But once again – the blame doesn’t lie with the Jewish Agency and its bureaucracy. The fault lies with the leaders of Diaspora Jewry, and with each and every parent, for not encouraging aliyah. The failure lies with Jewish education in the galut for not telling the truth. The directors and shalichim of the Jewish Agency can scream out about aliyah at the top of their lungs, but if Ricky’s and Suzy’s parents don’t want them to be so far away, it’s a losing battle. If Rabbis and Roshei Yeshivot tell their students they can be better Jews in golus, what chance does the Jewish Agency have? If the heads of Diaspora Jewry put the focus on continuing the exile and pouring its billions into strengthening its institutions, it is no wonder that Nefesh B’Nefesh flights are half full.
Make no mistake, my friends. The Diaspora is meant to finish. The exile isn’t supposed to last forever. The exile came as a punishment, and now that the punishment has been delivered, it is time to come home. That’s what the Rabbis, presidents of Jewish organizations, and parents should be teaching instead of trying so hard to be good loyal Jews in foreign gentile lands, where assimilation is devastating our ranks, and where the day isn’t long in coming when the gentiles will once again remind us that we are unwanted guests in their lands.
Yesterday, my wife and I, and two of our younger children, visited our newly married son and his wife in Modiin. The shopping center was packed. Stores were jammed. The food court was so crowded, we had to wait to find a table. What shefa and abundant material blessing! There were mehadrin hamburgers and glatt kosher pizza, Chinese food and felafels, a MacDonald’s and an ice cream stand with 28 flavors. And everyone was Jewish! Everyone! You may read about social protests in Israel, but the economy is booming, thank God! Afterward, we went for a short hike in the woods to the gravesite of the Macabbees, and on the drive back home, we stopped at the tomb of the prophet Samuel, with its stunning, panoramic view of Yerushalayim.
I ask you – what are people waiting for? Mashiach? He’s already here!
To be continued…