In this series of shiurim, Rabbi Triebitz learns through a book of Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook entitled Ketzavim mi-Ktzav Yad Kodsho: vol. 2 – Pinkas HaDapim 1
This is published notebooks of Rav Kook’s that he probably never intended to publish or prepared for publication. However, they contain some profound (and extremely interesting) ideas.

Rav Kook Pinkas HaDapim Section 4

הערבוביה הנמצאת בדעות בדורנו צריכה להיות מוּסרת מעיקריה. הכפירה מהרסת את כל אושר העולם, ומחרבת בית ישראל עד מאד. לכן חובה כפולה היא עתה להרגיע את הלבבות, בצורת הדעות, מצד בנין האומה, חוץ מההטבה האנושית הכללית. ההבנה של כללות האמונות צריכה להתחדש באורח יותר נח ויותר מובן מכפי מה שהיה הדבר מפורסם עד כה. מיום שנפֹצה אמונת האחדות בין עמים רבים על ידי ההשפעה הישראלית, ביחוד ההשפעה התנ”כית שבאה על ידי ההעתקה היונית, ונבנו בנינים תיאולוגיים גדולים בכל הכתות הדתיות, נעשה מצב הדתות זו לזו במעמד של איבה חדה, שזהו חסרון מיוחד שלא היה דוגמתו בעולם האלילי. טבע האליליות הוא שלא לדחק אחד רגלי חבירו, שהרי הריבוי של האלהות הוא בעצמו מניח את האפשרות לצאת ידי חובת רבים, וכיון שאפשר לאמונה אחת שתכלל אלילים רבים בקרבה, כן לא תצר עינה אם אחרים יעבדו אלילים כאלה שאין להם כל יפוי כח אצלה.

Religious wars only began with the invention of monotheism. Paganism (polytheism) does not preclude other beliefs, therefore there is no need to fight for paganism.

אמנם האחדות מוחה היא על כל אלוהות בכח עצום מאד, וממילא נתפשטה המחאה גם כן על פרטי הקולטוס הדתי, שיהיה דוקא בצורה זו שהאמונה המקובלת בזה הקיבוץ מחזקת בו, וסגנון אחר הרי הוא כאילו אין זה אותו אלֹה, וממילא נכלל הענין במחאה המלאה שנאה עמוקה של עבודה זרה.

Monotheism equates with intolerance (cannot be more than one G-d) whereas polytheism is tolerance.
Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim I:56) explains the mitzvah of destruction of the seven nations of Israel as kindness. The ethical truth (which is equivalent to the ontological truth) allows for the ultimate Divine truth of monotheism. Rambam also speaks about this in the third section of Moreh Nevuchim.

אבל אי אפשר כלל שיהיה מצב כזה, שיש בו פגימה מוסרית כל כך גדולה, עומד בציביונו לעד.

But it is impossible that there should be such a deep spiritual destruction that it will be eternal.
Monotheism equals intolerance, which requires a lack of ethics (religious war) but this will be only temporary and not in the essence.
Yoma 9: First Temple was destroyed because of idolatry. Second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred.
It seems that Chazal are saying that rejection of idolatry leads to hatred and warfare.

הגרעין הפנימי צריך שיוקח בטהרתו, וסיגיו יבדלו. הטהרה העליונה של הנקודה האמונית, האחדות האלהית, מוכרחת היא לבא לעולם. ההתפתחות לא תעמוד על עמדה. היא תבא למרום פסגתה, והפסגה הרוממה ברוח תגיע עד האחדות האלהית בהכרח. אבל האחדות בעצמה תלמד, שכל הצורות שבעולם הנן לבושים שהיא מתגלה על ידם, ושההבדל הנמצא בין הלבשה דחוקה, מוגבלת, ומעורפלת במחשכים של דמיונות כוזבים רבים, עד אותה ההלבשה המתרחבת ומתעטרת בהוד שכל צח ונשגב, איננו כי אם הבדל של סדרי מדרגות שהאורה הגדולה הולכת ומתגלה על ידם. וסדרי המדרגות הללו יוכרו על ידי הסתכלות בהירה לא בתור רסיסים בודדים, שאין יחש בין איש לרעהו, כי אם בתור קוים ושרטוטים אורגניים, העושים כולם יחד חטיבה אחת

What is the relevance for us today? The inner kernel has to emerge with purity. We have to connect with the inner Divine ontological truth in a pure way, and reject the husk.
The perfection of the world happens naturally, without human intervention.
Rav Kook is basing himself on Ramchal (Da’at Tevunot) whereby the revelation of the Divine Unity happens by itself. Gilui Yichudo happens by itself.

