Page 37 - HaMizrachi #10 Yom Yerushalayim - Shavuot 5779

RELIGIOUS ZIONIST LEADERS
A new section, introducing you to the leaders who have
shaped Religious Zionism over the last 150 years
rabbi avraham yitzchak hakohen kook
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak
HaKohen Kook (Rav Kook)
was born in Greiva, Latvia.
He had an astounding memory and
an uncanny ability to assimilate and
understand information.
By the time Rav Kook arrived at the
famed Volozhin Yeshiva at the age of
19, he spoke Hebrew perfectly and did
so at every opportunity that presented
itself. The Rosh Yeshiva at the time
was the Netziv, one of the few leaders
of the Torah world who supported the
beginning of the return to Zion.
From 1888, Rav Kook served as the
rabbi of Zaumel for seven years until
he moved to Boisk, Lithuania, where
he was the rabbi until 1904. There he
published his first essay on Zionism,
in which he accepted the movement
in all its aspects as being a legitimate
factor in the quest to revive Jewish
nationalism.
In 1904, Rav Kook moved to Eretz
Yisrael and became Rabbi of Jaffa
and its surrounding agricultural
communities. Here he began to
espouse his particular brand of
religious philosophy. It was a blend
of the mystical, lofty kabbalah and
the practical realities of the day.
It was rooted in the belief that the
Jewish people were not only bringing
During Rav Kook’s
tenure as rabbi of Jaffa Jerusalem in the 1920s during a visit to the USA of a Montreal yeshiva
In his early career as
rabbi of Zaumel
about a new historical era in their
determination to reclaim the Land
but were entering into the phase of
history foretold by the prophets as
the Atchalta DeGeula, the Beginning
of the Redemption. Thus he viewed
even the most irreligious as fulfilling
the word of G-d, and the Zionist
Movement as the instrument G-d had
chosen to usher in this new era.
Rav Kook always aimed to keep
the peace between the religious
and irreligious segments of the
community. He taught that the
traditional way of life cannot be
abandoned without abandoning the
very soul of the Jewish people.
In 1914, he was invited to the Agudat
Yisrael Convention in Europe and
went with the hope of convincing the
leaders to take a more positive stance
in regard to the Zionist Movement.
While there, World War I began and
he could not get back to Israel. From
1915-18 he was appointed temporary
head of the Machzikei HaDat
congregation in London and tried to
convince the Jews there to take a more
active role in Zionist ideology. He was
present at the announcement of the
Balfour Declaration on November 2,
1917, the first document recognizing
the need for a Jewish homeland.
Addressing a rally in With the New York mayor
Immediately after the war, Rav Kook
returned to Eretz Yisrael and became
Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. When the
institution of the Chief Rabbinate was
set up in 1929, he was elected to be the
first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, a
post he held until his death in 1935.
One of the most important
contributions Rav Kook made to
the world of Torah, aside from his
writings, was the setting up of a
yeshiva in Jerusalem, which became
known as Merkaz HaRav, or simply
“Merkaz.” He wished to produce
spiritual leaders and teachers for the
community.
Rav Kook’s teachings changed the
face of Orthodox Judaism during
the pre-State years and afterwards.
He synthesized Torah study and
adherence to mitzvot with the revival
of Jewish nationalism as no other
person was able to do. He explained
to the religious and non-religious that
the galut (exile) is not permanent, and
that the time had indeed come for the
foretold beginning of redemption. Rav
Kook’s influence is boundless. He was
a visionary and realist; a man who
stood alone yet was the spiritual leader
of tens of thousands. At a time of
travail and sorrow, he was able to see
beyond the present to an era of unity
and peace in Eretz Yisrael.
Speaking from the balcony At the dedication of the
Hebrew University
•| 37