Turning Inward
„There are hours in which a person feels that his whole spirit has entered deep within him; he is then very concentrated in his own selfhood... If someone comes and examines him from the outside, he will not know what is being wrought within his spirit; he may judge him much for the negative, that he is not sociable... yet in the truth of his spirit within him he feels a great and unified harmony.”From Shemonah Kevatzim VII, 3
There are times in which we appear closed, distant, unavailable to the world. But the truth is that the spirit sinks inward in order to build itself. And out of this turning inward, directions become clear, decisions crystallize, and dreams are woven. It is not always possible to understand from the outside what is happening within such a person, but he himself feels that all his parts are settling into a single melody, in his inner and personal work. Rav Kook adds there: 'The living, mighty point within him acts, unbeknownst, upon the environment, more than any noisy agitation can act and accomplish.' It is precisely when it seems that there is no movement that there is a quiet, deep, and creative ferment. This is a time of incubation. An inner winter that prepares the flowers of spring.
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From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.