Abraham Isaac Kook - Revision history

WikSysop: Reverted edits by LindaJames (Talk) to last revision by Abrahamson

2012-08-29T07:00:20Z

Reverted edits by LindaJames (Talk) to last revision by Abrahamson

LindaJames: minor updates

2012-08-24T13:48:22Z

minor updates

WikSysop: Reverted edits by LindaJames (Talk) to last revision by HaNoahide

2012-08-20T12:07:24Z

Reverted edits by LindaJames (Talk) to last revision by HaNoahide

LindaJames: minor updates

2012-08-12T23:20:25Z

minor updates

HaNoahide at 11:58, 8 March 2007

2007-03-08T11:58:08Z

HaNoahide: /* View on Noahides */

2007-03-08T11:50:24Z

‎View on Noahides

WikSysop at 10:25, 1 October 2006

2006-10-01T10:25:45Z

New page

==View on Noahides==

:''Main article [[Judaism and Other Religions]]''

Rav Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the Zionist return to the land of Israel. His writings embrace modernism by offering a vision of the restored land of Israel, at once evolutionary and Hegelian while at the same time mystical and messianic. His influence is widespread and influential as a Zionist dream of renewal of religious Judaism.

As for other religions, in my opinion, it is not the goal of Israel's light to uproot or destroy them, just as we do not aim for the general destruction of the world and all its nations, but rather their correction and elevation, the removal of dross. Then, of themselves, they shall join the Source of Israel, from whence a dew of light will flow over them. "And I will take away the blood from his mouth and his detestable things from between his teeth, and he, too, shall remain for our God." (Zechariah 9:7) This applies even to idolatry -- all the more so to those religions that are partially based upon the light of Israel's Torah. (Iggrot ha-Rayah 112)

It is necessary to study all the wisdoms in the world, all ways of life, all different cultures, along with the ethical systems and religions of all nations and languages, so that, with greatness of soul, one will know how to purify them all. (Arpelei Tohar 33)

Rav Kook acknowledges that other nations have other religions, and that many of them are based on the Torah. He obviously does not mean Torah in the narrow sense, but recognition that religions bring God's presence into the world. Their existence is not an obstacle to messianic times, but rather a challenge: It is part of the Jewish messianic task to “elevate” and “purify” the religions along with the entire world. The precise meaning and method of purifying the other religions is left unanswered, shrouded behind the vision of renewal.

Rav Kook does not seem to assign special historical significance to Christianity and Islam for their status as “branches.” In a move that accepts the already-globalizing situation of the early 20th century, even the non-Abrahamic religions contain gold and holiness, which await elevation and unity with the Source of Israel. One can encounter and empirically study them. Yet, it is a Jewish task to purify these other religions. The actual process, however, of study, purification, and unification is left frustratingly vague. Nevertheless, what is clear, though, is that, personally, Rav Kook was able to look at other religions –and even atheism – and see the Truth of Torah within them.

