Zionism

by Rebbetzin Devroah Fastag

 

Formation of Secular Zionism

The haskalah movement had by now reached Russian Jewry. An "enlightened" (e.g. secularized) Jew by the name of Leon Pinsker tried to assimilate into the intellectual Russian gentile society. Then came the pogroms against the Jews in 1881. Pinsker came up with what he thought was the only possible solution to anti-Semitism: the Jews must have their own homeland, so they would not be unwanted guests in other people's countries.

For religious Jews there was nothing new about this idea. They had been waiting and praying for this since the exile began. Pinsker, however, gave it a new twist. He said, "Stop sitting around and waiting for a heaven-sent redemption. Go out and do it yourself!" This idea he called "auto emancipation."

When one views Pinsker's ideology in the context of the aschalta deigeula one cannot help noticing an uncanny outer resemblance between this, and the Vilna Gaon's plan of "the revealed end." Both are, in effect, a "do it yourself geula" plan, both could be called auto emancipation. But there the resemblance ends. The Vilna Gaon's plan was to bring about the Torah's redemption, which means the Jewish people returning to Hashem in holiness, being His beloved people who would establish His kingdom on earth. He knew that it was G-d's will that the Jews begin the return on their own, and that "arousal from below brings arousal from above" (e.g. man's actions in this world bring a parallel heavenly response). Pinsker's idea, on the other hand, was to forget about Hashem and establish a state without Him (Cholila)!

For one who is familiar with the rule of "ze li'umat ze bara HaElokim" (G-d created this versus that) this situation is not difficult to understand. Everything that exists in holiness has a parallel on the "other side."  Both will use the same power, but for exactly opposite ends. The Vilna Gaon called his plan to bring the geula by settling Eretz Yisroel "Hazon Zion", the vision of Zion. This really was Zionism. But while the Vilna Gaon's Zionist movement was made to bring people closer to Hashem, Pinskers's return to Zion was to be without Hashem. Pinsker's "auto emancipation," then, fits as the opposite side of the Vilna Gaon's plan.

Pinsker realized that he could not get enough support for his idea from the ranks of the assimilated Jews called the maskilim. He would have to get followers from the ranks of the orthodox whose hearts were filled with an overflowing love and longing for the land of Israel. As The Siege by Conor Cruise O'Brienֹputs it, "The linkage of secular and Orthodox Jews was a crucial factor in the development of Zionism. Zionism as a political program took off among the maskilim, but it derived its vital force and its orientation from the religious life of the Orthodox Jewish population of the shtetl..." In other words, in order to make Zionism into a living reality, the secular "maskilim" knew that they would need the Orthodox Jews.

The continued Russian pogroms, however, made many young Jews, even in the secular camp, long for their own national homeland. The Russian Jews organized a group called "Chovevei Zion."  Weizman, Ben Gurion, and many other future leaders of the Zionist movement, all stemmed from these Russian Zionists. The secular Zionists redefined what it meant to be Jewish. As Ben Hecht, himself a secular Zionist, says in his book Perfidy: "They (the secular Zionists) were out to change the Jews from the people of the Torah to the people of Zion, a nation." This puts into a nutshell the secular Zionist ideology. Their idea may never have gotten off the ground, however, if it hadn't been for reinforcement from other quarters.

In 1894, a Jew by the name of Dreyfus who was an officer in the French army was charged with spying for the enemy. It was a false charge but the authorities decided to blame Dreyfus because he was Jewish. He was convicted and a great wave of anti-Semitism engulfed France. A Jewish reporter was sent by a Viennese newspaper to cover the story. His name was Theodore Herzl. He watched in shock and amazement the anti-Semitic French mobs who directed their hatred at all Jews, including him.

Dreyfus was assimilated. Herzl, too, was totally assimilated. According to the philosophy of the "enlightenment" assimilation should have put an end to anti-Semitism, but it hadn't. And Herzl began to ponder how the problem of anti-Semitism could be solved, once and for all.

Herzl's first idea was to convert the Jews to the gentile religion. He wrote in his diary: I thought to solve the Jewish question, at least in Austria, with the help of the Catholic Church, who would enable me to get an interview with the Pope. I would tell the Pope, "help us against the anti-Semites and I will put into action a powerful movement to convert the Jews to Christianity in a proud and free manor."  It would be proud and free in the sense that the leaders of the movement, I in particular, would remain Jewish, and as Jews would preach conversion, not in shame as was done until now, but in an upright manner, especially as the leaders would remain Jewish. We, the courageous ones, would be the borderline generation. We would remain in our ancestral religion but our young ones would be converted before they would be old enough to decide on their own." (Second volume, Diary A, P.14. Herzl's writings, published by Newman, Dec. 24, 1896)

Herzl's solution was not to be. Even the assimilated Jews of Austria were not about to embark on a campaign of wholesale conversion. There was nothing new about the idea of solving anti-Semitism through defection from Judaism. The gentiles had been promoting this idea for over a thousand years. Any Jew who wished was free to end his degrading status and lack of rights by simple conversion. No more pogroms, no more ghettos, no more special taxes, any profession or position you want, just convert to Christianity and its all yours -- that was the standing offer. And the Jewish masses responded by saying, "Thanks, but no thanks -- I'd rather be burnt at the stake!" Brought face to face with this "uncourageous" Jewish stubbornness Herzl realized he was going to have to think of something a lot more subtle to "solve the Jewish question."

At that time the winds of nationalism were blowing very strongly through Europe. The ideal of the times was self determination, meaning that every nation should have its own land with its own language and culture. It is not surprising then, that Herzl's next solution involved nationalism. This time, he really hit home. What strong emotions he aroused is illustrated by the following passage from Herzl's diary: "I stood on the altar platform" (in a synagogue in Sofia in 1896). When I was not quite sure how to face the congregation without turning my back to the holy of holies, someone cried, "It's alright for you to turn your back on the ark, you are holier than the Torah."

Of course, not everyone reacted like that, but Herzl did arouse an immense emotional reaction. Mordechai Ben Ami, a delegate from Odessa (a bastion of secularism) at the first Zionist congress at Basil in 1896 writes the following: "Before us was the splendid figure of the son of kings, with a deep and concentrated gaze, handsome and sad at one and the same time. It was not the elegant Herzl of Vienna, but a man of the house of David, risen all of a sudden from his grave in all his legendary glory...It seemed as if the great dream cherished by our people for two thousand years had come true at last and Messiah the son of David was standing before us" (taken from The Siege P. 78 who is quoting from Joseph Nedava, Herzl and Messianism).

This is how Mordechai Ben Ami saw it. Herzl was not at all observant of the Torah and he had abandoned the idea of converting Jewish children to Christianity only out of necessity, not out of a religious change of heart. Nor was Herzl against intermarriage. His friend and supporter Max Nordau was married to a non Jewish woman and Herzl had assured him that this would be perfectly acceptable in the "Jewish" state of his vision. None of this, however, seemed to bother Herzl's ardent admirers. So long as he would get them back to Zion, nothing else mattered to them.

 

Rabbis' Views on Secular Zionism

How did the rabbis of the time view secular Zionism? The majority of tsadikim definitely opposed it. Their view was that any movement emanating from the maskilim boded no good for the souls of the Jewish People. With this they had already had ample experience. The maskilim were not only irreligious themselves; wherever they went they drew large numbers of Jews away from Torah observance. If the maskilim were to make a Jewish state, they foresaw that it would be a spiritual disaster.

There were, however, a few others who did not see it this way. The most notable among them was Rav Avraham Yitzchok Kook (1865-1935). Rav Kook saw secular Zionism as a cover for a Divinely willed purpose. "What Jewish secular nationalists want," he wrote, "they do not themselves know. The spirit of Israel is so closely linked with the spirit of Hashem that a Jewish nationalist, no matter how secular his intentions may be, is despite himself imbued with the Divine Spirit even against his own will" (Making of Modern Zionism, Avneri, quoted in The Siege P. 51).

