On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of its founding (1937) Mossad HaRav Kook, Israel’s largest publishing house for religious literature, put out two volumes under the title HaSefer (The Book).
Many pages of the first volume are filled with greetings and congratulations to Mossad HaRav Kook by organizations and enterprises as well as by rabbis and private people. They also carry the publishing house’s good wishes to its supporters. These are followed by a brief introduction which includes, inter alia, the names of the various research departments of the institute, a short history of Mossad Harav Kook, a list of titles and descriptions of the books published by the institute from 1970 to date. (In 1970, Mossad Harav Kook had issued a catalogue of the books it had published from the time of its establishment until 1969, compiled by the late Naphtali Ben Menahem, and a variety of studies and works– including a few published from manuscript – some of which relate to the printing of books. The two volumes were edited by Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Movshowitz.
The author of the history of Mossad HaRav Kook is Geulah Raphael, the daughter of the founder of Mossad Harav Kook and its chairman for many years, Rabbi Y.L Maimon, and the wife of Dr. Yitzchak Raphael, the son-in-law of Rabbi Y. L. Maimon and his successor as chairman of the institute. She is a well known author, translator and editor whose writings have been published by Mossad HaRav Kook.
In 1935, after the death of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook, Rabbi Maimon, who was greatly attached to him, planned the establishment of an institute devoted to Torah and literature carrying the name of Rabbi Kook as a memorial to him. He hoped to receive financial support for his project from the Zionist Organization and was told that he request would be considered at the forthcoming Zionist Congress. Rabbi Maimon did not wait for the decision of the Congress but immediately established the institute perhaps to demonstrate he was determined to go ahead with his plans irrespective of the attitude of the Zionist Organization.
At the 20th Zionist Congress which was held in Zurich, Switzerland, at the end of the summer of 1937, Shenur Zalman Rubashov (Shazar) a prominent Zionist leader, writer and scholar, who after the establishment of the State of Israel served as Minister of Education and later was chosen as the third president of the Jewish State, spoke about the greatness of Rabbi Kook and declared that it was the duty of Zionists to establish an institute for Torah and science carrying Rabbi Kook’s name, whose activities would be conducted in the spirit of Rabbi Kook.
Rabbi Maimon had great plans for Mossad HaRav Kook. He hoped that the institute would spread Torah among the people and inspire the masses with love for Torah and Judaism.
Mossad HaRav Kook’s first publications was Askarah, a work in five parts dedicated to the memory of Rabbi Kook. Rabbi Maimon contributed a biography of Rabbi Kook and a study about “Religious Zionism and its development.”
Rabbi Maimon, who was for many years associated with periodicals, wanted that Mossad HaRav Kook, in addition to printing books in all fields of Judaism, also publish a monthly devoted to Torah, science and literature in which prominent rabbis, scholars and writers would participate. He named the monthly Yerushalayim, but the British Mandate administration for reasons of its own, refused to allow the use of this name. After long endeavors, Rabbi Maimon was permitted to call the month Sinai. Under the editorship of Rabbi Maimon, Sinai became a high standard modern Torah monthly in which well known rabbis and scholars contributed. Rabbi Maimon also saw to its regular and timely publication during the 25 years that he was its editor.
Mossad Harav Kook’s first office was a room in a business building in Jerusalem. Later it oved to a somewhat larger facility. It took 16 years for Rabbi Maimon to be able to build a spacious and beautiful home for the institute wit a large lecture hall, at the entrance to Jerusalem. This building has served ever since as Mossad HaRav Kook’s headquarters. David Ben Gurion spoke on Hannukah 5714 at the dedication of the building. He wished Rabbi Maimon a long life so that he could continue, for many years, his important and beneficial activities.
