All Israelis are Olim Chadasim (New Immigrants) |
In Parshat Ki Tavo we learn that a person is required to bring their Bikurim (first fruits) to the Kohen in the Beit HaMikdash and say the following words (Devarim 26:3): “I ascertain today to HaShem your God that I have arrived in the Land that God swore to our forefathers to give us.” There is no differentiation made here between one who was
born in the We can learn from here that all Israelis must look at
themselves as olim (immigrants) no matter how long they have been in Some of the students who attend the classes that I teach are
from families who have been in No matter how long a person has been in Once a person who has made aliya has finally integrated it is very easy to not want to look back and see who may now need their help. When a farmer has a basket of Bikurim, first fruits from the seven species of the Land of Israel, the inclination is to eat them (after all it was the farmer who grew them) and not give them to the Kohen. However, we are taught that they are grown with God’s help and therefore we must humble ourselves and show appreciation for what God has done for us. The Some people are afraid to make aliya because they feel that
they will never fit in and become a “real Israeli”. What is a real Israeli?
Everyone who lives in In Devarim 26:9-10 we are reminded that God brought us to
the We must show appreciation for the privilege of being able to live in the Land and one way of doing that is by giving back to the community. In sentence 11 we are told: “You shall rejoice with all the good that HaShem your God gave you and your household; you, the Levi and the convert in your midst.” We are commanded to be happy together as a community with people of all different backgrounds. A question that has been asked a lot lately is why aren’t more people making aliya? One answer is that some people don’t want to leave their comfortable homes knowing that they will never be fully accepted as Israelis. If every Israeli looked at him/herself as a new oleh and was more welcoming to the newer immigrants, then more people may be inclined to make aliya. |