Editing Abraham Isaac Kook

{{Short description|Chief rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine (1865–1935)}}
{{verification|date=March 2023|reasons=page conspicuously contains large tracts of entirely unsourced content}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Jewish leader
| honorific-prefix = Rabbi
| name = Abraham Isaac Kook<br />{{Nobold|{{Script/Hebrew|אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק}}}}
| image = ירושלים - הרב הכהן קוק-JNF035679.jpeg
| caption = Abraham Isaac Kook in 1924
| image_size = 200px
| title = First [[Chief Rabbi]] of British [[Mandatory Palestine]]
| birth_name = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1865|9|7|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Daugavpils|Griva]], [[Russian Empire]] (today [[Daugavpils|Daugavpils, Latvia]])
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1935|9|1|1865|9|7|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Jerusalem]], [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate of Palestine]]
| buried = [[Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery]]
| nationality = 
| denomination = [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]]
}}
'''Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook''' ({{Langx|he|אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק הַכֹּהֵן קוּק}}; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as '''HaRav Kook''',<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23261279|jstor = 23261279|title = Rav Kook's Contested Legacy|last1 = Singer|first1 = David|journal = Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought|year = 1996|volume = 30|issue = 3|pages = 6–20}}</ref> and also known by the Hebrew-language [[acronym]] '''Hara'ayah'''<ref>And by his followers, simply as '''HaRav'''.</ref> ({{lang|he|הראי״ה}}),<ref>from הַרַב אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק הַכֹּהֵן '''''h'''a'''R'''av '''ʾA'''vrāhām '''Y'''īṣḥāq '''h'''aKōhēn''</ref> was an [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] rabbi, and the first [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] [[Chief Rabbinate of Israel|Chief Rabbi]] of British [[Mandatory Palestine]].  He is considered to be one of the fathers of [[religious Zionism]] and is known for founding the [[Mercaz HaRav|Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva]].<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Hidden Diaries and New Discoveries: The Life and Thought of Rabbi A. I. Kook|url = https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/shofar/v025/25.3rosenak.html|journal = Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies|date = 2007-01-01|issn = 1534-5165|pages = 111–147|volume = 25|issue = 3|doi = 10.1353/sho.2007.0085|first = Avinoʻam|last = Rozenaḳ|s2cid = 170098496}}</ref>

==Biography==
===Childhood===
Kook was born in [[Daugavpils|Griva]] (also spelled Geriva)<ref name=ShamBook>{{cite book
|title=Stories From the Life of Rav Kook   |last1=Friedman  |first1=Masha  |date=1988  |isbn=0-944921-00-0
|publisher=Beit Shamai Publications}}</ref> in the [[Courland Governorate]] of the [[Russian Empire]] in 1865, today a part of [[Daugavpils]], [[Latvia]], the eldest of eight children. His father, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Ha-Cohen Kook, was a student of the [[Volozhin yeshiva]], the "mother of the [[Lithuanian Jews|Lithuanian]] [[yeshiva]]s",<ref>{{cite book|author=William B. Helmreich
|title=The World of the Yeshiva: An Intimate Portrait of Orthodox Jewry  |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjfPA1NZFbgC&pg=PA7
|access-date=21 September 2011|date=February 2000 |publisher=KTAV Publishing House, Inc.|isbn=978-0-88125-641-3|pages=6–8}}</ref> whereas his maternal grandfather was a follower of the [[Kapust]] branch of the [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic movement]], founded by the son of the third [[rebbe]] of [[Chabad]], Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneersohn]].<ref>"Chazon Hageulah," p. 11, Jerusalem 1941 (Hebrew)</ref>  His mother's name was Zlata Perl.<ref name=ShamBook/>{{rp|p.56}}

He entered the [[Volozhin Yeshiva]] in 1884 at the age of 18, where he became close to the ''[[rosh yeshiva]]'', Rabbi [[Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin]] (the ''Netziv''). During his time in the yeshiva, he studied under Rabbi [[Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim]] (also known as the ''Aderet''), the rabbi of [[Ponevezh]] (today's [[Panevėžys]], [[Lithuania]]) and later Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of [[Jerusalem]].  In 1886 Kook married Rabinowitz-Teomim's daughter, Batsheva.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hevratpinto.org/tzadikim_eng/143_rabbi_eliyahu_david_rabinowitz.html|title=Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim • "The Aderet"|website=www.hevratpinto.org|access-date=2018-09-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelehrhaus.com/scholarship/the-hasidism-of-rav-kook/|title=The Hasidism of Rav Kook {{!}} The Lehrhaus|website=www.thelehrhaus.com|date=25 December 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ravkooktorah.org/timeline.htm|title=Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook (1865-1935)|website=www.ravkooktorah.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-12}}</ref>

===Early career===
In 1887, at the age of 23,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jewishpress.com/indepth/opinions/rav-kook-from-the-pages-of-the-jewish-press-in-1961/2017/08/25|title=Rav Kook, From The Pages Of The Jewish Press In 1961|first=Hillel|last=Fendel |date=August 25, 2017 |work=The Jewish Press}}, citing {{cite news |last=Feldman |first=Yaakov Moshe |date=1961 |work=The Jewish Press}}</ref> Kook entered his first rabbinical position as rabbi of [[Žeimelis|Zaumel]], Lithuania.{{r|ShamBook|p=18}}<ref>also spelled Zoimel, described in the book as a village</ref> In 1888, his wife died, and his father-in-law convinced him to marry her cousin, Raize-Rivka, the daughter of the Aderet's twin brother. Kook's only son, [[Zvi Yehuda Kook]], was born in 1891 to Kook and his second wife.<ref>{{cite web |last=Melamed |first=Avraham Levi |date=4 July 2005 <!-- date from https://web.archive.org/web/20140204031710if_/http://www.yeshiva.co/midrash/doc/doc36/E_rabeno.doc --> |url=https://www.yeshiva.co/midrash/3656
|title=Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook: A Biographical Overview  |website=yeshiva.co}}</ref> In 1896, Kook became the rabbi of [[Bauska Jewish community|Bauska]].{{r|ShamBook|p=22}}<ref>{{Cite Jewish Encyclopedia |last1=Janovsky |first1=S. |last2=Rosenthal |first2=Herman |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2676-bausk |title=BAUSK or BAUSKE |volume=2 |pages=601-602}}</ref><ref>also spelled Boisk; described as a city</ref>

