Printable Version
Dear Rebbetzin Chana Bracha,
I grew up in NY and received a Chareidi education. While I love
my family and my community, I somehow feel out of place here. I’m yearning for
greater spirituality and closeness to Hashem and really wanted to live in the
Holy Land or at the very least visit and get inspired. When I asked my Rabbi
about going to Israel, he responded that it is not a good idea, because it is
dangerous. So, I listened to my Rabbi and stayed in NY for an entire year, but
I still feel torn. I want to respect my Rabbi, but on the other hand, I’m
really miserable and lonely in NY, and my heart is telling me that my place is
in Israel. What do you think? I really hope you can help advise me what to do,
because I cannot go on like this.
Fayga
Samuels (name changed)
Dear Fayga,
B'erot student trip to Kever Shimshon (Samson) |
I commend you on your
desire to do the right thing and respect your Rabbi. It is indeed very
important in the Torah that we respect our Rabbis, otherwise each person would
just do “whatever is straight in their eyes” and that would certainly undermine
the authority of Jewish law. On the other hand, if your Rabbi tells you to
disregard a fundamental mitzvah in the Torah, which numerous other respectable
Orthodox Rabbis uphold, then you cannot follow your rabbi blindly. The soul of
every Jew has a Divine spark, and when we truly yearn for closeness with Hashem
and for truth, we receive guidance, that may differ from our Rabbis’ advice.
When we desire to respect our rabbis, yet simultaneously listen to our inner
voice, we can ask our Rabbi for advice rather than for a halachic decision
which is binding upon us. The nature of your question to your rabbi sounds more
like a request for advice rather than for a halachic ruling, and it is
therefore not binding.
Overcoming Fears to
Receive Hashem’s Protection
In this week’s parasha, we
learn about the sin of the spies. They were the selected leaders of their
tribes. Nevertheless, they sinned because they thought it was dangerous to
conquer the Land of Israel. For thousands of years, throughout the generations,
we still bear the consequences of the sin of the spies. Thus, we fast for their
sin and ours every year on the 9th of Av. Hashem has promised us the
Land of Israel numerous times, and in recent time, He has wrought great
miracles for us, so that after two thousand years of exile, finally, the
Promised Land is once again in Jewish hands. Nevertheless, we are still filled
with fears, because we do not have enough bitachon, (trust) in Hashem’s
promise. I’m not just blaming your rabbi; we all share some of his fear, each
of us with a different fear threshold. For some people, the entire land of
Israel seems dangerous. Others fear visiting the settlements on the other side
of the green line. Then again, some people are afraid to pray at the holy
burial site of our patriarchs and matriarchs in the city of Chevron. Even some
of the most courageous of us may still be afraid to drive through Arab
settlements, in our own country! Divine providence and protection depends on
the level of our bitachon. “He who trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by
kindness” (Tehillim 32:10). If a person’s trust in Hashem is
perfect, the angels of Heaven watch his every footstep, so that nothing in the
world can possibly harm him (Toldot Ya’akov Yosef, Parashat Mikeitz). Even if many harsh decrees
have been passed in Heaven against a person, his trust in Hashem can protect
him and prevent the punishment from befalling him (The Ba’al Shem Tov, Keter
Shem Tov). As David HaMelech said, “He who trusts in Hashem is like
the Mountain of Tzion, which will never falter and will remain forever” (Tehillim 121:1).
Thus, the more we trust Hashem, and delight in the mitzvah of living in the
Land of Israel, the more we draw down His Divine providence and protection.
This is congruent with the concept of the law of attraction, so popular in the
new age movement.
Continuing the Sin of
the Spies
“The great sages would
kiss the borders of Eretz Yisrael, kiss its stones, and roll in its
dust. as, it states ‘Behold, your servants hold her stones dear and
cherish her dust’” (Tehillim 102:15); (Rambam, Laws of Kings 5:10).
Why does the Rambam include these deeds in his halacha book? We would expect
such stories to belong in a book of Jewish ethics, rather than in a book of
Jewish law. The reason is to teach us that it is not enough to live in the Land
of Israel. We are moreover obligated to love our good and Holy Land. The sin of
the spies was that they spoke Lashon Hara about the Land of Israel, saying, “It
is a land that eats its inhabitants” (Bamidbar 13:32), thus making the
land undesirable to their generation. They moreover sinned by their fear and
lack of trusting in Hashem, saying, that it is impossible to conquer the
Promised Land. Although the prohibition of Lashon Hara only pertains to
speaking about people, and not about trees and stones, it is still forbidden to
speak Lashon Hara about the Land of Israel. The reason is that speaking badly
about the Land of Israel prevents the revelation of Hashem’s name in the world,
which specifically is revealed in the Holy Land. Therefore, the punishment of
those who speak against the Land of Israel is very serious. Even the holy
generation, who received the Torah at Sinai, was punished by the decree of
death and 40 years of wandering in the desert because of their despondency
regarding the Land of Israel (Rav Eliezer Melamed, Yishuv Ha’Aretz p.
