(Heb. kibbuts galuyyot). Prophetic concept expressed in the Pentateuch (Deut. 30:3-5) as the "gathering together" of Israel's scattered remnants, and their restoration to prosperity in the ancestral homeland by an act of Divine intervention. From the era of the Babylonian
In the talmudic era, this "Ingathering of the Exiles" became a full-fledged Jewish concept, "equal in significance to the day on which heaven and earth were created" (Pes. 88a). After the Second Temple's destruction and the exile of the Jews, it was apparent that the dream of an "Ingathering" would be far harder to realize. That dream therefore became associated in rabbinic thought with prayers for the Return to Zion, faith in the coming of the Messiah, and an unshaken belief in Israel's final Redemption.
The notion of kibbuts galuyyot remained a deeply cherished hope which found expression throughout the Jewish liturgy. "Bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth and lead us proudly to our land" is a phrase in the Ahavah Rabbah prayer, while the tenth benediction of the weekday Amidah implores God to "sound the great ram's horn for our freedom, raise the banner to assemble our exiles, and gather us together from the four corners of the earth." Similar statements can be found in many other portions of the liturgy.
Kibbuts galuyyot became a central Zionist concept, enshrined in Israel's Declaration of Independence. The mass immigration (aliyah) of Jews from over 100 lands of exile, which began in 1948, was regarded by some as the first stage of this prophecy's fulfillment.
