I Listen and I Hear

by Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook

           I listen and I hear from the midst of the depths of my soul, from the midst of the feelings of my heart, the voice of God calling. And I tremble exceedingly:
            Have I descended so much that I have become a false prophet, saying that Hashem sent me, although the word of God has not been revealed to me?
            I hear  the voice of my soul moan: wild tufts of prophecies sprout up and the sons of the prophets awaken; the spirit of prophecy soars throughout the land, it seeks a place of refuge, it searches for mighty people filled with strength and holiness. They will know how to weigh matters, they will tell the truth as it actually is, they will tell how the word of Hashem appeared to them, they will not lie and will not attempt to please, they will express their spirit faithfully.
            And a spirit of faith more precious than wealth will lift the nation, and Israel will stand on its feet, it will begin to feel its special nature as from the earliest days, it will know that the pen did not inscribe falsehood, that pride did not clothe itself in falsehood.
            Even when the multitude of nations considered [Israel] to be contemptible, an abhorrent nation, it had an eternal, special quality.
            It has always yearned for its refuge, and its refuge is the Godly refuge, the refuge of all wisdom, of all wholeheartedness and honesty.
            Even if the tradition in its many garments has not revealed the splendor of its beauty, the spirit of prophecy will come, and as it begins on its way it will clarify that which is within its heart in a clear language. And the clear language will strike waves, it will give might to the downtrodden. And Israel will know with the spirit of God upon it the supernal, special quality of God that it possesses, which will be revealed to it only in its land, and from afar it will recall what it had forgotten. It will recall that it possesses a very precious land that lies broad before it, and an eternal pride before all nations.
            And Jacob will lift his feet. And families, one at a time, will gather together, and the desolate land will be built, and the spirit of Hashem upon [Israel] will begin to pulse in its offspring who had been cast away. And from darkness and out of blackness, the eyes of the blind will see.