After receiving the encouraging letter from R. Zevulun Barit presented in Part I, R. Kalisher responded warmly in a subsequent issue of the same journal HaLevanon. The letter was reprinted in abridged form in the volume Shivat Tziyon: Mikhtavim MiGedolei Yisrael, and in a more complete version in Kitvei HaRav Tzvi Kalisher. (Translation mostly courtesy of Gemini.)

Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out" (Deut. 33:18) to the salvation of your people and our Holy Land; like the radiance of the firmament shall shine the pleasant words which have been distilled [dripped] unto me from the Rav, the Great Luminary, the seeker of wisdom and understanding, the complete scholar, our teacher and rabbi Zevulun (may his light shine), head of the rabbinical court of the holy community of Filipova.

Grace has been poured upon your lips, and your speech is comely; a holy logic flows from the stream of your delight, from the depths of your heart seeking good for his people Jeshurun [Israel], yearning for holy service; and toward the Land upon which the eyes of Hashem our God rest—your eye and your heart are set upon the Highway, to understand our holy inheritance. Your palate utters truth; with a voice that carves out flames of fire, you awaken a generous spirit to come "to the aid of Hashem among the mighty" (Judges 5:23), to perform valiantly upon the soil of Jeshurun, so that it may become our inheritance little by little.

[You seek] to fulfill the mitzvah of dwelling [in the Land], which the holy Ramban wrote: that whoever dwells therein (for the sake of Heaven) fulfills a positive commandment of the Torah every single day, and alsoto fulfill all the mitzvot dependent upon it—either in person or through an agent. For behold, almost the majority of the 248 limbs of a man draw “eternal life" from these [commandments], and the one who opposes this cannot be counted [as complete], for he causes the limbs of his soul to lack the life of the majority of the 248 commandments dependent on the Land. 

But one who acts with all his heart to perform them—even if he did not succeed in fulfilling them himself—behold, he is [considered] under duress, and his good intention is joined to the deed. Not so is the one who causes others to cease [from action] through shaky arguments from acting therein; he shall not be vindicated in judgment, G-d forbid, and may Hashem atone for him. Every God-fearing person must take the 248 [Positive Commandments] in his hand. If he cannot fulfill them himself, he should fulfill them through an agent, or his money, or his actions. One who has the power to act and distances himself is like a person who has a spiritual defect in the limbs of his soul.

[Rabbi Barit advises Rabbi Kalischer in his essay that he himself should not ascend to the Land of Israel at this time. He argues that R. Kalischer can bring far more benefit to the cause of settlement by staying abroad. Instead, R. Barit suggests sending two or three representatives to act there on his behalf.]

Regarding the thought that I might achieve more here [in Europe]—many already say to my soul: 'What good do you do with your pen? Many pens have been broken and nothing has been done in action'. But if I am able to be there myself, I hope it will be a true beginning. Many of the generous of our people will listen to my voice, and they will not be able to say to me: “You are on the outside while we are on the inside'."

Regarding the advice of our friend R. Barit to send two men of science who are acceptable to both sides—this advice is very good. They would not go to 'spy out' if the Land is good (for that is known), but to survey the character of the workers there: to see if they truly yearn for labor and if they understand how to till the soil. If only a few are found skilled in work, they shall be appointed over many others to teach them practically how to engage in their labor.

In my opinion, it is best to choose one from Russia and one from Germany. The Russian should be chosen for his understanding and holy love—a man of upright and faithful spirit who knows the laws of labor. The German should be one faithful to them, wise in the 'wisdom of the land' [science/agriculture].

And there are opponents who say: "Why did the earlier generations not do this, if it is considered such an obligation?" But this is [not a valid] question; for it is known that in earlier days there was great danger in traveling the paths of the deserts, from bands of marauders and snakes, and all other paths were in danger. Furthermore, they were not able to sustain [themselves] then, for the Land was then salty [barren], but everything has changed for the better at a time such as this, as is known.

And I testify that my teacher, the master of all the Diaspora, the pious Gaon, our teacher Rabbi Akiva Eiger (of blessed memory), wanted at the end of his days to ascend to the Holy Land—to the point that all his students surrounded him (and I, too, was among them then, and I copied the letter; it is still with me). For we knew that as soon as he left our land [the Diaspora], the generation would become lawless and a disgrace among their adversaries. And indeed, so it was, for after his death the generation became broken with "unworthy rabbis," and the old wall [of tradition] was breached and therefore Hashem left among us "men of valor" to stand against them and uphold the wall of the Daughter of Zion—and they held the old position [or nearly so] etc. In this too, my dear friend, you have seen well, by showing that even in the days of the Gaon of Volozhin at the beginning [of his Yeshiva], they opposed him—and now, how many thanks must we give to him, for he left a blessing behind him for generation after generation And so I know that when [Sir Moses Montefiore] began to build the "Batei Mahseh" [shelters in Jerusalem], R. Selig Hausdorf of Berlin was the agent for this, and many opponents were [against it] then simply because it was "new." I printed a "Calling Voice" [proclamation] here to help him and gathered a certain sum, and I traveled to the city of Posen to strengthen the matter, but few were those who agreed to the thing.

The Philosophy of Practical Success

And indeed, from the few who listened then to the voice of doing good in this, the matter rose up with success, until now the entire world is full of it and they see that it is good. And so it will be even more so with our good activity in settling the Land—that they will give us great thanks.

