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Rav Shlomo Mordechai of Boyan visited Eretz Yisrael in 1949. When he arrived, he arranged for a driver to take him from Tel Aviv to Haifa. When the taxi came, four chassidim escorted him along the way, hoping that they would be able to spend some time talking to their Rebbe. They hoped to hear some of his insights and divrei Torah. Perhaps he would share with them some stories about great tzaddikim. instead, the Rebbe stared out the taxi window the entire time. Not a word was spoken. Moreover, when he arrived, he did not get out to visit anybody. Instead, he asked the driver to take him back to his apartment in Tel Aviv. And he did not stop looking at the scenery on the way back, either. The chassidim were completely befuddled; they could not understand why he would have taken a pointless ride. Finally, they arrived back home. When they did, the chassidim asked their Rebbe why he had wasted over two hours of his day going on a leisure ride. What was he hoping to see? The Rebbe smiled as he answered them. “The pasuk says (Devarim 11:12), ‘Tamid Einei Hashem Elokecha bah — The Eyes of Hashem, your G-d, are always upon it [Eretz Yisrael].’ If the Ribbono Shel Olam is looking at the Land, then there must be something beautiful to see. That is why I was looking at it. To see what He sees.” (Eretz Yisrael) (Touched By Their Tears)
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In the 1930’s. a tourist visited one of the chachmei Yerushalayim. The discussion turned to the subject of living in Eretz Yisrael. The elderly tzaddik asked the man if he would live in Yerushalayim. The tourist explained that he would never live in Yerushalayim. “just look around,” he said, “at how many rachmanus (pity) cases there are here. So many meshugdim (crazy people). I would never live here!” The tzaddik asked him where he lived. The man told him that he came from Denver. “You know what?” said the tzaddik, “Someone just told me that Denver is full of people who suffer from tuberculosis. Why would you live there?” The foreigner responded that many of those people contracted the disease elsewhere. “They only come to Denver because of the clean crisp air, in order to recuperate. It is one of the best places in the world to get better. They didn’t get sick in Denver.” The old sage smiled. “The same is true here in Yerushalayim. It is true that many sad cases live here in Yerushalayim. There are so many people who have so many tzaros. But they developed the tzaros elsewhere. They come to Yerushalayim because this is the best place in the world to get better.” (Eretz Yisrael) (Touched By Their Tears)
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Is anyone available to take someone from Givat Shaul ?” came the dispatcher’s voice over the speaker in the cab I was in. I heard a driver say, “I am.” “No, I’m not giving it to you, Shimon,” I heard the dispatcher say. “You’re a brand new chatan. three weeks after your wedding! You should be home with your wife sitting on the mirpesset. It says ’v’simach es ishto,’ doesn’t it, that you should make your wife happy? Go home. I’m not giving you this fare.” (Impact Volume Four) (shana rishona, Eretz Yisrael)
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Ben Freeman lives in Los Angeles. He was on only child and was very close to his mother, especially after his father passed away at a young age. Ben had a family and made a decent living. Eventually Ben’s mother got older and needed constant medical care. The doctor suggested that she be put in a nursing home. Ben was aghast at that prospect, and arranged for his mother to live in his home, with all of the medical equipment and attendants available in the house. The costs were astronomical but Bem felt that money was nothing compared to caring for his mother. He spent all of his savings on caring for his mother. Eventually she passed away, she wanted to be buried in Israel. During the preparations he was told that at the time California state law required that if a body was transported overseas, the body first had to be drained of its blood and have chemical fluids substituted instead. Ben hurried over to speak to the head mortician. He tried to explain to him that Jewish law doesn’t allow a body to be manipulated like that. The mortician said there was nothing he could do , it was state law. In desperation Ben took out his keys and sad, Look, I have spent all of money caring for my mother. All I have left is my house. If you work out a way for my mother to be transferred without her being mutilated You can keep my house. The mortician was stunned at the offer. Seeing how much it meant, the mortician said “you can keep the house I’ll do it for you. The mortician was then so inspired at Ben’s actions that he was able to lobby the California legislature to change the law to make it easier for Jews. (184) (nivul hames, kibud av, Eretz yisrael) (Visions of Greatness Volume 2)
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Reb Berel Ludmir, was a well-known esrog dealer. He would always come to America for Succos, and we had a yearly tradition to bring daled minim to many local Rebbes. Each year the same thing would happen. Reb Berel Ludmir would earmark five or six esrogim for the Admorim, the nicest ones he had. He would then visit the Rebbes, offering each one their choice. The Rebbes would always study them carefully, deciding between one and the other. “When we arrived at the Kozhnitzer Rebbe, it was always different. When we would enter, his eyes would light up. ‘Eretz Yisrael ’dik esrogim?’ he would ask. His abavas Eretz Yisrael knew no bounds, and he could barely contain his excitement. My father-in-law would place the boxes on the table, and the Rebbe would select one of the closed boxes at random. ‘They are all from Eretz Yisrael; they are all beautiful,’ he would say, ‘I don’t have to check.’ Then he would open it up, and call in his Rebbetzin. ‘Look,’ he would say, ‘lsn’t this the most beautiful esrog that you’ve ever seen?’ Though the esrogim were a gift, he always insisted on paying for them.” My grandfather is smiling broadly, “I’ll tell you something interesting,” he says. “We always checked the esrogim first, and we knew which was the nicest one. Every single year, it was inevitable, the Kozhnitzer Rebbe, who just selected a box at random, always ended up with the nicest one (Warmed By Their Fire) (esrog, Eretz yisrael)
