Book Review by Rabbi Reuven Boshnack Title: The Project of Hasidism By: Rabbi Betzalel Naor Kodesh Press R. Betzalel Naor’s latest offering, The Project of Hasidism, is a compilation of essays accompanied by his characteristically rich footnotes. It delves into the question: What is the contribution of chassidus to Yiddishkeit? More than merely a popular movement, chassidus has attracted […]
This article was published in the collection ‘Ofer ha-Ayyalim (‘Ofer Eliyahu Cohen Memorial Volume), Jerusalem, Ellul 5754 (1994). Ofer ha-Ayyalim-Ofer Eliyahu Cohen Memorial Volume
Marc B. Shapiro. Renewing the Old, Sanctifying the New: The Unique Vision of Rav Kook. London: Littman, 2025. xvi, 212 pp. REVIEWED BY BEZALEL NAOR The title of the book comes from a line in one of Rav Kook’s letters that has become emblematic: “The old will be renewed, and the new will be sanctified.” […]
INDIVIDUAL SPIRITUALITY AND COLLECTIVE SPIRITUALITY Ari Ze’ev Schwartz. The Spiritual Wisdom of Rav Kook. Urim, 2025. pp. 313, (5). Reviewed by Bezalel Naor This is the author’s second collection of Rav Kook’s writings. (The first was entitled, The Spiritual Revolution of Rav Kook [2018].) The book is divided into two parts: Individual Spirituality […]
In the On Principle Podcast, Episode 103, Portal to Prophecy Rabbi Bezalel Naor discusses”Hadarav”- His Inner Chambers, a collection of Rav Kook’s writings. To listen to the interview, click here: https://jewishpodcasts.fm/onprinciple/80761
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook. Orot ha-Torah. Translated and annotated by Rabbi Chanan Morrison. Whirlwind Press, 2024. Bilingual edition. xxvii, 204 pp. REVIEWED BY BEZALEL NAOR The indefatigable Rabbi Chanan Morrison has now published his translation of Rav Kook’s gem, Orot ha-Torah (Lights of Torah). The book is available in English-only and bilingual editions. Rabbi […]
Theodicy is a philosophical problem that disturbs all religious people. In layman’s terms: Why do bad things happen to good people? The Mishnah (Avot 4:15) records in the name of Rabbi Yannai: “We have no explanation, neither for the serenity of the wicked, nor for the suffering of the righteous.” According to a tradition preserved in the […]
‘Master of Wars, Sower of Righteousness’: The Impact of the Great War upon Rav Kook by Bezalel Naor INTRODUCTION World War One (”the Great War”), which left Rav Kook stranded in Europe, first in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and later in London, England, left a profound impact on the Rav’s thought. An important cluster of […]
Review Essay by Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer The Souls of the World of Chaos by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook Translation, Introduction and Notes by Bezalel Naor Orot/Kodesh 5783/2023 Today is an appropriate day to write this review. It is 3 Elul, Rav Kook’s 88th Yahrzeit. It is also shortly after the end […]
