“and you shall dwell in their land“: A story happened where Rebbe Elazar Ben Shamua and Rebbe Yochanan Hasandler were traveling abroad to learn Torah from Rebbe Yehuda Ben Biseira. They arrived at tzaydan, where they remembered Eretz Yisrael. Whereupon they raised their eyes and wept and rent their garments, and recited this verse: “You shall inherit them and settle in their land” — they then returned back to their place and said, “Living in Eretz Yisrael is equal to all of the mitzvos in the Torah.” (Sifrei Devarim on Devarim 12:29)

The Medrash explains that these Tannaim left Eretz Yisrael because they felt that the spirituality of Torah in the holy land was waning. Therefore, they wanted to learn Torah in chutz laaretz where spirituality was still growing. But upon reaching Tzaydan, they almost immediately returned to Eretz Yisrael.

The Oznayim L’Torah (Zalman Sorotzkin 1881–1966) offers insight into their change of heart: In Eretz Yisrael one may feel that the Shechinah is in exile – as Hashem withdraws when we are not living as we should – even though Eretz Yisrael is the apple of Hashem’s eye. Therefore, these tannaim initially felt that under such circumstances, one must go to learn Torah outside of Eretz Yisrael to create a stronger bond with Hashem. However, they eventually realized that while the Shechinah may be felt in chutz laaretz, the depth of the connection between klal Yisrael and Hashem is stronger in Eretz Yisrael. They concluded that it is better to dwell in Eretz Yisrael where the shechina is always present even when not felt, rather than in chutz laaretz where the shechina is felt, but is not really present.

This resonates with the experiences of many olim over the past 40 years, who faced challenges acclimating to the Israeli culture, and sometimes wondered if they would have fared better had they remained in chutz laaretz. A personal family story illustrates this: My father z”l, as a young student, considered learning in a Yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael. His younger brother was already living in Eretz Yisroel, and was close to the Chazon Ish, so my father wrote requesting that he ask the Chazon Ish if he should come to Israel to learn and then return to chutz laaretz. The Chazon Ish responded “Tell you brother to come, and, if it becomes relevant for him to return, we’ll discuss it at that time.” By the time the response reached my father, his window of opportunity to go to Eretz Yisrael closed, so he never came. The Chazon Ish’s words highlighted that moving to Eretz Yisrael is a spiritual ascent, while leaving, though allowed for certain mitzvos, is a step down. One should strive greatly to remain in Eretz Yisrael, resisting the allure of chutz laaretz, even when challenges arise.

For those of us privileged to live in Eretz Yisrael today, our connection to Hashem surpasses what is possible in chutz la’aretz. Being in the castle of the king amplifies the power of all of our mitzvos  — and the gravity of all of our sins.

For centuries, most Jews could only dream of the opportunity of being here and serving Hashem, yet we live it without much hardship. Like those tanaaim who cried when they recognized that living in Eretz Yisroel is equivalent to all the mitzvos in the Torah, we must live here with a true love for the land and Torah. Awareness that this is the land of Hashem should help us to live a life of Torah and Mitzvos. By living as Hashem commands, we can merit the arrival of Moshiach speedily in our days.