תרכ"ה (1865)

Born on the 16th of Elul, 5625 (Sep. 7, 1865) in Greive (now Griva), a suburb of Dvinsk in Latvia.

תרמ"ד (1884)

At age 18, he studied for a year and a half at the famed Volozhin yeshiva. The head of the Volozhin yeshiva, Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Berlin (the "Netziv"), held the ilui [prodigy] from Griva in high esteem.

←Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Berlin (the "Netziv")

תרמ"ו (1886)

Married Batsheva, the daughter of Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim (the Aderet), then rabbi of Ponevezh, and later chief rabbi of Jerusalem.

←Rabbi Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim (the Aderet)

תרמ"ח (1888)

Appointed rabbi of Zeimel (Zeimelis) in Lithuania at age 22. Launched a short-lived monthly rabbinic journal, Itur Sofrim.

←Rav Kook in Zoimel

תרמ"ט (1889)

During his stay in Zeimel, Rav Kook's first wife died. He later married Raiza-Rivka Rabinowitz, daughter of the Aderet's twin brother. She was the mother of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook.

During this period, he studied with the great Kabbalist, Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv, author of Leshem Shevo Ve-Achlamah.

תרנ"ה - תרנ"ו (1894-1896)

Collected 38 sermons in the book Midbar Shur. The manuscript disappeared and was only published a century later in 1999.

תרנ"ו (1896)

Became rabbi of Boisk (now Bauska), Latvia. Wrote Musar Avicha, a treatise on moral reflections.

תרס"ד (1904)

Arrived in Eretz Yisrael on the 28th of Iyar, 5664 (May 13, 1904). Served as rabbi of Jaffa and the surrounding settlements for the next ten years.

See Rav Kook Arrives in Jaffa.

←Neve Tzedek, by Nachum Gutman

תרס"ה (1905)

Published the first chapters of Orot HaTeshuvah, as well as Eder HaYakar and Ikvei Hatzon.

←Rav Kook in Jaffa

תר"ע (1910)

Sabbatical year. Published the Halachic work, Shabbat Ha'Aretz, in defense of the heter mechirah.

תרע"ד (1913)

Led a mission of rabbis to settlements in the north to strengthen religious observance.

תרע"ה (1914)

Traveled to Europe for the Agudat Yisrael convention. Trapped by the outbreak of WWI, he spent a year and a half in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

See: Rav Kook meets the 'Nazir'.

←Rav Kook in Switzerland

תרע"ו (1916)

Arrived in London to serve as rabbi of Machzikei HaDat congregation. Published the mystical treatise Rosh Millin.

See: The Balfour Declaration, A Time to Study Esoteric Wisdom.

←Rav Kook in London

תרע"ט (1919)

Returned to Eretz Yisrael and accepted the position of Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.

תר"פ (1920)

Orot — Rav Kook's most famous work — was published, edited by his son, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook.

←Cover of Orot

תרפ"א (1921)

Established the Chief Rabbinate of pre-state Israel, becoming the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi.

See: The Kosher Kitchen of the Poel Mizrachi, Blasts That Penetrate the Heart, The Kotel Affair.

←Rav Kook in Jerusalem

תרפ"ד (1924)

Established the Mercaz HaRav yeshivah in Jerusalem.

←Mercaz HaRav yeshivah

תרצ"ה (1935)

Passed away in Jerusalem on the third of Elul, 5695 (Sep 1, 1935), two weeks before his 70th birthday.

See Gimmel Elul.

←Rav Kook's writing desk in Beit HaRav