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19 Av 5761 - August 8, 2001 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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Shema Yisrael Torah Network

Opinion & Comment
On Our Ideological Purity

by HaRav Chaim Shaul Karelitz, zt'l

The essay from which this article has been prepared was originally published in the journal Lechoshvei Shemo in Tammuz 5737, in the wake of Agudas Yisroel's entry into the right wing Begin government.

A New Definition

At this time, it is again incumbent upon us to clarify the reasons for the bankruptcy of the Zionist ideal, both to ourselves and to the younger generation who are ignorant on the subject. We need to appreciate that the roots of the problem are neither the sins nor the sinfulness, neither the heresies nor the forced apostasies, which the Zionist camp perpetrates and propounds -- shameful and to their eternal discredit though such conduct certainly is.

What invalidates the entire approach is something very fundamental: their attempt to graft the idea of Nationalism, an ideal that is shared by all the other nations of the world, onto Judaism.

Until the advent of Zionism, it was generally accepted that what defines the essence of Judaism is observance of the Torah's commandments, as Rabbeinu Saadiah Gaon expresses it, "Our nation is only a nation by virtue of its Torah." This was accepted as axiomatic by everyone, by heretics as well as by the pious. Even the gentile nations recognized that on some level, Torah and Judaism were inextricably bound together. Abandoning mitzvoh observance, or denying the principles of our faith, were universally interpreted as an attempt to sever ties with Judaism.

Until Zionism, every movement that separated itself from authentic Judaism, from the party of the Tziddukim all the way down to Reform, was forced to espouse portions of Torah observance simply in order to be able to identify themselves as being Jewish. They even found it necessary to adduce "supports" for their ideas from the Torah itself, as though these justified their new understanding of the "old" Torah. Had they not done this, they would have found no buyers for their wares.

I think that the first to try and uproot Judaism's exclusively religious definition and replace it with a new, secular agenda, were the Russian maskilim. However, they were unsuccessful in finding a secular ideal that would appeal to the masses of simple Jews. They tried packaging their literature, the writing and poetry of the Haskalah, as a modern Jewish culture that could replace the Torah of the beis hamedrash. Even though the multitudes of simple Jews whom they sought to ensnare in this way were on the whole fairly ignorant of Torah, they did not, collectively, follow the lead.

Admittedly, the secular literature, with its mockery of all that is holy, did have a devastating effect upon the lower levels of Jewish society, and also upon youths of good stock who, encountering it as soon as they stepped into botei medrash and yeshivos, before they had had a chance to gain a substantial amount of Torah knowledge and become firmly moored to Torah, succumbed. However, despite the best efforts of the maskilim, their "alternative" never won over the people's hearts. It never managed to become a galvanizing force for the nation that had always understood that spirituality was its very essence.

Attracting the Masses

Then Zionism arrived on the scene, with the right formula for finding its way into the people's hearts and gaining acceptance where the fundamentals of our holy Torah had hitherto held sway. Its ideology was concocted from the Jew's reverence towards Eretz Yisroel, to whence the dream of return had never faded (and had actually been aroused and given concrete hope not long before by the Chovevei Tzion organization which preceded Zionism), and from the longing for the promised redemption and the "end of days," which the Zionists seized and diverted for their own ends.

Another important ingredient was the nascent spirit of nationalism that had begun to stir among various downtrodden peoples, which swept across the world, casting its spell upon the early Zionists. The poems and literature of the maskilim were also added to the potpourri as "study texts," which served as a means of induction into the new "spirit of the times."

This formula, whose every proponent was welcome to place emphasis upon whichever of its ingredients was closest to his heart, succeeded in winning the people's convictions, when it was trumpeted as a way of bringing the redemption closer. This was how the Zionists managed to fashion a new, secular, "Judaism." The category assigned by this new Judaism to our holy Torah, on whose account Hashem yisborach chose us from among all the nations, is that of "optional," at best. This is the feature of Zionism that unites all the movement's various factions including the Mizrachi -- which agrees to view even those who abandon the yoke of Torah as legitimate representatives of our nation, capable of providing its needs, guarding its security and ushering in its redemption.

Of course, for the founders of Zionism nationalism was the main feature of Judaism's new image. Tzion and the redemption were only thrown in to make this foreign concept palatable to Jewish tastes. Their true aim however, was nothing less than the "normalization" of the Jewish people, meaning their becoming a nation like all others, in form, in culture and in essence.

