Parashat Vayeshev: How do We Solve the dilemma of Making Aliyah and Caring for Elderly Parents?

 

Parashat Vayeshev
How do We Solve the dilemma of Making Aliyah and Caring for Elderly Parents?

Are you Permitted to Make Aliyah While Leaving Elderly Parents Behind? 

When I made aliyah in 1980 it was the best thing I ever did. It was clearly what I had to do, it was simple, and it was smooth without any conflict. My parents were young and strong and definitely didn’t need my help taking care of them. On the contrary, it was a relief for them no longer to have to worry so much about their rebellious teenager. Having just turned 20, I was eager to forge a different life path away from my parents and with enough distance to avoid their constant surveillance. On the other hand, Israel wasn’t so far away from my parents’ abode in Denmark, so we could still relatively easily visit each other a few times a year and for special occasions. I understand that not everyone has such an ideal situation when making aliyah doesn’t conflict with family ties and obligations, which is one of the main justified deterrents from moving permanently to Israel. Making aliyah against a parent's wishes is certainly a huge moral dilemma. I heard about a family who wanted to make aliyah, but they were concerned about leaving their elderly parents behind. They asked their Rabbi, and I was surprised that he advised them against making aliyah for this reason. In my understanding, the mitzvah of honoring parents is vital unless their wishes infringe on the rest of our mitzvah observance. We learn this from “Each person shall revere his mother and his father, but you shall observe my Shabbats” (Vayikra 10:3). Our Sages (Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 32a) learned from this verse that honoring parents is never at the expense of other Torah obligations, as the parent is also obligated to carry out the mitzvot (Rashi). The mitzvah of living in the Land of Israel is not only central to keeping the Torah, but it is a Torah command: “You shall possess the Land and settle in it” (Bamidbar 33:53). Thus, the mitzvah to live in Israel overrides parental wishes. The question of whether to move to Israel despite parental opposition is subject to a dispute among the poskim (halachic authorities). It depends on how we understand the mitzvah of yishuv ha’aretz (to settle the land).  Rav Moshe Feinstein claims that no obligation exists requiring an individual to pick up and move to Israel. Rather, he classifies this mitzvah as kiyumit -  one fulfills a mitzvah by moving to Eretz Yisrael, but is not considered as having neglected a mitzvah if he refrains from doing so (Igrot Moshe, E.H 1:102).  However, the Beit Yehuda (Yoreh De’ah 54) follows the Mabit’s ruling, that one need not heed his parents’ objection to making aliyah. Rav Ovadya Yosef, (Yechaveh Da’at 3:69), cites the ruling of the Maharam of Rutenberg (Berlin edition, 28), that given the mitzvah involved in moving to Israel, one may do so even in the face of parental opposition. 

What is the Halacha Regarding Leaving Eretz Yisrael for Chutz La’aretz (Outside of the Land)?

Rabbi Yochanan said to Rav Asi: It is prohibited. Rav Asi further asked: If one is going to greet his mother, what is the halacha? Rabbi Yochanan said to him: I do not know. Rav Asi waited a little while and then came back to him. Rabbi Yochanan said to him: Asi, you are evidently determined to leave. May the Omnipresent return you in peace, and he said no more (Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 31b).

The Gemara relates that Rabbi Yochanan first tells Rav Asi to return the next day. After assessing Rav Asi’s mood, he tells him to go and return in peace. Why did Rabbi Yochanan wait a day before answering? Rav Shaul Yisraeli explains that the mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisrael is called יִשׁוּב/Yishuv – ‘settling.’ The mitzvah of settling Eretz Yisrael is to make a life here, rather than just having a physical presence. Thus, when Rabbi Yochanan saw that Rav Asi’s mother’s well-being was weighing heavily on him, he permitted him to leave Eretz Yisrael for a visit, as he was rather unsettled in Israel unless he could visit his mother (Amud HaYemani 22).  The decision will ultimately be based on a variety of factors, depending on the reason for the parent’s disapproval. Perhaps their disapproval is temporary or based on unwarranted concerns.  Perhaps they can be assuaged by frequent visits (Rabbi Elli Fischer translator, writer, and historian, edits Rav Eliezer Melamed’s Peninei Halakha in English). I personally know many people who made aliyah that visit their parents regularly to honor or care for them. It’s not either/or.

Who Will the Land Absorb and Who Will it Vomit Out?

Ya’acov was blessed that honoring his parents and settling in the Land of Israel coincided.  Parashat Vayeshev begins by offering two reasons for Ya’akov’s choice of where to settle in Israel.  One is because it was the land of his father’s dwelling, his family home.  The other is that it was the land of Canaan, as Ibn Ezra highlights, ‘the chosen land.’

ספר בראשית פרק לז פסוק א וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן:

“Ya’akov settled in the land, where his father sojourned, in the Land of Canaan” (Bereishit 37:1).

