7 Adar 5780
We were shocked to hear the unbelievable news that a
significant part of Agudas Yisroel of America intend to join the World Zionist
Federation and participate in the elections to the Zionist Congress. Woe to the
shame and disgrace of those who assist heretics who hate Hashem and fight Him
and His Torah, who advocate heresy and battles against Hashem and His Torah.
They are the successors of Amolek and about them the possuk says, “Do I
not hate them, O Hashem that hate You? And do I not strive with those that rise
up against You? I hate them with utmost hatred, I count them as my enemies” (Tehilim
139:21-22).
I saw with my own eyes several times how much the gedolim
of the previous generation, headed by Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l and
the Brisker Rov zt”l, took
steps to avoid any connection with them and their institutions. It is extremely
well-known, and need not be proved, that the gedolim zt”l
considered them to be heretics and epikorsim who hate Hashem, and that
it is a mitzvah to hate them and fight them. Who would have dreamt that
there would come a time when it would become necessary to explain these
fundamental facts which are so well known? Woe to us for we have sinned
greatly. However, due to the confusion that has become widespread in America, I
will reiterate these simple facts.
The Zionist movement was established in order to
detach the Jewish nation from its Father in Heaven, and to uproot the name of
Hashem for ever, G-d forbid. As soon as the State was established its leaders
fought with all their might to ensure that Hashem’s name would not be mentioned
upon the establishment of the State. In the end they agreed to write in their Declaration
of Independence “Be’ezrat Zur Yisroel”, adding that they would interpret
this phrase to be referring to the army, the rock which protects them. In this
way they made hundreds of thousands of Jews irreligious, detaching them from
their fathers, and telling them that “we will bring about the redemption with
our actions”. They founded a new movement that did not require the observance
of religion, but merely the observance of the trappings of an Israeli nation,
for which purpose they established national institutions, such as a State and a
language.
The Brisker Rov zt”l told me that his father,
Rav Chaim, said immediately when the Zionist movement was founded, that their
main goal was to take Jews away from their religion, and the establishment of a
State was merely a tool to achieve the goal of becoming a nation like any other
nation chas vesholom.
It is said in the name of Rav Chaim Brisker that the mitzvah
to eradicate Amolek does not apply to “the descendants of Amolek”, but rather
to all heretics who fight Hashem. They reignite “the memory of Amolek”, and we
are obligated to eradicate their outlook and influence. (This is based on our
version in the Rambam Ch. 5:5 of H. Melochim, which states “it is furthermore a positive commandment to eradicate
the memory of Amolek”, and the Rambam did not write “the descendants of
Amolek”. We cannot elaborate more in this context). Hence, it is obvious that we are obligated to
fight them resolutely, how much more so to refrain from assisting them and
increasing their influence through the support of the chareidim.
The argument that their opinions rely on those gedolim
who permitted participating in the Israeli government is utter nonsense, since
this has nothing to do with the matter under discussion. In Eretz Yisroel
we are in any case subject to their government, and therefore in the opinion of
those gedolim, it is permitted to send representatives to the government
in order to explain the position of the chareidim to the government,
which necessarily rules over us. The Zionist Congress, on the other hand, is
not a government, but a heretical movement, which purports to speak on behalf
of the Jewish nation, and the facts on the ground do not compel us to be subject
to their authority. It never occurred to anybody to permit this, since as long
as we do not participate with it, the Zionist Congress does not represent
chareidi Jewry and the chareidi public. If we were to participate with them
this would increase their ability to purvey the Zionist outlook, which is
completely heretical, on behalf of Agudas Yisroel, and on behalf of the whole
of chareidi Jewry in Eretz Yisroel and overseas.
As for the argument that the purpose of their actions
is to protect and save our religion, let me cite something I heard from my
mother’s uncle, Rav Avrohom Pines zt”l (whose father was the rosh
hakohol of Minsk), which he heard from Rav Chaim Brisker zt”l. When
the head of the Zionist movement, Herzl, may his name be obliterated, came to
Minsk, he met with Rav Avrohom’s father, Rav Berel Pines and Rav Boruch
Zeldovitz z”l, who were the
leaders of the community in Minsk, and suggested to them that they should
support the Zionist idea of the establishment of a State, claiming that in Vilna
they had already accepted his proposal. He promised them that the State to be
established in Eretz Yisroel would be a democratic one, and so it would
be worthwhile for them to join the movement, because, if they did so, the chareidim would have a majority, and then Shabbos and shemitta would be observed in Eretz Yisroel. He also promised them that
he would let the chareidim be in charge of the rabbinate, so that
everything would be conducted in accordance with the Torah. They liked the
sound of this proposal, but said that they were subject to the daas Torah of Rav Chaim Brisker zt”l, and would not take any steps without consulting him, and so they
would immediately travel to Brisk to hear Rav Chaim’s opinion.
