Q&A: Rabbi Kook's Fear of Heaven
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Rabbi Kook's Fear of Heaven
Question
Hello Rabbi, in one of your lectures you mentioned the story about Rabbi Kook, who, when he came to the Old Yishuv in Jerusalem upon arriving in the Land, said, "There is a lot of fear of Heaven here, but what dark and small heavens…" something like that… Does the Rabbi have a source for this? Where did the Rabbi hear it?
Answer
I don't remember. It seems to me that this is around the passage about faith that is like heresy, and heresy that is like faith. I was told that in Shemonah Kevatzim it is elaborated more. Maybe you should search the Tzach Forum. I dealt with this there once, and the sources were brought there. Or perhaps those here who are well-versed in the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook can help.
There is no chance at all that Rabbi Kook said this about the people of the Old Yishuv. He was always very, very careful about their honor.
What he did write, though, was: "There is heresy that is like acknowledgment, and acknowledgment that is like heresy. How so? A person acknowledges that the Torah is from Heaven, but those heavens are pictured in his mind in such strange forms that nothing of true faith remains in it at all…" (printed in Orot HaEmunah), and that is probably what you meant.