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Our Aliyah Push, Pull and Jump

Rabbi Aaron
Feigenbaum

e have always been a Israeli society. Again for halachic and
Zionistic family. We have historically illustrative purposes, Rabbi
talked about Aliyah at every Ovadia Yosef (Yechave Da’at 5:57) uses
W major turning point in this reasoning to justify all forms of
our lives and we consciously decided shlichut leaving Israel to strengthen
to stay in the States, but now we’re Torah life in chutz la’aretz. At our second
making Aliyah. I think that our Aliyah inflection point, we decided to move to
journey seen through halachic lenses Memphis as shlichim.
represents millennia of Jews’ yearning After 8 years in Memphis, we were
and struggling with Aliyah. again looking to move our family. In
When we first got married, Malki Memphis we found the out of town in making Aliyah and living in Israel
and I discussed moving to Israel. I environment and attitude we were exempts us from the mitzvah. While we
was studying for semichah at Yeshiva looking for. We loved our time there, are not as nervous about the journey
University and Malki was in the but we underestimated how far we that Tosafot would have been, we are
middle of a joint degree program would feel from our family. Tashbetz quite nervous about bringing our kids
between Stern and FIT. We decided at (3:288) allows leaving Eretz Yisrael to half-way around the world with the
that time that we would stay in the fulfill kibud av v’em, and at inflection difficulties of learning a language and
States so that Malki could finish her point number three we pushed off finding their place in new schools and
college degree. This decision perhaps Aliyah to live closer to family. foreign social structures.
mirrored the Gemara in Avodah Zarah Looking back, we had three moments Halachah aside, what has been most
(13a) which allows a kohen to leave Eretz in our life when we talked seriously remarkable to me in the past few
Yisrael to study Torah. The Gemara about making Aliyah. Each time we weeks since we told our community
explains that דֹומ ְל ִל ם ָד ָא ה ֶכֹוז לֹ ּ כ ַה ן ִמ ןי ֵא, decided, using the same rationales that we’re making Aliyah has been the
not everyone can learn everywhere or that many Jews have historically used, number of people that have told us that
from anyone, and it is permissible to not to return to Israel. Which brings they are jealous of us, that they don’t
leave Eretz Yisrael for a better learning us to the present. We see our children have the courage we have, that they
environment. At our first inflection growing and we realize that if we don’t wish they were coming too. I guess
point, we decided that we would stay go now our window of bringing all of there always will be acceptable reasons
in Manhattan to finish school. our kids with us could close. Our delays, not to return, but the Jewish soul feels
When we both finished schooling, each one of them justified, could cost a pull to Israel, we can subconsciously
me with semichah and a Masters in us the dream altogether. And so we are hear Hashem knocking at the door.
Education, and Malki with degrees dropping everything, a little too much There have historically always been
in Studio Art and Millinery, we were like Avraham Avinu and Sara Imeinu, Jews who jumped across the sea of
ready for our next step as a family. without an exact sense of where we’re uncertainty and halachic leniency
There were two ideas which were going, but like they did, we’re heading because they knew that the destiny
motivating us at the time; we wanted home. of the Jewish people is in the Land of
to be giving members of society and We still have some planning days in Israel. For us, it’s our fourth chance to
we thought that living out of town which I say to myself that Rambam be a part of it and we’re jumping in.
would provide an environment for (Melachim 5:9) allows one to leave Israel
raising our children more in line with to earn a living. We have steady income Rabbi Aaron Feigenbaum is the Rabbi of the
our goals. We pushed off Aliyah at in New York and total uncertainty Irving Place Minyan in Woodmere NY and the
that stage because I felt that I could about providing for ourselves in Israel. Rav Bet Sefer at HAFTR in Lawrence, NY. He,
contribute more as a rabbi in America I tell myself that Tosafot (Ketubot his wife Malki and their six children, will be
than I could contribute anywhere in 110b) argues that the danger involved making Aliyah in August 2022.

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