What Rav Kook Thought Of Taking A Job As Rov In Chutz La-aretz - Going To Uman

In 1913, a colleague of Rav Kook suggested [Igrot R'iyah 2/154] that he go to chutz la-aretz to serve as Rov. Rav Kook was shocked by the suggestion! Chas Vi-shalom!! In his words "וביחוד תמיהני על עצתו לצאת לחו"ל לקבל רבנות, שממש אם יתנו לי מלוא חללא דעלמא בשביל רגע אחד של נשימת אוירה הקדושה של א"י, ולעומת זה אם כל כסף וזהב שבעולם יתנו לי בשביל נשימה אחת של אויר הטמא של ארץ העמים, בוז אבוז להם, זולת אם יזדמן איזה צורך גדול בשביל קדושה כללית, שאז הבטיחונו קדושי עליון שכשיוצאים לחו"ל על מנת לחזור באופן המצווה ע"פ התורה הולך אויר א"י עם הדבק באהבת ידידות קדושתה, ובדרך רוחני גם המקום שעומד עליו יש בו קצת בחינת קדושת א"י, אבל לעזוב את מקום בית חיינו, ולצאת לחו"ל, שדומה כעובד עבודה זרה, תימה אקרא על עצה כזאת שתצא מפי גברא רבה דכוותיה  נ"י

If someone would give me all of the treasures of the world in exchange for one minute of breathing the holy air of Israel or if I am offered me all of the money in the world for one breath of the impure air of chutz la-aretz, I will laugh it away. UNLESS, there is a great need to go for the greater Jewish community, in which case the mekubalim promise that if one goes to chutz la-aretz temporarily if he is so commanded by the Torah, the air of Israel goes along with this person and his love of its holiness, and spiritually speaking the place where he is also has a bit of Eretz Yisrael in it. But to leave the place of our life and vitality and go to chutz la-aretz, which is like serving idols [Ksubos 110], I wonder how such a great person as you can offer such advice....??!

In his halacha sefer Mishpat Kohen [147] he challenges the heter to leave Israel in order to daven at the graves of tzadikim. You want kedusha, he says, stay home!:-)

People sometimes take trips from New York to go to Lizhensk or Uman to daven at Kevarim. Ribbono Shel Olam - I am personally affronted by such behavior! Hashem gave us Eretz Yisrael as a gift because He loves us and because the natural habitat where we can best develop as individuals and as a nation is [t]here [as the Kuzari discusses at length] - so if one is already boarding a plane for some ruchniyus, why the Ukraine???? Yerushalayim!! Chevron! Tzfat!! Thanks but no thanks, G-d. Uman for Rosh Hashana. Italy for Sukkos. Miami for Pesach. The Kotel for my son Andy's first time putting on tefillin. Breakfast at the King David to follow.

A Bushah and Cherpah.

Not everybody can live here - but if one is going on a ruchniyus trip there should only be one place.

רחם על ציון כי היא בית חיינו ולעלובת נפש תושיע במהרה בימינו - Yerushalayim is an עלובת נפש, a sad unfortunate soul. דברו אל ירושלים - Speak to and console Yerushalayim. She is so sad. In the past Yerushalayim was called משוש כל הארץ. She was once so happy but is now so sad.

Kevarim?? A person needs Kevarim? We have loads of cemeteries in Israel. Many tzadikim are buried here. Tannaim, Amoraim, Shmuel Hanavi, Dovid Hamelech, Rishonim, Achronim. You can go to Rav Ovadiah Yosef's kever anytime. It is two minutes from the bus stop that brings me home from Yerushalayim [may I be zoche to live there bi-mheyra bi-yameinu! May I also be able to afford it!!]. Go to Rav Aryeh Levine's kever in Sanhedria. The Ohr Hachaim and Rav Kook on Har Hazeisim. MAMA ROCHELLL!!! Why does one need to go to shmutzy places in chutz la-aretz where they hate you and the ground is stained with Jewish blood??

Better than graves - Learn their Torah!! The Noda Bi-yehuda isn't just buried, he lives on for all those who learn his sfarim. So too Rebbi Akiva Eiger and all the gedolei hadoros.

A caveat - If one has a special reason to travel then of course one should after getting a heter from a Rov. I believe, for example, that going to the death camps is important and makes a great impression on people that they would not gain elsewhere. The holocaust must be remebered and imbedded deeply into our superficial-Internet-smartphone-Facebook-twitter-fast-food-vacations-in-the-mountains-and-exotic-locales-psyches.

But in general - Eretz Yisrael is our spiritual [and physical if we are so fortunate] home.

אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני