The Mitzva To Live In Israel

The Alshich commented on Moshe Rabbeinu’s charge to the Jewish people of עלה רש, “Go up and inherit the land.” Some commentators wrote that these two words are the source for the Mitzva to live in Israel.

The Alshich felt that every Jew knows in his soul that there is only

one place where he can truly feel at home. If he is in touch with his spiritual side, he will realize that he can only feel at peace in Israel. It is simply not natural for a Jew to be living anywhere else than the land promised by Hashem to His people.

Forty three years ago I began to have strong feelings that I did not belong in America. I am not sure what spurred it on, as I was a synagogue rabbi at the time in Los Angeles.

I had the feeling that although I was born in the United States, I stopped thinking that America was mine. I now saw myself as a guest that really didn’t belong there. I knew that moving to Israel would give me the peace of mind that I was living according to my ideals.

Despite many difficult years, and many disappointments, I never regretted the decision to come home to the Promised Land. The Alshich believed that these feelings exist in the soul of every Jew. They only need to tap into their spiritual side, to uncover the yearning that Jews have always had throughout history. They needed to come home to the one and only place where they belonged.