Rav Kook has nailed Ga’avah – arrogance.  It is all about your orientation – people who are pursuing the truth pursue it avidly.  And people who do not do not…

Rebbe Nachman addresses the anatomy of illusion – it comes from the heart and from emotion.  We create or give in to illusions because they seem more attractive than reality.

We need to appreciate the perpetual kindness that Hashem shows us, that allows us to exist, to choose, to rise up.  That’s Psalm 136.  But Psalm 135 speak of these same events not as demonstrations of perpetual – but distant – love, but as points of contact.  And what are those like?

Psalm 34 is a whole story about King David, and he was in a situation for which there was literally only one solution, and in order to find that one solution he had to do some work inside, hard work, but he managed, and left us a trail of breadcrumbs to find it ourselves.

In our enthusiasm to be humble and open, we might miss the mark and end up in sadness.  Rav Kook draws the line between these two related traits to help us stay joyous and healthy.

Parshat b’shalach provides a series of opportunities to learn about relationship – if we are ready to.  They are all meant to show us that manna doesn’t just fall from heaven, water doesn’t just come from a rock, and seas don’t just split.

Ga’avah – arrogance – is in insidious.  It presents a wall that keeps us progressively more insulated.  Oy.  I just wish I could help all those arrogant people out there.  Ha ha.

We’re exploring the Psalms as templates of expression.  This one, with the help of R Hirsch and others, gives us understanding of the difference between perceiving G-d and acting on it.

Sinai was a peak moment, a peak behind the veil.  But it was not meant to last forever.  It was meant to be one of two poles of reality.  How do we stay connected to it, and stay connected to the two poles at once?

Rav Kook describes and defines ga’avah (usually translated as arrogance) as a certain closed-ness to reality.  And he explains where that comes from, and how it is so destructive.  And maybe we tie Purim in a bit.