בס"ד

THE SIN OF THE SPIES TODAY

  And they despised the pleasant land, they did not believe His word;(Tehillim106:24)
 

        They [the spies] brought back to the Children of Israel an evil report of the land which they had searched, saying, "The land which we investigated is a land that eats up its inhabitants. " (Bamidbar 13:32)

       When the ten spies went out to spy the land, the souls of the ten corresponding tribes came into them, the actual sons of Ya'akov. This is the sod of what Yosef told them (his brothers), "You are spies" (Bereishis 42:9), to allude that in the future their souls would go into the spies. (Kitve ha Ari ha Kaddosh Sha'ar HaGilgulim, Introduction 36)

        All what happened to Yosef happened to Tzion... (Tanchuma, Vayigash 10)

       ...The ingathering of the exiles and the return to the Holy Land, in general and in detail until the Final Redemption, is the role of the first Moshiach, Moshiach Ben Yosef... (Kol HaTor, Chapter 1)

        All those who involve themselves in the ingathering of the exiles ease the suffering of Moshiach Ben Yosef;  (Kol HaTor, Chapter 1)

           "Many of the sinners in this great sin of, 'They despised the cherished land,' and also many of the guardians of Torah, will not know or understand that they are caught in this sin of the Spies, that they have been sucked into the sin of the Spies in many false ideas and empty claims, and they cover their ideas with the already proven fallacy that the mitzvah of the settlement of Israel no longer applies in our day, an opinion which has already been disproved by the giants of the world, the Rishonim and Achronim." (From Vilna Gaon, Kol HaTor, Ch.5)

          "Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him" (Gen. 42:8): This is one of Joseph's attributes. Not just in his generation, but in every generation, Mashiach ben Yosef recognizes his brothers and they do not recognize him. It is an act of Satan which conceals Mashiach ben Yosef's attributes, such that the Jews unfortunately do not recognize his footsteps, and in fact scoff at them... If not for this, our troubles would already be over. If Israel "recognized Joseph," Mashiach ben Yosef's footsteps comprising the ingathering of the exiles, etc., we would already be completely redeemed. (Kol HaTor Ch. 2, Part I:39)

WHY THOSE WHO WORK ON THE INGATHERING OF THE EXILES ARE
SOMETIMES OF SEEMINGLY UNDESIRABLE DEEDS?

         For a great soul to leave the K’lipos, you should know, it must be done with trickery and scheming, as it happened with me. Since the Chitzonim had thought that I was lost among them, G-d forbid, they did not suspect anything when The Holy One, Blessed is He, took me out ... They had thought that this was to their benefit, and that I had been transformed into an ‘enemy.’ Thus, you will find that many great souls have come in the bodies of simpletons... (Rabbi Chayim Vital Sha’ar HaGilgulim, Chapter 38) 

        So just the same way in which the brothers opposed Yosef and they further opposed the land, in our times religious Jews oppose the Mitzvah of settling in Eretz Israel (They oppose Tzion) by speaking evil words against hte Land and its inhabitants, as if they themselves were perfectly free of sin. Then by perpetuating their abode in impure lands, thereby becoming contaminated by the ideals of the nations where they live in. And so it is that when Jews live in America they become contaminated with the idea that material success is the main goal in life, and  they refuse to go up to Eretz Israel for it entails the risk of a descent in respect to their luxurious dwellings and their prospects for material success and the honor they are afforded outside of Eretz Israel

Yosef said to his brothers, "I am Yosef, is my father still alive?" However, his brothers weren't able to answer him because they were in shock. (Bereishis 45:3)

Woe to us on the Day of Judgment, and woe to us on the day of reproof. Yosef was the youngest of the tribes, but when he said, "I AM YOSEF!" the brothers were overcome with humiliation at having acted wrongly. When G-d will reveal Himself to each of us, announcing, "I AM HASHEM!" we will certainly be unable to answer and will be deeply ashamed of ourselves. (Bereishis Rabbah 93:10)

THE KELIPOT WILL STRENGTHEN THEMSELVES WITH THE INGATHERING OF THE EXILES AND WILL BE MANIFEST AS OPPOSITION TO THOSE INVOLVED
IN THE INGATHERING OF THE EXILES

