Monday, March 30, 2020

''Native to the Land''


For those of us outside of Israel, we have often been ordered to return by various commenters, bloggers and rabbis - but here we see from the Vilna Gaon's Gorel that those of us who cannot return are also included, just as the Rebbe told us.

Rav Elyashiv, the Vilna Gaon’s Lottery and Coronavirus
by Josh Wander

There is a ancient Jewish tradition, that in more modern times is attributed to the Vilna Gaon, called the “Goral HaGra”.

It is a lottery which is done at times of extreme need. When divine assistance in required to answer a question of national significance. Great rabbis have passed down this tradition, which allows for a query to be made via a specific protocol and then a Chumash is opened to a random page and a Pasuk is pointed to. This verse is understood to be the answer to the query that was posed.

It was used during the Holocaust to determine in which direction the Mir Yeshiva should escape to (eventually leading them to Shanghai) and again by Rav Aryeh Levin z”l to identify the remains of the mass grave of Jews killed in the Old City of Jerusalem during the War of Independence.

There are very few rabbis alive today who are knowledgeable and qualified to conduct this ceremony. But it was performed this past week in Jerusalem by none other than Rav Aryeh Levin’s grandson and son of the famous Posek, Rav Binyamin Elyashiv Shlit”a.

Rav Binyamin Elyashiv is recognized as one of the poskim, leading Halachic deciders, in the Haredi community in Israel today.

Rav Elyashiv was asked by a American Jewish supporter of Torah institutions how they should be responding to the CoronaVirus in this time of crisis and whether they should relocate to Israel. The response received by the divine lottery was nothing less than miraculous.

The verse that was chosen came from Deuteronomy 1:8, where it states, “See, I have set the land before you; come and possess the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them and their descendants after them.”

This led the holy rabbi to explain to his grandson that this is a revelation and a clear sign that it is time for world Jewry to make their way back to the Land of Israel. “Israel is the safest place for a Jew to be now,” the rabbi said, “We are very close to the final redemption. It will all be over very soon here.”

He also said that those who are left outside of the Land, but continue to support her, will also be recognized as being native to the land.

6 comments:

Dov Bar-Leib said...

Actually Reb Aryeh Levin ztl used the Goral HaGra to identify 12 remains from a battle in Gush Etzion, not in the Old City of Yerushalayim.

Anonymous said...

For crying out loud. There are homebound people. So what are they supposed to do? I know a childless widow like that. Such a move would be way too much for her health. Ditto myself. What's uncanny, is R'Neuberger's long-ago book 2020 Vision, wherein it also mentioned disabled people who had no choice but to stay put.
M.M.

Dov Bar-Leib said...

I heard that the three great battles of GogUMagog would be associated with three great tests: I heard this in the name of the Chafetz Chaim, but I have not found the exact source yet.

1. WW1: B'Chol Levavcha: with all your heart. Where does your heart lie? The choice was Judaism or Bolshevism. Too many Jews chose the latter.

2. WW2: B'Chol Nafshecha: with all your lives. In this case during WW2 we really did not have much choice when the Gates of Eretz Yisrael closed starting in 1936. So we were trapped behind an iron partition in Europe, the Real Dark Continent.

3. WW3: B'Chol Meodecha: with all your money/Possessions. This choice was available basically since the founding of the State of Israel but especially after the 6 Day War. Make Aliyah with your possessions before Corona, the End of Qeren Qayemet, or wait too long and come on Aliyah with a small suitcase. Survive the last war, and all survivors in Chu"l will be in-gathered, but not with the possessions that one accrued in Olam HaZeh. Those are evaporating as I write this.

Devorah said...

I believe Mishiach will come and the entire world will be Israel - and the whole of Israel itself willl be Yerushalayim - materialism will not be relevant then - and it is still impossible for most of us to come now

Anonymous said...

I agree wtih Devorah's comment about the whole world becoming Israel.

there are many non Jews like me, who believe and follow Hashem, and Hashem created us too, and put us where He chose us to be. Family, country, etc;

As long as people do right, harm no one, follow the Creator, all will be blessed by Hashem.
Amen.

Devorah may or maynot put my comment on her blog, that is okay too. No problem for me, as only Hashem knows my heart and my thoughts.

My prayer for all peoples that Hashem help and keep them safe, and also open up the hearts and minds of those who do not know Him to know that the Creator is and there is no other.

In the end, all may think as they like and feel, soon we will know, and that is only when Hashem decides how and when... Amen.

Hashem bless all.

Nonee

moshe said...

True, the world will then be considered as Yisrael and the Land of Israel will be for the Jews and be considered as Yerushalayim. The world will be perfect. Peace & harmony and the knowledge of H' will fill the earth as the waters cover the seabeds.