Mashiach, Mashiach, Mashiach….
Rabbi David Samson
During my twelve years of study at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, the Rosh Yeshiva, of blessed memory, would meet with groups of Bnei Akva students visiting from the Diaspora. He would always tell them that today, being a Jew meant living in Eretz Yisrael. He was not implying, Heaven forbid, that a Jew in New York is not a Jew. He was explaining to them that for a Jew to fulfill his mission as a Jew he must live in Eretz Yisrael and play a part in the rebuilding of the Jewish Nation in the Holy Land – as clearly stated in the Torah and in the visions of the Prophets of Israel.
One of my friends at the yeshiva was Rafi Atiah, may he be blessed with long life. Rafi’s grandfather, the respected Kabbalist, HaRav Mordechai Atiah, of blessed memory, founded HaChayim VeHaShalom Yeshiva for Kabbalistic Studies in Jerusalem. In his book, “Lech Lecha,” he writes:
“Jews who procrastinate and refrain from coming to live in the Land of Israel, with the explanation that they are waiting for the Mashiach, are making a basic error. For one who believes in the Mashiach and truly awaits him must do so in the Land of Israel. This is like a person who waits for a king to come. Obviously, the person must get there a few hours early in order to get a good spot, and to show honor to the king by waiting for him. Certainly, if he and others waited in their homes for the king to arrive first, causing the king to wait for people to show up, this would not show honor to the king.
“And furthermore: It is well-known that the Mashiach is to come and gather all the cast-off and dispersed remnants of Israel. Should we then wait for him? Of course not! This clearly refers only to those who are in impossible situations of captivity like those behind the Iron Curtain, or on the other side of the legendary and unable-to-cross Sambatyon River, or behind mythical mountains of darkness – but those who dwell comfortably in modern and free countries? Has anyone cast them off or dispersed them? Can they be considered hidden or pushed away?
“Even the Prophet Isaiah referred only to those who were “cast off” in his words, “to take you from the dungeons of prison, those who sit in the darkness.” Would we say that the Prophet wasn’t precise with his words, Heaven forbid? He certainly meant that the Mashiach would come to rescue those who are truly lost and hidden, and not a few-days journey away. This is what is meant in the Torah, ‘והנסתרות לה’ אלוקינו, the hidden is unto G-d (Devarim 29:8): It will be G-d’s responsibility to bring back those Jews who live in concealed places – but regarding those who reside in “open” places, they must themselves hear the Heavenly Voice calling them to לך לך, get yourselves out of Exile and come to the Land of Israel. They must do so just as the Beit Yosef, author of the Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Yosef Karo, did when he heard such a voice from his Maggid in Turkey and, as a result, made Aliyah to the Land. Would those who now oppose Aliyah say that the Beit Yosef and his comrades, and all the thousands who later went up to the Land, sinned in not waiting for the Mashiach to gather them?!
“It is therefore obvious that the Mashiach will gather up those who cannot come to the Land on their own, those who are truly “dispersed remnants.” But those who live comfortably abroad and can travel freely to the Land are obligated to make Aliyah to Zion right away” (From the book, “Lech Lecha,” Ch.14).
Rabbi Atiah goes on to quote from the Rambam: “Those who fool themselves and say that they will remain where they are until the Mashiach comes and then they will go to Jerusalem… they sin and cause others to sin. It was about this type of person that the Prophet said, ‘They have healed the hurt of the daughter of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace’” (Yirmeyahu 6:14. Rambam, Letter of Teman).
HaRav Tzvi Yehuda told the students from the Diaspora that the command “Lech lecha” is as imperative today as when it was first spoken to Avraham: “Today, the first obligation before us is the ingathering of the exiles, from all of the lands of the Diaspora, and the ingathering of every Jew, whether he is healthy or ill, whether he believes in the Torah or denies it. Being a Jew today comes with the basic requirement to be in Eretz Yisrael. Every Jew who makes Aliyah brings back to Zion a part of the exiled Shechinah. Every additional Jew who comes to Israel to live, and every additional tree which is planted in the soil of Eretz Yisrael, is another spiritual stage and step of the Geula – in the very same way that every additional piece of Torah which is learned, and every new yeshiva that is built, is another stage in the returning of Hashem’s Divine Presence to Zion.”
May it be soon.
