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First edition of this two part work on the revival of the Jewish nation by R. Abraham Isaac Kook (Kuk). Orot is comprised of Orot me-Efel and Orot ha-Thiyah. R. Kook believed that the world is continually evolving toward universalism, which is at present only an ideal toward which man must be educated within individual national units. Nationality is, accordingly, an essential step in the divine scheme of evolution toward universalism. In this scheme Jewish nationality is marked by the concept of "chosenness": the Jews are a people who were designated to "work and toil with the utmost devotion" to further the divine goal of human perfection and universalism. According to Kook, God imposed a divine task upon the Jewish nation, but it is up to the Jews to accept upon themselves and carry out this divine task. Kook's approach to the Zionist Movement was based both on his "historiosophical" religious and metaphysical worldview and on his personal experiences of direct contact with the pioneers of the Second Aliyah. In his eyes, Zionism was an opportunity for an overall Jewish renaissance, and he yearned to witness a far-reaching renewal, not only of the Hebrew language and the Jewish settlement in Israel, but also of Jewish literature, Torah scholarship, and the creative arts, as well as an expansion of the meaning of the Torah itself. All of these changes, he believed, would bring about the establishment of the State of Israel in the Land of Israel, an ideal state that would actualize in all dimensions of its existence the noble ideals of Judaism and thus reveal the kingship of God in the world. He valued the Zionist movement as a practical-political instrument whose function was to realize this vision. He also admired and loved the pioneers, in whom he saw unadulterated idealism and innate moral values. However, he also voiced harsh criticism of both wings of the Zionist Movement, the religious and the secular for their narrow understanding of their role. Kook was actively involved in the Zionist public life and the British Mandate related to him as one of the representatives of the Zionist leadership.
R. Abraham Isaac Kook (Kuk), (1865–1935) was a rabbinical authority and thinker; first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of modern Ereẓ Israel. Born in Greiva (now Griva), Latvia, Kook received the type of Jewish education that was customary in 19th-century Eastern Europe. At a very early age he showed independence of mind and far-reaching curiosity. Desirous to supplement his traditional education which was restricted to the study of Talmud, he undertook the study of the Bible, Hebrew language, Jewish and general philosophy, and mysticism. In 1888 he was appointed rabbi of Zaumel, and in 1895 became rabbi of Bausk (now Bauska). In 1904 he immigrated to Ereẓ Israel, where he served as rabbi of Jaffa and the surrounding towns. There he fostered close ties with people of all shades of opinion and belief. He identified with the Zionist movement, thus antagonizing the rabbinical establishment, and at the same time, engaged in a vigorous debate with the irreligious pioneers and laid the foundations for a Religious Zionism that did not settle for the political pragmatism of the Mizrachi (the Religious Zionist Movement) or that of Binyamin Ze'ev Theodor Herzl , the founder of the Zionist Movement, but sought to view Zionism as a process of redemption, of repentance, and of an overall Jewish renaissance. Rabbi Kook was a man of complexity whose persona unified opposing spiritual worlds: the Lithuanian Torah scholarship with the ḥasidic spiritual experience, a commitment to halakhah and Jewish tradition with a modern worldview and Western culture and philosophy, a tendency towards spirituality and mysticism with full involvement in the practical matters of rabbinic and public leadership. In his effort to urge traditional Jews to fulfill the Zionist ideal, he traveled to Europe in 1914 to participate in a conference of Agudat Israel . Unable to return to Ereẓ Israel because of the outbreak of World War I, R. Kook spent the war years 1914–18 in Switzerland and accepted a temporary position as the rabbi of the Mahẓikei ha-Dat congregation in London, where he was very active in trying to influence the Jews of England to back Zionist political activity. Upon returning to Palestine after the war, Kook was appointed chief rabbi of Jerusalem, and with the formation of the chief rabbinate in 1921 he was elected the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Palestine.
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א) אורות מאופל. ב) אורות התחיה, מאת רבנו אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק.
מעבר לשער דברי-הקדמה מאת בן המחבר, ר' צבי יהודה הכהן קוק.
כותב בין השאר: מתוך כתבי... אבא... הוצאתי בזה את "אורות- התחיה" האלה, המאירים בדבריהם ערכי הרוח והמעשה של מהלך בנין בית ישראל בתחיתו ושיבתו [!] בארץ קדשו... ראיתי... להקדים לפני הפרקים האלה - שנכתבו בערך שנתים לפני המלחמה-את פרקי
"אורות מאופל" אלה בשלשת מחלקותיהם: "ארץ-ישראל" "המלחמה" "ישראל ותחיתו", אשר נכתבו במשך השנתים הראשונות של המלחמה, ששהה מ"א... בשויציה.
עמ' 123-120: קריאה גדולה. נדפס בלוח "ארץ הצבי" שנת תרס"ח, הוצ' המוסד "שערי תורה" בעה"ק יפו. |
