[Avodah] [Areivim] Is it...Galus

[Moshe Feldman]

I wrote:
> >>In the time of Ezra, the Jews who made aliyah were attacked by the
> >>Samaritans while the former were building the Beis Hamikdash, and
> >>surely Klal Yisrael would have been statistically "safer" if a major
> >>community were to stay behind in Bavel.  Yet, (as I showed yesterday)
> >>the Jews who stayed behind in Bavel are considered to have committed
> >>an aveirah in not moving to EY (to the extent that they are blamed for
> >>the churban Bayis Sheini).

On Jan 4, 2008 7:22 AM,  <torahmike at gmail.com> wrote:
>      This is absolutely false. You do not just ignore all realities on the
> ground and move to Israel no matter what. You are accusing all of the
> gedolim from bayis sheini until now, who lived in galus, including Rambam,
> Rashi, the Ba'alei Tosfos, Everyone! of violating 'Behadi Kavshei..." or
> some such.

I do not believe that one should ignore all realities on the ground.
I believe (like Rav Shach and RYBS, against the Minchas Chinuch) that
mitzvas yishuv EY is not docheh pikuach nefesh.  Until modern times,
it was very dangerous to live here (see Tosfos Kesubos), and therefore
people were patur from making aliyah for that reason.  In addition,
one could argue that until modern times, Hashem indicated to us
through the way he governed history that the "3 shevuos" were in
effect and that he desired that the Jewish people stay in galus as a
punishment for their sins.  However, in modern times, Hashem kicked us
out of Europe, gave us a Torah community in EY which is the strongest
in the world, and generally indicated to us that the galus is coming
to an end.  R. Menashe Klein, an Hungarian, wrote in Mishneh Halachos
chelek 15 siman 213 that he believes that R. Yonasan Eibeshutz was
correct when the latter wrote that the 3 shevuos were binding and
forbade us from going to EY, but nevertheless, Hashem in bringing the
Holocaust and causing the flowering of the community in Israel has
indicated to us that R. Y. Eibeshutz position is not relevant to the
current situation.  (I can send this fascinating tshuva as an
attachment to those who are interested.)

Before, you seemed to agree that it made sense for individuals to move
to Israel, and argued simply that it was necessary for a community of
Jews to live in chutz la'aretz so that we can have two machanos.  Your
argument is an novel one and you cannot bring any proof from rishonim,
who had an individual ptur from making aliyah.

>      I don't know  how you can possibly compare us to those who violated the
> words of the Navi Ezra. Ezra is not around telling US to move to Israel!
> It's the difference between violating and not violating divrei navi.

According to Ramban and most rishonim who wrote on the topic, there is
mitzvah de'oraisa to move to EY.  There were heterim during the 2000
years of galus not to live in EY (danger, Hashem showing us that He
wants us to remain in galus).  Those heterim no longer apply.  You
don't need a divrei navi when there is a mitzvah de'oraisa.

Shabbat Shalom from the Blessed Land of Israel,
Moshe
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