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RAV KOOK’S
LETTERS By Rav Tamir
Granot Lecture #5:
Socialism, Liberalism and Foreign Wisdom – Letter 44,
Sections B and C We
continue our study of Letter 44 with the next two sections. The first specifically addresses R.
Alexandrov’s program for establishing a sort of college for rabbis to attain a
general education, which Rav Kook rejects in favor of a yeshiva with a
new type of curriculum. We will not
elaborate on this section presently, but we will return to it when we study a
letter in which Rav Kook deals more basically with his plan to establish a
yeshiva and his practical educational outlook. The
second section continues his philosophical discussion from Section A, which we
have studied during the past several weeks. You are invited to read it now with its
notes, and next week we will send the shiur on it. This section is the second story of the
edifice, build atop the foundations laid at the beginning of the
letter. Background We
have already discussed the date, context, and addressee of the letter in the
introduction to the first shiur on this letter. Thoughts
before Reading In
the previous shiur, we dealt with the idea of chosenness itself and the
significance of In
the present shiur, we will investigate the ramifications of the foregoing
on understanding the relationship between R.
Alexandrov raises this question with regard to the two great nineteenth century
ideologies of liberalism and socialism – both totalizing ideologies that express
views on economics, ethics, history, ontology, etc. In fact, these are two worldviews, one
of which (liberalism) ultimately conquered Western Europe, while its counterpart
(socialism) conquered R.
Alexandrov viewed socialism as the greatest rival of Jewish faith, and he
therefore completely negated it, while seeing liberalism as an eternal human
truth and the future of the entire world: It
is completely impossible to unify the essence of Judaism with the essence of
historical materialism because they are opposites, and virtually all adherents
of Marxism never returned to Judaism… If we can find within Judaism a potion
that kills historical materialism, we would truly be able to take pride in our
treasures… (Mikhtavei Mechkar U-Bikoret) “Historical
materialism” is Marxist historiosophy, through which Marx proposed the idea of
the proletariat seizure of wealth and nullification of the alienation of a
person from his handiwork through its just distribution. Later,
R. Alexandrov writes: Universal
justice [this term relates to Rav Kook’s essay “Thoughts” in Ikvei
Ha-Tzon] is the essence of Judaism and all of the various types of
liberalism, which are rooted in love and sensitivity, their blessed source is in
classical Judaism, making it easy for us to be true to the fundamentals of
Judaism while being the most extreme liberals… (Ibid., p.
23) In
the present section and in the remainder of the essay, Rav Kook relates to these
two major ideologies methodologically and specifically. Recall that socialism appeared as a
materialistic, and consequently atheistic, worldview. Liberalism, on the other hand, had no
such unequivocal theological identity, even though it was a major catalyst of
nineteenth century secularization.
The difficulty of reconciling these two great idealisms with Judaism –
especially in light of the understanding that “calling out in the Name of God”
is the very soul of Jewish nationalism – is particularly
great. Letter 44,
Sections B and C (end
of p. 44 ff.) B. Therefore, I know with certainty, that
if we propose a formal plan to establish a "rabbinical college," the matter will
go wrong, and there will be more shell than content, and it will produce Jewish
scholars like the rabbis who once came out of the "rabbinical colleges" of
For this reason, I
find no cure for our malady except by means of an assembly, small at first,
without any trappings of formality, but only with the mighty inner recognition
that now more than ever it is our duty to revive the spirit of our nation,
fainting from evil oppression and thirst.
The few called to this assembly should be people who are not old, who
possess the qualification of divine holiness joined with clear knowledge, and a
heart purified by the ethics of truth.
