“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh parshas Pinchos
18 Tamuz 5786/ July 3, 2026
Avos perek 6
GUEST LOYALTY
As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, it behooves us, the Torah faithful, to contemplate our standing in the country that has been a haven for our people and a place where we enjoyed unprecedented freedom and religious growth.
The haters of the Jewish people, who seem to be getting louder as of late, accuse us of not being upstanding citizens of the United States of America. We speak of Zion, Jerusalem, redemption and Messiah. We travel to Israel, send money to Israel, pray for those in Israel, and advocate for the safety and success of Israel and its devoted soldiers. Because we prioritize Israel over the United States, they accuse us of being disloyal.
July 4, 1776, fell on the fast of Shiva Asar b’Tamuz. Interestingly, July 4, 1876, also fell on Shiva Asar b’Tamuz. I have absolutely no idea what the meaning or symbolism of that is. But I do think it’s fascinating that the day America was celebrating its birth and its centennial anniversary, faithful Jews were fasting, as per the halachah.
Chumash Bamidbar is replete with tragedies and other major failings, often of great individuals. One thing that appears throughout Chumash Bamidbar is Eretz Yisroel. In Parshas Beha’aloscha the nation was poised to enter the Land. Moshe Rabbeinu tried to persuade his father-in-law, Yisro, to join the nation, stating that it would be good for him and for them. In Parshas Shelach the spies returned from scouting out the Land and maligned the Land. That brought the nation to despair their ability to inherit the Land, ending in disaster. In Parshas Chukas, Moshe Rabbeinu struck the rock and was told that he would not be able to fulfill his lifelong dream of entering the Land. The end of Parshas Balak contains the disastrous sin caused by the daughters of Midyan. Chazal explain that it was the final test to determine whether the nation was worthy to enter the Land. In Parshas Pinchos, the daughters of Tzelafchad requested a portion in the Land. Chazal relate that they, like all the women, loved the Land and yearned to have a portion of it. Parshas Matos discusses the men from Shevet Reuven and Gad who requested their portion on the other side of the Jordan River. However they committed to fight alongside the rest of Klal Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel. Parshas Masei delineates the borders of Eretz Yisroel.
(Chumash Devorim is replete with discussions of the merit of the Land and repeatedly extols its virtues.)
The parshios of the summer months read during the weeks surrounding American Independence Day remind us of the virtues and significance of Eretz Yisroel.
What should our attitude be towards a land that has been a beacon of freedom and religious growth for our people? We surely must be appreciative and upstanding citizens. But are feelings of patriotism wrong or is it proper?
For over three decades, including most of our married life, Camp Dora Golding in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania has been our summer home. Our family loves it here. We love the people we spend our summers with; we love what we do, and we feel very connected to the lush and beautiful campgrounds. We have a lovely bungalow, and we feel very comfortable in it during our two-month stay. We have many sweet memories from the many summers spent in camp.
At the end of the summer, there is always more than a tinge of sadness as we pack up to head home. We cannot stay in camp because at the end of the day, or at least the end of the summer, our bungalow in camp is not our real home. The people we enjoyed spending our summer with also return to their true homes. Although we often say that camp is our home away from home, the bottom line is that it isn’t our real home.
I think it’s a good analogy for our experience in America.
It’s well-known that Rabbi Chaim Volozhiner quipped that America would be our final stop in exile. We have become extremely comfortable in America and, despite our comparatively small population, American Jewry is a recognized force with a formidable voice. Jews are overrepresented in all areas, including politics, medicine, academics and entrepreneurship. We have built beautiful communities, homes and comfortable lives. But we must never forget that America is not our final destination.
When the Jewish community fled persecution in France, Spain, England and Germany, they went eastward and settled in Poland. At that time, they wittily said that Poland means “poh lin – here we will sleep”. In other words, they would sleep away the remainder of exile in Poland. For almost 5 centuries they did so. But then the Jews of Poland violently found out that they weren’t going to sleep away the exile in the land that housed Auschwitz and the other infamous killing camps.
My rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein zt”l related that Prime Minister Ben Gurion was once speaking to the Ponovezher Rav. The Prime Minister lamented that more Jews from the diaspora had not immigrated to Israel. He was particularly frustrated that the sizable Jewish populations in Soviet Russia and the United States did not come.
The Ponovezher Rav replied that Ben Gurion had to have patience. He assured the Prime Minster that eventually they will all come. Ben Gurion asked the Rav which group would come first. The Ponovezher Rav replied that the Jews of Russia will come first, because “G-d always performs the smaller miracle first.”
The first half of the Ponovezher Rav’s words have long ago been fulfilled. How much longer will the Jewish community remain in America? It’s impossible to know. We pray that when the time for mass Aliyah comes, we will do so proudly. We hope that we will not be running away from but rather running to.
Until then however, we can surely enjoy the mountains and the piraries and the oceans bright with foam. We can and must be appreciative for the country that accepted our tired, our poor, our huddled masses yearning to be free. We must forever remain indebted to Lady Liberty for lifting her lamb beside the golden door!
Nevertheless, we hold this truth to be self-evident, that even while we linger in the west, our true love and our true home, is only in the east. In the timeless words of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi (Kinnah 36), “When I dream of the return of your captivity, I am a harp for your songs. My heart longs for the House of G-d, and before G-d I yearn intensely… O Zion, the perfection of beauty!”
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum
STRIVINGHIGHER.COM