If Living in Eretz Yisrael Is So Important, Why Do Many Gedolim Live in Chutz La’Aretz?
It’s an excellent and sensitive question — and one that many thoughtful Jews have asked.
If Eretz Yisrael is so spiritually elevated, and the mitzvah of living there is so precious, why haven’t all Gedolim uprooted their lives and moved there?
The Charedi answer begins with two key words: Shikul daas — careful, Torah-guided judgment.
Gedolim Don’t Live for Themselves
First and foremost, Gedolim do not make life decisions based on personal comfort or idealism. Their lives are devoted to serving Klal Yisrael. Sometimes that avodah means staying where the need is greatest — even if the spiritual ideal might lie elsewhere.
The Chofetz Chaim longed to move to Eretz Yisrael.¹ So did the Rogatchover Gaon, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l, and others. Many wrote emotionally about their deep love for the Land.
But they also understood: if Hashem placed them in a position of influence, teaching or leading in chutz la’aretz, then that mission was itself a Divinely assigned avodah.
Sometimes, the greatest aliyah is not physical, but spiritual — lifting others where they are.
The Story: Rav Aharon Kotler and the Goral HaGra
During World War II, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l was stranded in Shanghai with other rabbanim and talmidim fleeing Europe. The pressing question: Where should he go?
Should he join the Torah communities forming in Eretz Yisrael, or travel to America — a spiritual desert at the time — and attempt to build Torah there from the ground up?
To seek clarity, a Goral HaGra was performed — a practice where a Tanach is opened at random and a pasuk is chosen, based on the tradition of the Vilna Gaon.
The pasuk that appeared:
“לֵךְ לִקְרַאת מֹשֶׁה הַמִּדְבָּרָה” “Go out to meet Moshe in the desert.” (Shemos 4:27)²
Those present interpreted:
- "Moshe" — a reference to Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, already in America
- "Midbar" — a metaphor for America, then lacking Torah infrastructure
- "Go out to meet him" — a message to join Rav Moshe and build Torah in the desert
Rav Aharon went.
From that decision came Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, which began with a few talmidim and became one of the largest Torah centers in the world.
It was a mystical moment — but also a moment of mesirus nefesh and vision. He could have chosen spiritual comfort. He chose responsibility.³
Eretz Yisrael Is a Mitzvah — But Not an Absolute for Everyone
Yes, many Rishonim (including the Ramban) hold that yishuv Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah d’oraysa.⁴
But even a mitzvah can have limitations based on circumstance.
Halachah recognizes:
- Financial limitations
- Family needs
- Educational and communal factors
- The ability to continue one’s Torah or public leadership without disruption
For a Gadol who is marbitz Torah to thousands in America or Europe, the cheshbon isn’t simple.
Moving might mean leaving behind talmidim, yeshivos, or kehillos who depend on them. It might mean weakening Torah in chutz la’aretz in order to strengthen it in Eretz Yisrael — and that’s a tradeoff not everyone can justify.
In Shu”t Binyan Tzion (Siman 1), Rav Yaakov Ettlinger zt”l writes that although the mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisrael is great, it is not absolute in every generation for every individual.⁵
These decisions are not taken lightly — they are made with yiras Shamayim and Torah clarity.
Many Have Tried — Or Planned — to Come
Let’s not forget: many Gedolim did move to Eretz Yisrael.
- The Chazon Ish zt”l built Torah there from almost nothing
- The Steipler, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Elyashiv, and Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l all led in Eretz Yisrael
- Even Rav Aharon Kotler had early plans to establish a yeshiva there⁶
- Rav Moshe Shternbuch, born in London, chose to live and lead in Yerushalayim
There is no shortage of love for Eretz Yisrael among the Gedolim. But each had to calculate their unique mission and the needs of Klal Yisrael.
And Many Are Coming Today
In our generation, we’ve seen a quiet shift.
More and more Roshei Yeshiva, rabbanim, and dayanim are moving to Eretz Yisrael. Communities like Ramat Eshkol, Har Nof, Beit Shemesh, and others are filled with American and European rabbanim.
There’s a growing sense that the makom haTorah is shifting back home — and many are following that call.⁷
But again: even if a Gadol doesn’t come, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love the Land.
It means that his chelek in building Klal Yisrael may be elsewhere — and that too is holy.
In Summary
The question isn’t whether Eretz Yisrael is important.
The question is: What does Hashem want from each individual?
For some, it means coming to Eretz Yisrael and planting roots. For others — including many Gedolim — it means staying where they are, guiding others, and carrying the torch of Torah where it's most needed.
Their staying is not a contradiction — it’s a sacrifice. And it comes from the same place as aliyah: Deep love for Hashem, His Torah, and His people.
Sources
- Mishnah Berurah, Biur Halachah 248:4 (“Ladur”) cites the Chofetz Chaim’s desire to move to Eretz Yisrael
- Shemos 4:27
- Story of the Goral HaGra as recorded by Rav Shlomo Wolbe zt”l and in Pe’er Hador
- Ramban, Hasagos to Sefer HaMitzvos, Positive Commandment #4
- Shu”t Binyan Tzion, Siman 1
- See Pe’er Hador, and introductions to Michtavim uMa’amarim
- See Kuntres Aliyah B’Hashkafah, published by the Rabbinical Aliyah Institute