Between 1901 and 1904, he published three articles which anticipate the philosophy that he later more fully developed in the Land of Israel. Kook personally refrained from eating meat except on the Sabbath and Festivals, and a compilation of extracts from his writing, compiled by his disciple [[David Cohen (rabbi)|David Cohen]], known as "Rav HaNazir" (or "the Nazir of Jerusalem")<ref>{{Cite news|last=Morrison |first=Chanan|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/345585|title=The Nazir of Jerusalem|work=Israel National News|date=29 May 2015 |language=en|access-date=2 October 2023}}</ref> and titled by him "A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace," depicts a progression, guided by Torah law, towards a vegetarian society.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kook |first=Avraham Yitzhak Hacoben |editor-last=Cohen |editor-first=David |url=https://archive.org/stream/AVisionOfVegetarianismAndPeace |title=A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace |date=1985-04-20 |orig-year=1961 |translator-last=Rubenstein |translator-first=Jonathan L.}} Translated to English as an appendix to {{cite thesis |last=Rubenstein |first=Jonathan L. |date=1986 |title=None shall hurt or destroy: a translation of A vision of vegetarianism and peace by Rav Avraham Yitzhak Hacohen Cook |type=Doctoral dissertation |publisher=Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Selections from "A Vision of Vegetarianism and Peace" |last=Kuk |first= Avraham Yitzchak  |editor-first=David |editor-last=Kohen|translator-first=David |translator-last=Sears|url=http://www.jewishveg.com/DSvision.html|publisher=Jewish Vegetarians of North America|access-date=2018-12-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305135741/http://www.jewishveg.com/DSvision.html|archive-date=2016-03-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Jaffa===
In 1904,<ref>"After serving as rabbi in the small town of Zoimel and later in the city of Boisk (Bauska), Latvia, in 1904 Rabbi Kook accepted 
the invitation of the port city of Jaffa ..."{{cite web 
|url=http://orot.com/rav-kook  |title=Rav Kook - Orot  |website=orot.com}}</ref> Kook was invited to become Rabbi in [[Jaffa]], [[History of Palestine#Ottoman period|Ottoman Palestine]], and he arrived there in 1905. During these years he wrote a number of works, mostly published posthumously, notably a lengthy commentary on the [[Aggadot]] of Tractates [[Berakhot (Talmud)|Berakhot]] and [[Shabbat (Talmud)|Shabbat]], titled ''Eyn Ayah'', and a brief book on morality and spirituality, titled ''Mussar Avicha''. 

It was in 1911 that Kook also maintained a correspondence with the [[Jews of Yemen]], addressing some twenty-six questions to "the honorable shepherds of God's congregation" (Heb. {{Script/Hebrew|כבוד רועי עדת ד}}) and sending his letter via the known Zionist emissary, Shemuel Yavneʼeli. Their reply was later printed in a book published by Yavneʼeli.<ref>Aharon Gaimani, "Scholars of Yemen Answer Questions of Rabbi A.I. Kook", in: ''Ascending the Palm Tree – An Anthology of the Yemenite Jewish Heritage'', Rachel Yedid & Danny Bar-Maoz (ed.), E'ele BeTamar: Rehovot 2018, pp. 88–125 {{OCLC|1041776317}}</ref><ref>"Masa le-Teiman," by Shmuel Yavne'eli, pp. 187–188; 196–199, Tel-Aviv 1952 (Hebrew)</ref> Kook's influence on people in different walks of life was already noticeable, as he engaged in [[kiruv]] ("Jewish outreach"), thereby creating a greater role for [[Torah]] and [[Halakha]] in the life of the city and the nearby settlements. In 1913 Kook led a delegation of rabbis, including several leading rabbinic figures such as [[Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld|Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld]], to the many newly established secular "moshavot" (settlements) in [[Samaria]] and [[Galilee]]. Known as the "Journey of the Rabbis" the rabbis' goal was to strengthen Shabbat observance, Torah education, and other religious observances, with an emphasis on the giving of 'terumot and ma'asrot' (agricultural [[Tithes in Judaism|tithes]]) as these were farming settlements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/10941|title=1913: Rabbi Kook Leads Rabbis' Tour of the Moshavot|website=Israel National News|date=3 December 2011 |language=en|access-date=2018-09-12}}</ref>

===London and World War I===
When the [[First World War]] began, Kook was in Germany, where he was interned as an alien.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abraham-Isaac-Kook | title=Abraham Isaac Kook &#124; chief rabbi of Palestine &#124; Britannica | date=January 2024 }}</ref> He escaped to [[London]] via [[Switzerland]], but the ongoing conflict forced him to stay in the UK for the remainder of the war. In 1916, he became rabbi of the Spitalfields Great Synagogue ([[Machzike Hadath]], "upholders of the law"), an immigrant Orthodox community located in [[Brick Lane]], [[Spitalfields]], [[London]], and Kook lived at 9 Princelet Street, Spitalfields.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oztorah.com/2013/12/rav-kook-in-london/ |title=Blog Archive » Rav Kook in London |website=OzTorah.com |date=2013-12-22 |access-date=2016-01-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ravkooktorah.org/PSALM43.htm |title=Rav Kook on Psalm 43: The London Bomb Shelter |website=Ravkooktorah.org |date=1915-01-19 |access-date=2016-01-07}}</ref>

===Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem===
[[File:Rabbinic Proclamation In Support of Rav Kook.jpg|thumb|Proclamation by 80 rabbis in support of Kook after the printing of ''Kol Ha-Shofar'' in 1921]]
[[File:Abraham Isaac Kook with the mayor of New York.jpg|thumb|Kook with Mayor of New York [[John F. Hylan]] (1924)]]
Upon returning from Europe in 1919,<ref name=ShamBook/>{{rp|44}} he was appointed the [[Ashkenazi]] [[Chief Rabbi]] of [[Jerusalem]], and soon after, as first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Palestine in 1921.<ref>The following "Public Notice" appeared in the Palestine Gazette on April 1, 1921:
<br />
"The Rabbinical Assembly held in Jerusalem on February 24th, 1921, Adar-Rishon 16th 5681 elected the following Rabbis as the Rabbinical Council for Palestine:
Rabbi [[Jacob Meir]] and Rabbi Abraham Isaac Cohen Kook as Chief Rabbis, and Rabbis Benjamin Alkosser, Benzion Koenka, and Abraham Pilosoph as Sephardic members, and Rabbis Zevi Pesah Frank, Yonah Raam and Fischel Bernstein as Ashkenazic members of the Council.
Doctor M. Eliash, Mr. M. Levanon, and Mr. J. H. Panigel were elected as lay councillors to the Rabbinical Council.
The Government of Palestine will recognize the Council and any Beth-Din sanctioned by it as the sole authorities in matters of Jewish Law. It will execute through the Civil Courts judgments given by the Beth-Din of the Council in first instance or on appeal as well as the judgments given by any Beth-Din in Palestine sanctioned by the Council.
The appointment of ''[[Hakham Bashi|Haham Bashi]]'' no longer exists in Palestine; and no person is recognized by the Government as a Chief-Rabbi of Palestine except the Rabbis elected by the Assembly.
W. H. DEEDES, Civil Secretary, Government House, March 18th, 1921." [End Quote]</ref>

In March 1924, in an effort to raise funds for Torah institutions in Palestine and Europe, Kook travelled to America with Rabbi [[Moshe Mordechai Epstein]] of the [[Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael (Slabodka)|Slabodka Yeshiva]] and the Rabbi of Kaunas, [[Avraham Duber Kahana Shapiro|Avraham Dov Baer Kahana Shapiro]].  In the same year, Kook founded the [[Mercaz HaRav]] yeshiva in [[Jerusalem]].

