The Pioneering Charedi Model of Rabbi Meir Mazuz zt”l

Atchalta de-Geula.

This was how Rabbi Meir Mazuz zt”l—who passed away this past Pesach—referred to the establishment of the State of Israel. For a rabbi closely identified with the Charedi world, the expression was rare. His worldview regarding the state was, in general, both complex and unusual: on the one hand, he opposed drafting yeshiva students and founded fully Charedi educational institutions—no Israeli flags, no special Independence Day celebrations. On the other hand, he was strict about reciting the Mi Sheberach for IDF soldiers and described Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers as a “sacred and awesome day.”

Because the founding of the State of Israel was spiritually significant, he said, the Sitra Achra—the “Other Side”—might have opposed it had it been led by Torah-observant Jews

A few years ago, in his weekly shiur printed in the Beit Ne’eman yeshiva bulletin, Rabbi Mazuz offered an explanation for this dual approach. Because the founding of the State of Israel was spiritually significant, he said, the Sitra Achra—the “Other Side”—might have opposed it had it been led by Torah-observant Jews. To deflect this danger, Hashem brought about the state specifically through secular Jews. This comment offers a key to his worldview: on the one hand, the state’s founding was a momentous, even heavenly development; on the other, the fact that it was led by Jews distant from Torah and mitzvot, and founded as a secular democratic regime, rendered it in some sense “profane” and distanced it from the complete redemption, which will come through the return of all Jews to the Land of Israel under Torah leadership.

This approach is reminiscent of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt”l. Each year on Independence Day, he would speak of the miraculous nature of the state’s founding and of the sacred duty to give thanks to Hashem, but did not alter the prayer liturgy to mark the day. Yet, it seems that Rabbi Meir Mazuz may have been the only Charedi rabbi in Israel to use the expression Atchalta de-Geula, a term usually associated with disciples of Rabbi Kook.

What lay behind Rabbi Mazuz’s complex worldview? In this article, I will attempt to trace the roots from which he drew—roots that shaped him into one of the most independent-minded figures in the Charedi world.

A Charedi Zionism in Tunisia

Rabbi Meir Nissim Mazuz was born on the 13th of Nisan 5705 (1945) to Rabbi Matzliach and Esther Mazuz, scion of a renowned rabbinic dynasty in the Jewish community of Tunisia. Rabbi Matzliach served as a dayan on the rabbinical court in Tunis. Indeed, he was its last dayan—his tenure lasted until the court was closed by the authorities in 1958. He was known for his vast Torah knowledge and authored profound halachic responsa published in his four-volume She’elot u-Teshuvot Ish Matzliach. He later served as rosh yeshiva under Rabbi Nissim Pinson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s emissary to Tunisia, but resigned shortly after when Rabbi Pinson sought to introduce French studies into the yeshiva curriculum. In Kislev 5723 (1962), he founded the Kisse Rahamim yeshiva together with one of his students. The yeshiva began in a modest apartment, with no financial infrastructure; the only contact students had with their parents was through letters, which often arrived only a week later.

Rabbi Meir, the eldest son in the family, was soon recognized for his extraordinary talents. Already at the age of six, he could chant the weekly Torah portion with all its cantillation and grammatical nuances, and he read widely in Torah literature and beyond. He was blessed with a phenomenal memory, “a sealed cistern that does not lose a drop.” From a young age, he was proficient in Tanach, Jewish philosophy, Sephardic liturgical poetry, and more. His brilliance was plain to all, and by seventeen he was already delivering advanced Gemara classes at Rabbi Pinson’s yeshiva as a regular faculty member. When his father left and established Kisse Rahamim, Rabbi Meir joined him in laying the foundation for the new institution.

In the context of his Tunisian upbringing, it is important to note that the Jewish community of Tunisia had a tradition of support for Zionism. One of the most prominent rabbinic leaders during the founding of the State of Israel was Rabbi Moshe Kalfon HaKohen zt”l, Chief Rabbi and Head of the Rabbinical Court of Djerba. Rabbi Kalfon authored numerous works on halacha and Jewish custom. Despite his deep-rooted traditionalism and strong opposition to modern influences—including resistance to the establishment of an Alliance school in Djerba due to its inclusion of secular studies—he was an ardent Zionist and firmly supported the movement and its national project.

