Zionism as a realization of Jewish theology

A brief review

Nowadays, most people have heard of the recent history of zionism, including figures such as Theodor Herzl, David Ben-Gurion, Chaim Weizmann, and historical events such as the Balfour Declaration or the Nakba, which led to the founding and expansion of the zionist state. But what inspired the founders of modern zionism to pursue their goals? What is their long-term plan and inspiration?

Biblical origins of zionism

Zionism itself is an action-oriented realization of Jewish doctrine and not a purely colonialist movement of “white” Europeans, as it is often reduced to by leftists. The Jewish Torah already speaks of a return to the Promised Land.

“For I will take you out from among the nations, gather you from all countries, and bring you into your own land... and you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers.”

(Ezekiel 36:24–28)

“And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel … they shall build the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine; they shall also plant gardens and eat their fruit. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be uprooted from the land which I have given them.”

(Amos 9:14–15)

If one does not recognize the (Christian) New Testament and the Quran (as Jewish doctrine requires), then returning to one's own religious community is a predetermined course of action. The question that now arises is: How? Through activism or by waiting for divine guidance?

Interpretation by religious authorities

The correct understanding of the Torah from a Jewish perspective can best be interpreted through the Talmud, Kabbalah, and leading scholars such as Maimonides (“RaMBaM”). So what do these sources say about the life of the Jewish community in Israel or Palestine?

“Everyone may compel their family to ascend to Eretz Yisrael, i.e., one may compel one's family and household to emigrate to Eretz Yisrael, but no one may remove others from Eretz Yisrael, as one may not compel one's family to leave the country. Similarly, everyone may force their family to ascend to Jerusalem, and no one may take them away from Jerusalem, i.e., no one may take them away from Jerusalem. Both men and women may force their spouse to emigrate to Eretz Yisrael or move to Jerusalem. (...)
The Mishnah teaches: Everyone may compel others to ascend to Jerusalem. The Gemara asks again: What case does this statement cover? The Gemara answers: It covers moving from a pleasant place of residence elsewhere in Eretz Yisrael to an unpleasant place of residence in Jerusalem. “And I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel... they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine; they shall also plant gardens and eat their fruit. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be uprooted from the land which I have given them.”

(Talmud, Ketubot 110b)

This passage from the Talmud strongly suggests that there is spiritual value in living in the Land of Israel, preferably Jerusalem. So much so that one may even force one's Jewish family to live there. And the unpleasant place in Jerusalem is (spiritually) better than the pleasant place elsewhere. So it is definitely proto-Zionist.

Maimonides places nation-building front and center within his messianic program as outlined in the often-ignored lengthy preface to his 13 principles. There he stipulates that “sovereignty will be re-established in Israel, and there will be a return to Israel . . . and the heart of the kingdom will be in Zion.” National independence, he writes, can only come about by natural means since, “there will be no change in reality from the way it is at present, except that there will be sovereignty in Israel.” Moreover, he advocates political activism rather than the patient “waiting” of the famous anonymously written liturgical version of his 13 principles, the “Ani Ma’amin.”‍

(James A. Diamond, jewishreviewofbooks.com)

Thus, the important Jewish scholar Maimonides also seems to have dreamed of a Zionist movement. The highly influential Kabbalah scholar Isaac Luria also held the view in the 16th century that the Jewish people had to remain in exile until they had accomplished the purification of their souls (Tikkum) in order to then return to Israel. He also believed that after 1,500 years of exile, the return would soon take place (source: Isaac Luria: A Central Figure in Jewish Mysticism by Gershom Scholem). Later thinkers such as Moses Hess and Theodor Herzl then shaped this process into the modern form of Zionism we know today.

Summary of the religious reality of zionism

At the end of the day, Jewish Zionism is not simply a colonial movement modeled on the European great powers of the 19th century, but a highly religious movement. For when one adds the passages from the Torah to the Talmud, Maimonides, and Kabbalah, the sum total of this equation sooner or later yields the zionist idea. And my intention is to say to supporters of the pro-Palestinian movement in particular: The problem is not simply a political phenomenon that has emerged in the last hundred years, but rather the result of a religious development. The fear of expressing rational and objective criticism of the Jewish religion must therefore be overcome once and for all. At the same time, however, such criticism should not lead to racism against Judaism as an ethnic identity, but should refer to the religious ideas of Judaism.