Kook died in Jerusalem in 1935 and his funeral was attended by an estimated 20,000 mourners.<ref>Jewish Affairs, in ''Report by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Palestine and Trans-Jordan for the year 1935'' by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Council of the League of Nations on the administration of Palestine and Trans-Jordan for the year 1935, The Office of High Commissioner for Palestine and Trans-Jordan, Jerusalem, 1935</ref>

==Thought==
{{excessive quotation|section|date=January 2024}}
[[File:פסק דין של גאוני ארץ על אותו האיש.jpg|thumb|Proclamation against Kook by rabbis Rosin, Brach and Greenwald (1926)]]
Kook wrote prolifically on both Halakha and Jewish thought.

In line with many orthodox interpreters of the Jewish religion, Kook believed that there was a fundamental difference between Jews and Gentiles. The difference between a Jewish and a Gentile soul was greater than the difference between the soul of a Gentile and an animal.
	
{{blockquote|“The difference between the Israelite neshama [spiritual soul]...and the neshama of all the nations, in their various grades, is greater and deeper than the difference between the nefesh [biological soul]... of man and the nefesh of animals. For between the latter there is only a quantitative difference, while between the former there exists a qualitative, essential difference.”<ref name="DISHON">{{cite journal | url= https://shi-webfiles.s3.amazonaws.com/Havruta_2008_Issue2_DavidDishon.pdf <!-- https://docslib.org/doc/8450671/gentiles-and-jews-in-the-thought-of-rav-kook --> | title = "The Beauty of Yefet in the Tents of Shem"- Gentiles and Jews in the Thought of Rav Kook | journal = Havruta: A Journal of Jewish Conversation |volume=1 |number=2 |date=Fall 2008 |pages=80–89 | first= David |last=Dishon |publisher=Shalom Hartman Institute | accessdate=2 October 2023}}</ref>}}

Kook maintained communication and political alliances with various Jewish sectors, including the secular Jewish [[Zionism|Zionist]] leadership, the Religious Zionists, and more traditional non-Zionist [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox Jews]].
===Inauguration of Hebrew University===
[[File:Picture of Rav Kook and his Yeshiva Faculty and Students.jpg|thumb|Students of Mercaz Harav Yeshiva]]
In 1928, Kook wrote a letter to Rabbi [[Joseph Messas]] (Chief Rabbi in [[Algeria]]), addressing certain misquotes which were erroneously being repeated in his name regarding a speech he gave at the inauguration of [[Hebrew University]]. The following are translated excerpts from the letter Kook wrote to Messas:

{{blockquote|
...from the time that I came to the Holy Land, it has been my goal to the best of my ability to draw also those who are estranged and speak to their heart, so that they will come close to Torah and mitzvot – including even those young people who want to develop their physical health so that they will have the strength to protect our holy nation in times of violence, Heaven forbid, at a time when vicious enemies rise up against us...in regard to Hebrew University, Heaven forbid that I should say regarding secular studies that 'From Zion will come forth Torah.'

To the contrary, I told them explicitly that I am afraid lest there come forth, Heaven forbid, a stumbling block from their hands if they reject the Torah and the fear of G-d and 'please themselves in the brood of aliens' [i.e., studies antithetical to Torah such as Biblical Criticism]. I brought them examples of this from the past, from the incidents that took place due to people's sins [during the Berlin Enlightenment], from which came forth groups that turned away from G-d and abandoned the source of living waters. But they must guard the holiness of Israel, teachers and students alike, and not follow foreign ideas nor turn aside from the Torah and the mitzvos. And even then, it is not from secular subjects that Torah will come forth, but rather when we support the holy yeshivas, which are dedicated solely to the holiness of the Torah.

Together with this, [I told them that] they should elevate the power of the tzaddikim and Torah giants who fear G-d. And the Central Yeshiva [Mercaz HaRav] in our holy and beautiful city, which we are toiling to establish and expand with G-d's help, will stand in its great glory. Then, upon the foundation of the holy yeshivas, I said that the verse 'From Zion will come forth Torah' will be fulfilled.

These words are explicit in my speech that I spoke at that time before the people, before all of the important officials who came to the celebration, and to the entire great crowd of thousands who came from the far ends of the Holy Land and from the lands of the Diaspora. So how can malicious people come to distort the words of the living G-d in a way that is so filled with wickedness and folly?...}}

===Theodor Herzl eulogy===
In 1904, Kook wrote a letter to his [[Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim|father-in-law]], addressing certain misquotes which were erroneously being repeated in his name regarding a speech he gave after [[Theodor Herzl]]'s passing:

{{blockquote|...Now, two gentlemen came to me… and requested me … since they were planning to gather in the bank building here to honor the memory of [[Theodor Herzl|Dr. Herzl]] and it was their finding that even those opposed to Zionism would not deny that there were in his heart thoughts concerning the betterment of Israel. Although unfortunately [Herzl] did not find the straight path, nevertheless, 'The Holy One does not withhold credit for even good talk.' It would be poor manners not to arrange a memorial in his honor in a public meeting place, such as the [[Bank Leumi|Anglo-Palestine Bank]] here. Therefore I promised them I would attend.

Understandably, once I agreed to come, I did not want to refuse to speak some words. I assessed that, God willing, benefit would derive from my words, inasmuch as the other speakers would not have the audacity to belittle God, His Torah, and the sages of Israel.

Thank God, this assessment proved correct. Of course, I spoke pleasantly and politely, but I did reveal the fundamental failure of their [the Zionists'] entire enterprise, namely the fact that they do not place at the top of their list of priorities the sanctity of God and His great name, which is the power that enables Israel to survive ... In my remarks, I offered no homage to Dr. Herzl per se.

What I did say was that such a thought of improving the situation of Israel in [[Eretz Israel]] would be worthwhile if we would rise to the occasion. It would require a return to God by observing and honoring the Torah, and a consensus that the foundation of all must be the power of Torah. Repenting of baseless hatred, and wholehearted peace-seeking as obligated [by Torah] would result in success because it would be close to God's will. We must make amends toward the future that the power of the sanctity of Torah be at the top of our list of priorities, that "the son of Yishai lead." If the will to improve materially will rest on Torah – then God will shine His face upon us and crown our every deed with success. At first, the salvation will be gradual, as our holy Rabbis remarked upon witnessing daybreak over the valley of Arbel, but after it will gain momentum, appearing as a great and wondrous light, as in the days of our Exodus from Egypt.

