Day 25 of the Omer
This blog post was inspired by a discussion in the comment section of a popular Jewish geulah blog. In that discussion, one of the commenters coined the term "aliyah bullying" in reference to a different commenter who was promoting and encouraging aliyah for Diaspora Jews. I decided to address this issue here rather than at the blog in question because it raises some issues that are much broader than one single blog community.
This term "aliyah bullying" is evidence of the strained relations that exist over the topic of aliyah between Israeli Jews and many Diaspora Jews. As the blog's author put it...
It's a sad fact that those of us outside of Israel feel intimidated by these kind of comments on various blogs. I'm fed up with all the nonsense about another holocaust etc.... the [L]ubavitcher Rebbe and many more have told us there will not be another holocaust G-d forbid, and we know anti semitism will again rear it's ugly head before Moshiach..... I'm happy to see people standing up for their rights to live outside of Israel, for many and varied reasons we cannot make ALiyah and don't believe there is a need to. I'm not giving advice here, just defending our rights to live our lives and not be attacked because we can't jump on the next plane to Yerushalayim. Well done to everyone who has made Aliyah, you are very fortunate to be living in Israel, but spare a thought for those who have tried and failed and had to return home to the diaspora just to survive, and for those who can't even consider it for so many reasons.Earlier in the discussion, the aliyah "bully" was asserting that even many of the popular internet rabbis are promoting aliyah, to which someone replied...
"Most truly frum people do not go online much.... and Hashem for sure likes that. And there's no reason for them to die a more horrific death just because they were únaware' of Hashem's plans due to their refraining from internet usage!That was a bit shocking to me because it tells me that anyone making such an argument must be completely unaware of how many times and how many ways our Torah and prayers promote aliyah on a daily basis. Presumably, the "most truly frum people" would be better informed on this subject than anyone relying on internet rabbis in any case.
Granted, there really are Jews who yearn with all their hearts to make aliyah, but who, at the present time, are really unable to do so. But, I doubt this thought would ever cross the mind of any one of them: "I'm happy to see people standing up for their rights to live outside of Israel...don't believe there is a need to." The vast majority of Diaspora Jews feel the way the blog author does and I commend her on her honesty. It's much better than laying the blame on HKB"H and implying that our own failure of faith is instead His failure to provide, chas v'chalilah! Free will demands that we must first desire the Land of Israel and then, HKB"H will respond by providing the means and the way. The vast majority of Jews who live outside the Land of Israel do so because they simply don't want it and therefore, they may even be relieved to find they see no way towards making that happen.
I used to be an "aliyah bully" for the same reason this one is: I cared deeply for Am Yisrael and looked forward to the day when we would all be united in our homeland like we were after leaving Mitzrayim. I thought they just needed information and encouragement and I was more than happy to provide both. But I was cured of that, both by the surly rejections of many of the brethren and by something a very respected rabbi said on the subject. I wish I could recall who, but I vividly recall his words: "It is forbidden to run after people." Now, I try only to discuss this topic with those who approach me about it and ask for assistance.
In addition, I have made the following information available by having it pinned on the right column of my own blog: ALIYAH
One final remark, if I may. Those of us who have succeeded in making aliyah to Eretz Yisrael do not have fortune to thank for it, but HKB"H, Who will do the same for anyone who can find it in his heart and mind to put ALL his faith and trust in Him!
It helps to keep in mind that it is not a question of do we have to make aliyah, but do we get to make aliyah!
I'll end here with a blessing and a request...
May every real Jew in this generation merit to get to make aliyah safely in the nearest future. Amen.
A Jew who rejects Eretz Yisrael by choice is like an unfaithful wife who tells her husband she wants to be married but prefers to live in her lover's home.