  REFUGE IN TZION: The posuk says, “For on the mountain of Tzion and in Yerushalayim there will refuge as G-d said, and among the survivors whom G-d summons”  (Yoel 3:5). And Tzion in the mountains of Moshiach Ben Yosef, for according to the Midrash Tanchuma, all that happened to Yosef will happen to Tzion. Our teacher (The Vilna Gaon) found an allusion to this in the word ‘saridim’ (survivors), which is equal to ‘Moshiach Ben Yosef,’ through whom Kibbutz Galuyot will take place. According to our teacher, as the measure of Kibbutz Galuyot increases so will the strength of the Sitra Achra, and opposers will increase against those who are not steadfast in Kibbutz Galuyot after it begins. Then there will be refuge in Tzion and Yerushalayim and survivors. Regarding this, our teacher was very concerned.  (Kol HaTor, Chapter 1).

Our sages declared (Sanhedrin 98a): "R. Abba said: There is no sign of the end of days more revealed than that of (Ezekiel 36:8): 'But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel [for it is near to come]." (Rashi: "When Eretz Yisrael yields its produce in abundance, then the end will be near, and no sign of the end of days could be more clear.")

Yet despite our having seen with our own eyes the fulfillment of much of the beginning of the redemption, Israel still dwell in the bitter exile, the cemetery of the nations, refusing to recognize signs of redemption which could not be more obvious. It is as clear as the sun, yet, "Who is blind but My servant?" (Isaiah 42:19). The people are incapable of understanding, because the impure shell of generations of exile blunts their feelings and their understanding.

            Is G-d mocking us by the fact that millions of Jews have been gathered to Eretz Israel? Is the establishment of an independent, sovereign state such as has not existed since the Hasmonean era (and which even then surely did not reach today's dimensions) something to be dismissed light1y? Can such a state be compared to the likes of Shabtai Tzvi - may his name be blotted out - to the false prophet who failed to return even a minuscule segment of the people to Eretz Israel, let alone set up a sovereign home there? Surely not! If someone does not understand that what we have seen in our day are great Divine miracles, if he calls them "Satan's camp" or "the work of the devil" then better his death than his birth, for he is denying G-d's miracles and wonders. After our sages said (Chulin 7b), "A person does not bruise his finger unless it was decreed in Heaven," how could we think that the establishment of a state and the ingathering of millions is the work of the devil? Heaven help us

Rabbi Meir David Kahane ZTK'L The Jewish Idea

MESSAGE TO THOSE WHO THINK LIKE THE SPIES THOUGHT

Does the Torah not don sackcloth on account of this? Is Eretz Israel - our mother - not disgraced and insulted by this? Her sons insult her greatly by interfering with anyone who wants to raise his voice and inspire the masses to strengthen her and raise her from the dust, as the Holy One Blessed be He has commanded us.  Today's pseudo-saints defame and degrade her so much that it is forbidden to speak in public for the sake of Yishuv HaAretz. And if, by chance, someone courageously and fearlessly states the truth as it is, they say that it is forbidden to listen to his sermon.

With my own ears, I heard not one, but many people say that thousands and tens of thousands of Jews were punished because they engaged in the settlement and rebuilding of the Land. Is this not blasphemy, an insult to our holy Torah? Does this not cause grief and sorrow to the holy Shechinah, which is Kingship (Malchut), and to Eretz Israel, the mother of Israel, which is also Kingship? Woe to the ears which have heard this. It is obviously a grave sin to even utter such things.

Every intelligent person with a brain in his head will realize that this is exactly what happened with Yehoshua and Calev. They were not afraid to declare the truth in public, opposing the entire congregation, including the princes who "sanctified" themselves by disrupting and preventing Israel from entering Eretz Israel.

 The Midrash states:  That generation (of the spies) could not taste any fruits of the Land. R. Akiva said: ''When the merchants would uncover a basket of fruits from the Land, they [the Israelites] would die. Thus, it says, Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good Land (Devarim I:35): [They will not see] any good that comes from the Land." (Tanchuma, Chukat 19)

"It used to be that the Land was desolate," he said. "But now, what excuse can there be for not coming? This is our place. There are difficulties, and problems – but I dare say, and it pains me to say it, that they need not wait for anti-Semitism to kick them out; they shouldn't come from 'no choice,' but of their own free will. Aliyah must be first priority – and there must therefore be true Jewish education to restore them to their roots. If they don't nourish from the past, if they ignore the past, there won't be a future. We must know what our task is, and where we can fulfill it – in the Land of Israel."