After [the address], others came to me and reported that some people read into my words ideas that I never intended ...}}

His empathy towards the non-religious elements aroused the suspicions of many opponents,<ref>{{cite web |date=1996-06-19 |title=אזמרך בלאמים - התיחסות גדולי ישראל לראי''ה קוק ולספרו ''אורות'' |url=http://yoel-ab.com/katava.asp?id=83 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208064858/http://yoel-ab.com/katava.asp?id=83 |archive-date=2015-12-08 |access-date=2016-01-07 |website=Yoel-ab.com}}</ref> particularly that of the traditional rabbinical establishment that had functioned from the time of [[Turkey]]'s control of greater Palestine, whose paramount leader was Rabbi [[Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld]]. However, Sonnenfeld and Kook deeply revered each other, evidenced by their respectful way of addressing each other in correspondence.

Kook remarked that he was fully capable of rejecting, but since there were enough practicing rejection, he preferred to fill the role of one who embraces. However, Kook was critical of the secularists on certain occasions when they violated Halacha (Jewish law), for instance, by not observing the [[Shabbat|Sabbath]] or [[kashrut|kosher]] laws, or ascending the [[Temple Mount]].

Kook wrote rulings presenting his strong opposition to people ascending the Temple Mount, due to the Jewish Laws of impurity. He felt that Jews should wait until the coming of the Messiah when it will be encouraged to enter the Temple Mount. However, he was very careful to express the fact that the [[Western Wall|Kotel]] and the Temple Mount were holy sites that belong to the Jewish people.

Kook also opposed the secular spirit of the [[Hatikvah]] anthem and penned another anthem with a more religious theme entitled [[haEmunah]].

[[File:Rav-kook-letter-03.jpg|thumb|right|Rav Kook handwriting]]

[[File:RavEpsteinandRavMeltzer.jpg|thumb|Rav [[Isser Zalman Meltzer]] and Rav Moshe Mordechai Epstein writing in support and defense of Rav Kook]]

[[File:D79ed795d796d799d790d795d79f21.jpg|thumb|Rav Kook with Rav [[Moshe Mordechai Epstein]] and Rav [[Avraham Duber Kahana Shapiro|Avraham Dov Ber Kahana]]]]

===Attitude toward Zionism===
While Kook is considered one of the most important thinkers in modern [[Religious Zionism]], his attitude towards the "Zionism" of his time was complex.

Kook enthusiastically supported the settlement of the land which Zionists of his time were carrying out. In addition, his philosophy "la[id] a theological foundation for marrying Torah study to Zionism, and for an ethos of traditional Judaism engaged with Zionism and with modernity".<ref name=mirsky>Yehudah Mirsky, ''Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution''</ref>{{rp|234}} And unlike many of his religious peers, he showed respect towards secular Zionists, and willingly engaged in joint projects with them (for instance, his participation in the Chief Rabbinate).

At the same time, he was critical of the religious-Zionist [[Mizrachi (religious Zionism)|Mizrachi]] movement of his time for "tamping down religious fervor and willingly accepting secondary status within the Zionist movement".<ref name=mirsky/>{{rp|150}} In 1917 he issued a proclamation entitled ''Degel Yerushalayim'', where he distinguished between "Zion" (representing political sovereignty) and "Jerusalem" (representing holiness), and arguing that Zion (i.e. Zionism) must take a cooperative but eventually subservient role in relation to Jerusalem.<ref name=mirsky/>{{rp|150}} He then went on to found a "Degel Yerushalayim" movement separate from the Zionist movement, though this initiative had little success.<ref name=mirsky/>{{rp|149–152}}

== Legacy ==
The [[Israel|Israeli]] [[moshav]] [[Kfar Haroeh]], a settlement founded in 1933, was named after Kook, "Haroah" being a Hebrew acronym for "HaRav Avraham HaCohen". His son [[Zvi Yehuda Kook]], who was also his most prominent student, took over teaching duties at Mercaz HaRav after his death, and dedicated his life to disseminating his father's writings. Many students of Kook's writings and philosophy eventually formed [[Hardal]] [[Religious Zionist]] movement which is today led by rabbis who studied under Kook's son at Mercaz HaRav.

In 1937, [[Yehuda Leib Maimon]] established [[Mossad Harav Kook]], a religious research foundation and notable publishing house, based in Jerusalem. It is named after Kook.<ref>{{cite web |title=מוסד הרב קוק &#124; בית היוצר הגדול לספר התורני |url=http://www.mosadharavkook.com/ |access-date=2016-01-07 |website=Mosadharavkook.com}}</ref>

==Controversy==
=== Criticism from rabbinic scholars ===
In formulating religious Zionism, Kook broke with many other Orthodox rabbis. 

Many Orthodox rabbis saw nothing but evil in the early Zionist pioneers who were hostile to religion, and in their belief that their labor rather than God would save the Jewish people.<ref name="Concentrating on Kook">{{cite news |last=Yudelson |first=Larry |date=29 December 2016 |title=Concentrating on Kook |url=https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/concentrating-on-kook/ |work=Jewish Standard |access-date=2023-05-02 |quote=In formulating religious Zionism, Kook broke with most other Orthodox rabbis, who saw nothing but evil in the early Zionist pioneers, with their atheism, their Sabbath desecration, and their belief that their labor rather than God would save the Jewish people.}}</ref> Kook on the other hand, defended their behaviour in theological terms, and even hailed them as playing a role, by their labors, in hastening the messianic deliverance. His stance was deemed heretical by the traditional religious establishment.<ref name="Bokser">{{cite book |author=Ben Zion Bokser |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xtwXAAAAIAAJ |title=Conservative Judaism |publisher=Rabbinical Assembly |year=1981 |edition=1-3 |volume=35 |pages=26–30 |chapter=A letter by the Gerer Rebbe |quote=Many of them were not ritually observant; some were openly hostile to religion. Despite this, Rabbi Kook defended them, and even hailed them as playing a role, by their labors, in hastening the messianic deliverance. For the religious establishment of the old yishuv this was a heretical distortion which imperiled everything holy in Judaism, and they denounced Rabbi Kook as a misleader of his people.}}</ref>  

