The purpose of Aliyah isn’t simply to establish a Jewish life on autopilot. It’s to remember that our return is part of a much greater story that is still unfolding.
When Hashem promises Erez Yisrael to Avraham Avinu, Avraham responds:
במה אדע כי אירשנה
How will I know that I will inherit it?
At first glance, it’s a difficult question. Hashem has just made a promise. How could Avraham Avinu, the father of emunah, appear to question Hashem’s word?
Reb Shlomo Carlebach explained that this wasn’t about emunah at all. Avraham wasn’t asking whether his children would receive Eretz Yisrael.
He was asking why.
Hashem - why are You giving us this land? What’s the purpose of this whole journey? Where is this story heading?
Making Aliyah often comes with sacrifice on multiple levelts. So the arrival celebrations at Ben Gurion make a lot of sense.
But as Avraham Avinu showed us, arriving here is only the beginning.
And this gives all Olim a tremendous, unique zechut.
You’ve reorganized your entire life around the desire to be here. You’ve left behind familiar surroundings, communities, and sometimes careers.
And yes, you’ve faced the everyday struggles of making it all work and figuring out where you belong.
There’s something extraordinary about the sensitivity that comes from having made that journey.
You don't take the privilege of being here for granted.
Olim ask themselves: Where do I belong? What can I build here? How can I contribute?
Sometimes these questions come with stress or worry. But these are holy questions that echo the questions of Avraham Avinu.
Olim have the zechut of keeping the Avraham Avinu consciousness alive for all of Klal Yisrael.
The Shabbat Aliyah initiative by Young Israel in Israel and Mizrachi-YI Shul Network is a perfect opportunity to celebrate the holy Olim who remind us what it means to choose Eretz Yisrael, and what it looks like to keep asking where this extraordinary journey is taking us.
May we continue to live lives of ongoing Aliyah until the day when we receive the ultimate answer to all our questions with the Geulah Sheleimah.
Have a beautiful Shabbos.