When I was twelve, I read Marx's "Communist Manifesto". I loved the idea of a classless society, with each contributing according to his abilities, and receiving according to his needs. But I had no knowledge of how many tens of millions had been killed because of these ideas, or the full import of "Dictatorship of the Proletariat". In my opinion, a similar situation exists with the teachings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935). A beloved figure (by most people), who declared the Zionist movement, its institutions and leaders, as the beginning of the promised redemption. He established the Chief rabbinate, and was the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of pre-State Israel. This was despite the declared anti Torah policies of that leadership. He is famous for his idea of "Ahavat Chinam" (Baseless love) The Temple was destroyed because of baseless hate, and could only be rebuilt by baseless love. He saw the founders of the State as the workmen G-d had put in place, with the spiritual redemption to come later, built on the backs of the early pioneers. What is generally not known, is that he was opposed by virtually every other rabbinic figure. Rabbi Sonnenfeld, the head of Jerusalem's ultra Orthodox community, said "Rav Kook's great love for Zion, has taken him out of his mind, and away from the Mind of his Creator". He took a very lenient view towards halachah..on most issues. While he believed in the mission of Israel to be a light unto the nations, he was very strict about conversions. This was not for the reasons usually heard today, but he came up with the unprecedented (to my knowledge) idea, that if a convert sins, the guilt is on the heads of the rabbis who converted him. When I was the rabbi of Kfar Tappuah (in the Shomron), I was asked, and gladly accepted, a position on the Beit Din for conversions, as most of the other rabbis in the area were followers of Rav Kook, and were afraid to serve.But the most troubling of his teachings were his views on the meaning of the Zionist movement. He called the institutions of the Jewish Agency (the pre-State governing body of the Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael) "The pillars of G-d's Throne of Glory" He also said that halachic observance was no longer essential for Redemption, and how could we imagine that this glorious process could possibly be impeded by something so puny as our sins? He taught that when the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were destroyed, the Divine power of Kingship went back to the People. The People have now bestowed that Divine attribute upon the leaders of Zionism. Each one is to be seen as King David himself. One student of a student of Rav Kook says even today that even the Palestinian members of the Knesset must be seen as King David, and, since the "Palestinian Authority" exists as a result of an agreement with Israel, it must be honored as a factor in the ultimate redemption.These ideas essentially make of the entire menagerie of politicos, an expression of the Torah, which must be seen with reverence. He posited that the Jewish People is perfect (with no blemish), and takes the place of the Hasidic idea of the Tzaddik. We must emulate the ordinary people, rather than a charismatic figure. Follow the People. (His writings underwent a great censorship in the 1950s, where his idea that an eventual revolt against the State must occur, if the state doesn't turn to G-d in a short time, was carefully expunged.I have seen the pre censorship edition) In a sense, the state represents G-d. Although most non Hareidi Orthodox are influenced by Rav Kook's teachings, there exists a hard core that has built these ideas into what I call a religious Fascism. The State of Israel, is actually the Kingdom of Israel.I lived in such a community for fourteen of my seventeen years in Israel. How this plays out, will be the topic of my next post.