Zionism's founders took nineteenth century European culture as their model for "normalcy," for they admired the countries of Europe and wanted to become like them. This espousal of nationalism was what drew censure and a prohibition from all the gedolei Yisroel, who grasped the essence of what was happening even when it was not spelled out explicitly and, despite the declarations and the promises that the Torah would be left alone in its corner and that whoever wanted to embrace it would be free to do so without interference.

Bringing our own Redemption

The espousal of gentile-style nationalism had another consequence for some of the Zionists which was incorporated into the movement's program for the new Judaism, namely, the ambition "to take matters into our own hands" and bring an end to the exile by ourselves. Throughout the generations, Jews had waited for the exile to end when, as Heaven decreed, and how, it would. Now the word went around that the exile was about to end because we had decided that it should. This line of thought led to actions and words that placed Klal Yisroel in danger, as is well known.

The policies which are supposed to guide Klal Yisroel during its exile among the nations are stated in the Torah and are part of the tradition which our sages and elders have received (see the essays by HaRav Elchonon Bunim Wassermann zt'l, Hy'd, who wrote on this topic at length). It is obvious that anyone who veers from this path will be unsuccessful, for the Torah is the blueprint of creation and its operation, as the Zohar's famous statement, "He looked into the Torah and created the world," tells us. How can anyone take a different path than the Torah's and succeed?

In fact, the ideology of "bringing our own redemption" is not only disqualified because of the dangers it poses but because it is heresy.

We have said that this was only the aim of some of the Zionists. There were others, for example the Reform in America, who were quite comfortable in their exile. All that this group needed from Zionism was the stamp of secularism which it placed upon the Jewish nation and the green light that this gave them for divesting themselves entirely of Torah. That was enough for them. They didn't require any further redemption.

Nonetheless, practical, hands-on Zionists still viewed them as good, rank- and-file Zionists, and they even afforded them representation in the leadership. The other group of Zionists however, which apparently includes religious Zionism in its entirety, saw self- redemption as a central feature of the Zionist idea.

Then, a faction arose that rebelled against its predecessors and demanded that extreme lengths be gone to in order to obtain liberation by force. Tza"Ch (Tziyonut Chadashah), and Revisionism, the militant Etze"l groups and finally, the political Herut party, were the names by which this group was known. Although its founders were very far removed from Judaism, it ruthlessly stalked many simple "synagogue Jews" as well as some who stood on the threshold of the beis hamedrash. On those occasions when it scored dazzling successes, the attraction of this faction's ideology was extremely powerful and its danger should not yet be discounted.

Like it or Not

Then came the State, which the multitudes saw as the victory and affirmation of all that Zionism stood for. The State assumed complete control in Eretz Yisroel, forcing itself upon everyone, whether they greeted it with a welcome or with resistance. It was to be a secular state like all others and its advent was accompanied by the illusion that from now on, help and rescue would always be at hand for the Jewish nation. Our own strength had saved us and would continue to do so, or so it seemed.

Among the State's leaders blasphemers have come forward, who lose no opportunity to defame our holy Torah, both Torah shebikesav and Torah shebe'al peh. They raise a hue and cry at any mention of Heaven's Name, or of Heaven's directives, in other words, halochoh.

These people are responsible for two negative phenomena. First, following in the footsteps of Amolek, "who cooled you down" (Devorim 25:18), they have taken the seriousness out of waging war on Heaven, in our eyes. They are also responsible for our misplaced attitude of tolerance and forgiveness, and perhaps even of admiration, towards any secular Jew who is good enough to mention Heaven's Name occasionally, to tone down the campaign against religion, and certainly towards one who occasionally performs one of the mitzvos in public. This mistake is especially serious at the present time. [Editor's Note: Menachem Begin, who had just taken over, was much closer to Jewish tradition than any of his Labor predecessors.]

Nothing that has been said hitherto should be considered as zealotry. These are all facts that it is good to be reminded of from time to time, and that have to be made known to our youth, who do not know them.

Drawn Towards Danger

It is a well-known and generally agreed upon principle, that a person's outlook and feelings are influenced by his actions. HaRav Yisroel Salanter zt'l, taught that having concern for another person and being involved in their welfare will engender loving feelings on the part of the giver towards the recipient.

Imagine therefore, the dangers involved in accepting positions of responsibility in the leadership, running and maintenance of the State. The views of the people holding these posts are likely to incline towards Zionism and they themselves are liable to edge ever closer to it. If such involvement in State affairs brings them advantages and honor, the danger is compounded several-fold and to disengage themselves becomes very difficult.

