral actions in this world—whether on a small or on a broad level—are more than small manifestations, tiny sparks of the great torch of impeccable intent.

Intent is everything. The coming to life of intent is the coming to life of the world. There is prayer with intent, divine union with intent, mitzvah and obligation with intent, possibility and the breadth of life with intent. And there is the intent itself. It has an intellectual and moral shape, with its glory and grandeur, its charm and holiness, its unending elevation—its divine heights.

Intent is the birth of action. Within the supernal intent and the intent that is filled with Divine life are included every thought of peace and every thought of the war for justice and right, every victory of wisdom and of a good and pleasant order. Every rectification of the world is included within it.

Orot Hakodesh I, pp. 124-25

Every learning, every spiritual elevation, must be built on the foundation of natural feeling and natural intelligence. And natural intelligence itself with all natural feelings in a good measure of their stance—must be in their beginning planted on the foundation of the holy of holies, which carries within itself the load of the holy and the load of the secular, the material and the form, in a form that is uplifted and ideal, in an elevated unity.

Orot Hakodesh, p. 64

The subjugation and stifling of intelligence—whatever the cause—represents the destruction of the world. In fact, the holier the cause, the more damaging that subjugation is. It is like a false prophecy in the name of God. Such a prophecy conveys evil and uncleanness, idolatry and abomination—like a corpse. And so, when any attempt is made to silence the mind—whether in the name of faith, piety, Torah learning or carrying out the commandments—it is a terrible lie, a toxic contamination.

At that point, people who are the holy ones of the Supernal Being, those who fear God in purity, must step forward to save the world, the people of Israel, the Torah, faith, and everything that is holy to God. They must save them from the hands of the destroyers, whoever they may be.

Orot Ha'emunah, pp. 67-68

Feeling is swifter than intellect. In feeling, the word "God" is filled with fecundity and reality even before the smallest fraction of all the multitude of enigmas concealed with it is deciphered. But this is not the case with intellect. Intellect requires toil. Without study and inquiry, one will find nothing. If feeling is exchanged for intellect, if one will desire to engage one's intellect without spiritual labor, in order to enjoy the benefit of what is already prepared—as it is possible to do in feeling—one's world will swiftly grow dark. Tangled thorns will flourish in one's spiritual portion, one will constantly be entangled, and one's spiritual path will be filled with stumbling blocks.

"There is a time and judgement that the heart of the wise man knows." And that is: to enter the palace of feeling in its fullness, to take pleasure in its sweet things, and to allow the portion of the intellect to engage in its toil. Then the knowledge of God will enter one's heart in its most desirable form.

Orot Hakodesh I, p. 251

When you experience a strong desire to be good to all, realize that an illumination from the supernal world has come to you. How fortunate you will be if you prepare a proper place in your heart, in your mind, in the acts of your hands and in all your feelings to receive this exalted guest, which is greater and more exalted than the most noble of this earth. Take hold of it and do not let go. Do not allow any delays and obstacles—whether physical or spiritual—that hinder you from taking this holy inspiration into yourself to stop you. Fight for everything. Rise in your strength. Lift your consciousness to the far reaches and imitate the qualities of God, Who is good to all and Whose compassion encompasses all His creatures.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 316

Rav Kook's father told the following story: Once, when Avraham Yitzchak was not yet six years old, he was late returning from cheder, and we began to worry. As it grew later, my wife got very upset, and she asked me to go look for him. I left the house and asked a few of his friends if they had seen him. One of them told me that he had seen him go with an old man in the direction of the old part of town.

I set out in that direction, my heart filled with worry. But before I had gone far, I saw him from a distance, running—which wasn't his usual custom—in the direction of our house. I hurried to meet him, and when he reached me and realized that I had gone to look for him, he hugged me and asked me to forgive him for having been late coming home. He explained that when he had left the cheder, an old Jew had come up to him and asked him where the house of a man who was known for his charity was. He knew that the old man was a stranger to the city, and that even if he told him where the house was and how to get there, the man still wouldn't easily find it. And so he decided to fulfill the mitzvah of gemilat chasadim—doing kindness—and to bring the man to the house himself.

Likutei Rayah, pp. 423-24

Torah and good deeds purify your character. But you cannot rely on this alone. You must work on your character. In particular, you must perfect your ethical being.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 233

The call to purify your character never ceases. You may have already purified it when you were on an intermediate spiritual level. But when you grow, you bring hidden treasures of life out of the depths of chaos. These portions come to you as a spiritual revelation. Because they have never been refined, they require constantly new purifying. There are holy people who never cease growing. They go from strength to strength, always engaged in actualized repentance. Purifying and refining character is a vital ingredient of that repentance.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 233

"Ethical behavior must precede the Torah." Such a period of time is necessary, in [all] generations. An ingrained ethics in all the depth of its majesty and its mighty strength must be established in our spirit and become a receptacle for the great influences that come from the power of the Torah. Just as awe is the level of the root [force] that precedes wisdom, so are natural ethics the level of the root [force] that precedes awe and all its ramifications. This principle holds for the individual, and entirety of the [Jewish] people and all humanity.

Orot Hatorah 12:2