Dearest Family and Friends
We are writing to you on this 25th day of the month of Elul, which according to the Talmud in Rosh HaShana, marks the day of B’reishis, a new beginning for the world, culminating 6 days later on Rosh HaShana with the creation of Adam and Chava and the beginning of a new relationship between man, HaShem and creation. Our family experienced this month our own B’reishis with our arrival in Israel to begin a new chapter of our lives here.
Our charter flight with Nefesh B’Nefesh was a joyous one with opportunities to meet many families young and old who were planning to join a variety of communities: Beit Shemesh, Efrat, Yad Binyamin, Yerushalayim and more. In addition, we were accompanied by close to 150 young single men and women who were making aliya to directly enter the Israel Defense Forces. We noticed that many of these young soldiers were ba’alei t’shuva of various degrees who were expressing their love for Torah and Eretz YIsrael by coming alone to make their future and find their soul-mates here. We were met with great fanfare, especially because I was carrying a Sefer Torah, belonging to Mr. & Mrs. Howard Glazer of West Hills New York, who had given us the wonderful opportunity to take this very special Sefer Torah (written in memory of Howard’s parents and in memory of Rebbetzin Liz Schwartz, aleihem hashalom), to our new home. Beginning with Simchas Torah we will use the Sefer Torah to establish a new Bais Medresh (Center for Torah Study) in our home. It will be called “ Bais Avrohom,” named after my sainted rebbe of blessed memory, Rabbi Avrohom Pam zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta Torah Vodath.
The Nefesh B’Nefesh organization arranged a spectacular welcome for our group including an address by the Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and Natan Scharansky, the famous former Soviet dissident now head of the Jewish Agency for Israel as well as other dignitaries and government officials. As we disembarked the plane, Chani, the kids and our Sefer Torah were surrounded by journalists who interviewed us and took photographs. Someone with a huge Shofar came toward us, trumpeting tekiyot. As we made it to the tarmac and to the terminal we were greeted with song and dance by the band, hired especially for the arrival of our charter flight. They spontaneously broke into a rendition of S’u She’arim Rosheichem (Open Your Gates, Tehillim) and we celebrated in dance and song as if it were Simchas Torah. And for us it was.
Over our first few weeks, we began step by step, piece by piece, constructing our new Israeli life. All the details from obtaining our Teudot Zehut (Israeli social security numbers), registering children for schools, utilities, health insurance, taxes, and a myriad of other details from water to telephones to receiving our belongings and appliances from our moving company’s lift are too exhausting to recount to you. Suffice it to say, we are still digging out from under but we are so grateful every day as we look out at the beautiful Judean hills that surround our home and connect with the wonderful Israel/Anglo community of our new home-town, Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Making Aliyah to Ramat Beit Shemesh is like making a “soft landing.” We are surrounded by predominantly English speaking families. Nevertheless, we are finding ourselves completely immersed in a new society with new ways of operation, business and language that require patience and time to get accustomed to. We are pleased to report that Ayala, our 14 year old, has quickly found many wonderful friends and is finding her way in her new school with the new challenges that it presents. Our little ones, Elimelech and Akiva, are quickly learning their new routine and loving their new bunkbed as well as all the friends that they can play with just outside our home. They also are truly enjoying the mere fact of being in Israel and visiting Yerushalayim, places that they heard so much about, but now are experiencing first hand.
On a professional level I have been asked to get involved immediately in the counseling social work and chaplaincy efforts that are going on in the Beit Shemesh community and in the greater Yerushalayim area. Together with organizations such as L’Ma’an Achai and The Family Institute at Neve Yerushalayim we hope to provide counseling, visitation and support to people in need, whether they are families, the ill or those recovering from terrorist attacks. .
We are also here to learn and teach Torah through our new Beit Medrash, Beis Avrohom, as well as shiurim that I have already started to give around the area. I am currently giving a Daf Yomi shiur each evening at the Aish Kodesh synagogue and for Shabbos Shuva and Yom Kippur will help lead the services at a local kehilla here in Ramat Beit Shemesh. Rosh HaShana as always I will be traveling to Uman where I will carry your prayers and tzedakah for a good, sweet, happy and healthy new year for all of us.
