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In "The Rabbis Speak Out", the 3rd Belzer Rebbe, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach is quoted (Kuntres 22 Cheshvan, p. 108) in saying that:

Zionism itself is founded on denial of G-d‟s providence, reward and punishment and the coming of the redeemer. Nationalism is built only on the ruins of the holy Torah, belief in G-d, His prophets, and the Talmudic Sages. Therefore, even if the movement were led by G-d-fearing, righteous men with the best of intentions, it would be impossible for it not to destroy faith and Torah.

The simple meaning behind nationalism, according to the Merriam -Webster dictionary, is "loyalty and devotion to a nation". So, why would "nationalism is being built only on the ruins of the Holy Torah, believe in G-d [...]"?

  1. Are there any seforim that discuss why (zionistic) nationalism is not a Torah-idea?

  2. And where can this kuntres (קונטרס כ״ב מר חשון) be found?

Edit: I searched in here but also not available there.

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3 Answers 3

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B"H found it!

It is in the Kuntres 22 Mar Cheshvan, available on Otzar HaChochmah for instance. It reads (p. 109):

הציונות בעצמה מיוסדת על ההכחשה בהשגחת ה' ית' בעקרי שכר ועונש ובביאת הגואל והלאומיות הדוברת בה אינה אלא התמלאות מחרבנה של הדת הקדושה ובאמונה בה' ובנביאיו ובחכמי התורה שבע"פ הקדושים ולפיכך גם אילו יצוייר שתתנהג על ידי יראים ותיקים בכוונה טובה אי אפשר לה שלא תהרוס את האמונה והדת

That deals with the second question: "where can this kuntres be found". I am still looking for an answer to question 1 though.

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  • 1
    As suggested in the vanished comments, this quote doesn't speak about nationalism in general, but about nationalism rooted in Zionist ideals.
    – shmosel
    Commented Nov 3, 2023 at 21:03
  • I think there is room to quibble with the translation in the OP. Commented Mar 11 at 13:39
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    @deuteronomy? Please feel free to provide a better translation :)
    – Shmuel
    Commented Mar 11 at 18:48
  • The phrase והלאומיות הדוברת בה here sounds like he is condemning nationalism that stems from Zionism, which he defines as founded upon a denial of Torah fundamentals. It does not sound like a writ large condemnation of "nationalism" per se, but rather a particular species of nationalism. Commented Mar 11 at 19:11
  • @Deuteronomy thanks, the question still remains why :)
    – Shmuel
    Commented Mar 11 at 19:30
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Are there any seforim that discuss why (zionistic) nationalism is not a Torah-idea?

It will be difficult to find early texts that discuss Zionism as we know it today, since the idea did not arise in its current form until the mid-19th century, but we do have some published material from Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, who lived in the late 19th, early 20th century: (There is much more from others, including the Chazon Ish and the Brisker Rav, but I did not have time to research those sources now, and much of that material is oral.)

Here is a snippet from an article released by HaRav Wasserman ZT”L in the early 20th century entitled "The Heels of Moshiach". (Unfortunately I don't have a printed copy here, so I don't know the exact date of publication.)

הרעיון הלאומי - The Idea of Nationalism

עקבתא דמשיחא הגה"ק-רבי אלחנן וסרמן הי"ד הרעיון הלאומי \47

הרעיון הלאומי כמות שהוא אינו מוכר על ידי התורה ואינו אלא אליל חדש שגם הוא עבודה זרה. במרוצת הזמן הוליד הרעיון הלאומי בן ונקרא שמו דתי-לאומי. שם זה מורה כי התואר דתי לבדו אינו מספיק,יש להשלימו בתואר לאומי. השם הזה לכשעצמו, מהוה כפירה באחד מיסודות האמונה. נאמר: "תורת ה' תמימה", היינה אין היא חסרה דבר הוזהרנו "לא תוסיפו",וכל המוסיף גורע". אם הרעיון הלאומי הוא בבחינת עבודה זרה, אזי הרעיון הדתי-לאומי בבחינת עבודה זרה בשיתוף

The Idea of Nationalism:

The actual concept of nationalism is not recognized by the Torah, and is merely a new idol - also amounting to Avoda Zara.(Idol Worship). Over the course of time, the concept of nationalism "gave birth to a son" [spawned an idea; a term] called "Religious-Nationalist". This term indicates that to be only "Religious" is insufficient, and must be completed by appending to it the term "Nationalist".

This term [Religious-Nationalist] stands in contradiction to one of the foundations of our faith: "The Torah of G-d is perfect". That is to say, the Torah itself lacks nothing. We have been admonished "do not add" [to the Torah]; "all who add [to the Torah] degrade it".

If the idea of nationalism itself is Avoda Zara, then the term "Religious-Nationalist" is a form of Avoda Zara by association.

As mentioned by @Lanied Sofey in the comments above, an excellent contemporary source which delves in depth into the question of Zionism at large is The Empty Wagon: Zionism's journey from identity crisis to identity theft - well researched and sourced.

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  • @Vector: thank you for pointing to Yalkut Maamarim UMichtavim. I have it in front of me, and Rav Wasserman actualy talks about "the national idea" (p. 100) but I have trouble understanding his explanations. Would you be able to 1) translate, 2) elaborate?
    – Shmuel
    Commented May 13 at 15:34
  • @Shmuel - see translation, now added.
    – Vector
    Commented May 13 at 17:39
  • Thanks, but what does he say about what it means to be a (zionist) nationalist? "to be only "Religious" is insufficient, and must be completed by appending to it the term "Nationalist"." - but what does that mean? Does he goes further into this idea?
    – Shmuel
    Commented May 13 at 17:52
  • @Shmuel - I think to be only "Religious" is insufficient, and must be completed by appending to it the term "Nationalist is self explanatory: It is insufficient for a Zionist to only be religious - must also be a 'nationalist' to have legitimacy in Zionist circles.
    – Vector
    Commented May 13 at 18:04
  • Maybe the same as the Chofetz Chaim recalled that a Zionist newspaper wrote that you can be jewish even if you don't have Torah in your life. You don't need it, the author wrote, just live in EY and you will be Jewish. Maybe that is connected with this?
    – Shmuel
    Commented May 13 at 18:30
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See here: https://www.nkusa.org/Historical_Documents/TheRabbisSpeakOut.htm

It's really just a compendium of quotes from famous Rabbis, with references to specific books which were the original source.

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  • Welcome to Mi Yodeya. My quote is located there, so I don’t see how this answers the question. But thanks for your effort!
    – Shmuel
    Commented Mar 10 at 20:29
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    While this link may answer the question, it is better to include the essential parts of the answer here and provide the link for reference. Link-only answers can become invalid if the linked page changes. - From Review
    – mbloch
    Commented Mar 11 at 3:43
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    @mbloch Case in point, the link is broken.
    – Yehuda
    Commented Jun 6 at 13:07

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