Responsum: On Uniting European Jewry

Now, the editor [of the Maḥzike hadas journal] suggested that we keep away from the people of this generation, that is, separate from one another entirely, just as Abraham separated from Lot [see Genesis 13:5–12]. With all due respect to the editor, this suggestion is as harsh as swords to the body of the nation [ha-umah] and its continued existence. For even when we were in the Holy Land and for a short time under our own rule, the land was darkened during the Second Temple period, the Temple was destroyed, and Israel went into exile, all on account of the dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Furthermore, the baseless hatred led to much bloodshed, which should not have occurred. For when a Pharisee would see another person treating a certain matter lightly, even though he was not a Sadducee but had simply performed a transgression, nevertheless, due to baseless hatred he would judge him to be a Sadducee who must be thrown into a pit. This led to much bloodshed in a “permitted” manner, under the erroneous impression that it was for the sake of a mitzvah. Such deeds were already alluded to in the Torah [ . . . ] as explained in [my commentaries] Ha-‘amek davar and Harḥev davar. It is not too difficult to imagine that at a time like this we might reach a similar situation, God forbid, where a religiously observant individual could conclude that a certain person is not acting in accordance with his path in the service of God, judge him a heretic, and shun him. Thus, people would be persecuting each other in a “permitted” manner, due to false suppositions, heaven forfend. This would cause the destruction of God’s people, God forbid, even if we were in our own Land and under our own rule.

All the more so, at a time when we are under conquest in exile, and Israel are sheep scattered (Jeremiah 50:17) amongst the nations of the world. We are compared in exile to the dust of the earth, as the Holy One said to our forefather Jacob: And your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth (Genesis 28:14), whereas the nations of the world are likened to mighty, flooding waters, as written in the book of Isaiah (17:12): Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas. The only remedy for a lump of earth, when mighty waters rush over it, is to mold the earth into solid stone. Then, even if a river washes over it, it will merely roll it from one place to another but it will not be totally destroyed. So too, Israel amongst the nations has no recourse but to be the “stone of Israel” [see Genesis 49:24], that is, they must join together into a single band, so that no nation could wipe them out. How, then, can we say that we should separate from one another, when the nations of the world will come and wash us away, little by little, God forbid?