Reconstituting a Torah Nation in the Land of Israel (Part I)

Right-Wing Politics in the State of Israel

Israeli society is becoming more right wing, more religious – that’s the hot topic lately. Everyone talks about how the population is becoming more traditional in its politics, in its religious observance, and in its social norms – Baruch Hashem!

It is true that the election in 2022 yielded the most right-wing, religious government the modern State of Israel has ever known. The individuals voted in, such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Betzalel Smotrich, come from the Hardal (Haredi Dati-Leumi) sector. They echo, or at least claim to echo, the likes of Rabbi Meir Kahane. This is no small deal; even if they are a far cry from the ideals they are meant to represent, the fact that they got voted in is a reflection of where our society is going. Thank G-d, it is indeed a positive direction.

I decided to do a little digging to understand what exactly is going on the last few years in Israel society. The Jewish People Policy Institute’s (JPPI) Israeli Society Index reports that 27% of Israelis have increased their observance of religious traditions in the last two years since the war began on Shemini Atzeret. That number climbed as high as 33% among the younger population (ages 18-24).  Additionally, 31% of Jews overall say they are praying more frequently, while 20% report increased reading of the Tanakh, specifically Tehillim. Approximately 10% of Jews report increased synagogue attendance (11%), Shabbat candle lighting (11%), laying tefillin (9%), and dressing more modestly (9%). 

The question, of course, is this: where will these developments lead us? Many claim the country will become more religious in its character, and are hopeful that we will claim sovereignty over Judea and Samaria (known as the West Bank). There is a general consensus that such a trajectory will naturally lead to a revival of the Sanhedrin, the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash, and, ultimately, the geulah, the redemption process. They feel that the proof is in the pudding, and the politicians voted in are proving that this process is underway.

It is my duty as a Jew to yearn for the above. Having said that, I am not sure the trends we are seeing necessarily lead us to the intended results. I do not believe that the process we are witnessing, as positive as it is, will naturally, organically evolve into a Torah society. Historically, right-wing politicians have spelled disaster for our nation. Obviously the left wing has spelled disaster for Am Yisrael, but that is self-explanatory.

However, let’s take a look at the failures of the right wing. Menahem Begin, the hawkish underground leader of the “terrorist” organization called the Irgun, gave up the Sinai to our enemies and dismantled Jewish settlements. The famed Ariel Sharon, who threw his full support behind the settlement movement, went behind the back of our people and sold Azza (Gaza), the territory of the tribe of Yehuda, to a murderous enemy that has terrorized us ever since.

Some may say it is different this time because now we have a truly right-wing coalition. Yet, just recently, 9 Jewish homes built with blood, sweat, and tears were destroyed in Judea near the settlement of Metzad. This was authorized by none other than the hawkish, “pro-settlement” politician, Betzalel Smotrich.

For twenty years, Arabs squatted on that land, and no Jewish administration dared raise a finger against them. Two years ago, a group of settlers did the holy work – and the dirty work – of kicking G-d's enemy off the land He gives us, and then they built homes on this land. Soon enough, more Jews poured in to build up the area. There were a total of 25 homes built on this hill... that is, until Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal complained to MK Betzalel Smotrich that these 25 homes were getting in the way of building thousands of housing units and making him money. 

The Arabs, of course, were never an issue for Yaron Rosenthal. For twenty years, they squatted on that land, thirsted for Jewish blood, threw stones at passing Jewish cars, dreamt of the day they would conquer our land (G-d forbid) – but none of that bothered him. Yet as soon as G-d-fearing, enterprising Jews took that land, then suddenly the local councils harassed the Jews settling there, called them lawless thieves that are sitting on land that the council zoned for building thousands of homes on. 

The settlers realized that Eretz Yisrael, and especially Judea and Samaria, is vast and empty; the more land we take up with Jewish homes, the better – so they took a few dunams each (1 dunam=¼ acre).

Many councils in Judea and Samaria, and right-wing politicians who are involved in these matters, claim to want settlement in the Jewish heartland. And yet the only kind of settlement they are interested in is the kind that makes them money. You can fit thousands of families on several dunams by cramming them like sardines into apartments – you can’t make as much money on the same amount of land if there are dozens of single family homes spread across a wide area. In short, apartment buildings are good business for the regional councils and the developers they work with; single-family homes on plots of lands are not.

The regional councils took advantage of the Jewish settlers who did the dirty work of clearing the land of Arabs, turning the other way to allow the Jewish settlers to do their work for them. Once that work is done, the regional councils turn on the settlers, using military force to drag them out of their homes, treating them like common thieves. Ultimately, their actions, rather than their words, prove their true perspective: expansion is only of interest to the regional councils, and to officials like Betzalel Smotrich, if it's a good bang for their buck. They won’t lose sleep over ripping Jews out of their homes if it means they can stuff thousands of Jews into that same area and sell off apartments at exorbitant prices (while the local councils get a lifetime stream of income from arnona payments and the like).

