488) Gershom Scholem’s messianic claim

 

Introduction

This article – based extensively on the research by Professor Boaz Huss[1] and Professor Michael Brenner[2] − explores aspects of the life story and personal thought of Gershom (Gerhard) Scholem (1897-1982), the first researcher and professor of Jewish mysticism. 

Meeting with the kabbalists of Jerusalem

In 1915, while still in Berlin, a young Scholem had already met and become friends with Walter Benjamin. Benjamin was later to kill himself by an overdose of morphine tablets in 1940 rather than surrender to the Nazis. Scholem dedicated his famous work, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, to his friend Walter Benjamin. 

476) Did the Vilna Gaon’s Religious Zionism precede modern Secular Zionism?

A 1835 letter written by R. Hillel Rivlin from the Holy Land  to his family back in Shklov

Introduction

In the previous post, we examined the work by Dr Arie Morgenstern entitled ‘Hastening the Redemption,’[1] which supports the notion that various waves of Aliya during the early nineteenth century were undertaken by students of the Vilna Gaon and on his command. Hundreds of families left Europe to settle in the Holy Land in what was believed to be the beginning stages of the final Redemption, and they were inspired by the Kabbalistic and messianic Zionism of the Vilna Gaon. This Redemption was to be a pragmatic and practical process of rebuilding and settlement of the Land that would involve human effort and not rely on supernatural intervention.

This notion, however, has been severely challenged by Professor Immanuel Etkes in his work  entitled ‘The Invention of a Tradition.’[2] Morgenstern’s work is convincingly and meticulously researched based on recently discovered communications by the leaders of the Mitnagdic Aliya, such as R. Menachem Mendel of Shklov and R. Yisrael of Shklov − and so is Etkes’ work based on historical facts and convincing argumentation. Etkes is backed by scholars like Yoseph Avivi, David Assaf, Israel Yuval, Benjamin Brown, Ada Rapoport-Albert, David Assaf, David Biale and Allan Nadler (a student of Isadore Twersky). 

This means that we are confronted by a fascinating and important head-to-head historical, political and theological deliberation, on a topic of major significance, let alone interest.