The Case for Religious Zionism

About a year ago, I posted an article on another blog which got a lot of comments. For some reason, people found it controversial, some even found it confrontational. It got over 100 comments on Facebook. As Yom Haatzmaut approaches once more, I want to post this article once more. I didn't edit much. However, I want to make something clear: My intentions are not confrontational. I just feel this is some information which needs to be shared. There is a lot of misinformation all around the internet and I feel there are some things which need to be clarified. I will allow (and encourage) comments but will not allow comments which are simply insulting to any side of this issue.

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It happens all the time. People born and raised Secular or Traditional Zionists start becoming more and more religious. They are then confronted with one serious question: Now that they are a new person, should they be Zionists or not? Basically, is Zionism Kosher?

Today, I am embarking on a very tough mission. It is especially tough because theoretically, I am in no position to embark in it. I am nothing more then an am haaretz. But the Pirkei Avot say clearly: In a place where there are no Men, strive to be a man. In North America, there are very few Men who are ready to take the time to explain the awesomeness of the greatest miracle in history, and defend it against its detractors. There is a serious need for a well written, thorough defense of religious Zionism so that newly religious people, who often go with their heart and are not always aware of all the aspects of a certain question because they are only fed one point of view, get the full picture and understand how un-Jewish it is to oppose Zionism. I will do my best to make the Case for Religious Zionism while recognizing that I am not up to the challenge of describing the greatest miracle in history. I will still do my best. The truth is that even any Am Haaretz can understand the awesomeness of Zionism when presented with all the facts.

We will start by defending Religious Zionism from the 3 main accusations leveled against it by Anti-Zionist and non-Zionist Jews. You will quickly realize that all the arguments of the Anti-Zionist Jews fall in one of these categories in one way or another. We will completely destroy the case of these anti-Zionist Jews. Then, we will answer one of the tougher questions: How can you be so sure you are right? Through this, we will make a short case for what we know as Religious Zionism. A true case would take hundreds of articles to build because this is a complex issue.

The 3 main arguments people make against Zionism are:
1. How can something started by secular, and sometimes anti-religious, Jews be holy, let alone the start of the redemption?
2. All the big rabbis are against Zionism! How could they all be wrong?
3. We need to wait for Mashiach before building a state for ourselves! The state of Israel is one big Sin!

1. Secular Zionism as something holy

To tell you the truth, this argument is probably the hardest to fully understand because we live in a world where everything is black and white and people have difficulty seeing shades of grey.


A few points:

--> Religious Zionism is not based on Herzl’s Ideology. It is based on the Ideology of Rav Kook who got his Ideology from Rav Kalisher and Rav Gutmacher who were themselves students of Rav Akiva Eiger who was a student of the GRA (Vilna Gaon). When someone is a religious Zionist, he IS NOT SAYING that Herzl was right in his ideology. We actually disagree with many things Herzl said. We identify with the Rabbis who have called for generations and generations on their students to go up to Israel and rebuilt the state of Israel (Starting with the GRA in Kol Hator). Now, in one of his essays, Rav Kook explains that there are 3 ways with which the Jews will leave Galut: by listening to their rabbis, through secular ideology or through hatred of other nations. The Jews did not listen to their Rabbis from the time of the GRA up to the time of Herzl. While the rabbis were calling on people to go up to Israel and establish a state, they refused. So, God went with Plan B: Secular Zionism. God Promissed Gueoula and so he was going to bring it even if it was through secular vessels. But everyone needs to realize that the reason why we had to resort to Secular Zionism was because the Religious Jews did not listen to their Rabbis. They did not listen to the call of people to go back to Israel. Unfortunately, today, we see religious Jews still living comfortably in New York, Lakewood etc.. instead of listening to the call calling them back to the Land of Israel. Imagine how holy the state of Israel would have been if we would have listened to our rabbis! Imagine what kind of Kingdom we would have built! But because we did not listen, the path is longer towards redemption and we need to go through secular Zionism before going to a religious State of Israel in the time of the Mashiach.

--> There is a great misconception in the Religious World whereas Zionism was the movement which brought secularism. People think that Zionism was a way to be a new nation without religion. This is simply a lie! Secularism came with the enlightenment. Lets look at how Rav Kook looked at this period of history:
When we were first chosen, we were chosen as a holy nation, not a religion. God told Avraham: I will make you into a great nation. He did not say into a great religion. Authentic Judaism is nationalism. The goal of Judaism was always to create Mamlechet Kohanim Vegoy Kadosh, a holy nation! Unfortunately, when we went to Galut, it was impossible to stay true nationalists. First of all, the nations we lived under would not host us as foreign nations. They were more likely to accept other religions. Also, since we were so spread out, it was hard to act as a nation. The BIG light of authentic Judaism (Jewish Nationalism) was dimmed into a small light of Jewish Religion.
What happened during the enlightenment? Rav Kook explains that the Jews of the Enlightenment who left religion left it not as a rebellion against Judaism, but rather as a rebellion against the representation people showed them of Judaism. By then, it was already time for the big light of Authentic Judaism to come out and the souls of these Jews were not happy with the smaller light of Jewish Religion. Therefore, they left. Where did they go? Mainly to two movements: 1. Communism and 2. Secular Zionism. It is interesting to note that both of these movements tell people to stop thinking only of their individual self. Communism tells you to look at the collective while secular Zionism tells you to look at the Nation.
Today, there are still those who will reject Secular Zionism instead of understanding it as a Call for authentic Judaism based on true Jewish principles of Nationalism and not the small light of individual religious practice. Instead of rejecting this call, we should work on providing these lost Jews with the big light of Religious Zionism which combines the principles of Judaism with Nationalism, thus bringing back Judaism to its authentic nature.