In practice, many right-wing politicians don’t believe in methods or approaches that bring about true expansion and settlement. They are wary of taking over the hills Hashem gives us, especially if they have little financial incentive. In practice, any political interest in settlement of Judea and Samaria is purely financial. Sure, they'll brand it as “settlement of Eretz Yisrael” in order to appeal to the nationalist sensibilities of their right-wing Israeli constituency – and there is a true right wing in Israel. But right-wing values and right-wing politics are two separate things. The latter uses right-wing values to appeal to their voter base while towing the line established and maintained by the leftist, G-dless elite. Right-wing politicians have historically as disastrous for Am Yisrael as left-wing politicians because ultimately, they are playing the same political game. Let us explore that game in further detail.

The Political Circus

Israel is run as a parliamentary system; the Knesset is made up of 120 members; in turn, the 120 members belong to various parties that make up coalitions in order to push their constituencies’ interest…in theory. The reality is that close to nothing gets done because everyone has to compromise on their platform in order to create coalitions that keep them in power – which almost always ends up being Bibi Netanyahu. And so, everyone plays political tug of war, including Bibi, to stay relevant. Thus, coalitions formed between parties with opposing interests are constantly emerging; the threat of leaving a coalition keeps everyone scrambling for compromises, trying to keep the state away from another election. This is a perfect recipe for political stalemate. This stalemate serves as a very useful tool for the Supreme Court and the elites running the State of Israel.

In 1948, the State of Israel was formed with David Ben Gurion as its head. Ben Gurion and his ilk intentionally created a G-dless, anti-Torah state in the Holy Land, a state that empowered the elites and their secular ideology while systematically stripping religious Jews of their religion. The elites structured the government so that their vision would be sustained no matter where the political tide went, claiming to uphold the ideals of democracy while keeping a stranglehold on the actual direction the State can go in. Essentially, the Supreme Court and various elites throw a “pie” on the Knesset floor, so to speak, and tell the hungry politicians to fight for their piece. This structure ensures that the vision and agenda of the elites continue while the Knesset is preoccupied, fighting for its piece of the pie, fighting to stay politically relevant. At the end of the day, both left-wing and right-wing politicians are simply fighting to stay in power, and the right is hurting Am Yisrael as much as the left.

No matter what the will of the populace is, if the Supreme Court deems it too controversial for their anti-Torah liking, they make sure to have it their way. I will provide one glaring example: in 2021, the Supreme Court ruled that reform and conservative conversions done within the State of Israel must be fully recognized as it pertains to the law of return, giving Israeli citizenship to Jewish people. Historically, only conversions done by Orthodox standards were recognized.

Why does an Orthodox conversion have more significance than a reform or conservative one? Surely someone who wants to be Jewish should be allowed to become a citizen of Israel, right?

And yet it is only the Orthodox conversion that ensures someone who truly wants to become part of the nation of Israel and its mission is counted among the Jewish people. Joining the Jewish nation means following Hashem's Torah, carrying out the original mission of the nation of Israel.

It began with Avraham. Avraham recognized Hashem as the one true G-d, the Creator of the universe, and in turn Hashem chose Avraham as the founding father of the Jewish mission. This mission was passed down to his son Yitzhak, but not his other son Yishmael. In turn, the mission was passed down from Yitzhak to his son Yaakov, but not his other son Esav. Finally, Yaakov passed the mission down to all of his twelve sons. These twelve sons made up the twelve tribes who were taken out of Mitzrayim by Hashem, and received Hashem’s Torah in order to build a holy society in Eretz Yisrael according to Hashem’s instructions. Anyone who joins the Jewish people (converts) is joining this national mission.

Unfortunately, reform and conservative conversions do not uphold the standards of the Torah. They often do not require converts to keep Shabbat, kashrut, or various other basic laws of the Torah and that are intrinsic to our national covenant with Hashem, let alone taking up the mantle of the Jewish nation.

So when the Supreme Court bypasses all mechanisms, religious and political, in order to pass such a ruling which recognizes any conversion as legitimate, they are undermining the mission of the Jewish people. Essentially, the conversion process became politicized into a bureaucratic ordeal, divorced from the source of truth, Hashem and His Torah, because the Supreme Court itself has historically been divorced from and fighting against G-d and His instruction.

Thus, with this Supreme Court decision, the Jewish character of the state came into question: who is a Jew? Can anyone be considered to have joined the mission of Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov? Even if they don’t get a circumcision, keep Shabbat, etc.? The Supreme Court cheapened the Jewish identity, crossing all political hoops and mechanisms to do so. They proved that the State of Israel is not, in fact, a Jewish state, but a state of Jews.

