Israeliness and Judaism

One of the great novel teachings of Rav Kook lies in this sentence. Israeliness does not contradict Judaism, and Judaism does not contradict Israeliness. Ostensibly it seems that there are here two voices – a voice that speaks in the name of the people and national life, and a voice that speaks in the name of faith and holiness, and each of them pulls in a different direction. Rav Kook seeks to break this picture from its foundation. Even when Israeliness seeks to stand on its own, even when it does not use the language of faith and even distances itself from it, it is not separate from Judaism. The very connection to the people of Israel, the desire to be part of it and to build one's life in its land, flows from a deep place in which the spirit of God already operates. And Judaism too is not a world detached from life. It is not only a study hall or prayer, but is revealed within national life itself, within society, the state, and reality.