Am I Allowed To Move To Israel?

(The following is a post from the blog Mystical Paths that I copied here.  Its fantastic.)
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I received the following question from a reader...

How is it that you have/are promoting aliyah if (you know?) :
The Talmud explains That we have been foresworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which we live, and not by our sins, to prolong the coming of moshiach; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a.

Maimonides, Iggeres Teiman – Letter to Yemen
[Maimonides wrote this Letter to the Jewish Community of Yemen almost 1,000 years ago]
And as King Solomon knew with divine inspiration that the Jewish People would face the consequences of this and that suffering would come upon them, and warned the Jewish People not to do this (i.e. violate the Three Oaths), and in a metaphorical way made them swear not to commit these acts, as it is written in Song of Songs, 3,5: I made you swear Daughters of Jerusalem by the deer and gazelles of the field should you arouse or awaken love until it is so desired.
Therefore, you, dear brethren, must accept the Oath and do not attempt to arouse the love until the proper time when the Alm-ghty shall remember us and you with his trait of mercy to gather his portion from Exile to behold his glory at his holy Temple and redeem us from the Valley of the shadow of Death where he has placed us, thereby removing the darkness from our eyes and the fog from our hearts. He will then fulfill in our days and in yours the verse from Isaiah 9:1 The nation wandering in darkness shall see a great Light, and a Light shall shine on those residing in the land of the shadow of death. At that time G-d shall darken the eyes of all those who rise up against us, and fulfill the verse from Isaiah 9:2Verily darkness shall cover the land and fog shall cover nations, but the light of G-d shall shine upon you, and you shall display his honor.


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Reply: You picked one quote from the Gemora out of hundreds. Here's some others...

"In all times, a Jew should live in the Land of Israel, even in a city where most of the residents are idol worshippers, rather then outside the land, even in a city where most of the residents are Jews, because one who lives in Israel is considered as if he has a G-d and one who lives outside the Land is compared to one who has no G‑d" - Ketubot 110b (also Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 5:12)

"Said the Almighty: A small group in the land of Israel is dearer to Me than a full Sanhedrin outside the Land." - Talmud Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 86

"Jews who dwell outside the Land of Israel are idol worshippers in purity." - Avoda Zara 8

Rabbi Abba explained that the ultimate sign of the coming of the Moshiach is found in the verse: "But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit for My people" (Yechezkel 36:8). "When the land of Israel becomes fertile again and produces fruit in abundance, then salvation is surely near at hand." Rashi: "Indeed, there cannot be a clearer sign than this." - Sanhedrin 98a

And here's some commentary on this subject...

"One should dwell in Israel even in a city where the majority are idolaters rather than in the Diaspora in a city which is inhabited completely by Jews. This teaches us that living in Israel is equivalent to [the performance of] all the commandments of the Torah." - Tosefta in Avoda Zara (5:2)

The people of Israel were exiled because they despised three things: the kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of the House of David, and the Beit HaMikdash. Rabbi Shimon ben Menassiya said, "Israel will not be shown a good sign until they return and seek out these three things." - Yalkut Shimoni 2:106 ...after living among the gentiles for close to 2,000 years, we have mingled with the nations and learned their ways. Most of today's Jews have absolutely no concept of Judaism. We cannot expect them to return and seek out the kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of the House of David, because they have no idea what these things are. Rather, what do they seek? Eretz Yisroel. - Eim Habanim Semeichah, HaRav Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal, hk"m 3,14.

"In the Diaspora, whoever increases its settlement (by establishing a home, business, etc) adds to the destruction of the worship of G-d. But in the Land of Israel this same work is considered a mitzvah since it settles the land." - The Chatam Sofer, on the Sukkah 36a and Yoreh Deah p. 136

It seems to me, in our present peaceful existence outside the Land of Israel, that we have found another Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem; this to me, is the greatest, deepest and most obvious and direct cause of all the awesome, frightening monstrous, unimaginable destruction that we have experienced in the Diaspora." - Rabbi Yaacov Emden, (The Ya'avetz) in Siddur Beit Yaacov, p. 13

