Rabbi Avraham HaCohen Kook

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Parashat Shlach: The sin of Tzelofchad

We should learn from Tzelofchad’s mistake, and stay focused on that which is enduring and eternal, and not confuse the way-station for the final destination.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Beha'alotcha: Great dreams

Dreams, Rav Kook wrote, perform a vital function in the world. Great dreams are the very foundation of the universe.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi: Naso

The benefits of the Sotah Waters

The Sages debate the exact nature of the positive effect of the Sotah waters.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Bamidbar: Flags of love

The Jewish people sought to uncover and emphasize every individual’s personal strengths, and thus chose banners for each tribe, but no banners flew over the central Tent of Meeting.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Behar-Bechukotai: Jubilee - National reconciliation

Why was the formal proclamation of the Jubilee year postponed until Yom Kippur?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Emor: The Omer Controversy

What is the nature of the Jewish people? Is the nation merely the combined contribution of each individual Jew? Or are the Jewish people as a whole a national collective with its own special holiness?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Shmini: Immersion in water

When we immerse ourselves in water, we are forced to recognize our existential estrangement from the physical universe.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Destroy chametz, gain freedom

Why Clear Out Chametz?

Let us go to the Seder together!

Let us recognize that we are children of royalty, a nation whose eternal destiny is freedom, that Israel is neither a servant nor a home-born slave, nor an object of contempt.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayikra: The goal of Temple offerings

The offerings of the Jewish people aspire to a far greater objective that of Noah who also brought offerings to Hashem.

Shabbat Parshat Hachodesh:

The month of transformation and unity

Based on the teachings of Israel's first Chief Rabbi and Founder of Merkaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Rav Avraham Yitschak HaCohen Kook zts"l.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi: Vayakhel

Art and Creation

What is the difference between wisdom, insight, and knowledge? How do they apply both to the Creator of the universe and to the human artist?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Wisdom for the Wise

We need to expand all of the mind’s intellectual capabilities in order to fulfill the rule of “a healthy mind in a healthy body” on a spiritual level.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Tetzave: Raising a Constant Flame

The oil is a metaphor for the human intellect. The mind also needs guidance; not every intellectual pursuit leads to ethical and spiritual growth. And what about the spiritual growth of the nation?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Terumah: Tachash skins in the Tabernacle

Was the tachash, whose hides covered the Tabernacle, a kosher animal? Does it matter?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Mishpatim: Following the majority opinion

Jewish law offers two ways to resolve disputes. The first is through rigorous analysis — and if that fails, a rabbinic majority.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi: Yitro

Breaking bread with scholars

A scholar’s greatest influence takes place in those spheres where others can best relate to him.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Bo: The Special Pesach Offering

Why may the korban pesach only be eaten at the nighttime? And why must it be roasted?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi: Vaera

Hamotzi - For all times

What is the difference between motzi and ha-motzi?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Shemot: The inner trait of goodness

God gave Moses a sign to prove his authenticity — but a sign which implied displeasure in Moses’ lack of faith in his people. 

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayechi: Fishy Blessings

What kind of blessing is it when Yaakov prays that his grandchildren increase like fish in the land?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayigash: The hazards of leadership

Working for the public good is certainly laudable. However, there are certain hazards inherent in such a path.

Rav Kook Torah:

Hanukkah: The sacred protects itself

Rabbi Kook explains how Knesset Yisrael knows how to join heaven and earth.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayeishev: The special teshuvah of Reuben

After repairing his soul, Reuben returned and looked at the pit.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayishlach: Pillars and sanctuaries

Why does it matter whether the worshippers gather around a pillar outside or pray inside a sanctuary? 

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vayeitze: The rivalry between Rachel and Leah

Even in th. Messianic Era, the divide between Rachel and Leah will continue, with two Messianic leaders

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Toldot: Jacob rescued Abraham

There are two different paths of change available to us. f God provided us with two paths, then clearly both are needed, but what are they?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

The message of the scholars of Yavneh

A message of unity and mutual respect came forth from Yavneh at the dark hour of national crisis after the Second Temple's destruction.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Reverence for Sacred Vessels

What is the connection between honoring Torah scrolls and respect for human remains?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Simchat Torah: Israel's triumph of faith

How Rabbi Kook celebrated Simchat Torah.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

The Teshuva of Rosh Hashanah

When we examine the Rosh Hashanah prayers, there is no mention of sin or penitence. How can that be?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Ki Tavo: How to serve G-d with joy

How do we cultivate a sense of joy in our service of God, when we observe mitzvot and study Torah?

