Category: Eretz Yisrael

9 Links to Inspire You for the Nine Days & Tisha B'Av

19/7/2020

Here's an amazing video-audio clip with powerful words from Rav Avigdor Miller:
https://torasavigdor.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Nine-Days-Video.mp4

Here are past posts related to Tisha B'Av & the Nine Days (with excerpts of the beginning of each post):

Eretz Yisrael in Its Entirety: A Stunning Photo Documentary

With all the politics and just the current state of things, it's easy to forget that Eretz Yisrael is actually much bigger than Medinat Yisrael...

Dealing with the Mazal of Tammuz & Av

Note: English dates are for the year 2018 only.

We've recently entered the month of Tammuz (June 13-July 12), which is followed by the month of Av (July 13-August 10).

Historically, these months contain a lot of tragedy and difficulties.

This is due to the mazal, the astrological influence, of these months.

If you find it harder to work on certain character traits or you find certain flaws getting the best of you, the mazal (Crab/Cancer and Lion/Leo) is the reason...

How to Deal with the Mazal of Crabby Tammuz & Savage Av

Over the years, I've learned to dread Tammuz and Av.

But I'm trying to view them as the opportunities they actually are, and not as the obstacles and frustration they end up feeling like.

A while back, I wrote a post describing my experiences in Tammuz and explaining the astrological effects based on the Kli Yakar:
How to Fight the Crabby Mazal of Tammuz

Later, the Kli Yakar mentions the effect of Av: the Lion.

Lions tend to savage their prey, which is why hatred and other person-to-person sins came to a head with the Destructions of both Temples on the 9th of Av...

The Kli Yakar - Parshat Devarim

How to chastise so that people will actually take it to heart
Some Jewish astrology regarding the signs of Cancer and Leo
Powerful advice for every generation...
[includes advice for minimizing Jew-hatred & some of the spiritual physics & psychology behind it]

AMAZING New Video from Rav Miller for Tisha B'Av, Plus Rav Avigdor Miller in Español.

Toras Avigdor just came out with a special Tisha B'Av video of Rav Avigdor Miller explaining what this week and that day are all about.

And it's...WOW.

Just a couple of tidbits:

Thinking about the Churban means thinking about how we can strive for excellence....

A Brief Analysis of the End of the Nine Days 5779

This year, the end of the Nine Days ended up being an emotional roller coaster...

Tisha B'Av: What are We REALLY Missing & Mourning?

I always find it very hard to relate to the times when either Beit Hamikdash was standing.

Meaning, I find it hard to visualize what it must have been like, what exactly it gave to us and what exactly we lack now.

It's hard to know what you've never experienced...

How to Strengthen the 3 Areas Necessary to Bring Mashiach

If you go to the post Mishkoltz Rebbe Shlit"a: Geula This Year - If... and also read the comments, you'll see a clarifying discussion of the Rebbe's valuable directive.

The Mishkoltz Rebbe apparently claimed that we will merit Mashiach this year if we strengthen ourselves in the following 3 ways:

Emuna in the Creator of the World
Torah
Achdut (Unity) within Am Yisrael...

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Thoughts regarding Coming to Eretz Yisrael in the Current Situation

21/6/2020

4 Comments

While I definitely remained pro-yishuv Eretz Yisrael, I started backing off of passionate encouragement of aliyah when I became aware of people in either impossible or difficult situations who cannot get up & move right now.

My heart also went out to Jews who don't feel they can seriously consider settling in Eretz Yisrael right now — NOT because they are obsessively materialistic & doing their best to live a somewhat kashered version of Lifestyle of the Rich & Famous, but rather because they are so overwhelmed in their current lives by all the stresses and burdens that they simply cannot imagine:

taking on the extra stress & burdens of managing in a language they may not know so well
dealing with a very different culture & mentality
a severely narrowed standard of living
plus dealing with getting their children acclimated and...
...knowing that if their kids are over the age of 6 they have a significantly higher chance of going off the derech because of the move to Eretz Yisrael.

By the way, impossible situations include:

divorced parents sharing child custody & the parent who wants to go cannot abandon his or her children.
a spouse who REFUSES to move, including a spouse who is not frum or a spouse who is abusive
a job skill that isn't transferable
really serious debt
some are performing vital lifesaving roles, like running vital institutions and the like
legal entanglements (i.e., some people literally cannot get a passport or leave the USA)
people with older children who don't want to go
people whose married children and their grandchildren all live in the USA & their heart breaks at the thought of leaving them behind (including not being there for their children when they need or their children not being there for them in their need)
the responsibility for family members handicapped by old age, ill health, mental or physical problems, etc.
people in prison or hospitalized, or who have family for whom they're responsible who are incarcerated or hospitalized

(And yes, Eretz Yisrael has facilities to meet the vast majority of the needs mentioned in the last list — some even better than those in the USA — but the move & adjustment themselves can really wreak havoc on these people, depending on their situation.)

Also, some people follow a couple of VERY BIG talmidei chachamim from the previous generation who opposed settling en masse in Eretz Yisrael for reasons clearly stated in the Gemara. (And there is also the practical challenge of absorbing millions of Jews in a short amount of time, although certainly, Hashem can do anything.)

And if you know anything about the modern history of the anti-religious radical-Leftist Tziyoinim (whether it was starving the very religious Jews of Yerushalayim and Mazkeret Batya — including the children — out of commission or the horror of what they did to the Yemenite children), you'll concur that these great talmidei chacham at least had a point (even if you personally hold by another opinion).

It goes without saying that in any discussion of what Jews should do, halacha must be the prime directive.

So here an analysis on the actual halacha of leaving chu"l to settle in Eretz Yisrael:
Settling the Land of Israel as a Contemporary Mitzvah

And here is an analysis of the Three Oaths and how they pertain to us today:
The Three Oaths

As you can see, the author is an intelligent and knowledgeable charedi rabbi who leans toward settling in Eretz Yisrael and indeed, he himself lives in Eretz Yisrael.

But he clearly addresses reasons why maybe someone can't right now.

And in his great integrity, he presents the opposing opinions with the respect they deserve.

Also, Rav Itamar Schwartz is a charedi Israeli talmid chacham in favor of mitzvat yishuv Eretz Yisrael who discusses the question of aliyah:
To Live in Eretz Yisrael or Not

Even though it is a question of whether one is wholly obligated to live in Eretz Yisrael (or if one is, whether it's Biblical or Rabbinical), but because there is a level of kedushah that can only be reached in Eretz Yisrael, Rav Schwartz thinks Jews should come because we all have an obligation to connect to kedushah.

However, Rav Schwartz also opines:

Rabbeinu Chaim (one of the Baalei HaTosafot & I think a grandson of Rashi) says that because of spiritual & physical danger, there is no actual obligation to live in Eretz Yisrael today. (Meaning, it's a really good & meritorious thing to do in Hashem's Eyes and the only way to reach certain levels of kedushah, but it's not an actual obligation.)

If you live in Eretz Yisrael, you must COMPLETELY separate from the Erev Rav. (Easier said than done.)

So those 3 analyses of halacha are very important to read.

Also, here is a quote from the Pele Yoetz (Eretz Yisrael, page 61) along the same lines as Rav Schwartz:

"The primary purpose of going to Eretz Yisrael
is for the rectification of the soul."

Hashem has Plans for Each & Every One of Us

Most people I know who chose to come to Eretz Yisrael experienced a lot of siyata d'Shmaya.

First of all, many felt they simply must live in Eretz Yisrael.

That was me.

Hashem forced me to come to Eretz Yisrael when I was 16 and I unexpectedly fell very deeply & all-encompassingly in love with the Land.

It also sparked my journey into authentic Torah observance.

It was a very emotional decision for which I can take NO credit.

I simply despised living anywhere else and only wanted to make Eretz Yisrael my home.

That's it.

And I'm very grateful for that.

Here are other examples:

Others find themselves swept here by a spouse or their family, and then adapt. They never leave, except for visits or business.

Others lose their parnassah in America and decide, "Well, if I'm going to be poor anyway, I might as well be poor in Eretz Yisrael!" — and they come on over.

Still others live in chutznik communities that lack frum conveniences. Eretz Yisrael actually ends up being MORE comfortable for them. (That was my situation too.) There is no yeshivah or frum girls high school within a 3-state radius. Tsniyus clothes are nearly impossible to find, as is kosher pizza or cholov Yisrael anything, if you miss one minyan then you're on your own because that was the only one (or two)...and then they come to Eretz Yisrael and the frum life is suddenly so much easier.

There are many stories and you'll see there's always a thread of tremendous siyata d'Shmaya running through each one.

If someone lives in Eretz Yisrael, it's not because they are loftier, more pious, more spiritual, or innately superior to those living in Eretz Yisrael (although there are many lofty, pious, spiritual, and innately great Jews living in Eretz Yisrael).

