Selected Insights from Rav Shimon Schwab zi"a, P. 2

Le'maan Achai Ve're'ai,

THE TORAH HASHKOFA

Rav Shimon's ability to express with clarity the Torah perspective often ran counter to the spirit of the more "enlightened" American Jewish community of those days, and he found himself the subject of criticism and opposition.

He once expressed his view on these attacks with the following observation (which he attributed to others): Dovid Hamelech says about himself in Tehillim, זדים הליצוני עד מאד, מתורתך לא נטיתי. This could be read as "scoffers made fun of me – עד מאד – that I am "too much" [but] I am merely not veering from the Torah". They call me "extreme" and "fanatic", but I am not that at all. מתורתך לא נטיתי, I am simply trying to keep the Torah, even when it may be not according to the contemporary spirit.

In 1989, Rav Shimon published an article – uncharacteristically sharp – in the shul bulletin of Kehal Adas Yeshurun in protest over strange Zionist-influenced "rulings" voiced by Modern Orthodox rabbinical figures (later reprinted in Selected Essays). In his words:

…Various strange and outlandish ideologies are cropping up which are propagated by some newfangled luminaries. Sometimes the "Modern Orthodox" halachic foolishness which is flirting with the anti-Torah establishment may border on heresy. This is all part and parcel of the spiritual confusion of the Dark Age in which we happen to live…

Although Rav Shimon originally intended this article to be for his community, it became publicly known, and as could be expected, Rav Shimon was harassed for expressing the Torah view with such clarity. Despite his venerable standing, he was inundated, in his words in a postscript to the article when it later reprinted, "a lot of hate mail and nasty calls, etc.", especially as some people erroneously assumed he was referring to specific people in his article[1].

What was especially difficult for the American Jewish public of those days to accept was his clear-cut and absolute opposition to Zionism and all its forms. Rav Shimon, a man of perfect middos, was the height of graciousness and dignity and abhorred conflict. But that could not come at the expense of keeping a clear mind, including with the topic of Zionism, no matter how much it ran against the prevailing spirit. In his words (in the article cited above), "When it comes Zionism, especially the kind that has changed it from realpolitik into a pre-Messianic religion, let us be firm and brave and defy all forces which tend to weaken our fundamentalist (yes) loyalty to the unadulterated heritage which we have received from our forebears".

We cite from his son Rabbi Myer Schwab (Rav Schwab on Chumash, page 28):

"The establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, with the support of the Agudas Yisroel, presented a great challenge to the Rav's strongly held view of Austritt … The Rav was concerned from the very beginning that the State of Israel was founded by secularists with the intention of fundamentally redefining the essence of the Jewish People and weakening Torah observance. In the weeks and months following the establishment of the Medinah, while everyone was celebrating, Rav Schwab felt no pleasure.

He found no sympathizers for his grave concerns. Sometime later, he had the opportunity to visit Eretz Yisroel, and he went to see the Chazon Ish. He asked him, "What heter did Agudas Yisrael have for joining the government?" The Chazon Ish answered simply, "I don't know, they did not ask me".

While the Chazon Ish shared his concerns, he cautioned Rav Schwab that because there was such a frenzy over the newly founded state, when he returned to America, he should keep his thoughts to himself. "Remain silent," he said, because people will consider you an apikores"…

Indeed, although Rav Shimon judiciously expressed the true hashkofa in full only when he saw it to be beneficial[2], he still encountered much antagonism on the sensitive topic. His experience with the mindset of the American Jewish scene began literally upon his arrival from Germany. He later recounted (Selected Essays, p. 76) that when he first arrived in Baltimore, he was welcomed by the local branch of Mizrachi, who assumed that he was one of them. When he clarified for the local Mizrachi president that he was, in fact, not Mizrachi at all but rather affiliated with Agudas Yisroel, the president was shocked. "The Agudah? Oy vey! They are the meraglim of our times! They hate Klal Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel! Zei hobben feint Yidden – they hate Jews!" Rav Shimon sadly related this story to illustrate the overwhelming spirit of Zionism which was so prevalent in those times even amongst the fully religious communities.

