For many, the idea of moving to the Land of Israel (Aliyah) represents a central aspiration of Jewish life. It is a theme that resonates deeply in our prayers, texts, and communal discourse. Yet not everyone is in a position to pursue this ideal, a reality that becomes clearer through a brief but powerful episode in the Torah and an insight from one of its great commentators.
In Numbers 10:29–33, Moses pleads with his father-in-law, Yitro (also known as Chovav), to join the Israelites on their journey to the Land of Israel. Yitro declines, saying:
“I will not go, but rather return to my land and my birthplace.”
The sixteenth-century commentator Rabbi Ovadia Sforno offers an illuminating explanation. He writes that Yitro’s refusal was not due to a lack of spiritual connection or ideological commitment, but rather to the physical realities of old age. As Sforno puts it:
“In my old age I cannot withstand the air of a different land and its food.”
Yitro, a man of great wisdom and righteousness, may well have shared the desire to dwell in the Holy Land. But he recognized that his body, weakened by age, might not survive the transition to a new climate and lifestyle.
Sforno adds that Yitro’s sons did continue on with the Jewish people into the Land of Israel, a sign that the family’s spiritual alignment with the journey remained intact even if Yitro himself could not make the move.
This brief comment opens a window of empathy and understanding. In modern times, many have made Aliyah in their later years and found renewed energy and purpose. But others, for legitimate and deeply personal reasons such as health or family considerations, may choose not to.
Jewish tradition recognizes both the power of ideals and the importance of individual circumstances. As Sforno’s comment reminds us, even the most righteous may need to honor their limitations.
May we all strive to place ourselves—physically, spiritually, and emotionally—in environments of good air. And may we recognize when it is time to move and when it is right to stay.
Shabbat Shalom
Dedication: To President Javier Milei of Argentina, on his well-deserved receipt of the Genesis Prize in Jerusalem this we
