Artzeinu

Book Review of Dan Gordis' Aliyah Memoirs

2010-06-16T16:27:00.003-04:00

Like most writers, I am an avid reader, and with aliyah looming on the horizon for us, I have been particularly interested in reading aliyah-related memoirs.

I recently discovered two aliyah memoirs that I had previously never heard of. They are by Dan Gordis, a frequent contributor to the New York Times' Op-Ed Section and Senior Vice President of the Shalem Center (a powerful think thank in Jerusalem). While looking for Gordis' most recent book "Saving Israel" in the library, I discovered that Gordis also wrote 2 memoirs based on his family's aliyah experiences.

Gordis' two memoirs are titled, "Home to Stay" and "Coming Together, Coming Apart." They are both fantastic reads and both are insightful. Here are three things I particularly appreciated about both books:

1. Gordis is able to find deeper meaning in an isolated event. For example, he finds the 2003 collapse of a wedding hall in Talpiyot to be an apt metaphor for the country of Israel at the time: "[t]he wedding hall is a metaphor for the whole country - one layer collapses and destroys everything below, killing everyone in its wake" [Home To Stay].

2. Gordis is really an independent thinker. I lean to the right, and that affects all of my perspectives. You can predict my views on an issue 100% of the time because of my right leaning tendencies. Gordis is different, however; he analyzes each situation independently. He admits to seeing both sides on the issue of whether the "Gaza Withdrawal" was proper, oscillating between both sides of the issue.

3. Gordis is able to write about abstract situations and feelings that is commonplace to many but rarely expressed in words. For example, take the following excerpt where Gordis describes going out to eat for his wife's birthday:

"When we went out for dinner for Beth's birthday in September, we were in a restaurant with a whole variety of couples: an Ethiopian couple, some Russians, an Israeli couple, us, and selected others from all over the place. Beth remarked that the whole country was a modern-day miracle, and then asked, "If you have a chance to live your life as part of a miracle, how do you walk away from that?" [Home To Stay].

All in all, Gordis' two aliyah memoirs are the best aliyah memoirs I've come across. I would recommend them to everyone, whether they plan on making aliyah, have already made aliyah, or even heard the word "aliyah" uttered in a sentence.

Israel's Indomitable Spirit, Part II

2010-06-04T01:05:00.001-04:00

My last post was about Israel's indomitable spirit.

I came across the following true story and video that demonstrates this point.

Last Tuesday, a vociferous and angry pro-Arab demonstration gathered outside of the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles. Daniel Pereg, a high school student, showed up on the scene, by himself, proudly waving an Israeli flag to show his solidarity with Israel and the IDF. The pro-Arab demonstration became incensed, angrier, and close to violence. Yet Daniel bravely persisted to march around with his flag, pretending to be oblivious of the demonstration's growing anger and excitement.

When asked why he was there, he responds: "I came out because I want to defend Israel." Again, here is a young teenager, defiant to the world with his faith and conviction in the Jewish people and the country of Israel.

The Flotilla and Israel’s Indomitable Spirit

2010-06-02T00:21:00.010-04:00

I had the pleasure of hearing Elliott Abrams speak last month at a symposium organized by the Baltimore Zionist District. The symposium was titled “U.S.-Israel Relations In A New Era,” and Abrams, who held important positions in Ronald Reagan’s and George W. Bush’s administrations, was the keynote speaker.

Abrams gave a passionate and enlightening speech, in which he delineated three waves of aggression that the country of Israel has fought against:

In the FIRST WAVE of aggression, Israel’s neighbors (Egypt, Syria, Jordan, etc) attempted to destroy Israel by using military force. These were the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973. These wars were unsuccessful, however, and the last major war against Israel was in 1973.

In the SECOND WAVE of aggression, terrorism rose to predominance, because waging war proved to be unsuccessful. The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) grew to stature as the major terrorist association against Israel after murdering 12 Israeli athletes at the Olympic games in Munich, Germany. This terrorism includes the First and Second Intifadas, and it only ended recently.

According to Abrams, we are now witnessing a THIRD WAVE of aggression against Israel. This is a public relations attempt to delegitimize Israel, where Israel’s “acts of self-defense” are spun by the media to be “acts of aggression." For example, both Operation Cast Lead and the erection of the West Bank barriers were measures that Israel took to defend itself and maintain security. However, the media and global opinion considered these to be "acts of aggression.” Turning self-defense into "acts of aggression" is typical of this THIRD WAVE.

Abrams’ comments may be considered prescient in light of the recent events of the Flotilla. After raiding an “aid flotilla” bound for Gaza, an Israeli navy command killed 9 people. Israel has received widespread international condemnation for this action. However, the aid was organized by a Turkish group connected to several global jihadist terrorist movements, including al Qaeda — this is a fact that is being underreported. Additionally, Israel had offered to distribute “the aid” to Gazans, if only the flotilla would first dock into Ashdod, instead of heading straight to Gaza.

As the Wall Street Journal put it: “[T]his was a no-win situation. Allow the ships to dock in Gaza and they would unload supplies that might be used to arm Hamas. Stop the ships and you risk a public relations disaster.” In other words, this event is quintessential of the third wave of aggression, where Israel's actions to defend itself is unacceptable to the world.

Abrams concluded his speech with a story. At the moment, several European countries refuse to play Israel's national anthem, Hatikva, at international sporting events. Last November, Dana Sterlinkov won a gold medal for fencing at the Cadet World Cup in Austria. When she ascended the podium to receive her medal, Hatikva was not played! So she improvised, and began to sing it herself. Soon after, the rest of her team and Jews in the audience joined along.

Sterlinkov's actions were courageous, especially considering that she was only 14 at the time. Her actions represent the national mood of Israel; despite international condemnation that threatens Israel's existence, Israel continues to be brave and march ahead. Much like Sterlinkov, Israel’s courage is indomitable, and she will continue to thrive. This is the courage that has allowed Jews to survive 2,000 years without a homeland, and it's the courage that led Jews to rebuild after World War II.

To conclude, here is a link that I found last week and shook my very essence. It is an old BBC recording of survivors from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, singing Hatikva five days after liberation.

New Daily Email With Inspiration For Living In Israel

2010-05-21T13:44:00.001-04:00

A new yahoo email list was started recently that sends a "daily boost of positive sayings, ideas, quotes, thoughts, verses etc about being in, living in, experiencing Israel, the honor of living in Israel and the uniqueness of the Land, People and Torah."

You can sign up for this daily email by sending an email to
livingandlovingisrael-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

or by visiting the group's homepage at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/livingandlovingisrael

Video: Everything Stops for Yom Hazikaron Siren (2010)

2010-04-20T23:06:00.003-04:00

This video was taken on Yom Hazikaron, 2010, at the moment the siren blew. It is striking how everyone stands still, paying respect to those who sacrificed their lives so that Israel can exist.

(Video Source: Jewlicious)

Halachic Implications of Yom Ha'atzmaut

2010-04-20T15:53:00.001-04:00

Jewish law (halacha) is rife with controversy, especially when it comes to the newly created Jewish state. It has been debated whether halacha allows the creation of a new holiday (Yom Ha'atzmaut) and where it's okay to say hallel and suspend the Omer mourning restriction for this new holiday.

The Gush Yeshiva wrote a wonderful essay summarizing the different opinions conerning these issues. Here is a short summary of the essay:

Is It Bal Tosef To Create a New Holiday?

There are many sources to support creating a personal or communal commemoration of a miraculous event (R. Moshe Alshakar in Teshuvot Maharam Alshakar, cited by the Magen Avraham (686), the Chatam Sofer, R. Ovadiah Hadayah, Yehudah Dovid Eisenstein, the Chayei Adam). This was quite common in Europe.

However, at least one source (R. Chezekiah da Silva's perush to Shulchan Arukh (Orach Chaim 696)) says that we many no longer establish a new holiday after the second temple. Others argue that instituting a festive day for the entire Jewish People to celebrate, even those who did not personally experience the miraculous events, constitutes a violation of the Biblical injunction of "bal tosef" (Devarim 4:2) based on the Ramban Devarim 4:2) who implies that this injunction may also include adding a new holiday.

R. Hadaya (Yaskil Avdi 8, hashmatot 4) and R. Meshulam Roth, a member of the Israeli Chief Rabbinic Council, argued strongly in favor of establishing a festive day in commemoration of the establishment of the State of Israel.

Is Hallel Appropriate For Yom Ha'atzmaut?

A number of Rishonim derive from Pesachim (117) that if the entire nation is saved from danger, they may recite Hallel. They disagree as to whether this applies to individuals as well and whether this Hallel should be recited with a blessing.

R' Hadaya rules that Hallel should be recited without a blessing on Yom Ha-Atzmaut. R. Meshulem Roth (in the responsum cited above) argues that Yom Ha-Atzmaut should be observed as a festive day, and that naturally one should recite Hallel as well.

Rav Soloveitchik is cited in Nefesh Ha-Rav (pg. 97) as objecting to saying Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut, as he objected to any other change of the liturgy. He sanctioned, however, reciting half-Hallel, without a blessing, at the end of Shacharit, as this does not constitute a major change in the liturgy.

