2 January 2026
Question
With everything happening lately, is it time for Australian Jews to pack up and leave Australia? Maybe G-d is telling us that the time has come to go to Israel. After all, we left Egypt in such haste that the bread didn’t have time to rise. Perhaps we should be rushing out of Australia and making Aliyah right now.
Answer
Yes, it is time for all of us to make aliyah. But that doesn't mean you have to leave.
Aliyah means to rise, to elevate, to step up.
For some, moving to Israel is the next step. For others, the aliyah they need to make is right where they are. Either way, it needs to be thoughtful and deliberate.
We do not let terrorists decide where Jews live. And we do not allow panic to direct our destiny. Unlike Egypt, this is not a moment for running.
When we left Egypt, it happened in a rush. We were unready, helpless and spiritually enslaved. The Exodus was a gift from above, not something we earned. We ran without a plan. There was no time for the dough to rise.
But the future redemption is different.
The prophet Isaiah says, “You shall not leave in haste, nor shall you go in flight” (Isaiah 52:12). When Moshiach comes, we will leave calmly, deliberately, and with strength. Not fleeing something bad, but moving toward something good.
The final redemption will not be driven by fear. It will be earned through our choices, our growth, and generations of good deeds. Every mitzvah brings us closer. Every positive act prepares us more. When the time comes, we will go because we want to go, not because we have no option.
That is why now is not the time for dramatic moves made on adrenaline. Terror is meant to shake us, to make us feel unsafe and reactive. We must not give it that power.
If you were already planning to make aliyah, now may indeed be the time. But we all need to make aliyah in the deeper sense. Not to run, but to rise.
Rise in Jewish pride. Rise in unity. Rise in commitment to Jewish life, to Torah and mitzvos.
One day, we will all return home. And when that day comes, it will not look like Egypt. There will be no rushed exits and half-baked plans.
Back then, the bread didn’t rise. This time, we will.
