“I will come and everyone else will follow.” This was the response of Rabbi Simcha Kook, zt”l, to a real estate agent who expressed surprise at the Rav’s insistence on purchasing a home in an area where there were hardly any Jews and that was frequented by Arabs.
In his book, Rav Simcha Kook,
Builder of Torah, Beacon of Unity (ArtScroll 2025), Gedalia
Guttentag gives readers a vivid portrait of the late Rabbi Simcha HaKohen Kook,
Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim’s Churva shul and Rechovot, a role he served in for
nearly 50 years. This well-researched biography, culled from dozens of
interviews portrays a man who was of shalom, a unifier, and a leading Torah
scholar.
Rabbi Kook brought countless souls
back to Yiddishkeit through tears, love, and diplomacy. He was a consensus
builder working across ideological lines to get things done. Like his great
uncle, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, zt”l, Rav Simcha led by
example, and others followed.
As the newly appointed Rabbi of
Rechovot, Rabbi Simcha Kook had his work cut out for him. Shabbos observance
was an issue. The mayor and city council would not close up shop. Finally, Rav
Kook had a meeting with elected officials that won them over. What did he say?
“We are all Volozhiners.” Indeed, the mayor’s family had come from Volozhin just
like the Kooks. It was this care and understanding that preserved the sanctity
of Shabbos in Rechovot. Rav Kook knew what to say and how to say it. A person
knew he genuinely cared about them; in turn, they’d usually come around. The
Rabbi had a burning, unwavering connection to Hashem, and he wanted you to feel
it too. One farmer disengaged from Rabbi Kook when the Rav approached him about
shmiras Shabbos; the man was afraid that if he stayed in the
conversation any longer, he would become dati!
In one apartment building where Rabbi
Kook and his family lived, the landlord blared the radio loudly on Shabbos.
This troubled the Rav greatly. He was never confrontational about this, nor did
he express anger at the landlord. Instead, he dropped subtle hints such as
draping his tallis over the banister. While this landlord did not come
around, Rav Kook’s actions demonstrated a concern for the individual. The book
will give readers a deeper appreciation of what it means to speak up with
compassion.
After World War II, the Torah
world was decimated. However, the yeshiva world rose from the ashes thanks to
Torah institutions in America and Eretz Yisrael. Yet, the Israeli government
continued to slash funding for Torah education. In an interview with Arutz
Sheva, Rav Simcha expressed dismay over the lack of scholarships for bachurim
who come from overseas to learn in yeshiva while the government does the same
for university students. “We are fighting for the world of Torah,” he said. Rabbi
Kook also met with government officials to fight for funding for Israeli yeshivos,
saying, “This is our future.”
Rabbi Kook
established Yeshivat Meor Hatalmud in Rechovot with 20 students. Today, the yeshiva
has over 500 talmidim. Rechovot itself went from a 12 percent attendance
in religious schools to over 50 percent. And the citizens of Rechovot respect
each other. All this is thanks to Rabbi Kook.
When the future of the Churva shul
was called into question in the early 2000s, Rabbi Kook stepped up. He initiated
a compromise whereby the shul could be restored to its former glory in
compliance with the building code. This was the same shul where Rabbi Kook’s
great uncle was installed as Chief Rabbi of what was then Palestine.
Rav Kook also set a standard for kashrus
in Rechovot bringing his uncompromising values to the city that lives on after
his passing. Just as Rabbi Kook cried for the loss of the Beis Hamikdash where
his ancestors served, we cry for him. And this can be learned from the book,
which describes how his tears over the loss of a fellow Jew would flow as if
the niftar were his own relative, because every Jew was family to him.
The biography, which began as a
series of articles for Mishpacha magazine, is Rabbi Guttentag’s first
book. He embarked on his writing journey at the behest of and with the
encouragement of his grandmother. With the blessing of the Kook family, Rabbi
Guttentag collected letters, stories, and writings of Rabbi Simcha Kook.
As Israel experiences both external threats
and internal strife, it is important to internalize and actualize the lessons
learned from Rabbi Simcha Hakohen Kook, zt”l: Stay true to your beliefs,
lead with life, and work with others. This is how we build Torah and shine the
light of achdus (unity). Though we may eradicate an Amalek from Iran, we
have to also eradicate machlokes from within. May we be zocheh to
experience the final redemption soon.
