Page 18 - HaMizrachi Pesach 5783 USA

On Secular Zionism

How can the Zionist Organization of America – from fire” (16:9). No holiness, no “seven locks of his head”;
which the Land of Israel now demands not only money now he was hopeless and despondent.
and political pressure but, more importantly, pioneer- The modern-day Delilah – false, seductive European
ing spirit, human souls, and practical participation in culture, with its assurances and its coquetry, with its
the building of the land – approach a young American professions of love and its secretiveness – has lulled
Jew, who has no inkling of the G-d of Abraham, is less Yisrael Sava to sleep, duped him into divulging his secret,
familiar with the Bible than the average Protestant, and shaved off his mysterious hair, which had connected
does not even know about the existence of the Torah him with the past and with the future, and begun tor-
or about the most significant events in Jewish history menting him.
(like the destruction of the Temple), and inspire him
with Zionist ideology, calling upon him to sacrifice for In their encounters with Gentiles, the leaders of the
the cause? How can the radical movement, the camp of secular Jewish movements can sense that the “seven
secular Judaism, explain to such an ignoramus, such locks of his head” are missing. All of them, including
a heathen, the importance of secular Jewish culture? the Zionist leaders, have, on Delilah’s knees, lost those
How can the so-called modern, Americanized Ortho- seven holy, mysterious locks, and without them, “his
doxy, which stares wide-eyed at Mount Sinai and speaks strength slipped away from him... He awoke from his
with angels, cultivate a traditional Jewry in a vacuum sleep, thinking he would break loose and shake himself
of ignorance, in chaos, in which the first, axiomatic free as he had the other times. For he did not know that
ideals and truths do not exist? How can the rabbinic the L-rd had departed from him” (16:19–20). The move-
organizations, old and young, speak of the wisdom of ment to return to Zion, in particular, must possess the
the Torah, convene Torah gatherings, debate Torah mat- seven locks of Samson, for it faces a great battle. And
ters, and assert optimistically that, thank G-d, Torah is who will rediscover this mysterious hair if not us, the
surviving and thriving in America, when ninety-nine representatives of Orthodoxy?
percent of our generation knows less about Judaism We must not fool ourselves; we should not expect any
than an educated, cultured Gentile? sort of sudden salvation or comfort to come from the
(The Letters of Creation: Jewish Axioms and Education in nations of the world even after there is peace, once
America, October 1944) Hitler, may his name be blotted out, and his gang of vil-
lains are in Gehenna. We know well the two-faced poli-
tics of English governments; our friends in Washington,
It appears that the modern Jew is a victim of the same too, have little understanding of Zionism and of the idea
tragedy suffered by the mighty Shimshon when he, of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. I do not speak
inebriated and lulled by Delilah’s professions of love, here in despairing, pessimistic spirits, Heaven forbid. I
revealed the secret of his strength to the seductive am not one to be overly taken with Delilah’s flirtations,
Delilah: “No razor has ever touched my head, for I have nor do I lose resolve when she reveals her true face. I
been a nazirite to God since I was in my mother’s womb. know that the Master of the Universe will fulfill His
If my hair were cut, my strength would leave me and I covenant, and His prophecies have more power than
should become as weak as an ordinary man” (Shoftim the [1939 British] White Paper. Still, we must be realistic
16:17). Rapt in a state of delight and pleasure on Delilah’s and not adopt foolish, fantastical hopes. “The honor
knees, he lost the crown of his head: “She lulled him to will eventually come” (Nedarim 62a), but the road to
sleep on her lap. Then she called in a man, and she had redemption will be long and difficult. The question
him cut off the seven locks of his head” (16:19). “It shall is: how will we hold onto the Jewish masses, who are,
remain consecrated until the completion of his term unfortunately accustomed to cheap effects and silly
as nazirite of the L-rd, the hair of his head being left to sentimentalism? On what can one base an ideology that
grow untrimmed” (Bamidbar 6:5). And when Shimshon would enable them to weather all the fluctuations and
sobered from his intoxication, he discovered two things: disappointments? On what? On the Friday night “Shalom
First, that the Philistines’ manner of relating to him Aleichem,” or on [Nathan Alterman’s] “Shir ha-Emek?”
had not changed. “She cried, ‘Shimshon, the Philistines The Zionists employed a particular strategy in found-
are upon you!’” (16:20). The seductive Delilah continued ing their movement to return to Zion. Herzl, too, was
ridiculing him. And second, “For he did not know that tripped up by this. It is the negative method of return-
the L-rd had departed from him” (ibid.). Shimshon could ing to Zion. On this view, antisemitism is a natural
no longer perform the trick of pulling “the tendons phenomenon, and only the Land of Israel can solve the
apart, as a strand of tow comes apart at the touch of problem. I am basically in partial agreement with this

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