Teachings (2)

Not with depression, not with fearfulness, not with sentimental weakness must we turn to the divine light, but with a clear knowledge that what flows from the depths of our heart to approach God is a natural, complete and healthy faculty. It is more than just a natural faculty—it is the basic, natural faculty of our soul. It emerges in us from the soul of the Life of all worlds, from the soul of all existence, of all being.

Orot Ha'emunah, p. 80

Generally speaking, faith is the poem of life, the poem of existence, the poem of being. The poetic spirit is the most deeply penetrating feeling. Within our inner being, it delves most profoundly into the nature of what we aspire to, in a manner that prose cannot achieve. The true lens of life, therefore, is within the poem of life—but not in merely temporal life, whose expression is prose. Woe to the person who wishes to deprive life of the glory of its poetry. Such a person destroys the entire content of life and all the truth within it.

Orot Ha'emunah, p. 40

A person upon whom the light of faith is revealed in its purity loves all people, with no exceptions whatsoever. His only desire is their elevation and repair. The avenues of their repair become genuinely moral and true in accordance with the expression of faith in his heart.

Orot Ha'emunah, p. 44

At times, there may be found a non-believer who has a strong, inner, shining faith that gushes from the holy, supernal wellspring, more than thousands of believers with a meager faith. This may exist in individuals or in generations. Regarding all these, the verse declares, "The righteous person will live by his faith."

Orot Ha'Emunah, p. 21

People may abandon prayer because they envision a perfect prayer, a brightly radiant prayer. Even though this abandonment is a great loss, when that bright prayer does arrive, it restores the entire loss. This is so in regard to an individual or the community: the entire congregation of Israel. Prayer will come to the people of Israel. It will come in a very bright form, a form that flows from the midst of the entirety of its soul, from the midst of its inner awareness, from the midst of its view of the world, and from the midst of all its influence upon the world in the past, present and future.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 227

The constant prayer of our soul is always striving to emerge from concealment to revelation, to spread through all the life-powers of our entire spirit and all the life-powers of our entire body. This constant prayer is also yearning to reveal its nature and the might of its action to all of its surroundings, to the entire world and to life. To attain such a level, we must engage in a self-inquiry that results from our study of Torah and wisdom. And so the service of learning all of Torah and all of its wisdom is in itself the constant revelation of the hidden prayer of our soul.

Olat Ra'ayah

We are not always prepared for spiritual, elevated experiences. The many times that we lack supernal illumination are well-fitted for a dedication to the revealed, exoteric teachings of the Torah and this-worldly service. But since the light of our soul breaks forth immediately, we must give that light its freedom so that it will spread forth. We must envision, imagine, grow wise and attain, strive and yearn for the highest heights, for the source of our root, for the life of our soul, for the light of the Life of the Soul of all worlds, for the light of the supernal God, for His goodness and majesty.

Orot Hatorah 10:2

In special moments of divine illumination, we feel a great thirst: a thirst for holiness in general and for the Torah and its commandments in particular. That allows us to attain in the correct degree the ability to be constantly involved—with great love and constant diligence—in Torah and its commandments, in perfecting our character and in elevating our thought. Together, these make it possible for us to cling to the Divine. Then all the pleasures of that closeness to God are broadened for us.

In the fullness of our soul, we sense the necessity of absolute goodness, the impossibility of its not existing, and the unceasing longing in the depths of our heart to rise to it, to approach its heights, to gaze upon its pleasantness. We feel that the fulfillment of this absolute goodness in the completeness of its being—free of every boundary, of every condition and ordinance, of every definition and alteration—is a universal fulfillment.

We rise above everything to the simple vision that our senses could grasp from existence only superficially. We step forward spiritually, striding higher than the sun. Then we pronounce that there is nothing old: everything blossoms, everything rises, everything constantly increases light and life.

Orot Hakodesh II, pp. 466-67

We are not always prepared for spiritual, elevated experiences. The many times that we lack supernal illumination are well-fitted for a dedication to the revealed, exoteric teachings of the Torah and this-worldly service. But since the light of our soul breaks forth immediately, we must give that light its freedom so that it will spread forth. We must envision, imagine, grow wise and attain, strive and yearn for the highest heights, for the source of our root, for the life of our soul, for the light of the Life of the Soul of all worlds, for the light of the supernal God, for His goodness and majesty.

Orot Hatorah 10:2

In special moments of divine illumination, we feel a great thirst: a thirst for holiness in general and for the Torah and its commandments in particular. That allows us to attain in the correct degree the ability to be constantly involved—with great love and constant diligence—in Torah and its commandments, in perfecting our character and in elevating our thought. Together, these make it possible for us to cling to the Divine. Then all the pleasures of that closeness to God are broadened for us.