In a sermon he delivered on Parashat Naso (12 Sivan 5680), just days after the Balfour Declaration, he declared that the declaration represented the beginning of redemption (atchalta de-geula)

For example, in his book Zekhut Moshe, he wrote:

“In our times, many of our Jewish brethren—though they did not grow up steeped in Judaism, Torah, and mitzvot, and are judged as tinokot she-nishbu—nonetheless, a national spirit has awakened in their hearts, a love for the survival of the Jewish people and its continued existence as a distinct nation among the nations of the world.”

Similar expressions of praise for the Zionist movement appear throughout his writings. In a sermon he delivered on Parashat Naso (12 Sivan 5680), just days after the Balfour Declaration, he declared that the declaration represented the beginning of redemption (atchalta de-geula). The sermon, printed as the fifth homily in his book Mateh Moshe, includes this passage:

“From now on, there is no doubt that this is the beginning of the redemption. It is fitting for every Jew to offer a thousand thanks to the Blessed One for the redemption and the salvation—for Hashem has remembered His people and delivered us from bondage to redemption.”

Rabbi Kalfon encouraged aliyah to the Land of Israel and even instituted the celebration of Israel’s independence in Djerba. He ruled that no Tachanun should be said for three consecutive days (4-6 Iyar) and that Hallel should be recited on Independence Day.

There is no doubt that Rabbi Kalfon’s views—he was widely considered the leading Torah figure of Djerba and a descendant of a distinguished rabbinic and priestly lineage dating back to Ezra the Scribe—exerted a strong influence on Rabbi Meir Mazuz.

The Terror Attack That Brought the Yeshiva to Israel

During the Six-Day War, riots broke out across Tunisia. Arab mobs gathered in the streets, burned synagogues, and looted Jewish-owned stores. Amid the violence, the local Jews sought safety behind locked doors, living out the verse: “Hide for but a brief moment until the wrath has passed.” Miraculously, no Jewish lives were lost. The rioters did not spare Kisse Rahamim Yeshiva either. Though it was bolted shut, the mob tried to break in. When they failed, they turned their rage toward the sign above the entrance—“Yeshivat Kisse Rahamim,” written in Arabic, French, and Hebrew—and tried, unsuccessfully, to tear it down.

Rabbi Matzliach Mazuz and his son, Rabbi Meir, watched the entire scene unfold from the window of their home on the upper floor of an apartment building facing the yeshiva. According to family tradition, Rabbi Matzliach was reminded of the Talmudic story of the “Doors of Nicanor,” which miraculously withstood attack (Yoma 38a), and offered a contemporary paraphrase: “Now that miracles have occurred through this stone, when we reopen the yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael, this very stone will be established there.”

This story, recorded by Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz (Rabbi Meir’s brother) in his book Chizku Ve-Ya’ametz Levavchem, published in honor of the yeshiva’s 50th anniversary, underscores Rabbi Matzliach’s desire to relocate Kisse Rahamim to the Land of Israel. He himself would not live to see it.

The assassination of his father by a Palestinian sympathizer profoundly shaped the strongly nationalist positions Rabbi Meir Mazuz would later articulate as a public leader

On the 21st of Tevet 5731 (1971), while returning home after morning prayers, wrapped in tallis and tefillin, Rabbi Matzliach Mazuz was shot and killed by a pro-Palestinian Muslim gunman. News of his murder shook Jewish communities around the world. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who had corresponded with him extensively on halachic matters, delivered a public eulogy in Israel. Some conspiracy theorists claimed that agents of the Jewish Agency had orchestrated the murder to compel Tunisian Jews to make aliyah, but Rabbi Meir Mazuz firmly rejected such claims out of hand. On the Kisse Rahamim website, in response to question 4719 in the “Ask the Rabbi” column, he answered in his characteristically sharp and unequivocal style: “A lie. No such thing ever happened.”

