Zionism, Idealism, and the Torah’s Voluntary Economy: A Letter to my friend @Iblegend

Image Source: @Iblegend on Telegram

Author: @greywarden100

Hey @Iblegend,

I’ve been diving deep into some heavy topics lately, and I wanted to share some thoughts with you about Zionism, its philosophical roots in the idealism of Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and how these ideas contrast with the biblical vision of a voluntary economy in the Torah, as I discussed in my Hive post, Capitalism, the Torah, and the Misreading of Yeshua’s Teachings (https://ecency.com/hive-120417/@greywarden100/capitalism-the-torah-and-the). My core point is that the modern state, including the Zionist framework in Israel, deviates from the Torah’s model of governance, which was rooted in voluntary cooperation and divine law, not coercion or centralized power. I also believe true alignment with the Torah’s vision won’t happen until the Mashiach comes to establish a just order. Let’s unpack this, with some philosophical and historical context to make it clear.

The Torah’s Voluntary Economy and the Absence of a Coercive State

In my Hive post, I argued that the Israel of the Torah operated without a state as we understand it today—no centralized authority enforcing laws through coercion or taxation. The Torah describes a society governed by God’s law, with judges and tribal leaders ensuring justice through voluntary adherence to divine principles. This system, rooted in covenantal faithfulness, relied on mutual accountability rather than top-down control. As I noted, “There was the rule of law but that did not require a state to enforce through coercion and theft as it is today.” This changed with the monarchies after Samuel, which introduced corruption and centralized power, straying from the Torah’s ideal.

This vision of a voluntary economy aligns with the Torah’s emphasis on individual responsibility, property rights, and charity (e.g., the jubilee system and tithing for the poor). It’s a stark contrast to modern states, including Israel’s current system, which often rely on coercive mechanisms like taxation and military conscription. My point is that Zionism, as a political movement, has adopted frameworks that don’t fully reflect this biblical model, partly because it draws from modern philosophical traditions like German idealism.

Zionism and the Influence of Kant’s Transcendental Idealism

Zionism, particularly in its secular and political forms, has been shaped by Enlightenment ideas, including the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. Kant’s transcendental idealism, as outlined in works like Critique of Pure Reason, argues that our experience of reality is shaped by the mind’s a priori categories (e.g., space, time, causality), meaning we can’t know things as they are in themselves, only as they appear to us. This “mind-dependent” view of reality influenced modern Jewish thought, including Zionist thinkers, by emphasizing human agency in constructing social and political realities. As the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies notes, “Immanuel Kant’s notions of Enlightenment may have had the most profound impact on modern Jewish thought” ().

For Zionists like Theodor Herzl, Kant’s ideas provided a framework for envisioning a Jewish state as a rational, human-constructed project. Herzl’s Der Judenstaat (1896) reflects a belief in human reason to shape history, akin to Kant’s idea that we impose order on the world through our mental frameworks. However, this reliance on human reason and state-building diverges from the Torah’s model, where divine law, not human constructs, governs society. Kant’s idealism, with its focus on autonomy and rational systems, underpins Zionism’s push for a sovereign state, but it risks sidelining the Torah’s emphasis on voluntary, covenant-based community.

Hegel’s Absolute Idealism and Zionism’s Historical Vision

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, building on Kant, took idealism further with his concept of absolute idealism, where reality is a dynamic process of ideas unfolding through history via a dialectical process (thesis, antithesis, synthesis). Hegel’s Phenomenology of Spirit and Science of Logic portray history as the progressive realization of freedom and reason, culminating in the state as the embodiment of the “absolute spirit” (,). This view influenced Zionist thinkers like Shlomo Avineri, who saw Zionism as a “fundamental revolution in Jewish life,” aiming for a just society through historical progress ().

Labor Zionism, a socialist variant of the movement, adopted Hegelian ideas by emphasizing collective action and historical transformation to establish a Jewish state. As Wikipedia notes, Labor Zionists, influenced by Marxist and socialist ideals, sought to create institutions like the Israel Defense Forces and prioritize Jewish labor over capitalist structures (). Hegel’s focus on history as a purposeful process resonated with Zionists who viewed the return to Israel as a historical necessity, not just a religious imperative. Yet, this state-centric approach, with its reliance on centralized institutions, contrasts with the Torah’s decentralized, voluntary system. Hegel’s idealism, which elevates the state as a rational necessity, clashes with the biblical vision where God, not human institutions, is the ultimate authority.

Zionism’s Departure from the Torah’s Vision

Zionism’s reliance on Kant and Hegel’s idealism has led to a state-driven model that, while achieving remarkable successes, doesn’t fully align with the Torah’s voluntary economy. In my Hive post, I wrote, “Israel needs a voluntary economy like the one we see in the Torah and the rule of law, not a state.” The modern Israeli state, with its taxes, regulations, and military draft, mirrors the coercive structures of other nation-states, which I see as a departure from the Torah’s ideal. The monarchies after Samuel marked a similar shift, where human kings replaced divine guidance, leading to corruption and oppression.

Moreover, Zionism’s secular roots, influenced by Enlightenment rationalism and Hegelian historicism, often prioritize political sovereignty over spiritual covenant. While religious Zionists integrate Torah values, the broader movement’s reliance on state power reflects Kant’s human-centric rationalism and Hegel’s state-centric idealism more than the Torah’s vision of a God-centered, voluntary society.

The Mashiach and the Restoration of Torah Governance

Here’s where my hope lies, @Iblegend: I don’t think Israel will fully return to the Torah’s voluntary economy until the Mashiach comes. As I said in my post, “I don’t think this will happen until Mashiach comes and removes the Zionists from power and governs Israel himself.” The Mashiach, as prophesied in texts like Isaiah 11:1-9 and Ezekiel 37:24-28, will establish a kingdom where God’s law reigns supreme, without the need for coercive human institutions. This aligns with the Torah’s model, where justice and charity flow from covenantal faithfulness, not state enforcement.

Some might argue that Zionism’s achievements—reestablishing Jewish sovereignty after centuries of exile—are a step toward this messianic vision. But the current state, with its reliance on secular governance and coercive mechanisms, falls short of the Torah’s ideal. The Mashiach’s governance will, I believe, dismantle these structures, restoring a system where voluntary cooperation under divine law prevails.

Wrapping It Up

@Iblegend, I hope this clarifies how Zionism draws from Kant’s and Hegel’s idealism—Kant’s focus on human reason shaping reality and Hegel’s view of history culminating in the state. These philosophies have shaped Zionism’s state-centric approach, but they diverge from the Torah’s voluntary, God-centered economy, as I explored in my Hive post (https://ecency.com/hive-120417/@greywarden100/capitalism-the-torah-and-the). Until the Mashiach comes, I believe we’re stuck with imperfect human systems, but the Torah’s vision remains our guide.

Sources:

• Greywarden100. “Capitalism, the Torah, and the Misreading of Yeshua’s Teachings.” Hive, https://ecency.com/hive-120417/@greywarden100/capitalism-the-torah-and-the.
• “Rabbi” Immanuel Kant and modern Jewish thought. UW Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, 2015.
• Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2025.
• Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Wikipedia, 2025.
• Labor Zionism. Wikipedia, 2004.
• German idealism. Wikipedia, 2003.