הרב קוק

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook was one of the great sages of the generation, a kabbalist, thinker and poet, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi in the Land of Israel. An immense genius in law who wrote responsa and treatises, and alongside them the soul of a poet and kabbalist, whose writings, 'Orot,' 'Orot HaKodesh,' were written in a sublime, burning language.

His central trait was a boundless love of Israel. He taught to see the hidden good in every Jew, even the distant one, and said of himself that he loved all creatures. The sages of the generation esteemed his immense Torah greatness, and even those who disagreed with his path in leadership did so out of respect for his genius and his reverence.

Rabbi Kook lived in a time of great upheavals in the Land of Israel, and engaged with the questions of the generation out of Torah and faith depth. Beyond any controversy that arose around his views, his image remains that of an immense Torah scholar, a rare man of spirit, whose love for every Jew and for the Torah was the heart of his service.

What do we learn from him? That a true love of Israel seeks the hidden good in every person, even one who is distant. Rabbi Kook teaches that greatness in law and the soul of a poet can live in one person, and that a true Torah scholar radiates a light of love that touches even those who disagree with him.