הלימוד בדפים הקדושים האלו מצילים את העולם מכל הגזירות קשות ורעות
תלחץ בכל דף ותגיע לשערי ארץ ישראל
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כאן תמצא בעז"ה כל הספרים וענינים על גודל החיוב מצות ישוב
ארץ ישראל בזמן הזה, ועניני קדושת ארץ ישראל בזמן הזה
אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא למשה: הארץ חביבה עלי, וישראל חביבים עלי,
אכניס את ישראל שהם חביבים עלי, לארץ שחביבה עלי (במדבר רבה כג)
דף 5 PAGE
Furthermore, I am astonished at you, "exile-Jew." Your eyes are so blinded that you do not see what is happening around you. You see how the oppressors torture your brethren, beating and afflicting them terribly, and you are not moved at all! You see your brothers' blood flowing on the ground like water and you are not frightened, for you believe that the hour is still propitious. You say in your heart that these things will not affect you at all because you are standing in a safe place, and you bless yourself in your heart saying that you will have peace. If only your words could be true! So may Hashem say.
O "exile-Jew" listen and pay heed to my words. Open your eyes and see that your brethren, upon whom this calamity has fallen, also dwelt in a safe place like you do. But in the end, the tables were turned, and they were plundered and murdered (may the Merciful One protect us). How are you so sure and confident that you will be spared this fate? Why are you not afraid? And why is your heart not softened by your friend's misfortune?
The explanation for this is as I stated above: The exile has made the Jew into an "exile-Jew." It separated and detached him from the collective nation and made him live an isolated life in exile. He no longer lives a nationalistic life, nor does he feel for his nation and inheritance. He only knows about his own affairs. This is the true description of an "exile-Jew," and this is what has brought us to our present situation.
Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal ZTK'L Em ha Banim Semecha, 1943
The Chazon Ish ZTKL
The following passage from Pe'er Hador describes the voyage of the Chazon Ish to Eretz Israel. It illustrates the halachic imperative felt by the Chazon Ish in his aliya: "He spent most of the day on the deck, wrapped in his simple threadbare coat. After long years of use, it was old, but spotless. From under it, protruded the fringes of his tallis-katan, which was nearly as long as the tallis-gadol most men would wear. His face glowed with an inner serenity. In his hand was an open book, his 'personal adviser'; the Shulchan Aruch. He never made a move without first consulting this mentor. Before this trip as well he had inquired of the Shulchan Aruch, and had received the unequivocal reply that he must go. The mitzvah of living in Eretz Israel was determined in force by the Rambam, the Ramban and other poskim. This was sufficient reason to go. But there was another: He knew how fervently the Chafetz Chaim - another of his advisers - had yearned to move to Eretz Israel.
"The Chazon Ish looked over the boat rail to the east, as he traveled through the very waters traveled by the Vilna Gaon, his spiritual guide par excellence. Heaven had not allowed the Vilna Gaon to reach his goal, and he had been forced to turn back. But the Gaon had not let mere hardship stop him, and the Chazon Ish was determined to be strong. If only he were allowed to travel on, he would be deterred by nothing. The pains through which Eretz Israel is acquired were precious to him" (Pe'er Hador, p. 344).
Rav Joseph Soloveitchik ZTKL
The Mitzvah to settle in Eretz Yisrael is one of the Mitzvot that has not found its rightful place in Jewish eyes, and may hence be classed as an orphaned Mitzvah. I am not speaking of the middle ages, when traveling to Eretz Yisrael and remaining there was hazardous...I mean in modern times. Jews have failed to observe this Mitzvah properly. If Jews had fulfilled this Mitzvah in full measure and in proper time, hundreds of thousands of Jews would have been saved during the years of the Holocaust...
