Are We Living in the Footsteps of The Messiah? A Rare Interview With Rabbi Zev Leff: Living Inspired

[music] Are we in Yamosa Msiah? >> A Jew in galas should never feel comfortable where he is. Something is is happening. And the fact that the whole world now is against us is seems to be what it Torah says going to be go. The whole world's going to come against Israel. We're in the man called the Mashia the very end of gas before Msiah comes. If you're here constantly right and you're attuned to it and you want to feel that feeling you'll feel that feeling every single day. >> Today I sat down with one of the giants, one of the leaders of the Jewish people in Israel today who is native to the Bronx. And I asked him some questions. I sent him an email and surprisingly he agreed to do the interview. So in this video we're going to share that interview and I want to tell you that you will be shocked what he said and it's probably not what you're thinking. I wanted to share this with you. I encourage you to watch till the end. It's very exciting for me to be able to finally ask some of these questions that everybody seems to be asking and everybody's giving opinions and I wanted to get Das Tyra. He's a person a RV a god who has spoken as keynote speakers at the Torah Masor convention at the U AOP. So without further ado, here is Rabbi Zev Le. Are we in Gouog? Is Msiah finally here. Take a look. Rabbi Le, it's a true privilege to have you with us. 40 years ago, Rab Zev left a prominent lifelong rabbitic post in Miami and brought his family to a hilltop in Jerusalem with barely electricity and barely running water and helped pioneer Moshav Matisio, probably the first American or one of the first American Jewish Torah communities in Israel. My question is like this. since October 7th with the rise of anti-semitism in the world and recent election of mayor of New York. I know you're from the Bronx and uh the Jews have always been welcome in New York and for the first time this has come up on people's radar that perhaps we're no longer welcome in Gulos. So, Rabbi Le, could you share your insights on the Torah view on whether every Jew should want to be living in Israel right now before Msiah comes? Okay, let me uh preface with the words of the Cleoer. The Cleoer and the PKitu. So he says what it means is the following. Don't uh copy what they did in Mim. that there were many people who were comfortable in Misim even being slaves and didn't want to leave and don't copy what they did concerning Arage Israel that the Moragim didn't want to go into Arch Israel. A Jew in Golas should never feel comfortable where he is. You should realize that the place that was meant for Clal Israel to be issel and if it wouldn't have been for uh the the reasons for the and the golus we would be in Israel. A Jew outside of Israel is not in his proper place. As moral says it's it's not natural for a Jew to be outside of Israel. But there are reasons why wants that to happen temporarily. If a Jew understands that it's temporary and he's always ready and waiting to be able to return to Erit Israel where he belongs, then uh the gulus can be a sweet golus sometimes. But once you get too settled in Galas and you think that that's your place and you have no reason and no desire to ever go to Erit Israel then that in itself makes the golas a very bitter golus and sometimes the rabbon reminds us that that's not where we belong. You can't get too comfortable in any gulus for too long. And the Ronis reminds us that golus is a very temporary thing. And uh and the desire at least to go back to where we belong should be there. Basically bottom line until Msiah comes the entire Jewish people can't return to Erit Israel on mass but an individual thing people can fulfill the mitzvah of Yeshua Israel as individuals or even as individual communities and sometimes the gives us signs that we're becoming too uh complacent and too settled in a golus and thinking that that's really where we belong. And then he gives us signs that maybe that's not where we belong and that's not where we should be complacent. What's happened since October 7th and even in America where all over America anti-semitism is raising its uh ugly head and even or most mostly by the elite intelligencia college campuses or whatever. I think Jews have to wake up and see that even America which was a a very very sweet gullis and uh a land that afforded Jews tremendous amount of uh of freedom um it's not forever and uh therefore a person should realize that if it's possible for him to make a move towards Israel and possible means that all of the conditions will make his life in Aris Israel Torah wise as good or better than the Torah life that he has in there's no reason in the world why he shouldn't pick up and move after planning well making sure that he can make a parnosa making sure he has a kahila that he can live in and have a r and have for his children after all of that is taken care of and today that's becoming easier and easier to find init then he should seriously think of uh of uh of moving. Um if after making all those considerations his Torah life will definitely be better where he is now then he has to at least realize that he has a goal that if those conditions change then he'll pick up and go to Erit Israel. But uh until those conditions change, then maybe the Rabon wants him to be in Gulos. But he should always be ready, especially the way the situation is now, to be able to pick up at a moment's notice. We should make sure that he's not uh doesn't feel that he's entrenched and that uh living wherever he is, whether it's in the United Kingdom, whether it's in the United States or wherever, is something that can last forever. And therefore, he should always have a plan, a contingent