Rabbi Abraham Isaac KookRav Kook was born in 1865 in a small town in the Russian Empire. He enrolled
Rabbi Abraham Isaac KookRav Kook was born in 1865 in a small town in the Russian Empire. He enrolled in the Volozhin Yeshiva at the age of 18 and was hailed as a brilliant prodigy. He quickly excelled and surpassed all his counterparts in learning, so much so that the head of the yeshiva, Rav Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, was quoted saying that if the Volozhin Yeshiva had only been founded in order to educate Rav Kook it would have been worth it.In 1904 Rav Kook immigrated to Ottoman Palestine and assumed the role of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and soon after, was appointed Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine. Rav Kook maintained a connection with all factions of Judaism and worked endlessly to bridge the gaps between secular and religious Jews. He was an ardent advocate for Zionism, professing it as the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy foreseeing the Jewish people’s return to the Holy Land. His support of the Zionist movement was the foundation of the religious Zionist movement and continued to gain momentum and legitimacy after his death on September 1, 1935.Rav Kook founded the famous Jerusalem-based Mercaz Harav Yeshiva and wrote many books on Halacha, Philosophy, and Jewish Thought. Rav Kook’s incredible knowledge of Torah and theological beliefs pertaining to Land of Israel gave birth to the mainstream Religious Zionist movement.He passed away on September 1, 1935.זצ״לMy Nation Lives עמי-חי -- source link