1) The government is not to their liking.
2) They won't come until there is peace.
3) They don't believe they are obligated to live here until the Moshiach comes (I think that Tzvi Fishman has proven that wrong with the Torah sources given on his blog.)
4) They won't come unless they know they have a job in their field waiting for them.
5) Their kids are too old
6) Their kids are too young
7) They're waiting until they retire
8) They're waiting until they are dead and need to be buried
9) Their furniture won't fit in these small apts. - Honest to goodness, this was an excuse. One American woman looked at my parent's dining room when they were here touring Jerusalem on a pilot trip and the woman said, "I can't make aliyah, I see that my dining room table would never fit into an Israeli apt. that I can afford".
10) I have old sick parents or I am divorced and I can't take my kids with me.Of the above 10 reasons why most Jews don't make aliyah today.... only number ten has any merit at all. I personally sympathize with divorcees that want to be in their children's lives, and cannot do so if they are forced to leave them in the Old Country. I also understand how someone who feels they cannot come because they are caring for their elderly parent who cannot be moved or travel such a long distance. However, even these two excuses can be argued.
Now obviously as I've said before there are legitimate reasons to stay in America, IE spouse doesn't want to go, (and even if the Rambam says you have to divorce your spouse to make Aliyah, I don't think that kind of thing applies today.)
But the question that needs to be asked is why? Each and every Jew needs to ask why he is not preparing to make Aliyah, but they should be honost about. "I'm scared," is a legitimate opinion. Scared I won't be able to get a job, scared about the security situation, scared about the government, statues of kashrut, and many other fears.
But what about the people who are going? Do you think that the same things haven't crossed their minds?
The Torah says, "when" you settle the land. Not "if, maybe, or possibly."
"When."
The question is which generation of your family will be doing it? Will it be you? Or you kids? Or your grandkids?
Doesn't matter which one because 100 years from now (if one of the lines didn't intermarry or assimilate) will look back on the generation that made the made the move and be greatful that they were the ones who made the move and made the struggle so that they could live in the land G-d gave us. (Mashiach pending of course).
So what are you waiting for? Are you going to stay trapped in your fear and wait from a future generation to make the move? Or are you going to overcome the Exile mentality of fear and "leave the land of your father to go to the land that I will show you."
It has never been easier to make Aliyah, Avraham Avinu didn't have Nefesh B' Nefesh offering money and assistance, neither did the rest of the Jewish people after 40 years trekking through the desert. One question I hear from lots of families who make Aliyah is "Why didn't we do this sooner?"
So you can wait for the security situation to improve, or for more money, or for many other reasons then what is listed above, but eventually ALL of the Jewish people are going to return home, and it's a question if they are going to do it willingly by themselves or are they going to have to wait for G-d to give them one final whack on the behind to get them out the door.
Of course I'm worried about the security situation, the schooling, jobs, finding a wife, taxes, income, nor being able to make it, but I have complete faith in G-d that I will make it and I'm going with that in mind, and that the only way to do it. I don't think there was one person of the 210 who got off the plane on Tuesday, who had all of these questions ironed out, or weren't worried. But they came. And I'm coming too, just look on the right side of my blog for the day remaining, as of now it's 312 give or take a day.
I have a date, do you?
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