“Economic Difficulty”- the Most Common Excuse for Not Making Aliya
Part I
In many cases, Aliya to Israel involves lowering the standard of living. How much does one need to lower their standard of living in order to fulfill the commandment of living in Israel?
For many, this most basic question will formulate their decision whether to be religious-Zionists or not. Interestingly, the Rambam explains the celebration of Chanuka as thanks to Hashem for 200 years of Israeli Independence, even though the Maccabean Dynasty was not from the tribe of Judah and for most of that period was not religious! Why is it so important to have a Jewish State, even if not the ideal one?
A few days later, a royal emissary of the Empress Maria Teresa appeared at the rabbi’s home. The surprised rabbi realized that the wealthy Jew had broken the convention by which Jews did not involve non-Jews in their inner disputes. He had no choice.
Why is Torah study the most important commandment in the Torah? How does one fulfill this Mitzvah? Just how much Torah must one know? Rabbi Eliezer Melamed addresses these and other questions in his distinctly clear style.