24 Tamuz 5777
I tried. I
really did. When I made aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, I had never even
heard of “Zionism,” knew nothing about it. All I knew was that the Torah said
the Land of Israel was a wonderful gift of God to His beloved people and that
it was in the Land of Israel that God wanted His people to live. That’s all I
knew when I made aliyah from love of HKB”H and faith in Him.
That’s all I needed to know.
After I
arrived, I quickly began to learn what the situation was and for the first time
I heard about Zionism and “Religious” Zionism in particular. At first I tried
to fit into that group. I read books written by Rabbi Kook and translated by
his students. I got into political activism and started going to rallies and
protests. I toured a lot of settlements and finally even found one that
accepted me. But every experience left a bad impression of one sort or another.
And the more Torah I learned, the less I identified with the so-called National
Religious crowd.
Today, they
have a famous rallying cry whenever Jews are slaughtered in Eretz Yisrael.
They proclaim “The Zionist response to terror is to build!” But, the Torah
response is to eliminate the enemy. The very idea that the Jewish-Israeli
public should be placated for the murder of their brothers with (empty)
promises of more building is just too ridiculous to comment on. But, you’ll hear it every time there is
another incident – “Building is the Zionist response!” – and you’ll look and
you’ll see that the person saying it has a kippah on his head. What a chillul
Hashem!
Now I claim
a spot in a sparsely occupied spiritual space where plain old unvarnished Torah-dedicated Jews live. We follow no
particular Rebbe, but we know the truth when we hear it and support anyone who
disseminates it. We refuse to be brainwashed by any “ism,” even one claiming to
be “religious.” Like King David wrote (Tehillim 84.11), “…For one day in
Your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere; I prefer to stand
exposed at the threshold of my God’s house than to dwell securely in the tents
of wickedness.” This is the basis
upon which I came on aliyah to Eretz Yisrael and the reason I
would do it over and over again, regardless of who or what rules over us here
or whether the economy is booming or depressed. All that matters is being
obedient to my Master, loyal to my King, faithful to my Father, in love with my
Beloved in the home He created for me. I can’t NOT live here. It is my life and
breath. I’d smother anywhere else.
In other
words, any concept of “Zionism” had nothing to do my decision to be here or to
remain here. I tried to buy into the idea that well, Zionism was originally a
Torah concept – “Zion” and all that – but, when religious Zionists find common
cause with the rebels against Hashem and His Torah and with idolaters
calling themselves Christian Zionists, when the same ones speak disparagingly
of their fellow chareidi Jews and often denigrate them and see them as
“other,” then it just doesn’t wash. I have no problem at all identifying with
my chareidi brothers and sisters, but I despise rebels and idolaters.
Allow me to
share something from Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, ztz”l, Hy”d, student of
the Chafetz Chaim, which he wrote around 1940:
Over
the years, the nationalist idea begat a child that was named “religious
nationalism.” The name implies that religion alone is not enough; it has to be
perfected by adding nationalism. The very name “religious nationalism”
constitutes a denial of one of the fundamentals of Judaism: “The Torah of Hashem
is perfect” (Tehillim 19:19) – It lacks nothing: it is flawless. The
Torah warns us, “Do not add anything to it” (Devarim 4:2) – and the
Sages say: “He who adds [to the word of Hashem] subtracts [from it]” (Sanhedrin
29a). Since modern Jewish nationalism is essentially idol-worship, it follows that
“religious nationalism” is nothing short of idol-worship coupled with service
to Hashem. (Source: The Era Preceding Mashiach)
As soon as
the “ism” was tacked onto the word Zion, it ceased to represent the age-old
Jewish dream to return to Jerusalem and re-establish the Kingdom of David and
instead became the Jewish pride movement which values military power,
technological progress and the admiration of the nations. The Israeli Knesset
with its Arab (terrorist) members became its Sanhedrin, the IDF (savior
of the people) became their Mashiach and Yad Vashem became their
Holy Temple. By adding the “ism” to Zion, they created another new religion to
which everyone calling themselves a Zionist was welcome and held to be a
brother or sister – no matter whether they were secular rebels against the
Torah, Christian idolaters or Muslim sympathizers.
The term Zionism (×¦×™×•× ×•×ª) never appears in the Tanakh or in
any Torah source. It does not appear in rabbinic writings earlier than the 20th
century. As time goes on, the spoiled fruit of religious Zionism becomes more
and more apparent. This will very likely be the final idol to fall before Mashiach
is revealed.