"If a Jew will forget his origin and true identity and consider himself a full-fledged citizen of the country of his exile… if he thinks that Berlin is Jerusalem…then a raging storm will uproot him by his trunk… the tempest will arise and spread it's roaring waves, and swallow, and destroy and spread forth without pity." - Rabbi Meir Simcha HaCohen, The Ohr Somayach, in Meschech Chochma, p. 191-192

"During the ingathering of the exiles (to Israel), a short time before the future Final Redemption, 'the heavens and earth will shake' (Chagai 2:6); 'This is a hint of the upheaval and confusion throughout the world. And in this place (the Land of Israel) I will give peace, says the L-rd of Hosts." - Abarbanel, Mashmiya Yishuah, Mivaser 13.

"You shall dwell in safety in your land" In your own land, you may dwell in safety, outside your land, there is no safety for you." - The Yalkut on Vayikra 25:18.

"If the Redemption were to occur in good, peaceful times, when quiet prevailed among peoples many of our Jewish brethren would not want to leave the Exile; for what would they be lacking there? …therefore, these calamities come upon us in order to awaken us to return to our Holyland." - HaKadosh Rabbi Yissachar Teichtal, Em HaBanim Semecha (english p.67-68) (written in Hungary 1944 under Nazi rule).

"Anyone who has the ability to come to Eretz Yisrael and does not, will have to account for his failure in the future world." - Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, HaIsh Al HaChoma vol. 2, p. 149.

"Wake up dear brothers, rise up and come to Zion while the gates are still open, and G-d forbid, do not remain with those who tarry, lest it be too late and you will cry out, but not be answered." - Rabbi Atiya zt'l, from his book, Lech Lecha.

Ramban, in his Mitzvot Aseh (LeDa'at HaRamban) quoted in the first volume of Rambam's Mishneh Torah, lists "Yeshivat Eretz Yisrael - settling in the Land of Israel" as one of the mitzvot aseh, the positive precepts of the Torah, whereas Rambam does not include it in his enumeration of mitzvot aseh. We can conclude that not only is it a positive Torah precept to live in Israel, as Ramban states, but also that living outside of Israel is considered a great spiritual danger. If so we are left with a serious dilemma. Now that there is a State of Israel, how do we explain our continued dwelling in America, and the other lands of the Diaspora? - Rabbi Yaakov Klass, a"h

Video: How did the Rambam come to be buried in Teveria, Eretz Yisroel?

The Ostrovtza Rebbe, Rabbi Meir Yechiel of Ostrovtza zt"l, wrote the following on Parshat Shemos (quoted recently by Rabbi Aviner in Eretz Yisroel)... "An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds, and he even drew water for us and watered the sheep" (Shemot 2:19) Moshe Rabbenu looked like an Egyptian. He dressed like an Egyptian, had an Egyptian haircut, an Egyptian beard and an Egyptian accent. He looked like an Egyptian from head to toe. But our Rabbis expressed somewhat of a criticism of Moshe Rabbenu. They state (Devarim Rabbah 2:8): "One who identifies with his land will be buried in the Land, and he who does not identify with his land will not be buried there." Yosef identified with the Land when he said: "For indeed I was kidnapped from the Land of the Hebrews" (40:15), and he was therefore buried in Shechem. But Moshe Rabbenu did not acknowledge the Land. When Yitro's daughters say to their father: "An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds," Moshe heard himself being referred to as an Egyptian and kept quiet. Based on this, our Sages conclude that since Moshe did not identify with the Land, he did not merit being buried there...

What did they want from Moshe Rabbenu? Yosef saying that he was from Eretz Yisrael made perfect sense: he was raised there. But Moshe was born and raised in Egypt! Was he expected to lie and say he was from Eretz Yisrael? Every Jew is obligated to see him or herself as from the Land of Israel. Even if he was born elsewhere – by historical error - he nonetheless belongs to the Land of Israel. A Jew should always say: I come from Eretz Yisrael! Rabbi Moshe from Kutzi, the author of the "Semag" and one of the Tosafot, would sign his name: "Moshe from the Exile of Jerusalem who is in France." It is true that I am in France, but I am from Jerusalem. When a Jew is asked: "Where are you from," he must therefore respond: I come from Eretz Yisrael.

