Welcome back to the Torah of Life podcast. Thanks for listening.

In these weeks leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, many Jews focus on our tradition's call for teshuvah, which asks us to examine our lives, identify our shortcomings, and return to our best selves. We often think of this as an individual exercise, yet our guest today shares some wisdom from Rav Kook, who says that when we do teshuvah, we bring new light into the world that brings us closer to the coming of the Messiah.

Rabbi Avraham Itzchak HaCohen Kook was the first Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, a poet, a mystic, a seeker, and a visionary who sought to bring the lights of Jewish wisdom to the modern state of Israel, along with all who lived there. My guest today is my friend and teacher Rabbi Itzhak Marmorstein, who has spent years learning Rav Kook's holy words, learning and praying in Rav Kook's Bet Midrash, and setting Rav Kook's poetry to beautiful music.

More information about Rav Kook can be found at:

https://haorotlightsofravkook.wordpress.com/

https://soundcloud.com/haorotravkook

youtube.com/haorotravkook

www.facebook.com/haorotlightsofravkook/?ref=br_rs

www.ravkooktorah.org

and in these (and other) books:

https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Among-Men-Impressions-Yitzchak/dp/9657108535/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536196668&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=A+Giant+Among+Men+Kook

https://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Isaac-Kook-Principles-Spirituality/dp/080912159X/ref=pd_sbs_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=080912159X&pd_rd_r=b0337330-b172-11e8-ad5d-f9d1f1abea37&pd_rd_w=NkKR0&pd_rd_wg=lrKQ9&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=0bb14103-7f67-4c21-9b0b-31f42dc047e7&pf_rd_r=FFD5SDQKC0W8WFT7CD4Q&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=FFD5SDQKC0W8WFT7CD4Q

May our journeys of return be illuminated by these teachings, and may our journeys light the way for others as well.

Thanks for listening to the Torah of Life podcast, your home for transformational wisdom from a Jewish lens.