[Avodah] Eretz Yisroel, Zionism, and Medinas Yisroel in the Philosophy of RSRH

[Prof. Levine]

At 08:17 AM 6/14/2018, Ben Waxman wrote:

>1) Maybe giving them money is helping them do something which you
>regularly complain about - chareidim not being able to support themselves.
>2)? There are all sorts of huge mitzvot that people in chul do. That
>isn't the point.? The point is ""We must do whatever is possible to
>further Mitzvot observance and prevent desecration of the Holy Land" -
>what does that mean?

I am going to give you an answer that I know you 
will not like and will dismiss out of hand,  but IMO, it is the truth.

Many years ago I asked Rabbi Dovid Kronglass, 
ZT"L, who was the Mashgiach of Yeshivas Ner 
Yisroel for many years, about moving to Eretz 
Yisroel. After all, I said, Orthodox Jews are 
interested in doing mitzvahs, and one can 
certainly do more mitzvahs in Israel. He 
responded by pointing out that the additional 
mitzvahs that one can do in Israel are only of 
rabbinical origin at this time. Furthermore, he 
went on, one has to keep in mind the following.

The land of Israel has a special Kedushah 
(holiness). Therefore, if one does a mitzvah 
there, one gets more reward than if one does the 
exact same mitzvah here. However, if one does 
something wrong, G-D forbid, in Israel, it is 
much worse than if one commits the same wrong 
deed here. "You just don't go to Israel," he told 
me. "You have to be on the right spiritual level before you go."

While reciting the Shema twice a day we say, 
“Beware lest your heart be seduced and you turn 
astray
 And you will swiftly be banished from the 
goodly land which G-d gives you.”

Thus it is clear to me that one must be on the 
appropriate spiritual level to live in Eretz 
Yisroel. Encouraging those who are not on this 
level to settle in Eretz Yisroel was and is 
perhaps a mistake. This is a radical statement, 
and many will react strongly to it. However, is 
it possible that part of the reason for what is 
going on in Israel today is a result of the fact 
that the vast majority of Jews living in Israel 
are not properly observant, and the statement 
quoted in Shema is being, G-d forbid, fulfilled?

I am not the one to judge anyone else, but each 
person should look in the mirror and ask 
themselves if they are sure that they 
are  spiritually elevated enough to live in Eretz 
Yisroel. As Reb Dovid said, "You just don't go to Israel."

YL


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