Audio of lecture:
After my family and I moved to Israel, we observed something that caught our attention: some, whether a single person, a couple, or a large family, have great success with everything they do, while others do not.
Some people, including our family, find good jobs, nice apartments for great prices in their desired neighborhoods, and great school, and settle down very nicely while others cannot make it. They struggle in all aspects of their lives, including with children, earning a livelihood, and housing.
Some of those who have a hard time turn to English language Jewish magazines, newspapers or online forums, where they write articles to express their anger and frustration about their situations. They blame Hashem’s land and other Israelis for their struggles.
We interviewed people who moved here from different countries and different backgrounds, people who live in Israel one year and those who live here over 20, 30 years, or more.
What we observed is that whoever feels like a foreigner in Israel is not successful here.
For example, people who feel that they are an American or British who happen to be living in Israel will struggle no matter how many years they live here.
We came across one woman who apparently did not fit in with our observation. She seemed to love Israel and her children are doing service for the military. Yet, she is struggling a lot in different areas.
One day, while speaking publicly, that woman complained about a doctor, and she said: “Even though I live in Israel for over 20 years, I feel that as an American, I deserve better healthcare.
After hearing her proclamation, we knew we can wrap up our research.
The reason for this vastly opposing experiences is the following: In Parshas Bichukosi 26:32, Hashem tells us that he will not allow foreigners to be prosperous in Israel.
והשמתי אני את הארץ ושממו עליה איביכם הישבים בה Hashem said: “I myself will lay waste to the land so that your enemies who live here will be appalled by it.”
Anyone who feels appalled with the land of Israel, which is Hashem chosen land, is essentially the enemy, a foreigner, and to them, it will be a wasteland, they will be appalled by it, while at the same time, those who love Hashem and his land, prosper as Hashem promised that Israel is a land of flowing milk and honey.
I will demonstrate this point with the following story: A young American-born woman, living in Israel, suffered an eye injury. Her doctor sent her to a hospital in Jerusalem that specializes in the treatment of eye issues.
After carrying out tests, doctors told the woman and her husband that she needed emergency surgery and that they have cleared their schedule for the next morning in order to save her left eye’s sight.
The woman rebuffed the Israeli experts. She explained that the doctor who recorded her issue, looked young and inexperienced. She told her husband that she did not trust the doctors, despite knowing that they are experts in treating her issue.
The woman refused to have surgery in Israel. She told the doctors that she was going to the United States in a few weeks, so she will schedule an appointment with a doctor over there.
Doctors tried to reason with her and explain the severity of her situation, but she declined. She demanded to be discharged and signed herself out, despite warnings about the risks of doing so.
The woman called a doctor in the United States and got an appointment for several weeks later. The American doctor confirmed that she needed surgery, which was scheduled for months later due to a backlog in patients and other issues.
Months later, she underwent surgery. The recovery involved keeping her face down for about 2 weeks. After going through all the pain and difficulties, the surgery was unsuccessful. She never regained the sight in her left eye because she waited too long for the surgery, according to the American doctors.
Some people will say that everything was destined from Hashem, she was meant to be blind in one eye, and it would have happened in any case.
NO! This is not so.
Let’s see what Hashem has coordinated to save the woman’s eyesight.
In Israel, Hashem made it possible for her to get an immediate appointment for tests at the hospital that specializes in her issue. Hashem made it possible for her to have surgery in Israel the next morning without waiting.
YET, this woman resisted Hashem’s plan. Why? Only because she saw herself as an American, and she believed in the power of the American doctors rather than in the power of the King of the Universe.
Midrash Rabbah Devarim 2:8 states:
אמר רבי לוי אמר לפניו רבונו של עולם עצמותיו של יוסף נכנסו לארץ ואני איני נכנס לארץ. אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא מי שהודה בארצו נקבר בארצו ומי שלא הודה בארצו אינו נקבר בארצו, יוסף הודה בארצו מנין גבירתו אומרת (בראשית ל”ט:י”ד) “ראו הביא לנו איש עברי” וגו’ ולא כפר אלא (בראשית מ:ט”ו) “גנב גנבתי מארץ העברים” נקבר בארצו מנין שנאמר (יהושע כ”ד:ל”ב) “ואת עצמות יוסף אשר העלו מארץ מצרים קברו בשכם” את שלא הודית בארצך אין אתה נקבר בארצך כיצד בנות יתרו אומרות (שמות ב:י”ט) “איש מצרי הצילנו מיד הרועים” והוא שומע ושותק לפיכך לא נקבר בארצו“
When Moshe Rabbeinu was refused entry into Eretz Yisroel he asked Hashem “the bones of Yosef Hatzadik shall enter the Land but I shall not enter? “He who proudly admitted that this was his land shall be buried in it, but he who did not admit it shall not be buried in it’” said Hashem.
Yosef did not deny his Hebrew origin when Potifar’s wife derided him as a “Hebrew brought here to make fun of us (Berishis 39:14.) Furthormore, in prison when speaking to the chief butler he referred to himself as someone “who had been stolen from the land of the Hebrews” (Berishis 39:14.)
However, when the daughters of Yisro told their father an Egyptian man rescued us (Shemos 2:19), Moshe made no effort to correct this false impression or stress his Hebrew origins. (Moshe was raised in the home of the king Parah after he was adpoted by Batya, that may be the reason why he saw himself as a Jewish Egyption rather than just part of the Jewish nation.)
