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  Michale -12 years ago

  Priorities and choices
  This is great shiur, thank you, Rabbi. I glad to watch your classes. In the light of "priorities and choices", my question is: why so many Rabbis do not return to Israel? They do not talk with their congregations about it either. Maybe they want it, but their priorities and choices are to continue to live and operate outside Israel. They artificially continue their exile. As I remember, Torah requests us to live in the Land Of Israel. Is it right to wait right moment or right government? Mashiach will come here, in Israel, when Jews are here, not to the empty Land. Effectiveness of Jewish people to connect to Hashem and improve the World is higher here, in Israel. Here is one statement from Tanya, ”Iggeret HaKodesh, beginning of Epistle 4”: “when the “spark” is in exile, the Shechinah is in exile as well. Moreover, being in exile, the spark cannot rouse the soul to serve G-d with the loftier manner of love that stems from the innermost depths of the heart”.

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  • A

    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: Priorities and choices
    Answer: I don’t know you so I don’t know from where your question is coming. Moreover I’m not sure it’s a question altogether it may bevy well be an accusation, if you are a Rabbi what are you doing in the Diaspora?
    
    I’ll respond in good faith.
    
    Your question makes many assumptions. Some are wrong while others are correct but debated. In Judaism there are priorities, Where on the priority list lies the living in the holy land?
    
    Now, as Lubavitchers one thing is certain, nothing, absolutely nothing. Comes before the Jewish people not even the Jewish homeland. Every Rabbi must go where his flock is (or will be). To spare oneself and live on the spiritual high ground and abandon Jews who are in the Diaspora for whatever reason is wrong. The last person to leave a sinking ship is the captain. The last Jew to leave a Jewish community should be its Rabbi.
    
    There are 613 Mitzvos and one of them is living in Israel. There are many more and more important ones.
    
    Moreover hundreds of thousands of Jews are deeply in exile living in the holy land. Living in Israel only adds to one’s obligation as a Jew, it doesn’t replace it.
    
    In the Rambam he states plainly that first Moshiach comes, then he builds the Temple and afterwards he gathers in the Diaspora. There are religious reasons also to stay where you are and “Make Israel here” as the Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek (the third Lubavitcher Rebbe) told one of his greatest Chassidim.
    
    I have nothing more to add on a question which has been debated by our greatest rabbi for the past half century. With little effort you can track down much of this debate, including the Rebbe’s Rabbi Schnnersohn’s, point of view.
    
    

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    • M

      Michale -12 years ago

      Re: Priorities and choices
      Some small note to whom who thinks about Aliyah. Rabbi Kook writes: "It is impossible for a Jew to be devoted and faithful to his intellectual faculties and his imaginative powers when he is outside the Land of Israel, compared to the quality of their faithfulness in Land of Israel. Revelations of holiness, on whatever level, are clean in Land of Israel, while outside the Land of Israel, they are mixed with dross and impure husks."

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        Anonymous -12 years ago

        Re: Priorities and choices
        Answer: There is no doubt that living in the holy land is personally spiritually rewarding, but Avoda is not always about what is personally beneficial. Sometimes one puts others and others’ interests before their own.

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• S

  student -12 years ago

  question
  always wondered what exactly is the upper waters referring to?
  
  is it spiritual or physical? what is the Rakia as well?
  
  
  
  if you can explain a little it would be greatly appreciated
  
  

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  • A

    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: question
    Answer: Understand that the question you are asking requires a substantial knowledge in an area of Torah that is quite obscure. Those who spend most of their time learning Gemara don’t come across this question often and are focusing on a different area of Torah.
    
    I am no expert, and I can only tell you what I know. So, this is as good as my knowledge no better.
    
    1) The upper waters may be physical also. There is water that is around 100 miles above the earth that doesn’t go up and down as “the lower waters” that rise as vapor and return to earth as rain snow or hail. However, every allusion in the Genesis account of creation deals primarily with supernal (mystical) parallels of the physical earth (and universe). What the Torah describes is far loftier than the physical. But as the Rama MiPanu says: “The Torah speaks in heavens and refers secondarily to the earth”.
    
