Rav Kook

Mystic in a Time of Revolution

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Judaism, History, Biography & Memoir, Religious, Historical
Cover of the book Rav Kook by Yehudah Mirsky, Yale University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Yehudah Mirsky ISBN: 9780300165555
Publisher: Yale University Press Publication: February 11, 2014
Imprint: Yale University Press Language: English
Author: Yehudah Mirsky
ISBN: 9780300165555
Publisher: Yale University Press
Publication: February 11, 2014
Imprint: Yale University Press
Language: English

Rav Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) was one of the most influential—and controversial—rabbis of the twentieth century. A visionary writer and outstanding rabbinic leader, Kook was a philosopher, mystic, poet, jurist, communal leader, and veritable saint. The first chief rabbi of Jewish Palestine and the founding theologian of religious Zionism, he struggled to understand and shape his revolutionary times. His life and writings resonate with the defining tensions of Jewish life and thought.

A powerfully original thinker, Rav Kook combined strict traditionalism and an embrace of modernity, Orthodoxy and tolerance, piety and audacity, scholasticism and ecstasy, and passionate nationalism with profound universalism. Though little known in the English-speaking world, his life and teachings are essential to understanding current Israeli politics, contemporary Jewish spirituality, and modern Jewish thought. This biography, the first in English in more than half a century, offers a rich and insightful portrait of the man and his complex legacy. Yehudah Mirsky clears away widespread misunderstandings of Kook’s ideas and provides fresh insights into his personality and worldview. Mirsky demonstrates how Kook's richly erudite, dazzlingly poetic writings convey a breathtaking vision in which "the old will become new, and the new will become holy."

Rav Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) was one of the most influential—and controversial—rabbis of the twentieth century. A visionary writer and outstanding rabbinic leader, Kook was a philosopher, mystic, poet, jurist, communal leader, and veritable saint. The first chief rabbi of Jewish Palestine and the founding theologian of religious Zionism, he struggled to understand and shape his revolutionary times. His life and writings resonate with the defining tensions of Jewish life and thought.

A powerfully original thinker, Rav Kook combined strict traditionalism and an embrace of modernity, Orthodoxy and tolerance, piety and audacity, scholasticism and ecstasy, and passionate nationalism with profound universalism. Though little known in the English-speaking world, his life and teachings are essential to understanding current Israeli politics, contemporary Jewish spirituality, and modern Jewish thought. This biography, the first in English in more than half a century, offers a rich and insightful portrait of the man and his complex legacy. Yehudah Mirsky clears away widespread misunderstandings of Kook’s ideas and provides fresh insights into his personality and worldview. Mirsky demonstrates how Kook's richly erudite, dazzlingly poetic writings convey a breathtaking vision in which "the old will become new, and the new will become holy."

More books from Yale University Press

Cover of the book How to Change the World: Reflections on Marx and Marxism by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book Forbidden Music by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book Culture Crash by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book The Invention of Scotland by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book The Taming of the Demons: Violence and Liberation in Tibetan Buddhism by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book Same, Different, Equal by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book Exploring Happiness: From Aristotle to Brain Science by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book The Future of the Internet--And How to Stop It by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book The Hour of Europe: Western Powers and the Breakup of Yugoslavia by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book Augustus by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book The City of Tomorrow by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book The Fruited Plain by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book The Proteus Paradox by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book Revolution, Resistance, and Reform in Village China by Yehudah Mirsky
Cover of the book Culture in Nazi Germany by Yehudah Mirsky
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy