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Halakhic & Ideological Zionism from Medieval to Early Modern Rabbinic Authorities

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Halakhic & Ideological Zionism from Medieval to Early Modern Rabbinic Authorities Zionism Then and Now: The Jewish People and the Promised Land Throughout History יום א' לפרשת וארא Young Israel of Jamaica Estates – January 3rd, 2016 Part 3: Halakhic & Ideological Zionism From Medieval to Early Modern Rabbinic Authorities I HISTORICAL CONTEXT: BABYLONIA AND ERETZ YISRAEL Abba Aricha, known as “Rav” goes from Eretz ‐220‐ After leaving the Yeshiva of Neharda to Shmuel Yisrael to Babylonia and begins heading the 3981 b. Abba of Neharda, Rav travels to Sura where his yeshiva at Neharda. family owned land and establishes a yeshiva there in 225. ‐225‐ 3986 After a military takeover of Neharda, a new The office of the Nasi of the Jewish population of Roman yeshiva in nearby Pumbedita is founded. These Palestine is dissolved marking the closing/completion of three yeshivot become the recognized center of ‐259‐ the Jerusalem Talmud. Jewish life for the next 8 centuries. 4020 Ravina II completes the redacting of the (220-500) Period of the Amoraim who composed Babylonian Talmud – a product of nearly three the Babylonian Talmud in the famed yeshivot of ‐425‐ centuries (approxamitely eight generations) of Babylonia. 4186 studying the Mishnah. Notably, most of the tractates dealing with agricultural life in the Land (טומאה וטהרה) of Israel and the laws of ritual purity Roughly the period of the “Savoraim” ‐500‐ (500-700) .are not included in the BT 4259 .(סתמאים) ”also known as the “stam’aim ,(סבוראים) This group was responsible for giving the Babylonian Talmud its final form that we have today. This group is almost completely Muhammed, an orphan turned merchant from an anonymous. ‐610‐ Arabian city called Meca, at age 40 begins to 4369 report revelations that he believes are from God. His followers spread his visions and found the Abu Bakr, the first Muslim caliph, sends an army Islamic faith which united all of Arabia into a which conquers Babylonia from the Sassanian ‐632‐ single polity through the spread of religious Empire and places the yeshivot of Babylonia 4391 doctrine and military conquest. under Arab rule for the first time. After being passed over as the Gaon of Pumbedita, Acha (700-1040) Roughly the period of the Gaonic of Shabacha (known as Achai Gaon) moves from ‐753‐ leadership of Babylonia. While tremendous growth of Babylonia to Muslim Palestine where he authored his 4512 Jewish communities outside Babylonia occurred work She’iltot. during this period, Sura and Pumbedita were seen as the authoritative center of Jewish life and questions of (928-942) Leadership of Saadia b. Yosef Gaon of the halacha were sent from all over the Jewish world. yeshiva of Sura. Known as the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature and the author of the first ever running commentary on the bible, Saadia was the first non-native (998-1038) Leadership of Hai b. Sherira Gaon of the Babylonian appointed to the Gaonate. His leadership in yeshiva of Pumbedita. Before ascending to the Gaonate, Sura is marked as a period of brilliance and an expansion Hai was imprisoned with his father by the ruling caliph of the study and practice of poetry and science among the al-Qadir in 997. Jewish elite. ‐1034‐ 4793 Death of Shmuel b. Hofni, the last Gaon of Sura ‐1040‐ Murder of Hezekia b. David, the last Gaon of 4799 Pumbedita 1 II ATTITUDES TOWARDS EMIGRATION 1) שאלה ותשובה מאת הרב יהודה החסיד מרייגסברג (1150-1217) שאילה: אם ילך אדם לארץ ישראל עבור Question: Should a person go to the Land of Israel [as an expiation] for his עווותיו, או ישב בביתו וילמוד או יעשה שאר sins, or should he remain at home and study, or do other good deeds and מצוות ויתכפר לו על עווותיו? ?thereby achieve expiation for his sins תשובה: ראה בעיי מי שהולך לארץ ישראל Answer: It seems to me that one who goes to the Land of Israel, to the אדרבה הוא יותר מרבה עווו. הה רב יהודה (contrary, increases his sinfulness. Behold, R. Judah (B. Ket. 110b היה אוסר ללכת לארץ ישראל. מי שהולך ויש prohibited one from going to Israel. One who goes, and has a wife and לו אשה בביתו מתבטל מפרייה ורבייה ומן …children at home, abstains from procreating and from [proper] prayer התורה ומן התפילה וגורם שתיזה אשתו או And if he has no wife, he is likewise abstaining from procreation and from תהרהר. ואם אין לו אשה, הרי כמו כן מתבטל מפרייה ורבייה ומן התורה ומן התפלה, ופעמים Torah study and prayer. And sometimes he will profane the Sabbath or יחלל שבת או יגזלו לו וילך לבקש, או יצטרך items will be stolen from him and he will have to go and inquire about them or he will need to redeem them. Therefore, it is better that he stay home and לפדותו מן השבי. לכן מוטב שישב בבית ויפטר. be spared. 