What need is there for the seeming repetition about where Ya’acov settled? Ya’acov was drawn to Israel not just because it was the family homestead, but because of its inherent qualities, its uniqueness, and sanctity.  Though, unlike his father, Yaakov had been forced by life’s circumstances to dwell elsewhere for a period of time, nevertheless, his desire and aspiration were to settle in Eretz Yisrael.  When the question of permanence came up not just living a couple of years here or there it was clear to him that it could be only in one place, namely, Eretz Yisrael.  This aspect of his relationship with the land stemmed from its holiness and it was independent of the fact that it happened to be where his father dwelled (Rav Menachem Mendel Kasher, Torah Shelema quoted by Rabbi Pesach Wolicki). Midrash Lekach Tov elaborates on the goodness of the Land of Israel:  The Land of Israel called טוֹבָה/Tovah – It is “a good and spacious land” (Shemot 3:8). It also states, “…this good mountain…” (Devarim 3:25).  After all, Esav fled from before him, “and he went to a[nother] land, because of his brother Ya’acov (Bereishit 36:6). The Land of Israel vomits the wicked, whereas the Land of Israel absorbs the righteous people (Midrash Lekach Tov (Pesikta Zutra) Bereishit 36:1). To live in the Holy Land, we need to be a holy people. Just like we choose the Land of Israel as our permanent residence, so does the Promised Land choose the Children of Israel, who keep the Torah. I find it interesting that 90% of aliyah from North America are Torah observant (https://aish.com/mitzvah-to-live-in-israel/). The Land absorbs those who want to keep the mitzvot here. Yet, Esav and his descendants, who refuse to keep the Seven Mitzvot of B’nei Noach do not belong in the Holy Land. Due to our long winding exile, the Divine placement has become mixed up. Unfortunately, many Torah-observant Jews are still living outside the Land, while idol-worshipping Christians and Muslim murderers somehow got a foothold in various places of the land of Israel. Yet, we are in the midst of shifting the inhabitants of the Promised Land to coincide with Divine order. Before long, G-dwilling, the land will vomit those who don’t belong here, whereas all the exiled Children of Israel will merit returning to settle the land of their Fathers!

When Will Our Parents Return Back Home Through Their Children?

The reason why anyone’s parents or any Jew lives outside of Israel today is that this shifting has not yet been completed. We are still awaiting the time when the Children of Israel will live peacefully under the sovereignty of G-d in Torah communities within the Holy Land. We, Ya’acov’s descendants are working toward fulfilling the Divine vision of the perfected nation shaping our own destiny in the Holy Land based on our deepest aspirations and ideals of the Torah lifestyle. During all our thousands-year exile, we have never relinquished the dream of return. Wherever we were, we prayed about Israel and facing Israel. Only in Israel does the calendar track the rhythms of the Jewish year. Only in Israel can we fulfill all the mitzvot of the dependent on the land. Only in Israel is Judaism part of the public square, not just the private, segregated space of synagogue, school, and home. Jews need a land because we are a nation charged with bringing the Divine Presence down to earth in the shared spaces of our collective life. This message, that Jews need a land to create our society and follow the Divine plan, contains a message for Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike. To Christians and Muslims, it says: you must believe that the G-d of Avraham, grants the children of Avraham the right to the Land that He promised them. To Jews, it says: that very right comes hand-in-hand with a duty to live individually and collectively by the standards of the Torah in justice and compassion, fidelity and generosity, love of neighbor and of the stranger, that alone constitute our mission and destiny: a holy people in the Holy Land (Based on Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Holy People, Holy Land Acharei Mot • 5771, 5784. The more we settle the land in holiness, the more our parents will follow, as I know so many families whose aging parents made aliyah and came to live with their children to be near their grandchildren and get nachat (pleasure) from their great-grandchildren here in Israel. We are living in times when prophecies are being fulfilled “that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers…” (Malachi 3:24).

Ya’acov’s Return to His Father Goes Hand in Hand with Returning to the Holy Land

Ya’acov settled in the land where his father lived. This is the fulfillment of his prayer: “If I return in peace to my father’s house, and Hashem will be my G-d” (Bereishit 28:11).  According to Rashbam, Ya’acov wanted to be near his father after a twenty-year exile.  He wanted to make restitution for all those years of separation, to support his elderly and sickly father, and also to draw spiritual sustenance from him.  Second, he wanted to live where his father lived, to have a sense of rootedness, of tradition, of continuity, and, consequently, a sense of permanence.  This was especially important to him after his years of impermanent residence at Lavan’s house in Aram, where a visit intended to last a few years became extended to 22 years. Ya’acov’s integration between returning to his father’s house and returning to the Holy Land is a paradigm for the way of life for his descendants – the Children of Israel.  For centuries Jews worldwide prayed and yearned for the day that would herald the possibility of returning to Eretz Israel. If we do not long for the same, we are forsaking the value system of Judaism. The Rambam states: “The great Sages used to kiss the borders of Eretz Israel, kiss its stones, and roll around in its dust” (Hilchot Melachim 5:11). He teaches us to develop a love for Eretz Israel. Just as those who came before us kissed its stones and rolled around in its dust, so too must we cultivate that love and yearning (Rabbi Pesach Wolicki). If we remain in exile to care for our parents, then what would prevent our children and children’s children from experiencing the same obstacles to making aliyah?  Someone must be the first generation to break the pattern. The dilemma regarding leaving parents to make aliyah would never occur in the ideal Torah world. When we all emerge from exile (may it be soon), there will no longer be a conflict between living near our parents and fulfilling the mitzvah of settling the Land of Israel.

Parashat Vayishlach: How do We Know that our Current Site of Kever Rachel is the Real Tomb of Rachel?

Parashat Vayishlach
How do We Know that our Current Site of Kever Rachel is the Real Tomb of Rachel?

What Enabled the Tomb of Rachel to Remain in Jewish Hands?