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 [[Image:Stamp Kook.jpg|thumb|120px|Israeli postal stamp commemorating Rabbi Kook]]
-Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of th ... \n
+Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin.
-== 5 Great Lessons You Can Learn From Life ==
+His empathy towards the anti-religious elements aroused the suspicions of his more traditionalist haredi opponents, particularly that of the traditional rabbinical establishment that had functioned from the time of Turkey's control of greater Palestine, whose paramount leader was Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Kook's greatest rabbinical rival. Kook once quoted a rabbinic axiom that "one should embrace with the right hand and rebuff with the left". He remarked that he was fully capable of rejecting, but since there were enough rejecters, he was fulfilling the role of embracer. However, Kook far from embraced all of the elements of modern Zionism. He was critical of the secularists when they went "too far" in desecrating the Torah, for instance, by not observing the Sabbath or kosher laws.
-Life isnt meant to be easy, its meant to be lived..sometimes happy, other times rough. But with every up and down you learn lessons that make you strong.Can you step back from your own mind for a little while and realize that life is not as bad as you think it is?
+Kook fathered three children through his two wives: two daughters and a son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook. His nephew was Hillel Kook.
- [[http://goodvillenews.com/5-Great-Lessons-You-Can-Learn-From-Life-M0nUGD.html 5 Great Lessons You Can Learn From Life]]
+==Legacy==
-[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
+===Relationship with Religious Zionism===
-== Cat Saves Owner Hours After Adoption ==
+While Rav Kook has been exalted as one of the most important thinkers in Religious Zionism, there is substantial evidence that he never saw himself or his ideas in these terms. Indeed, there are several prominent quotes in which Kook is quite critical of the Religious Zionists (Mizrachi), whom he saw as naive and perhaps hypocritical in attempting to synthesize traditional Judaism with a modern and largely secular ideology. In one letter, he said:
-A newly-adopted cat repaid his owners loving gesture earlier this month by saving her from a medical emergency just hours after he was brought home, the Green Bay Press Gazette reports.
+The Israeli moshav Kfar Haroe, founded in 1934, was named after Kook, "Haroe" being the Hebrew acronym הרא"ה &ndash; "HaRav Avraham HaCohen". His son Zvi Yehuda Kook, who was substantially more explicit in his Zionism, took over teaching duties at Merkaz Harav after his death, and dedicated his life to interpreting and disseminating his father's philosophy. Kook's popular image as a Religious Zionist can be partially attributed to his son's wide influence in the Religious Zionist community, and substantial success in combining his father's teachings with his own beliefs.
- [[http://goodvillenews.com/Cat-Saves-Owner-Hours-After-Adoption-ixHpp7.html Cat Saves Owner Hours After Adoption]]
+==External links==
-[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
+==Resources==
-== How To Speak More Wisely ==
+==Writings==
-It had been three weeks since my throat started to feel sore, and it wasnt getting better. The pain was most acute when I spoke. So I decided to spend a few days speaking as little as possible. Every time I had the urge to say something, I paused for a moment to question whether it was worth irritating my throat.
+==Analysis==
- [[http://goodvillenews.com/How-To-Speak-More-Wisely-86itqo.html How To Speak More Wisely]]
+==References==
+<references />

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 [[Image:Stamp Kook.jpg|thumb|120px|Israeli postal stamp commemorating Rabbi Kook]]
-Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin.
+Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of th ... \n
-His empathy towards the anti-religious elements aroused the suspicions of his more traditionalist haredi opponents, particularly that of the traditional rabbinical establishment that had functioned from the time of Turkey's control of greater Palestine, whose paramount leader was Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Kook's greatest rabbinical rival. Kook once quoted a rabbinic axiom that "one should embrace with the right hand and rebuff with the left". He remarked that he was fully capable of rejecting, but since there were enough rejecters, he was fulfilling the role of embracer. However, Kook far from embraced all of the elements of modern Zionism. He was critical of the secularists when they went "too far" in desecrating the Torah, for instance, by not observing the Sabbath or kosher laws.
+== 5 Great Lessons You Can Learn From Life ==
-Kook fathered three children through his two wives: two daughters and a son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook. His nephew was Hillel Kook.
+Life isnt meant to be easy, its meant to be lived..sometimes happy, other times rough. But with every up and down you learn lessons that make you strong.Can you step back from your own mind for a little while and realize that life is not as bad as you think it is?
-==Legacy==
+ [[http://goodvillenews.com/5-Great-Lessons-You-Can-Learn-From-Life-M0nUGD.html 5 Great Lessons You Can Learn From Life]]
-===Relationship with Religious Zionism===
+[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
-While Rav Kook has been exalted as one of the most important thinkers in Religious Zionism, there is substantial evidence that he never saw himself or his ideas in these terms. Indeed, there are several prominent quotes in which Kook is quite critical of the Religious Zionists (Mizrachi), whom he saw as naive and perhaps hypocritical in attempting to synthesize traditional Judaism with a modern and largely secular ideology. In one letter, he said:
+== Cat Saves Owner Hours After Adoption ==
-The Israeli moshav Kfar Haroe, founded in 1934, was named after Kook, "Haroe" being the Hebrew acronym הרא"ה &ndash; "HaRav Avraham HaCohen". His son Zvi Yehuda Kook, who was substantially more explicit in his Zionism, took over teaching duties at Merkaz Harav after his death, and dedicated his life to interpreting and disseminating his father's philosophy. Kook's popular image as a Religious Zionist can be partially attributed to his son's wide influence in the Religious Zionist community, and substantial success in combining his father's teachings with his own beliefs.
+A newly-adopted cat repaid his owners loving gesture earlier this month by saving her from a medical emergency just hours after he was brought home, the Green Bay Press Gazette reports.
-==External links==
+ [[http://goodvillenews.com/Cat-Saves-Owner-Hours-After-Adoption-ixHpp7.html Cat Saves Owner Hours After Adoption]]
-==Resources==
+[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
-==Writings==
+== How To Speak More Wisely ==
-==Analysis==
+It had been three weeks since my throat started to feel sore, and it wasnt getting better. The pain was most acute when I spoke. So I decided to spend a few days speaking as little as possible. Every time I had the urge to say something, I paused for a moment to question whether it was worth irritating my throat.
-==References==
+ [[http://goodvillenews.com/How-To-Speak-More-Wisely-86itqo.html How To Speak More Wisely]]
-<references />