Rav Kook, like the Kabbalist Rav Alkali, saw the Zionist movement as the aschalta digeula, the period of Moshiach ben Yosef, which is started by the Jews' own efforts, as already explained. They saw these secularists as Hashem's tool in starting the redemption. Although Rav Kook recognized these people as resha'im (wicked) in their behavior towards G-d, he thought that in the merit of their concern for the welfare of the Jewish People they would eventually be brought to repent, and their intended state would then turn into something holy and good.

But there were tsadikim that opposed Zionism, not only because of its secular leadership. As one tsadik put it, "We didn't put ourselves into the exile and we can't take ourselves out." There were some rabbis who saw the fervor over secular Zionism as an abandonment of the ancient belief in the ge'ula, substituting instead, the goal of an ordinary national state. And there were some who saw in the establishment of the State of Israel a rebellion against the three oaths mentioned in the Talmud.

 

The Three Oaths

There are three verses in Shir Hashirim which begin, "I have made an oath with you the daughters of Jerusalem." On this the Talmud (Ktubot 111:A) comments,: Rabbi Yosi in the name of Rabbi Chanina said, Why are there these 3 oaths? One that Israel should not ascend (to the holy land) as a wall (together and by force - Rashi), and one that the Holy One Blessed Be He made an oath with Israel that they not rebel against the nations of the world, and one that the Holy One Blessed Be He made an oath with the nations of the world that they do not enslave Israel overly much... Rabbi Levi said, why are there these six oaths? Three that were already mentioned and that they do not reveal the end, and that they do not postpone the end, and that they do not reveal the secret to the gentiles.

Medrash Raba, Shir Hashirim (Parsha 2:2) also speaks of these oaths and says: "Rabbi Yosi son of Chanina said: There are two oaths here, one to Israel, and one to the nations of the world. He made an oath with Israel that they do not rebel against the burden of nations of the world, and He made an oath with the nations of the world that they do not impose their yoke heavily, because if they impose their yoke on Israel heavily they cause the end to come not in its proper time... Rabbi Chalbo says that there are four oaths here: He made an oath with Israel not to rebel against the kingdoms, and that they do not press the end, and that they do not reveal their mysteries to the nations of the world, and that they do not ascend (as) a wall from the exile."

The present version of Kol HaTor does not deal directly with the issue of the three oaths. However, Chapter 1, footnote 31 from Rav Shlomo Zalman Rivlin says: See the Siddur of the Gra, Page 48 (on Shir HaShirim 2) on the verse "I made an oath with you etc. It should be noted that the Gra comments on the paragraph which says not to press the end, `that they should not go out on their own to build the Bet Hamikdosh'. This clearly shows that according the Gra the warning not to press the end was said only concerning the building of the Bet Hamikdosh but not concerning the building of Jerusalem and the settling of Eretz Yisroel."

Then in chapter 6:2 Kol HaTor says: "We are required to work for the building of Jerusalem using all means of turning it into an inheritance, by chazakah and chozkah (e.g. by planting and building, known in English as squatters rights, and by force (chozkah)." This goes only until (but not including) the building of the Bet Hamikdosh, for, according to our master, the Gra in his commentary to Shir HaLShirim, one may not use this power for the building of the Bet Hamikdosh." (Although Kol HaTor here advocates the use of force, if necessary, for the building of Jerusalem, on P. 145 Kol HaTor says that wars may be fought only in defense. The implication, then, would be that wars of defense would bring about the conquering of areas of Eretz Yisroel.)

When Zionism became a practical issue some Torah authorities ruled that it is forbidden to establish a Jewish state in the land of Israel before the coming of Moshiach, saying that this would be a violation of the oaths. Others said that this is not so. This is a complex issue, and we will deal here only briefly with some of the points.

In a discussion of this issue, the book Da'at Chaim says that the three oaths do not have halachic status, but are rather warnings that these actions would be unsuccessful. (He mentions, however, that according to Rabbi Yuden, Medrash Shir HaShirim 2:18, they would also have dire results.) For this reason, he says, the Rambam discusses the three oaths only in his famed letter to Yemen (Igerret Teiman) but not in his halachic work, Yad HaChazakah, for these oaths, although important, are not halacha. The Da'at Chaim also points out that according to the Ramban it is a positive command to conquer Eretz Yisroel (if_17ֹ possible) at all times, which could not be so, were this a contradiction of the halacha.

The Da'at Chaim quotes from Rabbi Chaim Vital, the main student of the Ari z"l, who says that according to the Braysa of Rabbi Yishma'el, Pirkei Heichalos the oaths were in effect for the first thousand years after the destruction of the second temple. Rabbi Chaim Vital also says (in Eitz HaChaim, introduction to Sha'ar HaHakdamot) that after a thousand years the original period destined for the exile has been served, and the redemption awaits us, but if the Jewish people are still not ready, the redemption will be postponed (P. 70). (The fact that it is possible to postpone the original date for the redemption is evident from the fact that one of the oaths made with the Jewish People is not to postpone the end through sins.)

According to Targum Yonatan, the first two verses beginning "I made an oath with you daughters of Jerusalem" are said by Moshe to the generation of the desert, while the third verse is said by King Moshiach before the war of Gog and Magog. (Shir HaShirim 2:7, 3:5 and 8:4). And according to Medrash Raba Shir HaShirim 2:2 the oaths are still in effect at the beginning of the period of moshiach but they do not include any prohibition against the ingathering of the exiles.

In summation, the Da'at Chaim (P. 68) says that according to what Rabbi Chaim Vital explains, these oaths could have expired, and the exile should have ended, for the exile was originally intended to be a thousand years. If the redemption has not yet arrived it is not because the time has not yet arrived but because the people of Israel have not yet reached the level of studying Torah without desiring reward (e.g. only out of the love of Torah itself). Rabbi Chaim Vital explains that this level is absolutely necessary to bring the redemption. And, he writes, only through the study of Kabbalah can we reach this level of Torah study.

The Da'at Chaim then says, "And, as explained above, the oaths are "until it will be desired" (ad shetechpotz) meaning until the preparations are made so that leaving the exile will bring to perfection in faith and love of Hashem..." In other words, if leaving the exile does not lead us to perfection in faith and love of Hashem, it will be of no benefit, and can even cause harm, for the purpose of the exile has not yet been achieved.

And now this writer would like to add a point. The Medrash quoted above (Shir HaShirim, Parsha 2:2) says that if the nations of the world will impose their burden on Israel too heavily this will bring the redemption before its proper time. As we see, the holocaust led directly to the establishment of an independent Jewish state in Israel three years later - before the Jewish people were spiritually ready.

The question of whether Zionism, even if not secularized, is a contradiction of these oaths, was a crucial factor in determining the attitude of the Torah leaders towards the establishment of a Jewish State in the land of Israel. Those who said that Zionism was a violation of the oaths were clearly opposed to it in all forms. Those who did not see it as a violation of the oaths were divided. Rabbi Kook, as mentioned earlier, saw in all Zionism the hand of Hashem bringing the redemption in a hidden way. He therefore strongly encouraged and supported all forms of Zionism. There were also other orthodox Jews whose goals were not so spiritual, but who wanted to collaborate with the secular Zionists simply because they longed for a Jewish state in the land of Israel.

The majority of rabbis, however, took a very wary position. Although they may have approved of Zionism on a theoretical level, even seeing in it the potential of the aschalta digeula, they were very frightened of its secular goals and ideology. Moreover, they had learned by bitter experience that any connection with the maskilim led to mass defection from Torah. Therefore, we find a statement by the Chofetz Chaim calling the Balfour Declaration "a smile from heaven" but also pointing out that the Hebrew letters for Balfour spell out Bal Pe'or, the name of an idol that led Jews astray in the desert. It all depends on how it is handled.

And how was it handled?

 

Shameful History

The people who headed the Zionist movement and who brought about the establishment of the State of Israel are seen by most Jews as great heroes. Even many orthodox Jews see them as really out to help the Jewish People in a physical sense, and give them great credit for that. The actual historical facts, however, tell a very different story. The truth is so somber and shocking that it is difficult to even read about it, but we must face facts if we aim to reach the truth.

