Page 23 - HaMizrachi Pesach 5783 USA

“A Great

Religious

Personality”

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik Reflects on
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook

No Religious Zionist thinker has had a greater impact on the people and
State of Israel than Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, the revolutionary
Religious Zionist thinker whose influence only continues to grow with time.
The following is an edited transcription of a 1959 recording in which Rabbi Joseph B.
Soloveitchik recounts a telling anecdote about Rav Kook. Though many would argue with
his view that Rav Kook “was not a philosopher,” his deep respect for Rav Kook is evident.

wenty-four years ago, the only Many people think Rav Kook was a great on and off; they ignored Rav Kook’s pres-
time I was in Israel, I visited a philosopher. This is wrong. With all my ence and acted as if he wasn’t there. On
Stalinist kibbutz called Kvutzat reverence for Rav Kook, he was not a Shabbat morning, they wouldn’t make a
TKinneret, one of the oldest kib- philosopher. He was a great religious per- minyan for him, so he davened by himself
butzim in Israel. I came to the kibbutz sonality. To him, Judaism was not an idea; as they worked the land. At lunch, he
during the Three Weeks, and I remem- it was a great experience, a passion, a love again quietly made kiddush and ate his
ber it was a very hot day. The workers and lived reality. He not only compre- challah, while the kibbutzniks were cooking
were in the fields, the vineyards and the hended Judaism with his mind, but also and sewing.
orange groves, working very hard. When perceived it with all five senses. Judaism After havdalah, the kibbutz gathered
I arrived they called me “rav, rav, rav” in to him was a sense experience, not an together and Rav Kook danced with
a half cynical, half sarcastic way. They intellectual experience. If you ask me them. He told them stories about his
what Rav Kook’s philosophy was, I don’t
had a cynical approach to American Jews know how to answer; I don’t believe it’s past, about his father and mother – but
in general, and particularly towards an possible to systematize his philosophy. never indicated any disapproval regard-
American rabbi. But I don’t need to find complete phil- ing their behavior during Shabbat. On
Sunday morning, as he was leaving, he
I assumed the kibbutz kitchen was treif. osophical coherence in his writings. said, “Shalom, lehitra’ot, v’le’echol beyachad
They offered me some fresh grapes, but When you read them, it is like a storm seudah achat,” “goodbye, and may we soon
I refused to eat them. They asked me, or powerful tide that is driving you into eat together as one.” The next day, all the
“Why won’t you eat, what’s wrong with lands unknown, into mysterious paths. dishes were thrown out and the kitchen
His impact is still felt in Eretz Yisrael. A
grapes?” I explained, “the grapes are treif few days ago, I spoke with the rabbis of was kashered.
in Eretz Yisrael if terumah and ma’aser are Israel, and ít’s clear they still have great I can tell you that a cheirem (ban) of the
not taken; it’s forbidden, just like eating reverence for Rav Kook, many years after Agudah’s rabbis wouldn’t have made a
milk and meat together.” They said that his death. difference [in that kibbutz]. What was the
the shaliach from the rabbanut comes and power he exerted? It was the power of his
sets apart terumah and ma’aser. But then Rav Kook once came with his shamash to religious personality. He was in love with
this kibbutz for Shabbat. They brought
they said, “we can assure that our kitchen their own challot and wine because the Judaism. As Maimonides says, “as one
is kosher.” When I heard this I opened dining room then was completely treif. who is in love with a woman, so should
my eyes and said: “you have a kosher On Friday night, they sat down together a Jew be in love with Judaism, with G-d.”
kitchen?! What made you introduce a with everyone else. He made kiddush on  The audio recording of Rav Soloveitchik is
kosher kitchen?” They then told me the his wine, hamotzi on the challah, and then available at Ohr Publishing - Videos of Rav
following incident, which took place a benched – he didn’t eat anything else. All Soloveitchik. Special thanks to Odelia Glausiusz
few years before. night long, the kibbutzniks turned lights for her help with transcribing this recording.

| 23