Can The Mourning of Sefirat Ha'Omer Be Suspended for Yom Ha'atzmaut

Yom Ha-Atzmaut comes out during Sefirat Ha'Omer, which a customary period of mourning. R. Yitzchak Nissim (1896-1981), former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel (1955-1972), ruled that one may hold weddings and take haircuts on Yom Ha-Atzmaut (Sinai, April-May, 1958).

R. Hadaya (Yaskil Avdi 6:10) rejects this and rules that one should continue his observance of the mourning practices of the omer.

R. Soloveitchik also maintained that the mourning practices of the omer should not be suspended in order to celebrate Yom Ha-Atzmaut.

Yom HaZikaron: Story of Dvir Emanuelof, a Kadosh Soldier Killed During Operation Cast Lead

2010-04-19T08:00:00.001-04:00

The following story was written by Daniel Gordis and published on chabad.org's website.

The story is truly amazing (and true). Please read it until the end.

Daniel Gordis is the author of numerous books on Jewish thought and currents in Israel. His most recent book is Saving Israel: How the Jewish State Can Win a War That May Never End. A man who sits next to me in shul has been raving about this book all year long, so it's probably a good read. Gordis made aliyah in 1998.

A Hug from Heaven

By Daniel Gordis

It's been almost a year since St.-Sgt. Dvir Emanuelof became the first casualty of Operation Cast Lead, losing his life to Hamas mortar fire just as he entered Gaza early in the offensive. But sitting with his mother, Dalia, in her living room last week, I was struck not by loss, but by life. And not by grief, but by fervent belief. And by a more recent story about Dvir that simply needs to be told.

This past summer, Dalia and some friends planned to go to Hutzot Hayotzer, the artists' colony constructed each summer outside Jerusalem's Old City walls. But Dalia's young daughter objected; she wanted to go a week later, so she could hear Meir Banai in concert.

Stunned, Dalia turned around and saw the father holding a babyDalia consented. And so, a week later, she found herself in the bleachers, waiting with her daughter for the performance to begin. Suddenly, Dalia felt someone touch her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw a little boy, handsome, with blond hair and blue eyes. A kindergarten teacher by profession, Dalia was immediately drawn to the boy, and as they began to speak, she asked him if he'd like to sit next to her.

By now, though, the boy's father had seen what was unfolding, and called over to him, "Eshel, why don't you come back and sit next to me and Dvir?" Stunned, Dalia turned around and saw the father holding a baby. "What did you say his name is?" she asked the father.

"Dvir," responded Benny.

"How old is he?" Dalia asked.

"Six months," was the reply.

"Forgive my asking," she continued, "was he born after Cast Lead, or before?"

"After."

Whereupon Dalia continued, "Please forgive my pressing, but can I ask why you named him Dvir?"

"Because," Benny explained to her, "the first soldier killed in Cast Lead was named Dvir. His story touched us, and we decided to name our son after him."

Almost unable to speak, Dalia paused, and said, "I'm that Dvir's mother."

Shiri, the baby's mother, had overheard the conversation, and wasn't certain that she believed her ears. "That can't be."

"It's true."

"What's your last name?"

"Emanuelof."

"Where do you live?"

"Givat Ze'ev."

"It is you," Shiri said. "We meant to invite you to the brit milah, the circumcision, but we couldn't."

"It doesn't matter," Dalia assured her, "You see, I came anyway."

And then, Dalia told me, Shiri said something to her that she'll never forget - "Dvir is sending you a hug, through us."

Shiri felt as though she were looking at an angelAt that point in our conversation, Shiri told me her story. She'd been pregnant, she said, in her 33rd or 34th week, and during an ultrasound test, a potentially serious problem with the baby was discovered. After consultations with medical experts, she was told that there was nothing to do. The baby would have to be born, and then the doctors would see what they could do. A day or two later, she was at home, alone, anxious and worried. She lit Chanukah candles, and turned on the news. The story was about Dvir Emanuelof, the first soldier killed in the operation. She saw, she said, the extraordinarily handsome young man, with his now famous smile, and she felt as though she were looking at an angel.

A short while later, Benny came home, and Shiri said to him, "Come sit next to me." When he'd seated himself down next to her, Shiri said to Benny, "A soldier was killed today."

"I heard," he said.

"What do you say we name our baby after him?" Shiri asked.

"Okay," was Benny's reply.

They told no one about the name, and had planned to call Dalia once the baby was born, to invite her to the brit milah. But when Dvir was born, Shiri and Benny were busy with medical appointments, and it wasn't even clear when they would be able to have the brit. By the time the doctor gave them the okay to have the brit, it was no longer respectful to invite Dalia on such short notice, Shiri told me. So they didn't call her. Not then, and not the day after. Life took its course and they told no one about the origin of Dvir's name, for they hadn't yet asked Dalia's permission.

So no one knew, until that moment when a little blond-haired, blue-eyed boy - whom Dalia now calls "the messenger" - decided to tap Dalia on the shoulder. "Someone's looking out for us up there," Shiri said quietly, wiping a tear from her eye, "and this no doubt brings Him joy."

It was now quiet in Dalia's living room, the three of us pondering this extraordinary sequence of events, wondering what to make of it. I was struck by the extraordinary bond between these two women, one religious and one traditional but not religious in the classic sense, one who's now lost a husband and a son and one who's busy raising two sons.

Unconnected in any way just a year ago, their lives are now inextricably interwoven. And I said to them both, almost whispering, "This is an Israeli story, par excellence."

As if they'd rehearsed the response, they responded in virtual unison, "No, it's a Jewish story."

It is a story of shared destiniesThey're right, of course. It is the quintessential Jewish story. It is a story of unspoken and inexplicable bonds. It is a story of shared destinies.

These are not easy times. These are days when we really could use a miracle or two. So perhaps it really is no accident that now, when we need it most, Dvir is sending us all a hug from heaven above.

Roundup of Israel Blogs Issue #2

2010-04-15T14:40:00.001-04:00

Here is the weekly thursday roundup of different blogs coming from Israel or about Israel. Please contact me if you would like your blog to be included in this list.

*A Mother In Israel discusses Israeli baby names.

*A Soldier's Mother posts a message to Anat Kam, an Israeli soldier who stole classified documents.

*Bat Aliyah talks about what to say to her friends that want to make aliyah but aren't able to yet.

*Rav Reuven Spolter notes some observations about the yishuv Otniel. The picture to the right is the famous hesder yeshiva in Otniel.

*Esser Agaroth blogs about eating locuts. The picture to the left is a locust from the 1915 locust plague in Israel.

*Rav Zev Shandalov writes personal reflections following Yom Hashoa in Israel.

*Deena writes at Habitza about why people bring challenges into their lives.

*Igoogledisrael comments how March was a record breaker for Israel's tourism.

*Ruti Mizrachi at Ki Yachol Nuchal! blogs about children collecting wood for Lag B'omer.

*Yisroel Medad at My Right Word shares some pictures from the top of the Hurva synagogue.

*One Tired Ema has a call for help. She is looking for advice on how to get her friend's children registered in Maamad Israeli schools.

*Miriam Woelke shares some positive thinking for Rosh Chodesh Iyar.

*Batya Medad tells us why she is different than everyone else in her generation.

*Molly at The Big Falafel tell us why she loves her 5 shekel ice coffee.

*Benji Levitt blogs from Ben Gurion airport.

*The Muqata points us to this ridiculous newpaper article from Britain. The article does not believe Israeli tourism brochures should include pictures of the Kotel.

*Brian at This Norman Life was irked about the Simpson's episode in Israel.

Thanks for reading this roundup!

Want to Buy an Ereader for Israel? Don't Buy the iPAD.

2010-04-15T12:57:00.010-04:00

I recommend that you buy yourself an ebook reader if you're making aliyah and want to be able to access and read books in English while living in Israel. An ebook reader is a electronic device designed for reading digital books and periodicals. With an ebook reader, you can download and read books in English from anywhere in the world, within a matter of minutes.

There are currently 3 main manufacturers of ebook readers: Amazon's Kindle, Barnes & Noble's Nook, and now — Apple's iPad. Apple’s iPad (considered to be in a category between the smartphone and the laptop computer) is the newest ebook reader to the market, released earlier this month on April 3rd.

At this point, however, it is not legal to have an iPad in Israel. Israel's Communications Ministry has blocked imports of iPads and ordered customs officials to confiscate the units when people enter the country carrying iPads. Israel says the wireless technology that Apple uses in the iPad is not compatible with the country's wifi standards. Ben-Gurion International Airport's customs division has impounded 10 iPads so far.

UPDATE 04/19/2010: The Wall Street Journal openly wonders why Israel is banning the iPad. They write that: "Some technology experts have speculated the ban could have to do with fears that the more powerful wireless frequency used by American devices could interfere with Israeli military communications technology."