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 [[Image:Stamp Kook.jpg|thumb|120px|Israeli postal stamp commemorating Rabbi Kook]]
-Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of th ... \n
+Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin.
-== Authors Nominate Top Books of All Time ==
+His empathy towards the anti-religious elements aroused the suspicions of his more traditionalist haredi opponents, particularly that of the traditional rabbinical establishment that had functioned from the time of Turkey's control of greater Palestine, whose paramount leader was Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Kook's greatest rabbinical rival. Kook once quoted a rabbinic axiom that "one should embrace with the right hand and rebuff with the left". He remarked that he was fully capable of rejecting, but since there were enough rejecters, he was fulfilling the role of embracer. However, Kook far from embraced all of the elements of modern Zionism. He was critical of the secularists when they went "too far" in desecrating the Torah, for instance, by not observing the Sabbath or kosher laws.
-In 2002, the Norwegian Book Clubs gathered 100 authors from 54 countries and asked each one to list the 10 best works of fiction of all time. The authors responded and this list was created. The titles are arranged alphabetically by author name, so no one book stands above any other. The following list is the groups selection of the worlds 100 best books.How many have you read?
+Kook fathered three children through his two wives: two daughters and a son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook. His nephew was Hillel Kook.
- [[http://goodvillenews.com/Authors-Nominate-Top-Books-of-All-Time-kRj65H.html Authors Nominate Top Books of All Time]]
+==Legacy==
-[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
+===Relationship with Religious Zionism===
-== Celebrity Chef Chris Nirschel Cooks for the Homeless ==
+While Rav Kook has been exalted as one of the most important thinkers in Religious Zionism, there is substantial evidence that he never saw himself or his ideas in these terms. Indeed, there are several prominent quotes in which Kook is quite critical of the Religious Zionists (Mizrachi), whom he saw as naive and perhaps hypocritical in attempting to synthesize traditional Judaism with a modern and largely secular ideology. In one letter, he said:
-Cause Celeb highlights a celebritys work on behalf of a specific cause. This week, Chris Nirschel shares with us, via email interview, his work with The Food Bank for New York City.After 28 years, The Food Bank for New York has become the citys major hunger relief organization and one of the largest food banks in the country.
+The Israeli moshav Kfar Haroe, founded in 1934, was named after Kook, "Haroe" being the Hebrew acronym הרא"ה &ndash; "HaRav Avraham HaCohen". His son Zvi Yehuda Kook, who was substantially more explicit in his Zionism, took over teaching duties at Merkaz Harav after his death, and dedicated his life to interpreting and disseminating his father's philosophy. Kook's popular image as a Religious Zionist can be partially attributed to his son's wide influence in the Religious Zionist community, and substantial success in combining his father's teachings with his own beliefs.
- [[http://goodvillenews.com/Celebrity-Chef-Chris-Nirschel-Cooks-for-the-Homeless-3xkuIL.html Celebrity Chef Chris Nirschel Cooks for the Homeless]]
+==External links==
-[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
+==Resources==
-== Daughter Saves Father by Lifting Car Off Him ==
+==Writings==
-A fast acting 22-year-old has been hailed a hero after she lifted up a car weighing a ton and a half to save her father, who became crushed under his BMW 525i.
+==Analysis==
- [[http://goodvillenews.com/Daughter-Saves-Father-by-Lifting-Car-Off-Him-Ytw5BL.html Daughter Saves Father by Lifting Car Off Him]]
+==References==
+<references />