A Jew living in Eretz Yisrael is merely luckier. That Jew has some sort of merit that enabled the mitzvah to happen.

In other words, Hashem planted the desire in the person and then made it happen.

Conversely:

Some people never have the desire (or davka desire NOT to live in Eretz Yisrael).

Some people come & try very hard to stay, but simply cannot handle it. They may even try for as long as 10 years, and never manage.

Hashem has a plan for each person. It may not be a sweet plan, but there is definitely a plan.

And we can never know what that plan really is for someone else.

The Safety Issue

Also, I've grown to dislike the idea of coming to Eretz Yisrael because it is safer than chu"l.

I used to think that was a valid argument, but I no longer do.

Yes, Hashem's "Eyes" are always upon Eretz Yisrael and there is extra siyata d'Shmaya & hashkacha.

(For more on that concept, please see The Safest Place in the World.)

And yes, I personally feel MUCH safer in Eretz Yisrael than anywhere in chu"l.

But the Jews of Eretz Yisrael have historically suffered massacres, earthquakes, plagues, poverty, starvation, terror attacks, war, missile attacks, suicide bombings, riots, and sociopathic Torah-hating Leftists.

Also, the mefarshim I've read regarding the End of Days (like Chessed L'Avraham) indicate that there will be Jews & non-Jews alive outside of Eretz Yisrael and at least Jews alive within Eretz Yisrael when all is said and done.

Also, there is this idea:
Facts & Intriguing Ideas about the Ingathering of the Exiles by Rav Zamir Cohen

But back to running from dangers like Jew-hatred...

Jew-hatred also exists in Eretz Yisrael, though it's expressed differently than in chu"l.

A Jew lives in Eretz Yisrael for spiritual reasons.

Sure, you can appreciate other perks, like kosher pizza, delicious affordable chalav Yisrael dairy products, finally dwelling amid a Jewish majority, and many other advantages.

But to come here because it seems physically safer?

That's like all the Russian non-Jews came because Israel has less crime and a better economy than the Ukraine.

Or all the African migrants who come because it's a tremendously better standard of living.

Also, Jews who come for non-spiritual reasons end up fomenting a lot of din on themselves and the Nation at large.

(Again, to understand this concept better, please see To Live in Eretz Yisrael or Not.)

After all, this is a Land who vomits out her inhabitants when their behavior makes her sick.

So Jew-hatred is really a lot more about Jewish self-hatred.

In other words, it has more to do with us than them.

In other words, the Jew-hatred one escapes from chu"l can follow the Jew to Eretz Yisrael (albeit in a different form) if we don't act like Jews (which means following the Torah AUTHENTICALLY and with A HAPPY HEART).

(For more on that idea, please see God Just Wants Us to Enjoy Life & Have Fun: Rav Miller on Parshat Ki Tavo.)

So please come to Eretz Yisrael, but come with a desire to grow in Yiddishkeit & to achieve levels you cannot achieve elsewhere.

Our Purpose in This World is to Earn a Wonderful Next World. Period.

So all of the above is why I chose to focus more on teshuvah, inner growth, and stuff like that.

First of all, that is always what Chazal emphasizes first & foremost in life.

(For example, you can still earn a magnificent Olam Haba if you never set foot in Eretz Yisrael. But you can forget about a magnificent Olam Haba if you never keep Shabbat or kashrut, or if you act like a jerk or a thief.)

Secondly, inner growth and tefillah open up locked pathways, both spiritually & actually.

Inner growth & tefillah can awaken a desire for Eretz Yisrael.

Inner growth & tefillah can bring about healing or softening and create situations in which seemingly insurmountable problems solve themselves.

So to me, that seems to be the most effective path toward our ultimate good.

What's the Current Direction regarding Eretz Yisrael ?

So that was my focus: yishuv ha'Aretz? GREAT idea.

IF you can do it.

But then things started changing and I saw that very great rabbanim were making more of a call to come to Eretz Yisrael.

Also, whether it's in emails to me or shiurim online, I see that many frum American Jews are starting to feel foreboding. Something changed because they didn't feel this before.

More significantly, I came across this video from 2015 with Rav Kanievsky (which I probably saw back then, but had forgotten about):
Rav Kanievsky: Mitzvah La'alot

(It also includes an English-translation transcript beneath the video.)

When asked on behalf of Lakewood Jews whether they need to come to Eretz Yisrael, Rav Kanievsky says in this video that it is a Torah mitzvah to come to Eretz Yisrael now and not wait for Mashiach to bring them.

Please note that the questions are specifically about the Jews in Lakewood who tend to be a very charedi yeshivish type. In other words, these aren't Jews who think it's okay to make all sorts of compromises so they can live with a foot in the frum world and an equally firm foot in the non-Jewish world.

Also, I don't normally read INN nor do they represent my hashkafah, but their link is a way to see Rav Kanievsky without all the shmutz of YouTube (at least for me; maybe it depends on your filter?).

In a comment to a previous post, I wrote the following:

...I need to see proof of Gadolei Yisrael calling for immigration to Eretz Yisrael whether as a chiyuv or as a rescue-measure.

Perhaps I've seen it, but simply don't remember.

So this is the proof I requested, which again, I probably saw back in 2015, but forgot.

It's embarrassing when that happens, but it needs to be owned up to, so I am.

Also, there is this recent message in Hebrew by Rabbi Yekutiel Fish who quotes what Rav Kanievsky said (and says that Rav Kanievsky repeated this 5 times), and boy, does it sound urgent — like people should come NOW:
מדברי-הרב-קנייבסקי-הקורונה-זה-הצלה

At around point 3:17, Rabbi Fish says that Rav Kanievsky calls for us to "have mercy on your souls" and that there won't be stronger and more obvious hints than this "as if HaKadosh Baruch Hu is speaking."

Apparently, Rav Kanievsky said that Hashem has been bringing strong hurricanes, extreme weather changes that haven't been seen for many years, decrees against frum education, and all sorts of bad stuff as hints prior to the COVID-19 meshugas.

And apparently, Rav Kanievsky said that Jews will be safer in Eretz Yisrael, but again, I really wish I could see & hear WHAT exactly Rav Kanievsky said and HOW he said it.

Therefore, I still prefer a video/audio tape because you see even in the above INN article, exclamation points are added where there were none in Rav Kanievsky's speech. (It also wasn't always clear to me when Rabbi Fish was directly quoting the rav and when he was supporting with his own divrei Torah).

Things started coming together more when I read this article by Rav Shalom Arush:
Stay Put for Now

That's more the attitude I've decided to adopt.

Then I came across a clip from Rabbi Wallerstein on Hidabroot. You can see that same clip here:
Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein calls on US Jews to make Aliyah

And I decided to listen to the original shiur, which can be found here:
It's Time to Go

And at minutes 8:00-8:54, Rabbi Wallerstein speaks about what's really going on:

It's NOT to run to Eretz Yisrael to escape coronavirus (which was admittedly much easier in Eretz Yisrael than the USA, but it doesn't have to stay that way; historically, Jews in Eretz Yisrael suffered disease & malnutrition more than the Jews in chu"l).

It's not to escape Jew-targeting street crime (we have a 5th column living among us, plus Hamas & ISIS on our borders) and all sorts of wacky Jew-hating authorities (Erev Rav, anyone?).

It is because America (and Europe) have reached a point where they've become spiritually dangerous.

And that's the final "click" I've been searching for.

When Noach Deteriorates into Esav

Both America & Europe have been on a downward spiral for decades now.

Europe threw out God & any associated morality long before, which is why you see Europe falling more obviously than you see America's fall.

Europe doesn't have that sizable "In God we trust" population that fights for a moment of prayer in school.

Europe has no significant population opposing same-gender marriage.

(To be fair, Nigel Farage of England had someone against such a union in his party, but when that representative was "outed," Farage apologized on the rep's behalf for holding views "typical of that generation" and the man was shifted. But the man's correct views were not given any credence or fair hearing in British society, and last I checked, Farage refuses to come down on either side of that issue.)

Non-Jews have a Divine obligation to uphold the 7 Laws of Noach, which are laws they can arrive out simply from thoughtful analysis.

With evolution taught in schools as settled science and a real anti-God & anti-morality mentality sweeping through Western society, plus the current truly bizarre & unscientific gender-meshugas, it's hard to have much hope for positive change.

Right now, some US states have legalized same-gender marriage, which is a strong seal of doom on a society, according to Chazal.

Furthermore, America seems to be violating Chullin 92b by doing things like human flesh being weighed & sold in the market place, which is very similar to what Planned Parenthood does with the organs and other parts of unborn babies aborted close to term (though it's being sold for purposes other than eating, but still ghoulish nonetheless).