Amazing Facts About The Country of Israel

2010-04-14T23:16:00.001-04:00

(Source: aish.com)

Israel is the 100th smallest country, and has about 1/1000th of the world's population. It is only 62 years old,

Only 62 years old, 7 million people strong (less than Virginia), and smaller in size than New Jersey, surrounded by enemies, under constant threat and possessing almost no natural resources, and yet…

Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. It has absorbed 350% of its population in 60 years.¹
Israel is the only country in history to have revived an unspoken language.
Since the founding of the state, Israel has more Nobel Prices per capita than any other country. It has more laureates in real numbers than China, Mexico and Spain.²
Israel has the 8^th longest life expectancy (80.7 years), longer than the UK, US, and Germany³
Israeli films were nominated three years in a row for the Academy Award's Best Foreign Film⁴

Environment

Israel is the only country that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, even more remarkable -- in an area that's mainly desert.⁵
Over 90% of Israeli homes use solar energy for hot water, the highest percentage in the world.^6, 7
Israel will be the first country to host a national electric car network.⁸
Israel is ranked in the top five Cleantech countries of the world, and operates the world’s largest desalinization plant.⁹
Israeli companies are producing the largest solar energy production facility in the world.

Science & Technology

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists and technicians in the workforce, 63% more than the U.S. It also has the most physicians and engineers per capita.¹⁰
Israel's scientific research institutions are ranked 3^rd in the world.¹¹
Israel is ranked 2^nd in space sciences.¹²
Israel produces the 3rd most scientific papers per capita, and the most in stem cell science.¹³
More Israeli patents are registered in the United States than from Russia, India and China combined (combined population 2.5 billion). It leads the world in patents for medical equipment.^11, 14, 15
Israeli companies invented the drip irrigation system, discovered the world’s most used drug for multiple sclerosis, designed the Pentium NMX Chip technology and the Pentium 4 and Centrium microprocessors, created Instant Messenger (ICQ), and Israeli cows produce more milk per cow than any other in the world!

Business

Israel has the 3^rd highest rate of entrepreneurship among women in the world.¹⁶
Israel has attracted the most venture capital investment per capita in the world, 30 times more than Europe¹⁷
Israel has more NASDAQ-listed companies than any country besides the US -- more than all of Europe, India, China and Japan combined.¹⁸
In proportion to its population, Israel has the largest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute numbers, Israel has more startups than any country other than the U.S.¹⁹

Defying the Odds

Israel is the only country whose indigenous population returned to its native land after 2,000 years of forced exile.
There are 26 official Muslim states in the world, and 18 official Christian states, but there is only one Jewish state.²⁰

Obama's Passover Seder at the White House

2010-04-09T15:38:00.001-04:00

Yes, President Obama hosted a Passover seder at the White House on the second night of Passover. You can read all about it, including what was served at the meal, on Politics Daily's website.

In the picture above, President Obama is dipping his fingers to commemorate the 10 plagues that the Egyptains were afflicted with.

The are many potential captions for the above picture. My caption is: "Obama learns from the Hagadah." One of the lessons from the Hagada is that both history and G-d takes the side of the Jews and the land of Israel. This is said clearly in Chapter 12 of Genesis: "I will bless those who bless you." Obama will hopefully take this lesson into consideration before making future policy decisions regarding Israel.

Roundup of Israel Blogs Issue #1

2010-04-08T14:04:00.022-04:00

The "Round-Up of Israel Blogs" is a new feature. Every thursday, I will have a roundup of different blogs coming from Israel or about Israel.

Please contact me if you would like your blog to be included in this list.

* Deena at Habitza shares the exciting news that 2 of her friends from Katamon (aka the Bitza) are engaged!

* Ilene Rosenblum describes her experience using a Breslover Hagadah this past Pesach.

* A Mother in Israel discusses a gas mask distribution dilemma - what to tell the kids?

* A Soldier's Mother shares her thoughts on Passover.

* Rav Spolter at Chopping Wood posts an audio shiur on Aharon's role in Parashat Shemini.

* Esser Agaroth discusses what he has heard on the street about kitniyot on Pesach.

* Rav Zev Shandalov describes what chol moed is like is in Israel.

* Igoogledisrael tells us why the Kinneret is NOT the place to visit on Chol Moed.

* Yehoshua Halevy shares another one of his beautiful pictures. The picture this time is a beautiful shot of the Old City, taken from a distance.

* Ruti Mizrachi reminds us to not forget to bake Shissel Challah this week for good luck!

* Miriam Woelke shares some pictures she took of the Kaliver Rebbe who visited the Kotel on Chol Moed.

* Batya Medad shows up some of the exquisitve meals she made for Shabbat Pesach.

* The Muqata tells us why Obama is good for aliya.

* The Normal Life tells us about some trips he made to the Galil and the Golan over chol moed.

* Rafi at Israel Easy asks whether it is better today to live in Israel than the US?

* Aliyah Blog discusses Ravi Lichtenstein's review of The Eye of the Storm.

* Reb Akiva at Mystical Paths talks about how a kassam rocket landed in the area he was in on his chol moed trip.

* Rabbi Tzvi Fishman blogs about how it could not be clearer from the straightforward reading of the Torah that G-d wants the Jewish People to live in Israel.

Just Remember: Obama Doesn't Rule The World

2010-03-25T15:57:00.004-04:00

A Strained Relationship
The U.S. and Israel's current strained relationship is causing much concern globally, both in the Jewish world and within conservative circles. The U.S. has publicly delivered rebuke to Israel multiple times this year, most recently earlier this month. On March 12th, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for planning to build new Jewish housing in east Jerusalem, calling it "a deeply negative signal" for ties with the U.S..

Rav Druckman's Perspective

Rabbi Chaim Druckman, a former MK and currently the head of the Bnei Akiva movement, made an important statement earlier this week, which I believe is the proper Jewish perspective for reacting to current events such as U.S. rebuke if Israel.

Rabbi Druckman, at a ceremony honoring personnel of Bnei Akiva’s yeshivot, said:

”Obama thinks he holds the wheel in his hands and that he leads the world, but the People of Israel deal with the Almighty, Who leads the world. He holds the true steering wheel in His hands, while Obama holds a fake wheel." (Source: Arutz Sheva)

Our Work for Pesach
It is important for everyone to keep Rav Druckman's message in mind - the Ribbono Shel Olam controls the world and decides the future of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. Therefore, we must pray to Him and do mitzvot to gain favor in His eyes in order to secure a peaceful and stable future for Israel. This is especially pertinent to remember as we approach Passover. Passover is a time of great inspiration. We recall the past geula from Egypt and the fact that there will be a future geula. With this great inspiration, it's possible to reach great heights in the service of the Creator and it's an ideal time to look for ways to improve one's divine service

8 Ways To Improve Your Hebrew

2010-03-24T13:42:00.005-04:00

Learning Hebrew is an important aspect to making a successful aliyah. In a comment left to one of my previous blog posts, Batya Medad wrote: "We've been in Israel since 1970 and can't imagine living any place else. Hebrew is the key." Also Nefesh B'Nefesh lists Hebrew as the #1 most important thing for finding employment in Israel.

The following are 8 Hebrew language resources that I have found helpful. Please note that I already have a basic grasp of Hebrew (i.e. how to read Hebrew text, basic vocabulary, etc). These resources have helped me to build upon those basic Hebrew language skills.

1. Index cards.
Most of us have not used index cards since high school. I don't know of any better way to reviewing Hebrew vocabulary and phrases than index cards. They are easily carried around for spontaneous review and can be sorted.

2. Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is a popular software program that "uses a combination of images, text, and sound, with difficulty levels increasing as the student progresses, in order to teach various vocabulary terms and grammatical functions intuitively, without drills or translation" (Wikipedia). Rosetta is used to train U.S. Army and State Department personnel before deployment to foreign countries.

I take notes while I go through each lesson and later transpose them to index cards for review. Rosetta is great for expanding and reinforcing vocabulary and for learning grammar essentials.

3. Pimsleur
The Pimsleur method is a series of audio CDs to help build conversational Hebrew skills. Instead of teaching pure vocabulary and grammar like Rosetta, Pimsleur teaches you how to have conversations. For example, Rosetta teaches you how to say "I prefer the red dress over the blue dress" while Pimsleur teaches you "Here is 5 shekels for the beer." In my mind, both Rosetta and Pimsleur are necessary. Each teaches the student a different skill.

Both Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur comes in 3 levels and can be bought through Amazon's website.

4. Reshet Bet and the Israel Radio Toolbar
A big challenge to being functional in Hebrew is learning how to understand native Israelis when they speak. Listening to Israeli radio, such as Reshet Bet's "Hayom Haze," is a great way to attune your ear to the native Israeli's Hebrew. Hayom Haze, recorded twice daily, can be listened to on demand over the internet (see links to Hayom Haze on Tsvi Sadan's website).

The "Israel Radio Toolbar" for Internet Explorer is an excellent tool for listening to Reshet Bet and other Israeli radio stations. You can also watch Israeli TV and the Knesset live using the toolbar.

5. Arutz Sheva
Arutz Sheva is an Israeli media network affiliated with the Religious Zionist movement. However, even if you don't associate yourself with Religous Zionism, Arutz Sheva's podcasts in Hebrew are great for downloading and listening to radio programs on the go. For example, I listen to a show by Yehudit Fogel on advice for families. I listen to the show in the car and it has helped me tremendously to understand native Hebrew.

