Reply To: Moving to Israel Because it's Safer There?

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splenda
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This is how Rav Yaakov Shapiro shlita explained it when asked how the gzeira min hashamayim for the Jews to be all over the world and (at least according to some) there is a mitzvah “yishuv eretz yisroel” — how do both of them work together.

“Because of the Gezeiras HaGalus it is destined that Klal Yisroel as a whole will not live in EY until Mohsiach comes. Instead, they will live all around the world, including Eretz Yisroel as well. The question is how this works in face of the Mitzvah of Yishuv EY. There are different possibilities suggested. Either the Mitzvah of Yishuv EY is simply nullified because of the Gezeiras HaGalus (the Ritva holds that even the Laav to live in Egypt is nullified because of the Gezeiras HaGalus, which means Jews have to live all over the world), or that the Mitzvah of Yishuv EY is not nullified but we are all ?????? ?? ?? ?????? because of the Gezeiras HaGalus. (According to this second approach, if somoene does live in EY he would still get the Mitzvah of Yishuv EY, because the Mitzvah is still in effect but there is an exemption of ???? which exonerated someone who does not live in EY – the Ramban himself can hold like this – that there is no obligation to live in EY nowadays but there is still a Mitzvah to be had if you do).

Also bear in mind that the Gezeiras HaGalus is not like the Gezeirah of the Dor Hamidbar, which was a prohibition to enter EY. The Gezeiras HaGalus is not like that. Rather, it is simply a decree from Hashem that we will be spread across the earth. Meaning, even if there is a Mitzvah to live collectively in EY, things will happen so that we will not all end up there. So for example, it was not always possible to go at all times and from all places to EY. The Gezrias HaGalus can cause that to happen. Plus, there are circumstances that would exempt someone from living EY even if he could do so, for example, if he cannot have Parnasah there, or if he is not on the level to go there ??? ???? for the right reasons.

When I was a teenager I asked Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky ZTL why all the Gedolim do not up and move to EY. He said because they need to take care of the Jews in Chutz La’Aretz. He also told me back then that it is harder to bring up children there, especially girls, and you cannot put your children’s chinuch in danger to live in EY.

So Hashem’s ????? ????? is simply part of His running of the world, part of His Hashgacha, and one way or another, Hashem will employ His Hashgacha by creating circumstances to enable its fulfillment.

The Gezeiras HaGalus may remove the individual’s obligation of Yishuv HaArtez – either totally eliminating it altogether or taking precedence over it. The difference between the two is if a person does live in EY, whether he gets the Mitzvah of Yishuv HaAretz for living there. If the Mitzvah merely takes a back seat to Gezeiras HaGalus a person living in EY not in violation of the Gezerias HaGalus would get a Mitzvah for doing so, even though he was not obligated to do so. If the Gezeiras HaGalus eliminates the Mitzvah, then even if someone lives there not in violation of the Gezeirah, he gets no Mitzvah for doing so.”