Rav Kook: Orot Hateshuva
This shiur will analyze R. Kook’s major work on repentance. We will discuss the relationship betweenn an individual’s personal teshuva and the cosmic process, the worth of penitent thoughts, the balance between joy and fear in repentance, and the significance of free will.
Rav Kook: Orot Hateshuva: Lesson 1
Joy, Optimism and Repentance: Some of you were unable to open a docx Word file so I am sending the sources again in an older Word format. See you tonight (in a manner of speaking). Dear Participants, Welcome to this shiur. I look forward to productive and enjoyable learning with you. One perspective associates repentance with sorrow since the process focuses on human sinfulness. By contrast, Rav Kook’s depiction of teshuva emphasizes joy and optimism. We shall investigate some of R. Kook’s strategies for creating a more encouraging portrait and analyze what motivates his position. Does his focus on the positive reflect a psychological assessment of what enables human flourishing or is it rooted in a metaphysical position about the nature of the cosmos? All the best, Y Blau .
Rav Kook: Orot Hateshuva: Lesson 2
Natural Repentance, Health, and Returning to Oneself: Dear Participants, We shall continue last week’s topic and move on to other issues as well. Why does Rav Kook portray a more optimistic approach to teshuva? What is the relationship between repentance and health? To whom does one return in the act of teshuva? I look forward to learning with you. Y Blau
Rav Kook: Orot Hateshuva: Lesson 3
Cosmic Repentance, the Jewish People and Zionism: Dear Participants, This week’s shiur will investigate the theme of cosmic teshuva. How does it relate to repentance of the individual? What role do the Jewish people play in this process? Is this idea connected to Rav Kook’s approach to Zionism? I look forward to learning with you. Y Blau
Rav Kook: Orot Hateshuva: Lesson 4
Human Freedom, Divine Providence and Teshuva: R. Zadok Hakohen from Lublin presents a model of repentance in which the penitent individual comes to appreciate his previous actions as part of the divine plan. We shall investigate whether or not this model appears in R. Kook’s writings. Does he innovate within this model? How does this model differ from the more standard approach to teshuva. I look forward to learning with you. Y Blau PS: The current sources are all from R. Kook but I plan on adding a passage from R. Zadok before tomorrow’s shiur