The Missing Link

For a long time many of us, especially those who are involved in Jewish education in Yisrael and elsewhere, have been perplexed and frustrated as we try to understand where we went wrong in that realm, because we have. Many young Jews, nowadays, seem to have lost the compass and the road map which connects between our ancient inevitability and its path towards a fulfilling future. They feel lost. They are easily influenced by foreign creeds and quickly fall prey to manipulations and disinformation that are abundantly funneled by elements that wish to bring both a Spiritual and Physical destruction to our Jewish existence.

I recently read an article (in Hebrew) by Uri Heitner entitled “The dwindling of the Spirit in Yisrael.” In it, Heitner sheds light on some of the conditions and circumstances that might have speeded up and contributed to that process which has been going on for sometimes now.

Heitner claims, and justifiably so, that since the 70’s there has been a substantial devaluation of the Tanach in the Yisraeli culture. He continues to surmise that this sad reality stems from our desertion of the Oral Law and two thousand years of Jewish existence and cultural survival in the Diaspora.

As a teacher in Eretz Yisrael, I can attest to that. Secular Zionism (for Zionism, the several thousands of years old concept, has many facets), whose staunch supporter was David Ben-Gurion, claims that the return to Eretz Yisrael requires reconnecting only to our Tanach roots and disengaging from the Diaspora legacy and Post Tanach era. Ben Gurion suggested that in order to create a new modern Jewish identity, a leap in Jewish history and culture was vital, thus wiping out two millennia of a fruitful tradition that assisted and strengthened the spreading of Jewish roots in a fertile ground called Judaism.

That was a grave mistake.

It was a mistake since that essential link is what is missing from today’s Jewish education. It is the cause for ignorance about the concept of Zionism and other important concepts and land marks in our evolution as a nation, as a culture and as a civilization. Its absence has opened up the doors to wrong interpretations of our heritage, by foreigners who likewise, are, and not surprisingly so, uneducated about this great important link in our history as a Jewish nation.

 Judaism and its related concepts, like all cultures, are built on layers, each one supported by the layer underneath it. Trying to jump from “Tanach to Palmach”, as Heitner describes it, is like “trying to build a ceiling over a floor without having the support of pillars and columns between the two.” Disengaging from the wealth of the abundant and remarkable Jewish cultural layers that were conceived between the Tanach era and the current Yisraeli identity, was a great injustice. Any real effort to connect to the Tanach while ignoring the compelling culture and history that developed during the Diaspora era, in post Tanach times is doomed to failure. It has resulted in a culturally handicapped modern day Yisraeli and Jewish generations. Not only do they have difficulty understanding the Tanach, they face similar hurdles understand the poetry of National Poets like Bialik who was reared in that culture and whose poetry is saturated with that great heritage. Such a leap has culturally paralyzed our modern day Yisraeli culture to such an extent that Bialik needed to be translated into “Yisraeli Hebrew. “

By now many of you know my sentiments that any efforts to translate our Hebrew/Jewish culture into any language will result in a tragedy. In fact, it was Bialik himself who suggested that reading poetry in translation is akin to “kissing through a handkerchief.” He must be turning in his grave, as I am certain many of our great minds and cultural giants, such as Yehudah Halevi, Tschernichovsky and many others who kept our great Jewish Spirit going through all the years of separation from Eretz Yisrael, the Cradle of Our Civilization, must be.

They are probably mourning the loss of Jewish continuity, one of the pillars of our strength. They must be shedding their heavenly tears as they witness the misinterpretation, innocent or otherwise, of a few millennia old Jewish tenets such as Zionism, Halacha,  The Oral Law and other strongholds that have sheltered our people against the storms of history.

Recently, I read that Minister of Education, Bennett, boasted about the great changes he has made in our Yisraeli educational system. Not enough, I say. Bring back that badly needed missing link. Teach our young ones the meaning of Jewish pride and in the original language.

I have nothing against translation as a means of bridging between cultures and nations. I am all for it. However, by all means do not try to kiss the original through a “handkerchief.” That “handkerchief,” in many cases, is tainted and infested with germs of misunderstanding, disinformation and someone’s well planned and well-oiled agenda.

May we all have a Meaningful Shabbat and a Peaceful weekend.

Not Just One Day......

Yom HaShoah, for me, a daughter of two Shoah survivors, is always.

Growing up in the shadow of this horrific chapter in our history, reliving the memories of its atrocities and never forgetting it are a part of who I am and what I am.

I am the young child in the Ghetto who is pushed to become a thief and steal a potato so that he can feed his starving younger sister.

I am the mother who is desperately trying to calm and silence her baby for fear of having their hiding place disclosed.

I am the teacher in the Ghetto who does all she can to educate the young children and make them understand that which no human mind can grasp, that which is inconceivable.

I am the Rabbi who tirelessly tries to explain to his desperate listeners that G-d is not ignoring them but merely temporarily hiding His face.

I am the partisan who lives in the forest, defiantly resisting and determined to overcome death.

I am the Kapo who was forced to make a difficult choice of either electing death or becoming a false god who would decree who by fire and who by water.

I am the doomed who was selected to be the one who removes the corpses from the gas chambers as I study the familiar faces painted with agony. I see their blank look and frozen eyes staring at me, begging me to live and tell and to Never Forget.

I am the daughter of an elderly sick mother who is desperately trying to ignite the spark of Hope in her dying soul.

