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Seeking Zion: Modernity and Messianic Activity in the Writings of Tsevi Hirsch Kalischer
Tsevi Hirsch Kalischer (1795-1874) was one of the first Orthodox rabbis to advocate direct political action in order to radically transform Jewish life. Kalischer lived in a time when Jewish tradition was increasingly challenged by rational thought and social integration. Applying his
knowledge of rabbinic literature to the unusual historical events unfolding around him, he became convinced that behind the rise of individual Jews to great power was a divine plan to prepare the way for messianic redemption. Kalischer anticipated that in his own lifetime he would see the
ingathering of the Jews, the renewed cultivation of the land of Israel, and the restoration of sacrificial worship. This would be achieved not through supernatural agency but by the efforts of the Jews themselves, in the spirit of the time. The Jewish people was obligated by God to 'seek Zion'.
Kalischer began his quest as early as 1836 when he approached the banker Amschel Mayer Rothschild with a plan to acquire Jerusalem and revive sacrificial worship. However, lacking Rothschild's co-operation and the approval of his rabbinic colleagues, Kalischer set aside his dream for almost twenty
years.
In 1862, spurred to action by the granting of equal rights to Jews and European assistance to the Jews of Palestine, he published his theories in Derishat tsiyon (Seeking Zion). From then until his death, Kalischer promoted and raised funds on behalf of the establishment of agricultural communes in
Palestine. In this book Jody Myers explores for the first time the full range of Kalischer's writings-philosophical essays, correspondence, halakhic research, and biblical exegesis-presenting and critically analysing his groundbreaking formulation of modern messianic activism, which paved the way
for later religious Zionism. She shows how Kalischer's approach marks a pivotal transition in the history of the messianic idea, and explains how he designed his arguments to appeal both to religious Jews and to the newly emancipated Jews of western Europe who, grateful for their own fortune, wanted
to assist the impoverished Jews of the Middle East. At the same time, his proposals generated controversy and uncovered the growing schisms between Jews in modern times. Through Kalischer's eyes, the reader gains a fascinating perspective on what it means to be both religious and modern.
knowledge of rabbinic literature to the unusual historical events unfolding around him, he became convinced that behind the rise of individual Jews to great power was a divine plan to prepare the way for messianic redemption. Kalischer anticipated that in his own lifetime he would see the
ingathering of the Jews, the renewed cultivation of the land of Israel, and the restoration of sacrificial worship. This would be achieved not through supernatural agency but by the efforts of the Jews themselves, in the spirit of the time. The Jewish people was obligated by God to 'seek Zion'.
Kalischer began his quest as early as 1836 when he approached the banker Amschel Mayer Rothschild with a plan to acquire Jerusalem and revive sacrificial worship. However, lacking Rothschild's co-operation and the approval of his rabbinic colleagues, Kalischer set aside his dream for almost twenty
years.
In 1862, spurred to action by the granting of equal rights to Jews and European assistance to the Jews of Palestine, he published his theories in Derishat tsiyon (Seeking Zion). From then until his death, Kalischer promoted and raised funds on behalf of the establishment of agricultural communes in
Palestine. In this book Jody Myers explores for the first time the full range of Kalischer's writings-philosophical essays, correspondence, halakhic research, and biblical exegesis-presenting and critically analysing his groundbreaking formulation of modern messianic activism, which paved the way
for later religious Zionism. She shows how Kalischer's approach marks a pivotal transition in the history of the messianic idea, and explains how he designed his arguments to appeal both to religious Jews and to the newly emancipated Jews of western Europe who, grateful for their own fortune, wanted
to assist the impoverished Jews of the Middle East. At the same time, his proposals generated controversy and uncovered the growing schisms between Jews in modern times. Through Kalischer's eyes, the reader gains a fascinating perspective on what it means to be both religious and modern.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2003
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March 20, 2022
This is the story of a rabbi who was an early Religious Zionist. For most of his life, he was a Torah scholar in a small town; he made halachic rulings for the town's Jews, assisted at weddings and circumcisions, and spent the rest of his life studying. (His wife, a businesswoman, supported him). Then in 1836, he wrote a letter to a member of the Rothschild banking family, asking him to purchase Jerusalem, or at least the Temple Mount, from the Ottoman Empire so that sacrifices could resume. (His letter was apparently ignored).
How did he get to this point? He spent his days free from everyday concerns. and was able to research theoretical issues like the laws of sacrifices and the dream of messianic redemption. When a pious Jew (the aforementioned Rothschild) became wealthy enough to hobnob with politicians, he must have thought to himself "Maybe this man can start the messianic process!"
Eventually, Kalischer realized that his original goal was too ambitious. So he spent the last decade or two of his life trying to arrange for the purchase of rural land in Israel, so Jews could work the land. Even if this did not immediately lead to animal sacrifice or messianic redemption, at least such purchases would enable Jews to follow the Torah's agricultural commandments. (Other rabbis, by contrast, argued that Jewish settlers would be unlikely to be so observant). In addition, agricultural production would create a wealthier community, thus making the existing Jewish population more economically sustainable. Kalischer died before his dream could be realized.
Kalischer's Zionism was fundamentally optimistic. In his part of the world (the border between Germany and Poland), Jews were not suffering any more than usual, and so it was easy for him to believe that a few rich, pious Jews could make things even better.
By contrast, the more successful religious Zionism that emerged a few decades later was less optimistic and less messianic; late 19th-c. Zionism was largely focused on rescuing East European Jewry from pogroms and other forms of oppression. Perhaps one message of this book is that messianism is most plausible not when times are hopeless but in more prosperous times when progress seems possible.
How did he get to this point? He spent his days free from everyday concerns. and was able to research theoretical issues like the laws of sacrifices and the dream of messianic redemption. When a pious Jew (the aforementioned Rothschild) became wealthy enough to hobnob with politicians, he must have thought to himself "Maybe this man can start the messianic process!"
Eventually, Kalischer realized that his original goal was too ambitious. So he spent the last decade or two of his life trying to arrange for the purchase of rural land in Israel, so Jews could work the land. Even if this did not immediately lead to animal sacrifice or messianic redemption, at least such purchases would enable Jews to follow the Torah's agricultural commandments. (Other rabbis, by contrast, argued that Jewish settlers would be unlikely to be so observant). In addition, agricultural production would create a wealthier community, thus making the existing Jewish population more economically sustainable. Kalischer died before his dream could be realized.
Kalischer's Zionism was fundamentally optimistic. In his part of the world (the border between Germany and Poland), Jews were not suffering any more than usual, and so it was easy for him to believe that a few rich, pious Jews could make things even better.
By contrast, the more successful religious Zionism that emerged a few decades later was less optimistic and less messianic; late 19th-c. Zionism was largely focused on rescuing East European Jewry from pogroms and other forms of oppression. Perhaps one message of this book is that messianism is most plausible not when times are hopeless but in more prosperous times when progress seems possible.
Displaying 1 of 1 review