I was once invited to a Brit Milah. When we sat down to eat, a man quickly ran into the hall and said: "When is the Brit Milah?" The participants told him: "It just ended. Mazel Tov!" He took a deep breath: "Oy vey, I missed it!" He sat down at the meal. I was sitting nearby and heard his conversation with the others.

- They asked him: "Where are you from?"
- He proudly said with a German accent: "From Frankfurt am Main!"
- I thought to myself: Poor guy, he came all the way from Frankfurt am Main to the Brit Milah and missed it by a few minutes… Everyone felt sorry for him.
- They asked: "What kind of work do you do?"
- He said: "I sell Sifrei Kodesh (holy books)."
- "In Frankfurt am Main?"
- "No, no. In Bayit Ve-Gan (a Jerusalem neighborhood)."
- ????
- "I live in Bayit Ve-Gan."
- "Didn't you just say that you are from Frankfurt am Main?"
- "Yes, yes. I live in Bayit Ve-Gan but I am from Frankfurt am Main!"...

He may live in Bayit Ve-Gan, but where is he really from? Frankfurt am Main! He breathes Frankfurt am Main, thinks about Frankfurt am Main and lives Frankfurt am Main.

Rav Aviner added, "This is how German Jews felt right before the Holocaust."

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(Akiva's comments...)

How did the Jewish people return to Israel? They did not come as a conquering army nor in force, rather they came in groups of tens and occasionally a few hundred, buying land and building homes and towns. Once in the Land, they defended themselves when attacked. This negates your first Gemora quote.

Do you daven towards Yerushalayim? Do you say Shemona Esrai for the rebuilding of Jerusalem? You do say Birkat Hamazon, for the rebuilding of Jerusalem? Do you pray for rain in the fall-winter and dew in the spring-summer, according to the seasons in Eretz Yisroel? Do you have a remembrance of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash on the walls of your home (Shulchan Aruch)? Is Eretz Yisroel foreign to you, or a part of your life? How can you say Shema and not yearn for The Land?

Chassidus teaches us we must make a keli (a vessel) for a bracha. We may daven, meditate, and even focus upon the mystical kavanot of eating matzah on Pesach. But until we grow the wheat, grind the flour, mix the dough, bake the matzah, make a bracha and eat the matzah, not a single bit of our davening, meditation, or even kavanot penetrate _this world_. Since our task is to make this world a dwelling place for Hashem, we have not done ANYTHING until we _do_ SOMETHING.

The navi said the yidden would return from Bavel. Yet wings of angles didn't carry them, Ezra HaSofer and Nechemya led them. Neither the Mishkan, the first Beis HaMikdash, nor the second Beis HaMikdash descended from heaven. Stones were quarried, precious minerals mined, walls and implements built. And THEN obvious nisiim and the presence of Hashem revealed.

The Ethiopian Jews had a prophecy from one of their chachamim (sages) of generations past that they would arrive in Eretz HaKodesh on the wings of silver eagles. They came in El Al 747's. For them that was a miracle and fulfillment of the prophecy - and would you disagree?

The gathering of the exiles is in progress. Most of the small Jewish communities are gone or have a few elders remaining. Israel has Jews from 63 countries living here.

The question is how will the process finish? Will the remaining communities get a yearning to come, will their financial circumstances and the feeling of their neighbors suddenly change that they become uncomfortable and come (see quote by "John from Franklin" in the middle of the article, live on TV throughout the US), will they be chased out with only what they can carry, or (G-d forbid) will they be among those lost?

The Holy Zohar has much to say on the matter. In essence though it says either those who come before the final gathering will receive 10-100 times the reward, and/or those who don't come will fall during the destruction of the nations of the world that attack Israel.

