Rabbi Ben Zion HaCohen Kook
Rabbi Ben Zion HaCohen KookPhoto: shlomi levy

Rabbi Ben Zion HaCohen Kook of the Beit Horaah Clali yeshiva in Jerusalem visited yeshiva students in Lakewood, New Jersey, in recent days, and called on them to study in yeshivas in Israel despite the difficult security situation.

Rabbi Kook's call came amid the growing wave of terror over the last few days, during which Rabbi Michael Mark and 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel were murdered.

Rabbi Kook, descendant of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, spoke about the importance of studying Torah in Israel, saying, "The air of the Land of Israel awaits. Studying in Israel and studying in exile are not the same. It is not for nothing that the greatest scholars made a tremendous effort to move to Israel and study the Holy Torah there.”

“True, there are many who cannot make aliyah and live in Israel permanently, but even one year of Torah study in the Holy Land will forever etch in your mind the sanctity of the Torah and the land,” he continued.

Some of the students asked Rabbi Kook about the security problems in Israel, to which he replied by saying, "On the contrary, the more American students study the Torah in Israel, not only will they will be safe from terrorism, they will also further enhance the general security in the country.”