Lebensphilosophie, Freedom and Creativity: A Bergsonian Reading of Rav Kook’s Writings 

In the following lecture, I analyze the concepts of freedom and creativity in the works of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (1865-1935). Since Rav Kook’s writings and theology are often obscure and difficult to interpret, I propose a reading of Rav Kook’s conception of freedom in in light of the tradition of Lebensphilosophie (the Philosophy of Life) arguing that Rabbi Kook’s understanding of this idea can be interpreted and clarified in its light.

Lebensphilosophie is a philosophical current that developed between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in France and Germany. The main representatives of this current are Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911), Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), Henri Bergson (1859-1941) and Georg Simmel (1858-1918). This movement put at the center of its philosophical investigation the concept of life. Life in its essence was considered by these philosophers as an endless dynamic flow and as continuously changing. This flow cannot be explained and perceived by the rational categories of time and space – and can only be grasped by a deep intuition.

In this paper - because of the limited space – I analyze Rabbi Kook’s philosophy exclusively in relation to the Lebensphilosophie of the French philosopher of Henri Bergson. Yet, it is important to keep in mind that Bergson is brought here as a representative of this broader philosophical movement.

After examining Bergson’s concepts of intuition, duration, and élan vital, I show how it is possible to better understand Rav Kook’s notions of freedom and creativity in light of these Bergsonian concepts, thereby shedding a new light over one of the main ideas of Rav Kook’s theological writings. This new reading will contribute to a more general understanding of the place of freedom in modern orthodox Jewish thought and will offer an exciting religious alternative for contemporary orthodox Jews struggling with the question of freedom in their religious life.