2) ספר התרומה לר' ברוך בן יצחק מוורמיזא – הל' ארץ ישראל (1140-1212) אמת כי חביבה ארץ ישראל, ואשריו איש הדר It is true that the Land of Israel is dear, and fortunate is the man who dwells בה, כי אפי' ליוצאים מתוכה יכיה וגלותו ,there. For even those who left it, King Jeconiah and those exiled with him הביאו עמהם אבים ועפר ארץ ישראל ועשו בית brought with them stones and soil of Israel and built them into a synagogue הכסת בבבל... ובסוף כתובות (קי"ב) אמרי' ר' in Babylonia... At the end of Ketubot (112a) the Talmud records that R. Abba אבא משק כיפי דעכו. ר' חייא בר אבא מגדר ,would kiss the ground of Akko; R. Hiyya bar Abba would wallow in the dust בעפרא, ש': (תהל' קב:טו) "כי רצו עבדיך את as the verse reads (Ps. 102:15), “For your servants wanted her stones and אביה ועפרה יחו". וכל שכן הדר בה מקיים her dust they desired.” And certainly one who lives in it [Israel] and keeps מצות התלויין בה, זוכה להיות במחיצתו של ,the precepts of the Land merits being in the proximity of the Holy One הקדוש ברוך הוא. .blessed be He 3) דברי ר' חיים כהן מבעלי התוספות (fl. 1181) [הובא בתוס' כתובות (קי:)] והיה אומר רביו חיים דעכשיו איו מצוה לדור Presently, one is not commanded to live in the Land of Israel because there בא"י כי יש כמה מצות התלויות בארץ וכמה are several precepts which must be kept in the Land and several עושין דאין או יכולין ליזהר בהם ולעמוד punishments [for malfeasance] about which we cannot be careful and abide עליהם. .by 4) דברי הרמב"ם (1135-1204) [הל' מלכים (פרק יא')] המלך המשיח עתיד לעמוד ולהחזיר מלכות דוד The King messiah will arise and restore the kingdom of David to its former ליושה לממשלה הראשוה, ובוה המקדש state and original sovereignty, and will build the Temple, and gather in the ומקבץ דחי ישראל, וחוזרין כל המשפטים exiles of the Children of Israel, and will return the judicial system to the בימיו כשהיו מקודם, מקריבין קרבות, ועושין form it took previously, he will initiate the sacrificial rites, and he will שמטין ויובלות ככל מצותה האמורה בתורה... intitiate the performance of she’mitta and yovel in the fulfillment of all the אם עשה והצליח וצח כל האומות שסביביו commandments as delineated in the Torah.... If he succeeds, vanquishes all ובה מקדש במקומו וקבץ דחי ישראל הרי זה the nations around, rebuilds the sanctuary on its site, and gathers the משיח בודאי. .dispersed of Israel, then he is beyond all doubt the Messiah 5) תשובה מאת הר' שמשון בן אברהם משאץ (1150-1230) [הובא בהג"מ-הל' שבועות ו:ז] לעין דרך שדרת לעלות לא"י, יש לך הפרה Regarding the vow that you made to go to Israel, even if it was made אחרי שאשתך הרה, דאין כל איסור עומד בפי publicly, it can be nullified since your wife is pregnant, for nothing stands פקוח פש, ויש סכה להוליכה עוברה, וגם in the way of preserving life and there is danger in transporting your wife הילד עד שיתגבר ויכסו ימות הקיץ... ואל while she is pregnant. Also, until the baby has gained strength and the תשיבי שאין זה פקוח פש לפי שתוכל לילך summer months have come [there is also danger].... And do not retort that בלא אשתך, זה הבל כי לא תוכל לעגה, ואתה ,this is not a life-threatening situation since you can go without your wife משועבד לה, ומצוה מרובה, ויש לו הפרה... because you cannot leave her alone and you are beholden to her. Thus this is a case of [a vow which would preclude the performance of] an important precept and it can be nullified… 6) תשובת ר' מאיר בן ברוך מרוטובורג (Berlin, 1891 (p. 187)] (1220-1293] וששאלת: "אם שמעת למה צוו הגדולים (You have asked whether I have heard why the great scholars (gedolim לביהם לחזור [מא"י]", במדומה אי לפי שאין ,ordered their sons to return [from the Land of Israel]. It seems to me שם מרחמים כלל, וגם אין יכולים לעסוק because there was no source of mercy there and also because they could not בתורה מחמת שצריכין לטרוח אחר מזוות, גם study Torah there because they had to eke out a living. Also, because there מתוך שאין שם תורה אים בקיאי בדקדוקי [is no Torah [guidance] there, they are not proficient in [the performance of מצותה כמדומה אי שכך שמעתי מביהם... [mitzvot. This seems to me to be what I heard from their sons.... [Signed מאיר בר ברוך שיחי'. .Meir ben Baruch, may he continue to live 2 7) דברי ר' מחם המאירי (1249-1310) [בית הבחירה-כתובות (קיא.)] כל מקום שחכמה ויראת חטא מצויין שם, דיו Any place where wisdom and fear of sin are to be found is similar to the כארץ ישראל, וכמו שאמרו: כל הדר בבבל Land of Israel, and that is the meaning of what is said: “anyone who dwells כאלו דר בארץ ישראל, ..
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