Beit Midrash Jewish Laws and Thoughts The Land of Israel's Torah
Rav Kook on How the Living Torah Must Be "Normal" & Not Contradict Life"
"Don't Be Too Machmir"
The Living Torah, or Torat Chaim, must not contradict normal life, & is not meant to aggravate nor make life difficult. Rav Kook teaches that God is described as "Melech Chafetz baChaim", and the physical world of work and even the secular aspects of life, should not be looked down upon. To the contrary, we should want to achieve and complete our plans in life, even in the field of hygiene and work. Especially in Eretz Yisrael, where the physical is also holy. Halacha, both Torah and rabbinic, is exact, and it's important to be meticulous, but not overly stringent, at the expense of life. Rav Kook provides a philosophic and hashkafic base for modern orthodoxy, and not shunning the secular world or secular studies.