In honor of Rav Kook's yahrzeit:

On 3rd of Elul, Rav Kook said: 'Stay in the Land!'

“About half an hour before his death,” Dr. Zondek recalled, “the rabbi took my hand in his...."

Smotrich:

'Rabbi Kook built a whole world around the Torah'

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was among the hundreds who marked 89 years since the passing of Rabbi Kook: "The Rabbi taught that placing the Torah at the center is the key to being leading partners in the state."

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Psalm 31: Like a lost vessel

Hunted by his enemies, David, too, felt betrayed and abandoned:

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

The waters of Ein Eitam

Rav Kook explained that there exists a special connection between Ein Eitam and the High Priest’s purification on Yom Kippur.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Eikev: Four blessings after eating

Birkat Hamazon bestows profound spiritual value to our private meals — a prayer that guides us, step by step, to a holier world.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Vaetchanan: Prolonging 'Echad'

When saying Shema, why should the word echad be stretched out? And what is the significance of the letters Dalet and Chet?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Tisha B'Av: Seeing Jerusalem in its joy

“The people’s joy in sparks of redemption will rebuild what was destroyed by baseless weeping.” 

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Pinchas: Genuine zealotry

A prayer decrying slanderers and heretics touches upon powerful emotions of hostility and anger, while prayer is intended to be a medium of peace and love.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Psalm 19: Elevating life through prayer

“May the words of my mouth... be acceptable” are words of deep significance. Where is the best place to say them in the prayer service?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Chukat: Even in the Hour of Death

Why did the rabbis emphasize Torah study in every situation, even on one’s deathbed?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Korach: Separating and Connecting

Why indeed should only the Levites and the kohanim serve in the Temple? Why not open up the service of God to the entire nation?

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

The Lesson of Mount Sinai

Where would one expect that God would reveal His Torah to the Jewish people?

Behukotai: Rabbi Akiva's Parable

Israel's first Chief Rabbi died in 1935. His words here are absolutely prophetic.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Behar: The intrinsic sanctity of the Land of Israel

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: The holiness of the Land of Israel is independent of those mitzvot that may be fulfilled while living there. The primary holiness of the Land is reflected in the mitzvah to settle it,

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Yom Haatzma'ut: From Tragedy to Triumph

Rabbi Kook, founder of Religious Zionism: Anyone who has followed the development of the Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael from its inception can readily see how, from every reversal, a new triumph emerged.

Kedoshim: Rabbi Kook's decision on the Printer's Dilemma

Israel's first Chief Rabbi's wisdomand character shine through this story of his reaction to those slandering him.

Israel's 1st Chief Rabbi:

Acharei Mot: The Ox and the Goat

Constructive and destructive power can both be used for positive purposes.

A communal prayer of thanks

Israel's first chief rabbi explains how sometimes the entire community has to realzie how important it is to give thanks.

Passover: Because of This

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: " the true goal of the miracles in Egypt goes far beyond the needs of that generation."

Psalm 10: You prepare their heart

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: There are two levels of kavanah (intention) in prayer.

Rav Kook Torah

Shmini: Mourning for Nadav and Avihu

Israel' first Chief Rabbi and iconic leader of Religious Zionism: To understand Moses’ unusual instructions for mourning his nephews, we must examine the Talmudic account of the passing of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi.

Rabbi Kook on Psalm 100: Recognizing God's kindness

Israel's first chief rabbi: "Our world is inherently imperfect, and God’s kindness is not always readily apparent."

The Joy of spending Purim with Rabbi Kook

Israel's first Chief Rabbi had a unique tradition for Purim festivities and his students took part. In the middle of his speech, Rav Kook suddenly stood up and began to sing with great elation, “Do not fear, My servant Jacob! Do not fear, do not fear!”

It’s just the beginning

Rabbi Kook sought to explain how an enlightened, industrialized, and cultured Europe could unleash such destructive barbaric forces that brought the world to a cataclysmic and death-filled war. Nothing has changed.

Vayakhel: Stars in the Tabernacle

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: The structure of the Tabernacle corresponded to the entire universe.

Tetzaveh: Beyond the Holy

hy should the phrase “Holy to God” be split into two lines?

Terumah: The Iron Wall

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: Walls of iron are different from walls of stone, and each suits a different period of Jewish history.

Mishpatim: Accepting two Torahs

Israel's first Chief Rabbi: The Jewish people received two Torahs at Sinai.