The spiritual question around aliyah

Jul 10, 2026, 8:03 AM

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The Promised Land

The tribes of Gad and Reuven had large flocks. Seeing the rich grazing land east of the Jordan, in this week’s Parsha, they asked Moshe for permission to settle there instead of in the Promised Land. They pledged to fight alongside the rest of Israel until everyone had received their inheritance, but then they wanted to leave, to return to what is today approximately Jordan. Moshe agreed.

But why? Isn’t living in the Land part of God’s promise?

Because our relationship with God is a covenant (brit) and covenants are not forced. God invites; He does not compel. Commitment must come willingly.

The question remains as relevant today as it was then: Do we merely support God’s vision from a distance, somehow thinking we are better off in a foreign land, or do we want to build our lives with Him in the Land He promised?

About the Author

Originally from South Africa, I finished school and university in England (Economics at the University of Manchester) and learned for many years in yeshivot in Israel, where I received Smicha from Rabbi Dov Schwartzman Z"L, I taught in the Center Program for Yeshiva Ohr Sameach in Yerushalayim and was a Pulpit Rabbi in Cape Town South Africa for 3 years. I currently live in Baltimore, where I run Aseret Global.