Kever Rachel (the Tomb of Rachel) is one of my favorite holy places to pray. We are blessed to live so close to Kever Rachel, a barely 25-minute ride from Bat Ayin (without traffic). When I went for fertility treatments 29 years ago, I prayed there almost every day. This was during those old brave days of my youth before we had a bypass road. I would drive to Kever Rachel, pass ‘the refugee camp’ of Dehesa, and then drive a bit more toward Jerusalem, park my car on the roadside, and enter the holy atmosphere of Rachel’s tomb. There I would pour out my soul in the merit of Mama Rachel and cry from the deepest part of my heart to be blessed with the fruits of my womb. I learned to supplement my prayer with actions from Ya’aov, when he prepared to face Esav who didn’t behave like his brother. When going through challenges, we need to use three different methods, like Ya’acov who prayed to Hashem, sent a gift, and prepared for war (Rashi, Bereishit 32:9). While I kept praying strongly, I saw many Rabbis for blessings, gave tzedakah (gift), and went through the most sophisticated fertility treatments (war). Thank G-d, Hashem responded favorably to my histadlut (efforts) and answered my prayer with a beautiful baby boy. Since then, I keep praying at Kever Rachel whenever I can. It was there I prayed for a wife for my son and thank G-d! Hashem once again answered my prayer. Following the violence of the first Intifada involving numerous attacks by the so-called ‘Palestinians’ against Israeli civilians and security forces, Beit-Lechem was given to the Palestinian Authority, though Israel retained control of Rachel’s gravesite. Thus, Kever Rachel became the main connecting point between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem, linking Judea with Yerushalayim. I recall that at a certain point, Israel was on the verge of handing over the Tomb of Rachel to the PA as it was thought to be too dangerous a place to keep secure.  Thankfully we, the women of Gush Etzion didn’t let that happen. We mobilized ourselves and divided the week with each community of Gush women filling private buses to pray at Kever Rachel on a different weekday. This put pressure on the government to keep the Tomb of Rachel in Jewish hands. Thus in 1996 (incidentally, the year my son was born), Israel’s Ministry of Religion built a fortress around the tiny Kever Rachel structure, to secure it with two guard towers, three-foot thick concrete walls, and barbed wire. The construction effort endured Arab rioters and gunmen. While the new building differs greatly from the old romantic look of Kever Rachel that you can find in old paintings and photos, I am so grateful to have witnessed how Hashem responded favorably to women’s dedication to one of the important holy sites in the Land of Israel.

How can the Tomb of Rachel be Both in Beit-Lechem and in Binyamin’s Portion?

ספר בראשית פרק לה פסוק טז וַיִּסְעוּ מִבֵּית אֵל וַיְהִי עוֹד כִּבְרַת הָאָרֶץ לָבוֹא אֶפְרָתָה וַתֵּלֶד רָחֵל וַתְּקַשׁ בְּלִדְתָּהּ:

(יז) וַיְהִי בְהַקְשֹׁתָהּ בְּלִדְתָּהּ וַתֹּאמֶר לָהּ הַמְיַלֶּדֶת אַל תִּירְאִי כִּי גַם זֶה לָךְ בֵּן: (יח) וַיְהִי בְּצֵאת נַפְשָׁהּ כִּי מֵתָה וַתִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ בֶּן אוֹנִי וְאָבִיו קָרָא לוֹ בִנְיָמִין: (יט) וַתָּמָת רָחֵל וַתִּקָּבֵר בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶפְרָתָה הִוא בֵּית לָחֶם:

“They journeyed from Beit El, and there was still some distance to come to Efrat, then Rachel gave birth, and her labor was difficult. It came to pass when she had such difficulty giving birth, that the midwife said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, for this one, too, is a son for you.’ It came to pass when her soul departed for she died that she named him Ben-oni, but his father called him Binyamin. So Rachel died, and she was buried on the road to Efrat, which is Beit-Lechem” (Bereishit 35:16-19).

The Torah indicates that Rachel was buried in Beit-Lechem on the road to Efrat, and that this is the place of Rachel’s tomb to this day. While I definitely sense the holiness of Kever Rachel, I always had a hard time reconciling its present-day location with the Midrash quoted by Rashi, that Ya’acov buried Rachel on the road rather than entering her to the city of Beit-Lechem due to the divine command so that she would be of assistance to her children when they were exiled to Babylonian. They would then pass by Rachel’s Tomb, and she would emerge from her grave and weep and beg mercy for them, as it is said: “A voice is heard on high [in Ramah], lamentation, bitter weeping, Rachel is weeping for her children” (Based on Rashi, Bereishit 48:7). When looking at a map it just doesn’t make sense that the Jewish exiles would go down to Beit-Lechem in the South, on their way to Babylon Northeast of Israel. Furthermore, Rabbi Meir states, [Rachel] died in her son’s territory (i.e. Eretz Binyamin) (Sifri Beracha 11, also quoted by Ramban, Bereishit 48:7). Yet, the Tanach teaches us that the Land of Binyamin is north of Jerusalem, whereas Beit-Lechem is south of Jerusalem in Yehuda’s portion (See Yehoshua 18:16; Megillat Ruth 1:1). Moreover, when Shaul came to the prophet Shemuel in Rama, he seems to be indicating to Shaul that Kever Rachel is a skip and a hop from Shemuel’s abode located at the edge of Binyamin’s land:

“When you leave me today, you will find two men by Rachel’s tomb, on the border of Binyamin and Zelzah. They will tell you, the donkeys which you went to seek were found. And your father has ceased to care about the donkeys, and has become anxious about you, saying, what shall I do about my son? Then shall you go on forward from there, and you shall come to Elon Tavor, and there you shall be found by three men going up to G-d to Beit-El…  (I Shemuel 10:2-3).

The words of the prophet when describing Rachel’s crying for her children is another support that Rachel’s tomb is near Shemuel’s dwelling in Rama:

“So says Hashem: A voice is heard in Rama, lamentation, bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, she refuses to be comforted for her children for they are not” (Yirmeyahu 31:14).

The Tomb of Rachel is Described as a Stage in Shaul’s Spiritual Progression

1. How can Rachel’s Tomb be in Beit-Lechem (South of Jerusalem) while also in Binyamin’s territory      (North of Jerusalem)?

2. If Shemuel indicates that Kever Rachel is near his abode in Ramah, and in Binyamin’s portion how can it be in Beit-Lechem (Yehuda’s portion)?

3. If Yirmeyahu states that Rachel’s weeping is heard in Ramah (north Jerusalem) how can she be buried in Beit-Lechem?

4. Why would the Jewish exiles on their way to Babylon (Northeast) pass by Rachel’s tomb in Beit-Lechem (South)?

So how do we resolve all these difficulties in determining the true location of Rachel’s Tomb?