Although Kook was a very learned man, he was never accepted by the Haredi leadership.<ref name="Shapiro">{{Cite book |last=Shapiro |first=Rabbi Yaakov |title=The Empty Wagon |year=2018 |isbn=978-1647647926 |pages=488–608 |language=English}}</ref>
In 1921 his detractors bought up the whole edition of his newly published ''Orot'' to prevent its circulation,  plastering the offending passages on the walls of [[Meah Shearim]].<ref name="KaplanShatz1995">{{cite book |author=Shalom Carmy |title=Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and Jewish Spirituality |publisher=NYU Press |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-8147-4653-0 |editor=Lawrence J. Kaplan |page=227 |chapter=Dialectic, Doubters, and a Self-Erasing Letter (Notes) |editor2=David Shatz |editor3=Kayann Short |editor4=Abouali Farmanfarmaian |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5gUCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA227}}</ref> Later, an anonymous pamphlet entitled ''Kol Ha-Shofar'' appeared containing a declaration signed by rabbis Sonnenfeld, Diskin and others saying: "We were astonished to see and hear gross things, foreign to the entire Torah, and we see that which we feared before his coming here, that he will introduce new forms of deviance that our rabbis and ancestors could not have imagined …. It is to be deemed a sorcerer's book? If so, let it be known that it is forbidden to study [let alone] rely on all his nonsense and dreams."<ref name="Mirsky2014">{{cite book |author=Yehudah Mirsky |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IDt9AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA168 |title=Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution |date=February 11, 2014 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-16424-4 |page=168 |quote=There quickly followed a pamphlet banning Orot, which included frontal attacks on Kook and Charlap, and a declaration signed by Zonnenfeld, Diskin, and others: "We were astonished to see and hear gross things, foreign to the entire Torah, and we see that which we feared before his coming here, that he will introduce new forms of deviance that our rabbis and ancestors could not have imagined… He turns light to darkness, and darkness to light... It is to be deemed a sorcerer's book, and let it be known that it is forbidden to study [let alone] rely on all his nonsense and dreams.}}</ref> It also quoted [[Aharon Rokeach]] of [[Belz (Hasidic dynasty)|Belz]] who stated "And know that the rabbi from Jerusalem, Kook - [[Yimakh shemo|may his name be blotted out]] - is completely wicked and has already ruined many of our youth, entrapping them with his guileful tongue and impure books."<ref name="Uffenheimer2005">{{cite book |author=[[Rivka Schatz Uffenheimer]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pqfXAAAAMAAJ |title=הרעיון המשיחי מאז גירוש ספרד |publisher=Magnes Press |year=2005 |isbn=9789654931830 |page=234 |language=he |quote=בקונטרס זה מופיע בפעם הראשונה דימויו של הרב קוק לשבתי צבי "וקאי באיסורא כיחידאי דאיהו נמי שיטתיה כיחידאי הש״ץ״. ולפני שהוא מביא ממאמרי הרב באות ׳תעודות׳ כגון מכתב בנו של הרבי מבלז, המזכיר את דברי הרבי: "וידוע דהרב דשם מירושלים ושמו קוק ימ"ש הוא רשע גמור וכבר טימא כמה צעירי עמנו ע"י מצודתו של חלקות לשונו ובספרים הטמאים, וד' יזכנו ויעביר רוח הטומאה מכל נפוצות עמו, ונזכה לעלות לציון ברנה, וכשנזכה שיהי' עת רצון מהש"י ולא עתה על ידיהם}}</ref> Returning to Poland after a visit to Palestine in 1921, Rabbi [[Avraham Mordechai Alter]] of [[Ger (Hasidic dynasty)|Ger]] wrote that he endeavoured to calm the situation by getting Kook to renounce any expressions which may have unwittingly resulted in a [[Chillul Hashem|profanation of God's name]]. He then approached the elder rabbis of the Yishuv asking them to withdraw their denunciation. The rabbis claimed that their intention had been to reach a consensus on whether Kook's writings were acceptable, but their letter had been surreptitiously inserted by Kook's critics in to their inflammatory booklet without their knowledge.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

In 1926 a harsh proclamation was issued against Kook that contained letters from three European rabbis in which [[Yosef Rosin]] referred to him as an "ignorant bore", Shaul Brach intimated that his Hebrew initials spelt the word "vomit" and likened him to [[Jeroboam|King Jeroboam]] known for [[Maisit|seducing the masses to idolatry]], and [[Eliezer David Greenwald]] declared him an untrustworthy authority on Jewish law adding that his books were full of heresy and should be burnt.<ref>[https://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/Hebrew/digitallibrary/pages/viewer.aspx?presentorid=NNL_Ephemera&DocID=NNL_Ephemera700174944 פסק דין של גאוני ארץ על אותו האיש]</ref> 

When Jewish prayers at the [[Western Wall]] were [[Western Wall#September 1928 disturbances|broken up by the British in 1928]], Kook called for a fast day, but the ultra-Orthodox community ignored his calls.<ref>{{cite book |author=Yehudah Mirsky |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TB_BAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA197 |title=Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution |date=February 11, 2014 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-16555-5 |page=197 |quote=When Rav Kook called for public fasts on October 22, 1928, to protest the indignities at the Kotel, the ultra-Orthodox ignored him, as they studiously ignored every prayer meeting and fast day that he called.}}</ref>

In response to a letter from Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky of Eidah Hachareidit on whether they could partner with the Chief Rabbinate led by Kook, [[Elchonon Wasserman|Rabbi Elchonon Bunim Wasserman]] wrote: "I have heard that there was a suggestion that there should be a partnership between the Eidah Hachareidis and the Chief Rabinate . . . It is well known that the monies from that fund go to raise deliberate heretics, and therefore someone who encourages people to support such a fund is a ''machti es harabim'' (causes the public to sin) on the most frightful level . . . thus, besides the prohibition of befriending a wicked person, since we see that he praises ''resha'im'' (evil doers), there would also be an issue of an enormous ''chillum Hashem'' (desecration of G-ds name) throughout the world..."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wasserman |first=Rabbi Elchonon |title=Kovetz Maamrim vol. 1 |pages=153 |language=Hebrew}}</ref>

[[Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern|Rabbi Yitzchak Zelig Morgenstern]], the Rebbe of Sokolov also wrote against Kook, saying, "Rav Kook, although he is a full and robust ''talmid chacham'' as well as an excellent orator, cannot be considered among the successors and perpetuators of the ''geonim'' (genius rabbinic scholars) and ''tzaddikim'' (righteous leaders) of the past generations. Rav Kook is already connected with the spirit of the time, and speaks greatly about the ''techiyas umaseinu'' (our national rebirth). And despite the moral and religious decline of our generation, he sees in his mind's eye the ''techiyas hale'um'' (nationalistic rebirth) and the like, and he assigns to the Chief Rabbinate an important role in that process."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sonnenfeld |first=Shlomo Zalman |title=B'Dor Tahafuchos |pages=358 |language=Hebrew}}</ref>

It was claimed that Rabbi [[Solomon Eliezer Alfandari]] attributed the Chofetz Chaim's failed move to the land due to the disputes surrounding Rabbi Kook.<ref>Testimony of R Asher Zelig Margolis, quoted in Hamodia Inyan xxxiv no 1177, p.67. "The Saba explained that in Heaven it had been decreed that the Chafetz Chaim's seforim would be accepted by the entire Jewish people. If he was to come to Eretz Yisrael, he would visit R. Kook, which would cause R. Kooks rivals to reject him. He would also visit R. Sonnenfeld, which would cause R. Sonnenfelds rivals to reject him."</ref>

=== Support from rabbinic scholars ===
Although it seems that many Orthodox rabbis opposed Rabbi Kook,<ref name="Concentrating on Kook" /><ref name="Bokser" /><ref name="Shapiro" /> there were many who spoke out in his support. 

