Theodor Herzl Vs.Rabbi Kook

ZIONISM Theodor Herzl vs.Rabbi Kook YITZCHAK WEISZ morously recounted to an audience at the London Maccabi Club that,“Many people he notion that there is an in- have not actually read my book, and trinsic contradiction between instead believe itcontains contemplations Theodor Herzl’s Zionism and from their own hearts.Some of them only that of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak know the titleof the book.” Hacohen Kook, firstchief rabbi In fact,itwas important to Herzl to an- of Israel,isprevalent in many national-re- chor his venture, not as manifestation ligiouscircles.Indeed, Rabbi Benny Lau as- of national liberation movement, as sertsin “Statehood and spirit”(Magazine, Ze’ev Sternhell argues, but as deep de- August 30): sireto connect with divine plan. In the “As rabbi of Jaffa,Kook was requested to firstfew pages of his diary,Herzl writes of eulogize Herzl who passed away just two his idea: “Am the one who labors over months ago. For rabbi raisedand educat- this concept? No! Itislaboring over me… ed in the world of the yeshivas of Lithuania These kinds of circumstances can be called itwas difficultand challenging act.Herzl inspiration.” Anyone who’s read Herzl’s was far from Rav Kook’s spiritualworld.… writings meticulously not justThe Jewish Herzl did not believe traditionalJudaism State,but alsoAltneuland,and especiallyhis was meaningful or relevant to the nation’s diariesand correspondence cannot but revival,and wished to keep religionseclud- see that Jewish identity was at the core of Yehuda hung picture of Herzl in his study RABBI ZVI YEHUDA KOOK ed in synagogues, farfrom the strongholds Herzl’sthinking and was an indispensable next to picturesof the Chofetz Chaim and (right) whose fatherRabbi of politicalinfluence.” prerequisite,not just for returning to the the Vilna Gaon. Abraham IsaacKook founded On the face of it,itappears that perhaps Land of Israel,but as the single guarantee study of Herzl’swritings reveals con- Mercaz HaRav stands outside these circlesare justifiedin assuming that of the continuing connection between the ceptual closeness with Rabbi Kook. Unlike the Jerusalem yeshiva with to have been Rabbi Kook’s attitude.In Jewish people and theirhomeland. what one might think, Herzl viewed the Rabbi Avraham Shapira,who lengthy letterhe wrote to members of the Zionist idea of establishing statefor the went on to lead the yeshiva,in Mizrachi Movement on the eve of the 11th Jews as much more than just territorial 1980. Rabbi Zvi Yehuda hung Itwas important to Herzl pictureof Herzl in hisstudy World Zionist Congress in 1913, Rabbi solution to the problem of antisemitism. next to picturesof the Chofetz Kook describes Herzlian Zionism as “the Herzl intertwines the two components of to anchor hisventure, Chaim and the VilnaGaon. narrow orbit of Dr. Herzl’s dream.” Rabbi Jewish identity itsuniqueness and itsuni- (Wikimedia Commons) Kook then elaborates that “though [Her- not as manifestation versality as threads of thought through- zlian Zionism] has sublime aspects, it is out his writings,and this occurs more and nothing but the material body of Zionism, of nationalliberation more often over the years. Rabbi Kook, and itssoul must immediately be added movement, but as deep similarly, even before he made aliyah, to it… Zionism emanates from the Holiest warned of the dangers of nationalisticfe- Source, the Tanach, not from week whis- desireto connect with ver that iscut offfrom itsspiritualorigins. per of hated people seeking safe refuge The dialecticbetween uniqueness and from those persecuting it.” divineplan universalityisone of the main elements in In other words, itseems that according Rabbi Kook’s thinking, both in relationto to Rabbi Kook, Herzlian Zionism islimited Herzl despised the idea of cosmopolitan- Torah study (seehis work Orot Hatorah) and to the liberationof the body alone, and is ism, and repeatedlywrote about the unique- his connection with the Land of Israel.He seen here as partialand distorted solu- ness of Jewish identity,firmlystatingthat, writesin Orot Hatorah, “Man’s ultimate pur- tion to the plight of the Jews. “a generation that has grown apart from pose isnot national uniqueness alone, but Indeed, Rabbi Lau asserts that there is itsJewishness is deprived of this internal the aspirationto unite allthe people of the complete disconnect between Rabbi unity and is unable to take its past into world in one family,to callupon the name Kook’s spiritualvision and Herzl’smateri- consideration or to look onto the future. of God,” (even though unique center is alisticventure, which isdevoid of spiritu- We, therefore,yearn to reunite with our needed, that isnot the ultimate goal,which ality.And so, there isnothing of value for Jewishness,and never again allow ourselves isitsimpact forthe greatergood.) us to findin the vision of the renowned to be thrown out of thisstronghold.” Contrary to Rabbi Lau’s claims, non-se- Zionistleader. lectiveready of Herzl’swritings emphasizes It’snot surprising,then, that number THE QUESTION ARISES, upon what does the opposite conceptual closeness with of academics (both secular and religious) Rabbi Kook base his position on Herzl? Rabbi Kook. Herzl’swritings are currently have adopted this view and mistakenly Perhaps upon hearsay and upon Ahad readily availableto the public for perusal. interpreted Herzl’s manifesto, The Jewish Ha’am, whom Rabbi Kook quotes in his Would the people who continue to dis- State,as aspiring for statethat isdevoid of letter (The philosopher from Odessa credit his name stillbe able to claim that any Jewish characteristics. who so deeply resented Herzl, distorting they were speaking the truth? In the conclusion of Der Judenstaat (The and falsifyingHerzl’s ideas).Indeed, it is On the contrary the demand for social Jewish State),Herzl implores his readers to important to note that in 1913, when Rabbi justice,for corruption-free public life, “im inneren der Worte zu lesen,”to read the Kook wrote his letterto the Mizrachi activ- and societymade up of people who show inner meaning of his words. His request has ists,he had not yet read any of Herzl’swrit- compassion and genuine concern for the been regrettablyignored by many pundits. ings,which were only published in 1922 in destitute all of these are part of Herzl’s Herzl himself was already aware of the German, and translatedto Hebrew in 1930 legacy that we are stillmissing today. distortions being made of his ideas, and just fiveyears before the rabbi’s passing. Herzl’s message has never been more shortly before the firstZionist Congress in Therefore, Rabbi Kook would not have had pertinent than itistoday. Indeed, the time Basel,he wrote the following to the editor an opportunity to read firsthandthe actual has come to return to following Herzl’s of the Jewish Chronicle:“I’vegotten so used words written by Herzl. teachings. to distortion of my character by others, On the other hand, the rabbi’sson, Rabbi that am surprised when my words are not Zvi Yehuda Kook, did read Herzl’swritings The writeristhe author of Theodor Herzl: distorted.”Less than three months after and had no doubt about the intentions New Reading (Gefen Publishing House). The Jewish State was published, Herzl hu- of the Zionist leader. In fact, Rabbi Zvi Translated by Shai Salomon..

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