How can we explain the sorrowful fact that so many Jews live in foreign lands even though the Master of the World has given us own revived Jewish State in the Land of Israel?
It is possible to point to several reasons. One of them is a teaching of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook. In a proclamation called “The Great Call” to the Torah leaders of Diaspora Jewry, Rabbi Kook wrote:
“Dear brothers, Sages of Torah, and influential scholars! We too acted foolishly and sinned! We studied and researched the sources; we debated the fine (Halakhic) points of the Talmud and discovered new insights; we wrote and explained; but we forgot Hashem and His might. We failed to hear the words of the true prophets, the exalted voice of our eternal Sages, to hear the voice of the Tzaddikim (righteous ones) and Hasidim (saintly ones), the sages of Mussar, and the possessors of the secrets of Torah, who called out and proclaimed in the most strident of voices, that in the end, the river of Talmudic analysis would turn arid and dry if the deep ocean of Kabbalah, and the Torah’s inner understandings, weren’t constantly drawn into the learning (Tikkunei Zohar 30) – the waters of the knowledge of Hashem, the pristine waters of pure faith which flows from our inner souls, and which stream forth from our life source,” (Orot, pg. 101).
Repeatedly in his writings, Rabbi Kook emphasized that the dry and mechanical learning of Torah which characterized the yeshiva world throughout the nation’s long, estranged exile from Eretz Yisrael would lead to a tragic detachment from the yearning to return home to Zion. Again and again he called for a far more all-encompassing method of learning which included the study of Aggadah, Midrashim, treatises on Emunah such as “HaKuzari” and the writings of the Maharal, and the secrets of Torah revealed in the Kabbalah. Elsewhere in the book “Orot” he writes:
“By being alienated from the recognition of the secrets of Torah, the Kedusha (holiness) of Eretz Yisrael is understood in a foggy, unfocused fashion. By alienating oneself from the secrets of Hashem, the highest Segulot (treasures) of the deep Divine life become extraneous, secondary matters which do not enter the depths of the soul, and as a result the most potent force of the individual's and the nation's soul will be missing, and the Exile is found to be pleasant in its own accord. For to someone who only comprehends the superficial level, nothing basic will be lacking in the absence of the Land of Israel, the Jewish Kingdom, and all of the facets of the Israelite nation in its built form...”
Over and over, the Book of Bereshit emphasizes the centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Jewish life. Instead of merely reading through the events described in the Torah portion “Vayetze” in a superficial fashion, let’s take a deeper look through the eyes of our Sages.
As our forefather Yaakov sets off on his journey toward Haran, the Torah informs us that “He lighted on a certain place and tarried there all night… (Bereshit 28:11). The famous Torah commentary, the Abarbanel, explains:
“The verse in its simple meaning is that Yaakov was traveling to Haran and while he was going there, "he encountered the place." The Torah mentions his departure from Beer Sheva to teach us the reason for the prophecy he received and the promise that Hashem made to him. This is because it was difficult for Yaakov to leave the Chosen Land and his father's house, which were prepared for spiritual attachment and personal perfection. This is why he prayed "and I shall return in peace to my father's house, and [then] the L-rd will be my G-d" - meaning this would not be the case while he was outside the Land. Therefore, the verse now mentions that Jacob left Beer Sheva, where his father's house was, a place prepared for Divine Providence, and went to Haran, outside the Land… Thus, he had doubt in his heart about this departure, and therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to assure Yaakov of His protection and return to his father's house.”
Although the Abarbanel is not known as a traditional Kabbalist, his deep philosophical insights reveal that he was familiar with the inner understanding of Torah. He explains that Eretz Yisrael is the place suited for spiritual advancement and Divine attachment – as opposed to outside of the Land. He continues this insight concerning the dream of the ladder:
“Regarding this vision that came to Yaakov, we should understand its meaning and significance. There are different opinions about it. The first is that of our Sages, cited by Rashi in his commentary. Its meaning is that through this prophecy, the Blessed One informed him of the superiority of the Land of Israel over all other lands. Because Yaakov was leaving it, and so that he would always yearn to return and dwell in it, Hashem showed him its elevation - that the angels who accompany a person in that Holy Land are not the same angels who accompany him outside the Land. Therefore, he saw the ladder with Hashem’s angels ascending and descending on it, to inform that in that place (in Eretz Yisrael), the angels who accompanied him in the Land would ascend to heaven, and others would descend, lower than them in rank, to accompany him outside the Land” (Abarbanel, Bereshit 28:12).
