Parsha Pearls: Shavuos

 

The Severity of an Oath
The Danger of the Zionist Language
Living in the Holy Land During Exile

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The Gemora (Bava Basra 15b) explains the words “the judging of the judges” to mean that it was a generation that judged its judges – the judges themselves were sinners, and when they rebuked a person for a sin he could retort that they themselves had committed greater sins.

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In our time, Jews loyal to the Torah living in Eretz Yisroel are challenged not only by neighbors who are sinners, but by neighbors who are heretics. The Gemora says, “A person should live in Eretz Yisroel even in a city of mostly gentile idolaters, rather than in other lands, even in a city that is mostly Jewish.” (Kesubos 110b) The word “even” means that this is the limit, but more than that – i.e. something worse than gentile idolaters – is not permitted. Jewish heretics are worse than gentile idolaters, “for they afflict Israel and lead the people astray from following Hashem.” (Rambam, Laws of Idolatry 10:1) A person is naturally more influenced by one of his own kind. (See Vayikra, p. ??.) Furthermore, the evil inclination for idolatry was slaughtered long ago by the Men of the Great Assembly (Yuma 69b), whereas heresy remains a strong attraction (see Avodah Zarah 27b). One must distance himself more from heresy than from idolatry, as it says (Shabbos 116b): “Even if one is being pursued by a murderer or a poisonous snake, he may enter a house of idol worship but not a house of heretics, for the gentiles were never taught the truth, whereas the heretics are Jews who learned Torah and then denied it.” Therefore, the Gemora in Kesubos does not mean that one should live in a city of mostly heretics. (Vayoel Moshe 2:33; see also Parsha Pearls on Toldos for a similar quotation from the Brisker Rov.)

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Yet thanks to the Zionists, every Jewish child and adult who speaks Modern Hebrew uses this holy word many times a day, for the most mundane and common thing. The word that once made every Jew tremble with Yiras Shomayim has become a household term used to refer to lights, radios, ovens and washing machines. When a Jew who has been exposed to the Zionist language studies Yechezkel, he misses the point.

In Uvdos Vehanhagos Leveis Brisk (v. 4, p. 190) we read that the Brisker Rav once said, “The Zionists’ use of this word from Yechezkel shows that they deny the meaning and existence of that holy concept mentioned by the prophet Yechezkel.”

The Brisker Rav pointed out many other falsifications of the Holy Tongue committed by the Zionists, and his blood would boil with anger whenever he heard someone speak a word or expression of Modern Hebrew. When he spoke to Bnei Torah who did not understand Yiddish, he would speak in Lashon Hakodesh with the Ashkenazic pronunciation, but never in Modern Hebrew. He said, “The motive of those who introduced Modern Hebrew was to create a language barrier between the younger generation and the older generation, so that each one should not understand the other.

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The Gemara in Bava Basra 91a says, “One may not go out from Eretz Yisroel to Chutz Laaretz unless the price of wheat rises to two measures for one sela. Rabbi Shimon said: When does this apply? Only when he cannot afford it, but if he can afford it, even if the price becomes one measure for a sela he should not leave. And so Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai used to say: Elimelech, Machlon and Kilyon were gedolei hador and wealthy philanthropists, so why were they punished? Because they went out from Eretz Yisroel to Chutz Laaretz.”

The Rashbam comments: “One may not go out from Eretz Yisroel to Chutz Laaretz – because he exempts himself from the mitzvos (i.e. those mitzvos that apply only in Eretz Yisroel).” We see here that the Rashbam did not hold like the Ramban, who counts living in Eretz Yisroel as one of the 613 mitzvos. That is why he was unable to explain simply that one may not leave Eretz Yisroel because this would be neglecting the mitzvah to live there. Rather, he gives the reason that one is exempting himself from the mitzvos.

The mekubal Rabbi Avraham Azulai (1570-1643), writes in his work Chesed L’avraham, Mayan 3 Nahar 22: “You must know that we have a tradition that on the day when moshiach will arrive in Eretz Yisroel with the ingathered Jews, he will find there seven thousand Jews.” He goes on to say that after the coming of moshiach, those seven thousand Jews will reach a higher spiritual level than everyone else. When the ingathered Jews complain about this, moshiach will reply, “Hashem rewards people measure for measure. They risked their lives and subjected themselves to deprivation to come here and lead spiritual lives; therefore Hashem rewards them with a high spiritual level. You put your body and your possessions first and stayed in Chutz Laaretz; therefore your reward will be material wealth.”

On many occasions the Satmar Rebbe would show this Chesed L’avraham to people and say, “I tremble when I read this. From all the millions of Jews who are there now, only seven thousand will be left!” (Yishai Buchinger, Zichronos Fun Heiligen Satmarer Rebben, pp. 46-47)

We must ask: it does not seem like the Chesed L’avraham is saying that there will be some massive expulsion that will leave only seven thousand Jews in Eretz Yisroel. If that would be the case, why would the Jews of Chutz Laaretz be to blame for not living in Eretz Yisroel? They tried to live there and were expelled! Furthermore, the Chesed L’avraham sounds like he is encouraging people to live in Eretz Yisroel, saying that those who live there during exile will get a special reward. Why then would he write that Hashem will bring a disaster, chas veshalom, upon the vast majority of the Jews living there?

The answer is that he does not necessarily mean there will be an expulsion or a disaster. Rather, he means that the Jews who will be rewarded for shunning materialism and living in Eretz Yisroel are only those few who want to live there no matter who is in power. But the vast majority of the millions living there today are only willing to live there because of the existence of the Zionist state and the supposed protection and opportunities it affords. When it reverts back to being a gentile country as it was in past centuries, these people, in the best case scenario, will leave of their own accord. Then, when moshiach comes he will find only seven thousand Jews in Eretz Yisroel, and he will tell the rest: By opting not to live a deprived but spiritual life in Eretz Yisroel under the gentiles, you placed your bodies and wealth higher than your souls.

Full Reading: https://torahjews.org/2023/11/29/parsha-pearls-shavuos 

Tags: Brisker Rov – Avraham Azulai – Rambam – Ramban – Rashbam – Satmar Rebbe –Torah Jews –