Letter from Safed

[And I read some words to this effect in the letter of R. Abraham Blipp—may the All-Merciful protect and redeem him—written to Venice on November 5, 1607, to our teacher, R. Judah—may the righteous be remembered for the life of the world to come.—Likely written by Moses Yekutiel Kaufman.] The master, David Kapiles, informed me that my master had said to him that he should speak with me, eliciting my opinion as to whether or not they should come to the land of Israel. Let it be known to his excellency, glorious in Torah, that I consider it preferable for him to reside in Russia and disseminate Torah among Jewry than to go to the land of Israel. For the land of Israel is currently in a very chaotic state—may the Holy One have mercy upon us and all His people Israel. May the Holy One make him worthy of attaining a venerable age, and when he is old, he can then come joyfully to the land of Israel. And any place where a man occupies himself with Torah and the commandments, there is the land of Israel!