Kol Dodi Dofek

Everything happens, my wife is wont to observe, when it's supposed to. A case in point is the publication, earlier this year of the new translation of the Rav's Religous Zionist classic, Kol Dodi Dofek, which I was privileged to edit. The translation was completed fifteen years ago, but a long via lachrymosa held up its publication. Prima facie, there was no special reason why it should come out now.

Greater powers thought differently. The events of the past decade (and the past year, in particular) have thrown Religious Zionism into a tailspin. The renewed interest in Kol Dodi Dofek is, without a doubt, a result of people looking for an alternative, religious approach to Zionism. Making it available in English has expanded the dialogue around its ideas and spurred both Israelis and non-Israelis to be more creative in making sense out of our present circumstances.

It is in that context that I was very excited, and moved, to see the new issue of Tradition that is devoted to Kol Dodi Dofek, in which some of the best minds and souls in our community participated. Barukh HaShem.