They should agree to institute the study of all that pertains to
conceptions and thought in the Torah in all its great breadth, combined with
education and guidance for a healthy body and spirit, including the proper use
of the scientific knowledge of the time, in all its broad and far-reaching
branches and sensitivities, so that their style will be sharp and their minds
broad, so as to be able to establish, in proper spirit, good and vital
literature based fundamentally on the source of Israel and with the general
breadth of its advancement.[2] Then
will our children see our might and glory, our truth and spiritual richness, and
by this their spirits will be refined and uplifted and they will be heartened to
be exalted in the strength of our people and in raising the glory of our beloved
land, the dwelling of our life and our hope for generation after
generation. From this modest
beginning, which should be made only by forces which stand altogether
inside,[3]
a great tree of life will grow to nurture our salvation. The matter may progress and broaden in
such a successful manner that even the enlightened nations will awaken to the
penetration of the great rays of light which will sparkle from the place from
where the light emanated long ago: "And I will wait upon God, Who hides His face
from the house of Yaakov, and I will hope for Him. Behold, I and the children who God has
given me are for signs and for portents in C. Our great inner strength, when it
awakens and becomes clear, will fear no heresy or despair. It efficiently takes from everything its
best content. [This is] not because
this [best content] is completely new to it,[6]
but rather because all good and all truth is already rooted in the nation of
All
the spiritual debilitation that has come into the world has damaged only the
outer element in which the highest absolute spiritual wisdom clothes
itself.[8]
The
entire world has only the garb and shell of spirituality – for paganism is no
more than a shell enclosing a small and dark interior, and the religions which
tried to make pagan nations into upholders of Jewish ethics, sanctified in a
feeling of divine holiness, could not change the essence of the pagan character
fixed in the churches of all human social groups:[9] Moshe
asked that the Divine Presence rest on We
do not know God from the world and through the world, but within our souls, from
our divine characteristics, [with which] we begin and continue with to general
characteristic of the entire nation; [then] adding [the nation's] historical
light, and now equipped with all [we need], we proceed toward wide universal
understanding.[11] We
do not grieve if some characteristic of social justice is constructed without
glimmer of mention of the Divine, because we know that the aspiration for
justice, whatever form it may take, is itself the most illuminating Divine
emanation.[12]
If mankind were to desire the establishment of a state of equilibrium in life,
and serenity for the heart, devoid of any spiritual influence, we would
[nevertheless] find there, even if [mankind] were unwilling to recognize it, the
essence of [this] justice fixed by consensus, and, if only [mankind] could
succeed, the greatest spiritual emanation.[13]
"But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground, for a man
taught me to keep cattle from my youth."[14]
Should
a man want to build a completely structured cosmology without the aid of any
spiritual emanation, by the calculation of material necessities,[15]
we may watch this child's game in perfect ease, since it builds a shell of life
without knowing how to build life itself,[16]
whereas we draw close and are strengthened more by this in the bond of the inner
light of holiness. "I am the Lord
your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt," and not "who created the
world,"[17]
and
we draw closer to this divine light through the lofty recognition and the
exalted certainty of the powerful, harmonious, and pure life itself: "And I am
the Lord your God from the land of Egypt, and you know no God but me, for there
is no savior besides me. I did know
you in the wilderness, in the land of great drought."[18]
With this we go out to the wide world and free it from the bonds of its
enslavement, from the deathly sleep[19]
it inflicted upon itself and all of creation, and then we proclaim, "Ah Lord
God! Behold, You have made the heaven and earth by Your great power and
outstretched arm, and there is nothing too difficult for You; you show loyal
love to thousands, and recompense the iniquity of the fathers to the bosom of
the children after them. O great
and might Lord! The Lord of Hosts is His Name, great in counsel, and mighty in
performance. Your eyes are open
upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and
according to the fruit of his doings, Who has set signs and wonders in the
Not
by dry logical necessity[21]
and not through fear of robbery and murder will the light of the God of Israel
shine in the entire world, but with the Lord's full Name on the full
world.[22] The outside world must be built with its
consciousness and its cultures at their fullest strength. After all this, however, it will still
lack everything as long as it lacks the delights of the Lord and the light of
the God of Yaakov. It lacks the
pleasurable, holy, powerful, and eternal life, which it is seeking, seeking but
which it can not find except in the treasure of life hidden in Only
with reinforced courage can we securely say that pure science in its entirety is
a true companion of light,[24]
and
complications are only the result of the impurities mixed into the divine idea
by the wicked heart of man and by the folly of his imagination. For this reason, mankind feels tied down
by something oppressive,[25]
but when the pure light emerges into the world, it will feel yet more the burden
of the chains of negativity, of despair, of denial, that has no content and is
nothing.[26]
But then [the manifestations of negativity] themselves will join the harmony of
the totality of ideas and forces, to purify and cleanse, which in itself is the
character of the full and illuminating life, harmonious and clearly
delineated.[27] We need a great and
pure spirit, a sacred and Divine will, and succor from all in whom the Divine
spirit of God beats. Even now,
without much difficulty, we can examine well the total scope of science and make
it greater than could earlier generations, affected as they were, even in the
value of science, by the pressure of the exile.[28] (Translated by
[1] This is essentially the practical question on which the entire letter
hinges. As noted, R. Alexandrov
proposed establishing a rabbinical college where they would learn general
studies. Rav Kook proposed a
flagship yeshiva that would indeed be of a new style, but would
ultimately be designed on the traditional
model. [2] Rav Kook’s plan includes two aspects that were innovative vis-à-vis the
traditional yeshiva
model: a.
in-depth
study of Jewish philosophy as a main subject in the yeshiva; b.
training Torah scholars as writers with respect to formal style and inner
content. To that end, he needed to
inspire all the various forms of literary creation (plot-driven literature,
philosophy, poetry, publicity, etc.).