Chani starts her mornings with an intense Ulpan program. Even though she already speaks a good Hebrew she very much wanted to polish her skills to help integrate into Eretz Yisroel. She already is making new friends with the wonderful women who live nearby, and attending shiurim. Besides that she is unpacking boxes, settling our new home, and helping our children acclimate.
In the Torah reading the week that we arrived, we read about the mitzvah of Shiluach HaKen (sending away the mother bird before taking her eggs), Devarim 22:6-7. The Torah then immediately connects to the mitzvah of ma’akeh (building a guard rail for the roof of a new home). Ki sivneh bayis chadash v’asisa ma’akeh l’ganecha (When you build a new house then you should make a guard rail for your roof), Devarim 22:8.
Rashi, quoting the Midrash, writes: Im kiyamta mitzvas shiluach haken, sofcha livnos bayis chadash u’s’kayem mitzvas ma’akeh, shemitzvah goreres mitzvah (Avos 4:2), v’sagi’ah l’cherem v’sadeh v’livgadim na’im, l’chach nism’chu parshiyos halalu (Tanchuma 1)—If you have fulfilled the command of shiluach haken you will in the end be privileged to build a new house and to fulfill the command of making a guardrail, for one good deed brings another good deed in its train, and you will attain a vineyard, fields, and fine garments and perform mitzvos with all you acquire. It is for this reason (to suggest this) that these sections are put in juxtaposition.
It is difficult to understand, however, why this particular mitzvah of sending away the mother bird while you take the eggs for yourself, would merit such an avalanche of good fortune. Perhaps Torah study, or tzedakah or saving a life or some other grand act of chessed would understandably lead to the merit of acquiring a new home and new fields and all the mitzvah opportunities that those would present.
An interesting answer to this question is offered in the writings of Rav Nosson of Nemirov, chief disiciple of Rav Nachman of Breslev. He suggests that eim, the mother bird represents the Kabbalistic quality of bina, a restrictive force that can at times squelch or withhold the potential of a young fledgling to spread its wings and fly out on its own. Misuse of one’s bina can cause one to over-scrutinize one’s desires and motivations to a point where they may not seem justified or worthwhile. According to Rav Nosson, the passuk can, therefore, be interpreted as follows: Shalei’ach t’shalach es ha’eim: Send away any overbearing or self-critical and immobilizing thoughts, v’habanim tikach lach, take youthful energy, enthusiasm and vigor for yourself. By learning how to take our fears and worries and put them aside we can experience renewal of energy and set our sights on ambitious new vistas for our own development.
According to this interpretation, the Midrash’s promise of great rewards that this mitzvah brings with it is more easily understood. When one has opened one’s mind, removed their fears and concerns, and is ready to take on new vistas and challenges, HaShem is ready and eager to provide more opportunities. So, by taking ourselves in our hands with a willingness to begin new adventures in our lives, new homes, new fields, new dreams can appear.
Our aliya certainly was a decision that came with a lot of thought and the need to overcome many challenges and concerns, including the difficult decision to distance ourselves from those most dear to us, at least physically. Nevertheless, we firmly believe that our future and the entire Jewish future will manifest itself here, first and foremost, and we yearn to be part of that miraculous and ongoing process. In the short time that we are here, we are witness to Eretz Yisrael springing forth with awesome beauty, excitement, energy and strength.
We are grateful to HaShem, and to you, our dear friends and families, for supporting us to take these bold steps forward. We see our home as your home as well. We invite you to come visit, to experience and to share with us and we look forward to the opportunity to welcome you.
On behalf of Chani, myself and the children, we wish you all a Shana Tova U’Metuka and we hope to keep you posted on a regular basis of our progress and our adventures and hopefully see you b’karov mamash.