    1. The statement that Rachel was buried in her son’s territory (Sifri Beracha 11), can be understood in the light of the fluidity of the borders in the Torah, different from the fixed barriers we have today.  For example, Kiriat-Ye’arim is included in Yehuda’s portion in Yehoshua 15:9,60, while three chapters later it is listed as one of the cities of Binyamin (Yehoshua 18:28). When examined closely, Rabbi Meir’s statement is not an attempt to relocate Kever Rachel north of Yerushalayim; rather, it is an expansion of Binaymin’s borders to include the area of Beit-Lechem in the future. The context of the Sifri is not about the location of Kever Rachel; but about the defining in whose tribe the Beit HaMikdash is located. At the time of Shaul, the border may have shifted to the south and west of Jerusalem.

    2. The mention of Kever Rachel in the book of Shemuel doesn’t necessarily negate its southern location. When Shmuel mentions Kever Rachel, rather than referring to a geographic marker, he describes Shaul’s spiritual ascent to Kingdom. Shaul grows from a “donkey-seeker” to a man imbued with the spirit of G-d. Meeting two men from Kever Rachel is the first of Shaul’s three-step progression of spiritual development which culminates in prophesy as it states: 

“You shall meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, and a tambourine, and a pipe, and a lyre, before them; and they shall prophesy; And the spirit of Hashem will come upon you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man (I Shemuel 10:6).

The current presence of these men at the Tomb of Rachel is not a way for him to find them – for they won’t be there (south of Yerushalayim) when Sha’ul meets them; rather, they will be coming north, from Rachel’s Tomb, and Sha’ul will meet them at Zelzah (wherever that is).  The final phrase – and [you] shall be turned into another man – is the goal and summation of the entire process (Dr. Yoel Elitzur (Sinai #92, Fall 1982, pp. 35-45).  I thought of another spiritual perspective on why Shemuel mentioned Kevurat Rachel to Shaul as the first step in his spiritual transformation to “be turned into another man.” Shaul is a direct descendant of Binyamin, and Rachel is his mother. Therefore, as his first step of transformation from a regular person to becoming the first King of Israel imbued with prophetic spirit he needs to receive Mama Rachel’s blessings. Therefore, he must return to his original mother, Rachel, in anticipation of his spiritual rebirth.

How Would the Jewish Exiles Pass by Rachel’s Tomb on Their Way to Babylon?

    3. When Yirmeyahu mentions Rachel’s voice of lamentation in Ramah it doesn’t prove that she was buried in that location. First of all, the word Ramah can also mean ‘high place,’ and thus Chabad and others translate Yirmeyahu 31:14 as “A voice is heard on high…”  Ramban notices that it doesn’t state that the voice emanated from Ramah, he explains: “I have also seen that Rachel’s grave is not in Ramah nor near it, [as the plain meaning of the verse in Yirmeyahu 31:14 seems to indicate: A voice is heard in Ramah… Rachel weeping for her children.]  Instead, I say that the verse is a metaphor, in the manner of rhetorical expression, that Rachel wept so loudly and bitterly that her voice was heard from afar in Ramah, which was on top of the mountain of [the territory of] her son Binyamin. She cried for her children who went into exile because they were not there, and she was desolate of them. Thus, Scripture does not say, “In Ramah, Rachel weeps for her children.” but it says that the voice was heard there (Ramban 35:16).

    4. Ya’akov’s decision to bury Rachel on the road to be a sentinel for the exiles who would pass by does not necessarily invalidate the location of Rachel’s tomb near Beit-Lechem. The following beautiful Midrash clarifies Ya’acov’s reasons for burying his beloved wife on the roadside:

I buried her there. Why? It was known to Ya’akov, that ultimately the Beit haMikdash (Temple) would be destroyed and his children would go into exile, and they would go to the patriarchs [in Chevron] begging the patriarchs to pray for them, but they wouldn’t help them. Once on the road, they would come and embrace Kever Rachel, and she would stand and beg G-d’s compassion… (P’sikta 2:3). This midrash solves my quandary about how Beit-Lechem could be on the way from Israel to the Babylonian exile. When coming northward from Chevron you certainly must pass Kever Rachel in Beit-Lechem.

The Tomb of Rachel – The Primary Place for Prayer in Pain

Rachel represents the Jewish nation in trouble, just as Rachel herself was when Binyamin was born. This is why we all seek the shoulder of her tomb to cry on when we are in distress. I was very moved when reading the following midrash in its entirety (See Sefer HaYashar, Book of Bereishit, Vayeshev 8), about how Yosef prayed at his mother’s tomb on his way to Egypt. Here is a short summary: The first person to pray at Rachel’s tomb was her eldest son, Yosef, who was only 7 when his mother died. When he was 17, his brothers sold him into slavery. As he was being carried away to Egypt, he broke away from his captors, ran to his mother’s grave, and cried to her: “Mother, my mother who gave birth to me, wake up, arise and see my suffering.” “Do not fear,” he heard his mother answer. “Go with them, and G‑d will be with you.” Since Yosef’s brothers sold him in Shechem, Beit-Lechem, in the south of Israel, is certainly on the way to Egypt. Kever Rachel is one of the first resting places mentioned in the Torah where Jews would come to and pour out their soul in prayer.

Kever Rachel in Beit-Lechem – The Epitome of Praying at the Tombs of the Righteous

ספר בראשית פרק לה פסוק כ וַיַּצֵּב יַעֲקֹב מַצֵּבָה עַל קְבֻרָתָהּ הִוא מַצֶּבֶת קְבֻרַת רָחֵל עַד הַיּוֹם:

“Then Ya’acov erected a monument on her grave; that is the tombstone of Rachel until this day” (Bereishit 35:20).

