Rabbi Chaim Druckman

The Phenomenology of Torah and Public Leadership: The Figure and Teaching of Rabbi Chaim Meir Druckman

Introduction: Religious Zionism in the Mirror of Rabbi Druckman's Figure

An analysis of the figure of Rabbi Chaim Meir Druckman, of blessed memory, requires a deep understanding of the transformations that Israeli society and Religious Zionism underwent over the last hundred years. Rabbi Druckman was not merely a rabbi or a politician, but a figure who embodied in his personality and his work the transition from the destruction of the Diaspora to the rebirth of the State, and the passage of Religious Zionism from a secondary movement to the status of a central spiritual and political leadership.^[1] His life, spanning nine decades (5693–5783), is interwoven with all the decisive junctures of the nation: from survival in the shadow of the Holocaust, through study in the formative yeshivas of the sector, to the leadership of national enterprises of education, settlement and conversion.^{[2, 3, 4]}

Rabbi Druckman's importance stems from his rare ability to bridge between worlds: between the abstract theory of faith of Rav Kook and political and social action on the ground; between the conservative Hardal (Haredi-nationalist) stream and the more liberal religious-Zionist public; and between the sovereign institutions of the State and the traditional world of Torah.^{[5, 6]} He was regarded as the "elder of the rabbis" and as a supreme spiritual authority thanks to his readiness to bear the public responsibility that leadership entails, a quality that accompanied him from a very young age.^[5] His figure reflects the model of "Hineni" ("Here I am") – presenting oneself for every mission without hesitation, out of a sense of absolute commitment to the people of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the Land of Israel.^[7]

Chapter A: The Roots of Growth – From the Destruction of Poland to the Rebirth of the Land of Israel

The foundation of Rabbi Druckman's personality was laid in his parents' home in the town of Kuty in Poland, where he was born on 16 Cheshvan 5693 (1932).^{[2, 4]} His childhood in the shadow of the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust gave him a unique perspective on the meaning of Jewish existence. A chilling historical event that shaped his outlook occurred when he hid in a wardrobe while Nazi soldiers searched the family home.^[12] This experience of survival, in which his life hung by a thread, later became for him a source of strength and of a deep sense of religious mission; he saw himself as "a brand plucked from the fire" who must devote every moment of his life to building the nation.^{[7, 13]}

In August 1944 Rabbi Druckman immigrated to the Land of Israel as a lone youth, a war refugee without a nuclear family to support him on the ground.^{[2, 12]} His arrival in the Land of Israel at that time was fraught with difficulties, but he quickly integrated into the educational institutions of the emerging Religious Zionist movement. He studied at the "Aliyah" institution and then at the Bnei Akiva yeshiva in Kfar HaRoeh, which was under the leadership of Rabbi Moshe Zvi Neria.^[2] This period was formative in shaping his identity as a "ben Torah" (devoted Torah student) engaged in practical life. The combination of traditional Gemara study with the pioneering ideals of "Torah va-Avodah" (Torah and Labour) became his moral compass.

In 1949, with the establishment of the State, Rabbi Druckman enlisted in the IDF as part of Bnei Akiva's Garin Zayin in the Nahal.^[2] The garin did its training at Tirat Zvi and went on to settle at Kibbutz Sa'ad, a religious kibbutz in the south of the country.^[2] Service in the Nahal was for him not merely a civic duty, but the religious fulfilment of the commandment of settling the Land and defending it. Rabbi Druckman was among the leaders of the move that called on members of the youth movement to combine Torah study in a yeshiva before military service, out of an understanding that national resilience rests on spiritual resilience.^{[4, 13]} This conception led him in 1954 to be among the founders of the "Kerem B'Yavneh" yeshiva, the first hesder yeshiva.^[4]

Chapter B: The Formative Encounter with the Teaching of Rav Kook and the Ratziyah

The most significant stage in Rabbi Druckman's Torah development began with his entry into the "Merkaz HaRav" yeshiva in Jerusalem. There he became the foremost disciple of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda HaKohen Kook (the Ratziyah), son of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaKohen Kook.^{[2, 3]} The Ratziyah saw in Rabbi Druckman one of the main continuers of his path, and entrusted him with tasks of spiritual leadership already at early stages. Rabbi Druckman, together with his close friend Rabbi Eliezer Waldman (who studied with him in chavruta for some 60 years), became the principal mediator of the teaching of "realistic redemption" to the younger generation.^{[2, 13]}

