Page 5 - HaMizrachi Chanukah 2021 - USA

insight. The mitzvah of the four species,
the Arba'a Minim, is understood by our
Sages to symbolically represent unity
between different types of Jews. 2
While the etrog has both a fine taste Participants of
and a pleasant aroma, representing a convention of
Jews committed to both Torah and Chovevei Tzion
good deeds, the other species possess groups in Katowice
in 1884 assembled
only one or neither of these qualities. to address the
Rabbi Reines explained that the way
need of a Jewish
the four species are held and waved state. Seated in
highlights the Torah's formula for the center of the
achieving Jewish unity. The etrog is not front row are Rabbi
bound up with the other three species, Shmuel Mohilever
and Dr. Leon
which are all tied together. We hold the
Pinsker.
etrog in one hand and the lulav, hadas (PHOTO: NATIONAL
and arava in the other. And yet, on its LIBRARY OF ISRAEL)
own, the etrog serves no purpose. To
jointly by Dr. Leon Pinsker and Rabbi camaraderie and an attitude of mutual
fulfil the mitzvah of the four species, we
Shmuel Mohilever. Dr. Pinsker was responsibility.
must hold our two hands together and
an acculturated secular Jew, while
wave the etrog together with the other Once deep common bonds are estab-
three species. Only when the etrog is Rabbi Mohilever was one of the great lished, we can and must make the
rabbis of Eastern Europe, serving as
held together with its fellow species, as effort to shape a combined destiny. The
Chief Rabbi and head of the Beit Din
one unit, is the mitzvah fulfilled. values of our Torah are the essence of
in Bialystok. Rabbis, lay leaders and
Like the etrog, religious Jews must Jews of all types - secular, traditional our existence, the soul of our collective
remain independent and separate in and religious - forged a union for the body, our spiritual center. The Land and
order to uphold the integrity of Torah sake of a greater good. the State of Israel are an inextricable
values. But at the same time, if we are part of our destiny. With a deep and
not interdependent and integrated In 1893, challenges arose and the orga- unshakable belief in a common jour-
with the rest of the Jewish people, we nization split into two separate yet still ney that must be traveled together, we
have no individual value. Our lot must affiliated centers - one in Odessa, run can overcome any challenge, however
by the more secular Jews, and one in large. Seemingly irreparable ideological
be bound up with that of all Jews. 3
Bialystok, led by Rabbi Mohilever. The differences can be reconciled along a
latter was named the Merkaz Ruchani, common path.
Rabbi Mohilever's Mizrachi
or Mizrachi for short. And so a decade
With dedication and creativity, we
The Mizrachi Movement's unique later, Rabbi Reines and his colleagues, must somehow find a way to retain
stance of partnership within the World perpetuating the same ideology as
our authenticity, independence and
Zionist Movement was based on a Rabbi Mohilever, chose the same integrity while being committed to our
similar trail of partnerships blazed in name. 4
collective national mission. This has
earlier decades. From 1882-1897, in the
been our Mizrachi mission for our first
15 years before the official founding of Conclusion 120 years and one we remain deeply
the Zionist Movement, Jews from all committed to today.
over Europe founded Chovevei Tzion The path of partnership and commit-
(Lovers of Zion) fraternities dedicated ment to a collective fate and destiny,
to settling and supporting Jews in Eretz originated by Rabbi Mohilever and 1 Rabbi Y.Y. Reines, Shnei HaMe'orot, Part 2 (Zikaron
Yisrael. In 1884, at a conference in Kato- continued by Rabbi Reines, still drives BaSefer), section 2, p. 22.
wice, these fraternities joined together Mizrachi today. It is a concurrent and 2 Vayikra Rabbah 30.
to create a centralized movement led complementary commitment to Am
3 Rabbi Yehuda Leib Maiman recounts this insight
Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael!
from Rabbi Reines in his introduction to Rabbi
At the core of this trailblazing path is Reines' book, Nod Shel Dema'ot, published in Jeru-
salem in 1934.
an unswerving belief in the immea-
surable value of the Jewish 4 Abraham Joshua Stotsky, a leading Jewish
writer involved in Chibat Tzion and present at
people as a whole and the
the founding of Rabbi Reines' Mizrachi in 1902,
necessity of collaboration and suggested using the same name to continue the
partnership with other groups spirit of partnership inspired by Rabbi Mohilever
within our nation. It is an (Rabbi Yitzchak Nissenbaum, Alei Che/di, p. 178).
authentic commitment to loving Rabbi Doron Perez is the Executive Chairman
our fellow Jews, developing of World Mizrachi.

HAN!IZRACHI I 5