Today, the Third of Tammuz, marks the yahrtzeit of the Rebbe of Chabad, may his memory be for a blessing. Certainly one of the most outstanding spiritual leaders of modern times, his influence throughout the Jewish World has been enormous, both in his lifetime and after his death.
The Rebbe was famous for his great love of Eretz Yisrael. How vehemently he spoke out against proposed agreements to surrender pieces of the Land of Israel to foreign sovereignty! To him, the settlement of Israel was a towering mitzvah.
On innumerable occasions he encouraged people to make aliyah. I have read of many such examples and numerous people have told me personally of their encounter with the Rebbe in Brooklyn and how he validated their decision to move to the Holy Land. Just recently, during the war with Iran, a video of the Rebbe in 770 was circulated on the Internet. At the time of the war with Iraq, during his distribution of dollar bills to visitors, anxious parents asked him to order their daughter to return to America from Jerusalem where she was studying Judaism. The parents were worried about her safety during the missile attacks.
“Leave Israel?” the Rebbe exclaimed with emotion. “It is out of the question. Jerusalem is the safest place in the world. Tell your daughter to stay there and encourage her to do so.”
In fact, in answer to the question why he himself didn’t go to Israel the Rebbe replied that he didn’t know of any halakhic permission to leave the Holy Land on a permanent basis and also he felt his mission was strengthening the Jews in America.
It is true that on certain occasions the Rebbe advised people not to make Aliyah. In one of his letters he answers a young man who is considering Aliyah that he should stay in America to spread Yiddishkeit, saying that it was the mitzvah of the hour and that the questioner should devote himself to the task. On the occasions when he advised people not to make Aliyah, it wasn’t because he didn’t consider living in Israel a mitzvah, Heaven forbid. On the contrary, he believed - like Chabad’s founder the “Baal HaTanya” believed - that dwelling in the Land was a supreme mitzvah.
The Rebbe often stated so in his lectures. However, with his Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) he saw that Aliyah was not the right move for the specific person addressing him, who was perhaps lacking the necessary character traits and strength of personality, or other factors, and therefore he replied accordingly.
While teaching at the Machon Meir Yeshiva in Jerusalem, I have met many baale t’shuva returning to Judaism who told me that certain Chabad Rabbis in America had discouraged them from making Aliyah, saying they would become non-religious in Israel.
This, in my opinion, does not represent the Torah worldview of the Rebbe. After all, a forerunner of Chabad, the Baal Shem Tov, set off to dwell in the Holy Land until impossible conditions compelled him to turn back, and the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (the Baal HaTanya), sent groups of his followers to settle the Land of Israel long before the secular Zionist pioneers set out for Zion.
To present both sides, other students informed me that Chabad Rabbis in America encouraged their desire to set forth to learn in the Promised Land.
Some, however, say that after all, the holy Rebbe lived in America - why shouldn’t they? But they are using his name without using his reason for living in America as an excuse not to make Aliyah.
I believe that this is a misunderstanding of the Rebbe’s teachings. Especially today when Jew hatred is spreading virulently all over the world, I believe the Rebbe would be the first to cry out for the Jews of the Diaspora to make Aliyah now! He would order all Chabad shlichim to hand out brochures at airports and street corners extolling Jewish life in the Holy Land with clear instructions on how best to make the challenging transition. He would command his followers in Kfar Chabad to be at the Ben Gurion Airport (located directly across Highway 1) to greet the newcomers and accompany them on their absorption in Israel.
May the memory of the Rebbe be for a blessing