Machshava:

Middot,  Mussar,  Rav Kook 

Description

We all know that even though the Torah already cared about kindness to animals 3,000 years before it's time, yet humans are clearly more important than animals. Accordingly, how can we explain that sometimes being kind to animals even supersedes being kind to people?! Rav Kook's love for all creatures, as seen in his book on the "Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace" (although he wasn't one himself! see my 3 lectures on the topic), is explained, clarified and qualified well in this class. Similarly, the class deals with the complexity of how the Torah balances various, sometimes conflicting ideals, and how to understand both sides of a rabbinic disagreement.