About ten years after the establishment of the State, a trial took place in Israel which revealed the shocking fact that the World Zionist Congress, the Jewish Agency, and the leaders of the Zionist movement (Ben Gurion, Sharett, Weizman, etc.) had deliberately squelched news of the mass murder of Jews during the holocaust, and had deliberately foiled efforts to save them. This was revealed mainly through the Greenwald - Kestner trial, and the story of Yoel Brandt. The following is taken from the books Perfidy and Ot Kayin.

Malchiel Greenwald was a religeous Zionist who had a little newspaper where he wrote a letter to "my friends in the Mizrahi" revealing that Rudolph Kestner, a government official and Mapai candidate, had been a Nazi collaborator. The Israeli government had Greenwald tried for libel. In the course of the trial it was revealed that not only was Kestner a collaborator but the "great men" behind him, Weizmann, Ben Gurion, Sharett, etc., knew about this and still supported him. But, even more important, the Zionist leaders had deliberately suppressed information on the extent of the Nazi murders. It was shown in court that Rabbi Dov Weissmandel had sent exact information to the Zionist leaders saying that 12,000 Jews were being killed each day, and a Jewish agency official testified that he had passed it on to them. Yet their official newspaper Davar wrote: "The Nazi denial of extermination has a good foundation. Not as many were annihilated as was feared." Tamir, Greenwald's lawyer, puts it like this:

"The Jewish Agency had by then the best and most exact informative source on the fate of the Jews of Hungary, and on the deportations, and there was no British censorship of such items, as was proven in Court. But from the end of May until the 16th of July, for a full month and a half, when 12,000 Jews are being killed a day, still not a single authoritative word is uttered by the Jewish Agency or any Zionist officials, that these deportations have started and are continued, that already half a million Jews were exterminated. For a full month and a half, Mr. Sharett and the Jewish agency are knowingly and wilfully suppressing all the news known to them..."

"And why this suppression of the dreadful news by Ben Gurion, Sharett, Weizmann, and all the official leaders of Jewry? Because had the masses in Palestine known then what was happening in Hungary, and known then the stony hearts of their leaders, a storm would have risen in our land. Power would have fallen out of their hands. And this, it seems, was more important to them."

Yoel Brandt, like Kestner, was a representative of the World Zionist Congress in Hungary, but unlike Kestner, he was sincere. When Eichman presented him with an offer to spare the lives of one million Jews in return for trucks, soap, and coffee, Brandt turned desperately to his friends in the World Zionist Congress, who summarily turned him over for internment by the British. (Two men boarded Brandt's train to warn him that he was headed for a trap. One was from the revisionist (Begin's) party and the other was from Agudat Yisroel. But Brandt's travelling companion from the World Zionist Congress convinced him otherwise.) Moshe Sharett, who visited Brandt in captivity, assured him that the Nazi offer would be discussed by the World Zionist Congress, and it was. At the meeting held on this issue, Yitzchok Greenbaum, head of the Jewish Agency Rescue Division, refused to allocate Keren HaYesod funds for the rescue of a million European Jews, because, he said, the money could be better used to build up Palestine. He is purported to have said, "One cow in Palestine is worth more than all the Jews of Hungary." That, however, is not documented. What went on file is this:

"Of course there is sufficient money (to save the million Jews) if we take from the Keren HaYesod funds. But we will not take from the Keren HaYesod funds. We will use those means to continue our war for the ge'ula...Zionism is above everything. We must declare this every time a great holocaust leads us astray from our war to redeem Zion. Our war to redeem Zion does not flow directly out of, nor does it directly correspond with, our actions to help the Diaspora."

The point of secular Zionism was supposedly to save Jews from anti-Semitism, yet Greenbaum says that it is not to help the Jews of the Diaspora. Then who is it to help? Greenbaum himself gave the answer in another reported comment. When asked by European refugees to swear to do everything possible to save the remaining Jews of Europe, Greenbaum refused. He explains: "...and again I spoke about the trust placed in our hands and the need to emerge from the status of abnormal people to be a nation like all other nations. Two thousand years of exile are enough for us. We will have equal rights among the worldwide family of nations. That is our goal and we must put it into action." In other words, the goal is not to save Jews, but for the select few to have honor, status and equal rights among the family of nations. For this goal one may sacrifice the Jews of the Diaspora.  

Ben Gurion was present when Greenbaum refused to use the Keren HaYesod funds to save a million Jews. He offered no objection.  If this were not shocking enough, Ben Hecht, author of Perfidy tells a story where not only did these leaders refuse to aid the rescue of Jews, but deliberately foiled the efforts of others to do so. Ben Hecht tried to raise money in America to ransom the Jews of Rumania. There was quite a response.

Then, on February 23, 1943, "Rabbi" Stephen Wise (reform) who was Zionist chieftan in New York, issued a statement in the name of the American Jewish Congress, saying that the whole deal was a fraud. The Jewish Agency in London also denied the Rumanian offer. This denial was cabled to American newspapers, and carried by them. As a result the rescue of Rumanian Jewry was prevented from materializing. Peter Bergson, who was working with Ben Hecht, called Undersecretary of State Adolph A. Berle, Jr. and asked him to affirm or deny the Rumanian offer. Berle said he would call back with the answer. He did, the next day. The story was true, said Berle. The State Department had received such an offer from the Rumanian government.

Years later, Bartlely Crum, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, confirmed the facts of the offer. Bartley Crum revealed that the 70,000 Rumanian Jews could have been saved and transported to Palestine via Turkey, but because of Jewish pressure the State Department had not given out the news. Why did the "Jewish" organizations do this? Ben Hecht says that the World Zionist Congress was afraid that to do otherwise would antagonize the British, who might then rescind their offer to allow a small Zionist state in Palestine.

Another subject discussed in Perfidy is the behaviour_NTֹ of the leaders of the World Zionist Congress towards their rivals in the Irgun-Lehi groups. Ben Gurion, in his address to the Histadrut convention in Tel Aviv on April 22, 1944, called to collaborate with the British in persecuting the members of the Irgun. The following are some excerpts from his speech which appeared in the newspaper Davar.

"The time for action has arrived... we have decided to vomit them out of our midst... we must suppress in our hearts every personal feeling - let them not preach piety to us. Let every boy and girl be taught by our youth organizations that if the gangs come asking money of their fathers and mothers, he or she must notify the proper authority. And if they don't know any other address let them go to the (British) police...  I repudiate the kindness which was justified in other times. In our circumstances this is a twisted kindness, a kindness of fools."

Perfidy continues: "Ben-Gurion backed up his fiery address by sending out special Haganah units to kidnap Irgunists. The Haganah forcibly extorted information from some of their Jewish captives and handed the others over directly to the British. Ben-Gurion's men also supplied the British with the names of hundreds and hundreds of other Irgun fighters, and tipped off the British to the secret hiding places of the Irgun's hard-won stores of weapons... Irgun victims reported that the methods of Ben-Gurion's men were more sadistic than the techniques employed by the British in tormenting Jews."

Another infamous episode in the Haganah - Irgun relationship is the story of the arms boat Altelena, which was blown up by Ben-Gurion's orders in the early days of the War of Independence. This will be discussed later when we speak about Begin, whose behavior in that incident was exemplary.

It is not hard to imagine that people who could behave with such physical cruelty towards fellow Jews would be no better in the spiritual arena. These people wanted a secular state, but they had a problem. In order to populate the state they would have to bring over Jews from the Arab lands, yet virtually all of these Jews were religious. In order to "solve" this problem, the secular Zionist leadership arranged that the atmosphere and education that would engulf these new immigrants would assure that the next generation would not be religious. The absorption of the Yemenite Jews is a strong example of this.

The Yemenite Jews came to Israel thinking that the redemption was either on its way or had already come. After 2,500 years they were finally coming back to the holy land, and it was being done "on the wings of eagles" (known to us as airplanes). When they got here they were in for a rude shock. The people who met them, processed them, and virtually took over their lives were anti-religious. The Yemenites were placed in ma'abrot (absorption camps) where the children were told that they no longer need to keep mitzvot. Their payot were cut off. When volunteers from yeshivot came to teach the children they were not allowed in. Only secular, anti-religious education was allowed.

