New Project Shares Rabbi Kook's Teachings in Memory of Fallen Soldier

The "Hit'orirut" organization has launched a project to make the teachings of "Orot HaTeshuvah" (Lights of Repentance) accessible to the public, in memory of Captain Daniel Maimon Touaf, who fell in battle. The project features short, three-minute videos explaining passages from Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak Kook's book, connecting them to everyday life.

The initiative was inspired by soldiers from the Givati Brigade's Shaked Battalion who studied "Orot HaTeshuvah" while engaged in combat operations in the Gaza Strip. Captain Daniel Maimon Touaf, who served as a deputy company commander and fell in battle on August 31, 2024, alongside three of his soldiers, was among those who participated in these study sessions.

Rabbi Boaz Haddad of the Beit El Yeshiva explains in one of the videos that human despair often stems from a belief that one is unworthy of repentance. He quotes Rabbi Kook, stating that the main reason for falling is a lack of belief in the ease of repentance. Rabbi Haddad clarifies that true repentance is not a distant goal but a continuous process, built step by step.

According to Rabbi Haddad, the driving force behind this process is the individual's desire to improve and draw closer to God. He emphasizes that God does not expect immediate, drastic change but rather the will to begin the process. This desire, he concludes, is the essence of repentance.