11 May 2025 · A sentence from the teachings of Rav Kook

Do Not Extinguish

„If one who extinguishes a coal upon the physical altar transgresses a prohibition... how much more so one who extinguishes a supreme spiritual coal... the Israelite heart.”From Shemonah Kevatzim, Kovetz III, section 216

Each of us has an inner point of longing. An intense desire for absolute good, for repair, for closeness to God. And this desire, sometimes hidden, sometimes stormy – is a holy coal in the heart. Rav Kook teaches that just as it is forbidden to extinguish the fire upon the altar in the Temple, so it is forbidden to extinguish this thirst in a person's heart. But so that this fire will not fade, so that the heart will continue to desire, one must fan it from below. And how? With everyday, simple things, but ones that feed the flame and let it rise, that give us the will to continue. And so, with the right addition, this flame will rise to the height of the heavens, and will illuminate even the depths of the abyss.

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HolinessWill
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