Rabbi Chaim Druckman, head of the Yeshivot Bnei Akiva countrywide school network in Israel

And when the Jews who lived outside Eretz Israel will see that their brothers [Who were in Eretz Israel] become new creatures and fly through the air in order to enter the lower Gan Eden to study Torah from Ha Kaddosh Baruch Hu, then they will worry greatly and will complain to Melech ha Mashiach and will say: Aren’t we the Sons of Israel, just the same as them? Why did they merit to become spiritual with body and soul? Why was this withheld from us?

And Melech ha Mashiach will say to them: It is well known that the ways of Ha Kaddosh Baruch Hu are MIDDA KENEGGED MIDDA Those who lived outside the Land, and made the effort to come here in order to merit a pure soul, and did not care about their possessions, and did not care about their bodies, and came through land and sea, and they did not worry about drowning in the sea, or about being taken captive by evil masters. And because they made their spirits and souls the most important thing, and not their bodies and possessions, therefore they received a higher level of spirituality, measure for measure.

And as to you, who could have returned to the Land like them, yet you delayed coming here because of your love of money, and you worried about your money and your bodies, and you made them into your main focus, and your souls and spirits you treated like a secondary thing, therefore you remain physical, measure for measure.     Rabbi Avraham Azulai Sefer Chessed LeAvraham, Maayan 3 Nahar 22

THE SATAN LOVES NEWSPAPERS, TV AND THE BIASED MEDIA

ALL THOSE IMAGES OF VIOLENCE, AND ALL THOSE ARTICLES AND REPORTS WHO TALK AGAINST ERETZ ISRAEL, ITS GOVERNMENT, ITS MILITARY AND ITS INHABITANTS ARE INTENDED TO PREVENT JEWS FROM MAKING ALIYAH, THEY CAUSE JEWS TO BEHAVE LIKE THE SPIES, REJECTING THE WONDERFUL GIFT THAT HASHEM HAS GIVEN US

RABBI MEIR TZERUYA

DO YOU BELIEVE IN HASHEM OR IN THE MONEY IN THE BANK?

THE DESIRE FOR HONOR IS GREATER THAN THE DESIRE FOR WEALTH

The desire for honor is even greater than the desire for wealth, for it is possible for a person to overcome his inclination for wealth and the other pleasures and still be pressed by the desire for honor, being unable to tolerate being, and seeing himself beneath his friends…Many were caught and destroyed by the desire for honor…This same desire, according to our Sages of blessed memory (Zohar to Numbers 13:3), was responsible for the spies’ speaking ill of the land, thus bringing about their death and the death of the entire generation. They feared a diminution of their honor in the possibility that after entry into the land they would no longer be princes of Israel and others would be appointed in their place…  
 Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzato    Mesillat Yesharim, Prate Nekiut

R' Chaim looked at his grandson lovingly and replied, "My son, I feel that being a laborer in Eretz Israel is greater than being a Rav in Chutz La'aretz (the diaspora)." Hearing this, the grandson immediately abandoned his plans [To leave for chutz la aretz].  (Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, Ha Ish al ha Choma)

כלם אנשים, כלהו זכאין הוו, ורישי דישראל הוו, אבל אינון דברו לגרמייהו עיטא בישא כו', אמרו אי ייעלון ישראל לארעא נתעבר אנן מלמהוי רישין, וימני משה רישין אחרנין, דהא אנן זכינן במדברא למהוי רישין, אבל בארעא לא נזכי, ועל דנטלי עיטא בישא לגרמייהו, מיתו אינון וכל אינון דנטלן מלייהו. [תרגום הזוהר: המרגלים כולם צדיקים היו ומנהיגי ישראל היו, אך אמרו אך נעלה לארץ ישראל יעברו אותנו מלהיות עוד ראשים וימנו אחרים תחתינו, כי אנחנו לא זכינו להיות ראשים כי אם במדבר ולא בארץ, ולא נתיעצו כולם בעצה רעה למנוע את הכניסה לארץ, ועל ידי זה מתו הם וכל ישראל שקבלו דבריהם]. (זוהר חלק ג' דף קנ"ח עמוד א').