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At a chasunah, a minyan was formed, but no one knew the direction of Mizrach. “Simply turn until your heart starts to beat faster.” commented Rav Hutner. (Warmed By Their Fire) (Eretz Yisrael)
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A noted personage in the Zionist movement once came to see Reb Aryeh. When the visit was over, the rabbi went to accompany the man a short distance on his way (as his custom was). As they left the house together, there were religious children of the neighborhood playing near the threshold, engrossed in their games. Reb Aryeh stooped down and patted their faces With Fatherly (Or grandfatherly) affection; and he murmured, If it is a mitzvah to have a compassionate love for the stones and earth of the land of Israel—as Scripture says, Thy servants hold her stones dear and compassionately treasure her dust (Psalms 102, 15)—how much more do we have to love the children of the land!“ (Eretz Yisrael) (A Tzadik in Our Times)
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When the Gifters returned from Eretz Yisrael to Cleveland, they decided to live in an apartment in the Yeshivah dormitory, instead of the house they had left two years earlier. The reason for this is astounding: Rav Gifter said, “I cannot live in a permanent home anymore in chutz la’aretz [out of Israel]! I can’t!” He knew that he truly wanted to be in Eretz Yisrael, but was just hiding his time until Mashiach arrived. In an extraordinary ad of self sacrifice, the rebbetzin did as she had always done, and followed the wishes of her husband. (Rav Gifter) (Eretz Yisrael, churban)
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Few things were more important to Reb Elyah than sincere motives. Rav Moshe Aaron Stern recounts that he was once walking outside with Reb Elyah when they came across a laborer repairing the street. ”See how this Jew is so completely involved in a mitzvah,” commented Reb Elyah, “the mitzvah of settling Eretz Yisrael. What is” lacking in his efforts? Only his intention — his intention should be that he is working for the sake of a mitzvah. For if a person’s intention when performing such labor is merely to earn a livelihood, he loses the entire value of the mitzvah!” (Reb Elya) (Eretz Yisrael, kavanah doing a mitzva)
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The Brisker Rav was once asked his impressions of the mountain views of Switzerland. “This,” he answered, “is the beauty of Eretz Yisrael in exile in Switzerland. The Brisker Rav Volume Three, By R’ Shimon Yosef Meller, Published by Feldheim, page 425 (love Eretz Yisrael)
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A bus pulled out of the stop on Malchei Yisrael Street in the Geulah section of Ierusalem. The driver suddenly stopped the bus, opened the front door, stepped out of his seat and threw some money to a poor man on the sidewalk. Why is it that I never saw this happen in Chicago (tzedaka) (Impact Volume Two)
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Rav Yochanan Twersky, the Rachmistrifka Rebbe once visited his brother. His brother had a custom to honor his guests with the finest wine from Eretz Yisrael. He however asked if he can have wine specifically from chutz la’eretz. Afterward he was asked what was wrong with the Israeli wine. He said I really don’t enjoy wine. I took it out of respect for my brother. I drink it only with great discomfort. But if I would have wine from Eretz Yisrael, I would have negative feelings and thoughts about the fruit of Eretz Yisrael. That is something I have to avoid at all costs (Touched by a Story Volume 3) page 216 (Eretz Yisrael)
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Moshe and Sara were perfect couple. He was wealthy and kind and extremely respected in the community. Sara was beautiful and sweet, and extremely involved in the community. Everybody adored them. They appeared to have the perfect live. But there was one problem, they could not have children. They had an incredibly close and loving marriage, and finally after 20 years of married they finally had a child. Everything seemed to be going perfectly in the delivery room, when the doctor told Moshe with a grave face that there was a serious problem and only one would be able to survive. Moshe desperate davened for both to survive but realized that he had to choose. He sadly chose his wife. But his wife, near death asked to speak to him. “I also have a say”. I know how much you love me. I and I appreciate your choice so much. But we cannot continue living the way we have before. If you save the child we will be able to have continuity and leave a legacy in the world. I have a right choose and I choose the child. But there is one condition, please. Please promise me that when the baby is enough to understand, that you will take the child to my gravestone and tell him how much his mother loved him, and gave up everything so that he could live. An hour later she passed away. When the bay boy was five years old, Moshe held the boys hand and brought him to her grave stone and told him about his mother who gave up her life so that he could live. They came every year. That inspired the boy to live a beautiful life that would make his mother proud of her sacrifice and make sure she did not die in vain, and pass on her legacy. This is a mashal for the shechina. There became a point when it was clear that the shechina and klall Yisrael could not continue to live. The shechina chose to shechina itself so that klal Yisrael could continue, but on the condition that we visit the tombstone, the kotel, to remember her sacrifice, and make sure our mother did not die in vain. 141 (mourning churban, Eretz Yisrael, tisha beav) (Touched by a Story Volume Four)