Traditional yeshiva learning in the Exile focused on the analysis of Halakhic discussion which had a direct bearing on a Jew’s daily life, such as the laws of Shabbat, Kashrut, family purity, and money matters. Matters concerning the Land of Israel or the Beit HaMikdash went largely unlearned because they were not a part of Exile reality. Nonetheless, in many places the Talmud emphasizes the centrality of Eretz Yisrael to Jewish life (see Ketubot 110B, beginning “In all generations a person should live in Eretz Yisrael…). A Tosefta in Tractate Avodah Zara (Chapter 5) summarizes many of these citations:
“A Jew should live in Eretz Yisrael even in a city where most of the inhabitants are idolaters and not dwell outside Eretz Yisrael even in a city where everyone is Jewish. This teaches that living in Eretz Yisrael is equal to all the mitzvot in the Torah. And the one buried in Eretz Yisrael, it is as if he is buried under the Altar (in the Temple)… Behold (regarding Yaakov) it says (Bereshit 28:21) ‘I shall return in peace to my father's house' and what does it come to tell us, that then 'the L-rd will be my G-d.’ And it says (Vayikra, 25:38) “I am the L-d your G-d who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan to be your G-d,’ meaning as long as you are in the land of Canaan, I am your G-d; if you are not in the land of Canaan, I am not your God…. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says, ‘A Jew that is outside the Land is an idol worshipper in purity. How so? An idolater who made a banquet for his son and invited all the Jews in his town, even though they eat their own (food) and drink their own (drinks) and their server stands over them, even still they worship idolatry as it says, ‘And invite you and you will eat of their sacrifices’” (Shemot 34:15).
Delving deeper, a glance at a few passages from the Zohar will show the vital importance of Eretz Yisrael and the spiritual significance of our presence there.
“Another interpretation of ‘And I shall return in peace to my father's house’: For it is the Holy Land, there I will achieve perfection. "And the L-rd will be my G-d" (Bereshit 28:11) means that in this place I will ascend (be elevated) from one level to a higher level, and there I will perform His service” (Zohar I:150).
“Rabbi Yitzchak, some say Rabbi Yosi, said: What is meant by, ‘I have declared today to the L-rd your G-d’? It should have said ‘to the L-rd our G-d!’ Rabbi Shimon said to him: Is this the only such instance? Behold it is written: ‘For the L-rd your G-d brings you to a good Land,’ and ‘which the L-rd your G-d gives to you,’ and ‘For the L-rd your G-d is a consuming fire’ - and they are all written this way. Rather, this is what we have learned: Anyone who dwells in the Land of Israel is like one who has a G-d, and anyone who dwells outside the Land is like one who has no G-d. What is the reason? Because the holy seed [Israel] ascends to the Holy Land, then the Divine Presence dwells in her place. One depends on the other. And Moshe only said "your G-d" to those who were destined to enter the Holy Land and receive the face of the Divine Presence. And the reason he didn't say ‘our God’ was because Moshe did not merit to enter the Land.” (Zohar II:79).
“Come and see: Because the Assembly of Israel (Knesset Yisrael) is now in exile, as it were, He is not called ‘One.’ And when is He called ‘One’ [when is the Oneness of Hashem expressed is our world?] At the time when Israel will leave exile, and the Assembly of Israel returns to her place, to unite with the Holy One, Blessed Be He. This is what is written (Zechariah 14:9), "On that day, the L-rd will be One and His Name One.’ And this without the other is not called ‘One.’ And for Israel to be below (in one union) ‘one nation in the Land,’ we understand the Holy One, Blessed Be He with the Assembly of Israel being called One, but Israel below, who are destined to be like above - how will they be called one? Rather, in the Jerusalem below, Israel will be called one [when they dwell there]. How do we know this? As it is written (Samuel 2, 7:23) ‘One nation in the Land." Certainly, in the Land (in the Land of Israel and Yerushalayim) they are one nation, with her they are called One, and not when outside of it. For ‘Who is like Your people Israel, one nation" would have been sufficient, so why does it say "One nation in the Land?" Because they are only called one in the Land, in union with this Land, parallel to Above. Therefore, all is bound one to another in one union. Fortunate is the portion of Israel” (Zohar III:93).
Thus we learn that the Land of Israel is more than just physical territory – it is the geo-spiritual realm necessary for the Jewish Nation’s optimal service of G-d. From the early Tosefta through the mystical Zohar and the philosophical Abarbanel, we see a consistent theme about the Land's essential role in achieving the highest levels of spiritual connection. In addition, the Land of Israel serves not just as a place for individual spiritual achievement but as the focal point for national completion and revelation of the Divine Presence in our world – the things we pray for that constitute the Redemption of all mankind.