Page 5 - HaMizrachi Pesach 5781 Australia

TORAT MIZRACHI

Rabbi Elie and Dr. Rebecca Mischel

Go Home Jacob

hen we married 16 years On a deeper level, turning 40 this year There are times when G-d speaks
ago, we were on the “five- strikes us as an opportune time to take through Prophets, but there are also
Wyear aliyah plan.” Rebecca the leap. The Mishna in Pirkei Avot times when the words of those Prophets
would get her doctorate and Elie would teaches that “with the age of 40 comes are written on subway walls and tene-
finish law school, because it was real- understanding.” Bnei Yisrael achieved ment halls, when G-d’s message reaches
istic for an American to practice cor- a new level of understanding of life as us from the most unlikely places. “Go
porate law in Israel. We had our plan! they entered the Land after 40 years of home Jacob, go home!” Watching this
But as we soon learned, life was more wandering in exile – a transformation scene unfold in Minneapolis, we heard
an echo of similar words uttered thou-
complicated than our plan. Elie wasn’t we hope to experience ourselves. sands of years ago, to the original Jacob.
satisfied with corporate law and began At the same time, our decision to make
exploring assistant rabbi positions. aliyah is based on more than purely After living in exile for 20 years in
Before we knew it, we were pursuing personal considerations. In the last Lavan’s house, Ya’akov was confronted
a different dream, and living a deeply two years alone, we’ve seen a spate of by an angel of G-d: “I am the G-d of
meaningful life as a community Rabbi antisemitic attacks in America, from Beit-El, where you anointed a monu-
ment, where you vowed to Me a vow.
and Rebbetzin. Between long-term extremists on both the left and the Now arise, leave this land and return to
projects, lifecycle crises, and the day- right. Never before has our community the Land of your birthplace” (Bereishit
to-day intensity of work and family life, felt so vulnerable, and so afraid to speak 31:13). “Go home Jacob, go home!”
the aliyah dream slowly moved to the its mind. Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, in
backburner of our consciousness. an oft-quoted passage, explains that we It cannot be said enough that we are
are experiencing a pattern of events that living in miraculous times; that we are
When we shared our aliyah plans with has repeated itself throughout our exile: blessed to witness events our great
the Livingston community, we were grandparents could only dream of. It is
astounded by the reaction. The vast “For the thousands of years that swept awe-inspiring to play our small role in
majority of the congregation reacted in over the diminutive nation, so weak fulfilling the great hope of the Jewish
the same way: “We wish we were going and helpless, it was the way of Divine people: “Sound the great shofar for our
too!” Rav Ya’akov Moshe Charlap writes Providence that they would rest for close liberty, and raise a banner to gather
that “the nature of a Jew is opposed to to a hundred or two hundred years. our exiles, and gather us together from
exile, and is constantly seeking ways to Afterwards, a storm wind would emerge the four corners of the earth…” May
leave exile and return to the root of his and give rise to many waves; it would we merit to soon see all of our people
nature” (Mei Marom, Volume 6, Chap- destroy, decimate… and it would remind return home, in joy and celebration!
ter 57). them with a raging sound and an earth- This article is reprinted courtesy of the
quake: “You are a Jew. Who made you
Still, why now? Why give up meaningful into a man? Go for yourself to a Land Yeshiva University Benjamin and Rose
jobs that we both love and are deeply you do not know...” (Meshech Chochma, Berger Pesach To-Go 5781, www.yutorah.
grateful for to make aliyah this summer? Vayikra 26:44). org/togo/pesach.
The answer is multilayered.
At a protest this past spring, Jacob Frey,
With children already in high school, we the Jewish mayor of Minneapolis, was
feel the clock is ticking. In a few years, speaking with a crowd of angry protes- Rabbi Elie Mischel is the Rabbi of Congre-
our older children will be graduating tors. The crowd began to scream at the gation Suburban Torah in Livingston, NJ.
high school and leaving home. Though mayor, over and over again: “Go home
we are far from old, our window for Jacob, go home!” Defeated, Jacob Frey Dr. Rebecca Mischel is the Director of Guid-
ance at The JEC Lower School in Elizabeth,
making aliyah together as a family is slowly walked away with his head down. NJ. They will be making aliyah with their
closing. “Go home Jacob, go home!” family this summer.

| 5