Maran Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook ztz”l - 90 Years Since His Passing

 In this column I will attempt to point out the enormous contribution of Maran Rabbi Kook in building emunah (faith) and Torah in the modern era, in which darkness and light are intermingled - the most terrible horrors of exile of the ‘Footsteps of Mashiach’ and the ‘Ingathering of Exiles’, and the establishment of the State of Israel and the ‘Atchalta de’Geulah’ (the beginning of Redemption).

The Modern Era

In recent generations, through the development of natural sciences, man, society and culture - human consciousness has developed and expanded greatly. Many natural phenomena that were not understood by man, were researched and became understood and explained. Thanks to scientific development, agriculture developed and food became abundantly available, production of clothing, furniture and houses improved considerably, and vaccines and medicines were found for diseases that were previously incurable. Thanks to all these, today the average person can live long and in comfortable conditions, more than the greatest kings in the past.

The Movement of Enlightenment and Haskalah

Alongside the scientific developments, the movement of Enlightenment and Haskalah crystallized in Western Europe. It strove for renewal (modernity) from the belief that man, through his thought and initiative, can change the world for the better, and solve all the problems facing him. By virtue of it, great ideas developed that hoped to repair society, such as: liberalism, democracy, socialism and communism, national movements, and even fascism, and Nazism. These ideas brought about extreme changes in the orders of society, and led to the transition from monarchical rule to democratic rule that grants rights to man and allows each citizen to express his talents in all fields, or to dictatorial rule that was intended “to repair the world.” These movements greatly accelerated the development of science and economics, and in turn, strengthened the social ideas and the need to implement them.

The success of the Enlightenment movement in strengthening initiative, creativity, research and development among the peoples of Europe and North America, created extreme wealth that was invested in accelerating the development of science and economics, and in producing sophisticated weapons. Their use enabled control of countries and continents around the world, exploitation of the natural resources and the people who lived in them, and the implanting of a foreign culture, each movement in its own way.

Man’s Place and the Crisis of Faith

Many of the early thinkers and researchers of the Enlightenment and Haskalah movement, such as Descartes, Leibniz and Newton, believed in God. However, the accepted religious conception, which emphasized man’s insignificance, opposed the Enlightenment movement, and in counter-reaction, caused many supporters of the Enlightenment movement to distance themselves from religion.

Subsequently, the position crystallized in the Enlightenment movement was that religion is harmful and blocks the development of humanity, and instead of obeying religious laws, one should invest effort in social changes, in scientific research and in technological development, in order to redeem man from poverty and deprivation, and allow him to express his full powers.

The Reaction of Religious People

On the other hand, many religious people saw in the arrogant objective of the Enlightenment and Haskalah movement to change the world defiance of Heaven, since in their opinion, man’s role is to obey God, and pray to Him that He redeem man, and the world. Many warned that the audacity to undermine the orders of the world would cause disasters. Criticism of religious institutions would lead to heresy against God, and to an outbreak of evil impulses that cannot be controlled; rebellion against monarchy would dissolve society and cause bloodshed, and strengthening individual rights would dissolve the family, and threaten social cohesion.

They said that man must place God at the center (theocentrism), diminish himself before God and the institutions that represent His leadership, and not place himself at the center (anthropocentrism).

The Justice in the Claim of Religious People

There was justice in the criticism of religious people, since the Enlightenment movement gave birth to communism, fascism and Nazism, movements that advocated heresy against God and presumed “to repair the world,” but in practice, caused terrible injustices and the murder of hundreds of millions of people.

The capitalist-liberal movement, which did not inscribe heresy against God on its banner, and did not cause terrible disasters, caused many troubles as well. For example: the enslavement of hundreds of millions of people to the control of the wealthy and corporations; the enslavement of many peoples to the control of Western peoples, while harming national and cultural identities, weakening the institution of the family, eroding man’s security, his values and his faith, and turning man into a lonely individual, facing life’s challenges.

The Changes Caused by the Enlightenment Movement

While striving for “liberty, equality and fraternity” the Enlightenment movement brought about extreme changes in human and social life. By virtue of it, kingdoms fell, and in their place, arose states that tried to realize the values of Enlightenment and Haskalah, with their positive and negative aspects. From the value of ‘liberty’ developed the liberal, democratic, capitalist and ‘post-modern’ movement, including its severe extremes. From the value of ‘equality’ developed the socialist movement, and from its extremist points, the communist movement. From the value of ‘fraternity’ developed the aspiration to establish nation-states, and from its extremism, developed the fascist and Nazi movements.

In the Principled Argument the Enlightenment Movement was Correct

Nevertheless, in the primary argument about man’s place, the Enlightenment movement was right. This is because the Torah is what taught that man was created in the image of God, and it is what placed man at the center by the very fact that all its commandments and instructions are directed toward him, and it taught that God placed upon man the responsibility to guard the world, to lead it with righteousness and justice, and to perfect it until its redemption. Therefore, the justified criticism of religious people was not able to stop the Enlightenment movement.

