The Right To Choose Where To Live

Question: Should we have the right to choose where we live?

Answer: A person’s main goal in life is to realize himself in such a way as to do the maximum for society with maximum efficiency.

Therefore, if after studying and examining himself a person feels that he can realize himself in a certain place for the benefit of humanity, then he certainly needs freedom of choice and the opportunity to leave his place and go where he can bring the most benefit to all humanity.

However, he should do so only after he truly saw and verified that humanity needs him in this particular place. This should not simply be his desire, not that it “seems” so to him. No, he knows the general law and, as Baal HaSulam writes, then he may receive special permission from people who understand where he is able to realize himself best. Then, of course he must go and act there.

Also, if a person has nothing to do and in a simple egoistic, material form drags himself from place to place for the sake of greater egoistic fulfillment in another place where he can use what others have prepared for him—this certainly does not make him useful to society. I do not think that this is justified.

That is why emigration today, for example from Asia to Europe, does not benefit either Europe or Asia.
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The Round Table of Independent Opinions, Berlin 9/9/06