A few related comments:
The Tzitz Eliezer zt”l was one of a large group of Eretz Yisroel Jews who were part of the old yishuv in Yerushalayim and were admirers or more of Rav Kook. They knew him personally and he was an integral part of their religious and personal lives. Some of the other notables in this group were Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap,Reb Aryeh Levin,Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach,and Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. Quite an impressive group. So it’s almost axiomatic that Rav Waldenberg had nice things to say about Rav Kook, how could he not?
Professor Samet and Professor Assaf are two of many experts in their field of Jewish History, and their observations are based on verifiable facts. Unverifiable anecdotes, exagerrations, and legends are treated as such, and the reader can draw his/her own conclusions. Reading their works can only enhance one’s appreciation of what Jewish life was actually like in the last three hundred years.
The discussion on seyata dishmaya, ruach hakodesh, and other like terms is interesting but pointless. None of these terms can be specifically defined in terms of their depth or applicability. Inevitably, one will say that there are varying degrees of ruach hakodesh without specifying under what circumstances any of these degrees apply, essentially evading the issue and making the discussion worthless.