They travelled to Brisk and
arrived Rav Chaim’s house during a time in which he secluded himself in his
learning, having given orders not to let anyone in to see him. However, family
members told him that the communal leaders of Minsk had come to see him
regarding an essential matter that was akin to pikuach nefesh. Rav
Chaim said to let them in immediately. As soon as they said that they had spoken
with Herzl, Rav Chaim expressed his surprised, and asked them why they wanted
to have any contact with the wicked Herzl, does the possuk not say “Happy
is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the
way of sinners etc”. They replied that Herzl had come with a proposal that
would result in the observance of Shabbos and shemitta in Eretz Yisroel. Rav Chaim responded
briefly, “You want to merit the afterlife by participating with Herzl, but you
should know that I and he will not be in the same hall in the World to Come. If
you want to go together with ‘Herzl Shmerzel’ (that is what he called him, due
to the prohibition of calling an idol by its name) you will sit together with
him in the World to Come, and if you go with me, you will go with me. You can
choose”, and immediately went back to his learning, refusing to say anything
further to them about this matter. They went back to Minsk, and told Herzl that
they would not join his movement. He was infuriated that even in our times the
rabbis and elders are the leaders of Russian and Polish Jewry, and do not
permit any change, even for the sake of alluring proposals that would ensure
the observance of Shabbos and shemitta.
We too at this time call upon chareidi Jewry in
America. If you go in the way of our fathers, you will join them in the eternal
world, but if you go with the Zionists, your portion in the World to Come will
be together with them.
Due to many obligations I must be brief, but any
believing Jew who believes in Hashem must join us, and soon we will merit the
salvation of Hashem, and all believers will rejoice, whereas they will be shamed
and embarrassed for eternity upon seeing how much sorrow and shame they have
caused the holy Shechinoh.
May Hashem give insight to the wayward, and those who
listen to our words will rest safely and serenely.
I sign for the sake of Hashem and his Torah, and anticipate
great divine mercy.
קצת רקע למכתב: הקונגרס הציוני העולמי הוא הגוף העליון של
ההסתדרות הציונית העולמית והרשות המחוקקת העליונה שלה. הדיונים בקונגרס הם הקובעים
את סדר יומה של התנועה הציונית העולמית, והם גם המכריעים מי יהיו חברי הוועד הפועל
הציוני המופקד על ניהול התנועה הציונית.
הקונגרס הציוני מתכנס אחת לארבע-חמש שנים, ולקראת
כל כינוס הקונגרס נערכות בחירות בפדרציות הציוניות השונות בעולם, הקובעות מי יהיו חברי
הקונגרס אשר בסמכותם יהיה להעביר החלטות שונות בנושאים העומדים על סדר יומה של
התנועה הציונית העולמית, ולקבוע בסופו של דבר גם את יחסי הכוחות בהנהלה הציונית, והוועד
הפועל של ההסתדרות הציונית מנהלים את ענייניהם של ההסתדרות הציונית וגופים שונים
הקשורים אליה.
מתוך 480 צירי הקונגרס הציוני העולמי, 145 צירים
נבחרים על ידי יהודי ארצות הברית ו‑145 צירים נבחרים על ידי היהודים ביתר
מדינות העולם. 190 צירים מייצגים את היהודים במדינת ישראל, על פי מפתח מפלגתי
שנגזר מכוחה היחסי של כל אחת מהמפלגות הציוניות. במדינות העולם שבהן מתקיימות
בחירות לקונגרס, רשאי להצביע כל יהודי מגיל 18 ומעלה שהוא אזרח המדינה. בישראל,
כאמור, ההצבעה בבחירות לכנסת היא הצבעה שלא מדעת גם לקונגרס הציוני.
לקראת הכינוס הקרוב של הקונגרס הציוני העולמי
שיתקיים בעוד כשמונה חודשים בתחילת חודש חשון תשפ"א (20 עד 22 באוקטובר
2020), נפתח לאחרונה הליך הצבעה המונית שבה הקהילה היהודית הציונית בארה"ב
בוחרת צירים מטעמה לכינוס הקרוב של הקונגרס הציוני.
במהלך כל התקופה האחרונה בהם מתקיימים הבחירות
בארה"ב לקונגרס הציוני, סוערות הרוחות בארה"ב בעקבות עסקנים מסוימים
הנמנים על "אגודת ישראל" בארה"ב, אשר הריצו נציגים מטעמם לקונגרס
הציוני – וקראו לכלל ציבור החרדים בארה"ב להצביע עבורם.
גדולי הרבנים וראשי הישיבות ובראשם ראשי ישיבת
לייקווד הביעו דעתם במכתבים לציבור כי אין ליטול חלק בבחירות אלו, ובמכתב מיוחד
כתבו: "המסורה מגדולי הדורות מקדמת דנא להתרחק מהם ומהשקפותיהם ולא להתחבר
ולשבת במוסדות הציונים ולא בזה שום שינוי במשך הזמן, ע"כ פשוט שאסור להשתתף
עמהם בשום פנים ואופן אפילו אם זה רק לפנים ואפילו אם זה לש"ש".
אמש, באורח נדיר, יצאו שני הגיסים מרנן
הגר"מ שטרנבוך והגרמ"ד סאלוויצ'יק שליט"א במכתב מיוחד לתושבי
ארה"ב בו הביעו את דעתם כי אין להיות שותפים בהסתדרות הציונות העולמית וכי
אין שום היתר לשלוח נציגים שיישבו בקונגרס הציוני, "אוי לאותה בושה לתת יד
לכופרים שונאי ה' ותורתו. מי שיילך איתם יישאר איתם לעתיד לבוא", כתבו הגיסים
זקני וגדולי התורה במכתבם
אין תגובות:
הוסף רשומת תגובה
שים לב: רק חברים בבלוג הזה יכולים לפרסם תגובה.