plan to be able to pick up and move as fast as he can if the situation gets to be one where uh it's impossible to remain there. >> What do we say to the person who's just following the Torah? He's well off. He can afford to buy a house. He may even already own a house in Beamesh and he's, you know, on the fence about coming to Eritis and he could pull it off financially. What would we say to such a person? What would the RV say would be the benefit in his life to be able to come to today before Msiah comes? What's the I know the wrote an introduction to many years ago. Where is the Anglo aliyah? I think that was the the from Anglo Aliyah. I think something to those words. And if that is still applicable today, can we since we have very good yeshivas in we have very good yeshivas in ins. So would there be an added benefit or a reason to that a person should come to even if he's learning well in >> yes there are for sure mileers of being in Israel. First of all, it's a mitzvah to live there and the kaduca there is all enveloping and it's it it has an effect on a person's entire life and lifestyle um if he uses it properly. Um, so that's the first thing and even if the there's no there's no mitzvah to live in Israel, but there definitely is a mitzvah. In other words, if you're there, you are ma mitzvah. You should know there's no mitzvah to wear chitz. But I don't know of too many people who don't wear. If you have the opportunity to put on a garment with four corners and have the mitzvah of chitz, everybody runs to do it. So uh somebody who has the opportunity to have that tremendous mitzvah of Israel which is mitzvah it's equal weight in all the mitzvah living in Israel. So somebody who has the opportunity to do that and ignores it uh flippantly out of hand obviously is not functioning like a Jew should function. That doesn't mean that every person has to pick up and move to Erits Israel because uh because of the realities that Erit Israel is governed not by a religious uh by the Torah but by a uh irreligious um secular government and many of those elements in the secular government are even anti-religious. not interested in seeing Israel be what it really should be. So there are there are challenges just like there are challenges everywhere and you have to find the right community where the right kind of uh influence will be. You're living amongst Jews in Eric Israel with the kadouch of arit Israel is very very a positive positive uh aspect to a person's life. your children will be around from people the the uh the influence of the is much much less here right even though there's an influence of secular Jews but there's secular Jews everywhere and there are also uh who are much worse than secular Jews also so uh and if you can have find a place where the education uh would be uh superior or at least equal to the education you could have init. There are many many fine educational institutions init many options in Erit Israel now where a person who's used to the kind of education that exists in America uh would suit him here in Eris Israel for a long time that didn't exist and the the the um mode of education is was very different in Israel and for many children brought up init families brought up in kutsar it was not the kind of education that they wanted for their children even though it was a fine Torah education but now there are many options here in Israel of uh really uh good educational systems where the the mud kesh far surpasses is whatever they can get in hutzarets and there's also a secular education too which most parents who were brought up in hutz laets are looking for so that's an option also now and uh if you have a rob and hutz laets that you follow you live in a community that has direction you have to find in Israel a similar community a community where there's a rov who can direct you and uh People can't just live on their own without a kahila and without a rov that can give them direction. Uh parnosa is also an issue. person who has a fine parnosa and will have a trouble struggling in erit Israel may take away all the mileers of Eris Israel for that person and cause too much stress on his family and uh and and he'll lose out on all the mileers of Eris Israel because of the shalom bayas that won't be there and all of the worries because of a lack of parnosa taking everything in consideration I think every Jew insets has to realize that they're only there temporarily and for them temporarily mean may mean the rest of their life but cla belong in Eric Israel and therefore if our ancestors had the ability to come to Erit Israel the way we do today right just to spend some money get on a plane relocate there's not one Jew who would have remained in Europe but the Sahara uh uh what's it called when it's not possible doesn't care so he left them with their desire now it's so easy to come here so the sahara has to take away the desire right because if the desire would be there and the the implementation is so easy who would stay in so theor took away the desire and they people think that uh they can prosper better inut and uh there's no reason for them to move. That idea is trait. There's definitely a reason to be in Arish Israel after considering all of the options where a person's Torah life will be the same or better then Erit Israel is the place right if for whatever reasons for that specific person because of panosa education um uh kahila wise um they their tora life will be better in temporarily until those situations change. That's where they have to be. But they should feel feel they're being there not because they want to be there. They're there because circumstances prevent them from getting the nyla and having the of living in Israel. Maybe we could talk about something which is not talked about