On the third of Elul, in 1935, that great lover of Israel, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, passed away. He merited that his enormous, benevolent and loving soul brought light to our generation and to future generations, with love and faith.
Abraham, father of our nation and of many others as well, was called by G-d, "Abraham My beloved." (Isaiah 41:8) He was the first and the greatest of all believers. "Abraham believed in G-d, and G-d counted it as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6) Abraham's love and faith found concrete expression through "the souls that he saved at Charan." (12:5) Abraham converted the men and Sarah converted the women. They also found expression through the manifold kind deeds he performed, whether it was hospitality to guests, caring for orphans or giving his fellow man the benefit of the doubt. Thus it says, "You granted kindness to Abraham." (Michah 7:20)
Abraham's love and faith penetrated the spiritual gardens of the Jewish People, and we inherit them in each generation. Every Jew has the love and faith he inherited from his ancestors.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook viewed himself as a servant of his people and his land, and as a guide to his and future generations living in this most complex and complicated era, that of the transition from exile to redemption. Ours is the generation of the rebirth, a generation in which there is much light, but much shadow as well. This period may be compared to the dawn, when light and darkness coexist.
Rabbi Kook's advice for our generation was that we must increase love and faith. The way to do that is to learn from people of faith, people who live in our own generation and who lead saintly lives, openly or in secret. We must learn from those great sages of Israel, the great men of faith throughout the generations, especially Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, from his work The Kuzari. We must learn from Rambam, and all his writings of faith, from Ramban and his writings, from the Maharal of Prague, from Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and from the most recent great sages. And obviously, we must learn from the works of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook.
Through our increasing our love and faith, may we be privileged to see with our own eyes how G-d "brings a redeemer to our children's children for the sake of His name, with love."
Abraham, father of our nation and of many others as well, was called by G-d, "Abraham My beloved." (Isaiah 41:8) He was the first and the greatest of all believers. "Abraham believed in G-d, and G-d counted it as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6) Abraham's love and faith found concrete expression through "the souls that he saved at Charan." (12:5) Abraham converted the men and Sarah converted the women. They also found expression through the manifold kind deeds he performed, whether it was hospitality to guests, caring for orphans or giving his fellow man the benefit of the doubt. Thus it says, "You granted kindness to Abraham." (Michah 7:20)
Abraham's love and faith penetrated the spiritual gardens of the Jewish People, and we inherit them in each generation. Every Jew has the love and faith he inherited from his ancestors.
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook viewed himself as a servant of his people and his land, and as a guide to his and future generations living in this most complex and complicated era, that of the transition from exile to redemption. Ours is the generation of the rebirth, a generation in which there is much light, but much shadow as well. This period may be compared to the dawn, when light and darkness coexist.
Rabbi Kook's advice for our generation was that we must increase love and faith. The way to do that is to learn from people of faith, people who live in our own generation and who lead saintly lives, openly or in secret. We must learn from those great sages of Israel, the great men of faith throughout the generations, especially Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi, from his work The Kuzari. We must learn from Rambam, and all his writings of faith, from Ramban and his writings, from the Maharal of Prague, from Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and from the most recent great sages. And obviously, we must learn from the works of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook.
Through our increasing our love and faith, may we be privileged to see with our own eyes how G-d "brings a redeemer to our children's children for the sake of His name, with love."