Under the guidance of the Ratziyah, Rabbi Druckman formed his meta-historical worldview. He learned to see the State of Israel as "the throne of God in the world" and the Israel Defense Forces as the central instrument for the sanctification of God's name in our generation.^{[14, 15]} Besides the Ratziyah, Rabbi Druckman was deeply influenced by a series of great Torah scholars at the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva, among them Rabbi David Cohen (the Nazir), Rabbi Avraham Elkana Kahana Shapira, Rabbi Mordechai Fromm and Rabbi Shalom Natan Ra'anan.^{[2, 3]} Rabbi Druckman was the first to receive explicit permission from the Ratziyah to teach classes on faith (emunah) at the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva, a field that until then had been considered a "holy of holies" reserved for the senior rabbis alone.^[13]

The Ratziyah's influence on Rabbi Druckman went beyond the bounds of theoretical study. It instilled in him the conception that a rabbi cannot shut himself up within the four cubits of halakha, but must be involved in every area of national life. Rabbi Druckman implemented this through active leadership in the Bnei Akiva movement, in which he served as a member of the national executive and as a formative rabbinic figure.^{[6, 11]} He saw the youth movement as the central instrument for educating a generation of redemption, a generation that is not afraid to combine the sacred and the profane, Torah and State. His ability to translate Rav Kook's complex kabbalistic and philosophical concepts into a language of action and education became one of his hallmarks.^[5]

Chapter C: Educational Leadership – Building the "Or Etzion" Empire

The centre of gravity of Rabbi Druckman's work was the educational institution he founded and directed in Merkaz Shapira – the "Or Etzion" yeshiva. The yeshiva high school was originally established in 5720 (1960) by the Shafir Regional Council and Moshe Moskovitz in memory of the fallen sons of Gush Etzion.^{[16, 17]} In 5723 (1963) Rabbi Druckman was placed at the head of the yeshiva, and from then on the place became a vibrant spiritual centre.^[17] In 5737 (1977), following the demand of students who wished to continue studying Torah before their enlistment, Rabbi Druckman founded the "Or Etzion" hesder yeshiva.^{[16, 17, 18]}

The Or Etzion hesder yeshiva was not just another yeshiva; it expressed the Rabbi's vision of full integration between the world of Torah and operational military service. Under his leadership, thousands of students grew up in the yeshiva who today hold key positions in Israeli society, among them former Defence Minister Benny Gantz, former Mossad head Yossi Cohen, and ministers such as Israel Katz and Dudi Amsalem.^[19] Rabbi Druckman developed in the "Or Etzion" compound a series of complementary institutions that turned the place into a multi-branched educational campus:

• A Torah yeshiva high school.
• A military boarding school for command (founded in 1980), which trains religious officers in the spirit of the Torah.^{[17, 19]}
• The "Or Etzion" Institute for publishing his books and lessons.
• Frameworks of study for girls and ulpanot within the Bnei Akiva Yeshivas Centre.^{[2, 12]}

In his role as chairman of the Bnei Akiva Yeshivas and Ulpanot Centre, Rabbi Druckman charted the educational path for dozens of institutions throughout the country. He emphasized the value of "integration" – accepting students from all socio-economic strata and from the periphery, while giving every boy and girl an equal opportunity.^[12] His educational method was based on boundless love and devotion. He was known by the byname "the students' rabbi," as one who listened to every question and solved problems with sensitivity and a generous eye.^{[13, 20]} His famous saying, "One more small step," became a cornerstone in educating generations of students to understand that spiritual progress is a gradual process requiring patience and faith.^[13]

Chapter D: Political Mission – The Rabbi in the Knesset and the Government

Rabbi Druckman's political activity stemmed directly from his Torah conception, which sees politics as a tool for advancing the holiness of the nation and the Land. He was first elected to the Ninth Knesset in 1977 on behalf of the National Religious Party (Mafdal).^{[2, 9]} In 1981 he was appointed Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs in Begin's second government.^[4] Nevertheless, his political career was not free of ideological crises; in 1982, following the approval of the withdrawal from the Yamit region, he resigned from his government post and moved to Yamit with his family and students in order to lead the struggle against the evacuation.^{[4, 10]}

His political leadership was characterized by a quest for absolute loyalty to the Land of Israel. In 1983 he left the National Religious Party and founded the "Matzad" party (Machane HaTzionut HaDatit – the Camp of Religious Zionism), which later joined with Poalei Agudat Yisrael to form the "Morasha" party.^{[4, 9]} In 1986 he returned to the National Religious Party out of a desire to unite the ranks of Religious Zionism. In all he served in the Knesset for some 15 years in two periods (1977–1988 and 1999–2003).^{[9, 10]} Even when he was inside the political system, Rabbi Druckman remained first and foremost an educator and a rabbi, promoting legislation on matters of religion and state, the strengthening of the link between the hesder yeshivas and the IDF, and the fostering of the settlement enterprise.^[2]