enough which is the part of and the we experience initiat that people have this the faith in maybe the ro could expand on that part of the equation >> tells us that is special hashgus in Israel and it fits us like a glove because we're a people who have a special hashga protise and the even though the nit says that as an individual Jew sometimes living in galas you need more hashka but as a Jewish people in general right and as the place where you live the hashka is only in Israel so a person comes Israel aside from fulfilling the mitzvah of Israel which is a constant mitzvah points out that there's two mitzvah that you fulfill with your entire body. One is a mitzvah of suka, right? Your whole body goes into the suka. And the other is a mitzvah of Israel. I always like to say it's even more than that. In the suka, the ground is not really part of the mitzvah. Just the walls and the roof. In Israel, not only is the whole surrounding and what's above part of the mitzvah, what you're standing on is also part of the mitzvah. It's even better than the suk. So aside from that, you have a special closeness to Hashem. And anybody who lives here can tell you that in their personal lives, they feel that the is there guiding them is there. There's constant reminder in Israel both as a nation and as individuals that theam is always there. Sometimes inars you don't necessarily feel that all the time unless you make a tremendous effort to push yourself to feel it. But here you don't have to make a tremendous effort. It's there. And not only that, but the it's a different Torah. It's a different learning. The same person who goes to a coming to a dafomi in Israel is a different dyomi. a different Torah, different time in Torah and uh you can't explain it. You can't explain to somebody what's what something tastes like, right? Something good. You have to taste it yourself. And people who know who come here as uh as tourists at least know when they're here, they have that extra special feeling. And when they go back, they know that they lose that feeling. If you're here constantly, right, and you're attuned to it, uh, and you want to feel that feeling, you'll feel that feeling every single day. And children become more aware of, uh, of all the places here that refer referred to in Tanakh. The Tanakh becomes living, you know, places of that are called not New Jersey and not New York but beamesh and and Ashkalon and Ashd and all these places are mentioned in Tanakh. These are the places where where our forefathers and foremothers uh lived and and spent their lives throughout history. So all of those milers are something that a person should look forward to having barring any reasons why for them specifically that dream can't come true. >> One last question and then we'll wrap it up because I know the RV RV's time is valuable and I thank you for your time. Last question would be are we in Yamosa Mashiach? I'll tell you what the polish said. He said, "If you ask me if Mashiach is here, he's not here. If you ask me if I hear his footsteps, I hear his footsteps." We're in the man called the Mashia. The very end of Golas before Messiah comes. has said the and the rebas and the events since the holocaust have been leading up uh uh the fact that we have erit Israel back and the fact that Jews have come from Russia and from Ethiopia and from America there's a certain kibbut golios that's taking place and that Israel is being built up and there tremendous rebirth of the economic and and and um uh the rebirth of the land its crops or whatever is a sign that something something is is is happening and the fact that the whole world now is against us is seems to be what it Torah says the novi says going to be go the whole world's going to come against aris and uh and so events seem to be progressing very quickly towards some end and that end we're promised is going to be a very happy ending. So uh whether Msiah is here or not or on the way or not is irrelevant. The same mitzvah the living applies whether Msiah is coming not it's not the but if people want to be part of what's going on and be part of what gave us a tremendous present in Halai it's in order to reach that level of Bashia then you don't want to be on the sidelines looking in you want to be part of it and be here and be part of what's developing And if more religious Jews would come here, the country here would look different because the whole demographics would change and uh um the majority would be here would be from then the government would also be more from government. So instead of sitting in complaining about what the government's doing here, come here and change it. >> Okay. Thank you, Rabbi L. If there's one key message from this talk, what would that be? And uh then maybe you could lead us out with a braha. Thank you. I think the the the message is that every single Jew as they have for thousands of years since the have dreamed and longed to return to Erit Israel. That dream and that longing has to be even when goal is sweet. If everybody would realize that barring any reasons why for them it's impossible they would be the next day in Israel then if you live like that then first of all you'll live in or it's a life that is similar to the kind of life that's conducive in Israel and secondly when the conditions become possible you'll pick up and move to Israel if you have no desire you have no reason to think that there's something special about living in Aris Israel then even if the conditions were were ideal there's no reason for you to come here and that's something that is against the entire framework of what Israel is thank you again Rabbi Le your words give us a lot of I appreciate your time together to see Amen. Amen. And you keep up your good work. >> Thank you. [music]