[י"ט שבט, תשי"ח]
לאחרי הפסק ארוך נתקבל מכתבו מראש השנה לאילנות, בו כותב אשר אף שעלה בידו להקים ב' בתי כנסיות במעברה וכו' קשה המצב גם מבחינה רוחנית אפילו בערך למצבם כמו שהי' קודם עלייתם לארצנו הקדושה ת"ו.
ובודאי למותר להאריך שאם בחו"ל ארץ העמים נצטווינו מעלין בקדש, עאכו"כ בארץ אשר עיני ה"א בה מראשית שנה עד אחרית שנה פלטרין של מלך מה"מ הקב"ה, אשר לא לבד שאין מקום לירידה ח"ו בערך הנהגה בארץ העמים אלא שמוכרחת הוספה ועלי' לגבי המצב בעבר, ואם הדבר כן אפילו באלו שאנוסים היו לעלות לאה"ק ת"ו, מכש"כ וק"ו באלו שהברירה בידם היתה ומעצמם החליטו לעלות לארץ קדושה שהחלטה זו דורשת ומוכרחת החלטה מקודם לזה להוסיף בקדושת הגוף לגבי ארץ העמים, וק"ל.
ויהי רצון שימצא אותיות המתאימות ומאירות להסביר את האמור לכל אלו שהשפעתו עליהם ומגיעה אליהם, וכמובן באופן שיבוא הדבר לפועל, ז.א. בהנוגע לתוספת בהנהגה היום יומית, ויבשר טוב בכל האמור, בקרוב.
The following is a transcript of a letter from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, as presented and explained by two commentators. This letter, written in 1958, addresses the spiritual challenges faced by immigrants in Israel’s transit camps (Ma’abarot) and emphasizes that the move to the Holy Land should always be a catalyst for spiritual ascent.
Introduction: A Call to Spiritual Ascent in the Holy Land
In 1958, the fledgling State of Israel was in the midst of a massive wave of immigration, particularly from North Africa and Middle Eastern countries. These new arrivals were often housed in Ma’abarot—impoverished transit camps where physical conditions were harsh. However, as this letter reveals, the spiritual challenges were equally daunting. Many traditional, religious Jews found themselves in a secularized environment that pressured them to abandon their ancestral practices.
Responding to a pioneer who had established two schools in these camps, the Rebbe offers a profound perspective on the sanctity of the Land of Israel. He argues that being in the "Palace of the King" requires a higher standard of devotion than in the Diaspora. This letter serves as a timeless reminder that geographic proximity to holiness demands a corresponding internal elevation.
Transcript: Igrot Kodesh, Vol. 16, Letter No. 6063
Source: Igrot Kodesh (Holy Letters) of the Rebbe, Volume 16, Letter number 6063.
Date: 19th of Shevat, 5718 [February 9, 1958].
The Context of the Letter
The Rebbe writes: "After a long interruption, I received your letter [sent on] Rosh Hashanah L'Ilanot—the 15th of Shevat—in which you wrote that although you had succeeded in establishing two schools in the Ma'abara [immigrant transit camp]..."
(The Ma'abara was the absorption center or passageway for the influx of immigrants from Middle Eastern and North African countries, such as Tunisia, Morocco, and Yemen. This correspondent was active in trying to provide for the spiritual needs of the people there.)
The Spiritual Challenge
The correspondent wrote to the Rebbe that conditions in the camps were difficult, not just physically, but spiritually. He noted that, relative to the conditions in the countries they came from, the people were actually becoming less religious since arriving in the Holy Land.
The Rebbe’s Perspective: Israel vs. the Diaspora
The Rebbe responds that coming to Israel should actually produce the opposite effect. He writes: "I don't have to go into great length to explain that even when you're outside of Israel—which is called Eretz Ha-Amim (the land of the nations)—we have been instructed: Ma’alin BaKodesh (one must always rise in matters of holiness)."
"How much more so," the Rebbe continues, "when we are in Israel. Regarding Israel, the Torah says: '[A land] which the eyes of the Lord your God are always upon, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.' This means that G-d supervises Israel in a specific, daily way. It is called the Palatrin Shel Melech—the Palace of the King of Kings, the Holy One, Blessed Be He."
The Demand for Elevation
The Rebbe emphasizes that there is no room for spiritual descent in the King’s Palace. Even if people were forced to flee their homes in Arab countries and didn’t necessarily choose to come to Israel for spiritual reasons, they must still improve their level of religious observance.
"How much more so," the Rebbe writes, "for those who had the choice and decided on their own to go up to the Holy Land. That decision demands and makes it a necessity to add in the sanctity of the body, relative to how one lived in the 'land of the nations.'"
A Blessing for Influence
The Rebbe concludes by expressing his hope that the correspondent will find the right words to influence the people:
"It is my prayer (Yehi Ratzon) that you find the proper and enlightening words to explain these truths to all those whom you influence and reach. May you do so in a way that leads to practical results—meaning, that this leads to an increase in their daily conduct [in Torah and Mitzvoth]. I look forward to receiving good news regarding all of the above very soon."
Commentary Note:
The reality of those early years was that many Jews from Oriental countries were unfortunately pulled away from their religious heritage (Yiddishkeit) upon arriving in Israel. The Rebbe was urging this educator to use his influence to counteract that trend, reminding the immigrants that being in the Holy Land is not a reason to relax one’s standards, but a mandate to reach even higher.