IDF Soldiers Study Jewish Philosophy Amid Gaza Combat

The "Hit'orerut" (Awakening) organization has launched a project to disseminate the teachings of "Orot HaTeshuvah" (Lights of Repentance) in memory of Captain Daniel Maimon Tauf, who fell in battle. The complex combat reality in the Gaza Strip did not prevent soldiers from the Shaked Battalion from finding time for spiritual connection. Amidst operational missions, preparations, and sorties into battle, the soldiers engaged in a joint study of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook's book, "Orot HaTeshuvah."

Captain Daniel Maimon Tauf, who served as a deputy company commander in the battalion, was notably among these soldiers. He fell in battle in the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2024, along with three of his soldiers. The memory of their shared study on the battlefield has formed the basis for a new initiative aimed at spreading these concepts throughout Israeli society.

As part of this initiative, led by "Hit'orerut," three-minute videos are being distributed. Each video presents a passage from "Orot HaTeshuvah" with a simple explanation connected to daily life, making Rabbi Kook's teachings accessible even to those unfamiliar with them.

The 14th installment features Rabbi Yuval Mittleman, rabbi of the central "Yishuron" synagogue in Gedera and a lecturer at the Meir Institute. He explains why a meaningful life encompasses repentance, or "teshuvah." "One of the things a person most wants to feel in their life is that they are significant," Rabbi Mittleman emphasizes. He elaborates that a meaningful life involves returning to one's true self, recognizing the divine gifts one has to offer the world. When individuals focus on themselves in a limited way, they fail to bring their light to the world, which leads to transgressions. "Teshuvah is when a person returns to who they truly are, full of vitality, joy, strength, and power, to cast their goodness into the world," he stated.