Later, when families left the ma'abrot, they were told that if they registered their children in yeshivot they would not receive financial benefits. Sometimes parents were told that they would not receive jobs if they did not register their children in the "right" schools.  (In addition to the spiritual harm done towards the Yemenites, Ben-Gurion's attituade towards them in general is reflected in his book Netzach Yisroel where he says that they are needed as workers, like the Negroes in America.)

Another example of the methods of the Zionist leadership in controlling the education of the Sefardic youth can be seen in the following story which was told to me personally by a friend from Morocco. In the early fifties a shaliach from the Youth Aliya came to her village in Morocco and convinced the very religeous parents to send my friend's sister along with them, assuring them that she would be placed on a religious kibbutz where she would receive a religious education. Because there were problems with a local Arab who had his eye on the girl they decided to send her. When the entire family were finally able to emigrate to Israel they found their daughter on an irreligious kibbutz, where she was mechalel Shabbat. You can multiply this story by the thousands.

Ironically, while all this was going on, the secular press and government were screaming against the religious Jews for making "religious coercion". As the Talmud says, "Anyone who finds fault with others, it's his own fault that he finds".

But most of the time, the secular influence was imposed more subtley. The immigrants were placed in an environment where there was no Torah leadership but lots of secular influence. The schools were either non-religious, or only very mildly so. The so-called religious government schools communicated the message that the laws of the Torah were not to be taken "too" seriously. Many of the teachers themselves were very lukewarm about their religious observance. The feeling of deep sincerity and enthusiasm for Torah was absent.

If immigrants lived on a moshav, rather than in the city, they might have no choice but to send their children to the local school, which was very likely irreligious. One woman on a moshav told me how years ago, when her daughter was a child, she came home one day from school and demanded to know why her parents had lied to her. What was the lie? Her parents had told her that the Torah is true, while her teacher (who must know better!) had told her the opposite.

While true Torah education was available to only very few, secular allurements were all around. Since the youth saw their parents as out of touch with the new reality, they easily succumbed to the dominant culture of their new society, which meant becoming irreligious.

 

Conclusions

Kol HaTor gives a time for the plan of the revealed end - between 5600 (1840) and 5750 (1990) (P.28, footnote 53). When looking back at this period of history we see that the power to return and rebuild Eretz Yisroel really did come into the world at this time. (And the intifada began two years before 1990). Even in many details there is an undeniable resemblance between what was predicted in Kol HaTor and what actually transpired in history. For example, Kol HaTor (P.101) says that the return will be as in the time of Koresh (Cyrus) with the permission of the nations, and indeed, the State of Israel was established with the permission of the United Nations. The return, rebuilding, and independence are all very remarkable because throughout the long years of the exile nothing happened that can even begin to compare with this.

Yet this resemblance, as amazing as it is, is only in the physical realm. Not only is the present spiritual situation different than that described in Kol HaTor, but the exact opposite took place. Kol HaTor speaks of a spiritual return (tshuva), accompanying the physical return, of the wiping out of Amalek, the source of evil, of a great revelation of the secrets of the Torah, all brought about by Moshiach ben Yosef. The description is one of the Jewish people planting the land in holiness while keeping the mitzvot pertaining to the land, studying Torah with its inner, Kabbalistic meanings, and even making great discoveries in the "lower wisdoms" thereby making a kiddush Hashem. Kol HaTor describes the Jewish people at this time as living in a society of economic equality, led by the "anshei amana", people of holy character traits. Is this what happened?

True, Kol HaTor does say that Moshiach ben Yosef is connected to Rochel, who is the physical return and rebuilding of the land of Israel, while it is Moshiach ben David who is connected the heavenly, spiritual aspects. (Chapter 2, Part 2). This is how some people have explained this contradiction. But they are ignoring the fact that Kol HaTor also says that Moshiach ben Yosef is also connected to his father, Yaakov, from where he gets the spiritual aspects of his mission (such as revealing the Torah's secrets, etc.) Moreover, Moshiach ben Yosef, says Kol HaTor, brings the Jewish People to tshuva. As we mentioned previously, the physical return and the spiritual return come together. Even if Moshiach ben David would come and bring everyone to tshuva, this does not answer the fact that Kol HaTor says specifically that tshuva (repentance) and the revelation of the secrets of the Torah are an essential part of the mission of Moshiach ben Yosef. How then, can a secular state be the sachalta digeula, the period of Moshiach ben Yosef? Moreover, even the physical aspects, such as wiping out Amalek, which is a basic requirement of Moshiach ben Yosef, was not done.

Moreover, even if we relate only to the physical return and rebuilding of the land of Israel, as it pertains to Rachel Imeinu, who is called "Eretz", we will see not only a discrepancy, but a glaring contradiction. Rachel represents the holiness of the Shechina inserted into the physical building. The moshav Kommemiyut, mentioned earlier, could be an example of this. But to call secular settlement of Israel by the name of Rachel is totally out of place. This is comparable to saying that a secular woman who makes a barbecue on Shabbat with unkosher meat and vegetables unchecked for bugs is the same as a very religeous woman who cooks the Shabbat food on Friday, being meticulously careful in kashrut and doing it all for the sake of the holiness of the Sabbath. Why are they the same? Because they are both cooking meals to be eaten on Shabbat! How can one possibly say such a thing?

Rachel represents the physical building of Eretz Yisroel in holiness, not in defiance of the laws of the Torah. To call secular settlement of Israel by the name of Rachel is an insult to this holy mother of the Jewish People. Physical building up of the land is truly connected to Rachel when it is done in holiness, but not when it is done in violation of the Torah.

But how, then, can we explain the fact that in the physical realm, the state of Israel really parallels so closely the description of the period of Moshiach ben Yosef?

We have already quoted from Kol HaTor that Aramilus, the archenemy of Moshiach ben Yosef, is equal to him in numerical value, and we explained that having equal numerical value means having powers in the same area. If you take this one step further, it becomes apparent that Efraim, who is Moshiach ben Yosef is not the only one who can bring the Jewish People back to Zion. Aramilus can also do it. The difference is that Efraim will do it with holiness, bringing the Jewish People to tshuva, while Aramilus' goal is the exact opposite - to take the Jewish People away from the Torah and cause them to sin. And they both do it with the return to Zion.

When we add to this all the statements brought previously about the erev rav at the end of the exile, who will be the evil leaders over the Jewish People, and the dream about the good cows being swallowed by the bad ones, then the solution to the enigma becomes obvious. The erev rav "swallowed up" the powers of Yosef, and were thereby able to bring about a sort of shivat Zion (return to Zion). The character of the leaders of the State of Israel, as portrayed by their behavior during the holocaust, and by their efforts to deliberately remove the new olim from Torah observance, fits exactly the description of the erev rav.

(Important Note: We are speaking here only about those who were in control of the character of the state. We do not mean to say here that all secular Zionists are erev rav. Generally speaking we cannot point a finger at someone and say "this is erev rav", for we cannot know. There were people who had unfortunately been led away from Torah or never knew Torah at all who were caught up in secular Zionism, thinking that they were thereby greatly helping the Jewish People. Mnachem Begin, who will be discussed later, is one example. Some of these, like Chana Senesh, belonged to the Haganah, Ben Gurion's group. We are talking here about the leaders who gained control over the movement, not about all the individuals who were caught up in it.

As far as practical considerations are concerned, most non observant Jews today, no matter what their ideology, are considered "tinokot shenishbu". This means that their status is the same as that of a Jewish child raised in captivity under non-Jews. We do not hold them responsible for their non observance of Torah, for they were not properly educated, and we must therefore treat them with the same love and concern that we would give any other Jew, while trying to bring them lovingly back into the fold.

Nor do we mean to say here that everything about the State of Israel is negative. Just as in the other swallowed powers, not everything was taken over by the sitra achra, so here, too, the sitra achra could not gain control over everything, and some holiness was left. Since the holiness of the land of Israel is so great, even if the settlement was taken over by the "other side", there is still intense holiness left.)

