Wednesday, July 17 – Hartman Day 8
You may have read on July 22 that leading Religious Zionist rabbis opposed a deal to free the remaining hostages. At the same time the rabbinic leader of a Haredi party called for an immediate deal at any price, “calling the Jewish principle of redemption of captives ‘one of the most important commandments in the Torah, if not the most important.’” On what grounds might these Religious Zionist rabbis have opposed a hostage deal?
On Wednesday, July 17, we had an informative lecture on Religious Zionist thought with Michal Hartman who did her Ph.D. on this topic. She herself identifies as a liberal religious Zionist. She spoke primarily about the ideas that underlie religious ultra-nationalism and the Religious Zionist Party of Betzalel Smotrich (and I presume Itamar Ben-Gvir head of the Otzma Yehudit party).
Pre-State Zionism was primarily a secular enterprise. Nevertheless, Rav Kook and a few others articulated the importance of religious Jewish pioneers integrating with the secular institutions and civil society of the Yishuv (pre-state Jewish settlement and quasi-governmental institutions). In addition to political Zionism organized by Theodore Herzl, labor Zionism led by A.D. Gordon, and cultural Zionism expressed by Ahad Ha’am, this integration of Judaism and Zionism became known as religious Zionism (with a lower case “r” to differentiate it from the current political party).
Contemporary Religious Zionism does not seek to establish a theocracy, but it does see the state as the vehicle to establish a society built upon Jewish values such as tzedakah, mercy, righteousness and justice (as do religious Zionists with a lower case “r”). In doing so, it seeks to build an Israel that brings good to all nations and peoples. While Religious Zionism envisions the positive impact of Judaism and Israel on the outside world (i.e. a light to the nations), what about the presence and rights of the non-Jew in the land of Israel? Rabbi Eliezer Melamed writes, “the entire land must be settled by the nation of Israel, and only non-Jews who desire to be part of Israel’s great vision can join the nation of Israel in the statues of resident alien.” Michal Hartman described this dichotomy as “selective universalism,” discounting the rights of non-Jews within Israel, while seeing Judaism as a force for good among all other nations. Notably, there are religious Zionists who remain deeply committed to Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. For instance, Rabbi Yehudah Amital writes, “[A]s we come to deal with those over whom we rule (even if they are hostile to us), it is incumbent upon us to apply practically all of the lofty concepts of morality and humanity that we developed when we were ruled over by others.”
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed
Traditionally, Judaism divides all mitzvot into two categories, 1) mitzvot between people and 2) mitzvot between a person and God. Within Religious Zionism a new, third category of mitzvot emerged: mitzvot between a Jew and their nation. What mitzvot are included in this third category? According to Rabbi Eliezer Sadan, the two mitzvot are “[1] saving Israel from the hands of its enemies and [2] the mitzvah to settle the land.” Further, transgressing these mitzvot is a cardinal sin, “for both [mitzvot] a person has an obligation to sacrifice their life.” Consequently, military service is a major Torah value and giving up territory from the land of Israel is a major sin.
Michal’s talk was enlightening and challenging. It helped to explain why a disproportionate number of people in the broader religious Zionist camp enlist in combat units and have fallen in the current war. At the same time, she shed light on the ideology underlying Betzalel Smotrich’s political party which he named, Religious Zionism, and how this ideology influences policy positions. Ultimately, Michal offered insights into an important and influential sector of Israeli society and government.