His standing as "elder of the rabbis" made him a central address for politicians from across the spectrum. In the last decade of his life he was identified with the Jewish Home party and later with the Religious Zionism party under the leadership of Bezalel Smotrich.^[21] Prime ministers such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett came to his home in Merkaz Shapira for consultations on fateful questions.^[22] Rabbi Druckman was known for his ability to unite rival factions within Religious Zionism and to find the broadest common denominator, out of responsibility for the future of the State.^{[5, 21]} He saw politics as a religious mission in every respect, a place where a person is required to prove his loyalty to the eternal values of the people of Israel within a changing reality.

Chapter E: The Struggle for the Land – Gush Emunim and Settlement

Rabbi Druckman was a key figure in the establishment and consolidation of the settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza region. He was among the leaders of the "Gush Emunim" movement and accompanied all the decisive struggles of settlement since the Six-Day War.^{[2, 6]} A formative historical moment was the Seder night at the Park Hotel in Hebron in 1968, a year after the liberation of the city. Rabbi Druckman took part in this event, which is considered the starting point of the renewed Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.^[2]

His activity on the ground included:

• Direct involvement in the Sebastia struggles and the founding of the first settlements in Samaria.^[2]
• Leading the struggle against the evacuation of the Yamit region and going down to the area with his family in 1982.^{[2, 10]}
• Educating generations of students for pioneering fulfilment in settlement through the Or Etzion and Bnei Akiva institutions.^[2]
• Giving spiritual and moral backing to the leaders of settlement over decades.^[2]

In this field too, his positions were complex and balanced. While in 2004 he signed a rabbis' proclamation calling for refusal of orders to evacuate settlements, he instructed his students to try to avoid the task as far as possible and to refuse only in cases of absolute psychological inability ("a broken heart").^[2] He always took care to preserve the honour of the IDF and the unity of the nation, even when he firmly opposed government policy. His commitment to the Land of Israel was expressed also in personal risk; in 1993 he was wounded in a shooting attack on his car on the way to Kiryat Arba, an attack in which his driver, Effi Ayubi, was murdered.^{[2, 9]} The Rabbi saw this attack as further proof of the struggle for Israel's sovereignty in its Land, and continued his activity without fear.^[9]

Chapter F: Head of the Conversion Authority – Controversy and Halakhic Leadership

In 2004 Rabbi Druckman was appointed head of the Conversion Authority in the Prime Minister's Office, a post he held until 2012.^{[1, 2, 9]} His appointment by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was intended to provide a halakhic response for thousands of immigrants from the Commonwealth of Independent States who are not Jewish according to halakha but had bound their fate with the State. Rabbi Druckman led a relatively lenient conversion policy, based on the concept of "zera Yisrael" (the seed of Israel) and on the understanding that in the era of Jewish sovereignty conversion must be seen as a national and demographic challenge of the first order.^{[2, 23]}

His tenure led to one of the most severe halakhic and public storms in the history of the State. In 2008 a panel of the Great Rabbinical Court headed by Rabbi Avraham Sherman issued an unprecedented ruling invalidating all the conversions carried out by Rabbi Druckman from 2000 onward.^[23] The grounds for the invalidation were extremely harsh and included a personal attack on the figure of Rabbi Druckman:

Questioning the sincerity of the acceptance of the commandments: Rabbi Sherman argued that the converts did not in practice observe the commandments after conversion, and therefore the conversion process had been fictitious from the outset.^[23]

• Disqualifying the judges as "wicked": the ruling defined Rabbi Druckman and his judges as "wilful transgressors" and "heretics" because they systematically convert people who do not intend to observe the commandments.^[23]
• Procedural flaws: it was claimed that Rabbi Druckman signed conversion certificates ("ma'aseh beit din") in cases in which he was not physically present at the hearing, something his opponents defined as "forgery."^[23]

Rabbi Druckman firmly rejected the claims. He explained that his signature was a formality as head of the system and that the conversion proceedings were carried out by panels of qualified judges.^[23] He saw Rabbi Sherman's ruling as a "desecration of God's name" and a grave injury to thousands of converts and their families.^[23] The saga ended only in 2012, when the High Court of Justice accepted the position of the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Shlomo Amar, and declared that the invalidating ruling had no legal force.^[23] This affair highlighted the deep dispute between the stringent Haredi-Lithuanian conception and Rabbi Druckman's conception, which sought to find halakhic solutions within the sphere of Jewish sovereignty out of responsibility for the future of the people.^[23]

