Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook (1865–1935) was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, as well as a mystic, philosopher, and poet. For many years, much of Rav Kook’s spiritual wisdom has remained unknown or unread by the general public. In this new collection of writings, never-before-seen English translations have been made available to the reader. Each chapter is introduced and organized into different topics, including the meaning of silence, speech, faith, mitzvot, dreams, love, community, exile, redemption and peace.
“Our broken world is aching for the healing light of Rav Kook, the ‘Ba’al HaOros.’ Rav Ari Ze’ev’s masterful compilation is an invitation into the mind and heart of this most exalted visionary.”
— Rav Moshe Weinberger, Rabbi of Aish Kodesh and Author of Song of Teshuvah: A Commentary on Rav Kook’s Oros HaTeshuvah
"Rav Kook was a master of Torah, life, and the inner world of the Jew. Rav Ari Ze’ev is a master of making those teachings accessible and relevant to the modern Jew.”
— Rabbi Dov Ber Cohen, Author of Mastering Life: A Unique Guidebook to Jewish Enlightenment
"The Spiritual Wisdom of Rav Kook is an excellent introduction for people seeking to discover the joyous and life-affirming Torah of Rav Kook.”
— Rabbi David Aaron, Author of The Secret Life of God and Endless Light, Rosh Yeshiva of Orayta
"What would you do to receive encouragement from a soul like Rav Kook, whose every word is filled with gems of love, hope, and direction? In the book before you, Rav Ari Ze’ev Schwartz has gifted our generation with just that.”
— Rav Shlomo Katz, Author, Singer, and Rabbi of Shirat David
About the Author:
Rabbi Ari Ze’ev Schwartz is the author of The Spiritual Revolution of Rav Kook:The Writings of a Jewish Mysticand teaches at several Yeshivot and Midrashot in Jerusalem.
CONTENTS
Individual Spirituality
1 Encouragement
2 Solitude and Time by Oneself
3 Silence and Speech
4 Intellect and Emotions
5 Faith
6 The Tzadik Within
7 Kabbalah and Mysticism
8 Dreams, Death, and Reincarnation
9 The Meaning of Mitzvot
Collective Spirituality
10 Community
11 Love
12 Good and Evil
13 The Jewish People
14 Exile, Redemption, and Aliya
15 A New Guide for the Perplexed
16 Agada
17 Kodesh and Chol (Religious and Secular)
18 Peace and Unity
Combining Both Paths of Spirituality
19 Rav Kook’s Individual and Collective Spirituality
Stories about Rav Kook
A Spiritual Letter to the Reader