New Project Shares Rabbi Kook's Teachings Inspired by Fallen Soldier

The 'Hit'or'erut' (Awakening) organization has launched a new project to make the teachings of "Orot Ha'teshuva" (Lights of Repentance) accessible to the wider Israeli public. The initiative is dedicated to the memory of Captain Daniel Maimon Touaf, who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip on August 19, 2024, along with three of his soldiers. Touaf served as a deputy company commander in the Shaked Battalion.

During the complex fighting in Gaza, soldiers from the Shaked Battalion found time for spiritual connection, studying Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook's "Orot Ha'teshuva" between operational missions and preparations for combat. Touaf's memory of this shared study on the battlefield inspired the new project.

The project features short, three-minute videos that present a passage from "Orot Ha'teshuva" with a simple explanation connected to daily life. This aims to introduce Rabbi Kook's philosophy to those unfamiliar with it.

In the fourth video of the series, Rabbi Yehuda Ben Hamo, head of the Beit 'Emunah' at the Lev La'Da'at Yeshiva in Sderot, addresses the fear of personal repentance. He explains that just as any life goal has challenges, repentance also faces obstacles. Rabbi Ben Hamo identifies the primary obstacle as the "imagined picture of repentance," where individuals perceive it as weakening or diminishing their enjoyment of life.

Drawing from Rabbi Kook's teachings, Rabbi Ben Hamo suggests that the solution lies in actively reshaping this mental image. He advises individuals seeking to repent to visualize how repentance will lead to greater happiness and fulfillment through personal growth and progress.