Over yontof, I happened to be in a shul which had a set of Tzitz Eliezer, and pulled out a random volume, since I do not have one. I was pleasantly surprised to find in Chelek 7, Siman 48, p. 222 beautiful quotations from Rav Kook. He refers to him as Hagaon HaRav Avraham Yitzhak Kook, and freely quotes from his article Kedushas Haaaretz in sefer Chazon Hageulah.
In this teshuvah the Tzitz Eliezer says it is absurd to believe that the geulah can’t happen through the Zionists, even though some were not observant. He says it is mefurash a story in Navi Melachim Beis 14:23-27 that King Yeravam ben Yoash was thoroughly wicked, yet the Jews at the time were severely oppressed, and so Hasehm saved them and brought about a geula for them, and expanded their borders through this wicked King.
He also deals with the 3 Shevuos and says they do not apply to the current situation. He says that Me’az pakad Hashem osanu ltova litein lanu shem vshearis b’eretz kodsho lihyos adonim bah, vnasan blev haumos haolam hameuchedes (the UN) kilichoreh bshayto (like in the time of Koresh) lhashiv lanu hagezeilah bchelek martzeinu (to return to the land which they stole from us), and the gates of Israel are wide open to all Jews of any types with no limitations, and everybody is welcome with open arms and simcha nafshis (the deep heartfelt happiness of one Jew welcoming another to Israel)…. and furthermore the nations of the world approve of this, so the Shevuos are rendered null.
Another point he makes (quotes a teshuva of another acharon) that if this happened through frum people, one could not say for sure that Hashem was behind it, as maybe the people took it upon themselves to try to do the mitzva of yishuv EY. But since the RBSH mysteriously put it in the hearts of Jews who seemingly were far away from Torah, and so many upon so many of them suddenly got interested in Zionism all at the same time, clearly it is a Ruach Mimarom that entered their hearts from Above.
All this uplifted my heart on yontof, seeing many of the things I had written here on YW over the years are actually the words of a big gadol. The Derech Eretz he has for Rav Kook, as well.
This is the hashkafa of optimism and simcha I have been trying to convey over the years here on YW. Which is more uplifiting, seeing the Yad Hashem in all this, or convincing oneself that Zionism is all an evil plot of the sitra achara (whatever that means)? Take your pick.
BTW, the opening post here cites examples of mitzvos done for the wrong kavana, but doesn’t make any mention of the sugya of mitzvos tzrichos kavana. Note that the Rambam paskens Talyuhu vachal matza yatza. (One who was physcially forced to eat matza does fulfill the mitzva, I believe, so mitzvos einan tzrichos kavana.)