We would like to bring here a quote from Rav Kook on the subject of the erev rav:

"The Zohar on Genesis 25:2 shows us the primary attributes of the Erev Rav: They are not overly concerned for the welfare of the Jewish People; they tend to side more with non Jews than with Jews..They care not for the Torah...They make gestures of goodwill towards the enemy..." A sure sign of the Erev Rav is their denial of the "segula" (the uniqueness, and chosenness of the Jew). The foundation of their wickedness is based on the denigration of the Torah and the Torah scholars." (Maamarei HaRaaya P. 60)

Although Rav Kook identified the Russian Yekzvektsia (the Jewish Division of the K.G.B.) as Erev Rav, he did not accept the opinion of most of the leading rabbis of his era that those who stood at the helm of the secular Zionist movement were also Erev Rav. He argued that since they have ahavat Yisroel (love of the Jewish People) and are very concerned with the Jews' physical welfare they cannot be the dreaded Erev Rav.

Rav Kook, however, passed away in 1935. He did not live to see these people's subsequent behavior during the holocaust and their fight to destroy Torah observance in the State of Israel. And, as mentioned earlier, Aramilus is a master of deception. He does not openly portray his evil, but rather, like Mendelsohn, he pretends to be working in your best interests while he is actually bringing about the destruction of Judaism. And, as we already saw regarding Mendelsohn's deception of the Vilna Gaon, his power to fool people is so strong that he can deceive even Torah scholars.

As mentioned earlier, the Vilna Gaon's commentary on tikuney Zohar Chadash says that what happened at the time of Ezra is an exact parallel of what will happen in the aschalta dige'ula. Apparently, the Gra was referring not only literally to Ezra, but to the entire period leading up this return, for he includes Coresh (who lived 18 years earlier) in ths category. Taking this one step further, we can also include Gedalyah Ben Achikom, who was set up by Nevuchadnezar as governor over the Jews whom he left in Israel after the destruction of the Temple. Gedaliah ben Achikom was a great tsadik who was full of ahavat Yisroel. When he was warned that certain evil Jews wished to kill him he refused to even consider the possiblity that this could be true. The result was that he and the men with him were killed and the small yishuv left in Eretz Yisroel fled to Egypt, leaving the land of Israel empty of Jews.

Perhaps one can see Rav Kook as someone similar to Gedaliah Ben Achikom. Like his great ancestor, Aharon HaCohen, Rav Kook "loved peace and pursued peace, loved people and brought them close to Torah." But when the erev rav incited the Jewish People to make the golden calf, Aharon mistakenly went along with them, not realizing what a disaster this would be. Aharon saw that most of the Jews involved really had good intentions; they wanted a resting place for the Shechina which later came about in the mishkan. But he did not see how potent the other, darker side was. Seeing only the good and not the evil, seeing only the lofty inner motives while ignoring the idolatrous outer form, led Aharon HaCohen to err. Perhaps one could say this of Rav Kook as well. He saw the inner form, the seven good looking cows, the forces of the geula and Moshiach ben Yosef, while ignoring the outer form, the seven bad looking cows who represent the forces of evil. But as the pasuk tells us, the good on the inside did not change the bad on the outside, "and it was not known (apparent) that they (the good) had gone inside."

At any rate, many government officials today seem to suit Rav Kook's descriptions of the erev rav. Unbelievably, the people intrusted with the security of the State of Israel made "peace" agreemnts which brought no peace to anyone but placed thousands of settlers, and then the entire population of Israel in great danger. And one of these leaders of the State of Israel, who had no compunctions at all about giving away the holiest sites of the Jewish People, also planned to totally remove the state from its Jewish roots - another sign of the erev rav. He was stopped, however, by heavenly intervention. As soon as he wanted to start his "secular revolution" the present intifada started, and his plan was shelved.

Interestingly, certain member of the media, as well as government officials, have often called chareidim, "parasites". Judge Barak called chareidim "lice", and far from being censured, a higher judge told him "well done"! The Talmud says, "kol haposel bimumo posel" - anyone who finds (exaggerated or unreasonable) fault, it is his own fault that he finds. This, then would also suit the description of the erev rav, because they are, in fact, parasites feeding off the Jewish People.

But even a parasite, if he is wise, knows his limits, because if he kills his host he himself is lost. Therefore, one finds a paradox in Ben Gurion's attitude towards religion in the state of Israel. On the one hand, when discussing the issue of "mihu Yehudi" (who is to be considered Jewish) Ben Gurion stated that twenty years hence there would be no more religeious Jews in Israel except for a small enclave in Me'ah She'arim. On the other hand Ben Gurion exempted yeshiva students from army service and actually wanted to leave some remnants of religion in the state. He apparently realized that in order to survive, secular Zionism had to leave some Torah and mitzvohs. You cannot have a Jewish state without any Judaism. They made sure, however, that this would be only in a very limited way.

The idea that the powers of Yosef were swallowed up by the forces of evil was explained earlier. According to this, it is easy to understand that the klipa of Aramilus and the erev rav must have "swallowed up" the power of Moshiach ben Yosef, which they then used to create the state. This is also the idea of the enslavement of Yosef. A slave is someone whose powers are being used not for his own goals but for the goals of his master. It seems that just as Yosef was originally under the death sentence but later this was changed to slavery, so, apparently, his continuation, Moshiach ben Yosef, also goes through the same process. Although the sages said that he would be killed by Aramilus, this sentence was apparently mitigated to slavery under Aramilus, who then took over the power of Moshiach ben Yosef.

This, then would explain the reason for the physical similarities between what was predicted in Kol HaTor and what actually happened in the state. The state really was using the enslaved powers of Moshiach ben Yosef. Just as the seven bad looking cows swallowed up the seven good looking cows, so the erev rav swallowed up the power of the aschalta digeula, and it was from this power that they built the state. There would then naturally be great physical similarities. But because they had opposite spiritual goals, one for holiness, and one against holiness, the spiritual sides are in direct contradiction.

Kol HaTor, Chapter 3, says that before the coming of moshiach everything will be according to gematriyot. The gematriya (numerical value) of Aramilus, when it is spelled without the letter yud is equal to Efraim, as previously mentioned. But when Aramilus is spelled with a yud the gematriya equals 341 - the gematriya of David Ben Gurion.

 

Yosef's Powers Used by Aramilus?

If we accept that Aramilus was using Yosef's enslaved powers we can understand why there are amazing physical, and even symbolic similarities between the State of Israel and the aschalta dige'ula. We will bring some examples of this.

The kubbutzim: Kol HaTor P.34 and P.141 says that maintaining economic equality in the yishuv in Eretz Yisroel would bring the redemption. As mentioned above, equality is connected to Moshiach ben Yosef. Kibbutzim and a socialistic approach were apparently the necessary catalyst to bring about an independent state. But because this was not done in holiness it could not bring the ge'ula.

The Israeli Flag: The Israeli flag is patterned after a talit which is called in Hebrew "arba kanfot", a four cornered garment. The book Likutey Halachot (Breslav) discusses the mitzvah of tsitsit states that the tsitsit and talit are the rectification of the sin of the spies and these four cornered garments provide the merit to bring us back from the four corners of the earth where we were scattered as a result of the sin of the spies. Therefore, the Israeli flag is, according to Kabbalah, directly connected to the idea of kibbutz galuyot - the ingathering of the exiles from the 4 corners of the earth.

The motif on the flag is the six pointed star called a mogen David. Exactly what the significance of this is I do not know. The number six, however, is connected to the sfira of yesod, foundation, which is connected to Yosef.

HaTikva: According to Kol HaTor (P.55) the entire chapter 31 of Jeremiah is speaking about the coming of Moshiach ben Yosef. In this chapter Hashem tells Rachel Imeinu "yesh tikvah li'acharitech" - there is hope for your end. What is the meaning of this? When something is uncertain we speak of hope. Here, the return of the exiles was promised as a certainty; why, then, is the term "tikvah", hope, used? Kol HaTor answers that the tikvah here is to be interpreted according to its Kabbalistic meaning. By showing the deeper meaning behind the letters of this word Kol HaTor (P.108) shows that tikvah is the spritual power to make the ingathering of the exiles. (On the other hand, the Ari z"l explained that our prayer in shmona esrai "Vilamalshinim al thi tikvah" is a prayer that this power not fall into the hands of the malshinim [informers].) It therefore makes sense that when the State of Israel was established its national anthem was called "HaTikvah".