THERE ARE TZADDIKIM AND YET THEY BEHAVE LIKE THE SPIES

           When the ten spies went out to spy the land, the souls of the ten corresponding tribes came into them, the actual sons of Ya'akov. This is the sod of what Yosef told them (his brothers), "You are spies" (Bereishis 42:9), to allude that in the future their souls would go into the spies. (Kitve ha Ari ha Kaddosh Sha'ar HaGilgulim, Introduction 36)

        "Therefore, my friends and brothers, do not pay any attention to those who slander the Land, even if they are truly righteous. For, I mentioned above that the brilliant mentor of Eretz Israel, R. Yosef Chayim Sonnenfeld z"l, derived from the words of the Shelah ha Kaddosh that even tzaddikim can be spies. Realize that all those who oppose aliyah and the building and resettlement of the Land belong to the camp of the spies. But, all those who choose aliyah belong to Yehoshua and Calev's camp."  (Rabbi Ysachar Shlomo Teichtel ZTKL, Em ha Banim Semecha)

Goodbye Wall 

They come in all sizes and shapes, complexions and complexes, in fusion and confusion, from East and West and North and South. They are Jews; they are tourists; they come to see it. The Wall. They come with beards and kaftan - direct from Williamsburg; they come with Rabbinical Council mustaches, from Flatbush and Kew Garden Hills; they come with black yarmulkas to signify Agudah and knitted ones to shout their support and empathy with Zvulun Hammer; they come with no yarmulkas and are given them by their local American Jewish Congress tour guide; they come with no yarmulkas and wear the cardboard type that the keepers of the Wall dispense; they come with whatever they come with. To see It. The Wall.

They come with familiarity (some having been to Israel seven, eight, ten times), having reached the rank of resident tourist. Usually these are Orthodox Jews who come up to the Wall with confident strides as if to shake the hand of a familiar acquaintance. Others are not sure just what they have to do, how they are required to act, and they stand uncornfortably and nervously, glancing about to see what the others are doing. Still others stand, just stand before the Wall - thinking, meditating, praying, talking, whispering, weeping.  And then they leave. They have been to the Land, been to Zion, been to Jerusalem, the Holy City, and been to see it. And then they leave. They leave behind their money, their tour guides, their little notes they wrapped into a small ball or wad and left in the crevices ofthe Wall. They leave the Land and Zion and Jerusalem, the Holy City, and  The Wall. They go back to Great Neck and Boston and Los Angeles and Miami and, of course, Washington Heights and Monsey and Williamsburg and Boro Park. They leave Old Jerusalem for newer ones and the Wall for Wall Street because they must. To see Israel is to enjoy an experience beyond comparison. To see Jerusalem, the Holy City, is to gather a treasury of memories beyond price. To see the Wall is to experience a thrill that is indescribable. But everything has its time and its place and all good tours must come to an end. Israel is the finest of all places to visit but it is not for them to live there.   And so they leave. The beards and the beardless, the Orthodox (ultra and modern), Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Humanist, agnostic, atheist ... They leave. For "home." And I often wonder: When they carne, they ran to say hello to the Wall. When they leave, do they make a point to say goodbye?    And, indeed, how does one say goodbye to the Wall? What does one say to It? Does one stand there and daven Mincha, pray the Afternoon service that says: "And may our eyes behold Thy return to Zion ... " and then say to It: "Well, I suppose I have to go now. The business can't shut down for more than three weeks. Take care of yourself and let's hope that He returns soon ...?" Does one shake the Wall's vegetation in lieu of a hand and does one kiss it - kiss it Goodbye? If one knows that the Shechina, the Divine Presence, never left the Wall, how does one say goodbye to Him? What does one, who is leaving Israel for the Exile that we are told finds him with no G-d and worshipping idolatry in "purity" - say to the Divine Presence at the Wall?

I suppose that it is all this that finds most people leaving Israel without saying goodbye to It. I suppose that especially the ones whose heart and conscience are not as stone, cannot say to the Wall whose stones are as hearts: Goodbye, I am violating a basic tenet of Judaism; I betray my land; I go back to the fleshpots and materialism of the Exile and thus forsake you.

