I love wearing my talis on Shabbos mornings to and from shul. It gives me a regal feeling. It may therefore be surprising that I almost never wear my talis to shul.

Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l was opposed to the practice of wearing a talis in the street in America, or anywhere in the diaspora, because it is not our home country. Although we are blessed to have freedom of religion in America, Rav Yaakov felt that it is improper for us to flaunt our religious symbols in the streets, where we are guests (Mechitzas Rabbeinu, page 82).

Unfortunately, that message and that attitude are often lost on many in our communities. We have much reason to be thankful in the United States, especially for the comfort and religious freedom we enjoy. The uncomfortable truth, however, is that recent events have jolted us to remember that this is not our final destination.

The only time I wear my talis to shul in America is during the summer when my family has the good fortune to spend a couple of months at Camp Dora Golding. The campus is closed off from the outside world on Shabbos, so in that spiritual enclave, I wear my talis from my bungalow to shul on Shabbos morning.

Whenever I have the great fortune to be in Eretz Yisrael for Shabbos, however, I make a point of wearing my talis to and from shul. A few weeks ago, when I was there staying in the home of my brother and sister-in-law, I davened at an early minyan (which in Eretz Yisrael isn’t considered early). When I arrived back at my brother’s home, he had not yet returned from shul. I made Kiddush and then put my talis back on and walked until I found a bench on the side of the road where I learned under the Yerushalayim sunlight with my talis on.

Eretz Yisrael is our home, and I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to flaunt that, if only for myself.

My rebbi, Rabbi Berel Wein zt”l, often related that, during the years when he was a young rabbi in Miami Beach, he had the opportunity to meet and become acquainted with many great, notable Torah personalities. They would come down to Miami during the winter and, since he was the rabbi in the local shul, he had the opportunity to interact with them. Rabbi Wein shared many fond memories from those encounters.

One winter, Rav Meir Grunwald, the Teitcher Rav of Toronto, spent a winter in Miami Beach while he was recuperating from heart surgery. Rabbi Wein took advantage of the opportunity to learn b’chavrusa with the Rav for a few hours each morning. One day, they were learning in Rabbi Wein’s yard under the grapefruit tree. The sun was shining pleasantly and a gentle ocean breeze wafted across the yard. The Rav looked up from his sefer and quipped, “For galus, this isn’t bad!”

The key words are “for galus.” After over two decades in Monsey, Rabbi Wein decided to leave Monsey where he was a successful rav and rosh yeshivah. At the time, both his shul and yeshivah were thriving. He did not leave it all behind to go back to the idyllic Miami life he nostalgically recalled. His motivation to leave Monsey was with only one goal in mind: to make aliyah to Eretz Yisrael.

In bentching, we thank Hashem not only for the food He allowed us to enjoy, but also for the Holy Land from which all blessing emanates: “We thank You, Hashem, our G-d, because You have given to our forefathers, as a heritage, a land that is desirable, good, and wide.”

That the land is desirable and good is clear. But how can it be said that it is a spacious land? The country of Israel is 8,522 square miles, while the state of New Jersey is 8,729 square miles. Even if the Biblical parameters of Trans-Jordan are included, the land is dwarfed by any one of the surrounding Arab countries.

Rav Moshe Wolfson zt”l explained with a parable: Someone meets his neighbor and excitedly tells him that he purchased real estate. When the neighbor asked him how much land he bought, the man replies that he got a bargain and bought an inch by an inch of land. The neighbor starts laughing. What can you do with a square inch of land? Grow a carrot?

However, if a man tells his neighbor that he purchased a diamond that’s an inch by an inch, the neighbor will be thoroughly impressed. One inch of diamond is worth exponentially more than one inch of land.

The Torah describes Eretz Yisrael as “a land that Hashem, your G-d, seeks out; the eyes of Hashem, your G-d, are always upon it…” (D’varim 11:12). Every inch of Eretz Yisrael is invaluable. Because it is “a land that is desirable and good,” it is wide and spacious. Although in comparison to other countries, it is physically small, since every inch is so precious, it is a vast land.

For those of us living on the east coast it’s been a brutal winter. Extremely cold weather swept through in early December and hardly relented. After a massive snowstorm at the end of January the temperatures dropped precipitously and remained well below freezing for weeks.

A friend of mine spent a few days in Florida a few weeks ago, a particular pleasure this year.

My friend noted that, while he was davening during his vacation in Florida, he had a poignant thought while reciting the brachah of R’tzei, davening for the return of the Beis HaMikdash. He thought to himself that despite how beautiful the weather was in Florida and how pleasant it was to be there, he would still give it all up to live in Eretz Yisrael, and to witness the return of the Beis HaMikdash.

May we all merit to witness it soon!

Rabbi Dani Staum is a popular speaker, columnist, and author. He is a rebbi in Heichal HaTorah in Teaneck, New Jersey, principal of Mesivta Orchos Yosher in Spring Valley, New York, and a member of the administration of Camp Dora Golding. His writings can be found at strivinghigher.com. Looking for an inspirational speaker or scholar-in-residence? Contact Rabbi Staum at 845-641-5094 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..