Chapter G: His Torah Teaching – Kim'a Kim'a and the Redemption of Israel

The core of Rabbi Druckman's thought appears in his monumental book "Kim'a Kim'a." The book's title is taken from the Jerusalem Talmud, which describes the redemption of Israel as like the dawn breaking "kim'a kim'a" (little by little).^[14] Rabbi Druckman developed an optimistic and patient teaching, which explains that the modern process of redemption – from the awakening of Zionism to the establishment of the State – is an irreversible divine process, even if it is fraught with difficulties, "mists" and temporary setbacks.^{[14, 15]}

The key principles of his teaching include:

• The State as the foundation of redemption: the State of Israel is not merely a physical refuge, but the basis for the sanctification of God's name in the world. Jewish sovereignty in itself is a supreme religious commandment.^[15]
• The inner repentance of the nation: the Rabbi saw the very return to the Land of Israel and the building of national values as a form of "teshuvah" (repentance), even if it is not accompanied by full religious observance of the commandments at this stage.^[15]
• Responsibility for the whole: the Rabbi preached the dedication of all one's strength to the people of Israel, the Torah of Israel and the Land of Israel. He rejected every kind of religious separatism and called for full involvement in the life of the State.^[13]
• Unconditional love of Israel: his teaching was characterized by a search for the good in every Jew and in every national enterprise, out of the belief that the divine spark is found in every part of the nation.^{[13, 20]}

His Torah teaching did not remain only in the theoretical realm. It was translated into dozens of volumes of books dealing with every area of life: the weekly Torah portion, the festivals, education, the army and prayer.^{[24, 25]} Rabbi Druckman was known for his ability to link the verses of the Torah and the words of the Sages to the current reality of the State of Israel, making the Torah a "Torah of life," relevant and meaningful for the generation of redemption.^[26]

Chapter H: His Last Days and His Legacy for Future Generations

Rabbi Chaim Druckman passed away on 2 Tevet 5783 (December 2022) at the age of 90.^{[2, 6]} His funeral was one of the largest and most moving the State has known, attended by tens of thousands of students, public figures from all shades of the political spectrum and his extensive family (father of nine and grandfather of hundreds of grandchildren and great-grandchildren).^{[1, 12, 27]} His death marked the end of the era of the "generation of giants" of Religious Zionism, a generation that experienced the establishment of the State and shaped its spiritual institutions.^[1]

After his death, great efforts began to commemorate his legacy in a state and educational framework:

• The Rabbi Druckman Heritage Center Law: in 2024 the Knesset approved the establishment of the centre as a statutory corporation under the responsibility of the Ministry of Settlement. The centre will include a research institute, a museum and an archive that will work to impart his values.^{[20, 28]}
• The "Chaim" shevet in Bnei Akiva: at the close of the Shabbat Irgun of 5785 it was decided to name the movement's new shevet (age cohort) after the Rabbi, in recognition of his many years of work for the youth and the nation.^[13]
• Continuity of the institutions: the Or Etzion yeshiva continues to operate under the leadership of his son-in-law, Rabbi Shimon Lapid, preserving the educational path the Rabbi charted.^{[13, 17, 20]}
• Dissemination of his writings: the "Or Etzion" Institute continues to edit and publish further volumes of his many lessons, to ensure that his Torah teaching continues to give light to future generations.^[24]

Rabbi Druckman's legacy is a legacy of responsibility, love and action. He taught generations of Jews that the Torah cannot be separated from national reality, and that redemption is built in measured but sure steps. His figure as a "soldier of the nation," enlisted for every task – from teaching faith to leading the conversion system – will remain a central milestone in the history of the people of Israel in its Land.^{[7, 20]} Rabbi Druckman did not live a life of the moment, but lived a life of eternity, leaving behind him a spiritual and institutional infrastructure that will continue to shape the face of the State of Israel for many years after his passing.^[27]

Conclusion: The Man and the Message

The story of Rabbi Chaim Druckman is the story of Religious Zionism at the height of its glory. He succeeded in combining the personality of a modest servant of God with the figure of a vigorous public leader. First and foremost he was an educator who believed in the power of warm speech and in the importance of a "generous eye."^{[13, 20]} He did not shrink from difficult political or halakhic disputes, but always acted with the intention of preserving the wholeness of the people and the Land.^{[1, 5]} His award of the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 5772 was state recognition of his immense contribution to Israeli society as a whole.^{[2, 9]} Rabbi Druckman left behind a world full of Torah, settlement and love of Israel, a legacy that constitutes a living testament for everyone who wishes to contribute to the building of the nation in the generation of redemption.^[20]