What Avraham and I Both Learned About Moving
When Hashem told Avraham to leave everything he knew and go to “the land I will show you,” I can’t help but wonder what Avraham was thinking.
What should I pack?
What’s the weather?
Will I need new clothes?
How do I move hundreds of miles across the desert with my family, animals, and all my stuff when I don’t even know where I’m going?
And then, he finally gets there, and Hashem says, “Actually, there’s a famine. You need to go down to Egypt.”
If it were us, we’d be like,
“What?! I just unpacked!
Why would You move me all this way and then send me somewhere else?”
But if Avraham was frustrated, he didn’t show it.
He just went.
That kind of faith, to leave what’s comfortable even when you don’t know the outcome, hits close to home for me.
Our Family’s Leap of Faith
Eleven years ago, I picked up my family and moved from New York City to Haifa.
I didn’t hear a divine voice, but I definitely felt a nudge.
New York was already getting harder for Jewish families.
Tuition that felt like a second mortgage (20K for kindergarten, seriously?), growing antisemitism (remember the “knockout” attacks on Jews in Brooklyn?), and that feeling that life was shrinking instead of expanding.
Five people in a two-bedroom apartment, no room to grow, no way forward.
I didn’t know exactly what Israel would hold for us, but I knew staying wasn’t the answer.
The Mess Before the Meaning
And let me be honest, aliyah isn’t all rainbows and palm trees.
Some things here work beautifully, like not choosing between medication and groceries.
Other things, less so, like going from an elite private Jewish school to a public religious one.
It’s just… different.
Still, even with the challenges, I wouldn’t trade it.
Not even after two years of war.
I can see the possibilities, the meaning in the mess, and it’s not only because I’m a personal organizer.
It’s because sometimes the mess is part of the plan.
When I declutter with people, it always has to get a little worse before it gets better.
That’s what taking stock really means, digging into the nitty gritty, seeing what’s there, and deciding what still belongs in your life.
Growth looks the same way.
Becoming, Not Replicating
Over the years, I’ve seen hundreds of families make aliyah.
Not all of them stayed.
But I don’t see that as failure.
Sometimes it’s just a detour, like Avraham going to Egypt to gather provisions before returning stronger.
The real reason many people struggle isn’t because aliyah “didn’t work.”
It’s because they expected Israel to feel like their old home.
But it’s not supposed to.
Hashem doesn’t call us to replicate what we had.
He calls us to become something new.
Leveling up, being the best version of yourself, means doing difficult things, and making change.
Ready to Begin Your Own Move Forward?
If aliyah is on your horizon (or even just a dream you keep pushing off), I made something to help you start strong.
👉 Download my free [Aliyah Guide] to walk you through the first steps and calm the chaos of moving.
When you sign up, you’ll also get a short email series with extra tips and tricks I wish I’d known before our move.
And if you want real accountability and momentum—whether you’re planning aliyah or simply decluttering the stuff that’s keeping you stuck—join me in VIP or come to a Tidy Together session.
We’ll do the work together so you can finally move forward with clarity and calm.
November, December, and January are the quietest months on the Jewish calendar—
the perfect window to get organized, plan ahead, and set up your next big step.
Let’s use this time wisely to move forward, wherever G-d is calling you.