The point here is not that the people who made these symbols had studied Kabbalah, but rather that the sar, the heavenly angel guiding them towards their destiny, knew the true meanings of these symbols and found them appropriate, for it was from here that it derived its power. Just as a parasite gets its power from feeding off its host, so the erev rav and its leader Aramilus, feed off the powers of Moshaich ben Yosef.

The Knesset: The similarities do not end here. Kol HaTor (P. 29) says that everything that happens in the aschalta dige'ula will parallel exactly what happened at the time of Ezra and Nehemia. At that time the court of Torah scholars established to protect Torah observance and guide the Jewish people was called the great knesset (knesset hagedolah). It consisted of 120 members, all of them great tsadikim and talmidei chachamim (very righteous Torah scholars) and 80 of whom were prophets. The ruling body of the State of Israel, who establishes its laws is also called the knesset, and it, too, consists of 120 members. But it's laws and goals, unless pressured by the religious parties, generally have nothing to do with Torah observance!

The Mnora:ֹ We already spoke about the connection between Greek culture and the "enlightenment" or haskalah movement. Greek culture represents the power of the human intellect severed from its connection to Hashem. The opposite side of this power is the study of the Oral Torah (Talmud) which uses human intellect to achieve closeness to Hashem and to understand His will. The symbol in the Bet Hamikdash which represented the study of the oral Torah was the mnora. (Chanuka is the victory of the Torah scholars over the Greek culture.) In other words, Greek culture is the klipa, or opposite side of the mnora. As already explained, present day western culture is a continuation of Greek culture. (Interestingly, the seat of American government, the White House and the Capitol where the Congress meets, are built in the style of architecture called "Greek Revival". How appropriate!) The state of Israel, founded by maskilim, adopted the general western culture, thereby introducing Greek culture into the land of Israel. This is reminiscent of the period before Chanuka, when Hellenized Jews were in control of the land of Israel. There is, however, a significant difference here. In the times of the Hellenists, there was no attempt to disguise what they were doing. They called themselves what they were. Aramilus, however, does not work like that. As Kol HaTor states, the name Aramilus denotes a trickster, and everything he does is with trickery. Just as Lavan the Arami was called by a name that denotes purity (Lavan means white) when his content is the exact opposite, because Lavan represents the ultimate trickster, so Aramilus, too, will use a name which represents his exact opposite. Therefore, when founding a state whose cultural content is Greek, the symbol to be used would be the exact opposite of this. And since the symbol that represents the opposite of Greek culture is the mnora, it would follow logically that that would be Aramilus' symbol for a state built on Greek culture - for Aramilus the trickster will always use a facade which is the exact opposite of his essence. And indeed the symbol of the state of Israel is the mnora.

The 5th of Iyar, or Yom Ha'atzmaut: In Kol HaTor Pp. 113-114, Rabbi Hillel Shiklover tells the following story: "When we, the students of our master the GRA, arrived in the land of Israel in the year 5569 (1809)... and as we established our residence in Jerusalem the holy city in 5572 (1812) ... according to the secret of Kol HaTor, and on one day in that year 5572 (1812) when they laid the foundation for the Bet Medrash Eliyah (the House of Torah study) called after our master the Gra (Vilna Gaon) and together with this an important action for the building of Jerusalem, we, the students of the Gra, saw in lit up colors, that at that hour the first window was opened in the iron wall for attaching the merit of the fathers, (the connection which is yesod of tiferet through malchut) that was stopped since the churban (the destruction of the temple) And that day was the 20th day of the Omer, yesod of tiferet, (foundation of splendor) as is known to those who know the hidden wisdom".

The 20th of the Omer is the 5th of Iyar, now known as Israeli Independence Day. When Ben Gurion declared an independent Israeli State in the early days of the War of Independence he was surely not looking to Kol HaTor for guidance in setting the date. His action was determined by political and historical necessity. This date was obviously guided by heaven, for the 5th of the Iyar, the 20th of the Omer, represents Yosef the son of Yaakov, bringing down heavenly blesseng according to Yesod, the sfira of Yosef, which is in Tiferet (the sfira of his father Yaakov). As Rabbi Hillel testifies, this day had already been sanctified 136 years earlier as the time when the window for attaching the merit of the fathers, that is the merit to inherit the land of Israel which Hashem had promised to the fathers, was opened for the first time after the destruction of the temple.

Yet, what does an secular Israeli State which disregards the teachings of Yaakov and Yosef, which ignores and rejects the standards of peity and chastity which these sfirot represent, whose army is sadly very, very far from the chastity of yesod, have to do with the 20th day of the Omer? How can they receive the blessings inherent in this day if they ignore and reject its spiritual powers? But, as already explained, Aramilus had taken over and could use the powers of Moshiach ben Yosef which were "enslaved" under him. There is a rule that whatever belongs to a slave belongs to his master. Included in these enslaved powers, apparently, is the potential of the 20th of the omer, which could now be used by Aramilus.

 

Connection of the Eruv Rav to Israel

If the Erev Rav were given control over the land of Israel there must be a heavenly reason to justify this. We have already explained that the men of Egypt who made Brit Milah under Yosef later became the erev rav, and that Brit Milah is the key to the land of Israel. This, says the Zohar (end of Parshat Lech Lecho), is why the descendents of Yishmoel are here until their zchut is used up. But there was another group of gentiles who also made Brit Milah. When Shchem wanted to marry Dinah, her brothers told him that if the entire city would make Brit Milah they would all intermarry and become one nation. Shchem then convinced the citizens of his city to do this. Then, on the third day after the brit, Shimon and Levy went into the city intending to kill Shchem and his father Chamor (who was the king of the town of Shchem) and take Dina home. But the men of Schem gathered around the palace to fight them, so that in oder to get to Dina Shimon and Levy had to kill them all. (This is according to the commentary of the Ohr HaChaim.)

But a promise is a promise. The men of Shchem had fulfilled their side of the bargain, and so they had to be given what was promised them. They were therefore reborn as the erev rav who then intermarried with the Jewish People and became one nation with them (Dover Tsedek, P.179-180). And Brit Milah gives control over the land of Israel.

In parshat Vayechi, Yaakov Avinu tells his children "Gather together and I will tell you what will happen at the end of days". The continuation, however, does not speak of the end of days. Rashi says that this is because Ya'akov wished to reveal the end but the Shechina left him. In that case, why did the Torah repeat Yaakov's words - why not just leave it out if it didn't happen? The Zohar explains that Ya'akov, did, indeed tell them what would happen in the end of days, but because the Shechina left him he had to do it in a very hidden way. Yet all the secrets of the end of days are hidden away in what Ya'akov told his sons at that time.

Now let us look at what Ya'akov Avinu said to Shimon and Levi, who killed out the town of Schem. He says "... because in their anger they killed a man and in their will they uprooted an ox". Rashi explains that the man here is Chamor and the men of Schem who are equal altogether to the value of one man. The ox is Yosef. Now let us put this together in the context of the end of days. The "man", the men of Shchem, have become the erev rav. The "ox", Yosef, has become Moshiach ben Yosef. The meaning of the verse would then seem to be this: because Shimon and Levi killed them, the men of Schem, then became the erev rav, who, at the end of days, would then have the power over the land of Israel, and would thereby uproot the "ox", Moshiach ben Yosef from this period. In other words, because Shimon and Levi killed Shchem, they thereby uprooted Moshicach ben Yosef from this period, for now the erev rav, the reincarnations of the killed men of Shchem, would get it instead. This, then, seems to be the secret of the state of Israel in acharit hayamim; it is the period of Moshiach ben Yosef, the aschalta degeula, that was uprooted and given instead to the erev rav.

