{"id":2136,"date":"2018-03-07T11:12:06","date_gmt":"2018-03-07T11:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/2018\/03\/07\/aliyah-101-what-you-should-know-before-being-called-to-the-torah-3-2-2"},"modified":"2018-06-12T07:54:42","modified_gmt":"2018-06-12T07:54:42","slug":"aliyah-101-what-you-should-know-before-being-called-to-the-torah-3-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/2018\/03\/07\/aliyah-101-what-you-should-know-before-being-called-to-the-torah-3-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Aliyah to the Torah vs. Aliyah to Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his post<\/a> from Chabad.org<\/a>, Rabbi Yossi Lew<\/a> explains why the term “aliyah” is used to describe both being called up to the Torah and moving to Israel. In both cases, aliyah – which means ascent – refers to a spiritual elevation, as opposed to physical.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Question<\/h2>\n

I have always understood that the word\u00a0aliyah<\/span><\/i>\u00a0refers to being\u00a0called up to the Torah reading<\/a>\u00a0at the synagogue. But yesterday, a friend told me that he is making\u00a0aliyah<\/i>. He explained that \u201cmaking\u00a0aliyah<\/i>\u201d meant moving to\u00a0Israel<\/span>.\u00a0Could you enlighten me on what the true meaning of the word is?<\/p>\n

Answer<\/h2>\n

The Hebrew word\u00a0aliyah<\/i>\u00a0translates as \u201celevation\u201d or \u201cgoing up.\u201d It is, in fact, used both for being called up to the\u00a0Torah<\/span>\u00a0reading and for moving to the\u00a0Land of Israel.<\/p>\n

Aliyah to Israel<\/h3>\n

The term\u00a0aliyah<\/i>, going up to Israel, is used in\u00a0Genesis<\/span>\u00a0in reference to our forefather\u00a0Jacob\u2019s bones being brought from Egypt<\/a>\u00a0to what would be the Land of Israel: \u201cAnd\u00a0Joseph\u00a0<\/span>returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had\u00a0gone up<\/i>\u00a0with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Talmudic sages state that the Land of Israel is higher than all other lands.\u00a0This is not meant in a topographical sense, for clearly this is not the case. Rather, it means that the Holy Land is the most suitable place to relate and connect to the Almighty, and the primary location to lovingly engage in the observance of\u00a0G\u2011d<\/span>\u2019s commandments. In other words, to go there is to be elevated, to go up to a higher level.<\/p>\n

It is for this reason that anyone \u201cmaking\u00a0aliyah<\/i>,\u201d or moving to Israel for the right reasons, is moving \u201cup\u201d in the world. It is the land in which the holy Patriarchs and Matriarchs lived. It is the land upon which the\u00a0Holy Temples\u00a0were built. And, with the advent of the\u00a0Messianic era, it is the land where the Third\u00a0Temple<\/span>\u00a0will soon be rebuilt. It is truly a holy and elevated place.<\/p>\n

Aliyah to the Torah<\/h3>\n

The same way one is elevated when moving to Israel, one is also elevated each time one goes to the\u00a0synagogue\u00a0to pray.<\/p>\n

Inside the synagogue,\u00a0the\u00a0bimah<\/i>, the platform in the center of the room from where the\u00a0Torah scroll\u00a0is read, should preferably be elevated above the rest of the synagogue. In addition to making it easier for the reader of the scroll to be heard, this elevation is a reminder of the elevated status and critical importance of the Torah scroll in the synagogue, and from there, in the hearts and lives of those participating in the services.<\/p>\n

The person who is called to Torah gets an\u00a0aliyah<\/i>. He is \u201ccalled up\u201d to the Torah, not just because he ascends the platform, but also for a spiritual elevation.<\/p>\n

In life, one must always strive to climb to higher and greater heights. Where appropriate, one must seek elevation,\u00a0aliyah<\/i>, whether in location, or even more importantly, within the personal lives, property and confines of every single individual.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his post from Chabad.org, Rabbi Yossi Lew explains why the term “aliyah” is used to describe both being called up to the Torah and moving to Israel. In both cases, aliyah – which means ascent – refers to a spiritual elevation, as opposed to physical.\u00a0 Question I have always understood that the word\u00a0aliyah\u00a0refers to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[48],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136\/"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post\/"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4\/"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments\/?post=2136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2136\/revisions\/"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2137\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/?parent=2136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/?post=2136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matnasim.kulam.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags\/?post=2136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}