We're Jews, we don't RELY upon nisiim (miracles). We have a mitzvah to settle the Land and to build the Beis HaMikdash. We have to do our physical part in this physical world. If the physical world prevents us, then we can ONLY turn to HaKodesh Baruch Hu. But when the physical world ALLOWS us, what argument do we have for not doing so???

Ok, right now we can't build the physical building of the Beis HaMikdash. We certainly can prepare the materials (like Dovid HaMelech)! We certainly can settle the Land! We certainly can learn the halachos and practice the actions!

Is Eretz Yisroel important to us, or isn't it? Yiddishkeit is intimately tied throughout to Eretz Yisroel. Can we stand before our Father in Heaven and say "well, yeah, you created circumstances where we could settle, yeah, you created circumstances where economic conditions were decent, yeah, you created circumstances where Torah was flourishing, but we were waiting for You to move us." ???

Ok, you respond "the Rebbe knew the Zohar and also talked about it" and didn't encourage aliyah. That is certainly true. The Rebbe sent his chassidim out with mesiras nefesh - self sacrifice, to save the Jewish people spiritually. They gave up their isolated enclave to come in contact with all kinds of influences to help try to save the vast majority of the Jewish people. He pushed his chassidim out, to put aside their learning, to put aside their time with their rebbe, in some cases to put aside the conveniences of modern life and any availability of Jewish support (kosher meat, milk, wine, bread, etc) to try to save even one single Jew from being lost to the ways of the world. Who is to say the rewards for this tremendous sacrifice will not be even greater?

But for the Jewish people as a whole, there is no divorcing ourselves from the Holy Land. Certainly, and unfortunately not in positive ways, Jews the world over are beginning to understand that whatever happens in Israel affects the Jewish people everywhere.

You also ask, "but what should one do if one doesn't have a profession that translates well to Israel, or elderly sick parents one must care for, or children of the ages that make the transition very difficult? Some rabbaim and gedolim advise not to come." Plan. Prepare. If you can't come now, plan for when you can. Do your part, and at the same time DAVEN for Hashem to make it possible for you. A mitzvah in progress is counted as a mitzvah! (We have friends and former neighbors arriving on the 10th of this month, they worked on coming for 10 years. And this year their plans finished and here they come.)

What if you're out doing something for Klal Yisroel...a Chabad house, a yeshiva teacher, a tzedakah upon which people rely? Your mesiras nefesh is great and should reward you...as long as you remember that's what it is and don't forget the Land.

Those among Chabad and among the mekubalim (the kabbalists) may quote something from the path of the Baal Shem Tov and brought down in Chabad chassidus...

A chassid once asked the Tzemach Tzedek (3rd Lubavitch Rebbe) whether he should settle in the Holy Land so that he could devote his life there to Torah study and the service of G-d. The Tzemach Tzedek replied, "Make this place Eretz Yisrael."

The Tzemach Tzedek's response conveys more than a reply to the chassid's question about his personal future. For us, its meaning extends far beyond the question of whether one should live in Eretz Yisrael. Instead of being seen only in that limited context, it should also be understood as alluding to the path through which all the members of our people, whether in the diaspora or in Eretz Yisrael, can come to a true and complete appreciation of our Holy Land.

What is Eretz Yisrael? -- A place where G-dliness, holiness, and Yiddishkeit are openly revealed. In an ultimate sense, this will be realized in the Era of the Redemption when the Beis HaMikdash will be rebuilt and the observance of all the mitzvos associated with the holiness of the land will be restored. Furthermore, not only will we fulfill all of the mitzvos in that era, but we will appreciate the bond with G-dliness that will be established through this observance.

This is the meaning of the directive, "Make this place Eretz Yisrael." Every individual ought to draw G-dliness into his life and into his environment. Rather than seek to escape from worldly involvement and seclude oneself in spiritual expressions of holiness, we are asked to reveal holiness within the living reality of our contemporary experience, to give actual expression to the concept that there is nothing in this world which is apart from G-d.

One could see this as Chabad's ultimate objective...make the whole world Eretz Yisroel. There is certainly something to this. But in this day and age, when the physical Eretz Yisroel is within reach, we can do both. Connect with the Land physically, and make our place holy spiritually.