The Originality of Zionistideas in the Teachings of the Hasidic Rabbi Yissachar Teichtal

Issachar Teichtal was one of the few representatives of the Orthodox community of the first half of the 20thcentury, who became supporters of the idea of a mass return of Jews to the land of Israel, and active cooperation with secular groups for the realization of this goal. The subject of the correspondence of his views to the concepts of religious Zionism was thoroughly investigated in the works of H. Hershkovich, D. Reiser, M. Inbari, and others. However, the problem of the development of R. Issachar's revolutionary ideas in the context of the teaching of Hasidism, of which he was a follower, definitely needs further research. According to the views of R. Teichtal, the liberation of the Jewish people should be carried out naturally. That is, one should not wait for the appearance of the messiah, who will perform all kinds of miracles with God's help. People have to organize themselves, ensure their own relocation to the historical ancestral homeland, turn a desert into a blooming garden, develop housing and production. In general, the plan of r. Issachar relies on the examples of programs of contemporary secular political movements. On the other hand, he interprets this kind of activity as a spiritual practice described in the works of the leading kabbalists and teachers of Hasidism. Our author claims that the development of the Holy Land leads to the restoration of harmony in the divine pleroma. The works of the founders of Hasidism, well known to our author, also preached the idea of the exceptional importance of serving the Lord during daily work. This was one of the most significant differences between their teachings and the views of the traditional rabbinical elite. The teaching of R. Teichtal about the role of tzaddiks in the decisive times of the national liberation struggle deserves special attention. It actually consists of three separate concepts: 1. The main tzaddiks of the generation cannot lead the development of the land of Israel because their participation would cause insurmountable opposition from the forces of darkness; 2. The role of the tzaddiks in the matter of returning to the historical homeland is actually performed by the souls of great righteous people of the past; 3. The role of tzaddiks in modern conditions is performed by simple secular workers who build up the land of the ancestors. The last thesis, according to the author of the article, is not a rhetorical exaggeration. R. Issachar believed that it was a real state of affairs. In the conclusions, it is noted that R. Teichtal should be recognized as one of the leading ideologists of neo-Hasidism.