Aliya or Russian Roulette

“My place is in Eretz Yisrael and wherever I go, I am going to the Land of Israel” – Rebbe Nachman of Breslev
 
Almost every time go outside to walk in the refreshing evening air, I just think to myself how surreal it all is. Here I am, living in the holiest land on earth and I am not sure how I even got here.  I don’t know if I can speak for anyone else who has made aliyah, but it is a more like living a dream than one can imagine. Sure, we went through the motions of making arrangements and organizing our belongings but like a wisp of air, we are suddenly transported into a whole new dimension, a completely different universe. It’s like beginning life all over again with the knowledge that G-d is guiding our every step.
 
Rewind a whole generation or two then pose the question, “what is our purpose in living outside Israel?”  I asked myself… “What are we doing in Canada?” I love Canada and am proud to be a Canadian. Canada is a nice, clean, polite, multicultural country. But what were we doing there? The only reason I was born in Canada is because my grandparents on both sides tried to make a better life for themselves. They crossed the ocean from Iwaniska (Yvansk), Poland, (which at the time was part of the Ukraine) several years before WWII broke out. Had they not left when they did, I would surely not exist. Hitler and his ilk wiped out most of my other ancestors who remained back in ‘the old country’.
 
I was overcome with the realization that Canada is not really our home. Our only home is Israel, home to every Jew in the world. Our temporary stay in Canada was merely Hashem’s stepping stone of survival. With it came the risks that all Jews faced: assimilation, intermarriage, and secularization.  Is there anyone in modern society today who has not been touched by these difficult trials? Why then can’t we tell ourselves that a spiritual and cultural Russian Roulette is not what we want for our lives, for our children, for our future? Because we are too comfortable! It’s easier to go with the flow. The old adage “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” is the antithesis of how we are meant to live. We must NOT bend to the foreign cultures which surround us, yet we continue to do so and thrive on it. Or at least we delude ourselves into believing it is all good.
 
Our sages teach that “Dwelling in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) is the equivalent of all the mitzvot (obligations) in the Torah”. (Sifrei, Parshat Re’eh)
 
It is a mitzvah to live in the land of Israel. Some believe that this is not one of the 613 mitzvot (commandments) that we are required to uphold yet the Rambam, in Sefer Hamitzvot, discusses the obligation at length.  In Parshat Re’eh [11:31-32], G-d tells us “For you are to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land which Hashem your G-d gave you, and you shall possess it and dwell therein. And you shall observe to do all the statutes and the ordinances which I set before you this day.”
 
I don’t think it can get clearer than that! Not only are we told to make our home in Eretz Yisrael, but we are instructed to abide by the laws of Torah as well!
 
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and it is not always possible to fulfill all of our obligations. Some may argue that living in Israel holds no guarantee that their children will stay on the proper path. Many feel that living in Israel for ideological reasons is not the be-all and end-all and that aliyah cannot assure an adequate income which will enable us to support our family. True, it’s not an easy transition but these challenges can occur anywhere. It is also a known fact that living in Israel comes with difficulties. It is what I consider an initiation of sorts but obstacles should not prevent someone from realizing their goal. Conversely, this knowledge should give us the strength we need to persevere. As stated in Vayikra (Leviticus 18:25) “the land vomited out its inhabitants” so only those with a strong conviction will merit to hang on by the thread they have woven for themselves.
 
My intention is not to dishearten those who are not yet able to make aliyah. It is also a great mitzvah to simply desire to go to the Holy Land. If one can’t possibly make aliyah now, as long as their hearts yearn for it, that is an important step. For through this yearning comes prayer and only by way of one’s heartfelt pleas will the longing become a reality.
 
May our Heavenly Father bestow us all with His wonders and miracles until we are transposed into a new Divine existence that is surreal, with Mashiach and the newly rebuilt Beit Hamikdash, soon, in the coming days! Amen.