On the 28th of Iyar 5664 (May 1904), Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook arrived at the port of Yafo, having been appointed as the rabbi of Yafo and the newly established agricultural communities founded by the nascent Zionist movement. Although his reputation was well-known, few could have anticipated the profound impact his arrival in the Land of Israel would have. Now, 120 years later, Rabbi Aron White reflects on the influence of Rav Kook’s early years in Eretz Yisrael.

Ninety years after his passing, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook remains the foremost spiritual figure in the national religious community. His writings are widely studied and taught in high schools and yeshivot. Politically, he is often viewed as the spiritual inspiration for the movement to settle Yehuda and Shomron, even though this movement was led by his son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook. Additionally, Rav Kook served as the first Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael under the British Mandate.

Those seeking to understand Rav Kook’s worldview often turn first to his extensive writings, particularly his philosophical works like Orot. However, much can be learned about Rav Kook simply by studying his life story. Far from being an isolated philosopher, Rav Kook’s core beliefs were deeply intertwined with his rabbinic career, and his first ten years as a rabbi in Eretz Yisrael offer valuable insights. These years not only shed light on a significant portion of his life but also provide a fascinating glimpse into the early formation of Israeli society.

The decision to move to Eretz Yisrael

Rav Kook is so closely associated with Eretz Yisrael that it’s easy to forget he was born in Russia, spent much of his life in the Diaspora, and came close to never making Aliyah at all.

Born in Griva in 1865, Rav Kook grew up in a home that blended the Chassidic influences of his mother’s background with the mitnagdic traditions of his father. A precocious talmid chacham, he received semicha from the Aruch HaShulchan before turning 20. He studied in Volozhin as a close student of the Netziv and went on to serve as a rabbi in Zeimel and Boisk, gaining recognition both in his own right and as the son-in-law of the Aderet, Rabbi Shmuel Salant’s assistant as Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim.

After serving as a rabbi in Europe for about 15 years, Rav Kook was invited in 1902 to become the rabbi of Yafo, a port town in Eretz Yisrael with a growing Jewish community. Despite the community’s growth due to waves of Jewish immigration, Yafo remained a small town, part of a relatively small Jewish population in Eretz Yisrael – around 50,000 at the time, compared to one million Jews who had already emigrated to the United States and ten million living in Europe.

Rav Kook sought advice from several rabbis and Jewish leaders, many of whom, including Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, advised him to stay in Europe. Some warned that the community in Yafo would be too divisive – the old yishuv was too traditional for him, while the new secular yishuv had little interest in rabbis. Why go somewhere that could tear you apart?

At the same time, Rav Kook was also offered the position of mashgiach at the Telshe Yeshiva by Rabbi Eliezer Gordon and spent a few days there considering the opportunity.

What led Rav Kook to leave Europe and take a chance on the relatively unknown opportunity in Yafo? While we can’t know for certain, an article he published in 1901 in the journal HaPeles offers insight into his thinking. Following the Zionist Congress in 1897, the Jewish world was grappling with how to relate to the Zionist movement, and Rav Kook was invited to contribute an article to this generally anti-Zionist publication. In his first public commentary on the topic, Rav Kook acknowledged the positive aspects of the burgeoning Jewish nationalism while critiquing its secular outlook. He argued that Jewish nationalism was inherently valuable and holy, and that religious Jews had a responsibility to engage with the movement rather than reject it: “The leaders of the Zionist movement are surprised at those Torah Jews who are keeping their distance from the movement for our national revival. And indeed, one should be surprised – not because they have differences with a movement in its current state, but because they are staying away and not trying to make an impact, something that can bring Am Yisrael closer to its Father in Heaven.”

This article was published in 1901, and it seems reasonable that this approach played a significant role in his thinking when he decided to move to Yafo in 1904 – when presented with an opportunity to indeed play a role in the nascent Jewish culture, he took the opportunity and moved to Eretz Yisrael.

Rabbinic leadership in Yafo

Rav Kook arrived in Yafo on 28th of Iyar 5664. His role encompassed traditional rabbinic duties – answering questions, giving drashot – but he also played a pivotal role in establishing the institutional framework that would later define the Religious Zionist community.