In a 1921 letter, Rav [[Tzvi Pesach Frank|Zvi Pesach Frank]] noted that "(t)he Gaon, our Master RAY Hakohen Kook (may he live) was accepted here as Rav by the majority of the Holy Community here." (Rabbi [[Chaim Hirschensohn]], ''Malki Ba-Kodesh IV'' (St. Louis: Moinester Printing Co., 5679 – 5682), Letter 10 (dated 18 Adar Sheni, 5681, 1921), pp. 43-44)

The Gerrer Rebbe, the [[Imrei Emes]], said in a letter about Rav Kook that  "most of the inhabitants of the Holy City and many of the rabbis side with him" (originally published in "Der Jud", the Warsaw newspaper of the [[World Agudath Israel|Agudah]], May 27, June 3, and June 10, 1921 issues, partially republished in "[[Algemeiner Journal]]" (June 5, 1992) and republished in Orot translated by Bezalel Naor, page 28 in 1993 edition) and verified Rav Kook's righteousness and Torah scholarship, despite disagreeing strongly with certain of his religious philosophies regarding secular Zionists. 

In a letter to Rabbi Kook, Rabbi [[Isser Zalman Meltzer]] and Rabbi [[Moshe Mordechai Epstein]] greeted Rabbi Kook with "Our honored friend, the great gaon and glory of the generation, our master and teacher, Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen, shlita". Meltzer was also quoted as saying "Let them, any of us, pray on Yom Kippur the way Rav Kook prays on an average weekday."<ref>{{cite book |author=Yehudah Mirsky |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TB_BAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA202 |title=Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution |date=February 11, 2014 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-16555-5 |page=202 |quote=A major scholar of impeccable ultra-Orthodox credentials, Meltzer resolutely defended Kook against attackers on the right. He was wont to say, "Let them, any of us, pray on Yom Kippur the way Rav Kook prays on an average weekday."}}</ref>  

Rabbi [[Isser Zalman Meltzer]] also once said to the famed Rabbi [[Chaim Ozer Grodzinski|Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky]] from Vilna, “The two of us are considered Torah giants until we reach the door of Rabbi Kook’s office.” (cited by Rabbi [[Eliezer Melamed]], Israel National News, August 8, 2013). 

There are also some rabbis who spoke very highly of Kook in greetings of the letters they sent to him.

[[Chaim Ozer Grodzinski]]: "Our friend, the gaon, our master and teacher, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, shlita" and "The Glory of Honor, My Dear Friend, Ha-Rav Ha-Gaon, Ha-Gadol, the Famous One... The Prince of Torah, Our Teacher, Ha-Rav Avraham Yitzchak Ha-Cohen Kook Shlita..."<ref>Bisdeh Ha-Re'eiyah p. 236, Chayei Ha-Re'eiyah pp. 388-389, Igrot Le-Re'eiyah #316 and Melachim Kivnei Adam pp. 106-107. Maran Ha-Rav's response is found in Shut Da'at Cohain #223</ref>

[[Boruch Ber Leibowitz]]: "The true gaon, the beauty, and glory of the generation, the tzaddik, his holiness, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak, may his light shine, may he live for length of good days and years amen, the righteous Cohen, head of the beis din [court] in Jerusalem, the holy city, may it soon be built and established."

[[Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn]] of Lubavitch: "The Gaon who is renowned with splendor among the Geonim of Ya'akov, Amud HaYemini, Patish HaChazak..."{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

[[Chatzkel Abramsky]]: "The honored man, beloved of Hashem and his nation, the rabbi, the gaon, great and well-known, with breadth of knowledge, the glory of the generation, etc., etc., our master Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook, shlita, Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel and the head of the Beis Din in the holy city of Jerusalem"{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

The “[[Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz|Chazon Ish]],” addressed Rabbi Kook as “our royal and respected Rabbi.” (cited by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Israel National News, August 8, 2013). 

[[Yitzchak Hutner]]: "The glorious honor of our master, our teacher and rabbi, the great gaon, the crown and sanctity of Israel, Maran [our master] Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hacohen Kook, shlita!"{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

The [[Yisrael Meir Kagan|Chofetz Chaim]] condemned a pamphlet that was put out against Rabbi Kook,<ref name="SzalaiHorváth2007">{{cite book |author1=Anna Szalai |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AQM_AQAAIAAJ |title=Previously unexplored sources on the Holocaust in Hungary: a selection from Jewish periodicals, 1930-1944 |author2=Rita Horváth |author3=Gábor Balázs |publisher=International Institute for Holocaust Research, Yad Vashem |year=2007 |isbn=978-965-308-300-4 |page=32 |quote=According to the report, Chofetz-Chaim condemned the pamphlet against Kook as well.}}</ref> and said about Rav Kook "that he is holy and pure, and whoever harms him will not be absolved." (Simcha Raz, An Angel Among Men, page 244)

Rabbi [[Shlomo Zalman Auerbach]]: "In the time of Rabbi Kook, the majority of Torah giants were 'all as if nothing' compared to him.” (cited by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Israel National News, August 8, 2013). 

Rabbi [[Yosef Shalom Elyashiv]]: Owing to the close relationship Rabbi Kook had with his grandfather, the Leshem, Rabbi [[Shlomo Elyashiv]], Rabbi Kook made the match of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv and his wife, who was the daughter of Rabbi Kook's close student, Rabbi [[Aryeh Levin]]. Rabbi Kook officiated at their wedding, and Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv later chose Rabbi Kook to be the Kohen (Priest) to redeem his oldest son, Shlomo, at his Pidyon Ha-Ben. Rav Elyashiv revered Rav Kook for both his piety and his Talmudic erudition. Rav Elyashiv would do all he could to silence those who would criticize Rav Kook and attempt to diminish his stature. He would frequently describe Rav Kook’s saintliness at his Shabbat table and occasionally reminisce about the times he attended ''seudah shelishit'' in his home. (From the book ''Yisa Shalom: Choveret al Rav Kook v’Rav Elyashiv,'' published in Israel and cited to in the OU magazine [[Jewish Action]], Summer 2013 issue, in the article Rav Kook & Rav Elyashiv, by Rabbi Dr. [[Tzvi Hersh Weinreb]], executive vice president, emeritus of the [[Orthodox Union]]).

Rabbi [[Ovadia Yosef]] said of Rabbj Kook that he was "a great man" and it is "forbidden to speak against him." Rabbi Yosef further called Rabbi Kook "Tzaddik Yesod Olam" (a righteous man upon whom the world stood) and a "Malach Elokei Tzivakaot" (Holy Angel of the L-rd). (Rav Ovadia's own words, recorded and posted at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z_DEcGFfKI)

==Resources==

===Writings===

====Orot ("Lights") books====
* ''Orot'' – organized and published by Rabbi [[Zvi Yehuda Kook]], 1920. English translation by Bezalel Naor (Jason Aronson, 1993). {{ISBN|1-56821-017-5}}
* ''Orot HaTeshuvah'' – English translation by Ben-Zion Metzger (Bloch Pub. Co., 1968). ASIN B0006DXU94
* ''Orot HaEmuna''
* ''Orot HaKodesh'' - four volumes, organized and published by Rabbi [[David Cohen (rabbi)|David Cohen]]
* ''Orot HaTorah'' - organized and published by Rabbi [[Zvi Yehuda Kook]], 1940.

