Moshe Zvi Neriyah, Genesis, 1992
This is a translation and adaptation of Mo’adei HaRe’iyah (Rav Kook’s book of festivals) by Rabbi Neriyah, an important student of Rav Kook. Divided into sections covering Shabbat and each of the festivals, it offers a light introduction in English to the thought of Rav Kook, the celebrated first chief rabbi of Palestine. Each section contains a mixture of Divrey Torah, some straightforward, others more esoteric, as well as stories, observations from Rav Kook’s students and vignettes from the life of the Rav himself. There are a number of inspiring stories about life in the pre-state yishuv and the struggle for Jewish autonomy in the land. There are also a few tales about Rav Kood’s own struggles, his early life in Europe and the lives of his antagonists and students. In the essay on Chanukah, for example, we learn of the Rav’s poetic accomplishment and his speech to the inaugural speech to the Mizrachi Teachers’ Institute, delivered during Chanukah 1932. Of course, there are also plenty of Divrey Torah!