When Ya’acov buried Rachel, each of his sons took a stone and placed it on her grave. Ya’acov then took a large stone and placed it on top of all the other stones. Thus, was formed the first monument on her grave. The stone of Ya’acov was on all of them since they placed 12 stones one on top of the other. Therefore, it says the pillar of the burial of Rachel  (Midrash Lekach Tov, Bereishit 35:20:2). This is one of the reasons for the custom of placing a stone upon a grave after visiting it. Thus, Rachel’s tomb – where we shed our tears – became the resting place that exemplifies our customs regarding all Jewish gravesites. Kever Rachel in Beit-Lechem encompasses the epitome of the minhag to pray at the tombs of the righteous. Let us keep praying at Kever Rachel for victory and lasting peace in the merit of Mama Rachel. “There is hope for your future, says Hashem, and the children shall return to their own [secure] border!” (Yirmeyahu 31:16). 

Parashat Vayetze: How are the Angels of the Land of Israel Different than Angels from Elsewhere?

 

Parashat Vayetze
How are the Angels of the Land of Israel Different than Angels from Elsewhere? 

How Do You Sense the Angels Present in Your Life?
I’ve always been fascinated by mystical and angelic beings, and I wish I could see them or at the very least communicate with even one. While I haven’t yet been blessed with a conscious relationship with my own guardian angel, I do sense the presence of angels in my life. When my sons were young, they often did so many dangerous things somehow without injuring themselves, that it seemed like Hashem’s angels were protecting them. It also regularly happens that I receive exactly what I was missing in mysterious ways as if an angel was appointed as my personal emissary. For example, several times when I prepared a fruit basket for a sick woman in our community but didn’t have the time to bring it, someone – who was anyway going in the same direction – came to my doorstep at that precise moment, happy to deliver it, what an angel!   Last week, for our Rosh Chodesh Kislev Retreat, I had to cook the Friday night meal for 19 people in two hours with only one kitchen helper. Somehow, we managed to prepare meat, veggies, several dips, and salads, besides a gluten-free dessert in a short time. Everything just flowed and we finished all the cooking and most of the cleaning up in the same amount of time it usually takes to cook for only two people! I truly sensed the extra helping hands of the angels. One of my friends claims to communicate with angels in her spiritual healing practice. She told me that the departed ancestors of her clients come to bring a message to help their descendants heal. To my reaction that departed ancestors aren’t exactly angels, she responded that they introduce themselves as angels, and she has learned that you can never win when arguing with an angel! So, considering that the original meaning of the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ/malach – ‘angel’ is ‘messenger,’ I concede that in a broader sense, anyone who carries a spiritual message can be considered an angel.

Do You Have to Be a Prophet to Sense the Presence of Angels?

I’m not going to argue with my friend’s claim that she communicates with angels, despite that according to Rambam angels cannot be perceived with our senses. Rather than being physical manifestations within this world, angels are an expression of Divine Supervision. Therefore, whenever Scripture refers to ‘seeing’ angels, it is due to a prophetic vision (Rambam, The Guide of the Perplexed 2:41-44). Ramban, however, makes a radical distinction between prophecy and visions, including the vision of an angel. Not only can one ‘see’ an angel without being a prophet, but there exists a phenomenon where one ‘sees’ things and experiences things normally not experienced. The Ramban agrees that angels being spiritual, are generally invisible, nonetheless, people who aren’t prophets could have visions of angels. It involves a deeper sense of seeing, as G-d “opens the eyes” of someone to enable him to see the angels that are really there. You cannot see them with normal eyes, which are sensitive to light waves, but G-d endows certain people with the special ability that allows them to ‘see’ angels (Based on Ramban, Bereishit 18:1). In defense of Rambam, we recall that the word מַלְאָךְ/malach – means ‘messenger or agent’ and angels can be understood to be G-d’s heavenly agents, closely associated with Him.  So, for instance, when an angel calls out to Hagar in the wilderness and tells her to return to Sarai (Bereishit 16:9-12), we understand it to refer to the voice of G-d.  This perception is strengthened by the fact that the angel uses a first-person singular case when referring to an action of G-d.  “He said to her: I shall greatly increase your seed; it shall not be numbered for multitude” (Bereishit 16:10). The same thing occurs when the angel prevents Avraham from slaughtering Yitzchak declaring “…now I know that you are a G-d-fearing person, for you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me” (Bereishit 22:12). This does not imply that a malach is another name for G-d, but rather it is Hashem’s emissary acting on His behalf.

 

What is an Angel and What is its Mission in the World?

There are many different sorts of angels, some who more directly represent Hashem’s will and others who carry out Divine retribution. Angels can manifest themselves through good or evil people who affect us. “G-d has made one corresponding to the other” (Kohelet 7:14). When a person sins, a destructive angel is created as it says about Bilam, when he went to curse the Jewish people, a destructive angel was created (Bamidbar 22:22,32). Yet, G-d’s compassion is expressed even through the destructive angel who waits for the person to do teshuva before it can return back home, where it desires to be. All the more so when we perform a mitzvah, we create a guardian angel (Midrash Shemot Rabbah 32:6). The mission of angels of this category is threefold:

1.     It saves us from harm and damage.

2.     It saves us and guards us from committing any wrongdoing.

3.  It goes before Hashem and recommends us for good, since the angel is created from the certain mitzvah that we performed.

(Tiferet Shlomo on the Torah, Parashat Devarim).

What is the Difference between the Angels of the Holy Land and Angels of Outside Israel?

In Parashat Vayetze we learn about the angels that escort Ya’acov when leaving the Land of Israel to build his family, and when returning back home.

ספר בראשית פרק כח פסוק יב

וַיַּחֲלֹם וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בּוֹ:

“He dreamed and behold! a ladder set up on the ground and its top reached to heaven; and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending upon it” (Bereishit 28:12).          

