Ahavat Israel

B"H

I found a great explanation for a concept which somehow struck me for some time. I could never really explain the meaning of Ahavat Israel - the love for Israel. Chassidut Vishnitz has it as its chassidic concept, and I always thought that it means loving the Jewish people. Now I found a better explanation.

In 1878, Romania became independent but did not give citizenship to the Jews. Therefore, many Jews decided to go to Israel despite all the difficulties.

The Chassidim loved Israel but did not agree to the upcoming zionistic ideas. In their eyes one can still love Israel but can only build it with Torah. An independent state could never exist without the Torah laws. Nevertheless, it is still very important to settle Israel, as a Jew can keep many more Mitzwot there.The goal of the Chassidim was, going to Israel and building religious settlements.

Going to Israel was not such a popular idea among Chassidim, as the main stream saw a very important task in Galut. The main chassidic idea is that the Jews are in Galut in order to elevate the nezizot which could bring a faster Geulah (Baal Shem Tov).

But as life became more and more difficult in Eastern Europe, Jews started to leave for Israel. They had suffered through too many pogroms and at the end of the 18th century, even Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk (a student of the Mezritcher Maggid) moved to Tiberias in Israel. One of his reasons was that he wanted to escape the fights between the Chassidim and the Midnagdim. A few months earlier, him and his friend Rabbi Sheur Zalman of Liadi went to see the Vilna Gaon and maybe try to convince him stopping his bans against chassidut. However, the Vilna Gaon refused to receive them. A fatal mistake.