Man and Mission

Herzl and his Zionism were technically not messianism, but as we saw, as a secular Zionism, there were still some suspicious messianic bits throughout his life and career.

And when he died, it continued - with our next favorite messianic Zionist pioneer: Rabbi Abraham Issac the Cohen Kook, aka the Rav Kook, or ha’Ra’aya. 

Herzl’s sudden death at only 44 years of age, in 1903, shocked the Jewish world, particularly among the Zionists. They mourned for him bitterly.

Kook was a special man and he had been a mere 2 months in the difficult landscape between the ultra-Orthodox old camp and the new secular socialists and such - but he was a messianic thinker, and needed to jump in the deep water and give a eulogy for Herzl, with everyone watching him closely, critically. 

[You can also skip this quoted selection from the eulogy of Kook for Herzl to the relevant summary here after. Even though this is a translation, and much is lost, still it is fun to get an impression from the texts themselves, and work through it analytically.]

Mourning a Hero

Now our sages said this lamentation will be for Messiah son of Joseph who is killed. (BT Sukkah 52a) The entire concept of two Messiahs, Messiah son of Joseph and Messiah son of David, requires explanation.

Why the need for two Messiahs, when the goal is to have one man preside over the entire Jewish nation? As it says, “And David My servant shall be prince unto them forever.” (Ezekiel 37:25)

The key to understanding this dichotomy lies in examining the individual human being. God created in man a body and a soul, and corresponding to them, forces that strengthen and develop the body, as well as forces that strengthen and cultivate the soul.

Ultimate wholeness is achieved when the body is strong and well developed, and the soul, vital and cultivated, leads all the faculties of the body in the service of the intellect, which is God’s will in His world. 

So on the collective level of Israel, God ordained these two faculties:

A faculty corresponding to the physical entity, that aspires to material improvement of the nation is the right basis for all the great and holy plans that characterize Israel, whereby it is a nation holy to the Lord, “one nation in the land” (2 Sam 7:23; Ezekiel 37:22); “a light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6; 49:6); and a second facet devoted to the cultivation of spirituality.

By virtue of the first aspect, Israel is comparable to all the nations of the world. It is by dint of the second aspect that Israel is unique, as it says: “The Lord leads it (Israel) alone” (Deuteronomy 32:12); “Among the nations it (Israel) shall not be reckoned.” (Numbers 23:9)

It is the Torah and unique sanctity of Israel that distinguish from the nations.

Originally, these two faculties were assigned to the two tribes destined to rule Israel, Ephraim and Judah, which is another way of saying Joseph and Judah. “The deeds of the fathers are a sign to the sons.” (Nahmanides, Genesis 12:6)

Just as in the beginning, Joseph was the provider sent by God to save many from starvation (Genesis 45:5; 50:20), who sustained Jacob and his sons materially when they came to Egypt looking for grain.

Joseph is paradigmatic in other ways as well: Joseph was swallowed up by the nations. He was also fluent in seventy languages. (BT Sotah 36b)

This last point symbolizes the contiguity between Israel and all the nations of the world. Despite this, Joseph knew the power of his holiness.

It is for this reason that “Esau succumbs only to the children of Rachel (i.e. Joseph).” (Genesis Rabbah 73:7) As the adage goes, “The ax handle that fells the forest is made of wood.” (BT Sanhedrin 39b) Judah on the other hand, symbolizes that which is distinctive about the Jewish People: “Judah became His sanctified one.” (BT Sanhedrin 39b)... 

Since it is impossible for our nation to attain its lofty destiny other than by actualizing these two components—the universal symbolized by Joseph, and the distinctive symbolized by Judah, the Kingdom of David by dint of its distinctive nature subsumes as well the universal aspect, this is the symbolism of “ruddy with handsome eyes” —there arise in the nation proponents of each aspect.

Those who would enhance spirituality prepare the way for Messiah son of David, whose focus is the final destiny. 

Truly the focus of life is spiritual attainment, except that the spiritual can only develop properly if it is accompanied by all the material acquisitions of which a full-bodied nation is in need.

Those who redress the material, general aspects of life prepare the way for Messiah son of Joseph. 

When these two forces work at cross purposes as a result of the calamity of exile, shortsightedness and disarray, these are the “birthpangs of Messiah,” or to be more exact, the “birthpangs of Messiahs” (plural).

The Psalmist writes: “That Your enemies have defied, O Lord; that they have defied the footsteps of Your Messiahs” (Psalms 89:52) - Two footsteps of two Messiahs…

Now since the major achievement of Messiah son of Joseph, which is the general advancement of mankind, is accomplished by de-emphasis of the unique Jewish form, Messiah son of Joseph cannot endure, so he is destined to be killed. (BT Sukkah 52a)

When this happens, all will recognize the perversity of the situation.

They will realize that it was wrong not to subjugate the universal dimension to the spiritual aspect which is Israel’s destiny, to the kingdom of David.

“They will lament him as one laments an only son, and grieve for him as one grieves for the firstborn son.” (Zechariah 12:10)...

The Zionist vision manifest in our generation might best be symbolized as the “footstep of Messiah son of Joseph”.

Zionism tends to universalism. It is unequipped to realize that development of Israel’s general aspect is but the foundation for Israel’s singularity.

The leadership of the Zionist movement must be greatly influenced by the gifted few of the generation, the righteous and the sages of Israel. 

On the other hand, the ideal of Israel’s national renascence, including all the material accouterment— which is a proper thing when joined to the spiritual goal—to date has not succeeded, and the lack of success has brought on infighting, until finally, the leader of the movement has fallen, a victim of frustration. (Ezekiel 37:15-19)

A Eulogy that was a Mandate

This rather long selection brought here (around half of the original) is interesting in itself, as an interpretation and application of current events and the sources, ideas of messianism.

He says the nation has 2 aspects - spiritual and physical / political / societal / material / universal. In the sources he points to these reflected or delegated through different individuals and then tribes, and later to the different messiahs.

The physical aspect is like other nations. But Israel is called to be different from other nations. That is where the spiritual aspect is key, it is the differentiating factor. Zionism needs both, and one without the other will fail. 

The spiritual without the physical will not be, it needs the body. The physical without the spiritual will eventually assimilate (as it is in its nature to be universal, to be like others), essentially.

Okay. What is significant about what he is saying is - first of all, what he is saying without saying it. He is pointing at, suggesting that Herzl has died because of that tension between the physical and spiritual.

Kook has suggested in context, as direct as can be while still technically being suggestive, without technically saying it - that Herzl was a Messiah of Joseph.

He can’t say it directly, even though he wants to, because that would be too much for his new religious and secular friends in Zionism to handle.

On top of that, again, I am just laying out the main points, but contextually - he is making a point how he perceives this potential Jewish state, it has to be physical and spiritual, material and religious.

And the point is also that if we become a nation like all other nations, then we have done nothing, and we will not survive actually, it won’t work, it will dissipate. 

Many Zionists then were of course secular and not appreciative of the spiritual, and he is saying to them essentially that the spiritual or religious is what makes them special, and what makes them.

That is a profound statement! But of course he makes it while appreciating the secular Zionists, and says that both camps are critical for making something.  

Finally, the obvious, which is even more important perhaps - he is associating everything Zionist with everything messianic.

This is altogether messianic Jewish nationalism.

He predates the official establishments of Israel in 1947-1948, but he lives and thinks and writes “late” enough to be entirely relevant to what is happening, what is becoming. He is the ultimate pre- and post- independent Israel messianism national religious political spiritual messianism