Yom Kippur
„There was no need for me until such a time as this, when I was created, because the hour has come in which I must fulfill some matter for the completion of reality.”From Olat Re'iyah, Yom Kippur
At the end of the Amidah of Yom Kippur we say: 'My God, before I was formed I was unworthy,' and Rav Kook explains the meaning of this. As long as we were not in this world, we were not needed. And the moment the Holy One, blessed be He, decided that our soul would descend to the world, the world required us. It required the unique light that we were chosen to bring to the world. And this task, to be ourselves, is an essential part of the attunement we are called to make on Yom Kippur. To ask ourselves: are we fulfilling our purpose? Are we bringing our unique light to the world? When we reach 120, will we look up and to the sides and say: we brought our light to the world?
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May our prayers be received with favor, for ourselves, for our captives, for our wounded and bereaved, for our soldiers, and for all the people of Israel. Amen.
From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.