Tools such as linguistic proficiency, rich language, broad scientific
knowledge, and the like were required as well. Aside
from these two emphases, Rav Kook speaks about the fact that the Torah scholars
in his yeshiva would
not only study halakha or
engage in casuistry, but also possess religious-spiritual talents that could
become a source of inspiration and influence on the community at
large. [3] This sentence is also directed against the Enlightenment as a basis for
the spiritual edification of [4] Yeshayahu
8:17-18. [5] Ibid. 16. Characteristic of Rav Kook,
citing these verses is not merely intended for rhetorical flourish. In this case, his intent is Rashi’s
commentary, based on a midrash: There is an aggadic
midrash in Bereishit Rabba about Achaz, who seized
(“achaz”) the synagogues and study halls so that the schoolchildren would
not study Torah. He said: “If there
are no kids, there can be no he-goats; if there is no flock, there is no
shepherd; I will cause Him to remove His Presence.” The prophet said to him:
“For all that you bind up the testimony and seal the Torah to keep it away from
In context of the letter,
the interpretation seems to be: There is no reason to fear the diminution of the
Torah; the Torah’s restoration and Israel’s salvation will come about through
these “children” – i.e., through young scholars studying Torah – and this all
issues from the center of God’s Presence, from the God of Hosts Who dwells upon
Mount Zion. We may further expound
that the nations will also see the source of this great light, as it is written
(Yeshayahu 2:3): “For Torah will come out of [6] This relates explicitly
to R. Alexandrov’s model of internalizing the Enlightenment and its values; see
the next note. [7] Alexandrov speaks of the
Tree of Knowledge as a metaphor for Enlightenment and of the Tree of Life as a
metaphor for theology. Rav Kook
insinuates that according the birkot ha-Torah, God implanted eternal life
within us by giving us the Torah, and the Torah is thus our Tree of Life. In fact, the Rambam already alluded in
Moreh Nevukhim (II:30) that the Tree of Life symbolizes eternal life that
one acquires by cleaving to God by knowing
Him. [8] “Debilitation” refers to the various forms of heresy. Rav Kook reiterates this in many places
– heresy is not directed against faith itself, but against its various
manifestations. When the image of
faith is unconvincing, vulgar, or otherwise weak, there is no wonder that the
generation of the Enlightenment rejects it. The specific explanation for heresy in
Western culture follows immediately. [9] Christianity mediated between Jewish monotheism and pagan nations. However, the beliefs and opinions were
absorbed according to the intellectual and psychological understanding of their
receivers, and the pagan platform upon which the seeds of Christian faith were
sown (most of the Church Fathers were pagans who accepted Christian monotheism)
caused a situation wherein despite its holy source, the shells (pagan notions of
divinity) predominate over the core (the substance of faith, the idea of
God). Rav Kook is certainly
referring to the doctrine of the Trinity, which contains elements of unrefined
pagan theology, as well as the world-negation of Christian dogma, itself rooted
in semi-pagan myths. [10]
Berakhot 7a. This midrash is based on Moshe’s
request for the distinction between [11] In other words, faith is
implanted in the nation's very essence and also is manifest in its history. Thus, [12] In the distorted imaginings of the Christian faith, any spiritual, moral,
or political movement whose goal is to improve man and the world but whose
language is an irreligious in nature is viewed as a heretical movement, as an
alternative to religion. In truth,
however, striving for justice is itself a religious striving, for it is the
striving for the absolute, that which is beyond nature, and its impetus is the
Divine element of human existence.
