“A Song of Ascent: When the Compassionate One brings about the return to Zion,
we will be like dreamers.” (Psalm 126:1)
Dear Friends,
The Land of Zion has a central place within the hearts of our people, and
recent events have once again caused this land to be a focus of our concern.
Sensitive souls that are seeking a spiritual perspective on the problems and
dangers confronting us in this sacred land can benefit from the moving book
“Guardian of Jerusalem” - a biography of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, as
well as a documented history of Jewish life in the land during the 19th and
early 20th centuries. The author is Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Sonnenfeld. One who
reads this book will get a deeper understanding of the secular-religious
conflict within the land, as well as the Arab-Jewish conflict over the land.
A major section of Guardian of Jerusalem describes the yearnings and
accomplishments of the “Old Yishuv” - a term which refers to the religious
Jewish communities in the Land of Zion that preceded the modern Zionist
movement and the establishment of the World Zionist Congress. The
Torah-observant Jews of these communities were involved in building new
neighborhoods in Jerusalem, and they also started some agricultural
settlements. The sages who led these communities desired to have more Jewish
immigration to the land, but they were opposed to the philosophy of the
World Zionist Congress. The main reason for this opposition was because the
majority of the leaders of the World Zionist Congress were secularists who
defined Jewish identity in strictly nationalistic terms, and who no longer
viewed the Torah as the "raison d'etre" of the Jewish people. The sages of
the Old Yishuv, however, strongly believed in the ancient message of the
prophets - one which proclaimed that our ability to thrive in the land and
to have true shalom depends on our commitment to the Torah, our Covenant
with the Compassionate One. For example, the Prophet Jeremiah proclaimed the
following Divine message after the Babylonians conquered the land, destroyed
the First Temple, and caused our people to go into exile:
“For what reason did the land perish and become parched like the desert,
without a passerby? The Compassionate One said: Because of their forsaking
My Torah that I put before them; moreover, they did not heed My voice nor
follow it.” (Jeremiah 9:12).
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld felt that all the accomplishments of the
secular Zionist movement would be in danger if its leaders continued to
ignore the spiritual raison d’etre of our presence in Zion. Dr. Chaim
Weizmann, a major leader of the World Zionist Congress, would often visit
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld in order to debate the issues and to stress the
value of the secular Zionist ideology. In response, Rabbi Sonnenfeld would
stress the following idea: If we have been exiled from our land because
of our sins, then we cannot possibly have a truly successful return with
those same sins clothed in modern garb.
In the heat of one of these debates, Rabbi Yosef Chaim turned to Dr.
Weizmann and exclaimed:
“We pray that we should merit the return of the Shechinah (the Divine
Presence) to Zion as it was in days of yore, before the destruction of the
Temple. As stated by all the prophets, the main yearning to return to Zion
must be to renew our spiritual lives in Zion - to return to lives of
holiness and purity, as it was when the Kohanim and Levites stood at their
posts and the populace absorbed Ruach Hakodesh (the Holy Spirit) and
conducted itself according to the Torah. But to you who call yourselves
Zionists, Zion is merely a geographical, political, physical concept in
which you seek to establish theaters and cultural institutions the same as
all the nations, while severing ties with our glorious past. Is this to be
called ‘Zion’? There is no greater travesty than this!”
The historical accounts found in “Guardian of Jerusalem” indicate that, in
most cases, there were cordial relations between the spiritual leaders of
the Old Yishuv and the spiritual leaders of their Arab neighbors. In fact,
Jews and Arabs would greet each other on their respective festivals. Rabbi
Sonnenfeld was held in great esteem by the local Arab population; thus,
after World War I, when tensions between Arabs and Jews began to increase,
Rabbi Sonnenfeld was involved in efforts to create peace, but he encountered
opposition from some secular Zionist leaders. Their opposition led to a
tragic event which is described and documented in the book.
After World War I, the Land of Zion became the mandate of Great Britain.
When an American fact-finding delegation later came to Jerusalem to feel out
public opinion on the British mandate and the idea of a Jewish homeland,
Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld was invited to appear before the delegation.
The members of the delegation presented him with a long list of questions
regarding his attitude towards Jewish resettlement of the Land. Rabbi Yosef
Chaim's answers were so clear and unequivocal, and his attitude towards the
Jewish return to the land so positive, that even the secular Zionist papers
highlighted his response and praised his views. The head of the delegation
asked Rabbi Yosef Chaim if he believed that a land so geographically small
as this land could serve to solve the problems of the Jewish people. In his
response to this particular question, the sage included the following
analogy: “When children return to their mother's home, space is never a
factor. No matter how many children come and how small the house may be,
they squeeze in and sit and the mother will never say that it is too
crowded.”
This analogy was based on the prophecy of Isaiah concerning the ingathering
of the exiles, who are described as the returning children of Mother Zion
(Isaiah 49:20-22). In this spirit, we chant each Shabbos morning the
following words after reading the haftorah - the weekly portion from the
Prophets:
“Have compassion on Zion for she is the home of our life, and save the
saddened of soul speedily in our days. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who causes
Zion to rejoice through her children.”
Shalom,
Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen (See below)
Related Comments:
1. If you get the “Guardian of Jerusalem,” please let me know, and if any
questions emerge from your reading, feel free to discuss them with me.
2. For further information about this amazing book, visit:
http://www.artscroll.com/linker/hazon/ASIN/GUAH (The Hebrew edition
is available in Israel, and it is called, "Ha'Ish Al HaChomah.")