Coincidentally, or not (as nothing in my life is ever a coincidence), a good friend handed me a book after mincha this past shabbat, "Talking about Eretz Yisrael; the profound and essential meaning of making aliya", by Rabbi Pinchas Winston, and told me, "Take this - read it, pass it around, quote in on your website [blog], get the word out." It couldn't have come at a better time, since the whole point of last week's quiz was to increase Israel and aliya awareness.
After last week's investigative research project on where would JBloggers most love to be right now -- and the (surprising?) answer that "Israel" was the #1 place, MC Aryeh of "A Whispering Soul" blogs about his soulful conflict on making aliya.
MC Aryeh brings up many reasons why aliya may not be the right step for him at this point of his life; all his reasons are understandable, and its still wonderful (to me) that Israel is so central to his life that he thinks about it daily.
After last week's investigative research project on where would JBloggers most love to be right now -- and the (surprising?) answer that "Israel" was the #1 place, MC Aryeh of "A Whispering Soul" blogs about his soulful conflict on making aliya.
MC Aryeh brings up many reasons why aliya may not be the right step for him at this point of his life; all his reasons are understandable, and its still wonderful (to me) that Israel is so central to his life that he thinks about it daily.
Further complicating matter is that he assumes that despite my assertion from last week, that while many of the bloggers I mentioned may want to move to Israel on a theoretical level, they do no see themselves moving to Israel at all on a practical level. I know that Steg commented something to that extent.
I therefore invite the "winners" from last week's research to comment on if they feel that aliya is something totally in the realm of the theoretical, or is it something alot more closer to "hagshama", the actualization of your dream. If you want to email to remain anonymous, that's OK, and I'll reference comments without name association. If you moved here and returned, or have no intention of moving here to being with -- I want to hear from you too!
Don't be embarrassed if you want to move here; its nothing to keep bottled up inside! And the first step will be admitting that its something you want to do.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Shavua Tov.
Updated: PS, LabRab actually guessed before MCAryeh as to the correct answer to last week's quiz - he had sent me the answer by email...
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael
18 comments:
I guess I would land squarely in the middle on the theoretical/actualizing a dream continuum. While there is no question that I want to be living in Eretz Yisrael in a real way, the circumstances which I enumerated in my post, and which you allude to here, place the possibility of living in Israel much more in the theoretical or dream that may not be actualized category. I hope you get many responses to this post. I am curious as to how widespread the desire to live in Israel is in actuality and also the experinces of those who tried aliyah and ended up leaving. And I am very curious as to what Part 2 will bring...
As i explained in a comment to the other post, I didn't understand the "4 places i'd rather be" question to mean "4 places i'd rather be living in", but instead "4 places i'd rather be right now [whether living, on vacation, visiting, passing through...]".
Even though now, after spending two years learning in Israel, I can actually imagine myself living there (before that i couldn't imagine it at all), i'm still not planning on making ‘aliyá in the forseeable future. Maybe one day, but not today.
MCA and Steg: Thanks very much for your candid answers -- as the 2 people who expressed reservations with my thesis, I would like to hear what the others have to say.
I would like to clarify, that while I did theorize "you would rather be in Israel", that doesn't mean that you need to be on a plane, today. Actually, I even commented to MCA that I didn't throw in any line whatsoever about "So why aren't you on a plane?"
Rather, it means that you "want to want" to make aliya. Whether it be today, next year, or in the plannable future...as long as aliya is even considered an option, or that you would move if things could "work out" on some plane of existance...that spells good news for Israel and Am Yisrael.
Whether it be today, next year, or in the plannable future...as long as aliya is even considered an option, or that you would move if things could "work out" on some plane of existance...that spells good news for Israel and Am Yisrael.
Not necessarily... I believe that we need to have Jews all over the world in order to maintain human relationships and understanding with the rest of the human race. If we're all over in The Land the two-way flow of impressions, culture, and knowledge would probably be much more limited. Which is why we also need some kind of equilibrium-interchange of ‘olim and yordim, and people going to learn, to bring new Jewish ideas from Israel outwards (or outwards-in) and new World ideas back to Israel.
Someone once told me that my lack of interest in making ‘aliyá wouldn't matter when the mashiahh comes and i'm forced to move to Israel with everyone else. So i told them, no, if the mashiahh comes in my lifetime than i hope to go to The Land with everyone else, help set up the perfected socity, build the beit hamiqdash, learn lots more Torah— and then move back out to Outside-The-Land to share what i've learned. There is a religious value to living on the periphery; the osmosis/diffusion of ideas goes through you.