 

Rashi explains that the angels who escorted Ya’acov in the Holy Land ascended to heaven, as they do not serve outside the Land of Israel. Once Ya’acov left the Land of Israel, a different category of angels descended to escort him there (Rashi, Bereishit 28:12). Why did Rashi explain the Torah verse differently than its simple meaning that Ya’acov dreamed about a ladder on which angels would go up and down? According to the simple level of angels coming down and going up, it should have stated, “Descending” before “Ascending” since the abode of the angels is above, and we would expect them to come down from there before going back up.  Therefore, according to Rashi the Torah verse refers specifically to switching the angels of the Land of Israel with those outside of the Land. It thus makes sense that the angels of the Holy Land ascend and return on high when Ya’acov departs from there, before the new category of angels – whose domain is outside of Israel – descend to escort Ya’acov. One of the sub-commentaries on Rashi asks, why didn’t the angels from outside Israel descend to be ready to protect Ya’acov before the angels of the Land of Israel left him? Then Ya’acov wouldn’t be left even a moment without protection. He explains that the angels outside of Israel are on a lower level than those guarding the Holy Land. They, therefore, do not have permission to exhibit dominion in the presence of the angels of the Land of Israel, so they had to wait to descend until the angels of the Holy Land had ascended (Mashkil l’David, on Rashi, Bereishit 28:12). Even if we understand angels to represent Divine Providence, there is a distinction between Divine providence within the Land of Israel and outside her. This is stated explicitly in the Torah: “A Land Hashem, your G-d, looks after; the eyes of Hashem, your G-d are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year” (Devarim 11:12). Thus, the angels – the spiritual powers of G-d’s providence within the Land were taken from Ya’acov when he left the Land on his journey to Charan and were returned to him when he returned to the Land: 

ספר בראשית פרק לב פסוק ב וְיַעֲקֹב הָלַךְ לְדַרְכּוֹ וַיִּפְגְּעוּ בוֹ מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים:(ג) וַיֹּאמֶר יַעֲקֹב כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאָם מַחֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים זֶה וַיִּקְרָא שֵׁם הַמָּקוֹם הַהוּא מַחֲנָיִם:

“Then Ya’acov went on his way, and angels of G-d met him. And when Ya’acov saw them, he said, ‘This is the camp of G-d’ and he named that place Machanaim” (Bereishit 32:2-3).

AND ANGELS OF G-D MET HIM - the angels of Eretz Yisrael came to greet him and escort him to the Land. MACHANAIM - Two camps, [one of the angels] outside the land, who came with him up to here, and [one of the angels] of Israel, who came to greet him (Rashi, Bereishit 32:2-3).

Angels of Love versus Angels of Anger

I was wondering how exactly the angels of the Land of Israel distinguish themselves and was happy to discover an interesting answer from a Chassidic perspective: The angels in Israel are distinguished above all other angels as Angels of Love, while those outside Eretz Yisrael are Angels of Anger (Shem MiShmuel Parashat Vayishlacḥ 5678). This differentiation parallels the Talmudic distinction between the Torah scholars of Eretz Yisrael and Babylon.

Rabbi Oshaya said: “What is the meaning of the verse ‘And I took for Myself two staffs; one I called Pleasantness (Noam), and one I called Destroyers (Chovlim); and I tended the flock.’ ‘Noam’ refers to the scholars of the Land of Israel, who treat each other graciously when engaged in halachic debates; ‘Chovlim’ to the scholars of Babylon, who injure each other’s feelings when discussing halacha” (Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 24a).

Thus, the angels of Eretz Yisrael – similarly to the scholars of the Land – are angels of love, as opposed to the angels outside the Land, who are angels of anger. Service of G-d outside the Land is on the level of “Shun evil,” of instigating the Good Impulse against the Evil Impulse. In contrast, Divine service in the Land is on the level of “Do good” – The service of G-d filled with love and graciousness (Shem MiShmuel Parashat Vayishlacḥ 5678). The angels who accompanied Ya’acov assisted him in dealing with the various difficulties he faced. At the home of the deceitful Lavan Ya’acov had to overcome Lavan’s numerous attempts to cheat him. When returning to the Holy Land, Ya’acov’s service was once again on the level of pleasantness. Therefore, he was then escorted by angels of love who helped him with grace and pleasantness. Yet outside the Land, he was accompanied by angels of anger who helped him in his struggle to protect himself and his family from the deceit of Lavan. From the perspective that angels represent Divine Providence – outside the Land, G-d’s providence was limited to saving Ya’acov from Lavan’s evil, while within Eretz Yisrael G-d’s providence over Ya’acov was complete, and he dwelt in tranquility (Based on Nir Shaul, presented by: Rabbi Mordechai Gershon, Israel National News, Eretz Yisrael Yomi, Nov 12, 2021).

G-d’s Providence over the Land of Israel in Our Days

Whereas one can attain levels of spirituality and Torah learning outside Israel, G-d taught Ya’acov that the levels we can achieve in Eretz Israel are higher. As Rabbi Yehudah Halevi affirms, just as a vineyard can only flourish in a place with the proper conditions and climate, so can Israel only flourish spiritually on its own land (The Kuzari II, 12). Abarbanel concurs that the angels of Eretz Israel are superior to the angels in Chutz la-Aretz and that this was G-d’s way of reminding Ya’acov that he must return to Eretz Yisrael, which is on a higher spiritual level. Ya’acov understood the Divine message and took an oath that he would return to his father’s house in Eretz Israel:

ספר בראשית פרק כח פסוק כ וַיִּדַּר יַעֲקֹב נֶדֶר לֵאמֹר אִם יִהְיֶה אֱלֹהִים עִמָּדִי וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ וְנָתַן לִי לֶחֶם לֶאֱכֹל וּבֶגֶד לִלְבּשׁ: (כא) וְשַׁבְתִּי בְשָׁלוֹם אֶל בֵּית אָבִי וְהָיָה הַשֵׁם לִי לֵאלֹהִים:

“Ya’acov uttered a vow, saying, ‘If G-d will be with me, and He will guard me on this way, upon which I am going… Then I will return in peace to my father’s house, and Hashem will be my G-d (Bereishit 28:20-21).

