Q&A: Is the State of Israel Holy?

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Q: Rav Kook zt"l wrote that the State of Israel [will be] the foundation of G-d's throne in the world, but he qualifies this by saying that it must be a state run according to the path of Torah, with fairness and justice. But unfortunately, in our day, we don't yet have these elements – so why do I hear so many rabbis who say that the State today is the foundation of G-d's throne?

And since the State was established by secular people who wanted the State to have a secular character, why should we see in this a symbol of something positive?

Palestine Post reporting on the creation of the State of Israel, 1948

Mas'ei: The Most Zionist Law in the Torah

by Baruch Gordon

In this week's parsha, Baruch Gordon shows us the most Zionist commandment in the Torah, and proves that it is still applicable today (and in every generation!), before the complete Redemption.

Mas'ei: Israeli Conquest and Palestinian Nationalism

By Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

View from Bet El (Photo credit: Rav Yehuda HaKohen)

“You shall possess the land and you shall dwell in it, for to you have I given the land to possess it.” (Bamidbar 33:53)

The Ramban offers a lengthy explanation of this verse, asserting that the mitzvah for the Jewish people to conquer and reside within the Land of Israel is a positive commandment of great consequence to the overall Hebrew mission.

“In my opinion this is a positive commandment, in which He (HaShem) is commanding them (Israel) to dwell in the Land and inherit it, because He has given it to them and they should not reject the inheritance of HaShem. Thus if the thought occurs to them to go and conquer the land of Shinar or the land of Assyria or any other country to dwell therein, they would be transgressing the command of G-D. And that which our rabbis have emphasized (Ketubot 110b), the significance of the commandment of dwelling in the Land of Israel and the prohibition against leaving it, and that they even considered a woman who does not want to ascend with her husband to live in the Land of Israel [as a ‘rebellious wife’] and likewise the man – the source of all these statements here (in this verse) where we have been given this commandment, for this verse constitutes a positive commandment. And this commandment is repeated in many places, such as ‘Come and possess the land’ (D’varim 1:8).”

Matot: The Power of One Woman

by Baruch Gordon

Why were the Children of Israel commanded to punish only the Midianites for their attempts to seduce them to sin, when the main perpetrators of the plan were the Moabites? The power of one woman. Enough said.

Jews Express G-d's Oneness in Israel

by Rav Moshe Kaplan, meirtv.com/en

In this week's class clip, Rav Moshe Kaplan looks into the Zohar (the foundational work in Kabbalistic literature) to clarify what G-d's "Oneness" means, and how it can only be expressed in this world when the Children of Israel are living in the Land of Israel.

Matot: Vengeance for G-d...Or for Israel?

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Judah Maccabee fights

“HaShem spoke to Moshe, saying, ‘Take vengeance for the Children of Israel against the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered unto your people.’” (Bamidbar 31:1-2)

HaShem instructs Moshe to wage war against Midian in retribution for that nation’s attempts to seduce and destroy Israel. But when Moshe, in turn, relates this mitzvah to his people, his words are noticeably different.

“Moshe spoke to the people, saying, ‘Arm men from among yourselves for the army that they may be against Midian to inflict HaShem’s vengeance against Midian. A thousand from a tribe, a thousand from a tribe, for all the tribes of Israel shall you send to the army.’” (Bamidbar 31:3-4)

Pinhas: Another National Census? For What??

by Baruch Gordon

Back in Parshat Bamidbar, Baruch Gordon discussed the national census taken just before receiving the Torah. This week, he answers the questions - Why another census? What's the connection between the census taken before receiving the Torah, and the census taken before entering the Land of Israel? Watch the video below to find out!

Rav Yaakov Emden on Eretz Yisrael

by Rav Moshe Kaplan, meirtv.com/en

In this video clip, Rav Moshe Kaplan looks at one of Rav Yaakov Emden's famous books, on the topic of "pointing one's feet toward" the Land of Israel - it's only meaningful when it's the best we can do...

Pinhas: Who is Eliyahu?

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Eliyahu/Pinhas

Fearing Israel’s Divine protection, Moav and Midian followed Bilaam’s advice. They sent their women to entice the Hebrew tribes toward sexually promiscuous and idolatrous behavior that would betray Israel’s national values and sever our connection to the Kadosh Barukh Hu. The women were successful, primarily with the tribe of Shimon, and a plague broke out in the Hebrew encampment that ultimately claimed 24,000 lives.