I have no problem saying that I have struggled many times with aliyah. When I was still single I came very close. I gathered information, attended meetings and was somewhat on the path. At that point in time though I was so far in debt that I was afraid to move as I was unsure how I would make it.
Simultaneously I was undergoing a religious crisis and wasn't sure where I wanted to be on the derech, off the derech, to the right or to the left.
Between all of those items I found myself engaged with a promise that one day we would go together. And now I look back and see that all happened 10 years ago.
As one of the "winners"... :)
For me, living in Israel is quite simply 'in the plans'. The objective is to do so when it makes sense - which is a combination of financially, emotionally, and a number of other things.
Most of my relatives, and many, many family friends live in Israel (Jameel has even met a couple). My parents originally went on a pilot trip in 1973 or 1974 I believe to think about doing so - but at the time, did not think they would make it. In the 80's and early 90's, of which I remember the tail end, so many families moved - but my parents could not. When I spent 2 years in Israel after high school, I became convinced that there is no other place I would rather be in the long-term. I spoke to many cousins and family friends in Israel about it, mentioning the possibility of going to Bar-Ilan, etc. - but I received the same answer from everybody: Go back to the US, you have a full scholarship; get a good, American degree; work a few years, start a family; and make sure you move back here before any kids hit the age of about 8 or 9. This way, when you come, you will be guaranteed a good job; be able to live without too much worry; and your kids will be able to adjust well. I should note that these friends and relatives range from LW Dati Leumi to RW Charedi (though when drunk on Purim, one noted that university is a waste of time, and that he makes far more than **** who has a great degree).
We plan on making aliyah ASAIMS - as soon as it makes sense. My wife's sister just made aliyah (after a year and a half of 'trying it') to Ramat Beit Shemesh; my in-laws are considering a move in the next few years as well. My parents don't say, 'We won't go there' - they say (correctly) that they can't afford it.
iyH we'll be there soon! :)
We've been here so long, it's hard to imagine any other life.
Steg: Actually, your idea sounds very star-trekian...and I used to think that way myself. After all, why won't their be Jews on the moon and other planets when we colonize them?
Putting that aside, how do we explain all the mitzvot teluyot ba'aretz? Why would such a heavy focus of Yahadut be central to Israel? While I could even see your scenario coming true, it would be for the sake of "shlichut", and not neccessarily for the sake of cultural interaction. I could be wrong. But then again, even the 2.5 shevatim participated in Kibush HaAretz for 10 years. When we have the sanhedrein, I guess they will address your question.
Till then...there still is a magnetic attraction to Israel.
Jack: I'll reply more to your comment later. Gotta deal with my 3 year old now. (Worst case, I'll reply tomorrow)
As someone who has struggled/is struggling with the same issues, I would like to address McAryeh's post. I would have done it on his site, but you have to be a registered "blogger".
1) marital status. You don’t have any promises min hashamayim that you’ll find you’re wife in Israel- but it goes both ways- you don’t have any guarantee that you’ll find her in NY either. I don’t know you’r hashkafa but I can tell you that most religious girls’ complaints about dating in Israel is that guys are not religious enough. You have the advantage. If satisfactory level of observance means meeting girls who are shomeret halacha, shomeret mitzvoth, tzanua,..etc, there are plenty. If you really think that you won’t find her here, then move later, and make sure you meet someone who is also aliyah minded.
2) career. You’re right, not all careers work in Israel. But, if you are really aliyah minded, you’ll move your career in a direction that will be more appropriate to the job market in Israel. Choosing a career is a conscious choice. Some people in Israel just get by, finding jobs here and there- if you can’t be satisfied with that then plan appropriately.
2)Family – its extremely hard being away from you’re family. Get ready for a typical answer: When you move here, you do so with the intention of building a family here. Someone in your family has to be the first. If you live in America, what makes you think you’re children will not have the same justifications for staying?
3)What is it about Israel that you are attracted to? Many jews feel a sense of belonging, that it feels right..but when you’re actually here and living life, going to work, buying groceries, paying bills, dealing with language barriers, cultural differences, bureaucracy, involved in your community, depressed by the political situation, what is going to keep you going, what will motivate you to stay here? You need to define that for yourself.
As much as I love this land and her people, I can admit that living in Israel is not for everyone at this point. However, you can prepare yourself in America. Become a part of a community- actively involve yourself- not in shul politics, but in chesed. Look around- what is you’re community missing? Often, when we say “I want to live in Israel” we are actually saying “I want a meaningful life”. It's a good place to start.
