23 March 2026 · A sentence from the teachings of Rav Kook
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To Be a Slave
„The one with the spirit of slavery, whose content of life and feeling are never illuminated by his own essential spiritual quality, but only by what is good and beautiful in the eyes of the other who rules over him with some form of dominion.”From Olat Re'iyah, Matters of Pesach
There is a slavery that enters into the very bones. And we are seized by it when we are constantly glancing to the sides, checking whether they see us. Do they see how we prayed? Do they see how hard we tried? Do they see how good we are? And so on in this manner... To be a slave is to serve whoever is before you. One can be wealthy and be a slave, one can be a rabbi and be a slave, one can be a leader and be a slave. And one can be a simple person and be a king. To take upon ourselves freedom in the month of freedom is to decide to stop glancing to the sides! And to truly act.
From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.