Utolsó frissítés: 2026.06.05. — Szerző: Anti-Propaganda News Blog
A Three Vows (Shavuot with Scarves) is the most important cornerstone of traditionalist, anti-Zionist Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) Jewish theology. This Talmudic passage constitutes the main religious argument in favor of the view that modern, man-made The Founding of the State of Israel and the political and military occupation of the Holy Land is, in fact, a violation of God’s will.
Let's take a closer look at where this concept originated, what it entails, and how it has become a focal point of recent political debates.
Source of the text: The Song of Songs and the Talmud
The Song of Songs (Sir Hásirim) is essentially a love poem, which Jewish exegesis (scriptural interpretation) interprets as an allegory of the mystical love relationship between God and the Jewish people. The book contains a recurring phrase that appears three times (2:7, 3:5, 8:4), imploring the daughters of Jerusalem:
„(…) do not stir up or awaken love until she is ready.”
A Babylonian Talmud (a Ketubot (on page 111a of the treatise) explains this biblical verse, which is repeated three times, by stating that God, on the occasion of the second exile of the Jewish people (the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE), three great oaths He took on the world.
What exactly do the Three Vows entail?
According to the Talmud, oaths are divided between the Jewish people and the nations of the world:
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The First Oath (to the Jews): The Jewish people have vowed that they will not act en masse or by force—as if „forming a wall” (b’chomah) – to return to the Holy Land from exile.
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The Second Oath (for the Jews): They swore not to rebel against the ruling nations of the day or against international law while in the diaspora (that is, not to force independence through political or military means).
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The Third Oath (to the nations of the world): God made the other peoples of the world swear that, in return, they would not oppress the Jews by reducing them to an intolerable life of slavery (she-lo yishtabdu ba-hem yoter m’dai) during his exile.
The Talmudic text concludes with a grave warning: God declares that if the Jews break these oaths, He will make their flesh as desolate as that of the beasts of the field.
The Anti-Zionist Interpretation (The Szatmár School)
Although the Three Oaths remained a theoretical, messianic concept for centuries, with the emergence of Zionism it took on a sharp political edge. The most vocal and systematic anti-Zionist theology Joel Teitelbaum (1887–1979), the Rebbe of Szatmár, explained Mose Vájél (Moses agreed) in his monumental work.
The Hasidim of Szatmár and the Ultra-Orthodox Edah HaChareidis According to (Jerusalem)'s argument:
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The Zionist movement constitutes an open and deliberate violation of the first two oaths, since it established a state through human effort, political lobbying, and weapons before the coming of the Messiah.
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According to them, the Holocaust (Never) The horror of this was nothing less than the fulfillment of the Talmudic warning, as the early Zionists attempted to break through the walls of exile by force.
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Because of this movement, many ultra-Orthodox Jews to this day refuse to recognize the State of Israel, do not participate in elections, do not accept government funds, and refuse to perform military service.
The Religious Zionist Response: Why Is the Oath Invalid?
A Religious Zionists (those who consider the Torah and the state to be compatible) have, of course, developed serious theological arguments against the Three Oaths:
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The third oath failed: According to their argument, the nations of the world violated the third oath (the prohibition against intolerable oppression) through the Holocaust and centuries of pogroms. And if one party to the treaty breaks the oath, the other party (the Jewish people) is also released from its obligations.
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UN mandate: The oath prohibits violent rebellion against nations. The 1947 UN Partition Plan (Resolution 181), however, was the legal, international mandate from the community of nations to establish a Jewish state, so there was no „breaking down of walls” or rebellion.
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Agadic (non-legal) nature: Many people point out that the Three Oaths appear in the homiletic, spiritual-philosophical sections of the Talmud (Aggada) is listed, rather than the binding religious law (Halacha) among legal rulings. Maimonides (Rambam), the great legal scholar, for example, does not even mention the Three Oaths in his code of law.
The debate surrounding *The Three Oaths* faithfully reflects the internal tension within Jewish thought: Should one passively await historical justice (exile) through prayer, or should one actively shape one’s own destiny as a political actor?
