RAV KOOK ON Shavuot Part 1: Connecting to Torah Study
For Rav Kook, it was axiomatic that the Jewish soul and the Torah are a match made in heaven. In his book analyzing the essential nature and value of Torah study, Orot HaTorah, he categorically asserted that “The Torah is bound together with the spirit of Israel” (12:1). This is true not only for the Jewish people as a whole, but also for each individual:
“Just as Knesset Yisrael [the national soul of Israel] can only realize its full potential in the land of Israel [see Kuzari 2:12] , so, too, each individual Jew can only fulfill his spiritual potential through the Torah, which is the spiritual ‘land’ suitable to the special qualities of the Jewish soul. All other studies are like foreign lands with regard to the spiritual development of Israel.” (12:7)
While this is nice in theory, in practice things are not so simple. Not everyone takes to Torah study like a fish to water. If Torah study is indeed so natural to the Jewish soul, why do Jewish educators need to work so hard?
Rav Kook was aware of this problem. There are a number of reasons why the words of Torah may not find a place in one’s heart — some practical, some spiritual. In analyzing the reasons why a person may feel disconnected from Torah, Rav Kook noted several underlying causes.
For Rav Kook, it was axiomatic that the Jewish soul and the Torah are a match made in heaven. In his book analyzing the essential nature and value of Torah study, Orot HaTorah, he categorically asserted that “The Torah is bound together with the spirit of Israel” (12:1). This is true not only for the Jewish people as a whole, but also for each individual:
“Just as Knesset Yisrael [the national soul of Israel] can only realize its full potential in the land of Israel [see Kuzari 2:12] , so, too, each individual Jew can only fulfill his spiritual potential through the Torah, which is the spiritual ‘land’ suitable to the special qualities of the Jewish soul. All other studies are like foreign lands with regard to the spiritual development of Israel.” (12:7)
While this is nice in theory, in practice things are not so simple. Not everyone takes to Torah study like a fish to water. If Torah study is indeed so natural to the Jewish soul, why do Jewish educators need to work so hard?
Rav Kook was aware of this problem. There are a number of reasons why the words of Torah may not find a place in one’s heart — some practical, some spiritual. In analyzing the reasons why a person may feel disconnected from Torah, Rav Kook noted several underlying causes.
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