Ya’acov, as we know, did return. Throughout the generations, Jews have been pursued and persecuted, and today is no exception. The merit of the Eretz Yisrael is crucial for the protection of Jews everywhere in the world. Yet, the challenges facing the Jewish people who have returned to our Holy Homeland are mitigated by the immense Divine protection we experience here. It is truly a miracle that we keep surviving! G-d’s special supervision in the Promised Land is certainly felt today more than ever, with the interception of so many missiles flying over Israel. It is undoubtedly due to G-d sending His protecting angels to guard us. May Hashem’s angels keep protecting our soldiers and may we experience even more revealed miracles in the Land as Hashem guides our leaders to let Good triumph over Evil! 

Parashat Toldot: Why was Yitzchak’s Relationship with the Land of Israel so Special?

Parashat Toldot
Why was Yitzchak’s Relationship with the Land of Israel so Special?

When are Jews Permitted to Leave the Holy Land?

I abhor having to leave the land of Israel. Whenever I must go to Chutz laAretz (abroad) I cringe inside for leaving my spiritual comfort zone. For me, Israel is not only my home, it is my everything. My soul is entwined with the spirit of the land where I perpetually inhale my spiritual nutrients. Yet, I am not a fanatic. I will leave the land when required. This summer B”H my mother (May she live to 120!) will celebrate her 90-year birthday in Denmark, and of course, my husband and I will be there to honor my mom with our presence. For twenty years (from year 2000 until the coronavirus pandemic) I have been going on my annual international speaking tours to teach Torah and fundraise for Midreshet B’erot Bat Ayin. I knew instinctively for such purposes there is no problem leaving the Holy Land. It is indeed permitted to leave the land of Israel to teach Torah and bring people close to mitzvah observance including the mitzvah to live in the land of Israel. Of the three dispensations that the Torah permits a Jew to live in the land of Israel: To find a spouse, for parnassa (livelihood), and for Torah study, Rav Melamed teaches that the latter hardly applies today since the majority of Torah scholars nowadays live in Israel. Yet commonly Rabbis are in demand to leave Israel to teach Torah and educate the Jews in the Diaspora to make Aliyah to Israel. This says Rav Melamed is not only permitted but even a mitzvah! (Peninei Halacha, The Nation and the Land Chapter 3 Section 9). Thus, I admire my neighbors across the street who recently returned from a 3-months stint at The Bayit Yehudi, in India. They have helped many Jews searching for spirituality in the Far East return safely home. I have a hard time understanding why so many religious residents of Israel choose to leave Israel for vacation. According to the statistics over 4.96 million citizens aged 25 to 59 traveled abroad in 2023 from Israel, this was only a modest increase since the prior year, so therefore not necessarily due to the October 7^th war. To give the benefit of the doubt large families save a considerable amount of money by vacationing outside of Israel, as hotels are substantially cheaper in Greece, Cypress, Romania, and the Balkans than anywhere in Israel. Furthermore, the prohibition to leave the land of Israel applies only to a minimum of one month since, when the law was enacted traveling from country to country could take several months (Rav Melamed, Ibid). Nevertheless, it is surely a great virtue to remain perpetually in the land the pious should avoid leaving Israel for vacation, because each day, and every moment a Jew stays in the Holy Land he fulfills the mitzvah of living in the land of Israel.

 

Is it a Mitzvah to Remain in Israel During Challenging Times?

The Sages said, “A person should always dwell in Eretz Yisrael, even in a city inhabited mostly by heathens, and he should not dwell outside the Land, even in a city inhabited mostly by Jews, for anyone who dwells in Eretz Yisrael is like one who has a G-d, and anyone who dwells outside the Land is like one who has no G-d” (Babylonian Talmud, Ketuvot 110b). Based on this sacrifice required by the Talmud for the sake of dwelling in Eretz Yisrael, I would think that for a Torah Jew, it would be worthwhile spending extra on vacation in Israel. For those who can’t afford the expense of Glatt Kosher hotels, I can testify that going camping and roasting chicken or fish over a bonfire can be a super meaningful experience for the family.   The notion that anyone who lives outside of Israel is as if he doesn’t have a G-d is usually not taught to Diaspora Jews. In New York, during Parashat Lech Lecha I once shared this quote, mentioned by Rashi on the Parasha, to the great misgiving of all the women present who had never been exposed to this concept (Rashi, Bereishit 17:8). Additionally, many of my FFB students (from religious homes) have likewise never heard of such an idea. They even try to deny it by claiming that it can’t apply to the many Torah-observant people who live outside of Israel. I would answer, that according to Ramban, keeping the mitzvot only applies in the land of Israel, keeping them outside of the land is only practice (Ramban, Vayikra 18:25). Rambam also emphasizes the virtue of remaining in the Land of Israel despite severe famine. Even when it is permitted to leave Eretz Yisrael it is not pious behavior to leave the Holy Land. Thus, G-d punished Elimelech, Machlon, and Kilyon, the greatest men of their generation with untimely death for leaving the Holy Land despite the severe famine in the land.  (See Megillat Ruth 1:5); Rambam, Laws of Kings and their Wars 5:9).

 

What is the Connection between the Torah’s Pun Linking the Red Soup to Esav’s Land?

In Parashat Toldot Avraham’s spiritual heritage which centers around the Land of Israel is apportioned. When Esav sold his birthright for a bowl of very red lentil soup, he forfeited his right to Eretz Yisrael:

ספר בראשית פרק כה פסוק ל

וַיֹּאמֶר עֵשָׂו אֶל יַעֲקֹב הַלְעִיטֵנִי נָא מִן הָאָדֹם הָאָדֹם הַזֶּה כִּי עָיֵף אָנֹכִי עַל כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמוֹ אֱדוֹם:

“Esav said to Ya’acov, ‘Pour into [me] some of this very red [soup], for I am faint;’ he was therefore named Edom” (Bereishit 25:30).

