Universal Religious Zionism

IN BRIEF

Diagnosing the Crisis, Proposing a Renewal


Contents of this page:

  1. The Great Practical Achievements and Ideological Stalemate of Religious Zionism

It has been more than a century since Rav Kook conceived and initiated the ideological and institutional foundations of what would become Religious Zionism. Today, the movement constitutes a major force within Israeli society, encompassing more than half of the country’s Orthodox Jews, with its adherents actively engaged in every sphere of national life. Nevertheless, despite its accomplishments, vitality, and significant influence, Religious Zionism finds itself at an ideological impasse. This crisis is reflected in the following ways:

A theological rift. The driving force behind Religious Zionism is the self-realization of being part of the Messianic process, in which, according to Rav Kook, the State of Israel is Mashiach ben Yosef, destined to be succeeded by Mashiach ben David. However, the unfolding history shows that such a direct transition is not feasible, suggesting that the traditional theology of Religious Zionism no longer fully aligns with the current reality.

Loss of its unifying role in Israeli society. Historically, Religious Zionism viewed itself as a bridge between the ultra-Orthodox and secular segments of Israeli society. Today, however, this is no longer the case—the movement finds itself in even sharper conflict with secular Israel than the Haredi community.

Limited influence. Religious Zionism has significantly impacted parts of Israeli society that resonate with religious tradition (Mazorti), even if they do not fully adhere to it. At the same time, the movement has largely failed to affect those sectors of Israeli society that remain resistant to Judaism.

Lack of vision and roadmap. The ideological horizon of Religious Zionism has narrowed to practical, short-term tasks and no longer provides guidance for further spiritual advancement. But without a long-term vision, leadership is impossible. The young and active are drawn to inspiring dreams, not to realpolitik.

Now, more than ever, Religious Zionism is in need of its defining “I have a dream” moment. We strive to articulate that vision.

  1. The Problem of a Direct Transition from Mashiach ben Yosef to Mashiach ben David

Modern Religious Zionism is rooted in Rav Kook’s profound interpretation of Herzl’s secular Zionism as Mashiach ben Yosef, a forerunner of Mashiach ben David. Following Herzl’s death, Rav Kook articulated this idea in his landmark 1904 discourse, Misped b’Yerushalaim (The Lamentation in Jerusalem), a eulogy to the founder of political Zionism. This premise led Rav Kook to guide Religious Zionism toward practical support for Herzl’s secular political Zionist movement, seeing it as the beginning of the Messianic process. At the same time, according to Rav Kook, Religious Zionism should begin to lay the groundwork for the next stage of the Messianic process—Mashiach ben David, who would succeed Mashiach ben Yosef and fulfill the Geula (Redemption).

This compelling concept empowered Religious Zionism by revealing its role in the Messianic process. Rav Kook’s vision infused the movement with tremendous energy, enabling it to contribute meaningfully across all facets of Israeli society—most notably through the settlement of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, which significantly influenced the trajectory of the State of Israel’s development. This vision proved extraordinarily fruitful for Religious Zionism, as it provided a framework for unwavering support of secular political Zionism.

Generations have passed, and Mashiach ben Yosef in our time has nearly completed his monumentally successful mission. The goals of classical Zionism—the establishment of a viable Jewish state and the ingathering of the exiles—have been realized. Once a revolutionary movement, political Zionism now operates in a state of maintenance; its objectives no longer stir broad enthusiasm or inspire visionary commitment. Mashiach ben Yosef is “dying” and must give way to Mashiach ben David. However, no social or ideological group in Israel embodies the qualities necessary to assume this biblical role. Mashiach ben David is not yet on the horizon. Rav Kook did not elaborate on this transition, as the shift from Mashiach ben Yosef to Mashiach ben David was not a pressing issue in his time. Today, however, we are left with a fundamental question: at what stage of the Messianic process are we now?

  1. The Three-Stage Model of the Messianic Process

In search of an answer, we propose refining the traditional two-stage model of the Messianic process by adopting a three-stage framework. The conventional model aligns two dynasties of the United Monarchy in biblical Israel with stages of the Messianic process: the House of Saul corresponding to Mashiach ben Yosef and the House of David to Mashiach ben David. However, the biblical monarchy comprised not two but three central figures—Saul, David, and Solomon. Accordingly, we suggest interpreting each of these kings as representing a distinct phase in the Messianic process and projecting this royal triad onto the historical evolution of the modern State of Israel.

Each king—Saul, David, and Solomon—had a unique historical mission for their reign. King Saul sought the security and normalization of his people, which the Israelites explicitly demanded: “That we may be like all the other nations: let our king rule over us and go out at our head and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). Secular political Zionism pursued similar goals—the normalization of the Jewish people and its security—which was the basis for Rav Kook’s identification of this movement with Mashiach ben Yosef, or, in our paradigm, a modern-day Saul.

Following Rav Kook’s footsteps, we analyze the other two kings, David and Solomon. King David prioritized the Jewish people’s connection to God through a national religious revival, culminating in the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. King Solomon’s mission was to spread the notion of One God of the Torah to mankind, culminating in the Temple of Solomon, a magnet for the nations—the mission worthy of Mashiach ben David. Indeed, Solomon could reach such a level and have such an impact on the world only because he stood on David’s shoulders.

David, a uniquely significant figure, deserves his special place in the Messianic process. Based on his tribal lineage, “Mashiach ben Yehuda” is an appropriate term for David.