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 [[Image:Stamp Kook.jpg|thumb|120px|Israeli postal stamp commemorating Rabbi Kook]]
-Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin.
+Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of th ... \n
-His empathy towards the anti-religious elements aroused the suspicions of his more traditionalist haredi opponents, particularly that of the traditional rabbinical establishment that had functioned from the time of Turkey's control of greater Palestine, whose paramount leader was Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Kook's greatest rabbinical rival. Kook once quoted a rabbinic axiom that "one should embrace with the right hand and rebuff with the left". He remarked that he was fully capable of rejecting, but since there were enough rejecters, he was fulfilling the role of embracer. However, Kook far from embraced all of the elements of modern Zionism. He was critical of the secularists when they went "too far" in desecrating the Torah, for instance, by not observing the Sabbath or kosher laws.
+== Authors Nominate Top Books of All Time ==
-Kook fathered three children through his two wives: two daughters and a son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook. His nephew was Hillel Kook.
+In 2002, the Norwegian Book Clubs gathered 100 authors from 54 countries and asked each one to list the 10 best works of fiction of all time. The authors responded and this list was created. The titles are arranged alphabetically by author name, so no one book stands above any other. The following list is the groups selection of the worlds 100 best books.How many have you read?
-==Legacy==
+ [[http://goodvillenews.com/Authors-Nominate-Top-Books-of-All-Time-kRj65H.html Authors Nominate Top Books of All Time]]
-===Relationship with Religious Zionism===
+[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
-While Rav Kook has been exalted as one of the most important thinkers in Religious Zionism, there is substantial evidence that he never saw himself or his ideas in these terms. Indeed, there are several prominent quotes in which Kook is quite critical of the Religious Zionists (Mizrachi), whom he saw as naive and perhaps hypocritical in attempting to synthesize traditional Judaism with a modern and largely secular ideology. In one letter, he said:
+== Celebrity Chef Chris Nirschel Cooks for the Homeless ==
-The Israeli moshav Kfar Haroe, founded in 1934, was named after Kook, "Haroe" being the Hebrew acronym הרא"ה &ndash; "HaRav Avraham HaCohen". His son Zvi Yehuda Kook, who was substantially more explicit in his Zionism, took over teaching duties at Merkaz Harav after his death, and dedicated his life to interpreting and disseminating his father's philosophy. Kook's popular image as a Religious Zionist can be partially attributed to his son's wide influence in the Religious Zionist community, and substantial success in combining his father's teachings with his own beliefs.
+Cause Celeb highlights a celebritys work on behalf of a specific cause. This week, Chris Nirschel shares with us, via email interview, his work with The Food Bank for New York City.After 28 years, The Food Bank for New York has become the citys major hunger relief organization and one of the largest food banks in the country.
-==External links==
+ [[http://goodvillenews.com/Celebrity-Chef-Chris-Nirschel-Cooks-for-the-Homeless-3xkuIL.html Celebrity Chef Chris Nirschel Cooks for the Homeless]]
-==Resources==
+[[http://goodvillenews.com/wk.html GoodvilleNews.com - good, positive news, inspirational stories, articles]]
-==Writings==
+== Daughter Saves Father by Lifting Car Off Him ==
-==Analysis==
+A fast acting 22-year-old has been hailed a hero after she lifted up a car weighing a ton and a half to save her father, who became crushed under his BMW 525i.
-==References==
+ [[http://goodvillenews.com/Daughter-Saves-Father-by-Lifting-Car-Off-Him-Ytw5BL.html Daughter Saves Father by Lifting Car Off Him]]
-<references />

