As we set out to celebrate seventy-seven years of the State of Israel, we must ponder and observe with our own eyes the reality in which we live, through the vision of the Prophets of Israel and the vision of Ezekiel specifically.
HaRav Dov Begon- is head of Yeshivat Machon Meir.in Jerusalem
Chapter Thirty-Six in the Book of Ezekiel describes the gradual process of Israel’s Redemption. The first stage is the ingathering of the exiles, as it says, “I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own Land” (verse 24). Our Sages as well (Sanhedrin 98a), in their answer to the question about what is the sign of the end of Exile, point to the ingathering of the exiles and second, to the flowering of the Land:
“Rabbi Abba said: You have no greater sign of the revealed end of days than this, as it says, ‘But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit to My people Israel; for they are at hand to come’” (Ezekiel 36:8).
After the ingathering of the exiles and the flowering of the Land, as in our own day, will come a third stage of national purification, and that, too, will come in stages: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean. From all your uncleanness and from all your idols will I cleanse you” (36:25). We shall be cleansed of all those influences of the Exile that clung to us when we were amongst the nations, and which led to assimilation, weakness and divisiveness, controversy and groundless hatred.
The Jewish People in the Exile is likened to a precious jewel that has been sullied in dirt and mud. In Eretz Yisrael we shall be purified by a gradual return to our Torah and to Jewish Tradition.
The next and fourth stage of spiritual improvement shall be: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh” (verse 26). The new heart and spirit will replace our hearts of stone that have little sensitivity to our fellow man and a hardened sensitivity to the deeper levels of Torah with a feeling, sensitive heart capable of embracing the Torah in all of its aspects, both the private and the national. This spiritual transformation will have an influence on the lives of the individual, the family, and the entire Israelite Nation.
Regarding this stage it says, “I will put My spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My ordinances and do them” (verse 27). In other words, we will keep the Torah and its mitzvot, and we shall be the living fulfillment of G-d’s words:
“You shall dwell in the Land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your G-d. . . . I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be built. The Land that was desolate shall be tilled. . . . Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, the Lord have built the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it (Ezekiel, verses 36:28,33,36).
In those quickly approaching days, with all of the Jewish People settled in their Cherished Land, we shall experience the fifth stage, enormous natural growth, as it says:
“Thus says the Lord G-d: I will multiply them, the men, like a flock. . . . The waste cities shall be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the Lord (verse 37).
Today, even though we are engaged in a battle with a cruel and seemingly tireless enemy, the building of the country continues at an incredible pace. Everywhere you look, in whatever direction, there are hi-rise apartment buildings under construction, newly-laid train tracks, new tunnels and bridges, all in fulfillment of our prayers.
And though the current war has taken a terrible toil, we must recall the teaching of our Sages that “War is also the beginning of Redemption” (Megilla 17B) and that Mashiach comes after a period of struggle and war (Bereshit Rabbah 42:4). In our daily morning prayers we call Hashem the “Master of wars” for it is He who rules over them in bringing Israel to its ultimate salvation, may it be soon.
Today, as we set out to celebrate seventy-seven years of the State of Israel, we must ponder and observe with our own eyes the reality in which we live, through the vision of the Prophets of Israel and the vision of Ezekiel specifically. How fortunate we are to be at the height of the ingathering of the exiles – millions of Jews are already living in the Land, and, G-d willing, millions more will come home. The Land is flowering and developing in gigantic strides, economically, in terms of infrastructure and the building of cities and towns, as well as incredible technical progress.
All of this is preparation for the next stage: investing spiritual content into our national home, which will come about gradually, giving us a “a new heart and a new spirit,” referring to the great return to Torah that will characterize the coming generations.
The first buds of this process are already discernable in our own generation, by way of the awakening of interest and respect for the Torah and for Jewish Tradition. This thirst will increase as we advance upward on the path to complete Redemption. The return to Torah and to faith will also bring about a change in the demographic situation in Israel. The Jewish population will increase, as we are witnessing today, especially in religious families. The families who were cut off in the Holocaust will be privileged to see how their offspring will multiply remarkably. Indeed, families of survivors that have dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren are already not a rare sight in our streets.
Six-hundred-thousand Jews left Egypt and with six-hundred-thousand we established the State of Israel. Already we merit to have over six-million Jews in Israel. Soon this number will constitute a majority of the Jews living today and “in the multitude of the people is the King’s glory” (Proverbs 14:28).
The more the Jews proliferate in Israel, the more it will be revealed for all to see that Hashem, the G-d of Israel, is King, and His Kingdom rules over all. By such means, “all the inhabitants of the earth will recognize and know that every knee will prostrate itself before You and every tongue will swear before You . . . All will undertake the yoke of Your Kingdom, and You shall reign over them forever and ever. . . . As it says, ‘The Lord shall be King over all the earth. On that day shall He be One and His name One’” (Aleinu prayer).