Kidnapping & sxual assault are also wholly forbidden to non-Jews, but that's exactly what human trafficking comprises.

Licentious behavior among unmarried singles has become the norm and adultery is romanticized in books & movies.

Non-Jews absolutely must establish just courts of law, but these have been in continual descent over the years, with recent riots exposing a Sodomite approach to justice.

Recent events have shown that unborn babies can be slaughtered & thugs can intentionally murder random police officers, but police officers may not commit a self-defense killing of a drunken nuisance on probation whose criminal history consists of family violence, child cruelty, theft, fraud, and more.

Or if a police officer accidentally kills a meth-addicted child-abandoning womanizing thief with a prison record, then it's okay to terrorize the entire country on his behalf.

Also, recent events have shown that you are not allowed to gather together in prayer, but gathering to demonstrate, destroy property, loot & pillage, burn police cars, and indiscriminately murder police officers...is okay.

And governors, mayors, and other leaders SUPPORT this.

Euthanasia has long before crossed the line into murder in Europe and America has arrived at that point too.

Any society that runs roughshod over the 7 Laws of Noach and does so for an extended period is going to find itself under increasing din.

And THAT'S what we don't want our fellow Jews caught up in.

Despite some of the criticism I've offered & will continue to offer below about the Medinah, the fact is that the Jewish Israeli society is one of the only ones worldwide that has shown a push for traditional Godly values.

Religion (REAL religion) is making a resurgence in Eretz Yisrael.

People are becoming MORE spiritual and coming CLOSER to Hashem.

True, it's not everyone. And there is a stream of youth leaving Yiddishkeit in Eretz Yisrael.

The tamei technology has also hit the Jews of Eretz Yisrael with a resounding thwack (though not as resoundingly as it has hit the Jews in chu"l).

But there are also many people working on behalf of those struggling souls & there is a movement of increased emunah occurring on all levels of society.

You can read more about that happy resurgence here:

Is the Revolution in the Israeli Entertainment Industry a Sign of Something Deeper & Better Churning within the People?

More Examples of the Jewish Soul Shining through All the Shmutz

I haven't heard of anything similar happening among mainstream society anywhere else in the world.

(Even in the Muslim countries, which look very conservative on the outside, there are inside movements toward liberalism. In other words, they aren't fighting for more morality, but for more permissiveness.)

Why I'm Charedi & Not Tziyoni

I'd been in a quandary about how to relate to the whole thing because the more history and Chazal I read, the more I realized that a lot of the aliyah platitudes don't hold water.

They're superficial and don't fit into millennia of authentic Torah scholarship.

Then the people who hold by these platitudes start turning strange cartwheels to get the platitudes to fit in with the millennia of authentic Torah hashkafah on, say, the issues of suffering and Jew-hatred.

Baruch Hashem, I left the whole Tziyoni political ideology years ago...which many religious people have embraced and tried to make religious, but ultimately, making the holy mitzvah of yishuv ha'Aretz into a political ideology means that even if you are a radical Leftist Torah-hating psychopath, you still earn undeserved "moral" superiority by living in — and completely desecrating — Eretz Yisrael & by serving in the IDF (even if you were completely useless or made terrible decisions regarding Israel's security & everything else).

Note: I'm NOT saying that everyone who identifies with Tziyonut or serves in the IDF is a radical Leftist Torah-hating psychopath.

The vast majority AREN'T.

The dati-leumi comprise many fine upstanding wholly committed Jews. They're my brothers & sisters and I stand by them.

I opposed the Gush Katif Expulsion (and oppose ANY "Land for piece" destruction) with all my heart and I've donated money to the Gush Katif exiles, even though they aren't my specific "group." But they're still mine & I care about them.

I very much respect the two dati soldiers on my son's base who, when they weren't on guard duty, were constantly learning Gemara b'chevruta and NOT watching movies or wasting time with all the meaningless activities most of the other "soldiers" indulged in.

However, by stripping a mitzvah of all its religious significance and contorting it into a political ideology (and a Communist one at that), you enable all the above to happen.

Not only that, but the secular Tziyonim facilitated a massive influx of non-Jewish immigrants, mostly from Russia.

They end up assimilating into mainstream Israeli society & speaking fluent Hebrew.

They join the IDF.

This military service bequeaths them fake superiority (socially-speaking) to 100% Jews who are FULLY Torah-observant, but who do not serve in the IDF.

It also bequeaths them social equality to FULLY Torah-observant Jews who serve in the IDF.

When my son served in the IDF, he had 2 Russian roommates who wore crosses around their necks and in December, decorated their shared room with tinsel and sang a rousing rendition of "We wish you a merry...!" and other carols.

L'hiyot am chofshi ba'Artzeinu...ein zo agadah!

Mamesh.

The December holiday rituals consist of occult symbols & avodah zarah. (You can read more about that HERE.)

That WEAKENS the IDF.

Profaning the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael in such a way is like spitting in the Face of HaKadosh Baruch Hu (it's even worse, but spitting is as far as I'll go).

This is exactly the kind of thing that the Land feels compelled to vomit out.

Indulging in caroling or December trees & their decorations (decorated trees in December were originally used for human sacrifice, which as we know from Hashem's response to the Canaanites, is a terrible no-no) bring terrible din on us and this type of thing (among other transgressions) enables our enemies to harm us.

Also, the assimilation of so many non-Jews (who appear no different than secular Israelis) is a terrible tragedy & nisayon for the modern Medinah (whether they admit it or not).

My husband is already facing this nisayon with his nephews who have Russian girlfriends who don't seem to be Jewish (including a nephew who is minimally dati and who you'd think would care).

But with fast-track (and insincere) paths to conversion available, many secular Israelis (and even those who aren't so secular but not particularly knowledgeable or God-fearing) don't see a problem with marrying fellow "Israelis" who aren't actually Jewish.

This is a growing problem and in another generation, with their fully integrated Israeli non-Jewish children indistinguishable from Jewish Israelis, it's going to be a VERY thorny one.

These people also vote in Israeli elections.

And they aren't capable of understanding how to vote for the true good of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael.

All this could NEVER happen without the whole concept of political Tziyonut.

Tziyonut is a term invented by Nathan Birnbaum in 1890. (That's pretty darn late in Jewish history.)

He was a secular Jew at that time and wanted a secular Jewish state with Yiddish as the official language. (What about those million Sephardi Jews at that time, Nate?) But he later did complete teshuvah and also turned anti-Tziyoni.

So Tziyonut doesn't exist in Torah or Chazal.

It is a concept created by secular people for a secular nationalistic goal.

It originally did even not include a revival of our ancient holy language: Hebrew.

Again, there is a mitzvah to settle in Eretz Yisrael (and NOT transgress is part of that mitzvah!!! — again, please see the links to Pele Yoetz & Rav Itamar Schwartz above) and that is it, plain and simple.

You may disagree with me, but I've been on all sides of it (i.e. I've been Conservative-Reform, secular, Modern Orthodox, Dati-Leumi, Litvish-Charedi BT, and now Sephardi-Charedi) and done a lot of research, and I pretty much know what I think in this area.

Ultimately, there's just Torah and what Hashem wants us to do.

When Materialism Rules over the Jewish Neshamah

I have a friend whom I've known since she was a secular Jew in high school.

She became frum and even spent time in a baal teshuvah seminary in Eretz Yisrael, but eventually chose to live a compromised type of frumkeit in one of the most decadent & lurid cities in the USA.

On her last visit to Eretz Yisrael, she disdained the 5-star hotels in Israel, saying they did not reach the same standards as the 5-star hotels in her city (where 5-star hotels competed against each other to cater to the highest standards of materialism).

She mentioned that Israel carries the Golf designer brand, while on the other hand, America carries a designer brand that Israel doesn't, "so it all balances out."

Huh?

In Eretz Yisrael, we have the Kotel, kivrei Tzaddikim, an array of kosher l'mehadrin food, kedushah...

Who cares about the stupid designer brands, especially when you can order so much online anyway if you really feel you need to?

Because I knew her before, I know that she feels more of a connection to Eretz Yisrael than she demonstrates now. Being immersed within so much materialism & social media for so many years and being frum with so many loopholes, the real her is crusted over with a lot of unnecessary gunk.

In other words, you can tell her all you want that she needs to leave her life behind her to make aliyah, but she simply won't be able to hear you because her ears are plugged with so much useless gunk.

What you CAN do is encourage her to take baby steps toward connecting to her neshamah and its real needs.

In a couple of crisis moments when she thought she might lose everything, she turned to Hashem & experienced a lot of saving grace.

So her real self is definitely still there.

But she needs to experience inner growth.

Over the years, she has spent lots of time in Eretz Yisrael & found it meaningful. She never dismissed it for such material reasons as she does now.

What she really needs to work on is ruchniyut, not Tziyonut.

