Rabbi Kook and the Unifying Torah of the Land of Israel
Rabbi Kook was unique in that he established an organized doctrine which gives room to all the methods of study and all the paths in the service of God. This is the virtue of the Torah of the Land of Israel, in which the Heavenly unifying light is revealed, and in which all of the Tribes of Israel are consolidated - inspiring one another in the
The sages said (Tractate Sanhedrin 24a) that Torah scholars of the land of Israel are termed "pleasant".
illumination of the word of God in this world.

Thus, the sages said (Tractate Sanhedrin 24a) that Torah scholars of the land of Israel are termed "pleasant". They act amiably to one another in halacha, and do not wrangle each other with severity, as do the Torah scholars outside of the land of Israel.

Division Outside of Israel
Outside of Israel, each community must strengthen and defend itself from anti-Semitism and foreign influences which threaten to destroy it, and tailor its own special approach to deal with the challenges of the location. With the passage of time and the lengthening of the galut, it seemed to each community that its special style, including its accent and way of dress, was true Judaism. They knew that other communities existed, and that each and every custom had its own place and gateway in which to enter. Nevertheless, it seemed to them that, in truth, it would be appropriate for all the others to enter through their gateway, for it included all the other approaches.

Differences Between Sectors and Systems
Thus, the Jews of Lithuanian descent believe that their method of in-depth study is the only way to truly learn Torah, and it would be appropriate for all of Israel to learn this way and accept their leadership. The Hassidim believe that the path that was revealed by the righteous students of the Baal Shem Tov - of serving God with enthusiasm and happiness, cleaving to the righteous and studying Hassidut - is the path which will bring the Redemption, and everyone should become a Hassid. And there are not a few Hassidic courts that will add - either in a whisper or a loud voice - that in truth it would be correct for everyone to follow the path of their founder of Hassidut, for he is the true continuation of the Baal Shem Tov.

Many Sephardic and North African Jews believe that the method of learning, aliba d'hilchata, with straightforward explanations, as was the method of the great scholars of Sephardic origin and Rabbi Yosef Karo, is the proper way for all Jews.

There are those who go according to the kabbalah of the Arizal and the Ben Ish Chai, believing that the complete tikkun will come through delving into the secrets of the Torah and the deep meanings of the prayers. Even if one has not merited to grasp the secrets of God, it is fitting for him to act according to the customs of the heavenly Kabbalists.

The Jews from Yemen guarded their tradition meticulously and with great self-sacrifice. Some believe that their path is fitting for all, especially since they go according to the Rambam, the master of all Israel.

The Root of the Split
These deep differences create a great gap between the great Torah scholars, much greater than the distance between the house of Hillel and the house of Shamai, to the point where, in spite of all the love and honor that true Torah scholars have for one another, it is almost impossible for them to sit together and resolve the issues of the day. Although they know the words of chazal concerning differing methods (Tractate Eruvin 13b) - "Both ways are the words of the Living God" - since the style and premises are so different, it is impossible to create a true discussion between the great Torah scholars from different groups. Only in times of harsh distress is it possible, with great difficulty, to bring them together for the needs of the hour.

This is a great impediment for the emergence of Torah in our times. Superficially, people might think that the gap between the groups and communities comes from a tendency towards egotism and discrepancy. However, in truth, the root of the problem stems from the deep differences in principle between the various approaches. Therefore, although there are truly righteous people in each group who honor all the other great Torah scholars and pray for unity, the basic problem remains of how to unify all the approaches, without blurring or weakening
any one of them.

Rabbi Kook: Unity
With the kindness of God, who has mercy on His nation, along with the beginning of the ingathering of the exiles, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, of blessed righteous memory, was sent to illuminate for us the path of the Torah of the Land of Israel. From Heaven, he was given incomparable talents and a supreme ability to connect to the root of unity.

Thus, with his genius and insight, diligence and wisdom, Rabbi Kook succeeded to embrace all of the approaches and grasp their foundations. He perceived how each of the different approaches complimented one another, and
From Heaven, he was given incomparable talents and a supreme ability to connect to the root of unity.
clearly recognized the special and appropriate place of each method, in a way that it could contribute fully, without harming other approaches.

Learning Jewish Faith and Thought
The schism between the different methods of learning Jewish faith and thought stands out. There are the great Torah scholars who, in a rationalistic style, dealt with the different philosophical approaches, such as Rabbi Sa'adya Gaon and the Rambam. On the other hand, there are those who greatly distanced themselves from philosophy and instead dedicated their studies to the wisdom of kabbalah, such as the Sephardic Kabbalists or the great Hassidic scholars. And then there are those who chose the path of combining rationalism and inner teachings, such as Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, the Maharal from Prague, and the Ramchal.

Rabbi Kook was unique, paving a path that included all the approaches. He required the study of all the different methods, for precisely through the collection of all the dispersed ideas would a great and complete revelation sprout forth.

Rabbi Kook was very busy answering all those who came to him with questions and didn't have the time to organize his thoughts in an orderly manner. Nevertheless, in the numerous writings which he wrote quickly between visitors are embedded incomparably deep ideas, in which he unified and combined the different approaches in a wonderful harmony without obscuring one of them.

This is the great proof of the advantage of Rabbi Kook's path over all the other approaches. All the other approaches contain only what they have within themselves, while Rabbi Kook included in his approach all the other methods without obscuring their uniqueness. This is the advantage of the Torah of Eretz Yisrael over the Torah of the Diaspora.

Send comments or questions for Rabbi Melamed to Yonaton Behar at yonatonb@yahoo.com.