Rabbi Dr. David
Mescheloff, Moshav Hemed,
Marcheshvan 5773 /
November 2012
This article should
provide an introduction to the religious Zionist community in Israel, and the
great variety of world outlooks subsumed under that title.
Members of "the
religious Zionist community" (RZC) in Israel share a common commitment to
Torah and mitzvot, and to living according to halakha. They also share a favorable attitude towards
the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which they see as
bearing religious significance. They are committed to the welfare and the unity
of the Jewish people, and to the continued ingathering of our exiles.
Yet, while these
shared beliefs and commitments hold them together loosely, nevertheless they
may be divided into several distinct groups based on several factors. I will describe them briefly, "min
ha-kal el ha-kaved" (from the "lighter" to the
"heavier"). I will not relate to the fact that there are RZ people in
different proportions in all of Israel's political parties, which are
constantly shuffling and reshuffling both personally and ideologically.
1) Some of the
divisions are along "country of origin" lines – much more complex
than just Sephardi-Ashkenazi, but rather Yemenite/Moroccan/Syrian/Iraqi/Turkish
(for a start) and Polish/German/Russian/Western European/English-speaking
countries (for a start). These distinctions are becoming increasingly blurred
as marriages across these lines have been increasing in frequency for two
generations or more, yet they still play a divisive role, particularly in the
establishment of community synagogues or prayer groups along these lines. Nevertheless,
it is unusual to find genuine hostility across these lines in the RZC.
2) Another division is
along geographical lines in Israel: one can identify significant differences
between center/urban/well-established communities on one hand and
periphery/rural (kibbutz and moshav)/newer towns in Yehuda and Shomron.
3) Yet another
division has to do with perceived level of religious observance (I emphasize
the word "perceived"; it concerns both how people perceive themselves
and how they perceive others). The range
is from "dati light" (still sometimes called "mizrachinik",
a pejorative term that is largely historical) through "dati"
and on to "chardali" (acronym of charedim le'umi'im,
national "stricter" Orthodox).
In the next two
sections, about rabbanim and yeshivot, I will list some of
"the major players". I will not characterize them, and will not
"give them grades". Each one
is excellent, and each is different from every other. Some of them can be
grouped together with others, but I will not indicate who is associated with
whom. Where I can, I will give an
internet address for the rabbanim and the yeshivot, and you, the
reader, can form your own impression from the image each one chooses to present
himself/itself. Do not lend any
importance to the number of links I attach to any one name. With that introduction, let's continue.
4) There are
followers, admirers, students, and others who adhere to different rabbanim,
each of whom has his own "camp". Here are twelve from among the major
RZ publicly recognized rabbinic leaders and educators with significant
followings and who differ on various ideological issues on which they take
public stands (in no special order).
They are prolific writers; some of the links below can lead you to their
books and articles.
R; Yaakov Ariel (Ramat
Gan - http://www.haravariel.com/
and a sample teshuva on cloning: http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/shana/ariel-1.htm),
R. Shlomo Aviner (Bet
El - http://www.ateret.org.il/hebrew/rav-aviner/
and http://www.havabooks.co.il/author.asp?author_id=1
and http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/rabbis.asp?rabbi=3775, and a sample teshuva on Talmud study for
women: http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/mishpach/limud-2.htm )
R. Chaim Druckman
(Mercaz Shapira – http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D_%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A7%D7%9E%D7%9F ; See sample
shiurim at http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/rabbis.asp?rabbi=3791
R. Yuval Cherlow
(Petach Tikva - http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%91%D7%9C_%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%9C%D7%95 See some sample shiurim at:
and at http://www.ypt.co.il/),
R. Yehoshua Shapiro
(Ramat Gan – http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%94%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%A2_%D7%A9%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%90 See
sample shiurim at http://www.yrg.org.il/rav_shapira.asp
and http://shiurim.moreshet.co.il/web/rav.asp?ravID=37
and
R. Dr. Aharon
Lichtenstein (and his colleagues at Elon Shevut –
and many shiurim can
be accessed at http://etzion.haretzion.org/
R. Tzvi Yisrael Tau (Jerusalem
- http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A6%D7%91%D7%99_%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%90%D7%9C_%D7%98%D7%90%D7%95 and see
R. Dov Lior (Kiryat
'Arba - http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%93%D7%95%D7%91_%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8
;
See sample teshuvot at http://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/?orderby=7&cat=1,
and
some sample shiurim at http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/rabbis.asp?rabbi=3805).
