Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, Rav Abraham Isaac ha-Kohen Kook's participation in the event was an act of courage; indeed, many of his rabbinic colleagues viewed his presence as an act of treachery. Even more courageous was the message he delivered that afternoon, which minced no words about his true feelings regarding the Hebrew University and its place in the life of a revitalized Jewish yishuv in the Land of Israel. Rav Kook’s sermonic invocation, with its textured and flowery Hebrew, rich with biblical and rabbinic allusions, was a masterful midrashic exposition on the event being celebrated that day.
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| Lord Balfour speaking at the dedication of the Hebrew University; Rav Kook sitting on the dais. Painting by Leopold Pilichowski (click to enlarge). |
On April 1, 1925, 100 years ago today, the Hebrew University was formally inaugurated on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem. The event was presided over by Chaim Weizmann, then President of the World Zionist Organization, with representatives from the governments of the United States, France, Germany, and other nations, along with distinguished scholars representing the worldwide academic community.
The countless Jewish dignitaries present included rabbis, poets, and philosophers. Among them were Chief Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz of England, Hayyim Nahman Bialik, and Ahad Ha’am. Some six to seven thousand persons sat or stood in the audience, in order to witness the historic ceremony, which opened with an invocation, delivered by none other than the Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael, Rav Abraham Isaac ha-Kohen Kook. His participation in the event was an act of courage; indeed, many of his rabbinic colleagues viewed his presence as an act of treachery. Even more courageous was the message he delivered that afternoon, which minced no words about his true feelings regarding the Hebrew University and its place in the life of a revitalized Jewish yishuv in the Land of Israel. Rav Kook’s sermonic invocation, with its textured and flowery Hebrew, rich with biblical and rabbinic allusions, was a masterful midrashic exposition on the event being celebrated that day.
In TRADITION’s Fall 1994 issue Shnayer Z. Leiman presented an annotated translation of Rav Kook’s speech at that historic event, featured in our “From the Pages of Tradition” column:
READ & WEEP FOR THE RABBIS WE DO NOT HAVE:
https://traditiononline.org/rav-kook-at-hebrew-u/
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