(To be continued)
The Jewish Press, Friday, July 11, 2008
(Continued from last week)
Rabbi Yehuda L. Maimon also instituted the annual Kinnus Torah Shebe’al Peh, the Oral Law Convention held by Mossad HaRav Kook, at which prominent rabbis and rabbinic scholars deliver lectures. He founded the Convention to counter the influence of the anti-Talmudic view and attitudes of various scholars, to encourage the study of the Oral Law, and to demonstrate the great role the Oral Law plays in the life of Jews throughout history. The first Oral Law Convention was held at the headquarters of Mossad HaRav Kook in Jerusalem and has taken place every year since then.
In her essay on the history of Mossad HaRav Kook, Geulah Raphael also tells us about the activities of her husband, the late Dr. Yitzhak Raphael. Dr. Raphael, had called for many years, for the establishment of Religious Zionist Archives, win which documents relating to Religious Zionism and publications by the Religious Zionists, such as books, newspapers, periodicals, appeals and the like would be preserved. He established these archive in 1954 in Mossad Harav Kook. The rich archives are visited daily by authors, researchers and others.
After the death of Rabbi Maimon, Dr. Raphael founded the Yad HaRav Maimon, Mosad Harav Kook’s sister institute. Yad Harav Maimon is in charge of the “Yehuda Library of Torah and Judaism” located in the headquarters of Mossad Harav Kook- which was established by a merger of Rabbi Maimon’s rich private library and many other collections.
Geulah Raphael also acquaints us with several outstanding people who worked at Mossad Harav Kook. The institute’s first employee was Reb Anshel Katz. Officially he was a proofreader but he did much more than proofread and corrected inaccuracies he noticed. On receiving the first printed copies of of their books, authors noticed immediately, Reb Anshel’s corrections and improvements and they hurried to express to him their heartfelt thanks. Dr. Raphael wrote about him in Sinai, “Hundreds of books passed through his hands. He proofread, corrected and edited tens of volumes of Sinai. His love and his soul went into his work. He was a true Talmid Hakham. He was at home in the Bible, in the Talmud and in the Midrashim.”
Ze’ev Blumenzweig was the first director of Mossad Harav kook. His devotion to his many tasks knew no limit and “he felt like a member of the Rabbi Maimon and Raphael families.”
Rabbi Moshe HaLevi Katzenellenbogen was one of the best students of the Yeshivot of Jerusalem. Rabbi Maimon recruited him to serve as editor and to record the various readings of the texts of different rabbinical books published by Mossad HaRav Kook. He was an excellent employee and Dr. Raphael appointed him later as director of the institute. He served in that capacity for about twenty-five years, until his death.
Rabbi Shiloh Raphael, the son of Dr. Yitzhak Raphael, was active for many years in Mossad Harav Kook. When he died, before his time, he headed a Jerusalem Rabbinical Court and was the rabbi of a large neighborhood in the Holy City. He studied for nine years in the “Beth HaTalmud” Kollel which he had instituted in Mossad HaRav Kook, and edited eight volumes of Divrei Torah that he and other members of the Kollel had authored.
He established, within Mossad HaRav Kook “The Institute for the Publication of Works by Rishonim and Aharonim” (Early and Later Authorities) on the basis of manuscripts and early prints. The institute has published excellent edition of rabbinical works. Books edited by Rabbi Shiloh Raphael include the Hiddushim by Rabbi Yom Tov Ben Avraham Ishbili (Ritba) on Tractate Bava Metzia, for which he was awarded the Rabbi Kook Prize of the Municipality of Tel Aviv. Rabbi Shiloh Raphael’s edition of these Hiddushim has been printed 18 times.
During the 70 years of its existence, Mossad HaRav Kook has published more than 2000 books in all fields of Jewish knowledge as well as 141 volumes of the periodical Sinai. Books published by Mossad HaRav Kook are found in Yeshivot and Torah seminaries throughout the world as well as in many synagogues and private Jewish libraries.
Since the death of Dr. Yitzhak Raphael, Mossad HaRav Kook has been headed by Rabbi Yehuda Leib Raphael (son of Rabbi Shiloh Raphael)) who is the chairman of the executive; Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Movshowitz who is the rabbi of the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem, director of Mossad HaRav Kook, and editor of Sinai and other publications and Rabbi Nathan Shapiro. Rabbi Movshowitz and Rabbi Shapiro are sons-in-law of the late Rabbi Shiloh Raphael.