 

What is the connection between the red (Adom in Hebrew) soup and Esav’s name: Edom (red)? The color provides a basis for the name Edom given to Esav and his land.  The Torah refers to the land settled by Esav and his descendants as the land of Edom (see for example, Bereishit 36:16), rather than as the land of Esav. The name, Edom represents how Esav relinquished the right to become Yitzchak’s spiritual heir when he sold his birthright. Therefore, he and his descendants do not have a right to the land of Israel. His land is the land of Edom (outside of the Land of Israel). The connection between the red soup and Esav’s name Edom thus comes to teach us that through the deal of the red soup the land of Esav’s descendants became reduced to the land of Edom. They could therefore have no claim to the land of Israel (Rabbi Bernie Fox, What's So Important about the Soup?).

 

Planting the Shechinah in the Promised Land

In contrast to Esav forfeiting his right to the Land of Israel, Parashat Toldot illuminates how Yitzchak, his father steadfastly cleaved to the Holy Land and never separated from it. Even during the famine similar to that in his father’s time, Yitzchak did not follow in Avraham’s footsteps to go down to Egypt:

 

ספר בראשית פרק כו פסוק א וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ מִלְּבַד הָרָעָב הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בִּימֵי אַבְרָהָם וַיֵּלֶךְ יִצְחָק אֶל אֲבִימֶלֶךְ מֶלֶךְ פְּלִשְׁתִּים גְּרָרָה :(ב) וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו הַשֵׁם וַיֹּאמֶר אַל תֵּרֵד מִצְרָיְמָה שְׁכֹן בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֹמַר אֵלֶיךָ: (ג) גּוּר בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת וְאֶהְיֶה עִמְּךָ וַאֲבָרֲכֶךָּ כִּי לְךָ וּלְזַרְעֲךָ אֶתֵּן אֶת כָּל הָאֲרָצֹת הָאֵל וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת הַשְּׁבֻעָה אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִיךָ:

“Then there was a famine in the land, aside from the first famine that had been in the days of Avraham, and Yitzchak went to Avimelech the king of the Philistines, to Gerar. Then Hashem appeared to him, and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land that I will tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you, for to you and to your seed will I give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Avraham, your father’” (Bereishit 26:1-3).

 

During the most severe famine in the Land of Israel, Hashem promised Yitzchak that His Divine providence would accompany him and bless him specifically in the Holy Land. Why did G-d expect Yitzchak to remain in Israel despite the famine when He allowed both Avraham and Ya’acov to leave the land? The reason is that Yitzchak was too holy to leave the kedushah (holiness) of Eretz Yisrael. His near-death experience at the Akeida (Binding of Yitzchak) had transformed him into a holy korban (sacrifice), just as sacrifices would one day be proscribed outside the Land of Israel (and eventually outside the Temple Mount). Thus, Hashem told Yitzchak, “Do not go down to Egypt.” You are [as] a perfect burnt offering, and being outside the Holy Land is not fitting for you (Rashi, Bereishit 26:2 based on Tanchuma Buber, Toldot 6; Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 64:3). While Rashi emphasizes the singular and holy nature of Yitzchak, the Kli Yakar focuses upon Hashem’s Divine Presence linked with the Land of Israel: “It appears likely to me that the reason why Hashem prevented him [Yitzchak] from leaving Eretz Yisrael was because chutz l’aretz (outside the Land of Israel) is no place for the Divine Presence to make itself manifest. If that is the case, Hashem would have been unable [so to speak] to utter His prophetic utterances to Yitzchak regarding pressing matters of the moment. Therefore, Hashem was really telling him: ‘Dwell in the land wherein I manifest My Divine Presence, for therein I will speak to you at any moment I so desire regarding any matter of Prophecy’” (Kli Yakar, Bereishit 26:2). Both of these commentaries highlight the holiness of Eretz Yisrael. The fact that Eretz Yisrael is the land wherein the Shechinah dwells is also alluded to in the words that Hashem used to instruct Yitzchak to remain within the land. G-d addressed Yitzchak with the unusual wordשְׁכֹן /shechon rather than its more common synonyms שֵׁב/shev or גּוּר/gur becauseשְׁכֹן /Shechon is related to the word שְׁכִינָה/Shechinah (Divine Indwelling Presence). As the Midrash elucidates:

 

מדרש רבה בראשית פרשה סד פסקה ג וירא אליו הָשֵׁם ויאמר אל תרד מצרימה שכון בארץ עשה שכונה בארץ ישראל הוי נוטע הוי זורע הוי נציב ד”א שכון בארץ שכן את השכינה בארץ גור בארץ הזאת:

“Hashem revealed Himself to him and said, don’t go down to Egypt, dwell (שְׁכֹן/shechon) in the land.” Make a shechuna (neighborhood) in the land of Israel, that is, plant trees and seeds and raise up trees. Another explanation, dwell (shechon) in the land; make the Shechinah dwell (shachen) in the land, live in his land! (Midrash Bereishit Rabbah 64:3).

Yitzchak heeded Hashem’s command and began planting in the land and his work was blessed and yielded fruits:

 

ספר בראשית פרק כו פסוק יב וַיִּזְרַע יִצְחָק בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא וַיִּמְצָא בַּשָּׁנָה הַהִוא מֵאָה שְׁעָרִים  וַיְבָרֲכֵהוּ הָשֵׁם:

“Then Yitzchak planted in this land, and he found in that year a hundred ears of crop, for Hashem blessed him” (Bereishit 26:12).

May we, the descendants of Yitzchak, merit cleaving to the Promised Land and receiving Hashem’s blessings of bounty in the Land. May the following prophecy of trading instruments of war for farming tools be fulfilled in our days “…They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Yesha’yahu 2:4).