R. Eliezer Melamed
(Berakha – http://yhb.org.il/?page_id=458
http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8_%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%9E%D7%93 See books at http://www.kodeshbook.co.il/product.asp?productid=3565 and
many shiurim at
R. Dr. Nachum Eliezer
Rabinowitz (http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A0%D7%97%D7%95%D7%9D_%D7%90%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%A2%D7%96%D7%A8_%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A5', and see a brief talk at
and here is an item on
his magnum opus on the Rambam
and an interview at
and
see http://ph.yhb.org.il/06-11-14/
R. Yoel Bin-Nun (http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%99%D7%95%D7%90%D7%9C_%D7%91%D7%9F_%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%9F
And see shiurim at his
site, http://ybn.co.il/
And about his method of
studying Tanakh:
http://www.ypt.co.il/show.asp?id=20296
Here's a sample talk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y7y6Sk3xiE
And see his site:
http://ravsherki.org/
And sample shiruim: http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/rabbis.asp?rabbi=3774
)
These and/or their
students and/or their followers appear in print or in public forums frequently,
and are asked by "the media" to express their opinions on public
issues frequently
There are more.
Indeed, the RZ world is blessed with a very large number of genuine talmidei
chakhamim and communal leaders, many of them young and on their way up in
the public's awareness. The absence of
the name of any particular Rav from the list above should not be taken
as a reflection on his Torah greatness or of his influence. The list is far
from exhaustive. Here is a report of a
meeting of a dozen "elders" of RZ rabbanim in the winter of 5772,
where you can see the names of some other prominent figures: http://www.srugim.co.il/25949-%D7%91%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%9A-%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%97%D7%93%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9B%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A1-%D7%A9%D7%9C-%D7%96%D7%A7%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%A8%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%AA?di=1
5) There are divisions based on association with
various yeshivot. The RZC has grown considerably in the past two
generations. Tens of thousands of
"graduates" of the various RZ yeshivot , each with markedly
different ideologies (see below), are "out there" in Israeli society –
either as individuals or in communities and urban "gar'inim Torani'im" - in the IDF, and in the various RZ
educational systems and institutions, each trying to influence Israeli society
in general and the RZC in particular in his own direction.
Here are thirteen of
the major yeshivot with significant numbers of graduates and followings,
whose leaders do not see eye-to-eye on various ideological issues. I cannot do justice to a description of the
nuanced differences between them in this brief post. You can form your
own impression by visiting the internet sites maintained by the various
institutions (see below). Each exerts a
major influence on its immediate surrounding community and throughout the RZC
and Israel, through its teachers, students, and graduates, and through a variety
of powerful educational and public service initiatives.
Har Hamor (http://www.harhamor.co.il/),
Kerem
B'Yavneh (http://www.kby.org/hebrew/)
Machon Meir (http://www.meirtv.co.il/site/)
Sha'alvim (http://www.shaalvim.org/ and http://www.shaalvim.co.il/ )
It is not possible to
list them all, not even the ones of major importance. I leave it to the reader to examine the
nuances of the differences between them.
One should add to the leading yeshivot: 'Eli, Ma'alot, 'Otniel,
'Or 'Etzion, Shavei Hevron, and Nir-Kiryat Arba. Each has its own unique
character.