-->In Jewish Thought, there is Mashiach Ben David and Mashiach Ben Yossef. Mashiach Ben Yossef comes before Mashiach Ben David and builds the physical redemption of the Jewish People. Brings them back to their land, creates a state etc.. This does not need to be done by a religious person. Only when Mashiach Ben David come will all these great things be combined with the depth of Jewish Thought (See Kol Hator and Hahesped Hagadol).

--> Some people will tell you they do not oppose the state they only oppose the government and that is why they are against Zionism. This is crazy! The people who oppose the government the most are the Religious Zionists. Who was at all the rallys against the disengagement? Religious Zionists! If you oppose the current government that doesn’t make you anti-zionist. The government changes all the time! If you oppose the government and live out of Israel, make aliyah, go to vote and then next government will be more religious! Stop using the current government as a reason to oppose the holy movement of Zionism!

--> A final note. This argument seems to come first and foremost from a misunderstanding. Some people think the Redemption can only come if the people of Israel make teshuva. This is not clear. What is clear is that Teshuva will happen, but it is not clear one. Here is a list of recognize rabbis which say that the teshuva of Am Israel is not needed for the Redemption to arrive:
Rav Saadiah Gaon, Rashi, Ramban, Rabennu Bechayeh, Rabbi Yossef Albo, Radak, Maharal, GRA, Ramchal, Or Hachayim, Hafetz Chayim, The Mekubal Rav Shlomo Eliyashiv.

2. All Rabbis are against Zionism?

This claim is another completely false claim. The people who say all the big rabbis are against Zionism say so for one reason: As soon as a rabbi is Zionist he is not great to them anymore! Therefore, Rav Kook, Rav Soloveitchik, Rav Charlap, Rav David Cohen, Rav Tzvi Yehuda, Rav Ashkenazi, Rav Neriyah, etc… are not guedolim to them but these were some of the greatest rabbis of the times! They only discredit them because they are Zionist! If by definition a Zionist is not a gadol then of course no gadol will be Zionist!

Today, in Israel, most rabbis of cities and in high positions are Zionists. Rav Ovadia Yossef openly said one should say hallel on Yom Haatsmaout (although without a bracha). Rav Mordechai Eliyahu called everyone who opposes the State of Israel one who listens to his yester hara. Rav Getz, rosh yeshivat hamekubalim, said Hallel with a bracha on Yom Haatsmaout etc… The list goes on and on and on.
Of course, they are not Zionist though because it is impossible for a Zionist to be a gadol!

In other words, when they find a person who is both a Gadol and a Zonist, based on their premise, there is one of two options: Either he's not really a gadol, or he's not really zionist. And so they twist the reality to fit this.

That being said, even if it WAS true that Zionism was the opinion of a minority (and it is NOT true), the GRA said explicitly in Kol Hator that the sin of the Meraglim would come back right before the redemption and that it would davka attack the guedolim. Let us not forget that the Meraglim were all huge talmidei chachamim! But what was their sin? They refused to go into the land of Israel! They said its better to stay in Galut! Limmud Torah is better here where we have the Mann coming down for us and no need to work for our parnassa. Why listen to Moshe Rabbenu, he looks Egyptian!
Today, we see some guedolim saying the same thing: Stay in Chuts Laaretz! Don’t become a partner to Zionism! This is the sin of the Meraglim. Once again, I am saying this with the outmost respect for the guedolim because the Meraglim where HUGE tsaddikim! It is, in many ways, a compliment to be compared to the meraglim. Yet, they sinned.
Let us not forget that the meraglim were 10 and only 2 people opposed them. We see from there the majority is not always reliable!

3. We need to wait for Mashiach before building a state for ourselves! The state of Israel is one big Sin!

This argument is mostly based on a gemara in Ktubot. This argument is complex and instead of dealing with it, I will link here to a place I found dealt with it very clearly. But just a note:
We do not learn halacha from Gemarot. So even if it was true (and its not!) that we went against this gemara, it would still not be an issue! No possek every took this gemara as halacha.

Here are the links dealing with this issue- there is a list of 13 reasons why this argument is completely untrue:
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/09/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah.html
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/09/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah-ii.html
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/09/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah-iii.html
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/10/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah-iv.html
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/11/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah-v.html
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/11/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah-vi.html
http://hirhurim.blogspot.com/2005/11/kuntres-she-lo-yaalu-ke-homah-vii.html

4. How do we know Religious Zionism is right?

So, how do we know religious Zionism is right anyways?

I heard from a rabbi once:
When Moshe went to Egypt and presented himself as the savior of Am Israel, no one was sure he was the right guy. He looked Egyptian, no black hat. Why would he be the savior of Am Israel? People asked questions and these questions were fair.
However, after kriyat yam souf, after the splitting of the sea, the only people still asking questions were Datan and Aviram! And we know what the torah says of them.
Today, we are not only after kriyat yam souf, we’re in Erets Israel. Unfortunately, some Datan and Aviram is left in Am Israel.

Rav Soloveitchik used to be anti-zionist in his youth. When asked why he changed sides, he said: Before the miracles in state of Israel, there was a machloket as to whether Zionism was good or bad. After these miracles, it became clear. God was possek and he said Zionism was good!

May we all free ourselves from the sin of the meraglim, free ourselves from the sin of Datan and Aviram, and recognize the amazing miracle God has provided us which is mamash the beginning of our redemption.

I strongly suggest that this not be taken as a glimpse of Religious Zionism but rather as a defense of it. Religious Zionism is not about defending ourselves against our detractors. It is an inspiring world view which I encourage everyone to study. This was meant to be a simple defense for some accusations raised against Religious Zionism, especially because of all the propaganda found online from groups such as Neturei Karta.