Tzipiyah.com

While the Third of Ellul is, for many, just the third day of a special month of Teshuva - While Gimmel Ellul is, for many sfardim, simply the second day on which to wake up for Slichot - in the past 73 years, Gimmel Ellul has become, in the Religious Zionist movement, a very special day. This is the day of the Yarzheit, or Hilloula, of Rav Avraham Hakohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel and the spiritual leader of the Religious Zionist movement. As has become the custom, we, at Tzipiyah.com, want to celebrate this Gimmel Ellul by celebrating Rav Kook’s life and learning from his teachings. I therefore want to share a video which I got the permission to upload on YouTube - a video I feel every single Jew should be watching on Gimmel Ellul. I am also including quotes from various sources on the personality of Rav Kook in order to better grasp how incredible this Tzadik was. Finally, I will conclude with a few quotes from Rav Kook himself so that we may also be inspired by his wisdom.

How better to describe to life of this spectacular figure than with the words inscribed on his grave:

He rose to Israel (made aliyah) on the 28th of Iyar (later to be Yom Yerushalaim).
He rose to Jerusalem on the 3rd of Ellul.
He rose to the heavenly skies on the 3rd of Ellul.

His whole life, as described on his grave, was a constant aliyah - constantly reaching to higher spheres of holiness.

The video

If you are not on Tzipiyah.com, click here to see the movie.

About Rav Kook

There is so much to say about this incredible person, but here are a just few quotes from some biographies. I highly suggest that all should read this book when they have a chance.

There is a well-known story about R. Kook which captures much of what made him so unique. When R. Kook moved to Israel, he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Yaffo; this job included serving as the rabbi of the secular Zionists in the outlying agricultural settlements. One summer, Rav Kook and his colleagues went on a tour of these settlements in an attempt to encourage the pioneers to observe more mitzvot, especially the laws pertaining to agriculture and produce. Their campaign was met with minimum of success. One night, toward the end of the trip, Rabbi Y. M. Charlop, who was sharing a room with R. Kook, awoke to the sight of his teacher restlessly pacing about their small room. As he looked closer, he noticed that R. Kook’s face was flushed with passion and excitement. Rav Kook noticed him and slowly approached his disciple, placing his ice cold hands on R. Charlop. “What is wrong, master?” R. Charlop asked. R. Kook ” responded, “I am consumed with a burning love of God.”
(…)
R. Kook did not write in normal expository prose. His writing flowed from inspiration; he attempted to capture his powerful experiences in words. His hand was driven to write by the overwhelming emotions bursting forth from him. Once he started writing, he didn’t stop. Sometimes he didn’t even notice that he had reached the end of the page and kept writing straight onto the table. He even preferred pencil over pen, because fountain pens constantly had to be re-dipped in ink, interrupting his passionate writing. Yet, despite the spontaneity of his expression, we never find thoughts crossed out or erased in his manuscripts. Not only did his thoughts flow, they flowed correctly the first time. (from Here)

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This week’s Parsha is named after Yitro, Moshe’s Midianite father-in-law. In it, we see Yitro assisting Moshe in the legal system, teaching him to delegate some of his responsibility to others. Bnei Yisrael encamp by Har Sinai, Moshe ascends the mountain and Hashem declares the ten commandments.

There is a very interesting lesson we can learn from the way Hashem instructed Moshe to teach B’nei Yisrael the mitzvot. As it is written in Perek Yud-Tet (19), Pasuk Gimmel (3): “Vimoshe alah el HaElokeim vayikra eilav Hashem min hahar lomar: Co tomar libeyt ya’akov vitagid libnei yisrael- And Moshe went up to G-d, the L-rd called to him from the mountain saying: Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel” * We know that there are no extra words in the Torah, so why would Hashem say what appears to be a redundant statement “house of Jacob” and “children of Israel” when Yakov and Yisrael are one and the same person?

According to the Midrash, we learn that “beit yaakov-the house of Jacob” refers to the women (which is most likely why we now know Bais Yakov as a religious women’s movement and educational system!) Hashem was instructing Moshe to first tell the women certain commandments. According to some opinions, this is because the women would not be able to receive all the mitzvot immediately. According to many opinions, including the Rambam, women do not operate in the same way as men and therefore would perhaps be lacking the understanding necessary to fully appreciate and comprehend the Torah had they received it all at once(not my favourite opinion).
R’ Bechaye provides a different outlook on this thought (that is MUCH more to my personal liking). He explains that the Jewish woman ensures that her children learn Torah through her motherly love. Tfillos are accepted more easily when made with the fulfillment of a mitzvah, and a woman lighting her shabos candles can pray that her children will learn Torah and illuminate the world. For this special power that a woman has, Hashem instructed Moshe to give the women certain Mitzvot first.

The message that I believe this idea really brings home is the concept that a Jewish woman effectively holds the fate of the nation in her hands. Although it is often perceived that in Orthodox Judaism women take a secondary role to the men, it is clear to me from here that really, without the Jewish mother, Am Yisrael would be nowhere. The Jewish mother teaches her children Yidishkeit, and nurtures them in a home based on midot so they can, as my father always blesses me before shabos “walk in the ways of mitzvot and torah”. The merit of this act is immeasurable, as we see in Mesechet Sota. According to the Gemara, a guilty eisha sota** may not immediately die after drinking the waters, based on the merit of two actions. She will be allowed to live a bit longer if she has either allowed her husband to be away from her in order that he may learn Torah, or if she took care of her children’s Torah study (ie took them back and forth to cheder, etc). Seeing that this woman’s imminent, painful and extreme death can be postponed because she facilitated the Jewish education of her children just illustrates its importance and the crucial role of the woman on the future of Am Yisrael.

And now I’ll have to conclude with a shout out to all Jewish mothers everywhere (particularly my own)..thanks mommy!!!

May you all have an amazing, spiritually fulfilling shabat and remember to thank your mom for being a Yidishe mama!

*translation from the JPS Hebrew-English Tanach
**a woman accused of adultery who is made to drink water in which holy words (including the name of Hashem) have been dissolved and if she is proven guilty, will subsequently “explode” (for lack of better word)