She & her husband could make aliyah right now and afford to live in a nice Anglo area. Her children are young enough to make the transition easily and, ironically, her husband is most comfortable emotionally & socially when he's in Eretz Yisrael.

But neither have the mindset or the heart to make the switch.

As far as I can tell, they've dropped any spiritual goals for themselves & replaced them with wholly material ones.

And that needs to change before they can even consider making a lifestyle change.

Teshuvah Always Creates a Win-Win Situation

When a Jew works on his or her inner world, they NEVER lose out.

The friend mentioned above? Hashem placed her soul here for a reason.

She needs to start living in a way that earns her the best Eternity possible.

The more she starts building up her emunah and drawing more ruchniyut into her life, the better a person she becomes.

If her mazal (Divinely ordained destiny) is to live out her life in chu"l, whether until 120 or a shortened life, she wins in the end if she earned for herself a beautiful Eternal Life.

If her inner work brings to her to point that she craves kedushah unavailable in chu"l AND and if she simultaneously ABLE to come settle in Eretz Yisrael...then she will!

And that must be the focus.

That's what I get from reading Chazal and the words of real talmidei chachamim.

We are living in This World FOR the World to Come.

That's it.

So Tachlis: What Will Change on This Blog? Not Much.

I'm still going to continue discussing inner work, teshuvah, emunah & tefillah rather than aliyah because I think that's where the key lies.

Anyway, at the time of this writing, there aren't flights to Eretz Yisrael from America (although flights via Turkey have opened, which ironically is how European Jews used to get to Eretz Yisrael: via Istanbul).

I'm not even sure aliyah is possible at this moment if you don't already have Israeli citizenship. (All these things aren't clear to me; maybe because they keep changing.)

Maybe there will be.

Maybe people will rent cruise ships to come.

Also, I realize that most people cannot just drop everything & come right this second and others are truly stuck in the US for whatever reasons (as described at the beginning of this post).

And still others in chu"l are doing holy work on behalf of Am Yisrael.

And I also do not know what Hashem's plans are for each neshamah. You can want something — even something good & righteous — and still not get it for reasons we can't understand in our current 3-dimensional world.

I also find it bewildering that people can get a video of Rav Kanievsky telling someone to get a haircut, but cannot get a current video/audio of him telling people they must come to Eretz Yisrael right now.

Maybe that is for the sake bechirah. The lack of a clear-cut directive enables better bechirah.

Note: I'm sorry this post focuses so heavily on America. I don't know enough about other countries to discuss them. Or, in cases like South Africa, people already know it's a hopeless cause and are planning to leave anyway, so there's no need to tell them.

Please Read This before Leaving a Comment

This tends to be a hot-button issue with a lot of people.

So before commenting, please keep in mind the following:

Please remember that I myself live in Eretz Yisrael (and not an imitation of American lifestyle either, but a very low-key Israeli lifestyle (i.e., no car, no microwave, no dishwasher, air-conditioning in the living room-kitchen area only, an apartment just big enough for our family, etc.). This is my choice & I'm more or less happy like this.

Please remember that not all American Jews are living decadent lifestyles. Many are definitely not. Many do not even live materially comfortable lifestyles and definitely feel the pinch.

Also, please review the comment policy before commenting.

Note: "No insults" means that your comment won't be published if you address me or other commenters as if we are stupid or bad people. This means no name-calling, no negative labeling, no attributing nefarious intentions, etc.

"No lashon hara" also includes no denigrating universally recognized Sages who do not think like you.

(Sorry to over-explain things, but there are comments that were received but never published because they violate the above.)

Also, before commenting, you must read the halachic articles that appeared at the beginning of the post.

I won't publish comments clearly showing the commenter did not read them, whether the commenter didn't wish to or whether the commenter claims the links don't work. (I tried them & visit these sites daily; the links are fine.)

Here are those links again:

Well, that's it for now.

May Hashem please bring the Geula Shleima quickly & sweetly b'rachamim rabim.

"ועיקר הליכת ארץ ישראל היא לתיקון הנפש"

"The primary purpose
of going to Eretz Yisrael
is for the rectification of the soul."

— Rav Eliezer Papo, Pele Yoetz

The Kinneret in the Galil

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The Secret to Emunah & Love Lies in Fruit: Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Shelach

11/6/2020

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Note: For those in Eretz Yisrael, it doesn't look like the PDF for Parshat Shelach this year is up on the Toras Avigdor site at the time of this posting; I received it via email subscription. If you wish to sign up to receive it every Wednesday, please send an email to ey@torasavigdor.org & ask them to subscribe you. (You'll also receive a dvar Torah booklet in Hebrew, plus the Junior for children in English & Hebrew, plus an easy-print version in each language.) You can also view Parshat Shelach from previous years HERE.

For those outside of Eretz Yisrael, you can access his dvar Torah for Parshat Behaalotcha here: Parshas Behaaloscha 3 – Arrogance & Self-Esteem

In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah for Parshat Shelach, Rav Miller starts by explaining the practical basis for the Spies' mission of checking out the Land before their arrival.

One of the aspects emphasized by Rav Miller is how abundantly the Land flowed with fresh, creamy goat milk & rich date honey.

The dates hanging from the trees burst with honey, which dripped down into the fields below while the goats' udders overflowed with creamy milk, mixing together with the streams of date honey.

People could scoop up the milk & honey for a delectable drink as they went through the fields.

(If that sounds odd, it's actually reminiscent of New York's mid-1800s, when Almanzo Wilder's mother made a huge container of chilled eggnog — which contains eggs, milk, cream, sweetener, and nutmeg; this is similar to the idea of milk & honey — for her husband & sons working their enormous farmland because Almanzo's father maintained that a man could do more work in his 12 hours if he had one nap in those hours and all the eggnog he could drink, morning & afternoon. This appeared in Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.)

Even a long time after the Destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, Rabba Bar Chana found himself wading up to his ankles in milk & honey as he made his way through a field in Eretz Yisrael.

(It's worth reading Rav Miller's luscious description of the whole Eretz zevat chalav u'devash phenomenon on page 5.)

The Secret of Deveikut is in the Fruit

Then Rav Miller asks why the Spies needed to bring back grapes to show the people?

After all, that was no easy feat.

Each grape was as big as a grapefruit, making each cluster as big as a cow — and that's the minimum interpretation. There are other commentaries claiming the grapes were even bigger than that.

That's a lot for these men to carry all the way back to show Bnei Yisrael.

Also, Rav Miller notes that grains weren't mentioned.

Intriguing, especially since grains are generally considered much more important that fruit, merit special brachot, and grains (wheat & barley) comprise 2 of the 7 Species — taking precedence ahead of figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives, and dates.

So why the heavy emphasis on fruit?

One clue, says Rav Miller, is found in the Creation of the world: Gan Eden consisted of fruit trees.

How Fruit Makes You a Better Person

Fruit trees are an interesting concept.

Why didn't Hashem set up libraries for learning in Gan Eden? Rav Miller notes that Adam Harishon possessed unfathomable intellect.

Any real talmid chacham would prefer a sefer to a fruit tree.

Rav Miller declares from Kohelet/Ecclesiastes that Hashem made the world for one reason: We need to become aware of Hashem.

And that's what fruit trees enable us to do.

One of the ideas Rav Miller is most famous for is his analysis of an apple and how Hashem made it so perfectly, right down to its seed. (If you want to read a sample of that, it's on pages 11-14.)

Rav Miller recalls Bereisheit 3:6, which says that the fruit was desirable to give wisdom.

Then he says about Adam & Chava (page 10):

Every time they saw another kind of a fruit, they became excited.

They studied it and spoke about it in detail and they exclaimed, “Ay yah yay! The wonders of Hashem!”

I’m sure that when Adam looked at an apple he saw a thousand times more chiddushim than we see in the Ketzos Hachoshen.

The Best Response to Fruit

The taste of fruit is also a pleasure.

Rav Miller says that when Adam Harishon ate a fruit, Hashem wanted him to say, "I love You, Hashem!"

If our minds & hearts are in the right place, a fruit makes us aware of Hashem.

A fruit makes us LOVE Hashem.

Explaining Misappropriated Gemaras & Evidence against Evolution

On pages 14-16, Rav Miller goes through sugyot in Gemara that wackos & pompous haters like to take out of context because to the ignorant, these events make the Sages sound kind of strange.

(But that's okay. As we learn from Hoshea 9:7, people on higher levels appear to lesser people as madmen. Please see Why Greater People Appear Crazy or Strange in the Eyes of Lesser People.)

A summary won't do it justice, so I'll let you read it there. But in a nutshell? It has to do with falling wholeheartedly in love with Hashem.

Rav Miller also finds yet more evidence against evolution in fruit trees.

For example, apple trees always make apples.