Why Live in the Land of Israel?

by Rav Zalman Melamed, yeshiva.org.il

Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook

In 1891 (5651), the year that Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook was born, there was a great awakening within the Jewish People regarding the Land of Israel. Torah scholars published many letters highlighting their love for the Land and the Torah's praise of it. Among the writings was an approbation by the renowned Ohr Same'ach, Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, for the work Shivat Tzion, a collection of such letters. Rav Meir Simcha wrote:

"It is actually totally unnecessary to write of the greatness of the Land of Israel – for what Jew would ever doubt this? Ever since Hashem called upon our founder Avraham, He promised him this beautiful land. Three gifts were given to Israel, our Sages teach (B'rachot 5a): Torah, the Land of Israel, and the World to Come, and all the details of the Torah are in perfect coordination with the Divine promise that we would receive and settle the Land. …

"After Israel committed the grave Sin of the Golden Calf at Horev, G-d was willing to forgive Israel – but when they showed their apathy towards the Land, He wiped out the entire generation of the desert; their speaking against the Land was punished more severely than when they sinned against G-d Himself!

Balak: How Will The Redemption Come?

By Baruch Gordon

Baruch Gordon looks into this week's parsha, and the famous commentator Or HaChaim's commentary to answer the following questions: How will we return to our land after 2000 years? Will it be through miracles or natural means? Watch below to find out!

Prophecy Only Occurs in Israel

by Rav Moshe Kaplan, meirtv.com/en

In keeping with this parsha's theme of prophecy, Rav Kaplan's provides us below with a discussion on why prophecy can only occur in the Land of Israel, for the sake of the Land of Israel, or in Galut by someone who already received prophesy in the Land of Israel.

Q&A: What Makes Am Yisrael Special?

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Q: Is what distinguishes Am Yisrael from all the nations the Torah? And if there is a Jew who is not connected to the Torah, then ostensibly he should not feel different from all the nations, right?

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife

[Answered by Rav S. Yosef Weizan, https://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/]

A: The Israeli segula [deepest inner essence of the collective Hebrew soul] is of course connected to the segula of the Torah, which is united with the soul of Israel. However, both the specific Israeli component and the special part of Torah that is for everyone, can, for awhile when things are not yet revealed, exist only in a specific form. But this is only for a limited period. Over time, ultimately, we were promised that the Israeli segula will break all the shells and all the barriers and be revealed outwardly. If not in the father's life, then in the son's life. And if not in the son's life, then in the grandson's life. Israel is promised that they will do t'shuva [return to living their true inner essence].

Balak: How Will the Redemption Come?

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

Bilaam with Balak's messengers

After learning of Moshe’s stunning victory against the Amorites, King Balak of Moav forged an alliance with Midian in order to wage war together against the Children of Israel. Once realizing the extent of Israel’s strength, however, Moav and Midian enlisted the infamous Bilaam to attack the Hebrew tribes through spiritual means.

Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain – the second Admor of the Sokhatshov Ḥasidic dynasty – teaches in his Shem MiShmuel that Balak did not necessarily seek Israel’s destruction but was determined “to strike it and drive it away from the land” (Bamidbar 22:6). Pointing out that Israel posed no direct threat to either Moav or Midian, as neither people’s territory was en route to the Promised Land, the Shem MiShmuel quotes our Sages as teaching that Balak’s primary goal was to prevent the Hebrew tribes from entering the Land of Israel (Tanḥuma Balak 4, Bamidbar Rabbah 20:7).

The State of Israel Is a Torah Commandment

by Rav Moshe Kaplan, meirtv.com/en

What are the sources that discuss national sovereignty in the Land of Israel as a positive commandment? How strong are those sources? Is the commandment a personal or collective commandment? Is the requirement to fulfill this commandment still applicable today? Watch below to get all the answers!

Parshat Hukat: Rejecting the "Mann," Ready for Food

By Baruch Gordon

Baruch Gordon shines a unique light on the Jewish people's complaints to HaShem about the perfect Mann He provided them in the desert. No longer a generation with a slave mentality, the Hebrews entering Israel were ready and willing to take on the hard work necessary to live by the labor of their own hands. Just like today...

Parshat Hukat: Lessons in Israel Advocacy

by Rav Yehuda HaKohen, visionmag.org

“The Canaanite king of Arad, who dwelled in the south, heard that Israel had come by the route of the spies, and he warred against Israel and took a captive from it. Israel made a vow to HaShem and said, ‘If You will deliver this people into my hand, I will consecrate their cities.’ HaShem heard the voice of Israel, and He delivered the Canaanite, and it consecrated them and their cities. It named the place Ḥormah.” (Bamidbar 21:1-3)

Rashi teaches that the captive abducted from Israel was actually a female slave taken from the Canaanites during a previous battle. That the entire Hebrew Nation mobilized to rescue the captive indicates the appropriate response to even the slightest provocation. By permitting an enemy to take even a slave girl, Israel would be displaying weakness and inviting further aggression. But by responding with maximum force, the Hebrews sent a clear message strong enough to discourage future attacks.