I am the young woman who was part of the string quartet that was standing at the entrance to the crematoria, playing the scratched violin as we were dancing our brothers and sisters to the “End of Love.” *

I am a Jewish Yisraeli soldier who visited the Nazi death camps and promised all the innocent victims that their spilled blood will forever light my Life’s path and the path of our future Jewish generations.

I am all of them and many nameless more. I am them, not only one day a year, not only every single day of the year but every single day of my life as well.

* ‘Dance Me To The End Of Love’ … came from just hearing or reading or knowing that in the death camps, beside the crematoria, in certain of the death camps, a string quartet was pressed into performance while this horror was going on, those were the people whose fate was this horror also. And they would be playing classical music while their fellow prisoners were being killed and burnt.” -  Leonard Cohen

Yisrael, the Jewish Homeland, or a Home for the Jews?

This article was co-authored by Roger Froikin and Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks

For many of us it is not even a question. There is only fact. There always has been. As far as we are concerned, there will always be. Yisrael is the Jewish Homeland, the only Jewish Homeland.

Unfortunately, there are still many, Jews included, who refuse to see it. All around us, we witness NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) popping up promoting and supporting the creation of a “Civil Society” in Yisrael, instead of the Jewish one. We hear slogans calling for making Yisrael the “state of all of its citizens.” Some are even going as far as suggesting that “Hatikvah,” the Yisraeli National anthem be changed to reflect the reality that they purport.

Of course there are more pressing issues that need addressing, as some try to enlighten us. There always were, there always will be. However, as time goes by and more groups that call for such changes show up, the more urgency this issue gains.

In order to illustrate our stance, please allow us to take you through memory lane and remind you, the readers, of some vital historical facts.

Let us start with the Torah and the whole Tanach. We know that some would regard it a religious document that may not serve as a historical one. Unfortunately, for those who entertain such claims, history and archeology support our contention. Eretz Yisrael is the Homeland of the Jews. The Torah, the whole Tanach serve as our Deed.

True, Am Yisrael conquered it from the nations that were present here. Unfortunately, however, there is none of them left around to claim it as their own just as there are no Morori left in New Zealand to claim it back from the Maori who conquered them and now claim it back from the White man.

The Jewish essence of Eretz Yisrael was decreed thousands of years ago. Again, it is supported by historical and archeological evidence.

It was decreed by G-d to Avraham first and foremost. For those of you who feel that G-d has no room in this debate, fear not, there is abundant historical and archeological proof that the Jewish People walked this Land long before many of those who wish to strip it of its Jewish core. There is the Dead Sea Scrolls, there is plenty of written material as well as exhibits displayed in museums in Yisrael and other places around the world that point at that.

On top of it, and not that it matters much to the point of this article, it was the Gentiles who determined the strong and inseparable connection of the Jewish people to Eretz Yisrael.

First, there is the Cyrus Declaration. “In 539 B.C.E, having conquered Babylon, the benevolent Cyrus freed the Jews from captivity and empowered them to return to the Promised Land and build their Temple.” (http://www.farsinet.com/cyrus/).

Fast forwarding in History, we have the Balfour Declaration that specifically spells out the nature of the political entity that would be established in Eretz Yisrael. In a letter that Lord Balfour write to Lord Rothschild, on November 2nd, 1917 , he states, “Foreign Office November 2nd, 1917

“….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, …….

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/text-of-the-balfour-declaration

There it is in plain view, “A National Home for the Jewish People.”

That Declaration was also the basis for the San Remo Accord of 1920. In Article 22, the Supreme Council recognized the:

“historical connection of the Jewish people to Palestine and the grounds for reconstituting their national home in that country” 

Eventually it became International law in the form of the League of Nations’ establishment of the Mandate for Palestine, in which Britain was to administer parts of what was the Ottoman Empire to establish and develop a Homeland for the Jewish People.

To understand what happened we have to look at the world in that era of the mid to late 19^th century and into the early 20th.  It was recognized by all that it was necessary for ethnic minorities to have self-determination expressed through their own nation states and that no people needed this more than the Jewish people who were persecuted as outsiders everywhere.  

That belief in ethnic self-determination has continued to this day, though selectively.   Yugoslavia has split into 6 nation states whose differences are more based on religion and tradition than anything else.   The Soviet Union has been divided into many states based on language, religion, and ethnic identity.  In more recent history, Serbia was bombed viciously by NATO forces to create a separate Muslim and Albanian speaking Kosovo that caused an exodus of Serbian Christians fleeing discrimination. 

Each of these nation states, have a predominant religion and culture and often sizable minorities that do not share all of that culture with the majority. The world accepts that as normal and legitimate with ONE exception, the Jewish state.

Now, ask yourselves, why is this Jewish State the sole exception to the pattern?   Why is it that the only ethnic nation state in the world that has a 3400-year connection to its land, world recognition of its rightful existence written into International law, and after the need to fight several times to prevent genocide of its people, is asked to reject its identity and traditions and beliefs in order to be a “nation of all its citizens?”  

Should Italy ban celebrations of traditional Christian holidays,  many of them legal holidays,  to become a state of all its citizens.  Same with France.  Same with Germany.  Should France ban traditional pork from school lunches to be a nation of all its citizens?   Should Germany ban Oktoberfest because it is too ethnically German and might make Muslims feel excluded?   No one asks them to do that.

There are only 2 possible answers.   (1)  Anti-Semitism on the part of gentiles making such demands who want to see the end of the Jewish state and of the Jewish people and (2)  a Ghetto mentality on the part of some Jews who are so desperate for the safety promised by disappearing into some universal mass.

