David Palombo (1920-1966)

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Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook

Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (1865 – 1935)

Rabbi Kook was born in 1865 in Latvia and passed away in 1935 in Jerusalem. He was a renowned Torah scholar and spiritual thinker and served as the first Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael. He is also known by his Hebrew initials, HaRaAYaH.

In his younger years, Rabbi Kook learned at various yeshivas including Volozhin Yehsiva, and Ponevezh Yeshiva. He studied in depth the Bible, Rabbinic literature, the Kabbalah, religious philosophy and Hasidism, while accumulating great knowledge in general and cultural interests. His strong belief and his love for mankind, the people of Israel and the Land of Israel were evident in many testimonials on his personality from those who met with him.

Rabbi Kook made Aliyah to Eretz Yisrael in 1904 and served as Rabbi of Jaffa and the newly founded colonies in Palestine. In fact, he had served as Rabbi to all of the Jewish Yishuv in Eretz Yisrael, at the center of which was Jaffa. In his capacity as Rabbi to the colonies, Rabbi Kook permitted the farmers to sell their lands to foreigners during the “Shmita” (agricultural sabbatical year) in 1909-1910, in order for them to continue working the land. His personality and abilities of leadership gained him great influence in Eretz Yisrael during the Second Aliyah.

In 1914 Rabbi Kook participated in the founding conference of Agudat Yisrael in Europe. He was then detained in Europe due to the outbreak of the First World War and stayed in Germany and Switzerland until 1916, before leaving to England as Rabbi of the Spitalfields Great Synagogue in London. There, he assisted to the political-Zionist efforts, fiercely criticizing those objecting to the Balfour Declaration, which he viewed as the “commencement of salvation”.

Upon his return to Eretz Yisrael in 1919, Rabbi Kook served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. In 1921 the Chief Rabbinate of Eretz Yisrael was formed and he was elected to head the Supreme Rabbinical Court, becoming Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi. To him, the establishment of a supreme religious authority was the first step in the revival of the Sanhedrin and that of Eretz Yisrael as a spiritual center for the Jewish people – both leading to the upcoming salvation. He saw the Chief Rabbinate as a means through which the nation can strive toward perfection, and in his position as head of the Supreme Rabbinical Court he had contributed to the foundation of the Jewish justice system.

Rabbi Kook saw to it that the interests of the Jewish population be maintained in their mutual contact with the British authorities and the Arabs. He supported the World Zionist Organization and Mizrahi movement, which to this day sees him as its spiritual mentor. Extremists of Agudat Yisrael and the Old Yishuv, who denied the existence and the authority of the Chief Rabbinate, severely criticized him. Rabbi Kook treated his foes with moderation and forgiveness. In 1924 he established “Mercaz HaRav” Yeshiva which was distinguished as a Zionist yeshiva that supported Zionism and saw the establishment of a Jewish state as a divine revelation in the world. The yeshiva is known for its nationalistic approach since the State’s independence.

Rabbi Kook believed that the sanctity of the Jewish people and Eretz Yisrael are indefinite and that the renewal of the land of Zion signals the arrival of the Messiah. This deepened his belief that he is bound to each person in Israel, especially those devoted to the land’s development. He had believed that the tragedy of modern man is that he did not balance his progress in faith as in other fields. In order to teach man the ultimate truth, one has to expose him in depth to Jewish concepts including mysticism, which Rabbi Kook interpreted and presented in a manner that is clear and currently relevant. Rabbi Kook promoted religious studies alongside secular studies, emphasizing that science can examine or explain facts but has no implication on a person’s choice. He also believed that social revival will eventually lead to pure faith.

Rabbi Kook’s writings vary from Kabbalah and Aggadah (Rabbinic literature) to poetry and philosophy. They were printed in several volumes, of which the “Orot HaKodesh” is best known. Following his passing his post as head of “Mercaz HaRav” yeshiva was taken by his student Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Harlap, his son Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook and his son-in-law Rabbi Nathan Raanan. His son, Zvi Yehuda (1890 – 1982), was a prominent leader of the national religious sector and an enthusiast of the idea of “Greater Israel” and his teachings served as the basis for the Gush Emunim movement.