At a Chanukah drasha in his Shul, Rav Shimon once spoke of the heroic battle of the Chashmono'im, who were prepared to sacrifice their lives to fight for Torah and Mitzvos. He emphasized that the sole purpose of their battle was to save Yiddishkeit, not for any other purpose – not even for the Beis Hamikdosh, and certainly not for land or independence. Someone who was clearly agitated by the implicit criticism of the State – which constantly demands of Jews to risk their lives – and decided to express his displeasure.

Rav Shimon recounted that he received a "seasonal greeting card" (of the non-Jewish holiday around that time), in which was written, To our Dear Friend, Rabbi Schwab, from your good friends, Gamal Nasser, Idi Amin, Ayatollah Khomeini. The point being made, of course, was that by him speaking even about such a basic Torah attitude put him on par with these famous pro-terrorism leaders, if it implied a disapproval of the State of Israel[3].

But Rav Shimon was not silenced. He could not come to terms with the fact that the majority of religious Jews in America (in those times) accepted with equanimity or even with positivity the concept of a secular, anti-Torah "Jewish" state. In Ma'ayan Beis Hasho'eva (Parshas Vayishlach), he discussed the opinion in Chazal that the representative angel of Eisov appeared as a talmid chochom when it came to attack Yaakov, and another source in Chazal which states that the angel of evil calls itself "Yisroel". Rav Shimon explained that the side of evil sometimes takes on superficially the attributes which are really it's exact opposite. He referenced in this context Christianity, which claims to accept the Bible but "reinterprets" it to "support" their idolatry, and also the Reform, who call their anti-Torah clergymen "rabbis" and their temples "synagogues". Then Rav Shimon concluded:

"And also – there are those who relate that there exists a state, in the desired Land over the seas, where the officials and leaders and lawmakers are kofrim, minim and apikorsim, who desecrate the kedusha of the Am HaShem – and [yet] they call the name of this state and government with the name of "Yisroel" [Israel], although their laws are completely different to the Torah".[4]

To Rav Shimon, the concept of calling this entity "Yisroel" ("Israel"), and relating to it as "the Jewish state" was beyond absurd. In his lectures of Sefer Yeshayahu (Rav Schwab on Yeshayahu, page 24), he expressed at length the tremendous chillul HaShem the State brings to the name of Klal Yisroel. To cite small extracts:

"…Let us imagine that before the coming of Mashiach the Jewish people would come back to Eretz Yisroel and set up a country like all other nations. …Rather than being G-d's nation, the majority of its people have absorbed various Eastern and Western cultures … And this highly developed civilization is pervaded by אלילים, non-gods and their missionaries; the majority of its people believe in nothing other than their own abilities and strengths. … The result of the Jewish nation having acculturated itself to the nations of the world – having absorbed their culture, civilization and lifestyle, and having thus lost its own unique identity as G-d's nation – is that the stature of mankind in general will become diminished…"

This is a "Jewish" state? As should be obvious to every ma'amin – but seems to be often overlooked – the identity of being "Jewish" is accomplishing the Jewish mission of Torah and mitzvos. Any other "achievement", if it is not part of this mission, has no Jewish significance or meaning at all:

"The life of the Jewish people in Eretz Yisroel must be based on hinei Elokeichem, G-d's will as expressed in the Torah. Otherwise, there can be no Tziyon, no Orei Yehuda, and no state. Our past history has shown that a Jewish national existence in Eretz Yisroel without adherence to the will of Hakodosh Boruch Hu as expressed in the Torah is as fragile as the aforementioned chatzir (dried grass), which has no permanence. It will last for a while, but eventually it will disappear." (Rav Schwab on Yeshayahu, p. 436)

Even the seemingly impressive achievements in building and settling Eretz Yisroel have no permanence if they were not accomplished according to the Torah. One day, when the Geulah comes, all the structures built by the secular populace to provide for their errant lifestyle will come crashing down. As Rav Shimon expressed it, not one brick made with chillul Shabbos will be in the Yerushalayim of the future. There will be no one there who is not shomer Torah u'Mitzvos  - not even to mix the cement (Rav Schwab on Yeshayahu, p. 251).

MOSHIACH – THE FALSE AND THE REAL

Rav Shimon defined Zionism simply as a false messianic movement.

