Shabbat Parashat Vayigash 5784

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Responding to Inquiries About Organizational Affairs – #180

Date and Place:  10 Tevet 5669 (1909), Yafo 

Recipient: Rav Yonasan Binyamin Halevi Horowitz. Rav Horowitz was a Slovakian rabbi, who made aliya a few years prior to this letter. As a representative of Agudas Yisroel in Israel, which, among other things, had him supervise dispensing of funds for various projects, he had connection with Rav Kook and many other rabbis. Years later, he would take part and chronicle the famous tour of moshavot that Rav Kook and Rav Zonnenfeld led.  

Body: I received your important letters. I am very happy about the good beginnings that have taken place in Petach Tikva (referring to the establishment of a certain religious school there, in which the two of them were involved, each in his own way). Even though there is still a need to strengthen the situation, we should have trust that Hashem will help and allow us to finish that which we began.

Regarding your brother-in-law, my opinion is that in any place that we find even an opening the width of a needle’s eye, through which we can positively impact the belief and fear of Hashem in the hearts of our children, wherever they are, we cannot stand idly by. Therefore, I wholeheartedly agree that your brother-in-law accept the position. May we receive trustworthy young men even from that far-flung place, with Hashem’s help.

Regarding the letter of the leading rabbis concerning [the appointment of] the Chacham Bashi (Chief Rabbi of the Turkish Empire, based in Constantinople), at this time I do not see myself having any role, because I am not an expert on the proper steps in this political matter. However, if you have a beneficial, special role you would like me to fill in the matter, I will try to be as helpful as I can be. [Certainly, we do not want anyone to] sit on the chair of the Chacham Bashi if he is not a Torah scholar and a fearer of Hashem.

Regarding the paper Haniyar (lit., The Paper), the first installment, in which I have an article, was already published. It is expected that next week the first full edition will come out. I believe that we will be able to secure Haniyar itself as time goes on (the various stages are unclear to me), so that it will be the monthly paper that we desire to have. I have already told you that I believe that we must go on the broad path of knowledge that gives strength to Hashem. Along with that, we need to include articles on practical matters as time goes on, which will strengthen our goal of establishing support for authentic Judaism with the strength of Torah and mitzvot on the holy soil.

Now it is necessary to obtain an official license, which is not particularly expensive, indeed not costing even ten Napoléon coins. I believe it is correct to acquire for ourselves this status. The Savior of Israel shall help us, to fortify the effort of the group of those to whose hearts Hashem is significant. May that which we work on be successfully established.

Perhaps you can inform me how much you will be able to allocate monthly toward the monthly publication, so that I will be able to know in the coming days to what extent we can work on glorifying it in quantity and quality. It is better not to be too thrifty regarding the cost of writers, when these are justified.

Please also tell me how the board of education in Petach Tikva is doing. 

I sign my name as your reliable friend, who is connected to you with bonds of love for your delicate spirit. Please also send me, on a monthly basis, the students’ grades on tests, as you send them to the board members in Jerusalem.  

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