People speak and write without end about what Rav Kook was. But no matter how much they write and speak, no one can reveal what he was, because he transcended anything that one could say of him.
Rabbi Dovid Hacohen (the Nazir), Likutei Harayah, p. 17
Usually, a person who has become famous is treated with awe and respect by those who are far from him and have an exaggerated idea about him. But when they come to know him better, their impression diminishes. They see many things that are understandable and not so wondrous. Everyone has weaknesses and failings. But Rav Kook was different. The more you stood in his presence, the more you saw how he conducted himself, the more you heard him speak, the more did he rise beyond your comprehension. You came to honor and respect him, to roll in the dust of his feet. Before you, you saw the immense phenomenon of a giant, a man with a mind that was encompassing and penetrating, a "good Jew" [a tzaddik] in the full meaning of the word, and a man in his full stature.
Likutei Harayah, p. 17
Rav Kook once wrote, "I write not because I have the strength to write, but because I do not have the strength to remain silent."
Likutei Harayah, p. 43
When Rav Kook became chief rabbi of Jerusalem, members of the extremist circles rose against him and harassed him. But Rav Kook was, in the words of the sages, like those "who are insulted but do not insult, who hear themselves reviled but do not respond." Once, his enemies were especially provocative and insulted him publicly. The city was in an uproar. But Rav Kook, as usual, overlooked the insult and remained silent.
"Rabbi," those close to him asked, "to such a degree?" Rav Kook responded, "I will tell you that in my heart, I know that I am not fit for the rabbinate of Jerusalem. Who am I to sit upon the rabbinical chair in the holy city, most of whose inhabitants are wise men and scholars, the masters of the generation and the pious of the world? I am like a man who puts on shoes that are too big. What does he do? He stuffs them with straw. And thank God, here in Jerusalem we have a good deal of straw. And by its nature, straw is prickly...."
Malachim Kivnei Adam, p. 201-02
All translations on this site copyright 2020 by Yaacov David Shulman