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:58, 8 March 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
		+	'''Abraham Isaac Kook ''' (1864 - 1935) was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the (now) Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, and a renowned Torah scholar. He is known in Hebrew as הרב אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק ''HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook'', and by the acronym ''HaRaAYaH'' or simply as "HaRav."
		+
		+	[[Image:Kook color.jpg\|right\|framed\|Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook]]

	==View on Noahides==		==View on Noahides==
Line 13:		Line 16:

	Rav Kook does not seem to assign special historical significance to Christianity and Islam for their status as “branches.” In a move that accepts the already-globalizing situation of the early 20th century, even the non-Abrahamic religions contain gold and holiness, which await elevation and unity with the Source of Israel. One can encounter and empirically study them. Yet, it is a Jewish task to purify these other religions. The actual process, however, of study, purification, and unification is left frustratingly vague. Nevertheless, what is clear, though, is that, personally, Rav Kook was able to look at other religions – and even atheism – and see the Truth of Torah within them.		Rav Kook does not seem to assign special historical significance to Christianity and Islam for their status as “branches.” In a move that accepts the already-globalizing situation of the early 20th century, even the non-Abrahamic religions contain gold and holiness, which await elevation and unity with the Source of Israel. One can encounter and empirically study them. Yet, it is a Jewish task to purify these other religions. The actual process, however, of study, purification, and unification is left frustratingly vague. Nevertheless, what is clear, though, is that, personally, Rav Kook was able to look at other religions – and even atheism – and see the Truth of Torah within them.
		+
		+	==Biography==
		+	Abraham Isaac Kook was born in Griva, Latvia (a suburb of Daugavpils, then Imperial Russia) in 1865, the oldest of eight children. His father, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ha-Cohen Kook, was a student of the Volozhin Yeshiva, the "mother of the Lithuanian yeshivas", whereas his maternal grandfather was a member of the Kapust dynasty of the Hassidic movement.
		+
		+	As a child he gained a reputation of being an ''ilui'' (prodigy). He entered the Volozhin yeshiva in 1884 at the age of 18, where he became close to the ''rosh yeshiva'', Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (the ''Netziv''). Although he stayed at the yeshiva for only a year and a half, the Netziv has been quoted as saying that if the Volozhin Yeshiva had been founded just to educate Rav Kook, it would have been worthwhile. During his time in the yeshiva, he studied about 18 hours a day.
		+
		+	In 1886, he married Batsheva, the daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim, (also known as the ''Aderet''), the rabbi of Ponevezh (today's Paneve.z(ys, Lithuania) and later Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. In 1887, at the age of 23, Kook entered his first rabbinical position as rabbi of Zaumel, Lithuania. In 1888, his wife died, and his father-in-law convinced him to marry her cousin, Raize-Rivka, the daughter of the Aderet's twin brother. In 1895 Kook became the rabbi of Bausk (now Bauska). Between 1901 and 1904, he published three articles which anticipate the fully-developed philosophy which he developed in the Land of Israel. During these years he wrote a number of works, most published posthumously, most notably a lengthy commentary on the Aggadot of Tractates Berakhot and Shabbat, titled 'Eyn Ayah' and a brief but powerful book on morality and spirituality, titled 'Mussar Avikhah'.
		+
		+	In 1904, Kook moved to Ottoman Palestine to assume the rabbinical post in Jaffa, which also included responsibility for the new secular Zionist agricultural settlements nearby. His influence on people in different walks of life was already noticeable, as he engaged in kiruv ("Jewish outreach"), thereby creating a greater role for Torah and Halakha into the life of the city and the settlements.
		+
