Page 32 - HaMizrachi #32 RH-YK 2021 USA

A Connection WITHOUT AN
Entry Permit

Rabbi Reuven Brand

e had been dreaming The recent reality of only Israeli cit-
of, planning for, and izens and their immediate relatives
hoping to attend a being allowed into Israel has high-
Wwedding this summer lighted our family’s personal decision
in Israel. There were many complexi- to live in America, bringing the implica-
ties in leaving our children in Chicago tions of this choice squarely into focus.
and flying to Israel, but they did not We have become more conscious of our
dim our excitement and anticipation separation from the Land of Israel.
for this rare trip. But ultimately, my Why is Hashem preventing us from
wife and I experienced what so many entering our holy Land now? Hash-
others have over the past months. The em’s ways are mysterious; we are not
Israeli government would not allow privy to His plans. We do not ask ַעּו ּ ד ַמ,
tourists to enter due to health consid- seeking a rationale, but rather ה ָּ מ ָל, “for
erations. With just a keystroke, our what.” Perhaps Hashem wants us to
trip disappeared; we never reached the consider the reasons we haven’t moved
Promised Land. of our great grandparents. Their experi-
ence highlighted a longing for a far-off, to Israel. Or maybe He is challenging
Although the cancellation of our mostly out-of-reach dream. But in the us to find new ways to connect to our
planned trip was undoubtedly a “first- modern era, Tisha B’Av has taken on a Land and our people. Or could it be that
world problem,” it was still a significant new dimension for Jews living in the He wants us to keep asking questions,
disappointment – and one which pro- Diaspora. Today, Tisha B’Av challenges to keep the conversation going?
voked reflection. First and foremost, us by posing an implied question: Why The Chafetz Chaim and Rav Kook,
my wife and I were sad to miss shar- am I not now living in Hashem’s Land, 20th-century spiritual visionaries, kept
ing a simcha with people who mean so the Land of our people? the Land of Israel at the center of their
much to us. But on a deeper level, I felt We confront the same questions as we spiritual and everyday conversation.
a sense of disbelief: Even after vaccines move through the Jewish calendar. On They emphasized that we are on the
and so much progress in fighting the Tu B’Av, we recall a turning point for threshold of redemption. We can too.
Covid pandemic, a trip to Israel was the people of Israel, who finally stopped Although this process may be slower
still out of reach. Israel out of reach? dying in the desert as Hashem cleared than they imagined, we know that
I felt a strange sense of being in exile, them for landing in the Land. On Rosh Israel is our ultimate destiny. We know
locked out. Hashanah, we remember Avraham the unfolding of the process of Jewish
It was noteworthy that the Israeli Avinu’s journey to Hashem’s chosen history will continue, along with its hic-
government’s decision to foreclose place in the heart of Eretz Yisrael. cups and frustrations. We know that
summer tourism was reported on Tisha The introspection of the Yamim Noraim one day all barriers of entry to Israel
B’Av, a day when we contemplate the opens our eyes and hearts to consider will disappear. Most importantly, we
complexities of our relationship with whether we are doing our best to nur- know that even if we are not currently
Hashem, the state of our exile, and our ture our connection with Hashem. This in Hashem’s Land, we can connect with
relationship with Eretz Yisrael. overall spiritual reflection invites us to it wherever we are.
seriously engage the contradictions of
On Tisha B’Av, we mourn. We grapple our Jewish life in the Diaspora, espe-
with tragic events and are left with cially today.
profound and challenging questions.
We feel our collective longing for Israel, Why haven’t we chosen to make our
the home of our fathers and our future. life in Israel? Why is it important in the Rabbi Reuven Brand is the Rosh Kollel of the
Captured in the words of generations of first place? And how can we strengthen YU Torah Mitzion Kollel, a community Torah
poets, we express our desire to return our connection with Eretz Yisrael from institution with a vibrant Beit Midrash, array
to the beautiful Land of Israel. afar? These age-old questions lie just of creative learning opportunities, unique
beneath the surface of our busy every- women’s initiative and diverse outreach pro-
And yet, our Tisha B’Av experience day lives. We should consider them as gramming. He lives in Skokie, Illinois with his
today is profoundly different from that part of our annual spiritual checkup. wife, Nechama, and their five children.

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