====Jewish thought====
* ''Chavosh Pe'er'' – on the mitzvah of [[tefillin]]. First printed in Warsaw, 1890.
* ''Eder HaYakar'' and ''Ikvei HaTzon'' - essays about the new generation and a philosophical understanding of God. First printed in Jaffa in 1906. 
* ''[[Ein Ayah]]'' – commentary on ''[[Ein Yaakov]]'' the [[aggada|Aggadic]] sections of the Talmud. Printed in Jerusalem, 1995.
* ''Ma'amarei HaRe'iyah'' (two volumes) – a collection of articles and lectures, many originally published in various periodicals. Printed in Jerusalem, 1984.
* ''Midbar Shur'' – sermons written by Rav Kook while serving as a rabbi in Zaumel and Boisk in 1894–1896.
* ''Reish Millin'' – Kabbalistic discussion of the Hebrew alphabet and punctuation. Printed in London, 1917.<ref>[[:he:כתבי הראי"ה]]</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Morrison |first1=Chanan |title=Gold from the Land of Israel: A New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion - From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook' |date=2006 |publisher=Urim Publications |isbn=965-7108-92-6 |pages=353–356}}</ref>

====Halakha====
* ''Be'er Eliyahu'' – on Hilchos Dayanim
* ''Orach Mishpat'' – Shu"t on [[Orach Chayim]]
* ''Ezrat Cohen'' – Shu"t on [[Even HaEzer]]
*''Mishpat Kohen'' – Shu"t on issues relating to Eretz Yisrael
* ''Zivchei R'Iyah''- Shu"t and Chidushim on Zvachim and Avodat Beit HaBchira
* ''Shabbat Haaretz'' hilchot shevi'it (shemittah)

====Unedited and other====
* ''Shmoneh Kvatzim'' – volume 2 of which was republished as ''Arpilei Tohar''<ref>[http://www.lho.co.il/books/2566-%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%99-%D7%98%D7%95%D7%94%D7%A8.html]{{dead link|date=January 2016}}</ref>
* ''Olat Raiyah'' – Commentary on the [[Siddur]]
* ''Igrot HaRaiyah'' – Collected letters of Rav Kook

===Translation and commentary===
* (translation), ''Abraham Isaac Kook: The Lights of Penitence, The Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems'', Ben Zion Bokser, Paulist Press 1978. {{ISBN|0-8091-2159-X}} [Includes complete English translations of Orot ha-Teshuva ("The Lights of Penitence"), Musar Avicha ("The Moral Principles"), as well as selected translations from Orot ha-Kodesh ("The Lights of Holiness") and miscellaneous essays, letters, and poems.]
* {{cite book | author-link=David Samson (rabbi)|first= David| last=Samson |author2=Tzvi Fishman | title=Lights Of Orot| publisher=Torat Eretz Yisrael Publications |location=Jerusalem| year=1996| isbn=965-90114-0-7}}
* {{cite book |author-link=David Samson (rabbi)| first= David| last=Samson |author2=Tzvi Fishman | title=War and Peace| publisher=Torat Eretz Yisrael Publications| location=Jerusalem |year=1997| isbn=965-90114-2-3}}
* {{cite book | author-link=David Samson (rabbi)|first= David| last=Samson |author2=Tzvi Fishman | title=The Art of T'Shuva | publisher=Beit Orot Publications | location=Jerusalem |year=1999| isbn=965-90114-3-1}} [http://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/Emidrash.aspx?cat=991 Online edition].
* (translation), ''The Essential Writings of Abraham Isaac Kook'', Ben Yehuda Press 2006 (reprint). {{ISBN|0-9769862-3-X}}
* Rabbi Chanan Morrison, ''Gold from the Land of Israel: A New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook'', Urim Publications 2006. {{ISBN|965-7108-92-6}}.
* Rabbi Chanan Morrison, ''Silver from the Land of Israel: A New Light on the Sabbath and Holidays From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook'', Urim Publications 2010. {{ISBN|965-524-042-8}}.
* Rabbi Chanan Morrison, ''The Splendor of Tefillin: Insights into the Mitzvah of Tefillin from the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook'', CreateSpace 2012. {{ISBN|148-001-997-6}}.
* Rabbi Chanan Morrison, ''Sapphire from the Land of Israel: A New Light on the Weekly Torah Portion From the Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook'', CreateSpace 2013. {{ISBN|149-090-936-2}}.
* Rabbi Gideon Weitzman, ''Sparks of Light: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portions Based on the Philosophy of Rav Kook'', Jason Aronson. {{ISBN|0-7657-6080-0}} {{ISBN|978-0765760807}}.
* Rabbi Gideon Weitzman, ''Light of Redemption: A Passover Haggadah Based on the Writings of Rav Kook'', Urim Publications. {{ISBN|978-965-7108-71-0}}.

Also there is now a musical project that presents Kook's poetry with musical accompaniment.
HA'OROT-THE LIGHTS OF RAV KOOK by Greg Wall's Later Prophets Featuring Rabbi Itzchak Marmorstein – released on Tzadik Records, April 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.myspace.com/orotharav|title=HA'OROT - Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos|website=Myspace}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haorot.org|title=美肌になるために|website=www.haorot.org|access-date=2018-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230082445/http://www.haorot.org/|archive-date=2017-12-30|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/haorotravkook|title=HAOROTRAVKOOK|website=YouTube}}</ref>

