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[Letter
11]
In this letter, Rav Kook argues that the Divine Essence (God) and Divine
Ideals (sefirot) can not be separated from one another. In the same way,
true ethics can not and should not be separated from the divine source of
all true spiritual values. In this connection he also explains that the
apparent cruelty of wars described in the Bible was necessary to eliminate
forces which were blocking the divine light for all of mankind. He also
deals with Christianity's concept of "love, " proven false by
history. Our sages said, "Those who have mercy on the cruel will in
the end be cruel to the merciful. " He also discusses the sins committed
by the biblical leaders of Israel.
[
Letter 43]
This letter presents a short curriculum for the Torah
scholar, emphasizing Jewish thought and Kabbala, and including secular
studies.
[
Letter 79 ]
This letter discusses aspects of the Torah's view of psychology and
contains many other matters as well. Rav Kook, like modern psychologists
argues that dreams are representations of emotions and desires in the
dreamer's subconscious but sees them as positive expressions of the soul's
desire to love God. He also discusses the religious value of fisting,
noting that fasting, in general, is permitted only of a person who is
fit enough to bear self-affliction, and hinting that today, when the spiritual
state of the world is at a nadir, people do not have enough spiritual
strength to take additional fasts upon themselves. All this comes as a
prelude to an explanation of the "dream fast"—a fast undertaken
by one who has had a bad dream. At the beginning of the letter, Rav Kook
discusses the tolerance of ideas, and distinguishes between recognizing
that all ideas have a divine source, which he advocates, and the attitude
that all ideas should be equally valued, which he condemns.
[Letter
89]
The following letter deals with a range of topics, in
response to questions raised by Rav Seidle. Rav Kook discusses the concept
of midot chasidut—good deeds not specifically commanded by the Torah.
He sees these as an important part of morality, for they are the result
of the exercise of free will for good. He also explains that the apparent
cruelty of biblical wars was a necessity, given the social and moral environment
of the ancient world.
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