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Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan zt”l

Son of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin (the Netziv), Rabbi
Meir Bar-Ilan (1880–1949) was one of the Mizrachi movement’s
greatest and most passionate advocates. Living in Berlin in
1911, he founded HaIvri, the world’s first Hebrew weekly
newspaper. It soon became a primary forum for leading
Zionists to grapple with the great questions of the day.
In 1915, as World War I engulfed Europe, Rabbi Bar-Ilan
moved to the United States, where he lived for the next
ten years. He soon became the recognized head of the
Mizrachi movement and established an American coun-
terpart to his HaIvri paper, which was published weekly
until 1921. The following essay was published in Hebrew
on the front page of HaIvri on October 11, 1916, and is
translated here for the first time.

“Every citizen of Israel shall dwell
in Sukkot” (Vayikra 23:42).
rom our study of mussar we know that it is not
enough to help one’s friend when he is in pain
and to give him support and strength. Rather,
Fwe are obligated to join our friend in his suf-
fering, to see ourselves as if we too are suffering in the
same way. We must truly feel his pain.
This obligation is not restricted to individuals, but
applies to nations as well. Nations that dwell securely
and peacefully in its own land are obligated to feel the
suffering of those poor and unfortunate peoples who
dwell in exile. Settled nations must see themselves as
if they, too, are suffering in exile.
When our people were םי ִח ָר ְז ֶא, citizens, settled securely
in our own Land of Israel, we were commanded to leave

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