The Gadol of Minsk writes in a halachic response regarding the settlement of Eretz Yisroel: “This mitzvah is different from all others. All other mitzvos are absolute personal obligations: every single Jew must do them, without any conditions or limitations. The mitzvah of settling Eretz Yisroel, on the other hand, devolves only on the Jewish people in general, and it has limitations. Chazal foresaw with their holy inspiration that if this mitzvah were given over to all and were set up as an obligation for everyone, the people would burst in unlawfully and immigrate by force, without any planning or sensibility. From the corners of the earth there would stream Jews by the thousands, and they would then commit two wrongs. 1) Since they would have no reliable source of income, they would struggle against one another for money, crime would increase and poverty would be rampant. Destitution would drive the Jews to go against their own best judgment and against their Creator; they would defile the holiness of the place, strip the land of its honor, and the losses would outweigh the benefits. 2) Such a movement of awakening could lead to a spirit of rebelliousness against the just kings of the earth under whom the Jewish people live. The Jews’ evil inclination and irrational behavior would induce them to throw of the yoke of their government, and leave in a rebellious manner. Then the hearts of the rulers would turn against the Jews, they would remove their protection from them and the Jewish people would be subject to persecutors and plunderers.
Therefore, Chazal informed us that Hashem made Israel swear not to go up as a wall (which Rashi explains to mean together) and not to rebel against the nations – and according to the above, the second oath is the reason for the first. Through this oath, Chazal weakened the power of the mitzvah [to settle Eretz Yisroel] and limited its scope due to the needs of the times. This is an example of the principle, ‘When it is time to act for Hashem, they annulled Your Torah’ (Tehillim 119:126).”
To counterbalance this, Chazal broadened the mitzvah of settling the land and placed it upon the Jewish people as a whole. Over the course of time, a wonderful, lasting solution for how to fulfill this mitzvah has developed: the Jews of the Diaspora lands honor Eretz Yisroel with their money by making regular contributions to the support of that tiny number of poor Jews who live in Eretz Yisroel. This is the rationale behind the Rabbi Meir Baal Haness fund, established in all our countries, which the Jewish people have accepted upon themselves as a permanent law. Thus some fulfill the mitzvah with their money, and others with their bodies.” (Printed in Sinai v. 6, p. 213)
Gadol wa Minsk anaandika katika jibu la halakhic kuhusu makazi ya Eretz Yisroel: <unk>Mitzva hii ni tofauti na wengine wote. Mitzvot nyingine zote ni wajibu wa kibinafsi kabisa: kila Myahudi mmoja lazima azifanye, bila masharti au mipaka yoyote. Kwa upande mwingine, amri ya kuanzisha Eretz Yisroel inahusu tu Wayahudi kwa ujumla, na ina mipaka. "Haazal aliona kwa uchochezi wao mtakatifu kwamba kama mitzvah hii ingetolewa kwa wote na kuanzishwa kama wajibu kwa kila mtu, watu wangevunja kwa njia isiyo halali na kuhamia kwa nguvu, bila mipango yoyote au hisia.""" Kutoka pande zote za dunia, Wayahudi walimiminika kwa maelfu, na kisha wakafanya makosa mawili. 1 Kwa kuwa hawatakuwa na chanzo cha uhakika cha mapato, watapigana kwa ajili ya pesa, uhalifu utaongezeka na umaskini utaenea. Umaskini ungewafanya Wayahudi wafanye kinyume cha uamuzi wao na wa Muumba wao; wangeharibu utakatifu wa mahali hapo, na kuiondoa nchi hiyo heshima yake, na hasara zingeweza kuzidi faida. 2 Mzunguko kama huo wa kuamka ungeweza kuongoza kwenye roho ya uasi dhidi ya wafalme wa haki wa dunia ambao Wayahudi wanaishi chini yao. Mwelekeo mbaya wa Wayahudi na tabia isiyo ya akili ingewafanya watupe nira ya serikali yao, na kuondoka kwa njia ya uasi. Kisha mioyo ya watawala ingewaelekea Wayahudi, wangewaondolea ulinzi wao, na watu wa Kiyahudi wangekuwa chini ya watesaji na waporaji. "Kwa hiyo, Hazal alituarifu kwamba Hashem aliwafanya Waisraeli waapa kwamba ""wasipande kama ukuta"" (ambayo Rashi anaeleza kuwa inamaanisha ""kwa pamoja"") na ""wasipandane na mataifa"" na kulingana na hapo juu, kiapo cha pili ni sababu ya cha kwanza." Kwa kiapo hicho, Hazal alidhoofisha nguvu ya mitzvah [ya kuanzisha Eretz Yisroel] na kupunguza wigo wake kwa sababu ya mahitaji ya wakati huo. "Hii ni mfano wa kanuni: ""Wakati wa kutenda kwa ajili ya Hashem, walibatilisha Torati yako"" (Tehillim 119:126), ili kukabiliana na hili, Hazaeli alipanua mitzvah ya kuanzisha nchi na kuiweka juu ya watu wa Kiyahudi wote." Kwa muda, suluhisho la ajabu, la kudumu la jinsi ya kutimiza mitzvah hii limetokea: Wayahudi wa nchi za Diaspora wanaheshimu Eretz Yisroel kwa pesa zao kwa kutoa michango ya kawaida kwa msaada wa idadi ndogo ya Wayahudi maskini wanaoishi huko. "Hii ndiyo sababu ya kuanzishwa kwa ""Rabbi Meir Baal HaNess Fund"" katika nchi zetu zote, ambayo Wayahudi wameikubali kama sheria ya kudumu." Hivyo wengine hutimiza mitzvah kwa pesa zao, na wengine kwa miili yao. <unk> (Kichapishwa katika Sinai v. 6, p. 213)