ReplyDeleteKol haKavod. Very nicely put. Aliyah is a Mitzvah, and if one declares that s/he “prefers” to live outside our Yerusha of Eretz Yisrael, s/he is negating a mitzvah and might be classified a kofer, one who denies the Torah. They do not really understand why HaShem took us out of Mitzrayim, gave us the Torah, and told us to enter Eretz Yisrael, and live by the Mitzvos. Thus is the unhealthy estrangement from our Torah.
ReplyDeleteDevash, this issue could not have come during a better Parsha, Behar, “when you come into the Land. . . .”
ReplyDelete“For the Land to which you come, to possess it – it is not like the land of Egypt that you left …. It is a land … that Hashem, your G-d seeks out. The eyes of Hashem, your G-d, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to year’s end.” (Dvarim 11:10-12) ”
Accept the Diaspora is reading Emor this week. It begins with: "Let no [priest] defile himself [by contact with] the dead among his people,...." The Diaspora has been called Jewry's Graveyard by no less than Rabbi Dr. Yehoshua Kemelman, M.A., Ph.D., D.Litt., the former Head of the Beth Din of Australia and New Zealand and Rabbi of the Sydney Central Synagogue,
DeleteBs''d
DeleteI was not able couple of days be on the net...
and saw an email...someone calling me a Aliyah terorist...
In the begining i had no idea what it means...until slowly i realized...wow....yud shvat people...then i saw this post..
what should we do???let them???they will die!
What to do???you and i know whats going to hppen!
Can we prevent it this time, and let the shvat yud be with us and reach the goal???
Anyone of you can write in English to TRUMP to get them out??
Are they Jewish???
I don't get it...!!
Besides, why would anyone want to live in a nation of Esau?
ReplyDeleteJews there have become very spoiled, cold, endulged in their materislism and money, it is just like what happened in the awful haskalah in Europe:
First, they joined and kept their Judaism and later on, detached slowly slowly and started going against Torah, against shabbat, the sons and daughters do not grow up with a Jewish and loving heart, many grow up pious, we take our enemies as our allies, we think truth is lies and lies is truth, many look spoiled and endulged, people do not pray with feelings like before, we know that the worst part is how the youth are always the first ones to fall and every next generation is more victim to the golden calf like how Jewry in haskalah Europe was nearly wiped-out in 2 generations and started infecting Jewry in Arabian nations..
But the Nazis were a blessing in disguise and because of them, new generation of golden Jews were born who came back to their roots and truth mostly in Israel and those who came to America as well but America with their taref culture spoiled them and rotted them and this is why many Jews are becoming cold, endulged in materislism and money, have forgotten how to pray and learn with feelings, have forgotten how to cry, this is a continuation of the awful haskalah in a new form provided by Esau but edom will get their day now and oh boy is Esau in for a very huge and painful downfall in his nations and how he will be swallowed by the nations of the world like the Arabs, blacks, and even Latinos in America based on the enemies that he made and people that he oppressed and criticized (karma)
And Jews think that their money will protect them but we all know that money loses its value when there is war and the war that is now coming in civilized nations will be edoms last and most painful to his existence and payback for what he has done to the Jews and the world.
So considering the situation, it is better for Jews to leave the nations of edom and come straight to the land of Israel., not the zionist state, the land of Israel, leave the gashmiut behind, live simple and modest, rebuild their communities with Torah, love, respect and honor, never desire the material and money life and it will not help those who are not willing to detach and sacrifice but the erev rav merushaim will never want to join us and are willing to throw everything away just to be part of the world, the material and money life of thievery and deception so there is a good side to it and those erev rav who now leave us will never come back and will never desire to return to us so good riddens and we are seeing more and more now who is erev rav and the numbers are growing based on their desires, their feelings and additudes towards Jews, their brazen excuses, their hate for Torah and prayers, their lies and deception, how they create problems and end up leaving the Jewish world, how they leave religion and go against the Torah and other Jews, we must all come to Israel, throw away the luxuries and desires of edom, promote and strengthen Torah and mitzvot, kindness, help our fellow Jews in need and the erev rav will run away from us and assimilate with the nations.
