02 The return

This quote caught my attention immediately, when I heard it for the first time, some time in my 20s.

Although haRav Kook was definitely not a Chassid, he was deeply influenced by Kabbalistic and mystical thought. in his philosophy, the most private, the most individual and subjective are often immediately and intimately connected to the universal and all encompassing.

The “tshuva”, the “return” mentioned in this text is normally used as a term for becoming more religious, more connected to tradition, more pious.

For him, connecting to the highest powers inevitably means as well connecting to ourselves, to our souls, to our essence. And so the answers to the biggest questions to be found in the most seemingly insignificant aspects of life.