New Project Shares Spiritual Teachings Inspired by Fallen Soldier

The "Hit'or'erut" (Awakening) organization has launched a new 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 three-minute videos explaining passages from Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook's book, "Orot HaTeshuvah," connecting them to daily life.

Captain Touaf, a deputy company commander in the Shaked Battalion, was killed in action in the Gaza Strip on September 7, 2024, along with three of his soldiers. During complex combat operations in Gaza, Touaf and his fellow soldiers found time for spiritual connection, studying Rabbi Kook's work together between missions and preparations for battle.

The shared study experience on the battlefield inspired the "Hit'or'erut" initiative to disseminate these teachings throughout Israeli society. The videos aim to introduce Rabbi Kook's philosophy to those unfamiliar with it, offering simple explanations relevant to everyday life.

Rabbi Yuval Mittleman, of the "Yishuron" synagogue in Gedera and a lecturer at the Meir Institute, explains the concept that feeling distant from God can signify a deep connection. He quotes Rabbi Kook, stating that the pain and sorrow over past sins indicate that a person is spiritually alive. "Precisely the pain, the sorrow, the fact that a person feels distant from God, it reveals that in depth, he is most connected and tied to the Creator, because he belongs to Him and therefore seeks to repent," Rabbi Mittleman explained.