Evil and Divine vacuum are necessary for the ultimate revelation of G-d’s Unity. This is clearly a Ramchal concept.
However, whereas Ramchal is speaking spirituality, Rav Kook is speaking about intellectual truth.

. בחופש גמור הננו מדברים, בלא שום פחד, מפני שהאמת הוא נר לרגלינו, והוא מגדל עז שם ד’ בו ירוץ צדיק ונשגב.

“I am speaking without fear,” writes Rav Kook, “Because truth is my guiding light.”

We hope you enjoy these shiurim.
At the moment, these shiurim are free of charge because Rabbi Triebitz has generously volunteered his time and there are no overheads. If you would like to show your appreciation to Rabbi Triebitz, please contribute to this site by pressing the ‘donate’ button on the side of the page. Contributors will receive American tax receipts for charity upon request.

You can watch and download the shiurim below. As always please send any comments, thoughts, ideas or criticisms to admin at hashkafacircle.com

[flv:/Kook/RT_Kook_08.flv 240 180]
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In this series of shiurim, Rabbi Triebitz learns through a book of Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook entitled Ketzavim mi-Ktzav Yad Kodsho: vol. 2 – Pinkas HaDapim
This is published notebooks of Rav Kook’s that he probably never intended to publish or prepared for publication. However, they contain some profound (and extremely interesting) ideas.

Rabbi Triebitz continues this series of shiurim with sections 25 and 26 in Pinkas HaDapim.

Given that Rav Kook understands the physical world to be independent of the Or HaElyon and takes tzimtzum literally, how can the tikun occur in the physical world?

This tikun is an important part of the thought of Ramchal, but he learns that the Or HaElyon is connected to the physical world. The gilui yichudo begins through evil in the physical world becoming transformed into good and ascending to the higher worlds.

How does Rav Kook understand the machshava tachtona, the revelation of G-d in the physical world?.

The source for Rav Kook is the Leshem in Sefer HaKlalim daf 65c (כללי התפשטות והסתלקות: כלל ט”ו ענף י”א). The Leshem poses a contradiction between the philosophy of Rambam and the theology of Chazal.

(Rav Aryeh Levine writes in his introduction that Rav Kook learned the philosophy of the Rishonim).

Ibn Gabbai asks whether the world has a purpose.

Moreh Nevuchim III:13 says that one cannot formulate a purpose for the creation of the world.

Avodas HaLev attacks Rambam and says that of course the purpose of creation was for man.

The truth is that Rambam and the kabbalists are not speaking to each other in the same language.

When we speak about the purpose of creation we can only speak from our viewpoint. We cannot speak about G-d’s purpose in creation. This is the Leshem’s explanation of the beginning of Etz Chaim. So perhaps there is no real dispute between Avodas HaLev and Rambam, but are both looking from a different viewpoint.

Leshem sides with Rambam, and says that we cannot see one part of creation as more important than any other part of creation.

This is very similar to what Rav Kook writes, that the laws of nature operate by themselves, and the world appears purposeless.

Leshem asks, if so, how do we understand all the statements of Chazal that man is the purpose of creation? He answers (66b) that through learning Torah a person elevates the physical world and spiritualises it.

Through the light of Torah a person unites all the parts of creation and elevates them, including the physical world.

For the Leshem, man is the purpose of creation insofar as he is able to unite all aspects of reality, including the physical, and brings them to a higher level.

There are two fundamental pillars of thought that Rav Kook shares with the Leshem.

Kant describes his thought as a “Copernican Revolution” in philosophy. Kant puts man at the centre of epistemology and philosophy. It is man who furnishes the world with its structure and ontology.

This idea is also fundamental to the thought of Nefesh HaChaim, that G-d, Torah and Yisrael are one.

For the Leshem the purpose of creation is man, who brings the world to its purpose.

For Ramchal, it is G-d who brings the world to its ultimate purpose.

Both Leshem and Ramchal are speaking from the human viewpoint, but in a sense dividing that viewpoint into ‘His’ and ‘ours’.

Ramchal stresses throughout Da’at Tevunot that it is G-d who directs history and brings the world to its purpose. Man’s role is very limited.

Leshem (and Rav Kook) focus on man’s role in perfecting the world.

While the Leshem speaks about learning Torah, Rav Kook speaks about philosophy, nature and science.