We need to stop with apologetic Hasbarah, cease with the need, by Jews and non-Jews alike, to constantly define and redefine who and what we are. Just like any other nation, we need to put our foot down and present the world with the incontestable fact. Yisrael is the Jewish Homeland just as it always has been and forever will be!

Special thanks go to Moshe Schwartz

Some of us are not only Jews, we are also Jewish

This article was written jointly by Roger Froikin and Bat-Zion Susskind-Sacks

As far as we are concerned, there is a difference between the two. They are not always one and the same.

A Jew, according to the Oxford definition is “A member of the people and cultural community whose traditional religion is Judaism and who trace their origins through the ancient Hebrew people of Israel to Abraham.”

We are not going to enter a debate here on who is a Jew. This definition merely addresses what a Jew is.

That same source defines Jewish as :” Of or relating to the Jews or their culture or religion.”

What begs to be concluded from these two definitions is that in order to be Jewish, one needs to be a Jew first. To be born a Jew or to become a Jew, one is automatically admitted into the Covenant that G-d entered with Avraham.

The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional Covenant. G-d made promises to Avraham in Bresheet (Genesis) 15:18-21. That Covenant which requires nothing of Avraham deals mainly with the dimension of the Land that G-d promised to him and his descendants. The rite itself as described in Bresheet 12:1-3 reinforces the notion that it is an unconditional one as it is G-d alone who passes between the pieces of animals after causing Avraham to fall into a deep sleep. The sign of this Covenant is the Brit Mila, the ceremony of circumcision (Bresheet 17:9-14). All males in the Avrahmic line were to be circumcised so that they bear a lifelong mark of it upon their flesh. Any descendant of Avraham who is denied or refuses circumcision was naturally declared and destined to be outside of G-d’s Covenant. Entering the Avrahamic Covenant is one of the conditions of being a Jew.

There is another Covenant that every Jew enters either upon birth or when becoming one. It is one that has shaped Am Yisrael and our Jewish people into who we are today. It is the Mosaic one, the one we entered with G-d at Mount Sinai. Unlike the Avrahamic Covenant, this one is a conditional one.

A Law school professor might call it a “contract of adhesion” in which the terms are presented as non-negotiable and to be accepted by the people. G-d presented His law to Am Yisrael at Mount Sinai as described in Shemot (Exodus) 19:5. Their response was acceptance, saying, “נעשה ונשמע " We shall do and we shall hear!” (Shemot 19:8).

The Mosaic Covenant sets Am Yisrael and the Jewish People apart from other nations. It is in understanding the responsibilities and values that are inherent to the Covenant at Mount Sinai, being motivated by them, identifying with them and acting consistent with them, that turns the Jew into Jewish. It is important to note here, that though some of the values such as social justice and moral code dictated to Am Yisrael, at Mount Sinai are universal, Judaism itself is not universal. It belongs to Jews and Am Yisrael only.

Now, we would bet people reading this so far expect the next paragraph to include an endorsement that Jews become more religious. No, that is not the intent of this essay. Nor is the intent to define who is a Jew or what Judaism is beyond the statements above.

Instead, the idea is to alert Jews to a problem. There are those Jews who have excluded themselves from the Jewish People representing themselves as Jews, when often they are not under normative and historical Jewish definitions. These Jews represent their motivations as Jewish when they are not. These Jews claim their values as Jewish when they are not.

This not a new phenomenon. Only the titles have changed. Throughout history, when Jews have been a minority or under foreign rule, there have been those Jews who saw it in their best interest to join with the powers that be and the group they ruled. They did it, and too often, to prove their allegiance (sometimes required, sometimes not) to their new “friends” by opposing the interests of the Jewish People, by actively negating – or reinterpreting – their connection to the Jewish people.

For instance, in Iberia, between 1200 and 1500, some Jews converted to Christianity so as not to be persecuted. When the Inquisition came in 1492 (1496 in Portugal), many of these converts became the most anti-Semitic people in Christian Spain. Torquemada, the first grand inquisitor, is one example.

In the late 19th Century and early 20th, many Jews in Europe, in an effort avoid being subject to exclusion and persecution, converted to Catholicism, seeking safety and security in a change of ideology, dumping their Judaism for what appeared to them to be “universalism.” Other Jews joined political movements, socialism, communism, trading Judaism for these universalist movements, as if to hide and seek safety in a universal ideology.

Today, we see some Jews acting similarly, but with a bit of a change. It is no longer necessary to hide that one is a Jew. Thus, instead of denying that they are Jews and in order to fit in, they reinterpret what Judaism is and turn it into universal secularism. This way, they create the fiction which allows them remain Jewish under the claim that the ethics of Judaism are indistinguishable from the latest liberal universal definition of secularism. In short, they leave Judaism and Jewish concerns and interests behind to become the Jew who is a believer in whatever the latest fashionable approach to secularism is. Liberalism and all its clichés of the day has become their religion, though they falsely label it Jewish.

So how is this modern manifestation different from the former Jews who were anti-Semites in post 1492 Spain, for example ? Not at all. So, for instance, when we see a “Jewish Voice for Peace” sidind with those who call for the destruction of Yisrael and the murder of Jews, we need to understand what they are. When we see an organization like B’Zelem in Medinat Yisrael (Israel) make an effort to damage Yisrael’s security and give aid and comfort to those that wish it destroyed, because they worry about what Europe thinks, we’ve seen it before.

