Avi: Your stories are simply inaccurate. For example, your story about the CC at the Aguda convention originates from Simcha Raz’s notoriously unreliable biography on Rav Kook. In it, Raz writes many distortions, by omission and commission. He indicates, falsely, that the Gedolei Yisroel in general held of R. Kook and it was merely Kanaim who opposed him, which is clearly false. In the famous letter of the Imrei Emes about R. Kook, he omitted the part of the letter where he says that R. Kook “says about Tameh that it is Tahor and Tahor that it is Tameh”, as well as other parts, giving a totally wrong idea of what the letter said. (Btw, the Imrei Emes (Gerrer Rebbe) claimed to have had a letter form Rav Kook where he says he regrets many of the things he said, including the statements about Apikorsim being holy. The problem is that even so, his seforim still contain those “pre-teshuva” teachings, and it is that Rav Kook – the one described in his seforim, the one that everyone knows of, that we are discussing here, not the private, repented one. )
As far as the Chofetz Chaim — From “Mishkenos Harayim” 3:1-108:
“Rav kook said about the opening of the Hebrew University, that it is a fulfillment of kimitzion etc. – immediately the gedolim in Poland and Russian organized a protest against this chilul hashem – and the chofezt chaim came in and said, “kook Shmook!” and then he left.” (As related by Rav Berel Sooveitchik zt’l.)
When the Chofetz chaim heard what Rav Kook said about Hebrew U, he trembled, and started walking back and forth and said “Kook shmook! Kook shmook!”, and so he continued for a long while.”
And the Chofetz Chaim’s statement is mild compared to what other Gedolim have said about him. Particularly relevant in this context is a letter by Rav Elchonon Wasserman to Rav Yosef Zvi Dushinsky, printed in Kovetz Maamarim, of which a facsimile of his Ksav Yad is readily accessible, where he refers to R. Kook as a “rasha gamur.” This was the eternally loyal Talmid of the Chofetz Chaim, who spent his life disseminating his Rebbi’s Torahs. (When the Chofetz Chaim was considering moving to EY, Rav Chaim Ozer asked him who will take care of Klall Yisroel in Chutz Laaretz if he leaves. The Chofetz Chaim answered, “What do you mean? You have Reb Elchonon!”)
So you have Rav Yosef Chaim Zonenfeld’s statement that he was “drunk on ahavas yisroel” and therefore we should take what he says as if it came form a drunkard” to the Chofetz Chaim’s “Kook shmook” – to the Satmar Rav’s psak in a Teshuva to Rav Yosef Chaim declaring him an Apikores and his halachic rulings assur to follow across the board.
The following is based on the sefer by R’ Shimon Finkelman shlit”a “Five Great Leaders” (page 82):
Ten years following the Balfour Declaration, when asked to clarify his opinion, R’ Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld ZTVK”L explained:
Back in Pressburg (under the Chasam Sofer ZTVK”L and then under the Ksav Sofer ZTVK”L), every year a “Purim Rav” was selected. It is forbidden to pasken halacha even after a little drink. On Purim, everyone drinks so who will pasken an urgent sheilah? This is where the Purim Rav steps in. The Purim Rav, someone who was familiar with every-day halachos and who would remain sober on Purim, was “on call” in the event that an urgent question came up. R’ Yosef Chaim ZTL then said that this is how he views his purpose in the current times. After the Balfour Declaration came out and the Zionists began gaining control over Jewish matters in E”Y, many Jews, rabbanim included, became inebriated by the sheker-dik joy that arose. The yearning for Geulah was warped into viewing Zionism as the beginnning of Geulah. But HKB”H, explained R’ Yosef Chaim, has granted him the wisdom to remain sober and to not get swept up in the toxic winds of Zionism. He stated that in our history, there has never subsisted such a horrible threat to the existence of Klal Yisroel as Zionism, a movement that wishes to destroy our mesorah from Sinai. R’ Yosef Chaim continued: someone once asked him why he felt no happiness over the Balfour Declaration. He replied: “The drunk also wonders why everyone else isn’t joining him in his revelry. I am not drunk, and therefore I cannot rejoice”.