A Visionless People

A wrench was thrown into this system in 2022; the wrench’s name was judicial reform. The idea was simple: the Supreme Court had too much power, and it influenced agendas in ways that overrode the will of elected representatives. Thus, the judicial reform sought to give the Knesset the ability to check and balance the power of the unelected Supreme Court judges.

This took place immediately following the election of what was known as the most right-wing government in the history of this state. What happened next was criminal; for nearly one year, until the Shemini Atzeret massacre, the left brought the State of Israel to its knees with zero consequences. Protesters took to the streets, blocked roads, harassed politicians, you name it. The left got its way; there was no judicial reform. What did the right do? Pretty much nothing. They let the left bring the country to its knees and subdue it to their will. 

Now, let me ask you a question: if the right is no longer a minority, why in the world did it do absolutely nothing? Well, the answer is rather straightforward: they lacked vision. The left has a very concrete vision, and the Supreme Court is their only bastion of hope that this G-dless vision is maintained in this country. They know exactly what they want: a G-dless, western outpost, a so-called "democracy" that celebrates gay pride parades, makes peace with bloodthirsty enemies, keeps religion out of Tel Aviv at all costs, and detests Jewish particularism. For this vision, they were ready to fight all of 2023, day in and day out. They were ready to bring the nation to its knees for this vision, even against popular will.

The right, on the other hand, has no vision. Fine, they want the Supreme Court to have less power…and then what? What would they do with that? What vision do they have for Am Yisrael? Perhaps they would like to declare sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, but again, the question stands: then what? On what basis do they build the nation? Perhaps patriotism would run higher, tradition would be more respected, and religion would be more honored. These aren’t bad things – but these are not the building blocks of a truly Torah nation that is meant to take Hashem’s instruction, His Torah, and build a society with it. They would revert to copying the political structures of the west just as much as the left, but from the conservative perspective.

A visionless people are a docile people. No one is willing to risk their comfort if they don’t have a vision to fight for. During the protests, the right would simply spend a few minutes of their day pointing fingers at the crazy leftists and then go on with their day. No one on the right was willing to put up a fight for judicial reform the way the left was willing to put up a fight against it. In truth, the judicial reform was not particularly worth fighting for. After all, we are not intrinsically against the concept of a legislative body making authoritative rulings (that would be called a Sanhedrin); rather, we are against the idea of the wrong legislative body making authoritative rulings.

So it is not the Supreme Court that we should be seeking to reform – the whole system needs an upgrade. The judicial reform would still leave us with a Prime Minister, a Knesset, and a Supreme Court, a system that seeks to ape western democracies rather than embracing our own traditions and heritage. This is the vision for which we should be fighting: one in which we have a leader from the house of David, a Kohen Gadol, a Sanhedrin, and a prophet leading the nation, G-d willing. 

The judicial reform protests are a perfect case study exposing the right for its lack of vision.  As long as our vision is confined to operating within the system, then we are slaves to that system, even if we think we oppose it.

When Moshe Rabbenu came to Pharaoh and told him to let the Jewish people go so they may serve Hashem, Moshe shattered the status quo. At first, this shattering came in the form of punishment. To crush any thoughts of revolution and freedom, Pharaoh decreed that the Jews had to not only continue building the storehouses, but now they also had to make the bricks themselves. Naturally, the Jews could not build as quickly, so the Jewish taskmasters, assigned to oversee Jewish productivity, heroically took the beating for their people’s inability to meet quotas. The Jewish taskmasters focused on improving the enslavement and complained to Moshe that his revolutionary sentiments only made life worse for the Jews.

Moshe himself began to doubt the mission he was sent on; he complained to Hashem that the Jews have only suffered since he has been sent on this mission, but Hashem responded, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: that because of My strong hand he will send them forth, and indeed, he will forcibly drive them out of his land” (Shemot 6:1).

Rav Binyamin Kahane teaches that Jews were not born to be slaves with better working conditions in Mitzrayim, but rather we are meant to be a nation free to serve our Creator, in the land He gives us. To achieve this vision, we need to be ready to dismantle the current system that stands in opposition to Hashem’s Torah, even if we worked hard to create this system, even if certain progress can indeed be made through working within this system.

If Judicial reform had gone through, it was at best prolonging our slavery to anti-Torah mechanisms and structures in Eretz HaKodesh… just with a bit less tyranny coming from the Supreme Court. However, the system that currently exists will never make room for Hashem’s Torah to be the constitution of the Jewish nation in Eretz Hakodesh.

Indeed, the State will forever be a Christmas tree with Jewish decorations. It will never make way for a Sanhedrin, for a Beit Hamikdash, or for a Torah society. Without a clear vision that yearns to fulfill Hashem’s will in its entirety, without compromise, there is nothing to fight for.