We have all seen these online debates in which some far left wing Jew that claims to be pro-Palestinian and anti-Zionist is called a Kapo by those who oppose him. Not only is that kind of characterization unfair and inaccurate, but it is perhaps not strong enough. “Kapos” became Kapos, because they were trying to survive often when the alternative was death. Those who claim the title “Jew” today, but who ally themselves with anti-Semites, who support murderers of Jews, did not take that position for their own safety or that of their families, but for other reasons that are not nearly as noble. We believe that they are worse than Kapos by any measure.

Frankly, the Jewish nation does not need people who choose to endanger the Jewish people in favor of some left-wing universalist clichés. The Jewish People does not need those who want to solve their psychological and sociological problems by damaging the future for the rest of us. The last thing the Jewish People needs is the kind of Jew who laughs at Jewish heritage and dismisses it in some misguided effort to be liked by gentiles.

In the Passover Hagaddah, there is the allegory of the 4 sons. One of them asks, “what does all this mean to you” as if excluding himself from Judaism, its Heritage, history and its ethical and moral standards. It is those misguided Jews, we believe, that the Hagaddah addresses.

So what should the Jewish people do about these “Jews in Name Only” ?

The first step is to understand what we started this essay with --- that a Jew can choose to be Jewish or not. We, Jews, first and foremost, need to understand that merely being a descendant of the Avrahamic Covenant does not automatically make one a party to the one made at Sinai. Wishing our Jewish brothers and sisters a happy and blessed Pesach.

On the Essence of Zionism by Michal Dar-El

"Zionism is the Return to Judaism even before the Return to the Land of the Jews," Theodore Herzl, Opening address to the First Zionist Congress 1897.



Dear friends,

The essay you are about to read was written by my dear friend Michal Dar-El. It is one of the most comprehensive ones on the subject of Zionism. This academic and well researched paper explains why Zionism is a Jewish concept only and why no one other than Jews can or should call themselves "Zionists." 

Hopefully, it will, once and for all, put the issue to rest and unite Jews behind the need to stop giving pieces of our heritage in return for love and support by those who have no right to claim as their own what only Jews have practiced for the last few millennia.

We take this opportunity to thank all Pro-Zionists for their love and support of Judaism and its inseparable essence of Zionism.

Without much further ado, let me introduce to you, my dear friend Michal Dar-El and her excellent article. Please share and educate the world.

ON THE ESSENCE OF ZIONISM – Michal Dar-El

The belief that “History is written by victors” is shared by many.

This paper would argue that Zionism also falls under this jurisdiction, as Zionism has thus far turned out the ultimate victor with the reunification of The People of Israel and The Land of Israel - by the reestablishment of Jewish Sovereignty over its Land. Therefore, it is essential for “Zionism”, the victor, which is still writing and creating its own history, to be correctly defined and conceptualized.

The narrow definition of Zionism only as a political movement, rather than an ETERNAL element and a pillar of Judaism, has become predominant in the last 120 years, as an outcome of the emergence of the modern “Zionist Movement” and as a consequence of its success in achieving its national goal. The movement emerged when most of The Nation of Israel reached a peak of being sick and tired of life in exile and was at a breaking point. Modern Zionism was established to solve the root and the cause of the problem – the exile of most of The Nation. In order to achieve its goal, The Zionist Movement had to renew the use of dormant and almost forgotten Jewish political tools and to adopt mid-19th century universally accepted political terminology. By doing so, the Zionist Movement mitigated the clear, historic and well defined origins of Zionism that had always existed within the realm of Judaism.

At the time, it was necessary for the promoters of the Zionist national movement to emphasize Zionism mainly as a tool for attaining Jewish national rights rather than a historical and inherent component of The Nation. Since then however, this narrow definition of Zionism, which overlooks the core Jewish roots of the term, has not only become a cause of ignorance – but has also led to some current absurdities that I will elaborate on below. I believe therefore, that a genuine debate about the core and the essence of Zionism needs to be conducted in and by Israel. We need to reach an inclusive and broad definition of the term based on its meaning and natural evolution from ancient times and until today.

This need is clear and evident today, more than ever, as this misunderstanding and ignorance has led to the absurd phenomena taking place nowadays, where some Jews are propagating the term of “post-Zionism” (and thus, in fact, are negating their very own existence) while others are trying to redefine Israel from being The Jewish State, as was determined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence – to being “a land of all its inhabitants”. The lack of knowledge of the roots of Zionism has also led some Gentiles to define themselves as “Zionists” (instead of “pro-Zionists”) or to some Jewish observant streams – who fail to connect between modern Political Zionism and its Tanakhic roots - to outright reject Zionism.

Before the trickle of absurdities becomes a flood, an educational effort and intellectual process needs to be conducted to define what Zionism truly is and means. This endeavor will necessarily expose the trends mentioned above for what they really are: an attempt to nullify the Jews as an inimitable Nation, and a willful campaign to narrowly define us as just another religion – with no specific and inherent connection to The Land.

As an attempt to contribute to the definition and understanding what Zionism truly is - this paper will, in a nutshell, provide the historic evidence and background that illustrates why Zionism is an inseparable part of Judaism and that it is one of its essential pillars.

INTRODUCTION TO ZIONISM

“Zionism” is a Tanakhic concept which expresses the bond between The Nation of Israel (aka Children of Israel / Hebrews / Israelite / Jews) and The Land of Israel.

Zionism is as old as the history of the Nation itself – starting 4000 years ago with God’s commandment to Abraham, and Zionism has never ceased to exist nor been diminished in importance since then and until present.

