Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Rav Chanan Morrison has been writing Divrei Torah on the weekly Torah Portion inspired by Rav Kook's many Seforim (Religious Books) for years. You can sign up for his weekly newsletter on his website (RavKook-DOT-n3-DOT-net).
Every week he brings down a couple brilliant insights from Rav Kook's Torah, always sourcing it back to the original texts in case the reader would like to venture deeper into the topic. He has a clear, yet colorful style of prose that is infused with the spirituality that a true Talmid (close rabbinical student) of Mercaz Harav (Rav Kook's Learning Institution in Jerusalem, Israel) would have.
He is an American Oleh (emigrant to Israel) that studied and taught in American schools. Anyone who reads this book on a weekly basis will come to a much clearer and truly heartfelt understanding of Rav Kook's philosophy and teachings from the turn of the 20th century.
The book is very intellectual without minimizing the spiritual messages that Rav Kook delivers as many other books on the Philosophies of Rav Kook have, such as "Abraham Isaac Kook:..." by Ben Zion Bokser. The power of Rav Chanan Morrison's writings is that he is not studying Rav Kook as an "Intellectual Endeavor" merely to expand his "philosophical horizons" and objectively compare different modes of spiritual thought. Instead, Rav Morrison studies Rav Kook in order to integrate his teachings into his own life and hashkafa (worldly perspective) as proven by his own biography.
Purchase this book if you truly want to understand Rav Kook and bring the fulfillment of his teachings into your heart.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Gold from the Land of Israel: A New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion from the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook
Rav Kook's writings, due to their poetic and mystical nature, are difficult even for those fluent in Hebrew and rabbinical texts. Gold from the Land of Israel uses a clear, succinct style to grant the reader a window into his original and creative insights. This book elucidates his thoughts on many fascinating topics, including: Can we reconcile the Torah's account of creation with modern science? What is the Torah's view on vegetarianism? What is the purpose of death? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do we have dreams? Will the Third Temple have animal sacrifices? Who is God? How can one attain joy in serving God? How should we balance our time between Torah study and work?