In the fullness of our soul, we sense the necessity of absolute goodness, the impossibility of its not existing, and the unceasing longing in the depths of our heart to rise to it, to approach its heights, to gaze upon its pleasantness.

We rise above everything to the simple vision that our senses could grasp from existence only superficially. We step forward spiritually, striding higher than the sun. Then we pronounce that there is nothing old: everything blossoms, everything rises, everything constantly increases light and life.

Orot Hakodesh II, pp. 466-67

The love of all beings precedes everything else. Afterwards comes the love of all humanity. After that comes the love of the people of Israel, who encompass everything, for it is the people of Israel who will one day rectify all creation. All these types of love express themselves in activity: loving others to do good for them and to improve them. But higher than all these is the love of God. This is love complete in itself, which does not in itself cause an effect—except that it fills the heart with the most exalted contentment.

Musar Avicha, Ahavah II

The fear of God is the deepest wisdom, based upon the most profound view of the world. [The fear of God] provides a deep foundation to every field of knowledge and every teaching, whether holy or secular. The secular itself must, when it seeks the fundamental depth, come to this conclusion: as long as the fear of God does not provide the basis of the field of knowledge, it is merely skating upon the outer surface of concepts—which are in truth not wisdom at all.

Musar Avichah, Yirah I

Within the depth of our soul, we can envision the source of the awe of God, because of the wondrous blend of two opposites pertaining to divine providence: a lack of complete knowledge regarding the character of the Divine, and an assured knowledge of that perfect Being. The wondrous mixture of these two magnificent opposites is exceedingly awesome.

It is necessary that there be a lack of knowledge. Due to the obscurity within human awareness, our knowledge obscures the known even as it clarifies it. The essence of life is the relationship of the Divine with existence. This relationship is enclosed within a hidden knowledge that can only be comprehended by the most hidden will of the heart.

Musar Avichah, Yirah 2

In every clash, whether physical or spiritual, we experience light and its vessel: the soul and body. In accordance with the clarity of our understanding and the purity of our will, so does light shine upon us from the vessel. Our soul shines from our body.

When our thoughts tumble over one another, there is one universal treasury: the fear of God, the fear of punishment and an ordinary trepidation. This constitutes the floor of that tabernacle of faith that stretches out to rectify the world. Then, in accordance with the clarity of our understanding and the holiness of our acts and our spirit, our soul is revealed: our soul, which is the crown of all spiritual ideals, of the glory of honor and of the awe of God's greatness. It is the stronghold of love. It is the source of the streams of all idealistic yearnings, mighty in their desire, which rise higher and higher to the most elevated worlds.

Orot Hakodesh IV, p. 420

You can profoundly rectify your mis-spent sexuality by sanctifying your will and illuminating it clearly, until the light of holiness will stream through even your strongest physical drive. That drive is rooted in holiness that is incredibly strong, because it contains the expression of life: the sexual drive. The light of holiness will stream within it to such a degree that its holy aspect will rule your life and direct its action and expression. Then sexuality's secular aspect, and certainly its unclean aspect, will be totally nullified before its holy aspect. Then, in truth, the plague will not enter your tent; you shall be righteous and guarded from stumbling.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 298

The sexual drive streams into the future, to the perfection of life that time will bring: the life of the world-to-come within this world. That future life is filled with complete beauty and pleasure; thus, great is the yearning and the strength of desire of the sexual drive, which is all-encompassing; only upon this drive does ultimate holiness rest its light. The pure soul leads the sexual drive to its goal within the boundary of Torah, wisdom, rectitude and modesty: the sources of righteousness.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 296

The precious reason for circumcision, which decreases sexual desire, encompasses broad principles of wisdom. The covenant—"to be a God to you and to your children after you"—offers knowledge of God's oneness, which is connected to circumcision. The covenant and circumcision are intimately intertwined. "From his flesh does a man see God."

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 300

To love this world well, we must submerge ourselves deeply in the love of the world-to-come. We must carry out all the improvements of this world in the most comprehensive way possible. These in fact are comprehensive preparations for the sake of each detail and the complete entirety of the life of the world-to-come. Only then will culture stride forward with confidence. This is a great wisdom, which is known to faith.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 178

Even when your body is broken and shattered and your spirit is dismayed and maimed because of so many miseries—spiritual and physical—spiritual pleasantness does not cease giving its honey and sweet influence. These soothe your spirit and give it an inner pleasure even in the midst of its darknesses.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 174

When there is an excessive tendency toward materialism, out of balance with the tendency toward spirituality, nations disintegrate. As regards the people of Israel, that balance is chiseled into the essence of who we are. However, that is so only to a degree that prevents the disease of an exaggerated disposition from becoming so permanent that it is beyond repair.