The word “Zion” is mentioned in The Tanakh as a synonym to Jerusalem and to The Land of Israel, as well as being a synonym for The Nation of Israel. The Tanakhic expression “B’ney Zion” [1] (Children of Zion) refers to The Nation of Israel, or “The Zionists”, in the same manner that the term “B’ney Israel” (Children of Israel) means “Israelite” and the term “Yehudi” (a member of the tribe of Yehudah/Judea living in The Kingdom of Judea) is translated as “Jew”. That, in spite of the fact that the common translated use of “Jew” refers to all the descendants of the tribes of Israel – and not just to the Judean ones. *

Zionism’s many expressions are revealed in The Torah, The Tanakh, The Rabbinic Literature (The Oral Torah, The Talmud, etc.), The Prayers, The Rabbinic Poetry (aka Piyyut), in Jewish fine literature, in Jewish philosophy, etc.

_____________________________________________________________

* At this stage it is important to note that though the terms and the Tanakhic sources in this summary are in English, the ONLY accurate language for the discussed issue can be Hebrew – despite efforts to clarify mistranslations.

Therefore, for similar essential reasons, correct definitions and conceptualizations can only be discussed by those who have practical knowledge of all aspects of Tanakhic studies and its interpretations and exegesis throughout the generations, as well as the history of Jews and Judaism.

THE PROMISED NATION AND THE PROMISED LAND

The foundation, the basis and the essence of Zionism is the inseparable bond between The Eternal Promised Nation of Israel (the People through its forefathers) and The Eternal Promised Land of Israel that was established by God. It is a unique and unparalleled case in the history of all nations. No other nation has a written deed, nor a documented Godly promise, for its blessed and sacred ownership of its land. Other nations regard their lands as their historical earthly property - while The People of Israel has a 4000 years old deep spiritual connection to their Sacred Land, and a binding deed sanctified by God Himself.

“Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Go you from thy land, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee. And I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.” (Genesis 12, 1-2)

That’s how Zionism started: in a MOVE-ment established by God’s directive.

Later God makes a promise to Abraham:

“And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Shechem, unto the terebinth of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said: 'Unto thy seed will I give this land'; and he builded there an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.” (Genesis 12, 6-7)

The ultimate of God’s many promises to Abraham comes in The Covenant, which is since renewed by EACH individual of The Nation of Israel:

“And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him: 'I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou wholehearted. And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.' And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying: 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.' And God said unto Abraham: 'And as for thee, thou shalt keep My covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.'“ (Genesis 17, 1-14)

This Covenant is called in Hebrew “Brit Milah” – A Covenant by Word. This is contrary to the common mistranslation of “circumcision” - which only describes the physical procedure and fails to stress its sacred and its binding constitutional aspects.

It is easy to understand from The Covenant why the Brit Milah is crucial for Jewish Life throughout the generations, why it is valid only for The People of Israel who renew The Covenant properly, and also why The People of Israel can never be defined as an ethnic race.

God repeats His oath to Isaac, son of Abraham (but not to his brother Ishmael):

“Dwell in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore unto Abraham thy father; and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these lands; and by thy seed shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves; because that Abraham hearkened to My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.'” (Genesis 26, 3-5)

Later God repeats his oath to Jacob (Israel), son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham (but not to his brother Esau):

“And God said unto him: 'Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name'; and He called his name Israel. And God said unto him: 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.'” (Genesis 35, 10-12)

THE SANCTITY OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL FOR THE NATION OF ISRAEL

Most of the Laws of The Torah are strictly connected to The Land of Israel. This fact created the inseparable triple pillar of Judaism: The Nation of Israel -The Land of Israel-The Torah of Israel.

None can exist without the other; one is dependent on the other.

The sanctity of The Land of Israel was determined by God even before The Nation of Israel returned to its Land [2]. During the Exodus from Egypt, The Nation of Israel was given The Torah and its Commandments – after the CONSTITUTIVE EVENT on Mount Sinai. It is where and when God renewed His Covenant with the ENTIRE Nation of Israel, for future generations too [3] and for ETERNITY [4], unconditionally [5].

The sanctity of The Land is also stressed for The Temple in Jerusalem, the holiest site for The Nation of Israel ever:

“And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.” (Exodus 25, 8)

“Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (Chronicles A 21, 18)

“Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father; for which provision had been made in the Place of David, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” (Chronicles B 3, 1)

Other Laws of The Torah which are connected to The Land of Israel only, other than The Laws concerning The Temple, are: Laws concerning the crop of The Land (Sh’mita, e.g.), Laws concerning purity (quarantine of leprous, burial laws, e.g.), Laws concerning law and order (cities of refuge, e.g.), Laws concerning civil and military government, and many more.

THE YEARNING FOR THE LAND OF ISRAEL WHILE IN EXILE

The sacred connection between The Nation of Israel and The Land of Israel and Jerusalem (both known as Zion) doesn’t cease when most the Nation is in exile, during which Laws of The Torah that apply only to The Land of Israel were observed – in order not to be forgotten. Furthermore, during the exile of most of The Nation from its Land, prayers, lamentations and poetry were composed as an expression for the burning desire to return to Zion. Indoors, walls facing in the direction of Jerusalem functioned as a figurative memory of that yearning.

