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:
By the way, impossible situations include:
(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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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.)
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:
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.
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.
More Links about the AUTHENTIC Torah View on Settling in Eretz Yisrael
It's hard to put everything into one post and to repeat what's already been said (sometimes repeatedly) in other posts. So please also read what the Pele Yoetz says about yishuv ha'Aretz here:
- A Prayer to Make Aliyah & Live in Eretz Yisrael
- The Pele Yoetz's chapter on Eretz Yisrael in Ivrit or Eretz Yisrael in English
- Tefillah - The Most Crucial Part of Aliyah
- Keeping Perspective
- The Pele Yoetz chapter entitled Dwelling (English) or Dirah (Hebrew)
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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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