Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook (1865–1935) was the first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael. His unique approach to the Jewish People, flowing from a heart full of love, an intellect of cosmic scope, but above all, a soul invaded by mystic God-consciousness, endeared him to both the scholars and pietists of the Old Yishuv, and the settlers and revolutionaries of the New Yishuv. Very few thinkers have plumbed the depths of the individual psyche and encompassed the totality of existence, and what is between, as did Rav Kook. His often prophetic words speak today to an ever-widening audience seeking spiritual guidance in turbulent times.
