[Avodah] The Mitzvah of Aliyah

[Moshe Feldman]

On Jan 1, 2008 4:23 PM, Michael Makovi <mikewinddale at gmail.com> wrote on
Areivim:

> <<As my rabbis have put it, the difficulty that exempts one
> from aliyah, is that one cannot make the arduous land-sea journey, to
> a barren desolate land with almost no livelihood (livelihood = enough
> food to live on, enough clothing to keep you warm in the winter, and
> some form of living shelter) and filled with disease. Today, my rabbis
> say, the ease of hopping on an El-Al flight and earning enough money
> to buy food (conditions in Israel are not so bad that one will
> starve), means that for the vast majority today, there is no
> exemption.
>
> I think the Gemara says that one should leave Israel when the price of
> grain triples, or something like that. In other words, one has
> permission to live in chutz, when living conditions in Israel are
> absolutely unbearable.>>



It should be noted that not all rabbanim agree with your rabbis, certainly
not Rav Moshe Feinstein (whose position in EhE 1:102 is discussed at
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/getindex.cgi?section=M#MITZVAH%20OF%20ALIYAH).


As to the gemara you cite: Rav Moshe explains that (as noted by the Rambam
Hil. Milachim 5:9) once one has moved to Eretz Yisrael, it is forbidden to
leave except for the reasons of finding a wife, learning Torah and
transacting business.  But one who has not moved to EY does not violate any
issurim in staying.

I have no doubt that even according to Rav Moshe this is not just a mitzva
kiyumis like wearing tzitzis but one that is the focal point of Jewish
existence.  In contrast to Rav Moshe, I myself consider the Ramban's
position to be correct, given the general tenor of Sefer Devarim and given
the Ramban's understanding of mitzvos in general as he explains on "k'doshim
ti'h'yu" and on "v'asi'sa ha'yashar v'hatov" as I explained at
http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol06/v06n007.shtml#05.

Kol tuv,
Moshe
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