— Blog
Haorot Blog Articles
Self
OUR FREEDOM AND THE BURNING OF CHAMETZ
“Intrinsic freedom is that exalted spirit by which a person- as well as the nation as a whole- is inspired to remain faithful to their inner essence, to the spiritual attribute of the Divine image within. It is that attribute which enables one to feel that their life has purpose and value.” – Rav Kook
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT VAYAKHEL: WE MUST BUILD A TEMPLE OF GENEROSITY AND KINDNESS
“The holy temple must be built in our inner spirit every day through thoughts and acts of kindness and compassion. We need to know that when the longing to be good to all is intensified in us an illumination from the higher realm has reached us.” -Rav Kook ZT’L
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TRUMA: HOW TO LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE DIVINE SHECHINA
“Ascend towards the heights, ascend. You are of mighty prowess, you have wings to soar with, wings of mighty eagles. Do not fail them, lest they fail you; seek for them and they will be immediately ready for you.” -Rav Kook
RAV KOOK’S ILLUMINATED GUIDE TO ENLIGHTENMENT: Step 2-BECOME A UNIVERSALIST
“We must raise our thought and will and basic preoccupations towards universality, to the inclusion of all, to the whole world, to the collective of Israel, to all existence.” -Rav Kook
RAV KOOK’S ILLUMINATED GUIDE TO ENLIGHTENMENT: Step 1- A CALL TO HIGHER CONTEMPLATION
“Ascend toward the heights, because you are of mighty prowess, you have wings to soar with, wings of mighty eagles.” -Rav Kook
The Inner Spark
The inner essence of the soul, which reflects, which lives the true spiritual life, must have absolute inner freedom. It experiences its freedom, which is life, through its originality in thought, which is its inner spark that can be fanned to a flame through study and concentration.
Nation
HARAV HA’NAZIR ZT’L:THE SCROLL OF WAR AND PEACE
“The leaders of all the nations, their ministers, advisors and parliaments must legislate that the law ‘Do not murder” includes the prohibition of the mass murder of war. They must forbid war, not declare it…”
RAV KOOK ON YOM HAKIPPURIM:THE DAY OF AT-ONE-MENT
“On the holy day of Yom HaKippurim- we eat and drink from our holy inner voices of understanding.”
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT SHOFTIM: HOW TO CREATE A DIVINE SOCIETY
“The true purpose of societal life is to enable human beings to fill life with light and good, with justice and knowledge of the Divine.”
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT RE’EH:HOW TO BE BLESSEDLY HAPPY
“We can thus fully actualize the exalted ideals of life.
The Torah of Israel is outstanding in crystallizing the idealism that will spread across all of the configurations of life.” (Rav Kook)
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT EKEV: HOW TO FEAR HASHEM FEARLESSLY
“Let us fear God in ways that bear love and inner delight and elevate and vitalize all the potentialities of our soul.” -Rav Kook
PARSHAT VAETCHANAN: RAV KOOK ON ‘UNITING EXISTENCE’
“All of life’s endeavors must be directed to disclose the light of the higher general harmony.”
Humanity
HARAV HA’NAZIR ZT’L:THE SCROLL OF WAR AND PEACE
“The leaders of all the nations, their ministers, advisors and parliaments must legislate that the law ‘Do not murder” includes the prohibition of the mass murder of war. They must forbid war, not declare it…”
THE LIGHTS OF RAV KOOK: SUKKOT JOY AND UNIVERSALITY
“The firmer our vision of universality- the greater the joy we will experience and the more we merit the grace of divine illumination.”
RAV KOOK ON ROSH HASHANA: RENEWING THE POWER OF RENEWAL
“As the year is renewed the power of renewal elevates the human will and adds holiness to all.”
HARAV KOOK ON TISHA B’AV: REPAIRING THE WORLD WITH THE POWER OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
“If we [the second Temple] were destroyed, and the world with us, through needless hatred, we will be re-built and the world with us, through unconditional love.” (Rav Kook)
PARSHAT MASEI: RAV KOOK ON ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE THE WORLD
The Israelite understanding of the world and life is at its foundation about the dominance of the unified world perspective over the separated world perspective….
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT KEDOSHIM: HOW TO CREATE A WORLD OF UNIVERSAL LOVE
“The objective of the entire Torah is to remove the roadblocks so that universal love will spread and extend to all realms of life.” (Rav Kook)
Existence
HARAV HA’NAZIR ZT’L:THE SCROLL OF WAR AND PEACE
“The leaders of all the nations, their ministers, advisors and parliaments must legislate that the law ‘Do not murder” includes the prohibition of the mass murder of war. They must forbid war, not declare it…”
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT TETZAVEH: HOW TO ILLUMINATE LIFE
“We must kindle the light of eternal freedom and loving unification for all existence.”
