"Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you should bless the Israelites..." (Num. 6:23)

Rav Kook's position as chief rabbi of Jaffa and the surrounding settlements was difficult and demanding. To take a break from the long hours and pressures, Rav Kook would vacate in the late summer, during the grape harvest season, in the agricultural settlement of Rehovot.

But even in Rehovot, rest was not a simple matter. The local residents were excited to host the revered scholar. They sought out his advice in Halachic matters as well as administrative issues — tax collection, building local roads, and so forth. And if a Torah topic was raised, Rav Kook became a ma'ayan hamitgaber, an ever-increasing wellspring of knowledge and creativity, often expounding on an issue for hours.

Guarding the Rav's Health

Rav Kook would stay in the humble home of the Lipkovitz family. R. Avraham Yitzchak Lipkovitz, who had studied in European yeshivot before making aliyah with his family at age 18, took upon himself to watch over their esteemed guest's rest and recuperation. He took this duty most seriously, and formulated an appropriate plan. It quickly became clear that at their home and in the synagogue, where Rav Kook was constantly plied with questions and requests, he could not properly rest.

R. Lipkovitz owned a vineyard, one that produced some of the choicest grapes in the country. In the vineyard he erected a simple hut for Rav Kook's personal use. Each day, Lipkovitz would bring Rav Kook to the vineyard by donkey. And for two hours, Rav Kook would rest in the hut.

Lipkovitz thought that the Rav spent this time resting, eating grapes, and reading light material. In fact, Rav Kook's mind was far away from Rehovot and its plentiful vineyards. His thoughts soarded to the heights of the Torah scholarship of Vilna. He utilized those precious hours of peace and quiet to compose a commentary to the Vilna Gaon's glosses on the Shulchan Aruch. This scholarly work, Be'er Eliyahu ('Elijah's Well'), explains the Gaon's terse hints and novel thoughts in Halacha and Talmud.

Visitors would frequently arrive from Jaffa or Jerusalem in order to consult with Rav Kook. They were allowed to accompany him on the trip to the vineyard. But once reaching the vineyard, the entrance was barred. R. Lipkovitz gave strict orders to his Arab watchman not to allow any visitors disturb the rabbi's rest.

Lipkovitz took charge of all aspects of Rav Kook's rest and recuperation in his stays in Rehovot. He zealously watched over the Rav's meals and rest, adamantly preventing anyone from disturbing his sleep, no matter what the occasion.

The Rav's Blessing

R. Lipkovitz was overjoyed with the privilege of serving Rav Kook during these visits. Yet he had a modest request of the rabbi, a request which he was unable to present for some time. He related:

'Rav Kook stayed at my house, and I very much wanted to receive a blessing from him. But the Rav was always occupied in his Torah learning, or he had visitors, and I dared not interrupt.

'One day I noticed that the Rav had raised his eyes from the sefer he was studying. At the time, I was holding some chickens in my hands. I immediately released the birds and approached the Rav and presented my request.

'You need a blessing?' the Rav replied in surprise. 'After all, you merited to ascend to the Land of Israel and live here in [financial] security.'

'Nonetheless,' the Rav continued thoughtfully, 'I am a kohen; and it is a mitzvah for me to bless the Jewish people at all times.'

Rav Kook blessed his host that he would merit a long life — until the redemption. 'From then on,' concluded Lipkovitz, 'I lived in tranquility, placing my trust in the scholar's blessing.'

'But after the Six-Day War in 1967, when we have merited such an expansion of the borders of Eretz Yisrael, I began to worry. Perhaps the Rav's blessing has already been fulfilled, and my hour has arrived...'

Avraham Yitzchak Lipkovitz in fact lived to be just over a hundred years old, passing away in Shvat, 5732 (1972). When asked how he had attained such a ripe age, he would reply simply, "Why, I have a berachah from the Rav!" 

(Adapted from Chayei HaRe'iyah, pp. 332-337. Shivchei HaRe'iyah, pp. 91-95)

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