Footsteps in the Sand

A child who grew up in Jaffa later recalled Rav Kook's house, which stood a few hundred steps from his own home. A whitewashed fence surrounded it, and inside the gate were a small garden and a well. The very sight of the house gave a feeling of calm and joy, and through its open windows the sound of Jews learning Torah could be heard.

When Rav Kook appeared at the gate, ready to walk to shul, the sight always took the boy's breath away. He adored the Rav for his beauty, his noble calm and his steady composure. He would even follow behind him, placing his feet in the prints the Rav left in the sand. He never met another man like him, a Rav who knew how to draw in people from every camp and faction, and he still marveled at what a figure Rav Kook had been.