Thousands of years go by...and apple trees still produce apples.

They don't even produce apple hybrids (like an apple-nectarine, for example).

They never make oranges.

Or plums.

Furthermore, Red Delicious apple trees only make Red Delicious apples and never produce tart green Granny Smith apples. (You need a Granny Smith apple seed for that.)

The reason why we have newer varieties of different fruits is because of God-given human ingenuity, not evolution.

For thousands of years, an apple tree never "evolved" or malfunctioned to produce coconuts or figs or nectarines or salamanders.

And despite the old English nursery rhyme song, a nut tree never produced a silver nutmeg or a golden pear.

Homework from Rav Miller:

Pick up a fruit & spend 60 seconds meditating on its positive attributes.

Feel the joy of doing so.

Credit for all quotes & material goes to the very fruitful Toras Avigdor.

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Facts & Intriguing Ideas about the Ingathering of the Exiles by Rav Zamir Cohen

4/5/2020

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Here's a fascinating article from Rav Zamir Cohen:
The Ingathering of the Exiles

He quotes Sanhedrin 98a, which mentions that:
“The son of David will not come until the cheap (sleazy) Jewish government comes to an end.”

Here's the original (source):

אמר רבי חמא בר חנינא אין בן דוד בא עד שתכלה מלכות הזלה מישראל שנאמר (ישעיהו יח, ה) וכרת הזלזלים במזמרות וכתיב בתריה בעת ההיא יובל שי לה' צבאות עם ממשך ומורט

Rebbi Chamah bar Chanina said: "The son of David does not come until the cheap kingdom [malchut hazalah] will cease from Israel as it says in Yeshayahu 18:5..."

Rashi explains this as:

עד שתכלה מלכות הזלה - שלא תהא להם שום שולטנות לישראל אפילו שולטנות קלה ודלה

"until the cheap kingdom will cease from Israel" – that there won't be any government for Israel, even a light and weak one.

The root zol in Hebrew does mean "low-class" and is used that way today too, in addition to meaning "cheap."

Biur Steinzaltz interprets the malchut hazalah (the cheap sleazy government) as malchut Romi habizuyah v'mizalzelet — Roman rule that is contemptible and contemptuous, implying (if I'm understanding it correctly) that the Roman rule is both despised by others and contemptuous of others.

I didn't search at the Maharasha to see what he says, but Rav Zamir mentions him with Rashi.

And despite the seeming difference of opinion regarding the cheap, sleazy, despicable government, all the commentaries here make sense.

Not only is there a cheap, sleazy, despicable government in the Knesset, Rome (Edom) also exerts tremendous influence over Eretz Yisrael right now, as does the Vatican itself (even though it is very quiet about it).

So it can easily mean both.

And we in Eretz Yisrael did not have a government for a while, although I think we do now and whatever this "unity" government is (or whatever they're calling themselves this week), it is for sure a cheap, sleazy, despicable cast of characters, as are the Edomites, who exert powerful political influence both outright and behind the scenes.

The Answer to All Your Airline Woes: I'll Go by Cloud, Thank You Very Much!

Then Rav Zamir mentions a very intriguing idea from Pesikta Rabbati, that long-distance travel could easily consist of a vehicle far more advanced than an airplane: a "cloud" that travels faster than the speed of sound.

It must travel that fast because:

“Jerusalem will spread over the entire Land of Israel, and the Land of Israel over the entire world but how will they come every new moon and Shabbat from the ends of the world!!”

The answer:

“Clouds will come, take them on as passengers in the dawn, and bring them to Jerusalem. They will pray there in the morning, and then will return to their homes.”

Very exciting stuff!

I'm really looking forward to this, especially because I'm not so far from the Beit Hamikdash (certainly not at the farthest ends of the earth from it), which means that my cloud-ride (or whatever "cloud" represents) will only take a few minutes (rather than a few hours) and I won't even need to pack food or drink for the ride.

Thanks, Hashem!

Anyway, I hope you read the entire article because it's very intriguing & very inspiring, and will hopefully imbibe you with happy feelings.

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Judging Us Favorably

14/4/2020

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Throughout the past couple of years, readers have let me know a bit about themselves or else I read a comment on another blog which sheds more light on a reader's situation, and it reminds me of 2 things:

1) There are such special, sincere people out there.

Regular people who've suffered or are in difficult situations...or who are doing all right, but looking to go deeper. And if you saw any of them in real life, you'd think they were standard ordinary people...but really, they are so special.

And so sincere. They want to do the right thing. And they want a positive healthy connection with like-minded Yidden.

2) So many people have suffered in some way, and what we see online in a blog post or a comment (or at the store or on the sidewalk) isn't the whole picture of the person – not at all.

They may be in a very difficult situation or have undergone a difficult situation, and we have no idea how much they've already worked on themselves to get to where they are now.

Many times, an off-comment or off-attitude is just the chaff coming off a person who has done so much work on him- or herself, like maybe a person who started off at minus-8 and has scaled to level 5 by the skin of their teeth, but this person is being judged for not being on level 9.

Many people feel like they've done and are doing all they can.

How much more are we supposed to be doing?

So many people are exhausted emotionally – yet they keep struggling to push forward.

AND GOOD FOR THEM!!!

There is so, so much against us. And so many of us have been really trying and have made enormous steps – even sacrifices – to get to where we are now.

But where we are now often feels like it's not nearly enough. (Either that's how we feel or that's what we've been told.)

We want truth. We want clarity. And we want comfort & menucha – emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

May Mashiach gather us together to Eretz Yisrael speedily & sweetly.

The Golan in Northern Eretz Yisrael

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Coronavirus & The Sabbath Shutdown

18/3/2020

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Coronavirus, Shabbat and The State of Israel

Courtesy of Hidabroot:

This Shabbat March 21st 2020, will be the first time in the 71 year history of the State of Israel which will not have transportation, theaters, sports, restaurants, beaches and malls open on the holy Shabbat – Everything is Shut!!!

Whats the first topic in this week's Torah Portion? Moshe assembles all of Israel and talks to them about keeping Shabbat!

Let's join together and keep this Shabbat like never before in history!

As aggravating & inconvenient the increasing lockdowns are, it's impossible to ignore the Heavenly Hint.

Since before the establishment of the State, the religious Jews of Eretz Yisrael have been begging for and working toward a Sabbath-observant State.

Yet even many religious Jews have been hesitant to try to hard to impose Sabbath restrictions on public transportation & public places.

It's often felt that people need to grow at their own pace. Imposing religious requirements on people who don't care can foster more opposition, which is detrimental — that's the feeling of many.

With the influx of non-Jews, especially from Russia & Africa, enforced Sabbath observance in public places & transportation feel like even more of an imposition. After all, non-Jews aren't supposed to even keep Shabbat — so what's the big deal? And how can we be so unfair to them?

And the Muslim & Christian populations would also be affected, although they continue their daily commerce in their own neighborhoods, not Jewish ones.

Transportation, theaters, sports, restaurants, beaches and malls — these are often run by Jews catering to a Jewish majority.

And yes, it's a chilul Hashem when a JEWISH country cannot even adhere to the 10 Commandments (of which Shabbat is one).

But this Shabbat, we in Eretz Yisrael will all experience what a public shut-down on Shabbat feels like.

Finally, it's possible.

Coronavirus & government-imposed quarantines do not respect your "freedom of religion" or your need to grow at your own pace.

They do not respect your "inalienable" right to do whatever the heck you want.

We could've had a national Shabbat shutdown in a more enjoyable way.

But many of us were too weak or too apathetic to push ourselves for it.

So it's happening this way.

Yishtabach Shemo.

May we all use this opportunity to observe Shabbat k'halacha (which includes a great deal of joy), and may Hashem protect us all from all harm, and may Hashem quickly & completely heal all the sick people.

And may we serve Hashem with so much simcha & dedication that we no longer need these unpleasant consequences.

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What You Sing from Your Balcony Says a Lot about Who You are

16/3/2020

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Some people won't like what's going to follow this opening (because it ruins the feel-good brotherhood feeling they get), but let's look anyway at what's going on in Italy and Eretz Yisrael in response to the corona quarantine.

In Italy, people are singing from their balconies to keep up their spirits.

Sounds cheery & innovative.

But what are they singing?

Patriotic songs (which tend to be self-praise & self-aggrandizing).

Soccer team songs (enough said).

And sure, they are also apparently singing "Don't give up" and other lyrics of encouragement.

It's all better than being depressed or fighting with those with whom they're cooped up.

But look at what's going on among the frum Jews of Eretz Yisrael.

Probably you've seen the video clips, but here's a sample anyway (click on the teal link):
A Wedding in the Shadow of Corona

Here you have yeshivah bachurim (of Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav) dancing on their balconies for the chatan & kallah.