In a speech which was later published in Selected Speeches (p. 23), he cited one of his rebbes, Rav Yosef Yehuda Leib Bloch, Rosh Yeshiva of Telz. He recounted what he had heard from Rav Bloch over sixty years before, to explain Chazal's statement that Moshiach will only come when we have "despaired from the Geulah" – a statement which seems to completely contradict the basic obligation to constantly await the Geulah. Rav Bloch explained that Chazal refer to Klal Yisroel despairing of bringing the Geulah themselves.

Throughout the generations, there have been numerous movements of false messiahs, which attempted to launch the messianic age by themselves.

Zionism is also a false messianic movement. It is based on the heretical ideology that the Geulah will not happen when we deserve it, or when HaShem decides; rather, Jews must forcibly "create their own redemption". Only when we decide once and for all to cease believing that we can bring the Geulah by our own physical merits will the real Geulah come.[5]

            Rav Shimon recounted:

I still remember that when the Jewish State was proclaimed in 1984, some people said that this proves that we no longer have to believe in a "Personal Messiah" [i.e. a physical person sent by HaShem]. As far as they were concerned, this event constituted the coming of Mashiach. To people such as this, Yeshayahu (66:5) is saying ונראה בשמחתכם והם יבשו. They will be disappointed to discover that this was not Mashiach after all (Rav Schwab on Yeshayahu, page 727; see also p. 551).

And in another place where he discusses the topic:

In our own days, there are a great many of our contemporaries who believe deeply and sincerely that the rise of the Jewish State in Eretz Yisrael is the beginning of the Messianic Redemption. They believe this wholeheartedly, religiously and sometimes fanatically. And those who dispute this dogma are looked upon with suspicion, bordering on animosity. However … to all those who earnestly search for the truth of authentic Torah philosophy, it is obvious that our generation has fallen prey to a historic illusion. … Today's Jewish State is not even distantly related to the Messianic promise for which we yearn and pray (Selected Writings page 129).

In Ma'ayan Beis Hashoeva, Parshas Balak, Rav Shimon explains that Klal Yisroel became attached to the idol of "Bal Pe'or" because they were seeking to "add on" to the Torah, and thought the loathsome method of serving the idol would actually be a mitzvah. Ultimately, this misguided ideology led them into genuine idolatry and intermarriage. In an annotation written in his Chumash (printed in Rav Schwab on Chumash, page 468), Rav Shimon notes that this "yetzer hora for mitzvos" is a destructive force which is used by every false Moshiach. The Zionists turned the mitzvah of "Eretz Yisroel" – or their own secularized version of the mitzvah – into a replacement of the Torah.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 of the British formally declared the Jewish "rights" to Eretz Yisroel, and was a major step forward in this yetzer hora. In the words of Rav Shimon, "Is there any lesson to be learned from the similarity of the words Ba'al Peor and Balfour?"

Selected Insights from Rav Shimon Schwab zi"a, P. 1

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Footnotes

[1] See The Empty Wagon pg. 494-497

[2] Rav Shimon explained the words ופתחון פה למיחלים לך in the Yomim Noro'im Tefillos to refer to that when the Geulah comes the Torah-faithful will finally be able to express the full truth instead of having to hide it or "water it down".

[3] Heard from Rav Schwab by Rabbi Yaakov Schapiro, The Empty Wagon, p. 1293

[4] "ועוד מספרים שיש מדינה בארץ חמדה מעבר לים ששרי המלכות והשליטים והמחוקקים הם כופרים מינים ואפיקורסים המחללים את קדושת עם ה', וקראו שם המדינה והמלכות שלהם בשם "ישראל" על אף שדתיהם שונים לגמרי מחוקי התורה".

[5] עי' בספר "שיעורי דעת" להג"ר יוסף יהודה לייב בלאך, במאמר "דור ההלפגה". ועי' ספר "משיחי שקר ומתנגדיהם" פרק על "תיאודור הרצל" (ושם בעמ' 633 מביא דברי הגר"ש שוואב הנ"ל) שמאריך לבאר איך תנועת הציונית היא בעצם תנועה של משיחיות השקר.

a special thank you for UK for TORAH for this article