"Karma" in Hebrew is midah k'neged midah. And while I appreciate most of your sentiments, J m, I think you go to far by saying "the Nazis were a blessing in disguise." Did Hashem bring good out of the tragedy, yes, but it is going to far to call what they did a "blessing."
ReplyDeleteIn a way it was more gruesome but the haskalah was more tragic and gruesome than the nazi beasts because the haskalah was a spiritual poison and the Nazis were a torture device and fear and death cleansed there hearts..
ReplyDeleteThe haskalah was longer, sedating poisonous murderer, took far more Jews in its grip and made almost all of them lost and destroyed many families and communities to wither away.
The Nazis were gruesome and brutal but way better than the haskalah which assimilated Jews and created desolent synagogues and former relics
But I agree that they were horrid but good came out of it
As the person on the other blog who coined the term "aliya bully," I have to say that you are the classic. You know for a fact that it is gashmius keeping us all in galus? How arrogant of you! Hashem doesn't like arrogance, by the way. I do not live in luxury. I am not wealthy. We are lucky to get by week to week. BH we live in a warm home with food and running water. It is NONE OF ANYONE'S BUSINESS WHY I CAN'T right now make aliya but trust me, I CAN'T. I ache to. I don't "get to" right now. I don't even get to make plans for it right now. Those of us who can't are hurt greatly by comments like yours. Be careful with your words.
ReplyDeletedear sister, wait for the miracle. It's coming
DeleteBs''d
DeleteRachel, you see what Efraim Yochanan wrote:
DEAR SISTER!
That's the reason!
You are part of us, so long there i hope!
And that's the reason why it is our business why you can't come, so we can pray for, straight to ABBA! Some of us might have the means to help, some of us might have the warmt in heart to really ask for help. Why?
13=AM ECHAD+13 HASHEM ECHAD=26 AHAVA!
Dear sister, you must connect the CHELEK HASHEM with ERETZ YISRAEL.
No Rabbi can do that for you.
Connect!
THE MIND FIRST=IMAGINE YOURSELF HERE
THE SPEECH=EVEN OUTSIDE OF ERETZ YISRAEL THE CHILD OF HASHEM HAVE THE POWER OF SPEECH!
===SAY IT! say it with Emuna!!!! I will be and live in ERETZ YISRAEL! ( how do you think i am here????)
And then, find a way to connect...
I went in a very weird emergency situation to HEVRON to pray for my daughter. I was just couple days for EMERGENCY in ERETZ YISRAEL! I did not pay my fly ticket...someone else did!!!
I prayed for my daughter and my baby get lost...
decided to 'PRAY' more close to the AVOT VE IMAHOT...
O BOY!!
That prayer was about us being able to come back!!!
I found my baby screaming to Hashem.
The baby did not wanted to stay outside of Yisrael without SISTER that helped the baby to be born!
Read this again...!
The baby screamed to Hashem at HEVRON! Not wanting to stay outside...It was a holiday??? NO!!!
This is a true story. You must believe!!!
Even if the whole world laugh at you...you must believe!!!
Its not about this world...you know that, right??
Please save yourself!
We want to help you do that!!
We are you...
Bs''d
ReplyDeleteAmen to the blog post!
To J m: There is no excuse under the sun for any 'Jew' to use the words 'blessing in disguise' for the horrific shoah where holy and innocent neshamot were taken to their deaths in the most vile and horrific way; true holy Jews who lost their closest members of their families, etc. H' yikom damam! They will be also one of the first to return for they died on kiddush H'. Use your words wisely. We do not understand the ways of H' and whatever He does is out of a goodness which we don't understand but that was the way for our nation to come back home. Because of that catastrophe even the nations had to give in and allow us to reclaim our Homeland. Why it had to be that way is only for H' to know. When Moshiach comes, we will have answers to our questiona.
ReplyDelete