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"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might." (Deut. 6:5)
What does it mean to love God "bechol me'odecha", "with all your might"? The Talmud offers two explanations for this phrase.
Thankfulness Even in Misfortune
The first explanation is that, in every situation (midah) that God places us, we should sincerely thank (modeh) Him. From here we learn that one should recite a blessing over bad news as well as good news. When hearing about death, financial loss, or other tragedies, we need to acknowledge that God is the true Judge.
How is it possible to thank God for tragedy? And why is this a form of loving God?
A self-centered individual will look at all circumstances only in the context of his own narrow interests. From this viewpoint, good and bad are measured purely by selfish criteria.
However, the individual who can internalize the dictates of his intellect, and who loves that which his mind tells him to love, will have a drastically different outlook on good and bad. Happiness and pleasure are not limited to how events affect him or his immediate surroundings. As a result of his love of the Infinite, he judges every situation, every circumstance, in terms of the klal — the community, the nation, the universe, all of creation, and beyond.
In the overall picture, evil does not exist. What appears to be evil and bad in a narrow outlook, will ultimately result in greater good in the broader view. If we live our lives in accordance with this insight, we will understand that while a certain situation may be difficult on a personal level, our private suffering enables positive repercussions for the klal.
With All Our Possessions
The Sages gave a second explanation for "all your might": to love God with all of your money. We should serve God with all of our possessions.
How does this relate to the first explanation, that we should express gratitude to God in all circumstances of life?
An individual who chooses to reject all material possessions, spurning all wealth and comfort in pursuit of an ascetic lifestyle, is living an extremely limited existence. He is incapable of truly appreciating the value of life. What is life worth when it is restricted to poverty and hardship? We can only attain a full measure of love — for life, for the universe, and for God — when we seek to live life to its fullest, albeit in accordance with God's will.
Life is expanded and enriched through material possessions. Money and possessions are called meod ("very"), as they serve to intensify the living experience. The wise individual, living a full, intense life, is deeply aware of the importance of life. He recognizes the greatness of the klal, and is willing to sacrifice his life out of love for God. The richness of his life strengthens his dedication to truth and justice, according to what benefits the klal. His soul is full of emotion and feeling, and he can truly feel gratitude for all circumstances of life, whether or not they are in his own personal best interest.
Rabbi Chanan Morrison of Mitzpeh Yericho runs ravkooktorah.org, a website dedicated to presenting the Torah commentary of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, first Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, to the English-speaking community.
Gold from the Land of Israel, pp. 301-302. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 328)
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Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 9 - "Seeing is Believing" (parag. 21-30)
These paragraphs elaborate on the theme that seeing and knowing is better than any attempt to prove logically, and begins explaining the difference between Israel and gentiles.
Ein Aya Various Universal Stages of the Geula Process
Rav Kook examines the various stages of redemption, explaining how (in addition to the obvious oft-mentioned stages of ingathering the exiles, reviving the Hebrew language, army, state etc.) the messianic dream of world prosperity, the State of Israel and world unity can and are realistically and logically gradually coming true.
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 8- "Answering Questions on the Kuzari's Proof from Mass Revelation
How do we know that the "claim" of mass revelation to 2,000,000 witnesses at Mt. Sinai is really true? This important class answers all of the questions skeptics ask about this claim of the Kuzari.
Ein Aya Armies Still Necessary for Balance & the War Against Wars
Rav Kook explains why the world was originally divided into the various seemingly contradicting ideologies and cultures, in order to develop each one respectively. Swords or armies symbolize how each respective ideology defends themselves, as well as deters their opposing ideologies and cultures. On the other hand, the messianic era will be one of peace, and Rav Kook explains the transition to that stage, which mankind is already undergoing.
The Land of Israel LGBT'S IN ISRAEL
The question was asked, how can one make Aliyah with the LGBT parades?
Kuzari -Rabbi Ari Shvat Kuzari class 7 - Five Accumulative Proofs of G-d
As a preparation for the Kuzari's classic proof of G-d from the mass-revelation at Sinai, we start here with 5 other directions to strengthen our belief which also contribute to what the Kuzari will present as well.
Ein Aya Muscle & Meaning: The Dual Nature of Gevurah (Physical Strength)
Is physical strength and fitness a necessity or an ideal? Although it if often totally overlooked among topics of Judaism, Rav Kook writes that it clearly is also a necessity to deter the many enemies of Israel, but even in Y'mot HaMashiach, in the Messianic era, to a certain extent, it's ideal continues even after our enemies will have been finished off.
