Vayoel Moshe

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Vayoel Moshe (ויואל משה) was a Hebrew book written by Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, leader of the Satmar Hasidic movement, in the year 1961. It made his case that Judaism is against Zionism.

The name of the book is a statement in the bible that also notates his name and his grandfather's name--Joel and Moshe respectively. However, he had other reasons for this naming as well. The source for the title is Exodus 2:21.

This book is considered very holy by Satmar Hasidim, and they name institutions and buildings after it.

It is primarily a book of Halacha, Jewish law. However, it draws on Rabbinic Jewish philosophy as well.

Although it did not originate with him, before World War II all Hasidic rabbis, as well as almost all other prominent Orthodox rabbis opposed Zionism. Teitelbaum was the first to put this opposing belief in a book.

Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Other arguments 2 Controversy 2.1 Counter-arguments 2.2 Pro-religious zionist books 3 References

[edit] Structure

The book consists of three parts:

1. Maamar Shalosh Shevuos (Thought about the three oaths), which is also the main part of the book, is a classical Judaic sources and citations book sourced and interpreted by Teitelbaum on everything about those Three Oaths.

This teaching is originally based on the Talmud in tractate Ketubot 111a, which discusses a passage from the Song of Songs in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) in which God made the Israelites promise "to wait for Him before arousing his love" as "King Solomon in Song of Songs thrice adjured the daughters of Jerusalem not to arouse or bestir the love until it is ready." The Talmud explains that we are bound by three strong oaths mentioned in Ketubot 111a - 1. that the Jewish people are not allowed to ascend to Eretz Yisrael by force; 2. that the Jewish people are not allowed to rebel against the nations of the world; 3. that the Jewish people may not by their sins delay the coming of Moshiach, the Jewish messiah.

(The actual third oath as given in the Talmud is actually one binding on the nations of the world, calling on them not to oppress Jews "more than necessary." Orthodox Zionists sometimes cite the clear violation of this oath by the nations of the world as causing the others to be null; anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews often ignore this formulation in favor of listing the three oaths, incorrectly, as they are above).^[1]

2. Maamar Yishuv Eretz Yisroel (Thought about settling the Land of Israel), which establishes all halachic concerns regarding Jews emigrating to Israel, known as Aliyah.

3. Maamar Loshon HaKodesh (Thought about the holy tongue). That it is forbidden for Jews today to speak Modern Hebrew. This was written as a personal answer to the chief rabbi of Montreal at the time, Rabbi Pinchas Hirschsprung, and it was later added into this book.

[edit] Other arguments

1. Rabbi Teitelbaum refers to religious Zionism as a major desecration of G-d's name.
2. Blames Zionism for the Holocaust.^[2]
3. Refers to Zionist leaders such as Theodor Herzl as 'heretics'.^[3]
4. argues that any participation in the Israeli elections is one of the worst sins and halachically a Jew must rather be killed than vote.
5. blames all the bloodshed in the middle east on the Zionists.^[3]
6. rules that it is forbidden to accept any money from Israeli government programs.
7. asserts that the way of the Baal Shem Tov is forgotten today, and we do not understand fully what Hasidus meant.
8. declares not to accept stories of Hasidic Rabbis as the Halacha.

[edit] Controversy

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[edit] Counter-arguments

Although the Satmars and many other Haredi Jews accepted it as a legitimate and even holy book, most Jews, including many Orthodox, have dismissed it as not binding halachically for these reasons.

• The "three oaths" on which the argument of the book is based are an Aggadah, which is regarded as not a rule, but rather a poetic saying.
• Even if we accept it as a halacha binding today, since the nations have first broken those oaths, the oaths are no longer binding. Moreover, religious Zionists see in Zionism a beginning of the broader redemption through Moshiach, so Zionism is not bringing Moshiach before his time.
• Creation of Israel was performed with agreement of nations first at San Remo conference, then by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181. So, it does not constitute a transgression on oaths.
• All fragment in Talmud on oaths is according to Babylonian Sages, while Israeli sages like Resh Lakish disagreed
• The halacha in Ketuvot and Maimonides restricts coming only from Babylon
• Zionism is a fact from history and to say that the existence of the modern state of Israel is still the same sin as Zionism is wrong, because as of now it is recognized by the nations and the Arabs have the exactly the same citizen's privileges as the Jews, so it is not an exclusive Jewish state.

[edit] Pro-religious zionist books

1. Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal wrote Eim HaBanim Semeicha while in the Holocaust; it is regarded as making the case for Orthodox Jewish Zionism - it is recorded that Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum read this volume in one night, and did not allow himself to sleep until he proved it totally wrong ^[4]
2. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner has written a titled שלא יעלו בחומה ("Not to ascend on the walls")
3. Rabbi Avraham Korman has written a book called יהודי וארצו ("A Jew and his land")
4. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher has a book called התקופה הגדולה ("The great age")
5. Rabbi Yaakov Zisberg נפש עדה ("The soul of the community")

[edit] References