On the 89th Yurzeit of Harav Avraham Yitzchok Kook z"l A new book reveals intimate details of his behavior when no one was looking!

 

I want to thank a follower of DIN, "HW", who actually disagrees with me 96% of the time, for steering me to this article by Yedidye Meir in the Hebrew Weekly Newspaper called "Ba'Shevuah."

About 15 years ago, a Chareidie from Beitar Elite whose name is Meir Chechik approached the Chareidie journalist, Yedidya Meir, and handed him a small notebook, written by his father R' Avraham Chechik z"l, who recorded in this notebook recollections of Harav Avraham Yitzchok Hakohein Kook z"l whose 86th yurzeit will be this Wednesday.

What is different about this notebook is that this was written by Harav Kook's personal attendant (Shamish) who served Rav Kook for 16 years. This is the first time that something  so intimate has been brought to the public. It is an inside look of how R' Kook conducted himself in private with no one around except for this attendant.

So who was R' Avraham Chechik z"l?

R' Avraham Chechik z"l has no biography that you can read about, and searching his name on google will come up "zero." Except for old Yerushalmie families, few have ever heard of him .

R' Avraham Chechik was no student of Rav Kook z"l and certainly wasn't a colleague of his, he was simply Rav Kook's shamish.

According to "HW" who knew him and his children well, R' Avraham Chechik himself was a nistar (hidden) a Tzaddik Yesoid Oilim. 

To give you but one example, "HW" relates that the Brisker Rav, R' Velvel Soloveitchik z"l  seemed to know and respect him because when the Brisker Rav wasn't well and needed someone to daven for him, he would send a message to R' Avraham Chechik for R' Avraham to daven for him. Such was the character of the "shamish" of Harav Kook z"l, and author of the notebook.

There are many books out about Rav Kook's conduct,  middos and "tzidkas" but this now newly released account from Rav Checkik, is different, because these are recollections that R' Chechik wrote basically to himself, to learn and remember how a "tzaddik" like Rav Kook conducted himself when no one was looking, it wasn't meant to be broadcasted to the world, it wasn't meant to be a bio to be distributed to convince R' Kook's bitter enemies, who he really was. It was simply a private diary of R' Avrahm Chechik, a serious "Oveid Hashem" a humble soul, who was personally touched by what he witnessed and recorded it into a private notebook, never thinking or believing that this would get any public attention.

To give you an example of what R' Chechik wrote about Rav Kook, he writes:

"This happened on Erev Yom Kippur in the afternoon, the rabbi was in his private room absorbed in learning Zohar and  Sfas Emes. At some point he emerged and asked me to perform a ritual which he requested every single Erev Yom Kippur and that was to give him "malkus." I was trembling and shaking with fear knowing that I was about to administer "malkus" to this holy body, my hands were 'shaking" as I approached him with this task, the rabbi noticed my discomfort, and said in Yiddish "shmiiss, shmiiss (flog me flog me) and so I was forced to oblige while repeating the "Yud Gimmel Middos" three times ."

This account has been recorded in a recently published historical book called "b'mchitzso" by the historian Moshe Nachmeini (Chapter Argon Oir Ha'Oirois') which includes the above story and many more anecdotes from this notebook.

Another incident... 

Rav Kook wasn't only a leader, a Rosh Yeshiva, an author and a genius in Torah and Kabbala, he was also a baal chesed who everyone came to for help and advice; Rav Kook himself would sign his letters with the title "A Servant to the Holy Nation"

" One day in the year 1932, a young man in great distress came by and brought along his little daughter, Rutie, pouring out his broken heart and related to the Rav the terrible situation that he found himself in. With no one noticing, he managed to tie his daughter to the Rav's chair and disappeared. The rav's household was at a loss on what to do but the Rav insisted that she be brought up alongside his grandchild Tzipporele ( she is Rebbetzin Tzipporah From). The child remained in the Kook household where the Rav himself was busy with her constantly especially at night when she would cry non-stop and keep the entire household from sleeping."

 Chechik wrote that the Rav himself then took it upon himself to quiet and calm her with his sweet Gemaarah melodies. This went on for a very long time until the little girl acclimated to the Kook household and was able to sleep thru the nights.

Rav Kook was mercilessly attacked for his kiruv and love for chilonim, and never backed down even when under attack by Chareidie Gedoilim who preached "their way or the highway." He was totally broken by these personal insults and subsequently died of a broken heart.  

The Gedoilim who knew him personally respected him and revered him; Harav Aryeh Levin made sure to have him be Mesader Kiddushin for the wedding of his daughter to Rav Eliyashiv, Rav Kook was also the Mesader Kiddushin for Harav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach z"l and Rav Shlomo Zalman gave him the honor of being the kohein at his son's Shmuel z"l pidyan haben. Harav Tzvi Pesach Frank z"l the dayan of the Eida HaChareidis was instrumental in getting Rav Kook to be appointed as the first Ashkanazi Chief Rabbi. 