If we recognize an intermediate phase—David, Mashiach ben Yehuda—connecting Saul, Mashiach ben Yosef, and Solomon, Mashiach ben David, our current position in the Messianic process becomes clear: we are transitioning from Saul to David. This transitional phase is characterized by Israeli society’s growing recognition of Religious Zionist values and contributions, fostering a gradual strengthening of the nation’s religious identity. The era of Saul, represented by secular political Zionism, is drawing to a triumphant close, and we are eternally grateful for this movement’s immense achievements. While Solomon has not yet emerged, David is evident in modern Israel, embodied by the Religious Zionists with their vanguard, the settlement movement. Their goals coincide with the goals of King David: a national religious (rather than national secular) revival.

Having supplemented Rav Kook’s concept of Herzlian political Zionism as Mashiach ben Yosef or modern-day Saul with our concept of Religious Zionism as Mashiach ben Yehuda or modern-day David, and thus having determined our present place as a transition between these two phases, we can ask the next logical questions:

What will be the nature of the future social movement in Israel that can embody Solomon, Mashiach ben David? What will distinguish it from its predecessor, today’s Religious Zionism? In other words, what will be the next great goal of Religious Zionism?

As we pointed out earlier, the primary difference between David and Solomon is the breadth of their missions. While the former seeks a spiritual renaissance for the Jewish people, the latter aims to catalyze a spiritual transformation of all humanity. Thus, when we project King Solomon, Mashiach ben David, into the State of Israel of the future, we envision that it must be the movement capable of making the Divine Light accessible to humanity so that “all the families of the Earth shall be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3).

How can such a transformative movement, an embodiment of Solomon, emerge? And what should we do to pave the way for Solomon’s universal mission?

In search of an answer, we turn once again to Rav Kook.

  1. Synthesis of the Ideals of Three Factions Within the Jewish People

In 1910, Rav Kook outlined a roadmap for Judaism’s development in the coming centuries.[1] In this program, he asserted that the Jewish people are divided into three ideological factions: the religious, whose values are the study of Torah and the observance of commandments; the secular nationalist-Zionist, whose values are the settlement of the Land of Israel and the creation of a Jewish state; and the liberal universalists, for whom humanistic and universal values are central. According to Rav Kook, the future of Judaism will be a synthesis of these three ideologies.

A century later, we have reached the halfway point: Rav Kook’s followers have fully integrated national ideals into the religious framework, creating modern Religious Zionism. Yet, the universalist ideals, which may seem external to Judaism but are deeply rooted in it and reveal its essence, remain unincorporated. This means that our current efforts should be directed toward the second half of Rav Kook’s vision: the revival of universal values within Judaism.

In our three-stage Messianic process model, the royal triad projection onto the State of Israel unfolds as follows. In the first stage, “the reign of King Saul,” secular Zionism realized national ideals by establishing the Jewish State. In the second stage, “the reign of King David,” national and religious ideals intertwined. In the third stage, “the reign of King Solomon,” national-religious principles will be integrated with universal values to form what we have called, in Rav Kook’s terminology, Universal Religious Zionism (Tzionut Olamit Datit). This will complete Rav Kook’s grand program of the evolution of Judaism by synthesizing all three ideologies.

Consequently, we follow Rav Kook’s strategy of implementing practical policies for the present while laying the groundwork for the future. We are grateful to “Saul”—revolutionary political Zionism—for its unparalleled achievements in establishing the State of Israel. We support “David”—the contemporary Religious Zionism and settlement movement—by promoting national religious values, participating in all facets of the State of Israel, and aligning it with the ideals of Jewish tradition. We pave the way for “Solomon”—the emerging Universal Religious Zionism—by modernizing Orthodox Judaism through integrating Torah-authentic universal values into its framework.

  1. Integrating Purified Universal Values into Religious Zionism

Thus, to actively participate in the ongoing Messianic process, we must realign our theology and, while maintaining its national-religious core values, initiate the transformation of Religious Zionism into its universal form. The Universal Religious Zionism project involves developing a religious, rather than merely pragmatic, understanding of civilizational values. This requires identifying the Divine sparks within these values, separating them from the ideological shells of modern “isms,” reconnecting them to their authentic Jewish source, and cultivating their growth organically within Judaism.

Absent such a transformation, the Messianic process risks losing momentum and failing to achieve its full redemptive potential. Embracing this approach, Universal Religious Zionism stands poised to become a cornerstone in the spiritual foundation of the future State of Israel and the Jewish people. Equipped with this vision, we will be able to engage meaningfully with humanity and take a renewed step toward fulfilling our ultimate mission of becoming a light unto the nations.

In this book, we explore the concept of Universal Religious Zionism through three key dimensions: theology, ideology, and practice.

Theology: Development of Rav Kook’s vision of the Jewish state as the Messianic process, applied to the ongoing history of the State of Israel: a transition from the traditional two-stage Messianic model—comprising Mashiach ben Yosef and Mashiach ben David—to a three-stage paradigm symbolized by the reigns of Kings Saul (safe-haven state), David (national-mission state), and Solomon (universal-mission state) (Chapter I).

Ideology: A framework and methodology for reviving Torah-authentic universal values within Judaism, serving as preparation for the Solomonic phase of the State of Israel (Chapter II).

Practice: A catalog of universal values ready for integration into Judaism, along with approaches for extracting their Divine sparks from the ideological shells of various “isms” (Chapter III).

[1] Shmonah Kvatzim, 3:1.

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