Sacred legacy of Rav Kook: 80th Yahrtzeit Tribute

Over the next few weeks, this column will be devoted to a tribute to the legacy of one of Judaism’s towering spiritual leaders. Based upon the literary work of Rabbi Bezalel Naor, with supporting essay contributions by several leading spiritual leaders in our community, we will come to better know this spiritual giant in all his intellectual manifestations.

We begin this series with a biography of Rabbi Naor, a prolific writer, inspiring teacher and interpreter of Jewish thought. In addition to his many original works in English and Hebrew, Rabbi Naor has produced numerous scholarly works dealing with such rabbinic classics such as the Ravad's commentary and notes on the Rambam's Mishne Torah, and the Vilna Gaon's commentary on Sifra Di' Tseni'uta.

Rabbi Naor received his smicha from Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Ruderman, zt"l, the late rosh hayeshiva of Ner Yisrael in Baltimore. He later studied with Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, zt"l, in Jerusalem. In additionm Rabbi Naor studied Jewish philosophy at Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies and served as an instructor in Jewish Thought at RIETS. In Israel, he served as a rosh kollel at the Kollel Eshel Avraham in Kiryat Arba in Chevron.

Among his latest works are "The Limit of Intellectual Freedom: The Letters of Rav Kook.”It was these letters that first inspired Rabbi Naor to the religious thought of Rav Kook. This work deals extensively with Rabbi Naor's interpretation of the Rav's teachings on the full gamut of his theological views.

Among one of the most interesting teachings is the one titled, "Eternal Halachot: A point of Contention Between Rabbis Elchanan Wasserman and Moshe Soloveitchik.” This brief essay deals with a recollection that Rav Aharon Soloveichik, zt"l, had of a visit in 1925 by Rav Wasserman to his father Rav Moshe Soloveitchik, and of their heated discussions that I leave for you to decipher.