However, this is set against that: just as the holiness of the endeavor is great, so shall the "Owners of the Days of the First-Ripened Grapes" [the Satan/Opposers] increase to cause it to cease, G-d forbid, and this is their way: [The Satan says] "Why go to the masses where I won't find much?

I will go to certain 'Great Ones' [leaders], and through them bring many 'evil ones' into my net..." [because] they despised the Desirable Land, and may Hashem atone.

And behold, how beautiful and how pleasant were your words against the claims and worries of the recipients [of charity], who think that their portion will be diminished by this Society. This is not a [valid] claim, for behold, many separated [funds] for the inhabitants of Persia, Russia, and Romania, and the sending [of funds] to the Holy Land was not diminished by this—for there is no limit to the "generous of heart." For the “chariots of my people" [the generous] shall not grow tired, nor shall the hands of will grow weary. And so says the one who sends [funds] to the Holy Land: "My friends and companions! I am not telling those who dwell on high in the 'Tent of Torah' to go down to [manual] labor.

The Defense of the Scholars: On the contrary! [Through this project] there will be workers of the soil whose "Torah is not their [sole] occupation," and they will be obligated to give the "Tithe of the Poor" to those who dwell in the Tent [the scholars]. And not only for the people dwelling in Jerusalem is labor appropriate, but even more so for many strong individuals who have written to me that they wish to travel [to Israel], some of them with their own money in hand.

[Editor’s Note: *) Regarding this claim that the opponents of the settlement argue to this very day, R. Zvi Hirsch Kalischer answered with two additional correct responses...

Behold, we have seen that in large communities there are sometimes ten [charitable] societies, and not one touches [infringes upon] its fellow.

For a man who stands upon generosity will not diminish one for the sake of the other, for "he who fears Hashem will fulfill them all" (Eccl. 7:18). On the contrary! They will actually increase their support for the poor. For when many [donors] say, "They are lazy, why should I give to those with 'folded hands'—wanderers and idlers?" [they stop giving]. But when they see uprightly that there are truly many scholars there who desire Torah and labor together—as did our ancestors the Amoraim and the Geonim, who desired only to benefit from the labor of their own hands—[the donors will give more].

The second response: I showed them the words of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah [in the Mishnah]... regarding the poor. For when we establish the [agricultural] Tithes and the Terumah [Priestly portion], the Blessed Hashem will pour out blessing from above, and in Him we trust—not in flesh and blood. For when we endeavor to bring forth bread from the earth, and each man is under his vine and under his fig tree, then even for those dwelling outside the Land there will be the growth of Hashem's blessing. For from the "Heart"—which is the Holy Land—comes the flow of blessing to all the "limbs" of the body of Israel.]

The Agricultural Potential: And regarding the doubt raised by those who deny the goodness of the Land... many inhabitants of Jerusalem have already written [to the contrary], and even the Austrian Consul wrote to me that the Land is still “flowing with milk and honey".

The Sultan as a Divine Instrument: In this, too, your word is correct: that it is a decisive proof that the Sultan has given permission to buy the inheritance of our fathers. It is a faithful sign, for previously a Jew did not have permission to establish any field or house in his own name in the Holy Land; and now, Hashem calls to us and has placed it in the heart of the ruler to say: "Come and possess the inheritance of your fathers.

The Great Petition: There is also the advice that many great rabbis should write—with the Rishon LeZion [The Sephardic Chief Rabbi] at their head—to Sir Moses Montefiore. They should ask him to settle the people of Persia and Romania there, moving them from distress to relief. If he raises his voice within the camp of the Hebrews, who would not be found willing to give money to purchase land near Jericho or near Haifa for these 'crushed spirits'? He has already risked his life for his brothers; he will surely do this as well if he knows the 'Great Ones of the Generation' agree with it.

The Signs of the Redemption: And this too shall be the sign for you: for many years the Land was salty [barren], but now the Blessed Hashem has remembered His land to make it a "fruitful vine" (Psalm 128:3). Through this, we shall also hasten toward the redemption little by little; it begins like the eye of a needle [a small opening] and in the end, it will change greatly—as explained with many proofs in my books.

The Midrash also said that in the merit of the [agricultural] Tithes, the "Horn of Salvation" shall sprout. Behold, both of us have aimed for the same thing—you like me—with a spirit of the love of Zion. For if we begin to move [at the start], then she [Zion] will send out her branches and her greatness will be beautiful to all the inhabitants of the world, and she will give birth and sprout rays of eternal light. It is said: "Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven" (Psalm 85:12). It says "look down" (Nishkaf) in the passive [Nifal] sense; it means that the righteousness desires to be acted upon by us [from the earth], and then He will look down from heaven with righteousness by means of that which we sprout in the Land, with the help of the Blessed One.

The Doctor’s Warning and The Reality of the Sea

 However, what benefit are my good thoughts if the specialist doctor (rofe mumche) in my house has warned me that I have become weak? He warned that I cannot cross the paths of the sea or stand against 'sea-sickness' (Zee-krankheit). Therefore, I shall guard my path; perhaps the Merciful Father will be gracious and merit me on another day to bring my thoughts into actualization.

 And now I say once more: "Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out" to the salvation of your people and our Holy Land! May we all merit to rejoice in the joy of the eternal light with all our brothers of the House of Israel, and may the Holy One of Israel go before us, with the help of the Blessed One. These are the words of your friend and your lover, the man of your covenant who cherishes you.

 Zvi Hirsch Kalisher