It is this intellectual study and thought which allows a person to spiritualise the world and bring it to its ultimate purpose.

We hope you enjoy these shiurim.
At the moment, these shiurim are free of charge because Rabbi Triebitz has generously volunteered his time and there are no overheads. If you would like to show your appreciation to Rabbi Triebitz, please contribute to this site by pressing the ‘donate’ button on the side of the page. Contributors will receive American tax receipts for charity upon request.

You can watch and download the shiurim below. As always please send any comments, thoughts, ideas or criticisms to admin at hashkafacircle.com

[flv:/Kook/RT_Kook_04.flv 240 180]
Video of shiur 04

Click here to download the shiur as an flv file
Rav Kook Notebooks 04
(you may have to right click on the link and click ‘save target as’)

Click here to download the shiur in audio mp3 format
Rav Kook Notebooks 04

AND FOR APPLE I-POD USERS:
Click here to download the shiur in mp4 video format
Rav Kook Notebooks 04

In this series of shiurim, Rabbi Triebitz learns through a book of Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook entitled Ketzavim mi-Ktzav Yad Kodsho: vol. 2 – Pinkas HaDapim 1
This is published notebooks of Rav Kook’s that he probably never intended to publish or prepared for publication. However, they contain some profound (and extremely interesting) ideas.

Rabbi Triebitz continues this series of shiurim with the 3rd paragraph of section 1.

Here Rav Kook speaks about the distinction between the general, higher thought, and the specific, lower thought. If the higher apprehension penetrates into the lower apprehension it is dangerous, and destroys everything.

על כן אם על ידי ההשפעה של המחשבה העליונה יתמחקו כל האותיות של המחשבה התחתונה, הכל יועם ויוכת, המוסר יתנודד ושלמות האמונה תתרופף, החיים יחלשו והמרץ יחלש, והארץ תשאה שממה

Where is the precedent for this idea, that we should not let the higher light penetrate and erase the features of the physical world.

There was a very close connection between Rav Kook and Rav Shlomo Elyashiv, author of Leshem Sh’vo ve-Achlama. In the introduction to Chidushim u-Bi’urim. In the introduction by R’ Aryeh Levine it states that Rav Kook wrote the wording for the Leshem’s tombstone.
The Leshem writes in Sefer Ha-De’ah amud 57b in the paragraph beginning עוד … a strong attack explicitly against Nefesh HaChaim sha’ar 3 (though the view of Nefesh HaChaim is not so different in this respect from that of the Tanya). The Leshem rejects their view that the physical world has no independent reality, but is merely an illusion. He writes:
ולכן אמרו כי אין מציאות ודמיון לעולם כלל…

This understanding of the Leshem, that tzimtzum cannot be understood non-literally, is paraphrased by Rav Kook using metaphor of sun shining etc. This shows clearly that our goal must be focusing on the physical world, which has a reality.

The goal of humanity is to perfect the physical world, and through that G-d will perfect the spiritual world.

Ramchal learns tzimtzum in a non-literal way, but not in the same way as the Tanya and Nefesh HaChaim.

What kind of perfection can occur in the physical world without any ain sof penetrating into it, according to the Leshem’s understanding of literal tzimtzum.

How can Rav Kook synthesis these two diametrically opposed views of the Leshem and Ramchal which have different understandings of tzimtzum and rectification.

The answer to this question will have to wait until next week when Rabbi Triebitz will look at the resolution of perfection and tzimtzum in the thought of Rav Kook, and the nature of the relationship between spiritual and natural world. Next week: Sections 25 and 26

We hope you enjoy these shiurim.
At the moment, these shiurim are free of charge because Rabbi Triebitz has generously volunteered his time and there are no overheads. If you would like to show your appreciation to Rabbi Triebitz, please contribute to this site by pressing the ‘donate’ button on the side of the page. Contributors will receive American tax receipts for charity upon request.

You can watch and download the shiurim below. As always please send any comments, thoughts, ideas or criticisms to admin at hashkafacircle.com

[flv:/Kook/RT_Kook_03.flv 240 180]
Video of shiur 03

Click here to download the shiur as an flv file
Rav Kook Notebooks 03
(you may have to right click on the link and click ‘save target as’)

Click here to download the shiur in audio mp3 format
Rav Kook Notebooks 03

AND FOR APPLE I-POD USERS:
Click here to download the shiur in mp4 video format
Rav Kook Notebooks 03