Shabbat Parashat Teruma 5781

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Preparing for Aliya

Date and Place: Monday of Parashat Vayeishev 5665 (1905), Boisk

Recipient: Rav Kook’s brother, Shmuel Hakohen Kook

Greeting: To my dear and pleasant brother: Peace to you and all who are with you, with great love.

Body: Your dear words in your letter arrived. You are right, that I write much too briefly in my letters to you, my dear. However, this is not done maliciously but due to the different pressures, as you know.  The specific things that you pointed out in your letter will certainly be solved by Shaul Chona (their brother), may he live.

The matter of my journey (of aliya), with Hashem’s assistance, we will apparently carry out, with the blessed Hashem’s kindness, in the upcoming weeks, for they (the community of Yafo) are pushing the matter forward, and they are getting help from Jerusalem to speed us up with messages of positive pressure. Indeed, what is the point of delaying the matter? After all, one cannot, Heaven forbid, push off the opportunity to live in Eretz Yisrael because of concerns and difficulties. If a person were to be concerned in, say, his business matters with concerns of a weakened spirit of this nature, then all business and work in the world would cease to move forward.

We must strengthen ourselves with the power of the Name of Hashem, and this will fill our hearts with the strength of good hope and confidence, that Hashem will help us so that everything will work out in the best and most complete way. He should grant us good health and sufficient livelihood, and a sense of tranquility there in the Land of our Desire. May we merit there to be happy and make all those whom we love happy from a distance and from close, with His great mercy.

My dear and pleasant brother, please write about all the good things that occur to you. Certainly we will inform you, with Hashem’s help, the time of our voyage in detail, so that you will be able to come to Mitvi (for a farewell meeting in that regional city, apparently the voyage’s starting point) as we desire.

Mazal tov, mazal tov to all of us, on the occasion of the birth of a boy to our sister Ruchama, may she live. May Hashem give him success and a long and good life, and may his parents raise him to Torah, chuppa, and good deeds. May we receive joy from him and them and all those who are dear to us, may they all live. May this be a time of peace and blessing.

Sign Off: Your spirit and the spirit of your brother are joined with a deep love and thus I look forward to your success and welfare – so may it be His will, Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen.

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