1 January 2026 · A sentence from the teachings of Rav Kook

Parashat Vayechi

„Ephraim shall assimilate among the nations; this very assimilation prepared salvation for the entire world, and for Israel in particular, at the End of Days.”From Shemonah Kevatzim VIII, 205

This passage is one of Rav Kook's incomprehensible passages; try to keep your head together... At the outset he establishes a foundational principle: "Every curse ultimately turns into a blessing, and every evil is turned to good, for all that is done is entirely counsel from afar, from the source of good." That is, as believing people, even what appears to be absolute destruction is part of something greater and deeper. And from this he approaches the assimilation of Ephraim, which is the result of a decline of spirit, of dullness of heart, and of the impoverishment of deeds. A grave sin and a historical curse. A silent holocaust. But here the shattering move occurs: nothing happens for no reason! In the very act of that disqualified assimilation, the inner life-force of Israel becomes absorbed among the nations. The Jewish DNA mixes in, and the world becomes refined. Not everything that happens is good, but everything bears meaning within the hand of God that leads the world toward its rectification.

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For those who wish to expand, I will send the full passage in the discussion group.

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