New Project Spreads Teachings of Rabbi Kook Inspired by Fallen Soldier

The 'Hit'or'erut' (Awakening) organization has launched a new project called 'Orot Ha'Teshuvah' (Lights of Repentance) to disseminate the teachings of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, inspired by the memory of Captain Daniel Maimon Touaf, who fell in battle in Gaza. The project aims to make these spiritual concepts accessible to the wider Israeli society.

The initiative features short, three-minute videos that present a passage from Rabbi Kook's book 'Orot Ha'Teshuvah' alongside a simple explanation connected to daily life. This format is designed to introduce Rabbi Kook's philosophy even to those unfamiliar with it.

The complex fighting in the Gaza Strip did not prevent soldiers from the Shaked Battalion from engaging in spiritual study. Amidst operational missions and preparations for combat, the soldiers studied Rabbi Kook's work. Captain Daniel Maimon Touaf, serving as a company deputy commander, was among them. He was killed in action in Gaza on September 8, 2024, along with three of his soldiers.

In the tenth video of the series, Rabbi Eyal Ward, rabbi of the 'Yachdav' community and a lecturer at the Me'ir Institute, discusses a type of repentance he believes is often overlooked: moving from 'smallness to greatness.' He explains that many thoughts, while not forbidden, such as suspicion towards others, lack of generosity, envy, or stinginess, characterize a 'small' person. Rabbi Ward emphasizes that as 'children of a king,' people should aspire to 'great thoughts' and perform mitzvot (commandments) because they are the truth, not solely for reward, urging a spiritual elevation beyond mere adherence to law.