But I also wonder what the Wall says and thinks as It watches the Jews who come to visit as casually as if they were taking a trip (as so many more do lately) to Puerto Rico and Spain and Aruba and Rome. I wonder what It thinks as It looks at the hordes of tourists who come to touch It, fondle It, kiss It, stare at It, memorialize It in their film (still and motion) - and then go back to the lands that they consider their real homes. I wonder what It thinks as It watches the Jews pray and sway and bay at it. I wonder what It thinks as It watches the ritual and idol worship that has been built about It by the American Jewish Congress, the Ministry of Tourism and the UJA. I wonder what It thinks as It watches the Orthodox Jews from New Frankfort on the Heights and the majesty of Crown Heights and sees all the "religious Jews" on their three-week vacation before going back to idolatry.   Surely, this last remnant of the Temple, in which preached the Prophets who inveighed against hypocrisy, remembers their words and repeats them to their descendants. Surely it repeats the words: "When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand to trample my courts? Bring no more vain oblations, it is an offering of abomination unto Me; New Moon and Sabbath, the holding of convocations - I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly ... " (Isaiah 1: 12)        The Wall looks at those who come to honor It and at that very moment plan to betray the Land and abominate it by leaving for an Exile they call "home" - and repeats: "Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (Samuel 1, 15:22).   They leave the Wall for "home." They refuse to dwell in the Land of this Wall. It knows that that which they plan - peace and security in the Galut - will never be. It knows that if they reject the Wall of the Almighty, that there will be other walls for them: walls of fire and walls of prisons and camps. The Galut is one huge wall for the Jew - though he refuses to see it.If one comes to the Wall late, very late at night and listens carefully, very carefully, he can hear the Wall. It weeps softly to itself and says: "Woe unto my people for their humiliation of the Land..." And it seems to me that the Wall would prefer that those who say goodbye to it, would not bid it hello. 

4 Tishri 5738 - September 16, 1977  RABBI DAVID MEIR KAHANE ZTK'L

LEARN THE BOOK OF SHOFTIM IN THE TANACH AND THEN

YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT IN EVERY PERIOD THERE WERE SINNERS IN ERETZ ISRAEL, NOW BECAUSE THERE ARE SINNERS STILL IN THE LAND, DOES THIS MEAN IT IS DANGEROUS TO GO TO ERETZ ISRAEL? THERE WAS NEVER A TIME WHEN THERE WERE NO SINNERS, IDOLATERS, ETC. AND ARE THERE NO SINNERS OUTSIDE OF ERETZ ISRAEL?

AND BECAUSE THERE ARE SINNERS IN THE LAND: DOES THIS MEAN YOU WILL EXPOSE YOURSELF TO ASSIMILATION BY STAYING IN THE GOLA RATHER THAN GO TO THE PLACE WHERE YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE?

AND IF YOU FEAR FOR YOUR SAFETY IN ERETZ ISRAEL:  DOES THIS MEAN YOU BELIEVE HASHEM HAS NO POWER TO HARM SOMEONE OUTSIDE ERETZ ISRAEL? HOW MANY PEOPLE DIE OF DISEASE? ACCIDENTS, HASHEM SAVE US!

EVERYBODY SAYS: IF I HAD MORE MONEY I WOULD MOVE TO ERETZ ISRAEL!

THE PROBLEM WITH THIS LOGIC IS THAT THE PERSON WHO HAS $100,000 SAYS: IF I HAD $500,000 THEN I WOULD MOVE TO ERETZ ISRAEL THE ONE WITH 1 MILLION SAYS: IF I HAD 5 MILLION I WOULD MOVE TO ERETZ ISRAEL. THEN THE PERSON WHO HAS 5 MILLION SAYS: IF I HAD 10 MILLION I WOULD MOVE TO ERETZ ISRAEL

THERE IS NO END TO THE STORY. WHEN THERE'S DESIRE AND CONVICTION THAT'S THE RIGHT TIME TO MOVE, IT DOESN'T DEPEND ON YOUR ASSETS. DON'T LET THE YETZER HARA DOMINATE YOU. LIBERATE YOURSELF FROM THE IDOL WORSHIP OF MONEY

This sin (that is, the fact that few Jews actually long to return to Eretz Israel) prevented the fulfillment of that which was destined for the Second Temple. For Divine Providence was ready to reappear as at first if all the Jews had willingly agreed to return. But, only a minority returned; the majority remained in Babylonia... Divine Providence only appears to a person in proportion to his preparedness for it. If he prepares a little, he will receive a little, if a lot, a lot. If we would be prepared to willingly and wholeheartedly draw near to the G-d of our forefathers, He would save us as He saved our ancestors from Egypt. [But since this is not the case], our utterances of "Who restores His presence to Zion" and "Bow down at His Holy Mountain" are like the chirping of the birds, for we say these things without proper intent  (The Kuzari 2:24)

WHY DO WE NOT STUDY THE TANACH

I do not understand the incredible disappearance of Tanach study as the central part of Judaism in the Yeshiva. I cannot comprehend the fact that the so-called Torah world simply ignores a clear halachic injunction concerning how a Jew is supposed to learn: "The age of five is for Mikra (Tanach - Bible); the age of ten is for Mishna." (Pirkei Avot 5).

