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

Life at the Extremes

„There are people... who have no rest; they always stand in the balance, either to ascend to the heights of heaven, or also to descend to the depths of the abyss. These must mend their spiritual personality day by day.”From Orot HaKodesh III, 88

There are people whose inner forces are strong and who live on an axis of extremes: that same person can on one day be full of holiness, truth, and aspiration, and on another day fall into emptiness, confusion, or self-destruction. For them there is no neutral state. Rav Kook points precisely to these people as ones who need daily spiritual labor and a bond to Torah and mitzvot. Without this labor they are liable to crash; the bond to holiness elevates them. When there is order, framework, and inner discipline, the power rises. When there is not, that same power pulls downward.

*

RestHolinessWork & LivelihoodLightTruth
View source on Facebook →

More sentences on this topic

Rest„And spiritual weariness, with all its attendant obstacles, will not pass except by way of…”Heaven, Earth, and Humanity„And he must set aside for himself expansive times.”The Pain of Talent„Because he has the talent to comprehend with greater depth, they do not let his mind rest…”„Counsel, prayer, and resolve must be gathered to fight against the weakness of the will..…”
All 1,300+ sentences → Get the books

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