Monday, December 16, 2013

Rav Hertzog: 3 Oaths and establishment of Jewish State

Guest post by R' Yechzkel Moskowitz I am only posting the relevant part of the article and restricted printing and copying due to copyright considerations. Article appeared in Techumin vol 4

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   3 Shvuos Rav Hertzog Techumin 4 - 7 of 13 Pages 

6 comments :

  1. Translation? Or brief synopsis/summary in English?

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  2. It is a nice article. I can't give a translation or synopsis right now, but a couple of interesting points - he says the oath of rebellion is about when we are subject to other nations, but getting a State through the UN is not a violation, and fighting wars agasint other nations who attack us is also not a rebellion, it is simple self defence.

    Rav Shlomo Goren also did an analysis on the halachic status of Medinat Yisrael. For some reason, Goren is fixated with Rambam, and he learns from there that it is impossible to have a pre-messianic state. He counters this with a Yerushalmi which does allow for a pre-messianic state. He also tells a story of how he met the Lubavitcher rebbe and had this discussion with the Rebbe, and they each held fast by their own positions.
    I personally think that R' Goren makes too much of the Rambam. Rambam is not giving a chronology of what will happen in the messianic era, and he himself admits to this. Goren also brings a riddle, that in order to start sacrifices again, and build the temple, we will need to become pure from Tumah of the dead. But nobody, he claims is pure, and hence cannot prepare the ashes of the Red Heifer. He leaves this to the Moshiach to solve. Again, i am not convinced of this claim either - not everybody has come into contact with the dead, and it is possible to have a group of Kohanim who have not been in contact - if they are kept in some kind of quarantine.

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  3. Goren is fixated with Rambam, and he learns from there that it is impossible to have a pre-messianic state.

    how? it was the rambam who wrote:

    והעמידו מלך מן הכוהנים, וחזרה מלכות לישראל יתר על מאתיים שנה--עד החורבן השני.

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  4. In the Soviet era, when teaching and practicing religion was illegal in USSR, as far as i know, all Jewish groups were campaigning against the Soviet Union, and why was this not considered to be a rebellion against nations, anymore than Zionism was?

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    Replies
    1. a) It wasn't Russian Jews in Russia doing the campaign and b) the the campaign wasn't to overthrow the Russian government.

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    2. So was klal yisroel. The oaths were allegedt sworn by all Jews. And was to break Soviet policy on religion. Zionists didn't try overthrow British government, but to change policy in Israel.

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