uknowwhatimsayin

Avi k,
Thanks for the list! Good stuff!

CA,
Isnt there is a difference between a מצוה and a חיוב.
While there may be a מצוה if ישוב הארץ, it doesn’t make it a chiyuv.
What I was saying is that because it’s brought down as a מצוה by the רמב״ן and is certainly of religious value according to the רמב״ם I would assume that is ideally what ה׳ would want someone to do. (ה׳ wants people to do the מצות….)
(If it’s a proper עשה and a person CAN do it and they choose not to —-may fall under the category of ביטול עשה).
(There are plenty of people that can’t live in א״י for many reasons ie. financially….)

CA, {through the way I understood your question}
In regard to your question, I feel that it is true that there are dangers wherever you are (חו״ל and א״י).
However, I do believe that ה׳ wants us to be in א״י. Therefore through the lense of yidishkiet, it should be better to live in א״י.
As for the utopia thing, let me give you an example.
Picture this scenario:
A man is in his high 30s and still isn’t married. He is waiting and waiting and still can’t seem to find a Shidduch. After a while, he finally finds the right girl that he has been waiting for all these years.
As the wedding is approaching, the hall calls them up to tell them that they had to cancel on them—-they are devastated and look for another hall. More and more problems keep them from getting married.
While they just can’t wait anymore, they suddenly find an opening in a hall and grab it.
This hall happens to have some issues ( ie. food isn’t as good, band isn’t as geshmak etc…).
Do you think that while they are relieved to have saved their wedding day they will start complaining about the inconveniences? No. They are so happy to finally have a place and have the ability to get married.

While you may be correct that at the moment א״י isn’t a utopian society, because of א״יs religious value found in the תורה, both שבכתב and שבעל פה, the people who have a deep love א״י and deeply wish to be מקיים the מצוה, will ignore these inconveniences ( whether it be about the politics or dangers).
What may look to you as a massive downside will not look as bad to them at all.

Also, I believe that ה׳ protects those who live in Israel, as if it weren’t for ה׳, the state would’ve never been able to be established. The ניסים you hear about all the time, and the constant נס that no other of all the nations that surround Israel have destroyed it seems to make that apparent to me.

Let me know what you think

Hey coffee addict,

Would like to suggest a possibility and would love feedback:
The term גלות means exile. If this is correct there can be two definitions of the term. (Place and and era/period in history)
{There is a concept of ישוב ארץ ישראל , regardless of whether משיח has come or not. }
There has been a level of קיבוץ גלויות in the past 100 years… עיין history.
While there are some that believe that this קיבוץ גלויות is an התחלה to the גאולה, I don’t believe anyone actually thinks that משיח is here.
So while משיח hasn’t come yet, we still have the ability to live in the מקום of ארץ ישראל— not the land of גלות, but we are very well still in the era/period of גלות.

What is derech halimud in your own words

As time passes, the technology age has become more and more sophisticated. Therefore the air-conditioning’s had become colder than ever before allowing the Jewish homes to feel cold almost as if you are in an office. That is why you’re feeling this way.

I’m pretty sure the yetzer harah toward Arayos is a tad worse than the yetzer harah of having chicken parm.
On your other point, my opinion is that smartphones should not be looked upon as an evil device. As we know, technology has also allowed the Jews today to learn more than ever before. (Online shiurim, Hebrew books.com, etc)
On the flip side, a smartphone user can easily commit many averos if he does not have a filter.
My suggestion is that if one has a phone, s/he should filter it.
Even if ones is sure s/he is a tzadik/es and will “never do such a horrible thing”, it is still a great idea to filter his or her device(s).

Ohr Reuven is the best. I know a lot of people there and he has a great kesher with the rabbayim. The Rosh hayeshiva is out of this world. If you are looking for a place where your son can grow in ruchniyus while being surrounded by amazing rabbayim and amazing bachurim, it’s your best option.