The local authorities apprehended the murderer, who was sentenced to many years in prison. Following the attack, all of Rabbi Matzliach’s children made aliyah, and the yeshiva was relocated to Israel. The assassination of his father by a Palestinian sympathizer profoundly shaped the strongly nationalist positions Rabbi Meir Mazuz would later articulate as a public leader.

The Political Outlook of Rabbi Meir Mazuz

Rabbi Meir Mazuz was a staunch supporter of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria, and even established a branch of his Kisse Rahamim Yeshiva in the settlement of Emmanuel. He strongly opposed the Oslo Accords, warning that they would lead to the shedding of Jewish blood. During the Disengagement Plan (Hitnatkut) from Gush Katif in 2005, he actively participated in right-wing demonstrations and signed a letter supporting the ruling of settler rabbis who endorsed the refusal of soldiers to follow evacuation orders. During this time, Rabbi Shaul Bar-Ilan authored a book titled The Wonder Button, which enumerated the prohibitions violated by those who expel Jews from their homes; Rabbi Mazuz wrote a glowing endorsement for the work. In 2006, when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fell into a coma from which he never recovered, Rabbi Mazuz declared it a punishment from Heaven for the disengagement.

In the lead-up to the 2015 elections (20th Knesset), Eli Yishai broke away from Shas and established the “Yachad” party with the backing of Rabbi Mazuz. The party ran jointly with Otzma Yehudit, whose representative Baruch Marzel was placed fourth on the list. Rabbi Mazuz was publicly recognized as the party’s spiritual leader and personally shaped its list of candidates. The joint party ultimately failed to pass the electoral threshold. During this period, Rabbi Mazuz developed a close relationship with Marzel, even visiting his home in Hebron. A spokesperson for Kisse Rahamim referred to Marzel as a “friend of the yeshiva.”

In his political activity, Rabbi Mazuz often cooperated with prominent Religious Zionist rabbis such as Rabbi Dov Lior and Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu. In the 2021 elections (24th Knesset), he endorsed Otzma Yehudit—a move that surprised many in the Charedi community and drew sharp criticism. It was the first time a Charedi rabbi encouraged voting for a non-Charedi party on ideological, rather than religious, grounds. Yet for those who knew him, the move was consistent: Rabbi Mazuz had always held deeply right-wing political views, aligned in many ways with Religious Zionist ideology. His adherence to an independent path led to his break from the Shas movement, and he remained something of an outlier among Bnei Brak’s mainstream rabbinic leadership.

One may agree or disagree with the views of the late Rabbi Meir Mazuz zt”l. But one cannot help but be moved by his courage and even admire him. Following the tragic murder of his father, while still in his twenties, he immigrated to Israel and rebuilt the Kisse Rahamim Yeshiva from the ground up. Under his leadership, it grew into a major Torah institution, known throughout the world of Torah learning, all while preserving the methods, rigor, and spirit of his father’s teachings to the letter.

As for his political worldview, Rabbi Mazuz followed the path of his father—the revered author of Ish Matzliach—and of the great rabbis of Djerba and Tunisia. He did so without regard for the norms of contemporary Charedi politics, and without concern for the type of kippah a particular MK might wear—black or knitted

As for his political worldview, Rabbi Mazuz followed the path of his father—the revered author of Ish Matzliach—and of the great rabbis of Djerba and Tunisia. He did so without regard for the norms of contemporary Charedi politics, and without concern for the type of kippah a particular MK might wear—black or knitted. Here, too, one might take issue with his path. But it is impossible not to respect the truth and integrity that guided him.

We live today in a time of confusion and uncertainty. The Charedi community faces new and unprecedented challenges, and many are searching for a path between Charedi identity and Israeli civic life. In this moment, the model offered by Rabbi Mazuz—a Charedi Torah leader deeply connected to the State of Israel—may serve as a source of inspiration for many.

May his merit protect us.