I do not know of any other source of downloadable podcasts in Hebrew. Please let me know if you know of other sites with downloadable content.

6. Lo Lifnei Hayeladim
"Lo Lifnei Hayeladim" is an Israeli sitcom similar to Saturday Night Live. It is shown on Israeli TV at "Arutz 10" and is fantastic because it displays Hebrew subtitles underneath. The subtitles help me follow what the characters are saying when I don't understand them orally. Since the show is comprised of short skits, I have learned vocabulary specific to various types of situations, such as vocabulary for job interviews. Every episode ever aired is available online. The downside of this show is that the skits are not always clean.

7. Hamatchil
Hamatchil is a weekly newspaper with articles relating to world news, Israel news, and Jewish holidays. It is designed for non-native speakers and is written in easy Hebrew with nekudot and definitions after hard words. Reading this newspaper is excellent for building vocabulary, especially vocabulary relating to contemporary issues.

8. Rav Chaim Sabato books.
Rav Chaim Sabato is a Cairo-born Israeli rabbi who studied in Mercaz Harav and founded the Hesder yeshiva in Maale Adumim. He has four popular novels in Hebrew that are easy to read, several of which have been translated into English.

I am currently reading his second novel, Tiyum Kavanot, which is a moving account of his experiences as a soldier in the Yom Kippur War. It is a great book and I highly recommend that you read it. It has been translated into English by Toby Press and is titled Adjusting Sights.

For links to other Hebrew learning resources, see Jacob Richman's "Learn Hebrew Sites" and Nefesh B'Nefesh's "Ulpan and Hebrew Learning Resources Online."

Rav Aharon X2

2010-03-22T11:00:00.156-04:00

Must the walls that separate our communities and our institutions soar quite so high, the interposing moat plunge quite so deep? Shall we never sled again?"

A CALM VIEW OF RAGING ISSUES

Rav Aharon Feldman and Rav Aharon Lichtenstein are two rosh hayeshivas, Rav Feldman of Ner Yisroel in Baltimore, and Rav Lichtentenstein of Har Eztion in the Gush, Israel. Both are engaged in a subtle discussion that started with Rav Feldman's recently published book titled The Eye of The Storm: A Calm View of Raging Issues. The book is a compilation of previously published articles by Rav Feldman that deal with contemporary issues, such as homosexuality, feminism, and Chabad moshichism.

While it's refreshing to read a charedi rav's perspective on these controversial issues (rather than the traditional approach of simply ignoring that issues exist), I still had serious issues with certain parts of the book. But this is what I expected for a book that promises to deal with controversial issues. For example, one of Rabbi Feldman's goals in writing the book was "to expose the vacuity of the Zionist ideology" (p. 3) while also demonstrating how the "religious community is a viable, flourishing society...filled with concern for one another" (p.14). In reading these two statements, I felt Rav Feldman was implying that being religious and Zionistic are not compatible.

A CALM RESPONSE TO A CALM VIEW

In response to Rav Feldman's book, Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, wrote an article in this month's Jewish Action.  The article is titled "Hands Across the Ocean: A Review of Rabbi Aharon Feldman’s The Eye of the Storm."

It turns out that the two rabbis have much in common.  Both studied in the same Baltimore yeshiva (in which Rav Lichtenstein fondly remembers "the chilling warmth of joint sledding in Druid Hill Park on Sunday afternoons") and both learned under Rav Yitzchak Hunter at Yeshivat Chaim Berlin.

THE PLEA FROM RAV LICHTENSTEIN
Despite a shared past, Rav Lichtenstein's prupose for writing the article was to bring to attention certain diffucltuies that he found in the book. Rav Lichtenstein is a leader in the religious Zionist world while Rav Feldman is a top charedi rov in the U.S., and their points of dissention could have been predicted. Rav Lichtenstein critique of the section of the book titled Zionsim is that he wonders: "...is it indeed desirable...to engage in a foray of utter denial of Jewish worth to what the Zionist enterprise...hath wrought?"   And in dealing with a contemporary feminist issue, Rav Lichtenstein bring sources to dispute Rav Feldman's statement that "“that the classic authorities agree unanimously that women are forbidden to wear tefillin.”

The conclusion of the article struck the deepest chord with me. As I mentioned above, Rav Lichtenstein remembers sledding with Rav Feldman as a youth. Rav Lichtenstein concludes by writing:

"That pair of juvenile prattling sledders is now well past seventy-five. It stands to reason and is, presumably, mandated by joint mission, that our worlds meet and attain mutual fruition. As we both painfully know, however, this occurs all too rarely. Must the walls that separate our communities and our institutions soar quite so high, the interposing moat plunge quite so deep? Shall we never sled again?"

WHAT'S NEXT
I currently live in Baltimore and have heard reports that Rav Lichtenstein's article has circulated throughout the Ner Israel beis medarsh.  Rav Feldman is purported to have drafted a response to Rav Aharon Lichtenstein's article, which will be published in the next Jewish Action. I look forward to reading it.

Negative Feelings Towards Aliyah

2010-03-16T01:33:00.005-04:00

"What are we seeing here? Jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs." - Rachel Berger, NBN

NEGATIVITY TOWARDS THE IDEA OF MOVING TO ISRAEL
The amount of people who have reacted negatively to my decision to make aliyah is overwhelming.

Take Susan S., who has lived in Israel for over 20 years. In response to a post that I wrote on a yahoo listserve, she stated: "I guess you're religious. I can't see why anyone would otherwise want to make Aliya these days. The situation here is pretty terrible from all points of view, and the only good thing is the weather in the winter." Her response was typical. Others responses wondered why I would move to a country that "Amenijad has in his sights" and they believed that "Israel has too many Americans anyways and besides, there are no jobs here." Similarly, one of my former rebbeim from yeshiva happened to be in town last week. He lives in Telstone, Israel and he called me mushugana, mentioning that many of his neighbors are unemployed.

In America, I have received similar luke-warm to outright pessimistic comments. An owner of a local kosher restaurant overheard my wife speaking about our decision to make aliyah. He interrupted her mid-sentence to tell her that he once made aliyah in the early 80s. He shouted - "In Israel, employers won't even give you enough money to cover basic needs!" He was appreciative that his aliyah failed so that his kids wouldn't have to go to the army.

ARE THERE REALLY NO JOBS IN ISRAEL?
The message I received on my pilot trip was drastically different. If my pilot trip was a novel, its theme would be similar to Jacob Richman's CJI webpage: "Reason #843,008 to make aliyah: There are jobs in Israel!." I met with Rachel Berger from Nefesh B'Nefesh's employment division in its large headquarters in Jerusalem. She went through various websites with job listings (such as Linked-In groups). As she went through each source of employment information, she would repeat the mantra: "What are we seeing here? Jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs."

By the way, the official NBN statistic is that 97% of NBN's olim find a job within their first year of living in Israel.

I also met with successful olim, like Goel Jasper, Paul Shindman, and Paula Stern, who immigrated to Israel years before and were successful in their careers. The official reason for meeting these olim was to spend 20 minutes to find out general information about particular careers in Israel. However, each meeting ended up being an intense session that took several hours. We discussed how they started in Israel, what their Israel experience has been like, and about how there are definitely jobs for Olim in Israel!

Most importantly, I met with a friend, David C., who made aliyah several years ago. David is my hero and in my mind, the epitome of the successful oleh. He could be the NBN poster child. He has worked diligently to make a name for himself in Israel in the field of internet marketing -- and he has been extremely successful. With David as an example, I see that it is possible to make it in Israel.

YOU HAVE TO TRY

Recently, Rabbi Gottlieb of Baltimore's Shomrei Emunah Congregation announced that he will be making aliyah to Israel. In a recent Shabbos drasha, he explained his reasons for making aliyah. He started by giving profuse thanks to the congregation for allowing him to be his Rav. He then proceeded to say that one might wonder why he would give up so much in chutz l'aretz to take such a risk for an uncertain future in Israel. His reply was he concluded - "It's Israel, we have to try...It's our home, we have to try."

I guess my reasons to moving to Israel are similar. Ostensibly, it is totally crazy that I am moving. I have a very decent job, my wife and I are both slated to receive promotions in the near future, etc. However, something inside both of us is screaming that we belong in Israel. Yes, it is risky. However, my wife and I both feel that we have to try to make it in Israel.

Hilarious! 10 Ways to Know Your Aliyah Is Successful.

2010-03-05T15:30:00.009-05:00

This list comes from Ilene Rosenblum and was written in the spirit of Purim. It's very funny. Ilene is an olah and an incredibly talented freelance writer and digital media developer. She has a very interesting blog, Aliyah L'Torah, which is worth following. Thanks, Ilene.

10 Ways to Know Your Aliyah Is Successful

Israeli culture can be difficult to adjust to, but it gets easier with time. Here are some signs that you are blending in well:

#10. You met your 70-year-old Shabbat host when she shoved you aside in order to get on the empty bus.

#9. Your chain-smoking sherut driver doesn’t stay in the lane, but, Baruch Hashem, he says Tehillim.

#8. All of your 5 sons carry a gun. And so does your rabbi.