Of course, David is the sweet singer of Israel, the writer of the magnificent Psalms. But in the Tanach, he appears in his totality, as the slayer of Goliath, the one who burns with anger at the humiliation and desecration of the name of G-d and His people Israel. He is the fighter, the warrior, the soldier in the milchemet mitzvah, war of obligation, who also writes Psalms, and who teaches us the true role model of the Jew. Rabbi Meir David Kahane

Shaming the Land

  ...I remember reading of the efforts made by both the late Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank, of blessed memory, and an earlier one, Rabbi Shmuel Salant, to have visitors from the galut observe their galut Yom Tov b'tzinah, discreetly and privately. How important such a thing is! How dangerous is unabashed, public flaunting of the Galut by those who blithely ignore the commandment to live in the Land and who unashamedly continue to dwell in the impurity and sin of Galut! What an open desecration of the Land of Israel is this bringing into it the way of the Galut!

One notes that the Mishna Brura (Orach Hayim 496: 13) writes: "And a resident of the Galut who comes to the Land of Israel with the intention of returning to his residence, should observe two days of yom Tov but, nevertheless, should pray the holiday prayers in his home, privately." The Mishna Brura does not state his reason but, at least, it is a starting point. Let those who desecrate the Land by refusing to live there, at least not add insult to this sin by flaunting their Galut prayers in public. They are prayers that are unacceptable to the Almighty because the mouths that utter them and cry out: "Because of our sins we have been exiled from the land ... " are now able to return from that exile and have no such intention. Such prayers are the prayers of Zimris who seek the reward of Pinchas. The rabbis tell us that if one feels that it is impossible for him to avoid sinning and his evil inclination is too strong for him, let him dress in black and go to a place where no one knows him. I suggest the same here. If one's evil inclination forces him to stay in the Galut, let him - when he comes to the Land of Israel, on the second day of Yom Tov - dress in his holiday black, go to a room - alone - where no one knows him, and pray to G-d, quietly and humbly, asking his forgiveness because of his sin of self-exile from the land. Perhaps the shame and the contrition will atone for the sin. Anything but the ugly sight of tens of happy Jews, loudly holding forth their galut prayers in the Land that cringes at their sight.

 2 Cheshvan 5738 - October 14, 1977

RABBI DAVID MEIR KAHANE ZTK'L

So, what is missing today? The strong desire that burned in the hearts of loyal Jews in past generations. Had it been as easy to travel and gain entry to Eretz Israel a hundred years ago as it is today, or if the faithful Jews of today longed for the Holy Land as they did a hundred years ago, the majority of the population in Eretz Israel today would be observant!

FROM THE SEFER ZION TODAY

In the Introduction we gave examples from Chazal, rishonim and acharonim who came to Eretz Israel with great self-sacrifice. The Gemara (Kesubos 112) tells of Rabbi Zeira's journey to the Holy Land. When he reached the Jordan River, he discovered that it had no bridge. But instead of waiting until he found a safe path across, he took the first one he found - a narrow, dangerous one. Why? "If Moshe and Aharon were not worthy of reaching Eretz Israel, who says I will be?" But today we are far from any genuine spiritual feeling, and so proper love of Eretz Israel eludes us as well.

