Page 45 - HaMizrachi #9 Yom HaAtzmaut 5779

Rabbi Yuval Cherlow
two images of
medinat

yisrael

he Six-Day War produced a Relating to Medinat Yisrael as the Yisrael in a natural, rational way and
substantive change in Religious “Beginning of the Redemption” remove the crown of Redemption?
T Zionism. Until then it had been brought with it the proposition
dominated by a realistic approach that the Redemption will suffer no One cannot overlook the profound,
which related to the State of Israel as setbacks; whatever appears contrary positive changes that have occurred
a place of refuge for the Jewish nation. is in reality progress in disguise. to the Jewish nation. Despite all the
The Jewish State was to make known The Midrash Shir HaShirim on the difficulties, Medinat Yisrael continues
that the spilling of Jewish blood would passage, “The voice of my Beloved is to develop and Torah is studied in
not be tolerated and that Jews would coming; He skips over the mountains unprecedented proportions, perhaps
no longer submit to foreign rule. and leaps upon the hills,” compares greater than any time since Sinai.
the Redemption to the running of the
After the Six-Day War, Religious gazelle. When it runs in mountainous However, Rav Kook foresaw that the
Zionists raised the theory of Geula regions, it is visible only when process of return would be extremely
(Redemption), as expounded by Rabbi it climbs the mountain; when it difficult, with many ups and downs.
Abraham Isaac Kook, to the ideological descends, it cannot be seen, but even Moreover, in his view the process
forefront. Rav Kook perceived in then it is still moving ahead. The of heresy is not merely possible,
Religious Zionism the “beginnings of Redemption too is sometimes not but inescapable — as a means of
the light of the Messiah.” His teachings visible and seems to have lost its way, achieving pure faith and removing all
formulated the first steps of the but in reality it is continuing to move the erroneous notions that had crept
Redemption and proposed a unique ahead, even if imperceptible. in through alien influences during the
explanation for the fact that the Zionist period of galut.
movement was led by those who had What we see today in Medinat Yisrael
forsaken a life of Torah and mitzvot. is quite different from what Religious Nevertheless, one cannot ignore the
He believed that the attachment to Zionism hoped for. It is not merely wide gap between hope and reality.
Eretz Yisrael, even if it comes from that people have become distanced The question of Medinat Yisrael as the
non-religious sources, flows from from tradition. Even the Religious “Beginning of the Redemption” has
the treasured Jewish soul, and will Zionist world of Torah, which has
ultimately bring the entire nation to registered great achievements, finds not yet been decided. If the Jewish
teshuva. The prevalence of non-belief itself involved in certain secular character of the State will assume
and the abandonment of the religious manifestations and a younger its proper place, it will become clear
life will compel the Torah world to generation moving away from that Medinat Yisrael is not merely the
dramatically revise Torah study; the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvot. “Beginning of the Redemption” but
divisions and splits within the Jewish the profound foundation for the ideal
nation are part of the process of Will the current situation result Medina of the Redemption, for which
achieving a new Jewish identity. in a change in the basic religious every Jew hopes. The influence upon
conception of Medinat Yisrael as the
A sense of pride emerged of belonging “Beginning of the Redemption?” Can this process is the essential challenge
to a pivotal movement in the State one continue to cling to the image of Religious Zionism today and is what
of Israel. The youth ceased to be of the gazelle, or perhaps one should will ultimately decide the meaning of
embarrassed by being religious and employ another image from the Song Medinat Yisrael.
wore the knitted kippah with pride. of Songs, upon which Rabbi Joseph
They triggered the flowering of the B. Soloveitchik wrote and warned: “I
world of the yeshivot, and began to opened the door for my Beloved, but Rabbi Yuval Cherlow is a Rosh
serve in the army with distinction, my Beloved had slipped away,” that is Yeshiva and a founding member of
becoming involved in all areas of life to say, the time for Redemption was an organization devoted to bridging
within the State. lost and we should relate to Medinat the religious-secular divide in Israel

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