The following anecdote was recently published in a book titled: 

"Our Man in Jerusalem" by Rabbi Yisroel Gellis.

"During the final year of Rav Eliyasiv's life, his sons and grandsons gathered in his succah on one of the nights of Chol Ha'Moed and discussed a specific halachic matter. One of those assembled quoted Rav Kook's ruling, and one of the grandsons responded to the quote by saying dismissively "Hot ehr gezugt." (This would be translated roughly as "So what if Rav Kook said that...")

His grandfather responded to that line as if bitten by a snake.

"What did you say?" he asked his grandson.

"Hot ehr gezugt..." the grandson repeated.

"Leave the succah." Rav Eliyashiv ordered his grandson. "I don't want you in my succah!"(it was the only time Rav Eliyashiv had ever thrown someone out of his succah, and not just anyone-but a grandson!)

The grandson had no choice but to obey. He left his zeide's succah and sat down on the steps outside the apartment, where he cried bitter tears. To show true remorse at his remark and to make up for the lack of kavod ha'Torah he had shown Rav Kook., the grandson established a night kollel in Tiferes Bachurim where the members study the monumental Torah writings of the renowned Rav Kook -the tzaddik and talmud chacham who was so universally respected by the greatest leaders of the yishuv.

After that move, the grandson was forgiven by his illustrious zeida,

That is why  R' Chechik's personal account is so historically important.  

The following quote from R' Chechik's account relates to what transpired when Rav Kook met someone responsible for mass chillul shabbos and Rav Kook's reaction, which shows another side of Rav Kook never ever written about.

"At the time, the Tel Aviv municipality, with the Rav's influence and hard efforts, passed a law that prohibited stores from being open on Shabbos. This caused immense joy in the hearts of  thousands of Torah observant Jews.

Unfortunately, there were those who didn't agree with this law, and put tremendous efforts trying to reverse the law.

 They hired a lawyer to fight this law, and he was successful in getting the law reversed.

 One day this lawyer came to the Rav to discuss an entirely different matter, a situation that came up that effected the community. 

When the Rav was told that this was the lawyer who successfully won the lawsuit against having stores closed on Shabbos, the Rav got up and with blazing eyes started to yell at him

"Are you are the person that destroyed the life of our souls, our holy Shabbas? Where is your conscience? How wasn't your heart filled with great anxiety? How is it that you had no terror when you went to act on such a dangerous mission, to trample with your coarse shoes on our Holy of Holies and leave thousands wounded? "

The Rav continued to chastise the lawyer with words that I cannot recall now, but the lawyer stood there in astonishment without being able to respond."

Rav Kook stood by his principals, he wasn't going to have a nice fake smile, he wasn't showing any love for someone who was directly responsible for chillul Shabbos. Rav Kook was a genuine person who was guided to what he felt was what the Torah wanted.

Yes, he loved unapologetically all Jews even those who openly defied Jewish traditions and values, but at the same time if a person was one who worked aggressively against the Torah thereby causing other Jews to defile the holy Shabbos, he wasn't going to be nice about it .

Another incident recorded in the notebook involving the desecration of Shabbos that didn't end well.

"When the English took over the mandate of the yishuv, Some Jews hurried and quickly opened a movie theater near Shaar Sh'chem on the road towards Shimon Ha'tzadik and called it "Yerushalyim."

It wasn't long after, when notices were posted that there was going to be a circus show on Friday night at the theater.

The owner was summoned to the Rav, and the Rav warned them about continuing with the show. The owner explained that he was doing everything according to Halacha. The Rav dismissed his explanation. The owner, however, defied the Rav and continued to keep the theater open on Shabbos. The Rabbi including the Bais Din of Yerushayim issued a "kol Korah" that stated that it was prohibited to patronize the  theater even during the week, and sent people to watch to make sure that no Chareidie enter the establishment. The owner paid no attention to all and continued to defy the rabbis.

It was then that the Rav asked me to run to summon the owners to his study. When they arrived, the Rav as was his custom, started to talk to them softly and kindly and explained to them all the sins associated with someone who profanes the soul of Shabbos. The owners explained to the Rav that they rent the theater to a goy on shabbas, following halacha, and brought other explanations to support their reasons for staying open. 

At this point the Rav lost it and rose from his chair like a lion, and with anger and rage started screaming at them:

"Know, you ignoramuses, that if you think that your prutois are worth more then the crown of glory and holiness of the Shabbos Queen, and  you come to uproot the gift that Hashem  granted to His chosen people, then I am certain that Hashem will remember this sin and He will not forgive you, a flame from heaven will destroy this abomination."

R' Avraham Chechik concludes: 

"just like Chazal state that a "tzaddik can decree and Hashem will uphold it" A fire from heaven came down and destroyed the building down to mere ashes, and only the ground where the building stood, remained.

 I remember people being astounded at this turn of events and all said:

''אין זה כי אם איש קדוש שוכן בתוכנו''