#7. Your morning commute involves hitchiking.

#6. Your Russian is coming along nicely.

#5. You wear a winter coat and hat when it is 18 degrees C outside. Sandals, however, are appropriate in any weather, or during any lifecycle event.

#4. You were set up on a shidduch during a job interview.

#3. You have no problem using a storage closet as a dressing room even though it doesn’t have a mirror, or a door. The cab driver idling by the storefront will tell you if the clothes are mat’im.

#2. You have eaten schnitzel for breakfast.

#1. You really begin your grocery shopping once you’ve put your cart in the checkout line.

A commenter to Ilene's blog added another one:

"The men mending the roof opposite, when they heard me ‘kvetch’ about the rain “Gveret, zarich le’hagid Baruch Hashem le’kol ha’geshem” – and I’m not even sure they were Jewish !!"

Havel Havelim: The Purim Edition

2010-02-27T20:06:00.001-05:00

Check out the Purim edition of Havel Havelim!

Kumah.org Aliyah Revolution

2010-02-25T22:43:00.002-05:00

I received a really cool album in the mail today. It's from kumah.org and was free. It's called the Aliyah Revolution Album.

Per the note that was included in the album cover:

"The Aliyah Revolution Album" is not about making it in Israel. It is about having the strength to break out of the powerful gravitational pull of America and the other countries of the Diaspora. The purpose of the music collected here is to give you strength and inspiration in those moments when you need a reminder or a boost - when the exile is getting you down. Music is a powerful medicine to mend the broken spirit, and that is what our nation needs now more than ever - spirit! We need guts to wake up, to get up, to stop being afraid. This album is about the freedom of fearlessness and the wings to fly home.

Here is the youtube video advertisement for the album.

My Nefesh B'Nefesh Essay

2010-02-23T21:25:00.003-05:00

(We have returned from our pilot trip, and I really have so much to report, and to write about. However, all of my time for the past 2 weeks has been spent getting over pneumonia, and filling out the Nefesh B'Nefesh application that is due this week.

However, part of the Nefesh B' Nefesh application is a supporting statement (i.e. essay) on why you want to make aliyah. I thought I would include a draft of my essay here as a post. I am in the process of revising this essay and will repost when it's final)

The land and State of Israel have been pivotal in forming my Jewish identity.

Let me explain.

My grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. I grew up in her house and we always have been very close. She grew up in a wealthy home in Berlin and vividly remembers the horrific anti-Semitic tide that spread through Germany when she was a child. She remembers Kristalnacht, she remembers being called anti-Semitic names in school, and she remembers being present at the 1936 Olympics, watching Hitler march across the fields.

Growing up with my grandmother, there was a certain heaviness associated with being Jewish. In fact, she would never disclose her Jewish identity to outsiders, and my mother was trained to also be secretive about being Jewish. As a child, Judaism was presented as something to run away from, not something to embrace.

My perspective drastically shifted in 9^th grade after reading one book — “Exodus” by Leon Uris. Published in 1958, “Exodus” is the unbelievable story of the history of Zionism and the founding of the State of Israel, told through the eyes of fictional characters. I came to realize that my grandmother only presented half of the story to us. Yes, this horrible thing that is beyond words happened called the Holocaust. However, that is not the end of the story. The Jewish people would rise up again from the ashes to achieve amazing feats, particularly returning to their ancestral homeland. From that moment, I declared to my family and friends that I would one day live in Israel.

I would eventually fulfill this dream and come to Israel after college in the year 2000. While in Israel, I learned in several yeshivot. One summer, I decided to take a break from learning and became a madrich for an Israel touring program for college kids. While touring across Israel, I kept mysteriously bumping into this one madricha from a similar Israel trip. She and I decided that it was too much coincidence that we kept being in the same places at odd hours (dawn at Massada , midnight at the Kotel, etc) and began to date. 4 months later she was my “kallah” walking through the old city to our chupah the overlooked the Kotel.

As you can tell, Israel has always been a magical place for us, especially since it’s the place I met my wife. We ended up beginning our marriage in Israel as I continued my studies in yeshiva but we did not end up staying, mainly because there were not the resources that exist today, in terms of information about different communities to live in Israel and different professions for me to work in Israel, and therefore I was unable to bridge the gap between learning in an American yeshiva, and being part of Israeli society as a whole.

I can tell you honestly that we have regretted our decision to come back to America almost from the moment that we stepped off the airplane. Ever since then, living in Israel and dreaming of aliyah has been a commonplace topic in our home. However, a special trip last year is what endowed with this determined spirit that we will move back to Israel, and make a life there for us and our children!

Last year, serendipity led my wife and I to lead her high school class of 11th graders on a 2 week tour of Israel . The 2 week trip was simply magical. Armed with an emotional Israeli tour guide who clearly was madly in love with all aspects of the land, we first went to the North for a week. Oh, how magnificent the hikes were that we went on in the Galil and the Golan! And what a holy Shabbat we spent in Tzfat! The next week we went around Jerusalem and connected to the standard religious experiences, like the Burnt House in the whole city where a video reenacted the destruction of the second temple. At the end of the video, the protagonist, who was standing in the supposed recent ruins of the 2^nd temple looked into the camera and dramatically proclaimed: “One day I imagine that my people shall return here, with children once again playing in the streets.” We also went to Har Hertzel, where we paid respects to the fallen soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice so Jews could live in their homeland. For the grand finale, we marched in the Yom Yerushalime parade to the Kotel, remembering the great miracle of reclaiming Jerusalem in 1967.

At one point during the trip, I looked over to my wife and quietly said: “We must move back here. We can and we should be living here – so why aren’t we? Why watch history, when you be a part of it?” From that moment, our minds were set. We would be coming home.

Upon returning from our trip last June, I immediately started doing research to plan our pilot trip. We recognized that to make a successful aliyah for our entire family, we needed to look at the different communities, and see which would be the best match for us. I also wanted the opportunity to network for employment. So over the course of many months, I started to look into potential communities throughout the country, trying to be as thorough as possible. We knew what we wanted. A small, strong Torani community that is warm and friendly and has a presence of Anglos. The NBN and Kehillot Tehilla websites were indispensible for our research. Through the websites, we were able to start emailing communities all over Israel, in the North, in the South, in the middle of the country. I asked direct questions and got good replies for very helpful Olim. I would read the responses to my wife and slowly a list of 50 communities dwindled down to 8, mostly in the Jerusalem area. To prepare for the pilot trip, I also spent extensive time researching careers that I could enter. I posted on listserves, I called contacts, and I was in touch with NBN’s employment office. I also was able to meet with NBN when they came to Baltimore (Yishai Fleisher in June and Kim Ephrat in November).

Finally, after much work was completed, we departed our pilot trip. The trip was a success. We were able to make great employment contacts with professionals that I now consider as mentors, like Paul Schindman, Paula Stern, and Goel Jasper. More importantly, we saw the communities. We would start in the house of someone I had contacted over the internet, and then start going door to door to meet Anglo families. By the end of the week, we had narrowed down our list, either Maalei Adumin or Ramat Shilo. Finally, we were able to connect with the life of “olim,” to hear about difficulties and successes in aliyah, and receive invaluable advice. We also were able to be reacquainted with the differences between Israelis and America, in terms of negotiating, driving, and even in terms of the way elementary schools are run.

We are now back in Baltimore, submitting this application, with the goal of move to Israel this summer, which hopefully will be a good time for our children to transition. We are preparing for the move and taking the steps to move forward, like spending serious time improving our Hebrew, networking with jobs, etc. We are

very excited for the move!

(I took out from this post the section of the essay that had the pitch why we would like a grant, etc).

I would like to end with a sentiment of sincere gratitude to all of the employees and the organization Nefesh B’Nefesh. Yes, Nefesh B’Nefesh is amazing on the grand scale because it igniting a new resurgence of aliyah in North America. Beyond that, however, on a personal level, I have already gained so much. NBN has been the determining factor that has brought our aliyah from dream to reality. Thank you.

-Yisroel (and Tzivia) Reiss

(Now, I have to finish submitting the documents and then begins the waiting period until we hear a response)

Snow "State of Emergency" Best Thing to Happen

2010-02-10T13:50:00.002-05:00

Its official. At this point, this winter season has broken the record as Maryland's snowiest winter ever.

Its like Jadis, the White Witch, has come from Narnia and made it "always winter" here. We received 3 feet of snow (yes, thats right, 3 whole feet) over Shabbos and only a few days later, another foot and a half of white fluff is being deposited on my steps as I write this blog post. The Baltimore Sun is now reporting that two more snow storms are on its way for the following week.

Surprisingly, the result of all this snow in our lives has been positive. Sure, there has been some hysteria (my mother calls every few hours to make sure I'm okay) and rumors of unfortunate events have spread, where purportedly emergency personnel were unable to make it to a "scene" quickly enough to save a life. And in a more trivial matter, my wife had to wait over an hour to check out at the local supermarket yesterday before the beginning of the storm.

THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF A SNOW STORM

However, the real effect of these snow storms and self-proclaimed "state of emergency" has been positive. Mainly, the Jewish community here in Baltimore has come together like never before. Usually, with our houses spread out from each other, with having to drive to get anywhere, and with over 10 shuls within a convenient walking distance, I don't see my neighborhoods. Its not exaggerating to say that I only see my immediate next neighbor only several times a year.

This current snow storm has blocked the roads, making it treacherous to drive anywhere. So for the first time in a long-time, people are actually outside, walking places, and playing in the snow. While shoveling the snow in front of my house for over 2 hours, I was able to speak to BOTH neighbors and have real, meaningful conversations with them.

A COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER

More importantly, the community at large has come together to help each other. Baltimore is a big place. There are many neighborhoods with different demographics. On one end of Baltimore's frum community in the Park Heighs neighborhood, you have the old-time Ner Israel famlies, who remember when Rav Ruderman was Rosh Hayeshiva. In my neighborhood, its more young and modern, with fancier houses and cool L.A. guys. The separate communities usually don't interact with each other.

But now, we actually need each other. In one pre-recorded phone call that everyone in Baltimore's fum community received, the Chesed Fund is organizing to privately plow streets that the county was unable to get to. Another call offered to pick you up in a 4-wheel drive SUV if you needed to get somewhere but couldn't. And my wife went across the street to speak to old Mrs. Goldman, whom we have only spoke to once since we arrived here 5 years ago, to ask her if she needed us to pick up anything for her from the local grocery store.

The result of all of the above is that we are now closer to each other as a community that we have ever felt.

IN ISRAEL, ITS LIKE BEING PART OF ONE BIG FAMILY

It is reported that in Israel, its like living with one big family. That was my experience when I lived there and in a recent article that I wrote that will be published in next month's "Where, What, and When" magazine (about the trend of Rabbis making aliyah this year), several of the interviewees mentioned that they were looking forward to feeling that automatic sense of community in Israel. As Rabbi Breitowitz put it, "a child on a bus in Israel is everyone's child." In a previous post, I copied a story from "Aliyah Blog" called "Israelis stick together" about many people rushing to help one passerby whose bag broke in the Machane Yehuda marketplace. This is a commonplace type of occurrence there.

As you know, I am making aliyah this year, bezrat Hashem, and I look forward to being part of this "one" community again in Israel.

Am I Allowed To Move To Israel?

2010-02-03T13:28:00.011-05:00

(The following is a post from the blog Mystical Paths that I copied here. Its fantastic.)
----------------------
I received the following question from a reader...

How is it that you have/are promoting aliyah if (you know?) :
The Talmud explains That we have been foresworn, by three strong oaths, not to ascend to the Holy Land as a group using force, not to rebel against the governments of countries in which we live, and not by our sins, to prolong the coming of moshiach; as is written in Tractate Kesubos 111a.

Maimonides, Iggeres Teiman – Letter to Yemen
[Maimonides wrote this Letter to the Jewish Community of Yemen almost 1,000 years ago]
And as King Solomon knew with divine inspiration that the Jewish People would face the consequences of this and that suffering would come upon them, and warned the Jewish People not to do this (i.e. violate the Three Oaths), and in a metaphorical way made them swear not to commit these acts, as it is written in Song of Songs, 3,5: I made you swear Daughters of Jerusalem by the deer and gazelles of the field should you arouse or awaken love until it is so desired.
Therefore, you, dear brethren, must accept the Oath and do not attempt to arouse the love until the proper time when the Alm-ghty shall remember us and you with his trait of mercy to gather his portion from Exile to behold his glory at his holy Temple and redeem us from the Valley of the shadow of Death where he has placed us, thereby removing the darkness from our eyes and the fog from our hearts. He will then fulfill in our days and in yours the verse from Isaiah 9:1 The nation wandering in darkness shall see a great Light, and a Light shall shine on those residing in the land of the shadow of death. At that time G-d shall darken the eyes of all those who rise up against us, and fulfill the verse from Isaiah 9:2Verily darkness shall cover the land and fog shall cover nations, but the light of G-d shall shine upon you, and you shall display his honor.

---------------------
Reply: You picked one quote from the Gemora out of hundreds. Here's some others...

"In all times, a Jew should live in the Land of Israel, even in a city where most of the residents are idol worshippers, rather then outside the land, even in a city where most of the residents are Jews, because one who lives in Israel is considered as if he has a G-d and one who lives outside the Land is compared to one who has no G‑d" - Ketubot 110b (also Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Kings 5:12)

"Said the Almighty: A small group in the land of Israel is dearer to Me than a full Sanhedrin outside the Land." - Talmud Yerushalmi, Sanhedrin 86

"Jews who dwell outside the Land of Israel are idol worshippers in purity." - Avoda Zara 8

Rabbi Abba explained that the ultimate sign of the coming of the Moshiach is found in the verse: "But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches and yield your fruit for My people" (Yechezkel 36:8). "When the land of Israel becomes fertile again and produces fruit in abundance, then salvation is surely near at hand." Rashi: "Indeed, there cannot be a clearer sign than this." - Sanhedrin 98a

And here's some commentary on this subject...

"One should dwell in Israel even in a city where the majority are idolaters rather than in the Diaspora in a city which is inhabited completely by Jews. This teaches us that living in Israel is equivalent to [the performance of] all the commandments of the Torah." - Tosefta in Avoda Zara (5:2)

The people of Israel were exiled because they despised three things: the kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of the House of David, and the Beit HaMikdash. Rabbi Shimon ben Menassiya said, "Israel will not be shown a good sign until they return and seek out these three things." - Yalkut Shimoni 2:106 ...after living among the gentiles for close to 2,000 years, we have mingled with the nations and learned their ways. Most of today's Jews have absolutely no concept of Judaism. We cannot expect them to return and seek out the kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of the House of David, because they have no idea what these things are. Rather, what do they seek? Eretz Yisroel. - Eim Habanim Semeichah, HaRav Yisachar Shlomo Teichtal, hk"m 3,14.

"In the Diaspora, whoever increases its settlement (by establishing a home, business, etc) adds to the destruction of the worship of G-d. But in the Land of Israel this same work is considered a mitzvah since it settles the land." - The Chatam Sofer, on the Sukkah 36a and Yoreh Deah p. 136

It seems to me, in our present peaceful existence outside the Land of Israel, that we have found another Eretz Yisrael and Jerusalem; this to me, is the greatest, deepest and most obvious and direct cause of all the awesome, frightening monstrous, unimaginable destruction that we have experienced in the Diaspora." - Rabbi Yaacov Emden, (The Ya'avetz) in Siddur Beit Yaacov, p. 13

"If a Jew will forget his origin and true identity and consider himself a full-fledged citizen of the country of his exile… if he thinks that Berlin is Jerusalem…then a raging storm will uproot him by his trunk… the tempest will arise and spread it's roaring waves, and swallow, and destroy and spread forth without pity." - Rabbi Meir Simcha HaCohen, The Ohr Somayach, in Meschech Chochma, p. 191-192

"During the ingathering of the exiles (to Israel), a short time before the future Final Redemption, 'the heavens and earth will shake' (Chagai 2:6); 'This is a hint of the upheaval and confusion throughout the world. And in this place (the Land of Israel) I will give peace, says the L-rd of Hosts." - Abarbanel, Mashmiya Yishuah, Mivaser 13.

"You shall dwell in safety in your land" In your own land, you may dwell in safety, outside your land, there is no safety for you." - The Yalkut on Vayikra 25:18.

"If the Redemption were to occur in good, peaceful times, when quiet prevailed among peoples many of our Jewish brethren would not want to leave the Exile; for what would they be lacking there? …therefore, these calamities come upon us in order to awaken us to return to our Holyland." - HaKadosh Rabbi Yissachar Teichtal, Em HaBanim Semecha (english p.67-68) (written in Hungary 1944 under Nazi rule).

"Anyone who has the ability to come to Eretz Yisrael and does not, will have to account for his failure in the future world." - Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, HaIsh Al HaChoma vol. 2, p. 149.

"Wake up dear brothers, rise up and come to Zion while the gates are still open, and G-d forbid, do not remain with those who tarry, lest it be too late and you will cry out, but not be answered." - Rabbi Atiya zt'l, from his book, Lech Lecha.

Ramban, in his Mitzvot Aseh (LeDa'at HaRamban) quoted in the first volume of Rambam's Mishneh Torah, lists "Yeshivat Eretz Yisrael - settling in the Land of Israel" as one of the mitzvot aseh, the positive precepts of the Torah, whereas Rambam does not include it in his enumeration of mitzvot aseh. We can conclude that not only is it a positive Torah precept to live in Israel, as Ramban states, but also that living outside of Israel is considered a great spiritual danger. If so we are left with a serious dilemma. Now that there is a State of Israel, how do we explain our continued dwelling in America, and the other lands of the Diaspora? - Rabbi Yaakov Klass, a"h

Video: How did the Rambam come to be buried in Teveria, Eretz Yisroel?

