Rav Shmuel Eliyahu is the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat

From the beginnings of Modern Zionism there were waves of Aliyah but the numbers were not great. The gates of the Land of Israel opened for immigration in 1948. Hundreds of thousands of Jews came to Eretz Yisrael immediately after the British were expelled and sovereignty passed to the People of Israel. The number of Jews in the country grew within 19 years from 650,000 to 2.4 million by 1967, the year when Jerusalem was liberated. Among them were approximately 600,000 fighters aged twenty and above.

All of this happened because the ingathering of exiles must precede the rebuilding of Jerusalem, as it is written (Berachot 49a): “’The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel.’ When does the Lord rebuild Jerusalem? When He has gathered the exiles of Israel.”

The prophet Isaiah describes this stage of Redemption in Chapter 49. He depicts the ingathering of the exiles:

"Behold, these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim" And yet, the place of the Temple will not yet be freed from our enemies. Therefore it says, “Zion said: The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.”

Malbim explains: “For at the time when the exile is gathered from the four corners, Jerusalem will still lie in ruins.” Hence, Jerusalem complains to God that He has forsaken and forgotten her. But God answers that she has never been forgotten; rather, there is a designated time for the Redemption of the Temple site in Jerusalem, as it says:

“Can a woman forget her nursing child, refrain from having compassion on the child of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you upon the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.”

The reason for the delayed liberation of Jerusalem is demographic growth. Only when 600,000 men aged twenty and above gather does Jerusalem become liberated. “Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: It is an inherited tradition that Jerusalem will not be rebuilt until all the exiles are gathered.”

Rebuilt means a Jerusalem crowned by the Beit HaMikdash. Liberation is not the final stage. Even after the city is freed from foreign rule, Aliyah to the Land of Israel continues. The city grows, new building is everywhere, but the site of the Temple remains in ruins. Thus our Sages say, “If someone tells you that all the exiles have been gathered but Jerusalem has not been rebuilt, do not believe him. As it is said: ‘The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; He gathers the exiles of Israel’” (Tehillim 147:2).

There is an ingathering of exiles before the liberation of Jerusalem and another ingathering afterward. Many of our brethren in the Diaspora are waiting for Mashiach to come and build the Beit HaMikdash. But the order of events is otherwise. First they have to come and then Mashiach will arrive to finish the work, may it be soon.

There Will Be Great Demand for Housing in Jerusalem

This is because Jerusalem cannot be rebuilt unless its children dwell within it. The children of Israel are the ornaments of Jerusalem:

"Lift up your eyes all around and see: they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the Lord, you shall wear them all as ornaments, and bind them on as a bride does" (Isaiah 49:18).

Jerusalem is not considered rebuilt unless its own children dwell within it, not foreigners.

The Prophet also describes that due to the abundance of Jews returning to Jerusalem, all the ruins and desolate places will be rebuilt, and the abundance of children will demand an even greater expansion of building throughout the city that had been desolate and destroyed:

"Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land, surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away. The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell."

This is what is currently happening in Jerusalem with its ever-growing population, and more and more continue to come.

In the book Kol HaTor, it is recorded that someone asked the Vilna Gaon how many Jews are needed to build Jerusalem. “After great contemplation on this question, our Rabbi answered: ‘If it is possible to bring 600,000 to the Land of Israel all at once, it must be done immediately! For this number, 600,000, has great and complete power to defeat the Sitra Achra (the evil realm) at the gates of Jerusalem.”

It appears that 600,000 people subdue the negative spiritual barriers at the gates of Jerusalem and enable the people of Israel to liberate it from the Arabs who covet it for themselves. This idea originates in the Zohar: "I tell you, I will not ascend Above until your hosts enter below." I have sworn to the People of Israel that I will not enter the heavenly Jerusalem until your population enters the earthly Jerusalem. (Vol. 1, 1b).

In the Talmud (Berachot 58a), it says that “a population (okhlusa) is not considered complete with fewer than 600,000.” That was the number of Jews aged twenty and over in Israel at the time of Jerusalem’s liberation.