Not for themselves (although they are clearly enjoying themselves too).

They're doing all this in an effort to make things as good as they can for someone else.

There are several such clips, of people dancing outside a building for that newly married couple or hosting the chuppah in what looks like the stairwell of an apartment building.

And people are happy; the marrying couple is happy. They're all rising to the challenge with smiles on their faces.

Torah Jews, in an effort to do good for others despite the limitations, found ways to dance and sing for someone else.

And they're singing beautiful songs & niggunim (holy melodies) that give nachat to the Creator.

The mind's intent and the heart's feeling are what makes all the difference in response.

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How an Ever-Intensifying Quarantine Forces You to Take Stock of Yourself

15/3/2020

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As the current rulers of Eretz Yisrael intensify state quarantine (now gatherings are limited to 10 people, including weddings — today, my husband saw people getting married in yards because halls are forbidden — and there is talk of a mandatory home quarantine for all starting tomorrow, Monday), it's opening my eyes to a very interesting accounting.

Quarantine forces you to take stock of yourself.

It shows you were you are right now.

Everything you've done up to this point is done.

And anything you haven't done, well...it's either hard or impossible to do it now.

Owe money than can only be paid via check or cash? Too late.

Need to run an errand? Need more rice? Call a repairman? Fill up on gas? Visit someone? Get somewhere? Too late.

The grocery store I chose to patronize today was out of every single kind of flour. I do have flour at home, but wanted to acquire more.

Too late!

(BTW, there's a large supermarket nearby probably with flour, so I'm not stuck, but I chose this store to support heimishe people. I hoped there might be at least a couple kilos left, but no. And anyway, I do have some flour left.)

So yes, there is a lot of material stock-taking, especially with so many people forbidden from going to work here.

But there is also spiritual stock-taking.

This kind of quarantine forces you to look at your relationships, especially if you will be closed in your home with your relationships.

How do you all get along?

How do you REALLY get along? (The stress test!)

This could get interesting.

For example, I'm a real homebody, so being forced to be at home even sounds relaxing, but half my family are vibrant, energetic, active types who literally need to get some exercise and a change of scenery.

We'll see how this goes...

(And one is still at yeshivah & may get stuck there, although he really enjoys the whole thing — the staff, the accommodations, the learning, the other bachurim — so that will probably be okay. He thought of coming home last night, but decided to stay, which is best as far as Torah-learning & sweetening judgement goes.)

Anyway...what do you talk about when you're all forced to be together?

Or do you just escape into hi-tech gadgets as long as you can?

Even kosher ones, like the frum radio station or the telephone.

And what about Pesach?

I overhear neighbors fretting about how they're supposed to clean for Pesach with all their small children at home.

That's a big challenge!

And what about getting matzah? How long will this all last?

Going deeper, what about emuna & bitachon?

Fear can either blast one's nerves to smithereens OR plunge one into a state of denial, like: "Why is everyone so stressed about the spread of Corona? As long as beer-drinking takes place in moderation, everything should be just dandy..."

People whose livelihood depends on schools, restaurants, stores, pools, offices, and more are finding themselves cut off from income, especially those who earn their living by the hour or the sale.

Yet at the end of the day, uncontrollable events encourage us turn to Hashem.

The Corona Edicts

Can you imagine of all these government edicts were coming purely from the need to tyrannize or attack Torah?

Like, if the government just decided to close yeshivahs & frum schools, or limit minyanim and weddings to 10 people, how infuriated would we all be?

What if the government decided to limit our parnasa and ability to accomplish tasks right before Pesach?

We'd be frothing at the mouth and cursing the Erev Rav or Jew-haters with all our hearts.

Torah is under attack once again!!!

But the exact same thing is happen under completely difference auspices.

How's that for food for thought?

This feeling that there are new edicts every day, or even every few hours, decrees which crimp our lifestyle, both materially and spiritually — it's very similar to historical precedents committed out of hatred only.

To me, that's the biggest message that all this is cultivated directly from Hashem.

Hashem loves us so much and really wants us to turn to Him as we would a loving Friend who is always Compassionate & Forgiving.

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Is the Revolution in the Israeli Entertainment Industry a Sign of Something Deeper & Better Churning within the People?

5/2/2020

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When looking at rising Jew-hatred in the world today, many make comparisons to pre-WWII Europe.

And I think there definitely are parallels, particularly within Europe today.

And yes, there is some bleeding-out from within the frum community today all over the world.

But pre-WWII Europe was worse.

Furthermore, pre WWII Europe did not have much forward-motion going on.

You had Rav Meir Shapiro's Lublin yeshivah and Sara Schnerir's Beis Yaakov. You had the yeshivahs, and special individuals who sacrificed a significantly more comfortable life in America to learn in the yeshivahs of Mir, Telshe, and Slabodka (including their even more self-sacrificing American wives—for those married to American women).

And that was pretty much it.

Yet today, you have a thriving kiruv movement worldwide.

Yes, the majority of Jews are moving farther away from Torah.

But a sizable wave is embracing it.

Within the FFB community, you have people who dig deeper and try to achieve more than what they were raised with.

Within Eretz Yisrael, we've seen a massive change.

For example, the anti-Torah extremism that Rav Miller and Rav Schach describe in pre-WWII Europe also made its way to Eretz Yisrael. In the not so distant past, Eretz Yisrael was contaminated by frothing-at-the-mouth radicals and the pursuit of non-Jewish ideologies, be they Communism or materialism.

The once Red Haifa was rotten to the core with viciously rabid Leftists. (If you don't believe me, please read How My Grandmother Stopped a Civil War by Haggai Segal.)

But over the past decade in particular, a softening-up has been warming through the Land.

If you ignore the entire media, Jews of all types get along pretty well with each other.

Secular Jews are feeling more and more comfortable approaching religious Jews, whether it's to ask when the next bus is coming or whether it's to ask for help holding onto an errant shopping cart so its user can load up their car's trunk while holding on to their equally errant child more easily.

They approach you at the supermarket, wanting to know what chocolate spread you recommend or which jelly-filling is better, emphasizing that they only want a jelly-filling for their homemade sufganiot and not dulce de leche cream because they want to eat them after a meat meal (telling you that both Chanukah & kashrut are important to them).

It's Time for a Prayer Intermission

Once upon a time, Israeli soccer teams played remorselessly on Shabbat.

They strove to imitate Edomite sports culture.

Nowadays, you have incidents like with Itai Schechter, who was formerly a star player for Beitar-Yerushalayim, taking upon himself to say Shema Yisrael if he kicked in a goal against Bnei Sakhnin.

He did so, his crowd went wild, and Itai went running over the stands where someone smacked a very large kippah on his head and he cried out an impassioned "Shema Yisrael...!" accompanied by equally passionate shuckling.

Now, I don't think that frum people should get overly excited about these types of things because the whole culture of sports is ridiculous and unhealthy.

And a crowd of enthusiastic Jews should use that energy and unity for acts holier than a soccer game.

However, it's quite a turnaround from what Israeli athletes were in recent memory.

And it's also to the people's credit that your average Israeli LIKES this in the sports stars.

Interestingly, the sportscasters immediately started ripping Itai apart, saying things like, "Oh, look what he did! I don't know about that...it doesn't exactly find favor in my eyes!"

Who on earth cares about finding favor in YOUR eyes, you Godless mityaven sports commentator?

And this is a major (though not obviously major) clash going on in Israeli society today.

The New Wave Gathering Momentum

All those in power—the government, the military elites, the media and communications—are still the same arrogant, hate-filled bozos they always were.

They are still pushing their propaganda and agendas.

But now the people are pushing back, even if the people don't realize that by following their heart, they're providing push-back.

And it's not a war yet because you only have one side (the bad guys) actively fighting.

The other side (the good guys) are more like a happy wave gathering power as it pushes for shore.

It's not looking to demolish anything; it's just pounding forward on its own power.

It's going according to its own God-given nature.

If you stand in its way, you'll get swamped or mowed over.

But not because it wants to crush anything in its path...

...because it's beautiful powerful wave impelled to keep moving forward.

Athletes Getting into the Real Game

At the beginning of the Jewish New Year, the Beitar Yerushalayim soccer team uploaded a video of its players publicly announcing the kabbalot they were taking upon themselves in honor of the upcoming year.

"I take upon myself to say Tikkun Haklali every day!"

"I take upon myself to daven Shacharit every morning."

"I take upon myself to learn Daf Yomi every day!"

"I take upon myself to always daven in a minyan on Shabbat!"

And so on.

Again, I don't want to get so ooh-ahh-woo! about soccer player who are clearly not even doing the halachic minimum. (You mean you weren't davening Shacharit until now?)

However, in contrast to years past, this is an amazing turnaround.