In parshas Buluck the Torah says that when Buluck’s messengers came to Bilom and asked him to curse the Jews, Hashem told Bilom NOT to go. Then, Bulluck sent another delegation to ask Bilom once again to come with them to curse the Jews. This time Hashem said: “go with the people.”
What changed from the first time to the second? The Medrash Rabba writes: בדרך שאדם רוצה ליילייך מוליכין אותו the path a person wants to take Hashem leads him there even though this was not Hashem’s plan.
The world was created with בחירה choice. Hashem gave us the Torah which clearly tells us how He wants us to live. However, we have the right to choose the way we want to live.
Whatever we choose for ourselves, Hashem will help us get there, whether good or bad, as Moshe said in Parshat Nitzavim in the name of Hashem: ראה נתתי לפניך היום את החיים ואת הטוב ואת המות ואת הרע See I gave for you today life and good, death and evil.
When Bilom once again expressed his desire to curse the Jews, Hashem said that he can go with people, but that was his downfall, את המות he was later killed as a result of this action.
Yehoshiya 14:10 states כי ישרים דרכי יהוה וצדקים ילכו בם ופשעים יכשלו בם The ways of Hashem are right, the righteous walk in them but transgressors will stumble.
The Gemuruh explains that two people can do the same thing, the tzadik becomes elevated from it while the evil falls.
We see this by the Meraglim (12 Spies). Hashem promised the Jews that Israel will flourish, and they will be prosperous in the Land of Milk and Honey. However, the Jews demanded to go there beforehand to see what the land is like.
Hashem was angry that the Jews did not believe His word and that they demanded to check out the land before going there. Hashem promised that He will make certain things happen which the Meraglim could see as either good or bad.
The 12 Meraglim went to Israel. They all saw the same things. We know that Yehoshua and Calev came back and praised the land while the 10 other Meraglim spoke badly about Israel.
The 10 meraglim who spoke badly about Israel died in the midbar. They chose את המות ואת הרע death and evil, while Yehoshua and Calev were zocha to come into Israel and in addition to their land they got the portion that was meant for the 10 Meraglim.
The 12 Meraglim all went in the same way, but 2 were righteous and got elevated, while the 10 others stumbled.
The Torah does not simply tell us a story it teaches us an eternal lesson. Two people can do the mitzvah of ישוב ארץ ישראל living in Israel and see the same things, one person will see good את החיים ואת הטוב life and good, they tell everyone about the experience and do the mitzvah of kiddush Hashem while the other one will see את המות ואת הרע death and evil, the negative the bad. They tell people how bad Hashem’s land is and thereby they are bringing their own downfall just like the 10 Meraglim.
Every person has to choose which path to take and Hashem will help them go down the path they choose.
We see the writers, bloggers, YouTubers and organizations who earn livelihoods by acting like the 10 Meraglim speaking negatively about Hashem’s country, and they often wonder why they have so many hardships in their lives, and the answer lies in the Parsha they chose death and evil את המות ואת הרע.
Those who choose to include in their articles content of drama and negatively, especially when it comes to their experiences in Israel. Hashem will help them, He will send them a lot of pain, suffering and difficulties, so that they have what to write about. Those who look for the good and believe in Hashem’s words that His land is the Land of Milk and Honey will see and taste the flowing of goodness.
I will finish with a story to help everyone see that Hashem is giving us the blessings, but we have to open our hearts and minds to let the blessings in.
One day, as I was walking the halls of Hadassah Har Hatzofim hospital in Jerusalem, I saw a nicely dressed woman pushing a cart that was filled with truffle chocolates, tea, and coffee.
I watched as she stopped in front of people, who were waiting to see professors, people who were sitting quietly and were anxious. Many were uplifted and smiled at the sight of the large array of assorted chocolates.
Conversation was sparked among strangers who admired the warmth and caring shown by the hospital. People began chatting as they snacked on the goodies and sipped their warm drinks.
I walked over to the woman who was serving the sweets and asked her how she felt about her job of bringing smiles to so many people. She explained that not too long ago, she was on the receiving end at the hospital, and that now she is so happy to be able to uplift people all day and even get paid for doing so.
The woman told me her story. She and her husband moved to Israel because her children and grandchildren live here.
However, she did not like it here. She kept asking her husband to move back to their birthplace, but he wanted to be close to their children and grandchildren. They stayed. The woman was miserable, she lived in a country that was foreign to her, and she did not feel that it was her home.
Then one day, she was diagnosed with cancer and began treatment. During her months in the hospital, the woman said that she discovered a new side of Israel that she didn’t appreciate before: “the people.”
She explained that the doctors and nurses were like her family, they cared for her with an extreme amount of love. The woman told me that this experience has changed her life and her outlook on the land and the great people who call Hashem’s chosen land their HOME.
She realized that the blessings were there all along, but she had closed her heart to them. Furthermore, she saw that there was nothing wrong with the country, but rather it was all in her mind and her attitude. Once she changed her attitude, she felt at home, all the blessings came flowing into her life, and now she too is proud to be part of Hashem’s chosen nation in his chosen home.
May you all be blessed with וראה בטוב ירושלם כל ימי חייך to see the good of Israel all of your days.
