"But lots of people live in ..., I just can't belive that they're all sinning by doing so. And what about all the Gedolim who choose to live there? Rav ... said ...!"
Sweet Dreams
"My parents want me to be close to them, and according to Halakhah you have to listen to your parents."
Halakhic Sources
Conclusion
T his attitude towards Yishuv Eretz Yisra'el is not a new one. It is not a reaction to the foundation of the state in 5708. Actually, it is an attitude that is millennia old. In our nation's history records we find very similar reports:
The similarity between the two reports is striking. Most of the "modern" complaints can be summed up by "It is a land that devours its settlers", which implies physical, spiritual and financial danger. The rest can be read in between the lines.
Who were the reporters who brought back this report? Their names are listed as Shamu'a b. Zakur, Shafat b. Chori, Yigal b. Yosef, Palti b. Rafu, Gadi'el b. Sodi, Gadi b. Susi, Amiel b. Gemali, Setur b. Mikha'el, Nachbi b. Vafsi, Ge'u'el b. Makhi. The date on this report is the ninth of Av. The year is the first year after the Exodus. It is recorded in the Torah, in the book of Bamidbar (Numbers), chapter 13. These people were the spies sent by Mosheh Rabbenu to scout The Land. What were the results of the nation accepting this report? A yearly day of tragedies and mourning which we still observe (Tish'ah Be'av), forty years of wandering in the desert, death for all those over twenty.
It should also be pointed out that these spies were not wicked people. They weren't even average laymen. They were the spiritual leaders of the tribes, great tzaddikim, the gedolei hador (after Mosheh, Aharon and the Zekeinim), their only fault being this one sin. The following appears in Bamidar Rabbah 16:4:
The spies were the Gedolai HaDor, the Poskei HaDor ("the leaders of Benei Yisra'el"). It stands to reason that they didn't just come out and make illogical reports. They probably justified their statement, backed it up with numerous sources, maybe even wrote responsa on the issue. And still they were punished, along with all Benei Yisra'el who were relying on them.
How many Jews living in the Diaspora really regard living in Eretz Yisra'el as crucial to their Judaism? Not too many. Sure, all religious Jews will say that they want to live in Eretz Yisra'el--when the Moshi'ach arrives, when there's a Halakhic government, and when it gets all the modern American conveniences. But how many are really unhappy in America, for the time being? They build big houses. They buy fancy, expensive cars. They sit up late at night with their bottle of Miller and a big bucket of popcorn, in front of their big screen TV. Do these people really feel that they're missing something by being in chutz la'aretz? They make New York into their own Eretz Yisra'el, with Glatt Kosher restaurants, neighborhoods with only religious Jews, they even have their own radio stations and busses on which they can daven Shacharis with a minyan on their way to work. Why should they move to Israel? They have all they need there. After all, you don't have to live in Israel to be a good Jew, do you? They can observe the mitzvos in America, put on Tefillin, daven three times a day, give charity, observe Shabbos and the holidays, even learn Torah in yeshivos.
People don't like to feel that they're missing something. They're embarrassed to admit--to themselves and to others--that they're imperfect. And that's how you get "American" brand Torah Judaism. Most of those who really feel that living in Israel is important are there by now. The rest are happy in America, and don't particularly want to live in Israel, but can't admit that the fact that they have no desire to live where God wants them to live is a lack of commitment on their part. They can't admit that something they're doing is wrong, or that part of their philosophy on life is not what it should be. So they justify what they do. It isn't really a mitzvah these days to live in Israel. When the Moshi'ach comes, I'll move; until then there's no reason to. After all, you don't have to live in Israel to be a good Jew, do you?
N ow, who do you think wrote this? You may be thinking that it sounds very Zionist, so it must be one of these modern-day "religious Zionists", maybe even a member of the Knesset, in short, someone you feel no connection with, and someone to whom you have absolutely no desire to listen, correct? The real, frum, yeshivishe Gedolim would never write something like that, correct?
Incorrect. The author of the above paragraph was one of the biggest of the Ashkenazi "Misnagdeshe" Gedolim. His name is Rabbi Ya'akov Emdin, zatza"l, author of the famous siddur "Beis Ya'akov" and "Shu"s Ya'avetz" (the son of the Chakham Tzevi). The quoted passage is from his introduction to the siddur, which he named "Sulam Beis El", and is found on page 13. It sounds pretty convincing, doesn't it?