And the fact that they're proud to declare a deeper commitment to their Judaism, and that they want to be a positive example of teshuvah for Yom Kippur to their fans (many of whom are young and secular) and introduce this concept to them...wow.

And again, the average Jew in Eretz Yisrael thinks this is a good thing.

They like them for it.

Her Beautiful Crown of... "Rag"?

During some kind of popular awards ceremony in Israel, an actress who'd recently become frum was chosen as one of the emcees to host the event.

Let's put aside the fact for a moment that it's not exactly tsanuah or appropriate for any Jew to host this kind of event.

I think she's relatively new to frumkeit and still attached to that world. These things take time.

But what you had was a beautiful young woman dressed as modestly as she could while still looking as fashionable as she could. And she even covered her hair fully with a fashionable hair-covering of lovely white satin.

And boy, did the higher-ups and their minions go after her!

What is that rag on her head?!! came the tweets.

Lots of nasty put-downs and criticism ONLY because of her tsnius.

And I wouldn't exactly describe a bright gleaming white swathe of satin as "a rag."

For some people, there is nothing worse than a pretty young woman dressing with dignity. Even worse is a pretty young woman who is—GASP! CHOKE!--shomer negiah.

If you are a total lech who gets personally offended by pretty girls who are not hefker, then things like tsniyut and yichud and shemirat negiah can drive you into a rage.

I'm serious.

Anyway, the regular Jews thought she was just fine.

But the powers-that-be and their minions were outraged and disgusted.

And they tried to rip her apart on social media.

Shabbat Wins Over Hellenism

A secular-looking pop star considered the most popular singer in Israel, Omer Adam, made headlines when he refused to appear at Eurovision (a contest which attracts 190 million viewers worldwide) because the rehearsals would take place on Shabbat.

He needn't perform on Shabbat, only after Shabbat.

But despite not looking religious, he refused because of the public chilul Shabbos.

And again, the media tried to rip him apart.

But the people loved him for it.

He also turned down a 1 million shekel gig because it was on Shabbat.

Remember, this is a secular-looking pop star with mostly secular songs who plays to a predominantly secular audience.

Yet everyone LOVED him for it! Even his secular fans.

And despite the media take-down, Adam performed before an audience of an unprecedented 50,000 not long after he turned down Eurovision.

Again, despite negative media coverage and the outwardly secular persona of both Adam and much of his fanbase, real Jews (even if they aren't religious yet) appreciate Jewish commitment.

There is that Jewish spark that cannot be extinguished.

(Hopefully, all these precious Jews will start listening to kosher music only and Adam himself, who has also performed religious songs, will also transition into completely kosher music, b'ezrat Hashem.)

Tanach, Mefarshim, and Mussar Top the Charts

Yishai Ribo is an Sefardi Jew whose parents made aliyah from France with him when he was 8.

He went through the yeshivah system, then the IDF, and is now a tremendous star in the Israeli music industry.

Much to his credit, he married in his 20s and has several children, thereby avoiding the usual pop-star lifestyle.

Religious feeling permeates his music and his music has permeated the Israeli music industry.

Among Yishai's fans are masses of seemingly secular Jews for whom his religious expression (which he says emanates from Tanach, its mefarshim, and mussar) resonates with them.

I don't know whether the secular Israeli media has tried to take him down yet, but they seem mystified by him.

It looks like they can't get their heads around how a former yeshivah bachur could be so talented & successful on his own, and they're equally mystified why people love his music so much.

A First: Pandering to Religious Values to Maintain National Popularity

When I remarked on the current trend for even traditionally secular music stars (including one who sings about drug-highs) to produce religious songs (he produced a song of prayer & thanksgiving to Hashem) and do so with heartfelt ratzon, the other person laughed at me good-naturedly and called me naive.

"Do you think they really mean it?" the other person chuckled. "They're only doing it to attract an audience."

"But that's exactly it!" I said. "Since when have secular Israel pop stars felt a need to increase their popularity with lyrics like 'Lashon hara lo medaber elai (Evil speech doesn't speak to me)'?"

They sing about seeking closeness with Hashem, rejecting lashon hara, and all sorts of Torah themes.

Measured Hope

Again, I don't want to get too yippy-skippy about the whole dynamic.

It's a good beginning and going in the right direction, but I won't pretend that the unkosher aspects of their music or their lifestyles are acceptable. They're not.

And I also won't compare this in importance to the movement of Jews who are strengthening their actual emunah, mitzvah-observance, and Torah-learning.

However, it's still a radical turnaround for the good.

It definitely indicates a positive direction among the Jews of Eretz Yisrael.

When you see that a formerly antagonistic or apathetic secular culture now actively embraces religious expression, that indicates something good simmering beneath the surface.

And this is happening in the face of corrupt Hellenist culture overtaking the world via phones and computers.

And it's happening despite the fact that anti-Torah powers have imported hundreds of thousands of secular or pagan non-Jews from both Russia & Africa into Eretz Yisrael.

And it's on oncoming wave that isn't giving weight to the strategically placed detractors who are too absorbed in their own illusions to see how insignificant they really are.

The wave keeps coming and increasing momentum.

B'ezrat Hashem, we'll all merit to do complete teshuvah from love.

For more examples on this topic, please see:

More Examples of the Jewish Soul Shining through All the Shmutz.

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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Vayechi: A Glimpse into What It Will Be Like at the Beginning of the Ingathering of the Exiles, Plus How to Identify with Your Fellow Jews & Ideas for Extra Kavanah in Shemoneh Esrei

10/1/2020

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In this week's dvar Torah by Rav Avigdor Miller, Parshat Vayechi: Becoming One People, he discusses how on Yaakov Avinu's deathbed, Yaakov Avinu notes how different each of his 12 sons are from one another.

Then Rav Miller cites Gemara Pesachim 56a, which mentions a man who went around saying, "I want to live along the coast."

He loved the seashore so much, he dreamed of building a home by the sea when he retired.

When they looked into why he loved the sea so much, they discovered this man descended from Zevulun, which was the sea-faring Tribe. Hashem ingrained within Bnei Zevulun a love for the ocean.

Another man went around saying, "Donu dini – Judge my case."

Whenever there was a disagreement between this man and another, he wasn't interested in arbitration or compromise; he wanted the straight-out verdict: Who's right? Who's wrong? And what must be done now?

He said "Donu dini" so often that they checked into his lineage and discovered what you probably already guessed: "Donu dini" descended from the Tribe of Dan.

Rav Miller explains about the inner make-up of Bnei Dan (pg. 4):

Dan was rigid; he liked to follow the strict line of the law.

There are people like that who are very strict with rules; they don’t like to deviate at all.

Even little children sometimes are born that way; it’s their nature to follow rules. Others, not so - they’re more flexible; they’re not such sticklers for din.

I really love reading about the innate character of different Shevatim (Tribes). I don't know exactly why; there's just something so geshmak about it.

Maybe because it validates the different traits we see and soars over petty differences.

Your family, society, or culture may see your individual personality traits as negative. But maybe your innate traits are perfectly fine (as long as they are being channeled positively).

Maybe you, with your particularly traits, are just as valuable as the people who look down on you.

Maybe Hashem WANTS people exactly like you in the world. (But again, there is still the issue of utilizing these traits for a beneficial purpose.)

For example, if you are more laid-back or compromising, you could see a Danite as uptight or rigid, but really, he is behaving exactly as he is programmed. Hashem WANTS him to be this way; that's his role.

Likewise, a Danite could see a more flexible or accommodating person as weak or compromised or less of a truth-seeker...but really, that person is exactly what Hashem wants him to be.

Devorah HaNeviah, who was a Naftalite, arbitrated disagreements under a palm tree in the area between Tiveria and Beit She'an. She engaged in mediation between struggling parties. That's very different than the "Donu dini" approach of Dan.

Yet both types are obviously highly valued by Hashem.

A Glimpse into What It will be Like When Mashiach First Comes

On page 5, Rav Miller offers us a glimpse of how things will look when Mashiach comes.

As we daven in Shemoneh Esrei "Taka b'shofar gadol l'cheruteinu – sound the great shofar for our freedom, our full independence," Rav Miller says there will be some great blast that will proclaim to the nations to liberate Am Yisrael from our subjugation.

We don't know exactly what that will sound like, but we'll all recognize it when it happens:

There’ll be great conferences in countries all over the world and the nations will come together to see what can be done to help facilitate the reestablishment of the Am Yisroel as a nation on its own land.
***
It’s a warning blast to the nations that the truth of Hashem Elokei Yisroel is on the march forward.

No more UN votes on whether to give us our independence in our Holy Land.

No more palavering about whether we belong here or not.

It will be self-evident that Jewish settlement in Eretz Yisrael absolutely must occur.

Furthermore, Rav Miller notes that entire communities will need to be transplanted within Eretz Yisrael.

