Shabbat Parashat Eikev 5783

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: Appeal to Buy from Religious Winery – #160 – part I

Date and Place: Yafo, 5668 (probably still 1907) 

Recipient: Rabbis in the Diaspora 

Body: The “practical” settlement of Jews in the Holy Land has been increasing for decades. Before that, the entire foundation of our brethren in the desolate Holy Land was supported by the donations of Hashem’s nation, for whom the memory of Zion and Jerusalem is engraved on the plate of their hearts. They sent their donations to support those who lived before Hashem, who were always living in sanctity in the Holy Land. These inhabitants included influential rabbis, the greatest scholars and the truly righteous, holy and pure, fearsome like angels. There were also people who were involved in Torah study, fine Torah scholars, everyone according to his level, along with other simple, poor people. But all of them lived as one in a sanctity of trust in Hashem, with their hearts and their hands dedicated to Hashem. They raised their voices in praise and prayer to Hashem on behalf of their brethren in the Diaspora who were connected to them and through them to the sanctity of one who lives in the Holy Land, the home of our religious/national life.  

In recent times, Hashem arranged that there be a new spirit from the midst of the Land. Affection for Zion and love of the Holy Land, which had been cushioned in sanctity and purity, took hold also in a mundane manner by hands-on people who started to involve themselves in its rebuilding. Through this [Zionist] movement, which is well-known to most of our compatriots, many new inhabitants have flocked to the Land from the dispersion of the Exile. Agricultural settlements and towns have been settled in the Holy Land; farmers and those involved in every possible practical profession have increased. While there always were and are inhabitants of the Land who were laborers who needed and those who still need support from donations, the main basis for their sustenance is their own efforts, as those who love the Land and want to rebuild it to support themselves.

[As one example,] there have been great efforts to produce and sell wine, which is the top source of livelihood of the broad Jewish community of Eretz Yisrael, along with other crops of the Land, which is giving of its fruit, while it is still in its [overall] state of desolation and destruction.

In this new settlement of the Land, and the energetic efforts to grow and expand it, it would be proper that a major part of the leadership would be the greatest people in the nation – the holy, righteous men, the shepherds of flock in the light of their sanctity and righteousness, and the giants of Jacob for whose holy words all of Israel wait. It should have been that these projects would have attracted support from the entire nation, especially the sale of wine, which is presently the most important enterprise [in the practical building]. All the members of the nation, throughout the Diaspora, should have enlisted to buy only the good wine of the Holy Land, which is being cultivated by its sons, who have come to it from all over the world.

Unfortunately, our heart’s desire has not come about. Many rich, G-d-fearing people in our nation could be receiving merit by helping build the Land if they were careful to use only wine from Eretz Yisrael. They could have been responsible for the development of Eretz Yisrael and the founding of additional vineyards and farming villages, thereby increasing the number of Jews in the Land. Unfortunately, many are not doing so. Rather, they are pulling their hands away from this wine, which, thank G-d, is also increasingly of high quality, to the extent that we are very proud of it.

We continue next time with Rav Kook’s explanation of the phenomenon and his remedy for the situation.

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