Political Theology in the Thought of ‘Merkaz HaRav’ Yeshiva and its Profound Influence on Israeli Politics and Society since 1967¹

The communitarian attitudes of religious Zionist female adolescents to democracy in Israel

“…One of the main disputes in Israel is the relationship between Judaism and democracy and whether Israel should be a Halakhic state (run by Jewish law) or a modern, secular, democratic state (Hellinger, 2008). For radical religious groups one of the major questions is whether democracy can be perceived as a philosophy of life or only as a technical asset that is based on pragmatic concerns?…”

“…In the modern era, religion was perceived as one of the alternative worldviews that the individual can choose from, rather than a core value, but this is changing within postsecular states such as Israel (Hotam, 2017). Democracy was considered to be an alternative value system that sanctifies the idea of liberty, freedom, and the entitlement for the individual’s self-fulfillment as opposed to religion, which deals with the obligation of human beings to fulfill the will of God, which in Judaism means the focus on the community rather than the individual (Fischer, 2012; Hellinger, 2008). Yet, with the emergence of postsecularism, there has been a transformation within Israel society to the understanding of Jewish national identity (Hotam, 2017).…”

Religious-Based Conflicts through the Academic Dialogue

“…The point of law, argues Waldron, is to "enable us to act in the face of disagreement" [Italics in text-O.L. ], since legislators have to "act in concert on various issues or to co-ordinate our [their] behavior in various areas with reference to a common framework, and this need is not obviated by the fact that we disagree among ourselves as to what our common course of action or our common framework ought to be (b) When conflicts involve legally enforceable rights, judicial proceedings in courts and specialized tribunals provide the authoritative forums to resolve social disputes (Hellinger, 2008).…”

The Dialectic between Confrontation and Commitment: Religious-Zionism and the Settlement Project

“…In Aran's highly critical view, Gush Emunim was part of a faith-based fundamentalist revolution that converted “religious Zionism” into a “Zionist religion.” He argues that for Gush Emunim's adherents, the theological-messianic drive toward settling the Greater Land of Israel represented the deepest stratum of both Judaism and Zionism. Doubtless, the political theology of Rabbi Kook's followers was based on the contention that terrestrial political activities are the external mirror of inner, spiritual intentions (Hellinger 2008).…”