RAV KOOK ON BREISHIT: BEGINNING NOW AND AGAIN AND BETTER THAN EVER
“The Torah of Israel clarifies how the state of the world and human ethics are dependent on each other. It is clear that the improvement of the world is dependent on ethical improvement. This is the essence of the Israelite understanding of the Creator. ”
RAV KOOK ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF HUMANKIND AND THE ENVIRONMENT
“We must recognize our covenant with the stones and animals of the field”
TU BE’AV- FIFTEENTH OF AV-THE HOLY DAY OF LOVE : Torat HaKabbala and Torat HaRav Kook
Rav Kook gave expression to the Torah of Love transforming from the the Torah of Yirah-Awe/Fear that characterized the Torah during our long exile from Israel.
WHAT RAV KOOK SAYS WE MUST DO IMMEDIATELY TO FIX THE WORLD: Step 1- OBEY THE LAWS OF NATURE
“We must act in harmony with the laws of life and protect the laws of nature, morality and the Torah. Thus we will repair and renew life’s vitality.”
Parshat Hashavua – Weekly TOrah Portion
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT KI TAVO: CREATING A WORLD ‘FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY’
“The highest sensibility in the soul of the people of Israel is the quest for universal justice and morality.”
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT SHOFTIM: HOW TO CREATE A DIVINE SOCIETY
“The true purpose of societal life is to enable human beings to fill life with light and good, with justice and knowledge of the Divine.”
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT RE’EH:HOW TO BE BLESSEDLY HAPPY
“We can thus fully actualize the exalted ideals of life.
The Torah of Israel is outstanding in crystallizing the idealism that will spread across all of the configurations of life.” (Rav Kook)
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT EKEV: HOW TO FEAR HASHEM FEARLESSLY
“Let us fear God in ways that bear love and inner delight and elevate and vitalize all the potentialities of our soul.” -Rav Kook
PARSHAT VAETCHANAN: RAV KOOK ON ‘UNITING EXISTENCE’
“All of life’s endeavors must be directed to disclose the light of the higher general harmony.”
PARSHAT MASEI: RAV KOOK ON ISRAEL’S RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE THE WORLD
The Israelite understanding of the world and life is at its foundation about the dominance of the unified world perspective over the separated world perspective….
Holy Days
THE LIGHTS OF RAV KOOK: SUKKOT JOY AND UNIVERSALITY
“The firmer our vision of universality- the greater the joy we will experience and the more we merit the grace of divine illumination.”
RAV KOOK ON YOM HAKIPPURIM:THE DAY OF AT-ONE-MENT
“On the holy day of Yom HaKippurim- we eat and drink from our holy inner voices of understanding.”
RAV KOOK ON ROSH HASHANA: RENEWING THE POWER OF RENEWAL
“As the year is renewed the power of renewal elevates the human will and adds holiness to all.”
RAV KOOK ON ‘TSHUVA/RETURN’:HARNESSING THE LIMITLESS POWER OF THE WILL FOR GOOD
“Within our yearning for good is a hidden life-force for overcoming every factor that limits and weakens existence.”
RAV KOOK ON ELUL- ‘TSHUVA-RETURNING TO OUR TRUE BEING ‘
“Within our yearning for Tshuva is a hidden life-force for overcoming every factor that limits and weakens existence.”
RAV KOOK ON PARSHAT KI TAVO: CREATING A WORLD ‘FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY’
“The highest sensibility in the soul of the people of Israel is the quest for universal justice and morality.”
Rav Kook/History
HARAV HA’NAZIR ZT’L:THE SCROLL OF WAR AND PEACE
“The leaders of all the nations, their ministers, advisors and parliaments must legislate that the law ‘Do not murder” includes the prohibition of the mass murder of war. They must forbid war, not declare it…”
SHIR HASHIRIM ASHER LE’SHLOMO: RAV KOOK AND RABBI SHLOMO CARLEBACH:
“Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach was perhaps the most profound exemplar of Rav Kook’s teachings in our time.”
RAV KOOK ON ELUL- ‘TSHUVA-RETURNING TO OUR TRUE BEING ‘
“Within our yearning for Tshuva is a hidden life-force for overcoming every factor that limits and weakens existence.”
THE TORAH OF EDEN: IN HONOR OF RAV KOOK ZT”L’S 88th YAHRZEIT
“All our endeavours must be directed toward disclosing the light of general harmony.” -Rav Kook
IN HONOR OF THE GREAT HEARER-RABBI DAVID COHEN-HA’RAV HA’NAZIR ZT”L
“The main thing is to come closer to the path of the revelation of prophecy.” -HaRav HaNazir, TZ’L
HARAV KOOK ON TISHA B’AV: REPAIRING THE WORLD WITH THE POWER OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
“If we [the second Temple] were destroyed, and the world with us, through needless hatred, we will be re-built and the world with us, through unconditional love.” (Rav Kook)
