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notwithstanding, the Torah’s concern warns us that the process Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, first chief rabbi of Palestine in the
of redeeming sparks of holiness trapped in impure places must be years leading up to the creation of the State of Israel, waxed poetic
approached with great care. and mystical in describing the ingathering of the exiles. He taught

Rashi, citing classical sources, seems to explain that the Torah that when the Jews returned from the four corners of the earth they
only granted the soldier permission to take such a woman in this way would bring with them sparks of holiness from their host countries.
as a concession to the evil inclination, fearful that the soldier would In the Land of Israel, these sparks would be elevated to their source,
take her in a forbidden way, if he had no sanctioned option. Indeed, as ultimately all wisdom and knowledge has its source in the Torah.
reflecting the Torah’s feeling that this is not the best way to proceed, He envisioned this happening in the arts and sciences, and, in fact,
the long and cumbersome procedure makes sound psychological sense in all the secular disciplines. In our generation, Rabbi Yitzchak
as it tends to discourage anyone from adopting it in the first place. Ginsburgh has dedicated most of his teachings and his nearly ninety
On an even deeper level, Rabbi Kahn explains that since the forces books (at last count) to reveal not only the compatibility of secular
of evil in the world want nothing better than to keep all the sparks of knowledge and Torah wisdom, in general, but the Torah source of
holiness hidden and under their control, the attempt to redeem this seminal ideas in the arts and sciences, in particular.
holy spark is not a concession to evil, but in fact a direct challenge to On a more personal level, each person must face the challenge
its power and schemes! of deciding what in the modern world to accept or reject, extract
or winnow. Certain components can be elevated and redeemed and
Taking this one step further, we must realize that not only is there
an inner voice pushing us towards fulfilling our base desires, there is others need to be kept at a healthy distance. When it comes to raising
also an inner voice urging us to shun idealism, to reject the search children, the choices that must be made become even more challenging
for ways to rectify the world. This latter voice advises us to play it and at times quite confusing. Yet this is perhaps the most important
safe, to focus on advancing our own private interests and ego-driven spiritual work that both individuals and the collective nation of
realities. By rejecting both these voices and consciously attempting Israel can do. According to many, the very coming of Mashiach is
to engage the world and elevate it, we are courageously declaring war contingent on gathering, redeeming, and elevating all the sparks of
on the very essence of evil. holiness scattered throughout the world. May this occur speedily and
in our days!
Translating this insight into our own contemporary reality, we
should realize that Kabbalah and Chassidut alert us to both the 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Magenta #24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:05 | SR:-- | Black 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 19 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:
implicit danger and amazing opportunity inherent in redeeming
sparks of holiness. For Torah-observant Jews living and working
£Falling from the RoofFalling from the Roof
in the modern world, this is no small test. It takes a high level of ££Falling from the Roof
discernment, commitment to principles, and self-control to follow
this higher calling. The Arizal and the Ba’al Shem Tov went even
further in stating that redeeming the fallen sparks of reality is not “If you build a new house you should make a guardrail for your
only the responsibility of the individual but also the Jewish people’s roof, in order that you not bring blood upon your house if a fallen
fundamental purpose. Indeed, they even explain that the long and one falls from it” (Deuteronomy 22:8). This mitzvah seems fairly
bitter exile needs to be understood in this context as, among other straightforward, as it joins a long list of commandments designed
things, an opportunity to gather the sparks scattered throughout the to ensure that property owners take all the necessary precautions
world. to ensure that they are not responsible for injuring others. Since an

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