		+	The outbreak of the First World War caught him in Europe, and he was forced to remain in London and Switzerland for the remainder of the war. While there, he was involved in the activities which led to the Balfour Declaration, 1917. Upon returning, he was appointed the Rabbi of Jerusalem, and soon after, as first Chief Rabbi in 1921. Kook founded a yeshiva, ''Mercaz HaRav Kook'' (popularly known as "Mercaz haRav"), in Jerusalem in 1924. He was a master of Halakha in the strictest sense, while at the same time possessing an unusual openness to new ideas. This drew many religious and nonreligious people to him, but also led to widespread misunderstanding of his ideas. He wrote prolifically on both Halakha and Jewish thought, and his books and personality continued to influence many even after his death in Jerusalem in 1935.
		+
		+	[[Image:Stamp Kook.jpg\|thumb\|120px\|Israeli postal stamp commemorating Rabbi Kook]]
		+	Kook built bridges of communication and political alliances between the various Jewish sectors, including the secular Zionist leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist Orthodox Jews. He believed that the modern movement to re-establish Israel as a state had profound theological significance. Per this ideology, the youthful, secular and even anti-religious Labor Zionist pioneers ''halutzim'' were a part of a grand divine scheme whereby the land and people of Israel were finally being redeemed from the 2,000 year exile (''galut'') by all manner of Jews who sacrificed themselves for the cause of building up the physical land, as laying the groundwork for the ultimate spiritual messianic redemption of world Jewry. He once commented that the establishment of the Chief Rabbinate was the first step towards the re-establishment of the Sanhedrin.
		+
		+	His empathy towards the anti-religious elements aroused the suspicions of his more traditionalist haredi opponents, particularly that of the traditional rabbinical establishment that had functioned from the time of Turkey's control of greater Palestine, whose paramount leader was Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Kook's greatest rabbinical rival. Kook once quoted a rabbinic axiom that "one should embrace with the right hand and rebuff with the left". He remarked that he was fully capable of rejecting, but since there were enough rejecters, he was fulfilling the role of embracer. However, Kook far from embraced all of the elements of modern Zionism. He was critical of the secularists when they went "too far" in desecrating the Torah, for instance, by not observing the Sabbath or kosher laws.
		+
		+	Kook fathered three children through his two wives: two daughters and a son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook. His nephew was Hillel Kook.
		+
		+	==Legacy==
		+
		+	===Relationship with Religious Zionism===
		+
		+	While Rav Kook has been exalted as one of the most important thinkers in Religious Zionism, there is substantial evidence that he never saw himself or his ideas in these terms. Indeed, there are several prominent quotes in which Kook is quite critical of the Religious Zionists (Mizrachi), whom he saw as naive and perhaps hypocritical in attempting to synthesize traditional Judaism with a modern and largely secular ideology. In one letter, he said:
		+	<blockquote>''"This gave rise not long ago to the Mizrachi association. But this is not a complete remedy, since in the end we are still strengthening secular Zionism....We can never guard ourselves from the influence of the secularists......How then are the Mizrachim protected from the evil influence of lawless Zionism on their children!"''</blockquote>
		+	Rather than being seen as a Religious Zionist leader or proponent, Kook should be properly understood as a pragmatic consensus-builder. Kook never shied away from criticizing his peers, including the Zionists (religious and secular), as well as the increasingly cloistered traditionalists living in the Holy Land, whose way of life he characterized as being similarly affected by the negative and abnormal conditions of the Jewish exile, and therefore just as "inauthentic" as that of their Zionist counterparts. Kook was interested in outreach and cooperation between different groups and types of Jews, and saw both the good and bad in each of them. His sympathy for them as fellow Jews should not be misinterpreted as any inherent endorsement of their ideas, Zionists or otherwise. That said, Kook's willingness to engage in joint-projects (for instance, his participation in the Chief Rabbinate) with the secular Zionist leadership must be seen as differentiating him from many of his traditionalist peers. In terms of practical results, it would not be incorrect to characterize Kook as being, at the least, a proto-Zionist. Rightly or wrongly, his perceived openness to the Zionist movement can be seen as a major stepping-stone to the Religious Zionist movement gaining momentum and legitimacy after his death.