(To be continued)
The Jewish Press, Friday, July 18, 2008
July 25 does not have an article by Preschel
Conclusion
The short history of Mossad Harav Kook written by Geulah Raphael is followed in the first of the two volumes of HaSefer, as mentioned earlier, by a list and descriptions of books printed by the institute since 1970. The list and the descriptions were prepared by Yitzhak Yudlov, a veteran member of the staff of the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem. He is a well known bibliographer, author of many bibliographies and bibliographical studies. Works of his published in recent years include a bibliography of all the Passover Haggadot.
Even persons who are well acquainted with Mossad Harav Kook’s publishing activities will no doubt be greatly impressed by Yudlov’s list of several hundreds of books relating to fields of Jewish knowledge. Among them are: Da’at Mikra, a new commentary to all the books of the Bible; a Pentateuch with early commentaries and Sefer HaHinnukh; newly discovered early commentaries to various books of the Bible, novellae by early authorities on tractates of the Talmud, Midrash HaGadol; Geonic responsa, a treatise on Hebrew grammar by Avraham Ibn Ezra, new translations from Arabic into Hebrew of Maimonides Sefer HaMitzvot and Moreh Nevukhim; Daniel Sperber’s books on Jewish customs, Yitzhak Raphael’s volume on Hasidism and Hasidim and many many more.
Yudlov added to his descriptions of books personal data relating to the books’ authors or editors. For example, about Yehuda Ibn Shemuel, the editor of excellent editions of Shmuel Ibn Tibbon’s Hebrew translation of Maimonides Moreh Nevukhim, he writes: “Original name, Kaufman. Born in Balta [Podolia. Ukraine] 20.5. 1887. Died in Jerusalem 23.2.1976. Settled in the Land of Israel in 1926.” About Rabbi Abraham ben Natan HaYarhi, author of Sefer HaManhig, a scholarly edition of which was prepared by Yitzhak Raphael and published by Mossad HaRav Kook, he notes, “Born in Lunel, France about 1155. Died in Toledo, Spain, about 1215.”
Mossad HaRav Kook has published quite a number of books to which more than one author contributed such as Jubilee and Memorial volumes and others. When listing such books, Yudlov mentioned, as a service to persons seeking information, the names of all the contributors as well as the names of their articles or studies.
Yudlov also lists all the issues of the periodical Sinai which appeared from 1970 to 2007. In this listing he generally does not mention the contributors to every issue and the names of the studies. He does so only with regard to special issues of the periodical, such as an issue in honor or in memory of a personality or an issue commemorating a certain event. Thus there was a special issue of Sinai in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Mizrachi that appeared in 2002. In 2004 there was an issue of Sinai called Kovetz Rashi (a collection of writings by or about Rashi), marking the 900th anniversary of Rashi’s death. The year 2005 saw the appearance of a special issue devoted to Maimonides on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of his death. All these special issues of Sinai have also been published as separate books, and Yudlov lists their entire contents.
Yudlov’s descriptive bibliography of the books published by Mossad Harav Kook also includes the 34 volumes of reports of the annual Oral Law Conventions held by Mossad HaRav Kook from 1970 to 2006; Each report includes the names of the person who opened the convention and features the speech he presented. It also names the lecturers and acquaints the readers with their lectures. From Yudlov’s listing and descriptions of the Oral Law Conventions we learned that in addition to the Oral Law Conventions held in Israel, Mossad HaRav Kook organized six Oral Law Conventions in the United States.
Yudlov’s list with the descriptions of books published by Mossad HaRav Kook since 1970 fills more than 260 pages. It is accompanied by two indices, one of the titles of the books and the other of the subjects.
In addition to the short preface, the history of the institute and Yudlov’s descriptive bibliography, the two volumes of HaSefer include a number of studies about some of which we hope to write on another occasion.
The Jewish Press, Friday, August 1, 2008