Herod's Palace Hotel, Eilat
Herod's Palace Hotel, EilatFlash90

Now that the Three Weeks have ended and summer vacation time has officially commenced, Jewish families face the question – where shall we go? Of course, if you are a Jew living in Israel, you don’t have this question at all. It is halakhically forbidden (although there are lenient opinions on seeing the world) to leave the Land of Israel simply to go on a pleasure jaunt overseas (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 531:4). This is because the Land of Israel is holy, and the rest of the world is not.

Leaving Israel adversely affects a Jew’s holiness and blemishes his worship of G-d. This is what King David meant when he said, “For they have driven me out this day from being joined to the inheritance of the L-rd, saying, Go and serve other gods” (Shmuel 1, 26:19). Certainly, King David wouldn’t engage in idol worship, but as the Talmud explains, “Any Jew who lives outside the Land of Israel is like someone who has no G-d” (Ketubot 110b).

A Jew is allowed to leave the Land of Israel to do certain mitzvot. He can go to the Diaspora to visit family, find a wife, study Torah from a certain Rav, or go on a business trip to make a livelihood, but to remain there is forbidden. Once he has accomplished his mitzvah, he must return to Israel. But if his trip is just for a fun vacation, then many opinions say that the Diaspora is out. There is an opinion, however, that God expects us to see the wonders of His world..

But what about the strange breed of Jew that lives outside of the Land to begin with, like a fish out of water? Let’s say that due to the Roman conquest of ancient Israel and the subsequent expulsion of the Jews, his ancestors bounced around the globe from Israel to Italy to Hungary, Germany, Russia… until he was born in America. If he goes on a vacation to Paris or Hong Kong, he isn’t affecting his level of holiness because his surroundings are impure to begin with wherever he is.

According to Jewish Law, the Diaspora possesses the spiritual status of a grave. Some graves are known for baseball and hot dogs, while others have the aromas of expensive perfumes. Some graves are surrounded by beaches, while others have buildings that reach up to the sky. But a grave is a grave whether it is New York or France. Whether a Diaspora Jew visits Broadway or the Champs Elysses, it doesn’t make a difference.

A land filled with idol worship like America or France is spiritually polluting whether the idol is worshipped in English or French. Sure, the Jew may have a grand time at the museums and theaters. And if he is religious and takes off his yarmulke for a few days, well, what’s the big sin in that? He can always wear a cap to hide the fact that he’s Jewish.

However, if a Jew from America decides to vacation in Israel, then he is doing a mitzvah. Every four steps that he takes, he earns a place in the World to Come. In contrast, a Jew can walk all across Australia, and all we will get is sore feet. Plus by spending his vacation money in Israel, the American Jew is helping the Jewish People resettle the Land. In boosting the economy of Israel by paying for hotel rooms and renting cars, he is playing an active part in Redemption. The Israel Tourist Ministry reports that for every 100,000 tourists coming to visit Israel, the country gains 9 million dollars and 4,500 permanent places of employment.

One of the questions a Jew is asked by the Celestial Court when he gets to Heaven is “Did you look forward to the Redemption?” By having spent a vacation in Israel, he can answer, yes, he took a part in the rebuilding of the Jewish People in their Land. Chances are that he will also pray in a few minyans in Israel, go to the Kotel, and learn some Torah on his sightseeing trips. Each of these things infuses a Jew in Israel with a dose of spiritual adrenaline and fills the world with light. And there is a good chance that he will have a great time here too. Maybe even better than if he had decided to vacation in Honolulu.

Because chances are that for the first time in his life he will feel like a genuine Jew and not like a stranger in someone else’s land. If he is crazy for beaches, well we have beaches too. And if he loves golf, there is even a golf course in the country. And as far as Jewish kids go, after a vacation in Israel, they usually say that they had the best time of their lives. All in all, Israel can be pretty cool.

Surveys reveal that only about 15% of Diaspora Jews have visited Israel. To me, that’s embarrassing. How can it be that Hashem gave us back our Homeland and so many Jews don’t come? You can say it is hard to move to a country far away, but what’s the big deal about coming for a visit? It certainly isn’t because of the money. Snorkeling in the Caribbean and enjoying a gondola ride along stinking, garbage-filled sewers of Venice costs about the same. If Jews can visit Rome and the Vatican, why not Jerusalem?

Regarding the claim that visiting Israel is dangerous. This simply isn’t true. About two million tourists come to Israel each year, not including the Corona shutdowns. Over the last ten years, maybe a handful of them were the victims of terrorist killings. Statistically, there is more danger for a tourist in the mountains of South America, the highways of Switzerland, and the bars of Bangkok.

So this summer, when you are checking out your vacation options, be brave, be Jewish, and make the Holy Land number one on your list. Of course, once you are here, you may not be able to leave for the reasons mentioned above. Some people say that the Rebbe of Chabad, in his great esteem for the Holy Land, never visited Israel for this reason, because a person is not allowed to leave the Land of Hashem on a permanent basis. So what’s the solution? Aliyah.

Tzvi Fishman was awarded the Israel Ministry of Education Prize for Jewish Culture and Creativity. Before making Aliyah to Israel in 1984, he was a successful Hollywood screenwriter. He has co-authored 4 books with Rabbi David Samson, based on the teachings of Rabbis A. Y. Kook and T. Y. Kook. His other books include: "The Kuzari For Young Readers" and "Tuvia in the Promised Land". His books are available on Amazon. Recently, he directed the movie, "Stories of Rebbe Nachman."