===Analysis===
* ''The Philosophy of Rabbi Kook'', Zvi Yaron, Eliner Library, 1992.
* ''Essays on the Thought and Philosophy of Rabbi Kook'', ed. Ezra Gellman, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1991. {{ISBN|0-8386-3452-4}}
* ''The World of Rav Kook's Thought'', [[Shalom Carmy]], Avi-Chai Publishers, 1991. {{ISBN|0-9623723-2-3}}
* ''Rav Avraham Itzhak HaCohen Kook: Between Rationalism and Mysticism'', Benjamin Ish-Shalom, translation Ora Wiskind Elper, SUNY Press, 1993. {{ISBN|0-7914-1369-1}}
* ''Religious Zionism of Rav Kook'' [[Pinchas Polonsky]], [[Machanaim]], 2009, {{ISBN|978-965-91446-0-0}}
* ''Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and Jewish Spirituality '', Lawrence J. Kaplan & [[David Shatz]], [[NYU Press]], 1994, {{ISBN|978-0814746530}}
* Ghila Amati, "Discovering the Depths Within: Kook’s Zionism and the Philosophy of Life of Henri Bergson," ''Religions'' 2023, 14(2), 261; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020261
* Ghila Amati, "Freedom, Creativity, the Self, and God: Between Rabbi Kook and Bergson’s Lebensphilosophie," 'Harvard Theological Review' 2024, 117(3):558-582. doi:10.1017/S0017816024000221
* Ephraim Chamiel, The Dual Truth - Studies in Nineteenth-Century Modern Religious Thought and its Influence on Twentiest-Century Jewish Philosophy, Academic Studies Press, Boston 2019, Vol II, pp.&nbsp;449–499.
* Ephraim Chamiel, Between Religion and Reason - The Dialectic Position in Contemporary Jewish Thought, Academic Studies Press, Boston 2020, part I, pp.&nbsp;7–15.
* [[Dov Schwartz]], ''[https://dokumen.pub/the-religious-genius-in-rabbi-kooks-thought-national-quotsaintquot-9781618114068.html The Religious Genius in Rabbi Kook's Thought: National "Saint"?]'' Boston: Academic Studies Press 2014. {{ISBN|978-1618114112}}

===Biography===
* [[Simcha Raz]], ''Angel Among Men: Impressions from the Life of Rav Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook Zt""L'', translated (from Hebrew) Moshe D. Lichtman, Urim Publications 2003. {{ISBN|965-7108-53-5}} {{ISBN|978-9657108536}}
* [[Dov Peretz Elkins]], ''Shepherd of Jerusalem: A Biography of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook'', 2005. {{ISBN|978-1420872613}}
* [[Yehudah Mirsky]], ''"An Intellectual and Spiritual Biography of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhaq Ha-Cohen Kook from 1865 to 1904,"'' Ph.D. Dissertation, Harvard University, 2007.
* [[Yehudah Mirsky]], ''"Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution (Jewish Lives)"'', Yale University Press, 2014, {{ISBN|978-0300164244}}

===Quotes===
* Therefore, the pure righteous do not complain of the dark, but increase the light; they do not complain of evil, but increase justice; they do not complain of heresy, but increase faith; they do not complain of ignorance, but increase wisdom.<ref>From "Arpilei Tohar", p.&nbsp;27–28. Hebrew: על-כן הצדיקים הטהורים אינם קובלים על החושך, אלא מוסיפים אור; אינם קובלים על הרשעה, אלא מוסיפים צדק; אינם קובלים על הכפירה, אלא מוסיפים אמונה; אינם קובלים על הבערות, אלא מוסיפים חכמה.</ref>
* There could be a freeman with the spirit of the slave, and there could be a slave with a spirit full of freedom; whoever is faithful to himself – he is a freeman, and whoever fills his life only with what is good and beautiful in the eyes of others – he is a slave.<ref>From "Olat Reiyah". Hebrew: יש בן חורין שרוחו רוח של עבד, ויש עבד שרוחו מלאה חירות; הנאמן לעצמיותו – בן חורין הוא, ומי שכל חייו הם רק במה שטוב ויפה בעיני אחרים – הוא עבד.</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Funeral of chief rabbi A. I. Kook, Jerusalem 1935.jpg|Kooks funeral, Jerusalem 1935
File:Kook and Sonnenfeld.jpg|Kook and Sonnenfeld
File:Abraham Isaac Kook+Tzvi Pesach Frank.jpg|Kook and Frank
File:Letter of Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz About Rav Kook.jpg|Letter of Boruch Ber Leibowitz about Kook
File:Letter of Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky About Rav Kook.jpg|Letter of Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky about Kook
File:BadatzSupportingRavKook.jpg|Badatz Eidah Chareidis writing In support and Defense of Kook
File:House of Rav Kook in Jerusalem, Israel.jpg|Main entrance of Kook's house in Jerusalem, Israel
File:Plaque above Rav Kook's house in Jerusalem, Israel.jpg|Stone carving above door where Kook lived when he was the Chief Rabbi in the 1920s and 30s.
File:Rav Kook's Rabbinic Seminary and Synagogue.jpg|Interior view of the part of Kook's house used for Yeshiva Mercaz HaRav as well as synagogue.
File:ירושלים - הרב קוק-JNF040046.jpeg|Rabbi Kook in 1920
File:Memorial Plaque to Abraham Isaac Kook in Daugavpils, Latvia.jpg|Memorial Plaque in [[Daugavpils]], [[Latvia]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Hardal]]
* [[Religious Zionism]]
* [[Torat Eretz Yisrael]]
* [[Hebrew Universalism (philosophy)|Hebrew Universalism]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.english.machonmeir.net/torah-lessons-archive?view=jmultimedia&ordermode=ordering&filter_state=P&catid=88 Video Lectures on the Teachings of Rabbi Kook] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830101139/http://www.english.machonmeir.net/torah-lessons-archive?view=jmultimedia&ordermode=ordering&filter_state=P&catid=88 |date=30 August 2016 }}, MachonMeir.net
* [http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/rk1-kook.htm Introduction to the Thought of Rav Kook] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228182357/http://www.vbm-torah.org/archive/rk1-kook.htm |date=28 February 2008 }}, vbm-torah.org
* [https://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/363_Transp/Orthodoxy/Zionism.html#Kook Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935)], Prof. Eliezer Segal
* [http://www.ravkooktorah.org/ Teachings of Rav Kook on Torah, Holidays, and Psalms], ravkooktorah.org

{{s-start}}
{{s-rel | jw}}
{{s-new | rows=2}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Chief Rabbinate of Israel#Ashkenazi|Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine]] | years=1921–35 }}
{{s-aft | after=[[Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog]] }}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Rosh Yeshiva]] of<br />[[Yeshiva]]t [[Mercaz HaRav Kook]] | years=1921–35 }}
{{s-aft | after=[[Zvi Yehuda Kook]] }}
{{s-end}}

{{Volozhin Yeshiva}}
{{Chief Rabbinate of Israel}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kook, Abraham Isaac}}
[[Category:Abraham Isaac Kook| ]]
[[Category:1865 births]]
[[Category:1935 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Daugavpils]]
[[Category:People from Ilūkste county]]
[[Category:Kook family|Abraham Isaac]]
[[Category:Latvian Orthodox rabbis]]
[[Category:Religious Zionist Orthodox rabbis]]
[[Category:19th-century Jewish theologians]]
[[Category:20th-century Jewish theologians]]
[[Category:Immigrants of the Second Aliyah]]
[[Category:Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:20th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Rabbis in Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:Chief rabbis of Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Kabbalists]]
[[Category:Chardal]]
[[Category:Kohanim writers of Rabbinic literature]]
[[Category:Philosophers of Judaism]]
[[Category:Jewish ethicists]]
[[Category:Volozhin Yeshiva alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Israel]]
[[Category:Burials at the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives]]