a vision of vegetarianism and peace

A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace is the English title of a book by Rav Kook, the first chief rabbi of the state of Israel. A book of his essential writings has been my Shabbat reading, and last weekend when we were asked to select a text of personal meaning for our seminar, I chose the following.

“There is one who sings the song of his own life, and in himself he finds everything, his full spiritual sufficiency. There is another who sings the songs of his people. He leaves the circle of his private existence, for he does not find it broad enough…He aspires for the heights and he attaches himself with tender love to whole of Israel, he sings her songs, grieves in her afflictions, and delights in her hopes. He ponders lofty and pure thoughts concerning her past and her future, and proves lovingly and wisely the content of her inner essence. Then there is one whose spirit extends beyond the boundary of Israel, to sing the song of man…he is drawn to man’s universal vocation and he hopes for his highest perfection. And this is the life source from which he draws his thoughts and probings, his yearnings and visions. But there is one who rises even higher, uniting himself with the whole existence, with all creatures, with all worlds. With all of them he sings his song. It is of one such as this that tradition has said that whoever sings a portion of song each day is assured of the life of the world to come.”

Rabbi Abraham Issac Kook (1865-1935)