Is the Founding of the State a Step Toward Moshiach — or a Delay in His Arrival?
This question—often debated both in batei midrash and around Shabbos tables—cuts to the heart of how we understand geulah, redemption, and the hidden ways of Hashgachas Hashem. Is the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 part of the unfolding process toward Moshiach? Or does it represent a distortion, a delay in the true, Torah-based redemption we yearn for?
The answer—according to the Charedi Torah worldview—is nuanced. While the final redemption will only come through Moshiach, that does not mean that every event along the way is either purely good or purely evil. History is complex. Hashem’s ways are hidden. But one thing is certain: He is guiding everything toward the ultimate geulah.
Yes—Everything Leads to Moshiach. But Not Everything is Ideal.
From a hashkafic perspective, we believe with emunah sheleimah that every event—from the most miraculous to the most painful—is part of Hashem’s plan to bring about the final redemption.
"כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא דַרְכֵיכֶם דְּרָכָי נְאֻם ה'" "My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways, says Hashem." (1)
The founding of the State may indeed be used by Hashem as part of His hidden plan. But that doesn’t mean we should embrace its ideological underpinnings, which are largely secular, nationalist, and in many cases anti-Torah.
The Charedi approach is this: Hashem runs the world. We don’t always understand why He chooses certain methods. But we do know what our role is: to remain loyal to Torah, not to confuse hashgachah with approval, and to wait for Moshiach—not celebrate imitations.
Precedents in Tanach: Hashem Uses Imperfect Paths
The idea that Hashem can bring about redemptive events through non-ideal agents is not new. In fact, it’s found throughout Tanach.
1. Koresh (Cyrus), King of Persia
He was a gentile king, yet Hashem chose him to allow the Jewish people to return to Eretz Yisrael and build the Second Beis HaMikdash.
"כֹּה אָמַר ה' לִמְשִׁיחוֹ לְכֹרֶשׁ..." "So says Hashem to His anointed, to Koresh..." (2)
The Malbim explains that although Koresh had no nevuah and no connection to Torah, Hashem still used him as an instrument of geulah. But that didn’t make Koresh a prophet—or the ultimate redeemer (9).
2. Yosef and Pharaoh
Yosef HaTzaddik rose to power through a system of pagan Egyptian monarchy, and yet it brought the sons of Yaakov down to Mitzrayim, setting the stage for the eventual Exodus.
"וְהָאֱלֹקִים חִשְּׁבָהּ לְטוֹבָה" "Hashem intended it for good." (3)
Yosef said this to his brothers after all the suffering they caused him. Hashem took even their sins and used them as steps toward redemption. But the ends didn’t justify the means—and Yosef never said their actions were correct.
The Founding of the State: Hidden Hashgachah, Not Open Redemption
The State of Israel’s establishment involved great political, military, and international maneuvering—almost none of which was driven by Torah principles. Most founders were secular, and some were openly hostile to religion.
Yet, the survival of millions of Jews, the ingathering of exiles, and the blossoming of Torah communities within the land—it all occurred under Hashem’s orchestration.
As the Brisker Rav, Rav Yitzchok Zev Soloveitchik zt”l, famously said:
“Of course Hashem is behind the events. But that does not mean He approves of the ideology. A pig may carry a diamond in its mouth. We want the diamond, not the pig.” (10)
A Delay in Some Ways — If It Confuses the Masses
The danger is when Jews begin to believe that this secular state is the geulah. When Jews believe that a democratic government with secular courts and conscripted armies can replace Malchus Beis Dovid and the Sanhedrin, it becomes a delay in Moshiach’s coming—not a help.
"אַל תִּבְטְחוּ בִּנְדִיבִים בְּבֶן אָדָם שֶׁאֵין לוֹ תְּשׁוּעָה" "Do not place your trust in nobles, in a human being, for he holds no salvation." (4)
We are commanded to long for Moshiach—not to settle for less. Any ideology that replaces Moshiach with nationalism is a step away from redemption, even if Hashem is still using it as a tool.
Rav Elchonon Wasserman Hy”d: The False Messianism of Secular Zionism
Before the Holocaust, Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l warned that secular Zionism was a form of false messianism, akin to the footsteps of Eisav.
“Zionism is a test of our generation. It is a pseudo-messiah, presenting itself as redemption, but devoid of Torah.” (8)
It offers Jews a false sense of security and identity—without Torah, without mitzvos, without malchus Beis Dovid. That illusion delays the true yearning and teshuvah needed for the real Moshiach to come.
But Torah Is Blossoming in Eretz Yisrael—Isn’t That a Sign?
Yes—and that’s the beauty of Hashem’s chesed, not the credit of the State.
Many of our greatest yeshivas, kollelim, and tzaddikim live and thrive in Eretz Yisrael. This is not because of the government—but in spite of it.
"עֵינֵי ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ בָּהּ מֵרֵאשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה" "The eyes of Hashem your G-d are upon it from the beginning of the year to the end of the year." (5)
Hashem has always watched over Eretz Yisrael. The flourishing of Torah is a sign of His rachamim on His land and His people. But it is not a stamp of approval on the secular Zionist ideology.
Conclusion: Wait for the True Moshiach
The founding of the State may be part of Hashem’s path to redemption—but it is not the redemption itself.
Our emunah is not in human leaders or political entities, but in Hashem and His promise:
"וְשָׁבוּ בָנִים לִגְבוּלָם" "And your children will return to their borders." (6)
"וְעָלוּ מוֹשִׁעִים בְּהַר צִיּוֹן לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת הַר עֵשָׂו וְהָיְתָה לַה' הַמְּלוּכָה" "And saviors will ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Eisav, and the kingship will be Hashem’s." (7)
Until then, we wait, we daven, and we hold fast to our unbroken mesorah, without jumping onto passing wagons—no matter how fast they’re moving.
Sources
- Yeshayahu 55:8 – "כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא דַרְכֵיכֶם דְּרָכָי נְאֻם ה'"
- Yeshayahu 45:1 – "כֹּה אָמַר ה' לִמְשִׁיחוֹ לְכֹרֶשׁ"
- Bereishis 50:20 – "וְהָאֱלֹקִים חִשְּׁבָהּ לְטוֹבָה"
- Tehillim 146:3 – "אַל תִּבְטְחוּ בִּנְדִיבִים..."
- Devarim 11:12 – "עֵינֵי ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ בָּהּ..."
- Yirmiyahu 31:17 – "וְשָׁבוּ בָנִים לִגְבוּלָם"
- Ovadiah 1:21 – "וְעָלוּ מוֹשִׁעִים בְּהַר צִיּוֹן..."
- Rav Elchonon Wasserman, Ikvasa d'Meshicha, ch. 2
- Malbim on Yeshayahu 45:1
- Brisker Rav, quoted in Peninei Rabbeinu HaGriz on the early State of Israel