    The Gemara in Taanis talks about the blessing of water and explains, that the lower waters bless us with finite and predictable amounts of water while the upper waters if and when they descend (as they did in the era of the first Temple they make Israel incredibly fertile. Whether this is metaphysical or literal I don’t know. I suspect it’s a little of both.
    
    2) The Rakia means the heaven. But specifically as the heaven relates to the, earth as opposed to the heavens for their own sake. On the first day G-d create heaven and earth. Beyond that each of the creations described in the Biblical account deals only with the earth. The Sun, Moon and Stars are described “to illuminate the earth”. Thus, we have one major clue as to what the Rakia is (or isn’t). Now, why a rakia (or series of rekiim)? There are many answers. One of them is this. Initially the physical universe was much more lofty and spiritually oriented, illuminated with a very powerful and sublime light called”the light of the first day”. This light was then removed, making the universe a far lower realm with a more basic (or lower) purpose. One of the aspects of this lowering was also the dividing. This means the universe is no longer a monolith- one level pervading it all, but each realm is different. Thus, there was a need for dividers if will to demark the heavens. These are the Rekiim. These rakiim block the light (whatever light means, but this is a mystical idea also) but also translate it into visible physical light for creatures for whom all there is (to their senses) in the physical.
    
    That’s what I can share. Please don’t ask anymore as I have nothing else to add.
    
    

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• S

  Student -12 years ago

  Thank You
  B"H
  
  
  
  Thank you for your prompt reply. No, I don't date strangers, and my parents do a lot of research beforehand. Thank you for your brochos! May you also be bentched with all of the Rebbe's brochos bechol hainyanim!

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• S

  Student -12 years ago

  Questions
  B"H
  
  
  
  Thank you for your weekly shiurim which I enjoy a lot. I especially enjoy the Avoda Maamarim like this one which have practical applications and give me what to meditate on during davening. I have 3 questions:
  
  
  
  1) First, last week's replay has some technical issues. It stops after just 0:54 minutes. Can you please check it and have it fixed?
  
  
  
  2) You mentioned Rabbi Goldin ob"m having no sons. This brought back a question to mind I had regarding today's inheritance laws. Are girls who don't have a brother obligated to marry someone from their own tribe, for example not marrying a Levi or Kohen if her father is a Yisroel? Or was that Halacha just for the generation that were going into Eretz Yisroel, such as Tzelofchad's daughters? And, are Ashkenazim and Sefardim from different Shevatim, or is there no way nowadays to know from which Shevet we are?
  
  
  
  3) You mentioned dating in Rabbi Goldin ob"m's house. Today, most Lubavitchers date by going out in cars, often with someone they've never even seen before. What do you think of this "new" arrangement? I feel it's not "chassidishe" enough (besides safety issues like what if a meshugene takes the correct bochur's place), and so does my parents and mashpia. I just wanted to have your opinion, not to change my ways, but just to know if I have a valid point when discussing it with others.
  
  
  
  Once again, thank you so much for your wonderful shiurim! Zei gezunt und shark!

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  • A

    Anonymous -12 years ago

    Re: Questions
    Answer: 1) No, the law about marrying into one’s own tribe was only for that generation. When Moshiach comes Israel [Eretz Yisrael] will be redistributed in thirteen parts, including Levi.
    
    No one knows from which Shevet they are, though some have a tradition. Even Kohanim and Leviim are going to have reinforced their tradition, as such, in order to serve in the Beis HaMikdash.
    
    2) I hope you don’t date strangers. I’ve (so far) never heard of the wrong Bohur getting into the car. Personally, our dating system has much that could be improved, but it’s difficult to fight city hall. My standard advice (in light of your concerns) is a. to date during the day, b. not to have those 10 hour jobs that are no good on almost level in accomplishing what dating (in our community) is for.
    
    Good luck with your own Shiduch. May you find a mentch, a chossid and a lamdan. Amein.
    
    

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Yossi Paltiel

• August 4, 2011
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• 4 Av 5771
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• 349 views

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