September 2006

The Song of Songs
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook.

There is one who sings the song of his soul,
discovering in his soul everything -- utter spiritual fulfillment.
There is one who sings the song of his people.
Emerging from the private circle of his soul -- not expansive
enough, not yet tranquil -- he strives for fierce heights, clinging to
the entire community of Israel in tender love...
Then there is one whose soul expands
until it extends beyond the border of Israel,
singing the song of humanity... his spirit spreads,
aspiring to the goal of humankind, envisioning its
consummation...
Then there is one who expands even further
until he unites with all existence, with all creatures,
with all worlds,
singing a song with them all.
There is one who ascends with all these songs
in unison -- the song of the soul, the song of the
nation, the song of humanity,
the song of the cosmos -- resounding together, blending
in harmony, circulating the sap of life, the sound of holy joy.
(Thanks to Rabbi David Zaslow in Ashland, Oregon, for
providing this translation on his congregational website).

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (also spelled
“Kuk”) was the first Chief Rabbi of Israel in pre-state
days. His philosophy, based on Kabbalah, placed the
“secular” pioneering of the land and development of a
modern Jewish state in a religious and deeply mystical
framework. This poetic teaching of Rav Kuk
expresses the various levels of our soul’s connection
to other souls. We can ascend from our own personal
spiritual growth, to an identification with our own
Jewish people, to a universalistic concern for all
humanity, and beyond that to an identification with all
of G-d’s creation. Rav Kuk calls these four levels of
connection, “the song of the soul, the song of the
nation, the song of humanity, the song of the cosmos.”
Rav Kuk’s poem will form the basis of my
Days of Awe sermons this year. I believe that each of
these “songs of the soul” is essential to our personal
growth as well as to tikkun olam, repairing society
and healing life on earth. In addition, Sam Edelman
will expand on our recent study of Jewish ethics of
war and peace with a talk on, “Jewish Views of War
and Peace: Ethical Dilemmas-Missed Opportunities.”
We will have ample time for Torah study as well as
sermons and discussions. A full schedule of all topics
and speakers will be available at CBI prior to the
Holidays. I am looking forward to seeing all of you
and sharing much learning and prayer at this Season
of Return.

L’Shanah Tovah Tikateyvu
May you be written for a good new year,


Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan