The Holiness of The Land and

Its Commandments
Rabbi Yoel Shwartz Shlit”a Ram, Yeshivat Dvar Yerushalayim & Founder Nahal Hareidi
“She is Tziyyon; no one seeks her” (Yirmeyahu 30:17)
“no one seeks her:” this implies that she requires seeking.
(Sukka 40a)

The holiness of Eretz Yisra’el is integral, waiting for us to seek it; through the conquest and
division of the land, we expand this latent holiness, as the Abarbanel (Nachalat Avot 5:9) writes:

This is the truth of the matter: Eretz Yisra’el has in its nature a wonderful treasure and a great
capacity to gather the divine spark. Divine providence is unique in this land, in a wonderful way; this
is not the case in any other land. Because of its nature and its relationship to the upper spheres, it is
the chosen one from among all countries. Aside from the people who reside in it, it is sanctified on its
own terms. Therefore, many mitzvot are dependent on the land, as they are part of its labor.

The mitzva of shemitta comes in order to testify about this uniqueness of this land. As the Al-
shikh puts it (ad loc.): “’And the land will rest’ (Vayikra 25:2)— just as man acquires a nefesh yeteira
(extra life) and holiness on the Shabbat day, the land acquires holiness in the seventh year.” Simi-
larly, the Abarbanel (ibid.) writes:

Eretz Yisra’el is selected and desired by Him, Blessed be He, from among all of the other
lands, just as Am Yisra’el is chosen from all the nations. Because of this, the Holy One, Blessed be
He decrees, that just as the Chosen Nation creates a remembrance by resting on the seventh
day—a facet sanctified by the creation of the universe and its renewal—so too the See
Page 6
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You are now holding in your
hands the first issue of Torat Yisrael, Israel’s
first weekly journal of religious and national
thought in English.
In the past few years the English
speaking population of Israel has grown
tremendously. Commensurate with this rise
must be a corresponding increase in Ameri-
can influence. Every group of Jews coming
home from the exile brings with them certain
skills and tools corresponding to the majority
culture of their host nation. As Western, Eng-
lish speaking Jews, we belong to a political
culture that is more mature and developed
than that of Israel. Anglos have come to Eretz
Yisrael with a low tolerance for bureaucracy,
a healthy respect for democratic institutions
and a great deal of idealism. It is the respon-
sibility of the English speaking population to
become involved in Israeli life on every level
and to change it for the better.
Recently I had a conversation with
HaRav Yoel Shwartz Shlit”a, RaM at Yeshivat
Dvar Yerushalayim. Rav Shwartz founded the
IDF’s Nahal Hareidi battalion and is a staunch
advocate of Haredi involvement in Israeli po-
litical and national life. One of the things that
the Rav said to me is that the primary respon
sibility of a publication like Torat Yisrael must
be to impart pride in the English
speaking public. We bring
skills, education and wealth to
Israel which translate into an
ability to radically
transform our
state
for the better.
The Rav put forth the proposition that
by working hard to build up the nation, we
show how the religious can be the best in all
fields of Israeli endeavor, from medicine to
high tech, from accounting to the military. By
doing this, we create a Kiddush Hashem and
an example for the secular Israeli to follow.
We must inject the physical infrastructure of
Medinat Yisrael with holiness and be an ohr
layehudim.
Taking this idea to its logical conclu-
sion means getting involved in national life
on all levels, including the political. It is the
duty of the Western Jew to work to imple-
ment policies based on holiness and Torah.
From the Modern Orthodox to the
Hareidi, we plan on presenting various vi-
sions of Israel and its role in the world based
on Torah hashkofa and the halachik system.
Torat Yisrael is here to provide you with the
raw ideas. It is up to you to make them a real-
ity.
May the z’chus of our limud Torah
cause the speedy arrival of Melech HaMosh-
ioch in our days.
B’Ahavat Yisrael,
Shmuel Sokol, Editor in Chief
Ssokol@TorahFromZion.com
 "Hashem spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai
saying: Speak to the children of Israel and say to
them: When you come into the Land that I give you, Jews who make excuses and claim that they can live
the Land shall observe a Sabbath rest for Hashem." a more Torah lifestyle in Passaic, Monsey, Teaneck,
or LA. Comes our Torah portion and tells us: You
This Torah-portion has everything to do with want Torah from Sinai, this is Torah from Sinai!
the Land of Israel and yet its commandments and di- Shmittah, Yovel, Walled Cities, Selling of Land – this
rections are clearly marked as being given at Mount is at the heart of Torat Moshe MiSinai. Live it, or lose
Sinai. Why does the Torah make this unusual stress it!
on the place where these commandments are given? -------------------------
Moreover, aren't all the commandments from Mount
Sinai? What makes these commandments different? Parshat Behar also issues a challenge to
Jews in Israel today. While we Jews have achieved a
Hashem wrote the Torah, created the world, modern state with a governing body, an army, an edu-
created man, and created man's psychology. He cation system, and health care, we are not satisfied
knows that we, Am Yisrael, have a tendency to forget or complacent. Indeed, we pray and act everyday to
Eretz Yisrael, to settle in the Exile and make it our make the arms of the state more in line with the
home. Even today, after the mira- “Yet when is the last time Torah's will. We have alternative
cle rebirth of Israel, we often hear political parties, we have special
observant, Torah-true Jews saying you heard a push for army units, and we have Torah ed-
that they cannot find the right Torah economics?” ucation – all these try to reshape
community in Israel, they cannot the state with in G-d's image.
make a living, or cannot get married here. It is not un- Moreover, we yearn for the Temple to stand in
usual to hear observant Jews say they can live a Jerusalem, with a righteous Sanhedrin adjudicating
fuller Jewish life in the Diaspora. the nation.

Behar's introduction, and its specific naming
of Mount Sinai, is written to address this classic Jew-
ish psychological weakness. Know this, the Torah
tells us, that the commandments of Eretz Yisrael,
Shmittah, Yovel, Walled Cities, Selling of Land, these
are at the heart of the revelation at Mount Sinai. This
is Torah MiSinai! You are not allowed to push these
commandments aside, to the edges of your con-
sciousness. If you claim to be a Torah-true Jew, then
know that this is Torah, the Torah that was given at
Sinai to Moshe Rabbeinu.
Yet when is the last time you heard a push
for Torah economics?
Parshat Behar is a Torah portion dedicated
to Torah economics: the Shmittah cycle bids us to
leave the Land fallow every seventh year, the Yovel
heralds freedom for the Hebrew bondsman and a
return of sold land to its original owners,
See
while the prohibition to loan with interest Page 6

Moreover, if you do find yourself in the bitter

Exile, keep these commandments close to your heart,
learn them, love them, and yearn for the Day that
Hashem will return you. When He does return you,
you will be prepared to implement these laws, and
live your Torah-true life in the Land which He swore to
give to our forefathers.

Alas, today, when living in Israel has never

been easier, when Torah institutions abound, when
Yerushalayim is being built, there are still "Torah-true"

3
 going to assume that you are weren’t born in Tel Aviv
Maybe you came this past or Beersheva. You are an English speaker who made
summer, four years ago or back in 1970. Maybe you aliyah from the USA, Canada, England, Australia,
made Aliyah from Teaneck, Woodmere, Toronto, Mel- South Africa or Ireland. Life in those countries for
bourne or Hendon. Maybe you came as a single, a Jews, in the last 30 years, has not been so miserable.
newly married couple or with your eight children. While anti-semitism is definitely on the rise, especially
Whatever the case, whenever it was and wherever in Europe, you probably didn’t run away from a
pogrom, crusade or a horrific life. Actually, many of
you’re originally from, the most important part is that –
Baruch Hashem – you are now home! you reading this, probably had wonderful lives in
“Chutz La’Aretz”. Big houses, nice
The question that I would “So why did you give it all up salaries, 2-3 cars, fancy vacations,
like to focus on is simply; “Why”? to move to Israel?” fantastic sleep-away camp for the
Why did you do it? Why did you kids and many comforts that most
make such a major move in your life? I’m sure it people living here only dream about. So why did you
wasn’t easy. I’m sure you left behind a lot of family give it all up to move to Israel?
and friends and I’m doubly sure that many of them let
you know about it many times throughout the year! Don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to dis-
courage you. I am elated that you are here… and
So, why… why the Aliyah? Let’s be honest more than that; I am one of you! I made Aliyah in
with ourselves. If you picked up this publication I am 1990 with my wife See
Page 11

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4
Erev Pesach is always a hectic time, but this year it terumat ma’aser to its owners, ma’aser rishon to its
was a particular challenge, falling out on Shabbat, owners, and ma’aser ani to its owners; ma’aser sheni
pushing our biur chametz a day earlier. What most and bikkurim are consumed anywhere. “
people may not know is that there was another biur
scheduled for Erev Pesach this year: biur ma’aser. In this case, biur takes two forms. During the
The mishna in Ma’aser Sheni (5:6) tells us “The first first six years of the shemitta (sabbatical) cycle, Jew-
Erev Yom Tov of Pesach, in the ish farmers in Eretz Yisra’el must
fourth and seventh year [of the “What most people may not separate a number of gifts:
shemitta cycle], is the time for know is that there was an- bikkurim, the first fruits, which are
biur.” What exactly is this mitzva? other biur scheduled for Erev brought to the Beit Ha-mikdash and
presented to the kohanim; teruma,
The source for this Pesach this year: biur which is given to the kohanim; and
mitzva is in Parashat Ki Tavo (De- ma’aser.” ma’aser rishon, the first tithe, which
varim 26:12-15): is given to the Levites, who must in
turn take a tenth and give it to the kohanim (terumat
“When you complete taking the tithe of your ma’aser). The other tithe depends on the year: in the
crop, in the third year, the year of the tithe, you will third and sixth years, ma’aser ani (pauper’s tithe) is
give it to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan and given to poor people throughout Eretz Yisra’el; other-
to the widow; they will eat in your gates and be satis- wise, ma’aser sheni is separated, to be eaten in
fied. Then you will say before Hashem your God: “I Yerushalayim by the farmer and his guests. See
have consumed (biarti) that which is holy from the The mishna tells us that, in the year Page 11
house; I have also given it to the Levite and to the
stranger, to the orphan and to the widow, according to
the commands which You gave me; I have neither vio-
lated nor forgotten Your commandments. I have nei-
ther eaten of it in my mourning, nor have I consumed
it while unclean, nor have I given of it to the dead; I
have listened to voice of Hashem my God; I have
acted according to everything You commanded me.
Gaze from Your holy abode, from the heavens, and
bless Your nation, Yisra’el, and the land which You
gave to us, as You swore to our ancestors, a land
flowing with milk and honey.”

Before we analyze this mitzva, we should

note that the term “biur” is a difficult one to define. We
need only consider two pesukim in Parashat Mishpa-
tim (Shemot 22:4-5), in which the root is used first to
refer to damage caused by an animal eating (shen)
and then to refer to damage caused by fire (esh).The
closest word in English is probably “consumption.” In
the case of chametz, biur can accomplished by burn-
ing it, crumbling and throwing it into the wind, or toss-
ing it into the sea (Orach Chayyim 445:1). What form
does it take with ma’aser? Let us return to the mishna
in Ma’aser Sheni:

“How was biur done? One gives teruma and

5
 comes to mitzvot ha-teluyot ba-aretz, the mitzvot
Chosen Land testifies to this through its come from the power of its holiness. This is the
shemitta, in the seventh year. Because of its deeper meaning of Rabba’s dictum (Gittin 47a),
great holiness, it is as “’For Mine is the land’ (Vayikra 25:23)—Mine is
if this land—even though it does not speak—tes- the holiness of the land.”
tifies in this facet, just as Am Yisra’el testifies
through their The holiness of the land is what obligates
sabbaths. us in mitzvot ha-teluyot ba-aretz. It turns out that,
in essence, the power of shemitta is already fixed
Thus, the land-depen- “The land-dependent com- and extant in the land. As a
dent commandments (mitzvot mandments (mitzvot ha- mitzva which is dependent on
ha-teluyot ba-aretz) are not the teluyot ba-aretz) are not the the land, shemitta is rooted in
cause of the holiness of the cause of the holiness of the the essence and character of the
land, but rather the result of land and its holiness. Therefore,
land, but rather the result of
this sanctity. Rav Shelomo the Torah introduces the laws of
Zevin put it this way: this sanctity.” shemitta with: “It will be when
you come to the land” (ibid., v. 2)—immediately
There is a difference between Eretz Yis- this land has, in potential, its Shabbat, its
ra’el and chutz la-aretz when it comes to the re- shemitta year, though two decades of conquest,
lationship between mitzvot and holiness: in chutz division and labor precede the first shemitta.
la-aretz, the holiness comes from the power of When it finally arrives, what had been hidden in it
the mitzvot. The fact of the matter is that the ele- from the beginning of its holiness, in potential, is
ments of this world have no inherent holiness, revealed, in the actual.
but through the fulfillment of the mitzvot that are
dependent upon them, we sanctify these objects; This column is a serialization of Rav Shwartz’s Dvar B’ito
the opposite is true in Eretz Yisra’el, for when it on Chumash. Article translated by Rav Yossie Bloch.

protects the destitute.
The Torah has an economic system in mind
for Jewish life in Israel yet our economic system today
is not much different from those of other countries.
The Torah's economic laws are a secret insight as to
how to make it here in the Land and yet we barely use
them! We must establish Torah institutes that will
study and unravel what Torah economics means in the
modern age. The closer we follow Hashem's economic
vision the more we will merit to live here with His
blessing.
Yishai Fleisher is the Program Director for Israel National
Radio (Arutz-7) and a co-founder of Kumah and coiner of
the term “Neo-Zionism”

Read Torat Yisrael Online at www.TorahfromZion.com

6
This week I wish to deviate from the weekly Parsha relationship with him.
and share with the readers something astounding that
I saw in the book “Bnei Yisaschar” concerning the Rabbi Yossi says a good neighbor. The verse
days of the Omer and Lag B’aomer. I will add to it states that Hashem separated the light from the dark-
some insight of my own. ness. Now they were neighbors. Indeed, despite the
importance of a good friend, man is influenced and af-
It says in the Mishna in Pirkei Avoth (2; 9) that fected by his immediate surroundings. If good people
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachai had five disciples. He and things surround him he will have a “good” life.
asked them to “go and see” what is the right way that Rabbi Simon said it is important to see the future. Our
man should go. Each student gave his own answer. sages learn that Hashem saw that in the future there
Rabbi Eliezer said: “a good eye”. Rabbi Joshua said: would be evil people. Therefore, he took the light that
“a good friend”, Rabbi Yossi said “a good neighbor”. was “good” and put it in “storage” for the righteous to
Rabbi Simon said: “someone who foresees the fu- enjoy in the future. Therefore, it is most important to
ture”. Rabbi Elazar son of Arach said: “a good heart”. look into the future and make sure to plan now for the
Rabbi Yochanan praised the opin- future. Of course this also includes
ion of Rabbi Elazar as it contains planning for the world to come even
the opinions of the other sages. Rabbi Elazar son of Arach in this world. Rabbi Elazar son of
had a completely different ap- Arach had a completely different
Asks the Bnei Yisaschar proach. He counted that there approach. He counted that there
a) How did the disciples come up are 32 words from the first word
with their answers. Certainly the are 32 words from the first Breishis until the word “Tov” – good.
answers should come from the word Breishis until the word This is the value of the word “Lev” –
Torah that is the ultimate good?? “Tov” – good. This is the heart and from here he concluded
b) Why does the answer of Rabbi value of the word “Lev” – that good depends on the heart.
Elazar include all the others? How This is why Rabbi Yochanan
does it include seeing the future? heart and from here he con- praised his approach because the
cluded that good depends on way he reached it included using all
He answers as follows. the heart. the words from Breishis until the
Obviously, the place to look for word “Tov” and thus include the
such an answer is the Torah. The place in the Torah words used by the other disciples to reach their state-
where we find the definition of things is the first time ments!
that they are mentioned in the Torah. The first time we
find the term “good” in the Torah is in the beginning of Now let us see. “Lev Tov” in numbers equals
the Parshath Bereishis. It says there that Hashem saw 49. The first 32 are the heart. They represent the
that the light was good and he separated between thirty-two roads to wisdom as you can find mentioned
light and darkness (1; 4). Each one of the disciples ex- in the song “bar Yochai” about rabbi Simon son of
amined this verse and searched for an answer. Rabbi Yochai author of the Zohar. These 32 roads are not
Eliezer says that the verse starts by saying that explicit in the Torah and only hinted in the 32 words
Hashem “saw” that the light was good. This means until the word Tov that represents the revealed Torah.
that a good eye is the most important. In practice he The way I understand it is that we toil and work at es-
was probably referring to the virtue of being a gener- tablishing a relationship with Torah in the thirty-two
ous person who views the world with a positive eye ways of wisdom. This is a hard period for us as we are
wishing good to all. Rabbi Joshua said a good friend. working and not yet seeing the light and good of the
In the beginning there was only darkness. Then Torah. If we get through this primary hard period we
Hashem created light. Light and darkness were emerge to the last seventeen steps toward the receiv-
friends. This means that good friends are the best. ing of the Torah. These are in the word Tov. Here we
Here we must add that another Mishna that says that already feel that the Torah is good and we have a
that we must “acquire” a friend. This means that a much easier time studying it and preparing our-
good friend does not just happen we must work on it selves for it. See
by choosing the right person and properly cultivating a Page 11

7
 Question: If someone lives in Eretz Yisrael, is he allowed to rely on Rav Feinstein's teshuva
on American chalav nochri when he finds or is given an American product labeled avkat chalav
nochri? Would the Din be different for someone who is an American tourist and not a resident of
Eretz Hakodesh?

Answer: First for some background. The Shulchan wants to rely on Rav Moshe's heter concerning chalav
Aruch says that one is not allowed to drink milk that nochri can most certainly do so - there are no ques-
was produced without Jewish supervision because tions at all as to his status as a posek. However, there
there is a chance that milk from a non-kosher animal are two points to keep in mind. First of all, even Rav
may have been mixed with the cow's milk. Rav Moshe Moshe himself indicates that his p'sak was given be-
writes that in the United States where there is govern- cause it wasn't easy to get Cholov Yisroel. He would
mental supervision (FDA) over all milk produced to the certainly say that if Cholov Yisroel was readily avail-
extent that anyone who would sell anything other than able, then the proper thing to do would be to drink the
cow's milk would be in big trouble (heavy fines and Cholov Yisroel. Also, many Poskim don't agree with
possible imprisonment), one can rely on this and drink his heter.
milk even though no Jew was present during the pro-
duction. This is now called Chalav Stam. The OU re- Here in Israel, all the local products are
lies on this p'sak when they give their hechsher to Cholov Yisroel. The only way to get Cholov Stam is to
dairy products. import it. That is why it would certainly make sense for
people who are in Israel, even if they are only visiting,
Now, there is no question that anyone who to try and drink Cholov Yisroel and not to have to rely
on any heterim.
If you have Halachik questions that you wish answered, please email them in to
ssokol@Torahfromzion.com.

8
 There is no shortage of references to Eretz
Yisrael in the holiday of Pesach and the Haggadah we
read at the Seder. In fact, the entire goal of the Exo-
dus was to enter the Land of Israel, as we say at the
end of Maggid: “The Holy One Blessed be He did not
redeem only our forefathers. Rather, He redeemed us
with them, as it says, He brought us out of there, in
order to bring us, to give us the Land that He swore to
our forefathers (Devarim 6:23).”
One passage in the Haggadah is particularly
relevant for our Jewish brethren living abroad:
“He [Ya’akov] descended to Egypt (Devarim 26:5) –
forced by [God’s] command. And he sojourned there
(ibid.) – this teaches that Ya’akov Avinu did not go
down to Egypt to settle there; rather, to sojourn there,
as it says, They said to Pharaoh, ‘We have come to
sojourn in the land, for there is no grazing for your ser- (Tehillim 87:5). What is being added here? Who is
vants’ sheep, for the famine in
the Land of Canaan is severe…’
(BeReishit 47:4).” A Jew should never leave (or of Zion? The Sages of the Talmud
stay away from) Eretz Yisrael answer (Ketuvot 75a), ‘Both the
There is a well-known willingly, only if he has no one who is born there and the one
rule, made famous by the Ram-
choice.
ban, that ma’asei avot siman
lebanim – the deeds of the Patri-
archs are a sign for their descendants. We are sup-
posed to learn from our ancestors’ behavior and apply
their lessons to our lives. From the above-cited pas-
sage, we learn that a Jew should never leave (or stay
away from) Eretz Yisrael willingly, only if he has no
choice. And even then, he should make sure not to
settle down and get too comfortable in the Diaspora,
lest he forget where he really belongs.
But how does a Jew who was born and bred
outside the Holy Land develop a love for and connec-
tion to Eretz Yisrael, a “foreign” country from his per-
spective? The following story might give us some
insight:
Rav A. Y. HaKohen Kook zt”l once came to
the British High Commissioner to ask him not to expel
illegal Jewish immigrants from the Land.
The High Commissioner claimed: “I know
that Your Honor greatly appreciates the importance of
law and order, for it says in the Talmud, ‘The Law of
the kingdom is law.’ These people broke the law by
entering the Land illegally. How, then, can you ask
me to pardon them?”
The Rav replied: “The laws restricting immi-
gration to the Land of Israel do not apply to the Jews,
for they are not new immigrants, but returning citi-
zens.”
“How so?” queried the High Commissioner, “Are they
not natives of Europe?”
Rav Kook answered: “Honorable Sir, since
you relied on a Talmudic statement, that obligates you
to take into consideration another statement in the Tal-
mud.
“Your people respect the book of Psalms, just
as we do, and one of its verses states: Of Zion it can
be said, [this] man and [that] man was born in it
the [other] man that is also born
there, being considered like a son
who anticipates seeing it.’ A Jew
who is born elsewhere but yearns
for Zion, for Jerusalem, is also
considered her son.”
“These Jews who struggled to get here in cir-
cuitous ways, with one aspiration in their heart – to
reach Zion and ascend to Jerusalem – they are her
children. They have returned to her, not as new immi-
grants, but as returning citizens. And the Land must
accept them, just as any mother would accept her
children when they return to her, even after many
years of separation.” (Haggadat Ayelet HaShachar, p.
111)
The way to develop a love for Eretz Yisrael is,
first and foremost, to realize that you belong here, to
realize that this Land is your only true Motherland,
your natural habitat. Just as a child who finds out that
he is adopted yearns ever so strongly to meet and get
to know his real parents; so too, a Jew who has lived
his whole life on foreign soil should pine to “meet” his
true Homeland – to become acquainted with it, to
seek out its special qualities, and to develop a close
relationship with it.
See
So, let us learn from Ya’akov
Page 11
9

One of the topics found in
this week’s Parshah is Shmirat Shabbat – both the
Shabbat year of the Land of Israel and the weekly
Shabbat day.
As a sign of the Torah’s eternity, we read its
final words on Simchat Torah, “... ‫ לעיני כל ישראל‬- …
before the eyes of all of Israel”, and begin it again im-
mediately thereafter with the words,
“‫ בראשית ברא אלוקים‬- In the beginning Hashem cre-
ated…” The positioning of these two verses is meant
to provide us with a message,
“‫ לעיני כל ישראל בראשית ברא אלוקים‬- Before the eyes of
Israel, in the beginning (or in Hashem’s wisdom),
Hashem created [the world].” Hashem is saying, by
the juxtaposition of the last and first verses of the
Torah, that He took all of the Nation of Israel as wit-
nesses of the creation of the world. All the souls of the
Nation of Israel were thus present at the time of cre-
ation, and therefore inside every soul of Israel, there
exists the clear knowledge that the Holy One Blessed
Be He, in His great honor, created the world. Israel -
‫ ישראל‬in Gematriya (the numerical value of Hebrew
letters) equals ‫ – נשמה עולם‬soul of the world. This
means that based on the principle that the creation of
the soul is performed before the creation of the physi-
cal human body, the creation of the souls of Israel
came before the creation of the world; and thus this
world was created for the sake of Israel – for the pur-
pose of Israel fulfilling its mission in this world.
In order to bear witness today to our knowl-
edge that Hashem created the world, we guard the
Shabbat day, the day of meeting and oneness be-
tween Hashem and His nation, the day sanctified for
holiness and Torah learning that brings the powerful
joy of the closeness between the nation and Hashem.
“And on the seventh Day He rested and was
refreshed - ‫”וביום השביעי שבת וינפש‬
The meaning of the word “‫ – וינפש‬and He was re-
freshed” is that on the day of Shabbat, Hashem invites
Himself inside the soul of each and every person
among Israel who is keeping Shabbat and this is by
the addition of “‫ – נשמה יתרה‬an extra soul”. Thus on
Shabbat, the Jew is strengthened by an additional
closeness and devotion with the Holy One Blessed Be
He.
10
Based upon this idea, Hashem gave us the
mitzvah of Shemittah – the Sabbatical (Seventh) year
– to work the land six years and rest from all work the
seventh year – like Hashem rested from His work.
Just as the Shabbat day is sanctified for Torah and
Holiness, so too the Shemittah year is a unique and
special time for the learning of Torah. All Jews who
don’t observe the mitzvah of Shemittah are consid-
ered to have denied a basic principle of Judaism –
that of denying that the world was created by Holy
One Blessed Be He – and thus they are responsible
for the exile of the Nation of Israel and are liable to
lose their share in the world to come as a result of
their lack of belief.
Those who find it difficult to keep Shemittah
are afraid that they will be left without food and without
a livelihood, but they shouldn’t worry because
Hashem promised (Vayikra 25:21), “I ordained my
blessing for you in the sixth year and it will yield a crop
sufficient for three years”.
The world and the land were created and
planned in order to bring blessing and great abun-
dance to all who keep the mitzvot of the Torah, and
especially the mitzvot of Shabbat and Shemittah. In
essence, the fulfillment of the mitzvah of Shemitta is
the most appropriate answer to our enemies who want
to scare us! The torah teaches us that fear belongs
only to the Holy One Blessed Be He, as it says in De-
varim 28:7-11: “Hashem shall cause your enemies
who rise up against you to be struck down before
you… Hashem will command the blessing for you in
your storehouses and your every undertaking; and He
will bless you in the Land that Hashem your G-d gives
you… Then all the peoples of the earth will see that
the Name of Hashem is proclaimed over you, and they
will revere you.”
So we see that if we’re afraid exclusively of
Hashem and we keep, with love and fear, the mitzvoth
He gave us, then from the strength of our holiness, we
will overcome the fear of our enemies, and they will be
incapable of touching us.
Our sages teach us that the Cana’anim, de-
spite being giants, were dying of fear against the Na-
tion of Israel. At the sound of Israel’s footsteps,
Cana’an trembled, because after the walls of Yeri-
cho fell, they understood the volume of the
Next
power that is found in the mouth and Page
and four children from the “Five Towns” (Long Island,
NY) and Baruch Hashem, added two more Bnei Brak-
born Sabras to that list. My only reason for asking that
question is to focus your attention and open your eyes
to what has been forgotten by most English speaking
olim: We came here to make a difference!!!
As you read these words, I want you
to focus and meditate on why you
came here as well.
I am certain that most of you will arrive at the same
conclusion; you came here to make a difference!

I will be the first to admit that there’s no com-
parison to raising kids in Israel vs. Chutz La’Aretz. I
will further admit that our quality of life is far superior
to what it was back in “the old country” – young and
old. And finally, I agree that living in Israel helps you
rearrange your list of priorities in a manner that most
of our friends back there simply cannot comprehend.
But that’s not why I made Aliyah. I came here
to make a difference. I came here because I loved Is-
rael so much and didn’t want to just complain about it
all day long. I came here because I smelled the “geu-
lah” yet couldn’t touch it in New York. After 6,000,000
brothers and sisters of mine were thrown into ovens
and gas chambers, I couldn’t allow myself to sit com-
fortably and watch Jewish history play itself out on a
TV screen. I needed to be a part of that history.
The problem, however, is that most of us
don’t know what to do or how to turn that energy and
dream into positive action. Yes, we want to make a dif-
ference but we simply don’t know what to do.
I have good news for you. That excuse has
officially come to an end. I will be writing a weekly arti-
cle in this publication with one goal in mind: To tell you
what needs to be done so you can make that differ-
ence you always dreamed of! Get ready to fulfill that
dream!
Shmuel Sackett is the co-founder of both Zo Artzeinu and
Manhigut Yehudit. Together with Moshe Feiglin, he is
spearheading a campaign to rise to the leadership of Is-
rael with an ideology based on Jewish identity and val-
ues. He has spoken in 500 USA cities and universities in
the last 5 years. His website is: www.JewishIsrael.org His
email is: Shmuel@jewishisrael.org

Let us enjoy these days of Tov and eagerly

prepare ourselves to receive the Torah on the festival Rabbi Haim Perlmutter is the author of “Grow
of Shavuoth! With Gemara” (Targum Feldheim). He can be
reached at perlmutter@neto.net.il.

Avinu and our revered Sages how relate to the exile and how to appreciate our only true Homeland.
And in this merit, may we soon be zocheh to witness the return of the children to their borders, speed-
ily in our days. Amen.

following a ma’aser ani year, those gifts from the previous three years which can be eaten anywhere
are distributed to their rightful owners: kohanim get teruma and terumat ma’aser; Levites get ma’aser
rishon; poor people get ma’aser ani. However, the gifts which should have been brought to Yerushalayim,
bikkurim and ma’aser sheni, must be destroyed.

Curiously enough, although this requirement is explicit in the Written and Oral Torah, biur ma’aser is not
counted one of the 613 mitzvot! Why is it missing? We will, be”H, address this mystery in next week’s shiur.

prayer of the Nation of Israel.
If we understand that the answer to terror is
keeping the mitzvoth, then we will soon merit to see the
fulfillment of the pasuk (Devarim 28:10): Then all the
peoples of the earth will see that the
Name of Hashem is proclaimed over you,
and they will revere you.
May Hashem bless his people with peace!

11
 her out of the carriage, and carried her with me as I
Recently, on a shopping trip in Jerusalem, I looked through the products. That's when she saw us
stopped by a Superpharm, Israel's largest drugstore - I don't know her name, but you know her. She sports
chain. Being the kind of girl who used to meander a big grin, powerfully highlighted hair heretofore un-
through Duane Reade back in the day to see what our seen in her native Morocco, long acrylic nails and a
friends at Maybelline were thinking up, or if there had snug cotton/lycra shirt not stamped with the Badatz
been any advances on the toothpaste front, I popped seal of approval.
in, with an eye toward some Ahava products to give
out in the Exile on my upcoming trip. Nothing says "Is- "[Gasp!]" I turned around quickly to see what
rael is WAY more awesome than America" more than could have gone wrong, who fell, who died, whose
a jar of scented sea salts or a packet of squooshy, nu- pants ripped up the back.
tritive mud.
"Wai wai wai!!!! Aizeh metukah! Chamudah!
As my 5 and a half month old daughter needs Kapparah aleichem!! tfoo tfoo tfooo!" Translation:
some early training in the shopping arts (get them "Wow, wow, wow! What a sweetie! Cutie! ...[not trans-
while they're young, ladies), I took her along, pushing latable - if you want to understand, come live in Is-
her eager, pudgy little body through the store in her rael]"
stroller.
"[Gasp!]" I turned around She approached us with en-
For those of you who thusiasm generally reserved for
aren't familiar with Israeli drug-
quickly to see what could have long lost relatives or the Pub-
stores, they aren't the casual gone wrong, who fell, who died, lisher's Clearinghouse Sweep-
browsing exp riences you recog- whose pants ripped up the stakes. She asked if she could
nize from the Diaspora. Israeli back. hold my baby, who, like a true
drugstores also contain WILDLY Fleisher, was glowing from all the
overpriced American and European cosmetics and attention, and smiling a big toothless smile. So I
their corresponding makeup counter ladies. These ag- agreed, inherently trusting most Moroccan women of
gressive but friendly women are squeezed together in any hair color. She started to play, to coo, to dance
the middle of the store, guarding the really expensive with my baby. She asked her name, which I
makeup and perfume told her, and she started talking and singing to the
and concurrently trying to get you to wear it, making baby. I thought to myself "that's so sweet. Gosh, peo-
that the very, very last place in the store one wants to ple are nice."
go. However, like an onion with so many layers, there
is a second layer - the lamer European cosmetics and And then it happened. "Rachel!! Come over
the Israeli stuff, like Ahava and Dr. Fischer. These here! Did you see this baby?!" Rachel (not necessarily
articles are found in the aisles on either side of the the actual name, but bear with me for purposes of the
main center aisle, and are serviced by only a few story) turned around, saw my daughter, and the same
women, who are generally more relaxed, though ecstatic greeting was repeated. Rachel skittered off to
equally as made up as their Estee Lauder-touting another aisle to alert the cell phone saleswomen, who
counterparts. turned the corner, saw my baby, and emitted a high
pitched noise I have only heard from dog whistles
So I maneuvered my carriage through the and Russian women. The cell phone sales-
tightly-stocked store, arriving finally at the Ahava sec- woman, with high, scary heels, asked if SHE Next
tion. At that point, my daughter started to cry, so I took could hold the baby, which I acqui- Page

12
esced to. Then the first lady scurried over to the main
cosmetics area to get the other cosmetics sales-
women, who arrived in a group of about 5, while the
second lady went off to help a customer in the now
service-free store.

At some point, I just kind of walked away, and

found the Dead Sea creams and salts I was looking
for, while my baby was celebrated and shared, passed
from a Russian lady to a Yemenite, to another Moroc-
can, to a German. They squeezed her legs, pinched
her cheeks, bounced her up and down and blessed
her with a long life and good health. When I
came back, the newcomers asked me her name,
where we were from (good PR for Samaria!), and
wished me lots of nachat (nachas for you in the
Exile) from her, with glowing faces and real warmth.
Some of them saw her and proposed shidduchim
(marriage proposals) with their sons and grandsons.
One by one, after wishing me a good day and a mazal
tov, they returned to their work, pushing eye shadow
and body creams to the Israeli masses.

Twenty minutes after arriving in the Ahava

aisle, we left the store with our purchases. I put the
baby back in her carriage, where she lay quietly gur-
gling to herself, fully satiated by all the love and
admiration.

I thought about America, where "other peo-

ple's children" are rarely handled, except by a licensed
professional, and then frequently with some sort of su-
pervision or bio hazard barrier for fear of someone
being accused of or contracting something. I was grati-
fied by the honest, effervescent love of these Jewish
women for my baby, and for me by warrant of being
her mother. Superpharm ladies, we love you, too.

13

On the eleventh of Av, 5689 (August 17, 1929),
bloody riots erupted in Eretz Yisrael. Hundreds of Jews
were murdered or injured by Arab mobs during these up-
risings. Worst hit was the Jewish community of Hebron.
When the riots subsided, rumors spread throughout the
Yishuv that the British authorities actually cooperated
with the rioters. Accusations pointed specifically to Harry
Charles Luke - the son of assimilated, Hungarian Jews
(his father immigrated to England, where he converted
to Christianity). At the time, Mr. Luke served as Secre-
tary General of the British Mandatory Government, and
rumor had it that he encouraged the Arabs to murder
and pillage the Jews.
During the rioting, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak
Kook called Mr. Luke on the telephone and demanded
that he take stiff action against the Arab marauders.
"What can be done?" asked Luke.
"Shoot the murders!" replied Rabbi Kook.
"I have not received any such orders," retorted the
British official.
"I order you!" said the rabbi. "I demand this in the name
of human dignity."
Sometime later, the heads of the British govern-
ment in Palestine held a formal reception for the most
prominent Jewish figures in the Land. Mr. Luke cordially
held out his hand to Rabbi Kook, but the rabbi refused to
shake it, saying sternly, "I will not shake a hand stained
with Jewish blood."
Afterwards, Luke said to the rabbi: "You Jews!
Go and defend yourselves, but do not attack others."
The rabbi replied: "Do not preach to us, you
who violate the commandment of 'You shall not murder'.
[Our rule is,] if someone rises to kill you, kill him first."
The rabbi's bold stance made a profound im-
pression upon the entire Jewish world, as Avigdor
HaMe'iri (a writer of the time) testified: "If not for one
unique, extraordinary man, who stood guard over our
national and human pride, we would now be rending our
garments over the loss of our honor as well."
News of the rabbi's bold response spread
swiftly throughout the Yishuv, creating an uproar wher-
ever it reached. Most people praised his valor, but some
criticized it, mainly out of fear that Mr. Luke would take
revenge on the Jewish settlements, which were largely
14 Article used with Permission of Arutz Sheva- IsraelNationalNews.com
at his mercy. Whenever the rabbi appeared in public,
two opposing groups immediately formed, arguing bois-
terously for and against the him.
Around that time, Rabbi Kook was invited to a
Brit Milah (circumcision). Before the ceremony began, a
heated debate broke out over the rabbi's defiant re-
sponse to the high-ranking officer, who represented the
gentile lords of the Land. When the rabbi realized what
was happening, he signaled to his attendant, Rabbi Meir
David Schotland, a clever and learned man, to restore
order to the crowd.
Rabbi Meir David rose at once and said em-
phatically:
Gentlemen! Very soon, we will usher the newborn
baby into the room and bring him into the covenant (brit)
of Avraham Avinu. At that time, we will all stand up and
welcome him with the traditional greeting of "Baruch
HaBa." ("Blessed is he who arrives.")
I have two questions concerning this practice. First,
why don't we greet a Bar-Mitzvah boy or a bridegroom in
the same fashion? They, at least, would understand the
meaning of our blessing, while the uncircumcised child
surely does not. Second, why don't we bid farewell to
the child after the circumcision by saying, "Baruch HaY-
otzei"? ("Blessed is he who leaves.")
Silence hovered over the crowd, as R. Meir
David continued his words:
The answer to these questions is quite simple. Sadly
and shamefully, we Jews admire every uncircumcised
Gentile we meet, taking every opportunity to show him
respect, whether it is necessary or not. Therefore, when
the yet uncircumcised child enters the room, we honor
him by standing up and proclaiming "Baruch HaBa".
However, after he is circumcised and becomes part of
the Jewish people, we no longer show him any special
respect - no "Baruch HaBa" and no "Baruch HaYotzei".
It was clear towards whom Rabbi Meir's words
were directed. Rabbi Kook had dauntlessly stood up to a
distinguished Gentile, publicly condemning representa-
tives of the Mandatory Government for cooperating with
the Arab rioters, and there were actually people who crit-
icized him for this.
[From 'An Angel Among Men' by R. Simcha Raz, trans-
lated by R. Moshe Lichtman, pp. 191-194]
20 Av 5766 / 14 August 06
 Israel Divided
The rift dividing the Jewish People in the which serve to separate us from the Nations of the
Land of Israel can only be understood by penetrating world. Isaiah, the revered prophet, famously describes
to the spiritual roots that underlie the foundation of the
the Jewish People as “A Light unto the Nations” while
modern State of Israel and the phenomenon of “politi- Jeremiah, his equally venerated contemporary, proph-
cal Zionism”. esizes “Thus said the Lord: learn not the way of the
nations”. These two prophecies go hand in hand and
Throughout two millennia of exile the Jewish clearly describe the true and final purpose for our Jew-
people have been the most persecuted of nations. ish State. Israel was not designed to be a cultural re-
Historically, Jews have reflexively attributed this per- flection of America in the Middle East but rather a
secution to our differences from the nations and peo- spiritual conduit to bring truth and understanding from
ples amongst which we have dwelled. Hence there G-d to the Nations of the world. Judaism is not a reli-
has always been a desire to assimilate ourselves by gion of conversion but example. Through the kind-
blending into the non Jewish world and thereby elimi- ness, humility, and modesty the Torah imparts on us,
nating the fundamental cause of our woes. Theodor we are to show the world the only paradigm of mean-
Herzl, the “father of Political Zionism”, was covering ing and true happiness. In Leviticus, G-d tells us “And
the trial of Alfred Dreyfus, a you shall be holy unto Me, for I
captain in the French Army Israel was not designed to be a the L-rd am Holy, and have set
who was falsely convicted of cultural reflection of America in you apart from all the peoples
treason. Although the truth of the Middle East... that you should be mine.”
his innocence was exposed, Moses, our greatest leader and
the French did not relent. As Dreyfus was paraded prophet, explains the inextricable relationship between
through the streets of Paris on his way to a life sen- the Land of Israel and Jewish observance in
tence of exile and seclusion on Devil’s Island, mobs Deuteronomy “Behold, I have taught you statutes and
chanted “death to the Jews” while spitting in his face. judgments… that you should do in the midst of the
Herzl, himself an assimilated and intermarried Jew, Land which you go to possess.” The Jewish People
was shocked that his beloved and enlightened France will not be able to provide the world with the light
could sink to such depths and realized that the only which we owe it as long as the Jews of Israel seek to
place the Jewish people could be safe was in a land of be k’chol HaGoyim “as all the nations” and the Jews of
their own. Only then, Herzl surmised, could the Jews the exile seek to remain b’chol HaGoyim “in the midst
be a nation like all others and successfully assimilate of the nations”. The secular Zionists mean no evil –
into the “international community”, finally creating a they merely want rest and respite from the persecution
new nation - the Israeli nation - to replace the out- which has haunted us. However, the hatred that our
dated and hated Jewish nation of the exile. This new secular democracy has engendered is proof enough
Israeli nation would look to America and the western of the failure of this approach. Only when we return to
world to dictate both the culture and the values of the The Land and reconnect with our Jewish spiritual
future State of Israel. Many Christians we have come roots will the hatred stop for we can finally make good
into contact with have been shocked to learn that the on our promise to G-d and His promise to the world.
State of Israel was founded not as a means of ensur-
ing religious freedom for The Jewish People but rather The question that is dividing the Jewish peo-
as a vehicle for assimilation and integration. ple in Israel and around the world today is whether Is-
rael is meant to be a vehicle of assimilation or a
This philosophy is the antithesis of Torah Ju- vehicle of separation and sanctification. The answer
daism and the spiritual vacuum that separates them will not only determine the future of Israel but the fu-
comprises the rift we see in Israel today. The Torah ture of the world as we know it.
bestows 613 commandments upon the Jewish people

15
Torat Yisrael & TorahFromZion.com (c) 5768 (2008) Shmuel Sokol & Yechiel Stein