Rejewvenation

Tsmicha.com: The Case for Religious Zionism

I found this article very good and wanted to share it here and link it. Its pretty long, but it lays a good foundation regarding the relationship between being religious and being a strong zionist. I have been confronted by family and even sometimes friends regarding my zionist views and this article gives good explanations laid out quite clearly

It happens all the time. People born and raised Secular or Traditional Zionists start becoming more and more religious. They are then confronted with one serious question: Now that they are a new person, should they Zionists or not? Basically, is Zionism Kosher?

What makes this question even more excruciating for them is that most of the time, their tshuva was initiated by a non-zionist rabbi who hid his opposition to Zionism until the person was “ready” to hear it, in a serious case of hypocrisy in the name of religion. Before showing his true colours, the rabbi would speak about how amazing the land of Israel is. Only after would he say that land and state mean two different things to him. Only after will he say that in his opinion, you can love the land of Israel without being Zionism.

Today, I am embarking on a very tough mission. It is especially tough because theoretically, I am in no position to embark in it. I am nothing more then an am haaretz. But the Pirkei Avot say clearly: In a place where there are no Men, strive to be a man. In North America, there are very few Men who are ready to take the time to explain the awesomeness of the greatest miracle in history, and defend it against its detractors. Only few men are willing to fight the tumah of the people who call God’s Miracle’s Satan’s actions. There is a serious need for a well written, thorough defense of religious Zionism so that newly religious people, who often go with their heart and are not always aware of all the aspects of a certain question because they are only fed one point of view, get the full picture and understand how irrational and un-Jewish it is to oppose Zionism. I will do my best to make the Case for Religious Zionism while recognizing that I am not up to the challenge of describing the greatest miracle in history. If it took God to speak of yetsiat mitzrayim in the Torah, no man will be able to really capture our generation’s yetsiat mitsrayim. I will still do my best. The truth is that even any Am Haaretz can understand the awesomeness of Zionism when presented with all the facts.

Please, go on over and read the rest of the article, or print it out to read when you've got a few spare minutes. There are some really good points and quotes over there.

Posted by Gavi at 5/30/2007 Comments