There is another connection between the erev rav and the present state of Israel which I have heard in the name of the Gra, but I did not see this myself. I heard that it is written in the writings of the Gra that the ereve rav came before Moshe Rabeinu in the desert and said: You cheated us. You told us that we were going to a land of milk and honey, and instead we spent 40 years in the desert! Moshe Rabeinu then answered the erev rav, that in compensation for the 40 years they spent in the desert they would have control over the land of Israel for 40 years. If one looks at the dates connected to the State of Israel one will see something remarkable. The State of Israel was declared by the United Nations on the 17th of Kislev 5708. The Intifada started on the 17th of Kislev 5748. It was exactly 40 years later.

 

The Miraculous Wars

Some people may ask, if the present state of Israel is in the hands of the erev rav, why then did Hashem make miracles for this state? We will bring here some possible solutions.

1) The erev rav are in control of the state, but they are certainly not its only residents. Hashem made miracles to save His people who are living in the state.

2) The power of this period had an inherent semi-miraculous nature to it, for that is the nature of the period of Moshiach ben Yosef. When the erev rav "swallowed up" this period, they swallowed up this miraculous power as well. The merit of Brit Milah which gave them control over the state, possibly also gave them the miracles connected with the state and Moshiach ben Yosef.

3) The purpose of the miracles was to arouse the Jewish People to Tshuva. I have heard said in the name of one of the tsadikim that had the people said shira (a song in praise of Hashem) after the six day war, Moshiach would have come. The fact that Aramilus and the erev rav took over the state of Israel does not mean that it has to stay that way! Tshuva would automatically bring everything back to the side of holiness, and bring the ge'ula. It is not the state that is wrong. There was meant to be a Jewish state in Israel in this period established with "the permission of the nations" (Kol HaTor and the Gra's commentary of Tikuney Zohar Chadashh). What is wrong is the laws and lifestyle. If these would change, if we would do tshuva, then this really would become the aschalta de'ge'ula!

 

Menachem Begin

We have said that the erev rav took over the state of Israel, but we have also explained that this does not mean that everyone who was involved with establishing the state was necessarily erev rav. An example of this would be Menachem Begin whose behavior definitely does not qualify him as erev rav.

Begin's group had no share in the crimes mentioned in Perfidy. On the contrary, they tried to work in the opposite direction. (Ben Hecht, author of Perfidy, was an official spokesman for this group.) Although officially secular, many of this party's members were traditional, just as Begin himself was. They were not anti-Torah. In fact, according to an interesting story told by one of Begin's granddaughters who is now a ba'alat tshuva, the Begins kept Taharat Hamishpacha. This granddaughter, told her Taharat Hamishpacha teacher, that when she was a little girl, her grandmother, Aliza Begin, showed her a bag of receipts from the mikva and told her that when she grows up and gets married she should also go to the mikvah. When Mrs. Begin passed away, her husband, who was then Prime Minister, wanted to have her buried in a religious section of the Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives) cemetery. But the chevra kadisha (burial society) explained that only religious people could be buried in that area. In order to convince the Chevra Kadisha that Aliza Begin was worthy to be buried in this area, he showed them her bag of receipts from the Mikvah. They were duly impressed, and he got the plot. Begin himself refused to be buried on Mt. Herzl together with the other Zionist leaders. Instead, he was buried alongside of his wife on Har HaZeitim.

But the most famous merit of Mnachem Begin is the story of the Altelena.

At the beginning of the 1948 War, Begin's group brought over to Israel a large supply of desperately needed arms on a boat called the Altelena. At that time the Israelis were vastly outnumbered by the Arabs and with very little ammunition. The Altelena could have solved the arms problem, but Ben-Gurion and his followers had other plans in store. Although they had told the Irgun people that they would help unload the boat, their real plans were to blow it up. This they did to placate the British and to get rid of their rivals, who, if they had enough strength, would be able to take over the fledgling state. So when the Altelena docked, instead of meeting them with cranes and winches they met them with guns and explosives. The blew up the Altelena, together with the arms which were so desperately needed by the yishuv, and they killed twenty of Begin's men in cold blood, some while in the water, some while on the beach. Some drowned. Begin himself was on the boat when this happened. He refused to allow his men to fire back, reaffirming the same stand he had taken when his men were kidnapped by Ben-Gurion's group, tortured, and handed to the British. He said "We don't kill Jews". Begin foresaw that if they would fight back this would start a civil war (known in Hebrew as war between brothers). That, said Begin, would be a greater catastrophe than blowing up the Altelena.

One stands in awe of the strength of character displayed here in a time of unbelievable pressure. How was it that Begin was able to have such moral clarity under such extremely trying circumstances?

There is another question here as well. We already explained why the erev rav had control of the state. But Begin, too, was a powerful figure in the establishment of the state, and he later became Prime Minister. If he was not erev rav, than how does he come into the picture? The following answer is based on something I heard orally in the name of one of the Hassidic Rebbes.

Right before the destruction of the second Beit HaMikdosh there were two groups who were desperately fighting against the Romans. The problem was that they weren't only fighting the Romans, they were fighting each other. One group were the "moderates," mostly rich tsdokim (the "reform" of those times) many of whom had been friendly with the Romans. The other group was known as the Biryonim, or the gangsters, or zealots. They hated the Romans and were what would be called today "terrorists". The Nasi, Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, originally supported the revolt against the Romans when all the Jewish factions were united. But when early in the revolt, the Biryonim attacked and killed rich tsdoky Jews in Jerusalem who they claimed were friends of Rome, Rabbi Shimon totally removed his support and the "chareidim" of those times disassociated themselves from the revolt.

Shortly after this, one of the leaders of the revolt in the Galil, Yochanon of Gush Halav, arrived in Jerusalem. The Galil had fallen in the war to the Romans, but Jerusalem he said, would not fall. Yochanon took control of the Biryonim. The Tsdokim then called in Shimon Bar Giyora, an enemy of Yochanan of Gush Halav, to head their faction. The result was civil war. The Biryonim barricaded themselves on the temple mount, but later, wishing to allow all Jews free entry to the Temple, they opened the gates. The "moderate" Tsdokim did not respect this honor truce and used the opportunity to kill Biryonim. At this time there were storehouses full of enough food in Jerusalem to feed the city for twenty years. The food had been provided by the three rich Jews, Kalba Savua (father in law of Rabbi Akiva) Ben Tsitsit HaKeset, and Nakdimon Ben-Gurion. The storehouses were burnt down by the fighters. The Gemara says that the Biryonim did it to force the people of Jerusalem to fight the Romans. Another version, brought in "Toldot Am Yisroel" says that Bar Giyora's men did it in order to force the Biryonim to join them or stop fighting. At any rate the food was lost. Starvation siezed Jerusalem. When the Roman emperor died there was a lull in the fighting but instead of using it to negotiate peace with Rome, the factions continued to fight each other. In the last days of the revolt they did unite to fight the Romans but it was too late. Jerusalem fell, most of its population was killed, and the survivors sold as slaves. The long exile had started.

Right before the fall of Jerusalem, the great Torah leader, Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakai, called in his nephew, Aba Sikra, who headed the Biryonim and asked him how long people would starve in Jerusalem. Aba Sikra asked in despair what he could do. Rabbi Yohanan devised a scheme with him that would allow Rabbi Yochanan to leave Jerusalem and meet with the Romans. This had to be done in secret because Aba Sikra could no longer control his men. The scheme worked and Rabbi Yohanan received three "gifts" from the Roman emporer: Yavne with its Torah Scholars, a doctor for Rabbi Tsadok who had been fasting for ten years to forestall the destruction which he had forseen, and the dynasty of Rabban Gamliel. But Jerusalem he did not get.

The civil war between the groups of fighters led to the destruction of the Bet HaMikdosh, Jerusalem, and the long galut. But Hashem does not deny the reward of any creature even if he has sinned. Because these people fought for Jerusalem, they were to be given control over the state of Israel before the coming of Moshiach.

Before he died, Menachem Begin said that the thing he wants remembered about him most is not that he got the Nobel Peace Prize, not that he was prime minister, and not that he had been the head of the Irgun. The thing that he wanted remembered most about him was that he had avoided a civil war.

