They betrayed me with silence.
But without words they depicted a picture that was far from the truth; an image that was far from the brilliant mind that he had, far from the sensitive soul that he embodied, far from the humble servant that he played, far from the passion for spreading G-D's light in this world that drove his every action, far from the endless love that he held towards each and every Jew, and far from the sweet, holy light and energy that touched so many lives.
Was their agenda more important than portraying a holy man in his true form?
The zionists adopted him as their poster boy, using his image, of an advocate for our holy land, to win votes, regardless of how far they strayed from his philosophy.
The zealouts discarded him as a righteous man because he stood for a vision of the future they did not understand.
But neither party truly knew who Rav Kook was.
You would think that someone would have told me about his incredible humility.
Or about his intense desire to help every single Jew, even those who spat in his face and insulted him.
Or what about his poetic, philosophical and academic writings that are full of passion, love and spirituality.
Or for that matter, his unrelenting will to serve G-D completely.
Or that he would go to the all the settlements (both religious and non-religious) to inquire about their welfare and encourage them, through love and compassion, to take upon themselves one mitzvah.
Or that these settlers listened to Rav Kook because of his sincerity and love.
Or about the other well-known Rabbanim who greatly admired and respected him.
Or that he spend his life advocating on the behalf of the Jewish Nation.
Or about his unyielding dedication to truth.
Or even the simple fact that he wore a streimel and a bekeshe and had a long, graceful beard?
Or about the friendly, warm twinkle in his eyes and gentle smile that captured so many.
No one told me any of this.
But now, at the age of 21, I finally get to meet Rav Yitzchak HaKohen Kook.
And now I can mourn the loss of a truly great man.
3 comments:
Your finishing sentence surprises me- why not say- and now i can truly rejoice in the life of a truly great man??? Think about it- there's a world of differences between the two sentences- It's all about how you see things!!
thanks for commenting. That is a great point. I was coming from a place of feeling angry about the way Rav Kook has been portrayed to me and feeling sad that I don't know many people of his stature today who espouse his incredible values and act the way he did. So the last line was about my sadness that the world I know does not include a man like Rav Kook.
Truly amazing that you somehow write about such thought provoking and inspiring topics. I guess that the name 'souls connect' says it all.
There are so many great peple that are put down within our own different communities. Every frum community has one. Their are portrayed in a negetive light if they do not fully agree to that groups perspective on frumkeit or religion.
A great person is a great person no matter where they are. I heard a comment from a respected person "From one of my Rebbis: Ben Gurion" . We can learn from every person. However, it is us that has to open up and let it in. Nevertheless, It is the job of every mature grownup to actually realize what is going on in the world, what my tachlis is and what or how can I connect with my creater.
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