Another institution
that should be mentioned because of its influence on many young RZ men and
women, although it is not usually thought of as a yeshiva because of its
association with Bar-Ilan University, is HaMakhon Ha-Gavoah L'Torah (http://www.mgl.org.il/).
It is also important
to note that there are RZ institutions for the advanced Jewish education of
women. Here are seven among the most
influential – again, with significant differences in orientation, and in no
particular order –
Michlelet Orot (http://www.orot.ac.il/Pages/Homepage.aspx),
The absence of any
particular yeshiva or women's institution from the list above should not
be construed as reflecting on its significance, the greatness of its heads, or
its influence. The list is not intended
to be exhaustive. I personally find the
rich variety among these RZC institutions to be exciting, stimulating, and
inspiring (even where I don't agree with this or that ideological preference or
educational approach) – all of these different world-views, and they are all
Religious Zionist!
6) Now a brief word
about divisions within the Israeli RZC according to positions on certain
ideological issues.
Unlike American Modern
Orthodoxy, not all RZC groupings, institutions, and leaders, share favorable
attitudes towards 1 - "contemporary Western culture and democracy"
(which they do not all define in the same terms), 2 -
academic/scientific/professional education/scholarship/achievement, and 3 -
women and their involvement in public life and increased non-traditional public
religious activities.
The ideological differences
between the various RZ groups are too difficult to summarize briefly. The
ideological dividing lines are often highly nuanced; an outsider would find it
difficult to understand why the opposing sides fight with such vigor. Yet
one who wants to understand the Israeli religious Zionist scene should be aware
that - although all RZC groups have much more in common than divides them, yet the
differences that rise to the surface mean a lot to them all, and do produce
genuine flare-ups from time to time.
Let me add one more
word about RZ rabbinical groups in Israel.
Tzohar is well-known by now (http://www.tzohar.org.il/). Less
well known are three groups from the past two years. One is actually a group
that had become dormant, but reorganized and expanded beginning in Kislev 5771,
"Derekh Emunah". Its member
rabbis are primarily former students of R. Tzvi Yehuda Kook zt"l of
Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, whose principal aim is to promulgate their teacher's
heritage concerning the centrality of Eretz Yisrael in Jewish spiritual
life. The second group, "the
rabbis' forum", is an informal closed email google group of some 300
Israeli community rabbanim and high level educators that began after Purim 5771.
The members represent a rich variety of ideological approaches, and the forum
provides a meeting place in which halakhic, hashkafic and communal issues are
discussed intensively from every possible perspective. The third group, "Bet Hillel", was
formed less than a year ago, and seeks to provide a moderate rabbinic voice,
attentive to public needs, on the Israeli scene. It includes scholarly women in its ranks as
equal members with the rabbanim. See http://www.facebook.com/B.Hillel.
One who desires to
understand the rich tapestry of Torah that the RZ world is producing would do
well to understand the complexity of the picture outlined above. R. Eliyahu the Gaon of Vilna wrote at the
beginning of his commentary to Mishlei (Proverbs) of the importance of
knowing whose thoughts you are reading, who his ancestors were, what position
he holds, and where he comes from, in order to understand and value his Torah.
Nevertheless, I recommend keeping in mind the following story I
heard recently, that happened here in Israel.
A young man from one of the RZ yeshivot above had met a learned
young RZ woman. They met a few times to
examine the possibility of marriage and building a family together. The young woman, however, was plagued with
uncertainty. She kept asking the young
man about the views of his rebbeim on various issues, and wasn't always
happy about the answers. On their fourth
date, after she continued her inquiries, he said to her, "Why do you keep
asking me what my rebbeim think? Why
don't you want to know what I think?" Startled, she realized she had been
on the wrong track, and followed his suggestion. They now are a happy couple, beginning a
promising life together.
Please remember: the only way to know a person is through
personal contact.
May G-d grant strength
(= Torah) to His people, and may G-d bless His people with peace (= harmony and
mutual respect, with appreciation of the spiritual wealth G-d grants us in
making us all different from each other).
