„A person must believe in his life, believe in his material power and…”
„A person must believe in his life, believe in his material power and in his moral power together. Faith encompasses everything, like love. Faith in life is the blessing of the Lord, just as lack of faith is the most terrible curse—'and you shall not believe in your life.' When a person believes in his spiritual life, he finds contentment in the labor of his soul, and he continually rises and is elevated.”From Shemonah Kevatzim, I, 231
In the previous post ( ) I wrote about the fear that is liable to take over a person and bring him to a state of paralysis. When faith is founded upon fear alone, the ability to advance from it to building is very hard.
So what then? A person must believe in himself—in his powers and his abilities. The basis for our ability to believe in ourselves requires the 'turning away from evil.' In Orot HaTorah Rav Kook writes, 'The upright person must believe in his life,' where uprightness is presented as the key to faith. When there is uprightness, the frightenings and the ethical instruction need not be the main thing. When the basis of 'turning away from evil'—which ethics helps and supports—exists, a person must cleave to love: to do things with understanding, to do things out of a will and desire to do them, and consequently in this way he will be able to advance in the service of God.
Shabbat shalom.
For the recovery of Roza bat Bova
From the community archive of Mishpetei HaRav Kook — studying Rav Kook's teachings since 2011.