The Expansion of Jerusalem to Damascus

In the Talmud (Bava Batra 75b), it is written that Jerusalem will spread and expand far beyond its original borders:

"Rabbi Chanina bar Papa said: The Holy One, Blessed Be He, sought to measure out Jerusalem, as it says, 'Then I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand. And I said: Where are you going? And he said to me: To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length' (Zechariah 2).

“The ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed Be He: Master of the Universe, You created many cities in Your world for the nations, and You did not measure their length or width. But Jerusalem, which contains Your name, Your Temple, and the righteous within it, You want to measure it?!

“Immediately: 'And behold, the angel who spoke with me went out, and another angel came out to meet him. And he said to him: Run, speak to this young man saying: Jerusalem shall be inhabited as unwalled towns because of the multitude of men and cattle in it. And I will be to her, declares the Lord, a wall of fire all around, and I will be the glory in her midst.'"

In the Midrash, the verse “overlooking Damascus” (Shir HaShirim 7:5) is interpreted as follows: “Rabbi Yochanan said: ‘In the future, Jerusalem will extend all the way to the gates of Damascus,” as it says (Zechariah 9): “The burden of the word of the Lord upon the land of Hadrach... What is Hadrach? Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nechemia disagree. Rabbi Yehuda said: It is a place called Hadrach. Rabbi Yose of Damascus responded: “I am from Damascus, and there is a place there named Hadrach.”

“And Damascus shall be His resting place”

The Midrash continues: "And Damascus shall be His resting place…" Is Damascus truly His resting place? Is not His true resting place the Holy Temple, as it is said: 'This is My resting place forever' (Psalms 132).

“They answered: In the future, Jerusalem will expand in all directions until it reaches the gates of Damascus, and the exiles will come and find rest under her. This fulfills the verse: ‘And Damascus shall be His resting place.’ Up to Damascus is His rest.”

As it also says: “Your eyes shall see, and you shall say: The Lord is great beyond the borders of Israel” (Malachi 1:5).

Fulfillment of Prophecies in Our Time

In our time, we see that Israel is entering and taking control of areas in Syria, and our soldiers are approaching Damascus. We never intended to conquer these areas, but against our will, we have entered and settled there - seemingly with no intention to leave. This is much like what happened on the eve of the Six-Day War, when we had no thought of liberating Jerusalem, but King Hussein of Jordan dragged us into unifying the Holy City under Israeli control.

Likewise, today, the Arabs have dragged us, against our will, into liberating territory in the Golan which was under Syrian control and we are gazing down on Damascus—just as the prophets foretold.

Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem

All the Prophets speak of a time when the nations will recognize the greatness of Israel and their rightful claim to the Land of Israel. No longer will they say to them, “You are thieves who conquered the land of the seven nations.” In our time, some still want to give the Land of Israel to the Arabs and expel us from it. But most already understand that the Land of Israel is the inheritance of the People of Israel from God:

"And the nations that remain around you shall know that I, the Lord, have built what was destroyed and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken and will do it" (Ezekiel 36:36).

We saw this fulfilled in our generation when the United States recognized that Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish People, despite all the small-minded nations that removed their embassies from the city. May President Donald Trump be blessed for meriting to fulfill the prophecies of the Prophets, recognizing the right of the people of Israel to Jerusalem.

Let all the inhabitants of the earth know that whoever opposes the word of God will be punished. So says the prophet Zechariah about Jerusalem:

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the peoples around, and also against Judah shall it be in the siege against Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all peoples; all who burden themselves with it (with troubling it) shall be sorely wounded, and all the nations of the earth shall gather against it" (Zechariah 12).

The enemies of Israel who covet Jerusalem will be severely punished. Even now we see how they destroy themselves daily in wars and shootings. If they had even a bit of sense, they would flee the Land of Israel to save their lives. They do not understand that no man can oppose the word of God, as He promised in His holy Torah:

"Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the Land."