The Sacred Act of Building up Israel

The Sacred Act of Building up Israel
The Center of Holiness in the World

By Ariella Bracha Waldinger

If anyone had told me that soon after making Aliyah, my husband and I would be Building up Israel, not just with our Aliyah but with the sacred act of building a home on virgin soil in the Holy Land, I would have either cried in awe or laughed in disbelief. I certainly would have told them they were crazy! As it turned out, my husband and I are the crazy ones, Baruch HaShem. Honestly, the thought never entered my mind and was never a dream or desire I had ever identified.  It wasn’t an idea that I could actually fathom but that’s not the case with my holy husband.  He knows how to go after what he truly wants and he dreams big. He made the decision and I went along with it. During the construction, he tossed coins on the ground with the intention that our house be built on the solid foundation of tzedakah (charity).

The process of building our home began with ease but as it progressed, big challenges set in. It was emotionally disruptive, to say the least and brought us into tense situations, where we didn’t know what to do or where to turn. It tested us on many levels but ultimately, through the challenges, we learned about ourselves, about Israelis and about getting the help you need in Israel. We survived the process and ended up with a little Gan Eden (Garden of Eden) home. We live on a dunam (1/4 acre) of land that overlooks Mt. Hermon (the highest spot in Israel), the Hula Valley and the Golan—three amazing locations in Israel, each with their own unique beauty and charm.

The vista is spectacular! The quiet is other worldly and deliciously soul satisfying. It has the feel of a spectacular retreat center which is removed from the world. I have no words to describe the intense emotion of watching your home being built in the holiest place in the universe; the place where the physical meets the spiritual creating amazing nuclear spiritual explosions which reverberate throughout the land and, actually, the world. The crazy part was, I had no idea that building in the Holy Land is an enormous mitzvah which brings about spiritual unifications and rectifications. No one taught me which is why I feel compelled to share our experience with you.

The land of Israel, which is divine in nature, represents the sphere of Kingship (Malchut). The sacred act of building in the Holy Land is part of a Divine process. This act draws down divine fulfillment into actuality which comes as a result of great effort, labor, cost and self sacrifice on the part of the builders. These actions are pleasing and acceptable to G-d for they create a receptacle for Him below. This allows Israel, both the people and the land, which is a spiritual entity, to become filled with spiritual content.

Tanna DeVei Eliyahu says,  “Israel is the delight of the world!  The Holy One Blessed Be He desires our labor and our deeds. Performing the positive commandment of settling and building the land enhances the upper heavenly spheres and brings an influx of good into the world.”

Rabbi Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal zt’zl, a true gadol b’Yisrael and holy man, may his death be avenged, in his Book, “Eim HaBanim Semeichah” written in 1943, stated, “fulfilling the mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisrael by constructing homes, and other buildings, planting trees and transforming the land into productive crops, and cultivating vineyards achieves unification in the upper realms, and rectifies the supernal sphere of Kingship. G-d’s name is glorified by today’s builders as well as all the builders of the past especially the early pioneers.”

He goes on to state, ”Today’s pioneers (meaning in the 1900’s) have caused the settlement to grow and expand, and it is impossible to retract or negate their actions, regardless of their intentions, for we benefit from them.( I believe the same applies today) Therefore, even if transgressions were committed in the process (G-d forbid), the mitzvah was still fulfilled in all its strength and vigor, in both a revealed and esoteric sense. Thus, it is clear that the Omnipresent desires the work of today’s builders and accepts their efforts before His glorious throne with love and abounding affection.”

Dovid Rosoff, in his outstanding book, “Land of our Heritage” states, “The two ingathering’s (Joshua’s and Ezra’s) were similar in that both initiated profound changes in the actual dust of the earth whereby the mysterious process of sanctification was begun. Their mere presence in the Land awakened the spiritual potency of the earth which had lain dormant under foreign rule.” How much more-so today when Jewish sovereignty is present over the majority of the Land.

Remember, the Land of Israel lay barren for 2,000 years and conquerors tried to cultivate its once fertile soil but to no avail. The Land’s unwillingness to yield to foreign rulers is a prime example of its faithfulness to the Jewish nation and its inner holiness. Only with the return of the Jewish people to their Land, their Divine inheritance, hand-picked by G-d Himself, has the Land become blessed and bountiful. The desert blooms and we have become a major exporter of fruits and flowers. All this has come about through the process of building. Rav Kook says, “The meeting between the Land of Israel and the people of Israel gives life and strength to both as our dry bones come to life.” He tells us that “at the core of the bond between the Land of Israel and the Nation of Israel, is a unique spiritual holiness granted by G-d which they share in common.” (From the book, “Lights on Orot.”)

From these teachings, one can better understand, THE SACRED ACT OF BUILDING UP ISRAEL, THE CENTER OF HOLINESS IN THE WORLD.

Breaking News Israel news reveals an amazing opportunity to build up Israel “Brick by Brick.”  The website is www.buildupisrael.com. You choose the project and dedicate the actual bricks and stones. This effort presents an amazing opportunity for the world to participate in an incredible divine mitzvah which truly helps the nation.

The prophet Isaiah teaches that the Almighty promises to help rebuild the Holy Land and its cities. For those of you who have not made Aliyah, why not come home and become HIS partner in the sacred act of building? For those of you who have made it home, Celebrate your great good fortune and Build, Build, Build all you can. WE did and our lives and the lives of our nation have never been the same.

With blessings to claim your Divine inheritance and Bless G-d and your nation, Ariella Bracha