Mitzvah opportunities for YOU: I'm a new Israeli citizen!
I arrived in Israel as a new Israeli citizen (oleh chadash = new immigrant) just over 3 weeks ago. That's been part of the reason why for about a month and a half there were no updates here. I had a lot of things to do before this amazing journey of ascent (Aliyah) and the last couple weeks here have - you can imagine - been very busy.
Thankfully, I was able to finally post that 6-part series on "Injustice, Suffering, and Biblical Metaphor" which I wrote back in April. And since I hadn't really done any writing since, it was also good to write that book review as well for Rabbi Angel's book, "The Search Committee" which I whole-heartedly recommend.
Life here so far has been good and full of many blessings! Lots of amazing things and a plethora of emotions have come about. In some ways, I feel like a stranger at home. You know that feeling you get as an adult when you go back to the home of your childhood? It's very similar to that. Except that people speak a language you don't fully understand - but that feels right to hear - and even though you've been before and know that there are differences and most of what they are, it's still different to live there and experience it as a real home. It's been strange too because I've never felt more "at home" and yet, little things happen that make it feel "even more like home."
There have been some very tough challenges though I must admit. While I don't want to list all the dirty laundry here, the hardest thing has been finding a job and with financial matters. I had a solid financial plan that was looked over (I used to be a financial advisor too no less!), I had talked and researched the matters, and was confident in my plan. It soon went out the window. I've been living very frugally; I've not really even spent money for socializing or to really adjust here. It's been on necessary expenses and even then, only the most urgent. There are several necessary items that I just haven't bought yet and am trying to make due without for as long as possible. I've learned to expect the unexpected here because things like that pop up often here. So this way, if some bigger emergency pops up, I can use the funds there rather than kick myself that I got something - albeit necessary - that would mean I couldn't have paid for that expense. And I've become even more a bargain shopper than before and learning how to barter more and more effectively (here's a big hint: you really HAVE TO walk away at some point, but not fully; just enough to get them to come down more to your level). I've been living very frugally for years now; I had to. And I amaze myself at how much more so now. A couple friends came by who are traveling through for a few weeks and were in town for a couple days; they were astonished that I had almost no food. I said I buy food each day for that day; it's all I can do at the moment. I feel bad not being able to host people (imagine inviting someone over and only being able to offer water and no food!) or not to give a gift for someone's generous hospitality; but it's the way it is right now. A couple of large, very unexpected events happened that caused me to lose a substantial amount of money; baruch dayan emet (Blessed is the true Judge; i.e., G-d).
The future of this blog and my websites are very much in jeopardy. It's an expense I can't keep paying anymore fully. I was planning, as I had mentioned, to start a new blog at some point anyway. I had wanted to leave this blog and the website up for posterity's sake since I knew that several people have been helped by it, have encouraged me greatly by saying what an impact it made in their lives, and how beautiful my writing is. And my work at Torah Echad, as well as the work of others for that site, is important to me. But that site too would have to come down due to the financial crunch I'm in. Writing is my job and so these often also sometimes serve as showcases for my freelance work. It's painful doubly then because now my writing credits will be that much more diminished and thus, harder to find work (just FYI, the writing world is very competitive and credits for one genre or type of writing typically do not carry over).
But, I have been applying to do a great number of jobs here and thank G-d may have some freelance work coming in, but nothing is signed or official yet. With my level of Hebrew, finding a job is difficult (even trying to wait on tables for instance). I'm working on my Hebrew of course too; but there's only so much time in a day. Add on to all this the economic situation here and well, a lot of new immigrants who've been here longer than I have are still out of work (and I, unlike many of them, do not have money from family to help). I will of course keep trying and work at trusting in G-d and keeping up a positive attitude - this is of course what I write about to help others so thank G-d it's helping me now too all my work here. But this is a very real opportunity for you to do a mitzvah (good deed; fulfill one of G-d's commandments). Not only would you be doing the mitzvah of tzedakah (charity; justice), but also of helping an oleh chadash - helping a person settle in HaEretz Yisrael (the land of Israel). These are of course very important mitzvoth not only for you, but for me since the difficulties one faces to, as Abraham did, "go to the land" is considered on par with the whole study of Torah (and as tradition has it, also one of the top 3 things one suffers to obtain; I can vouch for this!). I didn't realize really, though people kept telling me how brave I was to just pack up and move to another country, that not that many people do this. I thought it was more and while true, it is more common say in Europe where things are closer together, it's not common for the average American even to travel internationally (I forget the statistics at the moment, but I was really shocked!). Truly in so many ways moving here has been the right thing and a source of blessing and peace; yet the financial challenges are so painful that I couldn't have imagined such would have been the case.
Please DONATE today; on the left side of the screen near the top is a way you can send money via PayPal. You can also email me (libertarianking at gmail dot com; I wrote it like this so that robots don't spam me) if you want to donate in another way. If my blog or websites have helped you, inspired you, educated you, made you laugh, if you appreciate my defense of the downtrodden and social advocacies for change to help the needy, or anything that you think is worth even $1 - then please help me not only keep up my work as a writer, but help me to earn a little bit so that I can pay for food, medical expenses, and rent - the bare necessities. Honestly, it pains me and is embarassing to ask like this - to pour one's heart out to strangers - but as a rabbi pointed out to me, if I don't let people know then I'm denying them the opportunity to do a great mitzvah.
Tzedakah is likened to sacrifice and not only is the reward great, but it heals the soul just by the very act of doing it - even if done begrudgingly. Eventually it will make a very real dent into your psyche and your soul. Really, from the bottom of my heart thank you. Thank you for reading and for those of you who frequent my sites. Thank you to those of you who offer your prayers and emails of encouragement & support. Thank you to those of you who can donate and give in any way you can. You are my sources of inspiration! May G-d bless you richly and uphold the promise, "I will bless those who bless you" - and may G-d make you even more abudant!
Elimelech Davyd Yosef
Posted by Shomer Tiferet at 11 Jun 2009, 2:06 AM 
Categories: Israel,Health,Personal,Israel Trip,General
Categories: Israel,Health,Personal,Israel Trip,General
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