On 17 Cheshvan 5678, a letter was sent by the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Arthur James Balfour, in which he writes that Britain will support a home for the Jewish people in Eretz Yisroel.
November 2nd, 1917
Dear Lord Rothschild,
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.
"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.
Yours sincerely,
Arthur James Balfour
At that time there many more Arab residents than Jewish residents.
Gedolei Yisroel of that generation saw this British gesture as a sign from Heaven, but they warned that non-religious Zionists could cause it to fail. In the book HoIsh Al Hachomah tells that when the news reached the ears of HaRav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, he exclaimed:
"Where is the prophesied future Geula of the Torah? Do we then not see here the Divine Finger of Hashem? But now I understand the Musaf prayer which says: 'We have been exiled from our Land because of our sins, and been distanced from our Land.' We were exiled from our Land, and then we distanced ourselves from our Land. Did we stop waiting every moment? Just imagine that for 2,000 years not a drop of rain fell from the Heavens and suddenly a small rain cloud appears. Would that not shock everyone, and they would react by saying, 'Maybe this is it... maybe this is it?' Isn't the Mandate at least a small rain cloud?"
However even HaRav Sonnenfeld himself qualified his words and said on another occasion: "What can I do? I am unable to take part in their great happiness. This declaration is not real Redemption — not a complete one nor even a partial one. What is it like? It is like a drunken party in a tavern, and the revelers ask the tavern owner to dance and rejoice with him, and the drunkards cannot understand why he is not as happy as they are."
The 'Ohr Somayach" of Dvinsk related to the Declaration in a letter, where he wrote: "From hereon in, there is no prohibition based on the three oaths which Hashem imposed on Jewry when they went into exile since this is no longer against the will of the nations of the world.
The Chofetz Chaim, who was very much gladdened to hear of the declaration, was very worried that the Zionists who were likely to not properly take advantage of the opportunity. As his son, HaRav Arye Leib, testifies in the "Letters of the Chofetz Chaim," "We recall how at the time that England issued the Balfour Declaration, the Chofetz Chaim was visibly exuberantly joyful and he said that he regarded it to be an arousal from Above as relating to the Geulah. He quoted the words of the Ohr HaChaim Hakodosh, referring to the verse, 'And a tribe will arise from Yisroel.' (Bamidbar 24,17) But he also said that he had feared that the irreligious ones will come there and ruin everything. In fact, he said on many occasions, a blessed opportunity arose in the world but that the generations ruined it."
The Mashgiach, HaRav Yechezkel Levenstein, also corroborated this several times in the name of the Chofetz Chaim. "I recall that at the time of the Balfour Declaration, Maran the Chofetz Chaim said that this is an awakening to Geulah, but we must be careful about who will seize control of the Land, that they should not get control of it."
The "Chofetz Chaim al haTorah" quotes something in the same vein, "I recall in the winter of 5678 when the Chofetz Chaim was told of the Balfour Declaration and of the joy which reverberated in Jewish homes, he burst into tears and said, 'What is the purpose of this elation? Didn't Hashem promise us that he would spread out westward and eastward, northward and southward? This is a guaranteed declaration, a document which will surely be paid off at the designated time. And then along come people who celebrate just a small portion of the Divine certificate. Everyone is exuberant over this declaration, regarding it as the Redemption itself. They suffice with just a small portion, and do not even expect more. Alas! What has become of us,' he concluded, bursting into tears."
HaRav Yitzchok Zev of Brisk told an interesting anecdote which reflected those times. When the Balfour Declaration was published, the Zionists in Brisk came to the Rav of the city, his father HaRav Chaim, asking if they should recite Hallel. He looked at them in surprise. What kind of question was this? Why Hallel? They should have asked, rather, that if this is good news, then they should ask about a Shehechiyanu blessing. They left and spread the word that the rav of Brisk said that one should make a Shehechiyanu over the Balfour Declaration.
Maran HaRav Chaim Brisker and his son the Griz warned against believing that this was truly part of the Geulah. And when he was asked specifically to express his opinion on the matter, HaRav Chaim was taken aback and said, "And is this how it will appear? Surely it will happen differently! Has Hashem not promised to show us miracles and wonders with the coming of Moshiach! Did He not guarantee that a Temple of Fire will descend from Heaven?"
To our chagrin and shame, and precisely as our Torah leaders feared, the Zionists spoiled the Divine arousal and precisely here, in the Holy Land, those who toil purely in Torah are being persecuted. May Hashem save us and make all of the wickedness rise up on smoke, and speedily, may the house of Hashem stand firm on the mountain top and tower over all the peaks.
