9 November 2025 · A sentence from the teachings of Rav Kook

To Dare, to Prevail

„One whose soul does not roam the wide expanses, who does not seek the light of truth and good with all his heart, does not suffer spiritual ruin, but neither does he have any edifices of his own. He shelters in the shadow of the natural structures, like the rock-badgers for whom the cliffs are a refuge. But the human being, one in whom the soul of a person truly dwells, his soul can find shelter only in the structures he builds through his spiritual labor, whose diligent work never ceases.”From Orot HaKodesh II, 314

One who never tries never fails. A person who never leaves his house will not be harmed by accidents that happen outside, but neither will he manage to build anything in his life. It is precisely our 'risk-taking,' our venturing out into the open, that grants us the ability to become greater people, to build independent and mighty edifices. We must not stop trying to advance and to mend, even at the price of error and falling! Do not be afraid to try, to search, to seek: the great ones began their path with many failures before their success.

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From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.