Holiness Streams Toward the Future: Sexuality in Rav Kook’s Thought

Abstract

The philosophy of Rabbi Avraham Yitzḥak Hakohen Kook points toward the unity of all thought and ascribes divine meaning to every part of the universe in its totality. This study will present the meaning of Eros and male sexuality in R. Kook’s philosophy, emphasizing the integration of personality motivated by erotic desire. R. Kook described the individual’s sexual impulse as being derived from the great flow of the river of life that streams at the heart of humanity. By adopting psychological insights into culture and sexuality, R. Kook changes the religious status of Eros from a force to be reined in to one that can fuel spiritual renovation.