I have an American friend who keeps schlepping his family back and forth between Israel and America (specifically, California). When he’s living in California (as he is now), he’s dreaming about Israel: “I miss living in the Jewish state, where Jewish education is free and you get the holidays off from work. We’re coming back to Israel soon!”

And yet he has already left Israel twice to go live in America for long stints, in large part because he loves his higher earning potential in the motherland.

I’m trying hard to be less judgmental and argumentative, but because he keeps claiming he wants to settle down in Israel and remain here, I am dying to tell him the secret to successful Aliyah…

Move to Israel and stay there. That’s it, the whole megillah. Now you’ve got the secret. That’s the approach I have taken since I made Aliyah in the summer of 2001 (nearly 15 years ago). There have been ups-and-downs and certainly it has been challenging (very challenging at times). But I made up my mind that Israel is my homeland and I don’t torture myself by constantly considering alternatives.

There is a common element to the holiday of Sukkot and living in the Land of Israel: they are both more enjoyable and successful when you are fully committed and immersed.

If you are physically present in your sukkah, but the entire time you are thinking, “Ugh, it’s so hot here, there’s no air! I wish I were in my nice, comfortable house with air conditioning!” then you’re not going to have a very fulfilling experience. And you’ll probably weaken your resolve to go back to the sukkah next time.

Likewise, many of the English speakers who say, “I’m going to make Aliyah for a year and see how it goes” don’t end up staying in Israel. They aren’t totally committed. They aren’t fully immersed.

This total immersion is a connecting thread between Sukkot and Aliyah, according to Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. In his book, Moadim LeSimcha, he writes:

Our sages have noted that the mitzva of sukka is unique in that it is performed with the whole body. One walks into the mitzva of sukka, fully clothed, down to the mud on one’s boots. In this way, the mitzva of sukka is similar to the mitzva of building Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel)…The Vilna Gaon notes another similarity: Just as one is commanded to construct one’s own sukka, so is one commanded to be personally involved in the mitzva of building Eretz Yisrael…On Sukkot, we demonstrate that we are in love with life in this world; with our whole being, we immerse ourselves in the mitzva (page 33). 

These are two rare mitzvot we can do with our entire bodies (as opposed to wrapping tefillin, for instance, which mostly involves the hand, arm and head). And while it is wise to think about how to maximize the success of your Aliyah, and how to build a comfortable sukkah, these are mitzvot that are perhaps more about doing. They don’t need to be over-intellectualized.

You don’t have to obsess about finding the perfect ulpan (because there is no perfect ulpan) or obtaining the best job in Israel. Successful Aliyah is about resolving to stay in Israel, no matter what, and then fully immersing yourself in that experience. It’s really that simple.

I miss my friend and hope he and his family return to Israel quickly…