Kook, Avraham Yitzchak
HaCohen (1865–1935).
The first Ashkenazi chief Rabbi of Palestine. Born to a
Hassidic mother and a Mitnagdic father, Rav Kook combined Talmudic and halachic
scholarship with the mysticism of the Kabbalah. Rav Kook’s inspirational
writings, poetry, and works of halachah served as the ideological foundation
for many religious Zionists. He is widely perceived to be a bridge between the
religious and secular worlds because he expressed admiration for the secular
Zionists who were doing God’s work, albeit unknowingly. His son, Tzvi Yehudah
Kook, has become a central figure in the Israeli settler movement, which sees
the State of Israel as the beginning of messianic redemption. A good digest of
his writings can be found in The Lights of Penitence.
Courtesy: Professor Shai Cherry