Zion and Jerusalem are mentioned 120 times in routine prayers: “And You shall bring us to Zion with joy, and to Jerusalem, House of Your Temple – with eternal gladness” – is just one example of many. Many know the lamentation of The Exiles in Babylon:

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. Upon the willows in the midst thereof we hanged up our harps. For there they that led us captive asked of us words of song, and our tormentors asked of us mirth: 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.' How shall we sing the LORD'S song in a foreign land? If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy.” (Psalm 137, 1-6)

Less known to non-Hebrew speakers is the poem of the 11th-12th century Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, who lived in Spain:

“My heart is in the East, and I am at the ends of the West;

How can I taste what I eat and how could it be pleasing to me?!

How shall I render my vows and my bonds, while yet

Zion lies beneath the fetter of Edom, and I am in the chains of Arabia?

It would be easy for me to leave all the goodness of Spain, as

It is precious for me to behold the dust of a desolated Holy of Holies.”

Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi left Spain for The Land of Israel when he was 75 years old.

Every Israeli child knows the Israeli anthem, “Hatikvah” (The Hope), by heart. “Hatikvah” was composed in exile by Naftali Herz Imber (1878), a non-observant Jew, who was inspired by the prophet Ezekiel’s “Vision of the Dry Bones”:

“Then He said unto me: 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say: Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.” (Ezekiel 37, 11)

The Anthem still expresses the eternal yearning for a complete meaningful life of The Nation on its Land, Zion:

“As long as in the heart within – The Jewish Soul yearns

And toward the Eastern edges, onward, - An eye gazes toward Zion

Our Hope is not yet lost – The Hope that is two-thousands years old

To be a free Nation in our Land – The Land of Zion and Jerusalem”

Throughout the exile, when Jewish life in the Diaspora continued to develop, Jewish presence and life in The Land of Israel never ceased to exist. It continued persistently, and grew due to various waves of Jewish immigration. Throughout the centuries those immigrations were strictly an outcome of Jewish faith and devotion aimed at fulfilling the command [6] to dwell in The Land of Israel: Zionism in practice.

THE MODERN ZIONIST MOVEMENT: PROTO-ZIONISM

As described above, Zionism is inseparable from Judaism. Until the late 19th century the Jewish immigration to The Land of Israel by individuals and small groups took place for reasons of faith: small in quantity but meaningful in quality.

The 19th century was characterized in Europe by many socio-economic changes which led to political and nationalistic changes. Those events affected the Jewish communities with the rise of anti-Semitism on the one hand, and attempts of assimilation on the other. The events in Europe seeped to its colonies and spread worldwide.

It is possible that those changes also expedited a reexamination of the Jewish Philosophy concerning the concept of Redemption, and in particular redemption from exile.

Until then, the consensus – with few exceptions – was the idea that Redemption of the return of The People to its land would occur only by God via a messiah. That idea took on a new dimension when a few Rabbis suggested that The Nation of Israel must act in order to achieve Redemption by fulfilling the Torah’s commandment to inhabit The Land of Israel:

“And ye shall drive out the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein; for unto you have I given the land to possess it.” (Numbers 33, 53)

Among those Rabbis we can count Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Kalischer and Rabbi Eliyahu Guttmacher, Rabbi Yehudah Alkalai and Rabbi Dr. Yehudah Bibas, Rabbi Shmuel Mohilever, and many others. They are all considered as the heralding founding fathers of Modern Zionism, which led to the establishment of organizations promoting the Return of The Nation to The Land of Israel (“Hovevei Zion” est. during the 1870’s, e.g.) and laid the ideological platform for the futuristic Modern Zionist Movement – led by Herzl. The list of proto-Zionists of modern times includes Moshe Hess too. In his book “Rome and Jerusalem” he approached the idea of Returning to Zion as a Jewish national aspect, and part of the general European “Spring of Nations” – a nationalistic awakening that expressed the desire for self-determination. Despite being highly influenced by Socialist ideas (and an outstanding leader of the revolutionary German Socialist Movement) – his vision of the futuristic Jewish State in The Land of Israel stressed the need for conducting the spiritual way of life in accordance with The Torah. Hess, too, insisted on the firm wholeness of The Nation of Israel-The Land of Israel-The Torah of Israel.

MODERN POLITICAL ZIONISM: THE REKINDLING OF TANAKHIC TOOLS

The modern proto-Zionists had an insufficient impact on the masses: the East-European Jewry was mostly an observant conservative society which struggled to accept the idea of Redemption without a clear sign from God (not by a messiah, i.e.), while the West-European Jewry had just started to enjoy its new emancipation, and many identified themselves more with the general formative changes which swept through Europe – rather than the continuous link to The Nation of Israel and its unique aspirations.

But that wasn’t the case in other Jewish communities worldwide, which continued to adhere to principles of Traditional Zionism. Middle Eastern communities sensed as well that the end of the exile was coming. During the 19th century entire villages in Morocco were emptied from their Jewish inhabitants who immigrated to The Land of Israel. Similar scenarios occurred among Yemenite Jewry.

Back in Europe, a few decades had passed until the geo-political conditions enabled the ascent of a movement which would eventually lead to the reestablishment of Jewish Sovereignty in The Land of Israel. It took also an extraordinary person like Herzl, who skillfully synthesized the various ideological trends into a solid movement aiming for the same goal: rebuilding the Jewish State in The Land of Israel.

