Rabbi Ari Shvat is Head of the Rav Kook Archives in Beit HaRav, Jerusalem.
Question:
My wife and I are talking about the future, in terms of living in Eretz Yisrael and graduate school. My wife wants to pursue a Phd. in Psychology beginning next year. However, it is a 6 year program, which could complicate our plans for aliya, especially as anything unexpected can happen in that time frame. Do you think it’s a good idea to wait it out and let her finish the program, or do you think this would tie us further down to chutz l’aretz? (the Diaspora). Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.
Response:
Shalom. I’m glad to hear that aliya is on your agenda.
Unfortunately, the most common difficulty I found among tens, if not hundreds, of friends and students who planned aliya and in the end, didn’t make it, is precisely that they pushed it off, got used to the lifestyle and standard of living there, and in the end, sold their dreams for a nice, hot “lentil soup". If you want to be realistic, the chances of making aliya in another 6 years, are unfortunately significantly lower than you think.
Just imagine practically where you will be at that time. You"ll already be at the height of your career, with hard-earned connections, promotions, and potential for advancement. You will Bezrat Hashem already have several children in educational frameworks with friends, activities, etc. You will probably own a house and have to look to sell it (and won’t want to lose money, and will wait that much longer to get a good price…). You will probably be established and comfortable in the community, have your shi’urim, your Rav and your chevruta… You and your wife will have strong social ties, and the longer you wait, the more friends you will have, and the stronger the ties will be with them.
The more you wait, the older your parents and/or grandparents will be, and then you may feel guilty leaving them. The more you wait, the more relatives you will have to leave. It’s a “one-way street" going in the wrong direction, where every month that you wait is going to make leaving that much more difficult.
It basically boils down to the question, how important aliya is to you? That, only you can answer. All I can help you with, is that if Torah and Judaism is important to you, “Living in Eretz Yisrael is equated with the rest of the mitzvot combined!" (Tosefta, Avodah Zara, 5, 2), and “Whoever lives in chutz laAretz is as if he worships idols (the Beit Yosef explains: his gold and silver, rather than idealistic priorities, Ktuvot 110b-111a).
You are definitely at a crossroad in life, and now is the time to decide clearly, what your priorities really are: money, comfort and convenience, or Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael! I am confident that you will make a wise decision.
If you are interested in seeing my detailed article on the halakhic sources regarding aliya and career, and how much one must be willing to lower their standard of living in order to make aliya, just Google: Ari Shvat Economic Excuse. I must add that at present, the Israeli economy is even stronger than the American. "The Economist" has recently ranked Israel as the 3rd most vibrant economy in the world (ahead of the US), and "US News" recently ranked Israel as the 10th strongest country in the world (economy+ military, out of 195 countries), so the "Parnassa" excuse is becoming outdated. The main factor today is that it takes "GUTS" to make the change, and the YOUNGER you are, the braver and more idealistic you are. Also, you may alleviate the question of elderly parents by making aliya sooner, and then they (and your siblings!) can plan accordingly.
Just remember, the future of Am Yisrael and Torat Yisrael are in Eretz Yisrael, and we are fortunate enough to live in the historic generation of kibbutz galuyot (the gathering of the exiles). All statisticians agree that within 6 years (by 2032/תשצ"ב) most of the Jews will be living in Israel for the first time since the exile of the 10 Tribes about 2,600 years ago. All of your ancestors dreamed and would have given anything to be able to make aliya as part of the geula process.
You have that opportunity- and you’ll probably regret if you pass it up and push it off. Contrarily, if you do have the guts to make aliya, you will go down in history as “THE" great-grandfather/mother who saved your entire family-tree forever, by returning it to our eternal and holy destination.
This response is reprinted, along many other English translations on the topic from the writings of Rav Kook, Rav Tzvi Yehuda, Rav Shlomo Aviner and many others in the highly recommended "TORAT ERETZ YISRAEL ANTHOLOGY: Exile and Redemption, National T’shuva, Rabbi Kook, True Emunah, Settling of the Land, War, Mashiach, Prophecy, and much more…", edited by Tzvi Fishman and Rabbi David Samson. The all-encompassing anthology is available in Israel at Pomerantz and other book stores, or by order from Chava Books, and abroad via Amazon.