How the Israeli Yated Distorted the Legacy of Harav Simcha Kook who passed away Two weeks ago

 

The Frum community, be they Chassidish, Yeshivish or Dati Leumi, collectively mourned the loss of Harav Simcha Ha'kohein Kook z"l who served the city of Rechovot for the last 50 years, and who also served as a member in the Rabbanut for 25 years; he passed away two weeks ago.

Harav Simcha Kook z"l was the son of Harav Raphael Kook z"l who served as rav in Teveria. Harav Raphael was the nephew of Harav Avraham Yitzchok Kook z"l. 

There is absolutely no question or doubt, that Harav Simcha, was influenced by his father and great uncle Harav AY Kook z"l. 

Reading the Israeli Yated's obituary on this great Tzaddik and Talmud Chacham, you wouldn't even know that R' Simcha Kook z"l was in any way related to his great uncle. Everything of Rav Simcha's past was maliciously removed and totally distorted. The name of this Litvishe Newspaper is Yated Neeman, which basically means that what they write or report is 100% נאמן but unfortunately this obituary of this historical figure is a complete farce and total fabrication. Not so much what they wrote but what they purposely left out.

They left out that he was a great nephew of Harav AY Kook z"l and was influenced by his writings. They left out the fact that in his youth R' Simcha studied in Bnei Akiva Schools and as a teenager learned at the Kfar Haroeh Bnei Akiva. They left out the fact that he was mentored by Harav Naria who was the founder of  the "Kipa Serugot" generation. 

But then they make up a story:

"בהגיעו למצוות גלה לישבת כנסת ישראל חברון"

" When he reached Bar-Mitzva age, he was exiled to Chevron to Yeshivas Knesses Yisrael"

"Exiled?" What exile?

He wasn't "exiled" at all, his father who lived in Tveria sent him to the Techniot  (High School) Yeshiva of Bnei Akiva in the city of Ha'Roieh.

Then comes the next white lie!

"לאחר מכן עבר ללמד בנתניה" 

"After this, he went to learn in Netanya!"

What?" 

Who wrote this obituary? He went to "Netanya to learn?'

What utter rubbish! What an outrageous lie!

They don't write that that R' Simcha was summoned by Harav Naria, the founder of the "kippa seruga" movement, to establish and head a  Bnei Akiva High School in Netanya and that was why he went to Netanya. 

This is in contrast to the fictional image the liars of the Litvishe Yated,  that has the hashgacha of all the Litvishe Gedoilim, portrayed! 

The lying editors at the Yated totally omitted the fact that Harav Simcha encouraged the study of professions of all his students at the  Bnei Akiva High School , the school that he founded. 

More lies:

"כשהציבור הדתי בנתניה נזקק לייצוג במסדרונות העיריה שימש כנציגם"

"When the religious public in Netanya needed representation at the corridors of the town municipality, he served as their representative."

What? 

What do they mean by the "religious public" that "he represented at the corridors of the town municipality?"

The Yated wants to make him look like a simple askan who helped his fellow religious Jews in need, because of his connections.  What they don't write was that Rav Simcha wasn't just some "nebech" who had some contacts in the municipality. The facts are that in 1969 he was asked to be  head of  the  list of the political party ticket that was part of the NRP.

All those writing this false narrative of this great tzaddik heard the baal korah on Shevuois read the verse 

"לא תגנובו" "thou shall not steal" Chazal say that we learn from these words that "deception" גניבת דעת deceiving people is part and parcel of this commandment. 

We won't, G-d forbid, mention that the Torah writes "מדבר שקר תרחק" " Distance yourselves from lies" and the Chazal state that even making something appear different than the absolute truth is within the scope of this commandment.

These editors of this fake Yated Naaman are not the only litvishe liars. 

I'll give you an example of their total disregard of the truth!

Harav AY Kook z"l had a beloved student by the name of Harav Yitzchok Arieli z"l who authored the Sefer "Anayim la'Mishpat. Rav Arieli was a Roshei Yeshiva in Merkaz Harav appointed by his rebbe  R' AY Kook z"l . In his preface to his Sefer, R' Arieli dedicates a paragraph  in praise of his rebbe. When the Sefer was reprinted in 2006, R' Arieli's very own grandchildren left out this paragraph. Furthermore, in the biographical introduction there is no mention of Arieli's connection to Harav Kook or the Yeshiva Merkaz Harav that R' Arieli himself was "mashgiach ruchnie." 

Here is the omitted paragraph:

 וכמה מהחידושים נאמרו

לפני גדולי ישיבתנו הקדושה 'מרכז הרב', היא

הישיבה החופף עליה הוד רוחה של מחוללה,

גאון ישראל וקדושו, מרנא ורבנא רבי אברהם

יצחק הכהן קוק זצ"ל, אשר גידלה וטיפחה

בלימודים במסלולם הישר והאמיתי היא

ההלכה, באהבת השי"ת, תורתנו הקדושה,

עם הקודש וארץ הקודש. וברוב חסדי ה'

הייתי מהזוכים לייסד ולהקים את הישיבה

הקדושה בעבודה מאומצת, בהשקעת כוחות

רוחניים וגופניים, ומאת מרן הרב זצ"ל הוטל

עלי הנהלת הישיבה בתפקידיה השונים, והנני

מנושאי הארון במשך כל זמן קיומה

To be sure, Yated's lies is an ongoing campaign to obliterate anything connected to the Kook name. 

One brave soul by the name of R' Moshe Maimon Alharar published a volume called לכבודו של תורה devoted to refuting the Yated's slanderous distortion of what R' Kook said at the dedication of the Hebrew University. 

The sefer also deals with Alharar's attempts to get the paper to issue a simple retraction. These attempts, of course, failed even after those in charge of the paper were shown that what they had printed was false. 

As in so many other cases, the truth was not as important to this piece of trash as making sure that R' Kook z"l is seen as a figure who is outside the Torah world. If it is necessary to repeat lies and distort R' Kook's reputation in order to achieve that goal, then this is a price that the Yated is willing to pay, and which it believes is halachicaly warranted. 

But with Rav Simcha's passing, they were in a huge dilemma, because R' Simcha was respected by the Chareidie world as well. What to do? So the big "Liar brains " decided to omit any connections to  to his great uncle and his ties to the rabbanute and the NRP.