Q:
Was Rav Kook considered an apikores?
A:
No. He wasn’t an apikores. The fact is there were some important people who learned things from him. Only they disapproved of his shittos.
You have to know there are many people who are talmidei chachamim and otherwise could be righteous people, who have made mistakes in shittos. No question about it.
And therefore, the fact that a person was disapproved in his shittos does not necessarily mean that the person was a big choteh.
I’m going to mention one more name – you’ll be surprised. I’ll mention Kahana. Kahana had shittos that were not approved of. But Kahana himself was a frum Jew. I knew him personally. He was a Chaim Berlin boy.
Kahana was the strongest critic of the Reformers that they ever had. And that’s why he was hated by them. He was their biggest critic. Now the fact that he didn’t listen to the Chachomim, that he was the one who was always independent, that’s wrong. That’s wrong of him. After all, we have gedolei hador. They’re the ones who are our guides. You have to listen to them. But still, he himself wasn’t chalilah a choteh otherwise. He was a real frum Jew.
And therefore you have to make a separation. A man makes mistakes in shittos, very serious mistakes, and still he’s a kosher Jew and he surely has a chelek l’Olam Habah.
(May 1996)