		+
		+	The Israeli moshav Kfar Haroe, founded in 1934, was named after Kook, "Haroe" being the Hebrew acronym הרא"ה – "HaRav Avraham HaCohen". His son Zvi Yehuda Kook, who was substantially more explicit in his Zionism, took over teaching duties at Merkaz Harav after his death, and dedicated his life to interpreting and disseminating his father's philosophy. Kook's popular image as a Religious Zionist can be partially attributed to his son's wide influence in the Religious Zionist community, and substantial success in combining his father's teachings with his own beliefs.
		+
		+	==External links==
		+	*[http://www.orot.com Selected Teachings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (and others)], orot.com
		+	*[http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/rk1-kook.htm Introduction to the Thought of Rav Kook], vbm-torah.org
		+	*[http://www.ou.org/pardes/bios/ravkook.htm Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook], ou.org
		+	*[http://www.ucalgary.ca/%7Eelsegal/363_Transp/Orthodoxy/Zionism.html#Kook Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935)], Prof. Eliezer Segal
		+	*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Rav_Kook.html Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook], jewishvirtuallibrary.org
		+	*[http://www.zionist.org.uk/kook.htm Rav Avraham Itzhak HaCohen Kook (1865 – 1935)], zionist.org.uk
		+	*[http://www.mizrachi.org/aboutus/leaders/ravkook.asp Life and Priciples], mizrachi.org
		+	*[http://www.machonmeir.org.il/english/archive.asp?language=English&cat_id=12 Lectures on Rav Kook's writings], machonmeir.org.il
		+	*[http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/timeline.htm Time-line of Rav Kook's life]
		+	*[http://www.mercaz.org The Yeshiva he founded...today]
		+	*[http://www.orot.com/leshemravkook.html Rav Kook and Rav Shlomo Elyashev zt'l ("Leshem")]
		+	*[http://www.ou.org/pardes/bios/ravkook.htm Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook], from Ou.org
		+	*[http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6721/kook.htm Kook Family Tree]
		+	*[http://www.zehut.net/orotisrael_a_a.htm Chapters from Orot], from zehut.net (in Hebrew)
		+
		+	==Resources==
		+
		+	==Writings==
		+	*''Olat Raiyah'', Commentary on the Siddur
		+	*''Igorot HaRaiyah'', The Collected Letters of Rav Kook
		+	*''Orot HaKodesh''
		+	*''Ayin Aiyah'', Commentary on ''Ayin Yaakov'' the Aggadic sections of the Talmud.
		+	*''Orot'', Abraham Isaac Kook, translation Bezalel Naor, Jason Aronson 1993. ISBN 1-56821-017-5
		+	*''Orot ha-teshuvah'', Abraham Isaac Kook, translation Alter Ben-Zion Metzger, Bloch Pub. Co., 1968. ASIN B0006DXU94
		+	*''Abraham Isaac Kook: The Lights of Penitence, The Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems'', translation Ben Zion Bokser, Paulist Press 1978. ISBN 0-8091-2159-X
		+	*''The Essential Writings of Abraham Isaac Kook'', translation Ben Zion Bokser, Ben Yehuda Press 2006 (reprint). ISBN 0-9769862-3-X
		+	*''Gold from the Land of Israel: A New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook'', by Rabbi Chanan Morrison, Urim Publications 2006. ISBN 965-7108-92-6
		+
		+	==Analysis==
		+	*''The Philosophy of Rabbi Kook'', Zvi Yaron, Eliner Library, 1992.
		+	*''Essays on the Thought and Philosophy of Rabbi Kook'', ed. Ezra Gellman, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1991. ISBN 0-8386-3452-4
		+	*''The World of Rav Kook's Thought'', [[Shalom Carmy]], Avi-Chai Publishers, 1991. ISBN 0-9623723-2-3
		+	*''Rav Avraham Itzhak HaCohen Kook: Between Rationalism and Mysticism'', Benjamin Ish-Shalom, translation Ora Wiskind Elper, SUNY Press, 1993. ISBN 0-7914-1369-1
		+
		+	==References==
		+	<references />