The Ostrovtza Rebbe, Rabbi Meir Yechiel of Ostrovtza zt"l, wrote the following on Parshat Shemos (quoted recently by Rabbi Aviner in Eretz Yisroel)... "An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds, and he even drew water for us and watered the sheep" (Shemot 2:19) Moshe Rabbenu looked like an Egyptian. He dressed like an Egyptian, had an Egyptian haircut, an Egyptian beard and an Egyptian accent. He looked like an Egyptian from head to toe. But our Rabbis expressed somewhat of a criticism of Moshe Rabbenu. They state (Devarim Rabbah 2:8): "One who identifies with his land will be buried in the Land, and he who does not identify with his land will not be buried there." Yosef identified with the Land when he said: "For indeed I was kidnapped from the Land of the Hebrews" (40:15), and he was therefore buried in Shechem. But Moshe Rabbenu did not acknowledge the Land. When Yitro's daughters say to their father: "An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds," Moshe heard himself being referred to as an Egyptian and kept quiet. Based on this, our Sages conclude that since Moshe did not identify with the Land, he did not merit being buried there...

What did they want from Moshe Rabbenu? Yosef saying that he was from Eretz Yisrael made perfect sense: he was raised there. But Moshe was born and raised in Egypt! Was he expected to lie and say he was from Eretz Yisrael? Every Jew is obligated to see him or herself as from the Land of Israel. Even if he was born elsewhere – by historical error - he nonetheless belongs to the Land of Israel. A Jew should always say: I come from Eretz Yisrael! Rabbi Moshe from Kutzi, the author of the "Semag" and one of the Tosafot, would sign his name: "Moshe from the Exile of Jerusalem who is in France." It is true that I am in France, but I am from Jerusalem. When a Jew is asked: "Where are you from," he must therefore respond: I come from Eretz Yisrael.

I was once invited to a Brit Milah. When we sat down to eat, a man quickly ran into the hall and said: "When is the Brit Milah?" The participants told him: "It just ended. Mazel Tov!" He took a deep breath: "Oy vey, I missed it!" He sat down at the meal. I was sitting nearby and heard his conversation with the others.

- They asked him: "Where are you from?"
- He proudly said with a German accent: "From Frankfurt am Main!"
- I thought to myself: Poor guy, he came all the way from Frankfurt am Main to the Brit Milah and missed it by a few minutes… Everyone felt sorry for him.
- They asked: "What kind of work do you do?"
- He said: "I sell Sifrei Kodesh (holy books)."
- "In Frankfurt am Main?"
- "No, no. In Bayit Ve-Gan (a Jerusalem neighborhood)."
- ????
- "I live in Bayit Ve-Gan."
- "Didn't you just say that you are from Frankfurt am Main?"
- "Yes, yes. I live in Bayit Ve-Gan but I am from Frankfurt am Main!"...

He may live in Bayit Ve-Gan, but where is he really from? Frankfurt am Main! He breathes Frankfurt am Main, thinks about Frankfurt am Main and lives Frankfurt am Main.

Rav Aviner added, "This is how German Jews felt right before the Holocaust."

----------------------
(Akiva's comments...)

How did the Jewish people return to Israel? They did not come as a conquering army nor in force, rather they came in groups of tens and occasionally a few hundred, buying land and building homes and towns. Once in the Land, they defended themselves when attacked. This negates your first Gemora quote.

Do you daven towards Yerushalayim? Do you say Shemona Esrai for the rebuilding of Jerusalem? You do say Birkat Hamazon, for the rebuilding of Jerusalem? Do you pray for rain in the fall-winter and dew in the spring-summer, according to the seasons in Eretz Yisroel? Do you have a remembrance of the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash on the walls of your home (Shulchan Aruch)? Is Eretz Yisroel foreign to you, or a part of your life? How can you say Shema and not yearn for The Land?

Chassidus teaches us we must make a keli (a vessel) for a bracha. We may daven, meditate, and even focus upon the mystical kavanot of eating matzah on Pesach. But until we grow the wheat, grind the flour, mix the dough, bake the matzah, make a bracha and eat the matzah, not a single bit of our davening, meditation, or even kavanot penetrate _this world_. Since our task is to make this world a dwelling place for Hashem, we have not done ANYTHING until we _do_ SOMETHING.

The navi said the yidden would return from Bavel. Yet wings of angles didn't carry them, Ezra HaSofer and Nechemya led them. Neither the Mishkan, the first Beis HaMikdash, nor the second Beis HaMikdash descended from heaven. Stones were quarried, precious minerals mined, walls and implements built. And THEN obvious nisiim and the presence of Hashem revealed.

The Ethiopian Jews had a prophecy from one of their chachamim (sages) of generations past that they would arrive in Eretz HaKodesh on the wings of silver eagles. They came in El Al 747's. For them that was a miracle and fulfillment of the prophecy - and would you disagree?

The gathering of the exiles is in progress. Most of the small Jewish communities are gone or have a few elders remaining. Israel has Jews from 63 countries living here.

The question is how will the process finish? Will the remaining communities get a yearning to come, will their financial circumstances and the feeling of their neighbors suddenly change that they become uncomfortable and come (see quote by "John from Franklin" in the middle of the article, live on TV throughout the US), will they be chased out with only what they can carry, or (G-d forbid) will they be among those lost?

The Holy Zohar has much to say on the matter. In essence though it says either those who come before the final gathering will receive 10-100 times the reward, and/or those who don't come will fall during the destruction of the nations of the world that attack Israel.

We're Jews, we don't RELY upon nisiim (miracles). We have a mitzvah to settle the Land and to build the Beis HaMikdash. We have to do our physical part in this physical world. If the physical world prevents us, then we can ONLY turn to HaKodesh Baruch Hu. But when the physical world ALLOWS us, what argument do we have for not doing so???

Ok, right now we can't build the physical building of the Beis HaMikdash. We certainly can prepare the materials (like Dovid HaMelech)! We certainly can settle the Land! We certainly can learn the halachos and practice the actions!

Is Eretz Yisroel important to us, or isn't it? Yiddishkeit is intimately tied throughout to Eretz Yisroel. Can we stand before our Father in Heaven and say "well, yeah, you created circumstances where we could settle, yeah, you created circumstances where economic conditions were decent, yeah, you created circumstances where Torah was flourishing, but we were waiting for You to move us." ???

Ok, you respond "the Rebbe knew the Zohar and also talked about it" and didn't encourage aliyah. That is certainly true. The Rebbe sent his chassidim out with mesiras nefesh - self sacrifice, to save the Jewish people spiritually. They gave up their isolated enclave to come in contact with all kinds of influences to help try to save the vast majority of the Jewish people. He pushed his chassidim out, to put aside their learning, to put aside their time with their rebbe, in some cases to put aside the conveniences of modern life and any availability of Jewish support (kosher meat, milk, wine, bread, etc) to try to save even one single Jew from being lost to the ways of the world. Who is to say the rewards for this tremendous sacrifice will not be even greater?

But for the Jewish people as a whole, there is no divorcing ourselves from the Holy Land. Certainly, and unfortunately not in positive ways, Jews the world over are beginning to understand that whatever happens in Israel affects the Jewish people everywhere.

You also ask, "but what should one do if one doesn't have a profession that translates well to Israel, or elderly sick parents one must care for, or children of the ages that make the transition very difficult? Some rabbaim and gedolim advise not to come." Plan. Prepare. If you can't come now, plan for when you can. Do your part, and at the same time DAVEN for Hashem to make it possible for you. A mitzvah in progress is counted as a mitzvah! (We have friends and former neighbors arriving on the 10th of this month, they worked on coming for 10 years. And this year their plans finished and here they come.)

What if you're out doing something for Klal Yisroel...a Chabad house, a yeshiva teacher, a tzedakah upon which people rely? Your mesiras nefesh is great and should reward you...as long as you remember that's what it is and don't forget the Land.

Those among Chabad and among the mekubalim (the kabbalists) may quote something from the path of the Baal Shem Tov and brought down in Chabad chassidus...

A chassid once asked the Tzemach Tzedek (3rd Lubavitch Rebbe) whether he should settle in the Holy Land so that he could devote his life there to Torah study and the service of G-d. The Tzemach Tzedek replied, "Make this place Eretz Yisrael."

The Tzemach Tzedek's response conveys more than a reply to the chassid's question about his personal future. For us, its meaning extends far beyond the question of whether one should live in Eretz Yisrael. Instead of being seen only in that limited context, it should also be understood as alluding to the path through which all the members of our people, whether in the diaspora or in Eretz Yisrael, can come to a true and complete appreciation of our Holy Land.

What is Eretz Yisrael? -- A place where G-dliness, holiness, and Yiddishkeit are openly revealed. In an ultimate sense, this will be realized in the Era of the Redemption when the Beis HaMikdash will be rebuilt and the observance of all the mitzvos associated with the holiness of the land will be restored. Furthermore, 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 this observance.

This is the meaning of the directive, "Make this place Eretz Yisrael." Every individual ought to draw G-dliness 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 contemporary experience, to give actual expression to the concept that there is nothing in this world which is apart from G-d.

One could see this as Chabad's ultimate objective...make the whole world Eretz Yisroel. There is certainly something to this. But in this day and age, when the physical Eretz Yisroel is within reach, we can do both. Connect with the Land physically, and make our place holy spiritually.