In Sefer Eretz Israel, the Gaon Rabbi Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky describes the enthusiasm and sacrifice of the early settlers and builders of the old yishuv. "And today?" he asks. "It’s so easy to get to Eretz Israel! By plane from America, it's only thirty-six hours (this was written thirty five years ago). In a luxury liner, only two weeks. From Jaffa to Jerusalem is just an hour by car. All the roads are paved, there's no shortage of water, fuel, electricity, or food. The Israeli government is the master of the Land now, and the gates are open wide to all comers. There are no more "red slips" or bribes to the Turkish overlords 

"So, what is missing today? The strong desire that burned in the hearts of loyal Jews in past generations. Had it been as easy to travel and gain entry to Eretz Israel a hundred years ago as it is today, or if the faithful Jews of today longed for the Holy Land as they did a hundred years ago, the majority of the population in Eretz Israel today would be observant! Such problems as public desecration of the Sabbath, women's draft, or autopsies, would be unheard of. If the religious Jews in chutz la'Aretz had that pull to Eretz Israel, they could rescue the sanctity of the Land from any who might oppose it. True, most Jews have some emotional attachment to Eretz Israel. They turn to it during prayers, pray for it three times a day, mention it in 'benching' (Grace After Meals). To be sure, they give strong financial support, no less than in previous generations. But, for themselves, they are still enamored of their foreign homes. Their future, most seem to feel, lies there! Our early settlers came at great personal sacrifice, because they longed to be "in G-d's courtyard." All Torah-true Jews today, when the task is so much simpler, must take their example to heart" (Sefer Eretz Israel 99-100).

 The reasons behind this unfortunate situation are many.

 We have already discussed one: The withdrawal from spiritual values and the total immersion in the vanities of olam hazeh. The olam hazeh of chutz la' Aretz makes a much better appearance than that of Eretz Israel. Only one who lives to be a ben olam haba will prefer Eretz Israel. Another reason is the justified opposition to Zionism. Former concepts and assumptions have been thrown out of place. Since Zionism calls for aliya, the masses took it to mean that the gedolim (great Rabbis) who opposed Zionism are also opposed to aliya and settling in Eretz Israel (G-d forbid). This is as far removed from the truth as anything could be.

TO RECTIFY THE SIN OF THE SPIES WE MUST PROMOTE SETTLING IN ERETZ YISRAEL

As I already mentioned, the angel of the holy volume, Maggid Meisharim, told our master, the Beit Yosef, that Moshe Rabbeinu sent the spies expecting that they would return and extol Eretz Yisrael and its special qualities. This would arouse within the hearts of Israel a burning desire and an intense yearning to enter Eretz Yisrael as soon as possible. This burning desire would make the Jews worthy of inheriting the Land, even though they were not worthy of it on their own merit. However, because of their selfish motives, the spies did exactly the opposite. Using various methods and expending much effort, they caused the nation to hate and abhor Eretz Yisrael, as I explained above.

Thus, if we want to rectify this sin, we must strive to arouse the Children of Israel, wherever they may be, to love and desire the desirable Land of our forefathers. Then, a fire will burn within them to come and inherit the Holy Land, and they will desire it more than anything in the world. This will be the complete rectification of the great sin mentioned above. In this way, we will pay off the ancient debt that we incurred at the inception of our nation, the debt which causes us, to this very day, such diverse and frequent troubles that we have practically perished, God forbid. When we complete this rectification, our bill of debt will be torn up and the day of salvation will arrive with great wonders and grandeur. This is the day for which we have waited, let us exult and rejoice in His salvation, speedily in our days. Amen.

.. However, my dear brother, you must be aware of what Chazal say in the Midrash: Righteous people rectify their sins in the same manner that they commit them (Tanchuma, BeShalach 24). Therefore, we must inspire the hearts of Israel and kindle within them the fire of desire for Eretz Yisrael using the same methods that our ancestors used to undermine Israel's desire for the Land. The generation of the spies united the entire congregation against Eretz Yisrael and put a great deal of effort into propaganda They established an entire propaganda organization - what we would call today a propaganda department - which organized people to convince others to oppose Eretz Yisrael. Similarly, we must establish a propaganda apparatus which will permeate every Jewish home and try to convince every Jewish soul to support Eretz Yisrael.

 (FROM EM HA BANIM SEMECHA, RABBI YSACHAR SHLOMO TEICHTAL, ZTK´L)

Just as during the time of the spies all of Israel united for evil, to oppose Eretz Yisrael; today as well, we must unify all of Israel for good, to support Eretz Yisrael. This way, we will pay off our debt, tear up our record of liability, and cause the glory of HaShem to shine upon us with the complete redemption, speedily in our days. Amen.

(FROM EM HA BANIM SEMECHA, RABBI YSACHAR SHLOMO TEICHTAL, ZTK´L)

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