Seeking Zion
Modernity and Messianic Activism in the Writings
of Tsevi Hirsch Kalischer
This study examines the modern revival of the belief among religious Jews that they are duty-bound to hasten messianic redemption. It focuses on the efforts of Rabbi Tsevi Hirsch Kalischer, who presented a unique interpretation of classical Jewish texts in support of reviving sacrificial worship and Jewish agricultural settlement in Palestine. Kalischer’s achievements are placed in the context of the Enlightenment, Jewish civic emancipation, European colonialism, and the emerging religious divisions between Jews.
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Tsevi Hirsch Kalischer (1795-1874) was one of the first Orthodox rabbis to advocate direct political action in order to radically transform Jewish life. Kalischer lived in a time when Jewish tradition was increasingly challenged by rational thought and social integration. Applying his knowledge of rabbinic literature to the unusual historical events unfolding around him, he became convinced that behind the rise of individual Jews to great power was a divine plan to prepare the way for messianic redemption. Kalischer anticipated that in his own lifetime he would see the ingathering of the Jews, the renewed cultivation of the land of Israel, and the restoration of sacrificial worship. This would be achieved not through supernatural agency but by the efforts of the Jews themselves, in the spirit of the time. The Jewish people was obligated by God to ‘seek Zion’.
Kalischer began his quest as early as 1836 when he approached the banker Amschel Mayer Rothschild with a plan to acquire Jerusalem and revive sacrificial worship. However, lacking Rothschild's co-operation and the approval of his rabbinic colleagues, Kalischer set aside his dream for almost twenty years. In 1862, spurred to action by the granting of equal rights to Jews and European assistance to the Jews of Palestine, he published his theories in Derishat tsiyon (Seeking Zion). From then until his death, Kalischer promoted and raised funds on behalf of the establishment of agricultural communes in Palestine.
In this book Jody Myers explores for the first time the full range of Kalischer's writings—philosophical essays, correspondence, halakhic research, and biblical exegesis—presenting and critically analysing his groundbreaking formulation of modern messianic activism, which paved the way for later religious Zionism. She shows how Kalischer's approach marks a pivotal transition in the history of the messianic idea, and explains how he designed his arguments to appeal both to religious Jews and to the newly emancipated Jews of western Europe who, grateful for their own fortune, wanted to assist the impoverished Jews of the Middle East. At the same time, his proposals generated controversy and uncovered the growing schisms between Jews in modern times. Through Kalischer's eyes, the reader gains a fascinating perspective on what it means to be both religious and modern.
About the author
Jody Myers, who received her Ph.D. from the University
of California, Los Angeles, is a Professor of Religious Studies and Co-ordinator
of the Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program at the California State
University, Northridge. She has written various articles on modern messianic
and religious Zionist thought, and on new forms of religious expression
among contemporary Jews.
Publication details
| Format |
23.5 x 15.5 cm / 6" x 9" |
| Pages | 270 |
| ISBN/ISSN | 978-1-874774-89-1 |
| Price | £35.00 / $54.50 |
| Date of publication | June 2003 |
Contents
Note on Transliteration and Sources
1 The Messianic Idea in Late Eighteenth– and Early Nineteenth–Century
Europe, 1782–1819
The Foundations of Messianic Thought • The First Conflicts • Transitions
• Messianism and Conflict over Liturgical Reform
2 Raising a Rabbi in the Posen District, 1795–1823
Polish Jewish Society at Kalischer's Birth • Education • Marriage
and Earning a Livelihood
3 The Letter to Rothschild, 1836
The Messianic Theory • Kalischer's Proposal • The Prussian Territories
during the 1820s and 1830s • The Prussian Political Ethos
4 Sacrifice and Redemption, 1836–1837
Halakhic Problems and Solutions, 1836 • Seeking Rabbinic Consent to the
Renewal of Sacrifice, 1836–1837
5 Finding a Proper Faith, 1837–1855
Reason and Traditional Learning • Miracles • God’s Role in
History • The Meaning of the Sacrifices • Responding to Religious
Innovation
6 The Return to Activism, 1855–1861
Poverty and Agricultural Labour • Palestine • The Rise of Jewish
Notables and Jewish Civic Emancipation • The Restoration of Sacrificial
Worship
7 Seeking Zion, 1862–1874
The Land • Defending Realistic Messianism • The Interpretative Key
and Contemporary Hidden Miracles • The Secondary Rationales • The
Sacrifices
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Reviews
'A well-written, carefully documented work . . . highly recommended.'
Daniel D. Stuhlman, AJL Newsletter
'Myers's treatment of Kalischer's life and thought provides an excellent window into a momentous period in Jewish life and a significant theological issue that continues to challenge Jews today . . . Recommended.'
A.J.Avery-Peck, Choice
'Professor Myers is an expert on the history of Zionism and her outline of Kalisher's life and work is a labour of love.'
Uri ben Alexander, European Judaism
'Fascinating . . . an important contribution to our understanding of the modernization of Judaism and it relates to many issues of modern Jewish thought.'
Shaul Stampfer, Religious Studies Review
