In the fourth chapter of Pirkei Avot, we learn in the name of Rabbi Eliezer HaKapar that “those who are born will die, the dead will be resurrected, and the living will be judged; they will know, make it known, and be knowledgeable that He is G-d…” (4:22). Rav Kook explains in his commentary on the siddur, Olat Reiya, that there is great significance to this association of life with judgment on the one hand and knowing on the other. His commentary on this passage also echoes his observations about Sefirat HaOmer that we reviewed a couple of weeks ago. For one can live in this world, be part of the world, experience it through the lens of physical pleasure and survival, yet never truly live.
Every animal is alive alongside every human being who must choose whether to live as an animal or as a rational being. What sets the human apart from any other form of living being is that we are morally accountable for our conduct. Hence we think and reflect upon our existence and our actions. So far, this reading seems to parallel the rational process of Descartes insofar as existence is proven from thought; and of Kant by recourse to the faculty of judgment. But Rav Kook adds elements of the mystical and of the ecstasy of encountering the Divine that move the discussion outside the framework of pure rationalism, even if that might be seen as his point of departure.
As we exist in the world and interact with it, we receive input and understand our surroundings by means of the data we collect, chiefly by way of our senses. But because we also have the ability to communicate with one another, we learn much useful information about the world from each another. The truly actualized human is judged for his actions, but he also learns and teaches others, and in doing so validates his existence and confirms the utility of the world for preserving humankind.
More than this, Rav Kook teaches, the individual also achieves the highest levels of both pleasure and experience in the world by integrating his consciousness with knowledge of the Divine. The refined human being doesn’t simply know, but knows about the immanence of the Creator in His Creation, and understands how his or her own presence is a manifestation of the Divine Will – and thus inherently meaningful. True knowledge of G-d is the greatest joy conceivable to human consciousness, and it is the consummation of a purposeful existence that is experienced as such.
Thus, when a person comes to know and make known in detail the aspects of Creation that derive from knowledge of G-d, this brings about the only sort of pleasure and fulfillment that is truly enduring, even to the extent of transcending life itself. Rav Kook elaborates that there is a mode of knowing which is a simple enhancement of the animal experience of pain and pleasure, but the more the knowledge departs from the mundane and expands into the abstract realms of the ethical and spiritual, the more it affords an opportunity for that individual to unify her consciousness with the supernal wisdom that guides Creation.
But to truly achieve such knowledge, it is necessary not only to reflect and to interpret but also to teach others. It is only by sharing our inspiration that we can truly grow in wisdom and attain ever higher and purer forms of understanding. According to Rav Kook, the more one’s intellect integrates with its Divine source, the more one is driven to illuminate and inspire everyone around him – just as Hashem is always doing for us and through us.
While the wisest among us share more of their light and their Torah with everyone they encounter, those who have not yet acquired wisdom on that scale should remain open to new experiences and inspirations so that at best they can also become a source of life and inspiration to others, and at worst they will at least experience the sensation of being eternally vital and integral to the Divine plan for Creation.