Life is about choices. We can’t 100% choose our fate- that’s up to G-d, but we can choose to live life in a meaningful way, according to ideals. You wrote: “At this point, the best I can hope for is that I will encourage my own children to make aliyah, and join them when I am able to retire” I don’t think that’s the best you can hope for- if this is what you believe in then make it happen.
Dutch Girl: Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
What was it about Israel that attracted you here?
Did you find a career which you are happy with?
Lastly - how was it dealing with the family issue? (leaving family in the US to come here).
Thanks again for stopping by.
You're right in saying the first step is admitting you want to get here.
"If you will it, it is no dream". Just think where we'd be if Herzl hadn't admitted what he wanted.
Rather than post a long comment here, I expounded upon this as a blog in itself.
Jameel:
I never said that Israel isn't important; after all it's the center of our world, our axis mundi, our Land that God gave us and around which our calendar turns. I think that every Jew should experience at least one year in Israel, living in tune with the rhythms of life and the seasons of the Land and the holidays as they were meant to be celebrated, each in their proper agricultural season.
However, as a People we also need inter-flow. We need to experience the Rest of the World, and for them to experience us. We can't just shut ourselves up in our Homeland living the life like a 'perfect' gated community without regard for the character-building interactions we have with the rest of the world. Being a minority is in my (albeit limited) experience the surest way to instill an understanding of geirim heyitem b’eretz mitzrayim, one of the basic principles of Jewish morality.
I think i might be starting to ramble now, so i'm just going to say one last thing. I feel the 'magnetic attraction' to Israel. I just have a job to do here outside of paradise.
(but iy"H i'm coming to visit and recharge my Israel batteries in about 5 weeks!)
Steg,
How is geirim heyitem b'eretz mitzrayim considered "one of the basic principles of morality"?
The whole point of us remembering what it was like in Mitzrayim (slaves) is to help us realize that our place in this world (as Jews) is in Eretz Yisrael where we wont be strangers in a strange land.
Judaism isn't a religion that was built on proselytizing. If anything, our religion makes it very difficult for someone to convert; they must really want to be a Jew for the right reasons.
The only advantage of having Jews stay outside of Israel is as Jameel put it so nicely "to be slichim" to help bring other Jews closer to Hashem and eventually want to live in Eretz Yisrael.
It is said that when Mashiach comes, the world will know that Judaism is the true religion and they will want to come to Israel, (to us, not us to them) to join us in serving Hashem, but they will still not be allowed to convert.
J.
Steg: If you appreciate the centrality of Israel to Judaism, then how can you think of not being there on a permanent basis?
Why settle for one year -- if its our axis mundi then how could it not be the "place to be."
Couldn't it be that in the days of mashiach, culture will flock to Jerusalem and Israel? We won't need to go out to experience the interflow of ideas, since "כי מציון תצא תורה, ודבר ה' מירושלים"?
JerusalemCop:
It's a basic principle of Jewish morality because it's reminds you to treat your own minorities properly. You know what it feels like to be a stranger in a strange land, so treat strangers in your land as you would like to be treated in theirs. If you never have the experience of being Other i feel it's harder to truly empathize with the Other when that Other is on your turf.
I didn't say anything about proselytizing. We know from the Greco-Roman period that it doesn't quite work out the way you expect it to... although that could have been more the effect of forced conversions; maybe proselytizing would be okay on its own (not that i'm actually proposing we do that).
Right, the Nevi’im describe foreign nations flocking to Israel to learn about God from us. But what about culture? science? art? technology? We don't have a monopoly on being human, and we need the productive cross-fertilization of human ideas from the rest of the world.
Jamīl:
Because i believe that if i am grounded in my Home soil, i can flourish anywhere (to use a somewhat floral metaphor). God is still God, and Torah is still Torah, and Jews are still Jews even when we're not in our Homeland. And while the Jewish lifestyle in the Land is the fullest form, the 'way it was meant to be', i believe that the there are also benefits to living Outside The Land.
Also see above my response to JerusalemCop about being Other, and how it's a basis of Jewish morality. Sure, i guess you could wait in Israel for culture, art, science, technology — hhokhma &mdash to come to you, but you can't really understand the people with whom you're trading God-knowledge for human-knowledge unless you live among them.
Of course the whole messianic scenario is hypothetical; I'm not really sure that i would head straight back Outside, i was mostly just using hyperbole to stress the fact that i see positive Jewish value in living Outside the Land, and not just in it.
Ok, if you are interested I put together a short rundown of my thoughts on the subject.
Jack: Yes! We're interested...
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