Orot, p. 159

Dr. Folk Schlessinger was Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook's physician in his last days. Close to the last Tisha B'Av of Rav Kook's life, when he was very ill, he consulted Dr. Schlessinger about fasting on Tisha B'Av. Rav Kook told him, "My evil inclination is telling me to fast, while my good inclination is telling me not to fast."

Malachim Kivnei Adam

Those who are pure and righteous do not complain about evil, but increase justice. They do not complain about godlessness, but increase faith. They do not complain about ignorance, but increase wisdom.

Eretz Cheifetz

Within the totality of the world—both this-worldly and spiritual—the only evil to be found is that which exists in its isolated state. But in the gathering of everything, everything is good—literally—not because evil is nullified into the majority, but when seen from the perspective of the value that is independent and ideal. From this, you can understand that to the degree that the quantity of movement toward wholeness grows, evil decreases and goodness is revealed.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 454

We see the evil within the individual and in the life of human society. We find that with all its negativity and evil, it has a purpose—a temporary purpose. Evil contains particular power, the might of will and the depths of life. These are necessary components with which to perfect virtue and goodness. And we are assured that in the end, the evil will pass. The individual will be perfected and society will be perfected. Then everything will stand upon the basis of goodness.

Orot Hakodesh III, p. 478

Our temporary existence is only one spark of our eternal existence, the glory of ever-lasting life. There is only one way to bring forth the wealth of goodness concealed within our this-worldly life: and that is our connection to our eternal life. This is an inner understanding that dwells within the spirit of all creation. All the spiritual battles in the world cannot dislodge it. All they do is prepare the way before it. Even those forces that oppose this understanding ultimately, in the depths of truth, support it.

A life of true civility and culture is based solidly on one's connection to eternity. The yearning for the glory of that eternity overwhelms death. It wipes the tear from every eye.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 377

Death is a false phenomenon. What makes death unclean is that it spreads an aura of falsehood. Actually, what people call death is the opposite: an ascent into an even greater and more real life. We are plunged into the depths of small-mindedness. What has placed us here? Our physical and emotional drives. These drives, gazing upon this ascent into life, interpret it as a dreadful, black phenomenon that they label: death.

In their purity, the cohanim must shield themselves from this falsehood. The only way to escape while this false consciousness lays spread across the earth is to avert one's eyes from any sights that cause one's soul to err.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 380

The exodus from Egypt only appears to be a past event. But in truth, the exodus never ceases. The arm of God that was revealed in Egypt to redeem the Jews is constantly outstretched, constantly active. The revelation of the hand of God is the breaking through of the light of God, shining great lights for all generations.

Moadei Harayah, p. 292

Our constant goal is not only to be redeemed from Egypt, not only to be healed from wounds and delivered from disease, not only to come forth from the bonds of poverty and the darkness of blindness. We yearn to be filled with greatness: with the great wealth of the soul. We thirst for a fresh life, filled with brilliance. And we come to the land of Israel. We hope for redemption, we pine for a redemption of the soul, so that the unveiling will be total, so that rays of eternal life will stream from the source of the holy of holies.

Moadei Harayah, p. 292

The exodus from Egypt will eternally remain the springtime of the entire world. If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not brought our forefathers out of Egypt to eternal freedom—that is, to the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai—the entire world and the entire path of human life would have remained frozen, without the ability to change.

Moadei Harayah, pp. 287-89

We must immediately grasp the measure of the great light that constantly causes the light of redemption to penetrate us—even as it only begins with a meager appearance. We are summoned from the depths of our soul to experience that greatness even now—even if it sends forth only the slightest rays of light.

Moadei Harayah, pp. 387-8

I love all; I cannot but love all: All the nations. From my very depth, I want the glory of all, The perfection of all. My love to Israel burns more greatly And is deeper, But this inner desire spreads out in the force of its love To all. I have no need at all to force this feeling of love-- It wells directly from the holy depth of Wisdom Of the Godly soul.

Arpelei Tohar 22

There is a person who sings the song of his soul. He finds everything, his complete spiritual satisfaction, within his soul. There is a person who sings the song of the nation. He steps forward from his private soul, which he finds narrow and uncivilized. He yearns for the heights. He clings with a sensitive love to the entirety of the Jewish nation and sings its song.

There is a person whose soul is so broad that it expands beyond the border of Israel. It sings the song of humanity. This soul constantly grows broader with the exalted totality of humanity and its glorious image. He yearns for humanity's general enlightenment. He looks forward to its supernal perfection.

And there is a person who rises even higher until he unites with all existence, with all creatures, and with all worlds. And with all of them, he sings.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 444

Each individual finds himself within himself. Then he finds himself within his surroundings: His friends, community and people. The community finds itself within itself. Then it finds itself within all humanity. Humanity finds itself within itself—at least, at first. Then it finds itself within the world. The world finds itself within itself. Then it finds itself within all the worlds surrounding it.

Orot Hakodesh II, p. 447