The Bible kicks off with a commandment for Jews to make aliyah

Choni Davidowitz, Johannesburg

​For us “old folks” present, his words, taken from the book of Psalms, were truly inspirational.

Rabbi Goldstein also spoke about the phenomenal rise of Yiddishkeit in the Diaspora and how the Shabbos Project which he introduced in 2013, has helped in this rise. He must be highly commended for this project in which hundreds of thousands of Jews throughout the world now observe the Sabbath, and probably many other mitzvot.

Being Succot, Rabbi Goldstein also noted how many more Jews now attend services with lulav and etrog.

Without detracting from, and with the highest respect for the rabbi’s sterling work, I would suggest that with his Shabbos Project being in the week of Parsha Lech Lecha, it might have been appropriate for him to mention that in the parsha Hashem commands Avraham: “Go forth from your land… to the land that I will show you.”(12;1).

These words constitute the first mitzvah ever given to a Jew. Yes, the first thing G-d ever said to Avraham, the first Jew, was “Make Aliyah”. One would have thought that belief in Hashem, rejection of idolatry, keeping the Sabbath or any cardinal religious principle would have been the first commandment given to Avraham. But G-d chose to begin Judaism with “Go forth to the Land”.

In his talk, Rabbi Goldstein noted that for the first time in nearly 2 000 years, the Jewish people have returned to their spiritual homeland after the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust.

Israel now has over half of the Jewish population of the world and without a doubt is well on the way to complete the “ingathering” of our people. May I suggest to Rabbi Goldstein that while his Shabbos Project is proving so successful, he also incorporates a policy of “Go forth from your land” and encourage as many people as he can to make aliyah. He would then be the “Avraham” of our time.

History has proved that no matter how strong Yiddishkeit is in the Diaspora, the destiny of the Jewish people will be determined by the words in Lech Lechah. “Go forth to the Land of Israel”. Only there can the Jewish people live a life of Torah. Isn’t that why G-d sent Avraham to Israel?