RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesWhat does it mean to love Israel deeply while choosing to build your life elsewhere?
In this episode of TEXTing IRL, Elana Stein Hain and her husband, Columbia/Barnard Hillel Campus' Rabbi Yonah Hain , get personal and reflect on their family's two years living in Israel, their decision to return to New York, and the competing demands of family, career, Jewish identity, and Zionism. Drawing on Parashat Vaetchanan, the Shema's commandment to teach our children, and rabbinic teachings about Moses’ longing to enter the Land of Israel, they explore the fulfillment of the self and the challenge of making life-changing decisions in uncertain times.
Sifre Devarim (Deuteronomy) 34 Otzar Midrashim, Midrash Petirat Moshe (The Death of Moses) Sefer Petirat Moshe Rabbenu Alav Hashalom (The Book of the Death of Moses), Jerusalem, 1897 Sifre Devarim (Deuteronomy) 34
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Loving and Leaving: A Zionism of Longing Transcript
Note: This is a lightly edited transcript of a conversation, please excuse any errors.
Elana: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to TEXTing IRL: Ideas for Real Life, where we wrestle with the big dilemmas of our time through the lens of classical and modern Torah texts. I'm your host, Elana Stein Hain, and we're recording on July 6th, 2026.
Today we're bringing you a very personal episode about life transitions and family decision making. My family and I have been blessed to live in Israel for the past two years, as you've heard me discuss on this show many, many times. I've loved bringing you insights from my time here. In just a few weeks, we're moving back to New York, and in this episode, I want to share what it's meant to be here in Israel and what it means to decide to move back to New York at this time.
We were here for so many big milestones that will make it into the annals of Jewish history. The opening day of school in 2024, when we were notified that the group of hostages known as the Beautiful Six, had been killed. The end of 2025, when the final hostages returned home. Four rounds of war with Iran, the feeling of Israel becoming more and more isolated in the world, the incredible bravery of Israeli families and their soldiers, the frustration of so many of the Israeli people with where their country is headed, and so much more.
But through all that, we were also here having our personal experiences, adjusting to school and work in a different language and culture, and spending time with family and friends, stepping out of our regularly scheduled program to change our routine.
In addition, as I wrap up my time in Israel, we're wrapping up this season of TEXTing. I'm really grateful to all of you for listening every other week to our Torah study with such inspiring and thoughtful guests. I know you didn't agree with everything you heard, but I didn't agree with everything either, and that was kind of the point. I'm so grateful to my colleagues in Israel and in the US who supported me in this project, in both vision and execution. Even as this season wraps up, I will still be writing and teaching. Be sure to subscribe to Hartman's emails and YouTube channel to continue learning with me, and stay tuned for more opportunities for us to learn together, online and in person. Back to our episode.
In this week's Torah portion, Ve-etchanan , it is confirmed with finality that Moshe will not enter the Land of Israel. For this personal reflection on my family's time in Israel and transition back to the US, I've invited my husband, my life partner, and ongoing guest from the first season of TEXTing, way back when, Rabbi Yonah Hain.
Yonah is the university rabbi at Columbia-Barnard Hillel and is currently writing his doctorate in rabbinics. Welcome, Yonah.
Elana: Yeah, well, you know, we've talked so much about Israeli society on this program. I actually, we should just start by talking about our personal experience, like how this has felt different than our regularly scheduled program, getting to live here for two years.
Yonah: So for me, it's been pretty drastic because I'm on a study leave sabbatical. So whereas in the States, I have commitments for work on weeknights, on weekends, Shabbatot are pretty booked, here, I'm a researcher and writer, and I have been able to really emphasize family. I've had countless memorable, unforgettable, and just quality moments with you and our kiddos, and Ve-etchanan is an excellent window into sort of contrasting what life is like in America for us or for me, what life has been like here.
So the verse in question, we're going to do a verse and then two rabbinic comments on it. So the verse comes from the Shema, which is in our Torah portion of Ve-etchanan , and charges us with ve-shinantam levanecha , you shall teach diligently your children, and thinking about being able to transmit anything to our children means effort, time and availability.
Yonah: I think anybody with a demanding job, even if it doesn't have weeknights and weekends, you're always struggling with the balance between family and your professional life. But to be able to say unequivocally that these two years, I was able to pause and prioritize them, carpools, the dinners, I haven't missed any events.
Elana: Yeah, that's pretty great. That's actually pretty great, considering sometimes we would eat by ourselves on Friday night at home, because you had to be at what I call the four-hour kiddush, at shul, at night, at university.
I also want to say, I think there is something to taking kids out of their usual institutions. And the family actually really is the institution when you go to a new place. And that also, meaning it's not even just time. It's also just what exactly is holding everybody in. Family is actually what'...
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