International lecturer and author Rabbi Pinchas Winston of Thirtysix.org speaks about the importance of the Land of Israel and what it means to Jews in the Diaspora in a brief video he has recorded as part of a project to encourage aliyah from the observant Jewish sector called, “Bring Them Home – Aliyah Now!”
The rabbi is one of a group of prominent English-speaking rabbonim and rebbetzins who themselves have fulfilled the mitzvah of coming to live in the Land of Israel, and have each taken the time to share their thoughts about that experience and its importance in Torah.
“We’re clearly reaching the end of history. For all we know, Moshiach is here right now NOW, about to reveal himself any moment in time,” Rabbi Winston points out in his video.
“And that door closes, between making Aliyah before Moshiach comes, and making Aliyah after Moshiach comes,” the point being, he says, in one’s spiritual status depending upon when one arrives in the Holy Land, relative to the arrival of the Messiah.
“We still have the opportunity. We should do it. We should take advantage of it, because later on, when we finally have clarity, about what life is truly about, we’ll understand the importance of living in the Land that our forefathers found to be so extremely important to their lives and growth and their completion – and it is to us as well.
“As somebody who’s made Aliyah, I can tell you personally that the experience is beyond comprehension. It’s not something you can tell somebody else who hasn’t gone through it. It’s not something that you can really share with people who are 6,000 miles away.
“But I will tell you that to follow that lead, to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors, but most important of all, to be in the place that God calls home?”
A smile. A deep breath.
“There’s nothing like it. And we have to appreciate that and take advantage of this situation while we can.”
