Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook: Visionary Leader and Guardian of Halacha (Jewish Law)

A Chief Rabbi Rooted in Faith and Principle

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook (Rav Kook) was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel and one of the most influential halachic (Jewish legal) and spiritual leaders of the modern era. He was a deeply respected halachic authority whose writings reflect a strong emphasis on halacha (Jewish law), moral development, and the role of Torah in rebuilding Jewish national life.

Although Rav Kook had warm regard for the Mizrachi movement, he often critiqued what he saw as its compromises. In his view, Mizrachi did not take a firm enough stand on halachic and spiritual leadership and was too deferential to the secular Zionist establishment. He was especially pained by the statement that "Zionism has nothing to do with religion," and repeatedly urged Mizrachi leaders to protest and distance themselves from such positions.

The Builder of Torah Institutions and the Chief Rabbinate

Rav Kook viewed yeshivot as the spiritual backbone of the Jewish people and worked tirelessly to strengthen Torah institutions across the Land of Israel. He also saw halacha not as a private matter but as the guiding light for national life.

In 1919, he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem by the city’s rabbinic leaders and heads of yeshivot. Shortly afterward, he established the Chief Rabbinate, which he envisioned not merely as a bureaucratic body but as a spiritual institution representing global Jewish leadership.

At the time of the first elections for the national assembly in 1920, Rav Kook firmly opposed granting women the right to vote or be elected, aligning with the position of the Hareidi community, despite the opposition of many in Mizrachi.

Revered by Torah Giants Across the Spectrum

Rav Kook’s greatness was recognized by rabbinic leaders from all sectors. He corresponded with many of the greatest Torah authorities of his generation, including those who disagreed with him, such as the Chazon Ish, Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the Netziv, Rav Chaim Soloveitchik and his son Rav Yitzchak Zev Soloveitchik, the Imrei Emes of Ger, Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, the Rebbe of Chabad, Rav Aharon Kotler, Rav Baruch Ber Leibowitz, and many others.

At the 1923 founding assembly of Agudat Yisrael, when a speaker publicly insulted Rav Kook, the Chafetz Chaim stood up and shouted,

“They have insulted the mara d’ara d’Yisrael (spiritual leader of the Land of Israel)! One must tear one’s garment!”
He stormed out, refused to return to the conference, and would not shake the hands of the Jerusalem delegation, declaring:
“To those who stir up conflict against the Rav of Jerusalem, I do not extend greetings! Know that he is holy and pure, and whoever harms him will not go unpunished.”

The Chazon Ish referred to Rav Kook as “Hod Kevod Maran Shelita,” a rare honorific he reserved only for those he considered the greatest. When Rav Kook spoke at the cornerstone ceremony of the Beit Yosef Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, the Chazon Ish stood for the entire speech—something he did for no other speaker. When asked why, he replied:

“The Torah is standing.”

Lasting Reverence

Rav Ovadia Yosef also deeply admired Rav Kook, calling him “a very great man, God-fearing,” and used the honorifics “mara d’ara d’Yisrael” and “Maran” (a rare designation in Rav Ovadia’s writings) to describe him. In his introduction to Rav Kook’s Shabbat HaAretz, Rav Ovadia praised him as a halachic and spiritual giant.

Rav Kook’s legacy lives on not only through his writings and institutions but also through the moral courage he showed in holding fast to halacha, defending the dignity of Torah in the public sphere, and inspiring a vision of redemption rooted in holiness.