A Spiritual and Halachic Guide to Making Aliyah

2010-02-02T10:01:00.017-05:00

(Here is the information for a new book on the halachos of making aliyah and and below is review from Arutz Sheva)

Oleh Chadash
The New Immigrant to Israel

A Spiritual and Halachic Guide to Making Aliyah

Rabbi Mordechai Friedfertig – former Rabbi of Kehillat Ohr Tzion in Buffalo, NY, and now spreading Ha-Rav Shlomo Aviner's Torah for Yeshivat Ateret Yerushalayim and living in Ma'ale Adumim - has authored a new book on halachot, customs and insights relating to all stages of making aliyah. "Oleh Chadash" – A Spiritual and Halachic Guide to Making Aliyah is a single, 2-sided volume (175 pages) with the full text in both English and Hebrew. Many of the halachot and insights are based upon the teachings of Ha-Rav Aviner.

"Oleh Chadash" is the perfect handbook for anyone who is contemplating, making or surviving aliyah, any Oleh Vatik, or anyone who simply loves Eretz Yisrael.

The cost of the book is 50 shekels in Israel and $15 outside of Israel(shipping included).

Special Deal – Anyone who purchases "Oleh Chadash" can receive for an additional 30 shekels or $10 another book by the author, "Kum Hithalekh Ba-Aretz" – a guide to the halachot of traveling in the Land of Israel (389 pages). This book is in Hebrew.

Book in Review: Spiritual & Halachic Guide to Making Aliyah

Ever wonder why there is no blessing for fulfilling the mitzvah of Aliyah to Israel? How about at least Shehecheyanu? What’s the status of someone who plans to make Aliyah – but has not yet done so? What about leaving family behind?

These and other questions, and mainly their answers, are the backbone of a new book by a new immigrant to Israel, Rabbi Mordechai Friedfertig, a former rabbi of Kehillat Ohr Tzion in Buffalo, NY.

The book’s bi-lingual title - Oleh Chadash, The New Immigrant to Israel – mirrors the structure of the book itself; half of it is in English, and the other half in Hebrew. It features Jewish laws, customs and insights relating to all stages of taking the major step, in Patriarch Abraham’s footsteps, of leaving one’s birthplace and moving to the Land that G-d has chosen.

Many of the insights are based upon the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem and a teacher of Rabbi Friedfertig who disseminates his lessons.

Asked why he wrote the book, Rabbi Friedfertig explained to Israel National News, “I wrote it right before our own Aliyah, when I had a lot of these issues on my mind. I began writing it on Yom Haatzmaut (Israel Independence Day), and I felt that it just came directly out of my soul.”

“The book begins with an essay about the Talmudic Sage Rabbi Zera,” the author said, “whose Aliyah to the Land of Israel – fought with difficulties, including the objections of his teacher, 100 days of fasting in order to forget what he learned outside the Land, etc. – often parallels our own experiences.”

Israel National News: “What do you say to those who say that we have no obligation to bring the Messiah and therefore we might as well stay where we’re more comfortable?”

Rabbi Friedfertig: “Actually, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook said that the opposite is true: The sign that the Messiah is on his way is when people desire to come home to the Land of Israel… As far as the obligation to live here, some rabbis say there is no obligation, but rather only a fulfillment of a mitzvah if you come. Many, such as the late Rabbi Avraham Shapira, say this is not true. But even if it’s just a chumrah (a stringency), then why would this be the only chumrah that is not kept? People wear four-corned garments in order to be obligated in tzitzit (ritual fringes); is the Land of Israel any less important? Even the Satmar Rebbe wrote that every good deed here is worth twice as much as outside the Land – and the Chafetz Chaim says it’s worth 20 times as much!”

"Oleh Chadash" is billed as “the perfect handbook for anyone who is contemplating, making or surviving aliyah… or who simply loves Eretz Yisrael.” For purchase information, send email to mororly@bezeqint.net.

(Source: Arutz Sheva)

Shlock Rock: Walking In Eretz Yisrael

2010-02-01T15:30:00.000-05:00

It Takes Less Money To Live in Israel

2010-01-28T11:55:00.001-05:00

(The following is from Breslov.org)

One of the things that really kills me, now that I’m living in Eretz Yisroel, is how much money I had in the UK, that I wasted on nonsense. We were tremendously in debt in the UK. Even though I had my own high-earning business and my husband was a lawyer, we still spent far more than we earned every month.

Some of our indebtedness came from little things like a Starbucks coffee every day on the way to work; or eating out two and even three times a week (because I was usually far too busy working to cook anything from scratch…). Other bits of it came from having a tremendously massive mortgage, and childcare costs that were through the roof.

Thank G-d, we gave a lot of tzedeka, so it wasn’t all wasted. And I never drove a fancy car, or spent tons on holidays. Once a year, we spent 10 days in the holy land – and thank G-d, as a result, we got to the point of yearning to spend 365 days a year here. So that definitely wasn’t wasted.

But there was so much money spent on expensive ‘designer’ clothes that never got worn; expensive face creams and other lotions and potions that didn’t really do what they said on the bottle; expensive household furnishings and furniture that at this point in my life, seems either to have been left behind, lost or broken.

With hindsight, I can see just how much money we (I) squandered.

I simply didn’t have an adequate ‘vessel’ for all the bounty Hashem was giving to me, and instead of the money being a force for good, in many respects it was damaging. Not so much or so obviously to me and my husband, although I definitely took far too much for granted and appreciated very little. But we both grew up in homes where money was often tight, and we often had to make do with very little.

But my kids weren’t growing up in a home like that, and it showed. It showed in the way they left their pricey books and toys all over the floor – if something got ruined, I simply bought a replacement. It showed in the excessive amount of clothes they both had (and didn’t really appreciate having). It showed in the lack of satisfaction that seemed to permeate everything we did. If we bought one scoop of ice-cream, it had to be two. If we bought two books, it had to be three. If we bought red shoes, they had to be green. You get the idea.

And back in the UK, it didn’t even cross my mind that it could be different. That’s just how kids are, I thought to myself. Now, I realise that that is just how kids are when they are spoiled rotten.

Today, Hashem has sent my husband a good job (thanks Hashem!) and paid off the majority of our ‘chutz l’aretz’ debts. But the remaining debt and the many bad spending habits that we (I) acquired over time means that we are still struggling to make ends meet.

So I’ve been following the English instalments of ‘Garden of Bliss’ on Breslev Israel avidly, and my husband is reading the Hebrew original, to see what else, what more, we need to work on, pray for, change, in order to get our books to balance.

We really need a miracle to pay off our remaining debt and stay out of debt while still being able to buy the things we need. Luckily, Hashem has already sent us a few ‘financial miracles’, so I know that they can and do happen when the time is right.

For example: Hashem helped us pay off a large chunk of debt by forcing us to sell our house in the wrong neighbourhood; He arranged for a friend to buy my husband’s (failed) business for the VAT number, paying exactly the amount he needed to clear the debt; He arranged for me to get a last contract which paid off almost exactly the amount of debt I needed to clear in order to get free of my (failing) business; and even now, He sends us unexpected bonuses and pay outs at just the critical time, to make up the outstanding payments on our remaining debt in the UK and ‘minus’ here in Israel.

So I know that when the time is right, everything will fall into place, financially. We just need to keep on praying, to keep on learning better spending habits, and to keep on developing an adequate vessel to actually hold Hashem’s bounty.

And in the meantime, I’ve noticed some tremendous pluses that have come about from having tight finances. For me personally, I’m now so much more grateful for everything I buy, whether it’s a box of cereal, a chicken or a new t-shirt – things that I barely registered in the UK, even if they cost me a fortune.

I cook nearly everything from scratch now, which as well as being cheaper, is also much healthier. As a family, we’ve stopped wasting food – very few leftovers now get chucked away, whereas in the past, very few leftovers ever got eaten. It no longer takes me weeks to catch up on the washing, because of all the tons of clothes; life is just so much more simple, satisfying and uncluttered all round.

And my kids. Well, the change in my kids is also nothing less than miraculous. They are so grateful for everything they have. They are so contented. Their list of ‘must haves’ has shrunk to practically nothing, and they are so sincerely happy with even the smallest gift, present or token.

They hardly ever complain; and they have learned the difference between things that they really need, and things that they really want. What a tremendous gift Hashem has given them!

So I have many, many reasons to thank Hashem for squeezing our finances. I, too, have realised that not only can I live without many things I thought were absolute necessities, but that I’m actually happier with less.

Less dishes to wash up; less ‘gadgets’ taking up space in the kitchen and living room; less closet space needed for clothes no-one wears; less ironing etc etc.

And more. More time spent with my kids talking, instead of shopping. More time spent as a family around the supper table. More pleasure from the simple things in life.

As our sages say, “Who is rich? He who is really happy with his lot.” I never thought I’d be so happy to struggle financially. But when I remember the alternative, and the real cost of being ‘well off’, I thank Hashem from the bottom of my heart that here in Eretz Yisrael, we don’t have a lot of spare cash or luxuries, but we do have a wealth of happiness, gratitude and appreciation. And that’s priceless.

(Source: Breslev)