With the Iranian people rising up in recent weeks against the tyrannical regime of the Ayatollahs, the bravery of Iranian protesters has captured the imagination of onlookers around the world. What is remarkable and unique about the Iranian protest movement is the absence of a singular charismatic leader inspiring the masses. Most revolutions and freedom movements throughout history have rallied around a great leader, and the biblical Moses has long served as the iconic figure for liberation movements, inspiring revolutionaries both Jewish and non-Jewish across the centuries.
In this week’s Torah portion, the portion of Va’era (Exodus 6:2-9:35), Moses emerges as the unlikely leader and deliverer of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt toward freedom in the Promised Land. Despite being chosen by God for this monumental task, Moses protests his inadequacy:
His self-doubt and speech impediment made him an improbable candidate for leadership. Yet it was precisely this humble, reluctant leader who would become history’s greatest symbol of freedom.
Herzl: A Modern Moses
Zionism, the great liberation movement for the Jewish people—the movement for Jewish sovereignty and self-determination—was similarly blessed with an extraordinary leader in Theodor Herzl, a once-in-a-millennium figure. Like Moses, Herzl was an unlikely leader: an outsider with minimal Jewish education or religious background who would nevertheless transform the destiny of his people.
Theodor Herzl was born in 1860 in Budapest, then part of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian Empire, to Jacob and Jeanette Herzl. By all external appearances, the family represented the successful Jewish assimilation that many believed was the answer to centuries of persecution. They spoke German rather than Yiddish, celebrated Christmas alongside Jewish holidays, and moved easily in non-Jewish society.
Yet beneath this assimilated exterior, something deeper stirred in young Theodor’s imagination. His paternal grandfather, Simon Herzl, had lived in Zemun, Serbia, where he was active in the Jewish community and deeply influenced by his rabbi, Yehuda Alkalai—one of the earliest advocates for Jewish return to the Land of Israel. Simon’s passion for Zion left an indelible impression on his grandson. “In my youth,” Herzl wrote in his diary, “I heard my grandfather speak of the Land of Israel with such fervor that it burned into my memory. He longed for Zion with all his heart.”
Although not particularly observant, Herzl looked to the Bible for personal inspiration, and specifically to Moses as his model. Here was a man who gazed upon two thousand years of exile and persecution and boldly declared, “If you will it, it is no dream.”
A Messianic Dream
In my new book Universal Zionism, I recount a remarkable dream Herzl experienced at age twelve—a vision so profound that he kept it secret for most of his life. Only a few months before his death, Herzl shared this childhood revelation with his biographer, Reuven Brainin, who was so astonished by the account that he transcribed Herzl’s words verbatim. The dream, published in Brainin’s 1919 biography The Life of Herzl, offers a glimpse into the spiritual depths of a man often dismissed as merely a secular visionary:
“One night, I had a wonderful dream. The King Messiah came, and he was old and glorious. He lifted me in his arms, and he soared with me on the wings of the wind. On one of the clouds full of splendor, we encountered the figure of Moses. His appearance was like that of Moses hewn in marble by Michelangelo, for in my early childhood, I loved to look at photographs of that statue. And the Messiah called to Moses, ‘For this child I have prayed!’ Then he turned to me and said, ‘Go and announce to the Jews that I will soon come and perform great miracles for my people and for the whole world.’ I woke up, and it was only a dream. I kept this dream a secret and didn’t dare tell it to anybody.”
This extraordinary revelation illuminates Herzl’s deep familiarity with biblical imagery and Jewish messianic hopes. Even more remarkably, the dream linked Jewish redemption with universal salvation: “great miracles for my people and for the whole world.”
Freedom for All Nations
Just as Moses led the Israelites to freedom and became the inspiration for liberation movements throughout history, the young Herzl intuitively understood that Jewish restoration would bless all of mankind. This represents an early glimpse of Universal Zionism—the recognition that Israel’s redemption is not solely for the Jewish people but holds the key to unlocking unprecedented blessings for all nations.
Moses didn’t simply free slaves; he established a nation with a moral mission. The Exodus wasn’t just about escaping Pharaoh’s tyranny—it was about creating a society founded on justice, human dignity, and divine law. When God commands Moses to tell Pharaoh, “Let My people go that they may serve Me” (Exodus 7:16), the purpose is clear: freedom isn’t an end in itself but the foundation for a higher calling.
This is the vision that connects Parshat Va’era to Universal Zionism and to contemporary freedom movements like the Iranian uprising. True liberation means not just throwing off the chains of oppression but building something meaningful in its place—a society that serves as a model and inspiration to others.
We pray that the Iranian people can draw upon the inspiration of Moses and Herzl, and that God blesses their courageous efforts with the downfall of their Pharaoh-like oppressors toward ultimate freedom in their own homeland. May their struggle remind us that the quest for liberty is universal, and that Israel’s own journey from slavery to sovereignty continues to light the path for all peoples yearning to be free.