15).
Protecting the General
Community of Israel from Danger
We can’t really be sure
where in the world it is dangerous to live. Recently, there have been terrorist
attacks in both North America and Europe. Life in general is dangerous. Just
getting into a car anywhere…. but we cannot live in constant fear. When our
time is up, it’s up. So, we may as well live where we can best serve Hashem,
and for a Jew that is in Eretz Yisrael. If every Jew was afraid to live in the
Land of Israel, it would not only be much more dangerous to live in Israel, it
would be extremely dangerous for a Jew to live anywhere in the world. The fact
that the Land of Israel is in Jewish hands ensures that a holocaust can never
be repeated. Even if it would be more dangerous to live in Israel than
elsewhere, we are still required to endanger ourselves somewhat, to save the
lives of another Jew, as it states, “You shall not stand by [the shedding of]
your fellow’s blood” (Vayikra 19:16). Rabbi Melamed teaches that to live
in a Yishuv, in a disputed area that borders Arab villages protects the lives
of Jews in the rest of Israel. Therefore, it is a great mitzvah to live in such
a place even if it may be somewhat dangerous, since this protects the general
community of Israel from danger.
The Merit of Eretz
Yisrael Protects Us
The merit of the Land of
Israel protects us from danger. The Ba’al HaTanya wrote when he was
released from prison: “This was all Hashem’s doing. He has arranged this by
virtue of the merit of the Holy Land and its inhabitants. This is what stood by
our side and will always assist in relieving us from the oppressor and
delivering us from distress” (David Tzvi Hillman, Iggrot Ba’a HaTanya,
62). This concept can be found in “I will remember My covenant with Ya’acov,
and also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham I will
remember and I will remember the Land” (Vayikra 26:42). Rashi asks why
the Patriarchs are written in the reverse. He explains, that Ya’acov the
youngest is worthy to bring redemption, but if he is not sufficiently worthy,
then Yitzchak is with him; but if he is not sufficiently worthy, then Avraham
is with him (Rashi, Ibid.). Rabbi Teichtal takes Rashi’s commentary a step
further and explains that we can learn from the sequence of our Torah verses,
that even if the merit of all the Patriarchs runs out, still “I will remember
the land” –the merit of Eretz Yisrael will deliver us from distress (Eim
HaBanim Semeichah pp. 33-34). Your soul, Fayga, yearns to live in Israel
since it knows the truth: there is nothing to fear when it comes to the mitzvah
of living in the Land of Israel – a mitzvah which is the equivalent of all the
Mitzvot in the Torah (Sifrei, Parashat Re’eh 28). “A person should
live in the land of Israel – even in a city where the majority are non-Jews. He
should not live outside of Israel, even in a city that is predominately
populated by Jews” (Rambam, Mishne Torah, Hilchot Melachim 5:12). So, I
hope that you will follow your heart and join us in the Holy Land!
I must say this is such an example of many chareidim whose attitude to Israel is a very sick mentally disturbed one. First there are more deaths and violence etc in NY with Chicago having the highest number (last time I looked at facts but may be wrong) and comparing it with Israel and saying it is dangerous here is one of the greatest sins of Am Yisrael when they listened to the Meraglim/spies who were sent to find a way to enter with the least violence. Many 'great' and recognized Rabbis behave like the meraglim/spies as they choose not to live in Israel and of course all have their own very "good" reasons for not doing so. It is a religious sin of the greatest sense. However, I myself only decided to move here at the age of 32 after making a visit and realizing it is my home, the home of all Jews. I am not sure how old the questioner is but the sooner the better as you make your life here. If the desire is strong then the odds are you will succeed beyond your Rabbis wildest dreams (as he probably considers it a fantasy in the first place). But how much better and more religious Jews living here it would be if they all followed Rabbi Riskin's lead when he made aliyah and now the city of Efrata in Gush Etzion is flourishing.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way as Fayga, the writer of this question; I very much want to make aliyah. However, my issue is my husband. He says that he will not be able to make a living in Israel and the cost of living is very high. I have tried talking to him about the subject many times. I am also much more in touch with my spirituality than the rest of my family (husband and children) and feel like I am missing out on so much spiritual potential by not living there in our land. What does one do in this situation, when it is their own husband who does not want to live there now?
ReplyDelete