Analysis of the Character of the New Generation

Arising from this, Maran Rabbi Kook explained in the essay “Ha-Dor” (‘The Generation’), that those who abandon Torah in the modern era are completely different, for in all generations those who abandoned Torah were those who were drawn after their evil inclination, stole and robbed, betrayed and committed adultery. In contrast, those who abandon Torah of the new generation believe in the values of truth and goodness, and sometimes are even ready to dedicate their lives for that realization. They believe that man can develop and understand more, be more moral, more creative and happier.

But according to what they were accustomed to hear, they grasped religion as one that deals with diminishing man and turning him into an obedient follower and not an initiator, and focuses on particular laws without setting a vision for repairing the world. Therefore, many of them abandoned religion and were drawn after ideas that captured their hearts, without it occurring to them that, specifically through Torah guidance, it would have been possible to strengthen all the new ideas, refine them from impurities, and realize them in the most correct and positive way.

Repentance

Therefore, Rabbi Kook wrote that the new generation will not be able to repent through threats of punishment in this world or the next world, and suppress the new ideas that stir his thought and heart because of it. This is because “even if he wanted to adopt a submissive, humble, or deferential posture” he would not be able to withstand it, because it is against his nature. “He will not be able to return out of fear,” meaning threats of punishment, “but he is very capable of returning from love” to the great vision.

Therefore, one must turn to the people of the new generation with appreciation for their aspirations and desires. “To them, we must teach a living Torah, from the Source of Life, ways of ethics full of light and joy, words of grace and good sense, refined and purified… from the treasury of life, for Torah of life.” “We will walk before them in a pillar of fire of Torah and knowledge of the holy ones mighty of heart” (Eder HaYakar p. 115).

The Key to Repair through Refining Faith

Maran Rabbi Kook explained (Orot, Zeronim, ‘Yisurim Mamrikim’) that all the confusions and complications in human life stem from lack of understanding in the concept of Elokut (Godliness). And this is the spiritual root of the prohibition “You shall have no other gods before Me.” When emunah (faith) is defined in a narrow way, it does not contain all the ideas that are revealed in the world, and a collision is created between general faith and various ideas, which have truth and goodness in them, and their root is in Elokut. This collision creates sufferings, tears, crises and wars within man’s soul and in all humanity, endlessly.

Therefore, we must accustom ourselves to refine faith in the One God, who has no definition or boundary, and His closest definition is shleimut ain sof(infinite perfection), because no faith in a finite and defined idea will express complete faith. Therefore, it is also necessary that there will always be additional renewals of movements that reveal faith endlessly. Likewise, it is necessary that faith come to expression in the infinite moral aspiration that is in man (essay, “Daat Elokim”).

Seeing the Light and Goodness in Different Movements

“From this pure faith we can see the light of God that is revealed in all the new movements, and those destined to be founded, out of a quest for truth and goodness, for ‘in everything there is a spark of light, the inner divine spark shines in each of the different beliefs.” Therefore, instead of opposing them, we will increase Israel’s unique light, with all its depth and breadth, and from this, we will see how every good spark in every movement stems from its source. Then, from all the sparks, light and life will be enhanced to all of Israel, and hearts thirsty for light will no longer err in foreign fields, but will look and see that, specifically from connection to the faith of Israel, they will merit to realize all their aspirations (Orot, Zeronim, ‘Le’Milchemet Ha’Dayot ve’Ha’Emunot’ p. 131).

The Role of Torah Scholars

In order to return Israel, and the world, in repentance, Torah study in these generations must be with awareness of the general vision of Tikun Ha’Olam (repairing the world) that the Torah contains, and from deep understanding that this great vision is revealed through all the generalities and particulars of the Torah (Orot Ha’Teshuva 4:10). This is because “within all the particulars together, is found the divine soul of perfecting the world, in life, in matter, and spirit, in society and the individual, and consequently, the light penetrates and descends also in each and every particular” (Orot Ha’Torah 2:2).

Through this, not only will all the achievements of natural and spiritual sciences not interfere with the revelation of faith and not be an obstacle to it, but they will strengthen and elevate the revelation of faith. From studying the generalities and particulars of Torah as one, it will also be clarified that all the moral ideas that the new generation aspires to, come to full and corrected expression through Torah guidance.

In order for Torah scholars be able to reveal the light contained in the Torah, they must stop fearing great and new ideas. And as Maran Rabbi Kook wrote (Ikvei Ha’Tzon, ‘Ha’Pachad’), that in order to absorb the great light that begins to shine in the ‘End of Days’, in the ‘Footsteps of Mashiach’, one must remove the fear and weakness that especially righteous and pious people who are fearful to guard the precious tradition, suffer from. “Then courage will be established in the setting of holiness, and thought will flourish” (more on this in “Peninei Halakha: Emunah Ve’Mitzvoteyha” 30:1-7).

By Harav Eliezer Melamed 

This article appeared in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.