Prior to establishing the modern Zionist Movement, Herzl, a jurist, journalist and writer by profession, spread his ideas through the press and through books and plays - in order to enforce the issue of the Jews on the public debate. There is no doubt that Herzl was exposed to the writings of the Rabbinical proto-Zionists and that he was greatly influenced by them. Rabbi Alkalai and Herzl’s father and grandfather were acquainted, e.g., and many of Alkalai’s book “Goral L’Adonai” (A Lot for The Lord) ideas - appeared later in Herzl’s book “The Jewish State” (“Der Judenstaat”, “L’État Juif”). Though Herzl’s vision was deeply interwoven in Judaism – it was his political path which contributed most to the success of the modern Zionism’s endeavor and to Herzl’s fame. His conviction in this path, together with Max Nordau, was just one of the many methods towards the goal - and is known as Political (national) Zionism. It stressed the need for political, diplomatic and legal activity and gaining the patronage of a European country which would advocate for a Charter for Jews’ resettlement in The Land of Israel.

By that, consciously or unconsciously, Herzl replicated the Tanakhic and the Jewish historical methods of redeeming The Nation from exile - by gaining the compatible super-powers’ approval. Out of the many examples, Moses’ appeal to Pharaoh - to release The Hebrews from bondage during the time of The Exodus from Egypt - is the most generally known.

In 1897 the “Zionist Movement” was established as the first Zionist Congress took place in Basel, Switzerland.

The other Zionist streams, which Herzl cleverly managed to unite under the common goal, were:

Practical Zionism (“Hovevey Zion” organization) – promoted immigration and re-settling prior to political activity.

Synthetic Zionism (Chaim Weitzman, Martin Buber) – united Political Zionism with Practical Zionism, to a simultaneous activity.

Religious Zionism (“Hamizrachi” movement) – had a vision of combining labor in The Land of Israel according to The Laws of The Torah; while The Torah is the core and the national aspect serves as a mantle.

Spiritual Zionism (Achad HaAm) – stressed the need for cultivation of Jewish Culture and National values prior to immigration.

Socialist Zionism (Nachman Syrkin, Dov Borochov) – desired to establish an agriculturist society based on moral equality.

Revisionist Zionism (Ze’ev Jabotinsky) – demanded a revision of the Zionist Movement activities. It emphasized the historic national heritage of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel as the constituent basis for the Zionist national idea and the reestablishment of the Jewish State. It supported Liberalism (including Economic Liberalism).

Surprisingly, all those conflicting approaches succeeded to reach their prime goal while continuing to express the unique attribute of Jewish life - in the Jewish State - based on the common denominator:

“The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people.

Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped.

Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books”

(The Declaration of The Establishment of The State of Israel, May 14 1948)

INSIGHT AND CONCLUSIONS:

For 4,000 years, Zionism has been and still is, an integral aspect and a main pillar of Judaism.

The term “Zion” culminates within it both The Land of Israel and The Nation of Israel.

The unbreakable sacred bond between The People of Israel and The Land of Israel by God’s eternal Covenant, IS the true core, the nucleus, of Zionism. Every member of The Nation of Israel is personally committed to The Covenant when renewing it by the Brit Milah.

Moreover, this unique bond was also recognized by the rest of the world throughout the ages. For example, in the “Letter to the Jewish Nation” from 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte proclaims the Israelite “The rightful heirs of Palestine!” – based on this bond. [8]

For eighteen centuries most of The Nation of Israel was in exile. It was during that period when new expressions of prayers, poems, rituals and customs were created, in an attempt to fill with meaningful content the unnatural void created by living away from Zion.

Because of the inseparable sacred connection between The People of Israel and The Land of Israel, a miracle occurred during the 1,800 years of separation and exile – the Jewish People never ceased to exist as a Nation and never stopped yearning for the redemption by the return to Zion.

It is clear that the exile had to come to its end! As the Jewish way of life in the Diaspora was exempt from dealing with mundane tasks of national existence and sovereignty, the national-political aspects of Judaism had become dormant. On the other hand, the evolving traditions of Jewish methodical learning flourished during this period – but couldn’t advance The Nation towards national independence. Therefore, an alternative and fresh approach was needed to temporarily concentrate on other paths and venues in order to reach its goal. Only after reaching its goal, The Nation could reconnect to the historical essence of Zionism, in practice, through the restoration of its sovereignty over The Land of Israel. That temporary Jewish path, which arose in Europe, has become known as the political “Zionist Movement”.

The modern “Zionist Movement” is a sequel in The Nation of Israel’s History, drawing its raison d’être from Judaism’s essential building blocks – starting from when God established the MOVE-ment by ordering Abraham “Go you from thy land… unto the land that I will show thee”.

Defining Herzl as “The Visionary of The Jewish State”, though true, is unjust - for it lessens his more significant role: being The Redeemer of The Nation of Israel from exile. Herzl recognized and restored the National definition of the Children of Israel. He diagnosed the illness of a nation without its territory and determined it as terminal – unless cured. By that Herzl redeemed The Nation from the distorted definition of being a “religion” – a definition which was imposed on The Children of Israel by the Gentiles, either deliberately or out of ignorance (God’s Covenant with Abraham – a valid constitutional document - was to make out of him a great nation – not a great religion). Lacking a better definition – as a nation without its land is an oxymoron from Jewish perspective – the false definition was, tragically, absorbed into The Nation’s general consciousness.**

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** For this reason and others, the modern “Zionist Movement” was full of contradictions. It reflected an outcome of eighteen centuries when most The Nation, along with its main spiritual centers, was uprooted from its source of Purity and Holiness, and thus enabled infiltration of foreign influences as collateral damage.