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 Rav Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the Zionist return to the land of Israel. His writings embrace modernism by offering a vision of the restored land of Israel, at once evolutionary and Hegelian while at the same time mystical and messianic. His influence is widespread and influential as a Zionist dream of renewal of religious Judaism.
-As for other religions, in my opinion, it is not the goal of Israel's light to uproot or destroy them, just as we do not aim for the general destruction of the world and all its nations, but rather their correction and elevation, the removal of dross. Then, of themselves, they shall join the Source of Israel, from whence a dew of light will flow over them. "And I will take away the blood from his mouth and his detestable things from between his teeth, and he, too, shall remain for our God." (Zechariah 9:7) This applies even to idolatry -- all the more so to those religions that are partially based upon the light of Israel's Torah. (Iggrot ha-Rayah 112)
+:As for other religions, in my opinion, it is not the goal of Israel's light to uproot or destroy them, just as we do not aim for the general destruction of the world and all its nations, but rather their correction and elevation, the removal of dross. Then, of themselves, they shall join the Source of Israel, from whence a dew of light will flow over them. "And I will take away the blood from his mouth and his detestable things from between his teeth, and he, too, shall remain for our God." (Zechariah 9:7) This applies even to idolatry -- all the more so to those religions that are partially based upon the light of Israel's Torah. (Iggrot ha-Rayah 112)
-It is necessary to study all the wisdoms in the world, all ways of life, all different cultures, along with the ethical systems and religions of all nations and languages, so that, with greatness of soul, one will know how to purify them all. (Arpelei Tohar 33)
+:It is necessary to study all the wisdoms in the world, all ways of life, all different cultures, along with the ethical systems and religions of all nations and languages, so that, with greatness of soul, one will know how to purify them all. (Arpelei Tohar 33)
 Rav Kook acknowledges that other nations have other religions, and that many of them are based on the Torah. He obviously does not mean Torah in the narrow sense, but recognition that religions bring God's presence into the world. Their existence is not an obstacle to messianic times, but rather a challenge: It is part of the Jewish messianic task to “elevate” and “purify” the religions along with the entire world. The precise meaning and method of purifying the other religions is left unanswered, shrouded behind the vision of renewal.
-Rav Kook does not seem to assign special historical significance to Christianity and Islam for their status as “branches.” In a move that accepts the already-globalizing situation of the early 20th century, even the non-Abrahamic religions contain gold and holiness, which await elevation and unity with the Source of Israel. One can encounter and empirically study them. Yet, it is a Jewish task to purify these other religions. The actual process, however, of study, purification, and unification is left frustratingly vague. Nevertheless, what is clear, though, is that, personally, Rav Kook was able to look at other religions –and even atheism – and see the Truth of Torah within them.
+Rav Kook does not seem to assign special historical significance to Christianity and Islam for their status as “branches.” In a move that accepts the already-globalizing situation of the early 20th century, even the non-Abrahamic religions contain gold and holiness, which await elevation and unity with the Source of Israel. One can encounter and empirically study them. Yet, it is a Jewish task to purify these other religions. The actual process, however, of study, purification, and unification is left frustratingly vague. Nevertheless, what is clear, though, is that, personally, Rav Kook was able to look at other religions – and even atheism – and see the Truth of Torah within them.