What have we contributed that is novel to the mitzvah of settling Eretz Yisrael? First, we were the first to explain that the establishment of the State has halachic significance, since by its means we shall be able to fulfil the mitzvah of possessing and settling it. We said, this mitzvah is fulfilled not only by building up the country economically, but also by our sovereignty there. The existence of the State of Israel and the fact that Jews and not Englishmen determine Aliyah; that Jews and not Arabs are the political masters in the country; and that a Jewish government, police force and army exist, is the greatest possible fulfilment of the mitzvah of settling in Eretz Yisrael
THE LEADERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT MAKING THE MASSES GO UP TO ERETZ ISRAEL
This explains the words of our mentor, the Or HaChayim. He writes that Israel's leaders throughout the generations will be held responsible for the fact that we are still in exile, because they should have inspired the Children of Israel to love Eretz Israel.(Or HaChayim, VaYikra 25:25)
Rabbi Ysachar Shlomo Teichtel ZTKL Em ha Banim Semecha
WE HAVE TO COMPENSATE FOT THE SIN OF THE SPIES
At that time, (The time of the Spies in the Wilderness) the leaders of the congregation spread evil propaganda against Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, today, as well, the leaders of the congregation must propagandize for the sake of Eretz Yisrael, in order to pay off their "bad loan." (Midrash Eicha Rabba 1:23)They must be the first ones to open the nation's eyes. They must explain that there is no reason for us to remain in the foreign, impure, and polluted atmosphere of exile, nor to expend our energies in vain while the Gentiles rob the fruits of our labor from before our very eyes. The leaders must speak to the people in this fashion and arouse within them a tire and a spark of love for our desirable Land. This alone will make us worthy of redemption, as I cited above from the Beit Yosef's Maggid. The Maharsha also writes that when the people of Israel cherish the stones and dust of Eretz Yisrael they bring the appointed time of redemption closer. Thus, the leaders will unite all of Klal Yisrael together for the sake of Eretz Yisrael, and then our "bad debt" will be paid off.
However, if the leaders neglect this matter, there is a danger that they themselves will have to pay for the bad loan that they took back then. The halachah states that if two partners borrow money from someone, the lender can collect the entire debt from whichever partner he wishes, because each partner becomes a guarantor for his friend.( See Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 77:3) The same applies to the "bad debt" that the spies and their entire generation incurred. Since they all joined together [against Eretz Yisrael], they became like partners who borrowed from the Holy One Blessed be He. Therefore, if HaShem wants He can collect the debt - which Klal Yisrael incurred by causing the exile - entirely from Israel's leaders. Moreover, the leaders have a greater obligation to pay off this debt, because they were the primary cause of this "loan" to begin with.
This explains the words of our mentor, the Or HaChayim. He writes that Israel's leaders throughout the generations will be held responsible for the fact that we are still in exile, because they should have inspired the Children of Israel to love Eretz Yisrael.( Or HaChayim, VaYikra 25:25)
….Now, based on the preceeding ideas, we can understand this better. Just as during the time of the spies all of Israel united for evil, to oppose Eretz Yisrael; today as well, we must unify all of Israel for good, to support Eretz Yisrael. This way, we will pay off our debt, tear up our record of liability, and cause the glory of HaShem to shine upon us with the complete redemption, speedily in our days. Amen.
...But, as long as we fail to do this, all of our complaints to the Holy One Blessed be He about the lengthiness of our exile are in vain. In vain we pray in our synagogues and study halls, "Our Father, our King, erase through Your abundant merey all of our bills of debt." For, the debt that we incurred by despising the desirable Land still hovers over uso How can we pray that God should erase this bill of debt when it is up to us to pay it off and rectify it? This is like a debtor who asks his creditor to rip up the bill of debt before he has paid. The creditor will certainly do no such thing! The same is true of us.
Em ha Banim Semecha, Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal ZTK'L
BEING TAKEN OUT OF THE LAND IS THE GREATEST TRAGEDY OF ALL FOR US
The bitterness and pain of the exile is not experienced in the same way by everyone. For the masses, the main cause of distress is the subjugation to the gentiles and the elusiveness of making a living without a homestead in the land where they live. When the ruling powers take something away from them, they feel miserable. And, vise versa, those who are successful, make a comfortable living, and have a lot of social influence do not feel the pain of exile at all. They think: “What difference does it make whether I am here or there?” But the righteous ones recognize that the Land of Israel is a much more hospitable environment for the soul. Everyone knows that water-bound creatures are sustained by the water and face death when they leave it. In the same way, the Land of Israel is the only habitat that really sustains us effectively, and being taken out of the Land is the greatest tragedy of all for us. For then we are like fish that have been captured in a net and taken out of the sea onto dry land. The worst of all the troubles we suffer in the exile is being forced to live in an impure land. The Dubno Maggid commentary on Echa 1:21
About this Jeremiah says: “This is a real sickness.” There is no greater tragedy than that which Jeremiah so movingly describes: “My tent is hindered, all the cords are severed, and my children have left me and are no more.” We have left the Land of Israel and dwell there no more: we have been exiled to gentile lands. None of the tragedies we suffer in exile compares with the tragedy of being removed from our sacred homeland. This is the worst sickness of all. The Dubno Maggid commentary on Echa 1:21
Today we do not feel any pain over the fact that we are exiled and living outside the Land of Israel. We are concerned only about the worldly troubles that befall us. Our basic disability is so far removed from our consciousness that we are completely unperturbed by it. We do not really feel a need to pray to be healed of it. How, then, can our prayers be pleasing to G-d? The Dubno Maggid commentary on Echa 1:21
