„(Alexander Ziskind Rabinowitz), the essay entitled”

This is one of the most difficult essays (I brought only part of it) of Rav Kook, in my humble opinion; it was not published until after the Rav's death. The essay deals with a dilemma standing before the Rav, a genuine dilemma regarding the fallen who are distant from Torah and mitzvot.

Rav Kook saw fit to voice his dilemma aloud — a dilemma that from a halachic standpoint has a clear ruling: it is permitted to eulogize any person killed because of his Jewishness; such a person is considered holy even though in his life he was distant from Torah and mitzvot.

But still it was important to the Rav to convey the question, the halachic deliberation standing in the mind of the master of the Land of Israel when he is asked to relate, in a practical way, to the public that is distant from Torah and mitzvot — a public that at times demonstratively cast off from itself the connection to the Holy One, blessed be He, yet on the other hand gives its life for the establishment of the nation in the Holy Land.

We are one people, and at the hour when we bury our dead and weep over our fallen, it is important to state Rav Kook's conclusion in a great voice — our soldiers, who protect us with self-sacrifice and are under constant threat, are holy; the fallen who died in defense of our land died for the sanctification of God's Name.

The conflict that exists between those called secular and those called religious must exist; tolerance toward those who do not observe Torah and mitzvot does not mean acceptance of their way of life. We must be careful of blurring differences on one hand, but on the other hand be careful that these differences not become the main thing. And on the battlefield there are no differences.

May these words be for the elevation of the souls of all the holy ones, the fallen of Israel's wars and the victims of hostile actions.