The Correspondence Of Rav Yitzchak Halevi Herzog Rav Yitzchak Halevi Herzog (1888-1959) was the first chief rabbi of Ireland (1921-1936), in which capacity he strongly supported Ireland's struggle for independence, and he was elected Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Eretz Yisrael (1936-1959), overcoming strong opposition by charedim, who argued that his secular education disqualified a "rabbi doctor" to the position. Rav Herzog, who never attended a yeshiva, was educated by his father, a rabbi in Leeds and, after receiving semicha from Rav Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky (the "Ridbaz"), he went on to achieve the greatest heights of rabbinic scholarship. He also attended the Sorbonne and later the University of London, where he received his doctorate with his Ph.D. thesis, The Dyeing of Purple in Ancient Israel (1919), making him famous throughout the Jewish world. His thesis concerned his rediscovery of techelet, the special light blue dye that the Talmud describes as being exclusively derived from a marine animal known as the chillazon, which was used for the clothing of the Kohen Gadol, the tapestries in the Tabernacle, and tzitzit. A true polymath and a classic Renaissance man, Rav Herzog was knowledgeable in a wide variety of academic disciplines, including areas such as Greek metaphysics, Roman legal theory, Arabic poetry, medieval Jewish philosophy, current political issues and contemporary science, including zoology, botany, astronomy, physics and chemistry. Over and above being a respected Hebrew grammarian and rabbinic scholar, he was a linguist who mastered twelve languages, including many ancient tongues such as Sumerian and Acadian and classical Greek and Latin.  Original drawing by Hermann Struck of Rav Herzog and originally signed by both. Struck (1876-1944) is considered one of the most important print artists of Germany and Eretz Yisrael in the first h Universally recognized as a leading rabbinical authority, he wrote many books and articles addressing halachic problems involving the Torah and the State of Israel; his writings played a leading role in shaping the approach of the Religious Zionist Movement toward the Jewish State. He wrote the Tefilla L'Shlom HaMedinah (the "Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel"), was awarded the 1958 Israel Prize in rabbinical literature, and became the progenitor of two Israeli presidents – his son Chaim and grandson Isaac. By Saul Jay Singer The Correspondence Of Rav Yitzchak Halevi Herzog | The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com | Saul Jay Singer | 18 Nisan 5784 – Thursday, April 25, 2024 | JewishPress.com | 