Thus, democracy, socialism, or liberalism, ideologies that penetrate the
existence of just human society, stem from the absolute Divine element in
mankind. [13] In other words, even if the social movements have no spiritual
pretensions and only seek a life of order and harmony, of inner and social
balance, the Divine aspect is noticeable within them. Indeed, a world that is inundated in
chaos and disharmony is in opposition to its Divine character. Man’s striving to attain equilibrium in
his life also stems from the recognition of the basic organic unity of
existence, even if it is not at all portrayed as a religious sentiment. The ramification of the striving for
unity specifically on the material and practical planes is, paradoxically, an
extreme manifestation of the totality of Divine
unity. [14]
Zekharia 13:5. Rav Kook apparently interprets this
verse positively, as a prophecy of comfort that states that specifically the
turn to simple human ideals, not to clearly spiritual life (“the tiller of the
ground,” not “the prophet” in the metaphor) is itself the perfection and unity
of life. [15] Rav Kook is referring here to Marxist historiosophy. R. Alexandrov saw Marxism as the great
enemy of Judaism, both because of its content and because of the dramatic
influence that it had on Jewish youths in [16] Materialism is the ultimate
expression of rational philosophy, which perceives the universe objectively and
is not prepared to assess that which is beyond experience. According to the harsh standard of this
philosophy, there is nothing but material existence, which is the fruit of
experience. Rav Kook agrees that
the material exists; he does not claim, as the Alter Rebbe of Chabad did, for
example, that material is only an illusion. Rather, material is only the shell of
life, and one whose encounter with reality is only superficial is ignorant of
the core; he knows only the shell.
Like a child who knows nothing other than the sensory because he cannot
imagine anything else, modern rationalist philosophy denies the possibility of
the existence of anything that cannot be grasped by experience. Its ontological edifice is thus like a
child’s construction. [17] This sentence is based
on the beginning of the dialogue between the Jewish rabbi and the Khazar king in
R. Yehuda Ha-Levi’s Kuzari, Essay A. The Khazar is surprised that the rabbi
sees fit to begin the description of his faith by recounting a historical
narrative. The Khazar will later
understand that this is the essence of Jewish faith: God’s presence in history
and reality. The declaration “I
created the world” represents here the classical philosophical option. The problem is that when God is merely a
function of the universe, it can be expected that at some point the function
that He fills will become superfluous, as indeed happened in the new philosophy
and physics. [18] Hoshea 13:4. The emphasis is on the fact that “I…” –
God’s presence in history – is His “calling card.” To reinforce this, Rav Kook will soon
cite a verse from Yirmiyahu. [19] From a subjective
perspective, the materialist world, in which there is no God, is considered
dead, like a body without a soul. [20] Yirmiyahu
32:17-20. [21] He apparently alludes to Kant’s ethics, which strive to base moral
obligation on the internal lawfulness of intelligence (see Kant’s Critique of
Pure Reason). [22] He is alluding to the
prophecy of Zekharia (14:9): “And God shall be King over the whole world;
on that day, God shall be one and His Name one.” In other words, gentile ethics, based on
utilitarian conceptions (Mill) or on theories of social contracts (Hobbes,
Locke) – which perceive ethics as a social arrangement whose purpose is to
prevent mutual violence – cannot constitute a real basis for moral
idealism. The true motivation for
morality is God’s Name, the inner, perfected character of existence, represented
by the Tetragrammaton, which is, according to Kabbala, the sefira
of Tiferet – the ideal, supreme source of existence. The legacy of faith dependent on the
Tetragrammaton is not just a religious issue; it is supposed to be the source
for the emergence of the ideal life of all strivings for all of the
unconditional goodness in reality, whose source is in its recognition of its
Divine character. [23] “From [24] This refers to the humanities as well, including ethics, history, and
ontology. [25] Liberalism claimed in
the name of the idea of freedom and in the name of morality that religion
imposes itself on man and negates his freedom; since the source of morality is
the free will of man, and religion is heteronymous, religion thus negates
morality as well (this based on Kant’s idea of autonomy). Rav Kook explains that Kant’s claim is
indeed true – but only with regard to Christian theology’s pagan image of
God. God, who appears as
superhuman, demanding, threatening, and terrorizing on one hand, or takes on the
form of a beaten and suffering human on the other, is, in either case, unable to
become the source for internal moral striving. In truth, as has been explained, faith
is the source of all ideals that man’s free will
desires. [26] This refers to heresy, the falsehood of complete negation of
Divinity. [27] Here, Rav Kook refers to one of his basic ideas regarding the role of
heresy in the world. According to
Rav Kook, heresy is not directed at the essence of faith, but rather at its
insufficient and skewed imaginings; heresy is the negation of the image – not
the negation of the source – and it even thinks so itself (on heresy, see the
continuation of the letter). Thus,
heresy joins the historical dialectic of the development of faith and the
sublimation of its concepts. We
will expand on this in the next section. [28] The return to the Land could be the source of this reconciliation with
global science, since it removes the pressure of exile from us, the threat of
loss of identity and the connection between the ruling and pursuing nations and
their science, a pressure that prevented us from meaningful, non-paranoid
dialogue with global science. This
does not change Rav Kook’s basic attitude that the source of our spiritual and
moral essence is not in the world’s science, since even according to this
position there is not necessarily a contradiction or disconnection between these
sciences and our internal sources. |
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