No wonder that Mnachem Begin knew deep in his soul that the worst thing possible would be a civil war. Deep in his soul he remembered the catastrophe that such a thing had brought. Menachem Begin was given a great test but he stood up to it. He had learned his lesson, and he made a tikun. The gematriya of Mnachem Mendel Begin equals Av HaBiryonim - the father of the Biryonim.

 

Peeling off the Peel

The Da'at Chaim quotes the Vilna Gaon in his commentary to Sifra DiTzniuta Ch. 1 (Page 11 in the edition of Rabbi Shmuel Luria) "And the beginning of the revelation of the heel (which he explains earlier is the revelation of kingship) which is the period of the ikvot of Moshiach (literally the heels of Moshiach) when the peel is before the fruit, and that is the secret of orloh..."

In other words, the Vilna Gaon explains that before Moshiach will reveal Hashem's kingship to the world there is a period called ikveta diMeshicha, which is the klipa, or peel which comes before the fruit.

As we have explained, the fruit and the klipa (shell) have similar powers, but the shell uses these powers for evil, while the fruit uses them for good. We also mentioned that ikveta demeshicha is described in the Talmud as a period of immense chutzpa when spirituality is at a great low. This is a preparatory period, the period of the shell, when impurity rules. There is a rule in Kabbalah that the shell always precedes the fruit, that is, the impure part gains power before the pure part does. Only by breaking through the impure peel can one get to the fruit. This is also the secret of orlah.

What is orlah? For three years the fruit of a new tree is called orlah and may not be eaten. A baby boy is born with a foreskin called orlah which is removed by Brit Milah. There is something called "orlat halev" as well, the orlah of the heart. This is all the same idea. The orlah is caused by three klipot, evil spiritual peels, which must first be removed before we can reach goodness.

Orlah represents the power of evil in the world, the yetzer hara which blocks off holiness. This orlah is a thick spiritual shell that surrounds the heart and doesn't let the holiness penetrate and be felt. Consequently people are defiant of Hashem and Torah. We are told in Parshat Nitzavim that when Hashem brings us back from the nations at the time of the redemption He will "circumcise the orlah of your hearts". We will then no longer sin but will return to Hashem with great desire and attachment for there will be nothing blocking us from feeling His love and goodness. But as we already mentioned, the period of the orlah, the shell of unholiness, always precedes the period of the fruit.

Based on this principle, the book Da'at Chaim gives us an insight into the spiritual reasons behind the present situation in the State of Israel. He explains that because of our earlier sins (before and during the exile) the Jewish People fell captive under the power of unholiness, the sitra achra, and cannot simply break free. The only way that the sitra achra would allow the Jewish People to regain the Holy Land and to become independent of gentile rule was if this was done through people who are far from Torah. The sitra achra hoped that through this, there would be an even greater spiritual decline and the power of the sitra achra over the Jewish People would be intensified. But although this is actually what happened, it was all part of Hashem's plan, because it is impossible to free the pure part from the shell unless the pure part is first put into real spiritual uncleanliness. This is the meaning of the meadrash which says, "Who will give (forth) purity from impurity, Avraham from Terach...the world to come from this world, only one, Hashem" (Medrash Raba, Chukat).

Based on the teachings of the Ari z'l as taught by Rabbi Chaim Vital (Sha'ar HaPsukim Iyov A, and others), the Da'at Chaim explains that the first father of the Jewish people Avraham Avinu, had to be born to his father Terach who sold idols for exactly this reason. The soul of Avraham Avinu was being held captive by the sitra achra. Only by being born into spiritual rot, and then breaking the idols, could the soul of Avraham break free. The purpose of this is that through breaking the idols that controlled his environment, Avraham could make a much greater Kiddush Hashem. Because Avraham Avinu had to fight against the evil of his environment he came to a much more profound recognition of G-d's oneness than would have been possible any other way. The light is always much more impressive when it is contrasted against the darkness.

The same, says the Da'at Chaim, is true in our situation. Previous generations would have had to reach much higher levels of righteousness and holiness to bring the ge'ula, and they just didn't make it. But by doing tshuva in our present spiritual darkness we can create an intense kiddush Hashem, even though we ourselves are not on such a high spiritual level. When contrasted with the immense darkness of our environment, every bit of Torah that we keep is like a light bulb in a dark room. Even if it has a low wattage it still shines out spectacularly. The power of this light would make such a kiddush Hashem that it would bring the ge'ula.

This does not mean that the danger of the sitra achra or the erev rav is not real. It is very, very real. Whoever does not stand up to this test and return to Hashem, G-d forbid, will not make it. What it means is that this challenge is necessary because by overcoming it we can bring the ge'ula. Although we cannot on our own reach great levels of holiness, all we need now is the desire and sincere effort and Hashem will do the rest for us.

The Da'at Chaim goes on to explain that in order to understand our present situation in the State of Israel properly we have to able to differentiate between the shell and the fruit. We have to understand that just as Terach and his idols were certainly unkosher, so our klipa is also unkosher, but just as the great fruit, Avraham Avinu, came forth from this unkosher shell, so the true ge'ula will come forth from our unkosher shell. The point, he says, is not to confuse the shell with the fruit. One the one hand, one must not make the mistake of thinking that because it is the preparation for a great fruit therefore the shell is kosher. That would be like thinking that Terach was kosher because Avraham Avinu came out from him. But on the other hand one must realize that although the shell is unkosher, and we must fight its evil, yet it too has a purpose, because a great fruit will eventually come forth from it.

According to this it is also possible to understand why Ya'akov Avinu told the Vilna Gaon not to be afraid to send his students to Eretz Yisroel despite the dangers. If we are speaking about physical dangers, this doesn't seem to make sense. Many of these early settlers really did die of disease, earthquakes, etc. They gave their lives in order to start the process of the ge'ula, not to make a secular state. What then, was the point of their immense sacrifice if the plan to bring the ge'ula was foiled by Aramilus?

The answer seems to be that the plan was not foiled, it was only temporarily taken over and enslaved. But just as Yosef, himself, was first enslaved and imprisoned but then became king, so the powers of his heir, Moshiach ben Yosef, were also enslaved and imprisoned, but will eventually go free and rule. The danger that frightened the Vilna Gaon may very well have been, above all, the spiritual danger. He saw that if his students or their descendents would not live up to the very high standards demanded of them, the sitra achra, in the form of the erev rav, would take over. Since this was so likely to happen, why should he risk their lives for a plan that might fail?

To this, it seems, Ya'akov Avinu answered him that they should go ahead anyway because in the end it would bring the ge'ula. No matter what would happen in the interim, the resettling of Israel had to have a holy foundation, so that when the shell is removed this foundation will bring the fruit. This is what we are waiting for.

The big question, however, is what will it take to remove the shell? The prophecies that relate to the pre-ge'ula period speak of wars and a great earthquake. They also speak very specifically of a selection of who deserves to survive. Rashi, on Yeshayahu 28:17 says that Hashem will bring suffering in order to straighten us out. The tsadikim will remain and the rebellious sinners will not. The point of everything is tshuva.

Who needs to do tshuva? All of us. Those who are not yet keeping mitvoht must start. Those who do keep mitzvot need to take them more seriously, to develop stronger faith, holiness, and yirat shamayim. They must understand that doing Hashem's will, with love and with awe, is the whole purpose of life. And those who have yirat shomayim have to look deeper into themselves, to work on their midot and find their more subtle faults. They must also understand that their yirat shomayim is a gift from Hashem and that they must devote themselves to sharing it with everyone else, because we are all Hashem's children and He wants us all to survive.

Is the aschalta degeula dead? To Ya'akov Avinu it appeared that Yosef had died, but this was not so. Eventually Yaakov Avinu lived to see that that Hashem's plan had taken a long hidden route, and that Yosef, who appeared to him to be dead, was really still alive. May we, too, live to see the fulfillment of Hashem's plan of the aschalta dege'ula, and see Yosef's continuation, Moshiach ben Yosef together with Moshiach ben David, and then we too will see that...

ODE YOSEF CHAI - Yosef is still alive!