Later on we will examine other "yeshivishe" Halakhic sources that talk about living in Eretz Yisra'el. But we'll leave them for the end of this essay, because, as we will soon see, the obligation of living in Israel should be so apparent that no Halakhic sources should be necessary.
I t amazes me how many "frum" people have this attitude, when it is so clearly against the Torah.
What is the whole "story" of the Torah about, the one idea that is found from beginning to end? The main idea of Bereshis (Genesis) is God's promise to Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya'akov that He would give them the Land of Israel, Avraham's journey to Eretz Yisra'el, and the Jewish people's living in Eretz Yisra'el. (In fact the very first statement that God makes to the founder of our people and our religion is "Lekh Lekha"--"Go...to The Land".) At the end of Bereshis the Jews temporarily leave Eretz Yisra'el and become slaves in a foreign land, waiting to be redeemed and taken back to Eretz Yisra'el. The remainder of the Torah, the last four books, deals with leaving Egypt and the returning to Eretz Yisra'el.
The whole Torah deals with Eretz Yisra'el. How can someone claim to be religious but yet have no desire to live in Israel? If you remove Eretz Yisra'el from the Torah, it's a totally different book!
What about the numerous pesukim that indicate that all the mitzvos, even those that seemingly aren't connected to The Land, can only be done in completion in Eretz Yisra'el? Verses like "These are the statutes and the laws that you must be careful to keep in the Land..." (Devarim 12:1). And what about the Rashi on Devarim 11:18 (Rashi quotes the Sifri) that indicates that when we keep any of the mitzvos in chutz la'aretz, we are only "practicing" for when we enter Eretz Yisra'el and can really keep them:
How can a God-fearing Jew be satisfied performing mitzvos as practice when he has the opportunity to perform them properly, and get proper reward for doing so?
(See, also, what the Ramban writes, Vayikra, Acharei Mos, 18:25.)
I once read the response to a questionnaire. It looked something like this:
| 1. Religious Affiliation: | Orthodox |
| 2. Education: | Law Degree |
| 3. Aliyah Plans: | Unfortunately, college loans & law degrees don't mix well with Israel |
I was shocked. This is an "Orthodox" Jew? How could any religious Jew make a decision that would effectively lock him out from ever being able to move to Israel? What kind of kavanah could he have when he prays thrice daily for the restoration of the Beis Mikdash and the gathering of the exiles? He's happy there living in Flatbush, driving his Lexus, eating pizza and watching TV. Does he feel that anything is lacking? Does he really wish that he could be in Israel? Obviously not, for if he did he wouldn't have chosen a profession like he did. Well, he'll argue that there's no mitzvah to live in Israel today, and when the Moshi'ach comes he'll make aliyah. But is he sincere? Will he be able to live without his pizza and his NBC, his Lexus and his law firm when Moshi'ach comes? The Rambam writes that in the days of Moshi'ach everything will be the same, except that the Jews will dominate the world. But we'll still have to make a living, and he'll still be a lawyer who's only certified to work in the United States. Then what'll he do?
In reality when most content religious American Jews say that they long for the day when the Moshi'ach will come and everyone will live in Eretz Yisra'el, they are really saying that they long for the day when Moshi'ach comes and New York moves to Israel, along with all its modern conveniences and pleasures. In their eyes the difference between now and the days of Moshi'ach is that when Moshi'ach comes New York will be in Israel, the mayor will be Jewish instead of Italian, and everyone will be just like them. But in reality, that is not the case. Israel will be Israel. It won't have all the modern physical conveniences of New York. Most people will still drive white Subaru hatch-backs and the most common word on the street will still be the tongue-click that means "no".
What it all boils down to is that the American attitude to the Torah is a lack of Emunah. These people are living a lie; they're hypocritical. And when Moshi'ach does come, they'll be in for a shock.
It says in the Talmud that someone who lives in the Diaspora practices idolatry in holiness. In another place it says that someone who lives in the Diaspora is worshipping a false god. This sounds like a harsh statement. A number of explanations have been offered. A simple explanation is that the whole Torah is based on the concept of Eretz Yisra'el; if you remove Eretz Yisra'el from the Torah, it is a new book. Doing the mitzvos while choosing to be in chutz la'aretz is like doing them without the Torah. It's like another religion, and that's why it is like avodah zarah.
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