Of what relevance is the State to us? We never heard of our teachers working towards such an end, or wanting it. This is an indication that Klal Yisroel's shepherds, whose task is to lead their flocks towards the ultimate, spiritual life, did not see this as a means of bettering our eternal life, which is the sole purpose of our existence. Neither did they see a state as a means of affording us tranquility that would broaden our vistas in serving Hashem, and bring us closer to serving Him. How then, is the State relevant to us?

If, at a time like this, when we are beset by troubles and are lacking the righteous men who could protest and do battle for Hashem's sake, we are forced to fulfill the wishes of the lawless ones and to support them with our votes, in order to lessen the burden of their decrees, we must seek every possible way of minimizing the partnership with them, confining it only to the framework necessary for obtaining the essential concessions.

If we are allowed to make a business deal with them, exchanging our votes which they want, for an amelioration of their decrees, this does not yet mean that we may join them in the practical work of maintaining and running the State and the Knesset and its various departments. It does not mean that we may present a facade of friendship between those who guard the Torah and those who rebel against it.

The Greater Hazard

It is said that the Chazon Ish zt'l commented that his fear of the decrees that the State might make against Torah was dwarfed by his fear of our finding the State to be pleasant and palatable. What worried our master was certainly the spiritual decline that such an eventuality would bring. His remark makes it clear that our finding the State to be sweet is more destructive than any decrees which it might make.

What a frightening idea this is! We have seen ourselves, in our many sins, how dreadfully they treated the olim. Entire populations of simple, believing Jews, were torn away from eternal life and most of them, who had hitherto observed the principles of Judaism, became irreligious R'l.

The youth that we encounter on the streets are empty of any spiritual content. They pursue drugs and robbery. They lack any shred of Jewish identity and are targets for missionaries who stalk them. This is what the Zionists have wrought with their decrees against the numerous holy communities, who returned from their countries of exile, where even the simplest among them had been separated from the surrounding gentiles by the Torah's hedge of roses. Let us heed this lesson and reckon what the dangers to ourselves would be, to our spirits and to our educational institutions, Hashem yeracheim, were we to find the State pleasant. We must be on our guard against any new suspicion that this might become the case.

Awareness of the Truth

What must we do? How can we guard against this happening?

We must cleave to the Torah scholars who chart our path with all our might. Through cleaving to them, we will merit firm faith and a true outlook.

We must keep our distance from all the common opinion that is offered to us in the daily papers. Which of us can testify that he has never been affected by them and that they have never influenced him?

We should make regular times for studying the articles written by HaRav Elchonon Wassermann, who sheds powerful light on these issues. His holy words are like a balm and are based upon what he heard from the holy lips of Klal Yisroel's teacher, the Chofetz Chaim zy'a.

We must repeat Chazal's statement to ourselves time and again: "He who causes another to sin is worse than he who kills him." We must also etch the words of the Mesillas Yeshorim into our minds: "Man was not created for whatever station he has in this world but for his station in the next. His station is this world however, is the means of attaining his station in the next, which is his ultimate purpose." This is the yardstick according to which our teachers have taught us to evaluate everything in this world. Does it bring one closer to one's ultimate purpose, or distance one from it?

When we assimilate all this properly, and these lessons become part of our way of thinking and of judging matters, we will no longer find our nation's present situation a pleasant one.

Renew Our Days as of Old!

Let us reflect upon what this group has done in the eighty years that have passed since they grabbed the mantle of leadership from the true gedolei Yisroel, who tended us throughout our history until then. How did the spiritual profile of most of our nation look then, and what does it look like today?

When we go out into the streets and see the present decline in the level of most of Am Yisroel, let us remember the distress of the Shechinoh and that of our holy ancestors in Heaven at the sight of their offspring leaving the correct path and losing their future reward. Let us take to heart the loss to every one of us that results from the stunted spiritual stature of our people today.

Let us imagine how wonderful things would appear, if none of this had happened, and all those multitudes would have continued following the path of their ancestors. How much more Torah, purity and holiness, and how many more merits there would be. Then let us open our eyes and see the dismal present.

Let us set the Rambam's words before us (in the second perek of Hilchos Tefilloh,) "In the days of Rabbon Gamliel, the heretics multiplied in Yisroel and they made trouble and pressured Yisroel to turn away from Hashem. When he saw that people needed [rescue from] this [pressure] more than anything else, he and his beis din arose and formulated a blessing that would contain a request to Hashem to destroy the heretics, and he put it into the tefilloh, so that it would be set out for all."

Let us pray to Hashem to destroy all the evil in a moment and to bring back our judges as they were at first, and our counselors as it was in the beginning.

Then we will return and be healed.


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