Between Rabbi Kook and His Son: The Path That Changed the Face of Religious Zionism | Liora Minka

In an opinion piece marking the anniversary of Rabbi Kook's death, Liora Minka presents his philosophy as the foundation of Religious Zionism, and the difference between it and the approach of his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda, who turned it into a practical action plan. She calls for a discussion on the path of Religious Zionism today, on the attitude toward the state and secularism.

Liora Minka, an educator and former chairwoman of 'Emunah', writes an opinion piece marking the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hacohen Kook, which falls on the 3rd of Elul. She presents Rabbi Kook as an original and daring thinker, who saw the Jewish state not only as a political framework but as a stage in the process of redemption, and gave moral legitimacy to the pioneers' enterprise. The article emphasizes Rabbi Kook's concept of 'mamlakhtiyut' (statism), which saw the state, even if imperfect, as 'the foundation of God's throne in the world', thereby enabling the religious public to integrate into it with a sense of mission. Minka compares the universal, mystical, and gradual approach of Rabbi Kook the father with that of his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda, who operated within an existing state and turned his father's ideas into a practical action plan, with an emphasis on settlement and the integrity of the land. She calls for a contemporary discussion on the path of Religious Zionism, on the attitude toward the state and secularism, and on understanding redemption in a changing reality.