Without dismissing the enormous and important role of the modern “Zionist Movement” in paving the way towards national independence in Zion – we, The Nation of Israel, still face the challenge of restoring by refinement the fundamental definition and concept of Zionism, in order to achieve our unique self-determination in The Land of Israel, and in order to fulfill our prophetic universal role as “A Light unto The Nations” [7].

It is clear now that Political Zionism, which was used and defined by the Zionist Movement, is just one aspect of Zionism. Though this aspect naturally evolved as we regained our national sovereignty, Zionism cannot continue to be narrowly defined in our joint consciousness. The term “Political Zionism” is indicative of the fact that Zionism is much broader than that, that there is more to it, another facet of it, than just “politics”. By leaving out and forgetting the essential aspects and the roots of Zionism - we, in fact, agree to degrade a pillar of our existence to no more than a Narrative. Moreover, by this, we endanger both our identity and our universal role.

Reestablishing and restoring a complete and true definition of Zionism to national consciousness requires great endeavor - however, it is an imperative! This is especially clear nowadays in the light of the attempt of some of our Nation to propagate into national consciousness terms such as “post-Zionism”, or to redefine Israel from being The Jewish State – to a land of all its inhabitants. It becomes crucial as the study of Judaism in secular schools nowadays has been reduced to “Biblical Criticism”, while in the past, until few decades ago, The Tanakh, The Oral Torah and The Talmud were compulsory and part of the curriculum of all Israeli-Jewish schools.

Furthermore, in Israeli schools and text books, the study of Zionism is taught as only starting from Herzl and the 19th century, and in a manner that is totally detached from its rich past which is not even mentioned within the context of the concept. As a consequence, this is also the knowledge of Zionism that is predominant today within the general national consciousness.

The few references and historic details which are included in this paper are just a mere drop in an ocean of the wisdom and knowledge which has been passed down to us through 4,000 years of Jewish existence. This history and tradition has to be kept alive, taught and protected from ignorance. Our heritage needs to be incorporated within our national consciousness and to be returned to the definition of Zionism.

It is the moral imperative of each Jew to learn, earn and to safeguard our Nation’s heritage and treasures and to meaningfully celebrate the reunification of The Land of Israel with The Nation of Israel.

This can be achieved by reuniting The Nation with the appreciation and the understanding of what Zionism truly means.

References:

[1] “Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.” (Psalms 149, 2)

[2] “And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 'Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the children of Israel.'” (Numbers 36, 9-10, 34)

[3] “Ye are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water; that thou shouldest enter into the covenant of the LORD thy God--and into His oath--which the LORD thy God maketh with thee this day; that He may establish thee this day unto Himself for a nation, and that He may be unto thee a God, as He spoke unto thee, and as He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; but with him that standeth here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day.” (Deuteronomy 29, 9-14)

[4] “Even all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations;” (Numbers 15, 23)

[5] “For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath compassion on thee.” (Isaiah 54, 10)

[6] “And ye shall drive out the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein; for unto you have I given the land to possess it.” (Numbers 33, 53)

[7] “I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and have taken hold of thy hand, and kept thee, and set thee for a covenant of the people, for a light unto the nations.” (Isaiah 42, 6)

[8] Letter to the Jewish Nation from the French Commander-in-Chief Buonaparte (translated from the Original, 1799)

General Headquarters, Jerusalem 1st Floreal, April 20th, 1799, in the year of 7 of the French Republic

BUONAPARTE, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMIES OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC IN AFRICA AND ASIA, TO THE RIGHTFUL HEIRS OF PALESTINE.

Israelites, unique nation, whom, in thousands of years, lust of conquest and tyranny have been able to be deprived of their ancestral lands, but not of name and national existence!

Attentive and impartial observers of the destinies of nations, even though not endowed with the gifts of seers like Isaiah and Joel, have long since also felt what these, with beautiful and uplifting faith, have foretold when they saw the approaching destruction of their kingdom and fatherland: And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35, 10)

Arise then, with gladness, ye exiled! A war unexampled In the annals of history, waged in self-defense by a nation whose hereditary lands were regarded by its enemies as plunder to be divided, arbitrarily and at their convenience, by a stroke of the pen of Cabinets, avenges its own shame and the shame of the remotest nations, long forgotten under the yoke of slavery, and also, the almost two-thousand-year-old ignominy put upon you; and, while time and circumstances would seem to be least favourable to a restatement of your claims or even to their expression, and indeed to be compelling their complete abandonment, it offers to you at this very time, and contrary to all expectations, Israel’s patrimony!

The young army with which Providence has sent me hither, let by justice and accompanied by victory, has made Jerusalem my headquarters and will, within a few days, transfer them to Damascus, a proximity which is no longer terrifying to David's city.

Rightful heirs of Palestine!

The great nation which does not trade in men and countries as did those which sold your ancestors unto all people (Joel 4, 6) herewith calls on you not indeed to conquer your patrimony; nay, only to take over that which has been conquered and, with that nation¹s warranty and support, to remain master of it to maintain it against all comers.

Arise! Show that the former overwhelming might of your oppressors has but repressed the courage of the descendants of those heroes who alliance of brothers would have done honour even to Sparta and Rome (Maccabees 12, 15) but that the two thousand years of treatment as slaves have not succeeded in stifling it.

Hasten! Now is the moment, which may not return for thousands of years, to claim the restoration of civic rights among the population of the universe which had been shamefully withheld from you for thousands of years, your political existence as a nation among the nations, and the unlimited natural right to worship Jehovah in accordance with your faith, publicly and most probably forever (Joel 4, 20).

Source: “The journal of the International Napoleonic Society” Volume 1 # 2