A Proud Zionist?

Last week was the Salute To Israel Day Parade in NYC. I am usually there in New York when they have the parade but since on my previous trips I raised SOOO MUUUCH, I remain home [nooot exaaactly:)].

But it is a good time to talk about "Zionism". I never got so excited about that term. Oh, that is not because I have anything against Israel. I came to Israel at the age of 15 and soon after decided to stay forever. I LOVE Israel. It is just the term "Zionist" that doesn't do it for me. I only decided to live here because it is part of the Torah, not because of any special ideology. Just a simple "I want to do what Hashem says". For the same reason I keep Shabbos. And wear tefillin. Would I call myself a "Shabbos-ist" or "Tefillin-ist"? They are all part of that eternal Holy Book called "Torah". The overwhelming consensus of all of the Rabbis of the generations is that it is a mitzva to live in Israel, so I do it as I try to do any mitzva. [I am aware that just about all of my readers grew up being educated that "Zionism" is a sacred term but I just can't subscribe to that because I don't see it as part of the 3,300 year Mesorah. Israel as the promised land and place of great Divine gifts, yes. But a movement separate from Torah and tradition, no.]

However, it is important to explore the nature of the mitzva. Is it an absolute obligation such as wearing tefillin? If you learn gemara you know that despite the fact that there was quite frequent travel between Israel and Chutz La-aretz [Babylonia], many of the Rabbis LIVED IN CHUTZ LA-ARETZ. WHYYYYYY???

That is sooooo puzzling. They themselves said that if one goes leaves Israel it is as if he serves idols and many other complimentary aphorisms. So why didn't they come??

The answer would seem to be that if one would be a better Jew outside of Israel for whatever reason then one is not obligated to come live here. In contrast, if one feels that he would be a better Jew if he doesn't keep Shabbos then he still must keep Shabbos. Shabbos is not an option. [See Igros Moshe Even Ha'ezer 1/ 101 and the Meiri at the end of Ksubos דף קי"א. See also the language of one of the leaders of Jewry in the last century, the Chazon Ish in his collected letters 177 "ארץ פולין אשר הישיבות קבועות בה והחסיד החפץ חיים שליט"א שוכן בה ושאר גדולי התורה והיראה דינה כארץ ישראל
ושאר מדינות כחוץ לארץ"] . There are sources that seem to indicate that living in Israel is an absolute obligation upon everybody but it doesn't seem from the last 2000 years that this opinion was accepted. In Europe, many of the greatest tzadikim felt Jews should stay in Europe and not make aliya because they felt that the spiritual level of Europe was higher.

Today, the most spiritual place to be is Israel. Yet, if there are compelling reasons to stay in chutz la-aretz then it doesn't seem to be forbidden to live there. One such reason would be that making aliyah when children are older often causes serious problems. Another would be that making a good living outside of Israel can facilitate many others being able to live there. [How does one become a millionaire in Israel? Come with two million. Old joke but plenty of people make a lot of money in Israel].

So ideally, OF COURSE one should live in Israel. But we don't live in an ideal world. After 120 we will have to explain why we didn't live in Israel. Some people will have a good explanation. Others won't be so fortunate. If you don't live in Israel, I would seriously consider it. But I can't place myself in the category of those who believe that a Jew in Chutz La-aretz is automatically inferior to a Jew in Israel regardless of their other merits. Some people actually believe that a mechalel shabbos completely secular Jew in Israel is better than a completely religious talmid chacham in Flatbush. I find such a position unconscionable. He keeps one mitzva and his counterpart keeps 612. What is the comparison?? A chiloni in Tel Aviv is greater than Rebbe Akiva Eiger who never made it to Israel?? Hmmmmm. Doesn't seem so to me.

A good place to begin is to read the sefer אם הבנים שמחה. There he provides many of the halachic and kabbalistic sources for the mitzva of living in Israel.

הערת הכותב הצעיר באלפי ישראל - ידעתי גם ידעתי כי יש להאריך בפן ההלכתי של מצוה חשובה זו ולשאת ולתת בו כיד השם הטובה עלינו עפ"י מקורות הקדמונים אבל פלפול זה יחרוג מעבר למטרת בלוגנו שאינו מיועד לדיוני הלכה מסועפים