YABI'A OMER U-SHEGI'OT MI YAVIN

Jerusalem: Defus Tsiyon, 1924. (FT) Hardcover, 8vo, 266 pages, 22 cm. In Hebrew. SUBJECT(S) : Karo, Joseph ben Ephraim, 1488-1575. Shulhan Arukh. Yoreh deah -- Commentaries. Talmud -- Commentaries. Talmud. Hullin -- Commentaries. Zivhe Reiyah has special title page. Other Titles: Zivhe reiyah. Kook (1865-1935) was a "rabbinical authority and thinker; first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of modern Erez Israel. Born in Greiva (now Griva) , Latvia, Kook received the type of Jewish education that was customary in 19th-century Eastern Europe. At a very early age he showed independence of mind and far-reaching curiosity. Desirous to supplement his traditional education which was restricted to the study of Talmud, he undertook the study of the Bible, Hebrew language, Jewish and general philosophy, and mysticism. In 1888 he was appointed rabbi of Zaumel, and in 1895 became rabbi of Bausk (now Bauska) . In 1904 he immigrated to Erez Israel, where he served as rabbi of Jaffa and the surrounding towns. There he fostered close ties with people of all shades of opinion and belief. He identified with the Zionist movement, thus antagonizing the rabbinical establishment, and at the same time, engaged in a vigorous debate with the irreligious pioneers and laid the foundations for a Religious Zionism that did not settle for the political pragmatism of the Mizrachi (the Religious Zionist Movement) or that of Binyamin Ze'ev Theodor Herzl , the founder of the Zionist Movement, but sought to view Zionism as a process of redemption, of repentance, and of an overall Jewish renaissance. Rabbi Kook was a man of complexity whose persona unified opposing spiritual worlds: the Lithuanian Torah scholarship with the hasidic spiritual experience, a commitment to halakhah and Jewish tradition with a modern worldview and Western culture and philosophy, a tendency towards spirituality and mysticism with full involvement in the practical matters of rabbinic and public leadership. In his effort to urge traditional Jews to fulfill the Zionist ideal, he traveled to Europe in 1914 to participate in a conference of Agudat Israel. Unable to return to Erez Israel because of outbreak of World War I, Kook spent the war years 1914-18 in Switzerland and accepted a temporary position as the rabbi of the Mahzikei ha-Dat congregation in London, where he was very active in trying to influence the Jews of England to back Zionist political activity. Upon returning to Palestine after the war, Kook was appointed chief rabbi of Jerusalem, and with the formation of the chief rabbinate in 1921 he was elected the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Palestine" (Zinger and Ish-Shalom in EJ, 2007) . OCLC lists 18 copies worldwide. Hinge repair. Inner cover torn. Stain on inner cover. Chipping to cover corners and edges. Fold mark on cover. Otherwise, good condition. (Rab-44-17).