Aliyah – Coming into the Light of Israel

Coming Into The Light (of Aliyah) By Ariella Bracha Waldinger

WHO doesn’t enjoy walking into a beautiful room well lit with gorgeous crystal chandeliers, whose sparkling light touches everything in its path? Who doesn’t understand the Importance of Light and its many symbols and power to awaken us

ALiyah represents returning home to the “Palace of our King,” and going from room to room with all the beautiful crystal chandeliers sparkling before our eyes with the light of truth. Sometimes the light is so bright, we squint or shut our eyes completely until they adjust to the brightness and sometimes, we retreat into the dark until we are able to adjust to the brilliance of truth reflected in each light of wisdom we are exposed to.

I chose Coming Into The Light (of Aliyah) as the title of my blog because it represents the most complete revelation of Aliyah itself. The decision to make aliyah has imbedded within it, the ability to come into the light…..the sacred light embedded in the very earth and air of The Holy Land. This dimension of Light, which is a powerful symbol of spirituality and Torah, lifts up the new oleh, illuminating the very definition of Aliyah itself

Light is a metaphor for life itself for without light, we could not live. So coming home, coming back to our land which is the source of all blessings, represents returning to our strength…. to blossom and grow, for the light of the holy land itself brings us into the light of our own Divine inner being.

Light also represents truth. When you turn a light on in a room, its contents are illuminated. You can see everything in the room. Nothing is hidden. And so it is with ALiyah and the process of adjusting to the new environment with all its changes and challenges. Our selfhood emerges, and we see a clearer picture of who we really are. Our strengths and weaknesses seem to be reflected in all our choices and sometimes they are glaringly negative. This is a normal reality as our lives have been turned upside down. It is unbalancing, yet deep down, we have already tapped into the light and can feel a level of comfort in a process that is unfolding to create a shift in our reality and understanding of life itself.

There is a story of a Rebbe who made Aliyah with some of his followers. Soon after, one of his Chasidim came to him and said Rebbe, I don’t understand what’s happening to me. I am behaving in a very negative way and doing things I would never have done in our home town….how can this be? It must be the influence of the secular society in Israel. The Rebbe said not at all. This new behavior is actually the truth of who you really are. You are seeing your true self for the first time now that the facade of life outside the holy Land has been removed. Now, you have the Blessing of seeing your true self and from this reality you can become all that you were meant to be and more.

Such is the challenge and privilege of coming into the light…..coming home to our everlasting inheritance. I have heard that we are our truest selves in our home because we let our hair down and are not on show to the world. And so it is with
Coming Home on Aliyah

Coming into the light is our divine right, the gift conferred on us at birth by G-d to come into our own brilliant light and Eretz haKodesh is the perfect place to make it happen. The more we can peer into the light and see the hidden shadows, the more we can remove the shadows and move into the light of wholeness and inner harmony.

This is the real work of Aliyah because to really live in the light and bond with it requires releasing fears and holding onto the awareness that, we will be divinely guided by G-d to where we need to live, what we need to do and all the means necessary for us to live in the land with happiness. The price tag for this commodity of true and lasting happiness is the willingness to release or unload old baggage, beliefs and behaviors that block our receptors to receive the light. Positivity and potentiality also represent light and those traits are waiting to be claimed as gifts from the King to His loyal subjects in His Palace….His beloved Eretz Yisroel.

Hatzlocha and Bracha in your settling in. This journey will take you to stunning vistas of truth and light and you will truly be enabled to sing the song of your soul as you dance on the stage of your real life in G-d’s beloved Holy Land. Be brave and of good cheer for your G-d is truly with you wherever you go. DO not be afraid or frightened…..words from Tehillim