Emuna

The first thing to ascertain in a Jew or a time period where many Jews are far from Judaism, is how far he really is? The number of how many generations of doubt, or how long a person or family has been estranged from Torah is important to know in order to address his/her spiritual needs properly. If one has seen religious practice in his home and is now rebelling, his needs are different than if he just saw his grandfather or neighbor doing mitzvot and himself is oblivious to the topic. In any event, Teshuva must be a gradual process & not be a quick jump to extremes.

As is the case regarding all strong powers in life, questioning and doubt are often called the "Key to knowledge", but as we know, they often can lead to confusion, as well. Rav Kook, explains how to reap the benefits of this topic without having it "boomerang" and be counterproductive. He also offers an innovative way of seeing "Yom Tov Sheini", the 2nd Day of Yom Tov outside of the Land of Israel.

Teshuva is usually seen from my personal point of view, but Rav Kook deals with the very common problem of taking responsibility to rebuke our children and even our wives/husbands, to purify the spiritual atmosphere of our homes. This issue is seldom dealt with, and the class deals with many practical suggestions and solutions how to politely rebuke without having it be counterproductive.

In Orot HaTeshuva 11, Rav Kook describes two types of Teshuva - sudden Teshuva and gradual Teshuva

How can we ever "quiet" our God-given conscience, if we do sincerely strive for improvement, but can never achieve moral & spiritual perfection?! Sounds frustrating, until Rav Kook teaches us in Orot HaTeshuva that the strive for perfection is (!) as perfect as man can be, and that's all God asks. Although it's hard to understand how we can actually erase mistakes that were already done, the sources teach that even when our sages say that in particular cases, Teshuva doesn't help, they're just saying so as part of the test, where if despite that, if one doesn't "despair" & does Teshuva, it's a sign that he's really sincere, his thought of improvement has no ulterior motives & is accepted! It's a lot easier & more natural than we think.

A mini-lecture about why evil exists in this world.