The
words engraved on Maran Ha-Rav Kook's tombstone
Ha-Rav
Avraham Yitzchak Ha-Cohain Kook
Born
on 16 Elul 5625
Ascended
to the Land of Israel on 28 Iyar 5664
Ascended
to Jerusalem on 3 Elul 5679
Ascended
to Heaven on 3 Elul 5695
Maran
Ha-Rav Kook's grave
Rabbi
Yaakov Filber relates that Maran Ha-Rav Kook's grave on Mt. Olives remained
completely intact during the period between of the War of Independence and the
Six-Day War when the area was under Jordanian control. While all the other graves were vandalized
and the tombstones were uprooted by the Arabs and used for paving roads, Maran
Ha-Rav Kook's grave remained untouched.
He heard from reliable sources that every time a Jordanian tractor came within
reach of the grave, the tractor would flip over. The Jordanians were struck by the holiness of
the grave and left it alone. Our Rabbi
filled in the details. While everything
around Maran Ha-Rav Kook's grave was bombed out or destroyed, his grave
remained whole. An Arab worker related
that they received special instructions from their superiors not to damage the
grave in any way (Sichot Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah #51). (Mareh Cohain of Ha-Rav Yaakov Filber, p. 139
including pictures of the untouched grave and its destroyed surroundings
immediately after the Six-Day War).
