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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.



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