Rabbi Kook was born in 1865 in a small town in the Russian Empire and already at a young age was hailed as a brilliant prodigy. 

He quickly excelled and surpassed all his counterparts in learning, so much so that the head of the famous Volozhin Yeshiva, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, was quoted saying that if the Volozhin Yeshiva had only been founded in order to educate Rabbi Kook it would have been worth it. 

In 1904, Rabbi Kook immigrated to Ottoman-controlled Palestine and assumed the role of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and soon after, was appointed Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine. 

Rabbi Kook maintained a connection with all factions of Judaism and worked endlessly to bridge the gaps between secular and religious Jews. He was an ardent advocate of Zionism, professing it as the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy foreseeing the Jewish 
people’s return to the Holy Land.

His support of the Zionist movement was the foundation of the religious Zionist movement which continued to gain momentum after his death on September 1, 1935.
Rabbi Kook founded the famous Jerusalem-based Mercaz Harav Yeshiva and wrote many books on Halacha, philosophy, and Jewish Thought. His incredible knowledge of Torah and theological beliefs pertaining to Land of Israel gave birth to the mainstream Religious Zionist movement.

May the memory of Rabbi Kook be a blessing.