Ami Magazine Mocks Jews Making Aliyah and Brings Proof From the Parsha???

The arrogant "menuval" Yitzy "Clown" Frankfurter mocks Jewish people who have this burning desire to  fulfill their lifelong dreams to make Aliyah! .... He mocks the Jewish nation for  sacrificing their very comforts in galut, who pack and leave chutz le'aaretz, to observe the Mitzvah of Yishuv Eretz Yisroel, that the Ramban says, is in effect "Bezman Hazeh" in the here and now!

So to support his "litzanis" he bizarrely brings "proof" from Hashem's commandment to Avraham "לך לך " that this wasn't a command for Aliyah  and brings a Rambam to back up his "ama ratzis"!

He scribbles in this week's "editorial" that

"Many people, especially those in the Religious Zionist camp, have interpreted G-d's command of "lech lecha" as meaning "Go make aliyah!"  (notice he writes Aliyah with a small "a")

According to them, Avraham Avinu was in fact the first Jew to do so, and he thus serves as a prototype for modern-day aliyah. The Rambam, however, in his commentary on Avos (5:3), says the exact opposite --- that G-d commanded Avraham to go into galus, thereby rendering him the world's first "wandering Jew."

The Clown writes:

G-d's instruction to leave Ur Kasdim was not merely a means to an end, i.e., a necessary step in order for Avraham to reach Eretz Yisroel, but was an end in itself"

Then he proceeds to denigrate "baalei batim"

"You may ask, "Well, aren't the baalei batim right in this instance? After all, G-d instructed Avraham to his birthplace and settle in Eretz Yisroel." ....

 Helllllow! Avaraham Aveenu was also a Baal Boose"..... no  he wasn't in Kollel!

So lets learn a bit and see how one really learns the parsha and see that the Religious Zionists have absolutely Rishonim to rely on and of course our Holy Torah itself!

The Torah writes, that when Hashem gave the commandment of Lech Lecha ....Avraham was 75 years old (12:4)

Later in the Parsha (15:1) the Torah relates the incident of  "Bris Bein Habsarim." This was the deal that Hashem made with Avraham that he will give his children, Eretz Yisroel...

According to the Cheshben of the Chizkuni (15:7), Avraham was 70 years old at the "Bris Bein Habsarim"

So the "Bris Bein Habsarim" that is recorded later in the Parsha actually took place 5 years before the commandment of Lech Lecha....

Now ...listen carefully ...

the "Bris Bein Habsarim" took place in Eretz Yisroel ...as the Torah writes:

"lezaracha nesatee es Haaretz Hazois" "To your children I will give THIS land" so he must have been in Eretz Yisroel.

Avraham then went back to Charan and had the war with the kings (he was 74 during that juncture in time)  and then when he was 75 years old, Hashem appeared to him and commanded him "lech lecha."

So according to the Chizkunie, Avraham Aveenu already knew that his children would inherit Eretz Yisroel and  knew the location since he was already there, when Hashem told him "Lech Lecha" . So this must be the second time he left, but this time he was actually commanded to leave....

That's why some Rishoinim  say that  "Lech Lecha"  was not one of the harsher tests!  Rashi would actually agree with that since Hashem promised Avraham a Land, and a child .."lehanascha Ultoivascha"

להנאתך ולטובתך

The Torah itself says that, in the very first verse .... that Lech Lecha is talking about Avraham leaving Charan and going to 

אל הארץ אשר אראך

"el haaretz asher arekah" .... "the land that I will show you":

 Eretz Yisroel, ........;this was in fact Aliyah ...; the "baalei batim know and knew exactly what they were talking about, that this was a "means to an end".... That this commandment was specifically to make Aliyah!

The Malbim says that the reason that Hashem said "arekah" and not outright "Eretz Yisroel," so that Terech wouldn't come with him ...and therefore Hashem was vague, but Avraham certainly knew where he was going and he knew the location!

Now, not all Rishonim hold like this, they hold that Avraham didn't know where he was going. But then if the Bris Bein Habsarim already happened, how do they explain why Avraham Aveenu didn't know where he was going?

But be that as it may, the commandment "Lech Lecha was a call for Avraham to make Aliyah and the Religious Zionist have the words of the Torah to rely on, that Lech Lecha was a call for Aliyah with a capital "A"!

Every single child knows that Lech Lecha is a call for Avraham Aveenu to make Aliyah ...no one even argues this point, the only question that Rishonim debate is what the Nisayoin of Lech Lecha actually was, since Aliyah is a great thing, and having children was what he wanted!

As a side note, 

When Avraham questions Hashem at the Bris Bein Habsarim, after he was promised Eretz Yisroel, "Bemeh Eidah?" 

במה אדע כי אירשנה

"how will I know that I will inherit it?"  

The Rabbeinu Bachyeh (15:8) writes that Avraham Aveenu was asking "how will I know that Hashem will keep the promise of giving my children Eretz Yisroel, even if they should sin?" 

See the Chizkunie that writes that Avraham wanted Eretz Yisroel without any conditions ... he wanted his children to have Eretz Yisroel even if they are Chiloinie ...even if they don't keep all the Mitzvois ...

Then the Clown continues with his garbage bla bla bla  "Soloveitchik," bla bla "Baruch Ber" bla bla bla 

Now let's address the Rambam in Avos (5:3) ...The Rambam doesn't' say "the exact opposite" you fool, he actually agrees that Hashem commanded Avraham to make Aliyah .... absolutely!

The Rambam and other struggle why this commandment was a "test" .....a Nisoyin?

The Rambam in Avos (5:3) enumerates the 10 tests that Avraham went thru and one of them was "lech lecha" but even though leaving his house was actually a good thing, because he was looking forward to the blessing of children ...and Eretz Yisroel, he was, according to the Rambam going thru hardships because he had to "wander" until he reached his ultimate goal which was Eretz Yisroel...and Hashem wanted him to do that, so that he would be able to have a positive influence on people on the way!

It's like someone who knows that he is going to Israel ..and is eager to get there ASAP, but until he gets there he has to suffer thru packing, inspections at the airport, he has to  actually board the plane and  suffer thru crying toddlers and 12 hours of flight! And then while he is flying he may have to  sit next to a chilonie and make a Kiddush Hashem, Chas Ve'sholem!

But getting there is a "means to an end!" It's a"nisayoin" but once you have the goal in mind it's much easier!

The Rambam does not say that this mitzvah wasn't "a means to an end" The Clown Frankfurter says that! ...

The Rambam just says that the reason it was a nisoyin is because Avraham's Aliyah came with some hardships!