Rav Avraham Itzhak Hacohen Kook

Benjamin Ish-Shalom is on the Faculty of Humanities in the Department of Jewish Philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is also Rector at the Center for Advanced Jewish Studies, Beit Morasha of Jerusalem.

• Preface Part One: Introduction 1. In the Grip of Contradiction Formative Influences and SourcesThe "Old Yishuv" and the "New Yishuv"—Unbridgeable DistanceThe Problem of Education—Tradition versus InnovationFrom "Zion" to "Jerusalem" Part Two: Elements of Reality and Preception 2. Reality and Truth—Epistemology and Ontology Certainty and DoubtThe Ontological Status and Epistemological Value of Metaphysical SpeculationsTypes and Stages of PerceptionWill and Wisdom—Elements of Reality and Perception 3. Revelation as a Principle Will and the Concept of RevelationRelativity of Views and DeedsThe Jewish People as a Revelation of Divine WillThe Perception of Torah and Status of the Commandments Part Three: Religion and Freedom 4. The Concept of "Freedom" and the Category of "Self" Freedom of Thought, Free Choice, and the Concept of "Self""Self-Awareness" and Intensification of WillIndividualism and Moral Relation to SocietyThe Concept of "Sin" and Idea of Repentance 5. Man and the Origin of the Religious Phenomenon 6. The Purpose of Man and Existence 7. The Way of the Holy Part Four: Between Rationalism and Mysticism 8. The Dynamic of Rationalism and Mysticism in Rav Kook's Thought Rationalism and Mysticism—A Definition of TermsDomains of Rationalism and MysticismMysticism and Reason—Experience and Interpretation 9. Mystical Language, Myth, and Symbol Expression and ConcealmentMyth and SymbolConclusion 10. Before the Secret of Existence The Experience of Encompassing UnityThe Experience of Metaphysical AbilityMystical Striving Afterword NotesGlossary of Selected Names and TermsBibliographyIndexes

This book dissolves the mist enveloping Rav Kook's writings and offers an understanding of his spiritual world. It presents and analyzes the systematic elements in his teaching and reveals the spiritual interests and fundamental approaches of his religious thought.