Anger, says Rav Kook, is really understandable, though not excusable.  By understanding what it is, we can understand how we are supposed to respond to it when it comes…

We continue in our wide view of how personality and interaction actually function by looking at a variety of traits that make up a situation.  Today we explore tikkun and tochachah, which fit quite well with our recent work on anger and love.  We have learned that ‘anger=time to connect’, but how do we connect?  [...]

Alan Morinis was here this Shabbat, and we talked a lot about practice and mussar.  So we are reexamining our Monday class in that light, trying to build in more practice to keep it real.  Today we talked about love of G-d.  Rav Kook says it is inherent and inevitable.  Not everyone thinks so.  rav [...]

And how is this possible?  And what if this love is destructive?  And… but…  (exactly Rav Kook’s point.)

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…

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.

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.

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.

We often react with mixtures of midot, part of which are useful and part of which are not.  We have to learn how separate them out.  Then we can react with an accurate reflection of what we feel.

You’ve got to know where your vulnerabilities are and be able to establish firm fences around them.  And this may make you feel (and look) like a zealot, but that’s OK.  The Hashmonaim were zealots, and they were the winners of the Hanukkah story.