As we stand at the threshold of the Geula, this is presently especially relevant. All the avodah required of the Jewish people has been completed; as the Previous Rebbe stated, we have already "polished our buttons." Nothing is now lacking, nor can anything now stand in the way of the Geula. And our efforts in drawing down an awareness of G-d into our daily experience can hasten the realization of its promise.
Therefore, the message to "Make here (this place) Eretz Yisrael" should be communicated to others - to the members of one's family, to one's students, and indeed to every Jew, man, woman, and child. Each one of us should know that "here," his or her place, i.e., each dimension of our environment and each moment of time we experience, can be transformed into Eretz Yisrael, into a place where G-dliness is openly revealed.
This concept also helps to resolve a question asked by many who wonder: What can I do to bring Moshiach? How can my actions (which are, seemingly insignificant...) have any bearing on a matter of such immense proportions?
The answer to that question is that every individual experience of redemption hastens the coming of the Redemption as a whole. "Making here Eretz Yisrael," living in the spirit of the Redemption and infusing that spirit into all the dimensions of our life, is not merely an individual matter, but rather affects the world in its totality, making the universal Redemption even more imminent.
Now is a time when we can "Make here Eretz Yisrael," to conduct ourselves in the spirit of redemption. The time of the Redemption is near and we must become accustomed to a new approach to our daily avodah. And this will not be merely a symbolic gesture: it has the potential to actually hasten the coming of the Redemption: We should all dance into the Geula - May this happen immediately.
(Sefer HaSichos (Sh”P Pinchas) 5751 p. 705 )
A chassid once asked the Tzemach Tzedek whether he should settle in the Holy Land so that he could devote his life there to Torah study and avodas Hashem; the Tzemach Tzedek replied, "Make here (this place) Eretz Yisrael."
This response should not be seen merely in the limited context of that individual, and it extends far beyond the question of whether one should live in Eretz Yisrael. As this was publicized by the Previous Rebbe, it should be applied to the avodah of all the Jewish people, whether in the Diaspora or in Eretz Yisrael, to come to a true and profound perspective of Eretz Yisrael.
Our Holy Land, Eretz Yisrael, is a place where G-d-liness, holiness, and Yiddishkeit are openly revealed. In an ultimate sense, this will be realized in the time of Moshiach when the Beis HaMikdash will be rebuilt and the observance of all the mitzvos associated with the holiness of the land will be restored. Moreover, not only will we fulfill all of the mitzvos in that era, but we will appreciate the bond with G-dliness that will be established through our observance.
This is the essence of the Redemption: the relationship between man and G-d will no longer be based merely on faith alone, but will also be nourished by a firsthand awareness of G-d's Presence here on earth. As the Rambam (concluding his description of the Era of the Redemption), quotes the passuk "For the world will be filled with the knowledge of G-d as the waters cover the sea bed." The physical setting of the world will not change in the era of Redemption; the difference will be our knowledge and awareness of G-d.
This is the meaning of the directive, "Make here Eretz Yisrael." Every individual should draw G-d-liness into his life and into his environment. Rather than seek to escape from worldly involvement and seclude oneself in spiritual expressions of holiness, we are asked to reveal holiness within the living reality of our daily experience, to give actual expression to the concept that there is nothing in this world which is apart from G-d.
