Harav Tzvi Yehuda Hacohen Kook

When Faith is Tested

The loss of tzaddikim has an effect on the world. "Save, O Lord - for the pious are gone; for the faithful have vanished from among men" (Psalms 12,2). That is to say, when a righteous man passes away, the world suffers a loss of emuna and trust. Emuna diminishes because tzaddikim help ensure that it remains strong, and when they leave, it becomes weaker. Rav Tzvi Yehuda was a great man of emuna, and his loss left a great vacuum of emuna in the world.

The Scrupulous Observance of Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah

On one occasion, when Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah returned home from prayer, his taxi driver accidentally drove past his house. "Oops," said the driver, "I'll have to back up." The rabbi immediately corrected him, saying, "You have to proceed backwards."

"Your People, They Are All Righteous"

What stood out in Rabbi Kook's thought that could not be found in the thought of his contemporaries was a clarification of the issue of the unique chosenness of the Jewish people, a broad and deep examination of the profundity of the Nation of Israel.

Our Mentor, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook zt”l

R' Tzvi Yehuda taught us that the State of Israel is not just some formal body designed to preserve the nation. Rather, the very existence of the State has divine worth; it embodies a significant stage in the redemption as envisioned by the Prophets.

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook - A Biographical Overview

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook served as Head of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva for thirty years. During these years, an entire generation of students was nurtured upon a philosophy which combined the Torah of Israel, the nation of Israel, and the land of Israel.

Remembering Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda

Parshat Tetzaveh

Remembering Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda. We find ourselves once again faced with the question, how is it possible to educate others concerning the importance of the completeness Land of Israel, while at the same time stressing the importance of the complete unity of the People of Israel?