Correspondence
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Rabbi Wein’s view of the anti-Zionist movement
In honor of Rabbi Berel Wein zt”l, who passed away last month at the age of 91, I’m publishing a letter he wrote to a friend of mine in 2011, with my response at the time. 5/19/2011 Rabbi Wein is in town and I sent him an email about how I have come to identify…
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Did the Agudah in 1937 permit what happened in 1948?
The following letter was published in the journal Kedushas Tzion, Elul Tishrei 5785 (2024). I would like to comment on the sefer Achakeh Lo by Rabbi Yirmiyahu Cohen of New York. The sefer, which is written in Hebrew and English, comes to support the opinion of the Vayoel Moshe and brings many ideas that are…
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On the meaning of the Brisker Rav’s statement that there cannot be freedom from the nations before moshiach
Dear Rabbi Cohen, On page 297 (p. 202 in the Hebrew edition), you quote the Brisker Rav as saying: The Rambam (Melachim 12:2 and Teshuva 9:2) says that moshiach will redeem the Jewish people from their subjugation to the nations. Anyone who believes that it is possible to be redeemed from subjugation to the nations…
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Your book is outdated; today we have to see Zionism as a Jew’s inner yearning to reconnect with his Jewish self
Dear Rav Yirmiyahu, I saw a copy of your book/ Sefer in shul which grabbed my attention and spent some time reading sections of it. This topic is one that I have given a great deal of thought to out of my own interest and having taught Modern Jewish History for over 20 years. At…
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Were there many authorities who held that the oaths prohibit only a military takeover of the land?
Hello Rabbi, on the question of whether the oath not to “go up as a wall” means only with a fight, or even peaceful immigration, the Avnei Nezer and Rabbi Chaim Palagi (the first responsa to be written on the matter) both hold that it means only with a fight, but peaceful immigration is allowed,…
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If masses of Jews in Eretz Yisroel violates the oaths, what about the Jews between the destruction of the Temple and Bar Kochba?
A quick question regarding the hypothesis of your book. How do you understand the time of Bar Kochba,as I’m sure you would be quick to agree, at that time the oaths did apply halachacly speaking, the proof for that is that we see from Chazal that the Jewish people got punished for transgressing the oaths.…
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The Zera Shimshon’s opinion on the oaths
(This question relates to p. 258 of the book I Will Await Him.) Happy Chanukah, I was learning Zera Shimshon on Vayeishev, section 8, and found an explicit reference that holds that if gentiles oppress us more than the measure, we’re not allowed to exit the golus. I looked up that Zera Shimshon. He is saying…
I Will Await Him 