At that time, the Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael was largely divided between the Old Yishuv, which had been in the land for many decades, and the New Yishuv, which lived in emerging towns like Petach Tikva, Rechovot, and Gedera. The Old Yishuv had many religious schools and yeshivot, but they were deeply conservative, teaching in Yiddish and refusing to include secular studies. The New Yishuv established numerous schools, but most were not religious. In fact, there was a debate over what language should be used for instruction in the new schools, with some teaching in Hebrew and others in German and other languages. Herzl, in his book The Jewish State, expressed skepticism that Hebrew could be the language of a modern state.

Rav Kook was instrumental in establishing Tachkemoni, a religious elementary school that taught in Hebrew and included both secular and religious studies. While such schools are taken for granted today, this was an innovative concept in 1905. By 1912, the Mizrachi movement was running Tachkemoni, marking it as the first Religious Zionist school in Israel. In the following decades, Religious Zionist high schools and yeshivot would be founded, but Rav Kook was involved in the creation of the very first Religious Zionist schools in Israel.

In addition to his role as rabbi of Yafo, Rav Kook also served as rabbi of the moshavot, the new agricultural communities. In this capacity, he made critical decisions regarding mitzvot hateluyot ba’aretz, the agricultural commandments specific to the Land of Israel. He provided guidance on issues such as tithes and forbidden mixtures, helping the developing Jewish agricultural sector navigate how to observe halacha. Most notably, he addressed questions about the Shemitta year, balancing the laws of the sabbatical year with the needs of religious farmers. His decisions on heter mechira played a crucial role in shaping the policies that allowed religious farmers to thrive while remaining observant.

Rav Kook and the wider Zionist society

One of Rav Kook’s most significant contributions during this period was bridging the gap between his rabbinic world and the broader Zionist movement. Just a few months after his arrival, he was invited to eulogize Herzl, who had passed away in Europe. Agreeing to give this eulogy was itself a statement, as it signaled his participation in a ceremony of the Zionist movement. In his speech, Rav Kook discussed the religious significance of the secular Zionist movement.

Rav Kook maintained relationships with and respect for the Zionist movement, even as he offered critiques. He wrote letters to Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (KKL) urging them to ensure that their settlements observed Shabbat. He criticized the secular nature of the new Herzliya school founded in Tel Aviv but encouraged his followers to focus on strengthening the religious Tachkemoni school rather than engaging in public disputes with Herzliya.

In 1913, Rav Kook organized a month-long trip for rabbis to visit numerous secular moshavim, with the goal of bringing them closer to Judaism. When Rav Soloveitchik visited Israel in 1935, he met a man who credited Rav Kook’s trip with keeping their kibbutz’s kitchen kosher. Beyond the concrete impact, the trip also set a precedent for a traditional rabbi who, while disagreeing with the path of many Zionists, sought to engage with them, visit them, and make a positive impact rather than retreating into isolation.

Rav Kook’s relationship with secular Zionist endeavors was complex and multifaceted. He respected the concept of Jewish nationalism and saw deep spiritual significance in the movement, despite its secular nature. He critiqued institutions and individuals for not adhering to halacha, but his criticism was always coupled with practical steps to bring those distant from religion closer. During his early years in Yafo, Rav Kook exemplified this balanced approach – respectful, critical, and intent on influencing the secular Zionist movement.

In practice, Rav Kook helped shape the DNA of Religious Zionism. While the issues and circumstances have evolved, and debates within Religious Zionism continue over how to express these values, the core multifaceted relationship with secular Zionism remains a central feature of the movement today.

Rav Kook’s early years in Eretz Yisrael laid the foundation for the modern Religious Zionist movement, as much – if not more – than his written works. By creating modern religious infrastructure and engaging respectfully with the Zionist movement while criticizing its secular excesses, Rav Kook blazed a path that Religious Zionism continues to follow.

 

Rabbi Aron White is the Managing Editor of HaMizrachi magazine.