And we will need a livelihood for every Jew. (Rav Miller refers to the Rambam, Hilchos Teshuvah 9:2).

We'll need homes built for everyone too.

In a nutshell:

There will be a great shofar blast that will somehow proclaim the obvious to the entire world.
The entire world will cooperate in the goal of facilitating the return of the entire Jewish People to Eretz Yisrael.
Entire communities will need to be transplanted.
Parnassah will need to be found for every family.
Homes will need to be built for every family.

Gather Us TOGETHER from the 4 Corners of the Earth

And this is the big challenge for which we pray every day, also in Shemoneh Esrei:
"Kabtzeinu b'yachad – Gather us together..."

We don't just plead to be gathered back to our Land, but we plead that it happen "b'yachad – together."

We are more disparate than ever. In addition to innate Tribal characteristics, just contemplate the difference between an upright Jewish family in Yemen right now and an upright Jewish family in Baltimore.

Maybe they're even both Asherites, but who could be more different?

At this point, you could have more in common with an Ashkenazi Shimonite from your hometown of Los Angeles than you could with your fellow Yissacharite who is a Bucharian from Uzbekistan.

Heck, we even have this today. A Kohen from Brooklyn might feel more comfortable with a Yisrael from Brooklyn than he is with a fellow Kohen from Tunisia.

So it's very important to beg Hashem that this much-anticipated Ingathering occurs with a strong feeling of togetherness.

Rav Miller on page 6:

The Teimanim should be together with the Sefardim.

And the Sefardim with the Ashkenazim, and the Williamsburgers with the Lakewooders.

We want everybody within those communities to get along with each other.

What is the Secret of Our Coming Together?

According to Rav Miller, this unity will not happen automatically; we will need to MAKE it happen.

(Until I read this, I really thought it would happen automatically. Always something new to learn, eh?)

Anyway, this is what Yaakov Avinu was so concerned about as he looked at his very different sons.

So when Yaakov Avinu cried out to Hashem, the brothers answered with Shema Yisrael.

As Rav Miller offers the brothers' solution on page 6:

There’s one Hashem who we’re all serving and that’s going to keep us together despite the differences in our nature.

Whatever differences you see, they are overwhelmed by the yachad, the togetherness that comes from of our serving the One Hashem.

Don't Be a Stranger

And once again (pages 8-9), Rav Miller waxes into his usual beautiful soliloquy of how important it is to identify with ALL Jews who are serving Hashem, regardless of their minhagim or ethnicity or style of clothing.

We must stop getting distracted by externals.

If a Jew is serving Hashem, you must do everything you can NOT to feel like he or she is a stranger.

Are we really so different from each other?

"No," says Rav Miller. "We're not strangers to anybody if they're loyal Jews."

He offers all sorts of advice for awakening that feeling of identification and unity.

A Jew who serves Hashem connects to Hashem in the same way you do.

You're serving Hashem TOGETHER, whether you feel it or not.

A Jew who serves Hashem is also connecting to our greatest spiritual giants throughout the generations, from Avraham & Sara Imeinu to Moshe Rabbeinu to Eliyahu HaNavi to Ezra HaSofer to the Sages of the Gemara to the Rambam and the Chafetz Chaim and the Baba Sali and, well...EVERYONE.

We're don't serve Hashem on their level, but there is a basic connection that bonds us: They kept Shabbat and we keep Shabbat.

Moshe Rabbeinu and Tzipporah had a kosher kitchen and you have a kosher kitchen.

It's a profound & unique connection worth investing in.

Look at the mezuzot, the tsniyut, the children coming out of Jewish schools, the men coming out of study halls, the women buying kosher food and wheeling baby carriages.

Rav Miller says (page 9) that we should walk through a neighborhood of religious Jews and think:

“I’m walking among my people. It’s my people and I love them. I don’t care what hat he wears or what group he belongs to; it’s all my people! These are the people in this world whom I identify with.”

Like Your Jewish Self by Learning More about Judaism

The more we learn about ourselves, the more we can live in that reality.

Rav Miller mentions that at one time, newspapers were a rarity, especially in the small towns.

Stam reading material wasn't so common either, so what did people have to read and talk about?

Parshat hashavua.

Rav Miller recalls a family recently arrived from Europe to Williamsburg. They weren't such learned people, but all they spoke about was Parshat Hashavua. Chumash. That's what they read, that's what they knew, so that's what they always spoke about.

How beautiful.

Actually, I have a friend whose grandmother was born into a wealthy Chassidic family in Poland in 1898. The father hired a private rebbi to teach his sons and her grandmother sat herself in the corner to listen and she learned too.

(And contrary to all the Jewish-feminist propaganda, no one objected. No one felt scandalized or appalled. It wasn't controversial. In fact, sometimes all her brothers ran out when they could sit no longer and the rebbi simply continued teaching her. A fully educated Jewish girl wasn't common, but it wasn't unheard of either.)

And what reading material could be found in a proper Chassidish home at the turn of the century? Not the deplorable Yiddish novels of that time!

They had seferim on halacha, Chassidus, mussar, mefarshim on Tanach, prayer books, and so on.

That's it.

So her mind grew accustomed to literature on that level. Holy literature. And it stayed with her for the rest of her life, enabling her to re-build her family after the agony of Auschwitz. She successfully countered the secular influence that tried to infiltrate her American grandchildren and ended up with admirably frum progeny.

Rav Miller recalls the long Torah lectures people used to listen to willingly.

Yes, people used to be very into this.

In the Ben Ish Chai's time, men, women, and children gathered to hear his long drashot.

In Rav Mutzafi's time, entire families (including the women and children) participated in a family reading of 5-10 chapters of Neviim & Ketuvim every Shabbat.

People LIKED it.

When you learn, you can think about how you are learning what Rav Ashi and the Rambam learned.

We're all connected.

Greatness of Soul Supersedes Even the Greatness of Intellect

Then Rav Miller says some of the radical things he's so loved for, like:

"We have to be proud of our great grandmothers who had more da’as, more emunah, than many gedolim of today. "

That's a very strong statement, which he derives from Rav Yeruchum Levovitz, the Mirrer mashgiach.

And back when Rav Miller said this, Gedolim like Rav Bentzion Abba Shaul and Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and the Lubavitcher Rebbe were still alive.

Then Rav Miller recalls Josephus's description of the Roman torture of the Jews, and how the Jews refused to renounce their Judaism.

He emphasizes how these martyrs weren't the Gedolim; these were the regular Jewish folks.

"Your Rewards in the Next World Depend on Your Loyalty to Klal Yisroel."

Let's end with the following powerful idea on page 15:

It says: ! כל יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק לְעוֹלָם הַבָא

["Kol Yisrael yesh lehem chelek l'Olam Haba – All of Israel has a portion in the World to Come."]

It doesn't say we're going to have individual Olam Habo.

It’s only because of Yisroel.

Hakodosh Boruch Hu is not going to give Olam Habo because of your good deeds – it’s only because you’re a member of Yisroel.

Your rewards in the next world depends on your loyalty to the Klal Yisroel, on how much you identify with Hashem’s people.

All credit for all quotes goes to Toras Avigdor.

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Our Purpose in This World is to Earn a Wonderful Next World. Period.

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So Tachlis: What Will Change on This Blog? Not Much.

Please Read This before Leaving a Comment

"ועיקר הליכת ארץ ישראל היא לתיקון הנפש"

"The primary purpose​of going to Eretz Yisrael​is for the rectification of the soul."— Rav Eliezer Papo, Pele Yoetz

The Secret of Deveikut is in the Fruit

How Fruit Makes You a Better Person

The Best Response to Fruit

Explaining Misappropriated Gemaras & Evidence against Evolution

Homework from Rav Miller:

The Answer to All Your Airline Woes: I'll Go by Cloud, Thank You Very Much!

The Corona Edicts

It's Time for a Prayer Intermission

The New Wave Gathering Momentum

Athletes Getting into the Real Game

Her Beautiful Crown of... "Rag"?

Shabbat Wins Over Hellenism

Tanach, Mefarshim, and Mussar Top the Charts

A First: Pandering to Religious Values to Maintain National Popularity

Measured Hope

A Glimpse into What It will be Like When Mashiach First Comes

Gather Us TOGETHER from the 4 Corners of the Earth

What is the Secret of Our Coming Together?

Don't Be a Stranger

Like Your Jewish Self by Learning More about Judaism

Greatness of Soul Supersedes Even the Greatness of Intellect

"Your Rewards in the Next World Depend on Your Loyalty to Klal Yisroel."

Myrtle Rising

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"The primary purpose of going to Eretz Yisrael
is for the rectification of the soul."

"The primary purpose
of going to Eretz Yisrael
is for the rectification of the soul."

— Rav Eliezer Papo, Pele Yoetz