Israel will not return to their land until they are all in one bundle.

Our sages said, “Israel will not be redeemed until they are all in one bundle.”

2. We must understand how Israel’s unity pertains to redemption (Baal HaSulam, “Inheritance of the Land“).

What does “return to their land” mean?

If we speak about the external world, returning to the land of Israel is not such a great problem. It is possible that we could have done so several hundred years ago. After all, Jews have always lived here.

However, we are talking about the connection of the branch and the root. “Return to their land” means returning to a desire that is entirely directed toward the Creator (Yashar-El). This is the origin of the name “Israel.”

How can I return my desire to the Creator? This is possible only if, together with all other desires, I become a unified whole.

By correctly interpreting the terms, we see that everything aligns. The sages did not play with words, but arranged them precisely according to their meaning. Israel cannot return to their land until they become one. In doing so, they realize the essence of these words and fuse desires into a single aspiration toward the Creator.

On the other hand, in exile, outside the land of Israel, they are divided, separated from one another, and full of mutual hatred.

Understanding the meaning of the words makes their significance clear. Abraham asked the Creator: “How will I know that I will inherit this land?” In other words, why do we go through this process, and how do we return to our land, the desire wholly directed toward the Creator, toward bestowal?

If we return to bestowal, we will inevitably return to the spiritual land of Israel. Then by the very nature of reality, spiritual forces will influence the corporeal world, and a corresponding situation will arise here as well.

In the past, we adhered to the intention of bestowal both in corporeality and spirituality. As a result, the physical land of Israel corresponded to its spiritual root. Then, having lost our spiritual aspect, we were expelled from the physical land of Israel as well.

Now, as Baal HaSulam states, we have been given an opportunity for spiritual ascent, and therefore we have returned here. Though in essence we do not yet match the corporeal land of Israel, we have nonetheless been granted this opportunity so that we may ascend to the spiritual land of Israel. This is the inner mechanism of events.

During the time of the Temple, we were on a spiritual level. Then we lost it and became shattered. In parallel, in the corporeal world, we lived in the Land of Israel, and even after our fall, we remained here for a certain period, let us call this conditionally  “70 years.” In reality, this “70-year” period lasted longer and showed clear signs of the impending destruction of the Temple and exile. Eventually, we were expelled and scattered throughout the world.

Now, 2,000 years later, the process is unfolding in reverse. First we have been given the opportunity to return to the corporeal Land of Israel with the hope that through this we will rise to the spiritual land of Israel. Thus, in Baal HaSulam’s words, we have been given a chance for redemption.

How long this window will remain open is unknown, but it has been open for over a 100 years. Just as there was a delay before our corporeal fall, now we have once again been granted a delay, a chance we must seize.

If we fail to do so, if we miss our opportunity, just as we missed the chance to correct our spiritual fall in the past, then, as Baal HaSulam writes, we may find ourselves in exile once again.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/10/11, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Inheritance of the Land”

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